//------------------------------// // Dating // Story: Lessons in the Moonlight // by Harmony Split //------------------------------// Chapter thirteen: Dating                  That I was nervous would’ve been a severe understatement. I was practically shaking as I inspected myself in the mirror. Since Princess Celestia would be visiting the next day, we agreed that our date would have to happen immediately after we finished our daily lesson. Which ended rather quickly, as neither of us was able to concentrate anymore. I didn’t exactly have a dress or a suit that I could wear to the date, so we agreed that we’d skip out on clothing for this particular outing. Though, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t run a comb through my mane and tail for the first time in a long time. It took almost half an hour to get all the knots and tangles out, but the end product seemed worth it. My mane and tail were long and flowing, no longer in the bushy windswept look that they always had. I couldn't help but wonder if Twilight was going to do something special with her mane, and if it was even possible for her to look even more beautiful than usual. I doubted it, Twilight was breath-taking as it was, and if she managed to look even better than perfect, I would probably keel over from a heart attack. Mhh, not that that’s a bad thing. She could reanimate me with her lips. Tilting my head to look at my face from a few different angles, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how I looked. It would probably look better if my mane didn’t reach my barrel when it was combed down like that, though. I hummed in thought for a moment before setting to scavenging through the bathroom, looking for something. I didn’t have to search for long. With how organized the bathroom was, I was surprised I didn’t find it sooner. Reaching inside the box of mane elastics, I removed a small black one and returned to the mirror. Using my wings to hold my mane up, I tied it into a tight ponytail so it wasn’t just a flowing mess of white and silver. Satisfied for the moment, I nodded to myself and walked out into the hallway. Taking a look around, I didn’t immediately come up with anything that I might need on the date, so I made my way down to the front entrance to wait for Twilight. With Twilight, I doubted I’d need to wait long. And of course, I was right. As soon as Twilight walked down the stairs, I gasped. She definitely had combed her coat and mane, simply looking fantastic. At her side, I was sure that every other mare looked ugly. She smiled as she approached me and took a look. “You look good,” she said with a small blush on her cheeks. “And you look beautiful,” I replied, gulping a little from the wave of nervousness that washed over me. She gave me a sheepish smile before her horn glowed and I felt the band from my mane falling down, letting it float freely, “I think it looks even better like this,” she whispered before stopping with a burning blush on her cheeks. “Uhh, where are we heading anyways? You didn’t want to tell me earlier.” “We’re going to eat something at my favourite restaurant, and then we could just enjoy the evening, maybe watch the stars?” she paced nervously with her gaze lingering on me, “Only if you want, of course,” she added quickly. I gave her a quick hug, “I would love to,” I said softly, and she gave me a thankful smile before she opened the door and we left the castle. Walking out into the steadily darkening streets, I found myself surprised when the first thing that happened was Twilight wrapping a wing around my barrel, pulling me close to her. I didn’t struggle, the heat of her barrel was welcome, and it felt good to be so close to her. The cute, unsure blush on her cheeks was more than enough to comfort me against her. Part of me wondered how it must have looked to the inhabitants of the town, or even to Twilight’s friends. I also wondered what she would tell them. Sooner or later, there would be somepony asking about us for sure. For the moment though, I didn’t really care. I was with Twilight, and that’s what mattered.          The walk to the cafe wasn’t terribly long. The entire time was spent in companionable silence as we walked, me pressed up against Twilight’s side and her leading us towards our destination. I didn’t mind the silence; it was nice to be able to just walk with Twilight. It felt like nothing had gone crazy and everything was still normal, I was still just a pony and Twilight was still just my mentor. Maybe a bit more than a mentor. A small grin crossed my features at that thought. I was on a date with Twilight! To Tartarus with everything else, because what really mattered was that we were together. She stood up to one of the most powerful mares in Equestria just to protect me, and that meant something. It meant that she cared, and