Joyce was more comfortable with just sitting down and talking to Tufts, though she now knew for a fact he wasn't just another bat. If anything, this helped her accept him easier. "You taught Dream Thunder."

"Dream magic was her special talent. I taught her a little, but she picked it up like a bat learns to fly." Tufts turned his head and stretched open his left wing then began licking along the underside of the membrane. "You could," he said between licks, "ask her."

Picking up a brush, Joyce set it to Tufts' neck and began working it through his fur. "She's literally in another world. I'm not asking you to teach me all the stuff you taught her, just the basics I need to not get tossed about like a toy. I seem to have a job to do here."

Tufts slowly gave up his wing-cleaning in favor of rolling to his back to fully enjoy the brushing. When the brushing stopped, he looked up at Joyce as if his world had just collapsed.

"You get more brushing when you start talking," Joyce said.

"You're a cruel mistress. Very well. I'll teach you how to dream, but it will cost you a kiss." Tufts' fuzzy little lips curled upward at their edges. "A proper one."

In Joyce's mind it was a reasonable trade, but if she let Tufts know that he'd take advantage of it. She lifted one forehoof to her chin and tapped it. "On one condition."

"Name it," Tufts said.

Before he could think of doing anything else, and before she could come up with an excuse not to, Joyce grabbed Tufts with a wing and pulled him with her as she rolled to her back. Holding him above her, she closed her eyes and leaned forward.

Though writers might extol the virtues of kisses with extreme verbiage, Joyce and Tufts just kissed. The only difference from what the kiss might otherwise be is that each of them put effort and affection into it.

Each of them lost track of time before they mutually came up for air.

Joyce's heart was thudding away in her chest. She looked up into the small face of Tufts and couldn't hold back a happy sigh.

"I like the sound of that almost as much as the kiss." Tufts, former god and spawn of magic, gazed back into Joyce's eyes as if he were spellbound. "You snared my heart tighter than that barbed wire ever could have."

Holding back a snort of laughter, Joyce rolled her eyes. "That's probably the least romantic way to put that, but I get what you mean. You're the first guy I've ever known who wasn't into me for sex."

"Whatever gave you the idea that I wasn't?" Tufts asked. "But I was waiting for you to bring it up." After a few moments of silence, Tufts continued. "Well, aren't you going to ask?"

"Do I have to?"

"I would appreciate it."

Joyce rolled her eyes again, but the smile on her lips deepened. "How would that even work?" The look on Tufts' face was enough to make Joyce giggle.

"I could tell you, or I could show you." Nuzzling against Joyce's jaw, Tufts managed to coax a happy sigh from her. "Was that a yes?"

"If you do, I don't think we could hold back. I don't think I could hold back."

Tufts drew his snout back and looked at Joyce. "Which is why I asked."

"Which," Joyce put extra emphasis on the word, "is why I am seriously thinking about it."

"Then let's not. If you take convincing, I don't think we'd enjoy it as much. Besides, I want to get more kissing done." With that, Tufts leaned in and pressed his lips to Joyce's again.

"Mum! Tufts! I—" Lyra lifted a hoof up to cover her eyes. "Put a coat hanger on the door handle or something!"

Joyce broke the kiss with a snort. "We're not doing anything—just kissing."

"At least we're not on your bed," Tufts said.

"Ugh. Don't even. Anyway, I'm going out on a date. I'll be back later." Lyra, with the biggest and smuggest smile yet, pulled the door closed as she left.

Looking up at Tufts, Joyce broke into giggles and kissed him on the nose briefly.

"She has a date." Tufts raised one vulpine eyebrow, and when Joyce nodded he smiled. "Love is in the air."

Almost trotting through the hall, Lyra Heartstrings felt like singing. When she poked her head into the kitchen, however, she only saw Candy Cane. "Where's Sweetie?"

"My little filly is in her room primping. The only excuse she would give me was that she had a date." Candy stirred the pot of vegetable stew slowly, mulling things over. She'd been waiting to see who it would be that came looking for Sweetie, and she couldn't say she was upset with it being Lyra. "What are your intentions, Lyra Heartstrings?"

"Mom! Leave Lyra alone!" Sweetie Drops walked up beside Lyra and poked her head into the kitchen. "It's just a first date."

"'Just a first date'?" Lyra asked.

Candy wasn't blind to the friendship that had emerged between the two, but she had been surprised just now to learn this was the way her daughter leaned. "Dear, you never call a date 'just an' anything. Particularly when it's a first. Now, what do you have planned?"

