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The best laid plans of Mares and Stallions [ATTN:Bellosh101]


Blueblood

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It seemed such a simple thing when they'd talked it over in Ponyville. As soon as Sugar Apple had been decommissioned from the hospital and caught up with any work backlog, she could come and visit Earth Writer in Canterlot that weekend. They'd even fixed a spot to go to, a pastry shop where one of her cousins worked. As first dates go, the setup was a simple business.

[colour=#8b4513]*That really should have been my first clue. No plan survives first contact with, well, reality.* [/colour]Earth Writer thought as he paced up and down the train station platform, as nervous a stallion as ever waited for a date to arrive. The first problem, he supposed, was that they hadn't fixed a set day, not that they could have, given all the contingencies that could have come up. But when the letter had finally come from Cloudsdale that the pegasus mare would be coming down that weekend, guess what day that fell on?

That's right, Hearts and Hooves day. It just had to, didn't it? The very day set up to celebrate the idea of finding one's "special somepony," and generally accumulating traditions dedicated to celebrating each other. This would mark the first year that the unicorn would have anything close to a marefriend on that day, and the stress was starting to get to him. What was he expected to do? The notion of just having a simple get-together just didn't seem to wash with the whole holiday. On the other hand, Sugar Apple didn't seem to be the sort that would stand on ceremony, unlike most of the ponies who lived in this city. But then, he really hadn't known her for long enough to say for certain what her expectations would be.

[colour=#8b4513]*Flowers, flowers should work. They look pretty, make a nice snack, fit in very well with the whole atmosphere. No mare was ever upset to receive them... right?* [/colour]The bouquet he'd gotten, at the usurious price determined by the timing of his purchase, was held steady in the glow of his magic, but gripped tight.

The ironic thing was, one of the things which had attracted Earth Writer to Sugar had been the way in which he felt at ease around her. She just had a way about her, perhaps the gentile, yet down-to-earth country manner in which she carried herself, that could allow the unicorn to let go of his tension. The corollary of this, however, was that on his own, the stress now had a free hand to make him freak out slightly.

Still, as the train pulled in, he could let himself relax just a little bit. [colour=#8b4513]*This is Sugar Apple we're talking about. It's not as if she doesn't like you. She agreed to the date, you can relax. Everything's going to be just fine...*[/colour]

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Riding on the train towards Canterlot, Sugar Apple was very very excited. And no, it wasn’t because she munched on too many of her hoofmade frosting-coated sugar apples... well okay, that was a very big reason for being in an overexcited state. More importantly though, today was the day the pegasus made would finally get to go on a date with the unicorn reporter Earth Writer. EARTH WRITER!

Up until today, the two had only really encountered each other twice; once at the last Running of the Leaves, and the other in the hospital recovering from the former event. Obviously, two encounters were all it took for Earth Writer to leave a favorable impression on Sugar Apple... and to a certain extent, Sugar’s cousin Greenshot Apple too. Sensing in Mr. Writer the demeanor of a true gentlecolt along with their shared passion of traveling places, the pegasus also had to thank him for getting her mind off her grim reflections of how things could have been worse at the Running... although Greenshot had a big role to play in that as well.

For you see, it was cousin Greenshot who took the liberty of planting in the fledgling couple’s minds the idea of going out on a date at Sweet Blintze's. How could Sugar Apple refuse that; a chance to spend time with a stallion she liked at her aunt and cousin’s restaurant? Once she got checked out from the hospital and got her affairs back in order, one of the first things she did was to schedule the time and day of their date.

Seeing that Hearts & Hooves Day was just around the corner, Sugar Apple thought that day was an obvious one to schedule her date for. To ensure that she would look extra-lovely for the special occasion, she decided to get a spa treatment in Ponyville first before heading to Ponyville via the Friendship Express. Not only would her coat end up shiner than usual, but the train ride would make sure that her coat and mane wouldn’t end up mangled by the act of flying.

As a final planned treat for Earth Writer, Sugar Apple resolved to finally give him a batch of her namesake pink-coloured confectioneries. What the mare did not count on however was that in her euphoric state, she’d munch on half of her sugar apple box while waiting for the train to arrive. By the time the Friendship Express arrived at its destination, the pegasus had become quite hyper indeed.

