Aurora and Amber pull wagons of the gems out of the cave they were just in, “Oh! This is great. We got an amazing collection of gemstones. And I’m almost feeling generous enough to give them to Rarity free of charge. Thank you so very much for helping me out, Aurora. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“For the 100th time, Amber. It was nothing. With my new house currently under construction, I need something to do that gets me out. And besides, I plan to write an essay to the Princess about Geology. This really helped me.” Aurora says, lifting her hoof.
“This is Gemology, darling. If it’s Geology you’re looking for, I can introduce you to my good friend, Maudileena. She’s a real expert.” Amber says
“Well Gemstones are still rocks. It’ll still help me with a passage or two.” Aurora says
Amber Gem abruptly stops, “O-Oh my! STOP!!!”
Aurora bumps her wagon into Amber as she wasn’t prepared for the sudden stop, “Wh-What is it?”
Amber detaches herself from her cart and hides behind it, “Oh Celestia! I hope she didn’t see me!”
Aurora looks around in confusion, “Um…who?”
Amber points at a pony, “HER!”
Aurora squints her eyes, “Lyra Heartstrings?”
“Yes! I can’t let her see me like this!” Amber says as she looks down at herself, covered in dirt, “I’m a mess.”
Aurora turns to Amber with a lifted eyebrow, “I thought you confessed your love to Lyra.”
“I may be an expert in romance. But even I get nervous. I tried to tell her, but I never did.” Amber says, sitting ashamed behind her cart.
“Well you might get the chance to. She’s coming here right now.” Aurora says
“WHAT?!?!” Amber yells out, standing up on her hind legs.
Lyra trots up to the carts, “Hey, Amber.”
Amber blushes profusely as she hides behind her cart, “Oh…hello Lyra. Nice to see you.”
Lyra looks at the two carts full of gems with wide eyes, “Wow! Is this from your mining excavation? That’s quite a lot of gems.”
“U-Um…yes, well…it is quite a bit, yes.” Amber says, nervously.
“I may stop by your shop to buy some later.” Lyra says, trotting away, “Seeya.”
Amber gulps and walks in front of the cart, attaching it back to herself, “Um…c’mon. Let’s go, Aurora.”
“Um…okay?” Aurora says, following her.
The two ponies end up at Sapphire Castle, Amber’s Gemstone Shop. They empty out their gems as Amber’s employee, Crystal Rose, loads them in, “Thank you, Crystal.”
“No problem.” Crystal Rose says as she pushes the boxes inside.
Aurora turns to Amber, “So what was that about, earlier?”
Amber focuses on analyzing the gems, “Whatever do you mean?”
“You acted pretty strange around Lyra.” Aurora says, walking up behind Amber.
Amber drops the gem she was levitating and turns to Aurora, “I just don’t know how to talk to her.”
“Well why not? You two are close, aren’t you?” Aurora asks.
“Yes, but ever since I realized that I’ve REALLY developed feelings for her, I’ve been struggling on how to really express it.” Amber says, sitting down.
“Well I suggest you just be-” Aurora says before being cut off by Amber.
“Star Dream is always trying to show Fluttershy she likes her. Maybe I’ll ask her for some pointers.” Amber says.
“I thought you were supposed to be the expert here.” Aurora says.
Amber begins trotting away, “Yes, at romance. Not showing it.”
Amber finds herself in the town square and sees Star Dream is holding up a clipboard to her face with her right wing and looking up as she directs some pegasi that are flying above her, “In summary, we’re gonna be having clear skies today. Blossomforth, take southern ponyville. Stormfeather, east. And I don’t wanna see any slacking this time!”
“Yes ma’am!” Stormfeather says.
“Ditzy Doo, take Western Ponyville. And please, don’t bring in storm clouds this time.”
Ditzy Doo shrugs, “Sorry. I accidentally stepped on the clouds wrong.”
Star Dream rolls her eyes and looks at her clipboard, “Rainbow Dash! As always, the Northern clouds are the densest. I need you to clear it up quickly, m’kay?”
Rainbow Dash salutes her hoof, “You can count on me!”
“Alright then, everypony. Get to it!” Star Dream says.
The four pegasi quickly fly off to their respective directions.
“Star Dream?” Amber says, walking up to Star Dream.
Star Dream turns to Amber and tucks her clipboard under her wing, “Hey, Amber. What’s up?”
“So, you have a crush on Fluttershy, right?” Amber asks
Star Dream blushes and looks away, “Listen, Amber. I’m not too comfortable talking about this stuff on the job. I have work to do.”
“I just need your advice.” Amber says
Star Dream’s eyes widen, “My advice? You need MY advice about something romantic?”
Amber nods, “Yes, I do.”
“Well, what do you need?” Star Dream asks
“How do you show Fluttershy how you feel? What do you do to express your feelings?” Amber asks.
