Is The One Spent With Your Friends and Your Love
"And... Done!" Mask said happily, putting the finishing touches on breakfast. The smell of the steamed salads was mouthwatering, but he restrained himself long enough to call for his coltfriend to join him. Mask made his way up the stairs and into their bedroom, finding the pegasus still in bed. He smiled and leaned against the door-frame. "And just how long have you been up?" he asked in a mock angry tone.
Wolfe groaned and lifted his head from the pillows. His unkempt mane was plastered to one side of his muzzle. His eyes were tinged with red and seemed to droop. "Since the sun came up," he said quietly.
His tone made Mask lose the teasing grin he had. Immediately catching on to the fact that something was wrong, he stepped forward, joining his mate in the bed. "Wolfe..." he said softly. He brushed the hair from his face, giving him a quick nuzzle.
"I can't not blame myself Mask. I screwed up." He hung his head. "I screwed up bad." Mask tried to put a hoof around him, but he scooted away, burying his face in his hooves.
"And I forgave you for it," Mask countered, following him immediately. "We both know you weren't yourself."
"But it's inside me! It took me just a few drinks to get there. What happens if I just get angry?" In a quiet voice, he added, "If we have an argument over something stupid and I..."
"Do you still love me?" He asked, cutting off Wolfe's paranoid rant.
He jerked his head up. "What?"
He repeated himself. "Do you, Wolfe, still love me?"
For a half second, Mask was afraid he'd say no. His body radiated fear, and there was a fleeting sign of hesitation written in his face. But the surge of emotion that came alleviated his worries. Pure, passionate, love.
"Of course I do!" He all but shouted. "More than anything."
"Then we'll be fine," He said. Mask enfolded him in a hug. "That night, you weren't Wolfe. You were Wolfe the next morning, when you poured every bottle down the drain. You were Wolfe when you stopped going to the bar. You were Wolfe when you dropped the friends who tried to fight you on your decision. You were Wolfe when you came home each night and marked another day that you stuck to your pledge." He leaned back and looked Wolfe in his teary eyes, noting what a an over-emotional doofus he could be at times.
"That is the stallion I fell in love with. And that's the stallion you still are. Understand?"
Wolfe nodded, wiping his eyes quickly.
"Now," Mask said cheerily. He leaped off of the bed and extended a hoof to Wolfe. "We can continue boosting your ego a bit. Or, we can go get things set up for tonight."
"I'm back!" Wolfe called. The sound of a door slamming shut followed his declaration.
"Living room," Mask shouted back. After another quick adjustment of the wreath, he flew backwards. Mask tilted his head and framed the wreath with his hooves, making sure it was lined up properly.
"Oh wow," Wolfe said, awed at the transformation of their living room. "Honey, this is amazing."
Mask landed beside him, beaming. But it turned into a look of concern as he noticed the snow that clung to Wolfe's wings, as well as the shivering from the pegasus. "You must be freezing," he said worriedly, pulling a blanket from the sofa and draping it over Wolfe's back before pulling him over towards the fireplace.
Wolfe sighed in pleasure as the warmth chased the sold from his body. "I wasn't expecting it to start snowing so soon. I was hoping we'd have a few more hours."
Mask sat down beside him, leaning into his slowly warming fur. "How deep do you think it will get?" he asked.
"Judging by the amount falling now? It should be around 3 or 4 inches by tonight. It's gonna be freezing before then though."
Mask groaned and stood up. "I should probably get some hot chocolate ready then," he said as he moved towards the kitchen. "And get the rest of the food put away."
"It really looks wonderful, Mask."
"Then it was worth the 40 bit total?" he asked sheepishly.
"Worth the what now?" Wolfe asked, his head whipping around to stare at his blushing lover.
Mask cleared his throat in reply and rushed over to the bags, using his magic to pull various items out. "You got the yams!" he exclaimed as he hurried into the kitchen. Presumably to begin cooking.
"This isn't over!" Wolfe called, not moving for fear of losing the heat from the fire. "We'll talk about it later." He sighed again, closed his eyes, and laid his head down. "After I take a quick nap," he murmured.
The smell of of banana pudding woke him a couple of hours later. And he followed the smell, dreamily, into the kitchen. Mask had his back turned, busily chopping the yams, while he danced to the song on the radio. On the table behind him sat the food that he'd been cooking. The most recent addition being the pudding that Wolfe craved. He stealthily dipped a wing into the bowl and brought a dollop to his mouth.
