One Winter NightView OnlineOne Winter NightOne Winter NightIt was a chilly winters night on a rural road winding through the outskirts of Ponyville, the town I have called home for a year or so now. I look to my right and see the mare I'm walking home who just so happened to be a good friend of mine. Rainbow Dash had invited me to a party with her friends who I haven't had much of a chance to get acquainted with and to be honest still didn't know too well afterwards. There was the mare that owned the library, Twilight, the hyperactive one whose name was Pinkie something, the fashion designer Rarity who tried to insist I buy some outrageously high priced item from her shop, and a few others. I had heard a few ponies around town call them unforgettable but the only one I found truly unforgettable was Dash. As we walk in silence I let my mind wander off to memories of my second day of moving various items into my newly bought house, well, it was probably more of a shack at the time of purchase but that's not the point. I was moving a box containing some books of mine to go on the bookshelf in the bedroom. There was literally no warning as something, or somepony as I would later find out, crashed into the box, sending it flying off my back and into some nearby shrubbery along with whoever it was that had crashed into me at such high speeds. She quickly picked herself up afterwards and went to apologize. "Hey, really sorry about your books, thought I would have been able to pull up in time to make it over you." Being a pegasus myself I wasn't the most amazing flyer, but I knew enough from the scenario that she probably wouldn't have made it over me regardless. "It's not too big of a deal, just help me get these books organized again and we can both keep going on with our days." She nodded and began to help me stack books back in the box. After a few seconds I could tell an old adventure novel of mine had caught her eye. "You can borrow that book if you'd like, if you enjoy it enough the first time I might even let you keep it." "Thanks, but I don't think we've even exchanged names yet, I'm Rainbow Dash, and you are?" "Cloud Quake, just getting finished up moving in if you couldn't already tell." At this point we had finished packing up the scattered books and I put the box back on my back. "I'll see you around and get your book back to you as soon as I finish it." She quickly took off with the book in hoof before much more could be said. Over the coming days I would find our daily lives crossed paths more than a couple of times. We would stop and chat for a few minutes while on our way to wherever it was we were going at the time, I would ask her how the book was and so on and afterwards we'd continue on with our day until our paths inevitably crossed again. About a week after our first encounter with each other she came flying up to me at a spot where we both knew we'd run into each other telling me about how she'd finished the book and how good it was. At this point I let her keep it since she would clearly get more use out of it then I would. To this day I can't remember the name of that book for the life of me..... I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the noticeable shivering of Rainbow Dash as she walks beside me. I extend one of my wings uncertainly and put it around her. She walks a bit closer to me and smiles in appreciation as I do so. "So did you enjoy the party? I hope you got to know my friends a bit better." I chuckle. "To be honest I don't think I know them much better than I did the first week I was here." She laughs softly back with me. "They really stick to you once you get to know them though." "Well at least you've stuck to me as I got to know you over this past year." She blushes a bit. "Well that might not be the case if I hadn't smashed into those books of yours the day you moved here." I smile. "I'm glad I got to help you find the book you enjoyed so much though." "You know I still keep that book in a very special place on my shelf." "Really, why?" "Well besides the fact that it's a great book it was given to me by a certain stallion I find very special." I start blushing at this point too. "A lot has changed between us over the past year, us seeing each other multiple times a day and all, but do you really feel the way I think you do about me?" She looks at me with a serious yet slightly embarrassed expression. "Well, I guess I kind of do. You've shown me quite a bit this past year, and maybe one of the reasons I stuck to you is something you didn't know about at the time. So I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that, well, I love you..." I stop walking and look at her while smiling. "You know what Dash, I love you too. I just wish I could remember the title of that book I gave you that most likely started all this." "To be completely honest with you I wouldn't remember it unless I looked at the book closer, I just kept it in that special spot on my shelf to remind me of you." I smile and wrap my wing more tightly around her as she walks right up against me while I continue to walk her home on this one winter night.
