It Sounds Better Than "Pity Date"

by Highlord Langslock

And it seemed so perfect on paper

Alternate universes filled with sapient talking ponies.

Magic existing in real life, turning every conceivable law of physics into a lame joke.

An alternate pony version of herself who happened to be a princess, complete with her own castle made entirely out of crystals, who visited this world by traveling through a magic mirror/statue that turned her into a human in the process.

To say that Twilight Sparkle had a lot to learn about how the world she lived in really worked was an understatement. Luckily for her, Canterlot High was the perfect place for her to start, alongside her new friends. The process of transferring there had taken an unexpectedly long time due to Principal Cinch’s interference. She had claimed that she didn’t believe that Canterlot could provide Twilight with the stimulation she needed, but it was obvious that she simply didn’t want to lose Crystal Prep’s most valuable student to its archrival.

Twilight, however, had had enough of her bullying, and since Cinch could no longer use Everton against her anyways, there was really nothing she could do. So in the end, she had reluctantly signed the papers that finalized Twilight’s transference.

Now Twilight finally found herself standing before Canterlot High’s main school building, ready to start her first day there. Setting her backpack down and checking to make sure no one was looking, she opened it up to reveal a green and purple dog.

“Are you alright in there, Spike?” she asked.

“Snug as a bug in a rug,” Spike assured her. Princess Twilight Sparkle (or simply Princess as Twilight thought of her for simplicity’s sake) had not been able to explain why traveling through the portals had granted him the ability to think and speak like a human being, but it didn’t matter to Twilight. As far as she was concerned, being able to truly talk to her oldest and dearest friend was too wonderful of a gift to question.

“Good, just remember to stay out of sight,” said Twilight. “Even after everything that’s happened, there’s still a ‘no pets allowed’ rule at this school.”

“Typical human bigotry,” Spike huffed.

“It’s not bigotry, it’s for sanitation,” Twilight said in an admonishing tone.

“If you recall, I was already toilet trained, pre-magic,” Spike shot back.

“And yet you still left a ‘gift’ in Ms. Harshwhinny’s garden last week,” Twilight said flatly.

“That wasn’t my fault! I’m telling you, the Doberman from down the street is setting me up!” Spike cried.

“Just keep quiet, and if you get bored, you can watch Dog with a Facebook Account on my phone,” said Twilight.

“I think I’ll pass; that show just doesn’t do it for me anymore,” said Spike, zipping the bag up him-self.

Standing up, Twilight checked to make sure her hair was done up perfectly, than smoothed out her clothes. Once she was satisfied, she picked up her bag and walked up the stairs to the school’s entrance.

Just as she reached the doors, they swung open, knocking her to the ground. Although she managed to catch herself before she tumbled down the stairs, the fall sent her glasses flying.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Are you alright?” a boy’s voice spoke frantically.

“I’m fine, just help me find my glasses,” said Twilight.

After a moment, she felt her glasses being pressed into her hand. Replacing them, she saw that her “assailant” had light yellow skin and sky-blue hair. She immediately recognized him as the boy she had crashed into at the start of the Friendship Games.

“I’m really am sorry,” he said again, helping her to her feet.

“Really, I’m okay, don’t worry about it,” said Twilight in a gentle tone. “By the way, I didn’t get your name the first time we met,” she continued, hoping to change the subject.

“Oh, you remember that,” the boy said. Strangely, he seemed displeased by the idea.

“Well, I do have a photographic memory,” said Twilight, hoping that it didn’t sound like she was bragging.

“It’s Flash Sentry,” the boy, Flash Sentry, said.

“Pleased to meet you, Flash Sentry,” said Twilight, holding out her hand. “My name is…”

“Twilight Sparkle, I know,” said Flash, ignoring Twilight’s offer of a handshake.

Twilight frowned, feeling uneasy at Flash’s abruptness. “Yes, well, just so we’re clear, I’m not Princess…”

“I know,” Flash repeated more forcefully. He then sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I should go; I left some stuff in my car.”

With that, Flash walked away, not even sparing Twilight another glance. She frowned, wondering what she could have done to upset him. He had seemed so friendly before. Deciding that she would think about it later, she turned around and entered the school.

She was immediately greeted by the sight of an amber skinned girl with long alternating locks of gold and copper-red hair and teal eyes, wearing a simple white dress, pale-blue tights, and a leather biker jacket. Breaking into a smile, Twilight ran up and gave Sunset Shimmer a big hug, which she returned.

“Good to see you again, Sunset,” she said.

“Same here, Twilight,” said Sunset as they broke apart. “Excited to start your first day at Canterlot High?”

“You bet I am!” said Twilight. “Are the other’s here yet?”

“They all got here before I did, actually,” said Sunset. “Come on, I’ll show you to your locker, and then we'll stop by the library; Pinkie Pie probably already has a ‘Welcome to Your First Day at Your New School’ party set up for you.”

Grabbing Twilight’s hand, Sunset led her down the hallway; Twilight allowed herself to be pulled along, feeling happier then she had in a long time.

Twilight quickly learned that Canterlot High was not the second rate school everyone at Crystal Prep had made it out to be. At her first class of the day, Physics, she was shocked to discover that the teacher, Mr. Time Turner, was actually a boy her own age who was apparently a super genius who graduated from college at the age of ten. After Twilight had introduced herself, he immediately quizzed her on string theory and the theory of non-linear time, and then shocked her again by giving her a score of only ninety out of a hundred, revealing several inaccuracies she had been overlooking for years. He then launched into a lesson that filled up half of Twilight’s notebook before announcing that there would be a pop-quiz the next day (although Twilight was disappointed when Sunset told her that Time Turner’s tests and quizzes were never nearly as hard as he built them up to be).

Next was Music class. Back at Crystal Prep, this class had always been somewhat lackluster. At Canterlot High, however, it was a lively and spirited hour where the music truly seemed to come alive. The only kink was how Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie kept disrupting class whenever they Ponyed Up unintentionally.

World History turned out to be a bit of a joke. Although Ms. Yearling was certainly an expert on the subject, her long, droning monotone style of lecturing had even Twilight struggling to stay awake. Surprisingly, the only student who didn’t seem like they were about to die from sheer boredom was Rainbow Dash who seemed to hang on Yearling’s every word with a huge smile on her face. When Twilight asked Sunset about it, she simply said that it was a long story and that she would tell her about it later.

After History came Gym. Back at Crystal Prep, the Physical Education instructors had a sort of unofficial policy of focusing their time and energy on those with genuine athlectic talent while generally looking the other way when it came to the more academically inclined, which allowed Twilight (who fell far into the later category) to more or less fake her way through it. However, she quickly learned that such things wouldn’t fly at Canterlot High. Coach Iron Will pushed everyone to their limits and beyond, and any complaints were countered with random limericks that almost seemed to encourage abuse. Surprisingly, the only one who didn’t think he was a total psychopath was his worst student, Fluttershy. She insisted that despite his excessive “enthusiasm”, Iron Will had good intentions and only wished for his students to be the very best that they could be. Personally, Twilight couldn’t see it, but after comparing Fluttershy’s attitude against how poorly she usually reacted to aggressive behavior, she decided to give them both the benefit of the doubt.

Eventually, lunchtime came, and even that proved to be a vastly different experience from Crystal Prep. There, the atmosphere had always been one of cold disdain at best. At Canterlot High, however, everyone talked and laughed warmly with each other, heedless of age or social status. Even the teachers seemed to enjoy interacting with the students, judging by the fact that Time Turner was sitting with a blond haired girl with strange eyes, although Sunset told her that that was a special case.

“So what do you think of Canterlot High so far?” asked Sunset as they received their lunches. They had already met up with the rest of the Rainbooms, who had promised to show Twilight their usual table.

“It’s amazing, I love it here!” Twilight gushed. “I have to admit, I’m finding it hard to believe that it had ever fallen behind in the past.”

“You can thank Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna for that,” said Rainbow Dash as they all made their way across the cafeteria. “They really turned this place around after they convinced the school board to give the last principal the boot.”

“I’ve heard about him,” Twilight admitted. “Was he really as bad as they say he was?”

“Trust us sugar cube, whatever ya heard, it weren’t half as bad as it really was,” Applejack said darkly.

“Indeed,” agreed Rarity. “That insufferable old man-child was a menace who turned this entire school into his own personal demented playground.”

“Hey, he wasn’t that bad!” Pinkie Pie insisted.

