>After the incident involving your involuntary transformation into an Alicorn, it had taken a few days until things fell back into a sense of what you'd call normalcy.
>Twilight resumed your lessons, and you would write down notes, perform the occasional spell, and Twilight would write a report on your progress and send it to Princess Celestia, along with the occasional friendship report.
>Things were normal...
>... predictable...
>... and monotonous.
>Not that Twilight minded, but you on the other hand...
>You were itching for something to do other than read up on the practical applications of a muck removal spell in every day situations, or performing the same spell over and over and over...
>You had to say something. If you didn't you'd probably end up tearing your hair out.
"Hey Twi?"
>She looks up at you from a book on... Interspecies relationships? Dafuq?
>You don't even have time to question why she was reading it before she speaks.
>"Yes, Anon? What is it?"
"Well, uh..."
>Crap, how were you going to say this without it sounding awkward?"
>Twilight staring at you like she's LOOKING RIGHT INTO YOUR SOUL didn't help.
>Damn, you could get lost in those eyes way too easily.
>"Anon?"
"Oh! Uh... Well... I was thinking... We've both been working hard these past few weeks, haven't we?"
>"Mhmm..."
"Well, I was thinking..."
>"Yes?"
>She was leaning towards you, her eyes like dinner plates. Damn, she must have trouble with the concept of personal space.
>FOCUS, MAN. FOCUS.
>Right, sorry brain.
"Maybe you and I could... do something together?"
>"Y-You mean, like a... date or something?"
>You blink. She blinks.
"Uh... Yeah, I guess so."
 
>Crap, she isn't saying anything. You dun go--
>"I'd LOVE to!"
>Wait, what?
"Really?"
>"Well, yeah! I enjoy teaching, but, I mean.... I want to do more than that with you, you know? Get out, enjoy the sunshine, with YOU. Lessons can wait. The library can wait."
>You blink. Twilight Sparkle, of all mares... was blowing off work... to be with YOU?
>"... Just for a few hours. Somepony might want to check out a book, after all."
>THERE was the Twilight you knew. You smile and nod.
"Right then. Where do you want to go first?"
>"Well..."
"NOT the cafe."
>"Spoilsport."
>You respond by simply sticking your tongue out at her, which causes her to smirk.
>"Fine, if not there, then why don't we go to the new pizza parlor by the local joke shop?"
>Your ears perk up and your eyes go wide at the mention of the word "pizza". When you heard "joke shop", it took every ounce of willpower you had not to take off running then and there.
"Sounds great, Twi. Let's go!"
>When the both of you had arrived, you could barely resist the urge to drop to your knees and cry at the sight of it.
>There, right in front of you, was an honest to god pizza parlor.
>"Anon, you okay?"
"Y-Yeah... m'fine. Let's go and grab a seat."
>The moment the two of you stepped inside, your nostrils were greeted by the smell of freshly baked pizza, the warmth of a brick oven, and the inviting red and white of the checkered tablecloths that adorned each table.
>Okay, NOW you were crying.
 
>Not that Twilight noticed, anyway. She seemed kind of anxious, really. Maybe she was really hungry?
>Once you found a booth, the two of you sat down, and opened the menus placed on the table.
>Your face fell upon reading the choices they offered. In some way, you had expected this, but the all vegetarian menu was disheartening, to say the least. They offered anchovies as a topping, for whatever reason, but you weren't THAT desperate for some meat.
>Eventually, the two of you decided on a plain ol' cheese pizza for the both of you to share.
>Of course, now you had to WAIT.
>You never did like to wait for your food, and the rich aroma of pizza sauce and melting mozzarella cheese certainly didn't help.
>Twilight seemed to share your sentiments, if the hoof tapping away on the table was of any indication. When you tried to look at her, though... It was like she was purposely avoiding your gaze or something.
>You had to say something. Twilight was acting strange. That was never a good sign.
"Twi? You alright?"
>That certainly seemed to catch her attention.
>"Huh? Yeah? What is it?"
"You okay? You've been acting kinda... funny. Not funny 'ha ha', but funny 'weird'. Is something up?"
>Twilight blinked, then started to laugh. Not the kind of giggle that she made whenever she found something funny, but a rather forced... unnatural sort of laugh.
>"Funny? Me? Ha ha ha, NOPE! Nothing's 'up' over here, Anonymous, except maybe the ceiling. HA! See that? I'm being funny! Certainly not being nervous or nothing. No siree!"
>And you thought YOU had a problem with a twitchy eye...
"Twilight... are you nervous? Is everything okay?"
 
