“Hello sweetie,” said a soft voice. I looked over at the bed and simply smiled at what I saw. Lying there on her side was Aloe giving me that bedroom look again,

“Hey Aloe,” I greeted, crossing over to the bed and lying down beside her,

“What are you doing here?” I asked. The pink mare crawled on top of me and looked down at me with her azure eyes and a cute smile,

“I just wanted see you, I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she replied, kissing my lips,

“I’ve been thinking about you as well,” I said, kissing her back. Aloe blushed at those words and leaned into me and sighed happily,

“Barnaby, I would like to spend this weekend with you. Just the two of us,”

“Sure, what would you like to do?” I asked. Aloe looked at me with a little glisten in her eyes,

“Princess Celestia has invited us to spend the weekend in Canterlot,” she replied. My eyes widened,

“Has she really? Gosh, that’s very kind of her,” I exclaimed. Aloe giggled at my reaction,

“I know. Our train is tomorrow morning and she’s booked us into the Canterlot Hotel and the Crystal Restaurant for a meal tomorrow night,”

“The Crystal Restaurant? Isn’t that a really posh place for the Canterlot Elite?” I asked. Aloe’s face fell at my question,

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just that I don’t have anything suitable to wear to place like that,” But Aloe only smiled and nuzzled my cheek lovingly,

“Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of that,” she said. The pink mare clambered down from the bed and beckoned me to follow her to the wardrobe. Wondering what she was getting at, I went over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Hanging from the rack in a plastic covering was a black tuxedo with a black bow tie, white buttoned up shirt and a red rose in the jacket. There was also pair of polished black lace up shoes,

“How did you get hold of this Aloe?” I asked, taking the suit from the wardrobe and laying it on the bed and looking back at the pink mare,

“It’s gift I had tailored for you at Miss. Rarity’s boutique,” she replied, “I told her about our invitation to Canterlot and that you needed something to wear. She still had your measurements from when she made you your clothes, so she made you that suit along with the shoes,” she added, “Do you like it?”

I walked over to her and hugged her,

“It’s amazing Aloe, thank you,” I smiled, kissing her cheek, “And thank Rarity for me please when you next see her at the spa,”

“You’re very welcome Barnaby,” Aloe replied, kissing me back,

“So, what will you be wearing?” I asked her,

“Wait and see,” Aloe whispered seductively. For the remainder of the evening, I packed up all the things I needed for our trip. Aloe was all packed and ready and she was spending the night at my house. After a meal of pasta salad, Aloe and I got ready for bed and were just cuddling each other underneath the covers,

“This weekend is going to be so romantic,” Aloe whispered,

“Yes it will. And it’s going to be even better because I’m spending it with you,” I replied softly, turning to look into her azure eyes. Aloe leaned in to kiss me and I returned it gracefully. We continued to smile and cuddle each other for a few more moments before I turned out the light and went off to sleep with Aloe snuggled up next me.

We had an early start the following morning. We were up at 7:00am because our train was at 9:00am. After a quick breakfast and wash and one last look around to make sure we had everything, I looked the front door and Aloe and I made our way to Ponyville train station. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare. I went and bought the tickets while Aloe stood with the luggage. What we had with us were just two suitcases compared to Rarity bringing a cartload of luggage every time she went to Canterlot. I mentioned this to Aloe after I came back with the tickets and we couldn’t stop laughing at the picture of Rarity trotting ahead with Spike stumbling behind her with all her luggage. After a three hour train ride, we were met at the station in Canterlot by Princess Celestia herself. She greeted us warmly and escorted us to the hotel with two royal guards taking our suitcases. When we got to the hotel, Celestia bidded us a pleasant weekend and headed back to the castle. Half an hour later, Aloe and I were in our room which was the fanciest room in the entire building,

Only a Canterlot Elite can afford to stay in room like this, I thought. There was a king size bed, a balcony overlooking the garden and a lake behind the hotel, a bathroom with a hot tub and a super deluxe shower,

“So, this is one of the many perks of being a Canterlot Elite,” I pointed out, while we were unpacking,

“One of them, yes,” Aloe giggled in reply. After we had unpacked, I glanced at my watch to see that we still had half of the day left before we were due at the restaurant for our meal later that evening,

“Shall we take a stroll through Canterlot and have a look at the sights?” I asked the rose coloured mare. Aloe agreed and we headed out. The sights of this highly royal town were very impressive I’ll admit, but the Canterlot ponies were a whole different matter. I’ve only been to Canterlot once and that was to meet Princess’s Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armour, the captain of the royal guard. I only set foot in the castle on that day, the rest of the city was still new to me and so were the residents.

