Learning To Live Again

by Speedy Quill


Hearts And Hooves Day

I walked into the school, instantly enveloped by the hustle and bustle of the students. Decorations were going up everywhere, the shades of red and pink filling my vision. Hearts and Hooves Day was upon us!

I made my way towards Rarity's classroom, eager to share my holiday plans with her.

Turning the corner, I ran face-first into Rainbow Dash. We both cried out in shock and pain as we collided. Rainbow glared at me.

"Geez Shade! Is your head made of stone? That seriously hurt!"

I rubbed my nose.

"My head? Yours felt like ramming into a brick wall."

We each took a few seconds to recover. I shook my head to clear it.

"Sorry about that. I'm just heading for Rarity's room."

"I guessed as much. I'm sorry too."

"I'm honestly surprised to see you on the ground for once."

She chuckled, putting on a big grin.

"Well...sometimes it's nice to walk."

That was the worst cover-up I'd ever heard. I shrugged.

"Everypony is so used to seeing you fly around these halls. I suppose you might go...unnoticed...if you were walking."

She was beginning to crack.

"Hehe...why would I need to hide? I'm not hiding anything."

"I never said you were! I'll just continue on my way. And if anypony asks, I never saw you."

I stepped around her and noticed a card on the ground. I picked it up and cleared my throat.

"Is this yours?"

Her eyes bulged.

"Horsefeathers!!"

She swiped the card and tucked it under her wing.

"You didn't- Did you- It's not-"

I held up a hoof to silence her.

"I don't know anything. Even if I do, I don't."

She still seemed nervous. I put a hoof on her shoulder and smiled.

"Good luck Rainbow."

Without another word, I turned back in the right direction and continued towards Rarity's room. I glanced over my shoulder to see Rainbow brushing off her wings, checking them over for rogue feathers. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Who knew she cared that much about appearance?"

I reached the door to the classroom and walked in.

The decorations overwhelmed me. Rarity had covered everything with hearts.

"Sweet Celestia! Is there any classroom left?"

Rarity appeared from behind a large heart near the front of the room. She beamed as she saw me.

"Well I might have overdone the decor. I just love this holiday so much!"

I smiled.

"So you've told me. That's why I want to make this one perfect."

"It doesn't have to be perfect Shade. I'm just so happy we finally get to spend it together! We've been together for nearly three years now and this is the first time we're really celebrating our relationship."

I walked over and pulled her into a hug.

"Which is why it should be perfect. Our lives have been far too crazy to this point. I just want to relax and spend the day with you."

She pulled back enough to give me a quick kiss.

"That sounds lovely darling, but I do still have to hold my class."

"You girls really need to get substitutes at this school."

She giggled and broke out of my grip.

"If you want to spend some time together, why don't you stay and help with my class?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Uh-huh. Good one."

"I'm serious! I'm doing a lesson around the holiday. If the hearts didn't give it away."

I looked around the room.

"I see that, but I don't think I'd be good at teaching."

"I think you'd be perfect for this subject! Generosity and love fit perfectly together! And who'd be a better teacher on the aspects of love than a former changeling?"

I glanced at her.

"You really want me to help out?"

She nodded enthusiastically. I sighed.

"Okay."

"Splendid! Class starts in fifteen minutes."

"That's not much time to prepare. Do you have a lesson plan, or something written down?"

"Oh, I don't bother with those. I go with my gut with what I feel I need to teach."

"So...I'm going into this blind?"

Her grin went from enthusiastic to sheepish.

"I suppose you are. Sorry."

I chuckled.

"You're the only one that could get me to improvise something like this. You know it's going to be trainwreck, right?"

She pulled me into a brief hug.

"Don't doubt your ability dear. You'll do just fine."

We broke apart as the classroom door opened, revealing the first of the students. It was Gallus and Smolder. Gallus looked between the two of us.

"Uh...did we interrupt something?"

Rarity brushed her mane back and laughed.

"Of course not Gallus! Don't be so silly!"

Smolder rolled her eyes at Gallus.

"It's none of our business what she does with her boyfriend."

Rarity blushed. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess we haven't exactly been discreet, huh?"

Smolder tapped her nose.

"Your scent is in this room pretty often. So yeah, not discreet at all."

Now it was my turn to turn red. Smolder chuckled.

