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-On a sunny and bustling street of the great city of Canterlot, a well-dressed young mare strolls along with her head held high, humming a cheerful tune. In one foreleg she holds a lace parasol, twirling it above her every so often. She moves as though she is a sight to be envied, the elegant curls of her hair bouncing along her back with each peppy step. As she passes by ponies she offers sweet smiles and friendly greetings, earning many back in return.

As she rounds a corner, taking in the beautiful sights of the grand city, a display of stylish dresses in a shop window on the other side of the street catches her eye. The mare admires them, contemplating whether to cross the street to get a better look. But due to being distracted she squeaks as she bumps into something - the back of somepony sitting hunched over at a table, just outside of an ice cream shop-

Heather: *feels a tinge of annoyance for the blunder and the eyes she had drawn, but puts on her best sheepish smile. She speaks with an accented voice, one meant for a proper lady of social standing* Oh I'm so very sorry, love! I wasn't quite paying attention-

-Heather cuts herself off as the other pony sits up and turns around. She soon finds herself wide-eyed, tilting her head back further and further just to find the pegasus' face. And there, she sees a familiar set of green eyes staring back at her. Heather's own eyes almost bulge at the sight of Monochrome Dashielle, nearly a foot taller and...very much in-shape, if the toned muscles underneath their light coat say anything. She's ready to briskly leave, forcing the run-in to end there, until-

Monochrome: *calmly appraises her, closing the sketchbook in their hooves* Hello Heather.

Heather: *internally curses, knowing she can't ignore a greeting of familiarity now, not with so many ponies within ear-shot. She forces a smile* Monochrome! Hello! *looks them up and down again* I...didn't recognize you!

-Heather nervously shifts her eyes. Some ponies glance their way, surely curious of someone of high stature like her speaking to a normal citizen, but thankfully they continue on their way. Her attention only returns when she hears the pegasus hum-

Monochrome: *stoically glances down at themself, then back at her* Yes...I suppose puberty was kind.

Heather: *tenses, absolutely loathing the jab. Yet manages a stiff laugh* I suppose it was!

Monochrome: *stares at her smile before meeting her eyes* ...I see you haven't changed much.

-Heather desperately wants to scoff, or roll her eyes, but knows such ill-temper would land her in deep water. Canterlot, after all, is vast and so unlike the schools she had attended and proudly stood at the top of. Ponies here, especially in the higher classes, are willing to believe and chatter about the tiniest of things, reputation of a pony be damned. She has no choice but to keep in check her desire to tell off those who manage to insult her or get in her way. So she opts for option two: sweetly put them in their place-

Heather: *gives a cheerful, sugary grin* Oh Monochrome dear, don't be so silly! So much has changed, actually~ You wouldn't believe it!

*takes a step back so Monochrome can get a good look at her and all of her glory, dressed with only the finest of fabrics* Moving to Canterlot after I graduated Friendship Academy was truly a dream, darling~ It didn't take long for me to meet the love of my life! *proudly touches the golden ring hanging from her neck* You are looking at one Lady Heather Tart Reed~ *waves a hoof* Or Heather Reed for short. Mister Reed is a darling noble stallion. You should've seen us! We started off as business partners and just fell absolutely in love! Our company has been growing rapidly and successfully ever since~

Monochrome: Wow.

Heather: *barely holds back her smirk* I know~ So much has happened in only a few years!

Monochrome: No I mean you....actually managed to get married.

Heather: *feels a vein twitch in her head. She pushes out a giggle* Of course I did! My dear is just absolutely smitten with me. *twirls her hair around her hoof* I have him wrapped around my hoof, really~

Monochrome: Huh. Poor guy.

Heather: *plastering back on her sugary smile she rests her hooves on her cheeks and makes a show of glancing over Monochrome's form* So what about you, sweetheart? I don't see a ring on you. *flutters her eyelashes* Don't tell me you don't have a partner yet! Oh how awful!

-Monochrome calmly stares back at her, and for a moment, Heather thinks she's struck them-

Monochrome: *hums and glances off to the side* He's a partner. Just not the kind you're thinking of. He's one of Canterlot's most brilliant minds, actually.

