“Sapphy, stop,” grunted the energetic party planner.
“Come on, we’ve almossst got it, dear,” replied her partner.
“It’s too… tight…”
“You’re the one who wanted this, remember?”
“Yeah, but-”
“Hush now and let me jussst…” With one swift swing, Sapphire Heart pulled downward the tunic Pinkie was trying to put on with difficulty, finally managing to free the earth pony’s head from the narrow collar in which she got stuck. “There!”
The lamia looked at her friend, who was dressed in a full jester outfit, though it was obvious it was too small for her. She bought it for the Cake twins’ birthday, planning to give them a little funny show later today.
“I should have gotten a larger sized costume,” Pinkie commented.
“Don’t sssay I didn’t tell you ssso, sssweetie. I’m sssurprised you haven’t thought of that on your own. All the sugar you eat does add to your weight, you know?” Sapphire said, sticking her tongue out at Pinkie, poking fun at her.
“Says the lamia who emptied a full tray of freshly baked cupcakes while my back was turned,” she countered, sticking her own tongue out.
“Hey, it’s not my fault if they sssmell ssso good,” Sapphire defended to no avail. Pinkie had this one in the bag.
“Honestly, the extra weight will do you good, Sapphy. You were a bit skinny anyway. Don’t abuse with the cupcakes, though.”
“Says the one who puts six sugars in her coffee in the morning,” teased the lamia.
“Not my fault if sugar tastes so good!” Pinkie defended, and the two mares giggled at their silliness.
“Even after five months, we still get into playful little fights,” she added as the both of them exited her room.
“Time sure flies, huh? It feels like it was yesssterday that we reconciled with each other,” Sapphire stated.
“Tell me about it,” Pinkie said, leaning in to drop a kiss on her marefriend’s lips, who gladly returned it.
“It feels good to have you back, Pinkie. I really love ssspending time with you. More, I alssso love spending time with your friends, too. I finally am sssomewhere I belong when I’m with all of you.”
“I get that. That’s exactly how I felt when I first moved here.”
They shared another kiss as they descended the stairs, a bit longer this time.
“Love you, Sapphy.”
“Love you too, Pinkie.”
“So, ready for the kids’ party?”
“Actually, I’m afraid I’m not staying for it,” Sapphire announced.
“Why?” Pinkie queried with a raised eyebrow. “Why would you miss a party you’re invited to?”
“I jussst have things to do in town today, and they can’t wait any longer.”
“What kind of things?” the pink mare pushed.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you, but I promise to tell you tomorrow afternoon. Crossss my heart and hope to fly, ssstick a cupcake in my eye.”
Pinkie eyed her suspiciously, making Sapphire sweat a bit, as she feared she would press further. She had to keep her plan a secret for another twenty-four hours and didn’t want to make it harder than it should be. Her one and biggest obstacle was in front of her, since she was the one she wanted to surprise.
After an uncomfortable minute for the hybrid, Pinkie’s smile widened tenfold, and she began hopping forward into the shop’s lobby.
“Okie dokie lokie!” she said as they reached the party zone, which was already filled with streamers and balloons, along with a banner with “Happy birthday Pound and Pumpkin” written on it hanging from the ceiling.
While Pinkie roamed the room until the Cakes finished their own preparations, Sapphire headed for the entrance door, grasping the handle with her tail.
“I’ll be back in a few hours, sssweetie. Have fun with the twins.”
“Have a nice day, Sapphy,” Pinkie called back, and with that, the hybrid left. Though she promised to tell her what she had in mind tomorrow, a single question kept nagging at her mind.
What are you planning, Sapphy?
* * *
Sapphire Heart slithered down the path toward Carousel Boutique. The air was clean, and at her request, Rainbow Dash had accepted to keep the sky clear of any cloud when the lamia told her about her plans.
She was still nervous about what she was doing. Never in her life did she imagine she would live something like this. Yet, as she thought about all the good things it would bring if it did work, she felt her nervousness vanish almost completely.
She passed by a few ponies on the way, now used to her form, and merrily waved at them, even exchanging a few “Hi!” and “Hello!” when they were in close range. It had taken a while to roam around town without feeling awkward, but with the help of her friends, she soon became comfortable wandering around on her own.
She finally reached her destination and knocked on the door three times, receiving a faint and familiar “Coming!” from the other side. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Rarity behind it, who had her working glasses on, a measuring tape around her neck and pieces of cloth, needles and thread wrapped in her magical aura.
“Why, hello there, darling!” she cheered as she recognized her guest.
“Good afternoon, Rarity. Um, mind if I come back later? You look busy.”