The Follow UpView OnlineOne Winter NightThe Follow UpAbout a week has passed since Dash and I realized what we meant to each other. While it is still the middle of winter today is relatively warm and the normal cloud cover of the season is nowhere to be found. Personally I think Dash may have used her spot on the Weather Patrol to ensure today was comfortable as it's the day I take her on one of our first "official" dates since apparently hanging around at each others houses isn't official enough for her, this quite frankly came as a surprise to me because she always came off as a more laid back mare to me. I guess that even after year of knowing Dash I still haven't worked out how she views some things, I laugh softly as I make my way towards where she and I are supposed to meet, making sure I figure out some of those views is definitely at the top of my to do list. As I trot down the same road I walked Dash home on those seemingly short seven days ago I worry slightly about being late, she had asked I meet her under an oak tree that was a frequent meeting place for us at one fifteen, and I was confident from the position of the sun that it was at least ten minutes past that. A few minutes later I arrive underneath the broad branches of the tree which was stripped leafless at the beginning of the season, I see only one thing wrong with the scene. As I look around I find Dash is nowhere to be found, I probably shouldn't have expected her to be on time so I stand around under the branches of the tree waiting for her to arrive. Suddenly a large weight drops on me from above making me fall to the ground with an audible grunt. I roll over with the object still pinning me down to come face to face with none other than my beautiful Rainbow Dash. "You're late." She giggles with a smile on her face. I lean my neck up and give her a quick kiss. "I can recall a few instances when you were just as late if not more." "Shut up, you and I both know I have my reasons." She says as she hits me playfully over the ear. "Yea, yea, yea." I move to get up off the ground but she doesn't seem to want to move, I oblige her silent request and continue to lie there holding her against me. Eventually she rolls off the top of me and rests at my side. "I could stay like this forever, next to you." She said quietly as she looks into my eyes. "You say that as if it's something I don't already know." I respond in a teasing manner. After a few minutes she and I both sit up somewhat regretfully and lean against the trunk of the tree. She leans her head into my shoulder and I extend a wing around her while we sit in silence for a few minutes simply enjoying each others presence. Sometime later I finally break the peaceful silence. "So since this is our first *official* date, what is it you wanted to do?" "Well, spend time with you of course, what else?" "Isn't that what we've been doing most of this past week though?" "Well yea, but that was mostly in private, now we're out in the open where any pony passing by could tell that you are mine." "Or vise-versa." I add in just to be able to make the smart remark. She gets a visible blush on her face, (which just for future reference makes her look like possibly the most adorable creature to grace the skies of Equestria; not that she wasn't already but still), and hits me in the shoulder lightly with her hoof. "Not funny, but in a way yes." She ends with a subtle wink. "So basically you consider an official date taking your new stallion out to show off." I say as I playfully nudge her. "As good as it may be to show off to some of the other mares I also have to make sure that stallion is just as good at showing me off." "In other words you want to know that I'll love you in public as much as I do when we're winding down at your place." "Congratulations, Sherclop, you've solved the mystery." She says and gives me a small kiss on the neck. "Well then it's a good thing that I promise to love you no matter what situation we find ourselves in." I say as I nuzzle her cheek. "I knew I made the right choice to tell you how I felt last week; you sure do know how to make a mare that tries constantly to act tough to get all sappy." She then hits me again with her hoof, even though it's light if she keeps doing it at this rate I'll probably end up with a bruise. "I do try my hardest to leave the best possible impression on a mare as I can; it definitely seems I made my most lasting impression on you though." She just smiles at me and snuggles into my chest. After a few long minutes I feel her breathing slow, she's asleep, and you know what? I'm perfectly content to fall asleep right here with her.
