> Discord vs. Harmony: The Greeting-Card Industry Strikes Back
>  by SoloBrony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Organized Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord swam through the air of his home in the realm of chaos, smiling contentedly to himself.

"And now that they're official marefriends, it's over. I've won! The greeting-card industry is history!"

"Discord."

"Can't create love, psh. I'm Discord. I can create whatever I want!"

Just to demonstrate his point to no one in particular, Discord snapped his fingers and created a philosopher's stone, which promptly began rattling off facts about epistemology.

"Yick. Not what I had in mind."

Discord quickly stuffed the stone in a box and snapped them both out of existence.

"Discord!"

"Still, my point stands! Love, created without even bending the minds of the subjects! And between enemies! Why, I think even Cadance would be impressed with what I've—"

"DISCORD!"

"WHAT?"

Discord, having heard the voice even as a whisper but ignored it intentionally, whipped around irritably, only for his expression to give way to shock.

There, right in front of him, stood Greeting Card. Except he was translucent and bright blue.

"Greeting Card? Did you come here all the way as a ghost to admit defeat? How thoughtful!"

"NO, you imbecile! You haven't won the bet!"

Discord looked vaguely stricken, and then rolled his eyes. With a snap of his fingers, he was on a tropical island, relaxing on a beach couch with a pair of sunglasses and a margarita. He idly scanned a newspaper in his mismatched hands.

"Stupid ghost thing, saying I haven't won the bet. That's ridiculous."

"You still haven't beaten me, Discord!"

Discord paused, and slowly lowered the newspaper to see the ghost of Greeting Card. Discord groaned in disgust.

"You followed me to my vacation pocket dimension?"

"I'll follow you as far as I have to to make sure you hear me! Listen, Discord. Every year, thousands of ponies get my greeting cards! Family members and friends remind each other that they love them, ponies learn about secret admirers, send condolences, and all kinds of other things! You think formulating one romance means you're better at manipulating ponies than I am? Discord, I managed to make a business out of love. One that stands to this very day! It's going to take more than one fluke romance between unlikely-yet-compatible partners to prove you have what it takes!"

Discord stared irritably at the ghost, yawning during his rant.

"Alright, I listened. Now go do whatever you ghosts do."

Greeting Card irritably shook his hoof at Discord while he slowly faded from view.

"THIS ISN'T OVER, DISCORD!"

Discord sighed.

"Stupid ghost... ruining my celebration..."

Discord tried to settle in to his vacation spot, but soon found the idea of not having won the bet nagging at his mind. With a harumph, Discord snapped a finger and re-appeared in his home, and began pacing back and forth, talking to himself and gesticulating furiously as he did so.

"Haven't won the bet... ridiculous... I bet that I could manipulate ponies better than he could, and I'd prove it by creating love... you can't honestly tell me that ponies fall in love because of greeting cards... that's absurd!... though he did make a business out of it... hrngh..."

Discord's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. He very nearly yanked the door off of its hinges in fury, before realizing how odd that was.

A pony? Knocking? Here?

Curiosity temporarily overtaking his rage, Discord opened the door with a raised eyebrow, revealing a particularly uncomfortable-looking Twilight Sparkle, who did her best to smile widely and wave.

"Heyyy, Discord."

Discord squinted at Twilight. Probably here to give me some sort of dull lecture. Ugh. "Twilight. I find I am in a particularly bad mood right now, so—"

"Discord, I wanted to say I was sorry."

At that, Discord recoiled slightly, but swiftly smiled and leaned in uncomfortably close to the princess.

"Oh, it seems I am in the mood for this after all. Go on."

Twilight didn't even react to Discord's behavior, which mildly disappointed the draconequus, but his curiosity was now truly well-stoked.

"Discord... I shouldn't have yelled at you. Or blasted you. You actually did something amazing for Starlight and Chrysalis, and I'm sorry I overreacted. I thought you were just pranking my student, and I was really worried about her."

Discord paused at Twilight's words, genuinely touched by her sincerity. Not that he let that show; instead, he gave her a patronizing pat on the head.

"Oh, poor Twilight. Don't worry, I forgive you. I mean, it's not like you just assumed the worst about a friend—"

"Discord. I still haven't forgotten about you betraying us."

Discord yanked his paw away in a flinch. "Err... right. I suppose your suspicion was... somewhat justified."

"Still. I want to know something. Did you really only organize their relationship to win a bet?"

