//------------------------------// // Chapter XI: A Bottle of Chilled Wine // Story: I Would Give to You // by Jet Howitzer //------------------------------// (Well, here you go.) It turned out that both Storm and Rainbow Dash were asleep when you arrived at their home, and Storm was quite irritated when the two of you knocked on his door. With a short barrage of promises, he swore that both he, and Rainbow Dash, would see to the weather for tomorrow, and the Twilight had nothing to worry about. The slamming of the door in your faces served as an unmistakable sign of the end of the conversation. You heard, through the door, the sound of hooves running up the stairs, and you chuckled softly. Sleep, he says. The rest of the stops you had to make were relatively brief, as most of the ponies around town were busily preparing for the celebration, and the arrival of Princess Celestia. Near where you had brought the cake the two of you made your final stop. A large stage was being constructed, with Applejack giving out instructions. Her injuries weren’t as severe as Taupe’s and so she was out and about. “Well, howdy Twi. What brings you by?” She looked to the parchment suspended just behind the unicorn, and her eyes widened, and a smile appeared on her face. “Checking the checklist, I see. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that everything here is under control. Short of an accident, we’ll have the stage done by nightfall.” She glanced at you for a moment, and you felt slightly uncomfortable beneath her scrutiny. It didn’t last long, though, and when she looked away you felt relieved. “That’s great, AJ. Well, save for the things that can’t be done until tomorrow, everything is checked off.” The scroll levitated before her as she spoke, and her hoof quickly ran along the list, pausing every so often as she noted the things that had to be done before the celebration began. When she finished with the list she turned to you, and smiled. “Now, how about you walk me home, and then come back when it’s time for our date?” You blushed at her words, and you noticed a blush appeared on her own face as well. You nodded slowly, and then you began walking the unicorn back to her home. It wasn’t going to be a short walk, given where you were, but that didn’t phase you in the slightest. The two of you enjoyed the companionable silence for most of the trip, and only every so often did one of you break it. As the library came into view you realized that the trip was coming to an end, and that you’d soon be out of Twilight’s company. This bothered you quite a bit, but you knew that it’d be worth it when you came back for your date. When you reached the door it began to glow with Twilight’s usual purple aura of magic, and then it opened slightly. It didn’t open all the way, and after a moment the glow faded. Twilight turned to you, and she smiled. “So, it’s just a few hours till seven. I expect you to be on time, and I trust that you’ve decided where we’re going?” You nod, suddenly tongue tied. In all honesty, you didn’t know exactly where to take her. Hopefully Flutters will be able to help me out here. “Yeah, I know where we’ll be going. It’s a bit fancy, so you might need to do your hair up some. Not that it doesn’t look good now, it’s just that... Um… I’ll just go, and trust that you know how to make yourself look better than you already do.” The mare laughed lightly at your antics, and then she turned to the door. Before she could fully turn, you lunged in for a quick kiss. It wasn’t the most passionate kiss, but the emotions were there, and you certainly could’ve stayed for quite some time. Instead, you broke the kiss, and dashed off to Fluttershy’s cottage, a massive smile on your face. You only ran for a few moments, and soon your pace slowed to a walking speed. As you walked along the road you spotted Storm heading your direction, a smile on his face. As he approached you felt the stirrings of an idea, and you stopped him before he could pass. “Hey, Storm. Could I ask a couple questions?” “That’s one, but sure, go ahead.” “Funny. Anyway, do you know of any moderately fancy restaurants in town? I’ve got a date with Twilight, and I don’t actually know where we’re going.” “Oh, so you’re like me. Yeah, I know a good place. It’s actually a place I took Twilight to one time before. It’s not too fancy, but getting a bit dressed up wouldn’t look out of place.” He quickly explains how to get there, and what it’s called. “Thanks. Now, do you have a suit that I could borrow? We’re about the same size, and it’d be easier for me to just borrow something, than for me to get something made.” “Wow, you’re really good at planning things, aren’t you?” “Yeah, forethought is my special talent.” The sarcasm in your words isn’t lost on the gray pegasus, and he chuckles. “Funny. What time is your date?” “Seven o’clock.” “Good, come by my place at half past six, and I’ll have my suit ready for you. Don’t be late, though, since we’re going to make sure you look good for your mare.” He flashed you a genuine smile as you thanked him once again, and then he continued on his way past you. You smiled as you resumed your trip to Fluttershy’s cottage, the time you spent with Twilight still running through your mind. As the cottage came into view you noted an absence of the mare outside, so you figured that she was probably inside, tending to her other friends. You opened the door to her home slowly, not sure if you were welcome to just come and go as you please. Luckily, Fluttershy was