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Hearts and Hooves Day

by PonyTom

Chapter 1: A Letter and a Wager

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"She wants me to WHAT!?"

A rolled up parchment fell to the floor and curled up into the shape it had been bent into, rolling a short distance. Staring at it were two sets of eyes, belonging to a lilac mare and a similarly colored baby dragon.

Twilight stared at the scroll as if it spelled her doom, and for all she knew, it did.

"What did it say, Twilight?" said Spike, a bit of concern evident in his tone. Twilight wrapped her magic around the letter and pulled it back up and read it again.

"I must have read it wrong! Princess Celestia would never ask that of me! Right?" Twilight laughed nervously.

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My Dear Student,

Hearts and Hooves is coming up, and it has recently dawned on me that you have never spoken of having a Special Somepony. I wish not to pry, but it left me to wonder if there IS a special somepony in your life? If there is, I would certainly like to know of him or her; perhaps even meet them!

However, if you do NOT have a special somepony, I figure it might be fun for you to at least try to go on a date with somepony special to you; after all, nopony should be alone, least of all you, Twilight Sparkle.

Remember! Send me the juicy details! Your teacher loves to be in the know and can keep secrets!

Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
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Twilight re-read it once, twice, and three times before she finally decided she wasn't reading it wrong. "She... she can't be serious..."

Spike groaned. "What does the note say to have you so frustrated?"

Twilight looked to Spike. "The P-Princess... she wants me to... to find a date for Hearts and Hooves day...."

Spike blinked as his only response.

And then the laughing started.

Twilight stared at her assistant with a deadpan look on her face. "Spike! This is serious!"

Spike seemed to stop to try to speak. "She just.. wants you to..." He bit his lip and held back, before bursting into another fit of laughter and falling to his back, rolling around. Twilight was not amused, and she did not say anything, opting to let the small dragon laugh it out. Eventually, he did get up and wipe a tear from his eye. "She... she really expects YOU to find a date for hearts and hooves day!?"

Twilight stopped and glared at the dragon as if her eyes could slice the little reptile to piece. "And what exactly is THAT supposed to mean?"

Spike sighed, winning his fight against his laughter. "Oh, I didn't mean it bad or anything, it's just the only pony in Ponyville that might be less social than you is Fluttershy-"

Twilight's cheeks burned red as she interrupted her assistant. "Are you saying I COULDN'T get a date for Hearts and Hooves day?"

Spike simply stared blankly at Twilight. "I'm going to be one hundred percent honest with you Twilight... that's EXACTLY what I'm saying." Twilight gasped a bit and Spike continued. "Look, it's not that I don't think you're a good enough pony, but you're...." he seemed to stop and try to think up a word. "... I mean, you never pay much attention to other ponies. I figured if it were possible, you'd just end up marrying one of your books..."

Twilight bit her lip, her face aglow in embarrassment. "I could to get a date if I wanted!" She stomped a hoof t emphasize her point.

Spike grinned. "Care to make a wager?"

Twilight calmed a bit, her eyes settled on the dragon with suspicion. "What do you have in mind...?"

Spike grinned. "If you can't find a special somepony, or at the very least a date, for Hearts and Hooves day, you gotta do my chores for a week!"

Twilight hummed, tapping her chin with her hoof. ".... alright... but if I DO find somepony for hearts and hooves day, you have to cook us a fancy dinner!"

Spike laughed. "That all?" Twilight grinned.

"Wearing a little suit and acting all formal... like a waiter!"

Spike bit his lip, but his confidence returned and he grinned wide. "Ah well, you'll never do it." Spike spat on his claw and held it out. Twilight reeled a bit, somewhat deterred, but who was she, Rarity? She spat on her hoof and they shook on it.

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Rarity hummed as she put the finishing touches on the dress she was working on. It had to be just perfect. She stepped back to admire her work; it was excellent. "Oh Rarity... this has to be your best work yet!" She giggled to herself. "Well... I don't know about THAT dear... I like to think all my dresses carry an equal amount of beauty... each in their own unique way..." Rarity's self-congratulatory pep-talk was brought to a halt with a knock at the door. "Oh, who could that be?" She trotted to the door and used her magic to open it, and there stood none other than Twilight Sparkle, who was panting and heaving. "Oh! Twilight dear... are... is everything okay?"

"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!" shouted Twilight as she stepped inside and shut the door.

Rarity blinked a bit confused. "Oh... uh... please... come in..."

Twilight blushed a bit, laughing nervously. "Yeah, sorry, I guess I forgot my manners..."

Rarity smiled and waved her hoof. "Oh, think nothing of it, deary! Now, why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"

Twilight sighed a bit and thought. "... Rarity... do you know anything about.... dating?"

Rarity's squeal could be heard from miles, they say.

"Twilight! Dating!? Oh this is MARVELOUS!"

