Twilight walked with Spike hovering beside her. Pinkie pronked as was one of her favorite ways to move. "Now where could Jacob be hiding?" half-sang the hunting pink pony. "I bet he's..." She bounced around a corner to bring his favorite pony watching bench into view, but he wasn't there. "Aw. Or maybe!" She diverted courses smoothly.

Spike hiked a thumb at her as he flew along. "I'm guessing she's learned all the places he usually hangs out."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Twilight softly shrugged as she followed. "I'm more interested in if I'll be able to pick him out before he begins speaking. I can remember him, so that's a distinct step forward."

Pinkie led them to his favorite pool, but there was no grey pony floating in the water there. "Hm...

"What are you looking for?" Roseluck was standing there, peering at Pinkie. "You have that 'I'm hunting down a pony whether they want it or not' look."

"I do not!" defended Pinkie. "Well, okay, maybe a little." She held up two hooves close together.

Spike smirked as she closed the distance with soft flaps. "Called it in one." He landed a little to the left of Roseluck, watching other ponies move past. "We were looking for Jacob."

"He's on a date," Rose explained simply.

Pinkie bounced in shock. "Date?! Date? Really? I mean..."

Twilight softly nudged her pink friend aside. "There's nothing wrong with a pony going on a date."

"I mean, sure, but I didn't think he would go on a date. Kinda like you really, just not something they did?"

Twilight began to darken rapidly. "I could go on a date whenever I wanted!"

Spike snorted softly in clear disagreement on the likelihood of a date occuring in Twilight's near future.

Rose shook her head softly. "He's taking Daisy on a walk, and he's being a perfect gentlepony about it. I have Lily keeping an eye on them, just in case, and since she hasn't shown up, I am going to assume everything is going well."

Pinkie bobbed her head as she reached for Rose's shoulder. "That's fantastic! So, to answer Twilight's question, she saw him, right? 'Cause that would be a silly date if they didn't meet."

Rose hiked a brow at that. "So far as I know? Is that usually a problem? Pinkie, you are so random at times."

Twilight gestured towards Pinkie. "She is that, but she's speaking plainly this one time. How fascinating... Would you mind terribly showing us where he is?"

Rose glanced off a moment. "This is really important to Daisy. I don't want this interrupted, even by a princess, Twilight." She suddenly poked Twilight in the chest. "I knew you before you got those wings, and you knew Daisy. She needs to just have a nice time and, you know, lighten up around stallions."

Twilight blinked with clear confusion. "She has a problem with stallions?"

Rose quickly set a fetlock over her face. Pinkie was faster to actually speak, "She's scared of them. You didn't know that?"

Rose gestured towards Pinkie. "That. Jacob, on the other hoof, is pretty passive as stallions go. He's quiet and nice and perfect. I just want Daisy to have a good time and learn that being around a stallion isn't something that has to be a scary thing."

Spike shrugged softly. "Coulda called me, but I'm already spoken for." He put his hands on his chest as if grabbing at straps there were not there. "I couldn't be disloyal to Lady Rarity."

Rose smiled at Spike with the expression of a pony holding back a snort. "Of course, Sir Spike. You are a paragon of faithfulness, which is why I didn't ask you. Rarity is lucky to have you."

Twilight rolled her eyes at the exchange. "Well, that's alright. I hope they both have a perfectly pleasant time, but if we could watch, from a distance? We won't approach until they're finished, promise."

Spike raised a brow. "That's against the bro code."

Twilight's brows fell as one. "Bro code?"

"No watching other bros get their move on unless you're a wingpony." He shrugged softly. "And he didn't ask me to do that, so, you know, just rude."

"You're making that up," replied Twilight with a dry tone, eyes moving to Pinkie. "Besides, two of us are not brothers at all, so we can go."

Pinkie sprang forward to land just next to Rose. "Lead the way!"

With a soft smirk, Rose did just that. "Just remember, you promised. No interfering, just watching, from a distance. Lily could use the company anyway."

They departed without Spike, Rose taking the front as they wove through town and approached a lone bush. "Lily?" she called as they came closer. "Still here?"

"Shh!" Lily waved a hoof wildly from the bush for them to come closer. Once everyone was safely hidden, she pointed across to where Jacob and Daisy were talking and walking around the pond. "She hasn't passed out!"

Twilight fixed her eyes on the grey pony. "So I can see him. His lack of name must have been pivotal to his anonymity. That makes sense, in hindsight. Hello there, Jacob."

Jacob paused a moment as if he had heard her, but was soon walking again, speaking something they couldn't hear to Daisy.

Rose bopped Twilight on the head. "You promised!" she harshly hissed, crossing her forehooves. "Well, I did my part. Enjoy, and don't get in the way! Daisy is having a good time."

They all watched as Daisy walked along with him, a little nervous smile on her face. She did seem to be mostly happy with where she was and who she was speaking with. She even laughed and pointed things out that he looked towards quickly, clearly leading the conversation as much as following it.

Pinkie pressed her legs together and leaned her head against them. "Aw, it's super cute! I just want to--"

Twilight put a hoof in front of Pinkie. "Sit right there and enjoy the show without interfering in any way."