it brought a little fuzzy feeling to my chest. Looking to my side, I saw that Twilight was pretty nervous, so I pressed my coat a bit more firmly against hers, “Your first date?” “What?” her head snapped to me, “Oh, yes,” she chuckled. I nodded and gave a reassuring smile, “It’s my first one in a long time,” I replied, hoping to ease some of her discomfort. Sadly, it didn’t quite have the effect that I wanted, “You’ve gone on dates before before?” she asked with wide eyes. “Twilight, I’m… “ I paused to quickly calculate, “Over one thousand and two hundred years old, if you include the banishment. Of course I went on a date before, and I have to admit that I’ve had other lovers,” I looked directly into her eyes, “But I can also admit that nopony ever left me quite as stunned as you before,” I admitted, giving her a winning smile and leaning into her side for emphasis. She mumbled something unintelligible as a blush crawled its way onto her cheeks, but replied by leaning in and nuzzling the top of my head, “Stop flattering me,” she complained, though I could hear the grin in her voice. “Only telling you the truth,” I replied, chuckling to myself slightly. She chimed in with my chuckling and we continued on our way, pressed firmly against each other. I didn’t cared what anypony else would think at that moment, and I knew that Twilight thought the same in the way she hummed. It was a cute little sound, something to show just how happy and carefree she was. The cafe was a little affair, with a small outdoor extension. It wasn’t terribly fancy, but it looked nice, and it must have served good food if Twilight said she enjoyed it. When we got to the front door, Twilight let me go and held the door open for me. As much as I missed the feel of the wing around me, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the gentlemarely gesture. “Oh, thank you milady,” I mocked jokingly with a bow and went in as she blew me a raspberry. The action was incredible cute. Heading inside, I noted the sign telling us to seat ourselves, so I made my way towards one of the booths near the windows and took my seat. Twilight joined me soon after, sitting across from me and getting comfortable in her seat. It wasn’t dissimilar to the place we got lunch at during our first day of lessons, if only a little fancier. Twilight looked around for a moment before turning her attention towards me, “The salads here are amazing,” she said, trying to make conversation with an enthusiastic smile and a gentle blush gracing her features. She was cute when she tried something she had no experience in. “I might have to try that, then,” I replied, giving her a playful wink as I did. Of course, I’d eat anything she told me to, or at least would try. Nothing she could suggest would be worse than eating fish rations from the Griffin nations, least of all a salad. My wink caused her to blush even more, and she seemed surprised that I answered her with approval. She was really cute like that, “H-hehe… Okay then,” she mumbled, giving a shy but content smile. Before she could say more, the waiter approached our table. “Bonjour, Princess Twilight!” the waiter exclaimed, his Prench accent pulling at a nerve I didn’t even realize I had. He bowed lowly before standing back up and presenting two menus to us, and as usual, he didn’t seem to acknowledge my presence, “May I start you off with something? A petite appetiser, or maybe some wine? We have a beautiful red from Prance this evening,” he said, the obnoxiously wide grin setting off an irritating tick in my eye. Why do I want to buck every waiter or waitress in the muzzle? I had to giggle at that, causing Twilight and the waiter to both look at me. He seemed to notice me for the first time at the sound of my giggle. He raised his muzzle before speaking, “And what would… madame like to eat?” he asked. The only thing that could have been worse than the tone he spoke to me in would have been a slap across my cheeks.          Twilight looked at him, her expression suddenly changed to an unhappy one. Then she turned to me, winked and focused on the waiter again, “A fresh daisy salad for my beloved here, and I’ll take the royal daisy sandwich with some roasted dandelions. And the red wine for both of us, please,” she shot me a beautiful smile while talking, one the waiter followed. His appearance suddenly changed and he bowed shortly before quickly walking away. I couldn’t hold my grin back, “Beloved one, huh?” I asked Twilight, who’s blush deepened again, “Don’t ever change,” I added, giving her a lovely smile. She looked into my eyes and smiled back sweetly, causing my heart to flutter. She’s just wonderful. I leaned against the table, taking the time to just happily gaze at Twilight. She was beautiful, and perfect in every way I could imagine. It took everything I had to not just