“Oh please, you only liked him because he replaced all of the water fountains with chocolate milk dispensers,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

Twilight was so busy giggling that she forgot to watch were she was going and ran into someone. Fortunately, the other party managed to grab her and her tray in an impressive display of reflexes before she fell on her butt for the second time that day. She saw that it was the same guy from before, Flash Sentry.

“Hello again," he said as he helped her steady herself. "I swear that I’m not doing this on purpose."

“It’s okay, although we really need to stop running into each other like this,” said Twilight as she took her tray back.

Just like that, Flash was frowning again and refused to meet Twilight’s eyes. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he mumbled, walking away.

“Hey Twilight, what did you do to Flash Sentry?” asked Rainbow Dash as everyone sat down.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” Twilight protested. “I barely even know him!”

“Well something must have happened,” Rainbow Dash insisted. “I’ve never seen him this down before.”

“He was acting like that when I met him earlier as well,” Twilight admitted. “It’s strange, because he was perfectly friendly when we first met after I arrived for the Friendship Games.”

“Did he mistake you for Princess Twilight like we did?” asked Sunset.

“Yes, he did,” said Twilight. “He asked me when I started wearing glasses.”

Everybody started to nod, making ah sounds of understanding.

“I think we know what’s going on,” said Sunset.

“What, what is it?” asked Twilight.

“You see darling, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry are rather smitten with each other,” said Rarity.

“Really, they’re dating?” Twilight was surprised, to say the least.

“Not exactly,” said Sunset, waving her hand in a vague sort of way. “They haven’t really been able to spend much time together, what with the whole living in different universes thing, but they’re both so over the moon for each other, it’s really only a matter of time.”

“Wait, so then every time he tried to talk to me…” Twilight trailed off, a horrible feeling coming over her.

“He thought that it was Princess Twilight who was blowing him off,” Sunset finished for her.

“Oh my gosh, no wonder he was so uncomfortable around me,” Twilight moaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Oh! Oh! He probably thought that the Twilight he liked had lost interest in him and tossed him aside like a crumpled up burger wrapper! You totally ripped his heart out and stomped on it without even knowing!” cried Pinkie Pie in a tone normally reserved for receiving presents at Christmas.

“Yes Pinkie Pie, thank you so much for spelling that out for me,” Twilight said dryly.

“Look, don’t worry about it,” said Sunset, rubbing Twilight’s back. “Flash may not look like it, but he’s a pretty tough guy. He actually managed to survive dating me! He’ll be fine, trust me.”

“You and Flash Sentry dated?” asked Twilight, bewildered.

“Don’t ask,” Sunset said quickly, turning her attention to her food.

Despite her best efforts, Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about what her friends told her about Flash Sentry and Princess. Although she was able to avoid Flash for the rest of the day, she couldn’t help but think about how she might have unwittingly broken the boy’s heart. The thought continued to haunt her well into the evening. She even found it difficult to concentrate on her homework and just absently tapped her pencil against her desk.

“For crying out loud, Twilight, let it go already,” Spike begged. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Twilight sighed and turned her chair to face him. “Maybe not, but it still bothers me that on top of everything else, I actually made an innocent boy think that the girl he liked had just tossed him to the curb.”

Spike jumped into her lap and looked her in the eye. “Look, he’ll get over it, trust me,” he said. “Guys just need a little time to deal with these sorts of things. Take me for example; I was devastated when that beautiful poodle snubbed me.”

“You’re still a puppy, Spike, and she was four years older than you,” said Twilight. “You don’t even want to know how that translates into dog years.”

“Never the less, as painful as it was, I’ve gotten over it and moved on to better things; like Rarity,” he sighed, a dreamy expression on his face.

Twilight frowned. “You’re crushing on a human being now?” she asked incredulously. “Do you have any idea how wrong that is?”

“Hey, that Sentry guy’s crushing on a pony and nobody seems to mind,” Spike pointed out defensively.

“Yeah, well, at least she’s in human form whenever she’s here,” said Twilight as she stood up, Spike jumping from her lap. Walking over to her full-length mirror, she examined her reflection.

While she didn’t doubt the things Sunset had told her about the land called Equestria, she still had trouble accepting the idea that practically everyone in their world had a counterpart in the form of a pony. Frankly, she was still shocked over how Princess had looked exactly like her; aside from their different styles, of course.

Undoing her hair tie, Twilight allowed her hair to fall loose. For as long as she could remember, she had always kept her hair done up to keep it out of her face while she studied. She had originally wanted to cut it short to save herself the trouble, but Cadance had insisted that she keep it long and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Twilight had thought she was being ridiculous, but after meeting Princess, she was starting to think she had a point. Princess’ long and loose hair had looked really cute on her.

Sliding her glasses down her nose slightly, Twilight attempted to get an idea of how she would look without them. Although she could wear contacts, her glasses were more convenient, and besides, she thought that she looked good in them. However, after meeting Princess, she was considering trying a new look. The only problem was that the only thing that came to mind so far was Princess’ look, and Twilight really didn’t want to become the other girl’s clone any more than she already was.

Twilight gasped. That last thought had planted a seed of an idea in her head, and that seed rapidly grew into a plan that was either completely insane, or brilliant; and if being friends with Pinkie Pie had taught her anything, those two things often went hand-in-hand.

The next day after school, Twilight asked everyone if they could meet at Rarity’s house to talk. Since she lived on the other side of Canterlot City, everybody carpooled in Applejack’s van.

For the next fifteen minutes, Twilight sat squeezed between her friends as well as Sweetie Belle, who took the opportunity to hitch a ride home, Apple Bloom, who always rode with Applejack anyways, and Scootaloo who simply didn’t want to be left out.

“So are you really just like Princess Twilight?” asked Sweetie Belle, staring at Twilight intently. It was starting to make her feel really uncomfortable.

“Far from it actually; we did have different upbringings in different environments after all,” said Twilight.

“Are ya a princess like her?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly.

“Considering that we live in a republic, I’m pretty sure that I’m not,” Twilight replied dryly.

“I heard that the other Twilight became a princess after inventing a new spell,” said Scootaloo. “Is that how everyone becomes a princess in Equestria?”

“I’ll handle this one,” said Sunset before Twilight could answer. “It’s really a lot more complicated than that. To start with, Princess Celestia is actually…”

“We’re here,” Applejack announced, interrupting Sunset’s lecture, much to the girls’ (and Twilight’s) disappointment.

As everyone poured out of the van, Twilight got her first look at Rarity’s house. Her jaw dropped and she gasped out loud as she took in the incredible sight before her.

The house (or perhaps it should have been called a mansion) was nearly four stories high, with a grand staircase leading up to a set of large, ornate doors. The front yard was bigger than Canterlot’s sports field and immaculately cut, with flower gardens circling the house.

Rainbow Dash chuckled as she closed Twilight’s mouth for her. “Yeah, that’s pretty much the same reaction I had when I discovered that Rarity was mega rich,” she said.

“Well, it’s really nothing I myself can brag about,” said Rarity. “I simply have the good fortune of having a father who managed to take a failing business and transform it into a thriving company.” There was a strong note of pride in her voice as she spoke.

Shaking herself out of her stupor, Twilight turned to face Rarity. “Why aren’t you and Sweetie Belle attending Crystal Prep?” she asked. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but that’s the sort of place rich families usually send their kids.”

“As a matter of fact, our parents did consider signing me up for Crystal Prep,” Rarity admitted. “However, father, in spite of his success, is a free spirit who prefers a simple lifestyle, while mother is, if I may say so, a rather eccentric woman who really isn’t comfortable with anything too extravagant. Even this house was more of an early impulse purchase for them than anything else. Between the two of them, they decided that a school like Crystal Prep would deter me from the values of humility and graciousness that they wished to instill in me.”

“I can’t say that they were wrong,” Twilight admitted.

While the younger girls went to the backyard to play, Twilight and the others headed upstairs to Rarity’s room. Like everything else about her, it was unbelievably elegant and fancy. There was a four post bed with the curtains drawn back to show a bed with a divot and frilly pillows. The carpet was as soft as cotton and all of the furniture was made out of oak wood.

“Now then, what can we do for you, Twilight?” Rarity asked, taking a seat in her desk chair while everyone else got comfortable.

Twilight took a deep breath. Her entire plan could fall apart if she messed this up.