As we wondered along the high street, I was attracting a lot of attention which I can completely understand. What was really irritating me though, was the ponies’ behaviour. The stallions I didn’t mind so much; they were giving me disapproving looks, but they shook their heads and went on their way. But the mares were the worst. They were standing in small groups and giving me cold hard glares and gossiping with one another. It was a little difficult to hear what they were saying, but I caught glimpses of things like,

“That creature shouldn’t be allowed to walk the streets of Canterlot,” or, “That monstrosity should be locked away in a prison,”

Aloe wasn’t fairing to well either. The mares were also aiming their horrible remarks at her as well. I wanted to do something about it, but we ignored the gossip and continued on. We went a bit further and a tall white stallion unicorn approached us. He had a blonde mane and tail and baby blue eyes and had mischievous smirk on his face. There was something I recognized about this guy, but I couldn’t figure it out what it was. I looked at Aloe and saw her scowl as the stallion came up to us,

“Why hello there,” he greeted in a stuck up sort of voice. He was looking directly at Aloe and didn’t seem to acknowledge my existence,

“Nice to see you Prince Blueblood,” Aloe replied, the scowl not leaving her muzzle,

Blueblood, I know that name, I suddenly remembered Rarity talking about Blueblood the last time I went to the spa with her and Fluttershy. Rarity had said that Blueblood was a snotty, stuck-up stallion and mentioned how he treated her during the Grand Galloping Gala which ended in disaster apparently. After what Rarity had said, I could see what she meant about this guy,

“Why don’t you leave this strange being and spend the rest of the weekend with me?” Blueblood was saying to Aloe,

“No thank you,” the pink mare declined, “I’m happy spending time with this lovely gentleman for the weekend,” she added,

“A gentleman? Him?” the stallion snorted, “This is the type of foul, ugly creature that should be placed behind bars. Or better still…” he added with a nasty smirk, “Executed,”

“What did you say?!” I asked in an angry whisper. I could a feel a storm flowing through me and it was getting stronger,

The best defence is a good offence,

“I said,” Blueblood repeated still wearing that horrible smirk of his, “You should be locked behind bars or…” That was how far he got before I threw a thunderstrike at him and went flying backwards, head over hoofs before landing in a heap on the floor. His body was twitching due to the electric shocks that I sent through him. I walked over and glared down at him fiercely,

“Was that meant to be a threat!? I hissed at him,

“Y-you’ll regret this you… you monster,” he managed to splutter,

“Yeah, well next time, think twice about judging someone before getting to know them!” I snapped, “Now take your snotty attitude and nasty comments and get lost!” I commanded. The stallion scrambled to his hooves and ran off down the street bawling like a foal,

What a coward, I thought with a grin. I turned to look at the small crowd of ponies I had attracted,

“The same goes for the rest of you!” I called out, pointing a menacing finger at them, “Get to know someone before you judge them!” The ponies must’ve got the point, because they all nodded nervously and went on their way. I turned to look at Aloe who was looking very surprised at what just took place. I approached her cautiously and asked her,

“Aloe, are you okay?”

