Carrot Top was a simple mare living a simple dream.

Work hard on her carrot farm and meet the stallion of her dreams. Little did she know said stallion will make her question if she shouldn't look for a mare instead.

When this whole “dimension-fusion-mumbo-jumbo” happened, Carrot Top remained unfazed. Despite being best friends with an unicorn, she was a pragmatic pony who only focused in hard work and being close to the earth, dismissing all those complex “magic-schmucks”. She kept working like she did everyday...until he showed up.

She also took the whole thing with the “male-counterparts” pretty well. His counterpart did not resemble her that much to begin with. He was a lemon farmer? What´s up with that? So they barely talked to each other. Carrot treated the new stallions the same way she treated the original ones, polite but not too interested (except for Big Mac of course, EVERY mare in town loved Big Mac no matter how quiet and cold he may look!)

At first, she thought it was her good friend Derpy and so she playfully spanked “her” in the flank. After all, they shared the same Cutie Mark! It was an honest mistake! It was when she heard “her” manly voice she realized the mistake she had made. This wasn't Derpy but “Boy-Derpy”.

His real name was actually Klutz Hooves and he was in pretty much every aspect, the same as Derpy. A gentle and clumsy mailpony who loved muffins. They even shared the same speech impediment. After years of being friends with Derpy, Carrot was used to some little chaos around her stand and, despite all the scolding and yelling, she loved Derpy very much and she knew Carrot never meant to insult her; but when it comes to this absent minded stallion...it was different. Carrot never yelled or even raised her voice, she just gently patted his bruises and told him to be more careful next time.

With time, Klutz began to visit the stand more often. He would detour from his route just to visit Carrot, just to talk and try to help at the stand, usually making a bigger mess. As days went by, Carrot began to actually wait for Klutz to show up. She even began to clean her mane and put some little make-up, just to hear his compliments.

It was then, one day that he arrived late, a day that she spent going through a whirlwind of emotions, being concerned about his absence, being offended that he didn't show up, being scared that he may be hurt, being relieved when he showed up and finally being so fill with happiness when she nuzzled him.

That´s when she realized that...

“...I´m in love with him!!!”

“....congrats?” Lyra said and went back to her hay juice, obviously not surprised at all.

“Oh, what I´m going to do Lyra? This is so confusing!”

“What´s so confusing? You like him and I bet he likes you too. Seems pretty simple to me.”

“But this whole he is like Derpy but not Derpy...it doesn´t confuses you that there is a male Bonbon?”

“I can pretty much tell the difference between them...”

“LYRA!” the blushing earth pony yelled, causing all the ponies in the restaurant to turn over. Carrot hide behind the table while Lyra laughed all the while.

“Celestia, you worry too much, girl. Look, to me it´s very simple, they're not the same pony. Sure, Bonbon and Babar are similar in some things, they both are always complaining about how we sit in a bench; but they have their differences. Besides, I don´t really need to worry, I´m not the one sharing a bed with him...”

“Could you please not say those kind of things so loud?” Carrot asked while trying to pull a Trixie and disappear.

“Jeez, this town is worse than Canterlot some times...” It was obvious the mint unicorn didn't care about other ponies opinions.

"You have any useful advice, Lyra?"

"I alreayd told you to stop worrying so much but, if you really want to clear your head, I suggest you go talk to Derpy directly and see how you feel about her and if you´re comfortable with dating her guy version"

"That´s the most sensible thing you´ve said all day. Thanks, I think I'll do just that." Carrot got up but before leaving she had one last question to ask. "So, does..."

"Harspy."

"Yeah. Is he...you mean, just like you?"

"Eeeyup. And pretty loud too."

Carrot trot away before anypony saw she was turning into a female Big Mac.

*****

Finding Derpy was so easy as following an unscheluded hurricane, just follow the path of destruction. The cross-eyed mare couldn't help but crash into a least half a dozen buildings before reaching the next post on her route.

"Derpy!"

One eye recognized Carrot and the pegasus rushed to hug her. "Carrot! Praise those eyes that see upon you!"

"Derpy, stop going to Twilight's library. I know you want to improve your speech but those fruffy books are not the way!"

"Hihi, the librarian boy is cute!"

