The Study of a Winning Pony

by Ponibius


They Really Do Mean Well

The Study of a Winning Pony

Chapter 29: They Really Do Mean Well

I was happy when Tornado Day was over and done with. What I had hoped would be a relatively straightforward project had become much more difficult and filled with drama than I would have preferred. Still, we had managed to get the water tornado, or what is more accurately called a waterspout, to Cloudsdale, even if we hadn't broken the record like Rainbow wanted. There wasn't much that could have been done about that when half the pegasi in town became sick. It probably didn't help that we had created fairly ideal plague conditions by gathering all the pegasi in town at one spot. Hopefully not too many pegasi figured that out and came to resent Rainbow for it.

But in any event, Tornado Day was over and we had completed our most important objective. That was what was what really mattered. Fluttershy had even come through to give us the wingpower we needed to do the job, and I got the opportunity to use that oversized monster of an anemometer I had made. Shame I was still working on what to do with the thing now that its only purpose was over. It wasn't something I wanted to waste storage room on in the library, and I couldn't see many ponies wanting to borrow or keep it. Maybe I would just end up scrapping it for parts and working from there.

Now the big question was what I would be doing now that Tornado Day was over? Finding out that my brother was probably a father was not a revelation I particularly enjoyed, but it was something I would have to deal with. In the end, I had decided to write my brother a letter telling him that I needed to speak to him about something important and asked when would be a good time to meet him in the near future. I also resolved to speak with Ditzy Doo about what I had discovered. Though I was going to save that for tomorrow; Ditzy’s kids shouldn’t have returned by then, which would make that conversation much easier.

There was also the fact I had a date today. My very first date. That was a bit of a big deal, or at least I imagined it was. I had of course read up on the topic, but I still felt woefully unprepared for the occasion. In the face of my continued feelings of inadequacy about the issue, I turned to one of my backup sources for information about topics I wasn't knowledgeable in: my friends.

In the end, I had decided to talk to Rarity about the issue of dating. Being a social butterfly and having plenty of experience with dating based on my conversations with her, she seemed the most ideal to talk to about my date with Cloud Kicker later that day. I knocked on the door of the Carousel Boutique and heard Rarity’s singsong greeting. "Come iiin."

I entered and greeted Rarity with a smile. She was wearing her creativity glasses (as I called them) and had several tools of her trade levitating around her as she examined a dress on one of her ponyquines.

"Hi, Rarity," I said. "I hope you're not busy with something at the moment."

"Oh!" Rarity swiftly put her tools down on a nearby table before facing me. "Nothing that can't wait for a good friend. I was just putting on some final touches to a dress, but it's not urgent."

"If you're sure," I hedged. I glanced back towards the door, I didn’t like the idea of interrupting her work. "I can always come back later if there is a better time."

"No, stay, darling." She stepped beside me and guided me towards the back of her shop. "I was about due for a break anyways. So what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if we could have a girl talk." I gave her a smile that felt strained. "It's a bit sensitive."

"Oh? Girl talk?" Rarity herded me to her kitchen and bade me to sit at her table. I complied and fidgeted in my seat. "Now then, what did you want to talk about?"

I cleared my throat, feeling unsure about coming here. "Well, I don't want this to get out all around town..."

"You can trust my discretion." Rarity opened up one of her kitchen drawers. "Would you like some tea to drink while we talk?” I nodded and she put some tea on the stove. “Now then, what is it that has you so nervous?”

“Right.” I pushed aside my nervousness and jumped into what brought me here. “I'm going to have a date tonight. It’s going to be with Cloud Kicker. We decided to have one during Tornado Day preparations.” And a couple more after that, if we really wanted to.

Rarity’s ears perked up eagerly. “You are? That's wonderful!” She suppressed a squeal of delight and sat down opposite. “Now I imagine the reason you came to me is that you wanted a little friendly advice?”

“If you don't mind me asking.” It felt a bit awkward asking about something like this, but that was why I was here.

“Not at all, darling. It would be my pleasure.” A smile with a hint of mischief crept onto her lips. “First, you need to be careful not to seem too eager. It's not ladylike. Though of course, you shouldn't seem disinterested.”

I tilted my head at that advice. “That sounds tricky to the point of almost being contradictory.”

“It's a very delicate balance, I admit.” Rarity levitated over the tea kettle and some cups. “But it is an important one to make.”

