Doorway side stories

by Java Joe

First published 5th of October, 2012

Side stories to Doorway to Another Place and Eris' Game.

These are side stories that fit into the framework of "Doorway to Another Place" and "Eris' Game" but aren't necessary to the overall narrative of those stories.

Basically, a place to expand on certain ideas and put in those small or large story fragments that I had written that I didn't add to the main stories

A Day with Twyla

Author's note: This is an attempt to write in the first person. It got a little tricky in parts as I'm not familiar with writing in this style but hopefully I've been able to get it done.

There's very little of Equestria here, only a very small scene but Twilight does make an appearance. For those of you keeping score, this would take place about 5 years after the ending and 3 years before the epilogue of "Eris' Game".

Twyla walked into the media room where I was currently relaxing with a cup of coffee and watching some TV. She plumped down on the seat next to me with a downcast expression on her face and gave out a big sigh.

"Is there a problem honey?" I asked knowing that she needed to speak about something.

"Mommy got angry with me, she yelled and told me to get out of the library, " she said with as much gravitas her 5 years on this planet had granted her.

"Did she tell you why?"

"She said I was bothering her and she needed to get some work done."

"Okay, and what were you bothering her with?"

"Nothing! I just wanted her to play with me! All my friends aren't home and I was bored."

I picked her up and sat her on my lap, gave her a big hug and kissed her on top of her head. "You know that sometimes when adults are doing something important they can't just stop and do something else because somebody wants them to do it. It's like..., " I paused to think of something she didn't like having interrupted, "when you're sleeping and snug and cozy in your bed. You wouldn't like it if somebody woke you up and wanted you to play would you?"

Twyla shook her head.

"In a way it's like that. Mommy is doing some important research in the library, that's her job and it's also her hobby. It's something she really likes to do so bothering her when she's doing this can break her concentration and it takes a long time for her to get going again. It doesn't mean that Mommy doesn't love you and I'm sure she feels sorry about it. Okay?"

Twyla nodded, still not convinced and still looking down.

"Okay, tell you what. How about we spend the day together, just you and me and we go somewhere and have some fun. Okay?"

Twyla brightened up immediately, threw her arms around my neck and gave me a big hug.

Returning the hug, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "okay, you get ready. Clean your face and I'll go tell Mommy we're leaving for the day, " I gave her a soft swat on the bum as she ran upstairs giggling.

Smiling, I made my way over to the portal and poked my head through to see if Twilight was immediately around. Since I couldn't see her I moved all the way through and trotted over to her desk where she was looking frustratingly at some equations. I told her what it was I was planning for today and she simply nodded and agreed it was a good idea.

Kissing her goodbye I made my way back home and called out for Twyla.

"Here I am Daddy!" she said excitedly as she bounced up and down by the front door. Making sure I had money in my wallet, we walked outside, got in the car and took off.

"Where are we going?" she asked eagerly.

"You'll see, " I said mysteriously. In truth I didn't know where to take her or what to do but after driving for 20 minutes or so we passed by a local fair and said, "here we are."

Twyla's eyes lit up and she started bouncing excitedly in her seat.

I took her on the bumper cars, we went on the carousel and even tried our hand at the games of chance. They're all rigged but Twyla wanted one of the big stuffed animals and asked me to try again.

This time when I attempted to knock over the bottles, they all managed to go flying away. I'm sure the busker didn't notice the dark glow around the bottles as Twyla used her magic to make sure they all fell down. Of course we needed to do it three times to win one of the big prizes and by the third time she was visibly tired from expending this much energy but the bottles fell and she got her prize: a hideously garish stuffed pink unicorn.

I helped her carry it around and commented on its size as I did. "I think this is almost as big as you are when you're in Equestria?"

"It is not!" she giggled.

"Sure it is, " I looked at the unicorn and asked it, "so tell me, what's your name?" Turning my voice up an octave, I turned the stuffed unicorn towards me and I replied, "I'm Pinkie Winkie and I'm the fuzziest most pinkalicious unicorn in all of Equestria!"

"I'm pleased to meet you Pinkie Winkie! My name is Rick and I'm a boring old Earth Pony but my daughter Twyla here is a unicorn too."

Turning the unicorn to Twyla I said, "Really? You're a unicorn too? No you're not, you don't look like a unicorn. Where's your horn?" I brought the unicorn in closer to Twyla and moved her about as if she was looking for Twyla's horn.

Giggling at how silly her father was being she answered, "I don't have it here, but when I go to Equestria I have one."

"You know about Equestria? That's where I'm from. Do you know Rainbow Dash?"

Twyla nodded her head, a huge grin on her face. I couldn't help but smile inwardly not only at Twyla conversing with the stuffed unicorn, but also anybody passing by and hearing about "Equestria" or "unicorn" would simply think it was a father entertaining his daughter.

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash is so awesome! She's the greatest flyer of them all. Hmmm, what about Applejack? I bet you don't know Applejack.

'I know Applejack! And her filly Flame Flicker is my best friend!"

"Oh, you're her best friend! Wow! So you must know Porter as well," " I moved Pinkie Winkie away slightly as if she was embarrassed. "Porter is so cute! Don't you think so?"

"Nooo! He isn't cute!" Twyla said with a little more heat than I expected.

"Oh good! That means he can be my coltfriend!"

Twyla's face screwed up as if trying to find a flaw in this logic before saying, "no, he already has a fillyfriend. Her name is... Sweet Heart."

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe I'll find another colt to be my colt friend. So who's your faaaavorite unicorn?"

"Twilight Sparkle!" Twyla said with a smile.

"Twilight Sparkle? You mean the librarian and one of the Elements of Harmony? That Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, she's my Mommy."

"So you're that Twyla. Wow! I'm so happy to meet you because I know Twilight Sparkle is really good in magic but I know you're going to be just as good as she is, maybe even better! Oh! I'm sleepy, do you mind if I take a nap?"

Twyla just shook her head and held out her arms to take her stuffed unicorn back.

Glancing at my watch I noticed it was close to lunch time and asked Twyla if she was hungry. She nodded her head and we went in search of some fair food.

"So what do you feel like having? Mommy's not here so don't worry about eating something that's bad for you, that's the rules of the fair. You can eat stuff that's not good for you but you can't get sick later. That's another rule."

Twyla thought for a moment and asked, "can I have a hot dog?"

"Absolutely my little pony, you can have anything you want, " I said taking her by the hand as we made our way in search of a hot dog stand. Partway there we were distracted by the delicious smell of BBQ. Turning to the right and heading down a bit we found a place doing genuine BBQ including pulled pork. That settled that, I looked at Twyla and she eagerly nodded her head.

I ordered one pulled pork sandwich and some fresh lemonade. I figured that after we'd get ice cream, or some deep fried dessert so there was no point in filling up with the sandwich so it was better to share. And I have to admit, the sandwich was tasty. It wasn't the best I ever had but it was good by fair standards.

Twyla tore into her half of the sandwich like a ravenous beast. She liked the taste of meat, being part human and growing up part of the time on Earth she had grown accustomed to eating it. It wasn't often that we had it at home, Twilight didn't like the smell of it when cooking so out of deference to her it was an occasional thing usually when she wasn't around. It also gave me an excuse to take Twyla out for a burger every once in a while.

A little more than half-way through her sandwich she started slowing down. "Easy honey, take your time and don't force yourself to eat any more than you need to. We can always take the rest of it home or I could finish it for you if you don't want any more. And don't forget, you still need to leave room for dessert, " I told her.

She looked at the rest of her sandwich uncertainly. Part of her wanted to eat the rest of it later but then her mother might not like her eating it so instead she gave it to me.

"Score!" I said before finishing the sandwich. "That was good. So, you ready for dessert or do you want to wait a bit?"

"Mmmmm, can we get ice cream?"

"Sure thing, but tell you what, let's try something different and if you don't like it we can get ice cream or something else you prefer okay? And don't forget your unicorn."

We wandered throughout the fair for another couple hours, had some deep fried foods, got our faces painted and Twyla went on the rides while I waited with Pinkie Winkie. Mid-afternoon and we had seen everything we wanted to see, Twyla was getting tired walking around and I wanted a coffee so we decided to head back home.

We got back, Twilight was standing in the kitchen wearing only a robe which meant she was heading back to Equestria once she finished her coffee that she was currently in the process of making. She was a little surprised at our appearance considering our painted faces and Twyla's unicorn.

"Let me guess, you're a butterfly?" Twilight asked. Twyla agreed and did a butterfly dance around the kitchen before running upstairs to play with Pinkie Winkie. Twilight then looked at me and said, "obviously you're a tiger."

"What gave me away? Was it the stripes, the whiskers or my feline grace?"

"None of that, " she said moving into my arms. "You just had this hungry look in your eyes when you saw me and wanted to have your way with a defenceless little pony." She reached up, took the back of my head in her hand and brought me down to her lips for a kiss, smearing some of my tiger makeup all over her mouth and face. "Now look what you made me do, " as she pressed her cheek up against mine while whispering in my ear and smearing more of my makeup on her.

My hands undid the sash on her robe, letting it fall open as I slid my hands inside the robe and pulled her close. "Looks like the tiger's got the little pony, but she's all dirty and needs to be cleaned."

"Oooh, is the tiger going to use his tongue? " she asked playfully.

"Not everywhere, I think soap and water would work a lot better but I'm open to suggestions."

She raced up the stairs to the ensuite in the bedroom and I followed hot on her heels. Making sure the door was locked behind us, we proceeded to get cleaned up while getting worked up in the shower which meant we had to take a bit of a shower afterwards.

Relaxing on the loveseat in the den after, we had some coffee before Twilight had to go back to the library to complete her work for the day.

"You realise we didn't use any protection, " Twilight said. It wasn't an accusation or observation as much as simply stating the fact.

"Yeah, I know, " I replied with a bit of a smile.

"Not that I mind or anything, but that's not really like you."

I chuckled a bit at her statement because it was true. Just about every time we made love since Twyla was born we used protection in one form or another. Today it was completely different. "I just thought how nice it would be for Twyla to have a little brother or sister. I know we've talked about it before but never found the right time to do so."

Twilight smiled when I said this and said, "you're right. It would be nice. But I need to go back, I'll be working late so don't worry about dinner for me. Spike says he'll bring something over for me so it's just you and Twyla tonight. Make sure she gets to bed at the right hour and keep our bed warm for me, " she said with a sultry wink. Kissing me goodbye she made her way back to Equestria.

Finishing my coffee, I went upstairs to tell Twyla what was going on. As I approached her door, I heard her talking to her stuffed unicorn as she played with it.

Knocking on her door before coming in I managed to see Twyla levitating her unicorn in front of her and making it move before she broke concentration and it fell to the floor while turning to look at me. "Mommy is working late tonight so it's just you and me kiddo. We'll have dinner later, then it's bath time for you young lady and after we can watch a movie."

"I'm not too hungry, " she said and I had to agree with her. We had a lot of food at the fair.

"That's okay, it'll be a light dinner, maybe just a salad or something. I'll call you down around 6 okay?"

"Okay Daddy, " Twyla said as she went back to playing with her unicorn.

With about an hour or so to kill before I needed to get anything ready I went outside to check on my vines. They might only be 4 years old but they had started producing grapes after the second year, not a lot mind you but a few. Next year there were more and hopefully this year I'll actually have enough to make a couple bottles of wine. The best part was that they didn't need to be watered once planted. The worst part was they needed a lot of TLC and it was very much a learn as you go experience.

It was about time to head back when thinking about dinner tonight. Twyla might not be hungry for too much but I knew that I'd be feeling hungry later if I didn't have something more substantial than just a salad. There wasn't anything else in the fridge but we did have some frozen chicken breasts in the freezer. "Okay, a warm grilled chicken salad but it's still missing something, " I mumbled to myself as I took the individual breasts from the freezer. My eyes landed on a half-finished baguette and nodded as the final piece of the dinner puzzle fell into place.

An hour later it was all set and I called Twyla down for dinner.

"That smells good!" she said as she came downstairs, the butterfly makeup still on her face.

"Have a seat, " I said pointing at the table. "Do you want some grilled chicken with your salad or are you still too full?" I asked knowing the answer in advance. She'd say yes if for no other reason than it wasn't something she had very often.

"Please and thank you, " she said as I plated her salad and placed some strips of grilled chicken on top. Bringing the plates to the table, I also put down a small basket of garlic bread which accounted for the good smells in the kitchen.

We dug into the food, chatting pleasantly about whatever. Twyla kept up a running dialogue on everything that happened today and even if I was there and experienced most of it she still felt the need to tell me.

"Okay my little pony, it's time for your bath, " I said once dinner was done. "I also need you to make sure that butterfly makeup is washed off completely. So that means lots of soap, water & a washcloth. C'mon." I held out my hand, she grabbed it and we made our way upstairs. I started her bath making sure it was hot enough, but not too hot.

When the bath was finally ready I gave her a call and let her get on with what she needed to do. It would be a good 15 minutes before she was done in there, just enough time to clean up the plates and get some popcorn ready.

By the time I heard Twyla bounding down the stairs the dishes had been set to dry and the popcorn had finished popping. I poured the butter mixture over top, mixed the bowl carefully and added a dash of salt before mixing again. "Movie time, " I said to her.

We sat in the media room watching of all things, "Despicable Me". I couldn't help but think of us today at the fair getting our faces painted and winning the stuffed unicorn using not necessarily fair methods. I turned to point this out to Twyla but she had already fallen asleep while watching the movie.

Turning the TV off, I picked her up and carried her upstairs to her room. She awoke slightly as I tucked her in, but quickly snuggled back down under the covers.

"G'night sweetheart, " I said giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"There's another Kodak moment, " Twilight said quietly from the doorway. I shut the door behind me, took Twilight in my arms and kissed her hello. "So you all done for tonight?"

"Ummm hmmm, " she said quietly with a smile and nod of her head. We walked away from Twyla's room and headed downstairs.

"You hungry? I've got some salad left over if you're interested."

"I already ate, but I was hoping you could join me in a glass of wine?"

"I think I could be persuaded to do that, anything in particular?"

"Nothing too harsh or tannic, maybe something fruity."

"Oregon Pinot Noir it is, " I said before returning with the bottle, two glasses and a bottle opener.

"So, how was your day?" I asked Twilight after I had poured her a glass of wine and sat down next to her on the couch.

She sighed and said, "long but productive. I've been researching a spell and it looks like I might be right on the cusp of solving it."

"Good for you, " I said taking a sip of wine. "Sometimes I wish I understood magic."

"Why's that?"

"It's just something that you and Twyla share that I can never really be a part of. I mean I can see her do stuff and see you teaching her the basics and the essentials but I'm just a spectator. I can never truly be a part of that."

"But don't forget, she's got a lot more of you in her than she has of me. She is definitely Daddy's girl."

"Maybe so, but that's only because we bond while watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating Cap'n Crunch, " I responded with a smile. It was true that I loved Saturday mornings strictly for that reason and we'd spend a few hours watching commercials thinly disguised as cartoons.

Twilight nodded at that and finished her glass. I went to refill it but she waved me off. She looked at me with an enigmatic smile then playfully asked, "remember what you said this afternoon about wanting a brother or sister for Twyla?"

"Yes, " I responded wanting to see where she was going with this.

Instead of answering, Twilight loosened her robe slightly, not enough so that it was completely open but enough that it simply covered less of her. Immediately my eyes were drawn to her chest and the bits of her that had been newly exposed.

"I seem to recall something concerning a brother or sister for Twyla? And as there's nothing really stopping us right now, I don't see why we can't give it a shot." I stood up and offered her my hand which she took and I led her upstairs to the bedroom.

Afterwards, as Twilight lay in the crook of my arm with her arm casually draped over my chest I said, "you realise of course, we're going to have to do this more often if we want another child."

She looked up at me, smiled dreamily and said, "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Second Chance.

Author's Note: The ending of Eris' Game indicated that Twilight and Rick finally had decided on having another child. So this is their "Second Chance" so to speak for doing so.

"Thanks Mom, see you tomorrow,” Rick said as he hung up the phone. Turning to Twilight he said, "okay, they'll be here tomorrow to look after Twyla. I didn't tell them the complete reason simply that we needed to head out to Equestria for a few days and couldn't take her with us. They're thinking it's a dirty weekend or something like that even if technically they're right."

"Oh I'm not looking forward to the comments Walter is going to make when we come back. Just try to make sure that you don't leave any bruises on my neck, you can sometimes get a little carried away as a stallion."

"Oh please, you love it. Your husband of almost 10 years still finds you adorable and is willing to give you a hickey like some damned high schooler, " he reached out and took her by the waist bringing her in close. Then with a smile playfully attacked her neck and shoulder with his mouth making "nom nom" sounds and causing Twilight to shriek with laughter.

Twyla chose that moment to come into the kitchen to see what was going on only to catch her parents being all strange with each other again. "Don't you guys ever stop?" she asked with all the drama an 8 year old could muster.

The two adults looked at each other for a moment before they answered, "no," in unison.

"You two are just weird, " Twyla said as she grabbed a peach from the fruit bowl on the counter and tried to ignore her parents. It wasn't that she minded them acting in love, she just didn't always want to be around when they did things like this.

"Twyla, just to tell you that Grandma and Grandpa are coming to stay with you for a few days while your Dad and I go to Equestria for some research, " Twilight said, still held tight in Rick's embrace.

"Really? Oh that is so cool!" Twyla said with a big grin. Twyla loved her grandparents in a way that sometimes made Rick feel a little jealous. He never had that rapport with his parents that Twyla did, but then his Mum never had the rapport he had with his grandparents either. Twyla rushed over, gave them both a big hug and kiss before racing upstairs to her room to do whatever it was that kids did.

Rick chuckled a bit as he watched their daughter run upstairs. Twilight turned in his arms so she was facing him, gave him a quick kiss on the lips and asked, "what's so funny funny-man?"

"Nothing really funny, " he said as he squeezed his wife tight and gave her a quick kiss in return. "It's just more than 10 years ago when we first met I never thought my life would turn out like this. I couldn't imagine having a life with a wife and child and now I can't imagine how empty my life would have been without you or Twyla. This, " he said gesturing around with a hand indicating the house and the yard, "means nothing. The only thing that really matters in my life is my girls. You're the air that I breathe, the food that I eat, the sun that shines on my face, the wind in my hair and everything that makes life worth living. I could work a dead end job, living in a tiny, cramped apartment but I wouldn't care if you and Twyla greeted me every night and still loved me like you do. And if this works, there'll be somebody else to share that love even more."

Twilight looked at him with her heart in her eyes. "You are such a silver tongued devil you know that?" She pulled his head down and kissed him hard on the lips. "And it's a good thing I love you otherwise I'd have to smack you for being so sappy. But thank you. We love you too."

Twilight felt Rick's hands work their way down until they were cupping her ass. She kissed him again and said with a saucy grin, "slip it into neutral there loverboy. That can wait until later when Twyla is asleep."

"Why? All we have to do is tell her we're going into our room to be weird and she'll gladly stay away. Hell, she'll probably go to Equestria and hang out with her friends in an attempt to be as far away from us as possible."

"I said later, right now we have things to get ready for tomorrow. Spike is going to have to hold down the fort in the library all by himself so I need to go over a few things with him, you need to check your vines to make sure they're okay and we'll have to pack some things for the trip which reminds me, can you get me some marequil from the garden?"

"Sure. How much you want?"

"A dozen leaves should do, we just need enough in case it gets too hot and we're not in the cabin yet. It's a long way to Neighagara Falls, " Twilight said and shook her head. "I don't know why we couldn't get a place that was closer."

"We needed a quiet place where we could hole up for a couple of days and still have all the comforts of home. I figured one of the honeymoon cabins in Neighagara Falls works perfectly for this. They're used to ponies getting it on, we have access to room or in this case cabin service for our meals and when we're not rutting we have the falls and the surrounding area to explore. If they ask, we're on our second honeymoon which in a sense we technically are. It's not going to be cheap, but it's not like we're hurting for money."

"I guess you're right, " Twilight said as she smiled at her husband.

"Of course I am. I'm Rick. You remember? The guy with the ego?"

"How could I forget?" Twilight said with a sigh. In truth he did have a large ego and while he played it up all the time, she knew that most of it was just for fun. Kissing him one more time she gave him a little slap on the rear and said, "okay, let's get ready and I'll see you later."

Twilight left to transfer to Equestria while Rick sighed and putting on his sunhat, walked out to check on his vines.

The next day found them all packed and ready. Rick's parents arrived and they made sure everything was set before Rick and Twilight headed to Equestria. As they had made their goodbyes, Rick heard his Mum ask Twyla, "so Twyla dear, do you want to help Grandma make some chocolate chip cookies?"

"Yes! Thank you grandma!" the little girl cried out excitedly.

"That's not fair. She never offered to make me cookies, " Rick groused as they entered the portal room before taking their clothes off and readying themselves for the trip to Equestria.

"I think you're old enough to make them yourself, " Twilight said as she stepped through the portal turning her back into a pony.

"Yeah but it's always nicer when somebody makes them for you. Do we have time to grab something at Sugarcube Corner?" Rick asked as he followed her through.

"Why? Didn't you already have breakfast?" Twilight asked as they exited the library and trotted towards the train station.

"Yeah, but now I want cookies or at the very least a cupcake or something." Rick flashed her a maniac grin showing all his teeth like they do in the toothpaste commercials.

Twilight just shook her head and smiled. "You're impossible sometimes you know that?"

"Yes, but at least I'm cute and still have a great butt."

Twilight thought about that for a moment and couldn't fault his reasons even if they had no actual bearing on the matter at hand. She trotted after him as he made his way to Sugarcube Corner and chose 4 cupcakes to go.

They made their train and were comfortably settled in their cabin for what was going to be a long trip. They wouldn't arrive in Neighagara Falls until mid-morning tomorrow and Twilight's heat shouldn't start until sometime in the afternoon or early evening. It was just enough time to get there, get checked in, get ready and then get busy.

"You okay babe? You look a little distracted, " Rick said as he nuzzled Twilight.

"Hmm? Sorry, just thinking of Twyla. I think this is the first time we've gotten away like this without her since she was born."

"Yeah, I'm going to miss her too but she'll be fine. My folks are there to look after her and she has cookies. I'm sure she's going to be okay and she'll be happy to see us when we get back."

"I hate to admit it but you're right again. Now why don't you pass me the box with the cupcakes?" Twilight asked.

"Here you go. And you know, on a completely unrelated note, I was thinking of something recently, " Rick said.

"Hmmm? What's that?" Twilight said as she picked a cupcake out of the box.

"I think I know why it was that we weren't able to conceive all those years ago even though we spent all that time in bed, " Rick said with a wicked smile.

"Yes, it was very nice but why do you think so?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Just about every single day you would transfer between Earth and Equestria right?"

Twilight just nodded her head wanting to see where he was going.

"And while it can take like up to 48 hours or so before fertilisation actually takes place? Well what happened in the intervening time? You were changing between human and pony so was your body chemistry. I'm guessing that was the reason. My sperm was still human, your chemistry was now pony and to paraphrase that line on 'South Park' human and pony DNA do not splice."

"So, you're saying that we could have conceived had both of us stayed on Earth during the whole affair just to be sure?"

"I'm not saying I'm right but I would believe this is the case. Either that or we were just really unlucky."

Twilight thought about this for a moment before nodding. "Whether that's the reason or not, at least we're almost guaranteed that this is going to work this time around." She smiled at her husband, love shining in her eyes, "I love you, " she said leaning in for a kiss.

"Love you too, " Rick said before kissing her in return.

Due to a delay just outside of Neighyork it wasn't until mid-afternoon by the time they pulled into Neighagara Falls. They were greeted by the roaring sound of the rushing water when they stepped onto the platform. Trotting over to the hotel, they got checked in during which time the front desk pony gave Rick a bit of a knowing look when he mentioned that all they had were their saddlebags with them.

"Cheeky bugger, " Rick joked as they made their way to their cabin.

"Hmm? I'm sorry, did you say something?" Twilight asked.

"Just commenting on the front desk clerk. He knows why we're here, " Rick said as they got to their cabin and waiting for Twilight to clue in and make a remark. When she simply let it pass he took a look in her eyes and noticed she had a faraway look in them. He opened the door of the cabin and ushered her in.

"Oh, this is nice, " Twilight said as she looked about. In truth it was nice enough. The cabin was set up with a sitting area & small kitchenette as well as a bed large enough for two ponies to share.

In the closed confines of the cabin, it quickly became obvious that Twilight was ready. Dropping their saddlebags to the floor the two ponies started to kiss, nibble and nuzzle each other.

"I forgot how good you smell during this time, " Twilight said breathlessly.

"You always smell good to me babe, you just smell better right about now, " Rick responded in the same way.

Twilight nickered gently as Rick ran his lips and teeth up and down her neck, bringing her nose in close to inhale his scent as he did.

Both of them were ready, awash in a sea of pheromones and desire. "How do you want it?" Rick whispered urgently to her.

"Doesn't matter. We've got the next few days to play. Just do me now, " Twilight said turning away from him, lifting her tail and presenting her hindquarters.

The next two days were spent in a haze of rutting, room service and just laying around. Once or twice they ventured outside to take in the scenery but once you see the falls, there's not much else to see in that area. It wasn't like Niagara Falls back home where at least there were touristy attractions on the Canadian side like overpriced wax museums and novelty shops and the outlet malls on the American side. No, here it was simply the falls, a couple hotels and a medium sized resort town to support them.

By then end of the third day, both ponies were exhausted. Admittedly there wasn't much else to do so even when they weren't rutting, they were still laying together, sleeping, making out or actually making love without the hormonal influence.

"We've got to do this more often, " Twilight sighed as she idly ran her hoof over Rick's chest and stomach.

"Speak for yourself babe, let's not consider another foal until we've had this one first."

"That's not what I mean. I don't mean doing this to conceive, I mean just you, me and a hotel room in Equestria. You've just got so much more vigour as a stallion than as a human. Five times in a day, that's a record, " Twilight said with a gentle smile.

"Thanks for making me feel inadequate. The only way I can satisfy my wife is as a pony."

"That's not what I meant! You're a great lover in either form!" Twilight said only to realise that Rick was smiling and trying to suppress his laughter.

He leaned down and kissed her gently saying, "I know, I'm just teasing."

Twilight harrumphed at that, scowled in an adorable way and said, "I'm mad at you now."

"Oh don't be that way, " Rick responded and took her in his hooves holding her tight. He kissed her a few times, she resisted for a while but eventually couldn't contain her giggles either and kissed him back before settling down for a good night's sleep.

The next day they were all ready to go, Twilight took a look at the state of the room and the sheets in particular. "What are they going to think of us when they clean this cabin up?"

"Let them think whatever they want. It's not like they don't see this every day. Think about it babe. This place is full of honeymooners and most if not all of them are going to mess up the sheets, the shower, the couch, the kitchen, that area in front of the fireplace, the entrance... " Rick said as he listed off the different places they had rutted or had sex in the past few days.

Blushing slightly Twilight just said, "keep your voice down! I don't want everypony to know what we did and where!"

"Oh please, after everything that happened last night, I wondered if anypony heard us and you said specifically, 'who cares? I'm feeling too good right now,'"

"That was then, this is now. And besides I was hormonal and out of my mind with pleasure, no court in the land would convict me based on that, " Twilight said before giving Rick a kiss and impish smile.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are the best, " Rick said as they trotted to the hotel to pay their bill.

"I know, you told me that last night!" she replied with a self-satisfied smile.

They paid for the rest of the room charges, and made their way back to the train station for the trip back to Ponyville. Most of that time was spent dozing as both ponies were still tired from all the physical activity over the past few days.

Finally, the next day they pulled into Ponyville, a little less tired but eager to get back home. They were met at the library by Spike who just gave them a knowing smile before they crossed the portal back to Earth.

"It's so nice to be home, " Rick said as they made their way upstairs.

Looking around, they couldn't see anybody but heard voices coming from outside where Rick's parents were sitting on the porch and just admiring the countryside.

"There they are! Welcome back!" Mabel said greeting them both with a hug and kiss.

Walter kissed Twilight hello then looked to his son and said in a serious way, "you're just getting a handshake, " before cracking a smile and pulling him in for a manly hug.

"So how was it?" Walter asked with a smile once everybody had been seated.

"Tiring. But hopefully it will have worked, " Twilight said enigmatically while smiling and looking at Rick.

This look was not lost on Mabel who asked, "okay, what's going on you two? You call us up to look after Twyla for a few days while you disappear off to Equestria and come back here, tired but glowing."

"We figured it was about time to try to have another child, " Rick said while taking Twilight's hand in his own. "We tried several times here over the years but nothing ever happened and the only time Twilight did get pregnant was when we were both in ponies in Equestria. So we figured the next time she's in heat we'd just go somewhere and conceive."

"In heat? You mean ponies have an estrus cycle?" Walter asked.

"Yes we do, and it's rather annoying that for 3 days every six months or so we're nothing more than a walking mass of hormones with only one thing on our minds, " Twilight said a little sourly.

"But how do you know? If you've tried before and it didn't work, then maybe Twyla was just luck, " Mabel asked.

"It's because when a mare is in estrus she's not only fertile but she will get pregnant if there's a stallion around to impregnate her. It's pretty much a done deal, " Rick said with a yawn. "If you don't mind me, I need a coffee right about now. I know you want one, " he said to Twilight. Turning to his parents he asked, "you guys want one too?"

"It's a little late for me, but maybe your father?" Mabel said.

"I'm good thanks, " Walter said.

"Cool, I'll be right back."

The rest of the day was spent catching up with what had transpired over the past few days. Twyla showed up after school, happy to see her parents.

"So do you know if it's a colt or a filly yet?" she asked her mother excitedly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rick asked a little lost on how Twyla knew what they had done.

"Daaad, I'm not a little kid I know how these things work, " she said giving him a look in the process.

Rick thought about this for a moment and said, "so who told you? Porter? Flame Flicker? Somepony else?"

Twyla was about to say something when she simply looked defeated and said, "it was Pinkie Pie. How did you know?"

"I didn't, " he said giving her a gentle tap on the nose with his finger causing her to giggle. "I just knew that you didn't know about this when we left and as Grandma and Grandpa were also unaware you must have found out from somepony in Equestria."

"And we don't know yet, we prefer that it be a bit of a surprise when it finally happens. But we'll find out when it's time, " Twilight said bringing her daughter into a tight embrace.

As with last time, Twilight spent the last 8 weeks of her pregnancy in Equestria which meant that Rick and Twyla were also sleeping there as well. When the date finally came, Twilight's foaling was much easier and much quicker. In fact they hardly needed to wait. It was early morning and they were still sleeping when Twilight nudged Rick awake and told him it was time. They had barely gotten to the hospital and an hour later the nurse came in with the news that it was a colt.

"Twyla?" Rick said gently shaking his daughter out from her sleep. She woke up blearily and looked at him confusedly for a moment. "C'mon, let's go meet your brother." Still partially asleep, her brow furrowed until the realisation of what he meant came to her and she leapt up to her hooves excitedly.

They made their way to Twilight's room where she was holding a tiny bundle in her hooves. Twyla rushed over to meet the newest member of their family. He was a blue colt, similar in colour to his grandfather Night Light but with a black mane like Twyla and Rick. And like his mother and sister, he was a unicorn.

"What's his name?" Twyla whispered excitedly.

"You know what? We haven't figured one out yet. Your mother was convinced it was going to be another filly, " Rick said as he looked fondly at his wife and new son.

"There's no rush, we'll come up with something soon, " Twilight said.

"So, coffee?" Rick asked Twilight. Like last time, Twilight started having issues with the smell and taste of coffee so they had given it up for the remainder of her pregnancy. Rick especially was looking forward to being able to drink it again.

"Please, " Twilight said with a slight yawn.

"Okay." Rick turned to Twyla and said, "let's go get some coffee and we'll get you a muffin at the same time."

"Can't I stay with Mom and the baby?" she asked.

"That okay with you?" Rick asked Twilight.

Twilight just nodded and said, "that's fine, but hurry back."

Trotting out of the hospital Rick decided to stop off at Sugarcube Corner and see if they were open. Pumpkin Cake was behind the counter as Mr. & Mrs. Cake were busy in the kitchen.

"Hi Rick!" the young unicorn said.

"Hey Pumpkin Cake. Is your aunt Pinkie Pie around?" There was a massive rush of air as something zoomed into the cafe and with an audible 'sproing' like in cartoons Pinkie Pie appeared.

"There she is, " Pumpkin Cake with without a trace of irony.

"Hey Ricky! What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Pinkie Pie said with her usual brightness.

"Two things. I need 6 cupcakes or muffins, whatever you got. 2 cups of coffee, black and just to tell you Twilight and I just had a colt this morning.

The pink party pony gasped and shouted "Yahooo!" while throwing a double hoofful of confetti in the air. Where she managed to hide that stuff, Rick did not want to know even if the concept fascinated him. "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Another colt! Oh he's going to be so cute! I need to tell everypony!" Pinkie Pie said as she raced about the place putting everything together. A few years back, Rick had arranged with Mr. & Mrs. Cake to set up a coffee stand at Sugarcube corner allowing ponies to get introduced to caffeine and coffee flavored beverages. It was successful enough and considering that this was currently the only place in Ponyville to get coffee, they did a reasonable business on it. They had even talked about opening something in Canterlot possibly with Pony Joe's help but Rick would need to get a better supplier. Or figure out a way to grow coffee in Equestria. So far, they hadn't met with much success.

"Here you go!" Pinkie Pie said thrusting the box and cups into his hooves before racing off either to inform the other fillies or to meet the newest member of her extended family.

"Need a bag to carry that?" Pumpkin Cake asked.

"If you wouldn't mind, " Rick said as Pumpkin Cake transferred this all to a bag so he could carry it back to the hospital in his teeth.

When he got back to the hospital, he found Pinkie Pie there gushing over his son. He placed the bag on the table next to Twilight who without hesitation picked up her coffee and immediately took a sip.

"Oh that's the stuff, " she sighed appreciatively. A moment later she used her magic to bring the box of goodies closer to the bed and everypony had one of the confections.

Soon, the doctor showed up to take the colt away and to get all the paper work done. It wasn't long after that the visitors started to pour in. First it was Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Flame Flicker who congratulated the two of them.

"How did you know we were here?" Twilight asked.

"I stopped off at Sugarcube Corner to get something and Pumpkin Cake told me, so I told Applejack and Flame Flicker so we came right over. Big Mac, Fluttershy and Porter will be showing up soon and so will Spike, Rarity and Precious Gem, " Rainbow Dash said. "So where is the little guy? He's probably dying to meet his super awesome aunt!" she said while striking a heroic pose.

"He's probably in the nursery right now. I'll take you, " Rick said leading the way while Twilight and Twyla stayed behind.

"There he is, the little blue guy, " Rick said pointing proudly at his son.

"Well, ain't he the cutest little thang?" Applejack asked rhetorically.

"Well duh! All foals are cute Applejack!" Pinkie Pie said. Everypony turned to look at her and her only response was to look back at them and ask, "what? They are!"

The rest of them showed up shortly after, the Three Musketeers as Rick called Twyla, Porter and Flame Flicker went off to a corner of the room and started playing some elaborate game which involved a lot of giggling. Precious Gem, or the D'Artagnan to their Athos, Porthos and Aramis joined as soon as she showed up with her parents.

Not long after, the little colt was brought back into the room in his bassinette and everypony admired him and congratulated the mother and father. There were looks between the couples that said maybe, just maybe, they would consider having another foal of their own.

He soon started crying which meant it was time for him to nurse. The stallions and foals left the room to give them some privacy while the fillies stayed and did whatever mysterious filly bonding they did in those cases.

"So have you thought of a name?" Spike asked. The young dragon was now as tall as Rick and Big Macintosh were in pony form so this meant he could finally look his big brother in the eye.

"Nah, we're still working on that. Twilight was convinced it was going to be another filly so we didn't even consider colt names. Problem is, I don't know of a name that can work for both a colt and a human. Twyla's name had significance and it's also a human name so we lucked out on that. Right now, I'm pulling a blank on what to call the little blue guy. Here it doesn't matter that much. I can think of a dozen names for him but was can't call him the same thing back home at least not on the legal documentation. So we either give him a human name like me and this will apply on Earth as well as here or we simply choose a name at random to put on his birth certificate back on Earth and we call him by his pony name."

"I could see how that might be a problem. I'm glad I didn't have to go through it, " Spike glanced fondly over at Precious Gem who was currently sitting with the rest of the foals. She looked up at her father, smiled and waved. He grinned and waved back. "It's amazing the power they have over you isn't it? Back before any of this, I couldn't have imagined a life with a child much less a foal but now I can't imagine a life without her."

Rick chuckled at that because he felt the same way. "Yeah, half an hour of fun and you're paying for it for the rest of your life. But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it for anything either. But hey, I saw the looks Big Mac and Fluttershy were giving each other as well as Dash and AJ, another foal and they're thinking of doing the same thing. What about you and Rarity? Thinking of having another?"

"I don't think so. Not that we wouldn't want another one, but I think Rarity is too busy for this at the moment. She's always working and has even taken on an apprentice to help her with some of the minor jobs around the carousel. But we'll see what happens next."

The door to Twilight's room opened and the fillies came out to reclaim their husbands and children before making their final goodbyes and heading home. Twilight carefully placed their foal in the foal carrier on Rick's back and they made their way out of the hospital and back home.

Like last time, they'd spend another few days here in Equestria before heading back to Earth but this time around the Grandparents were able to visit right away.

It was just past lunchtime when Rick made his way back to Earth for several reasons. He needed to call his parents to give them the good news and since breakfast was such a long time ago everybody, or everypony in that case, was feeling it so he needed to throw together a quick lunch that he could take back to the library.

Searching through the cupboards, there wasn't much but there was some tuna and he decided that tuna salad was going to have to suffice for the time being. He'd send Twyla to get some bread and he'd also bring along some chips and dill pickles. Twilight didn't like the pickles but for himself, sandwiches needed pickles.

"Hey Mum, " Rick said as his mother picked up the phone on the other end. "Just wanted to tell you that we just had the baby and you have a new grandson."

"Oh that's wonderful news dear!" She pulled the phone away from her mouth and Rick could hear her speak to his Dad to give him the good news. There was a muffled conversation before she came back on and said, "we'll be ready to leave soon and we should be there in a few hours."

"It's okay, the guest suite is set up for you but we're still in Equestria so if you come to the door and there's no answer, knock really really loud, we need to hear you in another universe, " Rick said with a grin.

"We could try that, or maybe just use the spare key we used last time we were taking care of Twyla?"

"Yeah, I guess that would work. See you guys when you get here. I need to get lunch to a bunch of hungry ponies now." With those words he hung up the phone and packing everything up made his way back to Equestria. "Twyla!" he called and a moment later with a clatter of hooves his eldest child showed up.

"Yes Daddy?" she said with a grin.

"I need you to go to the bakery and pick up a loaf of sliced bread and when you bring it back we're having lunch. Here's some bits, " he pulled some bits out of the saddlebags and gave them to his daughter before she raced outside.

"How you doing up here?" he asked Twilight after making his way upstairs to the living area.

"I'm okay, just feeling a little tired, " Twilight said with a tired smile. Rick couldn't help himself but give her a kiss and gently run his hoof through her mane.

"I sent Twyla to get some bread, I've got some tuna salad ready. Unfortunately we didn't have much left in the house so that's all we have right now. I'll have to go to the market later and pick some stuff up. I called my folks, they're on their way and they've got a spare key so they can make their way here and see you and junior."

"Okay, that works, " Twilight said with a bit of a yawn.

"Somepony sleepy?" Rick teased.

"A little bit, I figure a nap after lunch and we'll be ready for your parents when they show up."

Twyla arrived shortly with the bread and they immediately tucked into their sandwiches. After all this time Rick had finally managed to get used to using his hooves to pick things up. It wasn't easy and he much preferred his fingers but what you can you do?

Lunch was done, a few ponies came to see the new arrival. It wasn't every day that one of the Elements of Harmony had a foal and news had spread quickly. Rick was also asked several times if he'd be up to stud by some mares. He had sired three foals already, two of them with his wife, and the news for this had gotten out among those mares without a stallion in their lives who wanted a foal. In every case, he declined politely. He had done this for Rarity & Spike years ago but it just wasn't something he wanted to do again.

It wasn't long before his parents finally showed up and like they did the last time just adored their newest grandchild.

"Guys, you must have really been moving to have made it here so quickly, " Rick commented.

"It was your Mother's idea. She wanted to see him as soon as possible."

"Oh that's enough out of you. You're the one that insisted we get here quickly, " Mabel said mildly rebuking her husband.

"Yes dear, " Walter said with a smile.

"So what's this little charmer's name?" Mabel asked as she cradled him in her hooves.

"We haven't decided yet. I was convinced it was going to be another filly, maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part, " Twilight said. "Then we had this little guy and we're stuck with what to call him."

"If it was just a matter of calling him something here it would be no issue, but we don't want to have to call him two names and confuse the little guy. One name here, one name back home. Ideally, we'd like it to have some connection to the sky or the stars."

Mabel just smiled and said, "well, if you're willing to take your Mother's advice then maybe I've got one for you."

"What seriously" Rick asked with more than a hint of skepticism.

"Yes dear, all those years of crossword puzzles paid off. It's an Old English name meaning 'little star' which isn't common back home in fact it's very rare. But in a land of ponies it could work."

"Would you mind telling us or would you prefer we guess?" Twilight asked.

Mabel laughed. "You two have been married too long. That sounded like something he would say, " Mabel said with a toss of her head in Rick's direction.

"I'll take that as a compliment, now how about you make with your grandson's potential name, " Rick said to his mother.

"Sterling."

Both parents moved the word about in their mouths for a moment. Rick wasn't too thrilled with it, it sounded like something the really posh or really clueless would name their child. On the other hand it did fit the situation quite well. He turned to Twilight and asked, "what do you think?"

"I like it. It sounds strong. What do you think?"

Rick walked over to his mother and reached for his son. He gazed at the tiny form held gently in his hooves and asked, "so tell me son, you have any objections to being named 'Sterling'?"

If the foal had any objections, he didn't make a sound or even acknowledge that his father had spoken.

"Last chance buddy. It's going to be your name unless you say anything, so don't blame me later. 3... 2... 1..., " the foal continued to sleep. "I guess he's cool with it. We might need to come up with a second part to it but right now, Sterling it is."

A Hearth's Warming Eve Present - Chapter contains clop.

