As a Canterlot Pegasus star, Summer Springs was expected to be prim and proper but she honestly wasn't into all of that. Her pink and light green mane was long, almost to her hooves in fact, and curled slightly at the ends and covering one of her soft blue eyes and a cyan coat. She normally braided her tail feeling that it looked better that way with how long it was. She rarely flew as she preferred walking, as well she enjoyed saving her flight. Her cutie mark was quite unusual for her name; it was of a music note trapped in the summer sun signaling her sunny sweet singing voice. She trotted along smiling slightly as she did so, she was leading a singing group at the grand galloping gala that night and she needed to head to the Canterlot branch of the now famous carousel boutique to pick up her gown. She hadn't been looking where she was going when she bumped into somepony, knocking their book away in the process. "Oh goodness I-I'm so sorry!" She shook her mane and helped the pony up before she froze, a light pink blush hitting her cheeks. The mare she had bumped into had a light lavender/purple coat with a simple straight mane style, her mane was a darker royal purple with a lighter purple streak as well as a light magenta streak. She froze worse, noticing that this mare was also an alicorn with a cutie mark of a magenta star with smaller stars around it. This pony was the princess of friendship herself, princess Twilight Sparkle! "Oh my gosh! I-I'm so sorry your highness!" She blushed worse bowing when those amazing purple eyes met her own blue ones. "Oh no need to worry. I'm fine. Are you alright?" The alicorn asked while using her magic to brush off Summer gently. "O-Oh I-I'm alright princess…" Summer squeaked, gulping slightly. The newest princess shook her head slightly, still smiling at her kindly, "Just Twilight is fine…um…may I ask your name?" Summer gulped and stuttered slightly, her heart a flutter at the moment, "Summer Springs…Twilight." This caused the Alicorn to gasp. "Oh my gosh! You're leading the singers at the Grand Galloping Gala tonight right?! I'm so excited for your performance, all my friends are too! They're all out picking up their dresses from rarity's boutique, the Canterlot branch of the carousel boutique. I'm heading over there now, since my own preparations for the Gala are complete besides my own getting ready, are you heading there as well?" The cyan Pegasus was lost in the purple alicorn's eyes, to the point she almost couldn't answer her question, "O-Oh yes I was." Twilight smiled at her slightly, "well we can walk together then! It's the least I could do for you after all, for bumping into you." Summer immediately smiled and nodded happily, though the princess still made her nervous simply because she was so beautiful and smart, as well as kind. It turned out that they learned more about each other as they walked, such as that they both loved reading, a secret passion of the singer that not many ponies knew about. "Oh I LOVED Daring Do in the sapphire statue! She's so brave, I envy her!" Twilight chuckled and smiled at Summer happily, "My personal favorite is book four! I absolutely loved it! But why do you envy her?" The Alicorn tilted her head and smiled at her while they approached the boutique. Summer messed with her mane slightly while blushing , "Oh well you see I'm not always brave, sometimes I still get nervous or shy…even when preforming." Twilight shook her head with a reassuring smile and placed her hoof on the pegasus' shoulder softly. "Everypony get nervous from time to time. Even me." Summer smiled back at her and thanked the princess, who herself had a faint blush before hiding it as she opened the door for them with her magic only to be tackled by a pink pony. "Omigosh Twilight! You're finally here!" Following the pink earth pony a white Unicorn with a purple finely curled mane smiled, "Oh do come in Twilight, we must prepare for the gala!" She blinked and gasped dramatically after noticing Summer, "DARLING! You're Summer Springs! Oh my goodness it's such an honor! I've got your gown prepared, come in! Come in! I am Rarity." Summer smiled as she walked inside with Twilight, "It's a pleasure, but please I'm no pony special." An orange pony with a blonde mane grinned as she walked over, "well howdy there, miss Springs. I'm Applejack, and I'm just pleased as punch to meet ya." The remaining ponies all introduced themselves happily, a fellow cyan Pegasus pony with a rainbow mane named Rainbow Dash, who Summer could swear she was related to somehow. A yellow timid Pegasus with a long pink mane named Fluttershy seemed friendly and kind and finally the energetic pink mare named Pinkie Pie. The group all talked and chatted happily, though Summer was hardly paying attention. All she could think about was the Princess she had just befriended. She had never met somepony so kind and true. Twilight's gown for the Gala was quite beautiful, almost matching the gown that she wore for her coronation, but with more waves of purple in the design and light blues that seemed to sparkle. Her mane was done in a wavy curled style rather than her straight mane style. She looked even more amazing now if such were possible. Summer wasn't sure what these feelings she had for the princess were, she just knew that she felt deeply for Twilight already. Rarity smiled as she showed Summer the gown she had made her. It was a lovely gown with a darker cyan color from her coat and speckled with pink and light green gems with a matching tiara and lovely light emerald slippers. She even did her hair in a lovely high ponytail with her bangs still covering one eye. "Oh darling you look ready to preform!" rarity grinned. The rest of the ponies got ready while Twilight and Summer moved to head to the gala, both to prepare for their roles. Twilight smiled slightly blushing slightly as she asked, "sooooo Summer, have you ever met Princess Celestia and Luna?" The Pegasus shook her head as she looked at Twilight, "Never. I would like to one day though." Twilight smiled at her and she said, "well I would love it if you would come with me to see them before the Gala, I'm sure they would love to meet you." Summer smiled and blushed, "I'm sorry but I have to practice with the group…the songs are quite difficult you see." Twilight nodded in understanding before she said, "I hope you have a good time and I'll see you later right?" Summer beamed happily, "Of course! I-I mean yes of course you will." Twilight laughed and bid her farewell blushing slightly. Twilight blushed brighter as she realized with slight embarrassment that she, a princess and national heroine along with her friends that she had developed a crush on this mare in only a few short hours. She shook her head focusing on finishing the remaining preparations, with spike away in ponyville to watch the castle, she found that she had to do things herself but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle. Celestia had however noticed her former student seemed to be distracted and, being the wise alicorn she was, decided that she should talk to Twilight about it. "Princess Twilight? Is everything alright? You seem a tad distracted tonight." Twilight gasped and chuckled nervously, "Oh, Princess Celestia, I'm fine really I am. I'm just lost in some thoughts I suppose." Celestia blinked slightly as she watched Twilight a while more and saw she was flustered every so often blushing and sighing dreamily. "Is it perhaps a crush you have on somepony?" Twilight blushed brightly and she gulped slightly, "w-well I…I couldn't possibly have a crush on anypony I-I'm too busy for that." Celestia shook her head and she wrapped her wing around her former student gently and looked at her, "Twilight, let me offer some advice. Ruling alone is never good for you, friendship is your kingdom, but even friendship cannot fill some holes." With this she left to go and prepare herself, as well as help Luna prepare. Twilight gulped blushing as she kept thinking about Summer, was it true? Was Twilight Sparkle princess of friendship really crushing on somepony? And to make it stranger, a Mare.