Ready for Commitment

Chapters

Six Month Anniversary Date
A Discussion With Lyra
Fashion Advice
Information Sharing
Colgate's Big Purchase
Picking Up What She Needs
Morning Preparations
A Friday Date
A Discussion Among Sisters
The Big Date
Spreading the Good News

Six Month Anniversary Date

Saturday night had arrived and like she had been every Saturday night for six months, Fluttershy was preparing herself for her date with Colgate. This was something that her animals had gotten used to but one still didn't like it. As Fluttershy was slipping into a dress, Angel began to yank on her tail demanding that he be feed. One thing that really irritated him was that his meals on Fluttershy's date nights had become less impressive with each passing week.

Fluttershy glared at him and said, "Look Angel, I'll feed you once I'm dressed, ok?"

Angel gave her a glare and headed down to the kitchen. Once she got down there, most of her animals began making noises indicating their approval of how she was dressed and gathered around their bowls as she began to feed them the pellets that she had for years. One animal would not be thrilled with the pellets she gave him though. This was the first time in ages that she had simply poured pellets in his bowl. Almost immediately he kicked his bowl up in the air and scowled at her.

She looked up at the clock and realized that Colgate would likely be arriving at any moment. She returned the scowl and said, "Angel, I have a date very soon so if you want to eat, you'll have to eat the pellets."

Angel was angry but knew that unlike she used to, that Fluttershy was probably not going to fix him anything special. He knew this for sure when there was a knock on the door. Fluttershy answered and standing before her was her marefriend. She gave her a kiss and exclaimed, "Colgate it is so good to see you!"

Colgate too exclaimed, "It's good to see you too Fluttershy!"

When they kissed, most of the animals in Fluttershy's cottage began voicing their approval. Over the past few weeks, they had been doing that and Colgate asked, "What's up with your animals Fluttershy? They sound like they are happy."

Fluttershy replied, "Well most of them are happy that you make me happy." She turned around and saw Angel scowling deeper before. She pointed at him and sighed, "Except for him."

Colgate looks at the rabbit and if looks could kill, she would be dead. She was not thrilled with it but was not about to voice her displeasure over the looks. She replied, "Maybe he's just being protective of you, maybe he's just upset that you're going out once a week."

Fluttershy gave a nervous laugh, "Maybe." She turned back to her animals and continued, "I'll be back later."

She closed the door, Colgate grabbed her by the hand and the two headed off to the cafe. Over the weeks, Rarity had given Fluttershy more dresses for her dates and was wearing one that accented her breasts more, which is something Colgate noticed. She commented, "You look very nice tonight, that dress looks really good on you!"

Unlike Fluttershy, Colgate had continued to wear her best business attire, apparel that did not accent anything. This was beginning to make Fluttershy wonder if Colgate truly wanted more but did not want to risk losing her so she never brought it up. She replied, "You look nice too."

When they first started dating, they just walked to the cafe hand in hand but as time progressed, they began to hold onto one another closer and now Colgate had Fluttershy's arm under hers and they were hand in hand. When they arrived at the cafe the waiter began to lead them towards a table until Fluttershy interrupted, "Uhm, excuse me. If it is ok with you could we have a booth please?"

This was something that Fluttershy had never done before. The waiter led them inside to a small booth. Colgate would be surprised when Fluttershy sat down and suggested, "You know, you can join me on this side." Colgate gave her a curious look and Fluttershy snickered, "Don't worry, I don't bite!"

Colgate joined her and immediately Fluttershy forced her arm under hers and grabbed her hand. The waiter had noticed that they had grown closer as time had passed. He gave them their menus and asked, "Can I start you two off with a drink?"

On their first date, Fluttershy was nervous about the cost of things that she had ordered but by this point she knew that she could order whatever she wanted and Colgate would not be upset. She replied, "Uhm, I would like a large cider."

Colgate added, "I will take a large cider as well."

The waiter nodded and headed back to get their drinks. Once the waiter left Fluttershy began to squeeze Colgate's hand and commented, "You know, you're hands are really warm, they feel really good."

This was an unexpected comment and for a few seconds Colgate had no clue as how to reply. Soon she replied, "Your hands are nice and cool, they feel really good too."

The two gave one another a smile before the waiter returned with their ciders and asked, "So have you two decided on what you would like to eat."

Fluttershy replied, "Yes, I'll have the hay steak with hay fries."

Colgate added, "I will have the same thing she is."

The waiter nodded and took their order to the kitchen. Colgate turned to her marefriend and smiled, "I take it you're just as hungry as I am tonight?"

Fluttershy replied, "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry tonight."

One thing that really made Fluttershy happy was that when it came to food, she did not have to worry about what she ordered because Colgate wanted her to be happy. While they were waiting, they chit-chatted like normal until Colgate brought something up, "You know what today is, don't you?"

Fluttershy exclaimed, "Today is our six month anniversary!"

Colgate replied, "Yep and I want to let you know something, the past six months have been the happiest six months I've ever had."

Fluttershy's eyes lit up as she asked, "Really? The happiest six months of your life?"

Colgate replied, "Yep. I've had other happy times in my life such as graduating from the academy and helping get my sister's life back on track but you have brought me so much happiness. I never once imagined that one pony could make me so happy."

Fluttershy turned red as an apple as she replied, "You've made me really happy too. Yes I have great friends who care a lot about me but with you, it is special. For the first time in my life, I actually feel loved."

Colgate was a bit shocked to hear her say that considering she had not told Fluttershy that she loved her yet. She said, "You know, I feel the same from you. I can feel that special energy from you that you care about me in a way that my family and my friends don'........"

Before she could finish her sentence, their meal arrived. While the two had grown really close, when their meals arrived, both of them dove in and pretty much had a one track mind. Once they had finished eating, Colgate left a tip for the waiter and the two headed to the cashier so Colgate could pay for their meal.

On the way to Fluttershy's cottage, they walked close and like she was earlier in the evening, Fluttershy was squeezing Colgate's hand. Colgate was curious as to why she was doing it and asked, "Fluttershy, I hope you don't mind me asking but what is up with the hand squeezing?"

Fluttershy blushed, "Well it is just my way of saying I really like you."

Colgate then began to squeeze Fluttershy's hand in return and replied, "I really like you too Fluttershy."

Once they reached her cottage the two broke their hands apart, faced one another and pulled one another close. Like they had been recently, they looked lovingly into one another's eyes before engaging in a passionate kiss. Unlike it had been the very first time, they both began to massage one another and soon their hands wound up on the other's flank and they were squeezing one another more intensely than they had before.

After ten minutes of kissing and groping, the two broke their embrace and Colgate said, "I really enjoyed our time together tonight."

Fluttershy replied, "I really enjoyed it too, I hope we can do this again next Saturday."

Colgate said, "Of course we can do it again next Saturday" she then developed a blush and continued, "or if you would like, we could go out together again sooner."

Fluttershy's ears perked up when she heard this. She asked, "Really? You'd want us to go out again sooner?"

Colgate turned a deep shade of red and replied, "Well yeah, I don't have any patients next Friday and I was thinking I could just close up shop for that day and we could spend the whole day together."

The fact that Colgate wanted to spend the whole day with her made her very happy. She gasped, "Really, you'd want to spend the whole day with me?"

Colgate replied, "Well yeah, I really like you and I think we should spend more than just a couple hours together once a week." She gave her a wink and continued, "That way, we can get to know one another a lot better by spending an extended period of time together."

Fluttershy asked, "Well I would love to! What time would you want us to meet up?"

Colgate replied, "Well I could come and get you at nine and then we could just take things from there."

Fluttershy yawned, "That sounds great to me." She then looked back towards her cottage and continued, "I don't know about you but I'm getting tired. Think we should call it a night?"

Colgate replied, "Yeah, I think maybe we should."

Before they parted ways they again embraced and gave one another a kiss. Before they broke the embrace though Fluttershy asked, "Colgate, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"

Colgate replied, "Of course."

Fluttershy asked, "This may sound like an odd question but why don't you ever wear any dresses or skirts for our dates." She then gave her a smile and continued, "I think you'd look really good in one."

This was something that she was really unsure as how to answer. She knew that if she told her marefriend that she didn't like them that it may send a bad message but knew that honesty was far more important. She replied, "I don't because I don't like them and I'll be honest, I don't even own any dresses or skirts."

Fluttershy sighed, "That's too bad because like I said, I think you'd look really good in one, really beautiful to be honest."

Despite her pretty much hating more feminine attire, Colgate couldn't help but blush over the comment. She replied, "Thanks." The question made her feel a bit uncomfortable so she looked back towards town and continued, "Well I think we should call it a night. I will see you on Friday or sooner if we run into one another."

Fluttershy said, "Ok, see you then."

They kissed one more time before parting ways. As Colgate headed home, she was happy that things were going well with Fluttershy but one thing began to make her nervous, Fluttershy bringing up why she doesn't wear dresses or skirts. She sighed to herself, "What am I going to do? What if she was to decide that she didn't want to see me anymore because I don't like dresses?"

This was one thing though that she was not about to let Lyra know about given that she had offered to let her borrow her dresses and skirts before nearly every single date she had with Fluttershy. She knew that she would have to at least give more feminine apparel a chance and realized who she could talk to about a dress that may impress Fluttershy, Rarity.

A Discussion With Lyra

The following morning arrived and unlike she had been doing for years, Colgate did not wake up when the sun rose. For the first time ever, it was her younger sister who would wake her. Colgate heard a loud banging on her door and a yell, "Sis, are you ok? Normally you're awake by now!"

