Cadence's Crackship Collection

Chapters

Sun, Sealed, Delivered (Princess Celestia x Derpy Hooves)
Good Vibes (Ms. Harshwhinny x Tree Hugger)
Upgrade (Tempest Shadow x Kerfuffle x Celaeno)
Double Feature (Pharynx x Mina)
Medical Affection (Daring Do x Zecora)

Sun, Sealed, Delivered (Princess Celestia x Derpy Hooves)

As the sun rose high above all of Equestria, the two royal sisters in Canterlot did their morning routines. Princess Luna returned back into the castle for some well-deserved rest after monitoring dreams all night, while Princess Celestia walked around the castle grounds, already doing the daily chores, making breakfast, and being briefed on the different meetings she had for the day.

“Good morning, Luna,” Celestia greeted as she saw her sister walk through the doors. “Any exciting dreams today?”

Luna waved with the level of enthusiasm expected of someone who had spent the entire night up. “Morning, sister. Nothing out of the ordinary tonight. Unless you count Braeburn swimming in mango pudding, I guess.”

“Hmm, I guess not, did you want some waffles before you went to sleep?” Celestia offered. It was always a gamble whether Luna would get in one last meal before retiring for the day.

Luna was about to decline when her stomach started growling the moment she opened her mouth.“Mmm, maybe just one or two…” she sheepishly smiled as she sat down at the table.

As Luna helped herself to some pancakes, Celestia went to check on the knocking at the door.

Just as she expected, the daily mail had arrived. A gray pegasus stood at the door holding a stack of envelopes and scrolls.

“Delivery, your highnesses!” the mailmare brightly chirped.

Celestia’s magic took hold of the mail to transfer ownership, smiling and nodding at the pegasus. “Thank you very much.”

“Ehehe, you’re welcome!” The pegasus giggled and did a brief bow before rushing off to complete the rest of her deliveries.

Celestia closed the door and walked back to the table, flipping through the letters and scanning the names and locations of the senders, just to see if any of them were urgent. There was one in particular that caught her attention. A vibrant pink envelope that stood out from all the other dulled white ones.

Luna caught the smile on her sister’s face as she set aside the rest of the mail on the table. “Another love letter, sister?” she asked with a mouthful of waffles and syrup.

“I haven’t got a pink envelope that wasn’t, yet!” Celestia said, practically dancing her hooves in place.

“I still don’t understand why you’re getting so excited over this,” Luna rolled her eyes. “Is the love of the rest of Equestria not enough for you?”

“Oh, you’re just jealous that I’m getting these and you’re not,” Celestia scoffed as she opened up the top.

“Why would I ever be jealous of the attention some random pony is giving you?”

Celestia immediately raised an eyebrow and gave her sister a look.

“I…Yeah, fair enough.” Luna guiltily looked off to the side, letting Celestia go about her business.

Celestia opened up the letter and read it out loud.

Dear Princess Celestia,

It’s always wonderful to see the beautiful sunrise every day, but it’s even more wonderful to see the beautiful mare that’s responsible for it. Whenever I get the chance to see you, it’s like my heart wants to leap out of my chest! I get a bubbly feeling all over just thinking about that warm, kind smile you give to everypony. And one day, I’d love to be the reason to make you smile and feel all bubbly inside.

Luna examined the opened envelope. “Still no return address, huh?”

Celestia let out a longing sigh as she held the letter close to her chest. “No, but perhaps one day my secret admirer will reveal themself. Until then, I’ll be content with what they write to me.”

“Well, I should be off to sleep,” Luna said as she stood up from her seat. “Might wanna check the rest of the letters, that letter from Vanhoover looks quite important.”

A week had passed, and Canterlot was in the same routine as usual. Princess Celestia was setting the table, leaving an extra plate out in case Luna was hungry today.

Right on cue, Princess Luna walked through the door, letting out a huge yawn as she stepped into the room.

“Ah, good morning, Luna! Care to join me for breakfast today?” Celestia responded with her usual cheery tone.

“Mmm, I suppose some food before sleep wouldn’t hurt-” Luna’s head perked up, doing a double take as she looked back at Celestia. More particularly, her choice of wardrobe.

“What?” Celestia casually asked with a mouthful of banana. She was still wearing her pajamas, a yellow two-piece set with a slightly darker shade of yellow for the hearts that adorned her soft sleepwear. Though despite still being dressed for bed, her usual royal regalia was placed over her pajamas.

“Are you serious?” Luna asked, flabbergasted. “Don’t you have like, other meeting stuff to do today?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I have time to change.”

“You had time to put all that on!” Luna said, gesturing to her crown, peytral, and shoes.

Celestia waved her hoof dismissively. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like anypony else has seen me in my pajamas.”

Right as she finished that sentence, there was a knock on the door.

“Alright, well, you get the mail, I’m busy eating breakfast,” Luna snarked, biting into some toast.

Looking down at her outfit, Celestia shrugged and went to answer the door.

Standing there to greet her was a familiar-looking gray pegasus with another stack of letters, who was quickly taken aback by Celestia’s current clothing choice.

“...Oh! Um, good morning! Here’s your delivery today, your highnesses!” she said, holding a stack of letters.

Celestia eyed the stack, seeing another bright pink envelope hidden in the middle. Her face immediately lit up as she took the mail from the other mare. “Ah! Thank you! I appreciate your service.”

“And I…um…love your outfit!” The mare briefly blushed before bowing and running off to continue her route.

Celestia immediately picked the pink envelope out from the bunch and started eagerly opening it as she walked back to the table.

Luna recognized the giddy look on Celestia’s face and the pink envelope she was holding. “Ah, another one, huh? Well, I suppose it has been a while…”

“I know, right? Oh, I wonder what it’ll say this time!” Celestia grinned, pulling out the letter and reading it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

As I went out for a stroll today, I could feel the sun’s warmth on my back. Sometimes I like to imagine that it’s like a big hug you’re giving to everypony in Equestria, and it makes my wings flutter thinking that I’m part of that hug, too. I know you’re probably busy with a bunch of boring political stuff, but I like thinking that you’re spreading your love over Equestria all day. I hope that when you’re not super busy, you get to enjoy some warm hugs, too.

Celestia looked once again for any sign of a name or even address, but there was still nothing of the sort. “Sometimes I wish my secret admirer wasn’t so…secret.”

“Well, the letter did say ‘my wings flutter’, so it’s probably a pegasus,” Luna pointed out.

“True, but that doesn’t narrow it down by that much,” Celestia sighed, before looking back at Luna with a growing smile of inspiration. “Although…if there were a way of finding out who dreams of me…”

Luna was quick and firm to cut her off. “There are thousands of dreams every night, sister. Even among the ones that involve you, I cannot determine how much of it is based on reality instead of the random thoughts of their subconscious. Even so, you do not know the extent of how those dreams involving either you or me go…” She stared at her sister with a deathly serious look in her eyes. “...and I pray we keep it that way.”

“Eh, worth a shot.”

Another week passed as usual. Luna burst through the door and immediately took a seat at the table.

“I’m not even hungry, I just want the gossip,” she explained as she put her hooves up.

“You’re rather excited despite it being this early in the morning,” Celestia chuckled. “Some important dream you wish to share with me?”

“Oh nothing like that,” Luna scoffed. “I’m just waiting to see if there’s a new delivery for you.”

“I don’t see what you’re getting so worked up over my own love affairs,” Celestia coyly smiled. “It’s not like I’m any closer to figuring out who it is.”

“Well, maybe there’s going to be another hint in the next one you get!” Luna pointed out. “If not, you can always just ask the delivery pony where the letters come from. Surely they know who keeps sending them.”

“I suppose so, but I assumed these letters were being sent anonymously for a reason,” Celestia said, not entirely convinced.

They both turned their heads to the door as they heard a familiar knock.

“Worth a shot, right, Tia?”

Celestia reluctantly nodded as she answered the door to see the same gray pegasus from the previous weeks.

“Good morning! Here’s your mail for today, your highness!” the mail mare grinned as she presented today’s stack of letters.

Celestia’s face lit up as she saw another pink envelope in the pile. “Why, thank you!”

“You’re welcome!” The pegasus did a quick little bow before turning around.

“Ah, hold on!” Celestia called out before she started walking away. “My apologies, I know you must be busy with so many other deliveries today, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Miss…erm…”

The mare turned back around, now grinning nervously. “Um, go right ahead! A-And my name’s Derpy Hooves.”

“Well, Derpy, I don’t mean to hold you up for too long,” Celestia picked out the pink envelope and pulled it from the pile. “But do you know anything about these pink letters that keep getting delivered?”

Derpy slightly flinched, still keeping up her smile. “Um…sorry, but I have no idea!”

“That’s a shame,” Celestia pouted. “They’re quite lovely letters. I was hoping you’d be able to help me figure out who keeps sending them, since they don’t seem to have any sort of return address.”

“Ohyouactuallyread-I, uh, wish I could help more, Princess! But I don’t know who keeps sending them, I just see where they need to be delivered, and I send them over!”

“That’s quite alright,” Celestia said calmly and warmly. “Well, I’ll let you get back on your route. Thank you again for the mail, Derpy!”

“Ahaha…y-you’re welcome!” Derpy giggled as she rushed out of the castle as fast as her hooves could carry her.

