Dash found herself beaming at Twilight's acceptance to help. "Thanks, Twilight! This is going to be so awesome!" She leaped into the air and did a tight loop. "Alright, I have a couple more stops to make before the contest... I'll see you both there!" She giggled with excitement, before waving a hoof to Widget and taking off into the sky and back toward town.

To Ponyville Town Square --->
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Thu 08 Nov 2012.

As impulsive as ever... Twilight watched Rainbow zoom off in her usual hurry out of sight and shook her head.  Well, no turning back now.  She could only hope that things worked out well in the end.  "Well, if nothing else, maybe I can get a letter to the Princess out of it." she shrugged.

The Unicorn turned about and headed back into the clearing where she'd left her date.  She greeted him with an apologetic smile and a quick kiss before she settled down on the other side of the chess board, grateful for his patience in the whole affair.  "Sorry about that.  Rainbow just needed some advice, plus she wants me to help out with her competition later on.  It seems she wants some intellectual challenges for the competitors too."

Widget, who was obviously oblivious to the whole spontaneous singing episode that had happened outside of the clearing, had made himself busy by setting up the chess board (Twilight was the white pieces), setting out their deserts (including his long awaited apple tart with cream~) and turning up the volume of his MP3 player. When Twilight returned to the clearing, Widget had been sitting with his eyes closed, one hoof up and swishing back and forth slowly as he hummed along with the song, pretending to conduct it, apparently. Hearing Twilight return, he quickly opened his eyes and stopped with his conducting, giving her a slightly shy grin.

"No problem," he said graciously as he settled down in the grass comfortably across from her and lowered the volume of his player to just background music with a magical swish of his horn. "I understand. It's a big day for Rainbow Dash." He considered her last statement for a moment, giving a curious look. "Intellectual contest? Well, what sort?" he asked curiously, "I can't imagine Rainbow would put together something like a math test or a spelling bee, but judging 'intellectual challenges' with no other information sounds a little... well, scary, truth be told." He poured them both a fresh cup of hot tea and sipped his own lightly. "I mean, this IS Rainbow Dash we're talking about here - subtle and quiet intelligence doesn't really seem her type..."

He lifted up his apple tart, giving his lips a quick lick a he took our a hungry bite. "White moves first,"he said, motioning to the board as he swallowed his bite of tart.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Sun 11 Nov 2012.

"I was thinking maybe some basic trivia.  Like history, science, applied physics, quantum field theory... you know, simple stuff."  Twilight explained as she briefly reviewed the board before telekinetically moving a pawn to start with.  Apparently her idea of 'simple' was a bit skewed compared to the average Pony.  But what could one expect of a life-long scholar?  "I think if I try and format it more like a game and less like an exam, it'll be easier for others to deal with.  Especially Rainbow Dash.  What do you think?"

While they chatted and played, Twilight procured one of the carrot muffins for herself and crumbled some candied flowers atop it to give it a little extra sweetness.  Bless The Cakes... she didn't know how Ponyville could ever survive without them.  As she and Widget played along a few more moves, her style of attack became apparent.  True to form, Twilight relied on existing strategies she could study and memorize... though impressively enough, she didn't just stick with one at a time and seemed to blend styles on the fly.  She had a knack for reading the board and predicting movements based on possible legal moves, then reacting accordingly.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 11 Nov 2012.

"I think that's the best idea," Widget agreed as he watched the white pawn move across the black and white tiles of his chess board. "Not everypony likes the idea of a test. Turn it into a game, and they're much more likely to stay interested, and try their best." He studied how she had moved. Knowing Twilight, she would go with book moves almost exclusively. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he wouldn't be surprised if she also played defensively rather than aggressively, which as white, was something of a determent. Though he had said he would go easy on her, he had a feeling they weren't as unevenly matched as Twilight feared they were.

He moved forward his alternate pawn two places, placing it within easy capture position of her own, but remained quiet about it, leaving Twilight with something to think on. To leave the pawn where it was would potentially threaten other, more important pieces. This was known as the Elephant Gambit, black sacrificing a pawn to gain the initiative of the game. Risky, but with potential pay off.