The loud bang caused Colgate to shoot up and scream. When she heard Lyra's voice she replied, "Yes Lyra, I'm ok."

Lyra entered her room to see if she really was ok. As she headed in she asked, "Are you sure you're ok. You just haven't seemed to be yourself on Sunday mornings here lately and you've never slept in like this before."

Colgate replied, "I'm fine Lyra, I just got in late last night."

Lyra knew that her sister had been seeing Fluttershy for quite some time and that on Sunday mornings, she had been becoming more and more tired. She giggled, "Oooh, Fluttershy kept you out late again!"

Colgate was not exactly a big fan of her sister's constant teasing over Fluttershy. She replied, "No Lyra, she did not keep me out late." Her voice became more firm as she continued, "I stay out late with her because she means a lot to me, I stay out late because I really like her."

Lyra nudged her and giggled, "You really like her? Are you sure you only really like her?"

Colgate's feelings towards Fluttershy had been changing over time and not only had she been scared to tell Fluttershy about it, but anypony. Colgate replied, "Well, uh...uh."

Lyra knew that something was going on with her sister, something that seemed to be bothering her. She asked, "Sis, if you are scared to tell anypony about this, don't be. You know you can tell me anything."

Colgate asked in return, "Do you promise not to tease me over this?"

Lyra replied, "I promise."

Colgate began, "Ok. Well as you know I've been seeing Fluttershy for six months now. At first it was just to write off that debt and I found her attractive. Then of course that turned into a crush and we began to see one another on a regular basis."

Lyra had a feeling as to where this was headed and replied, "Mhmm..."

Colgate's face began to turn red as she continued, "And of course we became marefriends but the more I see her, the stronger my feelings get for her." Her blush deepened as she finished, "It has gotten to the point where I more than just really like her, it has gotten to the point where I love her."

A huge smile developed on Lyra's face but she knew that she couldn't tease her sister, she instead had to be more like a friend than a mischievous younger sister. She asked, "Really? You really love her?"

Colgate replied, "Yes Lyra, I do. It has gotten to where she occupies my thoughts more and more."

Lyra knew how her sister was, she knew that for all her life she had been the type to try to shut her emotions off but suddenly she was admitting her love for a pony. She said, "Wow sis, I know how you've been your whole life. Your love for her must be very strong."

Colgate replied, "You know how I am very well. For pretty much my whole life I have thought of showing emotion, any kind of emotion was a weakness and feeling an attachment to somepony was nothing short of setting yourself up for failure but with Fluttershy, I can't help it."

Lyra commented, "You know, this is something I never imagined would happen with you."

Colgate replied, "I never did either but Fluttershy is so sweet, she is so caring, she is so beautiful" her voice became more dreamy as she continued, "she is everything I could ever want in a mare."

That was another thing that Lyra never imagined that she would see come from her sister, a dreamy voice. She asked, "Wow, Fluttershy truly does mean a lot to you, doesn't she?"

Colgate replied, "Yes, she does. In fact, I've decided that since I don't have any appointments scheduled, I'm going to close up shop on Friday and spend the whole day with her."

Lyra's jaw dropped open when she heard this, "Seriously? You're going to close up shop entirely for her?"

Colgate replied, "Yes, I want to spend a lot more time with her so we can get to know one another but there is one thing that she said last night that worries me?"

Lyra asked, "What is that?"

This was something that Colgate did not want to ever mention to her younger sister but since she had pretty much spilled the beans on everything else, she may as well bring it up. She replied, "She asked me why I never wore dresses or skirts. She told me I would look good in them but seemed disappointed that I don't like them."

Lyra gave her a curious look and asked, "Really?" She then gave her a slight smile and continued, "So is this your way of saying you want to borrow something of mine?"

Most all of Lyra's clothes were rather snug which was not to Colgate's liking. She replied, "Actually no. I'm thinking of visiting Rarity about something nice yet something that won't squeeze the life out of me."

Lyra couldn't help but snicker, "Ooooh, she must mean even more to you than I thought if you're going to visit Rarity!"

Colgate replied, "She does mean a lot." She headed towards the kitchen and continued, "How about we fix ourselves some breakfast?"

Lyra asked, "And then what?"

Colgate replied, "After that I am going to go and call everypony who has appointments on Friday and reschedule them. After that, I am going to go pay Rarity a visit and ask for advice on what would look good."

Lyra said, "That sounds like a plan. Rarity is one of Fluttershy's friends and she will know what will look best on you."

Colgate replied, "I know she will."

Colgate was glad that Lyra had lessened teasing her over her relationship with Fluttershy but couldn't help but wonder, what would Rarity suggest that she wear and given that it would be the first time that she would be wearing a dress, would she even be comfortable.

Fashion Advice

After finishing her breakfast and rescheduling her appointments, Colgate headed to the one place she never imagined she would go, The Carousel Boutique. She couldn't help but be nervous over the situation, especially since Rarity is one of, if not the best of Fluttershy's friends. As she headed in, she said to herself, "Well here goes nothing."

When she entered she heard a voice, "Welcome to The Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and magnifique!" She then turned around and gasped, "Colgate? I'm surprised to see you here."

Colgate replied, "I'm surprised to see myself here too but I really need some advice." Her face began to turn red as she continued, "I need to buy a dress or at least a nice shirt and skirt."

Rarity, like everypony else, pretty much knew Colgate's choice in clothing and figured that something more feminine would be the last thing she would be caught in. Rarity commented, "Is it for......"

Colgate replied, "I need something really nice to wear this Friday. I'm closing up shop and I'm going to spend the whole day with Fluttershy." Her face turned redder as she continued, "And I want to treat her to something really special on Saturday."

Rarity knew that the two had been dating for a while and Fluttershy had brought up Colgate and how she didn't even own anything like that. She gave her a smile and asked, "And I take it you want to look your best for her?"

Colgate replied, "Yes but could you please not tell her I came to you? I want to surprise her."

Rarity said, "Of course darling." She then grabbed a measuring tape and continued, "Let's get you measured so I can get you something made."

Colgate nodded as Rarity began to measure her. It felt odd being measured as never before in her life had she ever had to be measured for anything. Once she was finished Rarity continued, "Well I don't have any in stock that would fit you but I could certainly make you a couple."

Colgate asked, "How long would it take?"

Rarity replied, "Normally it would take a couple of weeks because I have a couple other orders but since this is for your date with Fluttershy, I can push those others back."

Colgate's eyes lit up, "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Rarity asked, "Of course darling. Now what do you want these dresses to look like?"

Colgate had absolutely no idea about what would look good when it came to fashion, especially dresses for dates. She asked, "I don't know, what do you think?" Her voice became more nervous as she continued, "You know Fluttershy very well, do you know what she might think would look good?"

Rarity began to take a closer look at Colgate and suggested, "Well I personally think one the color of your eyes with accents that would match your coat would look good."

Colgate asked, "Do you think she would find that appealing?"

Rarity replied, "Of course she would." She then got a smile and continued, "About this special thing on Saturday, is it going to be something that may require something more elegant?"

Colgate replied, "Actually yes. I was thinking of taking her to the fanciest restaurant up in Canterlot."

Rarity gasped, "Really, the fanciest place?" Her jaw dropped open and she continued, "You're going to spend that much money on her?"

Colgate replied, "Rarity, there is no such thing as 'that much' when it comes to her." Her face turned a deep red as she continued, "There are no words to describe how much I love her. I would do anything to make her happy."

Rarity got a huge smile on her face, "Wow, I never imagined that you of all ponies would develop this strong of feelings for anypony."

Colgate replied, "I never did either but with Fluttershy, everything seems to click perfectly." Again her face turned red as she continued, "I never thought I'd ever say this but it seems like we were made for one another, like I'm meant to be with her." Her voice became dreamy as she finished, "Like we're soulmates."

The more Colgate talked, the more Rarity became stunned. Something began to cross her mind, something that may either make her change her mind about Colgate or confirm her suspicions. She asked, "Colgate, I know you said you are taking Fluttershy to the fanciest restaurant in Canterlot and need something elegant." She leaned in and continued, "I know you've been seeing her for quite a while" she leaned in further and continued, "are you going to ask her the big question?"

Colgate blushed even deeper and replied, "Uh, maybe!" She then looked up and continued, "You don't think it is too soon do you?"

Rarity said, "Try not to act any differently but I don't think it is too soon. Whenever her and I are alone, she talks about you a lot."

Colgate asked, "Well then for another question. Do you know what size of ring she wears? I want to get her something that will fit her."

Rarity replied, "I think she wears an eight but I can't be completely sure." She gave Colgate a smile and continued, "How about I try and find out in a non-obvious way, like talking to her about friendship rings and when you come here on Thursday to pick up your order, I can let you know." She paused for a minute and continued, "Speaking of your order, what do you want your more elegant dress to look like?"

Colgate replied, "You know, I know next to nothing about fashion, especially elegant fashion. What do you think would look good on me and more importantly, what would impress Fluttershy."

Rarity again began to examine Colgate, trying to figure out what she thought would look best for something more elegant. After a minute of thought she said, "I think going with a dress that matches your mane and tail would look good. The dress itself would be blue and the accents would be white."

Colgate replied, "You know, that might look good." She looked in the direction of the cash register and asked, "How much will I owe you for this?"

Rarity had initially planned on charging her full price but given that she had special plans for Fluttershy the upcoming weekend and had to get a ring, she gave her a discount. She said, "Normally the cost of two dresses like that would be 700 bits but since you are preparing for something special here, I'll give it to you at a substantial discount, 400 bits."