Smiling at the taste, he quietly approached his coltfriend. Mask was too distracted to notice the sneaking pegasus, and yelped when he felt the hooves squeeze his wiggling flank.
"The pudding is scrumptious," Wolfe whispered. "But I spy another treat I'd like to try." He nipped at his ear as Mask gripped the countertop for stability.
"Wolfe, no..." He moaned. "Everyone will be here soon."
Directly on cue came a knock on the door.
There was a pause before Wolfe spoke. "I can let them wait for a few minutes."
"It is freezing cold outside," Mask scolded. "Go let them in."
Wolfe groaned and slid away from his mate. Muttering something about ponies showing up early and killing the mood. Mask simply laughed as he carried the yams to the soup. Lighting his horn, he began warming the soup while he stirred with his mouth.
"It's Temporal Tune," Wolfe said, sticking his head into the kitchen.
"Tell him I hope he brought an appetite," Mask said as he lifted a majority of the plates and followed Wolfe into the living room.
The knock could barely be heard over the sounds of laughing and merriment, but Wolfe noticed and stood up to go answer it. Opening the door, he met the shivering Spot Weld. Instead of moving out of the way, Wolfe leaned against the door-frame scowling. "Mind explaining why you're late?"
Spot Weld sneezed. "Can't we do that inside?" he pleaded.
Wolfe simply raised an eyebrow.
Spot groaned and shifted hooves. "Fine, I woke up late and missed my train. Then the second one got delayed by snow. Both coming to me and getting me here." He shivered again. "Now, will you please let me in?"
Wolfe stepped aside, allowing Spot to step into the warmth of his home. Spot sighed immediately, his shaking ceasing.
"I'll get you a blanket," Wolfe said as he headed upstairs. About halfway he stopped and turned back. Hesitating for just a moment, he said, "Glad you made it, Spot."
Spot sighed, feeling the tension ease between them. "Glad you're having me."
He stepped into the living room to the sounds of welcoming shouts, while Wolfe headed upstairs to fetch a blanket. He opened the closet door in their bedroom and pulled out an extra blanket, knocking something to the floor in the process. He glanced at the object and smiled when he realized what it was.
"Hey guys!" he said, returning to his friends. He tossed the blanket to a grateful Spot Weld. "Guess what I just found?" Hurriedly, he cut off Temporal with a, "No." Glaring at the grin the unicorn grew.
"Isn't that your old scrapbook?" Mask asked curiously, pointing at the red book on his back. "The one you gave up on?"
"I did not give up," he said indignantly. "I simply..."
"Miss-rendered?" Zenith offered.
"...What?"
The black pegasus laughed. "Well if you didn't Sir-render. You must have Miss-rendered."
"What about Madame-rendered?" Click asked. "Or is that too much of a mouthful?" He shrugged and spooned himself a large helping of soup.
"Speaking of 'mouthful'," Brainiac said, wincing at the amount of food Click Clack shoveled into his mouth. "Your stomach is going to rebel against you one day, CC."
"Look who's talking," Temporal cut in, pointing at the large, and very full, plate that sat before her.
"This is just my first plate." She pointed at the blue unicorn. "That's his third."
"Click is still a growing colt," Spot laughed. "Little foal needs his nutrition."
Click simply stared at the earth pony. "I'm two years older than you."
"Anyway," Wolfe interrupted. "Yes, it's my old scrapbook. Or should I say..." He opened the book to the first photograph, a picture of the group, minus Zenith, standing in front of their high school.
"Our scrapbook."
"Remember that one?" Brainiac asked, pointing at the picture taking up the left page.
"Oh, no..." Spot moaned, hiding his muzzle in his hooves. His cheeks already reddening. The others laughed at his over-dramatic discomfort. "Why do you still have that?!"
The picture had been taken the day Spot had won a ponyville eating contest. After winning, he's been asked to take a picture, with his trophy, for the store to display. Unfortunately, he couldn't hold in all the food he had consumed. Leaving him to toss it up in the nearest possible container.
"Hey," Wolfe said between laughs. "The other guy had it worse. Remember?"