As they talked and the game progressed and strategies had to be alternated to prepare for the incoming attacks or potentially dangerous moves, Widget became more and more impressed with Twilight's prowess. He had expected her to be more inflexible in a game like chess than she was proving to be, where there was indeed literally volumes of books about the different moves and strategies, names for every move of every piece at every place on the board and things you were 'supposed' to do in certain situations. But she was proving to be fierce competition, and Widget was glad he had not gone so easy on her as he had first considered.

It seemed like no time at all had passed, though it had been nearly forty-five minutes, the deserts and tea gone (except for a few of the candied flowers left over), when Widget finally smiled, moving his rook in a sweeping right motion to capture Twilight's knight. "Check," he said. It was not over yet, he knew, but it felt good to have at least a little momentary advantage! "For the concert in Canterlot, would you like to make it an overnight trip? It'd be nice to spend the whole day there and come back the next morning. We won't be so tired coming home."

It had been a long time since Twilight had played Chess.  She'd almost forgotten how enjoyable it was.  There were few games out there which allowed her to flex stratagem while still actually being a game... though she'd been warned away from a world-domination board game called 'Threat'.  She couldn't help but wonder why though?  All the same, she found herself enjoying the game immensely.  Widget was a very different opponent than Princess Celestia was and she felt a greater deal of give-and-take as they moved their pieces about the board.  She could tell he was considering his moves and adjusting to her own tactics, as she did with his, and the two played off each other with a more satisfying sense of challenge.  While she adored the Princess and treasured the hours spent together over a chess board with her, there was always a faint sense of boredom with Celestia... like she already knew all the possible outcomes and moved her pieces with unflinching confidence.  She never paused to consider a move or hesitated with her piece unplaced.  It was actually incredibly intimidating at times.

"For the concert in Canterlot, would you like to make it an overnight trip? It'd be nice to spend the whole day there and come back the next morning. We won't be so tired coming home."

Twilight very nearly knocked the board aside all a sudden while her bishop hovered in mid-air.  The little flinch had not been on purpose, but Widget had taken her by surprise with such a question.  He meant it innocently but her mind immediately leaped to the first most worrisome conclusion, as she was wont to do.  While Widget had been thinking about convenience and comfort for their trip, her brain focused on the 'spending the night together' portion and riled her into a momentary bout of reflexive panic.  At least nothing exploded that time around.  All the same she coughed softly to clear her throat and set her piece down to break check.  Within the next two moves she'd managed to sweep her King away to a safer position -- she was absolutely playing defensively then since he'd unwittingly thrown her concentration.

"Th-that sounds like a good idea.  Sleeping on trains isn't very easy anyway..." she agreed, though her tone was strained as she tried to force her heart back down from where it had leaped into her throat.

Widget had cocked a brow at Twilight's unexpected reaction to his, he thought, innocent and simple question, glad she had not toppled the board to bring the game to an unexpected tie ending. She was quite right - sleeping on a train was a nightmare, bumpy and brutal to say the least. He never slept right while riding a train, and the last thing he wanted to do was be useless the next day after an awful night trying to do so. He watched her sweep away her king to a safe distance and take up the defensive against his pieces. Perhaps the sudden unexpected check had startled her and not his question?

"Alright then, great. I'll find a hotel that still has vacancies tonight and make reservations," he said, trying to pretend he hadn't notice her almost topple the board to keep her from being embarrassed about it. He lifted his right bishop and tapped it gently on the square it had been resting on as he considered the board, one hoof under his chin as he squinted at each possible place he could move it. At last, he decided that a sacrifice was necessary to leave Twilight's king better exposed, and swept forward across the tiles to capture her castle. "Check," he said, but he already knew Twilight's next move. The bishop was defenseless and on its own, its purpose of capturing Twilight's castle completed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, smiling slightly, though he did look a bit concerned. "You seem a little stressed about something. You shouldn't be nervous about judging the contest. It will be fun."

Twilight once more broke check and led Widget on a merry little chase across the board as she kept her King in evasion, getting back into check every few moves before slipping away again.  By that time she'd lost a lot of her pieces as well and seemed to be grasping.

