Jason stood from his kneeling position, brushing sawdust from his nearly-white cammies as he took a step back and examined his work.

Before him laid a rather large bed-frame. He had spent nearly a month cutting, sanding, nailing and staining the wood, giving him immense pride at the prowess of his creation. From his vantage point, he noticed a few spots he had missed while applying the second coat of sealant. He sighed before dipping his brush into the can and dabbing the clear liquid onto the offending locations.

Planer made his way over to see Jason's work.

"Just 'bout done, eh? Ah tell ya Sir, it's a shame ya won't let me sell it. Ah could make a small fortune offa this piece."

Jason rolled his eyes. Planer never missed a chance to poke fun at his position, but the human still felt obligated to comment on it.

"Come on, Planer. You're one of my oldest friends. Enough with the "Sir" shit. You know how I hate that."

"Well, what can ah say? It's hard fer a retired Guard ta break habits like that." Planer said with a smirk.

Jason sighed and returned to his feet, moving to where Planer stood and examining his work again.

"Yeah, it's just about done. Just need to let it dry. Thanks again for letting me use your tools for this."

"Aw, hay. You've been helpin' me for what, three years now? After all the money ah've made offa yer pieces, tha least ah could do is let ya use mah tools." He gave the human a nudge. "Ah have ta say though, if the rest of your furniture is near as fancy as that, yer new house is gonna be the fanciest in all o' Equestria!"

Jason smiled at the praise. He knew Planer was exaggerating, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

Jason had saved up quite a bit of money over the past years. The constant demand for the human's skills had made him quite the hot commodity, so he was almost always working. The speed and the skill he delivered to his various contracts had pleased his clients to no end, and quite a few of them were extremely generous tippers.

Roughly three or four months ago, Jason and Twilight had finally managed to convince Rainbow to move in with them. She had been hesitant to leave her home in the clouds, since she had assembled it herself, shaping the clouds to fit her needs, and on top of that it was fairly spacious and comfortable. However, due to Jason and Twilight's grounded nature, they were unable to visit her as often as they wanted. Sure, Twilight could cast her cloudwalking spell, but that had its own limitations. They were able to visit for short periods of time, but if they wanted to, say, spend the night, they would constantly need to monitor the time to ensure the spell wouldn't wear off while they were in the clouds. They used these facts to slowly convince Rainbow that moving would help strengthen the relationship.

It was more of a transition than a move. Rainbow gradually spent more and more time with her herdmates, slowly moving her personal belonings from her cloud home to the library.

It had only taken a few days for her to learn the...Benefits... Of sharing a home.

Unfortunately, as Rainbow moved her things, they quickly realized how limited they were on space. Boxes had started piling up as Rainbow ran out of places to put her things.

And so, Jason took it upon himself to find them a new house, one large enough for their small herd. Both Rainbow and Twilight had offered to help pay for the house, but Jason had refused. In essence, both of the mares worked for the government. Twilight could make quite the stipend from the research she performed, but she had long ago decided to release her knowledge freely to the ponies of Equestria, advancing the magic practices of the world with little compensation, other than accreditation. Her only source of income was the small flow of money that came from Ponyville's government for running the public library. It was enough to live comfortably on, but not much more than that.

Rainbow was more of a federal government worker, being in charge of Ponyville's weather team. She was responsible for maintaining the carefully balanced ecosystem according to the various weather charts that were distributed from the professionals in Cloudsdale. As the leader of the team, Rainbow made a little more than the average weather pegasus, but it was still a government job.

It hadn't taken long for them to choose their new home. There were only two houses with the space they needed, and one of them was nearly falling apart due to disrepair and infestation. That left them with one house at the outskirts of Ponyville. It was a two-story, three bedroom home with two bathrooms, a fairly large living room with a fireplace, a well-equipped kitchen (much to Spike's delight), and a fair bit of yard space with trees and flowers. It was a gorgeous home, and Jason was happy to begin the payments. It was not cheap, but at the rate of his income, he would be able to pay it off within a couple of years.

Despite the obvious appeal of the home, it was still unfurnished. They had moved some of the furniture from the library, such as the sofas, dressers, tables and a few chairs, but Jason had decided to make a few pieces himself to finish out the furnishing.

