• Published 31st May 2021
  • 5,119 Views, 198 Comments

Enchanted to Know You - Teal



After flirting with a mare at a bar, Twilight did not realize the she had unexpectedly asked Celestia out on a date.

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Chapter 4: The Date

Twilight wished her friends could have stayed to be here, but she understood their need to go back to Ponyville. Most of them had plans with families and other responsibilities tomorrow, so they needed a good night’s rest, not a restless night of waiting and taking care of her. It just wouldn’t be unfair to keep them here just because she had a date.

Besides, she knew that they couldn’t exactly help her now that she was on the date itself, and she didn’t want them extending their stay in Canterlot just to wait for her. They’ll be there in Ponyville, and she could count on their support when she got back after the date, no matter how it would turn out.

Good or bad, her friends will be there for her.

A frown soon formed on her face when she pondered about the outcome, as she suddenly felt her nervousness rise up once more. She didn’t know how it would go, and she was scared that it would end up bad. Sure, she was really excited for the date, but she feared the bad things that might happen.

Despite her friends’ earlier reassurances, Twilight’s anxieties still managed to creep on her, infecting her mind with worries and fears.

She was excited for the date, it was all she wanted, but she was so terrified of ruining it. No matter how much she tried thinking of something else, the longer she waited, the more her fears grew. What if she didn’t show up? What if she suddenly didn’t like her as much? What if she’ll suddenly complain about her restaurant of choice?

This last fear was the one worrying her most during that moment, as she couldn’t help but curse her drunk self for choosing such an inappropriate place for a date.

Standing outside of the Hay Burger branch near the downtown plaza, the alicorn mare stared at the restaurant and studied it for a couple of seconds. What she saw brought a small frown on her face, as she wondered if she made the right choice.

Twilight loved Hay Burger, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was this reason that made her drunk self choose this place. Normally, there was nothing wrong with the place. The food was good, the service was amazing, and their multiple branches were often clean and decent looking.

However, despite how good the place was, Twilight feared that it might not be first date material. The seats were very public, the place was often noisy, and because of its popularity, the restaurant was quite crowded and hectic. Such factors would make a date difficult, as it lacked the calm environment that would give the proper intimacy for conversation.

But aside from those things, Twilight also feared that her date may just not like the place in general. She did meet the mare at a fancy bar after all, so maybe she was a pony similar to Rarity’s character; where modest yet elegant venues were her preferred places. Hay Burger was none of those, thinking it through she knew that it was the complete opposite of those things.

This made Twilight panic more, as her eyes darted left and right, studying the restaurant and finding more and more things her date might complain about. This was a disaster, and she felt it. The date hadn't even begun, yet she could feel that she had already ruined it by choosing a bad place to eat at.

Hay Burger might have been a bad choice, and that thought kept bombarding her mind.

Feeling down, as her worries overtook her, the lavender alicorn felt her mind swirl in a storm, as she felt scared and worried. She could not stop herself from worrying, and it took a lot to fight off the fears in her mind.

Closing her eyes and trying to push away the negative thoughts, Twilight barely managed to compose herself, as she tried to replace the fears with the advice given to her by Rarity.

“You date somepony who you want to bring to places you love. If they can’t accept that, then maybe you’re not dating the right pony.”

Thinking about it, Twilight slowly realized that what her friend said made sense. Dating was more than just feeling the attention of somepony you like, since it also involved mutual understanding. If her date didn’t like or understand the things she likes, then maybe it was a sign that she wasn’t somepony who she should continue dating.

Twilight hoped that wasn’t the case, but she nonetheless kept it in her mind to not forget that. She was here to enjoy after all, not constantly worry about pleasing the other pony.

Remembering all the advice Rarity and her friends told her, Twilight allowed her mind to focus on this, as she began ignoring the anxieties that had troubled her.

“Don’t over panic; she’s probably as nervous as you on the inside.”

“Be yourself; don’t pretend to be somepony you’re not.”

“Have fun; dates are supposed to be fun after all.”

