Opportunity of a Lifetime

Chapter 13: Preparation for Tomorrow Night

Dusk and Fluttershy were both blushing both thinking about different things. There was a deafening silence in the room, with both of the ponies being nervous around each other. Dusk is desparatly trying to think of something that he could say to Fluttershy, so they could start a conversation.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Uhh, I’ll probably be able to take this cast of my wing, in 17 days.” Says Dusk.

“Really, it has only been that little time? It feels like you have done so much.” States Fluttershy.

“Yeah, I know right.”

“I’m going to make pasta for dinner tonight, if that is alright with you.”

“Yeah that should be fine.”

‘Kudos to me, for ending the silence.’

Dusk decides to have a bath while Fluttershy is still making the pasta. While in the tub, he starts to think of a plan for tomorrow night.

‘First, I’ll wake up early, as usual and leave a note as I leave, saying how I’ll be back by 6PM or something like that. Then after work, I’ll go to a few stores with my hard-earned bits, and buy her a few gifts. Then I get back to her house, give her the gifts in a romantic gesture and ask her out. I hope that it works.’

He continues to wash himself, and is still baffled by the excessive amount of washing products that she has.

‘Maybe it’s a mare thing...’

After quickly drying himself, he sees that the table where they eat, is already set up. Dusk’s meal is in a bowl, waiting to be eaten, while Fluttershy is sitting in her side of the table, patiently  waiting for Dusk to sit at the table.

“Eh heh heh... sorry Shy. How long did I have to make you wait for?” Worries Dusk.

“Not too long Dusk. I’ve only been here for 1-2 minutes at the most.”

“That isn’t too bad then.”

Both Dusk and Fluttershy start to eat, and Dusk encounters the dreaded fork again. This time, he intends to eat the food properly. He first tries to grab the fork with one hoof, like Fluttershy, and drops it.

So he quickly gives up using one hoof and goes back to using 2 hooves. Using this awkward method, he successfully picks up some pasta, and eats it as his reward. For the third time this week, his eyes dilate, as he wonders how anything that Fluttershy makes, is so good.

“How the hay do you make ANYTHING taste good? What is your secret?”

“I uhh... don’t have one.”

“Are you kidding...”

Fluttershy finishes her dinner, and is waiting for Dusk to eat his. Unfortunately for Dusk, he had only eaten about a quarter of his meal. He is trying to use the fork with only one hoof, and he is getting better... slightly. He sees that Fluttershy is patiently waiting for him to finish his meal, but he knows that it will be way into the night before he finishes.

“Fluttershy, you don’t need to sit at the table until I finish. You do know that it’ll be Nightmare Night by the time I’m finished.”

“Umm, but... I need to wait for you to finish, it’s rude to leave the table early.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, just get yourself washed up. I plan on going straight to bed anyway, because I just want to have an early night, tonight.”

“...OK Dusk. If it’s what you want.”

“I’m positive.”

While Fluttershy is in the bathtub, Dusk began to eat his meal with his fork. It may have been slow progress, but it was something. He is starting to get used to the fork.

About 10 minutes later, Dusk finally finishes his meal, and heads to the couch, so he could get some sleep for the day ahead. He contemplates about why he has been attracted to Fluttershy.

‘When I first saw her in hospital, I thought that she was quite attractive, but that wasn’t really when I started liking her. What is the point of liking a pretty mare, if they act like douchebags. Anyway, I started to see her personality, she is kind-hearted, selfless, caring and all that stuff. I reckon that is when I started to like her. Lastly, when she just started to overload me with unintentional cuteness, I think that is when I started to have a massive crush on her. So... she has: good looks, lovable personality and an excessive level of D’AWW.

She is the perfect mare.’

Dusk left for Sweet Apple Acres, and had already left Fluttershy a note, about how he would be back at 6PM. He once again, met Big Mac early on in the morning, and started working, as soon as he woke the girls up. It became a routine for Dusk.

-Some time later-

It is about 2PM, and Dusk asks Applejack if he could leave work early.

“And why tha’ hay would ah let ya do that?” Asks an annoyed Applejack.

“I need to prepare for something I’ve planned for tonight.”

“Doesn’t really tell me why ah should just let ya leave work whenever ya want.”

“I don’t really want to tell you why I have to leave though. It’s is kind of important to me.”