Satisfied with his work, he resealed the can of clear sealant and replaced it in a cabinet before making his way to a sink to clean the brush. Planer took a few closer looks at the bedframe, examining the designs and patterns which adorned the walnut-colored wood.

"Ya know, I wasn't kiddin'..." He said before making his way back to the cabinet he was working on. "That's probably the finest piece o' carpentry ah've ever laid mah eyes on. I may not be one a them so-called 'masters' from Canterlot, but in our little town you are by far the most talented craftsman."

Jason gave a half grin. "So people tell me. That's the only reason I can think of as to why ponies like to give me so much money for so little work."

Jason hadn't actually worked for Planer since that first spa contract. He would occasionaly help the stallion on larger jobs, but often times he did it as a favor. Jason had taken up the carpentry as a hobby, something he did for fun when he was in-between jobs. He allowed Planer to sell his pieces in the shop, giving the shopkeeper a percentage of the money earned from the furniture they sold.

Planer snorted. "Anyway, how ya gonna get that home? 's a little big ta fit through the door."

"I can dissassemble it. Just undo a few screws and it breaks down. I'll get a cart or maybe Twilight can help out with a little telekenesis."

"As always, you've thought o' everything." Planer shook his head before quickly tapping in a finishing nail. "So, Runnin' o' the Leaves is comin' up... You gonna win again this year?"

Jason smirked. "I'm certainly gonna try, but Rainbow's getting a lot faster and she's actually almost beaten me a few times now. I think it may be a real challenge this year."

It was a half-truth. Rainbow's stamina had certainly been improving, and she no longer struggling to keep up with him during their runs, but Jason was still slowing his pace for her. She was an amazing sprinter and could get her legs moving very quickly. Her fast acceleration had made it difficult for Jason to catch and pass her. He still could, but it was far more difficult than it had been when they started.These were sprints however, and Jason still had much better long-distance capabilities. Sometimes he felt bad about always beating her, but he was perfectly aware that she wanted to beat him on her own, her competitive nature constantly driving her to improve. She wouldn't forgive him if he just let her win.

"Well, it oughtta be a good time, anyway. I'll make sure ta keep Twilight company fer ya." Planer shot Jason a devilish look.

Jason looked at him incredulously. "Yeah, good luck with that, old man. She may not be a star athlete, but she can still run circles around you."

Planer chuckled. "Easy kid, ah was jus' jokin'. Ah haven't participated in that race in years. Ah don't even know if ah could finish one lap." He shook his head before picking up a sanding block and rubbing down a rough patch.

"So, when ya gonna ask her?" Planer asked, his voice nonchalant.

Jason blinked. "Ask who what?"

Planer shot him a sideways glance. "Don't play dumb. You've been shoppin' around fer a horn ring. That can only mean one thing...So, when ya gonna ask her?"

God damnit, Rarity... "Maybe I just wanna get her a ring. You know... For her birthday." It was an unconvincing argument at best. Jason half-hoped Planer would buy it.

His hopes proved unfounded as Planer gave him an incredulous look. "A horn ring? For a birthday present? Come on, Jason. I'm an Earth pony and even I know that horn rings mean only one thing."

Jason sighed in surrender. "Alright, alright fine. Yes, I'm going to propose. It's still in the planning phase, though. Hell, I haven't even bought the ring yet." He shook his head quickly. "Ya know, I still haven't gotten used to how quick gossip spreads around here. Please, at least try to keep it a secret from her."

Planer gave him a quick grin. "Well, that's yer fault for trustin' Rarity with a secret, especially one like that. Don't worry though, we can at least keep it from reaching her ears, ah promise you that."

Jason sighed. "Thanks, Planer."

The human had spent quite a bit of time over the past month doing research on the subject of Equestrian marriage. He had to be careful, he didn't want Twilight getting suspicious or nosy after all.

Originally, Jason learned, marriage had been more of a social tool. In olden times of hardship, herds would sometimes arrange a trade of sorts. When a herd was struggling, they would sometimes be able to broker a marriage. Stallions were far more selfish back then. They could afford to be, since mares would be desperate to find somepony of the opposite gender to do the more demanding jobs and hard labor. They were capable of maintaining enough for themselves, however if they wanted to continue to grow their family, they would need a partner. More ponies meant they needed more resources. More resources meant more work. As the work increased, more ponies were needed. Stallions always held the power within the herd, since they were seen as the most valuable member. They were needed to create more children to make the herd larger.

