The girls moved into Smolder’s room for privacy’s sake, since the dragoness was, out of all of them, the girl with the single highest sense of privacy, something Ocellus suspected was linked to draconic hoard-making. Her paper on the subject was still being peer-reviewed.

“Okay, so you need to find a good gift for Scutum, fast,” Smolder started, pacing around her room. “That’s pretty easy: figure out his type first.”

Ocellus blinked. Her head lolled off to the front a bit before she snapped awake. “His type?”

“Yeah, his type. What does he like most? Emerald, ruby, sapphires? He likes you, so it’s probably emeralds, right?”

His type, gem-wise. Gems would be nice as a gift, and Ponyville had a lot of options. The town still had a lot of antique shops, and all the stuff was pretty cheap now that the antiquarians were moving out to places with fewer earthquakes. “I’m not sure. And I don’t think jewelry is really his thing.”

“Oh!” Silverstream jumped up. “There’s a glassblower not far from Carroussel Boutique, they do custom art pieces. You could ask for a glass sculpture with your colours.”

That sounded perfect. Or at least, it would have been, five days earlier.

“I’m pretty sure that sort of thing takes time, which I don’t have.”

Smolder shrugged. “You could always make something yourself. How about writing a poem?”

“I’ve tried poetry, it doesn’t work out.” Ocellus blushed.

“Can’t be that bad,” Silverstream offered.

“Everything I write comes out as a checklist.”

“Okay, guess it can.”

Smolder counted on her claws. “So no gems, no poetry. That just leaves magma baths. Lots of boys like to relax in liquid hot lava. Well, you know, if you’re fireproof and all.”

Ocellus nodded, before rubbing her eyes. There was a throbbing starting behind her left ear. “A spa date would be a good idea… if it was any other day. I’m pretty sure they’ll be booked.”

The dragon girl flew up and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m all out of ideas, then.”

Ocellus blinked and sighed. The room was darker than she remembered, it made her sleepy. “Silverstream? What do you think I should do?”

Silverstream held up a finger. “You know what they say: the love of a boy goes through his stomach.”

Ocellus chuckled nervously. “Eheh, that’s nice, but, um, please never say that when there are other changelings around? A lot of them take things a bit too literally.”

“Really?”

She shuddered. “You should have seen the beauty pageant when the judges told us to ‘change into our bathing suits.’ Lots of flopping on the ground.”

Smolder stared in surprise. “Wow. So we’re talking one-pieces only, right? Otherwise, how does that even work when you turn into a two-piece? Where does your mouth go? And what happens to your bu-”

“Not important right now!” Ocellus shouted, mostly to keep herself awake. “What kind of food is good? What’s romantic?”

“Salmon eggs?” Silverstream suggested. “That’s a royal family favourite.”

Ocellus blushed. “M-maybe not a good idea.”

“Umm, omelettes are good, if you want something a little rustic?”

“No.”

“Quiche? That’s nice and in the middle, not too fancy, not too common. We always have quiche on big events with the public. Everyone likes quiche.”

Ocellus groaned. “Is there anything that doesn’t have eggs in it?”

“Why do you have a problem with eggs?” Silverstream asked. “Does Scutum have an issue with eggs?”

“Not exactly, but it’s our first Hearts and Hooves Day together,” Ocellus reasoned. “The idea of him and me having eggs together feels a little inappropriate. He’s smart enough to get the wrong idea, remember?”

Silverstream, thankfully, caught her meaning. “Oh. Oops. You can go flying somewhere romantic. No crowds, enjoy the scenery.”

“That’s not a gift; that’s a walk with extra steps,” Smolder objected. “Unless you go someplace special, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“And I don’t have anywhere special on short notice,” Ocellus noted.

Silverstream pondered that. “I guess going scuba diving is out of the question, then, too?”

“Ocellus doesn’t have scuba gear,” Smolder said with a roll of the eyes.

“I don’t need it, either,” Ocellus added. “Shapeshifter, remember?”

“Oh yeah…”

This was, however, the best idea she’d heard so far, if not for one niggling problem. “Going swimming would be a good idea, but it’d have to be somewhere around Ponyville, which means it’s somewhere close to the Everfree Forest.”

“And most things in there don’t like changelings,” Silverstream realised.

“Sure they do. Especially with mustard and ketchup,” Smolder joked.