In this state, Sugar Apple was the first to push and shove her way off the train once the doors opened up. Swiftly scanning the train platform, it took no effort at all to find her date waiting nearby. [colour=#800080]“EARTH WRITER!” [/colour]she cried out, swiftly flying towards his direction; [colour=#800080]“Great seein’ ya’ again, hun! Why, ya’ look really handsome today; ain't this goin' t'be excitin'? Oh, since today’s H&H day, ah brought ya’ some of mah sugar apples, but ah kinda ate half of them. Still, here they are!”[/colour] Fetching her heart-covered candy box, the perky Sugar hoofed her sugar apples over to the stallion;[colour=#800080] “Happy Hearts & Hooves Dayyyyyyy!!!”[/colour]

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If Earth Writer had to sum up his expectations for what his reunion with Sugar Apple would be like, it would be extremely unlikely that it would have involved the word 'hyperactive.' Once he saw her barrel out of the train doors at the head of the crowd, he felt as if he were about to be bowled over in her excitement. She stopped just short of tackling him, but it did catch him off-guard, to say the least.

"[colour=#996600]Oh, ah, right! Thank you![/colour]" The stallion bobbled a bit as he tried to get a hold of the proffered candy without losing control of the bouquet. "[colour=#8b4513]I, uh brought you these.[/colour]" He held out the roses to her, hoping he didn't sound too foolish, and intensely aware of the eyes of the crowd now gathering on the platform. He could have sworn that he heard a few "awwws" from the impromptu audience.

[colour=#8b4513]*Well, might as well give them a show.* [/colour]As before, he went in to plant a kiss on the pegasus mare's face, only a sudden movement caused him to miss. He stumbled forward a bit, an embarrassed grin plastered on his face with a blush. "[colour=#8b4513]Happy hearts and Hooves day.[/colour]"

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Even though Earth Writer grappled with nervousness, Sugar Apple didn’t have the faintest clue of it as she was too busy fawning over the rose bouquet. [colour=#800080]“Aww, these roses smell absolutely wonderful hun!”[/colour] exclaimed the pegasus as she exchanged her sugar apples for the flowers; [colour=#800080]“An’ ah bet they’ll taste real delicious too!”[/colour] Biting off the petals of one flower, Sugar shut her eyes in bliss as she savored the taste of the rose;[colour=#800080] “Eeeyup, ah was right. Good thinkin’, Earth!”[/colour]

Sugar Apple opened her eyes just quick enough to witness Earth Writer’s stumble with his kiss. Being in the excitable state that she was, that slip-up amused the purple pegasus to no end; [colour=#800080]“Haha, ya’ sure can’t hit a barn door today, can ya’ hun?”[/colour] Just to make sure her date knew she didn’t mean to put him down, Sugar took a moment to ensnare the tan unicorn in a bone-crushing hug. After a few seconds of joyful glomping, the mare let go, but her overly-beaming face remained inches away from the stallion’s face; [colour=#800080]“Ah’d say it’s about time we headed on over t’mah cousin’s shop, don’t ya’ agree!?”[/colour]

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Well, it seemed the bouquet was hit with Sugar Apple! For Earth Writer, that made it worth every bit the florist charged, though he'd have to take her word for it about the taste.

Any self-congratulation he might have heaped on himself, however, was cut off short along with his attempted kiss. It would have been too much to ask for the mare not to have commented upon it. And really, given how nervous he'd been, the unicorn might have missed even if she had been still. "[colour=#8b4513]Truth be told, I probably couldn-rrk![/colour]"

Pegasus Sugar Apple may have been, but the creaking of his ribcage told Earth Writer that there was Earth Pony somewhere in her family (although the fact that she was part of the Apple family had told him that already). Even so, there was something charming in her excitability, not the least because it was him she'd been so excited to see. He returned a smile as best he could, breathing a few times before replying. "[colour=#8b4513]Certainly, have you spent much time in Canterlot before? There's a lot worth seeing between here and there if you don't mind taking the scenic route." [/colour]He had rather been looking forward to showing off his home city to his marefriend.