If herds were struggling, they had the option to arrange a joining of sorts. The stallion of one herd would offer one of his mares to the stallion in charge of the herd they wished to join. If the more succesful stallion accepted the offer, the two herds would be merged into one, thus strengthening their bond and the likeliness of their prosperity.

This practice had dissolved centuries ago. Ever since the cities and population centers of Equestria had been established and made the idea of it pointless, since even small herds could support themselves within the strong economies of the towns. Marriage had become more like the human version, a binding of individual ponies as a sign of love and devotion, often times accompanied by a ceremony and celebration.

Jason had been surprised when he learned that pegasi didn't follow that tradition. To them, marriage was never a common practice. The pegasi had always lived in small groups, and their flight made it simple for them to move from one source of resources to another. They lived much more like nomads than settlers. Even today, Pegasi liked to travel. Cloudsdale was the only true pegasus city. There were plenty of smaller townships scattered around, but most pegasi liked to move from place to place.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been exceptions. Rainbow had been given her position within the weather team shortly after her arrival in Ponyville, and felt a certain devotion to keeping everything balanced within the small town. Fluttershy had more personal reasons to stay. She had formed friendships with all of the various animals she cared for. She had even named them and could point them out at a distance. She wouldn't be able to bring herself to leave her friends behind.

To pegasi, marriage was a far more personal affair. The two would meet in private and exchange vows, along with a single primary flight feather from their wing. The feathers held their own latent magic, protecting them from damage and preserving them from aging. The feathers were extremely symbolic. It was a literal piece of the pony, one that would live much longer than the mare or stallion themselves.

In pegasus relationships, it was custom for the mare to initiate the practice, so Jason was willing to wait.

However, Earth pony and unicorn relationships could be initiated from either side. Jason had been with Twilight for years, each day growing their love toward one another. Contrary to his original belief, Rainbow had actually strengthened his relationship with the unicorn.

The pegasus was capable of stimulating Jason's physical interests, with excercise, sports, training and competition. Twilight, on the other hand, tested him mentally. He relished in the conversations, lessons and debates they shared nearly every day.

Jason had found a perfect balance with the two mares. He was happy. Extremely happy. Long ago, he had claimed that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them, and as time passed the phrase was cemented into a monument of truth within his mind.

He had gone to Rarity last week with the prospect of a ring. He had no idea what he was looking for, so he hoped she would have some idea, both as a fashion designer and as a unicorn, about what would look good on Twilight.

Needless to say, she was absolutely ecstatic. Evidently, she had been waiting for this visit for months, and had made it a hobby of hers to create sketches of various horn rings. She had quite the portfolio to show Jason when he finally asked.

The designs covered every end of the spectrum. From extremely simple bands to indescribably intricate designs that covered the entire horn in fine wire filligre and gemstones. Jason was floored by the selection. He literally spent hours looking through the sketchbook. He tried to balance what he knew Twilight would like with what he wanted to give her.

He was tempted to choose the most extravagant, and beautiful design Rarity had created, but quickly thought against it. Twilight was beautiful, yes, but she presented it in a reserved fashion. She didn't flaunt her beauty, didn't spend hours on her makeup and hair. She didn't attempt to wear outfits to show others she was beautiful, she simply was.

After days of indecision, he finally decided on a middle ground. After he was done here, he would present Rarity with his chosen design. It was a golden band, roughly an eighth of an inch wide that widened slightly around three inlaid gems which formed the centerpiece of the ring. The two outside gemstones were white diamonds, cut into slightly elongated diamond shapes. The two diamonds flanked a purple gemstone, matching the shape and shade of the six-pointed star of Twilight's cutie mark. Thin wire filligre arced around one side of the ring.

Jason had no idea how much the ring would cost, so he brought a fist-sized pouch filled to bursting with bits. He hoped it would be enough.

Jason made his way over to the hook where his blouse hung. He looked over the faded material and sighed. These have served me well these past years, but I think it might be time for a new set. You can barely tell these were even camouflage anymore.

He slipped his arms through the sleeves before securing the cuffs and the front of the worn shirt.

"Okay Planer, I'm done for the day. I need to swing by Carousel Boutique before it closes."

Planer raised an eyebrow towards the human.

Jason smirked. "Hey, I said I haven't bought the ring yet. Doesn't mean I'm not about to."

