Those Stripes

by JeremyStorm

Bonus Chapter: Hearth's Warming Eve

Hearth’s Warming Eve.

It’s a holiday that, though I didn’t know the origins behind it, I was already intimately familiar with its spirit. Festive lights and decorations covering every wall, lamp post and roof ledge in town, catchy music filling the air, and a merry mood infecting every pony you bump into. It even happened in the same month.

Christmas for ponies.

I was never a believer. Then again, I didn’t disbelieve either. I was always more worried about the here and now than I was about what may or may not exist after death. Christmas, therefor, was a fun holiday, what with getting to spend time with family and be extra thankful for what we have, though it was not one I celebrated religiously.

That’s why Hearth’s Warming Eve was such a great holiday. I found out its whole point was to celebrate the friendships we have and the love and unity they bring. It was everything I loved about Christmas with nothing that I didn’t.

My first Hearth’s Warming Eve had been hard. I had only been in Equestria for a few months, and I was still living out of a hotel room while I saved up for my own place. I had met this Pegasus named Thunderlane who quickly become my new best friend here, and he had been nice enough to invite me over for dinner with him and his little brother, Rumble. It was nice, but it wasn’t the same as spending it with family.

This year was going to be different. This year, I had Amiti.

My boyfriend, or coltfriend as they call it here. The man… or rather stallion of my dreams. I loved everything about him, from his brilliant violet eyes to his smug smirk to the way he sometimes snorts when he laughs too hard. The thought of the blush he gets after doing so brought a smile to my face. I had never felt so strongly for anyone before, even back on Earth. I never imagined that I’d find myself dating a talking zebra, but here I am, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

I was standing in his kitchen, stooping over the stove as I helped put the finishing touches on dinner. Everything was just a hair too short for me, what with ponies being so much smaller than humans, and so I had to be careful not to knock my head on the ceiling rafters, even after I’d already done it several times that night.

When the timer for the last of the steamed vegetables went off, I turned everything down to low so that it’d stay warm while we waited for our last guest to arrive. Amiti was already off decorating the tree we’d only put up last night while May was ‘helping’ by eating the broken candy canes. There seemed to be a few more than there were when I last checked.

I had just leaned back against the oven, taking in its warmth when there was a knock on the door.

I turned into the living room to see that Amiti’d already gotten the door. Another zebra stepped in, a mare with a near identical stripe pattern to my boyfriend and with the same manestyle. She allowed Amiti to take her jacket, shaking some cold out of her limbs while she closed the door. She wore a multitude of golden bands about her neck and foreleg, much like the one Amiti sometimes wore. I felt kind of bad because she had to come all the way from the Everfree Forest, a good fifteen minute walk.

Zecora was Amiti’s older sister. They’d grown up in Zebrica, though I didn’t know much beyond that. Amiti hated talking about Zebrica, and as much as it bothered him, I certainly didn’t pry. And I didn’t feel comfortable asking something so personal of Zecora, as I’d only gotten to talk to her a handful of times. We just didn’t know each other that well.

After hanging her jacket on a hook on the wall, Amiti pulled her into a tight hug. Every time he hugged her, it always looked like he was afraid if he let go she’d disappear. Not surprising, as she did disappear once, and it took him six long years to find her. It was half the reason he left Zebrica; that much he’d told me, but he wouldn’t go into the other half. Something really bad had happened, that’s all I knew.

I just had to hope he’d tell me when he was ready.

I had barely had time to wave and say hi as they pulled apart before I heard a clatter of hooves coming up the hall. A ball of grey and white barreled past me and lunged at our guest, nearly knocking the poor mare off her hooves.

“Auntie Zecora!” the little filly shouted, laughing uproariously as the two embraced. May thought Zecora was just the coolest, always in awe of the way she talked and all the fun stories she knew. There wasn’t anything the filly liked more than going to spend some time with her aunt, a sentiment Zecora certainly returned.

“Hello, my dear child! I have not seen you for quite a while,” Zecora said. She brushed a hoof through May’s mane, laughing as the filly immediately began asking for a fun story. I mainly stayed back by the door as the family took the time to catch up with one another. Now that they lived in the same town, getting to visit one another was pretty simple, but with her still living a little ways out into the forest, they only got together about once a week or so.

