Those Stripes

Chapters

Prologue
Bonus Chapter: Hearth's Warming Eve
Lunch Break
Date Night
The Morning Routine

Prologue

I woke with a start, gasping for breath that I couldn’t seem to find. The room around me was stiflingly warm, and I was slick with sweat. I flailed, trying to free myself from the tangle of bed sheets. When they wouldn’t immediately release their hold I began to panic. Swirling blackness was still vivid in my mind’s eye, trying to sweep me away.

Finally springing free, I rolled, falling off the bed and crashing to the floor where I scrambled as quickly as I could away. It didn’t matter where, as long as I was moving. When my back hit a wall, I grasped my head between my hands as I searched desperately for anything I recognized. When the familiar trappings of my bedroom came into view, I took several deep breaths to calm down.

I could still feel the hands reaching for me, raking me with their clawed fingers. Pins and needles were still flaring through me, telling the tale of pains unimaginable. When something touched my shoulder, I jumped wildly, and it was only then that I heard someone talking.

“Matt, Mathew, stop! It’s me, it’s Amiti! Please, calm down, luv,” he pleaded. His voice was something familiar, and I flung myself at him, burying my face in his neck. His forelegs wrapped themselves around my back, cradling me like I hadn’t been for a long time. I couldn’t hold it anymore, and I cried onto his shoulder.

I’m not sure how long we sat there on the floor, but he never stopped holding me. He continued whispering to me, giving me soft assurances that everything was going to be fine; that he loved me. After a time I found my tears subsiding and my breath coming more easily. All the while, his hooves continued to gently rub my back.

With my panic subsiding and the last vestiges of the nightmare fading back to reality, I felt my gut twist in embarrassment. The nightmare had been a bad one, sure, but I felt like a baby for breaking down like that. Realizing I still had a death grip around his neck, I slackened my hold, but I still didn’t pull away from him. Instead, I kept my face buried in the grey-striped coat of his neck.

“Matt? Are you okay?” he asked, his tone calmer than before, but still hesitant. I smiled a little as he nuzzled the side of my head.

“Yeah, I’m better now,” I said, and I was surprised at how hoarse my voice was. Coughing to clear my throat, I finally decided to let go. I leaned back against the wall, the surface cool against my skin. I was reminded again how warm the room was, a fact which wasn’t helped by burying my face into essentially a thick fur jacket. It was the dead of summer, and I was very much missing air conditioning.

As though sensing my thoughts, my partner stood, moving towards the window nearby. Rearing up onto his hind legs, he threw the window open, and a fresh breeze immediately started flowing through the stifling room. It wasn’t exactly much cooler, but at least it was moving.

As he lowered himself from the window, I took stock of him. His striped mane, normally in a well-maintained short Zebrican mohawk, was a mess, though with waking up in the middle of the night I couldn’t blame him that. His coat had a particularly matted patch on his neck where I had cried, and though I bet he was itching to brush it he was more worried about me. That was so like him.

As he turned back to me, our eyes finally met. They’re a brilliant purple, and at the moment filled with a million worried questions he was dying to ask. I had to debate with myself if I wanted to tell him about the dream. He would never judge me over something as stupid as having a nightmare, and I know that I have nothing to prove to him, but I can’t help but feel apprehensive. I hate feeling weak, and complaining about a stupid bad dream felt pretty damn weak to me. Across from me, Amiti fell to his haunches.

“Was it the nightmare again? Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“Not really. I can’t really remember much of it, anyway. Just this darkness and that I felt like I couldn’t breathe when I woke up,” I said. It wasn’t a really a lie. My memories of the dream were already fading; whatever had me so freaked out was long gone. I shook my head in an effort to clear my head, and ran the back of my hand across my forehead. I was surprised at how wet it was; guess I was sweating more than I thought.

“Anyway, I’m sorry I woke you up,” I said, forcing a smile, but I could see by his face that he saw through it. “Why don’t you go on back to bed? I just need a minute.” Instead of moving back to the bed, he instead moved over next to me, leaning into my side.

“If you need a minute, then I’ll take one, too.” He finished by giving me his best grin. I knew the look well. He wore it every time he knew he was winning an argument, or when he was being a smartass. Sometimes he wore it just because he knew I couldn’t resist it. I’m pretty sure it was what made me fall for him in the first place. I still get a flutter in my stomach every time he looks at me like that.

God, he’s turned me into total sap. I paid him back by flicking him on the nose.

“You’ll tell me what it’s about when you’re ready, right? You know you’re not alone here,” he said as he settled into my shoulder.

“It was just a stupid nightmare, and I meant it, I really don’t remember any of it. Nothing to worry about,” I said. He moved as though he were about to stand again, but seemed to decide against it. I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I really didn’t want to talk about it.

We sat there in a companionable silence after that. It was nice. The room was finally cooling somewhat, though I was still missing good old AC, but it was bearable now. The sound of crickets chirping flitted in through the open window, creating a nice backdrop to our breathing. His weight on my side and the warmth of his coat on my arm was comforting after the poor sleep. After a bit, I could feel his weight gradually increasing against me, and I smirked when I heard him snore. I was about to shake him awake so we could return to bed when a tiny knock sounded on the door.

His ears instantly perked up and he shook himself awake. He opened his mouth to allow our visitor entrance when he stopped and turned to me instead. His eyes flicked downward and I followed his gaze. It was then that I remembered I hadn’t worn anything to bed earlier. Casting around, I spotted a pair of sweatpants from a night or two ago. I slipped them on as Amiti made for the door. When I was properly clothed, he opened it and a tiny zebra filly poked her head in.

“Daddy, I heard a loud noise. Is everything okay?” her little voice asked. Maya’s resemblance to her father was downright uncanny. They share the same near-white coat with an almost identical mild grey-stripe pattern. All she lacked was his wing glyphmark. She even has the same deep violet eyes, which were narrowed in concern the same way her father’s did. So, I couldn’t stop at waking just one person- er… pony in the household? Don’t I just feel awesome.

“Yes dear,” he said, pulling her into a hug and nuzzling the top of her head. “Everything’s just fine.” She didn’t look convinced, and looked around him at me as if looking for confirmation.

“Yeah, I just had a bad dream, sweetie, nothing to worry about. I’m sorry that I woke you up,” I said. She looked a little more reassured, but didn’t leave yet. She scuffed her hoof at the floor in the way that I’d noticed ponies do when they were apprehensive about something.

“Can I sleep with you guys tonight?” she asked, shooting some truly impressive puppy dog eyes at her dad. I’m just glad they weren’t aimed at me. I feel like they would have knocked me out from cuteness overload.

Amiti looked back at me, silently asking for my approval. A small part of me wanted to say no so that maybe he and I could have some fun fooling around before going back to bed. Sure it was late, and we were tired, but what can I say, I’m always in the mood for him. But one look at that cute little face and my will crumbled. Much like her father, I could just never say no to that face. I nodded my approval.

“Of course you can, dear,” he said. She let out a small squeak of happiness and paused long enough to give him a quick nuzzle before practically sprinting for the bed and scrambling up the side. It’s a little higher than a pony bed to accommodate my greater height, so she struggled a little, but eventually she got it. She bounced up to the pillows and curled up right in the middle of the bed. Amiti and I both sighed but couldn’t help but smile at her antics. We both made for the bed, he on one side of the filly against the wall, and me on the other. It was a tight fit, so we had to snuggle in pretty close, but none of us minded.

The moment I laid down, I had a shock of striped mane in my face and a warm ball of fluff pressed snugly into my chest. May, continuing in her trend of taking after her father, loved to cuddle. I couldn’t lie down on the bed or the couch for a nap without one or both of them ending up on top of me. It was like a giant zebra pile on the poor human. Thankfully neither of them is heavy. I blew a lock of mane away from my nose, which elicited a laugh from the other side of the filly.

“Night, sweetie,” I said, kissing May behind one ear, causing her to giggle.

“Night, Daddy. Night, Matt,” she replied. I leaned over her and shared a somewhat deeper kiss with her father.

“Night, luvs,” he said, as we all settled in together. It really hit me, then, exactly what I had.

For the longest time, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen, and I never imagined it would include talking zebras, but I finally had it.

That night, huddled into a far-too-small bed with far-too-many ponies, I was reminded that I had a family. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bonus Chapter: Hearth's Warming Eve

Hearth’s Warming Eve.

It’s a holiday that, though I didn’t know the origins behind it, I was already intimately familiar with its spirit. Festive lights and decorations covering every wall, lamp post and roof ledge in town, catchy music filling the air, and a merry mood infecting every pony you bump into. It even happened in the same month.

Christmas for ponies.

I was never a believer. Then again, I didn’t disbelieve either. I was always more worried about the here and now than I was about what may or may not exist after death. Christmas, therefor, was a fun holiday, what with getting to spend time with family and be extra thankful for what we have, though it was not one I celebrated religiously.

That’s why Hearth’s Warming Eve was such a great holiday. I found out its whole point was to celebrate the friendships we have and the love and unity they bring. It was everything I loved about Christmas with nothing that I didn’t.

My first Hearth’s Warming Eve had been hard. I had only been in Equestria for a few months, and I was still living out of a hotel room while I saved up for my own place. I had met this Pegasus named Thunderlane who quickly become my new best friend here, and he had been nice enough to invite me over for dinner with him and his little brother, Rumble. It was nice, but it wasn’t the same as spending it with family.

This year was going to be different. This year, I had Amiti.