Author's note: This is my first attempt at writing clop. I don't know how good it actually is but hopefully I've avoided the overly done and mechanical clop that first time writers seem to run into.

This would obviously take place on Hearth's Warming Eve which I'm saying is December 21st by our calendar. This story would effectively take place a month or two after chapter 12 in "Doorway".

The weather outside was cold and snowing, the wind was howling but the occupants of the library didn't care. They were sitting in front of a roaring fire enjoying some hot cocoa and fresh chocolate chip cookies. The evening was still young and they had just come back from the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant at the town hall. This year it had been the students of the elementary school that had put on the pageant for all involved, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had played their roles perfectly but had failed to gain any cutie marks in the process.

Twilight sighed happily. She loved sitting by the fire on a cold, winter night with hot cocoa and cookies and now her coltfriend was gently running his fingers through and stroking her mane which was incredibly relaxing.

"So... uhmmm... I'm not sure on how the protocol for these things work but I got you a gift for Hearth's Warming Eve, " Rick said with a little hesitation before reaching under the sofa to pull out a brightly wrapped package. There was no mistaking what it was due to the size and dimensions, but Twilight squealed like a little filly when she saw it was a book.

"Sweet Celestia!" she whispered when she saw the title. "This is one of the original works of Starswirl the Bearded! How... where... it's..., " stunned as she was her mind was momentarily out of commission and had trouble making the necessary sounds to form words. Taking a deep breath to calm herself she finally was able to ask, "where did you get this?"

"I tracked down a copy that was sitting in an old book store in Manehattan. The book itself was in bad condition which meant I got it cheap and I had it restored as best I could, " Rick said matter of factly.

She hugged the book to her chest, tears of happiness coming to her eyes and resisted the urge to dive into it straight away. Then a cloud came over her face and she slumped a little in her seat having come to a terrible realisation.

This action was not lost on Rick who placing the book on the coffee table in front of them, turned to Twilight and asked, "what's wrong babe? I thought you'd like the present."

Twilight shook her head sadly. "It's not that, I love it. It's possibly the greatest gift anypony has ever given me."

"Then, why with the frowny face?"

She looked him in the eye and said, "it's because I forgot to get you a present. I was so busy with everything, then Cherilee asked me to help with the pageant, I got completely sidetracked and now you give me this beautiful gift and I didn't get you anything and I feel terrible..." She trailed off at that point as Rick had placed a gentle kiss on her lips to keep her from babbling. It had become a bit of a tradition with them that if one just kept talking for no reason, the other would kiss them in an attempt to stem the flow of words.

"Babe, I didn't get this for you because it was Hearth's Warming Eve at least originally that wasn't my purpose. To tell you the truth, I didn't know about Hearth's Warming Eve until you told me about it last week. I started the search for this book a couple months ago and just got it right about the time you told me about this holiday. I figured that I'd give it to you now, you know tradition and all that."

"So this has nothing to do with the holiday?"

"Originally no. I got this for you because I thought you'd like it and judging from the look on your face when you saw it you do. The fact that you have a holiday now is just a happy accident."

"Okay. That kind of makes me feel better but I feel bad that I didn't get you anything." Her face screwed up a bit as she thought of what she could do then a Cheshire grin broke her face and she said, "come with me, I've got an idea." Twilight walked into the bedroom with an exaggerated roll in her flanks and the occasional flick of her tail to reveal her plot. Rick chuckled deep in his chest seeing this and liking where it was heading.

She jumped on the bed and gave a bit of a sexy pose before activating her magic and transforming. But it wasn't into her human form so much as it was a transitional form halfway between human and pony. She still had the lavender colour, incredibly soft body hair and tail but with the addition of human style breasts, fingers, toes and a face partway between her human and pony form. Topping off all this was her horn and ears on top of her head.

"So, what do you think? Best of both worlds? " she asked arching her back and bringing her fingers up to her hair.

"Damn, somepony is looking good, " Rick said as he started taking off his clothes before Twilight stopped him.

"Nonono! I have fingers now and I want to use them, " she said crawling along the bed towards him with a sensual smile on her face. Finally sitting at the end, she motioned him forward until he was standing in front of her. Her hands immediately went to his belt and undid it before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants before slowly pulling them down his legs. Rick kicked his pants to the side then Twilight slowly caressed the growing bulge in his boxers through the thin material, feeling it come to life under her probing fingers.

She hooked her thumbs into the waistband before pulling his boxers down as well and freeing his cock. Grasping it firmly, she gave it a few tugs before bringing it to her mouth and gently licking the tip.

A slight shudder ran through Rick as she did this but he figured that two could play this game. His hands went to her horn and started slowly massaging the base and the area around it. Twilight gasped in surprise when he did this. It wasn't the first time Rick had played with her horn during sex but this was definitely the first time he had done so while she was in this form. Considering this was the first time he had seen her in this form was a different story altogether. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, lost in the sensations, and she almost lost track of what it was she was attempting to do. Shaking herself slightly she went back to work.

Still holding his penis in her hands, she lowered her mouth to it and took the tip in her mouth. Gently she worked her tongue over it and suckled on it slightly all the while Rick was manipulating her horn and gently running his fingers up and down the length.

She moaned around the dick in her mouth as Rick gently ran his fingernails up and down her horn. Each brush and scrape sent little shivers of pleasure through her body. This only served to urge her on more as she bobbed her head slowly back and forth over the rock hard member in her mouth. She had never liked doing this for stallions, of course she had only done it once and found it unpleasant but for some reason she loved doing this for Rick. Maybe it was because he never asked her to do it or insisted that she return the favour when he would lick her plot or maybe it was because she could actually get it all in her mouth without practically unhinging her jaw. This was one case where she was happy the human penis was smaller than the pony version. Not that she'd ever tell Rick this because she knew that all males were sensitive about their size. No, his was just the perfect size for everything.

Rick was enjoying this immensely. He had known a few women in his life that actually liked sucking dick, but they were unfortunately very few. Most did it because they felt it was expected and there were some that wouldn't even consider it but had no qualms asking for him to give them oral sex anyway. Those relationships never lasted but Twilight just loved doing this. It had started after she had gone into heat that one time and had gotten him prepared for some serious rutting. Ever since then, when they were getting ready to have sex she would always insist on getting him warmed up this way. And with all the practice she had, her technique had really improved. She rarely took him all the way to the end, but there were times she seemed almost determined to get him off with her mouth.

"Damn, you've got some talent there babe, " Rick gasped. The more Twilight sucked on his dick, the more he played with her horn and the more excited she became. The more excited she became the harder and faster she worked so the whole session escalated really quickly. It wasn't long before Rick felt himself getting to the point of no return.

"Babe, " Rick said in a slightly strained voice. "You're going to need to stop because I'm going to cum in your mouth if you continue this." Twilight's only response was to grab hold of his ass so he couldn't pull away and start sucking harder and faster. It wasn't long before Rick felt a familiar tightness in his balls and with a grunt exploded in her mouth.

She worked her throat rapidly, swallowing each spurt and then slowly squeezing and massaging his rapidly shrinking member to get out the last few drops.

"Damn babe, that was awesome, " Rick said as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips tasting himself in the process. "Can't say much for the aftertaste though."

"It's not that bad, you get used to it, " Twilight said leaning back, exposing her nethers which were now soaked with her juices. Her intention was clear but Rick had other plans.

"I actually want to try something, if you're up for it. We'll take care of you down there afterwards." He sat down on the bed, motioned her to join him and then cradled her in his arms. "I feel that turnaround is only fair play, so excuse me if I'm sloppy at this but then it is my first time." And with those words Rick leaned down and started licking Twilight's horn. She stiffened for a moment when she felt his tongue slide up her length then just relaxed and melted and let the feelings take her away.

Rick would alternate between licking and stroking her horn with his fingers. Using her reactions as a gauge, he slowly worked out a rhythm that seemed to work for her. Her gasps and little moans of pleasure started to get more and more vocal. She squirmed in his grasp. Rick looked down and noticed she was actively playing with herself with one hand while squeezing her nipples with the other.

Her horn was smaller in this form which allowed him to take it entirely in his mouth. With a wicked smile, this is what he did and Twilight's moans turned to screams as she suddenly stiffened and Rick felt something rush into his mouth that tasted vaguely of lavender and felt like "pop rocks". Whatever it was seemed to sublimate into nothing and Twilight just relaxed completely in his arms sighing.

With a satisfied grin, she pulled herself up and kissed Rick passionately also managing to taste her residue.

"So what exactly was that that came out of your horn?" Rick asked feeling just a little wierded out and totally reminding himself that what he did was totally not gay in the least.

"Magic, well mostly magic. There's some organic compounds in there which are unique to each unicorn so each unicorn tastes different, just like every stallion and mare taste different as well."

"Hmmm, I see. It wasn't necessarily unpleasant and I believe that you enjoyed it as well?"

"Big guy, I haven't had a good horn job for... a long time now. Thank you."

Rick noticed the pause when she said this but as she obviously didn't want to mention it any more he simply left it alone. Instead he chose to lie down with her and simply kiss, caress and explore this new form of hers.

Her skin felt amazingly soft, similar to how she felt as a pony but yet different as if the hairs were even more fine. He had a hard time keeping his fingers still as her skin just begged to be touched and caressed. Her breasts were soft and the little carmine nipples stood up proud and erect, just begging to be fondled and suckled at so this is what he did.

Twilight sighed appreciatively. While her crotch nipples in her pony form were sensitive, they never felt as good as the ones when she was human. She felt it was fascinating how something designed for an infant to suckle at, felt almost electric when Rick did it. Human biology was odd but she wasn't going to knock it, not when they gave her such delicious sensations as these.

It wasn't long before Rick had worked his way down to her vulva and he carefully examined her down there. The first few times as a pony and those times as a woman he always did this. Rick would take his time, slowly run his finger around her lips, feel their texture and gently manipulate her down there. He liked to take it slow and easy to start which sometimes felt like he was teasing her but she never complained at the orgasms he gave her. After the first few times he had learned how to play her body like a finely tuned instrument. But today it was more incredibly pleasurable exploring. Her own explorations of herself in this form were basic at best and more clinical than anything. Rick was using her body to learn about it and gave her some satisfaction in the process and this time was no different. Then when she felt it couldn't get any better he leaned in and started to lick at her lips. He'd do the outside lips, then open her up with his fingers before licking her inside lips. A short trip up to her clitoris for good measure, then back down. It was heavenly. One hand ran gently through his hair, encouraging him onward while the other gently teased her nipples.

She had already climaxed once so it wouldn't take long at this rate for her to climax again. Twilight's hips started to move, almost of their own volition, both her hands were on his head now, she gave little squeaks and moans as his tongue attacked her sensitive spots then gave a little mew of frustration when he stopped suddenly.

"Why did you stop? Get back down there!" she said trying to push his head back down between her legs.

"Actually I've got better plans, " Rick said as he stood up. Her eyes flashed to his crotch and saw that he was hard and ready once again.

Twilight smiled, held her arms out to him and beckoned him in. Rick wasted no time in climbing on top of her and kissing her passionately which she returned before positioning himself in front of her entrance and slowly, but firmly pushed his way in.

They both gasped at the sensation. Twilight loved the feeling of him filling her up like this. Rick might not be all that long, but he was wide. Rick gasped because she felt amazing. It felt like hot velvet inside her. Not that he would know specially how that felt, but she had never felt hotter or softer. Both of them lay there for a moment, not moving and just savouring the feeling of being joined in this way. They kissed, nibbled and Rick gave her horn a slow lick which caused Twilight to clench around his dick and squeak at the same time.

"You ready?" he gasped.

Her only response was a sultry smile as he pulled his hips back and slowly thrust back in. They continued to kiss and nibble at each other's lips, face, neck and shoulders as Rick continued to pump away inside his lady.

"Harder, " Twilight whispered in his ear. "Buck me harder!"

Rick smiled at this. Twilight rarely swore but often times when they made love it was like she lost control and just didn't care how she sounded. He of course was more than happy to oblige. Lifting himself up on his hands, he was able to increase the power of his strokes.

"Yes!" she cried out. "My big, bucking stallion! Buck me like there's no tomorrow! Ride me into the bucking sunset! Oh here it comes... yes... oh don't bucking stop... yes... yes... AUGHHHHHHH!" she screamed as her second orgasm of the night ripped through her. Rick felt her spasm around his dick but slowed down because he knew how sensitive she was after climaxing.

While still inside her, he lay back down and pulled her onto her side so they were facing each other. They kissed gently while Rick, still hard, slowly worked his member in her. After a moment Twilight pushed him onto his back, then positioning herself over top sank down onto his cock. She ground her hips into him, feeling his coarse pubic hair rubbing against her clit before placing her hands on his chest and slowly raising and lowering her hips. Of all the positions as a human, she liked this one the best. It allowed her to control the speed and angle at which he entered her. The only problem was she got tired easily from doing all the work and as she already had two orgasms so far, she knew she couldn't keep it up for long.

Rick liked this position too, it allowed free access to practically her entire body. But right now we was focused on the dreamy look on her face and her perfect breasts that were bobbing and jiggling slightly as she moved. His hands instinctively went to her breasts, gently squeezing and caressing before giving a little flick to her nipples which caused her to gasp and shudder slightly.

"Warn me before you do that, " she gasped.

"I'll do better than that." Rick sat up and placed his arms around her waist while he brought his lips up for a kiss. She returned the kiss hungrily then sighed as he moved his kiss from her lips, to her cheek and to where her neck met her shoulder.

Twilight moaned and gasped as he licked and kissed her there. She bore down with her hips and ground herself into his pubic bone trying to extract as much pleasure from this as she could. Moving his way down he arrived at her breasts and again started his assault on them, devouring one before moving to the other and then back again. The occasional gentle grunt or squeak was all the sound that she could make at this point. She slowly felt her world getting smaller and smaller until all that mattered right now was her coltfriend as he assaulted her breasts and filled her up with his manhood.

"I'm getting close, " Rick managed to gasp, " but there's one more thing I need to do." He reached around and grabbed her ass with one hand while grasping her tail with the other. Twilight got the message and was more than happy to let him finish her off with what was her second favourite position.

Getting on her hands and knees at the edge of the bed, Rick gently grasped her tail with one hand and moved it aside while positioning himself behind her. With one thrust he slid right in and grasping her firmly by the tail proceeded to fuck her rapidly from behind. Twilight screamed in pleasure as she felt him repeatedly thrust in and out of her and this was increased by the gentle tug on her tail each time he pushed himself in.

"Oh babe, I'm really close right now, " she heard him say but she needed a little more.

"Not yet! Just a little more. For Celestia's sake, not yet!" she begged.

Rick strained to keep the floodgates from bursting forth but there was very little he could do. With the pressure mounting, in a final act of desperation he brought one hand around to her clit and another hand down to tickle her asshole. That was all Twilight needed and she cried out as her third orgasm crashed through her and Rick finally succumbed himself and he came inside her with a satisfied grunt.

Both of them crawled to the bed and collapsed there. Their fingers gently running over and stroking their partner while they shared some soft, gentle kisses. A slight shudder passed through Twilight as her magic finally gave out and she reverted to her pony form. Rick chuckled softly at this before taking her back in his arms and planting a long, sensual kiss on her lips.

"Best. Present. Ever, " Rick said without a hint of sarcasm.

"Thank you, but I still don't think we're even. We'll have to do this again sometime soon just to make sure the books are balanced, " Twilight said with a smile.

"I agree, " Rick said before kissing her one last time before they drifted off to sleep.

You Want Me to What?

Author's note: I've mentioned Rarity's and Spike's filly Precious Gem in "Eris' Game" and how Rick was actually her sire. This was originally a throwaway concept and was added for no other reason than to show that as a stallion, Rick had gotten two mares pregnant but as a human he hadn't. This got me to thinking about that and what going to stud might actually mean to Equestrians and how they handled such a event.

At some point the story got away from me and grew a lot more than it should have. I will add that there's some mild clop in here, I went more for innuendo and there's nothing actually graphic but some bits might not be considered PG-13. Your mileage may vary.

"Richard, I'm ready!" Rarity called from the basement.

"I'll be right there, " Rick called down the stairs.

Even though he no longer did any massages in Equestria, Rarity insisted that she come over once to Earth a week to get hers. He had shown Spike the basics and from what he understood the young dragon was actually pretty good at it but according to Rarity he just didn't have the right feel for it. So, for the past few years, she showed up every Wednesday afternoon for a massage in return for some gems and bits.

He found Rarity in the guest room already set up on the massage table and waiting. "Afternoon Rarity, how we feeling today?" Rick said while getting everything set up.

"Just dreadful darling. I've got a request for a dozen new dresses next week and the customer keeps changing her mind at the last minute. I couldn't stand it anymore and needed some me time."

"That's too bad, " Rick said half listening to what she said. No matter how well her life was going, she always went on as if something catastrophic was just around the corner. He turned on the music, some new agey CD he had picked up that she liked and always helped to get her relaxed. Squirting some warm oil onto his hands he started to work on Rarity's muscles.

She bit her lip in an attempt not to shout out in pleasure the moment he touched her. Yes, his fingers were magic and worked wonders on her tense muscles but also it was he that made her feel this way. Ever since he had shown up in Equestria she had felt attracted to this tall, dark and handsome stranger. It was a shame that Twilight Sparkle had claimed him first, oh the things she would have shown him would have been divine but as the good friend she was she never laid a hoof on another mare's stallion.

Then when she found out he gave Twilight a massage, well that was just the icing on the cake. She had to get one and see how good this man actually was. She expected him to be okay, those fingers of his were more flexible and dexterous than hooves, but she never expected it to be so orgasmic. Just the touch of his fingers was enough to light a fire in her, but the way he used them was almost better than sex.

Rick glanced down at the fashionista he was currently massaging and as usual he felt a combination of desire and disgust. The desire was because she was a beautiful woman obviously enjoying what he did, any idiot could have seen that and disgust with himself because he was effectively the one doing it to her. He was a happily married man with a wonderful wife and baby girl. Okay, he and Twilight didn't get intimate as often as they did before Twyla was born but that didn't mean that he was left high and dry. No, they still managed to mess up the sheets a couple times a week.

He slowly worked his way down her back, every so often doing something that elicited a slight moan from Rarity but he chose to ignore it. Just focus on the job at hand, don't think of her as a woman, just think of her as a customer and a good friend.

Grateful for the small towel that barely covered her deliciously curved rump, he slowly massaged her legs, noting that when she spread them slightly he could see her sex and how it was positively leaking. Tearing his gaze away, he stammered for a moment and asked, "so how are you and Spike getting along?"

"Wonderfully darling, just wonderfully. He's just a gentledragon, does everything he can for me however there's just something he can't do and it's honestly causing a bit of a rift between us."

"What's that?" Rick asked with genuine concern.

"Well, we've been talking recently of starting a family. Everypony seems to have one now. You and Twlight, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, even Pinkie Pie has talked of it although she's still unsure which stallion she wants."

"So, what's the problem? Can't you and Spike figure out some way? Get bonded or use some kind of magic for this?"

"No Richard, we've checked and we've tried so many different ways. We've even..., " she cleared her throat, "come here many times to see if it would work but so far nothing."

"You mean to tell me you've been crossing over the portal to here to have sex and then going back?"

"Yes Richard, I'm so dreadfully embarrassed but we couldn't think of another way. And so we've decided that we need to consider... alternatives."

"Okay, like what?" he had finished the other leg and was in the process of cleaning off his hands of the oil when what came out of her mouth surprised him.

"We want you to sire my foal."

He turned around, she was propped up on the massage table completely nude and unashamed. He stared dumbly at her body and had to admit she was a fine looking woman, without wanting to he felt himself starting to get hard. Holding the towel casually in front of his crotch he managed to find his voice and ask her, "I'm sorry what?"

"We want you to sire my foal. Richard, I don't know if you understand how Equestrian society works but when a stallion is unable to sire a foal the parents can ask a suitable surrogate to impregnate the mare. It's usually a close friend, or a male relative of the stallion. We've said you were the best choice. I ask that you talk about this to Twilight Sparkle and see what she thinks. If she agrees, we'll discuss the details at a later time."

"Okay, sure, I'll let her know, " Rick said a little shell shocked a this revelation.

Rarity came over to him, still naked, gave him a big hug thank you and a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I've left your payment on the dresser, now if you'll excuse me I need to see a young dragon to help me clean up this mess you've caused. Taa!" Rarity said as she walked naked out of the room, Rick's eyes following her butt wiggle as she walked down the hall to where the portal room lay.

He walked upstairs in a bit of a daze and found Twilight watching TV in the den. He walked over to the bar, poured himself a shot of Irish whiskey then followed it down with another shot.

"Babe, we need to talk."

Looking a little concerned, Twilight turned off the TV and invited him to sit next to her.

"Okay, two things. I need to ask you something about Equestrian society and depending on your answer need to ask you something else."

"I'll do my best."

"Right. Uhmmmm, if a stallion can't get a mare pregnant for whatever reason. Is it normal or accepted that they ask another stallion to do it?"

"Yes, that's perfectly acceptable that he be used to stud."

"Okay. Then what would you say if Rarity and Spike wanted me to... well... sire their foal?"

Twilight looked at him with a serious expression and asked, "did Rarity just ask you to stud for her?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"And what did you say?"

"I said I'd talk it over with you first. I don't know how things work there and I don't know if this is something that happens or if it's something else."

"And how do you feel about this?"

"I don't know. I've never even considered anything like this before. I mean is this normal? Would she be offended if I said no? Would you be okay if I said yes? Would I be the father and responsible for the foal? There's just too much I don't know."

Twilight chuckled slightly, a trait she picked up from him, and said, "that's a lot of questions but you don't have to worry about it. Yes, it is considered normal and I don't mind her asking you this. If anything I'm happy that it's my stallion she wants to stud for her and sire her foal. That usually means that they consider you the best choice and considering that the only other real choice in our extended family would probably be Big Macintosh then it's high praise indeed. That pony has gotten a fair number of mares pregnant."

"So you'd be okay with this?"

"Rick, I wouldn't tell you otherwise."

"So, should I be the one to speak to Rarity or should you?" Rick asked.

"It's best if we both do it. It's expected that we're both there to give our blessing."

"Okay, when do you want to go?"

"We can do this tomorrow, no reason to rush into things and make it appear like you're too eager to do it."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

The next day found them in Equestria and visiting the Carousel Boutique. They had left Twyla with Pinkie Pie as they felt this wasn't a meeting that toddlers ought to be a part of.

"We're here to discuss the timing and the expectations for my stallion's services, " Twilight said to Rarity.

"Uhmmm, excuse me? The stallion has a name and he's sitting right here next to you, " Rick said to Twilight.

"Yes I know, but this is mare business and this is how it goes. I read it in a book." Turning back to Rarity she looked at her and waited for her response.

"Well, I shall be coming into season in 5 weeks’ time. Typically it's 3 days and I shall require his services for all three days. He will be expected to sleep here and provide his services in the morning, in the evening and should the need arise in the afternoon as well."

"And during this time, will Spike be sleeping here?"

"We haven't discussed that yet, but he's welcome to stay here or if he feels like it he can stay at the library or even at your house."

"Spike, we could have a sleepover just like old times!" Twilight said happily to Spike.

"Yeah, I guess we could do that, " Spike said a little uncertainly.

"Think about it Spike. Root beer and Halo. Also, you'd get to spend some time with Twilight and Twyla, " Rick added.

"Sorry Rick, don't you feel a little weird about all this?"

"Honestly yes. But I'm looking at this as simply a biological function and almost like a job. Look bro, while I love Rarity as one of my closest and dearest friends in Equestria I'm not in love with Rarity and as far as I know she's not in love with me, " he looked at the alabaster fashionista and she nodded gracefully if such a thing was actually possible. He turned back to Spike and said, "we're doing this so you two can have a foal of your own."

"Spike darling, if this bothers you then perhaps it's just not the right time for us to do this...excuse me one moment, " Rarity's voice cracked slightly at the end and she ran out of the room sobbing slightly.

"I'd better go talk to her, " Twilight said.

"Dude. Harsh, " Rick said to Spike once Twilight was out of earshot.

"How am I supposed to feel about this? You and Rarity just rutting for 3 days? How would you feel if you needed some other stallion to father Twyla because you were still human?"

"Well, Twyla wasn't exactly planned so it's not like we decided one day to have a child. It just kinda happened. But back on the anniversary of my arriving here in Equestria, I wanted to propose to Twilight and actually marry her even though at that point she was a pony and I was human. In the back of my mind I knew that one day she'd want to have a foal and we'd pretty much be in the same situation. Honestly, the idea of some other stallion putting his hooves on Twilight is not something that sat well with me. But realistically speaking if one partner wants a foal and the other one doesn't or is unwilling to help the other one, often times that can lead to strife, resentment and an eventual breakup. Bro, Rarity loves you. I can see it in her eyes the way she looks at you. She doesn't love me, I'm just a... means to an end."

"You're wrong you know. Rarity cares for you a lot more than you think, " he sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and continuing. "You probably don't know this, but every week when she goes over to get her massage, she comes back here turned on like you wouldn't believe and we... take care of it. A couple of times, she's called out your name when she's... you know, " Spike made a vague gesture with his claws and blushed heavily. "I pretend like I don't notice but she never reacts that way when I massage her."

"I'll let you in on a little secret provided you don't tell Twilight. She doesn't need to know about this, not that it's bad or anything but she'd worry if she knew. I know how turned on Rarity gets, and she's not the first to get that way. Early on in our relationship, I'd give a massage to Twilight and afterwards she would get so turned on she'd practically jump me. I had a girlfriend prior to Twilight who referred to me as 'Voodoo Fingers' because she would get turned on like nothing else after just a few minutes of me working her muscles."

He leaned back and looked at the young dragon before continuing. "But who is it that she goes to for relief after her appointment with me? She goes to you. She has never once propositioned me even during the time Twilight and I were just dating. Oh sure, she'd flirt a bit but she does that with everypony. Spike, you are the one she wants to live her life with. I've seen your relationship grow from a simple one-sided crush to actual love. I'm asking you not to throw this away over some petty jealousy. You're my bro and I love you and I'm both deeply honoured and kinda weirded out that you and Rarity want me to sire her foal. But if you feel I'm too close or you're not comfortable with this in anyway then I will gladly step aside and you can choose Big Mac or whichever other pony to get the job done."

Spike sighed then got up and walked over to where Rarity had sequestered herself and knocked on the door. There was a muffled response before he went in. A few moments later, Twilight came out and trotted over to where Rick sat.

"How she doing?"

"Not good. She's worried about losing Spike."

"Yeah, I talked to him about the same thing. He's worried that Rarity might be doing this because she wants me instead of him."

"That's crazy! She loves Spike!" Twilight said with surprise.

"I know, but I'm also thinking that it's because neither he nor I are actually ponies so we're missing something about Equestrian culture. Think about it. He's a dragon raised by ponies but biologically, he's still a dragon with a dragon's desires and I doubt that will ever change. And while I'm a pony here in this world, it's only part time and even in this form I still consider myself human just like you probably still think you're a pony in a human body on Earth."

"Makes me wonder about Twyla and how she's going to feel going back and forth. Will she see herself as both, or identify more with one form than the other?" Twilight said.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Rarity and Spike came back out, both looked a little worn out but happy.

"Okay, we talked it over, " Spike said. "When the time comes, Rick will come here and... do his... thing. During that time I will be spending time at the library and on Earth with Twilight and Twyla." He placed his arm around Rarity, she leaned into his embrace and nuzzled him happily.

"Now, if the two of you will excuse us, we have some... things... we need to do right away."

Rick smiled knowingly and simply said, "have fun" shooting them a wink as he left. The blush that spread on Rarity's cheeks showed that he had scored a direct hit. The door being locked behind them as soon as they stepped out onto the street was a final confirmation.

"Anything you want to do before heading back? " Twilight asked.

"Nah, let's just go get Twyla from Pinkie Pie before she torments her too much."

"Oh, Twyla isn't that bad. Sure she can be a hoofful sometimes, but Pinkie Pie can take care of her for a few hours, " Twilight said.

"Maybe so, but I wasn't referring to Twyla being the tormentor, " Rick said dryly as they made their way to Sugarcube Corner to collect their daughter from the manic Pink Pony.

5 weeks later, Spike showed up with his things and announced that it was time. Rick sighed heavily, kissed Twilight goodbye and said, "see you in a bit. I'll come back when I can." Then went over to Twyla, gave her a big hug and kiss before putting her down and making his way to the portal.

He trotted over to the Carousel Boutique and entered. The boutique itself was dimly lit with only a couple candles providing light and if he wasn't mistaken there was some soft music playing upstairs.

"Richard darling! Could you lock the door please? I don't want any pony disturbing us, " Rarity called from her boudoir.

Carefully locking the door, he made his way upstairs where he found Rarity lounging on her bed, a diaphanous dressing gown wrapped around her. The room smelled heavily of sex and it drew Rick in like a fly to a Venus Flytrap. The smell was intoxicating but different than how Twilight had smelled that one time. Nevertheless, he was a stallion and pheromones are pheromones.

Rarity, her eyes heavy with desire, slowly got up and walked over to meet Rick partway into the room.

They kissed and nuzzled at each other, sniffing and smelling the other's coat. Her sex drew him like a magnet and he was more than ready to mount this mare so he motioned her over to the bed until her front was lying on it and her hindquarters were up in the air.

She raised her tail in preparation, Rick positioned himself behind her and did what needed to be done. It was intense, frantic and entirely too short but both parties were satisfied when it was done.

"Wow, " Rick said. "That was... intense, " Rick said once they were done.

"Mmmmm, sex when you're in heat is always the best Richard darling, " Rarity said. She turned around to face him, her face flushed with excitement and went to kiss him but pulled aside and nuzzled his neck at the last moment. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking, " she said pulling away.

"It's okay Rarity, I got a little caught up in the passion of the moment as well. This was the first time actually being... aware of how this feels with a mare."

"What do you mean darling? You mean you and Twilight have never copulated while she was in heat?"

Sitting down on one of the chairs, Rick tried to explain their situation. "Technically yes, but I wasn't in my right mind when it happened and we were under the influence of Discord's rutting spell."

Rarity nodded remembering the time.

"Well, that one time actually seemed to work and we believe that Twyla was conceived that night. Since then, we've been together as mare and stallion but when she's been in heat it was just easier for both parties to avoid Equestria during that time. We already had Twyla and she was just a baby so having another foal at that time was just too much."

"Well darling, you'll have a chance to experience it several times over the next few days, " Rarity stretched and yawned. "Oh my that was taxing, are you tired Richard?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Good, then come to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and you're going to need your rest, " she slipped under the covers of her bed and beckoned him to join her.

Rick chuckled a bit then slipped into bed with Rarity. She gave him a chaste kiss goodnight on the muzzle before turning around so her back was to him.

Within a minute both ponies were fast asleep.

The next morning, Rick was awakened from a very naughty dream to the sublime reality of Rarity acting it out in real life. He grunted once or twice as she brought some life back to his member and as her scent started to fill his nostrils and went to work on his hindbrain.

"Mmmmm, one hell of a way to wake a guy up, " he said with a smile.

"I thought this would get your attention Richard darling, " she said breathlessly. "I've been waiting for you since 7 this morning."

Looking at the clock, he saw it read 7:16am so it wasn't exactly like she was waiting very long but in her hormonal state, it must have seemed like a lifetime.

Rarity scooted up to Rick and placed a kiss on his lips, slowly running her tongue around his lips. He responded in kind and once more felt himself getting lost in a fog of pheromones and desire. He moved to get up but Rarity pushed him back down on the bed.

"Just lie there and let me do the work darling, " she said huskily. This was unexpected, but it wasn't the first time in his life that a mare had gotten on top. He and Twilight had done this before and it was obvious from Rarity's form that she and Spike had probably tried this as well.

Both gasped and groaned as she slowly started to rise and fall. Each movement bringing with it a new sensation until all that was left was just the animal instinct and a deep down need to mate.

Rarity brought her hooves down so they were resting on Rick's chest, allowing her to support herself as her haunches rose and fell. Her eyes were closed as feelings of bliss shot through her. Here she was making love with the stallion of her dreams. Yes, he belonged to another mare. No, he didn't feel about her the same way she felt about him but no matter. For the next two days he was hers and she would be the one to take his seed.

She moaned in ecstasy. "Twilight is such a fool to refuse mating with him when she's in heat, " Rarity thought. Feeling him start to tense up, she got ready and was rewarded with her orgasm as he came inside her with a grunt. She bit her lip to keep from yelling out his name when it happened. That might have been a little too awkward to explain later.

They lay there, breathing hard and gently stroking each other as they came back down from their sexual high. Rarity kissed him gently and trotted off to take a shower. She had many things to do today and as delicious as the idea of spending it in bed with Rick was, she had customers to deal with and had orders to fill.

Rick lay there feeling strangely detached from it all. Yes, the sex was mind blowing but he didn't actually feel anything about it. When he was with Twilight, there was that added bonus of it being the woman he loved. With Rarity, those feelings weren't there and while it felt good it ultimately came off as feeling hollow. Honestly, it felt more like a chore than actual sex. He shrugged and shook himself awake.

"Richard, the bathroom is free if you want to take a shower. I do apologise but all I have are scented soaps, I hope you don't mind, " Rarity said coming out of the bathroom, her mane wrapped in a towel. "I'd like to see you again this afternoon just in case, I don't believe I'll have any time to do anything about it but please come and see me after lunch."

"Thanks Rarity, but I need to go home anyway so I might as well get everything done there. I'll see you after lunch." He gave her a quick hug and kiss and made his way out of the Carousel. Rick slowly made his way back to the library and hoped that Twilight wouldn't notice him coming in so he'd have the chance to take a shower first. No such luck.

"Hey you!" Twilight said as she ran over to him to give him a big hug and kiss. "I missed you last night, " she said with a cute little pout as she ran her hoof lightly along his chest. "Do you realise it was the first night alone since... well even before we got married?"

"Yeah, I missed you too babe, " Rick said as he held onto her and seemingly didn't want to let go.

Twilight pulled back and looked him in the eye asking, "are you okay?"

"Just feeling a little weird. I had some mind blowing heat sex with Rarity, twice, and I'm just kinda meh about it. It was like you know when you really like something and want to do it all the time and then one day the feeling you got from it just vanishes?"

Twilight nodded.

"It was like that. Physically it was good, but in the end it was just meaningless. Weird huh?"

"I think it's two fold. Firstly that's because of you and because you love me so much, " she kissed him gently to emphasise that point. "And secondly it's partially because you're in a pony body right now which means that you've got a pony's brain even if your mind is human. It's like over on Earth, I'm a pony deep down but I've got a human filly's brain. The... chemistry is different. You could go out and do a dozen different mares and in the end that's how you'd feel."

"So this is normal?" Rick laughed at the thought finally understanding what he had been missing all this time. "Is that why you didn't have any issue with me doing this?"

"Something like that. Now you're going to do me a favour. You're going to go home and take a shower because you still smell like Rarity, then you're coming back here and spending some time with me and your daughter. Rarity has you for the evening and maybe afternoon, we have you for the rest of the time."

"Deal." Rick kissed her before going back home, getting cleaned up and having the first and most important cup of coffee of the day.

He came back to the library spent some time with Twyla and Twilight, he made lunch for the three of them and had to go back to check on Rarity.

"Hopefully she's too busy so I'll be back soon, " Rick said to Twilight.

"Where you going Daddy?" Twyla asked.

"I'm going to see your aunt Rarity about something. She needs Daddy's help for a few days so I need to see if she needs me now or just later tonight. I'll come back and see you soon, " he kissed his daughter and wife goodbye before heading back to the Carousel Boutique.

"Rarity? You here?" Rick called out when entering the boutique.

"Yes Darling but please stay where you are!" she called out with her mouth full. She poked her head out from behind her screen, chewing marequil like mad which gave her lips a slight greenish tint. She looked at him with lust in her eyes, then swallowed her herbs and said, "please leave and come back later at 6pm on the dot. I've got too much work to do darling and you're making it difficult to concentrate." Shoving some more leaves into her mouth she forced her eyes back to her work and Rick made his way out of the shop.

"I'm back, anypony miss me?" Rick said on entering the library.

"Me!" Twyla said before going back to her colouring.

"I'm guessing Rarity was okay?" Twilight asked.

"No she wasn't but she was really busy, was chewing marequil like it was going out of style and I've been ordered to report back at 6pm sharp."

"Good, in that case you can take Twyla over to Sweet Apple Acres, she's got a play date with Flame Flicker and Porter."

"Alright." Turning to Twyla he said, "let's go honey, we're going to go see Flame Flicker and Porter!"

"Yay!" Twyla shouted as she threw her little hooves up in triumph. It was a move that Rick did often both here and back on Earth and something that Twyla loved to imitate.

They made their way over to Sweet Apple Acres, Twyla trotting happily next to her father and occasionally pointing out things of interest to him like clouds, trees and pretty flowers. Partway there they were dive-bombed by a giggling cream coloured pegasus filly.

"Hi Twyla! Unka Rick!" Flame Flicker said hovering just at eye level.

"Hello Flame Flicker, your Mum around?"

"Over here Stinky, " Rainbow Dash said as she landed next to Rick. The two fillies started running around, or at least one was flying and the other chased her. The two parents watched their offspring with fondness as they made their way towards the farm.

"Twilight not with you today?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered next to him as he walked down the road.

"Nah, she's still at the library. I've got some time off from Rarity so I was asked to bring Twyla over for her play date."

"What do you mean time off from Rarity? Since when are you working for her?"

"Well, it's not working so much as it is working, " he said trying to put as much emphasis on the word as he could and adding 'bow chicka bow wow' sounds at the end.

Rainbow Dash looked a little unsure of his meaning when the realisation of it dawned on her. "Ooooh, so she's finally gotten you to stud for her. It's about time. She's been talking about this for the past couple of times she's been in heat."

"What seriously?"

"Yeah, I never wanted to say anything about it but that mare has had a thing for you since you showed up in Equestria so long ago. Having you knock her up would be a dream come true."

"Thanks for making me feel all weird about it, " Rick said as they headed towards the farm.

"No problem Stinky, that's what I'm here for, " she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I love you too Dash, " Rick said without emotion.

"You lost your chance Stinky. I'm a happily married mare now but I gotta say that Twilight made the right choice, " Dash said without a hint of regret.

"Thanks Dash. Good to hear about you and AJ as well."

They chatted pleasantly as they walked towards the farm. The minute they passed the gate Flame Flicker and Twyla raced towards the barn to where Porter was sitting with Fluttershy. He perked up when he saw his two friends and they all disappeared into the barn immediately. Fluttershy then stood up and greeted the two of them.

"C'mon in the house, we've got some cider and stuff set up already."

"Thank you Rainbow Dash, that's very kind, " Fluttershy said in her normal soft tone.

"Howdy everypony, c'mon inside and take a load off, " AJ said as she greeted them at the door. Giving a quick kiss to Rainbow Dash as she passed by. "Hey there Stretch, Twilight not coming today?"

"Nah, she had work to do and since I had the afternoon off from Rarity I brought Twyla."

"Afternoon off...?" AJ thought for a moment and perked up when she realised what he was referring to. "You mean Rarity finally asked you? Well don't that beat all. C'mon, sit on down and give us all the juicy details."

Rick sat in the parlour with the rest of the fillies and didn't quite know what to say or where to start. "Well, there's not much to actually say. I mean a couple weeks ago I'm giving Rarity her weekly massage, " upon saying that there were some knowing looks between Rainbow Dash and AJ while Fluttershy just blushed slightly and didn't say anything.

"I'm also guessing from the looks that you all know about her... reaction to the massages I give her, " he asked.

"Know about them? She wouldn't stop talking about them when you first started so yeah, we had an idea, " Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Continuing on, after the session she asked if I wanted to sire her foal the next time she went into heat and here we are now." Rick took a drink of his cider and waited for the rest of the questions.

"Don't stop there, git to the good part, " pressed AJ.

"What do you mean? I gave you the set up, it's been a day and I've got another 2 days of this. What else do you need to know?"

"What's Rarity like? I'm bettin' she gets all dirty and that high class mouth of hers starts cussing like a seapony, " Rainbow Dash said.

Rick glanced over at Fluttershy who while appearing to be ignoring the conversation had her ears perked and waiting.

"Sorry to disappoint you fillies but if it's an act, she's never dropped it around me. She's a classy mare and all that. But I will be honest with you all, my mind is not really there when we're gettin down. It's a little like being drunk as I'm sure you're all aware. You're lucid and aware but at the same time the act itself is all consuming."

There were assorted nods of understanding from the fillies as they knew how omnipresent their estrus actually was.

The topic moved on to more mundane topics and it stayed there until the foals burst in looking for a snack.

"I'll get it, " Rainbow Dash said as she flew into the kitchen. A few moments later the foals had their snacks and cider and proceeded to eat them on the porch which allowed the adults to get back to their discussion.

"So where were we again?" Applejack asked.

"You were talking about school and how the foals are going to start it come the fall, " Fluttershy said in her usual soft way. While bold enough around ponies she knew and felt comfortable with, she rarely spoke loudly and still didn't like being the centre of attention so more often than not she just sat there and listened.

"That's right, all three of our foals are starting school soon. Hold on there stretch, " Applejack said while looking at Rick, "how are you gonna work that out with Twyla? Is she gonna be goin to school on Earth as well?"

"Twilight and I talked about that but officially no, she's going to have an official education here but we've already set up a cover story back home where we've told the officials that she's going to be home schooled. That basically means to anybody from the government that asks, me and Twilight will be responsible for her education and every year or so she will need to write some standardised tests to show that she's learning. Twilight knows more about this than I do but that's basically it. We figure she's going to need to learn about being a unicorn as much as being a human and we can't teach her being a unicorn at home. Also, as good as Twilight is her magic is a lot weaker over there which means if she's going to learn to be a magic user she's going to need to learn the hard stuff here. And then we still don't know which side she wants to stay a part of. For all I know when she's old enough she'll want to stay in either Equestria or Earth full time so we don't want to rob her of any of her potential choices later on. I hope that makes sense."

"Makes perfect sense sugarcube, y'all want to do everthing ya can fer yer filly and gosh darn it ain't nothin gonna stand in yer way."

At 4pm. Rick had to leave as there was dinner to make and he wanted to spend some time with Twilight before he needed to report to Rarity's for tonight's session.

Twyla rested comfortably on his back as he trotted back to the library, at some point she fell asleep and the feeling of her soft breath on the back of his neck made him smile the rest of the way back. Upon entering the library Twilight was about to call out to him but stopped when she saw Twyla asleep on his back. She brought out a camera and quickly took a picture of father and daughter together and smiled fondly at the scene of them together.