-With great timing, both ponies hear the bell of the ice cream shop chime as someone exits. Looking up, they see a short purple stallion wander out. He holds two ice cream cups within his magenta magic, scrutinizing the larger of them with squinted blue eyes-

Nova: Okay, so they didn't have my carrot spice gelato, so I caved and got their weekly special...

-Heather almost cringes at the treat. It's some sort of red velvet and milk chocolate ice cream sundae, littered with dark swirls of fudge and topped with large brownie chunks, strawberry syrup, and black and white sprinkles. She watches the stallion stare at it with a mix of awe and fear-

Nova: Chrome, if this kills me, tell my mom-
*finally looks up and stops, noticing another pony with Monochrome* Oh...uh sorry, didn't know you had company.

Monochrome: I wouldn't call her that.

Heather: *smiling wide, she tilts her head and speaks through gritted teeth* Oh, Monochrome, you're just...an endless sea of wit, aren't you?

Monochrome: *corner of their mouth twitches* It's all I have nowadays.

Nova: *snorts, light-heartedly rolling his eyes* Not true, but okay.

-Heather finds herself going quiet as she watches the unicorn stallion place the cups at Monochrome's table. A weird feeling of familiarity continuously gnaws at her as she stares at him. The brilliant colors of his mane strike her, yet no matter how much she tries, no sense of recognition hits her as she scans his face. It's almost as if she's failing to register it, compared to everything else about him. She's tempted to ask him if they've met before.
Heather then glances at his cutie mark and softly gasps. As an avid admirer of the princesses, she can recognize that brilliant spark from anywhere.-

Heather: (!!) *straightens excitedly* Novis! Prince Novis! Of course!

-Nova Spark tenses as Heather's exclamation garners attention and murmurs from surrounding ponies. The onlookers nosily try to take a peek, as they naturally would with a royal nearby. However, to Heather's surprise, Monochrome stands and moves to Nova's most exposed side, blocking the view of the staring ponies. Mo sends an uncomfortably intense stare back at them, forcing a number of them to flinch or look away, if not making them give glances sparingly.
Nova relaxes a bit, but not for long. Heather tucks her closed parasol under her arm and steps forward to happily take Nova's hooves into her own. She almost misses the deliciously irked look that crosses Monochrome's face as she does.
This is her chance to impress the eavesdroppers and bystanders with oh-so-wonderful pleasantries and familiarity. She's sure that as she is now, she can finally charm him-

Heather: *gives her award-winning sweet smile* Oh Prince Novis, I knew you looked familiar! It's so good to see you again! The glasses are quite a look!

Nova: *stares at her, wide-eyed, before slowly turning his head to make eye contact with Monochrome, as if searching for some answer*

Monochrome: *sighs heavily and shrugs, waving a hoof at him to go on*

Nova: ....*turns back to Heather just as slowly* I uh...do I know you?

Heather: *giggles. She can only guess how different she looks from her old drab self* 'Course you do, love~! We went to the same Friendship Academy! I was Heather Tart back then!

Nova: ....

Heather: We worked together during a few group projects~?

Nova: ....*slowly raises an eyebrow*

Heather: ...*sweats, smile slowly straining* Y-you and I earned some of the highest test scores in our grade, deary! Remember?

-Mentally, Heather finds herself recalling that they went to Friendship Elementary too. But of course he wouldn't remember that. He was always so interested in...Eventide. So much so, Heather could never capture his attention for long. Oh how she had loathed that. All because Eventide had connections with his family.
She patiently waits for him to ponder over it. Even if he can't remember right away, she knows a well-trained prince like himself would have the common decency to at least feign recognition.-

Nova: *breathes in deeply, shoulders rising...only for his whole posture to fall at once, staring at her cluelessly* Yeah no, I got nothing. Sorry.

-Heather can't stop her eye from twitching. Hearing a snerk, her gaze then shoots up to find Monochrome hiding half of their face behind their sketchbook. She doesn't need to see their mouth to notice the amused crinkle of their eyes.
Who knew the prince was so...blunt. But even if ponies are listening in, she still has a chance to recover. If anything, his memory failure would just look bad on him.-

Heather: *quickly pats his hoof* Oh don't worry! It has been a few years, my prince!