The attention of Sweetie and Candy were now upon Lyra. She smiled as best she could under the weight of mother and daughter. "Since we only made the date last night, and since I had to spend all day at school—I think you can see where this is going." She waited for the moment when both mares were about to open their mouths before continuing. "I have two tickets to see the Wonderbolts performance, then reserved seats at Brinjal."

"I didn't know there was a Wonderbolts show on today," Sweetie Drops said.

"Isn't Brinjal that new restaurant from that mouthy chef from near Trottingham?" Candy Cane asked.

"You're going to have to trust me that they are having a show, and it is a fancy restaurant." In her head, Lyra was in a blind panic. She suspected something about the Wonderbolts show but didn't want to voice it for fear that it was true. "So, whenever you're ready?" Just like that she held out a hoof to Sweetie.

"I can't believe you're not going to tell me what's really going on. I know the Wonderbolts don't have a show tonight. I have been trying to get to a show of theirs for weeks, but they only perform during the day. As for Brinjal, I also happen to know they are so fancy that they take bookings weeks in advance." Sweetie Drops was as sure as she'd ever been of anything.

"You're going to have to trust me," Lyra said and waggled her hoof.

Sighing dramatically, Sweetie reached out and took Lyra's hoof in her own. "Crazy unicorn."

"I might be crazy, but what does that say about you?" Giggling, Lyra led the way down the hall and out into the crisp afternoon air. When she noticed Sweetie looked concerned, Lyra tried to think of something to do. "What's wrong?"

"Are you actually just trying to be funny? We only made the date yesterday, and I know—" Sweetie Drops stopped when Lyra's magic formed into a hand with one golden finger extended and pressed to her lips.

"I cheated."

"I knew it! So what did you organize?"

Lyra sighed and waved her hoof in the air. "I asked a friend for help. She told me what she'd organized. She was going to pick me out a present to give to you, but I wanted that to be from me, not her."

"What was she going to get me?"

"The Wonderbolt show—Wait!" Lyra had to cut herself off before Sweetie did. "When I heard that's what she got you, I wasn't going to say no. But I also wanted to get you this."

Sweetie blinked her eyes at the flash of light from Lyra's magic. Floating before her a piece of paper. She took it and read it. "'Dear Sweetie. I owe you one present'? Lyra, is this for real?"

"You are really hard to shop for, and one day wasn't enough for me to find something good enough."

The sentiment was enough for Sweetie, however, to see past the ridiculousness of it. She carefully folded the paper and slipped it into her mane for safe-keeping. "I'll hold you to that."

"I promise to have something by the end of the week."

The pair trotted side by side to the Canterlot flight center stadium. As Sweetie predicted there was no crowd of ponies there for a show.

"This friend of yours, how much of a liar are they?" Giving Lyra another firm look, Sweetie sighed. "Just come clean, Lyra, where are—"

The sound of wings thrumming like the angriest swarm of bees cut Sweetie off. Four ponies clad in blue and gold flight-suits shot past them and into a loop.

A shiver ran down Sweetie Drops' spine as she lifted her head. "That's the Wonderbolts!" She didn't see Lyra's nod. "And they're putting on a show for—" Sweetie turned her head for just a moment to stare at Lyra. "Who was your friend?"

"Cadance," Lyra said.

"You mean soon-to-be-crowned-princess Cadance. Alicorn Cadance. That Cadance?!" Sweetie's tirade stopped just as the Wonderbolts zoomed by overhead again. She craned her head back to watch them dance through the air in the fading sunlight.

Lyra tilted her head up to watch the aeriel show as well, and was amazed at how fast the four ponies could move. "Sure."

"I thought you were joking about her, or you were talking about another Cadance. How did you make friends with her?" As she asked, Sweetie's head tracked the fliers above.

"When we arrived and met Princess Celestia. Cadance and Shining were so oblivious about each other it wasn't funny, so I kinda helped prod them together. It didn't take much prodding. But anyway, we just kept being good friends. She's the one who tutors me each week," Lyra said.

"So the reservation at Brinjal is real?"

"As far as I know. We just have to show up and give our names and they should let us in." Lyra shrugged her shoulders as the Wonderbolts above them did a 4-way pass maneuver that resulted in a blast of smoke forming a huge lightning bolt.

Their silence was broken by a cheer here and there, but neither Lyra nor Sweetie expected to have the Wonderbolts swing around and land beside them at the end. All four pulled off their goggles and hoods.