Rick made his way upstairs followed by Twilight. She gently picked their daughter up using her magic and while she was still sleeping, placed her in the bed. Both parents just smiled at their sleeping child as she settled down for a nap before quietly closing the door and making their way downstairs.

"How much time do you have?" Twilight asked.

"Gotta be there by six, so about an hour and a half. I'm going to go get dinner started, I figure pasta is good considering I need the energy tonight and if you want we can eat around 5?"

"Sounds good. And set an extra plate, Spike is joining us, " Twilight said.

"Where is that little purple guy anyway? I haven't seen him since last night."

"I sent him this morning to gather some ingredients that I honestly don't need. He's been acting a little down since last night so I wanted to give him something to do to take his mind off things."

"I guess in a sense I don't really blame him. Hey, if the only way for you to get pregnant was to have another stallion knock you up, I don't think I'd be too happy with it myself. In any case, lemme get dinner started and I will see you all at 5." He kissed Twilight goodbye and trotted through the portal.

"Damn it feels good to have fingers again!" Rick said as he fastened the button on his shorts and pulled a t-shirt over his head. He could have just thrown on a robe as Twilight would do more often than not but since he grew up human on this world he just didn't feel right unless he was dressed.

He thought to himself as he got into the kitchen what he could make with the ingredients in the house. He had the ingredients but most of his recipes for pasta involved the liberal use of garlic. It wasn't a big deal in this house because if both you and your wife have garlic breath at the same time it's not as bad. Rarity would definitely raise a stink at the stink so he needed to come up with something else. He needed something bright and clean but with flavour and character.

"Got it!" he said to himself as he pulled the fresh vegetables from the fridge, got some frozen shrimp from the freezer and liberated a generous handful of basil leaves from one of the basil plants in his herb garden.

A lemon & basil cream sauce with some sautéed shrimp and fresh garden veggies would be perfect for tonight. Pair that with a simple salad with a mustard vinaigrette and they'd be set.

Rick popped open a bottle of wine and had a glass as he was preparing the food. He didn't do this often, but he sometimes used it as an excuse to have a drink. Not that he needed an excuse but he found that drinking while cooking made it more fun.

At 4:50 he heard the sounds of people coming up the stairs and Twyla squealing with delight when she saw him cooking. Bending down to greet her, he gave her a big hug and kiss before patting her gently on the bum as she ran away giggling.

"I've already opened the bottle in case you want a glass, " Rick said to Twilight. "I'd pour it myself but I don't want the sauce to burn."

Dipping a spoon into the sauce he gave it a quick taste before taking it off the flame, adding the fresh basil leaves to the sauce and giving it a quick stir before adding the drained pasta and giving it a good mix.

"Alright, everypony to the table. We're not standing on ceremony tonight and you can all serve yourselves, " Rick said as he transferred the pasta to a serving bowl and brought it and the salad to the table.

Dinner was slightly uncomfortable, Spike couldn't look Rick in the eye and Twilight did her best to keep the atmosphere from getting out of hand. The few times that Rick attempted to get Spike to say something, Spike would just mumble something in a non-committal kind of way and poked listlessly at his food.

Finally, Rick couldn't take any more of this. "Spike! There a problem brother?"

Spike shook his head but didn't say a word.

Rick turned to Twilight and said, "babe, you're going to have to excuse us but I need to have a word with this guy man to dragon." He stood up and asked Spike to follow him. When he didn't move Rick stomped over and said in a level voice, "listen, I don't want to talk about this in front of my wife and child but you're acting like a child here and I need to talk to you man to man. If you don't get out of your chair I know some joint pressure locks that can force you to move. I don't want to use them because they're painful and if you resist I could break your arm. So please, follow me."

Spike reluctantly followed him downstairs to the media room where Rick closed the door and indicated the couch to his guest.

"Spike, I'm going to make this as plain as possible and if for whatever reason you don't understand where I'm coming from at the end of this, you are free to go back to Equestria and inform Rarity that the deal is off. I simply can't handle this right now and I've honestly got better things to do with my time than to have to babysit a dragon with the emotional maturity of a child."

Spike took a deep breath and with a stoic expression on his face looked directly at Rick.

"So what's the deal little brother? What's got you so messed up that you need to be this way? I thought we had gone through all this and you understood what was going on."

Spike sighed, looked away for a moment and came back with, "it's because you love Rarity and she loves you."

"Okay you know what? Yes, I love Rarity. Is that what you wanted to hear? I love Rarity in the same way I love Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I love her the same way I love Big Mac and you. All of you are my family in Equestria and I love you all. But I'm not in love with any of you. I'm in love with Twi. She is the only woman, human or pony that I want. She is the only one that I have this... connection to that completes me. I'm not some stallion that is interested in making her a member of my herd. Yes, she's an attractive filly I will not deny that and yes if I wasn't with Twilight I might even consider her but I'm not and she isn't the mare I want."

Rick sat down next to Spike and put an arm around his shoulders. "Look, I'm just trying to give you and Rarity something that you're... unable to do yourselves. I've got no vested interest in this and your foal will never know that I was the sire unless somepony tells them. In all honesty, up until this morning this felt weird to me as well. Do you know why?"

Spike shook his head.

"It's because even though the physical part of the act felt good, there's no denying that, I felt nothing after. I seriously felt no emotional connection to Rarity when we were done. I talked to Twilight about this and she said that was natural. I could go out and do a dozen different mares and they'd all be forgettable encounters. But when I'm with Twilight, there's simply no comparison. It's just so much better than with any other woman out there could never replace her. And for all the feelings that Rarity might have for me, you're the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Look, I shouldn't be the one to tell you this but I think you know how much she loves you and she's waiting for you to propose to her. So what I think you need to do once all this is over is take her away for a romantic weekend somewhere, maybe Canterlot. Have some nice food, see a show then when the moment is right get down on one knee and ask for her hoof in marriage. She'll say yes, " Rick finished. He waited a moment then asked, "so... what do you think?"

Spike just snorted a bit, then turned to Rick with a lopsided smile and said, "I think you need to get back to Equestria soon and take care of my fiancé."

"Agreed. Now you promise me, I don't want to hear any more about this. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Great, now I still have a few minutes so if you'll excuse me I need to say goodbye to my wife and child, " Rick said as he made his way upstairs. Twilight had finished clearing the table and was upstairs getting ready to give Twyla her bath.

"Okay, I think I've managed to clear that up, " Rick said.

"What did you do?"

"We talked man to man, I told him what it was he was doing and how I felt about Rarity and that he didn't need to worry about me muscling in on his filly. Also I might have gotten carried away and stretched the truth a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I told Spike that Rarity was waiting for him to pop the question and to ask her to marry him, " Rick said with a bit of a sheepish grin.

"Oh good, and I thought you had said something stupid, " Twilight said in a relieved tone.

"You're not mad?"

"No, because lucky for you this is how she feels. Rarity has been waiting for Spike to pop the question for a long time now. Hey, I've even been hinting at it but he's never taken the bait. How did you do it?"

"I just said that Rarity was waiting for this and he needed to get his butt in gear and ask her. He seemed up for it."

"Well good. Now you need to be going and I'll see you tomorrow morning, " Twilight said as she hugged her husband tight and kissed him hard on the lips.

Rick returned the hug and kiss, then went to their daughter's room to kiss her goodbye. Twyla just giggled and waved bye bye. He then made his way downstairs, poking his head in the media room where Spike was playing Halo before running towards the portal and Equestria.

He made it to Rarity's Carousel with a few minutes to spare and the minute he got inside he heard her shout, "finally! Now lock the door and get up here!"

Doing as instructed he made his way upstairs where Rarity was in a terrible state. She was trembling with pent up desire. Even though she had brushed her teeth and obviously washed her face there was still a slight green tint to her lips. Rick thought she must have been chewing marequil like crazy. Then the pheromones hit him and short circuited his brain. All the blood rushed from his head to his other head and there was only one thing on his mind.

This time around there were no preliminaries, nibbling or nuzzling, just raw animal passion and a lot of energetic rutting. Also, once they were done the first time there was still a need in the air so almost immediately after they proceeded on round two.

Thoroughly exhausted by the time the second coupling had been completed, both ponies staggered to bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

The next morning, Rick awoke to find Rarity all heated up but seemingly still asleep. She was currently grinding into him while moaning and calling to Spike over and over again. Needless to say, he decided to do his duty.

It didn't take long before she awoke and her dream in effect became reality even if it wasn't Spike who was currently inside her. It was comforting however that she didn't start calling out Rick's name when she realised who it was that was currently doing her.

"Richard, I'm so dreadfully embarrassed, " Rarity said once they had finished and she was getting ready to get cleaned up.

"Don't worry about it Rarity. You seemed to be having such a nice dream that I didn't want to wake you, " Rick said.

"That was.. considerate of you. I've got a lot of work to complete this afternoon so I need you to stay away. Come back at 5pm."

Rick made his way back to the library, but it was still early and Twilight hadn't opened it yet. Pulling out the key he entered, locked the door behind him and made his way home.

He found Twilight and Spike in the kitchen as Spike was making up a batch of blueberry pancakes. Twilight greeted him with a smile and a kiss. "I missed you last night, " she whispered in his ear.

"Mistress Rarity let me off this afternoon for good behavior, I've got all day baby, " he whispered back before heading upstairs to take a shower.

When Rick came back downstairs the whole family was sitting around eating.

"Sorry, we didn't wait for you but the pancakes were ready and Twyla was hungry, " Twilight apologised.

"Don't worry about it, " Rick said as he helped himself to a couple pancakes and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Morning you!" he said as he gave his daughter a kiss before sitting down at the table and starting on Spike's excellent pancakes.

"Spike, you'll probably enjoy this, " Rick said fixing the young dragon with a stare. "This morning when I was helping Rarity she called out your name. Bro, I'm telling you, you need to get that proposal ready I've got another day of this after today and then after that it's all up to you."

"Daddy? What you doin' wit' Aun' Wawidy?" Twyla asked in her adorable baby talk. On Earth, she still had trouble pronouncing certain words but she was more than capable of saying the correct words in Equestria. They thought it had something to do with the way her mouth was forming and how different her pony mouth was in comparison to her human mouth.

"Well, Daddy is doing some important grown up work for your Aunt Rarity. It's something that only he can do. This is why your Uncle Spike is staying with you at night. You see, when I go over there, he comes over here because it's always important that there be a man in the house at night. And after tomorrow, Daddy's work will be done and he can come back here and spend lots of time with you and Mommy. Would you like that?"

Twyla smiled, gave a firm nod and went back to eating her pancakes.

Once breakfast was over and the dishes were cleaned up Spike said in a rather nonchalant way, "Twilight? If it would be okay with you I'd like to keep Twyla busy for the next hour or so?"

Twilight just smiled and said, "that would be nice Spike."

Rick watched Spike leave and call out to Twyla if she wanted to play with him which Twyla agreed and they went outside to do... whatever. He turned to Twilight and asked, "awfully convenient don't you think. If I was the suspicious type I'd think that the two of you had some words last night?"

Twilight came into his arms, placed her arms around his neck and drew him down for a kiss. Breaking the kiss she asked, "are you complaining?"

"Hell no. But I gotta see if I have enough stamina for this."

"I'm sure we can come to some arrangement. We've only got an hour, let's make the most of it." With those words she led her husband up the stairs to their bedroom.

An hour later they were dozing on the bed, still clothed but just holding each other. It might have only been two days since they had actually slept together but to them it felt like a lifetime and they didn't feel the need to have to get physical to prove it. Right now, they just wanted some quiet alone time in each other's arms and thanks to Spike they got it.

There was a gentle rapping at the door, "okay you horndogs, it's time to get up and open the library, " Spike said.

"We're coming, " Twilight called but made no attempt to escape her husband's arms.

"C'mon babe, let's get up, " Rick said after giving her a gentle swat on the ass.

Twilight squirmed happily but didn't get up. "Forget the library, let's just stay here like this for the rest of the day, " she mumbled into his chest. But eventually she did disengage herself from his arms and reluctantly sat up in bed. "When all this is done, you're mine for a whole night."

"I like the sound of that, " Rick said before kissing her softly and opening the door to allow a giggling Twyla to come running in. He bent down and swept her up into his arms, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Did you have fun with your Uncle Spike?"

"Yeah Daddy! We pway outside an' he chase me an' I chase him an' we frow some wrocks an' saw a fwog!"

"That's great honey. We're going back to Equestria and be ponies for the rest of the day okay? So get what you want to bring with you and meet us downstairs."

"You guys sure got dressed in a hurry, " Spike said with a knowing smile once Twyla was out of range.

"That's because we didn't get undressed, " Rick said.

"You had sex with your clothes on?" Spike asked unbelievingly.

"It was better than sex, we held each other, " Twilight said as she fixed her hair.

Spike looked at Rick for confirmation and Rick just shrugged and smiled as if to say, "don't blame me, it's what she wanted." But he was happy for the moment they were able to share and he didn't have to get physical. It's not that he couldn't but with all the rutting in the past few days and just before breakfast he was a little worn out.

Finally the third day came and went and a tired Rick made it back home with only one thought on his mind, sleep. As this had been the last day of her cycle, Rarity had made sure that she'd get pregnant so she actually closed the Carousel Boutique and the two ponies just slept, ate and tried to make little ponies. When it was all over, Rarity thanked him for his service and he gladly made his way back home.

"Somebody looks worse for wear, " Twilight said when he stepped into the kitchen.

Rick yawned broadly and helped himself to a cup of coffee. It was cold but he didn't care right now. Rarity hadn't let him out of her sight since last night and he was starting to feel the effects of caffeine withdrawal.

"That mare is a slave driver. Never again and I pity the next stallion that tries to get her pregnant."

"That bad?"

"We got very little sleep, and right now I think all my fluids have been drained. I need a shower, something to eat then I'm off to sleep."

"Okay, " Twilight kissed her husband before continuing, "you go upstairs, take a shower and I'll get something ready for you."

"You're the best, " Rick said giving her a hug before stumbling upstairs to get clean.

Half an hour later Twilight was sitting at the table having warmed up dinner for Rick but he hadn't shown up yet. She went upstairs to check on him only to find him passed out in bed after having taken his shower. She smiled at the sight because he always looked so peaceful when he slept, like a little boy without a care in the world.

Covering him up with a blanket, she turned off the lights and allowed him his rest.

When the day finally came and Rarity foaled, they were all gathered at the hospital to meet the newest little pony.

Spike, the proud father, held his filly in his arms while Rarity looked radiant and revelled in the attention.

Everypony was amazed at the little unicorn's colouring. The adults knew that Rick was the sire but the foal looked nothing like him. She was purple with a green mane and emerald eyes, an almost carbon copy of Spike's colours.

"I told you that you'd be the father, " Rick said to Spike as he marvelled at the tiny foal before him.

"So tell us Rarity, have you thought of a name?" Twilight asked.

Rarity looked at Spike and she nodded as if to say that he could tell everypony.

The new father beamed, cleared his throat and said, "Fillies and Gentlecolts, I'd like to introduce the newest member to our family, our daughter, Precious Gem."

Blackout

Author's Note: The start of the story takes place after "Second Chance" in the Side Stories and the middle part would take place between chapters 12 & 13 in Doorway.

The beginning and end were told in 1st person while the middle is told in 3rd person as Rick is telling his kids a story in which he was a hero in Equestria. What you as the readers are told is the full story while the version he tells his kids a little more sanitised.

We were in the middle of watching a movie as a family on a Sunday night. I loved these times that we all got together, no homework, no friends, no colts sniffing around my daughter. Just all of us sitting on the couch, watching a movie when the power suddenly cut out and we were plunged into darkness.

A soft, lavender glow and a brighter cobalt glow filled the room as Twilight and Sterling both did their best to pierce the darkness. "Sterling darling, bring it down a bit, that's a little too bright, " Twilight asked. "That's better, " she said once he had dimmed it down to where it wasn't burning our eyes. Blinking a few times to get rid of the after images I asked our son to come with me so I could fetch some candles and give both of them a break.

"So now what do we do?" Twyla asked once we came back and the room was lit by the softly glowing candles.

"Can you tell us a story?" Sterling asked. Twyla immediately agreed as they both loved it when their old man went into full storytelling mode. I'll admit I liked it as well but I always got stuck on which story to tell them.

"So what is it that you guys want to hear?" I asked.

"Tell us how you and Mom first met!" Twyla begged. She loved to hear the story of how Twilight and I first met and I know Twilight loved it too but Sterling was kinda bored by it. "You've heard that one so often you could practically tell it yourself. No, let's do something different." I thought for a few minutes then said, "how about I tell you all about how I saved Princess Celestia's life?"

Twyla immediately disagreed and said it wasn't possible and Sterling, seeing his older sister saying this joined in. I just smiled and looked at my wife saying, "would you care to confirm this?"

She smiled and said, "yes. Your father is responsible for saving Princess Celestia's life." The kids looked at her in disbelief. While they knew that I occasionally told tall tales, their mother had never lied to them about anything and if she was agreeing with me then it must be true.

"But how? Isn't she a goddess?" Sterling asked.

"Yes, she is. But she's not immortal which means that she can get hurt and she can die. It just takes a lot to do so. More power than any one pony possesses, even your mother who is still the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria doesn't have the power necessary to even hurt the Princess."

"So who did?" Twyla asked.

"That's where the story starts. It all began shortly after the very first Hearts and Hooves day for me and your Mother. I was still the only human in Equestria, your mother could only change into a human for a couple hours on Earth, AJ and Rainbow Dash had just told everypony they were dating and neither of you two were even born yet..."

*****

"Thank you so much for doing this, " Twilight said as they made their way through Canterlot towards her parent's place. It had been several months since the incident with Rainbow Dash and his near brush with death and he knew that Twilight's parents approved of him but Rick still felt uncomfortable around them. It wasn't that they were cold to him, quite the opposite her parents practically bent over backwards to provide for whatever he might want but he always felt like he was on display when he was there. But it was with good grace that he went with his fillyfriend to spend some time with her parents every once in a while.

"Babe, I don't mind. I know your parents like me and they approve of me being with you but I just feel a little... out of place when I'm there. I'm sure it's only temporary and we'll get on great at some point. Besides the reason you come here is not to see them so much as it is to visit the library isn't it?"

"No! I love seeing my parents it's just that sometimes they don't have the time and they're working and my Father just happens to work in the Royal Archives so that's where I go visit him, " Twilight said without a hint of irony.

Rick just chuckled to himself and wheeled his small suitcase across the paving stones as they drew up to the Sparkle's house. He always felt odd seeing this place, it was so unlike the library and he found it hard to imagine Twilight or her brother growing up in such... well... luxury. The house was by no means overly impressive by Canterlot standards, but it was huge compared to anything in Ponyville and had an actual staff that worked there.

They marched up to the front door and were immediately greeted by Starched Collar, the butler and major-domo. He took a dim view of Rick, thinking him to be nothing more than a social climber and unworthy of Twilight Sparkle's attention but he felt it wasn't his place to comment on this so he just treated Rick with cold formality.

"Twilight Sparkle! It's always such a pleasure to see you again. You really should visit your parents more often, " Starched Collar smiled at and nuzzled the unicorn he had known since she was a just a foal and took her saddlebags. "Rick, " he nodded at the human.

"Hey Starchie! Good to see you too. You always make me feel soooo welcome when I'm here. Nonono, don't bother trying to take my bag I'm more than happy to carry it myself up to the room."

"I wouldn't dream of it, " Starched Collar said dryly as he led them up the stairs to their rooms. While here, even though he had saved Twilight's life and they slept together at home Twilight's parents were still uncomfortable with the two of them sleeping in the same bed. It wasn't a problem though. Every night when they went to bed Twilight would teleport into his room, they'd snuggle under the sheets and fall asleep together then the next morning she'd teleport back to her room and nopony was the wiser. They refrained from any kind of physical intimacy in part because it left tell-tale stains but also out of respect for her parents. Besides, it just made getting back together at home all the sweeter.

After dinner, Twilight and Rick decided to head out for a walk and get some air.

"How you holding up?" Twilight asked as they made their way through the streets of Canterlot.

"I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me. We're here for a few days, you do what you need to do and then we go home and life continues as usual. And when you don't need me, I've got Canterlot to explore."

"But I do need you!" Twilight said in a hurt tone.

"Babe, I meant when you're going to the archives or something and you're in study mode. You're totally focused on that and you don't need me during those times. It might be different if I could help you fetch books or summarise stuff but I'm still learning how to read Equestrian. I need to be honest that while I want to be able to help you, in that case I can't. So here's what I propose. On those days you're going to be in the archives, I'll go and do whatever then come back and meet you there later and we'll do dinner or see a show or meet up with friends and family after. Then once we're all done we go back to your parent's place, say our goodnights and then you teleport into my room for a snuggle."

"Just a snuggle?" Twilight asked mischievously.

"Well, we can get all makey-outey if you want but it's a little... frustrating that we can't go any further than that and trust me when I say that when I'm with you I don't want to stop. But I respect your parents and molesting you under their roof is a line I don't want to be crossing."

"Yeah, you're right about that, " she sighed. "But what if I knew a place that wasn't under their roof, was private and I could guarantee you that nopony would disturb us provided we're quiet about it."

"I'm listening, " Rick said with feigned casualness.

"The archives close at 6pm, but they let me stay there as long as I want. If you were to show up a few minutes before they close..."

"You mean make out in the library? It's college all over again."

"You mean students actually do that? In the library?"

"Yeah. Not everybody, or everypony in this case goes to the library to read or study. Sometimes it's just a quiet place where there's nopony around, " Rick said with a leer.

Twilight looked a little stunned at that. In all her years, she had never once considered the library as being anything other than a place of learning. Then she stopped in her tracks, started to snigger and finally fell about laughing so hard that she was attracting attention. Rick waited and smiled, wanting to hear what the joke was.

After a few moments she managed to take a deep breath and wiping the tears from her eyes said, "sorry, that was just too perfect. I finally understood why it was my roommate in the magic academy kept insisting on going to the library to study with her coltfriend but her grades never improved. She wasn't studying magic but comparative anatomy!" Fresh laughter burst forth and Rick joined in as it was a pretty funny joke especially for Twilight Sparkle to have made.

They wandered around Canterlot a little while longer before turning back and getting back to her parent's home. Once safely inside, Twilight appeared in Rick's room where they both snuggled together under the covers and made plans for a late night "study session" in the Canterlot archives the next day.

The next day, Twilight left early with her father to get a start on the work she needed to get done which left Rick with a whole day to do whatever he wanted. He wandered about the manicured gardens of the capital city, admired the fountains and sculptures and generally got pretty bored with the whole thing about partway through. Yes, Canterlot was the premiere city in all of Equestria where the well hooved wanted to be seen but he just felt out of place not to mention alone in the vast metropolis. Eventually he made his way to Pony Joe's where he'd be able to drown his sorrows in some sugary treats and hot chocolate.

"Hey there Rick! Haven't seen you in a while. Twilight not with you today?" Pony Joe called from behind the counter.

"Hey Joe. Yeah, we're here seeing her folks and she's buried nose deep in some books right about now in the archives so I'm pretty much on my own."

"Yeah, that Twilight is such a good student. Why she used to come in here with a stack of books this high, " he said bringing his hoof up to shoulder level, " and finish them all in one sitting. She'd eat 4 crullers and have two pots of hot cocoa to go with it all. Never saw a pony so interested in learnin' as she was."

The two talked for a while about Twilight and Canterlot in general. Rick had a cruller and then decided to get some to go as well as some hot cocoa and meet Twilight in the archives a couple of hours early. She'd appreciate his coming, he'd try his hand at reading and maybe just being there with her would help his mood and remind him why he was here in the first place.

"Thanks Joe, " Rick said as he picked up his order. "I'll tell Twilight you said hello and I'll make sure she comes down to see you at some point."

"You take care Rick! It's always good to see you!"

Carrying his cargo of sweet goodies back, he found Twilight in one of the Archive's study rooms, surrounded by a pile of books. He opened the door and cleared his throat to catch her attention

"I'm still not done with these yet, can you come back later?" Twilight said absent mindedly as she wrote something down.

"If I do that, your cocoa will get cold, " Rick replied with a smile.

"Rick!" she cried out happily and got up to give him a big hug and kiss hello.

"I know I'm early, but I started to miss you and I stopped off at Pony Joe's we talked, he mentioned crullers and hot cocoa and I figured that you maybe could use a break."

"You're so sweet, " she said with a smile as she looked in his eyes.

Rick placed the items before her and they chatted pleasantly while Twilight nibbled on one of her doughnuts and had some hot cocoa. "Oh this takes me back to my academy days, " she said with a satisfied smile.

"Joe and I talked about that, he mentioned these specifically so I figured you'd enjoy it."

"Well I did and I do. But I've still got a lot of work here to do. Why don't you come back in a couple of hours and we'll... play in the stacks, " she said with a leer.

"Nice euphemism. But if it's all the same Canterlot is boring when you're all by yourself. You need somebody else to see the sights. But don't worry about me, I'll just keep myself amused, try to read something and maybe even look at the picture books."

"Okay, if you're sure about that because I know you and you'll probably get bored."

"Twi. I'm sure. Do what you need to do, I won't bug you."

Twilight went back to work and Rick wandered about the library, occasionally pulling down a book and trying to figure out the contents before opening it up. He wasn't having much luck but did somehow manage to find a section of foreign language books with some books written in Neighponese. As he spoke passable Japanese and could read it well enough he took some of these back with him to see if he could make heads or tails out of them.

At some point Rick must have fallen asleep because when he woke up it was dark and nopony was around. He looked about for Twilight, her things were still here but the library was completely quiet. Worrying slightly as this was very unlike her he walked out of the study room and was about to call out and go looking for her when he became aware of soft hoof steps coming towards him. They weren't the soft hoof steps of Twilight, but of some pony trying their best to be quiet. Something told him that he needed to be somewhere else right now so he quickly hid behind one of the nearby shelves and watched as a grey earth pony he didn't recognise walk into the study room, gather Twilight's things together and walk away.

Rick kicked off his shoes as easily as he could and followed with only his socks on his feet, trying to make as little sound as possible while keeping the grey pony in sight. Soon he heard a couple of voices speaking and the grey pony turned a corner and presumably started talking to the two he couldn't see. Luckily, none of them saw him so he snuck up as close as he could without being seen to listen in on their conversation. He peeked through the books and saw three ponies but what made his blood boil was they had Twilight all tied up, a dampener on her horn and she had a nasty looking bump on the back of her head. He grit his teeth and had to stop himself from throwing himself at these ponies before he knew what was going on.

"Are you sure you got everything?" asked a large dark blue pegasus with ragged wings who had a scar running down his face and across a milky white eye.

"Yeah, all her things were just laid out on one of the desks. I got them, " the grey pony said as he finished one of the crullers.

"And you didn't see anypony else?" Scar asked.

"C'mon boss, she admitted she was the only pony here when I made my rounds an hour ago and besides, I would have heard anypony trying to sneak around this place."

"Okay. So now that we have Celestia's favourite student she's going to be the one to help us get rid of her once and for all and give Luna the chance to take the throne all by herself, " Scar said.

The third member of their group was an olive green unicorn that had yet to say anything. He just sat there staring at Twilight Sparkle and licking his lips in a way that made Rick more than just a little uncomfortable. Scar turned to him and said, "knock it off you creep. We need her whole and untouched for this to work. When we're done, you can do whatever you want with her. Now how much time do we got before we can put the plan into action?"

"When the stars are at their zenith and the night is at its deepest we strike, " the olive green unicorn said in a thin, reedy voice. "It will take some time to prepare the ritual but we can get this done by tonight at midnight."

"Good, do you got everything you need? I'm going to have to get back to the guard tower soon so I can't be watching over you two knuckleheads every step of the way. I'll keep Luna busy at the right time when you two bring the brain to kill Celestia. Okay?" Scar asked his compatriots. They agreed and when he turned his head to leave, Rick noticed for the first time that his good eye had a cat-like appearance and his ragged looking wings were actually more bat-like. Scar, or whatever his name was, was one of Luna's Royal guards. This was not good and he needed to find a way to prevent this coup from taking place, but also he had to somehow rescue Twilight.

Scar snuck out of the library and left the grey pony and the green unicorn alone with Twilight. The olive green pony, or Sickly as Rick thought of him smiled and took this opportunity to lick Twilight's face and run his tongue over her horn. She whimpered weakly at this intrusion but made no attempt to wake up or do anything else.

"Hey, you're not supposed to do anything to her other than get her ready. The boss said so, " Grey complained.

Sickly turned to him, a manic light in his eyes and asked, "what are you going to do about it? The boss isn't here, she's not going to be hurt by this and I can still get her ready. Now why don't you go do what you need to do and leave me alone?" He turned back to Twilight, nuzzled at her and continued to molest her. Rick's anger grew at this intrusion but he knew that he couldn't take them both on and needed to wait. Slipping back into the darkness of the library he took a few moments to compose himself and take a couple deep breaths.

"Never strike in anger Rick, " he whispered to himself. He needed to go into this with a clear head, but he didn't know how long this preparation would take or what it would entail so he had to act quick. He heard what he assumed to be the grey pony trot off towards the library entrance which meant that Sickly was the only one left.

Recalling what he had learned from Rainbow Dash when she taught him some pony martial art tricks in dealing with unicorns, their source of power and their greatest advantage was also their greatest weakness. When they were channelling magic through their horn, it became very sensitive and sharp blow to it would really hurt and possibly knock them out. The only problem was, it only took them a fraction of a second to react so you had to hit them hard, and fast and if possible when they weren't ready.

Earlier, in a far corner he found a broom closet and while it wasn't something he'd want to use, the mop there was a cheap substitute for the bo. He made his way there and grabbed it, unscrewed the grimy mop head from the shaft and hefted it a few times in his hands before nodding grimly to himself and walking out to face his foe.

Shortly, he became aware of Sickly murmuring some kind of spell. Or at least that's what he thought he was doing. He had never known Twilight to have to chant or speak a spell but then he really didn't know much about Equestrian magic so maybe some spells needed this. It didn't matter though. He needed to get close enough to Sickly to do this. Stealthily he crept forward until he could see Sickly through the shelf of books. The unicorn had placed a medallion around Twilight's neck and she was surrounded by a green aura as he worked whatever spell on her.

Rick bit his tongue hard to keep from yelling out and tasted blood. Ignoring the pain, he readied his makeshift bo, pictured his target in his mind and with a sharp thrust struck at the unicorn's horn. Three things happened in quick succession.

There was a blinding flash of green light.

There was an unearthly howl of pain.

And Rick flew back against the shelves and had the wind knocked out of him.

It took a moment or two for him to catch his breath and come back to his senses but there was a keening sound in the air as if somebody was crying in pain. The source was Sickly and the reason for it was obvious. When Rick struck with his bo, the unicorn's horn had snapped off and only a ragged stump was left. Ignoring the wounded unicorn, Rick rushed over to Twilight to check on her. He ripped the medallion from around her neck, removed the dampener from her horn, untied her limbs and gently patted at her cheeks until she opened her eyes.

"Rick? What happened?" she asked weakly.

Overjoyed that she was okay he hugged her fiercely, stroking her mane and not wanting to let her go but eventually he had to. He explained everything he knew, told her of Sickly and what the rest of them wanted to do with her.

Twilight shook her head slightly as if trying to clear it and brought a hoof to her cheek, feeling the sticky residue that Sickly had left behind. "Did he...?" and she left the rest of the question hanging.

Rick nodded with a rather disgusted look on his face. Her pity for the wounded unicorn changed to disgust and she shuddered at the thought of him touching her like that.

They tied up the unicorn and Twilight mercifully put him to sleep if for no other reason than to shut him up. She took a look at the medallion but couldn't figure out what it was. "Do you know what they were doing?"

"No, except that that thing was around your neck and Sickly here was muttering something while channelling his magic. Obviously they were going to use you against Celestia but I don't know why exactly or how other than it would take place around midnight. We need to warn Celestia about this. Can you walk?"

It was about that time that they heard a commotion outside and they heard the grey pony coming back. "Hell!" Rick swore, they were so close to getting out and now they had to face the second member of this cabal. He readied his mop handle to strike when the pony would pass him by but Twilight motioned for him to step out of the way. She lay back down, and gave Rick a wink before he smiled and hid where the grey pony couldn't see him.

"What the... Star Spell! What happened?" he called out to the unicorn whose name was obviously Star Spell. When he reached his friend, there was a flash of lavender light and the grey pony found himself trapped in a bubble of energy. He gave a surprised yelp when he saw Twilight Sparkle was awake and staring him down and gave a strangled cry when Rick walked into view with a thunderous expression on his face and holding the mop handle in his hands.

"What do you think we should do with him?" Twilight asked.

"Gimme five minutes with him, " Rick said as he casually tapped the mop handle on the stone floor, letting Grey know that it was a solid and heavy piece of wood. "That's all I'll need. Just five minutes and he'll tell me everything. I was too rough on Star Spell there, I broke his horn with just one blow. I never knew you ponies were so... fragile."

"Rick! You can't do that! It's not right!" Twilight protested.

"He hurt you Twi. Left you with this pervert and they were going to use you against Celestia. I don't think she'll mind one less traitor in her realm. Just hold him still, I don't want to have to whack him too many times. It's cleaner if the bone breaks with just one strike, " Rick crouched down into a fighting stance and swung the handle around in an overhand manner as if warming up.

"Wait! Please! I'll talk! I'll tell you anything just keep him away from me!" the grey pony cried in terror.

"What's your name?" Rick asked.

"My name is Night Moon, I'm the night watchpony for the royal archives."

"Okay Night Moon, you want to tell us why you three want to kill Celestia?"

"I can't! He'll kill me if I say anything!"

"In that case you have a problem. He's not here, I am and while I don't plan on killing you I have no problem with hurting or maiming you in the process. I mean you can live with no eyes, one kidney, no legs. Hell, I could break all your teeth and smash your jaw so you wouldn't be able to speak again and would have to eat for the rest of your life through a straw. You'll live out the rest of your life in pain and misery, but you won't die. Dying is easy, it only takes a little bit of time. My way, you'll be in pain for the rest of your miserable life. Now talk, " Rick said completely without emotion as if he was discussing the weather.

Night Moon turned to Twilight and pleaded with her, "you can't let him do this! I'm a pony! I have rights!"

"Sorry, I can't control him when he's like this. You better do what he says or else there's not much I can do."

Rick smiled inwardly as Twilight caught onto the good cop / bad cop routine he was playing. He had explained it all to her once after watching a movie where two cops did this to get a confession out of a criminal. And in the end it worked. Night Moon told them of the whole plan which involved using the medallion which would weaken Celestia and would then allow him to kill her with an enchanted dagger. He would then kill Twilight Sparkle to get rid of her. Then, Midnight Spear would conveniently excuse himself, claim he killed Twilight Sparkle in a struggle and make sure the other two managed to escape. Princess Luna would take her rightful place as monarch of the day and the night and rule over Equestria as she was supposed to.

"So what do we do next?" Rick asked Twilight.

"We take them to the Princess and see what she wants to do with them."

"Okay, you bring Nighty here, I'll bring Sickly, " Rick said as he hoisted the green unicorn onto his shoulders and they made their way through the castle to the throne room. It didn't take long before they were found by the guards and Shining Armor was called.

They told him of the planned coup and Shining Armor was going to send a bunch of guards to place Midnight Spear under arrest before Twilight stopped him.

"Let him think for the moment that everything is going as planned. We'll talk to the Princess and see what she says. If she wants you can send some troops to arrest him. But we should let her decide first, " Twilight said.

Shining Armor agreed and he led them down the halls to the throne room where the captive ponies were brought to the Princess and their plans revealed.

"Could you call my sister please? I think she needs to hear about this as well, " Celestia said to Shining Armor. He turned to two of his guards and asked that they fetch Princess Luna immediately.

"And Rick, I would like to thank you for your part in discovering this treasonous act. I am in your debt."

"Thanks Celestia, but if anything we're even. You saved my life during that altercation several months ago and now I've just had the chance to repay it in kind. You owe me nothing. I may only be a resident of Equestria part of the time but you're still my monarch when I'm here. Consider this my patriotic duty."

The Princess smiled and bowed her head at this as if to say she understood. Shortly after, Princess Luna arrived in the throne room and not surprisingly Night Moon threw himself to the ground when she passed him by. Star Spell was of course still under the effects of the sleep spell so he just lay there and drooled slightly.

"This is indeed troubling news. Sister, know thee that we desire not to take over the throne of Canterlot all for our self, " Luna stated to her sister and indeed to all gathered there.

"I know Lulu, " Celestia said using the name they called each other in private. "We just wanted to bring this to your attention and as it's one of your guards see what you felt was adequate punishment for this."

"This is high treason Tia, " Luna said responding in kind. "The ones responsible need to be dealt with and made an example of."

"No! We did it for you Princess Luna! You're the rightful ruler of Equestria and with your sister out of the way you can rule as you were meant to!" Night Moon shouted.

"Guards! Muzzle him!" Luna shouted and Night Moon was quickly silenced.

Celestia and Luna conferred for a moment, then asked Shining Armor to bring some guards with him and bring Midnight Spear here.

"Begging your pardon Princess, would you mind if I make a suggestion?" Shining Armor asked. Luna nodded in response. He took a deep breath and said, "If I take several guards to the guard tower to arrest Midnight Spear, there is a chance we'd have a scuffle on our hooves and if he thinks that he's going to get caught he might get desperate and do something stupid. Wouldn't it be better to let him think that everything is going his way then when the time is right and he goes to Celestia's chamber to finish the deed, we catch him there unprepared and off guard. We'll have the advantage, there will be no other pony there other than me my guards and you can literally tell us when this is going down by sending us a message."

"You have a point Captain Armor. Very well, we will do as you ask. Twilight Sparkle? I will ask that you and Rick join me in my chambers as well to wait for the arrival of Midnight Spear." With those words, Celestia marched regally off to her chambers, flanked by Shining Armor and his guards and followed by Twilight, Rick and the two doomed ponies.

And so they waited while the charade played on. By now, Midnight Spear was guarding Luna as she took over her duties as Goddess of the Night, Shining Armor and his guards had staked out positions in the royal chambers where they could ambush the night guard if need be, the two conspirators had been put away under guard in another chamber and Celestia, Twilight and Rick awaited the coming of Midnight Spear.

Hours later, Twilight was dozing with her head on Rick's lap as he lay sprawled on one of the couches and Celestia's head was dipping slightly as she struggled to stay awake. In a flash her eyes came and clapping her hooves together called out to everypony in the room, "get ready, he's on his way!".

All took their places and waited for Midnight Spear to show up. It didn't take long before he walked in, bold as can be and called out to Night Moon, "so how did it go? Did the old nag put up much of a fight?"

He was immediately surrounded by half a dozen guards, the captain of the guards, a pissed off unicorn, an angry human and the very much alive Goddess of the Day.

"What do you think?" Celestia asked him. A single blast from her horn and he crumpled to the ground unconscious. Turning to Shining Armor she said, "captain, please escort Midnight Spear and his two conspirators to the dungeon until we decide what is to be done with them. Make sure they're not treated harshly by your staff. We are after all not monsters."

Shining Armor had the conspirators taken away and turned to Twilight and Rick. "Thank you both once again for all you've done for not only me, but my kingdom as well. Do you need a suite made up for you tonight or would you rather go home?"

Twilight looked at Rick and said, "we never did get around to playing in the stacks..." she said with a knowing smile but he could see the tiredness in her eyes that matched his own.

"I think we're both too pooped to play and I would imagine your folks are worried about you so it's best that we get you back there as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about that. I took the liberty of informing your parents of what transpired here tonight so they know you're both safe, " Celestia said. She got a strange look on her face and added, "but I'm not sure what to make of the message Twilight Velvet asked me to tell you."

"And what did my mother say?" Twilight asked.

"She said, 'we know what goes on at night but are surprised at what's not going on during that time'. Does that make any sense to you?"

Both Rick and Twilight blushed at the knowledge that they weren't fooling her parents and that they seemingly had their blessing to be carrying on.

"In that case, I think we will take you up on that offer of the suite. Are you coming to bed?" Twilight asked Rick with forced casualness.

The monarch of the Day just smiled and said, "go my children, you've earned your reward."

******

"And then the next day there was a big parade and a ceremony and a banquet and I got the Equestrian Order of the Dragon. It's the highest honour a civilian can get in all of Equestria. Your mother got the Equestrian Order of the Phoenix, not quite as good as mine but it has its perks and your Uncle Shining Armor got the, what was it called again?" I asked as I turned to my wife.

"The Solar Sunburst, " Twilight said.

"Yes, the Solar Sunburst. The first one that had been given out in over 100 years. Your Grandparents were so proud of all of us. In fact after that point they started thinking of me as their son-in-law and would introduce me to people as their son-in-law even though I hadn't even proposed to your mother yet. So yeah, that is how I saved Princess Celestia from being assassinated."

"So where's your medal if you did all this?" Twyla asked. She wasn't going to give this up without a fight.

I smiled and said, "it's upstairs somewhere. I can't find it now because we have no lights..." and upon saying those words the lights came back on as if summoned.

"You were saying?" Twyla said with a smirk.

"They're on the shelf in the closet?" I asked Twilight.

"I think so. If they're not there, they're going to be in that area."

"Cool, I'll be right back, " I said and made my way upstairs to provide evidence to our doubting offspring. A few moments later I came back downstairs with a couple of ornate wooden boxes with Equestrian writing on them.

"This here is your mother's, " I said opening her box and displaying the Order of the Phoenix. It was a bejeweled ribbon made to be worn around a pony's neck and had the fiery look of a phoenix's flames. "And this this is mine, " I said opening my box which displayed a heavy looking medallion with a jeweled dragon on the face held up by a sturdy ribbon.

The look on their faces was amazing. In that moment our children realised that their parents were not only a lot cooler than they had imagined but were a lot more important in Equestria than they could have ever dreamed. But it was now time for them to go to bed so we sent them upstairs to get ready while Twilight and I kicked back on the couch a little while longer.

"I noticed that you left out quite a few details of your story, " Twilight said.

"Babe, they don't need to know everything like what really happened to the conspirators, or how Star Spell's horn was broken and not just bruised. I tried to keep it as kid friendly and PG as I could. Besides, do you really think kids want to hear about how their parents went about having 'victory sex' once everything was done?"

"No, you're right, " she said standing up and stretching. "Are you coming to bed?" she asked me while holding out her hand.

