With My Wonderbolt

by ScatMan2001

Chapter 6: Lunch Date

Working so far today has been a little difficult. Instead of sleeping last night, you spent much of it staring up at the ceiling and thinking.

Thinking was half of what kept you awake for most of the night, but the other half was excitement. You must confess, you haven’t felt this excited in…

Potentially ever.

At least not since you were accepted into the Royal Guard. They don’t just take anypony. It’s a long, difficult process just to become apart of this brotherhood, and you busted your butt just to get a job here.

It’s especially difficult for an Earth pony, such as yourself. The only ways for an Earth pony to get into the guard is to be quicker than a pegasus and more clever than a unicorn.

You somehow managed that.

Thus, getting accepted into this prestigious brotherhood was the most exciting part of your life. It was a huge deal. It’s the greatest accomplishment of your life so far, and you think it always will be.

But that great event might have been eclipsed by something as simple as a kiss.

When you think that, though, you feel like a complete idiot. How could a kiss be more exciting than achieving your life goal? How could a kiss weigh heavier on your mind than your actual job?

It doesn’t even make any sense when you think about it. You sound like a schoolgirl. It’s making you sick.

No matter how hard you try, though. You just can’t get Soarin off your mind.

A flying takeout menu smacks you in the side of the head, having been thrown by none other than the leader of this country.

“Are you even listening?” Princess Celestia asks, still throwing around takeout menus, littering her own Throne Room.

“No, Your Majesty,” you respond, standing at attention. How many takeout menus does she have? How many of those places still exist? “Apologies, Your Majesty.”

“Looks like there’s a lot on your mind,” she casually observes. “Nothing that a good lunch won’t take care of… Ooh! Here’s the menu for Tonino’s. It closed down decades ago. What do you want to get today? I don’t even care. I’ll split something with you.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I was going to go out for my lunch break today. If you will allow it.”

Princess Celestia throws her entire collection of menus across the room, startling you. “Of course I will!” she beams. “I don’t think you’ve ever made that request before.”

“I have not, Your Majesty. Today will be the first time in my career I eat lunch outside the castle.”

“Ooooh?” she teases. “Must be a special day for you then. What’s the occasion? Do you have a date?” She pouts. “Am I no longer good enough for you?”

You chuckle nervously. “I actually do have a date.”

“Get out!” she gasps, punching your shoulder playfully. She did not intend to hit you hard, but it still hurt. She’s a very big pony.

Ow. That seriously hurt though.

“I’m so happy for you!” she gushes, happy to hear something is happening with your life. She’s like your mom sometimes.

You nod, blushing and rubbing your shoulder. You’ve never been one who enjoys attention, so Princess Celestia talking over you for a few seconds here makes you a bit uncomfortable.

But because she’s the Princess, she can do whatever she wants and you allow it. You have to allow it, really.

“So who’s the lucky mare?” she asks.

You freeze, simply not knowing what to say. Should you correct her? Or should you lie? You’ve never been a good liar.

Is it illegal to lie to the Princess? You should really know the answer to that.

Being gay isn’t especially common in Equestria, but it can be a little taboo. In some areas of Equestria, nopony cares. In others, ponies have a big problem with that sort of thing. Some feel more strongly about it than others.

For the most part, it isn’t a big issue.

As far as you know, the Princess doesn’t care. You don’t see how she could. If she was against homosexuality, there’d be laws against it, like there are in other crappier parts of the world.

You really need to think fast. Lying wouldn’t be the greatest idea. Besides, you’ve never been a good-

“Or stallion?”

You look right up at the Princess who has completely surprised you with that accusation. You try not to look scared, but she just looks back down at you with a gentle smile.

“Is it a stallion?”

With just a little hesitation, you nod. How could you ever think lying would be a good idea? Always tell the truth. Your memory isn’t good enough for you to be a liar.

Her facial expression changes as her ears perk up and her mouth forms an “o.”

“Is it really a stallion?” she asks.

You nod again.

“Oh! Wow. I was just joking, but if you’re dating a stallion then good for you! I didn’t think you were gay.”

You don’t even know what to say right now. This whole situation is much too embarrassing for you to even string a few words together. You’re afraid that if you talk, your voice will crack.

“You’re not dating another guard, are you?” she asks, sounding serious.

“N-No, Your Majesty,” you say, your voice cracking. Just as expected. “Of course not.” Relationships between guards is strictly forbidden. You know the rules.

“Then great!” she yells, perking up, looking giddy. How exciting!”

This whole conversation is quickly getting out of hand. You don’t even remember how this whole talk of your personal life even got started. Princess Celestia usually isn’t so nosey, except when it comes to you.

But she can be like your mom in several ways. One of them being her interest in your private life. And she seems so happy that you’re dating somepony.