At that, Discord stood up and leaned against a wall, stroking his beard. "Well... I suppose there were other considerations."

Twilight watched him, her face a careful neutral. "Such as?"

Discord waved a paw dismissively. "Honestly, Twilight, since when do you care—"

"Since now. Tell me, Discord. Please."

Discord considered a snappy comeback, complete with snapping (and magic), but suddenly thought better of it. Twilight seemed... serious. And interested. With an eyeroll and a sigh, he spoke with all of the enthusiasm of someone walking to their execution.

"Starlight helped me rescue Fluttershy, so I thought I might do something nice for her someday. She seemed so very bored with that counseling job, I thought maybe something like this would shake up her dull routine."

Twilight cocked her head appraisingly. "You wanted to give her someone to talk to, just like you have."

Discord just grunted in response. Twilight's eyes narrowed a little, and she grinned as she spoke. "You realized how lonely she might be, given her past, too."

"Ugh. Honestly, if you already knew the answer why did you even bother to ask?"

Discord turned away from Twilight and folded his arms with a huff. Twilight's voice carried up to him softly.

"Discord, it means a lot to me to hear you say you care about her."

Discord just made a retching noise, and then felt Twilight's hoof on his waist. He glanced over to see her looking up at him seriously.

"I respect what you did. In fact, I respect you, for doing it for the reasons you did. Nopony is going to think you're uncool for it, Discord. Just the opposite."

Discord slowly raised an eyebrow. "Somehow, Twilight, I feel that you aren't the one I'd consult about what's cool."

Twilight smirked and her horn lit up. Rainbow Dash's voice suddenly emitted from it, playing back a recording.

"Are you kidding me? That was awesome! Discord just swoops in, bam, vengeance averted, just like that? And with one spell! I mean, anyone can wreck stuff, but that's like, crazy finesse. Epic prank."

Discord just stared at Twilight, blinking a few times in confusion. Twilight continued her smirk.

"I figured you'd say that, Discord. So I consulted an expert."

"Is that... really how ponies see it? That this is cool?"

Twilight let her hoof down and gave a small shrug. "I think most ponies would, yeah. Especially if they knew your reasons. You had your friends' backs in more ways than one, but you did it in an undeniably Discord way. Dash is right; that took a lot of finesse. I'm the Princess of Friendship and I still don't know how you saw the compatibility between those two."

At that, Discord just laughed a bit. "Twilight, Twilight, love isn't the same as friendship. Romance is inherently... chaotic." Discord gave a little flourish of his claw for emphasis, creating random firework effects that exploded with the sound of cat meows.

Twilight just frowned in confusion. "How do you figure?"

Discord sighed and snapped his claw. Suddenly, they were in a classroom, with Discord in a teacher's outfit and in front of a blackboard. Twilight immediately propped her head up on her hooves, watching Discord intently. It caught him a bit off-guard; he thought she would be surprised, but she actually seemed to like the sudden change.

Ugh. Bookworms.

Discord pointed at the blackboard with his ruler. "You see, Twilight, a pony can go through their whole lives with a simple routine."

The chalk immediately leapt to life on its own, and sketched out a pony going to work, and going to various activities, such as walks in the park and parties. Then it drew a second pony with a completely different routine, doing things such as teaching, going to conferences, and reading in the library.

"But take two ponies, and mash them together, and suddenly there have to be compromises. Everything the ponies do, they have to weigh against their partner's agenda, and so on. It makes things much more complicated – potentially even interesting. The dull routines that make up most ponies' lives are shaken up a great deal when they pick interesting mates."

Twilight, who had been in the midst of taking notes with her magic, raised a hoof. Discord chuckled.

She's even playing along! This is new.

"You, the purple one in the front." Discord gestured to Twilight with his ruler.

Twilight smirked and put on her best schoolfilly voice. "Professor Discord, how do you use that inherently chaotic aspect of romance to predict two ponies will be compatible?"

Discord couldn't suppress a small laugh at Twilight's performance. It actually sent a shiver down his spine to have somepony play along with an impromptu bit of chaos. It even reminded him a bit of hanging out with Fluttershy.

Respect makes a lot of difference, it seems.

"Well you see, these differing routines stem from different things each pony cares about. When you want to mash two things together, you need to be able to picture how things will fall out for each of them. You also have to consider what they understand."

"Like Starlight being able to relate to Chrysalis," Twilight mused.

