Growing Relationship

Waking up this morning wasn't so bad, truth be told it's kind of pleasant. Butterscotch was still out cold cuddled up on your chest. The only downside of the situation was not being able to move without waking Scotch up. This usually wouldn't be a problem since he always woke up before you, but with how much he drank last night it's not like him being comatose is surprising. Taking a moment to study the butter yellow pegasus, it's made apparent by his peaceful demeanor that waking him would be a crime against nature.

His wings were fully stretched out while he hugged you tightly. Scotches mane was all frazzled in the most adorable way. Thinking on it now he was probably going to tweak out when he did get up. While he did agree to a date sleeping with him was slightly unexpected. The thought of the adorable little dude getting all flushed and embarrassed made you chuckle. The small amount of noise was all it took to get Scotch to stir.

He blinked lazily as a hoof came towards his face to rub the sleep away. At this point Scotch started to wake up, and subsequently realized his position on you. All of his muscles tensed as he slowly turned to face you. Upon locking eyes Butterscotch froze.

Greeting him with a warm smile you plant a little kiss on the tip of his nose. “Good morning sunshine. Sleep well?”

Scotches face looked like a thermometer that was just stuck under a heat lamp. Red rose from chin to forehead and it was hilarious. You couldn't help but snicker as he tried to stammer out a response.

“You can relax Scotch it's just me here nothing to worry about. Just take some deep breaths and chill out for a sec.”

He nodded and closed his eyes, slowly breathing in and out. After a few repetitions of this cycle. His heart rate calmed down a bit and his face didn't look like a tomato anymore. Scotch looked down and smiled at you. That content little smile of his that always went on when things were serene.

“I slept really well actually, you're uhm really comfy. If you don't mind me saying that is...”

“I don't mind at all silly pony. Maybe we should make a habit of this if every morning will start off this well.”

His face tinged red again as he took an interest in the wall. “I think I would like that Anon.”

With that he got up off of the bed and trotted towards the door, no doubt on his way to start the morning ritual of breakfast for you two and then breakfast for all of the critters. After using the bathroom you followed him down. A glance in the kitchen showed that the eggs were almost ready. Upon entering the living room a peculiar sight makes itself apparent. The five plants that were left on the windowsill overnight had grown a foot tall in that short period of time.

Scotch came out and promptly closed your jaw with a little giggle. Then looked for himself at the sheer growth of the plants. “Wow Anon didn't you just plant those yesterday?”

You nod your head in silence. This shouldn't be possible, by no means were you an expert but plants don't grow that fucking fast. They should have taken weeks or months, at this rate they would be fully grown in less than a week. You couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. If this kind of shit happened back home people would have lost their minds. Everyone and their mother would have plants and growers would have been fucked six ways to Sunday.

The excitement gets to you and being unable to hold it in anymore Scotch gets scooped up and twirled around in a hug. He squeaks in surprise but soon joins in your mirth. Once he's back on the ground you kiss his forehead. “Sorry about that dude, I just got so pumped to see that the plants are doing so well.”

“Hehe, don't worry Anon that's nothing that calls for an apology. I'm glad this seems to be working out so well.”

That right there is why Butterscotch is the best. He can be so happy just to see another enjoying themselves. Not a selfish or envious bone in his cute little body. The two of you move on to breakfast and afterwards head outside to do the usual chores.

“Hey Butters, lets knock these chores out real quick. I gotta go see Dusk and ask if he knows why the plants are behaving the way they are.”

“Oh, don't worry about it Anon. Go ahead and see Dusk, I'm sure that he's just as excited as you are.”

You turn towards him and furrow your brow in mock hurt. “What and leave you alone to do all of this? You must think me some sort of douche.”

He puts a hoof up to his mouth to stifle the giggle. “I'll be fine, there wasn't anything I had to do today anyway.”

“Well I guess, thanks Scotch I'll be back as soon as I'm done.” Turing to start towards the castle you stop and do a one eighty. Butterscotch looks confused for a moment before you plant a kiss on the tip of his nose. Then you dash off like a colt who just stole a cookie from the jar. “Thanks babe!”

Partway down the trail an image of Scotch getting all flushed at that statement comes to mind. He was just so freakin cute when he got all embarrassed, it was impossible to not mess with him. When you finally make it to the crystal castle you knock loudly on the door. “Hey Dusk you home?”

There was a grumbling on the other side and the door opened to reveal Spines. Dusks little dragon assistant. She looked like she just crawled out of bed. “He's in the lab just follow me.”

Walking through the grand structure something struck you as odd. The halls seemed to be awfully bare and the only places that seemed to have anything in them were the most frequently used. It gave the whole place an empty feeling. Upon entering the lab Dusk was casting magic on a foot tall plant under some lights and sprinklers. Being so focused on the task at hoof he failed to notice your entrance. Spines just walked out after having led you to the room, just leaving you and Dusk.

