Stalliongrad The Visitor From Ponyville [Private]

[DerpRavener]

At Red's compliment, Naj giggled a bit and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. While she was pleased that it worked out, she hadn't been expecting it and she wouldn't have thought she'd be that much help with such a project.

Red then put on a record, saying this was one of his favourite singers, and who he knew for the mare's faster music.

Naj waited at first, as the music built up. Though it took some time to get going, soon enough Naj was bobbing her head and tapping a hoof along to the catchy tune, semi-involuntarily. The song sounded familiar. She was pretty sure she'd overheard somepony in Ponyville listening to it. “This is pretty good,” she said. Her opinion might have been obvious, but she wanted to make it known just to be sure.

[RedCedar]

Red smiled to Naj, but kept quiet so she could listen and enjoy the music. He certainly didn't want to take away from her the experience of discovery, as it was something she was interested in. He still bobbed his head himself, as he eventually finished off his plate of mushrooms with a look of great satisfaction.

After a couple more songs of a similar upbeat nature, the next became slower and quieter, the singer's voice softer and more emotional. Red shifted awkwardly once in his seat, thinking Naj may have thought he was trying to be romantic, but then remembered how he'd already mentioned when they first met how he'd originally intended to ask her out without realizing exactly what he was in for by the end of it. In any case, nothing seemed to have been made of it since. He took a breath as he finished his mug of cider as well.

[DerpRavener]

The next few songs were same fare. Although Naj began by just bobbing her head and tapping her hooves in time with the beat, a couple songs in she just couldn't help herself, and she stood up and began dancing. Well, she was doing something resembling dancing, at least. Really it was more just awkwardly hopping from one side to the other, which happened to be in time to the music. A part of her was embarrassed, but after a moment's thought she decided she just didn't care. This was a safe place, and she was here to relax a bit, after all.

After a few other, similar songs, the next song on the record was a more relaxed number. While Naj thought it nice enough to listen to, she didn't find it as fun as the others had been. She returned to her seat, sat down in front of her once abandoned plate of stuffed mushrooms and was about to voice her opinion when she looked over and saw that Red had gone quiet. Watching him for a moment, he seemed to be anxious about something, but Naj wasn't sure what.

Looking around briefly, the only thing she could tell that changed was the song playing. For a moment she wondered if that could be the cause, considering that maybe it had some bad memories related to it, but quickly realized she could get an answer easily enough. “Hey, something wrong?”

[RedCedar]

Some day, years in the future, Red Cedar was certain he was going to be asked what the most interesting event in his life was, and even if he couldn't actually say so, he fully expected the truthful answer to be "The time my changeling friend got up and danced to Sapphire Shores in my living room."

Red couldn't help but smile, watching her moving to the music with a simple but unbounded joy. It was wonderful to see, really, in place of the constant caution, the paranoia, the looking over her shoulder that she had to do everywhere else. And it was infectious, too. In fact, he was about to get up and join her when the music changed.

“Hey, something wrong?”

Naj snapped him out of his thoughts with that simple question. Trouble was, with almost any other pony he could brush it off, and simply say no, but he got the feeling that she would see straight through that. Moreover, the thought of being anything less than totally honest with her seemed so utterly wrong after she had trusted him with everything she had.

"I was thinking of the first time we met." he said, "Not the Wrap-Up, but when we actually introduced ourselves, in the garden." He chuckled a little for a moment, as if to some joke of his own, then continued. "Funny thing is, I wanted to ask you to dinner that day, but then..." he trailed off a moment, as though it didn't need to be said again. "Anyway, this song kind of reminded me of that, indirectly. And, I did get to have dinner with you after all." He sighed as he looked back over to her. "Sorry, I didn't want you to think I was trying to make things any more complicated for you than they are."

[DerpRavener]

"Funny thing is, I wanted to ask you to dinner that day, but then..."

It took Naj a moment to figure out exactly what he'd implied with that. Part of her wanted to kick herself for not catching on. There was an entire organization within the hive dedicated to finding this sort of thing, and here she was unable to see it even when it fell into her lap. Though in her defence she'd never been courted before, much less by a pony, and had generally felt her duties were more important than any of the relationships she developed.

Though, that didn't leave her any better prepared. “Oh...um...heh. I probably should have expected something.” Now that she thought about it, she could remember a couple times where Red had left hints to this effect. She scratched the back of her head with a hoof and blushed slightly, embarrassed for a couple reasons.