My boyfriend, or coltfriend as they call it here. The man… or rather stallion of my dreams. I loved everything about him, from his brilliant violet eyes to his smug smirk to the way he sometimes snorts when he laughs too hard. The thought of the blush he gets after doing so brought a smile to my face. I had never felt so strongly for anyone before, even back on Earth. I never imagined that I’d find myself dating a talking zebra, but here I am, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

I was standing in his kitchen, stooping over the stove as I helped put the finishing touches on dinner. Everything was just a hair too short for me, what with ponies being so much smaller than humans, and so I had to be careful not to knock my head on the ceiling rafters, even after I’d already done it several times that night.

When the timer for the last of the steamed vegetables went off, I turned everything down to low so that it’d stay warm while we waited for our last guest to arrive. Amiti was already off decorating the tree we’d only put up last night while May was ‘helping’ by eating the broken candy canes. There seemed to be a few more than there were when I last checked.

I had just leaned back against the oven, taking in its warmth when there was a knock on the door.

I turned into the living room to see that Amiti’d already gotten the door. Another zebra stepped in, a mare with a near identical stripe pattern to my boyfriend and with the same manestyle. She allowed Amiti to take her jacket, shaking some cold out of her limbs while she closed the door. She wore a multitude of golden bands about her neck and foreleg, much like the one Amiti sometimes wore. I felt kind of bad because she had to come all the way from the Everfree Forest, a good fifteen minute walk.

Zecora was Amiti’s older sister. They’d grown up in Zebrica, though I didn’t know much beyond that. Amiti hated talking about Zebrica, and as much as it bothered him, I certainly didn’t pry. And I didn’t feel comfortable asking something so personal of Zecora, as I’d only gotten to talk to her a handful of times. We just didn’t know each other that well.

After hanging her jacket on a hook on the wall, Amiti pulled her into a tight hug. Every time he hugged her, it always looked like he was afraid if he let go she’d disappear. Not surprising, as she did disappear once, and it took him six long years to find her. It was half the reason he left Zebrica; that much he’d told me, but he wouldn’t go into the other half. Something really bad had happened, that’s all I knew.

I just had to hope he’d tell me when he was ready.

I had barely had time to wave and say hi as they pulled apart before I heard a clatter of hooves coming up the hall. A ball of grey and white barreled past me and lunged at our guest, nearly knocking the poor mare off her hooves.

“Auntie Zecora!” the little filly shouted, laughing uproariously as the two embraced. May thought Zecora was just the coolest, always in awe of the way she talked and all the fun stories she knew. There wasn’t anything the filly liked more than going to spend some time with her aunt, a sentiment Zecora certainly returned.

“Hello, my dear child! I have not seen you for quite a while,” Zecora said. She brushed a hoof through May’s mane, laughing as the filly immediately began asking for a fun story. I mainly stayed back by the door as the family took the time to catch up with one another. Now that they lived in the same town, getting to visit one another was pretty simple, but with her still living a little ways out into the forest, they only got together about once a week or so.

As everyone’s focus was on Zecora, I excused myself into the kitchen. It wasn’t as though I didn’t feel welcome or anything. I just didn’t want to intrude on family time. That’s what Hearth’s Warming is about: family. And I just… wasn’t family.

Deciding to make myself useful, I set about making some hot cocoa for all of us. It took a lot longer without having a microwave, but thankfully the stove was already warm from dinner. While the milk was heating, I began to set the table, too. We had a number of steamed vegetables, fruit salads, and even some pumpkin rolls, but those were more for dessert. I really was going to miss the turkey and holiday ham my family usually fixed, but Amiti had at least let my cook some fish for myself. It would have to do.

When the milk was finally hot enough, I poured out four mugs and mixed in the cocoa. Placing them all on a tray, I took it back into the living room. Amiti had settled into the love seat while May sat on Zecora’s lap on the couch. I placed the tray on the coffee table and squashed myself in beside Amiti. May helped herself enthusiastically to the cocoa, while the others took theirs with a laugh at her antics. As he sat back into the seat, Amiti leaned gently into my side, his weight against my chest a welcome burden.

We talked. Mostly about nothing. My new job at the Ponyville Day Spa, an undocumented flower Zecora found deep in the Everfree, the book report that May had to write over the break. I told her that I’d help her read the first Daring Do book, a series that Princess Twilight had recommended to me. I figured between the two of us we could knock it out in no time.

She was happy to accept. She loved it when we read to her.

When we all heard a small stomach rumbling, we decided to take our conversation to the dinner table. Zecora whipped out a thermos from I-don’t-know-where and brought it with her to the table. Pulling things out of nowhere seemed to be a talent many ponies shared, and I had given up trying to understand it long ago.

“A special brew I made just for you,” she said as she filled three glasses with it. Taking mine, I was struck by its strange scent. It smelled vaguely flowery, but had the distinct twang of alcohol.

“Drink enough dandelion wine, and you will be in for quite a time,” she said. I took one more hesitant sniff of it, and, throwing caution to the winds, I swigged the whole thing down. I’m not sure why; maybe some part of me wanted to show off or something. As though being able to drink was something that’d impress Amiti.

I don’t know what I was thinking.

It went down surprisingly smooth for as strong as it smelled. Its taste was initially sweet, though it tapered to a rich, smoky flavor and ended somewhat spicy. It also left a potent burning in my throat, which I loved. Zecora gave me a strange smile, one that seemed knowing and yet had something else in it I couldn’t place. She was the master of the mysterious stare, I’d learned. Without a word she refilled my glass. I didn’t down this one right away, instead taking a small sip to savor the taste.

Amiti had already taken his place at the head of the table. I slid into a seat to his right, sitting somewhat uncomfortably in the small chair. It felt like something I would have had in my kindergarten class. Zecora sat across from me while May squished herself in the corner between her aunt and her father.

Dinner was delicious. We all stuffed our stomachs with as much food as we could, sharing stories and gossip as we did. The fish was amazing; I rarely got the chance to indulge in some meat, and so I’d almost forgotten how to cook it. May had begged to try some, even after I told her what it was. Amiti looked reluctant, but he agreed.

He was mortified when she liked it.

I just thought it was funny.

He called me a bad influence.

I laughed harder.

The wine flowed freely as we ate, and luckily for me, my larger frame allowed me to outdrink the others. Amiti was looking pretty tipsy after his third glass, while Zecora looked completely unfazed. I was on my fifth by the time we all finished and retired back to the living room.

The zebras all took their seats from before while I lit the fireplace. With a suitable warmth starting to fill the small room, I slid into place beside Amiti, wrapping an arm about his neck. He must have been more tipsy than I imagined, as, despite having company in the room with us, he reached up and nuzzled deeply into my neck, placing a few sensual kisses and licks to my jaw. I took the time to return one to the tip of his nose before I whispered into his ear about having company over. He sat straight up as though he’d been shocked, eyes locked to the ground. Zecora gave a throaty giggle from the couch.

“Daddy, Daddy, come on! It’s present time!” May shouted, bouncing in place on the couch. Amiti nodded, setting his glass on the coffee table.

“Yes, yes, Hearth’s Warming Eve means one present for everypony,” he said. May gave a squeal and dove under the tree, scrabbling to find the right present for everyone. Amiti and Zecora both moved to lie in front of the fire, side by side. I sat down with them, making an Amiti sandwich as May dragged four boxes in front of us before settling between Amiti’s hooves.

“Mine’s from Matt!” she said, smiling up at me before setting into it.

Amiti, Zecora and I were all too wrapped up in watching May to bother with our own gifts at first. She tore into the paper with reckless abandon, ripping and tearing and just making a mess everywhere. I had been pretty sure she’d like it when I bought it, but now that she was opening it, I was a little nervous. But when her eyes found the title of the book, she let out a huge gasp.

“The first Mistfeather Chronicles book! Oh, I wanted to read this so bad; thanks, Matt!” she shouted, throwing herself into my shoulder. I returned the hug, ruffling her mane with one hand.

“Yeah, I remembered you mentioning it. I’m glad you like it,” I said.

“Can we read this for my book report instead?” she asked. I had kind of wanted to read her that Daring Do book, but I figured this would be fun too. She gave another cheer at my nod. As she settled back into her father’s hooves, she started looking around at all of us.

“Well, what are you guys waiting for? Open your presents!”

I made to reach out for mine, but Amiti’s hoof stopped me. He was smiling at me, but there was something off about it. He looked… nervous about something, but I couldn’t quite place what about. Either way, I got his meaning and decided I’d wait a minute to open mine. Instead, Zecora grabbed hers.

“From little May I see, I wonder what it could be?” she said. With more careful hooves than our little filly, she began opening the crudely wrapped present. May had insisted on doing the whole present herself, using her allowance for it, and wrapping it on her own.

With deft movements, eventually the paper fell away and a dark green scarf, patterned with lighter green flowers and vines along its length. It was a Rarity original, and would have cost a pretty penny… or bit, but when the fashionista found out it was a Hearth’s Warming gift, she gave May a pretty generous discount.

Zecora wrapped it about her neck while May waited of tenterhooks to hear what she thought. She turned her head this way and that, as though trying to appreciate what it felt like against her coat. Just when it looked like May could take no more of the tension, she fixed the filly with a warm smile.

“It is really quite nice; it shall protect me from the snow and ice,” she said. The sheer joy was evident in the toothy smile plastered across May’s face. Amiti and I both said it looked good on her, also complimenting May’s choice of gift.

Eventually, Amiti reached to grab his gift.

“Mine’s from Zecora,” he said, leaning over to bump his sister. His smiling face gave way to confusion as the wrapping paper fell away to reveal a rather nondescript box. When he managed to open it, however, a fierce blush covered his face while his eyes shrank to pinpricks. May tried to peek into the box, but he quickly placed a hoof over her eyes. Wondering what in the world she could have gotten him, I peered over his head, and I almost couldn’t believe what I saw.

Inside the box was a pair of handcuffs covered in a bright blue fuzzy material.

