//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Limes and a Side of Chris 
// by RomeoDKat 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4
Limestone practically collapsed on the couch breathing a sigh of relief. Between having to mine stones that only formed deep in the family mine, getting them out of the mine, and making sure that what she mined was usable made today a very rough for her. So, when her sister offered to get the mail for her, she was more than happy to oblige. Besides, the only thing that would make the chore worth it would be a letter from Chris.
It’s been a couple of months since she visited Chris in Ponyville. The two of them continued to write to each other regularly to keep each other updated on what they had been doing. This continued up until two weeks ago when Chris suddenly stopped writing again, though Limestone wasn’t surprised by that this time. In his last letter, Chris explained that he decided to look for a job to help keep his mind off not being able to go back home. She guessed that he was focused on trying to get a job, but that didn’t stop Limestone from feeling disheartened. Granted, a small part of her wanted to offer him a job at the rock farm, but she kept going back on it in fear that he wouldn’t want the life she lives.
When she suddenly heard the front door open and close, she looked over to see her sister, Marble Pie, walk into the living room with a stack of letters sticking out of her mouth. She placed the letters on the table before she turned to Limestone. “Wanna look through them?” She quietly asked.
“Nah, you can sort ’em. I’m too tired to lift a hoof.” Limestone lazily replied. Marble gave her a short nod before she took a seat on a chair and began to sort the mail. Limestone decided to close her eyes and rest as much as she could before dinner. She laid there for a few seconds before she suddenly heard her sister squeaked out.
“Oh, sis, this one’s addressed to you!”
“Really, who’s it from?” Limestone asked as she stretched herself out.
“It’s from Chris.” Marble chirped.
“What?!” Limestone exclaimed in excitement. With a sudden burst of energy, she tackled Marble, knocking both her and the chair over, in a mad attempt to get the letter. Once the letter was in her grasp, she hopped back on the couch and opened the letter to read it.
Dear Limestone,
Sorry it’s been a while, but you know how job searching can go, because to be honest with you it sucked! Hardly anyone in this town is hiring. And everyone I tried to apply to would turn me down for one reason or another. I even tried the spa for crying out loud! You’d think that being the one guy in this town with hands and fingers would be an instant hire for them, but they insisted that they were completely staffed. Actually, now that I think about it, just about everyone insisted that. Of course, that probably was the case for some of the shops, though I’m doubtful of that one fan store that said that they forgot to take the help wanted sign down.
Thankfully, Twilight noticed the trouble I was having and decided to offer me a job as her castle’s librarian. Wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do with myself, but she pays well, and I don’t have to worry about food or housing. So, I decided that it was better than nothing and took the job. She tries to keep me busy, but a good bit of the time I just sit around and make sure that nothing’s out of place. More productive than moping around in my room I suppose. Anyway, just thought I’d let you know how I’ve been and that I’ve pretty much finished my job searching. Hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Chris
Limestone placed the letter down feeling a little miffed. She was glad that he was able to get a job, but that still didn’t stop her from feeling annoyed by the shopkeepers in Ponyville. She snorted before turning to her sister and said, “Can you believe this crap, sis?”
Marble Pie, who had been lying on the floor the entire time, glared daggers into Limestone. “No, sis, I can’t believe that somepony who said that she was too tired to move would trample me a minute later.” She curtly replied.
Limestone flinched back before she chuckled nervously. “Sorry about that. Guess I got a little too excited.” She replied bashfully.
“Mhmm.” Marble responded in annoyance. “Now, what were you talking about?”
“Well, I just couldn’t believe that nopony would hire him.” She explained as her frustration came back. “Some of them probably even turned him away just because he’s a human, regardless of whether they needed more workers or not. He had to resort to getting a pity job with the princess. Can you believe that?! I mean, do you know how useful he could be to ponies?” She asked rhetorically.
“You know, you should have asked him to move here since you like him so much.” Marble stated matter-of-factly.
“W-what?!” Limestone exclaimed as a blush formed on her face. “What in Tartarus do you mean by that?!”
Marble flinched back after Limestone’s outburst. “W-well, you really don’t allow somepony to stay here unless they work here. So, if Chris moved here, then he would have to work at the farm with us. Right?” Marble explained as she hid part of her face behind her mane.