Planer grinned back. "Fair enough. Good luck to ya."

"Hey, I'm just buying the ring. I still have no idea how or when I'm going to ask, but I appreciate it. I'll let you know when I figure it out. I'll swing by tomorrow to pick up the bed." Jason moved to the door, setting his cover atop his head. "See ya later, Planer."

"Yep." Planer replied, half lost in concentration over his own project.

Jason chuckled lightly as he left the workshop.

"Soooooo...?" Rarity asked in excited curiosity.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, got lost in our conversation. I'm here 'cause I need a new set of cammies." He extended his arms, giving her a better view of the faded material. "These ones are just about done."

She looked at him with poorly disguised dissapointment. "Oh... Okay, yes. It's been bothering me lately about how badly those have worn! I wanted to say something about it, but you've never told me about the regulations on your utilities. Here, let me see the blouse so I can get a better idea on the stitching and sizing."

Jason smirked. "Come on Rarity, you should have had plenty of time to examine these." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You know, when I was in the hospital."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Darling, that was years ago! My memory might be good, but it's not that good."

His smirk widened slightly before he began undoing the buttons of the shirt. before he slipped off the blouse completely, he reached into his left breast pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed the blouse to Rarity, who took it with a little telekenisis and hung it on a hanger.

"Now, I'm not giving you my trousers, you're gonna have to wait a bit so I can go throw on a pair of jeans. Here, I've got a few notes you might find useful."

He handed her the note before turning to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes, don't go anywhere."

"Sure thing, darling. I'll get to work on these as soon as possible for you."

"Hey, don't stress about it. I don't mind wearing civvies for a bit 'til they're done. Back in a bit." Jason opened the door. He could hear her unfolding the paper as he let the door click behind him.

He heard her squeal of excitement through the wooden portal and smiled, turning toward his new home and stepping off at a brisk pace.

Jason stood with the group of ponies, lightly refreshing his stretches as the countdown timer ticked down the seconds to the start of the race.

Rainbow stood by his side, stretching on her own. Her wings flapped a little in excitement.

Applejack approached the pair, a challenging smile on her face.

"Ah've got you this year fer sure, Rainbow Dash. After last year's embarrassment, ah made sure ta practice extra hard." her eyes narrowed. "Ah'm gonna give you a run fer yer money."

"Bring it on, AJ." Rainbow responded, returning Applejack's challenge.

Jason chuckled at the competitive nature of the two mares. "You know, Applejack, you're always welcome to join us for our evening PT sessions. Honestly, I'm surprised you never come."

She looked at him incredulously. "Yer kiddin', right? Ah might like a li'l competition every now an' then, but that don't mean ah wanna murder myself every night."

Rainbow and Jason chuckled. "Hey, it's not that bad. After the first couple weeks, you start getting getting used to it. And Jason knows some really good workouts." Rainbow shot him a coy look. "If you know what I mean."

Applejack rolled her eyes. "Oookay, that's way more than ah needed ta know. 'Sides, ah'm so busy mos' the time with the farm that ah cain't really make it out. 'S fine though. I make enough time to get mah own excercises in."

Rainbow snorted. "If you say so, AJ. We'll see how effective your workouts are. You know, while I'm smoking you in this race. Again."

"Well, you've still gotta beat me Rainbow. Don't forget, I'm part of this contest too." Jason shot his herdmate a mischievous grin.

Rainbow blinked a couple times. She was letting her own rivalry with Applejack distract her from her real challenge. Beating the human.

She looked toward him, a devilish gleam in her eye. "Oh, don't think I've forgotten about you. A girl should be allowed a little trash talk, though. Besides, if I beat you, then by default I beat Applejack." She lifted her chin and waved her hoof in dismissal. "Easy...As...Pie..."

Jason chuckled. "We'll see, miss Never-Wins."

That made her a little angry. "Do I need to remind you of the countless beatings I've laid down on you? You didn't get your certifications without plenty of your own losses."

"Fair enough." He shrugged his shoulders before giving her a quick grin. "Doesn't make you any faster though."

They heard a familiar giggle behind them and turned to face the source of the noise. Twilight had walked up in the middle of their conversation, catching only the exchange between her herd mates. A race marker with a large "14" printed on the side adorned her flank. "I trust you are going to give each other quite a challenge then."

