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Organized Chaos2,224 words
Shameful Pride1,433 words
Loud Silence1,848 words
Comforting Fear3,639 words
Merciful Revenge1,106 words
Deceptive Honesty934 words
Honest Deception1,472 words
Orchestrated Coincidence1,439 words
Dull Beauty2,952 words
Passive Aggression3,445 words
Quiet Enthusiasm1,121 words
Eternal Moment2,434 words

Dull Beauty

I can't believe I agreed to something like this. I must have spent too long hanging around Marble.

Limestone scowled the whole way to the performance, while Lemon Hearts just quietly trotted alongside her. Romantic magic show. What is that even supposed to be? Whatever.

Privately, Limestone was glad to get out and do something, and Lemon had become a confidant and friend over the past few months. If she had to go to something like this with anypony, she was glad it was Lemon, but she still felt like someone would poke fun at her for it at any second.

"Are you upset at yourself for deciding to come to this?" Lemon's voice was soft, but steady. Limestone snorted and smirked.

"What'd I say about getting in my head, huh?"

"Do you think less of your sister for going to something like this?"

Limestone whirled on Lemon Hearts in shock. Her comment had been so unexpected that Limestone almost forgot to get angry – almost.

"Whoa, what? Are you saying she has something to be ashamed of?"

"I'm asking if you think that."

Limestone squared off a bit, but Lemon Hearts simply came to a stop and watched her carefully. I hate that she's so cool around me these days. Hmph. Thinks she has my number.

The thought that Lemon Hearts really did see through her scared Limestone more than the alternative.

Would she like what she saw?

"Why would you ask that? I thought I made it clear that I love my sister and support her, regardless of her choices. Weren't you listening?"

"Of course. My point is, you don't think this is anything for her to be embarrassed about, right? So why are you?"

Limestone chewed her cheek a bit, eyes narrowing at Lemon Hearts as she thought over her response.

"That's some cute logic, Lemon, but it doesn't work like that. Marble and I aren't the same."

Lemon took a deep breath, considering her response. Limestone would normally have blown anypony else off by now, but she knew Lemon was trying to get something across to her, and she'd learned to be patient with the mare's prying – up to a point.

And, to be fair, Lemon was being incredibly patient with her, too. She'd tried scaring the unicorn off a few times, now, but she was more stubborn than a ruby formation in granite.

"You think you're up to different standards because you're the one who's basically in charge around the farm, right? But if somepony said that this wasn't the sort of place Marble ought to be, I bet you'd take issue with them. Right?"

Limestone grunted. "Okay, I get it."

Lemon gently pressed a hoof to her barrel. Limestone glanced down at the hoof in frustration, but didn't move to do anything about it. "Lime... I think what you should do is take that, I dunno, that 'voice' you hear that tells you to be embarrassed and give it a good chewing-out in your head, the way you would anypony else. This is what you want to do, right? So don't let what anypony else thinks, or what you think they'll think, get in your way."

"Alright, fine. Let's just go."

Lemon hesitated a little, but removed her hoof and they kept on their way. Limestone felt bad for being so curt with her, but she needed to buy time to think about what she'd said.

There had been frustration with herself ever since she agreed to this date. But why? Why bother being frustrated or embarrassed over it? Her parents had told her to do what she wanted, and she liked being around Lemon Hearts. Both of them were here in Ponyville, and there was this show going on anyway, so it just made sense.

Anyone who had a problem with that could tell it to the ground.

Limestone would even make introductions for them.

The thought made her smirk. Instead of feeling angry at herself, she felt that anger turn to a sort of energy on her side. Like determination.

Stupid, annoying, smart yellow unicorn.

"Thanks, Lemon."

Lemon, who had been sulking since their talk, perked up considerably, a faint red coming over her face.

"O-oh, uh, you're welcome. I just... I just want you to have a good time."

There was that crazy attitude again. Limestone had never done a thing to give Lemon the impression she was interested in so much as speaking, yet Lemon seemed to let all of the aggression slide off of her back and focus only on the positive. She hadn't hidden her interest, though she hadn't been pushy with it; she had asked Limestone out on a date, about a month after their first one, but Limestone had turned her down because of the Pairing Stone and that had been that. This was the first time she had tried since then.

Limestone scoffed. "You're one crazy patient mare, Lemon."

Lemon tilted her head in confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

Limestone took a deep breath. Great. Feelings. Luckily for her, they came upon the venue by then; there were large outdoor dining tables set up, with a band set up on a huge, impressive stage. The band was already playing a slow, classic piece. Lemon and Limestone handed in their tickets, and took a seat in a corner table. Instead of candles, there were tiny, magically-animated fireflies buzzing around.

The ambience mostly annoyed Limestone, but she had to admit that they had nailed the romantic stereotype perfectly. One look at her date revealed that Lemon was still watching her for a response.

Great. No slipping out of this one.

