The light-brown mare beamed with confidence as she withdrew her keys from her saddlebags.
The pony unlocked the doors to her very own bakery, giddily trotting inside. She thunked her head against the doorframe on her way in, but it seldom depleted her ever-bright grin.
She looked around in awe, bright blue eyes scanning across the quant furniture adorning the service room.
“Wow,” she breathed to herself, looking around. Even after owning this bakery for several years now, it still never lost its magic and luster.
The mare giddily bounced around behind the thick-boarded wooden counter, preheating the oven to prepare for the various treats she’d be making for ponies that day.
She pranced in place eagerly waiting, when suddenly the glass double-doors flew open.
A gray pegasus hovered in place, smiling brightly at the mare behind the counter.
“Milky Crumb!” the stallion called, fluttering over. “My main mare!”
“Bolt Blazer!” she called back, raising her hoof and bumping it with his. “My main stallion,” she echoed.
Bolt Blazer smiled brightly, glee in his face as he began his descent. He rested an elbow on the counter and his flanks on the stool in front of the counter.
“So, Milky,” he started, “working hard in preparations for the wedding I see?”
Milky Crumb nodded vigorously.
“You bet! Not every day a royal wedding occurs. Right here in Canterlot, no less!” Milky leaned over the counter, hugging Bolt tightly. The stallion returned the embrace happily.
The two broke the hug soon, content to just stare at each other.
“You know, I don’t open shop for another hour,” Milky quipped with a smirk. “Did you need something, or ya’ just come to see a cute face?” she stuck her tongue out with a wink.
“What if it’s both? You know I’d be dead without you,” Bolt shot back, booping the mare’s nose.
Milky shrugged in response.
“Fair enough.”
The earth pony mare turned and continued her preparations for the day, starting on baking various treats. Fifteen minutes later, Bolt Blazer found a blueberry muffin placed in front of him.
“Ah, you know me too well!” he cheered with a grin. “Do I get a friend’s discount?”
Milky turned and flicked her tail against his nose.
“Friends pay double!”
Bolt chuckled, glancing up to the menu board to check the price. Two bits. He promptly tossed five bits across the counter.
“Keep the change, good lookin’.”
Milky eyed the bits and stifled a laugh.
“I was joking! No charge, Bolty.”
“I know.” Bolt Blazer slid the bits into her money jar anyway.
Milky smiled at the kind gesture, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
She sighed happily, simply thinking. Thinking about Bolt Blazer.
That stallion was a hoof-full for sure, but he’s been her friend since as long as Milky could remember. It’d be a lie to say she hadn’t developed a passing interest in him over the years. This interest grew into attraction, and soon complete infatuation, as if a snowball of pent up emotion rolling down a white-washed mountain.
Milky wanted to tell him, and almost has many times, but neglected to. She neglected to out of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, and fear of potentially crumbling their tower of friendship built by bricks composed of several years.
Of course, she knew that wouldn’t happen. Even if he rejected her, Bolt would still want to be friends... Right? It was that small seedling of irrational doubt that grew, and kept her rooted in a soil of fear.
Bolt Blazer for his part, was thinking about a similar situation across the table.
Similar, but not the same.
Bolt Blazer knew that Milky loved him. But the problem was, he loved her back. This didn’t make sense to him.
He was not supposed to love her. He wasn’t supposed to love anyone! Not this mare, not his friends, not even his own mother. But yet, he did. Somehow, he had fallen for this pitiful mare.
Her love was oh so sweet, it could feed him for years! It was all for him! Not for someone he pretended to be, but for him! But, if he was being given this food so freely, why did he feel bad about taking it?
Bolt gazed off into the distance, a frown growing on his face.
He knew that his hive would be invading Canterlot soon. This very invasion was why he had been sent to Canterlot nearly a decade prior.
Queen Chrysalis had tasked him, and several others, to hide amongst the pony-folk and gather information to send back. Guard shifts, royalty’s habits, common etiquette, any and everything that they could use to their advantage.
“Is something wrong?” Milky’s soft voice snapped Bolt out of his pondering, and he turned back to the mare with a smile.
“I’m fine, truly, don’t worry none.”
“Okay!” Milky beamed brightly.
The two sat in silence for the next hour as Milky baked numerous treats.
The anticipation was heavy as the hours crept by, and as the wedding drew closer. Milky had been baking and talking to Bolt all day, and serving the few customers she received. But soon, it was finally time.
A gray earth pony burst through the double-doors.
“Milky, Bolty!” the mare shouted. She ran forward as she gained their attention, skidding to a stop. “The wedding starts in twenty minutes!” she then looked to Milky. “You finish your wedding gifts, big sis?”
Milky nodded.
“Hello, Charcoal. I did! Got a nice box of cookies right here.” Milky bounced the box on her back, winking at her younger sister.
“Come on then, let’s go!” Bolt cheered, though his face betrayed the vocal enthusiasm. He was frowning, but luckily the two mares didn’t notice.
The trio of ponies bounded out of the bakery, Milky kicking back her leg to flip the sign to read “CLOSED”.
Bolt Blazer led the group, flying ahead of the two mares in a dash towards Canterlot Castle. It wasn’t too long until they made it inside.
The group gathered in the throne room, eagerly awaiting the wedding. The ceremony was agonizingly long.
It was after fifteen minutes that the couple finished exchanging their vows, when suddenly the large door to the room was thrown open.
A lone lavender unicorn galloped in, looking bruised and beaten.
“Stop!” she hollered, abruptly silencing the wedding and gaining everyone’s attention.
