Chapter 71
A long silence hung over the room. Velvet glared at her husband. Spike froze in his return to the table with desert as the tray he was carrying crashed to the floor. Twilight’s mouth hung wide. Rick wiped the tea off his chin as Nightlight wiped the rest of it off his face.
“DaaAAaad, I can’t believe you,” Twilight whined.
“What, it’s a legitimate question.”
“And what made you think this was a good time to ask?” Velvet harangued him.
Rick decided it was time to step in, “it’s okay, ladies, I’ve gone through this before.” As soon as he said it, he realized he probably shouldn’t have.
“You have?” Nightlight asked. “Do you mean to say you’ve been married before?” Nightlight seemed to be trying to trick Rick into saying something he shouldn’t.
“Dad, stop. I already know about his past and I love him just the same,” Twilight nuzzled Rick with a grin on her face.
Rick really appreciated the gesture, but being a father himself, knew how what she said could sound. “And what exactly is in his past?”
Twilight stuttered and frantically searched for a way out, Rick was about to tell him everything when Velvet stepped in, “Dear, I’m sure that Princess Celestia wouldn’t give him such an important duty if there was anything untoward in his past. Now would you calm down. Twilight loves him and he loves her, that should be enough. Besides, our little Shining trusts him enough to train him personally. Then there’s Cadence who just keeps going on and on about how perfect they are for each other. You just can’t find better references than that.”
“I’m just concerned that with three other mares… it’s just a lot to take on and I don’t want my little Twilight to get hurt.”
“And neither do I,” Rick spoke up. “Twilight was the first friend I made here in Eq… Ponyville, and she means more to me than words can ever express. I can’t honestly promise anything, of course, other than I will try my best to ensure her happiness. You have my word on that.”
Nightlight stood and walked over to Rick, “I don’t think I could get a more honest answer than that.” He thrust his hoof straight out, Rick grasped it firmly and shook. “Now, this was nice and all, but I think we should be getting to our inn, as it is getting late, don’t you think Velvet?”
“Yes, of course you’re right, Dear. I’ll be right behind you.” Velvet hugged Twilight and rubbed Spike’s head. She walked up to Rick and whispered in his ear, “I know you were the one that saved my little Twilight from that bear and saved her life,” Velvet then planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, “you have my thanks and my blessing. Please look after her in the future.” Having said her peace, she followed Nightlight out the door and into the evening stopping to say one more thing, “and don’t forget to get her something special for Hearth’s Warming in two weeks.”
Rick waved goodbye then inquired with Twilight as to just what Hearth’s Warming was. As she explained it, it was a celebration of the founding of Equestria. How the three races were on the verge of war over a famine caused by an uncontrollable, endless winter. Upon finding a new land free from the snow and ice, they learned that they could only protect the prosperity of this new land through unity and friendship. They celebrated this every year with a feast and gift giving. To Rick, it sounded a lot like a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Luckily, he knew exactly what to get for Twilight and the rest of his ladies.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Hey, Twilight, I have an idea for a gift, but I think I’ll need Spike’s help.”
“Well, that’s fine with me, but it’s really up to Spike.”
“How ‘bout it, Buddy, you want to help me with some gifts?”
Spike walked up and thrust his fist out, “you bet.” Rick bumped his fist, “anything for my friends.”
The next day, Rick and Spike got on the earliest train for the Crystal Empire. Rick had contacted Cadence and Shining Armor ahead of time to arrange a room for the night.
“So, Rick, why did you need my help today?”
“Two reasons, Spike. The first is your expertise in gems, I want to make sure I get the best. The second, I think we need to have a talk, man-to-man.”
“I’m happy to help, but wouldn’t Rarity be better for gems?”
“Not this time, Spike. The reason involves that man-to-man talk.”
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“Rarity.”
“Oh.”
“Listen, I know you have feelings for her and I respect that, you know I love her too. Out of respect for you, I am informing you that I plan to continue a relationship with her. I hope you can accept that and support us.”
“I know you love her, and I know she loves you. I do wish she felt that way about me, but I have to respect what she wants. I just want her to be happy.”
“That is very mature of you,” Rick patted him on the head, “I proud to call you my friend.”
