Chosen Love

by Just A Random Pegasus

Maud: Hearts and Geodes

Maud gazed out the window, eagerly awaiting closing time of the Crystal Emporium. She had volunteered to help Geode out again, and now was eagerly waiting for her first date.

Now, her mind started to drift. She hoped that the date would go well, and she wouldn't make it awkward. Well, if Limestone didn't make her first date awkward, I shouldn't have to worry about making mine awkward!

Maud thought for a moment. Wait... did Limestone have a nice first date? She's never mentioned it!

Maud made a quick mental note to ask her about it next time she sees her, and went to staring at the crystal ponies passing. There were many groups of ponies looking like they were having a good time walking around the streets of the Empire. Today was Sunday, so not many ponies were working.

Maud sat in silence for a few more moments, her mind now flashing back to her time at geology school. She remembered a certain stallion that had asked her out on a date while she was there. From what she could remember, his name is Jet Black. Maud remembered denying him, seeing the painful look on his face. She felt bad doing so, but she was not allowed to date until using the Choosing Stone. That has been Pie tradition. But, she was happy it was. Jet was nothing compared to Crystal.

Now, Maud turned back to the wall, seeing only ten minutes left until the shop closed. Both Tango and Geode were in the back room, and Maud had requested to stay in the front of the shop so she could let her mind wander. She also thought of some great conversation starters for the two of them. Though, since she didn't know where he was taking her, she couldn't get too prepared for what would be coming.

More minutes passed, though they felt like centuries. She couldn't wait any longer. She was ready, and her mind was full of perfect conversation starters. She wanted to make her first date memorable, and she realizes that isn't so easy for a stoic pony like herself. She had gotten Geode to open up to the world, but she can't physically get herself to show emotions. She sometimes does, but she has learned to be stoic after all the years of being cooped up on a rock farm.

She suddenly heard the back door open and turned her head to look. Geode was walking out, his mane nicely brushed. Maud had a feeling that the two stallions weren't working on rocks like they said they were, but rather, getting Geode ready for his first date. As Maud saw him, a very slight smile appeared on her face.

"Well... are you ready to go?" Geode asked as he stepped towards Maud. Maud nodded, walking a bit closer to him. The two left the rock shop, feeling the warm sun beam down on their coats.

Geode looked around, and then back down at Maud. "Nice weather, huh?"

Maud nodded. "Yeah." She stopped for a moment, curiosity taking a hold of her. "Where are we going?"

Geode met his orange eyes with her teal ones. "That's still a surprise! I won't tell you until we're right in front of our destination!" He replied, nudging her side. Maud internally blushed at the sudden contact.

After a moment of silence, Maud decided to use one of her conversation starters. "So, what's the most amazing rock you've ever found?"

Geode's eyes wandered as he thought. "Well, I gotta say, my favorite rock has got to be the white geode with blue crystals I found. It reminded me of myself. Plus, the crystals were some of the rarest ones I've ever found."

Maud nodded at this, her eyes slightly widening. "Nice."

Geode now looked down to her. "What about you?"

Maud blinked, thinking. "I don't know. Each rock is special in its own way." She blinked again. "Though, I do think Boulder is the most special rock to me."

Geode smiled. "Ah, Boulder! He's quite nice. How did you two meet?"

A small smile climbed up Maud's face as she recalled the story. "It was a dark and stormy night. I was trying to quickly get inside my house, since there was a lot of lightning. As I was running from the mines on my rock farm, a huge boulder fell and blocked my path. Now, I didn't know what to do. I looked around me, and right next to me was a little rock. When I looked at it, I felt determined. Suddenly, I jumped up, and used my strength to punch the boulder to dust. I thanked the rock for giving me encouragement, named him Boulder, and then decided to keep him with me everywhere I went."

Geode took all of this in, his eyes wide. "Wow. You and Boulder have a lot of history."

Maud nodded. "We do. He's always supportive of my choices."

Silence hung over the two for a moment.

"I wish I had a pet like that," Geode admitted.

Maud grinned. "Geode, Boulder likes you. He told me that he will be by your side just like he is with me."

Geode smiled brightly. "Oh, well, thank you, Boulder! I'm flattered!"

Maud's grin remained on her face. "Boulder says: 'You're welcome.'"

Geode smiled and turned. "We're here, Maud! The Crystal Park!"

Maud looked at the sign, and then at the many crystals jutting up from the ground inside the park.