The spell around the plant faded and the purple unicorn turned to be greeted by none other than you. A surprisingly feminine shriek filled the lab and he jumped up like a startled cat. Bursting into uncontrollable laughter at the scene Dusk was left to recover from the surprise.

“He... Hello there Anon nice of you to pop in. A little warning next time would be nice.”

You settle down from your outburst and regain composure. “Sorry about that dude, you seemed pretty focused and I didn't want to interrupt.”

“Fair enough, I assume your here to ask about the astounding growth rate of the plant sample you provided for me.”

“Eeyup.”

“Good I just got done scanning the structure of it and was about to run a diagnostic.” He stepped over to a monitor hooked up to a receiver of sorts. The same glow that had surrounded the plant now enveloped the antenna. After the spell faded all sorts of text rolled across the screen. Dusks eyes seemed to move a mile a minute reading over all of the data. When the text finally stopped he paused for a moment in contemplation.

“Alright Anon I believe that I know what has caused this. In this world magic exists in the form of mana particles in the air. This plant and you for that matter come from a world were these particles do not exist. So when this plant was grown in soil with mana particles it seemed to integrate the particles into its structure. The plant before you is a magically infused strain of the original. From the readings that I have gathered the effects of the mana particles are as follows: a much faster growth rate, ability to produce flowers at a faster pace, and a magical insecticide that will deter any would be attackers.”

“Wow, that sounds like super plant to me. Thanks for all of the info.”

“It was my pleasure, any chance I get to study a new subject matter is taken. Also I hope you don't mind but I sent a letter to the princess yesterday about this plant. That included everything you told me about it.”

Your face suddenly fell. Whenever the higher ups get involved in this sort of thing they always manage to muck things up. Maybe coming to Dusk wasn't such a good idea...

“When the Princess replied she said that such a plant would be extremely valuable to Equestria as a whole and sent me a grant to give you. She wants them to be studied extensively and saw this as a great opportunity to help you find a place in this world. The grant itself is for five thousand bits, and Princess Celestia also sent the names and addresses of some organizations that would like to study the applications right away.”

He levitated a sack of bits onto the table. This was unbelievable the Princess had personally gave you a grant to get going and already had researchers lined up to but the product in bulk. Everything about this sounded way to good to be true. But the pony in front of you wasn't the sort to lie and the sack felt pretty real. There was only one thing left to do...

Dusk Shine let out a yelp when you picked him up in a bear hug. “Thank you thank you thank you! This is so freakin awesome dude I don't know what else to say!”

“Could you put me down please?” Dusk had struggled to get that out, best let him go.

As you put him down you were still beaming a the guy. He had basically orchestrated your dream come true. He looked a little sheepish at the sudden attention but soon righted himself. Still wearing a happy smile of his own.

“I'm glad to be of help. If there's anything else you need please don't hesitate to ask.”

“No worries Dusk you've done more than enough. I gotta get home so I can tell Scotch about this.”

“Alright stop by any time Anon.”

You waved him farewell as you hefted the sack of bits over your shoulder. On the walk back to the cottage there were some strange looks. Most likely at the bits. Although that wasn't about to stop you. On the final stretch home the goal was dead ahead. Unceremoniously the door was kicked open causing the yellow pegasus inside to yell in fright. Angel was up on the coffee table in what should have been an imposing stance. Upon seeing you he huffed and got Butterscotch out from under the couch where he hid.

“Sup dude look what the crown gave me.” You plop the bag down and let Scotch bask in its shiny golden glory. After he had picked his jaw up from the floor he adopted a smile and trotted towards you.

“You said you got this from the crown?”

“Eeyup, Dusk sent a report to Celestia talking about the plant and its properties. She responded with 'take my money.' I'm paraphrasing but you get the point. Anyway long story short I have money, customers, a magical plant that will crank out product like no tomorrow, and a kickass boyfriend that I can cuddle. All in all this is a great fuckin day.”

Scotch let out a good natured laugh as he closed the gap between you two. He used his wings to get on eye level and left a kiss right on your nose. He still flushed a bit but progress has been made. Yet, that didn't save him from the hug that came next. Holding the pegasus close you laid down on the couch with Scotch resting on your chest.

No words were said, none needed to be. It was a comfortable silence with a kind soul. In that moment it donned on you. Never before in your life had you been so... content with things. For once it didn't seem like an uphill battle. The steady breathing and heartbeat of someone you held dear sounded more beautiful than a sirens song. It was with this thought that you drifted off into a dream. It was unlike any other you had ever had. There was a warmth in the air that seemed to hold you close as a pair of wings wraped around you from behind. He smelled of a spring day, where all of the flowers and trees were in bloom. He nuzzled you and pulled you closer until only one thought remained, “I'm home.”