“I was worried it was going to be hard like that. From everything I've read, dating seems to have so many ... rules, I'll say. But opinions are all over the place on what is and isn't allowed, so much stuff is situational, and it's so confusing.” I rubbed my face, feeling a headache returning from the previous night when I had tried to make sense of all the studying I had done for my date. You would think that ponies would have had the whole dating process down after doing it for millennia, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Or at least, that knowledge hadn’t been written down in any book I had read. “It feels like I could screw it up at any moment.”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” She let out a sigh and primped her mane. “In that case, let me offer you some far better advice: just relax, be yourself, and try to have fun. I think if you try too hard to make the date perfect, you'd just work yourself into a frenzy.” After a moment, she added, “No offense.”

“I only do that sometimes,” I grumbled. Just because I occasionally work myself to exhaustion during some of my studies or projects, or got a bit worked up when something needed to be done, or accidently caused a disaster or two didn’t mean I was that bad. Really.

Rarity sipped at her tea before speaking again. “Still, let's not do it again. No sense working yourself into a tizzy when you should be trying to enjoy yourself.”

I sighed and nodded in agreement. “Right, so don't try and aim for the perfect date. I wasn't exactly aiming for that anyways. More of a casual thing, really. Get my hooves wet, that type of thing.”

Rarity smiled pleasantly. “Excellent. Honestly, I think you'll do fine. You are a charming young mare and excellent company.”

“Thanks.” Rarity’s words helped me feel a little more confident, but as I sipped my tea another issue came to mind. “So, you're okay with me dating Cloud Kicker? I know she has a bit of a reputation.” She was a bit unique in Ponyville like that. Especially when it felt like a lot of ponies had come to know her.

"Well of course, darling," she said dismissively. "I'm just glad you're going out and dating regardless of who it is, as long as the pony you’re dating has good intentions. What is most important is that you enjoy yourself. As far as Cloud Kicker is concerned, Pinkie and Rainbow both seem to like her. That is all I really need to know that you will be fine."

"That is true," I said. "She and Rainbow have been friends for a long time."

Rarity nodded "Even if she is a bit fond of ... socializing, she still seems to be a good pony from what I've heard. I doubt Rainbow or Pinkie would care for her if she wasn't."

I sipped my tea as I considered that. "She's still a bit of an enigma to me, but she's nice enough. And kind of funny once you get to know her." I shrugged. "I'm nervous, but I'm still looking forward to it."

"I think that's a very good attitude to have." Rarity refilled our cups. "Really, the worst that could happen is that you find out that you don't really want to date anymore and decide not to pursue the relationship. But trust me, that is hardly a disaster. Just try and enjoy yourself and see where things go and you will be fine."

"I suppose there isn't too much chance of a disaster," I allowed. "I mean after everything that happened leading up to Tornado Day..."

Rarity smiled amusedly as she stirred her tea. "Though I would recommend against the two of you getting ... social."

"Um, you're using 'social' as a euphemism, aren't you?" I thought it best to be completely sure I understood what she was saying.

Rarity's nose crumpled up with a ladylike sniff. "Yes, I am."

Feeling that I may have offended her, I decided to keep moving along with the conversation. "Trust me, I don't plan on doing that for the first date." I probably wouldn't ever be ‘socializing’ in that manner. Even if I was curious about exactly what it was, purely for scientific purposes of course.

"I wouldn't advise it either," Rarity said seriously. "Especially for the first date. You don't want ponies spreading rumors around town. But I suspect more than one pony has gone out with Cloud Kicker not expecting anything of the sort to happen, only to wake up in her bed the next day."

"She's probably pretty good at that." I made sure not to mention what nearly happened the other night when I had visited Cloud Kicker at her home. That had nearly escalated to some pretty serious territory before we’d put on the brakes. "Though she said she wouldn't, um, be too aggressive the first date," I said in her defense.

"I'm glad to hear it," Rarity said.

I nodded. "We've certainly had plenty of time around one another recently, and we've come to an understanding." Granted, we were moving into new territory with the whole dating thing.

Rarity smiled pleasantly. "That's good to hear. Having some ground rules ahead of time can't hurt, at the very least."

"So, any other sage advice?" I asked. Talking with Rarity was making me feel much better about this evening. The date was starting to feel manageable instead of some colossal scary thing.

