Rarity looks at her cup of moon tea and wonders, 'Speaking of tea...how is my supply?' and then heads to her cupboards to check them. She then pulls open a couple of doors and removes a small light golden-brown box with a sliding lid with an image of a light blue crescent moon with a small, pink plus mark in the bottom corner. She brings it in front of her and slides the lid open to see that her supply is relatively low. Using the tiny silver scoop in the box, she guesses that she has enough tea to get her and her sister through this season and sighs.

I look at the mare with a worried look and ask, "Is there a problem with what's in that box, Rarity?"

She closes the box's lid and returns it to the shelf, closing the doors and saying, "Oh of course not, I was just checking my own supply of seasonal tea."

I smile at her and say in a joking manner, "Making sure that ya have enough so that ya won't have to adjust to the stressful life of caring for a lovable little bundle of joy? Just imagine all the lovely outfits ya could make for the little one..."

Rarity's head snaps towards him as she narrows her eyes at him in a threatening glare saying with a dire tone, "I wouldn't taunt a mare affected by the season with those words if I were you, darling, not unless you want Equestria's fate to be a grim one." and finishes with a firm scowl.

I chuckle and grin saying, "Ah was just teasing ya a little bit, there's no need to get so moody about it."

She then lifts her nose up in the air with an audible, "HMPH!" and lifts a few of her bags in her magic while heading for the door saying, "We better get on our way if you want me to search for gems. Oh, would you mind stopping by Twilight's so that I can ask Spike if he wants to help me with my gem hunt?" and looks at him while batting her eyes prettily, adding, "Pretty please?"

I smirk and nod my head saying, "Not at all, so get yer bags onto the trailer and we shall get going. Uhm didn't ya forget that Spike already left with the guys?"

Rarity gasps behind her hoof and says, "Oh dear, how could I forget that he left?!" then quickly moves her hoof to her forehead dramatically and exclaims, "Oh woe is me, now how will I bring those gems here?!?"

I then shake my head at her act and say, "Ah do have a gravity wagon that can haul yer gems for ya, but will need to find someone to dig them up." before heading to the door and opening it for her saying, "Here ya go miss, ah'll hold the door for ya."

She smiles and heads out with her bags following her out one by one in her magic, saying, "Oh very well, I guess that will have to do. I wonder what the crusaders are up to right now..." then starts to set them on the trailer and asks, "Alright, now that is done. Where shall I be sitting darling?"

I come up behind her and pick her up in my arms, earning a gasp of shock from her, saying, "Why ya will be riding right on the trailer as there is no room on the tractor for a passenger safely." and then set her onto the side of the trailer.

Rarity fights the blush rising to her cheeks at being carried in such a way and stares at the human in shock saying, "I'm to sit here on the trailer...like LUGGAGE?! What in Equestria is wrong with your manners?! I am not to be treated in such an unladylike way!" and stomps her hoof indignantly.

I then chuckle and ask, "Alright then, would ya rather sit or lay on my lap while ah drive the tractor?"

Her blush deepens and she turns away from him with her nose in the air saying with a huff, "Hmph, you would enjoy that too much darling. I would rather take my chances on the trailer."

I make my way to the tractor and hop up into the seat, chuckling a bit as I say, "Very well then, lady Rarity. Make yerself as comfortable as ya can, this may be a bit of a bumpy ride." then start the tractor and put it in gear, easing out the clutch to let it start rolling.

As the tractor rolls down the road barely big enough for the tractor, ponies move aside to make way for it to pass by with several mares whistling at the lone male in town.

A few minutes pass by as we arrive just outside of Twilight's home and take the tractor out of gear, idling it all the way down before shutting it off. I then hop off the tractor and head toward the doors to her castle, knocking on one door firmly to get the attention of whoever may be inside.

I look at Twilight and smile saying, "Hey Twilight, how are things going with those experiments of yers?"

Twilight smiles at seeing Roger paying a visit and says, "Oh a bit slow with some of them, but progress is being made, albeit a bit slowly. How are things going with you, is everything alright?"

I nod and then "Ya'll git there, ah'm sure Twilight. Ah'm doing good, things are moving right along at the farm. How are things with ya?"

She giggles and says, "That is good to hear, wish that Spike was here to help keep the place clean. I look forward to when he comes back, so what brings you to pay me a visit today?"

I grin and then say, "Well, Rarity forgot that Spike left with the guys so she is looking for a little help with digging up the gems while ah pull the wagon carrying the gems with mah tractor. Might ya have any idea where the Crusaders might be?"

