“Well, I guess this makes us official partners… or something… now that we’ve been bound together.” As Tarnished Teapot spoke, he could hear his mother sniggering. She sure did laugh a lot. Much more than he remembered. Maybe magic had nothing to do with it, perhaps it was because she was happy now. Tarnish didn’t know.
“Well, I hope that one day, the two of you will be partners in a more permanent sense.” Pinny’s voice was filled with laughter as she spoke and she felt even more bubbling laughter slipping out as she watched her son’s reaction.
“I am in no rush to hurry anything. Whatever happens will happen,” Maud said in what sounded like a disinterested deadpan. “Tarnish, am I weird enough for you to spend the rest of your life with me?”
Tarnish, sensing opportunity, became straight-faced and stony. He cleared his throat and then responded in the most perfect Maud-like monotone he could muster. “I couldn’t be happier.”
A peculiar sensation crept through Maud, starting down between her withers, it crawled up her neck, through her crest, along the hairline of her mane, leaving behind little tingles and tickle-prickles. She felt warm, and a growing heat blossomed just below her jaw. It continued through her cheeks and up through her temples. That one teasing joke inflamed Maud with desire. Her mind processed the various complexities of the situation; in order for Tarnish to try and mimic her behaviour, it would mean that Tarnish would first have to study her and pay attention to said behaviour. This meant constant observation. After that, he would have to expend the energy for the act of humour. It was a joke, it was flattery in the form of imitation, it was thoughtful and considerate. Overcome with emotion, her heart fluttering, Maud could feel her tight control slipping away…
The stone faced mare blinked twice in a rapid manner, with no space in between.
Tarnish, who was watching Maud, felt something. He knew that Maud was feeling something, even if there was no outward, visible sign. So focused on Maud as he was, the fact that his mother was just a few feet away slipped his mind. Tarnish had felt the connection, he had touched Maud, made her feel something, and he knew it. Maud’s eyes were the windows to her soul, a soft, sensitive soul kept inside of a fortress made of stone.
“Tarnished Teapot’s father used to stare at me like that.”
Tarnish and Maud both broke their intense stare and looked at Pinny Lane. She was still smiling, but it was a sad smile, and a tear welled up in the corner of her eye. The sounds of Tarnish’s heavy breathing filled the tent.
“I know you want to know who your father is… and I want to tell you, but I made a promise.” Pinny looked down at the rug that covered the ground inside of the tent. “I was young, I had my career, I was successful, and I never wanted the party to end. But I wanted a foal. I looked into options, but they were expensive… too expensive. So I talked to a very dear friend. We came to an agreement. He wished to remain out of the picture. He’s a carefree sort, not one for responsibilities and such, but a beautiful soul. He was the closest I ever came to falling in love and settling down.” Pinny reached up and wiped at her eyes. “It took a lot of wine and a lot of beers and more than a few tries before we made you. I’m so sorry, Tarnished Teapot. I need to make this right somehow. I was so young and stupid back then, making that promise, never thinking about how it might hurt you.”
“It’s okay,” Tarnish said to his mother.
“I’m going to make it right… I’m going to talk to him… see what I can do,” Pinny said, making a promise in all but word. Pinny sniffled and then offered both Tarnish and Maud a weak smile. “I’m going to go for a walk and clear my head for a while. It will give you two a little alone time. Have fun.”
“You don’t have to go,” Tarnish said.
Pinny shook her head. “I need to go. For a little while.”
“But mom, you’re hurting and we—”
“Tarnish, let her go.” Maud reached out and prodded the colt beside her. “She doesn’t want to cry in front of you and she is trying to make a graceful exit before she loses control.”
“Yeah,” Pinny said, her weak smile vanishing and her eyes glazing over. She headed for the tent flaps, not daring to turn back around for one final glance at her son.
Not knowing what else to do, Tarnish watched his mother go, slipping out the flap, and feeling a heaviness settle over his heart. The tension holding his ears up vanished, causing them to droop. He let out a soft, shuddering sigh.
“I don’t know what happened… everything felt so happy there for a moment.” Tarnish turned and looked at Maud.
“Things will get better. It will take time. I think I am going to write some poetry. I don’t know if it will be about rocks. All of this has me shaken.” Maud’s gaze lingered on Tarnish.
“Want some time alone?” Tarnish asked.
Maud shook her head. “It would be unbearable if you left. Please sit with me. Even if I go quiet, I still want you with me. We can share the silence together.”
“Okay.”
Some rocks are lazy. Some lay in a bed all day. Other rocks are assiduous. They remain in a bank. Over time, both get worn down, becoming less than what they were when they started. Stress does awful things to ponies.
Looking down at her work, Maud Pie shook her head. Nope. I don’t like it. Who even uses the word assiduous any more? Feeling unsettled, Maud closed her notebook. Looking over, she saw that Tarnish was reading something. A book was open in front of him and his face was screwed up in concentration. It was something that Maud found adorable. Tarnish had a very expressive face.
“What is the plan for lunch?” Tarnish asked without looking up from his book.
“I don’t know. Nopony has told me about any plans.” Maud looked at the blue sapphire around Tarnish’s neck. “We could try going somewhere. You are free to walk the streets of Ponyville now.”
“What if everypony still hates me?” Fearful, the colt shook his head. “No… no, I’ll be happier when we can leave and go home and then… I don’t know what comes next.”
“It has been almost four weeks. We need to see the doctor and get that bone checked on. Doctor Hedge did give you that injection to speed up the process.” Maud felt her stomach gurgle. A little lunch might be good. There were some leftover items from breakfast, but Maud was getting tired of baked goods and starches. “Next, we hit the road and we continue our work.”
“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot. I don’t care where we go, just so long as I am with you.”