“Nothing helpful?” Luna asked, leaning against the table as Celestia walked back to the breakfast table.

“I wouldn’t say nothing…” Celestia smirked, holding the love letter with her magic. “But let’s see if this week’s letter has anything to say.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

Like the sunrise every morning, you have a beauty that I hope that everypony else is able to admire. And like how the sunrise looks great whether it’s a warm summer or a chilly winter, you always look great, no matter if it’s your regular royal wear, or a fancy stunning gala dress, or cute pajamas! It makes me feel so lucky that I get to see so many beautiful things every day.

Luna looked over the letter again. “...Huh…that’s oddly specific.”

“Mmhm,” Celestia nodded. “I think I may know the identity of my secret admirer now.”

“So what now?”

“Well, now I’m going to finish breakfast,” Celestia chuckled. “But I have a letter of my own to write later on…”

After yet another week of waiting, both Celestia and Luna were now eagerly awaiting today’s mail delivery.

Celestia smirked as she looked over to Luna excitedly chewing on an oat pancake. “You don’t think being here might kill the mood just a touch?”

“I’ve been watching this unfold in real time, I am NOT missing the payoff!”

“I mean, we don’t even know if it’ll be the same delivery pony today,” Celestia mused. “We might have to wait another week to see if she shows up.”

“Don’t do this to me, Tia.” Luna pointed an accusatory hoof at her sister. “It would break my heart if I needed to wait any longer for this!”

“...You know she’s got a crush on me, right?” Celestia teased.

Luna quickly turned her head and blushed furiously. “I…er…I’m just…excited for you, that’s all…”

“I’m sure,” Celestia chuckled, though she was also feeling antsy herself. It had been quite a while since she had actually tried to pursue romance. There were a myriad of ways in which she could make herself look foolish. But if one mare could work up the courage to keep sending love letters, then surely Celestia could meet her halfway.

With the knocking at the door signaling the mail’s arrival, Celestia walked to the door. Though she made a joke to tease Luna, the thought that she may be encountering a different mail pony today worked its way back into her mind. There was a lot she wanted to say, and she hoped that it didn’t have to wait another minute.

Thankfully for Celestia, she wouldn’t have to wait for long. “Ah, good morning, Derpy!”

Having Celestia remember her name made Derpy blush and giggle uncontrollably. “Eeheehee! G-Good morning, your highness! Um, here’s your mail for today!”

“Why, thank you!” Celestia graciously took the delivery. “Before you go, do you mind coming inside for a bit?”

Derpy’s wings started to flutter. “Um…sure?” She tried to put on a big grin, but her trembling hooves gave away how nervous she was.

She walked in to see the bounty of food made for breakfast, and Princess Luna sitting at the end, casually enjoying some fruit.

“Please, feel free to help yourself if you’re hungry,” Celestia insisted.

“Oh wow, thanks!” Derpy happily grabbed one of the oat pancakes and chewed into it.

As she was busy filling her stomach, she looked around the room. It seemed just as fancy and classy as the rest of the castle she was allowed to look through as she delivered her mail. Next to the table where they were eating was another table where Celestia had placed down today’s delivery. And right next to that was a pile of opened pink envelopes.

Derpy audibly gulped, her hooves trembling even more as she took a nervous bite.

Celestia walked up to the table, her horn aglow with magic. “I’m glad you’re so dedicated to delivering the mail, Derpy. You’re quite the mailmare.”

“Oh, you know…just doing my job!” Derpy nervously laughed, constantly looking back to that pile of pink envelopes.

“Well, I hope you’ll continue doing it. Would you mind adding one more letter to your route today?”

Derpy quickly nodded. “No problem! It’d be my pleasure!”

Celestia’s magic brought an envelope in front of Derpy’s face. “Thank you, I trust that this letter will have no problem finding its recipient.”

Derpy took it in her hooves, turning it around to look for the address, but instead, the only thing written was her own name.

She looked upwards at Celestia, who only smiled and nudged her head back towards the envelope.

Derpy’s heart pounded as she opened up the letter, almost afraid to read the contents inside.

Dear Derpy Hooves,

Thank you for all the wonderful letters you’ve sent me over the past few months. I know you may have wanted to stay an anonymous sender, and I am sorry to say that it is no longer a secret. However, I want you to know that reading your letters has filled my heart with joy every week. To know that somepony appreciates the work I do and finds comfort in the sun means so much more than you may have guessed. You’ve been so dedicated in telling me your feelings for so long, and I regret not being able to tell you mine sooner. I want you to know that you are the reason I smile and feel all bubbly inside, and I would love for it to stay that way.

Lovingly yours,

Princess Celestia

With tears welling up in her eyes, Derpy looked up. “P-Princess…I…”

Celestia leaned down to gently kiss the mare on the nose. “I know. But I think I’ve held you here long enough.”

“Wha…huh?”

Celestia tapped Derpy’s mail bags. “You still have the rest of your route to get to, do you not?”

“Oh! I…uh…Yes! I should…really get…going…” Derpy wiped the tears from her eyes, forcing a grin even though everything about her tone and body language screamed that she would rather stay.

“Far be it from me to keep the mail from being delivered. And I’d hate for you to get in trouble because of my own selfish desires,” Celestia said with a warm smile.

“Hehe…right!” Derpy chuckled, feeling her heart racing with excitement.

“But I do hope you return soon,” Celestia said, holding the unopened pink envelope that was recently delivered. “I’m sure what’s written in here is beautiful, but I think it would sound a lot better coming directly from the lovely mare who wrote it.”

Good Vibes (Ms. Harshwhinny x Tree Hugger)

Ms. Harshwhinny entered her apartment in Manehattan, her mane and suit all ruffled up and soaking wet from the harsh winds and heavy rain outside.

“Ugh!” she immediately groaned as she slammed the door behind her. “Finally, it’s like today was never going to end…”

The exhausted mare wasn’t just screaming into the void. When she entered her home, the lights were already on, as was the television.

A set of ears perked up from the couch, and the head soon followed, turning around to reveal the green earth pony mare who was lying on it for the past few hours.

“Oh hey, babe,” Tree Hugger responded, calm as ever. She tilted her head, seeing Harshwhinny’s haggard appearance. “Rough day at work?”

“Rough wouldn’t even begin to cover it…” Harshwhinny grumbled as she shook off some of the rain dripping down onto the floor.

“You wanna talk about it?” Tree Hugger suggested, patting the cushion next to her. “The spot’s nice and warm for you to realign yourself.”

Harshwhinny rolled her eyes, the corner of her lips twitching as she tried to suppress a smile. “...I suppose it wouldn’t hurt…”

The tired mare sat down, letting out a loud sigh as the cushion was the first bit of comfort she had all day. As she closed her eyes to let some of the stress out, she felt Tree Hugger tugging at her shirt.

Harshwhinny immediately started blushing and recoiled. “M-Miss Hugger, please! I just got home!”

“What? You wanna just sit there in your soaking wet clothes all night?” Tree Hugger smirked. “Just trying to help you clear your chakras.”

Harshwhinny stammered for a bit, flustered that she had misread her marefriend’s intentions. “I…erm…r-right…” She leaned back in, letting her remove her soaked suit.

Harshwhinny was now damp, but not dripping. She did feel a little better, although also a bit chillier.

Tree Hugger put her hooves on Harshwhinny’s shoulders, starting to rub in circles. “So, what happened at work?”

Harshwhinny’s tense body loosened a bit as Tree Hugger started massaging. “I thought it’d just be a normal day. But no, it seemed like everything wanted to go wrong for me today!”

“Mmhm…like what?”

“Well, first, the delivery for the fireworks was late, then it turns out that only half the shipment had arrived and the rest would arrive in two weeks! Then it turns out that the construction workers forgot to install the rotation mechanisms on the rotation statues. Fillydelphia somehow thought that I would be coming to check on their flag carrying routine in three weeks instead of three days! And on top of all that, the sudden and completely unaccounted for rainstorm has made me look like a total mess! Honestly, it’s like I’ve been talking to nothing but brick walls the entire time!” Just recounting the day started to get her worked up all over again.

“Chill…chill…” Tree Hugger gently cooed. “I’ve been listening to you. Doesn’t seem like any of the things that went wrong today were your fault, so no use getting hung up on being mad about it, right?”

“I suppose…” Harshwhinny grumbled, still pouting. “But just because it’s not in my control doesn’t mean that it’s not stressful! If everything isn’t done right and on time, the Equestria Games is going to be a disaster!”

Tree Hugger’s hooves moved to her back. “Right, but it’s not just you who’s in charge of making everything work out. There’s a whole team you’re melding with that’s trying just as hard as you, ‘kay?”

Harshwhinny let out a mix of a hum and a sigh as Tree Hugger rubbed her back. “Yes…I suppose you’re right…”

“And look at it this way: All the bad stuff that happened today is over and done with, and you have the rest of the night with me to make it better,” Tree Hugger winked.

“Hmmph, you’ll have to do an awful lot to make up for everything I’ve been through today…” Harshwhinny scoffed.

“I’ve still got time…” Tree Hugger said, pressing her hooves into Harshwhinny’s stiff back as the television continued to drone on. “You’re still, like, so stiff and tense, dude…”

“Well, forgive me if I’m still on edge after today…” Harshwhinny sarcastically grumbled.

