There was nothing quite like waking up after a good night’s sleep. Ocellus knew the feeling all too well, and it was nothing like what she was feeling at the moment. While she preferred the soft beds of the School of Friendship to the slimy rocks of the Hive of old, she’d made a bad habit of falling asleep in her books. She never dreamed when her head was on the paper, always waking up in a panic but too tired to actually move and get into a proper sleeping position. She blamed it on Pharynx and his survival training. Blaming Pharynx for things was always a safe bet.

The knocking on her door woke her up.

“Ocellus? It’s time to get up. Everyone’s in the cafeteria already,” Smolder said. “See you there.”

“Ugh,” Ocellus groaned to no one in particular.

She rose up quickly, as fear gripped her heart for a moment, then relief. No drool on her study material this time. Headmare Starlight would never let hear the end of it if she damaged another book. After confirming she hadn’t gotten anything wet, another wave of panic rushed over her.

“What time is it?”

No response. The dragoness had already left.

Not even bothering to look at the clock, Ocellus flew out through the halls of the school, towards the cafeteria. Judging by the sunlight, it was probably still breakfast time. The last bit of anxiety finally left her body when she arrived. Smolder and Silverstream were sitting at their usual table, talking among themselves. Ocellus calmly grabbed a tray, got herself some breakfast, and went to sit with them.

“Good morning, Ocellus,” Silverstream started.

“Fall asleep in your books again?” Smolder asked.

“How can you tell?” the changeling took a tentative bite of some eggy bread, topped with strawberry yoghurt.

“You’ve still got some drool on your cheek right there.”

Ocellus wiped it off. At least it hadn’t dripped. “Oh. Yeah, I fell asleep. This literature study has really been taking it out of me.”

“What’s the study about?” Silverstream asked. “Shapeshifting magic throughout the ages?”

“You’d think so, but no. Headmare Starlight wanted me to gather all the information on the effects of sleep deprivation and their correlation with magic and friendship problems.”

Both of her friends present stared at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Do you think maybe Headmare Starlight is trying to tell you something?” Smolder asked.

“That I should focus more on magical problems and not just diplomacy? Sure, I thought of that ages ago.” She shrugged. “I mean, technically our Hive doesn’t need me as an ambassador, remember? Pretty much any changeling who’s spent a long time away from home can do that job. And that’s if Pharynx doesn’t want to do it.”

Silverstream and Smolder exchanged a glance.

“Well, I guess if there’s anything important to tell you, they’ll just tell you,” Silverstream said. “It’s not like you’re failing any classes.”

Ocellus shuddered. “Is that why Sandbar, Gallus, and Yona aren’t here? Are they studying?”

Again, the two exchanged a glance.

“No, Gallus is out for a field study, and Sandbar and Yona are out on a date.”

“A date? On a school day?” Ocellus swiveled her ears in confusion.

Smolder shook her head. “Umm, Ocellus? What day do you think today is?”

“It’s Monday, right?”

The dragon’s eyes widened. “Whoa, you really have been overdoing it. No, today’s Wednesday. Regular school’s only half a day today, and we have a home study day, remember? We basically have a day off.”

Now Ocellus felt her wings bunch up under her carapace. “What? That can’t be right. We already had a Wednesday.”

“Exactly, and now we’ve got another one,” Silverstream joked. “I hear in Manehattan they have one every week.”

“I know that,” Ocellus said. “But we had a full moon two weeks ago. So if today’s Wednesday, that means-” Her stomach knotted.

“Now she’s waking up,” Smolder said with a grin. “Welcome back to the living, Ocellus.”

Silverstream started counting on her claws. “Today’s the second Wednesday after the first full moon of Spring. It’s Hearts and Hooves Day.”

Ocellus froze in mid-bite. The first thing that moved was her left eyelid, twitching uncontrollably.

“Uh oh, I think we broke her,” Smolder said, waving a clawed hand in front of the girl’s face. “Ground control to Ocellus, do you copy?”

