Soulmates in Equestria were weird. They still used words, which showed up on their fur on their hooves. Raspberry (Morgan, really, but she was trying to keep her human life and pony life separate) asked questions about why it wasn't a cutiemark image instead. They met her with polite laughter.

Raspberry had three Soulmarks, same as every other world. Reighley's words were still there, still bright green against her dark pink fur. Two other words sat on her hoof- one of a dark, crimson red. The other a blue that reminded Raspberry of water- like puddles after rain, or a fishing river.

Raspberry ignored them, for the main part. Bracelets weren't a common thing in Equestria. Who would be so rude as to read another pony's soulmark? Without permission, even worse. Raspberry could ignore them.

She ignored them when Discord attacked.

She ignored them that time Lilac ran away.

She ignored them during the Canterlot Wedding.

But she noticed something.

A flash of color, amongst all the black changelings. Their bodies were completely black. No signs or imperfections on any of them. Just hate in their blue compound eyes.

Raspberry saw a little color. As she kicked one in the face, he flew back in the air. She got a quick look of color on his hooves. Raspberry wrote it off, assuming it was a trick of magic.

She forgot about it. Even after meeting Bumblebee.

Raspberry never trusted that Soulmark. Raspberry used fake names all the time. She had to trust this unknown person, to tell Raspberry the truth? Fat chance of that.

==YOTR==

The hairs on her neck stood up. A small instinct flared up, letting her know something was behind her. Raspberry paid close attention to those instincts.

She let this pony think they were winning. She led him into an alley, hiding up on a roof to get the jump on him.

A yellow pegasus stallion walked in. Raspberry didn't give him the time to be confused. She leapt out.

The stallion yelped. Raspberry pushed him against the wall. Her hoof arm pressed on his neck, holding him still.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?" Raspberry snapped.

The stallion froze.

Raspberry slapped him. "Tell me why you were following me before I get mad."

The stallion swallowed. Raspberry felt the movement against her hoof. "My name is Bumblebee."

Raspberry tensed. She lowered the pressure on his neck, but kept her hoof there.

He- what?

Oh author, Raspberry should have known. The name was Bumblebee. What better place for that kind of name than My Little Pony? She should have kept her guard up for that.

Also it was still a completely fake name.

She needed to leave.

She was abandoned by her last Soulmate. She wouldn't get left behind by this one too.

"Don't follow me." Raspberry ordered before flying away.

==YOTR==

Raspberry would need to talk to Bumblebee about following directions.

He chased her down. Raspberry caved to the idea of a date. She ignored how much it reminded her of Reighley.

"I can't believe it's you!" Bumblebee cheered.

Raspberry spun her fork in her meal.

"Like- I mean- I knew you were out there, and I really hoped it was you but…I mean for it to be real is just…it's just-"

Raspberry lowered her fork. "Why did you hope it was me?"

Bumblebee choked. "Umm…well…it's cause…well you know-"

"I don't. Feel free to tell me."

Bumblebee blushed. "Because I wouldn't have wanted anypony else."

"We have two others."

"Yeah, and I wanted the pink one to be you." Bumblebee admitted. No, not admitted. He said it with such ease, it can't have been anything but true. A fact he never wanted to hide. A hope, a dream made real.

It wasn't just having and finding his Soulmate. It was about that Soulmate being Raspberry Stardust.

Raspberry would pretend that didn't make her heart pound in her chest.

"I still would like the other two!" Bumblebee added, verbally scrambling. "Cause- cause they would be good. Nice. I would- I would think they were great. Whoever they are. Green and Red- are they thag for you too? They sound fun. Or- sorta fun. It's just-"

"Green and Red?" Raspberry asked.

"Well it's the colors." Bumblebee explained. "Your color was dark pink, and your name is dark pink, so like-"

"Her name isn't green." Raspberry corrected, more confused than offended.

Bumblebee blinked. "You- you know them- her?"

Raspberry tried to forget her. To forget about Reighley- with her beautiful dark brown eyes, her singing voice that couldn't keep a pitch to save her life, the butterfly clips on her head…the way she smiled… Raspberry had to forget.

Reighley clearly wanted it too.

Soulmates weren't a guarantee. Soulmates could love and leave whenever, wherever they wanted to go. Raspberry never blamed Reighley. Raspberry was an awful Soulmate to be stuck with- anyone would leave.

So that Bumblebee chased, made him all the more suspicious.

"No." Raspberry told him.

"Sorry it's just- you said it like- like you did."

"No. We're not talking about-" Raspberry stopped herself. "Can we not?"