You can’t stop the conversation now! That’d be rude. Look how happy she is!

“So,” Princess Celestia continues, “who is this lucky stallion of yours? Anypony I know?”

You nod, your face on fire, feeling very embarrassed for talking about your relationship. You’ve never been in one before, so talking about one is very unfamiliar territory.

But this may be something you just have to get used to.

“He is,” you respond, turning your gaze to the ground, even though you try to stand straight.

“Oh, you know I hate guessing games… Hmm… Give me a hint!”

“He’s a pegasus.”

“A pegasus… I know it’s not one of the guards. And I know this pony?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“How well?”

“Pretty well. I’ve seen you speak to him before.”

“We both know this pony…” she ponders, taking this guessing game way more seriously than you anticipated. Not that you wanted to turn this into a guessing game. You could just tell her who it is, but you play along. “Is it Hansel? I know he’s gay.”

“I don’t know who that is,” you reply honestly.

“Ugh! One more hint. Just one.”

“He flies a lot. He does it for a living.”

“Flies for a living, you say… Hmm… Hermes?” she asks hopefully.

“The mail pony?”

The Princess nods.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Eh. I didn’t think he was gay anyway. I give up! Just tell me!”

“Soarin.”

“Soarin?” she asks, as though she doesn’t know who that is. “Hmm… I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but the only Soarin I know is the Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“... What do you mean, ‘yes’?”

“Yes, that is who I am having my date with today.”

“...Wait…”

You don’t say anything. Instead, you just stand in nervous anticipation of what she’s going to say.

Until this exact point in time, you have not considered the fact that Soarin is technically military. Is your relationship not allowed if you’re both in the military? Or does that just apply to the Guard?

Uh oh. You don’t know.

The Princess slowly continues. “You don’t mean… that Soarin?”

You blush, feeling more scared than nervous, and nod. Nevertheless, despite your shaking legs, you manage to hold yourself upright and face the Princess. You can see the gears turning in her head as she’s thinking… whatever it is she’s thinking.

Working with the Princess is scarier than most ponies probably think.

The Princess’ horn glows purple, and at that same moment an aura of purple surrounds you. You feel yourself being gripped roughly by the Princess’ magic before she lifts you off the ground and brings you closer to her, so you are both face to face.

Being eye to eye with the Princess of the Sun is nothing less than horrifying. She has an intense, determined look in her eyes that could make anypony scared.

She begins in a very low voice. “Are you joking right now? Or are you serious? Because I need to know if you’re serious.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty! I’m telling the truth! I’m sorry. I’ll break up with him right now if-”

“No! No, no, no, that’s not what I meant,” she exclaims, putting you back down right in front of her. She moves her face right in front of yours and whispers. “Sorry. Just got carried away. But understand, this is very, very important.”

You swallow hard. The Princess really intimidates you, especially now when she’s yelling at you and you’re not sure why. “H-How so, Your Majesty?”

“I want you to name, right now, the first professional athlete to announce he or she was gay in Equestrian history.”

“... Ahem… I don’t think I can, Your Majesty.”

“Exactly! There hasn’t been one! Not one to publicly announce it anyway. So, I’m going to ask you one final time, who are you currently dating?”

“I don’t know if I’d call it ‘dating,’ yet, but I’m going out with Soarin. C-Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

Princess Celestia collapses back into her throne and takes a deep breath.

She continues. “I have seen just about everything in my life now.”

The Princess quickly sits up straight and takes a more regal looking position on her throne, composing herself.

“Anyway,” she says quickly, “you have a date. I can’t get in the way of that right now. So off with you!”

You clear your throat again, trying to keep from shaking in front of the Princess. “You seemed very excited just now, Your Majesty. Is there something I should know?”

“Not right now. Wait, how long have you been dating?”

“Just two days.”

“Then not right now. I’ll talk about it later. You sure you don’t want to split a pizza or something with me?”

“I would be honored to, Your Majesty, but I have a prior commitment. If you wish, I could have Soarin and I eat lunch here-”

She laughs. “I was just kidding. Don’t mind me. You go off and have a great time. But not too great. You have a job.”

“I wouldn’t dream of taking longer than my permitted half hour, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” she smiles. “But you owe me. You’re the only excuse I have to give to Luna when she asks why I order takeout everyday.”

“I will make it up to you, Your Majesty.”

“Off with you now!” she commands, shooing you away.

==========

Before leaving the castle, you decide to give Octavia a call. You suppose you could thank her for calming you down last night, as the entire night seemed to go well. Well enough for a second date, anyway.

Just talking to her yesterday calmed you down, and afterwards the date went very well, so you’ll call her if only for luck.

Oh, and you can check on your sister too.

You trot down to the “basement,” as you call it, where all the telephones are. It’s supposed to be an extension of the barracks, but it’s the castle’s basement.