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[colour=#800080]“Hah, don’t ya’ remember hun?”[/colour] Sugar Apple reminded Earth Writer; [colour=#800080]“Ah’m a super-duper world class traveler... kinda. Ah’ve actually been t’Kinterlot quite a few times already; ah’ve been on th’ castle tour one time, an’ ah’ve visited most of th’ major museums too along with a whole lotta’ touristy spots. But ah haf t’admit though thet thar’s probably more t’th’ city than ah’ve seen yet.”[/colour]

Since Earth Writer lived in Canterlot, Sugar Apple surmised that he’d know of at least a few hidden treasures that only the residents knew about. Who knew what secrets dwelled within the royal capital? Whatever they were, Sugar absolutely couldn’t wait to see where the tan unicorn would take her. [colour=#800080]“Alright then Earth,”[/colour] the pegasus happily nudged her date onwards as she trotted to his side; [colour=#800080]“Ya’ lead th’ way!”[/colour]

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It was a testament to his current state that it had momentarily slipped Earth Writer's mind just how familiar a traveler like Sugar Apple was likely to be with the city. Still, he reasoned that his planned route would have at least one or two pleasant surprises for her. [colour=#8b4513]*It's not like I planned to be a tour guide, after all. Just wanted to show her some of my favorite spots.*[/colour]

[colour=#8b4513]"Alright then!" [/colour][colour=#000000]He called out happily as the pair began trotting away from the station. "[/colour][colour=#8b4513]It's a bit of a walk to what's called the Pedestrian District, but it's definitely worth seeing.[/colour][colour=#000000]" It was over a hill and two blocks to the right, far enough away to be out of the sight and smell of the train station. It was here that the cobblestone street ended in a roundabout around a statue of some famous Canterlotian (the first mayor of the city, as he pointed out), beyond which was an open plaza that continued on like a street, with shops to either side. Carts were not allowed through here, as the district name might imply. Besides the shopfronts, a few carts were scattered about, selling various merchandise and foodstuffs.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]But the most attractive part about it was the music. At regular intervals, street musicians had set up their instruments, and were busking for coins from the passerby. Each was so spaced that as one walked down the street, each tune faded into the other, but none were so close together that they clashed. At the end near the plaza, a saxaphonist was warming up.[/colour]

[colour=#000000]"[/colour][colour=#8b4513]What do you think?[/colour][colour=#000000]" The stallion asked, grinning. "[/colour][colour=#8b4513]There's a whole network of these streets, going right up to the large park right by the palace; it was the oldest section of the city, built on the first shelf expanded from the old fortress. This is the main avenue of the pedestrian district, the branch roads will take you into some rather cozy streets, but I think those are best seen at night, myself.[/colour][colour=#000000]"[/colour]

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Already, Earth Writer’s tour had been off to a great start. Sugar Apple had never wandered into the Pedestrian District before, so it was a real blast to see the cartless section of Canterlot. For her part, she had never seen so many street musicians in one neighborhood before. While she did enjoy their musical ambience, there was one itsy bitsy thing the pegasus teased the reporter about when she got prompted to speak by him; [colour=#800080]“Thar needs t’be more rock n’ roll roun' these parts, ah reckon. Just imagine how much fun thet’ll be just rockin’ out!”[/colour]

After an extended round of swishing her head side to side followed by a burst of giggling, Sugar Apple couldn’t help but express her curiosity about why the cozy streets were best visited at night time. [colour=#800080]“Whut happens af'er dark?”[/colour] asked the pegasus; [colour=#800080]“Is thar a fancy light show? Or mebbe a concert? What happens, hun?”[/colour] Sugar did indeed have some difficulty containing her excitement.....

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[colour=#8b4513]*Off on the right foot at last!*[/colour] Earth Writer was happily trotting alongside his date, and could feel some of her excitement infecting him. Already, his steps were infused with a kind of skip to them, unconsciously conforming to the rhythm of the fiddler to their left. Most of the street musicians tended to be folk, playing the old songs of the mountains. Quite a few were transients, taking their instruments in and out of various cities, keeping ahead of the seasonal cold fronts like migrating birds.

