//------------------------------//
// An Exchange of Courtship 
// Story: A Cultural Exchange 
// by Illiad_Easle 
//------------------------------//

As she stepped out, the twins came right over and started gathering the packages together.  Vylia moved aside and watched them work for a moment - her face had gone to more of an annoyed pout... but Vylia's emotions were actually at a high point.  Casually, she spoke to one of them.

"Oh, that silver-wrapped box there is for the two of you; don't think I've forgotten your birthday coming up.  Since you've been dealing with more than your usual fare, I decided to pick up a little nic-nac I'd come across - just take it in with the rest and open it later.  There's work to be done, and I will want a bath running in no less than FIVE minutes... do NOT keep me waiting long."

Though she sounded angry, she tipped Illiad a sidelong wink; the stallion had seen the price tag on what was in that box; 'nic-nac' indeed!  However, it DID indicate that Vylia cared for her long-suffering attendants... in her own strange way, of course.  The two butler ponies both gave a slight bow, then began packing the parcels upon their backs, each one putting items onto the other - like a well-oiled team.  He could feel a bit of excitement from the two at the prospect of Vylia's gift, but they were professionals; the job came first.

While this was going on, Dax himself came out of the manor.  He looked... passingly interested in the proceedings, but his emotions betrayed him; there was a streak of disappointment, a little jealousy, and a sizable portion of loneliness.  However, not a bit of this was in his manner or speech as he spoke up.

"You two were gone for a good while - I was beginning to worry.  But it's good you're back... I was getting hungry waiting for you Illiad, but I held out!  I mean, it might seem kinda late for a picnic, but I was sure you wouldn't forget - so, I waited."

He gave the stallion a smile, but his traitor stomach gave Illiad a fierce growl.

"DAXTER!"  Vylia gasped.

"Sorry, Mother... we'll be eating soon..."  He looked at the Empathic with a worry in his eyes that was laced with worry and anxiety.

"... won't we?"

Illiad gave a firm nod with a big smile. He had forgotten that such a thing was planned but he was intent that Dax would never know of it. He hopped from the carriage and moved quickly to Dax's side. "Yes, we should get on that quickly. I'll bet I'm as hungry as you now."

He sighed as his smile waned to a bit apologetic, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, I must have got it in my head that it was a dinner picnic rather than a lunch picnic somehow."

He leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially. "If you move quickly enough your mother can't say otherwise can she? And Linner is my favorite meal, how did you know?"

The last thing he wanted was for Dax to be disappointed, so he hoped his own enthusiasm for the activity would raise Dax's spirits.

It was the conspiratorial air to the aside that did it.

Dax's grin, and his good mood, spread quickly.  "Yeah - I figure you've had MORE than enough of Mother by now.  C'mon - I have things set up!"

Now there was something new to add to the list of emotions Dax displayed - there was a slyness there that the Empathic wasn't sure how to pinpoint; did the Blackwater stallion have something in mind?

He led Illiad away from the manor and over to a different path; this one led up, further into the mountains.  It was only about a five minute walk, so it wasn't too long before they crossed over a rickety rope bridge spanning a mountain river to reach what looked to be a nice little glade, a natural clearing in the midst of the pines.  There, on the ground, was a spread-out blanket with two wicker baskets sitting on it.  Near the spread, a small black box with a single switch on it sat innocently in the grass.

"I thought you might get in kinda late, so... I was busy."  He smiled sheepishly, then made his way over to the box, and carefully flipped the switch.

There was a slight glow of magic from the box... and then, the darkness began to peel away from the little campsite; in a perfect circle around the campfire were wooden poles, and topping each one was a crystal that gave off a pale, soft blue light.  The gathered effect was a gentle light that made the night picnic seem like a meal at a moonlit rendezvous.  

"Get a good look, Illiad - I packed the baskets well!"

Illiad was impressed by the small glade, and surprised by how late it had become. Though he thought the crystal torches were a bit much. "This really is an impressive spot, perfect actually to take someone on a date. You should keep that in mind for when you actually start dating." 

After taking a moment to really take in the beauty of the area, "Well, I bet you're hungry, so am I. Lets get to it then unless you have something else in mind?"

He could feel the presence of someone else.