You pick up the phone and give Vinyl’s apartment a call, hoping they pick up soon, as you can’t be late today.

Naturally, that does not happen, as it goes straight to voicemail.

“What’s up?” Vinyl asks. “This is the residence of the one and only DJ-PON3 and her awesome marefriend, Octavia. If you need us, leave a message or whatever and we’ll get back to ya.”

Then the machine beeps.

“Vinyl, Octavia,” you say, knowing very well that they are both home. “Good to see you still haven’t changed your answering machine. If either of you are there, please pick up the phone. Preferably Octavia.”

“What uuup?” Vinyl yells through the phone. “Get a phone yet?”

“No, Vinyl, I haven’t. How’s work going?”

“Dude, this is the best job ever. Every night ponies go crazy. They love me! And this club I’m at is really starting to get big, thanks to yours truly. Stallions buy me drinks, I drink, we party, we dance, it’s the best! I wish I’d’ve started this sooner!”

“Glad you’re having fun. Is Octavia there?”

“Why do you always call me when you want to talk to her? You are aware she’s taken, right? And a lesbian?”

“I’m well aware, Vinyl, I don’t want to date your girlfriend. Is she there?”

“How come you never want to talk to me?” she whines. Vinyl adores attention, and there is nothing she likes more than getting attention from those who typically pay her no mind. And that category includes you and Octavia. Your theory on why Vinyl started dating Octavia when they were in high school is because Octavia was the only pony who ignored her, and that drove Vinyl out of her mind.

“I’ll talk to you later, I just want to have a word with Octavia.”

“You said the same thing yesterday! That’s not fair.”

“Is Octavia there, Vinyl?”

“Talk to me! Say whatever you’d say to her to me.”

“I’ll call you tonight, how about that?”

“I work tonight.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow then! Honest. I only have a few minutes here, Vinyl, I just need a word.”

“Are you sure Tavi didn’t break the law?”

“Not entirely, but if she is, I don’t care right now.”

“Are you two trying to overthrow Celestia?” she whispers, in case anypony is listening to your conversation. “I can help.”

“No! Vinyl, I love you, but I need to talk to Octavia for like 20 seconds.”

“Why?”

“I’m not gonna tell you. If you’re supposed to know, then you’d know.”

“But I need to know! Something’s up, and I can smell it. I’m onto you.”

You then hear the phone fumbling around, as though Vinyl dropped it. And the hear some more fumbling.

“Hello?” you ask, looking around the room to make sure you’re the only one in it. It’d be bad if somepony overheard this conversation.

“Hello, Lieutenant,” Octavia says through the phone.

“Octavia! Good, I was trying to get you on the line. Where’d Vinyl go?”

“She’s indisposed at the moment. How was last night? I’d love to hear about it.”

“Actually, I can’t talk too much about it because we have our second date right now.”

“Oh my! So I am to assume it went well then? You shouldn’t be talking to me right now if you’re on a date!”

“I haven’t met up with him yet, but I will in a few minutes. Last night was just great, really. It was great. I just wanted to call you and thank you for calming me down yesterday. I’m still holding onto that advice you gave me, I think it was really good.”

“That’s very sweet of you, I’m glad to hear I could help. If I can ask for a few details, what’d you two do last night?”

“We just walked around and talked. Oh! We even kissed.”

She gasps. “That’s just adorable! I’m so happy for you. But don’t just talk to me, get out there and enjoy yourself! You’re still working, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m on lunch break. How are your music buddies doing?”

“Awful,” she sighs. “But hey, what else is new? It’ll pass, I think. Nothing to worry about.”

“If you say so.”

“Everything’s much better now. Vinyl is really enjoying her work, even if I don’t like it. But that’s a conversation for another time. We should get dinner sometime this week! Our treat.”

“That sounds great, actually.”

“You can even bring your coltfriend.”

You blush. “I wouldn’t say he’s my coltfriend. But maybe we’re getting there. We’ll see how today goes. We only just started dating.”

“Some ponies move faster than others. Like you kissing on the first date,” she laughs.

“That’s the truth.”

“I’ve held you up long enough. Go out and have fun! Call us later. If you don’t I think Vinyl’s going to have a fit.”

“I will, Octavia. Thank you. Bye.”

You hang up, feeling good to be able to talk to somepony about Soarin, even if she doesn’t know who you’re dating yet. It’s probably best not to tell many specifics yet.

Not wanting to be late, you remove and store your armor before making your way out of the castle.

==========

You’re already nervous about this second date of yours. You think you like Soarin quite a bit, as last night was a lot of fun, so continuing to make a good impression is your highest priority.

Hopefully, Soarin enjoyed last night as much as you did. There’s no reason to assume otherwise. After all, he did ask you out again.