Twilight smiles and nods her head saying, "I know exactly where they are, just a moment." then turns her head to look inside saying, "Hey Crusaders, someone's here to see you." then walks away from the door and heads back inside.

I then hear hooves clopping on a hard floor and see three young ponies coming to the door, barely the same height as adult ponies. One is a pale, light-grayish olive with a brilliant amaranth mane and tail having a light brilliant crimson bow in her mane, and a pair of brilliant gamboge eyes whose name I recall is Applebloom. Another is a unicorn that has a light greyish coat with a greyish mulberry mane and tail with pale, light greyish rose streaks and a pair of pale. light greyish harlequin eyes. The last pony of the group is a pegasus having smaller than usual wings, also being a little smaller than the other two having a light, brilliant gamboge coat with a moderate cerise mane and tail, and a pair of greyish purple eyes. Curious, I look at Applebloom and ask, "Evening, Applebloom. What are ya doing here, it's getting close to dinnertime don't ya know?"

Applebloom turns her head to the right and looks up to see Roger leaning against the door and says, "Evenin', we were just here to spend some time with Twilight. Oh, is it that time already, what brings you here Roger?"

I grin and use my head to gesture towards the trailer saying, "Rarity wanted me to swing by here so she could ask Spike to help her hunt for gems in mah fields, but he is gone for a little while. So who are these two here with ya?"

She then smiles and giggles saying, "Well the one right beside me is Sweetie Belle, and the one next to her is Scootaloo."

They all share a look with each other and say in unison, "And together, we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" then giggle at the end of it with smiles on all their faces.

Scootaloo then looks at Roger curiously and asks, "Wait, Spike's gone!?"

Applebloom then looks at her and says, "Yeah, remember? He went with the guys because of what time of the year it is..."

She blushes and looks at the ground when she remembers and says, "Oh right...that season."

I look at them and smile back saying, "It's nice to meet yall, my name's Roger Sheridan, and ah own and run Sheridan Acres west of town past Twilight's castle and a bit north of the tracks."

Applebloom smiles widely at Roger and asks, "Are ya needing any help on yer farm, Roger?"

I smile at her and say, "Ah'm not, but Rarity is on the trailer and has something y'all could help her with. Much of my equipment requires either a claw or hand to operate it, sorry girls." I then think about my equipment and then recall that a lot of it is way more advanced than what they have here and facepalm myself, letting out a huff in annoyance and saying, "Sorry girls, but ah need to speak with Twilight for a bit, so why don't y'all go see what Rarity needs?" I then stand to the side to leave room for the girls to pass by.

Applebloom smiles and says, "Alright then, we'll see you later Roger." then looks at her friends and says, "Alright girls, let's go find out what Rarity needs help with."

The two girls smile and nod their heads in agreement at what their friend said and say, "Alright, let's go ask her." and make their way down the road toward the trailer.

Twilight makes her way toward the door, asking, "What did you need my help with Roger?"

I then look at her and say, "Well, since my equipment is so advanced compared to yer current technology, ah was wondering if ya might know spells that might be able to repair complex objects or somehow reverse the damage done to it?"

She grins widely as she says, "Please come inside Roger, I will need to talk to my pupil about what you asked."

Before I take a step, I ask, "Before ah come in, ah have to ask..." then lower my voice a little and ask, "Is Starlight taking her tea?"

Twilight then forehooves herself and groans saying, "No...she isn't, because I forgot to pick it up from your house. Do you mind if I tag along with you and Rarity so I can get it to help us both maintain our self-control?"

I then chuckle and say, "Not a problem. Ah'll just swing by tomorrow to discuss the spells, alright?"

She then looks inside and shouts, "I will be right back Starlight, I forgot to pick up the Moon Tea!"

Starlight sits in the study, fighting against her instincts to charge the door, push the human male to the floor, and have her way with him calling back, "Do hurry up, I don't know how long I can hold on while he is still here!"

I then head back to the tractor and say, "Well Twilight, we better hurry back to mah place so that Starlight can maintain control of herself

Twilight hurriedly closes the door and flies towards the trailer saying, "I agree with you on that, let's get going, Roger."

I look at Rarity and ask, "Well Rarity, did they agree to help dig up the gems?"

Rarity smiles and nods her head saying, "The darlings most certainly did."

I hop into the seat and start the tractor, then put it into gear and take the brake off saying, "Alright, let's be on our way to mah farm." I turn the wheel and guide the tractor onto the road back toward home."

