Pinkie stepped out of the club, feeling the cold night air almost slap her in the face. She looked behind her, at the dark yet extremely colorful (and loud) action behind her. The party was far from over, but she had things to do. “Later Vinyl! Thanks for taking over!” she called out, but the DJ probably couldn’t hear her anyway.

She closed the door behind her, going around the building before finally stepping onto the street. Shivering, her hands placed themselves in the front pouch of her blue hoodie, and she began making the lonely trek home.

Things had changed since she received that letter a few days ago. A week ago it was party party party, but now it was party, train, party, then some more training. Her limbs ached from the excess of it all… although that could have been the dancing in the club too. But technically that was training too.

The gold chain hanging from her neck swung about to the beat of her footsteps, and she was humming the tunes from the club, the music still buzzing in her ears. Under her black hat, she frowned. The ol’ tummy was rumbling again.

Nevertheless, the city was still very much alive, carriages and people walking to and fro down the street. Whenever she met eye contact with somebody, she gave them a friendly smile. More often than not, they returned it.

Down the street, a double decker powder-blue carriage came into view. It was similar to your average unnecessarily sized vehicle. Along each side was a graphic depicting a woman with hair to match that of the color of the cart, tempered by an arrogant white streak, casting various magics from her hands. The hood ornament of the same woman set in a majestic pose, as though she were a phoenix, or a graceful swan, or some other fantastic bird of fairytale origin suggested humility. Of the absent variety.

“Fools! Do you plebian pedestrians not see The Great and Powerful Trixie attempting to make her way through this hovel of a neighborhood without incident? The vanquisher of villains? The destroyer of dastardly deeds? The apex magician? Abandon this street posthaste if you wish not to be run over!”

And surely enough, the loud, ridiculous voice that had spoken with an illeism revealed itself through the sunroof. She was of average height, skinny limbs, and a rather showy garb. Her suit vest was short enough to reveal her midriff, black, the same as the color of her capris and showy, strappy heels. A pointy star-spangled hat sat on her head, and a periwinkle cape affixed to her shoulders. The Great and Powerful Trixie stood atop her carriage, waving her star-tipped wand about in a fingerless black gloved hand, creating lasers of lights, and firework explosions of sparks bearing her name. She had become a one-woman parade down Callisto Street and 9th.

At one-thirty in the morning.

Pinkie rolled her eyes, but forced on a smile anyways, stepping up to the vehicle. “Hiya Trixie. Come back for your ego boost?” she asked innocently.

The entire carriage came to a halt. “Did one of you fools attempt to speak to Trixie without having scheduled an interview? Which one of you is so glib and base as to attempt a foolish thing like that?” She mockingly raised a hand to her brow as if searching for the offender, despite her being bright and and pink and right next to her ride.

“Ooh! Me! Pick me!” Pinkie cried, jumping up and down and waving her hand in the air enthusiastically.

“...Trixie dares not continue speaking to you until you have removed every single inch of bubblegum from your hair, pedestrian.”

Trixie raised her platinum star-tipped wand, channeling her magic into it. “And the rest of you? Move your pathetic asses!” She cast the wand back, and the tip extended, linked by a line of pure aether. Trixie brought the whip down and cracked it at the innocent bystanders who weren’t exactly in front of her cart, but close enough to get caught in the crossfire of her superiority and sending them scattering

Pinkie’s smile vanished instantly. “Hey! You stop that right now! We’re done with dealing with your…” She mumbled a swear, kicking one of the carriage’s wheels. The whole thing seemed to tremble from the impact.

Gasping, Trixie’s face went from sufferingly indignant, to suffering, indignant and then angry. “What in the name of the nine circles of hell are you doing? This carriage is worth ten of this neighborhood you little...bubblegum...gaudy chain wearing…” She began making vicious slicing movements in the air with her fingers. Those things usually were good at drawing guilt out of small children. And she had maybe an inch or so on this pink-headed fool.

“Apologize and buff that scuff posthaste!”

Pinkie simply stood there and scowled at Trixie, her arms folded across her chest, her lips puckered into a pout. “Apologize first, you meanie!”

“The Great and Magnanimous Trixie is doing you the kindness of her mercy!” The egotist raged on, funneling more magic into her wand and narrowing her eyes. “I’ve changed my mind. Leave this spot or Trixie will become cross.” The illeism broke temporarily as her azure eyes flashed madly.

“But this is ma town,” Pinkie drawled out, like that accent people down south used, near Appleloosa. She liked that one.

The calm fury vanished, and was replaced with a demeaning and provoking grin, like one hearing a joke full of hubristic insanity would. And then she broke into laughter on the spot, like a mad woman who needed sedatives.

“Your town?” She managed to say, gasping, “Your town? Muahahahahaha!”

The aether whip cracked itself free, and then with a flick of her wrist came snaking over one of Pinkie’s legs. “You fool.”

“I’ll show you…” Pinkie growled, tugging at the ethereal whip. It was wrapped around there tight, not budging even an inch. Already she could begin to feel the blood flow slowing down. Gritting her teeth, she glared at Trixie, then grabbed the chain hung around her neck. With a shout of effort, she threw the big golden necklace at the magician, it spinning in the air as it flew towards her.

She barely had time for a swear, sidestepping and seeing the heavy piece fly through her illusion and straight into her carriage, leaving a rather noticeable dent.

“You--my--” Trixie sputtered in disbelief before growling. She yanked the whip, pulling Pinkie’s leg from out under her before retracting the star. The party girl landed on her back, the wind getting knocked out of her.

Before her very eyes, Trixie began to multiply, one by one, phasing out of her own body with an azure burst of light like some sort of ghost. They walked in Pinkie’s direction, smirks on their faces.

“That doesn’t seem like fair odds,” a voice proclaimed as the copies of Trixie fast approached Pinkie. A woman appeared, her hands tucked casually into her tweed jacket. Pushing a pair of rounded glasses up the bridge of her nose, she then ran a finger through a strand of stringy violet hair, tucking it behind her ear. “Unless you’re looking for trouble, leave the girl alone,” she warned.

The seven Trixie’s looked between one another, identical expressions of arrogance on their faces. One spoke up.

“Oh yes, Trixie.”

“The time has come, it seems. Trixie must be the bigger woman, and extend the olive branch.”

“Indeed,” A fourth copy said.

And that exact one walked in the direction of the interloper, pocketing her wand and all.

Then she swung her fist at her face. Trixie watched, surprise evident on her face as the blow seemed to simply bounce off with a strange, almost elastic noise, as if there was a sheet of rubber inches from the woman’s skin.

“I think you dropped your olive branch,” the woman said, once more easily putting her hands into her pockets.

She made due to hide her incredulity at exactly what in Heaven just happened. Faces didn’t usually do that after they got punched unless they were conditioned with years of horrible and painful training that could also be the catalyst for brain damage. The Trixie in front of the indigo-haired woman looked back as if to say “Trixie has no clue what happened”.

The woman gave a tilt of her head, shrugging. “Well, you might not be the only one that has a few tricks. Er, Trixie, was it?”

A scowl returned in place of her surprise. Her attention had been entirely redirected from the the little pink tart to this newcomer. “Yes, peasant. Remember it. Though before I destroy you, do you have a name?” Not that she intended to do more than beat her up. If she could. If such a thing was possible against rubber-skin and simple nonchalance.

The woman’s voice came from behind her, a hand resting on Trixie’s shoulder. A carbon copy of the woman appeared in the corner of Trixie’s eye.

“Twilight Sparkle of Nadir,” the copy said. The copy shoved Trixie forward a few steps, right towards a fist fast approaching her face from the original Twilight.

If there was a point where Trixie’s mind had came up with the demented idea of “turning the other cheek”, the option was dismissed thoroughly as it was done for her.

Or so had it appeared.

The other Trixies got on the defensive, raising their wands, but the Trixie who was punched simply smirked as she was struck. A violet light rippled through her body before she exploded, leaving behind nothing but vapor and concussive force for her foe.

Trixie rose to the roof of her carriage, smiling triumphantly with her hands on her hips. “Well played, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve earned a footnote in Trixie’s eventual biography--”

In no time at all, Pinkie had gotten up on her feet and advanced towards Trixie. Only two backflips were needed to get onto the carriage and next to the wayward witch. Landing on her hands, her back to Trixie, her legs lashed out together for Trixie’s chin.

Once again denied words, Trixie was beset with another heavy impact, this time, one that made contact with her instead of a shatter clone, or her gorgeous carriage. The kick snapped her neck back and left her stumbling, staggering and falling backward into the collective of her other selves. They caught her, breaking her fall and glancing between her, Twilight, who seemed unharmed by the explosion and Pinkie, dumbfounded.

“What are you waiting--ptui--for--,” Judging by what Trixie had just spat out of her mouth, the clones silently agreed that she’d at least get a quarter for her trouble. “Attack!”

Dropping their progenitor to the ground, the six shatter clones rushed at Pinkie and Twilight, swarming each of them at once. Pinkie shrugged, flipping off the carriage and landing right in front of three of the Trixies. She never stopped moving, her body seemingly controlled by some sort of mystical rhythm. Flips, turns and twirls all seamlessly blending into one another. Then, when the confused clones were close enough, Pinkie balanced on her hands, her leg jutting out into a large sweep designed to clip all of the Trixies and send them crashing down.

Each one of them gave the same smirk as they fell, bursting into violet light and exploding violently. Pinkie blinked, cartwheeling onto her feet and bracing herself against the explosions. They knocked her off the ground, but luckily she had the finesse to land on her hands and stylistically spin back to a combat ready position.

Twilight gazed as the clones approached, then threw her hands out when they were mere feet away. She gestured her hands from her core out to either side of her. A barely noticeable ripple of air escaped from her forearms and came into contact with the clones. They seemed to pause, looking dumbfounded with each other, before collapsing slowly onto the ground and fading to shadows, the magic that had channeled the things to live in the first place expertly dispelled.