Jason shrugged. "That's up to her." Rainbow punched him, the weight and hardness of her hoof hurting more than intended. "OW! Hey, any more of that and I'll call ya out for cheating."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Please... Just you having those legs should be called cheating."

Jason chuckled. "So Twi, you ready?"

"Sure am! The weather is perfect, and I'm not sick so this ought to be fun!"

Jason had been surprised the first time he had participated in the race. He hadn't expected Twilight to participate, it just wasn't something he thought she would be interested in. She was by no means a physical pony. She only excercised as necessary to stay in shape, Jason didn't think she would want to actually compete.

Jason realized rather quickly what motivated her to participate. The leaves of the trees were at their pinnacle of transition, and burned the woods along the trail into brilliant displays of browns and ambers. The beauty of the scenery had actually caused him to fall back slightly in the race due to the distraction, but he had won the event with no further issue.

Jason glanced around the starting area quickly, observing the various bleachers that had been built next to the starting line. Anypony who didn't want to participate in the race still felt an obligation to attend. The race was like a holiday, marking the end of the fall season.

The bleachers were packed to capacity with ponies. After a quick search, he spotted Planer in the crowd. He waved to the carpenter quickly before glancing over the rest of the crowd. Surprisingly, he saw more than a few "GO CAPTAIN SINDER!" and "RUN JASON RUN!" signs in the crowd. Evidently, he had garnered a few fans over his past couple of victories. He could have sworn he saw Octavia and Vinyl holding a couple of the signs.

"HEEEELLLLLOOOO!!! SALUTATIONS! AND GOOOOD MOOORNIING PONYVILLE! THIS IS YOUR COMMENTATOR, NARRATOR AND SUPER-BESTEST ANNOUNCER PINKIE PIE! COMING AT YOU LIVE FROM OUR SUPER-YUMMY LOOKING HOT AIR BALLOON!"

The crowd cheered as Pinkie's voice pierced through the speakers mounted around the bleachers. It had become a tradition, this race. Pinkie and Spike would announce from the balloon. Rarity didn't like getting dirty so she would watch from the bleachers. Fluttershy hated the crowds, so she tended to find a nice quiet spot further along the trail and would pass out cups of water as the racers ran past.

"Jeez, you don't have to yell, Pinkie."

Jason could picture Spike, his claws clamped tight over his ears trying to muffle the words Pinkie was shouting into the microphone.

"HELPING ME ANNOUNCE FOR TODAYS SUPER-DUPER, AWESOME-POSSUM, CRAZY-WAZY RACE IS OUR VERY OWN SPIKE THE DRAGON!!!"

"I'm telling you Pinkie Pie, you don't have to yell... That's what the microphone is for..." There was a rustling noise as Spike took control of the mic. "Sorry about that folks. Welcome to this year's annual Running Of The Leaves!" The crowd cheered again.

"We're just a few minutes from the start of the race, so we'd like to take this time to introduce the competitors! Starting off with number one..."

Spike ran down the list of competitors, reading off their names and occupations for those who didn't already know them. For every name he read off, Pinkie would have some witty comment to make. There were twenty-five other ponies participating, so the introductions were going to take a while.

"And finally, number twenty-six! Our very own resident human and Captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Jason Sinder!"

"CHAMPION FOR THREE YEARS RUNNING. I TELL YA, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET YOUR LEGS LICKETY-SPICKITY-BANANA-SPLITELY QUICK IF YOU WANT TO BEAT HIM!"

It wasn't hard for Jason to picture the purple dragon rolling his eyes painfully at Pinkie's remarks.

He was amazed at the reaction Spike's announcement brought from the crowd. The human was nearly deafened by the cheers that came from the crowded bleachers. He knew he was slowly becoming more and more popular, but he had no idea exactly how much he meant to these ponies. His heart swelled at the recognition.

"Oops, looks like we're only a minute from the start, mares and gentlecolts. Competitors! Take your positions and prepare to start!"

"Welp, looks like it's time to go!" Jason said. he kneeled down quickly and gave Twilight a quick kiss. "Good luck, Twi."

She smiled. "You too, Jace." She had adapted the nickname a while ago. It was only fair, since he so loved to shorten her name in a similar fashion.

Twilight turned and moved to the edge. she didn't like to be in the middle when the stampede began. Jason turned his body to face Rainbow and Applejack.

"You guys ready?"

