When you meet up with Glimmer Wing the next day, her expression is a pained one. She still looks beautiful, not to be cliche, but sort of like a delicate flower that only blooms in the night... okay, that's cliche anyway, but she still looks like one, even when she's cross. And she doesn't seem mad at you. Just... distressed.

"What's up?" you say, by way of greeting. She jumps at the sound of your voice, then smiles when she recognizes it's you. She's always a little jumpy like that, but just as likely to bare her fangs and snarl at an approaching threat as she is to tuck her head away and run. A lover and a fighter. How do you like that.

"My parents found out about us hanging out together," she says morosely, kicking her hooves into the dirt. "They said they don't think it's a good idea for me to be spending time with a human when I'm so close to, uh... I don't really know a good way to say it."

"Can you just repeat what they said, and maybe I can figure it out?"

Glimmer Wing scratched her head, puzzling the words over behind her eyes. "Yeah, I guess. They just said they didn't think it was a good idea to be getting... 'romantically involved' when I'm so close to my 'season'. My 'coming of age'."

You scratched your head too.

"What the heck does that mean?"

"I have no idea. Any leads on somepony we can ask for advice?"

"I checked with Twilight, but she was busy filing books and yelled at me to check the reference section." You took a deep breath and gave a long sigh. "And I did, but it was mostly just stuff about old wars and genealogy trees..."

"I'd ask my parents, but they're obviously not gonna be any help," Glimmer Wing said with her own sigh. "I'm stumped. I just don't know what to do. And I really like you too, so I don't want us to stop hanging out..."

Hanging out. Has the 'd' word crept into anyone's vocabulary yet? That remains to be seen. Even though you'd like to say it and just get the whole thing over with. 'DA-TE'. Date. Go on a date with a pretty young filly. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Maybe just according to her bat-parents.

It was therefore either a trick of the light, or a fortuitous chance, or Glimmer Wing really was naturally lucky when it came to finding hard to find things, because Rarity and Spike appeared just like that, as though they'd been waiting around the corner listening to the conversation for the perfect break in dialogue to barge over and smile and wave and bring up the same obvious questions about age differences that were currently bubbling in both your head and Glimmer Wing's. So it made sense to ask, to see if you were dreaming, at least. Even if you woke up any second, there might be something you could bring back with you.

"Uh, hey," you said, somehow assuming Spike and Rarity were already walking over to speak to you. But that was when they noticed you, and, still smiling, walked over to start a conversation presumably as dull as daylight. Maybe a bit brighter from a different angle.

"Why, hello, Mr. Anonymous. You're looking a lovely shade of olive today," Rarity said, smirking, still holding Spike's claw with one hoof. The baby dragon was mostly love-struck, but still seemed present enough to entertain a brief conversation, though hearts swirling around his head might prove a persistent interruption.

"Thanks," you said. "And you're looking, uh... nice, too. Your coat is really... white."

Despite the lame attempt at a compliment, Rarity beamed like she'd been dubbed royalty.

"Thank you, my dear, that's very kind of you to say! Spike and I were just out for a walk to enjoy the sights of spring, it's quite a treat that we should run into one of our resident reality-migrants... and whose this with you, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"Oh," you said. "That's Glimmer Wing. My—well, actually, we had a question about that, now that you mention it—"

"How old do you have to be to go out with somepony else?" Glimmer Wing blurted, then blushed when she realized her outburst. "I mean... someone else. Anyone. Not just a pony."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, and even Spike seemed keen to key in on the hidden workings laid in plain daylight.

"Is there a problem with the logistics of your... relationship at present?" Rarity asked, her face knotted with concern.

"My parents don't want me hanging out with Anon," Glimmer Wing said simply. "They said it's not a good idea to get 'romantically involved' so close to my 'season'." Glimmer Wing frowned and stared at the ground, then at Rarity. "Do you have any idea what the heck that means?"

Both Spike and Rarity blushed, though the former far more than the latter. Rarity had to pat him on the head and give him a water-bottle to calm his fit of laughter, which eventually subsided into amused chuckles. Rarity could see the humour in the situation, though she didn't feel explicitly amused by it. Young hearts in love were always to be handled delicately.

"Oh, my," Rarity said, taking a deep breath and letting it out through her nose. "I suppose there's a lot to cover if you're both on page one... tell me, has either of you read a copy of the Equestrian consent laws lately?"

You and Glimmer Wing shared a look. You even turned to Spike to see if he was available to bail you out, but apparently he hadn't done his homework either, and just shrugged.

"It's a bit of a complicated mess of clauses and legal-speak... possibly Twilight would be better at unraveling the whole thing," Rarity said. She brushed a strand of her mane out of her eyes and aligned it behind her ear with the others. "But in laypony's terms, essentially speaking, somepony in Equestria becomes old enough for a relationship when they've entered their first... oh, how shall I put it delicately... their first 'change', so to speak. Does that make more sense?"

You, Glimmer Wing, and even Spike, stared at Rarity, blank-faced. She sighed and readied herself for another chunk of diction.

"Alright," she said, looking overhead to the sun and flocks of birds and pegasi passing by. "In Equestria, everypony, dragon, whatever you please... everyone comes to a certain time in their life, a certain age when their body and mind begin to... change."

"Are you talking about... sex stuff?" Spike said, blushing slightly.

Rarity giggled and patted him on the head.

"I suppose you're eager to share what you know, aren't you, Spikey dear?"

Spike turned even more crimson underneath his purple and green. Rarity giggled again and kissed him on the forehead, leaving a tiny spot of her lipstick behind.

"Spike's more or less correct. When you come of age, and you'll know when, you'll suddenly see the opposite sex in a whole new light. And, as you're getting ready to be swept up by the torrents and trials of youthful romance, Equestria dictates you should be allowed to do that however and with whomever you please. Though, gaining the approval of family or friends is an entirely different matter..."

"Maybe I can just show the law to my parents and they'll lighten up?" Glimmer Wing asked. "I don't know what it means by 'changes', but I'm pretty sure I'm grown up enough to date somepony—I mean, somebody," she corrected, with a nervous and shy glance towards you.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, my dear... Glimmer Wing, was it? Such a lovely firefly on your flank there, I must say."

"Thanks," Glimmer Wing said shyly, looking away from Rarity and playing with her tail between her hooves.

"Regardless. It is possible you've begun to change and are only now just noticing it. Have you sensed anything different from day to day, changes in how you feel or what you've been thinking about?"

Glimmer Wing pondered with her eyes to the ground, blush creeping permanently into her light-blue cheeks.

"Um," she said. She kicked a bit of dust, and dawdled in the silence. "Um," she said again.

"I really like Anon," she said finally.

Rarity nodded. There wasn't a great deal more explanation necessary.

"Have the two of you... been together, so to speak?"

"Whadda you mean? We're together right now," Glimmer Wing said.

You put a hand to your forehead.

You'd never imagined explaining this to anyone before, let alone a pony the same colour as the sunset before midnight...

"Um," you said. "I think she's talking about... a different kind of together. A romantic type, I mean."

Glimmer Wing blushed even brighter.

"Oh," she said.

"Oh," she said again after a moment.

Then:

"I'd like that."

"Why don't we find somewhere to sit over lunch and iron out all the kinks in your questions," Rarity said, her voice soft and guiding. "I know a lovely cafe down the street, they have the most delicious watercress sandwiches you've ever put your lips on..."

Author's Notes:

see what we did there

heh