//------------------------------// // The First Tale, Part Two // Story: Tales Of Star-Crossed Love // by The REAL Mister Pkmn //------------------------------// Chapter Two Arpeggio Aurora & Misdirea Sleight Rendezvous Play Arpeggio arrived home that night as stealthily as he could, as to not wake his family. However, the instant he stepped into the dining room, the candles became lit, and his family yelled, “SURPRISE!” Above the table that was laden with much food, there was a banner that read: “Congratulations on showing that rotten Sleight!” Arpeggio was stunned as his father approached him, smiling wide. “Well done, my son. The word of your first confrontation with the Sleights has spread wide! Truly, the tradition is well and alive!” A hearty slap on the back came along with this declaration, as well as the family breaking out a cheer. Arpeggio put on his best poker face in order to play along, so as to not arise suspicion. He went along with the impromptu party, as he was certain Misdirea was experiencing something similar with her family. The celebration went on for a little while, until Arpeggio took a glass of cider in his magic, and lightly tapped a spoon on its side to gain their attention. “I would like to make an announcement!” With all eyes on him, he cleared his throat. “I believe that it will please all of you to know that I’ve found somepony I think might prove to be my future wife!” At this revelation, the party became far more lively than before as they drank a toast to Arpeggio’s long-awaited first courtship. Arpeggio however, refused to tell them who it was- after all if they knew that, heads would roll… He shook his head as he deflected the question again. Hopefully, he could manage to keep this charade up... The next day dawned, and Arpeggio busied himself with getting ready for his first date with Misdirea. He went over his mane a few times, as well as his tail. He then took out his cologne, and ensure it was the right touch for a “casual” date. He nodded his head, and dressed up slightly, with a light tan vest. He looked in the mirror to see if anything was out of place. Seeing that nothing was, he gave a smug grin at himself. “Go get ‘em, you handsome devil, you!” Satisfied with his look, he went out on the town. He knew that it was a bit early, but he just had to take in the atmosphere today. It was still a little surreal when he thought about it. His first date, and it was with the youngest daughter of the family that his most despised! It was pretty exciting, but also nerve-wracking, but the daring feeling of (secretly) taking opposition to what his family thought was certainly quite the rush! He arrived at his favorite pastry shop, and was far enough off to not be spotted by the townsponies. He’d arrived a little early, but their Misdirea was, looking stunning in her understated blue dress. She noticed him, and cast a little spell with her magic. For the first time, Arpeggio saw the effect of the illusion field kick in- Misdirea was replaced by a rather simple looking light purple furred mare, but Arpeggio knew who was really there, unlike the onlookers who glanced up for a moment, but then returned to their business. Arpeggio smiled at their self obsession, seeing as it would give him the perfect cover. He sauntered over to the Pastry Palace, and placed himself within the Illusion field that covered their table. He looked again at Misdirea, who he could see properly again. He smiled. “It’s nice to see you were just as excited about our reunion as I was. You look wonderful, as usual.” Earning a small blush out of Misdirea, he was rewarded with a little playful jab. “You’re not half bad yourself.” A good-natured chuckle was shared between the two, before Misdirea spoke again. “So, what do you want for lunch?” Perusing the menu for a moment, Arpeggio chose a new confection. “This one seems interesting: Melon Bread. Might be interesting to try out. What about you?” Hesitating for a moment, Misdirea finally made her decision. “I’ll have a chocolate strudel.” Nodding, Arpeggio hailed the waiter. The waiter came posthaste, and stood outside the illusion field. He addressed them, not knowing who they really were. “What will the lovely couple be having, hmm?” Putting on a posh accent, Arpeggio gave the waiter their order. “A Melon Bread for me, and a chocolate strudel for the lady.” The waiter wrote that down, and noticed how the two looked at each other. He smiled, and sighed. “Ah, young love. Mayhaps I can interest the hopeful couple in a new recipe the chef is working on?” Discussing for a while amongst themselves, Misdirea smiled, putting on a Germaneic accent. “We would be delighted to support the chef’s endeavors. Bring out a sample for both of us, if you could.” The waiter took note of that, and posed one last question. “Anything to drink with that, sir and ma’am?” They took another look at the menu, and Arpeggio and Misdirea nodded in agreement as they spoke in unison. “Blueberry