//------------------------------// // Act II ~ Chapter 11 // Story: Unending Love // by Azure Notion //------------------------------// Roast let out a deep sigh as he finished wiping down the last side of their espresso machine. He plopped the rag back into the cleaning bucket and stretched his back, groaning at the numerous pops. Leaning down, he picked up the handle in his teeth before turning and walking to the kitchen. Flicking the light as he rounded the corner, he stopped as he spotted the beautiful alicorn at the sink, washing dishes with her magic. Likely alerted by the love directed at her, she turned to him with a smile on her face. “Hey, sweetie,” Firefly greeted. “All done in there?” He set the bucket down and reached a hoof to open the janitor's door just inside the kitchen. “Yep. No big messes and no last minute customers to turn away. We should be good to go soon, probably even make it on time.” “Perfect. I’d rather not make her wait three times in a row.” “Same, though I’m honestly kinda surprised there weren’t more curveballs thrown at us. It usually happens on fun nights.” Roast turned into the janitor's closet and dumped the water out. He set the bucket in its place and left to rejoin his wife. “By the way, how’s your love doing? You said something yesterday about needing to make crystals soon.” “Yeah,” she nodded, finishing scrubbing a fork and setting it into the rinse pile which Roast began tending to. “I probably should do that before we leave. They’re having us bring our crystals to the monthly meeting tomorrow instead of having the gatherers come pick them up from each of us individually.” “Ah, right.” Roast nodded and set another few forks onto the drying rack. “I forgot about your meeting. Anything special happening this month?” Firefly hummed in the negative. “Don’t think so. It should be a normal get-together and I imagine it’ll probably last the usual three or four hours. In fact, there hasn’t been anything interesting coming from the hive for, gosh, I think three or four months now.” “Mhm, you haven’t had many stories to tell other than the usual Tarsus-being-a-butt ones and Skitter’s anti-love training.” “Yeah, I am so glad those are over. Other than the occasional check in, I think I’ve managed to pass all of her tests.” She sighed and leaned into his side. “And for Tarsus, I want to give him some slack, I really do. But he brings it upon himself most of the time.” “The ‘we’re here to do a job’ excuse only goes so far. Sometimes you gotta realize that your grumpiness only makes others annoyed at you.” “Mmm. Maybe I’ll sit him down and try to have a talk about it one of these days.” A comfortable silence of water sloshing and dishes clinking took over the kitchen. Roast always enjoyed hearing about Firefly’s ‘adventures’ at her meetings. She usually kept the important stuff from him, like the specifics of hive dealings. He had no need to know them and his curiosity wasn’t enough to push her beyond what she was comfortable sharing. Even so, it was like hearing about a fantasy land, so different from the pony world, yet so similar. Though, soon enough, the last plate and fork were washed, rinsed, and set to dry on the rack. Roast dried his hooves with the drying towel and Firefly wiped down the counter. “You know, I’ve gotten so used to you making quick work of dishes with your magic. I don’t know if I could go back to the old way.” “Well,” she said as she laid the rag out to dry and rinsed her hooves, “I’d bet we could probably make it even faster. We could invest in one of those fancy automatic dishwashers.” “Uh huh, right.” Roast chuckled and rolled his eyes to himself before turning and making his way up the stairs. “And put it where? And with what bits? We already spent a ton on our trip.” “I dunno,” Firefly said as she reached the top of the stairs and turned into their bedroom, “it's one of those nice-to-have things, you know? Could save us some cleanup time.” “I agree,” he nodded and watched his wife walk past and open the closet, transforming into her natural changeling self. “Nice to have. Maybe one day.” She pulled up the floorboard and pulled out the magic-blocking bag her hive had sent her and hoofed the weighty, clattering sack over to him. Roast took a seat and couldn’t keep the grin off his face in anticipation for the coming show. Firefly leaned her head back slightly and opened her mouth, but paused and glanced over at him. “I still don’t get why you find this so fascinating.” He shrugged his shoulders and set the bag on the floor, the love crystals inside clinking against each other. “It’s like watching an artist draw or a craftsman chisel or—” “Or a bug make some spit?” She raised an eye ridge. Roast rolled his eyes. “Yes, fine. Or like watching a bug make some spit. Either way, you’re my wife and I love every part of you.” “Uh huh…” She opened her mouth again and held it there for a few seconds. Soon, clear, viscous saliva began to coagulate in her mouth and her horn lit up along with it. Her magic illuminated and seeped into the fluid filling her mouth. Slowly, her saliva turned pink and her magic drew the hardening liquid out, scraping it along her fangs and lips and forming it into the multi-sided crystal Roast had come to know. Her tongue began licking along the edges the further it extended, smoothing each facet out before it hardened completely. After around ten or so centimeters, her tongue drew back into her mouth as the crystal’s end came out, tapered to a point with a few last licks. Firefly then tossed the thing to him and he deftly caught it with a grin, already prepared for her antics. He dropped the still warm crystal into the bag and she started the whole process again. Three more crystals were tossed in the bag before she finished with a few licks to her chops, cleaning the excess saliva away. “Well,” she said between a swallow, “I hope it was worth your time. Again.” Roast stepped forward and nuzzled into her warm chitin neck. “It’s worth it every time.” “And you are still a sap.” She returned the nuzzle, the sides of her fangs lightly dragging on his fur. “Always will be.” He drew back and picked up the bag, hoofing it over to her. “Only four crystals this time, huh? That makes only seventeen this month. I must be slacking.” She took the bag and turned to the closet. “No, around three to four per week is pretty average,” Firefly said as she laid the bag back into the hole and slid the floorboards back into place. “Twenty-two a month is definitely not normal and anniversaries almost always draw out extra love,” she continued and walked past him into their bathroom. Her horn lit up and the sound of the shower head pouring water filled the room. “In fact, I’d be worried for your health if I made that much every month.” He followed her through the door, their hooves clopping on the bathroom tile. “Yeah, I know. It’d be neat if we could, though.” “Mhm, for sure.” She idly responded before giving a head tilt to their large walk-in shower. “Now come on. Showering together should save some time.” “Should, yes.” Roast followed her into their wide shower and closed the glass door, his fur wetting under the hot shower water. “But I can’t reach my back if you’re in here with me.” “Yes, I know, which is why I’m going to scrub it with