Limestone’s eyes widened when she realized that all her sister was suggesting was that they should offer Chris a job as she started to blush out of embarrassment. “Oh, right. I mean… I wouldn’t mind letting him move here and letting him work for us. Why else would we have him here?” She nervously tried to recover.
“Well…probably because you like him…a lot.” Marble carefully answered.
“Hmph, yeah right. As if I could like him like that. What makes you think I do?” She asked in an unconvincing tone.
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve never really seen you happy before you met Chris.” Marble replied.
Limestone immediately shot Marble with a confused look. “What are you talking about? I’ve been happy before.” She argued.
“Yeah, but that was over small things like Pinkie’s first surprise party or when we celebrated Heart’s Warming with the Apples. Then you’d go back to your usual grumpy self. But ever since you started being friends with Chris, you’ve looked less miserable, you’re not gruff with us, and every time you get a letter from Chris, you smile wider than what I’ve ever seen you smile before.” Marble explained.
“R-really?” Limestone bashfully asked. She never thought about how she’d been acting since she met Chris. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that her sister was right.
“Hey, sis?” Marble said as she jumped on the couch and sat next to Limestone. “You said you wouldn’t mind having Chris move here, right?” Limestone nodded. “So, why is that?” Marble asked.
“Well…” Limestone trailed off as she thought about the question. “He is pretty tall, so he can reach places that none of us can. He can probably use a pickaxe better than we can. Oh, and he can carry rocks in his hands better than we can with our hooves.” She explained as she mainly thought of ways he’d be useful to the farm.
“Okay. Any other reason, sis?” Marble asked with a raised eyebrow.
Limestone frowned as she tried to think of other reasons she would want him on the farm. “Well, being able to talk to him more often would be nice. I mean, letters are nice and all, but I like being able to talk to him more. Especially if the two of us are working together. I’d probably be able to get to know him better as well. And then when we’re done working, then maybe he’d let me rest my head on him as we rant about our day. Maybe give me a message to help me feel more relaxed at the end of the day. And then we could end the day by snuggling on the couch and…and…” Limestone began to trail off as she realized something. Everything she was talking about was for her and not for the farm. And the more she talked about Chris being with her, the more her heart started to race. In that moment she realized something that made her happy and terrified her at the same time. “I…I really do like him.” She said barely above a whisper.
“Mhmm.” Marble confirmed with a small smile and a nod.
Limestone sat there with a blank look for a few moments, not really knowing how to process this realization. She suddenly turned to Marble and grabbed her by the shoulders as she exclaimed, “Marble, what am I supposed to do?!”
“Um, what do you mean?” Marble asked feeling confused and concerned.
“What do you mean, ‘what do I mean?’ I’ve never liked a stallion like this before. How do I tell him?! How is he going to react?! Is he going to want anything to do with me?! I mean…what would you do if you liked a stallion?” Limestone frantically asked.
“Hide under the bed?” Marble simply answered.
“…Okay, what would Pinkie do in this situation?” Limestone asked after giving Marble a deadpanned glare.
“Probably chase the stallion down until he relents.”
“…Okay, what would ma do in this situation?”
“I’m pretty sure she just let a rock dictate her who soulmate was going to bed?”
“…Okay, how about-” Limestone tried to ask before she was interrupted.
“Limestone, you need to stop!” Marble exclaimed. She then took a deep breath before she began to calmly speak. “Sis, you need to understand that this isn’t about Pinkie, ma, or me. This is about you. This is about you liking a stallion that you’ve cared about for months. Right now, you’re letting that affect how you’re trying to respond to those feelings. You’re worried about how somepony else is going to think of you when you’ve never been a pony who’s cared about that. You’ve always done what you wanted and speaks her mind regardless of what others think of you. And right now, you need to let this stallion know that you’re interested in him and you need to act the way you normally act when you do it.”
“But… what if he doesn’t like me like that?” Limestone sadly asked.
“Then that’s his decision to make. Although if you ask me, you’ve already been on the right track.” Marble responded.
“What do you mean?” Limestone asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, he was the one that sent the first letter and you’ve been able to know more about him.” Marble replied as she picked the letter up from the table. “The two of you have spent months staying connected through your letters. And when he was going through that rough patch, he let you come in to try to comfort him. That’s gotta mean something about how much you mean to him. As far as I’m concerned, he wants you in his life.”
