Chapter 7
The restaurant was a 5-star, white-tablecloth place. Fluttershy had pointed it out while they were walking around, looking for a place to eat. The waiter immediately showed them a table near the back, where a large window overlooked Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. It was nearing dusk and the sky blazed with brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, resembling a pastel painting.
Emerald smiled over at her from across the table at Fluttershy, who was wearing a casual dress that Rarity had designed for her a few weeks ago for a different event. Emerald was wearing a dark green tuxedo.
"So, this is a nice place to eat," Fluttershy commented, staring down at the silverware arranged neatly in front of her. She looked up at him through the flowers in a vase in the middle of the table.
Emerald grinned. "Yes, I told you I'd be picking something good."
"It's probably the fanciest restaurant I've ever eaten at. Will it be expensive?" she asked, concerned.
Emerald couldn't help but laugh. "Fluttershy, I told you, I'm going to spoil us tonight. It's the least I could do for the one who's shown the most interest in me. I'll get something for the others another time."
She seemed to glow, beaming at him. "Oh, my…"
A waiter came up to them, wearing a traditional suit and tie. "Can I get the lovely couple something to drink?" he asked, not even looking at them.
"How about a cocktail - of sodas," Emerald said, looking at Fluttershy.
The waiter wrote this down on his notepad. "Okay, what would you like to eat?"
Emerald and Fluttershy answered at the same time, "Kale salad." They gave each other a look of surprise.
"You like…kale salad?" Emerald asked incredulously.
Her eyes sparkled as she answered, "I didn't know you liked the same thing I do."
"Neither did I," he said with a big smile. "Boy, it seems like you're just copying off of me."
"Will that be all?" The waiter asked, hinting that he needed to go to the next table for his other customers.
Emerald beamed at Fluttershy. "Yeah, that'll be all."
"Very well." He left quickly.
Emerald returned his attention to Fluttershy, who sat across the table giving him with an interested gaze. "What? I didn't do anything," he said innocently.
She shook her head. "Oh, sorry. I was just…thinking."
Emerald leaned forward. "About…?"
She blushed. "Nothing." Then she looked down at the table and changed the subject. "What did you do over in Manehattan? I mean, for a living?"
He was caught off guard. "Well, I was a pretty good flyer, so on weekends I'd fly in street contests for money. Also I was – never mind."
"You were what?" Fluttershy asked, wanting to hear the rest.
He felt uncomfortable sharing his past. "Nothing, it's not important. How long have you lived in Ponyville?"
She lowered her eyes to the table. "I moved to Ponyville as a filly. I was born in Cloudsdale, and I planned on staying, but I fell out of the clouds onto a beautiful swarm of butterflies. They stopped my fall, and later I learned my abilities with animals. With the help of Rainbow Dash, of course. It's how I got my cutie mark." Emerald cringed for a split second when she mentioned "cutie mark". He'd still not figured out what his ability could be. He was beginning to once again lose hope. Fluttershy must have noticed because she said, "Don't worry about getting your cutie mark. I promise you'll get it if it's the last thing I'll help you get."
"Thank you. I'm just not sure how, though. What could I possibly do to get it?" he asked, watching a waiter pass by with another couple's food and drinks balanced on a platter.
"You don't have to worry. It'll come to you. I promise." She tried comforting him again, sensing his distress.
"I miss my dad," Emerald started. "I remember him always telling me when I was a colt, 'I promise you'll know your capabilities by the time you're an adult. I'll see to it myself.' But, he died before he saw to it, so now how am I supposed to know? It's like, he knew what I was capable of even before I could walk. It makes me wonder…"
Fluttershy overcame her shyness and took his hooves from across the table. Emerald was astonished. "I want you to be happy, but you keep trying to do stuff you can't do. Trust me when I say, I'll make sure myself that you find your abilities. I will be there for you whenever you need me."
"Your meals," the waiter said as he brought them to the table and put them on it. They let go of each other's hooves to allow room for the plates. "Enjoy." The waiter said and left again.
Fluttershy and Emerald smiled bashfully at each other.
"Well…let's eat before it gets cold. Of course, it's salad, so it's already cold..." Emerald suggested, growing red-faced with embarrassment when he realized what he'd just said.
"Yeah," Fluttershy agreed and they commenced eating.
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Later, they were back in Ponyville, walking side by side in the street. The sky had darkened to the point of a deep blue and purple hue. The moon just began its journey from the horizon into the sky. There wasn't anypony out tonight, for reasons Fluttershy and Emerald couldn't identify.
"Maybe it's a holiday again." Fluttershy offered.
Emerald shook his head in doubt. "Nah, it's probably just one of those nights."
"One of those nights?" Fluttershy repeated with uncertainty.
"It's just a figure of speech." He noticed they were about to pass his house. "Hey…why don't you stay for a few moments? I could show you around my house."
"That'd be pretty nice," she consented.
They walked up to his door. "When do you need to be back home?" he asked her as he opened the door and let her go in before him. He came in and turned on the light.
"Oh, just before midnight and I'll be fine," she said, turning to face him and watch him lock the door. He unlocked it after a moment's hesitation. "Why'd you unlock it?" She asked.
He shrugged. "Nopony's gonna break in. I trust Ponyville more than Manehattan. One couldn't even double-lock their door there and expect to be safe. Lots of break-ins there in the city." He held his hooves over his head and shouted, "Welcome to my humble abode, young lady!"
She giggled. "It's nice. You aren't done setting it up yet, are you?"
He shook his head slightly. "No. I stopped until the weekend."
"Got lazy, huh?" she said humorously.
He smiled. "Yes, I got lazy. So what?"
She trotted femininely up to him, stopping only inches away. She looked him deep in the eyes. "Oh, I guess I'll have to help you with that too."
"Yeah…uh, do you want to see the rest of my house?" he suggested.
She drew back a little. "Yeah, that'd be fine."
He smiled back at her. "It's not that bad. Come on, I'll show you my kitchen and bedroom."
She followed him around as he pointed out things to her and talked about them. They went into his room.
"And this is my sleeping quarters," he said jokingly.
"Your bed is messy. You don't make it every morning?" Fluttershy asked.
He sighed. "Uh, no. I do, it's just…last night, I – I had a…nightmare."
She came up to him and nuzzled him under his head on the side of his neck. "I'm sorry. What was it about?"
He sat down on his bed, and Fluttershy did the same right next to him. "I was running through Manehattan, from somepony who was following me. I was terrified. The city was dark and lonely, nopony in sight. It was about to rain, and now I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hear my stalker. I tried to outrun them, but I tripped over a curb and fell. It ended up being Black Flame, and the weirdest part was, he said right before he – hurt me, that he 'knew where I lived'. What does that mean?"
Fluttershy once again conquered her timid and bashful attitude and grabbed his hoof. He looked over at her, but this time, not surprised but lovingly.
"You know, you're pretty touchy for a shy girl."
She smiled mischievously. "I guess it's my concerned friend side taking over..."
He smiled affectionately. "That's interesting. Could I make it more?"
She nodded ever so slightly. "Um...h-how? If I may ask..."
He leaned toward her and kissed her. A long, passionate kiss – until they heard a high pitched squeak from the doorway, in which they both jerked their heads in the direction of.
Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and pupils shrunk to pinpoints, both hooves covering her mouth.
Emerald scratched the back of his head nervously. "Oh, dear."