A blue mare suddenly came running toward them.
“Twilight!”
Colgate happily threw her forelegs around Twilight Sparkle in a big hug.
Her trademark blue mane glittered brightly in the sunlight, and her teeth were as dazzlingly white as ever.
“Colgate?” Twilight asked in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re preparing for the centennial celebration of the School for Gifted Unicorns!”
Colgate spoke excitedly, waving her hooves around.
“Moon Dancer is handling the planning, Lyra is taking care of the music, and I’m in charge of…”
“Making sure everypony gets an invitation.”
A light cyan mare stepped out from behind Colgate.
Lyra Heartstrings.
Her eyes fell upon Dusk Glow, who was still in the middle of his transformation tests.
She suddenly stopped.
A lemon colored mare peeked out from behind Colgate.
Her eyes immediately widened.
“Whoa!”
She looked directly at Twilight.
“Is that your coltfriend, Twilight?”
“What?! No!”
Twilight’s face turned bright red.
“He’s just my research subject!”
“We’re conducting an important magical experiment!”
Colgate nudged Lemon Hearts with her hoof and gave her a mischievous wink.
“Ohoho, is that so?”
“No wonder you’ve been too busy to come to any of our parties lately.”
Dusk Glow noticed Twilight talking with three mares he had never met before.
Curious, he walked over.
“Hi! Are these your friends, Twilight?”
“Yep!”
Colgate immediately stepped forward with a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you, handsome!”
“My name’s Colgate. This is Lemon Hearts, and this is Lyra Heartstrings.”
“We’re all friends with Twilight.”
Colgate?
Dusk Glow remembered the name from his old world.
That sounds like the name of a toothpaste brand.
Still, he politely smiled.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Dusk Glow.”
“Nice to meet you too!”
Lemon Hearts greeted him warmly.
She stared at Dusk Glow with an almost dreamy expression.
Wow, he’s handsome.
That mane is absolutely perfect.
And his build is so elegant.
Even the shape of his ears is adorable!
Lyra, meanwhile, began looking Dusk Glow up and down.
Her expression gradually became more intense.
Her eyes began to sparkle.
Then she suddenly stepped right in front of him.
“Are you a human?”
The question exploded in Dusk Glow’s mind like a thunderclap.
His pupils shrank.
His mane stood on end.
This was his greatest secret.
Aside from Celestia, Twilight, and Spike, he had never told another pony.
No way.
How does she know?!
Twilight froze as well.
She stared at Lyra in disbelief.
“Lyra, what are you talking about?”
“Humans are just creatures from old legends…”
“No, no, no!”
Lyra sounded like an explorer who had just discovered a new continent.
She began circling Dusk Glow.
“Look at his balance when he’s standing!”
“And look at those little habits he has when using magic!”
“And there’s this!”
Lyra suddenly used her magic to lift one of Dusk Glow’s forelegs.
“See this?”
“He’s unconsciously imitating the movements of a human hand!”
Cold sweat rolled down Dusk Glow’s face.
Lyra’s observational skills were terrifying.
Every detail she pointed out was disturbingly accurate.
Twilight was sweating too.
Then she remembered.
Lyra had somehow learned about humans from old legends and had become completely fascinated by them.
She had spent years desperately searching for books and ancient texts about humans.
She was fascinated by their flexible hands, intelligent minds, and upright two-legged posture.
She practically studied humanity like a scholar obsessed with discovering a new field of knowledge.
She had even started calling her studies “Lyra’s Humanology.”
Oh no.
If Lyra finds out Dusk Glow is actually a human, we’ll be breaking the promise we made to Princess Celestia!
Twilight’s mane practically stood on end.
I have to stop this!
“Wait, Lyra!”
Twilight quickly stepped between them, preventing Lyra from getting too close to Dusk Glow.
“His behavior is a little unusual, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s a human.”
“And besides, how could he possibly be a human?”
“Humans are fictional creatures from old legends!”
“There’s no such thing as a real human!”
“Yeah, exactly, Miss Lyra.”
Dusk Glow wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“How could I possibly be a human?”
“I’ve never even heard of humans.”
He thought for a moment.
“Are they some kind of monkey?”
Lyra seemed not to hear his denial at all.
She simply continued staring at Dusk Glow as though she were in a trance.
Her magical senses were going wild.
There was something about the strange unicorn in front of her.
Some kind of magical energy she had never encountered before.
And she was fascinated by it.
Colgate sighed and pulled Lyra back.
“Don’t mind her.”
“She has a bit of a strange obsession with humans.”
She turned toward Twilight.
“So, are you coming to the school anniversary celebration or not?”
Twilight finally relaxed.
Then she glanced at the research notes beside her.
“I really do have a lot of research to finish…”
Lemon Hearts suddenly gasped as realization struck her.
“Ohhh, I get it!”
“You have a date with your coltfriend!”
“You could’ve just said so!”
She winked at Dusk Glow.
“That’s not what’s happening!”
Twilight’s mane practically exploded.
“We’re not dating!”
