The Life of a Non-Brony

by BronyWriter


30-Approval

And things had been going so well too.

Cheerilee was happy, her parents were happy, and I was happy. We were all really, really happy and now... I'm not really sure what her parents are thinking. They're both just staring at me with wide eyes and dropped jaws. I'm shifting nervously, and Cheerilee is looking between her parents with a nervous expression on her face.

"So... let me get this straight," Cheerilee's father says after a solid minute of silence. "You're plannin' on marryin' this human in a few months?"

"Yes, Daddy," Cheerilee says. "We've got almost everything planned."

"Er..." Her father blinks once and alternates his looks between the two of us. "He's not a pony, Cheerilee. He's not even somethin' I've ever seen before."

Cheerilee pushes herself to her hooves and glares at her father. "And?"

"Well, it just ain't somethin' I expected from ya, Cheerilee. I mean..." Her father uneasily rubs the back of his neck. "How are ya gonna have foals with him? Have ya been intimate with him at all? Can ya be? Is that possible? How am I supposed ta know he's best for ya?"

"Oh give me a break, Dad!" Cheerilee stomps a few steps closer to her father, her glare turning positively deadly. "That is just rich coming from you! I seem to recall stories of how Grandma and Grandpa weren't really thrilled that you married a pegasus! You put me down for wanting to teach, then we see each other for the first time in fifteen years and all you can do is disapprove of the man who is going to be my husband? TD loves me, Dad! He loves me more than anything! He'd go to the ends of Equestria for me!"

Yup.

"Now TD and I love each other, Dad. We're going to be married whether you like him or not, and please..." Cheerilee's fiery glare dies down, and her look turns into a pleading one. "Please don't do this to me again. Don't look at something I love and say that it's not important or not the best thing for me. I'm a grown mare, Dad. TD and I have known each other for ten years, and I know what kind of man he is. Trust me when I say that he will be very good to me."

Cheerilee's mother stands up, puts a hoof on Cheerilee's back, and looks over at her husband with a pleading expression. "Orange, we just got her back. I don't want to lose her again, especially not when she's found somepony who has made her happy."

Orange Picker lets out a quiet sigh then looks over to stare at me for a few seconds. Unnerving, but that's what future in-laws are supposed to do, I guess. Finally, he gives a subtle nod and runs a hoof through his mane. "Yeah, I guess if he makes you happy then we have no cause ta make you think twice about marryin' him." He takes a step towards Cheerilee and puts a hoof on her shoulder. "I just want what's best for ya, Cheerilee. I've always wanted that."

Cheerilee groans and lowers her head. "Oh Dad." She puts a hoof on her forehead. "When are you going to understand that I might know what's best for me? I've been living on my own for almost fifteen years now. I think it's time you understand that I'm a grown mare who can make her own choices and recognize which ones are good and which ones may not be."

Cheerilee's father continues his silence for a few moments longer, opting instead to stare at his daughter. "Well," he says eventually, "if'n ya feel that this human is the best thing for ya, then... then Ah guess Ah'd like ta make some amends and trust ya." Cheerilee's father gently pulled her into a hug. "'M sorry, Cheerilee. Ah just got ya back, and Ah didn't wanna find out that you were makin' some big mistake. If you don't think you are, then Ah don't think you are either."

I grin as Cheerilee and her father go in for a hug, something that her mother is quick to join in with. I turn to Oswald who is studying the scene with his usual contentment. I chuckle and scratch his head feathers.

"Well, Oswald, looks like things turned out okay."

* * * *

Well, with that settled, Cheerilee's parents invite the two of us to stay the night. It would be longer, but we both have jobs to get back to the day after. Having said that, now that Cheerilee and her parents have re-united, we'll be seeing a lot more of them. They'll be coming to the wedding, of course.

The five of us go back to the farmhouse for a nice dinner and catch up time. Given that Cheerilee has been gone for fifteen years, they kinda want to know what she's been up to aside from marrying the only human on the planet, something they're still interested about.

I'm sitting at the table next to Cheerilee with Oswald perched on the back of my chair, eating chocolate covered frozen orange slices for our dessert after our dinner of salad with orange slices in it.

Yes, the whole "we'll use the fruit we grow in all of our food" thing is in no way limited to the Apple family.

"So," Orange Picker says, pushing aside his empty plate, "you've been teachin' Ponyville foals, and you met this'un when one of yer students brought him in fer Show and Tell?"

Cheerilee nods and puts down her cup of orange juice. "Yeah. He had only been in Equestria for a few days at that point. He hit it off with my class immediately by teaching them one of the games he played as a child."

"Well I think that just sounds lovely," Sky Flier says before turning to me. "So Princess Celestia brought you here from your planet, huh? I assume the two of you have talked about that a few times. I can't imagine what it must have been like to wake up and see somepony like Princess Celestia there."

The room fills with a rather awkward silence as Cheerilee and I exchange a brief glance. I gently clear my throat and put a forced smile on my face. "Well, let's just say that Princess Celestia and I are doing a lot better. I've gotten over what she did. Besides..." My smile becomes more genuine, and I grab Cheerilee's hoof. "If she hadn't done it, I wouldn't have met your daughter, and we wouldn't be getting married."

