Under the Mistletoe

“Now arriving at Ponyville station. This will be a fifteen minute stop. All passengers departing here, please be sure to collect all of your belongings before exiting the train. We thank you for your patronage and wish you a very happy holiday season. Thank you.”

The conductor’s voice sounded tinny and harsh over the worn-out speaker system, but to Rarity the announcement was like music to her ears. She jumped out of her seat, floated her smaller piece of luggage down from the overhead shelf, and was waiting by the door at the near end of the car before the station had fully come into view. She tapped the edge of a hoof against the top step while the train screeched and lurched to a full stop. Only the not insignificant risk of a trip to Ponyville Hospital - or even worse, a chipped hoof - kept her from fully committing to leap out onto the platform the moment the doors opened.

“One visit to my family and you’re already running for it, hmm? Can’t say I blame you. But before you go…”

A light blue scarf – one that she could have sworn she’d put back on already – gently floated into view and draped itself around her neck.

“Do put this on. You always get dreadfully cold without it.”

Instantly chagrined by the realization of what she’d done, Rarity turned toward the very familiar voice, and immediately blushed under the gaze of a pair of emerald green eyes she could never say no to.

“I’m sorry, Rose, I… I just—”

The train doors opened with a loud hiss and the rush was on. Creatures of all kinds quickly filled the small aisle, bumping tails, flanks, and luggage against the rows of seats as they shuffled toward the exit. Roseluck tried to grab Rarity and step to the side, only to back into an elderly earth pony who was already trying to board the train at the same time. “O-Oh! I’m s—” She tried to mumble an apology but it was drowned out by the growing cacophony all around them.

Spotting a small opening in the semi-organized chaos, Roseluck bumped Rarity forward as she swung their remaining bags up and onto her back with practiced ease. “I’ve got the bags. Now go before we end up making a detour all the way to Canterlot.”

“R-Right!”

Rarity followed Rose down onto the platform, and into a bustling, noisy crowd. Ponyville’s continued growth spurt, plus its new status as a transfer point for the newly expanded Equestrian rail network, had combined to quickly overtake the small station’s rather quaint design. So much so that Rarity quickly lost track of her marefriend in the churning crowd that spilled off of the platforms and into the station proper. “That new terminal building can’t come soon enough,” she muttered before pushing her way through another gaggle of ponies on her way toward the general direction of the main exit.

Finally, after much pushing, shoving, and a few choice words at a griffon who unceremoniously stepped on her tail, Rarity stumbled out of the station and found Roseluck waiting for her just past the end of the carriage and wagon parking stalls.

“Two days after Hearthswarming and it looks just as busy as when we left last week!” Roseluck said before pausing to readjust her saddlebag. “Sorry I just kind of grabbed all your stuff like that.”

“No, it’s alright darling,” Rarity replied. She lit her horn and with a nod from Rose, lifted the mare’s lone suitcase and gently balanced it on her back. A quick tweak of her aura allowed Rarity to gather both of her own suitcases and securely float them just behind her. “I should apologize for my rudeness back there, unintentional as it was.”

Roseluck smiled gently, and placed a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “It’s been a long trip, I get it. Believe me. Let’s head to the boutique, get these bags off our backs, and take a breather.”

The two made some idle chatter as they walked through town, keeping up a fairly brisk pace through the cold weather. As soon as they had entered Carousel Boutique, they both dropped their bags next to the large display case just to the right of the entrance. Roseluck made her way into the kitchen and got a fresh batch of tea started while Rarity turned on some additional lights and stoked a new fire in the fireplace.

“Would you like a snack, Rares?” Roseluck called out from the kitchen, where she was rummaging through the refrigerator while also keeping an ear focused on the stove.

“I don’t know…” Roseluck heard Rarity’s voice a split second before she felt a tingle of magic begin to traipse up her hind leg, “What’s on the menu?”

