You somewhat tiredly walk through the snowed up streets of Canterlot, nodding to passing ponies as you continued to your destination in your winter clothes. A blue cap upon your head along with a gray pair of gloves, not to mention a red and yellow winter jacket, custom made of course. Finally black winter boots and regular jeans to complete the weird outfit you decided to wear.
Indeed, the snowy season and the surprisingly open and nice Canterlot ponies was due to the fact that today was Hearth's Warming. The pony holidays were always both weird yet familiar to you, similar enough to Earth's holidays that you got use to them fast.
Except that one time in Ponyville with Winter Wrap Up, you are never helping to shovel that much snow from the farms ever again!
You chuckle at the memory, which brings up more memories of the past. You've been here in Equestria for three years now, ever since you somehow fell through your living room floor and ended up in a tree house library with a purple alicorn in front of you.
You later learned her name was Twilight Sparkle, Princess Twilight Sparkle actually. She tried to explain how you came to their world through a 'Veil' portal, honestly you didn't understand a word she said and pretended to understand it all. Later on, when the princess of this pony land deemed you safe to approach, you met Twilight's friends, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and two months later you met...her.
Sunset Shimmer.
You had first met when she arrived in Ponyville to meet Twilight and talk to her about possibly staying in Equestria for a bit, you had been reading in the library foyer just before her unexpected entrance and almost got ran into when you stood up to put up your book.
After she got her permission to stay, she had taken the time to meet you and apologize for almost knocking you down. You accepted her apology and you both quickly became good friends afterwards. It turned out your interest in magic and teasing attitude, and interest in portals after going through one went well with her lifestyle.
Well...not counting the whole demon thing about five years from before in the other world through some weird portal Twilight made. But today isn't the time to talk about that.
It didn't take long before you both started to find an attraction for each other. At first it had been mostly her teasing you with tail swats and hip bumps (as best as she could anyway), which you sometimes responded with a flick to her horn or a light pull on the tail, but it eventually grew into an actual relationship.
One that didn't become an official one until about two years ago. Speaking of which reminds you the feeling of a box in your right pocket, your hand moves to it as you attempt to suppress a stupid grin from showing on your face.
Now you're on your way to...what was it again? Oh yeah, the Canterlot Amoureux Cafe. Embarrassingly, you didn't know Amoureux was French (or Prench as it is here) for 'lover', meaning it was called the Canterlot Lover Cafe. You never went there again till your first date with Sunset.
Anyhow, you were on your way there to meet her and decided it was time to 'pop the question' to her. You felt for sure she would say yes, but there was a very nervous feeling in your stomach that you couldn't get rid of.
It didn't matter now though, you were here. The cafe's sign on top of the two story building, the second floor acted as the home for the owning family. You enter the cafe and look around for your marefriend, after a few seconds you find her in a booth at the far end of your left from the entrance.
She was facing away from you, so you use this to walk over to the booth and slide in to sit right next to her and wrap your arm around her shoulders. "Hello there beautiful."
She tensed at the contact for a second before she realizes it's you and grins, turning to you and playfully punching you in the chest, revealing that she had painted the bottom her hooves a red that was similar to her mane, "You know how corny that line is Anon! I thought you were better than that."
You chuckle and move your hand from her shoulder to her ears and scratch behind them, causing her to close her eyes and push into your hand as her ears fold back. "Ohhhh...you know I have sensitive ears..."
You did know this, but it didn't stop you from scratching her ears for a few more seconds before you stop, "So do you want to get something to eat or sit here?"
She opens her eyes, looks up at you,"Hmm, perhaps, only if you promise to do more of that ear scratching later."
You smile and shake your head as you get out of the booth, she follows you to the register. The owner, Dount Joe, comes out a bit later, he use to have a donut shop but his wife always wanted to own a cafe and convinced him to change the shop to one. He still makes and sells donuts though.
Sunset orders a latte and a daffodil sandwich while you order some tea and a salad, while you did eat meat now and then it was always at home. Some ponies might freak out if they saw you eating meat.
When your order is ready, you pay for it and walk back to the booth with Sunset, you both sit back in your spots and have your lunch.
Sunset decides to tell you about the time that she, Twilight, and the others stopped three sirens from taking over the world that she lived in for until a few years ago. Apparently the sirens needed negative energy to gain power that the used to control ponies and project their voices.
But to get the energy they needed to make people want something...you got confused on the subject and decided to not ask her any questions about it. You do spend some time telling her more about Earth, she always seemed to want to know more, mostly about your life there.
When you both finish your lunch, you're left with a pony leaning into your chest and rubbing her head against you as you scratch her ears.
It was hard to deny her wishes, she was just so darn cute when you scratched her ears. You decide to take it a step further and flick her ear, causing her to shiver and punch you in the chest as she pulls back and looks up at you with a cute frown and a light blush on her face.
"You know not to do that Anon!"
"Do what?" You ask as your hand rubs the back of her neck, she tries to keep her frown, but shudders under your touch. You stop, which causes her to pout and pull away from your chest and sits down.
You decide it's time to make your move, "Hey Sunset, do you want get out of the here and go somewhere?"
She looks at you curiously, but nods. You both get out of the booth, once you leave a tip you and Sunset head out if the Cafe. You then lead her through the still snowed streets of Canterlot, after a few minutes you both arrive in the Canterlot gardens.
You lead her to a place you had learned from Luna (The darn alicorn mare looked into your dreams, your private thoughts. But she did help you out.) You tell her you have a surprise for her and cover her eyes with your hands when your near it and lead her around the corner.
Around the corner you see a patch of red and yellow roses, spelling out her name in her own mane and tail color and asking her the question, SUNSETSHIMMER WILL YOUMARRY ME?
A visiting pony by the name of Roseluck had been more than happy to help you out with the roses, "You ready to see it Sunset?" You ask. Trying to hide the nervousness that had filled your stomach again.
She nods and you take your hands off of her eyes. A few seconds later she gasps and puts a hoof to her mouth, tears starting to form in her eyes as you pull out the box and get on one knee. The movement catches her attention and she looks at you in time to see you open the box.
Inside was a golden ring that could fit onto her horn, she takes it in her magic slowly as the tears start to flow free. She wraps her hooves around you and hugs you tight as she sobs out yes to you. You own tears escape your eyes as the nervousness is replaced with an unexplainable about of joy and happiness!
You pull her back and gently kiss her on the lips, she kisses you back before pulling away and putting the ring onto her horn, sliding it down to the base. She smiles at you and sniffs, reaching a hoof to wipe a tear away.
"You knuckle head, did you have to make me wait for so long?"
You smile and nod, "The best things come to those who wait." She punches you in the shoulder playfully, but grins before you both kiss again. When you pull away, you stand up and put the empty box in your pocket, rubbing her mane as you both leave the gardens to go to your home.
This had to be the best Hearth's Warming you ever had in this crazy place.
Author's Note
Happy holidays Everypony! As I said before this one-shot was inspired by rivalcat on deviantart, if you look in the description, you'll find a link at the bottom. If there are those that wish for the next chapter of Shimmering Sunset to come out soon don't worry, I don't plan on stopping till the story is finished.
