//------------------------------// // A Slow Day // Story: An Earthbound Honeymoon // by drnkntst //------------------------------// Chapter 16 Rick limped down the stairs the next morning. He found three women still sleeping on the couch. They were using each other’s shoulders and heads as pillows. They had been too afraid of all the noise coming from the bedroom to try going inside. Rick couldn’t blame them. Rick sat at the end of the couch and carefully leaned Rarity against his chest when she stirred. She either didn’t wake or she was really good at pretending to be asleep. Whichever the case may be, they were both enjoying it. Of course, she may have been enjoying it for the closeness, but he was enjoying it because he now had a shield if Twilight woke up… hungry. Very carefully, he turned the television on and muted it. He then turned on the closed captioning and started the next episode of his wives’ lives. He loved them all very much and wanted to know more about them, his home and his friends. Sure, he talked to them and enjoyed listening to their stories, but this was more entertaining. Besides, Applejack in a frou-frou dress was hilarious and Rarity, drenched from the rain and shivering in shock about her hair, was far too precious and he squeezed the real thing ever so gently. As the episode ended, Rick was startled when Rarity spoke, “I always feel a little ashamed of how I bickered with Applejack over such petty things back then.” Then it AJ’s turn to startle them both, “meh too. Ah’m jest glad we were able ta move past all that.” “Me too,” Fluttershy added, half awake. The sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted them to Twilight’s arrival. She was wearing a huge smile and not much more. “Morning, Honey,” Rick called to her. “Did you sleep well?” she nodded. “Did you repair the room?” she nodded again while ignoring the looks of horror on the faces of the other three girls. “Good, why don’t you get a shower and I’ll get one after, okay?” Twilight nodded again, “care to join me?” The sly smile on her face told everyone exactly what she meant by that, not that it was a difficult code to figure out. “I don’t think so, Twi.” “Aww, why not?” “Because you’re in heat, we’re out of preventatives and I can barely stand,” he had to smile a little. “For now, I just want to sit here, heal up and maybe get some food in me somehow.” Fluttershy jumped off the couch and started toward the kitchen, “oh, I can make something.” “Please, don’t go out of your way. I feel like a jerk now,” Rick half-joked. “I don’t mind. I like cooking for you.” Fluttershy’s sweetness was overwhelmingly… sweet. “You know something, every day, every single day, you four prove to me that I made the absolute right choice two weeks ago when I said ‘I do’.” Rick had meant it too, he loved these four women more than life itself, the rib crushing, five-way hug was just a bonus. “Plus, I get to be honest when I say that my wife, er, wives are my best friends.” “So, what do you have planned for today, Darling?” Rarity asked. “We’re doing it,” all eyes were on him. “What? I’m tired and we’ve been running all over for a week straight. We can go out later, but for right now, I just want to rest.” There was an agreement from the others, but Twilight was a little resistant, “but we need more of those… things,” she whined. “I understand your predicament, Twilight, I was a teenage boy once, but I just can’t right now.” He looked at her face and saw the disappointment therein. A solution presented itself to his mind and he concentrated on shaping a forcefield. “Here, use this,” he told her as he raised a seemingly empty fist. Twilight looked confused but approached. She could feel his magic, so could Rarity, but no one could see it on Earth. She gingerly reached out and took the item from him, it was smooth and cylindrical and very familiar in its shape. Her eyes widened as quickly as her smile when she realized just what she was holding. She rushed over to Rick and pressed her lips firmly against his, “thank you, thank you, thank you, than-*POOF*” She vanished mid ‘thank’ leaving her underwear dropping to the floor. The only clue to her whereabouts was the sound of running water. “Well, that ought to keep her busy for a while.” Rick and the others relaxed on the couch and returned to the show. The next episode was well underway. At first, Rick thought it had to have been greatly exaggerated. After all, who in Equestria could be afraid of Zecora? ***** The afternoon air was warm and the gentle breeze kept it from building too much heat. That coupled with the elevation and low humidity meant the day was practically perfect. Especially for a man sitting in a hot tub with four gorgeous women, just enjoying the view, the company and a beer. True, it was a little early for alcohol under normal circumstances, but he was in heaven/ on his honeymoon. He was feeling much better now. Twilight had used her healing magic on him… again, it had taken several doses to allow him to walk without limping. After her shower, Twilight had calmed down a lot and was able to focus enough to make this last one count. Although, she did insist on sitting on his lap during their soak and since she was both a princess and the most powerful being on this planet, no one tried to stop it. After the last of his beer was gone and pain was completely gone, Rick stood. It was a little tricky with Twilight clinging to him and practically demanded he carry her, but he managed. He was once again grateful that their cabin was so secluded, as none had bothered to dress before getting into the tub. After all four were women, and the other was their husband, why bother covering up at all. “Are we going somewhere?” Fluttershy asked as she and the others toweled off. “Yeah, I think I know of a place that you girls will all like. Plus, it involves shopping.” Through the excited gasps, Rick heard Twilight whisper into his ear. “Of course, we will need to stop at the pharmacy first.” While they were dressing, Rarity’s curiosity got the better of her, “Darling, where are we going?” “Well, Princess, I was thinking that we would go to a place where our version of Hearth’s Warming happens everyday. So, once everybody’s all dolled up, we’re on our way to see Santa.” ***** The Santa’s village was probably one of the most impressive ones on this side of the country. Though, that was just Rick’s opinion, hadn’t been to a whole lot of Santa’s villages for comparison purposes. Whatever the case may be, this one was excellent. There was a separate building for each