Pinkie dusted her hands, humming cheerfully as she approached Trixie and placed her foot down on the woman’s stomach. “Sooo… you’re done now, right?”

Trixie gritted her teeth, and regretted the action instantly, now conscious of the molar lying on the ground nearby. “When Trixie gets up...she is going to…” She struggled under the strength of the leg pinning her down. “Release Trixie!”

“You gonna apologise?” Pinkie asked, lightly pressing up and down on Trixie’s stomach as if she was inflating a paddling pool.

“I have nothing to apologi--gack--”

She decided in the best interest of her guts to apply a tactical retreat here. “Fine! I’m sorry! Now stop...crushing me!”

“Goodie!” Pinkie chirped, stepping off the woman and allowing her to get up of her own accord. “Next time, maaaybe think twice before you put on a ‘show’, ‘kay?”

Trixie curled up on the ground, nursing her bruised belly and ego. Indistinct pained muttering issued from her as the crowd that had gathered began to disperse.

Pinkie left Trixie to make her own exit, picking up her gold chain as she made her way to the newcomer. “Thanks for the help back there! What’s your name? ‘Cause you can call me Pinkie, if ya want.”

“Twilight Sparkle of Zenith,” she repeated. “And it’s no problem. It seemed like you needed the hand.”

“Waiiiiiiiit a sec…” Pinkie narrowed her eyes, taking a few steps back from the girl, eyeing her up and down. After a few moments of internal debating, she suddenly gasped, snapping her fingers. “You’re the Twilight Sparkle!” she cheered, zooming up towards her. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be my partner for the world fighting tournament!”

Twilight offered an apologetic laugh. “Yeah, guess so, huh?”

“Wow, it’s like this was some sorta destiny or something,” Pinkie said. “Ya got a place to stay tonight? My apartment’s on a stone’s throw away. If the stone bounced a couple times, anyway.”

She nodded. “Well, I was going to stay at a motel across the way, to be honest.”

“Oh, that works out even better then,” Pinkie said, beginning to lead the way. “My apartment’s kinda small, and I dunno if Gummy would like having visitor at this hour.”

“Gummy?” Twilight repeated, tilting her head.

“He’s my baby alligator!” Pinkie explained, as if it were common fact. “And he’s the sweetest, most cuddly li’l guy in the world!”

“T-that can’t be hygienic. Or safe, for that matter.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I clean his paddling pool regularly. And he never bites. Only gums.” Pinkie nodded, crossing the road toward the motel.

Twilight gave a confused glance towards Pinkie then took to following her.

“So… interesting style you had back there,” Twilight commented.

“Aw, ya think?” Pinkie shrugged, tipping her hat back. “It’s just some real crazy dance moves, that’s all. It’s not, like, some ancient martial passed down from some mythical ancestors or something.”

“I-I see,” Twilight stammered out, unsure where exactly the woman was coming from there.

Pinkie cartwheeled forward, stretching out her legs into an arc when she stood on her hands. “It’s something I mostly taught myself, ‘cause since it’s like dancing, you can still have some good fun while fighting. And sometimes fighting is fun too, so,” she went back onto her feet, “double the fun!”

She stopped, looking at the confusion spread across Twilight’s features. “Ya need a better explanation?”

“If you’d be so kind. Dancing as a form of battle... it’s interesting in theory, to say the least.”

“Well basically, since you’re always dancing, you’re totally unpredictable. You can either strike out from seemingly nowhere, oooor you can do a cool flip or something to dodge an attack. Attacking high or low, it doesn’t matter where I go!” She giggled at her rhyme. “And practicing it has given me loads of balance. If someone manages to sweep me off my feet, it’s more than likely that’ll I’ll just flip right side up. You get it?”

Twilight pulled out a small, road-weary notebook and took to scribbling on the pages within.

“Fascinating. However, wouldn’t you be fatigued in short order with a style that exerting?”

“Not really. You get used to it. Buuuuut…” Pinkie rubbed her arms, feeling a small number of bruises along them. “You can’t really afford to get hit. Not even by blocking. It ruins the rhythm.”

“I just don’t see how effective it could be in a battle.” She gave a small nod of her head. “However, I guess that’s why Celestia paired me up with you.”

“I guess you’re just gonna have to wait and see!” Pinkie teased, jumping up and flipping two times in the air.

“Are you always this… exuberant?”

Pinkie stopped, looking at Twilight with a puzzled frown. “Er, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, it is fairly late. Usually most would be winding down by now.”

“Are you kidding me? I just got back from a super cool party that’s still going!” She pouted slightly, huffing. “If it weren’t for all this training I had to do, I’d still be there.” Blinking, she seemed to take particular interest in Twilight. “You’ve partied before, right?”

Twilight gave a small shake of her head. “I can’t say I’ve really been, no. Aside from like birthday parties for my assistant or my family.”

Pinkie let a huge gasp, apparently enough to make the hat float off her head for a few seconds. “Then we gotta sort that out right now! Forget the fighting, you and me are gonna do some serious party TLC. C’mon!” And without warning, she grabbed the woman’s hand and started pulling her down the street, arriving at her motel in next to no time.

“What? But—I—” Twilight sputtered, unable to process the change of events.

“Which room you staying in?” Pinkie asked, stopping her sprint and choosing to skip through the motel’s lobby.

“215,” she answered. “But, Pinkie, are you sure a party is the best idea? Didn’t you say you had training to do?”

“I didn’t mean a party straight away, silly,” Pinkie said. The pair of the stopped outside a door, with a gold ‘215’ on it. “But like you said, it’s late, so if we get some sleep time now that means more party time for later! Don’t worry, there’s always something going on in this town. We’ll find something you’ll like, that’s my guarantee!”

“If you say so, Pinkie,” Twilight agreed, nodding. She reached into her pocket for a key and unlocked the door. “Well, what time should I expect you?”

“Hm… how does ten in the morning sound?”

“Works for me.” She blinked awkwardly before finally offering her hand. “Uh, goodnight.”

“Nighty night!” Pinkie replied, eagerly shaking Twilight’s hand. “Get a good sleep. Tomorrow’s gonna be busay!” She tipped her hat down with her index finger, pouting her lips. Then she broke out into a giggle and went on her way.

Twilight shook her head, watching the woman leave with a spring in her step.

“This one’s going to be interesting.”

A light but fast tapping came at Twilight’s door, stopping for a few seconds and then resuming, as if it couldn’t contain itself.

Twilight yawned, throwing a pillow over her head and turning on her bed, willing whatever it was disturbing her to leave.

“Twilight!” came a voice from the other side of the door. Despite the door and walls blocking the sound, it still rung in her ears.

“Mmm,” she grunted, the faintest stirrings of her mind starting to brush away her sleep. She glanced blearly over at the clock on a nearby table. Ten o’ five.

Ten, she thought, trying to recall what—

Her eyes shot open at the realization

“Oh crap!” she called out, throwing her pillow to the side and rising off the bed. She ran a hand over her face and picked up her glasses sitting on the bedside table.

She quickly ran to the door, unlocking it with a hearty click and opening it.

“Sorry, Pinkie I—” she stopped mid sentence and glanced down at the silk nightie she wore and blushed crimson. “—I need another minute!” she shouted, slamming the door in front of the woman’s face.

“Okay!” Pinkie said from the other side.

“Unbelievably dumb, Twilight,” she cursed under her breath, throwing her nightie off of her and donning a turtleneck shirt and a conservative shirt. She rushed to the bathroom and brushed her teeth with one hand and did a simply comb through her tangled hair with the other.

Calling it good, she moved back to the front door and threw it open, offering what she hoped was at least a semi-sincere smile.

“Good morning, Pinkie,” she addressed, leaning awkwardly on the doorframe.

“Nice nightie, but I prefer pajamas myself. Or onesies, they’re fun!” Pinkie said innocently. She dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves themselves becoming yellow and blue stripes just above her elbows. Running down her front to her blue short shorts were pink suspenders, and white tights ran all the way down to her pink converse shoes.

“So, are you ready for some fun?” she asked eagerly.

“W-well, what’s your idea of fun?” Twilight replied, cautiously.

Pinkie started to count on her fingers. “Dancing in clubs, drinking with buddies, going to the ice rink, playing music, singing, paintballing, swimming, fighting, trampolines, eating candy, bungee jumping, playing pranks on friends, cuddling, baking cakes, birthdays—” Eventually she just gave up counting. “What don’t I find fun, right?”

“I-I see,” the woman stammered out. “To phrase my question better: what were you planning on doing today?”

“Dunno!” she replied happily. “I make it up as I go along. I was actually gonna ask what you wanted to do, and what sorta things you liked.”

“Well… does the town have a library or book shop? I love to read.”

A moment of confusion passed across Pinkie’s face. “Er… yeah. It’s got one. But reading isn’t exactly social, Twilight.”

“Oh. That’s true.” Twilight crossed her arms, humming in thought. “I like chess.”

Pinkie blinked, her fingers twitching by her side. “Um… okay. How about I show you the town proper?”

“Well, alright. I suppose I could use stand to learn the area.”

“Great! All ready to go?”

“Sure.”

“Excellent!” Pinkie cheered, holding Twi’s hand and dragging her off once more. Fun waits for no one, after all.

The sound of skittles being bowled over echoed through the building. Pinkie entered with Twilight, smiling at the sights and sounds of the bowling alley. “This place is great. Not too rowdy, but still real good fun. I think you’ll like it!”

“Bowling,” Twilight said. “You know, we had an alley at our town. My assistant said it was a lot of fun, though.”

“You have an assistant?” Pinkie asked, heading up to the counter. She was familiar with the owners and the exchange went by quickly, Pinkie swapping her shoes for bowling sneakers.

“Yes,” she answered, taking a pair of shoes herself and donning them, running a finger along her ankle to fix the shoe’s tongue. “He helps me with day to day matters. I have a few more issues than most to deal with, considering I’m under tutelage of the Princess.”

