Charley and Thunderlane floated down to the ground of Ponyville, both wearing smiles on their faces. While Thunderlane might not have really understood what was about to happen, Charley did, and she couldn’t believe how it turned out. She didn’t ever think she could be herself, or have someone she genuinely felt for by her side, and yet here she was with both of those things. She was a mare with an absolute hunk of a stallion for a boyfriend… wait, was she?
“Thunderlane, does this mean we’re dating?” she asked suddenly, looking up at him.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess. I mean, if you want to anyway. I did preen you after all, and save your life, and we kissed and stuff, so…”
“Don’t say ‘and stuff’! We didn’t do ‘and stuff’!” Her face was bright red by the thought of it, not that she didn’t want to. She would absolutely jump his bones the second he asked. It was a thought that made her smile internally.
I’m an actual mare, dating an actual stallion for the first time ever, one who found me and put up with me and saved my life and made it possible for me to be myself…
She closed her eyes tightly and began to tear up again, a powerful feeling of happiness washing over her. Thunderlane moved up to hug her, but unexpectedly, when he did, she pushed him away.
“No! Don’t hug me!”
“Huh? What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?”
“You’re not supposed to risk your life for me!” she said tearfully. “You would’ve been gone and then I would’ve been here alone and then what would I have done?”
“Then you would’ve still been a pretty mare,” he whispered with a little smile.
“No! You’re not supposed to do that!” she yelled. “Don’t be a fucking idiot and risk your life for me!” He moved to wrap his hooves around her again, and she tried to push him away again, but didn’t put anywhere near the amount of force into it as she did before. She kept her eyes closed as he held onto her, letting her put her face in his neck. She was just a bit smaller than he was now they both noticed.
“If saving your friends when they’re about to die is a stupid thing to do, then I’m gonna be the biggest idiot of all time and keep doing it. It’s what stallions are supposed to do for pretty mares like you.”
“I’m not a… god damnit!” She smiled against her will at the nice words. She really was a mare, wasn’t she? She was a woman in real life. It was something she wished for about twenty years, and now this was actually who she was.
“You’re a pretty mare, and you’re just gonna have to deal with being called one forever now,” Thunderlane said, making her smile wider and blush harder. “I’m gonna tease you about it every day for the rest of your life.”
“Well, you’re not allowed to be a fucking idiot and try to die for me,” she huffed. “Even if it does mean I get to be a mare, and even if it feel… absolutely nice…”
She started to tear up again, but wiped her eyes before she began full on crying. Then, she turned to Thunderlane and said, “I wanna get some dinner. If that’s okay with you, anyway.”
“Absolutely. I’m getting pretty hungry, too, what with all that… other stuff. We didn't eat anything since breakfast, have we? Wanna get some fish somewhere?”
“And have them mess it up and undercook it again? No thank you.” She frowned at the thought of it as she asked, “Is there anywhere else we can go?”
“Sugarcube Corner if you’re okay with eating desserts for dinner,” he offered. “Not really my style, but–”
“Well I’m a mare now, and I didn’t die, and I get to spend more time with you, so that calls for a celebration,” she said. “I could go for some ice cream cake… but Pinkie Pie works there, doesn’t she? I’m really not ready to see her and have her say something about all of this.”
“You’ll have to see her sometime,” Thunderlane said. “She might think you’re an entirely different pony, you don’t know. But I’d just get it out of the way now if I were you.”
“Ugh…” Charley sighed. “She’s fucking annoying, too. If I see her, it’ll only be a matter of time before I end up screaming and cursing her out again.”
“And I’ll be there to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said, putting a wing on her shoulder. “Now come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Fine, I guess… but this is a bad idea.”
“Hi, Thunderlane!” Pinkie immediately greeted as she went up to the two’s booth to take their order. “Hi, Charley! Wow, you look different! And prettier! You’re like a totally different pony, even if you do still have that same big, old frown on your face. Oh! Oh! I know! I know! You look like a mare! If you’re a mare now, does this mean I get to call you a mare now? Can I, Charley? Pleeeease?”
“Wait, you told Pinkie Pie?” Thunderlane asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought I was, like, the very first pony you told."
“No, she just guessed randomly out of the blue because apparently everyone thinks I act like a girl.”
