//------------------------------// // In your excellence, I forgot I used to have my own // Story: Irrelevant // by Undome Tinwe //------------------------------// The door slammed open as Gale Force stormed into the house. Fiddly Twang looked up from the sheet music she was studying to address her roomate. "Is everything alright, Gale?" Gale let out a growl as she stomped over towards her, fuming the whole while. "Brass Quill visited the factory today. Sun-forsaken coward wouldn't even look me in the eye when he gave his whole speech about how it was the ponies that made the company great rather than the machines." Fiddly winced. "He's the one that...?" "The one who stabbed me in the back before I met you, yeah." Gale looked like she was moments away from spitting on the floor in rage. "Bastard told the higher-ups about our side hustle and got me transferred over to this shithole, and now he's a bigwig up in HQ living the life I should've had." "I'm sorry you had to see him again," Fiddly said softly. "Yeah, well, I think we're all sorry considering I socked him in the face after the speech." Fiddly sucked in a sharp breath. "Aw shucks. That ain't good." "I deserved the promotion, not him," Gale seethed. "Sure, we were both skimming a little off the top, but I was still making the Fillydelphia factory the most profitable subsidiary in Equestria." "What happened after that?" Fiddly asked, bracing herself for the answer. "I'm suspended for a week," Gale replied. "Then they'll decide what to do. I'm not apologizing, though. When I heard he was coming to visit, I thought we could bury the hatchet and move on, but after seeing him saying all that shit up there, I realized that it wasn't gonna happen. Everypony's ready to watch me burn if it helps them get ahead, so screw 'em all." "I've found that most ponies are like that," Fiddly commented. She stood up and walked over towards the raging mare. "I'm here for you, though. You know that, right?" Gale let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know." She tried to give Fiddly a small smile, but it soon turned into a grimace. "Guess in the grand scheme of things I'm just a blip in your life, anyways." "You're way more than that, darlin'." This was her chance. Fiddly reached out and slowly stroked Gale's mane. "I care about ya more than you could know." Summoning up all her courage, she leaned in, making her intentions clear. Gale's eyes widened in realization, but a moment later she closed them and leaned in as well, and the two of them shared a passionate kiss, Fiddly taking all of Gale's anger as they devoured one another, the pegasus clinging to her last lifeline in this cruel world. "Oh, wow." Gale said afterwards, her rage having been transmuted into confusion and desire. "I never knew you felt that way about me, Fiddly." "I've been in love with you for a long, long time," Fiddly replied. "Just never knew how to tell ya." Gale chuckled, but there was still a bitter note in it. "Guess this beats thinking about that limp-dick asshole." She sighed again. "Maybe I'll go say sorry and see if I can keep my job. Unless you wanna pay my half of the rent too." "I can afford it," Fiddly admitted. "And you don't have to do anything you don't wanna. I'll support ya no matter what. Always have, always will." "Thanks, Fiddly," Gale said, completely oblivious to just how true Fiddly's statement was. "Screw 'em all, I guess. I've got you, and I don't need anyone else." "And I don't need anyone except you either, Gale." Fiddly leaned in for another kiss, escaping from her eternity for a little while longer as she experienced love once again. "Hey, Lightning." Fiddlesticks waved her friend over as Lightning walked into the café. The pegasus mare looked distracted, barely waving back as she trotted over. "What's on yer mind?" "I ran into Rainbow Dash today," Lightning replied, taking a seat. "Oh." Fiddle put on her best sympathetic expression, ready to comfort her even as a spark of excitement flared up in her heart. Was this her chance? "Yeah." Lightning flipped open the menu. "Wish they had booze here," she commented as she read through it. "That bad, huh?" Lightning sighed as she set down the menu. "Not exactly. We... talked." She shook her head. "Stars, but I was such an idiot back then. Nearly killed all the Elements of Harmony once, and then nearly got one of the Elements' sister killed." Something was wrong. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go. Fiddle felt her excitement turn to panic. "She ruined your dreams, though," she pointed out. "Twice." "Yeah, well, maybe I deserved to have them ruined," Lightning replied, and there was a sad smile on her face now. "Not like she meant to do it. All this time, I was so mad at her, but she was just... I don't know. She said she was sorry for what happened to me, said maybe she could get me another chance at the Bolts." Ice frosted over Fiddle's heart. "That's wonderful news, darlin'," she said through teeth gritted into a smile. Lightning laughed. "I said thanks but no thanks. I'm too old for that shit, and I wasn't interested in a handout from one of the Elements." At least some of her old pride still remained. Fiddle resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. "Well, you've still got me, no matter what," she said weakly, knowing the chances were low but still needing to try. "Yeah," Lightning replied. "I really appreciate you sticking around. Guess you don't have anything better to do this century, huh?" Fiddle shook her head. "Nowhere else I'd rather be, sugar." "Aww." This time, Lightning's smile was more genuine. It was lovely to see, despite Fiddle feeling yet another opportunity slip away. "Anyways, emotionally draining chats also make me hungry. What're you having?" As Lightning picked up the menu, Fiddle tried to focus on her friend and their conversation, but the dread she'd felt before remained, sitting uncomfortably within her heart. Still, she didn't let it get her down too much. She'd done this many times before, and even if this iteration was one of the more challenging ones, she had millenia of experience. Lightning Dust would be hers eventually. Destiny would not be denied.