Count Your Blessings

by Will-Owl-the-Wisp

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Original Character
Length: 5418

While preparing for his first Harvest’s Blessings, Steel Shield must contend with some closeminded ponies who don’t think his relationship with another stallion is proper.

It’s autumn in the Crystal Empire, and that means it’s time for Harvest’s Blessings—the day the crystal ponies set aside to cherish family and friends and to give thanks for the year’s harvest. Steel Shield is busy with last-minute preparations. It’s his first Harvest’s Blessings since moving into his new home after all, and he wants everything to be perfect for his special somepony, with whom he’ll be sharing the holiday. The trouble is, not everypony is accepting of Steel’s relationship with another stallion.

NOTE: This story is old and will undergo finalization in the future.

Published 2015-11-22 18:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-22 18:30:01 UTC

Count Your Blessings

Count Your Blessings: A Pony Kind of Thanksgiving

For perhaps the hundredth time today, Steel Shield had to remind himself that the recruits were just that—recruits, not soldiers. Not yet at any rate, perhaps not ever if they did not mind the cadence and keep those ranks and columns straight. It seemed a simple enough task, but, then, Steel had been a soldier almost as long as some of the younger recruits had been alive. He knew these drills forward and back; they had been ingrained in him the same way he was ingraining them in this new batch of Crystal Knight hopefuls. Well, some of them might transfer to other branches of the E.U.P. after basic training, though most would probably choose to remain in the Royal Guard, as Steel himself had chosen.

Or was he technically a Crystal Knight now? He wore the iridescent armor like the other knights, but his duties did not extend to the Crystal Palace. They rarely extended beyond the E.U.P. Academy Outpost, in the courtyard of which he now stood, the recruits marching across the flagstones before him. The Outpost had been constructed according to the local style—that is, grand and carved of crystal. It was still a military facility, but it gleamed like the rest of the Crystal Empire, all icy and faceted. Steel thought it looked cold, like spearheads and lances that had been polished before a parade. The rest of the Empire did not look that way, not really, what with its seemingly eternal spring and summer. But the Outpost was just outside the borders of the city, where the Frozen North stretched to the Crystal Mountains to the south and east, north to Mount Everhoof and the Yaket Range, and all the way to Luna Bay in the west. A siege of winter on all fronts, with the Empire rooted in the center of it. A defendable position, perhaps, should any foreign armies come along under the banner of war, but one that made the back of Steel’s neck prickle something terrible.

Talk about paranoid. It was probably just the Outpost’s atmosphere. After all, Steel felt quite at home in the Crystal Empire. Well, mostly at home. He was still getting used to the crystal ponies’ traditions and customs. Steel did not begrudge his transfer from Princess Twilight’s Royal Guard—he had accepted the opportunity readily, in fact—but the Empire was a whole new world compared to Ponyville. Especially the ponies here, with their lustrous coats and hair. It was hard not to feel a little out of place when your coat was just plain mahogany and your hair non-sparkly sienna.

At least I don’t glitter all the time like some clumsy foal after arts-and-crafts, Steel thought with a smirk.

The smirk shifted into a frown a moment later as Private Rough Cut flicked the recruit behind him with his tail, causing the whole column to fall half a step behind the rest of the platoon. That Rough Cut was a troublemaker at the best of times. Steel would have to put him to rights after dismissal, maybe assign him to privy detail. Cleaning the privies usually straightened out recruits like Rough Cut. Too bad those chores had been completed for the day—sending Rough Cut home stinking of the south end of a northward-facing burro on Harvest’s Blessings would have been absolutely golden. Not that a commanding officer would find such a petty thing amusing. Not where his subordinates could hear anyway.

“Platoon, halt!” shouted Private Alabaster, the unicorn Steel had placed in command of the platoon for drills. To their credit, the recruits did come to a stop, they just staggered a bit while doing so. Sloppy.

“Left, face!”

Steel had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from wincing at the imprecise in-place turns the recruits made. Had he ever been quite that bad? Surely not.

“Parade, rest!”

Well, at least they could do that much, though still not entirely in unison. Steel would have to work with them on that after the holidays. The last thing he needed was for Prince Shining Armor to trot in on this kind of shoddiness.

