> Changing Times and Hearts
>  by SuperPinkBrony12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Should I Stay or Should I Go?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smolder was surprised at how well her and Ocellus worked out as a couple. They'd expected it to be awkward, especially to those who knew them as friends. And maybe it was at first, figuring out how much affection to show each other, what to say and what not to say, even just deciding how to break the news to their families (or in Smolder's case, to the closest thing she had to a family nowadays).

But as time went by, the dragon and the changeling's love for one another had only grown stronger. It had endured so much. For all the ups and downs, for all the struggles and sacrifices, Smolder wouldn't have traded it for all the gems in the dragon lands and beyond. Ocellus was a treasure unto herself, a treasure Smolder felt certain she would cherish for however long she lived (and dragons could live a very long time).

Through it all, though, the two had mostly just stayed in Ponyville. That made sense, it was where they'd met and fallen in love, they went to school there, all of their friends were there. Ponyville was pretty much a home away from home, especially for Ocellus, who had longed for a chance to truly define herself independent of her species' troubled past.

As the years went by and Smolder and Ocellus had graduated from the School of Friendship, they'd watched many of their friends go their separate ways: Gallus left to join the royal guard and serve Supreme Princess Twilight directly, Silverstream went back to Mount Aris, and Yona and Sandbar had gone off to see not just the sights of Yakyakistan but everywhere beyond (helped in part by Rarity, to whom they felt they owed everything).

Yet the dragon and the changeling had stayed in Ponyville, watching as it continued to become a hub for ponies and non-ponies alike as the unofficial friendship capital of Equestria. All the while it never lost its small town charm. Whenever some old residents moved away, new ones quickly filled the gap. And there always seemed to be something going on every day.

Yes, Smolder had to admit she had grown quite attached to Ponyville. And Ocellus, she suspected, was no different.

Which is why the news Smolder was about to break to the love of her life was so difficult. It threatened to upend everything they knew.





Ocellus, for her part, was filled with love and light. Thanks to Smolder, she'd gained the confidence to be more sure of herself. And that confidence had served her well. Ocellus had become both figuratively and literally a social butterfly, it seemed like almost everycreature wanted to get to know her now.

That's not to say the changeling still in the prime of her early adulthood didn't still enjoy coming home for some quiet time. Some days, she just felt like curling up with a good book, or just enjoying the company of her special someone in Smolder. Just thinking about the dragon and her beautiful orange scales was enough to light a fire in Ocellus' heart.

And now, finally, Ocellus was confident that it was her turn to surprise Smolder rather than the other way around. Smolder had always taken the lead in many of the major milestones in their relationship. Smolder had always been the one to take charge and make big decisions. So, for once, Ocellus had a decision of her own she wished to share with the love of her life. One that was going to change everything about them, but for the better.

So it was that Ocellus, after running a few errands, returned home to the humble little cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. A cottage she and Smolder had called home since their graduation from the School of Friendship. It wasn't hard to find employment that paid the bills, there were plenty of jobs well suited for dragons and changelings. In particular, Ocellus was often in demand as an entertainer. Since she could change shape, it was easy for her to style herself as something to entertain others. Smolder, meanwhile, she just drifted from job to job as it suited her.

Well, that was hopefully about to change. Ocellus was certain that the opportunity she'd been given was one that only came once a lifetime. And with a little bit of persuasion, she hoped to convince Smolder to join her in the endeavor.

The changeling with a light olive green coat entered the cottage, finding it unoccupied aside from her. Well, that was okay. She was willing to wait however long she had to in order to tell Smolder the exciting news. "I just know she's gonna say yes!" Ocellus thought to herself. "We'll finally have a reliable source of income. We'll be able to start saving to do all the things we talked about doing after our graduation." And so, she waited.





How long it was before Smolder came home, Ocellus couldn't say. She hadn't been keeping track of time, nor had she really cared.

The fully grown dragon pushed open the door to the cottage and carefully ducked her head as she entered. That was the one bad thing about the place, it wasn't exactly intended to fit the size of a fully grown dragon. It wasn't like the castles Spike had lived in. Sure, a little bit of renovating had mostly resolved the issue. But the ceiling was still lower than Smolder would've liked it to be.

Well, soon that might not be an issue for her. The only question now was what Ocellus would think of it. Would she understand? The uncertainty was enough to make Smolder hesitant, just a little. But she knew she had to share this information witn the changeling. They'd both agreed not to keep secrets from each other in their relationship, an agreement that had served them well.

Ocellus put down the book she'd been reading, gazing into Smolder's eyes as she fluttered over and gave her a kiss. "Hey, Smolder. I've been waiting for you."

"Yeah, you always are," Smolder replied. "Which is just what I like about you."

Ocellus playfully teased. "Oh, stop it! You'll make me blush!"

Smolder snickered. "Aw come on, you know I know how to tease you. And you're cute when you blush."

