It’s been nearly two months.

Two months to the day when you and Milky went into an agreement about the relationship that you two decided to embark upon. You agreed that in two months’ time, if you and Milky were still very much in love, she would ask you to marry her.

Time had seemed to speed up since that night, and what has changed between now and then has been almost nothing. You quit your job back home, telling them that you have moved on to another line of work. You also called up the movers, and all the stuff you wanted from your old residence, was brought over to Milky’s.

You have your television, which is much nicer than Milky’s admittedly archaic set, along with your games and movies. All your clothes have been brought over too, which is good, so now you don’t have to keep going out to buy more.

As for your feelings for Milky, you are still in love with her. In fact, you will always be in love with her. The problem is that you’re not sure if she loves you just as much. There really is no reason why she wouldn’t love you back. She still says ‘I love you’ all the time, and your time in the sack with her had continued to be a mixture of hot and heavy, and slow and gentle, depending on what you two are in the mood for that night..

You shouldn’t be so worrisome about this. If the time comes, and she doesn’t want to marry you, that doesn’t mean she wants to break up with you. It just means that you have to try a little bit harder in the two months that will surely follow.

The two of you have taken a little break from your romps under the covers, and spent the last few nights ending in a little make out session, before going to bed. That’s perfectly fine; you could use the break to regain your energy.

While your feelings for the Milkmare haven’t changed, things around you have.

Ryan and Daisy have split up. Rather spectacularly, if the rumors were correct, and you were at the center of the conversation. According to the neighbors, Ryan threw a bit of a tantrum, once Daisy admitted to trying to seduce you. She was shouting about how much she loved you, in that obsessive, Fatal Attraction kind of way, and Ryan couldn’t believe that after all those years of being married to her, all she could think about was you. Swears were uttered, dishes were broken, and cops were called. Both were taken away in handcuffs, covered in bruises, and shouting obscenities at each other.

You and Milky fully expect them to be on the next viewing of Divorce Court. You’re looking forward to that summons to show up there any day now.

As for your parents, you haven’t talked to them since that night when they came over. You haven’t forgiven them for insulting Milky and her species in a public place, AND you haven’t and will probably NEVER forgive your Father for striking her in the face. You try to tell yourself that he didn’t mean to strike her, since that hit was meant for you, but he could have stopped it. He was certainly strong enough to stop the momentum; he’s done it before.

They have tried to call you for weeks; every other day in fact, but their calls have gone ignored. You aren’t ready to talk to them, yet. They leave messages every once in a while, practically begging you to call them back, but you stay your hand. Milky has told you to talk to them, but you remain strong that you will talk to them, when you are ready.

That day eventually came sooner than you thought.

One afternoon, on a day off from the dairy, you and Milky were sitting down, watching television. Whatever it was you were watching doesn’t matter, as your cellphone vibrates, interrupting your viewing. Checking the caller ID, it’s none other than your Dad again. You prepare to press the ignore button, when Milky puts a hoof on your shoulder.

“Answer it.” she says with a smile.

You hesitate for a few moments, letting the vibrations go on for three more passes, until finally, you answer the phone. Slowly, you bring it to your ear.

“Hey Dad.” you say with a droll tone.

“Hey….” Dad trails, not expecting you to answer this time, “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” you reply, “How are you? How’s Mom?”

“She’s good, she’s good.” His tone becomes a bit more pleasant. You don’t know why, but you sense a change in his attitude. Normally, their calls would be something more in tune with an interrogation, but he actually sounds…friendly. “How’s Milky?”

“I…” your eyes widen with surprise, not expecting that question. You look back at Milky, who has no clue what is going on, on the other end. “She’s good. Still running the Dairy. As popular as always.”

“Glad to hear that.” Okay, something is seriously up here. You aren’t sure if this is a trick, or he’s actually trying to make some form of small talk. “We tried calling for the past couple months.”

“Yeah. Well…I kind of needed some time…after what happened.”

“I figured. It was your Mom that kept asking me to call you. The thing is…we want to see you again…the both of you.”