there, and she opened the door the rest of the way as you entered. “Oh, you’re back. How was your day in town?” “Not that bad, actually. I helped out with the Cakes, and then I spent some time helping Twilight out with her checklist. Oh, and Storm told me that I could borrow his suit, and he told me a place where I could take Twilight for dinner. I’ll still need to borrow some bits, but not as many, since the Cakes paid me for my help.” And so Fluttershy immediately got to work with helping you to mentally prepare for the date. She asked you questions about your past, and all sorts of things that may come up. She even asked you to come up with some questions that you could ask Twilight. Most of your questions weren’t broad enough, and so Twilight would be able to answer them in just a sentence or two. You needed to ask broad questions, so that Twilight could give longer answers. That way you’d be able to ask questions about parts of her responses. After spending nearly an hour and a half with the mare, your head was spinning with questions, answers, and little rules of etiquette. You never knew that she knew so much about this kind of thing, and she had been happy to explain that Rarity knew far more about this than she did, and that if you had any further questions, Rarity was the mare to ask. The trip to Storm’s home took you just a few minutes, and you arrived almost exactly on time. The door opened while you were still approaching the door, and you silently thanked Celestia that you wouldn’t have to try to knock on the door. However, rather than Storm opening the door you saw that it was Rainbow Dash. As she saw you approach she smiled broadly at you, and then she let you in. “Well, I’d love to stay and watch you two have your stallion talk, I’m off to go and have a chat with Twilight. Us mares have to stick together.” She quickly took to the skies as she finished speaking, and then you heard Storm come up behind you. “We’ve got no time for watching my mare fly through the skies. I’ve got to get you gussied up for your date with Twilight.” And so you began yet another barrage of questions as Storm quizzed you on some aspects of Twilight, and what you did and didn’t know about her. Through it all, though, Storm was being remarkably serious, and he was actually making you think about some of these things. By the time you finished with him, you were feeling far more confident than before, and you looked damn fine too. The suit fit you almost perfectly, and its colors didn’t clash with yours too much. “Just remember to be yourself, and Twilight won’t be able to resist you. If she doesn’t like the real you, then she’s not the mare for you. But I know her, and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on who you are.” “Thanks, Storm. For the outfit, and the tips.” “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just go and show that mare a good time. Celestia knows she deserves it.” You quickly made your way to the library, a good number of ponies stopping to compliment you on the way you look. You even noticed a few mares stopping to look as you passed by. Soon, though, the library came into view, and when it did you could juts make out the form of a pegasus taking flight from the balcony. You reached the door mere moments later, and you took a deep breath before you brought your hoof down on the door three times in succession. You marveled at the fact that you successfully knocked on the door, but your surprise at that is short lived, as the door opens to reveal a stunning mare. (Approximately how she looks. I deviated some, but based it off of that.) You just stared at her for a moment, as you took her in. She had on a beautiful pink dress, with a gold trim running along the bottom. Inlaid in that gold trim were several round cut sapphires. Around her neck she had a gorgeous necklace, the pendant of which was a series of diamonds arranged in the shape of her cutie mark, with an amethyst forming the center piece. Her forelegs had golden straps wound around them, with elaborate sandals at the ends of her hooves. Her hair was also done wonderfully, with just a slight curl added to it. It wasn’t all that different from what her hair normally looked like, but the change was noticeable all the same. “Twilight, you look amazing.” The mare blushed at your compliment, and you reached out a hoof and took hers in it, and you gently raised it to your face, where you laid a single gentle kiss. “May I have the honor, and privilege, of taking you to dinner tonight?” The mare’s blush deepened rapidly at your gesture, and she could only nod in response. The trip to the restaurant was made in silence, and you were certain that it was because you had left the unicorn beside you speechless. You had Storm run ahead to make a reservation for the two of you, and so it was only a few minutes for them to get you a table on the balcony, as you had requested. The table up here would cost you quite a bit, but it was worth it, in your opinion. It offered a magnificent view of the town, as well as the horizon where the sun would be setting in just over an hour. You hoped that you’d be here that long, since the sunset was one of your favorite times of day. Just as you were about to dive into conversation with the lavender unicorn, the waiter came by, offering up a bottle of the restaurant’s finest wine, and small salad for the two of you to share. You looked over to Twilight, to see if she wanted to get the wine, but when you didn’t see a reaction you decided that you would