//------------------------------// // The Fateful Event: This Story of Ours // Story: Two-Sided Prequel II: Who You Work For // by FerociousCreation //------------------------------// Ch. 51 Both Coco and Fang stood by the appetizers as they witnessed the black stage quickly become disassembled. Unicorns and pegasi moved fast, hoping they are not bothering the guests with their noisy work. Coco chewed on some cheese and crackers as she looked at Fang, giggling that he still held her hoof. Fang stood close to his friend in silence with a smile that spoke for him. Finally swallowing her food, Coco said, “I wonder what song they will play as we dance.” “Who knows,” Fang shrugged. The two looked away, flushed in the face, wondering how to go about their conversation. “Hey, I know I have said this a million times,” the mare spoke, but not looking at the changeling, “but thank you for finding me.” Unable to keep her eyes off him, Coco faced Fang, blushing even more now that he had to see her flustered gaze. “I just… never thought things would turn out so great. Except for losing the contest of course.” Coco frowned, still affected by her defeat. “As am I. This story of ours has gone through so much. And I am glad to be a part of your scenario. And I- I hope our story can go on for a long time.” His grip on Coco’s hoof slightly tightened as he stared into her aquamarine iris.’ “And I wonder when you will be less of a side character.” Fang’s brows creased as Coco cracked a joke. She chuckled a little bit, enjoying her friend’s sudden change of emotion. “Hey, I am more than just a side character in your story,” he frowned. “Then what am I in yours?” Coco asked. Flashing his sharp fang with a sneer, he replied, “Background character.” A rasp of hot air escaped Coco, insulted at how low she was in Fang’s story. “At least I was being generous.” She turned around, her tail slapping Fang in the cheek. Others who witnessed the act looked at Fang, assuming he said or did something rude and gave him nasty stares. However, the changeling knew Coco didn't hate him for his joke. “I know you still love me.” Turning back to him, the mare advanced at Fang and kissed his cheek. “Maybe I do,” she winked, her cheeks mimicking the blend of strawberries and cream. The stallion kept his eyes on hers, wondering if the color in his face was changing. “Attention everypony!” Princess Cadence’s voice boomed in the ballroom. Coco looked to where the noise came from, and noticed the black stage was nowhere to be seen. Whoever was apart of the cleanup crew needs to make sure they get payed well. As silence reigned, the princess continued, “I again want to thank all participants for being apart of the Grand Galloping Gala’s first ever fashion contest.” A nice round of applause rang out in the large room. “As for those who did not place, I want to remind you all that it was a difficult choosing the victor. You are all great at what you do. Do not tell yourself you are not good enough and quit because of one defeat. Keep going down your path. Success will meet you.” A healthy applause grew in the crowd, a few whistles “fweeting” from several ponies. After the noise died, a new sound filled the room. A cello hummed loudly as its notes drifted through the air. Two ponies sat on what looked to be a more permanent stage, yet smaller than the black one. A gray earth pony swayed her body back and forth as she played her song, and a stallion across the little platform sat at a piano. After a few seconds of playing the cello, the pianist began started pressing his hooves on the keys. “To lift up any dampened spirits,” Shining Armor spoke to the crowd, “my wife and I have a nice consolation prize. And if there are any lucky stallions out there with a special mare in mind, I would take her hoof right now.” Fang grabbed Coco’s in quick succession upon the prince’s request, pulling her close. The earth pony gasped a little, her cheeks flaring with blush. Slowly, a smile grew on Coco’s lips, lifting faster than the moon or sun could ever do. “Am I that special mare in mind?” The changeling smirked on the side of his mouth. “I don’t just snatch up any pony you know. After all, you are the perfect protagonist in my novel.” At the corner of his eye, Fang noticed several pairs of ponies cover the open space that only he could consider as the dance floor. “Shall we- be a part of each other’s stories?” His blush was clearly visible on his crimson fur. Coco Pommel slowly nodded. “I would love for you to be my main character.” With his question answered, Fang guided the mare onto the dancing floor. They found a nice open space among the dancers before the two started to dance. Both the cello and piano proved to be a handsome compliment as the notes touched the mare’s heart. The music helped sway Coco as she stepped along with Fang. She danced close to her partner as his body kept her warm. Her face was very close to the changeling’s, looking up to his handsome face. It was beginning to increase the mare’s heart rate. “I-” Coco suddenly found it difficult to breath. “You-” Overwhelmed with joy and adrenaline, she rested her cheek on Fang’s breast. She could hear his hot heart pound in his chest, perhaps much faster than hers. “This is lovely, isn’t it?” “Yes, you are.” Fang lightly pressed his hoof on the back of Coco’s head, carefully cradling it as they swung along with the music. The mare giggled, her entire face almost red. The cello let out a sweet chirp, piercing the two dancers’ hearts. Then, Shining Armor’s voice sang, making the moment even more lovely: It doesn’t matter if the days are dark, It doesn’t matter if it starts to rain, For I will always spark your inner flame. I’ll be your shining light I’ll make you feel no pain. Following his pause, Cadence’s voice came quickly: Because it matters that you care, Because it matters that you’re here, I’ll always be your heart you come to love. You always make me smile, You make me know no fear. In concession, both prince and princess sang: My dear, my love, please don’t cry, For I am right by your side. If anything begins to get too hard, I’ll always need to say, ‘Please one step at a time, We should not be in a hurry. Through perseverance, we’ll make it