Not even Spot was immune to the laughter that followed. The runner up stayed in the bathroom for about two hours after the contest. The story in the paper talked about the crowd of people that had to wait for the stall to be cleaned of various fluids before use of the bathroom could be restored.
Turning the page, Wolfe's eyes shot to the picture on the in the middle. He slowly placed a hoof on the image. "I remember this..." he said softly. "This was quite the eventful day." He gazed at the photo of himself, flooded with memories of the day it was taken.
"I met one of my best friends that day, if I remember correctly." Zenith leaned in closer, squinting at the image. "If I'm not mistaken, he told me that he had 'something to prove'."
"And I did," Wolfe responded. "And I remember someone getting me lost while we took a walk around the city."
"And you loved every minute of it," Zenith laughed. "Admit it, it was the most fun you'd had up until then."
"Yeah, yeah." Wolfe waved a hoof at his fellow pegasus, playfully dismissing him. "It was fun. But lets not forget who led an hour long search for food."
"Not my fault." Zenith grinned cheekily. "Fast-metabolism."
"Excuses," Wolfe countered as he turned the page. "Ooh, Tempest's first gig. Remember that?"
"Don't remind me," the purple bicorn groaned. He took a glance at the image, wincing at the himself in the picture. "I have no idea what I was thinking. That getup, the music, egh."
"Stop," Brainiac laughed. "You were incredible. If you weren't they wouldn't have invited you back each week."
"Plus..." Wolfe nudged him. "I hear you got Vinyl's approval."
A blush lit his gray fur. "It wasn't anything special. She just nodded."
"Nodded, and smiled," supplied Click.
"Nodded, smiled, and talked to you," Brainiac added.
"Nodded, smiled, and talked to you, and gave you a backstage pass to her next show when she found out you were a fan," Mask said, grinning.
"Fine!" he cheered. "The mare of my dreams talked to me and invited to one of her concerts, and praised my music. And it was awesome!"
"Now was that so hard?" Zenith asked, chuckling. Another turn of the page caused a groan all around the room. Confusing the black pegasus and the changeling.
After taking a look at the photo, Mask chuckled.
"What is it?" Zenith asked, confused.
"Freshman year," Wolfe moaned. Showing him the page covered with various pictures of the others during their first year at Canterlot High.
"We were horrible back then," Wolfe complained.
"Disgusting," Temporal agreed.
"Completely immature," Click added.
"Cringeworthy," Brainiac groaned.
"We were pretty bad..." Spot Weld explained.
"I should probably just burn that entire page," Wolfe said as he stared into the fire. The room went silent as eyes traveled from the book, to the flames, and back. Reluctantly, he turned the page, hoping the next set of memories would be better.
The next few pages were mostly Wolfe's, and he flipped through them with a short description. "The day I left Canterlot. The time I finally learned to swim. The day I picked up Ken."
"Where is Ken anyway?" Brainiac asked.
"He's spending the week at Fluttershy's. She told me his family is staying over along with some friends from his time there." He grinned. "And I'm pretty sure that sly hawk has a girlfriend that he and Mask are hiding from me."
Mask whistled innocently.
They stared at the pictures for hours, commenting on and recounting tales of their lives up to the present. From Click's first book signing, to Brainiac opening her clinic. The first building that Spot worked on. And the first Manehatten production that Mask performed in. Even Zenith, who was one of Wolfe's most recent friends, had a few pages within the book.
By the time the book was closed, the snow had long since stopped outside. Checking the clock revealed that it was technically morning, and the group decided to begin opening presents immediately. Each unwrapped item was met with gasps and exclamations of joy. Tender hugs as well as, in some cases, tackling hugs.
Spot Weld hesitated as he picked up one of the gifts he'd brought, a rather large box. "Before I give you this gift. I want to apologize." He hung his head. "I was an idiot. I should have supported the two of you, but I didn't." He gave the gift to Mask before stepping away. "I want you both to know that I'm happy for you, and you've got my full support."
Mask lifted the box, obscuring his view of the guests, and began pulling at the ribbon that held it closed. He raised an eyebrow at the seemingly empty box, before he noticed the black case that sat at the bottom. He lifted it to get a closer look, and his heart stopped. He dropped the box in shock, revealing Wolfe directly in front of him, a nervous smile on his face.
