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// The First Date 
// Story: Its All in the Eyes 
// by IamSquillium 
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	A few months later I was standing in front of my mirror getting the last few things in order. Now I don’t like to brag, but DAMN I’D DO ME. Alright maybe that’s a bit too far, but you get the point. I have a pure white coat and a rainbow mane similar to Rainbow Dash’s, but with Hot Barbie Pink added in. Normally at this point I’d have to defend my sexual orientation, (I get a lot of rainbow jokes), but this entire story is about how I fell in love with a mare so I’ll leave the matter be. Anyway, I was hovering somewhere in the middle of fit and unfit, perfectly average. After adjusting my bow tie (bow ties are cool), I walked downstairs and ran outside, waving to my parents as I went. This was going to be the first date, so I wanted to arrive at Sunset’s a bit early. I had been looking forward to this for a long time, and though we hung out a lot she had only given me clearance to formally date her that past weekend. Needless to say, I was ready.
She, however, was not. I really don’t think I will ever know why mares take so long to get ready for something. You know, after all of this time being able to see everything in a ponies mind, you’d think I could figure out a simple mare. This is far from the truth. I don’t think I will ever be able to truly comprehend the thought process of the opposite gender; they are too complex for our basic pony minds to grasp. And so I waited, like I will always wait, for the mare of the hour to grace me with her presence. When she did, my jaw dropped so low you could fit one of Pinkie Pie’s “Super Mega Deluxe Funerific Party Cupcakes” in it. Whatever it is that takes so long, it is definitely worth it. Sunset looked amazing. Her hair was pulled back in a simple braid, but the way the three colors of her main crossed and fused made her hair seem as though it was on fire. She had put makeup on, specially made for her by Rarity, and her eyeliner made her emerald green irises seem so large they could pull me in and I’d never escape. 
I probably stuttered something incoherent for a while before I finally managed a “y-you l-look uh-uh…wow”
Sunset giggled a bit at this before trotting up to me and giving me a big hug. After we broke the hug she asked where exactly I was planning on taking her.
“Ahahah,” I said teasingly, giving her a wink. “Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise now would you?” To this she put on her best pouty face and gave me that sad look which could melt even the Arctic ice caps which held Sombra. It was all I could do to not give in then and there, ruining the surprise I had been working on for three months now. “That’s not even fair.” I said, avoiding the heart-wrenching stare. “You know I want this to be a surprise, so please just let me have this. You made me wait five months for this after all. I should be able to have a LITTLE fun with this.”
Sighing inwardly and knowing I was right, she let the matter go. “Fine, but this better be good or I’ll walk away then and there.” she stated with a touch of laughter in her voice. We both knew that she’d never be able to hold up her end of that threat.
“If you would kindly allow me to escort you to our destination, Madame, I would find myself duly honored” I stated with as much gusto as possible, trying to imitate the wealthy ponies of Canterlot. All I got in response was a playful smack to the muzzle. “Shut up Romeo.” giggled Sunset through her laughter.
Still chuckling, we both made our way out of her house and towards a more private and quiet corner of Ponyville, tucked away from the usual bustling streets. Turning down a dirt road, I saw Sunset looking over at me inquisitively. I just smiled and kept walking towards the distant sounds of running water now audible above the noise from the street behind us. As we approached my intended destination, Sunset gasped. I had discovered this particular location when I was just a filly, wandering about chasing squirrels. There was a cool mountain spring running through the area (sourced on the mountain which Spike, Twilight Sparkle’s baby dragon, would later claim as his own in a fit of greed). It was in this spot that the water cascaded down from a sizable height, creating a misty waterfall which threw rainbows into the air. The rich ground had caused many zapapple trees to spring up, forming a grove that seemed to enclose us in our own private world. I had timed our date perfectly, with the help of Granny Smith, so that the rainbow fruit would appear while we were here. The blooming wildflowers, combined with the rainbows of the waterfall, created a breathtaking technicolored landscape. Set up in the shade of one of the trees was a picnic basket filled with everything we would possibly need for the evening. It was only an hour or two until sunset, so I had packed some candles in case we stayed past dark. Sunset’s parents knew what I was up to, so we had the whole night ahead of us. At the stomp of my hoof Octavia, whom I’d hired specifically for the occasion, started playing, filling the clearing with beautiful music.
Sunset stood there dumbstruck. Now it was her turn to be speechless. “Y-you set all of this up yourself?” she finally managed to ask. I simply smiled and helped her over to the tree with the picnic basket, unfolding a large blanket with my magic as I did so. Still using my magic, I set everything in the basket out on the blanket. There were drinks, sandwiches, deserts, and even one of Pinkie’s “Super Mega Deluxe Funerific Party Cupcakes!.” After setting it all out, I smiled over at Sunset inquisitively, silently asking her what she wanted to do first. Obviously we could eat, but there were many other things offered to us in our little corner of Ponyville. We could swim in the pool formed by the waterfall, climb the rocks and trees, really anything she wanted to do was fine with me. I just wanted to be with her, to know that she was near and she was mine. That’s why I could only smile as she jumped across the blanket and tackled me onto my back, holding me close in a hug.
