Chosen Love

by Just A Random Pegasus

Maud: Off-Post

Maud walked on the sidewalk in the Crystal Empire, trying her hardest not to giggle at the sight next to her.

Crystalline was sprawled out on the ground from laughter. A dark purple, blue manned, and teal eyed Pegasus stallion was standing next to her, trying to recover from his own laughter. Abalone and Thunder were chuckling along.

"Gallant Haze, you've only been working with me for about two months, and you get me to laugh like this almost every day!" Crys said before erupting into laughter again.

Gallant chuckled at this. "Yeah. You gotta have a bit of humor in life, I suppose."

Crystalline stood back up. "Yeah!"

After everypony's laughter died down, silence hung over the group on ponies. On this particular afternoon, Crystal Geode had a lot of paperwork to do, so Maud decided to hang around her guard friends. Gallant Haze had taken Flash Sentry's place as Cadance's house guard a few months ago, so Maud wants to get to know him a little better.

A question hung over Maud like an anvil. She had been waiting for about a month to ask, but she didn't feel like intruding.

She took a breath, deciding to go for it. "Hey... Crystalline?"

Crystalline looked over to Maud, her ears perked. "Yeah?"

Maud blinked. "You're still working with Cadance with your whole romance thing, right?"

Crystalline deflated for a second. "Uh-huh."

"How is that going?"

Crystalline sighed. "Not well. I still can't move past him, Maud."

Abalone's eyes widened. "Still? I thought you told me last week that you got over him a month ago!"

Crystalline looked up to her friend. "Well... sorry about that. I wanted to believe that I was over him."

"What?" Gallant asked, craning his neck in to hopefully be a part of the conversation.

"Uh..." Crystalline's cheeks heated up. "It's... nothing."

Maud internally winced. Crystalline seemed quite sore in regards to this subject.

"I'm... sorry for bringing it up..."

Crystalline waved a hoof. "It's fine! I want to move past him really badly."

Gallant raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"

Crystalline turned back to him. "Flash Sentry. Old guard. He's in Ponyville now."

Gallant slowly nodded. "He's the one whose place I took, correct?"

Crystalline nodded. "Yeah."

Thunder ruffled his feathers. "Let's talk about happier things. Crys, it hurts to see you so sad."

Crystalline's ears flicked. "It does?"

Thunder nodded slowly. "Yeah. You're the most optimistic out of all of us. If you're sad, it really kills the mood."

Crystalline stared at him for a moment. "Well... I didn't know I was that influential, but... okay!"

Thunder playfully punched her in the shoulder, and Maud could have sworn she saw Gallant glaring at Thunder for that action. "That's the spirit!" Thunder said before spreading his wings and fluttering up a few feet.

Crystalline giggled before smiling brightly. She then looked to everypony else. "Oh my gosh, I forgot to mention! Apparently, there's gonna be a huge party thing at Crystal Nights this Friday!"

Abalone tilted her head. "Isn't it always a party there?"

Crystalline put a hoof around her friend's shoulder. "Well, yes, but not this kind of party! Apparently, there's going to be much more food and drinks than usual, and they're getting one of the best DJs in all of Equestria to perform!"

Gallant spread his wings. "That sounds great!"

Crystalline nodded. "You better believe it!" She turned to Maud. "So... do you wanna come with us on Friday, Maud?"

Maud blinked before shaking her head. "I can't. I'm heading out to Ponyville this Friday to help get things ready for my sister's wedding. I'm one of her bride's maids, so I have to get a dress and agree on catering choices."

Crystalline nodded. "Well, that's fine! That sounds like a lot of fun!" She replied as she bounced into the air. "So... do you guys want to get something to eat?"

Thunder nodded. "Of course!"

Abalone smiled as she pointed a hoof. "Ooh! There's a restaurant! Come on!"

---

Maud looked at the food in front of her, ready to dine in. She wished that Geode was here to enjoy the food with her. Maybe we should go here on our next date...

Maud popped a fancy looking oat into her mouth, savoring the taste. Luckily, this restaurant wasn't too expensive, which was a surprise. By now, she had gotten used to the high prices around the Crystal Empire. It's going to feel weird going to Ponyville and seeing all the low prices... she internally mused as she ate another oat.

Crystalline smiled after taking a bite of food. "Mmm! That's good!" She remarked as she ate a bit more. She then looked down to her plate, which was already almost cleared. "I'm going to get a bit of fresh air."

Abalone raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is there something on your mind?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Crystalline shook her head. "Nah. It just took forever for the food to come out, and I am getting a little claustrophobic."