"Sorry, I didn't want you to think I was trying to make things any more complicated for you than they are."

Naj looked at Red for a moment, before eventually smiling and shaking her had. “I think you've earned the right to make my life a bit more complicated, after this.” She waved a hoof around the room, making a vague indication of the whole area. She continued, though she really wasn't used to this situation or comfortable with it yet, there was one thing she felt needed saying. “And if you, erm, want to make it a little more complicated, I'd be alright with that. I mean, if you are.”

[RedCedar]

Scratch that. The answer to what the most interesting event in his life was would be "The time my changeling friend said she wouldn't mind if we dated."

A hundred thoughts ran through his mind, almost all at once. When he finally realized his mind was in overdrive, and that he probably looked very strange to Naj for looking at her that way, he took a deep breath and tried to clear his head of most of them. Some of the thoughts were wonderful, others not so much, but they all hinged on one very important thing.

"I'll tell you what," he said, "First, we concentrate on that plan to make you an established, legally accepted resident of Equestria. After that, we can complicate things as much as you like."

Although, Red couldn't help but smile at one last lingering thought on the subject. "I am curious about one thing, though. Do you even find ponies attractive?"

[DerpRavener]

If his current body language and lack of immediate response was any indication, Red seemed to be having the same sort of uncertainty as Naj was. She wasn't sure if she was happy or concerned with that. It meant that her reaction was normal, or at least within the normal range, but if not Red than neither of them were really confident with what they were doing. She could never be completely comfortable going into something blind. It wasn't enough to dissuade her, but it nonetheless made her uneasy.

"First, we concentrate on that plan to make you an established, legally accepted resident of Equestria. After that, we can complicate things as much as you like."

Naj nodded. She couldn't think of any reasonable counterargument. “Heh, yeah that's probably the best way to go about it. No sense rushing things if we don't need to, and already have something else on to worry about.”

"I am curious about one thing, though. Do you even find ponies attractive?"

The question caught Naj a little off guard, even given the turn the conversation had taken. “Uhh...” She stalled for a second, before finally coming up with an answer. “...Why not? I mean, I think so.” She laughed. “We already agreed we aren't that different.” That answer didn't entirely sit right with her however, so she added, “to be honest, it's not really come up a whole lot. I used to take too much pride in my work. I had friends of course, but a serious relationship just seemed like it'd be a distraction. And after that...well, most ponies seem nice enough, but it's hard to form a connection when I can't even tell them my name.” She smiled. “Heh. I guess the short answer is that it's something I've still got to figure out for myself.”

A thought crossed her mind. It was one she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to act on, it might make things complicated, but curiosity overcame her caution. "And you," she said a little hesitantly, though she also couldn't help a wry grin as she continued, "how do you feel about changelings these days?"

[RedCedar]

Red nodded, listening to Naj's answer. He couldn't say he was surprised that she hadn't thought of it, sailing into uncharted waters as the two of them were. He had felt the same sort of ambiguity about changelings himself before finding out he had been talking to one. Her answer, however, reminded him to make more of an effort sometimes. He still thought of her name as "Spring Breeze" often, simply because it was what he first knew her by and he thought it was a pretty name, but Naj was really her and he needed to be aware of it, especially as it was important to her that she have at least a few ponies who knew her real name.

"And you, how do you feel about changelings these days?"

Red couldn't help but smile. "Well, there's been one in particular I've gotten really used to being around," he said, "but I've learned a lot." Red paused a moment, trying to sum up his thoughts, before taking a breath and continuing. "I never really used to be afraid of changelings. They seemed far away and there was no point to me in living scared of every possible pony you met being a threat. But now, I think it would be silly for anypony to be afraid of changelings simply because they are changelings. Not when they're mostly just trying to continue with their lives the same way we are. Not when I know you can be friends with one."

[DerpRavener]

Listening to Red describe how he felt positive about changelings now, Naj couldn't help but give him a concerned look. Even if she was a little thankful for that sort of attitude, both for any hope of peace as well as her own budding relationship, but she was still a bit worried. After a moment she said, “well you've got a point, but are you sure that's a good idea?” Internally she was conflicted, worried about being overly pessimistic while at the same time concerned for her friend's safety, and her conflict was evident in her expression.

