Friday evenings are a particular favorite of mine.
Every other weekend, I take May out to her Auntie Zecora’s to spend the night, and so the house was near silent. All the magical lights throughout the house were either off or turned down low, so the only illumination in the kitchen came from a few candles I had just finished lighting.
I gave another glance around the room, making sure everything was in place. The counter was spotless, the dishes already done and put away. The table was set for two; a steaming helping of linguini covered in a handmade pesto sauce adorned each plate. It was my first time making it, so I hoped the recipe I got from Mrs. Cake at Sugarcube Corner was good.
To the side, an ice-filled bucket kept a bottle of Pinot Grigio chilled until we were ready to open it. I had the nicest table cloth laid out, and all our finest china along with it. It was sort of funny, I thought, that even after all the dates Amiti and I had been on, for as long as we’d been together, I still worried about making sure everything was perfect. I couldn’t help but laugh at how I was acting.
Of course, that didn’t stop me from continuing my perfectionist streak.
When I was sure the kitchen was as perfect as I was going to get it, I moved into the living room. I had tidied up this room as well, pushing the coffee table to one corner of the room and piling the pillows and pony chairs under and on top of it. I also had managed to shove the couch a little more out of the way as well, leaving the entire middle of the room bare. I had plans for later. For now, I opened the plastic cover to our record player and put Amiti’s favorite record on. It was a classical piece; not something I loved a great deal, but it was growing on me. It was some highly-regarded symphony done by the Manehattan Royal Orchestra. Amiti tells me it features some popular cellist, but I can never seem to remember her name.
I set the needle on the spinning disk, and the opening chords of a slow waltz-like song begin. I kept the volume relatively low; just loud enough we’d be able to hear it in the kitchen, but soft enough we wouldn’t have to try to talk over it.
Just on cue, I heard the door open behind me. I turned just as Amiti finished closing the door and watched the tension melt from his shoulders. Despite his job as Assistant Manager at the Equestrian National Bank not being the most physically-demanding jobs, he always seemed a little worn-out when he got home. I always chocked it up to having to work with numbers and organizing the other employees all day. I remembered I was always tired after I got home from my tech support job, even though I just sat around on my butt.
He sighed and rolled his neck as he turned to me. He had already loosened the collar he wore to work, and taking it between his teeth, he flicked it aside. It only then seemed to dawn on him that the lights were off, and in surprise he looked around the room. Spotting me, he smiled and trotted over. Rearing up on his hindlegs, he leaned against me, his head a few inches too low to reach mine. Wrapping my arms around him to help support his weight, I leaned down to meet him the rest of the way. Our lips met for a brief kiss, and then he pulled away to rest his head against my chest. With nice music playing around us and nothing in particular to get to, we enjoyed just getting to hold one another, and I began to gently sway back and forth with him.
“Evening, luv. How was your day?” he asked after a moment.
“Mostly boring, so I guess I can’t complain. How about yours?” I asked. He huffed, his breath hot against my neck.
“I spent all day foalsitting a new filly who had no interest in learning how the bank works. But, her father is Silver Lining, one of the more influential ponies in town, so Penny Pincher is bending over backwards to keep him happy.” He let out a gigantic sigh. “So needless to say, it’s been a long day.”
Rather than say anything, since I knew that wasn’t what he wanted, I settled for rubbing one of my hands between his shoulders while I scratched behind his ears with the other. I could practically feel the smile he wore as he nuzzled my chest in exchange.
“You already took May out to Zecora’s, right? How was she?” he asked.
“Yeah, she talked the entire way about how excited she was to see her Auntie. Oh, and she has a math test coming up, she wanted your help studying.” With nothing else important to say, we fell back into silence as we continued to sway to the music. It didn’t last long, though, as a mighty rumble sounded from his stomach. We both got a chuckle out of it before he released my shoulders and fell back to the floor, stumbling slightly as he did.
“Oooh, that’s hard on my back,” he said, stretching out like a cat.
“Well, dinner’s already done and laid out. Why not take a seat; rest a while?” I asked.
He nodded and led the way into the kitchen where the pasta’s aroma was thicker. ‘Miti’s stomach let out another loud growl, and that time he gave me a mock scowl when I laughed. He helped himself to a cushion while I took my chair. It had been a little strange being the only one to even need a chair, but at least with me sitting it left us much closer to the same height. He came up to about my chest, instead of my belt.
Amiti wasted no time digging in, and I couldn’t blame him. Before I started on mine, I opened the bottle of wine and poured two generous glasses, placing one before my husband and taking a large mouthful of my own. I knew I’d be the one to drink the majority of the bottle, which was fine because it was pony-sized anyway.
We talked little as we began to eat. Mostly little comments or complaints about work, but the attempts at conversation didn’t last long. It had definitely been a long day for both of us, it seemed, and I know I at least was starving. I had been worried about the pesto since it was my first time making it, but it turned out alright. I may cut back on the garlic next time, though.
As I helped myself to a second plate, I decided it was finally time to bring up something I’d been thinking about all day.