Geode looked ahead of him. "The Crystal Park is full of astonishing crystals and rocks that I never get bored of looking at. I hope you'll enjoy it."

Maud smiled. "I know I will."

The two reached a beautiful, large pink crystal with purple tips. The sunlight reflected off of it perfectly, making it very calming to look at.

They then saw a large geode with many different colors of crystals jutting out from it. Maud looked at it with wide eyes, curious to where they could have found it.

She looked up to Geode. "Where do you think they could have found this?"

Geode shrugged his shoulders as they walked a little farther. "I'm not sure. They must have been looking at a mine a little farther north than the Empire. I've always wanted to visit one, but I know the warnings about going much farther north."

Maud raised an eyebrow as they walked away from the geode. "What warnings?"

Geode looked down to Maud. "Well, there are warnings about you freezing to death up north. The wind and snow is much harsher." A shiver went down his spine. "And, besides, there are rumors of... King Sombra dwelling up there. Even though he was destroyed by the Crystal Heart, ponies still think that his horn is somewhere in the frozen north. And, with all that dark magic in it, ponies speculate that he can be recreated again."

Maud stared at him, wide-eyed. "Can dark magic really restore a pony?"

Geode nodded. "Probably. He had a lot of it, considering he captured the entire Empire in chains." At this, he visibly winced, and it looked like he was very uncomfortable. "Uh... but anyway... what's... your favorite color?" He asked, obviously trying to avoid the subject.

Maud thought. "Gray. Gray is the color of rocks. What about you?"

Geode nodded to Maud's response. "I agree with you. Though, it's a tie between gray and blue."

Maud silently nodded as they continued walking. As they walked for a minute more, they saw a beautiful crystal that sparkled the colors of the rainbow. They stared at it, Maud in awe. The crystals were beautiful in this park.

They soon saw a pink unicorn mare walk over. Her purple eyes were wide as she pushed back a few strands of her purple and green mane. She looked up at the crystal in awe.

"It's... beautiful..." She mused aloud. Maud nodded along to her statement.

"It is."

Geode nodded as well.

"Very. Hello, there."

The unicorn looked at them, nervously smiling. "Oh... uh... hi! I'm S-Starlight Glimmer!" She greeted, her voice sounding a little nervous.

Maud and Geode gave her a kind look. "Hello. I'm Crystal Geode, and this is Maud Pie," Geode replied, pointing back to Maud.

Maud raised an eyebrow. "Wait... I think I've heard your name somewhere."

Starlight's pupils shrunk as her ears fell back on her head. "W-what? Where?" She sounded... scared, almost.

Maud blinked. "Well, from my sister, Pinkie Pie."

Starlight immediately perked up again. "Wait... Pinkie is your sister?"

Maud nodded. "Yep."

Starlight blinked. "Oh. You two seem like... polar opposites. I mean, not that that's a bad thing, but..."

Maud nodded. "I get that a lot."

The three stood in silence for a moment before Starlight glanced all around her. She then face-hoofed and sighed.

"Oh, Celestia, I left him back there," she mumbled as she turned to Maud and Geode. "Uh... bye! I gotta go catch up with my friend," she said as she trotted in the opposite direction, looking around the area.

Maud and Geode stole another glance at the crystal before walking away as well. Now, a comfortable fall breeze was blowing. Maud closed her eyes and embraced the breeze.

Geode looked down to Maud, a small smirk on his face. "So... are you enjoying it here?"

Maud nodded. "Yep. I still can't believe they found all these amazing crystals."

Geode nodded. "Yeah." He looked ahead and saw a small sitting area. "Let's take a small break, shall we?"

Maud nodded. "Of course."

The two reached a bench and sat down. After a moment of comfortable silence, Maud looked up to Geode.

"Are you nervous or something?"

Geode cocked his head and looked back at her. "What? What do you mean by that?"

Maud shrugged. "I don't know. You just... don't seem as optimistic."

Geode's ear flicked. "Well... I guess I am a little nervous. I mean, the first date should be nice and memorable. I made sure to remember the gentle-stallion lessons my father taught me a little while ago."

Maud raised an eyebrow. "Your father gave you lessons on how to be a good gentle-stallion?"

A small blush heated up Geode's cheeks. "Yeah... they wanted to make sure that I could hit the big time."