"I think we covered the most important things. Just believe in yourself and relax." Rarity stood up and started ushering us back toward her shop. "Though I can give you a few more pointers while I fit you for a new dress. Sadly, I can't make a completely new dress for you, but I think I have a few on the racks that should serve quite nicely for a first date."

I gave her an amused grin while being lead back into the Boutique. "I had a feeling I wasn't going to be able to walk away without a dress."

"Perish the thought," Rarity said immediately. "A beautiful mare such as yourself deserves to look her best for her first date. I could hardly call myself a good friend if I didn't give you the best I can offer on such short notice."

"Thanks." Rarity's air of confidence was infectious, and I felt a lot of my stress falling to the side. "I know talking with you is making me feel at least a little bit better."

"That's good to hear." Rarity smiled and drew me into a hug. "You will do fine. I'm sure of it."

I returned the hug. "Thanks, Rarity."

"Anytime."


I do not like waiting. I suppose that put me into the same category as most ponies, but for me waiting constituted wasted time. I made my daily schedules for a reason. I wanted my days to be as efficient as possible. No wasted motion. Though as I stared up at my bedroom clock, I couldn't help but notice that my date was now exactly nine minutes and thirty-four seconds late. I had finished preparing myself half an hour before Cloud was supposed to show up. I wanted to be sure my mane, dress, makeup and other odds and ends were all set when my date arrived. Shame all my planning had done was cause my anxiety to grow as I waited. The calm and confidence Rarity had given me were eroding away as the sands of time ground against them.

Thankfully, Rarity had a dress that both fit and looked good on me. For whatever reason, she never seemed to like my old dresses from before I moved to Ponyville and always insisted that I wear something she had designed. Maybe it had something to do with changes in fashion. I had never been very good at determining what was and wasn't popular for clothing, especially while living in a very clothes-conscious city like Canterlot.

In any event, Rarity had given me a nice dark blue dress that would have been right at home at any party in Canterlot. I had worried that Rarity would have insisted that I should wear something more provocative, but that hadn't been the case. The dress wasn't as simple as I would have preferred, but it would do.

Of course, everything going right thus far was undercut by Cloud now being eleven minutes late. I was beginning to worry that I might be getting stood up when there was a knock on the door.

"Oh! That's probably her!" I nearly bolted for the door when Rarity's advice stopped me. She had told me not to seem too eager, though not disinterested either. Thinking back to what I had read in some of books, I called out to my assistant "Spike! Spiiike!"

"What?" Spike turned his attention from the comic book he had been reading in his basket. He gave me a slightly annoyed frown. "I'm right here. What do you want?"

I smiled sweetly. "Could you get the door for me? If it's Cloud Kicker, let her in and tell her that I'll be down in a few minutes."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Why me? You’re the one that’s been pacing all over the place waiting for her.”

I let out a frustrated groan. “Because I don’t want to seem too eager. That’s bad, apparently. Look, please just do this for me, okay? I’ll be right down in five minutes, promise.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Spike placed his comic down in his basket and made his way downstairs. Listening carefully, I heard him open the door. Though I couldn’t hear the words of the conversation, I did recognize Cloud’s voice.

While it struck part of me as rude to make Cloud wait like this, I nonetheless watched the clock until exactly five minutes passed before heading down the stairs.

“Twilight doesn't really appreciate my comics,” Spike said as I reached the bottom of the stairs. “She doesn't think they're 'real literature.' I mean sheesh, can you believe her?”

Cloud shrugged. “I figure any format can tell a good story, whether it's a comic or a book.”

“I didn't say that, exactly,” I said more defensively than I had intended. “I just said they aren’t really literature because they’re more of a visual medium. Their storytelling is equally, if not more so, dependent on their visual representations of events versus anything written in them. They’re just a different form of entertainment than books. There is nothing wrong with liking comic books.”

“So you'll get me a comic this Hearth's Warming?” Spike looked up at me with a hopeful grin.

I let out a long exhale. This really wasn’t the time to get into an argument about what he should get for Hearth’s Warming. “Add some comic book titles to your gift list and I'll look into it.”

“Great!” Spike ran back upstairs. I had found it useful to ask Spike to maintain a Hearth’s Warming gift list that he could add stuff he wanted to throughout the year. It was quite efficient at making sure that he had a good list for when the holiday came around, and helped him prioritize what he really wanted when I went over the list with him before buying gifts.

