Pointed arrived at Skyline's apartment a few minutes early. He'd made sure to freshen up and put on some cologne. A glance in the mirror before he left told him he looked pretty good. He reached for the door heading out and emerged onto the street with a smile and a whistle on his lips.

It was early evening, still warm but cooling down. It was peaceful. A few other ponies walked down the streets. The shops were starting to close up for the day, ponies heading home after long hours of work. There was one kind of store that denied the call to retire. All the eateries were beacons of light on either side as he trotted down the street. He just had to pick one to bring Skyline to.

"Hmm." He stood before a few and considered them. "That one seems nice." He read the menu posted out front. "Eggs? Well, if it's all night, I suppose it would cater to some odd tastes."

Pointed rubbed at his chin with a new thought. What was it, exactly, did Skyline really like to eat? "They're a changeling." Changelings ate love, right? Pointed began to blush gently. "I'll feed you. Um, later."

A rumble from his stomach made him laugh softly. "That'll have to be later, apparently." He took in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and hurried on. Soon he knocked on Skyline's door.

Skyline appeared a moment later. "Hey! You look great." She leaned in for a quick nuzzle. "The kids are already off to bed, but I think they'd love to say hello."

"Is that your date?" came a sleepy voice from within the apartment.

Skyline shook her head gently. "It is."

"Night Wind," came a louder and less tired voice, "that's mom's boyfriend!"

Pointed puffed up with pride at the label. "Um, hey." He couldn't see the foals, but he could hear them easily enough. "I'll be taking your mom out to get something to eat and have a nice time."

"Aw," both echoed at once. "We wanna come too!"

Skyline snickered and ruffled Pointed's mane with a wingtip. "Maybe next time, okay?"

There was a low murmur of 'okay' from within the apartment. Both children were already on their way back to bed. "Be safe, mom."

"Be home soon, my little bats." Skyline blew a kiss as she stepped out with Pointed and closed the door behind her. "This is exciting."

Pointed started at that. "It is? Um, I mean, you've, uh, sorry. It just seems like you've been on a date or three before, right?"

Skyline snickered gently. "Yeah, but never with somepony I've fallen in love with." She gave Pointed a gentle hug. "Come on, you're going to show me something amazing for dinner, right?"

Pointed chuckled gently, cheeks warming. "R-really?" He was stunned into quiet, just walking at her side a minute. "Oh, I meant to just ask, what food do you actually like? Besides, um, love, that is?"

Skyline hummed a moment, looking thoughtful. "Hmm, I guess I like meat. It's something ponies make special dishes for. Fish, birds, beef, and some others." She closed her eyes and licked her lips at the thought.

Pointed folded an ear back. "Um. Most ponies don't do birds or beef. But I know a good fish place." He glanced away. "Are changelings carnivores?"

"Hardly." She bumped against Pointed as they worked down the evening street. "We are the ultimate omnivore. We can eat anything, but we have our favorite things."

Pointed bobbed his head at that. "That makes sense. So fish would be a good pick, then." He pointed with a wing towards the restaurant in question. "The fishes of the sea, here on the land, and in your stomach!"

Skyline stopped suddenly. "Is that some kind of catchphrase? You aren't an actor, are you?"

Pointed burst into giggles at that. "No! I've just seen their commercials. Come on, it's just a quick walk from here."

Skyline still eyed Pointed suspiciously, but followed along, sticking close.

"It's inside!" Pointed indicated the building, glowing with light.

There were some ponies out on the patio, chatting with smiles, and chewing on their food. Most were polite enough to not do both at the same instant. Inside was warm and inviting, scents of good food wafting in the air. "Do you eat here often?"

Pointed slipped inside first. "Now and again. I think it's a great place." Without thinking, he imagined putting a wing over Skyline, but he wasn't wearing his guard uniform. He was a unicorn, with no wings. It was almost instinctual to wrap his tail around her instead. "Do you like it?"

Skyline clung to Pointed as she looked about. "This is so much! They have menus here!" She grabbed a menu from a stand they were passing. "Let's take a look." Examining the menu distracted her a moment.

Pointed took the time to talk with the pony in front and get directed to a table they could sit down at. "Want something to drink?" Pointed rubbed at his neck awkwardly. "It's on me."

Skyline looked up from the menu, startled. "Hm? Oh!" She leaned in with a smile. "You know, changelings are communal bugs. How about we split the bill? I'm a working mare, after all."

Pointed pressed both hooves against the table, leaning over it. "I was going to get you a dessert. You can't say no to that."

Skyline burst into giggles. "I could." She stuck out her tongue. "But I won't. I think I know what I want. You?"

"I do. I'll call over our server." Pointed found their waiter and waved them over. "Evening."

The server stepped over to the table, noting the pair with a bow. "Evening, my dear guests. Today's specialty are some fresh Manehattan-caught clams that are to die for. They were delicious raw, but we baked them in cheese with an egg wash." They gestured grandly, holding one hoof to their chest. "Served steaming hot, with a dollop of aioli on top."

Skyline licked over her lips. "Well, I thought I knew what I wanted, but now I want to try that."

"One special." The server took note of it as they turned to Pointed. "And for you, Sir?"

Pointed huffed. "I'll have the fried catfish." He nodded firmly, but stayed quiet, allowing Skyline to decide the rest.

Skyline glanced over the menu once more before closing it up. "We'll have a couple of water for drinks."

"Coming right up." The server trotted away with their menus.

Pointed inclined his head. "Just water?"

