Well manicured hooves pushed through long tresses of silken mane, gently teasing it into a little more volume and style. A practiced touch of magic wove strands of beautiful amethysts and pink diamonds into the mane and gave it a sparkling, eye catching radiance. Of course, the filly getting this attention looked a little dubious as to the purpose for all of this, but Cadence felt her smile curve up across her face anyway. Even if she didn’t realize it, little Twilight was already growing into a fine mare. “Tell me again why I need to wear all of this?” Twilight asked in a slightly plaintive voice, and Cadence giggled softly.

“Because if you’re going to go to one of these special parties, you need to be dressed appropriately,” Cadence gently reminded her, lifting the eyeshadow from the dresser and carefully wiggling it in front of the teenaged filly. “The ponies there have certain expectations, and it took me a month to convince Auntie to let me bring you along, so we need to make sure we don’t waste the opportunity.” Twilight sighed, but fluttered her lashes with just the barest smile so Cadence could put the makeup on properly.

Six years to the day, it had been, and now with the proper distance of time for her to look at it, she couldn’t think of those years as anything but a blessing. With Shining Armor gone and her attention no longer divided between the filly she loved and the Stallion she had loved, she’d been able to focus entirely on making certain that the shy and bookish Twilight Sparkle had a chance to get outside every once in a while. Oh, certainly she resisted… but Cadence was a past master at teasing the little one into joining her for something fun to do.

Still, the poor girl spent far too much time cooped up in the library, no matter how brilliant of a student she undoubtedly was. Frighteningly brilliant at times, mastering magical spells and forms with the leaps and bounds of a genius that was only just starting to bloom. It was an intelligence that, if left untended, might have isolated or even estranged her from all contact with other ponies. It had been something Auntie had been very distinctly worried about… and something Cadence was happy to alleviate her worries of.

It didn’t hurt that even as a teenaged filly, Twilight was already bidding fair to be a beauty. Oh, she was a little awkward from time to time, but her vivacious personality and intelligence shone through all of that. She had an infectious energy when she chose to express it, she was just not very good at expressing it… Yet. Cadence was going to fix that, by thunder, and she was going to do it in style.

And truth be told, not even somber little studious Twilight could resist dolling herself up a little. Cadence grinned into the mirror, the contrasting lighter purple giving Twilight's eyes a mysterious sparkle, and just a touch of lipstick to give her pucker a little deep blue color. Cadence clapped her hooves together, finishing the effect with just the barest touch of blush to her cheeks, and straightening her coiffed mane a bit. This was all a common ritual between them now, but tonight she was pulling out all the stops. “There! I defy you to tell me you don’t look stunning like that.” Cadence half teased, and Twilight’s wide eyed gaze as she turned towards the mirror was answer enough.

It was a chance to finally trot around Princess Celestia’s mysterious student amongst the real movers and shakers in Canterlot and maybe see if the poor girl couldn’t be broken a little further out of her shell. Word had it that Fancy had secured an up-and-coming DJ for the festivities, and Fleur had promised Cadence a few special treats to choose from when the hours grew later.

The thought of such made her unconsciously lick her lips, a small smile flitting across her face. She was young, and there was plenty of time to enjoy herself before she had to be responsible. Even if Auntie was getting a bit more insistent that she resume her search for a mate. Well, Auntie can clop off on that one. I’ll meet the right stallion when I meet him, and not a moment before. Besides, it was far easier to swim through the parties of the young and elite, keeping her eyes open and waiting for that right pony to come along.

“Cadence, we’d better hurry!” Twilight pointed at the ticking clock behind them as she tugged on Cadence’s hoof. Twilight, as ever, was extra focused on being punctual, and they were in danger of running a smidgen late. “It’s going to take exactly six minutes and thirty two seconds to walk from here to Fleur’s house, and then an additional eight minutes and forty-five seconds, at average pony speeds, to reach Fancy Pants’ house.” Twilight huffed, as if her explanation made her insistence on punctuality any less cute.