Discord extended his ruler-wielding hand to Twilight's desk and smacked it loudly, making the alicorn jump. "Don't speak out of turn, young lady!"

At that, Twilight snickered, as did Discord. He snapped again, and they were back in his living room, seated leisurely on floating furniture. Discord propped his legs up over the edge of the couch casually.

"You see, Twilight, working out a romance isn't something you do with variables and charts and science. You see the potential connection, or you don't. You have to take both ponies into account fully; if you try to work it out piece-by-piece, you'll never get anywhere."

At that, Twilight was silent for a good while, pondering. Discord started to feel slightly nervous.

Is that really true? It seems true, but Twilight knows more than I do about science.

Discord rolled his eyes at himself for wanting to maintain the respect of a pony, but he kept watching her regardless. Twilight finally nodded.

"You're right. Every variable you work out changes everything else, so you have to go back and start over. It either all clicks together or it doesn't."

Discord practically flipped internally. Outwardly he just smirked knowingly. "Now you're getting it."

"There's just one thing I don't understand. You said romance is inherently chaotic, but love is a form of harmony."

At that, Discord smiled insidiously. "So?"

"So... how can it be both? Aren't they opposites?"

"So I am often told, but the truth is a little more complicated than that. Ponies are complex, messy, chaotic creatures by nature, Twilight; in truth, you should all be far more interesting than you usually are. I blame that on survival, mostly."

"Survival?"

"Sure. If ponies didn't need to survive, think of all the mischief they'd get up to."

Twilight blinked at that, and then smirked. "Didn't seem to stop the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Or you and your friends, for that matter."

Twilight smiled sheepishly at that. "I guess not."

"So yes, survival is the primary reason ponies are so boring. Well, that and the greeting card industry."

Discord practically spat the name out venomously. Twilight looked confused at that, but shrugged and let it go. "So what you're getting at is, ponies are chaotic, and so romance is chaotic?"

"Inherently so, yes. It is composed of chaotic elements, after all."

"But it's harmony... between chaotic elements."

"What other kind of harmony is there?"

Discord watched Twilight carefully, and her countenance brightened immediately. "Oh, I get it! 'Harmony' isn't really much of an accomplishment unless there's some kind of conflict you resolve or avoid with it!"

Discord closed his eyes and leaned back into his couch with a winning smile. "No wonder Celestia liked teaching you. You do pick things up quickly."

"Well, that just settles what I came here for!"

Discord popped an eye open to stare at Twilight. "What do you mean?"

"Discord, I want to learn more about understanding chaos and harmony. If you're planning to help ponies some more like you did Starlight and Chrysalis, I want to watch."

"Well, I wasn't planning to, but..."

It would give me a chance to put Greeting-Card back in his place. In his grave. Quiet. And not ruining my victory celebration.

"... I suppose I could do a thing or two, just for you, Twilight."

Twilight clopped her hooves together excitedly.

Sucker.
> Shameful Pride
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And some extra bits, just in case... Okay!"

Starlight nodded to herself in satisfaction at her saddlebags, trying to calm her nerves. This was her second shot at organizing a date with Chrysalis, and after the way the first attempt had ended... well, she just wished she had Chrysalis' seemingly effortless confidence about these things.

That very same Chrysalis was now nearly dancing on her hooftips outside, awaiting her marefriend. After the 'incident' in Canterlot, the changeling ex-queen intensely wondered whether or not she was more trouble than her marefriend deserved, and even whether this whole 'be friendly with ponies' thing was a terrible mistake.

What if another mob shows up to interrupt our date? Celestia's not going to show up to straighten things out this time! I mean, she did her best to make us feel welcome, but...

Chrysalis took a deep, steadying breath, and considered. Really, the ponies of Equestria, angry mob aside, had done a tremendous amount to make her feel welcome and important. If Starlight had the guts to give this another try, then Chrysalis owed it to her marefriend to calm down and do her best to enjoy all of this.

Knowing Starlight, she's probably planned for every possible contingency anyway.

Starlight pushed open the front door of the castle, and locked eyes with her marefriend. Both of them smiled warmly, trying to cover up raw nerves. Starlight danced down the steps of the castle and pressed into Chrysalis, and the warmth of their proximity washed away the knots in their chests. Chrysalis gave a faint chuckle.

"Don't worry, Starlight. Even if something goes wrong, we can just keep trying."