"Hey newbies, why don't you two answer any of their questions while Wind and I head back?" Flash reached a hoof up to slick back his silvery mane. "Come on, Wind. I hear there's a good place to drink just around the corner."

Wind Rider's eyes slid over the two mares they had been performing for. He'd been hoping the future princess would be there to watch them. "Sure," he said, "but I don't suppose either of you knew why Mi Amore Cadenza didn't come?" The last bit he directed to Lyra and Sweetie.

"I told you, Wind, this was organized by her for these two lovebirds. If you'll beg our pardon, ladies, Spitfire and Soarin might be newbies to the Wonderbolts, but as you saw they can pull a turn with the best. I'm sure they can help you out with autographs and questions." Putting a wing over Wind's withers, Flash jerked his 2IC away from the young mares. "Seriously, Wind, they're VIPs."

"You were amazing!" Sweetie Drops couldn't contain herself any longer. She practically bounced on her hooves. "I'm going to join the E.U.P. in a few months."

Spitfire used a wing to bump Soarin at her side. "Good plan. I've served two years with them, but Soarin's from civilian ranks. Doesn't mean he can't fly worth ten other pegasi."

"What was that guy's problem?" Lyra asked.

"Wind Rider? He gets a little odd when he has it for a mare, or so General Flash said. He was making eyes at Cadance. What's her deal, anyway?" Soarin looked at Lyra and Sweetie with mild appraisal. It wasn't that he didn't like mares, but he was a wing-stallion in every sense of the word.

"Cadance? She's a friend. I mentioned I was taking a cute mare out on a date, and that she really liked you guys." Lyra shrugged. "She's cute. Not hard to see why the old guy has a thing for her. But she's taken, you know?"

"She is?" Despite himself, Soarin couldn't help but feel a little disappointment in the knowledge. Then a new thought struck him. "So Wind doesn't know."

"Whatever it is you're thinking, Soarin, let's do it together. Wind Rider could do with a little wind out of his sails." Spitfire turned her attention back to Lyra and Sweetie. "I don't suppose you know the lucky stallion's name?"

"Shining Armor. He's a Royal Guard up at the castle. Big, adorkable guy and cute—if you're into that." Lyra turned her attention back to Sweetie Drops, hoping her date wasn't feeling left out. She needn't have bothered. Sweetie Drops was practically bouncing on her hooves in excitement.

"So. Do you want anything signed?" Spitfire asked.

"Oh right. We're on duty." Soarin blushed a little, not that it showed past his fur, at having completely gotten distracted.

Sweetie Drops' face fell. She turned to look at Lyra, then back to the two flying aces. "I-I haven't got anything with me…"

"Wait. I got this." Pumping her wings, Spitfire took off like a missile with the tell-tale thrum that her uniform made in flight.

Soarin had a moment to wait before Spitfire returned, carrying her gear-bag. For a moment he was confused, but then she pulled her rookie uniform from the bag. "You're not…?"

Spitfire led with a shrug at Soarin. "Why not? I don't need it anymore, and I think I might have found my number one fan. What do you say? Want my rookie uniform? Signed, of course."

Now pronking in place, Sweetie squealed in excitement. "Do I ever? This is sooooo awesome!"

"I think that's a yes," Soarin said.

Feeling that the night would be perfect if things just stopped right now—Lyra had to wonder if the rest could top it. While Spitfire signed her name onto the belly of her old uniform, she turned to Soarin. "So you guys are big stuff then? I'm not really from around here, so just kinda wondering."

"Wow, and already friends with a princess? Sounds like you're really going places. The Wonderbolts are an elite arm of the E.U.P. Guard. It's a mix of professional Guardsponies and talented fliers. Spitfire's the former, and I'm the latter. Flying is our biggest thing, but everyone gets trained to fight, though we hope we won't be needed." Soarin felt a little like he was giving a lecture the way Lyra just absorbed what he said. "You, uh, got any questions?"

Lyra snorted out a giggle. "You sound like a recruiter. It's fine, I'm already signing up as a part-timer. I'm really thankful to Princess Celestia for taking me and my mum in, and I also like helping ponies. So joining up is a win-win."

"Wish I'd thought of that when I was your age. I focused everything on flying the best I could, and only made it into the Wonderbolts by the skin of my teeth. Now I just need to show them I can hack it," Soarin said.

"You seemed to be on point." Lyra watched Sweetie fangirling over Spitfire and had a happy tingly feeling about the whole thing. "Is giving your rookie uniform to somepony a big thing?"