Twilight bit her lip. "Uhh... Rarity, don't get too carried away now... it's just, Princess Celestia wants me to find a date for Hearts and Hooves day, and Spike made a bet that I couldn't do it... so... I'm kind of... stuck."

Rarity hummed a bit, pondering on the situation. "I see, I see... and you didn't consult one of your books?"

Twilight sighed. "I won't lie, I still intend to, but I figured it might be better to talk to somepony about it before resorting to books..."

Rarity grinned. "And might I say, dear, that you couldn't have chosen a better pony to speak to! I've read several romance novels, and have had my own fair share of dating experiences!"

Twilight quirked a brow. "What... really?" Rarity stopped, almost seeming insulted by her friend's comment.

"You DOUBT I could get a date, Twilight!?"

Twilight shook her head. "What!? No! No! It's just... well... you seem to have a lot of standards, I figured the only pony you'd even consider dating would be in Canterlot..."

Rarity waved a hoof, smirking. "Oh dear, don't be silly! My IDEAL colt would be a Canterlot pony, but that doesn't mean I haven’t dated!" Rarity put a hoof to her chest and smiled proudly. "After all, I like to believe I am proof that culture and elegance are not limited to ones' roots!"

Twilight nodded a bit. "Okay... well... is there anything you can tell me...?"

Rarity smiled and pulled Twilight close. "Right! First things first, are there any colts around Ponyville you have a crush on?"

Twilight blinked a bit, flattening her ears. "Well... not exactly..."

Rarity quirked a brow. "Oh... OH! I see... any mares then?"

Twilight's eyes became wide as saucers and her face turned a deep shade of red that would make Applejack's brother envious. "What? Nonono! It's not like that!"

Rarity hoof waved. "Far be it from me to judge Twilight!"

Twilight groaned. "Rarity! I'm not... it's not... it's just..." The lavender unicorn sighed and hung her head. "... I've just... never really gotten to know anypony... I mean, sure enough, I've seen a lot of ponies... even associated with them... but I've never really gotten to know anypony..."

Rarity hummed a bit and pondered on this, staring at her friend as if measuring her up in her mind's eye. "Well, Twilight, how one approaches a date depends on the pony you're trying to court... it's very hard for me to help you if you don't have somepony in mind..."

Twilight slumped a bit in defeat. "Great... I'm going to have to do Spike's chores for a week..."

Rarity held up her hoof. "Well hold on now, darling, I didn't say I couldn't help, just that it'd be difficult."

Twilight perked up a bit, eyes wide with hope. "Really?"

Rarity smiled. "My advice... go out and socialize with a few ponies! Mare or stallion, try to get to know some of the ponies you might consider being romantic with! Or even just being friends! I mean... if it just has to be a date, there's no need to worry about them putting a ring on your horn that night, right?"

Twilight thought it over. It was true, it just being a date, there was no pressure for commitment... still, it seemed underhoofed to use somepony to win a bet.

"Try dating for compatibility, if nothing else, Twilight! Get to know somepony, then try to make a special night on Hearts and Hooves day! It's simple as that!"

Twilight mulled it over a bit more in her head, before grinning as her confidence returned. "You know what Rarity? That's a great idea!"

Rarity giggled. "Of course it is, Twilight! Just remember these basic rules for courtship... do not stress appearances too much! You want to be beautiful, but too much beauty in the wrong situation can throw off the wrong signals! Also, don't date just because this bet and Princess Celestia... remember, even though you may not be making a commitment, there is always that chance that whoever you date could end up being the pony you spend the rest of your life with!"

Twilight sighed. "Of course..."

Rarity smirked and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I know it must seem so demanding to you, but trust me, you'll thank me later." The alabaster unicorn stopped to once more ponder the situation. "You know, if you're pressed for time, I can always help you find somepony!" Twilight raised her eyebrow for what seemed like the billionth time today. Rarity trotted to the window and looked outside. "I know a few ponies you might be able to talk with... see if you can find a connection?" Twilight thought about this; it was certainly better than her current plan of going up to the nearest stallion she could find and asking him on a date.

Rarity wrote a few names on a list. Twilight tried to sneak a peak, but Rarity turned it from her vision before she could get anything of any significance. After finishing, Rarity hoofed it to Twilight, who read over the list, and proceeded to blush. "Oh... lotta ponies... some of them mares..."

Rarity smirked. "Well, yes, I figured I'd write down a few ponies. I thought of just using ponies that would be more obvious connections, but sometimes love comes where one doesn't expect them."

Twilight sighed. She looked it over a few more times.

"... Well... I guess I can try a few of these ponies..."

Rarity squealed again.

"Fantastic! Just point a few out to me, and I'll tell you exactly what to do!"

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TO BE CONTINUED...

Next Chapter: Time Turner, the Clever Pony Estimated time remaining: 59 Minutes
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