>"Who me? Nervous? Why would you ever think that, Anon? HA! Ha ha... ha..."
>You don't buy it, not one bit. Twilight seems to have noticed that as well, and stopped with the creepy forced laughter.
>"Okay... I guess I AM nervous... like, really nervous. I-I've never been on a date before. I just want things to go right, you know?"
"Twilight..."
>You reach across the table, brushing aside her bangs.
"Don't worry about it, okay? The more you worry about messing up, the more likely it is to happen. If you find yourself worrying, just take a deep breath, and say these magic words..."
>Twilight leans forward, the word "magic" having caught her attention.
"'Whatever will be, will be.' It means to take things in stride, whatever might happen."
>Twilight blinks, and takes a deep breath, like you had said.
>"Whatever will be, will be."
>She sighs, and looks at you, a small smile on her face.
>"Thanks Anon... I feel a lot better."
"Glad I could help, Twi."
>Before anything else could be said, a unicorn waiter trots to your table, your pizza held in their telekinetic grip, and a warm smile on his mustachioed face. Looking to the both of you, he speaks in a jovial, rather Italian accent.
>"One cheese-a pizza for da love-el-ly couple, ya?"
>You nod, while Twilight's cheeks turn crimson in hue. The waiter sets the pizza down, steam rising from the warm pie's surface. You could barely keep yourself from drooling; it looked that good.
>"Enjoy!"
>Oh, you fucking planned on it.
 
>You had to admit, these ponies could make a delicious cheese pizza. The quality almost made up for the lack of pepperoni.
>Almost.
>The two of you finish two slices each, and pay the bill before getting a to-go box. Spike would surely appreciate the culinary wonder that is the pizza pie.
>Stepping outside, you see that the sun has lowered quite a bit since the two of you went inside. Had it really been that long?
>"So, Anon... What do you want to do now?"
>You rub your chin, deep in thought. You had wanted to check out the joke shop, but considering how late it was getting, they might not even be open. Instead, the two of you opt for a stroll through Ponnyville Park.
>The two of you pass by Lyra and Bon Bon, the former of the two just... staring at you, or rather, your hands. It was mildly creepy.
>Eventually the two of you found a bench that sat in front of a small pond, where a group of ducks swam about, watching as the sun set beyond the mountains that loomed over the Everfree Forest.
>You blink as you feel something prod your hand. You smile, realizing just what that something was, and you take Twilight's hoof in your grip.
>You fight down a blush as you feel Twilight's head on your shoulder. You look at her, and she had the sweetest damn smile you've ever seen on that mare.
>"I had fun today, Anon... Thanks."
"Yeah... Me too."
>This moment right here... This was what your parents had talked with you about. The feeling you had in your chest when you were with her, how her smile just managed to brighten up your whole day... You loved her. And she loved you.
 
>As the two of you watch the sun disappear behind the mountains, you stand up, a hand extended towards Twilight.
"Shall we head home? I'm sure Spike must be worried sick."
>She nods, and takes your hand as she slides off of the bench.
>As the two of you walk along, watching as the moon rose into the night sky, your ears pick up the sound of jingling bells. Twilight must have heard it too, because she was looking around her, eyes wide.
>"Ho ho ho... such a lovely young couple... It warms my ol' heart to see such love between a pony and a human..."
>You blink. How did they know what you were?
"What the... How do you know what I am? Where are you?"
>"Oh calm down, sunny boy... and look right in front of you."
>You do so, and to yours, and Twilight's surprise, you come face to face with a rather old looking Unicorn stallion, with a beard on par with Gandalf the Grey's, and wearing a cloak that obscured much of his face, save for his snout.
"What... But... How did--"
>"It's magic m'boy. you jus' can't explain it."
>Well you couldn't argue with that logic.
>Twilight steps forward, eyeing the stranger curiously.
>"Who ARE you? What do you want?"
>The old stallion simply chuckles, and flashes a nearly toothless smile.
>"Oh, I'm just an old wandering merchant, wandering down the path of life, selling my wares to whoever might want them..."
>Now normally, this would have screamed all kinds of WRONG to you, but A) You were tired, and B) This guy looked to be as old as Granny Smith. What harm could he do?
>You shrug, and look down at him.
"Well then... Whaddya got, old timer?"
 