Orange Picker grunts and shrugs. "Yeah, that's true. Though if ya don't mind me sayin' so, that's still weird ta me; Cheerilee not marryin' a pony." He shrugs again. "Ah well. Better than a griffin, I suppose."

I raise my eyebrow and tilt my head. "Really? Why wouldn't you want your daughter to marry a griffin?"

"Too warlike fer my tastes." Orange Picker grimaces. "Didja hear abou' that civil war they had a few years back? I didn't care enough to get all of the details, but it was some coup or somethin' when somethin' went wrong with the royal family. Princess Kathyrine was supposed ta marry someone and it never worked out."

Cheerilee and I exchange yet another awkward glance. "Er... I think I did hear about that," I say, ignoring the "warlike" part, given the tendencies of my own species. "I was like you, though. I didn't care enough about it to want to get involved."

Technically not a lie.

"Reasonable enough. Ya like to keep to yer own business." Orange Picker gave me an approving nod. "Ah respect that. Means a stallion has his priorities straight and can focus on what's important like his family."

"A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man," I said, echoing my favorite Earth movie.

Orange Picker nodded. "Yep. I guess you saw that movie too."

Oy.

"Anyway, I suppose it's getting a little late." Sky Flier stands up and begins collecting our empty plates. "I suppose I'd better go up and make your beds for the night if you're going to be staying here."

I raise an eyebrow and give Sky Flier a confused look. "Er... 'beds?' As in plural?"

"Of course," Sky Flier says as she walks into the kitchen with the plates balanced on her wings. I hear her put them in the sink before she trots back into the room. "You and my daughter aren't married yet, Mr. Powell. We wouldn't want you doing anything unsavory to her under our roof. Besides..." Sky Flier comes up behind a facehooving Cheerilee. "I'm sure my little filly would love to see her old room again."

"Yes, Mom, I would, but..." Cheerilee puts her hoof down and gives her mother an exasperated look. "TD and I are engaged, and don't do that kind of stuff. We don't even kiss! I don't think you have to worry about us doing anything."

"Yep, yer gonna be married," Orange Picker agrees with a nod. "But you ain't married yet, and as long as yer in our house, yer gonna behave like a proper engaged couple and not start any unseemly behavior."

I hold back a grumble at that. I mean, it's not like Cheerilee and I haven't had sleepovers before. Did we do anything? No. Well, I ran my hand through her mane and she rubbed my chest in between back rubs, but I don't think that's what they're worried about.

"Look, we're not going to have sex or anything, if that's what you're worried about. Cheerilee and I tend not to get too physical."

"Good, then tonight will be no great tribulation," Sky Flier says with a nod of her own. She begins walking towards the stairs. "I'll make the beds in the guest room and Cheerilee's old room. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Cheerilee and I exchanged a rather disappointed look. I mean, what's the point of being out with your marefriend if you can't even snuggle up at night? I mean come on, it's not like we're going to do anything.

Orange Picker snorts and crosses his forelegs as he watches us. "You two 'r actin' like a couple a teenagers, ya know that?"

"Yes, Dad, I can see how you'd think that, but I don't quite see it that way," Cheerilee mutters. "We're both thirty, you know."

"Yup, so I've heard." Orange Picker stands up from his chair and stretches out his forelegs. "But as long as you're here, you're gonna behave like a proper engaged couple. No funny business."

I roll my eyes as I hear Oswald giggle behind me, something that draws a small smirk from Orange Picker. "See? The bird agrees with me."

"For Celestia's sake," Cheerilee mutters.

Sky Flier comes down the stairs a minute or so later, smiling warmly at the two of us. "Well then, you three, your beds are all ready." She turns her attention to Oswald and tilts her head slightly. "I wasn't quite sure about the phoenix. Will he be sleeping in your room, TD?"

I stand up from my spot at the table and nod. "Yeah. He will. Probably on the headboard or something." If I had brought my backpack, he would have settled in nicely there.

"Good. Well, then, I'm off to bed." Sky Flier smirks at her husband and runs a wing down his back. "We'll see you three in the morning then, okay?"

"Okay," Cheerilee and I repeat.

With that, the two of them head on upstairs to their room. Cheerilee and I look at each other, then, with an unspoken agreement, we follow after a few moments. When we reach the top of the wooden staircase in the farmhouse, Cheerilee points to the first door on the left.

"That's my room from when I was a little filly." Cheerilee smiles and walks up to it. "I haven't seen it in a long time."

I copy Cheerilee's smile, and the two of us go into her room. My first impression is... simplicity. I've seen Cheerilee's house a ton of times, so I know full well that she's not the kind of mare to go over-the-top with her decor. She's a teacher, so that's often not an option anyways. The walls are all a nice sepia color, with very few things on them. The only things I can see are a calendar from fifteen years ago, still on July where Cheerilee left it, a clock on the wall opposite the bed, and a faded poster of some colt band from the days of yore. I raise my eyebrow and walk up to the poster. Hoof Lickin' Good. I snort and look down at my marefriend.