“Huh. Well, I guess if you’re a girl, you’re gonna act like a girl,” Thunderlane shrugged. Charley tried not to blush and smile at the comment, but couldn’t help herself. She got up and switched her spot at the table so she could sit next to him and lean into him and not have him look at her face so much when she got flustered and embarrassed.
“Please, Charley?” the hyperactive pink mare continued, hopping up and down as she asked. “Can I? Can I? Can I? I bet you’ll be super duper happy if I do! Please?”
“God, yes! I- I’m a mare, aren’t I?” she said exasperatedly. “You don’t need to ask now!”
“I super duper abso-tootly posi-lootely do need to ask, silly filly!” she jabbered. “Last time I did, you got all angry and stomped off and spent the whole night outside like a little miss grumpy pants, and I don’t want you to spend the night outside again if you’re staying with Thunderlane cause then he might be sad, and–”
“Yes, Pinkie, you can call me a mare! Can you take our order now, please? I didn’t want to talk about this before, and I certainly don’t wanna talk about it now.” She hid her face in Thunderlane's wing as she smiled at the words that were used to refer to her.
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot! How silly am I? Hehe!” She whipped a pen and notebook out of her mane as she asked, “What can I get you ma’am?”
Charley couldn’t stop her smile once again as she hid her head in her hooves, letting Thunderlane order for her. This was all so strange, and nice, being called a mare and feeling nice about herself for the first time ever. That was the main thing she took away. She felt nice. She was able to be herself as she sat next to someone– somepony– who cared about her, and showed it, too. It was unbelievable to imagine she’d ever be in this position, and yet here she was.
“You know,” Thunderlane said as she leaned into him after Pinkie Pie left, wearing a little smile, “I thought you’d lighten up and suddenly become bright and bubbly and outgoing now that you’re a mare. And yet, here you are, still being all grumpy.”
“Yeah, well, being a mare didn’t suddenly change my personality, so don’t go expecting me to be some fucking housewife who pumps out ten kids, because that shit’s not happening.”
“Awww, not even one?” Thunderlane asked, teasing her.
“Nope, not even one. I learned fifteen years ago that I hate kids, if you’re expecting that, you’re gonna be disappointed.”
“Well, that’s okay. Because you’re right. Kids are awful, even when they’re your little brother,” Thunderlane agreed. “But, um, do you… actually wanna date?” he asked. “I mean, I guess you do, and you already kind of live with me a little bit, but you know I have to ask again.”
“Yes, Thunderlane! Of course I do! God, this is… making me embarrassed…”
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“Because I might be straight, but I’ve never dated a guy before,” she said, speaking kind of shyly. “I’ve only ever been with my ex wife, and, like, two other girls before her, and let me tell you, I didn’t like any of them. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I’m straight. It… doesn’t make it feel less embarrassing though. At least right now.”
“Well, luckily for you, I'm straight, too. Not to mention, you’ll have a nice, strong stallion to take care of you and make sure you’re not nervous, or embarrassed,” Thunderlane told her. He wrapped his hooves around her and pulled her close, and she made a small squeak as she pressed into him. It was a move she liked, and it wasn’t like they weren’t basically dating before. They already kissed. If that wasn’t dating, she didn’t know what was.
“Well, the other thing is that I’m not gonna change,” she said. “I might be a mare now, and it’s nice being myself– it feels amazing already– but like I said, I’m not gonna turn into some housewife or suddenly be best friends with that pink pony or things like that. I’m still me… although I’m a little more me. Basically, I’m still a dumbass and don’t know how to interact with people. It’s why I came here in the first place.”
“Of course you’re not gonna change,” the stallion smiled. “I wouldn’t expect you to, and I wouldn’t want you to. You’re perfect just the way you are, even when you act all angry and like you hate everyone and then secretly lean into my neck to smell my scent.”
“I- I didn’t do that!” she tried to lie, looking at her hooves.
“Yes you did, and it was very cute, and I wouldn’t want you to change, unless it was a change that made you happier.”
“What if I said that I actually hate being a mare and want to be a stallion again?” she asked. “I bet you’d want me to change then.”
“As long as you were still you, then I… would care because I’d have a lot of internal stuff to dig through, but still would love you.”
“Aww, you’re so nice,” she said, finishing the conversation. “Now what’s taking that mare so long? I want some ice cream cake.”
The conversation moved on with that, the two enjoying a dinner of dessert as they sat next to each other and enjoyed each other’s company.