"Sorry... I'm not worried about the contest.  I just sort of freaked myself out there for a second.  It's nothing important." she covered with a sheepish smile.  Yeah, like she could really fess up to having a brief panic moment over that.  "A hotel is actually a really good idea.  Normally I'd just say we could stay at my parents' place, but it's better not to impose.  Besides, I'd feel bad about making you sleep on a sofa.  Mine and Shining Armor's old bedrooms got turned into offices and work spaces years ago."

"No problem," he said brightly when she apologized about freaking out, and requested no more information about it. Twilight often got upset or startled about different things, but soothed herself in short order, and the last thing Widget wanted to do was draw attention to it and embarrass her.

"I would say we could stay at Golden Laurel's house. She has lots of room," he said as he started after her across the board in almost a playful fashion, smiling and obviously highly entertained with her strategies. "But trust me... We do not want to stay there longer than we have to. I love my Auntie Laurie, as she always insisted on being called, but I have to take her in hourly dollops at the very most and no more than that. You'll see."

As they hopped and skipped around the board, it was quickly coming down to the wire. Twilight was proving a slippery opponent, and as more pieces disappeared, Widget seemed to be getting happier and more excited for the final move to come. "And you were worried you wouldn't be a good opponent," he chuckled as he moved his remaining knight toward her king, but it was not a check, not yet anyway. "This is the best game I've had since I left Canterlot. Of course, that means I'll have to bring out the chess set more often."

Plans for the future were just that -- in the future.  She could worry about them later.  What was it that Spike said?  It would be Future Twilight's problem.  Of course, thinking that just made her inwardly groan.  She'd actually met (and become) Future Twilight... okay, so maybe that wasn't the best way to go about things.  Instead she tried to focus her attention back on the present and the game she was losing.

"I hope you do.  I may not be doing so well, but I have enjoyed it.  I tried to get Spike to learn how to play as well, but he didn't really have the patience for it.  He's more of a Checkers kind of Dragon." she smiled idly as she moved for another defensive move.  At that point it was pretty much moot though.  Within another two placements she was well and trapped.  She quickly ran through the possible legal moves from her current position on the board and realized that she was out of options come the start of her next turn.

With a soft shrug and a smile, Twilight reached over and gently tapped her King over, letting it clatter to the board in defeat.  While she knew there were mixed feelings on such a move, she always felt it was better to resign than drag on an obviously lost outcome.  The Unicorn offered a hoof across the board to shake.  "Best two of three?"

Widget could well imagine doing this every Sunday afternoon. A walk in the woods to a quiet, secluded spot, classical music and gentle wind surrounding them with the smell of the season, a tasty lunch packed up for them, and a wonderful game of chess to match their conversations. Heaven could not come closer than this.

Part of him was sad as he watched the white king clatter to the board, watching it roll slightly until it came to rest against her remaining bishop. It was not the way Widget would have ended this game had he been in Twilight's position. He liked to draw it out, to fight and struggle to the last breath, even if there was no real hope in winning. At the same time, he could more than appreciate Twilight's decisive movement in ending the match on her own terms rather than let herself be chased about and worn down bit by bit.

He reached across the board to take her hoof, then pulled slightly as he moved forward as he grinned. He kissed her with a heat behind it, pouring silent words into it - his affection, his thanks for the frankly amazing game, and best of all, not dissuaded from her loss, her desire for a continuance of their play time. "Absolutely," he answered at last when he finally drew back, ignoring how his glasses had gone slightly askew. With one quick flash of his horn, he set up the pieces to their proper places once more, even though he wasn't even looking at them. "And don't say that you didn't do well. It was a great game. I didn't even go easy on you." He grinned.

Twilight perked curiously when Widget took her hoof and gave a soft tone of surprise upon being tugged closer over the board, but it was muffled into a more pleased sound from the kiss.  Her surprise tapered away into a silly smile as her ears flattened back and she savored the affection readily, returning it in kind.  For as often as she rocked Widget back on his hooves with little unexpected kisses of her own, it was oh so nice to receive them as well.  She was left blushing as she settled back down on her side of the board but smiling all the same.

"If that's what happens each time I lose, you're not exactly encouraging me to try and win."  she teased as she lit her horn and carefully spun the board about, giving Widget the white pieces and first move for that round.

