prompt: “You say ‘i love you’ too much. Say something else instead.”
pairing: Lapis Lazuli & Amethyst

by: RadioWrittenHeart

~

They had stolen Greg’s van, again. He was probably going to be pretty lax about it, like always, but still. It was nothing but Amethyst, Lapis and the empty roads of Beach City. They had driven to the edge of town, parked on the side of the highway. The radio was cranked up, spilling out some sort of alternative rock music into the twilight evening. And with the driver’s seat and shotgun leaned all the way back, Amethyst and Lapis were together.

Just so.

Nothing more, nothing less.

They were still familiar strangers, but something felt right in their metaphorical hearts. As she always did, Amethyst acted without thinking, and she said it, letting the three words echo in the van.

All of the other times, Lapis would accept it, accompanied with a blush or a laugh or a smile…

...this time, none of that.

She turned on her side, to stare at Amethyst sincerely. “Is that all?” she asked.

“Wha?” Amethyst mumbled, prying one eye open.

“You love me,” Lapis said nonchalantly. “Is that it?”

“Well,” Amethyst trailed off. “Yeah.”

Lapis folded her arms and leaned on them, a few strands of her short hair falling in her face. “Is that a term humans made up?” she mused. “It seems terribly overdone.”

Amethyst knew that sometimes Lapis could get a little deep, but whatever she was getting at now… it was too late.

Nonetheless, despite lack of response, Lapis continued. “I’m thinking out loud here, but it’s all they say. As if that’s the only way you can let someone know that you care for them. I know I’m new to all of this, and so are you by some standards, but,” She trailed off. “Explain to me to the justification of it.”

“Um,” Amethyst stopped, going still and quiet for a second.

Lapis’s small thin hand stretched out, gently tracing the curvature of Amethyst’s gem. Instantly, Amethyst returned the favor, cradling the whole top portion of Lapis’s back as she pulled them close for an embrace. They both fell in the space between the seats, on the floor of the van. There was a moment’s hesitation before lips met in an open-mouthed kiss, a rarity for Lapis to do so suddenly. Intertwined in the sweetest of ways, ambiance of soft rock music as their background, the stars above them…

Once they parted, it seemed that was what got Amethyst to get it.

“Your eyes,” she blurted out. “Your eyes are, like, really pretty, Lapis. I don’t know if they’re gold or blue or white, but they make me feel safe. They’re one of my favorite things about you.”

A breath she didn’t need got caught in her throat as she easily straddled Lapis, laying her down.

“And your wings. They’re perfect, and, like, totally impossible.”

“Amethyst,” The name felt sacred on her lips, now that they were so intimate.

“Your voice. It’s, like, if you could hear stars - or something. I don’t know, it’s just perfect for you. It’s so chill. A-and, Lapis,” Amethyst felt everything get stuck in her throat, and she began placing kisses along Lapis’s neck. “If you don’t want me to say I love you, then let me say that I really,” She punctuated that word, and every repeat of it, with a kiss. “Really,” kiss. “Really,” kiss. “Really like you.”

Lapis chuckled, curving up into Amethyst’s form. “The feeling is mutual,” she murmured, tracing her fingers across Amethyst’s gem.

“And even if you’ve been through so much stuff, you’re still strong. Like I’m the muscle but you… you’re a different sort of strong. You balance me out, you know?”

Lapis took these words in deep - drowning, swimming in them. Her eyes became wide, her smile watery, and everything about her being was shaking. Amethyst was about to question, if she were not pulled into another kiss, one that made her melt and tasted like the saltwater her love had risen from.

“I-is that better than ‘i love you’?” Amethyst said, with a soft laugh.

“I think I understand what it means now,” Lapis whispered.

“So… what do you want me to say?”

Lapis’s eyes darted up. “I love you,” she replied gently.

Amethyst’s laughter suddenly exploded, and she nuzzled Lapis, right between her neck and collarbone. “Gosh,” she said softly. “When you act like a dork. Add that to the list.”

