It’s been two months since the end of the Equestria Games. All in all, it was a very successful show. Ponies took away most of the medals, or course, but there were a few humans that surprised as well. With Fast Pass gone, her team struggled against the human led opponents, with the human team winning by a few points. There were no hard feelings between the two teams, however, as they congratulated and patted each other on the back for a good game. It certainly was one; Violet and I were on the edge of our seats.

With the absence of its old mascot, Violet managed to get a replacement in the form of Rainbow Dash, who was participating in the aerial events of the games. She was more than happy to be the new face of the event, and her fee demand was surprisingly nominal at best, as she said “Bits don’t matter, really. I’m here for the fun,” followed by “and to be awesome.” Which got a nice chuckle out of Violet and I.

On the subject of Fast Pass, the story about her continued to grow, as more and more accusations were leveled against her. She denied the claims as fast as they appeared, but proof soon followed. Her case was the hot story, almost more than the games themselves. She became the face of the prejudices facing the humans living in Equestria, and the consequences of being caught. It also didn’t help that even if she somehow managed to get out of jail time for her behavior, she would still have to serve time for attempted murder.

The minute we got back to Manehattan, I became Mr. Harshwhinny.

It should feel weird, being the one taking the last name, instead of the wife, but I said it before and I’ll keep on saying it whenever anyone asks, I think it’s a catchy last name. Mr. Harshwhinny. It has a nice ring to it. Mr. Harshwhinny. Mr. Harshwhinny.

Okay, I’ll stop.

The wedding wasn’t anything special; it almost can’t be called a wedding at all. Violet was more comfortable with a smaller scale arraignment, so we got married at the courthouse in Manehattan. We said our vows in front of a judge, got the certificate signed, and it was over and done within a few minutes. Our vows were nice. I told Violet how much I loved her, how she was the best thing that ever happened to me, and how I’m so happy that we are married. Violet’s vows were better. She essentially had the same sentiment, but she thanked me for making her feel special every day, how every second I was near her and loving her brought joy to her heart, and how there is no one that she would rather be with at that moment than me.

I couldn’t help but tear up at her words. She didn’t even try to act professional in front of the judge either. Her emotions were out for us to see, and it was beautiful.

Once we left the courthouse, we immediately went to the movies. It was a good day.

Now, I live in her apartment, well…OUR apartment. I didn’t have much to take with me in the move in, other than my clothes, video games, movies and toiletries, and there was more than enough space in the apartment for it all.

While news of our relationship and subsequent marriage spread pretty wide when it was first announced, the fire has died down significantly within a couple weeks. After all, the whole rule of no fraternization wasn’t well known, so no one spun the story into some kind of dramatic forbidden love plot. Instead, the news was that Ms. Harshwhinny, the stoic and intimidating head of the Equestria Games, found love in her loyal assistant. A cute story, but it became yesterdays news quickly. After all the build up and doomsaying, the real outcome was thankfully underwhelming.

Our honeymoon could also be interpreted as nothing special. Considering our profession, we’ve been all over Equestria and seen practically every sight that needs to be seen. Instead of going to Saddle Arabia, Cloudsdale, or that nice hotel near the Galloping Gorge, we spent our honeymoon in the confines of our apartment. Just the two of us. Alone. Watching terrible movies while cuddling with one another. Naked. If you ask me, it was a damn good honeymoon.

I’m thinking too much about this. I’m supposed to be completing this transcription of the meeting currently in place.

It hasn’t been long since our marriage, and Violet and I have gotten back to work on the next Equestria games. It’s not for another ten months, but we are attempting to beat the record time we had last year. Rainbow Dash has agreed to sponsor the games again, after the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response she got the last time. So really, the hard part was already over.

Now, we’re trying to secure a venue. We’re in a meeting with Filthy Rich, the owner of the Las Pegasus Stadium, which is tailor made for the main portion of the games. It’s just as big as the Crystal Empire Colosseum, maybe even bigger. This guy spared no expense to make sure this stadium can suit many sports needs. Despite what the name may imply, so far he’s very nice. He’s been nothing but inviting to the both of us, which is good, especially for Violet. The reason I say this is because Violet uses the reactions of potential venue hosts to judge whether she’ll consider them or not. Reaction to what? Well…of me being her husband.