He mentioned this to Sugar Apple as he got into a discussion about the music, and the particular absence of the rock genre. "[colour=#8b4513]Most street music has to be acoustic, but yeah, Canterlot tends to be musically conservative compared to the Heartland or the Southern Coast. I'll keep that in mind, next time I'm in that neighborhood; there's a couple of bands I'd like to see live myself, and we can go together for our next date?" [/colour][colour=#000000]He laughed at himself for that. Not half-an-hour in to his first date, and already planning his second? [/colour][colour=#8b4513]*Still, I do hate to disappoint her.*[/colour]

The sights, sounds, and smells of the pavilion seemed to be acting as a stimulant for Sugar Apple, as she excitedly turned this way and that, trying to take in everything. *Hopefully that will burn off a little energy before we arrive at the restaurant. However, when she blitzed him with excited questions about the city streets at night, the stallion got a little embarrassed. "[colour=#8b4513]Er, well, I just thought they looked prettier, that's all.[/colour]"

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Sugar Apple couldn’t temper her instinct to blush upon Earth Writer’s suggestion for their next date. In a way, it sounded really amusing not waiting for this date to even be a fifth of the way through before planning the next one. Was the unicorn stallion really that assured of the successful outcome of this outing? Sugar had to be honest though... she couldn’t blame Earth for getting ahead of himself. At this juncture, it seemed highly unlikely any anything would go wrong tonight in Canterlot.

So at any rate, the purple pegasus shared her thoughts;[colour=#800080] “Thet’s some good thinkin’, hun! Jest wonnerin’, but whut’s yer favorite type of music anyway? Are ya’ a rockin’ gal like me, or do ya’ prefer a li'l bit mo'e country? Or mebbe ya' like classical th' best, or electronica instead?”[/colour]

Realizing that her sugar rush perhaps might have been rearing its head again, the mare giggled and stayed silent for a few moments before addressing her companion’s answer about the nighttime streets;[colour=#800080] “Well then... eff'n we haf time, mebbe we’ll have t'see fo' ourselves af'er dinner.....”[/colour]

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"[colour=#8b4513]Favorite type of music?[/colour]" Earth Writer had to think about that for a little bit; he'd been exposed to a lot of new music during his university years, which had added considerably to his preferences. Still, if one judged by the albums he'd actually gone out and purchased... "[colour=#8b4513]Well, I wouldn't call myself a rocking gal, but that's my favorite genre all told.[/colour]" He replied with a chuckle. "[colour=#8b4513]There's a lot of variation within it, of course, both by genre and by region, I'm pretty across-the-board in what I like. Also, I do have a soft spot for the softer electronica and acoustic. I like it when a singer can show range and versatility, you know?"[/colour]

The walk seemed to be calming down Sugar Apple a bit from the rush she'd acquired, though her quick steps still set the pace at a staccato trot. Truth be told, there wasn't too much worth seeing at this point, unless one came here specifically to shop for souvenirs or postcards. The next plaza over, however, a small crowd had gathered around one of the shop windows. Earth couldn't tell from here what had attracted their attention, though. "[colour=#8b4513]Wonder what that's all about- oh.[/colour]"

Their pace brought the display into view. The department store had gone all out with their Hearts and Hooves day display; not only were the mannequins modeling the latest fashions, but they were set to clockwork motion. Upon taking a closer look, the stallion could see that it was set up as a kind of narrative tableau, showing a couple going from their shy first meeting through the beginning of a relationship. It wasn't anything complex, but most of the mares in the audience were "awww-ing." Earth Writer smiled himself. "[colour=#8b4513]That is pretty neat. I like it when shopkeepers go the extra mile like this.[/colour]"