“I was hoping that, maybe, you girls could help me set up a date,” she said.

For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then Rarity burst up out of her chair and swept Twilight up in a big, bone-crushing hug.

“Oh darling, this is wonderful!” she cried.

“Um, congratulations,” whispered Fluttershy.

“It seems like just yesterday that you were still our shy little wallflower,” wailed Pinkie Pie as tears gushed from her eyes like fountains. “And it was!”

“Wow Twilight, this is rather sudden,” said Sunset. “Are you sure about this?”

Twilight pulled herself out of Rarity’s embrace. “It’s alright,” she said. “It’s not going to be an actual date; it’ll just be a simulation date.”

“What is a ‘simulation’ date?” asked Rarity.

“Basically, we’ll do everything people normally do while on a date, only without any actual feelings or whatever involved,” Twilight explained.

“Is that really a thing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Only our Twilight,” said Pinkie Pie gaily. “Well, every Twilight, actually…I think. I only know two.”

“In any case, just who is the lucky man?” asked Rarity eagerly.

Twilight swallowed hard. This was the part she had been dreading.

“It’s Flash Sentry,” she said quickly.

For a moment, everyone just stared at her. Then Rainbow Dash started digging in her ear with her pinkie finger.

“I’m sorry, I think I had something crazy in my ear,” she said. “It almost sounded like you said that you wanted to ask Flash Sentry out.”

“I did,” said Twilight.

“NO!” shrieked Fluttershy, getting in Twilight’s face and glaring at her with uncharacteristic fury while jabbing her finger repeatedly into her chest. “No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-NO!”

“What she said!” shouted Pinkie Pie over Fluttershy’s head.

“What the heck are you thinking?!” cried Sunset, pushing the others to the side so she could glare at Twilight. “We already told you that Princess Twilight and Flash like each other!”

Beads of sweat dripped down Twilight’s face. This was going worse than she had feared.

“Technically, you did say that they weren’t officially together,” she said.

“That is beside the point!” Rarity insisted. “They have a mutual interest in each other and therefore Flash Sentry is off limits!”

“Seriously, Twilight, this is so not cool!” added Rainbow Dash.

“Could you just give me a minute to explain, please?” Twilight begged.

“Alright, explain,” said Applejack shortly.

Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm down before she continued. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me yesterday, and I can’t help but feel bad about hurting Flash’s feelings. Then I thought, what would be the best way be make him feel better? The answer, of course, is to set him up on a date with Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“That does sound like a good idea,” Sunset agreed. “The only problem is that Princess Twilight lives on the other side of the portal, and I don’t know how much free time she can spare to cross universes just to go on a date with a guy.”

“Which is why I’ll be going on the date with Flash in her stead,” said Twilight.

“You’re going to pretend to be Princess Twilight?” asked Rainbow Dash incredulously.

“Of course not,” said Twilight. “There will be absolutely no deception involved. If you allow me to go through with this, I intend to explain everything to Flash immediately, and he can just pretend that I’m Princess for the duration of our date.”

Sunset sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Do you have any idea how crazy this is?” Turning to Applejack, she pleaded, “Please tell her how crazy this is!”

Applejack scratched the back of her head. “Actually, as long as Flash understands what it is and that nothing is gonna come of it, Ah dun’ see no harm in Twi’s idea,” she said.

Sunset stared slack-jawed at her. “You can’t be serious,” she insisted.

“Look, Ah feel sorry for th’ guy,” Applejack admitted. “Princess Twilight’s probably th’ first girl he’s ever seriously liked-no offense-and it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for th’ two of ‘em. Ah think he’s still kicking himself over the stuff her said to her during the whole mess with the sirens. Ya ask me, if this plan can at th’ very least give him some closure, then Ah say we should go for it.”

“Well, if Applejack of all people thinks that there is merit, than I shall lend my support as well,” declared Rarity.

Sunset groaned as Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all promised their support as well. “Well, clearly I’ve been outvoted, so I might as well help out, if only to bail you guys out when it all goes south,” she said reluctantly.

“Oh ye of little faith, Sunset,” said Rarity. Turning back to Twilight, she clasped her hands together and eagerly said, “Well then, I assume that the reason you wished to discuss this matter at my place is because you wanted my advice on how to woo a boy, correct?”

Twilight nodded vigorously, relieved that the hard part was over. “I figured that out of all of us, you would be the expert on things like dating, so…”

“Say no more, darling,” declared Rarity as she walked over to a closet door. “The very first thing we must do, of course, is find you a dress.”

When she opened the door, a rack of dresses the length of half the room sprung out with a whoosh, ramming into Rainbow Dash and sending her flying into the wall. Ignoring her pained groans, Rarity began sorting through the dresses. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure you look absolutely ravishing for your date.”

Twilight was starting to feel nervous again. “Y-you really don’t need to go to so much trouble, you know,” she stammered. “It’s just going to be a casual affair and…”

“Nonsense, there is nothing casual about a girl’s first date!” cried Rarity as she loaded her arms up with different dresses.

Twilight winced at how obvious it must be that she had never dated before. “It’s not even going to be a real date,” she mumbled.

“All the more reason to make an impression,” replied Rarity.

Before Twilight could ponder that logic, Rarity grabbed her and, in a flurry of movement too fast for her to understand what was happening, she found herself in front of a trio of full-length mirrors, her school clothes exchanged for a very familiar looking dress.

“Is this what I wore when I turned into a demon?” she asked flatly.

“Well, yes,” Rarity admitted. “I’m sorry; does wearing it bring up bad memories?”

“Honestly, I’m a bit more concerned with the fact that you actually made a replica of it in the first place,” said Twilight.

Rarity began to fidget guiltily. “I simply thought that it had a certain ‘dark’ appeal. You certainly look good in it.”

Twilight just continued to stare at her.

“Oh, I suppose it is rather inappropriate,” Rarity finally relented, shifting through her dresses again. “Don’t worry, I’ll find something else that suites you. Oh, by the way, Pinkie Pie, you know all the good places for anything in Canterlot; would you be a dear and find someplace suitable for our dear FlashLight?”

“Flashlight?” Twilight echoed.

“That’s our shipping name for them,” said Rainbow Dash. “FLASH Sentry and TwiLIGHT Sparkle; get it?” She scowled when Twilight simply stared at her. “Well I thought it was clever.”

Twilight was grateful that the next day was Saturday, because there was no way she would have had time to prepare otherwise. As it turned out, there was a lot more to a date than just eating dinner with a guy and Rarity was determined to pound it all into her skull before Monday.

First up were lessons in poise, which involved walking around in unbelievably uncomfortable high heel shoes while balancing a stack of books on her head. After doing this for three whole hours, Twilight was sure her feet would fall off. After that, she spent another hour trying to figure out which fork to eat a salad with. The hardest lesson was in speech. Twilight wasn’t much of a conversationalist at the best of times, and when Rarity shone the spotlight on her, her tongue fell out of her mouth.

In between lessons, Twilight tried to learn more about Flash Sentry. She tried interviewing Sunset first, assuming that since she dated Flash in the past, she would know him better than the others. Unfortunately, things quickly turned awkward when Sunset confessed that she only dated Flash in order to use his popularity to boost her own. All she knew about him was what kind of car he drove and how much money he had in his wallet. The others didn’t know much more about him either, other than that he was a rock enthusiast who wanted to become a police officer and that he had trouble talking to people he didn’t know well. They also told her that he frequently lent his help and support to those who needed it, such as helping the mathletes clean up their clubroom when someone trashed it, or standing up for Lyra and Sweetie Drops when they came out about their relationship. He even used to help Fluttershy walk the dogs from the animal shelter every Wednesday back when everyone was fighting. Twilight was impressed; there weren’t any guys like that back at Crystal Prep.

Finally, Monday came. Following Rarity’s advice, Twilight chose to wait until after school to approach Flash. After the final bell rang, she met up with the others in the hallways by the music rooms where Flash and his band usually hung out.

“So Twilight, have you thought about how you are going to ask Flash Sentry out on this ‘simulation date’?” asked Fluttershy.

Twilight had in fact spent most of the day thinking about just that. Unfortunately, for some reason, most of the scenarios she had run through in her head ended with him laughing at her and calling her a nerd.

“Well, I was thinking that I should keep it simple and straight-forward,” she said. “Something like ‘Hello Mr. Flash Sentry, I have been informed that you have feelings for Princess Twilight and that my status as her doppelganger has caused you some duress. If you wish, I would like to make amends by participating in a simulation date with you where you may pretend that I am Princess Twilight.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “That’s good; if you’re Siri!”