“You do?” Again, a surprised tone exits your mouth. You stammer as you think about this. “I…uh…okay. Come on over when you have the chance, I guess.”

“That’s the thing…we kind of can’t.”

“What?”

“Our passports have been suspended, on account of the incident.”

“They have?”

“Didn’t you call the cops on us? We spent the night in jail before we got to the train station.”

“No. I didn’t call the cops.” This is all news to you. Maybe someone in the restaurant called the police when you left with Milky. “I had no idea that happened.”

“Oh…well…we still want to see you two. Can you come over tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? I don’t know. It seems kind of short notice.” You look back at Milky. She nods her head in approval. “You know what? I think tomorrow might work.”

“Great. We’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah…sure.” You hear the phone hang up. You look back at Milky. “Looks like we’re going to Applewood.”

“Cool. I’ll go pack.”

“Wait, Milky…” she turns back to you, “Are you sure about this?”

“Why not?”

“It’s just…I can’t help but be a little suspicious about the whole thing. I mean…aren’t you?”

“What did they say?”

“He said that they want to see us. I guess to talk about something. I’m not sure.”

“Maybe they want to apologize.”

“Maybe…”

“Hey…” she walks up to you, “Whatever happens, I’ll still be here, okay? If they get out of line again, you know the drill.”

“Make out with you in front of them, and try to dodge punches?”

“Exactly.” The two of you share a laugh. “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

The next day, you two took the first train to Applewood. The entire way there, you shifted about in your seat out of nervousness, not knowing just what is going to happen when you get there. Since the two of you left so early, Milky had a quick nap, leaning against your shoulder the whole way through. This was only a small comfort, since watching Milky sleep is quite adorable, but the knots in your stomach still cease to untie. You also had to milk Milky on the train. You were fortunate enough to remember to bring that bucket with you, along with a top to cover it.

You wonder just what your parents will want to talk about with the both of you. Maybe they do want to apologize for their behavior, but that is going to talk a lot of convincing, since they have been shoving their biased opinions down your throat for many years. Since they want you to bring Milky along, that has to mean that they want to make up for what happened. Or, they want to get rid of her once and for all, and they’ll try to kill her the moment they open the door to greet you.

Yeah, you think up the worst things.

A couple hours pass, and the train pulls into the station at Applewood. You wake Milky up, and you two are back on your feet…or hooves, in Milky’s case. Then, you get your suitcase, which only has a couple things in there; you really don’t plan on staying very long. You’d like to be back home, sleeping comfortably in your bed, snuggling against the soft and warm fur of Milky. The thought makes you a little flustered, and the idea to get back on the train so you can do just that, enters your mind. You manage to get yourself to calm down, before you head off to your parents’ house.

One cab ride later, and you two are at the front porch of your parents’ house. It’s been quite some time since you last visited them; you can only hope that this will be more in your favor this time. Milky has a loose fitting blouse on, covering her teats, just so you don’t have to explain those to them yet.

You two walk to the front door, and knock on it. Sure enough, the door opens within seconds, and your Mother greets the both of you with a smile.

“You made it!” she says, kissing you on the cheek, “We’re so glad you came.”

“Yeah. We took the first train out.” you shift your eyes, looking for any traps and weapons that could take out Milky. So far, you see none, which is a relief. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s in the kitchen, getting lunch ready." she looks down at the bucket of milk in your other hand. "Is that Milk?" she asks.

"Uh..." you're surprised she knows what it is,considering it's covered, "Yeah, it is."

"Let me get that for you." she takes the bucket, "Come in, come in.” she motions you two to enter.

You and Milky walk in, and Mom closes the door. She gets back into your view. She looks down at Milky.

“That’s a beautiful blouse, Milky. Where did you get it?”

“Oh, this thrift store I go to had a good sale going on, and I thought it looked good.”

“Well, I must say, you made a good choice.”

“Mom? Are you okay?” you raise an eyebrow. This is seriously freaking you out. She’s…normal.