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Sugar Apple couldn’t help but to blush and nervously laugh as Earth Writer mentioned she used the term “rocking gal”. Boy, that sugar could certainly loosen up one’s lips! The pegasus forgot all her embarrassment though that she realized that her date’s musical tastes were indeed similar to her own. Nodding, Sugar speedily added; [colour=#800080]“Eff’n thar’s only one thin’ ah can’t stand these days, it’d hafta’ be traditional country moosic. Nothin’ against it, but mah parents played it all th’ time while ah still lived on th’ farm as a foal, and so ah got bored wif it once I moved t’Cloudsdale. Oddly though, ah really like Germane folk moosic... probably on account of my granddaddy, ah guess. It was always a nice change of pace whenevah he came down t’our farm and played his tunes.”[/colour]

Realizing that she was rambling, Sugar Apple giggled and shook her head. Hopefully, Earth Writer understood all she said. Before she had anything else to say on the subject of music, the pegasus and her companion stumbled upon a Hearts and Hooves-themed store display surrounded by many onlookers. Once Sugar figured out that the display depicted a story of a couple falling in love, she stretched out her wings upward in delight.[colour=#800080] “Eeyup, thet is a pretty display ah reckon,”[/colour] the purple mare affirmed, wrapping a forehoof around Earth Writer’s and giving the stallion a playful look; [colour=#800080]“Ah can’t say though thet we exactly fit th’ story of thet couple, ya’ know.....”[/colour]

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This was encouraging! A synergy in music tastes certainly boded well. "[colour=#8b4513]I can't say I think much of country and western myself; it was never played much in my house, mostly because my mum had grown up in that part of the world, and well, probably got as bored with it as you. Can't say I've heard much of Germane folk music, except for what's played on the Canterlot oompah circuit- and yes, it does exist.[/colour]" A certain amount of incredulity was probably to expected, though it made sense if you were familiar with migration patterns of Germane ponies. The Prench, as well, tended to have a large presence in the city, hence all the high-end boutiques.

The department store had more of a mass-market appeal, but the displays it made did tend not to capture a lot of the nuances in some of the watchers relationships. [colour=#8b4513] *Or in our case,* [/colour]Earth Writer thought as he felt Sugar Apple's hoof around his, [colour=#8b4513]*The huge fact of how it began.*[/colour]

The stallion smiled as he leaned in closer. "[colour=#8b4513]Hm, but that's the fun of it, isn't it? Everypony writes their own story.[/colour]" The pair had started walking again towards the park side of the district, and the journalist could see that they were one of several couples out today. It inspired a certain familiar feeling in him, which he tried to express to his date. "[colour=#8b4513]You know, I kind of have that same feeling I had back when I was in the running of the leaves, the one I wrote in the beginning of my article. The fact that I'm taking part in a great tradition, something larger than myself. And like before,[/colour]" He leaned in to whisper, "[colour=#8b4513]You're here too, just to make my part in it just that much more special. Heh.[/colour]" Now he found himself blushing; perhaps that was too sappy? *[colour=#8b4513]Never mind; it's the truth, and every reporter has a duty to tell that.[/colour]*

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As the couple trotted towards the nearby park, Sugar Apple also managed to pick up on the fact that she and Earth Writer were not the only couple out and about today. Granted, she didn’t think too much of it though until the tan unicorn mused how once again, the two of them were together within part of something much bigger; first the Running of the Leaves, and today Hearts and Hooves Day. To be frank, she didn’t quite see things the same way;[colour=#800080] “Ya’ know hun, ah nevah saw it thet way befo’e. Ah just thought thet th’ Runnin’ would be a good excuse t’see th’ Whitetail Wood, an’ fo’ hyar...”[/colour] Sugar leaned in closer as well to whisper; [colour=#800080]“Ah thought this day was a really good excuse to see you again.”[/colour]

Pulling back with a playful smirk, Sugar Apple continued walking happily by Earth Writer’s side. All and all, this date was off to a really good start! The purple pegasus would normally have stayed silent at this point just so she could bask in the presence of her companion, but she was still perky from all the sugar apples she consum- A-HA! [colour=#800080]“Hey Earthy!”[/colour] the mare burst out loud; [colour=#800080]“Wanna’ try one of th’ sugar apples ah gave ya’? They’re deeelicious.”[/colour] Coated with pink frosting, no pony could conceivably resist the charm of a hoofmade sugar apple.....