She snapped out of her reverie, and straight into a panic. “It’s Hearts and Hooves day, really?”

Silverstream nodded.

The changeling grabbed her head, breathing quickly. “That can’t be right. This has to be joke.” She slammed both hooves on the table, though that still sounded pretty soft. “That’s not funny, you two!”

“Sorry, but it’s not a joke,” Smolder said. “And we wouldn’t pull that kind of prank on you.”

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone would,” Silverstream added. “I mean, everyone knows how much you care about schedules and plans. That’s not the sort of thing you mess with.”

“Discord might,” Smolder noted.

“Sure, but that’s Discord. He’s not going to drop in on us today. He’s probably busy with Fluttershy or something.”

Ocellus kept on listening, and her heart sank down deeper and deeper by the second. “I can’t believe I missed Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“You didn’t miss it, exactly,” Smolder said. “It’s only ten in the morning.”

“It’s ten o’ clock already? The day’s half gone!” Ocellus threw her head back, wincing.

“So? It’s not like you have a special somepo-oh, wait, you kinda do now, huh?”

Ocellus glared at her dragon friend.

“Sorry, I forgot about Scoots for a second. You’re both so casual about the whole thing, it’s easy to forget you two are an item.”

Silverstream, evidently, had not forgotten. “And it’s your first Hearts and Hooves together, too. It’s not like you to forget a big day like that.”

“I didn’t forget what day Hearts and Hooves Day was, I forgot what day today was,” Ocellus objected. “Big difference. Not that it matters. I haven’t gotten Scutum anything, I couldn’t think of any nice gifts he’d like.”

“Is this even something you celebrate?” Smolder asked. “I mean, technically you’re celebrating two ponies accidentally poisoning each other, right?”

Ocellus sighed. “Doesn’t matter. It’s the thought that counts, and Hearts and Hooves is supposed to be a day to be together with the one you lo-” She stopped herself, regaining her composure. “It’s supposed to be a day to spend with your approved partner, and he’s mine.”

“Approved partner, huh? Way to be romantic about it,” Smolder snarked.

“You must have had something planned, though? A little outing? A cute peck on the cheek? A real declaration of love?” Silverstream fluttered her eyelids.

Smolder nodded in agreement. “Yeah, why not do all the sappy stuff from those romance books Professor Rarity made us read?”

“Because that’s not how a changeling is supposed to do things.” Ocellus sat back and put a hoof to her chest. “That’s not how I do things. I thought I had more time. I was planning to make my plans today, finalise them tomorrow, and then spend Hearts and Hooves Day with Scoots. I can’t believe I missed that much time just trying to study.”

“And losing sleep,” Smolder said.

“And worrying,” Silverstream added.

She almost dropped her head in her breakfast at that. “Gee, thanks. Okay, I can still do this. I can still make this Hearts and Hooves Day perfect. I’ve studied the Friendship Journal enough to know not to try all of this on my own, so… ca-can you help me, please?”

“Sure, we’ve got nothing to do today,” Smolder replied, with a nod from Silverstream. “But try to remember that this isn’t a big deal in the first place? This is Scutum you’re talking about here.”

“So? You don’t know him like I do.”

“But he’s a boy, and boys usually don’t do this sentimental stuff.”

Ocellus smiled. “Maybe not for themselves, but Scutum is different. He’s an artist, and a model. He knows what’s beautiful. And he’s probably got a perfect gift planned for me, too. I can’t let him down.”

Huh, that’s weird. There’s a lot more couples running around in Ponyville today.

Scutum had just gotten off the train when he noticed Ponyville’s change in scenery. It was always a silly place, sure, but some days were worse than others. Today was a new record.

All around, he saw mares walking together, stallions walking together, giggling and kissing each other. Here and there he even spotted a rare mare and stallion couple, which was downright outlandish in Ponyville, from what he’d seen of it. The taste of love hung in the air, of outward affection and sappiness.