Despite various celebrities and business owners being under the microscope for any injustices, there is still a surprising number of Equestrians that haven’t taken kindly to me, a human, marrying one of the most powerful mares in the sports world. At the Applewood Stadium, the owner made a couple of snide comments to me when Violet was out of the room, ask me condescending questions, and going as far as to imply that I was a pity hire and that if were up to her, I’d be on the streets. It’s incredible that Equestrians still would talk like that, thinking that they are somehow untouchable if they have a great venue.

Needless to say, when I reported them to Violet, she would cross them off the list without a second thought.

All that being said, Filthy Rich is the complete opposite.

“Thank you for the tour, Mr. Rich.” Violet says in appreciation, but keeping her signature tone of voice, “With all the renovations you have done, I’d have to say that it would make a spectacular setting for this year’s games.”

“Why, thank you kindly, Ma’am.” Filthy Rich says in a charming voice. “It makes me ecstatic ta hear that the venue was to your liking.”

“Very good.” Violet looks to me with a nod, noting that the meeting is complete, “Before we are to leave, may I use the restroom?”

“Of course. It’s just down the hall to your right.”

“Thank you.”

Violet takes her leave, leaving me all alone with Filthy Rich. I save my document, and close up my laptop. As I start to place the laptop in the bag…

“Excuse me, sir?” I hear Filthy Rich’s voice say to me. I look up from the bag to look at him. “Do you mind terribly if I ask you a personal question?”

“No, of course not, Mr. Rich.” I reply.

“Well, I don’t mean to sound like I’m dim or anything, but…are you…MR. Harshwhinny?” He sounds nervous, like he’s afraid of my answer to his question. He can’t be further from the truth. “I only ask cause I heard that Mrs. Harshwhinny got married to her assistant, but I wasn’t sure if he…ya know…remained her assistant.”

“Oh. That’s okay. Yeah, I’m Mrs. Harshwhinny’s husband, and yes, I’m still her assistant.” I smile.

“Ah, thank you.” he chuckles, “It was on my mind the entire meeting, and I thought it would've been rude if I asked it in the middle of everything.”

“It doesn’t trouble you, does it?” I wonder.

“No, not at all!” Filthy Rich shakes his head rapidly, “I have absolutely nothing against humans. As you saw, I had a lot of human’s in my employ, and I have treated them like any other pony.” That business like tone from earlier has been replaced by a bit of fear. He really doesn’t need to be afraid. “I've always supported humans since the beginning, and when I heard that Mrs. Harshwhinny married a human, I was extremely happ…”

“Mr. Rich, it’s okay.” I lift a palm for him to stop, “There isn’t a need to be nervous with me. I didn’t mean to seem accusatory.”

“No, nothing accusatory bout your question. I understand that your kind had faced some…difficulty during these years in our…how you say…realm. I just want to clarify that I am not one of those ponies.”

“Between you and me, I’m glad you’re not one of those ponies either, Mr. Rich. You have been an absolute pleasure this afternoon.”

“Aw, thank you, sir.” he smiles and scratches his head in flattery, “Likewise, to you and Mrs. Harshwhinny.” Filthy Rich looks back at the front door, then back at me. Looks like he was checking to see if Violet had returned. “Can I ask you one more question?”

“Of course.”

“What’s it like? Being married ta Mrs. Harshwhinny? Don’t get the wrong idea about me, she’s been great, but I know she has a bit of a reputation.”

“You’re right. She does have a reputation. If you’re asking if she’s the same way when we are alone together…well…not to give too much away, as there must be some degree of confidentiality, she’s not.”

“Wow. I’m happy. For the both of you. The two of you are like peas in a pod.” As he says that, Violet walks into the room, straightening out the bottom of her jacket and adjusting her scarf for the cold outside. Filthy Rich immediately stands up, and so do I. “Mrs. Harshwhinny. I trust you were able to navigate the halls?”

“With no difficulty.” she nods, turning her attention to me, “It’s time to go.”

“Sure thing.” I go to her, passing by Filthy Rich, “We will give you a call when we make our decision, Mr. Rich.”

“I look forward to it.”

Violet and I stand in the slow moving elevator, waiting for it to go to the lobby. Filthy Rich’s office building is magnificent, but these elevators aren’t exactly the fastest. The ones in Manehattan are almost lighting fast, to the point that if you’re not prepared for it, you might get whiplash. Cheesy elevator music plays on the speaker. It sounds like a slow synth version of “Careless Whisper.”

“So, what did he say when you two were alone?” Violet inquires.

