Girls' Night Out

Let’s Find You a Date! by soundslikeponies

Crickets chirped as Twilight stood frozen on Carrot Top’s doorstep, staring at Rarity.

“Y-you were watching?” she asked, looking at Rarity with panic. “But you were—Coral, she—We walked all across town and you...” Twilight stopped, realizing her words were coming out as little more than rambling. “How did you find me?”

Rarity gave her a small shrug and casually walked towards her. “It wasn’t too hard to follow the sound of nervous blushing,” she teased. “So do you like her then?”

Twilight looked down and played with her hooves as she replied. “Well, I think I already like another mare—another type of mare, I mean, but...” Twilight looked over her shoulder, staring at Carrot Top’s door with a blush and a small smile gracing her face. “But she was nice...”

Rarity smiled and cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts in her own time, and turned away from the door. “Sorry,” she said, offering Rarity an apologetic smile.

Rarity turned to leave. “Think nothing of it, dear.”

Twilight followed, falling in step beside her and leaving Carrot Top’s cottage behind. She decided to voice a question that had been bugging her.

“Oh, the two of us simply chatted for a while after the show, and then she left saying something about ‘an early day tomorrow.’”

“Chatted?” Twilight asked, staring at her friend’s face.

Rarity turned to look at her, perplexed at first, but her mouth slipped into a smirk as she saw something in Twilight’s look. “Yes,” she said, a giggle escaping her throat. “We chatted. And I assure you that’s all that happened.”

Internally, Twilight let out a sigh of relief.

“No,” Rarity continued, looking ahead. “We’ve known each other for a while, but I find her far too... pushy to be one of my close friends, or, well,” Rarity rolled her eyes, “something more.”

Twilight bit her lip, debating. “Who...” She stopped to be extra careful with her wording. “What kind of mare would you date?”

Rarity faltered. “Me?” she asked, pointing to herself, although she seemed to realize it was a stupid question as she looked around. “Well, I haven’t given it much thought, actually. Hmm...” She chewed on her bottom lip, looking up thoughtfully. “You see, I actually tend more towards stallions. As a filly I read all the fairy tales with a prince charming in them, the one who rescues the fair damsel.”

Twilight noted, and mentally jotted down every word she said. “So you’d be looking for a princess charming who rescues fair damsels?”

“No, no, not at all,” Rarity scoffed. “What I look for in a mare is that she’s graceful, and elegant, and carries herself like a true lady.”

Twilight winced at the words graceful and elegant, thinking back to her horrific experience on the bar’s dance floor.

“Beauty is a virtue,” Rarity continued. “But I’d also like some mare who is smart and talented.”

“Smart and talented?” Twilight asked, a glimmer of hope returning to her eyes.

“Yes,” Rarity said, nodding. “I would also like a mare who looks good in a dress, so I can design dresses specially for her and watch her try them on. We’d spend hours talking as she tries on dresses for me, and in return I’d give her the one I think looks prettiest on her.” Rarity looked at Twilight and smiled foolishly at herself. “That sounded a lot less strange when I was thinking it.”

“No, no, it sounds...” Twilight looked up, as though the word she was looking for would appear over Rarity’s head. “It sounds nice.” Twilight cringed inside, her words coming out far weaker than she had hoped.

Rarity seemed to appreciate the thought though, her smile widening ever so slightly. “I love talking to you, Twilight. Everything that you say can simply be taken at face value.”

Twilight’s brow furrowed. “Thanks... I think?”

“It was a compliment,” Rarity said. “You have a sort of open honesty that’s so rare to see.”

Rarity’s statement dangled in the air as they walked down the dark cobblestone road back across town. Twilight stole glances at her as they walked, just small ones out of the corner of her eye.

“I don’t like Coral very much,” Twilight blurted, breaking the silence.

Contrary to how Twilight thought she would react, Rarity cracked a grin. “I can see why.” Her grin faded to a slightly more serious frown. “I’m sorry about how she acted tonight. I hope it didn’t ruin anything.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s alright.”

“Good,” Rarity said, slipping into a smile once more. “Because truth be told, I think she’s quite jealous of you.”

“Jealous?” Twilight said, stopping dead in her tracks. “Of me?”

Rarity stopped and looked back at her. “Undoubtedly. She barely even made an effort to hide it.” Rarity flipped her mane, standing impatiently in front of her. “While I may like her as a friend, she wants us to be closer than that.” Her mouth widened to a grin. “And can you believe she sees you as a threat? I haven’t a clue where she gets some of her notions.”

