The sun dipped low across the land as night descended upon Equestria. For some, another long day of hard work had finally come to a close, while others were just beginning their evening under Luna's watchful eye. In Ponyville, things had mostly settled down. Few chose to keep late hours, and those that did only did so long enough to finish a few last minute things before finally retiring. Others, particularly a certain Princess of Friendship would stay up the entire night if they were allowed to by the Changeling Queen staring at them from their mattress.
"It's late, Twilight." Chrysalis said, yawning from their bed. "Come to bed."
"Just let me finish these last few-" Twilight began before she was interrupted.
"Bed, Twilight." Chrysalis insisted in a tone that left little room for debate. "It can wait til tomorrow."
"You know," Twilight sighed, finishing one last sentence before setting her quill down and blowing out the light. "For a queen you certainly spend a lot of your time lounging about."
"Yeah?" Chrysalis snipped back, watching her come to bed. "Well, for a princess you sure work like a drone."
"Scooch." Twilight said, giving her a light push to get more room before setting down. "Lazybug."
"Workaholic." Twilight heard Chrysalis say as she pulled the covers up over them and turned away. She was about to continue the chain of jabs but a yawn cut her halfway off. She curled up a bit more under the covers and decided to let Chrysalis have this one. There was always tomorrow.
"Hey." She felt Chrysalis lightly poke her and sighed, turning around to face her.
"Mmm?"
"I Love You." Chrysalis said carefully, looking deep into Twilight's eyes as she said it to make certain she was heard clearly.
She didn't need her ability to taste emotion see the look of surprise on Twilight's face before the alicorn smiled at her. "You've...never told me that before." She observed sleepily.
Chrysalis smirked. Of course. Ponies did not understand the words "I Love You." as changelings did. Too often would they say it casually, as a farewell, or to express how much they enjoyed something. They did this without a second thought, ignorant of the powerful meaning that a changeling knew the words should always carry when spoken. For any changeling, despite what the other races believed, Love was more than just food. Love was life in it's purest form. Love was that which nourished the body and gave it strength. It allowed one to grow and survive. It provided warmth in the coldest winter and protection from the fiercest foes. Love was the most precious thing in the world; And it is because changelings saw it for the precious thing that it was, that they guarded jealously that which they had collected.
Between two changelings, draining Love was impossible. However it was possible for one changeling to transfer Love to another, leaving the giver sickly but invigorating the receiver. Such transfers always resulted in a loss of some of the Love, meaning they still had to seek out and harvest Love from the other species. Thus, the only reason to ever do such a thing was either to sacrifice one's self to empower and nourish the Queen, or to show the depths of one's Love for another.
Therefore, the simple phrase "I Love You." took on a powerful meaning for the changelings. To say those words was to convey the purest form of Love; that which is given of oneself with all that one has and expecting nothing in return. To say "I Love You" was to deny one's own hunger, growth, warmth, and protection in service to someone else. It was to say that, to that changeling, the other person was more precious than life itself.
"Well, I'm saying it now." Chrysalis replied, resting her head against Twilight's. No, ponies did not understand Love the way changelings did. Not even their precious pink pest of a Princess of Love, Cadance didn't get it. Not even Twilight understood completely, and she probably knew and understood changelings better than any pony in Equestria.
But, Chrysalis supposed as she closed her eyes to go to sleep, that's alright.
"I love you, too Chrysalis." She heard Twilight murmur as she pressed up against her, and Chrysalis felt herself smile.
Vinyl smiled in triumph, twirling the lit flame in a little circle beside her before blowing it out. She took a moment to look around at her handiwork, making sure that for one night only, everything was in it's proper place. Scented candles of something called Ylang Ylang. She'd asked around - on the down-low obviously - and had it on relatively good authority that it was Octy's favorite scent. With a few circular waves of her hooves to spread the scent around, she had to admit; it did have a rather soothing smell to it. If she were a perfume kind of mare, she might have looked into wearing it sometime.
She'd set up four of the little blue candles in the center of the table, the only light that was on in their small dining room. A good start.
Next she checked on the food. She'd wanted to go especially fancy but outside of ordering something from Canterlot that she didn't know how to pronounce or buying some cheap frozen knock off, that was a no-go. Cooking was never a particular talent of hers either, but she didn't want to just make something like a sandwich in five minutes. Tonight was going to be special.
So with her mediocre cooking skills and limited resources, she did her best to make the best damn spaghetti Octavia would ever eat. She hadn't tasted it yet, but both plates of it certainly looked good sitting on either side of the table. She'd been tempted to be silly and put it all on one plate for them to share, but she didn't think the joke would fit in all that well tonight. That said, telling her about it would make her roll her eyes and smile, as most of her schemes did. A great conversation starter, that.
