//------------------------------//
// Part 14 - Decisive 
// Story: Lone Wolf: A Halfling Side Story 
// by Dee Pad 
//------------------------------//

This was not how things were supposed to go.  Guise had so carefully planned out everything, but now those weeks of preparation were for nothing.  He was starting to understand how Chrysalis felt.  And now, here he was, being lead away in defeat, akin to how it felt to be dragged down to the hive's dungeon after his first failure to accomplish his goals.

It was uncomfortably quiet, understandably so.  It was as if the citizens of Canterlot were watching somepony walk the green mile, even though no eyes were actually on him.  Guise followed along behind Sweetmint, neither of them saying a word.  He couldn't see her face, but he knew her well enough by now to know the way she carried herself when she was mad.  He was about to get chewed out hard.  He wouldn't have been surprised if she was planning on leading him down a back alley to beat the crap out of him, not that he would blame her; were he in her position, he'd probably do much the same.

But that was one of the puzzling things about this.  Sweetmint was mad, sure, but typically when she was mad, she was always vocal about it.  Loud outbursts and physical aggression toward the nearest breakable object were the norm during her fits of rage.  But this wasn't a normal fit of rage.  She was silently seething, and that was concerning.  The entire time the others were trying to get him out of jail, all Sweetmint did was stare.  Not necessarily scowling, but more like she'd been thinking deeply about something, something she was unsure about.  It must have been the reason she wanted to talk to him in private.

Conversely, everypony else had seemed genuinely worried about him.  Of course, Tapioca and Frosted Chips were no surprise really, but considering how Chamella had reacted when last they spoke, he wasn't actually expecting her to help, let alone apologize.  Even Twilight Sparkle showed him some sympathy, though that may have been for Chamella's sake.  Guise would ask them about it, but he wasn't going to be sticking around much longer anyway.  Whatever their individual cases may have been, however, Guise still wasn't expecting so many people to be willing to go to bat for him.

What was also surprising was how it was Tapioca that ultimately saved him.  As dimwitted as she was, she managed to come up with something that ended up actually working, despite the fact that she had implicated herself in the process.  It reminded him of a certain other person who had helped him in the past.  And with that in mind, he figured he might stick around in Canterlot just long enough to thank her properly; he didn't want another debt to go unpaid.

When Guise finally took his eyes off of the back of Sweetmint's head, he noticed where they were going.  The Ivory Horseshoe was just ahead.  Seems he'd get to step inside his Canterlot home one last time before he had to hit the road.  Remaining just as quiet as she'd been the whole time, Sweetmint lead Guise up the stairs and into their apartment—or rather, just her apartment once more.  He felt a little bad; after the effort he went through to make living there easier for her, she was going to have to fend for herself again now.  But she had her own business now.  With her actually in control of her life for once, Guise had a feeling she'd be just fine without him.

Nothing looked different.  Persimmon was curled up and napping in his bed on the far side of the living room, a couple of beer bottles and mugs were sitting on the coffee table, an issue of Kohl the Sentinel had been left open on the couch.  One would think that everything was normal.  But the air inside the apartment was thick with tension, exacerbated by Sweetmint roughly pulling the curtains shut as though she wanted Guise to feel trapped and cornered.  Despite that, she didn't stand anywhere that would block his access to the door, instead walking over to the couch, but not sitting down.

Finally, Sweetmint turned around to face Guise, her expression just as incensed as he'd imagined.  Yet, still, she said nothing.  He waited a few moments, expecting that she was searching for the proper words, perhaps trying to determine which obscenities would best express how she currently felt.  But after a rather long and unnerving silence, Guise decided to take a chance and speak.

"So, you wanted to talk to me, huh?" he said, his voice low and quiet.  "Where exactly do we start?"

"No."

Guise quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not talking to this guy," she said, sweeping her hoof up and down, indicating Guise's current form.  "And I'm not talking to Crimson Neon.  I want to talk to Guise."

Guise exhaled a breath through his nostrils, rolling his eyes slightly.  Obliging the request, the form of Tapioca's "kidnapper" was swept away by green flames, and he finally revealed his true face to Sweetmint.  "That better?"

She eyed up the changeling standing before her, not so much out of scrutiny, but almost curiosity, as though she were trying to figure something out.

"What?" inquired Guise.

"Something about you looks... familiar," she claimed, squinting her eyes.

Guise rubbed the back of his neck.  "Yeah, I might have shown you this that night we got really drunk.  I guess you were too wasted to remember."

She took another moment to look him over, perhaps trying to piece the alcohol-damaged memory together.  All things considered, Guise expected her to have a bigger reaction.

"So...  This is the real you, huh?"

Guise was on guard.  He didn't like how calm she was being.  "Yeah.  This is me."

Sweetmint knit her brow a little more as she stared him in his blood red eyes.  "I got your whole story from Chamella and Princess Twilight.  You weren't kidding when you called yourself a piece of shit."

Guise looked away, his ears drooping a little.

"Chamella says you claimed you weren't going to do anymore bad shit.  What happened to that?"

"Look, the whole thing with Tapioca—"

"Was an unfortunate coincidence, yeah, she kept saying that."  She stepped forward aggressively, prodding Guise roughly in the chest.  "But I'm not talking about her.  That was an accident, sure, but everything you did with me was deliberate, right?"

Guise let out a breath through his nostrils, a defeated look on his face.  "Yeah, you're right.  I came here with no intention of caring about anypony but myself.  Everything I did for your benefit, was also for my own.  I had to do what I could to make sure you fell in love with me."

"So you could feed on my love."

Guise shrugged in silent affirmation.

"Well, were you satisfied by what you got?"

Guise looked into her judgmental eyes.  He could tell she wasn't just mad.  She was too tough to ever cry, but she was clearly hurt by his actions.  Whether or not anypony would believe him, he never intended to hurt anypony, physically or emotionally.  Had everything gone to plan, Sweetmint, nor anypony else, would have found out he was a changeling, and everypony would have been better off.

"It... wasn't supposed to go this way..." he answered her solemnly.

"Obviously.  But you got what you wanted anyway, right?  You pulled me in, got me to drop my guard, and I said I love you.  Was that not enough for you?"

"Not to get too deep into the specifics of how changelings operate, but we kinda need a consistent supply of love.  The more we get, the stronger we grow."

"So I was just going to be a battery for you, then?"

Guise ran a hoof over his spiky, red mane with a sigh.  "Pretty much."

Sweetmint inhaled deeply.  Guise could tell she was showing a great deal of restraint right now, but the question was: why?  She had every right to deck him for what he did to her, yet she was still trying to just talk this over.

"I just cannot believe I let this happen again," she complained, though Guise couldn't tell if she was saying it to him, or herself.  "But I guess my dating history is what made me such a perfect target for you, huh?"

"Actually, I didn't know about that stuff until I met your sister."

"And what's the deal with that?!" Sweetmint bellowed.  "She claims she was essentially blackmailing you, but is that really all there was to that?  Why not just tell me?!  It would have saved me all this fucking trouble!"

Now that it had been brought up, Guise realized now that Daily had been trustworthy.  She kept her promise like she said she would, though a lot of good it ended up doing in the end.  Still, Daily had been one of the people who had vouched for him, even though her own sister was livid about it.

"Well, whatever.  Nothing for it now.  But to go back to my previous question: are you satisfied?  Was my love good enough to call this a success?"

Guise let out a quiet sigh through his nostrils as he took a moment to think about his response.  "The idea was to live an easy life here, away from the crap I had to deal with in the Changeling Kingdom.  Love was really just a motivator—only one of the things I wanted in order to live the life I wanted to live.  I've never had a house, I was lucky if I could get one meal everyday...  It was a real shit show out there.  Just a few months ago, had I been in a position like this, I'd've probably tried to use the power I got from your love to boot the princesses out of their castle."

"And what about now?"

