I think I love you...

by FinnPony

Getting to known each other (AKA The Blue Note)

Two mares were sitting on a sofa in the living room of Carousel Boutique. They were talking quietly, while the other one nervously rubbed her hooves together. Their parents had left earlier that day, leaving the two siblings with each other again.

"What's wrong Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked when she saw Rarity's troubled expression.
Rarity snapped from her trance, and looked at her sister.

"It's nothing honey, just a bit nervous that's all," she said, and ruffled Sweetie Belle's mane.
Actually Rarity was more than nervous. She had been worrying about her date ever since the first wave of excitement had flown over her last night. She drooped her ears.

"What if he's not like I thought he was? What if he.." Rarity thought and rubbed her hooves together again. She stopped, when she felt Sweetie Belle's hoof on her shoulder.
Rarity turned to see her, and saw Sweetie Belle smiling encouragingly at her.

Rarity smiled at Sweetie Belle, who now wrapped her hooves around Rarity.

"Everything will go fine, you'll see," she said and nuzzled Rarity's shoulder, making her smile even more warmly at her sister. Rarity wrapped her hoof around Sweetie Belle's shoulder, and held her close.
Nothing could beat sister's love.

Rarity started to feel a bit more relaxed, and laid back to the sofa. She still couldn't be worrying about the evening to come though, and the same funny feeling inside her didn't make things any easier. Rarity wasn't so sure about the feeling being excitement anymore, because now she was everything else than exited, and she still felt it.

Rarity sighed and looked at the clock. It was quarter to eight.

"I still have time to make tea," she thought, and hopped of from the sofa. She walked towards the kitchen, hoping that a big cup of green tea would calm her nerves.

Just as she had the tea water boiling in the teapot, Rarity heard the doorbell ring.
Her heart almost jumped to her throat, and she turned towards Sweetie Belle. They stared at each other for a second, but then the doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming!" Rarity shouted, and trotted towards the door, thinking: "Easy now Rarity, just calm down and be yourself."
She reached the door, and looked trough the peephole to make sure it was Thunderlane who had rang the bell. Rarity let out a small nervous sigh, as her expectations turned to be right.

Behind the door stood a black peagsus, scratching his foreleg with his hoof. Thunderlane seemed to feel lat least as nervous as Rarity did, making her snicker a little.
Thunderlane had seen effort to look good. He had brushed his feathers so they were in perfect order. Rarity could see that right away.

"Well at least he knows that he should look presentable in front of a mare," Rarity thought and clicked the door open, still looking trough the peephole. She saw Thunderlane perking up, and quickly making sure that his mane was okay.

Rarity peeked from behind the door, and she was greeted by Thunderlane's nervous gaze.

"Hi," he said to Rarity, who opened the door completely.

"Hi," Rarity answered happily, and stood in front of the stallion, who was bigger than her. She had to look up at him. Thunderlane looked at his right wing, and put his hoof under it. He pulled out a small bouquet of purple roses.
Rarity's eyes light up when she saw those.

"I thought that maybe you would like these, even it's a bit cheesy," Thunderlane said and smiled sheepishly at Rarity, while presenting the flowers to timidly smiling Rarity.
She examined them for a second. She liked it when stallions brought her flowers. It showed that they at least somehow wanted to impress her, even it would be just buying flowers from a stand in the market.
Rarity smiled and said sweetly: "They're lovely, thank you."

Thunderlane smiled at her.
They then heard a loud whistle from inside the building, making them both look in the direction of the sound. They saw the teapot whistling on the stove, and Rarity remembered that she had been making tea earlier.

"Would you like a cup of tea before we go?" she asked when turning around back to Thunderlane.

"Sure, we aren't running out of time or anything," Thunderlane said.

Rarity nodded happily, and gestured Thunderlane to get in.
She was pleased, when Thunderlane brushed his hooves to the doormat before entering her home. She then walked towards the kitchen, with flowers in her magical grip and Thunderlane close behind her.

When they passed the door to living room, they saw smiling Sweetie Belle standing in the doorway.
Thunderlane stopped in front of her, and said: "You must be Sweetie Belle, Rumble can't stop talking about you."
Sweetie Belle smiled happily, and said: "Rumble always talks about you too."

"Really?" Thunderlane asked, chuckling a little. Sweetie Belle nodded, and said: "He thinks that you're really cool,"
Thunderlane couldn't help but to smile. He knew that he and Rumble were close, but didn't know that he appreciated him that much.