Alabaster performed a surprisingly smooth about-face and raised his right fore hoof in a salute. Steel returned the gesture. Lowering his hoof, Alabaster joined the rest of the platoon in parade-rest, formally shifting command back to Steel.

“Well, recruits,” said Steel, “that was the most pathetic display I’ve ever seen—horse apples march better. If it were up to me, you lot would be running drills until you actually figured out how to march.”

A ripple ran through the ranks as the recruits stiffened at the prospect.

“Luckily for you, I have orders to dismiss this platoon after drills, regardless of whether you sods know how to march straight.”

Some of the tension eased.

Steel arched an eyebrow, one corner of his mouth turning up. “Don’t worry. As soon as the holidays are over, we’ll iron out the kinks. Until then, happy Harvest’s Blessings, recruits. Platoon, attention!”

The recruits snapped to, a little less out of synch now that they had dismissal for motivation.

“Dismissed!”

The recruits eagerly dispersed. Conversations immediately sprang up as everyone made for the armory. Most of the chatter was about the recruits’ plans for Harvest’s Blessings. The way the crystal ponies here jabbered on about it, you would think Hearth’s Warming had come early, which was not too far off the mark. The Crystal Empire celebrated Hearth’s Warming in the winter just like everypony else in Equestria, but the Empire had another holiday that came before it, during the autumn. It was a day set aside for cherishing friends and family and giving thanks for a bountiful harvest while sowing hope for the next—more than enough reason to celebrate.

As if Tuppence needs a reason to cook a dinner fit for the Princesses, thought Steel. For an accountant, Tuppence was one hay of a cook.

“Have any plans for Harvest’s Blessings, Commander Shield?” asked a familiar voice. Steel turned to find Private Alabaster had fallen into step beside him. “I heard Colonel Garnet mention this is going to be your first one.”

“You heard right,” Steel answered. He removed his helm and tucked it under one wing as they stepped inside. Alabaster took off his helm as well, levitating it in the air beside him in the same blue aura that enveloped his horn. “My special somepony and his mother are getting a head-start on the dinner. I’ve invited some old friends from down south to join us, so we should have a full house tonight. Still need to pick up a few things from the market, though. Tuppence will have me drawn and quartered if I forget his precious walnuts.”

Alabaster started to respond, but somepony else intervened with a disgusted snort. Alabaster frowned and asked, “Something wrong, Rough Cut?”

The recruit in question had stopped only a few steps ahead of Steel and Alabaster in the corridor. A few other recruits stood with him, muttering to one another under their breath. Rough Cut shoved his helm into one of his cronies’ hooves and strode up to Alabaster. “Do you really need to ask?” he said. “You heard him—he’s one of those ponies.” Rough Cut shifted his glower to Steel, ears pinned flat and upper lip curled in a sneer. “If I’d known what you are, I’d have demanded to be placed in another platoon. As it is, I’ll be putting in a request for transfer. Sir.”

Steel bristled. “And what am I, Private?”

“A disgrace to stallions everywhere. Sir. No real stallion calls another stallion his ‘special somepony.’”

“Leave it, Rough Cut,” Alabaster snapped. “The world’s moved on.”

“And the Empire used to be the jewel of Equestria,” said Rough Cut, still glaring at Steel, “before mares started presenting marriage wreaths to mares and stallions started courting stallions. The love and union of a stallion and mare used to be sacred. Now it’s just another soiled institution. Sir.”

Steel Shield clenched his jaw. A commander did not lose his temper, certainly not when it was one of his subordinates stoking the fire. “Be sure to report to Lieutenant Saddlesoap for privy detail when the holidays are over, Private. Now move along. I’d rather not revoke your leave on Harvest’s Blessings.”

The furrows in Rough Cut’s already creased brow sharpened, his eyes hardening, but, thankfully, he backed off and returned to his friends. As the group continued down the corridor, Rough Cut whispered, just loud enough for Steel and Alabaster to hear, “Their kind shouldn’t even be allowed in the Empire. The King would’ve made sure of that in the old days.”