Naj sighed and sat down. “I don't want to tell you to just avoid changelings all the time, nothing'll change that way. But at the same time, you can't be going and letting yourself get hurt either. That does nopony any good. Let's face it: chances are most of the changelings we encounter 'in the field' will be enemy spies, and if you give them too much leeway well...bad things will happen.” It sounded contradictory even as she said it, but she didn't want Red to have the wrong idea and get himself in serious trouble. “I'm not say you have to run them out of town or anything. Just, due caution, right?”

[RedCedar]

Red watched as Naj made an impassioned plea not to take other changelings lightly. There was no denying she was adamant in her desire for him to stay safe and sound, and he couldn't help but feel touched by that, but at the same time, he thought perhaps she had believed he was being a little too naive. "Naj, believe me, I'm not going to try to walk into the hive with a plate of oatmeal cookies," he said calmly, though with a smile at the mental image of doing so. Taking a deep breath as he thought out his next words, he looked up to her and said, "There was a time, long ago, when ponies didn't all get along even with each other. The pegasi were afraid of the unicorns because they had magic. The unicorns were afraid of the pegasi because they could fly and control the weather. The earth ponies were afraid of both of them. And when you are afraid of something long enough, first you get angry at it, and then you hate it." he paused for a moment, letting it sink it.

"That went on for a long time, until the threat of windigoes causing an eternal winter made the three sides realize they all had the same needs, and they were better off working with each other than against each other to provide for those needs." he paused again to look into her blue eyes. "Right now, a lot of ponies, if they saw you the way you are right in front of me, would be afraid of you. They'd either run screaming for the guard, or try to do you an injury themselves, because they don't know any better. They don't know you like dancing to Sapphire Shores and can cook stuffed mushrooms and drink chocolate milkshakes. Meanwhile you've been living in Ponyville in fear for months because letting the wrong thing slip to any pony could mean the end of you. I can't imagine how scared you must have been when you decided to show me."

Red took in a deep sighing breath before continuing. "My point is, most ponies are afraid of changelings only because they are changelings and because they think that being a changeling is all it takes to be a threat to ponies. Maybe the hive is afraid of ponies as well. I know the Royal Guard hunted down a lot of changelings even as they were retreating away from the fight, when there was no need to do that. I'm not saying Equestria is entirely without blame here, either. I know there's a good chance any other changeling I find out about in Equestria is a possible threat but that's because of what they're doing, not what they are. It'll only be when both sides see ponies and changelings like us looking past that that things will begin to change." With his own long-winded speech off his chest, he sat back on the couch again, looking to her solemnly.

[DerpRavener]

"Naj, believe me, I'm not going to try to walk into the hive with a plate of oatmeal cookies."

Naj breathed a small sigh of relief at this. Really, this was what she wanted to hear. While she didn't want to discourage Red, before anything else she needed to make sure he didn't get himself in troube because he was used to dealing with Equestria rather than the hive. Red was a smart enough pony, as long as he knew there was a danger Naj didn't need to worry about him. She even chuckled a bit at his phrasing.

Suitably relaxed again, she wasn't fully prepare for the speech that came next.

Red began with a brief story from Equestrian history, describing how the three pony races at one time feared each other, until circumstances forced them to cooperate and they've been working together and better off since. Naj's ears flattened back against her head and she frowned as he continued, explaining at length what he thought was the source of the problem, namely how many Equestrians would react to changelings solely because they're changelings, rather than for anything they might be doing. Though she knew the circumstances, given how it addressed her earlier attitude she couldn't help but be reminded of the times she received a dressing down back when she was a soldier, and she adopted a similar stoic stance to the one she had back then.

She offered a weak counterpoint to Red talking about her revealing herself to him, mumbling, “I was fairly confident going into it, though that first look on your face...” she trailed off. She had to admit it was a stressful choice, even if she chose it and didn't regret it in the end.

When he reached the end, Naj remained silent for a good length of time. Still on the couch, she shifted so that she was laying on her back, rear legs hanging over the arm and forelegs folded over her belly. She stared at the ceiling. Red hadn't completely addressed her fears, but it was undeniable that he had a good point. She felt like she had to say something, sooner or later. “You're right, I think, at least in part. I don't think I'd ever describe the hive as afraid of Equestria, but there is a problem of exposure. I can't say I thought of ponies as any more than an idea and a food source before leaving the hive.” She sighed. “I guess I'm just feeling a bit trapped. We can't make progress without increasing risk to other ponies, but I don't know if I could handle more ponies getting hurt because of me.”