They spent the night together, and not together, simply with one another. As Amethyst dozed off, Lapis made her own list.

prompt: “Stop trying to be cool. That's my job.”
ship: Peridot & Garnet

 by: neverwantedtodance

“Nice sunglasses,” a voice said from behind her, and Peridot yelped, turning around and nearly running straight into Garnet’s stomach. The older student smirked at her.

“I know we’re going through a small heatwave, but don’t you think you’re taking this too far?” she asked.

Peridot adjusted the brim of her wide sunhat with a huff. “Easy for you to say, Garnet. Your skin doesn’t instantly turn red the moment step into the sun.” Peridot had put on about four layers of sunscreen over the past hour and she still felt like her pale skin wasn’t being protected enough.

Garnet shrugged. “Fair enough. I still say the sunglasses are a bit of an overkill. Trying to look cool?”

Peridot turned around with a grumble, walking away. Naturally, Garnet followed her.

Garnet raised her own sunglasses and gave Peridot a knowing look when her question wasn’t answered.

Peridot couldn’t help but notice the way how everything Garnet did seemed effortless. It was like she was the most chilled out person on the planet. Peridot had no idea how she could manage this - she was always a bundle of college-induced stress, and Garnet was even in her final year. She should have been as hurried as Peridot, even worse, but instead … she remained completely laid-back. Peridot envied her. But there was also something else. Some other underlying emotion she couldn’t identify.

She sniffed. “I don’t have to try to look cool,” she bragged as they walked across the campus. Classes was over for the day and yet it still felt like midday. The sun was sweltering in the sky, still going strong, and the air was hot and humid like a rainforest. Peridot tugged at the strap of her tank top irritably. She hated hot weather. It always made her uncomfortable and study. She sneaked a glance at Garnet. She looked composed as always.

Garnet smirked. “Whatever you say, Peridot.”

“I’m serious,” peridot replied, as they made their way into the shaded quad area. She sighed as finally some of the heat was off her shoulders. It was nice to finally have some respite.

Out of the crowd, she noticed Lapis and Jasper sitting under a tree, their mouths moving at a rapid speed, no doubt arguing about something.

A few paces away sat Pearl, Amethyst, and Rose. Their conversation seemed mostly one-sided, Amethyst chatting on and on whilst Rose nodded contently, Pearl’s head resting in her lap. Peridot wondered how they could stand PDA when it was as hot as this, but they were grossly over-affectionate. They probably couldn’t bear not to.

She sighed. It was difficult having two completely separate groups of friends, but somehow she still managed to upkeep her friendship with Garnet.

They stopped in the middle of the quad, knowing that now it was time to go their separate ways.

“I’ll see you later,” she said, a hint of melancholy in her voice. It was kind of annoying having to balance her time between her group of friends and being with Garnet, and she wished there was an easier way to do this.

“And stop trying to be cool,” Garnet said as she walked backwards, lowering her glasses as she flashed an impish grin at Peridot. The sparkle in her eyes made Peridot’s cheeks heat up red instantly.

“That’s my job.”

And then she was gone.

“Uh-huh,” Peridot managed to breathlessly stamme rout, but already she was alone.

She sighed, blowing her bangs away from her forehead and turning to walk towards her friends.

Garnet was certainly proving harder and harder to balance.

prompt: “Sing a song for me.”
ship: Princess Bubblegum & Marceline

 by: RadioWrittenHeart

~

This was not what Bubblegum had in mind when Marceline had given her a complementary front-seat ticket to her revival tour. First things first, everything was so … out there. Marceline’s old shows had consisted of little to no props or setup, dim lighting, and limited seating. Now, the entire stage was decked out, people were sitting on each other’s laps or shoulders- simply put, it was out there.

Then again, Bubblegum had only been a few of Marceline’s shows; and judging from her stories…

...well, she wasn’t going to recollect some of the insane things she had been told.

“Hello, Underground!”

Bubblegum coughed from the sudden cloud of dry ice and faux smoke that Marceline walked through as she came onstage. To say that the crowd went wild was an understatement; they were ballistic.

