Under The Blue Sky

Alfred jumped down onto the smooth pavement with ease. The others looked at him suspiciously, wondering what had actually happened back with Celestia. Rainbow quickly followed him closely, still excited from before and eager to spend time with Alfred, who was also in a cheery mood, perhaps even cheerier than he should be. He had a large grin on his face and a positive attitude that no one could bring down.

He was relatively surprised by Celestia's decision to give him another chance, since she didn't seem like the kind of Princess that would allow such horrible events to take place and not dish out punishments, especially after what happened with Discord. Alfred was ecstatic. Things were looking rather well for him; he got his revenge, no pony fears him (in fact they seemed to respect him more for stepping up), he wasn't punished, his friends were willing to look past it and best of all.....he felt good about himself.

Rainbow nudged him slightly, noticing his sudden wave of happiness. She felt it come over her like a warm breeze, it seemed to seep into her fur and relax her to the point of almost fainting. She hadn't seen Alfred this charismatic and comfortable in a while. He had always been a little stressed out ever since he ran into Discord. Rainbow could only imagine the horror of realising the truth, especially from a psychopath like Discord. She felt even more sorry for him, now that he knew the only reason he was here was to be used as a weapon. That's why it was so strange and exciting to see him happy again, and Rainbow loved it.

The others had no idea, since they were still puzzled by what had happened. The group continued to stare at him while Rainbow followed closely. Alfred started to notice that his friends weren't moving along with him, so he turned around confidently and looked to them still holding that large smile.

"You guys coming or what?"

"Uh, just one quick question dearie... are you okay?"

"Rarity, I'm better than ever."

They all came to the sudden realisation that he was fine, and let out a deep breath. Then they all slowly trotted along, making sure to keep up with Alfred and Rainbow who were walking at quite a speedy pace. Although they weren't sure where they were going exactly, the group made their way through familiar streets, chatting calmly.

"So, let me get this straight, she did nothing?"

"Yep, Pinkie, it was only a warning."

"Wow, seriously? I thought she was gonna go all crazy on you and force you to do what happened to the the pony who got in trouble last time."

"Wait... what happened last time?"

"Some red pony got caught by the guards trying to sneak in and... well... it didn't end too good for him."

"Right, okay," Alfred said slowly, starting to think over what she just said, but dismissed it soon after. Fluttershy quickly jumped in.

"It's good to see you so lively, Alfred."

"Thanks Fluttershy." Rainbow nuzzled against him slightly and gave Alfred a small kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, it is good to see you this way... like, really good." Alfred blushed slightly as he stared into Rainbow's eyes, once again mesmerised by the pretty shade of pink. The others smiled at the two, who were now currently lost in another world. Applejack, suddenly feeling the awkward stares of other ponies going by, stepped in between them.

"Uh... do ya mind moving it along? Ponies are watching ya two..."

Alfred suddenly snapped at the sound of AJ's voice and cleared his throat, realising who and where he was. Rainbow immediately did the same thing as they broke away from each other, almost pretending like nothing had happened. Applejack just happily sighed at the two and started to lead, keeping a casual pace through Ponyville.

While coming across the busy market, she was suddenly reminded of the work she needed to do, all this fuss about Alfred had distracted her and she had no time to waste. As her friends where swallowed by the growing crowd, Applejack found herself alone with Alfred. He was admiring the various watches that were on display, hoping to buy one for himself after recalling that his old one was frozen. She turned back to Alfred uneasy because she still wanted to spend more time with her friends, but she knew she had responsibilities, big ones.

"Uh oh..."

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry but I've gotta run, I just remembered I had some important work to get back to on the farm."

"It's okay, we'll see you later, right?"

"Yup, and hey....you've got some work to catch up on too, ya know."

"Oh right, sorry, with everything that's been happening lately it totally slipped my mind."

"Just meet normal time tomorrow outside the barn, I'll be waiting."

"Will do. Uh.....thanks Applejack."