“Wowza,” Pinkie said, her eyes widening with the word. “So why isn’t he along with you now?” Heading over to an alley, her fingers made short work of the computer, bringing up their names on the scoreboard above.

“Because Celestia didn’t feel a bonding exercise between two fighters needed a third wheel, as it were. Not that he is just a wheel, of course.”

“I getcha. Is he gonna be at the tournament?” Pinkie took up a pink bowling ball, just as the pins were put into place. She gazed down the lane, narrowing her eyes. Taking a few steps forward, her arm went behind her. Then she swung it forward, releasing the ball. It crashed into the pins with a loud clatter, but a few still stood standing. “Darn, just a seven.” She narrowed her eyes at the sizeable gap between the remaining pins. “A gate too. Phooey.”

“Gate?” Twilight asked. “And as for your earlier question, I don’t believe he’ll be contending, he does have a few years before he’s a man, after all.”

“Yeah but is he gonna cheer you on at least?” Pinkie picked up her ball as it rolled back out of the machine. “And that’s a gate,” she pointed at the gap between the last pins. “Means it’s real hard to get them all now.” She shrugged and made her move, catching at least two pins down.

A machine at the end of the alley swept up the remaining pin, then new ones were neatly placed down. “Okay! Your turn, Twilight!”

Twilight stood, shifting her weight from foot to foot for a moment to get used to the unusual shoes. "Right," she said, a little uncertainly, and grabbed a ball.

She weighed it in her hand, tongue between her teeth as she eyed the pins. She remained this way for nearly a minute, then took a deep breath and swung her arm back and then forward. She let go too late; the ball hit the track with a tellingly clumsy ‘thud!’, brushing off three pins. She let out an embarrassed huff, crossing her arms.

“Don’t worry!” Pinkie told her, smiling brightly. “Ya still get another go!”

"I just..." she started, sounding flustered, but didn't finish the thought. She picked up the ball again when it returned, staring at it like she wanted to set it on fire.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, seeming to center herself. This time when she swung back and forward, the ball left her hands and sailed down the alley smooth as anything, smashing down all of the pins in its path. This time Twilight smiled. "I knew it."

“Wowee! That’s a spare if I ever saw one,” Pinkie glanced up at the scoreboard, then at Twilight. “How did you do that?”

"Well, it's just a matter of momentum and applied physics. I just..." She trailed off, tapping a finger to her lips in momentary thought. "I just knew where to push to get the pins to fall the way I needed them to." She looked sheepish. "I... I guess it'd be cheating if I did that every time, though..."

“Waiiiiiiiiiiiit!” Pinkie rushed up to Twilight, so close that their noses touched. “Did you use magic? That is cheating!” She back off a couple of steps, pouting a crossing her arms over her chest. “No fair.”

"No!" Twilight shook her head. "No magic! I promise." She looked hurt. "Pinkie, I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it look like... I would never use magic in a contest like this where magic isn't allowed, or where not all participants use it. I just... I used my head, I guess you could say."

“Ooooooooooooooh,” the party girl drawled out. “You’re just super smart. Okay then!” Pinkie said, happily bowling and scoring a solid 9 to boot. “So, you looking forward to the tourney?”

"Oh, well... Yes, of course. It's a chance to see some of the best from both Heaven and Earth. And, well... I'm not much for martial arts myself--I'm actually kind of a klutz a lot of the time... What I'm trying to say," Twilight said, trying to steady herself after coming so close to upsetting her new friend, "is yes, I am. I never thought I'd be participating in one, mind you, but..."

She left the statement unfinished, but her focus was still off. One of her attempts ended up in the gutter, and the other only resulted in seven felled pins.

Pinkie picked up her bowling ball, somehow spinning it on her finger as easily as one would a basketball. “Did the Princess tell you to join? ‘Cause, and no offense, you don’t seem like the daredevil type.” She did a spin and then threw her ball, knocking most of the pins down and getting a spare the next bowl.

Twilight watched the ball spin on Pinkie's finger with hard eyes, clearly biting her tongue to prevent herself from asking the obvious question.

"Yes," she answered simply, reaching for her ball. "She did ask me. Well, as much as a Princess can ask anything, you know... She said it would be a good educational experience."

Her first bowl resulted in a gate, and she chewed on her lip for a long moment, eyeing the remaining three pins very carefully. When she finally made her move, however, only two went down, brushing against the remaining one enough to make it totter, but not quite enough to make it fall.

“In what? Fighting? You don’t look like a fighter either,” Pinkie said, taking her turn. Her results were mostly consistent with her others. “More like a reader. Or maybe a lover.”

"A reader I can see," Twilight said, managing a spare, "...but a lover? What do you mean by that?"

“I dunno! You just seem like the type to argue for peace instead of going: rawr! Me smash!” Pinkie rolled her ball down the aisle, earning her a strike. She immediately cheered and jumped in the air for joy. “Yay! Go me!”

"Well done!" Twilight said brightly. "And... I suppose that's one way of looking at it? I mean, something like the Horizon tournament is one thing, but... I guess I've always been one to believe the quill being mightier than the sword, as it were." She managed another spare, looking deep in thought again.

“But… you can fight. I mean, you helped me kick Trixie’s butt! You had some serious mojo back there,” Pinkie said, pointing a finger at Twilight.

"I can," Twilight acknowledged, a little uncomfortably. "I don't necessarily like to."

“Weeeeell, you ever thought that people might fight for fun?” Pinkie asked.

"Well, yes, of course. Isn't that what the whole tournament is about? And clearly you have fun with it. I don't think Trixie was doing it for fun, though..."

“Nope! So it’s the best of both worlds! You get to learn and do something that’s fun, but then you can use that to defend yourself too. Pretty neat, huh?” Pinkie stood with her back to the alley and bowled through her legs, getting a solid score in the process.

Twilight nodded and gave Pinkie an easy smile. "... You're really good at this," she said, grabbing her ball again. "A lot better than I am, that's for sure..."

“You just gotta focus,” Pinkie said, narrowing her eyes and standing behind Twilight, resting her hands on her shoulders. “Become one with the ball, and guide it on a careful journey. Too slow and you won’t hit a thing. Too fast and it’ll go out of control. It needs to be just right.”

Twilight furrowed her brow and gave Pinkie a glance over her shoulder, but said nothing. She closed her eyes, took another deep breath... and managed a strike.

She didn't open her eyes until she heard the clatter of the falling pins. "Uh, whoa. ... I didn't even... I hadn't even considered the angle or force... it just happened."

“Exactly! Well done!” Pinkie gave her friend a hug from behind. “Some things you can’t just calculate. Ya gotta feel ‘em out for yourself, no equations added.”

Twilight giggled, a little weakly. "Um... Thanks. I'll try to remember that. You might have to remind me a few times, though."

“That’s fine. It’s not often we get something completely right the first time!” Pinkie stepped up to bowl, gaining herself another spare. “Practice makes perfect!” she sang.

Twilight grabbed her ball and eyed the pins . "...Yeah, you can say that again."

“Practice makes perfect,” Pinkie eagerly repeated. Twilight groaned good naturedly, and the game continued. Twilight’s score gradually increased as the game went on, and she managed to get some good bowls in, but Pinkie’s experience won the day. No one would have thought that though, given from how much Pinkie was congratulating Twilight for her efforts. They celebrated by grabbing some ice cream and sitting outside in the green, lush park.

Twilight seemed uncertain what to say now, though she was certainly enjoying her ice cream. "I... Thanks," she managed, glancing briefly in Pinkie's direction before eyeing the sky.

“For what?” Pinkie asked, licking her chocolate ice cream.

"... For taking me bowling. For treating me like..." She paused. "... Well. Treating me like a real person. I mean, sometimes I can be kind of snappy and a know-it-all. And being as close as I am to the Princess, well, a lot of people don't..." She trailed off again. "This whole thing has been kind of surreal. In a good way. I wasn't sure what I'd find when I went looking for someone named 'Pinkie Pie,' but this... I don't know. I'm being weird, I guess," she mumbled.

“Good thing I’m weird too, huh?” Pinkie replied, slinging an arm around Twilight’s shoulders.

“Well, yes, but you’re weird in a different way. A better way.” She paused. “... Okay, maybe kind of an inexplicable way. But it’s not the same thing.”

Pinkie smiled, hugging Twilight with one arm. “You’re just a cute li’l goldfish out of her bowl, aren’t ya?”

“... Was it that obvious?” Twilight mumbled.

“Yeah. I just never said anything until now ‘cause I didn’t wanna embarrass ya,” Pinkie stated.

“Well… thank you, I suppose,” the mage replied, and then huffed. “I just… I’ve spent so much of my life surrounded by books. I’m still getting used to being surrounded by people. I mean, of course Spike counts, but… he’s Spike. It’s different. Even though I guess it shouldn’t be? Argh…”

“Spike’s Spike. I’m Pinkie.” She rolled onto her back, pointing her foot out towards a woman behind her with short red hair. “That’s Roseluck and you’re you.” Pinkie put down her leg, but remained staring up the sky. “We’re all different, Twilight. That’s what makes life exciting. And that’s why you should meet lots of new people!”

The thought seemed to make her uncomfortable nevertheless, the mage’s gaze turning distant. “... I guess.”

Pinkie seemed to notice it without ever so much as looking at the woman. She lightly tapped the back of Twilight’s head with her foot. “What’s wrong?”

“Before I came here, the Princess…” Twilight paused. “... It’s a really long story. The short version is… I’m not good with people. The Princess asked me to try, and she said she knew I could do it, and it’s not like I doubt her, because she’s the Princess, but… I…” Another, deeper pause. Twilight’s expression darkened. “I hate not being able to put things into words.”

Pinkie wrapped her limbs around Twilight’s waist—her legs, not her arms. Oddly enough it still felt comfortable. “You can’t really say you’re bad with people either. I think you’re great! But that should be clear by now.”

