“Mhhmmm, this day is going to be perfect,” Chrysidea sung to the mirror as she began applying her Moonglade dye, wiggling on the spot as well. “A kind of day I have dreamt-”

There was a knock on the door. “Sweetie, are you inside?”

The young changeling briefly wondered why her aunt would ask. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t smell her inside or even hear her inside. Still, she answered, “Yes, I’m in here.”

“Your mother wants to speak to you before you go out,” Ivory Wings’ voice said. “She says it’s important.”

“Oh, okay, Aunt Ivory.” Chrysidea covered every inch of her skin with her tan dye, before starting with her turquoise hair, adding on Moonglade’s blonde dye. It didn’t take long for the dye to dry, and once it was all settled, she slipped on her regular clothes. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps she could wear different clothing once in a while, but she dismissed it. Home Run liked seeing her in these clothes.

I think.

Besides, he wore the same thing all the time too.

When she finished putting on her contacts and braiding up her hair, Moonglade emerged from her bathroom, grabbing her spectacles from her bedside, before making her way downstairs, looking for her mother.

Whatever her mother wanted, she hoped it had nothing to do with her melting one of the ladles in home economics class today. It had mostly been an accident, seeing as she couldn’t judge heat very well.

The girl found her mother seated in one of the first floor sitting room, seated on one of her squishy padded thrones with a bottle of red wine next to her. A long bendy straw protruded from the neck of the bottle, tracing all the way up to her mouth as she perused a book.

“Um, you wanted to see me, mother?” Moonglade stood by the entrance, fidgeting one foot.

“Why yes, yes I did.” Ebony Wings closed the book with a snap. “I’ve decided that since now you can grow talons like the rest of us, it’s only natural you learn the proper way to use them.”

“Oh, umm, yes mother. That would be a good idea.” Moonglade nodded and looked at her hands. Since that day, her hands hadn’t caught on fire and grown any claws for no reason, so that was good. She didn’t want to reveal her identity to the others just because of her combustible claws.

“Now, I would normally do this kind of teaching myself… but,” Ebony sucked on the end of the straw, making a loud slurping sound as the wine was consumed “I have quite a few engagements this month. Therefore, I will have your aunt teach you. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great, mother.” Moonglade enjoyed learning things from her aunt.

“I’ve also put an order through for your own set of claw trimming tools,” Ebony said languidly. “They should arrive next week, I think.”

“Oh. Uh, where do you order these from, mother? I thought Aunt Ivory made them.”

“That’s not important. Suffice to say I paid a great deal of money to these people to buy their silence, so you’d better appreciate it, my dear. Apparently these kind of tools are used in smaller scale to trim the nails of big cats. I just ordered some upscaled.”

Moonglade waited, but her mother went back to her book, which now that she was closer, she could see that it was written by one Commander Vespa. The name rang a bell, but she couldn’t quite remember why.

“So mother, I’m heading out for my date with Home Run.” The girl pointed to the door. “So… is there anything else?”

“You’re still here?” Ebony peered over the top of her book. “Don’t you have prey to hunt, or anything better to do besides interrupt my reading time?” She picked up the wine bottle, tossed away the straw and finished it in one long gulp.

“Right, got it. I’ll be off, mother.” Moonglade scurried away. She didn’t want her mother to revert back to her bad attitude already.

“All set, dear?” Ivory asked as Moonglade got into the car and put on her seatbelt. “Your mother didn’t yell at you, I hope?”

“No, she just wanted to let me know you’ll be teaching me how to fight with claws some time,” Moonglade answered happily.

“Of course she did.” Ivory clucked her tongue. “Well, I can’t blame her. She’ll be busy this month. She’s got more photoshoots and that Ricks movie to film. So what’s the plan, sweetie? Where will you be meeting Home Run today?”

Moonglade looked at her aunt with the rearview mirror. “We’re going to the mall today. I wanted to see if there’s something cool I can get for him, since he got me the lovely hairband. I haven’t told him though. It’s a surprise!”

“Then we’d best not keep him waiting.”