A deep cold settled into Steel’s gut. It was suddenly much harder to keep his temper in check. He started after Rough Cut, but Alabaster raised a foreleg in front of Steel’s chest to block him.

“He isn’t worth it, Commander,” said Alabaster.

Steel snorted, but he finally tore his gaze from Rough Cut and forced himself to calm down. Don’t get into a brawl on Harvest’s Blessings, birdbrain, he reminded himself. Tuppence’ll have your head. Besides, you have more important things to do today than give that colt’s ears a good boxing.

“Don’t let ponies like him get to you, sir,” Alabaster went on, lowering his hoof. “I hope you and your Tuppence have a happy Harvest’s Blessings. And don’t forget the walnuts,” he added with a wink, walking off.

As if I’d forget those a second time, Steel thought.

After turning in his armor, Steel left the Outpost for the city by wing, saddlebags cinched in place on his back. Soaring through the barrier holding the Frozen North at bay lifted some of the gloom weighing on his shoulders. Sunlight on his face, thermals rising under his wings—it was almost enough to put the incident with Rough Cut out of Steel’s mind. The sight of the crystal-clad city below, though, laid out in the shape of a giant snowflake, brought a smile back to his face. Who could not be happy in such a place as the Crystal Empire? The whole city felt alive, especially today, with ponies preparing for Harvest’s Blessings and wishing those they passed well. The greenery of the trees and fields may have taken on more colorful, autumnal hues now, but the Empire was as warm as it always was.

Steel alighted in the market, near the square where the Crystal Heart spun and gleamed beneath the palace. He had not been able to stop staring at that Heart when he first came to the Empire, but he had since grown accustomed to its soft, musical hum and its shining facets that never seemed to dull. The other ponies, most with the glittering coats and manes of the natives, barely gave the Heart a second glance, bustling from one vendor to another. Retrieving the shopping list Tuppence had made for him that morning from his bags, Steel wove among the throngs and began gathering the noted items. The atmosphere down here on the ground was even livelier than it had appeared to be from above. Laughter rang out over the excited voices. Foals dashed past or pranced in place at their parents’ sides. Even the vendors hawking their wares seemed a little less competitive in the spirit of the holidays. It was refreshing, to say the least, after the severity of the Outpost.

As Steel picked up the last item on his list, a voice he knew all too well called his name. Steel froze for an instant, and then quickly stuffed the slender parcel the florist had given him into his saddlebags. Tuppence stepped out of the crowd not a moment later. He sparkled from head to hoof like the rest of the crystal ponies, emerald of coat, flaxen-haired, and with sea-blue eyes to stop the heart. A pony could get lost looking into those eyes. Not that such a silly thing had ever happened to Steel. Not often anyway.

“What’re you doing here, Tuppence?” Steel asked, what he hoped was a convincing smile stretching across his face. “I told you I’d get the oats and molasses for that special mash of yours.”

Tuppence chuckled. “I know, dear, but I thought it better to be safe than sorry when it comes to you and shopping.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, Steel raised a fore hoof to his breast. “Twist the knife in the wound, why don’t you?”

“And you say I’m dramatic,” said Tuppence, laughing. He started toward another vendor. “Well, since we’re both here, we may as well get the last of the groceries together.”

Steel released a quiet sigh and glanced back at the florist, wishing her a happy Harvest’s Blessings. The florist grinned in response and winked at him. Did all the crystal ponies wink on Harvest’s Blessings? Shaking his head, Steel hastened after Tuppence. “I’ve got everything on the list already,” he said once he caught up. “We should be all set.”

One of Tuppence’s eyebrows rose at that. “Walnuts?”

A pause. “I didn’t forget. I was just… saving them for last.”

“How do you forget something twice?”

“One at a time, and then a third time for good measure,” Steel admitted, earning another laugh from Tuppence as they approached a vendor with a variety of nuts—including walnuts—on display, each kind divided into a number of bundles.

“And what can I do for you today, good sirs?” asked the vendor. She swept a hoof across her wares. “Some pecans for a Harvest’s Blessings pie, perhaps? Chestnuts for roasting?”