Ocellus did her best to regain her composure after playing along with the dragon for a moment. She coughed into a hoof. "W-well, I'm glad you've come home. I have something really important I want to tell you."

"Really? Me too!" Smolder excitedly exclaimed as her eyes lit up! "But go ahead, you go first, honey."

The changeling cleared her throat, trying her best not to give away the secret through her overeagerness. "You know the School of Friendship, right?" When Smolder nodded, Ocellus continued. "Well, I finally got around to putting in an application. And they accepted! They want me to help teach!"

"Oh... that... that's great..." Smolder commented as her earlier happiness began to fade. "I'm happy for you, dear. You'll make a great teacher, I'm sure of it."

Ocellus immediately flew over to the dragon, brushing a wing against her. "What's wrong, Smolder? I can tell in your heart that you're not as happy as you should be. Something's troubling you."

The orange scaled dragon reluctantly sighed. "It's just..." She paused for a moment, trying to think of how best to put delicately what she wanted to say. "I was thinking of moving back to the dragon lands. In fact, I've got an invitation from Ember. I'd basically be Ember's right clawed dragon, her second in command, her heir apparent."

Ocellus' happy mood faded in an instant. "Oh, I see," She managed to force a smile as she insisted. "W-well, I'm glad you've gotten such an offer. And if you wanna move back to the dragon lands, I... guess that would be okay with me."

"Would it really?" Smolder questioned. "Even if it means giving up your dream job?"

"W-well, who says we can't work something out?" Ocellus proposed. "Maybe you don't have to move back to the dragon lands forever. Maybe we could stay in touch somehow, and visit each other from time to time. I mean... it can't hurt to try it, right?"

Smolder could only shake her head from side to side while telling her special someone. "I really don't do good with distances. It was hard enough just talking about feelings when we became a couple. And it's not like I have anything against Ponyville."

Ocellus whimpered. "Then why don't you wanna stay? You could come and teach with me. Maybe we'd get to see some of our professors again, 'cause I think most of them still teach at the school from time to time."

The dragon hesitated, putting her claws together. "I've never really given thought to teaching. It... doesn't sound bad, but I'm not sure if I'd really be into it the way you are. You just... have a way with knowledge. A way that I don't have."

The changeling with an olive green coat found herself unable to keep from tearing up, just a little. "Smolder, I don't want your offer or my new job to come between us. I want us to be happy, even if we can't be together all the time anymore. I don't wanna have to choose," She sighed, slowly adding. "But if it comes down to it, if it has to be one or the other... I think you know what I'll pick. But I don't want to decide for you."

Smolder gripped her claws, clenching them into a fist. "I'll... I'll think about it, okay?" She insisted, and slowly walked away while trying her best not to show up torn up she was.





Smolder hoped that if she just thought over the decisions before for her for a while, an answer would come to her. She'd know what to do, what to say. That was not what happened at all.

Even a good night's sleep could do little to help the dragon come to a decision one way or the other. She really wanted to go back to the dragon lands and reconnect with her kin, her fellow dragons. On the other claw, Ocellus and Ponyville had been huge parts of her life for years, she didn't really feel like uprooting or upending it if she could avoid doing so.

Days passed without a resolution, much to the frustration of both changeling and dragon. WIthout a definitive answer, neither knew how to answer what they had been offered individually. But they would have to answer soon, or the opportunities would pass them by.

Eventually, however, when Smolder had time to think about it more, she knew what she wanted to do. She sorted out all the complex, complicated feelings nagging at her. Once she did, she sought out Ocellus and took the changelings' hooves into her claws, looking her special someone deep in the eyes. "Ocellus," She declared in a firm tone of voice. "I've made a decision. I think it's best for both of us."

"And what would that be?" Ocellus questioned, trying to judge from tone and facial expressions what the love of her life had decided.

Deeply sighing, yet holding firm, Smolder declared. "I'm not going back to the dragon lands, at least not right now."

Ocellus was shocked! She could hardly believe such a statement. "Smolder, are you absolutely sure you want to do that? I don't want me to be the reason why you give up what matters most to you."

Smolder shook her head from side to side and told Ocellus quite firmly. "You are what matters most to me, Ocellus. Your love and happiness mean more to me than anything else. After all we've been through together, who am I to take all that away?" Slowly, her face began to morph into a smile. "So, I'll give this teaching thing a try. No one ever thought we could work out, but we proved them all wrong. So what if there's no history of a dragon teaching ponies? Where you go, I'll go."

At that, the changeling almost leapt for joy as she hugged the dragon tightly! "Oh, Smolder! I really don't deserve a dragon like you!"

"You do, and don't you ever say otherwise!" Smolder firmly insisted. "We've both changed a lot by being together. And no matter what changes come our way in the future, we'll get through them together. That's a promise."