Putting her foot down on the accelerator, Ivory Wings steered the car down the hill and out the gates. It took them a while to open, prompting an impatient sniff from Moonglade’s aunt.

“If we were on a bike, we’d be out of these gates already,” Ivory muttered.

Moonglade watched the gates retract. She never really thought about how quickly or how slow they opened. After all, she didn’t know how to drive. She had drivers to take her around.

Once the car was finally out of the estate, Ivory floored on the pedal, speeding off into the busy Canterlot streets, skillfully turning at every corner and swerving around a whole lot of cars. Now Moonglade knew how she always got to school so fast.

The young changeling wouldn’t exactly say her aunt was a reckless driver, seeing as she was good at it, but she did draw a lot of honks from the other cars outside and the occasional, “Watch where you’re driving, you maniac!”

“I just ignore them, sweetie.” Ivory gave the wheel a hard turn and maneuvered the car around a bend and a streetlamp. “It’s not like I’m hitting them or anything. I know what I’m doing.”

In no time, the car pulled up alongside the mall, driving into the carpark, with Ivory Wings choosing a parking lot right next to the building.

“My, how lovely. What a nice spot to park.” Ivory pulled up her handbrake and put the car into parking. “So, where are you meeting the boy?”

“He said the first floor.” Moonglade unbuckled herself. “By the escalators. Where will you be, Aunt Ivory? The mall’s a big place.”

“Given that your mother seems to want me to shadow you, I will follow at a safe distance. Don’t worry about me interrupting your date, I’m very good at not being seen.”

“Okay, sounds good, Aunt Ivory.” Moonglade nodded and pushed the door open. “Then I’ll go on first. Thanks for sending me here.”

“Anything for my little niece.” Ivory smiled.

Moonglade made her way through the mall’s sliding doors, still wondering to herself how they would just open when someone got close. Maybe there were sensors in them or something, or perhaps someone was watching from some room and opening it whenever people got close. That would be a job Moonglade didn’t want to do, ever. It sounded boring.

As she headed towards the escalator, Moonglade was surprised to see Home Run already there, leaning against the escalator’s metal frame, doing something on his phone. On all their dates, he had never been the first one here.

“Hiya, Home Run!” she greeted and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “You’re early.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I just managed to get here faster today.” The boy grinned and pocketed his phone. “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I’ve been great!” Moonglade took one of his hands in hers and directed him away from the escalator. She didn’t have a specific store she wanted to see yet, so walking around to have a look was the idea. “Though, I wish I could’ve been there for your Friendship Games. My sister told me all about the, uh, magical disturbances.”

“Oh, yeah, uh… It was definitely something.” Home Run looked like he was thinking of what to say. “Your sister saved me, did you know? I almost fell into… into this portal, but she pulled me back up.”

“Oh, yes, she told me about it…” Moonglade blushed and pulled at Home Run’s shirt. Of course, she was the one to have saved him, as Silver Rose, but he didn’t know that. “I was so glad she did. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you…”

“Yeah, I owe her…” Home Run looked into the young changeling’s eyes. “I have more time to spend with you now because of her. Close one, really. I thought I was done for.”

“Hehe…” Moonglade smiled widely. “Come on, let’s see if anyone is selling anything nice.”

“You looking to buy something?”

“Mmm… may-be,” she answered. “Depends on- ooh, what’s this?”

Moonglade ran over to the store’s glass window, and pressed her face against it. Just inside was a strange looking chair, with a whole bunch of added cushions and segments. On a picture beside it, Moonglade deduced the chair was able to bend back almost horizontally. There was a person lying on it, her eyes closed and a big smile on her face.

“That’s a massage chair.” Home Run put a hand on her shoulder. “It uh, massages you while you sit on it. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

“Can we try?” Moonglade looked expectantly at Home Run. It looked really interesting and she wanted to see how it works.

“Sure, I guess.” Home Run motioned with a hand to the shop.

“Yay!” Moonglade skipped in and found the exact same chair, but of a beige color on a short raised platform. “So how does it work?”

“Yes, I can show you if you want.” A store assistant with glasses suddenly popped up beside Home Run, startling the boy. “Just like this.”