Before he could stop me, I reached over him and grabbed them out of the box, running my fingers over the metal and through the fur. The fabric was soft, covering the entirety of where the cuffs would connect with your skin. They looked pretty high quality, at least as far as my uneducated eyes could tell.

“A pair of hoofcuffs for a little fun, about them my brother knows a ton,” she said, smiling slyly at him. Her words struck me. I wondered how she knew something like that when even I didn’t. Judging by his reaction, I was willing to wager she wasn’t just giving it as a gag gift, either.

“Zecora, not in front of May!” he said in a frantic whisper, now trying to cover her ears as well as her eyes and failing at both.

“’Miti, you never told me you liked this kind of stuff,” I said. He grabbed the cuffs roughly out of my hands and put them back in the box.

“It’s never come up,” he said embarrassedly.

“Daddy, are those for playing Cops and Robbers?” May asked, looking up at her father. He looked like his brain was about to burst; mouth working frantically as he tried to think of what to tell her.

“Yep,” I said. “Your dad and I enjoy a good game of Cops and Robbers every now and then. These should make our game time even more fun.” I leaned over to her, stage-whispering in her ear loud enough for the others to hear, “I like to play the cop.” I said it looking more at Amiti than her, and he gave me a death glare, to which I couldn’t help but laugh.

I didn’t like seeing him so flustered, even though it was funny to see something other than the controlled and dignified demeanor he usually wore, so with a kiss to his forehead, I whispered in his ear about how we’d try them out later. That perked his mood back up.

“Thanks, Zecora. We’ll put them to good use,” I said, looking to the mare in question, but she just waved me off.

“Well, after… that bit of awkwardness,” Amiti said suddenly, “there’s only one present left. Matt, why don’t you open yours?” he said, pushing the small box towards me.

“To Matt, From Amiti,” I said in an intentionally sickly sweet voice as I read the tag.

It was about half again as long as my hand, and a few inches tall. It didn’t weigh much, so I had no idea what it could have been. I undid the bow on the green ribbon wrapped around it and slowly undid the paper. May was getting antsy again, and as I wondered if she knew what it was, I took my time and drew it out.

Eventually though, I ran out of paper and a blue velvet box sat in my hands. I opened it, revealing two golden bracelets, one slightly larger than the other, both engraved with what resembled trailing vines around their length. I was about to take them out when Amiti placed a hoof on my shoulder, pulling my attention to him.

“Matthew, I know we’ve only been dating for a short time. A year isn’t enough time to learn everything you can about somebody, but there are a few things I have learned about you. I’ve seen that you are a dedicated stallion, always working your hardest to provide love and support to both me and my daughter.

“I want you to be the father of my daughter. I want to welcome you into my family. I want nothing more than to grow old with you by my side,” he said.

He couldn’t be. No, no, there was no way he was about to say what I thought he was about to say.

“I couldn’t ask for a better stallion, regardless of the fact you’re… well, not a stallion,” he said, trailing off momentarily. Realizing he had gotten off-track, he shook his head and renewed his determination. “The point is: I want to make it official. Mattew, will you marry me?” he asked.

I was shocked. Completely floored. Even as he spoke, I hardly believed what was happening. I looked at him, wondering if this was some sort of joke, but the seriousness of his expression, the hopeful smile he wore proved to me he was sincere.

I felt like I should have needed to think about it. That marriage was the sort of binding promise that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and that this was a decision I couldn’t undo once I’d chosen. But all I had to do was look at those purple eyes, so kind and caring and earnest, so full of love and passion and strength and I knew my answer. I didn’t need words. I doubt I could have found them anyway. I nodded, wrapping both of my arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss.

I tried to show him how I felt. To show him how much he and his love meant to me without words. I had always found that words failed me when I needed them most, never quite getting across the true depth of my meaning. As our lips danced about each other’s, I’d like to think he understood.

Even after we broke apart from one another, I still held him close, feeling the warmth of his coat and the weight of his head on my shoulder. When we did finally pull away from each other, I blushed a little remembering that there were two others in the room with us. Zecora had pulled May into a hug herself, and offered me a smile as our eyes met.

“Congratulations to you, and welcome to the family, too,” she said. I grabbed the two bracelets, slipping the larger one onto my wrist while Amiti nuzzled his sister. As I fitted the other one onto his leg, just above the hoof, I noticed May giving me a questioning look over the book clutched tight to her chest.

“Umm…” she started, looking between me and her dad.

“Yes, luv?” he asked.

“Does this mean I have two dads?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice wetter and thicker than I’d expected, “I guess it does.” She didn’t woop or holler or cheer. Instead, she smiled; a warm little grin as she climbed out of her father’s legs and crawled onto my lap.

As I sat there, my soon-to-be daughter on my lap, my soon-to-be husband leaning his head softly on my shoulder, and my soon-to-be sister in law lying beside us, even I couldn’t stop a few wet sniffles. Outside, the snow was falling and winter was trenched in taking its toll on the world, but inside, the fire was roaring and I was surrounded by family.

All in all, it was a pretty good Hearth’s Warming Eve.

Author's Note

Happy Hearth's Warming everypony! I love every one of you that takes the time out of you day to read my stories, and I want to wish you all happy holidays regardless of what you celebrate or don't.

Lunch Break

Author's Note

This chapter takes place just before Date Night. Sorry that it was posted out of order, but I only realized after I took a break from writing that I needed a little more setup before I moved on. This chapter also is the first thing I've written in quite some time, so I apologize if the quality is less than subpar, and I hope that you'll bear with me as I get back into the groove.
You can find more information about that in my blog, here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/386967/so-heh-its-been-a-while-huh

Lunch Break

Mornings at the Ponyville Day Spa never see many customers outside of our diehard regulars; especially early on in the week. As such, Mondays tend to give me plenty of time to crack open a good book and zone out for a while. I had even taken to leaving one at the front desk for just such occasions.

After restocking the massage rooms and the saunas and getting them both ready for the day, I sat myself down behind the counter. I still had ten minutes until I was due to unlock the door when I heard a knock. Before I could even stand up, Aloe popped out of her office and trotted over.

Aloe and her twin sister Lotus were both earth ponies, and by some strange quirk of birth had ended up with inverted color schemes. Where Aloe had a vivid pink coat and a bright blue mane, Lotus had a bright blue coat and a vivid pink mane. They both had a noticeable accent; something if I had to define I’d say was vaguely European, though I’d never asked them where they’d grown up. It was undeniably sexy, though.

Perhaps I shouldn’t say that. I mean, they are my bosses and I am married.

Doesn’t make it not true, though. And it’s come around to bite them on the ass a few times.

Between looking and sounding so attractive, and work that involved rubbing your hooves all over ponies all day, there were a number of… unflattering rumors about them around town. Rumors about their relationship with each other, if you know what I mean. I’d heard more than a few of them myself, and it all pissed me off to no end. Maybe it was that I felt like I owed them so much for being the first ponies willing to give me a job, maybe it was because I genuinely thought of them as friends even though they were my employers, or maybe it was just that I hate gossip. Either way, most ponies know not to talk about them around me.

After unlocking the door, Aloe stepped aside, allowing a pink earth pony filly somewhere in her teens, I think, to walk inside. I’d seen her in here a few times before, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember her name or anything about her, really. Her purple and white mane was pulled back with a jade clip and two chopsticks, and she wore a small amount of pale blue eye shadow, though not much else. Lastly, her cutie mark was… a silver crown?

“Matthew,” Aloe said, walking the filly around the counter, “thees is Diamond Tiara.” Oh, a tiara then, not a crown. So sue me. “She’s going to be taking over ze afternoon sheeft for you.”

…She was? That was news to me.

“Uh… nice to meet you,” I said, extending my hand to the filly. She seemed reluctant to do anything, staring at my hand as though expecting it to strike her. Deciding I was safe, apparently, she reached out with a hoof which I gently shook. She got more into it when she noticed I wasn’t going to hurt her.

I couldn’t really hold it against her. Most ponies were wary of me at first.

“Aloe, could I have a word with you?” I asked. She looked at me in confusion, but followed me into the side room she had come out of earlier. It was a little office she and her sister used to store old paperwork and manage their finances and whatnot. There wasn’t much in there besides several filing cabinets and a rickety old desk. It was a small room, so with the two of us in there it was a little more cramped than I preferred. I bent down on one knee so that I wasn’t towering over her.

“You aren’t cutting my shifts, are you? I really need the hours, Aloe,” I said. She gasped and slapped a hoof to her forehead.

“I didn’t tell you, deed I? My seester and I are not cutting your hours, we are promoting you! We want you to be masseur,” she said, clapping a hoof to my shoulder.

I stared at her in shock for a moment. It took me that long to process.

Then I grabbed her, wrapping her in a bone-crushing hug and wooping with laughter. I couldn’t help myself. I was so suddenly overcome with excitement and I had to let it out somehow. The squeak she let out was muffled by the huff of breath I squeezed out of her.

“Thankyouthankyou!” I said as she began laughing herself. I can’t begin to describe how excited I was. Even if the pay increase didn’t turn out to be much, at least it meant I wasn’t just sitting behind a desk all day.

She began tapping on my shoulder and I realized I should let her go before she started turning blue. I felt my face heat up. I scratched the back of my neck as Aloe straightened her headband and necklace… thingy.

“You are quite welcome, Matthew. My seester and I are excited to have another helping hoof… or, hand as it were. We will begin your training next week. I want you to show Diamond how things work at the counter, yes?” she asked.

“Sure thing, Aloe,” I said, giving a mock salute. She laughed and batted my knee lightly with a hoof.

“Well, go on then. Go and unlock the door, I have some work in here thees morning. Let me know if you need anything, yes?” With that, she slipped around the side of the desk and began pulling out paperwork. I let myself out so that she could focus.