But of course, she couldn't forget her secret weapon; Octy's favorite cake. Dark chocolate frosting on chocolate cake with strawberries circling a big red cherry in the center. Fresh from Sugar Cube Corner, and looking absolutely delicious. Vinyl usually saved the ordering of such a cake in the event that she did something to well and truly infuriate Octavia and needed an ace in the hole to avoid Terrible Things happening to her for the foreseeable future. But tonight was special, and as long as she didn't do something monumentally stupid for a few months, Vinyl was fairly sure she could still use a cake like this one to get out of trouble.
And last but not least, she thought to herself as she went into the bathroom to check her reflection, is Vinyl Scratch herself. She looked good in her estimation. Her coat was all shiny, her tail brushed out; She'd even put some make up on at first before she washed it back off when it started to itch. She'd tried to do something with her mane, she really had; but around the time she broke two of Rarity's combs and one of her brushes was the time she gave up on having hair that looked like anything but a bedhead that had crossbred with a lightning bolt. Still... she looked good tonight.
She gave her reflection a winning smirk. "And Octy thinks we don't do cultured." The reflection stuck it's tongue out at her and she laughed. Going back into the dining room she looked over her handiwork one last time. Everything was prepared and all she had to do was wait.
It sometimes took a lot more effort than she usually put into this kind of thing, but that look of surprise on Octy's face when she walked through the door after a long day of practice, and the way it changed to a smile as she said her name?
Rainbow Dash wasn't a pony who did things halfway. She'd procrastinate and put off work sometimes, but when it was time to get down to business she did her job well and she did it fast. She wasn't in charge of the weather team for nothing, after all. This extended to when she dated, which ended up giving her a reputation of being somewhat overbearing. It was a reputation she accepted, though she preferred to describe herself as being so awesome that most ponies couldn't handle dating her. She was passionate, driven, and always up for a challenge.
Gilda, similarly, was someone who lived according to her passions. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, and to tartarus with anyone dumb enough to try and get in her way. Life was too short and she didn't have time for dweebs who were too weak to handle an intimidating griffon like her. She was strong, stubborn, and with a temper just waiting to be flared up.
After their second reunion in Griffonstone, it wasn't really a question of if they would try getting back together, so much as when and how much damage they would end up causing when two irresistible forces clashed with each other. Rainbow would go to visit her every so often, and every time she would come back furious and venting to anypony who would listen about how surly and rude Gilda had been. Back in Griffonstone, Gilda would similarly vent to Greta and a few of the other friends she'd been making about how annoying Rainbow visiting was when she was trying to get work done.
Things only got worse a few years later when Griffonstone was finally back on it's feet and Gilda finally left. She ended up coming to Ponyville in search of a house. Ponyville was, in her words; "A lame pony town, but it's cheaper and it's not as much of a hellhole as Griffonstone." It didn't take long for Rainbow to hear about Gilda being back in town, which led to a long and passionate argument where Rainbow Dash insisted she come and crash with her and Gilda refused on the grounds that she didn't need her charity. In the end however, with minor mediating by Twilight, Gilda agreed to stay with Rainbow Dash just long enough to find herself a better place to stay.
The first few weeks living together weren’t anything like those stupid romance novels Rarity liked to read. They fought the entire time. Twice they'd had guards-ponies in their house because a concerned neighbor thought they might come to blows. After that though, anytime the guards showed up at their door it was more about noise complaints from their shouting than fears they'd cause each other harm.
It seemed all but inevitable to everyone who saw them together that eventually one was going to go too far and a brawl would erupt between them. And they were right. No one quite knows what was said, who set off whom, or who threw the first blow. But the next morning, Gilda was nursing a painful-looking black eye and Dash had several deep scratches on various parts of her body.
Whatever had happened that night, it appeared to have a net positive influence on their relationship. Arguments had been deescalated to minor bickering, shouting and thrown objects were at an all time low, and neither had called each other Gizelda or Crash in weeks. Noise complaints remained as infrequent as ever, but the content of said noise was now of a markedly different persuasion. It wasn't a perfect relationship by any stretch, and it wasn't even the last time they fought. Every so often they would begin to fight and argue the way they used to before that night, but such events were rare and tended to deescalate themselves before long.
Gilda never did end up finding her own place, and eventually Rainbow Dash just built an extension to her cloud home to better accommodate her roommate. Neither went so far as to call each other anything more than friends or roommates, and they blew off any insinuations that they were anything more than that, but they were effectively inseparable from that point on.
It was a life long, passionate, infuriating, loving, hateful friendship.