Cloud waited for Spike to leave before turning back to me. “Glad that's settled.” She looked me up and down and her lips curled with a pleased smile. “Nice.”

The way she said that single word made my cheeks burn. “I didn't exactly do much. Rarity gave me the dress, and I just did up my mane and put on some makeup.”

“You look good, that dress really works on you,” Cloud assured me.

“Thanks.” The compliments only served to fluster me. I wasn’t some blushing school-age filly who couldn’t put three words together just because a cute pony noticed me. “It's not too much, is it? I mean Rarity wouldn't let me leave unless I got something for this date.”

“No no no, it looks great.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “Absolutely perfect for you. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

I smiled shyly and then looked her over. Cloud was wearing a simple but nice looking red silk dress. Strictly speaking from an aesthetic viewpoint, it also seemed to hug all the right spots to make her look even more appealing. I wasn’t staring, of course; merely appraising it from an analytical viewpoint. “You don't look bad yourself. I mean, you look good. That is what I meant.” To keep myself from verbally stumbling anymore, I switched topic slightly. “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you favor the red dresses.”

Cloud shot me a confident grin, almost preening with how she carried herself. “Red's a good color on me.”

“That I can't disagree with.” Feeling myself slipping into territory that felt like quicksand, I moved onto something more comfortable. “So, where are we heading for the date?”

“There's a nice new restaurant in town that has a good reputation,” Cloud said. “How about we check it out?”

“Sounds good to me,” I agreed. “Let's go.”

Cloud Kicker led us out of the library. The two of us were walking through the Ponyville market when I heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"Hey, Twi!" I looked to see Applejack waving at me. Her cart looked to be halfway shut up for the evening.  "What're ya dressed up fer?" Immediately after that, her gaze shifted to Cloud and her welcoming smile shifted to a suspicious scowl. "And her too?"

"Oh, we're on a date!" I gave her a smile that my heart wasn't completely in. I worried how Applejack might react to me going on a date with Cloud. She could be a bit protective around her big brother, but I wasn't sure if that extended to her friends too.  It didn't help that I knew she didn't have the best opinion of Cloud.

"A date—with Cloud Kicker?" Applejack tipped back her hat to scratch at her head. "Really?"

Cloud shot Applejack with one of those confident grins I expected out of her. "Yeah, I'm taking her out for a night on the town."

"That so?" Applejack turned a suspicious eye on Cloud. "Now ye’re gonna treat mah friend right, ain't ya? No funny business Ah might have to talk to ya about later, right?"

Cloud nodded. "Of course I will."

I put on a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Cloud will be the perfect gentlemare."

"Well, Ah hope she will be, because you deserve the best, Twi." Somehow, the look she was giving Cloud became all the more suspicious. "The very best, ya hear?"

"Yeah, sure." If Cloud was intimidated by Applejack, she was doing a good job of hiding it. She probably had a lot of experience dealing with this type of situation. "Let me guess: if I don't treat her right, you'll track me down and break my legs?"

"Somethin' like that." Applejack's features softened and her tone became lighter. "Nothin' personal, just lookin' out for one of my best friends."

I let out a laugh that I hoped would lighten the mood. Shame it sounded like it reeked of desperation. "I'm sure we won't need to have anypony's legs broken. We're going to have a nice, friendly, non-leg breaking-worthy date."

"Uh-huh," Applejack said with less-than-complete assurance. "Well, I hope you'll enjoy yourselves then. Just don't go and do anything crazy."

Cloud's grin didn't waver. "Yeah, you know me. I'm not a fan of crazy."

Applejack shrugged. "Ah've heard a bit differently, but Ah'll take yer word on that."

“Riiight.” I took Cloud by the leg and started leading her away. “See you later, Applejack!”

“See ya, Twi.” Applejack returned to her cart to finish up her day in the market. “Don't do anything Ah wouldn't.”

The two of us waved goodbye as we left Applejack. Once we were far enough away, I asked. “Is she normally like that around you?”

Cloud Kicker shrugged. “She's not exactly my biggest fan. I think it's because the first night we met, I borrowed her brother for a bit.”

“That's a euphemism, isn't it?” I asked.

She grinned mischievously. “Maaaybe.”

“That ‘maaaybe’ is a yes. I'm sure of it.” I poked her in a teasing manner.

“Is that what you'd like to see?” Cloud asked.

