A Perfect Evening
Midnight Affection walked through the streets of Canterlot, carrying out her menial daily tasks. She wanted to do them quickly since she did have to sleep soon. Not only had she been up all night, but she also had a very important meeting tonight. Getting lost in thought, she was interrupted when she bumped into another pony.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."
"Watch where you're going, ditzy child." The posh pony said, sticking their nose up and walking away.
Midnight took a deep breath and continued walking as well. Her walk turned into a mild trot as she made her way to the dessert shop near her home to get her cake order and continue on home. ‘Ok, I should have everything. The cake, dinner, and I picked up the floral arrangement and complimenting candles...just need to light the candles. What else? Ah! The time! I reminded him about the time, right?!’ she panicked a bit before walking muzzle first into her front door. “There I go zoning out again. Of course I told what time to come and I know he’ll be here on time. All I need to do now is get some rest,” she mumbled.
She walked into her house and put the cake in the fridge before going to bed. Her bed was round in order to accommodate her. She set down her saddle bag and climbed into bed, set her glasses on her night stand, settled down, and closed her eyes.
She wandered around Canterlot at night. The moon was high in the sky and she was going home late from work. This wasn’t out of the ordinary for her but it still made her nervous to walk along at night. The sound of her bracelets jangle against each other with each step. Other sounds keep her on edge.
“I’m ok...I’m ok...I’ve done this plenty of time before and I know my way home. This is no different,” she mumbled.
A sudden twig snap made her jump. Her knees shook a bit as she looked around. It took a while to convince herself that it was just a squirrel and keep moving, this time a bit quicker. A few more sounds put Midnight on edge before a brief shadow flew over her and walking turned into a quick trot.
“I’ve gotta get home now!” She squeaked. Midnight went as fast as she could and it took her a moment to realize she was somewhere unfamiliar. “Uh oh...where am I?” She was still on a public street from what she could tell, just not a street she was familiar with since she was still new to Canterlot.
She started to panic a bit again when the shadow from earlier reappeared. This time it stopped and hovered over her.
“What are you doing out this late? Are you somepony suspicious?” A male voice asked.
Midnight looked up and saw a pair of red eyes staring down at her. Her voice getting lost in fear. The figure hovered down, and as he got closer, he became clearer. The stallion was midnight blue with his short mane and tail being lighter blue accents. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. While still fearful, she was mesmerized by his red eyes and his wings. They were leathery instead of covered in feathers, something she hadn’t seen before. As her eyes finally shifted to the armor he wore, it made sense. He was a Lunar Guard.
“I will ask again. Are you somepony suspicious?” He said, his voice was mildly deep and stern but also comforting in a way.
“I...um..no. N-No, I’m nopony suspicious. I just got a bit turned around,” she looked down, her mane lightly covering part of her face. “I left work late and I’m still new to Canterlot...and I’ve only found my way home mostly during the day. I-It’s a bit...harder at night.” She lightly scraped her hoof against the ground nervously.
“Where do you live? I’ll escort you home. It’s the least I can do since I most likely startled you.” He said, placing a hoof on hers. “Sorry for that by the way, it’s just natural to be on guard like that.”
“Oh! N-No, it’s understandable. It’s your job. Um, I live in a studio by Saddle Row.”
“Ah, I know the one. I know where that is. Come.” He started to walking with her. The two walk in relative silence. Midnight did find herself stealing small glances at the stallion, but couldn’t figure out what to say. When they arrived at her home, the mare felt untold relief. “Here we are.”
“Thank you so much...um...Mr.?”
“Night. Mystic Night, ma’am. And no need to thank me. I’m just happy to help. Have a good night.” He bowed lightly before taking off again, leaving Midnight to walk into her home without the thought of seeing him again.
“Mystic Night...” she mumbled.
“Mystic...” Midnight mumbled softly as the sound of her alarm started waking her up. “Haven’t had that dream in a while,” she yawned softly and tapped her alarm clock as she looked around. The window cast the shade of sunset beginning to settle in as her eyes cleared. Realizing this, Midnight jumped up and nearly fell out of bed. “Oh no! I slept too long! My alarm must’ve been going off for thirty minutes now!”
She jumped out of bed and ran to get herself prepared. Multitasking by making up her bed, brushing her teeth, and brushing her mane; she gets herself ready. After, she rushes to the kitchen to start on dinner. “I was so confident I’d wake up on time, I didn’t think to ask one of the girls to come help if I didn’t wake in time. I mean I have like five sisters...one of them being a Changeling...and now nine nieces...and three nephews...surely they can’t be too busy.” Midnight fusses to herself as she tasted the vegetable stew she was making. “Perfect but not finished yet. It just needs to simmer for a while.”
She put the lid back on the pot and went straight for making the tossed salad, adding apple and mango slices to it. Once that was done, she effortlessly set the table, starting with the floral arrangement at the center and picking out plates to compliment the arrangement. With that done, all that was left was to set and light the candles as dinner cooked.
Midnight had just finished lighting the last candle when a knock came on her door. She took a deep breath and opened the door. There stood her colt friend, Mystic Night, with a charming smile that made her heart melt.
“Good evening, Midnight.”
“G-Good evening, Mystic.”
He kissed her cheek and walked in, the door closing behind him.
“Your home is as tidy as ever, my dear.” He said, looking around. “Though I have yet to see your room.”
“You’ve seen my room, remember? When you would come by before your patrols,” she shifted a few books around. She turned and come muzzle to muzzle with him.
“Not your room here, silly. I mean your room...your real room.” His eyes gently stared into hers as his keen ears heard her heart beating wildly. Leaning back, he chuckled softly and gently motioned to the front door. “You’ve never taken me to your real home before. This ethereal rift you’ve mentioned before.”
“O-oh! There...right. Well it’s pretty organized and tidy there too. My sisters like being tidy...despite sometimes leaving the kitchen a disaster.” She giggled nervously.
“I can imagine.”
The kitchen timer went off, signifying that the stew was complete. “Oh, just in time.” The alabaster mare walked into the kitchen and turned off the stove. “Smells perfect.”
“Yes it does.” Mystic walked into the kitchen and his smirk grew a bit. The flower center piece was an arrangement of Easter and orange lilies; his favorite flower. He quietly picked an Easter lily and placed it in Midnight’s hair. “Absolutely perfect.” He winked.
“M-Myst...” she blushed a bit and cleared her throat. “I...um...I made dinner for us and got dessert too. I thought tonight we can have a relaxing evening. Since it’s a rare night for you to not be on duty.”
“I appreciate that, love. But don’t think I’ve forgotten the topic. I still am interested in seeing your real room.” He kisses her nose before sitting at the table. With adorable bashfulness, Midnight brought their food to the table and joined him.
“Y-You will...eventually.” She giggled bashfully. The two spent the evening chatting over dinner and cuddling; reminiscing about various precious moments they shared. It ended them snuggling in each other’s arms. It truly was a perfect evening.