Hearts of Gold

Amethyst longed for her daughter, but she was too far away, somewhere in the Crystal Empire with Emerald.

She wasn’t worried by any means.

Emerald would take care of her and keep the little trickster out of trouble.

She just missed her baby.

Amethyst briefly thought about how far they had all come.

From the moment she had found the little changeling in that cave to now, so much had happened.

They had defeated Queen Chrystalis twice and changed the hearts of two ruthless changelings, showing them the magic of friendship and love, just how powerful it could really be.

Amethyst smiled at the thought.

She made a mental note to thank Princess Twilight, if she ever saw her.
It was the princess that let her keep Pyrite when Shining found out, after all.

“I’m sure she’s perfectly fine.”

Amethyst jumped and looked over her shoulder.

Onyx was standing behind her, still drying hisbmane with a towel as he stepped out of the shower.

“How could you possibly know what I’m thinking about?”

The stallion smirked as he pulled her in for a quick kiss, planting his lips on her cheek.

“I know that look, Amy. Your nose scrunches up whenever you’re thinking about Pyrite. It’s kinda cute, but super obvious.”

Amethyst’s nose twitched as she became aware of her actions.

Onyx was right.

Was she really that easy to read?
She held her hoof up and wiped her damp mane out of her eyes.

“Alright, stud, you got me. Are you gonna arrest me?”

Onyx shook his head.

“Nah, I didn’t bring any cuffs.”

Amethyst beamed at him, earning a silly laugh from the stallion.

Other than the impending party at the palace, all she cold think about was the wedding, the greatest moment of her life that would permanently cement her relationship with Onyx.

She loved him with all of her heart, and it took rescuing a baby changeling and blowing herself up to realize it.

When Amethyst realized she had been staring, she quickly turned away and hobbled towards the sofa.

Onyx joined her in time to help the crippled mare sit down.

Without her prosthetic leg, every mundane task was a struggle.

“We have the day to ourselves.”

Onyx took her hoof in his as they sat together.

“Until the gala, we can do anything. We could see more of the city or find a show to see with our friends. I’m sure Amber would be game.”

Amethyst nodded her head in agreement.

“That sounds like a good idea. Are you going to carry me?”

Onyx chuckled as he held her close.

“You can still walk and you know it.”

Amethyst was about to say something witty in return, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Somepony outside pounded their hoof into the door vigorously.

“Housekeeping!”

It was a stallion’s voice.

He announced himself again.

“Housekeeping! Is anypony home?”

Amethyst and Onyx shared awkward glances.

Neither one expected to be disturbed.

“Did you call anypony?”

Onyx shook his head.

“No… Did you?”

After Amethyst shook her head, he stood up and left the sofa, striding towards the door.

Amethyst could see the door from where she was sitting, but she could hear it open, followed by a short conversation between Onyx and the stallion at the door.

“I have a delivery for a… Captain Amethyst.”

The mare’s ears twitched.

Something about his voice sounded strange, almost familiar, but Onyx wouldn’t let him inside.

“Amethyst didn’t order anything either. You must be mistaken.”

Amethyst looked over her shoulder, craning her neck to see the stallion at the door.

He looked back at her and smiled.

“It wasn’t Amethyst’s order, it was Pyrite’s.”

Then, she heard it.

It was as though the entire room had lit up.

A little changeling filly came sprinting into the room, right under the stallion’s legs.

“Mamaaaaaaaaa!”

At the sound of her daughter’s voice, Amethyst’s eyes widened.

She opened her hoof as Pyrite came storming around the sofa, stopping briefly in front before leaping onto her.

“Mama! Mama! Mama!”

Amethyst cried as Pyrite nuzzled her neck affectionately.

Onyx was completely stunned.

“I… I don’t understand…”
He turned to face the stallion.

“Pyrite was under the care of another guard, Emerald. Why isn’t she with him?”

Then, a green spark appeared beneath the stallion, and flames consumed his body, revealing Emerald himself.

“She never left my sight, sir.”

Amethyst was so overcome by joy that she broke down completely.

Tears poured from her eyes as she held her baby in her hoof, tight against her chest.

Pyrite was equally thrilled to be reunited with her mother.

Onyx and Emerald watched in silence from the door as the scene unfolded.
Without any form or disguise, Pyrite huddled aghast her mother and began to calm down.

Amethyst dried her cheeks and played with the changeling’s messy mane that was beginning to grow more and more.
Her little queen was growing up.