But that doesn’t keep you from feeling nervous. Again.

You’re not one to jump to conclusions too early, but you think Soarin likes you. He did ask you out. He kissed you. He asked you out again.

He probably isn’t as nervous as you are, and that thought makes you more nervous. You can’t imagine professional athletes really ever getting nervous, especially not around normal ponies like yourself.

How many dates has Soarin been on? Would that be an appropriate question to ask?

He’s probably been on a ton. At least a hundred or so by now. He must have been.

Honestly! Who in Equestria would say “no” if Soarin asked them out? Not you, apparently. And you can’t think of anypony who would.

You probably look like a dork in comparison with whoever else he’s gone out with. You’re too new to this whole thing to have any sort of confidence with it.

And that just adds to the nervousness.

You’re sure as long as you think about how great last night was, everything will be fine. Try to keep a positive mindset.

Looking through the giant front gates to the Castle, you see Soarin, the only blue pegasus in the area, waiting for you across the street, exactly where he picked you up last night. He looks like an excited puppy, in the way he keeps pacing around, looking around at everypony with that big smile he always seems to wear.

You’ve never seen an adult with so much energy before.

Soarin looks over and makes eye contact with you as he stops his pacing, ruffles his feathers, and smiles. You’re very glad he recognizes you so quickly.

It seems like a simple thing to be happy about, but for years ponies constantly tell you how all the guards look the same. At least you can stand out a bit to him.

But that grin soon leaves his face as Soarin lowers his head a bit and glances around.

Nopony is supposed to know he’s gay. Except you, of course. And the Princess now.

Oh crap. You definitely weren’t supposed to tell her about Soarin. Uh oh. You two have only gone out once and now the leader of the country knows about it.

Thankfully, Princess Celestia doesn’t seem to be much of a gossiper from what you’ve seen of her. She minds her own business most of the time. She might tell her sister in the half hour in which you will be away, but hopefully not anypony else.

Occasionally, on the slower days, Princess Celestia will read one of those mare’s magazines that typically focus on gossip. But she never partakes in the act, herself.

Not that you know of anyway. You haven’t been around the Princess of the Sun too much when she’s out and about in public.

Anyway, you trot up to Soarin, who remains standing, smiling at you with his ears folded back.

“Hey, Soarin,” you say, forcing yourself to be casual. Is saying ‘hey’ too casual for a second date? Should you say something else?

“Hey!” Soarin happily replies, saying your name, his ears perking back up. “Ready to get going?”

“Where are we going?”

“Oh! There’s this diner down the road I want you to see! I’ve been there a few times. They’ve got the best hay bacon sandwich you’ll ever have.”

“Sounds great!” Soarin gets very excited about food. “I’ll follow you.”

And with that, the journey begins to wherever Soarin is taking you. You haven’t been to many diners, so you can’t say you know what he’s talking about.

“How’s your day been going?” you ask before Soarin could.

“Eh, it’s been okay,” he says unenthusiastically, though his body language looks very excited. He’s sort of bouncing with every step he takes. At one moment he’s at your eye level, the next he’s back at his natural height. “We have these invitation-only tryouts where we invite some top flyers from around Equestria to train with us for a few weeks.”

“That sounds exciting.”

“It is for Spitfire. She likes training and teaching and yelling and stuff. She’s good at it. Does it all the time. It’s not really my thing.”

“When do these top flyers come to train with you guys?”

“Right now. Actually, they all arrived this morning.”

“They’re there now?” you ask.

“Yep!”

“Shouldn’t you be training them?”

“I was. But it’s so boring sitting up there all day. Spitfire doesn’t even let me help, she thinks I just get in the way all the time. She thinks I joke around too much with them. I think she’s too tough.”

“So you left her up there by herself?”

“Yep. Some of the other Wonderbolts are up there, but they probably aren’t doing anything either. It’s the time of the year when I can get away with goofing off.”

“Won’t she be mad?”

You doubt Spitfire really wants to train whoever it is they’re training anymore than Soarin does. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. But regardless, doing it by herself must be a pretty big task.

She’ll be mad at Soarin, you assume, but he doesn’t seem to care.

It’d be pretty funny to see them either of them training somepony. You imagine they disagree on a lot of things. Outside of work, they both seem pretty laid back. Especially Soarin. You would guess Soarin is relatively the same way during work, at least when it comes to training recruits.

However, during their regular season, when ponies actually pay good money to watch them fly around, you guarantee they take their jobs seriously. They wouldn’t be the best at what they do if they didn’t take it seriously when they had to. They’re famous for a reason.

Same goes for you. You can be laid back when you’re not working. Sometimes.

After going through military training it’s a little hard not to be serious all the time, even when not working. It’s a lifestyle. You do it solely because you want to, and if you want to do it, then you have to be serious about it.