“Honestly, I don’t really EXPRESS it per se. I just hint at it, I guess. What I do is give her eye contact.” Star Dream says
“Eye contact?” Amber asks
“Yeah, though…with Fluttershy, it’s a little hard given how shy and ancy she is. But if I can give her non-intimidating eye contact, she usually reacts with what I THINK might be a blush.” Star Dream says.
“Gentle Eye-Contact! Got it!” Amber says as she rushes away, “Thank you!”
Star Dream watches as Amber gallops away, “I wonder if she’s referring to Lyra.”
Later in the day, Amber set up a lunch date with Lyra. Lyra showed up at the table and sat down at the opposite end of the table, “A bit sudden to invite me to lunch. Good thing I didn’t have anything in my schedule. And I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, so I’m starving.”
Amber Gem stays quiet, smiling and staring at Lyra.
Lyra curves her eyebrows as she’s taken aback by Amber’s silence. Lyra looks around awkwardly before smiling, “So have you sold any of your collected gems yet?”
Amber Gem leans forward, holding her head up with her front legs resting on the table. She continues to stare into Lyra’s eyes without a single sound.
Lyra blinks awkwardly as she backs up a bit, “Um…are you okay, Amber?”
Amber continues to remain silent as she stares into Lyra’s eyes.
Sweat runs down Lyra’s face as she quickly gets up, “I uh…gotta go!” Lyra quickly dashes away, galloping as quickly as she can.
Amber lifts an eyebrow in confusion as she sits up, “Huh…it didn’t work! Star Dream was full of it!”
Amber makes her way to Galabella Apple Store. A bell rings as Amber opens the door. Ruby Frost, who’s behind the counter lifts her head up, “Welcome to Galabella Apple Store. What’re you lookin’ for today?”
“Hello Ruby.” Amber says, walking up to the front counter.
Ruby Frost’s eyes widen, “Amber! Howdy, what can I do for ya? Lookin’ to buy some apples?”
Amber Gem shakes her head.
Ruby Frost stares for a while before frowning, “If you made a facial expression or nod, I couldn’t see it.”
Amber blushes, “Oh…right. Sorry. I forgot.”
“Ain’t your first time. Anyway, so what’ll it be?” Ruby Frost asks
“I’m not here to buy apples, Ruby. I need advice.” Amber says
“Oh, alright. Waddya need?” Ruby says.
Amber leans on the counter in a guise of sorrow, “Oh Ruby! I’ve been trying to find out how to express my love to Lyra Heartstrings. I tried going to Star Dream, but her advice didn’t work.”
“Did she tell you to stare at them?” Ruby Frost asks
Amber Gem nods.
Ruby Frost pauses for a moment, “I’m gonna assume you nodded.”
Amber’s eyes widen as she stands up tall, “U-Um…yes, she did.”
Ruby Frost rolls her eyes, “Star Dream ain’t ever expressed love in her life. Now, granted…neither have I. But what I lack in datin’ experience, I make up for with knowledge of ponies. You don’t just ‘stare’ at them. You gotta talk to them. Hint at your interest in them.”
Amber’s eyes go wide as she jumps in the air, “YOU’RE RIGHT, RUBY!! I just need to talk with her. Thank you!” Amber rushes out of the store.
“Don’t mention it.” Ruby says.
Lyra trots along the road as Amber quickly rushes up next to her, “Hello!”
“Oh! Hey Amber. What was going on earlier-” Lyra says before being cut off.
Amber leans her face closely to Lyra’s, “Tell me, Lyra. What’s your opinion on lyres?”
Lyra stops, “Lyres? Well, I really like them. I mean after all, my Cutie Mark is-”
“SO DO I!” Amber says, holding a lyre, “Gosh, I love lyres so much. It makes me just want to DATE one.” Amber raises her eyebrows in rapid succession.
Lyra backs up from Amber with curved eyebrows, “Um…that’s…interesting.”
“What about unicorns? Do you like unicorns?” Amber asks, rushing up to Lyra once again.
Lyra looks away, “Um…I guess?”
“SO DO I! Gosh, Unicorns are the greatest. If there was a unicorn next to me right now, why I’d probably just want to DATE them.” Amber says, flashing her eyes at Lyra’s horn.
Lyra looks up at her own horn and backs away, “Um…okay? I uh…gotta be somewhere! Bye!” Lyra runs away.
Amber scowls, “Ruby Frost was wrong too!”
Amber walks slowly down ponyville’s main road. Blossom Night trots up next to her with a concerned expression, “Jeeze, are you trying to do your best impression of me? What’s got you so down?”
“Oh, Blossom Night. My problem is one that is unable to be solved by one so…lonely. No offense.” Amber says.
“None taken. It’s not like you’re wrong.” Blossom Night says, rolling her eyes, “Anyway, what’s wrong. Telling me won’t make it worse.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to express my love towards Lyra. But I’m no good at expressing my feelings to her. So I asked Star Dream for advice, but that failed. And I asked Ruby Frost for advice, but THAT failed.” Amber says.
Blossom Night rolls her eyes, “You’re gonna take advice from the lonely pegasus who’s had the same crush since she was a filly and the blind country pony?”