Cadence just chuckled. “Alright, hop into your shoes, I’ll meet you downstairs at the door.” She turned and trotted off towards the room that had once been Shining Armor’s. Now emptied of most of his belongings, she’d used it as a temporary storage for whatever she might need at Twilight’s house. Mostly shoes, a few special dresses, and her spare makeup kit. She didn’t need much, really. A touch of light violet blush to give her cheeks some contrasting color, a little eyeshadow and lipstick of her own. The rest was all in place for a night of… entertainment.

She smiled into the mirror, broad and happy as ever. Her multihued mane was well coiffed, her dress was tight, sexy and easy to move around in, and her eyes were clear and bright. No more tears for her, no more sadness or wistful regret. It had taken a while, but in the end Fleur had been right. She didn’t need one true love to be happy. She could be just as much so with a little bit of help from her friends, not the least of which was little Twilight, who was not so little anymore. Maybe it wasn’t quite like the fairy tales Celestia had raised her on. Maybe she did get a little lonely from time to time.

She was still going to live her life to the fullest anyway.

Twilight Sparkle gave herself a critical glare in the mirror once Cadence had slipped out the door. She grasped the tightly wound scroll from its secret spot under her vanity and tugged it open to the mathematically precise spot she’d left it. Proper makeup and attire. Check! Tonight was going to be a very big night for her, and she was not about to mess it up by forgetting anything on her checklist. Getting tonight right was going to be… important. Very important. Big Test important!

Okay, maybe not that important, but it was still pretty close.

She hopped off the padded stool, and did a neat little hop into her dressy shoes. They weren’t exactly haute couture, but they were most definitely stylish. Well. She thought they were, anyway, but this was no time to split hairs! This was a time for action! This was a time for courage! This was a time for… getting downstairs, because that’s where Cadence had told her to meet up.

Twilight felt her cheeks flame up and quickly scrambled down the stairs, making certain to carefully tuck her tightly wound scroll into her purse-bag. She checked herself once more in the mirror, and took a deep breath. “You can do this, Twilight.” It was odd talking to herself, but really, who else could she talk to? Especially about this oh-so-important evening? Celestia? Hah, she’d laugh at me. Shiny? That would be… even worse. No, Tonight would go perfectly, because she wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. She turned on her fancily shod hooves and quickly trotted down the stairs. This day was going to be perfect, if she had anything to say about it.

At the bottom of the stairs, Cadence awaited. She was gorgeous in every possible way. Her dress was her favorite blue silk piece, fancied up in flowered silver embroidery and cut in what she called the ‘neighpon’ style, with her long skirt slit to show off her cutie mark and a scandalous bit of her flank. Scandalous only because she was wearing the dress to accent the showing of it. Of all the things in the world, Twilight was certain that Canterot Fashion was the most utterly illogical thing in it. But she sure could appreciate the results of it.

“Ready to go?” Cadence was smiling and happy, exactly the mood Twilight hoped she would be in. There had been moments in the past where she’d… well, she’d fallen into black moods that Twilight was certain had to do with what had happened to her and Shiny. But tonight, she was her vivacious and graceful self, and that was going to be perfect for her plans.

Twilight kept her voice bright, shouldering her back and giving her most fearless grin. “Of course. I never fail a test, Cadence. You know that.” She winked cheekily and nudged at Cadence with her shoulder. The red silk dress she was wearing in nearly the same style as Cadences, save for gold embroidery instead of silver. It was a nice first touch, making them look like a matched set, and one she would have to thank Fancy Pants for later.

Cadence just rolled her eyes though, shoving open the door and trotting out into the night. “This isn’t a test you take on paper, Twilight. This is going to be real world, practical stuff here.” Twilight quickly followed, closing and locking the door with a thought behind her. Cadence frisked down the street with an energy Twilight sometimes envied. Somehow, Cadence always managed to look ready for anything. “I want to see if you can handle yourself in a real, no controls society party. The music is going to be loud, the ponies will be unsupervised, and there’s going to be everything you might encounter as an adult.” And Cadence’s eye focused on her suddenly, narrowed. “And all the ways you might be able to screw up as one too. So fair warning, I don’t need Auntie Celestia chewing me out because you got stoned on Sun Dust, got me?”

