A Rich and Tender Love

Today marked your third day in the incredible land of Equestria, and Spoiled Rich still hasn’t broken your spirit. Some of your duties include: sweeping the floors, preparing the tea when it was asked for, cooking meals, and bringing in groceries. It wasn’t anything you haven’t handled before.

While you didn’t get to meet her daughter Diamond Tiara on the day you were hired, you had the chance to greet her when you started work on the following day, and you quickly learned what a pleasant young mare she was. You only got the chance to see her a couple hours a day before she left for school. Apparently, the place she’s attending class, is called the School of Friendship, and the one who originally owned it, was now the ruler of all of Equestria.

You were still taking things slow with Jose just like you said, but he wasn’t old enough to attend the School of Friendship, since it acted like a high school. Fortunately, Filthy Rich overheard how you were looking for a class and told you about the schoolhouse Diamond Tiara went to when she was still a filly. You were assured that the teacher Miss Cheerilee, was a wonderful mare who wants nothing more than a smile from her students, and that Jose wouldn’t feel left out since there are human students there too.

Right now, Spoiled Rich was sitting in her favorite chair drinking a typical cup of coffee while watching you polish the silverware until it gave off a spotless shine. It was still beyond her ability to figure out how you could find joy when she was giving you so much work. Standing up from the chair, she decided to confront you about it.

“Silverware is all clean, Mrs. Rich. If you’re done with that cup, I could polish that as well,” you offered.

“Okay, first of all, I am not finished and would prefer another serving of coffee to keep me awake during the entire day. Second, why are you so happy? You’ve been taking orders from me all day,” she demanded.

“Well honestly, the job isn’t so bad. I get to live in this nice mansion, I’ve already become good friends with the employees, and every day I endure my employment, I’m another step closer to obtaining a generous paycheck to support my son.”

Spoiled’s eye twitches from the audacity of that explanation. No matter how much work she gave you, you wouldn’t quit and give her the opportunity to give your job to someone she approves of. Her husband already said she couldn’t just fire you without a logical reason.

“I’m really sorry if it disappoints you, Mrs. Rich, but I like this job. And quite frankly, I don’t really find it unpleasant to be around you. It’s nothing compared to being around a pack of hungry timberwolves.” The matriarch raised an eyebrow, as if suspecting that you were implying something.

“Y-You know what? I don’t know you’re even wasting your breath. All I expected you to do when I came in here, was prepare a fresh cup of coffee.” You calmly took the mug, accidentally touching her hand as you did so. “H-How dare you lay a hand on me, you-” She couldn’t finish, as just as calmly as you reached for the cup, you pulled your hand away in an equally patient manner. You still didn’t hear the uptight mare finish her sentence as you started fixing another cup.

“You have my utmost apologies, Mrs. Rich. Since I can’t thank you and Mr. Rich enough for employing me, I want to assure you I’d never try anything to make you feel uncomfortable. I haven’t forgotten how you told me you’ve never gotten used to us humans. So if I really do disturb you, I’ll be sure to keep my distance.”

With that out of the way, you brought the coffee over to the kitchen table so Spoiled Rich could enjoy it in peace. You also acted like a gentleman and pulled the chair out for her.

“Well, at least capable of realizing your place. But it’ll take much more than a small speech for the likes of you to earn my trust. Honestly, I don’t know what my husband was thinking, allowing you to stay here,” she scoffed.

Spoiled Rich kept a close eye on you as you moved to clean around the sink next. All the while, you respected her personal space, even though there were plenty of nicer ways she could have told you to do so. When you thought about it, her being especially insecure today made sense, as her husband would be gone at work until this afternoon, and wouldn’t be around to protect her if you tried to do something vile to her.

Naturally, you wanted to help her get rid of such thoughts, so you tried reaching out to her again. “It’s almost time for my scheduled break, Mrs. Rich. Is there anything you’d like before I leave?” you asked. “How about a shoulder massage? Your husband told me you like them, and I’d do just about anything to relieve the tension between us so you’ll start to feel comfortable around me.”