By the door, the silence was broken when Emerald cleared his throat.

“I got on a train this morning, after I heard about what happened to you guys. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when Chrysalis attacked.”

Onyx smiled sadly.

“It’s alright, Emerald. You did nothing wrong, but I’m glad you’re here.”

He kept his eyes forward as he spoke, at Amethyst and Pyrite.

“Amethyst is without her leg, and Gem can’t fly. Having another able-bodied guard is just what we need right now.”

Onyx turned to face him.

“Does Amber know you’re here?”

Emerald shook his head.

“No… Not yet, anyway. I want to surprise her at the party. I can go, right? I can go to the party?”

Onyx nodded his head.

“Of course… I’ll talk to Shining and see to it that you get a pass.”

The stallions walked into the room and sat with Amethyst and Pyrite.

When the captain saw Emerald, her smile expanded.

“Thank you for bringing her to me.”

The changeling felt his chest swell with fulfillment as he gave her a short bow in return.

“What can I say, captain? She has your fire.”

Amethyst knew what he meant.

He was talking about the fire in her heart.

Ever since she had adopted Pyrite, the two of them became inseparable.

Because of the bond they shared and they love they felt for each other, nothing would ever keep them apart.

***

Sadri kept her eyes on the city of Canterlot as the train pulled into the station.

Next to her, Gypsum fished a comb out of her bag and began pulling small tangles out of her mane.

When they came to a complete stop, a loud hiss escaped the train as clouds of steam drifted by the windows.

They had arrived.

Around them, ponies were collecting their things as they prepared to disembark.

Sadri has no belongings, but as she tried to stand, she realized she was blocked in by Gypsum.

The crystal pony was still trying to fix her mane, regardless of the fact that it looked flawless.

Sadri tapped her hoof gently.

“Um… Excuse me…”

Gypsum looked up, meeting her gaze before turning red and quickly putting the comb away.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…”

The mare stood and entered the aisle, allowing Sadri the room to follow her.
Together, they walked down the aisle until they reached a set of steps that lead to a boarding platform.

Once outside the train, Sadri was able to stretch her legs to their full extent, and it felt good.

It wasn’t until she had shaken the soreness off of her that she realized Gypsum was still standing beside her.

Surrounded by the steam, the mare she had met in the Crystal Empire suddenly threw a hoof around her and pulled her into an embrace.

Sadri was too stunned to protest, but as the seconds passed, she allowed the hug and raised her own hoof, patting Gypsum’s back.

“Thank you for listening…”

When she pulled away, she sniffled softly as she looked into Sadri’s eyes.

“I’ve been bottling that story up, and I just needed to let it out.”

Sadri understood her all too well.
She had her own fair share of relationship problems, though hers might have been a little more diabolical than ‘cheating’.

Sometimes, sharing your problems with somepony could make all the difference in the world, but Sadri couldn’t bring herself to tell Gypsum about her own past, how she married Twilight Sparkle to dominate the other princesses and take over all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.

That was only the short version, anyway.

The longer version was so much worse.

Sadri extended her hoof towards Gypsum, who took it quickly.

“I guess I’ll see you around…”

Gypsum nodded her head as she shook the golden mare’s hoof.

“Yes, perhaps…”

Sadri felt she had nothing left to say to her new friend.

She retracted her hoof, and began to back away.

The guards of Canterlot would certainly recognize her, so she still needed to find some clothes, maybe even a wig, if she was going to get anywhere close to Twilight.

“… Or, if you don’t want to leave it to chance, maybe we could agree to see each other again at the gala?”

Sadri stopped and spun around.

When her eyes met Gypsum’s she saw something stirring inside.

It wasn’t her own work… It couldn’t have been.

Sadri knew what a pony looked like when under a domina’s influence, and for Gypsum, this was not the case.

In her emotionally vulnerable state, Sadri could tell that the pony had become attached to her, of her own free will.

Gypsum was a wreck, and in her deprived state, she had sought after the first pony to show her any kind of affection.

Sadri pitied her.

That pity wasn’t enough to stop her from backing away from Gypsum, though.

She had her own problems, and she didn’t need some lovesick mare holding her back.

Sadri needed to find Twilight, and to her, that was all that mattered.

She shook her head as she turned away from Gypsum, showing the mare her back.

“I’m sorry, but this is where our paths end.”

Then, without so much as a ‘goodbye’, she took off, leaving Gypsum alone by the train.

Sadri didn’t look back.