hop the table and cuddle up against her again, and every fibre of my being wanted to be back at the library with her in my wings. The blush on Twilight’s cheeks burnt up a little and she idly touched her muzzle, “Is there something on my face?” she asked, her ears twitching backwards slightly in what I could only assume was worry. Giving a small chuckle, I shook my head, “I’m just admiring how beautiful you are,” I responded, my own cheeks flaring up in barely contained heat. In response, she gave a meek ‘oh’ of surprise, letting her hoof fall as a bashful grin set itself onto her muzzle. I hesitated for a few moments, biting at one of my lips before I leaned in and reached my wings across the table. They weren’t long enough to reach the other side, but Twilight seemed to get the gist of it, and with a blush and no complaints, she reached her own wings across and entwined them with mine. I couldn’t help but notice that her wings were longer than mine, which was probably a result of being an alicorn. But, more importantly, her wings were soft and warm against mine, giving me the gentlest of comfort without so much as a word. I didn’t need to say anything, and she didn’t need to say anything. We were perfectly happy to sit in silence, holding each other’s wings and gazing across into the vast universes within our own eyes. She was everything I wanted, even after only knowing her for such a short time. I could happily move on, forget everything about my past, and just be with her if she’d have me. No amount of moral dilemmas, no amount of hatred or regret, just love. Pure and simple love for the alicorn that had captured my heart as if it were the easiest thing in the world. And I’d do anything to make her as happy as she made me… “You already do,” came the response to my thoughts. I hadn’t even realized that I had spoken out loud, but apparently I did, and apparently Twilight heard it. Her face looked more red than lavender, and there was a slight ruffle that pulsed through her wings, but she looked genuine. The soft, attentive little smile on her muzzle was more than enough evidence to show it. I stammered for a moment, blushing deeply. Then, deciding it was best not to ruin the moment with more words, I gave a soft little sigh and smiled back at her, gripping her wings a little tighter in mine. There was so much that I wanted to tell her, amounts of sweet nothingness that I wanted to whisper into her ears over hours of cuddling together. A small voice in the back of my head told me that we could, that there was nothing stopping us any more. “Oh… Oh my… T-wilight? N-Night Glider?” We both turned and stared into the surprised and maybe even a bit shocked face of Fluttershy. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked before I could even move my muzzle. However, it wasn’t the shy mare that answered. A ball of smoke appeared besides her, then the weirdest creature I’d ever seen before. He had an abnormally long body, with mismatched body parts and the wildest eyes I could have sworn came from my worst nightmares. If that wasn’t enough, he was dressed in an old vest and a top hat with a golden watch hanging out of one of his breast pockets. “Why, hello, Twilight Sparkle. She is having dinner with me, isn’t that just wonderful? And how wonderful to see you and,” he stopped, then in a whirl of smoke a looking glass appeared and he used it to inspect me closely, “And who is this mare at your side?” he asked before the glass moved over our wings. I hadn’t noticed that they were still entwined, “Ohhhh, how wonderful! You must be Twilight’s marefriend, then,” he clapped in applause, and suddenly there were thousands of invisible claps joining in with his. “Discord,” Twilight began to scowl. “Don’t worry, Princess. It will be our little secret,” Discord said before suddenly holding up a camera and blinding us with the light as he took a photo, “But this one will get framed and hung up in the cottage!” he laughed and suddenly the camera disappeared, leaving only the picture behind it. Before we could say anything, it was framed in purple with hearts on it and sent into a portal to who knows where. “Discord… you are ruining our DATE!” Twilight yelled, causing everypony in the restaurant to go suddenly quiet. “Oh, my… so, she is your marefriend?” Fluttershy squeaked. “We’re not...yet,” I whispered, “It’s a date,” I continued a bit louder. “Not… yet? Oh, how wonderful! She talks with such huge amounts of hope,” Discord laughed. Twilight looked at me and suddenly smiled, “If you would excuse us now? We would like to enjoy our date. And no, Discord, you can’t stay,” she continued before the creature could even open his mouth. Discord pouted, “Buh-huh… well, fine,” he said before lifting Fluttershy up in the air and took her to a table at the other end of the restaurant, ignoring