“Walnuts for a forgetful stallion,” said Tuppence. He reached for his coin pouch, but then paused and turned to Steel. “Bother. I forgot to check the R.S.V.P. list you left me this morning.”

“Not so easy to remember things, is it?” Steel teased, nudging Tuppence with a wing.

Tuppence rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “How many do you think we’ll need tonight, dear? I wouldn’t want to run short on anything on our first Harvest’s Blessings together.”

The vendor narrowed her eyes, looking from Steel to Tuppence and back again. “Wait, you’re not one of those couples, are you?”

“What’s it to you?” Steel asked, ears turning back. What were the odds he would run into another pony like Rough Cut on the same day?

“Now, now, Steel,” said Tuppence. He placed a forestalling fore hoof on Steel’s shoulder. “There’s no need to lose your temper.”

“I haven’t lost my temper yet. I just asked—” Steel stopped when he saw Tuppence’s glare. Tuppence did not glare at anypony, not unless they were about to do something stupid. Well, Steel was definitely not about to do anything of the sort. Still, better not to push his luck on Harvest’s Blessings. “We’ll be out of your mane after we pay for the nuts,” Steel said to the vendor. Then he turned back to Tuppence. “Two bags should be plenty.”

Tuppence nodded and reached for the coins again, but the vendor stamped a hoof and growled, “I’ll not have any bits from backwards ponies like you. Go buy your nuts somewhere else.”

“What?!” Steel flared his wings, scowling. “You can’t just not sell to us because we happen to be together!”

“I have my rights.”

“So do we!”

“Not at my stand!” the vendor shouted, drawing more than a few glances from passersby. “Now trot off, the pair of you, before you carriagers start putting off my customers!”

Steel opened his mouth to retort, but Tuppence stepped in front of him and spoke first. “We’re sorry to have troubled you, madam. Have a happy Harvest’s Blessings.” He drew Steel back and led him away from the nut vendor.

“‘Happy Harvest’s Blessings’? To that broodmare?” Steel hissed.

“Language, Steel. But yes,” said Tuppence. How did he stay so calm? “You wish them well and move on. There’s no need to argue with somepony who doesn’t want to hear what you have to say.”

“But she—!”

“I know, and we’ll take our business elsewhere. From how loudly she was yelling, I wouldn’t be surprised if she lost a few other customers today, too. Now, let’s put the whole nasty affair behind us and find those walnuts.”

Steel shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why do so many ponies here think ponies like us are so terrible? I never had this problem down south. What’s wrong with two stallions loving each other, or two mares, for that matter?”

“There isn’t anything wrong with it.” Tuppence sighed, frowning down at the paving stones. “Thanks to Sombra’s curse, we were all stuck in stasis for a thousand years. Stallions pursuing relationships with other stallions was a punishable crime under Sombra, and, although we were enslaved at the time, most of the crystal ponies actually agreed with the policy. Even my own folks agreed with it, though Mother’s come around quite a bit since Father died. But there are still some ponies who haven’t adjusted to the times yet. The rest of Equestria moved past these issues without us.”

“But the Crystal Empire is built on love, isn’t it? Princess Amore found the Crystal Heart and used it to spread the love inside her throughout the crystal ponies, and they made her the Empire’s first ruler. Love’s still such a powerful emotion here that it literally reflects across all of Equestria. Why should anypony here find the love shared by ponies like us so offensive?”

Tuppence smiled sadly. “I don’t really know why, Steel, but I do know that the opinions of a prejudiced few matter little in the grand scheme of things. Besides, you and I have too much to be thankful for this year to waste time worrying about what can’t be changed.” He wrapped a foreleg around Steel’s shoulders in a brief embrace. “It’s good to hear all those history lectures you made fun of me for actually paid off, though,” he went on, stopping at a new vendor with walnuts among his wares. Tuppence paid the vendor, and Steel tucked the bundle of nuts into his saddlebags. Then they began to make their way out of the market, headed for home.

“What would I be if I didn’t listen to an egghead like you every once in a while?” Steel said.

“A very lonely nitwit.”

“I resent that. I wouldn’t have been lonely at all.”