“Yes, but… Why?” Twilight asked, regarding Pinkie’s bizarre but not unwelcome hug, intrigued if still somewhat discouraged.

“For a smart person, you sure ask dumb questions,” Pinkie snarked. She elaborated anyways. “I don’t meet a lot of people as smart as you are, and that’s pretty interesting. And I get the sense you’re trying. You’re definitely not cold, but you’re not totally warm either. You’re getting there though and I really respect that.”

“Well… You have a lot to do with that. I mean, if the first thing you’d done had been… I don’t know, running off to prepare me a party, that might have been weird, since I didn’t know you. But you… Well, what I’m saying is, thanks for… kind of being willing to approach me at my pace, I guess?”

“No problem!” Pinkie laughed, although it was a little awkward. “I actually kinda did consider throwing a party but then I remembered everyone’s different, so slowed myself right down before I could get carried away.”

“There’s nothing wrong with parties,” Twilight said, a little hastily. “I just… think it might have been weird first thing, you know?” She gave Pinkie a look. “... How often do you throw parties for people you’ve just met?”

“Errrrrr… used to do that a lot, back in the day. Then I calmed down some, soooo it depends on the person.” Pinkie stuck her tongue out to lick her ice cream, only to have it topple and fall on her nose. “Oops.”

Twilight giggled slightly and gestured, the ice cream returning to the cone in a brief wisp of magic. “You’re nothing if not enthusiastic. I think… I think we may have been paired up for a reason, after all. Who knows, I guess…”

Pinkie stared off into space, her gaze becoming unfocused. “It’s like it was meant to be. Destiny…” Then in a sudden burst, she swallowed the rest of her ice cream in one inhalation. She rolled backwards and landed back on her feet. “But I really don’t care much for that! I live in the here and now!”

Twilight stood. Her ice cream had mostly melted by now in her distraction, but she attempted to enjoy what was left. “I think a little perspective is helpful, personally, but… I can’t deny that your philosophy works well for you.”

“Whatever makes my friends smile!” Pinkie said, her voice full of cheer. “Ya wanna head back to your place now?”

“Oh… Well, there’s not a lot to do there, but… yes, of course, if you want.”

“Up to you!” Pinkie suddenly sported a mischievous grin. “Unless you wanted to spar?”

“Well…” Twilight seemed uncertain how to answer. “I suppose, that… is part of the reason we’re paired up…”

“Sure!” Already Pinkie was prepping up, stretching her limbs. “We’ll go to the gym. Lots of space for us there.”

“Do they have… magic-proof rooms, though? I’d rather not… break anything.”

“Like me, huh?” Pinkie wiggled her eyebrows. “I think we got some, anyways.”

“Then… It’s worth a shot, I think. Don’t you?” Twilight still looked a little nervous. “I mean… Really, when you get down to it, that’s why we’re here…”

“I think we’re here to have fun. But that’s just me!” Pinkie grabbed the collar of Twilight’s jumping, urging her to come with. “Let’s go!”

After a quick run to grab their training gear, the girls found themselves in a spacious room in the gym. Most of the floor was covered by a soft training mat, although there were no barriers like a boxing ring. It was just the mat and the whole room to play around with.

Pinkie was doing some stretches to warm up, dressed in pink leather fighting gloves and a pink vest that generously showed off her slim stomach. From the waist down she wore pink trousers with blue tassels going off from the waist. She wiggled her toes, her shoes near the wall; she wouldn’t need them for this.

Twilight had swapped out her outfit for something a little less easy to grab in the middle of a fight, a lavender T-shirt emblazoned with a six-pointed star, along with sweatpants. She had removed her shoes and settled for socks, and was standing by the wall near her stuff, doing some last-minute research from one of the books she'd brought with. She spared a glance up at Pinkie and smiled, a little nervously, before returning her attention to the text and making a few brief, sparkly gestures with her free hand.

"...and then I... okay, I think if I... yes..."

“That’s the most lackluster warm up I’ve ever seen!” Pinkie cried, flailing her arms around.

Twilight looked up at her meekly. "I... yes. Of course. I'm sorry."

She put the book down, hesitated for a moment, self-consciousness written broad-stroke across every inch of her face, and awkwardly began to stretch.

“What’s wrong?” Pinkie asked, suddenly lying down before Twilight.

"..." Twilight stared at Pinkie, a blush on her cheeks, before standing, leaning against the wall, and sliding down it into a sitting position. "... I'm just... nervous."

Pinkie couldn’t help it. She giggled. Just a little. “Why are ya nervous? It’s all fun and games here!”

"I don't know," Twilight admitted after a noticeable pause. "I shouldn't be. I guess I just... this is different. All of this is different. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around different. Not bad!" she added hastily. "Never bad! I just... This isn't how I normally practice."

Pinkie rolled onto her stomach, resting her head on her hands. “How do you normally practice? Lots and lots of reading?”

"Research, some... practice. And I do stretch, it's just... I usually don't do it when others are watching. Which is stupid, isn't it?" she added immediately, well on her way to full-on babbling. "I mean, you had no problems with it. I shouldn't either. But I'm not as flexible as you are, and I'm not..." She trailed off, blush brightening at her unfinished thought. "... never mind."

“Are you…” Pinkie raised an eyebrow, gazing down to her bare stomach. She began to pat it rhythmically, like a drum. “I can change, if you want.”

"No! I mean... You don't have to. That's not..." She hid her face in her hands and groaned. "Now I'm giving completely the wrong impression. Stupid, stupid Twilight..."

“Use your words.” Pinkie twirled a finger lazily in the air. “You’ve got loads!”

"Well... Okay. You are... pretty," Twilight managed, finally, "but that's not... what's bothering me, so much. Or... it is, but indirectly?" She seethed at herself for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I just feel like... all this time, I've prided myself on knowing things. But now I'm face to face with you, and I realize I don't know things. Simple things. Like... how to warm up before a fight."

“Pride comes before a fall, right?” Pinkie sat up, putting her hands in her lap. “Nobody knows everything. Imagine how big of a brain you’d need for that. It’d be so big it might explode out of their ears!”

"Brain size doesn't actually correlate to knowledge capacity," Twilight responded automatically. "At least not in any meaningful sense."

Pinkie scratched her chin, apparently lost in her world of thought. “Maybe that’s what ear wax is… leaking brain juice… eeeeew.”

Twilight winced. "... Um. ... Pinkie?"

Pinkie fluttered her eyelids a few times. “Yes, Twilight?”

"...Never mind," Twilight said finally.

Pinkie edged closer to her. “No, c’mon! Tell me!”

"... I think we're getting sidetracked."

“Does that mean you wanna fight now?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight tensed again. "... I mean... that is why we're here."

“I can go easy on ya, if you want,” Pinkie stood up, giving Twilight a mischievous, competitive little grin.

"...Well, let's just... warm up, first." Twilight stood. "Just in case. We don't want to hurt each other."

“But I’ve done my warming up!” Pinkie flipped, rolled and cartwheeled all away around the room. Not once did she show any signs of slowing down or tiring out.

"I meant... let's both agree to go easy on each other until we know what we're capable of," Twilight said, and wilted slightly at Pinkie's show of endurance.

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie said, jumping up into the air and performing a rapid triple flip, before landing on her feet at one side of the mat.

Twilight took a deep breath and settled on the opposite side, standing with her legs slightly apart and her hands spread at her sides. She swallowed nervously before giving Pinkie a hopeful grin. "... Shall we?"

“Let’s go!” Pinkie cartwheeled forward, meeting the distance to Twilight. Back on her feet, she started to move around rhythmically, never sticking to an exact pattern. After a while of this ‘dancing’, she bent her knees and swung a leg at Twilight’s feet, hoping to sweep her.

She hadn't tried to strike yet, trying and failing to spot the pattern she realized didn't actually exist in Pinkie's movement; she had just enough sense to move out of the way of the sweep, though Pinkie's leg caught one of her ankles anyway, sending her tumbling face-first down toward the mat.

She was already gesturing as she fell, though, and with a bright flash she reappeared, staggering but on her feet, behind Pinkie, hands already raised to start another arcane gesture.

Pinkie twisted around and threw out a hand, attempting to slap Twilight’s hands away from her position.

She spun away, trailing magic behind her hands. Her wrist moved as if she were throwing something at the ground, and she vanished into thin air. Not a second later, however, two identical Twilights leapt in from the sides, open palms drawn back and glowing, ready to strike.

Pinkie blinked. “Whoa, freaky.” She kept up her movement, keeping her eyes on the two Twilight’s. Her body was practically twitching, waiting for them to strike.

Both moved at the same time, striking from two opposite sides, movements too symmetrical and perfect to be entirely natural. Pinkie grinned, then went onto her hands and spun around rapidly. Her legs were stretched out, making her a revolving spinning fighter of… doom or something.

The clones shattered into violet dust, sparkling and humming with the weird tinny sound magic had. Out of the dust came the real Twilight, hands wreathed in energy and moving to strike.

Pinkie raised one hand, tipping over onto one leg and then finding her ground on the other. She them jumped up and brought her leg down in a great big arc, hurtling for Twilight. The mage crossed her arms. A violet barrier blocked Pinkie's blow and sent a weird, warbling clang echoing around the room; it shattered, sending out a wave of force that pushed back against the capoerista.

Pinkie was knocked back with a yelp, tumbling over the floor. She sprung up fairly quickly, brushing down her arms, a pout evident on her face. “Magic’s so cheap.”

Twilight hesitated, and then relaxed, collapsing onto the mat and looking apologetic. "...I... I'm sorry..."

Pinkie growled, the blood pumping through her system, her eyes fully alert. “Where’s your competitive edge, girl?!” She started sprinting at Twilight at a dangerous speed, reaching her in next to no time. But before she collided into the woman, she jumped over her, did a flip, then lashed out with her legs when she was behind Twilight.