"Almost." Rainbow said quickly before extending her neck and kissing him gently. She cut the kiss and gave him a determined look. "There! Now I'm ready."

Jason chuckled lightly. He glanced toward Applejack, who looked at them with a bemused smile.

"You want one too?" Jason asked.

"Celestia no! Ah don't know where Rainbow's mouth has been!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!?"

Jason couldn't help but burst into laughter, much to Rainbow's disapproval. She looked at him angrily.

"Oh come on, that was funny." He wiped a tear from his eye. Her gaze grew colder. "Hey, don't be like that. ain't nothing wrong with a little trash talk, right?"

Rainbow hated having her own words used against her.

"Besides," He said, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her neck. "I know where your mouth's been, and I'm still willing to kiss you." He proved it by planting another kiss on her lips.

"ERASERS, LOOK FOR YOUR PENCILS!"

"Give me that!" The mic rustled as Spike took control again. "Racers, take your mark!"

Jason stood and faced down the road, bending his legs in preparation. The line of ponies beside him matched his movement.

He looked down at Rainbow, who was glaring down the road in determination.

"Hey, don't forget the plan." He said.

"Oh, trust me I won't. But don't think I'm just going to let you win."

He chuckled "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"ON YOUR MARKERS!"

"Get set!"

"GHOST!"

Nobody moved... Pinkie tried to pull that trick every year.

"Go!"

The group of racers surged forward, the percussion of their feet and hooves shaking the dead leaves from the trees as they ran. The crowd cheered as they watched the season come to an end.

"I can't believe you pushed yourself like that! How many times have I told you that pushing too hard could wind up hurting you!" Jason said. He was chastising the cyan pegasus he now carried in his arms like a baby. Twilight was holding open the door to their house, a worried expression on her face.

Rainbow looked toward her front forehooves, a disheartened expression on her face. "I know, I know...It's... It's just that I was so close to beating you! If I was just a little faster... If I could just push a little harder, it would be me with that trophy! Not you again!"

Jason exhaled deeply. "Rainbow Dash, you've got to learn when to let go. You are improving immensely, and I haven't had to work that hard to win in a long time. But notice that I'm not carrying the trophy. I'm carrying you. You and Twilight are by far the most important ponies in my life. I won't ask you to stop what you love, all I ask is that you be more careful. You're lucky it was just a sprain. If you had broken your leg, you'd be unable to do anything you enjoy. I'm sure you remember the time you spent with a broken wing?"

She shuddered at the memory. She had found her love of reading in the hospital, but she still remembered the pains of being bedridden.

She leaned her head against his chest. "I understand Jason."

"Good!" Jason gently laid her down on one of the couches in their new living room. She groaned as she stretched out, gently rubbing the muscle she had pulled. He kneeled down beside her. "Comfy?"

She gave him a weak smile. "As I can be..."

Twilight walked over, a glass of liquid floating beside her. "Here Rain, It's got some herbs in it that will help with the pain."

Rainbow took it as it was offered. "Thanks, Twi." She took an experimental sip. Her face scrunched up like she had just eaten half a lemon. "Urrgh what is this?" She asked in a disgusted tone.

"It's a zebra recipe I got from Zecora... I know it's nasty, but it works."

"If you say so..." Rainbow took another swallow, this time drinking as much as possible. She wanted to down the concoction quickly, rather than prolong her own suffering.

She grimaced and shook her head quickly, trying to alleviate her own disgust as she finished the last bit from the glass. Jason could see her fighting to hold it down and quickly took the cup from her. She coughed a few times before the concoction finally settled in her stomach. Her head fell against the armrest with a small plop. She looked worse than she had before she drank the medicine.

Jason exhaled quickly before handing the glass to Twilight. "Hey, Twi. I just bought a book on some different physical therapy techniques. It should be in the bedroom. would you mind getting it for me?"

Twilight took up the glass with a little magic. "Sure, I'll be right back."

Twilight disappeared into the kitchen.

Jason looked toward Rainbow and gave a little snicker. "Sorry 'bout that, Rainbow. That shit looked vile."

"Urgh you have no Idea." She looked at him incredulously. "The things I do for you two."

"I would happily return the favor... Thanks again for helping out with this."

"Hey, you met her first. It's only fair that she gets the ring first."

Jason smiled at her warmly. "Still...I'll be expecting a feather here soon."