Colgate pulled her wallet out and handed Rarity what she owed her. When Rarity saw that she was paying in cash, she was ecstatic. She was so ecstatic that she dropped the price further, she handed one of the bills back and continued, "You know, since you're paying in cash I'll give you an extra discount, 300 bits."

Without even thinking, Colgate embraced Rarity and exclaimed, "Thank you Rarity, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Rarity returned the embrace and replied, "You're welcome darling." She began to head back towards her inspiration room and added, "Well I better get started on these right away!"

Colgate said, "And I probably better get home, I'm sure Lyra is probably wondering where I am and thanks again!"

Rarity replied, "Anytime darling!"

As Colgate left the boutique and headed home, she was very happy. She knew that Rarity would do a spectacular job and what made her happier was the discount she got. Soon her thoughts would turn to the big purchase coming up. She thought to herself, "Now it is just a matter of getting Fluttershy the perfect ring, one that will say 'I want to be with you forever.'"

Information Sharing

Finding Out Fluttershy's Size

Monday had arrived and like she always does before she opens shop, Rarity headed to Sugarcube Corner to have snacks with her friends. She was admittedly a bit nervous about how her friends would react when she asked about the friendship ring thing but she knew that it was necessary to get Colgate the information necessary.

When she arrived her friends greeted her warmly like they always do, which she promptly returned. Once she got sat down she had a bit of a nervous look on her face and her friends immediately noticed. Twilight asked, "Rarity, you look like something is wrong, is anything bothering you?"

Rarity replied, "Oh nothing in particular." Rarity continued to feel nervous knowing that she simply couldn't come out and tell the truth along with the fact that mentioning friendship rings may cause her friends to think she was either up to something or that she was flat out nuts. She gave them a nervous smile and continued, "As you all know, we have been great friends for ages but I was thinking that maybe we could get friendship rings."

In unison the five gasped, "Friendship rings?"

Rarity became more nervous, "Well yeah, we have been through a lot together. We have saved Equestria on multiple occasions, we have been to galas together, we have become close in so many ways that very few friends have."

The five gave her skeptical looks, especially Fluttershy. She asked, "Rarity why are you bringing this up now?"

Pinkie added, "Yeah, we've been friends for ages!"

Twilight added, "And what would these rings even look like?"

Rainbow continued, "And how are we supposed to afford these? They certainly wouldn't be cheap."

While her friends were asking questions about the rings, this did not seem quite right to Applejack. Her and Rarity had grown closer over the years and she knew that this would not be something that would simply come out of the blue. She asked, "Rarity, are you really wanting us to get these rings or are you trying to find something else out, like a ring size?"

This caused Rarity to become more nervous, thinking that Applejack may be on to her, "Of course not darling. I just think we should get friendship rings."

Applejack continued to give her a look of skepticism and continued, "Well alright but I'm with Dash, how are we supposed to afford these things?"

Rarity replied, "Well we wouldn't have to get them right away. I was just thinking about it but I am curious about your ring sizes."

Fluttershy asked, "If we're not going to be getting them right away, why would our ring sizes matter?"

Rarity realized that finding out what Fluttershy's ring size was going to be much more difficult than she thought. She knew that she had to come up with a good lie and finally thought of one, "Well, I know different sizes cost different amounts and I was just going to get quotes on ring prices."

Twilight sighed, "Very well Rarity, I'm a 9."

Applejack added, "I'm an 11."

Rainbow continued, "I'm an 11 as well."

Pinkie continued, "I'm a 9."

Fluttershy was unsure about answering the question, "Rarity, why is it so important that you know our ring sizes right away. It's not like we would be paying for them right away."

Rarity was beginning to get frustrated, "Fluttershy darling please, just tell me."

Fluttershy sighed, "I'm an 8."

Rarity was right about her size and this brought a smile to her face. She replied, "Thanks ladies, now I can head over to the jewelry store and check on the prices."

Her friends gave her curious looks wondering why she seemed so adamant about heading to the jewelry store but decided not to say anything. After a few more minutes of casual chit-chat, Rarity headed off to open her shop, or so her friends thought. While normally she would never delay opening her boutique, she was so excited over learning what Colgate wanted to know, she could help but run over to the dentist's office.

Sharing the News With Colgate

As Rarity headed to Colgate's office, she couldn't help but have a smile on her face. Once she arrived, like everypony else, she was greeted by a mint green unicorn, "Hi Rarity, what brings you by?"

Rarity replied, "Well I really need to speak with Colgate, this is really important."

Lyra said, "Well her first appointment isn't until ten so she should be free." She headed into the back and yelled, "Sis, you have somepony who wants to speak with you."

Colgate had just got off the phone rescheduling an appointment. She asked, "Who is it?"

Lyra replied, "It is Rarity, she said she needs to talk to you about something important."

The moment Colgate heard that it was Rarity she immediately rushed out to the waiting room and suggested, "Rarity, how about you follow me back to my office so we can talk?"

Rarity followed Colgate back into her office where the door was shut immediately. Colgate sat back in her chair and asked, "It involves Fluttershy, doesn't it?" She then began to get paranoid and asked, "She didn't bring up that she wanted to dump me did she?"

Rarity was shocked that Colgate would ask such a question. She gasped, "Goodness no darling! I just came by to tell you that her ring size is an eight."

Colgate gave her a smile, "Thanks Rarity, you have no idea how much that means to me." Her smile became bigger as she continued, "Now I can get her the perfect ring. I just hope she will wind up liking it." She knew that Rarity was probably Fluttershy's best friend and continued, "What do you think she would like? Do you think she would like gold? Do you think she would like a good sized diamond?"

Rarity replied, "To be honest, as long as it comes from the heart, I think she would love whatever you get her."

Colgate gave her a smile, Thanks for letting me know this earlier than Thursday. This way I can be sure and get her the perfect ring." She stood taller and continued, "Because nothing short of the absolute best will do."

Rarity gave her a smile and replied, "Well knowing you, I know that is what you will get her."

Colgate looked up at the clock and noticed that it would not be too long until her first appointment. She began to get up and said, "While I would like to talk longer, it is getting close to ten."

Rarity too looked up and noticed this. She gave her a smile and replied, "It is so I had best get going. After all, if you don't work you won't make money to get Fluttershy the best!"

Rarity stood up and Colgate led her back out front. She gave her a smile, "Well you have a good day Rarity."

Rarity replied, "You as well."

After she had left Lyra immediately chimed in, "Judging by the smile I take it you have all the information you need now to make things perfect for Fluttershy?"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Yep, after work I'm going home, getting what I need and then heading to the jewelry store."

Lyra returned the smile, "What, do you have a stash of cash hidden somewhere I don't know about?"

Luckily for Colgate, their next customer of the day came in so she was able to dodge the question. She knew how Lyra could get at times and knew that if she knew how much Colgate had been putting away, that she would likely be begging her to buy her things.

Colgate's Big Purchase

Closing Up Shop

Closing time had arrived and the day had seemed to crawl by for Colgate. Despite having a busy schedule from the time Rarity had left that morning, all she could think about was getting Fluttershy the perfect ring. When the last patient left and the clock hit five, Colgate had already begun to get ready to leave and this brought about a surprised reaction from Lyra. She asked, "Sis, aren't you going to stay around and do everything you always do before you head home?"

Colgate replied, "Lyra, could you just do what you can before locking up for the day? The jewelry store closes in an hour and I want to make sure that I get Fluttershy the perfect ring!"

Colgate had only done this once before and Lyra wasn't exactly sure how to do everything. She said, "Colgate, I don't know how to do everything you do."

Colgate was in a hurry and really didn't want to spend any more time answering her sister's questions than was necessary. She replied, "Just get the computer shut down and the door locked. I can come in early and deal with the other things later."

Lyra nodded and watched as Colgate rushed out the door and rushed home. While she knew that Colgate did love Fluttershy and wanted to get her the perfect ring, she didn't ever imagine that she would rush out so quickly over something that wouldn't be life or death.

Colgate's Big Purchase

After leaving her office, Colgate did more than leisurely walk home, she rushed home. Normally Colgate was the type of pony who had no desire to get sweaty, that day she really didn't care. She knew that she had to get her money and rush back to the jewelry store before they closed.

Once she got home, she headed into her bedroom and unlocked her safe. When she opened it, she knew that she would have more than enough to get her what would be the embodiment of perfection. Despite knowing that taking that much would likely be unnecessary, she grabbed 5,000 bits, put it in her purse and rushed to the jewelry store.

When she arrived, she could see that the clerk was looking like he just couldn't wait to get going until he saw her come in. He was in a state of shock when he saw Colgate come in. He, like pretty much everypony else in town, knew how she was, knew that she would not spend any money that was unnecessary and wondered why she would go into his store. He looked her way and gasped, "Dr. Colgate, is that you?"

Colgate replied, "Yes it is me."

Karat asked, "So how can I help you today?"

Colgate replied, "I need to see your finest diamonds, nothing but the absolute best will do."

Karat knew about her living situation and knew about how her sister had been dating Bon Bon for a very long time. He asked, "I take it you're here to get a ring for Lyra to give to Bon Bon?" He noticed Colgate was about to reply when he continued, "That is very generous for you to buy her something like......"

Colgate interrupted, "This isn't for Lyra." While she did not really want to tell anypony outside of Rarity what her true intentions were, she slipped, "Actually, I'm getting this to give to Fluttershy. I'm going to ask......"

