//------------------------------// // Paths Cross // Story: No Hugs for Sugar Crush // by FerociousCreation //------------------------------// Instead of lobbing herself at Mineral, Pinkie Pie tenaciously approached the stallion. She wanted to bombard him with questions, but Pinkie knew that would only cause him to flee as he did the night before when Saradiamond tried to stop him from leaving. When Pinkie got closer, she noticed he had a grocery bag floating beside him. “You’re up super early,” Pinkie said to him. Her voice startled the stallion and small bag he was levitating fell to the ground. “Oh shoot!” Mineral swore. He quickly picked the plastic sack and started to observe his potentially damaged goods. Way to go, Pinkie… Off to a good start. Mineral pulled out a plastic container from the bag, and within it, were strawberries. As he looked them over, Mineral said, “I can say the same to you as well.” “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” Pinkie admitted. “Uh- That being the Crystal Fayre business!” “I wouldn’t doubt planning for such an event would be difficult.” Mineral smiled after he finished rotating the box. “Good, none seem to be damaged,” he muttered. Thinking it would be an opportune time to get him to open up a little, Pinkie Pie figured small talk would be appropriate. “Have a hankering for some strawberries? You don’t seem to have a lot in your bag.” Mineral nodded, placing the fruits back into the bag and replacing it with a small plastic cylinder. “Let’s just say I’m catering to a thief’s appetite.” Pinkie Pie tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t follow…” The stallion rotated the container with an amused grin, “I’m sure you remember Sugar.” The name perked Pinkie’s interest. “I do!” she beamed. “You and her make a cute couple!” Mineral’s face lit up, “Heh, thanks.” Pinkie paused the urge to speak. A question quickly surfacing to her tongue, but she had to force it back down her throat. Let him talk. You might be able to get something out of this. Just get a grip on yourself. “Yesterday morning, Sugar helped me put away some of my groceries. And… well, she also helped herself by eating some of my strawberries.” “Are you getting more for her?” Pinkie asked. “In a manner of speaking.” Mineral stopped spinning the second item and showed it to the mare. “‘Cream cheese frosting…’” Pinkie read. “Did she rob you of your frosting as well?” “Oh no,” Mineral laughed. “I just want to surprise Sugar with a special breakfast.” A loud rumble interrupted the talk. Pinkie Pie flushed as she rubbed her stomach. “Sorry about that.” “Hey, strawberries coupled with cream cheese frosting sounds appetizing to me,” Mineral said. Pinkie recalled her last meal. “I know. I just didn’t have much to eat last night. I wasn’t all that hungry.” She shook her head, trying not to bring up yesterevening struggles. “I’ll admit that strawberries and frosting won’t make for an appropriate breakfast.” “Not unless you complement the two with pancakes,” Mineral countered as he placed the cylinder back into the bag. Pinkie Pie gasped and stepped forward with hungry eyes. “Now you’re talking!” The stallion backed up a few steps to gain some distance but continued to smile. Pinkie, slow down! You’re being too energetic! Even though Mineral’s idea for breakfast is genius. “You sort of remind me of Sugar,” Mineral said. “I do?” That certainly wasn’t expected. Mineral nodded, “Yes. Energetic in short bursts.” “Clearly you don’t know me,” Pinkie said as she sheepishly rubbed her foreleg. “I can be a little over-the-top in excessive bursts.” “So can Sugar. You should see her when she tries to hug me.” Mineral scanned over Pinkie Pie with a squint in his eye. “Besides, I don’t know much about you, so I can’t conclude that we’re incompatible.” Pinkie was very interested with Mineral’s behavior. Was he giving her a chance to talk with him? Or was he normally a talkative pony? She was about to find out. “Are you doing well this morning?” Pinkie asked, praying to Celestia, and for the first time, Twilight, that she wasn’t asking an extremely sensitive question. Wait, what was she thinking? Pinkie was asking a normal question. I need to calm down and stop having these inner monologues. It prevents plot progression. “I’m doing… fair,” Mineral answered. The corner of his mouth lifted and the stallion chuckled, “And I’m not referring to the Crystal Fayre.” A giggle and snort from Pinkie followed the simple joke. “You know, why do certain words sound the same? I mean, really? You’ve got the super duper place of fun, and then you have the ‘yeah, things or okay, I guess…’ word.” “Haha! You definitely are very similar to Sugar!” The compliment, while very appreciated, didn’t match up with how Pinkie remembered Sugar. “How so? I don’t see the similarities.” Mineral flashed his teeth, “There was this time where Morganite was explaining to Sugar that she writes for a magazine company and Sugar didn’t know what a magazine was.” “That’s interesting. Go on.” “When Morganite explained what a magazine was, she proposed to Sugar that the next issue of Morganite’s Mission should feature her Mineral Milk Cookie. And Sugar turned around and said, ‘How do my cookies solve your issue?’ HAAHAHAA!” “Really?! She said that?” Pinkie laughed and looked to the crystal pony guards who couldn’t help but be infected with smiles. “Can you guys believe she said that?” The crystal heart spun around a few times, grabbing Pinkie Pie’s attention from her fit of giggles. “Woah! Did you see that?” Once Mineral got a bearing on his breathing, he blinked at the magical stone. “Oh, yeah, I did.” “You seem unimpressed with it. If I ever had a rock spin around when I said a joke, my life on my old rock farm would have been much more amusing.” Mineral rose a brow, “You lived on a rock farm?” “Yes indeedy!” “I never would have guessed. You seem so cheerful and happy.” The stallion looked at the floor and tapped at his reflection. “Then again, Sugar is the same even though she was trapped on the moon most of her life.” One of Pinkie Pie’s questions was answered without her even asking. “So that’s where they come from!” she said, her brows raised. “Wow, didn’t know my friends and I saved two types of ponies!” Mineral returned his eyes to the crystal heart, admiring the glowing stone. “You certainly saved the most unique species, the thestrals. From the time of my banishment to our return, I never knew thestrals were banished to the moon.” Mineral’s gaze fell to the base of the crystal’ heart’s spire. “It makes me wonder…” Pinkie blinked at the crystal pony curiously. “About what?” He dismissed the question with a shake of his head, “It’s nothing.” “You don’t have to talk about it,” Pinkie Pie nodded respectfully. “Thanks.” Mineral sighed, his head nor eyes moving from the artifacts base. “But you can talk to me about why you are doing fairly,” Pinkie added, unable to resist offering her hoof. She figured it wasn’t too abrasive. “I may not be the Great and Glorious Spike everypony here wants to talk to, but if you’d like to, I’ll do what I can.” The crystal heart twirled a few rotations, snatching Mineral’s eye. He turned to Pinkie Pie and lifted himself to a much less weighed down posture. Mineral smiled at her, “I’m getting a case of deja vu.” Something in Mineral made him hesitate, but he pressed on. “I wouldn’t mind. After all, you saw everything that happened between me, Sugar, and Saradiamond. I’m sure you are curious about what’s going on.” “I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t,” Pinkie said. Mineral gestured away from the heart, “Shall we?” “Walk and talk?” Pinkie Pie beamed. “We shall! But before you start, I think it is fair to tell you exactly why I’m here.” *** “Interesting,” Mineral hummed. “A map that sends Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends to various corners of Equestria to solve friendship problems.” “Yup, yup, yup!” Pinkie confirmed, bouncing up and down. The purple stallion grinned at the sky. “So that explains the audience I had last night.” The smile didn’t last for long. “I apologize for being so blunt last night. There was all so much to take in.” “You were in every right to be upset,” Pinkie countered. “And trust me, there was a lot to take in on my part. Remember, I’m here to solve a friendship problem and I need to get an idea of what’s going on from all sides. So I understand.” Mineral squinted an eye, “Even on Saradiamond’s side?” Pinkie Pie’s throat bobbed. “‘Even Saradiamond’s side.’” “And what did she have to say?” Mineral grumbled. Pinkie Pie knew how to answer, even though the name might be a punch to Mineral’s gut. “She certainly loved talking about Nebula.” Mineral stopped in his tracks, his last hoof clicking loudly on the sidewalk. Worried she touched a nerve, Pinkie Pie followed up with, “As well as how much she cares about Sugar.” Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Mineral’s expression turned into a scowl. “Did Saradiamond tell you how much she despised me?” “She… went on a bit of a rant about you.” Pinkie Pie lightly tapped her hoof on the ground, afraid more hatred would be unveiled. Instead, Mineral just shook his head. “Typical,” he whispered. Mineral’s original tone returned to him. “I’m honestly surprised Saradiamond spilled her true opinion about me onto you, while Sugar said that Saradiaomond only told her that I was a heartbreaker and that was that.” “Maybe there was a reason why she never told Sugar,” Pinkie Pie said. “Maybe. Perhaps she was trying to move on from Nebula.” Mineral started forward again, and Pinkie Pie went after him. “I started to once Sugar came into my life.” The absence of Nebula burdened Pinkie Pie’s mood. Every friendship problem before involved all friends talking to each other. Not this one. “I can only imagine what Sugar was going through when she learned about Saradiamond’s disgust against me,” Mineral sighed. “She’s so easily burdened with worry.” “You should have seen her yesterday,” Pinkie Pie said, recalling the guilt she felt as she pummeled Sugar with questions. “She was so resistant when I asked Sugar about Nebula and her relationship with the Vamponies.” Mineral rose a brow, “How did you learn about the Vamponies?” “‘Morganite’s Mission.’” “Hmm…” The stallion didn’t stop walking, but his speed slowed. “I didn’t know Morganite interviewed Saradiamond or Steadfast. What did the interview entail?” “Their origin as to how they became a team. It went into some detail about Nebula, but when Morganite asked what happened to her, it was Steadfast, I think, that said she wasn’t on the team for personal reasons. Nothing about you was said.” “Interesting.” Mineral pursed his lips. “I’m surprised Saradiamond didn’t put me on blast. Still, can now I understand why Morganite didn’t bring up the Vamponies to me.” “Are you… upset that so many secrets were kept from you?” The two quickly turned down the entrance of the Emerald District, Mineral’s gaze turning toward one of the shiny green crystal homes. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to feel. I wanted to move on from Saradiamond and her constant anger.” Mineral glared at his reflection on the ground. “But on the opposite side of the coin, now that Saradiamond knows about Sugar being associated with me, I really wonder if Saradiamond will tear me away from the mare I love.” Pinkie’s reflection appeared beside Mineral’s and smiled. ‘You don’t have to worry about that. After Steadfast told her about you and Sugar, Saradiamond reassured that she did not want to get in either of your ways.” Mineral looked at the real Pinkie Pie. “But does Saradiamond mean that?” Pinkie Pie opened her mouth but somepony ahead of her grabbed her attention. Further down the street, a pony glazed in blue stood at the very end. Mineral squinted at the pony on the approach, his voice trembling. “That’s not her, is it?” Pinkie answered the latter question, “Looks like you have the chance to ask Saradiamond about her true intentions."