//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Covergence 
// Story: The Gift of the Maud Pie 
// by Sonicsuns 
//------------------------------//

There's no other way, Maud thought to herself.

Marriage was about sacrifice, at least in times of need. And she needed Trixie to know that she was loved, that her newlywed wife wasn't about to hold back out of selfishness.

She gave the shining meteorite one last look before she closed the box again. She told herself that she wasn't saying goodbye forever, not really. Eventually she'd have enough money to buy it back.

Assuming the new owner agreed to sell it, of course. But she tried not to think about that.

All that mattered right now was getting Trixie the perfect present.

"Four hundred," she said.

"Done" said the diamond dog. He laid out the money for Maud to count.

The diamond dog's name was Copper. She had traveled to his home, which lay underground on the outskirts of Ponyville. Being a geologist, she was acquainted with most of the diamond dogs in the area. The criminal sorts had long since been sent packing, leaving the more reasonable ones to mine and trade as they saw fit. 

She finished counting and put the bits in her bag. She turned away, holding a secret sorrow in her heart.

"This is a very special rock" said Copper, taking his new possession out of its box to admire it. "Why did pony decide to sell it? You don't like this rock?"

Maud sighed. "I love that rock," she said in monotone, "but there's somepony I love even more."

The diamond dog stared at her as she left.

He wasn't the only one.





Trixie burst through the front door. "Maud!" she called out, "Sweetie! Are you home?"

Maud appeared from around a corner and Trixie swept her up into a hug. "Oh, Maud I've missed you! You have no idea how much trouble I had to go through to get your gift! No idea! But I swear it's worth it." She put a hastily-wrapped box on the kitchen table.

Maud smiled, just a little. "Same to you."

"Well, go ahead!" said Trixie, waving her hooves frantically. "Open it! Open it!"

Maud tore the wrapping paper off the box. Then she lifted the lid...

...and discovered a rock compass.

Maud's expressions were notoriously hard to read, but not for Trixie. Not after all the years they'd been together, first as friends, then as a couple, and finally as wives. Trixie's own expression was full of excitement the moment that the lid came off, but an instant later... she saw something strange on Maud's face. It wasn't joy, or at least, it wasn't only joy. Whatever happiness was in that face was more than made up for by darker things. Sorrow. Confusion. Regret. 

Trixie faltered. "Maud, sweetie, this is uh..."—she tried and failed to smile—"you can find the other half now. The meteorite! Come on, bring it out! I want to see which way it points..."

Maud looked her in the eye. "I don't have it," she said at last.

"What?!"

"I sold it," she said, and her voice grew somewhat raspy, "to buy your Hearthswarming gift."

Trixie's breath slowly grew more ragged as she took this in. Tears welled up in her eyes. "You sold it? To buy...to buy me what??"

"Over here," said Maud, and she led Trixie out the back door. Four large circular objects were covered in wrapping paper. Trixie looked at her.

"You didn't."

"Open them."

Trixie used her magic to open the gifts, revealing four premium-grade magical golden cartwheels.

"They're for your cart," said Maud. "They'll help you travel easier."

But Trixie wasn't happy. She sank to her rump and began wailing. "I SOLD THE CART!"

Maud turned sharply to look at her. "What?"

"I SOLD THE CART TO BUY YOUR ROCK COMPASS! IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE!!"

Maud sank down to the floor with Trixie. She held her lover as tightly as she could. Trixie wailed loudly enough for the both of them. 

"I'M SORRY! THIS IS SUCH A GOOD GIFT AND I LOVE YOU S-SO MUCH!"

"I love you too," whispered Maud. "I love you. I love you. And I love the compass. Thank you."

"I LOVE THE WHEELS! THEY'RE SO FLASHY!"

"HEY!"

Maud and Trixie stopped dead. They spun to the source of the noise, and found themselves face-to-face with a very winded, very red-faced Marble Pie, standing in the open doorway that led back into the house.

For a moment all three of them stopped and breathed, none of them quite willing to believe that Marble Pie of all ponies had just shouted at the top of her lungs.

Her voice dropped back to a whisper, as if to compensate. She gestured awkwardly. "This...this way..."

Marble ran back through the house with Maud and Trixie in tow. She burst through the front door and led them into the yard.

There they found a diamond dog. He was holding a blue meteorite.

"Your sister told me everything!" Copper said, pointing at Marble. "I can't take the rock that gave you your cutie mark!" He seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Maud turned to Marble. "You talked? To a stranger?"

Marble nodded meekly. "You were so sad," she whispered. 

Copper walked up to them and held the meteorite up to Maud. "It's called Hearthswarming, not Hearts-breaking! What were you thinking?"

Maud took the stone in her hooves, a desperate thrill of relief passing through her silently. "I already spent the money. I can't pay you back."

"So pay me later! Save up your money for awhile. Geez! You think I want to spend Hearthswarming with a guilty conscience?!"

A new voice called out from some distance away. "I certainly don't!"

All of them turned to see Starlight Glimmer rounding a corner, her breath heaving. She was towing Trixie's cart.

"MY CART!" shouted Trixie, rushing up and hugging it as if it was a lost child. "Starlight, where did you get this?"

"I bought it!"

"But I sold it!"

"Well I bought it from the guy you sold it to! Twilight helped."

Trixie stared, her mouth agape. She looked from the cart to Starlight to Maud to the cart, and finally back to Starlight.

Starlight walked up and hugged her. "Happy Hearthswarming, Trixie."

"EVERYCREATURE HUG!" shouted Copper, and soon he had swept all of them into a single group embrace.

Maud and Trixie were at the very center of it, and their hearts glowed as never before.





A few days had passed. Fresh-fallen snow covered the roads. It seemed like a sign of new possibilities.

Maud sat in the cart, watching the rock compass as it magically attuned to her precious meteorite. Just as she expected, the needle sprang to life and pointed towards a distant destination. She smiled a little.

"It's working," she said, leaning out the window to watch Trixie. Trixie was admiring and adjusting the golden wheels one last time. At Maud's word, she leapt into the carriage and gave her wife a brilliant smile. 

"Ready for the biggest gift yet?" asked Trixie.

Maud cocked her head slightly.

"Oh sure," said Trixie, "you got your compass, and I got my wheels. But the best gift of all is just beginning."

The wheels began to turn and the cart rolled down the road, following the compass as best it could.

"The best gift of all, " said Trixie, leaning in, "is the adventure. With you."

The two lovers kissed.