"Don't worry. Everyone smells to a dragon. We have a pretty insane sense of smell."

They took their seats as more students appeared. Rarity recomposed herself and walked to the front of the room. I followed her and sat down a few steps behind her.

When everyone was settled, Rarity began.

"Welcome everyone! I hope you're all excited for a special lesson today!"

Yona raised her hoof.

"Miss Rarity? Why ponies put pink everywhere?"

Rarity turned to the young yak.

"It's decoration for one of our holidays Yona. Hearts and Hooves Day. A day when we celebrate the love we feel for our friends and loved ones."

Silverstream raised her claw.

"Is that why your boyfriend is here?"

The students began giggling. I glanced at Rarity, expecting her to be blushing. Surprisingly, she was keeping her composure.

"That's part of the reason, yes. I thought it might be nice for all of you to hear about love from a different perspective other than my own. So, will you all welcome our guest?"

Hooves and claws clapped as I stood up. Rarity took a step back, allowing me to take center stage. I cleared my throat and smiled.

"Hello everyone. My name is Shade. And as you all seem to know already, I'm dating Miss Rarity."

Yona raised a hoof. I looked at her and nodded.

"Yes Yona?"

"Why Shade not look like other ponies?"

Sandbar leaned over to her and whispered.

"That's not really polite Yona."

Gallus raised a claw.

"Actually, I think a lot of us are wondering the same thing."

More students began nodding. I heard Rarity stand up and come forward.

"Now you should all know better than to judge others by how they look."

I smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"They're not judging Rare. They're curious. They probably want to know how I was able to trick such an attractive mare into dating me."

Smolder nodded.

"I know I was."

Rarity gave a warning look to Smolder and then turned back to me.

"Are you comfortable with sharing?"

"Of course. I have nothing to hide. Not anymore."

She nodded and stepped back.

"To answer the first question, I don't look like other ponies because I wasn't always a pony. I used to be a changeling."

The students gasped. Silverstream turned to Ocellus.

"Did you hear that?"

Ocellus smiled.

"I already knew that."

"And you never thought to tell us?!"

I cleared my throat, bringing the attention back to me.

"I'm sure there's plenty of question about that, but why don't I tell you a bit about me first before we go into a Q&A."

I sat down and took a deep breath.

"I used to be the top lieutenant under Chrysalis. But after the changelings got ejected from Canterlot, I wound up lost in the Everfree Forest. I was stuck in there for a long time. I nearly died. But I was saved by Twilight and her friends. Your teachers all showed me that there was a lot more to life. I guess you could say I was one of their first students. Unofficially of course."

Smolder raised a claw and I nodded to her.

"Smolder?"

"So, you never went back home?"

I shook my head.

"Not until recently."

"Even when the changelings threw Chrysalis out?"

"I was pretty settled into my life by that point. I was happy of course, but it wasn't my concern anymore. I've spent the last few years growing as an individual. And learning what it means to give love rather than take it."

Gallus interrupted.

"So, shouldn't you look like Ocellus then?"

I shook my head.

"I'm afraid I missed that train. It's a bit complicated to explain."

"How Shade a pony now?"

I turned to Yona.

"Have you all read about Discord?"

There were some worried looks in the room. Some students looked around as if he were about to appear. I prayed that he wouldn't.

"I'll take that as a yes. He made me what I am now. And I've come to terms with it. Besides, it's not too horrible to be a pony."

Rarity shoved me from behind.

"Keep going and see if this horrible pony will ever kiss you again."

The students all snickered. I chuckled.

"Okay. I deserved that. Yes Silverstream?"

Silverstream lowered her claw.

"How did you two meet?"

"When I first came to Ponyville. We talked every so often. And she had me help her with her work. Along the way I suppose we realized that we liked each other."

Rarity sighed.

"A little lacking in detail, but a decent summary."

Silverstream looked at Rarity.

"Tell us more!"

Rarity smiled.

"I don't know. I think Shade summed it up well."

Disappointed eyes filled the group. Rarity sighed.

"Very well."

She moved over next to me and sat down.

"You all know I make my living as a clothing designer, but a lot of that clothing is usually for mares. Shade has a similar shape to most stallions, which gave me the opportunity to use him as a model. How many outfits would you say you tried on that first week."

I chuckled.