“Of course I am. Come on, have a seat.” She leads you two to the dining room, where you sit down. You put the suitcase down next to you, and Mom takes it off the floor, and puts it in the living room. She goes into the kitchen, bucket in hand, to where your Dad is. “Honey, they’re here.” You hear her say, as you also hear the sounds of things getting put away in the fridge.

“Oh. I didn’t hear them. One moment.” you hear Dad say, before he comes walking in with all smiles. “Son! I’m happy to see you. I’m happy to see the both of you!”

“It’s…” you pause, trying to find the right words, “It’s good to see you two.” You look back at the kitchen, “What are you making over there?”

“Oh!” he remembers, “I’m making a big lunch for all of us.” He ducks into the kitchen, coming back with a big bowl of salad, “I have a freshly made salad, since Milky likes salad, and some barbeque chicken.” He looks over at Milky, “You can have some too, if you like.”

“Yeah…I’d love some.” she gives her best smile.

You lean over with a fork, and take a bit of salad, putting it into your mouth. A few seconds of chewing and swallowing later, you determine that the salad has not been poisoned, since you are not dead. You nod to Milky, letting her know that it was okay to eat. Your parents come back with the chicken and mashed potatoes. It all looked very good. Regardless, this is still very odd.

Mom and Dad sit down, and start chowing down. You take a helping of food, and start to eat as well. It’s quiet at the table, eerily so. After all the friendliness they have shown you two, it feels like they have run out of things to say. Milky was the first to break the silence.

“So, how are you guys?” she asks them.

“We’re just fine, Milky. Thanks for asking.” Mom replies, “How about you two? Are things going good in Trottingham?”

“Yes, actually. Things have been going great for us. The store is as popular as ever, and we are making some good money, now that spring has begun.”

“That’s good to hear. Have the customers been treating you two okay?”

“We have our troublemakers now and again…” she looks over at you, “But he’s been taking care of me just fine.”

“I assume you get a lot of troublemakers because of your…condition.” Dad says.

An awkward pause. Milky (nor you) know exactly what he’s talking about.

“I’m sorry…what condition?”

“Your…” he points his fork downwards, “…you know…”

It takes a few extra moments, before you and Milky simultaneously figure out what he’s referring to. A blush adorns both of your faces.

“Dad! How did you…”

“It turns out a couple members of our church have been to your store, Milky. When we talked about you, they mentioned your…special talent.” You’re about to speak, when Dad raises a hand to stop you, “They were there on vacation, we didn’t send them to spy on you, if that’s what you were thinking.”

“There’s no need to hide them, Milky.” Mom grins.

“Oh my goodness, this is quite…unexpected.” Milky continues to blush, “Does it bother you?”

“No. Not at all.” Mom answers, “We admit that when we found out, it was…shocking at first, but we don’t mind.”

“Okay…” you can’t stay silent anymore, “…just what is going on here?” Your parents and Milky turn to you. “You’re talking to Milky like nothing happened, you cooked this…very delicious…meal, and you’re all smiles. Did aliens come down from the sky and change your personalities?”

“Son…” Dad says with all seriousness, “We’re just trying to be nice.”

“Well…it’s kind of freaking me out.”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Mom wonders.

“Yeah, but…I didn’t think it would actually happen!”

“It has.” Dad turns to Milky, “What we said, and did to you was unforgivable. We know it’s asking a lot to accept our apology, but…if you like…we want to try again. We want to make it up to you and your species.”

Milky is in stunned silence. Her mouth is agape in shock at the complete one eighty your parents have taken. All that comes from her are a series of stutters, before forming a comprehensible sentence.

“I-I…y-y-yes! Of course!” she finally answers.

“We’re glad to hear that.”

You stand up, unable to fathom what is going on. Turning around, you head to the living room for some alone time.

“Son…” Dad calls after you.

You raise a hand up, in that ‘don’t talk to me right now’ kind of way, before disappearing from their sight.

