//------------------------------// // Musing Marble // Story: Losing Her Marbles // by Jhoira //------------------------------// Marble scowled slightly as she remembered a very similar event with Big Mac. She had gotten oh so very close to talking to the big red stallion when Pinkie had jumped in the middle of them and spoken for her. Very usual around others and Marble did appreciate the effort but that had just torpedoed all her courage to talk to the stallion! Marble smiled as she rested her head on her forelegs in the windowsill, brooding over her past crushes. She puffed out her cheeks slightly. Why was she feeling so melancholy right now!? Marble sighed gently, why was she wondering why she was feeling melancholy? She was making herself feel melancholy! She had looked forward to meeting Big Mac again but apparently, he had gained a marefriend since she's seen him last! Which made sense, it had been... What? Two, three years? She wasn't entirely sure how long but it had been a while. Marble smiled to herself, taking a deep, calming breath. She still had the hope of the pairing stone! Though she also might have been able to actually talk to Big Mac if it hadn't been for the infernal pairing stone! Marble shook her head and frowned at herself, she really should accept that the pairing stone was the best decision maker in these situations! Marble looked at her sister Limestone, scowling out at the world, or probably more accurately scowling at the pony coming down the road, whoever it was. Limestone didn't like most other ponies... Maybe even any other ponies. Marble trusted Limestone loved her family... But Marble wasn't entirely sure that Limestone liked them. Though Marble thought that Limestone might have actually taken a liking to that little foal Apple, Applebloom, she had seen Limestone actually be nice to the foal! It was quite surprising. Marble opened her mouth to ask her sister then closed it, shaking her head, that would have been a very bad idea... Worse than asking her father to shave. Marble giggled gently, causing Limestone to glance back at her again, but this time Marble just stuck her tongue out at her sister. She couldn't take her sister seriously whenever she thought of Limestone sneaking Applebloom her own cinnamon roll. Limestone blinked, giving her sister an odd look before looking back out at the creature that kept getting closer to the pie family farm. Marble smiled to herself, Limestone would probably forget about it in the next five minutes but that little sliver of defiance made Marble feel better. Marble thought over the process she'd gone with Big Mac again. She hadn't spoken to him... She had barely spent any time with him... And yet she still had developed a huge crush on him! She let out a small sigh as she looked up at the sky, thinking more about the pairing stone. She wondered mildly who she was going to get paired with. Her big red ship had sailed, the pretty blue unicorn had disappeared, and her two fillyhood crushes were somewhere in Equestria but Marble had no idea where. She'd be happy with either a mare or a stallion, but she was pretty sure that Limestone would prefer a stallion, if she preferred anyone. And would it be an earth pony, a unicorn, or a pegasus? Most likely it'd be an earth pony due to them being the most of them around, but there are a few pegasi and unicorns that lived in town, and traveled through it. Marble smiled, ooh, a traveling pony? Maybe one who she could travel with!? But of course, come back to visit her family a lot! Then maybe settle down on a nearby farm so they could see her family often! Marble smiled and bounced gently before she frowned. Wow, she was really getting into this theorizing about her romantic future. Was she getting reckless? No, she was happy with her life on the farm, she really was. She licked her muzzle and looked up into the sky, contemplating. It was probably the letter from Pinkie and Maud getting paired with Mudbriar. She was... She wasn't lonely, most of the time. She was... Anxious? Impatient? Perhaps just... Longing? Marble shook her head and sighed, staring back down at the road and nodding to herself. She should focus on being happy, finding something around the town to keep her occupied? Oh! A new hobby! Marble smiled a bit wider. Actually, that was a good idea! She should find a new hobby to spend her time on! She thought, she could start another rock collection... She shook her head, that wouldn't be new... She frowned before she looked back to Limestone, did Limestone have any hobbies besides glaring at things? Marble shook her head, she couldn't think of any. As she was thinking about that she looked to back to the road to see the other creature had turned up the path to their farm. Marble blinked, she hadn't looked at the creature for a good bit and now the other was a lot closer. It was... A pony...? Marble thought at least, she wasn't sure if that was actually a pony though. It might be a kind of unicorn? It had a horn, but the horn was more of an antler? And its mane was more of a... Uh... Well, it was more like a lions mane than a pony mane. It was a pale canvas color with a brown mane, nothing unusual there but... It had scales!? Or... Something like scales. Marble's eyes widened, what was that creature!? She sat up a little straighter, staring at the creature. She'd never... That wasn't... Assuming the creature was nice it was super fascinating! She'd... It had scales! And a fluffy mane! Wanted to talk to it!... Oh, but she couldn't... It would think she was weird and... What if it didn't like her? She wanted to know what the fluffy creature was! And... Well, most people seemed to like her after they got to know her so... This creature would probably like her too...? She looked over at Limestone. "Who's that?"