//------------------------------// // Stone Cold // Story: The Choosing WHAT?! // by 23 KM To Nerdiness //------------------------------// "So, we gonna do this thing or not?" The room fell silent. All of the wacky, wonky clocks and doodads come to a sickening halt under the horrific tsunami of awkwardness. The cold, unfazed stare from the expectant equine failed to ease the uneasiness, as the warm tea among the ponies freezes solid within milliseconds. "Hee, silly me," Derpy giggles, sitting up on the couch. "My mind is playing tricks on me. For a second, it sounded like Limestone was proposing to you, doctor." "She did." Whooves mutters. "Ah, that's what I thought. Then, I feel I've earned this reaction. WHAT?!?!" "Isn't this great?!" Pinkie cheers. "Limey's quite the looker, I can tell you that." "Um, indeed," Whooves says, tugging at his collar. "A looker..." Whooves flinches as Limestone's pupils morph into the form of sharp jaws barking in a ravenous buzz, her fear-striking smirk chilling him to the bone. "I am so sorry, Miss Pie. But I'm not so sure that this would work out." "Why not?" she asks. "You see......we're as compatible as bleach and ammonia, you have to understand. Are you quite certain there wasn't a misspell? A typo, perhaps?" "But the stone has never made a mistake, it's helped unite the Pie family with their soul mates for generations since the very beginning. It has never steered us wrong." "There's got to be some reasonable explanation." Derpy ponders. "Simple. Whooves and I must have some weird connection, or whatever." "Right on, sis!" Pinkie squeaks, pulling out three bulky burlap bags. "And she has aaall her essentials packed for her stay in town. We got a soggy toothbrush, a rock fashion kit, a recipe for mom's special rock soup. Oooh, you cooking something up for a romantic occasion, Limey?!" "Hooves OFF, Pinkie." Limestone growls, snatching the bags away with a blush. "I mean, you're welcome to rest here during your stay," Whooves nods earnestly. "But I just need time to wrap my brain around all of this." "Where can I put my things?" "Up the stairs, down the hall, second door to the right." With a throaty grunt, the surprisingly strong mare slings the heavy bags over her back with her teeth before stomping out the room and up the stairs near the front door. "Well, better make every second count with that noggin of yours, sugar flank," Limestone sighs, staring down at her watch-less wrist as she walks up the stairs. "I'm not a very patient mare and I'm not gonna leave Holder's Boulder on its own at home for too long. Hope you like grey." "Oh, my..." "You'll have to excuse her," Pinkie chuckles, rubbing the back of her mane once her sour sibling was out of sight. "Limey can be a really sweet mare once you get to know her. Sure, she's not the best at communication, and tends to have a twisted sense of humor, smells like rocks 24/7, along with some bad bad anger issues-" "Your point, Pinkie?" "She's not a bad mare, Whooves. She's never had that special stallion in her life before, she's new to all of this. She always says she's not jealous of Maud for having a coltfriend like Mudbriar. I don't know about you, but deep down, I get a feeling that she was." "That's so sad." Derpy coos sadly. "I...I understand." Whooves sighs. "I heavily doubt we'd be tying the knot within the span of a week or two, but...I'm willing to at least try to keep her company, make her feel welcome. Nopony deserves to be alone during this holiday." "Cool beans! But just remember one thing, and it's really really really important." "Of course, what is it?" Pinkie towers her head over the stallion, pressing her large eyes against his quivering pupils with a suspicious eyebrow raised to its limit. "You treat my big sissy real good, you hear me?" she says in an ominous tone. "G-Got it." Whooves gulps. "Hmmm, I got my eyes on you, tinker bell..." "I'm back." "Limey!" Pinkie chimes back in her usual chipper nature as her sister returns. "I have the most splendiferous idea! Let's go get you some pretty outfits! You know, just in case. I know a great place where all the best dresses are, come on!" "Dresses, yuck." Limestone scoffs, rolling her eyes. "What do you mean 'just in case'?" Whooves asks. "Be right back!" "See what I have to deal with?" Limestone sighs. In a flash, the pink blur yanks her annoyed farm pony sis out of the living room and out the door, leaving the quirky duo in the silent room. "So, what now, doc?" Derpy asks. "I guess I'll have to pay a visit to Mayor Mare about this whole stone ordeal." the stallion states. "Surely there's somewhat of a loophole to this kind of tradition. There must be..." Watching her flustered companion pace around the living room table, Derpy staggers to her hooves and wraps him in a warm hug, nuzzling her cheek against his. "It'll be okie dokie, doctor," she coos. "Don't you worry about nothin', muffin." "I'm so cold. So...so cold..." "Good thing Rarity had a discount sale for Heart's & Hooves Day, Limey. You're gonna look fabulous!" "No crown can fix this frown. Besides, what you put in here?" Outside of the Carousel Boutique, the Pie sisters stroll down the dirt path for town carrying a few glamorous bags on their backs where a sneaky Pinkie seals a bag shut. "Aww, don't be like that, silly. Look at it when you get back to your room, it's a surprise." "You know surprises and I don't exactly agree with each other-" "Trust me, with it, you'll look like a supermodel!" "Pfft, April Fool's." The sisters stop and turn to a trio of snickering frivolous mares in flamboyant garb watching on from the entrance of the town's beauty salon. "That hair," a mare scoffs. "That drab thing is so spiky and dull, you could use it to cut wheat on a farm." "Better yet, a rock farm." another mare cackles. "Don't even get me started on that flat, sad excuse of a chest fluff." A blush forms upon Limestone's face, a light growl emitting from her quivering sneer. Veins throbbing on her forehead, she scoops up a nearby rock off the ground before approaching the three. "What are you gonna do with that rock," one of them laughs. "Is that what you use to file your hoov-" CRUNCH! The other gossip gals back off and leave as Limestone places the stone upon the mare's mane and crushes it into pebbles against her noggin with a hard slam, knocking her out cold. "Wow, that was coal of you, big sis!" Pinkie jokes, playfully jabbing around. "Just goes to show you never take a mare's looks for granite, wouldn't you say?" Limestone stomps off down the road, letting out a hateful snort. "Limey, come back!" "Just leave me alone, Pinkie." Limestone huffs. "Don't listen to them, they're just jealous of your unique style. There's nothing wrong with you-" "EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH ME!" The air grows silent in the town from the hurt mare's booming voice. "T-That's not true, Limey. You-" "Stop trying to find the 'good' in me, you're wasting your time. I scare stallions away, I have resting horse face, I have anger issues, I smell of rocks, I EAT rocks! Face it, there is nothing worth finding in this garbage geode and no ridiculous ass get-up will change that!" "B-But Limey..." "Just......just leave me alone. Please." Limestone's burning eyes begin to tear up, her stress-filled seething turns to sniffles as she gallops away and leaving her bags behind. Pinkie falls on her flank, her poofy mane deflating like a balloon. Tears begin to flood down her cheeks. "Limey..."