He bent down beside the chair and pulled out a long remote. It looked like what Moonglade used when she wanted to turn on the TV or to change channels. With a push of a button, the chair began to shake and buzz like it was on a motor or something. Then without warning, it began to bend back and the leg rest behind her calves began to rise, lifting her into a lying down position.

“Ooh, this is fancy.” Moonglade’s voice was vibrating along with the chair.

“And then, the massaging, of course.” The assistant pushed more buttons on the remote.

Moonglade began to feel something spinning on her back, followed by pushing motions on her lower back, arms, and head.

Oooh, yeaahhhh… This is nice…

Moonglade closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage the chair was giving her. She had never had a massage in her life, even from someone else, but she had read about them at least. As far as she knew, massages consisted of a person pressing their hands into your back and you were supposed to feel better after that.

If it meant anything, it felt good.

“Maaaaaan… how muuuuch is one of theeeese…?” Moonglade continued to wobble in the chair, feeling absolutely relaxed.

“This one’s on sale, so we’re selling it for a thousand five hundred.” The assistant rubbed his hands together.

“You’re getting this?” Home Run smiled amusedly at his girlfriend.

“Totaaaalllyyy…”

When the massage was over, Moonglade went over to the counter, where she paid for the massage chair using her credit card. She was sure her mother wouldn’t mind, or maybe she would at first, but then change her mind after having a go at the chair.

Moonglade had to fill in her particulars on a piece of paper, including her name and home address. Thankfully, the store assistant didn’t seem to know who she was. Maybe he didn’t watch movies.

“Thank you, and we’ll ship it to your home in three to five working days.”

“Thank you!” Moonglade smiled, controlling her excitement. There were always new things to see and do every time she went out. This chair was one of them, and soon she was going to have one back home as well. A good tool after a long day at school, maybe.

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself,” Home Run said as they left the massage chair store and proceeded down the row of shops. “So what’s next?”

“Hmmm…” Moonglade wrapped an arm around Home Run’s and leaned against it. “How about…”

She looked around at all the different shops. Next, she decided she wanted to check out this place called Discourse, which sold things like clothes and shoes. What they had wasn’t bad, and Moonglade found herself buying two shirts, one dark red and the other a deep purple, both having the word, Discourse, on them.

Moving on, the two of them next went into a shop that sold different kinds of coffee. The young changeling got to taste some, but she found them too strong or too bitter. Home Run had tried some of the milder ones, but he told her he wasn’t much of a coffee person. In the end, they left without buying anything, but Moonglade got to try out a drink her mother so enjoyed. She knew for sure she wasn’t a coffee lover.

The next few stores they went to were a clothing store, a glasses store, and a video games store. The video games store reminded Moonglade that she had a gaming console back at home. She hadn’t been using it in the last few weeks, maybe because of the Friendship Games preparations. She still had to finish Finest Fantasy and she was also still waiting for that Manslayer’s Doctrine video game to come out. That was the main reason she had gotten a Neighstation.

“So you like baseball video games, huh?” Moonglade had contemplated buying one of those for Home Run, but he already owned them all.

“Yep. I got all the newest editions,” Home Run said. “I’m pretty good at them too.”

“Sounds like a challenge…” she batted her eyelashes at him. “You can show me how to play it one day, then I’ll figure out how to beat you.”

“Then that’s a plan, Moonglade.” Home Run slipped his hand into hers. “I’m sure my parents are cool with having you around. And DD too.”

Ah yes, the dog. Moonglade had wanted to see his dog for some time now. She loved cute little animals and his dog sounded very loveable.

“Can’t wait, Home Run.” Moonglade gave his hand a squeeze.

And finally, they stopped by a sports shop, which sold all kinds of sports gear and clothes, including water bottles and skis.

“Why skis?” Home Run asked absent-mindedly. “Summer’s coming, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” Moonglade shrugged. She’d only read about half the things in the shop, and she didn’t have any experience with any of them. “I’ve never done skiing before, and I don’t think mother would let me anyway. It looks too dangerous.”