"I never get tired of hearing you say that, " I said taking her hand in mine and following her upstairs.

Home for the Holidays

Author's note: well this chapter went in a completely different direction than when I had planned it. Originally it was supposed to be nothing more than Twyla coming home for the holidays, Rick and Twilight being empty nesters and them having a Hearth's Night Eve together. Then I introduced Sterling so he needed to be added at some point then for some reason I had "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" on the mind so I had Twyla bring home a guest. I'm not 100% happy with the ending but I needed to complete this before being able to complete the others I've got.

In terms of timeline, this would take place some 14 years or so after the Epilogue in "Eris' Game". Twyla is in her final year at the magic academy which I've taken to be the equivalent of University and Sterling is still in the Equestrian equivalent of High School if that makes any sense.

"Twyla is coming back for Hearth's Warming Eve from the magic academy and she's bringing a guest, " Twilight said with a bit of a smile as she walked upstairs with a scroll. "She's not telling us who it is, but she did mention that they've been seeing each other for a while and she says it's serious."

"Where have I heard that before, " Rick grunted. Twyla had had several coltfriends during her time in Equestria, a lot of them were intimidated by the fact her parents were legendary. Rick never quite understood why he was famous in Equestria. Yes, he was single-handedly responsible for introducing coffee to the land. Yes, he had managed to finally grow the actual tree in Equestria meaning it was no longer necessary to import from Earth. And yes, he was the legendary "human" pony who "defeated Discord", "sired a dragon" and single-handedly saved Princess Celestia from an assassin but that didn't matter. All those legends of his exploits were simply stories that had been exaggerated from much simpler, less impressive stories but ponies loved them.

However, when some colts found out Twyla's lineage they were too scared to meet him. Maybe the fact that he told them he ate meat and inferred that Twyla also liked it didn't help matters either. In any case, she was bringing home a new colt for the holidays and Rick promised his wife that he would at least be nice to the young stallion.

"They're going to be sleeping in different rooms while they're here. Ponies don't know about contraception and I'm not having some young stud knock up my daughter in my house. What they do in Equestria is up to them. If they want to shack up in the library and sleep together there, that's their decision."

"I'm so glad you're taking this reasonably, " Twilight said with a note of sarcasm in her voice. "I seem to recall us sleeping together under my parent's roof and they didn't mind."

"Back then there was no way for me to get you pregnant. And besides I am being reasonable. No unprotected sex while on this side of the portal. And that goes double if she's in heat... do you know if she will be during that time?"

Twilight thought for a moment and said, "no, she shouldn't be due for another two months."

"And there we go. If she wants to have sex with her coltfriend she can do so in the library, " Rick said.

Two weeks later, right on time, Twyla came bursting up from the basement and greeted her parents warmly.

"Oh darling, I missed you so much!" Twilight gushed as she hugged and kissed her daughter. Rick was also happy to see his first born child once again and also hugged and kissed her when it was his turn.

"So where is your friend?" Twilight asked with a slightly suggestive smile.

"Getting dressed. I ordered some clothes from Rarity before we got here so we'd have stuff to wear." Twyla looked a little uncomfortable but came out and said, "okay, you know how you always told me how things in Equestria don't always work the same here on Earth? But because it's in Equestria it's okay?"

"What are you getting at? Twyla, you ought to know by now that you can tell us anything. We won't judge you. Look at Rarity and Spike, or AJ and Rainbow Dash or even me and your Mum, none of us are in what are 'traditional' relationships, " Rick said.

"Your father's right. I was a pony and he was a human when we first met and fell in love. Things took a turn for the better and we've never regretted it or looked back. So are you telling us that it's not a colt you brought back?"

"Yeah, let me go get them, " she walked down the stairs and soon she brought her friend up. It was another filly. "Mom, Dad, let me introduce you to Lunar Spell, my wife."

Needless to say this is not what Twilight and Rick were expecting but they rallied well enough and welcomed her to the house.

"Lunar Spell thanks you for this kind invitation and hopes to get to know you both better while she's here, " she said in a very odd but strangely familiar way.

Twyla took her by the hand and led her upstairs, "c'mon I'll show you the room and we can get unpacked, " she said taking her upstairs to her old room.

"She's married?" Rick asked.

"Yes. Our baby is married."

"To a filly?"

"Yes. She married a filly."

"She married a filly called Lunar Spell who refers to herself in the 3rd person?"

"Yes. She married a filly called Lunar Spell who refers to herself in the 3rd person."

"So I'm not dreaming and this isn't a nightmare?"

"No, you're very much awake but that's not the worst part."

"What is, " Rick asked dreading what she was going to say next.

"I believe she might be Trixie's daughter."

"The same Trixie?"

"The same Trixie."

"Do you think they went through the bonding ceremony?"

"I hope not, " Twilight said finally sitting down heavily in one of the chairs.

Rick sighed heavily not liking where this was going. "Check please, " he asked an imaginary waiter in a desperate attempt to leave. But as no waiter was forthcoming, he had to stay there and face reality.

Meanwhile upstairs.

"Well, that went better than I had hoped, " Twyla said flopping down on her bed.

"What do you mean? They were perfectly cordial to Lunar Spell, " Lunar Spell said.

"Yeah, that's not necessarily a good thing." Twyla propped herself up on her elbows to look her wife in the face. "You see, my Dad is a pretty easy going guy and he cracks wise all the time. He didn't say a word that wasn't out of place. On the other hand he didn't actually object to you either. I mean my aunts Rainbow Dash and Applejack are married and they're two of my parents best friends."

"It doesn't matter. Lunar Spell is your wife, you are Lunar Spell's for as long as we both shall live, " leaning down she kissed Twyla full on the lips and Twyla responded in kind.

Pulling back slightly Lunar Spell said, "this feels so different than as a pony. These fingers especially are more sensitive, " she said admiring her fingers. Then she got a wicked gleam to her eyes and said, "oh the things Lunar Spell will do to you tonight when we're alone my little pony."

Later on at dinner, they all sat at the table, Sterling was out on a school trip and wouldn't be home until tomorrow so it was only the 4 of them.

"So Lunar Spell, tell me, would you by any chance know of a showmare named Trixie?" Rick asked. This brought a sharp look from Twilight and a bit of a gasp from the two fillies.

"Why yes! The Great and Powerful Trixie is Lunar Spell's dam! So the word of the Great and Powerful Trixie has reached even to this world. She will be pleased to know this."

"Yeah, about that? Only the 4 of us here at this table know about Trixie and for the most part she's not our favourite pony. We had dealings in the past with her and they weren't very pleasant. And the fact is that you speak like her referring to yourself in the 3rd person and referring to her by her stage name tells me that maybe she hasn't changed and what she said to us all those years ago was another lie."

"Rick please, not here, not now, " Twilight pleaded.

"I'm sorry Twi and I'm sorry Twyla but I really wish you had talked to us before or informed us of your relationship with Trixie Jr over here before you went and got married. I'm not disappointed that you married a mare, hell your Mum fillyfooled when she was younger and Dash and AJ are two of my best and closest friends in Equestria. I understand that these things happen and I understand that things in Equestria move differently than they do here. But what I'm having trouble with is your being with the daughter of the mare that raped Rainbow Dash's mind, broke your mother's heart and almost killed me, " Rick said in an almost matter of fact way.

Twyla and Lunar Spell both gasped on hearing this and Twilight was shooting daggers from her eyes at Rick but he would not be stopped.

"Yeah, you heard me right. Trixie was defeated by Twilight here when she woke up an Ursa Minor and couldn't stop it. Twilight managed to save the day and Trixie ran away. Months later she shows up at the library pretending to be sorry and your Mum bought it. Later they became fillyfriends or at least your Mum thought they were. That is until a few months after that she disappears taking a valuable book with her. Now, as much as I hate what she did she is directly responsible for the events that led to me and your mother meeting. So in a sense I'm grateful for that but here comes the really nasty part. Once Twi and I had started dating she shows up again thinking that Twilight would run back into her hooves, that of course didn't happen." Rick took a sip of his wine and continued.

"Well, we're in Canterlot celebrating the fact that your Aunt Cadance is going to have a foal when suddenly out of nowhere Rainbow Dash comes screaming in, breaking a window in the process, " Rick looked over and took Twilight's hand in his before saying the next part. "If I hadn't thrown myself over your mother to protect her, she might have died. Instead I spent the next several days in the hospital clinging to life. You've seen the scar on my side, " he said pointing to where the jagged scar was hidden under his shirt. "That's how I got it. Now Rainbow Dash would never have done something so batshit crazy unless Trixie used an ancient magic to try to control her. Your mother found out about this and challenged her. Trixie lost which allowed Discord to take over her body and effectively start to change Equestria once again. I was captured, tortured and generally used as a pawn to prevent your mother and the rest of the Elements of Harmony from attacking. Also for some reason Discord needed me to take over Equestria. Well your Mum and the fillies managed to defeat him with some assistance from myself and we thought it was over. Trixie apologised, went back to Mareseilles with Sunrunner who I am guessing is Lunar Spell's father and everypony was happy. Or so we thought." Rick took a deep breath because as hard as what he had told them was, the next part was even harder.

"So, life continued as usual. Your mother was pregnant and then you were born. It was the happiest moment of my life, my tiny little filly. You were so small and fragile that I was afraid to even hold you. But I was being silly and once you looked at me with those violet eyes, my heart exploded and my life would never be the same. We thought that everything was perfect until we tried to take you back to Equestria and the portal would not let you through. The Princesses determined that you had been possessed by Discord."

Both Twyla and Lunar Spell gasped at this and turned white. Rick's heart sank a bit when he noticed they both reached for each other at that point, maybe the next part might change that.

"Anyway, Discord couldn't do much in your body because you were just a newborn foal, well he could influence people and he wound up casting his influence between us and your grandparents. This was of course before we knew what had happened. Your grandmother found out that you weren't completely human and that your Mum wasn't born human at all and wanted nothing to do with you or us but the next morning Twi and your Grandmother managed to patch things up. The reason of course was because Discord was so satisfied with the strife he had caused that he didn't bother to keep up the pretence at that point. Then we find out you were possessed, Luna helped in determining this, I offered myself to Discord for no other reason than to save you, he possesses me, there was a fight, the princesses help to bind him then he disappeared. We never found him again."

"But, everything worked out in the end, " Lunar Spell said. "You're both still alive and... my mother turned over a new leaf."

"Yeah, maybe so but because of what she did the lives of so many ponies have been changed. I almost died which means that Twyla might have grown up without a father and she might have become the new face of Discord. Rainbow Dash spent months in the hospital and in rehab recovering from her wounds incurred during her fight. Twilight here almost died in taking Trixie out. And to top it all off, my daughter tells me that she's married to Trixie's filly. How am I supposed to feel about all this? Answer me that."

Lunar Spell tried a few times to say something but nothing came out. Finally she got up from the table and walked stoically upstairs. Twyla, torn between the filly she loved and her family took a moment before running after her wife.

"That was a little harsh, " Twilight said to Rick without any trace of anger in her voice.

"Yeah, I know but it's just Trixie all over again. But now we're related to that showmare and that's not something that fills me with the warm fuzzies. On the other hand if it wasn't for her we'd have never met, Twyla wouldn't be here, Dash and AJ might not be married which means no Flame Flicker. I'm guessing part of me is still angry about what happened all those years ago."

"Rick, " Twilight said reaching over and taking her husband's hand in her own. "I know how you feel and quite honestly, I don't like it either. But Lunar Spell isn't her mother even if she talks like her. She's Twyla's wife and for better or worse she's our daughter in law now."

Rick leaned back and with one hand pinched the bridge of his nose while he closed his eyes. This was something that he did when he was upset or needed a moment to think about matters. He wasn't happy about this, it was simply too much information at once and he needed time to digest it all.

Twilight understood and though it pained her to do so, she had to speak to her daughter and daughter in law. Walking up the stairs, she heard Lunar Spell crying softly behind the door and Twyla comforting her as best she could. Steeling herself, Twilight knocked gently on the door and said, "honey? It's me. Can I come in?"

There was some hurried whispering, some rapid movement and the sound of clothes being thrown across the room. After an agonising few moments Twyla answered, "okay, you can come in now."

Twyla was seated on the bed next to Lunar Spell who's clothes looked like they had been hastily put on. They didn't appear to have been doing anything they shouldn't have, but Twilight guessed that maybe Lunar Spell just wasn't used to wearing clothes and got out of them the first chance she had. Both had red, slightly puffy eyes as if they'd been crying. There was no need for words, a mother always knows what's best for her child and she immediately went over to her daughter and hugged her. That was all that was needed and Twyla once again started to cry. This brought a fresh set of tears to Lunar Spell's eyes who also joined the hug. All these tears and female bonding only caused Twilight to also shed some tears, but not as much as the other two.

When the tears were done, Twilight looked at her daughter. "Oh my poor, sweet little filly. Your father's not angry with you or Lunar Spell, he's just... concerned with the events that took place. You come here with your new wife and didn't tell us you were even dating, then the fact that she's Trixie's daughter is a lot of information to digest. Your father will come around, it might take him some time. I mean he's only human. Even after all this time he still doesn't fully understand Equestrian society and that's okay. I don't understand a lot of human traits either but we still love each other very much, and he loves you very much and if Lunar Spell truly is your one special somepony then he will understand that as well."

"Thanks Mom, " Twyla said. "I think I should go talk to him." Twyla got up to leave, but Lunar Spell tried to hold her back. "It's okay, I won't be long, " she gave her wife a quick kiss then headed downstairs to talk to her father.

"As for you, why don't you start at the beginning and tell me how the two of you met and why you didn't feel it was necessary to tell us you were married?" Twilight asked her daughter-in-law.

Twyla walked down the stairs, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She found him sitting alone in the study, a glass of Irish whiskey by his side as he looked through some old photo albums of her when she was younger. "Daddy?" she called out and her heart and nerve almost broke when she saw the tears shimmering in his eyes. She stood there for a moment, unable to move until he put the book down and held out his arms to her. Sobbing slightly, she ran into his embrace, "I'm sorry, " she repeated over and over again.

"Shhhh. Don't cry, " Rick said, hugging her tight and gently stroking her hair like he did when she was just a child. He comforted her as best he could, then when she had calmed down he moved over a bit on the sofa to make room for her and she sat down next to him.

"I should be the one saying I'm sorry Twyla. This was a big surprise in more ways than one. I was expecting a coltfriend, one that I could maybe intimidate like I used to when you had started attracting colts. Then I find out it's a mare and then you're married. I'm sorry that you didn't feel you could tell me this sooner."

"Daddy, it's not like that. I still like stallions, but I love Lunar Spell, " Twyla protested.

"Then what is it? What happened?"

Twyla sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you how we met and why I didn't mention this until today. Four years ago when I started at the Magic Academy I discovered two things. The first being that I had some pretty big shoes to fill. Both you and Mom are famous over there. She's the greatest magic user of her generation, and you're the human that saved Celestia. When ponies found out I was the daughter of two living legends then all these expectations were put on me. Ponies immediately thought that I'd be super powerful and brave and stuck up to the point where they didn't want to get to know me. I wasn't Twyla Sparkle. I was the daughter of Princess Celestia's prize student and the human. Back in Ponyville, this wasn't a big deal. Ponies there knew you guys, but outside of Ponyville things were different. It didn't matter that I was as powerful as Mom and have been creating spells since I was just a filly, or that I too was human. I was always being compared to you two so I had to figure out a way to become my own pony. So I started spending less time in the library and started spending more time with colts and fillies my age. I... experimented with a herd and that's where I met Lunar Spell. She alone filled something in me that I never knew was missing and we left the herd but stayed together."

She sighed deeply and continued. "Then we went out to Maresailles for a weekend to visit her parents. Sunrunner is still working as a doctor and Trixie is the resident magician. Her job is to take care of the foals and she uses her magic to entertain, teach and generally try to make their time at the hospital better. But she never mentioned Discord or her place in what happened to you and Mom. I guess she's wanted to make up for the pain and misery that she caused by helping the young ones. She actually has changed for the best and she was more than happy to accept me as her daughter-in-law."

"And I'm guessing that our names never came up during this?"

"Remember, I was trying to forge a new identity so I kinda glossed over certain things. I said that Mom was originally from Canterlot and you were from way out of town. She didn't press the issue so I didn't volunteer anything more. Maybe she understood the need for privacy with her own past and everything. Then one night, back in Canterlot, Lunar Spell and I both got a little drunk on cider and pledged our love and commitment to each other under the stars. It was all very romantic."

"So you two never had an actual ceremony?"

"We don't need one. You and Mom never had a ceremony."

"Yeah but we did the civil ceremony at City Hall and got married there. We had our reasons for doing so, not the least of which was that she was here and human full time. We needed something legally binding if for nothing else than to legitimise her being here, " Rick said. "Twyla, I'm not angry with you I'm just a little disappointed and really surprised with all that's happened. I'm sure that Lunar Spell is a wonderful mare and I'm hoping that this is what you want out of life. If you can tell me honestly that this is what you want, I'll be more than happy to give you and her my blessing. But I don't want you to think that you need to hide things like this from me or your mother."

"Thank you Daddy, " Twyla said as she threw her arms around her father's neck and hugged him tight. "I love you, " she whispered in his ear.

"Love you too my little pony, " Rick responded. After a moment they disengaged, Rick smiled at his daughter and said, "so you still like stallions? I mean I don't want to push you or anything but I'd really like grandkids someday."

"You don't need to worry about that, both of us like stallions but we just don't want to get involved with one at least not now. So maybe we'll just get some available stallion to stud for us one day. Isn't that how Precious Gem was conceived? I mean a dragon and a pony can't have a foal, " Twyla said not realising that Rick had intimate knowledge of what that had entailed.

"So maybe you can ask Porter? You had such a crush on him when you were younger, " Rick teased his daughter.

"Daaad! Ick! That would be like doing it with my brother! I've known Porter my whole life and aren't we technically cousins or something?"

"Not by blood, and I'm just kidding. I know you two would never work in that way. I'm sure there are plenty of other stallions in Equestria that wouldn't mind going to stud for you. And if they get all needy after and want more, let me know and I'll put the fear of Celestia into them."

Twyla smiled knowing how much her father loved her and would do everything in his power for her. "Thank you Daddy, " she hugged him again which he returned happily.

"Well, I figure it's time that I be properly introduced to this wife of yours."

Twyla smiled and led her father upstairs to her room where she found Lunar Spell and Twilight hugging it out much like she had been hugging her father just moments before. Both Twilight and Lunar Spell looked a little worried when Rick showed up but that tension vanished when he took Lunar Spell's hands in his own and simply said, "welcome to the family. If I made you feel... uncomfortable or unwanted I'm sorry and it was only because I didn't understand what was going on. Twyla explained to me how it was you two came together and what it is you mean to each other."

"Thank you, Lunar Spell... I mean I understand why acted like you did. And as I mentioned to Twilight Sparkle, the mare you knew as Trixie then is not the same as she is now. She does still talk about herself in the 3rd person when she performs and I will admit that some of that rubbed off on me, but she's come a long way since what happened before. I like to think it's my father's influence on her and maybe even the love and commitment that you and Twilight Sparkle share."

"None of that now. You agreed to call me Mom, " Twilight said with mock severity.

"Of course Mom, forgive me, " Lunar Spell said with a shy smile.

"I think we can all be forgiven for what's happened, " Rick said. "Now, since we didn't have a chance earlier how about dessert? I've got some spiced crème caramel in the fridge that would go to waste if nopony would eat them."

"Dad, you would never let something like that go to waste, " Twyla teased while gently patting her father's stomach.

"That's enough out of you, although from the size of your butt maybe you ought to lay off the cupcakes yourself, " Rick responded in kind.

"She can have all the desserts she wants, and I'll keep an eye on her flanks, " Lunar Spell said with a smile.

"Okay, I don't think I needed to hear that last part so why don't I forget it and just plate the dessert?" Rick said as he went downstairs.

Everypony came downstairs, reseated themselves at the dinner table while Rick brought out the slightly wobbly puddings covered in sweet liquid caramel.

"What is that flavour?" Twyla asked after her first bite. "I'm getting nutmeg, cinnamon... cloves and possibly ginger but there's something else there that's bringing it all together."

"Cardamom, " Rick answered. "I usually use it in some Indian type dishes but it works with the spices so I figured why not?"

The desserts were finished with complements given to the chef and they lingered for a while over coffee and liqueurs talking about the latest in Equestria as well as what was new in the lives of the children. But it wasn't long before Lunar Spell's eyes were getting heavy and they decided it was time for bed. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Rick simply said, "goodnight, and try to keep the noise down." A slow blush crept up the faces of both fillies as they shyly made their way up to Twyla's room and closed the door.

"That was very well done, " Twilight said to Rick.

"I think I ought to get my head examined. You do realise what's going to happen next don't you?"

"No what?" Twilight asked warily wondering where he was going with this.

"We're going to have to invite her parents over for dinner to meet them which means more vegetarian dishes, " Rick said with mock frustration.

Twilight smiled and took his hand in hers. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Rick sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, let's get this cleaned up and get to bed."

"I love it when you talk sexy like that, " Twilight said dryly.

"And why else would I say or do anything?" Rick responded with a playful smirk. It didn't take them long to clear the table and put everything in the dishwasher. Twilight noticed that he hesitated for a moment at the foot of the stairs before heading up. It was to his credit that he walked past Twyla's room without stopping, slowing down or making a sound.

As they lay in bed with Twilight snuggled up next to her husband, he asked, "I guess in a way this means she's all grown up isn't she? She's not a little girl anymore."

"You knew that already, " Twilight responded.

"Intellectually yes, but emotionally she's still my little pony and now she has a wife and a future with her and someday foals of her own. And that means that Sterling is just around the corner as well. In a few years he'll be the one bringing his new fillyfriend home to meet us and saying that they're getting married."

"I think we still have a few years left with him."

"Yeah, I guess we do, " Rick smiled and kissed his wife goodnight before they settled down and went to sleep.

The next day he awoke to the sound of female voices downstairs in the kitchen and the smell of... bacon? Smiling to himself he remembered that it was something that Twyla did when she came back home and she'd make some bacon to go with her breakfast. Her excuse was that she couldn't get it or eat it while in Equestria so she had to get her fix here whenever she could. It also gave him the excuse to have some without Twilight raising too much of a fuss.

"Morning Daddy!" Twyla called out happily as Rick entered the kitchen. "You're just in time, please have a seat, " she indicated to the kitchen table which had been set up with four place settings. Lunar Spell and Twilight were already seated and talking about one subject or another. He sat down on one of the chairs and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"So what's the occasion?" he asked when Twyla started piling the food on the table.

"Twyla wanted to make breakfast for everybody, although we could have done without the bacon, " Twilight said. Lunar Spell also looked a little uneasy with this. While she might have been aware of Twyla's human parentage and her omnivorous nature this was possibly the first time the reality of knowing she was a meat eater was truly driven home.

Once breakfast was done, they cleaned up and Twyla took Lunar Spell off to show her the farm and the surrounding countryside. Rick found Twilight by the window just looking at the two girls frolicking in the snow with a melancholy smile on her face. He walked up behind her and gently put his arms around her. She sighed and leaned against him while watching Twyla throw a snowball at her wife.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

She turned around until she was facing him and said, "I'm fine, " before giving him a kiss and burying her face in his chest.

Rick gently stroked her back as he held her and said, "I'm sure everything will turn out for the best. And hey, Sterling is coming home tonight. We'll finally be a family again."

The thought of both her children back home for Hearth's Warming Eve brought a smile to her face. While Sterling was still living at home, she cherished these times that both of them were once again back home with her and Rick. The house just seemed so... empty without them. She heard a shriek from outside only to see Lunar Spell using her magic to throw massive amounts of snow at Twyla who was currently running away with a smile on her face.

"Do you remember when we were that young?" Twilight asked wistfully.

"When you were that young Twyla was already 4 years old. Before then however, I remember chasing you all over Equestria, walking side by side in the forest while the autumn leaves fell around us, sitting in a dark field watching the stars, lying awake at night just holding each other and talking until dawn. Yeah, those were good times, " Rick leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Those were good times, but we never played like that, " Twilight said.

"That's because you always had your nose in a book. But we did play, we had some fun and I wouldn't have changed it for the world."

Lunar Spell had finally dumped her snow on Twyla who fell to the ground giggling like a child. Lunar Spell fell on top of her, also giggling. They embraced then rolled around in the snow for a moment before coming back inside to warm up.

"Looks like you two had fun, " Rick said with Twilight still in his arms.

"Very much, thank you. This is all so magical, " Lunar Spell answered, her eyes shining with joy. "Winter in Canterlot is such a boring and dull affair. Thank you once again for letting me stay here for the holidays."

"Think nothing of it dear, you're family. Now if you'll excuse me I have a library to take care of, " Twilight said. She gave Rick a soft kiss on the lips goodbye then kissed her daughter and daughter-in-law on the cheek before going downstairs and making her way to Equestria.

"I don't know what you two have planned for the rest of the day, but your brother is coming home tonight from his school trip and that means I've got a dinner to plan. So you girls are on your own for lunch but I'll see you later when it's time for dinner." Rick wandered off to the kitchen to see what they had and what he could work with which left the girls to do what they wanted for the rest of the day.

"So, was there anything you wanted to see or do while you were here?" Twyla asked her wife.

"You mentioned 'movies' and how they were a kind of 'magical book' on a screen. Could we see one of those?"

"Sure, you're going to love this, " Twyla said taking Lunar Spell by the hand and leading her downstairs to the media room where the big screen projector and DVDs were kept. Long ago they had gotten rid of the TV as TV technology had advanced and had gotten bigger and bigger, they had reached a point where it was impossible to bring one downstairs so they opted for a high end projector and a screen. It wasn't the perfect solution but it did allow for a truly big picture. Twyla went to one of the cupboards in the side, pulled out some treats and lay them on the table along with some cans of soda. When Lunar Spell looked at her with a quizzical expression Twyla simply said, "it's all part of the movie experience, " quoting something her father used to say all the time when she was younger.

Choosing a movie, they snuggled on the couch, enjoyed their treats and got lost in the magic.

Rick currently had his head in the fridge and was looking to see what they had. Lunar Spell was from Mareseilles so she was okay with seafood so maybe as a welcome to the family type deal he could do a seafood menu for tonight. That meant a trip to the market but he had to check to see what else they currently had. As he was looking, he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes and a familiar voice call out, "guess who?"

He smiled and said, "I'm hoping you're a sexy little lavender unicorn, " before turning around and seeing it was in fact Twilight. "Well, close enough, " he said before giving her a kiss. "So what brings you back here so soon?"

"I got a message via Spike that Sterling is bringing a friend home for the holidays. He said specifically not to worry as she has no problem with eating seafood or fish. So we need to set an extra place."

"Great, another unicorn in the house. Why can't my ungrateful children bring home a nice earth pony once in a while? It's discrimination I tells ya'!" Rick said with mock outrage.

"How do you know it's a unicorn?" Twilight asked.

"C'mon, the last 4 fillies he's brought home have been unicorns. Before that he had a thing for pegasi and only once has he ever even considered going out with an earth pony. My own son, ashamed of his proud earth pony heritage."

Twilight just looked at Rick like he had lost his mind. "You do realise that you have no earth pony heritage of which to speak right?"

"Don't try to confuse me with your fancy unicorn talk. We may be simple farmers and tillers of the soil but we know that you eggheads in your ivory towers and look down on us. Don't try to deny that you were slumming when you went out with me in an attempt to make your parents mad."

Twilight just looked at Rick as he rambled on about how maligned the earth pony was and how they were at the bottom of the heap due to their lack of magic or wings but one day they'd rise up against their unicorn and pegasus oppressors. "Are you done?" she finally asked when he had seemingly run out of things to say.

Rick thought for a moment. Opened his mouth as if to say something else then started laughing before saying, "okay that was fun."

"Yes Mr. Funnyman, you were very funny. And it's a good thing you're still cute as hell otherwise I'd kick that cute butt of yours, " Twilight said with a smile before kissing him.

"Yeah, I love you too babe. So an extra place for dinner for Sterling's new fillyfriend and she likes seafood which works perfectly for what I want to do tonight."

"And what's that?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"Well seafood obviously. We can start with some steamed mussels or clams with white wine and lots of garlic. Then some pan-fried trout or something similar with a crispy skin and this is followed by a lemon meringue pie for dessert. I tried to think of a way to incorporate fish into the dessert but I don't think it would work."

"Good call on that one. So do you need anything from me before I head back?"

"I can think of a couple things, but you probably need to get back to work so I'll just wait until we're alone tonight, " he said with a lecherous grin.

"Horndog, " Twilight said as she kissed him.

"Egghead, " Rick responded, kissing her back.

"Earth Pony, " Twilight whispered giving him a longer and more sensual kiss.

"Brainiac, " Rick whispered and responded in kind.

"Farmer, " Twilight breathed as she pressed herself into him.

"Horn Head, " Rick growled as he reached inside her robe and grabbed hold of her butt.

"Barbarian, " Twilight sighed as she ran her hands over him.

"Dirty. Sexy. Filly, " Rick breathed as he punctuated each word with a kiss to her lips, throat and shoulder in that order.

"I can give you ten minutes, " Twilight said huskily.

"Gimme fifteen."

"Done, let's go, " she said taking him by the hand and leading him upstairs to the bedroom.

Fourteen minutes later, Twilight was fixing her hair in the mirror.

"You still owe me a minute, " Rick said while lazing in bed.

"I'll give it to you tonight, some of us need to get back to work. Later, " she gave him a quick kiss goodbye and made her way back to the library.

Rick smiled, gave a happy little sigh then got dressed and started to prepare what he needed to do for dinner tonight. He walked downstairs to the media room where the two fillies were watching "E.T." and poked his head in. "I'm heading out to the market to pick up a few things, you're welcome to come with if you want to see what a supermarket on Earth looks like, " he said looking directly at Lunar Spell. "Or you two can sit here and continue watching movies and doing whatever."

"Would we go in the 'car'?" Lunar Spell asked, her face coming alight.

"Of course, I don't feel like walking for an hour there and back in the snow just to get groceries, " Rick said. Lunar Spell squealed with happiness and clapped her hands together. Twyla just shrugged and paused the movie. "I guess that settles that, you two get dressed and I'll meet you out front."

A few moments later they came outside, Lunar Spell almost giddy with anticipation at riding in an actual car. She had heard about these strange motorised carriages from Twyla and as eager to try one out. They got in, got buckled up and were on their way.

The trip out there was fascinating to Lunar Spell, having never travelled like this before and she marvelled at everything including how Rick drove the vehicle. When they got to the supermarket, she was even more amazed. Never before had she seen such a big place that sold all types of food. She practically dragged Twyla around by the hand trying to see everything she could while Rick picked up what they needed for tonight. Twyla wisely kept her away from the butcher section especially considering that horse meat was something that they sold.

But like all things, the trip to the supermarket was short lived and they needed to come back home. Lunar Spell kept up a running commentary about how amazing this world was and how Equestria was really missing out on cars, movies and supermarkets.

"If you feel that way, maybe Twyla can take you to the mall at some point, " Rick said casually.

"What is 'the mall'?"

"Thanks Dad, " Twyla said dryly. She turned to look at her wife and said, "the mall is possibly one of the greatest things ever created. Imagine the supermarket we just went to. Now imagine maybe 20 or 30 of those in size, but with different stores inside selling different things. Some sell clothes, some sell food, some sell electronics, some sell books and the list goes on. We can go there tomorrow if you want."

"Yes! I'd love to see The Mall. Oh thank you again for asking me to me spend time with you and your family this Hearth's Warming Eve, " Lunar Spell threw her arms around Twyla and hugged her tight. Twyla just smiled and said, "you! Eyes on the road!" to her father who was looking at the scene in the rear view mirror.

"Yes dear, " Rick deadpanned.

Hours later, dinner was being prepared, the table had been set with an extra place setting and all that remained was for Sterling and his guest to arrive. It was 6pm, right on the nose when they finally showed up.

"Hey, that smells good!" Sterling said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey you!" Rick said as he caught his son in a rough bear hug. "So where's your hot new fillyfriend?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Uhmm... yeah about that... " Sterling said a little sheepishly and absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck. "Fillyfriend doesn't quite... fit."

"Please don't tell me it's another colt. One surprise this holiday is enough, " Rick said.

"Nonono! She's definitely a she, don't worry about that, but what do you mean another surprise?"

"It's your sister, long story but she married another filly and we just found out about it when they showed up. But if it's a she, then why not call her your fillyfriend? You didn't get married or bond with her or something like that?"

"Dad! No! It's just..." he trailed off at that point as they heard a rough female voice complain loudly as she stomped up the stairs.

"Dammit! Why do we have to wear these stupid things Silver? Celestia's tits! This is uncomfortable, I feel like I'm gonna suffocate in this getup!" she continued to swear and curse as she came up the stairs then stopped when she saw that Sterling wasn't alone.

"Oh hey, I'm guessin' you're his old man?" the young woman with a shock of white hair said to Rick.

Rick, to his credit, didn't get angry at her words but also didn't immediately jump into sarcasm mode. "I'm his father yes, and might I ask who you are?"

"The name's Glenda, " she said offering her hand and squeezing quite hard when they shook.

"Glenda? I don't think I've heard of a pony in Ponyville by that name."

"That's because she's a griffon, " Sterling looked a little uneasy when he said that.

"That ain't a problem is it?" Glenda asked with a bit of a challenge in her voice.

"Not specifically no, " Rick said with a resigned smile. "I just ask that you keep the noise level down especially if we're trying to sleep." He turned to his son and said, "I'm counting on you to be responsible about this if not she's sleeping in the guest room okay?" Sterling gave a bashful smile at this and led Glenda upstairs to his room. "We're eating in 20 minutes, don't make me come up to get you, " Rick shouted up the stairs as the youngsters went to drop off their bags.

Dinner went off without a hitch. Glenda, while rough around the edges, was polite enough and didn't seem to want to cause trouble. She also seemed very attached to Sterling.

"So, where did you two meet?" Twilight asked.

The two looked at each other before Glenda said, "we kinda met when we were both volunteerin' for S.A.F.E. That's Species Acceptance For Equestria. Some ponies and others don't like it when two different species kinda get together ya know? So we, uh.. try to raise awareness and stuff that different species can co-exist and even have a relationship. And one day one of the members introduces me to Silver here, we hung out, he told me of his world, I told him of mine and then we kinda hooked up."

"It actually was Precious Gem who introduced us. She's the representative for S.A.F.E. in Ponyville. She knew that Glenda liked ponies and... I had my eye on her for a while so..., " Sterling blushed a bit unable to finish what he was saying.

"You are so cute when you blush Silver!" Glenda said which only caused Sterling to blush even more. "It's times like this that I could just eat you up."

"Yes! Another carnivore in the house which means more bacon tomorrow morning. And who's up for burgers tomorrow?" Rick said enthusiastically.

"Darling you know you need to watch your cholesterol, the doctor said so. I let you have some this morning because it was a special occasion, but you can't go about and do this every day, " Twilight chided her husband.

"But it's bacon. Natures perfect food. And how many times a year do I actually get to enjoy it? We eat vegetarian dishes most nights, seafood occasionally and it's rare that I get any meat."

"No bacon, I need you healthy for a long time. And Twyla, no sneaking bacon onto his plate when I'm not looking. I know you two are always in cahoots."

Twilight missed the silent signal that passed between Twyla and her father, or if she did see it she didn't make any kind of comment but the gesture was unmistakeable. She would make sure that her father got his bacon tomorrow morning.

"Well, on that note since everypony, and griffon, has finished let's have our dessert in front of the fire for a proper Hearth's Warming Eve, " Twilight said. The table was cleared, they all gathered in the family room in front of the fireplace to share the warmth of not only the fire but the holiday and how they might all be from different worlds and different species they were bound together by the bonds of love.

Hearts and Hooves - contains clop

Author's Note: The chapter here takes place some time just before chapter 13 in "Doorway". While Hearts & Hooves day is not specifically stated as being at a certain time in the year, I've gone for late spring, early summer for this. As such this would have been the last chapter with Rick in Equestria before the whole Twilight turning human bit. She's a lot more comfortable in her human form and as seen here she will change to this while in Equestria should the need be. And just as a warning to those, I've tried my hand at clop again at the end of this chapter. I'm a little happier with it than last time but I still think I'm still getting too caught up in the descriptions and not enough in the feels which is what I'm aiming for.

"Same time next week Rarity?" Rick asked as he gathered his things together.

"Don't be silly Richard. Aren't you and Twilight doing something then? After all it's Hearts and Hooves Day."

"It's what and who's day?"

"Hearts and Hooves Day darling. It's that one day of the year that you spend time with that special somepony. You lavish her with gifts, take her out to a romantic dinner & spend time with her. Twilight would never forgive me if I allowed you to monopolise her time. No, we'll have it at the same time but the day before." She trotted over, gave Rick a hug and handed him his bits and gems as payment.

Rarity always insisted on being the last appointment of his day so he never felt rushed to finish her session and honestly when he was working on her he didn't really look at the clock. He had done 4 massages today and his fingers were done for the night so it was with great pleasure that he picked up his massage table and made his way back to the library.

"Hey Sexy, I'm home!" he called out as he opened the door only to be confronted by a rather surprised looking Twilight Sparkle and some tan coloured stallion he didn't recognise.

"Oh! Rick! You're back earlier than I thought, " Twilight said a little suspiciously. As clever and as smart as she was, she still had a problem thinking on her hooves and when things didn't go as planned.

"Yeah, I was tired after Rarity's appointment and figured I'd just come back and relax a bit before dinner, " Rick said while putting his things back in his room before returning to the library. The tan stallion that had been there had left during that time and Twilight was left standing there with a very guilty smile on her face. Rick stared at her, waiting to see what she might say about what just happened.

Instead of an answer Twilight trotted over to him and reared up so she could kiss him hello. Her hooves went about his shoulders and his arms went about her, holding her tight while they shared an intimate kiss hello. Without letting go of her Rick asked, "so you going to tell me who your friend was? I'm a little surprised that you didn't introduce us then he leaves before I'm able to introduce myself properly."

"Oh, he's just... somepony that came in... looking for a book which I didn't have."

"Special book I'm assuming? Something a little risqué perhaps?"

"No, why would you think that?" she asked with genuine confusion.

"Just the way you're acting. If I was the suspicious type which I am, I'd think you were keeping something from me." Twilight looked away a little guiltily but it wasn't that she was keeping something from him so much as she wanted to keep something a surprise. "Lemme guess, it's for Hearts and Hooves Day?"

The shocked look on Twilight's face was enough to prove he was right. "How did you know?"

"It's because I'm psychic and because Rarity informed me that we'd have to reschedule her appointment for next week because of this and because you haven't mentioned this special day to me yet."

"But the surprise is going to be ruined now. I wanted to do something nice for you after you did such a nice thing for me on that Earth holiday of yours. What was it, Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, that's the one. But what's worse? My knowing you have something planned but not knowing what it is or me thinking you're seeing another stallion behind my back?"

"See another stallion behind your back? Never in a thousand years. And I'm not his type, he's a colt-cuddler. But he was looking at your flank when you walked by, " Twilight teased.

"What seriously? I'm hoping you told him I was really tiny and insignificant in the package department?"

"No but then he didn't look impressed so I figured why add to it?" she replied with an impish grin.

"Okay, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing so I'm going with good just in case. And speaking of good, I'm gonna grab myself a coffee. You want one?"

Twilight thought for a moment before answering. "Okay. I'll come pick it up in a few minutes." They kissed once more and each went about what they needed to do.

The coffee was done and Rick had just finished pouring himself a cup when Twilight trotted in, a huge smile on her face.

"Somepony looks pleased with themselves, " Rick said as he handed her her cup and led her to the living area. Once they were seated on the couch he asked, "so you going to make with the info or do I have to guess?"

"Rick, it's supposed to be a surprise. The fact that you know what it's for is bad enough, but I'm not going to ruin it for you by telling you. And you got to surprise me for Valentine’s Day. It's only fair that I get to surprise you."

"No problem babe, " he said taking a sip from his cup. He leaned back on the couch and smiled.

"So who's smiling now?" Twilight teased.

"I'm just thinking back to Valentine's Day and that stupid poem I had written in your card. If I had known that those words would have affected you like that before, I would have used them on you a long time before then, " he said with a smile.

Twilight remembered how he had surprised her on Valentine’s Day with a big bouquet of flowers, a heart shaped box of chocolates and some really sappy poetry he had written. It wasn't very good poetry, the metre was wrong and he used some very obvious rhymes but it didn't matter because it came from his heart. After reading it she was at a complete loss for words. This sweet sweet man had done his best to express himself in a way that she never would have thought possible and it touched her in such a way that she herself was unable to express in words.

Rick looked at her a little uncertainly, more than just a little embarrassed at having written such bad poetry and was about to apologise but she held a hoof to his lips and with tears shimmering in her eyes she just shook her head as if to say that words were not necessary. With a devilish grin, she pushed him down on the couch, pressed her lips to his and responded to his words without using any words of her own.

It had been a magical night, once they were done Rick had prepared a delicious and romantic dinner for them and they spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the couch in front of the fire, drinking wine, nibbling on some excellent cheese and just watching the snow fall.

Hours later, Rick had woken up still sitting on the couch with Twilight sound asleep resting her head on his lap. The fire had gone out and only the glowing embers remained in the fireplace. He shifted slightly to allow himself to get up and gently lay Twilight's head on the sofa before picking her up and carrying her back downstairs.

"Hmmm? Wasshappen?" Twilight said sleepily as she woke up.

"Shhh, go back to sleep babe, I'm just carrying you to bed. It's a lot more comfortable sleeping there than on my lap."

"Speak for yourself. You make for a good pillow, " she said snuggling her head into his chest a little more.

It wasn't long before Rick had brought her back to his bedroom. Well, technically it was now their bedroom as she slept there every night and had brought over some of her things. She still maintained her room in the library and would use it on occasion but it was really more for show than anything else.

Gently he laid her down, tucked her in then got undressed and slipped into bed with her. As usual, they held each other for a bit before finally sharing a gentle kiss and going back to sleep.

Twilight smiled at the memory before coming back to the present moment. "You were very sweet and I love you for that and all the things you've done for me but this time around it's my turn to surprise you. So no cheating and trying to find out what's going on except it's going to be a night to remember."

"Okay babe, I trust you. You be ready for dinner around 6ish?"

"Yes. What are we having?" Twilight asked with an eager smile.