What is this weird mix in the air?

I haven’t tasted this since my last expedition, and even then it was only on a holida-

Uh oh.

“Hey, Scutum!” a voice called out to him.

A familiar drawl, coming from a filly whose coat was bright yellow, mane and tail red. Scutum mentally reminded himself of the colours, and let his changeling senses take the girl in. Size, weight, hardness of hooves, softness of mane, approximate smell, and most of all colour.

It all registered, and for more than merely his eyes.

Still working. Colour’s still coming through.

“Oh, sorry, did I spook ya? Or are ya still doing that thing from the surgery?”

“Surgery thing,” he admitted. “It’s fine, I’m being silly. Yellow, red, green eyes, right?” he pointed at at each part to confirm.

He ended up looking down at himself in the process. Orange carapace, purple in the mane and tail area. Somehow he’d ended up with cosmetics that looked more like moth wings than the usual dragonfly elements in the Hive, he still didn’t know why. He knew he looked good, though, with his more bug-like and angular torso, since a lot of folks commented on it when they met him. He had a good shape to him, that’s what everyone said.

The colours, though, those worried him, still.

“Yup, still workin’.” She smiled brightly at him. Most of the ponies Ocellus had introduced him to knew about his condition, or his former condition, that is. They also knew it was supposed to be completely fixed by now, and as such he didn’t need to worry. Apple Bloom was one of those nicer ponies who didn’t mind him double-checking. “Have ya got a minute?”

“Sure, Apple Bloom. Is this about Ocellus?” Scutum wasn’t too close to her, but he knew the filly and Ocellus were friends, after that incident with Cozy Glow and a few other misadventures. He guessed that Apple Bloom was here with a message.

He was wrong.

“I’m looking for Rumble, have you seen him?”

His ears swiveled in confusion. “Rumble? No, I only got here a few minutes ago.”

“And you’re not meeting him today, I presume?”

“Wasn’t planning on it, but I think I forgot what day today was.”

“It’s Hearts and Hooves,” Apple Bloom said.

“So it’s… the second Wednesday of Spring?”

“Second Wednesday after the first full moon of Spring,” she clarified.

“And that’s why you’re looking for Rumble,” Scutum noted. “To celebrate Hearts and Hooves with.”

She looked away with a blush. “Well, I wanna give him a card, at least. And I wouldn’t mind if he gave me one, or any of the fillies in class. Or any of the colts. Come to think of it, I need to check what my odds are with the bookie.”

Scutum narrowed his eyes. “What odds?”

“That Rumble’s ga-oh, never mind, you wouldn’t know. Or I guess you probably would, but that’d be cheating. Anyway, bottom line is: he’s gone OWFL on us and all the girls in town are wondering why.”

“He’s gone awful?”

“Off Without a Filly’s Leave. Technical term.”

Scutum shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you where he is. Like I said, I only got here a little while ago, and I didn’t see him.”

“And he didn’t say anything to you? I heard him mention he was gonna do another shoot with you.”

“Yup, beachwear catalogue in Phillydelphia, junior sizes. He didn’t enjoy it too much, but he wasn’t upset or anything. He didn’t mention today, either.” Scutum snorted. “I wish he had; I might have remembered then.”

Apple Bloom perked up and gestured to his chest. “Oh yeah, Ocellus probably has somethin’ planned for you today. Don’t let me keep ya, then. Just make sure you tell Rumble all the fillies are looking for him and his friends?”

He blinked, trying to parse that whole message. “Wait, what? His friends, too?”

“Yeah, he ain’t the only one missing. Button Mash, Tender Taps, every colt in Ponyville’s plum disappeared and nobody seems to care. And I don’t know if you’re up to speed on it, but Rumble’s got a bad habit of playing ringleader in this’ere sort of shenanigans.”