Ocellus rubbed her head. She couldn’t think of any ideas.

“Are you okay, Ocellus?” Silverstream asked.

“Yes. No. I think I am. I can see the problem now, at least. I can’t ask for any good ideas because you’re not me. I need to think of something. And I can’t think when I’m this tired.”

Silverstream went to pat her on the shoulder. “We have the rest of the day off. You can take a nap and think about it when you’ve rested. You can’t risk burning yourself out like this.”

Ocellus nodded. “You’re right.”

“Good. We’ll go into Ponyville and if we see Scutum we can just-”

“I need to get to Sugarcube Corner. One goblet of the Brown Bear Double Decker Coffee Guarana Stacker will get me through the day and I won’t be wasting time with sleep. Thanks, Silverstream.”

“Uh… you’re welcome?”

As wobbly as a bumblebee drunk on mead, Ocellus flitted out through the corridors, out towards Ponyville.

Scutum regarded the crowds walking along the main shopping street of Ponyville, trying to come up with ideas for a gift. His sense of shape reached out here and there, picking up size, weight, proportionality. His sense of love, as a taste, likewise reached out idly, to find anything to latch unto.

His attention settled on a married couple: a buff Pegasus stallion and a svelte-looking mare.

They were window-shopping from the looks of it, and teasing each other. She already had a bag with things, he appeared to be looking for something to get for himself.

They were definitely married, if recently: the magic of the ceremony still lingered strongly around the two. Newlyweds were brighter like that, or hotter. Spouses of a few years had a more blinking presence about them.

He tried not to stare, and closed his eyes instead, thinking.

Is that gonna be me in a couple of years?

Is that gonna be us?

Opening his eyes again for a quick glance, he got more details. The husband was a painter, given the splotches around his hooves. That got the ideas flowing, at least.

What if I got her a painting? She likes to swim, maybe an ocean view would be good?

No, she’d worry about where to put it. The Hive doesn’t have a lot of straight walls, so it’d be too easy to fall.

And going by his physique and that characteristic walk, he was a former Royal Guard.

Workout gear, perhaps? That’s just silly. Ocellus is in fine shape, if anything she’s a little on the thin side now, after her last growth spurt. Nothing for exercise, she’d overdo it or she’d feel guilty for taking a break.

The wife, then, had subtle hints of a herbal aroma around her, and her cutie mark had an essence of boiling water, implying something like a tea merchant. He didn’t recognise the mare, or the mark, but the tea got him thinking.

There’s an idea. I could get Ocellus a tea set, maybe?

No, she can’t use that around school, not with her yak friend. She’d be too worried about it breaking.

And she can’t keep it at the Hive with her little siblings running around. No, nothing fragile.

Some teabags, maybe, something to help keep her calm? Next year, for sure, but this is our first year together, it should be something to mark the occasion, something lasting. She wouldn’t want to drink a gift like that.

Abandoning the high street, he went to sit on a bench and took out a locket from under his wingshields.

In it, he had a picture of him and Ocellus, together in Geneighva. They both smiled warmly, cheeks pressed together, grabbing each other’s sides to pull tight.

He’d never felt happier, or warmer.

The sense of shape that changelings had was a difficult one to explain to other species, at least the ones who didn’t have transmutation magic. As Scutum understood it, changelings could detect identity as a separate notion, even register small changes due to motion.

And with that sense of shape came a sense of rightness, of belonging, of things fitting together well or not at all.

That picture represented a few minutes of things feeling more right than ever, and the days that followed had been a pleasant afterglow.

We’ll always have Geneighva.

That had been the start of it, really. They spent more time together, when they could, and they talked about important things. One such important thing was how they saw their future, and the way they saw it was, for now, together.

Scutum was happy when Ocellus was close by, and she felt the same about him.

That picture was the closest they’d been so far.

I can’t even remember feeling someone so soft, so warm.

Warm and soft, warm and soft. What about a spa date? No, they’ll be booked to the gills today, and Ocellus doesn’t like crowds.

A flight around Rainbow Falls? No, Apple Bloom said she’s tired from studying, nothing exhausting.

We could go underwater somewhere, maybe? But that’ll be in the dark, then, she might get drowsy.

Then he spotted another pair, though not a married couple. Not even dating, he realised, though they were acquaintances.

Soft and warm?