Twilight grimaced. “Well, how would you ask him out?”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Simple, I would just walk up to him and say, ‘Hey Sentry! You. Me. Date/not date Saturday. What do you say?’”

“Ah’d say, ‘What happened to your verbs?’” said Applejack, laughing.

“Well how would you ask him out then?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Well, Ah dunno how Ah’d go ‘bout asking him on a simulation date, but if it were a real date, Ah’d say, ‘Hey Flash, Ah like ya, do ya wanna go out with me?’ That there’s the proper way to do it; simple, honest…”

“And BORING!” cried Rainbow Dash, throwing her hands up in the air. “If you want a guy to go out with you, you gotta put some spirit into it!”

“Ya mean by talking like a caveman?” Applejack deadpanned.

“Should we try and break them up or something?” Twilight whispered to Sunset. The bickering between the two was starting to make her nervous.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sunset reassured her. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack may be natural born rivals, but they’re also the best of friends. Just let them wear themselves out and it’ll be fine; usually.”

“I would say, ‘Hey Flash, guess what? You just won the lottery, cause you get to go on a date with the most awesome girl in school-me!'” said Rainbow Dash, jabbing her thumbs at herself for emphasis.

“Oh sure, because boys just love the ego,” Applejack sneered. “Ah’d say, ‘Howdy partner, how’d ya like ter go horseback riding with me?'”

"Hi Flash, what’s up?” Pinkie Pie cut in.

Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. “Seriously Pinkie, that’s so…”

“Hi Pinkie Pie, how’s it going?”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both jumped a mile in the air. Flash Sentry was standing right behind them, along with two other boys Twilight didn’t recognize.

“Flash! How’re ya doing, partner?” asked Applejack in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. “Listen, in case ya’ll were wondering we weren’t talking ‘bout how we’d ask ya out.”

“TOTALLY not talking about that, never even crossed out minds,” added Rainbow Dash hastily.

“OK, so what were you talking about?” asked Flash, cocking an eyebrow.

“Oh, Twilight just wanted to ask you something,” said Rainbow Dash, pushing her forward.

If Twilight was nervous before, she was absolutely terrified now. She felt like Flash’s eyes were twin cannons locked onto her, ready to blast her to bits if she made a single wrong move.

“I-I was j-just wondering…” she stammered. Her tongue felt like it had turned into lead.

“Yes?” asked Flash gently.

Twilight swallowed and turned to the others. Rarity smiled and nodded encouragingly, gesturing for Twilight to continue.

Turning back to Flash, Twilight took a deep breath and said in a rush, “Would you be interested in going on a simulation date with me?”

“A…simulation date?” Flash asked slowly. The term suddenly sounded extremely stupid to Twilight.

“You see, my friends told me about your feelings for Princess Twilight,” she explained.

“Oh did they?” asked Flash in a low tone, shooting a glare at the other girls who suddenly became very interested in whistling while staring at the walls and ceiling.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, and I realized that my indifferent attitude towards you when we first met might have hurt your feelings.”

“Is that what this is about? Don’t worry it’s not a big deal…” Flash said before Twilight cut him off.

“It is to me. I want to make amends for all the wrong I did during the Friendship Games; not just for the part where I turned into a raging she-demon (Sunset made a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a groan) and basically ravaged the multiverse, but for all of the smaller things as well. So I was thinking that maybe, if you have some time this Saturday, we could go out and you could sort of pretend that I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, if it’ll make you feel better.”

Now that she had actually explained her idea to Flash, she realized how crazy it really sounded. It was already done, however, and there was no turning back.

Flash made a face like he had just eaten something that he couldn’t decide if it tasted bad or not. “I don’t know…”

“He accepts,” said one of his friends, a tall boy with pale yellow skin and aqua green hair parted down the middle.

“I do?” Flash asked incredulously.

“What time do you want him to pick you up?” asked the third boy. He had light purple skin and black hair with two white highlights. He also wore glasses.

Growling, Flash grabbed both of his companions by the back of their shirts and dragged them into a nearby room. “Excuse us for a minute,” he said before slamming the door shut.

Leaning close to the door, Twilight could hear what sounded like a heated argument taking place on the other side. While most of it was muffled, she managed to catch snippets such as “I’m not that kind of guy,” and “need to get this out of your system”.

After a minute, the door opened again. Flash walked out with a dubious expression on his face.

“After giving it some thought, I’ve decided that I would like to go on a ‘simulation date’ with you,” he said.

“That’s great,” said Twilight. Strangely, she suddenly felt even more nervous than before. “Do you know which of my friends you live closest to?”

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash, why?” said Flash.

“I’d like you pick me up there at five.” The last thing Twilight needed was for her brother to find out about what she was up to.

“No problem, I’ll see you then,” said Flash. Motioning to his friends, the three of them all moved into another room, leaving the girls alone.

Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie squealed, wrapping their arms around Twilight and started to jump up and down.

“He said yes! You’re actually going on a date!” cried Rarity.

“It’s only a simulation date. Nothing’s going to happen.” Twilight felt like she was trying to convince herself as much as her friends.

When Saturday came, Twilight told Shining Armor and Cadance that she was attending a slumber party with her new friends. While this was the truth, she felt guilty for leaving out the part about her plan to set out on her date from there, but she knew her brother, and she knew that if he knew that she was going on any sort of date with a boy for the first time ever, there would be no stopping him from trailing the two of them and attacking at the first misunderstanding. As long as he believed that there would only be girls involved, then there was a chance that Cadance would be able to keep him under control. If either of them sensed something amiss with her, they either didn’t show it or simply didn’t care; they were simply too excited over how quickly Twilight seemed to be coming out of her shell.

When Twilight saw Rainbow Dash’s room, she nearly fainted. To be fair, her obsessively neat and orderly mentality may have exaggerated the mess, but not by much. Clothes of all sorts such as t-shirts, shorts, skirts and even undergarments, hung from the dresser, the bedposts, and even the ceiling fan. The floor was littered with old sports magazines; dumbbells and a variety of leftover foods of various colors that Twilight desperately hoped were from dyes.

Rarity, for her part, handled the dump surprisingly well. She explained that she had put up with Rainbow Dash’s disgusting habits for so long that they didn’t even bother her anymore. Twilight could almost believe her in spite of her cheeks turning green.

“Now remember, Twilight, when you arrive at your table make certain that Flash pulls out your chair for you,” lectured Rarity as she wound a lock of Twilight’s hair around a warm curling iron.

“Why does he have to do it?” asked Twilight. “I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself; there’s no reason he should have to.”

“It’s the principle of the matter,” said Rarity as she pulled the iron away and started on another lock. “A boy is obligated to behave like a gentleman while he is on a date. That said, Flash will probably try to pay for everything, but since you were the one who asked him out, it’s only fair that you chip in, so make sure you have some money on you. Also, if he tells a joke or says anything that’s meant to be funny, always laugh, even if it’s not funny. Also, if you think you can manage it, hold his hand and lean in close to him while you’re walking with him; it will give him the sense that he’s protecting you; boys really like that. But don’t oversell it or he might misinterpret it as a different kind of signal altogether. I’m not saying that he’s the kind of boy who would act on it, but better safe than sorry. Also, remember, when in doubt, pinkie out-no, not you Pinkie Pie. Also…”

“Lands sakes, Rarity, she’s going on a date, not a military operation,” said Applejack, pushing herself up into a sitting position on the bed. Grimacing, she peeled off a gym shock that had gotten stuck to her head while she was lying down.

“Obviously,” said Rarity as she exchanged the iron for a brush and began running it through Twilight’s hair. “There is so much more at stake.”

After a few minutes of brushing, Rarity set the brush down and handed a Twilight a mirror. “So, what do you think?” she asked eagerly.

Looking into the mirror, Twilight gasped in shock. She could barely recognize her own reflection. Rarity had transformed her normally board straight hair into a waterfall of wavy curls. Just a touch of makeup, lipstick and eye shadow had been applied to her face, yet that little bit was enough to make her appear years older and more mature. The look was completed with a pair of diamond earrings. Twilight had also traded her glasses for contacts, although she planned to keep them on her just in case.

“Is this me?” Twilight wondered out loud.