Twilight sighed and stuck her tongue out. Sheesh. Does she think I’m some kind of idiot? “Of course not. I’m not nearly old enough for that sort of experimentation.” She huffed a little bit, feeling vaguely insulted. “Completely beside the fact that Sun Dust is very illegal, and I’m reasonably sure Princess Celestia would frown on her student getting caught blitzed out on something like that.” She was quite proud of her use of slang there. Fleur had insisted that she spoke far too ‘formally’, and had given her a lovely list of words to pepper into her conversation.

Cadence seemed to notice though, turning a sly smile on Twilight and speaking with an amused tone. “Twilight, what did Fancy tell you about just being yourself? Blitzed out. Pfft.” She wasn’t quite laughing at Twilight, but Twilight facehoofed anyway. She really did have a lot to learn about smoothly transitioning her language. Cadence’s touch on her shoulder was gentle though. “Twi… You’re a wonderful mare all on your own. I happen to like your precise way of speaking. It’s cute.” Cadence gave her voice a little uplift, and Twilight felt her spirits rise. Maybe she was just too nervous, and that had come across.

So she did as Cadence had taught her some time ago, and did the little breathing motion with the hoof gesture. It really did feel like a good way to expel some of the stress from her system, and so her smile wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as it could’ve been. “Sorry about that, but Fleur gets so passionate when she’s convinced of something. I guess I kinda bought into it.” She felt her cheeks burn, but she was certain the blush would cover that well.

Cadence’s responding laugh was rich and velvety, and instantly appealing. “Oh Celestia, I know! She’s so hard to resist when she really gets going.” Cadence tossed her mane and her eyes sparkled as she spoke, “You should see her when she starts getting so passionate she forgets to speak Equestrian. My Prench isn’t what it used to be, but even if I can’t understand her, I feel like I ought to be agreeing with her. Did you know she’s supposedly connected to their royals, back in Prance? She won’t say how close, but…” Cadence trailed off, leaving Twilight tantalized at the thought. Fleur De Lis, a secret princess? It was quite an interesting and intriguing thought and…

Wait. Twilight knew this trick. Cadence was trying to get her to do work for her! “Uh huh. And I am not going to delve into the genealogical records to find out for you.” Twilight stuck her tongue out at Cadence, as playfully as she could manage. “You can do that yourself. I have enough to study for right now, since the Princess is going to be testing me on elemental spells in a few weeks. I’m supposed to help out with Winter Wrap Up this year, and she wants me to at least know how to do a competent snow-clearing spell.” She sniffed. She could certainly do one of those already, but she wanted to impress Celestia, not just satisfy her. Which was, oddly enough, the same attitude she had tonight with Cadence. Of course, she kinda wanted to do a lot more than impress Cadence, but…

She shook off the thought, trotting hard to keep up with Cadence’s long stride. How she managed to walk so fast without looking like she did was still a mystery to Twilight, but so were most exceptional physical feats. “Okay, okay!” Cadence relented, then grinned cheekily. “So. Go over what you need to accomplish tonight, one more time.”

Twilight put on a satisfied smile and raised her muzzle high into the air, reciting in an arch and haughty voice. “I need to dance to at least two songs, I need to speak to at least three ponies I’ve never met before, spend some time with both Fleur and Fancy Pants’ social group, and spend at least ten minutes with somepony I think is attractive or interesting that is not one of the former ponies.” It was a simple enough list, and the last instruction was the one she intended to take full advantage of.

Cadence beamed at her, “Very good. Now, I’m going to be circulating all night, and I do not want you following me about like a lost puppy since I’m going to need to keep an eye on you.” Cadence’s serious glare was quite piercing, when she wanted it to be. “We’ll have plenty of time to spend together once you’ve accomplished your main tasks. Got me?”