He shrugged.  "It's been more about the sensation it gives you.  As schmaltzy as it sounds, love actually does invigorate us, but not for the reasons you ponies associate with it.  I just wanted it because I enjoy it, and it might take my mind off of whatever comparatively minute stresses I have to put up with."

"Huh.  Sounds like me with a bottle of beer after a long day at work."

"You're not wrong.  But..."

Sweetmint quirked an eyebrow at how Guise's expression fell suddenly.  "But what?"

"The weird thing was... it wasn't satisfying."

"Why not?"

"That's just it, I don't know.  I tried feeding on your love a couple of times, and I felt my magic get a little more powerful, but it just didn't do anything for me for some reason."

"So that's part of the reason why you're so willing to bail on Canterlot, then?  I'm not good enough for you?" Sweetmint presumed, no doubt a little insulted.

"No, that has nothing to do with it.  I didn't want to abandon all the planning and effort I put in, so I was willing to stick around and try to figure out what the issue was.  I'm leaving because I don't want anypony knowing I'm a changeling.  I've explained this to your sister, I've explained it to Tapioca.  Given my history, the last thing I want is people like Shade and Chamella looking over my shoulder while I'm just trying to live my life.  Is that really so much to ask?"

"And that's a big deal for you?"

"Yes," Guise insisted with an adamant step forward.  "Because I know what I am, and I know how people are going to look at me.  I don't need people looking at me and wondering whether or not I can be trusted because I know I can't be trusted, so why put up with that shit?"

"Even if some people actually do trust you regardless?" Sweetmint reminded him.

Guise simply shrugged.  "If anything, that's just a testament to how untrustworthy I am, if I can even maintain their trust after being found out.  But, whatever.  They can wonder about me all they want, I won't lose sleep over it.  I always knew this was a possibility, so I made sure not to get attached."

"Then why are you still here?"

Guise blinked at the question.  Sweetmint's expression was hard to read.  The question sounded like a dismissive challenge, but there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes.  "What?"

"I may have tried to strongarm you into having this conversation, but there was nothing actually stopping you from just leaving.  What could I have done?  But you agreed to come here and talk about this for some reason.  So something's not adding up here."

Guise went silent for a short time.  Now that she had brought it up, she had a point.  Why had he agreed to come here?  What reason did he have to explain himself to her?  He may have owed at least something to people like Twilight, Daily, Chamella, and even Tapioca.  But all things considered, he didn't really own Sweetmint anything.  In fact, it was the other way around.  He'd gone out of his way to make her life better.  If anything, he should be the one who was upset at her for being so ungrateful.

But that's not how things were playing out.  The only thing Guise was upset about was being found out and the subsequent headaches that followed it.  But even now that that had been pointed out to him, he still wasn't making to leave.

At that time, Persimmon rose from his bed with a sleepy stretch.  He sauntered casually across the living room, brushing up against Sweetmint's leg briefly before doing the same to Guise, clearly unaware of the context of the situation.

Guise watched the cat's show of affection quietly, the feline showing no sign of hesitance in the presence of the changeling's true face.  Without even thinking, Guise gently stroked Persimmon's back, eliciting a contented purr from the tabby.  He surprised even himself with that action, but it did make something clear to him.  He wasn't being entirely truthful—to Sweetmint or himself.

With another quiet sigh, Guise ran a hoof through his mane.  "I guess just because I don't care, doesn't mean I haven't, you know... enjoyed my time here.  I originally chose you as my target because I thought the rest of the people in this city were pompous douchebags.  You seemed like the only person who was at least tolerable."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Sweetmint deadpanned.

"You were worried that I'd leave when I found out about your anger issues, but, if anything, that only reinforced my choice.  We actually had something in common, and that's not exactly something I was expecting from you ponies.  I guess if I regret anything, it's that I might not find somepony who's as...  I don't know, what's the word I'm looking for?  Fun?  Yeah, sure.  Somepony who's as fun to hang out with as you."

Sweetmint didn't respond, but she didn't exactly look upset either.

Guise managed a small grin.  "Never thought I'd meet a non-changeling who could match my biting wit, but trading barbs with you was always an enjoyable way to spend an otherwise quiet day."  His smile vanished, and he stared at Sweetmint with some regret.  "But I guess that's over now, huh?"

Again, she said nothing.

"Not that you care, I suppose, given how shitty a boyfriend I've been.  So you're probably just waiting for me to say my piece and get the fuck out of your hair and your life, so I guess I'd better just fuck off, right?"

Once more, Sweetmint said nothing, although she did break eye contact briefly.

Despite what he said, Guise found himself hesitating.  Something about this didn't feel right.  He couldn't bring himself to leave just yet.  Sweetmint's attitude this whole time was puzzling.  As upset as she was, her rage had yet to truly resurface.  Even though she was being quiet right now, something was telling him that there was something she wanted to say—something maybe even she wasn't certain about.

Whatever the case, there was one more thing Guise wanted to do before he left.

"Hey, you mind if I try something?" he asked.

Sweetmint raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  "Like what?"

Guise cautiously stepped over to her.  He started leaning in closer, but she immediately took a step back, glaring harshly at him.

"The hell are you doing?"

"Look, it's...  I just want to use a spell that lets me see your memories, that's all."

She once again threw up an eyebrow.  "'That's all'?  And how do I know you're not just gonna brainwash me or something?  You guys do that, right?"

"We can only brainwash somepony when they're in love with us, so, you know...  You've got nothing to worry about anymore," he explained, though his voice wasn't without a hint of defeat.

Sweetmint eyed him skeptically, still hesitating.  But that hesitation alone gave Guise an idea of what he might find if she agreed to let him use the spell.

She let out a reluctant huff through her nostrils and glared at him warningly.  "Make it quick.  And don't go digging too deep.  Get me?"

Guise simply nodded, leaning in close as the two had done many times before during their farce of a relationship.  "This is gonna feel a little weird, just a head's up."

Receiving no further objections, Guise set his horn alight with a neon green aura, his eyes soon doing the same.  He gazed into Sweetmint's pale pink eyes, which began to shift to the same green once he'd established the connection, her face contorting slightly in discomfort as every other creature he'd done this with had.

And with that, he was in.  Just like with Tapioca or Bran, images started to coalesce in Guise's mind.  Everything that flashed before his mind's eye were familiar sights to him, almost as though they were his own memories; the only difference was that he was now seeing those memories from Sweetmint's point of view.

The first thing he saw was an image of himself across a table, sipping coffee.  It was their first time meeting at the café across from Rocky's.  After that, the things he saw were like flipping through an old photo album.  Their conversation after he witnessed her first outburst of rage; how happy she was when he brought Persimmon back home; the two of them giving Rocky a verbal beatdown; even some blurry images of the night they both got drunk.  It was a mental recap of their relationship.

The thing was, Guise still wasn't as adept with this spell as Glory had been, so he couldn't freely peruse their memories as well as she could.  That meant that he usually could only see the most prominent things on their mind.  While everything he was seeing were still just quick images in his mind, all of these memories were crystal clear.  Even with how mad Sweetmint was with him right now, she was still thinking about the time they had spent together, recalling their shared memories.  It must have been the final remnants of any love she had left for him.

But something was different this time.  It wasn't just images that appeared in his mind.  For the first time since he'd been practicing this spell, he heard voices.

"But he's done a bunch of good things! Not just for you, but other people too! He said he was the one who made your living situation more comfortable.  And Crimsy's the reason me and Chippy are together."

"I don't think anypony's ever made you as happy as Crimson has. Even if it was for his own benefit, it's hard for me to really be mad at him after everything he's done for my little sister."

"Maybe I was a little hard on him... He said he wasn't doing anything bad, but I wouldn't believe him. I shouldn't have made assumptions. I should probably apologize..."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be where I am right now without him.  All of this... is because of him. You've got to admit that that would be a lot of effort for a guy to go through if he didn't love me back."

