Ready for Commitment

by StormLuna

The Big Date

It was after three and in her cottage, Fluttershy was dressed in her most elegant dress and waiting on Colgate. She still couldn't help but wonder why Colgate would insist on them going to the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in Canterlot. She began talking to herself about it and her animals began giving her a positive reaction, well most of them. Angel however, began squeaking in a not so pleasant tone causing Fluttershy to give him a scowl.

Two minutes before four, there was a knock on Fluttershy's door. She opened it and there stood Colgate. Fluttershy was shocked to see her in a dress the previous day but she was even more shocked to see her in something so elegant. She gave Colgate a huge smile and exclaimed, "Wow Colgate, you look spectacular!"

Colgate returned the smile, "You look beautiful Fluttershy, truly beautiful!"

Fluttershy grabbed her by the hand and asked, "Shall we?"

Before Colgate could respond Angel jumped in front of her and began squeaking in disapproval. Colgate had no idea as to what he was saying but Fluttershy did and was not exactly thrilled by what he was saying, "Angel Bunny, don't go saying that to my marefriend!"

Colgate figured that Angel was saying very unpleasant to her and gave him a brief scowl, which did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy. She said, "Colgate, you just have to understand that he is protective of me, no need to scowl at him."

Colgate knew she had done something that she likely shouldn't have. She apologized, "I'm sorry Fluttershy, it just hit me wrong."

Fluttershy again grabbed Colgate by the hand, closed her door and again asked, "Shall we?"

Colgate nodded and the two headed towards the train station. Like it was when Colgate was first seen in a dress, many ponies began to stare. This was something that neither one of the two were fond of. Colgate felt like yelling at them to stop staring but worried that yelling at everypony would cause Fluttershy to look at her in a negative light so the best she could do was ignore all the stares.

After buying their tickets and boarding the train, both would not be any less uncomfortable as their was a fair number of passengers going to Canterlot that day. Many of the passengers were talking wondering why the two were dressed the way they were. Finally one mare came up to them and asked, "If you don't mind, may I ask why you two are dressed so elegantly?"

A passenger that was sitting across from them added, "The way you're dressed, I'd think you were going to Bon Apetit."

Colgate wanted to silence the two, "I'm taking my marefriend there tonight. I would appreciate it if you and everypony else would stop talking about us."

The pony that approached them sighed, "Very well."

For the rest of the train ride, things were much more comfortable for the two. When they arrived in Canterlot, it was a bit later than Colgate had hoped and knew that if they did not hurry up and get to the restaurant, that the supper rush would hit and they may not even be able to get a table. Colgate grabbed Fluttershy by the hand and asked, "Shall we?"

Fluttershy nodded and the two headed towards Bon Apetit. When they arrived, there was a line but not a long one. Colgate saw this and was relieved until they got up to the front. At the counter was a clerk that looked rather high class. Colgate said, "We need a table for two."

The pony asked, "Your name?"

Colgate was curious as to why she would need to give her name but did so. After going through some papers he said, "I'm sorry madam, but I can't seem to find any records of your reservations."

Colgate asked, "Reservations?"

The pony replied, "Yes, reservations." He saw a scowl beginning to form on Colgate's face and continued, "I'm sorry madam but you have to have reservations to get a table here." His voice became a bit snide as he continued, "This isn't like an ordinary restaurant where you can just waltz on in and get a table, this place is for sophisticated ponies, not common ponies simply pretending to be sophisticated!"

Colgate flared her horn up in anger, grabbed the pony in her aura and snapped, "Common ponies? Why I ought to...."

Fluttershy grabbed her and said, "Colgate, it's ok. There are plenty of other places to eat here."

Colgate powered down her horn and replied, "I know." She then turned back towards the pony and continued, "How about you pick a place since these snobs don't want our business."

Fluttershy nodded, grabbed her by the hand and began to lead them in a direction of a place that she believed that Colgate would like. Given that Colgate would be paying, she decided that they would go to a place where she could get a substantial meal. When Colgate saw that they were headed to the Canterlot Cafe, she was thrilled that unlike many other places in Canterlot, she could get a substantial meal there.

When they arrived, they were greeted by a much friendlier pony than had greeted them at the last restaurant. The pony gave them a smile and asked, "Table for two?"

Colgate asked, "If it isn't too much trouble, do you think we could have a booth?"

Again the pony smiled, "Certainly! Follow me."

The pony grabbed two menus and led them inside. Once they got into the seating area, they both couldn't help but feel horribly overdressed. They would be surprised though when they were led to a booth in a more private area. When they got seated the pony continued, "I figured that with the way you are dressed, something special must be going on and you may want some privacy."