“Well, I didn’t think it had to come to this, but I guess I have no choice now,” Tree Hugger said quietly.

Harshwhinny lifted her head up to see Tree Hugger getting up and walking away to the bathroom, leaving her alone on the couch.

She sighed, lying down to fill up the rest of the space on the couch, grabbing the remote and idly flipping through channels, but nothing quite caught her attention enough to numb her brain. She closed her eyes, ready to end the night early until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Alright, come on, I got your bath all set up,” Tree Hugger said warmly.

That finally got a tiny smile out of the exhausted Harshwhinny, walking towards the bathroom.

Once she opened the door, she was immediately feeling more at ease. Tree Hugger didn’t do much, she filled up the tub and lit some scented candles around the sink and tub, but it changed the atmosphere entirely.

Harshwhinny inhaled deeply through her nostrils, getting the scent of cinnamon from the candles, making the small smile on her face grow just a bit bigger.

But she wasn’t there just for the nice smells. She walked over to the bath, dipping a hoof in to test the temperature, and feeling that it was still soothingly warm, she slowly slipped the rest of her damp body in.

As the warm water enveloped her body, a long sigh escaped her, as if the stress of the day was finally allowed to be released.

While soaking in the bath, Harshwhinny got another scent that mixed with the cinnamon candles, something that made the mare sink just a little bit deeper in the water in satisfaction. There was lavender oil mixed into the water.

The soothing scents of cinnamon and lavender mixed together to soothe Harshwhinny’s tired body and mind. Her tense muscles loosened up more as she submerged deeper into the tub, kicking her hooves up on the other side of the tub as she sank in until only her muzzle and eyes were above water, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

With each deep breath, all the previous mishaps of the day stopped feeling as significant. With each breath, she let out a quiet sigh.

She usually didn’t buy these kinds of scented candles or essential bath oils. The scents were always too strong and gave her a massive headache.

But in fairness, she didn’t buy any of the aromatheraputic items used today. It was all naturally made by Tree Hugger and her associates. Perhaps that was the reason why she could finally relax with those methods that her coworkers kept bragging about.

Tree Hugger made the claim that they were “purely organic”, but that distinction hardly mattered to Harshwhinny. She could finally take a relaxing bath and “bliss out”, as Tree Hugger would put it.

She lay there in the tub for a while, letting her mind drift away until she heard her stomach rumble. In all the commotion of the day, she had forgotten that she hadn’t eaten anything in hours.

After soaking for long enough, Harshwhinny exited the tub and blew out the candles, feeling much more relaxed and warm. She dried herself off and slipped into a bed robe and slippers. It was hardly the time for sleep yet, but putting her suit back on to eat dinner wasn’t worth the hassle.

She opened the bathroom door, and as the steam escaped, the smell of something cooking entered her nostrils. She picked up on the sounds of something being fried in her kitchen only a few feet away. She looked back into the bathroom, musing that aromatherapy really does take you to another place.

As Harshwhinny walked into the kitchen, she saw Tree Hugger stirring something at the stovetop.

Tree Hugger took a quick glance behind her. “You were in there for a while, you enjoy your cleansing soak?”

“You could say that,” Harshwhinny said with a small smile. “I didn’t know you were cooking dinner.”

“Well I was getting hungry too, and I didn’t think you were in the mood for cooking yourself,” Tree Hugger mused. “What, did you think I’d be like, getting take-out for you after today?”

Harshwhinny quickly shook her head. “No no! I just…I didn’t even hear you start cooking at all.”

“Heh, I told you that it was like being in your own little world for a while, right?” Tree Hugger chuckled as she sauted the frying pan.

“So you’ve told me.”

“Alright, sit down, food’s almost done.”

Harshwhinny sat down at the table, empty plate in front of her, looking down to the other end with hardly more than another plate and a single lit candle. Not exactly a fine dining atmosphere, but it was a little romantic, at least.

Tree Hugger came in with the hot pan, sliding some creamy pasta onto both plates, sitting down on her side of the table.

Just seeing the food in front of her was enough to get Harshwhinny’s stomach growling, eliciting a quiet chuckle out of Tree Hugger.

“Well? Don’t just stare at it, dig in!”

As soon as Harshwhinny took her first bite, she felt a warmth in her chest as the food went down, she couldn’t help but take more and more bites. “My, you’ve really outdone yourself on this one, Miss Hugger!”

“Aw that? Nah, that was just something I threw together, dude,” Tree Hugger modestly giggled, slowly taking bites as Harshwhinny scarfed down her food.

“I’m serious! The sauce is savory, the vegetables are lovely, and the pasta is cooked to perfection!”

“It’s nothing that special,” Tree Hugger casually shrugged, “Used to make it all the time when I was a filly.”

Harshwhinny had already finished most of her plate. “With how good you are at cooking, it’s a wonder why you didn’t become a chef instead of an activist.”

“I dunno, you’re so high-maintenance sometimes, taking care of you is like a full-time job already,” Tree Hugger chuckled.

Harshwhinny huffed air from her nostrils, though she couldn’t deny there was a bit of truth in Tree Hugger’s teasing.

“So, what do you have planned for tomorrow?” Tree Hugger asked.

“Probably starting out fixing everyone else’s mistakes from today,” Harshwhinny grumbled, the scowl returning to her face. “As if we aren’t behind schedule already…”

“Well, I know you’re a pretty smart and professional mare,” Tree Hugger winked. “I have a feeling you can make it work.”

“We’ll see, not that I’m particularly thrilled about ‘making it work’ when it should’ve been working to start.” With a defeated sigh, Harshwhinny pushed her seat backwards to head straight to bed.

Tree Hugger let out a quiet hum of worry as she followed behind.

Harshwhinny discarded her slippers and robes as she crawled underneath the sheets. “Might as well try and get up early in order to try and do damage control…”

As she closed her eyes to try and force herself to go to sleep, she heard the bedroom door open.

“Going to sleep so soon?”

“Yes, but don’t feel like you need to join me now,” Harshwhinny said dismissively, not even bothering to turn around. Which only surprised her when she felt the other mare’s hooves wrap around her.

“Nah, I gotta. You can’t sleep until I’ve realigned your vibes, babe.”

Harshwhinny could usually get what Tree Hugger was saying through context clues, but this was eluding her. “What do you mean my vi-IIIIIIHIHI?!”

With her hooves wrapped around Harshwhinny, Tree Hugger started tickling the other mare’s belly and sides. “I only want positive vibes in this house, Harshie.”

“Nnnghah! Hnnngh! S-Stoooop!” Harshwhinny protested. She tried to squirm and crawl away, but Tree Hugger kept pulling her back in.

“You went from being upset about the past to dreading the future,” Tree Hugger chuckled, rubbing her hoof in circles against Harshwhinny’s belly. “I want you to take in the bliss of the now!”

“I…! Nnngh! Aah! Y-You! Eeep!” Harshwhinny gasped and writhed, trying to fight the goofy smile that was growing on her face.

Despite Harshwhinny’s struggling, Tree Hugger’s hooves still managed to stay on her body, poking and rubbing all her sensitive areas. “Stiiiill waitiiiiing…”

Every time Harshwhinny tried to bat Tree Hugger’s hooves away, they’d just get her in a different spot. “M-Miss Huhuhugger! T-This is hardly AAAHAHA! T-TREEHEEHEEHEE!”

“There we go!” Tree Hugger smiled in satisfaction, but still not letting up on her ticklish assault. “Let it all out, Harshie!”

“Ahahaaaa! Treeheeheehee! Stohohohop! Nohohot the tihihickles!”

“Nope. Being grumpy all day has thrown your aura all out of whack. I’ve been trying my best to help, but now I have to make sure that I cleanse your body of all the negativity!” Tree Hugger scribbled her hooves all over Harshwhinny’s belly.

“EEHEEHEE!” Harshwhinny frantically kicked her hooves, gasping and giggling. “I…I can’t take…! It’s toohoohoo muhuhuch! Ahahahaha!”

“I mean like, the massage, the bath, the dinner…the least I deserve is to see you smiling and laughing, right?”

Harshwhinny squealed and snorted and guffawed in ways most ponies would call “highly unprofessional”, but she didn’t care. By the time Tree Hugger stopped, she had a smile on her face she couldn’t wipe off even if she wanted to.

“Now do you feel better?” Tree Hugger asked, kissing Harshwhinny’s forehead.

“Yes, much better…” Harshwhinny said with a resigned sigh and chuckle. “Are my…vibes realigned?”

Tree Hugger took a good look at the bright and giggly smile Harshwhinny finally had. “For now, yeah.” She wrapped her hooves around her mare once more, this time to embrace her under the covers. “But I better make sure they stay that way all night.”

Upgrade (Tempest Shadow x Kerfuffle x Celaeno)

Tempest Shadow looked off the port bow of the ship she was on as it soared through the skies. Not that the view was anything spectacular. At best, the most she could see was the landscape of Equestria mostly obscured by the clouds that the ship passed through.

Such constant observation did not go unnoticed by the captain at the helm. “We’re almost there, Tempest. It’ll just be a little while longer.”

“I’m just admiring the view,” Tempest responded, still looking down off the side.

Captain Celaeno rolled her eyes. “Because if there’s one thing you’re known for, it’s that you love to stop and smell the roses.”