“Did you miss your Queen?” Marceline trilled, grabbing the mic from it’s stand.

Her bass hung lazily on her hip, and the microphone stand carelessly fell below her feet. Bubblegum remembered the days Marceline had no need for microphones at her shows, they were so secluded; now, she had gained a following. What else had she missed out on?

Marceline’s chuckle was low and deep, even when amplified. “Of course you did,” she said.

Bubblegum could only watch, observe as if Marceline was a new subject for an experiment. An experiment to determine many, many things involving the mysteries of the heart. Mysteries that they both knew would never get solved.

Especially with such distractions.

Distractions involving Marceline, of course.

Bubblegum wished she had something to take notes with…

The way Marceline’s long ebony hair, half shaved off of her head, flowed to and fro. Her crop top, slightly curling up as she swayed mid-air on stage. Her low, enchanting voice singing beautiful metaphors. And goodness, the jeans. Bubblegum knew Marceline’s rock star getup was scandalous, but this was just … just. It seemed so simple, so casual, but in this setting, it fit perfectly.

This setting, as wonderfully chaotic as it was.

There was a synth drum playing over the loudspeakers as backup, but everything else was all Marceline, ruling over like the Queen she most definitely was.

“Your lungs don’t need any of that,” she trilled into the mic. “I’ll fly around your heart, just like a bat. Honey, when your eyes have dried, you can’t say I never tried.”

Marceline leaned back on her heels, eyes closed as she rasped out lyrics.

“You need me, and I know it - but whoever said I wanted anyone now that I’ve been bit? Black and blue, nothing’s new, except the fact that maybe this time, we can stay true,” She played a quick riff, and the audience erupted into cheering, some even shedding tears. “Darling, please, let me please you, and the rest is all gonna come with ease.”

It was all such a contrast, the upbeat music yet looming lyrics. Bubblegum couldn’t focus on anything more now. She knew. That was why Marceline had begged and pleaded for her to come to a show. She had been saving these songs, she didn’t even have to say it.

In an attempt to crowd-surf, Marceline floated over the audience continuing to sing the same tune; “And now that we’re done with our fucking, you’ll treat me like a child, tucking me in, putting me away - but you should know I’ve never wanted nothing more, let’s allow our love to become legend and lore. ‘Cause your sweet lips and smart mouth make me think, hey, my favorite color just might be pink.”

She laughed, twirling in mid-air- and yes, Bubblegum noticed her love linger for a minute right over her…

...she caught that sly little wink- what a minx.

The night went on, and Bubblegum could have sworn stars were forming in her eyes as she watched the rest of the show. She realized all of the songs were connected, they were a storyline. Usually, Marceline’s songs jumped around, but this was like a legacy. She seemed to have completely changed her style, and it was marvelous.

Marceline had ripped out guitar solos, songs with nothing but riffs and her slick moves, and others that brought tears to her eyes- especially when she glanced down to the most important fan watching her perform.

There had been glitter, and sweat, and t-shirt cannons, and pure insanity.

Finally, the last song was nothing but guitar strums.

Everyone was entranced, and no one knew what it meant, but that was the beauty of it.

With one last smirk, Marceline threw her microphone into the audience, letting people tackle each other for it. Bubblegum paid no mind to the chaos, and simply watched as her love sashayed backstage, black boots click-clacking away and a few chords echoing through the building.

“Your Highness?”

It took a moment, but Bubblegum perked up and took Princess-like composure- only to see a very familiar face a few feet below her. “Pep Butt? What are you doing here?” she asked.

With his middle fingers curled in and his first and last held up, Peppermint Butler stuck his tongue out.

“Gee, Princess, I’m a huge fan of Marceline,” he said. “I go to all of her shows. It’s not a performance unless we leave in glitter and sweat - that’s a promise from her.” He ignored the Princess’s bewildered expression, and held out the microphone to her. “Here you go. It’s a tradition for her to throw the mic. Whoever catches it gets to spend time backstage.”