Twilight bit her lip, not trusting herself to not say anything conspicuous. Instead she simply fell back in step next to Rarity, slightly quickening her pace home. The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes, Twilight lost in thought, and Rarity, noticing the far off look in her eyes, left her alone.

Twilight was imagining the scene that Rarity described, the two of them at the boutique, and Twilight trying on dresses. Rarity would have her put on something extravagant, with lots of gems and feathers, and Twilight would stand there with a bright blush on her face, feeling silly in such a ridiculous outfit, as Rarity inspected her work. Then Rarity would hand her a simplistic blue dress, her favorite out of the ones she tried on, and Rarity would smile as she put it on.

“How about tomorrow night we go somewhere?” Rarity asked, breaking the ice as they came within eyesight of the library.

Twilight jolted out of her thoughts from the sudden question. “Huh?”

“Just the two of us,” Rarity said, smiling and nudging Twilight’s shoulder. “We can take a night off all this dating nonsense and just have a fun night out.”

They stopped in front of the library door, turning to face each other.

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes, I think it would be quite fun,” Rarity said, giving her a delighted smile.

“That... that sounds wonderful, actually,” Twilight said, looking around her doorstep. “What time should I expect to be picked up? How should I dress?”

“How about seven o’clock? Dress as little or as much as you feel like.” Rarity gave her a nod. “I’ll see you then!” she said, and turned to walk away.

“Alright,” Twilight said, grinning. “I’ll be there!” Her grin faded, and she looked down at the stone steps leading to her house, unable to shake the feeling that she was forgetting something.

“Wait!” she shouted as she remembered.

Rarity stopped and looked back at her with an arched eyebrow, the one that always made her feel like Rarity already knew what she was going to say and was simply playing along to make her think otherwise.

Twilight gulped. “Where will we be going?”

Rarity’s face shifted to a mischievous smirk, and she turned to walk away. “Who knows?” she shouted as she walked away. “We could go anywhere!”

And with that, she left.

Twilight slumped, but found a smile pulled at her lips as she thought about the now upcoming night out with just the two of them.

“It’s a date,” she said under her breath, wistfully.

Saturdays. The market square was always jam-packed on Saturdays. Twilight let out a small squeak as yet another passerby bumped into her, nearly knocking her off her hooves. Ponies moved around the market square like a school of fish, and any stray pony caught standing still became a point of congestion in the traffic.

Which is the situation Twilight Sparkle currently found herself in.

Twilight stood in the middle of the square looking at her shopping list, but ponies constantly bumping into her were making it exceedingly difficult.

“Five carrots, two stalks of celery, eight apples, a bag of—” Somepony knocked her side, breaking her concentration and making her drop her shopping list. “Oh no!”

She stuck her neck down to look for the note, but all she could see was a sea of trampling hooves. She lifted her head and groaned, stamping her front hooves in a pouty display. So much for getting any shopping done today.

“Is this yours?”

Twilight spun around, spotting somepony she recognized almost instantly. May Flower stood in front of her, a demure smile on her lips and Twilight’s shopping list in between her teeth. A hair clip with a daisy fashioned on it tucked her silvery pink mane around her left ear.

“Oh! Yes, yes it is!” Twilight said, smiling at her. Ponies pushed their way around them, and Twilight’s smile faded as May Flower made no move to give back her shopping list. “May I have it back?”

May Flower turned her head and tucked Twilight’s shopping list in one of her saddlebags. Her mouth free, she spoke. “Absolutely!”

May Flower’s sickeningly sweet voice hinted at something more, and Twilight’s mouth pulled into a thin line.

“Would you like to get lunch?” May Flower asked innocently.

Twilight sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

May Flower giggled, tilting her head to the side as if she didn’t have a clue what Twilight meant. “Come on, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee,” she said, turning and walking through the crowd.

Twilight followed her, slipping into the small space behind her as she wove through the streets. What was it she said she did again? Acting?

May Flower walked with a small bounce in her step, and Twilight found herself watching her light pink rump as it swayed back and forth.

Right. Modeling. She tore her gaze away with a blush, staring at the cracks in the cobblestone road.

The cafe was predictably crowded when they arrived, but they lucked out, finding a table near the outskirts on the far side of the cafe. May Flower sat down at it and took off her saddlebags, placing them firmly behind her forelegs to deter Twilight from trying to snatch them back.