Skyline grinned. "Hey, we're supposed to be out of love-money for now, and it's not like I'm a booze pony."

Pointed folded his ears back, settling down a bit. "If that's what you prefer, um." He looked around nervously a moment. "So, um, where do you usually eat?"

Skyline snorted gently. "At the barracks, or I'm cooking it myself. Being a parent cuts down on my 'eating out' time. I don't regret it, but it's a job, and I already have one, so not a lot of extra time. You?"

Pointed fidgeted in place a moment. "I usually just eat at home. It's easier than trying to go somewhere else. Especially since I get into all kinds of different shifts."

Skyline grinned a little, sliding an arm around him. "We're two busy little ponies." She nuzzled her date gently. She could feel the love radiating from him, spiking whenever Pointed actually was looking at her. It was like she was getting two dinners at once. "This was a great idea. Thank you, for thinking of it."

Pointed colored sharply, but didn't try to pull away. "I wanted to go on a date with you. There's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

"Aww, you are just too cute." She smooched the very tip of his nose. "I see some food headed this way. If you want to try some of mine, go right on ahead."

Pointed chuckled gently. "Changelings share food?"

Skyline leaned in and nodded slowly. "We share love, so we share food. It's part of how we care for each other." She rolled her eyes. "Some of us get territorial, but they're the ones that think they're tough enough to stand out. Most of us just share. If you don't mind, I'd like a taste of yours."

Pointed smiled at that. "My family's the same way. We share all the time if we're all eating. It's, um, fun when we all go out to eat. We all order something different and everypony gets to try it all."

Skyline giggled. "My kids would love that." She perked up as their server brought the plates. "Mm! That smells good."

"Enjoy." The server took off without further word.

Pointed took a familiar bite of his usual order. But Skyline's offer hung, so, with a glowing horn, he snatched a dripping clam from her plate and brought it over to sample. He pressed it into his mouth with a snap. His cheeks went red as he closed his eyes, humming softly in pleasure. "Oh, that is good." He opened his eyes to see Skyline laughing at him.

"Right?!" She snatched a bit of his fish with the tip of a wing and dropped it on her own plate, the trade complete. "You have good taste, this place has yummy stuff." She licked her lips. "Let's eat up."

Pointed rubbed at his cheek. "Yeah, no kidding." He let out a slow breath. "I have never tasted anything quite like that before."

Skyline winked. "You've never had a fresh clam like this, my foal." She cracked one open and slurped up the meaty innards. "Mmm. Then again, neither have I." She discarded the shell to the side of her plate and went in for more.

Pointed giggled gently, but just dug into his own food. The fish was nice and crunchy, well-fried with good seasoning. He hadn't had it in a while. But Skyline's clams seemed better, though he wasn't sure why. He kept snatching at hers, not that she was complaining. She just kept taking his fish in return and looking happy with both options.

She licked over her lips. "That was pretty good. This is going to be fun, trying new foods all the time."

Pointed put his fork down, a second clam on the end. "All the time?"

Skyline blinked. "Oh. I just thought, if we're dating, we'll do things like this more often. Right?"

Pointed couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Yes, I suppose we will." He finally took the bite of the clam and shivered in delight. "Oh, wow. That is so good."

Skyline snickered softly as she reached, picking up Pointed's plate. An instant later, she slid over her own, switching the plates between the two of them. "You are obviously enjoying that even more than I am. This fish is pretty good though." She dug in.

Pointed started at the exchange. "I- uh, yeah, I am." He went back to the clams, biting into the next one. He managed to eat every bite of it, chewing slowly with a soft purr of delight.

Soon enough, the food was turned into pleasant memories. The server came back with a smile. "Would you care for any dessert?"

Skyline glanced at Pointed, then leaned in to speak softly to the server. "The cheeky colt there offered to buy me dessert. I don't want to make him pouty. Do you have a menu for that?"

"Yes, of course." They set down a pair of menus. "Enjoy."

Pointed rubbed at his forehead with a laugh. "Alright, yeah, I was going to buy you some dessert." He looked at his own menu. "Hm. Not sure if I need one."

Skyline rolled her eyes. "Neither of us need dessert. But it's our first date, so, let's celebrate." She pointed with her wing's finger at a little chocolate option. "Not big, and we can share. Half for each of us is a little sweet way to mark the day, hm?"

Pointed smiled a bit. "If you insist." He scooted over next to Skyline and leaned in. "It is pretty nice, isn't it?"

"It is." Skyline closed her eyes, feeling the closeness of the other pony. The love washed in gentle lapping waves. And she wasn't lying to get it. The thought made her tense, reminding her of where she had come from. She used to be an infiltrator. To get love through deception was her specialty. To lie to get something. To pretend to be another pony entirely, just to eat. But this? This wasn't pretend. She liked Pointed, he was charming, in his own way. This was her first honest relationship.

She reached out a wing and brought it down over Pointed.

Pointed looked to her, only to jump with surprise. "You're crying. Is something wrong? Do you want to leave?"

Skyline squeezed her eyes shut, then looked up with a smile. "Yes. I am. But, not for the reason you might think." She laughed softly, not sure what to say. "These are happy tears." She nestled against him. "The happiest."

"I don't get it, but that's okay." Pointed wrapped his own arm over Skyline's back, nuzzling gently at her cheek. "Are you sure you want dessert?"

Skyline opened her eyes and managed a big grin. "Of course I do! What kind of silly mare would turn down dessert?"

Author's Note

Dang magic hats! Would you be pleased or displeased by this 'gift'?

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon!

Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could

Join my discord to chat!