“He said he was happy for us. He went on about how much he supported our marriage and celebrated the value of humanity.” I might be overstating what he said, but he was pretty much singing his praises.

“So…do you feel comfortable with the Las Pegasus Colosseum?”

“I love it, but you don’t have to always turn to me for advice. That stadium in Applewood was quite nice, despite the owner’s attitude.”

“It was nice. Maybe I’ll consider it for next year’s games when her attitude improves. So far, Mr. Rich’s venue is the best we have seen thus far. Put that at the top of the list. Unless Cloudsdale manages to stun us, I’d say that Las Pegasus might be the go to place for the games.”

“I think so, too.”

The elevator dings, and the door opens to the expansive lobby. We walk through to get to the large front doors. We pass by many people and ponies, with some looking our way, either because it’s Mrs. Harshwhinny, or they’re aware that we are married, I don’t know. No dirty looks though, so that’s a plus.

“What’s next for us?” Violet asks.

“Our flight to Cloudsdale leaves in a few hours. Our luggage from the hotel is already in the limo, which is waiting outside and preparing to drive us straight to the zeppelin port.”

“A shame. I was looking forward to relaxing in the hotel for a couple hours.”

“When you say relaxing…”

“I mean actually relaxing. I’m not a machine, you know.”

“Could have fooled me.” I respond, eliciting a chuckle from her.

We get outside to see the limo parked out front. The driver opens up the door, and the two of us get inside. Amusingly enough, the driver is the same one from the Equestria Games Gala a few months ago. This time however, he’s not making looks at Violet. Probably due to her not wearing such a revealing outfit this time around. Once Violet and I get our bearings inside, the limo makes its way towards the zeppelin port, which is about an hour away.

“I’ll never get used to going to Cloudsdale.” Violet mutters, “The city is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but the whole having to go through an enchantment gate to walk on the clouds will never not make me nervous. I feel that one wrong step, and the spell will wear off.”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you.” I reply.

“And what if you fell, too?”

“Then we’ll both fall.” I smile, “If you’d like, we can try to see if any place is selling parachutes.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I don’t want to give the citizens of Cloudsdale the impression that I don’t trust their magic.”

“But you don’t.”

“Yes, but they don’t know that. I just hope their hotel has a nice comfortable bed.”

“Made of clouds, no doubt.”

“Were they made of clouds the last time we were there?”

“No, actually. The last time we were there, you specifically asked for a normal mattress, because you can’t sleep on clouds.” I look at Violet to see her smile and giggle at my words, “What is it?”

“Sometimes I forget that you’ve only been here for a few years. The way you talk about these things so matter of factly, it’s like you’ve lived here forever.”

“Well, with you as my boss and as my wife, I will live here forever.”

Violet moves over to my side, resting a hand on my lap. I move my hand onto hers, and we hold on to one another softly. She caresses her thumb along the top of my hand, and stares into my eyes with a kind and gentle smile. I can’t help myself, and lightly kiss her on the lips, to which responds with a soft kiss of her own. Violet notices something behind me, and I look over to see the driver making occasional glances. Now it’s me pulling up the partition away from his prying eyes.

“Sorry. Still getting used to the attention.” I say.

“Me too. It’s not as much as it used to be, thank goodness. It’s almost like nobody and nopony has seen a human and a pony married before.”

“Speaking of which, when are Kevin and Crystal tying the knot?”

“I don’t know. When ARE they tying the knot?” Violet speaks in such a teasing manner that I just know she’s messing with me.

“Do you know something I don’t?” I ask.

“Perhaps.” That teasing voice of hers. It’s so rare to hear, but when I do, my heart flutters. “I may have heard some whispers.”

“Come on, you got to tell me. I didn’t keep that announcement of Done Deal and Elizabeth getting married from you, did I?”

“Well…I suppose…” Violet nods in agreement and understanding, “Fine then. I hear that Crystal is planning on asking Kevin this weekend.”

“This weekend? Like, the day after the engagement party for Done Deal and Elizabeth this weekend?

“Mmm-hmmm…” Violet smiles, “Don’t tell Kevin I told you this.”

“Why would I do that? He will be ecstatic!”

“He will?”

“Of course! He was planning on asking Crystal to marry him, and he’s been looking for the right time!”

“Really? Wait, did he buy a ring for her?”

“Yeah. I went shopping with him a month ago.”