Widget couldn't help but to grin brightly as Twilight was so obviously taken off guard by his kiss. It was good to know he held at least a fraction of the sway over her as she did over him! "Don't think of it like that," he chuckled as he peered down at his white pieces. "Think about how much better it will be if you win. Victor's reward, and all." He winked with promise as he moved his white pawn out.

"How long do we have until we have to get to the square?" he inquired. He wasn't sure on the time - only that she would be needed this afternoon.

From Town Square Special Event

Scoots slowly made her way through the trees, wings buzzing at a quarter of their normal speed as she followed no known path and simply went further and further into the forest. She didn't have to worry about monsters or getting lost in Whitetail Woods, they weren't dangerous. As she went along she didn't even notice as the ground began to get steeper and steeper until she had suddenly reached the edge of a plateau. Coming to a stop she stood on her scooter, surveying the landscape that spread for as far as she could see in every direction. She could see everything from up here, there in the distance Sweet Apple Acres with it's many apple trees. Into Ponyville, the Carousal Boutique with it's eye catching purple and white combo. The school yard, the hospital............the Summersong Cafe.

Letting out a sigh she undid the chin strap for her helmet and let it fall to the ground. Showing a bit more care for her scooter she gently laid it down onto the ground. Rubbing a hoof through her mane she walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down, kicking a stone over the ledge and watching it tumble down before vanishing into the tree tops. How had everything gone so wrong so quick? If only she hadn't been out in that thunderstorm, if only she'd not stopped so long to drink or even stopped at all.

She heaved another sigh, lifting her eyes skyward and wishing that the moon was out instead of the sun.

♪♫♪♫
For what seems a thousand years I have waited here for you,
waiting every night.
For I thought you were the answer to my liiiiife.
♪♫♪♫

She turned her head, her gaze landing on her mother's little memorial though she couldn't actually see the stone as the surrounding trees blocked her view before scanning over to look at Rainbow's cloud house.

♪♫♪♫
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade.
♪♫♪♫

She stood up and turned to look at Ponyville, more where the Summer Song Cafe was, her gaze hardening before crumbling.

♪♫♪♫
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

She looked up at the sky, picturing it filled with stars and the full moon glowing proudly.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She looked back to the ground, her eyes sweeping over Sweet Apple Acres and Carousal Boutique, Rainbow's house and even Diamond Tiara's home.

♪♫♪♫
Infinite despise
and endless jealousy
Bottled in my soul
Has erupted as I'm
tearing across the grouuund!
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

She sat back down, closing her eyes and tilting her face towards the heavens.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She sat there for nearly a minute, not moving and seeming for all the world to be a statue. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper and thick with unshed tears and grief she began to sing once more.

♪♫♪♫
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

Her voice rose higher, taking on an almost hopeful, begging quality.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

♪♫♪♫
Is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She slowly opened her eyes, turning her head slightly so she could just see her mother's memorial out of the corner of her eye. Her voice dropped down into a whisper.

♪♫♪♫
_{Is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?}
♪♫♪♫

Her voice trailed off into silence, her gaze never leaving the memorial. "I love you Mommy." She said softly, pushing herself onto her hooves. She walked over to where her scooter and helmet were though instead of grabbing them she laid down next to them and simply let her gaze wander.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:53, Mon 17 Dec 2012.

When asked about the time, Twilight peered past Widget to the little monument of stones she'd built in the center of her hide away.  The shadow they cast due to the sun perfectly aligned with the spacing of the trees around the perimeter of the clearing and, as it was designed to do, told her the time as a giant sundial.  "We've still got a while, I think." she mentioned.

The two were well into their second game by the time noise from town started to filter on over through the woods.  They weren't all that far off from Ponyville, all things considered, and the powerful speakers from Vinyl Scratch's sound system carried very well.  If they listened closely, they could just make out what was going on.  In the meantime, Twilight contented herself to discussing topics for the trivia quiz and pacing through another stimulating game of chess; she was happy to find she did better her second game both as a combination of slowly getting back into the swing of it and recognizing a few of Widget's moves ahead of time.  She was busy trying to lock down his bishop as part of an ongoing ploy when the second round of Rainbow Dash's contest ended.