Limestone sat there silently as she thought about everything her sister just told her. She’s right, he was the one that sent the first letter. And he let me comfort him when nopony else was able to. Of course, that doesn’t mean that he’s romantically interested in me, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t tell him how I feel about him. But…how can I tell him through a letter? She asked herself as she looked over to the shelves where they kept the blank parchment and writing utensils. After a few seconds, a determined frown formed on her face as she thought. No, this isn’t something I can tell him through a letter. There’s only one way that I can tell him. She then turned to her sister and asked, “Hey sis, I know this is kinda abrupt, but you don’t mind if I go to Ponyville tomorrow?”
“Mhmm.” Marble shook her head with a smile.
“Thanks sis.” Limestone said as she got off the couch. “Better make sure that I have enough bits for tomorrow.” She said as she climbed up the stairs.



When Limestone had gotten on the train late the next morning, she felt determined and confident in herself. Now, as she faced the Castle of Friendship in the early evening, all of that determination and confidence had morphed in nervousness and anxiety. This was a lot easier when I wasn’t in front of the place he lives and works. She thought to herself as she took a deep breath. Well, I’ve gotten this far, so I might as well get this over with as soon as possible. She then slowly walked up and gave the castle doors a firm knock. She only waited for a few seconds before the door suddenly opened to reveal Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh, Limestone Pie, it’s good to see you again.” Twilight greeted.
“Uh, yeah you too.” Limestone nervously answered.
“I take it you’re here to see Chris again?” Twilight asked as she stepped aside.
“Yeah, I just wanted to check up on him. He told me that he became your librarian.” Limestone said as she walked in.
“Yeah.” Twilight solemnly replied. “I think that he would have like it more if he had a job outside of the castle. Heck, I would have liked it if he was able to do that too. But there’s not much we can do about that.” She then gave Limestone a small smile as she said, “Come on, I’ll show you to the library.” She then began to walk down the hall with Limestone close behind.
“So, how’s he doing?” Limestone asked along the way.
“I think he’s doing better.” Twilight responded. “I think he’s still coming to terms with the fact that he’s going to stay in Equestria for the rest of his life. Finally having a job has probably been a good distraction for him, but he’ll still need some more time to cope.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Limestone responded as she began to wonder if coming to confess her feelings to Chris was a good idea.
“Alright, here’s the library.” Twilight suddenly announced as she stopped to point at a door that, to Limestone, looked identical to all the other oversized doors in the castle. “He should be inside.”
“Thank you, princess.” Limestone said with a nod. Twilight nodded back before turning around and walking off. Limestone then turned the door and took a deep breath. Well, this is it. Limestone thought as she slowly opened the door and looked inside.
The first thing she noticed was the sheer number of books that were in the circular shaped room. Most of the shelves were so high that she’d need a ladder to reach them. “Hey Twilight, anything you need me to-” She heard a familiar male voice. She looked over to where she saw a bunch of chairs surround a table. Sitting in one of them, with a book opened in his hands, was Chris staring at her with a surprised look on his face. “L-Limestone?!” He exclaimed in disbelief.
“Uh…hey.” Limestone said with a shy smile.
“What are you doing here?” He asked as he put the book down and got up from the chair.
“Well, I uh…just wanted to see how you’re doing.” She managed to answer.
“I’m not going to complain about that.” He said as he walked over to her. “So, what’s new with you?” He asked when he was right in front of her.
Limestone shrugged her shoulders before she spoke, “Nothing much. Just the same old stuff at the family farm. What about you? How’s the job treating you?”
“Eh…” Chris began to say before shrugging his shoulders. “It’s alright. Twilight tries to find ways to keep me busy, but most of the time I’m pretty much getting paid to read books all day.”
“Well, I guess it’s better than nothing.” She responded with a small smile. There was a small silence between them before Limestone suddenly said, “Hey, why don’t we go out?” She then flinched back when she realized what she just asked. No, Limestone, you idiot. What are you doing?! You can’t just ask him out now!
“Uh, okay…why?” Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Uh…” Limestone dragged out as she tried to think of a way to recover from her blunder. “…To celebrate you getting a job.” Limestone offered with a nervous smile.
“Um…okay, sure.” He said as he looked up at the clock. “Four fifty-five. I guess I could go for an early dinner. Let me get some bits first.” He said as he walked towards the door.
