Could Be a...

Chapter 17 – A night to remember

The low chime of magic continues to bounce off the still fogged bathroom walls as the light purple mare just stares to herself in the mirror. Violet gives off a silent sigh as she sets the mane brush back down to the counter, it's been about thirty minutes since the young mare got out of her bath but she still has yet to leave the room.

This will be the first time the young mare has ever done anything even remotely considered a date, even if it's just a faked spur of the moment friendly gesture to pay off tutoring help. Violet blows the ragged mane that still lays in her eyes, in her almost six years of life not once has she ever truthfully cared about her mane but as she just looks to the tomboyish mare staring back to her in the mirror she can't help but feel that for some reason she needs to look actually like a mare tonight. Even if it is for the wrong stallion.

Violet squints her eyes as she again brings the brush up as she attempts to flip her mane to match a more formal look like her mother or Rarity. But as she tugs to her laid down mane she just gives up as she drops the brush back to the counter.

A thought rolls through her mind as she realizes something, hanging out with no ponies but stallions for most of her life and almost never caring when some mare talks about dressing up has finally come back to haunt her.

But the thought also brings up the fact that she doesn't even have a dress or something to wear. Violet holds the thought as she floats the bright red bow up and over to her tail as she adjust the bright pink amulet to set a little further down her neck.

The time of hiding in the bathroom seems to have come to an end as Violet's ear flicks to the sound of a hoof knocking outside.

Violet hesitates for a moment as she quickly steps out of the bathroom and towards the door, but as she comes back into the room the knock starts up and she now turns towards the late day dark orangy window.

For a moment she just blinks to the light orange pegasus with neatly combed down mane, but she shoots her head up as she slowly trots over to the window to open.

As it opens Sparky brings his voice up as he looks over the mare, "Did you do something with your mane?"

Violet rolls her eyes to the comment as she hooves out a question.

Sparky shrugs as he speaks up, "I just didn't know when you two would want to go-.."

His comment is cut off as Violet cocks her head with a silent HA as she hooves up a quick comment.

"Well...I thought I would ask you first." Sparky gives a little smile as he shrugs, "Asher is already down stairs, he said he had a table for whenever."

Violet nods as she sparks her horn up and starts to close the window, to the closing window Sparky brings his voice up, "Violet you're not mad I didn't kno-..."

The window cuts his voice off as Violet turns her trot back towards the door. Before she even gets to the door her horn sparks up to open it, just as it does the crystal mare that was just about to knock stumbles a little as she quickly slams her hoof back to the floor, "Whoa.."

Violet holds her hoof out to the mare as Starlight gives a little laugh, "Oh it's fine..." She tugs on the bright three shaded calm blue dress she has on as she continues to talk, "I think I over did it a little."

Violet runs her eyes over the light gray mare as she looks over the gold and bright cyan blue crystals that adorn her already sparkling mane that has been styled to lay on one side with a curl. Her tail matches her mane's curl as it pokes out from the well fitted dress the mare has on.

As Starlight recomposes herself she looks over the light purple mare in front of her, "Oh, you're not going to wear anything?"

The comment snaps Violet back to the real world as she sheepishly hooves out her reply.

"Nothing to wear?" Starlight blinks her eyes a little as she leans her head in a bit, "You know, I did bring a sun dress. It's nothing really special it's just tradition for a mare of the crystal kingdom to have something formal... Would you like to borrow it?"

Violet blinks to the offer as she shifts a little, but before she can speak up Starlight has already started to pull her out off the room, "Oh you really should... That way i'm not the only pony dressed up tonight."

The light purple mare slows her trot as she brings her hooves up, but Starlight quickly waves the comment off with a slight giggle, "Keep them waiting?" She wiggles her hoof as she continues, "I don't think it will matter, Asher seems to formal and Sparky... Well he would most likely check in rather than get mad, and besides I read your supposed to make the stallion wait a little on a um date."

Violet blinks to the mare's slightly embarrassed comment as she brings Violet to her room.

The restaurant is dimly lit for the most part with the smooth sound of a piano just lowly chiming to the room. Sparky and Asher both sit at a table a little ways from the entrance of the dining area, there really are not a lot of ponies in yet seeing as how it's still relatively early but Sparky still shifts his eyes every so often to the doorway just to make sure the two mare's their waiting on see them.

Just because it's been a few weeks doesn't mean that Sparky and Asher have spent much time together, in fact the two stallions have never really even held a conversation.

Sparky shifts his eyes over the light cream casually tuxedo dressed stallion has on as he speaks up, "So um... You're just doing this because Violet helped you with your classes huh?"