Guise heard the voices of Sweetmint and the other people he'd come to know, and the things they'd said about him.  These comments had stuck in Sweetmint's mind so thoroughly that even with his limited prowess with the spell, Guise could still hear them.  And now they stuck with him, echoing in his mind as though the voices were a part of his own conscience.

He'd been so insistent that he was the bad guy—an irredeemable, self-serving narcissist.  Yet even still, these people still defended him.  Guise had done everything he could to convince them that he was an asshole, and everything he did was for his own benefit.  But had that really been for the purposes of convincing them?  They were giving him a chance to continue being manipulative, yet he was choosing not to take it.  Lately, all he'd been doing is tearing himself down, and as detached as he claimed to be, he knew he didn't want to leave.

As the images of Sweetmint's memories continued to flash in his mind, he was starting to understand.  The good things that he'd done had lead him to start believing that he'd gone soft, leaving him a shell of his former self.  His defeatist attitude was an attempt to convince himself that he hadn't changed, that he was still the lone wolf he'd always been.  But was that necessarily because he wanted to go back to the way he was, or did he simply feel... guilty?  Like Sweetmint said, if he didn't care, he could have just left.  But here he was, willingly looking through the memories that he'd helped make here.  Because he had enjoyed it here.  He'd built a life for himself, with good food, a nice home, and a person he could actually relate to more than anypony he'd ever met.  Sure, there were headaches and annoyances and hurdles that he had had to overcome, but even in spite of those things, he admitted that he liked the life he'd made here.  Living here hadn't made him soft...

It made him better.

With some reluctance, Guise released Sweetmint from the spell.  She shook her head to relieve the odd feeling in her brain, before looking back at Guise.

"So, get what you wanted?"

Her voice was a mixture of judgment and wistfulness.  Guise felt much the same way.  And as much as he didn't want to leave, he knew he wasn't welcome here anymore.  It didn't matter what Tapioca and Frosted Chips thought.  It didn't matter what Daily thought.  It didn't matter what Twilight and Chamella thought.  All that mattered was what Sweetmint thought.  And he'd betrayed her.  He'd said it himself: he didn't deserve their forgiveness; he didn't deserve their sympathy; he didn't deserve any of the things that made him happy.

"Yeah..." he uttered with a forlorn sigh.  "Just... wanted to remind myself of the stuff I'm leaving behind.  I probably won't have any trouble finding a new place to live, or a place in this society to squeeze myself into.  But I doubt I'll ever meet another person like you."

Sweetmint said nothing.  She just continued to stare at him, her expression unreadable.

Guise started toward the door.  "Well, guess I'll get out of your hair.  It's been fun, Mint, and I mean that.  Good luck with the shop and all that."

He was prepared to finally leave and abandon everything he'd come to enjoy.  He found it strange when a wistful feeling came over him, some remorse welling inside him as he thought about the fact that this was the last time he'd see her.  But he'd brought this upon himself by lying to her.  As much as he hated to admit it, this was inevitable.  No matter how well he blended in, no matter how deceptive he was, he was bound to slip at some point.  He'd told Shade as much a long time ago, and now he had to suffer the sour taste of his own words.  It made him wonder if this had all really been worth it.

"Hey."

Just as Guise placed his hoof upon the door handle, Sweetmint's voice caused him to pause.  He turned back to her, her expression a little softer than he'd expected.  She turned away briefly, looking conflicted about something, before staring him straight in the eye.

"What is it you really want?"

Guise didn't answer right away, mostly because he wasn't expecting a question like that.  But Guise had already answered it before anyway.  "Like I said: food, shelter, love.  That's all I need."

"I didn't ask you what you 'need.'  I asked what you wanted."

"What I want..."

"Yeah.  Because from the sound of it, you don't have the same drive I remember seeing in you anymore.  Sounds like you're just planning on eking by and not much else."

"Does it matter?" Guise replied quietly.  "You don't have to care anymore."

"It matters because I don't want to think about the idea that the guy who got me off my ass when I was in a slump is just sitting around and settling instead of grabbing life by the balls.  Because getting what you want, and getting what you need—"

"—is the difference between living and surviving..."

Guise let her words sink in.  Those had been words that had stuck with him since he'd known her.  Ever since he'd heard them, he had been determined to live his life by those words.  But now, here he was, fully prepared to live a life of mediocrity because he had failed.  It wasn't even like this was his first failure.  Even when he got barred in the dungeon of the changeling hive, all he could think about was everything he was going to do when he got out.  But for some reason, he felt even more defeated right now.

Because everything he wanted was here.  He wanted to live in Canterlot.  He wanted to live a comfortable life in a half-decent apartment.

He wanted Sweetmint.

"Look, the reason I ask is because I've been thinking about what Daily and the others have been saying," Sweetmint continued.  "And regardless of your intentions, you have done a lot for me, so..."

For the first time that day, Sweetmint's face was completely devoid of any anger or confliction.

"Thanks."

Guise stood quietly for a moment, simply staring at her.  "Don't worry about it."

Her seriousness returned once more.  "But you still haven't answered my question.  What is it that you want?  Is it just love?  Because you claimed just now that it was something you needed."

He did say that.  From the beginning, he saw love as a luxury, though it was one of his main sources of motivation in this whole endeavor.  But after everything that had gone through his mind today, did he really think he'd be satisfied with somepony else's love?  So he had to ask himself: at what point does something you want become something you need?

So now, he had his answer.

"I've spent my whole life surviving.  The only time in my life I've ever felt comfortable has been these last few months.  Because I didn't just have everything I needed.  I had everything I wanted too.  I'm sick of surviving.  I want to live.  Here.  With you."

The apartment went silent as the two of them just stared at each other.  Even Persimmon sat and watched them from his perch atop the kitchen counter, his tail swaying patiently.

Sweetmint closed her eyes momentarily, taking a long, deep breath.  When she looked back at Guise, the seriousness was still there, but he could also see a twinkle of compassion—and perhaps even hope—in her pale pink irises as well.  "Then tell me you love me."

"What?"

"If you can say with one hundred percent honesty that you love me, then maybe... we could give this another shot."

And just like that, Guise had been given an ultimatum.  She was giving him an out.  It was the easiest decision of his life.  All he had to do was lie and tell her that he loved her and he could continue to coast through life worry free.  He was set.

But that was the thing.  After all of this, all of the time he'd spent with her, the ups and downs, the quiet moments and the surprises...  He was being honest when he said he enjoyed her company.  He had been genuine every time somepony like Bran or Rocky had slighted her.  He legitimately wanted her to succeed and couldn't stand to see her dejected and unmotivated.

This whole conversation had helped him realize something: he didn't have to lie.

"I do love you," Guise uttered quietly, just as much to himself as to Sweetmint.

It surprised even him that he had actually said it, and with absolute sincerity this time.  Tapioca had repeatedly insisted that he cared about Sweetmint, and he repeatedly denied it, refusing to believe that he had a compassionate or selfless bone in his body.  It had never occurred to him that she was actually right.  Now that he was facing the notion of never seeing her again, it just hit him all at once.  So this is what it felt like to care about somepony—to love somepony back.  And it felt... surprisingly good.

But just because he knew he was being honest didn't mean that Sweetmint would believe him.  He didn't exactly have a great track record for being truthful in her eyes if her behavior today had been any indication.  Now all he could do was wait for her response.

The tension was practically tangible in the apartment as Guise stared into Sweetmint's eyes, her face still painfully unreadable.  It was unnerving.  She was always one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but throughout this past half hour or so, she'd been mostly stoic and stone-faced, not wanting to let her guard down around the guy who'd deceived and manipulated her.  Guise desperately wanted some kind of reaction from her—anything to relieve the tension in the room.

Without any warning, Sweetmint suddenly drew back her hoof and delivered a violent right hook to Guise's cheek.  The changeling staggered back, caught off guard by the unexpected blow, but did not retaliate or get upset.  He simply sighed dejectedly, rubbing his cheek.

