“For the last time, Magic Barrier, we are not adopting a bear.” The mare could feel a headache coming on, as the pair walked home in the rapidly-fading sunlight.

“Oh come on, she said that he didn’t eat ponies. He just wanted to hug you!” The stallion continued to argue.

“You are absolutely incorrigible.” A deep resigned sigh escaped the mare, followed by a facehoof..

“Aww, you’re sweet. I still think we should adopt the bear, though. I mean what if the owl we adopted gets lonely?”

“We’re not adopting the bear.”

“Well, what about th-” Barrier was cut-off by a glare from the mare.

“Fine, fine, none of the pets that didn’t like you. That certainly narrows down the options.” The unicorn chuckled a bit as the mare’s gaze intensified.

“Miss Fluttershy!” Magic Barrier yelled out as they neared the cottage to find the mare outside at her chicken-coop. The sudden noise caused her to eep and jump into the chicken-coop, only nervously poking her head out moments later.

“...can we adopt her?” Barrier looked hopefully at Octavia, whose only response was a deadpan stare.

“Oh, hello Mr. Barrier, Miss Melody.” Fluttershy timidly trotted towards the pair, meeting her at the front of her cottage.

“Good evening, Miss Fluttershy. We’re here to see about adopting a pet.” Barrier lessened his posture a bit, making an effort to appear less intimidating.

It was like a switch had been flipped as Fluttershy raced to them at a speed that would have made Rainbow Dash proud.

“Really? Oh, I have so many wonderful animals that I know you’ll just love!”

Barrier turned and looked hopefully towards Octavia once more.

“We’re not adopting Fluttershy.” The mare’s deadpan delivery caused the unicorn to chuckle.

“Just wait here and I’ll go get all of my little animal friends!” Fluttershy darted inside.

Barrier stood there in silence with Octavia, waiting for the mare to return, when he felt something thumping against his hoof. Glancing down, he saw an adorable white rabbit.

“Well, aren’t you just adorable.” Barrier leaned towards the rabbit.

With a glare, the rabbit drew his foot back and kicked Magic Barrier square in the muzzle, causing him to snort and take several steps back, and Octavia to giggle.

Flaring his horn ominously, Barrier created a bubble around the rabbit, suspending him in mid-air and enraging him.

Levitating the bubble, Barrier smiled darkly. “You know, I had to eat a rabbit once back when I was a guard. Was survival training.” The rabbit’s eyes widened and he began to pound furiously at the bubble, causing Barrier’s horn to flare even brighter as more magical energy was expended. Shaking the bubble violently a few times, Barrier dispelled the bubble mid-shake and sent the rabbit flying a short distance away.

“Was that really necessary?” Octavia asked, with a poorly concealed smirk.

“Entirely necessary, the cheeky little bastard.” The rabbit performed several obscene gestures with his paws, causing Octavia’s eyes to widen.

“I will skin, cook, and eat you.” Barrier made to step towards the rabbit, only for Fluttershy to rejoin them, animals trailing out of her cottage behind her.

Must be bigger on the inside. Barrier mentally noted to himself as the animals continued to trail out. Is that a bear? That’s a bucking bear! A childish grin wormed it’s way onto his face and he looked at his mare-friend excitedly.

“Don’t even ask, Magic Barrier.”

“Buuut ‘Tavi!” Barrier whined, kneeling down and pouting at the mare.

“We are not taking a bear through Manehattan, and that is final.” The mare stomped a hoof for emphasis.

Glancing at the bear and then to Fluttershy, Barrier trotted up to the mare and whispered something in her. At first Fluttershy frowned, but it was then followed by a knowing smile as the mare whispered something to the bear.

“Barrier, what did you do?” Octavia trotted forward hurriedly, only for the bear to stomp towards her, causing the mare to panic and backpedal furiously.

“Don’t worry, she just wants you to work for it.” The unicorn reassured Harry the Bear, causing the bear to growl his acknowledgement and take off after Octavia, who turned tail and sprinted.