There were a few more clothing items that caught Moonglade’s eyes, like the sports shirts, hoodies, and sports bras, but she doubted she would need anymore. Maybe next time.

And then near the back, the young changeling found what she was looking for. There were racks and racks of baseball bats and mitts, all lined up nicely, except for one bat, which seemed to have been shoved back in in a lazy manner, sticking out to the left more than the other ones.

“Hmm…” Moonglade took a look at each of them. There were quite a few designs to choose from, but in the end, what good did a pattern do for a baseball bat? It was still a baseball bat and it gave you no practical advantage, whatsoever.

“Yeah, this is my favorite section, Moonglade.” Home Run joined her and looked at the bats. “I like coming to look at baseball gear from time to time.”

“Is there a difference between all these bats?” Moonglade picked up a lime green bat and held it with two hands.

Home Run removed a black and red one from its holder and weighed it in his hand. “Some of these are lighter, some are heavier. Some are wooden and some are metal. I personally like the wooden ones. They’re not as dangerous and they’re usually lighter.”

“Do you have a favorite pattern?” Moonglade asked, putting back the green one and picking up one of the steel bats and hefting it like a club. It was surprisingly light for a steel bat.

“Me?” Home Run put back the black and red bat. “Nah, not really. I mean, it’s just a bat. Jetstream thinks that patterns improve your performance, but really, they don’t change anything.”

Moonglade found a nice wooden one with blue rings around its grip and one more around its head. It reminded her of Home Run’s shirt, so she gave it a few swings to check its weight.

“Hey, this one’s quite good.” She handed it to Home Run to try.

Her boyfriend gave it a few swings himself, almost knocking over some of the mitts.

Then he nodded and swapped it between his hands. “Yeah, this one’s pretty good. Light and steady. Ha.”

“Then it’s settled!” Moonglade took the bat back from him and marched over towards the counter.

“What? Oh, no, you don’t have to, Moonglade.” Home Run ran along behind her.

“I know.” She smiled at him. “But I want to. You got me that hairband, after all. I want to return the favour.”

“Really, it’s fine. I already owe you one for saving me from that mugger. Then I owe you two since your sister saved me from the portal. You really don’t need to return any favours, Moonglade.”

“Meh, I will.” And Moonglade put the bat on the counter and pulled out her credit card.

In just a few seconds, the payment was settled and she was walking out of the store with a baseball bat and a receipt in her hands.

“Here you go!” She held the bat out for Home Run. “A gift just for you.”

“Wow, Moonglade, umm…” The blue-skinned boy accepted the present and rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks. This really… It means a bunch. That you got this for me.”

“Of course.” The young changeling pulled him by the arm and walked along. “Well, we’re almost out of time for the day. What to do now…”

Moonglade wanted to kiss Home Run. More than once. She really liked kisses, but right now, the mall didn’t look like the best of places to do so. She had tried ignoring the stares of others back in the park, but it hadn’t quite worked out. She didn’t have enough courage to start kissing out in public again. Or perhaps there was a quiet spot to do so… If she could find one.

“Home Run, I, uh…” Moonglade’s cheeks flushed red. “Do you think we-we could… umm… find a private spot around here…?”

“Oh, um…” Home Run looked around as they walked. “I’m not sure. The mall’s a pretty populated place.”

“Hmm…” Moonglade panned her eyes around. Since they were currently on the second floor, she was able to look downstairs as well, but besides hiding in a brush of plants decorating the middle of the first floor, she didn’t see any better spots to get intimate with Home Run.

And then she spotted a janitor pushing open a door and leaving with a cart full of cleaning gear, wheeling it down the walkway, looking for places to clean and that gave Moonglade a splendid idea.

“Come on!” She practically dragged Home Run over to the broom closet and flung it open. “Inside.”

She gently pushed Home Run in and shut the door behind her, locking it from the inside. The whole room was dark, except for the light coming in from the venting holes near the bottom of the door. With her better eyesight, the gloom was easily dispelled, allowing her to see Home Run’s face up close. There wasn’t much room in the closet, so the two of them were almost pressed up right into each other and Moonglade liked that.

