Today, that is, the day after yesterday, a certain mare and a certain stallion where sitting down in a certain familiar spot, with a bunch of again certain familiar objects laying around them as the certain mare was doing a certain task.
Or, in Laymane's terms, Fruit Heart, and the recently dubbed Kindred Spirit (who still has that sweater wrapped around his waist due to them forgetting to give the transformed changeling a cutie-mark. Sheesh.) are outside in the market place as the mare was selling her fruit goods, the changeling-transformed-stallion was sitting ever vigilante next to her, watching over her in case anything like last time would happen again.
Thankfully, no such thing happened.
"Thank you, and come again." Fruit Heart called out to a happy customer who just left her establishment made up of a few boxes, a table and the fruit. Wiping her brow to remove some sweat, she let out a small sigh. Turning her head to the male beside her.
"Are you doing alright?" She asked him, and he turned his own head to face hers, and nodded. "Not to hot for you?" She said as she wiped her head again. He shook his head.
"Whew...it is for me." She panted. "I really need to buy a canopy for here, I hope I have enough money. How can you sit there in this heat?"
"I doth not feel it." He replied as he turned away. "The hive where I grew up in was a desert lest I remember. I think we just get used to it. Either that, or we doth be cold-blooded. I doth not know really." He said matter-of-factually.
She let her smile disappear when he talked about his hive. "You ever think about going back to the hive, then?" The question made the male's head turn so fast you'd think it would keep on going and screw off his head.
Then he gave a sincere smile. "Never." He said simply. She smiled back.
"Oh what do we have here?" A voice called out which made the mares head snap to attention. Standing in front of the table was a pristine white-toned unicorn. Her long, well-kept pink mane flowed out behind and her cerise eyes stared deep into Fruit Heart's own. Yet something about her made seems familiar to the fruit-seller. A scroll can be seen as her cutie mark.
"Fruit I see." The unknown mare spoke in a rather thick Canterlot accent as she stared at the food lying in front of her. She seems a lot friendly than any other 'high-trimmed' pony she's ever met, Fruit Heart noted for a reason.
"Uhhhh ahem-yes, all fruit here is one bit each." She replied, going back to her market-selling demeanor.
Looking, she gave Fruit Heart a sincere smile, before turning her head to the stallion standing next to her.
"Actually I'm more interested in the male right beside you." She said bluntly as she seemed to go googly eyes over the perplexed, and rather confused and wide-eyed...sorry eye stallion. Fruit Heart didn't think her mouth could open any wider. Or lower.
"Excuse me?" She gasped.
"Yes...yes I see. He is most a peculiar looking stallion." She smirked with a confident smile. "Missing an eye, sure, and why his mane and body have the same color make him looks as plain as any other I might never know, but he definitely seems the type to give any mare a ride for her life. So, what do you say mister, interested?"
Fruit Heart's teeth were so clenched together one might fear they'll break from the pressure, as she glared poison tipped claymores at the rather too-forward unicorn.
"What, the Tartarus do you think you're saying?" Fruit Heart rasped under her breath, trying her best to keep from creating a scene. That, and the feeling to pull the mares heart out through her own plot-point. Even the changeling is afraid.
The unnamed mare only looked back to the pissed mare. "Oh what's wrong, is he taken?" She said innocently. Before the male could get his word in, the mare beside him interjected.
"Yes, he is, and I swear to you he wouldn't give to two damns to even look your way. Now, either shove off or I'll make you. I hate to see ponies like you."
"Ponies like me?" The unicorn seemed to feign offence.
"Yes. Upper-class folk like you who feel like the world belongs to them. Well I have news for you. It doesn't. And to people as disgusting as you, it never will. Understand?" Fruit Heart huffed out. The changeling-stallion stared at the earth pony in shock. He felt proud of her. Damn.
The unicorn, however just chuckled as she slowly shook her head. "I know when I'm beat." She said, still with a smile on her face. She turned her body around. "Besides, I think Kindred Spirit here prefers a pony with real morals and ethics than a lady like me."
"Yes he would and-wait." She stopped when she felt something quite not right. "Wait wait wait." She repeated as she turned to the changeling next to her. Who gave her a confused look.
"How do you know his name?" She went from anger to bewilderment in a heart beat. A Fruit Heartbeat, if you will.
"Why wouldn't I know his name, after he," she paused as she stepped forward and got within a few inches of the earth pony's face, "I was the one who gave him it, after all."
It was then, then, did Fruit Heart figure out why the pony seemed so familiar. Not the way she talked or looked, except for those rather akin magenta eyes that looked to burrow themselves in her soul. It hit her. She couldn't believe it, but it hit her. She figured out her identity.
And as loud as she could possibly imagine at the top of her voice she rang
"PRINCESS CELEST-" Her shout only stopped when a white hoof lodged it's way in her mouth. Though, the now uncovered mare was unable to stop the shout in time as every pony in the vicinity dared to stare their eyes at three ponies (well, one pony, a disguised changeling and a transformed alicorn goddess). They all gawked at the three with baffled looks.
A second past.
Then all they stopped the staring and went back to their own life as normal as if nothing happened. The disguised Celestia huffed out a sigh of relief. Under her breath she let out quickly "Yes yes, I am indeed Princess Celestia disguised as a regular pony, just please don't make a it known to anypony else, I'll answer any questions you want answers to, just please don't make a scene." She said sincerely in a hushed tone with a panicked face. Fruit Heart nodded, even with the hoof still in her mouth. The changeling nodded as well.
"Good." The disguised princess then preceded to remove her hoof. "OK, before you even ask, the reason why I'm disguised is so I can blend in and become like any other pony. When I'm in this form, everypony sees me as just a regular unicorn. Here, I can observe the townfolk and see what's happening in this city. I can be anypony else and see what my subjects are actually going on to when they think I'm not looking. I AM just another pony."