As the tractor rolls down the road, swerving around holes to make the ride more bearable, Rarity and Twilight talk about the recent events that have happened. When the tractor's engine quiets and slows down, they watch as Roger turns into his driveway.

Back on the driveway, I idle the tractor back up and wait a few moments before catching a higher gear to speed up our return so I can start on chores.

Rarity watches as the tractor pulls up to the house and rolls to a stop, saying, "Thank you for trying to avoid those holes Roger, the trip here was tolerable." then uses her magic to put her suitcases on the ground.

I wait for Rarity and Twilight to get the suitcases off the trailer and look back at them saying, "Ah'm gonna get started on chores so go on ahead and put yer bags inside." then remember that the John Deere baler was finished and decide to head over to the shop to pick it up.

Twilight helps Rarity move her bags inside the house and hears Roger move the trailer's jack and start to raise it, then unhooks the trailer as he takes the tractor over to the shed. She uses her magic to open the doors for her friend while she holds the outer door and a few of her bags as well, then follows her inside the house to find Rarity looking for a place to put her bags. She chuckles and says, "Roger does have a spare bedroom but I believe he said he was planning on throwing the mattress out due to it being infested with bedbugs really bad, unfortunately, you will have to choose from sleeping on the couch with grease stains on it or share the bed with Roger."

Rarity gasps at what she heard and stares at Twilight in shock, blinking a few times in disbelief and exclaims, "What did you say?!"

After I make it to the shed, I back up to the hitch and move the tools and binder off to the side before putting the pin in. Making sure I don't hit anything, I watch carefully as I head toward the overhead door. As I come to a stop just outside of the shop, I put it in neutral and set the brake before hopping off the tractor to change the baler over from the transport position into the operating position. I then hook up the PTO to test the baler, hoping that everything works alright.

Hearing noise coming from outside, Twilight and Rarity look outside the living room window to see Roger working on a different machine as Twilight says, "That must be a different baler because the color and style are a bit different than the one he used the other day."

Rarity watches Roger as he goes inside the shed and comes out with a cylinder of some kind and asks, "What is in that cylinder he's holding?"

She looks at the can and smiles saying, "That is one of the cans he gave me to study, it is a chain lubricant to make the mechanisms operate smoother."

After spraying the chains on the baler, I listen for any abnormalities for a few minutes. Finding none, I then disengage the PTO and return the can of lubricant to the shelf in the shop. Returning to the baler, I switch it back into the operating position and hop into the seat, taking the brake off before putting it into gear. Parking the baler beside the New Holland Baler, I then raise the tongue off of the tractor with the jack and pull the pin. I then move on to disconnecting the PTO shaft, setting it in its holder on the tongue before heading back to the tractor and parking it in front of the trailer it was pulling.

The girls spend their time doing what they can to tidy up the house until Roger finishes his chores, and hear him enter the house a couple of hours later when Twilight looks up at Roger with a smile saying, "Hello Roger, Rarity and I thought it would be nice if we cleaned up a little bit for you. Do you like it?"

I take a big whiff and smell a citrusy fragrance in the air, bringing a smile to my face as I walk around the house to see it almost sparkle and say, "Ya girls have done an amazing job, ah love it, ya even made the house smell amazing."

Rarity smiles at her handiwork being praised and says, "It is amazing what a little potpourri can do for one's abode, don't you agree?"

I then smile and nod, then head over to Rarity and caress her behind the ears saying, "It is indeed." I then look over at Twilight and say, "Ah appreciate the effort you girls put into cleaning the house for me, let me go get yer tea for ya Twilight, so you can go rescue Starlight."

The fashionista's eyes are half-lidded from being caressed like that, nearly going off balance after leaning into his touch subconsciously and saying, "Once you give her the tea she came for, I would appreciate it if you would resume what you were doing just behind my left ear."

Twilight giggles at Rarity's dramatic performance and says, "Oh Rarity, you can be so adorable at times." She then summons her coin pouch and digs out thirty bits to repay Roger.

I chuckle and look at Rarity while holding the jar in my right arm saying, "Very well, lady Rarity." and turn to Twilight, setting the jar on the ground before her saying, "Here you go Twilight."

She then hands him the bits and returns the pouch to her storage space, then picks up her jar using magic, saying, "Thank you so much for getting this for me in my frozen, stressed-out state."

I accept the bits from her and say, "Yer welcome, ah'll see you again tomorrow after ah make a stop at Quills and Sofa's for a mattress and a new couch."