“It most certainly is darling,” said Rarity proudly. “My finest work yet, although I must admit, I had an excellent canvas to work with.”

“I look like a model!” Twilight all but squealed, only for Rarity to lightly press two fingers against her lips, effectively silencing her.

“Correction, a model looks like YOU. Very important distinction,” she said.

“Either way, she looks AMAZING!” said Rainbow Dash. “You’re totally going to knock Flash dead.”

“Hey Rainbow,” an older male voice called from downstairs. “That guy you told me about is here for your friend.”

“Speak of Grogar and he will appear,” said Sunset. “Are you ready, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded, stood up and smoothed out her dress. Walking carefully to avoid tumbling over in the shoes Rarity had provided for her, she went downstairs. When she was halfway down, she caught sight of Flash standing with a man in his early forties with pale-blue skin and rainbow hair, whom Twilight knew to be Rainbow Dash’s father Rainbow Blaze, as well as Spike, who had insisted on coming along so her could finally meet “this Sentry boy” face-to-face.

“So you’re Flash Sentry,” said Spike, staring up at him with narrowed eyes.

Flash shrugged his shoulders. “That’s me; I already know your name, Spike. You know, I know another Spike just like you, except he happens…”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” said Spike, waving a paw dismissively. “You’re a pretty good looking guy, and rather popular from what I hear. I’m sure a guy like you has girls throwing themselves at him all the time.”

“Not really,” said Flash, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean, I've gone out with other girls in the past, but never anything serious.”

“Is that so? Because I’ve heard that you and Sunset Shimmer were pretty chummy during your sophomore year,” Spike pressed.

“Can we not get into that right now please?” Flash pleaded as he started to fidget.

“Is this really happening?” Rainbow Blaze asked dubiously as he glanced between Flash and Spike (but mostly Spike).

“I’ll cut to the chase,” said Spike, walking up closer to Flash. “I drank an entire bowl full of water before coming here tonight, and if Twilight were to come back crying or hurt in any way, well,” Spike lifted a hind leg, holding it just over one of Flash’s shoes. “I don’t know if I’d be able to contain myself.”

Having reached the bottom of the stairs at that point, Twilight rushed over (nearly twisting an ankle in the process) and scooped up a startled Spike. “Let’s not start making pee-pee in someone else’s house,” she said firmly.

“Thank you,” Rainbow Blaze sighed.

Flash just stared slack jawed at Twilight. “Wow Twilight, you look amazing,” he finally said.

“Thanks,” said Twilight. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

“So when am I going to see you all gussied up like this for a boy Dashie?” asked Rainbow Blaze, calling everyone’s attention to the other girls who were just coming down the stairs.

“I told you Dad, I’m not interested in guys right now,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter to me if you prefer girls, I’d just like to see you dressed up all nice and pretty for once,” said Rainbow Blaze with a smirk.

“Dad!” Rainbow Dash whined, blushing furiously.

“Unless of course, you’d rather be the man in the relationship,” Rainbow Blaze pressed on, giving Rainbow Dash a wink.

“I think you’d look very nice in a tuxedo, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said airily.

Rainbow Dash groaned and pulled her jacket up over her head to hide her face.

Once everyone had finished laughing at Rainbow Dash’s expense, they all bid Twilight and Flash to have a good date. Rarity had wanted to take a picture of the two of them, but Sunset quickly pointed out how Princess Twilight might take exception to that. After a final round of goodbyes, Flash walked Twilight out to his car and they set off for the restaurant Pinkie Pie had recommended.

“So aside from me, who plans on following them?” asked Spike.

“I’ll go,” Sunset volunteered. “Somebody has to make sure Flash doesn’t screw this up.”

“Count me in to,” said Rainbow Dash eagerly. “It’ll be like we’re spies or something.”

“I have simply put too much time and effort into this to not see how it turns out. I shall go as well,” insisted Rarity.

“I’m going to!” cried Pinkie Pie.

“No, you’re staying here,” said Rainbow Dash firmly. “The last time we went on a spy mission together, you compromised our position.”

“Hey, that was totally your fault!” Pinkie Pie protested.

“The bottom line is, you’re not coming and that’s final,” said Rainbow Dash.

With a huff, Pinkie Pie stomped over to the couch and plopped down to sulk.

“Anyone else?” asked Sunset. When Applejack and Fluttershy both shook their heads, she said, “Then let’s get going!”

It had only been half an hour since their date had officially began, and Twilight already understood what her friends had meant when they said that Flash had trouble talking to people. Once they had taken their seats at their table, Flash had awkwardly avoided making eye contact with her. Every few minutes, he’d face her and open his mouth, only to snap it shut without saying anything and resume looking everywhere but at her.

“The salmon looks nice,” she said as she examined her menu. Against all odds, it was clear that she would need to be the one to break the ice.

“Y-yeah, I like salmon,” Flash stuttered. “I like fish. Salmon are fish.” Wincing at his own inane statement, he began to look away from her more aggressively.

Twilight bit back a groan and fantasized about making a run for it.

“Dude, this is agonizing,” whined Rainbow Dash. “Seriously, who taught that guy how to talk?”

“On the bright side, he’s doing a lot better than he did on OUR first date,” said Sunset.

Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity and Spike had made it to the restaurant just after Flash and Twilight, and by an incredible stroke of luck, managed to get a booth close enough to the pair for them to listen in on them without drawing attention to themselves. On the way there, they had picked up some disguises for themselves. Sunset had opted for a simple hoodie and baseball cap. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, sported a trench coat, a bowler hat and a fake mustache, while Rarity wore movie star sunglasses, a huge fur coat and a massive feathered scarf that doubled as a hiding place for Spike. Ironically, their ridiculous costumes actually seemed to be working, if only because everyone who saw them seemed to be going out of their way NOT to look at them.

“You ask me, that guy needs a trip through some magic portals a lot more than I ever did,” said Spike as he peeked out for his feathery hiding place.

Rarity leaned over to Sunset and whispered in her ear, “Do you think perhaps that we should start planning a means to extract Twilight from this…farce?”

Sunset shook her head. “Give them some more time, Flash just might surprise us,” she insisted.

Still, as she watched Flash continue to slowly open and close his mouth like the world’s most brain-dead goldfish, she had trouble remembering how he managed to beat her to the break-up.

Even after their food arrived at their table, Flash continued with his awkward behavior. He didn’t even eat his food; he simply poked at it and moved it around on his plate, as if hoping to divine some instructions on what to do from it.

Twilight strained her mind to think of a way to salvage things before it was too late. “You know Flash, if there’s anything you want to know about me, you’re more than welcome to ask,” she finally said.

To her surprise, Flash actually looked her in the eye.

“Well, there is one thing I’ve been dying to ask you,” he admitted.

“So go ahead and ask it,” Twilight insisted.

“Why did you attend Crystal Prep?” Flash asked quickly.

Twilight hadn’t been expecting that. “Why do you want to know?” she asked cautiously.

Flash shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just curious, really. I may not know as much about Princess Twilight as I would like to, but I really can’t see her fitting in at a school like that, so I’ve been wondering how it’s different for you.”

Twilight snorted. “The truth is there really is no difference in that regard. I didn’t fit in at Crystal Prep at all, and just about everyone there seemed determined to remind me of that. Every time I opened my mouth was an opportunity for them to shoot me down, and everything I did was an excuse to get in my face, all because I wasn’t as self-centered or elitist as the rest of them.”

Twilight felt her grip on her silverware tighten as she recalled the abuse she had endured at her old school.

“That’s awful,” said Flash.

“Well, it got better near the end,” Twilight admitted. “I managed to make friends with the Shadowbolts after the games. We even agreed to stay in touch so I could pass on what I learn about friendship to them so that they can share it with the rest of the school. Hopefully, we can help change everyone’s attitude a little and get them out from under Principal Cinch’s influence.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” said Flash, nodding. “So if you didn’t like it there, why did you go in the first place?”

“Mostly because of my big brother,” said Twilight. “He graduated from there as a valedictorian and was a member of their alumni association. He used to talk all the time about how great it was there, and how it helped fast-track his career in the Canterlot Police Department. The way he spoke of it made it sound like a paradise to me. When I told him about my application, he said that it was the proudest day of his life.”

“I see. And how did he react when you decided to transfer to Canterlot High?” asked Flash tentatively.

