//------------------------------// // Date Night // Story: The Love of a Family // by Asterid //------------------------------// Chapter 7 – Date Night  Celestia’s sun rose high into the sky as Rainbow Dash landed outside of the Carousel Boutique, a light twitch to her eye. She had raided her closet and found herself wanting as none of her outfits would be dressy enough except for her dress blues. She definitely wasn’t going on a date in her military uniform. Walking through the doorway, she was immediately greeted by Rarity calling out her signature welcome. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and magnifique,” Rarity called, a happy lilt to her voice, “How can I – Oh Dashie its you. What can I do for you today?” “I need a new dress,” Dash mumbled, her head hung low. “What was that?” Rarity asked, taking a step closer, “I couldn’t quite hear that, darling.” “I need a new dress for tonight,” Dash replied, louder this time, “Twilight and I are going to The Wellspring tonight and the only acceptable outfit I have is my Wonderbolt’s dress uniform.” “Oh, that’s wonderful, Dashie,” Rarity squealed, clapping her front hooves together, “I have just the thing, it should complement your coloring nicely.” Trotting off to the backroom, Rarity began singing a nameless tune as she began searching through the hanging garments before finding a garment bag labeled: ‘For Dashie, in case of emergency.’ Pulling down the bag with her magic, she returned to her friend, a wide smile on her face. “Here we go,” Rarity said, unzipping the bag and removing it from the garment from the bag, “I made this just for you in case this situation ever came up.” Rainbow dash was blown away. The dress was a crimson sheathe of satin and velvet, cut to show off her athletic figure and backless to accommodate her large wings.  “Rare, its amazing!” Rainbow squealed before catching herself, “You’ve outdone yourself.” “Oh, think nothing of it, dear,” Rarity scoffed, as she placed the dress back into the garment bag, “Just let me know how your night goes.” “Sure thing, Rarity,” Dash said excitedly, before hanging the dress over her foreleg and flying out the door. After dropping the dress off at her cloud home, Dash went through the boxes in her attic looking for her copy of the Code of the Air. The book had been a gift from her father when she had graduated from flight school. The ancient tome had been in her family for generations. She wound need to start teaching Scootaloo what it meant to be a Pegasus and quick. Especially if she was looking to start courting Sweetie Belle. It took her several hours to find the book thanks to several trips down memory lane. Flying down from the attic, Dash noticed that she only had an hour before she would need to meet Twilight at the restaurant. Jumping into the shower, she grabbed out her secret supply of girly shampoo and washed up, luxuriating in the smell of roses and vanilla. Washing her chromatic mane and tail, Dash enjoyed one of her rare moments of femininity. Turning off the water, Dash beat her wings as fast as she could, kicking up a small tornado to dry herself off. Leaving the bathroom and walking to her bedroom, Dash removed the dress from its protective covering and poured herself into, loving the way the material clung to her muscular curves. Moving over to her dresser, Rainbow grabbed her hairbrush and actually made an attempt to style her mane and tail. By the time she was finished, she had managed to straighten out the normally chaotic spikes and add a few faint curls. For nearly a minute, she debated with herself whether or not to wear any makeup.  Letting out a loud huff, she applied a little bit of eyeshadow and lip-gloss and decided it was enough. Looking at her bedside clock, she found herself with just enough time to get to the restaurant and not mess up her carefully styled hair. Inside, she felt a tiny piece of well-built tomboy persona die a painful, fiery death. Walking out the front door, Dash gazed in awe at the majesty of Luna’s night. The stars hung like diamonds in the moonless sky, shining down upon all of Equestria. Spreading her wings wide, she leapt from her front porch and glided gently to the outskirts of the sleepy little town.  Landing gently, Dash walked a few feet to where Twilight was waiting for her. The youngest princess had decided to wear an altered version of her Gala gown, the poofiness of the skirt had been cut down to fit closer to her softer, feminine curves. Twilight smiled softly as Dash landed, nuzzling the cyan mare gently. Walking side by side, Dash laid a wing over her marefriend’s back and guided her towards the podium at the entrance to The Wellspring. The open-air restaurant was centered around the circular kitchen, each station handled ably by a different colored Pegasus. Each table had a trio of lit candles centered on the crimson tablecloths. Brightly lit crystals sat at the four corners of the fenced in restaurant, glowing brightly in the night. “Hi there,” the Hostess said in a Fillydelphian accent, grasping a pair of menus under her wings, “Miss Dash, your table for the evening is all set. If the two of you will follow me, please?” Weaving their way between the tables, the hostess led the couple to a secluded, private table just inside the circular kitchen. As they were seated, one of the chefs trotted over, a smug smirk on his face. His mane was slicked back, the black coloring matching well with his maroon coat, a cutie mark of a silver cloche standing out under the bright lights.  “Yo, Dash,” He said, placing a bottle of wine on the table, “My sista from anotha mista. How you doin’ tonigh.”  “Manzo, you old jadrule, whatcha doin here tonight?” Dash said with a laugh, “Mari said you were gonna be off tonight.” “Ah, I catch wind ya bringin ya main squeeze to my place and ya think I’m takin the da night off?” Manzo replied, “Maron. Princess, it’s nice to meet ya, Manzo Diavolo, at your service.” “A pleasure, Manzo,” Twilight said, “How do you know Dashie?” “Dashie, ha.” He laughed, “We were neighbors for like ever, went through Flight Camp together, whole shebang. Tatarus, she was best mare at my sister Maraschino’s wedding.” “Really?” Dash deadpanned, “Just really, Manzo?”  “Ok, I’ll leave the embarrassing stories for lata,” Manzo replied with a laugh, “Fa now, Imma get back to work and let my team take good care of ya.”  And take care of them they did. Course after course of the best Istallion food Twilight had ever had. Caprese salad, polenta cakes with parmesan cheese, cheese tortellini with oil and garlic. By the time the main courses were brought out, Twilight looked like she was ready to burst while Dash looked ready for more. Twilight was served a large plate of eggplant parmesan over a bed of fresh angel hair pasta. The rich smells of cheese and fried eggplant were enough to make her mouth water. Rainbow’s dish instantly made her stomach turn. Nestled in a mound of fresh linguine covered in a dark red tomato sauce were several large shrimp. “Dash, are you really going to eat those!” Twilight said, shocked by her marefriend’s dish. “Of course,” She replied, using the tips of her wing to hold a fork, “I’ve been eating Manzo’s recipe for Shrimp Fra Diavolo for years.” “But…that’s meat.” Twilight said, confused by Dash’s response. “Pegasus eat fish all the time.” She replied, placing a large forkful of the spicy dish into her mouth, “Alicorns probably do to.” “I think I’ll stick with the eggplant,” Twilight answered, lifting her utensils with her magic. Dinner continued without any further issues. Wine was poured and conversation was light. As the night continued, both Twilight and Rainbow could feel themselves growing closer together. As the plates were cleared away, coffee was placed on the table alongside two portions of tiramisu.  “So how are things going with adopting Scootaloo,” Twilight asked, placing a few spoons of sugar in her coffee. “Slowly,” Dash replied, taking a sip from her own unsweetened cup, “I managed to get most of the paperwork filled out. And tomorrow we are going to the hospital in Cloudsdale to have a flight specialist review her case. It…it would mean a lot to both of us if you came with us.” “You couldn’t keep me away,” Twilight said with a smile, “Do you need any help with the paperwork?” “Not really,” Rainbow replied, a light blush on her cheeks, “Just need to decide if you’re…if you’re going to be adopting her as well.” “You want me to co-parent with you?” Twilight asked, “That’s…yes Dash of course I will.” “You will?” Dash responded, a smile on her face, “Thank you Sparkles. I…this will mean so much to Scoots. To me. You’re amazing.” Blushing at her marefriend’s compliment, Twilight took another sip of her coffee before taking a bite of the creamy dessert. The flavors of coffee and chocolate played across her tongue and sent pleasant tingles through her body.  “This brings up another question Dashie,” She asked, gazing into her majestic lavender eyes. “What’s that?” Rainbow asked. “If we are going to be Scootaloo’s parents,” She began, “I guess we should discuss Spike as well. He’s already my son, but do you want him to be yours as well.” “Of course I do,” Dash said proudly, “I’m already close with the little guy after everything we have all been through since you guys came to town. I’d love to be his mom.” “Look at us trying to be one big, happy family.” Dash said with a smile. As the evening came to a close, Dash pulled a small bag of bits from her dress and set it on the table. Thanking Manzo once more for the wonderful meal, the happy couple walked happily from the restaurant and headed towards Twilight’s Castle. Placing a wing possessively over Dash’s back, Twilight walked close to the cyan mare and enjoyed the warmth coming from the Pegasus’ body. Arriving at the front gate toe the palace, Twilight turned to face Dash. “What time should I meet you for Scootaloo’s appointment?” Twilight asked. “Let’s pick her up around nine, that way we can make a quick stop at Sugar Cube Corner for breakfast beforehand.” Dash replied. “Sounds like a plan,” Twilight replied, licking her lips, “I guess I should head to bed. Lots to do tomorrow.” “Yeah, your right,” Dash replied with a smirk, “Being this awesome takes lots of rest.” “Says the pony who spends most of her days napping,” Twilight snarked, kissing Dash on the cheek before opening the gate with her magic, “Goodnight Dashie.” As Twilight left the stunned Pegasus on her front step, Dash’s wings responded to the kiss with a loud Flumph as they popped open. Lifting a hoof to her cheek, Rainbow let out a whoop of excitement before taking off into the air and flying back to her home. Trotting up to her room, Dash pulled the Twilight plushy from under her bed and wrapped her hooves lovingly around the small doll.  Soon, I’ll be able to cuddle the real thing every night, Dash thought as she drifted off to sleep.