Twilight sat down opposite her. “So what is this about?”

May Flower leaned forward, placing her hooves upon the table. “You know, I very rarely hear ponies say no to me.” She inched forward until she was leaning across the table, a sultry smile on her face. “Even rarer do I find myself thinking about somepony for more than a day.”

Twilight gulped, her ears growing hot under May Flower’s stare. “M-m-me?” Twilight squeaked, her blush intensifying as May Flower slid around the table and sat next to her.

“Is that so hard to believe... Twilight Sparkle?” May Flower asked, whispering her name in her ear.

Twilight shivered as May Flower’s breath tickled her ear, and she felt May Flower trying to reach a hoof around her shoulder to draw her closer. “Stop!” Twilight’s shouted, drawing more than a few stares.

May Flower pulled her hooves away like they’d been burned. Shuffling a safe distance away from Twilight, she turned and flashed everyone a nervous smile, reverting to her more well-behaved self.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “What do you want?”

May Flower’s eyes turned up in a smile, and she tilted her head slightly. “I want you, and me, and I want us to do things that...” She stopped, looking around the cafe. “That shouldn’t be said in public.”

Twilight’s eyes quickly drifted up and down May Flower’s body, unable to help herself.

May Flower spotted her looking and smirked. “Here’s your shopping list,” she said, taking it out and leaving it on the table. Standing up, May Flowers turned to leave, but stopped to look back at her. “Oh, and, Twilight?”

“Y-yes?”

“I tend to get things that I want.”

Despite it being a warm summer day, Twilight shivered.

May Flower walked away, hips swaying, with a cute—but fake—smile on her lips.

Putting other thoughts aside, Twilight read her shopping list.

“A bag of flour, yeast, a ruby...” Her words died in her throat, reading the next line. “G-g-go to May’s apartment, b-bring lotion and cuffs!?” Twilight read aloud, face turning red as a rose. There was an address next to May Flower’s writing, ending in an elegantly drawn heart. Twilight stared after where she had gone. “When did she even have time to write that?”

Twilight was in the middle of the library common, reading a book and trying very hard not to think about Rarity.

Because when she thought about Rarity, her thoughts inevitably drifted to Carrot Top, Coral, and May Flower, along with the whole pandora’s box that came with those thoughts. Twilight groaned, sinking her chin into her hooves. Rarity had forgot to mention just how difficult dating was. Twilight shook the thoughts out of her head and turned to the next page of her book.

Twilight didn’t know how she felt about Carrot Top. She was sweet, kind, and adorable, and when they had kissed she felt something. It was a whole different feeling than when she was around Rarity.

She did feel some relief knowing that Rarity knew about Coral and didn’t like her back, but that left her wondering if Rarity knew how Twilight felt about her too.

Twilight paused on the word she was reading, her mind racing. There’s no way Rarity knows. If she did, she would tell me, right?

Silence answered her.

Twilight gulped, looking at the page and trying to remember where she’d left off. If Rarity knows, then what does tonight mean? The two of us, taking a break from dating, just a girl’s night out.

The more Twilight thought about it, the more it seemed like a possibility.

Twilight’s eyes drifted to the saddlebag she’d taken out earlier that was lying by the door. She stood and walked over to the saddlebag, pulling her shopping list from earlier out with her magic.

She read the address with a heart drawn next to it.

And that was how she came to be standing in front of May Flower’s house, waiting for the door to be answered.

She shuffled on her hooves, peering up at the tall, modernized building. It looked like a smaller version of the celebrity houses in Las Pegasus.

May Flower answered the door, her smile widening as she saw Twilight.

“Twilight! I didn’t expect to see you so soon!” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at her. “Come on in!”

Twilight bit her lip and stepped inside, May Flower closing the door behind her.

The living room was massive, and it had lush, beige carpeted floors upon which sat leather chairs and sofas centered around a wooden and glass coffee table. The whole room faced a wall made entirely of glass panels that let the sun pour in, giving the home a very open, outdoors feeling. The glass wall had a sliding door, which lead to an outdoor pool that had sun basking chairs around its edge.

“You... live here by yourself?” Twilight asked, her eyes lingering on the pool.

May Flower giggled. “Of course not! Me and Chalice split the costs.” She stepped out into the middle of the living room, Twilight following. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

Twilight nodded. “Do you have any apple juice?”