Roseluck shivered at the gentle touch, the contact sending warm pinpricks through her coat. She smiled and waggled her rump a bit as she gripped a wrapped plate of sliced vegetables in her teeth and moved to place it on the counter. “For now, cucumbers and carrots. And some herbal tea.” She leaned forward and gave Rarity a quick peck on the lips. “No spoiling dinner, after all.”

Rarity looked confused for just a moment. “Dinner?”

A small frown pinched the corner of Roseluck’s mouth. “Yes, dinner. At my place.” She stepped away to silence the now whistling kettle and turn off the stove. “Which we planned before we even left for Hoofington. A Hearthswarming just for us, since we were going to be at my parents’ place for the holiday. Remember?”

Roseluck glanced over her shoulder and eyed Rarity unwrapping the vegetable plate and setting things up on the kitchen table. But she could also see the small cloud hanging over the unicorn’s head. They’d been dating for just less than a year now but already Roseluck could pick out most, if not all, of Rarity’s ‘tells’ at a glance. Tip of her tail twitching back and forth, a slight hunch in her shoulders, tension in her withers… yeah, she’s brooding alright.

After pouring the tea, adding one cube of sugar for herself and two for Rarity, she loaded the cups onto a small tray and carried it over to the table, where Rarity’s magic once again literally took the load off her back. “Thanks, Rares.”

Rarity forced a smile as she took her seat and grabbed a few slices of carrot up in her magic. “Of course. Thanks for making the tea.”

Roseluck waited for a moment, then another, hoping Rarity would continue. When she did not, Rose took the initiative. “You know I wasn’t kidding when I said I enjoyed the trip.”

Rarity looked up at her between bites of carrot. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not totally convinced of that.”

“And why not? The cookies you made were a hit, everypony liked their gifts, and my mom thinks you’re great!”

Rarity tried to take a long sip of her tea but recoiled at the still too hot liquid. She slurped up what she could and set the cup down with a huff. “Right. Was that before or after your aunt nearly started a fight with your mother over her apparently grievous sin of letting her daughter associate with a two-timing unicorn such as myself?”

“Look, I–” Roseluck stopped midword, wincing at her marefriend’s bitter tone. Images of the dramatic, and indeed almost violent, event flashed through her mind, and deep in her heart Roseluck felt the sting all over again.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice measured. “Before, I promise you. You know I write to mother often, and I’ve been home more than once since we started dating. I told her everything about you. About us, and how happy we are. If she had any issue, she’d have said so long ago. And she didn’t, just as I expected.”

“I know, I get it.” Rarity muttered, her tone still moody. “You said you told her everything. Did she ask about our first date?”

“Yes. We had dinner at Parasol Cafe then enjoyed a show at the outdoor theater.”

Rarity’s mood cracked for a moment and she chuckled. “Oh really? I do recall eating out, but I can’t say I remember seeing any shows that night.”

It took Roseluck a second to process that, but when she did her cheeks blushed as red as her mane. “Yes, well, the official answer is dinner and a show, and as I recall, it was a very engaging performance.”

Sensing the conversation drifting, Roseluck shoved aside her desire for an equally lewd retort of her own and refocused. “But that’s besides the point.” She stretched a hoof across the table and rested it on top of Rarity’s hoof. “Look at me, Rares.” Roseluck hoped Rarity could see some of her pain reflected back in her own eyes. What happened in the living room of her mother’s house had hurt them both, though not equally.

“We both knew something was bound to happen when we boarded the train to Hoofington. Heck, I think deep down we knew something like this was coming the moment I told you about my mom’s past, and more specifically her relationship with her sister. It was only a question of when things came to a head, not if.”

“That’s fair,” Rarity replied. “But you have to admit you didn’t expect things to get that messy, did you? An old nag stuck in the old ways of thinking is one thing. I deal with that in the fashion world all the time, as you can imagine. But the abuse, the invective she hurled in all our faces?” Rarity’s nostrils flared a bit. “To call her prejudiced against unicorns would be an understatement.”