"Alright, I guess I deserved th—"

His sentence was cut off when Sweetmint suddenly pulled him in, her lips pressing firmly against his.  If the punch had caught him off guard, then the kiss had him completely flabbergasted.  He could only stand there looking dumbfounded as she pulled away again.

Despite the supposed sign of affection and the fact that her hooves remained around his shoulders, she gave him a dead serious glare.  "Don't you ever lie to me again, or I'll kick your ass."

Guise remained quiet for a moment, still struggling to decide whether or not this was real, but all things considered, he wasn't really in a position to question it.  After everything he said and everything he'd realized within the past fifteen minutes, he wasn't about to take this for granted.  "Yeah, you got it," he told her with uncharacteristic softness.

As she pulled away, Guise couldn't help but notice that Sweetmint still wasn't smiling, despite the fact their relationship had supposedly been mended.

"You okay?" he asked.

She ran a hoof through her mane with an exasperated sigh.  "Today's just been kind of an emotional roller coaster, that's all."

"So you actually trust me?"  Guise realized he may have been rocking the boat, but he was also dealing with some strange and unfamiliar emotions himself right now.

"I've just been thinking about everything my sister and the others have been saying.  I was royally pissed off about this, and you know full well how I get when I'm pissed off.  I might need a little more time to let all this sink in."  She looked Guise over curiously.  "After all, this isn't exactly the face I'm used to.  But, yeah, I trust you.  At least until you fuck up again.  You ain't gettin' another chance if that happens."

Finally, a playful smirk creased her lips, easing Guise's mind.  There was a worry that he'd dug himself too deep, and that even though he was being genuine with his feelings, she still wouldn't trust him.  But that smirk on her face was all the evidence he needed to know that things could get back to normal.  "Believe me, I'm not gonna take another risk like that.  So, you gonna apologize for punching me?"

"Fuck no.  You had it coming, you prick," Sweetmint chided, though her smirk persisted.  "Besides, you promised awhile ago that I could take a swing at you to help relieve some stress.  I was just finally taking you up on that offer."

"Fair enough," Guise grumbled, rubbing his sore cheek.  "So where exactly do we go from here?  I'm not exactly an expert on 'real' relationships."

"Can't say I am either, to be honest.  I've never actually patched things up with a boyfriend before," Sweetmint admitted.  She then cast him an authoritative glare.  "But it's not like I wanted to let you get out of playing your part around here."

Guise cocked a puzzled eyebrow.  "The hell's that mean?"

"You were integral to me starting my own business.  Like hell I'm gonna let you bounce and make me run the whole thing by myself," she explained, her playful smirk returning.  "You fancied yourself a problem solver, right?  I'd say that'd make you a pretty good manager."

"Uh, that may have been one of the things I embellished," Guise admitted.

"Well, tough shit.  You reap what you sow."

Guise rubbed his neck awkwardly.  "In that case, this might be a bad time to mention that I... don't know how to read," he told her though clenched teeth.

Sweetmint blinked.  "You serious?"

"I didn't exactly grow up in an educational environment.  But, for the record, I've been slowly teaching myself.  I can manage some simple reading.  Though probably not enough to do paperwork or anything."

"Huh.  You know, that does explain some things."  Sweetmint glanced over her shoulder to the shelf in the living room.  She shot a devious smirk at Guise, earning a cautious look from the changeling.  "Well, then, I guess I'll just have to teach you myself.  And I think I have the perfect teaching material."  She used her magic to hover over an issue of Kohl the Sentinel.  "You're not getting out of this, bud.  You're gonna read Kohl."

Guise didn't really flinch.  In fact, he blushed a little with embarrassment.  "Truth be told, I have been using your manga to help teach myself.  There's a lot of confusing words in there, but I've actually gotten pretty into the action and the violence and stuff.  It's pretty badass."

Sweetmint just stared at him blankly for a moment.  "I've never been more attracted to you than I am right now."


*****     *****     *****


This had felt like the longest day in history for most people involved with this drama.  That had especially been the case for Sweetmint and Guise.  But now that that had been put to rest, they could finally get things back to normal, though it was certainly going to take some getting used to for both of them.

But they had lives in progress that needed attending to.  Just because they'd both been through the emotional wringer today didn't mean they were about to lay about for the rest of the day.  Sweetmint was a budding entrepreneur who had a business she needed to focus on, and Guise wanted to help her with that.  To that end, after a brief time at their apartment to discuss their lives going forward, they were headed back to Sweetmint's shop, Guise having donned his Crimson Neon persona once more.

They noticed even before they made it to the door that the place was not empty.  Daily, as well as Tapioca, Frosted Chips, and even Twilight and Chamella—the latter having returned to her changeling form—were present.  Guise and Sweetmint were expecting to have to explain the situation eventually, so perhaps it was fortuitous that they were all still here in one place; it would save them some time.

The sound of the entrance bell as they stepped inside garnered the attention of their company.  Sweetmint and Guise were immediately met by relieved smiles by the group, not taking much to infer that things went well when they spotted the two still together.

Well, save for one person...

Tapioca worriedly trotted over to Sweetmint, glancing repeatedly between her and Guise.  "So?  Did you make up?"

Sweetmint arched an eyebrow at her obliviousness.  "That... should be obvious.  He wouldn't be here if we didn't."

Tapioca grinned gleefully at the news, trotting in place excitedly.  "Oooh!  I knew you would!  Told ya he was a sweetie!"  She tackled Guise with an unwelcome hug, but was shoved away a second later, though his disapproval didn't affect her elated smile.  "I'm ultra happy for you guys, 'specially you, Crimsy."

"His name is Guise, remember?" Chamella reminded her.

Guise rolled his eyes.  "Look, Crimson's fine.  Just because you guys know about me doesn't mean I want everypony knowing I'm a changeling.  We're just gonna operate the way we have from the beginning.  Which means you all still need to keep this a secret.  Got it?"

There was a noticeable hint of disappointment on Tapioca's face.  "Oh.  That's too bad.  Not gonna lie, you looked kinda hot as a changeling, but at least you're still hot like this too."

Guise groaned quietly, and Chips cast Guise a jealous grimace.

Sweetmint gave the other mare a reprimanding glare.  "We've been over this, Tapioca."

The flirtatious mare flicked her hoof dismissively.  "Pfft, chillax, Minty, I know.  It was just a compliment."

Sweetmint just shook her head in response before turning to everypony else.  "Anyway, I'm kinda surprised you guys are still here," she said to Twilight and Chamella in particular.

Twilight giggled with a slight blush.  "Admittedly, I was worried about you, but also just a little curious.  I wanted to make sure you were alright, and I'm glad to see everything worked out."

The green mare smiled amicably in return.  "Well, thanks for your concern.  And for everything else too.  This wouldn't have been possible without you."

"Don't mention it.  Happy to help."

"It goes without saying that I still want you two to keep this information away from Shade," Guise reminded them.

"Sure," Chamella agreed with a smile and a nod.

"But I suppose we should probably be going now," Twilight said.  "You two have a lot to deal with right now, I'd imagine."

Sweetmint grinned gratefully.  "Maybe the polite thing to do would be to say you can stay if you want, but, honestly, you're right.  Still, you're welcome to come visit anytime."

"I'll be sure to do that.  I'm looking forward to trying some of your ice cream when you get this place open," said Twilight eagerly as she headed for the door.

Chamella followed behind her, but stopped as she passed Guise.  She gave him a small smile.  "I'm happy for you, Guise.  Really, I am.  I wish you two the best."

Guise didn't respond.  But just before they stepped outside to leave, he called out to them.  "Hey."

Twilight glanced back.

"I'll pay you back the bail money eventually.  But we might need some time."

Twilight smiled nonchalantly.  "Don't stress over it."

With that, Twilight and Chamella took their leave to return to Ponyville.