Twilight squeaked and teleported in a panic, ending up on the far side of the mat from Pinkie, the tips of her hair smoking and singed. "Hey!"

Pinkie landed on her hand and managed to balance herself and get back onto her legs. “That’s the spirit!”

"I thought you were actually upset!" Twilight pouted. "No fair..."

“That’s what a fight is about, Twilight!” Pinkie threw a few quickfire jabs into the air. “Passion. A rush of emotions you can barely contain! Happiness, anger, the sweet sweet taste of victory like honey with sugar! There’s nothing else like it! Gets the ol’ blood pumping, if nothing else.”

Twilight actually smiled at that. Pinkie's enthusiasm was infectious, certainly. "... I don't think I've ever looked at it that way before."

“Because you read books all the time! There’s more to life than whatcha read. Books can only ever tell you a couple of straight things.” Pinkie started walking on her hands for a few paces. “Life’s full of so many surprises, nothing you could ever keep to one book.”

"... I think I've got a lot to learn," Twilight mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck. She watched Pinkie with a combination of apprehension and fascination. "... Your balance is superb."

“Thanks!” Pinkie leant forward, placing her feet back on the ground, then flipping herself right side up like normal. “Buuuuut we’re not quite done yet.” She took a deep breath then proclaimed in a booming voice: “This isn’t even my final form! Muwahahaha!”

Twilight gave her an odd but amused look. “Is that so?” she asked, fighting a laugh.

“Nope!” Pinkie reached into her pocket and put something on her upper lip. It was a small, black fake moustache. “There we go.” She twirled it menacingly.

“I guess I’ll really have to give it my all now, huh?” Twilight asked, quirking a brow. “...Why do you even have a fake moustache?”

“Why don’t you have a fake moustache, Twilight?” She tutted, still twirling the artificial facial hair.

“I…” She paused, bringing a hand to her chin and appearing to give the matter some serious thought. “... I really don’t know.”

“Think fast!” Pinkie cried, sprinting forward and then sliding onto her leg, her foot hurtling right towards Twilight’s ankle.

Pulled somewhat violently from her thoughts, the mage didn’t really have time to plan or react, ending up facedown on the mat for her troubles, muttering something to herself. Pinkie followed up by rolling over onto Twi’s back, whispering into her ear. “Hi.”

Twilight mumbled something that was probably “Hi to you too.”

Then Pinkie slapped Twilight’s face. And again, from the other side. Again and again, she slapped Twilight in the face, not letting up until Twilight either dozed off or called uncle.

… Or vanished in a flash of violet light, leaving Pinkie the only one lying on the mat. Twilight reappeared a short distance away, rubbing at her cheeks and looking irritated. “Alright. No more distractions. This time we’re actually going to spar.”

Pinkie sat up, looking very much like an eager puppy. “Oo! Scary!”

She deflated somewhat. “It’s hard to stay mad at you when you look like that.”

“Exactly!” At that moment Pinkie leapt forward on all fours, then jumped up, arching her back and flinging a leg up at Twilight’s chin. This one Twilight managed to avoid, bending back just out of the way, sending a glowing palm strike toward Pinkie in return. She connected, sending Pinkie stumbling back, although it wasn’t long before she had gotten into a rhythm again, anticipating Twilight’s next move.

The other palm came in low, aiming for Pinkie’s jaw. It wasn’t a disciplined move; there wasn’t a lot of discipline in the way Twilight fought. Whether it was because of her irritation or otherwise was hard to tell.

Pinkie met the palm with her own, meeting it firmly halfway. “High-five!” She giggled, then grabbed Twilight’s arm with her free hand and yanked her forward. Lifting herself off the ground, she prepared to kick Twilight away the moment she got within range.

The blow struck Twilight in the chest, her eyes widened in surprise as her arms went limp. She squinted her eyes shut and hopped back, sucking in a breath. She observed Pinkie for a moment, subconsciously putting her hands in her pockets as she did so.

Pinkie took the moment to unleash chaos, jumping off the ground with one foot and spinning around with her other leg extended, becoming a whirlwind of deadly force.

Twilight hopped back again, backpedaling away, trying to come up with a plan, trying to think. There had to be something here. Something she could use, if she could just pause for a moment.

The girl had shown incredible balance and recovery, there was no doubt there. Someone with a less keen eye would have never noticed, but, as Twilight thought back to the dozens of swings and kicks headed her way, there was something there.

Pinkie skipped forward, graceful like a gazelle, and landed right in front of Twilight, her fists clenched. Then her arms shot forward, becoming a complete blur of multiple fast punches and strikes.

Twilight put her arms in front of her face and rolled with the punches. Her instincts said a repulsion spell, but the rules of engagement stopped her from going through. Instead, a thought came to her.

She always, even during her acrobatics, lead with her right foot. Meaning her left was where she favored balance. That was something she could work with. The instant Twilight saw the woman throwing a right-handed punch, she sprung to action, hooking her leg around Pinkie’s right, and pushing her on the shoulder just as a blow struck Twilight’s cheek. She used her weight, and toppled Pinkie over, landing on top of her. Twilight sat on the girl’s chest, pinning Pinkie’s arms down with her thighs.

“Kneel?” she asked, raising a fist up and using her hand to pin Pinkie’s forehead back to the ground.

Pinkie blinked a couple of times, her upper body completely trapped. “Uh, wowza, Twilight. Good move.” She giggled to herself quietly. “You just forgot oooone part of the equation.”

She grunted with effort, putting all her weight onto her back. Then she lifted her legs and wrapped them around Twilight’s neck, her ankles pressing against the woman’s skin.

Twilight swore, reaching up to her neck and trying to pry the woman’s ankles free before she started choking. Having no luck, she did the next best thing: she squeezed her thighs tightly against Pinkie’s neck, wrapping her knees together and intending to choke her out.

Pinkie gritted her teeth, her nostrils flared as she desperately tried to get more air in. “Won’t… beat… me!” she managed to splutter out, somehow, and tightened her choke on Twilight.

Twilight said nothing, holding her breath as best as she could. She flailed, delivering weak blows to everywhere in arms reach, Pinkie’s ankles, her shins, her thighs, one of her only real strong blows hit the woman square on the asscheek, but nothing seemed to work.

Pinkie’s face turned as pink as her hair as she tried to stay conscious. The ass smack did make her smirk, although the expression was very fleeting. Eventually all the intense concentration on her face disappeared, her eyes slowly closing as her brain was temporarily starved of oxygen.

Twilight’s own eyes rolled back as she struggled to breath, but to no avail. She finally went limp, collapsing back on top of Pinkie, completely subdued.

Twilight woke up with a groan, her head swearing indignantly at her, aching worse than the days after she attended a new years celebration at Canterlot. She took in a weak breath and shifted, vaguely aware of the heat below her. Another moment, and she came to fully, realizing she was laying on top of Pinkie. Twilight felt heat come to her face and quickly rolled off, rising to a stand to look over the woman.

Pinkie was lying there, her mouth open and her tongue peeking out to the side. A bit of drool was trickling down the side of her mouth. That probably meant she was fine, just out of it. Out of curiosity, Twilight squatted down next to her and gave a small poke at Pinkie’s shoulder. She mumbled something incoherent, stirring.

“Pinkie,” Twilight called out quietly, giving another poke to her shoulder. “Come on.”

“Five more minutes…” Pinkie groaned, turning onto her side. “Gotta save the Cupcake Princess…”

Twilight smiled down at her, then her smile turned devious. She employed a trick Spike did to her too many times to count. Reaching over, Twilight pinched Pinkie’s nose and covered the girl’s mouth with a hand.

What Spike had never done, however, was nearly eating her fingers. Twilight stared down at Pinkie, tilting her head as the girl wrapped her mouth around most of Twilight’s digits and took to licking them like a child licking frosting. Twilight giggled on reflex at the strange, tickling feeling, then pulled her hand free before shaking her head.

“Pinkie,” she repeated, this time a little more urgently.

Pinkie rubbed at an eye, letting out a long, tired moan. She squinted up at Twilight, the lights on the ceiling almost blinding her. “Oh, hi Twilight… guess ya won, right?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “We were both out of it. I just woke up first.” Pausing, she wiped her slobber-covered fingers onto her shirt. “You ok?”

“Groggy,” Pinkie said, sitting upright. “You?”

“A headache, but I’m good other than that.”

“Well, I think we’re done here.” Pinkie ruffled Twilight’s hair a little, standing upright. “You wanna get some grub?”

“Oh? Food?” She ran a palm over her hair, calming down the wild frizzles Pinkie had graced her with. “Sure.”

“Great!” Pinkie hopped up onto her feet and went over to pick up her gear, not bothering to change clothes. “Ready?”

“Are you sure you should go out like that?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie blinked, looking down at herself, then back at Twi. “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Well, it’s just… you’re,” Twilight cleared her throat, looking at Pinkie’s bare stomach. “you know…”

The fighter hummed in thought, running a hand over her stomach. It felt a little sticky, sweat from the previous fight caking her skin. “You’re right. I should totally shower first!” She headed towards the door, smiling at Twilight. “Thanks for the reminder!”

Twilight paused, looking down at her own clothes. She was due for a shower too. And the gyms, they had multiple showers. Didn’t they? She put a hand to her chin in thought before giving a determined nod, grabbing her own gear. “Wait up, Pinkie, I’m coming too.”

Pinkie put a hand on the door handle, twisting and opening it. “Okey dokey!” she chirped. “Just don’t drop the soap. I forgot to bring my own,” she said, slipping out of the room.

“Sure.” She took a step towards the door, swallowing. She had never really been in a gym shower before, and the thought of being so close to one now was kinda nerve-wracking. But her curiosity got the better of her and she tossed open the door, stepping inside to answer her questions.

It was hot. As in the temperature. The room had already filled up with steam and she could hear the sound of running water. There were also bubbles coming out of one cubicle. Lots of bubbles.

