There were few ponies about, but Tender still smiled and waved at everypony as they passed. He got a few odd looks, but after four months in the neighborhood, most of the locals were getting used to his open friendliness. Babs had tried to explain that real Manehattan ponies didn’t act this way, but Tender Taps didn’t care. If he could bring a ray of Ponyville-style cheerfulness to the burrough, why not? Besides, he liked it when Babs teased him for it.
Centrot Park was a little busier, with foals galloping about playing tag, ponies in exercise clothing going for a jog, even a few bird-watchers with binoculars. Tender gulped as he watched the foals. Foals were often the logical next step from marriage. Foals with Babs. He blinked, once again feeling a glow of warmth in his chest, though he had to shove it deep. First things first.
“Sure is a good day for it, even if it’s chilly,” Babs said, breaking him out of his thoughts. She was glancing about, her mouth curled in a small, peaceful smile. It was a rare change from her usual smirk, and a moment he treasured.
“It is, isn’t it?” He watched the way the sunlight played through the gently wafting leaves, green and gold mixed in the season’s transitional palate. “Let’s find a spot that’s kinda quiet.”
It only took a few moments to locate a nice spot, a small flat area just underneath a leaning willow tree. There were just enough leaves on the ground to provide a dusting of cover, but the green grass was still poking through. It was perfect, idyllic enough to send Tender’s heart to tap dancing again.
“You okay, hayseed?” Babs nudged him affectionately with her hip. “You’ve been acting weird all day.”
“J-just fine!” he nearly yelped, and cursed himself. Babs was already suspecting he was up to something, he didn’t need to add fuel to the fire with nervous acting. He moved forward. “C’mon, let’s set…”
The leaves on the ground were just enough to cover the rock Babs tripped over. With a yelp of pain, she stumbled. Tender Taps reacted with a dancer’s grace, lunging into action without thought to catch his marefriend in his hooves. Unfortunately, the wild motion swung his saddlebags wide with momentum, and the strain finally was too much for the poor battered bags. They split along the seam with a loud tearing sound, spilling their contents wide across the leaf-covered ground.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered, and Babs smirked as he helped her to her hooves.
“Oh, hayseed. I told you this city’d get your mouth corrupted. It’s almost like you’re becoming a native Maneh…” She froze, trailing off, her eyes frozen on something among the wreckage. Something Tender had wanted to find before she did. “Uh, Tender? Wanna tell me what that is?”
Oh please, Celestia, tell me she didn’t…
Babs was pointing right at the clamshell jewelry box. He gulped, swallowing hard at the lump in his throat.
“Um.”
“That’s a jewelry box, isn’t it, Tender?”
He nodded, his throat suddenly painfully dry.
“Fuck.” She looked at him, her eyes guilty. “I, uh…”
“Don’t suppose you could pretend you didn’t see that yet?” he asked hopefully, meeting her eyes with his own. Babs stared at him, her eyes huge, her mane drifting down into her face like it often did when she was distracted. “Look, Babs, don’t feel bad, it wasn’t your fault.” His mind ran a billion miles an hour. There had to be a way to salvage this. “Um, let’s just gather the stuff up. We can still have a picnic.”
“R-right.”
They were silent as they gathered up the picnic supplies, spreading out their ratty old red picnic blanket over the ground. They both reached for the clamshell box at the same time, their hooves touching.
“S-sorry,” she jerked her hoof away, but Tender reached out and grabbed her.
“Babs, you don't need to feel bad about this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know that, dummy,” she muttered. “Still feel terrible. The moment’s ruined.”
“Is it?” Tender mused. “It doesn’t have to be. We could have a nice picnic, and then… try again another time?”
Babs laughed. “Right. Now that the surprise is gone.”
He picked up the box, holding it close while they laid out the rest of the picnic and sat on the ground. The silence was awkward as they started to eat, but at least the sandwiches and apples were good.
“So…” Babs started, swallowing the last bite of her sandwich. “A pre-audition audition?” There was an amused spark in her eyes. Tender laughed and nodded, even as he blushed.
“Yeah. Probably for the biggest role of my life.”
“Really?”
“For sure. I met with a very important pony to see if she thought I’d be right for it. She seemed to think I’d be a good fit.”