Octavia was always amazed just how much energy Vinyl seemed to have. Hyperactive as the unicorn was, it was often difficult keeping up with her when she was on a roll. Vinyl would bounce from one activity to the next, always looking for something new and exciting to entertain herself with and give her inspiration for her music. Age hadn't mellowed her out one bit. In fact, at times she became almost like Pinkie Pie in her zeal for life and having fun.
Every so often when they were out together, when Vinyl would go dashing off on her own to look at something, Octavia got the odd question of how she could handle having someone so... active living with her. And Octavia would smile and say that that while some moments were more difficult than others, she always had a secret weapon for when she needed Vinyl to calm down for a few minutes.
It was actually quite easy, really. All she ever had to do was call her over and give her a kiss. She would hold it for a few precious moments, wrapping her forelegs around Vinyl's neck until steadily she would feel Vinyl calming down and relaxing. She'd break the kiss then and seal the deal with a gentle smile, watching her blush as they held each other. After that, she could count on Vinyl to be calm, at least until she found something especially exciting to rile her back up again.
In fact, upon further consideration, kissing Vinyl seemed to be a good start to helping her through any problems she was having too. When Vinyl was stressed or upset about something, a bit of cuddling and soft kisses did a wonderful job of soothing her while they talked it out together. It wasn't always an appropriate answer, nor was it always effective, but it almost universally helped in letting her know she was there for her.
If nothing else, her life was never boring with Vinyl Scratch around. Octavia liked her comfort zone of classical music with a bit of smooth jazz and even a little bit of swing when the particular mood struck her. Vinyl, by contrast, never appeared to be satisfied in any sort of comfort zone. She always wanted to find something new and never wanting one of her songs to sound the same as anything else. Consistency was, in her mind, just a fancy excuse for not innovating.
Indeed, her fear of stagnation was something so deeply rooted that even Octavia couldn't quite grasp it. She'd tried several times to get Vinyl to explain in detail what she meant, but every time Vinyl would end up talking in circles and then apologizing for not making sense but also trying to explain that it made sense to her. And Octavia would just nod and smile gently, letting her know that it was alright and she'd be here for her.
And sometimes that was all Vinyl really needed. Somepony she could talk to, who would listen and offer advice that she'd usually ignore. Somepony who would sigh and pretend to listen as she rambled on and on about nothing after drinking a little too much. Somepony would who be the straight mare to her bouts of insanity while keeping them both grounded in relative reality. Octavia was happy to play those roles, among others, tiring though it may be at times.
After all, that was what you did when you were in love, right?
Lyra Heartstrings yawned as she made her way through town, giving a half-attentive wave of her hoof to greet the ponies as she passed. It was a fairly nice autumn day, just a day or two from the winter snowdrop. That perfect time of year when ponies were halfway between taking down their elaborate Nightmare Night decorations and putting up their Hearth's Warming ones.
Lyra honestly loved this time of year. The air was nice and chilly, which was better than summer because while you could always bundle up more to stay toasty in winter, there was only so much you could do to stay cool short of shaving your coat off when Princess Celestia decided to lay the heat on especially thick. The long nights of winter also meant that ponies like her who enjoyed staying out late could head out earlier and stay out longer. Something Princess Luna probably appreciated now that she was back. And finally, this special time of year between Hearth's Warming and Nightmare Night was the perfect time to stock up on any surpluses of candy that hadn't been snatched up yet. And at fantastic bargains, too!
Speaking of which, she was already making a half-conscious beeline right for Ponyville's hub of all things sweet and confectionery: Sugar Cube Corner. "Oh, good morning Lyra, dear." Came the friendly voice of the resident matron from behind the counter. Lyra had known Mrs. Cake since she'd moved to Ponyville, and it always made Lyra smile to see her this time of year. "Come to browse the discounts again?"
"You know it." The still bleary-eyed unicorn yawned again, stretching one of her back and forelegs as she took a look around at what was on display. To her dismay, she found very little on sale. Which could only mean, "Don't tell me..."
"Afraid so, dear. Pinkie bought them all out the day before." Cup Cake shook her head, idly glancing past her as the door opened and shut behind her. "You know how she is, two hollow back legs."
"Yeah that sounds like my luck lately." Lyra sighed, taking another look around. "Any other sales going on?"
"Afraid not, dear. We've a small discount on pies and tarts, but that's about it." Mrs. Cake admitted. "How is Bon Bon, by the by?"
"Well, if she's not nagging me she's probably still sleeping." Mrs Cake's face paled just slightly at the bluntness of Lyra's statement, but Lyra hardly noticed. If she couldn't indulge her sugar addiction with leftover candy, she may as well get some sugary brunch. It was just a question of what to order. It all sounded so good! "You know she's actually trying to put me on a diet?"