Limestone sighed. "This whole place." She gestured at it. Lemon glanced around in confusion, a worried look taking hold.

"What about it? Is something wrong with it?"

"No. It's perfect. Look at it. Classic band, weird little firefly things, and I can see they're serving some fancy stuff. The lighting is just right. I may have been raised on a farm, but I get it. This is exactly how a romantic outing is supposed to be, right?"

Lemon grimaced. "Yes...?"

Limestone sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Lemon. I'm just saying... why would you do something like this for me? I'm just a jerk to you. You put up with all of that with a smile, and then you do something like this, it's just... why?"

Lemon Hearts gasped slightly. "You weren't a jerk to me in your letters at all. And you're not really... I mean, you're nervous, but I wouldn't call it being a jerk. You just deal with your nerves differently from somepony like Marble."

Limestone chewed her cheek over, staring hard at Lemon Hearts. Nerves, huh?

She hadn't ever really thought of it that way, but it sounded right. Still, that didn't answer her question.

"Fine. I get that you can put up with me if you look at it that way, but what do I really do for you, huh? You keep staying interested in me, trying to help me deal with the stuff that... bugs me, but where do you factor in? I don't get it."

"I shared a lot of stuff with you in our letters. You were always quick to offer advice and support me; you think that doesn't mean anything?"

The letters. Well, Limestone had done her best with those, but she had still been extremely blunt in the end. She didn't want to lead the mare on, so she hadn't tried to make them sappy or anything, though she had at least tried not to be outright mean about anything.

Frankly, she barely remembered the specifics of how she worded things; she always wrote them when she got in from working in the fields, exhausted. She would get Lemon's letter in the morning, spend the day working and thinking it over, and then hastily write a reply in the evening and mail it out.

Had they really been 'supportive'?

"I don't know. I guess. It's not like I keep track of what I said."

Lemon huffed slightly. "Remember when I told you that I was in the ABT track for my rocktorate?"

ABT. All But Thesis. Yeah, Limestone remembered that; it had really ticked her off at the time. She had thought that was quitting right at the finish line; the thesis may have been the hardest part of a rocktorate, but you couldn't call yourself a doctor without it. The quitter's path, for wusses. That was how she thought of it. Hadn't she said something like that?

No... she'd said something a little nicer than that. But she couldn't remember what it was.

"Yeah, a bit."

Lemon set her hoof on the table, only to jump back with a 'Yip!' when her menu suddenly jumped up and opened to face her, followed immediately by Limestone's. Their menus cheerily greeted them, welcoming them to the second night of Trixie's romantic magic show, and asked them to speak their orders aloud. Limestone rolled her eyes.

"Don't suppose you have some fancy gourmet rock soup."

Three entries on the menu suddenly glowed blue, causing her to recoil slightly. She leaned in to examine them, and to her surprise, all of them were fancy-sounding variants on rock soup. Limestone paused for a few moments before hesitantly ordering the most sane-sounding one, and the menu folded itself back up. Lemon took a few moments longer to place her order, and when the menu folded away to reveal her face, it was visibly confused.

Limestone shook her head slightly in bemusement. "Self-running magical restaurant?"

Lemon took a deep breath. "I guess so. Uhh... where were we?"

Well, this was a good chance to let that conversation die. Limestone could just bring something else up, and that would be that. She couldn't shake the nagging of her conscience that it would be wrong, though.

Limestone growled a little. "You brought up when you sent me the letter about you being ABT."

"Oh! Right!"

Lemon's horn lit up, and her saddlebag popped open. A neatly-folded sheet of paper floated out, hovered next to her, and unfolded, and Lemon squinted at it in the low light.

Wait... she keeps my letter on her? Is that creepy or sweet?

Limestone didn't have a chance to decide between the two before Lemon began reading aloud.

Lemon Hearts,

You're not saddled with a foal, a needy family, or anything else. Don't hold yourself back.
Anything those professors can do, you can do too. You're smart and driven. Go full thesis already.
You wouldn't have written me if you didn't already know you should, you're just doubting you can.
Stop doing that. You graduated from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, didn't you?
What's the Institute of Rockology got that you can't handle? Nothing.
Make everypony see what you can do. Make them call you 'doctor'.
Get the respect you deserve. For yourself, too. A mare like you shouldn't be fetching coffee.

P.S. Tell Minuette I said hey. Her letters do wonders for Marble, who's been working her tail off around here. If she stops writing them I'll block the door to her office with a misplaced rock shipment. Make sure she knows.

Lemon Hearts glanced aside from the letter to watch Limestone, who had busied herself studying the table while she listened. She just shook her head.

"I really didn't remember I said all of that. Sure sounds like what I think, though."

Lemon silently folded the letter back up and set it in her saddlebag. Limestone's mind was a bit locked up, but she forced her jaw to work.

"Were... all of my letters like that? I mean, I wouldn't call it sappy, but..."