“How did you do that?” she asked, looking up at me,

“I don’t know,” I replied slowly, “I just got really angry and felt this surge of power flowing through me and then suddenly I launched my melee attack at him. I thought I had to be wearing my Guardian Armour to do that, but I don’t as it turns out,” I looked carefully into her azure eyes,

“Aloe, are you sure you’re okay? You’re looking a little worried,” Aloe looked into my caring eyes and sighed,

“I’m just afraid that you might do the same thing to me if I got you annoyed,” she replied softly a tear running down her cheek,

I blinked my eyes in confusion,

“Aloe look at me,” I said, taking her muzzle in my hands, “I would never, ever hurt you. You’re my marefriend, I love you. From now and until the day we die, I will only and always love you. I’ll never hate you or hurt you. I’ve made a promise to love you, care for you, make you happy and never let your heart break. And I’m going to keep it,”

“Awww, Barnaby,” she cooed softly, “You’re such a sweetheart,” Aloe nuzzled my cheek and we smiled at one another. I stole a glance at my watch and noticed it was getting close to our meal out,

“We should probably head back to the hotel and start getting ready for this evening,”

Aloe agreed and we walked back the way we came. As we walked, I gave the ponies who witnessed the commotion between me and Blueblood a “Don’t mess with me or you’ll regret it” look. We got back to our hotel room with a couple of hours to spare. I realised that we were going to need a fair bit of time to prepare, so I suggested we went ahead and got ready now.

“You just wait and see what I’ll be wearing for this evening,” Aloe said with a giggle,

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I replied with a grin. The pink mare crossed over to the wardrobe and received a long cardboard box. She then went over to the bathroom casting me that bedroom look of hers again. After the door had closed, I put the thought of wondering what sort of game she was playing to the back of my mind, and retrieved my suit from the wardrobe and got ready.

Half an hour later, I was all dressed up and was looking at myself in the bedroom mirror. I had put some gel in my hair, brushed my teeth and washed my face and had sprayed myself with my favourite deodorant.

Looking sharp Barns, I thought. I turned around to see that Aloe was still in the bathroom getting ready,

“Aloe are you alright in there?” I called out,

“Yes I’m fine,” came her muffled, but sweet reply.

I sat down on the bed and looked at my watch.

Still got plenty of time, At that point, the bathroom door opened a crack,

“Barnaby, could you close your eyes for me please?” Aloe asked from behind it. Not wanting to deny a simple request, I closed my eyelids and waited patiently,

“Alright they’re closed,” I replied. I heard the door open some more and quiet hoofsteps crossing towards me and coming to a halt just in front of me,

“Okay sweetie, you can look now,” she cooed softly. I opened my eyes and was amazed at what I saw; Aloe was wearing a magnificent dress that was a sparkling deep blue with pale pink trimmings. On her chest was a white lotus flower with a pink outline just like her cutie mark. On her hooves she was wearing four crystal blue high heels. Her mane and tail had been neatly groomed and she wore pale pink eyeshadow,

“My goodness Aloe,” I exclaimed brightly, “You look absolutely amazing,”

“Thank you, you look really handsome as well,” she replied, kissing my cheek.

“May I have the honour of taking you out for dinner this evening?” I asked in a posh accent, standing up from the bed. Aloe giggled quietly and she played a long as well,

“Yes you may,” she replied and linked her left forehoove with my right arm. We smiled at each other and then we headed out of the hotel to the restaurant.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the Crystal Restaurant where we were greeted by a stallion unicorn with a French accent,

“Bonjour monsieur. Do you have ze booking for zis evening?” he asked,

“We should be under the booking by Princess Celestia,” I replied. The waiter glanced at the booking list and he smiled,

“Ah yes, ze Princess told us about your arrival,” he said, “Would Monsieur and Madame like to follow me to ze table?”

“After you,” I whispered to Aloe. The rose coloured mare gave me an adorning smile before following the waiter to the table with me behind her. As we went through the dining area, I took a look around and saw a grand piano up on a stage and a perfect idea came to mind,

Better save that for later, I thought. We continued on and the waiter directed us to a table for two by a window overlooking the garden. Aloe and I sat down from across each other and the waiter pulled out a notebook with his magic,

“What would Madame like to drink zis evening?”

“May I have your finest wine, please?” Aloe asked. The stallion wrote it down and then turned to me,

“And for you Monsieur?”