Since they had arrived here, there had been a strange 'doubling' of Dax's anticipation, and Illiad could tell they were NOT alone.  However, he wouldn't have to wait for long, as this was the point where the other individual spoke in response to his words.

"I'm certain there's a thing or two I have in mind."

He knew that voice... it was Silver!

She stood there, cleanly scrubbed and looking downright lovely in a cute blue sundress.  She had not a single smudge or stain anywhere on her, her mane was out of the typical braids and cascaded loosely over her shoulders; her smile soft, rich and a bit enticing.  She appeared very feminine; quite unlike the usual tomcolt-ish look she wore - and she was lovely.

"I was beginning to think you were going to stand up poor Dax - and me, by proxy!"  She lifted an eyebrow.  "But I'm glad we waited... although I have to admit, I'm nursing a pretty big appetite right now... well, not really insomuch as nursing it, but more like just trying to keep it from overwhelming me!"

Dax was nowhere to be seen; the sly little booger had SET THIS UP for the Trojan - probably based on some of the conversation they had the other night.  Apparently, the Blackwater stallion had done MORE than just listen to Illiad when he spoke about Silver... he had arranged this impromptu get-together for his two friends.

"So, uh... is it time to see what Dax packed yet?  I HAVE been waiting for my date for a bit, after all."  She grinned teasingly, yet there was not a single drop of malice in her words; no, there was an altogether DIFFERENT emotion on Silver's mind...

Illiad paused for a moment, really letting the turn of events sink in. I knew it… No I didn’t, but at least, this is not unexpected. It came to his attention that he was no longer wearing his robe as he had removed it to be less conspicuous in Canterlot. Which also reminded him of something.

He turned towards Silver with a slight smile. "This is certainly a very pleasant surprise, if I had known you were waiting for me I would have encouraged Mrs. Blackwater to expedite our return. I would also have arrayed myself in a manner more fitting for one such as yourself."

He held up a hoof, looking as if he were thinking intently on something. A bigger smile flashed to his face with his horn as a box appeared in his raised hoof containing the clothes he had been measured for in Canterlot. "If you would excuse me for just a moment, I'll try to come close to matching your elegance in that dress. Why don't you see what Dax has arrayed for us while you wait, I shan't take long."

Having said that he hurried out of sight before warping to his room to put the suit and white collared shirt as well as comb his mane down to some semblance of cultured style before warping back to where he warped out. He took a moment to compose himself before he walked back into the clearing. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." In truth he had only been gone a few moments but it felt to him to be a long time given his nerves. He hoped Silver would forgive him for running off so suddenly.

Silver had been looking through one of the two baskets when Illiad spoke.  She jumped a bit, then turned with a smile (and a slight blush) on her muzzle.

"Oh, you didn't kee-... uhh..."

Illiad felt it; a rush of desire from the mare as she looked over the smartly attired stallion... she felt it too, as her slight blush deepened to a darker crimson.

"... didn't... kee-keep me waiting all THAT long, n-no."

She attempted to give a simple smile, but faltered around a bit before settling on a sigh and a grin.  It was obvious she was HIGHLY attracted to the handsome stallion; Illiad got the emotional impression that such a level of affection was new to her - her emotions were roiling under the surface, where she was all nerves and worry to go with her desire.

"I got a look through the baskets, and OH!  There's a FEAST here!  He must've almost brought enough food here to feed an entire shift!  There's even a jar of Zap Apple Jam in there - do you have any idea how hard that is to come by off-season?  I don't think we have enough stomach between the two of us to finish it all!"

She let loose her adorable whinny-giggle, then put a hoof to her mouth in surprise and embarrassment when she caught herself.

"I... I'm n-n-not really used to dressing like this; Dax told me I should wear something nice, so..."  She gave a little twirl, showing off the simple, yet pretty sundress - yet there was a good bet it could have been a mass of rags, and Illiad STILL would have found her just as beautiful.  She looked at him again, and that got the lust shivering through her once more... outwardly, she just gave him another nervous smile, and scuffed at the ground with a hoof shyly.

"You can, umm... blame Dax for all this - e-e-except the light posts; that was MY doing, actually - but HE was the one who told me that you might have wanted to... well... sort of..."

She seemed so unlike her normal self... but this version of her was sweet, to be certain.

"... I-I-I mean, uh... maaaaaybe we should start eating; we won't finish 'til midnight at this rate."