[RedCedar]

Red tried to offer Naj a comforting smile. "I admit, it was a shock to watch you change the first time," he said. "I wasn't prepared for it, and it took me by surprise, and I'm sorry if that moment made you think you'd made a mistake, but now..." he looked over at her again. "Now I think your eyes are a pretty colour."

As Naj laid down on the couch, staring upwards Red reached over and gently laid a hoof to her shoulder. Looking to her face, upside down by his perspective now, he tried to reassure her. "Nothing important ever came without risk," he said quietly, "and I can't promise nopony will be hurt, but it won't be because of you."

Red smiled to her a moment, then added, "Now, when it comes to exposure to the hive, well, maybe we won't have to do anything. If you're allowed to stay in Equestria, there may be no need for you to hide yourself any more. Then if there's a spy from the hive, perfect! Imagine their shock when they see you and I, a pony and a changeling, a changeling out of her disguise no less, sitting on a park bench in broad daylight, not fighting, but talking and smiling and laughing, and you staying well fed in the process. When they report back to the hive, sooner or later, a few changelings might just find that is a lot better way to do it than fighting."

[DerpRavener]

Red expressed that Naj's reveal to him came as a surprise, which caused her to chuckle a bit. “Yeah, to be honest I surprised myself a bit there too, though I guess not in the same way.” In response to the compliment, she looked over at him briefly, smiling. “D'aww, thanks.”

"Nothing important ever came without risk, and I can't promise nopony will be hurt, but it won't be because of you."

Naj groaned, rubbed her face with a hoof. She agreed with the first part, but she was having a hard time convincing herself of the second. “You say that, but won't I be the one causing what happens to them? Even though I'm not physically doing it, I'll be the one who got it all started.”

Red described the scenario of a changeling spy finding them, with her legally allowed to stay and thus not in disguise. “It would be a surprise to them, that's for sure. I don't think it's something anypony would be expecting.” She laughed. “Maybe you're right though, and that'll be what makes the difference. That and time. It wouldn't solve every problem, but would make a convincing argument for peaceful coexistence.”

[RedCedar]

Red rubbed her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her a little. It was more than obvious that she didn't want to harm anypony any more, nor even think she could be remotely responsible. The thought of it was tearing her up, even for a greater good. "It could happen to a pony anyway," he said, "if you think about it. Right now it's not like either side is on terribly good terms. But even if somepony does get hurt - even me - I'd want it to be because I was trying to make things better, not just waiting for the next invasion when more ponies and more changelings will get hurt or killed."

He smiled as she pictured his idea in her mind and laughed. "And if we're really lucky, maybe we'll see a few more ponies and changelings find their own convincing arguments for peaceful coexistence. Not just because of some greater, nobler world, but something closer to them." he said, the hoof on her shoulder stopping for a moment. "I've got my reason right here."

[DerpRavener]

Red argued his point, and tried to set Naj's mind at ease, pointing out that given the current situation ponies were likely to get mixed up in things regardless. Even if she changed her mind and decided to just lay low, in all likelihood the hive would do more on its own initiative and ponies would get hurt anyways.

“I...guess,” Naj said eventually. She wasn't entirely convinced by it, and that came through in her voice, but as far as she could tell his logic was sound. “I'll just have to try and get used to the idea.” She still wasn't comfortable with the whole situation, but she didn't see much choice other than to grin and bear it.

As Red rubbed her shoulder, Naj pressed her hoof against his. “Thanks,” she mumbled, appreciating the gesture even if she didn't fully understand it.

Red further expressed the hope that if changelings saw the two of them, they might find more personal reasons to change, and finished by saying that Naj was his. Naj looked up at him, from her position on the couch, and smiled. She didn't really know how to respond to that, it wasn't something she ever encountered before. All she could tell was that she was that right now she was happy, and maybe even a bit giddy. “Thanks,” she said again, more firmly this time, "for everything."

[RedCedar]

Red smiled, looking back to her. To see her now, happy as she was, he had no idea what about her appearance could ever once have seemed intimidating. Even the fangs visible in her smile seemed adorable to him now. "You're welcome," he said, "and thank you, for sharing who you really are with me."

A long few moments passed before Red realized something was different, and finally he figured out that it was because the music had stopped playing. Looking up at the phonograph, he could see that the needle was now at the end of that side of the record. Looking back to Naj, he simply repeated the obvious. "This side of the record's done. Did you want to hear the other side or listen to something different?" he asked.

[DerpRavener]

Red seemed unusually happy for a moment, and to Naj it seemed a bit infectious, feeling a bit more content than usual as well.