“May I have the same thing, please?” I replied. The waiter nodded and walked away to deal with our requests. I turned and smiled at the rose coloured mare sitting across from me,

“What?” Aloe asked with a giggle,

“Nothing. I’m just thinking about how beautiful you look this evening,”

“Oh stop, you’re making me blush,”

“Good. You look cute when you blush like that,” I replied with a laugh,

“Awww Barnaby thank you, you flatter me,” Aloe smiled. At that point, our waiter returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses, plus two menus. He served the wine and then went off to serve another customer. I picked up my glass and looked at Aloe who had done the same,

“Here’s to a romantic evening,” Aloe started,

“And to a happy future,” I finished. We clinked glasses and took sip of the ruby red liquid,

“Mmmm… This wine is lovely,” I exclaimed,

“Indeed it is,” Aloe agreed, “But it isn’t as lovely as you Barnaby,” she added sweetly. She placed a hoof on my hand and stroked it lovingly. I couldn’t help blushing at her words and contact,

“Thanks Aloe,” We then picked up our menus and decided what we were both going to have as our meal. A little later, the waiter returned to take down our orders,

“May I have Oeufs en meurette, please?” Aloe asked in a perfect European accent. The stallion wrote it down and looked towards me,

“What dez Monsieur fancy for zis evening?”

“May I have Coq au vin, please?” I asked in a near-perfect French accent. Our waiter took it down, picked up our menus and headed off to the kitchen. I looked at Aloe who was gazing out of the window at the ever darkening night,

“Aloe?” I asked getting her attention,

“Yes Barnaby?” she replied with a smile,

“Do you remember that situation with Prince Blueblood we had earlier today?” The rose coloured mare nodded slowly. I noticed a small frown appear on her muzzle. Clearly, she didn’t like to talk about the big oaf we had run into,

“How do you know his name anyway?” I asked hesitantly. At that question, the frown on Aloe’s muzzle vanished and it was replaced with a small smile,

“Well, a little while ago he booked for an appointment at our spa in Ponyville and he requested that both Lotus and I served him. During his massage, he kept sending sexual remarks towards my sister. Lotus was getting really uncomfortable about it and I warned him to stop, but then he turned his attention towards me and did the same thing,” Aloe explained,

“The scoundrel,” I muttered bitterly, “What did you do to get him to stop that time?” I asked. Aloe giggled quietly and continued her story,

“Lotus and I couldn’t stand it any longer, so we both picked him up and threw him out of the spa. It was raining that day and he landed right in a muddy puddle. You should’ve seen him Barnaby,” she went on, beginning to laugh, “His coat was filthy and his mane was a mess. He stood up and ran off crying like he did today,”

As soon as Aloe finished, both her and I immediately burst out laughing,

“Wha-what an imbecile!” I exclaimed, between laughs. After we had calmed down, I looked at Aloe with smile,

“That’s what I like to call instant karma,” I chuckled amusingly. The pink mare gave me a confused look,

“What does that mean?” she asked,

“It means when something bad happens to someone immediately after they’ve done something bad,” I explained, “I’ve seen it many, many times during battles back home,”

“Ohhh, I see now,” Aloe replied with smile. We shared small laugh between us and at that point, our waiter came back with our meals. After half an hour of delicious French food, the waiter took away our dishes and bid us a pleasant evening. I was about to mention the bill, but then I remembered that Princess Celestia had already payed for everything. Aloe on the other hand, was getting ready to leave when I stopped her,

“Aloe, before we leave, there is something I would like to share with you,” I explained,

“Oh? What might that be?” she asked looking at me with a cute smile,

“Well, you know I play guitar?” I asked her. She nodded slowly,

“I can also play the piano as well,” I finished. Aloe gasped softly and I stood up and crossed the dining area to the stage where the jet black grand piano stood. Like earlier today, the Canterlot ponies were giving me strange looks as I sat down on the velvet stool behind the piano. I tested it by playing a few keys and by this point, the attention of the entire restaurant was on me. I stole a quick glance at Aloe who gave me an encouraging smile. The lyrics for the song I had been thinking about all evening made their way into my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1YuGmtgkAg&index=9&list=PLD00EF84F6A3D9E94

The whole restaurant went into an uproar as soon as I finished playing the last key. I took a bow and made my way back to the table where Aloe was giving me a really sweet smile,

“What did you think of that then?” I asked her with a grin,

“It was beautiful,” she replied, getting up and kissing my cheek,

“Are we ready to go?” I asked. Aloe nodded and I followed her through the dining area towards the exit. Ponies were giving me praises about the song and my voice as we made our way out and I thanked them for being a good audience. I got outside to find Aloe with tears running down her cheeks,

