//------------------------------// // Confessions // Story: A Changeling's Endeavors into the Subtle Art of Wooing Mares // by airbournesquid //------------------------------// The pristine and pale light of the moon cut through the half-closed curtains and illuminated Applejack's golden mane. It shone with an ethereal white glow, which strangely reminded Caramel of the ever-flowing manes which the princesses sported. He smiled and adjusted himself in the bed, freeing himself from the lover’s knot which she held him in. She stirred and pawed at the spot where he had laid, subconsciously yearning for him to return to the sweet embrace. His smile widened as she shuffled upon the mattress and dragged the sheets closer to her breast, holding them as if they were a lover. She buried her muzzle into the crumpled pile of sheets and sighed contently, her nose settling on a patch of the cloth that was thick with his scent. Her orange forelegs circled around the covers and gave them a tight squeeze. Caramel stifled a giggle. The mare had a hug that could break a stallion's spine. He brushed some stray locks of mane out of her face before bending over and planting a gentle, lingering kiss on her freckled cheek. As he pulled away, he noticed that she was smiling. "Ah'm startin' ta think yer a little bit too mushy fer mah tastes," she said, blindly reaching out to him with a hoof. "watchin' me whilst ah sleep an' all... Y'all been readin' those love stories again, haven't ya?" Her eyelids clicked open, revealing the brilliant pair of emerald irises that hid beneath them. He took hold of her outstretched foreleg and cradled it to his chest, revelling in the intimacy of her soft touch. "You're pretty when you're asleep." he stated bluntly, staring out of the window. He knitted his brow in thought as he calmly considered the madness of what he was about to do. Another foreleg wrapped across Caramel's waist and linked with the one he held, encompassing him in a strong and reassuring hug. The warmth of Applejack's breath licked the back of his neck, sending a quiver of excitement down his spine. She rested her chin on his shoulder and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. This wasn't the first time she'd caught him watching her whilst she slept. In fact, he had been doing it a lot lately, and he was hardly subtle about it. Although when it came to Caramel, nothing was subtle. The poor stallion couldn't keep quiet for the life of him. She gave his ear a playful nibble before whispering in to it. "Y'know, yer probably one of the strangest stallions ah’ve ever met, an' ah love you for it." "What if I wasn't a stallion..." "Hmm?" "Would you love me if I wasn't a stallion?" reiterated Caramel seriously, turning his to lock eyes with his lover. Applejack drew back, eyeing her coltfriend with suspicion. 'What if I wasn't a stallion'. Just what kind of question was that? She shook her head dismissively, promptly chalking it up to that wild imagination of his. Caramel said some weird things from time to time, but that was just who he was. Some ponies called him a psycho, which was kind of true, but he was her psycho, and she wouldn't have him any other way. "Sure ah would," she said nonchalantly whilst tightening her hold around his waist. "ah'd love you if you were just about anythin'!" Caramel beamed as Applejack reassured her love for him. 'Maybe, just maybe...' "How about if I was a diamond dog?" he asked humorously. "Yup." "A dragon?" "Yup." "A griffon?" Applejack chewed the inside of her cheek and 'hmm'ed mockingly, earning herself a playful peck on the nose. "Yup." "... A changeling?" The farm mare's smile faded slightly and her eyes darted momentarily to the side. "Well..." If anypony else had asked her this, she would have probably screamed 'no' in their faces at the top of her lungs. As an Element of Harmony she'd learnt to accept different cultures and species, far more so than most other ponies, who were, in her opinion, ridiculously xenophobic. However, she had her limits. Could she really love an emotion-eating, insectoid beast bent on conquest and destruction? If said beast was him, then yes. Yes she could. "Ah suppose." she said with a shrug, nestling herself further into his back and inhaling the musky smell of his coat. A smirk crossed her lips as she noticed the hint of raspberry soap he had used this morning. Somepony ought to tell him that he was using a body wash designed for mares. For a while they stayed like that, basking in the simple joy and love of the moment. Caramel had gone back to staring out of the window and taking in the sheer vastness of the night sky whilst casually stroking Applejack's foreleg. Outside the stars glimmered like brilliant diamonds under the light, clustering around the perfectly white full moon. He didn't know any constellations, nor did he want to. The night was all the more beautiful to him when shrouded in mystery, but could the same be said for him? 'She'd still love me... wouldn't she?' He let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his temples with his free hoof. When did love become so damned confusing? When did something as rudimentary as food become so complicated? Since when does a changeling fall in love with a pony? "Caramel?" muttered the sweet voice of his lover. "Is somethin' wrong?" This couldn't go on. Not like this. He wouldn’t, couldn’t just keep on lying to her like he was. She was his marefriend, she had a right to know the truth. "Yes, actually. You see, there's something I need to tell you- show you- about me." he sighed again and began fidgeting with a whorl of bed sheets. "But... I'm not sure if you want to see it." 'Just what in tartarus do you think you're doing? Are you seriously going to show her? Do you really believe she'll still want you after she sees what you really are?' Applejack pulled back her forelegs from Caramel and peeled herself from his body. He could smell the sweet aroma of her love give way to the sour tinge of distrust. He'd been hiding something from her, and she wasn't happy. "Ah ain't no filly, Caramel. If there's somethin’ y'all need ta show me, ya better come out with it now." her voice was stern and demanding. He knew Applejack well enough to know that when she used that voice, she wasn't going to stop until she got an answer. How ironic that she was sleeping with a natural born liar. He sighed solemnly. "Are you sure? When you see... what I'm about to show you...we won't be able to go back." he sighed again and began drawing small circles on the bed with a hoof. He knew she would persist, because that was just who she was, but still, he wistfully hoped that she would drop it. That she would just say 'okay' and let the harsh truth remain uncovered. Of course, she persisted. "Caramel. Show me." "... Okay." He closed his eyes in concentration and began to peel away the disguise he had worn for over a year. A spout of electric green flame engulfed his form. The neat brown mane which he had made a show of brushing every day burned away, replaced with a short dorsal fin. His tan coat fizzled into jet black chitin, and his hooves twisted into sleek, black appendages. A pair fangs as white as the moon itself crawled out from under his lip and glistened in the moonlight. He opened his eyes, revealing two empty pools of cerulean blue. ... ... ... Silence. "No." croaked Applejack finally. Caramel could feel her bright green eyes boring into the back of his head as she uttered the single, condemning syllable. The steady flow of love she had been giving him boiled into a fiery stream of hate and contempt, and before he knew it her hooves were gripping him once again, only this time it was much less passionate and far more threatening. This was going to hurt. A lot.