“It wouldn't exactly be a surprise to hear you've had an eye on Big Macintosh.” She wouldn’t exactly be unique in that. I was pretty sure the vast majority of the mares in Ponyville had given the apple farmer an appraising look at least once.

“He is a pretty nice hunk of stallion.” Cloud looked me in the eyes and smiled warmly. “But he's not the one I'm dating right now. You are, and you’re the one I want to have a good time with.”

“Living in the moment, are you?” I asked as we continued down the street towards the restaurant.

“That's usually the best way to do it,” Cloud said. “A little bit of planning is a good thing. I know there are times I get a little frustrated with Rainbow running everything by the seat of her saddle. I’ll come up with a nice, organized way to help distribute rainclouds for a rainstorm and then she’ll come and grab up the first clouds she can get her hooves on and ruin my whole strategy.”

“I can imagine.” My friend was great, but she did have tendencies that could get under my skin. “It can be a bit annoying when I've planned my whole day out, and then Rainbow comes flying in wanting to do her own thing and expecting me to drop everything I had planned. And you better believe that she is going to be offput if you aren’t willing to go along with whatever has gotten into her head.” I let out a huff. “That's just how she is, though.”

A lazy smile worked its way onto Cloud’s face and she looked down the street with a distant gaze. “Yeah, you gotta love her.”

I was about to reply when I felt something hit my chest. I looked down and saw an arrow with a suction cup at the end sticking out of me. To further add to my confusion, quivering at the end of the arrow was a heart-shaped fletching. Cloud gave the arrow an equally befuddled stare. Before either of us could respond to what was happening, Pinkie Pie came bouncing down the street. Adding to the oddness, Pinkie was wearing a pair of artificial white wings and a crown made of interlocking heart shapes.

Pinkie stopped in front of us and her mouth widened with a big smile. “By the arrow that pierces the heavens and heartstrings of ponykind, I dub thee hence bonded together in the mutual enjoyment of thy date! Also, hi!”

I may have had to pull my jaw from the ground before responding. “Um, hi?”

“Sooo.” She leaned in and wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. “On a date, huh?”

“Pretty much,” I confirmed, my brain getting back on track after the sudden derailment. “We're just having a nice, casual date.”

Having had a moment to recompose herself, Cloud spoke with a deadpan voice as though nothing was out of the ordinary. To be fair, this was pretty much was ordinary for Pinkie. “Hey, Pinkie. What's up?”

“Oh y'know, making sure my bestie has the best date ever!” Pinkie bounced up and down.

Cloud grinned. “Well, I can help with that.” She nudged me in the side with an elbow. “It’s kinda the point of me dating you.”

“Yes, you can!” Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “For Twilight has chosen suitable stock from the pegasi in Ponyville.”

Cloud buffed her hoof on her chest. “You could say that.”

Pinkie grabbed Cloud and with a single blindingly fast motion put her on a small podium that hadn't been in the middle of the street a second ago. A stage light whose source I couldn't readily identify lit up and shined down on Cloud. Pinkie struck a pose to show off my date, with a microphone in her grasp. "Admire Cloud Kicker. Note her free-flowing blonde hair that almost looks like sweet honey. Pay special attention to that striking red that goes so tastefully with her very cuddly and fluffy coat. Feel for yourself, her smooth yet strong muscles that promise oh so much! She's great! I should know."

Taking this strange event with aplomb, Cloud grinned and lifted one of her legs in a confident pose.

Before I could react to this strange display in front of me, I found myself on an identical podium with a light shining down on me. "And Miss Kicker, might I add that you are one lucky mare tonight! Yes siree bob, Twilight is a mare like no other! Gaze upon that very lovely mane, in all of its unique shades! Fall in love with her cute voice and adorkable mannerisms!" She sniffed at me, making me feel more than a bit self-conscious and embarrassed. "Take in that fresh new book smell! And last but certainly not least, feast your eyes on that cute librarian tushie."

"Pinkie!" I felt myself blush furiously at the sudden exposure of my person. Something like this happening was most definitely not mentioned in any of my books.

Cloud grinned as she looked me over with an analytical, one could almost say lecherous, eye. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Aw, don't be embarrassed!" Pinkie pulled me off the podium and fixed me with one of her big smiles. "You look amazing, Twilight. Cloud's a very lucky pony, and I'm a very jelly one right now."

