Floating somewhat carefully through the air, Falcata touches down gently outside the apartment door, breathing heavily even in the cool breeze. Flying while pregnant isn't easy for her, no matter how slowly she tries to take it, but she's not letting that stop her. She loves flying and everything to do with it, and the thought of going even a day without taking to the air always sent chills down her spine.
While the journey was enjoyable, if more difficult than she anticipated, she has a less fun-looking task ahead of her. Falcata stands before the closed door, going over what she plans to say for the umpteenth time. I've been putting this off for too long now. It's been, what, months? She and I really need to sort things out...especially now with Indigo stirring up all this fuss.
Finally summoning the courage to do so, she raises a forehoof and knocks loudly on the door.
The door slowly opens and Stiletto pokes her head out. When she sees Falcata, she smiles. “How have you been Falcata? Iit has been so long, please come in.” Stiletto opens the door and gestures with a foreleg.
Falcata returns the smile, though hers is considerably thinner. “Thanks, Stiletto,” she replies, stepping gingerly through the doorway. “It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
Stiletto moves to her second cabinet. “Can I get you a drink of anything? Or a small snack maybe?”
The pegasus considers for a second, then nods, once. “Yes, but nothing alcoholic, mind. Not while I’m- well, expecting.”
Two bottles of blood orange juice float from the cabinet and land on the table “Oh, you will have a Foal soon. That is wonderful Falcata.” Stiletto sits down at the table leaving the chair free for Falcata. “All my friends seem to have Foals on the mind lately.”
Gratefully taking the free chair, Falcata flops down onto it. She gives the alicorn another small smile, seeming distracted. How am I going to bring this up? Maybe I can broach the topic by mentioning Glaive? It’s worth a try.
“Yes, well, Glaive and I, well, we’ve been together - married, too - for such a long while now, we finally went... ahead with it.”
Stiletto opens her bottle and takes a sip. “It was a beautiful event. I was glad to attend. I think your foal will be very well loved and you will be a strong mother.”
Falcata blinks slowly, not sure if Stiletto meant to leave that implication in or not. “And...Glaive?”
Stiletto takes a long drink. “I am sure he will love your foal very much.”
“...But you don’t think he will be a strong father, do you?.” probes Falcata, intent on pinning the issue down.
“He could not possibly be worse than my own.” Stiletto says while shuffling her forehooves
A flare of irritation runs through the pegasus at Stiletto’s evasiveness, but she keeps her temper in check. “That- that isn’t what I asked you, Stiletto.” she says, leaning forwards in her chair.
The alicorn breathes in heavily. “He is intolerant of how others chose to live. He is prone to jealousy, but he loves foals, and he loves you. Maybe I judge him too harshly, but has had nothing but insults for me.” She sighs
Falcata sits still for a moment, taking Stiletto’s words in. It’s much as she expected, really, though it still stings to hear someone speaking so ill of her husband. Sitting up straight again, she fixes the alicorn with a penetrating gaze. “I...understand, but from what I hear...well, you gave him cause for anger, casting some sort of...illusion and screaming something about your own people’s superiority at him. While he was in hospital, no less!”
Stiletto facehoofs. “He insults me, insults my people, insults my love, and all anypony remembers is me yelling and burning off my magic.”
“Because you’re an alicorn, Stiletto! You’re an alicorn, shouting and putting on some big...some big display to try and intimidate a unicorn with a broken leg!” snaps Falcata, her self-control slipping. “Why wouldn’t people remember that? If you truly are so- so- so much better, you and your people, then why in the name of all the gods, why didn’t you just walk away and leave him alone?” Falcata glares at the amethyst alicorn, her bottle of juice standing forlorn and forgotten on the table.
“He made me mad.” she says looking into her drink “Am I not aloud to get mad now?”
The pegasus sighs, her anger dying away as quickly as it came. “No, but...” She rubs her eyes briefly with a forehoof, feeling somewhat drained. She doesn’t know who to believe, who’s right and who’s wrong. Both Stiletto and Glaive have valid points, but that isn’t making it any easier. She sighs in exasperation. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“You only made things worse by provoking him like that. Especially with all this- uproar I’m hearing, about that other unicorn...Navy? Violet?”
“Indigo. I wish he would just leave Lady Virtue alone, she has more then enough to worry about as it is. This is madness, I have done everything I can to apologize and make amends. Words, gifts, even just walking away... why can’t I just live my life?” Stiletto finishes her drink.