I took a peek at the counter as I unlocked the door. Diamond was still standing where we had left her, peering over everything behind the desk. I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of her expression. She didn’t quite seem excited, but she certainly didn’t look nervous, either. The closest I could guess was she was bored, but there was still something I wasn’t seeing.

I was already dreading what was to come. Between her bored disinterest and carefully maintained good looks, she struck me as somewhat of a snob, and I wasn’t looking forward to working with her in the slightest.

She looked up as I stepped back behind the counter. I pulled up another chair, gesturing her towards it as I took my own. She took a seat and wheeled the chair forward so that she was sitting next to me as I dragged out our schedule book.

“Sorry about disappearing like that. Just had a bit of a misunderstanding,” I said.

“It’s… no problem. Don’t worry about it, uh… Matthew, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, but you can call me Matt.”

“Diamond.”

I nodded as I turned back to the spa’s schedule book. I gave her a basic rundown of how to set up new appointments, check ponies in, accept payments, yadda-yadda. It was a pretty simple system, but it did involve going back and forth between a couple of different books for each service and as such was somewhat time-consuming.

I really missed computers.

After going over it with her a few times, she seemed to understand well enough. I decided to let her handle the majority of the clients that came in that morning to give her a little practice, and by the time noon rolled around, she had picked it up.

As we worked together and with plenty of downtime between clients, we had plenty of time to chat and get to know each other. I was really glad to find out that my first impression of her was wrong. She wasn’t stuck up, or at least not unbearably so, and she had a quick wit and a sharp tongue that made it fun to trade jokes. I also learned she had only graduated the last semester and this was her first real job.

Ponies don’t have elementary and high school like I had growing up. They instead have primary education, which lasts from ages five or six to fifteen. After that, a young pony either goes on to secondary education, which is like college or an apprenticeship, or they just get a job. Whatever fits their cutie mark and their needs the best.

At one point, while we were both exceptionally bored, I asked her what her cutie mark meant. It was a pretty standard introductory question ponies asked, I’d found. Diamond, though, seemed… reluctant to say anything. She said she didn’t want to talk about it, so I let it drop. Far be it from me to pry into matters that don’t concern me. It was weird, though. Most ponies seem like they’re just waiting for someone to ask so they can go on all day about their special talents. I’d never met one that didn’t like talking about it.

Oh well, it wasn’t my place to press and I let the issue drop.

Around noon, a very familiar Pegasus entered. Thunderlane was a charcoal-black stallion with a turquoise mane styled up into a windswept mohawk. The windswept part isn’t manufactured, I should add, as I’m fairly certain he spends more time in the air than he does on the ground. He isn’t a Wonderbolt Trainee for nothing, after all.

I met him only about a month after I began living here in Ponyville. Believe it or not, he literally bumped into me. Or more like crashed into me, if I were to be honest. He works as part of the Ponyville Weather Team when not off at the Wonderbolts Academy, and on this particular day he was wrangling a storm cloud that decided to show him who’s boss.

He came barreling out of the air faster than I could even blink and plowed right into my head. Luckily neither of us were hurt, and we each checked to make sure the other was okay, he offered to treat me to lunch to say he was sorry. Next thing I knew, we were fast friends, and I couldn’t ask for a better one. He and his little brother Rumble have looked out for me over my time here, and adjusting to life in Equestria would have been infinitely more difficult without them.

He spared Diamond only a cursory glance as he turned to me.

“Yo, Matt! How’s it hanging?” He held out a hoof to me and I bumped it with a fist. “You on your lunch break yet?”

“Hey, Thunderlane. I am now that your lazy flank is finally here.” I turned to Diamond. “I’m off to my lunch break; if you need anything, let Aloe or Lotus know.” She nodded and I moved to the door, Thunderlane in tow. With my hand on the handle, a thought struck me and I turned back to her.

“I didn’t think to ask; did you want me to bring you anything back? My treat!” She cocked an eyebrow at me.

“A rosehip sandwhich?” she asked. I nodded, and she mumbled her thanks. She sounded unsure, like she didn’t really believe I’d bring anything back for her. Maybe she didn’t trust me.

Or maybe I’m overthinking things, and she’s just nervous on her first day at a new job. Either way, it wasn’t my problem. I gave her a wave as Thunderlane and I walked out the door.

We decided to get lunch at a local café called Haute Cuisine’s, named after the stallion that owned it. They had a lot of outdoor tables which suited me better than the booths inside. The benches inside were a tad too small to fit my large frame, as were a lot of things in Ponyville, but there was more room outside. We both ordered dandelion sandwiches, something I had been amazed to find I liked, and bottles of apple cider to go with it.

After the waiter left, Thunderlane looked me up and down.

“You feeling alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You look like shit. Amiti keep you up all night, huh? Getting yourself some fine tail?” he asked, elbowing me suggestively.

“More like the other way around.” I shoved him off me. “But I’m sure ‘Miti would be very flattered you think his tail is fine.”

He let out a barking laugh. “Nah, I’ll leave the stallions to you. But seriously, did you not sleep well?”

I shook my head.

“The nightmares again?” he asked.

I nodded.

“That sucks. Need to talk about it?” he asked, not sounding terribly enthused. He was a great friend, and he really did care, but he wasn’t great at talking about serious stuff. I knew he’d try if I asked, but I wasn’t really in the mood.

“Not much to talk about. I don’t remember any of it. Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine,” I said, flashing him a smile. It wasn’t a lie. Sure, the nightmares sucked, but they only happened once or twice a month. I could deal with that without whining to my friends like a baby.

We fell silent after that, both of us unsure what to say next. Thankfully, our food arrived and we set about eating.

“So, Rumble’s got himself a date tomorrow night!” Thunderlane said suddenly. Rumble may be his little brother, but Thunderlane had taken care of the colt since he was barely out of diapers. Their parents were pretty neglectful he told me, though he never went into much detail, but it got so bad that foal services had to be called. Rumble was removed from their custody, and Thunderlane was able to adopt him. Thunderlane was only eighteen at the time, and Rumble, being four, had very few memories of it all.

Just a few months ago, Rumble had graduated from primary school and now worked alongside his brother on the Weather Team. Living and working together tended to keep them in each other’s business pretty often.

“Yeah? Anypony I know?” I asked.

“You know Derpy, the mailmare right? Yeah, it’s her daughter, Dinky. They were in the same class, and he’s been sweet on that filly for ages! I finally told him to stallion up and ask her. No surprise she said yes!”

“He can be pretty suave when he wants to.” I said.

“Hey, don’t be hitting on my little bro!” he said with mock severity, pointing a hoof at me. I batted it aside.

“Yeah right. I don’t think ‘Miti would be too thrilled with that,” I said. Then I remembered something. “But what about you? Didn’t you have a date last weekend? How’d that go?”

His gaze briefly flicked to the table and his shoulders tensed. His voice was deliberately even when he said, “Yeah, it went pretty great.”

“…right. So it went horribly then?” I asked.

His wings snapped to attention as he scowled. “No! Like I said, it went great. I took Cloudchaser to a DJ Pon-3 concert up in Cloudsdale! How a unicorn can throw a concert up in the clouds I have no clue, but it was a hell of a show. We danced, we hit the bar; it was fun. We had a great time and we made plans to get together again this weekend, too.”

I scanned his face as he ranted. Despite his continued carefully measured tone, he was telling the truth, I was sure. I knew him long enough to know when he was lying, mainly because he was terrible at it. He’d stutter, and could never look you in the eye. Yet despite that, I knew there was more than what he was telling me.

“Thunderlane, if it had really gone that well, you’d have burst into the spa already boasting like you were the biggest stud in the world. I wouldn’t be able to shut you up about how hot she is, or how ‘all over you’ she was. So what happened? How’d you screw it up?”

His ears and wings drooped dejectedly, but his scowl turned mutinous. “Why would you assume that I messed it up? Maybe I just wanted to spare you the details, huh? You know, since you’re into stallions and whatever…”

“Okay, first: that’s never stopped you before. Second: you know I’m into mares just as much as stallions. Third: even if I weren’t, I’m pretty sure I could handle you talking about your date. You know, the more you deny it, the more I believe that something didn’t go as you intended. So come on, man, what happened? You can tell me.”

He stared me down for almost a minute before the fight melted out of him and his entire body deflated. He propped his head up with a hoof on the table, rolling about a few of his hay fries with the other.

“Alright, you’re right. It didn’t quite go like I had in mind,” he said, sighing. “We did go to a concert in Cloudsdale, and it was really fun. We had a great time, all things considered. And she really did want to go out again this weekend.”

“Then what happened?” I asked.

“It wasn’t just the two of us. Cloudchaser insisted Flitter come with us.”

“That’s… her sister, right?” I asked, trying to picture the mare in question. He nodded, sighing again. “Huh. I mean, she did realize it was a date, right? Not just two friends hanging out?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said. “I mean, she knows I like her. I’ve asked her out enough times by now. She told me once before that she wasn’t interested in a relationship at the time, and when she said yes this time, I thought she’d changed her mind. Now I don’t know anymore.”

“Well, I really hate to say it, but…” I started, scratching my head. I wasn’t sure how to say what was on my mind without potentially pissing him off. He perked up, giving me his full attention. “Maybe she only went along for the chance to see DJ Pon3 live. If she’s turned you down before…”

“No!” he shouted, slamming a hoof down on the table hard enough to draw the attention of everypony sitting nearby. For half a second, I actually wondered if he was going to hit me. “Ceecee’s not like that. She’s cool! We’ve been friends for ages. She’d never lead somepony on like that; not even me.”

“’Not even you?’ What do you mean?” I asked. I tried to phrase it casually, afraid of upsetting him more. Thankfully, he did seem to calm quite a bit, even smiling a little as he relaxed back onto his seat.

