I smiled as set my quill down. Five notes sat in front of me and all that was left now was to deliver them. Personally. Sure, it was a touch sappy and overly girly, but she was worth it. She made my life at least twenty percent cooler.
I love the way you laugh the first one read. I folded it up and took off with it, winging my way over Ponyville with an eye on the ground. I saw her as she stopped for a moment to sniff some flowers in the market.
As soon as she chose the flowers and started to walk away, I swooped down and deposited the note in the blossoms while she bid goodbye to the salespony. From a spot behind a bit of cloud I watched the surprise on her face as she saw the bit of paper.
My heart fluttered when she read it and blushed around her dazzling smile.
The next one was going to be a challenge. She was going in to have her mane done, so slipping a surprise note would take some careful planning.
You can’t believe how much your smile makes me happy
A small gust of wind, barely enough to ruffle a feather sent the note drifting in through the window of the salon, sliding right into her lap. I lingered long enough to hear her giggle over the sounds of hair dryers.
Save room for dinner, it’ll be ful-filling
The third one was snuck onto the tray under her hayburger by a colt two bits richer. Through the window, I saw her snort with mirth as she read it, shaking her head at the corny pun.
You are the brightest gem I’ve ever known read the note I stuck in her front door. She looked to the sky and spotted my cloud.
“Rainbow Dash,” she said softly. “I know it’s you leaving there. Is there a reason for all these little notes?”
I dropped down and smiled.
“C’mon, Twilight,” i drawled. “Do I need a reason to show the mare I love some affection?”
She tilted her head at me. “It’s a little unusual for you,” she noted, correctly I might add. “You’re usually more reserved about it.”
“Hey,” I protested. “Even a pony as awesome as I am can have her soft side. Besides, part of the fun is seeing your reactions.”
She giggled at that, and I leaned in to kiss her.
“Besides,” I whispered in her ear. “There’s a fifth note somewhere. If you find it before our dinner, you win.”
“I do hmm?” she purred. “What do I win?”
I pulled back into the air a little with a smirk.
“Well now,” I said before making my way skyward. “You’ll just have to find it to see.”
I had just enough time before the squadron meeting at headquarters to set up the final note.
I may like races not ending in ties, but this one, the prize was the same no matter which of us won.
I landed just outside her door a few hours later, fresh from a shower and even dressed up a touch in my dress uniform. I knocked on the door to the castle and was gobsmacked by the image that appeared when she opened it.
Her mane had been pulled up into intricate little curls and spirals, blending in perfectly with the shape of the pewter hair comb she had tucked alongside her left ear. Her wings were freshly preened and the dress she had on played up her natural coloration without makig either standout more than the other. Paired with her bearing, it was the single most amazing sight I had ever seen.
“Everything alright?” She asked shyly at my silence.
I shook my head slightly to get out of my daze. “You look amazing,” I said, feeling my smile of contentment form. “Are you ready for dinner?”
“Of course,” she said and we both took off, aiming for Cloudsdale where I had booked a booth near the back at one of the nicest places you could find this side of the Canterhorn.
We had been seated maybe two minutes before the Princess in front of me leaned in.
“Ok,” she said bluntly. “Where was the fifth note?”
I smiled smugly. “Ah,” I cooed. “Didn’t find it?”
She returned my grin with one of her own. “Dinners not here yet,” she answered. “Time limit hasn’t gone by yet, and you never said I couldn’t ask for the location.”
I blinked. She had me there, and I fidgeted in my seat.
“Well?” She asked quietly.
I lowered my head and caught the gaze of one of the waitstaff, nodding slightly. He returned the nod and ducked into the back.
“It was going to be so much more fun if you hadn’t thought of that, Twi,” I said as a small covered plate was brought out and set in front of her.
She lifted the lid and saw the items hidden underneath. One was the folded fifth note, along side a piece of her favorite dessert cake.
She gave me a knowing look as she lifted the note to read it.
“Twilight,” she read. “This has been the best year of my life. Getting into the Wonderbolts, meeting one of history’s greatest Pegasi, and getting to be with you. The two of us together just ‘rock’, and no ‘gem’ is as precious to me as you are. This may be the sappiest thing I’ve ever said, but we just have the ‘ring’ of truth about us.”
She gave me a slight groan. “Oh, the puns,” she whispered before she continued.
“Each of these notes found you at a place of importance, and if you can fit the clues together, well, you win.” She frowned and skimmed the note again.
“I blame Fluttershy for some of the writing,” I said, hooves tapping together.
“It’s fine, Dashie,” she said, leaning back and adopting the look she always got when thinking, brow slightly furrowed and tongue poking out.
“Flowers,” she breathed. “Food, Home, and pampering...and now puns with the theme of...”
Her face went slack in surprise. “Dash, is this?”
“In the middle of the cake, Twilight,” I said.
She took the fork and split the cake down the middle, revealing a small plastic ball inside of which was a ring sized to fit her horn, set with an amethyst stone shaped like a star.
She looked at it and then at me.
“Yeah,” I said. “You win.”
She snorted as she slid the ring on. “Only you would turn a proposal into a competition,” she said. “So what, I win you as a wife?”
“That,” I said as food was brought to the table. “But I’m going to let you and Rarity plan it.”
“And if I had lost?”
I smirked.
“Then I got to plan it,” I said as I took a bite of my salad. “With Fluttershy.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” she said with a smile. “Maybe we should have them work together?”
“As long as I don’t have to wear a dress,” I said firmly. “That’s fine by me”
Even I had limits.