Just now, as you look around on the street, you see all the other ponies walking around, doing whatever it is they’re doing.

And most of them are staring at Soarin.

And some of them are looking at you.

Everypony seems to be starstruck just seeing Soarin in public. It must be odd to see somepony one normally pays to fly just walk around the city. Most ponies probably don’t know Soarin has all four legs, seeing how often he flies.

Meanwhile, those that look at you have varying levels of interest. Some look at you like you’re his bodyguard. Some look at you like you’re lucky to just stand next to Soarin. Some look at you like you’re unworthy of doing so.

That’s what you think, anyway, whether that is what they’re thinking or not. Part of your job is reading facial and body expressions.

Many ponies stare at you all day long back where you work, or they used to, so you’re kind of used to it. But now that you aren’t working, you feel a little odd with all the attention.

Unlike Soarin, who is clearly enjoying himself with his big smile and wide eyes.

“How’s your day going?” Soarin asks.

“I’ll… tell you in a minute.”

Seeing that Soarin is leading you towards a diner, you take it that you have almost arrived. It’d be best to tell him that your relationship isn’t really a secret anymore. But it’d be best to do that in a more secluded area than the street. Hopefully the restaurant isn’t too crowded.

Walking through the door, you realize that saying this restaurant is ‘crowded’ would be an understatement. You wonder if you can even get a table in this place.

“Is there a table for two open?” Soarin asks the lady at the podium with that charming smile of his.

The hostess smiles really big before announcing, “We always have a table open for the Captain of the Wonderbolts!”

Many of the ponies eating in the general area turn and look at the podium where Soarin is standing. Some of them even start cheering and telling everypony else at their table that Soarin is here, as though they didn’t hear the announcement.

You don’t know how often Soarin goes through Canterlot. He said the other day that he only recently moved here. You suppose he hasn’t been around long enough for ponies to get used to seeing him around.

That, or everypony is just always excited to see the guy. You wonder how famous he is in Cloudsdale, considering that’s where most professional flyers live.

Eh. Regardless, everypony in the diner knows Soarin is here now.

As you follow the stewardess and Soarin in the walkway to your table, you take notice of all the ponies staring at Soarin, but still trying to be subtle about it. There’s no such thing as subtly staring at somepony.

When a star athlete trots through the door, it’s impossible for most ponies not to be in awe. The mares you see are looking at him with big eyes as they whisper to their friends.

And Soarin just loves it. Anypony with a single eye can see that.

He’s smiling and waving at ponies. Some athletes, you know, smile and wave out of courtesy to their fans. They do it because they essentially have to.

But not Soarin. Everything about Soarin’s body language is genuine. He could do this all day. He loves ponies.

Meanwhile you just sort of follow along, keeping your head down a bit. You can’t help it. You don’t like drawing unwanted attention.

After a long march, you are both seated at a booth.

“Your server will be right with you!” the stewardess says sweetly, looking right at Soarin.

“Thank you,” Soarin says excitedly. How he always seems to maintain this level of energy is incredible.

In your peripheral vision, you notice quite a number of ponies still looking over your way.

“Watcha getting?” Soarin asks, causing you to focus on what you actually came here for: a date.

“Oh, uh…” You open and begin perusing the menu. When was the last time you went to a diner? You’ve never been to this place. “Not sure yet. What about you?”

“Hay bacon sandwich with extra mayo,” he says, not missing a beat, but still looking at the menu. “It’s the best. I strongly recommend it.”

“Hmm,” you think, pondering the menus various options. It’s a diner, and all diners have the same things, but you still don’t know what to get. Grilled cheese? Maybe.

You don’t want to get something that may upset your stomach. It’s only halfway through the workday.

You can feel Soarin looking at you while you look at the menu. Your peripheral vision is 20/20, as your profession demands it to be, and he’s looking right at you.

All these ponies in this place are looking at him, and he’s looking at you. What’s funny is that you’d think, considering ponies stare at him all the time, he’d be relatively good at conspicuously checking out other ponies.

But the opposite is true. The top half of his head is above the menu he’s trying to use as a screen, and his eyes are completely focused on you.

If only to mess with him, you glance up, making eye contact for just a second before he glances down at the table, trying not to be caught.

“Getting anything else?” you ask, knowing Soarin likes his food.

“Pie! Definitely pie. Not sure what kind, though.”

“Is pie the best idea? Don’t you have to go back to work?”

“Sure! Pie is always a good idea. I’ll even bring a piece back for Spitfire! That might just make her day.”

“I’m sure it will.” It’s almost surprising how upbeat and positive Soarin seems to be in every situation. It’s only ‘almost’ surprising because you think you’re getting used to Soarin’s exuberant energy. It’s so cute.

“Afternoon, gents!” your waitress says as she stops by your booth. She introduces herself but you forget the name immediately.