“Uh, is this such a good idea?” Home Run scratched his cheek and squinted in the dark. “What if the janitor comes back?”

“We should be able to hear him.” Moonglade smiled cheekily and put a hand on Home Run’s cheek. “And then we just make a run for it. He won’t know who we are…”

I hope…

“So um… can I…?” Moonglade inched her face closer to his. “Can we… kiss now?”

“I mean… yeah, uh, if you’d like.”

That was good enough. Moonglade leaned closer until their lips touched, meeting in a cluster of passionate kisses. She really did like Home Run, and maybe she liked him a little too much, but she didn’t want to pretend she didn’t. She didn’t know how her aunt and mother could make someone fall in love with them and pretend to be in love without falling in love themselves. It was hard.

“Mmm… You taste so nice, Home Run…” Moonglade breathed and leaned in against Home Run’s chest. How I wish things could be different. I want to be with you, Home Run, I do, but there’s only so much I can do at the moment…

“Yeah, you’re quite the kisser, Moonglade.” Home Run brushed her locks of golden hair from her face and put it behind her right ear. The young changeling just loved the way he smiled at her. It was like he loved her for who she was, not because she was some fake human, but it was like he loved the real her. Moonglade really wondered if anyone could actually love Chrysidea.

And then she leaned in for more kisses, all the while tasting the delicious love that was flowing out from her boyfriend, absorbing it in and replenishing the love energy she had lost during the Friendship Games.

“Ohhh, Home Run…” Moonglade smiled and moved her lips to the boy’s cheek. Her hair was in tangles around her face and her glasses were fogged up; a usual occurrence when she had her kissing sessions with Home Run. “Home Run, can I ask you… a question…?”

“Um, sure…” Home Run panted and gazed into her eyes. “What is it?”

Moonglade already knew the answer, seeing as she could taste it right off him, but she wanted to hear it directly from his mouth. “Do you… Do you, uh, love me…?”

“I… I…” Home Run blushed harder and put a hand on Moonglade’s cheek. “I mean, you saved me that day, Moonglade. I would’ve died if not for you. And then… we’ve been going out for a while now and… and, well… Yeah, you’re great fun and everything.”

The young changeling smirked. Home Run was so cute when he was flustered. “So you do like me? Come on, I’d like to hear it…”

“I, uh… l-l… luh…” Home Run laughed nervously, trying to say it.

“Come on, you can do it…” Moonglade kissed him on the cheek again, placing both hands on the boy’s chest. His heartbeat was getting faster. She peeled off her red coat, at the same time, arching her back and sticking her chest out so that her breasts pressed against Home Run’s chest. “You look like you need some help.”

Then she shifted her face and kissed Home Run on the lips. One wasn’t enough, so she did it another five times before leaning away again, her own face almost as flushed as his.

“I uh… yeah, I l-l-l-l-l-love…” Home Run sounded like he was a train trying to start its engines. “I love you, Moonglade… hehe…”

The blonde haired girl blinked twice. She wasn’t expecting it so fast, but then a wave of happiness hit her in the face, almost hard enough to knock her back. He said it. He really did love her, though yes, she could smell it, but just hearing that made her very happy.

“Yeah, you do…” Moonglade smiled and pressed her face against his, smiling from ear to ear as she kissed him again and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. “And I… I lo-”

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, there was a noise that sounded like a thunderclap.

Bang bang bang.

The doorknob to the cabinet rattled, but did not turn.

“Consarn it,” a man’s voice outside could be heard. “The door’s stuck again. I’m going back upstairs for the key and maybe some grease.”

There were heavy stomping sounds that retreated into the distance.

“Umm… I think that’s our cue to leave. You think so, Moonglade?” Home Run rubbed his thumbs across Moonglade’s cheeks.

The young changeling sighed and held one of Home Run’s hands. “Yeah… I guess you’re right… Before that janitor comes back, I guess. Hey…”

She pulled Home Run in for one last kiss, holding it to save the moment. When they separated again, Moonglade picked up her coat and unlocked the janitor’s door.

“Come on.” She took Home Run’s hand and flung the door open, running away from the closet with a smile on her face.