Abalone nodded in understanding. "Okay. See ya in a few!"

With that, Crystalline flashed a smile before bounding put of the restaurant to stand outside. There was a garden next to the restaurant, so everypony had a hunch that she went there.

Gallant stood up from his chair. "I'll go as well. It's not a bad idea to get a little air," he said as he walked away from the table and towards the door.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment before Abalone got a peculiar look on her face.

"Oh, Cadance, there is definitely something going on between those two."

After swallowing, Thunder shot her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Abalone looked back at him. "Oh, you mean, you don't see the fire in his eyes when he looks at her? The way he wants to go wherever she does?"

Thunder's ears folded back. "You mean... Crystalline and Gallant Haze are... in a relationship?"

Abalone shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm not implying that they're together, but I do think Gallant has some... rather strong feelings for Crystalline."

Thunder sat in silence for a moment. He rose out of his seat, his wings unfurling.

"I'm going to go out there. I'll report back to you if there's any romance going on."

Abalone stood up as well. "Wait, don't! Maybe Gallant wants some alone time-"

"Oh well. If anypony's going to date one of my best friends, I need to be able to trust them first." He then burst through the doors, and Abalone and Maud heard a few voices coming to the left of the restaurant.

Abalone face-hoofed. "Goodness... Maud, do you want to go check on them with me?"

Maud nodded. "Sure."

She stole a glance at the food she was leaving behind before walking next to Abalone.

"I hope Thunder doesn't go too protective on Gallant..." Abalone whispered as she opened the door. The two mares turned to the left and heard a voice a little clearer.

"It was just a friendly gesture!"

"No, it's not! Only couples normally do that!"

Abalone was the first one to turn the corner. "What's going on here?" She asked. Crystalline shrugged her shoulders.

Thunder looked to Abalone. "Gallant put his wing over top of Crystalline like she was his marefriend!"

Gallant rolled his eyes, though a blush was plain on his face. "That's a friendly thing to do!"

Crystalline pushed her way between the two of them. "Can you guys give this a break so we can go back inside?!" She asked as the two stallions looked down to her before slowly nodding. Crystalline led the way back.

"Princess Cadance should have hired a better guard to take Flash's place." Maud heard Thunder whisper.

"What did you say, Thunder?" Gallant asked as Thunder trotted a little farther away. Gallant then tackled Thunder to the ground. "I said-"

Crystalline pulled the two apart with her magic. "Guys, please! I don't like pulling the mom card, but it seems like I have to!"

Abalone nodded. "Yeah, guys. Just chill out. We're trying to have a good time here."

Thunder and Gallant went silent, though they stared daggers into each other.

Thunder got up and placed some bits in Abalone's hooves. "I'm finished with dinner. Leave this for my bill."

Gallant put some bits in the same hoof. "I'm done as well." He said. The two then flew away into the open skies, leaving the three mares staring in confusion.

"Um... That happened..." Crystalline said before Abalone opened the door.

"Let's finish our dinners, shall we?" Abalone asked with a sigh. Once they got back into the restaurant, they all sat back at the table, letting silence hang over them for a few seconds.

"Why do I feel like this is all my fault?" Crystalline asked as she slammed her head on the table.

Abalone put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "It's not; don't you worry. Thunder and Gallant just... both have a bit of a temper and super large egos." She lifted Crystalline's head up. "Hey, Crys?"

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Do you want to... maybe... set things right by seeing Princess Cadance about the matter?"

Crystalline jerked her head back and raised an eyebrow. "Wait... why Princess Cadance?"

Abalone fumbled with her hooves. "Well... the problem is that there are... miscommunications regarding romance. Maybe Cadance can help."

Crystalline put a hoof on her head. "Abalone, are you starting to set me up on a date? Cadance is the master at that, and even she's agreed that I'm not ready yet considering I still have the whole Flash thing on my mind."

Abalone waved her hooves. "Oh, no no no! I'm not trying to set you up! I just think Cadance will be the best one to help with this problem!"

Crystalline took this all in and nodded. "Okay... sure. Do you want to... see her now?"

Abalone nodded and stood up. "Yeah. Let's leave the bits here." She then turned to Maud. "Hey, Maud, are you finished? Crys and I are going to see Cadance, but we don't want to leave you in here alone."

Maud finished the last vegetable on her plate before nodding. "Yep." She took a few bits out of her pocket and placed them on the table.

"Alright, then... let's go!" Crystalline remarked as she began to walk towards the door.