A soft “oh” escaped Bubblegum, and she took the mic. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Why did she have the odd feeling that when she got backstage, she would be the one singing a different sort of song?

Oh, Marcy. What have you done to me?

prompt: “Don't leave me like this.”
ship: Rarity & Rainbow Dash

 by: neverwantedtodance

“Going somewhere?”

Rainbow Dash turned, seeing Rarity leaning up against the doors of the school.

She shrugged. “Just wanted some air.”

The night was cool and there was a light breeze making her hair twitch slightly. She couldn’t help but notice the massive crater still staining the front of the school. She winced; Sunset Shimmer had really done a number on it.

“Well I do hope you don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, dear,” Rarity replied, striding out to take Rainbow Dash’s hand in her own. The other girl blushed. Rarity wasn’t usually so forward when they were in school.

She smirked, linking their fingers together. “What, saving me a dance, Rares?”

“Yes,” she said, practically dragging Rainbow Dash back into the dance. “Honestly, you can’t leave me like this. A lady deserves a dance with her beloved, you know.”

“Well when you see a lady let me know,” Dash quipped, earning a elbow jab in her side. It barely even stung, but she grabbed her side, mock-gasping in pain anyway.

“I’m sorry darling,” Rarity immediately said, kissing her cheek. When she saw the satisfied smirk on her girlfriend’s face, however, she scowled.

“You tricked me,” she mumbled.

Dash grinned, sweeping an arm around her shoulders. “It was a trick created from love, babe.”

“Someone’s being affectionate tonight.” rarity snuggled into her girlfriend’s embrace.

“Hey, I’m just copying your example. Any particular reason for that, by the way?”

Rarity sighed. The song changed to a slower, more romantic one, and couples began to slowly fill up the dancefloor.

“It’s nothing, really, I just … Our school was nearly destroyed today. I don’t want to go through high school knowing there was more I could’ve done to show you how much I lo-care about you.”

Rainbow Dash filed Rarity’s slip up away for later and instead turned her around so they were eye to eye.

“Is that really how you felt? That you don’t show me you care enough?” she asked.

“Well, yes.” Rarity nodded.

Rainbow Dash sighed, a blush dusting her cheeks lightly. Sometimes she just couldn’t deal with how Rarity looked at her - like she was the most precious gemstone in the world. It really wasn't good for her ego, but at the same time she felt like she really didn’t deserve everything the fashionista did for her.

“You don’t need to show me all the time, Rares. I know that’s what you like but I don’t need that. I know how much you care.” She paused. Rarity was looking at her with an expression she couldn’t place, and it made her heart beat wildly in her chest. “I think it’s me who needs to give you more attention, to be honest.”

Rarity scoffed. “Oh please, sweetheart. I know I go on about diamonds and gold, but I wouldn’t still be here if I wasn’t satisfied, would I?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I guess not.”

Rarity smiled at her. “I’m glad we got this sorted out then. Now, I believe we came here to dance, correct?”

A familiar song came on, and Dash smiled, taking her girlfriend’s hand.

prompt: “What do you mean you don’t know how to dance?!”
ship: Jasper & Pearl

 by: RadioWrittenHeart

“Why do you dance to … to do that anyway?” Jasper snapped. “What point is there?”

Pearl hesitated, and scratched the back of her neck. “The dancing symbolizes the harmony between the two Gems, I suppose,” she explained. “Garnet was an accident-” She ignored Jasper’s crude snort. “-but Rose Quartz and I figured out the motions and were rather persistent in trying.”

“You did that with little Rose?” Jasper sneered.

“No,” Pearl replied, in a soft voice. “His mother.” She paused, realizing Jasper still didn’t understand human relations. “The original.”

Jasper released a “oh” and rolled her eyes. “Save your tears about her for when I’m not around,” she spat. She ignored the fire in Pearl’s eyes, and went on; “Sounds like the runt and the duo are fun together.”

Pearl shrugged. “Steven seems to think so,” she mumbled. “I apologize for him talking about … that around you.”