“Never forget my Double Bubble Trouble Liquid!” Pinkie sang.

“Oh boy did I make a mistake,” Twilight said to herself. It was a situation. Pinkie had chosen the stall closest to the door, so Twilight would have to walk by the woman in order to get to her own cubicle. And that meant…

She swallowed, looking past the stall and frowning. There wasn’t a bench to put her stuff down on. The only bench was right by the door. Which meant…

You got this, she thought, nodding. Just like pulling off a bandaid. A social bandaid. That makes sense? Twilight mulled it over before nodding. Totally makes sense. One hundred percent. Just go wild and it won’t feel awkward at all. Quick.

With that in mind she exhaled, throwing her shirt off and dropping her pants, then doing the same for her underwear and top. She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her petite figure, then took a step forward, repeating the mantra Don’t look left, don’t look left with every step towards the steamy cubicle. Twilight stepped by, smiling in satisfaction as the mantra worked. And then she looked left. She froze, realizing in a blind panic that the plan wasn’t going as… planned, and starred in alarm at the sight as she desperately tried to reboot her senses.

Pinkie was simply standing there, staring at her. Her curly hair was completely flattened down, now utterly straight and, Twilight noted, extremely long. Thankfully a good amount of foam and bubbles were covering her… questionable parts, although she was still far more revealed than Twilight might have liked. She also had a bubble beard going for her.

Twilight looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her. Twilight looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her. Twilight swallowed, trying to think of anything to help counter the heat flooding her face, willing herself once more to action. And she sprang to the opportunity, valiantly choosing to look at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her.

“Lot of bubbles,” she finally said, her voice nearly cracking.

“It’s like you’ve never seen them before or something,” Pinkie said, flicking a strand of hair from her face. “There’s a free cubicle next to mine, silly. Just ask if you need anything!”

“Next to yours?” she stammered out. “I was going to go to the one on the end. Which I should do. Uh. Now.” Finally breaking free from the spell, she turned her head forward and took a step, landing on her foot wrong and falling head first into the ground, her towel coming undone and her butt sticking ungainly up in the air.

“Twilight!” Pinkie gasped, going to her side and kneeling down. She cradled her head, looking over it anxiously for any bleeding. “You okay?!”

Twilight looked up at Pinkie for an uncomprehending moment, before realizing her compromising position. She shifted, sitting her ass down on her legs and staring up at Pinkie.

Twilight looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her. Twilight looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her.

“You’re losing your bubbles,” Twilight finally said, pointing to the woman’s chest and faux beard.

Pinkie peered down at herself and shrugged, wiping away the beard. “Guess you’re right.” Then she went forward and wrapped up Twilight in a warm hug. “I’m just glad you’re okay. That looked nasty.”

Twilight’s face turned crimson and she held her hands out to either side as Pinkie’s… pies, pressed into her face. She shut her eyes and turned her head away. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she quickly uttered out.

“You’re sure?” Pinkie released her hold over Twilight, putting a hand on her forehead. “I know it’s a steamy shower ‘n’ all, but you’re boiling!”

“Gee, I wonder why?” she questioned, still refusing to meet Pinkie’s body with her gaze. “Maybe it’s because this is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happend to me, and that’s counting the time I got caught spying on my brother’s friend when he was changing.”

Pinkie’s brow furrowed. “But why? Why’s this so embarrassing? We’re just taking a shower.”

“We’re naked. On the ground. And as nice looking as you are, if someone walks in here, they’re gonna get the wrong idea!”

“You say that like you’re ashamed of your body, or something,” Pinkie said, absently poking Twilight’s breast, like a child just discovering a brand new thing. “And if someone does walk in, we can just tell them the truth, or we can joke about it and it’ll be funny!”

Twilight let out a small groan at the touch, her face the consistency of a tomato as she shivered. “T-that’s not the point! And how can you joke about this?”

“Why can’t I joke about this?” Pinkie rubbed off the rest of the bubbles on her chest, completely exposing her breasts. “See? I’m fine with my bazungas. I think they’re kinda silly! And they have lots of names, boobs, knockers, titties, hooters, muchachas…” She kept going, listing many exotic and downright strange names for the lumps of flesh on her chest.

“Am I dead yet?” Twilight wondered, staring up at Pinkie as she cupped one of her large orbs. “Look… they’re nice, Pinkie, but don’t you think you’re taking this too lightly? I mean… most people tend to… they get nervous about e-exposing themselves. Especially to people they just met. And, I mean, I’m a… you know.”

“I never really got why people get nervous about it, though. Don’t get me wrong, I only stripped once during a football match, but it’s not the thing I tend to do. But if it happens, it just happens, y’know?” She smiled. “And you’re someone I trust, so you can stare as muuuuch as you want, free of charge!” Blinking, she hastily added, “Wait, that makes me sound like a hooker.”

“A hooker would involve paying in exchange for coitus, though. I think you mean a stripper. And I…” she put a hand to her flustered face, trying to regain her thoughts. “You’re really pretty. But we’re both, you know…” She raised her brows and rolled her wrist. “Women.”

“Yeah. So?”

“It’s unusual. At least in this culture. Less so in other regions.” She swallowed. “If something were to happ—not that I expect anything to happen, but, if. It’s, uh, you don’t see it often,” Twilight stammered out, blinking. Despite her words, she continued to stare at Pinkie, unbelieving at how inept she was sounding despite her normally cool and collected tone.

“Let people think what they wanna think. If something happens, well, it’s not healthy to fight what’s natural, right?” Pinkie smacked her lips together a few times. “For the record, I’ve kissed both men and women. Even a midget once! He was a man though, but I just wanted to point out that I have indeed kissed a midget.”

“I’ve never really kissed…” Twilight let the sentence finish and she looked away, now more embarrassed more about that fact than about their nude bodies. “I don’t really get out often. Or didn’t. U-until now.”

“Then maybe you should be a bit daring. There’s a first time for everything, y’know!” She reached over, rubbing Twilight’s head. “Maybe you should stop thinking there all the time and think…” Running her index finger down the woman’s chest, she stopped right at her heart. “There!”

“S-so just go in blind? That seems kind of, rash, doesn’t it? And who likes rashes, right? So itchy,” Twilight stammered out with a nervous grin, a mixture of terror and elation on her face.

“It’s not blind if you’re following your feelings, you goof,” Pinkie replied. “My feelings are telling me I should help you open up a little more. ‘Cause you really are pretty, inside and out, and I’d like to see more of that.”

“I’m not really pretty,” Twilight said. “But thank you.” She swallowed, looking up at the woman. “Know what I’m feeling right now?”

“Yeeeeeeeah?” Pinkie asked expectantly.

Twilight’s hand reached up towards Pinkie’s face, hesitated, then gave a small brush through her hair. She leaned up, paused, then launched forward, giving Pinkie a hard kiss on the lips.

A strand of Pinkie’s hair shot straight up like a spring as she was totally taken off guard. Once the initial shock of the moment had worn off, she gave Twilight a sultry look before closing her eyes and replying in kind.

Twilight took Pinkie’s hand and guided it, resting it against Twilight’s modest breast, her nipple as hard as a small stone, pressing against Pinkie’s palm. As pleasure washed over her from where the woman’s hand rested, Twilight came to her senses, pushing the woman back and scooting away in one motion.

“I, uh…” Twilight trailed off, the sudden spark of arousal she held gone in an instant. “That was… I didn’t mean…”

Pinkie just licked her lips. “That was fun! But… yeah, I hear you.” She stood up, lathering some bubbles over her breasts. “That kinda fun does have to be responsible.”

“Why’d I do that?” Twilight asked herself, putting a hand to her head. She didn’t ask why it felt right, though. That was another series of questions she’d have to think about.

“Maybe because you wanted it?” Pinkie said, turning her back to Twilight and resuming her washing. She turned her head to look at her. “I can’t answer that for you, really.”

Twilight rose, still looking at the floor, completely absorbed in thought. “I mean, you’re pretty, especially in the classical sense. Well-proportioned with full breasts slightly above the norm—yet not large enough to be overwhelming—hips wide enough to cradle, beautiful hair and eyes. And a fantastic head of hair,” she said, putting a finger to her chin as she stepped into the shower, washing herself and still hypothesizing. “But even though you fit traditional beauty standards, it makes no sense for me to find you attractive, considering I never wanted to engage in sexual congress with a woman before—” her eyes widened at the words and she shook her head, perturbed. “Not that I’d want that now. I don’t. But, that’s all lust boils down to, and, I mean, that’s part of what I feel at the moment. I think.” She took the soap next to her and lathered up. “But, it’s confusing. All the women I’ve been surrounded by and I’ve never felt anything like that. And, I mean, I’ve looked at pictures of boys before and mas—”

Catching herself again, Twilight sighed. “It just doesn’t make sense. Maybe in griffon society, as their species can gravitate to homosexual behaviors in order to fight against a population growth that can’t allow their colony to be self-sufficient.”

“Twilight?” Pinkie said. “You’re in my shower.” She waggled a finger at the small amount of space between them both.

“O-oh!” Twilight exclaimed, recoiling and hopping out of the cubicle, stepping a hair to the side to the unoccupied one. “I’m—I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s ‘kay!” Pinkie chirped, running her hands through her hair. “But I think you’re overthinking this a bit much, yeah?”

“How do you figure?” Twilight replied. “I mean, I’m more than a remote with an on/off switch, surely there’s a reason why I suddenly find you intriguing, a base cause.”

“Why do you have to find out the answer to everything?” Pinkie asked. “Why can’t you just live and let live? There’s fun in mysteries too.”

“There’s fun in mysteries because you can solve them in the end. A murder mystery novel with no conclusion would be horrible, Pinkie.”

“Yeah there is! ‘Cause what if they only think they’ve got the murder and then, just before the happy ending, they find…” She let out a huge gasp and bellowed, “A bloody knife on the kitchen counter! Oooooo!”

