//------------------------------//
// All the Beautiful and New Things 
// Story: Lovey Dovey and the Uncertain Stallion 
// by Crystal Wishes 
//------------------------------//

The stallion across the table stared at Magnate, neither flinching from each other's hardened gaze.  Tension hung thick in the air as they waited for the other to surrender and, finally, the stallion broke into a chuckle.

"All right, all right.  You win.  I'll give you a fifteen percent commission for anypony you send my way."  He took one last sip of his coffee before he rose to his hooves.  "I'll have the contract drawn up and sent to your office by the end of the week."

Magnate mirrored him, rising as well.  "Thank you, Mr. Views.  I appreciate it.  There's been a recent increase in hot air balloon ride requests, so I guarantee you won't regret this."

Scenic Views reached out a hoof and gave Magnate's a firm shake.  "You're a tough negotiator, but I can't deny the facts."  He nodded his head toward the extensive presentation Magnate had prepared.  "I look forward to working with you."

"And I, you.  Have a nice day."  Magnate watched the stallion leave the small cafe before he relaxed into a smile, resting a hoof on his vest's breast pocket.  His magic started to gather up his presentation to tuck back into his briefcase when a familiar face came up beside him.

"Magnate?"

Blinking, Magnate stared at the face.  He knew this pony.  He had worked with him for just about twenty years.  "Deal?"

"Zeal," the stallion corrected with a soft laugh.  "Fervent Zeal.  You never learned my name, did you?"

"I apologize.  I—"

"It's fine."  Zeal shook his head.  "Wow, though.  It's been a while.  Look at you!"  He took a step back and looked Magnate over from head to hoof.  "When you quit, I thought you had lost it, but seeing you now—wow."

Magnate glanced down at himself.  His brown coat had a nice sheen to it, as if he had just been to a salon.  "Yes, wow, indeed."  He looked back up, smiling lightly.  "Do you remember Lovey?"

Zeal raised one brow.  "The pink mare that kept showing up at your office?"

"Correct.  Lovey encouraged me to follow this path."  Magnate's magic reached into his pocket and retrieved a business card, which floated over to Zeal.  "I'm a travel agent now."

A laugh sputtered past Zeal's lips as he looked over the card.  "A travel agent?  You?"

Magnate nodded.  "Yes.  I don't blame you for being surprised."

"Surprised doesn't begin to cover it!"  Zeal shook his head and gave a lopsided grin.  "I thought you quit to go to your father's company after you got passed over for a promotion, again."

Magnate's ear twitched and his gaze darted away.  It still stung—the moment when he realized how many times he'd heard that good things were coming his way, and how many years had gone by without him ever getting anywhere.  He sucked in a breath and tried to smile again.  "I'm sorry for the way I've always treated you."

"And for never learning my name?"  Zeal winked.  "It's fine.  Why don't I keep your card and I'll stop by sometime to plan a trip for my wife's birthday?"

Magnate blinked.

Zeal raised his brow.  "Seriously?  You didn't even know I was married?"

"To be honest," Magnate muttered, his ears falling flat to the sides, "there was a period of time where I thought you were interested in me, given that you would never leave me alone."

Tossing his head back and laughing whole-heartedly, Zeal reached out and slapped Magnate on the shoulder.  "Why couldn't you have been this fun when we worked together?"  He snickered, shaking his head.  "Hold on to that mare of yours.  She's clearly a good influence on you."

A sincere smile spread across Magnate's muzzle.  "I plan to.  On that note, I'm going to be late for dinner with her parents, so if you'll excuse me."  He started to walk past Zeal, then paused.  "I look forward to planning the perfect trip for you and your wife."

"I'll hold you to that!"

Magnate nodded and waved before making his way out of the cafe, his briefcase floating in the air beside him.  Lovey had managed to find one that matched his cutie mark exactly—and, on the inside, it had several pockets where a heart-shaped note was always waiting for him.

Life had changed so much in only three months, but that was hardly surprising.  Lovey had changed his life in a mere week.  A few months had no chance of standing against her overpowering optimism, especially once she got her own life back on track.  

Manehattan felt brighter these days.  He noticed birds in the sky he used to think empty; there was more greenery than he remembered; and, most of all, the sun shone with a happy warmth.  There was only one word to describe what had happened to Manehattan, and to him: love.

He loved his job, he loved himself, and he loved having Lovey in his life.  All that was left was to express to her that, more than anything, he loved her.

Magnate chuckled under his breath while he waited for the road to clear so that he could cross.  Perhaps he was rushing things with the word 'love'.  After all, he was the one who had told her to slow down, and now he was the one wanting to speed things up.  But how could he not?  If having her at his side brought him so much happiness, who could blame him for wanting to keep her there forever?

His hooves echoed as he climbed the stairs that led to his floor, and he froze when a muffled laugh cut through the air.  It was Lovey's laugh.  He smiled and resumed walking, preparing himself for an apartment full of her and her family.  There were only a few precious seconds left for decompressing after a full day of work, and he needed every single one of them. 

He paused and took a deep breath to prepare himself.  Lovey would be in an ecstatic mood with her parents visiting.  The four hooves rule would be forgotten.  This moment was all he had alone, and now it was over.

Exhaling, he pushed the door open and smiled as the smells of dinner and the sounds of laughter washed over him like a warm, gentle breeze.

"Welcome home!" Sun Shower called from where she stood in his apartment's kitchen, stirring a pot on the stove with Diamond Dust at her side.  "You're just in time!"