Nova: *strains a smile, one that looks nothing but forced and awkward* Stick with 'Nova'.

Heather: *laughs* How modest of you! But isn't that a little too familiar, Prince Novis-

Monochrome: *sighs in annoyance, shooting her a look* Maybe just respect a pony when they tell you what they prefer to be called.

Nova: Agreed...

Heather: (!) O-oh, of course! My apologies! *feels a bit nervous, seeing the uncomfortable edge to Nova's posture. Quickly changes the subject, bringing back her peppy tone* So what's been happening on your end, Sir Nova~? I'd love to know!

Nova: *perks up a bit* Oh. Well... *glances over at Monochrome. He lightens up, smiling brightly* Chrome and I are working on a big project together. So that's exciting.

-A vein bulges in Heather's head. For Monochrome, of all ponies, to be working with a prince-

Heather: *voice becomes a pitch higher* W-what kind of project?

Monochrome: That's a secret. *seeing Heather shoot them a tense look, the corner of their mouth lifts* All a part of the partnership, dear.

Nova: Yep!

Heather: *laughs stiffly* W-well, that's great, Sir Nova! *tightens her hold on his hooves. At least now she had an opening to truly impress him* I actually have a partnership myself with my dear husband! *winks* Surely you've heard of Reed Enterprise, our rapidly growing corporation right here in Canterlot! We've been quite the talk on the streets and in the local newspapers~

Nova: ...no actually.

Heather: A-ah...well! That's quite alright! If you've only been visiting, of course it would be difficult hearing about us!

Nova: *tilts head* Actually, I've been living here in Canterlot for...two? Three years now?

Heather: *sucks in a sharp breath*......and you've...never once heard of us.
-Nova and Monochrome exchange a matching blank glance, simultaneously returning their attention to the earth pony after-

Nova and Monochrome: No...

-Heather can physically feel her pride cracking. Her ears then catch a few whispers. Tensing, she's forced to remember the passing ponies and those still lingering nearby, no doubt listening in on this mess. She grits her teeth, determined for some way to save this conversation-

Heather: (!!) A-anyway! That reminds me! I'm holding a party tonight at our penthouse, to celebrate our new office building! If you're free, you absolutely should drop by~ *lifts her head proudly* You'll see many familiar influential faces, knowing you~ Miss Rarity and Fancy Pants himself will be attending! Oh they'd be just elated to see you, I'm sure!

Nova: *winces* Thanks. But I'd rather just...you know...stay home.

-Nova bobs his head in a continuous nod, his mouth pressed into a tight line while Heather waits for more of an explanation.

...none comes. Only awkward, empty silence fills the air between them-

Heather: Please, at least consider it! *eyes flick nervously, landing on Monochrome* (!) I'll even invite Monochrome! You could both come together!

-Though the thought of Monochrome attending exasperates her, Heather is convinced for a short moment that the offer has to be a selling point. However, something akin to a record scratch occurs. Nova shuts his eyes and shakes his head vigorously, as if uncertain if he had heard her right-

Nova: Wait wait, stop, hold up- *eyebrows draw in as he pulls his body a significant distance away from her* You invited me to some party, right in front of Chrome, and you were about to leave them out?

Heather: *caught off guard by how offended he looks, as if she had personally insulted him. She stumbles over herself for a proper response* W-well I just- I didn't think they'd enjoy such a scene-

Nova: Because they're not royalty, like me.

-With eyelids half-lidded, Nova raises a brow-
Heather: -feels a bit of panic, realizing attention is returning to them- Of course no-

-Heather suddenly feels something dry and...leathery against her leg. Glancing down, she's greeted by the sight of a large tortoise, dressed with goggles and a strange mechanism on its back, as it ever-so-slowly pushes its head into her foreleg, actually managing to move it back. Startled, Heather releases her hold on Nova to jerk away from the wrinkly thing-

Heather: What is that doing here?!

Nova: *frowns* Well that's weird...never seen him do that before. Hang on, buddy- *attempts to pick the tortoise up, only to grunt as he struggles with its weight*....C-Chrome...