"At least twenty."

Gallus groaned.

"Ugh. I couldn't do that."

I glanced at him.

"You will when you find a girl you fancy. From the first moment I saw her, I wanted to get to know her better. It wasn't until later that I realized that what I felt was a crush."

Silverstream squealed.

"That's so cute!"

I smiled.

"I was so used to taking love that it never occurred to me that love might be freely given to me. And to discover I was capable of giving love myself? That opened my eyes to just how much I'd been missing out on my whole life. Love is an important part of life. So why not have a day to celebrate the love in your life?"

I grabbed Rarity's hoof and smiled at her. She returned the smile as the class gave a collective 'Awww'.

-----------------------

We entered the boutique, both letting out a sigh. I turned to Rarity.

"I hope you're not too tired for dinner. I plan on making you a three-course meal."

"When did you learn to cook?"

"I've been practicing! That's what I was coming to tell you at the school today before you roped me into your lesson."

"You were wonderful by the way."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

She came in close.

"You deserve a reward for being such a good teacher."

I smiled as our lips connected. We stood there kissing for several seconds.

"Umm...Rarity?"

We froze, slowly turning to the front door. Rarity quickly jumped away from me.

"Sweetie Belle! What are you doing here?"

She sighed.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot? Oh! Of course not!"

She turned back to me and whispered.

"I completely forgot about this."

Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"I told Mom and Dad you probably forgot. But they didn't believe me."

Rarity turned back to Sweetie.

"I'm so sorry darling! I made that promise months ago. I wasn't sure if Shade would be in town."

She looked at me again.

"My parents asked me to watch her so they could spend some time together for the holiday. But I wasn't sure what your schedule would be like."

Sweetie looked bummed. I smiled and stepped around Rarity.

"You know, I'm about to cook up dinner. Do you want to help me out? I'm still not used to the setup of this kitchen."

Sweetie beamed.

"Really?"

I looked back at Rarity.

"I know we were hoping for an evening alone, but where is she going to go?"

Rarity pouted for a moment before nodding.

"Alright."

Sweetie jumped up and down.

"Yay! I promise I'll be good. You won't even know I'm here!"

I chuckled.

"I don't know if I believe that last part."

She bounced into the kitchen with me following behind. I glanced back at Rarity. She mouthed 'thank you' as I disappeared from view.

------------------------

The three of us sat at the table, enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Sweetie smiled as she swallowed her latest bite.

"Mmm! This is so good!"

"Well I couldn't have done it without you."

Rarity sat back and sighed.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"Butter Whisk, the head chef at the castle. I spent my lunches practicing with him."

Sweetie Belle sat up, her eyes lighting up.

"The castle?! In Canterlot?!"

I looked at Rarity.

"You never mentioned where I work?"

"It never came up."

Sweetie huffed at her sister.

"She never talks about you. Not in front of Mom and Dad anyway."

I turned toward Rarity.

"Do your parents...know about me?"

She shrunk back a little.

"Well...they know I'm dating somepony. They just don't know who."

I sat back.

"I don't understand."

Rarity sighed.

"It's...difficult telling my parents things about my life. They're so different compared to me. They're not into fashion or the finer things in life. Not to mention they're oblivious to anything involving Canterlot unless it's the royalty."

Sweetie chimed in.

"She thinks they're not as cultured as her. So why bother telling them about her oh so very cultured life?"

"Sweetie!"

I shook my head.

"That still doesn't explain it."

Rarity blushed.

"Well...the truth is...they don't know you're living with me."

I arched my brow.

"Is that...a big deal?"

She nodded toward Sweetie Belle. I glanced over to see a look of shock on her sister's face.

"You're living together? I thought only married ponies did that!"

I was starting to understand.

"Ah. So, it's not exactly the norm?"

Rarity nodded.

"You see my dilemma?"

"Sort of. I'm still catching up on social norms."

Rarity seemed unconvinced.

"After all this time?"

"Well there's an awful lot I'm apparently supposed to know without being told. How am I supposed to learn it if it's not told to me or written down somewhere?"

We were both startled as Sweetie Belle jumped up suddenly. Her eyes were big as she stared past us.

"You'd better figure out what to say. Mom and Dad are coming!"

We spun around, spying the two ponies making their way towards the boutique.

Rarity began panicking.