She glanced at Dusk Glow.
He looked back at her.
Both of their faces turned bright red.
That reaction only made the three mares even more excited.
Colgate somehow produced a bouquet of roses.
Using her magic, she floated the flowers toward Dusk Glow.
“You’d better take your chance, handsome.”
“Twilight is one of the top students at the School for Gifted Unicorns, you know.”
Twilight stomped her hooves.
“That’s enough!”
“Spike, help me out here!”
Spike, who had been happily watching the whole spectacle, simply shrugged.
“Well…”
“You two did stay up all night studying together yesterday.”
A book immediately smacked Spike in the head.
He looked up and saw Twilight staring at him with a dangerously friendly smile.
Spike immediately shut his mouth.
“Um…”
“Actually, we…”
Dusk Glow tried to explain.
“Look!”
Lemon Hearts dramatically wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.
“He’s defending her!”
“How sweet!”
“All right, all right.”
Colgate stepped in to calm things down.
Though the mischievous smile never left her face.
“You two can come to the next party together.”
“We’d be happy to have couples there.”
Twilight looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
She glared at Colgate.
“Stop saying things like that!”
“We are not a couple!”
“Okay, okay.”
Colgate laughed.
“No pressure.”
“When you have some free time, you’re always welcome.”
The three mares then happily trotted away.
Twilight and Dusk Glow were left standing together, both looking slightly embarrassed.
As they walked away, Colgate immediately began whispering.
“Hey, where do you think Twilight found that colt?”
“She spends all her time reading books!”
“I have no idea,” Lemon Hearts replied excitedly.
“But that’s the first time I’ve ever seen Twilight blush like that!”
“I didn’t even know she was dating somepony!”
Lyra was still looking back at Dusk Glow.
“Even if they’re not a couple…”
“That strange magical aura around him is so similar to what I’ve read about humans.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“I definitely need to keep an eye on him.”
Ugh!
These gossiping mares!
Twilight was both embarrassed and annoyed.
Her eyes practically burned with frustration.
I’m never hanging out with them again!
She turned around.
Unfortunately, she immediately met Dusk Glow’s gaze.
The grassy field suddenly became strangely quiet.
Twilight’s hoof unconsciously played with a blade of grass.
“Um…”
Both of them spoke at the same time.
“Um…”
They stopped.
“You go first.”
Again, they spoke simultaneously.
Spike sat nearby with a bucket of popcorn.
He looked from Twilight to Dusk Glow.
“Would you two like me to disappear for a while?”
“No!”
Twilight’s voice suddenly shot up several octaves.
She cleared her throat and tried to return to her normal tone.
“I mean…”
“They just like making silly jokes like that.”
“Don’t pay any attention to them.”
Dusk Glow scratched the back of his head with a hoof.
“Ah…”
“Yeah. I know.”
His gaze wandered elsewhere.
“It’s just…”
“It might affect your reputation or something.”
“My reputation?”
Twilight’s ears suddenly perked up.
“Wait.”
“You think rumors about us would actually bother me?”
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
Dusk Glow’s mane was practically standing on end from nervousness.
“I just mean…”
“You’re such an accomplished scholar, and I’m just…”
Twilight suddenly stepped forward.
The distance between them disappeared.
Dusk Glow could clearly see the little lights reflecting in her violet eyes.
“Listen.”
Twilight’s tone became unusually firm.
“You’re one of the most talented magical scholars I’ve ever met.”
“Don’t say things like that about yourself.”
She paused.
Then her voice became noticeably softer.
“And besides…”
“Let them say whatever they want.”
Spike had somehow climbed into a nearby tree.
He was hanging upside down by his tail while handing popcorn to two birds.
“Keep going.”
“Just pretend I’m not here.”
Dusk Glow looked at Twilight from only a short distance away.
He suddenly noticed the golden shimmer on her eyelashes in the sunlight.
For a moment, he completely forgot what he had been about to say.
Then he remembered the roses Colgate had given him.
Dusk Glow slowly lifted the bouquet with his magic.
The bright flowers still had tiny drops of morning dew clinging to their petals.
They looked especially beautiful reflected in Twilight’s violet eyes.
“Twilight…”
His voice was softer than usual.
“I know those jokes embarrassed you.”
Twilight’s ears twitched.
Her gaze fell upon the roses.
A complicated emotion flickered through her violet eyes.
“But the roses are innocent.”
Dusk Glow gently floated the flowers toward her.
“So…”
“Think of them as a gift between friends.”
“Would that be all right?”
Twilight blinked.
The scent of roses reached her nose.
Her cheeks slowly turned red again.
“Of course.”
She carefully accepted the bouquet with her magic.
“Thank you, Dusk.”
Spike suddenly cheered from the tree.
“Whoa! How romantic!”
Twilight glared at him.
Spike immediately covered his mouth.
Dusk Glow looked at the scene and felt a warm feeling in his chest.
Perhaps in a world filled with magic, some feelings did not need to be given a name.
Just like a rose could have more than one meaning.
Just like the stars could shine in more than one color.