"Yeah and no. It's a sign of confidence that she's not going to get demoted, that's for sure. But one thing Spitfire doesn't lack is confidence. She says she's going to be captain of the Wonderbolts. The way she says it makes me believe her." Soarin felt a shiver run down his spine. "So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"In Canterlot? Princess Celestia's school. When I first came here to meet her, she promised me a spot—I wasn't even a unicorn then. Guess things just worked out right. My mum and her coltfriend came with me," Lyra said.

"You weren't a unicorn?" Soarin asked.

"Crazy right? Whole world full of people that look like a minotaur but without the bull-bits. Anyway, long story short, magic busted in and turned everyone into ponies." Lyra wondered how far that story would take her if she started embellishing it a bit.

"Huh. Well, Equestria welcomes all, you know. You should have seen the mare I talked to a few weeks ago. Hot as all get-out, and huge bat wings. I tried to get a… date…" Something tipped Soarin off that he should stop—Lyra's jaw hanging open was the biggest part of it. "Did I say something wrong?"

The initial shock wore off. Lyra lifted a hoof up to cover her eyes. "You were checking out my mum." When Soarin looked shocked, Lyra managed to contain herself to wave her hoof at him to relax. "It was part of that whole magic thing. Most people turned into bat ponies, but a few of us wound up as Equestrian ponies." Then something occurred to her. "She turned you down?"

"Yeah. She said she had somepony already."

"Somepony? Because Mum's coltfriend isn't a pony, he's a—It's hard to explain, but they're working things out. What—?" Lyra was cut off by Sweetie Drops waving something blue and cream in her face.

"I got Spitfire's rookie suit, Lyra! This is the best day ever!" Sweetie Drops pronked around Lyra Heartstrings like a schoolfilly until she had done two full loops, then she stopped and kissed Lyra on the cheek. "I'm sorry I doubted your dating skills."

"Come on, tiger. Leave the fillies alone and let's hit the shower." Spitfire had to grab Soarin with one wing and drag him away. When they were out of earshot, she relaxed a bit. "First rule of being in the military, don't have anything to do socially with anyone ranked higher than you."

"Why's that?" Soaring asked.

"Way too complicated. And those two might look like just two more mares, but you better believe they're going places. Really? Just happens to know the newest princess-to-be, and don't think I didn't overhear her talking about being in Princess Celestia's school. The thing about that place is, everypony who walks out of there is going to do something amazing. Now, come on, last one to the showers has to wash the other's tail!"

"So," Lyra said, "are we going to the restaurant now?"

"If you're asking me if getting a current Wonderbolt's rookie uniform—signed—counts as me being satisfied and ready to continue the date…" Sweetie was tucking said uniform into her mane as best she could while she spoke. "… the answer is yes."

Lyra nodded with a big grin on her face that faded a moment later. "Uh, where is this Brinjal, anyway?"

The restaurant wasn't just fancy, it was gold-cutlery-fancy. From the moment Lyra gave her name to the snooty waiter to when their dessert arrived, it had been a caricature of fancy. But the one thing Lyra couldn't fault was the food. Brinjal's chef, who Lyra had learned like shouting a lot, was simply a master of his craft.

Which is how Lyra and Sweetie wound up with a small brown puck of cake each that had a scoop of vanilla-bean ice cream beside it.

"That'll go cold unless you eat it now." Sweetie Drops was working on her own, but she kept missing her plate with the dessert fork—she couldn't break eye contact with Lyra for some reason.

"Have you ever watched a movie where it's supposed love-at-first-sight? Where the couple are sitting across the table from each other, the first time they met, and neither can stop staring into the other's eyes?" Lyra asked.

Sweetie finally found the plate and the chocolate lava cake with her fork and speared the dessert. "Mmmhmm."

"Screw those guys." Lyra used her hoof to hold her fork to spear her own cake ,and delivered some hot, liquid interior to her mouth (mostly out of deference to Sweetie). "When I fall in love with somepony, I want it to be because I know them, like them, and can see myself standing beside them."

The shock of Lyra's vehemence wore off Sweetie quickly. Her own thoughts on the matter bubbled to the surface. "But what if they really are destined to be together?"

"Then they should become friends first. Find out the other's likes and foibles. I doubt even Cadance would just whammy two ponies into love who didn't know each other, and she's the biggest matchmaker I've ever met." Spearing more of her dessert, Lyra scooped some ice cream with it. "Alright. I changed my mind."

"What?!" Sweetie suffered from acute onset conversational whiplash. "What happened?"