my fancy magic. But! No funny business!” She squinted at him as she levitated over his loofah from its hook. “Excuse you.” Roast raised an incredulous eyebrow and threw in a half-grimace for good measure. “You instigate said ‘funny business’ more often than I do.” “Yes, which is why I said, ‘no.’” She magicked over a fur wash bottle and squirted it into the loofah, “Here.” “Why thank you.” He took the lathered-up loofah out of her magic and strapped it to his hoof. Cleaned, groomed, and prettified, the couple sat in a taxi carriage, the muffled sounds of late evening bustle passing by outside. Roast couldn’t and didn’t care to help the smile on his face, nor the tiny occasional fidget. Getting to spend time with a friend for the first time in a little while did that. "You excited?" Roast glanced over at his wife. "A bit, yeah. It's been over a month since we got to see her.” "It has been a while, huh? Even longer since we got to have her over or go over to her place.” Sweet sighed wistfully. “You know, I kinda miss those first few months when we’d meet up with her at least every week.” He hummed in agreement. “This winter has been more rough than usual. Coffee sales always go down after Hearth’s Warming, but our friends only became busier in the new year. And now that winter has wrapped up...” he trailed off. “Now we’re really busy again.” Sweet Leaf finished as the carriage came to a stop at an intersection. “I’m certain we’ve become more than popular enough. Maybe we should revisit the conversation about hiring one or two part-timers.” “Well,” he raised a corner of his mouth in hesitation, “it’s not an unappealing idea.” “I know,” Sweet soothed, “it’s not the same as the two of us. But there’s only so many more hours we can force into this alone. Even with the lull of Winter, we shaved maybe an hour on some days. Even a dedicated busfilly for the afternoon would save us a lot of hassle.” “No, you’re right.” Roast gave her a little smile and rubbed his cheek against hers. “I suppose I’m not as good at change as I wish I was.” Sweet Leaf stretched her neck back and nosed and nuzzled at his neck. “No one is, honey,” she said as she pulled back and looked at him, a soft smile on her face. “Change can be one of the hardest things to deal with.” He gave her a half smirk. “Unless you’re you.” She rolled her eyes and his hindquarters twitched at the bap of a wing. “Even I have trouble with change, you silly stallion.” Roast lightly huffed as they fell into silence. A short moment later, a break came in traffic and the carriage continued down the street. “By the way, have you given any more thought about asking her to join your little group?" He let out a little hum. "Yeah, I have, but I'm still not sure if she'd want to. After they got to meet her at Hearth’s Warming, the others said they’d be happy to have another member, even if she's not a business owner. I mean, Silver, Angle, Sketch, and I started our group because we were all local business owners trying to help each other out, but it's since become more about friends than it has about business." "Right. So you're gonna ask her?" Roast gave a little grumble. "I dunno. I'd like to, but I both kind of feel like I don't know her well enough to ask and that she’d be too busy.” “I’m sure she’d be happy to join. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, so I’m sure even a once-a-month get-together would probably mean a lot to her.” “I know.” Roast sighed. “I shouldn’t be this… trepidatious about it. We’ve gotten pretty comfortable around each other and I think she’s opened up a lot to us. I—” he paused for a moment before letting out a groan. “I guess I’m afraid that I’ll offend her because we’re not that good of friends or that I’ll spike her anxiety.” Sweet shifted and bumped into his side. “Hey. I am absolutely certain that we’re plenty good friends to ask this kind of question. As for her anxiety, I feel like you’re treating her a little more fragile than she is. She deals with all kinds of creatures and all kinds of moods. Have a little more faith in her and yourself. Things will work out.” “Thank you, sweetie.” Roast looked over at her and put a loving smile on. The smile quickly faded and he huffed again. “I just… I’m thirty-two years old. I own a coffee shop where I talk to ponies literally all day. I shouldn’t be having these kinds of struggles. I feel like a—like an awkward teenager.” “Roast,” Sweet Leaf began, compassionate yet firm. “Friendship isn’t always easy. Most of our social interactions throughout the day are on a very basic level. Running a cafe isn’t exactly conducive to forming social bonds during business hours. So, when one of your friendships starts to get deeper, it can be more than a little scary. “You don’t want to offend or be too forward and risk losing what you’ve built together. But when the time is right and you’ve nurtured the relationship, that risk becomes less and less until it’s practically not even there. Sure, a particular activity might not be something the friend enjoys, but the chance you’ll hurt the friendship by asking will be barely even a chance at all.” He couldn’t help the little smile that spread across his lips. Sometimes, she always seemed to know what to say to make him feel better. Though, considering... “Thank you. That really does help. But,” he paused and raised an eyebrow at her, “you wouldn’t happen to be reciting that from some sort of… training, would you?” “No…” she trailed off. Roast fought his growing smile as he witnessed the blush on her cheeks and her adamant stare out her window. “Fine, maybe a little.” She snapped her head back to him. “But that doesn’t make it any less true!” Roast chucked and nuzzled into his wonderful wife. “Coming from you? Not a single bit.” She let out a huff of her own and faced away from him. After another short moment of the cold shoulder, she relaxed and rubbed back against him. Silence fell between them again as Roast simply enjoyed the presence and warmth of his wife. Even with the fresh shower, he could still smell the underlying scent that was always Sweet Leaf. She had a different, much more subtle smell when she was undisguised and he’d grown to love that one too, but she always kept her pony smell the same, no matter what form she took. Too soon, the carriage pulled off to the side of the road and a light double tap from the front signaled they’d arrived. Roast took one final deep breath and sat up, picking up his thin saddlebags off the floor in his mouth. He pushed the door open with a hoof and stepped down before setting the bags on his back. Turning, he stepped forward to the driver. “Thank you for the ride, ma’am!” “Yep.” She nodded and held out a hoof. “Fourteen bits, please.” “Sure.” He craned his neck back and nosed open his bag, digging out his bitbag. Sitting back, he set the bag in his hoof and fished out a ten and a five bit coin. “Here you are. Keep the change.” The mare nodded again and gave him a smile. “Many thanks, sir.” Roast put the bag back in his saddlebags and turned back to his wife. “Ready?” “Mhm,” she replied and trotted to the door before opening it and holding out a hoof. “After you.” He smiled and headed into the mildly noisy restaurant. The familiar smells hit his nostrils and he breathed in deep. They