Daily placed a hoof around her sister's shoulder, pulling her in for an affectionate embrace.  "Nice to see everything working out for my baby sis.  Bet you two lovebirds are pretty relieved, huh?"

Sweetmint rolled her eyes with a groan.  "Look, don't think we're gonna be getting all mushy on each other because of this.  We're not some fairytale romance, or whatever garbage you might be thinking.  If he started acting all sappy and romantic, that'd be more reason for me to dump him than finding out he's a changeling.  That's not exactly why I fell in love with him."

"And if I ever did start acting like that, then you can just go ahead and kill me," Guise added with a grimace.

Tapioca giggled.  "Maybe, but I bet you're all over each other when you're alone together," she teased, earning an amused snicker from Daily.

"Fuck off," grumbled Sweetmint.

"Oooh!  You know what'd be fun?  You should go on a double date with me and Chippy!"

"Fuck.  Off."

"Alright, leave 'em alone, Tapioca," Daily told her, though was still wearing a mirthful smirk herself.

"Seriously, we just want to go about business as usual," Guise insisted.  "You don't have to act like our relationship is any more special now than it was before."

"You say that, but considering what I've seen my sister put up with in the past, it is special," Daily commented with a fond grin.  "Not because you're a changeling, but simply because you're still here.  I knew there was something special about you when I first met you, even if you insisted otherwise."

"Whatever, just don't treat us any different, okay?" Sweetmint requested.

"Sure, sure.  Anyway, you guys got literal business to attend to, so I'm gonna get out of your hair," said Daily.  She gave her sister a quick hug, which, despite her mild annoyance with the conversation, Sweetmint returned heartily.  "I'll try to visit more often."

"I'd appreciate that," Sweetmint said with a smile.

Daily looked at Guise.  "Take care of her, alright?"

Guise smiled back.  "She can take care of herself, but I'll do what I can to help."

"Well, I'll see you when I see you.  Good luck with...  'Frostbite,'" Daily snickered as she stepped outside.

"Bitch," Sweetmint quipped under her breath, though couldn't keep the grin off her face.  She then turned to her new manager and employee.  "Alright, enough of the relationship talk, we got work to do around here.  Crimson, you can tidy up the back room.  Tapioca, you can sweep up out here and wipe down the tables.  Chips..."  She paused as she stared blankly at the silent stallion.  "Right, you don't work here.  Uh...  Just try not to get in the way.  Or help if you want, I don't give a shit.   Just don't distract Tapioca.  Huh.  That's sounds pretty ass backwards when I say it out loud."


*****     *****     *****


"Everything cleaned up?" Sweetmint asked Tapioca as the cream white mare returned from the back room.

Tapioca wiped the sweat from her brow, inadvertently smearing some of her eyeliner in the process.  "Yup.  Freezer's all tidy and the dishes as all washed and dried," she confirmed with an exhausted pant.  "Sheesh, I never realized how much work I actually had to do around here when Rocky owned the place."

"That's because Chips did most of your duties for you," Sweetmint deadpanned.  Despite her employee's complaining, she flashed a smile to Tapioca.  "But you've been keeping up better than I expected, so nice work, Tapioca."

Tapioca smiled back weakly, still a little unaccustomed to receiving praise from Sweetmint.  "Thanks, Minty."  She walked over to the table where her silent boyfriend sat waiting for her to finish cleaning up.

Another day's work was done and everypony was getting ready to head home for the evening.  Guise was busy counting up the day's earnings at the register, but paused, noticing the way Sweetmint glanced around at her shop—something he'd seen her do at the end of almost everyday.

It had been nearly a month since the grand opening of Frostbite.  The place had been decked out mostly how Sweetmint had envisioned it; the intricate sign hung over the entrance outside, a couple of racks of assorted snacks, like potato chips and gummy candy, were set up as niche topping options for customers, and the walls were painted a mixture of white and light blue, but they had plans to eventually turn it into the arctic mural that Sweetmint wanted.

Most of all, though, it was successful.  From pretty much the outset on the day they first opened, business was steady and sustainable, even despite the fact that they were on the cusp of autumn's chillier weather.  Less than a month in and they had already managed to attract "regulars."  Sweetmint had put in a ton of work to make sure they accomplished this, and she was still putting in a ton of work.  Guise was supposed to be Frostbite's manager, but given his limited literacy, she had to do most of the paperwork herself until she could properly teach him to read and write.  All of that meant that she was working her ass off just as much as she did when she worked for Rocky.  The difference, however, was the smile she had on her face the whole time.

Even a month later it still felt so surreal to her.  She'd told Guise as much every now and then, how she expected to wake up one morning and find herself back in her old rut.  It was usually the moment she laid eyes on the sign out front that she realized she wasn't dreaming anymore.  Her pride in her accomplishment, as well as her lingering disbelief, was always the reason she found herself just looking around at what she'd built up.

And Guise always found himself smiling too when he watched her—in part because he knew how his own contributions lead to this, and part because he just liked seeing her happy.  It still bothered him just a little that he'd fallen into the same trap Shade had, often mentally chastising himself for thinking anything remotely sappy, but he just had to not vocalize those thoughts; not because he was ashamed that he loved somepony, but mostly because he knew Sweetmint would give him shit for being a schmaltzy dumbass.

Still, as satisfying as it was to put in a hard day's work on the business they ran together, it was also a relief to turn in for the day after a job well done.  It was nearing closing time, and while there was still time for some last minute visitors, no customers remained currently aside from Frosted Chips, though he could hardly be called a customer; the only ice cream he ever actually bought was for Tapioca, the mare happily digging into a bowl of vanilla ice cream he'd bought for her with crushed up salt and vinegar chips mixed in for added flavor and texture.

Sweetmint eventually pulled herself out of her reverie and turned to Guise behind the till.  "We all good to go?"

"Eager to get home?" he asked, though with a knowing smirk.

"You know damn well I've got a new issue of Kohl waiting for me.  I don't mind closing up a little early for that."

Guise closed up the register, leaving a small sack of the coins on the counter.  "Alright, I got all this tallied anyway."

"Great."  Sweetmint grabbed the bit bag.  "Tapioca, pay day, head's up."

"Hm?"  Tapioca barely had a chance to react when the brown pouch collided with her chest, nearly forcing her to spit up the ice cream in her mouth.  Luckily, she managed to clumsily grab it with her hooves before it fell or spilled its contents.  She swallowed her mouthful and grinned happily.  "Thanks.  Lemme just add my tips..."

Guise and Sweetmint watched as Tapioca placed her own bag of bits on the table—a little bigger than the one they'd given her—and poured the contents into the new sack, stuffing it so full she could barely draw it shut.

"Some things never change," Sweetmint said with a shake of her head.

"Hey, she's bringing in customers," Guise remarked.  "As much of a douche as he was, Rocky had some good ideas.  And now we have her to attract the customers, and your menu to keep 'em coming back."

"I'm not complaining, trust me.  If it works out in my favor, I'm all for it.  You ready to pack it in, then?"

"Yep," Guise answered as he stepped out from behind the counter.

Sweetmint was just about to remove her apron when they once more heard the familiar sound of the entrance bell.  It wasn't uncommon to get last minute customers, but, much to their surprise, these customers were very familiar faces.

"Good evening, darlings~!" sang a white unicorn mare as she pranced inside.

It had been a while since they'd seen Rarity, but less so for her company.  Following behind her was Chamella and Twilight.

Rarity immediately took notice of Sweetmint about to take off her apron and was suddenly overcome with a look of guilt.  "Oh, dear.  Did we do it again?  Goodness, since when did my timing become so impeccably unfortunate."

"No, no, it's okay," Sweetmint assured her as she retied her apron and stepped behind the counter.  "We were actually being a little selfish and about to close up early.  If you guys want something, place an order and have a seat."

"Oh, I'll just have the delectable mint cookie dough," Rarity requested as she took a seat at the table with Tapioca and Chips and quickly started a conversation.