“It takes a lot more than a rambling kid to get me upset,” Jasper shot back.

He was actually a cute little tyke - little Rose was so excited, about everything, and he was so nice, and good. Jasper wondered how such a Gem could exist. He didn’t want to fight, he had insisted on “hugging it out” and wouldn’t leave her alone if he noticed she was upset. Despite the fact he was an abomination, Jasper was starting to come to terms with the fact that maybe little Rose wasn’t so bad after all.

Pearl sighed, standing on her toes. “To answer your original question, though,” she mused. “Dancing is a universal thing.”

“They never taught it to us on Homeworld,” Jasper muttered. “There was no need.”

Pearl leaned up against the kitchen countertop, her slender fingers holding the edge as she stuck a leg in the air mid-pirouette. “Sometimes, there isn’t always a need for dancing,” she said. “It could just be a matter of desire to do so. I, personally, take it as a hobby. Others to do it to relieve stress, or to express themselves, et cetera.”

A huff escaped Jasper, and she fell back into the couch. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to trick me?” she grumbled.

“Why would I have reason to do that?”  

Many reasons, was Jasper’s first thought. But now that she had spent more than a few weeks here, offering her shelter and begrudgingly letting them fight with her - she was not protecting Earth, she just had to punch something and make it suffer - she gave them inklings of trust.

“Touché,” Jasper muttered. “So this dancing thing… it doesn’t mean we have to-”

“Definitely not,” Pearl said.

There wasn’t even a millisecond of a pause before Jasper got up and blurted out; “Teach me.”

Pearl was flustered and surprised for a moment, practically falling out of her ballet position. “It’s not exactly something you can teach,” she retorted. “Especially for something like … like this.”

“I don’t wanna do what you’re thinking,” Jasper barked. “I just want to know the whole dancing gig.”

“Well,”

Pearl trailed off, taking quick but also hesitant steps forward. Her hands were shaking, fiddling with the ribbon on her skirt, and she couldn’t help but feel intimidated under the stern gaze of Jasper. But once their eyes met, a dull blue against bright gold, she seemed to loosen up, to move even closer and shakily reach out.

“You’re gonna lead?” Jasper sneered.

“Let yourself relax,” Pearl said, in a voice just barely above a whisper. Her hands were gentle yet cautious, as if she were petting a wild animal. “I’m just as strong as you.” She easily took Jasper’s hands into her own, noticing how drastically different they were. She squeezed, and doubted that the other Gem felt anything. “Be comfortable. Move however you feel like you should.”

Jasper felt still, like a sculpture. How she wanted to move? When she fused with other Jaspers, or Lapis, there was no want. There was simply do. Like battle strategy.

Pearl stepped back, releasing Jasper’s hands; they fell to her side, drooping. “We could put on music, if you’d like.”

“Uh,” Jasper caught the stammer and fake-coughed it away. “Whatever you want, I guess.”

With a curt nod, Pearl stepped over to the area near the couch, tip-toeing to reach some sort of electronic. “I have no specific preference,” she mused. “Although, Garnet listens to some things that might seem right up your alley.”

Jasper scoffed, crossing her arms. The rhythm began, a steady drumbeat, and Pearl practically glided across the floor. Nimble movements, her feet barely touching the ground as she twirled and gave small leaps, they were all so elegant. Immediately, Jasper knew that wasn’t for her. So she did what Pearl was doing, but not quite. She moved with the music. Jasper found herself doing something entirely different, a lot of hips and arms, more freeform - she didn’t really move as much as Pearl did, but before they knew it, they were almost circling each other, just close enough. Like an object in a museum, they looked but didn’t touch.

“Uh,” Pearl let a string of stammers and backed away. “You’re doing fine. Any more than that and we could-”

“Fuse?” Jasper asked.