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Earth Writer blushed, again. Perhaps it would have been more convenient to paint his face red beforehand. It was probably a good sign, though; any stallion who wasn't embarrassed at such flattering attention probably had way too high an opinion of himself. And he did have to admit, on reflection, that to parallel one's Hearts and Hooves date to a great traditional pillar of Equestrian Civilization was at least a little pretentious. [colour=#8B4513]*I guess I'm just weird that way.* [/colour]This date was turning out to be surprisingly self revelatory.

Introspection, however, was apparently not going to play any great role today. Sugar Apple's perkiness had re-asserted itself, focusing now on getting the stallion to try her namesake. She didn't have to try very hard. [colour=#8b4513]"Sure, why not?"[/colour] The unicorn was quick to reply, deftly fetching one out of the box that still hovered at his side. The frosted treat would have tempted any sweet tooth, and Earth Writer's was quick to take a bite.

Instantly, his eyes went wide as the taste hit his tongue. "[colour=#8b4513]Mmph! Th't ish r'ly g'd![/colour]" The rest of the candied fruit was quickly consumed, leaving a happy pony licking his lips. "[colour=#8b4513]Really can't blame you for sampling them on the way. How do you make these things?[/colour]"

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Sugar Apple couldn’t contain her delight as Earth Writer tried her confectionery, squealing as he consumed the entire box; in a few moments, the stallion most likely wouldn't be able to contain his sugar rush too. How the pegasus made those treats were simple enough... at least for her that was. All she had to do was first spray a light spray of rainbow liquid onto the apples, then dip them in pink frosting, and then finally hide them in a cool cloud so that the frosting hardened. Following that precise routine, Sugar Apple’s sugar apples contained a kick that couldn’t be replicated by anypony other than a pegasus.

For that matter, only Sugar Apple herself knew her special recipe, and she liked keeping it that way for the fun of it. [colour=#800080]“Haha; thet’s a secret recipe ah’m afraid,”[/colour] giggled the purple mare; [colour=#800080]“Eff evahpony else knew mah recipe, it wouldn’t be special now, will it? Ah might reveal mah secret one day though...”[/colour] Shaking her forehoof in circles, the pegasus ended her tease by sending a smirk towards her unicorn companion.....

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The unicorn hadn't started out with the intention of consuming the entire box of candied fruit. Perhaps it was nerves that led him to do so, much like how Sugar Apple had consumed the other half on the way to Canterlot. In any case Earth Writer stopped to stare into the empty box for a couple of seconds, as if the candy had suddenly disappeared by itself, before stowing it back away.

[colour=#8b4513]"Ah, a secret, is it?[/colour]" Earth Writer responded to her teasing with a grin. [colour=#8b4513]"That's something you should never tell to a journalist; we can't keep a secret and we don't see why anypony else should!"[/colour] He laughed, the sugar beginning to mount an assault upon his reserves of... reserve. His walk began to be infused with a quick, irregular skip as all the energy suddenly rushed to his limbs.

The street took a slight bend, curving in from the stone shelf upon which much of the city rested, leading to the solid surface of the mountain itself, upon which there was a park. It was still a good hundred yards away, though. The tan stallion shot a look at his companion, a playful smile dancing on his muzzle. "[colour=#8b4513]Race you to the park?[/colour]"

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[colour=#800080]“Eff’n thet’s th’ case hun,”[/colour] Sugar Apple egged her “anti-secrecy” date on even further; [colour=#800080]“What fun would thar be in findin’ secrets?”[/colour] Maybe one day, the journalist could come to appreciate the value of a good secret; maybe if she ever found out something hilariously silly he did, perhaps? At any rate, the pegasus did not fail to notice Earth Writer’s steps becoming livelier with the consumption of all the sugar apples. Somewhere in the back of Sugar’s mind, she pondered how the stallion would have behaved if he had gotten the chance to consume his entire box.

As soon as the tan unicorn suggested a race to the park up ahead, Sugar Apple put on a show of exhaustion; [colour=#800080]“Ohhh... ah’m not sure ah could make it thar tonight.”[/colour] Trying to contain her laughter, she took to the air and flew in a relatively-swift backwards motion towards the park at the base of Canterlot’s mountain peak; [colour=#800080]“Mebbe... eh heh, another time, heh heh heh?”[/colour] If Earthy wanted a race, this time he'd have to match the swiftness of an airborne pegasus... which shouldn't be too much of a problem for a Running of the Leaves participant.....

