Field Work
Twilight’s doorbell rang, but Twilight’s mother answered first. From upstairs, she overheard a familiar-sounding voice talking just outside the doorway, and then heard her mother speak.
“Oh, you must be Sugarcoat! Twilight’s just upstairs getting ready for your little date! She’ll be down in a minute!” Twilight Velvet said. She evidently turned towards the stairs and shouted, “Twilight, your girlfriend is here!”
“She’s... ugh!” Twilight Sparkle shouted back. She didn’t want to say Sugar wasn’t her girlfriend and shoot any chance she had in the foot. At the same time, she didn’t want to declare that Sugarcoat made some... convincing arguments in her favor yesterday. Twilight leaned her ear closer to her open door while she slid on her knee-high grey socks.
“I can see where Twilight gets her good looks from,” Sugarcoat said.
“Why thank you! Her father is no slouch in the looks department either. And I’m sure your parents are quite the lookers themselves.”
Twilight groaned in embarrassment.
“I,” Sugarcoat paused for the briefest moment, “thank you, Ms. Velvet.”
Twilight quickly slipped on a pair of matte black ballet flats and then smoothed her pleated navy skirt. She walked over the mirror and looked at herself from all sides, eying her powder blue cardigan and white blouse. She pushed up her glasses and adjusted the violet ribbon tying her hair back into her signature bun.
She twisted side to side one last time and smiled to herself. If nothing else, she looked ready. The fluttering in her stomach, however.... Twilight snatched up her purse and descended the stairs as fast as she could without stomping, eager to end the awkward exchange between her date and her mom.
When she finally turned the corner to the foyer, she stopped dead. She blinked. Her jaw dropped. She blinked again, twice.
Sugarcoat stood with her hands clasped behind her back, but everything else about her appearance screamed that someone else had shown up. Her silver hair now cascaded over her shoulder, tied in sections with a shimmering royal blue ribbon. Her flat royal blue dress was tight in the waist but had loose, flowing sleeves and a skirt to match, flaring out down to her knees. Her legs were covered in white tights, ending with a pair of glossy blue pumps. Twilight strained to look her date in the eye. Gone were the pale orange frames hiding her orchid eyes. In their place were a pair of iridescent green frames that surrounded her eyes. They were backed with a similar shade of eyeshadow and seemed to have the overall effect of making Sugarcoat’s eyes look much brighter.
“Ah, Twilight! Ready to go?” her mother asked from her position on the sofa. Her hands rested on her crossed knees and she smirked at Twilight.
Twilight shook her head lightly to clear it. “Um, yes. Sorry.” She chuckled softly. “Sugarcoat? We’re taking your car, yes?”
Sugarcoat nodded and extended her hand. Twilight took it and found herself dragged forward through the front door.
“Bye Mom! We’ll be back later tonight, I have my phone, love you, bye!” she quickly shouted, her words both coming quicker and louder as she struggled to keep pace with Sugar’s fast strides.
“Be back by 10, it’s a school night!” her mother shouted after her. The front clicked shut and Twilight still struggled to keep pace with Sugarcoat’s surprisingly fast walk. If Twilight could barely manage in flats, how Sugarcoat could do so in heels was beyond her.
Twilight tried to catch her breath as Sugarcoat opened the passenger door on a cute little red hatchback. “Thank you,” Twilight said breathlessly.
Sugar walked around the front of the car, slipped into the driver’s seat, and pressed a button just to the left of the steering wheel. The dashboard lit up, but Twilight didn’t hear an engine turn over.
“Electric?”
“Mmhmm. Well, a hybrid. The gas engine doesn’t kick in unless the batteries are flat or it needs the power at high speeds,” Sugarcoat explained. “Mom likes it because she can just let the car kick into electric mode during heavy traffic.”
“This is your mom’s car?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
Sugarcoat responded with a pointed, flat look. “Twilight, my family is well off, but not ‘give your daughter her own luxury hybrid hatchback while still in high school’ rich. My high school graduation present is having college paid for. My college graduation present is a vehicle of my choice.” She shifted the car into gear and touched the throttle, putting them in motion down the quiet residential lane. “This car is nice, it’s got a good stereo, heated seats, it gets good gas mileage, blah blah blah. It’s so boring, though!”
Twilight chuckled. “Please don’t tell me you want some exotic motorbike instead...”
“After the incident with that plant? No, thanks. I just want something sporty. Maybe a convertible. A little front-engine, rear-wheel-drive cloth top. Nothing too fancy, just something fun,” Sugarcoat said. She then mumbled, “Something so I could take a cute girl like you out to the lake and watch the stars.”
“Oh.” Twilight giggled nervously. She hoped “watch the stars” was a literal invitation to stargaze and not a euphemism for any backseat antics. Not that she would be opposed to that; out of her uniform, Sugarcoat looked desperately pretty and Twilight felt underdressed in comparison. “Um, speaking of stereo, do you think we could listen to some music on the way?”