Given how he acted during the photoshoots and what he heard from his brother/chaperone to said shoots, Scutum wasn’t surprised. Rumble was a nice enough kid, but he had a strong willpower and a sense of justice that rivalled that of Pharynx. Unfortunately, he also had a sense for drama. Not that it wasn’t justified, sometimes, but he wasn’t about to bring that up here. “Have you called the guards?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “I asked Derpy Hooves about it, since she usually keeps an eye on the colts in town, and she said it’s fine. But I couldn’t squeeze more out of her. So, umm, if you see any Earth pony colts or Pegasus colts, spread the word, please? We just want the eligible bachelors to come out of hiding already.”

Scutum nodded, pondering. “Just Earth ponies and Pegasi? Not Unicorns?”

“There aren’t any Unicorn colts in Ponyville.”

“There’s two right there.” He pointed to Snips and Snails, who were walking along the main road, enjoying a taste of the plethora of chocolates that came with the holiday.

Neither of them was sharing their treats, with each other or with a girl.

Apple Bloom dismissed the remark. “I don’t think most fillies count them as ‘eligible’ for this type of discussion, if you catch my drift. It’s mostly Rumble and his friends we’re looking for. I’d ask ya to turn into a bloodhound or something, but I already tried tracking’em down with Winona, and apparently Rumble’s learned how to mask a scent. Even our boar Wilbur couldn’t find him, or any of the other ones.”

Scutum snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, that’ll be my fault. Rumble wanted to know some changeling tricks, you’re not gonna find him with a dog, or a boar. Sorry.”

“Not your fault, that’s just boy stuff. So, are ya planning anything with Ocellus today?”

“Not yet, but I can plan on the move. Have you seen her today yet?”

“No, she’ll be at school. Last I heard, she was diggin’ into the books real hard, so she might be kinda…”

Scutum sighed in sympathy. “Tired?”

“More like exhausted, is what I heard. Do you need me to run interference for you while you get ready?”

He smiled down at the filly. “No, you have your own business to attend to, and Ocellus doesn’t like surprises anyway. Thank you for the offer, though, and good luck on the search. I can’t promise I’ll find them, but I do promise if I find any of the boys, I’ll let them know you’re on the lookout.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Scoots!”

She turned tail and galloped off, no doubt checking another potential hiding spot for the boys.

Scutum rolled his eyes. “Okay, first things first.”

Cranky Doodle Donkey’s place was a ways away from Ponyville proper, being a former observation outpost for the Royal Guard. The road to it was flanked by hills, and the hills were adorned with various trees, perfect spot for an ambush or whatever sort of defenses the residents might want to erect.

It was also a good hiding spot, provided you were on friendly terms with Cranky, or his wife.

Both donkeys passed Scutum by as he went towards their house.

“Hello, Cranky Doodle, Matilda.”

“Hey, Scutum,” Cranky greeted.

“Out for the day?”

“Yup,” the donkey replied.

“We’re celebrating Hearts and Hooves in Canterlot, at the opera,” Matilda said.

“Got any house-sitters?” Scutum asked.

“Chestnut tree, third one on the left,” Cranky Doodle replied. “Please keep them watching the house from outside? I don’t want to pull anyone from my chimney like last time.”

“To be fair, Pinkie usually makes it through easy enough,” Matilda noted.

“Yeah. Her haunches are getting thicker,” he replied.

Matilda gave him a friendly slap against the shoulder.

Scutum bid them good day and went up to the chestnut tree he’d been pointed to. Looking up, he couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. He knocked on the trunk three times, in a particular pattern he’d been told was Royal Guard official code.

“What’s the password?” the tree asked.

“A horse is a horse, of course, by curse. The steed that did the deed is indeed a cad. But worse is the curse that made the horse now glad.”

The voice in the tree asked, “Is that the password?”

“It is now,” another voice replied.

The changeling rolled his eyes. “Come on guys, it’s Scutum. Who’s up there?”

“Are you alone?” the first voice whispered.