“She’s always loved teasing me. We both like poking fun at each other, and she’s always great about taking it, too. It’s kinda like you, in a way,” he said, chuckling. “I never have to worry about going too far and pissing her off. She just laughs it all off.”

“Did you just compare your prospective marefriend to me? Why Thunderlane, I never knew you cared so much!” I said, playfully batting his hoof, which he yanked away like I’d burned it.

He stared at me, his entire body rigid and lifeless. He was silent, eyes wide save for the subtle twitching of his right eyelid. A few moments passed with neither of us saying anything. Finally, he shook his head like he was coming out of a trance and forced his gaze towards the table and hilariously he was blushing slightly.

“I never, ever want to think about that again,” he said, shaking again.

I got a delicious laugh out of his misery. It was so tasty. Thunderlane may be my best friend in all of Equestria, but that only made it all the more fun to make fun of him. He continued to glower the whole time like someone pissed in his cereal until my mirth wore out. Figuring he’d had enough mocking for one day, I tried to get back to less awkward (for him) conversation.

“So, you and Cloudchaser. And Flitter. You know, you could say you’re the luckiest stallion in the world.”

That got his attention. “How do you figure that?”

“Well, what guy hasn’t dreamed of dating twins?” I asked. He responded by kicking me under the table. The hard edge of his hoof caught right on my knee, and I hissed in pain as I rubbed at it. “Ow! That hurt, dick!”

“Meh,” he said. Despite his outburst, he was at least smiling again, and went back to his plate, finishing up what was left. He pointed a hoof towards my plate, and I let him take my hay fries. It’s not like I can eat them, so there was no point in letting them go to waste. Even if some petty part of me wanted to spit on them just to pay him back for hitting me.

“Anyway… Is Flitter going to be there next weekend, too? Think you’re going to go?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah, she’ll be tagging along to whatever we’re going to do. Haven’t decided yet. I mean, I really want to spend more time with Ceecee, but do you realize how awkward it is trying to hit on a mare while her sister’s literally standing right there?”

“Yeah, I hear ya. I still feel a little weird with ‘Miti when Zecora’s over,” I said before sighing. “I don’t know what to tell you, man. If you really think she’s serious about it, then you should probably go. Maybe she just wants a more casual environment for the first few dates. Maybe she’s had some bad experiences?”

“I don’t know. She seemed really into it. There’s just something I can’t put my hoof on… Oh well, let’s face it. I’m going to go. I can’t pass up the chance to see her again, you know?”

“Well, good luck. And hey, if things don’t work out, we can always grab ‘Miti and Rumble, go to a bar and talk about how lame fillies are!”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back a smirk. “Oh sure, like that’ll help. Amiti drinks more than a cider’s worth of alcohol and he’s all over you. It’s sickening, really.” He stuck his tongue out to punctuate his point.

He paused for a moment, looking up and out to the sky. “Well, I think it’s about time we both head back to work. I still have some more clouds to bust up.”

Judging by the clock over town hall, which I could just see over the top of his head, he was right. I grabbed some bits out of my bag and tossed them down on the table, making sure to leave several extra for a tip. Across from me, Thunderlane did the same.

Together, we got up and made our way back away from the crowded tables, me on my way back to the spa and Thunderlane to find room to take off. Before he did, he held up short.

“Thanks, Matt. About the bar thing, I mean. If this goes south, I might just take you up on it,” he said, looking anywhere but at me.

“Yeah, anytime. My treat even. Good luck, though. I’m sure things will work out.”

He nodded and, without a word, took off. I had to blink through the rush of air that buffeted me, and by the time I could see again, he was little more than a black speck among the clouds. As I turned and began to make my way back towards the spa, I felt a little bad for him.

Saddled with raising his little brother, all on his own, at his age. Working hard to provide and care for Rumble, sacrificing so much time and energy he shouldn’t have had to while he was so young. And now, when he finally gets a shot at something he wants, it doesn’t go his way.

Celestia, I thought, cut the guy a break, will ya?

Knowing that even if she could somehow hear me, Celestia couldn’t actually control anything happening to him, it still made me feel a little better as I walked the familiar path back to work. My mind ran through a million thoughts along the way, ranging from Thunderlane, to my new promotion, and even to what we could splurge on with a few extra bits coming in. I thought maybe we should do something nice, something we could all enjoy as a family.

It wasn’t until I turned the corner and saw the spa that I realized I’d forgotten something.

Diamond’s rosehip sandwich.

I ended up being a few minutes late back to work that day.

Date Night

Friday evenings are a particular favorite of mine.

Every other weekend, I take May out to her Auntie Zecora’s to spend the night, and so the house was near silent. All the magical lights throughout the house were either off or turned down low, so the only illumination in the kitchen came from a few candles I had just finished lighting.

I gave another glance around the room, making sure everything was in place. The counter was spotless, the dishes already done and put away. The table was set for two; a steaming helping of linguini covered in a handmade pesto sauce adorned each plate. It was my first time making it, so I hoped the recipe I got from Mrs. Cake at Sugarcube Corner was good.

To the side, an ice-filled bucket kept a bottle of Pinot Grigio chilled until we were ready to open it. I had the nicest table cloth laid out, and all our finest china along with it. It was sort of funny, I thought, that even after all the dates Amiti and I had been on, for as long as we’d been together, I still worried about making sure everything was perfect. I couldn’t help but laugh at how I was acting.

Of course, that didn’t stop me from continuing my perfectionist streak.

When I was sure the kitchen was as perfect as I was going to get it, I moved into the living room. I had tidied up this room as well, pushing the coffee table to one corner of the room and piling the pillows and pony chairs under and on top of it. I also had managed to shove the couch a little more out of the way as well, leaving the entire middle of the room bare. I had plans for later. For now, I opened the plastic cover to our record player and put Amiti’s favorite record on. It was a classical piece; not something I loved a great deal, but it was growing on me. It was some highly-regarded symphony done by the Manehattan Royal Orchestra. Amiti tells me it features some popular cellist, but I can never seem to remember her name.

I set the needle on the spinning disk, and the opening chords of a slow waltz-like song begin. I kept the volume relatively low; just loud enough we’d be able to hear it in the kitchen, but soft enough we wouldn’t have to try to talk over it.

Just on cue, I heard the door open behind me. I turned just as Amiti finished closing the door and watched the tension melt from his shoulders. Despite his job as Assistant Manager at the Equestrian National Bank not being the most physically-demanding jobs, he always seemed a little worn-out when he got home. I always chocked it up to having to work with numbers and organizing the other employees all day. I remembered I was always tired after I got home from my tech support job, even though I just sat around on my butt.

He sighed and rolled his neck as he turned to me. He had already loosened the collar he wore to work, and taking it between his teeth, he flicked it aside. It only then seemed to dawn on him that the lights were off, and in surprise he looked around the room. Spotting me, he smiled and trotted over. Rearing up on his hindlegs, he leaned against me, his head a few inches too low to reach mine. Wrapping my arms around him to help support his weight, I leaned down to meet him the rest of the way. Our lips met for a brief kiss, and then he pulled away to rest his head against my chest. With nice music playing around us and nothing in particular to get to, we enjoyed just getting to hold one another, and I began to gently sway back and forth with him.

“Evening, luv. How was your day?” he asked after a moment.

“Mostly boring, so I guess I can’t complain. How about yours?” I asked. He huffed, his breath hot against my neck.

“I spent all day foalsitting a new filly who had no interest in learning how the bank works. But, her father is Silver Lining, one of the more influential ponies in town, so Penny Pincher is bending over backwards to keep him happy.” He let out a gigantic sigh. “So needless to say, it’s been a long day.”

Rather than say anything, since I knew that wasn’t what he wanted, I settled for rubbing one of my hands between his shoulders while I scratched behind his ears with the other. I could practically feel the smile he wore as he nuzzled my chest in exchange.

“You already took May out to Zecora’s, right? How was she?” he asked.

“Yeah, she talked the entire way about how excited she was to see her Auntie. Oh, and she has a math test coming up, she wanted your help studying.” With nothing else important to say, we fell back into silence as we continued to sway to the music. It didn’t last long, though, as a mighty rumble sounded from his stomach. We both got a chuckle out of it before he released my shoulders and fell back to the floor, stumbling slightly as he did.

“Oooh, that’s hard on my back,” he said, stretching out like a cat.

“Well, dinner’s already done and laid out. Why not take a seat; rest a while?” I asked.

He nodded and led the way into the kitchen where the pasta’s aroma was thicker. ‘Miti’s stomach let out another loud growl, and that time he gave me a mock scowl when I laughed. He helped himself to a cushion while I took my chair. It had been a little strange being the only one to even need a chair, but at least with me sitting it left us much closer to the same height. He came up to about my chest, instead of my belt.

Amiti wasted no time digging in, and I couldn’t blame him. Before I started on mine, I opened the bottle of wine and poured two generous glasses, placing one before my husband and taking a large mouthful of my own. I knew I’d be the one to drink the majority of the bottle, which was fine because it was pony-sized anyway.

We talked little as we began to eat. Mostly little comments or complaints about work, but the attempts at conversation didn’t last long. It had definitely been a long day for both of us, it seemed, and I know I at least was starving. I had been worried about the pesto since it was my first time making it, but it turned out alright. I may cut back on the garlic next time, though.

As I helped myself to a second plate, I decided it was finally time to bring up something I’d been thinking about all day.

“Do we have any plans next weekend?” I asked. Amiti tapped his chin, thinking through our schedule in his head. I already knew we didn’t, but I wanted to make sure he hadn’t made plans without telling me. He normally wouldn’t, but we all forget things sometimes.