“No no, I agree,” Roseluck said. “Remember, I called her racist too. Because she is, and my mom gave her a pass for way too long. It sucks what my dad did to mom, promising her a future then galloping away the minute he found out she was expecting. But that’s no excuse to paint all unicorns as bad. None at all!” Roseluck brought her other forehoof up and banged it on the end of the table.

“My mom would never admit it before, but a big reason why she never remarried is because every time she’d try dating again her damn sister would swoop in and drive them off, unicorn or not. But especially if they were a unicorn.” She squeezed Rarity’s hoof tighter. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her do the same thing to me. To us.”

Rarity brought her other forehoof over to join Roseluck’s. “I know, darling. That was an incredibly brave thing you did too, challenging your aunt in front of your own mother. It was the right thing to do, on that we agree. But still I can’t imagine it was easy. Things could have easily gotten worse instead.”

“I know,” Rose answered, “but like you said, it was the right thing to do. For us and my mom. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Rarity looked wistfully at Roseluck. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, my love.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe…” Roseluck got up from her chair, walked over to Rarity, and leaned over to nuzzle her. “I know what’s worth protecting more than anything else.”

Now it was Rarity’s turn to blush a bit, as she returned the nuzzle, adding in a small kiss to Roseluck’s neck for good measure. “I love you,” she whispered.

“You too,” came the whispered reply, along with a kiss in return.

The mood in the room noticeably lifted, the two took a few minutes to snack on the vegetables and finish off their tea, after which Rarity beckoned Roseluck to follow her to her inspiration room, and the overstuffed but luxurious couch that lay within. Roseluck sat first, and Rarity followed, quickly resting her head on her marefriend’s side.

“So…” Rarity began.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think it worked? The whole thing with your mom, or rather your aunt. Do you think she’ll get the message?”

Roseluck let out a soft snort. “If she does, great. If not, buck her.”

Rarity shifted so she could gently brush the tip of a hoof against Roseluck’s hindleg. “What about you, Rose? Will you be ok? Your mom?”

Roseluck looked back to Rarity and caught her gaze. “I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t hurt if that’s how this goes. And I know what happened back there was traumatic and horrible and I’m sorry you had to see that at all, much less from a member of my family.”

“And I suppose I was lying as well when I told you I was fine the last dozen or so times since then,” Rarity grumped.

“I kinda figured you were, dear.” Roseluck gently slapped her tail against Rarity to forestall her coming objection. “But I understood why too.”

“Oh?” she replied.

“How long have we been dating, Rares?” Roseluck winked. “Seriously though, I get it. It’s who you are. Your professional side is well trained to keep your composure under withering pressure, while your personal side didn’t want to risk making things worse for me or my mom. Am I right?”

“Heh,” Rarity chuckled. “There you go again, reading me like a book. I swear you know me better than I do.”

“Plants can’t talk, but they still speak, and any good florist knows just what to listen for.” Roseluck lifted her tail a bit and let it drape over Rarity’s barrel. “In that sense you’re always talking to me, and I’m always listening.”

“You’re far too good to me, Rose.” Rarity smiled and sighed, as if her marefriend’s words were further healing the scars from the incident. She fidgeted on the couch, snuggling a bit closer to Roseluck. “So what happens now? With your family I mean?”

“I’m not sure,” Roseluck replied as her eyes gazed out at nothing in particular. “If my aunt truly wants to grow up and get over it, that’s on her. We’ve said what needed to be said, for us and for my mom. But hey, if it’s just you, me, and my mom, I think we’ll be okay.”

“Good,” Rarity smiled approvingly, before craning her neck a bit and planting a small kiss on Roseluck’s side. “If you’re okay, then I’m okay too.”

The touch of Rarity’s lips sent a tingle through Roseluck, giving her a warm fuzzy feeling all over. Her senses seemed to wake up then, and take notice of just how close Rarity was, or how comfortably she had draped herself over Roseluck’s back and side a few minutes earlier. Roseluck’s nose noticed the faint remnants of Rarity’s perfume, and as she looked back again, she saw that familiar gleam in her love’s eyes.