came here every few weeks, but he’d never get tired of the stir fried, fatty goodness that was their dishes. Sweet Leaf continued in after him and headed to the hostess podium, Roast trailing right behind. “Hello!” the tuxedo-top wearing mare greeted. “Welcome to Equestrian Noodles. How many?” “Hi,” Sweet Leaf began. “We have a reservation for three under Sweet Leaf.” “Hmm,” the hostess brought a hoof up and trailed it down her list. “Ah! Yes ma’am, the other member of your party has already arrived. Your table is right this way.” The mare stepped out from behind her podium and led further into the restaurant. Sweet Leaf trailed directly behind her and Roast followed. Peering around at the tables, Roast recognized a couple customers, but not the friend they’d come to have dinner with. Not but a short moment later, he smiled as he spotted the suit-less pegasus at a booth near the back corner, looking down at her menu. A few tables later and the hostess arrived. “Here you are! Your server will be with you shortly.” “Thank you.” Sweet Leaf nodded before turning to their friend. “Aura! It’s so good to see you!” Aura grinned up at them, a half full glass of water already in front of her and menus on the table. “Hi Sweet. Hi Roast. How have you been?” “Hey, Aura!” Roast warmly greeted as he and Sweet Leaf scooted into the booth. “We’ve been doing fairly well. A little busy, but that’s the life of cafe owners! How about you? The guard still running you ragged?” Aura let out a polite giggle, her eyes not quite meeting his. “No, it hasn't been that bad in a while. We have had a few more cases than normal, but nothing serious and nothing a little bit of overtime can’t solve.” Her eyes went wide and she quickly waved her hooves dismissively. “It’s not a lot of overtime! Just a couple hours here and there.” “Hun,” Sweet admonished, lowering her head and raising an eyebrow. “I thought you said you were going to start asking the other detectives for help when your workload got that high.” “Yes, I did.” Aura nodded slowly. “And I have been. Sometimes, though, I get caught up detailing a report or going over evidence. I’ve been a lot more conscious about when quitting time is and how long I stay past it. My boss even noticed and told me she’s relieved that I’m spending more time away from work.” “That’s really good, Aura,” Roast said, not having to force his smile even a little bit. “I’m happy you’re taking more time for yourself and I think it shows. You don’t sound half as stressed as you used to be. And you’re looking better and brighter than we’ve seen you in a while.” Roast chuckled internally at the way Aura lowered her head and looked off with a blush. The poor thing wasn’t used to other ponies complimenting or being proud of her. He was more than willing to fluster her whenever the opportunity arose. “Speaking of taking more time for yourself,” Sweet Leaf spoke up again, “How’s your artsy hobbies been going?” Aura looked back to Sweet and cleared her throat. “It’s going pretty good, actually! I’ve been working on it a few nights every week and it’s been helping a lot with my anxiety. I decided to pick up some sculpting books from the library instead of fumbling around and frustrating myself. And, I uh,” she looked off to the side and stammered a little quieter, “I think my art might have gotten a bit better.” Roast gave a fake little gasp and reached his hoof over to Aura’s side of the table. “Did I hear that correctly? Miss Refined Aura complimenting her own work?” That deliciously adorable hunched-over blush came back. “Well, I mean, it’s only that I think it’s—” “Aura, sweetie,” Roast interrupted, pulling his hoof back. “I’m only teasing. I have no doubt your art and clay sculptures are getting better every day.” Sweet Leaf hummed and nodded her head. “I’m certain it has, Aura. In fact, I’d love to see how much your art has improved from when we last came over a few months ago. And it would be really neat seeing what you’ve been able to sculpt since you picked it up.” Aura took a deep breath, seeming to regain some of her usual composure before she nodded. “It would be nice seeing you two again outside of restaurants and the customer side of your cafe.” “Definitely!” Roast agreed. “It would be great to spend more than a couple hours with you at the end of a night.” He turned to Sweet Leaf. “Do you know of anything we have going on next Sunday or the Sunday after?” Sweet shook her head. “I don’t know of anything, no.” She turned back to Aura. “How about you, hun?” “Hm. I feel like next Sunday could work. I don’t have any plans and they shouldn’t be needing me at the office next weekend. How about, uh, one or two in the afternoon?” “Two works for me!” Roast beamed. “Sounds like we’ll be seeing you at two o’clock next Sunday, then,” Sweet added. “Hey you three!” Roast and the mares turned to see their waiter step up to the table. “Welcome to Equestrian Noodles. I’ll be your server for the night.” He turned to Roast and Sweet. “Is there anything I can get you two started to drink?” “Water for me, please.” Roast said. “Same.” “Excellent! Are you ready to order or do we need a few more minutes?” “I’ll need a few minutes,” Roast said. He was well aware he was probably the only one who needed some time. “Sure, no problem. I’ll be back with those drinks soon.” “Thank you,” Sweet said as the stallion trotted off and turned back to the table. “I guess we should find out what we’re gonna order, huh?” Both he and Aura agreed, but Sweet and Roast were the only ones to pick up their menus. Aura was polite, though, and made a show of looking over her menu. Roast glanced over at his wife and didn’t know why she even bothered looking at it. She always got the same thing every time: pho with edamame noodles and tofu patties. High in protein, plenty of fat as she liked to say. He snorted to himself. Exactly what a growing changeling needs. He, on the other hoof, always had trouble deciding what he wanted. Alfredo did sound good, but so did spaghetti. And lasagna. And— An elbow to his side knocked him out of his culinary soul searching. He turned and raised an eyebrow at his wife who was holding the tall menu straight up in front of her. She met him, eyebrow for eyebrow, and flicked an eye over to the mare across from them. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head in question. Sweet rolled her eyes and whispered, “are you going to ask her?” The din of the restaurant made it difficult even for him to hear her. But hear her he did and Roast returned her an eye roll. “Yes,” he whispered back. “But we need to figure out what we’re going to eat first. I’ll ask after that. I don’t want to hold up our food.” “Roast, I’m not going to let you get out of it this time.” She raised the stakes by adding a purse to her lips. “I know and I’m not trying to. Give me a minute to decide on my food and I’ll ask her later.” She leaned her head closer. “That sounds like an out. You’ve been wanting to do this for months and, every time, you chicken—” “I know. I didn’t mean to last time and I’m going to do it this time. Just let me decide on my food! Okay?” He huffed and gave her another raised brow and called her pursed lips with a pair of his own. “I, uh,” Aura interrupted, both the couples’ menus falling forward to the table as they turned to her. “I can go use the restroom or something if you two need a few minutes.” “Ah, no need.” Roast quickly replaced his frown with a smile. “We were merely discussing what I was going to get. As much as I try, my… indecisiveness can get to her sometimes.” “Yes. It can, but only out of love.” Sweet Leaf kept her eyebrow raised at him for a moment longer. “I believe we came to a decision, though, yes?” He nodded, keeping the smile affixed to his face. “Yes indeed! I’m going to go with a new approach! Ramen sounds particularly good tonight.” Aura glanced at the two of them for a moment longer before shrugging. “Well, okay then. I’m going to give the lo mein a try.” “Sounds good!” Sweet Leaf said happily. “And I am going to get my usual.” Roast noticed out of the corner of his eye that his wife’s chiding look had been completely replaced by a jovial smile. He quietly took a deep breath and let it go, trying to send all his frustrations with it. He knew she did those kinds of things out of love, but sometimes, he wished she’d let him deal with things in his own time. But now that he was there… “Hey there, everypony! Here’s your waters.” Their waiter came back, a tray of water glasses in his hoof. Darnit! I was just about to work up the nerve! “Now then,” the waiter said as he distributed the last glass, “have we decided what we’d like to eat?” “Yes,” Roast quickly spoke up out of habit, but quickly realized this wasn’t his group. There wasn’t a race to see who could order the onion tower appetizer first. He cleared his throat, trying to settle his nerves. “I’d like the miso ramen with tofu, please.” “Sure thing, and you?” Roast stared down at his menu as the ladies ordered their meals. It wasn’t that big of a deal. He knew it wasn’t and he told himself it wasn’t. But still, for whatever reason, his brain refused to get the hint. “Perfect! I’ll get all that put in for you,” the waiter said, drawing Roast’s attention back to the group. “Could I get those menus out of your way?” They each picked up and passed over their menus. “Thank you,” the waiter nodded his head before trotting off. Roast took a deep breath and decided now was the time. “Hey, Aura. By the way, I wanted to ask you a question.” Roast began, anxiety suddenly rushing up his chest. He still had no idea why this was so hard. The chances of her thinking less of him were laughably small. And even if she said no, it would still be fine. It’s not like their friendship would suddenly end. “Yes? Go ahead.” Aura replied with a small, reassuring smile and Roast realized he’d been staring at her for a second or two too long. “Well, I was wondering, if you think you had the time and were interested,” Roast definitely didn’t ramble and definitely returned her smile, “my friends and I, the ones you met at Hearth’s Warming? We get together every couple weeks or so, sometimes for dinner or bowling or other things. I was wondering, after having okayed it with the others, if you’d like to join us some time?” Roast’s smile brightened a tad as he felt his wife rub his thigh supportingly. “Oh, huh. Uh,” Aura scrunched her eyebrows and looked down at the table. “I don’t know, it didn’t particularly feel like I made much of an impression back then.” She looked back up. “So, I’m not sure. I wouldn’t like it if I ended up dragging your night down.” It wasn’t a no, but Roast knew it wasn’t exactly a yes, either. “Aura, you would not be dragging us down. My friends and I have talked about it a few times and they agreed that it would be nice to get to know you. And we’re a small, friendly group. I don’t want you thinking about it as you ‘tagging along,’ but rather having a fun night with four friends. You definitely won’t get ignored or treated as the fifth wheel, either, especially with Quick Sketch there. He’ll want to know all about the amazing Refined Aura.” The blush came back up on her face as she looked down again. She paused for a long moment before closing her eyes and visibly taking a deep breath. “You know, I’ve had other ponies invite me to after-work functions or to game nights and I’ve almost always turned them down. “I… haven’t really told anyone this, but the reason I turn them down isn’t because of whatever excuse I use of ‘I’m busy’ or ‘I’m too tired.’ The reason is because I’m scared that if they saw me as the nervous wreck I often feel like, I’ll ruin everything or they’ll think bad of me.” Aura took another small breath and looked back up at Roast. “But my therapist and I have been talking on and off about getting me into more social situations outside of work. This might be time to make good on that.” A gentle smile came unbidden and happily accepted onto Roast’s face. “Thank you, Aura. I feel very honored that you’d share that with us. I promise you that neither Sketch, Angle, Silver, nor I will think bad of you no matter what happens and that there’s no way you could possibly ruin anything at our get-together. We would be more than happy to have you.” “Then, in that case, I think it would be nice to join you. Thank you for inviting me.” “Of course!” Roast said. “I’ll let the gang know the next time I see them. We used to have our outings once a week, but everypony kind of got busy. I think our next one is due in two or three weekends. I’ll let you know when we see you next Sunday.” “That sounds great. I’ll look forward to it.” Silence filled the table for a long moment. Roast was both relieved and jubilant at that outcome. He felt his wife’s hoof on his under the table and he looked over to her. She’d put on her big, proud smile and it looked like his wife was right, yet again. It had gone over even better than he’d expected. Must be that changeling intuition. Sometimes I wish I could get some of that. “By the way,” Aura spoke up again, “you two had your anniversary last month, right? If I remember correctly, you went to… Las Pegasus?” “Ah hah. Yes, we did. It was absolutely wonderful,” Roast said, fondly remembering their trip. “A much needed vacation.” “It was definitely both of those things.” Sweet Leaf added. “Five days in the city, though we hardly saw a fraction of it.” “Was it the ‘second honeymoon,’” Aura made air quotes with her hooves, “that you planned it to be?” Sweet Leaf giggled, resting her head on Roast’s shoulder and Roast rubbed his cheek on her mane. “It sure was and it was so refreshing.” she continued. “I got to feel like it was really my honeymoon with my stallion.” “And I got a second honeymoon with my beautiful mare.” “Mhm,” she agreed. “We visited all kinds of places.” Roast continued. “We went to an escape room, rode some roller coasters, saw some magic shows, went to the ‘world’s largest arcade,’ and a bunch more. The suite was wonderful as well. Bigger than the cafe’s entire upper floor. It had a living room, a kitchen, a huge bedroom with a curtained, four-poster bed, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi big enough to fit eight ponies.” “Sounds like a fun time.” Aura said, grabbing her glass in a wing and taking a sip. “Oh yeah, it definitely was. Oh!” Sweet Leaf exclaimed as she quickly righted herself. “Speaking of fun, we happened to meet this very… competitive stallion while we were at the arcade.” Roast burst out in laughter. “Hah! I’d almost forgotten about that.” “Yeah, me too,” Sweet Leaf said before turning to Aura, a big grin on her face. “You know what air hockey is, right?” Aura nodded, a pleasant little smile on her face. “Mhm, I’ve seen it played, but never played it myself.” Sweet Leaf nodded back. “Alright, so Roast and I were playing a bunch of games, just him and I. Of course, he destroyed me every time, ‘cause he’s an absolute monster at the game.” “Eh,” Roast shrugged his shoulders, “my brother and I hung out at one of the Fillydelphia arcades a lot when we were growing up. We got kinda good at the game over the years.” Sweet Leaf rolled her eyes and made air quotes with her hooves. “‘Kinda good.’ Uh huh. Right. Anyway, Roast usually isn’t a competitive guy, but with air hockey, there’s this shift that happens and it’s so awesome to see. And I know he’d been taking it easy on me, even after I’d asked him not to.” He received an elbow to his side and looked over to a squinting Sweet Leaf. “Yes, okay, fine,” Roast dramatically drawled. “I admit it, I was going easy on you. But come on, it wouldn’t have been fun otherwise.” “Nope, not true. I was having fun because you were having fun and that wouldn’t have changed anything.” Sweet rubbed her shoulder against his. Roast couldn’t keep the loving smile from forming on his face. “So after like a dozen games and lots of spent credits,” Sweet Leaf continued, “some other stallion came up with his friends. He called out nice and loud that he’d been watching Roast and I play and that he was kind of a big deal in the air hockey scene. He’d gathered a bit of a crowd and challenged Roast with a hundred bits if he won. The absolute disbelief that came across Roast was… amazing.” Roast grunted and brought his mouth up to a thin line. “I’d been occasionally watching him play a few tables away between my and Sweet’s rounds. He was… decent. At best.” “Mhm. So you know what Roast does?” “Oh my gosh…” Roast exhaled and wiped down his face with a fetlock. “I’d forgotten about this part. Do you have to?” “Yes,” Sweet said simply and turned to Aura. “Go ahead, guess what he did.” “Uhh, he beat him?” Aura chanced. “Ha! Nope. Not yet, at least. He turns to the guy and says,” Sweet puffed up her chest and put on her best Roast impersonation, “‘well, I guess you might be able to beat my wife.’” Aura furrowed her brow in confusion. “Uh, I mean if the stallion was that bad, then that doesn’t seem unreasonable.” Roast could only barely cut off the laugh that shot out his mouth and he pointedly ignored Sweet’s peeved stare. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. Aura, dear, I’d essentially said my wife sucked at air hockey.” Aura’s brow kept furrowed for a moment longer before her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh! Oh no! Roast!” “Oh yes!” Sweet injected. “He called me out right there, in front of everypony.” “Look, it was a slip of the tongue,” Roast defended. “I was in the heat of the moment and I didn’t mean for it to go that way.” “I know,” Sweet Leaf said softer, giving his neck a little nuzzle, “I’m just giving you a hard time. Nopony really even noticed it anyway. I can’t even remember the last time you trash talked somepony like that and I’m so glad this one was so memorable.” She sat back up and faced Aura again. “Long story short, I’d managed to score maybe one or two points against Roast every ten-point game. This guy? Roast definitely upped his game and I think he and Roast settled on seven games?” She glanced over at Roast and he nodded. “Well, this guy, he managed to score four points.” Aura gave an approving nod. “That’s not too bad. Especially if Roast went all out.” “Four total. Across all seven games.” “Oh.” “Yeah.” Sweet raised her eyebrows and nodded. “The guy was absolutely furious at being embarrassed in front of everypony.” Roast chuckled. “I will definitely admit that it was very amusing watching him fume over to the front desk to pull out the bits. I gotta give it to him though, he was pretty upset—” “Exceptionally upset,” Sweet interjected with a grin. “Exceptionally upset.” Roast nodded. “But, he never once called me a cheater nor tried to change the rules. And he did hoof over every bit. Never saw him again after that.” “Wow,” Aura said. “If your whole week was like that, it sounds like it was quite an adventure.” “It wasn’t that fun all the time, but there were lots of fun moments.” Roast smirked and glanced over at his wife. “Lots of fun times. Kind of like, oh I don’t know, the time you unsilenced a mime?” Sweet immediately buried her face in her hooves. “Augh! Come on!” She looked up at Roast. “It’s not my fault I’d never heard of mimes before!” Roast leans in to nuzzle Sweet’s neck. “Tit for tat, sweet cheeks.” She let out a deep sigh and waved him off with a hoof. “Fine. Tell the story.” He turns back to Aura, “Okay, so we’re out in the early evening on the Las Pegasus streets, seeing the sights and we happen to come across a mime. Classic black and white outfit, face paint, and everything. Well, we show up right as the mare ‘runs into’ an invisible wall. Then she looks around and locks eyes with Sweet, probably because of the stupefied expression. The mime starts knocking at the invisible walls around her, making panicked faces. And what does Sweet do? She sprints right over and…” The door thunked closed behind Roast as the couple entered their cafe. He locked the door before following his wife up the stairs, letting out a tired and satisfied sigh at the wonderful time they had. But it was late and both of them could definitely use some shuteye. Before that, though, he did have one thing he wanted to address. “Honey?” Roast spoke up as they entered their bedroom and headed straight for the bathroom. “Mhm?” Sweet hummed as she stopped at the sink. “I wanted to talk to you about something.” She paused as she reached out to pick up her toothbrush. “Yes?” Sweet turned to face him. “We had a really great night and I’m very happy with how everything turned out.” Roast began with a smile at Sweet Leaf. “But, I did want to talk about what happened earlier tonight and my feelings on it.” “Okay.” She nodded and her mouth curled up into a small smile. “Which part of tonight?” Roast breathed in deep. “It was about when you were pushing me to ask Aura about joining me and my friends.” “Oh.” Sweet’s smile twitched downward a little. “Well, I was only—” She cut herself off and let out the breath she’d prepared. She sat down. “No. You say your piece first and I’ll wait until you’re done.” “Thank you, Sweet.” Roast’s smile grew a little more before he faded it away and grew more serious. “I love you and I appreciate what you did and were trying to do. I was… rather upset at how you kept pushing me even though I’d said I intended to ask her. It hurt that you kept going, as if you didn’t trust my word. I understand that I had let the opportunity slip past me last time, but I felt it was a little uncalled for for you to continue pressing and treating me like a foal.” Roast sat down and breathed deep. He nodded and let the silence fill the room, intentionally signaling he was finished and awaiting her reply. “Well, um,” Sweet began, the smile having dropped from her face and her eyes turning down to look at the floor. She continued focusing on whatever had caught her