Rarity meanwhile had readied two cups onto the kitchen table. She placed two bags of green tea into the cups of hot water, and called: "Tea is ready!"

Thunderlane ruffled Sweetie Belle's mane, and walked towards Rarity's voice.

"I'll let you two have some privacy," Sweetie Belle called after him, and disappeared back into the living room. Thunderlane smiled, and entered the kitchen, where he saw Rarity placing the roses he had brought for her into a small vase. She then placed the vase onto the table and sat down, gesturing Thunderlane to join her.

He sat down to the opposite side of the table, in front of Rarity. The tea in his cup smelled sweet, and it had a healthy green color in it.

"I have to say that Rumble is a real gentlecolt," Rarity said, while listening Sweetie Belle humming loudly in the living room, doing her own things.
Thunderlane chuckled, and said: "Mom taught him well, didn't succeed with me that well."
He immediately saw how Rarity's expression changed into a worried and troubled look. She then looked at her cup, and took a small sip.

"He told you?" Thunderlane asked quietly, and took a slow sip from his tea too. Rarity nodded sadly, and said: "I'm awfully sorry about your parents."
Thunderlane chuckled sadly, and said: "I don't get why everypony says that. It's not your fault, so why are you sorry?"
Rarity realized that he was trying to change the subject. She thought that maybe it was a good idea. Talking about your partners dead parents wasn't good first date material.

They were silent for a while, just staring into their cups.
Then Rarity realized to ask: "So do we have any plans for tonight?"
Thunderlane's mood lightened up, and he said: "Well I thought about couple of ideas, but I don't know if you're going to like them,"

"What do you have in mind?" Rarity asked with a sultry tone and half lidded eyes, while leaning her head on her hooves. That made Thunderlane chuckle nervously, but he bravely continued: "Well.. I thought that we could go eat something.." he started, but then stopped and looked at Rarity a bit sadly.

"But I think we wont get a table from anywhere with such a short notice," he finished.
Rarity nodded, but continued to smile still.

"What's next?" she asked, and Thunderlane took a sip from his tea, before answering.

"I then thought that maybe we could go and have a drink in a bar," he answered, and saw how a frown appeared on Rarity's smooth forehead.

"A bar?" she asked, sounding a little suspicious. She didn't like bars. They were full of drunk ponies and bad music on the jukebox, which somepony played over and over again.
Her frown disappeared, when Rarity noticed Thunderlane's amused expression.

"Yes, a bar, not a pub." he said, and without waiting for Rarity's reaction, he continued: "I knew that you would react like that. It's a bit more classy place, where they play jazz and bartenders have suits."
Rarity thought, and Thunderlane exclaimed: "Perfect! Right?"
She giggled quietly at the exited stallion in front of him, and thought: "He has spent some time thinking about this, I have to give him that."

Rarity thought for a second more, before a playful smile appeared on her lips. She sat back to more upright, and said: "Okay.."
Thunderlane smiled, and was about to say something, but Rarity continued: "On one condition."
Thunderlane looked confusedly at the playfully smirking mare in front of him.

"And what is that?"

* * *

"I cant believe you made me wear this tie," Thunderlane said to Rarity, who was walking next to him, smiling happily. She looked at Thunderlane, who had his ears folded backwards, and a red tie around his neck. Rarity couldn't help but to giggle at his annoyed expression.
Rarity herself had a simple pink brimmed hat with feather decorating it on the side, She walked close to the annoyed black stallion, and followed him towards the bar they were going.

Town of Ponyville was starting to get quiet, and the sun was getting closer to the horizon. There were still some foals and their parents outside, but they started to move towards their homes, before it would get dark. Rarity didn't pay any attention to them, she was too busy stealing small glances at Thunderlane.

Thunderlane let out a small sigh, and looked at the red tie around his neck with a small frown.

"I think you look really charming," Rarity said to Thunderlane, who perked up and unfolded his ears. A praise from Rarity immediately made him feel less annoyed by the red piece of cloth around his neck.

Soon after that Thunderlane pointed his hoof at one of the buildings near them.

"There it is," he said, and looked at Rarity, who was looking at the building a bit confusedly.
It was a ordinary looking family restaurant, and it was closed. She turned towards Thunderlane, and looked at him for an explanation. Thunderlane saw her confused stare, and said: "Not that one, look over there."