With a glare, Spoiled Rich was about to tell you off, but even a self-absorbed mare like her could see just how sincere the expression on your face was. “...Fine, but only because I’m stressed from my husband not being here as often. I’m warning you though, if you try anything funny with me, I won’t hesitate to have you thrown out of here and ensure that you never get hired again! Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” you said, repeating the same response from your first day. Getting behind the mare, you grabbed onto both of her shoulders with great care, making her shiver. “Are you alright?” you asked, keeping your hands still at the moment.

“Just... Just get on with it,” she said hesitantly. You nodded and applied a little more pressure on her shoulders before slowly moving your hands in circles. “Why... Why would Filthy tell you I like getting massages?”

“My guess is that since he loves you so much, he would want you to feel safe and secure as much as possible. Of course, he can’t be around all the time, so he probably wants someone who he trusts to be there for you when he’s gone,” you theorized. You moved just a little lower so you could work on Spoiled’s biceps, and even though she said just to massage her shoulders, she did nothing to stop you.

Proof that you were doing a good job, was right in front of you. Spoiled turned away so you wouldn’t see the pleased reaction on her face, but you were fine with that. Like any good butler, you respected your boss’ privacy and just focused on helping her relax. It was fortunate that you were a well-mannered man and knew how to control yourself, as someone else might have taken the chance to reach down and grab the mare’s ample breasts as they bounced slightly from your work.

“Okay, where did you learn to do this,” Spoiled asked, trying not to sound too impressed. “The last butler took months to get it right.”

“Well... it’s not my first time,” you answered, chuckling a little as nostalgia hit you. “I forgot to tell you, but I used to be married as well. Before she passed away, my wife would always enjoy when I gave her a massage. Sure I was a little sloppy at first, but with time and practice, I got better.”

Spoiled finally decided to look at you, her face softening just a little bit. “How did the tragedy happen?” Even though she wasn’t yelling or insulting you like usual, the question was mostly one of curiosity rather than sympathy.

“She was struck with a devastating illness that destroyed her. She was highly respected and loved everyone around her—I don’t think there was a day where she got mad at someone. When she and I had Jose, our lives became even happier. But the day I lost her, I was devastated,” you replied. “But I made a vow to always remain positive not just for her sake, but for me and my son’s.”

Your employer remained silent as you continued the massage, which unfortunately didn’t last much longer. You probably should have seen this coming, but everything was interrupted when Jose walked into the kitchen curious about what was going on.

“Daddy, what are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m just giving the boss a massage, sport. She needed one to help her calm down,” you replied. Looking at the fancy clock on the wall, you realized it didn’t matter that your son came into the kitchen, as it was time for your break anyway. You walked over to Jose, kneeling down to pat him on the head. “Well, your old man’s got some free time. What do you say we take a nice walk around the town?”

“Yay!” he cheered, grabbing hold of your hand. “Bye Mrs. Rich, and thanks again for letting my daddy stay with you.”

Still unsure about what to say, Spoiled Rich just slowly waved as you were dragged away.

You managed to calm Jose down enough so you could at least change out of your suit before heading off for some quality father-son time. There were plenty of places to visit in the nice little town of Ponyville, and you settled on first getting a nice treat from the Sugarcube Corner bakery.

“Oh, some new faces I see,” a light blue mare greeted you at the counter. “What can I get for you, dearie?”

“What do your regulars like to order?” you asked.

“Well, we have cupcakes, regular cakes, muffins, milkshakes, pies and donuts. Would you and your little boy like anything from these selected treats?” she asked.

“What do you want, Jose?”

“Ooh, I want a muffin! I like muffins!” he exclaimed happily. You chuckled since you were considering on ordering the same thing. Like father like son.

“I got a feeling you two will be coming by a lot from now on,” the mare giggled, pulling out some fresh chocolate chip muffins from behind the counter. “Please enjoy and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you very much, ma’am,” you said.