He sighed with a smile. “Yes, I’m alone. Come on out, please, ponies are worried sick.”

Rumble came gliding out of the tree, followed by Button Mash sliding down the trunk like a firestation pole.

“It’s just you two? Where’s that dancer kid, Tender Taps?”

“He’s scouting the perimeter, making sure no one’s tailing us,” Button Mash replied. “You know, since he’s light on his hooves.”

Scutum suppressed a smirk. Pharynx would have loved these kids. His mind started wandering to what a playdate with them and the Hive’s young ‘lings might look like. He quickly dispelled that thought, though, as Pharynx would never let his own forces be outsmarted by ponies, and as such would probably cheat.

“Good thinking,” Scutum said. “And the other boys?”

“We sent Live Wire and Brass Tack out for supplies, so we have some food coming in,” Button Mash said.

He couldn’t quite connect a face to the names, but he knew those two were Unicorns, at least. “Invisibility spells?”

Rumble beamed. “Yup.”

“Did you seriously force all the boys in Ponyville to hide from the girls, Rumble?”

“No.” Rumble pouted. “That would be awful. I only suggested it, and once a lot of the boys realised what they were in for, they joined in. I didn’t get any of the boys who’ve already got a special somepony, or any of the weaker ones who might tell on us.” He glared at nothing in particular. “The last thing we need is turncoats in our operation.”

“Speaking of which, you weren’t followed, were you?” Button Mash asked.

He looked down at the colt. “Come on, this is me you’re talking to. Nopony follows a changeling if he doesn’t want to be followed. You’re clear. But why go through all this effort? It’s just a holiday.”

“Just a holiday where the girls are likely to try and poison you,” Rumble argued.

“Yeah, you weren’t around last time,” Button Mash said. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders know how to make a love poison, and they’ve used it before.”

“I highly doubt they’d do that again, then.”

“I know, that’s exactly what we’re afraid of!” Rumble argued. “Ever since Zecora got arrested for hate speech, Apple Bloom’s been learning potion making from Meadowbrook.”

“And Meadowbrook doesn’t play around or make mistakes like Zecora did,” Button Mash added, shuddering. “She’s old-school. Waaay old-school.”

Scutum went to sit in between the boys. “Okay, be honest with me here. Do you really think they’re planning to poison you?”

“Yes,” both of them replied in perfect sync.

“And even if they’re not, why would we want to spend Hearts and Hooves with any of the fillies in town? Especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Rumble asked.

“They seem to like you,” Scutum noted. “Are they mean?”

“They’re not bullies, no, not usually. But they don’t leave you alone when you want them to. They can’t take a hint, and they expect boys to take every single hint and read their minds or something.” Button Mash shuddered.

“You weren’t there when they asked me to help with their camp. Or when I got roped into their camp in the first place. All those girls do is put me down, and pretend like they know better. I’m sorry, but I don’t need that kind of grief from a girl. I get it enough from Thunderlane. Just because he’s okay with girls driving him straight into the hospital, doesn’t mean I need to risk it.”

Scutum had noticed that. Rumble was a decent enough model, good at following directions, not bad at showpony stuff. But when you got him alone and talking, he obviously had issues with his brother, and with girls. The changeling had tried, gently, to offer advice on the matter, as one professional to another, but so far nothing had stuck.

In hindsight, the age difference was probably a stumbling block there.

“Where is Thunderlane, anyway?”

“In Canterlot, doing a Wonderbolts derby. And good riddance.”

“Come on, kiddo, you know you don’t mean that. Your brother’s just looking out for you.”

“No, he’s not. He wants me on a leash, doing anything that isn’t flying, and he’s got a whole bunch of ponies on his side. Why shouldn’t I get some ponies on mine?”

Button Mash nodded. “It’s not easy for colts in Ponyville, and it’s getting harder every day. Half the time nopony even realises how many Unicorn colts there are, it’s like they’re invisible. You know, when they’re not… turning invisible for their own safety.”