Twilight and Chamella approached the counter, gazing up at the blackboard hanging from the ceiling that displayed the weekly menu.

"Well, there's certainly a lot to choose from," Twilight commented, tapping her chin in contemplation.

"Alright, cut the crap," Guise interrupted as he walked back behind the counter, his tone terse—yet quiet so as not to grab Rarity's attention as Tapioca received her order from Sweetmint—catching the two customers off guard.  "I thought we had an understanding.  I told you guys I didn't want people keeping tabs on me."

Chamella knit her brow at Guise's paranoid assumption.  "For your information, we're in Canterlot on business and decided to drop in here for a friendly visit."

Guise arched an eyebrow with mixed skepticism and guilt.  "Yeah?"

Twilight nodded.  "Princess Cadance is in Canterlot to visit her aunts and was hoping to be fitted for a formal dress she can wear during her pregnancy, so we came here with Rarity to—"

Guise held up his hoof with a groan.  "Yeah, yeah, I get it, I don't care."  He received a firm jab in the shoulder from his girlfriend, responding with a spiteful sneer.

"Don't talk to the princess like that, you jackass," Sweetmint scolded.

"I don't give a shit if she's a princess or not," Guise hissed back.

"You don't have even a modicum of respect for other people, do you?"

"When did I ever give the impression that I did?"

"Maybe when she bailed you out of jail."

"It doesn't count if it's out of obligation."

Twilight looked upon the couple with some concern.  "Everything alright between you two?"

They both turned to the princess, eyebrow's quirked like they found the question absurd.  "Yeah, fine.  Why?" Sweetmint answered nonchalantly.

A relieved smile creased the alicorn's lips.  "Nothing, nevermind.  So, how have things been around here?  Business doing well?"

Sweetmint grinned proudly.  "Booming, thank you.  I mean, we got a ways to go to make back the money we invested in the place, and there's still some stuff I wanna do to improve things, but we're getting their steadily."

"How about you, Guise?" Chamella asked with a cute smile.

"What about me?" he responded with a suspicious glare.

"How's life now that your friends know about you?"

Guise didn't answer right away.  Instead he glanced over Chamella's shoulder to where Rarity was sitting.  The fashionista was too engrossed in her conversation with Tapioca to pay attention to them.  "You didn't say anything to her, did you?"

"No, of course not," Chamella replied, insulted by his insinuation.  "I promised to keep your secret, and I'm going to.  The trust goes both ways here."

Guise rolled his eyes.  "Yeah, yeah."

"Maybe we should change the subject to something more casual," Twilight suggested.  Her eyes then suddenly lit up.  "Oh!  Have you read the new issue of Kohl, Sweetmint?"

The green mare grinned at her choice of topic.  "Not yet.  It's waiting at home for me to show up.  We're gonna have a candlelight dinner with only the finest, gourmet noodles and a vintage bottle of beer I bought at the supermarket," she said with a joking chuckle.

"Sounds romantic.  I see why you were eager to close up early," Twilight giggled.  "All joking aside, it's a great issue.  I don't want to spoil anything, but the dialogue is so witty and charming in this one, even if there isn't much action or plot progression."

"I kinda figured that when the two of them met up at the end of the last issue.  Not that I'm complaining.  I enjoy Kohl and Garek's banter almost as much as their fights."  Sweetmint glanced at her boyfriend, earning a puzzled eyebrow raise from the changeling.  "Hits a little close to home, you know?"

"Are you nerds done yet?" Guise groaned.  "I thought you wanted to finish up."

Twilight smiled apologetically.  "Sorry, I guess we are leaving you and Chamella out of the conversation with this topic."

"Not as much as you think," Sweetmint corrected with a smirk toward Guise.  "Turns out this asshole's been a closet Kohl fan the whole time."

"I will end you," Guise threatened, tempted to shed his disguise so he could gnash his fangs at her.

Twilight beamed at the news.  "Really?!  Then you should absolutely join us when we finally get around to arranging a proper meetup!"

"Fat chance," he scoffed disdainfully.  "I'm only in it for the action, the violence, the blood and gore.  I couldn't give less of a fuck about 'character development,' or 'plot,' or whatever shit you dorks are spouting off about."

"Play the tough guy card all you want, I've seen how into it you get when we read together," Sweetmint teased with a smarmy smirk.

Guise retaliated with a smirk of his own.  "Awfully hypocritical coming from you considering you claim you're 'only' into one manga."

She narrowed her eyes at him.  "The hell's that mean?"

Guise turned to Twilight.  "You know she draws her own manga?"

Twilight's eyes widened.  "Really?"

Sweetmint's eyes, however, shot only the most venomous and iciest of daggers at him.  "What?!"

"Yeah, I found some of her drawings hidden in the bedside table," Guise laughed.

"I told you that was my private drawer, you dick!" she bellowed, giving Guise a swift smack to the back of his head, though the blow did nothing to diminish his mirth.

"That's pretty cool," Twilight complimented.  "Being honest, I've always kinda wanted to try my hoof at making my own manga or comic book.  I've got lots of story concepts, but I don't really have any artistic talent."  She suddenly gasped.  "Oh my gosh!  You could show me when we meet up and maybe we could collaborate!  With my ideas and your art, we—"

"N-No, thanks," Sweetmint interrupted, an embarrassed blush filling her cheeks.  "It's just a hobby, okay?  I don't take it that seriously."

"Oh.  Well, alright.  But I'd still like to see what you've drawn if you'd let me."

Sweetmint rubbed her neck bashfully.  "Uh, I... guess I could."

"And you should join us, Chamella," Twilight suggested.

Chamella's ears perked up, surprised to have been randomly pulled into the conversation.  "Huh?  Oh, uh, I think I'll pass.  Guise mentioned violence and blood and stuff...  I think I've had enough of that kind of thing in my lifetime.  Honestly, I'm a little surprised that you're into that stuff, Twilight."

"It's not like Kohl is 'about' the violence," Twilight corrected.  "Well choreographed fight scenes can be exciting and everything, but it has an engrossing story and likable characters to keep you reading."

"I think the answer's still no."

"Can we please stop talking about this now?" Guise insisted with a roll of his eyes.  "You two still have to order something, and we want to get home sometime while the sun is still up."

"Oh, sorry," Twilight responded with an embarrassed giggle.  She turned her attention back up to the overhead menu.  "Geez, there's so much to choose from though.  It all sounds so good, it's hard to make a decision."

"Hey, tell you what," Sweetmint interrupted as she preemptively started to gather up ingredients.  "I'll make you guys a couple of banana splits on the house.  You know, since I never got a chance to properly thank you for helping out Crimson."

"Oh, well, I suppose I can't very well say no to that," Twilight said agreeably.

"Is it possible to pay back the bail money with free ice cream?" Guise asked hopefully.

Twilight pretended to think about it for a moment.  "I'll consider it," she chuckled.

Sweetmint quickly prepared the two dishes for Twilight and Chamella, and by the time she did, it was about time to close up.  But, being the good hostess she was, she was willing to wait for her customers to finish their ice cream before calling it a day.  Instead, she removed her apron and cap and decided to join them, she and Twilight sitting down with Rarity, Tapioca, and Frosted Chips and joining in on their conversation.

Guise, however, chose to seat himself in one of the booths in the corner of the room, not interested in joining them, even if their table hadn't already been crowded.  But he was a little surprised when Chamella sat down across from him with her banana split, flashing him a cute smile.

"Still a loner?"

Guise let out a quiet huff through his nostrils.  "I haven't changed that much.  I don't have any desire to engage in inane chitchat with anypony other than Mint.  Especially at the risk of your friend getting a little too nosy."

"I understand, but I still think everything would be fine if people knew."

Guise furrowed his brow adamantly.  "I'm not reiterating my stance on this."

"Okay."

