//------------------------------// // Be quiet! // Story: One Crazy Pairing (Stone) // by Jhoira //------------------------------// "Be quiet!" The words exploded out of Marble before she could stop them. She'd managed to get halfway through making Autumn Blaze a meal and the Kirin had only stopped talking for about ten seconds total. Now though Autumn Blaze was indeed quiet, looking taken aback at the other pony. Marble was panting gently at the exertion it required her to express herself so forcefully but it had bought her some blessed moments of quiet. Autumn Blaze sat quietly at the table, watching the other pony continue cooking as if nothing had happened about thirty seconds after her outburst. Autumn Blaze wasn't good at being quiet, she had always been a talker, even before she took the vow of silence, and more so afterward, but now she was completely silent, looking at the other pony, considering what the matter was. She didn't know Marbles well, but perhaps Marbles didn't like her?... No, that couldn't be it, she had invited her to lunch. Autumn Blaze continued to contemplate even after she was brought a bowl of soup. Marble was smiling again, her timid little smile, she liked new things, but loud new things quickly wore on her nerves, now that the pretty Kirin was quiet she was back to liking the company of the creature. They ate their soup in silence, only the sound of spoons causing any sound between them. Marble was impressed by two things at the moment, one that she had managed up the courage to speak to the other mare like that, but also that it seemed to have worked. Marble hadn't expected the other mare to stay quiet for any extended period of time. Autumn Blaze, however, had a secret weapon, she'd mastered the ability to speak to herself mentally, and she was holding entire conversations about what to do with her annoyed host. She didn't like the thought of another pony having so many issues with talking, but the kind pony had offered her food and seemed to be happy with her company now... Perhaps Autumn Blaze could pretend she was silent again for a bit, to make Marbles happy, then she could talk after she left. Yes, that would be a very nice gesture for her new friend. Marble blinked in surprise as Autumn Blaze tapped her hoof gently on the table and smiled at her. Autumn Blaze pulled her saddlebags over to them, pulling out a small wrapped package, and unwrapping it. Some fine shots of a plant that Marble didn't recognize were wrapped inside it. Autumn Blaze took about half and pushed the package over to Marble, smiling encouragingly at her. Marble hesitantly took a single shoot and looked over to Autumn Blaze, who was already chewing happily on the stalks she'd taken for herself. Marble took a polite nibble then her eyes widened and she chomped down hard on the stalk, before starting enthusiastically eat the rest of the plant that had been given to her, these were delicious! Autumn Blaze giggled gently and got up, picking up her bowl and Marble's in magic and walking them over to the sink and depositing them in said kitchen receptacle. Autumn Blaze walked back over to Marble, sweeping the remains of the package back into the saddlebags from whence they had come. Marble smiled a little, still half hiding behind her hair but really appreciating this fundamental change in the other pony. It seemed so honest. Marble hated all the cluttered words, they grated on her, but more they... They were dishonest. Words were used to hide what ponies really thought. Or... Whatever Autumn Blaze was. She was good with talking to her sisters and parents as she knew what they thought, they would be honest, but others... However, how ponies acted was more honest. And Autumn Blaze was being kind, and generous, sharing her delicious traveling food that was no doubt a delicacy from her homeland. Autumn Blaze dusted off her hooves after slipping the lemongrass package away. She liked lemon grass, she was so happy to see they had it in Equestria, and it was so plentiful too! You could find it growing everywhere! Ok, not literally everywhere but lots of places. She smiled to herself as she had that small argument with herself, being forced to be silent for a few years had had some positives it seemed. She knew how to keep herself occupied when she couldn't talk. Marble blushed gently as Autumn Blaze smiled at her, what was the stranger thinking about? Marble thought that the kirin was very pretty, could she be thinking the same thing, only in reverse? No, Marble wouldn't let herself consider such a thing after Big Mac had broken her heart like that!... Marble had to admit it was mostly her own fault. She did develop crushes on pretty much anything new that showed up to the rock farm. It had happened with Trixie, it happened with Big Mac, and now it was happening with Autumn Blaze. Marble shook her head forcefully, she had to knock that thought out of her head. Marble knew it was hopeless, she'd had her crushes and lost them every time. She knew the pairing stone was what she should trust to find her a mate, like her parents, like Maud, like her grandparents, everyone had been happily matched with their perfect mate by the pairing stone, she'd just need to be patient like Limestone. But she didn't want to! She wanted to be adventurous like her sister Pinkie! She wanted to run her hooves through that curly mane!... Through Autumn Blaze's curly mane, not Pinkies. Though she did love Pinkie's mane, it was so soft, she had taken multiple naps on it when they were foals. Marble shook her head as she zoned back into the surrounding world to see that Autumn Blaze was no longer sitting in front of her. Marble looked about the room to see no sign of the other mare. After a moment Marble did notice that the kirin's bags were still there so she hadn't left... But where had she gone? Marble got up to go look for the wayward visitor.