"Yeah... that." She sank back to her haunches with a huff.

Daisy suddenly pressed her face against Jacob's, giving him quite the smooch before dashing away in what could be taken as a panic. Lily and Rose frowned.

She was not running in a random direction. She dove into the same bushes the rest were hiding in, curling up between Lily and Rose without a moment's delay. Rose began to stroke her mane gently. "Did he ask for that kiss?"

"N-no..."

Lily blinked with confusion. "But you kissed him."

"Did I mess up?" asked Daisy, sitting up a little. It was only then that she noticed Twilight and Pinkie. "What are you two doing here?!"

Twilight put a hoof to her chest. "I am here on a purely scientific basis. Good luck in your social endeavors." Despite her analytical words, her cheeks were a soft pink as she stood up. "I should go."

Pinkie was giggling without shame. "Aw! Was that your first kiss?"

"No!" squeaked Daisy, hiding her face behind her hooves. "I've kissed ponies before."

Rose's brows fell a bit as a smirk spread wide. "But they were always mares. So... was he nice?"

"Yes," drifted out from between her hooves.

"Do you want to try that again?"

"Maybe..."

Rose leaned in towards the hiding Daisy, barely taking note of Twilight departing. "Any mistakes you want to share? We're here for you, Daisy."

Lily pat Rose gently along the side. "You know we'll always be there."

"Thanks..." She peered at Pinkie doubtfully. "So why are you here?"

"I'm a friend, duh. So was he any good at kissing?" She flashed a bright wide smile.

Daisy's cheeks darkened swiftly. "I have no idea. I was... too scared to think about it while I was doing it. Look, he's... fine, a good pony. Kinda wish he could be a mare, but he isn't. As stallions go... I like it. He's soft and quiet and he cares. He kept... asking about me, instead of talking about his own problems... That was nice."

Pinkie rolled her shoulders. "He's been a mare before."

Rose nodded at that. "He mentioned. You saw him do that? What is he, a changeling? I never met a changeling before."

Lily threw up a hoof. "What if we have met a lot of changelings but we never knew! They're just in disguise, judging us!" She turned to Pinkie. "Are you a changeling?"

Pinkie quickly shook her head back and forth, mane bobbing about. "Not last I checked. Are you?"

"I hope not!" Lily put her hooves to her cheeks, looking mildly panicked.

Rose poked Pinkie right on her snoot. "Focus. You saw him change?"

"Oh, yeah, a few times." Pinkie bobbed her head, carrying Rose's hoof with it. "One time he was me! That was fun. He foalsat for me when I double booked, really saved the day there. He's such a helpful pony!"

Rose lowered one brow as the other rose. "Tell us more. Can he just... be whatever pony he wants to be?"

"Oh, no. That would make him a changeling." She threw a hoof dismissively, snorting mid-laugh. "He becomes ponies that are missing, like me when I couldn't be there to foalsit. If a pony is missing and he hears about it, poof! He is that pony. Boy, girl, young, old, I don't think it matters. I wonder if he could do Celestia..."

Rose stroked over her chin softly, devious ideas simmering behind her eyes. "I see... What an interesting ability."

Daisy suddenly put her hooves on Pinkie's shoulders. "You know him! Do you think he's thinking bad things about me?"

Pinkie blinked at that. "I doubt it. He doesn't think bad things about ponies usually, unless they're, you know, super mean. Were you mean? I doubt that too, so he probably likes you."

"He likes me?!" She squeaked before flopping limply against her sisters, out cold.

Lily softly pet her fallen sister. "She's like that."

"We're all like that sometimes," huffed out Rose. "I assume you meant 'like' and not 'like like', right?"

Pinkie tilted her head left and right a moment before it seemed to click. "Oh! You mean like a special somepony? I bet he's too scared to try calling somepony that. If you want him to be a special somepony, you'd better ask him yourself instead of waiting for him to do it."

Lily smiled a bit askew. "I think Daisy would fall over long before she finished asking that." She cradled the unconscious pony carefully. "She's delicate, like a flower."

"Maybe they need to get to know each other more first?" proposed Pinkie as she bounced to her hooves. "The more they hang out, the more natural it'll be for both of them to just say what's on their mind instead of hiding it in a dark place forever."

Twilight spotted Spike peeking in the window of a store that sold comics. "There you are."

"Huh? Oh, hey Twi." He lifted away from the window towards her. "What's up? Found Jacob?"

"He's fine. He and Daisy had a perfectly nice time. About that, I have an idea. Since his name seems to be instrumental to breaking down this wall, it may be time for a real Pinkie Party."

"Huh? Didn't she already throw one of those for just you girls?"

"And that is what I propose we change." She pointed a hoof at random ponies in the area. "One with everyone in the town. We announce him, and his name, and everyone will get to know him. His shield will be broken and the curse, poof, gone, just like that." She clapped her forehooves together with a confident smile. "What do you think?"

Author's Notes:

Does Twilight have a good idea, or a bad idea?

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