“Please, call me Cup Cake,” she insisted. “Usually I would settle for Mrs. Cake, but I can tell I just made some good friends.” With a couple of pleasant smiles, you and Jose introduced yourselves as well.

Cup Cake kindly showed you over to an empty table, where she set down your muffins. As she left the counter, you saw that she was pregnant too; but you didn’t jump to conclusions, as it didn’t mean she was with a human. Instead of asking that kind of question, you instead pulled a chair out for Cup Cake, since you could see she wanted to talk to you.

“Forgive my bluntness, dearie, but I got word that there’s a new butler working and living in the Rich family mansion. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”

“Indeed it is,” you confirmed.

“How come Mrs. Rich is always so mad? She looks like such a nice lady, and so do you,” Jose said, turning back to Cup.

“Aww, your son is such a sweetheart,” she said. “I can only think of one reason why she’s always upset with everyone. I think she’s just mad because she’s convinced that others will never understand her. They see her as this mean lady whose goal is to make the lives of those she sees beneath her as miserable as possible.”

“Maybe daddy can help her be nice to everyone here one day. And maybe if he’s lucky, he can marry her!” Jose said.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, little tiger,” you chuckled, once again finding it impossible to resist messing with the innocent child’s hair. “With such a nice stallion like Mr. Rich in her life, Mrs. Rich already seems to be a happily married mare.”

“I’ve known the Rich family for years and there’s no doubt Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich love each other very much. Even so, I must say it concerns me that Filthy Rich can be so submissive to his wife and her snobbish behavior.” Cup Cake’s expression suddenly grew mischievous. “But you know... marrying her wouldn’t be impossible.”

“What do you mean?” you asked. Cup Cake gestured for you to lean in close. You did so, realizing this might be something your son was still too young to hear.

“Here in Equestria, we have a certain law that allows stallions to be with multiple mares and vice versa. However, if you want to marry a mare who’s already got a husband, you’ll need the consent of both parties.” Cup Cake looked down at her pregnant belly and rubbed it. “I just happen to be one of those mares. Neither of them are here right now, but I have two husbands, and one of them just happens to be a human,” she whispered. “Trust me, it’s a long story.”

Cup Cake pulled away, letting you know the rest of the discussion would be appropriate for Jose to hear. “You might not get lucky enough to marry her, but I think what your darling son said about befriending Spoiled Rich, is a wonderful idea.”

You didn’t know exactly what to think about intermarriaging being legal in Equestria. You’ve only been here for three days, and didn’t think of Spoiled like that. To take your mind off the idea, you took a bite of your chocolate chip muffin, and were impressed with the taste. That single bite told you just how much effort Sugarcube Corner’s bakers put into their work.

You encouraged Jose to take a bite, and after he did so, he too forgot about getting Spoiled Rich to marry you. Now that the topic has been dropped, you could focus on just having a good time with your son like you came here to do in the first place.

“That was so much fun, daddy!” Jose cheered as he held your hand, though not nearly as rough as he had when you left the mansion.

“And if you behave tomorrow for your first day at school, I’ll take you to Sugarcube Corner again, kiddo,” you promised. Letting go of his hand, you picked him up so you could carry him on your shoulders. “How does that sound?”

“Can I get some cake next time?!”

“Of course, sport, but only if you’re on your best behavior,” you replied. You continued carrying your happy son until you had returned to the front of the Rich family manor. You decided to be firm with Jose before walking inside. “Alright, Jose, I don’t want you to mention what we talked about with Mrs. Cake, okay?”

“Okay, daddy, but why?” You got down on your knees in order to look your innocent son square in the eye.

“Because Mrs. Rich is perfectly happy with her husband, and recommending her to marry me would give her the wrong impression. We have to respect her wishes,” you explained. Jose seemed to have gotten the message, so you softened your expression before standing up and opening the door.

“I have to get back to work, but if you’re still bored, let’s see if the pool is available,” you said. It was just another benefit of living with ponies who were loaded. Up on the third floor, was an indoor pool, along with a hot tub jacuzzi for a bonus. You just had to be sure none of the other employees were busy cleaning it before you allowed Jose to take a dip.