Monochrome: *releases a breathy laugh, moving between the ponies to pick up their tortoise* Tank...were you trying to protect Nova from the strange lady?

Tank: *slowly nods his head*

Monochrome: *smiles fondly and rests their head against his* Good boy.

-Heather doesn't stop herself from finally shooting a glare at them, but swiftly drops it when Nova turns back around, eyeing her-

Nova: ...I have to say. Inviting ponies based on social stature alone is pretty shallow. And, like...a pretty awful way of making friends, I'd think. *glances away* I mean, I'm really not the 'life of the party' like you're probably imagining.

-Heather gapes, utterly dumbfounded. She then finally hears it; distant snorts of laughter, eagerly exchanged murmurs, a soft "damn" and "yikes".
The earth pony's face burns horrendously, that word echoing in her head. 'Shallow'. At once she wishes she could snap at him, for the impudence and sheer indecency.-

Monochrome: Nova...*eyes the table* I'm sorry to interrupt with tragic news, but...

Nova: *follows Mo's gaze and yelps, seeing his ice cream cup almost completely melted* Oh come on... I was looking forward to that.

Monochrome: *frowns at Nova's look of disappointment. They gently place Tank down and, reaching into their saddlebag, they hand the unicorn a few bits* Just go get another one. *pulls the melted cup towards their body* We can try it together and...have sugar comas later, I guess.

Nova: *snorts* Gee, how comforting...*shakes his head smiling* Thanks Chrome.
*awkwardly looks back at Heather one more time* I...guess that's it. Enjoy your party, uh...

Heather: *voice takes on a flatter tone* Lady Heather, sir.

Nova: *eyes her warily* Yeah...bye then.

-Nova proceeds towards the ice creams shop, entering it once more. Sitting there seething, Heather can't believe how much of a crude, ill-mannered stallion the Friendship Prince actually is. Nearby, Monochrome raises a brow at her.-

Monochrome: Something wrong? He was just being honest. I thought a beacon of honesty like yourself would appreciate that.

-Heather shoots a withering look at them, gritting her teeth to hold back words as she silently fumes. Monochrome cracks a smile, a glint in their eye-

Monochrome: *leans their head down to meet Heather's gaze evenly, softly whispering* Nice try, but...turns out I'm not afraid of you either.

Heather: *releases a soft growl, followed by a soft 'hmph' as she stands* If you would excuse me, I have actual business to tend to. Good day.

-With that, Heather dramatically opens her parasol and elegantly trots away, ignoring ponies in the immediate area as she hides away her injured pride. Monochrome simply takes a spoonful of their melted ice cream, barely containing a growing satisfied smile that they give to Tank-

Monochrome: Hopefully that'll humble her. For a while at least.
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We momentarily skip ahead to present day, to see what Heather is up to.

We have one pony who's making a name in high society, and another who couldn't care less about that world after abandoning it. Put them together and you get one very, very amused Monochrome.

...who, with all of the drama going on, I almost forgot was originally written to be petty as fuck.
To those they think deserve it, at least. As seen in their introductory chapter, "Overpriced ".
Anyway! Believe it or not, this is the last chapter we'll be seeing Heather in who knows how long. Next chapter we'll be returning to Eventide's arc.
Heather originally was meant to simply fill the role of the ex-best friend who had emotionally traumatized Eve, and while I had some plans for her, she was meant to remain a minor character. But lo and behold, as I do with characters, she's become much more complex than planned aaaand well...there are ideas, but until the day comes for those to come to life, we won't have to deal with her for a while.
I will, though, be doing a bio for her to delve more into her character.

Meanwhile: Gosh I've wanted to write Monochrome and Nova interactions for so long...as you can see there's so much you guys haven't seen, events that are only explored in Nova's past arc, but because his arc is the longest of any character's in the cast, it'll be a bit of time before we delve into that story. Til then, here's a taste~

Lastly. As you can also see, I've changed up my method for script-style chapters! Hopefully this is much easier and cleaner to read than what it was before.