"Káposztás tészta, " Rick said with an enigmatic smile.

Twilight looked confused. "What was that?"

"That Hungarian dish with the cabbage and the noodles. I've got some mushrooms I'm throwing in there this time and I figure some seared tofu to go over top."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"I did. It's not my fault you don't understand Hungarian."

"Neither do you, " Twilight said poking him in the chest with one of her hooves. "Knowing a couple of words and phrases does not mean you speak the language."

"Oh I'm so lucky to have such a smart fillyfriend as you, " Rick said half-sarcastically and half-truthfully.

Twilight just looked at him, smiled and spit out a bunch of syllables that sounded like she was gargling glass.

"Uhhhmmm, gesundheit?" Rick answered looking totally confused at what just happened.

"Oh I'm sorry, that was Old Draconic for 'I know'. It's not my fault that you don't speak it, " Twilight responded with a wicked smile.

Rick laughed at having been beaten at his own game. "Twilight Sparkle, I love you, " Rick said taking her in his arms, giving the pony a big hug and kiss before letting her get back on with her day.

"Love you too Big Guy, " Twilight responded with a smile before heading back to the library.

Rick watched her leave and thought to himself how odd their situation was. Here they were, two completely different species yet they still managed to make the transition from friends to lovers. "And to think I used to make fun of furries, " he mumbled to himself as he gathered the cups and brought them over to the sink to wash them.

That night after dinner, they relaxed on the couch as they usually did with a glass of wine and a movie. Since the theme of the day had been "Hearts and Hooves" Rick felt it was best to continue in that vein with what many considered one of the most romantic stories of all times, "Romeo and Juliet". He had the 1968 Zeffirelli version which was his favourite out of all of them that he had seen. A small part of that had to do with seeing it as a teenager and falling in love with Olivia Hussey who played Juliet. That short nude scene she had had been graven in his mind's eye for years after.

As the disc started and they sat together on the couch Rick leaned over and said, "the language is a flowery form of older English with a lot of 'thees' and 'thous' as well as terms you might not be familiar with. In a way it reminds me of how Princess Luna speaks so if you have any questions or don't get what they're saying, please let me know."

Rick's fears however were unwarranted as Twilight, possibly due to her knowledge of old Equestrian and time spent with Princess Luna, was more than able to follow the story. She sniffled a bit near the end when the lovers died but smiled none the less and proclaimed it to be a wonderful movie.

"Did this Shakespeare make other movies?"

"Actually no, " Rick said and Twilight's face fell at hearing this, "but that's only because he died some 400 years ago and movies have only been around for maybe 100 years. His plays however have survived and have been made into movies numerous times. Currently I would say I've got about half a dozen adaptations, not to mention the complete works in book format."

Twilight's eyes lit up when she heard they came in book form as well. Rick went over to his bookshelf and pulled out a medium sized tome before handing it to her and heading over to his DVD shelf before searching for movies. "That there is the first of three volumes of Shakespeare's complete works. I'll admit some of the plays are better than others and I definitely have my favourites but they're mostly in the second volume. You don't have to read them in order as there's no real continuity in his work, " he said as he scanned the shelves and pulled the movies down one by one.

"And if you're interested in seeing more adaptations, these are the movies I've got, " he said before handing her the DVDs. "Needless to say the DVDs also happen to be some of my favourites of his plays and one romantic comedy drama based on his life."

"Which one is your favourite?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"Based solely on the plays, I'd have to say 'Hamlet'. I'll be the first to agree that it's very much a cliché to say that but I'm being honest in that it is my favourite of all his plays. And the movie versions are good, I've got two versions actually. One is a little closer to the source and the other has been modernised but it's more popular. But if you were to talk about the movies, that would have to be 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Again, this is a more modern retelling of the story and I absolutely love the characters including Kevin Kline's portrayal of Bottom. That's him right there on the cover, " Rick said pointing to the picture of Kevin Kline. "Too often, he's portrayed simply as a fool or as the butt of a joke but Kevin gives him such depth and soul that you see him as an incurable romantic and one that maybe has a little too much poetry and not enough sense in his head."

"So he's a little like you?" Twilight teased.

"Hey, I'll let you know that I have equal amounts of poetry and sense in my head, " he answered with a smile and just a hint self-deprecation to show he wasn't being completely serious. He leaned in for a kiss and she met him halfway.

After pulling back, he glanced at the time and saw it was getting late. "You tired babe?"

"Not really, I just want to spend some time with you."

"Anything in particular?" Rick said suggestively.

"Definitely, but we can do that later. No, I just want to spend some time and talk, hold you, you hold me..., " she trailed off and smiled adorably. This was something that they both enjoyed, just talking about everything and nothing at the same time. The conversation didn't really matter as it was just something to do while they looked into each other's eyes and held each other close. It was intimate without necessarily getting sexual although quite often the topic of conversation turned sexual which is why in turn they usually did this in bed just in case.

"Well then milady, please let us adjourn anon to yon bedchamber and partake of the verbal intercourse, " Rick said while attempting a posh accent.

Twilight just giggled and trotted off to the bedroom before jumping into bed and getting under the covers while she watched Rick undress before slipping in with her. They snuggled up close to each other, relishing the feel that there was nothing between them and Twilight started talking about her day. Rick gently ran his fingers through her mane as she spoke, smiling at her descriptions and giggling at some of the things that happened. When he spoke, she would gently run her hooves over his cheek or down his side. She'd also giggle at things that he said and since he loved to hear her laugh he tried to do it as often as he could.

It wasn't long this time before the stroking became more urgent and blatant and the talking turned to subjects of a more carnal nature. They proceeded as they saw fit and since it was late, fell asleep rather quickly when it was all done.

Finally, it was the day before Hearts and Hooves day and Twilight advised him they were going out for dinner so not to prepare anything and to meet her in the library at 5pm sharp.

Rick showed up on time, dressed a little better than he normally did as he wasn't sure what was happening tonight so he wanted his bases covered. He needn't have worried as Twilight trotted downstairs, carrying her saddlebags as well as his small overnight bag. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, so I'm guessing we're going somewhere?"

"Oh yes! Now come on, we can't leave our carriage waiting. She opened the door, and there waiting was a rather posh looking carriage being drawn by 6 large pegasi. The stallion that Twilight had been talking to last week, now dressed as a butler, was there to invite them inside and Rick got a huge surprise. While the carriage looked about average but impressive from the outside, it was somehow even larger and more luxurious on the inside.

Images of the Tardis flashed through Rick's mind as he struggled to come to terms with how such a thing could happen. Twilight just smiled as she watched her coltfriend look about in amazement at what he saw. The butler rang a bell and with a slight lurch the carriage lifted off the ground, being pulled by the pegasi as they rose into the air.

"This is incredible!" Rick stated, his voice full of wonder. "I'm guessing magic is involved, like a... I don't know... room of holding spell or maybe a pocket dimension or something. This is awesome!" he said as he wandered around the interior of the carriage.

Twilight giggled as she watched him. He looked like a little foal, seeing something wondrous for the first time in his life. His eyes were full of wonder and he couldn't help but smile at what he saw around him. But it was time to get things started. She looked at the butler and said, "we can start now."

"Very good mistress, " the butler said. He clapped his hooves together and from the front of the carriage came a unicorn carrying a tray of fancy hors d'oeuvres and a bottle of sparkling wine. He arranged the platter on the small table, placed the ice bucket for the wine down, popped the cork and poured two glasses. "If there's anything else you need mistress, please ring the bell. Good evening, " and he followed the unicorn to the cabin in the front of the carriage.

"Twi... how did you arrange this? And why? My god this must have cost you a lot of money, " Rick said as he took the glass offered him. They clinked their glasses and took a sip. "Very nice, " Rick said. "Now how’s about you tell me what's going on?"

"Rick, it's our first Heart's and Hooves Day together and after what you did for me on your Valentine's day I wanted to do something special for you. So, I hired a flying coach to take us to Manehattan where we'll spend tonight and tomorrow. Then we'll see a show on Broadneigh and have a romantic dinner at the 'Cafe on the River'. Then a quiet walk next to the sea along the Boardtrot and finally back to our room where I will ravish you and if there's time after we'll sleep, " she said with a smile.

He leaned in and kissed her, "thank you babe sounds like a party. This is an incredible gift but I'm thinking you may have spent too much money on this.

"Nonsense. I managed to get us a great deal on everything, and maybe I spent a little more than I should have but it's Hearts & Hooves and you're worth it."

"Well, in that case I suggest we have some more wine and some of these delicious looking appetizers."

They ate, drank, talked, snuggled and easily finished off the bottle so they were slightly tipsy and just a little amorous. What started as a gentle kiss turned into a full on make-out session. Both were breathing heavily, desire and lust the only things on their minds but Rick was trying to hold back. He wasn't comfortable doing this here, especially when the butler or one of the waiters could just walk in at any time. Twilight nodded her head at the curtains at the back of the coach, magically opening them to reveal a sleeping area large enough for the two of them.

"Dammit Twilight, I love you!" Rick said giving her a smack on the rear which made her whinny in pleasure.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for that one!" Twilight said with a wicked smile.

Rick ran towards the bed, Twilight launched herself at him, he caught her in his arms but her momentum forced him back onto the bed. They rolled around, play wrestling for a while before he pinned her to the bed, his lips practically touching hers. "I win, " he said with a smile.

"I think we both won because we're right where I wanted to be, " Twilight said reaching for his lips. With a soft lavender glow the curtains closed and they proceeded as nature intended.

The two were dozing when an insistent clearing of the throat made itself known outside the curtained off area.

"Y-yes?" Twilight asked, a little surprised by this intrusion.

"Just a word mistress and sir, the carriage will be landing in Manehatten soon. I suggest you tidy yourselves up so you can be ready once we land, " the butler said from the other side of the curtain. They heard him move away from the curtain then close the door in the front of the cabin behind him.

Rick stood up and stretched before reaching for his clothes. He noticed Twilight staring at him, her eyes filled with lust and appreciation. "Like what you see?" he asked.

"Mmmm hmmmm, " Twilight murmured with a lecherous smile.

He posed a few times for effect until she started giggling at his actions and she finally threw a pillow at him. "Get dressed before they kick us out here or else you're walking to the hotel like that."

"Yes dear, " he said with a smile and pulled his clothes on. Twilight trotted over to the mirror and carefully brushed her mane to get it back in place.

Check in at the hotel went smoothly. The front desk clerk, being a sophisticated Manehattenite, didn't bat an eye when he saw that Twilight and Rick were sharing a room under the "Hearts and Hooves" special the hotel was running. This was after all a high class joint and they catered to a discerning clientele. It would simply be unseemly to act surprised or shocked by one of the Elements of Harmony sharing a room with the mysterious human whose exploits in Equestria were just beginning to be known outside of Ponyville and Canterlot. No, he would do what all of them did, get drunk later on and gossip like hell to all his friends.

The room was nice, a little on the fancy side but Twilight paid for a little bit of luxury and the oversized bed that easily could sleep 3 ponies.

"So, what's the first thing we do?"

"The first thing we do is have dinner, and it should be here any time now, " Twilight said. As if hearing her, there was a knock on the door and the room service waiter brought in a cart with a couple of domed silver platters. He set up the small table with all the accessories and placed the platters on the table before removing the lids and stowing them under the cart.

"Please leave this outside the door when you're finished, " the room service waiter said. Twilight tipped him a couple bits, he smiled politely and left.

"Quite the elegant setup for such a simple meal, " Rick joked. It wasn't that the food didn't look good but grilled fish with steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes didn't exactly deserve the fancy treatment with the silver platters and everything.

Twilight shrugged and just said, "I wanted a quiet dinner tonight, just the two of us and didn't know that it would be set up this elaborately."

"Well don't think I'm complaining because I'm not. This is very thoughtful not to mention intimate, " Rick said as they sat down and started on their meals. After a couple bites Rick said, "I need to find out how they prepared this fish, it's incredible, it just melts in your mouth."

"I'm sure if you ask nicely you can find out, " Twilight said with a smile.

Once they were done, the empty plates were placed back on the cart and it was placed outside the door for the room service ponies to pick up later. "So what's on the list of things to do now?"

"Honestly, for tonight after dinner there was no plan."

"Are you kidding me? Little miss checklist for everything didn't have a plan for tonight?"

"I wanted to try to be a little more spontaneous like you. I thought you'd like it, " Twilight said a little hurt.

"C'mere, " Rick said opening his arms and beckoning her to come. She approached a little uncertainly but his warm smile and implied promise of a warm hug in those wonderful arms of his was enough to sway her. As she hoped, Rick wrapped her in his loving embrace. He stroked her mane, just like she liked it and placed a reassuring kiss on top of her head before speaking. "It's not a question of liking it or not liking what you're doing for me this weekend. I like what you've done for me so far, I appreciate the hell out of it and I'm so incredibly thankful that my fillyfriend wants me to have a great weekend with her. But if you want to try being spontaneous, I would rather you do it for yourself because you want to see what it's like and not because you think it's what I want. If you want to try something new, it should be because it's what you want to do. Now if it's because you want a little chaos in your life instead of rigid order, then I'm your man. But I'd be just as happy if you kept your ordered, disciplined and regimented way if that is what makes you happy. And when you're happy, I'm happy. And if there's something that I do, or say or whatever that makes you happy then all the better for it. Now, what do you feel like doing tonight?"

"I'd like to see Time's Square. I've heard so much about it and since we're here it would be a shame to miss it, " Twilight said with a smile.

"Then Times Square it is, " said Rick not hearing the difference between "Times" and "Time's".

Twilight reached up for a kiss, Rick returned it happily and they left to visit the world famous Time's Square in Manehattan. Rick was expecting a ponified version of the Times Square back home with maybe some magical neon type signs but when they got there it really wasn't what he expected.

"Clocks?" he said looking around. But yes, that's all it was. For some strange reason Time's Square was the centre of the clock making industry in Manehattan and it was dominated in the centre of the square by the largest clock he had ever seen.

"Isn't it great?" Twilight said excitedly. This is literally where time in Equestria is set. Every clock here is set to exactly the same time as the big master clock there, " she said pointing to the huge clock in the square. "And then every other clock in Equestria is set according to these clocks! Ponies from all over Equestria get their time from here!"

"Okay, that is pretty cool. We've got... something similar back home. Not quite the same thing but the idea is the same."

"Of course, everypony needs a central location so we all know what time we set our clocks to, " Twilight said with pride. They wandered around the area, looking into the windows of various clockmakers and clock repair shops. Strangely enough to Rick there was actually a fair amount of ponies here so obviously Times Square, or Time's Square as the case may be, is popular in both their universes.

As they were walking, Rick caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and for a moment was convinced he had seen Derpy the mailmare and Time Turner a.k.a. Doctor Whooves duck into an alleyway. But when they passed it, it was empty. "I could have sworn I saw them duck in here, " as he looked into the dead end alley.

"Sorry, what are you looking for?" Twilight asked.

"Oh nothing. I guess my eyes were just playing tricks on me. So, where to next?"

"Do you mind if we go back to the hotel? It's been a long day for me and I'd like to go to sleep soon."

"Not a problem Twilight, anything you want."

They made their way back to the room. Got ready for bed and were too tired to do anything other than cuddle a little before Twilight fell asleep in Rick's arms and he followed her shortly after.

The next morning, Rick awoke to find Twilight pouring over a map and marking down places on a scroll. "Morning you, looking for landmarks?"

"Oh! I didn't wake you did I?" Twilight asked a little unsurely.

"Nonono, I'm okay. You been up long?"

"About an hour or so, I was so excited I couldn't sleep any more. Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!" she said as she trotted over to Rick, jumped into bed and gave him a sensual good morning kiss.

"That's a very nice way to wake up, " he yawned once they separated. "Sorry about that, it had nothing to do with the kiss. So, how about a cup of coffee, I'll take a shower and then we head out for breakfast. Deal?"

"Deal!"

These rooms had equipped an alcohol burner and teapot for the express purpose of making tea which any sophisticated Manehattenite took seriously. Neither Rick nor Twilight really cared for this but it was perfect for boiling the water to use in his French press. One cup of coffee later and the world started to come back into focus for Rick.

"Okay, time for a shower. Would you care to join me, " he said with an exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows.

Twilight giggled for a moment and was sorely tempted to do so but instead declined saying, "you should conserve your strength. I've got plans for you tonight."

"Oh please, I'm a long way off from even being 30 and I might not be 16 anymore that doesn't mean I'm only good for one shot a day. Besides, it's Hearts and Hooves day, what better way to start it off than with hot, sweaty sex in the shower?"

"A tempting offer, " Twilight said trying to steer her thoughts to more mundane subjects while trying not to look at his body that was only wearing his boxers at the moment. She had a schedule to keep and sex with her coltfriend in the shower was not part of it. "But I'm going to pass. We have a lot to see today."

"You're sure there's nothing I can say or do to convince you otherwise?" he said, noticing the slow blush colouring her cheeks or how her tail was starting to swish back and forth.

"Positive, " she said very proud of her ability to keep her more base desires in check when need be.

"Okay, but don't forget I did offer, " he walked over and looked like he was going to give her a small peck on the lips but in the middle of it he grabbed the back of her head and it became a lot more passionate. As they kissed his mouth opened and hers followed suit, his tongue invaded her mouth and slid around hers before she finally succumbed to it and followed suit. And just as quickly as it started, it ended.

Rick stood up and walked away, Twilight had to blink a few times before she realised he had divested himself of his boxers while they kissed and she now had a glorious view of his butt as he walked slowly and deliberately towards the washroom. When he got to the door, he turned halfway so he was partially on display, threw her a wink and blew her a kiss before walking in and starting up the shower.

As he stood there under the running water, he heard the shower curtain move and Twilight in her human form get in the shower with him.

"Well this is an unexpected surprise. I was thinking you'd still be a pony, " he said his arms going about her waist, pulling her towards him and kissing her neck and shoulder.

"I thought the shower was too small for a pony and a human, I take up less space this way, " she breathed before letting herself be swept away.

The rest of the day was spent doing the typical touristy things that ponies do in Manehattan but with a Twilight flair. That meant a lot of museums, trips to Central Park where she happily examined the local flora and fauna and a visit to numerous historical buildings all of which were educational but considering they were in Manehatten Rick was hoping for something a little more fun. However, Twilight was enjoying herself so much with all this it just made the whole experience that much better.

Dinner was at the famous "Cafe on the River" and it was decked out in Hearts and Hooves decorations, the lighting was soft and understated and there was a live band playing romantic music. Their table was ready and there were a few murmurs from the ponies as Rick passed by, but nopony was rude about it or stared longer than was necessary.

Shortly after sitting down, the waiter came by with a bottle of wine and a small plate of escargot stuffed mushroom caps for each of them. Rick was about to say that they didn't order this but Twilight quickly said that their meal had been planned ahead. This was followed by a wild mushroom soup and finally the main course was a half-lobster served with a kind of rice pilaf and steamed veggies.

"This was a very good choice Twi, " Rick said once they had finished. But the meal wasn't over. The dessert was some deliciously creamy ice cream served with some warm, spiced fruit and a splash of brandy. It only came with one spoon so the implication was clear, this was meant to be shared.

They alternated with Rick feeding a spoonful of it to Twilight before taking a spoonful of it himself. It was terribly intimate and romantic and over much too soon. Before they were done, Rick leaned in for a kiss and gave Twilight a short lick by the side of her mouth as well. "You still had a little ice cream by the corner of your mouth. It was a shame to let it go to waste."

"Thank you, " Twilight said as she also leaned in and did the same thing.

"Thanks for getting me as well, " Rick said with a smile.

"Oh no, you didn't have any there. I just felt like kissing you, " Twilight responded and stuck out her tongue slightly before dissolving into giggles.

They paid their bill and hurried over to the theatre where they got to their seats moments before the house lights came down and the play started.

The Broadneigh play of "Dragons" was interesting, dealing as it was with a group of alley dragons who sang about life in the big city and something about getting their wings so they could fly away. At the end, the oldest dragon helped one of them get their wings and he flew away to symbolically start his new life. All in all, Rick preferred "Cats" but this was close enough in both tone and story.

Twilight trotted out of the theatre with a smile on her face and humming the main theme. "Wasn't that just great? I've never been in an Broadneigh audience before!"

"Yeah it was really nice, and one of these days we'll have to go to New York and see a Broadway play. See if the feeling is the same."

They walked down the street towards the river where the Boardtrot was. It was quiet even with all the other couples walking along, lost in the views or more often than not lost in their special somepony's eyes. Rick was surprised to see a few interspecies couples including a griffon and dragon. But he was more interested in the pony trotting along next to him. He reached down and gently ran his fingers through her mane. She rubbed up affectionately next to him. They walked along in silence, no words needed to be said right now so they communicated through touch. After a good twenty minutes of walking they wound up on a bench by the side of the river and decided to just sit, watch the water, the boats and the couples go by.

Rick had his arm around her shoulders, she was leaning in next to him with her head resting on his shoulder. He in turn rested his head against hers. It was a slightly odd way of sitting but they found it cozy. Twilight closed her eyes and sighed happily.

"I know that sound. That's the sound a pony makes when she's truly happy. I remember you making that sound when we went stargazing which led to our very first night together, " Rick said before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Twilight squirmed happily, not only because of the kiss, but because Rick had remembered their first time.

"I'd like to thank you for a wonderful two days." Rick turned his head slightly so he could look her in the eyes. "I'm... truly touched by what you did and what you went through in order for us to have the perfect Hearts and Hooves day, " he reached out and cupped her cheek before leaning in and kissing her softly, but passionately. He pulled back, still looking into her eyes and smiled at the love reflected back at him from those large, violet coloured orbs. "I love you Twilight Sparkle, more than I ever would have thought possible. You are my special somepony for now and forever."

They came together for another kiss, this one mirroring how they felt and it quickly escalated from there. Rick had a burning need for his mare right now and Twilight was barely keeping control of herself. Breathing hard, they pulled apart but didn't want to stop. The hotel was only a few minutes away and they made it back to their room in no time flat.

Placing the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, Rick practically ripped his clothes off in his haste to get to the action. It didn't help that Twilight, also eager to start, was trying her best to remove his clothes as well so they frequently got in each other’s way.

Finally free of their clothes they came together, flesh to flesh, kissing passionately. Rick's hand travelled down her nicely sculpted flank to reach under her tail and feel Twilight was just dripping with arousal. She grunted slightly and bore down on his hand, trying to extract as much pleasure out of it that she could. He tickled her outer lips and she moaned her desire into his mouth. But when she reached for his cock, he gently pushed her hoof away and pulled back.

"None of that yet, " he said. Twilight looked a little confused and gave a slight mew of disappointment when he removed his hand from between her legs. "Babe, you've done everything for me in the past two days so tonight that means that it's my turn to do something for you." Rick gently lay her down on the bed and pulled her closer to the edge so her hind legs were hanging off the bed. He leaned down and kissed her one more time before standing up to just look at her, gloriously available and ready on the bed.

"You are so cute, you know that?" Rick said as Twilight lay spread out on the bed. She blushed adorably, bringing one hoof shyly to her mouth. Keeping his eyes on her, he kneeled down, licked his fingers, tasting her juices on them and then brought his hand to her marehood before gently running it across her lips. The look on her face was priceless as she closed her eyes, threw her head back and let out a deep sigh. Slowly, gently, he continued his manual exploration while he judged his work by her reactions.

He dipped one finger into her and gently massaged it around getting it all nice and lubricated before bringing it back out and running it around her clit. She trembled at the touch, biting her lip to keep from moaning out loud. "Babe, " he called out to her. She looked at him with a faraway expression. "Don't hold back. I want to hear you enjoying yourself. Don't worry about anypony hearing us, it's Hearts and Hooves day. I'm sure there are plenty of ponies here doing the same thing we are."

This time he dipped two fingers into her, moving them gently in and out causing her to rock her hips in response before bringing them out and slowly rubbing her clit. She cried out sharply when he did this but then settled into a sound halfway between a coo and a moan. "That's my girl, " he said with a smile.

His fingers once again slipped into her hot, moist depths, she arched her back in response. Twiddling them around a bit brought a squeak to her lips before settling down to a gentle hum. Her eyes were closed, she was getting lost in the feelings and sensations that her coltfriend was giving her. When his fingers again pulled out and massaged her clit she knew what to expect and didn't shout out but couldn't stop herself from shaking a bit and a giving a long guttural moan.

Rick felt it was about time to stop teasing her and seriously get down to business. Two fingers thrust into her marehood and pumped away while he tickled her clit using his other hand. Twilight gave a series of cries as she neared her orgasm. Her vocalisations grew more and more frantic as she got nearer and nearer. Rick was working her pussy as hard and as fast as he could trying to get her off before his arms or hands cramped up and then with a mighty shout Twilight came.

Her body trembled and Rick felt her inner walls spasm and flex around his fingers, trying to pull him in deeper. He continued to gently play with her until she begged him to stop. Rick gladly obliged and leaned over to kiss her and brush her sweaty mane from her face.

"How was that?" he asked.

"Mmmmmm, " she stretched and shuddered slightly before kissing him back. "That was nice. Thank you, " she smiled and caressed his face with her hoof. She glanced down to see his painfully hard dick was practically throbbing, not to mention oozing pre-cum. "Oh, do you need some relief?" she said gently grasping it and giving it a small tug.

Rick grunted at her touch. "I'm on a bit of a hair trigger right now after all that, " he breathed. "It's not going to take a lot to get me off so unless you want me making a mess all over you, I suggest you stop that."

"Then why not come up here and see what I can do about it?" Twilight said while opening her mouth and waggling her tongue a bit. Rick needed no better invitation for this. She had him lie down on the bed, then lay between his legs so her head was right above his erect member. Grasping it at the bottom with her hooves she stuck out her tongue and slowly licked it, starting from the base until she got to the top. Swirling her tongue a bit around the head, she continued to lick down the other side.

Twilight gave the head a light kiss, before placing sloppy kisses all over it. The combination of her warm lips, spit and tongue were driving Rick crazy but they weren't enough to send him over the edge. He resisted the urge to guide her mouth directly to his cock so she could take it in her mouth. Stroking it lightly in her hooves she teased, "does this feel good big guy? Do you want me to suck your cock and come in my mouth? Have me swallow every last drop? Is that what you want?"

"Fuck yes and you want it as much as I do. Don't try to deny it, " Rick growled.

"So what will you do for me?' she said giving it a lick that made Rick grit his teeth and tense up.

"I will lick your plot until you cum then I will rut you like an animal until you can't take it and then rut you some more!"

Twilight shivered at the thought of this. "I think that can be arranged, " she whispered huskily before slowly lowering her head over his member and finally taking him in her mouth. Rick sighed and then moaned slightly as Twilight bobbed her head up and down. In some ways she enjoyed this more than when he was inside her as it gave her almost total control over the whole thing. That's not to say she didn't enjoy it when they made love but there was just something... more intimate about this that regular bucking couldn't match.

Rick started to grunt a couple times and she felt him tense up so she got ready and it wasn't long before he cried out, "I'm coming!" and he shot off in her mouth. She swallowed several times before using her tongue and lips to squeeze out the last few drops. Twilight gave a small filly like burp and giggled saying, "you taste like the lobster we had for dinner."

"Good to know, " Rick said as she crawled up his body until she was lying on top of him, her face just inches from his own. His arms went about her and she kissed him. This was his least favourite part of when she blew him but then she never minded much when he'd kiss her after licking her plot so he felt it was a small price to pay.

"I know a way you can get that taste out of your mouth, " she said wickedly.

"Okay, a deal is a deal."

Twilight practically spun around until she was facing the other way and he was face to nethers with her. He grasped her by the tail and pulled her a little bit closer so he could reach her marehood then planted a big kiss right on it. Twilight squirmed happily at the contact. Bringing his hands up he gently parted Twilight’s folds and gave her slit a nice, slow lick.

Twilight gave a shudder and a soft moan escaped her lips. Rick continued to lick up and down before driving his tongue in as deep as he could. He swirled it around a bit before pulling back, licking around her lips and giving her clit a little swipe.

She jumped slightly at the contact, then just sighed and rested her head on his leg. He continued his slow ministrations of her marehood, taking his time and letting her pleasure build slowly because he knew that when her orgasm built slowly, she'd cum really hard.

Still licking, with the occasional trip to her clit to keep her stimulated Rick slowly let her arousal grow. Her constant moans and mews were music to his ears. Slowly, her hips started to rock, pressing herself down onto his tongue and smearing her juices all over his face. He grabbed her tail, holding her firm which only caused her to cry out more.

"Oh, sweet Celestia! Please don't stop! Oooohhhh! In Celestia's name... I love you... ooohhhh yes... just like that!" Twilight gasped as her coltfriend continued to bring her closer and closer to what she knew was going to be a mind blowing orgasm. He was so gentle, so thoughtful but so forceful at the same time. They had learned a lot about each other in the time they had been together, not the least of which was how to properly pleasure the other one. Rick almost had this down to a science, based partially on what she liked but also on her reactions to what he did.

Feeling it was about time, Rick grasped hold of her hips with both hands, brought his lips directly to her clit and forcefully tongued it. That was all she needed and she climaxed like a roman candle. Her entire body shaking with the force of it as yelp after yelp escaped her lips. Rick was rewarded with a mouthful of her juice which he swallowed eagerly and he continued to gently lick at her lips trying to extend this as much as he could. Shaking slightly as the aftershocks coursed through her system, she lay there breathing heavily.

She slipped off of Rick and half pulled herself around while being helped by her coltfriend. Through heavy lidded eyes she looked at him and smiled. He smiled back, and brushed some of her mane from her face. They kissed, she tasted herself on his lips, she ran her hoof over his face and he gently played with one of her ears.

"Do you love me Twilight?" Rick asked with a smirk.

"Mmmm hmmmm, " she responded with a dreamy smile.

"Are you ready for round two?" he asked.

She looked at him a little uncertainly but when he took her hoof and placed it on his dick which had come back to life after eating her out, she gave it a bit of a tug, smiled, kissed him and said, "ready whenever you are."

Making sure she was comfortable, Rick got on top and positioned himself over her slit. With one hand he brought himself to her entrance and slowly worked the head over her lips to get himself lubricated. Finally, with a firm push he entered her all the way until he bottomed out and they were joined. Twilight sighed, he was the perfect fit. Not too big so that it hurt, not too small so that she couldn't feel it. They kissed passionately while he just lay there inside of her, both of them getting used to the sensation. But soon he had no choice as their desire grew and he started rocking his hips in a slight circular motion. Twilight closed her eyes and gasped as he did this, she loved it when he started slow before he really started getting going. She just felt filled up with his love. At no point did she ever feel he was only doing this for himself. No, his goal was her pleasure as much as his own which was so unlike the stallions she had been with before. She'd barely get warmed up before they were done. But this one, always ensured that she had climaxed at least once before he allowed himself to.

Twilight drew him down for another kiss, then kissed her way along his jawline to his neck and then to that part where his neck met his shoulder. She continued to kiss and nuzzle him there, occasionally running her tongue over it. She had no idea what that part was called and neither did Rick but she loved kissing him there and he didn't seem to mind either.

"Fast or slow?" Rick whispered. Twilight smiled at this, he always got so quiet when they made love and barely spoke above a whisper or the occasional growl. He was vocal, he just wasn't loud about it.

"Anyway you want, " she whispered back, right now just savouring the delicious feeling of him sliding in and out of her.

"Let's try to make it last then, " and with those words Rick continued his slow pace which was broken up with the occasional kiss, lick or nip to the lips, throat or shoulder.

This was always a nice and intimate way to do it because except for the occasional flash which caused his or her eyes to close, they were constantly looking at each other. He loved the look on her face and the occasional slow blush that spread across her cheeks when he smiled wickedly and she adored the fact that his complete attention was on her.

Occasionally, he'd return to his circular hip motion which meant his coarse pubic hair would grind around her clitoris sending silvery sparks shooting though her system. At one point she tensed up as if feeling she was going to suddenly climax but Rick pulled back at the last moment leaving her teetering on the edge. She looked at him blankly, her mind partially clouded by the near orgasm. He just chuckled at that and said, "not yet babe, just a little while longer."

"Ooohhhhh, you're a wicked, wicked man. Just don't stop whatever you do, " she moaned as her arousal mounted.

After a few more moments of this, he stopped and shifted position pulling her on top. She smiled knowing how much she loved this position and knowing also how much he loved it too. It was a little awkward, but they managed to do it without him falling out of her. Shifting her hips slightly to get more comfortable, she rested her front hooves on his chest and started to rise and fall, pushing him as deeply into her as possible.

Rick's hands immediately went to her rump, first tracing his fingers around her cutie marks which gave her a little thrill. Nopony had ever done that to her and it was surprising considering how good it felt. However it wasn't long before his hands grabbed a hold of her butt and squeezed the flesh back there. She did have a nice backside and Rick complimented her on it often. She knew what was coming next and prepared for it as much as she could.

With a firm slap, he gave her backside a spank which caused her to whinny in pleasure. The other hand gave another slap to the other cheek, causing her to whinny again. "Do it again, " she whispered, her eyes closed. Once again a slap to one cheek and a slap to the opposite. Each one caused a thrill to run through her body, intensifying the sensations of her lover's penis currently sliding in and out of her.

Twilight started to writhe about on top of him and he knew from the way she was reacting that this time there was no holding her back. "Give it to me hard, " she moaned. "I need you to rut me hard." She scrambled off of him and got in position, her hind legs on the floor and her front resting on the bed. "Hurry, please!"

Rick wasted no time in getting behind her, before sliding in, grabbing hold of her tail and just pounding away. Twilight cried out at this new assault and started crying out, "yes! Yes! Oh buck me harder! Oh Celestia! Almost there... yes... yessss... " and she screamed into the mattress as her third orgasm exploded within her. She felt the distant sensation of warmth shooting into her and she knew that Rick had finally climaxed as well but it paled in comparison to the sense shattering sensation of her third orgasm of the night. She felt euphoric, not just because of the orgasm but because it was her loving coltfriend that had given this to her. Slowly she came down, feeling her legs trembling with the strain of holding herself up.

He slipped out of her, took her in his arms and kissed her gently. They managed to make it back onto the bed where they cuddled in that warm fuzzy moment post-coitus.

"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, " she whispered before kissing him back.

"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day indeed, " Rick responded, squeezing her tightly in his embrace.

"You lied to me you know, " Twilight said matter of factly.

"Excuse me? What do you mean?"

"You said you'd rut me until I came and then rut me some more. Seems to be you still owe me a rutting, " she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Sorry your honour. But I distinctly remember saying I'd rut you like an animal until you couldn't take it and then rut you some more. That does not mean the same thing, " Rick responded with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll let it slide this time, but next time you won't be so lucky, " she said tapping him gently on the chest with one of her hooves.

"So long as there is a next time, I think I can handle that, " he drew her close and kissed her long and hard. "I love you Twilight Sparkle."

"I love you too, " she said dreamily before laying her head down on the pillow and letting sleep and exhaustion take her away.

S.A.F.E

The world of Equestria is filled with many different sentient creatures and others that are less intelligent but still a far cry from the dumb animals on Earth. Yet, even with this diversity a lot of ponies refuse to associate with non-equines out of fear, mistrust, prejudice or just plain ignorance. It's for this reason that the group S.A.F.E. was created. The acronym stood for "Species Acceptance For Equestrians" and it was composed of those ponies and others that felt that other species were being unfairly maligned or excluded from Equestrian society even if they should have the same rights as everypony else.

Precious Gem, of Ponyville, had heard of this group and being the young, socially conscious but impeccably styled mare that she was felt that she could make a difference in this group. Her goals were pure in that she believed that all species and races could live together in harmony and had to look no further than her parents or her extended family. She was a unicorn, sired by a dragon and another unicorn or at least she thought this was the case. While she shared her father's draconic colouration and her mother's horn, she had in fact been sired by an earth pony who she currently thought of as her uncle. He wasn't really her uncle, but their families were so close that he and his wife and their foals had been there her entire life and it was just easier to call them her aunt and uncle than Twilight Sparkle and Rick. And they were the other interspecies couple that showed that they could live together as ponies did even if one of them wasn't born a pony.

Rick had been born on Earth as a human and through a spell cast by Twilight Sparkle had found the doorway from his bedroom connecting to the library here in Equestria. At first, as Gem understood it, he was human when he came to Equestria. But now he was human only on Earth and a pony in Equestria just like Twilight was a pony in Equestria and a human on Earth. In fact, anypony going through the portal arrived on Earth as a human. It was part of the magic that Princess Celestia had set up on it when she created it.

So it was that she became the Ponyville representative for S.A.F.E. They held meetings, demonstrations, and tried to educate ponies on why some non-equines were just as good as any other pony out there. It was at one of these meetings that she saw a familiar face hiding in the background so she made sure she had to speak to him before he snuck off at the end.

"Sterling! I'm so glad you could make it to our meeting. You should join! Your sire and dam make you perfect as a spokespony for this group."

Sterling looked a little uncomfortable with this. He snuck in for a reason and that was so that Precious Gem wouldn't notice him. He wasn't really interested in joining the group so much as he was just interested in meeting some young socially minded filly around his age. Actually it didn't matter if she was socially minded so much as she was an activist of some sort because he had heard from his friends that they had a tendency to be an easy rut. However there were only older stallions and mares here so he wanted more than anything else to leave but Precious Gem found him and he needed to think fast.

"Oh yeah... I've been thinking of that a lot lately. I mean Mom and Dad are great even if they're not really interspecies when you think about it. I mean they're ponies here and humans there so..., " he said a little evasively.

"That doesn't matter. They were different when they met and fell in love just like my parents. You really should join and maybe you'll even meet a young filly. We get them all the time although I don't know where any of them are tonight. Recently there's just been a huge upsurge in the fillies wanting to meet stallions and colts that aren't ponies. I guess they see the lives that my parents have made, your parents have made and even Apple Bloom and her human friend. And, you're part human too so that ought to count for something right?"

Sterling thought about it and it totally made sense to him. He was part human and if fillies were looking for a human style coltfriend then he could be that guy. "Yeah, that sounds cool, " he said as casually as he could. He didn't want to look too eager for this but at the same time he didn't want to look like he was disinterested either.

"Great! Here's some flyers, could you put them up around your school tomorrow? If we get enough colts and fillies to join then we'll be better positioned later on. Oh this is going to be so great, us working together like this, " Precious Gem said with a smile. Sterling accepted them, promised he would put them up tomorrow and left the meeting to go back home.

Walking back through the portal, he stashed the flyers where his parents couldn't see them before getting dressed and making his way upstairs. As usual, he found his Dad in the kitchen fussing over dinner. Sterling loved his Dad, but never could figure out why he was such a perfectionist in the kitchen when he was totally not like that in any other part of the house. "Hey Dad!" he called out as he walked into the kitchen to see what he was making. Glancing into the pot he noticed the tomatoes and olives simmering gently in what appeared to be a red wine sauce. "Are we having Mediterranean Chicken tonight?" he asked in a slightly upset way.

"Hey Sterling. Yes it is and is there a problem with that? Not that it matters because that's what I'm making and you're free to make whatever you want if you want something else."

"Nah, I'm just thinking that we're ponies and maybe we ought to be more... vegetarian or something."

"On this side of the portal, you're human even if your mother is a unicorn. And we don't eat like this in Equestria so we keep all veggie over there, but over here we don't. So is there a reason for this sudden gastronomic change?"

"Nah, I was just... thinking of other things."

"Good, it should be done in about 20 minutes. So if you could set the table and let your mother know we can eat then."

"Okay, " he sighed before going upstairs to throw his things in his room. On the way he stopped off in the study to say hello to his mother who currently had her nose stuck in a book. "Hey Mom, " he said coming forward and giving her a hug and kiss in greeting.

"Hello Sterling, " Twilight said as she greeted him in kind. "How was your day?"

"Okay I guess. Nothing too exciting. Dad says we're going to be eating in 20 minutes and to let you know."

"Thank you dear, I'll be down soon, " Twilight said before going back to her book. In reality Sterling knew he'd have to come get her when the time came for them to eat. If there was one thing that happened when his mother was reading, it was she lost track of time.

He threw his stuff into his room and puttered around for a bit before heading back downstairs to set the table. As usual he did have to go back to tell his mother that dinner was ready once his Dad started plating everything.

"Chicken tonight?" Twilight asked as she was seated and served. It had been several years since she finally had made the transition to eating poultry. The change had been less due to cultural norms than it had been to simple pragmatism. She ate eggs and chickens weren't what anybody or anypony could call a sentient species especially in Equestria so she tried it one night and liked it. Admittedly she felt a little strange after but that was more cultural than anything else. Rick happily started including chicken as part of their meals from then on in although it was still not that common a dish. She still didn't like beef or pork as she felt they were a little too close to being ponies with the four feet and all.

"Mom? Dad? I gotta question for you guys, " Sterling asked partway through his meal. "Did you guys face any... problems when you were first dating? Did like ponies look down on you, or not accept you because you two were so different?"

"You're full of questions tonight. There a reason for this?" Rick asked.

"No, just wondering because I ran into Precious Gem earlier today and it got me to thinking that her folks are different, and they were mostly accepted but you guys were like the first ones right?"

"We were the first in recent times and it wasn't all smooth sailing. While most ponies in Ponyville accepted me as a person and the two of us as a couple, there were quite a few that felt that your mother should be with another pony and that I should go back to the jungle with the other monkeys. But as time went on and more ponies got to know me, the number of neighsayers fell. And then by the time we had come back to Equestria, those sentiments were pretty much gone and everypony was fine with me."

"There were still a few that resented you, but once you showed up as a large imposing earth pony they were too afraid to say anything. And the mares that didn't approve of you as a human suddenly did an about face." Twilight turned to her husband and asked, "do you remember Honeysuckle?"

"Honey coloured mare with the apiary? Three bees as her cutie mark?"

"That's the one. When you first showed up she was one of the ponies trying to get rid of you. She didn't want you to know because like most of those ponies, she was afraid of you so she would talk behind your back. When you turned into a stallion she changed her tune and was suddenly interested."

"So was half of Ponyville. A new stallion shows up and suddenly every mare for miles around suddenly needs to get to know him. Even though we were married and I made it clear that we were, I got propositioned three times at the party that first night back. And no, I'm not complaining about that, " Rick said with a grin.

"You shouldn't. I had to field about a dozen requests to get you to stud that night."

"Ewww! Gawd! I don't want to hear about that!" Sterling complained.