Tuppence chuckled. “And that’s why you’re my nitwit. Now, since I neglected to check that R.S.V.P. list, would you mind informing me who among your southern friends are coming? Mother and I would like to know just how much cooking we need to accomplish before dinner, not to mention the sleeping arrangements.”

“I can always help with dinner, you know,” Steel said.

“No, no!” Tuppence caught himself, and then moderated his tone down from whatever falsetto range he had suddenly jumped to. “That is, it’s kind of you to offer, but Mother and I have things well in hoof.” He gave Steel a weak smile, ears twitching.

Steel snorted. “I’m never going to live down that last disaster, am I?”

“I wouldn’t call it a ‘disaster.’ It was more of a… substantial mishap, one that really shouldn’t be repeated.”

“It’s not my fault the toaster oven blew. No-pony told me I had to take the foil off first.”

“And we all regret that immensely.” Tuppence cleared his throat and asked again, “So who will be joining us for Harvest’s Blessings?”

Steel eyed Tuppence a moment more, but he let the matter drop. “Only three can make it. Nightingale, Juniper Berry, and Lilypad are all catching the two o’clock train together, and they said in their letters that they don’t mind sharing a room. Cloudy Day said he couldn’t make it ‘due to family matters,’ but he sends his love. And Misty…” He paused, the cold knot in his gut tightening. With all that had happened today, Steel had almost forgotten his old foalhood friend had not even responded to the invitation he had sent her. “She won’t be coming either,” he finished quietly.

They walked in silence for a time, turning down the street that led to their house. A group of foals was playing there a bit farther off, kicking a ball to one another. Then Tuppence gave Steel a gentle nuzzle and said, “Don’t worry, she just needs time.”

Steel snorted dubiously. He averted his gaze, ears drooping.

“You had a falling out, that’s all. Time heals all wounds eventually.” When Steel did not respond, Tuppence shifted tactics. “Of course, you rather brought this upon yourself, you know, lying to her like you did. It’s not so surprising when you think about it.”

That made Steel straighten and level a scowl on Tuppence. “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” he asked.

“I am completely neutral in the matter. I’m not on anypony’s side—but if I were, I suppose I’d be fated to be on yours.”

Steel rolled his eyes. “You are such a romantic. Remind me again why I fell in love with you?”

“Because you couldn’t figure out your tax forms, and my station happened to be free. How could I resist a financially illiterate desperado from the south? It was destiny, plain and simple.”

“You’re such an idiot. A romantic, walnut-obsessed, mathematical wizard of an idiot.”

Tuppence smiled. “I love you, too, dear.”

It was then that a shadow fell over them, along with the entire street. They looked up to find several pegasi positioning dark thunderheads throughout the sky. A soft rumble reverberated through the air even as the pegasi worked. Steel’s heart staggered into overdrive at the sight. If those clouds broke and watered the Empire, there would be no backyard Harvest’s Blessings dinner. There would be no special Crystal Empire sunset to perfect the evening. How would Steel pull off his plans without the backyard dinner and special sunset?

“Oh, so it is going rain,” Tuppence mused. “I rather expected that weather report to be a prank, considering the holiday and all.”

Steel’s attention snapped back to Tuppence. “But it’s Harvest’s Blessings!”

“It doesn’t usually rain on Harvest’s Blessings, true, but we did have that dry spell two weeks back. I suppose the weather pegasi feel we need to make up for it.”

“But it can’t rain tonight!” Of all the things that could have gone wrong today, why did it have to rain? “It’ll ruin everything!”

Tuppence watched him curiously, one ear flicked sideways. “It’s just rain, Steel. Calm down.”

Calm? How could Steel possibly be calm? His insides were squirming too much for that. Whoever thought this sensation felt like having butterflies in your belly obviously had never experienced it. Steel was way beyond butterflies—screaming windigos, more like. But Tuppence was right. Get a hold of yourself, Steel instructed himself. So the sunset’s out of the picture. You can make it work without a sunset. Somehow…

“You know,” said Tuppence as they continued down the street, “when I was a foal and things weren’t going the way I’d wanted them to, my mother would tell me to count my blessings.”

“Seriously? This isn’t like breaking a toy or losing a calculator.”