One by one, she went through every bit of advice given, and Twilight couldn’t help but smile as she thought of each one. Her friends cared for her so much, and she felt so lucky that they were so helpful in calming her down and giving her words to make her feel better. She didn’t know what she would do without them, and she was glad that they were so willing to support her.

Making a mental note to herself, she made sure to remember that she should repay them all for their help; they deserved it.

Running through their advice over and over again, Twilight soon felt calmer, as her mind began to think of happier thoughts. Although a hint of fear still lingered within, it was no longer enough to completely overtake her body with terror.

Once her fears were reduced, a surge of excitement soon replaced the anxieties that had earlier filled her heart and mind. She was happy, and to be here now made her feel so alive. Yes, she was still nervous, but she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here. The only thing left to make things better was for her date to arrive.

Gazing out at the number of ponies going towards Hay Burger, she began searching the crowd, trying to see if there was a familiar looking white furred and pink maned unicorn heading towards her. Eyes darting from one pony to another, she tried to locate the mare from the bar. But as her eyes examined each one, it soon became clear that she wasn’t there.

Trying her best to stay calm, Twilight dug into her mind and tried to think what time it was.

She had left her apartment at around seven thirty that night, and she knew that her walk to Hay Burger took around fifteen minutes. She chose to arrive early on purpose, so that she would be the one waiting. Estimating that she had been standing there for a good ten minutes, then that meant there was still five minutes left before their agreed upon meet up time.

Knowing that there was still plenty of time, she felt better. She had nothing to worry about, and all she had to do was patiently wait.

Yet, why did she feel so nervous and concerned?

For a moment a frown formed on Twilight space, as she felt the small amount of fear within her begin to rise again. Unable to help herself, she once more scanned the crowd and still failed to see the unicorn there.

Slowly, her fears began to rise up once more, as she started to wonder if she had been stood up by her date. As the minutes went by, the troubled feeling inside shook her, as her heart started to beat faster and faster. Doing her best to fight it, Twilight tried to distract herself with her friend’s advice. But the battle proved to be harder than she initially expected, and her mind’s vulnerability to anxiety proved to be a major weakness.

Luckily for her, however, the fight did not last long, as her eyes suddenly caught a beautiful unicorn mare, hurriedly trotting towards her direction. Keeping her eyes on the mare, and feeling her mouth switch from a frown to a smile, Twilight’s heart couldn’t help but continue to beat fast.

However, instead of beating from worry it was now beating in joy and excitement. Her mind felt very high, as she once more got to look at the wonderful mare who had attracted her attention the other night.

She was enchanting and Twilight couldn’t help but be mesmerized with her sight. The way she trotted was so graceful, and the way her long pink mane flowed just made her look graceful. Once more, the lavender pony couldn’t help but feel attracted to her, as she found it hard to bring her gaze away from the unicorn.

Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to keep her composure, or else make a fool of herself in front of the unicorn. This was it, it was finally going to happen.

Smiling brightly, and feeling her emotions burst in full joy, Twilight stood there in happiness as the mare saw her and approached.

“Oh Faust, I hope I’m not late.” The mare apologized, as she stood there panting in front of Twilight. “Sorry about that, Princess, the way here was a bit more crowded than I expected. I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Twilight said dismissively. Based on her calculations, it probably just turned eight o’clock. “You’re just on time, so no need to worry.”

The mare smiled happily as she nodded. Twilight didn’t know why, but this only made her blush, as she couldn’t help but focus on the wonderful smile. The mare looked gorgeous, and that smile fully completed it. This was the first time the alicorn was seeing her clearly up close, and not through the hazy gaze of being drunk. Studying the mare, she had to admit that the unicorn was even more beautiful than her memory told her.

She was wonderful and Twilight knew that she could stare at her all day. In her mind everything was perfect, and any fears and worries she had seemed to disappear.

“Are you okay, Princess?”

The sweet voice of the unicorn suddenly pierced her thought, as Twilight’s eyes widened from shock. Snapping out of her transfixed state, the alicorn quickly shook her head and blushed harder; this time from embarrassment.

“Sorry about that...umm...yea, I’m okay.” Twilight said. “By the way, you don’t have to call me by my title. You’re my...you’re my date, so please, just call me Twilight.”