She then caught herself before she could finish her statement but it was too late, Karat already knew what her intentions were. He gasped, "Wait a minute, you're going to ask Fluttershy to marry you?"

Colgate asked in return, "Yes but could you please not share this with anypony. I don't want word getting out."

Karat was still shocked, "I had heard you two were dating but I never imagined that you two were getting this serious, I never imagined that you would be coming to buy her a ring."

Colgate replied, "Well here I am. Now could you please show me your finest diamond rings, preferably gold."

One thing Karat did know was that Colgate had been very good at managing her money ever since she had her practice and figured that she likely had more than enough in the way of bits to pay for whatever she was going to get. When she saw the selection, she was immediately drawn to the rings made of rose gold. While she did notice that the prices were quite high, it didn't matter to her. What mattered to her was that what she would get Fluttershy be perfect.

After ten minutes of closely analyzing the rings until she saw one with a good sized diamond, one that was over one karat. She pointed her finger at it and said, "I would like that one."

Karat gasped, "But Colgate, that one is nearly 4,000 bits!"

Colgate pulled her money out of her purse and asked, "I know, I just want the best for Fluttershy."

Karat was shocked when he saw Colgate pull out what looked like a very large sum of money. Another thing that shocked him was that while most ponies would cringe at prices like that, that Colgate took it in stride, she took it like that was exactly what she was expecting to pay. He grabbed the ring, put it in a case and said, "Very well, let's get you checked out."

When he rang up the ring, he said, "That will be four thousand bits even."

Colgate gave him a smile, "Sounds good." She began to flip through her money until she had counted out the required amount. She handed him the money and continued, "I am so happy you have rings like this. Like I have said before, only the best will do!"

Karat said, "Well thank you for your business and you have a pleasant evening."

As Colgate was heading out the door she replied, "You have a pleasant evening as well."

As Colgate left, Karat was still in a state of shock. While he had had ponies go in and buy expensive rings before, never did he imagine that anypony would go in and buy the most expensive ring in the store without even batting an eye over the price. As he was flipping through the money she had given him he said to himself, "Well this will certainly help me get in another diamond over one karat!"

Lyra's Discovery

As Colgate headed home, she was ecstatic. She knew that Karat would have a good selection of rings but what made her happy was that he had one that she thought would be worthy of being on Fluttershy's hand. She was so lost in her thoughts that she arrived home before she knew it. When she walked in the door, she was immediately greeted by Lyra, "Hi sis, how'd it go at the jewelry store?"

Colgate replied, "Things went very well."

Lyra saw Colgate heading into her bedroom and decided to follow her. She was very curious as to what kind of ring her sister had gotten and decided that she was going to find out. When she got into Colgate's bedroom, she saw Colgate opening her safe and putting the ring along with the rest of her money in there. She also couldn't help but notice that Colgate had plenty of money already in there. She wanted to know so she asked, "So sis, what does the ring look like?"

Colgate had no desire to simply show Lyra the ring but knew that she would continue to pester her until she let her see it. Colgate opened the box and showed it to her. Lyra gasped, "Wow sis, that diamond has to be at least one karat." She then examined the ring further and asked, "Is that rose gold?"

Colgate replied, "Well the diamond is 1.25 karats and yes it is rose gold. I wanted to get her something worthy of her."

Lyra approached her sister, embraced her and said, "Well I think it is lovely. I am certain Fluttershy will love it." She then got a huge smile on her face and continued, "I can't wait to see the dresses you had Rarity make you!" She then began to snicker, "My big sister in a dress, I never imagined I would ever see that."

Colgate tried to give her a scowl but just couldn't, "I know, I know. No need to snicker over it." It was starting to get late and Colgate was in no mood to cook that night so she continued, "Well Lyra, I am really not in the mood to cook so what do you say we go out?"

Lyra was shocked. Not only had Colgate made a huge purchase that day but she was also suggesting they go out and if there was one thing she loved, it was going out. She cheered, "Of course sis, I'd love to go out!"

Colgate replied, "The Hay Burger sound good?"

Lyra cheered, "That's my favorite!" She quickly turned towards the exit and continued, "Let's get going before the supper rush hits!"

Unlike the cafe, the Hay Burger generally never had a supper rush but Colgate wanted to get going herself. She replied, "Yeah, we don't want to get there too late."

As the two headed out for supper, Colgate couldn't be happier. She had finally got Fluttershy the ring she felt that was worthy of her and Lyra felt truly happy for her sister. She knew that she and Fluttershy had been growing closer but the fact that she spent so much on a ring for her caused her to realize that her sister wasn't quite the rigid pony she had always seemed after all.

Picking Up What She Needs

Three days had passed and another unexpected event had arrived for Colgate, the day that she would go to Rarity to pick up her dresses, the first dresses she would have ever owned. It was closing time at her office and again it seemed like she was in a hurry. This time though, Lyra knew why she was in such a rush. She commented, "Have to get to Rarity's here pretty soon?"

Colgate replied, "Yep." She knew that she would likely have to try on everything that Rarity had made her and knew that Lyra had been looking forward to seeing her in a dress so she suggested, "Lyra, what would you think about coming with me to pick them up?"

Lyra never expected her older sister to ask that. She gave her a smile, "Really? You want me to come with you?"

Colgate replied, "Yes, I do. Besides, I figure I may as well get an opinion from somepony other than just Rarity when I try them on. I want to know if I look good."

Lyra became excited, "Of course I'll come with you! I really want to see my big sister in a dress!"

After rushing through closing things, the two departed their office and headed towards the Carousel Boutique. When they arrived, Colgate was a bit anxious, hoping that what Rarity had made for her would fit while it was all Lyra could do to not go bouncing right towards the boutique and leave her elder sister way behind.

When they arrived, the two headed into the boutique and Colgate was immediately in Rarity's embrace, "Colgate darling, it is so good to see you!"

Colgate, despite not being fond of being embraced by anypony other than Fluttershy, returned the embrace. She replied, "It is good to see you too."

Rarity broke the embrace and asked, "Well Colgate, do you want to try them on?"

Colgate asked in return, "Sure. Where are your dressing rooms?"

Rarity led the two into the back where she had the dresses. Colgate looked them over and they were exactly what she had asked for. She said, "Those look great Rarity!"

Rarity led her to the dressing room and suggested, "Well go and try them on!"

Colgate nodded and headed into the dressing room. As she put the first dress on, she couldn't help but notice that it was a bit more snug than anything she had ever put on before. Despite it being more snug up top, it wasn't horribly uncomfortable. Colgate looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked by what she saw. She thought that she actually looked good. She gave her reflection a smile and said, "Now to go show how I look to Lyra and Rarity."

As she exited the fitting room, both Lyra and Rarity gasped in shock. Lyra was the first to say anything, "Wow sis, you look spectacular!"

Rarity added, "You look absolutely magnificent!" She approached Colgate and couldn't help but notice one thing, Colgate wasn't using the one thing that she thought would make Fluttershy want her more. She went to reach for her chest but would have her hand swatted away by Colgate.

Colgate asked, "Rarity, why are you reaching there?"

Rarity replied, "Just wait, I want to show you something." Rarity grabbed her and pushed her breasts up, making them more visible. She gave Colgate a smile and continued, "I think you look much better like this and I know it will really impress Fluttershy."

Lyra got a huge smile on her face and added, "And you do want to impress her don't you?"

Colgate replied, "Of course I do." She then began to head back into the dressing room and added, "Now to try on the one for the big night."

Colgate headed back into the dressing room and got into her other dress. Unlike the one that she would wear tomorrow, it wasn't quite as snug and was elegant, very elegant. She put it on and headed out to get their opinions. When the two saw her, their jaws dropped open. Lyra gasped, "Sis, you look, you look like royalty in that!"

Rarity added, "Colgate darling, I have never seen anypony ever look this good!" She approached Colgate and continued, "Fluttershy is going to love you in this!"

Colgate was shocked to her this, "Seriously, you've never seen anypony look this good?"

Rarity replied, "Of course not darling! I have a feeling that with these two dresses, Fluttershy will be beyond stunned."

Colgate suggested, "Well Lyra, shall I get back into my normal clothes, take these home and then head out to the cafe."

Once again Colgate was suggesting that they go out for supper, something that used to be a rare treat. Lyra replied, "I'd love for us to go out!"

Colgate smiled and headed back into the dressing room to get changed. While she was getting changed Rarity decided to talk to Lyra about something that may bring her more business, "So Lyra, how are things with Bon Bon going?"

Lyra replied, "They are going alright."

Rarity though things were going better between the two and couldn't help but be curious about her reply. She asked, "Are things not going as well as you would like?"

"It just seems like it is always the same thing. We hang out, we go out for the occasional snack but that is it." She sighed in frustration before smiling and continuing, "And then I see how Colgate has changed ever since she started seeing Fluttershy. It seems like there is something magical about their relationship."

Rarity put her arm around Lyra and asked, "I take it you wish things between you two were like how they are with Colgate and Fluttershy?"

Lyra sighed, "Yes, I do. I know Bon Bon loves me but I just wish she would smile more." She became a bit more frustrated and continued, "I remember how it was when we first hooked up, everything seemed so sp......"

Lyra would be interrupted when Colgate was back into her normal clothes, "Well I'm ready for the next two days now, I just hope that things go perfectly."

Rarity gave her a smile, "Oh I'm sure everything will go perfectly. Like I've said, it seems like you are the only thing Fluttershy talks about anymore."

Colgate couldn't help but blush, "And she is occupying my mind more and more." She became more excited as she continued, "I am so excited to see her tomorrow! I can't wait to see her face when she sees me in a dress!"