“Nothing I can think of. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing special,” I said, shrugging. “We just haven’t gone anywhere in a while. I thought we could do something fun.” He eyed me warily.

“Did you have something particular in mind?” he asked.

“Well, I happened to hear that the Celestial Theatre Troupe is performing Waiting for Trotot next weekend in Canterlot. We should go! I know how much you’ve wanted to see it,” I said.

He recoiled, his eyes widening as he stared at me. As the shock wore off, he tried to regain his composure. It was cute.

“Well, yes, I would dearly love to see it, but I just don’t think we have the money right now. There’s the train fare, the tickets for the show itself, and you know how they always run late into the night. We’ll need a hotel room, too. Even if we only stay one night, it will be what? Four, maybe five hundred bits?”

“Oh, I don’t think the bits will be a problem,” I said, grinning at him. He fixed me with a suspicious stare. He typically handled our finances, so he usually knew what we could afford and what we couldn’t. But I knew something he didn’t know.

“Alright, I’ll bite,” he said, giving a mock put-upon sigh. “How do you figure that?”

“I just so happen to know that someone got a bonus at work today,” I said. He stared at me in confusion for a moment, seemingly trying to process.

“Is that so? And how exactly did you accomplish that?” he asked finally. I’m pretty sure he knew where I was going, but he was trying not to get his hopes up. I was happy to prove him right.

“I got the promotion, hun.”

He let out a loud undignified whoop and practically leaped around the table to wrap me up in another bone-crushing hug. He was still laughing as he nuzzled my neck. In his excitement, I couldn’t help but hug him back and plant a kiss on the top of his head. He returned one to my cheek before he pulled away, but instead of returning to his cushion he sat on my lap.

“Oh, Matt! That’s incredible! Aloe and Lotus are finally going to let you be a masseur?” he asked. I nodded and his smiled widened even more. “Oh that’s just so great, I know you’ve been wanting it for so long.”

“I know; I can’t wait to have something else to do than sit behind a counter all day. I start my training next week,” I said. I had been sitting on that all day, and it felt amazing to finally get to tell him. It was going to be a much more fun job, and the pay increase was certainly going to be nice.

“Didn’t Aloe and Lotus think there wouldn’t be enough demand for you? What changed their minds?” he asked.

“Apparently, word of my magic fingers has spread around town somewhat. Miss Rarity came in asking for me specifically. They thought if she was interested, other ponies might be as well.” Rarity was the owner of the Carousel Boutique, a kind unicorn that produced some of the nicest clothes I’ve ever seen. And being the only being in Ponyville that wears clothes on a regular basis, I’d gotten to know her pretty well over the years. “I just wonder how she found out about my skills.”

Suddenly, a guilty expression came over his face. He looked away from me and scuffed his hoof against the table.

“I haven’t the faintest,” he said, his tone calm though it sounded forced.

“You haven’t been in the Boutique gossiping again?” I asked teasingly.

“Well, perhaps a little… In my defense, Miss Rarity can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”

I felt a surge of affection for him, and I pulled him into another embrace, trying to put into it the love I have for him. I kissed him on the forehead again, before I leaned closer to his ear.

“Well, it’s probably thanks to your gossiping that I even got the promotion. So, thanks,” I said, chuckling quietly. “I love you, ‘Miti.” I’ve never been very good at putting into words exactly how much he means to me. How my life wouldn’t be the same without him. How without him, I would have given up a long time ago.

How without him, I’d be alone again.

I didn’t notice that I’d gotten lost in thought until I felt his long wet tongue slide across my cheek. I tried to give him an unamused stare, but I couldn’t help but snicker and that set him off laughing as well.

“I love you too, Matt,” he said after his laughter died down.

I grabbed my glass from the table, but rather than take a sip from it, I held it out to him. I tilted it back as he took a large sip. Afterwards, he grabbed his own glass and did the same for me, the sweet taste of the grapes leading into the burn of the alcohol nicely.

Sensing that we’d both lost interest in the food, I grabbed up my glass and the bottle, gesturing towards the living room with my head. Amiti hopped off my lap, his own glass still held somehow in the crook of his hoof and we both left the kitchen.

There was just enough room left on the coffee table for us to set our glasses, which we did. The record I had put on earlier was almost finished, so as the current song ended, I took the disc off and put on another one. This one was by a solo performer named Sapphire Shores. It was a collection of love songs that I would liken to human ballads from the late eighties or early nineties. It was both romantic, and also a little nostalgic for me, so it was perfect for tonight.

I didn’t need to say anything for him to know what I had in mind. As the first song began playing, a cheerful peppy tune, he gave a mock sigh and fell into place beside me.

We danced slowly at first. Just simple swaying back and forth, testing out the waters, seeing what we wanted to do. He was always restrained at first, unwilling to let loose and simply have fun, so it was my job to help him along.

I bumped into his flank before I spun to his other side and began comically swinging my hips. Not ready for the sudden contact, he flinched, but after he caught himself he did a quick shuffle of his own and was beside me again.

He tried to swing his tail end to match me, but being quadrupedal, he had a little more mass to move around and couldn’t quite keep up. Instead, he fell into a common dance I’d seen ponies do where they sort of kick a hoof forward then take a step back and forth. He began weaving around me in what looked like a sort of bouncing strut, all the while his head bobbed side to side.

As the pace of the song picked up, we both flew into a frenzy of movement; bumping our sides together every few beats and twirling about one another. There was practically no rhythm to it; just a flurry of movement and energy and passion and above all else, fun. It didn’t matter that neither of us had any sort of coordination or talent at dancing. We were just enjoying moving with each other.

It continued through the next two songs, all the while our moves getting wilder and more exaggerated. Pretty soon, we were both laughing so hard it was almost impossible to breathe, but neither of us wanted to stop.

Eventually, though, as all good things must do, the pop songs started to give way to slower ballads, speaking of love and longing. And however much I had been enjoying myself, my legs were starting to get tired and I was a little out of breath.

I shouldn’t have done my morning run knowing we’d be dancing tonight.

But I couldn’t stay miffed long. Slower songs only meant we got to slow dance, and I like that, too. Learning to dance with a pony had been difficult. They aren’t built to stand on their hindlegs for long, but my height makes it impossible for me to do any of their dances. So, he has to stand up and brace himself with his hooves on my shoulders. He’s not terribly heavy, so I can support most of his weight, but it’s still hard on his back, so we can’t do it long.

But tonight, we were happy to make that sacrifice.

I wrapped an arm about his shoulder to help ease the burden on his back. I let my other hand cup the back of his head, brushing my thumb against his right ear and jingling his earrings together. He chuckled and bumped his nose into my chest. As Sapphire Shores began singing, we began dancing again.

This time was also slow, but no longer from hesitation or reluctance. Now, it was just because that’s what we wanted. We could take our time and savor the moment.

We held each other close as we rocked back and forth to the music, no longer caring about anything other than the feel of his coat and my skin rubbing together. Even the music began to fade into the background as I focused on his hot breath against my neck and the sound of him humming along.

“When was the last time we danced like this?” he asked suddenly. I tried to remember.

“At the reception, I think? Too long, anyway,” I said. He nuzzled into my neck and I rested my head on top of his. “You’ve gotten rusty.”

He gave a huff of annoyance and stared up at me.

“I have not! Besides, you were always the one that couldn’t dance. You stepped on my hoof during our dance at our reception, need I remind you!” he said, trying to wag a hoof at me without losing his balance.

“Now that’s not fair! You’ve stepped on my feet plenty of times, and I’ve never brought it up.”

“Well, this dancing upright thing is hard. Ponies aren’t meant to bend this way!” he reasoned. I nodded, partially acknowledging his point.

“Ponies aren’t meant to be with humans, either,” I said. He started to give me a glare, but when he saw the grin I was giving him, he relented.

“No, I suppose they typically aren’t. But I guess in this case, I don’t mind being wrong.” We both laughed and shared another kiss. Another song started playing, this one a sadder song about heartbreak and loss. We paid it no mind as we continued to sway against each other.

“We should do something next weekend. Take May and go out to dinner or see a movie or something. We haven’t done anything as a family in a while,” he said. I hmmed in agreement.

I let my hand trail down from his head, along his neck, past his shoulders, and let it come to rest on his lower back, as far south as I could reach. I felt him smile and heard a light chuckle in his throat. He stepped closer to me, pushing his stomach flush against me and sighed. He looked up at me, and our eyes locked.

There in the dim magic lights, with soft, loving music playing and the love of my life held tight in my arms, I was perfectly, unimaginably content. His beautiful violet eyes, full of joy and love were staring into mine, and I knew without him saying a word that he felt the same.

As long as we had each other, we could take anything.

I knew, in that moment, as I did every time I looked at his eyes, that we’d be together forever.

And I wanted it no other way.

“I love you,” I whispered.

Rather than answer, he let his eyes flutter half-shut as he inched his face toward mine. I met him half-way, and our lips met, and any tiny fraction of the outside world that remained was gone. It was just us, our lips pressed together, our tongues dancing against each other, and nothing else.

I lost track of time as we kissed. When we finally broke apart, he gave me a quick peck on my nose and batted his eyes. He fixed me with a seductive stare and whispered exactly what he wanted to do in my ear. Unable to stop the grin spreading across my face, I gently lowered him to the floor and he began sashaying towards the hallway leading back to our bedroom. Just before he passed out of sight, he gave an exaggerated roll of his haunches and swished his tail. I made to follow him, but I turned back to grab the bottle of wine before I did.

I had a feeling we might want it before the night was over.

I flopped back onto the bed, sweaty and exhausted, but absolutely satisfied. Amiti rolled onto his side next to me and I snaked an arm underneath him to pull him close. He settled into my side, just as exhausted-looking as I felt and sighed contentedly. I fought to stay awake as the Sandman’s call sounded in my ears.