The mare giggled at this, and the alicorn swore that she felt her heart stop at how sweet it sounded. Inside, a small part of her brain told her that she was acting like a little filly in a bookstore for being so easy to excite, but Twilight didn’t care. She was enjoying the feeling, and she was happy to see that so far the other mare was enjoying things too.

“Sure thing, but...” A mischievous look then formed on the mare’s face, one that suddenly made Twilight feel nervous. “...I’ll only agree to that if you answer this one question: What is my name?”

Twilight had dreaded that question, since she was clearly aware that she had neglected to inquire that valued piece of information last night. She knew that the name situation would be brought up almost immediately, but she never did find a way to find a solution to it. No matter how many times she searched her memory, there was no point throughout their previous conversation where she asked the mare her name. She had been just too excited and too drunk that she forgot to ask the simple, yet important, question.

Giving a sheepish look, Twilight first stared at the mare, before looking away, and then looking back at her to see if she was angry at her lack of an immediate reply.

The playful gaze she saw on the mare at least reassured her that she wasn’t angry, but it still didn’t make up for the fact that she had been careless enough to not ask her name last night. Biting her lip Twilight studied the mare once more, although this time she was trying to find any distinct features on her that would at least give hint to her name.

Pony names were usually based on talent and defining features after all, so maybe she could get lucky and guess it right.

“Oh, checking me out I see. My, my, I never knew you were so bold, Princess.”

“Wait, no, that wasn’t...that wasn’t what I was trying to do!

“Well then, what are you trying to do?”

“Trying to figure out your name...” She finally admitted.

“And?” She asked with a giggle. “Based on your analysis, what do you think it is?”

“Erm...Cotton Shine?”

The mare stared at her, a deadpan look of displeasure plastered on her face. For a few moments Twilight couldn’t help but stand there nervously, thinking that she had insulted the mare for making such a bad guess. However, the look on the bare soon quickly returned to a playful one, before a long reassuring giggle erupted from her.

“Cotton Shine?” She said with a laugh. “I know my hair is pink and all, but does it really remind you of cotton candy?”

“A bit?” Twilight replied sheepishly, as she gave out a small smile. Although she felt relieved the mare wasn’t, she now felt a bit embarrassed. Inside she couldn’t help but panic as she tried to keep her mind focused and back on track.

“Well, since you were unable to guess my name, then I suppose I’ll just have to address you as ‘Princess’ all throughout our date. I’m sure it wouldn’t be much of a problem though, you did say you wanted to be my Princess.” She said with a wink.

“I...I did?” Twilight replied meekly, as her eyes widened in horror. For a brief moment, she was tempted to teleport away in embarrassment.

“You did.” The mare said giggling. “But don’t worry; I think it was pretty sweet.”

Twilight gave out a short nervous laugh at this, as a mixture of embarrassment and excitement flooded her. On one hoof, she was beginning to realize just how much of a fool she made herself last night, while on the other hoof, she felt a thrill of happiness knowing that the mare actually seemed to like her; even if she acted like an embarrassing wreck.

Doing her best to control her smile, and trying to stand straight and fight the flurry of emotions in her, Twilight did her best to compose herself and get the situation under control.

“Well, then, I guess I’ll be your Princess for tonight.” She said, trying to stay confident.

“And I shall be your Cotton Candy.” The mare said with a laugh.

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at this too. But this time, it wasn’t out of nervousness or embarrassment, but out of joy at the little joke.

“Please tell me that my guess was at least somewhat close?”

“By a bit. My name is Sunny Beam by the way, so I guess that Shine was pretty close.”

Hearing the name, Twilight couldn’t help but nod. The name made sense, and it sounded wonderful on a beautiful mare like her. Feeling herself blush again at the thought of how beautiful her date was, Twilight quickly offered for them to go to the restaurant, in hopes that Sunny wouldn’t see her red face for the hundredth time that night.

When they entered, she couldn’t help but notice a lot of ponies staring at her. Apparently the sight of a princess at the local Hay Burger wasn’t a common sight as it was at Ponyville. This made sense though, since she could hardly imagine Celestia or Luna eating at a fast food joint.