Colgate smiled, "Thanks, that is much appreciated."

The pony said, "Your waiter will be with you shortly to get your drink order."

Once they got sat down, Colgate's anxiety was already noticeable and Fluttershy wanted to know why, "Colgate, why are you so nervous?"

Colgate protested, "I am not nervous, I just have things on my mind."

Fluttershy asked, "What kinds of......"

Before she could finish her question, the waiter showed up to take their drink orders. Neither of the two had looked through the menu so they took a quick look before giving their orders. Colgate ordered, "I would like a large glass of ci.....you know what, just make that a pitcher of cider. That way we can both have plenty."

Fluttershy cleared her throat, "Ahem, I may want something else." She began to look through the beverages and saw something she had never heard of, "Excuse me, but what is this wine stuff? I've never heard of it before."

The waiter couldn't help but be amused but did his best to not let it be shown. "Wine is a lighter alcoholic beverage. We have cherry, lemon, raspberry, lime and grape if you're interested."

Fluttershy had only heard a bit about alcoholic beverages before but figured that this could very well be a once in a lifetime opportunity given nowhere in Ponyville served it. She replied, "I think I will go with the raspberry wine then, a large glass."

The waiter nodded and said, "I will be back with your drinks and to take your order shortly."

Colgate gave her marefriend a curious look and asked, "Why in Equestria would you order an alcoholic beverage? You just don't remind me of the type to drink things like that."

Fluttershy was curious as to why Colgate would ask such a question, "Why do you ask?" She then began to become a bit paranoid, "What, do you not think I should drink it? Are you trying to control what I drink."

Colgate was shocked that she would even ask such a thing. She gasped, "No, of course not! I'd never try to control you in any way!"

Fluttershy was about to reply when the waiter showed up with their drinks. He then asked, "Have you made your decisions?"

Fluttershy replied, "Yes, I would like a daffodil and daisy sandwich along with a bowl of grapes."

Colgate had been looking over the menu and noticed that right underneath the hay chops, there was an option for pork chops. While she had never had the opportunity to eat meat before, she couldn't help but wonder what it would taste like. She ordered, "I would like two pork chops along with mashed potatoes and corn."

The waiter asked, "And how do you want those chops cooked?"

Along with wanting to taste meat for the first time, she also decided she didn't want it cooked dry, "I would like them medium rare."

"Very well madams" he said before taking their menus, "your orders should be ready in a half an hour or maybe less."

The two mares nodded and then since Colgate asked her about why she ordered wine, Fluttershy was going to find out why Colgate ordered meat, "Colgate, why did you order pork chops?"

Colgate replied, "I've never had meat before and I just wanted to try it, just like you're wanting to try wine."

Fluttershy gave her a glare, "Eating an animal just because you want to taste it?" She raised her voice and continued, "That's just mean!"

Colgate wanted to quickly change the topic, especially given they were in public. Luckily for her, she was able to do so and they began to talk more like they did during their normal dates in Ponyville. Before they knew it, their meals arrived and both dug in.

As Colgate tasted meat for the very first time, she developed a huge smile on her face. For her, it was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten and given how she doesn't close her mouth entirely when she eats, blood began to run down her face and this was quickly noticed by Fluttershy, "Colgate, could you please chew with your mouth closed all the way and could you PLEASE wipe that blood off your face? It just looks awful."

Colgate replied, "Very well." She saw Fluttershy beginning to drink her wine and asked, "So how is that wine of yours tasting?"

Fluttershy licked her lips and smiled, "It is so tasty! I could certainly drink more of this!" She then became a bit frustrated and continued, "I wish they sold this stuff in Ponyville!"

Colgate added, "And I wish these pork chops were available down there too."

After that, the two resumed their meal but then Colgate began to eat her meal much more slowly and this did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy. She asked, "Are you ok? All of a sudden you're not eating so quick."

While Colgate wanted to wait until later to pop the question, she realized that the time had come. She knew the time to truly cement her desire for commitment had come. She grabbed a box from her purse, got down on one knee, opened the box up, presented it to Fluttershy and asked, "Fluttershy, will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest mare in the world?"

Fluttershy's jaw dropped open when Colgate did this. Never before did she imagine that Colgate would want to commit, well that soon anyway. She was also shocked by the ring that was being presented to her. She took a close look at it and it was everything a mare could ever dream of. What she saw was a ring that proved that Colgate truly wanted commitment but there were some things that she had to discuss with Colgate before giving her her answer.

She pointed towards Colgate's chair and said, "Could you sit back down? I really have to discuss some things with you before I give you my answer."