“What did you have in mind? I think my phone is paired, or if you’re familiar with the satellite radio channels and know what you want.”
“Classical.” Twilight smiled brightly.
Sugarcoat sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”
Twilight frowned and wrung her hands. “What’s wrong with classical?”
“Nothing!” Sugarcoat said quickly. “Nothing, I’m just.... I figured.” She offered Twilight a small smile.
“OK....” Twilight reached towards the radio controls but dropped her hand. “I don’t want to mess up your mom’s car or anything. Do you think you could...?”
Sugarcoat nodded. She pulled the car over for a moment and fiddled with the touchscreen controls. “Here we go. Classical.” She touched a button and suddenly the car filled with the delicate sounds of a violin’s slow, soft rise.
“Ah,” Twilight sighed happily. “J.S. Bach’s Sonata No. 3, movement 1, Adagio.”
“That was quick. You’re familiar with the piece?” The car rolled forward once more. Neither passenger could notice the whine of the electric motors over the stacking notes of Baroque composition.
“I am. There’s... I really like adagios and sonatas. There’s just something alluring about them. I mean, adagio is just a tempo, a slow one. The calmer parts of a composition, generally. And sonatas are more often than not just a few select instruments, as opposed to a concerto, which is more like a full orchestra.” Twilight winced. “I’m not... I’m not rambling too much, am I?”
Sugarcoat shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Hearing you talk about something that’s not school-related, it’s refreshing. I don’t think I’ve seen this side of you.” She smiled softly and stole a glance at a slightly blushing Twilight. “It’s a nice one.”
“Thanks.” Twilight gently bit her lip. “Um, as I was saying, I like sonatas because of the focus on one instrument. It’s easier to have that just be gentle background music, you know? And adagios are, well, calmer. Both together make for great studying music.”
“Hmm.”
“Wh-what do you like to listen to?”
“Oh, you know. The usual teenage stuff.” Sugarcoat waved her hand flippantly. “Death metal.”
Twilight froze with her jaw hanging open. “D-de-death m-metal?”
Sugarcoat snorted with laughter. “No, just regular, plain-old heavy metal. I tend to shy away from the violent stuff. This stuff, the classical that’s playing? Reminds me of symphonic metal. Not my first choice, but I can appreciate talent.”
Twilight chuckled nervously and wrapped her arms around her waist, as if to hug herself.
“You’re a little freaked out by the death metal comment.”
Twilight nodded mutely.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to be funny. I guess you’re not used to my sense of humor yet.”
They both stared ahead in solemn silence for the several minutes of driving until they reached the Sweet Shoppe. Sugarcoat parked, opened her door, and walked around to open Twilight’s door.
Twilight grabbed Sugarcoat’s hand after she shut the door. “Wait, before we go in, I... I wanted to apologize. I know you were just trying to make me laugh, and I maybe freaked out a little bit. I’m sorry. I know you’re trying, and it’s really sweet that you are.” Twilight barely stood on her toes and pecked Sugarcoat’s cheek. A light pink blush blossomed on both of their faces. “So, shall we?”
Sugarcoat squeezed Twilight’s hand gently and whispered, “We shall.” She walked forward and Twilight quickly followed behind her. Twilight’s heart fluttered at the way Sugarcoat’s hand felt in hers: the subtle warmth of another person and the connection that implied and how Sugarcoat was so in control of the situation.
Before Twilight knew it, they both stood at the front podium as the host prepared their menus and beckoned them to a booth in the middle of the restaurant. She glanced around. Hardly anyone was in the dining area. Twilight found her seat and the host set a menu in front of her and her date. After a few words about their server, the host disappeared and Sugarcoat and Twilight had the table to themselves. Twilight smiled softly and checked over the menu quickly. While she hadn’t ventured this far into the city (except for her occasional “research” projects at Canterlot High), she quickly found a menu item that agreed with her.
She set the menu down and tented her hands on the table. She glanced around the dining room; a dark-grey-haired waitress with severely sharp bangs refilled a family’s water glasses from a pitcher while deliberately avoiding eye contact, a light-grey-haired waitress with similarly sharp bangs took another couple’s order and jotted it down on a notepad.
Across from her, Sugarcoat set down her own menu and smirked at Twilight. “See anyone else that catches your eye?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “No. Honestly, Sugarcoat, you look amazing. Did you put that outfit together yourself?”
Sugarcoat chuckled. “No, sadly, I had some help. Sunny Flare is a bit of a fashionista, so when I asked for an outfit for tonight... She’s actually quite fond of Rarity’s boutique, if you can believe that. They’ve apparently talked shop before. Sunny did keep being a Crystal Prep student from her, though. Rarity was doing some project or another to make these goofy horse ear headband things and...” She saw the raised eyebrow from Twilight. “Right, you’re going to be attending Canterlot High for your final year. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I mean, I’ve always found the whole rivalry thing to be pretty silly. I wouldn’t have even considered participating if Cinch hadn’t blackmailed me into it. I would’ve come, but to...” Twilight wrung her hands. “To finish my experiments in finding out more about the magic going on there. I guess I got my wish.” She sighed and stared at the table.