>The old stallion flashes his semi-toothless smile once more, and produces a rather small looking bag.
>"Now lessee here... What DO I got? Ohh... This thing can be so annoying sometimes... So much stuff in here, i never know what I'll get out of it..."
>You and Twilight gape as you watch the stallion plunge a hoof into the bag, his arm practically being swallowed by it, even though the bag never stretched or expanded in any noticeable way.
>"Hmm... Nope... Nuh-uh... Not this either... Ah! Here we go... How about these?"
>The old stallion smiles as he produces a pair of very old looking bronze necklaces, with decent sized gems cut in the shape of Rarity's cutie mark hanging freely from them.
>Twilight's completely captivated by these necklaces. You smile, pulling out a bag of bits. you had a feeling that this would take a good bite out of the allowance Celestia granted you every week.
"How much?"
>The unicorn stallion looks from the necklaces, then to you, then to Twiliight, and back to the necklaces.
>"For you? Ten bits for the both of them."
>You nearly fell on your face at the outrageously cheap price for both of the necklaces. Was this old stallion insane in the membrane?
>Twilight steps forward, eyes darting between him and the necklaces.
>"Are y-you sure? Isn't that kind of cheap?"
>"Oh pshaw... For such a lovely couple? It's totally worth th' price." He makes a rather dramatic gesture, that mildly creepy smile still on his face.
"What ARE these anyway?"
 
>The stallion breaks out into an even wider grin, this time laughing like the Joker if he was about one hundred and four.
>"I'm glad you asked that sonny... Y'see, these two necklaces are called the 'Lover's Lodestones'. These puppies'll let'cha be with yer special somepony, no matter where they are, no matter th' distance. All you need is just a little bit of magic, and you can speak with yer special somepony, so the two o' you will never be lonely."
>You look to Twilight, whose face said "DO WANT", despite the deathly silence.
>You sigh, and pull out ten bits.
"Alright, you've got yourself a sale."
>"Glad ta hear it, sonny boy."
>The stallion takes the bits, and magics the two necklaces around yours and Twilight's necks.
>"Go ahead and try 'em out."
>You nod, and hold up the necklace with your left hand, feeding abit of your magic into it, causing both yours and Twilight's necklaces to emit a soft blue glow.
>Blushing you hold the gem to your mouth, and speak.
"Testing, one two three... testing."
>You blink. It was pretty cool to hear your voice in stereo. Twilight giggled, and levitated hers up to do the same.
>"Uh... Is this thing on? Ack! Oh... heh heh heh... Wow..."
>D'aww, the cuteness has been DOUBLED!
"Well thanks mister..."
>You blink. Where WAS that old stallion? He was here a second ago...
>"Mister Merchant?"
>No answer.
>The both of you shrug, and continue your moonlit stroll to the library, your new necklaces hanging freely from their resting places.
 
>As the two of you walk along, the wind picks up a bit, preventing you and Twilight from hearing the jingling of bells in the breeze, which would have let you see an old, bearded Unicorn in a star spangled set of robes, bells adorning the hem of his robes and the brim of his wizardly hat.
>"Hee hee hee... Quite th' couple indeed... Good luck t'you Anonymous... and t'you too, Twilight Sparkle."
>With a howl of the wind and a flurry of leaves, the spectre disappears just as mysteriously as he had appeared.
>Later that morning, a certain rainbow-maned mare would come across a ten bit coin, and spend it all trying, and failing, to get that one Daring Do plushie in that Celestia-forsaken crane game at the Ponyville Arcade.