It’s not that you meant to forget it, but who has the energy to remember every server’s name one comes across?

The waitress has a light blue coat, dark blue eyes, and a swirly blue and white mane and tail. She’s wearing a red apron with a little white hat.

“What can I get you?” she asks happily, looking at Soarin with a smile, ready to write down his order.

You can tell this mare is in love with Soarin. A lot of ponies are. They’ve probably never met, and if they have, Soarin probably doesn’t remember. He has to meet 100 new ponies a day. You still can’t believe he remembered you after you met.

But you are pretty awesome.

“I’ll get a root beer and a hay bacon sandwich with extra mayo,” your companion requests with his charming smile. You haven’t noticed how white his teeth are until now.

“Coming right up!” the waitress announces. Your turn to order.

“Can I get-”

You stop to look up from the menu.

And the waitress isn’t there anymore. She left. You can see her bouncing back to the kitchen.

You look over at Soarin, whose face is so red you’re wondering if it’s his real coat color.

“I’m really sorry,” he apologizes, saying your name. “That… That sorta happens sometimes…”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m sure I can get her back-”

“No, no, she’ll be back,” you say, never one to want to start a scene, even for something as simple as this.

There’s a pause in the conversation as neither of you know what to say.

Soarin clears his throat. “You said you wanted to tell me something?”

“Oh! Yep,” you say, shifting in your seat. “Okay. Okay. I may have told somepony we’re kinda seeing each other.”

Soarin cringes. “Really?”

You nod.

“Who?”

“P-Princess Celestia.”

“Princess Celestia?!” he exclaims before quickly trying to calm himself down. “Princess Celestia?”

You nod again. “I’m really sorry. I know what we talked about and I didn’t mean to tell her… I don’t know. It just sorta happened and once I started I couldn’t stop. I don’t know how to stop a conversation with the Princess. It’s intimidating. She was asking questions ‘cause I wasn’t eating lunch with her today and I just kept answering-”

“It’s okay! It’s okay,” he says, trying to calm you down. “Breathe.”

You take a deep breath.

“You’re not gonna lose your job, are you?”

You shake your head. “No, no. She wasn’t mad at all. She was really happy about it, honestly.”

“I bet! She’s probably happy to get away from you for a bit.”

“Pfft! As if!” you chuckle, happy to see Soarin isn’t mad at you for telling somepony. You were afraid he’d be pissed.

“E-Excuse me? Mr. Soarin?” you hear a small voice ask.

Before you can explain to Soarin why you’re the perfect companion for all situations, you both look over to the edge of the booth, where a small pegasus filly is standing, looking very nervous.

She’s holding a pen and a napkin.

Soarin turns his full body so that he is facing this filly.

“What can I do for ya, sweetheart?” he asks sweetly.

The little girl blushes and glances down at her hooves with her ears folded back. “Can, uhm, can I get your autograph?”

“Of course you can, hon!” Soarin exclaims, patting the booth next to where he’s sitting. “Hop on up here.”

Her eyes get really big and she smiles as she jumps up with Soarin on his side of the booth before dropping her pen and napkin on the table.

“Who should I make this out to, sweetie?” Soarin asks, picking up the pen.

“Uhm…” the filly blushes even harder. “My name is Winter Streak, but… but, uhm… my friends call me Lulu.”

“Those are both beautiful names!” Soarin says, making the filly giggle. “Can I call you ‘Lulu’?”

She nods rapidly, smiling, showing all her teeth. Soarin’s really making this filly’s day.

Soarin scribble on the napkin, writing whatever it is he usually writes. You’ve always been fascinated by how professional athletes can write their name the exact same way hundreds of times. You doubt you’ve ever written your name the same way twice in your entire life.

To be fair, it’s hard holding a pen in your mouth.

“Mr. Soarin?” the filly asks timidly.

“Yes, Ms. Lulu?” he asks in response, pausing for a second from writing on the napkin.

“Do you think, one day, I can be a Wonderbolt?”

“You know…” Soarin begins quietly, sliding her the napkin and pen. “I don’t say this to just anypony, but I think you could definitely be a Wonderbolt.”

In response, she simply smiles up at him.

“But if you really want to be a Wonderbolt, you need to practice everyday and, uh, always listen to your parents. Okay?”

“Thank you, Mr. Soarin!” she yells before darting off, disappearing into the crowd.

Soarin turns back into the booth and sheepishly looks over at you.

“Sorry,” he says. “That happens a lot too.”

He’s apologizing? For that?!

“What? Are you kidding?” you ask. “That was adorable! And you handled it perfectly. You don’t have to apologize for everything that happens, Soarin. It’s alright, I understand. You’re famous.”