He pointed his hoof towards the alley next to the building, and saw that there was a staircase that lead to the basement of the building, and over the door hung a small plate.

"The Blue Note?" Rarity asked, when she squinted her eyes so she could read the name of the bar in the plate. It was written in stylish hoofwriting.

"That's the place," Thunderlane said, and gestured Rarity to follow him to the door. She did so, and as they got closer to the stairs, she could hear a quiet music from behind the door.
She wasn't so sure about the classiness of that place though.

"Are you sure this is my kind of place honey?" Rarity asked, as they started to walk down the stairs, that were pretty filthy. The front door was just a plain normal metallic basement door, with handle in it.
Thunderlane stopped in front of the door, and said with a pleading smile on his face: "Trust me,"

Rarity thought for a second, but couldn't say no to Thunderlane's pleading look. She nodded and said: "I trust you."

"After you," Thunderlane said, and opened the door for Rarity.

She was instantly greeted by gentle sound of jazz and dumbfounded by what she saw.
The Blue Note was much bigger than she had imagined, there was at least fifty tables in there, and a big dancing floor where happy couples danced to the slow and gentle music.
There was a band playing on a stage behind the dance floor, and the whole place was illuminated by a dim blue lights, that created a really beautiful atmosphere in Rarity's opinion.
The walls were made of rough, dark grey plaster, and there were saxophones and notes painted in it with blue colors.
In the opposite wall from the door was a long, old fashioned bar counter made from wood. Behind it stood a bartender in his clean black and white suit, just like Thunderlane had promised. Behind the bartender was a big mirror, that made the bar look much more bigger.

Rarity stood in the doorway, mouth open from the surprise.
Thunderlane chuckled and walked next to her.

"It's amazing," Rarity said slowly, looking around herself, she then turned to look Thunderlane with wide eyes, and said: "I have never even heard of this place! And it's so beautiful!"

"Sometimes you shouldn't judge a book by it's covers," Thunderlane said, and saw how Rarity blushed, feeling embarrassed. Thunderlane just chuckled and asked: "How about that drink?"
Rarity nodded to him, still blushing a little.

They walked trough the tables, where Rarity saw ponies spending time with their friends or loved ones. Most of them didn't pay any attention to her and Thunderlane, but some of the stallions's heads turned towards her when Rarity walked past them. She noticed that that happened for Thunderlane too, but he turned mare's heads around.

"It seems that I'm not the only one who thinks he's rather good looking," Rarity thought, and giggled silently.

They reached the bar counter, and the bartender came to them immediately.
He was a unicorn with a slightly orange coat and red mane that was swept back with gel. He was probably about the same age as she and Thunderlane were, and he wore a really stylish tuxedo in Rarity's opinion.

He smiled happily at the pair, and spoke: "Thunderlane! It's been a long time!"

"Way too long Whiskey," Thunderlane said to the smiling bartender, who turned towards Rarity.

"And who's this lovely lady you're with?" he asked, with his voice as slippery as quicksilver. It made Rarity giggle, and she introduced herself: "Rarity,"
The bartender smiled playfully to her, and then asked: "What is such a beautiful mare like you doing with an stallion like Thunderlane here?"

"Cut it out Whiskey," Thunderlane said, sounding a little annoyed. Rarity just giggle a little more, and said: "We're on a date."

Whiskeys expression changed into a surprised stare. His eyes went from Rarity to Thunderlane, but after couple of seconds he shook his head, and said under his breath: "That explains the tie."
He then quickly said: "You two have a nice evening! What can I get for you?"

"I'll have a root beer and for Rarity.." Thunderlane started, and then looked at Rarity with asking look in his eyes. Rarity thought for a second, and then said: "A red wine thank you,"

"So a root beer and a red wine. Got it," Whiskey said, and took two bottles from under the table. The other one was light green bottle filled with beer, and other one was bigger bottle with rose red wine in it.
Whiskey took two glasses from under the table too, and in a swift motion opened the beer bottle, sending it's cap flying right into the trash bin behind the counter. He poured the beer into the class quickly, so that the foam didn't quite reach over the edge. He then uncorked the wine bottle, and poured some of the smooth, red liquid into a thin hoofmade glass. He then placed the cork back to it's place, and both bottles were gone just as quickly as they had appeared.