The casual comment brings Asher's head up from the menu as he looks over the light orange stallion in front him. He takes a deep breath as he brings his hooves up to the table to rest, "You know how every once in a while somepony will ask you to do something and you hesitate just because you get that butterfly feel'n in your stomach?"

Sparky blinks to the comment as he nods.

"...Well I like that feel'n." The stallion gives a slight laugh as he shrugs, "My ma always use to say, why live in the shadows when you can have all of Equestria." Asher nods to the comment as he continues, "I always kinda liked that quote... But yes, you could say I owe Violet something."

Sparky again nods to the comment as he slowly drifts his eyes to the door, as he does he's eyes lock to two nicely dressed mares.

But as they trot closer he shifts his eyes to the light purple mare dressed in a nicely fitting dark yellow and orange swirl patterned sun dress. However it's the mare's flipped up mane with bright crystal shards in it that really hold the stallion's eyes, Sparky continues to gawk at his friend as Starlight and Violet come to the table.

"I do hope we didn't keep you two waiting."

Starlight's comment brings a little laugh to Asher as he waves his hoof to the comment, "Oh no... We haven't been waiting at all." He holds his gaze to Violet as his horn sparks up to pull the chair next to him out, "Why, you look as stunning as a sunrise over a spring meadow." The comment brings Violet's head down as she tries to almost hide the smile the comment brought.

Sparky's mouth hangs a little to the comment but he snaps from his stare as he stands to pull the chair back for Starlight.

"Thank you Sparky."

As Starlight settles into her seat Sparky comes back to his seat.

Violet shifts her eyes to her friend as he settles back to his chair, their eyes lock for a moment as Sparky gives a little smile, "Um... N-nice mane Violet."

As Sparky's comment comes to an end the conversation to the table dies down as Starlight just shifts a little to Sparky and Violet's set gaze.

However in the silence Asher brings his voice up as he looks around the three ponies around him, "Well I hope you we're all not hoping to just sit around silently." His lighthearted comment doesn't change the fact that the three other ponies are still on their first dates, but it does slightly break the ice for everypony as they finally begin to relax.

The early night dinner date has rolled on pretty quickly for the four ponies as they continue to warm up to each other. The empty plates in front of them stand as a token to successfully making it through the night.

The happy and slightly joking tone of the night slowly starts to come down as it's leader starts to wiggle his hoof to the only pony who still hasn't completely joined in on the good time, "Hey...I have been wanting to ask this for a while now, hope you won't mind it."

Sparky shakes his head to the comment as he speaks up, "What?"

Asher leans in a little as he forces his eyes to the stallion, "Why did you never tell anypony when you had that King Sombra in ya head?"

Starlight and Violet both cock their heads to the comment as Sparky holds his mouth shut for the moment, "...S-scared I guess." A slight smirk comes up as Sparky rubs his hooves together under the table.

Asher nods to the comment as he leans back to his seat, "Hmm."

"Does anypony want dessert?" The group turns their heads to the waiter as he starts to clear away the plates with his glowing horn.

Starlight waves her hoof to the comment as she speaks up, "Oh no... I'm actually a little too tired and stuffed to eat anything else."

Asher gives a little laugh to the comment as he speaks up, "Nonsense, get what'cha want Starlight, I got this little shindig."

Starlight shakes her head to the comment as she gives a little smile, "No i'm fine."

Asher shrugs as he looks to the light purple mare beside him, Violet's once flipped mane has started to turn back to it's normal tomboyish lay but the stallion hasn't really paid any attention to it, "You want to try that sunday vanilla muffin thing?"

Violet's ear flicks to the word as she gives a casual shrug.

To the mare's slight nod the waiter nods as he speaks up, "Good choice." As the comment comes to an end he trots away.

Starlight gives a little smile to the tan stallion's earlier comment as she speaks up, "Are you really going to pay for everything tonight?"

Asher gives a little chuckle as he sparks his horn up to reveal the gold unicorn school's card, "Well Princess Luna did say these were for school things right?"

A faint laugh runs from Starlight as she turns to the light orange stallion next to her, "Sparky, would you care to walk with me for a little..." She gives a little smile as she shrugs, "It helps me think."

Sparky blinks to the comment as he watches Starlight standing from her chair, "Um...Sure." He turns back to Asher and Violet as he speaks up, "Bye Asher... Bye Violet.."

The light purple mare holds her eyes to the two ponies as they start to trot away from the table, but her attention is brought back to the stallion next to her as he speaks up, "Looks like it's just me and you, Violet."

End of chapter 17