Starlight stiffened slightly, and then just quietly pressed into her marefriend and hummed a bit. Chrysalis' words had been a deep comfort.

She really wants to make this work. I shouldn't worry so much about what I can't control.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis had no read on her marefriend's reaction. Had she just made things worse? Had Starlight even been worried before she brought it up? Chrysalis rolled her eyes at herself. It'd work out regardless, she was sure. Starlight stayed buried in her for a few moments before leaning away and nodding.

"You're right. I mean, it's us. Who's going to get between us and what we want?"

Chrysalis laughed malevolently. "No one with any sense of self-preservation."

"Exactly!" Starlight said cheerily, leading the way. Chrysalis promptly followed, grinning almost giddily.

Starlight's right. As long as this is what we both want, everyone else will just have to stand aside and watch. I don't even know why I worried!

As the two briskly trotted through Ponyville, Chrysalis found herself following that line of thought farther than she had before.

This mare is beautiful, powerful, ambitious... and really gives a buck about what I want, how I feel. Even if I had taken over Canterlot, could I have ever had something like that?

Thoughts of a brainwashed Shining Armor came to her, prompting a slight shudder of disgust and embarrassment from the ex-queen.

... I haven't lowered my ambitions, I've raised them. Now I understand why the ponies seemed so confused by us.

Chrysalis laughed softly, prompting a curious glance from Starlight, but the changeling simply waved it off, and Starlight gave a shrug before focusing on the path ahead of her.

That. That right there. She knows what it's like to have thoughts you don't want to share. How often did I have to tell my own subjects to leave me to my thoughts in privacy? And yet she gets it.

The two of them came to stop at a small outdoor cafe in Ponyville, and promptly took seats. Starlight fidgeted a little, smiling nervously. "I know this is pretty simple, but they serve some good food here, including some stuff reformed changelings seem to really like, so... I figured we'd give it a shot?"

Chrysalis gave a warm smile. "Simple is a good choice right now, and I'd like to see what my subjects have been eating. Good choice."

Starlight brightened and nodded, and placed a couple of orders when the waiter came around. Apparently, Chrysalis was to eat something called a 'nectar salad' – she wondered whether they were actually using changeling nectar, and if so, where the buck they got some – but held her curiosity in check. Starlight had been fidgeting since they had set off, but kept smiling to herself.

Whatever she's got in store, it's going to be good. I wonder—

"Hey, I haven't seen you—wait, Chrysalis?"

Chrysalis and Starlight looked aside to the source of the voice. Chrysalis immediately clamped down on any emotional reaction, though she couldn't stop her eyes from widening in shock.

Thorax.

Thorax.

TRAITOR! The one who abandoned the hive, led my—

Chrysalis took a deep breath, as she and Thorax locked eyes. Judging by his expression – some mixture of shock and fear, from what Chrysalis could tell – he was probably going through the same process. Chrysalis' eyes narrowed slightly as she concentrated, thoughts flying across her mind.

This could ruin my date.

Okay. I need to prevent that. So what is the ideal reaction to prevent that?

Thorax and Starlight are friends. Ergo, I need to be friendly to Thorax. What is the best interpretation of his behavior in favor of my feeling good towards him?

Well... if he hadn't discovered how to reform changelings, I wouldn't be here. And he's taking care of my old subjects.

Chrysalis softened her expression and stood up, striding over to Thorax, who immediately stiffened. She saw his pupils – difficult as they were to make out – constrict. A small part of her took pride that she still struck fear in his heart, but she focused on a different source of pride. She patted him on his head, earning a baffled, terrified look from him, and had to suppress laughter.

"Who's a smart buggy?"

"H-huh?! Mooo~m!"

Chrysalis finally did chuckle as Thorax swatted her hoof away. "What do you mean 'smart'? Didn't—"

"Let's leave the past where it is, Thorax. What I meant is I'm proud of you for figuring out what you did, and stepping up to take care of the hive. That's all."

There was a long silence as Thorax regarded her uncertainly. Chrysalis doggedly held on to her polite smile, refusing to let any of the uglier emotions she had underneath show. Finally, he nodded uneasily.

"O-okay. I mean, I'd heard you were dating Starlight, but I... I didn't realize you'd..."

He gestured at Chrysalis, and she choked down a bit of frustration and embarrassment at her own change. Instead, she opted to point out the obvious.

"Can't legitimately date someone without sharing feelings. Obviously."