“How did the murder weapon go unnoticed for so long if that’s the case? Surely the world’s greatest detective would have noticed it on the kitchen counter.”

“Because it wasn’t there before! Duh,” Pinkie muttered, rolling her eyes. “And anyway, don’t you like spooky ghost stories and stuff?”

“There are no such things as ghosts,” Twilight countered, actually looking across the divider to shake her head at Pinkie. “They’re illogical.”

Pinkie rested her head on the divider, it pushing up her cheeks a bit. “Don’t be such a killjoy, Twilight. C’mon.”

“Am I being a killjoy?” she asked, biting a lip. “Sorry. But come on, they’re silly. What’s really scary isn’t ghosts at all.”

“Sometimes it’s fun being scared! Like when you’re about to go into a haunted house with your friends for the night, ‘cause you all dared each other to and none of you wanna chicken out,” Pinkie said.

“Sure, being scared can be fun. But then you realize that you were this close,” she held up a finger and thumb a hair’s width away from one-another. “To turning in a term paper late.”

Pinkie just stared at Twilight, utterly baffled.

“But then you get it in, five minutes before its due-date, and everything’s alright.” She laughed, clutching her fists to her chin. “It gives you a rush.”

“I think we might have different ideas about what a rush is,” Pinkie replied, tilting her head to one side.

“D-do we?” she stammered out. “I thought they were similar.”

“Well I’m not really into doing papers… they’re kinda boring work for me. That’s why I dropped out of school stuff ‘cause it never really worked for me,” Pinkie said, absently running a finger across the divider.

Twilight froze, her jaw dropped in shock. “You… you dropped out of school?!” she asked.

“Mhm,” Pinkie said, sighing through her nose. “I wasn’t very good at it. The social part, yeah, but when it came to buckling down and staring at papers…”

“Oh no. That’s only because your teachers didn’t make it fun.” She reached forward, grasping Pinkie’s hand. “Everyone needs an education, Pinkie.”

Pinkie frowned, pouting. “I’m not dumb, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“Of course not. I’m sure you’re smart in your own way. But…” She squeezed the girl’s hand. “You got to let me help you. I’ll teach you what you need to know.”

“But why do I need to know everything?” Pinkie put a hand on her own heart, even if Twilight couldn’t see it. “All I need is in my heart. I’m happy, so that’s all that matters, right?”

“But there’s so many neat things in history! So many exciting things in science!” She stared at Pinkie, smiling. “The beauty you see in classical art. Knowing about those things can make you happy. I know they do me.”

Pinkie looked down, humming thoughtfully to herself, while her thumb traced Twilight’s palm. “Um… I guess you can show me things. I mean, I’ve been taking you to places, after all.”

“Great!” Twilight exclaimed, her smile turning into a full grin. “Then it’s a date!” She paused, nervously laughing. “Well, not a date, but more like a certain time is the definition I mean. I know you wouldn’t be interested in a date date, but I just meant, you know, we can meet up and I can show you things I think you’d like.”

“Twilight,” Pinkie said, her tone serious. “You just snogged me minutes ago. What makes you think I wouldn’t be interested in a date date?”

She felt heat come to her cheeks. “Wow. Um, ok. Point taken. In that case, how about a date after this instead of a meal?” She shrugged. “I mean, I guess both of them would involve food, but this one maybe I’d get to know you better.” She scratched her head with her free hand. “I guess I’d do the same if it was a more romantic setting or not.”

“It’s a deal!” Pinkie exclaimed, poking Twilight on the nose. “Well, a date. But you know what I mean. You want us to get ready for it or would you rather I keep showing off my tummy?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“It’s a nice stomach,” she admitted. “But I like your butt best.” Twilight blinked. “Did I really just say that? Uh, anyway, w-we should get ready.”

“Okey dokey lokey! I got some dresses lying around somewhere. When do you want me to pick you up?” Pinkie asked.

“Any time’s fine. Seven?”

“Lucky seven works for me!” she answered cheerfully.

“Great!” Twilight exclaimed. Her mind frantically went to a book in one of her bags, the recluses’ guide to social interaction. It had a chapter on dates, one she intended to read until she had it memorized. “Anything I should wear or… something?”

“Depends how formal you want to be! If it’s gonna just be a casual thing, wear whatever you want,” Pinkie said, nodding. “As long as you look nice. But that shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

“You look nice with your hair like that,” Twilight blurted out. “It’s nice poofy too, I like both, both are really nice, but maybe, sometime…”

“Yeeeeeees?” Pinkie drawled out.

“You could wear it down,” she said. “Sometime. And if you think of something for me to do. I can, you know.” She kicked the concrete floor. “That’s how this works, right? Kind of like a business deal, really.”

“Oh, you’re fine as you are, silly. But you can surprise me, if you want!” Pinkie took a strand of her hair, running it in between her fingers. “I’ll try to keep this down, but sometimes it just doesn’t agree with me.”

“Alright. I’ll look forward to it.” Twilight exhaled, turning to face the showerhead and lowering her voice. “I can’t believe that went so easy.”

“Uh, let’s see,” Twilight stammered out, speed reading through a book. “Uh, black’s a slimming color, so that’s recommended for a date.” She rose, nodding as she headed to her bag of clothes, pausing for a moment. “But then I’ll look too flat. Maybe something else.” She ran her hand through her hair, wondering why in the heck she even agreed to this. She had been a bundle of nerves ever since they had got dressed and left their separate ways, and had even considered calling Spike for advice, but had remembered at the last minute that it wasn’t like he went on dates either.

“Ok, ok, we can still do this. Uh…” She dug desperately through her bag before finally pulling out a plum-colored miniskirt. “Yeah, that should match my hair. Complement it.” Twilight shimmied it up her bare body, then zipped its back, before going to a mirror and nodding at herself.

“Alright. I look good. I guess?” She struck a pose, tilting her body forward and resting a hand on her hip. “I’d kiss me. Well, I wouldn’t kiss me because that’d be a narcissistic complex, and I don’t have a complex, unless you count a sudden attraction to the same sex one.” She exhaled, realizing she was working herself up again. “A drink of water! That’s what I need!” Turning, she tried to keep her panic in check as she power walked to the bathroom and took several cups of water to her mouth. “See? Better. Before you know it, you’ll stop talking to yourself.” Twilight nervously laughed. “Hopefully before Pinkie gets here. You don’t want to weird her out. M-more than you have already, at least.” She marched back to the bedroom and donned two fairly large-cut diamond studs and put them in her earlobes, then donned a necklace. Looking herself in the mirror once more, Twilight adjusted the pendant on her necklace until it rested comfortably by her cleavage.

“That should make it look like I have a bit more there,” she reasoned out loud, then marched back to the bathroom, putting eyeliner on. Her hands were shaking, and on her second eye, she accidentally jabbed herself. Swearing indignantly, she rubbed at it furiously with her hand. “Please don’t make my eye bloodshot,” she begged, then reached over and gave herself a line of lipstick, grateful now for Candace's brief tutelage on how to apply it.

Exhaling, she moved back to the bed, grateful for finally being ready, and collapsed onto its comfortable sheets, glancing at the clock.

Five-thirty.

“What is wrong with me?!” she asked, groaning and putting her palms to her eyes.

She spent the next hour on her bed, reading and rereading the dating chapter of her self-help book, trying to get everything memorized, when a knock finally came to her door.

“It’s open!” Twilight announced, snapping up to a sit on the bed, giving a small pat to her hair, which she had styled into a lazy—attractively lazy, she reminded herself—bun, and rested her hands in her lap.

The door opened slowly, revealing a woman that looked nothing like the one Twilight had seen the morning past. Pinkie stood there, her hair completely straight. It parted, yet not exactly in the middle, so one side of her hair almost obscured her right eye. Her clothes were more conservative than colorful; a buttoned up white shirt with a collar, coupled with a black skirt and tights, going down to grey shoes.

“Hey Twilight,” she said, twirling a strand of her hair. “Maybe this isn’t what you expected, but my mom gave it to me years ago and said it always went well with my hair like this sooo… yeah.”

“It’s not what I expected, no,” Twilight admitted, taking a few steps towards her. “But I really like it. It’s clothes more my pace. They make you look, I mean, you already looked pretty, but you’re really beautiful in them.”

“Oh, really?” Pinkie giggled sheepishly. “I was kinda worried for a bit there. I thought they made me look old.”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Twilight put a hand on her shoulder. “They make you look mature. There’s a big difference.”

Pinkie bit her lip, opening her mouth to speak but just nodded instead. “Mhm.” She then looked over Twilight, smiling. “You look amazing though.”

“I don’t know about that, but, uh, thank you,” she said, blushing. Once more acting brashly, she gave a quick peck to Pinkie’s cheek. “You put your hair down for me.”

“Ooo.” Pinkie put a hand to the spot where Twilight had kissed her. Her cheeks felt warm. “Maybe it’ll stay it that way if it means I’ll keep getting treats like that.” She grinned teasingly. “Maaaaybe.”

“I like how you look the other way too,” Twilight said, looking away bashfully. “Both ways are nice for different reasons.”

“Thanks Twilight,” Pinkie said, beaming. “It’s good to know that however I look, you’ll like it anyway. Unless I was, like, covering in mud, wrestling pigs or something.”
“Well. I’m sure you’d at least find some way to make it enjoyable,” Twilight admitted. “I mean, you seem to be good at that.”

“Oh you betcha!” Pinkie replied, then she suddenly let out a small gasp. “I need to show you my costumes! I got a chicken one and a burlesque kinda thing and loads of others!

“Are burlesques even legal around here?” Twilight asked, putting a finger to her lips in surprise.

“I don’t even know!” Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully.

“Well. I’m sure you’d look nice in all of them,” Twilight offered. “But, uh, should I ask why you have so many costumes?”