“Now now, I couldn’t possibly drive you away when I know why you’re here, hm?”
“But-”
“Don’t worry about me, dear. Come inside.” Rarity retreated in her boutique, the hybrid following her, and with a swing of her snake tail, she gently closed the door behind her.
“Are you sure, Rarity?” Sapphire asked. “I wouldn’t want to bother you if you’re too busy with your orders.”
“Nonsense, darling, though I admit I wasn’t expecting that much labor today, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” she assured, depositing her levitated tools on a table.
“Alright, if you sssay ssso.”
“Of course I say so. Now, I know why you’re here, but first, I have something else I want to give you. Wait here for a moment, would you?”
With that, the fashionista headed in her backstore, leaving a slightly confused lamia behind. That confusion soon turned to surprise when Rarity returned with a belt bag floating in her magic.
“I figured saddlebags wouldn’t be convenient for you, so I made this to compensate,” Rarity said, presenting the bag to the lamia.
“Oh Rarity, I can’t accept that,” Sapphire retorted, though the unicorn sharply shook her head.
“I don’t want any of that, dear. I am more than happy to gift you with this.”
Relenting, the snakepony grabbed the bag from Rarity’s aura and attached it around her waist. She then turned to a nearby mirror and looked at herself, noticing that its light brown color fit with her beige coat.
“You’re way too generous, Rarity. I’m gonna owe you a big one.”
“You owe me nothing, darling,” Rarity said, hugging the mare. “Just promise me that whatever you do, you’ll keep Pinkie happy.
“Trust me, I don’t plan on failing that,” the lamia declared with a small smile.
“Now,” the unicorn began, breaking out of the hug, “I’ve got what you came for in my room. I’ll be back in a jiffy. And before you start again, you don’t owe me anything for that either. Besides, let’s just say that this was a favor somepony owed me.”
With that, she went upstairs, coming back down two minutes later with a small sealed box in her telekinesis. She handed it to Sapphire, who took it and tucked it in her new bag safely.
“Thank you ssso very much, Rarity,” The hybrid said, hugging her friend one more time before she headed for the door.
“It is my pleasure, darling. Whatever happens, good luck!”
“Thanksss!”
Sapphire opened the door, and found herself face to face with Rarity’s younger sister, who was looking at her with a beaming smile on her face.
“Hi there, Sapphire!” Sweetie Belle chirped.
“Hey,” she replied with a hint of hesitation in her voice. She had witnessed twice what happened when the unicorn filly bothered her sister when she was overloaded with work, and both times it hadn’t been pretty. She then turned her head and addressed the elder as she bypassed Sweetie Belle on her way out of the boutique.. “Rarity, I think you’re gonna need more luck than me.”
“What do you mea-” The words stopped in the fashionista’s throat when she noticed her little sister had replaced the hybrid’s spot at the entrance, who closed the door after the lamia’s tail had completely left through it. Celestia help me… she prayed.
* * *
Instead of going back to Sugarcube Corner immediately, Sapphire decided to spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around town. She browsed the stands in the market area, buying herself a rose from Roseluck as a small snack in the process, savoring the petals as she munched on them.
She also took the opportunity to visit Ditzy, who she now considered a good friend. With Dinky being at school and Sparkler studying in Canterlot to be a fashion designer, the wall-eyed pegasus’ house wasn’t as lively. The lamia still found it admirable that she could manage to raise her daughters on her own, and she could see she was doing a very good job at making sure she had everything she needed.
They talked for most of the afternoon. After a while, their conversation breached upon the romance topic when Ditzy admitted that she might have a crush on a stallion in town, but made the hybrid promise not to spill a word about it, to which Sapphire gladly complied.
While they were on the topic, the lamia decided to share her plans for this evening to the pegasus, who couldn’t stop a loud gasp and a squeal of excitement from escaping as the meaning of what the snakepony just said sank into her brain.
When they noticed that it was starting to get late, Sapphire Heart excused herself and made her way to the front door. Ditzy accompanied her to her porch, and before the lamia left, hugged her and wished her all the luck in the world. Breaking the hug, the hybrid thanked her friend, and headed towards Sugarcube Corner to face her possibly biggest challenge.
* * *
Pinkie laid in her bed, facing the ceiling. She had removed her jester outfit and had thrown it in the corner of her room, along with all her unusable stuff. Next time, I’m getting a bigger size, she thought as she quickly took a peek at the pile of junk, and I should probably clean that up soon, shouldn’t I?
Partying for the Cake twins had taken a lot of her, surprisingly. Never once had she stopped dancing, joking, telling funny tales and etc. Or maybe she just overdid it? Nah, you can never put too much in a party, she reasoned to herself.