"Mask Roles," he said. "I love you. I love the way you smile and the way you laugh. I love waking up next to you each morning and just watching you sleep. I love knowing that I can come home to you and just sit on the couch with my coltfriend. I love your passion. I love your strength. I love that you trust me enough to share your worries and pain with me. I love that you were willing to give me a chance despite all my faults. You waited for me. You trusted me. And you let me roam free. And despite all the ponies I met and what I told you I did, you didn't care. You felt the love I had for you, and knew that it was truly love."
Wolfe laughed now, becoming a bit more confident as he recounted memories. "I remember you not mentioning that your theater troupe wanted you to come to Canterlot to perform, because you were worried about the money it would cost to rent a hotel. And when we did go, how you thanked me, despite my protests. I love how you've always supported my dreams, and helped me continue working on them."
Wolfe took the box out of Mask's now weak field of magic, who was now occupied wiping the tears from his eyes. His nervousness was back now that it was the time he'd been preparing for. He bowed in front of Mask, holding the black case in an outstretched hoof. Flipping the lid up he asked, "Mask Roles, will you marry me?"
Mask wouldn't remember whispering. He wouldn't remember speaking so low that almost no one could hear. He wouldn't remember how many tears he shed. He would, however, remember how much joy he felt at that moment. He would remember having Wolfe slide the wedding ban on his arm. He would remember lunging forward and kissing his now-fiancee, and tackling Spot Weld in a hug.
The rest of the evening passed much less dramatically, the group simply enjoying each other's company as they talked about nothing, just like they used to. Wolfe gazed at the faces around him, noting that each one brought a flood of memories to his mind. Memories of their time spent together, and how they'd all affected his life. From spurring him to action, to encouraging him. Their greatest gift to him had been coming to his home that day.
"I just want to tell you guys," he started when the conversation hit a lull. "I know it's sappy, but honestly, your friendship and love is the greatest thing I could have asked for."
Surprisingly, no one laughed. No one made a joke. They simply smiled, and he could see they were experiencing the same memories he had. There was no need to speak. All they needed were their memories.
Wolfe remembered the first time he met Tempest. At first he had been shy, and isolated himself from the rest of their classmates. Wolfe didn't even think much of him at the time, he was quiet for the most part, but every so often he would make references to things Wolfe usually wouldn't understand. On chance reference was about a mutual like, and they began talking more. At the time, he knew his friend as Temporal Tune, and nothing more. But after finding out his friend's desire to be a DJ, he began calling him by the name he had chosen. Tempest. His intent was to remind his friend of his dream whenever they talked and remind him that he had his support. Tempest was the one who helped Wolfe accept his sexuality once he realized he was bi. And he continued to help inspire Wolfe with his passion and drive. He had always been there whenever Wolfe needed to talk, and always heard him out without judging him. Wolfe smiled at the pony he called his best friend, wishing he could tell him just how important he was to him.
Brainiac and he hadn't started off as friends in the slightest. At first, he'd thought of her as too focused on school, and thought that the two of them could never get along. But, after being assigned to projects together, he found that she was really fun to be around. They began hanging out outside of class and soon started sitting together at lunch, along with Tempest. Here she seemed like a different mare altogether. Away from the stress of class and school, she joked and had fun. She was smart and always had a witty comeback to whatever the two colts threw at her. Brainiac had always been a voice of reason, cooling Wolfe's head in times of crisis, and helping him to understand others' actions. She helped him curb his aggressive side and truly helped him to mature. He only wished they'd spent more time together before she continued her schooling while he began exploring Equestria. He knew she had her own demons to fight, and had promised himself that he would be their for her, whether she needed a shoulder to cry on, an ear to scream in, or a a couple of hooves to fight said demons. He'd go through Tartarus itself for his friends, if necessary.
He remembered meeting Click Clack in the library, of course, during his second year at school. He'd been typing, as usual, on his laptop. His hooves clicking away at the keys. Wolfe was hesitant about sitting with him, worried the noise would interrupt his reading. But there were no other seats available. Fortunately, Click had been anything but rude, and slowed down his typing. He didn't stab at the keys anymore, instead opting to be quieter. He raised an eyebrow at the Wolfe's book choice. And that was how their friendship sparked. A discussion of books. There was truly nothing stronger than a friendship forged on books. Click and Wolfe began meeting in the library every so often, discussing books while Wolfe read and Click typed. To an outsider it seemed that the two hardly knew each other, and one would wonder how exactly the two of them could have affected each other's lives. But Click had helped Wolfe, who had begun doubting his own abilities as an author. He handed Wolfe his laptop and asked him to read it. In the nicest way possible, he told Click that it was utter garbage. Click told him that if you screw up as an author, you simply trash it, and start again. As many times as it takes. He told Wolfe nothing in the world is certain and "It doesn't mean not to try; it just means not to be afraid of imperfection."
