//------------------------------// // Deceptive Honesty // Story: Discord vs. Harmony: The Greeting-Card Industry Strikes Back // by SoloBrony //------------------------------// Minuette gave a happy sigh as they trotted to the hotel. "That was amazing!" Marble just smiled and pressed into her date with a smile. "Mmmmhm." "And could you believe the fireworks? I mean, Trixie usually goes for big, loud, flashy stuff. The little glowing butterflies, that was something else!" Marble giggled. That had been her favorite part of the show; the finale, rather than being big and explosive, had been soft and romantic. This 'Trixie' had really delivered. "Thank you for taking me." "Oh, my pleasure! I mean, I can't really take full credit. I didn't even know there was going to be a show in Ponyville until I got my tickets!" Marble leaned her head away slightly to give Minuette a curious look, prompting a shrug and smile from the mare. "I got my tickets for winning some kind of 'dentist's appreciation raffle'. I don't know the details, but apparently they give vacations away to dentists each year or something!" Marble considered that. Altogether, it sounded fishy. "That... sounds kinda suspicious." Minuette laughed. "I thought so too, but it's not like I had to sign any papers with weird fine print or anything. Everypony knows better than to chase a 'free vacation' that has paperwork involved. I just got a congratulatory letter with a ticket saying that I needed a plus-one. I'd been planning to set up a date anyway, but this arrived at just the perfect time!" Marble hummed at that and thought about it. Had Pinkie somehow set this up? Or somepony else? Well, that seemed kind of far-fetched. Honestly, who even knew the two of them were dating? It wasn't like they were celebrities. Minuette let them into the hotel room, and immediately flopped down on one of the beds. "I'm beat! We should get some rest so we can tackle a full day of Ponyville tomorrow. Hey, I never got to say this earlier, but wow you guys were not kidding about smashing rocks with your bare hooves, huh? That strength was crazy!" Marble froze up a bit. She chewed over her cheek a bit, contemplating whether to talk about it. She'd noticed how much stronger she was, of course, but the reason for that... "Well... Maud left the farm, like I mentioned... and Limestone's been kind of depressed lately. I've, umm... I've had to fill in. A lot." Minuette whistled. "Two and a half workers' worth of chores on a rock farm, huh? No wonder you were too busy to see me, especially come harvest season. You've got super strength now, though!" "I, umm, I wouldn't call it super strength..." Minuette smirked and narrowed her eyes at Marble, and then at the stone wall nearby. "Hey. Think you could punch a hole right through that?" Marble glanced at the wall. "Granite... half a foot thick..." Of course she could. Granted, this wall had been reinforced with wood and was properly cut and treated, but she broke harder structures than this on a daily basis back at the farm. "... Probably. No, I could. Definitely." Marble hid a bit behind her mane, but she just heard Minuette laugh good-naturedly. "That's awesome, Marble! You should be proud of that! You're like a farmpony superhero!" Marble just smiled and trotted further into the room. Minuette was already snuggling under the covers, and Marble realized she had a choice to make. Did she go to her own bed, or... try to join Minuette? The thought elicited a squeak from her, and she felt heat crawling up her neck. She had already been so forward tonight... but then again, Minuette had hardly seemed to mind. On the other hoof, she might take it the wrong way, too... Minuette cracked an eye open. "Marble? You okay?" Marble looked over at Minuette quickly. "Mmm... mmmmhm." Minuette sat up in bed. "What's wrong?" Marble shuffled a bit on her hooves. Her nerves were rattling full force, making her shake a bit. This somehow felt like a really big deal all of a sudden. "Umm... w-where do I s-s-sleep?" "Wherever you want!" Minuette just gave an innocent smile. Marble almost wondered if she didn't catch her meaning. She took a deep breath. "W-where do you want me to s-s-sleep?" It was Minuette's turn to look a bit nervous. She coughed lightly into her hoof. "I, uh... I picked a two-bed room so you could choose, Marble. I wasn't really sure if you'd want to, y'know... share one." There was a tense pause. Minuette seemed to realize the issue after a second. "But, I'd like to if you'd like to. No pressure." Marble let out a relieved sigh and trotted over towards Minuette's bed. She had already pulled back the covers and started to climb in when she saw that Minuette was blushing furiously and averting her gaze. "Minuette? I-is this alright?" Minuette nodded hurriedly. "Yeah! I'm just, y'know... it's not, er, I've never really shared a bed with anypony." "Really?" Marble was surprised. She'd had to share beds with her sisters before, so it didn't strike her as being as big of a deal. Though that didn't mean she wasn't already turning funny colors. "Yeah. But, well..." Minuette took a deep breath. "I mean, it's not something you can do wrong, right...?" Marble slid into the covers, and pulled Minuette in tight, snuggling against her. "It takes a little getting used to, and I've never, uh, been this close to anypony before, but don't worry." Minuette seemed to almost melt in her embrace, curling into her effortlessly. Before long, both mares had passed into deep slumber.