“Well it’s not like there’s much to do on the ship when it’s in motion.” Tempest said, pacing back and forth on the desk.

“You could always sit your flank down here and keep me company instead of trying to wear a hole through my ship,” Celaeno suggested.

With a small grunt, Tempest conceded and sat next to Celaeno at the helm.

As the ship sailed through the skies, Tempest felt like she should be saying something, but there was nothing to really talk about. The weather was the same pleasant sunny skies she came to expect out of Equestria, and she was terrible at small talk anyway. Still, sitting in silence didn’t quite sit right with her.

She looked over at Celaeno’s leg, seeing all the dings and scratches on the faces of the emerald gem. “You’re really just taking it for a replacement, huh?”

Celaeno turned her head, looking down at her leg. “Yeah, figured it was time to make it all shiny and new again, why?”

“I mean, if you’re going to get a new one, I would be getting something that’s a little more useful than just an emerald…”

Celaeno blinked. “...It’s a leg. It gets me from place to place, what other use would my leg have?”

Tempest scooted a little closer, tapping against the chipped areas. “Well, a cannon wouldn’t be a bad idea…”

“Aaah, yeah. There it is.” Celeano nodded, looking straight ahead again.

“What? ‘There it is’ what?” Tempest asked, getting defensive.

“If it’s got no combat purpose, it’s useless to you, aye? That what you’re implying?” Celaeno asked with a cheeky grin.

Tempest immediately scoffed. “You know that’s not what I mean! I just think it’d be in your interest to always be prepared for an ambush or a hijacking.”

“By strapping a fully loaded heavy cannon under my knee?” Celaeno said, laughing at the absurdity. “You think I’ll have time to aim and fire while standing on one leg? Not to mention the recoil…”

Tempest put a hoof up to her face to hide the blush of embarrassment as her argument was being picked apart. “Still, I’d rather you have something in case your back’s against the wall. Catch them by surprise, you know?”

Celaeno lightly pushed Tempest’s hoof back down to reveal her cheeks. “Yeah? Who says I’m gonna be in that position to begin with? You don’t think I can take care of myself in a scrap?”

“Of course not, I…” Tempest pouted and started muttering under her breath. “...I just want you to…not get hurt.”

With a soft chuckle, Celaeno put her hand on Tempest’s back. “Well if you’re so worried I’ll need protection, why not just stick around with me full-time instead of being that broody vagabond traveler? I don’t know anypony that can kick ass like you can.”

Tempest cracked a small smile, “I dunno, sky travel gets pretty boring after a while…”

“Then I can start flying into the uncharted territories and see who we can pick a fight with,” Celaeno suggested, half-jokingly. “That sound fun for you, Fizzy?”

Immediately, Tempest’s cheeks flared up with blush. “H-Hey!”

“What? It’s just you and me on this ship.” Celaeno chuckled.

Tempest grumbled to herself, turning her head away from her parrot companion.

“We’re almost there, anyway.” Celaeno turned, tapping her claw against the base of Tempest’s horn. “Maybe while I’m getting my replacement fitted, you can ask about adding a sword there.”

As Celaeno chuckled at her own joke, Tempest was seriously considering the merits of having a weapon attached to the base of her horn.

The ship started to lower itself into the town. After docking, Celaeno and Tempest stepped off the ship.

Celaeno took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. “Ahh, Hope Hollow. Just as quaint and colorful as I remember!”

“Almost too colorful…” Tempest rolled her eyes, looking at all the bright and shiny happy ponies skipping around. She was practically waiting for the town to break out into a song any second now.

Tempest’s snarky comment got a soft chuckle and an eyeroll out of Celaeno. With all the different ponies she had met on her travels, none of them were ever as cynical or edgy as Tempest was. Even the scrappier ponies like Rainbow Dash still had a bright cheeriness to them that Tempest wouldn’t be caught dead showing.

Not that she didn’t understand why Tempest was like the way she was. If she lost her leg the same way Tempest lost her horn, maybe she’d have a surlier outlook on life, too.

But that pessimism was part of what Celaeno liked about her. Her cynical outlook was useful in getting by in places where things weren’t all friendship and rainbows.

Still, it wouldn’t kill her to lighten up a little, right?

The two didn’t need to take a step away from the ship when they heard a gasp of joy as a pegasus started sprinting towards them.

“Eeee! Oh my gosh I can’t believe you’re finally here!” the mare squealed, immediately wrapping her hooves around Celaeno’s waist to hug her.

“Heh, nice to see you too, Kerfuffle,” Celaeno looked down with a warm smile, ruffling up her mane.

“And how! Oh, it’s been too long since you came to visit!” Kerfuffle giggled.

“You act like we’ve been gone for years instead of a few months,” Celaeno chuckled.

“Well, it feels like years, sometimes! It gets so lonely just being here on my lonesome while you’re off having epic adventures somewhere else.”

Celaeno pointed her thumb towards Tempest. “Well, like I said, nothing stopping either of you from joining my crew.”

Kerfuffle let out an even louder gasp as she moved on. “Oh. My. Gosh! Hiiii, Fizzy!” she screamed out loud as she gave Tempest a hug.

Tempest felt her face get all hot immediately. The public display of affection, the screaming of her nickname where other ponies certainly heard her, causing them to turn their heads to see her getting hugged…All of it was humiliating beyond belief, yet she couldn’t find it in herself to be angry…or even break away from the hug.

Kerfuffle kept squeezing the poor embarrassed unicorn. “I didn’t even know you were tagging along with Celaeno!”

“Yeah? Is there a problem with me visiting?” Tempest snarked, swearing that she could hear whispers of the other townsfolk.

“Oh, not at all! I’m just super-duper stoked to see you!” Kerfuffle giggled, squeezing her tighter. “I missed you both so much!”

“Easy, girl, you might break a rib,” Celaeno jokes. “Then she’d have to stay in the hospital and we’d have no choice but to take care of her for months until she got better.”

Kerfuffle put her head on Tempest’s chest. “Aww, but would that really be so bad?”

Tempest exhaled sharply, desperately trying to suppress a snarl.

Kerfuffle could at least take the hint and let her go. “C’mon! I know what you came here for.”

The two followed Kerfuffle over to her shop, moving past the mannequins and display outfits and moving onto the back of the store where her workshop was.

The back room had things you’d expect a fashion designer to have: sewing machines, inspiration boards, and boxes hastily stuffed with different fabrics. But there was a specific corner where it seemed more suited for a mechanic than a fashion designer. With blueprints, toolboxes, and buzzsaws, it almost looked like a completely different room had carved out a corner for itself.

Right in the middle of the table was what Celaeno and Tempest came for. It was a massive emerald crystal, coming to a point on one end, and with golden rings at the base, almost like a handle. Scattered nearby the table were screwdrivers, smaller chunks of emerald, and various sheets of blueprint paper with cross-sections and scrapped designs.

Kerfuffle hastily rushed over to the table, lifting up the crystal with her hooves. “Uh…Ta-daaaa! Kinda wish I put it away before coming over to see you two. Would’ve been great if there was a little fanfare with the big reveal, ya know?” she sheepishly chuckled.

Tempest rolled her eyes, but Celaeno chuckled alongside her, holding the crystal in her claws. She ran her hand against the gem, feeling the smooth, polished faces and the sharp edges. “Wow, this is impressive work!”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Kerfuffle said, trying to be modest. “This was just a little fun project for me, is all!”

Celaeno scoffed. “Are you kidding? I think this thing looks better than my current leg did in its prime!”

“Well, don’t just keep looking at it then, try it on!” Kerfuffle goaded, pulling out a seat and patting the cushion.

Celaeno sat down, putting her prosthetic leg up on the table. She put her hands on the base and started twisting, letting out grunts of effort as she started to unscrew her leg off at the socket.

With both legs on the table side by side to compare, it was increasingly clear how worn and weathered her old one was. There were plenty of chips, cracks, and scratches on the emerald’s faces and edges, done in by scrapes and tumbles and blocked blades. The golden socket ring had dents, and despite Celaeno’s best attempts at polishing, it had lost its overall luster, it just didn’t shine as bright despite being in the same light.

After Celaeno screwed in her new leg, she gave it a few light kicks and bends, trying to get used to the subtle but still significant weight difference, then made wilder movements to see if it would get knocked off with significant force.

Kerfuffle tried to look excited, but her grin was mostly masking her worry. With Celaeno going off on her adventures, she didn’t exactly get that many opportunities for a proper fitting. As such, she was designing and building the prosthetic using multiple references and a lot of prayer.

Thankfully, it seemed to hold, as now it was time for the real test: walking around.

Celaeno pushed herself backwards in her seat, putting both legs against the floor, and tentatively standing up straight.

After shifting her weight around a bit, she took her first few steps around the workshop. After ambling, she started walking, then skipping, jumping, running, hopping, and flipping around the room with more and more excitement as all the motions started to feel natural to her again.

“Woo! This is amazing!” Celaeno laughed, lifting her prosthetic leg up high to admire it some more.

Kerfuffle let out a huge sigh of relief when Celaeno gave her approval. “Oh, you really mean that?”

Celaeno picked the mare up and spun her around, pivoting off her prosthetic. “Of course I do! You did fantastic work on this!”

Tempest still cracked a little smile when she saw how happy Kerfuffle and Celaeno were with the leg.