As everyone’s focus was on Zecora, I excused myself into the kitchen. It wasn’t as though I didn’t feel welcome or anything. I just didn’t want to intrude on family time. That’s what Hearth’s Warming is about: family. And I just… wasn’t family.

Deciding to make myself useful, I set about making some hot cocoa for all of us. It took a lot longer without having a microwave, but thankfully the stove was already warm from dinner. While the milk was heating, I began to set the table, too. We had a number of steamed vegetables, fruit salads, and even some pumpkin rolls, but those were more for dessert. I really was going to miss the turkey and holiday ham my family usually fixed, but Amiti had at least let my cook some fish for myself. It would have to do.

When the milk was finally hot enough, I poured out four mugs and mixed in the cocoa. Placing them all on a tray, I took it back into the living room. Amiti had settled into the love seat while May sat on Zecora’s lap on the couch. I placed the tray on the coffee table and squashed myself in beside Amiti. May helped herself enthusiastically to the cocoa, while the others took theirs with a laugh at her antics. As he sat back into the seat, Amiti leaned gently into my side, his weight against my chest a welcome burden.

We talked. Mostly about nothing. My new job at the Ponyville Day Spa, an undocumented flower Zecora found deep in the Everfree, the book report that May had to write over the break. I told her that I’d help her read the first Daring Do book, a series that Princess Twilight had recommended to me. I figured between the two of us we could knock it out in no time.

She was happy to accept. She loved it when we read to her.

When we all heard a small stomach rumbling, we decided to take our conversation to the dinner table. Zecora whipped out a thermos from I-don’t-know-where and brought it with her to the table. Pulling things out of nowhere seemed to be a talent many ponies shared, and I had given up trying to understand it long ago.

“A special brew I made just for you,” she said as she filled three glasses with it. Taking mine, I was struck by its strange scent. It smelled vaguely flowery, but had the distinct twang of alcohol.

“Drink enough dandelion wine, and you will be in for quite a time,” she said. I took one more hesitant sniff of it, and, throwing caution to the winds, I swigged the whole thing down. I’m not sure why; maybe some part of me wanted to show off or something. As though being able to drink was something that’d impress Amiti.

I don’t know what I was thinking.

It went down surprisingly smooth for as strong as it smelled. Its taste was initially sweet, though it tapered to a rich, smoky flavor and ended somewhat spicy. It also left a potent burning in my throat, which I loved. Zecora gave me a strange smile, one that seemed knowing and yet had something else in it I couldn’t place. She was the master of the mysterious stare, I’d learned. Without a word she refilled my glass. I didn’t down this one right away, instead taking a small sip to savor the taste.

Amiti had already taken his place at the head of the table. I slid into a seat to his right, sitting somewhat uncomfortably in the small chair. It felt like something I would have had in my kindergarten class. Zecora sat across from me while May squished herself in the corner between her aunt and her father.

Dinner was delicious. We all stuffed our stomachs with as much food as we could, sharing stories and gossip as we did. The fish was amazing; I rarely got the chance to indulge in some meat, and so I’d almost forgotten how to cook it. May had begged to try some, even after I told her what it was. Amiti looked reluctant, but he agreed.

He was mortified when she liked it.

I just thought it was funny.

He called me a bad influence.

I laughed harder.

The wine flowed freely as we ate, and luckily for me, my larger frame allowed me to outdrink the others. Amiti was looking pretty tipsy after his third glass, while Zecora looked completely unfazed. I was on my fifth by the time we all finished and retired back to the living room.

The zebras all took their seats from before while I lit the fireplace. With a suitable warmth starting to fill the small room, I slid into place beside Amiti, wrapping an arm about his neck. He must have been more tipsy than I imagined, as, despite having company in the room with us, he reached up and nuzzled deeply into my neck, placing a few sensual kisses and licks to my jaw. I took the time to return one to the tip of his nose before I whispered into his ear about having company over. He sat straight up as though he’d been shocked, eyes locked to the ground. Zecora gave a throaty giggle from the couch.

“Daddy, Daddy, come on! It’s present time!” May shouted, bouncing in place on the couch. Amiti nodded, setting his glass on the coffee table.

“Yes, yes, Hearth’s Warming Eve means one present for everypony,” he said. May gave a squeal and dove under the tree, scrabbling to find the right present for everyone. Amiti and Zecora both moved to lie in front of the fire, side by side. I sat down with them, making an Amiti sandwich as May dragged four boxes in front of us before settling between Amiti’s hooves.