“Mmm.” Falcata thinks for a moment. “You know, Glaive... I don’t think he will ever like you, at best he’ll tolerate you, but he let all this drop weeks ago, the hospital thing. Or at least he had let it go, until Indigo paid him a visit and convinced him to press charges.”
Stiletto’s words become very cold. “You are aware of what that implies, yes?” another bottle floats from the cabinet to the table.
Sighing, Falcata nods. “That this...Indigo, has an ulterior motive for stirring up trouble. As in, not really related to the hospital incident, but more about you personally. And he’s getting Glaive caught up in his little...crusade.”
Stiletto closes her eyes and slowly nods. “Am I wrong to be in love with more than one pony? Am I wrong to see gender as no barrier?”
Falcata fixes her gaze on the floor, choosing her words carefully. “I don’t know, Stiletto. I don’t - agree - with it, but I think you should be able to do what you please, so long as you aren’t hurting anypony by doing it. I think, though...I think it’s better for foals, though. Marriage, I mean. And I honestly couldn’t conceive the idea of having another love, other than Glaive, in my life. But if you can, and that’s how you want to live, then I don’t think I or anypony else has the right to deny you that.” She pauses briefly. “I assume you know exactly why Glaive got so angry at Flux and yourself?”
Stiletto tapped a hoof on the table, her half open eyes on her bottle of juice. “Not exactly, I have an idea. He felt Flux was trying to love you, and he could not bear that thought. In his culture and yours it is wrong to have more then one love. Is that close?”
“Pretty much, yes. He, um, disagrees, with your ideals, and he thought Flux was, I don’t know, almost trying to- to spread them. To me. You can hardly deny that, how many is it now, four? Five? There are a lot of ponies here who have, well, accepted your culture, maybe a surprising number, and while he wasn’t worried that I would be so disloyal to him, he resented even the idea that your, um, ideals would spread to me.” Sighing, she tries to sum up her rambling.
“What I’m trying to say is that I- I don’t think it’s really Glaive’s fault. Any of this. It was just a misunderstanding, and from his point of view it must have looked suspicious at best. I don’t think he would have had so much of a problem with you if- if it hadn’t looked to him like you were trying to spread your, um, multiple lover culture thingy around the town. I don’t think there’ll be a problem, so long as- well, firstly, so long as Indigo gets his case shut down.”
Realising that she was still babbling on, she has one last go.
“It’s so far in the past, anyway. Basically, I just feel that if Indigo’s troublemaking has an end put to it and if you and all your-” she searches for the appropriate word “-lovers, keep the whole, uh, alicorn multilove thing away from me, Glaive and our foals, then Glaive will be happy enough. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, really. He - we - have a right to live our lives our way, too. Just as you do.”
Stiletto sat with her forehooves together listening to Falcata’s words and waiting to respond. “I think I understand, but you should know, I only do what my family expects of me. In fact, I have fallen short on that as well. Six, that is how many loves I should have now to not be considered a failure. You have the right to live your life as you wish and I will respect it. I am sorry for any offence given or taken.”
The pegasus gives a small smile, getting up from her chair. “I know, Stil. Just- just know that while I don’t hold your culture against you, I don’t think Glaive will ever see it as anything other than poisonous and wrong. That’s just his upbringing. This...Indigo, however...you should watch yourself. I haven’t met him myself, but from what I hear, he sounds determinedly set against you, maybe even for more than your culture. Glaive would rather you just went away and brought your ideals with you, but this Indigo...he’s something else entirely. I hear he’s pursuing this case above everything else, every effort of his focused on bringing you down. But I’m sure you already know that, or have spoken with Virtue about it.” Already up out of her seat, she glances to the door. “Anyway, I- it’s been, uh, interesting, but I should really be going.”
“Thank you for stopping by, it was enjoyable talking to you. I hope you understand me a little better, I certainly learned quite a bit about you and Glaive from this.” She laughs a little. “You did not touch your drink.”
Falcata coughs awkwardly. “Um, I got a bit carried away, I think. Sorry. Maybe next time?”
Stiletto smiles. “Sounds like a fine idea to me. You had many things on your mind. I am glad you would share them with me. I look forward to talking with you again. Have a pleasant day Falcata, and remember to relax and take time for yourself.”
“You, too, Stiletto.” replies Falcata, gently pushing the door open and stepping outside, whereupon she takes flight again, letting out a whoosh of relief. Digging for information from Stiletto really took it out of a pony, and she was glad to finally drop the social pleasantries. She has a lot to think about, and certainly still has to make up her mind on the whole matter, but now that she has both Glaive and Stiletto’s sides of the issue she feels much better for it. At least now I can decide for myself, anyway.