eye and Roast patiently waited for her to find her words. It was times like these that made Roast wish he could know how she was feeling. Though, as every other time the thought ran through his head, it probably wouldn’t be a good thing. He already didn’t like seeing hurt on her face. To feel it as well would be even worse. After a short time longer, she looked up and met his eyes. “Let me say first that I’m sorry, Roast.” She offered him a quick sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry that I hurt you. That wasn’t at all my intention. Regardless of how I felt, it didn’t make it right for me to say what I did and belittle you, especially in front of Aura. I guess…” she sighed and scrunched her lips for a moment. Her gaze fell away from his again. “I guess I let my frustration at your inaction boil over and I took it out on you instead of talking to you about how I felt or letting you handle it in your own time.” Sweet’s eyes came back up to him and she nodded. He gave a genuine smile in return. “Your encouragement on the way over really did help. And honestly? Even though it hurt, I’m happy you’re continuing to be yourself with me. I’ve said it before, but I like seeing the unfiltered you, because it means you are participating in our relationship, not a calculating mask like it used to be.” “Sometimes I like the mask better.” Sweet said quietly. “I’m a trained and experienced collector. I had to go through rigorous evaluations to ensure I knew how to respond in so many situations. But when it comes down to being with my husband, it feels like walking a tightrope.” Roast tilted his head. “How do you mean?” “I… I guess it feels like I have to balance all my trained behaviors, the need to keep you happy and producing love, to acquiesce to whatever improves the relationship the most, to let little grievances slide off the face of Sweet Leaf. But I also feel like I have to balance myself and my own actions. You want the real me, the me that reacts based on how I feel, not a cold and calculating set of responses.” She held a hoof to her chest. “And I want that too! It’s just… sometimes when I let go, I say and do things I don’t mean. And sometimes I don’t even realize it! I could feel your frustration and anger when I was pushing you tonight. I think, in the back of my mind, I reveled in it a little. The frustration you caused me by never following through and then lamenting about it afterwards, it felt justified to make you feel some of the annoyance I felt. “It’s wrong and it goes against everything I was trained to do and it frustrates me that I can do that to you and not have the decency to notice.” “Sweet…” Roast shook his head before moving in to hold his beloved wife. “I’m not a psychologist and I haven’t been trained on the intricacies of social interaction. But from where I stand, you’ve never had a real, deep relationship before.” He paused, rubbing into her neck as she returned his embrace. “You’ve never been able to let yourself be hurt at what others do. You’ve never been able to take a step into a relationship and talk out your frustrations before. You’ve always been staring in from the outside. “Once you find yourself with someone you can trust and be yourself with, those feelings you’re used to shoving aside and distancing yourself from can come out in ways you don’t expect.” He gave her a tight squeeze. “We knew that going in, or at least some part of it. Seven months into your first, real relationship isn’t a very long time. I have no doubt both of us are going to stick our hooves in our mouths and say some dumb things.” He pulled back out of the hug and looked her in the eyes. “But that’s why we have to keep doing exactly what we’re doing right now. We’re in this together and we both want the best for each other. When I do something that gets under your fur, you sit us down and we talk, just like we’ve been trying our best to do. And I’ll keep doing the same for you. Sound good?” Sweet Leaf snorted and gave him a sad smile. “Yeah. It does sound good.” She leaned in and he accepted her back into his embrace. “I’m sure I’ll get this lesson through my thick skull at some point.” Roast rubbed his cheek against hers. “And I’ll be here for as many bathroom talks as we need.” She snorted again. “You’re a ridiculous pony.” “Mhm.” He held her tight. “Your ridiculous pony. Always.” “Hmmm, no. That’s not right,” Roast quietly muttered around the pencil in his mouth as he squinted down at the page on the desk. “If Silver Shine left at seven and she’s part of group two, Velvet couldn’t have left before her.” He tapped his hind hoof against their bedroom floor in thought. It certainly fit into the very hard category, the author wasn’t lying. But that’s exactly why Roast bought the company’s books. The challenge was part of the fun. Their bathroom door opening drew his attention away and over to the mare exiting from it. “Hey, hun,” Sweet Leaf greeted as she trotted over to the desk. “Chewing away at those puzzles again? Which one do you have this time?” “Mhm.” Roast nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Just a logic grid puzzle from Brain Teasers’ latest volume.” Sweet scrunched her nose. “I’m glad you like those things. They’re neat, but not my style. Too involved for me. I’ll stick to my sudoku or kenken if I want to stare at a grid for hours.” “Yeah, when you get stuck, it can be pretty tough to unravel the flawed logical connections.” Roast glanced at the clock on the desk before turning to fully face Sweet Leaf. “It’s ten-thirty. You about to head out?” “Yep.” Sweet Leaf walked to the closet and slid open the door. She pulled down a pair of saddlebags before starting to pull up the floorboard. “I’ll try to be home by two-ish so we can get our shopping out of the way.” “Alright. Did you still want to go to the park after?” She pulled out the magic-insulating bag and twisted it up tight before setting it into her saddlebag. “Yeah, if there’s still time in the day. We haven’t taken a walk through the trails in a long time.” “I could still go shopping while you’re out and save us some time.” Sweet shook her head and tightened the saddlebags around her waist before closing the closet door. “Nope. I like going shopping with you. Plus I want to see what kinds of breads and cheeses they have this time around.” Roast nodded and stood up. He walked over and she smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Alright. Well, you have a good time and I’ll see you when you get back.” “Yep. See you in a bit, honey.” Sweet gave him one last smile before turning and walking out the room and down the stairs. Sitting back down, Roast picked up the pencil in his mouth and got back to his puzzling pastime. Box after box he circled or crossed out, connecting times and places and ponies before he finished and double checked his work. Satisfied, he turned the page to the next puzzle and lost himself in thought. It wasn’t until his ears swiveled back at the sound of the kitchen door unlocking, opening, and shutting that he was pulled back to the real world. He glanced down at the clock on his desk and raised an eyebrow. Eleven-fifty. Back after not even an hour and a half? He thought and turned to stand up out of his chair. As he took a step to the door, hoofsteps resounded