“I only lost it once. But my point is, Steel, that we have many things to be thankful for. We have a home, friends and family who care about us, food on the table—”

“Don’t tell me—‘shoes on our hooves’?”

Tuppence swung his hindquarters into Steel’s, bumping him over a step. “Smarty.”

“You’re the one doing the counting.”

“I’m trying to say that, with all that we do have, a little rain is a rather small inconvenience. I wanted to have dinner outside, too, but we’ll adapt. We can celebrate Harvest’s Blessings inside just as well.”

“I just…” Steel sighed, tail swishing. “I just wanted our first Harvest’s Blessings to be perfect, or at least as perfect as it could be. And with how things have been going today, it doesn’t feel like anything’s going to work out.”

“Everything works out in the end, Steel,” Tuppence assured him. “You’ll see. Look on the bright si—”

Before Tuppence could finish, a crimson sphere slammed into the side of his head. He stumbled sideways, raising a fore hoof to his face. Steel instinctively leapt in front of him, wings flaring wide. The only threat in sight, however, was the ball, which rolled across the paving stones back to the group of foals who had been playing with it. Steel recognized most of them, though he did not know all of their names; they lived along the same street as he and Tuppence. One of the colts was doubled over in a fit of laughter. Pinning his ears flat against the back of his head, Steel started straight for the colt—let the twerp see just how funny a Royal Guard whose fuse had finally burned out could be.

Tuppence snatched one of Steel’s wings in his teeth, bringing him up short. By the Princesses, half of Tuppence’s face was red! “It’s all right, dear,” he said through a mouthful of feathers. “It was an accident.”

“Accident, my hoof!” Steel exclaimed, yanking his wing free. “The little s—!”

“Language, Steel Shield.”

“That’s what you’re worried about? Your eye’s turning black and blue, and you’re concerned about my swearing?”

Tuppence frowned and began to argue further, but another, much younger voice spoke first. It was by no means loud, but it drowned out even the coarse laughter of the colt and drew everypony’s eyes its owner.

“Why are you being so mean to them, Sidewinder?” a filly—Dewdrop, if Steel remembered right—asked, looking at the colt.

Sidewinder glanced toward the other foals briefly, but then puffed out his chest and said, “I’m not being mean.”

“You kicked the ball into Mister Tuppence. We all saw it.”

Sidewinder laughed again. “Aw, c’mon. I was just having some fun with those carriagers. Besides, everypony knows carriagers aren’t really ponies at all, so it doesn’t matter if you’re mean to them.”

Steel’s scowl darkened, and he opened his mouth to put Sidewinder in his place. Tuppence placed a fore hoof on his shoulder and shot him a glare. Reluctantly, Steel closed his mouth and settled on fuming silently instead.

“That’s not a very nice thing to call somepony,” said Dewdrop, tilting her ears back.

“My dad says it all the time,” Sidewinder scoffed. “He says that carriagers like those two ought to straighten out and act more like real ponies.”

Dewdrop scrunched up her muzzle. “What’s wrong with two ponies being together if they love each other?”

“Nothing, as long as they aren’t c—”

“Just because Mister Tuppence loves Mister Shield doesn’t make it wrong.” Dewdrop strode up to Sidewinder, all but looming over him despite being the smaller of the pair. He cringed down a little farther each time she took a step closer. “I have two moms, and they love each other just like your dad loves your mom and just like Mister Shield loves Mister Tuppence.” Dewdrop shoved her face right up to Sidewinder’s and finished, “And I wouldn’t ever trade Mommy or Ma for a mean, disrespectful, closeminded father like yours.”

Sidewinder just sat there for a while, wide-eyed beneath Dewdrop’s cool stare. Then he swallowed hard and inched back, brow furrowing. “Whatever,” he said, though he did not sound nearly as confident as he had before. “C’mon, guys. We shouldn’t be playing with one of their kind.”

None of the other foals moved to join him. They stood behind Dewdrop, silent, watching Sidewinder.

Sidewinder clenched his jaw, then stormed off on his own.