Rarity gave Colgate one more dress, "Well darling, I'm sure she will be shocked." She knew that Colgate was planning on taking Lyra out for supper and knew how Colgate felt about having to wait in line, "I probably should let you and Lyra get going so you can get to the cafe before the supper rush arrives."

Colgate replied, "Yeah, we should get going." She turned to Lyra and asked, "Shall we?"

Lyra replied, "Yeah, let's get going."

As the two left the boutique, the two sisters were having different feelings. Colgate had a huge smile on her face as she headed home, dreaming of what the following day would bring. While Lyra was happy that her sister was happy, she couldn't help but be a bit envious knowing that her sister may only be a couple days away from being engaged.

Morning Preparations

Colgate's Preparations

Friday morning arrived and Colgate was up much earlier than she normally would be on a day that she was not going to work. She had already showered when Lyra caught her in the kitchen. She knew that Colgate had plans for the day but did not expect her to be up that early. One thing she did notice though was that Colgate was in her normal weekend clothes, sweats and a t-shirt. She asked, "Colgate, I thought you'd be dressed by now!"

Colgate had begun to cook them the same breakfast she always did on weekends causing Lyra to continue, "Colgate, I thought you were going to spend the day with Fluttershy!"

Colgate looked up at the clock and replied, "Lyra, it is just a few minutes past seven and I'm not supposed to go and get her until nine so we have time for breakfast, alright?"

Lyra nodded in agreement and waited anxiously for Colgate to finish fixing their food. By the time she finished cooking, it was still only 7:30 but that didn't mean that Colgate was going to leisurely chit chat with her sister like she normally does on days that she didn't work. Lyra noticed this and asked, "Sis, why are you scarfing your food down? You said you weren't going to go get her until nine."

Colgate emptied her mouth and replied, "Look, I still need to brush after this and then I have to get dress...."

Lyra interrupted, "But it shouldn't take that long!"

Colgate replied, "Lyra, I know I may sound paranoid to you but I have to make sure that I look perfect for her. Even one bit of imperfection may cause Fluttershy to think that I'm not truly serious!"

Lyra couldn't help but snicker a bit over her older sister's paranoia, "Colgate, everything will be ok! You have a nice dress to wear today, you've already showered and I know you'll have more than enough time."

Colgate calmed down a bit and replied, "Oh you're right. I still have plenty of time and I don't have to rush through breakfast."

Despite admitting that she didn't have to rush through her breakfast, Colgate still ate her meal a bit quicker than she normally would. After finishing, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and headed up to brush and then get ready for her day.

After brushing, she began to get dressed. As she put the dress on, it felt odd to her. Trying the dress on was one thing but putting it on for the day's events was something completely different. One thing Colgate could not do though was see how she looked as she did not have a mirror in her room. She thought to herself, "Well I'll just have to go to Lyra's room since she does have a mirror."

Colgate headed to her sister's room and looked at herself in the mirror. It still looked odd to her to see herself in a dress and then one thing crossed her mind, something Rarity said about what may impress Fluttershy more. She grabbed her breasts and pushed them up. She then said to herself, "I just hope this works, I hope that Fluttershy doesn't think that I'm trying to seduce her."

After another brief moment of examining herself in the mirror, she headed downstairs. She was immediately greeted by Lyra who was impressed, "Wow sis, you look great." She then grinned, pointed at Colgate's chest and snickered, "I bet your sweetie doesn't know you're big like this, does she?"

Colgate gave her a nervous look, "Well no, she doesn't." Colgate looked up at the clock and noticed that it was 8:30 and knew she needed to get going. She continued, "Well sis, I better get going. I don't want to be late."

Lyra replied, "Alright, good luck!"

Colgate grabbed her purse and headed out the door. As she headed towards the edge of town where Fluttershy lived, she was attracting a lot of attention, attention that she was not fond of. Ponies were in shock to see her in a dress and were watching her every move. She tried her best to ignore all the attention by keeping her head facing forward but eventually the stress became to much for her as she yelled, "Stop staring, stop staring!"

After that everypony stopped staring and went back to their normal business. As she got to the edge of town and Fluttershy's cottage was in sight, she said to herself, "Well here goes nothing."

Fluttershy's Preparations

Morning arrived and Fluttershy was woken up by the sun shining in on her. On most days she would be slow to get up since her normal meetups with her friends at Sugarcube Corner didn't require her to dress any differently than normal but this day was different, she jumped out of bed and exclaimed, "Today's the day! Today's the day Colgate is devoting entirely to me!"

Most all of her animals were making noises in approval except for one, Angel. She was heading towards the bathroom to get showered when Angel yanked on her tail and gave her his normal disapproving look. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, "Alright Angel but I don't have time to fix you anything overly fancy, I have to get ready for my date today."

She headed downstairs and fed her animals. Most of them got pellets but Angel got a bowl of lettuce, which was not as impressive as he would get on most mornings. He gave her a scowl, which was immediately returned. He was not one bit thrilled but given how she had been getting when she had plans with Colgate, he knew that she was not about to cave in to him.

After feeding her animals, Fluttershy headed up and immediately got in the shower. As she was showering, she couldn't help but wonder what the day would bring. As she was washing her breasts, she couldn't help but wonder if a day would ever come when Colgate would be the one washing them. She had a smile on her face as she was doing this until she finally snapped back to reality. She scolded herself, "Come on Fluttershy, I know we're growing close and she is devoting this day to us but I doubt us showering together is in her immediate plans!"

She also realized that she had better hurry up, get dressed and eat something for breakfast. As she was getting dressed, she got into one of the dresses that fit a bit more snug. Once she got it on, she pushed her breasts up and examined herself in the mirror and thought to herself, "I hope this looks ok for a day date." She then sighed and continued, "If only I could get Colgate to wear a dress, we would make a much cuter couple."

After getting dressed, she headed downstairs and noticed that it wouldn't be too much longer until Colgate would be arriving so she simply fixed herself a quick bowl of cereal. One part of her was hoping that Colgate had not eaten yet but she knew how Colgate was, she knew that she had likely been up for a while and ate a long time ago.

Fluttershy very quickly ate her breakfast and after looking up at the clock, she knew that she had plenty of time to relax before Colgate would arrive. Despite having more than enough time, she continued to look up at the clock every few minutes and began to worry, "What if Colgate doesn't come? What if she decided to open her practice today after all."

A Friday Date

A few minutes before nine, Colgate arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Almost immediately, Fluttershy answered, "Colgate, it's good....." She then noticed that Colgate was not dressed in business attire like she normally was. She noticed that she was wearing a dress, "Colgate, you look amazing!" She continued to take in the mare that stood before her before continuing, "I thought you said you didn't own any dresses and I thought you didn't like them."

Colgate at first had a nervous look on her face before replying, "Well I wanted to do this for you and I must say, Rarity did a good job of figuring out what would look good on me."

Fluttershy commented, "Well she did a really good job." She left her cottage, put her arm under Colgate's and asked, "So what do you have planned for us?"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Well I was thinking we could do whatever you want to do." She squeezed her hand and continued, "This is your day sweetie, we shall do what you want to."

While Fluttershy and Colgate did love one another, never had one of the two ever used a term of endearment before. This brought a deep blush to Fluttershy's face as she replied, "Really, it is up to me as to what we do?"

Colgate nodded her head and Fluttershy continued, "Uhm, well, I really never thought it would be up to me." She then looked towards the forest and thought a trip to Celestia's old castle would be romantic. She pointed to the left and suggested, "Uhm, well we could always go into the forest."

Colgate knew how scared Fluttershy could get when it came to places like that. At first she wondered why she would want to go to the forest but then realized that perhaps Fluttershy was wanting to test her, to see if she would protect her if they ran into some timberwolves. She gave her a smile and replied, "That sounds good to me."

Fluttershy grabbed Colgate's hand and the two headed into the forest. The Everfree Forest was one place that Colgate did enjoy going every now and then since it was where she could seek solitude after a rough week in the office. As the two headed further in, they began to hear growling noises. Fluttershy squeezed Colgate and asked, "Do you hear that?"

Colgate knew that sound all to well so she powered up her horn and prepared to strike in the event any were to attack. Colgate replied, "Yes." She pulled Fluttershy close and continued, "Don't worry, if any try to attack, I'll handle them, alright?"

Fluttershy gave her a smile and replied, "I know you will, I know you'll do anything to protect me."

Soon the growling started coming from multiple directions and Colgate knew exactly what was going on, she knew that the timberwolves were planning on attacking them all at once. She said, "Fluttershy, get behind me. They are circling....."

Before she could finish her statement, the timberwolves came rushing out from behind the trees. Colgate had been surrounded like that before so she knew exactly how to handle it. She powered her horn up further and began blasting each one with a powerful bolt of energy, blasting them to bits.

Fluttershy was shocked that Colgate would so easily blast multiple timberwolves apart without showing one ounce of fear. Fluttershy squeezed her tightly and asked, "Colgate, how did you do that? You didn't even show any fear!"

Colgate returned the squeeze and replied, "I come to the forest sometimes for solitude when I'm stressed so I've dealt with them before." Colgate saw the remains trying to regenerate and knew she had to do something to prevent that. She grabbed all the wood in her aura, placed it in a pile and used her magic to set it ablaze.

Fluttershy was impressed with this, "I take it you know how to prevent them from coming back?"

Colgate replied, "Yep. Now we better stay here to make sure this fire doesn't wind up spreading."