“Oh no. I’ll pay for it.’ Limestone exclaimed. Oh, come on, Limestone. Turning this into a date.
“Okay…are you sure?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Of course. I brought plenty of bits with me. I should have enough to cover the both of us.” She exclaimed with a nervous smile.
Chris just starred at her for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever you say. Come on, I know a good place for us to eat.” He said as he began to head towards the exit.
“Alright.” Limestone answered with a small smile as she followed him. The walk to the restaurant was quiet between the two of them. Limestone didn’t know what was going on in Chris’s head. But, if she was honest with herself, she didn’t know what was going on in her head either. Part of her was overjoyed that she was going to have dinner with Chris. Another part of her was nervous and terrified that she might do something to screw it up as a result.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, the two of them reached a restaurant that had several tables outside. Chris went up to one of the tables and said, “Let’s sit at this one. One of the waiters inside is good about watching the tables for customers. Of course, I’m usually with Twilight when I come here, and you know how everyone gets to appease their down to earth princess.” He added with a hint of sarcasm.
Limestone couldn’t help but chuckle as she took a seat at the table. “Let me guess, the first time you were here, they were all like, ‘we’ll do anything you command, princess’ before turning to you and saying, ‘what in Tartarus are you?’” She jokingly said.
“You’re honestly not far off.” Chris said with a bemused grin as he took a seat.
At that moment, a unicorn waiter showed up, two menus levitating along with him. “Thank you for dining with us this evening. May I get you something to drink?” He asked.
“Just a water is fine.” Chris replied.
“I’ll have a water too.” Limestone added in.
The waiter nodded as he walked back inside the restaurant. Limestone then picked up the menu and began to look through it. “So, uh, what are you getting?” She asked.
“Just a fruit salad. It’s like…one of three things I can eat here.” Chris stated, not even bothering to look at his menu.
Limestone gave him a confused frown at that. “Why is that?” She asked.
“Well, it’s simply because I can’t eat most of the food that ponies eat.” He explained.
“…Really?” She asked.
“Yeah. I can’t digest things like hay and daffodils.”
“Hug, you never told me that.” She stated with a bit of a frown. “Do you eat rocks?”
Chris flinched as he raised an eyebrow with a bemused smile. “No, can’t say that I do. Why? Do you?”
“Yeah, I do. Haven’t I told you that before?” She curtly asked.
“No, you haven’t.” He said. He chuckled as he said, “Guess there’s still some things we don’t know about each other, right?”
“Yeah. You’re not weirded out or anything?’ She asked, remembering how the Apple family reacted to the rock soup they had during Hearth’s Warming Eve.
“Not really, I’ve seen weirder.” Chris replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
It was at that moment that the waiter came back levitating two glasses of iced water. “Here are your waters.” He said as he placed each glass in front of them. “Are you ready to order?”
“Yeah, I’ll have the fruit salad.” Chris replied.
“Of course. And for you, ma’am?” He asked as he turned to Limestone.
“Um…” Limestone trailed on as she made one last glance at the menu. “I’ll just have a daffodil sandwich with a side of hay fries.”
“Alright. I’ll be back with your orders.” The waiter said as he took the menus and walked back inside the restaurant.
While the two of them waited for their food, Chris suddenly asked, “Hey, Limestone, wanna know something?”
“What?” She asked.
“This is probably the one place I didn’t try to apply to.” He said with an amused smile.
Limestone couldn’t believe what he said as she frowned at him. “Why didn’t you? I mean, you were desperate for a job, right?” She asked.
“I was, but I already knew that I wasn’t going to last long here.” He replied.
“Why do you say that?”
“Cause I’ve tried working in the restaurant industry when I worked at a diner back when I was working in school. Long story short, I sucked as a water and was even worse as a cook. Then when they moved me to dishwasher, they fired me for, and I quote, ‘slamming the dishwasher too hard.’” He said sarcastically.
“…That’s a thing?” She asked in disbelief.
“Apparently.” He stated with a shrug. “I don’t think the ponies here would have fired me for that, but that doesn’t mean that I’d enjoy the work.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what’s more ridiculous. Getting fired for that or the excuses some of the ponies made for not hiring you.” Limestone scoffed offhandedly.