Tuppence chuckled softly. “Out of the mouths of babes, wouldn’t you say?” he said, glancing at Steel. That eye really was going to be black and blue by tomorrow. They needed to get it on ice before the swelling got out of hoof.

“I’m sorry for what Sidewinder did, Mister Tuppence,” said Dewdrop, walking up to them. “And for what he called you and Mister Shield.”

“Well, perhaps he knows better now,” Tuppence replied. “Thank you, Dewdrop.”

Dewdrop smiled, and then gathered the ball and led her friends off down the street. The whole group waved as they left and called back, “Happy Harvest’s Blessings!”

More thunder drummed in the heavens, but it was little more than a buzzing fly in Steel’s ears. All the tension and anger that had been mounting in Steel evaporated. For the first time all day, it truly felt like Harvest’s Blessings—even if there would be no sunset—and he would not let this perfect moment slip past. Twisting around, Steel pulled his saddlebags off and rummaged through them until he found the slender parcel the florist had given him.

“What are you doing, Steel?” Tuppence asked. “It’s about to start raining.”

As if on cue, droplets plummeted from the sky, smearing the city’s skyline. Steel barely noticed, his focus on the parcel. He tugged the knotted string binding the now-damp brown paper in place, and then looked up at Tuppence, whose mane had begun to drip and hang in his eyes. The screaming windigos inside Steel kicked into an even higher gear.

“We’d best get inside before the rain gets any worse,” said Tuppence, heading toward their home.

“Wait.” Steel caught one of Tuppence’s fore hooves in his own, stopping him. “I have to tell you something, Tuppence.”

“Then let’s get out of this weather and—”

“No, it has to be now.”

“In the rain?”

Steel nodded and drew a deep breath. Those windigos were still whirling and howling around inside him, but he smothered them as best he could and took the plunge. “I’m not very good at grand speeches, and I don’t think that’s really what this is, but…” He hesitated, biting his lip. You can do it, Steel. Just get it out. “You told me to count my blessings. Well, I have, and the most important blessing in my life is you, Tuppence. I don’t know what I’d do if I never knew you. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore, and I don’t want to. For a while, I thought it wouldn’t be right to ask you, since so many ponies here seem to think two stallions shouldn’t be together, but now I finally realize that it doesn’t matter who you love, as long as you both truly love each other.” Steel tore the paper from the parcel at his hooves and opened the box. Inside was a wreath woven of crystal blossoms, although the dainty, white flowers were drooping somewhat with the weight of the rain soaking their petals. The wreath itself was not perfect, with some of the leaves torn and a few flowers crushed, but the florist had managed to fix the worst of Steel’s mistakes. Lifting the wreath in one fore hoof, Steel held it out to Tuppence and asked, “Tuppence, will you marry me?”

For a subjective eternity, there was only the splashing rain. Tuppence had grown still, almost statuesque, with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Steel’s pulse quickened the longer the silence stretched, and he started to wonder if he should not have proposed. He had to stifle the urge stow the wreath back in its box. He felt sweat bead on his forehead despite the rain. Abruptly, Tuppence grabbed Steel’s face in both fore hooves and kissed him.

When Tuppence finally released him, Steel blinked, heat flushing his cheeks. “So… is that a ‘yes’?”

“Of course it is, you insufferable soldier,” said Tuppence, beaming. He rubbed at his good eye, and Steel realized Tuppence was crying—the rain had disguised the tears. Steel extended a wing to shelter Tuppence from the strengthening downpour. Then Tuppence took the marriage wreath and slipped it over his head so it hung about his neck. He looked up at Steel and said, “This is officially the best Harvest’s Blessings ever.”

Steel snorted, shaking his soggy forelock out of his eyes. “The day’s not over yet.”

“That it isn’t,” Tuppence agreed, speaking quickly, “and there’s still so much we need to do before everypony arrives. Mother and I need to finish dinner, the house is an absolute disaster zone, one of us will need to collect the guests from the station—”

Rolling his eyes, Steel kissed Tuppence on the cheek, bringing the ramble to a stop. “Happy Harvest’s Blessings, Tuppence.”

Tuppence smiled and nuzzled him. “Happy Harvest’s Blessings, Steel.”