The Choosing Stone
The refreshing smell of rock soup filled the small house which housed the Pie family. Everypony was just now talking in the living room, remembering the day's work. And, of course, Pinkie Pie had just come in to visit with her family. It didn't seem like she was related to her other family members at all. She was normally the one to start all the conversations, but she didn't mind. Cloudy Quartz stood up from her seat and smiled warmly.
"Dinner's ready!" She remarked as the Pies all walked to the dining room and sat down at the table. The meal was a brown liquid, presumably soup, with a small rock in the middle. Pinkie licked her lips and engulfed the rock in one bite. Her other family members didn't eat nearly as fast, but managed to finish their meal in the end. Igneous Rock then looked around the table; his eyes glancing at his daughters: Limestone, Marble, Pinkie, and Maud Pie. They have all grown up. They are missing one thing in their lives, and that is...
Igneous shook his head. He didn't know if he was ready for his daughters to tackle the real world.
Cloudy could read the expressions on his face and could tell he was clearly distressed. "Igneous, dear? Are you alright?" She asked as her husband turned to her.
"Uh... I guess I am," He responded as he looked back at his empty bowl.
"It doesn't look like you're thinking about happy things. Am I correct?" Cloudy asked as Igneous slowly nodded.
"Yes. Well, it's happy, but not happy at the same time."
Pinkie Pie looked at him with confusion. "What's going through that mind of yours, dad?" She asked as her father turned to look at her.
"The Choosing Stone." Igneous said as Cloudy's eyes widened.
"Dear, don't tell me you're going to-"
"Dear, it's fine. I am not setting anypony up with the Stone right now. I just think I need to tell them more about it." Igneous responded as Limestone raised an eyebrow.
"We already know about the Choosing Stone. It showed you the way to get to mom. What more do we need to know?" She asked. Igneous stood up from his seat.
"Everypony, meet me in the living room." Igneous responded as he walked into the other room. Cloudy looked down.
"I didn't think it was time yet..." Cloudy remarked as she stood up from her seat and slowly walked into the other room. The four Pie sisters followed behind; none of them speaking a word. When they all got to the living room, they found a small fire burning and Igneous sitting on a seat next to the fireplace. They all took a seat as silence flooded the room. Igneous was the first to speak up.
"Limestone, Maud, Pinkie, and Marble. I think it's time for ye to learn more about the Choosing Stone. We waited this long to tell ye because, well, we didn't want ye knowing until thou were about to go to the Stone."
Cloudy gasped. "Igneous, dear! Don't you think we should wait a little longer?"
Igneous shook his head. "I finally caught up with reality. Cloudy, our children are grown. It would be unfair to hide them from this for much longer. I think they should know how they're going to fall in love." Silence hung over the room like a large cloud of smoke. Igneous took a breath in.
"Ye all know the unidentified door in the crystal mines, correct?" Igneous asked. They all nodded.
"Yeah. I tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge." Limestone replied as Igneous nodded.
"A key is needed to unlock that door. This one, to be precise," he responded as he picked up a picture from the wall. Behind it was a safe. He turned the combination, causing the box to open. Inside was a small key that he picked up to show to his daughters. "This... is the key to enter the pathway leading up to the Choosing Stone."
Pinkie let out a loud gasp. "Wow! You guys never told me where it was!"
Igneous nodded. "That is because we didn't want thou to know where it is. Now, ye knows, and I need to teach ye the tradition and what exactly happens." Silence hung over the room again.
"When it is time for a pony to go to the Choosing Stone, they must enter the pathway by unlocking the door. They then will walk a short distance before finding a rock on top of a crystal pedestal. This is the Choosing Stone. The Stone has a red aura pulsing out from it."
"Does it, like, engulf you and teleport you to your soulmate?" Pinkie asked as Igneous shook his head.
"Nope. But, anyway, the pony in question has to place their hoof on the rock. The aura will travel like a current through said pony's body. Afterwards, what happens is truly a wonder. The aura leads you to your soulmate."
Limestone raised an eyebrow. "How exactly does it do that?"