"It's a fact of life in Equestria buddy and when you're finally of age you're going to be on the receiving end of it and your foals are going to be saying the same thing to you. But yeah, back to the point. Eventually most of Ponyville got over the fact we were interspecies. By the time we came back they seemed to have accepted this and just look at Spike and Rarity. Their relationship has not hurt them in the least in fact Rarity says that it's actually helped her business."

"How would marrying a dragon help her business?" Sterling asked.

"Some ponies feel that it makes her more open to new and different ideas so they can ask her to something that a regular seamstress or dressmaker might not consider, " Twilight answered.

"Okay, I guess that's cool and all. Look, I have some homework to do before tomorrow's class so I'll be going upstairs now." Sterling cleared his plate and brought it back into the kitchen before placing it in the dishwasher and then disappearing upstairs.

"Twi? Since when does our son willingly go and do homework?" Rick asked rhetorically.

"I don't know, but he must have his reasons, " she responded as she finished her wine.

"I'm betting all this has something to do with a filly. Earlier, the boy that never turned his nose up at meat didn't like that we were having chicken tonight. I bet you anything that he's got his eye on a filly and he's afraid that if she finds out he eats meat when he's here that she won't like him or something."

"That's possible, or maybe it just means that he needs to find a filly that's more adventurous and doesn't mind that little extra thrill of danger, " Twilight said with a bit of a leer.

"Excuse me? Are you saying that dating me felt dangerous?"

Twilight toyed with her wineglass a little, a slight blush on her face before answering. "Your canine teeth. The first time I saw you had them, you reminded me of a predator. I actually shivered the first time you smiled because you showed all your teeth. Then the first time we kissed, the idea of putting my tongue in your mouth was scary and exciting at the same time."

"Grrrrrr!" Rick growled at his wife, baring his teeth and making claws with his fingers.

"Ooooh scary, " Twilight said without emotion. "Or it would be if I didn't know that underneath it all you're just a big old teddy bear, " she said with a gentle smile.

"Well, I tried, " he said leaning back in his chair and draining the rest of his wine.

"But that's okay, I'd much rather snuggle with a teddy bear on a cold autumn evening than with some ferocious beast."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise later."

"I'm sure you will and I wouldn't have it any other way, " she said with a twinkle in her eye before standing up and helping him clear the table. A quick kiss once the dishes were in the dishwasher, Twilight went back to her books leaving Rick to clean up the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in his room, Sterling was practicing his pickup line in front of the mirror. "Oh hi, my name's Sterling, " he said in what he hoped was his most suave fashion. "I'm new to S.A.F.E. but I think it's such an important organisation. I'm actually half-human myself. No really, my folks... yes that is a human term but my folks are interspecies. My Mom is a unicorn, you might have heard of her, she's 'Twilight Sparkle' and my Dad is the original human in Ponyville. I could show you Earth if you wanted. Sure, it's not a problem. You'll love it over there."

Every so often he would change a line, or his delivery. His goal was to get this down so that when he needed to speak to a filly, he could do so without getting all tongue tied. His hope was that he could not only do this but she would be so impressed that he was half-human she'd overlook certain other weaknesses or problems that he had.

Eventually he started getting tired so he got ready for bed and fell asleep dreaming of a bevy of unicorn fillies all striving for his attention.

The next day, after he had put up the posters at school, he dropped by the Carousel Boutique to speak to Precious Gem and see when the next meeting would be. She unfortunately wasn't there but Rarity was nice enough to let him know.

"Sterling! Darling! Come give your aunt Rarity a kiss!" she called as she saw him enter her boutique. He did as he really liked Rarity. She always made such a fuss over him, giving him compliments and making him feel like a grown up.

"I was actually looking for Precious Gem, is she around?"

"Just one moment dear, let me get her." Rarity trotted to the back of the boutique and a moment later Precious Gem came out front to talk to Sterling.

"Hi Sterling. What can I do for you?"

"I put up the flyers at school like you asked and was wondering when the next meeting would be?"

"Meetings are every week at the same time and place. But you know what? I'm happy that you came and saw me tonight because I'm just on my way to a meeting with some of the other regional members tonight at Sugarcube Corner. I'm sure they'd love to meet the colt of two such famous individuals."

"Sure I guess I could go. Uhmmm, will there be any colts or maybe fillies my age there?" Sterling asked trying to fish for information.

"I believe so. Midnight Sparkler is supposed to come in from Manehatten and Dusty Bottoms from Appleloosa should be there as well. It's also a good night to meet some one of our newest representatives. We've got our first delegate from the Griffon Empire flying in tonight so it should be interesting."

"A griffon? Seriously? Aren't they a little... psychotic?"

"Not all of them are like that, most of them are perfectly normal. It's only the crazy ones that you wind up hearing about."

"I don't know about that. I've heard stories about them. I've never actually met one but then if it wasn't for Spike I wouldn't know any dragons either."

"Trust me Sterling, Glenda is perfectly normal in every way. So if you want to come along, we'll head over to Sugarcube Corner and you can meet the rest of them!" the perky young unicorn said before bringing Sterling with her.

The two of them trotted along the streets of Ponyville, Sterling trying his best to calm his already rapidly beating heart. When they got to Sugarcube Corner he was afraid that he'd start to hyperventilate when something literally took his breath away. He stood in the doorway, frozen as he saw the griffon delegate for the first time in his life. She wasn't what he had expected. Whereas most griffons were bulky and powerful, she was more lithe and slender. When she moved, he was able to make out her muscles as they flowed gloriously under her skin. It made her look a lot more feminine and attractive than he would ever have imagined. He heard a voice calling him from far away before Precious Gem stepped in front of him, cutting off his view and bringing him back to reality.

"Are you okay? You look a little freaked out, " she glanced over to where the griffon was currently talking to some other ponies and completely misunderstood Sterling's reaction. "You don't need to be worried, she's not going to eat you or anything. Come on, I'll go introduce you to her."

Half-pulling, half-dragging Sterling, Precious Gem made her way over to the griffon and called out to her, "Glenda?" The griffon turned to look at Precious Gem and her cargo and noticed that the colt was actively trying not to look in her direction. "This is our newest member in Ponyville, his name is Sterling and he's also half-human."

"Pleased ta meetcha!" Glenda said with a bit of a smile. She held out her front claw for a hoofbump and he returned it a little timidly. "So, yer the son of the famous Twilight Sparkle and the human?"

Sterling nodded his head weakly in response but offered little in response to her.

"Yer the shy type I guess. That's cool, nothin' to be ashamed of. Well, it was nice meetin' ya. I'll probably see you around. Take care Silver, " she said before walking away. Sterling, watched helplessly as she walked over to the refreshment table to get a glass of punch before Precious Gem called the meeting to order. As the representative of Ponyville, it was her meeting to run and she did with all the professionalism at her disposal. She ran through the minutes of the last meeting they had in Manehattan, introduced Sterling to the group as the half-human unicorn which got some impressive murmurs from the crowd and introduced Glenda to the group as well.

One by one, the different delegates talked about what they had accomplished this month and how it was they were trying to advance the values of S.A.F.E. to their respective territories. When this was done they broke off to do whatever networking and paperwork they needed to get done. Sterling was effectively left to fend for himself but his eyes kept being drawn to the griffon as she went about doing her things. It was about that time that a pegasus representative from Cloudsdale sidled up to Glenda and they started chatting. Sterling saw him make a couple comments that got Glenda laughing and the two of them seemed to really hit it off.

Depressed and more than a little embarrassed by it all, Sterling left the meeting feeling like he lost the one chance he would have had with the first non-pony he ever had a crush on. It didn't take long for him to get home, dinner was already ready but he wasn't hungry and just went up to his room. Flopping on the bed, he stared listlessly at the ceiling.

"Sterling dear?" Twilight asked as she knocked on the door, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine Mom, just not very hungry at the moment."

"I'll put your plate aside in the fridge and you can heat it up later if you want."

"Thanks Mom, " he called towards the door and heard his mother leave.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

The next morning he felt better, or at least he felt hungry which pleased his parents to no end. When a teenage boy doesn't eat, there's usually a problem which explains why Twilight was so concerned last night. Sterling instead looked forward to the next meeting of S.A.F.E where hopefully there'd be his special somepony waiting for him. But while he went to every meeting in the hopes that Glenda would show up, she never did and even though several unicorn and pegasus fillies tried to attract his attention he paid them no mind.

Two months later he had finally given up and decided to maybe try with one of the unicorn fillies. He arrived early to the meeting as he did every week to get a good seat when Gem called him over.

"Hey Sterling, glad you're here. Could you help me with something in the back? " she said while ushering him into the back of the hall. She led him to a storeroom filled with boxes and said, "I need some documents for tonight's meeting but I've got too much to do right now. Can you look through these until you find an article from a couple years back talking about Twilight and your Dad?"

"Sure, I guess, " he said looking at all the boxes. "Any idea where it might be?"

"No, sorry. All I was told was if it was here it would be in a box dated sometime in Celestial year 1015. Don't worry if you can't find it but I'd appreciate it if you looked."

"Okay, I'll give it a try. Just make sure nopony uses my seat."

"Sure thing Sterling, and thanks!"

Sterling poured through the boxes trying to find the document in question. But each one he looked at proved not to have it as part of its contents. He had finally gotten to the last box and had his nose stuffed into it when he heard the door open behind him.

"Almost done checking, although I haven't found what you were looking for, " he called.

"Now that's a shame, cause I seem to have found somethin' interestin', " came a voice he never thought he'd hear again. Throwing the box to the side he saw the griffon he had had his eye on and mind for the longest time standing there like something out of a dream.

"Glenda?" he said weakly.

"The one and only Silver. So I guess youse is what Gem sent me to find in this here storeroom. Gotta admit, that is one sharp filly. I never thought she knew, " she said as she slowly made her way towards the young unicorn. The image that came to Sterling's mind was of a lioness stalking her prey. Glenda walked slowly towards him, head bowed, her body almost seeming to flow effortlessly as she moved.

Without wanting to, Sterling backed up a couple of paces until his rump was against the wall and there was nowhere else to go. Had he been a little clearer headed he could have used his horn to escape but his eyes were locked on the predator that was practically on top of him and he was too mesmerised to do so.

Glenda leaned forward and with a surprisingly tender gesture planted a kiss on his lips. This was unexpected but it meant the ice was broken and he timidly leaned forward to give her one in return. It was just supposed to be a peck but Glenda wanted none of this. Her claws flew around his neck and she not only prevented him from leaving but deepened and intensified the kiss.

From her vantage point down the hall, Gem closed the door to the storeroom with a self-satisfied smile on her face and trotted out front to start the meeting.

Author's Notes:

This chapter really started to get away from me at some point charting through not just how Sterling and Glenda met but their dating, consequent meetings with her parents and even going as far as how they'd finally conceive and have a child. Tying all this together was the hard part so with a minor re-write of what I already had I figured it was best to cut this short and work on the other stuff later.

So much for my taking a break from this story.

And yes, I did say Apple Bloom and a human friend. This is a chapter planned later which I'm thinking of potentially turning into another story but we'll see how that goes.

Something different - chapter contains clop

It was a rare night alone for Rick and Twilight. Twyla was off for her first year at the magic academy and Sterling was currently sleeping over at a friend's house for the evening which meant the two adults were alone.

Rick had made a sumptuous dinner for the two of them, they were working on their second bottle of wine and were currently in the midst of a make out session on the couch in the living room.

Twilight sighed as her husband nuzzled at her naked breasts. She stroked his head and occasionally gasped when his tongue tickled one of her nipples. "You sure do love my girls, don't you?" she teased.

"You kidding? They're the primal root of a woman's charms they are. Besides, you don't have these as a pony, " Rick said coming up for air before kissing her fiercely.

She returned the kiss with equal passion. Her desire for this man was just as strong, if not stronger, than it was when they had first admitted their love for each other. There were times she couldn't wait for the end of the day just to be able to see him again and to feel his strong arms surround her. She loved how much attention he paid to her and not simply because she was his wife. No, he saw her as a woman regardless of which form she wore.

"So which you do you prefer? Human Twilight or Pony Twilight?" she asked when they finally separated.

"That all depends on which one is in front of me at the moment, " he replied with a wink. "The only thing that I do miss sometimes is me as a human and you as a pony."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean that's how you looked when I first met you and that was a good year of our time together," Rick said running his fingers through her hair. "There are times I miss those days when we were both younger, falling in love for the first time with each other and just spending every spare moment together."

Twilight smiled before saying, "would you like to give it a try?"

"How? Babe, we're human here and ponies there. Unless you've got a way that I don't change on traversing the portal, I think we'll just have to stay the way we are. Not that I mind as you're still my Twilight no matter which form you're in." Rick leaned over and kissed his wife one more time while she melted into his arms.

"Actually there might be a temporary way to fix that."

"What, seriously? So we'd go to Equestria and I'd stay human while you turned into a pony?" Rick smiled and in his aroused state was pretty eager to give it a shot. "Provided there's no danger or this change isn't permanent or anything."

"No, just a temporary spell like the one I used to cast on myself when I wanted to go human for a bit. C'mon!" she took hold of his hand and led him to the portal. They opened the door and the library was closed. This of course meant that Spike had gone home for the night so they were guaranteed not to be interrupted.

She cast her spell on Rick who felt a slight tingle run over his body. "We now have 1 hour so let's make the most of it!" Twilight said as they both walked over the portal and into Equestria.

"Twi? I think something happened, " Rick in his pony form said while looking up at his wife who was still human. They walked back to Earth and remained exactly the same. "Okay, this is definitely weird."

Twilight went over the spell in her mind but couldn't see what could have gone wrong. Her mistake of course was trying to cast a spell when drunk and she had reversed the integral. Their only hope was to wait it out until the spell ran its course which left them with an hour to kill.

"I guess this kinda kills the mood, " Rick said with just a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Why do you say that? You're still a sexy beast whether you're in your human body or this one, " Twilight said running her fingers through Rick's mane. He snorted a moment and almost stamped on the floor. "Did somepony like that?" Twilight teased as she ran her fingers through his mane again.

"Babe, that is awesome, I never realised how good that felt to be on the receiving end of this." A moment later she was squatting down in front of him, completely naked as she was before but she drew herself to his muzzle and kissed him. It didn't take much coaxing for Rick to kiss her back. The problem was in this form he was a lot stronger than she was and had to maintain a modicum of control.

This felt so different kissing her when he was a pony and she was human. It must feel really strange for her as well. They broke the kiss and stared into each other's eyes. A naked hunger for each other burned deeply within them both and they were more than ready to continue. Without saying a word, Twilight led him up to the living quarters of the library and to her old bedroom. The bed was still there, although rarely used nowadays it brought up such nostalgic feelings that neither one could let it go.

Twilight sat down on the bed and Rick sat down next to her. They started kissing again, Twilight running her fingers through his mane sending little electric shocks down his spine as she did. While one hand worked its way through his mane the other one traced its way down his belly until it rested on his sheath and the penis that lay protected within. Rick nickered slightly as she gently massaged his balls and ran her fingers over his rapidly growing member.

It wasn't long before he was fully erect and stood at an impressive twelve inches. Rather small for an earth horse, but about average for a pony. Twilight grasped it with both hands and slowly jacked him a couple times. "I'm guessing you like this?" she teased.

"Keep that up and you'll see how much I like it. But I can think of better things to do with it however, " Rick said as he pushed her hands away. The last thing he wanted was to come outside of her.

"What do you suggest?" Twilight asked playfully.

"There are certain things we've never done simply because our forms were wrong. We've been presented with an opportunity to do something we might never be able to do again. Think of it as... fucking for science. Something that is purely in the realm of discovery with no reason other than that."

"Yeah, there's the sexy talk that I like. Now talk physics to me baby!" Twilight joked.

Rick gently pushed Twilight down on the bed then positioned his face directly over her vulva. He was intimately familiar with his wife's genitals, but he lacked the fingers he usually used when Twilight was human. On the other hand, his tongue was longer and stronger in this form so maybe it could make up the difference.

While he was looking at her pussy and deciding what to do, Twilight took the incentive to take his stallionhood in her mouth for the first time. Or at least she tried to take him in her mouth. She had faced the same problem in her younger pony days when experimenting with a cute stallion she knew. Even back then, pony dicks were just too big for her to take orally and now that she was human with a smaller mouth it was simply impossible short of dislocating her jaw. She was however able to suck on the tip while she stroked him with both hands.

Rick let out an explosive breath when he felt her lips close around his penis. The warm wetness of her mouth bathing the head of his dick felt incredible. Her soft tongue gently caressed him while her hands stroked the shaft and tickled his balls. He only paused for a moment before leaning down and sticking his muzzle into her sex.

Her scent drove him wild with desire as he brought his nose in close. He had to taste her, to spread her lips with his tongue and lap up her juices like never before. It was messy since he didn't have the fingers necessary to spread her lips apart before attacking her pink insides. But his muzzle more than made up for his lack of digits. With a little work he was able to drive his muzzle right between her folds which left her wide open and ready for his tongue.

Licking gently around her lips he heard her muffled gasps around his cockhead as he licked and probed at her. Sticking his tongue in a little deeper, he probed her depths a lot further than he could have as a human. Twilight shuddered underneath him as his tongue reached places she never would have imagined before. He swept his tongue around until Twilight yelped when he touched one spot.

"You okay?" he asked with concern as he pulled away. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Twilight shook her head and said, "you touched something in there that just sent an shock through my system. It was as if you had touched my clit but on the inside."

"Do you want me to try again?"

"If you don't mind."

So once again Rick placed his muzzle against her dripping pussy and worked his tongue in and around until he found the right spot. Twilight once again yelped but this position was very awkward for him to reach it so he rather reluctantly moved around so he was now facing her. It meant he wasn't getting any more head, but if it meant that Twilight could enjoy this session more he was willing to put up with a little discomfort for the time being.

Again, he brought his muzzle to her sex and licked her juices before driving his tongue into her and massaging her inner walls. It was a lot easier to reach it now and his sensitive tongue proved adept at manipulating whatever it was. He attacked it with abandon while Twilight thrashed about and lost herself in the sensations.

What happened next surprised both of them. Twilight felt her orgasm approaching rapidly but also felt a strange sensation and a need to bear down on it. Her moans and cries of pleasure turned to shrieks as her climax approached, Rick continued to work his tongue and finally she came in a way she never had before. Usually, there was a rush of juice, this time there was a flood of it that blasted into Rick's mouth, he pulled away in surprise as Twilight continued to squirt over and over again before collapsing on the bed, totally spent.

She was breathing heavily but had a dreamy expression on her face, totally oblivious to the mess she had just made and the weird look on Rick's face.

"Uhmmm... babe?" Rick asked.

"Mmmmm?" she purred while gazing at him through half-lidded eyes.

"I think we just found your g-spot."

"Sorry? What was that?"

"I think we just found your g-spot. It's a part of the female reproductive system that when stimulated creates what's called 'female ejaculation' and causes a big mess to be made."

Twilight looked down and noticed the quilt had been soaked through as well as Rick's muzzle practically dripping with her ejaculate. "Wow. That was incredible. I've never felt something so strong in my life, it was like having sex for the first time."

"Glad I could be of help and as I believe you're ready, how do you want it?"

Twilight took a moment to understand what her husband was referring to when she caught sight of his member currently peeking from out of its sheath. "Oh, you poor dear. Waiting on me like that. Let me help you get that ready. Lie down here, " she patted the bed next to her and Rick lay down as requested.

Kissing him passionately on the lips before doing anything else, Twilight tasted her residue before kissing her way down and starting to lick her husband's dick. She grasped it with both hands and ran her tongue over the slowly growing shaft and placed gentle, wet, sucking kisses all over its length. Occasionally she'd tickle his balls or suck a bit on the tip to keep it from getting boring and once he was fully hard she squatted over the head and slowly lowered herself onto it.

There was a moment of resistance as the flat head touched her lips and Rick had to hold himself back from trying to thrust his hips forward but finally, with a gasp, the head penetrated Twilight and she sank down on it. The occasional gasp or grunt escaped her lips as she impaled herself on his massive cock until finally, with a gasp that was halfway between pleasure and pain her hips came to rest on his.

She leaned forward, his hooves went around her neck and they kissed deeply while savouring the feeling of being joined like this for the first time.

"Damn, you're tight, " Rick gasped.

"Damn, you're big, " Twilight replied.

"Finally! We've got to find a way to make this change permanent, " Rick said with a self satisfied smile.

"Don't get your hopes up pony boy. And you're still a good size when you're human, this monster is almost too big for me."

"I'm not hurting you am I?"

"No. Just give me a few moments to get used to this thing before we do anything else."

"Take your time. The way this feels, I don't think I'm going to last long."

"Good because I don't think I could last long like this either. Okay, I'm going to start. Please, if you do start to move, be gentle." With those words Twilight started to slowly rock her hips back and forth, slowly fucking herself on her husband's horse cock.

"Mmmmmm, " she moaned as her face screwed up in what Rick hoped was pleasure. He wanted her to enjoy this as much as he was but that didn't mean a thing if she was hurting herself in the process. "Ohhh, that's good."

Placing her hands on his barrel of a chest, Twilight started to rise and fall on his dick. Her eyes were closed in concentration, it wasn't easy but she had to take this slowly. If she attempted to move too quickly she might get hurt. Rick was breathing hard and it was a struggle for him to ignore his instincts and just rut her like there was no tomorrow. So he lay there, his hooves lovingly caressing his wife as she worked her magic on him.

Twilight's breath was coming in short gasps, her head thrown back and one hand busy playing with her breasts as her other hand supported herself. Her movements started to get erratic, she leaned back and with her free hand tickled her clit which sent her over the top and she orgasmed loudly.

The look on her face as she came and her vaginal walls putting the squeeze on him like never before, Rick had no choice but to cum as well and yelled while he blasted copious amounts of his seed into his wife. There was so much that it spurted out of her pussy and landed on the already soggy sheets over and over again.

Twilight collapsed forward onto Rick's chest and just groaned happily while Rick's hooves continued to caress her.

After a few moments of this, he had shrunk and fallen out of his wife and most of the sperm he had pumped into her flowed rather messily out of her.

"That was incredible, " Rick said as he nuzzled Twilight.

She smiled dreamily at him and lightly kissed him on his muzzle.

"Does anypony use this room anymore?" Rick asked.

"Not really why?"

"Well, it's just that we might have ruined the quilt, the sheets and the mattress and if somepony else is going to be using it we'll need to clean it up before they do so."

"Mmmm, you're right. But we're not doing it now, " Twilight said before pulling herself to her feet with a tired groan. "Right now, we're getting cleaned up. Then I'm going to sleep. But just in case, " Twilight glanced at the window and opened it letting the fresh air in and hopefully it would help to air the room out a bit.

"That'll work." Rick said as he hauled himself to his hooves. "Sorry about all that."

"What are you talking about? The sex was wonderful, " Twilight said.

"I was just commenting on how you were walking. You look a little sore, and you're still dripping."

"It's okay. I'll be fine tomorrow. And it was worth it, " she said as she reached down and ruffled her husband's mane. They made their way downstairs and back through the portal where they remained the same as they were before. A quick shower and they went straight to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as they lay down.

The next morning Rick had returned to normal. Twilight had already gotten up and had left for the day. Rick got up, had a quick cup of coffee before clearing the dirty dishes from last night and cleaning up the kitchen. He decided to check up on Twilight to see how she was holding up and made his way to Equestria.

He found her at her desk, she took one look at him when he came in then blushed furiously while writing something down in her book. Trotting over to her he kissed her and asked, "something wrong babe?"

"Spike is upstairs dismantling the bed. He wants to turn the room into a storage room because the one in the basement is full."

"The bedroom?"

Twilight nodded.

"The same bedroom we made a mess of last night?"

Twilight hung her head in shame and nodded weakly.

"You want me to talk to him?"

If it was possible for Twilight to act any more like Fluttershy she would have done so by now and she gave the barest hint of a nod. Rick gave her a quick hug before going upstairs to see Spike.

"Hey Bro, I popped by and Twi said you might need some help?"

"Oh hi Rick, yeah I figured it was about time to move this old thing. Nopony uses it anymore so it's just taking up space. Besides I think some foals broke in last night to use it."

"Really? What makes you say that?" Rick said evasively.

"The window up there was open this morning and they made a mess of the quilt, the floor, the sheets and the mattress. It's probably for the best that I just bring these outside and burn them all.

"Damn kids, " Rick muttered with as much conviction as he could muster.

"You can say that again. What would their parents think?"

"I don't know, but let me give you a hand with carrying that stuff, " Rick said as he got part of the mattress balanced on his back. Spike held onto the other end and they marched it downstairs to behind the library where Spike incinerated it until nothing was left but some fine ashes.

"It's a shame really, " Rick said as they cleaned up the ashes. "If that mattress could speak, it would have quite a story to tell. Lots of memories of good times." He smiled remembering the times sleeping with Twilight on that mattress as well as the fact that the evidence of last night's escapade had been dealt with once and for all.

"You can say that again. You two sure left some memories on it last night, " Spike said casually.

Rick whipped his head around to look at his younger brother. Spike was currently trying desperately not to bust out laughing having known all along what had happened. "How did you know?"

"Bro, I'm a dragon. This nose, " he said bringing a claw to his snout, "can smell a gem at 100 paces. I can track ponies that have passed through a busy square days before. Catching your scent up there was foal's play. I'd recognise it anywhere. Twilight's however was different. It was almost the same but not quite so I figured she cast a spell to turn herself human and you two went at it."

Rick started to laugh having been caught out and it wasn't long before Spike joined in. "You didn't mention this to Twi did you?"

"No, I didn't want to embarrass her."

"Good choice. Well, I hope you'll keep our secret?"

"I think I can do that for a price, " Spike said with a predatory grin.

"Seriously? You're going to blackmail me?"

"Blackmail is such an unsavoury word. I prefer the term extortion. The "x" makes it sound cool."

"You've been watching too much Futurama. Okay, what's it going to be?"

"Well, first how about a sapphire cupcake down at Sugarcube Corner? Then a free massage every month for Rarity and I get the pick of the best gems she gives you."

"So long as Twilight doesn't find out, I guess I have no choice. Let me get some bits first as I didn't bring any with me. Just come in the library with me, " Rick said. Spike followed him in, finally happy to get one up on his big brother. He really didn't want to do this, but it was all in fun. After the cupcake, he'd say that Rick suffered enough and that he'd drop the rest of the terms. After all, they were practically brothers and Rick didn't deserve to be dragged over the coals for something small like that.

"Hey Twi, got some bits on you?" Rick asked upon entering the library.

"Sure, why do you ask?"

"Well, I figured that since Spike did such a great job on helping get rid of that mattress I'd treat him to a sapphire cupcake down at Sugarcube corner."

"Okay, " she said while giving him some bits. "You two have fun."

"Oh we will, and by the way, Spike knows what happened upstairs last night."

Twilight let out a startled "eep", Spike's face dropped as he lost his only bargaining chip and Rick just smiled at his brother, said "gotcha!" and made his way to Sugarcube corner to get that sapphire cupcake. After all, a deal is a deal.

Author's Notes:

After saying to myself that I'd not write another clop chapter to this, I found myself wondering what would happen if through some accident Twilight was human and Rick was a stallion and how they'd go about having sex. I originally just wrote this for myself, it didn't have a lead in or an ending for that matter but after fiddling with it I think I came up with something novel. It's not often that you read stories on this site where the roles are reversed and it's a human woman and an Equestrian male.

Now I'm hoping this is the last clop chapter I write but you never know. We'll just have to see what my mind comes up with next and whether I can finish up those other three chapters I'm working on.

To Herd or not to Herd

Days at the Magic Academy in Canterlot were filled with studying, learning. practicing magic and more studying. It was only the elite students that were allowed to study there, namely those with great magical ability, great magical potential or those with a suitably noble or noted lineage. Twyla Sparkle was one of these students in that she was one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, had the potential to go even further then she already was and her mother was one of the current holders of the Elements of Harmony. A lot of the students, not to mention the instructors, were intimidated by such a powerful unicorn in their midst. How could they not be? Her mother was the pony who had saved the world, her father wasn't a pony at all and had saved Princess Celestia and she was the first pony in recorded history to turn down being Princess Celestia's personal pupil.

Most ponies avoided her out of respect, fear or thinking that anypony that important would have to be the most stuck up filly in the world. In reality, Twyla was like any other young mare. She craved attention from her peers, wanted to join gossip sessions with the other fillies, wanted a young, strong stallion to cuddle with on those long winter nights and thought that such a thing would never happen to her. In short, she was lonely and her forced isolation from the other students didn't help matters. She withdrew into herself and found a certain comfort and solace in her books which only helped to increase the distance between her and her fellow students.

After a few months of this, the young mare finally had enough and if she couldn't find friends here in the academy, she'd make them. One Friday night, when everypony had finished classes for the week, most first year students gathered in one of the campus pubs known as the "Prancing Pony". Here, fueled by alcohol, youth and being truly on their own for the first time in their lives the students would get down and get crazy. Stallions checked out the fillies, the fillies would pretend not to notice and the dance of courtship would begin. It was into this world that Twyla found herself going to more and more often. She learned the rules very quickly, after all she was very clever and soon her status as being an unapproachable mare changed and ponies were vying for her attention.

Soon she became a bit of a serial dater. She’d hook up with a stallion or filly as her mood dictated and then a week later moved on to her next conquest. Her studies suffered a bit, but she was popular and for the first time since coming here was truly enjoying herself even if she felt like something was missing.

It was here, that she met up with Floral Field. She was a young mare who had managed to get into the Magic Academy for her skill in botany and the ability to not only make plants grow but create viable hybrids of existing plants. Floral Field was part of a typical herd, that being a herd composed of two stallions and four other mares. They had lost a recent member when she had quit school, moved to Manehattan and set herself up as a mime in Central Park and were looking to fill the void she had left.

Floral Field had found Twyla sitting at a table reading a book with a mug of cider by her side. She sidled up to the young mare and decided to make her pitch.

"Hey Twyla, how you doing today?" she said giving the other mare a friendly nuzzle.

"Hi Floral, sorry I was busy and didn't see you come in, " Twyla said giving her friend a nuzzle in return.

"So what you reading?"

"Oh, just a little light reading. It's Professor Lighting Flash's treatise on the current state of interspecies relationships and how they're affecting Equestrian society for the better. I know it's controversial, but I've got a bit of a personal stake in this."

Floral thought about this for a moment before it dawned on her that Twyla's sire was the mysterious human. She filed that away for future reference and decided to get to the reason she was here to see Twyla specifically.

"I've got a question for you Twyla, have you ever considered joining a family group?"

"What do you mean a herd?"

"That's what some ponies call it, but we prefer 'family group' it matches more how we all feel for each other."

"I don't know about that Floral. I mean my family is weird in that I come from a long line of serial monogamists. My grandparents on both sides only had each other, my Dad always wanted to be exclusive to my Mom and I never really considered a herd in my future."

"But it's so much better Twyla. Instead of just having one pony to be with, you have seven. You'll have your choice of two stallions when you want one and they actually care about us. Blazing Steel will actually lick your plot, " she said conspiratorially. Twyla reacted as if such a thing was unheard of and most of the time it was. That was just something that only mares did to each other, but to have a stallion to it was something special. "And on those nights that you want something a little more close to home there are five other fillies who would be more than happy to share your bed." Floral Field blushed slightly after saying that. It was after all her idea to get Twyla to join them in part because she was an attractive filly but also with her magic and her connections it could really benefit the herd.

"So is it just for sex? I mean I can get that whenever I want."

"Nonono... okay yes, sex plays a big part in it but that's not the only reason we're together. We love each other and that means spending time, laughing, playing, eating and all the other things a family do. We think you would really enjoy it and could benefit yourself and us at the same time."

"Oh, I don't know Floral. I mean I like you and you're pretty cute too and the idea of a stallion doing mare things is pretty kinky but I'd have to think about it."

"Tell you what. Why don't you come back with me, we'll have dinner tonight and it's going to be good because I'm the one cooking and Lunar Spell will be helping out. She's really good in the kitchen although she places too much emphasis on fish and seafood. She's from Maresailles and that's how they eat out there."

"Trust me, I'm fine with seafood. My Dad's a great cook and he makes it all the time."

"That's right, your father is the human." She leaned in conspiratorially and asked, "is it true that he eats meat?" Her face was a mixture of fascination and horror at the concept.

"Yes he does, it's a human thing and when I'm over there I do as well, " Floral pulled back slightly and went pale. "Don't worry, the animals over there are dumb and the idea of eating something intelligent or sentient is nauseating so you don't need to worry about me trying to eat you when we're alone." Twyla gave Floral a saucy look and added, "but maybe I could be convinced to do so if you asked nicely."

Floral looked a little confused at this before blushing when the implication of Twyla's words hit her. Feeling emboldened by the violet unicorn's admission, Floral leaned forward and placed her hoof on top of Twyla's. When Twyla didn't pull away she asked, "so does that mean you want to join us?"

"Let's just say that I'm not averse to the idea and would love to meet the rest of this family group of yours." Twyla leaned forward and gave Floral a light kiss on the muzzle before draining the rest of her cider and saying, "ready whenever you are."

The two fillies chatted pleasantly as they walked, flirting occasionally and playfully rubbing shoulders. It didn't take long before they came to a cute little cottage just off the Academy grounds. It wasn't large by any sense of the word but it had a charming & cozy quality about it. Floral walked in, followed immediately by Twyla.

"Everypony, I'm home and I brought a guest!" Floral called. There was a fluttering of wings from upstairs as a pegasus flew down to greet the new arrival. She was about to introduce herself when a self-important voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

"It's about time you got back, Lunar Spell was about to start making dinner without you, " a dusky rose unicorn with a lavender mane said coming in from the kitchen.

"Lunar Spell, this is Twyla... " Floral started to say before Lunar Spell cut her off.

"Yes yes, the one that wants to fill in the gap that Silent Laughter left. Lunar Spell can't help to think she will have a hard time doing so. Come Floral, I've already prepared everything and I'm sure our guest will be hungry soon, " the unicorn said before heading back into the kitchen.

"Is she always like that?" Twyla asked.

"Yes, just go with it. Her mother was a showmare in Maresailles and it was something that she picked up from her. She's really nice once you get to know her."

"Floral! Lunar Spell is waiting!"

"I need to leave, but I'll leave you in the capable hooves of Swift Wind here, " Floral said motioning to the orange coloured pegasus who was hovering above head. "She can introduce you to everypony else.

"As Floral said, don't worry about Lunar. She's a real sweetheart once she warms up to you and judging from how you look, that shouldn't be a problem, " Swift Wind said with a cheeky smile. "C'mon I'll introduce you to the others."

She brought Twyla upstairs to meet the other fillies. "Girls? This is Twyla Sparkle, I'm sure you're aware of her lineage and Floral has brought her home tonight to maybe join our herd. This here is Velvet Orchid, " she indicated a mauve earth pony with a yellow and black mane which resembled the colouring of a the tropical flower. "And over there is Sunny Skies, " she pointed to another earth pony with a light blue colouring and a poofy white mane that reminded Twyla of her aunt Pinkie Pie.

The two fillies greeted her warmly and there were many questions that almost rivaled that of a job interview but in the end they seemed satisfied with their newest recruit. In truth they didn't have much of a word in the final decision as Floral Fields was the head mare and she would be the one to accept or deny Twyla. Floral would of course listen to her herdmates and whether or not the stallions wanted Twyla to join.

There was some noise downstairs and Sunny's face lit up with a smile. "The boys are back!" and she rushed downstairs to say hello to them.

Swift Wind facehoofed at her herdmate's actions. Turning to Twyla she said, "Sunny's a little stallion happy and she's always trying to attract their attention in any way possible. Don't worry, she doesn't mind getting together with one of the fillies but she's a lot more interested in them than in us.

"That's okay. Stallions have their use, but sometimes they get a little too needy and think they own you after your first time with them, " Twyla said. This earned a knowing look between Swift Wind and Velvet Orchid as if it mirrored what they thought as well.

"I think you'll get on just fine here, " Velvet Orchid said before leading Twyla downstairs to meet the two stallions.

Sunny Skies was currently bouncing around the two stallions, one unicorn and one earth pony, in a way that made Twyla think back again to Pinkie Pie. "What is it with earth ponies being a little weird?" she thought to herself. True she was half earth pony by birth but her father was a strange one as well so the whole thing really fit.

"Hey there, " the earth pony with a rock as his cutie mark said. "You must be Twyla. I'm Rolling Rock, and this here is Blazing Steel, " he said indicating the unicorn next to him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, " Blazing Steel said with a half bow towards her.

"Glad to meet you as well, " Twyla responded with a slight blush. Such wonderful manners from Blazing Steel and if he'd do the things that Floral Fields said then maybe she was wrong about stallions and this one might be different.

The two boys unloaded their saddlebags and Sunny Skies immediately grabbed the bags and taking them upstairs while the boys walked into the main room off to the side. Velvet Orchid noticed Twyla looking a little strangely at the blue earth pony's enthusiasm and said conspiratorially, "she's like this all the time. She wants to get first crack at one of them tonight. But if they vote yes, you're the party favour for one of them, possibly both if you're up for it."

"What? At the same time?" Twyla said with a growing smile on her face.

"It's happened, but that's usually reserved for special occasions. And the good thing when that happens is it leaves an uneven number of mares without a partner so we like to get together as well, " Swift Wind said with a grin.

Still smiling, Twyla followed the boys into the parlour to answer whatever questions that had for her.

Dinner went off without a hitch, everypony enjoyed it and since Twyla was the one they were trying to recruit she was the centre of attention which suited her just fine. Eventually they retired to the main room which was large enough for all of them to sit. Floral Fields and the two stallions conversed in the corner quickly before asking the other members of the herd over one at a time. Each member gave their opinion and from the smile Floral Fields kept giving Twyla it was clear that things were going well.

In the end, it was unanimous and all ponies agreed on Twyla being accepted into their family group. Blazing Steel and Rolling Rock stood aside, seemingly discussing which of them would be the one to truly induct Twyla tonight. Twyla hoped it was Blazing Steel. Any stallion that would use his tongue to please a mare was something special. And to her great delight not only was he the one to choose her, but it was the best she ever had... from a stallion.

As they lay there at night, comfortably warm and satisfied, Twyla did think that while he was good and must have had a lot of practice, he still couldn't beat some of the fillies she had had. But she had to admit that he had talent.

In the days and weeks that followed, the novelty of herd life started to fade. That's not to say she was getting bored or wanted to leave. No, it just meant that it became a part of her daily life. She had chores to do according to a schedule that had been set. Every few days she and one of the others would make the evening meal and in the in-between times she learned more about her herdmates both inside and outside the bedroom.

It was during one of these outside the bedroom sessions when Lunar Spell and Twyla were out shopping that Twyla finally broached a subject that had been on her mind for a while.

"Lunar Spell? Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Please my dear herdmate. Ask Lunar Spell whatever it is you wish."

"That's just it right there. Why do you insist on using your full name instead of using some more personal pronouns?"

"What can be more personal than using one's own name?" Lunar Spell said without a trace of irony.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, " Twyla said archly.

Lunar Spell laughed at her little joke. "If we may speak frankly? Lunar Sp..., " she paused for a moment as if needing to change gears and strangely enough she slipped into a more common way of speaking. "I mean you know my mother was a famous showmare a long time ago. 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' she called herself. She was a travelling magician who travelled from town to town and performed for vast crowds of ponies. She always referred to herself using her name or her full title when she felt the need for it. Then around the last time Discord showed up she arrived in Maresailles having been attacked and her cutie mark had been literally burned away."

Twyla couldn't help but gasp at such a terrible thing. A pony's cutie mark was everything to them. Without a cutie mark they were no better than donkeys or cows or any other animals that roamed Equestria.

"She doesn't like to talk about that time and I understand why. A lot of ponies went through hard times but to have that happen is just such a blow to a pony's identity. But I do know that while it was very hard for her, my father helped her get well. He's a doctor there. He healed her body and her spirit. It wasn't long after that they got married. She helped him out in the hospital by taking care of the foals and doing magic for them. She's now the resident hospital magician and I've been following in her hoofsteps, I was her assistant when I was younger and took on her way of speaking."

"You don't need to stop on my account, " Twyla said with a slight blush. "I kinda like it. It makes you different."

"Lunar Spell thanks you, " she said before both fillies dissolved into girlish giggles.

Twyla felt good. This was what she had been missing for so long. She now belonged to something greater than herself and her family. She had herdmates that loved and cared for her and she did the same in response. For the first time since coming to Canterlot to study she felt complete. On impulse she leaned over and kissed her herdmate on the lips.

Lunar Spell reacted with a little surprise, but gave Twyla a smile before asking, "not that Lunar Spell is complaining, but was there a reason for that unexpected kiss my little pony?"

"I just felt like it."

"Works for me, " Lunar Spell said in response before kissing her back and taking her breath away.

"Definitely worth it, " Twyla said enigmatically once she had caught her breath.

"Worth what?"

"Joining the herd. Now c'mon you. We have dinner to prepare tonight." Both fillies raced home with joy in their hearts and looking forward to spending some time with the rest of their family.

Author's Notes:

Here we go, the long anticipated chapter dealing with Twyla and her meeting with Lunar Spell. It's been sitting on the shelf for the longest time because I just couldn't think of an ending. Finally I just changed a minor detail and it seems to have been wrapped up nicely.

And thank you once again to those that have read these stories of mine and continue to read them.

The Apple and the Human

"Howdy Twilight!" Apple Bloom said as she walked into the library. "AJ tol' me that Rick wanted ta see me fer sumthin'? He around?"

"Hi Apple Bloom! Yes, he's got plans for extending the deck in the backyard and wants your professional opinion on the best way to go about it. He might have company so you should also get dressed properly, " Twilight replied.

"Alright, " the young carpenter responded before making her way to the portal. She picked up her clothes from the alcove next to the door before heading in and getting dressed. With so many ponies making the trip between Equestria and Earth, they couldn't always just wear a robe so Rarity had come up some outfits for each of them. Apple Bloom's was the simple, down home type of clothes that matched her country upbringing. Rick always thought she looked like the stereotypical farmer's daughter which in a sense she was but her clothes on Earth only seemed to emphasise that fact.

After getting dressed and putting on her hat, she made her way upstairs, "anypony home?" she called out.

"Hey Apple Bloom, you're just the pony I wanted to see, " Rick said walking into the kitchen and greeting the young carpenter with a hug.

"Howdy Uncle Rick!" she said with a smile and hugging him back. As both Porter and Flame Flicker called him this, Apple Bloom had picked it up as well but she usually did it as a bit of a joke.