"There you go," he said and pushed the drinks towards the pair. Thunderlane placed some bits to the counter, and took his glass of beer into his teeth from the edge of it. Rarity floated her drink trough the air with her magic, and they walked to a small table near the dancing floor.

"Thank you for taking me here," Rarity said, with her eyes glimmering from excitement under her hat.

"I thought that you would enjoy this place," Thunderlane said, looking around and taking a sip from his beer. Rarity too took a sip from her glass, and the taste of good wine washed over her mouth, making her sigh satisfied.

They were silent for a while, juts listening to the slow and calm music, and taking small sips from their drinks. There was some tension between them, and Rarity thought that it had to be dealt with.

After a while Rarity spoke: "They play really beautiful music."
Thunderlane agreed on that, and said: "Yeah,"
Rarity turned towards him, and asked: "Do you come here often? I saw some of those mares over there looking at you."
Thunderlane shrugged, and said: "Not that often, and besides I saw stallions looking at you."
They both snickered a little, and felt how the tension between them started to melt away.
They started to talk about their past.

"By the way, did you graduate from the wonderbolt academy?" Rarity asked, and saw how Thunderlane puffed his chest. He then said proudly: "Yes I did."
Rarity started to smile and exclaimed: "Congratulations! I had been wondering about that lately."

"Really?" Thunderlane asked, and Rarity flashed her a sheepish smile. She then said: "Well.. I just somehow started remembering the past, and remembered our little incident at the academy."
She saw how a faint blush appeared on Thunderlane's cheeks too, he had to be thinking about the same thing she was thinking.

They were silent again, and both of them took couple of sips from their drinks. Then Rarity looked Thunderlane into his eyes, and said quietly: "I realized that I never thanked you Thunderlane."
Thunderlane was now blushing even harder, and scratching the back of his head. He then looked back at Rarity's azure eyes, and said: "Everypony else would have done the same thing."

"Yes, but it was you who did it, you saved me," Rarity ensured him, and placed her hoof on Thunderlane's, making him wince. He then said: "You don't need to thank me Rarity."

"But I want to," Rarity said with pleading voice.

Just then Thunderlane heard the band finishing their song, ponies in the bar clapping and the saxophonist of the band saying into his microphone: "Thank you folks! We'll play couple of more songs for you, but then we'll have to hit the road again! Everypony have a good night!"
Then the band started to play. First it was just one pony playing softly on piano and other drumming even more gently, but soon the saxophonist started to play his instrument like a professional he was.

Thunderlane thought and listened to the song for a moment. He hen drank the rest of his beer with a one long gulp to gain enough courage, and turned towards Rarity, who was still holding her hoof over his.

"Rarity," he started, and the white mare with royal purple mane leaned closer to him. She had a waiting look in her eyes. Thunderlane gulped, and then asked: "Would you dance with me?"

Rarity's eyes were fixated at his, and she smiled lovely.

"Yes, I would love to," she said quietly, and smiled happily. Thunderlane nodded to her, and rose up. He then offered his hoof to Rarity, and helped her up. They slowly walked to the dance floor, where were three more couples dancing to the rhythm of the music.

Thunderlane and Rarity stood face to face on the floor, looking into each other's eyes.
Rarity smiled at Thunderlane, who nervously lifted his front hoof to her shoulder, while Rarity did the same to him.
It took a moment for them to get in same rhythm, but soon they were dancing in rhythm with the calm music the band was playing.
Rarity looked into Thunderlane's eyes, which looked back at hers. They danced like that for a moment, before Rarity started to feel that familiar tug in her chest again. She looked at Thunderlane, and blushed, earning a nervous smile from the stallion she was smiling with.

"Control yourself Rarity," she thought, while staring int o those golden eyes. She then sighed, and laid her head to rest on surprised stallions shoulder. Thunderlane blushed hard, and felt Rarity's breath against his shoulder. Her smooth mane brushed against his chin and cheeks, and he could smell the perfume from her mane.
After a while, Thunderlane decided to go with it. He lowered his head to rest gently on Rarity's, who sighed happily when he did so.

They both tightened their hold around each other, and fell down deeper to the dance. There was only them two and the music. No band, no other couples dancing around them, no 'Blue Note', no nothing. Just them.
They danced around the floor slowly, holding each other tightly. Nothing else mattered, not even the tiredness in their legs could make them stop dancing together to the gentle music.