She gave a little giggle, then began to bring out the food.  For the love of Luna, there was a LOT of it!  Fruits and veggies, all cut and cleaned; mashed potatoes; buttered corncobs; fried and flavored dough balls; a large pouch filled with pre-mixed salad... there seemed to be no end to the amount of food that came from the two innocent-looking baskets!

Being so close to her like this... it was hard for Illiad to really think straight. The only things holding Illiad back from hugging the cute mare before him were his uncertainties and self doubts. He decided that he would simply sit near her to see if she would be as physically receptive to the gesture as she was emotionally.

He sat almost on the same side of the baskets as her, about a right angle from her rather than directly across as he would typically do. "I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting long, I'd hate for you to think I'd ditched you. And I had a feeling that Dax would try something like this, though I'm surprised he went through with it so soon."

He leaned a bit closer, not too much though. "To be honest, I thought you were beautiful from the moment I first saw you, and that dress only enhances that same beauty."

"So, uh..." Silver started, trying nervously to make conversation, "... what... did... you do in Canterlot today?"

He leaned back to the same position as before, a slightly nervous smile on his face. It was clear that he was not used to this sort of situation. He seemed a bit relieved at the source of distractive conversation, as he started to move some portions of the food closer to himself "In Canterlot? Mrs. Blackwater had me come along on a few of her errands and now I owe her more than a few favors which she wants me to repay by ensuring that Dax has a good time in Troy with me. She took me to see my parents again too, which was awfully nice of her, but the way she carries herself emotionally is a bit disconcerting to Empathics like me. Nothing like you really,"

He leaned back as he tried to think up a way to continue the conversation, "So, these light posts... I must say I'm impressed. Did you invent these too?"

Silver's almost luminescent eyes widened as she searched for a response.

"Uhh... oh, well, I... you just... just... uh, it's..."

No, no response THAT way.

"... well, I... uh... I think... that YOU... uh... well..."

Nuh-uh - not that way EITHER.

"... well... the, uh, posts aren't... really... so much of, uh, an invention, as they are a different way to... use something... a-a-already in stock here.  The glow crystals are on order from Canterlot, and uh... uh, well... we have a surplus of 'em, so I just modified the relays to receive activation signals from the switch here - which I DID build - and set it up to pulse-feed the proper signal to each one.  I can even control the amount of light they generate - see?"

She carefully slid the switch up a bit; the lights dimmed.  Pulling it slightly back down gave the glow back its' previous brightness.  She was proud of figuring it out... but that wasn't REALLY anywhere near what was on her mind... more like 'whom'...

"It's a simple... s-s-simple enough thing to... uh, do..."

She was looking into Illiad's eyes, and was emotionally swooning over him.

"... with the... things... in... uh, what?  OH! "

She shook her head a bit to clear it, having the effect of sending her waterfall of pumpkin orange mane rolling back and forth over her shoulders.  She then looked up at Illiad, and the blush returned in force.

"I want you to know... nopony's ever done anything like this for me before, and never said any of those... sweet things... to me, either.  You really ARE a slick one, aren't you?  Not that I mean slick as in greasy, mind you - more slick as in suave, confident and... uh, all those things handsome stallions like you can be."

Both internally and externally, she was a bit relieved for having spoken up about how she felt... but now was the anticipation, anxiety and curiosity at what the Trojan's response to such would be - and a goofy, can't-help-myself love was beginning to stir in her brain-pan.

Illiad blushed as well. Though he was similarly scattered in his thoughts, he wasn't nearly so vocal. And that was something he liked about her, "That's.... wow."

He took a moment to look directly at her as well. "I don't think anyone has felt the same way about me as you seem to. You're one of the smartest ponies I've ever met and truly everything I've ever hoped for and more so."

He looked back to the poles, the blush still apparent on his face. "It's hard for me to really think straight between your and my emotional threads, but I love this feeling oh so much."

And Idea occurred to him as he pulled out his diamond. He closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing a little of the near infinite supply of their emotions and putting it in the diamond, causing it to glow with a soft pink light. He debated moving forward on the diamond subject but decided to wait and see if she broached the topic first.

Is this what it's like to be in love? I wouldn't really know, but my memories indicate that Luna had a similar experience with a pony by the name of Midnight Star, so probably. I guess that's as good a guess as mine.