“And who was this very important pony?”
“A local business mare. Owns her own flower shop. It might be a little old-fashioned, but I felt like I had to ask for her blessing before I moved on to the real thing.”
Babs’ eyes went a little wide, and she blew an idle strand of mane out of her face with a puff of air. “Would it jinx things now if I asked when the real audition is?”
“Probably not,” Tender admitted. “It was scheduled for this afternoon, but something might have come up.”
Babs laughed. “Might have?”
“Jury’s still out. I’m still hoping it will happen today even if there’s a few awkward setbacks. Pretty sure it’s going to go great.”
“You know,” Babs laughed. “That naïve, optimistic hayseed act? It’s really cute.”
Tender felt his face heat up. Even months later he was still turned red whenever she complimented him.
“So how would you have done it?”
Tender glanced at her. Babs’ eyes were amused, but she also looked nervous. “Um. Well, I know that improvisation isn’t exactly my strong suit, and I still sometimes get a little paralyzed by stage fright. So I probably would have started with a story.”
“A story?”
“About a v-very special mare. Strong, confident, kind. A mare who helped me out with stage fright, once. When I was a quivering newbie, trembling offstage right before my very first performance as a backup dancer in Les Mareserables. She flirted with me, and was nice, and even gave me a great mane cut.”
“You’re still a newbie,” Babs scoffed, but Tender could see the hints of red on her cheeks.
“I would tell that story, because even thinking about that mare gives me confidence. And even when I’m shaking, even when my throat seizes up and my muscles don’t wanna work and my head gets all spinny, I think of her.” He cleared his throat, looking deep in her emerald eyes. He could barely hear his own voice over the nervous tattoo of his heart. “Of you. And even though I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been before, just thinking about you makes it possible for me to do impossible things.”
“Y-you’re such a sap, hayseed,” Babs muttered, glancing away. Her cheeks were fully crimson, now. Tender leaned forward.
“Sure I am, it’s why you love me,” he said, and she snorted. “You’re not denying it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head, a hint of a sweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
It was one of the cutest things he’d ever seen, and he cherished those moments from his otherwise tough-as-nails marefriend.
“So next,” he continued. “I would have reached into my bags and pulled out the box.”
“Are we really doing this?” she whispered. Her eyes were wide as she leaned towards him.
“I would have probably stuttered and stumbled over what I was gonna say,” Tender continued. His nervousness was gone, washed away in the thrill of the moment. It was just like when he was on stage; the lights, the audience, the scenery, all washing away, fading to the background so he could do what he was born to do. “I’d have said something about how I’d been thinking about this moment for weeks. Maybe months. But I couldn’t come up with anything good enough, so I just decided to wing it.”
He pulled out the box, holding it in front of him. Her eyes shot open, locked on the clamshell box between them. He could see her swallowing nervously. Her eyes were liquid. His hooves shook a little as he reached for the lid of the box, but he didn’t feel it.
“I guess without any solid plan, I would just think of the story. And the mare in the story. I would have waited until right before you were going to blow an errant strand of mane out of your eyes, so I could reach up and gently do it with a hoof.” She froze, and he lifted a trembling hoof to slowly push a lock of red and pink mane out of her eyes. “And then as confidently as I could manage, I would have opened the box and said, ‘Babs Seed, would you marry me?’”
With one hoof he lifted the lid of the clamshell box to reveal the jewelry inside. It was a bit jostled from the spill, but everything was still there. Babs’ jaw dropped, and her wet eyes darted between his and the engagement ring. But then, with a teasing smile, he closed the box and set it down.
“Too bad I’ll have to come up with something else, though,” he lamented, over her squawk of protest. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s just as good.”
“You… you… big dummy!” she laughed, tears of joy splashing down her cheeks. She reached out and seized the box from him. Tender didn’t protest, letting her hold the box in front of her. With wondering eyes she opened up the box. He noticed her own hooves were trembling. She lifted the ring by the necklace chain, then glanced at him. “Y-you should put it on.”
“Is that a yes, then?” he took the chain from her, lifted it over her head, letting it settle around her neck.
“What do you think, Tender Taps?”
And then she kissed him.