Twilight then makes her way to the front door and looks over her shoulder saying, "Goodnight Roger, I hope you get a good night's sleep. Thank you for what you did for Starlight, Rarity, and I. Your message to Princess Celestia should have arrived by now, so I think you can expect a response back sometime tomorrow."

I wave farewell to her and say, "Goodnight to ya as well, and thank ya for mailing it off for me."

Just before she walks out the door, she smiles and nods saying, "You're welcome."

I watch as the door closes and then look at Rarity and say, "When ah go to town tomorrow, would ya like to help me pick out a new mattress and a couch at that store just in case if the mare there hasn't taken her tea yet?"

Rarity smiles and says, "I would be delighted to help you out darling, show me to each of the rooms where the furniture is going so I know what you're going to need."

I nod my head and make my way to the living room and flick on the light so Rarity can look at the room, and stand off to the side as she makes her way into the room. I look around at the old-style, light grey-colored wood plank panel walls, with most of the wooden furniture having a golden-brown varnished look to it.

The fashionista looks at the room with an inspector's eye, trying to figure out what would go best with the decor and sighs saying, "Darling, to get things to work together in here, I do think that you will have to replace the old furniture in here. I think black or white would work really well with the grey wood walls and floor, what do you think?" then turns her head to look at him and hear his response.

I nod my head and agree with her choice saying, "Ah can agree to that, then ah can ask you to design some sheets to cover them and protect the material from stains."

Rarity nods her head and heads out of the room saying, "Alright, now let's go to where you need the mattress so I can take some measurements."

As I show her to the guest room, I flick the light on as she looks at the full-size bed with the headboard against the right side of the wall and ask, "Ah'm pretty sure ah might have to replace the entire bedframe if the mattress sizes are made with different dimensions than the world ah came from."

She summons the tape she uses for fabric and takes a few measurements from the inside of the frame, then takes one from the outside before switching directions to measure lengthwise. Getting the final measurements she needs, she looks at Roger and says, "Unfortunately, you will have to replace the frame as the bed sizes used here are different. The size closest to this one would be the Noble, the one after that would be the Princess, followed by the Royal. The next size down is the Lord with the smallest being the Common, there are smaller sizes for foals" then looks at him and waggles her eyebrows suggestively with a knowing grin continuing, "Though I don't think you will be looking for one of those quite yet if what I heard from some of the girls is correct..."

I chuckle and nod my head saying, "Yes, the rumor mill is correct this time around, ah'm participating in the season this year. Do you ever plan on having a little bundle of joy, Miss Rarity?"

Rarity looks at him with a subtle, but threatening look and turns away from him then lifts her nose into the air saying, "HMPH! If I were, I certainly wouldn't share it with you."

I then kneel down beside her and tease her a little more saying, "Just imagine all the new fashions you could come up with for the newborns and the expecting mares as their pregnancies progress through the months..."

Her eye twitches as her imagination latches onto that idea and runs off with it, taking her brain along for the ride as countless ideas pop into her head. She begins mumbling to herself as the ideas swirl around inside her mind, then suddenly turns toward Roger with a manic smile on her face.

I look into her eyes as one appears smaller than the other and feel her grab my face with her hooves on either side of my head, asking her a bit nervously, "Is everything alright, Miss Rarity?"

Rarity smiles manically at him and says, "The sheer number of ideas popping into my head are overwhelming...and I'm loving each moment of it!"

I smile back at her, giving a light chuckle saying, "Well, have you had dinner yet?"

She shakes her head from side to side saying, "I haven't yet darling, I look forward to what you are able to make."

---

After I collect the plates of food and put them into the sink, I begin filling the sink while glancing back over my shoulder to see Rarity finish emptying the remaining drops from the bottle of white wine into the glass asking, "So Miss Rarity, how did you enjoy that vegetable stir-fry?"

Rarity enjoys the light buzz the bottle of wine gave her, swirling the last little bit of wine around her crystal wine glass and sighs happily while looking over her shoulder at him saying, "Oh it was simply divine darling, I never knew that something could look so odd, yet taste so amazing. Where did you learn to make something that tasty?"

I smile back at her and chuckle while scrubbing the plate clean, saying, "Well, it was a recipe that I used to make for my wife once or twice a week before our marriage ended."

She nearly spits out her wine at hearing that and then swallows it, coughing a couple times before clearing her voice and asking, "You were married? For how long?"

I bite back my anger at remembering the bitch and say, "Yeah ah was, for 5 years before it all came to an ugly end. Perhaps ah'll tell ya more about it after ah get caught up and have some time to unwind."