“I know, it’s just… I didn’t think it would be bad. Which was dumb on my part.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, though. This is supposed to be about us. Not us and everypony else in the area. I didn’t ask you out so I wouldn’t pay attention to you.”

Just then, the waitress comes back with Soarin’s order and puts it down in front of him with a smile.

Then she looks over at you, shocked.

“Oh my goodness!” she says. “I didn’t even take your order! I’m so sorry!”

It’s fine. You’re not even upset. You place your order.

“I’ll get that out right away! I’m so sorry.” And she trots off again.

Soarin clears his throat again. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad, you haven’t done anything. I understand.”

In order to stop Soarin from apologizing to you again, you decide to change the subject. What should you talk about?

“How are your recruits doing?” you ask.

“They’re okay,” he shrugs. “But I wouldn’t really know. I haven’t been up in Cloudsdale in hours. How’s the Princess?”

“I think she’s good. She always seems happy. Like you. I don’t know how you guys do it.”

“We don’t have any reason not to be! We’ve got a lot of things going for us… Does anypony else know about the two of us?”

“I don’t think so. Unless Princess Celestia said anything. But I don’t think she has. Have you told anypony?”

“N-No,” he stutters.

Before you can press him on his answer (which sounded suspicious), a group of young mares walk by. They look like college kids, or are at least around that age.

“Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh - it’s him - it’s really him - ohmygosh - can I get your autograph?!”

Soarin smiles, loving the attention, but you can tell he’s sorry. Just in the way he’s smiling or shifting in his seat, you can almost feel him saying “I’m sorry.”

But seriously, it’s okay. You don’t care if ponies want to see him or want his autograph or whatever. He’s a professional athlete. Anypony would expect a celebrity to get attention, surely.

And so do you.

While Soarin is writing whatever it is he writes, a couple of the mares look at you funny. They look at you like they’re saying “who are you and what are you doing sitting with my future husband?”

You don’t care for that look. You don’t like it at all. You don’t know what their deal is. If these mares gave you that look at the castle they’d be told to leave.

Soarin gives the mares his autograph with a simple “There you go.”

Still starstruck, one of the unknown mares quickly leans in and hugs him. Soarin looks surprised, but he returns it anyway.

As they leave, you can hear them oogling at Soarin’s autograph and the fact that they were able to just see him somewhere.

“Don’t apologize,” you say, stopping Soarin at the beginning of another apology.

He laughs nervously. “They didn’t show up at the best time.”

“No,” you chuckle. “You can eat, you know. Your food is here, don’t wait for me.”

“No, no, that’s fine. I’m going to wait. In the meantime, actually, I should really wash my hooves. Be right back.”

Soarin excuses himself and walks off, presumably towards the bathroom.

In the meantime, you just decide to wait for your food. Which still isn’t here. You have a schedule to keep, so eating and leaving are priorities two and three.

The first being having a good date.

Has this been a good date so far? You think it has, but you haven’t had any dates to compare this too. Is Soarin having a good time?

Who can tell. You really hope he is.

You really hope he is.

If he isn’t, you won’t know how to turn it around.

The smell of Soarin’s sandwich is making you hungry.

A few ponies walk by your table, making eye contact with you the entire way.

Normally ponies look at you, stare at you even, but today it has just been getting on your nerves. You can usually ignore it, but not today. You can’t help but compare yourself to Soarin to some extent.

He’s the good looking, famous celebrity, and ponies look at him like that’s what he is. Ponies look at you like ‘who the hell is that’?

It’s just weird that you’re on a date with with this guy, but everypony looks at the both of you in completely different ways. These thoughts are really running through your head.

Soarin’s been gone for longer than you anticipated.

Come to think of it, you should really wash your hooves before eating too. Walking around with them all day can get them pretty dirty.

You get up and walk towards the bathroom, still noticing the stares of other ponies in your peripheral vision. It’s nothing new, but it’s grating on you.

When working, ponies get right in front of you and make funny faces or try doing something to make you laugh all the time. It never works, though.

That happens all the time when tours come through. No guard ever wants to patrol that area because of those exact reasons.

You go into the bathroom, noticing it’s small size. It only has one stall, which is open. One of the two sinks is running, but nopony is standing in front of it. You don’t see anypony.

You hear a pounding on the wall, as though somepony is hitting it with something.

Looking to your right, you see Soarin banging against the wall. With his head. Mumbling to himself.

What?

“Soarin?” you ask, getting his attention.

“H-Hey!” he says, saying your name, straightening up and turning towards you, thankfully no longer hitting his head against the wall.

“What are you doing?”

“I was just…” He glances over to the sink. “Washing my hooves?” He smiles sheepishly up at you.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

His ears flatten and he paws at the ground. “It’s just… I really like you, you know? I like spending time with you. And this is a date, right? And I want it to go well. But so far, we haven’t really talked… about anything.”

