//------------------------------// // The choosing stone chooses // Story: Returning Home // by Short-tale //------------------------------// Chapter 6 The path continued up. The mountain summit was in sight. Most of the party was huffing and puffing, especially the Cheese children. Ma hadn’t spoken in a while and neither had I. The conversation had gone as far as it could and only the stone remained.  The choosing stone hung over my heart like a weight prepared to drop. Each hoofstep closer tightened the knot in the pit of my stomach. My legs felt like lead. My head spun. What would the stone say? Starlight helped keep me moving in a straight line. The rest of the family, except Ma, looked at me with concern and sadness. It was the longest walk of my life, but it still finished too soon. We summited the mountain and stood on the sacred rock. The wind whipped my mane like one of Starlight’s kites. The sun was low and the air smelled cold. I don’t know if that was actually a smell or if my snout was too cold to smell anything.  The stone maker and the stone reader were there waiting for us. They were dressed in dark clothes with hats similar to Pa’s. The maker had a goatee while the reader had a beard that ran from his chin to his ears.  Starlight stood tall next to me. “So what do we do? Where is this stone?” “You’ll see.” “Welcome once again Pie family. Hast thou brought those to be judged?” bellowed the Stone Maker, his commanding voice echoed over the nearby mountain tops. My elder sister spoke the traditional response. Normally it was Pa but she wore the hat now. They would regard her as equal to them. “We are here. I, Limestoneabelle Louise Pie, guardian of Holder’s Boulder, speak for the Pie family.” “Name thy kin so that it might be noted. They shall be recorded as proper witnesses.” The Maker pulled out a large book and began to write as Limestone spoke. Limestone took a big breath and began the list of the family. “Cloudy Quartz, daughter of Hard Rock; the daughters of Igneous Rock, Limestoneabelle Louise, Maudileena Daisy, Pinkamena Diane, Marblelyn Rose; spouses Spitfire, Cheese Sandwich, and Vinyl Scratch. Children–“ “That be plenty. Mine hoof hath gotten sore.” The Maker shook the hoof with the pen in it. “Bring forth those that consult the stone,” called the reader in an equally booming voice. I stepped forward. I felt my tail hang low and my ears drop.  Starlight stepped next to me, looking more concerned with my mood than the ritual. “Maud? Are you okay? You look miserable. Is this really that bad?” I kept the fears from my mouth. It wasn’t the time or place to voice them. Instead I thought of the stones, trying not to throw up. The stones were strong and not nauseous. They waited, they didn’t anticipate. They were hard and strong, not weak and pliable like my body.  “I am,” I finally spoke. “We, Maudileena Daisy Pie and fiancée Starlight Glimmer, ask for the stone’s blessing.” “Maudileena? Thou art returning for a second time?” cried the reader. “What hast happened to thy husband?” “He died.” “Very well; thou knowest this shall not be as easy as thy first time. Approach and receive thy stones.”The Reader commanded with sadness in his voice. “Stones? I thought there was only one choosing stone,” Starlight whispered in confusion.  “That is the choosing stone; we are going to receive the casting stones,” I told her. I pointed a hoof at the large slab of slate that lay on the ground like a large altar. Its dull, grey, sheer surface shone like a monolith of doubt. It was impenetrable. Was my mother right? Was Starlight actually my destined wife? Or were we just two lonely mares clinging onto each other because we didn’t want to face reality alone? The reader offered Starlight and I our large flint balls. The dense weight brought me right back to the last time. I remembered Mud Briar’s calm, palacid face staring back at me as we took our places. He had stood a few paces away from me, and we’d both thrown our boulders at the same time. The cracks in the slate had sounded like the world ripping from under our hooves. I had watched with no fear as they’d quickly intersected and run together, nearly splitting the choosing stone in half. It had been a clear sign that we were destined. I must have missed the part where his crack stopped abruptly. It would have warned me I was going to lose him.  The reader stood on the far side of the slate tablet. The piece was wider and thicker than last time. It was the size of a small table rather than the smaller nightstand-sized piece Mud Briar and I had stood before. I understood why the stone didn’t choose second pairings.  It didn’t seem right. For the first time I saw the stone as an adversary. It could keep me from the one I loved. It could tell the entire world that what I wanted was wrong.  We were placed four flint blocks away. Mud Briar and I were half the distance last time. Just another obstacle against us. “Art thou ready?” the Reader said. “Wait a minute,” called Starlight, inspecting her flint nugget. “So ... I’m just supposed to toss this rock on to that rock and what …?” “See if thy crack can reach Maud’s. ‘Tis the way the rock speaks.” The Reader looked at me with a curious expression.  “So it’s just about making sure the cracks meet?” “Aye.” “Okay.” Starlight said quietly. She looked at me. Then she looked at the stone. I watched that mind of hers start to whirl. She was analyzing. I hoped she wouldn’t dare use magic in this. She had to know this was a strength only feat.  “Maudileena, thy family did call this ritual. Thine is the first throw.” The Reader bellowed again, despite our close proximity. The world shook with that voice and it echoed out to the valley below. I was shaken from my speculation. Starlight was up to something, but I didn’t have time to figure out what. I had to throw. The only thing that would give us an edge would be if I made my crack really big. Not enough to shatter the slate, but a large-enough crack that Starlight’s rock had a chance to reach it. I knew she wasn’t that strong, so I needed to make it easier for her. The boulder wasn’t that heavy. I hefted it up onto the top of my hoof. It was something I had done a million times to a million stones. I looked at the natural cleavage of the target. Then released the flint with a decent amount of force. The flint sprang into action, striking itself into the choosing stone. There was a shattering sound as a large crack rippled out from my stone’s impact. Spiderweb-like tendrils ran out from the crater I caused. The stone nearly broke in half. I grunted a satisfied grunt. Starlight wouldn’t have to try so hard to reach it. But there was still a possibility the stone had other plans. If the stone willed it, Starlight’s fracture could simply arch off in the other direction. Or the piece of flint could fail to make an impact at all.  “Starlight Glimmer, thy throw is next.” The Reader didn’t seem all that moved by my result. I glanced at my mother, her jaw was tight and her eyes mere slits. Starlight looked at me with a slight smirk and threw her boulder without hesitation. It sailed in a shallow arc towards the slab and slammed into the edge of the shale. A crack immediately formed and beelined towards mine. They connected and the slab fell in two. “The stone hath spoken!” the Reader called out in his normal bellow. “These two be fated for marital bliss.” “They cheated!” Ma shouted. “Maud used her strength to make it easier, and that unicorn used her own means to fool it.” “There is no fooling the stone,” the Reader said with certainty. “Then tell me, Starlight Glimmer, what did thou do?” my mother hissed. “How couldst thou throw the flint with such confidence? Did thou not know thy marriage was in the balance?” “My marriage?” Starlight glanced at me with questioning eyes. “No. But that wouldn’t have mattered. I want to be with Maud. And if this test is what gets me there, it’s what I’ll do. I knew I had to change the angle of approach to match the cleavage of the rock so I could get the most bang for my bit. I also knew the correct angle to hit to cause the stone to fracture in the direction of Maud’s crack. All I had to do was use the right amount of force.” “See? She cheated!” Ma cried triumphantly. “She used her unicorn wits to sully the decision of the stone.” “‘Tis not cheating,” the Reader said calmly. “‘Tis the test of the stone. The reason for the choosing stone is to show the dedication and want within each pony. Their need to be charted on the stone. If Starlight and Maud use their strengths to remain with each other, that is well; it is what is needed in a strong relationship. This the stone shows. Also, their foals shalt be strong as well.” “Foals? They’re mares! They can’t have foals together!” My mother was livid. She looked like her world was falling apart. “Tis is a spell for that,” the Reader said plainly. “Now the choosing stone hath chosen. Be ye blessed, young couple.” “Wait!” I couldn’t help it. I needed to know. “Does ... does ... the stone show how long we will last? Does it show if Starlight will be okay?” The Reader stared at me. His eyes fill with sorrow and understanding. “Thou did lose thy mate too young. The stone tells me this marriage will stand long and proud.” I breathed a sigh of relief, and Starlight knocked me off my hooves. “We did it! And you looked so nervous! I told you I would marry you! We’re getting married! And we’ll show the world how great we are together!” “Yes.” I looked at my mother. Her face was red and the blood vessels in her head were pulsing. I couldn’t tell if she was about to explode with rage or cry in shame. I needed to talk to her and tell her that she wasn’t alone. I was about to get up when a pair of pink lips connected with my own. The world seemed to swim. It faded until there was only me and her. Her warmth was all over me and I could feel something others called excitement build.  “I am excited,” I said in my normal bland tones.  “Pssst,” Pinkie ppssstded in the loudest pssst voice ever. “Ma is watching you two ... you know.” Starlight grimaced and got off me. I slowly got up. Ma hated public displays of affection. It seemed uncouth to her. I didn’t mind especially not with Starlight. “Sorry ... I was just really happy.” Starlight admitted, red-faced. I realized this test had scared her too. She didn’t even know about my deal with my mother. I was glad I hadn’t told her. I looked at my mother, but all I saw was the back of her head. She walked away towards the camping area and didn’t turn around. “Now that thou hast thine answer, thou shouldst sleep in the Cave of Couples, which is a little down the southern slope. The others shalt sleep upon the bare rock. All should be open to the messages of the stone. The caller and I shall return in the morning. The messages from the bare rock no longer agree with my back.” The Reader pointed the direction to the Cave of Couples.  “Thou hast gotten too close to the stone itself,” the Maker snickered. “In age.” “Quiet, thou wilst understand soon enough.” The Maker and Reader walked off to their homes. I wondered how long it would take for them to get home. They must live close by. But then there aren't that many that follow the ways of the stone anymore.  “So ... uh, the Cave of Couples huh?” Starlight had an embarrassed shade of red on her face. “Is, uh ... that for what I think it’s for?” “Yes. We must be careful though; the cave echoes.” We were pretty quiet.. for the most part.