Dray's hooves felt heavy, ironic since to look at them there was a fair bit of them that was just air. The little factory he ran, where ponies assembled parts for foal toys, was usually just the thing to cheer him up. He had founded his company when he found out about Hay, then just a reason to love his mare more.
What would his workers… his friends, think. He had known some of them for many years, had given many of them official leave when their own foals were coming into the world. With deep thoughts he opened the door to the office. It was empty. "Must have all left. Can't blame 'em."
The changeling looked around, finding most of the papers to be in order, almost as if the two mares who worked in here had just gotten up and left. He spied the red form then, the one that would mean an accident had happened in the factory. He didn't read it, picking it up with his horn and heading through the door to the factory floor.
The stallion had been in such a fugue that he hadn't even sensed them.
"SURPRISE!" There were ponies everywhere. Not just his workers but their families; their foals.
"What in…" Dray was stunned, the changeling even dropping the incident report.
It fluttered half a foot before an earth pony mare, one of his office workers, grabbed it and tossed it into a waste-basket. "Couldn't have our boss feeling down!" She leaned in and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek.
"But you… I am… why are you doing this?" Dray flopped down to his belly in shock.
"Because you are the best boss in Canterlot, silly." It was Wood Turner, one of the stallions who had worked for him for years. "Come on, we have cake."
The changeling couldn't fight them, they gathered him up and directed him, with happy greetings and encouragement, toward where they had a huge cake set up.
'The best boss in Canterlot'
The writing on the cake had a stylized picture of a happy changeling on it. Beside the cake was a stack of scrolls. He reached for one, the top one. It was of course from Wood.
'To the best boss and "uncle" to my foals. If you ever need a pick-me-up, you don't need to ask. The family you have built here will last forever. No matter if you are a unicorn, a changeling or just a great pony, you are still Dray Cart, never forget it. - Wood Turner'
Dray was crying as he read it, there was a huge pile of them.
"Now now Dray, don't you get all sentimental on us. There is plenty of time to read those later, after you have had some cake and…" Wood sounded a little confused but shrugged and laughed. "Guess what I am trying to say is, do you need a changeling meal?"
The wording of the note had been vague, but now that the changeling knew what it meant he wondered how many of them had made the same offer.
"Hay, you can't leave us out." Another worker, a unicorn mare named Fresh Coat, trotted up and beamed at her boss. "My sister has been visiting the hive every other week, been doing the old mare some good, can't see as I will be hurt any worse by it."
Every one of them left it unsaid, however much they knew it had likely been happening, that Dray had already been feeding from them.
Finally beaten into a party mood by his workers and friends, Dray did have some cake and, for the first time ever, he could just be himself.
"So where is dad?" Hay slurped up her drink. It really was worth it, even if she felt like she wasn't hungry, it was just so delicious.
Pretty Cart broke into a wide grin. "He is in a meeting at the factory." At Hay's confused expression the older mare couldn't help but confess. "Not a single one of his workers would miss the surprise party, he has doted on them so much, been such a part of their lives."
Hay caught on and her mother's smile was infectious. "Well, of course. Remember when I was just a little thing, Wood's daughters foalsat for me pretty much every week." Fond memories of a much simpler time washed through Hay.
"How could I not? It wasn't easy in the early days, we lived one month to the next. There were some weeks when we ate meals with the Turners because neither family could really afford it on their own…" Pretty seemed lost for a time, her thoughts turning to just how much of an extended family the factory had become.
A hoof reached over the table and into Pretty Cart's own. She looked up into her daughter's eyes and the spell of history was broken. "Thanks, mom." Hay's words surprised Pretty.
"Whatever for dear?" Pretty was a little lost, not sure what her daughter was talking about, had she been talking while daydreaming?
"For everything, for being the best and for…" Hay lost control of her voice and stumbled from her stool, around and into her mothers embrace. They hugged, Hay shedding happy tears.
"Hay, my little miracle, don't cry when you are happy…" Pretty was on the verge of tears and, in a moment, the flood gate opened for her too and they each relied on the other for support as the emotions of the last few days poured out.
"No!" Penny was adamant, and sore.
"But it was really fun! It feels so cool to be one of those things!" Stick was practically bouncing around the other mare.
"Stick, they feel… I love you, you know that." Penny's resolve was already crumbling. Stick knew she would give in to the changelings whims.
Stick did stop her prancing, turning to look at Penny. "Did it hurt?" She sounded every bit as concerned as she should.
Penny grumbled. "No, and you know it." She reached back with a forehoof and rubbed her flank. "But lets not do it that way too often. I am going to be walking funny all day!"
The changeling laughed and leaned in to nuzzle her mate. "I love it when you walk funny." Her words were heated, Penny able to practically feel the desire and longing in them. It made her heart beat a little faster.