"Um, thanks?" I felt like I should have said something a bit wittier at that moment, but my consternation kept anything particularly intelligent from coming to mind.

Cloud stepped down from her podium. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to this. I couldn't ask for a better date."

"Hopefully we can get this date off the ground," I remarked with more than a little bit of exasperation. "We haven't even gotten to where we're eating yet."

"Where ya eating?" Pinkie asked.

"The Far Out Grill," I said. "That new restaurant that just opened up."

"The one where they cook all the food on the table," Cloud added helpfully.

Pinkie's face lit up. "Ooo, I love that place!" She leaned in to whisper loudly to us. "I know the owner, so maybe I can twist their leg so you get some sorta discount."

"You don't have to," I said. "I'm sure between the two of us we won't have a problem paying, and I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"But I wanna!" Pinkie picked her lip out in a pout.

Knowing how this conversation was going to end one way or another, I relented. "I guess it would be okay if you really want to."

"I won't say no to saving money," Cloud said.

Pinkie raised her leg in a salute. "Then it's a done deal! Oh! Before I forget!" She pulled out pair of little paper bags from—somewhere behind her—and offered them to us. "Your date goodie bags!"

"Date ... goodie bag?" I looked to Cloud, hoping she would have a better idea what was going on.

Cloud's only reply was a stoic shrug. She had probably already put this whole incident into the ‘Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie’ category. That was probably the safer way to go, now that I thought about it. "Just go with it."

"Take a peek!" Pinkie grinned eagerly as we took our bags.

Inside the bag was what I could best describe as a date assistant package. There was an assortment of mints, cards with conversation starters on them, some emergency makeup and perfume, and some love themed candies. Though by far the most embarrassing thing in the bag was ... protection. Admittedly, the bag had just about everything you could want to aid in a date. Even if I had no intention of using at least one of the items inside. I did have to wonder how Pinkie had managed to set something like this up so quickly, or did she just keep a few bags like this around? This line of questioning reminded me that it was probably for the best not think too hard about it.

"Um." I gave Pinkie the best smile I could muster considering the awkward contents of the bag. "Thanks, Pinkie. I can see you put a lot of work into these."

Pinkie let out a squeal of delight and wrapped me up with a crushing hug. My friend rarely did anything by half measures.

Cloud nodded. "I appreciate the thought, Pinkie."

I hugged her back as best I could while being very slowly crushed to death. "Thanks. It's good to know you care."

Cloud gave Pinkie a playful pout. "So where's my hug?"

Pinkie response was to wrap Cloud in another rib-cracking hug. Cloud could be so shameless with her flirting.

After finishing giving our ribcages a stress test, Pinkie began pushing the two of us along. I couldn’t help but notice when Pinkie took the opportunity to cop a feel on Cloud. “Honk honk, time to go!” Of course I didn’t feel jealous about that. I knew what Cloud was like, and wouldn’t be so petty as to get hung up over my date getting felt up by another pony.

Cloud playfully swatted that hoof away. “Now now, Pinkie. I’m on a date.”

“Okey dokey lokey, see you later!” Pinkie said as she let us go. "Now go! Go and have the best date ever!" As we walked away she pulled out a handkerchief when we started moving along and blew into it. "My Twilight's all grown up," she said while wiping a tear from one of her eyes.

When we got further down the street, I said to Cloud, “That's Pinkie for you.” Though I would have thought my friend would have needed to go ahead of us to get us a deal at the restaurant, but logic wasn’t exactly something that could be applied to her.

Cloud shook her head and chuckled. “Rainbow's right. She's so ... random.”

“Random is the word for it.”  I levitated my bag to my back and tried to put some of its contents out of my mind. “But let’s go eat. No sense delaying until the restaurant closes.”

Once there we headed inside and got a look at the interior. The restaurant had half a dozen flat metal cooking surfaces, each surrounded by a counter to give ponies room to eat and cushions to sit on.

Cloud sat down on one of the cushions. “I always enjoy them.”

“Mhm.” I sat next to her as a chef made his way to our table. “I wouldn't mind some good stir fry.”

“I always love it,” Cloud said. “Glad this was a good pick for both of us.”

The two of us made our orders and the chef began the process of cooking by squirting oil over the cooker and then spreading vegetables all over the surface. Soon the wonderful smells of the frying food came to my nostrils.