“You did? When was that?”

“Remember when I told you I was going to go to the bar with Kevin?”

“Right…” Violet thinks back on the day, “I thought it was rather odd that you would go to a bar, since you’re not much of a drinker. I just figured it was a special occasion.”

“Technically, it was.”

“That is true. Well, it’s going to be quite an interesting day for them, since Crystal bought a ring for him, too.”

“Were you with her for that?”

“Definitely.”

The two of us share a laugh, resting our heads against one another. Our laughter subsides as we feel the warmth of each other emanating through our bodies. I can’t help myself again, and kiss her on the cheek, and she kisses mine. I adore this side of her. I’m the only one that is present for this personality change; like it’s all for me and no one else.

“When are we going to have a fight?” she wonders.

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“We’ve been together for so long, that we’ve haven’t had a fight, yet?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Well…no, not really. I feel it’s a bit odd, though. Don’t couples usually have a fight at some point in their lives?”

“I guess they do, but do you really want to have a fight with me?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you wondering why we haven’t fought yet?”

“Because…I…don’t know…” Violet looks particularly stumped about asking such a question in the first place. Her confusion turns into a smirk, as she shakes her head with a chortle. “I’m strange, aren’t I?”

“The strangest. That’s one of the reasons I love you, though.”

“Speaking of strange; have you told your parents about us, yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“How come? Is it the whole human-pony thing?”

“A little bit.” I nod, “It’s not like I don’t want to tell them, I’m just looking for the right time. I don’t want to hide that it’s you and say ‘Hey guys, I married a woman named Violet!’ because then they’re going to ask for pictures, and when I show them, they’ll be shocked.”

“Surely, they’d have to know that with you being in a world that is predominately inhabited by ponies, you would find yourself attracted to one.”

“Yeah, but whenever I talk to them, they would tease me about it, making me think that they aren’t really comfortable with the idea, so I don’t…” I see Violet reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone. “What are you doing?”

“You payed for the magic dimensional service, right?”

“Yeah, but…” I see Violet look through my contacts, stopping on ‘Parents.’ Oh no. “Violet wait, I’m not prepared.”

“Nopony ever is, honey.” she presses the contact, and puts the call on face cam.

I can’t believe Violet would do that. On the one hand, I admire her audacity, but on the other, I’m scared out of my wits. Even more so, since the call is on face time, so my parents will see who is on the other line. The phone rings for a few moments, and just before the last ring that will go to voice mail, I see the face of my Mother.

“Hi, swee….” my Mother’s smile disappears almost immediately upon looking at Violet, who in contrast maintains her smile. “Who is this?”

“Hello, my named is Violet Harshwhinny. I assume your son has told you about me?”

“Yes, he said that you are his boss. Is everything okay? Why are you holding his phone? Where is he? Did something happen?”

“Nothing like that, he’s over here.” Violet turns the phone to me, showing my Mom that I’m safe.

“Hi Mom.” I wave. Mom waves back, before Violet turns the phone back to her.

“I just want to tell you how proud I am of your son’s work ethic. He has been a model employee, and the best assistant that I have ever had.”

“Oh…” Mom says, surprised, “Thank you. He has always spoken highly of you.”

“That’s good to hear. I would also like you to know that we are madly in love, and have been married for the past couple months. He hasn’t told you, because you were teasing him about being in a relationship with an Equestrian, and that made him a bit worried that you wouldn’t be accepting of the idea.”

“M-Married?!” Mom exclaims in a loud and understandably shocked tone. I’m not sure if she even heard everything that came after that dynamite bit of news. “I…I…married?!”

“Yes. Married. He is now Mr. Harshwhinny. I hope you do not mind; I understand that Earth culture normally uses the husbands last name for the wife, but we decided to do something different.”

“That’s…that’s fine….um…” Mom thinks for a moment or two, “As for the teasing…I…um…well…it was all in good fun, we weren’t really against any sort of…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Violet smiles, “I’m just calling you about the good news, and that you’ll be hearing from us again very soon. Take care.” Violet hangs up before Mom could respond. “There we go, all better.” Violet turns to me to see my mouth wide open at everything that had just transpired. “Is everything okay?”

“You…just called…my mom…and….told her…everything.”

“Not everything. I couldn’t very well go into the details of our coupling, could I?”