One was a blue Pegasus mare, the other a white Unicorn stallion.

Rainbow Dash the Wonderbolt, and Mister Sage, the print pony.

That’s worth a shot.

He trotted up to them, ears perked. He must have forgotten to switch his senses back to normal, because he accidentally caught the tail end of their conversation.

“You can’t just leave! Where would you even go?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Back to the old country, up North,” Sage replied.

Wait, what?

“But isn’t that deer country now?”

“Yeah.”

“So you’re okay with just not having any ponies around at all anymore?”

“It’s not like Pony-ville is any better,” Sage argued. “I can’t stay for much longer, Rainbow Dash, I just can’t. Ever since the yaks moved in three houses down, we get earthquakes every other week when they have their friends and family over. And I can’t say anything about it or I’ll get in trouble. I’ve already had to add protection spells to my shop.”

Scutum slowed down.

“Come on, that’s not fair,” Rainbow Dash objected.

“No, it’s not. Not to me, it isn’t. This is a real problem, that they’re causing, and I can’t do anything without getting accused of a crime. I just have to tolerate all this. But I can’t, and I can’t do anything to change it. That’s two out of three stress responses down, third one’s the only option.”

“But who’s gonna proofread my fanfics?”

“I have a Sending spell, Rainbow Dash. I’ll give you the address once I find a place, it’ll probably be a few months anyway. I’ve got a lot of shop to move. Speaking of which, a friendly face.”

Scutum froze. He thought he was being stealthy. “Umm, am I interrupting something?”

“Not at all,” Sage said with a smile. “If you’re looking for Ocellus, I haven’t seen her yet. And if you’re wanting to make another order for the Hive, the next delivery should be en route in two weeks. It’s been somewhat delayed due to… seismic activity.” That smile faded into a grumble.

“Right. New neighbours. Sorry about that. I guess we won’t be getting any more books from your shop, either, then? If you’re moving?”

Sage sighed. “You caught that, huh? I am sorry to say that I will be moving my business, and it will be moving to somewhere farther from the Hive. But I can still do custom orders, I’m sure. It’d be difficult, but feasible. Besides, there are plenty of other print shops in Equestria, and regular book shops that don’t have to print things on the spot.” He shook his head and chuckled mirthlessly. “You won’t miss me, I’m sure. Actually, you could probably set up shop at your Hive, if there are any volunteers.”

“I’ll be sure to ask, then.”

“Please do, I’ve still got time to do quick tutorials. And you don’t have to apologise for anything, for the record. You’re not the one quaking the ground. If anything, changelings have been my best customers in years. You’re more polite than a lot of ponies, these days. I would miss that. But you’re not here to listen to a Unicorn ramble, are you? You’re looking for something for Hearts and Hooves?”

“Yes, sir. I kind of forgot what day it was, so I was hoping…”

Scutum explained the situation to the stallion, and asked if Mister Sage could deliver.

Sage said ‘no.’

Ocellus went straight to the bakery, or as straight as she could with her eyes taking turns opening up. Breakfast had delayed the onset of fatigue somewhat, but it wasn’t a fix, and once her food had settled down she felt drowsier and drowsier by the second.

Thankfully, she knew where she could get a more lasting solution.

Wobbling through the doors of Sugarcube Corner, Ocellus was relieved to see that Scutum was not there yet. Missus Cake was going from table to table, serving couples their orders. When she saw the changeling girl, she greeted her jovially.

“Ocellus, hi! Happy Hearts and Hooves Day. Are you alone today, dear, or are you planning a surprise?”

Ocellus did her best not to squint. Her eyes wanted to rest so badly, but she couldn’t risk closing them for long. “Umm, I’m alone for now, but planning a surprise. I only need a quick boost first.”

“Been studying too hard again?”

“There is no ‘too hard’ when it comes to studying.”

“If you say so, dear. There’s an empty table in the corner, there, if you want to stay hidden.”

Ocellus went to sit and let out a sigh of relief. Soft, padded seats and walls, it almost made her nod off. She snapped awake.

“So, What do you need?” Missus Cake asked. “The usual?”

“No. I’ll have the Brown Bear Double Decker Coffee Guarana Stacker, please. A large one.”

Missus Cake flinched. “A-are you sure? Pinkie Pie only added that to the menu as a joke for Princess Twilight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone drink that one large. Even you haven’t gone over a small one yet.”