She couldn’t.

The longer she stayed with Gypsum, the more she might find herself becoming attached, and that was something she couldn’t allow.

Her heart belonged to Twilight.

As she ran through the city, no pony paid her any attention.

She passed by numerous restaurants and galleries.

Even though the morning was still young, the entertainment district of Canterlot was buzzing with activity, especially one well-lit building with great, flashing lights.

As she passed the building, Sadri could hear the low beats of music playing inside.

It must have been a dance club of some kind, but after catching a glimpse inside through the open door as the bouncer allowed a pony to enter, Sadri realized it was much, much more lewd of an establishment.

The place peaked her curiosity, but she silently reminded herself that she needed to keep moving to avoid being spotted by a vigilant guard.

Up ahead, Sadri spotted a tailor.

The building was just as crowded as the club she had passed before.

Ponies like her must have been rushing to get their outfits together for the gala at the last minute, minus being a fugitive criminal.

Sadri felt her luck had come at last.

The crowd would give her cover from the authorities, and she might be able to make off with some clothes to help her sneak into the gala.

It was as good of a plan as any.

Sadri was running on fumes at this point.

She didn’t even know what to do when she actually confronted Twilight.

All she knew at the moment was that finding her ex-wife was her top priority.

As Sadri approached the tailor, she began to rehearse.

Muttering to herself, she repeated what she assumed would be the start to a good apology.

“Hey, Twilight, I… No, that’s too informal… Hi, Twili… No… Buck, this is hard.”

Sadri stopped and looked towards the sky.

“My love? My dearest?”

She didn’t expect a response from the clouds.

“I’m sorry for… everything…”

Sadri had a lot to apologize for, and for the first time since she broke out of her prison, she began to wonder if Twilight would even forgive her.

The longer she thought about it, the more doubt began to creep into her mind.

Sadri couldn’t even forgive herself for doing the things she did.

Her hooves were moving on their own, leading her closer and closer towards the entrance of the clothing store.
With her magic, Sadri opened the door and walked inside.

A blast of warm air hit her, and she immediately began to melt.

All around the golden mare, ponies talked happily amongst each other as they shopped and tried on the vast arrangement of dresses, gowns, and suits.

Sadri wasn’t picky.

Anything would do.

All she needed was a single dress, and without any money, she would have to steal one.

She hated the idea, but it was the only one she had.

Sadri began to eye the dress closest to her and she calculated how quickly she could run once she grabbed it.

“Excuse me…”

The golden mare jumped as she spun around, coming face to face with a tall stallion in formal, black attire.

It became aware to Sadri that he worked at the place.

“I just noticed you looking around, and I was wondering if I could help you find something.”

The tone of his voice was sincere, and there was no evidence that he was suspicious of her.

Sadri began to relax a little as she brushed her mane out of her eyes.

“Yes, um… I’m actually looking for a dress for the gala.”

The stallion laughed, earning a light frown from Sadri.

“You and everypony else in here, m’lady.”

He saw the look on her face and quickly cut his laughter.

“I… don’t mean to tease, but I’d be happy to help you.”

The gears in Sadri’s head began to turn, and she thought of a way the stallion could help her.

She lost the frown and gave him a sweet smile.

“Yes, you can…”

Sadri reached to her left and pulled the closest dress off of the rack.

It was nothing special and inexpensive, but it would cover her nicely and, to Sadri’s liking, it looked kinda cute.

“I’ve already picked out the dress I want, but…”

Her eyes flashed subtly, dazzling the stallion.

“… perhaps you’d like to help me… try it on?”

Lost in her shimmering eyes, the stallion could hardly formulate words or complete sentences.

“I… Um, well… Th-The… The fitting room is…”

Sadri stepped closer, closing the distance between them.

In the crowded store, no pony paid them any attention.

“I’ll put it on for you… If you like the way it looks on me, would you consider buying it?”

The stallion was in her clutches.
He nodded his head before leading her to the closest fitting room.

Part of Sadri felt satisfied knowing that she was still a powerful domina and skilled in the art of seduction.

The other part of her wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

As nice as the stallion looked, males were not in her preferential taste.

Inside the fitting room, with the door closed, Sadri made no attempt to put on the dress.

Instead, she bit into the fabric in preparation to keep herself from moaning aloud as the stallion mounted her from behind.

The whole time, she kept her eyes toward, glued to the wall with her mind on Twilight.

Twilight was all that mattered.

***Up Next: Phasmid Arrives***