Twilight heaved a pretend sigh, and nodded in her best impression of a chastised filly. “Yes, Cadence.” She half sulked, hiding her glee. Good, Cadence wasn’t going to be staying in any one spot where she might discover Twilight’s plans. Things could not have been in a better alignment! Now, the trick was going to be pulling everything off just right...

The pair of them turned down Starbright Way, and the distant sounds of the party just getting into the swing of things was thumping down the street. There were small knots of ponies dressed in all manner of costume and dress traveling the same way, most of whom waved or bowed heads to Cadence and her as they passed by. Twilight didn’t think she’d ever be comfortable being bowed to like that, but she could mask that discomfort now. Years of careful tutoring and fierce study had given her the skill to walk amongst the Canterlot Elite, thanks to Cadence’s close and rigorous tutelage.

And after all those years, after everything Cadence had given to her, Twilight was certain more than ever that there was much more there than simple friendship. Perhaps it was a bit illogical, but hadn’t Cadence always said emotions were rarely logical? It was an odd path of thought for Twilight, but she followed it like any good scientist, to it’s own conclusion without fear or preconception to the result. And the result was as starkly clear to her as any result had ever been in her life. There was just one teensy tiny catch.

She had to tell her.

The plan was simple, elegant, but required absolute precision. Fortunately, Twilight Sparkle was an expert at precision and would be putting those skills to the test. Each task had to be completed before she could confess, and each task would provide her a crucial ingredient to the whole scene. First step: Reconnaissance.

The mansion where the party was being held belonged to Capital Gains, a wealthy earth pony mogul who had made his fortune in market speculation. He had recently purchased the mansion to celebrate the birth of his new filly foal, Silver Spoon, and had been hosting regular parties as he worked his way through the Canterlot social scene. Tonight, however, Fancy Pants had taken over the show. As was typical of Fancy Pants affairs, the food looked superb, the bar was well stocked, and nopony here was dressed up with any degree of rigid formality.

All of the latest fashions, scandalous or otherwise, would be on display tonight. Likewise, the fillies and gentlecolts coming to this party would be here to have a good time and not necessarily talk business. The music was going to be of the hottest style, and before the end of the night there would unquestionably be some illicit substances and activities going on behind the scenes. Everything was in place for a perfect Fancy Pants party, which meant everything was in place for her to pull off her plan.

Cadence winked at her and then vanished into the gathering crowd of ponies. This was her exam, to wade in without any coaching or help from Cadence. Twilight took a deep breath and focused, then plunged into the madness. She wove above the dancers, putting every ounce of effort into mimicking the graceful stride Cadence had long ago perfected. It was an eye catching, hip swaying walk that was surprisingly agile for dodging past other party-goers, something she needed to do quite a few times to get past the crowd at the door.

Her task list was designed to take all night, but she had no intention of letting it last that long. The dancing she could do first, since early on in the night the songs would be fast paced and change quickly, while the dancers were still energetic. Up on the stage, a young, white-coated unicorn with a pair of crazy looking sunglasses presided over a fairly complex set up of turntables and magilectric devices, and already the sounds of some new brand of magilectric music were pumping into the crowd.

Intellectually, Twilight actually kind of liked the music, even if it didn’t fit into conventional norms. The thumping bass felt incredible in her chest, and while the music seemed chaotic she could hear the deep patterns underneath all of it. Dancing to it wasn’t going to be easy though, the beat was good, but well… Oh quit kidding yourself, Twi. You still can’t dance for buck. Still, maybe she could fake it… “Hey, cutie. Wanna dance?” Suddenly, there was a colt she didn’t know the name of right in front of her. A pegasus pony with an unruly mane and an amused grin, and he couldn’t have been much older than her. Perfect! He won’t expect too much!

Twilight bobbed her head with a smile, and soon she whisked her way into the dancing crowd. The colt was enthusiastic but just as unskilled as she was, and fortunately he seemed more interested in dancing than socializing. He quickly whisked away when his eye alit on a new partner to join in the dance, pausing only to give her a smile and a wink before vanishing into the crowd. Twilight spun through the crowd, trying to keep away from the center of the dance floor and thus attention.

