Chapter Five

Having had time to fly home and put on a decent looking suit, you land silently behind Redheart whilst she was stood watching the horizon. Her mane is down again, but this time straightened rather than simply let out of it’s bun, and she is wearing a red dress, the kind reserved for special occasions. The mare doesn’t flinch when you reach a wing around her as you stand by her side, her eyes still watching the vast array of colour coming from the setting sun, the clouds beneath your hooves illuminated, your shadows cast long.

“You look like you’ve never seen a sunset up here before...” you ask, leaning in and kissing her cheek softly.

“I’ve never seen something so beautiful, it’s normally dark already when I finish working, it’s the most amazing and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I’ve seen somepony more beautiful.”

“Thunder, you’re so... so... cheesy.” Redheart replies, before laughing lightly and nuzzling you.

“I’m sorry, if I’m honest, I’ve not done the whole dating thing in a very long time.”

“Well, if you were being sincere, then I think I can handle a little cheese,” the mare says, before tilting her head up, gently bringing her lips to yours. Her taste is delicious, a faint blend of strawberries and cream.

“I’m not that easy, but you can think of that as encouragement...” she whispers after pulling out of the kiss, before turning back to watch the sunset with you at her side, still under your wing, “Is it always this beautiful up here at sunset?”

“Yeah, one day, I’ll take you to a place that’s a little fly away from here. It’s a really old piece of cloud called Celestia’s Throne-”

“Old cloud?” she says, turning to you again, looking skeptical.

“Well, sort of. It’s more about the position of it than the actual cloud. It’s dispersed and been remade so many times, but it almost always ends up in the same shape. At exactly the right time of day, you can see all the way to the border.”

“It sounds amazing! Why haven’t I ever heard of it?”

“Well, when you were at high school, did you have a make-out point?” you ask. Redheart blushes, before nodding slowly, “Celestia’s throne was just that, when I was a kid. A lot of pegasi, including me, had their first kiss there.”

“Very romantic, I’d love to go there, if things between us go further.”

“Speaking of going further, maybe we should be making a move towards the restaurant, I wouldn’t want to get you there and find that it’s closed...” you say, bringing your wing back to your side, folding it neatly.

Taking one last look at the sunset, Redheart begins to walk with you, bobbing gently as she walks over the fluffy clouds.

The Boiling Point - Cloudsdale’s best known five-star restaurant. For most ponies, it would take months to get a reservation at the establishment... but you’re not exactly like most ponies.

Stood on the thick red carpet, in the queue with Redheart, you find yourself behind a young family. They’re obviously treating themselves to an expensive dinner for the occasion of the youngest of their group, a young purple unicorn filly wearing what looks like her father’s flat cap, having discovered her cutie mark. As the family finally get to the front of the queue, you hear a frantic hushed argument between the maitre’d and the father of the family in front.

From what you could gather, there had been some sort of mix up and their table had already given away. The father, a cream coloured unicorn stallion bearing a barrel as his cutie mark, sighs and turns away, beckoning the youngster and her mother to follow.

Straightening his mane and bow-tie, the maitre’d immediately brightens up as he sees you.

“Ah, good evening Sir, I presume you will be wanting your usual table? Shall I call your brother also?”

“...Not tonight, Alfonse. What was that I just saw?”

The pegasus shuffles his wings awkwardly, glancing beyond you towards the family leaving the restaurant.

“Undesirables, Sir. Non-pegasi make this place look a mes-”

“Alfonse, I think you should meet my date for the night, she’s not a pegasus. You gonna throw me out, too?” you interrupt, growling slightly, “Why don’t you go ahead and fetch Ramses. I think he needs to know about this.”

“He does not. Even if I were to let the riff-raff in, we are full to capacity.”

“Then that family can have my table. I know that you keep it open every Friday night for me and the ‘bolts. Redheart, could you be a dear and go fetch them for me?” you reply again, eyes locked with the light blue pegasus stood at his podium.

“What the raspberry-scented FUCK is going on here?” calls an angry voice behind Alfonse, revealing itself to belong to the head chef and owner of the establishment - your brother, Ramses, “Thunder! You alright, matey?”

You glare at Alfonse, who shrinks at the combined presence of you and his boss.

“Somepony here just turned away a family for being the wrong race.”

“That’s simply not true! We are full, and can’t possibly take mo-”

“Shut the fuck up, Alfonse.” Ramses growls, shaking the tall hat from his head as he pulls the maitre’d from behind the podium, “I’ve seen the empty tables! Get your stuff, and get the fuck out of my restaurant. You’ve been warned about this before, and I’m not havin’ it.”

As Alfonse leaves, Redheart returns with the rejected family in tow, chatting to the mother.

“Berry, I didn’t even recognise you! Ruby’s grown ever so much, and I see she found her cutie mark? How is Paddock coping as her step-father? I got your note about Hearth's Warming eve, I might be able to make it, I'll have to check my schedule...”

“I’m so sorry, Nurse Redheart, we didn’t mean to be causing trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all, love.” Ramses says, rudely stopping the conversation, “For the inconvenience, you and your family will be dining for free tonight...”

“At the very table used every Friday by none-other than the Wonderbolt display team!” you add at the end, causing the little foal’s eyes to widen in awe. “If I’m going to use it, it’s going to be to do the right thing” you think, justifying the use of your celebrity status to yourself.

“Y...yes,” Ramses replies, running a hoof through his short-cropped blonde mane in slight frustration, “and I think I’ll have my new sous-chef, Miguel, take personal care of you. I’m sorry not to be doing it myself, but I think I need to talk to my brother here before his fame drives him bloody mental.”

The small crowd that had gathered laugh, and another waiter appears to take the podium. After shaking hooves with the father, and having a photo taken with Ruby, you and Redheart are whisked away by Ramses to the mezzanine floor overlooking the main hall of the restaurant. The decorations inside are lavish, deep reds and golds being the main colour scheme, the tables and chairs made of solid oak, held in place by magic.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6 Estimated time remaining: 8 Minutes