"Thank you, for sharing who you really are with me."

Naj smiled up at him from her spot on the couch. “Heh. Sure, though I think I was the one who got the most from it.” As they sat for moment in a peaceful silence, Naj got to thinking, and something about that initial meeting came to mind. Red piped up before she said any of her thoughts though.

"This side of the record's done. Did you want to hear the other side or listen to something different?"

Naj tilted her head in thought, but only for a moment. “While I liked it, this is night of new experiences. Let's try some new music.” She sat on the couch in silence a little longer, returning to her contemplation, before looking over at Red once more. At the end of the day, she didn't know that much about how Equestrians or their relationships generally worked. “Hey Red,” she said eventually, “when you saw me in the garden that day, what made you...” it took her a moment to think of the right words, “interested in me? Or, 'Spring' I guess, depending on how you look at it.”

[RedCedar]

Red nodded and, reluctantly pulling his hoof away from hers on her shoulder, he got up and replaced his new record into its sleeve, setting it aside for another time. After perusing his shelf for a moment he selected another one, the jacket of which depicted green rolling hills and meadows. As he set the record onto the turntable, he explained, "This is traditional music from Fet Loch. Different instruments and a different sound than the last one. Some slow, some still hoof-tapping, but not much singing."

While the sounds of high-pitched flutes and fiddles began to fill the room, he sat back down beside Naj and contemplated her question: “When you saw me in the garden that day, what made you... interested in me? Or, 'Spring' I guess, depending on how you look at it.”

After a moment he answered, "Well, whether you intended to or not, you made your disguise a very pretty one, at least to me. Your coat was a nice colour, similar to mine, and you had a long mane. I love long manes on mares, personally." He paused a moment as he thought about what he'd just said, and added, "I still think you look good now, in your real form, just for much different reasons."

Thinking it over a little more, he added, "How you looked wasn't the only thing, though. You remembered me from the Wrap-Up, and came to talk to me. You even remembered that you hadn't talked to me at the Wrap-Up, which I thought was thoughtful of you. I was glad to see you were all right after the snow, of course, but I also remembered that whole thing about you not having a family any more, so I thought you would have liked to have another friend. Even if you and I didn't go any further than friends, the way you came up and talked to me made me think we could have been good ones, at least."

[DerpRavener]

The new music Red put on, which he explained as traditional Fet Loch music. It was...odd. Not necessarily unpleasant, but Naj felt it at least took some getting used to, and it wasn't fun the same way the other songs had been.

Red explained that part of his initial attraction was simply finding her pretty, particularly her colours and mane. Seemed reasonable enough, everypony would have their own preferences. Though Naj found it a little amusing how he seemed to like what was basically laziness on her part, at least with regards to the mane.

When he added that he also liked the way Naj looked currently, she looked over at him with a wry grin. “Oooh,” she teased, “sounds like you've developed a taste for exotic mares.”

Red continued, explaining that beyond just her appearance, he was also touched by how she'd made a point to talk to him the next time they met after Winter Wrap Up to make up for missing him then. He'd hoped to at least be friends with her at that point.

Naj tilted her head in though at Red's explanation. She'd felt a little bad about blowing him off during Winter Wrap Up, and at the time had only hoped to make it up to him. She wouldn't have thought it would make her come across as nice. She filed the information away in her head for now. It was a good place to start, but she still had a lot to learn about this sort of thing. Besides, she'd thought of another question. “Is this your first time in a relationship?”

[RedCedar]

Red couldn't help but chuckle at Naj's comment. "I think so, because I've found one about as exotic as they come," he says.

“Is this your first time in a relationship?” she asked.

Well, it was a fair enough question, to be sure, especially as she was likely curious about how they worked in Equestria. As it was, he had no idea how it worked in a hive, and she had only said she'd not found much time for one while she was there.

He shook his head. "No, I've been in a couple before." he said. "Both when I was younger and they started while I was still in school. The first was fun. We did a lot of things together, but after a few years, well, we decided that we made better friends than anything else and we figured it wasn't going to last past school anyway, not when she wanted to study magic in Canterlot." he smiled a bit as he thought back. "I still get a card and a letter from her every Hearth's Warming. The second, well, that didn't end as well. We started seeing each other in senior year, went to graduation together, and it gradually got a bit more serious, but I wanted foals and she didn't. She wanted to move to Dodge Junction to get away from the cold weather up here in Stalliongrad, and I knew darn well there wasn't a tree for a couple hundred kilometres around that town except for one orchard, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do there." he sighed. "In the end, we were arguing more than anything, so we broke up."