Twilight chuckled. “Actually, when I finally told him how miserable I was and how Principal Cinch blackmailed me, he couldn’t pull me out fast enough. He even resigned from the association and swore to press charges.”

“He sounds like an amazing guy,” said Flash.

“He’s the best,” said Twilight fondly. “He’s my B.B.B.F.F. Oh, sorry, that stands for…”

“Big Brother Best Friend Forever?” Flash interrupted.

Twilight blinked in shock. “That’s right. How did you know that?”

“That’s what my little brother and sister call me!” Flash cried gleefully.

“No way, seriously?!” cried Twilight, leaning forward eagerly.

“Well, just my baby brother First Base,” Flash admitted. “My sister True Action stopped calling me that when she turned twelve because she’s all mature now.”

“I knew I wasn’t the only one who used that!” said Twilight with a laugh. She felt like her middle school years had finally been vindicated.

Once he was finished laughing, Flash said, “Well, since you answered my question, it’s only fair that I answer one of yours. So what do you want to know about me?”

Twilight thought about it for a minute, then realized that there was one thing she really wanted to ask him.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, you’re a big time rocker with your own band, yet your goal after graduating is to become a police officer. Why is that?” she asked.

“Well, there are several reasons, but I guess the main one is that I'm my mother's son,” said Flash. “She’s a prosecutor you see; one of the best there is. She’s put a lot of really bad people behind bars. She’s always been a major inspiration for me, so I guess I sort of want to follow in her footsteps in a way. Of course, the courtroom scene isn’t for me, so I decided to go where the action is.”

“And what about your dad?” asked Twilight.

Flash hesitated for a moment. “What about him?”

“Did he do anything to influence your decision?” Twilight pressed.

“My dad isn’t in the picture,” said Flash shortly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Twilight. She was rather surprised by Flash’s sudden change in attitude.

“It’s not important, just forget about it,” insisted Flash.

“Oh no, you can’t say something like that and then just expect me to let it go,” said Twilight, her curiosity making her feel unusually bold. “Just what is the deal with your father?”

Gritting his teeth, Flash turned to glare at Twilight. “If you must know, he walked out on us years ago.”

Twilight felt her heart drop into her gut. “What do you mean he walked out on you?” she asked cautiously.

“It MEANS that one day he left and never came back!" Flash pratically snarled.

Twilight’s mouth felt dry. Flash’s expression was making her feel the familiar urge to curl up into a ball. Shaking it off, she asked, “Why would he do that?”

Flash’s expression turned…sad? Angry? A combination of both? Twilight couldn’t tell.

“Heck if I know,” he said. “Guess he just got tired of raising three kids. Mom keeps saying that he wouldn’t just leave us, that something must have happened to him, but I think she’s just deluding herself at this point."

“Oh Flash, I’m so sorry,” said Twilight. It was a petty, pointless thing to say, but at the moment, she just couldn’t think of anything else.

Flash just shrugged his shoulders. “It’s no big deal. It’s not as if we need him for anything. Mom makes more than enough money at her job, and she’s got me to look after my brother and sister. As far as I’m concerned if he didn’t care enough about his family to stick around, than good riddance to him.”

“Did you know about Flash’s dad?” Rainbow Dash asked Sunset, who shook her head, stunned by what she had just heard.

“I must have visited his house a half a dozen times, and I didn’t even think to ask about him,” she admitted. She supposed it was just another example of just how self-centered she used to be.

Despite the anger in Flash’s voice, Twilight could also hear the sadness underneath it.

“Listen, Flash, you have every right to be angry at your dad, but you should learn to let it go, or it’ll cause trouble for you if you ever get the chance to see him again,” she said gently.

Flash scoffed. “Why would I even want to see him again; besides the opportunity to kick his butt?” he asked.

“That’s up to you,” said Twilight. “But trust me you really do want to see him again, even if you don’t realize it.”

“Oh really?” Flash sneered. “And what makes you think you know ANYTHING about what I want?”

“Because I’d give anything to see my Mom and Dad one more time,” said Twilight softly.

Flash’s expression changed from anger to surprise. “Don’t tell me both of your parents walked out on you to,” he said.

Twilight shook her head. “They’re both dead.”

“Oh," whispered Flash. "What happened?"

“We were on a trip across the country and were taking a break at a rest stop,” said Twilight. “I was riding with Shining Armor and Cadance, and their car battery died. It would be an hour before help arrived, so they told Mom and Dad to go on ahead. They offered to take me along as well, but I wanted to keep playing with Spike.”

Twilight’s eyes began to sting as the memories played out unbidden in her head. She almost chocked up, but pressed on. “I watched them as they drove off. There was a big bridge just a ways down from the stop. Just when they were halfway across, this big semi-trick blew out a tire and started careening all across the road. They tried to swerve to avoid it, but they still got hit by the tail-end, and it sent them right over the edge and into the river below. They still won’t tell me if they died on impact or…or…”

Unable to hold it in anymore, Twilight buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

“Sweet Celestia,” whispered Sunset. Rarity and Rainbow Dash both wore expressions of shock and horror on their faces. If learning about how Flash’s dad abandoned him had been depressing, then Twilight’s story had all but broken their hearts.

“Didn’t Twilight tell you girls about her parents?” asked Spike. “She spent so much time with you the last few weeks that I just assumed that…”

“I guess she wasn’t ready to tell us,” said Sunset.

“She didn’t seem to have any trouble telling him right away,” muttered Rainbow Dash sullenly.

“That’s none of our business,” said Sunset firmly. “Twilight can tell us about it when she decides that the time is right. In the meantime, we need to be careful not to let it slip that we already know.”

“Pardon me, I don’t mean to sound indelicate, but should we be concerned with how grim their conversation seems to have become?” asked Rarity.

Sunset waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it; Flash is surprisingly good with things like this,” she said.

As Twilight cried, she felt a hand press gently against her own. Peeking through her fingers, she saw that Flash was looking at her with kind eyes. Sniffling, she grasped the offered hand and whipped her eyes with the back of her own.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you,” she said.

“It’s ok, I’m glad you told me,” said Flash. He sounded like he really meant it, although Twilight couldn’t fathom how someone could be “glad” to be told such a depressing story. “So what happened to you then? Where did you go?” he asked.

“Well, fortunately, Shining Armor and Cadance were already old enough by then to become my legal guardians,” said Twilight. “We don’t have a lot of close relatives, so if weren’t for them, I would have ended up in foster care or something.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” said Flash.

Twilight nodded. “Me to, I don’t know where I’d be right now if I had.” She then sighed. “Sorry, I feel like I’m really brining down the mood here,” she admitted.

“Then we just need to get it back up,” said Flash brightly. “How about we finish our food and then I’ll take you to a place I think you’ll enjoy.”

“A library?” asked Twilight eagerly.

“Not quite,” said Flash with a grin.

Twilight’s breath hitched as the car reached the summit, and then she screamed as she began to plummet to her apparent doom. She continued to scream as the car swerved, spiraled and loop-de-looped, before finally coming to a stop.

“So what did you think about that?” asked Flash as their restraints were removed, allowing them to exit the roller coaster.

“That was amazing! I mean, it was completely terrifying, but in a good way, which makes no sense at all, but that’s all I can think of to describe it!”

“So what was that you said about the amusement park being an unsanitary, overhyped tourist trap?” asked Flash smugly.

“I guess I’ll have to reevaluate my opinions,” admitted Twilight.

The two of them walked around for a bit, taking in the sights and discussing what they wanted to do next. After a minute, Flash stopped them in front of some restrooms.

“I need to take a whiz, could you wait here for a minute?” he asked. Twilight nodded, and he went inside.

“You know, I’m starting to feel guilty for making Pinkie Pie stay behind,” said Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of cotton candy before washing it down with a big gulp from her massive soda.

“How can you think of eating after we barely survived that death trap?” Rarity asked before covering her mouth, her green cheeks bulging with barely suppressed puke.

“Focus girls,” said Sunset. “Looks like Sentry’s taking a potty break.”

“He left Twilight unattended?!” cried Spike, leaping from his hiding place. “Why, that irresponsible, negligent little punk!”

“Down boy,” laughed Sunset, pushing Spike back into Rarity’s scarf. “He’ll probably be gone for just a few minutes, tops; what’s the worst that could happen?”

Twilight tapped her foot impatiently. It felt like forever since Flash had went into the restrooms, and she really wanted to go on some more rides.