against the hallway stairs. He furrowed his brow, heartbeat accelerating, and wondered if maybe they should have invested in a baseball bat. The hoofsteps reached the top of the stairs and a few steps later, Sweet Leaf stepped around the corner. The breath he hadn’t remembered holding let itself out and his muscles relaxed their tension. “Hey, honey. Back so soon?” Roast put on a smile as his heart calmed itself. Sweet Leaf returned his smile. “Hey, hun. Yeah, only a few of my friends showed up and one of them got tired and decided to go home early. We decided to wrap it up and try again next month.” “Hm, alrighty.” Roast said before smirking. “I bet it was Tarsus that went home early, huh? That’d be his style alright.” Sweet Leaf’s smile dipped and she stared at him. Roast furrowed his brow. “Sweet?” She shook her head clear and her grin was back. “Sorry, I got lost in thought. Did you have a good time while I was gone?” “Uh, yeah,” Roast answered. It was odd, but he chalked it up to maybe something odd happening at the meeting. He’d ask about it again later. “Got through a few puzzles and I was going to do some more flavor testing, but since you’re home early, I guess that means we can get an early start on our day. Looks like we’ll be able to make it to the park after all.” “Yep!” She said as she walked over to the bed and unbuckled her saddlebags. “But I gotta use the restroom before we do anything.” “Sure. I’ll be waiting.” Roast watched as she set her bags on the bed. She turned around and walked past their bed and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. He raised an eyebrow. She usually put her bags away when she got home. Then he shook his head. Duh, we’re going shopping right after. And her magic bag should still be inside. Figuring he could be helpful, he stepped over to the bed and opened one side. Taken aback with surprise, he found it completely empty. As in really empty. He hadn’t remembered her cleaning the thing, but maybe she did when he was with the gang a couple weeks ago. Shrugging, he closed that side and opened the other. His brow furrowed again at the other side, just as empty and clean. He picked it up and twisted it around, but found no other pouch or anything where it could hide. Setting it back down, he walked over to the bathroom door. “Hey, Firefly?” He called out through the door. A few seconds passed. “Yeah?” “What happened to your bag?” “Huh? What do you mean? Are they dirty?” Roast paused for a moment at ‘they’ before realizing she must be talking about her saddlebags. “No, your saddlebags are fine. A lot cleaner than I remember them. But I meant your love crystal sack. It’s not in your bags. You didn’t happen to leave it there, did you?” A couple more seconds passed and Roast’s mouth turned down in a concerned frown. “Sweetie?” “Yeah, sorry. Uhh, I must have left it there. I’ll see if I can drop by and grab it later.” “Alright,” Roast said, still frowning. “Is everything okay in there?” “Yep! Just about finished.” Roast gave the door an odd look before deciding to let it go. If she wanted to tell him what was going on, she would and he would let her do it in her own time. The stray thought shot through his mind of her testing him after the night before, but he quickly threw it out. She wouldn’t do that, especially after their talk. He gave the door a final parting look before stepping away and taking a seat sideways at the desk chair, facing the bathroom. Another half a minute passed before he heard flushing and then the bathroom door opening a few seconds later. Sweet Leaf stepped out and turned to look at him. “Okay! Ready to go to the park?” Roast gave a little confused head tilt. “I thought you wanted to go to the market first.” “Hm,” she tapped a hoof on her chin, “I was thinking, maybe... since I got home early we could go to the park first, then go shopping.” “I suppose we could. We have been wanting to go for a while.” “Alright!” she said cheerily. “Let’s get going!” Roast pointed over to the bed. “Did you want to take the saddlebags so we can hop over to the market after we’re done?” “No.” She shook her head. “I think I’d like to enjoy a few hours out, away from everything. We can come back for it later.” “Alright, then.” Roast stood up out of the chair and gave her a grin. “Lead the way, my little lovebug.” She gave him one final cheerful look and headed out the door. He followed her down the stairs and out the kitchen door into the cool, mid-spring weather. He closed the door behind them and stood to the side. He gave her an odd look as she continued walking down the alley. “Sweet?” She turned back with a questioning look. “Yes?” “You gonna lock the door?” “Ah, yes. Sorry. We haven’t been to the park in a while and I got a bit too excited,” she said as she walked back and reached under her wing, pulling out her keys and locking the door. “There. Ready?” “Mhm.” Roast shrugged it off and started off down the alley, this time next to his wife. “So, was I right about who left early?” “Uhm,” she hesitated, “no, it was somepony else.” “It wasn’t the new guy, was it? What was his way-too-tacky name, Cobalt Strike? I thought he was supposed to be experienced.” He glanced over as they left the alley onto the side street. “Yeah, it was him,” Sweet said quickly. “He mentioned something about needing to go run some last minute errands.” “Ah. Well, hopefully he doesn’t turn out like Bobby Pin.” Roast let out a sympathetic little hum. “Though, I doubt anyone could get as bad of luck as she did.” “Mhm. Right.” Roast gave a sideways glance at her. “Are you sure everything’s okay? Did something happen?” Sweet Leaf stopped on the sidewalk and she gave a deep sigh. Her ears flicked back and she ruffled her wings, her tail flicking back and forth before settling. “No, nothing happened. Nothing important anyway. The one who left early… was me. Someone got on my nerves while I was there and I got fed up. I’ll tell you about it later, but right now I’d like to enjoy a nice walk with you. Is that okay?” She finished, looking over at him expectantly. He immediately gave her as big a reassuring smile as he could and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. “Of course, sweetie. I’m sorry for pressing. I’ll let you bring it up when you’re ready.” “Thank you, Roast.” She gave him a little smile and continued on. Roast stepped alongside her, following onto their shop-filled street proper, away from the cafe. He wasn’t really sure what to talk about. He wanted to let her settle down, since she seemed to be aggravated and most of his questions since she got home probably hadn’t helped. Nodding to himself, he decided that he’d let her start the next conversation when she was feeling up to it. Silence, once again, filled the void between them. He rarely minded it, but he was never comfortable when his wife wasn’t. Knowing she was upset was upsetting to— “Oh my goodness! Sweet Leaf! Roast!” A light purple mare called out across the street. She left the shop’s little outdoor display area and rushed over to them, taking care to look both ways. “Hi!” she exclaimed once she’d reached them. “I can’t believe I caught you! I’ve been so busy at work I haven’t been able to drop by.” Roast kept his eyebrows in check out of politeness. He didn’t recognize the