Rainbow blushed. "Um...Y-yeah...sure."

Jason chuckled lightly. "I was only teasing, Rainbow... Only if and when you're ready." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

Rainbow broke the contact. "You better hurry up, or you're gonna miss your chance."

Jason cupped her cheek in his hand. "Thanks, Rain."

He stood and made his way to the master bedroom, moving as quietly as he could to keep Twilight from hearing. He glanced through the door. Twilight stood there with the book floating in front of her. She idly examined the table of contents, looking for the section on strained muscles.

Jason crept up behind her, each step silent on the rug that covered most of the floor. He waited until she was flipping through the pages of the book before dropping to one knee directly behind her.

She gasped in surprise as she found the section of the book that had been cut out, making a secret compartment for a velvet-covered box. Her magic faltered in her surprise and she dropped the book.

She jumped in greater surprise when Jason reached around her, catching the book before it could hit the ground. She spun around to face him, eyes wide as she saw his kneeling figure before her.

"Twilight Sparkle..." Jason said as he pulled the box from the book. He closed the manual and set it aside before looking into her eyes. He opened the box slowly, revealing the engagement ring Rarity had made for him. She glanced down to the ring quickly before returning her eyes to his. The ring was secondary to what was happening right now. Tears began forming in her eyes.

"Will you marry me?"

Tears began flowing from her eyes as she burst forward, wrapping her forehooves around his shoulders and embracing him tightly. She buried her face into his neck and shoulder, wetting his shirt with her tears. "I thought you'd never ask..." She whispered. She pulled her head back to look him in the eyes once more.

"Yes... Yes of course I will. I love you Jason... I can't think of anyone I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Jason's heart swelled at her acceptance. He leaned his neck forward and kissed her deeply, trying to transfer all of his love into her at once. Eventually, she broke the kiss and let herself down to all four hooves. She presented her horn to him.

Jason fumbled slightly as he attempted to quickly remove the ring from its box. He caught the ring and looked to her horn. He centered the gemstones and slid it down her magical appendage. It came to rest securely, sitting roughly a quarter inch from her forehead. She looked back up at him before he leaned forward and kissed her again.

"Oh Jason darling! that was beautiful!"

Jason and Twilight froze mid-kiss, their eyes shooting wide. They turned to look toward the door, only to find all of their friends staring at them through the open portal. They all wore matching grins, and Jason could see tears slowly dripping down Rarity's face. Rainbow shot him a warm, yet mischievous look.

Jason returned her smile. "Heh, last time I trust any of you girls with a secret."

"Hey come on, this was waaaay to big a deal to keep secret. I did only tell our friends though, didn't want things to get too crazy." Rainbow said.

Jason chuckled lightly, shaking his head before looking back at the group. "Where's Pinkie? She might be crazy, but you wouldn't leave her out of the loop."

Applejack shook her head. "Ah reckon she's already settin' up decorations. Ain't no way somthin' like this is gonna go without a party."

Almost on cue, a burst of confetti filled the air behind the group. "Come on girls and guys! The sun's still shining and the fish are still jumping and there's still celebrating to do! LET'S PARTY!"

The group laughed and the mares who crowded the door quickly exited, making their way toward the source of the voice.

Jason stayed on his knees, Twilight walking up beside him and leaning much of her weight on him. "Shall we go?"

Jason chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. "Don't really have a choice... They're kind of occupying our house."

"Well, we could stay in here and... You know." She said coyly.

Jason looked at her. "Now that'd just be rude. He gave her a quick kiss. "Besides..." Another kiss. "There'll be plenty of time for that later tonight. Just don't hit the punch to hard."

She snorted. "You're telling me not to get drunk? Please... You know I don't drink. Besides, I seem to have more than a few memories of having to put you to bed after my brother's visits."

Jason shrugged. "Guilty as charged." He shot her a grin. "'sides, I don't think Pinkie ever has alcohol at her parties."

An electric burst of static shot through the house quickly, before a song slowly spooled up on a turntable.

Jason's eyes widened slightly. "Jeez, she even got Vinyl? This ought to be a good one." Jason stood, placing a had on the back of his fiancee's head. "Shall we go, my love?"

Twilight leaned against him. "I believe we shall." She said happily.

They walked together out of the bedroom, immersing themselves in the afternoon of music, revelry and happiness.