Fate, however, had other ideas in mind for her. “Ma petite belle!” Fleur’s voice practically gushed at her, and Twilight felt her hoof being firmly grasped and her body spun into a very close hug with the sleek pony. “Mm… Perhaps not so petite anymore, non?” Fleur arched an eyebrow, her tone saucy. “You are a vision of beauty, Twilight. I am so very glad you could join us tonight.” And with that, Fleur swept her out onto the dance floor before she could so much as try to resist. .

If Twilight was an utter novice when it came to dancing in the popular style, Fleur was a master. She was a force of pure personality upon the dance floor, equal parts graceful and aggressively sexy, and it was very difficult indeed to resist her, so Twilight didn’t even try. She simply followed in Fleur’s lead, spinning about and dipping low, shaking her flank and waving her tail. It was a hell of a display, and she knew that Cadence would be watching every… moment… of it.

The light bulb went on, and Fleur gave her a triumphant smile and a wink during a dip. “We shall give her a good show, then we talk, oui?” She whispered, then spun Twilight up into her forelegs with another saucy grin. Twilight returned that smile, and did her best to flow back into the dance. At the very least, Fleur was her ally and that was going to make this whole plan much, much simpler.

Cadence was not entirely sure she could remain as objective as she thought she was supposed to be now. Fleur had swept in on the awkwardly dancing Twilight and decided to give her a little boost, which was perfectly acceptable in terms of the test. However… Cadence couldn’t… take her eyes off Twilight. It was a tough thought to swallow, made worse by the fact that Fleur was apparently going out of her way to showcase Twilight to the entire crowd, Cadence included.

It was impossible to separate herself from the facts. Twilight was very, very quickly growing into an absolutely beautiful young mare, overflowing with intelligence and building up her self confidence on a daily basis. She was not quite purely graceful, not quite entirely secure in her own skin, but she made up for all of it with a willingness to completely commit herself to what she was trying to do. In this case, trying to match dancing moves with Fleur De Lis.

And it went way, way beyond adorable, although it was still very much that. This was… Oh just admit it, Cadey. This is hot. Like, Rrrrawr. It was practically a mating dance out there! Age was a funny thing when it came to social norms like this, but speaking purely from a consenting standpoint, Twilight was one-hundred percent fair game. In fact, no few colts and stallions in the crowd were eyeballing her appreciatively as Fleur swept her around the dance floor.

The emotion that then sliced through her chest was a massive shock. Instantly, she wanted to sweep onto the floor and pull Twilight into a dance with her and start projecting all the important social signals that would mark Twilight as Mine! Not yours! The thought rocked her back a step, and she shook her head in an effort to try and bring herself back to sense. This was Twilight, her little filly friend! They’d been giving each other the same silly greeting for years now. They’d built couch forts together! Braided each other’s mane! Sleepovers! She’d basically grown up right next to Cadence!

And… yet…

Cadence couldn’t help but turn her head back, admiring the mare that filly had become. It was impossible not to admit that Twilight was well and truly growing up, with all of the interesting possibilities that might entail. And like it or not, Twilight was without question one of the precious few ponies that Cadence had ever truly allowed into her heart and soul since Shining Armor. She was… special to her. In a way that even Fleur and Fancy weren't, no matter how much she loved that pair of nutbars.

There was a sparkle of joy and happiness in Twilight’s eyes as she spun out away from Fleur, her chest heaving with heavy breathing and a faint sheen of sweat making her coat and horn glitter in the hard lights of the dance floor. And watching her stand there as stomps and applause followed her little performance, Cadence could simply not stop her imagination from conjuring that same filly she’d spent so many years with into some brand new dreams. Dreams which very prominently featured her teaching Twilight in a whole new kind of skill…

Cadence swallowed visibly and pressed a hoof to her chest. She had to get a handle on herself and quickly, before this all got out of hoof.

Twilight felt the giggles bubbling up in her throat as Fleur led her off the dance floor and offered her a glass of crystal clear apple juice. “Zat was fun!” Fleur’s eyes shone in the lights of the club, and Twilight was thankful for the crisp and clean taste of the juice chasing away her exertions. “Now, how can I help you this evening, ma belle? You cannot hide your plans from me.” She shook her hoof at Twilight, a mock look of severity on her face.