“Why not?” Pinkie asked. “Besides, you never know when you’ll need them. It’s better to have and not need than not have at all. Or something.”

“I-I see…” She really didn’t, but decided to play along. “Maybe I need to get a costume some time. See what all the fuss is about.”

“We can totally have matching costumes!” Pinkie cheered, taking Twilight’s hands and jumping up and down enthusiastically. “Be a totally awesome duo or something! Like fish and chips! Cookies and cream!”

“Right triangles and the pythagorean theorem!” Twilight exclaimed, Pinkie’s enthusiasm spreading like a virus.

“Yes! Whatever a piethagogoron is!” Pinkie shouted, throwing her arms up into the air.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll explain later when I teach you about math!” Twilight grinned. “I haven’t been this excited to teach since Spike was a little guy.”

“The only math I need is counting up how many cupcakes I’ll need, or dividing pizza slices,” Pinkie said, crossing her arms.

“What’s wrong with learning math?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“It’s boriiiiiiiing…” Pinkie stuck out her tongue, looking sullen.

“But what if I make it fun?” Twilight asked. “Like I said I would with art and history.”

“That’s what every teacher says about math. That it’ll be ‘fun’ and ‘cool to learn’,” Pinkie waved her hands in the air, “but it never is. It’s always the same: cold hard and boring equations.”

“Princess Celestia taught me math. It was pretty fun. And I thought it was cool to learn,” Twilight said, almost pouting. “I’m sure I could do just as good as her.”

“Maybe for you. But you’re smart so you soak up that kinda thing easily.” Pinkie stepped forward, lightly squeezing Twilight’s head. “Like some big ol’ sponge…”

She smiled at Pinkie, reaching to give a small stroke to the woman’s hair. “You’re smart too. I think that might be why I’m attracted to you, perhaps. You’re just smart in a way that’s hard to explain.”

“‘Cause I think outside the box, silly,” Pinkie said, poking Twilight on the nose. After a beat, she kissed the same spot.

Twilight’s smile turned a bit more tender. She stepped closer, wrapping the girl in a hug. “Outside the box. Exactly.”

“Aaaaaw…” Pinkie eagerly returned the embrace, resting her head on Twilight’s shoulder. She sniffed. “You smell nice.”

“I read that women tend to appreciate lavender scents in a book I read, so I used some perfume to try it out. I don’t really mind it, I guess, but I’m glad you like it.” She went with the flow, smelling Pinkie. “You smell like oranges.”

“Apparently, I normally smell like candy, so I went with something different today!” Pinkie replied. “Buuuut maybe we should get going instead of sniffing each other all evening.”

“Oh. Yes. Of course. Sorry. Let’s go,” Twilight agreed, her words a jumbled mess, but she broke away from Pinkie and took a few steps towards the door.

“I don’t have much but I found this cute little place where we can have dinner, if you want,” Pinkie said, beginning to skip along.

“Sure. Cute works. It suits you.”

“Suits you more!”

Twilight grinned. “You won’t let me get the last word here, will you?”

“Nopey dopey!” Pinkie called out, skipping down the hall, quickly gaining distance away from Twilight until she had left the building.

“Pinkie!” she exclaimed. “Wait up!”

The pair had to take a bus through town, taking them to the other side, just on the outskirts. They went past a lot of reasonable looking locales, which only Twilight more curious as to where Pinkie was taking her. Eventually the bus stopped and Pinkie got up, taking Twilight with her.

As the bus drove off, it revealed their setting. A diner. A classic looking one at that. The surrounding area was quiet, with only a few buildings here and there, all surrounded by fields of wheat and grass. Down the road led into the city, tall buildings and lights in the distance.

“Isn’t it adorable?!” Pinkie asked, staring at the diner with her bright blue eyes.

“It’s different than I’d expect for what we’re wearing.” She looked at Pinkie. “But that’s just how it goes with you, I guess.”

“Waiiiit just one second!” Pinkie held up an index finger, staring at Twilight as she crossed the road and vanished inside the diner.

“O...k?” Twilight answered the air, putting her hands in front of her and staring towards the diner.

After a minute or so, Pinkie popped her head outside the door, frantically gesturing for Twilight to come over.

Twilight looked at Pinkie then gave a slow, unsure nod her way, before walking to the door. Pinkie took her head and led her inside.

It was a simple place, mostly empty save for one or two people. The floor was covered in black and white tiles and all the booths were next to the wide windows, overlooking the fields. Despite how comfortable those red leather seats looked, Pinkie took Twilight past them, right to a stepladder leading to the roof.

Pinkie smiled encouragingly, nodding for Twilight to go first.

Twilight decided to not ask any questions for once in her life and instead just roll with it, climbing up the stepladder and hoisting herself onto the roof. She frowned down at the smudge on her clothing and gave it a small brush with her hand, blindly walking forward a step as she removed the mark.

Right before her, she saw the evening sun making its slow descent on the horizon, bathing the wheat fields in gold. The sun was streaked in colors of red, a few clouds hanging harmlessly in the sky. There was a light wind but it was warm enough that it felt pleasurable, rather than a distraction.

Pinkie followed her up, glancing at the view. “Neat, huh?”

“I love it,” Twilight agreed. She rose her hand hesitantly to Pinkie’s side and wrapped her hand around the girl. “Was this just spur of the moment?”

“Nah, I head to let the diner owners know beforehand,” Pinkie answered, sitting down with Twilight. “We’ll eat up here, y’know.”

“Sure,” Twilight agreed. She thought back to her book and coughed into her hand. “You know the sunset is as pretty as you are,” the woman said, doing her best to sound coquettish. “Except you’re around all day.”

Pinkie giggled, tracing her finger around Twilight’s jawline. “Been reading a lot of romance books, huh? ‘Cause you’re one book I couldn’t ever keep down,” she said, smirking.

She froze, blushing. Getting countered wasn’t part of the book’s steps. She shot back, blindly. “I hope you, uh, like novels. Because this book will last you all night?” Twilight finished with an unsure shrug.

Pinkie shook her head, snickering. “You’re getting there. Anywaaaay….” Perfectly timed, she took a menu from a waitress who was just coming up. She passed it to her date. “Whatcha want?”

“What do they have here?” Twilight questioned as she skimmed over the menu. “Just normal fare, or…?”

“Y’know, diner stuff!”

Twilight stopped looking over the menu and instead handed it to the waitress. “A double cheeseburger, extra onions, no tomatoes and a vanilla shake.”

“And I’ll have a double beef burger and fries and lemonade aaaaaand maybe some pancakes but we’re gonna have to see how full I am for that one,” Pinkie said, winking at the waitress as she climbed back down.

“Have you always had such a big appetite?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know how your figure stays so nice when you eat like that.”

Pinkie rolled her shoulders and patted her stomach. “I dunno! I just love the taste of good food. Once you start, it’s hard to stop! That said…” She stretched her arms, flexing them. “The fighting might help.”

“Well, whatever you do, it works. Wish I had the same sort of metabolism you do, though. Even the milkshake was a bad idea in hindsight.”

“Pfft, you’re slim enough as it is, girl,” Pinkie said, poking Twilight’s side.

“Only because I diet, usually. Today is just an exception, because I wanted to show that it was alright if you wanted to eat big in front of me.” She nodded, glad she read that book a few times to make sure it sank in.

“Well that’s cool! But…” Pinkie hopped to the side, landing behind Twilight. “Why do you even need to diet? You got a fiiiine figure,” she purred, resting her arms on Twilight’s shoulders.

She blushed, looking down at her hands. “W-well, I don’t want to get fat. And I know if I try to gain weight where I want weight to be, that won’t happen. I’d end up pear-shaped.”

“Pears aren’t so bad. In fact, they’re kinda tasty. Ever had a pear pie? Out of this world, let me tell you!” Pinkie blinked, getting back on track. “Going on a diet restricts you from so many tasty things!”

“I’ve never had a pear pie, no. And, maybe you’re right. Salad does get old fast. I suppose I can simply exercise more to even out the increased calorie intake.”

“And that’s why we’re training, right?” Pinkie asked, putting her weight on Twilight’s shoulders and cartwheeling over her, spinning around to face the woman when she sat down.

“We’re training in order to fight in the tournament.” She smiled, watching the girl move. “Having a more extravagant meal is just an added bonus. And, well, being able to try something else new too,” Twilight added, looking at Pinkie and resting a hand on the energetic woman’s knee. “That’s my favorite bonus.”

“Mine too!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Man, could you imagine if we had been paired up with anyone different? ‘Cause I don’t think they’d be as cute or smart as you. Or nearly as,” she wiggled her fingertips, “magical. Seriously, with that mojo, you’re definitely gonna win the tourney!”

“I don’t know. Celestia made the pairings, I wonder if she…” Twilight smiled at Pinkie. “She made a good call for my partner. As for winning the tournament, I have my doubts.” She narrowed her brow. “I won’t go down without a fight, but still.”

“But you’re really good! Kept me on my toes,” Pinkie said, stretching her leg and waving a foot in the air. “Not everyone can do that.”

“And you kept me guessing too,” Twilight agreed. “Still keeping me guessing even now, which is a nice change of pace.”

Pinkie adopted a smug grin, blowing onto her knuckles. “I don’t think anyone at the tourney is gonna be as unpredictable as I am.”

“A wildcard,” she said. “We work on one-another’s weaknesses, and I bet you’ll hit top five, easily.” Twilight looked towards the horizon, letting out a small noise of contentment as the colors of the sunset soothed her. “So, you’ve got a bit more experience here: what should we talk about on a date?”

Pinkie laid down on her front, resting her head on her heads and sticking her legs up in the air. “You were gonna teach me stuff, right? Or maybe you wanna talk about your life before you came here?”

“My textbooks are at the hotel, otherwise I’d love to give you a lesson.” Twilight patted Pinkie’s shin. “Maybe you could tell me about your life first?” she offered. “Mine’s dull.”