Cloud licked her lips. “And the best part is getting to smell the food as it cooks.”

I took in a long whiff of our cooking food. It was positively mouth-watering. I took in another whiff before turning to Cloud. “While we're waiting and enjoying the aroma, how have you been doing since Tornado Day wrapped up?”

“Pretty good.” Cloud took a quick sip of her drink. “It's nice to have all of that over and done with. I’m happy it turned out alright, but that was way more stress than I like to have for my job.”

“No kidding.” It had certainly been a lot more drama than I had planned for what should have been a relatively straightforward project. “How is Blossomforth feeling, by the way? Seems like half the pegasi in town have caught the feather flu.” Blossomforth coming down with the feather flu had certainly come at an inopportune time for Tornado Day preparations. Not that anypony had a say in how inconvenient it was. At least Cloud had taken to making sure Blossomforth was being cared for.

“She's slowly shaking it off.” Cloud made a helpless shrug. “Just takes time; the feather flu really kicks your plot. I always get the shot to not catch it.”

“I'll take your word on that,” I said. “Unicorns don't usually show any symptoms for feather flu, considering unicorns and earth ponies are only carriers of the disease. There are a couple of diseases that affect only unicorns, but their symptoms are different, naturally.”

Cloud nodded. “Yeah, horn rot and such.”

I shivered. “That one isn't a joke. I don’t even want to think about catching horn rot.”

Sensing my uneasiness, Cloud switched topics. “So, food. It's real tasty.”

“It is our bodies' way to tell us whether something is likely edible or not,” I said, welcoming the change of topic. I pointed to the bowls the chef was filling with food and passing our way. “And this looks extremely edible.”

Cloud rubbed her hooves together, her tongue running across her lips. “Oh, it's way beyond just edible. It's...” She trailed off as her head turned to look at something.

“It's what?” I followed where Cloud was looking and saw what had caught her attention.

Fluttershy stepped over to us. “Hello, Twilight. What are you...” She clammed up when she spotted Cloud.

I admit, I was getting really tired of playing this awkwardness game between Fluttershy and Cloud. It didn’t help that the two of them refused to talk about what happened between them, and to let me try and help. That just put me into an infernally frustrating position that I didn’t like being in.

Still, Fluttershy was my friend, and the fact she had accidently interrupted my date and was currently being ogled by my date didn’t mean I should be rude. “Um, hey, Fluttershy. Surprising to see you here. You checking out the new restaurant, too?”

“Oh! Um...” Fluttershy shuffled in place, looking like she wanted to be anyplace else right at that moment. “I ... I was just passing by, and then I saw you, and ... never mind.”

“No! I mean...” It was a struggle what to think as I felt conflicted emotions. I didn’t want to tell Fluttershy to go away, but this was my first date ever. It was natural to not want to have your date constantly interrupted by what probably counted as old flames, right? That’s a perfectly rational though, surely. “It's nice to see you! Really, it was a welcome surprise. It wasn’t something I planned on happening during my first date ever. Especially when it was a date with Cloud.”

“Y-you're dating?” Fluttershy hid behind her mane and backed up a couple steps. “Er...”  Her next words came out as a rushed babble. “But you're obviously in the middle of something and I'd hate to interrupt.”

“You're not hurting anything really.” I gave Cloud a look, though to my annoyance she wasn’t even glancing in my direction. “Isn't that right, Cloud?”

“Yeah, it's totally fine,” Cloud said with a distant voice.

I found my teeth to be grinding and stopped myself. “We're just on a casual date, is all. You don't get good at something without practice, right? Though we've been bumping into friends ever since we started. It's a small town, after all. But it can get a little bit annoying. But only a little bit. Especially when I see a good friend like you.”

“I'm really sorry for interrupting.” Fluttershy glanced towards the exit. “I ... I should go, then.”

“If you're sure,” I said, sounding more irritated than I intended.

“Oh, yes.” Fluttershy turned to go. “Sorry.”

“Okay then, nice seeing you, Fluttershy.” A pang of guilt washed over me as I watched her go. That was strange, considering I didn’t feel like I had done anything wrong. So why did I suddenly feel like I had kicked a puppy as Fluttershy slunk away.

Cloud frowned as Fluttershy all but fled out the door. “That was awkward.”

“More than a bit.” I sighed and grumbled, “Is it always like that between you two?”