her squeaking and gasps. Watching the two figures disappear to the other side of the restaurant, I gave a little sigh and shook my head. I’d really never get used to how weird Ponyville was. If something like Discord was so common that he didn’t even warrant a second glance from the other ponies eating their dinners, I’d hate to see what actually did warrant a second glance. Speaking of, what in the hay is Discord, anyways? A nervous chuckle came from Twilight, breaking me out of my observations. I looked over at her curiously and raised an eyebrow at her, giving her the unasked question. She spoke after a moment, “Sorry about that. Discord is a little...intrusive, to say the least,” she apologized, sparing a glance in the direction that Discord had run off to. She looked like she expected him to come walking back. I scoffed lightly and shook my head, “Don’t worry about it, no harm done,” I replied, giving her an accepting smile after a moment. As odd as Discord was, he didn’t actually ruin the date. Giving her wings a gentle squeeze, I smiled at her, “The date’s not ruined, we’re still alright,” I assured her, nodding once supportively. Twilight seemed to visibly relax at that, her shoulders going slack as she let out a soft sigh. She gave a nod after a moment and squeezed my wings back, giving a nervous little smile in response. She seemed to be reassured by my words, so I didn’t bother saying anything else, electing instead to just hold her wings and lightly rub the tips of my feathers against hers. It seemed to work. After a moment of silence, Twilight finally spoke up, “So, ‘not yet’?” she asked, one of the corners of her muzzle pulling up into a teasing smile as she mimicked my voice the best she could. It was cute, even though it was an incredibly terrible replication of my voice. I gave a little laugh in response. “Well, you asked me out on a date. I don’t know if that makes us marefriends?” I tried, smiling a bit. How the whole relationship thing worked in Equestria at the moment was a lot different than it did whenever I remembered having other relationships. Back then, it involved a rhetorical song and dance, with a lot of time dedicated to courting one another. With how Equestria seemed to be at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if ponies just sort of did it on a whim. Whether or not there was a whole process around it seemed to escape me, so I figured I’d just defer to Twilight’s judgement on the matter. Not that I’d really argue it even if I did know as much as her on the subject, I’d just go with whatever she wanted anyways. Twilight bit her lip for a moment before replying, “Well, I’ve read a few books on the subject. Would you say that we’re ‘going out’?” she asked, using her hooves to make awkward air quotes around the phrase ‘going out’. At the same time, her muzzle scrunched up slightly as if she despised the term. I couldn’t help but snicker at it. “Yeah, I guess we’re going out. I mean, we’re out right now, aren’t we?” I asked, tilting my head in the direction of the rest of the restaurant, pointing it out to try and prove my point. Unless going out meant something other than actually going out, then it felt like a rather simple question to me. A little chuckle came from Twilight as she shook her head, apparently amused by my answer. After a moment, she gave a soft sigh, “Well, according to the books, that means we’re dating, if I’m not mistaken,” she said uncertainly, looking across at me for some level of confirmation. “Of course we’re dating. You asked me out on a date, after all,” I replied confidently, causing her to blush a little. “I know, sorry! This is just so confusing and new,” she replied blushing.          That settled it. Twilight and I were together, and if there was any doubts in our minds before, there was no room for doubt any more. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was overjoyed, if the stupid grin on my muzzle was anything to go by. It was too much, it had turned out to be an awesome day in the end. Going from being nopony to being the Captain of the Twilight Guard and the marefriend of one of the Princesses of Equestria was a massive step, something that set my nerves on fire and made the fur on the back of my neck stand on edge. But, at the same time, I was fairly confident that I’d be able to take it all on so long as Twilight was there with me. She made me confident, and she made me happy. I’d do anything for her, anything to make her happy. It was at this moment that the waiter chose to come back, clearing his throat to announce his presence. We quickly removed our wings from the table as the dinner was set down in front of us and he backed away with a swift bow. Looking across at Twilight with that stupid grin still on my face, I couldn’t help but feel like a filly again. It was good to be alive.