“No, I mean. That was…” I can’t be mad at her, I really can’t. She may have suddenly called my family, but it was going to happen sooner or later. I wish that it could have been done more traditionally, but then again, our relationship for a while was anything but traditional. “You continue to surprise me, Mrs. Harshwhinny.”

“I’m glad I still have a few things up my sleeve.” she chuckles.

Time passes, and we finally arrive at the zeppelin station. Past the gates is a massive dock full of zeppelins waiting to take off to various places in Equestria, and tons of passengers waiting for their flight. The chauffeur opens the door for us, and Violet steps out first, with me following close behind. We look at the crowd of various individuals; humans, ponies, griffons, I think I spotted a couple dragons walking through the gate, too.

A couple look in our direction, but don’t pay us much mind, apart from a head nod or a quick look away when they see that we notice them. Violet straightens her jacket out with a small tug, and does a short wipe of her skirt. I feel her hand brush my back, causing me to look to her, and she notices my passing glance.

“Sorry. I noticed a couple strands of my mane on your jacket.” she blushes, “Since your like wearing black jackets, it would be quite noticeable in a crowd.”

“It’s okay.” I brush my hand on her back.

“Oh, was there stuff on my back?”

“No. I just like touching you.”

Violet blushes even more, doing that cute thing where she wraps a loose strand of her mane around her ear. She gets close to me, whispering in my ear “Truth be told, there was nothing on your back either.” Violet then softly kisses my neck, before moving away from me before I could pull her in for another bout of passionate lip locking, but we have to get our luggage and tickets first.

Just in time, our bags are out of the back of the limousine and by our feet. I take my suitcase, and Violet takes hers. We nod at the chauffeur that we’re good, and he nods back, getting in the limo and driving off to his next client.

Violet and I continue to stand at the gate. I’m ready to go, but after Violet told me of her fears when going to Cloudsdale, I can understand why she isn’t moving yet. Her face shows seriousness and professionalism, but her statue shows nervousness. I can even see her palm do a very subtle but noticeable shake. Despite being there before, I suppose each visit still makes her nervous.

I take her hand, and pull her closer to my side. She is broken from her trance of fear and looks into my loving eyes.

“Hey. You fall, I’ll catch you, remember?” I say.

“Or we fall together.” she nods with a smirk.

“Yep. Though, I prefer if neither of us fall. I kind of like spending time with you.”

“As do I. That would be very unfortunate.”

The two of us giggle. Whenever we look at each other, it feels like time slows down just for us. The noise of the crowd dissipates into a low hum, and all I can hear is her breathing and heartbeat, which is currently beating fast. Her nervous look has turned into a serene expression of absolute love, and we move closer together for a kiss. Just one of another trillion kisses to come in our relationship.

To think that just one year ago, our trips to the zeppelin port was anything but romantic. Coldly walking through the crowds to get to the ticket booth, saying nothing to one another, other than a couple inquiries about the itinerary, and making sure that I was catching up with her. Now here we are, locking lips as the crowd passes by us. A lot can change in a year. A lot can change at any point, really, but this is a good change. Actually, it’s an amazing change.

“Have I told you I love you today?” I ask her.

“No, but even if you did, I would like to hear it again and again.”

“I love you.” I whisper softly.

“I love you, too.” she whispers as well. “I don’t mean to rush, but we really need to get our tickets.”

“Oh, right.” I straighten myself out, still holding Violet’s hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. I’ll lead the way. Think you can catch up? You know how quick of a walker I can be.”

“With me holding your hand, I think I can manage.”

Violet gives me another winning smile, as she starts her walk into the station, with me holding on to her hand with all I have. She’s not wrong. She is a quick walker. When she’s on a mission, she won’t stop until she gets to her destination. If I wasn’t prepared for it, I would have immediately tripped and fell.

But, it’s not like that. I didn’t trip and fall. I’ll never trip and fall when I’m with her. Even if I do, she will always catch me. There’s still plenty of things in this world I haven’t seen, plenty of things that I do not understand fully. But, if there is one thing I do understand, one thing that makes the most sense, it is this.

Violet Harshwhinny. The head of the Equestria Games. She helps to make sure that everything runs smoothly, from the lighting of the torch, to the safety of the events. If she’s not working on the Equestria Games, she’s working on next year’s Equestria Games. Everything has to be perfect in the mind of Violet Harshwinny. She is the living, breathing, physical embodiment of the word professionalism.

She’s also my boss.

She is also my wife.

She will always be....my everything.