BACKGROUND FROM HERE!
Destinyverse Archives
Feat.
Monochrome Nova Spark

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Description

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-On a sunny and bustling street of the great city of Canterlot, a well-dressed young mare strolls along with her head held high, humming a cheerful tune. In one foreleg she holds a lace parasol, twirling it above her every so often. She moves as though she is a sight to be envied, the elegant curls of her hair bouncing along her back with each peppy step. As she passes by ponies she offers sweet smiles and friendly greetings, earning many back in return.

As she rounds a corner, taking in the beautiful sights of the grand city, a display of stylish dresses in a shop window on the other side of the street catches her eye. The mare admires them, contemplating whether to cross the street to get a better look. But due to being distracted she squeaks as she bumps into something - the back of somepony sitting hunched over at a table, just outside of an ice cream shop-

Heather: *feels a tinge of annoyance for the blunder and the eyes she had drawn, but puts on her best sheepish smile. She speaks with an accented voice, one meant for a proper lady of social standing* Oh I'm so very sorry, love! I wasn't quite paying attention-

-Heather cuts herself off as the other pony sits up and turns around. She soon finds herself wide-eyed, tilting her head back further and further just to find the pegasus' face. And there, she sees a familiar set of green eyes staring back at her. Heather's own eyes almost bulge at the sight of Monochrome Dashielle, nearly a foot taller and...very much in-shape, if the toned muscles underneath their light coat say anything. She's ready to briskly leave, forcing the run-in to end there, until-

Monochrome: *calmly appraises her, closing the sketchbook in their hooves* Hello Heather.

Heather: *internally curses, knowing she can't ignore a greeting of familiarity now, not with so many ponies within ear-shot. She forces a smile* Monochrome! Hello! *looks them up and down again* I...didn't recognize you!

-Heather nervously shifts her eyes. Some ponies glance their way, surely curious of someone of high stature like her speaking to a normal citizen, but thankfully they continue on their way. Her attention only returns when she hears the pegasus hum-

Monochrome: *stoically glances down at themself, then back at her* Yes...I suppose puberty was kind.

Heather: *tenses, absolutely loathing the jab. Yet manages a stiff laugh* I suppose it was!

Monochrome: *stares at her smile before meeting her eyes* ...I see you haven't changed much.

-Heather desperately wants to scoff, or roll her eyes, but knows such ill-temper would land her in deep water. Canterlot, after all, is vast and so unlike the schools she had attended and proudly stood at the top of. Ponies here, especially in the higher classes, are willing to believe and chatter about the tiniest of things, reputation of a pony be damned. She has no choice but to keep in check her desire to tell off those who manage to insult her or get in her way. So she opts for option two: sweetly put them in their place-

Heather: *gives a cheerful, sugary grin* Oh Monochrome dear, don't be so silly! So much has changed, actually~ You wouldn't believe it!

*takes a step back so Monochrome can get a good look at her and all of her glory, dressed with only the finest of fabrics* Moving to Canterlot after I graduated Friendship Academy was truly a dream, darling~ It didn't take long for me to meet the love of my life! *proudly touches the golden ring hanging from her neck* You are looking at one Lady Heather Tart Reed~ *waves a hoof* Or Heather Reed for short. Mister Reed is a darling noble stallion. You should've seen us! We started off as business partners and just fell absolutely in love! Our company has been growing rapidly and successfully ever since~

Monochrome: Wow.

Heather: *barely holds back her smirk* I know~ So much has happened in only a few years!

Monochrome: No I mean you....actually managed to get married.

Heather: *feels a vein twitch in her head. She pushes out a giggle* Of course I did! My dear is just absolutely smitten with me. *twirls her hair around her hoof* I have him wrapped around my hoof, really~

Monochrome: Huh. Poor guy.

Heather: *plastering back on her sugary smile she rests her hooves on her cheeks and makes a show of glancing over Monochrome's form* So what about you, sweetheart? I don't see a ring on you. *flutters her eyelashes* Don't tell me you don't have a partner yet! Oh how awful!

-Monochrome calmly stares back at her, and for a moment, Heather thinks she's struck them-

Monochrome: *hums and glances off to the side* He's a partner. Just not the kind you're thinking of. He's one of Canterlot's most brilliant minds, actually.