On the couch, Snow Squall and Arcus were engaged in conversation with Lovey sitting between them.  Her big pink eyes lit up when she met Magnate's gaze, and she squealed as she jumped into the air to greet him with a flying hug.

"Magny!  We were just talking about you!"  She settled onto the floor in front of him and beamed.  "How was work?  Did you have a good meeting with the hot air balloon pony?  What was the best part of your day?"

"Slow down," Magnate said with a light chuckle as he floated the briefcase over to its resting place.  "I'm not even two hooves through the door."

Lovey squeaked, nodded, and took a step back.  "Right, right!  Four hooves rule.  Sorry."  Once he had all four hooves past the threshold of his apartment, she hugged him again.  "Welcome home!"

On the recliner, a newspaper lowered to reveal Derelict's face behind it.  "What is the 'four hooves rule'?"

Magnate blinked.  "What are you doing here?"

Lovey raised both forehooves.  "Oh!  Oh!  I know the answer to both of those!"  She sat on her haunches and recited in a mimicry of Magnate's voice, "The four hooves rule is that Lovey shouldn't overwhelm Magnate when he gets home until he has all four hooves into the apartment."  Her voice returned to normal as she looked up at him, "And Derri is here because we're having a family dinner and she's family!"

"Actually," Derelict said, "it's because we ran into one another at the supermarket.  She invited me to dinner because I mentioned my roommate was out of town."

Lovey put on her most pitiful expression, eyes shimmering and lower lip sticking out.  "It's the least we can do, Magny!  Me moving out left her with no roommate, and this new one has gone out of town!  She's all alone because of you!"

Magnate frowned lightly, rubbing a hoof over his vest.  "How is it my fault?  I gave you the choice of moving in, and you took it."

"By technicality, that would make it your fault, Lovey."  Derelict raised her newspaper back up, a hint of mirth in her otherwise monotonous voice.

"Now, now, kids," Diamond Dust interrupted as she trotted over.  "Let's not fight during family dinner night."

With a soft sigh, Magnate raised one foreleg to gesture Diamond closer and they exchanged a light embrace.  "I'm sorry, Diamond.  It's nice to see you."

"Will somepony get the table ready?" Sun Shower called.  "Soup's almost done!"

"Okay, Mom!" Lovey chirped, fluttering her wings so she zipped through the air to collect plates, napkins, and other tableware.

Magnate trotted over to the couch to greet her fathers with hoofshakes.  "I hope the flight wasn't too much trouble."

Arcus gave a meaningful flick of his wings against his sides.  "We never mind, Magnate!  Always happy to come see how our little filly is doing with her stallion."

"And how are things?" Snow Squall asked, eyeing Magnate with playful suspicion.

Magnate turned his head to watch as Lovey worked on the table, Derelict offering a hoof in aligning the utensils with the plates.  "I have no complaints."  He smiled.  "We have our struggles, as I imagine all couples do.  Sometimes I get frustrated with her.  Sometimes she gets frustrated with me.  But, at the end of the day, she is the mare I am happy to come home to."

Arcus's hoof thrust out to punch Magnate's shoulder a little harder than he would have liked.  "That's a good colt!  Now just make her an honest mare and we'll be the happiest fathers this side of Equestria."

Heat filled Magnate's cheeks and he recoiled back a few steps, coughing to clear his throat.  "I—then."  The heat reached to the tips of his ears.  "I can take that to mean, then, that you would approve of me as a future son-in-law?"

Arcus and Squall both went silent, their heads snapping to the side to stare at one another.  Slow grins spread across their muzzles as they turned back to Magnate, a devious spark in their eyes.

"Magnate," Arcus started.

Squall finished, "Are you planning something?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Magnate quickly spat out before he turned away.  "Oh, it sounds as if dinner is ready."

"Mom!  Dad!  Dad!  Mom!"  Lovey clapped her hooves, giggling.  "You four sit here, here, here, and here!  Magny and I will sit here and here, and Derri can sit here!"

Magnate's ear flicked.  "Wouldn't it be easier to differentiate them?"

Lovey tilted her head toward him.  "Huh?  What do you mean?"

"Mom, Mom, Dad, Dad.  Isn't it confusing?"  He waved a hoof.  "It would be more clear if you called them, I don't know—Mom One and Mom Two?"

With an exaggeratedly loud gasp, Lovey embraced Diamond with one leg and dragged her over to Sun so that she could hug her, too.  "No way!  They're both Mom One to me!"

Magnate raised one brow, shifting his gaze between Diamond and Sun.  "Then how do you know who she's speaking to?"

In perfect unison, Diamond covered Lovey's left ear with one hoof and Sun covered the right.  While Lovey giggled and fluttered her wings, Sun began, "Honestly, we have no idea."

Diamond nodded.  "We just take turns responding to her, and she never corrects us, so it seems to work out."

Magnate couldn't help it.  He put a hoof on his chest and started laughing, startling the mothers into releasing Lovey, who smiled innocently and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Magnate managed between laughs.  "I'm just happy."

Giggling, Lovey trotted up to him and nuzzled her nose to his.  "Oh, that's a great reason to laugh!"

She stood there in front of him with her mothers behind her, her fathers coming over to take their seats at the table, and Derelict taking notes as always.  Love, family, and friends—three things Magnate had been ignoring for so long, but not anymore.  Not ever again.

The moment was too perfect to pass up, but the very thought of moving forward made his heart pound in his chest.  He was originally going to wait until after dinner, but the way she looked into his eyes told him that now was the time.

Magnate sucked in a breath and reached into his vest pocket, stirring gasps from everypony else in the room when he lowered himself onto bended knee.  "Lovey, I have something I would like to say."