[DerpRavener]

Red's reply consisted of a pair of stories. The first was an overall happy story where the two ponies agreed they were better off as friends, and kept in contact. The second was a relationship that eventually collapsed due to constant disagreement.

Naj thought for a moment, struggling with how to respond. “I...don't really know what to say to that,” she said at last. “I mean, the first case sounds nice, and the second sucks. But that just seems kinda obvious."

While she didn't regret asking her question, Naj couldn't help but notice the moment of hesitation between her question and Red's response, and the hint of regret in the answer. Thinking back on it, that in itself prompted another question, particularl given Naj's inexperience. Looking over again, she asked, “...Was that a bad question?”

[RedCedar]

“...Was that a bad question?”

Red knew better than to think of any of Naj's questions as being bad. They all came from pure, innocent curiosity on her part. "No, it wasn't," he said, wanting to quickly reassure her she'd done nothing wrong. "It's another one of those things I'd probably have told you about eventually anyway. It just doesn't usually come up so directly because not everypony likes to think about things like my last fillyfriend, where it started out so great and ended so badly."

Turning in his seat to more easily look at her, he asked, "So, tell me what happens in the hive, then, when two changelings meet and decide they like each other." This time it was his turn to be curious.

[DerpRavener]

Naj breathed a quiet sigh of relief, pleased that her question hadn't been ill advised, although even with Red's assurances she still felt like she'd stumbled onto something sensitive. It happened to work out this time, so she wasn't too concerned about it for now though she felt she'd have to be careful about such things in future, whether she was talking to Red or to somepony else.

"So, tell me what happens in the hive, then, when two changelings meet and decide they like each other."

Ahh yes, there it was. Naj had been wondering if there would be a question like this. It was a reasonable question, but she wasn't sure if she had a worthwhile answer for it. “Fair warning, I'm probably not the best changeling to ask,” she began. “aside from being the only one you could safely talk to, maybe. As I said, I was never really interested in that sort of thing. And maybe that tells you what you need to know. But from what I remember...” She scratched her chin in thought. “You make time, I guess would be the simple answer. Relationships aren't forbidden, but the hive has to come first. So, you work around your responsibilities. Spend your rest time together, try to work together on the same tasks, that sort of thing. Basically, as long as nothing you're doing interferes with what you need to do, nopony's going to stop you.”

[RedCedar]

Red listened to Naj explain what it meant to be a changeling in a relationship. There was, once again, that ever-pervasive sense of the hive being overriding in every aspect of a changeling's life, even one as personal as this. Certainly ponies had to sometimes works around their obligations as well, but where a pony could be expected to drop everything for their family in some instances that option apparently didn't exist in a hive.

There was also that sense of hive life lacking aesthetics again. Red could certainly imagine that a changeling couple might have some romantic, thoughtful gestures shared between themselves, developing into their own little traditions, but that wasn't reflected in the rest of their society, even here. There was no formality to it at all. So after Naj finished her explanation, Red could only express the first thought that came to his mind. "What, that's it?" he asked.

A split-second later, after he realized how ridiculous that sounded, he added "I mean, spending time together and living together and sometimes working together are the whole basis of a relationship, I know, but is there nothing done to formalize it or anything? No wedding? No vows? Nothing?"

[DerpRavener]

Red was surprised at how little weight changeling society usually gave to romantic relationships, and was maybe even a little disturbed by it. He questioned the lack of any formal traditions.

Naj wasn't sure what the big deal was. If it was just two ponies who liked each other, what business did the whole society get involved? She looked over at Red and raised an eyeridge. “Well, it's not like we've done anything like that either, have we?”

Though maybe this wasn't the best argument to make. “Okay, so maybe we're a bit of a weird case, and a changeling and pony couple is too strange an example.” There were a couple better arguments she had in mind anyways. “How about this: if two ponies really interested in each other, should it matter what society thinks of it? Would you really want to get society involved? I can't imagine that would be anything but inconvenient.”

“Besides, as I understand it, weddings are directed by a royal or an official of some kind aren't they? Besides...” She burst out laughing at the mental image she conjured for herself, having to calm down a bit before continuing, though the grin remained. “Heh, heh. Besides, can you imagine Queen Chrysalis seriously hosting a wedding?”