Rarity drains the remains of the wine into her mouth and swallows it before saying in an apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry if I brought up painful memories for you Roger, I never meant to upset or anger you."

I turn to look at her, giving her a genuine smile and say, "Ya didn't, ah brought it up mahself so don't let it get under yer fur. It would be best fer ya to leave that to me..." and waggle my eyebrows playfully to make her laugh.

She looks over her shoulders at him and bursts out laughing when she sees what he is doing and says, "Oh I most certainly will leave that to you." then grins at him saucily and gets up from the table to help him finish the dishes.

I feel Rarity snuggle against me and eventually make her way in between me and the sink, humming some tune I do not know while grabbing a dry rag and drying the dishes before putting them into the rack. I then look down at the back of her head as I feel her tail swish from side to side, paying me no mind as she focuses on doing the dishes and ask her, "Is everything alright Miss Rarity?"

Rarity stifles a giggle as she teases him right back and smirks while she stops humming and turns her head ever so slightly to gaze up at him from the corner of her right eye saying, "Everything is just fine, why do you ask, Roger?"

I look back at her, trying to figure out what she is up to, and then return to washing the rest of the dishes while shaking my head at the game she is playing with me saying, "Ah was just wondering if ya would care to watch a movie with me tonight before we retire to the dream realm?"

She thinks about it for a moment while fighting a spreading grin saying, "I do know that, and I would love the opportunity to see what movies are like from your world."

I then move on to cleaning the wok I was using for the stir-fry and ask, "Alright, what genre do you tend to enjoy most, romance, sci-fi, action, comedy?"

Rarity dries the other plate and sets it in the rack with the other and moves on to drying the wine glass saying, "Well, for this kind of closeness and atmosphere, I would like to watch a romantic movie."

I smile as I think of a movie and smile saying, "I know just the one for you then, though I'm not sure how well you would like it due to it being aimed at the teenage crowd."

She smiles and wonders what it is called, asking, "I will not judge anything by its cover, so I shall watch it and let you know my opinion after it is over."

After draining the sink, I guide Rarity to the Living Room and have her take a seat on the smaller sofa while I put in the movie called: A Walk To Remember. I turn the lights off before sitting beside Rarity and lean back against the couch, wondering how Rarity will react to the movie.

Two hours pass by as the movie returns to the main menu while I hold a bawling Rarity in my arms, patting the back of her head as she blows her nose into her handkerchief again, trying to soothe her by saying, "There there Miss Rarity, ah know this may have not been the best movie to show ya, so ah'm sorry."

Managing to catch a breath, she says between sobs, "This was not a bad movie...it was so wonderfully sweet right to the end...and I loved every moment of it!" then continues to bawl against his shoulder.

I smile as she continues to cry herself to sleep, letting me know it was time to turn the tv and the player off with the remote. I then picked her up and held her against my shoulder like I would hold a baby, and started making my way to my bedroom upstairs.

When I reached my room, I used one free hand to toss the covers aside so she could make herself comfortable. After I set her down on her left side, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and saw the state her mascara was in. Deciding it would be best to wipe it off for her, I made my way to the kitchen for a bottle of extra virgin olive oil, then to my dresser for a clean handkerchief. I flick the light on to see what I am doing and hear Rarity toss and turn a little on the bed, then make my way to the dresser to fetch the handkerchief and apply a bit of it to one part of the cloth before going over to the sleeping Rarity.

As I wrap part of the handkerchief around three of my fingers, I remind myself to dab the eyelids first while making a shushing sound to calm Rarity saying, "Don't fuss while ah save ya from waking up with raccoon eyes Rarity, keep yer peepers closed..." Due to her fur coat, I have to apply more oil to help break up the mascara before I can start wiping down then along her upper lashes.

It takes me a little bit to get every bit of oil off her eyelids, but I manage to get it all at the end and toss the handkerchief down the laundry chute before returning the olive oil to the cupboard. When I return to bed, I lie on my back and pull the covers over me while Rarity lies on her right side facing me wearing a purple sleeping mask when she suddenly slides closer to me and then wraps her left leg around mine. I continue lying on my back when I feel her place her head on my chest and drape her left hoof around my right side, placing her right hoof over my right shoulder. I then smile and kiss her horn before whispering to her ear, "Goodnight and sweet dreams, Miss Rarity."

Rarity unconsciously nuzzles into the softness of Roger's chest and mumbles, "Goodnight, Roger." then slips further into a deep, blissful sleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter 33: Work continues Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 3 Minutes