You went back to the bedroom that you shared so you could change back into your suit, while Jose changed into a pair of swim trunks that Rarity made for him. You were getting quite a bit of exercise with all the walking you were doing today, and after making it to the next floor, you found Filthy Rich’s amazing swimming pool.

Your eyes widened a little, for while no one was cleaning right now, you saw Spoiled Rich was laying in one of the patio lounge chairs. She had changed into a dark violet one-piece bikini outfit, and cucumber slices were covering her eyes to make it much easier to relax. Laying alongside her, having finished school for the day, was none other than Diamond Tiara, who was wearing a similar bikini. The teenage mare sat up with a smile, realizing that you had just walked in.

“Hey there, Jose. Stopping by to pay a little visit to our pool?” Diamond Tiara asked, causing her mother to notice your presence as well.

“Yeah, nice to see you again Diamond Tiara!” Jose happily replied, rushing over to embrace the girl.

“Likewise,” she said, maintaining her well-mannered tone as she turned her attention towards you. “And you seem well today.”

“Yeah, I was just coming up to give Jose a way to entertain himself before I get back to work. But it seems I can continue my job right now.” You turned to look over at Spoiled Rich. “Would you like a cold glass of lemonade, Mrs. Rich? It’s always a nice drink to have around a swimming pool.”

“Very well, but make it snappy,” she scowled, shooing you away with her hand. By this point, you were actually starting to find her arrogance to be amusing. “What do you find so funny?” she asked, noticing your smirk.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Rich. It’s just that I’m starting to get used to you, that’s all,” you said. You watched her squint her eyes before you went on over to the bar, where a wide variety of beverages were kept. Reaching for one of the fancy glasses, you began pouring some cold lemonade and brought it back over to the mare.

“You’re a strange one, you know that? Why are you always being so patient around me?” Spoiled asked. You were going to be able to have a private conversation, since Jose and Diamond Tiara had moved to go play in the pool, splashing each other and laughing. “W-What are you doing?!” she asked as you touched her shoulder, but you chose to answer the more important question.

“Yeah, I guess I am kind of strange. But I said many times before, that even if you’re extra hard on me, I’m willing to put up with it due to how grateful I am to you for giving me a home.” Still touching her shoulder, you moved behind her to grab her other shoulder and began giving her another massage. “When I went into town, I made some new friends who think there are logical reasons to why you act the way you do, Mrs. Rich. And I wholeheartedly agree, since you showed the traits of a kind mare by taking me in even though I’m a human.”

“W-Well, I just... Fine. But listen well, because I hate explaining things twice!” she snapped, trying to act tough before explaining. “I wasn’t always wealthy like my husband—Growing up, I was so much like the commoners you see before you. My mother told me as I got older that I would have to try and earn my own living and set out on my own journey. She was falling ill and we didn’t have the money to treat her. My dear father soon suffered the same fate. I would ask them time and again how I was supposed to survive. Even as they were dying, they reminded me that I would have to figure it out by myself. I knew that to the very end, they still had the utmost faith in me.”

Spoiled Rich let out a sad sigh after her story was finished. You continued to massage her in order to comfort her and ease her stress. No tears escaped her eyes since this happened many years ago, but she was still hurt, nonetheless.

“I think I can accurately guess why you’re so hard on your daughter over there, but why do you treat others the way you do?” you asked. You continued to speak softly to let Spoiled know that you meant no disrespect.

“Because I need to prove that I’ve moved on and that I’m no longer some helpless mare who needs to beg just to get by for another day. I want ALL of Equestria to know that I’ve become strong enough to fit in the high-class society,” she declared.

You wondered if this conversation was getting anywhere, as you could still sense any kind of snobbishness as she spoke. You could understand that her past made her feel insecure, but that didn’t give her the right to treat others like they’re inferior. Just as you were about to tell her this, hoofsteps echoed throughout the room.