“Mine’s from Matt!” she said, smiling up at me before setting into it.

Amiti, Zecora and I were all too wrapped up in watching May to bother with our own gifts at first. She tore into the paper with reckless abandon, ripping and tearing and just making a mess everywhere. I had been pretty sure she’d like it when I bought it, but now that she was opening it, I was a little nervous. But when her eyes found the title of the book, she let out a huge gasp.

“The first Mistfeather Chronicles book! Oh, I wanted to read this so bad; thanks, Matt!” she shouted, throwing herself into my shoulder. I returned the hug, ruffling her mane with one hand.

“Yeah, I remembered you mentioning it. I’m glad you like it,” I said.

“Can we read this for my book report instead?” she asked. I had kind of wanted to read her that Daring Do book, but I figured this would be fun too. She gave another cheer at my nod. As she settled back into her father’s hooves, she started looking around at all of us.

“Well, what are you guys waiting for? Open your presents!”

I made to reach out for mine, but Amiti’s hoof stopped me. He was smiling at me, but there was something off about it. He looked… nervous about something, but I couldn’t quite place what about. Either way, I got his meaning and decided I’d wait a minute to open mine. Instead, Zecora grabbed hers.

“From little May I see, I wonder what it could be?” she said. With more careful hooves than our little filly, she began opening the crudely wrapped present. May had insisted on doing the whole present herself, using her allowance for it, and wrapping it on her own.

With deft movements, eventually the paper fell away and a dark green scarf, patterned with lighter green flowers and vines along its length. It was a Rarity original, and would have cost a pretty penny… or bit, but when the fashionista found out it was a Hearth’s Warming gift, she gave May a pretty generous discount.

Zecora wrapped it about her neck while May waited of tenterhooks to hear what she thought. She turned her head this way and that, as though trying to appreciate what it felt like against her coat. Just when it looked like May could take no more of the tension, she fixed the filly with a warm smile.

“It is really quite nice; it shall protect me from the snow and ice,” she said. The sheer joy was evident in the toothy smile plastered across May’s face. Amiti and I both said it looked good on her, also complimenting May’s choice of gift.

Eventually, Amiti reached to grab his gift.

“Mine’s from Zecora,” he said, leaning over to bump his sister. His smiling face gave way to confusion as the wrapping paper fell away to reveal a rather nondescript box. When he managed to open it, however, a fierce blush covered his face while his eyes shrank to pinpricks. May tried to peek into the box, but he quickly placed a hoof over her eyes. Wondering what in the world she could have gotten him, I peered over his head, and I almost couldn’t believe what I saw.

Inside the box was a pair of handcuffs covered in a bright blue fuzzy material.

Before he could stop me, I reached over him and grabbed them out of the box, running my fingers over the metal and through the fur. The fabric was soft, covering the entirety of where the cuffs would connect with your skin. They looked pretty high quality, at least as far as my uneducated eyes could tell.

“A pair of hoofcuffs for a little fun, about them my brother knows a ton,” she said, smiling slyly at him. Her words struck me. I wondered how she knew something like that when even I didn’t. Judging by his reaction, I was willing to wager she wasn’t just giving it as a gag gift, either.

“Zecora, not in front of May!” he said in a frantic whisper, now trying to cover her ears as well as her eyes and failing at both.

“’Miti, you never told me you liked this kind of stuff,” I said. He grabbed the cuffs roughly out of my hands and put them back in the box.

“It’s never come up,” he said embarrassedly.

“Daddy, are those for playing Cops and Robbers?” May asked, looking up at her father. He looked like his brain was about to burst; mouth working frantically as he tried to think of what to tell her.

“Yep,” I said. “Your dad and I enjoy a good game of Cops and Robbers every now and then. These should make our game time even more fun.” I leaned over to her, stage-whispering in her ear loud enough for the others to hear, “I like to play the cop.” I said it looking more at Amiti than her, and he gave me a death glare, to which I couldn’t help but laugh.

I didn’t like seeing him so flustered, even though it was funny to see something other than the controlled and dignified demeanor he usually wore, so with a kiss to his forehead, I whispered in his ear about how we’d try them out later. That perked his mood back up.