She hadn't let her smile drop, but she felt it grow a little stiffer for a moment as she pointed that out. Thorax just glanced away and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Oh. Y-yeah. I guess that's true. I just, uhh..."

"You didn't think I was capable of changing. I understand. Neither did I."

Thorax looked back at her in surprise, and they just watched each other for a few moments before he spoke again.

"I'm proud of you, too, mom. I hope you two have a good time."

They gave each other a polite nod, and returned to their tables. Chrysalis was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she nearly jumped in surprise when Starlight spoke.

"That was some impressive restraint, Crissy."

"Oh! Well..."

Chrysalis let out a soft sigh as she looked at her marefriend.

There's no point trying to deny it.

"I need to get used to seeing former enemies if we're going to do this. Besides, I really am proud of him."

"But you feel a lot of other stuff towards him you haven't sorted out yet, too."

"Well, that's my problem. I'll work it out on my own time, but I won't let it get in the way of us having a great time."

Starlight just smiled as their lunch arrived. Chrysalis found herself smiling, as well.

My victories, even over myself, are her victories. We've got this.

As they began eating – and Chrysalis was quite impressed, even if the nectar was just a clever facsimile – Starlight finally couldn't contain a question that had been bothering her.

"Do all of them call you—"

"No, just Thorax. I kept telling him to call me 'Queen' but it just never sunk in for some reason. He's always been an odd one."

"Oh good. That was going to get super weird if we ever visited the hive."

Chrysalis snorted at imagining that.
> Loud Silence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six months. Marble Pie and Minuette had been dating for six months, now, to the day, and had only as many dates. That first month had been a whirlwind, but one by one, issues had come up to keep the two ponies apart. First had been Maud earning her rocktorate and moving to Ponyville, and the family upheaval that caused. The extra work around the farm had kept Marble from being able to schedule a date with Minuette for weeks.

Then Minuette had to go to a dentistry conference in Manehattan for a week. And then there was Maud's new boyfriend, and the craziness in the family over her not even bothering to consult the Pairing Stone.

On one hoof, it was good to not be the only rebel in the family. On the other hoof, Marble knew her parents silently blamed her for breaking tradition first, which they saw as paving the way for Maud's behavior.

Limestone's own Pairing Stone partner had been an even bigger problem; the stallion that the Pairing Stone had picked decided he wasn't ready for a relationship, which suited Limestone just fine, and so things had remained to this day. As far as Marble knew, Limestone and Lemon Hearts hadn't seen each other since.

Then there was harvest season on the farm, which needed absolutely all hooves on deck, every day, for two months. The four of them were barely able to harvest and replant all of the rocks in time for Winter Ramp-Up, and then that had been a week of non-stop labor itself. Once upon a time, the simple, focused work and quiet of the farm had relaxed Marble, but things were different, now.

Pinkie was gone. Maud was gone. Her parents barely spoke to her. And Limestone had been in an even worse mood than before, ever since Maud informed them she was staying in Ponyville. The quiet comfort of the rock farm was nowhere to be found; for Marble, every day had become a quiet struggle with anxiety and guilt. If it hadn't been for Minuette's constant letters, she wasn't sure she would have been able to handle it all. These days, when she was out on the fields chipping away with her pickaxe or pounding with her hooves, she just kept asking herself the same few things.

What happened to happily-ever-after? Was this really good enough?

Those thoughts brought feelings of shame. Her parents needed her. Her sister needed her. Marble had seen how Limestone reacted to Maud's departure; she couldn't do that to her sister. And she had seen firsthoof how much more work there was around the farm, now; how could she leave all of that to her parents?

But how could she leave Minuette alone in Canterlot?

This intractable conflict consumed Marble, and it was what was on her mind when Limestone interrupted her from her work in the field with the latest letter from Minuette. This had become routine by now, and Marble was already tearing into the letter before Limestone had even trotted out of sight.


Dear Marble,

Though it was a pretty standard greeting, being called 'dear' still brought heat to Marble's cheeks.

I got a pair of tickets to a performance in Ponyville! It's for this weekend, and I'd like to go with you. Can you be at the Ponyville train station around 8 PM on Friday? The performance is multiple-night, so we can make a long weekend out of it if you can spare the time! Please let me know if you can make it!

Love, Minuette

Marble turned the idea over in her head. Winter ramp-up was taken care of, so things had mostly calmed down at the farm. It should be okay for her to leave for an evening, but three days? Just imagining how her parents would react put knots into her stomach. Her legs were actually starting to shake when she made her decision.