She gave the back of her neck a bit of a nervous rub as she blushed even harder.

"Well... uh, I don't think... I mean, I KNOW I'm intelligent, but... I mean, FAR from being... I-I-I mean..."

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and spoke the next sentence in a rush of a blast.

"Ijusthappentothinkyou'resoincrediblyhandsomeandarticulatewithyourwordsandsoverysweetIsimplycan'tHELPbutfallinlo-..."

She slapped her hooves over hear mouth, lest her heart pour right out with her words.  Her eyes locked on Illiad's, and her emotional state was in a fevered pitch; it was near impossible to tell if she was about to burst out in tears, in panic... or in song.  Even with this high-run flood of emotion, ONE THING stood out:

There was LOVE there; shining, messy, confusing and wondrous love... Silver just wasn't sure how to express it.

Illiad could feel it, it made him feel woozy, but in a good way. It was wearing against his inhibitions quickly. "I... uh... um..." It was getting ever harder for him to decide what to say, he was so worried that he would say of do something wrong that it was hard to do anything at all. He sighed as he tried to decide on what to do.

In a swift motion he scooped Silver into a hug, the back of his mind pondering if it fer really a good idea at this point. He decided if she didn't return it quickly he would let go of her and give her spaaaaaace. "I think I'm falling in love with you too. It scares me, I've never felt like this towards anyone else before, but I'm also excited, because nobody's felt they way you do around me before. Please relax though, you'll only wear yourself out if you keep running yourself so hot."  

Silver stared, open-mouthed at Illiad for a moment, the rush of activity in her mind frozen at the moment the stallion embraced her.  She didn't fight or struggle - she didn't seem adverse to the hug - but she was sort of at a loss as to what came next.

"Illiad... I... it... we..."

Quick as a flash, she leaned forward and gave Illiad a quick peck... directly on his lips.  Parting from the tiny, yet sweet kiss, Silver's eyes were huge as she stared directly into the Trojan's, their souls gazing at each other.

"... I think so, too... I just n-n-never... never..."

She stared a moment more, then gently laid her head on Illiad's shoulder.

"... I don't even know what to DO... but... I know that I... I..."

She swallowed hard, then turned her eyes upward to look at the muzzle of the stallion she was holding so close.

"... I want to learn... with you..."

She buried her face into his chest, adorably shy yet oh so desperate to let him know she felt the same as he did.

Illiad blushed especially hard at the kiss, and smiled very widely at the returned embrace. He hugged her to him a bit more snugly, careful not to make her head position against his chest uncomfortable.

He was unsure how to respond, so he thought a moment or two of silence would be perfect here. With a gentle motion he rubbed her back with a forelimb and did his best to exude a calming influence on the intense emotions flowing between them. It was a tender moment really, one where Illiad truly felt content.

In a move that surprised himself he leaned down and kissed her forehead, just under the base of her horn being careful not to poke himself in the eye. "Together then, we'll see where this goes. I have as much to learn as you do, we'll teach each other along the way."

Though he was starting to get a bit hungry, and he knew Silver was hungry too, he didn't want to pull away from the embrace just yet.

Silver nestled against him; now, wrapped in an embrace she felt safe in, he began to feel her start unwinding her anxiety.  She simply wanted to exist against his chest, feeling the fine hairs of his coat as she reached up and nuzzled the underside of his neck affectionately.

"... this is nice..."

Her stomach seconded that thought, as a high-pitched growl of hunger rumbled from Silver's tummy - Illiad even felt it against his own.  Looking up at the stallion, she gave him an embarrassed smirk.

"... as much as I don't want to let go... and, BELIEVE ME, I don't... I think my stomach's about to rebel, jump out and grab something on its' own!"  She giggled a bit at that, then turned herself around in his embrace and leaned back against the warm, receptive stallion behind her.

"Maybe we don't have to let go... just yet."

She reached down and took one of the little pastries, then brought it up into Illiad's range, in front of his mouth. 

"If it's okay, I c-c-could... uh, I could... FEED you?"

Illiad was surprised at the suggestion, "I... uh, sure, I guess." He grabbed another of the same pastries with his magic and brought it close to her face so he wouldn't have to let go. A small but genuine smile came to his face, "But only if I get to return the favor."