Twilight grinned at her. She hardly intended to hide anything from Fleur. “I’m going to need the most romantic possible venue, Fleur. No one knows that sort of thing better than you do, and I want the works.” She waved her hoof airily, trying to encompass all of the things she envisioned. “Rose petals, candles, a good bottle of wine…”

Fleur pressed a hoof gently to her lips, her smile broad. “Say no more, dear one. I shall have such a scene as to make even the most jaded romantic weep for joy.” She flourished her hoof, and bowed over it. “At the stroke of midnight, of course! I shall send a messenger to fetch you both.” Then she pressed into Twilight’s shoulders, her smile soft. “You are well suited to her, I guarantee! Now off with you! Allons! I have much to do!”

Twilight nodded hurriedly, and quickly trotted off into the party once again. Her dancing completed, she needed to find someponies to talk to and quickly. The problem was making sure she could get away from whoever it was quickly, so as to carefully tick off her boxes and- “Well now just who is this spectacular dancing mare?” The voice cut right through Twilight’s thought, and she wheeled on the spot to face…

Her eyes were a piercing gold, contrasting her much coiffed and mutlihued blue mane. Her smile was wide, and she practically radiated pure charisma. It was actually a little intimidating at first, to meet someone who could be just as awe-inspiring as Celestia, but she quickly rallied and put on her best smile. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m here with Princess Cadence and Fancy Pants.” That was supposed to be her reason for attending the party, since flaunting her status as Celestia’s student was a big no-no.

The mare extended her hoof directly and boldly, and Twilight gave it a firm shake. “A real pleasure to meet you, Miss Twilight. My name’s Sapphire Shores,” She struck a stage-like pose and grinned fearlessly. “And someday, I’m going to be the biggest musical performer in all of Equestria!” She shook her hips, making the bright blue frilly skirt she wore sway enticingly. “That was quite a show out there, I’ve got to say! You can really turn it on.” There was a heat in Sapphire’s voice, a very inviting sort of heat actually. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in giving stage performance a try, eh?”

Twilight blushed, and felt a giggle bubble out of her throat. “Oh goodness, I couldn’t! I’d probably be terrified.” She pressed her hooves to her cheeks, unable to stop smiling. “Still, that’s flattering for you to offer. I’ve never met a professional showpony before.” Which was true, and actually surprising when she thought about it. Maybe it was just Cadence didn’t know very many herself.

Sapphire winked at her. “Then I positively must introduce you to our DJ, later ! She’s absolutely fabulous, and quite the showpony herself!” Sapphire nudged Twilight with her shoulder and grinned. “And don’t sell yourself short, sweetie! There aren’t many fillies or colts in this crowd who can keep up with Fleur De Lis like that.” She winked. “I’m going to be in Canterlot for a few weeks, I’d like to enjoy lunch with a cutie like you. What do ya think?”

Twilight couldn’t help it. Her jaw dropped a bit, and she felt her blush become ten times worse. Was… was she being hit on? “Um.. S-sure!” She wasn’t sure what she was buying into here, but… well, what else could she say? Cadence would probably be super impressed that she’d secured social interaction outside of the party, at any rate.

“Spectaaaaacular!” Sapphire enthused, daintily clapping her hooves together. “I’ll give Fleur the details! But for now, I’ve got to get ready for my part of the show.” And then, much to Twilights absolute shock, she ducked in to kiss Twilight dead on the cheek. “You go have a good time, and tell me later how you like my music!” Then she was gone, whisking with a sway of her frilled skirt, her steps high.

Twilight felt… more than a little dazed, actually. It took quite a minute or two to shake it off actually, and she turned to stumble through the crowds as best as she could, hoping she could find somewhere to center herself. Fortunately, there was a spot by the drinks table where nopony seemed to be congregating, and she plopped down into a chair while pouring herself a big cup of the punch. Geeze… Cadence wasn’t kidding when she said these parties were full of odd ponies. Still, it was incredibly invigorating in its own way, even if she felt just a touch exhausted already. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak to Fancy Pants yet!