little shop that made up the ‘village’. They had a bakery that made cookies, obviously, and handmade candies. There was a café that sold different types of cocoa as well as sandwiches and other lunchtime standards. One building sold outdoor decorations. There was a model train outside that had a garden all around it. There was a building filled with nothing but artificial trees and tree toppers. The largest of all the buildings sold nothing but ornaments, which included decorations for inside the house. “This place is amazin’,” Applejack said as she looked around the village. “I agree, it is quite beautiful and very comforting,” Rarity agreed. “It kind of reminds me of Ponyville,” Twilight observed. They all looked up at the buildings. The peaks of the roofs were high and the buildings resembled old fashion Germanic homes. It didn’t take long for them all to see it for themselves. The biggest difference was these roofs were shingled instead of thatched. “You know, it’s probably a good thing Pinkie isn’t here. She would lose were cotton candied mind and I don’t think this place would survive.” The girls all giggled at Rick’s little joke. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Fluttershy added between giggles. “I must say that this music is quite cheerful too,” Rarity commented on the Christmas music being pumped through the speakers. “Yeah, Christmas music is meant to be uplifting to make people happy and carefree even though Christmas is the time of year when people get the most stressed about money and loneliness. But I think if I had to listen to it all year, I would kill myself… again.” The girls didn’t like it when Rick talked like that, especially Twilight who still blamed herself for the bear that killed him the second time. Applejack expressed her disdain with a firm punch in the shoulder, which, as strong as she was, didn’t even rock him. They went inside the biggest building and started their shopping. Rick explained as much of the lore and legends of Christmas as he could. He told them the tale of Rudolph and Frosty. He even let them sit and watch a few short cartoon specials that were always running in the store. Just like human children, their eyes were filled with wonder and hope when the Grinch was racing down the mountain in his sleigh with all the gifts to be returned. After the song was over, Rick got his wives out of their seats, “c’mon girls, we can’t do any shopping while sitting on our flanks. So how about this? Each of you pick out an ornament for yourselves that we can put on our tree next Hearth’s Warming. Maybe even a few for our friends and the princesses too.” They each gave him a peck on the cheek and disappeared into the store, except Fluttershy who clung to him like a toddler, to pick out their prize. There were plenty to choose from too. There were the standard bulbs, stars, icicles and snowmen. They also had more specialized ones, I.E. Boy Scout uniforms, military insignias and ‘new home’. As Rick walked with Fluttershy, he saw these but was unimpressed. He had seen plenty of ornaments in his lifetime. Fluttershy, however, had not, and she made Rick stop at every display and decked tree in the place. He didn’t mind though, Fluttershy was unbearably cute under normal circumstances, but when she was like this, there was nothing he could do but let himself be happily manipulated. Fluttershy led him to the animal ornaments, obviously. She looked at the deer, the dogs, the bears that Tennessee is famous for, and all the others. The pitiful look on her face when she was struggling to decide which one she wanted most made Rick’s heart melt to the point where he was about to buy the lot. Luckily for him, Fluttershy gasped and ran to one particular ornament. It was Angel, her little bunny. True, he hated that rodent, but it made her happy, and that made him happy. When she plucked the ornament off the shelf and held close to her breast, he knew she had made her choice. The other girls had found him and Fluttershy. Twilight showed her selection, a clear globe with a solar powered LED light that changes colors and reflects off what looked like a collection of quartz spires. In a word, it was stunning. Rarity’s choice was a chain of crystal bells. They didn’t sound particularly great, but they were pretty. Applejack, for some reason, was unwilling to share her pick. This made everyone more curious, but they decided they didn’t want to push it and potentially ruin a good day. “What about you, Rick? Which did you choose?” Twilight asked. Rick smiled and held out a picture frame. The frame was made to show the six Element Bearers, three on each side, and they were all smiling and either looking at the viewer or the picture itself. He had contemplated getting one of each of the pony ornaments, but decided that may raise too many questions for anyone who may see them. With only one, he could say he made it and it would be plausible. The group hug and smooches told him he made a good choice. Once the bill was paid and the plethora of Christmas cookies and candies purchased, they all loaded back up in the truck and headed back for the cabin. ***** After dinner, they all sat on the couch and watched more of their show. This time, it was a two-parter. Rick had been proud of Rarity standing up for herself against Prince Blueblood in the previous episode and laughed at the other’s hijinks. Now he was watching them face Discorde, and each other. Applejack lying to everyone about everything was a lot to handle. On that note, so was bully Fluttershy. Rarity and Tom the boulder was hilarious, especially when she was so upset about it. All the while they were watching, Twilight was sitting in Rick’s lap. She was kissing his neck and nibbling his ear while she twirled what little hair he had. It was obvious what she wanted, but the delayed gratification was just the right amount of torment for her to enjoy it, especially since he wasn’t exactly sitting idle. She was wearing a skirt and one of his hands could not be seen. By the time the next episode started, one where Twilight was frantically trying to find a problem to be solved, she had had about all she could take. Once more, with a flash of light, Rick and Twilight were gone. “Daggum, that girl is an eager one ain’t she?” Applejack mused. “Yes, she’s being hit by it so hard,” Rarity agreed as she picked up the new box of preventatives, “that she forgot to take… these.” The pause was caused by the sudden disappearance of the box from her hand. They all giggled to themselves, turned up the volume, and went back to the show.