"What are they doing here?! I would have thought they'd spend the whole evening together! What are we going to do? What am I going to say?! What if-"

I put a hoof over her mouth.

"Take a deep breath Rare."

She inhaled and exhaled. I removed my hoof and nodded.

"Better. Why don't you just introduce me, and we'll go from there. The subject of living arrangements doesn't even have to come up."

I looked at Sweetie Belle.

"Right?"

The young filly shook her head.

"Nope. Not at all."

"Okay. Then it's settled."

There was a knock at the door. Rarity gasped.

"I'm not ready!"

I chuckled.

"Will you ever be?"

She looked at me and sighed.

"I suppose I can't avoid it forever. Wait here for a minute before coming out."

She left the kitchen, leaving me and Sweetie. Sweetie looked up at me.

"Are you nervous?"

I summoned some of my anxiety medication, swallowing it fast.

"Terrified. But don't tell your sister that."

I sat there, waiting to emerge, unsure of how Rarity's parents would react to me.

"All I wanted to do was have a relaxing day."

Sweetie giggled.

"You're dating my sister. There's no such thing."

I groaned as she walked out of the kitchen, still giggling. What a Hearts and Hooves Day this turned out to be. I could hear their father as Sweetie entered.

“There’s my girl! And my other girl!”

I peeked out from the kitchen and saw their parents. Sweetie was embracing her father. He seemed to have pulled Rarity into the hug as well, though against her will. She was smiling awkwardly.

“You didn’t have to come pick Sweetie up. I could have brought her.”

Her mother smiled.

“Oh we know! But your father and I were going to go for ice cream! We thought we’d invite you along.”

Sweetie broke away from her father and smiled.

“Yay! Did you hear that Shade?”

My ears flattened and my legs froze. Rarity hid her face in her hoof. And the parents noticed the stallion peeking out of the kitchen. Their mother tapped Rarity on the shoulder.

“Rarity? Is this the fella you've been hiding?”

Her father’s eyes narrowed as they locked on me. I looked to Rarity, wondering what the next move was. She spoke after a few seconds.

“Well...Yes! It is! This is my boyfriend Shade. Shade, these are my parents.”

I tried to step into the room, but was blocked as her parents ambushed me!

“Great to meet ya!”

“I’m Cookie Crumbles. This is my husband Hondo Flanks.”

“You can call me Magnum!”

“Nopony calls him that except me.”

I shook both their hooves and smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve heard great things.”

Cookie Crumbles backed up.

“And yet we’ve heard nothing about you! Rarity, honey, why didn’t you tell us!”

Her hoof was hiding her face again.

“Must have slipped my mind.”

Magnum looked me over.

“You gotta good build to ya."

Cookie lifted one of my hooves.

“He’s got muscle! I see why you like him Rarity.”

“Mother, please..”

Magnum patted my back.

“You comin’ for ice cream Shade? It’s on us!”

“I’d love to.”

With that I was escorted out the door. I looked back at Rarity. She watched in embarrassment as her parents dragged me away.

——————————

I had never been to the ice cream shop before. This was exciting! We all sat at s table together, waiting for our order. Cookie was telling us a story about Rarity as a filly.

“And that’s when she found out it wasn’t candy!”

We all laughed. Except for Rarity. She moaned and hid herself under her hooves. I put my hoof around her.

“Come on Rare. Don’t be embarrassed. This is fun!”

She mumbled through her legs.

“Easy for you to say.”

A pony appeared with a tray of ice cream. She dished each bowl out to us. I’d gotten a hot fudge sundae on Cookie’s recommendation. I picked up my spoon and scooped up the first bite, making sure to get a good amount of fudge. I fed it into my mouth and let it sit for a moment. It was hot and cold! Sweet Celestia it was good!
Magnum watched Rarity play with her bowl.

“Oh come on honey. We don’t mean any harm. We’re just excited you got yerself a fella!”

Cookie nodded.

“We are! And he’s such a gentleman too.”

Rarity smiled.

“He is, isn’t he? It’s the first thing that attracted me to him.”

My brow arched.

“Really?”

Her mother stared at us and smiled.

“You two are so cute together! Aren’t they Magnum?”

“They sure are.”

Sweetie looked up from her bowl.

“Am I the only one that’s finished their ice cream?”