"Because when you're an alicorn, everypony treats you like one." Fruit Heart mused.
"Exactly, and when I'm a regular pony, everypony treats me like one. It allows me to see what my children are actually like when I'm not around. I can see what they're like behind closed doors, so to speak."
Scratching her head the earth pony said. "Wow that's pretty impressive."
"For an alicorn as old as I am, this kind of magic is rather easy. How did you think I was able to get to you two in time." She then turned to the stallion. "Impressed?" She asked with a smile.
The changeling nodded his head, still too stunned for words. "I doth be so." Well, maybe except for those words.
Turning back to the mare, she continued: "Anyway, the real reason I am here is to apologize." Her smile faded. "It saddens me to know that many ponies that live round here are not as accepting as you are. It's not as if I can completely blame them but still, the way they acted was just needlessly cruel. If only, if only they knew how to be more understanding I feel as if everypony can be at peace. But that's more akin to a pipe dream than a reality, it seems." A small tear ran down her cheek as she pock in a demoralized tone.
"It's..alright Princess-"
"Please, I would prefer for you to call me Life Scroll, so as not to arise any suspicion." She interrupted quickly.
"Um...OK it's alright Life Scroll. I don't blame you. I don't blame anypony really. I'm not mad by any more."
"Your not? Not even a little?" She seemed so shocked to hear this.
"Well, sure a little but I'm OK now, and more importantly neither is he." She replied as she pointed to the male. Looking at him, he gave her a small smile.
"I was more worried about the mare then myself." He said. "She protected me, and I was doing the same back. It this not doth we a pony is supposed to do?" He asked.
"Yes that is exactly it." Life Scroll said. "If only there was more who think the way you do. I just hope you can accept my apology."
"Apology accepted." Both Fruit Heart and Kindred Spirit said at the same time, both brandishing a grin.
"Thank you." She said softly, before her horn light up, and a stack of papers slammed onto the table before them. "As promised, here are the documents for Kindred Spirit, all here to say that he is now a full member of Canterlot, and has just as much rights as any other has. Or at least, as any other as any should have. Do not worry, the only thing that I majorly changed was his birthday. Congrats Kindred Spirit, your twenty one years old and your birthday is May the 9th."
This made the earth pony think for a brief moment. "Wait, that's today!" She said astonished.
"Yes." Life Scroll gave a sly grin. "So you'd better give a him a special present." She finished as she actually winked at her, which made Fruit Heart blush, though thankfully the male didn't catch on, as usual.
The disguised Princess then turned to walk before stopping halfway. "Oh and one more thing." She said as she, using her magic, pulled a bit out her hair then placed it on the counter, then after taking a banana before she went back to walking away, leaving the two stunned.
"What?" Asked the princess as she took a bite of her fruit. "I like mmmmm bananas."
Much later in the day, the sun was on it's way out as it became dusk, the orange light shone through the windows of the house where a earth pony and a disguised changeling made they're way indoors as the mare locked the door behind, and the changeling, with the crates and other equipment on his back, let it down on the floor.
Yet the mare's mind was a bit in turmoil.
So you'd better give a him a special present.
Why did she have to say that of all things. To note, Fruit Heart was not what one would assign as sly or naughty, innocent would seem like a much better word. Yet, she was no idiot. She did know what ponies got up to in their spare time, it was a natural thing after all, basically all animals did it, probably even changelings.
Or from she had accidentally seen, most definitely changelings.
And why did the PRINCESS of all ponies have to say that? Is nothing sacred? She thought as her mind got interrupted by the sound of the changeling putting the other equipment away by himself, seemingly focused on his own task.
She took this time to study him, to look at him, to think about him.
The stuff he's gone through, most notably of them is his self-sacrificial nature to protect her; a creature many ponies would see as nothing more than love-sucking monsters, but she, she is able to see the soft side that he, and possibly, many others have, even though their is a strong chance that they will never know that.
He deserves something. He deserves her. Most of all, he deserves love.
And by Faust as her witness, she will show that she is his forever, because by Jove that what she knows.
She loves him. She didn't know how, but she knows above all things she has strong feelings for him, and if the recent past is anything to go by, he feels the same. And now is the time to reevaluate their love for each other, in a way she knows mares show their stallions.
"Kindred Spirit?" She called to him as he finished putting the stuff away. He turned to face her as he closed the closet door, then changed into his original physical form.
"Yes." He said as he made his way over to her.
"I just wanted to say...I..." The following words made her nervous, she's never said those three together before in such a long time, and to say these to him. She couldn't help but blush.
So she did so in the only way she thinks she can. Grabbing him by the shoulders she pulled him forward and unleashed a passionate and romantic kiss on the his lips.
The changeling, given no warning, melted into the kiss instantly.
For a few moments, they stayed that way, until she pulled back and looked dead in the eyes (EYE! Sorry!) and those three words:
"I love you."
To which he replied "I love thee back" and the mare leaned into his warm shoulder, basking in the heat that he creates.
Leaning back, the mare said to him, in a nervous and embarrassed, but diligent tone. "Come on, lets go to bed." Grabbing his hoof she hold on respectively as she lead him upstairs a blush on her cheeks but a promise in her heart, she continued.
"It's time you and I did something special together, something that shows you how much I care about you."
"What?" The changeling said. "You've already showed me how thou care about me. What could thou do that shows me more of what I already know?"
Looking back at him as she made her way up the stairs with him, the mare replied.
"It's time I showed you what us ponies do with the number 69."
And then they banged.
The End!