An unfamiliar arm suddenly wrapped itself around her shoulders. Turning her head, she saw two older boys grinning at her.

“Hey hot stuff, what’re you doing here all alone?” asked the boy who still had an unwelcome arm draped on her.

“I-I’m actually here with someone,” said Twilight as she tried to keep her knees from clacking together.

“Really? Because I don’t see him anywhere,” said the other guy as he made an exaggerated show of looking around.

“H-he’s in the b-bathroom right now, he should be back any second now,” said Twilight, trying to sound firm.

“Whatever, how about you forget about him and hang with us?” asked the first guy, drawing her in closer. His breath smelled rancid.

“No thanks, I have to go now,” said Twilight quickly, pulling away only for the guy to grab hold of her arm.

“I said how about you hang with us?” he said again in a much less friendly tone.

“Let me go!” cried Twilight, struggling to get free.

Another hand suddenly clamped down of the guy’s wrist and twisted it, forcing him to let go.

“She said she has to go now,” said Flash.

“I’ve got this,” said Rainbow Dash, rolling up her sleeves.

Sunset grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her. “Forget about it,” she said.

“Hey, I can take those guys!” Rainbow Dash protested.

“I know you can, I’m just saying that you don’t have to,” said Sunset, smirking. “Just watch.”

“Why don’t you get lost while you still can, pretty boy?” the first guy said, rubbing his wrist. “The girl’s coming with us.”

“Yeah, and besides, this place is a loser-free zone,” said the second guy, who then started to cackle. “Loser-free zone, man I kill myself.”

“First of all, she’s not going anywhere she doesn’t want to,” said Flash. “Second of all, if that’s true, then why are you guys here?”

“Come on Flash, let’s just get out of here,” said Twilight, grabbing his hand to pull him away. Unfortunately, the older boys moved to block them.

“Lesson time punk,” said the first guy, throwing a hard right at Flash-

-who caught it in the palm of his hand, shocking everyone. When he squeezed it, the older guy cried out in pain before Flash pushed him into his friend. Untangling himself, the second guy charged Flash in an attempt to tackle him. In a fluid motion, Flash grabbed his arm, twisted it, and threw the larger guy up over head and onto the cement with a loud thud.

Twilight gasped in shock at the display. She decided to move to the side so that she wouldn’t get in the way.

The first guy went after Flash again, this time with a right hook. Flash blocked it and then delivered a straight right to the guy’s chin. Staggering a bit, the guy threw another wild punch, but Flash was too quick. He delivered a series of blows to the guy's face and solar plexus, followed up with a kick to the side of his knee that sent him to the ground. Behind Flash, the second guy got up and tried to make a sneak attack on him, only for Flash to knock him back with an elbow to the face without even turning around. Flash then dealt the first guy a strong uppercut that laid him out cold. Turning around, Flash caught the second guy as he was charging him again, this time locking his arm in a submission hold that had the guy screaming in pain.

“All right, that’s enough,” a man’s voice called out. Two heavy looking men in security uniforms approached the scene.

“I was acting is self defense sir,” said Flash, releasing the other boy. “These guys were harassing my friend.”

“We know, we caught the whole thing on the security feed,” said the lead guard. “We’ll take care of these guys; you two run along and try to stay out of any more trouble.”

“We will sir,” said Twilight, grabbling Flash’s hand and leading him away as the guards grabbed the offending kids. They struggled, but despite their girth, the men handled them like professionals and marched them away.

“Oh my,” whispered Rarity, fanning herself with her hand.

“Huh, not bad,” said Rainbow Dash, an impressed smirk on her face.

“Yeah, Flash may not look that tough, but he could eat five guys like that for breakfast,” said Sunset.

“It wasn’t that impressive,” said Spike sullenly.

“That was amazing!” cried Twilight. She was so giddy she was practically bouncing up and down. “You kicked their butts like it was nothing! How did you do that?”

“I’ve been taking self-defense and martial arts classes since I was little,” said Flash. “Anyways, do you want to leave now? I’d understand if you’ve had enough excitement already…”

“Oh no, I definitely want to go on some more rides, let’s go,” said Twilight. On impulse, she leaned in close to him so that her cheek was actually pressed against him. It made walking a bit awkward, but it felt nice. Flash smelled like warm soup and it put her at ease.

Sunset frowned when Twilight started to press up against Flash. “Does it look like Twilight’s starting to get a little too chummy to you?” she asked.

“What? Of course not, she’s just really grateful to Flash for standing up for her,” said Rarity.

“Well, he’d better not get any ideas,” muttered Spike.

It was well into the evening when Twilight and Flash finally decided that they had their fill of the park. Most of the other visitors had already left and the last couple of rays of sunlight were slipping underneath the horizon.

“So are you ready to go back to your friend’s house?” asked Flash.

Twilight thought about it. Although it was getting late, she wasn’t ready to end things just yet. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something else they could do. Then it hit her.

“Do you know how to get to Whitetails’ Peak?” she asked. “I’ve heard that you can see the entire city from there, and I’d really like to check it out.

Flash frowned, uncertainty in his eyes. “Are you sure that’s where you want to go?” he asked.

“Yes, definitely,” insisted Twilight. “We can go home after that.”

“Well, if that’s what you want,” said Flash dubiously.

“They can’t go to Whitetails’ Peak!” hissed Rarity. “It’ll be a disaster!”

“What’s the big deal? It sounds like Twilight just wants to see the sights,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Don’t you know anything?” asked Sunset incredulously. “Whitetails’ Peak is a total make-out zone! Couples go there all the time to get some ‘alone time’ together.”

“Oh,” said Rainbow Dash, her face paling a little.

“That punk’s going to put the moves on Twilight!” cried Spike.

“I’m not sure it’s Flash we should be worried about,” said Sunset. “Either way, it’s time to pull the plug on this whole thing.”

Twilight and Flash were just passing by the concessions when a bunch of hands grabbed her, covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream, and dragged her away. When they finally released her, she opened her mouth to scream for help, but stopped when she saw who it was.

“Rainbow Dash? Rarity? Sunset? Spike? What are you doing?!” she cried.

“Stopping you from making a huge mistake,” said Sunset bluntly.

“What are you talking about? You know what, never mind, I have to go, Flash is probably freaking out already and we have to hurry if we want to make it to Whitetails’ Peak and back before it gets too late.”

“We’ll handle Flash,” said Rainbow Dash. “And you are not going to Whitetails’ Peak.”

“Excuse me?” gasped Twilight. “Just what is going on here?”

“I’m sorry Twilight, but we simply cannot allow you to be alone with that boy right now,” said Rarity firmly.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Is that what you’re worried about? It’ll be fine, Flash has been a total gentleman all night; he won’t do anything inappropriate.”

“Actually Twilight, we’re more worried about what you might do,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked again, this time with more force.

“Sorry Twilight, we just think you’re starting to get a little too friendly with Flash right now,” said Sunset. “We’re worried that you may have forgotten that this is only supposed to be a simulation date.”

“I have not!” insisted Twilight, stomping her foot.

“There’s no reason to feel ashamed darling,” said Rarity as she patted Twilight on the shoulder. “We’ve been watching you two since the beginning, and Flash seems to have made quite an impression on you. You have both shared personal details about yourselves, you’ve had a grand time at this park together, and he even defended you from some thugs. It’s perfectly understandable that you would get caught up in the moment.”

“I’m not getting caught up in anything!” cried Twilight. She was feeling angrier than she had ever felt before in her life and she wanted to get back to Flash already. “Look, we’re done here, alright? Flash and I are going to finish our date properly, and that’s all there is to it.”

“Forget it Twilight,” said Spike, jabbing a paw at her. “I am not leaving you alone with that boy for another minute. You’re coming with us NOW.”

Twilight’s vision turned red. “Oh really?” she hissed.

“How did she do that?” wondered Sunset as she examined the silver adhesive strips that bound her and the others bodily to the lamp-post. “I mean, where and when did she even get all this duct-tape?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “If Pinkie Pie were here, she’d probably say something like…”

Pinkie Pie burst out of a nearby trash can, shrieked “Plot convenience!” and then retreated back inside.

“One of these days I will figure out how she does that!” declared Sunset.

“No you won’t,” said Rainbow Dash simply.

“I know,” said Sunset glumly.

“Sooo, since we’re probably going to be here awhile, I think we should use this as an opportunity to get to know each other better,” said Spike, craning his neck to look at Rarity, whose chest he was currently strapped to.