“Eh, a little of both.” He replied. “Besides, they weren’t all bad. For example.” He said pointing a finger at Sugar Cube Corner. “The couple at that bakery over there told me that between their current expenses and raising their kids, they can’t really afford hiring me, no matter how much they would like the extra help. Several of the market stands were the same way.” He explained. “But still getting denied by everyone like that was still…” He solemnly trailed off.
“Disheartening.” Limestone offered.
“Yeah.” He said as his head fell slightly.
“Hey, look on the bright side. You still got that job from Twilight.” Limestone pointed out, trying to make him feel better.
He scoffed before saying, “Yeah, a pity job where I mostly just sit around and read. Maybe I’ll have a mess to clean up or reorganize the library on occasion, but that’s so far and few between that it’s plainly obvious that Twilight really doesn’t need me around.” He sarcastically stated.
There was a small silence between them before Limestone asked, “Is that how you really feel about the job?”
Chris sighed before saying, “Yeah, I do.”
Limestone just frowned at him silently for a moment. “Yeah, well look at it this way. At least you got a job. Sure, it’s not the job you were looking for and you’re not the biggest fan of how you got it, but it’s probably the best thing for you given the situation. Besides, if you really don’t like the job then you can continue looking for another job, right?” Limestone asked as she subconsciously pushed her hoof forward to rest on one of Chris’s hands.
“Yeah…I guess you’re right about that.” Chris replied with a small grin. The two of them sat there for a few moments before Chris suddenly said, “Um, Limestone?”
“Hmm.” She hummed in acknowledgment.
“How long are you planning on holding my hand?” He asked as he glanced down at the table.
Limestone gave him a confused frown before she looked down at the table. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that she was indeed holding his hand. “Oh, sorry.” She hastily said as she quickly pulled her hoof away. What the hell was I thinking?! Why did I just do that?! She thought as a blush formed on her face.
“Hey, are you feeling okay?” Chris asked.
“Yeah…” She hastily replied. “I just…uh.” She stammered out as she tried to think of an excuse.
“Here are your orders.” The waiter said as he suddenly arrived with two plates of food levitating in his magic.
“Thank you!” Limestone exclaimed as her food was put in front of her. Of course, she was more thankful about the distraction than the food arriving. After the waiter placed Chris’s salad down and walked away, Limestone asked, “Shall we dig in?” She took a bite out of her sandwich before Chris could reply.
“Alright.” Chris replied with a raised eyebrow as he began to eat his salad.
The meal was relatively quiet between the two friends, something that Limestone was thankful for that gave her the opportunity to try to think through the situation. Key word, try. Every attempt she made to start some small talk was stopped out of fear that she would make this outing more awkward than what it already was. By the time the both of them were done eating, the only word that was spoken from Limestone was to get the waiter’s attention to pay the check.
Once the bill was paid, Chris got up and asked, “So, are you staying the night or are you going home?”
“I think I’ll go home. Didn’t exactly plan on spending the night.” Limestone replied as she got up.
“Alright, want me to walk you to the train station?” He asked.
“Uh…sure.” Limestone replied with a bit of a blush on her face.
With a nod, Chris walked towards the train station with Limestone walking alongside him. The walk was quiet between them, with Limestone looking everywhere but at Chris. While she was trying to think of something, she was subconsciously moving closer to Chris. This continued until Chris suddenly said, “Uh, Limestone what are you doing?”
Limestone looked over at Chris and flinched when she was flush up against his leg. “N-nothing.” She choked out as she took a step back.
Chris suddenly grabbed Limestone’s shoulders, forcing her to stop and face him. “Alright, that’s a load of crap.” He said with a frown.
“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Limestone exclaimed, feeling a mix between feeling flustered and frustrated.
“What I mean is that there’s something going on with you and you’re trying to hide it. I mean…the dinner, holding my hand, and now this. I…what’s going on, Limestone?” He asked.
Limestone’s eyes glanced all over the place as she tried to think about what to do next. When here eyes landed on a park bench. She took a deep breath before looking at Chris and asking, “Can we sit down first…before I tell you?”
Chris looked over to the park bench and stood there for a few seconds before saying, “Alright, come on.” The two of them walked over to the bench and took a seat. The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes before it was broken by Chris. “So, what’s going on?” He asked.
Limestone took another deep breath before she began to speak, “So, I didn’t exactly ask you to dinner to celebrate you getting that job, because I knew it was a pity job…” She began to explain before trailing off.