The counterfeit penny finally dropped for Scutum. “Ah. So this is a protest action, then.”

The two colts exchanged a glance, shrugged, then nodded.

“Fine. I can respect that.”

“You’re not gonna rat us out?” Button asked.

“Oh, I wasn’t planning to, no matter what. I only wanted to make sure you guys are all safe. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you.”

“Derpy Hooves knows where we are,” Rumble noted. “At least you can trust her.”

“Good. I don’t agree with it, I think you’re making a mistake, but I can respect it.”

“Thanks,” Button Mash said.

“Yeah, you should hang out with Thunderlane more, maybe that’ll rub off on him.” Rumble blinked and thought about that for a second. “Actually, on second thought, he might rub off on you. Stay away from my brother, please?”

“I will. But can you promise to at least treat the girls in town normally when there’s no holiday?”

“No offense, but I don’t think you know what ‘normal’ is for Ponyville fillies. It’s not like you and Ocellus,” Rumble said.

“Wait, really? You’re dating Ocellus?” Button Mash asked. “I didn’t know that.”

Scutum chuckled. “Guess I don’t swing by often enough. Yeah, we’re… together, sort of. Ever since that thing in Geneighva, we’ve been, umm… special some-changelings, I guess you’d call it?”

“You’re lucky,” Rumble started. “Ocellus doesn’t boss you around, or try to humiliate you into doing things her way.”

He paused, hearing the sincerity in Rumble’s voice. The boy sounded hurt, and tired, emotionally speaking. Then again, that may have been one of the other changeling senses kicking in, specifically the one that singled out easy targets for replacing. “Is that what the Cutie Mark Crusaders do to you two?”

“It feels like it.”

“Maybe you should tell them that,” Scutum suggested.

“Maybe we have, and they didn’t listen,” Rumble argued.

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse.” The boys both grimaced. “But, umm, come to think of it, is that why you like her?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, why you two are together,” Rumble said. “Is it because she’s nice to you?”

Scutum shrugged. “Being nice is a default. You can’t be with someone who isn’t nice to you, but being nice isn’t the reason, no. It’s… a couple of reasons.”

“But you’re not doing anything with her today?”

“I was going to wait until school’s out. Now that you mention it, why aren’t you in school? Is it a bank holiday?”

“It’s Wednesday. Afternoons off,” Button Mash replied. “And we started class early in the morning, so we stopped before lunch.”

“Oh, right. Forgot that part. I guess I could try to find a gift, then.”

“You still haven’t answered the question, though. Why does it work for you?”

“Well, for starters, I’m older than you two, and so is Ocellus. Things happen when you grow up, and some of those things make it easier to pair up with someone. You start seeing things differently, feeling differently. And why Ocellus?” He grinned. “I guess you’re going to have to learn how to look for a girl that isn’t going to drive you insane at some point.”

“Which’ll probably be from outside of Ponyville,” Rumble snarked.

“Anyway,” Scutum continued. “It’s best if you have some idea of where to start. If you really want to know what to look for in a girl, here’s what’s worked for me so far.”

Author's Note

Four chapters to this one. Originally I was going to write a fic with Bastion and Apple Bloom as adults, with Apple Bloom getting a sketchy diagnosis and Diamond Tiara rushing across Ponyville to try and find some solution, with flashbacks to indicate what had happened over the years. It was too ambitious, though, and wouldn't have worked in context.

So I settled on this, instead. Nice little bit of hinted romance, some background changes to Ponyville to contrast with Ocellus and Scutum growing up and growing closer together, and actually giving Scutum some character after his swift introduction and cameo. His handicap is given more background from his own perspective, and his personality is more fleshed out, especially in regards to why he and Ocellus are a match.

It still has some jabs at the show and the fandom, though, like how Rumble is treated in certain stories, or the Unicorn colts, or even Unicorns in general. I think portraying that through the main characters' perception of it gives it a nice balance.