“Feels even better than the old one already!” Celaeno slapped her thigh. “Can’t wait to take this baby out for a spin on the ship later!”

“Don’t go wearing it out too fast!” Kerfuffle warned, almost taking on a motherly tone. “Emeralds that big don’t come cheap, ya know!”

“No promises,” Celaeno chuckled. “If you wanted me to keep it safe, you should’ve put a cannon on it or something!”

Kerfuffle tilted her head. “A cannon? On your leg? How’s that supposed to work?”

“Dunno, ask her.” Celaeno pointed her thumb towards Tempest with a smirk. “She’s the one who suggested it on the ride here.”

“...Really?” Tempest glared at Celaeno for daring to bring that up.

Kerfuffle examined Celaeno’s old legs, already running schematics in her mind. “Well, there’d be the issue of aiming and recoil, but I guess it could catch someone by surprise if you were ambushed!”

“Well at least you get it…” Tempest scoffed, giving Celaeno a look similar to the one she gave her.

“Hey, what’s this thing you added here?”

Celaeno put her leg back up on the table, gesturing towards the purple gemstones that adorned the golden bands at the top of the prosthetic. “I don’t recall asking to add any amethyst to the design…”

“Oh, that! I was in the middle of tinkering and I thought I could spruce it up a little!” Kerfuffle sheepishly admitted. “Do you…like it?”

Celaeno looked at the gems and the golden engravings. “It’s a nice touch.” Her gaze went over to Kerfuffle’s own prosthetic, spying some very design choices, and even a few emeralds that definitely weren’t there before. “It’s very…familiar.”

Tempest looked back and forth between the two legs and rolled her eyes, though her surly look did not go unnoticed by Kerfuffle.

“Oh, don’t worry, Fizzy, I got something for you too!” she said, patting Tempest before walking off.

“Hey, I-” Before Tempest could finish a sentence in her flustered state, Kerfuffle came back with a little black box.

Squeaking with excitement, Kerfuffle opened up the box to reveal a golden ring inside. “Ta-daaaaa!”

While Kerfuffle was excited that she finally got to do her dramatic reveal, Tempest and Celaeno were stunned, still processing the scene of a pony walking up and opening a small box with a ring inside to another.

Kerfuffle blinked innocently until she realized what she looked like she was doing. “Oh! Uh, that’s not for that! I mean, not yet, I think!” she said, quickly becoming as blushy as her two girlfriends. “This one’s just a regular horn ring for you!”

Once the initial shock wore off, Celaeno burst out into laughter. “Wow, way to make us both jealous in five minutes, girl!”

Tempest put a hoof to her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart, still too stunned to speak as Kerfuffle put the ring onto her horn.

Kerfuffle slid a full-body mirror in front of Tempest, letting her see how it looked on her. “Soooo, whaddya think? I know it’s not extravagant or combat-applicable, but I didn’t want you to feel left out!”

Tempest looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the new golden ring that was at the base of her broken horn. She saw the little amethyst and emerald gems placed between the heart engravings. She didn’t even give Kerfuffle her horn size and yet it fit perfectly.

It was beautiful. It made her feel beautiful.

“I-It’s…nice. Thank you,” Tempest managed to choke out, trying to keep a straight face, though her welling eyes, quivering lips, and trembling hooves didn’t help.

One look at Tempest desperately trying to stay serious made Celaeno snort. “Are…Are you crying?”

“No, of-of course not,” Tempest said, her voice obviously cracking as a few happy tears went down her cheeks.

Kerfuffle pulled Tempest and Celaeno in for a hug. “See? Now when we go out, everyone will know that we’re besties!”

Celaeno let out a hearty laugh, joining in on the hug as she wrapped her arm around them. “Heh, besties!”

Tempest looked at the legs of Kerfuffle and Celaeno, then back up at her matching horn ring. She smiled and leaned against Kerfuffle’s shoulder into the hug. “...Besties…”

Double Feature (Pharynx x Mina)

Equestria’s own Fillydelphia was naturally heavily populated with ponies, though mostly unknown to those living outside was the thriving dragon population that made their home in their own section of the city. Many tourists would often turn their heads upon seeing a dragon casually strolling down the sidewalk.

Though today, what was turning heads from both tourist and resident alike were a pair of changelings, the royal brothers of the recently reformed changeling kingdom.

“This is so dumb,” Pharynx grumbled, shooting glares at anypony who passed by that gave him a weird look, which was all of them.

“You still agreed to it,” Thorax said, sporting a small smile as he walked ahead through the streets.

“Yeah, but it’s still dumb.”

Thorax turned his head back enough so that Pharynx could see the smirk on his face. “Well, you’re free to go all the way back to the hive if you want. I’m sure I can handle dating Ember and Mina at the same time…”

“Yeah, nice try,” Pharynx scoffed. “Besides, I don't think you can handle dating both of them at the same time. You can barely ask Ember out half the time.”

“I dunno, I’d probably handle it better than you can. I’d at least be willing to give it a shot, while you’d just immediately call it a waste of time or something,” Thorax teased. “I think dating both of them would go pretty well!”

Pharynx let out a laugh at Thorax’s bold claim. “Yeah? What are you gonna do, make them do your dumb arts and crafts?”

“Maybe! Mina would probably make some stuff for her cosplays, and Ember…would like eating the gemstones meant for decoration as a snack, at least!”

Pharynx wanted to make some snarky remark, but even he had to admit that Thorax wasn’t wrong on his assumption. And it just annoyed Pharynx more that he didn’t think of it first.

As the two continued their walk through the streets of Fillydelphia, Pharynx looked around, swearing that they were passing the same buildings from a while ago.

“How come we have to do all the traveling?” Pharynx griped. “They have wings, too, can’t one of them fly over to the hive for once?”

“They could,” Thorax mused. “But aside from arts and crafts, do you think Mina would enjoy a feelings forum?”

“...Can you shut up and stop making good points?”

After a few more minutes, Pharynx was definitely sure that they were walking in big confusing circles. “Thorax, are you lost?”

“N-No! Of course not!” Thorax immediately blurted out, looking frantically from side to side, trying to decide where to go. “C-C’mon, we’re almost there!” He said, decisively pointing in a direction before walking down the street.

Pharynx, however, stayed put, pointing his hoof in the opposite direction. “Pretty sure Dragon Town is that way.”

Thorax’s cheeks lit up with an embarrassed blush. “I…knew that!” he laughed nervously. “But why don’t you lead the way this time?”

Pharynx rolled his eyes, gesturing for his brother to follow before he started walking. “All this time and you still don’t know?”

“Give me a break, alright? I usually meet up with Ember over in the Dragon Lands or in Ponyville!”

“What would you do without me?” Pharynx chuckled. “Come on, if we aren’t late by now, we’re gonna be if you keep dragging your hooves.”

“It’s not my fault!” Thorax said, his tone reaching whining levels. “This city is so…confusing to navigate!”

Pharynx gave a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe at first. But it’s like the hive, eventually you figure out the fastest routes to get to places.”

“Spoken like someone who’s been through Fillydelphia’s streets plenty of times!” Thorax giggled.

“Shut up.”

Pharynx was leading Thorax in the right direction, as the city started to change around them. The more uniform skyscrapers made of steel and concrete were replaced by more irregularly shaped stony structures, the smooth sidewalk became cobblestone, and more importantly, the ponies walking by became less frequent, replaced by a growing dragon population. It was like they were in a completely different city.

“See? We made it to Dragon Town easily!” Pharynx gave his brother an insufferably smug look. “Do you know the way to the comic shop, or do you need your hoof held for the whole walk there, too?”

Thorax gave him a dry laugh. “Ha ha, let’s just keep going.”

The two changelings made their way through the streets, going at a much faster pace with Pharynx taking the lead.

Thorax still took the time to take in his surroundings. “Huh, seems like the dragons don’t turn to stare nearly as much as ponies do,” he noted.

“Maybe it’s cause the dragons know how to mind their own business,” Pharynx replied, though his eyes watched just to confirm that Thorax was right. “Why else wouldn’t they stare?”

Thorax threw out his theory in a half-joking manner, though how serious he was entirely depended on Pharynx’s reaction. “I dunno, maybe they’ve seen a changeling walking down these streets enough times that it’s normal to them?”

Pharynx looked directly ahead and went silent, not wanting Thorax to get a read on his facial expression or his tone of voice.

Ironically, Pharynx trying to hide his feelings gave Thorax exactly what he was looking for.

To spare Pharynx any further embarrassment, they made it to their destination, a comic shop. Once they stepped inside, they were greeted by the excited faces of their dragon girlfriends.

And just their excited faces, since Ember and Mina were too into a conversation to realize that the door just opened.

“I dunno, Spike never really struck me as going for the dark and brooding type,” Ember shrugged. “He takes a lot of naps but I don’t think that means he enjoys the dream world.”

“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Mina insisted. “Just imagine it: The Princess of the Night and her most loyal and fiercest of guardians! Think of all the centuries they could spend in each other's company!”

Ember didn’t seem convinced by Mina’s rousing fantasy. “I always figured he’d end up with the purple one.”

“...Which purple one?”

“You know, if you’re busy, we can just go back home,” Pharynx piped up, still standing at the door with Thorax.

The two dragons in the shop finally noticed their dates had arrived. “Oh! Shoot!” Mina stumbled to go around the counter to the door. “Uh, hey! How long were you two standing there?”