"You make me feel so old when you say that, and besides I'm technically not your uncle, " Rick complained only half-seriously as the young mare stepped back.

"That don't matter none. Yer a part o' the family whether ya' lahke it or not, " she replied with a smile.

Rick knew when he was beat and asked her to follow him to the back porch so he could get her opinion on what could be done.

"Okay, see the way it's done now? I want to extend this part out more, make a bit of a covered seating area, with benches all around it. Maybe a bit like a gazebo or something? Then over here, I want to have this raised a bit so we'd need some steps and then put in a hot tub."

"Hmmm, " Apple Bloom thought as she looked over the deck with the eye of a professional. She paced up and down the deck, deep in thought before finally saying, "yup. Ah can do this, but ah'm gonna need a second pair o' hands."

"I can provide you with whatever help you might need. If you tell me the type of lumber you want and how much I'll buy it and have it delivered. Then just name your price, when you'll be able to come by and do so and we'll go from there."

"Uncle Rick, there ain't no need fer that. This ain't different than fixin' up the barn at Sweet Apple Acres. Y'all helped us up there so many times, it ain't right you givin' me bits fer this."

"Apple Bloom, think of it as payment for the jobs you might have been able to take when you're working on this. You still need to eat and you still need to make a living. I'm just allowing you to do both while helping us out. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Ah guess we do. Ah should be available ta start this next week. Ah'll figgure out th' lumber needed an give a list ta Aunt Twilight an' we'll go from there, " she said with a smile. She gave Rick a friendly hug goodbye before heading back to Equestria. Once through the portal, she trotted over to Twilight to let her know that she'd be back tomorrow with a list of the supplies she'd need.

A week later, Apple Bloom came back to Earth, all ready to start but the lumber had yet to arrive.

"Sorry Apple Bloom, the lumber yard said they'd be able to deliver it last night but something happened to their truck so they're sending somebody out with a van. They said they should be here in about an hour or so. If you want, you can wait here or head back to Equestria and I'll let you know when it's delivered?"

"That's alright, if'n y'all don't mind ah don't have a chance ta work on my tan back home in Equestria bein' a pony and all. Ah'd like ta give it a try here."

"Sure, I guess it's okay, " Rick said. "I'll be out in the fields looking over my vines. If the lumber guy shows up before I get to speak to him, just have him unload the lumber and we'll get to it when I get back." With those words Rick made his way into the fields to examine some of the vines for leaf roll. He had heard tales of it recently and didn't want it affecting his grapes.

Apple Bloom headed for one of the deck chairs and after divesting herself of her clothes, lay on the chair and let the sun’s rays do their thing. Partway through, she turned over onto her stomach to do the other side and was dozing slightly when she heard a voice calling from beside the house, "hello? Is anybody here? I've got the lumber!" This was shortly followed by a young man, in his early 20's coming around to the back of the house to see if anybody was there.

"Howdy!" Apple Bloom called while pulling her clothes back on.

The young man stared at the young woman who's back was currently towards him and was in the process of pulling on her shorts. From his vantage point he could almost make out what seemed to be a carpenter's square on her butt before her shorts covered it up. "Ah was just workin' on muh tan and kinda fell asleep. Gimme a sec!" When she bent over to pick up her shirt, he was greeted by the sight of her full breasts for just a second before she pulled the t-shirt over her head and turned to face him. He was struck temporarily dumb by how pretty she looked. She was a natural redhead with strangely coloured set of eyes that had to be coloured contacts because he had never heard of somebody with orange eyes before.

"Muh name's Apple Bloom. If'n you wanna help ta unload th' lumber an' just put it over yonder, " she said pointing to an area close by, "ah'll give Uncle Rick a call an he can sign yer paper or whatever."

"Uhm, sure Apple Bloom. My name's Jake. Pleased to meet you, " he stumbled over the words and shook her hand. "That's quite a grip you have there, " he said as he was surprised by how strong this girl's handshake was.

"That's 'cause I grew up on an apple farm an' now ah'm a carpenter which is why we need th' lumber, " Apple Bloom responded. She was about to head into the vines to find Rick but she saw him making his way towards them.

"Hey there. Glad to see you finally made it. Need a hand unloading all that stuff?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, sure that would be great, " Jake responded hoping he could use the time to maybe talk to Apple Bloom a little more and maybe get her number.

Between the three of them the lumber was unloaded quite easily and Jake was surprised again at how strong a girl Apple Bloom was. "You're as strong as a horse!" he said with a smile as she casually hefted a couple 2 x 4s onto her slim shoulders.

"Pony actually, " she said with an enigmatic smile. He just watched as between the two of them, both uncle and niece were able to empty the fan in no time flat.

Rick approached the young man and signed the paper he had indicating that delivery had taken place. Jake stalled for a moment, trying to come up with a way to speak to Apple Bloom before he left. "Sorry, could I trouble you for a glass of water or something?" he asked lamely.

"Sure, not a problem. Wait here, " Rick said before walking into the house.

Taking this to his advantage he walked up to Apple Bloom who was in the process of marking things off on a sheet of paper. "Uhm... I'm sorry, " he squeaked before clearing his throat and trying again. "Sorry about that, but I was just wondering if you're new in town? I've never seen you before."

"Nah, ah'm just visitin muh uncle here and helpin' him add ta his deck. Ah'm from far away, " she replied pleasantly.

"Oh! That's good. So you here long?"

"Ah figger maybe a week, maybe more depenin' on the weather an' how much we kin git done inna day."

"Cool. Yeah, well if you're interested and maybe your Uncle doesn't mind maybe you and I could maybe... you know... go out some time for like a coffee or a burger or something?" Jake said his face turning beet red.

Apple Bloom didn't get a chance to respond as it was at that moment that Rick came back with the glass of water and handed it to the young man who drank it gratefully as he suddenly realised how dry his mouth was. He handed the glass back but stood there for another moment, waiting for Apple Bloom to respond.

"I'm sorry, was there something else you needed?" Rick asked the young man.

Slumping his shoulders in defeat, Jake mumbled something before getting in his van and driving away.

"What was that all about?" he asked Apple Bloom.

"I dunno. He asked me if'n he could have a coffee or somethin."

"Coffee? If he wanted a coffee, why not ask for it instead of water?"

"That's whut ah was thinkin'. He did say sumthin' 'bout a burger as well but ah'm a pony. Ah don't eat meat."

"Hold on, did he ask for a coffee or a burger or did he want to go out for a coffee or a burger?" Rick asked, a light dawning in his mind.

"Yeah, that wuz it. He wanted ta go out fer a coffee an' a burger. Strange feller, we culd've had th' coffee here."

"I don't think that that was the actual point. I think he wanted it so that you and he could go out on a date, " Rick said with a smile.

"Whut? Really? But he weren't givin' me no signs that he was innerested, like smellin' at me or tryin' to rub up against me or nuthin'. How's a filly s'posed ta know when a colt is innerested in 'er when they don' show you?"

"Yeah, that doesn't happen here on Earth. Look, when me and Twilight got together she was looking for signals in me that I wasn't giving her and I was looking for signals in her that she wasn't giving to me. There was a lot cross cultural misunderstandings especially at the start. But yeah, from what you've said it sounded like he wanted to take you out for the express purpose of getting to know you better and maybe starting a relationship." He looked at Apple Bloom for a moment before asking, "do you think you'd be interested in that?"

"Ah reckon ah don't know. Ah mean, ah ain't never considered it. He weren't a bad lookin' feller for a human ah guess."

"And, just to say you're rather cute as a human so I can understand his interest."

"Oh Uncle Rick, " Apple Bloom said with a slight blush followed by a flirtatious smile, "talk lahke that can turn a filly's head. What would Twilight think?" She batted her eyelashes coquettishly and hid her smile behind her hand.

"She'd think you're a funny girl, but getting back to the point if you're interested in pursuing this we can head on down to the lumber yard or ask them if he can make another delivery and I could give you kids some time alone so you could talk. Or better still, you could mention this to Twi and she might be able to give you some pointers."

"Ah'll think about it, but in the meantime how about we git this lumber sorted and we kin start on gettin yer renovations done."

In the days that followed, they fell into a bit of a routine. Apple Bloom would show up sometime after breakfast and she and Rick would start to work on the renovations to the deck. They'd break for lunch and once Twyla came home from school they'd end for the day so Rick could look after his daughter and get dinner ready for when Twilight came home along with Sterling.

It was on the second last day that Apple Bloom finally realised that if she wanted to speak to Jake again that she really needed to do something about it. "Hey Uncle Rick! Ah think we might be runnin' outta nails. Suppose we kin head over ta the lumber yard ta get some?"

Rick looked at her strangely before saying, "we've got enough to finish this deck but why would we need to go to the lumber yard for nails of all places? All they sell there is lumber..., " he trailed off when all the pieces finally clicked into place. "Yeah, maybe we do need to head over there to get some other stuff and since I don't know anything about carpentry, I'll need you to come with me."

Apple Bloom's smile was all the answer he needed. Once they were in the car Rick asked, "so what changed your mind?"

"Ah dunno really. There ain't a lot of colts in Ponyville an' ah'm kinda tired of fillies an' since there are a whole bunch of available stallions here on Earth maybe ah ought to start looking beyond Equestria."

"Makes sense I guess. But you do realise that beyond me and my parents, there are no humans on Earth that are aware of Equestria or that you're a pony. I don't want to be a buzzkill here, but you can't go around telling people about Equestria, ponies or the portal for that matter."

"Don' worry 'bout that Uncle Rick, I ain't lookin' ta marry the feller or ta have him sire any foals or nuthin'. I just wanna see what kind of stallion he really is."

"Okay, fair enough. But remember, if he asks where you come from or why he can't visit you live on a commune out in the middle of nowhere and they don't like visitors. That's the line Twilight and I used to use way back when in the old days, " Rick said as they pulled into the parking lot of the lumber yard.

"Hey there boss, " Rick walked over to the closest employee he could find. "Would you be able to tell me if Jake is in today?"

"Can I ask why you're looking for him?"

"I'm not, but my niece over there is. He delivered some lumber to my place the other day, they struck up a bit of a conversation and she hasn't let me forget about it since. So I was hoping they could talk and leave me out of it."

The man laughed at the situation and nodded before saying, "yeah, I got a daughter she's the same way. Jake's in the back, let me go get him for you."

A few moments later, a visibly eager Jake came out from the back of the office and made a beeline for Apple Bloom. Rick stood back and gave them some privacy to talk.

"Hey Apple Bloom, " Jake said. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you."

"Yeah, well, we were almost done with th' deck an' I figured that if'n yew wanted ta still git some coffee or sumthin sometime we could do that. But no burgers 'cause Ah'm a vegetarian."

"Sure. Yeah, that's okay. No, that's not okay, it's great, " Jake said through a huge smile. "So uhm, can I get your number?"

Apple Bloom stopped for moment when she realised that he had no way of contacting her. "D'you know, ah'm stayin' with my Uncle and Aunt but ah don't have their number memorized. Just gimme a minute okay?" she said before running back to Rick to ask him about this.

"He wants my phone number but they don't exist in Equestria. Kin ah give him yers? An' if'n he calls me tell 'im ah'm in the shower or buckin' apples or sumthin?"

"You really like this guy don't you?"

"Well he's kinda cute fer a human ah guess, " she said with a smile while looking over her shoulder at where Jake was trying his best to look nonchalant and failing miserably in the process.

"Just kinda?" Rick teased. "Apple Bloom, I've known you since you were a little filly searching for her cutie mark. I might not know you as well as your brother or sister do but I've seen you grow up and I've seen you when you want something." Rick pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "Give him this, tell him you're staying with us for a couple months and when he calls we'll relay the message to you and you can call him back later. Okay?"

Apple Bloom snatched up the card eagerly and with a huge smile on her face ran back to Jake to give it to him. There was a bit of an awkward moment as they both stood there but Apple Bloom broke it by giving Jake a chaste kiss on the cheek before running back to see Rick. Jake was dumbfounded and waited until they were out of sight before pumping the air and jumping around for joy.

Jake however wasn't the only one that was excited. Apple Bloom could hardly sit still as they drove back to the farm. She kept up a monologue all the way back and she only stopped when they went back to work on finishing the deck.

By four o'clock they had decided to stop for the day and Apple Bloom seemed reluctant to leave, a couple of times making excuses to go back out and check the deck for something she might have forgotten. After the third time Rick asked, "I should have asked earlier but did you want to stay for dinner?"

"Well, if you don't feel it's too much trouble, " she responded with a coy grin.

"I don't mind, but don't get your hopes up if he doesn't call tonight. A lot of guys will wait a few days before calling a girl. They feel it makes them look less needy."

"You humans are weird."

"You'll get no argument from me on that one."

Their conversation was interrupted as Twyla came back home and ran over to Apple Bloom to get a hug. She treated the carpenter like she was a big sister, having known her her entire life and the two got along like a house on fire.

"If you two don't mind, I'll get started on dinner." He turned to Apple Bloom and asked, "you don't do seafood do you?"

"Never really got the taste fer that stuff. Ah know that all y'all eat it and if that's what yer makin then I'll give it a try."

"Don't worry about it, I can do vegetarian, " Rick said, his brow furrowing has he thought. "How are you with spicy foods?"

"Ah'm good ah guess. It ain't my favourite but ah kin handle hot peppers an' stuff."

"Good, we'll do some Pan Asian type things then. Okay, so I'll get started on that, you two girls do whatever and that's about it."

It wasn't long before Twilight came in with Sterling in tow. Rick bent down to pick up his son and got a big hug in return. "Oooohhh! Somebody's a big strong boy!" He leaned over to Twilight and kissed her hello.

"Just to tell you Apple Bloom is staying for dinner, she's currently off with Twyla doing girl things, " Rick said.

"That's unusual her staying for dinner. Is there a reason for this?"

"Actually yes, remember that boy I told you about who delivered the lumber?" Twilight nodded in response. "Well, Apple Bloom has been thinking about him off and on since then and wanted to make sure she'd see him again so we went down to the lumber yard, they talked, she gave him our number and she's hoping he's going to call tonight."

"Oh. Okay, I wasn't aware that she thought about him that way."

"It was a bit of a surprise to me as well but what can you do? I said we'd help her out and effectively run defense for her if he calls when she's in Equestria."

"Okay. Do you need any help in here?"

"Thanks, but I've got everything under control. Alright sport, " he said to Sterling who was still in his arms. "Daddy's got to get to work and make dinner. You run along." Rick put Sterling down and gave him a gentle swat on the butt before he ran away.

Twilight kissed her husband on the cheek before heading upstairs to get changed. As she passed Twyla's room she heard the two fillies talking about colts that they knew or liked. Smiling, she thought to herself, "fillies never change, " before heading into the master bedroom to take a shower and get changed for the night.

When dinner was ready, Rick called them all down and Apple Bloom was a little overwhelmed by what Rick had done. "Ah say Uncle Rick, there weren't no need to put out a spread lahke this for just me, " Apple Bloom said when dinner was ready and she came down to see the dining room table had been set up in a most elaborate way.

"It's Pan-Asian, these things require a certain setup, " Rick said as he put the finishing touches on the table. "You're probably not used to chopsticks, so I suggest using the fork."

"So whut is all this?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Okay, you've got a vegetable stir-fry with glass noodles. Some seared tofu with a spicy dipping sauce. Some miso soup, Asian type coleslaw and if you're feeling adventurous some natto to go with your sticky rice. I will warn you right now, the natto is not for everypony. I happen to love it but then I'm weird that way. Twilight is okay with it but the kids won't touch it. So, you might want to give it a try. We've got beer, sake, tea and water to drink. So please, don't stand on ceremony, eat while it's still hot."

All the way through dinner, Apple Bloom kept looking over at the phone as if willing it to ring. Twilight came to her rescue and said, "it's okay Apple Bloom. He probably won't call for a couple days." Then, as if fate was suitably tempted, the phone rang. Apple Bloom sat up straight in her chair looking at the phone in anticipation.

Rick looked at Twilight as if this was somehow her fault but she just shrugged in response. He got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Uhmmm, hi... uhmmm this is Jake, would A-a-apple Bloom be available?" the young man stammered on the other end of the phone.

"Gimme me a minute let me see if she can come to the phone right now." Rick held the phone down and counted to two hundred before saying, "she'll be down in a minute. Just hold on, " then placed the phone on the counter and said quietly to Apple Bloom, "wait a moment then go and answer it. Don't appear to be too eager to talk to this boy even if you are." He turned to Twyla and said, "and you remember this if and when some young man starts calling you."

Apple Bloom however was too eager and she immediately leaped up and ran to the phone. A lavender glow surrounded the door to the kitchen as it closed giving the young pony some privacy from prying ears.

The family finished their meals while Apple Bloom continued to talk in the kitchen to her new beau. The children were excused from the table as the two adults waited for the young woman to finish her call. Finally, another 20 minutes later they heard her hang up the phone before coming back into the dining room, a dreamy smile on her face.

"Looks like somepony enjoyed that, " Twilight teased while Apple Bloom blushed and smiled prettily. "I'm assuming the two of you made plans?"

"He wants ta take me out tomorrow evenin' after work. He said he'd come pick me up and we'd go out fer dinner. Oh ah'm so excited!"

"What are you planning on wearing?" Rick asked.

"Can't ah just wear this?" Apple Bloom asked pointing to her clothes.

"No dear you can't. That's okay for when you come here or if you're going to do some work, you need some clothes that look a little nicer. Did Rarity make anything like that for you?"

"Naw she didn't. Ah never figured ah'd need 'em. Shoot! What are we gonna do? D'you think Rarity kin magic me up some clothes fer tomorrow night?"

"You'd have to ask her, but you're about my size, " Twilight said. In actuality the two were close in terms of body size but Apple Bloom had a definite surplus in the chest as a human. Farmer's Daughter indeed. "I could maybe lend you something. Did he mention where you were going?"

"He said it was sumthin called Sabastiano's. I ain't never heard o' that type o' food but there's things there that ponies can eat."

"Actually it's an Italian style family restaurant that's not that bad. We used to take the kids there when they were younger. Rick isn't too fond of it, " Twilight said while looking at her husband.

"That's only because I can make practically the same thing here for less money and it tastes just about the same. Although I will admit their pizza is better than mine."

"Of course dear, " Twilight said with a smile. Turning back to the young carpenter she added, "it's not very fancy so there shouldn't be much trouble. Why don't you come upstairs and you can try on a few things." The two women left together while Rick finished clearing the table and started tidying up the kitchen.

"So whut did Uncle Rick mean when he said not to be too eager?" Apple Bloom asked as Twilight rummaged around in her closet for a suitable outfit.

"He's just looking out for you in his own way. A young man like Jake probably only has one thing on his mind when it comes to a pretty young filly such as yourself, " Twilight said as she flashed Apple Bloom a wicked smile. "Come to think about it, that really doesn't go away as they get older either."

"Yew mean ruttin'? Yeah, ah know all about that. It ain't like ah'm a little filly anymore."

"I don't doubt it. But you should remember that you're still inexperienced in this body and you shouldn't have to do anything with Jake that you don't want to. Here, " Twilight gave Apple Bloom a couple of outfits. "Why don't you try these on and see how they fit?"

The two girls talked as Apple Bloom tried on Twilight's clothes. It took some time but they finally got an outfit together that looked nice, but wasn't too formal and most importantly it fit Apple Bloom like it was made for her.

"Thank you Twilight! Ah'm so looking forward to tomorrow night!" Apple Bloom said as she hugged the older woman.

"My pleasure Apple Bloom, " Twilight responded. "I just hope your date goes well."

"It will! Ah know it will!" the young woman said as they made their way downstairs.

Rick was in the den, enjoying his nightly glass of Irish Whiskey when the two girls came in. "Did you find something?" he asked.

"Sure did!" Apple Bloom said rushing over to give him a hug. "Ah just wanted to thank you again fer helpin' me out."

"Not a problem Apple Bloom, " Rick said with a light chuckle. "I just want you to remember that you don't need to do anything with that boy if you don't want to do it. If there's a problem, get to a phone and call me. I'll come pick you up."

"Yew don't need ta worry about that Uncle Rick. Ah'm a big girl now, ah kin take care of myself."

"Oh I know you can. I just don't want anything to happen to you because that means I'd need to face your brother and sister not to mention half of Ponyville if something went wrong."

Apple Bloom thanked them both once again and made her way downstairs and back to Ponyville. She felt like she was walking on air and didn't realise she had gotten home until she was in front of the gate for Sweet Apple Acres.

Everypony was asleep so she made her way quietly up to her room and fell asleep dreaming of a young earth pony stallion curiously named "Jake".

Author's Notes:

This is only the first part of Apple Bloom's adventures in dating with a human. The second part, "An Apple on Earth" will be out soon and will involve the continuing relation and subsequent fallout of said relationship.

The whole story of Rick and Twilight saga is slowly drawing to a close but that's not to say that their kids won't get a mention here or there in future stories.

The Princess and the Human

The celebration had gone on through the night. Twilight Sparkle had become an alicorn and a princess in her own right. She smiled warmly at her husband and their infant daughter who was fast asleep on his back as they made their way to their quarters in Canterlot castle.

"So does this mean I need to call you your highness?" Rick teased.

"Only when I'm angry with you. And when we fight, I automatically win, " Twilight said a little imperiously.

"So in other words, nothing has changed?" he said with a huge grin.

"It's a good thing you're still cute or else I'd send you to the dungeons for a crack like that, " Twilight said as they walked into their chambers. And it was quite a chamber to behold.

"Holy crap, " Rick said on walking into what was possibly the biggest bedroom he had ever seen in his life. "Like what the hell babe? This is bigger than our house!" They marvelled as they walked through the rooms and checked everything out. Eventually Twyla was put to bed and they got ready for bed themselves.

It had been a long day and both ponies were too tired to take advantage of the room so instead they just lay there, quietly holding each other until Rick wondered aloud. "So is it true what they say about the wings on an alicorn?"

"Sorry what's that?" Twilight answered a little sleepily.

"It doesn't matter babe, we'll find out tomorrow. G'night princess, " he said as he kissed her goodnight.

"Goodnight Prince of my heart."

"Wow, that sounded corny. Never call me that again, " he said dryly.

Twilight yawned, gave a sleepy chuckle, murmured an agreement and soon both ponies were asleep.

In the days that followed, Twilight found her duties as a princess took up a large portion of her time. This was in part her own doing. Twilight never did anything without reading up on it first which meant she expected herself to hold court, meet dignitaries passing through Canterlot, make public appearances and generally be "royal" at all times. It was during one of these moments when she was looking for an opening to attend that Princess Celestia reigned her in for a talk.

"Twilight, there's no reason for you to be doing all these things."

"But Princess... I mean Celestia, I read in a book that this is what princesses do. I'm just following the rules."

Celestia laughed, then literally took the younger alicorn under her wing before continuing. "Oh Twilight Sparkle, none of those things are necessary. Your life hasn't changed completely. Although now I do expect to see more of you and we will see more of each other but not as teacher and student but as friends and equals. You were given this gift because of your skill with magic and you now have the ability, neigh the right to view the private Canterlot archives. And here we are." Celestia had stopped before a blank stone wall.

"I don't see anything."

"Of course not Twilight Sparkle. The archives are hidden because contained therein are some of the most powerful spells ever created as well as the most advanced books and scrolls written on the subject of magic. We can't let just anypony read these." With a word, Celestia's horn glowed brightly and where before there was a blank stone wall there was now a very ornate door. She opened the door and Twilight couldn't help but gasp. Her whole life she had thought the library at Canterlot was the largest in the world. During her time on Earth she had seen some of the largest libraries in the world and they dwarfed the one in Canterlot but this one made those look like newsstands. She literally could not see the far wall, and neither could she see the walls to either side. All she saw was books and scrolls lining the shelves for as far as the eye could see.

Twilight took a trembling step into the cavernous archives and shivered with anticipation. She felt like a filly again and had to resist the urge to just run around the library, cheering at the top of her lungs.

"Celestia, this is going to take a lifetime to read even just a fraction of these books, " Twilight said with awe in her voice.

"Well, in that case it's a good thing you have as much time as you want to spend in here. A pony's lifetime is short and finite, but an alicorn's has no limit."

"Right. I've got all the time in the world to do this, " Twilight said with a smile. Celestia turned around and left her former student in the private archives so she could get started with what she did best. It was of course during this time that she sat alone amongst all the knowledge that the truth of Celestia's words finally seeped through the joy and the cold reality hit her with almost physical force.

"All the time in the world. I'm immortal now and I'll live forever..." She sat there, her mouth hanging open for a moment before whispering, "sweet Celestia, what have I done?" With those words Twilight ran out of the archives as if the demons of Tartarus were on her hooves.

It took several minutes but she was able to track down her old foal sitter Cadance.

"Cadance! I really need to speak with you, " she said urgently and Cadance, having never seen her friend so worked up immediately gave her her full attention. "I just realised now that because I'm an alicorn that I'm going to live forever unless something happens to me."

"Just now? I'm surprised. I had thought you would have known this earlier, " Cadance said with hint of levity.

"Yes yes, I knew it but I didn't actually know it until just now. How did you two deal with it?"

"What do you mean Twilight? Who is we and what are we dealing with?"

"You and my brother. You got married and one day he's going to die and you're still going to be the same. How did the two of you deal with that?"

"Oh that, " Cadance nodded sagely but had a hint of sadness in her voice. "I... think it's best if you speak with your brother about this." Cadance paused for a moment before saying, "I have something to do right now, I'll talk to you after you've spoken to him." She walked away, her head held high but Twilight couldn't help but notice the pain in her former foalsitter's eyes.

It took some time more before she was able to track down Shining Armor but being the Captain of the Guard meant he was able to take some liberties and took some time off to speak to his slightly distraught little sister.

"What's up Twily?" he asked her once they were in his office.

Finally she could hold it in no longer and the tears she had been holding back burst forth. Her brother comforted her as she cried and once she had let it out of her system and he had offered her a drink did he ask her again what the problem was.

"I just realised today that because I'm now an alicorn that I'm going to live forever and one day I'm going to lose everypony that means anything to me." She looked her BBBFF in the eye and asked, "how do you and Cadance deal with this knowing that one day you're going to be old and she's going to look like she does now?"

Shining Armor nodded, seeing where her line of questioning was leading and answered as best he could. "Did I ever tell you the story how Cadance and I first started dating?"

Twilight shook her head so her brother started telling his tale.

"It was a couple years ago, when I was just a plain guard at the castle. I was still green as hell and had a lot to learn about not only being an effective guard but about life as well. One day, I see the most beautiful mare I had ever set my eyes on. She was everything I was looking for and she was a unicorn too so that was a big plus in my book. She was wearing a cloak so I didn't see her wings. I heard from the other guys that she was Princess Celestia's niece and her name was 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza' and that had to be the prettiest name I had ever heard. There was something familiar about her but I just couldn't place it and I spent some time trying to find out the connection I felt for her. Then one day, I literally bump into her, we excused ourselves, we exchanged names and she said to call her 'Cadance' which jogged my memory back to when she was foalsitting you and immediately I had my moment." He paused while he took a drink from his cup and continued his story.

"We talked for a bit, but I had to get back to my duties and she promised that we'd see each other again. It didn't take long before we started dating for real and I just fell head over hooves for such a pretty mare with such a big heart. I felt like I was the luckiest stallion in all of Canterlot to be the one with Cadance. At no point did I consider her being an alicorn was anything bad, if anything it gave me some major cred with the colts in my squad. Then came the day that I had been planning for weeks. We'd spend Hearts and Hooves day together and I'd propose at the end of dinner as we walked through the gardens. Everything was great until the point where she said no."

"What do you mean she said 'no'? You two have been married for almost two years now, " Twilight interrupted.

"Just let me finish and all will be made clear. So she told me no and I was devastated. The mare I loved more than I could have thought possible and I knew she loved me was turning me down. She ran away crying, I followed and eventually I had her at least give me a reason why. Maybe it was because I was a commoner, and she was a princess but I needed her to tell me. Her reason was because she was immortal and one day I'd die and she wouldn't." Shining Armor took another swallow from his cup before continuing.

"She wanted to spare me seeing her stay the same while I grew older and I almost agreed with her. Maybe it was because I was young and stupid and didn't know how the world works but I told her that it didn't matter to me. I loved her more than I could have imagined and I needed to spend the rest of my life with her. If one day I died, then at least I would have died knowing that I had married the mare of my dreams and we had many happy years together. It took some convincing but she agreed and we set a date. We've had a few years to come to term with this and we accept it. I know it's going to be hard on Cadance when I'm gone but I want her to carry on without me when the time comes." He looked at his sister and said, "I'm guessing that you've just realised what being an alicorn really means and you're worried about losing your husband and daughter?"

Twilight nodded, not trusting her voice to stay steady.

"Have you talked to him about this?"

Twilight just shook her head sadly.

"Then maybe you need to do so. He deserves to know."

Twilight sighed deeply and gave her brother a hug before leaving his office and making her way back to the chambers she shared with Rick. She found him engaged in one of his favourite pastimes, namely watching Twyla play. Twyla, on seeing her mother, shouted out "mommy!" and galloped over happily.

Twilight nuzzled her daughter happily and gave Rick a big hug when he came over to see her. "Hey Princess, didn't expect you back so soon, " he said with a smile. When she didn't answer he took one look at her eyes and immediately knew that something was wrong. It was about time to put Twyla down for a nap anyway so they took her into her room and placed her in her crib before retiring to the main room to speak.

"So what's up babe? You look like the world is going to end or something." These words brought fresh tears to her eyes and she buried her head in Rick's chest while he held her and made soothing sounds.

When she had cried herself out, he looked at her with great concern and asked, "what's wrong? Twi, talk to me."

"I need to know one thing before I say anything. If you were given something that was literally your heart's desire but to truly accept it you'd have to give up the most important thing to you would you accept it?" Twilight asked.

"That's a bit of a weird question don't you think?" Rick asked. But when Twilight didn't respond he simply shrugged and said, "I don't know really. I guess it depends on what it is I'd be getting and what I'd be giving up." He took a deep breath and stared off into space for a moment, lost in thought before speaking again. "Without really knowing that I'd get in return I'd probably say no."

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"It's because right now the most important things in my life are you and Twyla. If I had to give either of you up in order to get this I'd tell them to get the hell out. Nobody and nopony is taking you away from me without a fight and that goes double for our little girl." Rick looked back at Twilight expectantly, waiting for her to say what she wanted to say. When she didn't answer he asked, "so, what's going on?"

Twilight smiled and said, "it's okay, I think I have my answer." She leaned over and kissed her husband as if for the first time. He matched her kiss with added passion which caused her wings to flutter.

"Wow, that was nice, " Twilight said when they pulled apart. Her wings were feeling oddly stiff and she realised this had to be what was commonly known as a "wingboner". With a wicked smile she turned to Rick and said with a leer, "wanna find out more about an alicorn's wings?"

"Yes Princess. Whatever you say Princess, " Rick answered huskily. They retired to their bed and discovered that an alicorn's wings are in fact a very erogenous zone.

A while later, the two ponies lay there, happily content in each other's hooves when Rick needed to ask. "You feeling better now babe?"

Twilight smiled and kissed her husband in response before saying, "much better."

The next day, Twilight felt she needed to speak to Princess Celestia to see if anything could be done about her current situation.

"Celestia, it's like this. I love my husband and my child and while I'm grateful for this gift, the idea of spending the rest of eternity without them is more than I can bear. I want to give up being an alicorn."

"I'm sorry to hear that but I'm afraid that's not possible Twilight Sparkle. Once this gift has been given, it's impossible to go back to what you once were."

"Are you sure there's no way to do this?" Twilight asked with a heavy heart.

"If there is, I don't know it."

"Thank you Celestia, " and Twilight walked out of the throne room to the private archives with new determination if she couldn't find the spell to reverse this, she'd have to craft it.

In the weeks that followed Twilight spent every waking moment in the magic archives researching, crafting and above all testing the spell that would turn her back into a powerful, albeit mortal unicorn. It was also during this time that they decided to return to Ponyville. The Royal chambers they had at the castle were nice, but they weren't home and they felt it was time to go back. But in order for them to do so, some changes would need to be made which meant that Rick and Twyla had to head back first to get certain things set up.

"So explain to me again what I need to do?" Rick asked looking at the package before him.

"Rick, I've told you before that we're going to recreate a portal but now since I'm an alicorn it's going to be a lot easier. Just put the package by the wall next to the portal back to Earth and say the magical incantation, " Twilight responded.

"Yeah but isn't there anything more mystical that needs to be done? I mean if all I have to say is, 'knock knock' it just feels kinda cheap you know?"

"Don't complain. I could have made it more complicated for you which would have been easier on me but you have no innate magic and once you're there we'll have no way of communicating except through Spike. Just remember to give me maybe an hour or so. Go have a coffee and make sure there's enough left for me when I get back."

"Yes dear, " Rick replied with a grin. Twilight just sighed and shook her head. As much as she loved him, he could be infuriating at times. "I love you, " he said and kissed her gently. As much as she wanted to stay angry with him it was almost impossible to do.

"I love you too, now hurry up and don't keep me waiting too long." Turning to their daughter who was busy stacking blocks before knocking them down and giggling she called out, "Twyla! It's time to go back to the library with Daddy."

Twyla trotted over and stood by her father. "Mommy no come?" she asked seriously.

Twilight knelt down to look her daughter in the eye. "Mommy's coming soon. But first you and Daddy need to go there and then I'll be there really soon after okay?"

"Okay!" Twyla said before giving her mother a big hug then took her place at her father's side. Twilight focused her magic and picturing the library in her mind teleported the two of them back to Ponyville. She sighed once she was alone, missing them already but she had work to do and needed to get started.

Meanwhile, at the Golden Oaks library, Rick and Twyla appeared close to the portal which they quickly took back to Earth. This also meant a bit of a transition and minor step back between Twyla's pony and human forms. In her pony form she was already making simple sentences, walking and developing normally for an Equestrian. On Earth she was still an infant, barely a year old, which meant she could toddle along but was nowhere near the accomplished traveller that she was back in Equestria. Her language skills were vastly reduced and sometimes she appeared frustrated trying to do something in her human form that she could do easily in her pony form. As such, she didn't much like the transition but at the same time she liked finger painting so there was a trade-off.

Rick brought her to the kitchen and had made himself a cup of coffee. That guarana tea they had in Canterlot was sufficiently caffeinated but it lacked the character that a good cup of coffee had. Once brewed he took the time to check over the mail for the past few days, answer the messages on the phone and generally do those household things that needed to be done but hadn't. When it was time, he took Twyla back with him to Equestria and set up the package like Twilight had requested.

Clearing his throat he said the magic words and waited for whatever was going to take place. It took a few moments but soon he could make out a whispering sound and next to the plain white door that linked Earth to Equestria a shadow appeared on the wall. It started out as looking nothing more than a smudge of grey on the otherwise clean wood. This grew in size and deepened in colour until it was a just void of blackness that seemed to suck the very light into it. Twyla, shivered in fear and pressed herself against her father as the whispering seemed to get louder and louder and the darkness emanating from the door dimmed the very light in the room they were standing in.

Then with a very anti-climactic pop, there stood a rather ornate door. A moment later the door opened and a rather tired looking Twilight walked out. She smiled on seeing her family there and Twyla squealed happily on seeing her mother.

"How you feeling?" Rick asked her.

"Tired. That used up a lot of magic, I didn't realise how draining it would be, " she replied.

"Well Dr. Rick knows just the cure for that. A nice cup of coffee, a hot bubble bath and a massage. Sound good?"

"That sounds wonderful, " Twilight said with a smile before giving Rick a kiss and following them through the portal back to Earth.

One cup of coffee later and she felt the world coming back into focus. As she lounged in the bubble bath with a glass of chilled blush wine she felt incredibly relaxed. Then halfway through the very gentle massage she finally succumbed and fell asleep.

Twilight woke up an hour later, still nude but thoughtfully covered with a blanket so she wouldn't catch cold. She could smell Rick cooking dinner downstairs but couldn't quite place what he was cooking. Getting dressed, she made her way downstairs to see him busy at work and Twyla in her high chair industriously stuffing cereal in her mouth one at a time. She stood there with a smile on her face, just taking in the scene as if truly seeing it and appreciating it for the first time. She walked over to Twyla who giggled when she gave her a big kiss and then over to her husband to see what he was making.

"Hey Princess, sleep well?" Rick said stealing a quick kiss before turning back to the stove.

"Very much thank you. And I thought I asked you to stop calling me that."

"Maybe you did but I wasn't paying attention. Dinner will be ready soon so if you want to get ready I'm almost ready to plate.

"What are you making? It looks familiar but I can't place it."

"I realise that some ingredients are different here than in Equestria so I had to improvise. Remember you mentioned the other night when we had dinner in the quarters how much you liked what they made? Well I spoke to the chef the next day and he was so happy you liked it he gave me the recipe. I've been fiddling with it in my head trying to get around certain things and I think I might have done so."

"So in other words it's another kitchen experiment and I'm once again your test subject?"

"To put it into so many words... yes. But I still stand on my track record with only two disasters so far."

"Three disasters you mean. You never count that vegetarian meatloaf."

"I added too much wine and that emphasised the salt content. When I cut it back the next time you admitted it was good so I count that as a save. But I'm confident this one is going to work."

Rick got busy plating the food and brought it to the table. One bite told them that while he hadn't succeeded in copying the recipe, he had in fact made it better. It wasn't often that Twilight went back for seconds but tonight she felt more than happy to do so. And the best part about it was that at no point did Rick say, "told you so."

After Twyla had been given her bath and put to sleep, the two adults relaxed in the den savouring the quiet and alone time they had together. It wasn't long before Twilight started to idly trace patterns on the back of Rick's hand.

"That some magical arcane symbol you drawing on my hand?"

"Yes. I'm casting a spell on you, " she said playfully.

"Should I be worried?"

"No, it's a good spell."

"Can I ask what it is?"

She turned to face him, threw her arms around his neck and came in close for a kiss. He responded in kind and the only sound to be heard for a few moments was the soft, slightly wet sound of kissing and heavy breathing.

"I think I like this spell, " Rick said once they had parted.

"Oh it's not over yet, " Twilight said tugging at his shirt. It wasn't long before they had divested themselves of their clothes and proceeded to make sweet love on the aptly named loveseat. Once done, they stayed embracing until Twilight started to feel a little chilly and they decided to go to bed. Picking up their clothes they made their way upstairs, Rick of course making sure that Twilight went first so he could watch her butt as she walked.

With all the nighttime preparations taken place, they snuggled under the sheets before Twilight asked him a question that had been on her mind since the whole realisation that she'd be immortal. "Rick?"

"Yeah babe, what up?"

"If you had the option to live forever, would you?"

Without missing a beat or having to think of the answer Rick just snorted a bit before answering, "maybe but only if I had the option to die."

"How would that work?"

He sighed a bit and said, "think about it, you're immortal and have all the time in the world to do... well... whatever. So you do all those things that you've always wanted to do but never had the time. Then you learn all the stuff you wanted to learn like how to play an instrument, or how to paint or fly a plane. But what do you after? Once you've seen it all and read it all, and learned it all, what happens next? And even if that took 10,000 years you still have eternity to look forward to. And then what do you do? Exist? Go crazy? Wind up counting the seconds until the eventual heat death of the universe? No. Life needs an eventual ending because that's the only thing that really gives it purpose."

Twilight was silent for a moment before saying, "I never thought of it like that. You're so smart." Tilting her head up she gave her husband a kiss before they settled in for the night.

The next few days they fell into a bit of a routine. Twilight would wake early to get a head start on her research, Rick would take Twyla to Equestria in the morning to play with her friends then take her back to Earth in the afternoon to deal with whatever human things that needed to be done. Twilight would of course come back tired from her day spent in the archives and spend a relaxing evening with her family before doing the same thing the next day. So when she showed up one evening, tired but with a happy smile on her face, Rick thought nothing of it. As far as he was concerned this was just another day in a long line of days.

The next morning was a little strange as Twilight slept in for the first time since becoming an alicorn. When Rick woke up he found her lying there with her eyes open, just looking at him.

Rick smiled sleepily before reaching out and pulling her closer. "So what's the occasion? You're usually gone by now."

Twilight hugged him tight and just pressed herself into him. She felt his hands slide down her body but a cry from Twyla's baby monitor stopped anything happening before it really started. Rick started to get up but Twilight simply said, "let me take care of this". She placed a kiss on his nose and padded off to check up on their daughter.

It was an odd sight to see all three of them at the breakfast table and a still stranger sight when Twilight insisted on being the one to make breakfast. "Babe, you're going to spoil me with all this. You wake up with me, make me breakfast, take care of Twyla. Have I stepped into a 50's sitcom when I wasn't aware of it?"

"Do you hear a laugh track?" Twilight asked while putting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him before putting her own plate down.

"No but that was always done for the audience, I always figured the actors never actually heard the laughter even if they paused conveniently allowing it to vanish before giving their lines."

Once everything was done, they all headed out to Equestria. It was upon crossing the portal that Rick turned to Twilight to wish her a good day in Canterlot when he noticed the doorway to the archives was missing and that Twilight was just a unicorn once again.

"Babe! What happened to those sexy wings of yours?"

"I gave up being an alicorn. There were things that were just too important that I needed to take care of but I couldn't do them as 'Princess Twilight'."

"What made you change your mind?"

Twilight just smiled at her family, knowing that this was what truly mattered to her before saying enigmatically, "the price was just too high".

Author's Notes:

This was not a chapter I originally had planned to write but as time went by I kept coming back to the final episode and wondering how the two of them would react to the whole immortal / mortal thing. Since it's already been established in this story continuity that Twilight is not an alicorn in later chapters, the idea of making her one and then finding a way to give it up to stay in continuity opened certain possibilities.

And Baby Makes Three

They looked at each other before continuing. "Mom, we need to know if there's a way that Glenda and I can actually have kids."

A large smile broke across Twilight's face as the idea of finally having a grandfoal after all these years but her smile turned to a frown of confusion as she considered the implications. Griffons, although they were warm blooded and had mammalian reproductive organs at least on the outside still laid eggs. They also didn't suckle their young which was a good thing because those beaks of theirs weren't suited for suckling.

It was during this time that Rick walked into the library and greeted his son and daughter in law before noticing that Twilight had seemingly fallen into a trance.

"Sterling, what did I tell you about breaking your Mother?" he asked. He clapped his hooves in front of Twilight's face to get her attention but while she seemingly came to her senses she immediately walked over the bookshelf and started pulling books out one by one.