Then, out of the crowd a yellow coated pegasus with one of the wildest mane styles Twilight had ever seen slipped up to the drinks table, grabbed a bottle of hard liquor right from the table and took a swig straight from the spout. She looked like she couldn’t have been more than four or so years older than she was, either. Twilight stared for a moment as she wiped her mouth, and turned to Twilight with a grin. “Hah! Needing a breather huh? I would too after all that nonsense.” She offered the bottle to Twilight, who shook her head and tried to rally her thoughts. Had Fleur’s dance with her really attracted so many ponies?

The Pegasus shrugged and kept on her smile, putting down the bottle and hopping up on the chair next to her. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna bite ya. Names Spitfire. This years Best Young Flier, fastest pegasus in all of Equestria, and future Captain of the Wonderbolts.” She offered up her hoof, with a cheeky grin, but higher than was normal for a hoofshake.

Twilight puzzled for a moment before realizing what she was being offered, and gave a gentle hoofbump in response. “Twilight Sparkle, student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and future scholar.” She put on a slightly sheepish grin. “Which doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as your dream, I’ll confess.”

Spitfire waved her hoof airily. “No, No, I like it! Everypony should go after what they’re passionate about, you know? If you like books, go for books! Ain’t no shame in any of it.” She grinned cheekily, her amber-gold eyes full of a fiery passion that was a little infectious. “So who dragged you to this shindig, eh? You don’t look like a partying kinda pony.” Spitfire crossed her legs, arching a challenging eyebrow.

Twilight chuckled softly, “I’m really not, but I’m learning how to be a more social pony from my tutor Cadence. My… teacher thinks I need to get out and about more often, and Cadence thought it would be a good way to test what I’ve learned to bring me to a big party and throw me into the mix.” She wiggled her hooves helplessly. “It’s been going well enough so far, though I admit I’m feeling more than a touch overwhelmed.”

Spitfire laughed, and smacked Twilight on the back in a camaraderie way. “Don’t sweat it, kiddo. You’re doing fine.” She eyeballed the crowd for a moment, scanning for somepony. Then she smiled. “Listen, you want some more lessons on how to party properly? Swing by the Aerodrome sometime. Me and my partner Soarin’ will be there for the next six months training for Wonderbolt Academy, and nopony knows how to party better than pegasus stunt fliers.” She winked cheekily. “Right. I’m diving back into the mess, I need to find a nice stallion to rail me into unconsciousness tonight. Catch’ya round, Twilight.”

Twilight had only enough time for a brief wave before the flame-haired pony was gone out of sight. It wasn’t until nearly a minute later that the meaning of Spitfire’s last words seeped in, and she nearly coughed up an entire lungful of the punch juice in surprise. Celestia’s Mane, where did all these ponies come from!? Is somepony sending them to test me, or what?! She couldn’t tell, but she was almost positive that someone was doing this on purpose and-

Twilight facehoofed. Of course somepony was doing this on purpose. It made absolute sense to hit Twilight with extroverts with wild, big personalities to see how she handled them in short interactions as a way of forcing her honest skills out into the open. It probably wasn’t Cadence doing it though. Likely, she was getting backup from somepony else working for Celestia directly. Miss Inkwell was the most likely culprit, but she could think of a dozen other possibles.

With that thought in mind, she pushed out of her chair and took a deep breath. She’d knocked off two ponies to talk to, and she could pick up the third when going to speak to Fancy Pants. She had to hurry, the night was gaining ground on her plans, and she wasn’t about to cede it without a fight!

Author's Notes:

I probably shouldn't be dropping an update today, but I kind of feel the need to do so. I know, weird. But it sure is nice to feel productive again.

Updates will be coming every couple of days after this, so keep your eyes open.

Thank you all for the comments and support so far, I hope you guys end up liking the whole story! Like, Follow, Subscribe, etcetera!