She was further up the hill than he was, and the cool night air blew through her mane, causing it to blow back behind her in some crazy fashion. Whenever something like this happened, she felt like one of those supermodels a pony would see at a fashion show, what with their manes somehow blowing behind them. She smiled, stopping to look back at him as he struggled off behind her.
"Come on, slowpoke," she joked, motioning towards herself with a hoof. "We're running out of time."
"Calm down, calm down. I'm sure this is important to you, but let's not forget who does most of the work in this relationship. It's not easy being a mail-stallion, you know."
They both took a moment and laughed at his expense, knowing that such a job was nowhere near as great as he'd occasionally make it out to be, especially when it was unable to give them much fund-wise, but they still managed to survive. Most mares would no doubt go for a stallion with a much more interesting job, like a firefighter, or a doctor at the Ponyville General Hospital, but she only had eyes for him and his mailbag.
She chuckled at her own quick thought, then turned back around when he'd finally caught up.
She trailed a step or two behind and looked at him as they walked. Across his back, he carried a wicker basket and her favorite blanket, with the pattern being two small dogs laying next to each other. She didn't really know why she enjoyed the little thing so much, but she did think that the very idea of two creatures being able to be that calm next to one another was very relaxing. She looked back to the path in front of them.
They neared the top two silence-filled minutes later, both stopping to catch their respective breaths before setting anything up.
He unlatched and let the materials fall to the ground, and she briefly worried that what lay in the twine container may have broken, but was quickly calmed when he held up the item of importance: a bottle of champagne.
They each grabbed a side of the blanket with their teeth, pulling each their seperate ways, then lowering their heads to the ground, releasing only when their chins touched the soft earth beneath them. She laid herself down on top of the blanket, plucking a single slice of wheat bread from the basket.
He admired her as she did this, observing her body while she wasn't looking. The two of them had been dating for almost a year now, but they had never done something like this. Sure, it wasn't the craziest thing that he could think of two ponies doing after a year, but he was absolutely fine doing anything she wanted to, no matter what it was.
Unless it was another quilting class, that is.
He shuddered as the memories of that horrible failure came flooding back into his head, and was thankfully pulled out of them when she called him over. She patted the spot next to herself, and he laid himself down, the two of then gazing up at the stars. Though he continued to watch, his mind was no longer focused on the wonderful sight out beyond either of themselves; it was on her.
Her cutie mark was that of an open book, and he, despite what she had told him countless times before, assumed that it symbolized her love for trying things, no matter what they are...except quilting, that is.
He chuckled, perhaps a bit too loudly, as he remembered the aftermath of her finishing her "masterpiece", as she had called it.
She turned her head, poking him in the side with a hoof.
"What's so funny?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.
"Nothing. Still just kind of amazed that a mare like you decided to stick with a stallion like me."
She let out a mental sigh, finding what he said to be quite sweet.
"Well, you know, I would've had you sooner if you just talked to me at the dance."
He felt a twinge of embarrassment, remembering the first time he saw her, and how, even though she had tried to approach him several times, he continuously tried to avoid her. However, that was then, and this is now.
"Maybe you shouldn't have been so pretty. I was pretty nerdy, if you recall."
She smiled at the comment. He was indeed, very nerdy back then, and still was to this day. In fact, the first time they hung out, he had tried to get her into some crazy movie series called "Luna Wars", made by some guy named George Hoofcas. She didn't much care for it, but he just ate it up, and she rolled with it.
The two fell silent for a moment after the short exchange, then resumed looking up at the night sky.
She, despite wanting to do nothing more than observe and relax, thought back to several different landmarks in their relationship, like their first kiss, which happened on her front porch after dinner and a movie. Both of them were very awkward about it, but, though she would admit that it was not like something she'd seen in the movies, the act was still very romantic. Then there was the time that she introduced him to her parents, who were usually very uptight, which clashed hard with her generally easy-going way of life, and she doubted that they would approve of him. However, she was pleasantly surprised when he and her father came to her later that same night to deliver the good news.
Truth be told, she could go on for hours recounting both the good and the bad. After all, she thought that she had tried enough new things when it was just her, but when he entered her life, it was as if a cover had been lifted from over her eyes. The two of them had shared so much of their lives with each other, and she wanted to thank him in a way that she hoped he'd enjoy.
He had been a very good stallion, resisting temptation all the time, even though she let peeks of herself slip from time to time. Hell, even though most of those sneak-peeks were accidents, he was still very kind, averting his gaze as she covered herself. Tonight was going to be special for the both of them, even if he didn't know it yet. She plucked the bottle of champagne from the basket, placing it at her side before going back for two glasses.
She used her teeth to remove the cork, catching some of the foam on her muzzle. He looked over as the loud popping sound filled his ears, and twisted his body so that he was able to face her as she began to pour liquid into each of their glasses. She picked hers up between two hooves, watched as he did the same with his, then tipped hers back, letting the drink slide down her throat. She watched him as he did the same with his seconds after.
"So, do you know why I made you come out here with me?," she asked, watching as he shook his head, placing the glass down in front of himself. "Would you like to be told, or would you like to be shown?"
He contemplated his options, almost choosing to be told, but he never really knew what to expect with her, so he asked to be shown instead. She quickly stood up, knocking over her glass and letting what little remained dribble out on to the blanket. She slowly walked over to him, and he noticed a sway in her hips. She approached him, putting a hoof under his chin and tilting his head up, then leaning in for a kiss. He was tense at first, but slowly relaxed.
She prodded his lips with her tongue, and he slowly opened them up slightly, allowing her to snake inside of his mouth. She grappled with his tounge, which didn't put up much of a fight. She felt dominant, but that wasn't how she wanted this to go, or, at least not all of it. She pulled away, looking down at him.
"What's wrong?," he asked, curious as to why she stopped.
"Could you try...I don't know, being more assertive, maybe?"
He nodded, and she leaned back in. She tried sliding her tounge back in almost instantly, but was blocked by his own. After a very brief power struggle, she gave in, allowing his tounge to enter her mouth. She let out a moan as he grazed the roof of her mouth, and he tried again, being met with the same reaction.
The two of them sat like this for a good minute, she having slowly transitioned to a down position like him. She pulled away and went silent once more.
"So, why did you bring me up here? We could've drunk champagne and shared a great kiss anywhere, you know."
She smiled. It was good to know that what she was about to tell him would be his first time hearing it.
"Because," she began, pausing and watching his reaction. After a few seconds though, he looked as if he was about to burst with an exclamation of "What?!", so she decided to save herself. "What I want to do with you is something special. Something that I want to do with you, and you alone. Something that I want to be able to experience out here, underneath this beautiful night sky."
He knew what she meant before she even finished her statement.
"Woah, are you sure about that? I mean, I will, but only if you really want this to happen."
Such a gentlecolt, he was; that was one of the reasons she wanted her first time to be with him.
"I'm sure," she assured with a slight nod and a small smile.
The rest of their night was full of romance, as the two of them shared one of the most intimate of experiences with each other.
***
The two of them awoke the next morning, caught in each other's embrace. She was the first to open her eyes, himself following shortly after. They gazed deeply in to one another's eyes, sweet memories of last night racing through their minds. He was the first to speak.
"I know I don't say this enough, but I love you."
She froze, having heard him say such a thing many times before, but never working up the nerve to say it herself. She inhaled, then let out a sigh, chuckling as she did so.
"I love you too."
She leaned in for a kiss, and the two continued to lay there as the morning sun warmed them.