mare, but they did have a lot of customers. “Hi.” Sweet Leaf replied, albeit with much less enthusiasm. “I’m afraid I don’t remember meeting you.” “Oh! Sorry.” She scrunched her shoulders sheepishly, her pink mane falling a little over one eye. “I go to your cafe every now and then. It was amazing luck that I happened to see you passing. I’m going on vacation in a couple days and I left an emerald pendant when I was at the cafe last. Do you think that I could grab it real quick?” She gave them a big, pleading grin. Roast did remember finding the pendant a few days ago. But, when he glanced over at Sweet and saw the deep breath she was taking, he knew the answer right away. “Sor—” “Yes, I don’t see why not.” Sweet Leaf replied, very obviously trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “It’s only right around the corner, after all.” Roast looked over at her. “Sweet, are you sure? We might miss it if we take too much longer.” He fibbed a little, hoping to give her an out. She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. We’ll still be able to make it, even if we have to take a carriage.” “Oh, thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Sweet Leaf merely nodded and turned around towards the cafe. Roast followed along beside her, giving her a glance and hoping this hadn’t frustrated her too much. The purple mare followed close behind them. They crossed the side street again, Sweet leading them to the front entrance of the cafe. A few shops down and she entered their gated patio. She pulled the keys from her wings and unlocked the door, holding it open for Roast as she passed inside. He turned to the mare. “If you’d give us a moment, we’ll—” “She can come in, Roast.” Sweet Leaf called back, halfway to the kitchen. “I…” He turned back to the mare. “I guess come on inside.” He walked in and held the door for her. Turning to the kitchen, he made his way through. “Hon, I think I changed my mind. And yes, I’m sure,” Sweet said as she sorted through their lost and found basket. “Could you go get my saddlebags?” Roast stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Honey, we can still go to—” “Please?” She huffed and turned her head to him. He clenched his teeth. He wanted to argue further, but with the guest there and her already sour mood… “Alright,” he said curtly. “But we’re going to need to talk about this.” “I know,” she whispered and turned back to the basket. With nothing left to say, he turned back around and headed to the stairs, glancing through the walkway to the dining area as he went. The purple mare simply smiled at him as she stood politely off to the side. Letting out a huff, he continued up and around the corner and into their bedroom. Her saddlebags lay on the bed, right where he left them. Walking up, he picked them up in his teeth and turned around. Roast gave a start at Sweet Leaf standing in the doorway, looking at him. He hadn’t even heard her come up the stairs. Setting the saddlebags down next at the foot of the bed, he gave her a confused look. “Sweet? Is everything okay?” She answered by stepping into the room and he became even more confused as the purple mare followed in behind her. “Sweet?” He asked again, seriousness taking over his voice. “What is going on?” “Who are you?” Sweet Leaf asked, her voice far harsher than he’d ever heard her. “What do you mean? I’m—” His eyes grew wide as ice ran down his spine. “You’re not Firefly, are you?” “What an amazing deduction,” Sweet Leaf sneered. Green flames overtook her body, leaving a changeling in her place. A second later and green flames flashed over the purple mare as well. A grin formed on not-Sweet Leaf’s fanged face and it spoke in a light, two-toned voice. “This is the point where we’d usually say, ‘Surprise! We’re changelings!’ But I guess all I can say now is, ‘Surprise! I’m not your wife!’” All signs of jovialness fell from her face. “Now. I asked you a question.” Roast let out a shaky breath. “I… don’t know what you want. My name is Fine Roast. I, alongside my wife, own the shop you’re standing in.” “Mhm. I could believe you.” The changeling freshly stripped of his wife’s face began circling him. She stopped near the closet and faced him and Roast’s eyes flicked back and forth between the two. “There’s no way you’re a changeling. I could write a book on how bad you are at hiding your emotions. Then that means you must be a pony. Except, you know things you very much shouldn’t know. “And apparently,” she continued, “your ‘wife’ knows you know these things, too. Now why would she be okay with that? The way I see it, she has just as much explaining to do as you. Which brings us back to the question. Who. Are. You?” Roast didn’t know what more he could say. He didn’t even know what they wanted. He glanced at the door between swapping his gaze back and forth. There was no way he could make it, not with the changeling standing right there. He wasn’t a good liar, especially not if they could tell what he was feeling. So that left one option. “I-I’m Fine Roast. On paper, I am married to Sweet Leaf, but in actuality, Firefly the changeling is my wife. She and I have been together for four years and she is the lo—” “Stop bucking with me!” The changeling by the closet stomped her hoof on the floor, sending a loud echo throughout the room. “Who are you leaking information to?!” She stomped closer. “What branch are you with?!” Another stomp. “The Hoofington Guard? The Royal Guard? EIS? Tell Me! Or we will pull it out of you bit by bit and I promise it won’t be pleasant.” Roast tried to stop the clattering in his teeth. “I can’t tell you what isn’t true. I’m not leaking information to anypony! The only one I’m ‘with’ is my wife! I’m a cafe owner. That’s it! I make coffee and I—” “Shut up.” She charged and shouldered him in the chest, shoving him onto his haunches. Before he could do anything, her horn lit up and she dipped down, shoving him with her magic and body onto the bed. He scrambled with wide eyes to get off his back, but her magic kept him pinned and she immediately jumped up onto him. “You wanna keep your secrets, that’s fine. Even if you’re telling the truth, it wouldn’t matter. Either way, it’s a long stay back at the hive. For both you and your wife.” Roast’s eyes shot open. “No! She hasn’t done anything wrong!” He felt his head seized with magic as she lunged down at his neck. He gasped as two sharp pricks jabbed into him. Within seconds his limbs became heavy and unresponsive. “No, Ple-pleath.” His tongue wouldn’t listen. “Doehn tahk har… I loeh… ah… lahv… ahh…” His voice refused him, all that would come out was nonsense and panicked breaths. Even his eyes denied him movement, leaving only the ceiling and the top of the changeling’s head in his vision. Not even a minute later, she released him and his head flopped over uselessly on the bed. The other changeling came into his vision, turning its head to the side to match Roast’s, a scowl on its face as it spoke in a deep, masculine voice. “Don’t worry, it’s just paralysis. Won’t stop your breathing or your heart. Yet.” He chuckled. “The real fun comes later after we detain your traitor of a wife. Now sleep. You’ve got a long road ahead of you, Mister Fine Roast.” The changeling’s horn lit up and Roast’s vision slowly faded to black.