Colgate sat down and Fluttershy decided to start voicing her concerns, "Colgate, it is obvious you love me and are willing to spend a lot of money on me but I just don't know if things between us would really work out, I have my concerns that we may not really be marriage material."

Colgate began to feel a sick feeling in her stomach as things may not go how she hoped. She asked, "Why not?"

Fluttershy began, "Well it wasn't until just this week that we started going out more than once a week and that was just because you didn't have any patients. I just feel like you might put work ahead of me."

Colgate tried to get a word in, "Well."

Fluttershy continued, "I know how you've been your whole life. I know you've always been a business first pony. I know you worked hard so you could have that big house, I know you worked hard so you could buy this ring but still, I just have a feeling that you'd put work ahead of me."

Colgate protested, "I would not, I love you and would always put you first."

Fluttershy continued, "And yesterday, it seems like you wanted us to do what you wanted when you said everything we did would be up to me. It just seemed like you'd pick going out and about over us just holding one another close." She raised her voice and continued, "I almost feel like you want your personal space too much to consider cuddling for hours on end!"

Colgate again protested, "I would want more than anything to cuddle with you!"

Fluttershy was on a roll and was in no mood to stop sharing her concerns, "And your temper. I know you have a volatile temper and how you reacted to that worker at Bon Apetit proves that. And also how you glared at Angel when he was squeaking at you in an unpleasant way." Colgate tried to get something in but Fluttershy continued, "And if you can't even handle him being upset, how do I know you may not go into a rage and maybe kill him" she then pointed at her plate and continued, "or given your sudden love for meat, kill any of my animals simply so you can eat them?"

Colgate protested, "I would never eat your animals!"

Fluttershy continued, "And I know how much you love that big house of yours. I know how much you love having so much space." Fluttershy then decided that she was going to ask Colgate a question that would either cause Fluttershy to say no or still consider saying yes. "Colgate, I want to know something. Do you really think you could handle living with me in my cottage? Do you think you could handle living in a place that likely has less space than your bedroom alone does?"

Colgate couldn't help but remember that Lyra had brought up the same thing. As Fluttershy was awaiting her answer, Colgate realized that living in such a small place would be impossible for her. Something did cross her mind though, something that would not require her to give up her space but still be with Fluttershy, "Something crossed my mind, you could always come live with my sister and I. That way we could be together, we'd all have plenty of space and I wouldn't be abandoning my sister."

This was not the answer the pegasus was hoping for, it was one that made her irate, "In other words, you would expect me to abandon my animals and move into town just so you'd still have a big house to live in." She then became more agitated, "And even if I did move in with you, I would not want your sister living with us. I would want it to just be us! I would not want her butting in on our business and I certainly wouldn't want her listening in on us while we were in the bedroom."

Fluttershy bringing up Lyra was something that Colgate was not thrilled with but knew of her sister's respect. "Fluttershy, Lyra would never listen in on us! She doesn't snoop around like that!"

Fluttershy did believe her about her sister's respectful nature but knew that things could happen, "Colgate, but what if she heard us! What if we got really loud?"

Colgate knew that Fluttershy was thinking about sexual activities, which was something that she hadn't even thought about. She also knew how important Fluttershy's animals were to her and began to think about ways that she could compromise on all of her concerns. She began to think about how Fluttershy could still have her animals, Lyra would continue to live with her and how she could still have plenty of space, not to mention the modern conveniences that Fluttershy did not have in her cottage.

It then hit her. She began, "Fluttershy, I know both of us have a lot of concerns about how things would be for us if we were to get married." She saw a look of slight disapproval on her face and continued, "Just hear me out, alright?"

Fluttershy nodded and Colgate continued, "You know that huge parcel of land out to the east of town, not too far away from your cottage. I was thinking that I could buy it for us."

Fluttershy asked, "Oh?"

Colgate continued, "Here is what I was thinking. I could buy it for us, build us a house similar to mine and since you aren't keen on Lyra living with us, I could have an adjacent, decent sized house built for her that would connect to ours so she could still join us for meals if she wanted and that way, we could still have our privacy."

Fluttershy replied, "Ok."

Colgate continued, "Given that it is outside the city limits, you could have your critters there." She paused before smiling, "And there is enough land out there that you could even have a huge space for all of them, maybe even an animal sanctuary if you wished."

As Fluttershy took everything Colgate took in, she could tell that Colgate was willing to compromise on some things, things that would allow both of them to have what they want. There were some things that she wanted to know though, "Colgate, all of this sounds wonderful but how would you afford all of this?"