have the bottle. He smiled as you told him your decision, and he returned a few moments later with two glasses, and a bottle of chilled wine. “So, Twi, I know a good deal about what you’ve done since you came to Ponyville, but I’ve never really heard much about what you did before you came here.” Twilight smiled at your choice of conversation, and before long the two of you were deep in conversation, talking about all manner of things, with the words flowing nearly all the time. The meal was more of a distraction than you thought it would be, and before you knew it the sun was nearly touching the horizon. You broke off the conversation for just long enough to watch it set. “It’s always been my favorite time of day. It marks the end of day, so that we can enjoy the beginning of the next one. Because, what is the day without the night to divide it?” “Sunset is also more beautiful, in my opinion. More ponies are awake for it, and so I think that Celestia always strives to add more color to it.” You move your chair around the table some, so that you and Twilight are closer together. You fight with your body for a moment, and then you manage to wrap a wing around Twilight, pulling her close for a bit. She pulled herself closer to you, and you both enjoyed the sunset together. As the sky changed from blue, to red, to purple, and then to dark blue, the two of you simply enjoyed each others company, occasionally having a sip or two of wine. When the sun was finally set, the two of you shifted your gaze to the skies above, where Luna would soon cast her numberless stars. The display was breathtaking to say the least. The stars seemed to multiply in droves, having started with a single pin point of light. “Twilight?” “Yes?” “How long do you think it’ll be before you’ll be able to work out the finer details on my wings?” “Probably a few days. I don’t want to rush things, and wind up making them worse.” She snuggled just a bit closer to your side, and you pulled your wing in just a bit more, holding her tightly. After quite some time, and quite a bit of conversation, the waiter finally appeared once more, a bit of a blush on his face, likely due to walking in on the moment you were sharing with Twilight. “I hate to break up this moment, but the two of you have been here for almost an hour past closing time.” You pull out the fancy pocket watch that Storm had foisted upon you, and you could see that the waiter was correct. “My apologies, sir. If you could bring us the check, I’d be more than happy to get out of your hair.” The waiter bowed quickly, before heading back inside. “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome, Twi. It’s nearly midnight.” “Really? It’s that late? It felt like no time at all. We were just chatting away, and yet all that time passed?” “Clearly. It’s not like we just jumped forward in time, right?” The mare blushed a bit at your reference to her exploits with time travel. “That was a long time ago. I don’t mess with time anymore. It’s too… timey wimey.” You laugh at her terminology, and she laughs too. The waiter soon returns, and you quickly count out the bits for the meal, silencing Twilight’s protests about how you should split the bill with a quick kiss. The mare’s blush brought a smile to your face, and you made sure to give the waiter a hefty tip for his time and effort. The two of you walked out of the restaurant side by side, your wing still wrapped around the mare. You walked back to her home slowly, still talking about whatever the topic required, with no real pauses between the topics. When you finally reached Twilight’s home, you hesitated for just a moment. The mare noticed, since she opened the door with her magic, and she walked in smoothly, without asking you to stop, or even making some sort of indication that you shouldn’t follow. The two of you walked up to her room without even a single pause, and you couldn’t tell who was really leading who. When you did reach her room you finally removed your wing from around her. She turned to look at you as you did so, and she gave you a quick kiss. However, calling it a kiss was unfair to you, since it was more of a tease than a kiss. Remembering what she said last time, you quickly took the initiative, sweeping her off of her hooves and depositing her on her bed. You looked into her eyes for a moment, before you dove in for a kiss. This continued for a few minutes, with the kisses growing in passion until finally you stopped of your own volition. The mare’s eyes opened, and she mouthed a silent thank you. In your passion you had messed up Storm’s suit, as well as Twilight’s dress and hair, but neither of you really cared much. “I’m going to go freshen up, and then we’ll see what to do next, okay?” The mare just nodded, and you quickly went to the bathroom, where you splashed some water in your face, and then you removed the suit you were wearing. You took the time to make sure it was folded up nicely, and you hoped that Storm didn’t mind the sweat stains all over it. When you got back to Twilight’s room you were pleasantly surprised to see her lying back on her bed, her eyes beckoning you to approach. You did so, and she quickly wrapped her hooves around you, pulling you close. “Even if we don’t do anything, I’d like you to spend the night with me.” “Twilight, when I’m with you, doing nothing is better than doing something anywhere else.” (Hope you enjoyed it. Was hard to write, for some reason. Things will be wrapping up here, soon. Not too many more chapters, methinks.)