Pearl was startled at Jasper’s sudden usage of the word. Ever since being freed, she had insisted she didn’t want to hear, see or even have that word implied. She even made a ridiculous term for it - “the f word” (not knowing humans used that saying for something else entirely). But it was understandable; Jasper would rage, throw a tantrum, yell and then stow away at the very implication of fusion because of the mental scars Malachite had given her. She had left for weeks when she had run into Opal once…

“Yes,” Pearl breathed out. “I know you’re not ready for it.”

“Someday,” Jasper grumbled. “Thanks for showing me how it works or … whatever.”

Pearl nodded. “You’d have better luck with a fellow Quartz on your first time around,” she quipped. “Either Amethyst or Steven.”

Jasper snorted; “Pretty sure little Rose is still scared of me. Doubt he’d want to fuse with me.”

With a bemused smile, Pearl took gentle steps away. “You’d be surprised, Jasper,” she said. “About many things.”

With one simple shared glance, they both knew what that meant.

prompt: “Stop ... Stop doing that.”
ship: Jasper and Peridot

 by: neverwantedtodance

 

Her girlfriend could look really fucking cute sometimes.

She was working on something on her laptop, lying down on the couch with it propped up in her lap. Her glasses had slid down her nose slightly and there was a small gap of pale skin between her tank top and leggings. Peridot was biting her lip, her eyes focused on the screen in front of her.

To Jasper, she looked absolutely delectable.

And completely distracting.

She was lying on the carpet, documents scattered all around her, trying to work on her finances, and found it difficult enough already without Peridot looking like she was just inviting Jasper to kiss her. From the other side of the room, she could see Peridot’s fingers hastily typing, could watch her hands move up and down, and the subtle rise and fall of her chest when she breathed …

Jasper shook her head. This was literally bullshit.

“Babe, you need to stop.”

“Huh?” Peridot said, looking up from her work.

“Err …” Jasper blushed as she realised she’d voiced her thoughts out loud.

“Stop what? I need to keep on working on this until it’s done, Jasper,” Peridot continued, raising an eyebrow. Jasper felt her face growing hotter.

“Just stop … stop doing that .” She waved her hand in Peridot’s direction.

“I'm not doing anything!” Peridot exclaimed.

“Come on, you look fucking hot and you know it!”

There was a pause as Peridot’s face blushed a light pink.

“W-what?” she stammered, her hand rubbing the back of her neck.

Jasper smirked. “We've been dating for three years and you still can't handle me giving you a compliment?”

“Not when you just say stuff like that out of the blue!” Peridot snapped, but Jasper could tell it was more out of embarrassment than annoyance.

“You’re still cute though,” Jasper mumbled, smiling at her girlfriend.

“On, stop,” she huffed, setting her laptop aside and getting up, heading over to her.

Jasper's smile grew into a grin as she sat up. Peridot threw herself down into her lap and she pretended to wince.

“Asshole,” Peridot muttered.

“Yeah, but I’m your asshole.”

“Okay, that just sounds weird.”

“Yeah, it does,” Jasper admitted, kissing Peridot gently.

For now, their work lay forgotten.

prompt: “Let’s explore the galaxies, just me & you.”
ship: Blue Pearl and Yellow Pearl

 by: RadioWrittenHeart

 

“How are you holding up down there?” Blue said wistfully, peering over the edge of the ship.

 

Yellow grunted, yanking out a bundle of wires and ignoring the smeared oil all over her arms. Her outfit was completely ruined, her face was worn and everything about her displayed an aura of weariness. “I have no idea,” she snapped. “This ship refuses to do anything right. It won’t even let me fix it.”

 

Blue sighed, taking a seat on the brim and swinging her legs gently.

 

“Sunshine,” she spoke up. “Do you think we have to keep running?”

 

“What?” Yellow hollered from under the hood.

 

A giggle escaped Blue and she bounded off the edge, floating to the ground. “I said,” she trilled. “Do you really think we have to keep running?” She gently tapped the side of Yellow’s leg with her foot. “Maybe we could just … leave this ship here. Move on from it. Stay somewhere for once.” She paused, messing with her hair and waiting for a response.

 

One that seemed like it took forever to say; “You know we can’t do that, sky.”