"The closer you get to your soulmate, the stronger the current feels. It's an indescribable feeling, but it's not hard to tell when thou gets closer or farther away. Thou then has to keep searching until the current disappears. It sometimes gets difficult. Take me, for example. I had to go search everywhere for thy mother. The current led me to a town. It was very strong when I arrived there that night; so strong it was hard to get my hoof in the air. It was impossible to sleep, so I waited outside the house where the current felt strongest until morning. That's when I saw thy mother, and I realized, it was all worth it." Igneous continued.
"Wait... how does the current go away? Are we just stuck with the thing?" Limestone asked.
"Well, for me, it went away when I shook hooves with thy mother. The current left me and quickly flowed through her. That was when I knew I had found my soulmate."
Limestone looked at both of her parents. "What if it's wrong? Has it ever been?"
Igneous shook his head. "Nope. Everypony in the Pie family has used it, and it has never failed anypony."
Limestone looked down. "I'm still really confused..." she then looked up. "Well, who has to go first? It seems like you want one of us to go soon."
Igneous looked her in the eye. "The tradition has been that the oldest goes first, and the youngest goes last."
Limestone sat for a second before her eyes widened and a light flush grew on her cheeks. "Wait... I'm the oldest!" She remarked as Igneous nodded his head.
"Then thou are first, Limestone. Then Maud goes, then Pinkie, and finally, Marble." He then stopped as his daughters' eyes widened. "Maud, thou will go to the Choosing Stone the day after Limestone gets engaged. Pinkie then goes when thou are engaged, and Marble will go when Pinkie's engaged. It is like a chain."
Limestone's jaw dropped. "Wait... engaged?!" Her cheeks turned redder than before.
Pinkie looked at all the faces in the room. "Wait... why can't we all go at the same time?"
Igneous looked at Pinkie Pie, and then his wife. "Because thy mother and I need to be able to reassure thee one at a time. It is also tradition to wait for one sibling to get engaged before the other uses the stone." Igneous stopped talking for a moment. "When I used the Stone, so many things were running through my mind. I had never been in love, so I didn't know how to handle it. Thou four are going to feel like thou are not enough for the other, overwhelmed, and finding yourself making future decisions before getting engaged. The whole process is overwhelming, but amazing at the same time. Thou are going to need some help from me and thy mother on this situation."
Silence hung in the room again before Limestone spoke up. "So... when do I have to go? 'Cause I don't want to right now."
Igneous took a deep breath. "Two months."
"What?!" Limestone and Cloudy Quartz burst at the same time.
Igneous nodded. "Limestone, thou are a grown mare. It is the perfect age to get married and start a family. And your sisters need to go as well."
Limestone looked to the ground. "Oh... alright. I guess that will be fine. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be in love or do sappy stuff or anything."
Cloudy sighed. "Fine, Igneous. I think I agree with you." She then looked to Limestone. "I'll honestly say: love is the most amazing thing you'll ever experience, Limestone. Especially when you're in love with the right pony." She took a deep breath. "I'll admit... I don't know how ready I am to see you go, but I think it's about time. You're going to love your new life."
Limestone looked up to her mother. "Well... alright. Whatever."
Igneous looked up at the clock on the wall. "Oh! It looks like it is time to rest. I will see you all tomorrow," Igneous remarked as he stood up from his seat.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, dad?" Limestone asked. Igneous turned to face her.
"Do you need something?" He asked as Limestone looked to the ground again.
"I-I don't know if I'm ready to fall in love yet. I have always heard that it's like a trap. I don't think two months is a long enough time for me to prepare myself."
Igneous gave her a smile. "Thou are ready; whether thee knows it or not. Once thou falls in love, thou will wish that thee could've much sooner. Trust me. I was just like thee when I used the Choosing Stone, too. I know exactly what thou are feeling. But thou can't hold back forever."
Limestone looked up to him. "Well... alright. I guess it will be alright."
Igneous nodded. "It will. Now, get to sleep, everypony. We have work tomorrow and Pinkie has to catch the train." He then smiled at them. "Good night."
"Good night!" The four chorused as they made their way up to their room.