In the living room, you pace around, thinking about your next move and series of words. Dad comes walking in, with a look of confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Dad.” you give a whispered snap, “Less than two months ago, you insulted my girlfriend and her species in a public place. You hit her! Now, I know the hit was meant for me, but the fact remains. Now, you and Mom are sitting there, asking her for your forgiveness. I’m not saying that this isn’t good, or that you shouldn’t be doing this, because she deserves it, but she also had to put up with your bullshit for two hours at most. I had to put up with it for my whole life!”

“We know.” Dad says with remorse.

“What happened? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Mom and Milky walk into the room, watching the events between you and Dad unravel.

“When we got back home...there was a call from the church. Apparently, someone or somepony in the restaurant recorded what we did, and put it on the internet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I ended up on the news too. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.”

“We don’t really watch the news.”

“In any case, we were called in. You could say that...we had a strict talking to. They felt that our actions made the church look bad, and were ordered to take a program to cleanse us of our…affliction.”

"So aliens did show up to brainwash you."

"No. We had meetings with other people, who had the same beliefs as we did. One of the ministers would be our teacher, and our guide to what they liked to call 'enlightenment.'"

"Still sounds like Princess Celestia showed up to brainwash you, to me."

"Believe me. That was not the case."

“How many times did you and Mom go to these meetings?”

“Three times a week. It ran simultaneously with a class for ponies that hated humans.” He lightly chuckled at that.

“I guess you two had to combine with those classes, at some point.”

“Yeah…every Friday.”

“How did that go?”

“Not well…the first couple weeks. But then it got better and better.” He sees you nod in understanding. “We were taught about all the good the ponies have done for us. Advances in medicine, politics, even religion, were all done by them. We came to appreciate them more and more as time went on. By the end of the class, we…I wouldn’t say fully embraced them, but we are more…approving of them. We’re still going. Your Mother and I feel we still have a lot to learn.”

“That’s…that’s good news.” you smirk, “I take it some of what you heard wasn’t easy.”

“No, it wasn’t. Your grandparents taught us that humanity was the dominant species, and that ponies were nothing more than glorified side shows. We were blinded by what we saw; every time a pony did something to help lives, we saw it as a cheap parlor trick that meant nothing. We thought, for all intents and purposes, our parents were right. But then…you came along, and changed all that.”

You notice your Dad looking at you with a hint of pride. This surprises you, but it’s also a pleasant feeling. He hasn’t looked at you like that in years.

“I did?”

“You saw the things that we didn’t. You saw that there was value in ponies; that they were smart, capable of thought and…love.” His face then changes to one of regret, “But we acted in a way that we’ll never forgive ourselves for. We were scared, and in a way, you could say that our parents were scared too. We were afraid that ponies would wipe out our species, toss us aside like we were nothing. That we weren’t seen as equal in their eyes. It was our assumptions that gave birth to our prejudice, even though they did nothing to deserve such scorn. Our actions against you…was something that we regretted ever since.”

You slowly nod. There is sincerity in his voice. He really means what he is telling you. You could fire back with a sarcastic quip, tell him that it took him too long to realize this, but deep down, you're happy that they’ve finally figured it out.

“You hurt me, you know?” you say. Dad nods. “You gave me scars that I can’t get rid of. Both of you would spend time and time again yelling at me; scolding me for spending more time with ponies than humans, telling me that they don’t deserve to walk in your footsteps. It angered me every time the both of you would do that.” Your parents stand there quietly, taking in the verbal punishment, “You know what the craziest part is, though?” They look at you with curiosity, “After all that, after everything that you did...I never hated you. Either of you.”

Saying that brings tears to their eyes. It is true. They were assholes, they drove you away from them, and you didn’t want to spend time with them. But…in that weird way, you still never hated them. They were still your parents. They did good things for you. Despite who you were, they never disowned you.

“I was still annoyed by you, though.” You see them chuckle, “And that’s putting it lightly.”

Both your Mom and Dad walk up to you, and wrap their arms around you in a tight embrace. A little too tight; it’s a bit cramped. You spot Milky giggling back towards the entrance to the kitchen.

“We’re sorry, Son.” Dad says tearfully, “We’re so sorry.”

“I’d say ‘that’s okay’, but I don’t think I’m quite there yet.”