A breath later and Roseluck was rotating herself onto her back and letting Rarity gently collapse into her waiting embrace. A kiss became two, then three, then so many more as her tongue raced out to meet Rarity’s and resume the dance they loved so much. Rarity’s magic brushed Roseluck’s mane aside and her lips soon found the nape of her neck, drawing an almost cathartic moan from the mare.

Rose replied in kind, snaking her muzzle through the curtain of silky smooth purple and planting a deep kiss of her own onto Rarity’s neck.

“Mhmm…darling do that again…”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Roseluck gladly obliged, then began moving her lips across Rarity’s neck, moving one slow, deep kiss at a time across her beautiful ivory coat until she again captured the mare’s lips in a heated kiss. Rarity nestled deeper into Roseluck’s embrace, and now their barrels were in full contact. Unbidden, she arched her back, rubbing against Rarity’s smooth skin in gentle, slow waves. The air between them was quickly growing hot, as was the fire smoldering and bubbling up in her haunches.

Another kiss, this one deeper and slower still, and Roseluck could feel the tingle of Rarity’s magic teasing the length of her barrel, skipping and jumping close enough to her nipples to elicit a pleasured moan. She was on the verge of abandoning her plans for the rest of the day and throwing herself completely into the moment when the gong of the antique clock in the waiting area jolted them both.

After catching her breath, Rarity was the first to speak. “At… at least it wasn’t Sweetie this time, right?”

Roseluck laughed as she tried to catch her own breath. “Ha. I… I don’t think I’ll ever forget that one. I still can’t believe you intentionally spilled wine on your expensive carpets though.”

“Well, we needed a diversion, and it was the first thing that came to mind.” Rarity smirked. “I’d rather pay to have the carpet cleaned than explain that to a little filly.”

Roseluck laughed, then leaned up and playfully kissed Rarity. “Fair point. You know, I don’t think you ever told me, but… did it work?”

“You mean did she believe us? Yes, thank Celestia. Though I fear she may have a quite warped idea of what good wine is supposed to smell like now.”

“Wha– Pfft!” Roseluck giggled like a filly, with Rarity soon joining her. “O-Oh gosh, poor Sweetie.” When the laughter faded, they left the couch and went about returning the plates and cups to the kitchen. Finally, Rarity followed Roseluck back to the front of the boutique and helped Roseluck collect her bags.

“Speaking of wine though,” Roseluck said, “you still okay with dinner tonight? We can postpone if you’re not up to it.”

“Nonsense,” Rarity replied, her voice back to its usual confident tone. “As you said, we made these plans ahead of time, and we do still need to exchange presents after all.”

Roseluck smiled warmly at the mention of presents. She and Rarity had brought along a few stocking stuffers to put beneath her mother’s Hearthswarming tree, but both mares knew the real gift exchange would have to wait until they returned home to Ponyville.

“That we do,” Roseluck replied. She glanced past Rarity to the large clock and noted the time. “But if we want to have dinner at all, I better get going. Gotta stop by the market for a few things, too.”

They exchanged another hug and a quick kiss, then Rarity used a bit of magic to help secure Roseluck’s saddle bags and luggage. “All set?”

“Yep! See you at six-thirty or so?”

“It’s a date,” Rarity chirped. Roseluck was reaching for the door when Rarity stopped her. “Oh! I almost forgot. Anything I should bring for the meal?”

“Just some wine, actually,” Roseluck answered. “Red or white, whatever you feel like. Either should go with the casserole, I think.”

“Can do,” she replied. “Anything else? I can stop by Sugarcube Corner if you want. They may still have some of their frosted cranberry bars left.”

“Nope!” Roseluck turned, kissed Rarity, then booped her on the nose. “I’ve got dessert covered.”

She whisked out the door without another word, leaving Rarity speechless.

And incredibly turned on.