The shop was currently relatively calm. The babies were napping in their room, and save for the faint sounds - they weren’t loud from where she was - of the cash register downstairs, nothing was breaking the silence. Boy, maybe the girls were actually right. A bit of calm can really be refreshing.
She decided to remain like she was for a while, relishing in the serene atmosphere. Even party ponies need a break sometimes, don’t they? So relaxed she was, she didn’t even spring up from her bed when Sapphire knocked on her door before entering the room.
The lamia found it odd to see her friend with a lack of energy. It wasn’t an everyday sight, that was for sure.
“Hey there, Sapphy!” the earth pony greeted from her vantage point. Then she noticed the accessory around her waist. “Nice bag!”
“Thanksss,” she returned before closing the door behind her tail. “Rarity gave it to me. Makes a nice sssubssstitute to sssaddlebags.”
“Neat!” Pinkie commented before returning her gaze to the ceiling with a sigh.
“Partied hard with the little guys?” Sapphire guessed.
“You have no idea. Did I ever tell you that they are an amazing audience?”
“Um… no?” the hybrid responded sheepishly. Then a thought came to her mind and she smirked. “Ssso… that jessster cossstume…” Her smirk grew wider. “How long did it take you to remove it?”
“Don’t talk to me about it,” Pinkie retorted.
The lamia’s smirk turned into a toothy grin, clearly showing her two snake-like fangs on the upper gum of her maw. “Don’t tell me that I never told you ssso!”
“I know! I know! I should have listened to you! It’s just… I don’t know…”
“Admit it, you like it when it’s tight,” Sapphire said, finding hard by now to hold her laughter inside.
“Well, it needed to be tight so it didn’t fall off because it would have been too…” Pinkie paused and slowly turned her head to look at the lamia, who was now biting her lip. “loose?” And at last, she finally understood what Sapphire had meant, and a blush formed on her pink cheeks.
And of course, the hybrid totally lost it, falling to the floor in hysterics and pounding the floor with a hoof.
“O-oh Celessstia-a! The -pfft! - the look on your face, Pinkie! It’s jussst… Bwahahaha!”
“Hey!” the party mare interjected. “Laughing at somepony else’s expense is not funny!”
“Oh come on! How many times did YOU laugh at mine in the passst?” Sapphire asked as she slowly but surely managed to subdue her laughing, rising from the ground.
It’s true, isn’t it? Pinkie thought. Looking back at her friend, who was now back up at normal height, she gave her a smile of her own.
“Okay, you win this one, silly.”
They took a moment to calm down, especially Sapphire, who had to take numerous deep breaths to let the adrenaline wind down. When she was sufficiently placid, she took another breather to steel herself for what she wanted to do in the first place.
“Pinkie, you know that ssspot of yours on the roof?” She received a nod and raised eyebrow in response. “Do you mind if we go up there for a while?”
“Why on the roof when here is fine?” the earth pony asked.
“Please. It’s very important to me,” she begged, and Pinkie didn’t miss the hint, as she got up from the bed and opened her window, hopping out of it and making her way to the top, the lamia following behind.
I wonder that’s going on, she mused. But if talking up here will make her happier, then Auntie Pinkie Pie will be more than happy to accept.
Once they were sat on the rooftop, the pink mare didn’t waste a second bombarding her friend with questions.
“So, why are we alone up here? Oh, is it because you have a super duper, top secret secret you wanna tell me?” she asked, and continued before Sapphire could reply. “Or maybe is it a super fun prank idea? Oh, what is it? Who are we gonna prank?” For each little question, the closer her face was from the lamia’s, who was now unable to keep up with Pinkie and was being driven crazy by her antics.
“PINKIE!” she yelled loud enough the whole town could have heard her. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, a couple walking around did and glanced their way, and the hybrid waved dismissively at them. Luckily for her, they got the message and returned to whatever they were doing.
Pinkie, on her side, had stepped back a few steps as Sapphire snapped, and was currently watching her with an unblinking stare. Her ears were ringing from the sheer intensity of the yell. Even Dad doesn’t yell that loudly, she thought.
When Sapphire returned her focus on her friend, a small pang of guilt hit her as she noticed the stare Pinkie was giving her, and slightly lowered her head apologetically.
“Sssorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“No, I’m sorry,” Pinkie cut her as she recovered from the shock. “I guess I let my imagination get the best of me… again.”
“Don’t you dare take the blame,” Sapphire commanded.
“But it was my fault that you yelled at me,” Pinkie retorted.