“That’s fair.” they separate from you, “You don’t have to forgive us, but are you willing to start over?”

“Of course I am.” you smile, “You have no idea how much I want to do that.” They chuckle. “If we’re starting over, we’re going to do this right.” You turn to Milky, motioning her to come over to the little group. “Mom? Dad? I want you to meet Milky Way. She is my girlfriend, or marefriend, if you want to be more appropriate.”

Mom and Dad kneel down to eye level with her. Dad puts out his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Milky Way.”

Milky shakes his hand with her hoof. Mom reaches out her hand next, and Milky shakes her hand too.

“It’s an honor to meet you both.” Milky says, “You have a wonderful son.”

“Yeah…” Dad says, “We do.”

The train ride home was a lot more comfortable than the one before. You sit in your seat, Milky leaned up against you, holding a container of leftover food. That went a lot better than you expected. This is the first, and most important step in having a stable relationship with your parents. Now, you won’t be afraid to talk to them, to groan when they call you, to be nervous when they visit you. Thinking about that puts butterflies in your stomach. Best of all, they no longer see Milky as an aberration in your life, and that’s what makes you happier the most.

The two of you make it back to Trottingham safely. You two walk back to the house, and enter. It’s the middle of the night, and the town is mostly empty where you are. It’s much busier in the business district. You put down the suitcase, and put the leftovers in the fridge, as Milky waits for you to come back. When you go back to her, she yawns that adorable yawn as she looks at you with loving eyes.

“Well, that was fun.” she smirks, “We should do that again, sometime.”

“Yeah. That was a good day.” A pause. “So…”

“So…”

You walk up to her, and in one fell swoop, you pick her up, and carry her in your arms, as you walk to the bedroom. She giggles in amusement, as you carry her around, stomping through the halls like a fearsome giant. You push open the bedroom door with your shoulder, as you trounce on over to the bed, tossing her on it. She lets out a giggly yelp as she flies through the air, and lands on the soft mattress. You take off your shirt, as she takes off her blouse, and you climb into bed, getting right on top of her, caressing her waist with much care.

“What do you want, tonight?” you ask in your best seductive tone.

“I want to make love.” she grins.

“Making love it is.” you chortle, as you lean down and kiss her neck. She giggles the moment your lips touch her coat. As you make your way down her body, she asks…

”How long have we been together?”

“A little more than two months.” you reply, giving her teats a peck.

“Do you still love me as much as you did then?”

“I never stopped loving you as much as I did then.” you reach her haunches, “Do you still love me?”

“More than ever.” she replies, gasping as she feels your hot breath against her sex.

“Good to know.” You run your cheeks on her thighs, as you get closer to your goal.

Then she asks it. The mother of all questions. The question you’ve wanted her to ask since the day you made the agreement.

“Will you marry me?”

You stop, just inches away from giving her a hell of a good time down there. You look back up at her, seeing her look down, watching your look of shock.

“You picked a hell of time to ask me, you know that?” you laugh.

“I know.” She smiles, “Aren’t I just the worst?”

“No.” you climb back up to her, meeting her face to face, “You’re the absolute best.” You kiss her on the lips.

“I’m not hearing an answer to my question.”

“You haven’t? Well, let me think of how to say it. How about…..fuck yeah!”

Milky bursts in laughter at your response, holding on to you, and bringing you in for a loving embrace. The two of you silence your laughter with a series of kisses, before going in for a long, romantic, and a bit erotic lip lock. You stay there for an extra-long time, your eyes closed, taking in her love and affection. You separate, and look into her magnificent green eyes. You imagine your future together; one of happiness and love. She looks into your very soul, probably imagining the same exact thing. What both of you come to the conclusion with, is that everything is going to be just fine.

“I love you.” you say.

“I love you, too.” she responds with the air of seduction, “Now, do what you do best.”

“Oh, you’re in for a treat tonight.” you hold on to her, and roll around on the bed playfully, as she laughs.

Say hello to your permanent residence. You’re going to be living here for the rest of your life.

And you wouldn’t have it any other way.