“We’re talking now,” you point out.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to talk to you in a public bathroom. And I didn’t take you out to lunch so I wouldn’t pay attention to you. What’d be the point of that? Seriously. I knew I shouldn’t have asked you out for lunch! Dinner is the best idea. Fewer ponies, less interference. We’ve both gotta get back to work soon, and we haven’t even said four sentences to each other. I mean, we’ve been here for-”

In what is undoubtedly the boldest move of your life, you force Soarin to stop rambling by leaning forward and kissing him. He immediately stops talking, and almost immediately starts kissing you back.

You can tell he’s confused. Even you’re confused. What came over you to make you do that? That’s not like you.

But you do like Soarin. You like him a lot. He’s been on your mind since the last time you saw him. More specifically, your kiss from last night has been on your mind, and all you’ve wanted to do since then was kiss him again.

You pull back to look him in the eyes, and he looks adorably confused.

“I am having a good time,” you say. “I understand that you’re a celebrity. Ponies are going to want to see you, or get your autograph, or be starstruck, or whatever. I understand. And it’s okay. The most important thing is that I can tell you’re trying, and I love that.”

Through the redness of Soarin’s face, you see him smiling embarrassedly. He’s just the cutest thing.

He slowly leans forward and kisses you, but just for a second, as though he’s making sure it’s okay.

You certainly think so.

“Maybe next time we should find a place a little more secluded,” you say.

Then you blush, hoping that comment doesn’t sound too forward or inappropriate. You’re trying not to make any implications this early in your relationship.

“I like that idea,” Soarin says, kissing you again.

At that same moment, the bathroom door opens, causing the door of you to leap away from each other.

The incoming stallion doesn’t even look your way as he trots into the stall.

Soarin chuckles nervously, moving up to stand next to you.

“Guess we should go eat?” he asks.

“Let’s.”

You wash your hooves and start to exit the bathroom, but Soarin stops you before you reach the door, putting a hoof on your chest.

“Do you want to get dinner tonight?” Soarin whispers, trying to be as secretive as possible. “Like, I know lunch hasn’t been anything great. But I want to take you to dinner! To make up-”

“Soarin,” you whisper back, stopping him mid sentence, making his ears fold back. “You don’t have to explain everything.”

You put your hoof on top of his that’s on your chest, and lean in for a brief kiss. After just a moment, Soarin pulls back to glance over at the stall. Seeing no immediate movement, he kisses you.

“I’d love to go to dinner with you,” you whisper, making him smile.

It’s a shame that even here you two have to whisper to each other. Keeping this relationship a secret is starting to get frustrating. But it’s necessary.

Soarin isn’t ready to come out to everyone, and you certainly aren’t either.

Dinner should be good. If tonight is half as good as last night, it’ll be great.

“We can eat now,” Soarin says, pulling away.

You wash your hooves and head back out.

Author's Note:

I tried to make this as good as I could while still getting it out relatively quickly.
Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Please let me know what you think.
ALSO
I think I'm going to start speeding the plot of this story along so I'm not writing this story forever and ever and you are all just waiting for romance to really happen.
It'll move faster, but I won't move it too fast

Comments

[InvictusNoctis]

THANK YOU FOR THIS UPDATE!!!!

[PrinceCelestia]

CUTE CUTE CUTE!!! I LOVE IT!!

[CGen]

This chapter was adorable.
I can't see any any mistakes with grammar or stuff like that, but I might just be distracted by the story.

[AeroPhoenix]

Like every chapter so far in this story, this one was just as awesome, cute, and adorable as the others, I can't wait to see more of your content

[crazysticks]

Yay! The return of my favorite fic! I am just loving this whole thing, seriously. It's so good! Eagerly awaiting the next part, but please take your time! Perfection takes time!

[TheTownCrier]

This was absolutely amazing.

[firestorm83]

Possibly my new favorite story on the site. Keep it up!

[Living Madness]

Damn must have missed this last chapter stupid phone! Really good so far, sort of reminds me of when me and my boyfriend started dating, well besides him or me being pony celebs and all that haha. Loving it so far think i like the nosey celestia the best of all. Keep up the good work.
Oh and hope your magic moment or how it's called (bugger forgot the name) gets updated sometime soon that cliffhangers been driving me crazy to this day.

[Alticron]

Nice chapter, but there's a few things you may want to edit.

“Then great!” she yells, perking up, looking giddy. How exciting!”

You're missing a quotation mark.

And the hear some more fumbling.

And that should be then.

[CrackedInkWell]

By the power invested in me, myself and I, (since this story hasn't been updated for exactly six months) I declare this story to be dead.

My it forever rest in peace.

[sesquipedalian]

Just wow... how do you write so many awesome fics? This one is just so cute

[Vehu]

it's dead?