"Actually, that was one of your more gruff ones. I think you were really ticked off at me over the ABT thing, huh?"

Limestone snapped her head up to look Lemon in the eyes. "Of course! Why would you do that to yourself? You clearly love geology, but you're content running errands for the museum director? Buck that!"

Lemon smiled warmly, her blush deepening, which took Limestone aback. Hadn't she just gotten in her face? Sure, it was because she cared, but...

But it was like the way she phrased it didn't matter. Limestone looked away before she started making stupid faces too. "You're really weird."

Lemon snickered. "How so?"

"It's like you don't care how I act."

"I don't. I just care why you act."

Limestone groaned. "Don't try to make me into something other than what I am, okay? I'm terrible at this stuff. I'm not romantic. I don't get the whole... thing Marble and Minuette clearly get with each other. I..."

Ugh, stop playing around and just get this over with.

"I can't even talk about what I think or feel without getting all angry about it. Buck, I just think about it and it makes me all kinds of angry. I'm better at dealing with other ponies' feelings and problems than my own, because at least then I can home in on a problem and attack it with everything I've got."

She took a deep breath, and felt herself flying into an angry rant. She could feel the veins on her neck. It felt cathartic, really. She had entertained their little romance long enough, but this mare really needed a reality check.

"With my own stuff it's like I'm fighting myself, so I can't get anywhere. I work hard, I keep the farm running, I do what I'm supposed to, but when it comes to this stuff I'm a buck-up. So why aren't you running for the hills? You're from Canterlot. Don't tell me you haven't run across plenty of ponies there you could be dating instead. Why are you wasting your time chasing some farmpony with emotional issues?"

Lemon watched her in silence for a while. Their food came – on its own, by all appearances, as an animated food tray walked its way over to the table, prompting the tableware and dishes to hop over to the table, and then sauntered off on its long iron legs, prompting curious looks from both ponies.

Limestone shot up an eyebrow at the display. "Well that's new."

Lemon watched the whole process with a fascinated look, but quickly shook it off and focused back on Limestone, ignoring her food.

"Limestone, what are the best stones for building a house?"

What's this all of a sudden?

"Granite, limestone, slate... why?"

Limestone always got a little annoyed when she had to talk about her namesake.

"Aren't there tougher materials you could use? Like gems?"

"Uhh... I guess so. You'd need an awful lot of gems, and it wouldn't work that well. I mean, temperature fluctuations and weathering will probably exploit gaps in the material..."

"What about swords and armor? We make those out of metal, but why not gems?"

What's she getting at with this?

"Metal is flexible. You need a certain amount of flexibility when you have unpredictable forces acting on a material. Lemon, you're pursuing a rocktorate, you know all of this, so what are you getting at?"

Lemon took a deep breath. "You want to build something that lasts, that can take on the varying conditions of the real world, you don't go for the flashiest thing you can find. You go for the most stable, dependable thing you can. And sure, a block of limestone's not that impressive by itself, but a house made of it has its own charm. A house made of gems would be pretty garish, right? I mean, I saw a magical castle made out of the stuff here in Ponyville, but I think it kinda looks out of place, don't you?"

"So... what? You're saying I'm like a hunk of granite?"

Lemon bit her foreleg and chewed it a little, her blush deepening significantly. Limestone flinched slightly; she'd never seen Lemon Hearts do that. She must be really nervous.

Lemon Hearts released her hoof and looked at Limestone seriously. "You talk about other ponies, I just hear, 'hey, there are some flashy-looking gems around you, what do you want with me?' I don't want baubles, Limestone. I want somepony I can build something real with. Somepony who doesn't focus on superficial stuff, but looks to the substance, and remembers what's important."

Lemon was flying into a rant of her own now, and she was getting more intense by the second. Limestone leaned back a little in her chair, taken a bit aback by how serious she seemed.

"You want to know why you're beautiful to me? Think about what you worry about. You spend all of your time caring for your sisters, even encouraging them to follow their hearts while you worry about being left all alone. You work to take care of your parents without a second thought about your own happiness. Somepony steps on your toes or crosses somepony you love, you step in and make sure they're sorry for it, one way or the other. That's love, Limestone. Everything you do is driven by love, as real and solid as stone. Sometimes we use gems as a symbol of rarity, but real gems are a lot more common than somepony with a heart like that. If you think I'd rather leave it in the dirt for something easier to reach, you're crazy."

... Oh. Oh wow.

Limestone held a hoof to her mouth and blinked, and felt a tear fall away. She felt embarrassed for a second, but she couldn't tear her attention away from what Lemon had just said long enough to think about it.

She sees me. She really sees me.

Oh.

Author's Note:

Ever been shocked when someone really just got you, and you had no idea?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uqT-QCAsc

By the way... limestone (the stone) is considered one of the best materials to make a lasting structure out of, because it ages beautifully and can handle almost all environmental challenges.

Yeah.

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