“Oh, I’ll meet you back at the the inn.” Barrier branched off from Octavia when they passed Carousel Boutique. “Need to ask Rarity about something.”

“Um, alright?” Octavia stared in bewilderment as the unicorn bolted in the opposite direction, all but leaving her in the dust.

With little ceremony, the unicorn barreled through the door of Carousel Boutique, stopping only when it closed behind him.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where e- Oh, hello Magic Barrier.” Rarity had stepped into the main room, a pair of reading glasses perched on her face. “What brings you here, darling?”

“Sorry to barge in like this, but I couldn’t really think of anypony else to ask for advice.”

“It’s no trouble, how can I help you?” The mare levitated her glasses to a nearby desk and trotted into the kitchen to fetch tea, motioning to a nearby couch and table.

“I needed advice regarding my relationship with Octavia.” Barrier took a seat on the couch, turning to meet Rarity’s gaze when she returned with the tea-kettles and a pair of cups.

Rarity met the unicorns gaze, a slight sparkle in her eye as she poured two cups of tea. “Well, that’s quite a steep request. Is there a particular aspect of your relationship you’re looking to get advice on?”

Chewing his lip nervously, Barrier waited until the tea was ready, instead staring at the floor uncertainly.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Barrier. Everything we say here will be perfectly confidential.” Rarity reassured, taking a cup of still-steaming tea and flaring her horn with magic to cool it, before taking a sip.

“Sorry, this feels more awkward than I thought it would.” The unicorn chuckled nervously and sipped his tea, cooling it with his magic similar to Rarity. “I’m trying to figure out when it would be appropriate for Octavia and I to move our relationship forward.”

After a measured silence, Rarity levitated her teacup back to the table, seeming to think her answer over. “Well, where do you see the relationship at currently?”

“Uh, well.” Barrier rubbed his chin, thinking the question over. “We’re fairly comfortable with public displays of affection, and it’s not terribly uncommon for us to share a bed and cuddle. That’s as far as it went.”

“Well, it sounds like your relationship is going fairly well so far. What has you worried it should move forward?”

“Octavia had a…very interesting dream on the train-ride to Ponyville. It’s fairly clear the direction the dream was going before I woke her up to depart. I suppose I’m just worried that I’ll take too long to do something I should, and risk losing her or make her feel like I don’t want to move forward or-” Barrier fell silent as Rarity held a hoof up, only now realizing his breathing had grown heavy.

“Relax, Barrier, you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing.” The mare tittered slightly as Magic Barrier caught his breath. “From the sounds of it, you’ve had a natural relationship thus far. It’ll progress well enough on its own and you’ve little to worry about.”

“I...thanks.” Barrier leaned back into the couch, taking a slow breath. “I suppose I just needed somepony else to tell me that it would be fine. I’ve no real dating experience beyond what I have with Octavia. My first marriage was arranged and while it worked splendidly, it didn’t leave much practical experience in the field.”

“Of course, it was my pleasure.”

“So, um...can you give any suggestions as to what to do in Ponyville? Octavia and I are on a bit of a vacation for the next few days but don’t really know what to do to pass them.”

“Hm,” the mare finished her tea, “well, there isn’t a terrible amount of things to do in Ponyville as far as sheer enjoyment goes. There is a very excellent spa, but beyond that, there’s little of interest, I’m afraid. Most ponies from town just take a trip to Canterlot if they’re looking for recreation.”

“Huh, probably not the greatest vacation for me to have chosen, then. Ah well.” With a heave, Barrier hauled himself up from the chair and smiled politely at the marshmallow. “Thank you for your time and help, Rarity, and sorry to bother you over something as trivial as that.”

“It was no trouble, Barrier. I’m always glad to help a friend, no matter the issue.” The mare waited until he had departed to fall back on the couch, mumbling to herself about how lucky Octavia was.

Barrier found his teeth chattering wildly as he made his way back into the inn and towards his room. The snow had really picked up after he left Carousel Boutique, the pegasus ponies seeming to kick their clouds into high-gear.