Guise quirked an eyebrow as Chamella casually enjoyed a mouthful of ice cream and banana, her smile persistent.  "That's it?  Not gonna try and convince me?"

She shrugged.  "Like you said, you haven't changed that much, so I know I can't change your mind."  Chamella smiled surprisingly fondly at him.  "But you've changed just enough for me to trust you.  If this is the Guise that Sweetmint fell in love with and wants to spend her life with, then who am I to argue?  Besides, we'd probably end up going through all this stuff again trying to convince everypony else you're trustworthy, especially Shade."

"Yeah, I don't exactly want to have to suffer through that," Guise groaned.  "Just because you're willing to trust me doesn't mean that Shade or the princesses won't want people keeping an eye on me."

"Yeah, that's true.  As long as you're not hurting anypony, I don't have any problems."

"Would've been nice to hear that a little sooner," Guise muttered.

Chamella's smile fell, her ears drooping apologetically.  "I know, I'm sorry."

He waved her apology off with a flick of his hoof.  "Forget it.  It's not like I did much to earn your trust in the first place except help save that little half-breed—for my own ends, I remind you."

"Well, you can't look out for other people if you don't look after yourself first.  Now that you've gotten comfortable, you can start caring for somepony else."

"Sheesh, when you put it like that, I sound like a stray animal."

Chamella giggled awkwardly.  "Heh, sorry.  I'm just trying to let you know I understand your situation, that's all."

"It's fine.  The stray animal comparison isn't that far off, all things considered.  Mint's teaching me how to read now."

"I remember going through that," Chamella laughed.  "It's pretty embarrassing, right?"

"Especially when your girlfriend is making quips about it the whole time, and making you learn by reading manga," he grumbled, though a small grin of amusement was visible on his face.

For the first time in both their lives, Guise and Chamella shared a laugh.  Guise would have never thought about the idea of relating to her of all people, but it wasn't as bothersome a thought as he imagined.

Chamella spooned another mouthful of ice cream into her grinning mouth.  "It is nice knowing that I don't have to worry about you.  I promise not to bother you and let you just live however you want."

Guise smiled back.  "I appreciate that.  But..."

Chamella tilted her head as he hesitated.  A very slight blush could be seen through his already crimson cheeks.

"If you're ever in town, feel free to stop in for some ice cream."

Chamella grinned.  "I will."


*****     *****     *****


The sound of a long, sleepy, yet satisfied yawn reverberated through the small apartment.  Sweetmint lazily sauntered toward the bathroom with a blissful smile on her face.

Guise was already in the bathroom, staring into the mirror as he brushed his teeth.  It was an oddly enjoyable feeling to have clean fangs for once.  He never used to risk cleaning himself up in his natural body very often at the risk of getting caught, but now he didn't have to worry about that.  He practically took pride in the sheen and sparkle of his needle-sharp fangs, feeling as though it added to his intimidation factor—not that he could really do much intimidating nowadays.

But Guise didn't get much time to admire himself after he rinsed his mouth out, as Sweetmint shoved him aside to clean her own teeth.

"Sitting down with a good meal, a bottle of beer, and a new issue of Kohl is a pretty good way to spend an evening, don't you think?" she remarked as she brushed.

Guise shrugged indifferently as he scooched past her and out of the cramped bathroom.  "If you say so."

Sweetmint rolled her eyes, following him out into the hall with her toothbrush in her mouth.  "Oh, don't try and act tough.  I saw how into it you were getting as I was reading.  There was barely any action, yet your eyes were glued to the page."

"I was trying to learn the words.  You know, the whole point of you reading them to me in the first place," he argued defensively.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed with a mocking smirk.  "Who are you trying to convince: me or you?"

"Why are you being such a bitch tonight?"

Sweetmint sidled up next to him, her grin still willfully needling, but her eyes more sultry, though the image she was going for was muddied a bit by the foamy toothpaste around her lips.  "Because it's fun."  She returned to the bathroom to rinse, then returned to follow Guise to the bedroom.  "Why do you have such a hard time admitting that you like something?"

Guise hesitated, staring her in the eye for a moment.  "Because... I'm not used to it."

She blinked, a little confused by his answer.  "Not used to liking something?"

"Look, can we just drop this?" he insisted as he shifted back to his Crimson Neon disguise—in part to hide the blood filling his cheeks.

Sweetmint stood there quietly as Guise crawled into bed.  Persimmon sauntered in as well, gleaning that it was bedtime, and hopped up onto the foot of the bed and curled up.  Sweetmint followed their example and lay down next to her boyfriend.  She cast him a discreet, sidelong glance, noticing the conflicted look on his face.  "Did I strike a nerve or something?  Sorry, I'm not used to you actually taking offence to my shit-talking."

Guise sighed, turning his head away slightly.  "I'm not offended..."

Sweetmint stared up at the ceiling quietly for a few moments before breaking the odd silence again.  "I think I get it, though."

He turned back to her.

"After everything you've told me about your past, and living in the Changeling Kingdom...  You only ever cared about yourself, so things are a lot different for you now, right?"

"I think you're reading into this a bit much."

"Well, let me ask you this."  Sweetmint rolled onto her side to look him straight in the eye.  "You love me, right?"

Guise narrowed his eyes in suspicion.  "What are you trying to do?"

"Yeah, see?  That's what I'm talking about.  I know you do, but you still have a hard time saying it out loud, even when it's just the two of us, don't you?"

Guise broke eye contact, grumbling to himself.  He did love her, and that was something that still surprised him every time he thought about it.  But he knew she was a little off base.

"Look, I get it," she continued.  "Throwing your feelings out there can make you feel vulnerable and can bite you in the ass, I know that first hoof.  But the reason I'm harping on this is because of something you told me."

Again, Guise turned back to her, raising a curious eyebrow.  "What was that?"

"How you claimed that love was something you wanted originally, but now it's something you need."

Guise rolled his eyes.  "Okay, this is gonna sound a little corny, but those are two different things.  The love I wanted was for feeding on, the love I needed was the reason I wanted to stay here with you."

Sweetmint stifled a quiet snicker.

The changeling groaned and rolled over, turning his back to her.  "If that's how you're gonna act, I'm not taking part in this."

"No, no, I'm not making fun of you," she insisted, snuggling up to him and wrapping her hooves around his chest.  "Maybe I like it better when you're being a smarmy hardass, but I don't mind if you get a little sappy every now and then.  You know, in private."

Guise didn't say anything.

Sweetmint stared at the back of his head, but she had an idea of what his expression was at the moment.  She was starting to get the impression that something else was bothering him.

"Is my love still not satisfying?"

Guise looked back at her.  "What?"

"Like, the love you've been feeding on.  You told me once that it wasn't satisfying for some reason.  Have you not figured out the problem with that yet?"

Guise just stared into her eyes for a moment.  She'd finally managed to find the root of the issue, so there was no sense continuing to be indignant about it and just bite the bullet.  He turned over onto his back.  "No, but mostly because I haven't fed on any love since the last time we talked about it."

"Why not?"

The changeling blinked.  "Whaddaya mean, 'Why not?'"

"One of the reasons you came here was to feed on love, so why did you stop?"

He just stared, befuddled by the question as though the answer should have been obvious.  "Because... you don't want me to?" he told her, though with a noticeable lack of certainty in his voice.

"When did I ever say that?"

"What, you want me to feed on your love?" he asked somewhat incredulously.

"It's not what I want, it's what you want," she stated matter-of-factly.

"And... you'd be okay with that?"

"Does it have any adverse affects on me?"

"I mean, if I take a lot, you'll feel pretty drained afterwards.  That's why when I did it before I didn't take much.  But even if I did, you'd recover eventually.  It'd be no different than being winded after a workout or something."

"So no real harm, then?"

Guise shrugged.  "Not really."

Sweetmint stared up at the ceiling, pursing her lips in thought.  "So, what, you just need permission?"

"It's more complicated than that.  Trust is a factor here."

"You think I don't trust you?"