"You would." Penny sighed and wriggled her hips again. "But not now, I have a class in an hour and still need breakfast."
"Silly filly, breakfast is easy, all I have to do is reach out and…" Stick did just that and Penny melted into the sensation of fangs sinking in.
"Hay, stop that, I… oh darn you…" Penny's protest was very short lived and she soon was nuzzling and kissing Stick.
"And that is how I get breakfast, as for you, lets get you something nice and big." Stick teased her, drawing the mare's attention back to the world. "So lets go."
Penny felt very strange a moment, realizing she had been worked up again by her mate, but left wanting. It was an odd feeling for a self-labeled asexual. She wasn't sure what she was anymore, but after over twenty years of being confused, and now being a pony, Penny just shrugged and followed Stick to get a quick clean up.
It took exactly half the walk to the dining room, down wide and comfortable hallways, for Penny to realize why Stick was walking behind her. A furious blush enveloped the mare and she spun on her mate. "You are enjoying it! Damn you Stick!" She clopped a hoof down.
But the changeling's look was enough to break Penny's fury. Love, adoration, pride and desire all warred across the dark drone's face. "I was telling the truth. Now turn around little bite, keep wriggling."
Penny blushed harder, if it were possible. Turning, she started walking, fighting with her body to keep her stride normal. It wasn't until she reached the dining room that she realized how oddly good it made her feel, to know Stick loved looking at her so much. "Vanity…"
"What?" Stick, her favorite show over, stepped up beside her and they startled ambling past the empty tables.
"You will be the end of me." Penny kissed Stick's cheek and the pair fetched a plate each of food. Stick had kept piling both plates higher and higher, confusing Penny no end as to why. It wasn't until they got to their table that it finally dawned on the unicorn.
"Oh, right, now I have another belly to eat for." She flopped on the chair, a mouthful of food, courtesy of Stick, already incoming.
"That's right little nibble, you have two full grown ponies other than yourself and our little bundle, to worry about." The changeling had no trouble feeding her marefriend, Penny seemed ravenous.
"Look at her pack it away? I never saw a fat unicorn before but I think I will soon…"
The words came from the one table in the room, apart from their own, that was occupied. Penny didn't feel any hurt at all from it, the words were a touch petty, but their barbs were lost on her. "Ignore them." Stick had heard them too. "They are just jealous they don't have the best changeling in Canterlot as their betrothed."
Reminded of their unscheduled wedding, Penny squirmed a little to get some words out. "We should set a date." The last word barely left her before another pancake was shoved between her lips.
"Ready are we?" Stick's smile was wider than ever. It was hard for Penny to believe that anypony could think the changeling was ever a threat. She nodded to Stick, swallowing the berry-topped breakfast. "How about a month, then? Give everypony time to get ready."
Penny thought on this. A month was a good bit of time, at least when 'things' were 'happening', but right now it seemed about right to prepare. She nodded and opened her mouth. Stick didn't leave her waiting.
"Just ignore them." A stallion flopped down in a chair opposite them. "Sablee." He introduced himself as males are wont to, in a very casual manner.
"Stick. This is Penny."
"Hay." He started on his own breakfast. "You two are pretty new here, settling in okay?"
Penny tried to get a word in but all hope was crushed by her mate. "Yeah, some friends, some not-so-friends, the usual." Stick tried a little of the pancake herself. "You?"
"Been here for two years now, working on my major project." Sablee didn't mention anything about what the project was. "What are you studying? Just newbie stuff?"
"Mainly here for my marefriend." Stick had read something in the conversation that had blown right over Penny's head, the last word she spoke carried extra emphasis.
"Oh…" The wilted expression on the stallion clued Penny in and she blushed a little, wondering which of them had gotten his eye.
"Penny isn't from around here… I guess neither am I. Princess Celestia got us in here." Stick was playing things up and the stallion's interest grew with the name-drop.
"You are friends with Hay?" Sablee's motive now became clear. It wasn't either of the two odd-looking ponies that he was chasing.
Penny blushed but Stick had them covered. "Yeah, she is so nice, you friends with her as well?"
The unicorn stallion blushed and shook his head, lowering his nose nearly to the table.
"Well, she is out for the morning, visiting family. She will be back in the evening, would you like to get some ice-cream or something, with us?"
His head shot up and he looked stunned. "Uh, with you?" Confusion reigned supreme. "I… that is… I have to work on my project tonight…" He got up and took his breakfast with him, quickly turning and finding another table.
Penny managed to block the next silencing mouthful. "Stick! You should have told him Hay would be there too, he thought you were asking him out!"
Stick looked crestfallen. Leaning into Penny she gave a deep sigh. "Life is tricky."