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"[colour=#8b4513]Now, now, there must in everything be a proper division of labor![/colour]" Earth Writer would have needed little to be egged on in any case, but when you added in his sugar-induced playfulness, he went full on into playacting the role of a certain economics professor he had in college. "[colour=#8b4513]Some derive more enjoyment from hiding secrets, others from finding them out. I, along with all journalists, academics, and explorers, am in the latter class. There has never been a shortage of the former, you know.[/colour]" The joke was, perhaps, not one which his date would get, but at this point the stallion's actions were racing ahead of his thoughts.

Speaking of which...

For about a second, Sugar Apple's act caught the unicorn off-guard, and then she was off, flying backward! It reminded Earth, somehow, of the end of the Running of the Leaves race, where he'd been running backward and shouting encouragement to Sugar and Greenshot. Whether or no it was a specific reference, it had a similar result: the stallion took to his hooves and galloped after the pegasus.

She may have had an early lead, but he was quick to match her pace, drawing closer to her all the while. However, his eyes were on her the whole time, not on the ground in front of him. The result was, when he reached the curb that marked the entrance to the park, he tripped and was sent airborne in wingless flight, before landing ungracefully in the grass and skidding to a halt. He wasn't seriously hurt, though, as he demonstrated by springing right back up and spitting out bits of soil. "[colour=#8b4513]Bleah! That's sure a contrast to your sugar-apples![/colour]" Bits of grass were still stuck in his mane, and the front of his hide was stained green, but he didn't care.

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Sugar Apple didn’t have a clue at all as to what Earth Writer was imitating, let alone that he was imitating anypony at all. Of course, it didn’t stop her from laughing all the while as she raced him towards the park. The purple mare was careful to both always make sure which direction she was flying towards and to ensure that she didn’t speed too far away from her date, yet remain so tantalizingly close to the stallion in order to drive him nuts that he just couldn’t reach her. By all accounts, Sugar’s plan worked out very well even if other onlookers were staring at the crazy sight of two adult ponies racing each other on a Canterlot street.

Sugar Apple’s plan may have worked too well as a matter of fact, as Earth Writer failed to pay attention to his surroundings and tripped on a curb. The mare gasped as he fell, but her concern swiftly turned to amusement as the unicorn stallion evidently got himself covered in grass. Touching down right in front of his face, Sugar giggled as she cupped Earth’s cheek with a forehoof; [colour=#800080]“Ah must say, yer’re finally livin’ up t’yer name... Earth Writer.”[/colour] With that, Sugar reached for his mane and ruffled it even more, not bothering to remove the grass nestled in it. And all the while, she sweetly laughed and laughed.....

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It was probably an unusual sight for onlookers, but then again, many such scenes must have been played out all over Equestria that day. After all, if a pony wasn't willing to make a foal of himself for love, he probably wasn't serious about the whole thing.

Well, in that case, no one could accuse either Earth Writer or Sugar Apple of insincerity. He was laughing right along with her, all his nervousness from waiting at the train station dissipating into the afternoon air. He shook his mane after the mare had ruffled it, a few grass blades dislodging themselves from the black locks as he did so. "[colour=#8b4513]Oh, you were always sweet enough to live up to yours, Sugar.[/colour]"

That was possibly the sappiest thing the stallion could have said under the circumstances, and he regretted nothing. He gave a deep happy sigh as he flopped down on the turf. "[colour=#8b4513]I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much. I walk these streets practically every day, and it never occurs to me to run. Perhaps I should train more, I certainly couldn't catch you.[/colour]" The unicorn laughed again.

