“So you're sure you have everything?”

Rapid Souffle rolled her eyes as Pumpkin asked her the same question she had fifty times that morning.

“Pumpkin, are you going to be asking me this until we reach the station?”

“No, but-” Pumpkin started, but Rapid raised a hoof to Pumpkin's lips, halting her.

“Tut-tut, that's enough! I got everything, hon, don't worry 'bout it!”

Pumpkin sighed as Rapid removed her hoof, grinning.

“Sorry, I just- I wanted to make sure, we probably won't be seeing each other again for a while, so-”

“Oh, posh, Pumpkin,” Rapid chuckled, “I'm sure you'll be seeing me again some time in our near future!”

“I sure hope you do,” Pumpkin said as she pulled Rapid into a tight hug.

Pound coughed behind the two.

“You gonna join in here, big boy?” Rapid asked, flicking her tail around.

Rolling his eyes, Pound smirked as he wrapped the two mares up in his hooves, holding them to his torso. They both turned and gave him a light peck on his cheeks.

“Come on, mom and dad are probably waiting for us,” Pumpkin said, and then their huddle broke as they all grabbed one of Rapid's bags. Heading out of the room and down the stairs, they met up with Carrot and Cup Cake.

“All right deary, looks like you're set for leaving,” Cup Cake said with her usual cheery tone in her voice.

“Yes, thank you for having me,” Rapid said humbly as she dipped her head towards Cup Cake. Cup gave a mighty laugh as she strutted over to Rapid and wrapped her up in a big hug.

“You're free to come again any time you'd like,” Carrot said as Cup released their house guest.

“That is greatly appreciated,” Rapid Souffle said, thanking him.

“Alright, well we're off to the train station! Bye mom, bye dad!” Pumpkin said as she and Pound drug out their respective bags, Pumpkin using her magic while Pound balanced it on his back between his folded wings.

The three of them trotted along the streets of Ponyville, the town still waking up at the early morning hour. Rapid had to catch the first train of the day, at eight o'clock. It was seven at the moment.

“Can we grab something to eat really quick?” Rapid asked as her stomach growled ever-so-noticeably. “I don't think I fancy sitting at the depot for an hour on an empty stomach.”

Chuckling to themselves, they made their way to an outdoor restaurant that had opened not all that long ago, sitting down and placing their orders. They fell into small-talk after, chatting about the weather, laughing about past events from the Chef school, poking occasional fun at Pound, the sort.

“You will write to me, right?” Rapid questioned Pumpkin as their food came out, simple salads for the mares and a vegetable sandwich for Pound.

“Of course, every week!” Pumpkin informed happily, munching away on her salad. The rest of their early meal slipped away in silence, until right at seven-thirty, they were finished.

Pound began taking out some bits from a drawstring in his wings, but Rapid waved him off with a hoof.

“Please, Pound, allow me,” she said as she took out the correct amount of bits to pay the bill, passing them to the waiter when he came to collect the bill.

“You didn't have to do that,” Pound said sheepishly.

“And you didn't have to agree to last night,” Rapid said while winking. Pound blushed profusely.

“Riiight, well,” Pumpkin said, humoured at Pound's expense. “The train will be here soon, we should head over to the station.” Picking up their bags, they departed the restaurant, making their way to the train depot to find it empty. They sat back down, falling once more into last-minute small talk.

The train arrived shortly after.

“Well, thank you kindly for having me,” Rapid thanked her friends, pulling them back into a big hug.

“Please, it was fun!” Pumpkin chirped, nuzzling Rapid's cheek.

Rapid giggled before glancing to the side, then pulled Pumpkin away. Pound politely turned to the side, giving the two mares some privacy. He assumed it was to talk about their, er, relationship.

Quite the opposite, though, as Rapid pulled out the small vial of purple liquid, hoofing it over to a slightly confused Pumpkin.

“Here, I thought you should have the rest. I didn't see any at your house, so I figured you were probably low. It makes sense, considering how often you two do the dirty,” Rapid said with a sincere smile.

“What is this?” Pumpkin said as she tried to match Rapid's smile. “Why did she-”

Pumpkin very quickly put two and two together.

“But I haven't taken any- oh buck oh buck oh buck-”

Trying to internalize her sudden fear, she gave Rapid a nearly-faltering smile as she washed the vial in her magic, making it disappear in a weak teleportation spell. The vial softly landed on her bed at the house.

“Yes, well, I best be off,” Rapid said with mock confidence as she took her bags and approached the pony outside of the train, flashing her ticket before being allowed to step aboard. Pumpkin and Pound both brought her luggage over to a small pony who was ferrying it all inside the train.

The two twins waved at Rapid through the window before turning and heading off.

The sun was still low in the sky as the twins left the platform, a little sadness shared mutually between them.

“Rapid was... pretty nice, all things considered. It'll be fun to see her again,” Pound said as they trotted through the streets.

“Yeah, I can't wait,” Pumpkin said with a smile before bumping along next to her brother, letting her tail slip around his.

“P-Pumpkin! We talked about this!”

“Pound, there is nopony on the the street,” Pumpkin explained to him. “Just... let me enjoy this time with you. We only ever are this close when we're in bed.”

Pumpkin rubbed her muzzle along his neck before returning it forward.

“Not that I don't enjoy that, but... I kind of want a little more than that, Pound.”

Pound sighed. She was right, she deserved more than just being eachother's play-toy under the covers. She really did want to be intimate with him, and not just in the lustful way.

Pound went over his options in his head.

He could continue to play it safe, letting nopony in the town even know of their relationship, keeping it a secret. Nopony could have a problem with it if they had no idea of it in the first place, right?

Or, he could make his mare happy and make their relationship not quite public, but not anti-public, either. Pumpkin seemed less worried about what other ponies thought and genuinely wanted to spend time with him like any other stallionfriend and marefriend would do, something he wasn't shamed to admit he wanted, too.

Pound knew he had to make the decision of whether or not to keep his wall up, or embrace what he and Pumpkin had for what it was worth.

With one look at Pumpkin, he knew his choice. It was the only one he could make, after all, when faced with such a beautiful mare such as Pumpkin.

“I think I know what you mean,” Pound said as the two of them starting trotting around a fountain in town, the waterworks sending a light mist into the air around it. Pound halted Pumpkin with him as he moved over to sit against the fountain.

“You do?” Pumpkin asked, confused. He had always shown that he wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but now he was admitting that he wanted to make it full-blown? Did that mean-

“Does this mean-” Pumpkin began, but was stopped as Pound draped a hoof over her shoulder and brushed his lips against hers, stopping her in her tracks. Their eyes drifted closed as they shifted around slightly, Pumpkin throwing both of her hooves over Pound and holding him close.

An elderly green mare with a tight gray bun of a mane trotted by with a walker, taking a look at the two before continuing on, cackling to herself. “Kids these days!”

As Pound pulled himself away from Pumpkin, a bright blush on his face, he could see tears welling up in Pumpkin's eyes.

“Pumpkin, are you crying?” he asked her while chuckling, stroking her mane.

“N-no!” she lied, furiously brushing the tears from her eyes with a foreleg. Pound laughed softly as he leaned towards Pumpkin, letting his forehead rest against hers, right under her horn.

“I love you,” he said gently, so very gently.

“I love you too,” Pumpkin breathed, smiling widely.

“Come on,” Pound said as he pulled Pumpkin back to her hooves, tangling his tail once again with Pumpkin's.

“Let's go home. We need to get ready for a date.”