“Just make sure that she stays happy, or else you’ll have to answer to me.”
“You got it, buddy. You got it.”
Chapter 72
Hearth’s Warming was here. The girls had been invited to act in the Hearth’s Warming Eve play again after the success of their performance last year. Rick had gotten to watch from the Royal Box in the theater along with Celestia and Luna.
During most of the play, Rick couldn’t help but feel very sad about the plight of the ponies in the play. He also couldn’t help but think about how humans would have handled that same situation. Certainly not with peace and cooperation he suspected.
After, they all sat down for a feast with the princesses. There obviously wasn’t a traditional Christmas ham, but that was to be expected. The fruits, pies and vegetable casseroles were so delicious, he didn’t miss the meat. Before they left, Celestia gave presents to each of them to be opened on Hearth’s Warming morning.
With the exception of Granny Smith, all Rick’s close friends came to his home for the gift exchange. The Apple’s came later than the rest because they had done their own exchange at the farm before coming over.
Pinkie and Rarity had helped decorate Rick’s home in traditional style prior to the festivities. There was one exception that no-one else quite understood, the stockings over the fireplace. After it was explained that it was a tradition on Earth and that the stockings were filled with candy and toys, Pinkie insisted that she have the biggest one.
Once they all gathered, the house was full of love and joy and finally felt like a true home. Before they got started, Rick stood and addressed the gathered ponies. “You know, I look around the room, and I see an unusual collection of ponies. Farmers, a baker, a caregiver, some adventurers, a fashionista, a dragon and a princess. Such a wide variety to choose from. I just have to say, I love this world, I love this town and I especially love every single one of you. There hasn’t been a single minute that I regretted coming here and it’s almost exclusively thanks to you eleven. You all made me feel so welcome, safe and wanted. Thank you all so very much.”
After he finished, there was a quiet round of hoof stomping applause. Rick sat down between Twilight and Fluttershy. The other girls where with their sisters/brother or relaxing on the larger, human sized chairs. Presents started to float up from under the tree by three different colors of magic and drifting to their intended recipients, these were followed by the stockings.
Presents were happily unwrapped and dived into. Rainbow Dash got lots of Wonderbolts memorabilia and a pair of box seat tickets from Twilight, being princess has its advantages. The Crusaders got new safety gear, some field guides and plenty of toys. Spike was a delicate situation as too much could trigger his hoarding instincts and the town still had pretty vivid memories of that day, he got a few gems and a book from Twilight. Pinkie got an assortment of baking trays and gift cards for a party supply store. Big Mac got some farming tools, as simple as they may have been, it seemed to be plenty to make him happy.
The remaining four mares got many great gifts. Rarity got rare cloth and thread, Fluttershy got new birdhouses and medical supplies, Applejack also got tools and Twilight got some books. But these paled in comparison to what Rick got for them.
“Rick, why did we have to wait until the end to open your gifts?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah, an’ why did ya want us ta open them at thu same time?” Applejack further inquired.
“You’ll find out after you open them. But first, let me tell you that Spike helped me pick them out. Now, go ahead and open them.”
Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight opened their carefully wrapped boxes. Upon opening the cases within, they all froze. Each contained a ring fit for a foreleg. Each one had two rings, within these rings was Rick’s cutie mark as well as the recipient’s cutie mark. The cutie marks were made from beautiful gems that match the color of the real things. This is where Spike’s expertise came in handy. Each gem was absolutely flawless and a perfect match in color.
“Is-is this… are these…?” Twilight started to ask but seemed to be caught up on something.
Rick lowered himself to his knees, “they’re engagement bands. Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, will you marry me?”
When there was no movement in the room, Rick was starting to get worried. Did he misread the situation? Were they simply not ready? Did they not really want him after all? What in Equestria was happening? What would he do if they turned him down?
Luckily, he would never have to find out the answer to those questions. Before he knew what was happening, he was tackled and smothered in kisses and deafened by ‘yes’s that feared they may not be heard.
Rick had his answer. He now had four beautiful and fantastic fiancées. He truly felt at his moment that his life might be perfect, and he would be damned if he was gonna let anyone take it from him. Even himself. Equestria was his home world now simply because it was where these girls lived.