Hearth's Warming Day, my first real holiday in this world. It started off rather pleasantly as I awakened to a disheveled looking mare in my arms. I glanced over her sleeping form at the bedside clock, it was just after six in the morning. I sighed happily and laid my head back down burying my face in the back of Shy's head drinking in her scent, like wildflowers, and reveling in her soft warmth. For just a moment I was able to forget my troubles.

My silent revelry was interrupted by a small hoof poking my ribs. I groaned guessing what was next.

"Papa Bear?" I heard a tiny voice whisper.

"Yeah Scoots?"

"Are you up Papa Bear?"

"No Scoots. I'm still asleep."

"Oh, OK...."

I heard the sound of soft hoofsteps then a pause.

"Hey wait!" Came Scoots voice as realization dawned on her.

I sat up in bed and smiled, "Give me time to get Shy up and we will see about breakfast and presents OK?"

The little filly hopped up on the bed and gave me a snuggling hug then hopped back down. I could hear her scamper down the stairs and setting out the dishes for the animals. She was a good kid that one. I turned to gently wake Shy but I saw her already looking up at me, her eyes half-lidded and a mischievous smile on her face.

"What?" I asked.

A butter colored hoof reached up and stroked my cheek, "I like the sound of Papa Bear. It suits you."

I admit I may have blushed a bit. "Never knew my dad Shy...just trying my best to be good to her while she is in our care is all."

She sat up and leaned against me, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek, "You will be a good dad someday if I have anything to say about it."

I just looked at her, "Shy...that's not just pillow talk is it? Are you really trying to have a...with me?"

Shy turned a deep shade of red in the face, "Well...yes..if...if you don't..."

For once I interrupted her with my fingers over her mouth. "I am not saying no. I am not saying yes either. I am saying let's just take things slowly OK?"

Shy nodded with a hint of tears starting to form.

"Hey, no crying, I haven't said no. It's just too soon OK? Besides we have a little filly now that needs us, let's worry about that right now."

Shy's frown slowly turned to a smile and turned in to an affectionate nuzzle. "You always know the right words to make me feel better Bear..."

I chuckled, "I just try to do right by those I care about Shy, and I promise...I do care about you very much....now come on, let's get cleaned up before Scoots vibrates the house apart in excitement."

With that Shy and I dragged ourselves to the bathroom and showered together. As is often the case shower thoughts arose, despite Shy's attempts at bath time friskiness. It's only been two years, am I ready for a family again?

We ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, and hash browns. For Scoots I also made up a small batch of Grandma O'Hara's pepper grits. To say Scootaloo loved them was an understatement. Three bowls later and I was sharing her untouched hash browns with Angel Bunny while Tripod smugly ate her eggs. After we cleaned up the breakfast dishes and her warm meal had turned Scoots vibrate setting down a notch it was time for us to open presents.

Fluttershy opened her gift first and was nearly weeping as she saw the set of combs I had commissioned for her. She pounced me on the couch and showered me in kisses while a little orange filly made "awws" by the tree waiting on her turn to open her gift.

"Shy..."

"Mmmhmmm."

"There is a filly in the room."

To her credit she didn't pull the fainting goat routine but she did return to her spot beside me on the couch and turned a deep shade of crimson while hiding behind her mane.

"Can I open my present now Papa Bear?" came Scoots excited question.

I smiled deviously, "Well I dunno, have you been a good little filly this year?"

She gave me an "Are you serious?" look that had me laughing.

"Yes Scoots let 'er rip!"

Scootaloo tore in to the brown box her gift was in. After a moment she stood there staring at her new scooter and wagon. She didn't move a muscle, she didn't utter a word. For a moment I was afraid she didn't like it. That was until my eardrums nearly shattered hearing her squeal "THIS IS AWESOME!" at decibel levels to rival a jet engine. It was all I could do to stop her from zipping around the house on it then and there.

Scoots finally settled down and it was my turn to open a present. Both my girls pressed small wrapped bundles in to my lap and to my surprise Tripod walked up to me with a little wrapped package hanging from his mouth. I opened the one from Scoots first, it was a small embroidered patch with the logo of the Cutie Mark Crusader's. I chuckled and gave a huge grin.

"This is really neat Scoots, did you make it yourself?"

Scoots looked at her hooves bashfully, "N-no. Sweetie Belle and Rarity made it. I did some chores for them both to pay for it. I-I figured since you said humans don't get cutie marks and you said you were trying to find your place in the world. I guess I thought you would want to be a Crusader..."

Smiling like a fool I picked up the little filly and rubbed my nose on hers, "I would be honored to be a Crusader."

Scoots wiggled out of my grasp and settled in my lap giving Tripod a run for his bits on looking smug. I next opened the tiny package Tripod had presented me with. I wasn't entirely sure how he had wrapped it as Shy and Scoots both claimed they had no part in this gift. With a shrug I opened the little wrapped bundle and found...cigars. A box of ten hand-rolled cigars. I looked up at Tripod and back down at the cigars.

"What? How?"

Tripod just rolled his eyes and sauntered off to his spot by the fire and curled up and began grooming. This was the point I started to believe the master and pet dynamic between Tripod and I was not as clear cut as I initially thought. Shaking those thoughts from my head I turned to the last present, another small box, this one wrapped in yellow paper with pink butterflies on it.

I carefully unwrapped the package and opened the box. Inside, sitting on a little pillow was a bronzed feather affixed to a silver chain. I looked at Shy, "Shy...is this one of yours?"

She nodded. I had been reading up on pegasai relationships during some of my culture studies with Twilight. I had learned a few things that had contributed to my hesitance to enter a in to a relationship with Fluttershy. Firstly I had learned pegasai aren't one for flings, they tend to mate long term, many for life. They didn't do large weddings like unicorns or hand hooffastings like earth ponies. Instead, if a pegasus couple decided to enter a more permanent relationship one, typically the mare, would present a feather to the other. If it was accepted then it was a formal declaration they were a mated pair.

Scootaloo and Fluttershy looked at me, one with a huge smile on her little face, one with fear and anxiety. I looked down at the feather. My thoughts of the conversation I had with Fluttershy not an hour earlier fresh in my mind. I looked back to her pleading face. Damn the consequences, my course was set. I was looking for a purpose in this world. With only the slightest of hesitations I lifted the token of Fluttershy's love and placed it around my neck declaring us to the world. Next Chapter: 18 - Schrödinger Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 37 Minutes