Normally, Twilight was used to having ponies stare at her, as it often came with the title. However, with her currently being on a date, she suddenly felt shy as the world watched and speculated about her private life.

“Are you okay?” Sunny suddenly said, turning towards the alicorn with a hint of concern.

“Yea. I just wish I asked you out to a more...private restaurant.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Sunny said dismissively. “I think you asked me out to a wonderful place. I actually prefer a more casual place like this, especially compared to the formal places I used to be taken to. Don’t get me wrong, dates at fancy restaurants are quite nice too, but it gets tiring and being here is a nice change to the norm.”

Twilight beamed at this, happy to hear the mare was at least satisfied at her restaurant of choice. However, the inner worrier inside of her couldn’t help but notice the way Sunny worded her sentence. From what she said, it implied that she had been on dates before. This didn’t surprise her, because a beautiful mare like her most likely had dates before, but it made the alicorn realize that she needed to do good to make a better impression compared to her previous dates.

Lining up for the counter, Twilight was glad to see it move quickly. Their conversation had stalled by then, and she was having a hard and awkward time trying to restart it.

Ordering her usual meal, a double hayburger with fries and a drink, Twilight made sure that they left out the cheese from her hayburger.

“Oh, you don’t like cheese?” Sunny inquired curiously.

“Not really a fan.” Twilight admitted, before cringing at the thought of cheese on a hayburger. “I don’t know, cheese is just so...cheesy.”

“Hmm...It all makes sense now.” Sunny said randomly, making the alicorn raise an eyebrow.

“What makes sense now?”

“Nothing!” The unicorn said, a little bit quickly. “Anyways, I’ll have the same thing, but I don’t mind the cheese.”

Before long the two ponies got their meals and managed to find a vacant table near the large windows of the restaurant. Sitting face-to-face, Twilight was confronted by the wonderful sight of her date. Looking down at her food with an excited smile, the unicorn looked hungrily at the hayburger and fries, as if it were the first time she ordered one. The alicorn couldn’t help but giggle at the cute sight, before suddenly stopping and folding back her ears, as she realized that she had been ogling at Sunny again.

Turning away before the unicorn noticed, she then focused on conversation topics, hoping to once more start up a conversation before things get awkward. However, try as she may, she couldn’t think of something that wouldn’t come out as too nerdy or out of place.

Giving up, she let out a sigh, which caught the attention of the other mare.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her eyes filled with genuine concern.

Twilight gave a half smile. “No...Nothing’s wrong...it’s just...umm...can I tell you a little secret?”

“Of course.”

“This...this is actually my first date. As in, the first ever date in my entire life.”

“Really? Surely a beautiful mare like you gets lots of dates?”

Twilight blushed hard after hearing that. Nopony had ever called her beautiful with that much admiration before. “Yes, really. I’m...I’m actually not quite sure what to say or do next...”

Sunny gave a soft smile at this, and nodded her head. “Well then, how about I help you out? Let’s start the conversation easy by getting to know more about each other. Does that sound good to you?”

Feeling a bit calmer, Twilight nodded her head.

“Good. I’ll start with me.” Sunny began. “So once again, I’m Sunny Beam, not Cotton Shine.” She said, adding a wink to the last part. “I live here in Canterlot, and work as a freelance writer. I’m a bit of an adventurous pony and like hiking and roaming places outside the city when I can, but with piles of work always on top of me, the easiest way I can unwind these days is going out to bars and getting a nice relaxing drink. However, little did I know that I would end up catching the eye of one of Equestria’s royal alicorn’s during my outings.”

Once more, Twilight couldn’t help but blush at this, making Sunny giggle.

“You know, if you keep on blushing all night we might have to ask the other Princesses to change your title from the Princess of Friendship to the Princess of Blushing.”

This only made the alicorn blush brighter, but she giggled at the joke. “It’s not fair, you tease me a lot.”

“Because you’re easy to tease, and cute to watch when you glow red.” Sunny said, winking and sticking out a tongue. “Anyways, how about you, what’s there to learn about the Hero and Savior of Equestria?”