“Well, isn’t this a prize to see?! My butler taking care of my wife, and his son bonding with my daughter. It’s really threatening to bring a tear to my eye.” Hearing what Filthy Rich said, Diamond Tiara and Jose finally noticed that you were giving the Rich matriarch a massage. “You might as well become her new husband if she’s allowed you to comfort her like that, my friend.”

Normally, you’d laugh at this joke, but you began feeling awkward due to Mrs. Cake explaining the practice of intermarriage earlier. You slowly looked over to Jose, hoping he would remember to keep the conversation a secret. To avoid suspicion, you turned your gaze back to Filthy Rich, giving him a small smile as you went back to rubbing his wife’s shoulders.

“I decided to take your advice, Mr. Rich. Very slowly, some trust is developing between me and your wife here, and you have my word that I’m being cautious not to cross the line.”

“For once, you managed to hire a butler who’s good with his hands. I suppose he is useful even if he is a human,” Spoiled grumbled, finding it both difficult and embarrassing to look at her amused husband.

“You see? Aren’t you glad we gave this man a chance, dear?” Filthy asked, but Spoiled didn’t reply. Instead, she made it easier to avoid looking at him by putting her cucumber slices back over her eyes.

For the next 2 months, you made sure to look after Spoiled Rich as you kept up the good work as the Rich family butler. While that did include being allowed to give her more massages, you were soon trusted to handle other tasks for her like fanning her when she’s relaxing outside, and having some fresh, homemade lemonade for her to drink around the pool.

While you weren’t sure if you felt the same way, you knew Spoiled was developing small romantic feelings for you since you took such good care of her. Sadly, she was trying to suppress her emotions, fearing the scandal that could break out if a married and wealthy mare like herself got involved with a human butler.

As for Jose, the boy had already started class at Cheerilee’s schoolhouse. Smiling and cheerful as ever, he had no problem making friends, primarily with Mrs. Cake’s twin foals, Pound and Pumpkin, who were around the same age as him.

When bringing up Mrs. Cake, you’ve paid visits to her and her family both as a friend, and as a returning customer. You kept your promise to Jose, taking him to the bakery to reward his good behavior in class. It was on the day that he finished his first day of school, that you met Mrs. Cake’s human husband, Mocha, which proved she wasn’t kidding about taking in another spouse. In fact, she was only a couple months away from giving birth to another set of twins.

Another good friend of yours, was none other than the one who informed you about the Rich family’s need of a new butler, Johanna Justice. While she wasn’t in a herd like Mrs. Cake, she was married to a human who she called Edgeworth. She too had been pregnant with twins, and just yesterday had been rushed to the hospital to give birth. The firstborn was a girl who she named Peni Justice, and the second was a boy who she decided to name Morales Justice.

Currently on your break, you sat in the living room playing a stimulating game of chess with one of the maids, as well as a good friend yours, Twirly Shine. Unfortunately, it appeared like the game was going to end without a winner when you saw Filthy Rich come in with a serious look in his eye.

“So sorry to interrupt Twirly Shine, but I need to speak with him privately.” Disappointed as she was, the loyal maid followed her orders and left the room. Naturally, you were wondering what this was all about. “Don’t fret, old sport. You’re not in trouble, I just wanted to talk to you about my wife,” Filthy told you.

“What about her?” you asked, and your boss chuckled.

“Oh, come off it. We both know that even though Spoiled is keeping quiet, she’s become quite fond of you.”

“That’s nice to hear, but I don’t think she’s willing to risk being seen with a butler like me when she’s already married to a very successful business stallion such as yourself,” you argued.

“That’s precisely why I wanted to talk to you. What? Were you worried that I was going to fire you? If so, you can forget about that preposterous idea.” His smile went away as he leaned in slightly. “Now, I want your honest answer... do you love Spoiled?”