Fluttershy wrapped herself around Colgate as the two watched the remains burn. Fluttershy knew that not only would she keep her safe if they strolled into the forest again, she also knew that Colgate was fearless and had the composure to handle threats from timberwolves. After an hour the fire had burned itself out and all that remained was a pile of ash. Colgate gave Fluttershy a smile and continued, "Well we won't be worrying about those anymore." She grabbed Fluttershy by the hand and asked, "Where next?"

Fluttershy replied, "I was thinking we could visit Celestia and Luna's old castle."

While Colgate had visited it before, she thought it might be best if nopony else knew about that. She said, "You lead the way."

Fluttershy pulled on Colgate's hand and the two continued their journey. After nearly an hour more of walking, they finally reached the bridge that led to the castle. Unfortunately, it looked like it was in worse shape than it was the first time Fluttershy saw it. She knew that she could easily fly across but was concerned about her marefriend and how she would get across. She asked, "Colgate, how are we going to cross?"

Colgate replied, "Well you can fly and I can teleport."

Fluttershy got airborne and crossed while Colgate easily teleported across the chasm. Once they were across, Fluttershy again forced her arm under Colgate's and led the two in. The way she was acting, Colgate could tell that Fluttershy knew a fair amount about the layout of the place but did not question where she was leading them.

After a few minutes Fluttershy had taken them to the chamber where they found Celestia and Luna's old journal. One thing that Colgate noticed about it was that unlike the main library, the roof was still intact. She asked, "I take it you brought us in here for a reason?"

Fluttershy gave her a cute smile, "Mhmm!" Fluttershy had a plan, a plan that she hoped would work. She continued, "I don't know about you but I'm a bit tired. What do you say we sit down for a while?"

Colgate replied, "It sounds like a good plan to me."

One thing that didn't make Colgate overly happy was that there were no chairs, that they would have to sit on the floor and get their clothes dirty. Normally such a situation wouldn't bother her but given how much she paid for the dress she was wearing, it did. She did not want to disappoint her marefriend so she sat down and leaned up against a wall. Fluttershy immediately sat in front of her and used her as a cushion. Colgate had a feeling as to what she wanted so once Fluttershy got sat down, Colgate wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close.

At first it was quiet between the two until Fluttershy grabbed Colgate's hands and began to move them up towards her breasts. Colgate then gave her a smile, "I think I know why you brought us out to this chamber now!"

Fluttershy replied, "Mhmm!"

Colgate found many, many things about Fluttershy incredibly attractive but that answer and the tone of voice she used made her seem all the more attractive. Finally Fluttershy pushed Colgate's hands up to her breasts and continued, "Now you know what I want, don't you?"

Colgate gave her a similar response, "Mhmm!"

Colgate cupped her breasts and began to squeeze them, bringing out moans of delight from Fluttershy. While they had been dating for quite some time, this was something that Fluttershy had fantasized about a lot but felt that they had not been in the right place for it to happen until now. The sensation was more than she could ever imagine and began to moan, "Oh Colgate, that feels so good!"

Colgate took that as a sign that she wanted her to continue to grope her. They sat there in a state of bliss for two hours until finally Colgate's stomach began to growl. Fluttershy gave her a giggle, "I take it is your way of saying you think we should go back to town?"

Colgate replied, "Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry."

The two got up and headed back towards Ponyville. On their way back to Ponyville, they heard growling and saw eyes shining from behind the trees but the moment Colgate powered up her horn, the timberwolves stopped growling and they retreated further away from the two. By the time they returned to town, Fluttershy had also become hungry. She turned to Colgate and asked, "So where do you want to eat?"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Well that is up to you, everything is up to you today."

Fluttershy replied, "Well I was thinking of something different, I was thinking that I could fix us some lunch and then we could spend some quality time together alone in my cottage."

While Colgate had been hoping that they could have went into town, ate at the cafe and then spent more time out and about, she agreed, "Alright, sounds good to me."

Fluttershy grabbed Colgate by the hand and led the two to her cottage. Once they got inside, Angel immediately greeted them and was not thrilled seeing the same pony with his owner that she had been going out with for months. Despite knowing that Colgate made Fluttershy happy, Angel hopped in front of her and began squeaking in disapproval.

Colgate asked, "What is he trying to tell you?"

Fluttershy gave her a nervous smile, "You don't want to know." There had been many times when they went out that Fluttershy had ordered heavier meals but she wanted to see how Colgate would react to a lighter meal. She continued, "How does a daffodil and daisy sandwich sound?"

That was one thing that Colgate could not stand, flower sandwiches. She did not want to hurt Fluttershy's feelings so she replied, "Yeah, that would work."

Fluttershy immediately got to work making their lunch while Angel continued to squeak angrily at Colgate. This was something that Colgate was finding a bit unnerving but knew that if Fluttershy were to say yes to the big question she had planned, that this was something that she would have to get used to.

Once Fluttershy finished fixing their lunch, she put the sandwiches on plates and when Colgate sat down at the dining room table, Fluttershy pointed towards the living room, "I was thinking we could sit on the couch and eat together."

Colgate nodded and the two sat down on the couch together. While Fluttershy immediately started eating her sandwich, it was all Colgate could do to even look at it. After a slight glare from Fluttershy, Colgate levitated the sandwich up to herself and began to eat it. Just as it was with every other flowery sandwich, it was not to Colgate's liking. She knew that she simply couldn't gag or suggest to her marefriend that they go out and get something better. Long after Fluttershy finished hers, Colgate finally got started on hers.

Fluttershy noticed how long it took her to eat and asked, "Are you ok Colgate? Usually you devour your meals!"

Colgate replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." She wanted to get out of any further discussion regarding the sandwich and continued, "So would you want to go out again for a while? We could always hit the market."

This was not what Fluttershy wanted to do at all. Fluttershy let out a yawn and continued, "Actually I was thinking we could just stay here in my cottage." She pulled Colgate close and continued, "And just have it be us and nopony else" she then saw Angel staring at her intently and continued, "well and my animals."

Colgate replied, "Alright, we can do that."

This was a situation that was different than what Colgate had been hoping for but didn't want to risk the relationship by again bringing up going out. It wouldn't be long though until her thoughts would be interrupted by Fluttershy pulling her close and kissing her passionately.

Fluttershy had long been wanting for her and Colgate to just spend time together in her cottage for ever since not too long after they started dating and since Colgate said that this was her day and she would decide what they did, she was going to make sure that her desire became reality.

As the continued their kiss, one of her animals was not thrilled, Angel. He jumped up on his owner and began squeaking in disapproval. Fluttershy stopped and gave Angel a glare, "Angel Bunny, such language!" She pulled Colgate up and continued, "What do you say we go somewhere that we won't be disturbed."

This was something that Colgate had been hoping to hear. She had hoped that they would be able to be out and about rather than cooped up in Fluttershy's cottage. She began to head towards the door and asked, "So do you want to go to the market, grab a bite to eat and maybe head over to the park?"

Fluttershy sighed, "I suppose we could but there is something that I would much rather we do, something that I have been fantasizing about for months."

Colgate asked, "What is it that you have been fantasizing about?"

Fluttershy grabbed her by the hand, pulled her towards her bedroom and giggled, "I think you'll like it."

Colgate's hopes of going out and about were dashed when Fluttershy did this but she did love Fluttershy more than enough to do whatever she wanted. She replied, "I hope so."

Fluttershy led her up to the bedroom and closed the door before any of her animals could follow them in. Often times Fluttershy would listen to music before going to bed so she put some soft music on, grabbed Colgate's hand and asked, "May I have this dance?"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Yes you may."

Fluttershy pulled her close and the two began to dance. Fluttershy could read Colgate's eyes and would catch her occasionally glancing towards the window and decided to stop that. She grabbed Colgate's flank and began to massage it, which did stop her from constantly glancing towards the window. After a minute of massaging, Fluttershy cleared her throat, "Ahem!"

Colgate knew that this was Fluttershy's way of saying that she wanted her to massage hers as well. Once Colgate was massaging her flank, Fluttershy pulled her into a deep kiss as they continued to dance. While she did wish that they could be out and about, Colgate did find this enjoyable. For Fluttershy, this was part of what she had been wanting for quite some time but would soon move on to what she wanted next.

They continued to kiss and dance until the music stopped. Once the music stopped, Fluttershy threw Colgate down onto her bed, pounced on her and pinned her down. This shocked Colgate, "Fluttershy, what did you do that for?"

Fluttershy continued to hold Colgate down and giggled, "It is something I've been dreaming of. Just you and me, laying in bed and holding one another."

Colgate asked, "In our dresses?"

Fluttershy replied, "Well not exactly." Fluttershy began to strip down to her undergarments, looked at Colgate and continued, "Would you join me?"

This was something that Colgate certainly did not want to do because she knew that it meant that they would not likely be going back out and about anytime soon. She did as Fluttershy requested, laid back down and very quickly Fluttershy laid on top of her. She gave Colgate a smile and added, "This feels so much better, doesn't it?"

Colgate did love Fluttershy a lot but just laying with her in only their undergarments seemed odd to her. At first Colgate was wishing that they could just get dressed before too long and then go back out, eventually though, especially once they began to kiss and rub their bodies together, Colgate was in a state of pure bliss. It was at that moment that she realized that perhaps such a way of life with Fluttershy would not be as bad as she initially thought.

Several hours had passed and both mares had begun to get hungry. They broke their kiss and smiled at one another as their stomachs were growling. Colgate asked, "Fluttershy, you fixed us lunch, how about I treat us to supper?"