"Yeeew Derpy, he is just a baby dragon!"

"Not him! Dusk Shine I meant!" Derpy pushed her and they both rolled down the mud for a while.

This playful banter was pretty much the norm for this two. In a sense, it resemble the playful rivalry Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared; instead of competing with each other, Carrot will be brutally honest and Derpy clueless at her comments. Funny that she gets to play the teaser when Lyra always gets the best of her.

Once they finished goofing around, Carrot asked "So...is he pretty? This Dusk Shine fella?"

"Yup! Hot looks he has!"

"He, guess you´re pretty alright with all these new guys in town..."

"Boys is boys, girl is girls!"

Carrot looked at her friend naive expression and sighed, obviously she had been working over nothing if Derpy was perfectly okay with all this scenario.

"Derpy, I have a question for you..."

Carrot explained the whole situation, starting from the day she met Klutz. It was hard to say if Derpy was actually listening, with her eyes slipping by like that. Once she finished her story, Carrot took a deep breath and looked at Derpy straight at her eyes, the best she could at least.

"So, any ideas?"

Derpy took a few moments to think and then pushed her lips against Carrot´s. She waved her arms in panic, trying to understand what was going on and the strange sensation of having a second tongue battling its way inside her mouth.

Finally, Derpy let her go and Carrot backed down. "Why the hay did you did that for?!"

"How did it feels?"

"I feel like I want to punch you in the face!"

"Yay! I figured it out!"

Carrot was feeling pretty stupid at the moment so she just said "What?"

"If you don´t like me kissing you then you don´t like me. As a marefriend, that is."

"That...makes sense?"

Amazing. Derpy had the solution all along. Carrot couldn't hold her happiness and hugged her friend, her earth pony strength almost breaking her back.

"Sorry."

"Not be. I happy for you. Now, set date!"

"What? Bu-but I haven't talked to him since the other day and and..."

"I talk to Klutz. We share room after all. Tomorrow you have date with him. Now, get dress form Rarity."

"Derpy, you know I can´t afford a dress from her!"

"I pay! I pay!" Derpy said while pushing her friend down the road, straight to Carousel Boutique.

****

The next morning, a cross-eyed stallion was slowly flying across town, doing his best to not hit any buildings. A really difficult task but he was determined not to ruin the nice suit Derpy got for him yesterday. She said that Carrot will be waiting for him at the bridge in the park and that they will have a great date. A romantic date. Ever since he met Carrot, that idea had been in Klutz´s head, to finally confesses how he feels. He had never felt this way before for any other pony, never felt this warm before. Her face always on his mind when he closed his eyes. All these new sensations, Klutz didn´t knew what they meant at first. Influtation? A crush?

But then he noticed it, that when he was around her, he no longer felt hungry or cold or scared, He only felt a gentle fire, giving him comfort and happiness. There was no doubt for Klutz. This was true love.

"AUH!"

The pain was unbearable, like a lighting coursing through his entire body. He blanked out and collapsed into the ground,  breaking a few branches as he crashed into a tree. Before Klutz could began to understand what was going on, two guards pegasus grabbed him by the arms and hold him tight.

"Stop right there, criminal scum!" said a female authoritative voice.

Klutz looked confused at Captain Gleaming Shield approaching him, trying and failing to keep his eyes focused.

"We have been searching you for months but we finally have caught you, scum! You will never again be a threat to Equestria!" And she fired a magic spell that removed the illusion from Klutz body, revealing the changeling for what he was.

"You are terminated..."

"N-no pl-please m-me no me not..."

He tried to explain, he tried to create words, something almost impossible for any changeling, they just repeat what they heard, they can´t create something new; but he did, he didn't just fed on Carrot love, he reciprocated, he creat new love, a love just for her. He loved her.

"I lo-lo-lov-"

Gleaming Shield didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. She fired another spell, turning the changeling into stone, forever trapping him in a terrified plea of mercy.

****

Carrot Top waited at the bridge.

He will arrive, she was sure. He was just late, just like the other day.

He will arrive and she will finally said those words and he will smile back and carry her into the sky.

He will arrive.

So Carrot Top waited at the bridge.

She waited until Celestia raised the sun again.