"No, but feeding on love regularly would make me more powerful."  Guise looked her in the eye again.  "Would you be comfortable with that?"

Sweetmint continued to stare up at the ceiling, a slight, inexplicable blush tinging her cheeks.  "I mean...  If it meant you could do the sort of stuff that Kohl and Garek do..."

Guise finally managed a small smirk.  "You're such a dork."

She jabbed him in the ribs, her blush deepening.  "Shut the fuck up."

Once Guise's mild amusement subsided, he turned his own eyes upward.  "But, to be perfectly honest, trust and permission aren't the reason I haven't done it lately."

"Then what's stopping you?"

Guise inhaled a deep breath, unsure if he wanted to admit this, but it was just as well now that they've come this far into the topic.  "I don't want to be disappointed again."

Sweetmint turned to him, but said nothing.

"Being perfectly honest, I'm a little worried that if it turned out to still be unsatisfying, it might make me want to leave."

Sweetmint propped herself up, looking down on him with concern in her eyes.  "You really think that would happen?"

He stared back up into her pale pink eyes, his expression serious and remorseful.  "I'm afraid that would happen, because that's the kind of person I am: selfish."

She knit her brow slightly at him.  "We gonna go down this road again?  Stop beating yourself up.  That's not the Crimson I know—not the Guise I know."

He continued to stare, observing the steadfast look in her eyes.  She was right.  The reason he was still here was because he cared about her, and because he had his convictions.  He put up with a lot of crap to get to where he is now.  He never gave up when he first felt that dissatisfaction from her love, and he had no intention of leaving her now.

Guise shook his head.  "You're right.  I'm not gonna let it bother me.  If it's not as satisfying as I thought it'd be, then why get hung up on it?"

Sweetmint turned her gaze toward the wall, though wasn't looking at anything in particular.  She appeared to be thinking about something, her lips pursed contemplatively.

"Something wrong?" Guise asked, curious what was on her mind.

"Hm?  Uh, I dunno, it's just..."

"What?"

She leaned on his chest with a grumpy pout.  "Well...  Honestly, it is a little annoying that we don't know why it was so unsatisfying.  It's actually kinda insulting.  What, there's something wrong with my love or some shit?" she griped toward the wall. 

"It's not my fault.  At least, I don't think so."

Sweetmint looked back down at him, a sudden look of determination in her eyes.  "Then try it again."

Guise quirked an eyebrow.  "Beg pardon?"

The mare dropped back onto her pillow.  "Just taste some love and see if it's still the same," she ordered.

Guise propped himself up, grimacing awkwardly.  "That's, uh... a weird request, you know that, right?"

"You sayin' no?  Come on, I wanna figure this out as much as you do."

He waited for her to throw out a "Just kidding," or "Nevermind," but she certainly looked dead serious.  He should've guessed that she wouldn't take something like this lying down—so to speak.  If anypony other than Guise were to tell her that her love was lackluster, she'd probably deck them.

Guise hesitated, but he was a little curious himself seeing as it had been awhile since he tried.  Maybe his previous assumption that it had to do with the amount he fed on at once was actually accurate, and now that he had her permission, he could test that theory.

"Alright.  You ready, then?" he asked.

There was a sudden look of reticence in her face.  "Uh, I guess I should ask how this works.  I've never seen you do it."

"It's not complicated.  Just give me a minute."

Guise loomed over her, leaning down close to her face.  Sweetmint instinctively drew back when Guise opened his mouth and began to inhale.  Then, she failed to suppress an amused snort.

"The hell are you doing?" she snickered.

Guise closed his mouth, staring down at her with a vexed glare.  "What?  You told me to do this," he reminded her defensively.

"Are you a friggin' vampire, or something?" Sweetmint joked, still chuckling.  "You wanna transform so you've got the fangs to complete the image?"

Guise scowled in response.  He'd made that same comparison about changelings in the past, but he wasn't about to admit that to her face and add fuel to the fire.  "Do you want me to do this or not?  Because at this point I could go either way."

Sweetmint gave him an apologetic pat on the shoulder as her mirth died down.  "Okay, okay, I'm sorry.  Go ahead, do your thing."

Guise sighed with a roll of his eyes, but at least Sweetmint was able to wipe the infuriating smirk off her face, so that made it a little easier for him.  So once more he leaned down, opened his mouth, and began to inhale.

A stream of thin, pink mist began to drift up from Sweetmint's chest and into Guise's mouth.  The mare watched, transfixed by the ribbon of what she could infer was the ethereal manifestation of her love.

But while she was focused on the visual aspect of the display, Guise focused on the taste.  It tasted exactly the same as it had before: an enjoyable mixture of sweet and bitter, like a cup of coffee with extra sugar.  It was a taste he'd realistically give up meat for if he could find a food that could perfectly replicate the flavor.  But the flavor wasn't what he was looking for.

Guise paused, the trail of pink dissipating.  Sweetmint took immediate notice of the incredulous look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't answer.  He was too dumbfounded to answer.

That sensation...  He felt it—the satisfaction he'd been looking for.  It was there now, the euphoric feeling of Sweetmint's love radiating through his body, his horn tingling as his power grew ever so slightly.  The emptiness that he'd previously experienced from it had been filled, and by such a comparatively small taste.  It was baffling.  What had changed?  What had been missing that was suddenly there now?

Or maybe that was the thing: nothing was missing.  In fact, it was the opposite.  There had been something else there—an extra ingredient that spoiled the broth and prevented him from enjoying it.  Something that had been there that wasn't present anymore.

Guilt.

Guise had never felt guilt about anything before he met Sweetmint.  He'd never cared about anything but himself before her.  He didn't feel guilty when he'd taken Shade's place to siphon love from his girlfriend, but with Sweetmint it was different.  He cared about Sweetmint.  He subconsciously judged himself for duping her.  That was why he couldn't enjoy her love: because he knew he didn't deserve to enjoy it.  As corny as he knew it sounded, love was most enjoyable when it was mutually shared.  Shade must have discovered that a long time ago, though he knew Shade didn't indulge in it the way he wanted to himself.

But that was behind them now.  Guise had wound up falling in love with the mare he'd intended to use simply as a battery for love.  With that guilt out of the way, he could properly enjoy the love she willingly gave him.

"Crimson?"

Sweetmint's voice snapped him from his stupor.  "Huh?"

"How is it?  Anything different?"

"Uh...  Yeah.  It's... amazing.  Better than anything I've ever tasted," he uttered, still somewhat in disbelief.

Sweetmint breathed a sigh of relief.  "Well, thank Celestia for that.  If I'm gonna have a changeling boyfriend, I better damn well have the best tasting love this side of Equestria.  So, you want more, or...?"

Guise considered her offer for a moment before smiling down at her.  "Nah, I think I'm good.  Don't wanna go overboard."

"You sure?"

He nodded.  "I'm just relieved that I can actually enjoy it now.  That's enough to sate me for the time being.  Maybe another night, though."

Sweetmint smiled back.  "Well, my pleasure.  Glad you enjoyed it."

Much to her surprise, Guise leaned down, planting a tender kiss on her lips.  Even if the two of them were in love, it still wasn't often that Guise initiated a kiss.  The two so rarely engaged in physical displays of affection, even in private, so when they actually occurred, they both knew it meant something special.

Guise laid his head back down onto his pillow to turn in for the night.  Just as he closed his eyes, he felt Sweetmint cuddle into him, and he cuddled back, letting out a satisfied sigh.

The silence didn't have much time to settle in, though, as Sweetmint spoke up once more before they drifted off.

"So, when you gonna use my love to take over Equestria?"

A small, amused grin creased Guise's lips.  "Eh, thinking more about it, being a king sounds like too much work.  I'd rather just hang here like this."

Sweetmint chuckled quietly, nestling into his neck.  "Lazy bastard."

Guise held her closer, his smile persisting.  "Fuck off."


The End