Twilight rolled her eyes at this but gave a laugh. “Well, what’s not to know that isn’t already known by all? I grew up here at Canterlot, studied as Princess Celestia’s personal student, moved to Ponyville, made the best of friends a mare can ask for, and used the magic of Friendship to defeat evil.”

“That’s just the general stuff though.” Sunny pointed out. “How about the real you? The one they never say in the papers?”

Twilight stared at the mare with curiosity, as she felt a weird sensation in her chest. No one had ever been this eager to know about her, and it felt nice to have somepony desire for who she was. This was a stranger feeling, and the alicorn wasn’t sure how to interpret it. However, she knew that she liked the feeling and wanted to keep it.

“Alright, how about this. I share something about myself, then you share something about yourself, so that we can take turns while we eat.”

“Sounds good to me!” Sunny said cheerfully.

“I’ll start then.” Twilight said, as she used her magic to open the box that held her hayburger. “I love hayburges, it’s my guilty pleasure”

With that, she levitated the hayburger in front of her and took one big bite, unable to resist its savory smell. Hayburgers were always the best and for a moment she was lost in the flavor. But then, remembering that she was on a date, she took one big swallow and smiled sheepishly.

“Um, your turn.”

Sunny smiled back at her. “These hayburgers must be really good then, aren’t they?” She said, before opening and levitating her own.

Observing patiently, Twilight watched with hopeful eyes as the unicorn took a bite of her hayburger. Everything felt like it was moving slowly, as the alicorn knew that everything tittered on this moment. She knew she was being overdramatic, but it seemed like the fate of the date hung on whether Sunny would like the hayburger or not.

Luckily for the anxious alicorn, the unicorn’s eyes lit up in joy, as she gave a happy nod of approval. “These are pretty good!” She said excitedly, making Twilight’s smile grow wide. Then, to the purple mare’s shock, she watched as the mare in front of hungrily ate at the hayburger. Eating it quickly and with great pleasure, Sunny gobbled both burger and fries as if it were the first meal she had in years.

Watching with surprise, and then amusement, Twilight couldn’t help but be reminded by her own eating habits. Inside, this gave her some relief, as she now realized that it wasn’t only her who ate so sloppily when it came to hayburgers.

“Sorry about that.” Sunny finally apologized, once two-thirds of her burger was devoured. “These hayburgers are better than I first thought.”

“You never had a hayburger before?” Twilight asked curiously, one eyebrow raised.

“No.” She admitted. “And I regret not having one before!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Twilight said, laughing. Although she found it a bit odd that somepony had never had a hayburger before, she was at least happy to have introduced the wonderful delight to the mare. “But now it’s your turn to share something about yourself.” With that said, she took a bit of her own hayburger and ate slowly, so that she could focus on what her date had to say.

“Hmm...” Sunny said, thinking as she levitated a napkin to wipe her mouth. “Oh! I love pastries and would literally die for it!”

“Really?”

“Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point.”

Twilight nodded and continued to eat her hayburger. But an idea soon came, and she smiled at the thought of it. “Hey, after this, do you want to head to Donut Joe’s for some dessert? I know it’s a bit of a walk from here, but the donuts there are worth it.”

“Oh, Faust, Donut Joe’s?” Sunny said after swallowing the last bite of her hayburger. “I love that place! I’ve been there a couple times before, but work has kept me so busy that I never had the time to visit lately.”

“Then it’s settled then. Next stop is Donut Joe’s!”

“Cheers to that!” The unicorn said, levitating a drink. Twilight quickly lifted her own cup and gently tapped it with hers. “Anyways, let’s not rush. That place is open 24/7, right?”

“Mhmm.” Twilight replied, a mouthful of hayburger in her mouth.

“Good. Now, if I remember correctly, it’s now your turn?”

“Oh, yes, right! Let’s see... Well, I don’t claim to be the most adventurous of ponies, but I do like exciting stuff from time to time.”

“What kind of exciting stuff?” Sunny asked, raising a curious eyebrow. However, Twilight couldn’t help but notice a spark of interest in the other pony’s eyes.

