Author's Notes:

So there were some interesting comments about the last story. Apparently, some readers have misinterpreted what I have meant to be "fluffy romantic fantasy" as "unhealthy relationship hurtling toward tragedy". Guys, if I were going for tragedy I would have let Sour Sweet drown three stories ago While I feel that I have already addressed this kind of thing in previous stories, these understandable concerns did inspire this fic, so I do thank you for them

Special shout out to UniqueSKD who gave their experience into what living with voices is like and wanted me to include it in my next story.

As always, when Sour Sweet’s dialogue is presented in italics she’s sweet, in bold she’s sour, and in plain type she’s normal.

As soon as the news came out of Sour Sweet's mouth, Doctor Chrysalis' face blanked completely. She then removed her glasses, pinched the bridge of her nose, and let out a very frustrated sigh.

Quickly regaining her composure, she put her glasses back on and said in a subdued tone, "Continue."

A moment of sadistic glee hit Sour as she watched her therapist struggle to stay professional before she did indeed continue, "In our defense, we've likely gone through more in these last several months than most couples have gone through in several years. Hell, we probably got enough adventures to fill up an entire romance novel by now."

"Sour, I've warned you about – "

"If I remember correctly, doctor, you believed that I was psychologically using my boyfriend – sorry, fiancé – to fill up a void left by my daddy issues. Well, guess what? Those issues are starting to heal and my relationship with my dad has gotten much better, yet I still love my boyfriend – sorry again, fiancé – so what exactly is the problem now?"

"The problem is that you've been dating for less than a full school year, Sour Sweet. You've gotten over one problem, but obviously there is more to it."

Sour threw her arms up. "Well, forgive me for not wanting to DIE ALONE in a mental hospital!"

"Ah," Doctor Chrysalis said as she nodded and began scribbling in her notes. "So, even after overcoming your differences with Gilda herself, the insults she hurled still haunt you, I see."

Sour groaned. "Me and my big, fat mouth..."

"Sour, my growing concern is that you see the only things worth living for is a marriage and having a child. I mean, come on, isn't that a complete 180 of your previously held personal beliefs?"

"Hey, I may have mellowed out and don't use radical feminist ideology to cover up my insecurities anymore, but I've sure as hell not gone full freakin' JUNE CLEAVER either! Don't forget, I am the one who asked him out on the first date, I am the one who ultimately made the engagement official, and I am the one who has always worn the pants in the relationship. And I haven't even heard one complaint from him about it."

Doctor Chrysalis smirked. "Well, it helps that he's a masochist who's turned on by that sort of dominance." She turned serious once more. "Sour, I don't doubt that your love is genuine, I really don't. Love, marriage, and parenthood are amazing parts of life, of course. But just answer me this, what would you do if you and your fiancé broke up?"

"Broke up?"

"I'm glad that you two are going to put off the actual marriage until after college and when you are financially ready to begin a family, but what about that time in between? People change, Sour Sweet. People drift apart. What I'm asking is, could you handle it if you weren't in a relationship with this one particular person?"

Sour unconsciously hugged herself more and more as Doctor Chrysalis spoke. All the times that she had bared her soul about the one she loved passed through her mind: "He gave me a reason to want to get better." "You can’t understand the dark hole I was in before you came along! You pulled me out of it! You saved me!" "If you really were a hallucination, I’d throw my medication in the trash so you wouldn’t fade away. I’d never want to stop seeing you…" "You keep me together."

"You're putting so much stake in your future in these beliefs of a happy marriage and this Bitter Honey hallucination you've had," Doctor Chrysalis continued. "But what if they don't happen? Can you truly say that you can handle what life throws at you?"

Sour's head fell as she realized that she couldn't answer that question. She honestly didn't know if she could handle it.

****************

Later that night, Sour Sweet lied on her bed, just staring up at the ceiling. Doctor Chrysalis' last question was still mulling over in her head. She then sighed and decided to take a break from her thoughts. She reached over, took hold of her phone, and selected one of her contacts.

"Hey, Sour Sweet," the voice of Fluttershy greeted.

"Hey, Fluttershy. I just thought I'd call and hear how the Canterlot prom was coming along. Have you asked Big Mac yet?"

"Oh, I never got a chance to. He had already asked Marble Pie to be his date."

Sour sat up with concern. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Fluttershy answered with a hint of confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I know you had such a big crush on Big Mac. I just thought that you may be upset that you couldn't be with him."

"Yeah, I've had a big crush, but it's not the end of the world if I don't go to prom with him. Boys aren't the only things there are in life and there's plenty of other fish in the sea, anyway. Isn't that right, Sour?"

Sour couldn't help but to cringe at Fluttershy's upbeat attitude. "Ye-yeah, that's right..."

A few more minutes of talking went by before the call ended. Sour fell back on her bed and continued to stare at the ceiling. Fluttershy. Even Fluttershy was more secure than her at this point. She groaned in frustration, her head rattling around for some solution to her problems.

Eventually, something did.

It wasn't a huge solution, but it could be a step in the right direction. Hopefully, her fiancé would be okay with it...