-With great timing, both ponies hear the bell of the ice cream shop chime as someone exits. Looking up, they see a short purple stallion wander out. He holds two ice cream cups within his magenta magic, scrutinizing the larger of them with squinted blue eyes-

Nova: Okay, so they didn't have my carrot spice gelato, so I caved and got their weekly special...

-Heather almost cringes at the treat. It's some sort of red velvet and milk chocolate ice cream sundae, littered with dark swirls of fudge and topped with large brownie chunks, strawberry syrup, and black and white sprinkles. She watches the stallion stare at it with a mix of awe and fear-

Nova: Chrome, if this kills me, tell my mom-
*finally looks up and stops, noticing another pony with Monochrome* Oh...uh sorry, didn't know you had company.

Monochrome: I wouldn't call her that.

Heather: *smiling wide, she tilts her head and speaks through gritted teeth* Oh, Monochrome, you're just...an endless sea of wit, aren't you?

Monochrome: *corner of their mouth twitches* It's all I have nowadays.

Nova: *snorts, light-heartedly rolling his eyes* Not true, but okay.

-Heather finds herself going quiet as she watches the unicorn stallion place the cups at Monochrome's table. A weird feeling of familiarity continuously gnaws at her as she stares at him. The brilliant colors of his mane strike her, yet no matter how much she tries, no sense of recognition hits her as she scans his face. It's almost as if she's failing to register it, compared to everything else about him. She's tempted to ask him if they've met before.
Heather then glances at his cutie mark and softly gasps. As an avid admirer of the princesses, she can recognize that brilliant spark from anywhere.-

Heather: (!!) *straightens excitedly* Novis! Prince Novis! Of course!

-Nova Spark tenses as Heather's exclamation garners attention and murmurs from surrounding ponies. The onlookers nosily try to take a peek, as they naturally would with a royal nearby. However, to Heather's surprise, Monochrome stands and moves to Nova's most exposed side, blocking the view of the staring ponies. Mo sends an uncomfortably intense stare back at them, forcing a number of them to flinch or look away, if not making them give glances sparingly.
Nova relaxes a bit, but not for long. Heather tucks her closed parasol under her arm and steps forward to happily take Nova's hooves into her own. She almost misses the deliciously irked look that crosses Monochrome's face as she does.
This is her chance to impress the eavesdroppers and bystanders with oh-so-wonderful pleasantries and familiarity. She's sure that as she is now, she can finally charm him-

Heather: *gives her award-winning sweet smile* Oh Prince Novis, I knew you looked familiar! It's so good to see you again! The glasses are quite a look!

Nova: *stares at her, wide-eyed, before slowly turning his head to make eye contact with Monochrome, as if searching for some answer*

Monochrome: *sighs heavily and shrugs, waving a hoof at him to go on*

Nova: ....*turns back to Heather just as slowly* I uh...do I know you?

Heather: *giggles. She can only guess how different she looks from her old drab self* 'Course you do, love~! We went to the same Friendship Academy! I was Heather Tart back then!

Nova: ....

Heather: We worked together during a few group projects~?

Nova: ....*slowly raises an eyebrow*

Heather: ...*sweats, smile slowly straining* Y-you and I earned some of the highest test scores in our grade, deary! Remember?

-Mentally, Heather finds herself recalling that they went to Friendship Elementary too. But of course he wouldn't remember that. He was always so interested in...Eventide. So much so, Heather could never capture his attention for long. Oh how she had loathed that. All because Eventide had connections with his family.
She patiently waits for him to ponder over it. Even if he can't remember right away, she knows a well-trained prince like himself would have the common decency to at least feign recognition.-

Nova: *breathes in deeply, shoulders rising...only for his whole posture to fall at once, staring at her cluelessly* Yeah no, I got nothing. Sorry.

-Heather can't stop her eye from twitching. Hearing a snerk, her gaze then shoots up to find Monochrome hiding half of their face behind their sketchbook. She doesn't need to see their mouth to notice the amused crinkle of their eyes.
Who knew the prince was so...blunt. But even if ponies are listening in, she still has a chance to recover. If anything, his memory failure would just look bad on him.-

Heather: *quickly pats his hoof* Oh don't worry! It has been a few years, my prince!