Rarity just sighed and rolled her eyes.

Twilight found Flash just as he was about to notify security. It was embarrassing to tell him that the reason she had left without telling him was because she suddenly had to go to the bathroom really badly, but he more or less bought it.

It was a half-hour drive from the park to Whitetails’ Peak, and by the time they got there, it was already dark. When Twilight saw Canterlot lit up for the night, the sight took her breath away. Every street light, neon sign, and active building glowed like a candle, creating a soft carpet of light across the landscape.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Flash. He and Twilight sat on the hood of his car to get a better view.

“This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,” said Twilight as she gazed in awe.

“Yeah, no matter how many times I come here, I just can’t get over how awesome the view is,” said Flash. “Say, are you cold?”

“A little bit,” admitted Twilight. She scooted closer to Flash and snuggled up against him.

“Um, I was actually offering you my jacket,” said Flash nervously.

“This is better,” mumbled Twilight, only half paying attention. The heat radiating from Flash’s body and the feel of it against hers both felt really nice. She wouldn’t have minded spending the entire night like that.

Looking up, she met Flash’s eyes. She hadn’t noticed before, but his eyes were the deepest shade of blue she had ever seen. They were so deep that she felt like she could just sink into them forever. His face seemed to be getting closer to hers; his lips looked so inviting…

A hand clamped over her mouth brought her out of her haze while Flash leaned back with an apprehensive expression.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t like you that way, so could you please stop putting the moves on me?” he asked hastily.

Panic and offense warred in Twilight’s mind. “W-What are you talking about? I wasn’t putting any moves on you!” she protested as she slid off the car and backed away.

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure you were trying to kiss me just now,” said Flash.

“N-No I wasn’t, I-I was just…”

Twilight tried to think of an excuse-no, an explanation for what just happened. There was no way she would have ever tried to kiss Flash. This whole thing was nothing more than a simulation date, after all. She hadn’t felt happy that they were able to share personal details about themselves with each other so easily. She hadn’t thought that he was like a super hero when he defended her from those thugs. Her heart didn’t beat faster just from the thought of touching him, and she didn’t just want to grab him by his jacket, pull him close and…

“Oh sweet heaven, I WAS putting the moves on you,” she whispered as the truth sank in. Her voice rose into a shriek as she continued, “I tried to kiss another girl’s boyfriend! I’m a man-stealer! Cadance is going to disown me! Mom will rise from the grave just to tan my hide! I’ll never be able to show my face at school again! If I do, Princess will jump out of the portal and…and…”

Twilight began gasping for breath as her terror mounted. Flash went into his car and came out with a paper bag, which he offered to Twilight. She took it and began to breathe in and out of it vigorously.

“Thank…you…but…how…could…you…have…known?” she asked between breaths.

“You never know what you might need,” he said, shrugging.

After she breathed into the bag for another minute, Twilight finally began to calm down. Turning to Flash, she asked meekly, “Could we go someplace with a bathroom and a mirror? These contacts are killing me.”

Twilight watched Flash out of the corner of her eyes as they drove home. Although he didn’t look upset or anything, his neutral expression was making her anxious once again. It would have almost been better if he had started shouting at her for what she had done.

“Flash, I’m sorry for…you know…everything,” she finally said. “I swear, this was only supposed to be a simulation date but, well, you were just so kind and sweet the whole time, and I’ve never had a boy treat me the way you did, and I just…”

“It’s ok,” interrupted Flash, finally giving Twilight a smile. “I not upset or anything. Actually, it’s nice to know I can have such an effect on a girl without even trying.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. After another minute of silence, a thought occurred to her.

“Say Flash, why didn’t you want to kiss me?” she asked.

Flash turned to gap at her and nearly swerved into an oncoming car. “Wh-where did that come from?” he stammered.

“Let me rephrase that,” said Twilight. “From everything I’ve heard you pretty much fell in love with Princess at first sight. So what was different about me? I promise I won’t get mad, I’m just curious.”

Flash’s eyes had a faraway look in them as he answered. “Well, the first time I met Princess Twilight was when she crashed into me in the school’s hallway. At the time, I didn’t know that she was literally just learning to walk on two feet. All I knew was that she was one of the clumsiest, most adorable girls I had ever seen.”

“Really?” asked Twilight. She never knew “clumsy” and “adorable” could go together.

“What can I say, I’ve always had a weakness for the awkward types,” Flash admitted. “In any case, we didn’t spend even a minute together, but for some reason, I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Then, the very next day, I heard that she was running for the title of Fall Formal Princess, and of course, not even two hours later, Sunset posted a video that made her look like a freak. This was way back when she was still bad, of course. They told you about that, right?”

Twilight nodded.

“Alright, so anyways, when I saw it, I thought, ‘That’s it; she won’t show her face at school again for the rest of the semester.’ But then, something amazing happened: not only did she not run away or give up, but she also managed to bring five friends who had been fighting for as long as anyone could remember back together and convince them to help her win the title.

“When I saw her at the coffee shop later, I just wanted to go up to her and tell her how amazing I thought she was. I tried to do just that, but then she turned around and ran into me again, this time spilling her coffee all over my shirt. So then we’re both apologizing to each other, and everything was super awkward, and then our eyes met, and well, I’m not sure exactly what happened next. Maybe it was just teenage hormones, or maybe I caught a glimpse of the same spark that would enable her to later win the title of Princess against all odds AND face down a raging she-demon in the same night, but at that moment, I couldn’t help but think, ‘She’s the girl for me.’ You, well, I’m sorry but…”

“I don’t have that spark,” said Twilight sadly, hanging her head. “Yeah, I get that impression every time I hear about her.”

“Hey, that doesn’t make you any less amazing,” said Flash.

Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to try and spare my feelings or anything,” she said.

“No, I’m serious,” insisted Flash. “I can’t think of any other girls who would take a guy out on a ‘simulation date’ just to make him feel better. Trust me, when you do decide to find yourself a real boyfriend, whoever you choose is going to be a lucky guy.”

Twilight could feel her cheeks heat up. “You really think so?” she asked.

“I know so,” said Flash firmly.

The rest of the trip passed by in silence; when they pulled up in front of Rainbow Dash’s house, Twilight stopped Flash as he started to get out of the car.

“Why don’t you drop me off here?” she suggested.

“Are you sure?” asked Flash.

“If you come with me, the other girls will probably mob you,” said Twilight as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll see you around,” said Flash.

On a flash of inspiration, Twilight leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and this time he didn’t resist.

“Just so you know, if things don’t work out between you and Princess, there’s no-one who’s more awkward than I am,” she said with a wink before getting out of the car.

When she entered the house, she was greeted by the sight of Shining Armor gagged and tied to a chair. When he saw her, he started struggling and moaning through his gag. Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all sat on the couch wearing big fake smiles.

“Welcome back Twilight, how was your date?” asked Applejack slowly.

“Before I answer that, can you tell what my brother is doing here and why he’s tied up?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, um, he dropped by unannounced to check up on you,” said Fluttershy, tapping her fingers together nervously. “But when he realized that you weren’t here, we had to tell him the truth, and, well, he got all upset and decided to 'hunt you both down', and, well, we couldn’t just let him ruin your date, so Pinkie Pie managed to get the drop on him, and…” she trailed off, glancing at their hostage.

“And Mr. Blaze was OK with this?” asked Twilight.

“Actually, when he saw what we’d done, he just said ‘Nope’ and went to bed,” said Pinkie Pie.

“So ya want us to let him go now?” asked Applejack.

Twilight regarded her brother for a minute before deciding. “Let’s wait until morning,” she said, eliciting a muffled cry of outrage from Shining Armor.

“Alright, um, so the others went out for a snack run, they should be back…” said Fluttershy before Twilight held up a hand to stop her.

“Don’t bother, I know that they…”

Twilight cut off when she remembered something very important. “Actually, could one of you give me a ride to the amusement park? There’s something that I need to do there.

“Ugh, what’s taking so long? Somebody should have found us by now!”

“So there’s really another Spike, uh?”

“Why, yes, although that darling Spikey-Whikey is actually a dragon instead of a dog…”

“Ah-ha! So he’s a faker!

“Guys? I’m sorry, but I just can’t hold it anymore!”

“Hold what? No, Rainbow Dash, don’t you dare! No! NO! NOOOOOOOO!”