“You know, stuff like hiking, camping, maybe even cave exploring?” Twilight replied, a sheepish smile on her face.

“Those things sound exciting!” She said cheerfully, a look of glee plastered on her face. “You know what, I think we should try those things someday.”

Twilight couldn’t help but blush at Sunny’s statement. This first date had yet to finish, but what she said seemed like an invitation to another date. Giving off a small smile, Twilight nodded her head and tried to keep herself composed as her heart raced with excitement.

“Okay, now it’s your turn.”

“Hmm...” Sunny though, as she took a bite on the remnants of her burger. “...I like cooking. I’m not good at it, mind you, but I think its fun.”

Twilight smiled at this.

“I can’t say I’m a master chef, but cooking isn’t too far off from spell making.” She said, hoping that it sounded more impressive out loud than it did in her head.

Sunny giggled and nodded. “Then I guess you and I can add cooking together as something we can both do in the future.”

Once more Twilight smiled widely and blushed. She easily fell victim to such propositions and was slowly starting to think that Sunny was doing this on purpose to tease her.

“Your turn now, Princess.”

Twilight began thinking for a moment, before finally speaking up.

“Hm, how do I say this without sounding cheesy? Well, I love long walks at night, but I also hate them?”

“How come?” Sunny asked with a tilt of her head.

“You see, nights are nice and peaceful, and there’s this certain calming beauty to them. But everytime I do it, I’m always alone, and it makes me feel lonely.”

A smile formed on Sunny’s face after hearing that, as she looked at Twilight directly in the eyes. Staring back, the alicorn couldn’t help but feel the warmth and care radiating from her eyes.

“Well, luckily for you, Princess, you’re not alone tonight. You have me by your side now. How about we take a nice long walk later on the way to Donut Joe’s?”

Twilight was speechless for a few seconds. But soon a genuinely happy smile formed on her face.

“I would love that.”


The rest of the night went on like a wonderful dream for Twilight. She couldn’t have asked for a better mare to spend it with. After their diner, the walk to Donut Joe’s was a quiet one. Yet, it was all comforting, especially when there was somepony by her side to walk with. All of a sudden, the cold night became warm and complete.

Their time at Donut Joe’s was no different from the one at Hay Burger, as the two chatted again and got to know more about each other. As the conversation went on, Twilight knew that she was beginning to like Sunny more and more. Not only did the unicorn look beautiful, but she was also smart and shared many of the same passion for learning as her.

Before she knew it, the date was approaching its end, as the two walked to Canterlot’s Central Rail Station. Standing at the platform, Twilight couldn’ help but feel a tinge of sadness, knowing that the night and the date was not at its end.

“What’s wrong?” Sunny suddenly asked.

This caught Twilight by surprise, as she wondered if she had been sulking and if her sad feelings had been obvious to the unicorn.

“Nothing...” She first said, before sighing lightly. “Just, I had a great night and I can’t believe it’s over already.”

“I had a great night too.” Sunny said, as she turned towards Twilight with a smile that made the alicorn’s heart race once more. “I think we should do this again sometime.”

Twilight smiled at this, her mood turning to a brighter one. “I think that would be nice.”

“Great!” Sunny cheered. “I’m already excited for it. Maybe we can spend the whole day together next time...so that it won’t feel so short.”

“Yea, I think that would be the best.” The alicorn said, as her eyes briefly gazed towards the distance, where the sound of the oncoming train could be heard getting louder and louder. “Well, that’s my train. I guess that’s goodbye for now.”

“It seems so.” Sunny mused, before pausing. “Before this date ends, there’s one more thing I think I need to do?”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Why, give you a little gift, Princess, so you wouldn’t be so sad all the way home.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked curiously, trying to recollect if the unicorn had brought or got her something that night. “What kind of gift?”

Instead of replying with words, Sunny moved her head closer towards Twilight’s and, to the alicorn’s shock and joy, the unicorn pressed her lips against the flustered and blushing Princess.

That kiss would be on her mind throughout the ride home to Ponyville. Achieving what Sunny wanted, the alicorn Princess was far from sad after the date, as she thought nothing but the wonderful sensation of the unicorn’s lips against her.