Maud nodded before glancing around. "Geode... just know you don't have to hide your true self from me. Don't feel like you would ruin my time if you do. I love you just the way you are."

Geode's eyes widened, his gaze immediately softening. "Maud... I-I... thank you."

Maud nodded, scooting a little closer to him. "No problem."

The two looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Geode's face suddenly turned red.

"Uh... I'm sorry."

Maud stared at him in confusion. "For what?"

Before she could react, she felt a pair of warm lips against her own. Her eyes widened, her ears perked, and her heart started to race. She couldn't stop the butterflies from flying through her stomach. Naturally, she closed her eyes and wrapped her hooves around his head, deepening the kiss. The amount of pleasure and happiness she was feeling could not be described.

In the midst of the bliss, a gasp was heard a few feet away. Maud and Geode pulled apart, looking into each other's eyes for a short period of time. They then turned and saw two red-faced unicorns. One was Starlight Glimmer, while the other was an orange stallion with white hooves and muzzle, orange mane, a small-framed pair of glasses resting in front of his eyes, and a goatee adorning his chin.

The four stared at each other in silence for what seemed like forever. The orange unicorn cleared his throat.

"Uh... I... we..." He paused for a moment, biting his lip. "Uh... sorry for... uh..."

Geode gave a slight chuckle. "It's okay! Don't worry about it!"

The two unicorns looked over to him, confused looks on their faces.

"So... you don't care that we just interrupted your kiss?" The stallion asked, his pupils small.

Geode waved a hoof. "It's okay." He then raised his eyebrows. "Though, there's a price to pay." From Geode's tone, Maud could tell that he was joking.

The two unicorns nodded. "I understand," the stallion said.

Geode smiled deviously. "You two have to kiss. Right here, right now."

The two's heads perked up and blushes reached the tips of their ears, especially that of Starlight.

"Uh... we're just friends! Nothing more!" Starlight replied, a furious blush still overtaking her face.

Geode chuckled. "It's okay. I was just joking."

The two tried laughing as well, though the red on their faces would not decease.

"Uh... okay! So... I'll... see you two later!" The stallion said as he and Starlight both darted away as fast as they could.

Geode and Maud watched them dart away before looking back to each other, their gazes warm.

"So-"

Geode started to say something, but was cut off by Maud firmly pressing her lips against his. Geode melted in her arms and returned it. Both hearts were filled with overwhelming joy and bliss.

Author's Note:

Of course, I had to throw in my other OTP somewhere in this chapter.

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

I wonder why Geode mentioned the bit about dark magic, and seemed so worried about it. Could he be hiding a secret from Maud involving dark magic?

[HolyCross9]

Hurray! They finally kissed for the first time!

Also, I absolutely loved how you included the OTP, Sunburst and Starlight!

[Grekoy]

OTP for the win.

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7099486
Well, if I remember correctly, crystal ponies seemed to be haunted by King Sombra and his dark magic. So, I was going for the idea that Geode, like all the other crystal ponies, is scarred by Sombra's rule.

But it would be awesome if he was some dark magic wizard in disguise or something.

7099499

And Starburst for the win! I knew I had to integrate it somewhere in Maud's section... I mean, she's in the Crystal Empire, so it works perfectly!

And I doubt this is the last time I throw the OTP into the story. Those two are quite fun to write.

7099514

[StarzGecko]

7099486 That would be a twist!

[Ultimate Warrior of Zera]

I see you're making your own canon by having Starlight and Sunburst's meeting happen under different circumstances. Good job. And yay for the kiss.

[Peachy Keen]

A very cute first date!

[Light Spark]

Cute First Date definitely memorable for Maud nice job.

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7100139
Well, I'm setting this story a little while into the future, so there are a few things that seem a little different. For example, for this scene, I pictured Starlight and Sunburst having a small get-together in the Empire. Though, I think I'm starting to make my own canon for this story in regards to future events that will be withheld for now.

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7100564
7100803

Thanks! I'm glad you thought it was cute!

[Color Spark]

Oh lol.

[Foxhelm]

MarbleMac beats Starburst as best OTP... But all in all a good ch. Waiting for the proposal of Pinkie Pie's story... Yes I want to hear about Marble... She is best Pie Sister.

[redmar]

I really liked the addition of the Starburst ship in this chapter. Maud doesn't have long before she will get inundated by letters from Pinkie about what happened in the Crystal Empire and all possible details about Crystal Geode.