May Flower laughed, reaching out to touch Twilight’s cheek with her hoof. “You’re too precious.” She dropped her hoof, turning away. “Feel free to make yourself comfortable I’ll be right back.”

Twilight watched her go, a puzzled look on her face.

Shaking her head, she looked at the sofas, deciding to climb up on the long, red one, lying on her side and resting her head on the arm of it. Looking around the house, she rolled her eyes. Geez, how much do models even get paid? Every fixture and every piece of furniture looked as though it were hoofpicked by an interior designer.

Although, considering May Flower was in the fashion business, that wouldn’t come as a surprise.

“I forgot to ask if you wanted ice or not, but since it’s a hot day, I figured you probably would,” May Flower said as she walked into the room, balancing a tray with a pair of drinks.

“Oh, that’d be great!” Twilight replied, as May Flower slid the tray off her back onto the table.

Twilight floated one of the glasses over to herself, while May Flower took the edge of the glass in her teeth and carried it over to the couch Twilight was on. The glass was narrow, but widened near the top, where it had a lemon wedge saddled in its rim. Twilight lifted it to her lips and took a sip. A strong, tangy taste filled her mouth. It was something familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her tongue on it.

“Does this have ginseng in it?” she asked, trying to remember where she recognized it from.

May Flower burst out laughing and wiped a mirthful tear from the corner of her eye. “It’s an apple cocktail.”

“Cocktail?” Twilight stared down at her drink. “As in... alcohol?”

May Flower just shook her head with an amused smile.

Twilight checked the clock. “But it’s only three in the afternoon!”

“I don’t have apple juice,” May Flower said through a smile.

Twilight looked down at her drink. “You could have just said so...” she mumbled, but hesitantly lifted the glass to her lips, taking another sip anyways.

May Flower’s eyes sparkled. “So when do you want to get to it?”

Twilight blinked. “Huh?”

“My room is just upstairs, but if you want, Chalice won’t be back for another hour at least, and if we’re still going by then, she can just join.”

Twilight’s face burned with embarrassment, heat rising behind her ears. “T-t-that’s not what I came here for at all!”

“Oh.” Instead of the look of disappointment Twilight expected to see on her face, May was smiling. “And here I was thinking it had been too easy. Then again, I think it might have been a bit disappointing if it were that easy.” She took a small sip from her cocktail looking up at her with two curious, cameo pink eyes. “So why are you here?”

Twilight looked uncertainly down at her drink. “I guess... I guess I’m just wondering why?”

“Hmm?” May Flower raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head back and took another sip of her drink.

“I mean, you’re a model! And look at this place!” Twilight said, pointing around. “Why me?”

Finishing her drink, May Flower placed her glass on the table and shifted closer to Twilight.

Twilight backed up, her rump hitting the arm of the couch. May Flower closed in on her with a sultry smile, a red tint from her drink painting her cheeks.

“Twilight Sparkle, ward and student of Princess Celestia,” May said, her eyes wandering up and down Twilight’s body. “And cute too. What’s not to like?”

Twilight sweated nervously. “I, uh, really think I should be going now!” she said, swallowing as May Flower drew closer, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. “Thank you for your time and everything, but I really think—”

Twilight was cut off by May Flower’s lips crashing into hers. Stiff with shock, Twilight simply sat there, and May Flower’s tongue took Twilight’s momentary lapse as opportunity to slip inside her mouth. Whereas kissing Carrot Top had been sweet and pure, May Flower’s lips burned with passion and desire for her. It made her feel weak in the knees.

She actually felt a small pang of disappointment as May Flower pulled away.

“I was right,” May Flower said, closing her eyes and touching a hoof to her lips. “It feels so much better to have to work for it.”

Twilight sputtered, “Y-y-you didn’t work for anything! You kissed me without my permission!”

May Flower giggled, a pure, angelic smile gracing her lips once more. “You didn’t seem so averse while it was happening.”

“I was surprised!”

“I felt you kissing back towards the end.”

“I was shocked!”

“I recall your tongue being in my mouth almost as much as mine was in yours.”

“Was not!” Twilight shouted, crossing her hooves in front of her chest, and watching May Flower with a bright red blush from her end of the couch.

May Flower looked at her with a predatory stare that frightened, yet excited Twilight. “I thought you said you were leaving, but if you want to go a little further and have a little fun, my room is—”

Twilight stood to leave.