She’s crying. Why? Did I do something to upset her? I wondered. I walked slowly over to the rose coloured mare with concern,

“Aloe, are you alright?” I asked carefully. She looked at me for a brief moment before wrapping me in a tender loving cuddle,

“I’m fine,” she replied softly, “I’m just so happy to have you as my special somepony. You’re such a wonderful person to be with and I’m thankful for it,” she finished, nuzzling my cheek in a loving manner,

“You’re very welcome,” I replied with a smile, relieved that her tears were not of sadness, but of joy. We separated and shared a quick kiss before strolling through the moonlit night back to the hotel. Later, after changing out of our clothes and getting ready for bed, Aloe and I were lying under the covers in each other’s embrace,

“This has been such a lovely evening,” Aloe was saying, nuzzling me,

“Yes it has,” I agreed, kissing her cheek. I then thought back to when Aloe said she was happy that I was her special somepony and I remembered a quest I was never able to complete back on Earth,

“Aloe, there is something I should tell you,” I said,

“What is it sweetie?” she asked, her brilliant azure eyes looking up into mine,

“During my time on Earth, I was never able to find that perfect someone to spend my life with and tell how much I loved them. It was a difficult quest, but I finally managed to find that person. However, before I could even say how I felt towards them, the war then began. I never saw her again after that,” I explained sadly, a lonely tear making its decent down my cheek,

“Oh Barnaby, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Aloe replied quietly, nuzzling me affectionately,

“Don’t worry,” I assured her, “It gets better in many ways,”

“How does it get better?” the rose coloured mare asked. I smiled at her before continuing.

“Well, a little while after I came here, the very first time I saw you, I just knew you were the one that was going to complete my quest that I’ve been following for so many years. At first, I was rather hesitant because we’re completely different species,” I went on, “But now when I think about it, that little difference doesn’t really matter anymore, because look at where we are now in our relationship. It hasn’t really changed anything if I’m honest,” I finished.

“Awww Barnaby, that’s so sweet,” Aloe said with a smile, “After hearing you say that, I was going through the same thing before you arrived. I was trying to find the perfect stallion that would love me and make me happy. But the stallions that I asked only wanted me for one thing,” she explained, a frown appearing on her muzzle,

“And what was that?” I asked,

“I don’t want to talk about it, it’s rather disturbing,” Aloe replied. I nodded in understanding and the pink mare continued with her love woe that was really beginning to touch my heart,

“Anyway, when you arrived in Ponyville, I somehow knew that you were going to fill the hole in my heart,” she went on, “The way you were being kind and friendly to everyone just really stood out to me. And the day before Hearts and Hooves Day, I watched you defend Miss. Rarity’s little sister and her friends from Mr. Rich’s daughter and her friend,” Aloe added with a sweet smile,

“You saw me do that?” I asked, my face turning red. Aloe nodded, the smile still not leaving her face,

“Yes. And I watched you comfort that little pegsaus. I heard some of the words you said to her,” Aloe continued, “It was such a heart-warming moment Barnaby, it was what made me fall in love with you,” she finished,

“And that’s why you wanted me to be your special somepony,” I concluded with a grin, “Because of all those things I did and the way I looked out for others,” Aloe nodded and cuddled up next to me and nuzzled my cheek continuously while I pondered over this information,

“That’s just…wow,” I was struggling for words, “I never knew doing all of that would lead to this,”

“I didn’t either,” Aloe giggled, still nuzzling me.

“Aloe?” I asked. The rose coloured mare stopped her nuzzling and her beautiful azure eyes looked up into mine,

“Yes?”

“I love you,”

“I love you too Barnaby,” I swear to God that Aloe’s nuzzling never stopped throughout the rest of that night.

Author's Note

You thought I abandoned this didn't you? Still, another heartwarming moment between Aloe and our Guardian. Highly reccommend you have listen to that song.
Anyway viewers, I think that's enough romance for now. These next couple chapters are going to include some action because that's what Destiny is all about.
Stay tuned for more updates.