Pear Butter smiles at her, and those blue eyes glint in the light, radiant and perfect. Her smile pours into Chiffon Swirl's insides, soft as brown butter, soaking into every joint and pore, warming up her very soul. What a blessing that is enough.
But there is more, if she dares. Her pounding heart urges her to take all of this joy that life offers. Buttercream and sugar on top of sugar.
“Oh, Peary,” she says as her eyelids flutter. "Your eyes look so pretty in this light. Wouldn't it be crazy if we just, like, kissed right now?"
Some days, Pear would respond in kind. A coy smile. Lips meeting. That frisson of passion and tension. Others, an uncomfortable look in her eyes is all Chiffon needs to know that she'd dared a little too much that day. To pull back a bit, to not strain to the point of breaking.
But the look she is giving her now is neither of those. Eyes wide. Mouth contorted into a grimace. Chiffon doesn't understand. Surely it wasn't that bad-
“Mom... I’m not Pear Butter.”
Chiffon blinks, realizing that now. Of course. That horn on that head, silly her! That isn't Peary! Peary's not a unicorn, and she doesn't have those wrinkles under her eyes!
Chiffon gives her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”
“I’m… Pumpkin Cake?” She says it like Chiffon should know her.
“I’m your daughter.”
Chiffon’s brows knit together.
“What?”
The older mare swallows. “I’m your daughter. You’re my mom.”
Chiffon snorts. “What? I mean, you’re old enough to be my mom!”
“Honey…” an old stallion speaks, all wrinked and yellow. Chiffon looks at him quizzically.
"We were just talking about our fifth anniversary trip. To Neighagra Falls, remember? You were just telling Pumpkin all about it, because she’s planning to go with her husband… Remember?”
Confused old stallion, talking like he has any idea what was going on. Chiffon smiles at him sweetly.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. We were just having a conversation. Have we met?”
His lower lip begins to quiver, eyes brimming with tears.
“Honey… I’m Carrot Cake, your husband. Before we got married I went by Orange Marmalade… Remember?“
Chiffon frowns. “Okay, I’ve had enough of this. Where’s Pear Butter? Where am I?”
She looks around the room. A chair underneath her. Across the table, Pumpkin. The old stallion next to them. At his side, a younger, tan-coated stallion silently rubbing his withers with concern. Off to the side, a bed- What?
"Where am I? Where's Pear Butter? She was just here!"
"Honey. Please, try to remember! Anything! We met when I first moved Fillydelphia. Our first date was a picnic that got rained on because neither of us checked the schedule. Our honeymoon to Las Pegasus... Remember how nervous I got taking a sky chariot for the first time? And what you told me?" Face wet with tears now. "That even if we crashed and died you'd have no regrets because your last moments were with me? Remember how the pegasus just glared at us?"
"What? Why would I ever say that? I don't even know you!"
"Honey! We raised a family together! We've been married for more than forty years! I... I love you so much!"
Enough of him. "Love? And what do you even know about what love is, huh? It's not something that just anypony gets to have, you know! Old ponies like you think they do but they don't! What Pear Butter and I have, that's real love!"
Why did it hurt when she thought about her? Why...
“She told me! She told me no matter how deeply she fell in love with him she’d always have a place in her life for me, and that was enough! I didn't care what it looked like!"
Shouting now. Anger.
"Because that’s what love is! It’s wanting her to be happy, so you keep what you desperately want to say to her inside even if it twists your guts, even if it hurts more than anything else you've ever felt. Because that's what's important, not what you desperately dream of and scrape away at but can never catch. That's what love really is. Just what would you know about that? Huh!?“
Stunned silence, looking for all the world like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Him and the other two ponies in the room.
Wait, three?
A voice, cheery.
“Okay, I think we’re done here, Chiffon. Just sit there easy.“
A pink mare about the same age as Pumpkin. Suddenly there, speaking in a soft voice. Not to her.
“I am so sorry, Mr. Cake. These moments of lucidity really do go very suddenly...”
A simple nod. One last tearful look at Chiffon before being led away. Just her and the pink mare now, dressed in white.
"Who are you?"
A smile.
"I'm Toola Roola. I'm here to help you. Look." A pudding cup. "I brought a treat if you're hungry!"
“Why are you talking to me like a baby? I bake for a living, for Celestia’s sake! If I’m hungry I can make my own food!“
Glances around the room (why is everything so blurry?). No kitchen. Why does her chair have wheels?
“Where am I? Where's Peary?"
A sad look.
"Peary's not here, Chiffon."
"She's with her husband now, isn't she? That's why she never visits me anymore, even though she could walk right over. Not even a letter..."
Something said, but Chiffon's not paying attention.
"Never told a soul this... Something happening to him... didn't wish for it, just daydreamed... How I'd be there to comfort her... Go back to the way they were..."
Rocking, back and forth.
"We were all so young! What happens after the story ends? Life goes on, for decades and decades. Anything could happen... There was so much time, you see."
Her hoof, shriveled and wrinkled and alien before her.
"There was supposed to be so much time..."