May Flower chuckled, standing up as well. “Visit anytime.”

“I won’t,” Twilight spat, turning and heading out the door.

Twilight lay on her back in bed with her hooves spread out to her sides, and stared at the ceiling, each grain and knot of the roof having been burned into her mind from lying there.

“I tend to get things that I want.”

The memory sent a shiver down her spine.

Her reminiscing was broken by a knock at her front door. Her eyes widened, a light bulb turning on in her head, as she remembered her date that night with Rarity.

Although, it wasn’t really a date.

Twilight got off her bed and stood, walking to answer the door. When she opened it she was greeted by Rarity smiling brightly at her.

“Ready to go?” Rarity asked.

Twilight looked down at herself. She looked slightly plain, but that was exactly what she wanted at the moment. “Yes.”

“Excellent!” Rarity replied, turning and walking away.

Twilight followed after a moment’s hesitation. “So where are we going?”

“I know this isn’t supposed to be a for picking up other mares, but I thought we’d go to Salt Around the Rim.” Rarity paused inconspicuously. “Their drinks were quite good.”

Twilight shook her head, smiling. “You’re just hoping somepony tries hitting on me.”

Rarity cracked a grin. “Well would that be such a bad thing?”

Twilight hung her head and sighed. “No, I guess not,” she replied, following Rarity down the road.

Her eyes drifted to the mare she was with, who was trotting down the road with a small, carefree smile. Whenever Twilight thought she was beginning to understand her, it seemed as though Rarity would do something just to prove her wrong.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts.

“Excuse me?”

“I asked if you were alright,” Rarity said, giving her a worried look. “You seemed like you had your mind elsewhere.”

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” Twilight said, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind. “I’ve just had a lot to think about lately, that’s all.”

“Well,” Rarity said, tossing a hoof around her shoulders. “I won’t be having any of that tonight! Tonight we’re going to have fun, and you’re going to have a reprieve from all that thinking you do all the time!”

Twilight felt a smile tug at her lips as The Salt Around the Rim came into view.

Rarity pointed at the bar. “And what better way to do that than to go drinking?”

Twilight lifted a hoof to her mouth to stifle her giggles as they approached the bar. Muffled club music blared through the doors as they approached.

“Ladies first,” Rarity said as she pushed open the door, and they walked through it together.

The music blasted in Twilight’s eardrums, pushing any worried thoughts out of her head as she and Rarity made their way to the bar.

“I’ll have a martini!” Rarity shouted as she sat at the bar, turning to Twilight.

Twilight cleared her throat. “I’ll have an apple cocktail!” she shouted, surprised at how quiet her voice came out.

As the pale yellow mare with a green mane behind the counter walked over to make their drinks, Rarity turned to her. “Why the change in drink?”

Twilight blushed, trying not to think of May Flower. “I just wanted to try something different.” She stole a look at Rarity out of the corner of her eye. “Don’t you ever want to try something different?”

“I suppose, but I’ve always liked to stick to one thing at a time.”

“What about experimenting?” Twilight asked, her hooves fidgeting as she looked over at her. “I mean, finding out new things can be... interesting.”

“I like experimenting sometimes, but usually I have to be convinced,” Rarity said, her eyes wandering over to the ponies on the dance floor as Twilight went back to nervously staring at the bar counter.

Twilight wasn’t sure if they were still talking about alcohol anymore.

Their drinks arrived in two martini saucers, and the apple cocktail Twilight ordered was sour green with cinnamon around its rim, while Rarity’s drink was clear, aside from the twist of lemon peel that sat at the bottom of it. The mare behind the bar sat down after placing their drinks, looking at the two of them with wide smile that showed a pair of dimples in her cheeks.

“I remember you two,” she said, and pointed at Twilight. “Last time you were here you were blushing all night, right?”

As if to validate her claim, Twilight felt her cheeks begin to burn. “Yes, I guess I was,” she said with a small chuckle.

“Name’s Joy,” the barmare said, reaching a light yellow hoof over the counter.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said, shaking her hoof.

“Hah!” Joy smirked. “So you’re the one May has her eyes on.”

Rarity poked her nose forward, blinking. “Pardon?”

Joy took a white towel draped around her shoulders and began drying out glasses as she spoke. “She was in here the other night, talking about you.”

Twilight chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. “How strange...”

“After today, I was planning to again,” a voice from behind them said.

Twilight whipped around in her seat, spotting May Flower walking toward her with her eyes upturned in a smile.