He honestly wasn't sure when he and Spot Weld had become friends. It felt like it simply happened, which was immensely weird considering how often they argued, competed, debated, fought, etc. They had mutual likes, but even then they argued over the best aspect of those. Spot and he had met in a Modern History class. Where their similar personalities attracted them. The debates they had was what allowed them to grow comfortable with each other. You can't help but feel familiar with the pony who's seen you at both your calmest and your angriest. Their most recent argument had started just before Wolfe left Canterlot. Spot expressed concern about his attraction to Mask, and suggested he forget about it. Angry words were said, and Wolfe left Canterlot without trying to patch things up. Over most of the year, Wolfe regretted not finding a way to mend things. As much as they fought, the two of them cared about each other. And each of them always had the other's back. When Wolfe made it to Manehatten, he tried to seek out the earth pony. He found him in the most unexpected place, an alley, surrounded by three burly unicorns. In five seconds Spot Weld had only two unicorns to worry about, and he was no longer outnumbered. In five minutes, Wolfe and Spot were having a heart to heart in his apartment.
And the latest member of the group was someone Wolfe had grown rather close to in the past few years. Zenith. They met on the day Wolfe planned to leave on his journey. Both had been in Vanhoover for the Parkour Jam that had occurred. And Zenith had praised his skills. Wolfe, who'd had quite an emotional day, had responded distractedly. But he acknowledged the the black and red pegasus had quite the repertoire himself. They continued to meet each time their was a meetup or jam occurring. In fact, it soon became common that the first to arrive would rent the hotel room. The two of them drove each other to be as competitive as possible, somehow managing to not ruin their friendship. The two of them were so alike that many began to call them clones of each other, though they preferred to refer to each other as "Doppel". Zenith had been the first friend Wolfe made through practicing parkour. And neither of them regretted it. Though circumstances usually found a way to edge them apart, they found a way to meet when it counted.
Everyone awoke in good spirits hours later. It was hard not to be. Their plans went off without a hitch. "A first" they'd all say. They went out to eat at the cafe, and then to sing karaoke at True Vinyls. Where Wolfe performed wonderfully to the applause of the group, as well as other patrons. Overall, they didn't do much. But they had fun being together on Hearths Warming Day. They only spent a few more hours together before his friends left to spend the rest of the day with their own families.
That was perfectly fine with both Mask and Wolfe, who wanted to celebrate their engagement now that they were alone. They would soon head to Mask's parent's home to spend time with their families, and announce the news at the same time.
Mask told Wolfe to wait upstairs while he readied a surprise for the pegasus. Wolfe laid down on the bed, wondering exactly what surprise his lover had in store. He didn't have to long to wait. The sound of hooves was approaching the doorway, and a red stallion stuck his head into the room. Fangs hanging from his mouth just long enough for Wolfe to notice and make the connection. They soon receded, completing the image of the large pony that had been Wolfe's "good friend" since he had come to Ponyville.
Mask emulated MacIntosh's accent perfectly. "Happy Hearths Warming, baby," he cooed as he kicked their door shut.
Author's Note
Like I already said, this story is dedicated to my good friends. I wanted to get this done a lot sooner... I was hoping for around new years at the latest but...
Anyway, this is my thank you to them. All of them. Even the ones I've just met. Because every one of them has helped to push me and inspire me into becoming who I am today. My Spark may have died a long time ago if not for these friends of mine.
When I was younger, I didn't have very many friends. I was immature, and a nutcase. But these people accepted me anyway. And ever since discovering this fandom, I've been a lot like Twilight. I've tried studying the ins and outs of friendship. And that's something I couldn't have done without these people being in my life and supporting me. I'm so grateful to all of you for helping me when I need it. For listening when I need to scream. And reminding me that you guys are there in your own way.
Thank you Friends. Thank you Everyone.