“Hey.” Sugarcoat rested her hand on Twilight’s and smiled softly at her. “We all make mistakes sometimes. Even if they are strangely sexy in a dangerous way.”
Twilight blushed furiously and looked down at the table.
“Sorry. I should’ve maybe kept that to myself.” Sugarcoat sighed. “Being honest all the time isn’t... well, let’s be real, being brutally honest all the time isn’t doing me any favors with trying to make friends. Or... or a girlfriend.”
“Sugarcoat,” Twilight said softly, reaching out her hand to grasp Sugarcoat’s.
“I guess if you spend one too many times telling people things that they’ll hurt you with, you learn to tell everyone everything, so nothing is secret.”
“Sorry? I don’t understand.”
Sugarcoat sighed. “In a minute, I think our waitress is about to ask us for our order.”
Before Twilight could press further, the waitress with the light grey hair approached them. “Hi, I’m Limestone, I’ll be your server. What can I get for you?” she asked in a gravelly voice and almost aggressive tone.
“Umm,” Twilight hesitated.
“I’ll have the mushroom fettuccine with the fire-roasted tomato sauce,” Sugarcoat said. She passed her menu to Limestone.
“And for you?” Limestone turned to Twilight.
“I’ll ha-have the e-eggplant Par-Parmesan. Please,” she added hastily.
Limestone jotted down their orders. “Anything to drink?”
“Water, please.”
“Water for me too, thanks.”
“We’ll have your order out shortly.” Limestone turned sharply on her heels and marched off to the kitchen.
“Anyway, Sugarcoat, you were saying that you learned to be brutally honest to keep people from hurting you. What happened?” Twilight asked. She reached her hand across the table.
Sugarcoat accepted and clasped her hand with Twilight’s. “It’s a bit of a story, if I’m honest.”
“I’m willing to listen.” Twilight smiled.
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I like where this story is going so far. Also I love how awkward Velvet is, Fits perfectly. I will keep my eye on this!
7243625 Senpai noticed me!
I mean, *ahem*. Soon. It'll be finished soon.
So I see you used Marble and Limestone as waitresses at the Sweet Shoppe. Nice. I can't wait for more.
Enjoyed this chapter! Nice to see the date between Twi and Sugarcoat! And I wonder what Sugarcoat's story is.
Secrets are a mysterious thing. Sometimes we think it helps to keep them, but how many times do we have to look past a truth before all the little lies stack up?
...I don't know. I can't help but think I understand the ironically named Sugarcoat.
another great chapter! they do make a adorable couple!this is one fun story congrats to you!
Sugarcoat may need some GUILTY GEAR musiiiiiiic!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice chapter :3
Sugarcoat got a half of Twilight's parents approval
But she must get the BBBFF, Cadence, and Spike approvals.
Symphonic Metal and no Nightwish to be found?
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw7675_small.jpg
7246079
Nightwish was considered. I wouldn't call myself a fan of any kind of metal, but I can appreciate Nightwish's talent. The specific reason why NIghtwish wasn't chosen was because while I do like the songs I've listened to, the ones I heard were too percussive and Celtic for what I wanted to use as an example. I wanted more of a focus on stringed instruments.
7244600
Hopefully I'll get the rest of the drama out of the way at the beginning of next chapter, and then it can focus on fluff. Deal?
7244859
I haven't played one-on-one fighters outside of Skullgirls. I know that Guilty Gear and BlazBlue are supremely well regarded for their music, but it's not something I'm familiar with. Incidentally, I am excited for both Indivisible and Them's Fightin' Herds.
7245180
We'll work on that.
7243661
But you didn't mention the other Easter Eggs!
7243959
Hopefully the next chapter brings further understanding. I'm a little nervous about it, but I think it works well.
7243754
Next chapter is a few days out! Not long to wait.
7246132
I was just joking around. You're doing good stuff.
7246132 Well I know Twilight was talking about music which mentions the names of the Dazzlings if that's another easter egg. Other than that I have no clue.
7246079 My thoughts exactly.
wallpapermaven.com/i/people/29/Gandhi-d.jpg
I see what you did there...
Ooo, smooooth! Sugarcoat has got the moves!
I wish I had money to spare so I could be a patron as well, but as it is for most, times are tough. I love your work, and I really do wish I had a dollar to give, but with college coming up I really need every cent. Sorry about my problems.... Anyway, I think this pairing really works well together. Twilight being her flustered self and Sugar being a stone kinda figure (cracks included) I do feel like the "first date" was really quick to start, but that's just an opinion from a small person with no impact on society.
Sincerely,
Yogi
I really need to read at a better time than 1:05 in the morning
I forgot that sonata and adagio are musical things