“Thanks, Zecora. We’ll put them to good use,” I said, looking to the mare in question, but she just waved me off.

“Well, after… that bit of awkwardness,” Amiti said suddenly, “there’s only one present left. Matt, why don’t you open yours?” he said, pushing the small box towards me.

“To Matt, From Amiti,” I said in an intentionally sickly sweet voice as I read the tag.

It was about half again as long as my hand, and a few inches tall. It didn’t weigh much, so I had no idea what it could have been. I undid the bow on the green ribbon wrapped around it and slowly undid the paper. May was getting antsy again, and as I wondered if she knew what it was, I took my time and drew it out.

Eventually though, I ran out of paper and a blue velvet box sat in my hands. I opened it, revealing two golden bracelets, one slightly larger than the other, both engraved with what resembled trailing vines around their length. I was about to take them out when Amiti placed a hoof on my shoulder, pulling my attention to him.

“Matthew, I know we’ve only been dating for a short time. A year isn’t enough time to learn everything you can about somebody, but there are a few things I have learned about you. I’ve seen that you are a dedicated stallion, always working your hardest to provide love and support to both me and my daughter.

“I want you to be the father of my daughter. I want to welcome you into my family. I want nothing more than to grow old with you by my side,” he said.

He couldn’t be. No, no, there was no way he was about to say what I thought he was about to say.

“I couldn’t ask for a better stallion, regardless of the fact you’re… well, not a stallion,” he said, trailing off momentarily. Realizing he had gotten off-track, he shook his head and renewed his determination. “The point is: I want to make it official. Mattew, will you marry me?” he asked.

I was shocked. Completely floored. Even as he spoke, I hardly believed what was happening. I looked at him, wondering if this was some sort of joke, but the seriousness of his expression, the hopeful smile he wore proved to me he was sincere.

I felt like I should have needed to think about it. That marriage was the sort of binding promise that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and that this was a decision I couldn’t undo once I’d chosen. But all I had to do was look at those purple eyes, so kind and caring and earnest, so full of love and passion and strength and I knew my answer. I didn’t need words. I doubt I could have found them anyway. I nodded, wrapping both of my arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss.

I tried to show him how I felt. To show him how much he and his love meant to me without words. I had always found that words failed me when I needed them most, never quite getting across the true depth of my meaning. As our lips danced about each other’s, I’d like to think he understood.

Even after we broke apart from one another, I still held him close, feeling the warmth of his coat and the weight of his head on my shoulder. When we did finally pull away from each other, I blushed a little remembering that there were two others in the room with us. Zecora had pulled May into a hug herself, and offered me a smile as our eyes met.

“Congratulations to you, and welcome to the family, too,” she said. I grabbed the two bracelets, slipping the larger one onto my wrist while Amiti nuzzled his sister. As I fitted the other one onto his leg, just above the hoof, I noticed May giving me a questioning look over the book clutched tight to her chest.

“Umm…” she started, looking between me and her dad.

“Yes, luv?” he asked.

“Does this mean I have two dads?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice wetter and thicker than I’d expected, “I guess it does.” She didn’t woop or holler or cheer. Instead, she smiled; a warm little grin as she climbed out of her father’s legs and crawled onto my lap.

As I sat there, my soon-to-be daughter on my lap, my soon-to-be husband leaning his head softly on my shoulder, and my soon-to-be sister in law lying beside us, even I couldn’t stop a few wet sniffles. Outside, the snow was falling and winter was trenched in taking its toll on the world, but inside, the fire was roaring and I was surrounded by family.

All in all, it was a pretty good Hearth’s Warming Eve.

Author's Note:

Happy Hearth's Warming everypony! I love every one of you that takes the time out of you day to read my stories, and I want to wish you all happy holidays regardless of what you celebrate or don't.

Comments

[Taliesin of the Forest]

wonderful.

[One Lucky Gamer]

TOO CUTE FOR ME!

[bluerose6969]

*bawls* That is so beautiful! *claps* well done.

[Zyrian]

So cute..... AAAGHHH

[Mc Classic]

Absolutely brilliant

[MrGreviouss]

To much cute.

[ReverseBrony]

Honeymoon? 9-9

[Evil Paladin]

Officer Matt is highly talented with his night stick!
Officer Matt guns down robbers with his shotgun!