It really was nice to just sit here like this, to feel her enjoy his embrace so much, to observe directly how much someone cared about him and enjoyed his presence. He hoped this feeling would last forever, which is why he stored away as much as the diamond could hold so he could feel it again in the future if ever he needed to. 

Silver gently fed Illiad, while he followed suit.  It was quiet between them for a moment, but it was the comfortable quiet of simply enjoying each other's company.  She was warm and soft against him, and she enjoyed feeding him - especially when she missed his mouth once or twice.

As night proper cloaked them both, again Illiad was struck by the sheer amount of stars.  The glow from the lamps had been turned down, bit by bit, until it was low enough to allow a full range of skyview for them both.  Regardless of what Illiad did or didn't know about those stars, there was still the occasional moment where a sight such as this, especially in present company, had the potential to strike even those who knew of them with childlike wonder and beauty.

The tiny pinpoints reflected in the gray mare's eyes danced as she mused over the sky herself.

"I don't know if... if this is too fast, or... or if it's just right, but... I guess I felt... felt warm and goofy after the first time we spoke - when Dax brought you to my shed?  I was trying to make a good impression, and I guess I didn't really think about it until after you two left; I just couldn't stop thinking about..."

She blushed hotly.  "Would you just listen to me?  I'm going on and on like a schoolgirl with a crush!  Well... actually, more like a..."

Glancing back over her shoulder at him, the fog of auburn hair obscured much of her muzzle - her eyes, almost like living gems set into the treasure of her stare, continued to sparkle as she gave him a slower, warmer kiss on the nape of his neck, where she could reach.  He felt the entire side of her face press against him as she did, and the twist of her form brought... interesting... sensations with it to the Trojan.

"... a mare who may have actually found her Special Somepony, in a place where we all work so hard to make beautiful things for all of Equestria... and beyond... to know that I'm... well, uh... that I'm not just needed for once... but wanted, in a way I never thought could happen for me.  I mean, I wasn't even EXPECTING it!  It all just... sort of... happened."

She gave a soft, quite amused little giggle, and snuggled back against Illiad even more; their body heat together was certainly a nice way to keep the chill from the stallion's bones.

"If you don't think it's fast, then it's just right for me, too... it FEELS good, I know that... so very good..."

She sighed and ran a forehoof gently back and forth across his chest - smiling with a dreamy countenance.

Illiad hugged her tighter for a moment before nuzzling her neck. "I was worried that you might think it was moving too fast, and while this is certainly moving faster that I had anticipated... I can't think of any reason why it would be a bad thing."

His smile too was cheery as he stared up at the stars, simply enjoying the weight and warmth of the mare in his forelimbs. "Perhaps we really were meant for each other, I wonder if Selena knew all this time, and wanted me to discover it for myself. But I'm glad I did, never before have I felt so loved, so desired outside of my own family."

He glanced over at the diamond, still floating where it had been earlier and now casting a light pink glow on the pair given the dimming of the other lights. "I can't quite recall how much I've told you about this cloud diamond of mine, it has a surprise for you later though if you're interested."

Illiad thought that a shared dream experience would be the perfect way to end the night, but not before Silver was ready for it. He was content to move forward at whatever pace was most comfortable for her. 

"A surprise?"  She giggled.  "With you, EVERYTHING is a surprise - and not bad ones, either."

"But I don't think you mentioned much about the... Cloud Diamond?  Isn't that exceedingly rare to come across?  Not to mention the amount you have there..."  She looked it over from the comfort of her position against the stallion.  "... and what exactly do you mean 'surprise'?  I know they have magical properties, but I'm more of a gear-head, I guess; I take it this Diamond is very special to you?"

Oh, her curiosity was piqued, all right.

Illiad gave a smirk he decided he'd let Selena explain this time. "Indeed, cloud diamond of this purity and mass is hard to come by, though since you work here it's no surprise that you'd know that. This one allows ponies to share dreams when they're close enough together, therein lies the surprise. If you're up to it that is" 

Illiad was worried that that might sound a bit too forward, but to backtrack now would likely be a mistake. Best to sound confident, even when he was a bundle of nerves clinging to this caring mare.

She looked back at the Diamond with reverence.  "Oh... oh, WOW... it can do THAT?  I simply figured it to be a... a magical conduit, or the like... I didn't know that it could... wooooooooowwwwwww..."