Luckily the band and other couples seemed to have good time too, so the band decided to continue nonstop for couple of songs longer. Rarity and Thunderlane danced trough two more songs, until the band stopped and started to back their things.

The pair held each other for a moment after the band had stopped playing, before Rarity finally lifted her head from Thunderlane's shoulder. She was smiling happily, and so was Thunderlane. They stared at each other, and held their hooves on each others shoulders.

"That was amazing," Rarity said with shivering voice.
Thunderlane smiled to her warmly, and answered: "Yeah."

* * *

The town was quiet and dark when Rarity and Thunderlane left 'The Blue Note'. They hadn't had an idea how fast the time had flew while they had been in there.
After their dance they had started to talk about everything they came up with. Rarity's dresses, Thunderlane's work as a Wonderbolt, the weather, past, present, the future..
And without them even noticing, the clock was already two in the morning. They had decided that it would be good time for them to leave. They both had siblings to take care of.

"Anyway.. I just stood there and she was like.." Rarity explained to Thunderlane, who didn't really listen. He liked to watch Rarity while she told what had happened to her couple of days earlier. She blinked cutely as she spoke, and her clan curled mane wiggled when she opened her mouth.
Thunderlane smiled while savoring on all these little details about her. He moved his gaze down towards her body. Her coat was smooth and it almost glowed in the moonlight. Her legs moved in so elegant way that it was hard to understand, and her tail swayed from side to side as she moved.
Thunderlane's eyes went back to her face, and met with a amused stare from two azure colored eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Rarity asked, sounding amused. Thunderlane tried to say something, but stumbled over his words for a second, before managing to say: "It's.. you're pretty."

"'Pretty?' Really Thunderlane?" He thought right after he had said that, and frowned to himself. Rarity instead just giggled and said: "Well you're not too bad looking yourself."

Thunderlane blushed, and stepped closer to Rarity, who allowed it. They were now walking closely together, with their legs brushing together as they moved. This made both of them to quickly glance at each other, and Thunderlane saw a smile on Rarity's lips.
He smiled back at her, and Rarity then turned her head forward. Thunderlane too looked forward, and realized that they were at the Carousel Boutique. He hand't even realized how fast they had been walking.

"I had really good time today, tahnk you for taking me to the Blue Note," Rarity said happily to Thunderlane, who answered: "No problem, thanks for the dance."
Rarity giggled and placed her hoof on Thunderlane's chest and said sultry: "Thank you for the dance."
They both snickered and stared into each other's eyes.

Then they simultaneously leaned forward, and wrapped hooves around each other's necks. They hugged for a minute, and when they broke it Rarity gave a small peck onto Thunderlane's cheek, making him wince and flush scarlet red. He opened and closed his mouth and had a surprised expression on his face.
Rarity just giggled with a hoof covering her mouth, and then she said: "Good night Thunderlane,"

"Goodnight Rarity," he said, and looked at the mare right into the eyes. Then before Rarity turned around, he asked: "Will we see again?"
Rarity looked at him sweetly, and placed a hoof on his chin. She then said with a warm tone: "You can come visit me anytime you want dear."

That made Thunderlane beam, and he quickly leaned forward, planting a small kiss on Rarity's cheek.
Now it was her time to go red around the cheeks. Rarity lifted her hoof to the place he had kissed her. She looked at the sheepishly smiling stallion in front of him, but couldn't say anything.

"Goodnight," Thunderlane said quietly, and spread his wings. With a one hard flap of wings he was on the sky, soaring towards his home.
Rarity still held her hoof at the place where the kiss had landed, and started to feel the tugging in her chest again. That made her snap out of her trance, and Rarity turned around. She walked to the door and opened it.

Behind the door she met happily grinning Sweetie Belle, who said: "He forgot the tie around his neck."
Rarity just smiled at her coyly, and said: "I know,"

Author's Note:

First a bit longer chapter of this story. Hope you liked it.

Comments

[super_sonic_rainboom5]

Their such an adorable couple!

[Yoshifan30]

Awww this was a pretty cute chapter so it was one of those unexpected dates but both of them we're glad that they wanted to do this so Thunder Lane took her to the a place where they can drink and even dance which that's pretty cool and she even embedded about she never properly thanked him for saving her from that episode Wonderbolts Academy they even dance together which it was very cute then after later that night Thunder Lane took Rarity home and before he leaves they both kiss each other on the cheek again it's very cute