“It’s an emergency.”

“And come to think of it, isn’t caffeine an insecticide in the first place? I’m sure that was a question on the last quiz we had…” the mare scratched her head, thinking.

“I’ll take my chances. I need to be awake today, and there’s only way to do that.”

“If you say so, dear.”

Ocellus nodded, and paid up front.

When the order came, Ocellus blew on it carefully, then took a sip.

Flash Bee honey, Saddle Arabian coffee, and rainforest guarana, which was basically stacking magically charged sugar upon caffeine upon caffeine, hence the name.

In an instant, her eyes stopped feeling heavy, her heart beat faster, and her headache went from gently pulsing to an insistent throbbing.

Perfect.

“Okay. Step one: stay awake. Step two: find something to get Scutum.”

“Oh, the orange boy?” Missus Cake asked. “I’ve seen him around, Pinkie Pie seems to think he’s nice. If you need ideas, I know one thing about boys: their love goes through the stomach. Do you know what his favorite treat is?”

Ocellus took another drink. The throbbing headache subsided, or levelled out, at least. “Does every mare in this town think that?”

“It’s true for most stallions. Although, now that you mention it, I am starting to wonder if that’s not something Spoiled Rich spread as a rumour to boost chocolate sales. Still, it’s a good place to start, isn’t it?”

Ocellus realised then that she hadn’t even mentioned Scutum’s favorite treat to her friends. “Maybe. His favorite used to be banana split, vanilla and chocolate ice only, no strawberry.”

“Oh.” The mare scrunched her nose. “Does he not like strawberry?”

“He does, but he used to like his food to be black and wh- never mind. Nowadays he likes dried fruit most. Dried strawberry, dried melon, dried pineapple…”

“Saddle Arabian treats, you mean?”

“Uhuh.”

“I don’t think we have those around here. This far north, any spare fruit we get is turned into jam.”

“Oh, I know. I wouldn’t give that to him anyway.”

“Why not?”

“N-no offense, but the whole ‘love goes through the stomach’ thing is kind of a sore spot for us changelings. We’re still not sure how to handle that, with how things have changed. We don’t have traditions, or rules. We didn’t even used to have parents the way you do, or private property, or money.”

“Oh, dear. I think I see your problem now. You’re not just dealing with personal questions, but historical ones, too. You want to do things traditionally, but you don’t have your own traditions yet, and pony traditions aren’t going to help you figure things out, are they?”

“Sorry.” Ocellus took another big sip of her caffeinated treat. Her heart gave out a protesting ‘thump,’ but she hid it. “That’s why I need to focus. I know I’m not supposed to be working today, but-”

Missus Cake kept her head on a swivel, always checking if anyone needed her. No further orders came. “No, that’s fine, deary, you don’t need to feel bad about that. Look at me: I do a lot of work today, and I’m glad to. And for what it’s worth, you and I are not the only po-err, creatures who are working on Hearts and Hooves. Rarity’s working, too.”

Ocellus took another sip, and almost spit it out when she realised.

“Rarity? Of course! Rarity would know what I can get, wouldn’t she?”

“She has been doing a lot of stallion’s fashion recently, and I hear she has her own special somepony now.” Missus Cake winked.

“Really? Who?”

“I have no idea, and even Pinkie Pie hasn’t figured it out yet. But that’s not important. What’s important is that Rarity knows a thing or two about boys.”

“And she knows a lot about nice things. Thank you, Missus Cake, you’re a lifesaver.”

With three big gulps, Ocellus downed the rest of her energy drink.

“Oh, my. That much coffee, I hope your heart doesn’t explode. Then again, I suppose you do have a spare.”

“That’s a myth, actually,” Ocellus corrected. “But don’t worry, if my heart starts acting up, I can just turn into something with a bigger one.”

“Ah. You learn something new every day.”

With that, Ocellus flew off, wings buzzing like an angry hornet.

Author's Note

So here's more of the background events in Ponyville, and how that affects the ponies in town as well as how a changeling might see these things. I wanted to convey the vibe of time passing and things changing while these two are trying to figure things out.

The drink's name is a reference to one of the songs I quite enjoy: Double Decker, by Liquido.

I think that's everything worth explaining. Still need to finish chapter 4 at the time of writing, but it's planned out, and at least halfway done now.