“Alright, so why did you ask me out to dinner?” He asked.
“…I was asking you out on a date?” Limestone finally admitted.
Chris gave her a confused frown before his eyes widened. “Wait, by date you mean-” He began to ask.
“Yes, a real date!” She exclaimed.
Chris flinched back at that. “W-wait, really?! But, why?”
“Because I like you, Chris.” Limestone began to explain. “And I mean more than a friend. I don’t know if it’s love or a fling. I don’t even know if it’s because you’re the first stallion that’s ever wanted to know me. But…but…I do know why I like you.” She then turned to Chris as she continued. “It’s because you care about me. You care about me more than anyone outside of my family ever has. I can tell you do, because you were the one who reached out to me after I left Ponyville. I mean…that’s gotta mean something, right?’ She asked hopefully.
Sh continued to stare hopefully at Chris, but the longer she stared the more that hope turned to despair. Chris was just staring at Limestone with a blank face. The longer he stayed like that, the more Limestone began to think that this was a form of rejection. “I…I shouldn’t have said anything.” She said as tears began to form in her eyes. “I just…I need to go.” She exclaimed before jumping off the bench and galloping to the train station as fast as she could.
She didn’t pay attention to the world around her. She was too heartbroken to care. She just wanted to get out as soon as possible. After a few minutes, she made it to the train station and ran up to the ticket counter. “When’s the next train? She asked in between breaths while trying to rub the tears out of her eyes.
“It comes in about twenty minutes.” The stallion behind the counter replied before giving her a concerned frown. “Uh, ma’am, are you okay?”
“I’m fine! Just give me a ticket!” Limestone snapped as she practically threw some bits at the stallion. He swiftly pulled a ticket out and gave it to her before taking the bits and retreating behind the counter. With the ticket in hoof, Limestone took a seat on a bench to wait for the train to arrive. Now that she had finally stopped running, Limestone began to sob into her hooves, thinking that her friendship with Chris was ruined.
“Limestone!” She thought she heard somepony call out. She kept an ear up to see if she could hear it again. “Limestone!” She heard again, only now she recognized the voice. She looked up and gasped when she saw Chris running towards her. She got up as she stared at him with a shocked look on her face until Chris was in front of her.
“W-what are you doing here?!” She exclaimed as Chris knelt over to catch his breath.
“You…left…before…I could respond.” He said between breaths.
“Yeah, well, you don’t have to. I think your answer was obvious.” She replied sadly as she turned away.
He frowned at her before replying, “Limestone, I didn’t reflect you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just…didn’t know how to respond to all of that.” He admitted.
Limestone perked up before turning back to him. “What do you mean?” She asked.
“I mean…I just didn’t expect anyone to have this much of an interest in me. Let alone my best friend.” He replied.
“So, what does that mean about us?” Limestone asked, feeling a little bit of hope come back to her.
Chris stood there for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. “I honestly don’t know. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that I’ll be living in Equestria for the rest of my life. So, I haven’t really thought about dating anyone.” He admitted.
“…Oh.” Limestone solemnly replied.
Chris starred at her for a few moments before suddenly saying, “I’ll make you a promise.” Limestone look up at him with a curious look. “Give me some time to think about things. Once I come up with an answer, I’ll let you know what it is, alright?” He asked with a small smile.
Limestone returned the smile as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Guess it’s better than nothing.” She replied. She then looked over to the ticket counter and chuckled. “Y’know, I was so focused on getting out of here that I didn’t ask where the train was going.”
“That’s not good.” Chris replied with a chuckle. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine now. Let me go see where this train is going real quickly…and probably apologize to the stallion I yelled at.” She said as she walked back to the counter, feeling content that there was at least some hope for the both of them.



A little over a month has passed since that night, and Limestone hasn’t heard a thing from Chris. However, Limestone didn’t let that bother her too much. She’d admit that she was a little frustrated with how long he was taking, but she knew that he was making a pretty important decision that he couldn’t exactly rush. And she knew that no matter what that decision is, that he would let her know.
Currently, Limestone was walking out of the mine with a cart filled with precious rocks tied to her. After she climbed up the slope to the house, she took a glance at the entrance to the farm and saw something that made her turn her head. Walking through the entrance with his hands in his pockets, was Chris. Limestone smiled before yelling out, “Hey, Chris, over here!”