Colgate replied, "Fluttershy, not only do I have plenty of money stashed away, I have plenty in savings accounts and my investments in the stock market have been doing very well. I have more than enough in the way of resources to afford the land and enough to have all the construction necessary done." She paused for a minute before continuing, "I have a connection in Baltimare that would aid us tremendously."

Fluttershy became curious, "Oh, and how would this connection help?"

Colgate replied, "Well he is my cousin, Crest. He owns a construction company there and I'm pretty sure he would give us a discount on everything."

Fluttershy gave her the first smile she had since before she had ordered wine to drink, "That sounds good but about this animal sanctuary. You would seriously use your money to build an animal sanctuary?"

Colgate replied, "Of course and I do want to let you know something. If we do get married, I'll make sure your name is on everything, I'll see to it that we BOTH own it equally."

Fluttershy gasped, "Really, we'll both own it equally?"

Colgate replied, "Yep. I was thinking that we could head to the realtor on Monday so that we can buy it. All I'll have to do is cash in some of my investments and we should be good to go."

What was starting to look like a night that may not go so well was suddenly looking very promising to Fluttershy. The fact that she would have them both own everything was proof to her that Colgate did truly love her. She gave her a smile and replied, "That sounds wonderful and now to answer your question, YES I'll marry you!"

Colgate then took the ring and placed it on Fluttershy's finger before the two embraced in a passionate kiss, right there in the restaurant. Other ponies in the restaurant, the ones that were near where they were sitting began to clap and cheer. The two had hoped that everything would be completely private but at that point, neither one was concerned about their discussion being heard. What mattered was that they were officially engaged.

When they broke the kiss Colgate exclaimed, "Oh I'm so happy! I love you so much Fluttershy, I love you more than anything!"

Fluttershy too exclaimed, "Oh Colgate, I love you too. You mean so much to me!"

The two again kissed before returning to their meals. Colgate's had gone cold by this point but that didn't matter to her. Her and Fluttershy had ironed things out and now were engaged. As they were eating, Fluttershy gave her a smile, "I can't wait to tell my friends! I know they'll be so happy and I'm certain that Rarity will make us the perfect gowns!"

Colgate added, "I know she will and I have a feeling Lyra will be very happy for me and I'm sure she'll absolutely love you as a sister-in-law."

The two smiled and then finished their meals. After finishing their meals and paying, they headed to the train station to head for home. After buying their tickets and boarding the train, they were pleasantly surprised to find that there was an empty car, one that they could have to themselves. Once they got seated, the two began to kiss passionately. Naturally the trip would be all too short for them as it seemed like they reached Ponyville in no time at all.

Once they disembarked, the two walked to Fluttershy's cottage arm in arm, hand in hand. Once they arrived, the two pulled one another close and Fluttershy said, "Colgate sweetie, I never once imagined this would happen! I never once imagined that we would be engaged!"

Colgate replied, "Well honey, you mean the world to me and I do love you more than anything."

Fluttershy squeezed her flank and suggested, "Shall we spend some more time together?" She began to eyeball her fiance's horn and continued, "I'd love it if you'd give me your horn!"

Colgate too squeezed her flank and said, "I'd love that Fluttershy! I'd love to give you my horn!"

Fluttershy grabbed her by the hand and led her in. When they got in, Angel greeted them and was very unhappy to see Colgate going in with her. He jumped up on Colgate's shoulder and began to squeak angrily. This did upset Colgate some but not enough for it to show. She asked, "Uh Fluttershy, what is he saying or is this something I'd rather not know?"

Fluttershy blushed a bit, "It is something you'd rather not know." She then picked Angel up and removed him from Colgate's shoulder. She sat him down and sternly said, "Angel bunny, you will not be sleeping in my room tonight! Colgate and I are spending the night together."

Angel again began to squeak angrily but the two mares rushed up to Fluttershy's room and closed the door before the rabbit could get in. The two heard him squeaking angrily but neither one let it bother them. The two pulled each other close and Fluttershy suggested, "Shall we? Shall we celebrate our first night of being engaged?"

Colgate agreed, "I'd love to Fluttershy, I'd love to!"

The two then began to undress and readied themselves for the night ahead. This was something that neither mare ever dreamed would happen back when Colgate took her out to dinner that first time. One thing both of them did know was that nothing but happiness awaited them, happiness that would be eternal.

I'm curious about something. How many of you want to see what happened on their engagement night? If it gets enough interest, I'll write a story about it. If not, the next story will simply be about the events that follow, things such as telling their friends and family, talking to the realtor and Colgate contacting her cousin about his company building the housing they will need.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why does this story have so many dislikes? I mean, it can't be that bad, right? ...Right?

[StormLuna]

10681297
They all come from when I only had the original ending. Most people probably didn't like the ending.