She moved to get a closer look, deliciously shifting against Illiad.

"I'd ask how it works, but magic... well, I'm better with machinery, let's just say.  But sharing dreams?  Does Princess Luna know about this?"

Illiad was glad that she seemed receptive to the idea. "To make a long story short and in an answer that would definitely not satisfy that beautiful mind of yours, yes. Princess Luna actually gave this to me, so I would assume she knows even better that I what it can do."

He pulled the diamond closer so that Silver could get a better look at it. "Currently I'm using it to store a small part of this feeling we're feeling, a moment that can be revisited."

He knew it was slightly mean and teasing to be giving her such a vague answer, but despite all these feelings Illiad was scared to reveal the secret again, worried she wouldn't like him quite as much if he did.

"Storing emotions?  It can do that, too?"  She gave the Cloud Diamond her full attention, her curiosity rolling from her like a child's wonder.  She stared for a bit, then turned back to look at Illiad.

"Luna GAVE this to you?  You know her that well?  Wow... I-I-I don't know what to say - I mean, you're quite dignified; I didn't know you were THAT important!  I just hope... well, with all this wonder around you, I just hope I can keep up!"

She turned back to the floating gem.  "Shared dreams?  You mean... we can dream together?  Oh..."  She blushed hotly. "... oh, that could be fun!  It might be fascinating to see this first-hoof!"

She smiled broadly; then she got a thoughtful look, and finished with a kind smile to the Trojan.

"You know... we really owe Dax a big thank you for this; he's talked about nothing but your visit for days, and now he's giving up time with you... so you can have time with me.  He's such a sweetheart, y'know?"

The sweet grin slowly began to turn into a lascivious smile.  "But I think... that maybe... we could try to look into getting in a bit of sleep tonight?  I mean, you're so... cozy..."

She snuggled up against him further, cuddling tightly into his chest.

Illiad raised his eyebrows, surprised how forward she was being. "I suppose that could be arranged. Though I must disagree, You are the cozy one around here."

To emphasize the point he moved and nuzzled her neck just under her muzzle. "Though we'll probably have to change, as nice as these clothes are I can already tell they are not the most comfortable."

Illiad sighed as he looked back up at the stars, things were going so well here, he was just waiting for the sudden twist where everything fell to pieces. Maybe Redd would come for his revenge tonight. Illiad smiled, if there was one thing he knew for certain, if anyone ruined his night they would pay dearly for it.

He looked around the area, he thought he remembered seeing a tent, but he wasn't too sure if he actually had.

Sure enough, roughly fifty yards from where they were set up was a tent; it was far smaller than Dax's was, yet still big enough for two full-grown Equines to share comfortably.  The picnic, the lights, the tent... this had been quite a little set-up; did Dax really go to all this trouble on the Trojan's behalf?  At any rate, inside the tent was a bundle of blankets - they would be nice and warm in those, doubtless.

Silver stretched a bit, wriggling against the stallion behind her, before slowly getting to her hooves and giving Illiad a soft smile.

"So, we... just change?  Well, I didn't bring any other clothes, but I could probably change at the shed... but then, I'd have to leave you here for a bit and... well, uh... I'm... not really wanting to DO that."

She looked down, poking a hoof at her sundress.  "Besides, this dress is sorta made to just... y'know, wear wherever - even to sleep, I'd guess.  I'm sure you could change in the tent... I-I-I'll wait here."

It almost sounded as if she were disappointed to wait there... and the Empathic felt a thread of anticipation from the mare.

"When you're done, we can curl back up again... unless y-you've had enough for one night?"

The pleading in her eyes begged him to differ.

Illiad gave a slight, but caring smile as he picked himself up off the ground. "I could never have too much of you, I could spend hours holding you and never grow tired of it." He turned for the tent, pulling the diamond along with him with his magic. "I'll change quickly and let you know when I'm done."

Once inside the tent he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. This had been the best date he had ever been on in his life, and more successful than the rest of them combined though that really wasn't saying much. And now he would be sleeping in the same room as her? When he thought about it the two of them were actually pretty old to still be single, mid-late twenties and no long term relationships? Well it seemed that was about to change.

With an exertion of magic he summoned the robe he had worn to Canterlot and the box the clothes came in from his room. He quickly, yet carefully, removed the fancy clothing and placed them neatly into the box before running his robe through a quick cleansing spell and wrapping it around himself, warping the box with the fancy clothes back to his room.