Mrs. Cake somehow retained her smile. "Ah, Lyra-"
"It's weird as the Everfree, mare." Lyra continued, still trying to make a selection. Those cherry tarts sounded amazing right now, but part of her really wanted a piece of midday pie. "Can you imagine that? A candy maker trying to make somepony eat healthy? That's gotta be like, I dunno, cutie mark betrayal or something, doesn't it?"
"Lyra, I don't-"
"And she's so inconsistent about it too!" Lyra rambled on. Yeah. Yeah! Pie sounded good today. "One minute it's 'Watch what you eat, Lyra, you're getting pudgy!' " Mrs. Cake visibly winced at Lyra's impression of her marefriend. "Then its, 'Oh Lyra, won't you come taste test this for me?' I wish she'd just make up her mind."
By this point, Mrs. Cake completely gave up on Lyra listening to her and tried a different approach to keep her customer from digging her grave any deeper. Looking directly past her, she addressed the customer behind her clearly and with teeth clenched in a painfully sweet smile. "Bon Bon! How are you doing this morning?"
It was now Lyra's turn to turn such a shade of pale green she may as well be white. She didn't dare turn around, not that she needed to now that she could feel Bon Bon's stare boring into the back of her skull. "No, no. Don't mind me." She heard Bon Bon say, with a voice of frightening calm and sweetness. "Do go on, Lyra." Hearing her name spoken in that tone sent a visible shiver down her spine and made it very clear that she very quickly needed to say something that would make her previous statements seem smarter. That and she needed to begin writing nothing less than a mental opera of prayers to the Princesses that she'd be forgiven for saying them in the first place.
That said, she doubted even Discord himself could spindoctor what amounted to "She's an annoying naggy bitch who won't get off my case." into something Bon Bon would remotely buy into. And while Lyra knew for a fact that she was no Discord, she certainly had to try to save her hide and her relationship. "W-Well..." She took a deep breath, wracking her brain for ideas. "I was about to say... that I know she only does it because she cares about me, and, you know... maybe she gets kind of jealous when I eat other pony's candy instead of hers?" Smooth, Lyra. She honestly hadn't meant for the last part to sound like as much of a question as it did.
Bon Bon didn't say anything, and Lyra could still feel her eyes trying to drill holes into the back of her head. Finally Lyra heard her sigh and Bon Bon broke her silence. "Lyra. Look at me."
Lyra closed her eyes and braced herself before turning around to face the music. So much for that. Too bad, out of all the spins she could have put on that, that was probably the best one she-
Rather than a harsh slap on the face followed by yelling, which in retrospect she was beginning to recognize that she kind of deserved for the things she said, what she got was an affectionate peck on the cheek. It was enough to make her open her eyes back up and stare back at Bon Bon in surprise. "That's for understanding my intention." Bon Bon told her softly. She didn't looked particularly pleased, but it was a far cry from-
Slap!
And there we go. One slap right across the same cheek she'd just kissed. That one really stung, and would probably continue to sting for a while yet. "And that's for saying those things anyway, you stupid unicorn!" Lyra winced as she touched her reddening cheek and watched Bon Bon turn to leave. "Pick up some milk while you're out, okay? We're running low."
"Uh, will do." She called back meekly before catching herself smiling a bit, either in elation at having dodged a proverbial arrow or that she'd been able to get this off her chest and they could go back to business as usual. "So, hey!" Bon Bon paused halfway out the door and turned her head to look back at her. "In days or weeks, about how long do you think I'm going to be hearing about this one?"
"Years, Lyra!" Bon Bon replied with that same smile Lyra had on her face. A wave of relief washed over her as she realized that she'd been forgiven. It probably wouldn't hurt to still write a few prayers to the princesses, though. Maybe get some flowers too. She was pretty sure Roseluck would have some in stock.
"Get home soon," Bon Bon added, returning Lyra's attention to her marefriend. "I'm going to need help in the kitchen later today, okay?"
"You're the boss, Double B." Lyra smiled, watching Bon Bon roll her eyes before the door swung closed behind her as she left. She let out another long sigh before turning back to take one last look over the menu. "Princesses, I love that mare." Maybe she would wait on the pie. 'Help me in the kitchen.' tended to translate into taste testing and batch cooking. And Bon Bon probably wouldn't notice if a few pieces went missing from the bunch. "Think I'll skip out on brunch today, Mrs. Cake." Lyra said with a smile. She turned around and headed for the door, waving goodbye as she went. "Thanks for the talk!"
Mrs. Cake had watched the entire exchange in a state of silent bewilderment, not sure entirely what had just happened in her shop before letting out a long sigh. "Everything alright, Honeybun?" Carrot asked, finally finding some time to come up to the counter and check in on her.
"Just fine, dear." She replied at last. "You don't mind watching the counter for me, do you? I think I need a break."