"Dad, it's okay. She's looking for a spell to help Glenda and me, " Sterling said turning to his wife and giving her a gentle smile only to get one back from her in return.

"So what do the two of you need help with?"

"We want to find out how the two of us can have a baby."

"Oh Sterling, I thought we had covered this years ago. Oh well, when a stallion and a mare love each other very much they wait until she's in heat and then they play some Barry White music, put a do not disturb sign on the door and about 9 months later they have a foal, " Rick said with as much of a straight face as he could manage.

"Rick..., " Glenda started but a look from her father in law made her change what she called him. "Sorry, Dad. We're serious and we wanna know if there's a way that the two of us can have a kid without havin' to adopt."

"Have you considered doing it on Earth?"

The young couple looked at each other as they had never thought about that possibility. That actually would solve a lot of their problems but the only downside to it was that Glenda would have to stay there until she gave birth. There was just too much that could go wrong if she decided to cross the portal while pregnant.

"But I don't know if we can stay away for so long. What about our jobs?"

"Sterling, there's no reason why you have to stay on Earth all the time. It'll be a bit of a commute but sometimes when having a child that's one of the sacrifices you need to make, " Rick said.

"That's all well and good for him, but what about me? I'm the representative for the Griffon Empire in Canterlot. I can't just pack up and leave on a moment's notice. And we just got seasons tickets for the Wonderbolts."

"Personally I think you need to consider everything and that includes how your lives are going to change once you have a child. Not being able to see the Wonderbolts when you want to are the least of your worries. I mean me and Twilight still worry about this little blue guy even though he's all grown up and married. Those feelings never truly go away. This is a lifetime commitment that you're making and it's not something to be taken lightly. But if it's any consolation, it can be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Also, there are advantages to being on Earth for a while. Bacon cheeseburgers being one of them."

Glenda and Sterling exchanged a look and said goodbye before heading back home to discuss what they wanted to do. Twilight was still pulling down books, trying to find a spell to help her son and daughter in law when Rick broke her concentration by simply blowing in her ear. She turned on him in confusion before noticing that they were alone.

"They left about five minutes ago to discuss their options. And I need to get the guest bedroom in the basement set up."

"Sorry what?" Twilight said not understanding what was going on.

"With luck, Sterling and Glenda will be staying with us for as long as it takes for them to have a child. They're both human on Earth and provided she stays there during her pregnancy, there should be no need for magic or trying to find the perfect spell."

Twilight deflated a bit at the mention of not being able to work on a new spell but the idea of having her son and daughter in law staying with them for a while appealed to her maternal side.

A couple days later, Sterling and Glenda showed up at the library with their bags in tow ready to spend the next year on Earth if needed.

It didn't take long before they fell into a kind of routine. Sterling and Glenda would do what they needed to do, then both Sterling and Twilight would leave for the day for Equestria. Sometimes Rick would go with them, sometimes he wouldn't but this left Glenda with a lot of free time to just sit around and not do much. It wasn’t all that surprising that Glenda and Rick started to connect and they really clicked when one Sunday afternoon she found him in the media room, glued to the TV while the football game played.

"Whatchya doin?" she asked as she plopped down on the couch, grabbed a chicken wing from the platter in front of her and started gnawing on it.

"The Seahawks are up three points over the 49ers, it's the fourth quarter and only 10 minutes left in play, " her father-in-law answered cryptically. Glenda knew better than to ask him what he meant. It was something she learned very soon after meeting him that while Rick was typically helpful, when he was focused on something like this he wasn't the most talkative sort.

The commercial came on and without any kind of prodding Rick started to explain American football to her and how much he loved to watch the game because it was something that he used to do with his Dad and how even though he was no longer around, it made him feel closer to him because it was something they shared.

The next Sunday, Glenda joined Rick on the couch for another afternoon of football, wings and beer. That is until the day that it was confirmed that she and Sterling had finally conceived. It only took a couple months and while there was happiness from everybody involved Glenda did feel a little down as it definitely meant that she'd be stuck on Earth for a while. And while there was football, wings and other such snacks available she felt she had to give up the beer.

Normally when a woman is pregnant she's a little emotional as her hormones get all pumped up. That's nothing compared to a pregnant griffon. She'd snap at Sterling one moment, then tearfully apologize a moment later, then get moody and sulk when she felt her needs weren't being met. The family took this with good grace as they understood they were pretty much in uncharted territory here.

Finally the day came when Glenda would have her child. They opted for a midwife, in part because Glenda didn't have the necessary identification but also they felt that just in case the baby wasn't quite normal, it would be easier if only one person on the outside knew instead of dozens or potentially hundreds. But the birth went flawlessly and they were presented with a beautiful baby girl.

The proud parents and grandparents admired the small, sleeping bundle in Glenda's arms. "Congratulations you two, " Twilight said before hugging her son and daughter-in-law. "Have you decided on a name?"

"Kinda. We got a couple in mind but we're not sure which one to give her, " Glenda said.

"Point is, we don't know what she's going to be when we cross the portal. Pony? Griffon? Hippogriff? Something else?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be a pony. That's one of the enchantments on the portal. You turn into a human regardless of what you are on the other side and go back to what you were when you return. Same goes if you're a human on this side. You turn into a pony then turn back to being human on this side, " Twilight said.

"In that case, I think we've hit on the perfect name; Silver Belle. Silver, of course, because that's what Glenda calls me. And Belle because it sounds good and she's absolutely beautiful." Everybody agreed that it was a good name.

Finally, about a week later, the day had come for them to return to Equestria. Silver Belle, had been checked out as being healthy and both parents were eager to get back to Canterlot and the start of their new lives.

Glenda was the first through the portal. She stretched her wings and groaned in pleasure. "Oh yes! We are never doing that again, " she said before turning back to see her husband walk through while pushing the basket containing their week old daughter before him. The grandparents followed through after, all of them eager to see what form the newest member of their family would take.

They clustered around the basket and saw a beautiful little pony, perfect in every way. While the parents beamed it was Rick who was the most excited as she lacked her father's horn and her mother's wings. "Yes! Earth Pony! My granddaughter is an Earth Pony!" He gently nuzzled the little foal as she slept and said to her, "you are going to be grandpa's favourite and I'm going to spoil you rotten."

A moment later, as if giving the punch line to a joke, she hiccupped slightly and her hitherto unseen wings popped forth and fluttered for a moment before coming to rest almost invisibly by her sides. Rick chuckled a moment before saying, "that doesn't change a thing you're still adorable and it just means you've got my sense of humour."

Author's Notes:

Just a short snippet or how Glenda and Sterling managed to actually have a child. I'm not sure how Griffons are in the MLP universe so I've taken some liberties with how they've been presented in our mythology and used that. After all, I can't imagine a species with beaks nursing in the way that mammals do so I've made the Griffons egg layers.

This was also built more so around the ending than anything else.

Dinner and a Movie

"Evening you!" Rick called from the kitchen when he saw Twilight trot into the apartment. She got over to him and reared up so that they could hug and kiss.

"Mmmmmm, " she sighed as she lay her head on his shoulder, "missed you today."

"Missed you too babe. Dinner is going to be ready soon, so if you could get the table set up we'll get started once you're done."

Twilight fell back to the floor and trotted happily out to the other side of the kitchen island where she started to pull out the dishes and cutlery. "What are we having?" she asked as she busied herself.

"Sweetheart you know that's a secret until I actually plate everything. We will need bowls however as I'm trying something new tonight. If you can just pass them over?"

"Do we need wine glasses is what I'm asking, " she said as she pulled out the bowls and sent them over the counter so he could pick them up.

"What's dinner without wine? You should know better than that, " Rick teased back as he placed the soup bowls to the side.

"Of course except on those days you say we need to have beer or you have a headache so you just want water or how about when you've made lemonade or some kind of punch, " Twilight continued with a smile. There were times she understood the thing about teasing that Rick liked so much so she used it to her full advantage.

"None of that now. We're having wine and that's final, " Rick said with mock severity. The effect was ruined by the fact he was trying hard not to smile. He quickly finished up, ladled some of the soup into the bowls and brought them out.

The soup was a light brown colour and while there was a familiar aroma to it Twilight really couldn't place it. She stirred her spoon through the bowl hoping to see what was in it but all she found was the slightly thick broth and some potatoes. Bringing the spoon to her lips she tasted it carefully and thought it was good although a little odd. There was a bit of heat to it, but not enough to be overpowering but for the life of her couldn't figure out what it was. Needless to say she had to ask.

"When you get down to it it's PBJ soup, " Rick said with a smile.

"What's that?"

Her coltfriend chuckled a bit before saying, "it stands for 'peanut butter and jelly'. It's something that kids really like, I must have eaten PBJs for years when I was younger but it's not really something you eat when you get older unless you don't have much money or just can't cook. This is based off an African recipe for 'groundnut soup'. Groundnuts are what they call peanuts. The jelly in this case is a red pepper jelly which gives it the heat and a bit of sweetness and the potatoes are just there for body."

"Well it's very good. Much better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"I would think so. I mean what kind of person would I be if I just offered you that?" They continued to enjoy their soup and when it was done Rick cleared the bowls before bringing out the main course. It had the look of eggplant parmesan but smelled differently. As Rick was filling their glassed with some red wine Twilight took a bite of her dinner and was pleasantly surprised.

"This tastes like pizza!"

"Yeah, I had some mushrooms I needed to use. Then as I was looking for the cheese happened on some olives and just went with a pizza theme for it. Didn't know if it was going to work but I'm happy with the results, " Rick said after taking a bite of his own.

"I don't mind pizza but this is better, " Twilight said she dug into her food. They made conversation as they ate and Twilight spoke of her day in the library. It wasn't necessarily exciting but she just loved to talk about books and organizing so much that Rick was more than happy to listen to her.

Dinner was finished and both Twilight and Rick retired to the couch for the after dinner part of the evening which was watching a DVD. But before they could do so, Rick turned to Twilight and asked her as they sat on the couch, "hey babe, got a question for you."

"Hmm? What is it big guy?" she asked as he placed his arm around her and she snuggled in close to him.

"Well, some of my friends from work want to get together this Friday for a boys night. We're going out for bad food and a guys movie. I'm just wondering if you'd be okay with that?"

Twilight smiled and had to give him a kiss. She thought he was so sweet wanting to ask her permission to go out with his friends. "Of course you can go. You let me go out with my friends when I want to. It's only fair that I let you go do things with your friends too."

"Yeah I know but now that we're practically living together, I mean you sleep here every night, I didn't want you to feel... you know... like I was ignoring you or anything."

Twilight brought her face closer to her colt friend until they were practically touching. "You could never ignore me no matter how hard you tried." They kissed again, Twilight felt his hand immediately cup her face and start tickling her ear as he had a tendency to do. "See?" she said with a mischievous grin. "You can't ignore me."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure. So what do you feel like watching tonight?" Rick said as he went over to his DVD shelf.

"How about one of those 'guy' movies you're always talking about? You've never shown me one and I want to see what this other part of you is like, " she said teasingly.

"You don't want to see one of those. They're all explosions and car chases and really improbable situations. How about..., " Rick started as he scanned his shelf, "... The Red Violin? A tale of love, passion and music spanning centuries?"

"That doesn't sound like it has explosions and car chases. I want to see a guy's movie."

"Okay, then... oh! The Fifth Element, " Rick stated pulling the Luc Besson movie off the shelf. "It's got explosions, action sequences and Bruce Willis?"

"Is that a guys movie?" Twilight asked not too sure if he was still trying to distract her.

"Well.... some guys like it. I mean I like it although I'll admit it's a lot of style over actual substance but it's a good movie."

"Rick. I'm putting my hoof down. I want a guys movie like the one you're going to see with your friends!" Twilight said as firmly as she could.

Rick knew he was defeated so he pulled out a copy of "Iron Man" and hoped that she would like Robert Downey Jr. "This is the first one in the series, it's considered one of the best examples of it and Robert Downey Jr did a great job of it and it's considered one of the better comic book movies."

"Is this related to what you're seeing?"

"Yeah well, we're going to see Iron Man 3 so this is the first one they made." Rick stopped and had to ask, "are you sure you want to see this one? I don't know if you'll like it."

"I want to see it. Even if I can't go out on one of these boys nights with you at least I can share in this part of it, " she said with certainty.

Rick just shrugged and put the movie into the player. Two hours and a bit later Rick turned to her and asked what she thought of the movie. He liked it and felt that Robert Downey Jr had done a great job in portraying the alcoholic but sarcastic Tony Stark but then this was a role that was practically written for him.

"It was... interesting, " Twilight said diplomatically.

"Interesting bad? Interesting good? Interesting as a word to say you don't know what to say and don't want to feel bad about hurting a person's feelings?"

"Kinda good but a lot of the... last part of that...sorry, " Twlight replied a little sheepishly. She looked uncertainly at Rick who only smiled back warmly at her.

"Babe, this is why I didn't think you would want to see this movie. I like it, I think the main actor did a great job and while the sequel wasn't all that great I'm hoping the third one is better.

"I'm just glad you actually showed me some good movies before you showed me that."

"It was either that or Spiderman 2, " Rick said with a smirk.

"Do all these movies have a character who's name ends in 'man'? That's pretty strange if they do. That would be like in Equestria calling everypony 'somethingmare' or 'whateverstallion'." She kissed Rick quickly before saying, "you humans are just weird."

"You'll get no argument from me, " Rick said before yawning slightly. Looking at his watch he saw it was around 9:30. Turning to his fillyfriend he asked, "you had enough for tonight?"

She smiled saucily and said, "I've had enough of movies and of this couch but not enough of you."

"It's a good thing then that I'm also ready for bed. C'mon, let's get ready, " Rick said giving Twilight a slight slap on the rump as she stood up. As they walked to the washroom to brush their teeth and get ready to go to bed the strains of a Roy Orbisson song came to Rick's mind. Without thinking he started to hum the theme to "You Got It".

"What was that you were humming?" Twilight asked as they walked into the bedroom and got into bed.

"It's nothing important, just a song that's been stuck in my head for a while."

"Maybe it's some Equestrian magic rubbing off on you. We're always breaking into song there."

"The only Equestrian magic I'm concerned about is the one that brought you to me, " he kissed her, putting as much love and tenderness into that kiss that he could.

"Sounds good to me, " Twilight said after kissing him back. "Lights on or off?"

Rick just smiled wickedly and took her in his arms. "We can turn the light off when we go to sleep. Right now I want to see your face."

Twilight sighed happily as he slid into her. Apart from the poor choice of movie, tonight had been almost perfect and now there would be a perfect ending to it as well.

Author's Notes:

Just something that was on my mind for a bit in part due to a certain... ugliness that took place with a certain user that has been banned. Yes I will admit most of the plot points were there for a reason as a not so subtle middle finger to him. Yeah, it's childish but what do you want?

This would take place sometime after chapter seven in this particular anthology.

And Introducing Dusk Shine

"Later babe, don't wait up for me!" Rick said giving Twilight a kiss before he ran off to join his friends. Twilight watched him go and sighed deeply as the car pulled out of the driveway and watched him go until the taillights disappeared. She walked through the house that they bought, it was currently rather empty but Rick said they could fix it up. There wasn't much to see as they still lived in the basement even though the entire house was now theirs.

She made her way back to Equestria. If Rick was going out for a night with his friends then why couldn't she? Twilight trotted happily through the portal into the library just in time to see Spike about to walk through the door.

"Hey Spike! Wanna help me organize the shelves tonight? I've got a new system based on popularity of the books that I want to try out!"

"Oh hi Twilight! I wasn't expecting you back tonight so I was off to see Rarity. She wants me to help her organize her boutique and I kinda promised I'd help her, " the young dragon said a little sheepishly.

"That's okay Spike. I've got this, " Twilight said as Spike quickly ran out the door. She looked about the library, wondering where to start first when her stomach growled a bit and she realized that she hadn't had dinner yet. It had been a long time since she had actually made anything as Rick cooked them dinner just about every night and Spike would bring her lunch that she stopped giving any kind of thought to it. The kitchen in the library was bare and she wasn't really equipped to make something back on Earth so she thought that maybe she could visit Pinkie Pie.

A quick trip to Sugarcube Corner later and she found that they were closing for the night. Pinkie Pie had gone out in search of something called a "truffleberry" and had borrowed Fluttershy to help her look. Twilight was about to go see if Applejack had some apples to spare but noticed it was getting dark which meant the farm pony was most likely getting ready to go to bed assuming she wasn't already asleep. And as Rainbow Dash was still recovering from her accident that meant that all her close personal friends were either busy or unavailable. Her stomach growled again and she decided to go back to Earth and maybe rummage around the fridge. There had to be something there that she could have even if it meant turning herself human for a bit.

Twilight made her way back through the portal and as she passed his closet took down one of Rick's favorite shirts as she transformed herself into her human form. "One of these days I'm going to have to actually get my own clothes, " she said as she put it on. She admired herself in the mirror and posed a few times. Rick always said she looked extra sexy when she just wore one of his shirts and nothing else. A moment later she had put on the entire outfit but it hung loosely all over her and made her look disheveled. Girl wearing her boyfriend's shirt is cute, girl wearing the rest of his clothes typically isn't. Twilight got an idea and shifted things a bit, growing slightly and filling the clothes out until she did make them fit or at least as much as she could fit inside men's clothes. Another moment and she tried something new, this time she needed to change her look completely but from female to male. This wasn't as easy as it sounded and took some concentration but after several attempts what looked back at Twilight Sparkle from the mirror was a rather male looking version of herself.

"Perfect!" she said to herself in her regular voice. She concentrated and said, "how's that?" in a deeper and more masculine voice. "Okay, I've got 6 hours or so like this. Let's see what I can do." In a flash she disappeared from the bedroom and re-appeared in Rick's car just as he was pulling into the restaurant.

"GAH!" Rick yelled as a man appeared beside him. He nearly lost control of the car but managed to park safely and was about to ask where he came from when he was assaulted by what could only be described as a tackle hug. Struggling to free himself, Rick pushed the other guy away and shouted, "what the hell man!? Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my car?"

"It's me!" the strange man said. "Twilight Sparkle!"

"What?!? How?" Rick pointed at Twilight as he made unintelligible sounds because his brain had short circuited for a moment. The look was surprisingly similar to how Twilight looked when she was human down to the purple hair with the magenta streak through it but more... masculine. The term that came to Rick's mind was "prettyboy" and the fact that she... or in this form he was wearing some of the more colorful items from his closet didn't change that fact.

"I... sorry, " Twilight cleared her throat and came back with her normal voice, "Nopony was around Equestria, I got a little hungry, I missed you and wanted to see what one of these guys nights are all about. Please don't be mad, " she pouted in what could only be described as cutely.

Rick screwed his eyes shut and shook his head quickly as if to shake his thoughts back into place. "But I thought you didn't want to see this movie and you thought it would be stupid?"

"I probably will but I've never had the chance to meet your friends and thought we could do this. Is that okay?"

Just then there was a knock on the window and Rick noticed Herman and Pauly standing there. "Fine, just fix your hair and try to act like one of us will you?" he pleaded to his girlfriend... or boyfriend in this case. "I'm going to need a therapist when this night is over, " he mumbled to himself as he got out of the car to greet his friends. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Not much, who's your friend?" Herman asked. Rick froze not knowing what to call... him as they hadn't decided on a name yet.

"You can call me Dusk. I'm the twin brother of Rick's girlfriend. I was in town and he invited me out tonight, " Twilight said in a rather convincing guy kind of way as she offered her hand to Rick's friends. Introductions were made and they made their way into the restaurant where some of the two other members of their little cabal were already waiting. Greetings were made and the two others introduced themselves as Dave and Bill.

"So Dusk, what brings you around?" Pauly asked once they had ordered their drinks.

"Well, I missed my sister and she's always talking about the world outside the commune so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Oh right, the commune. I keep forgetting that your sister grew up with a bunch of hippies, " Dave mentioned.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a quieter life but hearing so much from her I thought I'd at least come out and see it and experience it first hand. So when Rick mentioned a boys night he and my sister thought it would be fun."

"Just wondering, you a vegetarian like your sister?" Pauly asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Kinda. I'll eat fish if I have to but I really don't like eating something with a face you know? Is that a problem?"

"For me? Hell no. I just think it's funny that you decide to come to a guy's night when we go out to a steakhouse and you're an herbivore. Or did Rick not mention this to you?" The server came by with their drinks and they asked him back in a few minutes while they made their decisions on what to have.

"Pauly, stop being such a dick to Dusk. I'm sure he's aware of the menu choices, they have fish on the menu and he's probably not going to get all freaked out if you order a steak. Besides it's only his first time with us. If this becomes a regular thing then you can pick on him, " Herman said with mock severity.

"Guys c'mon. Can we wait for the trash talk until at least I've finished my first glass?" Rick added wanting to steer the conversation away from Dusk as much as possible.

"It's okay Rick, I realise there might be some hazing for my first time out. I read about it in a book once, " Twilight answered. She wanted to reach over and hold Rick's hand and give him a smile to show she was okay but didn't know how well that would go over with the rest of his friends so she tried to imitate his laissez-faire attitude instead.

"Good attitude, salud!" Pauly raised his glass indicating that Twilight had passed some kind of test.

The server came by again, they all ordered and again the conversation around the table turned with occasional pot shots taken at one of their members. More than once Rick and Pauly would throw things back and forth and then all of a sudden turn on Herman for a double barreled assault that would have the rest of the table roaring in laughter. Twilight had to admit this was a side of Rick she had never seen before. It wasn't unpleasant or anything, it just showed that with his friends he could be a bit of a different person. She also had to admit that one of these "guy nights" could be a little bit of fun. Rick and his friends were cutting loose as it was, just being themselves and while there was some good natured ribbing she could tell they didn't mean any of it in a nasty way. These were friends and this was obviously how they liked to play with each other.

Dinner was served and Twilight did feel a little green seeing the rest of the table eating steak, she did have to admit that the smell from her fish was excellent and while this might be a place that specialized in meat, they grilled a mean swordfish.

"Are we done?" Dave asked once all the food had been consumed and a few of them checked their watches to find out what time it was.

"Yeah, I think we need to leave soon, " Herman replied while trying to flag down the waiter.

The bill was received, the tip was worked out and everybody pulled out a credit card. When the waiter came over to get them, Herman explained to him how things would be done. "It's really simple. Charge these four cards $45.00 each. Charge this one, " he said pointing to Rick's, "$90.00." The waiter did some quick math in his head and agreed with a smile. He usually didn't like serving the younger crowd but these guys had been good and were giving him a good tip so he wasn't going to argue over doing a little more work.

The credit cards returned and everybody had signed their slips so it was now time to leave. Herman and Pauly did razz Rick a couple times about him paying for Dusk and how he'd have to "work it off". The added "bow chicka wow wow" and Herman swinging his hips left his meaning totally clear.

"Guys, please. This is Twilight's brother. Besides she said she'd make it up to me later, " Rick said with a leer. There were assorted agreements and cat calls as they all piled into their cars to drive to the theater.

Twilight sat in Rick's car, a little worried about what she had just heard. "Sorry to cause you so much trouble."

"Hey hey hey, none of that now. You're seeing what a guy's night is all about. It's food, alcohol, a movie and trash talk. Besides, I'm totally going to take advantage of you later and by that I mean female you. So don't worry about it."

"Okay, " Twilight wanted to reach over and take his hand or even kiss him but felt it wasn't right. As they pulled out of the parking lot she felt Rick place a reassuring hand on her thigh. Twilight couldn't help but smile at the man she loved as she placed one of her masculine hands over his.

"Don't worry babe, we'll make it through the night. Gotta wonder though, how much time do you have in that body?"

"I'm usually good for six hours so I figure unless the movie goes on for more than four hours we should be okay."

"Good to know. I don't think it's longer than two and a half hours and we still have thirty minutes before it starts. So we'll probably have beer or something first. I will just ask one thing, when we're alone it's okay if you touch me but when we're in public and this includes in the theater I need you to keep your hands to yourself. It'll just raise too many questions and considering that so far only Herman has actually met the female you, I don't want the rest of the guys to think badly of you. Okay?"

"Okay."

They drove on for another few minutes until they reached the theater and Twilight really started to get excited. This was the first time she was actually going to see a movie in the theater. Usually they just watched one at home but this was going to be a whole new experience. They all met up inside and purchased the tickets before heading to the bar for a quick drink before making their way to their seats. Twilight commented eagerly on this as they sat down.

"You've never been to a movie theater before?" Bill asked incredulously.

"No, " Twilight said with a big smile. "I've seen them on TV and on a small screen but we don't have anything like this back home! There's so many people here too, " she marveled at everything. Rick couldn't help but smile at this. He loved it when Twilight got excited over things and this time he had to resist leaning over to kiss her.

The house lights went down, the previews started and soon the feature presentation was on screen. It was loud, exciting and while it wasn't what Twilight would have thought she'd enjoy the fact that she was here with all these people who were enjoying the movie actually made her enjoy it more. When everything was done the boys exited the movie theater and said their goodbyes before heading home. Twilight gushed about the entire experience on the drive all the way back.

"Oh that was fun!" Twilight said once they had gotten back home. She threw her arms around Rick and went in for a kiss but he pulled back a bit. Hurt a little bit by this she took a step back and clasped her hands nervously in front of her.

"Sorry babe, " Rick said a little uncomfortably. "I'm just not really comfortable kissing another guy. It's not you, I mean I know it's you in there but 25 years of heterosexuality can get in your way sometimes."

"Prove it, " she said a little defiantly.

"What do you mean?"

"Prove to me you know it's me inside. Kiss me, " Twilight answered with resolve.

"Can you turn back into a girl or a pony first and by that I mean a girl pony."

"No. If you truly love me, you can do this."

"Fine. But you're turning back into a girl when this is done, " Rick sighed in defeat. He took a step forward, grabbed Twilight by her arms and kissed her rather mechanically on the lips. When he opened his eyes he winced slightly as Twilight didn't appear amused by this.

"I mean a real kiss. With real passion. Kiss me like you did when we first kissed. I was a pony and it didn't stop you from expressing your feelings."

"You're right. Here goes, " and with those words he took Twilight in his arms and gave her what he hoped was the best kiss of her life. Twilight melted against him and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go. Rick had to admit that although it felt a little strange, it really wasn't all that different than when he kissed Twilight normally. Her mouth was a little different and the body felt strange in his arms. It definitely didn't have the softness that he liked but underneath it all this was the same person regardless of the form she wore. Luckily she didn't have five o'clock shadow which would have made this really strange.

When they broke, he noticed the blush on her cheeks and the dreamy smile on her face. "Now that was a kiss...." her face clouded over for a moment as if she had discovered something new. Rick felt something stir in his pants only to realize it wasn't his pants he felt the stirring in. They both looked down, Rick in horror and Twilight in amusement. "So that's how it feels..."

Rick broke the contact with a little bit of a shudder. "Sorry, but that just got to be a little too real for me. Do you mind?"

"Alright, " she said before turning back into her female form. "Better?" she said standing there in clothes that were suddenly too big for her. It was at this point that her pants fell down revealing her shapely legs. A moment later, the rest of her clothes fell to the floor and Twilight went from two legs back to four as she turned back into a pony.

"Oh yeah. Much better, " Rick replied while kneeling down to take her head in his hands and draw her in for another kiss before leading on to other things.

As they lay in bed, Twilight giggled a bit before saying, "we really ought to do this again."

"What you mean you coming on a guy's night?"

"No not that that. Don't get me wrong, it was fun but I don't want to do this on a regular basis. No, I was thinking I could be a stallion again. And maybe you could be a mare, " she said with a large grin.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"Oh it would be fun. Besides I think you'd make a cute mare, " Twilight said while imagining Rick as a girl.

"Thanks, " Rick said dryly, "but I'm not into dudes. Babe even if you happen to be in there. I just can't get hot for somebody that has male equipment. I know Equestrians are... naturally bisexual but that doesn't mean it's the same for everypony just like it's not the same for a lot of people on Earth."

Twilight thought about this for a moment. "Sooo, how about if you're a mare and so am I?"

Now it was Rick's turn to think about this for a moment before asking, "human or pony?"

"Either, " Twilight said with a bit of a shrug. "Or maybe one of each. We could try different combinations, " Twilight said with a wide grin. She still wasn't sure she would or could go through with this but after what she saw tonight she did know that teasing her coltfriend a bit and making him squirm could be fun.

Rick sighed. He wasn't convinced of this but maybe was a little intrigued. "I'm not completely against that but we'll really talk about this some other time. Right now I think it's late."

"Agreed. G'night" Twilight leaned in for a kiss and they hugged tight before finally settling down to sleep.

Author's Notes:

This story actually started with a bit near the ending. I had this idea where what would happen if Twilight had to become a guy for some reason and how would both she and Rick act if this happened.

The characters seen are actually based on friends I have in real life and how it is we do act with each other when our wives and girlfriends aren't around. And yes, it's the same group mentioned in "Doorway to Another Place" and the guacamole incident. Names of course have been changed to protect the innocent.

Also I notice that a lot of my chapters, both here and in other stories, seem to end with people going to sleep. Funny how I never really considered it before.

All Good Things

The smell of antiseptic hung heavily in the air and almost hidden there in the background was a scent he felt he had forgotten. He thought this had to be a hospital but for some reason his brain felt all fuzzy. Struggling to open his eyes he heard a voice call out, "he's awake!" It was a familiar voice, that of his granddaughter Silver Belle, but sounded like it was coming from underwater. Her voice was all distorted. He was finally able to open one eye; the other didn't seem to be responding properly. A dark blue blur came over and he felt a strong hoof over his. This meant he was in Equestria but he couldn't remember getting here.

"Dad, you're in the hospital. We found you collapsed at home and brought you here. The doctors are saying you had a stroke. Can you understand me?" Sterling asked.

He tried to open his mouth but part of it just felt like mush. His tongue flopped to the side, unwilling to move properly. What had Sterling just said? A stroke? He needed to know where his wife was, she needed to know about it. Rick tried valiantly to get the word out and in the end half mushed - half spoke the name, "Twilight?"

There was a pause before Sterling responded as if he didn't know what to say next. "Mom's been dead for years now. Don't you remember? She got sick and passed away?"

Rick just grunted, the memories coming back to him. He remembered seeing her get sicker and sicker. The doctors in both Equestria and Earth couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. That damned disease stole the love of his life away from him and along with her his desire to live. It left him alone in that damned farmhouse to putter around in with nothing but his memories to keep him company. Sterling and his family decided to move in with him in part so that he would have part of his family close but also to look after him as he so desperately needed during those long weeks and months after her passing.

Rick struggled to get up but all the strength seemed to have been sapped from his body so he just lay there before darkness overcame him.

He must have fallen asleep because when he woke up the light outside had changed and once again he swore that he could smell his wife there in the room with him. Rick called out to her, but all that came from his throat was a pained croak. Immediately a violet blob was at his bedside he was about to call her Twilight before he remembered what had happened. Also the blob called him Daddy so it could only be Twyla. Rick tried to ask her why she was crying but he was far from coherent at the moment. It wasn't long before his strength once again left him and he once more fell asleep.

In the time that followed he would wake briefly, only to hear muffled conversations, pastel coloured blobs in front of his eyes and the scent of pony that he knew couldn't be there but always seemed to be getting stronger. That is until finally he opened his eyes, feeling better than he had in a long time and sat up in bed. His family and friends were gathered around him, his children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews and even some grand-nieces and nephews. They looked sad but for some reason he just couldn't feel bad for them. As he looked around the room he noticed a familiar face peeking around the door frame and his face broke into a huge grin.

He got to his hooves and half walked, half glided over to her before kissing her gently and asking, "Sorry I kept you waiting".

Twilight Sparkle just smiled at her husband before saying, "I've always been here. But you just couldn't see me."

Looking back over his shoulder the realisation of what had happened made him pause for a moment. "I'm dead aren't I?"

"Yes, but it's okay. I'm here to take you on."

Rick paused for a moment looking back at the room where all the grieving and sadness was taking place. "I know I should feel bad about this but I don't."

"That's normal. Now c'mon. We need to go and there's some ponies waiting to see you." Twilight led him down the hall which slowly started to fade away and they soon found themselves walking along a featureless plane. Rick glanced down and noticed he was no longer walking on four legs but back on two. He was dressed in comfortable clothes and when he looked at his hands, gone were the gnarled and liver spotted appendages and in their place were the strong and smooth hands of a young man. He reached down and playfully ran his fingers through Twilight's mane.

Soon, although time felt meaningless where they were, they found themselves in front of a plain white door. The same looking door that had originally linked their worlds so many years ago. Rick twisted the knob and it opened up into the old Golden Oaks Library that he remembered. There, strung across the far wall, was a banner welcoming him and almost immediately Pinkie Pie had launched herself at him and gave him a huge hug.

"Welcome back Rick!" she cried. "We all missed you!" And it was true. All of his friends in Equestria that had died before him were there including Pinkie Pie who years ago had finally succumbed to diabetes which wasn't surprising with all the sugar she ate. "And the best part about this place is you can eat whatever you want and you won't get sick!" And as if to prove a point she pulled a cupcake out from behind her back and stuffed it into her mouth.

Rick and Twilight made the rounds. Some of the ponies he didn't quite recognize as they were old when they died but often times their color and cutie mark did help in making them known. One pony in particular that he didn't expect to see there was the one that he had no trouble recognizing as she was currently at the buffet table trying to decide which cake to eat first.

"Hello Celestia. It's been a while, " he greeted the regal ruler of the day.

"Rick, it's a pleasure to see you as well..." any words she would have said afterwards were cut off as Twilight Sparkle immediately ran up and stood between her husband and her former mentor.

"You can't have him! I brought him here so we could be together forever! You can't take him away from me now!"

Rick stood there, not quite understanding what was happening. He went to speak but Celestia cut him off.

"Twilight Sparkle, you know the rules. He doesn't belong here. He belongs with his own people."

"But he lived here too! He even saved your life! Why does he have to leave after all these years I've been waiting?!" Twilight cried through her tears pleading with her teacher to bend the rules just this once.

"I can't. To balance the books we'd need an Equestrian willing to stay in his place, " Celestia said sadly. She looked at Twilight and Rick for a moment before continuing. "I can bend the rules a little bit, he can stay the night but no longer. Tomorrow morning I need to take him home. Twilight sadly agreed. Needless to say the party was ended rather quickly as everypony wanted to give them some alone time.

"I'm sorry, " Twilight said as they lay in the large bed in the sleeping area upstairs. "I thought that maybe if I brought you here, we could be together again. I should have known better."

"Well how do you think I feel? Here I was since the time I was a kid thinking that heaven didn't exist and not only is there one for ponies but one for humans as well. Damn I feel stupid!" Rick said with a bit of a smile.

Twilight smiled through her tears. She had missed his dry sense of humor as well as being in his arms. They lay there for a while when she felt something pressing against her that she hadn't felt in a while. She smiled saucily at her husband who had a strange expression on his face. Looking under the covers he noticed a part of his anatomy that for the better part of the last decade of his life had been rather useless. "Now there's something I haven't felt in a long time. Wanna give it a test run?" Twlight's come hither gaze left nothing to interpretation.

Afterwards, as they lay there feeling rather relaxed Rick suddenly cried out, "Apple Bloom!"

"What?" Twilight asked a little drowsily. "She's not here is she?"

"No, Apple Bloom is still on Earth with her husband and kids. After Granny Smith died she hardly set hoof in Equestria. Her kids were born on Earth as was her husband. Our kids were born here as well as you. If she's willing to stay there in their afterlife then why can't I stay here? One soul for another. It's perfect!" Rick said with a smile.

"Sweet Celestia you're right!" Twilight kissed her husband hard. "I always knew you were the smart one in this marriage!" She happily threw her hooves around him and gave him the biggest hug of her life or afterlife as it was. They cried happy tears as they realized that they would never again be separated. They kissed and again that led to other things that the two of them had not done in a long time.

The next morning, such as time passed over here, came and they waited for Princess Celestia to show up.

"Celestia, I think we have a solution, " Rick said.

"Yes. If Apple Bloom agrees to stay on Earth with her husband and children then that ought to balance things out and Rick can stay here with me!"

"I see. In the meantime he can't stay here. There's a place for situations like this."

Twilight blanched. "You don't mean..."

"Yes. He's going to need to go to the Waiting Room. He shouldn't be gone more than a few weeks."

"What's going on? What is this 'Waiting Room' and why does this have to take a few weeks?"

Twilight sighed and thought for a moment trying to come up with an analogy that would make sense. "Do you remember the movie 'Beetlejuice'?"

"Sure... oh wait so you mean it's like waiting at the DMV but for eternity?"

"Something like that, " Twilight said.

"Great. Even in the afterlife there's bureaucracy, " Rick grumbled. He turned to Twilight and took her in his arms one last time. She grasped hold of him, unwilling to let him go but eventually they had no choice. "See you soon, " he said before turning around and heading through the door followed immediately by Celestia.

They walked through the nothing until they actually came to a turnstile. Celestia motioned him through and a moment later he found himself in what looked exactly like every government building he had ever seen except the hallways seemed to go on forever. Rick stood there for a moment until Celestia nudged him forward. He was a little surprised to see she looked as she did when she was human. She led him down a series of hallways, past countless doors and offices until they came to a receptionist. She spoke in a language that Rick couldn't understand and he was surprised that Celestia responded in the same way. A moment later, the receptionist handed Celestia a key and she led him down another series of hallways until they came to a featureless metal door with alien writing on it.

Opening it revealed, something that looked like it was out of a Motel 6. That was really the only thing Rick could compare it to. There was a bed, a desk, a TV, a chair and a small bathroom off to the side. The only thing missing was a coffeemaker which made him a little sad.

"Make yourself at home. You'll be here until we can get the paperwork done. Don't worry. I'll come visit and let you know how things are going. But you won't be able to leave this room until this is done. This place is a construct which your mind can't understand so it fills in the details with things that are familiar to you. But trust me on this, you are safe here."

Celestia turned to leave but Rick called out to her, "hold on! I don't see a phone or anything. How do I contact you or room service for that matter?"

"You don't need to contact me and you don't need to eat or drink anything when you're here."

"So why the bathroom then?" Rick asked pointing to the bathroom.

"As I said, that's your mind filling in all the details. But if you want something, you just need to ask for it."

"Okay I want a ham sandwich on rye with hot mustard, some chips and a pickle on the side. And a beer to go along with it." A moment later there was a knock on the door and somebody called out, "room service" before Rick opened the door and received his requested meal. "That was fast, " he said putting the tray down on the desk only to find he was now alone in the room. Sighing slightly, he took a bite of the sandwich and had to admit it was better than he thought it would be but nowhere near what he had hoped.

After a few days of staring at the walls Rick needed to do something. The TV was useless. Not in the sense that it didn't work. It worked fine but it required him to think of a movie or TV show before it would play. Things were just too boring here. If he wanted something to snack on he could get it but even that lost it's novelty when the food was only okay.

Occasionally Celestia would show up with news on how his case was going. She had spoken to Apple Bloom who was more than happy to stay on Earth and agreed to take Rick's place which meant he could have hers but like in any bureaucracy things had to be done in a certain way and that always took time. Sometimes they played cards or Celestia would beat Rick in chess. She was a surprisingly good player but then Rick had to remember that she was a god so that had to be worth something.

But more often than not he was left alone in his room. He took to writing out the days but really it was only his wake / sleep cycles and even that was not something he had to do here but occasionally when boredom got the best of him he had no real alternative than to sleep.

Days turned to weeks. More than once Rick tried to get out of the room but the door wouldn't budge. If he called out for room service there was a hallway he could see but he could never get past the room service attendant to get to it and so eventually he just grew to accept his prison. Then one day, as he was dozing in front of the TV there came a knock on the door and Celestia walked in.

"Good to see you Celestia. Came to kick my butt at chess again?" Rick joked.

"Nope. I came here to have a drink with you, " she said as she pulled an ornate bottle and two glasses from somewhere behind her.

"Well that's a surprise. First time for anything I guess." Rick scooted down the bed as Celestia poured something blue into the glasses. She held one out for him and Rick asked, "so what should we drink to?"

"How about you're getting out of here?" she answered with a smile.

"What seriously?"

"Yes. Cheers!" Celestia raised her glass and drank it all in one shot so Rick followed suit. It was different and had an odd, almost floral taste to it with an underlying bitterness that wasn't unpleasant so much as it was unexpected.

"So what was that?"

"It doesn't really have a name but I like to call it 'Essence of Equestria'. It's something that will attune your spirit to our land." Celestia stoppered the bottle and again made it and the glasses disappear somewhere behind her.

Rick made to leave but Celestia held him back. "Give it a moment, you're still in flux right now." Rick went to argue when a wave of dizziness passed over him and he was grateful that the Ruler of the Day was there to support him. Human or Alicorn, she was still surprisingly strong. "I think you're ready now." They made their way to the door and Celestia took a moment to reflect as she reached for the doorknob.

"It's a shame, I'm going to miss coming to see you like this. I don't have fingers back in Equestria, " Celestia said with a smile as she looked at her digits.

"The doorway is still there and I'm sure Sterling and Glenda wouldn't mind you dropping by once in a while, " Rick said. He looked at his hands as well. "I think I'm going to miss these things too. Oh well, let's get moving."

Celestia led him through the door and surprisingly enough back to that featureless white plane. They walked for a while in silence until they got to the door that led back to Equestria and where he'd spend eternity.

"You coming?" Rick asked as he gripped the doorknob.

"Not now. I still have things to take care of in Equestria."

"Thank you Celestia. Thank you for everything, " Rick said and wrapped his arms around her once again Alicorn neck to give her a hug.

"You're very welcome Rick, " she said as she lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped her wings around him. A moment later they separated and the ruler of the day motioned at the door. "You better go. Somepony is waiting for you."

"We will see you again right?" he asked but Celestia had already vanished and gone back to Equestria. Turning the doorknob he walked through and stumbled a bit as he now had four legs instead of the two he had originally. He was moderately disappointed when there was no welcoming party although given that Twilight was standing there waiting for him, he quickly got over it.

"Welcome home, " she said coming over to him and giving him a kiss.

"Good to be home, " Rick said returning it. "So, there a chance I can find a cup of coffee in this place?"

Twilight smiled and said, "follow me", which he did. She led him to what looked like Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie was busy working as well as eating the products. She paused long enough to give them two cups of coffee before stuffing her face with another cupcake.

The two ponies sat on the patio outside, and Rick took a sip of his coffee. He smiled, looked at his wife and said, "you know, I think I'm going to like it here."