A Day in the SnowView OnlineOne Winter NightA Day in the SnowThe view outside my window was of a freshly laid snow cover from a storm that had passed through last night and dense cloud cover that threatened to drop more snow at any moment. Most ponies would stay inside and keep warm by a fire on a day like today, but I quite enjoyed weather like this so I was planning on taking a bit of a stroll to admire the snowy scenery without the hustle and bustle of other ponies to distract me. As I prepare to step outside my mind couldn't help but wander to Dash, lately it had been quite difficult not to think about her, we've been dating for close to three weeks now so I guess it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to me. Maybe I'll pay her a surprise visit on my stroll. I think to myself as I step outside and look around I see a scene that one might find in the jigsaw puzzle section of your local store; the snow cover was completely undisturbed, the bare tree branches had a light covering of snow on them, and a group of five cardinals picked at the ground searching for food. I'll have to refill the bird feeder later once I- my thought is cut off suddenly by a large sheet of snow sliding off my roof and landing right on top of me, covering me head to tail in a sheet of snow that is somewhat reminiscent of the layers of snow covering the tree branches around my house. I hear an unmistakable laugh coming from my roof and I instantly know this was no accident. "You know I love you Cloud, but you really should have told me you were a snowpony sooner." She continues to laugh at the prank she pulled. I shake myself off rapidly, letting most of the snow fall on her. "Well who's the snowpony now, hmm?" "Hey! You can't just take my prank and use it on me a minute after I used it on you!" "Oh. Sorry about that, I guess I wasn't aware of that law." I reply sarcastically. "Here, let me fix that." I then playfully push her down into the snow, making sure she lands on her back to leave a Dash shaped impression in the snow. "There, now I have a snow angel." She blushes slightly as I trot around her, suddenly I feel my forelegs leave the ground and I find myself flat on my back with the wind knocked out of me. As I start to recover I see Dash standing on top of me with a snowball in hoof, it doesn't take long for said snowball to leave her hoof and land right in my face. "Oh. It. Is. ON." I get a large grin on my face as I get up and make a move towards her. "Whoa, I know what you're trying to do, don't even think-" she's interrupted by her win hysterical laughter at this point as I've tackled her to the around and begun to tickle her. A few days ago I accidentally happened across a ticklish spot under her left wing and I knew it would come in handy on several occasions, this being one of them. "You want me to stop, Dash? Good luck with that." She continues to laugh hysterically as I tickle her but somehow she manages to overpower me and push me onto my back, she then sits down with a plop on my chest. "You know I told you never to do that again the first time it happened." She remarks with a smirk. "I know, it just seemed appropriate for the situation, you hitting me with that snowball right in the face and all." "Cloud Quake, you are the craziest pegasus this side of Canterlot, but I still love you for it." She reclines and continues to use me as a chair for a few minutes before we both notice a rather large snowflake fall on my nose. "Come on, we should probably go inside, it's getting colder out here and the snow is starting up again." I tell her. She nods and we both get up to head inside. As I hold the door open for her I look out at my yard and see the undamaged snow blanket from earlier is now completely destroyed. Once we get inside Dash goes to sit down on my couch and I notice we're both soaked and shivering. I trot towards the closet to grab some blankets and return a few moments later with two blankets in hoof. She smiles at me as she notices my return. "You only needed to get one blanket." I smile nervously, and Dash takes clear notice. "Come on, you know by now that I don't bite." "Heh, true. You can have it your way then." I set the second blanket to the side and drape the first one over her. "Can I get you something to drink? Normally all I keep around here this time of year is hot coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate though." She looks at me graciously for the kind gesture. "Some hot chocolate will be fine." "Two hot chocolates it is then." I go into the kitchen to make the drinks and come back a few minutes later holding the beverages. I hand Dash her mug and sit down next to her, pulling the blanket over the two of us in the process. She takes a sip of her drink and when she pulls the mug away from I can't help but laugh at the tiny marshmallow stuck on her nose. "What's so funny?" She asks, confused as to what I'm laughing at. "You should try looking at your face sometime." I respond while continuing to laugh. She sets her mug down and moves her hoof across her face, trying feel for what I was talking about. "Here, let me help you with that." I set my mug down by hers and kiss her on the nose, getting rid of the marshmallow and making her blush at the same time. Our drinks are disregarded for the most part from that point on as we huddle close together under the blanket, seeking warmth as the snowfall outside gets heavier.