You thought long and hard, and Filthy remained patient the whole time. “Well... she is stunningly beautiful and so full of life. And as I spent time with her, those qualities played a huge part in helping me move on from my wife’s death. A few minutes ago, I wasn’t sure of myself, but I realize now... that yes, I’ve come to love her.”

“Then don’t waste any more time, old sport. She’s waiting for you upstairs,” Filthy urged. “Now remember, I’m allowing this because the way you’ve been so good to my beloved wife has given me a reason to trust you. But if you mess up and hurt her, I’ll NEVER forgive you.”

Nodding, you made your way to the stairs and up to the second floor. Opening the door to the master bedroom ever so slightly, you saw Spoiled Rich was in the room by herself as she did her makeup. This privacy would be perfect for your confession.

“Excuse me... Spoiled?” you asked, suddenly becoming bold enough to call her by her real name instead of “Mrs. Rich”.

“Aren’t you on your break right now?” she questioned, wondering what you were doing here in her bedroom when she didn’t call for you. She put down the brush that she was using for her favorite lavender eyeshadow, and turned around to face you as you walked over to sit on the bed. You patted the spot next to you, silently asking her to sit next to you. Spoiled arched an eyebrow, but she still honored your request.

“I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want either of us to feel pressured, but after speaking to Filthy... I’ve decided not to wait anymore.” The pink mare flinched as you stopped to gently hold her hand, but she didn’t pull away. “I’ve grown attached to you. I know for a fact that there’s more to you than what others might think. I want to be able to make you happy and bring out that beautiful smile you’ve got hidden deep down inside. I’m confident my feelings won’t be in vain, because before I felt this way, I’ve noticed the ways you’ve watched me work. It made me happy to know that my patience was starting to bring good results.”

Spoiled Rich started blushing and averted her eyes. “Well... yes, I won’t deny that I’ve warmed up to you... E-Even so, if the nobles found out about this-” You weren’t going to hear another word of this, and you covered her mouth with your finger.

“Originally, I was thinking the same thing, but it’s nothing you should be worried about. Maybe these nobles you speak of would disapprove of us being together. The only opinions you should consider, are the ones of those who care about you.” You stopped covering her lips and grabbed her other hand. “You’ve become a much better mare than you were when we first met. Don’t ever let a stranger change that.”

“I... I never considered that before... but with all the emotional support I have around me... it’s suddenly become much easier to put my family first. I can see now that it was wrong of me to judge you simply for being a human. Can... Can you ever forgive this blind old snob for her mistakes?” she asked, so close to crying.

“I already have,” you replied. Looking into her eyes without being even remotely bothered by the slight wrinkles, you wanted to prove your affection for her even further. “Spoiled... I’m perfectly fine with you turning me down since this is all a big move, but... may we kiss?”

Even though Spoiled’s blushing face grew an even deeper shade of red, she cleared her throat and replied, “Since you asked nicely... I’ll grant you a kiss.” With her permission, you leaned in and pressed your lips gently on hers. You made sure not to force it and allowed her to get comfortable. Once she relaxed, Spoiled kissed back and grabbed onto your shoulders, practically imitating the massages that you took pride in giving her.

Suddenly, Jose came barging in, causing you and Spoiled to separate. “Jose, you have to knock first, sport,” you said. Your new lover was a bit impressed that you didn’t panic for being caught kissing. However, you did expect for him to apologize.

“Sorry I ran in here without asking. Are you mad?” Jose asked, to which you both shook your heads. “And why were you two kissing?”

“Well... because your father and I... have fallen in love...” Spoiled answered quietly. Jose was left speechless and then ran up to Spoiled, hugging her in his cute little arms.

“I’ve always wanted a mommy! I promise that I’ll be a good son to you!” Jose cheered.

At that moment, Spoiled felt a spark light up inside her heart. With nothing to stop her, she finally let some happy tears roll down her face. Spoiled picked up your son, sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder as she hugged him tenderly.

“Mrs. Rich, why are you crying?” he asked, but she didn’t reply. She just kept hugging him affectionately while you sat and watched her let loose her motherly love on your precious little boy.