Applejack paused for a second after hearing Alfred's words.

"Thanks? What for?"

"Just for being there, I know I acted out when I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I just want you to know that-"

"Shh.....don't ya worry your pretty little head over it. We all act out sometimes, it's just who we are."

And with that, Applejack disappeared into the overwhelming crowd, leaving Alfred alone with time by his side, ticking away.

After a few hours of browsing, everyone split up and went their separate ways, except for Rainbow and Alfred. They made their way back home in a cheery mood, both happy with how things turned out. Alfred remained secretly proud with what he had done, and Rainbow was glad to finally get some alone time with him after all of the hectic events recently. With the street lights guiding their way, and the moon casting a dim, beautiful light over them, they both wandered through the streets.

"So Alfie, how are you?"

"I'm doing extremely well now that everything's died down," Alfred said as he smiled and turned to Rainbow.

"Yeah, it feels good to be with you alone again... and without any other problems."

"Oh, definitely. I missed this... just us two."

"Yeah, it's got me thinking..."

Alfred turned his head even more as she said this.

"About what, exactly?"

Rainbow sighed happily and looked back into Alfred's eyes.

"Well... I was just thinking about us, our future. We've been together for quite a while now. Almost two years..."

Alfred suddenly stopped walking and knelt down beside Rainbow, holding her hoof and starting back into her eyes.

"...and those have been the happiest two years of my life, Rainbow," Alfred whispered softly, seeing Rainbow begin to tear up slightly. He moved his hand behind her head and ran it through her soft mane, comforting her. She simply smiled and tried to fight back the tears of joy that Alfred was bringing out.

"I just wanted to know... if you'd like to have a kid with me..."

Alfred's eyes lit up as she saw the words drop from Rainbow's lips. She stood there, glistening in the pale moonlight and waiting for a response, still trying hard to hold back. Alfred gazed upon her stunned and couldn't think of any words to say, so instead his clutched onto to Rainbow and brought her in close, hugging her tightly. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around his back instinctively, crying softly onto his shoulder. Alfred simply rocked her back and forth in his arms, thinking over the possibility of having a child to raise.

He wanted it. He had never wanted something so badly in his entire life. His mind was overcome with a wave of esctasy that made him feel like he was floating, flying away with Rainbow. He closed his eyes as he imagined it, their future together. He could see them growing old together, raising a young pony of their own and experiencing all the thrills of it. He could see a family, a perfect family, a family that he had never known. Alfred felt enchanted while pressing up close against his one true love. It all seemed like some perfect dream, making him feel as if he could do anything, as long as he was with Rainbow. She had blessed him with this opportunity, and Alfred wasn't going to let it go to waste. He held her close and looked into the stary night sky above with small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He could feel himself trembling with the incredible feeling, making him grip Rainbow even tighter, hearing her softly sob on his shoulder. He nuzzled his head into her beautiful mane and smiled, finally shedding a tiny tear of happiness.

Rainbow couldn't control herself. She was always known as the confident one, the proud and maybe sometimes arrogant one, but now, at this moment, she was swept away by her emotions and to Alfred, she was the loved one. Rainbow felt his warmth comfort her as she wept. He would always comfort her, no matter the case. Life was never the same without Alfred, and Rainbow wanted to make the sweet feeling last even longer by introducing a child. She knew that they couldn't make one themselves of course, but there were always other options, and Rainbow was willing to devote her life to her lover and their child, and from the response he gave, so was Alfred.

They both stayed there for a while, embracing each other in the wonderful, dark night. They shine brighter than any street lamp, or even the pale moon behind them. Their love burnt through the darkness, filling the night with hope. They both slowly pulled away from the hug and looked into each other's eyes. Their eyes glistened in the moonlight, reflecting their partner behind them. Alfred was still smiling, unable to draw himself away from the centre of his small little world, Rainbow. Almost instinctively, they both leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss and met each other perfectly.

They were going to start a family, together.