“Still don’t see why ya could do this important task tomorrow.”

Dusk was starting to get pissed off, his face has a darker expression, he is tensing up and his voice is starting to get louder than usual. He calls this ‘Level 1 Anger’. Basically, he is getting quite frustrated, but is still under control.

“I need to do this tonight, and I need time to prepare.”

“Can’t ya just do this after work?” Applejack is starting to get quite angry.

“I will not have enough time, Applejack. If I get any less time, then I won’t be able to do it.” Aggressively retorts Dusk.

He was truly starting to get angry with the farm mare, he is up to ‘Level 2 Anger’. He becomes faster, stronger and louder than when he is normal. He feels the adrenaline pulsing around his body, but still tends to think with reason. It is a restrained anger of sorts. He didn’t want to get even more angry, because, he becomes unpredictable then.

“Ya can’t just stop in the middle of a job Dusk, that isn’t how it works.” Yells Applejack who is seething with rage.

“I know that isn’t how it works Applejack, let me just finish 2 hours early, so I can do this. You can keep my pay for the day, just let me do this.” Dusk says in an eerily calm voice.

“Ah don’t know what ya need ta do ta leave so early, but ya are not leaving the farm until 4PM. If ya act like this, than no wonder ya don’t have ah proper job!” She yells at Dusk. This grabs the attention of Big Mac and Caramel, who were working with the plows.

This sent Dusk over the edge. In ‘Level 3 Anger’, he becomes a danger as he does the first thing that comes into his head, which can be violent. He stands at a threatening posture, and he tends to put his hoof onto his forehead in an effort to calm down. He has a raging inferno inside his eyes.

He walks right up to Applejack, invading her personal space. “THE ONLY REASON WHY I WANT TWO HOURS OFF, IS SO I CAN PREPARE TO ASK FLUTTERSHY ON A DATE!”

Screams Dusk in a massive rage. He towers over Applejack, who is starting to cower. “I WANT TO JUST GO TO THE SHOPS, SO I CAN BUY HER SOME NICE BUCKING GIFTS, AND MAKE MYSELF LOOK GOOD! IS IT SO DAMN IMPORTANT THAT I SAY HERE AND BUCK SOME STUPID TREES?!”

He bucks a tree for emphasis, which falls onto the ground. The only other pony who has ever knocked down a fully grown tree is Big Mac. “I’m leaving.” Dusk says in a calmed, but angry tone. He simply walks away from the farm. Both Big Mac and Caramel has shocked looks on their faces, while Applejack is looking straight at the ground, with no will to do anything for the rest of the day.

Dusk has calmed down considerably after his little outburst at Applejack. He is walking toward the town, trying to find a good store to buy gifts from. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t really know what she likes. He sees something that catches his eyes, a flower stand. He decides to buy a bouquet of red and pink roses, which was quite expensive. 30 bits of expensive to be precise.

He notices that he is not exactly the most clean of stallions after his work at the apple farm. He then remembers Fluttershy telling him about how she and Rarity like to go to a spa place in Ponyville. He looks at himself, and sees that he is in need of a wash, a bit more than usual for some reason. He cringes at the thought of being the only stallion at a place which is suited for mares, but he sucks in his pride as he remembers why he has to do this.

He walks into the establishment, and gets bombarded by an overwhelming aroma of bathing products. He received weird looks from the mares inside, and wonders, ‘What have I gotten myself into’.

After a quick bath in the spa, (and after using 25 bits) he stepped back outside, cleaner than he has ever felt in his life. He seriously doubts that anypony besides him, has ever used the stallion baths in that place.

There was still an hour and a half left, before he will go back to Fluttershy’s. He wants to buy a 2nd gift for her, so he searches in the Ponyville Markets.

After an hour of searching, his eyes see a suitable present for her. It is a golden necklace, with a small butterfly charm on the front. It was perfect. He looks the pricetag... 205 bits, which was basically all the money he had left. He knows that he wouldn’t be able to return to the Sweet Apple Acres to work again, and that buying this, would leave him broke for a bit over 2 weeks. Despite this fact, he buys the necklace and then walks back to Fluttershy’s.

At 5:57PM, he arrives back at Fluttershy’s, ready what he is about to say.

*knock knock*

Dusk hears a small squeak from inside the house. (D’AAWWW) Fluttershy opens the door to her house.

His jaw drops.