"Oops... looks like that's our cue.  Let's put a pause on the game here.  We can come back to it afterward, okay?" she asked sweetly.  "I'll just teleport us to Town Square."

Though slightly disappointed that the time had come for their game to be put on pause, he knew he was going to have fun at the contest that Twilight had been planning trivia for. And like she said, they could come back to it when they were done and finish up their game. It was fun, he thought, how a lunch date had turned into an all day date, even with something as big as the contest in the middle!

"Okay," he said trustingly as he stood up and moved to her side. "Uh... I've never been teleported before. Do I have to do anything, hold my breath or something?" he asked, half teasing.

"Just stand close." Twilight prompted.  When Widget would no doubt move to her side she smiled and shook her head.  "No, closer."  Only when they were nuzzled side-to-side would she apparently be satisfied.  Of course, that wasn't at all necessary to teleport.  She just liked the way it felt.

"Now, just for fair warning -- you may feel a little vertigo." she explained as her horn lit up.  She didn't give Widget a chance to question that before the two suddenly vanished in a flare of magical sparkles.  Better just to do it quickly than let him build up any anxiousness about it, right?

--> Twilight and Widget teleport to Special Event in Town Square

As the sun began to set and darkness started to creep across the landscape Scoots decided that she had spent enough time on the mountain and that she should get moving again. However, she didn't particularly care for heading back into town or even back to the CMC club house. Looking at the area her mothers marker was in she made up her mind. Snatching up her helmet and snapping it in place she picked up her scooter and hopped on it before making her way down the mountain. She zipped and zagged along the slight path she had made coming up before veering off and heading towards the glade.

It took nearly twenty minutes to reach but it wasn't like she was going fast, she totally could have gotten there in five minutes if she really wanted to. Coming to a halt she leaned her scooter against a tree and laid her helmet on the ground. Walking over to the stone she stared at it for awhile before collapsing on the ground with a WHUMPF! She let out a sigh. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just be simple and easy?

--> from Town Square

Rainbow Dash walked with Greenwood into the White Tail Forest, her head on a swivel as she scanned around for any signs of Scootaloo. That's what Greenwood was there for, after all, but it couldn't hurt to keep an eye out anyway. As they strolled along, Rainbow Dash was making small-talk. "...and then I totally broke the speed of sound and did a rainbow at the same time! It was a Sonic Rainboom! And let me tell you... it was... so... awesome!" she gushed over her own accolades, having gone over them from the time they left.

Finally, she looked the unicorn over as if studying her. "I've never seen you around town before today, Greenwood. What is it you do for a living? And how do you know Scootaloo?"

<-- Greenwood and Applebloom enter from Town Square

"Uh huh... yeah... uh huh..." Greenwood had fallen into the habit of nodding and commenting every now and then as she led the talkative Rainbow Dash along through the woods.  Geeze, she was just like Scootaloo... were the two sisters or something?  When the topic shifted over to herself, the Unicorn actually didn't notice at first and continued her deadpan until her brain caught up with her mouth to correct herself.

"Huh?  Oh... no, I'm not from Ponyville.  Trottingham, actually." Greenwood felt her accent would have given that away, but then again, the Pegasus didn't really seem all that bright to her.  Apparently not all muscle-brains were big and bulky.  She gave her flank a slight wiggle to indicate her Cutie Mark -- a chair and bull whip.  Applebloom couldn't help but grimace a bit; she still recalled that time she did lion taming as a result of her Cutie Pox using such props...

"I'm a monster hunter.  I go around tracking down beasties that have wandered into civilized areas and haul them back to where they belong.  Dirty work, but good for folk."  she explained.  It wasn't a complete lie... in the past, that was precisely what Greenwood had done for a living.  It was just that she eventually found it was more profitable to sell those captured monsters off rather than deliver them home, and one thing led to another... "I was out of Fillydelphia when I heard rumor of some poachers making a mess of things in the Everfree Forest and went to investigate, but got lost and was being attacked by some kind of savage Pony-thing.  Guess I accidentally stumbled into her territory or something, 'cause she really has it out for me.  Scootaloo found me and showed me the way to town.  Really pulled me out of a jam, that one.  She's a good kid... not particularly wise, but that's beside the point."