“Do we have any plans next weekend?” I asked. Amiti tapped his chin, thinking through our schedule in his head. I already knew we didn’t, but I wanted to make sure he hadn’t made plans without telling me. He normally wouldn’t, but we all forget things sometimes.
“Nothing I can think of. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing special,” I said, shrugging. “We just haven’t gone anywhere in a while. I thought we could do something fun.” He eyed me warily.
“Did you have something particular in mind?” he asked.
“Well, I happened to hear that the Celestial Theatre Troupe is performing Waiting for Trotot next weekend in Canterlot. We should go! I know how much you’ve wanted to see it,” I said.
He recoiled, his eyes widening as he stared at me. As the shock wore off, he tried to regain his composure. It was cute.
“Well, yes, I would dearly love to see it, but I just don’t think we have the money right now. There’s the train fare, the tickets for the show itself, and you know how they always run late into the night. We’ll need a hotel room, too. Even if we only stay one night, it will be what? Four, maybe five hundred bits?”
“Oh, I don’t think the bits will be a problem,” I said, grinning at him. He fixed me with a suspicious stare. He typically handled our finances, so he usually knew what we could afford and what we couldn’t. But I knew something he didn’t know.
“Alright, I’ll bite,” he said, giving a mock put-upon sigh. “How do you figure that?”
“I just so happen to know that someone got a bonus at work today,” I said. He stared at me in confusion for a moment, seemingly trying to process.
“Is that so? And how exactly did you accomplish that?” he asked finally. I’m pretty sure he knew where I was going, but he was trying not to get his hopes up. I was happy to prove him right.
“I got the promotion, hun.”
He let out a loud undignified whoop and practically leaped around the table to wrap me up in another bone-crushing hug. He was still laughing as he nuzzled my neck. In his excitement, I couldn’t help but hug him back and plant a kiss on the top of his head. He returned one to my cheek before he pulled away, but instead of returning to his cushion he sat on my lap.
“Oh, Matt! That’s incredible! Aloe and Lotus are finally going to let you be a masseur?” he asked. I nodded and his smiled widened even more. “Oh that’s just so great, I know you’ve been wanting it for so long.”
“I know; I can’t wait to have something else to do than sit behind a counter all day. I start my training next week,” I said. I had been sitting on that all day, and it felt amazing to finally get to tell him. It was going to be a much more fun job, and the pay increase was certainly going to be nice.
“Didn’t Aloe and Lotus think there wouldn’t be enough demand for you? What changed their minds?” he asked.
“Apparently, word of my magic fingers has spread around town somewhat. Miss Rarity came in asking for me specifically. They thought if she was interested, other ponies might be as well.” Rarity was the owner of the Carousel Boutique, a kind unicorn that produced some of the nicest clothes I’ve ever seen. And being the only being in Ponyville that wears clothes on a regular basis, I’d gotten to know her pretty well over the years. “I just wonder how she found out about my skills.”
Suddenly, a guilty expression came over his face. He looked away from me and scuffed his hoof against the table.
“I haven’t the faintest,” he said, his tone calm though it sounded forced.
“You haven’t been in the Boutique gossiping again?” I asked teasingly.
“Well, perhaps a little… In my defense, Miss Rarity can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”
I felt a surge of affection for him, and I pulled him into another embrace, trying to put into it the love I have for him. I kissed him on the forehead again, before I leaned closer to his ear.
“Well, it’s probably thanks to your gossiping that I even got the promotion. So, thanks,” I said, chuckling quietly. “I love you, ‘Miti.” I’ve never been very good at putting into words exactly how much he means to me. How my life wouldn’t be the same without him. How without him, I would have given up a long time ago.
How without him, I’d be alone again.
I didn’t notice that I’d gotten lost in thought until I felt his long wet tongue slide across my cheek. I tried to give him an unamused stare, but I couldn’t help but snicker and that set him off laughing as well.
“I love you too, Matt,” he said after his laughter died down.
I grabbed my glass from the table, but rather than take a sip from it, I held it out to him. I tilted it back as he took a large sip. Afterwards, he grabbed his own glass and did the same for me, the sweet taste of the grapes leading into the burn of the alcohol nicely.
Sensing that we’d both lost interest in the food, I grabbed up my glass and the bottle, gesturing towards the living room with my head. Amiti hopped off my lap, his own glass still held somehow in the crook of his hoof and we both left the kitchen.
There was just enough room left on the coffee table for us to set our glasses, which we did. The record I had put on earlier was almost finished, so as the current song ended, I took the disc off and put on another one. This one was by a solo performer named Sapphire Shores. It was a collection of love songs that I would liken to human ballads from the late eighties or early nineties. It was both romantic, and also a little nostalgic for me, so it was perfect for tonight.
I didn’t need to say anything for him to know what I had in mind. As the first song began playing, a cheerful peppy tune, he gave a mock sigh and fell into place beside me.
We danced slowly at first. Just simple swaying back and forth, testing out the waters, seeing what we wanted to do. He was always restrained at first, unwilling to let loose and simply have fun, so it was my job to help him along.
I bumped into his flank before I spun to his other side and began comically swinging my hips. Not ready for the sudden contact, he flinched, but after he caught himself he did a quick shuffle of his own and was beside me again.