Chris looked over and smiled before waving to her. She slowed down as she watched Chris walk up to her. “Hey, Limestone, how’re you doing?”
“Eh, fine. Just doing some work today.” She replied, pointing a hoof at the cart.
“I can see that.” He stated as he looked around “Y’know, I was expecting your place to look more like a quarry and less like a farm.”
“Yeah, I get that from some of Pinkie’s friends sometimes.” Limestone replied. They walked for a while in silence before she suddenly asked, “Hey, have you thought about…you know?”
“Everyday, to be honest with you.” He admitted.
“…And?” She asked nervously.
“Well, let’s just say that it got to the point that Twilight, the Princess of O.C.D.s, deemed it necessary for me to see her sister in law, Cadance, the Princess of Love.” He began to explain.
“Okay,” Limestone asked as she began to wonder where this was going. “And how did that go?”
“Actually, a lot better than I thought.” He admitted. “At first, I thought that she was going to just tell me to rush into it. Instead, she just sat down and had a very lengthy conversation with me. By the end of the talk, she just left me with some advice. To think about what I want out of the relationship and the person I want to share that relationship with. It got me to think about it in a different way, which caused me to remember something that an old neighbor told me.” He said as he stopped walking.
“And what’s that?” She asked as she stood to look up at him.
“That life alone sucks.” He answered.
Limestone gave him a confused frown at the answer. “Okay, but weren’t you living with Princess Twilight and two other ponies at the castle?” She asked as she unhooked the cart from her.
“Well, yeah I am, and they’re great friends and all. But there’s some things that friends can’t exactly provide that a lover can.” He explained, causing Limestone to blush a little. “There’s a level of care they show that friends really can’t provide. Lovers provide each other constant support and compassion. They essentially provide another reason to live.”
“Is…is that what you want you of a relationship?” Limestone asked nervously.
“Well, yeah, I guess it is.” He replied with a hint of a blush forming on his cheeks.
“And what type of pony do you want to spend it with?” She asked.
“Well, probably someone who’s shown me that type of care before getting together. Someone who cares about me regardless of when I’m at my best and when I’m at my worst…someone like you.” He confessed.
Limestone actually had to hold back a squeal of delight. “Does that mean that you actually…” She began to ask in excitement.
“Yeah, I’m willing to give us a shot.” He confirmed with a nod.
Limestone happily squealed as she jumped up to give Chris an almost bone crushing hug. He flinched back at first, but soon chuckled and returned the hug. After a few minutes, Limestone leaned back so that she could look Chris in the eye. “Hey, um, I hope it’s not too much to ask if we could…kiss?” She nervously asked as a blush formed on her face.
“Yeah, I guess we could.” He replied with a small smile before he began to slowly lean forward.
Limestone began to lean in at the same pace as her heartbeat began to increase. It was only when they were inches apart did Limestone closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Soon after that, she felt their lips finally connect. It was a simple kiss that they only extended so that they could compensate for how different their faces were shaped. Nothing too passionate, but it caused her heart to flutter regardless. When they separated, Limestone looked at him before saying, “That was nice…a bit awkward, but nice.”
“Yeah, but that’s something we can work around.” He replied with a smile.
Limestone gave an amused snort as she rolled her eyes. “So, what’re going to do now?” She asked.
“Well, I guess I could move here. I don’t exactly have a good experience with long distance relationships.” He replied. “So long as you have things other than rocks to eat.” He added on jokingly.
“We can come up with some things for you.” She replied with a roll of her eyes. “But if you stay here then you have to follow two rules. You see that boulder over there.” She said as she pointed a hoof to a boulder that was a few yards from the house.
“Yeah?” He asked as he gave the boulder a curious glance.
“That’s Holder’s Boulder. The first rule is to never touch Holder’s Boulder.” She explained almost threateningly.
“Alright, got it. What’s the other rule.” He asked.
“That if you’re going to live here, then you gotta work.” She replied with a smirk.
Chris chuckled before saying, “Is that all? Heck, I can live with that.”
“Great, I’ll show you around!” She exclaimed as she walked up to the house with Chris in tow. Along the way, Limestone quickly pressed herself flush against his hip, to which he responded by wrapping an arm around her neck. She smiled as she nuzzled his side. Months ago, she was happy to call Chris her first friend. Now, she was ecstatic to all him her first boyfriend.