“You were amazing,” I said, kissing his cheek.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” he replied. “Same time week after next?”

“It’s a date,” I said. And before either of us knew it, Luna had guided us to Dreamland, and we were out.

Author's Note

Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, y'all!

The Morning Routine

5 o’clock’s alarm made itself known far too early in the morning. The grating wail made me want to toss the thing out the window, conveniently still open, if I remembered correctly. Instead, I opted to slam it with my fist, doing my best to not disturb the pile of fur all over me.

I distinctly remembered falling asleep with two zebras next to me, not on top of me. I found myself on my back, Amiti claiming my stomach as some sort of pillow. Above him, a little filly had nestled herself in the crook of my arm, on her back with her head on my shoulder. All four legs were in the air, occasionally giving a little kick.

I couldn’t resist. I reached over with my free right hand and gently wiggled a finger under a forehoof. I was rewarded with a sharp slap of her hoof against my hand as she kicked. I stifled a gasp and stretched my fingers to work feeling back into them. That little filly needed to trim her hooves something fierce.

Regretting my choice of fun for the morning already, I decided to try to find a way to get up. I reached down to Amiti’s head, finding his messy mane, and scratching lightly behind his ears. It was a pastime he particularly enjoyed (as I found most ponies did) and his ears quickly perked as he woke up. One eye creaked open, blearing up at me in a lazy annoyance. I just smirked. After all, he’s the one that has to get up to go to work, not me.

Grumbling to himself, he stood, pausing to stretch out his back. If it wasn’t the cuddling that reminded me of a cat, it was the way he stretched that did it. He actually does the whole legs forward, arching the back thing. It’s cute. Stepping over me, he carefully dropped himself to the floor, careful to not wake May. That was just as well, since he was also supporting a massive erection.

Stallions, much like human men, suffer (or benefit, I guess, depending on who you ask) from morning wood. It was really awkward the first time May slept with us like this, because him naked with an erection around his daughter set off some understandable warning bells in my head. When I later talked to him about it, he gave me the most bemused look, like I had said the moon was made of cheese or something. He assured me that it was natural, and nothing to worry about.

After I thought on it for a long while, I realized he probably had a point. The way he describes it, when you’re naked pretty much all the time, getting aroused in public is bound to happen occasionally. I’ve even seen it myself a couple of times around town in the two years I’ve lived here. It was ‘quite the social faux pas’, as a certain white unicorn I know would say, but, unlike back on Earth, it wasn’t like it was a crime or anything (now actually doing anything sexual, on the other hand, was a completely different matter). And it wasn’t like he was doing anything bad to her or anything, so I put the issue out of mind.

It was still pretty weird to me, though, so I’m glad when I don’t have to deal with it.

Landing softly on the floor, he made his way to the door and off to the bathroom. Along the way, I couldn’t help but watch his flanks, and as though reading my mind, he began to sway them side to side, causing his tail to swing, offering tantalizing glimpses of what was beneath, but never quite revealing anything. Just before stepping out the door, he paused, whipping his tail up and shaking his ass. It took everything I had not to laugh out loud and wake up May, but I couldn’t help a few light chuckles getting out. I could practically feel his smug grin from across the room.

Stupid sexy zebra.

When he was gone, I considered briefly going back to bed. There was another hour before May needed to get up for school, and I didn’t have work until 7:00 anyway. With the room at a nice comfortable temperature, soft sheets below me and a warm fuzzy pillow next to me, it was pretty hard to convince myself to get up.

Not to say I didn’t indulge a little. I did allow myself at least the twenty minutes that Amiti was in the shower to laze about. After he returned, mane, tail and coat freshly brushed, though still somewhat damp, I finally got about getting up.

Extracting myself from May was something I was almost getting good at. She still grumbled and squirmed as I lowered her head from my shoulder to the bed, but she didn’t wake. As I stretched to get a particularly bad kink out of my neck, I felt Amiti brush up against my leg. He already had his white collar on, complete with a small green bowtie and his nametag.

“Well, I’m off to work. Make sure May gets to school on time, okay luv? Can’t have her late today,” he said, already moving toward the door. May was starting her second year of primary school, and today was the first day of term. She’s been dreading today for a while now, which is funny since she absolutely loved school last year. She’s thankfully not like I was when I was her age; she loves learning new things. I think her reluctance just the typical thing of kids hating the summer vacation ending.

“Yeah, I got it. Up by 6, out the door by a quarter ‘til, right?” I asked.

“That should do it. Thanks Matt, it will be so much easier than last year. Trying to get her up while I got ready for work was always a mess.”

“So that’s why you married me. So I could babysit May while you’re at work, huh?” I asked in mock hurt.

“Well that is part of the reason. The other part we can’t talk about while there are impressionable fillies present,” he said, giving me his best grin. I just shook my head.

“Yeah yeah, have a good day at work, hun.”

“You too, luv. Don’t work too hard at the spa,” he called as he walked out the door. I hadn’t even gotten the chance to consider what to do next when he stepped back inside.

“I almost forgot, please check her saddlebags before you go to make sure she didn’t forget anything,” he said.

“Didn’t you check them three times last night?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said, blushing slightly, “But can you please check them anyway, just in case?” I sighed. He could be really paranoid about her sometimes, but I guess that’s part of being a dad, isn’t it?

“Sure thing,” I said, nodding. He smiled, thanked me, and was gone again. I heard the front door close this time, though.

With him gone and May still snoring in the bed, it was finally my turn for the bathroom. We had to make some compromises when it came to furnishing it. We had to import a bathtub from the Minotaur Republic to accommodate my height, but most other stuff was of pony design. Most unfortunately for me was the toilet. It wasn’t exactly much different in shape that what I was used to, but it was quite a bit… shorter.

Ah well, it gets the job done.

After relieving my bladder and washing my hands, I checked my face in the mirror. Black stubble was starting to show up, but I didn’t feel like bothering to shave yet; I kinda liked a bit of a 5 o’clock shadow. Instead I brushed my teeth and called it good for now.

Moving back to our room, I peeked an eye at May as I rifled through our dresser. Amiti had next to no clothing, so pretty much everything in it was mine. Satisfied that the filly was still asleep, I took off the sweatpants I had put on last night and replaced it with a worn pair of boxers and a pair of old gym shorts. I also dug out a pair of socks and an a-shirt.

It wasn’t the type of thing I would have ever worn before I found myself in Equestria. I laughed at the thought of me wearing one two years ago. It wasn’t that I was out of shape; I just certainly didn’t have much of a body to show off. Too scrawny. Nearly two years of the healthiest diet I’ve ever had and varying amounts of physical labor every day and I have to admit I thought I looked pretty good in one now. I might have worn one every time I left the house if I didn’t worry I’d look obnoxious.

Not that anypony would really notice, I guess. The whole no clothes thing and all.

Gently closing the bedroom door so as not to wake my little filly, I made my way up the narrow little hall to our living room. It was a pretty simply decorated room as neither Amiti nor I were much for having a lot of things. We had a very comfortable couch, another Minotauren import, as well as a few more pony-sized chairs and pillows for guests all centered around a low coffee table.

Along the wall we had a few bookshelves filled with all kinds of fiction and some nonfiction as well. Amiti was obsessed with his mystery novels, and I was growing to really like griffon fantasy. They had a flair for writing about epic quests and grand wars, all of which greatly reminded me of human fantasy books. Even May had a couple of rows for herself.

The walls themselves bore the only real decorations. Several framed portraits were clustered together opposite the window, most of which were of May. Her school picture, a few of her and her friends, even one of her with her saddlebags the morning of her first day of school just last year. My favorite picture, though, was one we took a week before the wedding. The whole family was together with Amiti and I sitting side to side with May between us, and Amiti’s older sister Zecora on his other side.

He and Zecora grew up in Zebrica together before moving to Equestria. He’s never liked talking about his time in Zebrica much, but he did explain that she fled one night without telling him where she was going or why she was leaving. He left shortly after May was born with the hope of tracking her down. It took him a few years, but he eventually followed her here to Ponyville where they were very happily reunited. I don’t know why they left, and even though I’m dying to find out, I’m afraid to ask. It isn’t like Amiti to keep secrets, so this was obviously something very important to him. He’ll tell me when he’s ready, I hope.

Turning away from the pictures, I grabbed my running shoes from their spot beside the door. After lacing them up, I grabbed my keys and was out the door and off down the road at a brisk jog.

This was another thing I would have laughed at myself doing two years ago. Running was work, something I was no fan of and avoided every chance I got. Now, I actually found it kind of fun. The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, and already the morning was warm and humid. Thankfully it was already August and the summer heat would pass soon.

My routine consisted of the three blocks to the center of town where I’d circle around the park and then all the way back. It was only about a mile by my estimation, and by now I was up to making the whole trip five times, but I usually only had time in the mornings for three or four.

Getting such an early start meant that the roads throughout town were practically empty. Only the earliest risers were out and about, like Carrot Top at her carrot stall, or every other day one of the three Apple siblings with their apple cart.

Today, I didn’t see anypony as I made my first trip through town. The second trip I started to smell heaven in the form of warm, fresh bread emanating from Sugarcube Corner. When I first found myself in Ponyville, I stopped there several times a week as the owners, and their two assistants were each phenomenal bakers and everything there was fantastic. But the dent it put in my wallet- er… bit pouch, and all the pounds I put on from the extra sugar quickly put a stop to that. I still make an effort to stop by at least every other weekend or so, though, because I love chatting with them when they aren’t too busy, and May happens to be good friends with their twins.