 

Yellow crawled out from under the ship, stretching out. Under the soft mop of hair, Blue’s faded over eyes shined with all sorts of emotions. With a hint of hesitation, Yellow rose to her feet and took the other Pearl into an embrace. There were a few moments of hesitation, until their lips met in a chaste kiss. Surprisingly enough, Yellow was the one crying.

 

“We’re too close,” she mumbled. “They’d find us.”

 

“We’re Pearls,” Blue retorted. “We’re disposable to them.”

 

“But not to me, you aren’t,”

 

“I feel the same way, sunshine,”

 

Yellow shushed Blue, and stole another kiss; “Listen to me. We ran away, stole Diamond property and rebelled against Homeworld authority. We’re outlaws, and we’re too close. We need a better hideaway, or we have to stay on the run.”

 

Blue nodded; “This place is so beautiful, though.”

 

Countless moons, she had stopped counting after fifty. Stars for miles. Homeworld just barely in sight.

 

“Earth,” Yellow whispered. “I promised I’d get us there, and that’s where we’ll stay.”

 

Suddenly, Blue burst into a little session of laughter, falling against her mate. “Whatever happened to that stuffy, goody-two shoes yellow?” she teased.

 

“She met an incredibly shy and scared blue,” Yellow smiled.

 

They were no longer under anyone’s thumb. They were their own gems. It was a strange feeling, but they would get used to it.

prompt: “Let's run away together.”
ship: Twilight Sparkle & Applejack

 by: neverwantedtodance

 

Applejack could never have predicted her life would turn out like this.

When she was younger, and she got her Cutie Mark, she always thought she’d be living a simple life until the day she died, doing what she loved and working hard. Maybe raising a family with a mare by her side. For a while, she had her happy future all planned out, a straight continuous road, because that was all she could open her eyes to. For a while, the mare in that picture flickered into Rainbow Dash. Then to Fluttershy. But in the end, those images both died out. To her, specifics didn’t really matter. Nothing was ever going to change.

And now, here she was, lying in the bed of a princess, in a crystal castle.

She chuckled to herself. Even she couldn’t believe it sometimes.

“Is something amusing?” a sleepy voice muttered beside her.

She smiled. “Nah, it’s fine, Twi. I didn’t mean to wake ya. Go back to sleep,” she said.

Normally, Twilight would comply and snuggle back down again - she was sued to Applejack’s occasional restless nights - but tonight, she rose, trotting over to the window.

In the years since they met, she had grown taller, so she was no just smaller than Cadence. Taller than Applejack - and with those wings, she truly radiated power. Not power in the way Applejack had - not brawn and muscle and willpower, but intelligence and the command of royalty that a pony like Applejack just couldn’t possess.

“Do you ever want to change things?” Twilight spoke, suddenly, staring out into the night sky. “I mean, to go back to the beginning. Maybe see what you could’ve done differently …” she trailed off.

Applejack sighed. “So, it’s one of those nights, hey?” she said, trying to keep the mood light. “What’s bugging you, sugarcube?”

Twilight stared up at the stars. “Nothing really … I was just thinking about how this isn’t the life I ever expected I’d have. I never thought I’d be a princess. Sometimes I just want to drop everything. Is that so bad? I just want to get away.”

“I never thought I’d end up like this either, to be honest,” said Applejack, “but, y’know, I never feel the need to run away. You wanna know why?”

Twilight turned to face her, nodding her head.

Applejack smiled at her softly. “Because when I need to get away, I have you to ground me.”

Twilight smirked. “That’s sappy.”

Applejack chuckled. “Shuddup. You’ll be crying tears of joy soon. Now get back to bed before your side gets cold.”

Twilight followed her request, snuggling in next to Applejack. “You always know just want to say to make me tired again.,” she said with a yawn.

“I ain’t sure if that’s an insult or a compliment.”

Twilight kissed her squarely on the mouth, a smile slipping through as she felt Applejack respond.

“Does that answer your question?” she said after pulling away.

“It sure did.”