“Only for a few seconds,” Thorax smiled.

“O-kay, so you didn’t hear us talking about…Yep, alright!” Mina quickly shut herself up. Exhaling sharply as she clearly dodged a bullet.

“What took you two so long?” Ember asked, looking at the clock. “I was starting to think you two weren’t coming.”

Pharynx tilted his head towards his brother. “We would’ve gotten here sooner if someone didn’t keep getting lost!”

As Thorax sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, Mina got confused. “What? How’d you get lost? Pharynx has been to Fillydelphia like a million times! He should know the streets like the back of his hoof!”

The smug look on Pharynx and the embarrassed look on Thorax quickly swapped between the siblings.

“Well, whatever. They’re here now, so we might as well get going, right?” Ember pointed out.

“What do you mean ‘going’? I thought we were just staying here?” Pharynx asked.

“No, we were meeting here.” Mina clarified with a wink. “Our real date destination is still a secret!”

After Mina closed up shop, the dragons and changelings walked through the streets, with Mina and Ember leading the way, and Pharynx and Thorax following close behind.

Thorax nudged Pharynx in the ribs. “So, you’ve been through Dragon Town enough times, where are they taking us?” he teased.

Pharynx desperately wanted to respond back with a punch to the jaw. “How should I know? You act like I live here or something.”

Ember turned her head towards Mina. “Does he really visit that often?”

Mina quietly chuckled. “He’s been coming over almost once a week lately. There are regulars at the shop who I see less often.”

Ember looked at Mina with both amazement and amusement. “Wow, I don’t think me and Thorax visited each other that often when we started dating…”

“Yeah, well I guess it’s different when you two are ruling over kingdoms,” Mina mused. “Being important royalty probably doesn’t leave that much free time.”

“...You’re dating the prince!” Ember pointed out.

“Yeah, and if he can afford to just sneak away once a week, how important are his royal duties really?”

Thorax was still egging Pharynx on. “Well, it’s getting pretty late, you think we’re going out to eat?”

“It’s…possible,” Pharynx hesitantly agreed.

“Ooh, maybe they made reservations for a really cool dragon restaurant!”

“Nah, Mina’s favorite place is the opposite of where we’re going. So-” Pharynx glared at his brother’s goofy grin. “THORAX!”

Mina pointed her thumb at the bickering changelings behind them. “...Are they always like this when they’re together?”

“Get used to it,” Ember said with a heavy sigh.

After what felt like hours of walking and Thorax pushing Pharynx’s buttons, the dragons finally brought their dates to their destination.

“Alright, we’re here!” Mina said with a flourish, showing the movie theater on the corner of the street.

“Oh yeah, this is the way to the movies…” Pharynx quietly noted to himself, looking at the surrounding buildings.

“Ooh, we’re going on a movie date?” Thorax was immediately excited, just seeing the big movie theater with all the bright flashing neon lights on the marquee left the changeling in awe.

A little too much in fact. The longer Thorax looked, the more he was entranced by the flashy bright lights.

…And so was Pharynx. Despite wanting to make fun of his brother for staring like an idiot at the sign, even he found himself unable to pull his eyes away from the pretty lights.

“We should proooobably get them inside right now.” Ember said, looking at the two changelings in the same head tilted, mouth open stance.

“...Yep.”

The dragons went behind and pushed the changelings towards the entrance, trying to snap them out of their light trance.

Once they managed to shove them through the doors, Thorax and Pharynx eventually blinked back to reality.

“Well, guess I gotta cross ‘camping’ off the list of date ideas…” Mina pouted, her dreams of eating smores by the fire going up in smoke out of fear that her boyfriend might also go up in smoke.

Thorax looked around, trying to get his bearings. “Oh, we’re inside.”

“So what movie are we seeing?” Pharynx asked. He tried to approach the ticket kiosk before Mina stopped him.

“Nuh-uh, that’s still a secret! You just go and buy us snacks, we’ll get the tickets!” Mina said with a wink.

Pharynx just stared at her dumbfounded. “We don’t even get to know what movie we’re gonna see? What if I hate it?”

“Oh trust me, you won’t.”

Pharynx rolled his eyes and went with Thorax to the snack bar.

“Would’ve been nice to be told we were going to the movies. I could’ve smuggled in stuff from home if I knew.” Pharynx said, not even trying to lower his voice.

Thorax raised an eye in suspicion. “You would’ve carried snacks all the way from the hive to Fillydelphia?”

“Well, not me, obviously. You’re bigger, you'd clearly be able to hide it better.”

“Ooooof course. So, what movie are we seeing?”

“No idea, they wouldn’t tell me,” Pharynx shrugged. “We’re apparently gonna love it, though.”

Thorax tilted his head, wondering what sort of movie date those dragons were taking them on.

Pharynx stepped up to the counter, looking at all the things that were on sale and noting that a lot of them were gem-encrusted.

“Oooh, we should get the large popcorn, right?” Thorax piped up.

“What’s this ‘we’ stuff? You have your own money!”

Once the changelings returned with all the snacks, the dragons escorted them into one of the theaters.

The two couples sat in the same row, with Pharynx and Mina sitting together next to Ember and Thorax. They idly ate away at their buckets of popcorn, watching trailers as a few more dragons started to fill the seats.

Pharynx slumped in his seat, waiting for the actual entertainment to start. Thorax, however, was quite invested in the trailer.

Thorax leaned over to Ember, pointing at the screen showing a bunch of ponies in bright, colorful spandex costumes. “So, is this like seven different trailers for seven different superhero movies or something?”

“Why are you asking me when Mina’s right there?”

Mina opened her mouth, ready to go on a tangent, but before she got to get a word out…

“It’s for the Power Ponies movie. Over the past few years they’ve been making individual movies about them all so they can build up to a grander movie where all of them are together and finally form the Power Ponies. It started out with the Zapp and Masked Matter-Horn movies, and after those successes they moved onto tying them together with Fili-Second, Radiance, Mistress Mare-velous, Saddle Rager, and Humdrum. It’s the big team-up that a lot of fans have been waiting for, especially since one of their biggest villains, The Mane-iac, is rumored to finally make her cinematic debut.”

Thorax and Ember were stunned at how detailed Pharynx rattled all that information out and how casually he did so. Thorax more so because whenever he usually went off on that kind of tangent, Pharynx would just call him a megadork and noogie him.

Mina, however, never felt more in love with him. “Red rubies! You really remember all of that from what I told you?”

“Well yeah, of course I listen to you,” Pharynx said in a matter-of-fact tone.

With the trailers and previews not seeming to end any time soon, Thorax attempted a classic movie date maneuver. He pretended to yawn and stretch his arm, leaning over to drape his hoof around Ember’s shoulder.

Ember rolled her eyes at how unsubtle her boyfriend was being, but softly smiled as Thorax pulled her closer.

Not wanting to be outdone, Mina tried the same thing, yawning and stretching her arms towards the ceiling.

Before Mina could start leaning, Pharynx grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her arm over his shoulder himself, shooting a smirk directly at his brother.

Ember was ready to go through the rest of the popcorn bucket until the movie finally started.

“About time,” Pharynx muttered, slumping back into his seat, kicking his hooves up onto the row in front of him.

After sitting through all the opening credits, the movie opened up with a roaring sound and an orchestrated score.

Almost immediately, Thorax and Pharynx’s ears flickered, their eyes glistening with recognition.

“No…” Pharynx said in disbelief.

“Is that…?” Thorax’s heart started to beat faster.

Mina and Ember looked at each other with a satisfied smirk, their surprise going off perfectly.

As the screen showed a distant planet teeming with strange alien life, the changelings got even more excited.

“It…It is!” Thorax exclaimed, scooting to the edge of his seat.

Pharynx did a triple take between the screen and Mina. “Y-You didn’t…!”

“Of course we did!” Mina whispered back with a wink and a nudge to Pharynx.

Ember tilted her head as she watched a rainy city. “So is this like some sort of space movie or something?”

“Oh no, it’s something much, much more…!” Thorax said, his voice cracking, prompting an aggressive shushing from some of the dragons in the front rows.

While Mina and Ember were watching the movie with moderate moviegoing interest, Pharynx and Thorax stayed at the edge of their seats, eyes practically glued to the screen.

The movie so far had been going fairly slowly, at least for Ember, who was more interested in watching Thorax’s reactions to the movie rather than the movie itself.

“Yesssss…” The two changelingswere grinning ear to ear, bouncing up and down in their seats watching a bunch of ponies on the screen standing around, emotionless.

Ember leaned over to Mina. “I knew they’d like the movie, but I didn’t think they’d like it this much…”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone to get so…invested in ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’...” Mina nodded.

“I mean, I don’t see what’s so special about it…” Ember shrugged. “So far, it just seems like a boring horror movie-”

Thorax and Pharynx immediately turned to her and gasped in shock.

“You take that back!” Thorax hissed, scowling like Ember just gave him a personal slight.

Ember recoiled, she’d never seen Thorax get so angry before. Honestly, it was kinda attractive, she was tempted to badmouth the film again just to see if he’d show off more of that fury.

Mina looked over to Pharynx, who was still watching, almost unblinking at the big screen. Not a trace of sarcasm or embarrassment was found on his face. It had been a while since she had seen him with this kind of unadulterated happiness. “Wow, you two really like this movie, huh?”