through. Everything’s going to be fine. The music touched Coco’s heart to the point that she began to cry tears of joy. “Why are you crying?” Fang asked, lifting her chin with his hoof. “I am just… so happy to be with you. And this music is so beautiful, so that is a contributor to my sobbing.” Coco sniffed, keeping any snot that may roll out of her nostrils. “Then stop crying.” The changeling smirked at the pony. “Or I may have to do something that will sap all of your sadness.” “And what might that be?” Coco brought her head up to Fang’s. The front of her skull and roof of her muzzle gently rested against his. She could smell his breath, which was not the most pleasant. But she was sure Fang could smell hers. “Let’s umm… listen to the music. I don’t want to answer any questions right now.” Coco and Fang wore the same shy smile as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. The mare could care less about the simple joke. It was the moment that mattered. After the cello and piano finished their solo’s, the two singers sang along with each other: Because this moment feels so strong, Because this moment is because of love. With every step you take with me, A ride we’ll do together, So please will you come along? Because this isn’t just because of me, Because this isn’t a one sided coin, I may be modest, but it is so true All we did was conjoin And we live happily. A long journey has now come, It’s now the event we’ve both need. But there is no need to rush, Why should we hurry, why should we have to run? ‘Please one step at a time, We should not be in a hurry. Through perseverance, we’ll make it through. Everything will be fine. “Fang?” Coco spoke lowly, her forehead still up against the stallion. “Yes?” he asked, almost wanting to call her the questionmare. But he withheld the joke, not willing to ruin the moment between them. “You- you are-” She swallowed her stutter, committing to what she needed to say. “Fang, you are the most amazing stallion!” The air around the changeling was suddenly gone; the mare has stolen his breath. “A-and-! I just want to thank you. For everything.” Coco’s heart rattled her rib-cage, her body trembling. Fang took her shiver as her being cold and warmed his body up. “Coco, you already have.” His smile heated her heart as he rocked her back and forth. “No, I have not…” The piano’s keys sang sweet, high notes as the pony parted her forehead from Fang’s. Her face was flushed, hot with blush. She touched the changeling’s chin, then stroking the back of his neck. Fang stiffened his movement. The stallion never knew what it was like to be frozen until this point. It was a strange feeling; however, there was a lack of coldness to his still body. It was warm. Very warm. Perhaps being frozen by a mare was like a flame that soothed the body to the point of ecstasy. He was new to this feeling. And he wanted to remain still forever. Knowing what she wanted to do, Fang wrapped around his arm around Coco’s neck, looking down at the mare he loves. He blinked, staring into the the aquamarine pools the mare held. Coco pressed up against his chest, feeling their hearts racing in unison. After taking a tiny breath, Coco parted her lips slightly. She stretched her neck up toward the handsome stallion. Fang watched the lovely mare slowly closing her eyes, ready to “thank” him. The queen’s advice ran through his head, telling him she will no longer see Coco after the evening. Even if that were true, Fang didn’t care. He couldn’t deny his emotions that he felt for Coco. And he couldn’t deny hers. The pony’s love gushed out of her. In his vision, he was surrounded by a pink mist. The only thing that was visible was Coco, the mare he loved. Lowering his neck for the pony, Fang too began to close his eyes. Their hearts were at an incredible tempo, unable to hide what was true. After a few moments, their lips collided. Coco gasped through her nose, amazed that they had kissed. The cello sang so cheerfully as it continued to play, begging the pony to press harder. And she did. She lurched her neck up, pushing deep against his lips as she touched Fang’s hot cheeks. As he kissed Coco, he parted his eyes to see a sweet mare lost in a kiss. A shiny stream of tears leaked through her eyelids. If he could, Fang would smile. But that would interrupt their beautiful moment. The moment they parted their lips, the two looked at each other, almost forgetting what they had just done. A sweet smile quickly lifted Coco’s cheeks as she lunged at Fang. She stood on two hooves as her forelimbs wrapped tightly behind his neck. “I hope that was enough to tell you how thankful I am for you.” Now standing on his hind legs, the changeling danced with Coco, holding his hoof in hers. “It was more than enough,” he replied, kissing her cheek. She giggled at his kind gesture. After what seemed like an eternity, Cadence and Shining Armor resumed their singing: ‘Please one step at a time, We should not be in a hurry. Through perseverance, we’ll make it through. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine. Yes, everything will! Be! Fine! A nice round of applause erupted as the music concluded. With the song concluded, Coco and Fang removed their hold on each other and stood with all hooves on the tile. The pony had to wipe the tears from her cheeks, now flustered her emotions got the best of her. “That was… nice,” Coco muttered, her voice cracking. She looked to the stage, watching Princess Cadence and Shining Armor bowing to the still cheering crowd. “No,” Fang shook his head. Coco looked at him with a raised brow, but then noticed his smile. “It was lovely. Just as lovely as you are.” Another hug from Coco took Fang by surprise as her arms once more wrapped around his neck. In turn, the changeling brushed his cheek against the mare’s face with affection. In the corner of his eye, Fang saw his queen standing beside Princess Celestia. The princess looked at him and Coco with a bright smile. However, Chrysalis stared him down with a disappointing shake of the head. I warned you… she blinked. Shaken by her silent message, Fang had to almost pry himself off of the mare. With a false smile, he asked her, “Why don’t we go on our own and mingle a bit?” “Okay,” she beamed.