Author's Note

How to Make Love takes place after A Changeling of Heart but before Fuck you, I'm you!
This chapter brought to you by nearlyepic1 as part of the Extra Chapter Challenge.

This is the dirtiest, most vile filth I've ever written. It contains such themes as An honest sex-free conversation about love, Cuddling, Pants being worn, and EMOTIONS. Read at your own discretion.

[Bonus][Act IV] How to Make Love

“Good morning, sleepybug,” you grinned. It wasn’t like you to be an early riser, but ever since you had realized that you got a chance to see Em’s beautiful face all the longer if you did… suddenly it wasn’t so difficult.

A look of confusion, then realization, then happiness washed over her. Every morning that confusion was there - like she expected you to disappear. Every morning that realization that you were real hit her anew. Every morning you saw that beautiful smile, that almost ethereal delight as she wiggled closer to you unconsciously.

“You just look so beautiful, Em,” you whispered, watching her hair flow behind her.

“You’re just saying that!” she complained groggily, despite her smile not moving an inch.

“You know I’m not. Waking up next to you is a dream come true every morning.”

A few dots of pink twinkled in the distance as she contemplated her response.

“I’m so lucky to have you, Anon,” Metamora replied, “And even luckier that… you’re always so good to me.”

“I love you, you quirky little bug.”

“I love you too!” Metamora exclaimed, as if she couldn’t say those words fast enough, “Hive I love saying that. It feels… It feels like you.”

You paused at that… It was clear what she meant, but how she described it left you curious.

“Humor me for a bit, huh Em?”

“Hmm?” she asked, interest at the edge of her tone.

“What do I feel like?” you asked, reaching out to stroke her neck gently.

Her expression changed, confusion again, then deep thought, then that smile again.

“There aren’t words to describe it,” she answered, imperceptibly leaning into your touch, ”That’s why it feels like you…”

“Is that what love feels like to you?”

“Yes, but…” she hesitated, enough to make you pause your caress, “normally love doesn’t feel like anything. It’s like water… It’s just there.”

“But with me it’s different?”

“Yeah… With you it’s like…” she paused, “It’s like I’m drowning in it but I don’t want it to stop.”

“When did that start?” you ask, leaning forward to grab her so you could pull her against you.

“I think…” she paused, resisting your hold, “…the first time you got mad at me. When we got back from the library and… You were mad at the real me…”

“Is that why you…”

“I don’t know why I did that, Anon,” Metamora answered, “To this day I still don’t know why I needed you that night.”

“No one had ever been mad at you before that, had they?”

“No, uh… Disappointed, yes. You know, rationally angry, but never…” she considered, “never emotional.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s not…” she started, “You don’t need to apologize, Anon. That was new to both of us. …And I didn’t hate it.”

“You didn’t?”

“That meant… That meant you cared about me. Not some disguise, not some facade. It just took me a while to realize I was interested in that.”

“I did care about you,” you confirmed, “I don’t think I knew it either back then. Now though, you’re my whole damn world, Em.”

“I’m just a bug, Anon,” she disagreed, “your world should have more in it than just me.”

“What are you talking about?” you asked, “You’re everything I want, I don’t know what I’d do with anything more.”

“I can be whatever you want…” she corrected, her implication clear.

“You already are, Em. I know change is kind of in the name, but you don’t ever have to be someone else for me.”

“But there’s so little of me that’s real. It’s like a little tiny dot in a world of disguises and personalities and…”

There was a long pause - you didn’t dare interrupt with her emotions laid bare like this.

“What if this part of me is fake too?” she finished, tears in her eyes.

“Oh Em,” you sighed, pulling her in for a hug despite her earlier objection, “You’re really are a silly bug. What are you even worried about?”

“Anon I’m terrified I’m still lying to you and I’ll never know!” Metamora cried, fighting your hold.

“Maybe that’s how you know it’s real,” you suggest, “If this part of you was fake that wouldn’t bother you, right?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Metamora said, no longer struggling to get away.

“Of course it doesn’t. None of this makes sense, that’s how emotions work,” you explain.

“I hate emotions!” she pouted.

“Oh come on, bugbutt,” you chastise, “use your big mare words.”

“I’m not made to feel things, Anon! I’m supposed to exploit emotions! I’m really good at that. But now that I’m feeling things… they’re exploiting me instead!”

“Those emotions are a part of you, Em. They’re not exploiting you, they’re guiding you.”

“They’re pulling me in every direction! It’s like I don’t know which way is up without you.”

“That’s normal, Em,” you explain, “emotions are complex, they’re not meant to make sense.”

“Does it make any sense to you, then?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Of course not!”

“Then how do you handle it?”

“I have you, don’t I?”

“But I can’t help, Anon. I don’t understand emotions, I can’t help you when I can’t even help myself.”

“That’s kinda the point,” you laughed, “We’re both hopeless on our own, but together we’re a matched pair.”

“But you’re full of feelings! Any time I’m upset you just fill the room with wonderful, sweet, delicious…” she trailed off, “All I do is suck the emotion out of you.”

“Oh Em, don’t beat yourself up, you suck way more than just feelings out of me…” you joked, realizing how out of place it was, “Sorry… that… I know you’re putting your heart on display. I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s okay Anon, I… ” Metamora snickered, “It was kind of funny.”