“Well, not just us. Pretty much every changeling agrees that this is the best movie ever made,” Pharynx replied.

Mina let out a small laugh out of disbelief. “Wait, every single changeling loves this movie?”

“Mmhm!” Thorax chimed in. “It’s a truly brilliant film that transcends traditional storytelling!”

Ember looked back at the screen, seeing a pony standing in front of a giant plant-like pod in a garden. “I mean it’s…fine? I don’t see why you two are going crazy over-”

The movie showed a pony emerging from the pod, covered in a green slime, not too dissimilar from what she witnessed over at the hive. Ember quickly connected this scene to her current understanding of the plot of aliens replacing ponies with emotionless lookalikes.

“Ah…yeah.”

“Sure it’s a touch inaccurate…” Thorax sheepishly grinned.

“But changelings agree that it’s ponykind’s greatest gift to cinema. Can you believe they made this movie before Chrysalis invaded Canterlot?”

“That’s part of what makes it so amazing!” Thorax squealed before they got shushed again by the increasingly annoyed dragons still in the audience.

Realizing why their dates loved the movie so much made Mina and Ember start to view the rest of the scenes in a slightly different light. It wasn’t that far-fetched to imagine the pod-ponies as changelings instead. They started to watch with a bit more intrigue, trying to at least understand why Pharynx and Thorax were so crazy about it.

The movie was reaching its climax, the protagonists had discovered a whole warehouse of pod ponies being grown. Mina was at the edge of her seat, her heart was pounding. And then she heard something unexpected coming from her left. She turned her head, instead of the giddy grin that was on during most of the film’s running time, Pharynx’s eyes were welling up as he was sniffling. “Are you…crying?”

“N-No…!” Pharynx choked out, visible tears streaming down his cheeks.

Mina looked back at the screen, seeing imagery that was making even the toughest dragons in the seats at least gasp in shock, then back to her boyfriend, tearing up like it was a reunion between a parent and child.

Thorax was doing much worse at hiding it. “It’s…it’s so beautiful…!” he sobbed, leaning on Ember for emotional support.

Ember slowly patted his head, feeling more confused and conflicted than when she received her first hug.

Once the movie ended and the credits started rolling, most of the dragons started getting up, stretching, and leaving the theater, but the double daters stayed in their seats.

“It only gets better every time I watch it…” Pharynx sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Oooh, thank you two so much!” Thorax squealed, pulling both dragons into a big hug, one that Mina took happily and Ember took reluctantly.

“Yeah yeah, let’s just…get out of here…!” Ember said, trying to pry herself free.

They walked all the way back to the comic shop, and decided to chat before the changelings returned back to their kingdom.

“So like, every changeling has seen the movie?” Ember asked, trying to end the day with more answers than questions.

“Mmhm! It was a real favorite grub activity growing up!” Thorax nodded, wrapping a hoof around Pharynx.

Mina raised an eyebrow. “Huh, I didn’t know Chrysalis’s hive had its own film projector…!”

“It didn’t,” Pharynx grinned.

Mina and Ember slowly started to connect the dots in their heads. “...Ohhh yeah, that makes sense.”

“Well, I guess it’s not that bad,” Ember shrugged. “I remember Mina used to have a whole hoard of comics back in the Dragon Lands before she moved out to Fillydelphia.”

A hot flash of pink appeared on Mina’s cheeks. “Hey! That was supposed to be a secret!” she insisted.

“Wow, so you were a bit of a rule-breaker too, huh?” Pharynx smirked, sidling up to Mina, leaning against her shoulder. “And I thought you couldn’t get any cooler…”

“C-Come on, I was a young dragon, it was different back then!”

Pharynx’s eyes suddenly lit up and looked at Ember. “Oh speaking of things we did when we were younger, did Thorax ever tell you about his favorite game when we were growing up?”

“Oh come on!”

Well with a reaction like that, how could Ember not pry further? “He hasn’t, what is it, Pharynx?”

Pharynx started sputtering in sarcasm-drenched shock. “Thorax! I thought you wanted to be a good boyfriend, and yet you wouldn’t tell her your favorite game?”

“It’s not my favorite game, Pharynx!” Thorax said, crossing his hooves in annoyance.

“Now how can you say that when we played it all the time as grubs?”

Mina stifled a laugh. She had a pretty good feeling she knew what Pharynx was referring to.

“Aw, come on, Thorax. Why don’t you show me the game?” Ember said with absolute sincerity.

“B-But…!”

As Thorax was looking at Ember, Pharynx took the initiative to start the game immediately. He grabbed onto his brother’s hoof, making it smack against his own chest. “Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?”

“Stoooop! Owww!” Thorax immediately started whining as Pharynx kept smacking him with his own hoof. “It’s not funny!”

“Oh I disagree, this is hilarious!” Pharynx laughed, making Thorax slap himself across the face. “Come on! Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!”

Thorax tried to get away, but even if he was bigger, his older brother was still stronger. “Pharynx! Cut it out!”

“Make me!” Pharynx said with all the indignance that only an older brother could give.

“I’m gonna tell mom!” Thorax blurted out.

For a moment, Thorax’s threat actually worked in giving Pharynx pause, before he realized how unlikely that situation would be nowadays.

That brief moment was all Thorax needed to push Pharynx off. “Ugh! I hate that game, it’s humiliating!”

“Well, not for me, it’s not!” Pharynx chuckled.

“Oh, I dunno, I think it looks pretty fun!” Ember said, earnestly excited seeing Pharynx make Thorax hit himself. “Can I play?”

“Ember, come on!” Thorax whined, knowing that if Ember started, she may never stop.

“Go for it! It’s really easy and super fun!” Pharynx grinned, egging her on.

Thorax let out a defeated sigh as the dragon grabbed onto his hooves. If he couldn’t break out of Pharynx’s grip, he had absolutely no chance fighting with Ember.

Ordinarily Ember would be against such weird things like hoof-holding, but this seemed like a more productive idea. She made Thorax’s hooves wave around, giggling to herself before making him lightly slap his face. “Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?”

Thorax was blushing even harder. “Ember! Q-Quit it!”

Pharynx stepped back and watched the carnage ensue with Mina, satisfied with the humiliation of his brother. “Heh heh, they make such a cute couple…”

“That’s evil...” Mina was trying to give Pharynx a stern look, but it was clear that she was doing everything she could to not break out laughing, too.

“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing you’re here to ‘reform’ me,” Pharynx teased, giving her a nudge. His smug smile dropped a bit to a more modest one. “But uh…thanks for the movie. I have no idea how you found out, but it was…really nice. I don’t know how I could ever return the favor-”

Pharynx was quickly shut up with a kiss to the cheek from Mina. “Tickets to the Power Ponies movie will do just fine.”

Author's Note

This one was a commission for Chel, which explains why it's a lot longer than usual.

If you wanna guarantee I write about a crackship, let me know!

Medical Affection (Daring Do x Zecora)

Deep in the Everfree Forest, where few would dare tread alone, lived a zebra in a rather extravagant tree hut. It was such a lively and dangerous environment, and yet inside the tree, Zecora was laying in bed, lonely and bored out of her mind.

A low, dissatisfied hum left her lips as her focus hadn’t left the ceiling for what may have been hours at this point.

Last time that Twilight Sparkle had visited, the princess made a passing remark that every time the two crossed paths, the zebra was either brewing a potion or at least preparing to do so.

It was something that evidently struck a nerve with Zecora. She had more aspirations than just potion making and ingredient gathering for potion making.

She just wished she currently had the drive to do any of them right now.

She went back to staring at the ceiling. Perhaps there was some merit in doing nothing for the rest of the day…

Before the boredom and loneliness set in again, she heard a knocking sound.

Zecora yawned and rolled out of bed, trudging towards the door, wondering who would be paying her a visit.

When she opened up, she immediately regretted taking her sweet time.

At her entrance was Daring Do, looking absolutely worn down. Her clothes had rips and holes and burns and bloodstains Zecora only hoped weren’t of hers, her hat was riddled with arrow holes and caked with mud. And though her clothes were damaged, her physical body was in even worse shape. Whatever part of her wasn’t wrapped up in gauze had some sort of scratch or bruise otherwise. Her wing was hastily wrapped up at her side, her trembling hooves were scuffed and scraped, there were dark markings under her eyes that were either the result of an injury, lack of sleep, or both.

“Hey…I’m back…” Daring weakly said with a smile that was missing a tooth and a wave that was clearly hurting her to do.

Zecora’s jaw dropped in absolute horror. “By the stars! Miss Daring Do! What in Equestria HAPPENED to you?!”

“Oh, you know…the usual dungeon adventure…heh heh-ow…” Daring Do let out a dry laugh followed by a wince as she hunched over from the pain.

“This hardly seems like your usual quest!” Zecora started out angry, but calmed herself with a deep breath. “No, not the time. You need your rest.”

Zecora helped Daring Do over to her bed, gently laying her down while trying not to agitate any of the bruises.

“T-Thanks, I’ll just be a…minute…” Daring leaned her head against the pillow, and was out cold in no time.

Zecora frowned as she looked down at Daring, examining all the injuries she sustained.

She went to her cauldron and started up the fire, it was time to make a lot of brews.