---

It was long past five o' clock, so Maud made her way over to Geode's mansion. She nudged the door open, which was unlocked. As she took a step inside, she found Geode sprawled out on the couch, eating some oats.

"Comfy?" Maud asked before shutting the door.

Geode shrugged his shoulders. "Yep. That paperwork was grueling today, so I figured I would eat casually."

Maud took a seat next to him. "There's nothing wrong with that." She put a hoof on her head. "My dinner was filled with drama. It wasn't long and painful, but short and a little shocking."

Geode raised an eyebrow. "How so?" He asked before taking another bite of his dinner.

Maud thought back. "Well... the new guy who came into the guard has feelings for Crystalline, and Thunder is very protective of her, so us mares were swept into stallion drama."

Geode blinked. "Wow. I hope it all gets resolved."

Maud shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what will happen. Crys and Abalone went to see Princess Cadance. Hopefully she'll know something."

"Chances are she will. She's the Princess of Love, of course."

Silence hung over the two before Geode cleared his throat.

"Hey... Maud?"

"Yes?" Maud asked, meeting his glance. Even now, whenever their glances meet, Maud can't help but feel all fluttery.

Geode looked away, obviously a little nervous. "Um... I was thinking... we've been together for about two months, right?" Maud nodded slowly as Geode continued. "So... I was wondering if... maybe... you wanted to... sleep somewhere else instead of where you are now? Like... with me?" His face turned crimson as he avoided Maud's glance. "I mean - I'm sorry if it's too early, but I-"

Maud silenced him by putting a hoof in his mouth. "Sure. That sounds nice." She gave a slight smile. "And it isn't too early. My sister slept with her fiancé the first day they started dating."

Geode drew a breath of relief. "Phew. I was... a bit nervous."

Maud stood up. "I could notice that. I'll be back in a minute; I have to move things out of my room." She gave Geode a small wink before slowly disappearing up the stairs.

---

Maud slid under the covers next to Geode, a warmth overcoming her. For nights, she had been desiring to have him close to her. However, she was always a bit too nervous to ask.

The two stared into each other's eyes in the darkened room. The moonlight poured in from the outside, making itself the only source of light.

In a split second, Maud felt a hoof on her shoulder, bringing her closer to Geode's chest. Sparks seemed to fly wherever he touched. She wrapped a hoof around his body as well, burying her face into his chest. She immediately felt warm and safe with him. Geode nuzzled her mane a bit, causing even more butterflies to flutter in Maud's stomach.

As Maud's eyes grew tired, she began to shut them. "Good night. Love you." She said before she plummeted into a deep sleep, feeling safe and secure.

Author's Note:

This chapter takes place about two weeks from the last one.

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

I hope Cadence was able to sort things out between Thunder and Gallant, otherwise things are going to get ugly.

[HolyCross9]

It's about time that Maud finally gets to sleep next to her soul mate. I also hope Cadence will be able to help with the rivalry between Thunder and Gallant.

[Grekoy]

I smell a triangle.

[Super-Brony12]

That moment where Maud and Geode finally start to share the same bed was adorable. However, the confrontation between Gallant and Thunder looked pretty ugly there for a sec. I too hope that Cadence can help solve this conundrum, otherwise things will get dicey.

Nice update and I look forward to the next chapter!

~ Super-Brony12

[Ultimate Warrior of Zera]

Ah, the overprotective friend angle. A classic.

Good that Maud and Geode started sharing a bed.

[Color Spark]

Love drama! Always my favourite >:)

[Light Spark]

Drama... i can't stand it. I hope it gets worked out for Crystalline she deserves someone after what happened.

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7248917
7248511

I love drama in stories, but hate it with a passion irl.

7247833

Could it be... this?

vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/7/78/Illuminati-Logo.png/revision/latest?cb=20150529234113

[Grekoy]

7249484 No. I meant a love triangle of some sort.

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7249791

Oh, I know. I just felt like throwing the Illuminati in there.

[Foxhelm]

So when will Geode propose? Or will Maud... But yeah sorry for Crystalline...but I can understand where Thunder is coming from concerning Gallant... Still too much drama not focused on the Pie sisters... But an enjoyable chapter all in all

[HolyCross9]

Also, am I assuming correctly that the next chapter will be Limestone's wedding or is that chapter some chapters away?

[Just A Random Pegasus]

7256186

That is still some chapters away. But, it won't be too long before we get to it.

[HolyCross9]

7257233 Yay!

[AngelDCS]

Dude... Make Maud have a ... Good night. The tension