He tried to swing his tail end to match me, but being quadrupedal, he had a little more mass to move around and couldn’t quite keep up. Instead, he fell into a common dance I’d seen ponies do where they sort of kick a hoof forward then take a step back and forth. He began weaving around me in what looked like a sort of bouncing strut, all the while his head bobbed side to side.
As the pace of the song picked up, we both flew into a frenzy of movement; bumping our sides together every few beats and twirling about one another. There was practically no rhythm to it; just a flurry of movement and energy and passion and above all else, fun. It didn’t matter that neither of us had any sort of coordination or talent at dancing. We were just enjoying moving with each other.
It continued through the next two songs, all the while our moves getting wilder and more exaggerated. Pretty soon, we were both laughing so hard it was almost impossible to breathe, but neither of us wanted to stop.
Eventually, though, as all good things must do, the pop songs started to give way to slower ballads, speaking of love and longing. And however much I had been enjoying myself, my legs were starting to get tired and I was a little out of breath.
I shouldn’t have done my morning run knowing we’d be dancing tonight.
But I couldn’t stay miffed long. Slower songs only meant we got to slow dance, and I like that, too. Learning to dance with a pony had been difficult. They aren’t built to stand on their hindlegs for long, but my height makes it impossible for me to do any of their dances. So, he has to stand up and brace himself with his hooves on my shoulders. He’s not terribly heavy, so I can support most of his weight, but it’s still hard on his back, so we can’t do it long.
But tonight, we were happy to make that sacrifice.
I wrapped an arm about his shoulder to help ease the burden on his back. I let my other hand cup the back of his head, brushing my thumb against his right ear and jingling his earrings together. He chuckled and bumped his nose into my chest. As Sapphire Shores began singing, we began dancing again.
This time was also slow, but no longer from hesitation or reluctance. Now, it was just because that’s what we wanted. We could take our time and savor the moment.
We held each other close as we rocked back and forth to the music, no longer caring about anything other than the feel of his coat and my skin rubbing together. Even the music began to fade into the background as I focused on his hot breath against my neck and the sound of him humming along.
“When was the last time we danced like this?” he asked suddenly. I tried to remember.
“At the reception, I think? Too long, anyway,” I said. He nuzzled into my neck and I rested my head on top of his. “You’ve gotten rusty.”
He gave a huff of annoyance and stared up at me.
“I have not! Besides, you were always the one that couldn’t dance. You stepped on my hoof during our dance at our reception, need I remind you!” he said, trying to wag a hoof at me without losing his balance.
“Now that’s not fair! You’ve stepped on my feet plenty of times, and I’ve never brought it up.”
“Well, this dancing upright thing is hard. Ponies aren’t meant to bend this way!” he reasoned. I nodded, partially acknowledging his point.
“Ponies aren’t meant to be with humans, either,” I said. He started to give me a glare, but when he saw the grin I was giving him, he relented.
“No, I suppose they typically aren’t. But I guess in this case, I don’t mind being wrong.” We both laughed and shared another kiss. Another song started playing, this one a sadder song about heartbreak and loss. We paid it no mind as we continued to sway against each other.
“We should do something next weekend. Take May and go out to dinner or see a movie or something. We haven’t done anything as a family in a while,” he said. I hmmed in agreement.
I let my hand trail down from his head, along his neck, past his shoulders, and let it come to rest on his lower back, as far south as I could reach. I felt him smile and heard a light chuckle in his throat. He stepped closer to me, pushing his stomach flush against me and sighed. He looked up at me, and our eyes locked.
There in the dim magic lights, with soft, loving music playing and the love of my life held tight in my arms, I was perfectly, unimaginably content. His beautiful violet eyes, full of joy and love were staring into mine, and I knew without him saying a word that he felt the same.
As long as we had each other, we could take anything.
I knew, in that moment, as I did every time I looked at his eyes, that we’d be together forever.
And I wanted it no other way.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Rather than answer, he let his eyes flutter half-shut as he inched his face toward mine. I met him half-way, and our lips met, and any tiny fraction of the outside world that remained was gone. It was just us, our lips pressed together, our tongues dancing against each other, and nothing else.
I lost track of time as we kissed. When we finally broke apart, he gave me a quick peck on my nose and batted his eyes. He fixed me with a seductive stare and whispered exactly what he wanted to do in my ear. Unable to stop the grin spreading across my face, I gently lowered him to the floor and he began sashaying towards the hallway leading back to our bedroom. Just before he passed out of sight, he gave an exaggerated roll of his haunches and swished his tail. I made to follow him, but I turned back to grab the bottle of wine before I did.
I had a feeling we might want it before the night was over.
I flopped back onto the bed, sweaty and exhausted, but absolutely satisfied. Amiti rolled onto his side next to me and I snaked an arm underneath him to pull him close. He settled into my side, just as exhausted-looking as I felt and sighed contentedly. I fought to stay awake as the Sandman’s call sounded in my ears.
“You were amazing,” I said, kissing his cheek.
“You’re not too bad yourself,” he replied. “Same time week after next?”
“It’s a date,” I said. And before either of us knew it, Luna had guided us to Dreamland, and we were out.