“No, it’s not.”
“But-”
“Pinkie.” She didn’t yell, but her tone was stern, and Pinkie thought it best to stop talking and listen. “I’m sssorry I sssnapped at you, but I promise, it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. Would it have been any other day, I wouldn’t have minded your… antics, if we can call them that way.
“But today is different.” She breathed deeply once more to retrieve her courage and self control. “I asked you to come here because I have sssomething very important to asssk you, and it would mean a lot to me if you could jussst let me ssspeak without any interruptions.”
Pinkie nodded. She put a hoof to her mouth and zipped it shut, then nodded for Sapphire to continue.
“Thanks,” the lamia said with a smile. “Here goes nothing, then.
“Pinkie Pie, when we firssst met almossst ssseven years ago, I felt like you were the sssavior to my miserable life. When I thought I couldn’t find any way to be happy after I lossst my parents, you showed me the light in my darknessss. During that firssst year, you made me feel emotions I thought I could never feel again, and made me realize that my life ssstill had hope in it.
“As the months passssed, the light you shed on my sssaddened heart grew into a beaming beacon. However, as that light grew, ssso did my admiration and appreciation for you and the kindnessss you’ve shown me, and before I knew it, I began having a crush on you, which ssscared me and warmed my heart at the sssame time back then.
“And then everything shattered. I messssed up, and everything went downhill. Everyday I moped about what I had done and thrown away because I was too weak to control myssself, and I felt I was back to square one.
“Everyday the weight of my sssin hurt, and it was thanks to Zecora, who helped me put my thoughts in order, that I was able to figure that I had more than a crush on you and that wherever you were, I ssstill cared deeply about your well-being.
“Now it’s been over five months that we’re back together, and to be honessst with myssself, those were the best five months of my life. To mossst ponies, it may not be long, but to me, it felt like forever.”
As Pinkie listened, her heart pumped faster. No matter how much she wanted to jump high into the air at the fact that she and Sapphire shared the same feeling and similar thoughts towards each other, she remained still and quiet, respecting the hybrid’s request.
“And ssso, it is with great courage that I want to asssk you one important quessstion,” Sapphire added.
She looked down at her belt bag and opened the latch, carefully withdrawing the small box that was stored in it. Closing the bag, she looked up into Pinkie’s sky blue eyes, and somehow, the pink mare could feel that what was about to come next was serious business.
“We’re ssstill young, meaning there’s ssstill plenty of time ahead of us,” the hybrid said. “However, it would bring me infinite joy if we could ssspend that time together, ssso that’s why I want to asssk you this…” She leaned down so that she was level with Pinkie’s neck, her sapphire eyes never leaving Pinkie’s, and opened the box, revealing its content.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie, would you make me the happiessst sssoul in Equessstria and give me your hoof in marriage?”
Silence settled between the two mares, and Sapphire’s nerves tensed with each passing minute without any sort of reply, to the point where she was slowly beginning to sweat.
Pinkie, on her part, now had her gaze fixed on the gold necklace that laid in the open box in the snakepony’s hoof, more specifically on the aquamarine embedded in the pendant that was attached to the chain. Although she was no connoisseur in jewelry, she could easily guess why Sapphire had chosen this particular gem. Same color as my eyes…
Then her mind went back to the question that came with the accessory, and looked back at her friend. Her caring, honest and lovely friend, she corrected. And the longer she stared at the hybrid, the more she felt that should she spend the rest of her life with anypony, she wouldn’t want that somepony to be anyone else that her.
Without any sort of warning, she sprung into the lamia’s arms, causing her to drop the box, but she managed to catch it with her tail before it hit the floor.
“Of course I do, silly,” Pinkie answered, and Sapphire could feel tears dripping on the fur on her back. Her hooves now free, she embraced the pink mare and returned the hug, shedding happy tears of her own.
After two minutes, even though neither of them wanted the moment to end, Sapphire pulled away. With her scaly limb, she lifted the box between them, and with her hooves, grabbed it and put it around her fiancé’s neck. Retreating a few inches, she admired how well it matched Pinkie’s eyes, and smiled approvingly.
They said nothing for a while, content of just gazing into each other’s glassy orbs. With a hoof, the lamia wiped away Pinkie’s tears, then her own, before leaning over and kissing her tenderly on the lips.
“I love you ssso much, Pinkie Pie.”
“I love you too, Sapphy.”
They remained embraced in each other’s arms and sharing kisses for most of the evening, not wanting the moment to end. When Luna’s moon eventually rose into the sky, they swore they could feel the lunar monarch’s blessing as the moonlight shed on them.