Nova: *strains a smile, one that looks nothing but forced and awkward* Stick with 'Nova'.

Heather: *laughs* How modest of you! But isn't that a little too familiar, Prince Novis-

Monochrome: *sighs in annoyance, shooting her a look* Maybe just respect a pony when they tell you what they prefer to be called.

Nova: Agreed...

Heather: (!) O-oh, of course! My apologies! *feels a bit nervous, seeing the uncomfortable edge to Nova's posture. Quickly changes the subject, bringing back her peppy tone* So what's been happening on your end, Sir Nova~? I'd love to know!

Nova: *perks up a bit* Oh. Well... *glances over at Monochrome. He lightens up, smiling brightly* Chrome and I are working on a big project together. So that's exciting.

-A vein bulges in Heather's head. For Monochrome, of all ponies, to be working with a prince-

Heather: *voice becomes a pitch higher* W-what kind of project?

Monochrome: That's a secret. *seeing Heather shoot them a tense look, the corner of their mouth lifts* All a part of the partnership, dear.

Nova: Yep!

Heather: *laughs stiffly* W-well, that's great, Sir Nova! *tightens her hold on his hooves. At least now she had an opening to truly impress him* I actually have a partnership myself with my dear husband! *winks* Surely you've heard of Reed Enterprise, our rapidly growing corporation right here in Canterlot! We've been quite the talk on the streets and in the local newspapers~

Nova: ...no actually.

Heather: A-ah...well! That's quite alright! If you've only been visiting, of course it would be difficult hearing about us!

Nova: *tilts head* Actually, I've been living here in Canterlot for...two? Three years now?

Heather: *sucks in a sharp breath*......and you've...never once heard of us.
-Nova and Monochrome exchange a matching blank glance, simultaneously returning their attention to the earth pony after-

Nova and Monochrome: No...

-Heather can physically feel her pride cracking. Her ears then catch a few whispers. Tensing, she's forced to remember the passing ponies and those still lingering nearby, no doubt listening in on this mess. She grits her teeth, determined for some way to save this conversation-

Heather: (!!) A-anyway! That reminds me! I'm holding a party tonight at our penthouse, to celebrate our new office building! If you're free, you absolutely should drop by~ *lifts her head proudly* You'll see many familiar influential faces, knowing you~ Miss Rarity and Fancy Pants himself will be attending! Oh they'd be just elated to see you, I'm sure!

Nova: *winces* Thanks. But I'd rather just...you know...stay home.

-Nova bobs his head in a continuous nod, his mouth pressed into a tight line while Heather waits for more of an explanation.

...none comes. Only awkward, empty silence fills the air between them-

Heather: Please, at least consider it! *eyes flick nervously, landing on Monochrome* (!) I'll even invite Monochrome! You could both come together!

-Though the thought of Monochrome attending exasperates her, Heather is convinced for a short moment that the offer has to be a selling point. However, something akin to a record scratch occurs. Nova shuts his eyes and shakes his head vigorously, as if uncertain if he had heard her right-

Nova: Wait wait, stop, hold up- *eyebrows draw in as he pulls his body a significant distance away from her* You invited me to some party, right in front of Chrome, and you were about to leave them out?

Heather: *caught off guard by how offended he looks, as if she had personally insulted him. She stumbles over herself for a proper response* W-well I just- I didn't think they'd enjoy such a scene-

Nova: Because they're not royalty, like me.

-With eyelids half-lidded, Nova raises a brow-
Heather: -feels a bit of panic, realizing attention is returning to them- Of course no-

-Heather suddenly feels something dry and...leathery against her leg. Glancing down, she's greeted by the sight of a large tortoise, dressed with goggles and a strange mechanism on its back, as it ever-so-slowly pushes its head into her foreleg, actually managing to move it back. Startled, Heather releases her hold on Nova to jerk away from the wrinkly thing-

Heather: What is that doing here?!

Nova: *frowns* Well that's weird...never seen him do that before. Hang on, buddy- *attempts to pick the tortoise up, only to grunt as he struggles with its weight*....C-Chrome...