“Honey, I’m home!” Barrier all but threw the bedroom door open, only to find a very unamused mare and her book. With as little grace as possible, Barrier threw himself over the mare and onto his side of the bed, causing her to go airborne.

“Honestly,” the mare grumbled as she fell back onto the bed, reorienting herself and once more taking her book up.

“Sorry.” Barrier apologized, rolling onto his back as the room lapsed into silence once more.

For nearly fifteen minutes, nothing was said between the two, Barrier staring at the ceiling while Octavia read in the dim light of the nearly-faded daylight.

“Hey ‘Tavi?” Barrier flicked the bedroom light on with his magic as the room darkened. “Sorry if this is a stupid question but, should we argue more?”

The mare’s head jerked back slightly at the question. “Should we argue more? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one.”

“Sorry, it just feels like everything is falling into place with us. It’s not a bad thing we don’t argue, I don’t think, I just…” The unicorn stalled, trying to find the words. “Not really sure how to word it. Just…don’t ever hesitate to let me know if I buck up.”

“Oh don’t worry, Barrier, I’ll let you know if you ever mess up enough to warrant an argument, rest assured.” The mare snapped her book shot and rolled over into the stallion, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Good to know.” With a grunt, Barrier rolled over, resting his head on top of Octavia’s, a soft smile on his face.

“So, what brought all that about?” Octavia shifted, making herself more comfortable.

“Paranoia I suppose. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t feel like you had to defer to me on stuff. My first marriage,” Barrier didn’t often talk about it, having decided it wasn’t really appropriate to talk about with his mare-friend, “was a bit of a mess. She almost always deferred to me on stuff and never really voiced her displeasure about anything. Guess it was probably some sort of conditioning. Wasn’t terribly uncommon back then to marry a pony off solely to further your family name.” Barrier took a moment of silence to run over some memories in his head. “Anyways,” Barrier got back on topic, “it finally came to a head and she let loose all these years of pent-up aggression out in one big burst. Things were said that we both regretted and we very nearly split over it. If not for Radiant Sparkle, we probably would have. It got better after that and I still loved her, but things were never quite the same. Guess I just didn’t want to risk anything like that happening to us.”

Octavia digested the information in silence before a graceful smile settled on her features. “Then you have my word that I’ll never let it get that bad, as long as you do the same.”

“You have a deal, Miss Melody.” A soft smile perched on the unicorn’s features as he closed his eyes in satisfaction.

“So, what did you have to so desperately see Rarity about that was so urgent?”

“I asked her if there was anything to do in Ponyville beyond eat at one of the restaurants. She said there wasn’t much of note and that most ponies went to Canterlot if they wanted to do something recreational.”

“Ah, well that’s disappointing. Still, it’s nice to have a week where we don’t have to worry about work or bills. So, what shall we do tomorrow? A trip to Canterlot, perhaps?”

“Mm, perhaps a trip to Canterlot to go shopping. I’ve still gotta get gifts for pretty much everypony. By the way, you’ve still not told me what you want for Hearth’s Warming.”

“I already told you, I don’t need anything for Hearths-” the mare opened her eyes to see the unicorn staring at her with a flat look. “Ugh, fine. If you absolutely insist, I could really use a set of cello strings. The ones I have now are on the verge of giving out so another set would be immensely appreciated.”

The unicorn opened his mouth, only for Octavia to silence him with her own lips.

“In exchange however, you have to tell me what you want for Hearth's Warming.”

“Fair enough I suppose.” Barrier gave it a moment of thought before a smile settled onto his face. “I could use a hair-trimmer. My mane choked my last one out, sadly.”

“Very well, then tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to Canterlot.”

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, and with a flick of his magic, the lights extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. With another flick, the blanket wrapped the pair up.

“I love you.” Barrier whispered softly, closing his eyes and falling into a comfortable sleep, not quite catching the mare’s response.

Author's Notes:

Usual thanks go out to Alticron/Izanagi. Thanks for editing/proofing, you guys are awesome.

No real jokes today, sorry. Staving off depression and just don't have it in me. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, because the next one is awful; it was easily my least favorite chapter to write.