“Still... I’m serious. I don’t want to see you hurt,” you affirmed, “Help me understand.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, “Maybe we both need to help each other understand.”

“You’re right Em,” you agreed, “We’re so similar in a lot of ways, but I don’t… I don’t really understand what makes you tick.”

“That’s,” Metamora jumped on that idea, “That’s exactly it! I feel the same way. You’re this loving, caring, wonderful creature but I can’t… Changelings only ever have to look skin-deep. It’s hard to look further”

“It doesn’t help that neither of us is good at putting ourselves on display.”

“How do we…” Metamora wondered, “How do we fix that?”

“Well…” you paused to ponder, “I’ve got an idea. Ask me anything. Any question you want about me.”

“Alright. What’s your favorite part of Equestria?”

“Well…” you started, the answer obvious.

“Hnng,” she swooned, “I don’t count, Anon.”

“How did you…”

“You taste delicious when you’re thinking about me.”

“Uh, I dunno, I’m glad everyone’s been so welcoming.”

“Well, there’s a lot of reasons to welcome you,” Metamora intimated, “Anyway, your turn.”

“Right, now that you’re full of mushy feelings and junk… is there anyone you’re starting to like more?”

“Huh, I…” she thought for a moment, “Yeah. Now that you mention it… It’s really weird. I like everypony. I don’t just… not feel anything anymore. So I guess… I’m a lot more appreciative of everypony. Especially you, Anon.”

“Anyone you really like?”

“Hey! It’s my turn!” she yelled, blushing at the same time.

“Come on, Em! That first one barely even counts.”

“Fine. But don’t get mad, okay?”

“Do I look like I could ever be mad at you?” you teased, waiting for her to drum up the courage to answer.

“Pharynx,” she finally answered, saying his name as quickly as she could before pausing to let it sink in, “We were really close, Anon… closer probably than two Changelings should have been. I… have so much to show him about love.”

“Oh that’s so adorable! Your first Changeling crush!”

“S-Shut up! It’s not like that!” Metamora blushed.

“It could be, if you want.”

“You’d really let me…”

“It’s only fair. You’ve put up with me fucking… just about everyone.”

“E-Enough about that,” Metamora dismissed, still blushing a bit “Do you miss… where you came from?”

That question caught you off guard. You couldn’t even remember the last time you had thought about your world. Was it even your world anymore? You felt more at home even on the run in Equestria than you ever did on Earth.

“I really don’t miss much,” you admitted, “I wasn’t happy there. But if I had to pick one thing… I guess the fact that nothing was expected of me.”

“Huh,” Metamora responded, chewing on what you had said, “Do I ask too much of you?”

“Of course not! You know I’d do anything for you. It’s just… peo- ponies like me here. I have to actually care about everyone.” you defended, “Anyway… My turn again, this is the big one. Show me how you make love.”

“Anon!” Metamora chided, “I thought we were being serious here! Did you not see enough when we were in the hive?”

“Sorry, phrasing, that’s… I want to know how you generate love, all those balls of light and everything.”

“O-Oh…” she sighed, almost as if she liked the idea of a repeat performance, “I can show you, but you’ll have to help out a bit.”

“What do you need?”

“Hold me in your lap?” she instructed, curling her legs in toward her body as she snuggled ever closer to you. You reached around her with both arms, your hands coming to rest on her cool, smooth carapace.

“Yesss,” she hissed, rolling into your grasp, “It doesn’t take much to start anymore. Just the thought of you is usually enough. But to really get it started… feeling your warmth… So good.”

You rolled a bit more into a sitting position, resting your back against the headboard and interlocking your fingers over her chest.

“See those pink ones?” she asked, pointing with a hoof, “Those ones are just ambient love… the kind I feed on.”

“There’s that much just, uh, floating around?”

“No that’s… It all comes from you, or… most of it anyway.”

“And the rest of it comes from you?”

“Remember the other colors?” she asked, “Those are the special ones.”

She just laid there for a moment, more and more pink orbs twinkling into existence.

“White,” she started, the sound of concentration in her voice, as a few orbs of bright light appeared, “Those ones are… Talking to me.”

“Talking?” you asked, “Like ‘Hey Metamora, how would you like to have me inside of you’ or…”

“More like…” she started, trying to think of an explanation, “Learning. Transforming, maybe…”

“Transforming into…” you trailed off.

“Gold,” she explained. She paused for a moment, a grin on her face. “I love you, Anon.”

You watched as a constellation of gold appeared, appearing to stir the abundance of pink around it.

“Gold is either love I’ve made, like those,” she pointed, “or love I’ve earned. Try saying it…”

“I love you,” you declared, kissing her ear. A ball of gold light appeared as soon as you pulled away.

“You kind of just radiate love all the time, but when it’s because of me… I can tell.”

“The gold ones are more powerful?”

“They’re ones I can use. I can use that love to process the pink kind,” she started, a wave of white and gold spreading from the first constellation.

“Or I can turn them back into pink ones,” she continued, the golden ball you made exploding to fill the room.

“Or I can do both…” she grinned, “Infinitely.”

All of the sudden the calm dance of love energy turned frenetic, packing the entire room. Metamora rolled over and looked you in the eyes with a fire in hers that spoke volumes.

“You know how much I love you, but do you want to feel it Anon?”

You nodded.

"I love you."

You let your mind wash away as she drowned you in love. Her love.