He went back to the door of the tent, now dressed in his robe and looked around for Silver. "I'm ready I guess, you can come in if you like."

Silver gently poked her head inside the tent.

"That was fast!  Truth be told, I... well... I've never been so excited to go to sleep!"

Giving a slight giggle, she made her way over to the stallion, looking up into his eyes as she did.

"Illiad... this is... it's REALLY happening, right?  Please tell me I'm not already asleep... because this... this is... ohhh, it's a dream come true..."

She made her way over to the pile of blankets and began to straighten them out, making a palette on the floor for them to lie on.  Once finished, she carefully laid herself down to one side, leaving plenty of room for the Trojan to join her.

"Okay... I'm... I'm ready - I think I am, anyway.  Now... c'mere... uh, please?"

He could feel the nervous energy and the sweet tang of anticipation coming from her; outwardly, she just smiled and waited for his warmth to join her once more.

Illiad gave another slight smile, this whole encounter was stretching his limited repertoire of emotes. His life before this did not have much need to show emotion so openly, but he liked it. "This has certainly been an exciting night for the both of us, hasn't it?"

He came over to the now organized blankets and laid to the other side of it from Silver. "You know, I haven't shared a bed with a mare as beautiful as you before. Actually I haven't shared a bed with a mare before, other than my mother when I was a much younger colt after a nightmare but you know what I mean."

He moved the diamond so that it would be close enough to them that Selena could pull them into a shared dream, it continued to cast the soft but pleasant pink light, providing just enough light that they could see each other clearly.

Silver shuffled her slight frame over toward Illiad as soon as he was laid down.  She shifted as close as she could, then nuzzled him lovingly.

"There was a point in time I had to share a bed with some of my cousins... but this is a long way from that, huh?  I hope I'm not... not crowding you.  TOO much.  Crowding you too much, I mean.  Oh, BLAH!"

She stuck out her tongue and waggled it back and forth, then shut her eyes and laughed at herself.  "Tongue-tied again... well, that's... I guess that's..."

She made an attempt at a sexy, smouldering look... it came off more like she may have possibly sat on something uncomfortable.  It was truly adorkable, to borrow the phrase.

"... Well, I guess that's what you do to me, you handsome stallion yoh my sweet Celestia, I did NOT just say that, did I?"

She giggled fillyishly behind her hooves, both embarrassed and thrilled by her clumsy yet cute pass at Illiad.

Illiad gave a slight laugh as he nuzzled Silver in return, "Don't worry, I like it when you call me handsome."

He shifted the pair of them around so that Silver's back was against his barrel and chest, a similar position to when they were hugging earlier, just laid horizontally on the blankets. "The sooner we fall asleep the sooner we can share a dream now. Oh, when the gem pulls you in you should find yourself in a small room with a switch or button on one side and a pair of doors on the other, if you go through the doors you will enter the shared dream zone. I'll meet you there once we're both asleep." 

Silver nestled back against the stallion curled behind her.

"All this is so... you really know what's going on with all of this, don't you?  I mean, you just... well, you act like this is something everyday for you - I can only imagine what you've seen if something like meeting others in their dreams like Princess Luna comes across as so very ordinary for you."

She reached back and covered one of his hooves with one of hers, dragging his foreleg around her middle and holding it in place.

"I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of such... but I'm also pretty excited, too!  Oh, this is SO nice..."

She sighed happily.  "How in the wide, wide world of Equestria did I ever get so very lucky?"

Illiad sighed as well, a tired smile on his face as he nuzzled the side of Silver's neck. "I was wondering the same thing. How could a mare as smart and beautiful as yourself not have already been the object of one's desires? How could I be the lucky one to catch your eye when so many other mares wanted little to do with me?"

He gave a slight chuckle as he snuggled closed, the bridge of his muzzle resting comfortably on her soft neck. "I'm glad I did though, this night has been one of the happiest in my entire life. All because I got to share it with you."

With a kiss he began to slowly drain off her excess energy, careful manipulation to lull her easily to sleep. He too was excited for the dream world, but they needed to sleep to get there. He felt himself too begin to drift off to sleep, Selena pulling the two of them in. They would arrive about the same time.