“Can I buy you a drink?” May Flower asked, stopping in front of Twilight.

“No thank you. I already have one,” Twilight said, glancing at Rarity out of the corner of her eye.

May Flower looked between them, her lips forming a small circle as realization dawned on her. “In that case, I’ll leave you two alone tonight.” She turned, looking back over her shoulder at Twilight. “Let your friend know that the invitation extends to her too, if she’s interested.”

Twilight watched May Flower waltz away, most likely looking for some other source of fun.

Rarity turned back to her drink. “What did she mean ‘I’ll leave you two alone tonight’? I swear, everypony’s seems to jump to conclusions about us for some reason.”

Twilight let out a shaky laugh, taking a large sip of her drink. “Yeah...”

She really couldn’t tell if Rarity knew and was playing it up, or if she was truly oblivious to it.

Rarity glanced at the ponies dancing over by the music, and turned to Twilight with a grin. “Care to put that dancing lesson to use?”

“Huh?” Twilight glanced over at the dance floor, a sense of dread filling her. “But you only gave me one lesson!”

Rarity took a large swig of her martini and stood, offering her hoof out to Twilight. “C’mon, it’ll be fine!”

Twilight bit her lip, looking over at the small crowd of mares dancing and rubbing up against each other. She pictured her and Rarity doing that, and the thought quickly blew her apprehensions aside. She downed the rest of her apple cocktail in two large gulps, pinching her snout as the alcohol hit her all at once.

“Alright,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Rarity beamed, dragging her away from the bar and over to the dance floor.

The music was deafening, and the bass from the speakers shook the floor. Twilight turned to Rarity. Neon colors played off her white coat, making her body flash red, blue, and green.

Wordlessly, they began to dance.

Twilight closed her eyes and felt herself falling in rhythm with the beat, just like the last time. Only unlike last time, she remembered what she had learned from her lesson, and changed her hoofsteps accordingly. She opened her eyes, half expecting everypony to be looking at her with pained expressions, but instead, nopony was watching her. Nopony except Rarity, who was dancing along with her with a carefree smile.

Twilight felt an equally wide smile split her lips, and continued to dance her heart out next to Rarity. The song changed several times, and her dance with it. Although no pony was looking at her anymore, a few were looking at Rarity. She carried herself with the same grace and elegance when dancing as she always did, moving in perfect harmony with the song as the strobe lights danced off her coat.

The next song had a slower tempo, and Twilight looked around to see ponies dance around the room as they held each other, some in more modest ways than others.

Rarity sauntered up to her with a playful twinkle in her eye.

Twilight gulped, heat rising to her face. “I never learned how to dance like this!” she shouted over the music.

“I’ll teach you!” Rarity simply answered, walking forward until the front of their chests were pushed against one another.

Twilight looked down at Rarity’s hooves, taking a step back as Rarity took a step forward, and following the push and pull of the other mare’s chest. Twilight fell into a trance, watching her, and mirroring her actions as she did them. They stepped back, turning and walking past one another until they stood shoulder to rump. Twilight spun back around to face Rarity, and saw her do the same.

Rarity grinned at her. “I think you’re getting the hang of it!”

A humble blush painted Twilight’s cheeks, as she stepped forward and met Rarity, pressing the front of their chests against each other once more. They strafed and spun, Twilight watching her hooves and Rarity’s almost the entire time, as the song wore on.

Finishing with one last harsh tug on the violin strings, the song ended. Rarity and Twilight stood facing each other, panting slightly.

The club music blared up again.

“Would you like to go back to the bar?” Twilight asked.

Rarity fell in step beside her. “Yes, I think I ought to check if some filly has stolen my drink while I was gone.”

The music grew quieter as they walked back to the bar, both sweating and panting lightly.

Rarity took a seat in front of her half-full martini glass. “Ah, good, it’s still here.” She lifted the drink to her muzzle and downed what was left, eating the olive off its skewer afterwards.

“That was really fun,” Twilight said, sitting down beside her. “I’m glad you taught me how to dance.”

“Yes, well I’m glad I had you to dance with,” Rarity replied with a smirk.

Joy walked up to them, a damp white rag slung over her shoulders. “Anything else for you, girls?”

“I’ll have another apple cocktail,” Twilight said.

“And I’ll have one as well,” Rarity chimed in.

Twilight turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t like experimenting?”