Lemonade, chilled, not stirred.” They blinked at that, and chuckled lightly at the fact they actually spoke in unison. Shaking his head at the young couple’s antics as he wrote that down, the waiter then left the two to themselves. Sighing at that, Arpeggio decided to make some small talk while they waited. “What do you think I looked like to him through the illusion field? Maybe royal blue fur? What do you think?” Shrugging, Misdirea placed her hoof near his. “Possibly. We will never know, however. More importantly…” She drew into whisper into his ear. “Regardless of what else may come… I’m glad we met the way we did.” As she drew away, Arpeggio looked redder than usual as he smiled. “Same here.” Before the moment could go any further, the waiter returned to their table. He placed their order on the table via magic. “One Melon bread for the gentlecolt, one chocolate strudel for the lady, two samples of the chef’s new dish, and two glasses of blueberry lemonade. Please, do enjoy your meal.” The waiter stepped away, and went to take orders from the other patrons. As they started their lunch, Arpeggio decided to start up a new topic. “I’m curious… do you believe in fate? Do you think that we were meant to meet the way we did, or do you believe that our choices led us to meet that day?” After washing down some of her strudel, Misdirea responded. “I suppose that there might have been a higher force at work, but who is to say? How could we prove it either way? I say we should not worry about that, and just enjoy our time together.” Nodding at that as he ate the last of his melon bread, he lifted his glass of blueberry lemonade. “A toast, then! To enjoying each other’s company!” The two clinked glasses, and took a drink. The two then set down the glasses for a moment, and turned their attention to the new dish sample. They both took a bite, and their faces lit up. The waiter took this opportunity to come over to the table. “So? How is the chef’s new dish so far? Does it need anything? Come, no need to blunt the truth.” Mulling over the taste for a bit, Arpeggio spoke first. Mulling over the taste for a bit, Arpeggio spoke first. “It’s got just the right amount of strength to the sweetness, a nice fluffy texture, and flavor to spare. The one thing I’d add is just a smidge of color.” The waiter turned to Misdirea after writing that down, and she gave her thoughts. “I agree, It’s quite good. It could use an impactful look to it, though. Something… eye-catching.” Writing that down, the waiter nodded. “Thank you for your honest opinion, sir and madam.” He then levitated a slip of paper down to them. “Your bill.” The waiter went to attend some other tables, and couple took one look at the bill, and looked between each other. Taking out her purse, Misdirea set down the payment, with a little tip. Arpeggio raised an eyebrow, and Misdirea explained. “I agreed to repay to you for the cake. Let’s go.” The two left, taking the illusion field with them. They found their way to a nearby park, and sat under a tree side-by-side. They sighed. Silence settled in as the two just drank in the atmosphere. They then looked to each other. As they held each other’s gaze and were about to go in for a kiss, something stopped them. Some part of them felt as if this was all some fantasy that was too good to be true. What if all of this had been some wonderful, elaborate dream, and when they woke up, it would be as if none of it had ever happened? Had this time together been real, or was one of them just dreaming? Maybe when they’d collided in the street, they had fallen into a state of limbo, between life and death? But, as Arpeggio put his hoof gently on Misdirea’s face to wipe away the tears that had started to gather, and as she found herself snuggling up to him, they felt a new sense of reality in all of this. They had done something that their fathers would be livid over if they’d known about it. They had connected in a way that their families, as far as they knew, never had before in the past. They were glad to be with each other in this moment, this beautiful, seemingly impossible, moment. Then they turned to each other, and smiled. Brushing a bit of hair out of her eye with his magic, Arpeggio spoke softly. “We’ll be together again, perhaps later this week. But sadly, we must bit each other adieu for now.” Looking solemn, Misdirea sighed. “I know that you are right. I just… wish this could last longer.” Lifting her chin with his hoof, Arpeggio smiled. “Perhaps next time, it can. Until then…” He then gently pecked her on the cheek. “I will keep you in my thoughts always, my sweet.” Blushing a little, Misdirea gently pecked him on one of his cheeks. “As will I keep you in mine, my darling.” After waiting until the coast was clear (and their respective blushes had died down), the illusion field came down, and the two went their separate ways once more. However, little did they know that somepony had seen and overheard from the bushes...