“So I’m guessing you like it?” I asked jokingly, knowing the answer but wanting to hear her admit it. She leaned even closer, whispering into my ear. “You are absolutely, unbelievable, annoyingly perfect. This is all so wonderful. Thank you for managing to keep this a secret, it was definitely worth it for the surprise.”
As she nuzzled into my neck, I lost track of everything. We could have been there for hours, even days; it didn’t matter to me. I wanted to sit there forever, lost in the roar of the waterfall and the lovely music of Octavia’s cello, just holding Sunset close to me and feeling her pressed up against me. It wasn’t a sexual desire, just the joy of knowing that someone is there and that they care for you. It was the type of feeling that made me forget every trouble, every doubt, every fear I’d ever had as I lost myself in the feeling of her embrace. As she looked up and our eyes met, the peace and joy and love of the moment swept over me and I was lost in those beautiful eyes. It wasn’t until it began getting dark that Sunset finally broke away from me, the blush on her cheeks contrasting beautifully with her coat. Looking up, I saw the sky on fire with the colors of Celestia’s sunset and remembered a certain tree looming over us.
“You might want to get away from this tree for a second” I whispered in her ear, pulling her back to me as we scooted away. She looked at me confused for a moment before noticing the storm clouds gathering above us. Right on cue, the rainbows of the waterfall cast by the last rays of the sun shot up towards the clouds only to fly back down, striking the tree we had just moved from. The light burst forth and spread throughout the clearing, bouncing from tree to tree and surrounding us in rainbow light. The wildflowers seemed alive and time seemed to stand still as I gazed down at Sunset, her eyes alive with filly-like wonder at the spectacle before us. In that moment, with the rainbows reflecting in her eyes and coat, I saw just how amazing she was. As the lights faded and the air stilled, I found myself still staring at the beautiful mare in front of me, unable to avert my eyes. Noticing my stare, she whispered shyly, “If you don’t close your mouth soon a parasprite might fly into it.”
I forced my jaw shut, a rush of blood warming my cheeks. “Sorry,” I mumbled, “it’s just that…well…um never mind.” I looked away embarrassed, but she brought my muzzle back up with her forehoof.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed.” she said in a hushed tone that confused me. “This has all just been so…incredible”
Her head was tilting a bit…
“and I really enjoyed everything so far tonight”
She leaned just a bit closer than usual, and her forehoof began moving away from my chin as her other one reached around my back and pulled us together.
“and you really do look quite charming in a bowtie”
Thank Celestia for bow ties. They are definitely cool.
“and I never did properly thank you for waiting so long for our date and bringing me to such a beautiful place” 
We were now muzzle to muzzle
“so I figure now is as good a time as any to”
And with one last look into her eyes I knew that this was what she wanted. I reached around her, pulling her close and cutting off her sentence as our lips met. At first it was simple, soft and gentle, but as she got more into our kiss I felt her tongue, as if asking permission to move our kiss along. I obliged somewhat hesitantly, as I had never kissed like this before, but she sensed my inexperience and gently coached me through it. She tasted so sweet that I could have kissed her forever. She moved closer, her body craving the feel of my coat on hers, and gently pushed my tongue back into my mouth, quickly followed by her own. I gave her the dominance she craved and she kissed me, not lustfully but sweetly. Time once again seemed to stand still as we locked ourselves in our first kiss, and we each found a feeling of peace in the other. After a while, we were interrupted by another pony gently clearing her throat behind us. Breaking our kiss and looking up embarrassed we saw Octavia, a clear blush on her face, gently poking the ground with her hoof.
“Sorry to, um…interrupt Mr. Heart, but I have nothing left in my repertoire and was wondering if you and Miss Rains would um, like some…privacy?”
I chuckled, slightly embarrassed at having forgotten about the gray mare who most likely had to watch that…educational experience. “Why yes Miss Melody. Thank you for your help tonight. Sunset and I are quite grateful.”
We watched Octavia as she packed everything up and quickly made her way back up the road to Ponyville where she was staying that night before heading to Canterlot the next morning. The minute she was out of sight we both fell on our backs, laughing at the awkward situation we had just created. I looked over at Sunset, lying on her back laughing without a care in the world. She has the cutest laugh, one of those high pitched squeaks that instantly make anypony look adorable, but I didn’t hear it nearly as often as I should. She had been struggling with her parents and her ex causing trouble. It was nice to see her happy again, and it made me even happier to know that I had helped her see some joy in her life again. After a while Sunset looked up and noticed the new fruit hanging on the trees.
“Woah, are those zapapples,” she exclaimed, never having seen them outside of Sweet Apple Acres. “Did you plan this just for me?”
I just nodded, and her smile grew even wider. “Well we shouldn’t let all this fruit go to waste. Let’s get it before it vanishes.” she said, leaping up and spreading her wings to fly up to the fruit. As she took to the air I followed her, using a fairly simple levitation spell to fly alongside her. When she got to the top of the tree to pick the fruit, however, she stopped and stared out at the landscape in front of her. I had never tried flying here before, so I was just as surprised by the view as she was. Beyond the grove of trees was a large expanse of plains overgrown with wildflowers that now shone in the bright light of Luna’s moon. The sight of the moonlight shining off the river as it rushed away from our clearing was just as breathtaking, and both of us hovered for a while just looking. Then Sunset turned to me, still in awe.