"What'ya mean?" Applebloom asked.

Greenwood didn't answer immediately as she paused at a point in the woods and looked about keenly.  She lifted her head to the breeze and sniffed a few times, then changed course to take them off the beaten path and amid the trees.  "Not my place to say, kiddo.  Best you ask her yourself.  She's not far.  Assuming she's not still moving, we'll come across her in a few minutes, so keep it down."

<-- Entering from Rainbow Dash's Contest

A long ways off from where the little adventuring party was trekking through the woods sat Twilight's clearing and, within it, a flash of light that suddenly flared up.  Teleportation: the only way to travel.  Twilight Sparkle kept by Widget's side in case he was left woozy from the jump again, there to steady him until he was safe on his own hooves.

"Ah, just as we left it."  she mentioned as their briefly abandoned picnic and chess game was still where it laid.

"Trottingham, huh? Interesting." Dash almost deadpanned. "I don't think we've ever had a pony from there around here before." she commented. As the flank shaking commenced, she took a moment to look it over. "A monster hunter? That's pretty neat, I guess." she mumbled, trying her best not to sound too excited about it. It couldn't be better than the accolades of Rainbow Dash of course! At the mention of poachers, Rainbow Dash did show some emotion as she let out a soft growl. "Ugh. Poachers. I've read stories about them in the newspaper. Sick, disgusting ponies, I tell you. I hope you found one of them and made their lives miserable. If I ever came across one, I'd show them all the colours of the Painbow." She growled again.

Sensing she might be disturbing Applebloom a tad with talk like that, she leaned down with a grin. "And then feed them to a giant manticore~" She made sure to sound all fake and over dramatic for this part, even giving a 'chomp' sound effect. Despite the show for Applebloom, she still meant those words. To cause harm to any innocent creature out there willingly and only for your own personal gain and satisfaction... that was beyond disgusting to the cyan Pegasus.

"Alright, I'll keep my eyes peeled for any sign of her." she mentioned as Greenwood instructed them to be quiet. She wanted to find Scootaloo as quickly as possible and didn't want to cause any sort of sound to alert her.

<<< FROM: Town Square

Widget wobbled slightly, but he seemed better as they materialized in the forest clearing where they had left off, his eyes only slightly crossed from the dizziness set in by the teleportation. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that..." he mumbled, shaking his head slightly to clear it before stepping slightly forward to gather his footing. "Though I suppose it's not that bad, if I get to stand next to you for it." He grinned, and moved back to the board game with her.

"Well, that was an interesting afternoon," he said with a chuckle, kneeling down again on his side of the board and examining it to remember where they'd left off. "Interesting developments... Rainbow Dash and Applejack... Honestly, I didn't see it coming. What do you think about it all?"

"You know, you don't need an excuse to do that~."  Twilight cooed as she pressed herself warmly to Widget's side before they parted to regard their game.  While the evening was still fairly bright, she took a moment to place an orb of magical light overhead to illuminate the immediate area and take the strain off their eyes.

As the conversation turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash's new relationship, Twilight needed a moment to ponder on it all before she could answer.  "I'm not really sure, to be honest.  I had my suspicions from talking to each of them though." she shrugged.  "It's odd to think of them as a couple, but if they're happy, then that's all that really matters.  They've always gotten along together so well... they used to lock horns in the past, but that only made them even better friends in the long run."

"Heh, I should hope not," Widget teased back as she pulled away to go back to her side of the board. The magical orb was quite welcome, especially since Widget's eyesight was quite poor enough without the falling dusk making it difficult to see. Low light was not this colt's friend. Which was odd, considering how much delicate work he did after dark.

"Well, I think the best thing anypony can do in this situation is treat them exactly the same as they have been," said Widget confidently. "It seemed to me like this was much more of a spur of the moment revelation. They're likely both feeling a bit unsure, especially with how they were fighting beforehand. I don't know them as well as you do, but I wouldn't even ask about it. You're the pony they talk to most when they have issues - you'll likely know everything eventually, whether you want to or not." He smirked, imagining Twilight playing as a couples therapist for Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and finding it quite an amusing thought. "Your move, I think."