Fluttershy gave a yawn, "I don't know. I'm just really tired and am ready to call it an early night."

Colgate's face dropped a bit but figured that this would be just as good of a time to see if Colgate was up for her plans for the next day, "Fluttershy, I was thinking. I was thinking that maybe we could go up to Canterlot tomorrow."

Fluttershy asked, "Why? Why would you want us to go up to Canterlot tomorrow?"

Colgate replied, "I have something special planned for us. I was thinking about taking us to Bon Apetit for a special supper."

While she had never been there, she had had heard Rarity talking about that restaurant. She gasped, "You want to take me to the most expensive restaurant in all of Canterlot?" Colgate began to say something until Fluttershy continued, "I can't let you do that, I don't want you spending that much money on me!"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Fluttershy, money isn't an issue. You are far more important than that. Like I have said many times, there is no such thing as 'too much' when it comes to you." Colgate then gave her a sad look and continued, "Please, please let me take you."

Fluttershy asked, "Alright, what time do you want to go?"

Colgate replied, "How about I come get you at four, we'll catch the train to Canterlot and by the time the train gets there, we can head to the restaurant."

Fluttershy gave her a smile, "That sounds good." She then yawned louder, "Well I suppose I should let you get on your way. I'm sure you want to get some rest for our big day tomorrow."

Colgate gave her an embrace and replied, "I think that would likely be for the best."

Colgate gave her a kiss before she left. After Colgate left, Fluttershy couldn't help but wonder why Colgate would be so insistent on her taking her to what is likely the most expensive restaurant in not just Canterlot, but all of Equestria. She couldn't help but say to herself, "I don't get it, why?" Something then began to cross her mind. She gasped, "Is she going to ask me to marry her? Is she wanting to commit?"

As Colgate headed home, she was a bit disappointed that Fluttershy didn't let her take her to the cafe but knew that she did make a good point about being well rested. She also couldn't help but wonder what Fluttershy thought about how their day together went. One thing she did know, she knew that Fluttershy was the type that would likely want to stay in her cottage more than going out and about if they were to ever get married.

A Discussion Among Sisters

A Morning Discussion

After a night of little sleep, Colgate woke up later than normal the following morning with mixed emotions. While she was excited that the day had finally arrived where she would propose to her beloved marefriend, she was also nervous about how she would respond. When she headed downstairs for breakfast, Lyra was waiting for her and she knew what was going to happen that day.

"Sis, you slept in late! You never sleep in this late!" Lyra was not overly thrilled that her sister slept in so late as she is normally the one that fixes breakfast. She then remembered what was going to happen that day and became more curious, "Are you nervous about today? Are you worried she might say no?"

Colgate replied, "I'm going to admit, I am a bit nervous."

Lyra was gone when Colgate arrived home the night before and did not get home until after Colgate had turned in for the night so she did not know what happened the night before. She asked, "Why would you be nervous? Did things not go well yesterday?"

Colgate replied, "Things went alright I think but I have a feeling that Fluttershy was not overly thrilled that I wanted us to go out and about more while she was adamant that we simply stayed in her cottage and held one another close."

Lyra knew that her sister wasn't exactly the type to want to hole up inside on days that she was not working, she knew that she liked going out and about, even if it were just by herself. Lyra asked, "Really, she wanted you two to just stay in her cottage all day?"

Colgate replied, "Well the first thing we did was go to the Everfree Forest to that old castle of Celestia and Luna's for a while. Then we returned to her cottage and even though I offered to take us to the cafe for lunch, she wanted us to stay in her cottage for the rest of the day." She then gagged, "And she insisted on fixing us daffodil and daisy sandwiches and ugh, those things are disgusting."

Lyra could tell that Colgate was not thrilled one bit by it and decided to bring something up to her about the meal, "Sis, you sound rather agitated. You know if you two were to get married, you'd likely have to eat more of those."

Colgate sighed, "I know, I know. And after that, she insisted that we simply strip down to our undergarments, lay in bed and kiss for hours on end." She began to blush, "Now I'll admit, that was nice even though I still wanted to go out for a bit."

Lyra was picking up mixed emotions from her sister. She knew that Colgate did love Fluttershy but wondered how strong it really was, "I want to know something. It seems like if she does say yes and you two were to get married, you would have to make a lot of lifestyle changes." She became more concerned and continued, "She'd likely want you to move out to her cottage with her and her animals. I highly doubt she'd move into town with us where she couldn't have all those critters." Lyra then became more nervous and finished, "And even if she did, she may not want me living with you two."

"I know." Colgate replied before continuing, "Lyra, I know I would have to sacrifice a lot but when you love somepony, you'll be willing to make sacrifices." Something crossed Colgate's mind given everything that Lyra had been bringing up as she continued, "You are bringing up all these points and I'm curious. If you and Bon Bon ever decided to get married, what kinds of sacrifices would you be willing to make?"

Despite her and Bon Bon having been dating for much longer than Colgate and Fluttershy had, Lyra was ten years younger than her elder sister and had never thought of such things, "Well I really don't know. I never even gave things like that a thought because we simply have never even thought about commitment."

"Well you never know when Bon Bon may want that sooner than you think." Colgate stated before continuing with a smile, "Who knows, she may find out that Fluttershy and I will be getting married and want the same with you."

Lyra's eyes shrank when she heard this, "I hope not! I'm way too young for anything like that!"

Colgate couldn't help but snicker, "Oh sis, I'm sure if she popped the big question and gave you a ring, you'd be more than ready to get hitched!"

"Oh no I wouldn't, I'm way too young" Lyra protested before continuing, "This is supposed to be about you, not me." She then became much more serious, "Are you sure you truly want to marry Fluttershy? Are you sure you would want to alter your life so much?" She then began to look around and continued, "Are you sure you would want to go from living here in our big house out to that tiny cottage and have to put up with all those animals, especially that rabbit I hear she has that is so unfriendly?"

Without hesitation Colgate replied, "Yes, I am sure. Like I said, compromise is part of love and I love her so much I would be willing to sacrifice a lot for her."

Lyra became curious about what time Colgate would be leaving, "Colgate so what time are you two going to leave?"

Colgate replied, "Well I was going to go get her at four, we would take the next train to Canterlot and then head to the restaurant so I still have plenty of time before I have to leave." She let out a yawn and continued, "Well I think I'm going to try and get a bit more sleep. I didn't sleep as much as I would have liked last night and I certainly don't want to be tired tonight."

Colgate headed upstairs to get some more rest before getting ready for what she hoped would be a very happy night. After Colgate headed upstairs to get some more sleep, Lyra couldn't help but worry about her elder sister. She knew that Colgate loved Fluttershy but had a feeling that if they did get married, that Colgate would not be able to tolerate living in such cramped quarters, would not like having to put up with so many animals and most importantly, would not be able to stand such a lifestyle change. She said to herself, "I honestly don't think she should be doing this, I honestly don't think commitment is for her."

One Final Discussion

It was early in the afternoon and Colgate still had not got up from what wound up being a much longer than anticipated nap. Lyra knew that her sister had to get ready and then get Fluttershy before the train left so she went to wake her up. She poked her head in Colgate's room and yelled, "Sis, wake up! You have to go pick up Fluttershy in two hours!"

Colgate shout up, "What, what?"

Lyra repeated, "Sis, it is two hours until you have to go get Fluttershy, you better get ready!"

Colgate began to get out of bed and replied, "How could I have slept for so long." She turned to Lyra and added, "Thanks for waking me up. If you hadn't, I likely would have overslept and that would have been a disaster."

Before Lyra could say anything, Colgate rushed into the bathroom so she could get showered. While Colgate was in the shower, Lyra again couldn't help but wonder if this is what her sister should really do. She kept on thinking about what Colgate had said earlier that day, particularly about how she wanted to go out and about but conceded to Fluttershy's desire to stay in. While Lyra wanted to approach her sister over this and perhaps convince her to wait a while before proposing, she knew how stubborn Colgate was, she knew that such a suggestion would likely make her mad.

Thirty minutes had passed and Colgate got out of the shower and got dressed. While she didn't have a mirror, she did look at herself and realized that what Rarity did make for her was truly elegant, something that would be perfect for the plans she had for Fluttershy. She then got into her safe and grabbed the ring. As she was putting the ring into her purse she said to herself, "I really hope this will be on her hand tonight." She then became more dreamy and continued, "And then we can plan our wedding!"

She quickly snapped out of it and realized that she had better get going. It was nearing three when she finally got downstairs. When Lyra saw her she was in a state of shock about how good her sister looked, "Colgate, you look amazing!"

Colgate gave her a smile, "Thanks."

Lyra knew how Colgate was when it came to being on time. She asked, "Sis, don't you have to be over at Fluttershy's here real quick to pick her up."

Colgate replied, "I probably don't need to leave for another thirty minutes."

Despite earlier deciding against being more up front with her sister, Lyra decided that she was going to truly voice her concerns, "Sis, since you still have a while, can I tell you some things and you promise you won't get mad?"

Colgate did not like the sounds of it but agreed, "I won't get mad."

Lyra began, "Sis, just from what you told me this morning it seems like the idea of a life style change and eating daisy sandwiches seems rather unpleasant to you. I know if you two were to get married, that she would likely want you two to shut in like that more if she didn't want you two to spend time with her friends."

Colgate sighed, "Lyra....."

Lyra continued, "And I know you like a lot of space like you have here. If you had to move out with her, you would not have that and you would have to put up with all those animals." She gave Colgate a more intense stare and continued, "Is that what you really want? Do you really want to live in cramped quarters along with all those animals? Do you really want to have to eat flower sandwiches? Do you really want to give up all this space?"