As her cauldron heated up, she gingerly opened up Daring’s shirt to see the extent of all the injuries. She needed to make sure to not accidentally move anything that was bruised or might be broken, and Daring desperately needed the sleep. She had no idea how long the pegasus might be unconscious, but as long as she woke up eventually, that’s all she needed.

With a groggy groan, Daring Do eventually opened her eyes. “Rrgh…ah…! Ow! Ow ow ow ow…!” She tried to sit up, but the pain forced her back down.

Zecora’s ears perked up as she was stirring her cauldron. “Ah, it appears you’re finally awake. Do not move, for your own sake.” Though her words seemed stern, internally, Zecora let out a huge sigh of relief.

With what little movements that didn’t cause her pain, Daring looked around. Her clothes had been removed, all her wrappings were replaced with new bandages, and her body was covered with a cooling, funky-smelling salve. Everything still felt painfully sore, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it was before she came to Zecora’s.

Zecora walked over to the bed, giving Daring a vial filled with pink liquid. “For your missing tooth, take this drink, it’ll be repaired for you in a blink.”

Through the pain, Daring brought the vial to her lips and chugged it down, gagging at the taste.Bit within seconds Daring could feel a brand new tooth growing to full size right from the gums.

Daring ran her tongue across her newly regrown tooth, it was almost like she never lost it. “Heh, neat!”

“Now that you’re finally awake, there’s many more potions for you to take.” Zecora gave the bedridden pegasus a tray full of potions of different colors. “Soon the aches and pains will stop, once you finish every last drop.”

“Thanks, Zecora, what would I do without you?” Daring got started with the potions, downing them one at a time, though she shuddered as each one went down her throat. But with each one she drank, she could feel the excruciating pain dull a little bit.

Zecora let out a heavy sigh. “You need to be a more careful mare, your wounds gave me a terrible scare!”

Daring let out a short laugh. “Hah! I’ve been through worse.”

“I’m quite aware, Miss Daring Do. I’ve had to mend those injuries, too!” Zecora’s tone got stern again as she held up a silver necklace adorned with rubies and sapphires, the latest bounty from Daring’s adventure. “And all this for one little necklace! Why do you insist on being so reckless?!”

“Cause I know that no matter how bad things get, I know you’ll be here to make it all better again,” Daring smiled as much as she could through the pain.

“And if I weren’t home today? You’d be passed out at my doorway!”

Daring’s smirk quickly faded. “Yeah, but-”

Zecora’s voice started to waver with frustration. “I would never stop you from your quests. But the more you’re hurt, the more I’m stressed!”

“Zecora, I-”

“As I continue to be your nurse, your injuries get worse and worse!” Zecora stamped her front hooves on the ground, tears welling in her eyes. “At this rate, you might never return! Is your safety really of no concern?”

“Zecora…No, y-you’re right.” Daring tilted her head down in shame. “I’ve been getting a lot more reckless on my adventures, and it’s not fair to you that I make you worry so much. I…I’m sorry.”

Zecora blinked as the tears fell down her cheeks. She tried to calm herself down, but her breathing was still heavy. Her mind was still racing with possibilities, timelines where she went out to town today, or something more grievous happened to Daring Do, all with the same conclusion that she wasn’t around to save her.

Daring took a deep breath as she downed another potion. “Ugh…Yeah, my latest outings have been getting more dangerous, and I may have been…taking more risks than usual, but it’s because of you that I’m able to pull off more risky stunts.”

Zecora was taken aback. “Have you had a head collision? How do I make you make rash decisions?”

Daring smiled sheepishly. “Well, like I said before, you’re able to make things all better again no matter how bad things get. Like, say an arrow clips my wing. If it was just me on my own, I wouldn’t be able to fly for a week, but you’re able to get me back in the skies in a couple days. I’m able to get back into exploring much faster because I know you’ll be there to patch me up. You’re my strength, Zecora.”

Zecora’s expression started to soften and her heart started to swell.

“Plus, knowing you’ll be able to fix me up means I can make riskier moves against the bad guys and finish my adventure quicker. It’s a better story for my books, and I get to come home faster to a lovely zebra who’ll take care of me for however long it’ll take until I’m better again.”

There was a small blush showing on Zecora’s cheeks, but she still furrowed her brows with concern. “But what good would it do to see you torn to shreds? I’d rather you spend time here instead!”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now? Spending time together?” Daring smirked. “I mean…I really like having you take care of me. All these potions you mix up are like miracles, and I can feel the love you put into making them. Having you near, making sure I’m comfortable sure beats being all alone trying to wrap my own bandages. I just…like knowing I have a place to go to now, where someone will care for me.”

Zecora finally allowed herself to smile a bit. “...While I am glad to help you recover, there’s much more I’d rather do as your lover. Toiling and worrying about your fate is not my ideal choice for a date.”

“Heh, point taken. If you’re that concerned about my safety, you could always tag along on my adventures,” Daring Do suggested. “You wouldn’t be so worried about me if you could heal me the moment I got hurt, right?”

It sounded like a reasonable proposal, but Zecora still shook her head. “I lack your athletics and agility. If I got hurt, who’d take care of me?”

Daring sheepishly looked off to the side. “Mmh, got me there…”

Zecora gently put a hoof under Daring’s chin. “I know where you go, danger is abound, but can you try to come home safe and sound?”

Daring nodded. “Next outing, I’ll try my best to come home unscathed, I promise. For you.”

Zecora smiled and leaned forward, bumping her forehead against Daring’s. “A bit of caution is all I ask…” She nudged the tray of potions towards the mare. “Now finish up the rest of your flask.”

With an almost childish pout, Daring brought the next potion bottle to her lips, grimacing as it went down. “Eugh, can’t you figure out a way to make your potions taste sweeter while I’m away?”

“When you come home safe and not defaced, then I’ll consider improving the taste,” Zecora winked.

“Aw, c’mon, that defeats the whole purpose!”

The two shared a laugh. After exchanging a few warm smiles, Zecora held up the necklace from Daring’s adventure again.

“It’s a real beaut, huh?” Daring smiled, proudly nodding her head.

“I admit that I admire it, how’d you manage to acquire it?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. Turns out, once I got to the town, it was already stolen! I thought it was the work of one of my usual suspects, but turns out, it was a local smuggling ring! I wanted to know more so I could try and get it without causing a huge disruption, but if I just asked around, I’d be inviting more suspicion on myself, so…”

Daring started to recount the tale of her adventure from the beginning, detailing the members of her journey, the town she visited and its locals by their names and faces, the nearby flora and fauna, the smuggling ring members, and how she got each injury that Zecora helped to heal.

To Zecora, it was fascinating that she could remember everything in such detail, though it wasn’t surprising, she had to write it all down to publish it later after all. Zecora listened intently, but she saw the stars twinkling in Daring’s eyes as she recounted her adventure, so passionate that she seemed to forget about all the pain, so beautiful when she was happy.

“Wasn’t easy, but I still managed to slip away with it all the way back to Ponyville,” Daring smirked, twirling the necklace around her hoof.

“Your storytelling is always stellar. I’m sure it’ll be another best seller,” Zecora smiled.

“After what I’ve been through, I hope so!” Daring laughed.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the pegasus sheepishly tapped her hooves together. “So…I still have to write for my book, but…what if I took a month off so I can stay by your side?”

Zecora’s eyes widened. “That’s quite the hiatus for you to take. What would we do on a month-long break?”

“Well, we could travel to anywhere in Equestria or beyond, or we could just stay here. Whatever you want, and I promise I’ll be by your side for all of it.”

Zecora softly chuckled. “Daring Do, you have a deal. I’d love to take you out for a meal.”

“Hah, it’s the least I can do, gotta show that I love you too.”

Zecora put her hooves on the mattress. “But for now, I have a mare, who’s in dire need of my loving care.”

Before Daring Do knew it, Zecora was peppering her neck and cheeks with kisses. “Ack! H-Hey!” she giggled.

Zecora pulled the sheets down. “You may be in athletic shape, but this is one trap you can’t escape! And now that I have you caught, I won’t stop until I’ve kissed every injured spot!”

Daring’s winced or flinched with each kiss as Zecora went all over her body, though she wasn’t protesting at all. All the potions and salve that Zecora whipped up already did enough to lessen the pain, which was what helped allow all of this to happen in the first place. But it was fun to imagine that the zebra’s kisses also had magical healing properties.

Despite all her prior frustrations, this form of bedside care was something Zecora always looked forward to whenever Daring Do came back from her adventures. It was like making up for weeks or months of her absence, and to finally have the mare all to herself, with no way to escape all the love she wanted to give her.

Daring Do felt her cheeks burn up with blush as she felt Zecora’s lips on her chest, her hooves, and her belly. Her entire body still felt aches and stiffness, but with Zecora tenderly kissing her, she felt like she could fly for miles.

Zecora moved back up, firmly planting the last kiss on Daring’s lips. Both mares closed their eyes as Daring sank back onto the pillow. Daring wrapped her hooves around Zecora’s neck, but Zecora made sure that she didn’t accidentally lay down on top of her.

After breaking off the kiss, Daring Do looked lovingly into Zecora’s eyes. “Heh, what would I do without you, love?”

“I’m grateful I have you to adore.” Zecora tenderly stroked Daring’s cheek with her hoof. “Now pucker up and kiss me once more!”