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// Prologue: Who's That? 
// Story: One Crazy Pairing (Stone) 
// by Jhoira 
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"Who's that?" Limestone looked over her shoulder to see her little sister Marble peaking through the window, the quiet question coming from her. Limestone turned back to look at the strange creature humming happily to itself as it came up the path leading to the Pie family rock farm. Limestone narrowed her eyes at the creature, Mother and Father were in town at a meeting of the town elders so they were perfectly safe. She didn't know for sure that this creature was a threat but it was better safe than sorry was Limestones rule in life. She stood up to go and deal with the possible intruder.

"I don't know but I'm gonna go deal with it."

Marble squirmed, getting herself into a more comfortable position for her window peaking, smiling at her sister. "Try to be nice..."

"I'll be nice enough... Now go back inside."

"I am inside."

"You know what I meant!"

Marble whined a little. "But she looks interesting!"

Limestone groaned, why was her sister obsessed with everything new!? Couldn't she just live peacefully on the rock farm until the pairing stone said it was time for her to get married? That's what Limestone was doing! And Maud! Well, she wasn't living on the farm but when the pairing stone set her up with that... Limestone couldn't remember his name but he was a perfect fit for Maud. Pinkie was, of course, the aberration in their family but she always had been, from the recent letter Pinkie had started a relationship with a zebra of all creatures!... Whatever that was!... Oh, maybe this was a zebra. If so Limestone could be more generous and invite it to dinner, in exchange for information on zebras of course. "We don't need interesting things here Marble! We have Holder's Boulder!"

Despite Limestone's glare directed back at her timid sister, Marble was sitting there, adamantly watching the new pony approach and Limestone just grunted. Not much she could do about Marble's obsession with new things, she was sure that Marble wouldn't let it get out of hand like Pinkie did and run off with whatever this thing was, ignoring the pairing stone's guidance. Limestone trotted down the front porch of their house and started out towards the strange creature.

Autumn Blaze saw the grey pony coming towards her and waved at her happily, Autumn Blaze was always happy to make new friends, and ponies were all so friendly! Start a conversation with five ponies and you somehow walk away with six new friends. Autumn Blaze was trying to find her way to Ponyville to meet visit her friend Applejack, but she'd gotten lost. Not really a surprise as she had never left the peaks. She had a map in her saddlebags but it hadn't helped her much so far. Autumn Blaze raised her hoof and waved excitedly at Limestone. ”Hey! I'm lost can you give me directions?”

Limestone was quite pleased with that turn of events. She could get rid of the creature quick, and Marble could stop ogling at it like she had that big red stallion from the Apple family. Limestone swore, anypony that Marble didn't know she immediately developed a crush on. That was of course on the assumption the creature wasn't trying to trick them... ”Yeah? Where you trying to get?”

”Oh I'm trying to find my way to Ponyville! Sweet Apple Acres! You see my friend Applejack lives there and she said that I could come visit sometime! You see she came to help us Kirin when they were all quiet and couldn't talk! But I could talk, so they kicked me out! But then Applejack and her friend showed up and they convinced the Kirin it was okay to talk! Then we couldn't find any of the flowers that made me able to talk again so we went out searching and...”

”Okay! I get it!” Limestone wasn't much of a talker, she didn't like talkers except her sister Pinkie, but this creature! By Holder's Boulder Limestone was glad she had a quick problem and could be sent away after that, though the directions were a bit involved from the Pie farm, Limestone was a grouch, she wasn't going to abandon some pony on the road, she wasn't evil!... Unless that pony was a threat to her family!... Which even Limestone had to admit didn't appear to be the case. However, as Limestone opened her mouth she saw one of the messenger stallions running up the road.

The stallion called out immediately when he got into earshot. "Limestone Pie! Your father requires your presence at the meeting of the elders!"

Limestone blinked, completely taken off guard. She had attended the meeting with her father before, whenever her mother was too busy or every once and a while when she had been feeling under the weather but Limestone had never been urgently called to one. She nodded to the stallion looking at Autumn Blaze. "Gotta go, Marble ca... Nevermind. There's another farm up the road, they'll give you directions!" And with that, without even a goodbye Limestone ran off after the messenger stallion who had already turned around and was heading back to town.

Autumn Blaze looked after them then shrugged. "Well guess it's just me and you again Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands." She looked at her shadow, grinning then turning around and starting her way back up the path away from the Pie rock farm.