A wisp of a smile formed on Cloud’s features. “We've been better lately. We had a talk and resolved some old stuff. It was really nice.” Her smile became a pleased, almost dreamy one that I couldn’t quite read.

“That's good to hear,” I hedged, not feeling quite comfortable where this might be leading. It didn’t seem likely Fluttershy and Cloud would have a thing again based on how awkward they had been around one another just now, but it wasn’t exactly impossible, either. Especially with how ... persuasive Cloud could be. “I've found talking usually helps solve most issues.”

“Yeah.” Cloud sighed longingly. “Just not a cure-all.” She put some of her food into her mouth in an absent-minded manner.

“If you want, I'd be more than happy to help,” I said, my food nearly forgotten. “I'm sure it would make for a great friendship report.”

There was a long pause before Cloud spoke carefully. “You like those, don't you?”

I nodded, not sure why Cloud was acting to hesitantly. “Mhm, I try and write the princess one at least once a week when I can.”

“Sounds fun. Not just anypony gets to write letters to the princess.” Cloud munched on some more of her food, reminding me that my own bowl hadn’t been touched yet. “So ... that's Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy so far.”

I nodded while I dug into my own food. “Just need to run into Rainbow Dash to round out the gang. At least if you count the fact that I talked to Rarity about my date earlier today.”

“That probably counts then,” Cloud agreed.

I shrugged. “Not that I would mind seeing one of my friends again. Um, it hasn't been a problem, has it?”

Cloud shook her head. “Nah, I kinda expected it. Small town, remember?”

“I think it has come up once or twice.” I took a quick sip of water to wash down my food as I thought about what to talk about next. “So, how is the weather team after Tornado Day?”

Cloud smiles. “Well, now that the rush is over...”


After we were done with dinner, the two of us paid for our food and started a walk around town. Or at least we didn’t seem to be going in any specific direction. Maybe that was the idea, I wasn’t really sure, considering I was just going along with where Cloud was taking me.

“So, this date has been going pretty well,” I said. “It could be going a lot worse, for sure.”

“Much, much worse.” She gave me a grin. “I'm having fun. You?”

“I'm enjoying it,” I said. “It wasn't quite what I expected, but it has pretty much been like hanging out with one of my friends.”

“The fact that your friends keep showing up has that effect.” Cloud flashed me a smile. “It happens that way sometimes. Even in a big city like Canterlot, I could run into ponies I knew. Especially ponies from the clan considering there are so many of us.”

I chuckled. “I can imagine. Though this hasn't exactly been the most romantic evening imaginable, but I'm alright with that.”

“Well, I don't wanna turn on the charm full force too soon.” She waved vaguely. “I wanted you to be comfortable this date, and we can always do the more romantic stuff some other time. It struck me as more important that your first date be a good experience.”

“I can understand that,” I said. “If I was too ambitious then this whole date could backfire.”

“Exactly.” Cloud rubbed her chin. “Though you should get something nice and romantic for your first date.” Her ears perked. “I have just the idea. You mind having me take you someplace a little bit outside of town?”

I nodded. “That sounds fine with me. Where to?”

Cloud gave me that confident grin of hers. “That’s a bit of a surprise. But don’t worry, it’s a nice one, promise.”

“Alright then. Lead the way.” I followed Cloud’s lead as she led me to the outskirts of Ponyville.

On the way Cloud lifted a wing, inviting me to lean against her. After considering it for a moment, I shrugged and maneuvered my way under the offered wing. Cloud wrapped it around me and gave me a comforting squeeze. Admittedly, it felt really cozy as the two of us walked down a path leading to the lake near Ponyville.

“So.” Cloud stopped near the shore of the lake. “Want to sit here for a bit and look at the stars?” She smiled. “That strikes me as a nice romantic note to end on, right?”

I nodded. “It is an activity some of my books recommended. So sure.”

“Glad you like it.” Cloud gently lowered the two of us to sit and we stared up at the stars.

“This is pretty nice.” I leaned up against Cloud to rest my weight against her. “Us, alone, under the stars.”

“Yeah, it is.” She leaned back and shifted her wing to better cover me.

“So, do you know all the constellations?” I asked.

Cloud shook her head. “Not all of them, no.”

“I could give you a lesson on them if you like.” I smiled at her. “The history of how they all got their names is really interesting, actually.”

Cloud Kicker returned my smile. “I'd like that, yeah.”