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Craning her head upwards and spreading out her wings in a mock display of superiority, Sugar Apple answered Earth Writer’s assertion of her living up to her name; [colour=#800080]“Well what kin ah say hun? Ah make th’ sweetest sugar apples in all of Equestria.”[/colour] Knowing full well what her date actually implied with his claim, the pegasus couldn’t help but laugh even more. Come to think of it, Sugar hadn’t really goofed off like this outside of a rock concert ever since she was a filly. It was quite the liberating experience for the purple mare, and one she increasingly hoped to replicate with Earth Writer more and more.

Sugar Apple followed the stallion’s lead and flopped down on her belly right besides him. [colour=#800080]“Silly Earthy,”[/colour] she jokingly lectured; [colour=#800080]“Th’ reason we don’t run on these streets here is so we don’t git in enny accidents. You of all ponies should know this.”[/colour] Booping Earth Writer on the nose, she scooted closer to her partner so that that the tip of her wing brushed Earth Writer’s cutie mark. [colour=#800080]“Well hun,”[/colour] Sugar deviously suggested, her half-lidded eyes revealing her intent at letting her date finally “succeed” in his goal earlier; [colour=#800080]“Ya’ kin catch me now...”[/colour]

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The exhilaration of the race and sugar coursing through Earth Writer's veins was giving way to a deep calm, resting upon the conviction that there was no place he would rather be right now that here on the grass in a Canterlot Park, with Sugar Apple right beside him. There came with that calm a kind of excitement, not the kind of excitement from running or rushing, but from staying absolutely still, perhaps in anticipation of something wonderful.

Right now, though, the stallion wasn't spending any mental effort analyzing his feelings; he had a pretty mare to focus on! He smiled as she booped him on the nose, chuckling softly as he looked on on the grass stains he'd picked up. "[colour=#8b4513]Well, I certainly know now.[/colour]"

And then she scooted closer to him, brushing his cutie mark and looking at him through lidded eyes, and he felt that still excitement swell like a cresting wave and take his breath away with it.

All the times he'd gone to kiss her before had been more or less surprises, but now that Sugar Apple was expecting it, the act seemed somehow more... significant? Daunting? Earth Writer mayn't have been sure of the words, but of the deed, he was. "[colour=#8b4513]Alright then...[/colour]" Reaching out a hoof to her mane, the stallion leaned in to kiss her, this time full on the lips.

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Maybe it was the sugar rush that still held a claim over her, or perhaps it was the fact that Earth Writer really was a sweet stallion to spent time with... plus he didn’t look too shabby either. Whatever it was, it fueled Sugar Apple’s compulsion to kiss the stallion beside her. In fact, it was a surprise that the purple pegasus showed the restraint she did rather than swiftly move in for a gigantic smooch.

Instead, Sugar Apple contented herself with slowly leaning in as Earth Writer reached for her mane; her wings stealthy shooting upwards the closer she got. When she got close enough, the mare shut her eyes just before her muzzle delightfully reached its intended target. Exhilaration filled Sugar now that her lips met Earth’s, but she did her best to kiss him as gently as possible without seeming too hesitant in the process. In the back of her mind, Sugar Apple was also glad that her mouth had much better aim than Earth Writer's.....

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As kisses went, it was good. Residual sugar rush notwithstanding, Earth Writer was able to remain as gentle as his date; he noticed that she hadn't quite cleared all of the frosting from her lips. Or maybe that was him. In any case, a sweet taste over and above the delight of the kiss itself was present.

"[colour=#8b4513]Mmmm...[/colour]" It was with reluctance that the stallion broke off, but everypony has to breathe sometime. A smile played across his lips as he opened his eyes. By now, he was well and truly besotted with the pegasus besides him, and if the wings were any indication, there must have been some return of the sentiment. "[colour=#8b4513]I somehow feel that I should have asked this before, since I have to confess I've already been thinking of you as such... but, would you be my special somepony?[/colour]"

There was still a trace of nerves about the unicorn as he asked that question. On the one hand, halfway through a first date seemed like an early time to ask. But on the other hand, he had been unconsciously thinking of Sugar Apple like that since they'd set the date. Maybe it was the dramatic way in which they had meet; that sort of thing tends to forge strong connections in shorter time that usual. In any case, Earth Writer was a mentally honest sort, and didn't want to fall into a habit of thought that had only an ambiguous connection with reality.

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