Amber stops and raises an eyebrow. She puts her hoof on her chin as she thinks, “Well…I guess when you put it that way. I haven’t broadened my horizons that much.”
“You need to think about it logically. Do something that would make her want the love out of you. Impress her or something. Show off.” Blossom Night says.
Amber Gem’s eyes widen, “OF COURSE! Good idea, Blossom! Do you really think it’ll work?”
Blossom Night looks away, “No, but it’s worth a try.”
Amber looks on with determination, “This time! I will make her want the love from me!”
Lyra walks through the town, nervously looking around, “Amber has been acting really weird lately.”
“MARE’S AND GENTLECOLTS!” Amber announces.
Lyra looks up to see where Amber’s voice came from.
Amber is standing on top of a large boulder, “Gather around! For today, I will perform a great feat!”
Lyra places a hoof on her face and sighs.
“Today! I will break apart this boulder with one swing from my pickaxe and retrieve the gems from inside!” Amber says, picking up a pickaxe with magic.
The ponies below cheer for Amber Gem.
Amber smirks and lifts up the pickaxe. Her face sweats as she analyzes the boulder. She lifts the pickaxe up and swings it down at a great speed. The pickaxe strikes down on the boulder and……the boulder shatters in half, revealing all the gems inside. Amber lifts her head in pride.
Ponies quickly run up to see all the gems. The crowd gets loud as they all admire the gems and praise Amber.
“Ah yes, I am the greatest miner in all of Equestria!” Amber says, closing her eyes. She peaks one eye open and sees that Lyra is walking away. Amber looks down in sorrow as she jumps off the rock, leaving it for the ponies that are crowding it.
Amber collapses onto a local bench in sorrow. Aurora slowly approaches Amber, clearly sympathetic for Amber. She places her hoof on Amber, “Are you alright?”
Amber shifts to be lying on her back, “No, Aurora. I am not alright. Nothing I tried to show Lyra my affection has worked. I may be an expert in romance. But I’m a romantic failure.”
Aurora smiles, “Have you tried just expressing your love in your own way?”
“Whatever do you mean?” Amber asks.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been asking others for advice on how to express your love. You should just express love in a way that only you can.” Aurora says.
“But I don’t know how to do that.” Amber says.
“Well what do you do to express your admiration for your friends?” Aurora asks.
Amber places a hoof on her chin, “Well, I give them gifts of the jewelry I make, I guess.”
“Then there ya go! Give her a personalized gift of jewelry that expresses just how you feel about her.” Aurora says
Amber’s eyes go wide as she sits up, “Aurora! YOU’RE RIGHT!!! I’ve been so caught up in trying to express my Affection the way other ponies do it. That I didn’t realize I should just express it MY way.” Amber quickly rushes up to Aurora and hugs her, “Thank you, Aurora! You’re an amazing friend!”
“Anytime, Amber.” Aurora says, hugging her back.
Amber ends the hug and quickly runs towards her shop, “I must hurry if I’m to give it to her by the end of the day.”
Aurora smiles as her friend runs off.
Amber Gem returns to her home/shop and quickly begins working on something with her Gems. She sweats profusely as she busily creates something that she believes would be perfect for Lyra. Finally she finishes and beholds her creation, “Perfect! Now to give it to her!”
Amber finds Lyra walking down the street, “Lyra!”
Lyra freaks out and looks for a direction to run.
“Wait! I need to tell you something.” Amber says as she trots up to Lyra.
Lyra calms down as she prepares to listen to Amber.
“I apologize for how I’ve been acting today. I may have seemed quite strange and weird today. But it’s all because I was nervous to express my feelings for you.” Amber says with a passionate smile.
Lyra’s eyes go wide as she listens to this.
“The truth is, I really like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. So much so that I wanted to express it. However, I had a little trouble figuring out how to do it as I haven’t ever really expressed love that well. But just earlier, a new friend gave me some advice. She showed me that I should just express my love MY way. And because of that! I made you this!” Amber says as she reveals a necklace with many Rose Quartz gems on it.
Lyra blushes, “Amber…” Lyra uses magic to place the Necklace around her neck. She looks up at Amber with a smile, “Amber, you don’t need to act a certain way for me. I’ve liked you for a long time too. But you don’t have to feel the need to express that feeling for me in any way other than your own. Because I like you for you!”
Amber smiles widely, “Lyra, will you be my Very Special Somepony?”
Lyra smiles as she hugs Amber quickly, “Of course!”
Aurora watches the two ponies from afar with a smile. She turns her head and uses magic to pull a book out of her saddle bag. The book has Aurora’s cutie mark on it. She opens the book, brings out a quill, and begins writing…
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that sometimes it can be hard to express your feelings to those you love. Oftentimes, you feel like you need to express your love in a certain way for the pony you love to acknowledge it. However, if they truly love you for who you are, they won’t need you to express love in any way other than how you do it. It may be hard to find out how you express affection, but soon enough, you will find out.