I had just passed the town square on my third trip when I heard someone call my name. Turning, I saw a familiar Pegasus swoop down towards me. Derpy Hooves is a light grey mare, with a golden mane and tail, with matching eyes that occasionally liked to slide off-kilter. Because of that, she has a bit of a reputation around town for being somewhat airheaded, which she can be, but nopony who knows her can deny she’s one of the nicest ponies (or any creature, for that matter) that you’ll ever meet.

She’s one of the town mailmares, and so I tend to run into her like this pretty much everyday. She takes her job really serious, too, so she never has a whole lot of time to stop and chat, but she makes the effort to at least flutter down and say hi. It’s nice. I never shy away from being chatted up by a cute mare.

“Hi! Good morning, Matthew!” she called out as she awkwardly landed, nearly stumbling. Her mailpony cap slid forward over her face, so I reached out and replaced it between her ears. She giggled as I did.

“Morning, Derpy. How’s the life of a mailmare treating you?”

“Oh, very well. Just missing Sparkler, now that she’s moved out; house feels a little emptier with just Dinky and I.” She has two daughters: Sparkler and Dinky. The former recently finished her apprenticeship with Silver Smith, a local jeweler. She’d wanted to start her own business for some time, and she just moved out to give it a go. I’d been meaning to stop by but I hadn’t had the chance yet. Amiti might like a new pair of earrings.

“Yeah, how’s her business doing? Off to a good start, I hope?” She practically beamed as I asked.

“Oh yes! She has several clients that followed her from her apprenticeship with Mr. Silver. It’s still small, but she’s making enough to get by. I couldn’t be happier for her,” she said, and it showed. She practically glowed. Nowadays, I think I’m starting to understand that look.

“Anyway,” she said, shaking her head, “I have to get back to my route. Nice talking to you!” We both waved each other off and I turned to get back to my jog when I heard her call out to me again.

“Oh, I almost forgot! I was supposed to mention to you that Dinky was wanting to start foalsitting to earn some bits. So, if you ever need a foalsitter for May, she’d be happy to!”

“Oh good, we’ve been hoping for somepony a little closer to home. Taking her out to Zecora’s everytime gets a little… inconvenient.” It’s not that I didn’t like Zecora, quite the opposite, it’s more of having to take a little filly out through the Everfree Forest that neither Amiti nor I care for. It’s at least a quarter hour walk each way, not to mention that that forest is downright creepy.

After thanking her and assuring her that we’d keep Dinky in mind, we said our goodbyes again and were soon both off on our daily routines. The rest of my jog went smoothly, only stopping one last time in the market to quickly say good morning to Applebloom. She’s the youngest Apple sibling, and while I didn’t know her well, she’s always willing to give a nice greeting and a warm smile.

By the time I got back to the house, I was feeling good. I could have done the last two laps, but my watch told me I didn’t have time before May needed to be up. I should start getting up earlier. After letting myself in, I kicked my shoes back into their place and peeled my shirt off. I made my way back to the bedroom and inched opened the door. Sure enough, May was still out like a light, but at some point she had turned herself sideways on the bed, probably in an effort to curl up against something.

I took my shirt off and used it to wipe off some of the sweat from my face. Tossing the thing into a hamper in the corner, I pulled out a nicer shirt and pair of pants from the dresser. A quick shower later and the soreness was gone from my legs, replaced by a pleasant tiredness.

A glance at the clock said it was five after. I must’ve been in the shower longer than I intended. As I passed the door to May’s room, I stepped inside to turn off the alarm that was now going off, managing not to trip over any of the toys and books scattered on the floor. She wasn’t usually a messy filly, but she did occasionally forget to put up her toys before she went to bed. She’s only seven; I can’t really find it in myself to hold it against her.

Back in my room, I briefly considered trying to get away with tickling her awake again. A small throb through my finger reminded me that was a bad idea. Instead, I opted for my usual standby, a light scratching behind the ears. Unlike her father, though, she didn’t immediately wake, instead curling into my hand.

“Time to get up for school, pumpkin,” I said, scritching more forcefully. She groaned and finally cracked open her eyes, looking up at me with a face that said I interrupted a particularly good dream. As a last measure of defiance, she closed her eyes and rolled onto her stomach, covering her head with her hooves with an annoyed grunt.

“Aww, that’s no way to behave on the first day of school. Just think, you’ll get to see all your friends from last year again, and get to learn all kinds of new things! Doesn’t that sound like fun?” I asked, trying to keep the laughter in my voice to a minimum. Last thing she needed now was to feel like I was teasing her, even if I sort of was. She grumbled something that didn’t quite make it past her hooves and to my ears.

“Sorry, sweetie, you’re gonna have to speak up.”

“Dunwannago,” she said.

“Well, if that’s the way it’s going to be, I know what I have to do.” Her ears perked up as she realized what was coming, but I didn’t give her the time to prepare.

I drove my hands into her sides, tickling furiously under her forelegs. She squealed and locked her legs to her chest in an attempt to block me, but I changed strategies. I wormed my hands under her belly, digging my fingers into her coat. Her giggling increased in volume and she tried to spring away from my reach, but succeeded in only falling to her side, giving me even greater access. I continued until she was panting for breath.

“Heehee, ha- MATT, STOP, I GOTTA PEE!” she yelled amidst breathless laughs, finally squirming out of my grasp and galloping off to the bathroom. I laughed; at least I managed to get her out of bed.

While she was in the bathroom, I made my way up the hall to the kitchen. Couldn’t send a growing filly to school without breakfast, right?

Now, I’m no great shakes at cooking, but since coming here, the land of no instant food, you either learn or you starve. At the very least, I can cook some passable pancakes and fry some eggs. As I got the batter together and the first pancake going, I decided to throw some hash browns in the plans as well. Guess I was hungry after my jog.

By the time the first couple of pancakes were done, I heard hooves clicking against the floor behind me. I put two on a plate along with some delicious looking, if I do say so myself, hash browns and eggs. As I placed the plate before her at our little table, I took stock of her. Her coat looked properly washed and brushed, though her mane still looked a little unkempt, but she liked it that way. I noticed her hooves still needed filing, but there wasn’t really time for the in the morning anyway.

“Did you brush your teeth?” I asked her.

“Yep,” she said, much more like her usual energetic self than earlier.

“Good girl,” I said as I turned back to the counter to fix myself a plate too.

I took my place across from her, pleased to see she had already dug in. Amiti is a stickler for appearances, and that extended to table manners. The way May was furiously putting the food away would have certainly gotten a reprimand from him, but I figure kids will be kids. She has plenty of time to grow up and learn that stuff later, right? As long as she didn’t get her face or the table dirty, I didn’t care much, so I let it slide.

I began to eat as well, and somewhere along the way it somehow turned into a silent competition as to who could clean their plate first. I still don’t know where it came from. She already had a head start on me, but I had the advantage of a much bigger mouth.

Keep all “your mom” and “that’s what she said” jokes to yourself, please.

Eventually, I came away the victor, as if there was ever any doubt. As I took up our plates and dumped them in the sink for later I heard May hop out of her chair. A quick check of the clock said it was just about time for both of us to leave. I went into the living room to put on my nicer shoes for work. Just as I finished lacing them up, she stepped into the room, saddlebags in tow. She made for the door, but I held up a hand.

“Hold up, your dad wanted me to check your saddlebags,” I said.

“Again? He checked them three times last night,” she whined, but she held still for me anyway. A quick check showed her textbooks, pencils and scrolls were all there just like they had been last night.

“Alright, yep, looks like you’re good,” I said. And without further ado, I opened the door and we both filed out, stopping long enough for me to lock the door behind us. Outside, I dropped to one knee and instantly she reared up and threw both hooves about my neck. I returned the hug and tousled her mane as she pulled back.

“Alright, you have fun in class today, alright kiddo? Tell Ms. Cheerilee ‘hello’ for me, okay?” I said.

“I will,” she said, sighing.

“Aw, cheer up. You’re going to have fun, I know it. Now, you’d better get going, don’t want to be late. Be good, okay? I love you.”

“I will, Matt. Love you, too,” she said, already turning down the road towards the schoolhouse. I stopped briefly to watch her go before I turned to walk the other way.

Now later in the morning, Ponyville was much more awake. Town square was crawling with ponies stopping at Sugarcube Corner for breakfast or coffee, and the marketplace with packed with merchants hocking their wares. Two years ago, when I first found myself in Ponyville, I could cut a path through any crowd just by walking by. Now, ponies barely notice me anymore than anyone else. Eventually I made it to the large purple building just off the center of town.

The Ponyville Day Spa, owned by the twins Aloe and Lotus. Maybe not the most extravagant name ever, but it sort of suits Ponyville like that. Great place, and one that also lacks pretense. It’s a really nice, well-equipped place with three separate baths, several saunas, and even a few massage rooms. How they afford to have such a big place in a tiny town like this is beyond me, but they make it work somehow. I’m not about to start complaining, though, as they were the only ponies nice enough to offer me a job.

It started with mostly backroom stuff. Cleaning and stocking the massage rooms, moving boxes of oils and salts from the store room, placing orders and taking inventory, that sort of stuff. Lately they’ve had me manning the counter to help clients. Before, one of the two owners always did it, which meant there was only ever one available to actually perform their services. This way, both were free and they could get more business done at once. I wouldn’t mind becoming a masseur, though; the pay raise would be nice. I’d talked about it with them before, but they were afraid that ponies wouldn’t be willing to purchase my services. Just because ponies around town weren’t afraid of walking by me anymore doesn’t mean they would be okay with me running my hands all over them.

Oh well, I know one zebra that doesn’t mind. The rest just don’t know what their missing.

Either way, I unlocked the door and let myself inside. Only thirty minutes until opening and I had plenty to do. Off I go to another wonderful day of work. Joy.