“Let’s just say I’m convinced,” Rarity said, looking at Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “For now.”

Twilight looked at her carefully, chewing her lip. Rarity’s coat glistened with a light sheen of sweat, the fluorescent lights of the club making her coat shimmer like silver, and making the gems on her cutie mark look like real diamonds.

Joy came back, setting two apple cocktails in front of them.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, raising her glass to her lips.

Joy smiled and nodded, before leaving to attend to a pair of orange mares at the other end of the bar.

Twilight turned to see Rarity set her drink down, licking her lips with a thoughtful expression.

“This is quite good actually,” she said, eyeing the sour green liquid. “It reminds me a bit of Applejack’s baking.” She lifted the glass back to her lips, taking another sip and setting it down with a refreshed sigh. “The cinnamon is a nice touch, too.”

“The apples it’s made with probably come from Sweet Apple Acres,” Twilight said, taking a sip of her own drink.

“I suppose that would explain it, wouldn’t it?” Rarity said, setting her muzzle down on the bar counter and gazing up at the wall over the bar. “We should go somewhere.”

Twilight looked at her. “Huh?”

“We should go someplace quiet after this. Just the two of us. We could go for a walk down by the lake.”

Twilight felt her voice beginning to go hoarse from all the yelling. “That sounds like a great idea.”

Rarity lifted her drink to her muzzle, finishing the second half in one go. She placed it down on the counter along with a few bits, and turned to Twilight. “Shall we go now, then?”

“Sure,” Twilight said, downing her drink with the same gusto as her friend before turning back to her.

Rarity stood and walked away from the bar, Twilight following behind her as she wove her way past other mares to the door.

They stepped outside into the warm midsummer eve, the music fading to muffled rumbling as the door swung shut behind them. The fresh air was a breath of relief from the hot, musty atmosphere in the club. Twilight glanced over at Rarity, seeing the other mare smile at her.

“Shall we go?” Rarity asked.

Twilight nodded, turning and walking with Rarity down the road, a halo of dusk at their backs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gone swimming this late before,” Twilight said. “Is the water cold?”

“Not cold, no,” Rarity said, looking up at the sky. “The water’s just a bit more... crisp.”

Twilight bit her lip, glancing up anxiously at Rarity before her next question. “So considering you’ve been trying to get me a date, how come you don’t have anypony?”

Rarity flinched in her step, and even in the dim light, Twilight saw a brief flash of pain in her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry,” Twilight stuttered, as she came to a stop. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “No, no, it’s quite alright.” She resumed walking. “Honestly, maybe I just need to get over myself. I’ve been waiting all this time for someone perfect, expecting them to just come along one day and sweep me off my hooves.” Rarity stifled a giggle. “I suppose it’s all part of some childish notion that I never got rid of.”

Twilight looked down, watching her hooves as she walked. “I think before this I was the same way. I just expected it to happen on it’s own eventually, but after these past couple of days, I’m starting to see that it’s something you have to go out and look for yourself.”

Rarity let out a loud sigh. “As much as I pretend otherwise, even I haven’t had very much success with dating. I seem to be able to draw eyes, but never keep them interested for long.”

How could somepony ever get tired of looking at her? Twilight thought, glancing at the other mare out of the corner of her eyes.

“It’s all too complicated. I wish it were simpler,” Rarity said.

“Maybe it’s not as complicated as you think.”

Rarity shook her head, smiling. “I like being around you, Twilight. You always seem to say the right things to put me in a good mood.”

Twilight stopped, her hoof hitting sand. She looked up, and made her horn glow bright pink, lighting the area around them to reveal a shore just a short distance away from where they stood.

Rarity turned and gave her a silly half-drunk grin. “Last one in’s a rusty horseshoe!” She turned, kicking sand in the air as she sprinted to the water’s edge.

Twilight closed her eyes and shielded her face as some of the sand kicked up in her face. “Hey, wait! That’s cheating! You have to do a countdown!” she shouted with a smile, chasing after Rarity.

Up ahead, Rarity’s hoofsteps became accompanied by splashing as she ran through the shallows, her hooves sloshing slowly as she went deeper into the water. By the time Twilight put her first hoof in the water, Rarity was up to her shoulders with only a small part of her back still poking out of the water.

Twilight stopped, taking her hoof out of the water and whining, “It’s cold!”

“Don’t be silly! It’s the middle of summer!”