Colgate again sighed, "Lyra....."

Lyra was not about to stop there as she wanted her sister to really think about this, "And what if things don't work out and then you two wind up getting divorced? What if she was to win our house in the divorce? Where would we......"

"LYRA HEARTSTRINGS" Colgate yelled before calming down, "I know you are concerned that things may not work out but I love Fluttershy and I am willing to sacrifice a lot for her." She raised her voice and continued, "I would do anything for her, ok?"

Lyra sighed, "Well alright. I'm just looking out for you."

Colgate was a bit frustrated and just wanted to get going at that point. She grabbed her purse and headed for the exit. As she was headed over towards Fluttershy's, she couldn't help but be frustrated that Lyra would think things like that about the mare that she loved more than anything.

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.

Spreading the Good News

The following morning arrived and the two woke up in a loving embrace after a night of intimate activities. As they gazed into one another's eyes Fluttershy would be the first to speak, "Colgate, has anypony told you how beautiful your eyes are?"

Colgate blushed deeply and replied, "Nopony ever has, until now." She then sat up, stretched out and suggested, "What do you say we get showered and then go spread the good news. We can tell Lyra and then we can meet up with your friends."

Fluttershy embraced her and replied, "Yes but we're showering together!"

This excited Colgate, a lot. After their erotic night the night before, Colgate had really been hoping that she could shower with her and it was about to happen. She exclaimed, "I'd love that sweetie, of course I'll shower with you!"

The two joined hands and got into the shower. Fluttershy turned on the water and the moment it hit her Colgate screamed, "Aaaah, that's cold!"

Fluttershy giggled, "Oh it isn't that bad!"

Colgate gasped, "Maybe not for you!"

Colgate wasn't sure if this was just a one time prank her new fiancé played on her or if this was going to be a regular thing but she did find it a bit funny. She did know one thing though, in the future she would simply use her magic on the water before it could strike her, she began to snicker, "Oh you're not the only prankster in here!"

Fluttershy did not catch her snickering but did decide on something else, she was going to wash Colgate. She grabbed a poof and got it full of body wash and immediately took it to Colgate, so quickly that it shocked her. Fluttershy was giggling as she was scrubbing her. Colgate also began to giggle and started playfully splashing the water all over Fluttershy.

Once the two got calmed down Fluttershy ordered, "Colgate, whenever we shower together, I'm washing you and you're washing me!"

Colgate gave her a huge smile, "I'm all for that sweetie, I'm all for it!"

The two playfully washed one another before getting out of the shower. Once Fluttershy started getting dressed, Colgate realized something. She realized that the only thing she had to wear was her dress from the night before. She sighed, "Well Fluttershy, until we get to my house, it looks like I'll be wearing my dress from last night."

Fluttershy grabbed her hand and led her to her closet and suggested, "How about you pick something out?"

Colgate gave her a smile but there was one problem, Colgate was a size larger than Fluttershy and she wasn't sure if she would fit into anything. She asked, "Fluttershy, do you have something other than skirts and jeans? Your clothes are too small for me."

Fluttershy got into her dresser and tossed Colgate a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Colgate gave her a smile, "Thanks Fluttershy. I'd feel awfully weird wearing a fancy dress on a Sunday morning."

Fluttershy giggled, "I know how you are, you don't like to stand out!"

Colgate replied, "You know me very well Fluttershy." She then got dressed and then grabbed her dress before suggesting, "Well shall we go to my house and tell Lyra the good news and then go to the sweets' shop and tell your friends?"

Fluttershy agreed and the first place they headed was to Colgate's house. Colgate was obviously very excited to tell Lyra about not just her engagement to Fluttershy but also her plans as far as their living situation would go, something that would give Lyra a lot more space of her own, that along with an easy way to still come and visit her. Fluttershy was less sure. She had a feeling that Lyra may not like the idea of not fully living under the same roof as Colgate given their closeness.

Once they headed in Colgate discovered that Lyra had all her comics spread out over the kitchen table. Colgate couldn't help but snicker, "Oh Lyra, you and your My Little Human! What am I going to do with you?"

Colgate's arrival shocked Lyra but what shocked her even more was that her sister was not upset over her having her comics all over the place. She then saw who was with her and knew why. She saw huge smiles on both their faces and then saw the ring on Fluttershy's finger. She approached the two, embraced them and exclaimed, "Congratulations sis, congratulations Fluttershy!"

In unison the two replied, "Thanks Lyra."

Lyra was curious about how things went, especially given the doubts Colgate was having the prior afternoon. She asked, "So how did the date go?"

Colgate and Fluttershy smiled at one another before Fluttershy began, "Well things didn't start out so well." She turned to Colgate and continued, "Well your sister didn't know you had to have reservations at Bon Appetit so she got mad and attacked the greeter there."

Colgate gasped, "I did not attack him! I just let him know of my displeasure over him calling us common ponies!"

Fluttershy continued, "Well anyway, we went to the Canterlot Cafe where I ordered some raspberry wine and she" she pointed to Colgate and raised her voice, "had the audacity to eat meat! She actually ordered pork chops! Can you believe that Lyra?"

Lyra gave her a smile, "Fluttershy, we both eat meat so it doesn't surprise me one bit."

Fluttershy asked, "Really, both of you?"

Lyra replied, "Yes, our parents did and our grandparents did as well. It just runs in the family."

Fluttershy sighed, "Alright but then things started going not so well until Colgate came up with a plan."

Fluttershy nudged Colgate and she began, "Lyra, we initially had some squabbles over where we were going to live until I came up with an idea." Lyra nodded and she continued, "Well I am going to buy that large parcel of land out to the east of town and have a huge house for Fluttershy and I built." She saw Lyra's face drop as she said this, "And I also plan on having a house that connects to it built specifically for you. It will have a connecting door so you can just come over anytime you want."

Lyra's eyes grew wide upon hearing this, "Really, a house especially for me?"

Fluttershy replied, "Yep. This way you can have your own space, we can have privacy for those 'special' times and you can come visit anytime you like!"

Colgate added, "And once we got that ironed out, everything fell in place." She then kissed Fluttershy and added, "And she said yes!"

Lyra embraced Fluttershy and exclaimed, "You know Fluttershy, you are going to be the best sister-in-law ever!"

Fluttershy gave her a smile, "And you're going to be a wonderful sister-in-law too."

Colgate nudged her and suggested, "Fluttershy, how about we get going to the sweets' shop so you can tell your friends the wonderful news?"

Lyra would quickly speak up, "But sis, we haven't even had any breakfast yet!"

Fluttershy would offer a suggestion, "Lyra, why don't you come with us? You are going to be my sister-in-law after all."

Colgate added, "And it will all be on me."

Lyra enthusiastically agreed and as the three departed, Fluttershy and Colgate joined hands. Many ponies in town knew about their relationship and couldn't help but smile as they saw the two happily walking down the street hand in hand. Once the three arrived at Sugarcube Corner Fluttershy's friends noticed the moment they walked in. Rarity asked, "Fluttershy darling, how was the date?"

Fluttershy embraced her and exclaimed, "It was wonderful." She broke the embrace and showed Rarity her ring and asked, "And this is the ring she got me! Isn't it beautiful?"

Rarity was shocked by what she saw. She knew that Colgate had the money to get a good ring for her friend but she never imagined she'd spend that kind of money. She gasped, "Darling, that is magnificent! Colgate must truly love you!"

Fluttershy became excited, "She does, she really does! She's even going to buy some land and build us a big house!" She then loudly exclaimed, "And she's going to make sure I can have an animal sanctuary! She loves me so much and I love her so much too!"

The others had been listening and Rainbow extended a fist to Colgate and the two gave one another a fist bump before congratulating her, "Wow Colgate, I never thought I'd see this from you! Congrats!"

Applejack added, "Ah'll admit, you're the last pony Ah ever thought would commit to anypony, much less be willing to do so much for!"

Colgate replied, "Well I love Fluttershy and I just wanted to make sure that she gets nothing but the absolute best."

They all saw how Lyra was being left out and Twilight sought to rectify that, "So Lyra, how is everything going? Are you excited for your big sister to be getting married?"

Lyra sighed, "I am, I just wish...."

Colgate remembered something she had said earlier, "Lyra, it wasn't that long ago when you said that you were way too young for anything like that!"

Lyra seemed a bit sad, "I know, I know but you seem so happy and you and Fluttershy are so serious! You're fully committed and Bon Bon doesn't seem all that committed."

Colgate said, "Lyra, you two are only eighteen so I think it is a bit early for you two."

Lyra responded, "But you two haven't....."

Fluttershy cut her off, "Lyra, I'm 24 and Colgate will be 30 next week. To be honest, Colgate should have been married years ago!"

Colgate gave her a kiss and suggested, "Fluttershy sweetie, I think perhaps fate was at play here. I wasn't meant to do this until I found the right mare and I finally found her!"

Everypony started cheering over her comment and Pinkie finally joined in on the conversation, "What do you say we throw a 'I just got engaged last night party' for Fluttershy and Colgate?"

Everypony began to cheer loudly over the idea. All of Fluttershy's friends still couldn't help but be in a state of shock over the fact that out of all ponies Fluttershy would wind up being engaged to, that it would be the work first Colgate. They all figured that Fluttershy would wind up with somepony who wasn't as moody and while they never would say it to their face, none of them ever thought Colgate would find love. They figured that she would likely be a loner for life.