Monochrome: *releases a breathy laugh, moving between the ponies to pick up their tortoise* Tank...were you trying to protect Nova from the strange lady?

Tank: *slowly nods his head*

Monochrome: *smiles fondly and rests their head against his* Good boy.

-Heather doesn't stop herself from finally shooting a glare at them, but swiftly drops it when Nova turns back around, eyeing her-

Nova: ...I have to say. Inviting ponies based on social stature alone is pretty shallow. And, like...a pretty awful way of making friends, I'd think. *glances away* I mean, I'm really not the 'life of the party' like you're probably imagining.

-Heather gapes, utterly dumbfounded. She then finally hears it; distant snorts of laughter, eagerly exchanged murmurs, a soft "damn" and "yikes".
The earth pony's face burns horrendously, that word echoing in her head. 'Shallow'. At once she wishes she could snap at him, for the impudence and sheer indecency.-

Monochrome: Nova...*eyes the table* I'm sorry to interrupt with tragic news, but...

Nova: *follows Mo's gaze and yelps, seeing his ice cream cup almost completely melted* Oh come on... I was looking forward to that.

Monochrome: *frowns at Nova's look of disappointment. They gently place Tank down and, reaching into their saddlebag, they hand the unicorn a few bits* Just go get another one. *pulls the melted cup towards their body* We can try it together and...have sugar comas later, I guess.

Nova: *snorts* Gee, how comforting...*shakes his head smiling* Thanks Chrome.
*awkwardly looks back at Heather one more time* I...guess that's it. Enjoy your party, uh...

Heather: *voice takes on a flatter tone* Lady Heather, sir.

Nova: *eyes her warily* Yeah...bye then.

-Nova proceeds towards the ice creams shop, entering it once more. Sitting there seething, Heather can't believe how much of a crude, ill-mannered stallion the Friendship Prince actually is. Nearby, Monochrome raises a brow at her.-

Monochrome: Something wrong? He was just being honest. I thought a beacon of honesty like yourself would appreciate that.

-Heather shoots a withering look at them, gritting her teeth to hold back words as she silently fumes. Monochrome cracks a smile, a glint in their eye-

Monochrome: *leans their head down to meet Heather's gaze evenly, softly whispering* Nice try, but...turns out I'm not afraid of you either.

Heather: *releases a soft growl, followed by a soft 'hmph' as she stands* If you would excuse me, I have actual business to tend to. Good day.

-With that, Heather dramatically opens her parasol and elegantly trots away, ignoring ponies in the immediate area as she hides away her injured pride. Monochrome simply takes a spoonful of their melted ice cream, barely containing a growing satisfied smile that they give to Tank-

Monochrome: Hopefully that'll humble her. For a while at least.
______________________________________

We momentarily skip ahead to present day, to see what Heather is up to.

We have one pony who's making a name in high society, and another who couldn't care less about that world after abandoning it. Put them together and you get one very, very amused Monochrome.

...who, with all of the drama going on, I almost forgot was originally written to be petty as fuck.
To those they think deserve it, at least. As seen in their introductory chapter, "Overpriced ".
Anyway! Believe it or not, this is the last chapter we'll be seeing Heather in who knows how long. Next chapter we'll be returning to Eventide's arc.
Heather originally was meant to simply fill the role of the ex-best friend who had emotionally traumatized Eve, and while I had some plans for her, she was meant to remain a minor character. But lo and behold, as I do with characters, she's become much more complex than planned aaaand well...there are ideas, but until the day comes for those to come to life, we won't have to deal with her for a while.
I will, though, be doing a bio for her to delve more into her character.

Meanwhile: Gosh I've wanted to write Monochrome and Nova interactions for so long...as you can see there's so much you guys haven't seen, events that are only explored in Nova's past arc, but because his arc is the longest of any character's in the cast, it'll be a bit of time before we delve into that story. Til then, here's a taste~

Lastly. As you can also see, I've changed up my method for script-style chapters! Hopefully this is much easier and cleaner to read than what it was before.

BACKGROUND FROM HERE!
Destinyverse Archives
Feat.
Monochrome Nova Spark

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