“You know, I just can’t seem to figure you out Shining. You’re a curious little pony.”
“Guess you’ll have to stick around then won’t you” I said, winking at her as I moved down to pick some of the fruit from the top of the tree. She followed, chuckling a bit, and after we gathered as much fruit as we could carry we flew down and ate it, along with the food I had laid out earlier. After eating our fill, Sunset looked around and spotted the little pool by the waterfall.
“Hey Shining, how do you feel about a little swim before we call it a night?” she asked, blushing a bit. I was a bit shocked, but smiled and nodded in agreement. I watched in wonder as she stood up and spread her wings, taking to the skies once more. She was just a flash of the sunset against the backdrop of the night as she dived down into the pool, hardly making a splash as she dived in smoothly. Surfacing, she looked over to me, waiting for me to praise her little display. I just rolled my eyes and trotted over to the pool, feigning a graceful dive before using my magic to teleport right next to her and splashing her with a cannonball. This earned me another laugh and a playful smack to the back of the head.
“What did you think of my beautiful form?” I asked jokingly in reference to my psudo-dive. “Well, you had no idea what to do with your tongue but I’m sure with some practice you can improve!” Sunset lectured, turning the tables on my little joke abruptly. Slightly taken aback, I mumbled, “Well it’s not my fault it was my first time.”
“Hold on,” Sunset was shocked. “That was you’re first time?”
“Well yeah, I mean with my little ability it makes it kind of hard to get close to others. Most ponies don’t like other ponies fishing around in their heads.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, how about we play a game. Does that sound fun to you?
“Whatever you want, I guess” I answered, a bit confused as to what kind of game she was thinking about. She grabbed me by the shoulders and looked right into my eyes, and I felt the familiar influx of emotion and thought, but there was something new in this batch of feelings.
“Alright, tell me how I feel!” she demanded, smiling a bit to herself.
“Well,” I began hesitantly, “There’s some curiosity, some elation, some wonder, and some satisfaction to name a few, but there’s one in here that I’m not quite sure on and it’s really strong. In fact, it almost...seems to…me…” I trailed off as I noticed a change in her gaze, and suddenly I realized what it was she was feeling. Lust. She had a wicked grin on her face, and it only grew bigger as she slowly advanced toward me in the water. I tried to move, but my body seemed frozen. I made an attempt to teleport back onto land at least, but Sunset quickly reached out and grabbed onto my horn when she noticed the aura radiating from it, effectively diverting my attention from the spell.
“Ahahah, can’t have you running away on me now can I. How about you just get comfortable and let me show you a thing or two about ‘first times’” whispered Sunset in a sultry tone.
I had never seen this side of her before, and I was terrified. I did the only logical thing I could think of. I sank. I stopped kicking and started to slip underwater. Sunset, surprised by my sudden action, let go of my horn and I immediately teleported to land. As she looked around to find me again, I dashed behind a tree, barely poking my head around the trunk to watch her. She looked…confused? Not finding me anywhere, she called out.
“Shining. Shining I am so sorry about that I just figured, from your whole first time thing…oh I don’t know please don’t hate me I just thought that was what you wanted in sorry if I came on too fast or freaked you out.” 
I said nothing. I was still trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. Maybe he had been giving her some false signs on accident, making her think that he wanted to take their relationship to…that level.
“Shining I can see that rainbow mane behind the tree. Please just come out and talk to me I promise I won’t do anything like that again. Won’t you at least come out?” she whimpered, making the most pathetic noise I had ever heard. Looking up from my silent meditation, I noticed that Sunset was now on the land looking patiently toward the tree I was hidden behind. Sighing, I walked out and faced her. She walked to me slowly, silently asking if it was okay to approach me. I nodded slightly, and she rushed forward to hug me, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m so sorry it’s just that my last stallionfriend, well, he always wanted to do things like that with me and I’d never been with any other stallions before so I thought that was just natural and I-” 
I cut her off then, pressing my forehoof gently against her muzzle. “I know you didn’t mean to do that to me, and I probably should have warned you. It just that, well, I guess I’ve never been too comfortable in my own body despite all the joking about it. When you started to…you know… I just freaked out a bit.”
I could feel the shock in her eyes as she registered what I’d said. “But why? I mean you’re easily the best looking stallion in Ponyville. You have absolutely nothing to worry about!”
“I know,” I’d heard this a million times before, “It’s just that there was some bullying back when I was a filly and I guess I never got over it. I was hoping I’d be fine, but apparently not. I’m really sorry, but do you mind if we just take things slow for now?” My answer was Sunset hugging me tighter, and I knew that it was alright with her. “Thank you, so much. I- well I-” every piece of me was screaming to just shut up, that this was a horrible thing to say on a first date, but I pushed everything down and spat it out anyway. “Sunset Rains, I-I think I’m in love with you…in a totally not friendish way too.” I whispered, blushing. She looked up, and didn’t need to say anything as our eyes met and she leaned back in for another kiss.