Bumblebee pressed his lips together. As for shutting himself up, it worked. Even though his honey golf eyes expressed a desire to know more- to learn something about what was a lifelong mystery. It just settled poorly in Raspberry's gut to disappoint him.

"We just…parted on bad terms." Raspberry explained.

Bumblebee glanced at his hoof.

Raspberry stopped herself from asking. She wanted to ask, holy Author she wanted to ask. If Bumblebee had words from Reighley, it meant Reighley would come back. That Raspberry would see her again.

"Do you wanna see?" Bumblebee asked.

Raspberry shook her head on instinct. "You don't have to show me."

"I want to." Bumblebee assured her. "She's your Soulmate too."

Raspberry shifted in her seat.

Bumblebee showed off his hoof. His bright yellow fur made the colors stand out. Dark pink against bright yellow had no chance of hiding. That was meant to stand out, to be distinct. Her words were there for her to see. To see what curse she left Bumblebee with.

It must be rude. Raspberry thought. For your own Soulmate to be so abrupt and rude, in their first words. Why would anypony put up with it?

The green just below her stood out, but in a different way. Bright green, yes, but a different sort of brightness that made it bold against Bumblebee's hoof.

Reighley's hand writing.

"So you're the little secret she's been hiding."

Her cheeks weren't warm. They weren't.

Bumblebee grinned, giggling. He started to pull his hoof back.

Raspberry reached out, holding it still. She just wanted to see them, for just a little longer. Bumblebee seemed to understand. Or her very touch broke his brain. It could be either.

Raspberry showed off her hoof. She let Bumblebee read them. Bumblebee wasn't looking away from Raspberry's hoof on his.

"We'll find her again." Raspberry breathed out. Shocked? Elated? Scared? She couldn't tell.

Bumblebee squeezed her hoof. Raspberry looked up to meet his eyes. Bumblebee had something vulnerable in his eyes- an emotion deep and personal between just them.

"She'll like seeing you again." Bumblebee told her.

Raspberry scrunched up her nose.

"She will." Bumblebee repeated.

"You don't know that."

"I do."

"How can you tell?"

"Cause I would, if we were apart." Bumblebee said.

Raspberry's face was not warm. It wasn't.

==YOTR==

Later, as secrets were exposed, as Raspberry the Alicorn became Morgan the Human and Bumblebee the Pegasus became Thorax the Changeling, things changed.

They yelled.

They shouted.

They said harsh words. Words that admitted Morgan's shame and pain. That she was right all along. Her Soulmate lied to her from the start.

But Morgan saw something. On Thorax's black and whole filled body, Morgan saw a splash of color. Colors. Pink, green, and red.

The Queen removed his disguise. All of it. Why had he kept that part of the disguise? What was the point of keeping up the lie?

It gave Morgan's rage an outlet.

"You bastard!" Morgan snapped. "You're still lying!"

"What are you talking about?!" Thorax yelled.

"Her words! You're still fucking wearing them!" Morgan yelled.

Reighley's words- he still pretended to have Morgan's Soulmate's words. He fucking dared give Morgan hope that they would meet again. It hadn't been true, Morgan knew it, how dare she be tricked like that again?

Thorax looked at his hooves. All the fight seemed to leave him at once. He slumped to the ground, on his ass. He stared at his hooves, to the lines and words.

Morgan blinked, not expecting the change. She expected more shouting and rage. Seeing Thorax deflated, it took the fight out of her too.

"I was always different, from the other changelings." Thorax admitted. "Too weak. Too soft. I never liked attacking ponies to feed on them. The others hated me for it. They treated me different." He held up his hooves, showing off the words. "Then I woke up with these."

Morgan knelt down. In her human form, her bracelets covered up her words. She could still feel them there. Feel Bee's- Thorax's blue words there. Blue, just like his eyes.

"I was a freak to my own kind." Thorax explained. "I- I thought I was alone. That I would be forever. Then I saw you, at the wedding and- and I saw your hooves." He looked up, staring at her arms. At her bracelets. "You had the same colors as me. Except for one and- and I started to hope."

Morgan swallowed. She rubbed her thumb on the bracelet, thoughtful.

"I always knew my Soulmate would lie to me." Morgan admitted. Thorax slumped further. "That their first words to me would be lies. What person would tell the truth to me? So fast? It never made sense. If it were their real name, for real, I would've searched all over for anyone with that name. But it was a lie and…and when you said it…"

"You hated me." Thorax whimpered.

"I was grateful for you." Morgan admitted. Thorax glanced up. Blue eyes met amber. Her heart thumped. "Because…because being with you…the lie didn't matter. You did."

Thorax moved so fast. Morgan could only meet him halfway- welcoming his lips on hers.