Gulping down her mouthful after a few moments, Lyra started gathering another on her fork. "I'm madly in love with this cake."

"You can't marry the cake, Lyra."

"And why not? Can't you see we're perfect for each other?" Too carried away in the gag, Lyra lifted her free hoof to her brow. "I want to—"

Sweetie Drops cut in, "Because I love this cake too."

A round of hoof-clopping applause swelled up from the tables around the pair, yanking them back to the real world. Their waiter tried to make his way through to set things back to a quiet, somber atmosphere, but he was stopped by a pony tapping his shoulder.

"I'll have what they're having," Fancy Pants said, jabbing a hoof toward Lyra and Sweetie. "If they can fall madly in love with a cake at first bite, perhaps I can too."

By the time the waiter got to the couple, he had ten more orders for the chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream. Only his impeccable training had him not sighing as he reached their table. "Is there anything else I can get you two?"

Lyra had just put the final piece of cake in her mouth and turned to the waiter. She looked at him—an earth pony with an impeccably groomed moustache and hair—and knew it was time for the worst part of the night. She'd been saving her bits, and this seemed like the moment where they were all going to go away. "I'd like the bill."

Smiling, Double Booked started to turn around when he felt a presence behind him.

"What the buck are you doing? You silly, bloody twit! Didn't you see my notes? These are Cadance's personal guests you pillock!"

Double hunched his shoulders and tried to slip away—it was something he was good at.

Staring, Lyra recognized the rough-mouthed stallion's voice from earlier as the chef.

"Sorry about that. He was told that everything on your bill is complimentary. Cadance explained everything earlier."

"It—It's alright. Really. We, uh, were just about to leave," Sweetie Drops said.

Standing straighter, the chef blew a very horse-like snort from his nose. "That little—Pick another night, I'll make sure he won't be working here then, and you can have another meal."

Watching the chef march back toward the kitchen, Lyra was caught in shock still. She shook her head and looked to Sweetie. "What was all that?"

"I have no idea, but you heard him." Sweetie stood up from her seat and stretched. She got the distinct impression that Lyra was watching her stretch. It made Sweetie smile just a little wider.

Shaking her head again, Lyra struggled to remain coherent despite strange chefs and posing fillyfriends. Fillyfriend. Lyra.exe has encountered an error and must be shut down. Struggling within her own mind, Lyra shoved all her problems aside with the pretense that she'd return to them before the night was done. "Yeah. Let's get out of here."

Sweetie Drops slipped out of the fancy restaurant with Lyra and into the cool evening mountain air. Side by side they walked down the quiet main street of Canterlot together, both of them quiet.

"Sweetie?" Lyra asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Lyra?"

Are we fillyfriends? Lyra didn't ask. She bit her lip for a moment, knowing a question was expected. "Did you have a nice night?"

"I don't think you really need to ask that. I for one had a ton of fun tonight." Every now and again Sweetie felt their hips or shoulders touch and brush as they walked. "Why do you ask?"

Lyra let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I really liked it. I like you." Her eyes swelling open fully, Lyra stared ahead without daring to look at Sweetie.

When a fuzzy shoulder leaned against her, Lyra almost panicked. Then she felt a soft snout nuzzle at her cheek. After what happened with Rose, Lyra had been questioning her own desires. Cadance and Trixie didn't help, but this was different. She meant the words.

"I noticed. Lyra I—I like you too." Sweetie Drops said. The world trembled, shook, and shifted. Sweetie was floating in a field of gold before Lyra—hovering in Lyra's telekinetic power. "Put me down, Lyra."

"S-Sorry. I got carried away and I—" Lyra might have gotten a better apology out, but Sweetie's lips pressed to hers for long enough that all thought turned to cotton wool.

Pulling back from the brief kiss, Sweetie couldn't wipe the silly-happy smile from her own lips. "Now, what are you going to do for a second date that can eclipse this one"

The concept of second date was a life raft, and Lyra clung to it. "Second date? That would be your turn, right?"

Sweetie narrowed her eyes into a predatory squint, then giggled. "Alright."

Celestia: how would Luna react to the bat ponies?

"I haven't the faintest. They're ponies, just like the others. I would expect her to—" Celestia bit back her words. "Luna will do as Luna sees fit. If she threatens Joyce, Lyra, or any pony under my control, I will be forced to act. I hope a thousand years has mellowed her as much as it has myself."

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer. Try to keep it to one question per post! They will pick one question per chapter.

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Awesome ponies who are already helping to keep me in keyboards and rum:
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