Twilight waded in slowly, first a quarter of the way up to her knees, then half, then—

“Oh come on!” Rarity shouted, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just being careful!” Twilight shouted back, inching further into the lake. “Don’t rush me!”

“You’re going to get wet sooner or later, you might as well get it over with.”

Twilight chewed her lip and closed her eyes. She gritted her teeth as she began taking larger steps into the water, walking out until she was at as deep a part of it as Rarity. She opened her eyes to see Rarity smiling at her.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

“I-it’s c-c-cold,” Twilight chattered, shaking beneath the water.

“Well, I feel plenty warm. Maybe I should stand next to you.” Rarity walked over to Twilight, pressing her side up against her. “Better?” Rarity asked, turning to look at her.

Twilight turned pink. “Y-yes.” She didn’t know if it was because she was getting used to the water, or if it was because of Rarity, but her legs stopped shaking. “Do you go swimming often?” Twilight asked lamely.

“Once in a while.”

Rarity closed her eyes and her horn began to glow bright white like a pearl. She left Twilight’s side, wading further out into until she was swimming.

Twilight swam out to meet her. “Um...”

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to say these past few days have been really fun.” Twilight swam up closer to Rarity, until their horns were almost touching. “I know you must be busy.”

“Don’t worry, dear. It was my pleasure.” Rarity’s smile soured. “And as for the shop, I haven’t been all that busy.”

“O-oh, that’s g-good.”

“Twilight, dear, you’re shivering!” Rarity swam to her side, pointing her towards shore. “Let’s go get dried off.”

Twilight nodded, swimming after Rarity to the shore. Water dripped from their manes and coats as they walked out onto land, the sand clinging to their hooves.

“S-sorry,” Twilight said, water dripping from her muzzle. “I’m used to the mountain lakes in C-C-Canterlot.”

“Ah, yes, all those hot springs.” Rarity tossed part of her mane out of her face. The weight of the water had made her mane straight and curvy, giving Rarity an exotic look. “Feeling any warmer?”

A gentle breeze went by, but to Twilight it felt like a blizzard’s wind against her wet coat. “N-no.”

Rarity sighed. “I guess it can’t be helped.” She lay down on the sand with her legs curled beneath her. “Come, lay down.”

Twilight bit her lip, walking over to the other mare and standing frozen there, for a moment. She closed her eyes and lay down next to her. Her coat was wet, but it radiated heat.

“I hate getting sand in my coat.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault, dear.”

The sand became warm the longer they lay there, and Twilight began to feel the chill leave her. She glanced at Rarity out of the corner of her eyes. “Have you...”

“Hm?”

Twilight blushed and looked down at the sand. “Have you noticed anything different about me lately?”

“Of course,” Rarity said, smiling down at her. “You’ve grown much more confident than when we first started.”

Twilight sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?”

Twilight looked up at her, and from the look in Rarity’s eyes she knew for certain the other mare hadn’t clued in on her feelings yet. It was so tempting, right then, to just tell her everything.

But her mouth felt numb.

“Nevermind, I’m just being silly,” she said, smiling and trying to shrug off the concerned look Rarity was giving her. Twilight stood first, caked bits of sand falling off her as she looked down at Rarity and gave her a nod. “I think I’m feeling better now.”

Rarity gave her one last worried glance, before she stood, wincing as she looked at the sand clinging to her coat. “Oh, I’m going to have to have a shower once I’m home.”

Twilight looked at her own coat, seeing a lot of sand still clinging to her hairs. “I think I’ll have to have one too.”

“Oh, well,” Rarity said, “it was fun.”

Twilight felt a smile tug at her lips. “Yes, it was.”

Rarity looked back at the water. “You know...”

“Hm?”

“I think I’d like to try sex on the beach.”

Twilight turned bright red. “I-ba-wha?”

“Next time we’re at The Salt Around the Rim. I bet they mix a good one.”

“Oh.” Twilight laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head with a sand-stained hoof. “Right. The drink.” She looked at Rarity from a sidelong glance. “So would you like to go again tomorrow night?”

Rarity smiled. “Sounds lovely,” she said with a sweet and polite voice. “It’s quite late. I suppose it’s time for the two of us to head home.”

The two of them walked up from the beach back onto hard land.

Rarity turned to look at her, her eyes smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said, waving as she began to walk away.

Twilight didn’t turn to leave quite yet, instead sticking around to watch Rarity walk away. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a wistful sigh. “It’s a date.”