"Hoof Lickin' Good? That was the name of your favorite band?" I scoff and look back to the poster. "These colts don't look much older than thirteen."

Cheerilee chuckles, but I see a bit of a blush at her cheeks. "Yes, well, I was young, okay? All of the fillies liked Hoof Lickin' Good." Cheerilee closes her eyes and a contented smile crosses her face. "Let's see, what was that song of theirs that every filly sang for months on end? Ooh filly, I wanna hold you so tight. I wanna stay up with you all night, ooh filly. Come away with me. We'll rock Equestria together, ooh filly. We'll be together forever and nopony's gonna ever break us apart!"

I groan and facepalm as she finishes the song. "Seems that some things are inter-dimensional. I had hoped that boy bands wouldn't be one of them."

"Oh stop it, TD," Cheerilee says with a playful push. "You liked silly stuff when you were that age too, I'll bet."

I shrug. "Sure, I suppose."

Cheerilee goes to respond, but is cut off by a rather spectacular yawn, something that triggers one in both Oswald and I as well. "I think it's time for bed, TD."

I stretch my arms behind my back and nod. "Yep. I guess I should get over to my room, then."

Cheerilee shoots me a grin and wraps a foreleg around my waist. "Oh come now, TD, Mom and Dad are already asleep. I don't think they'll really care if we sleep in the same bed tonight, right?"

I return her grin and begin moseying over to the bed. "No, I guess not."

Cheerilee and I slide underneath the light green covers of her bed, after I take off my shirt, and Oswald perches on the back of a chair next to a small desk. I give a contented sigh and wrap my arm around Cheerilee's middle.

"Goodnight, TD. I love you."

"Love you too, Cheers. Goodnight."

The room is silent as the two of us snuggle close together for the night. I can't even hear a noise outside of the house. This place is quieter than even Ponyville. Total silence.

An idea enters my head with a grin, and I lean next to Cheerilee's ear to break that silence.

"Ooh filly, I wanna hold you so tight. I wanna stay up with you all night, ooh filly. Come away with me. We'll rock Equestria together, ooh filly. We'll be together forever and nopony's gonna ever break us apart!"

Cheerilee giggles and nuzzles my hand. "You're ridiculous, TD."

"Might be."

Our moment is broken by Sky Flier's voice shouting at us through the walls.

"Hey! Separate beds, you two!"

Cheerilee and I both sit up with a groan, me glaring at the door.

"Third door to your right," Cheerilee says with a sigh.

I grumble to myself as I get out of bed, something that Oswald notices. He hops onto my shoulder as I walk out of the room. Before I leave, I turn to Cheerilee with a hint of my former smile. "Sleepover when we get back?"

Cheerilee smirks and nods. "Totally."

* * * *

The next morning saw us back to Ponyville, as Cheerilee's parents had to get to their farm work and I had to get to my job for that afternoon. Leaving for Cheerilee, well, many tears were shed by all except me and Oswald, but Cheerilee gave her parents her home address and promised to send them a wedding invitation. We still had a few of them left around.

I think Cheerilee and her parents are going to be making up for lost time. If nothing else, they'll be there for the weeks leading up to the wedding.

By nine-thirty the two of us are on our way back to the train station on a taxi Orange Picker hired for us. I have my arm around Cheerilee, who is looking contemplatively out at the horizon. I smile at her and run my fingers through her mane. "So, I think that went rather well, don't you?" My smile falters. "Aside from the whole bed thing."

Cheerilee chuckled and leans her head against my shoulder. "Yes, it think that it did too. I'm really rather surprised by it, but definitely not disappointed." Cheerilee wraps her forelegs around my arm. "I think that my parents and I are gonna be okay, you know? They seemed to like you well enough."

"As well as they could, I guess," I say with a nod. "I mean, there will always be some unease with meeting the guy who wants to marry your daughter."

"True, but I think that it went as well as it could have between the two of you, knowing them."

"So any thoughts about the whole thing now that you know it was so easy? That they did want you back?"

"Yeah, I obviously wish that I had tried to get into contact with them a lot sooner. I mean, We missed out on fifteen years of each other's lives. That's not something we're ever going to get back."

"But you can make up for it now,." I lean my head on top of hers. "I get it: you're never going to get that back and it's disappointing. No arguments there from me. It's just that I think that if you focus on that, it could hurt what you want to have going forward."

"I guess you're right." Cheerilee is silent for a moment before she gives a single chuckle. "It's almost surreal. I didn't think that I'd ever see them again, but now I have my parents back in my life. I..." Cheerilee pauses and looks up at me. "Er... that wasn't tasteless of me to say, was it?"

I chuckle and wave my hand. "No, I don't think so. I'm not jealous of you, Cheers. I love you. What makes you happy makes me happy. Do I miss my parents? Yeah, of course I do, but I'm not going to go ruin today for you by being jealous or upset, which I'm not."

Cheerilee smiles and gently nuzzles my forearm. "Thank you, TD. I love you."

"And I love you too." I run my fingers through her mane again. "Now, when we get back to Ponyville we'll have to have that sleepover, okay? Maybe do some planning of our honeymoon?"

Cheerilee closes her eyes and gives a contented sigh. "I'd like that."