Dinner that evening was its usual quiet awkwardness. Marble hated this kind of silence; loud with unspoken thoughts and unresolved tension. She barely remembered how she used to enjoy the quiet times around the house; quiet used to mean that Limestone was content or too distracted to be upset, that she could safely focus on her thoughts without concern that somepony might force her to talk.

But now she had to force herself to talk. Just the thought was making her hyperventilate. Every time she glanced at her parents from behind her mane, all she could think of was how she would just be adding more shame and anger onto the pile with such a big request. How could she do this to them?

Then again, how could she turn Minuette down? They hadn't seen each other for months. Minuette was always upbeat in her letters, but if she felt anything like Marble did about the situation it was awful. They may not have seen each other often, but Marble remembered clearly how Minuette reacted when she thought they were breaking up; if she turned the invitation down now, it would be crushing.

Just like it would be if it was Marble making the invitation.

That was it. There was no backing down. Marble needed to take a stand! She drew a deep breath, trying to stop her hyperventilating and calm down. Just as she was about to speak, Igneous looked over at Limestone and spoke, prompting a brief 'Eep!' from Marble.

"Ist thee still in correspondence with that Canterlot lass?"

Limestone grunted an affirmative. "Her name's Lemon Hearts, pa."

Marble blinked in surprise. Limestone was still in contact with Lemon Hearts? Really? Did this mean she was...

"Dost she pursue thee still?"

Limestone sighed. "Still just friends, pa."

Limestone kept her eyes on her soup, while Igneous watched her carefully. He seemed to be chewing over his cheek, considering saying something further. Probably something to discourage her from entertaining ideas about pursuing Lemon, Marble figured. She wasn't sure why he had even allowed them to continue speaking this long; for that matter, why hadn't Limestone even mentioned it before?

Well, Limestone wasn't the most open sort. She probably just didn't feel like it was Marble's business. That made sense.

"Limestone, lass... I just wish thee to understand—"

Limestone slammed a hoof to the table, causing Marble to actually pop up off of her chair, landing with a thud on her rump. Igneous reeled back slightly in surprise.

"I know, pa! The Pairing Stone already picked somepony out for me, and I'm fine with that! I'm not going to run off like everyone else. Stop worrying about me and Lemon Hearts, there's nothing there!"

Limestone was panting now, furious and flustered. Marble leaned back behind her mane as much as she could. Limestone had a short temper, but it was rare indeed for her to lash out at their parents.

Which meant this had to be a really sore point for her. Did she really resent her sisters so much for their choices? The thought felt like a knife through the heart to Marble. She had no idea that Limestone was so upset by all of this.

Had she really been so self-centered not to see it? Was her love of Minuette blinding her to her own family? She felt her eyes stinging and screwed them shut.

Maybe this was what the Pairing Stone had meant all along. She thought she had let that go, but that old fear resurfaced whenever she had doubts, and now it sent icy claws down along her back. Could she really not have Minuette and keep her family? Would she have to choose? How could she—

"Limestone."

Marble's eyes snapped open to see Igneous leaning forward slightly across the table. At first Marble felt her throat lock up, anticipating a full-blown fight, but then she saw his expression. He just looked... concerned?

"Lass. T'was not at all what I meant to say to thee."

Limestone, who had looked ready for a fight, narrowed her eyes at Igneous. He pressed on after a moment.

"Thine mother and I hath discussed the matter to length. Maud and Pinkie hath found happiness. Indeed, Marble hath grown much as a mare since meeting Minuette as well. 'Tis not our place to say how our adult daughters liveth their lives. And to that end we hath decided to give our blessing regardless of thine choice in the matter. If thou desirest to court this lass, 'tis thine right to make such a decision – and likewise if thou shouldst wish to refrain. We love thee, regardless, Limestone. Know this."

Igneous, satisfied that his message had been delivered, went back to eating his soup, as did his wife Cloudy, who had simply watched the exchange sternly. Marble and Limestone merely sat in stunned silence. Marble's mind reeled with the implications of what her pa had said; did he really believe her relationship with Minuette was good for her?

Her parents had, in their own neutral way, just encouraged Limestone to date Lemon Hearts, too! It was virtually unbelievable. Marble's mind raced to make sense of it all, before she realized all of her earlier doubts had overlooked one simple fact:

Her love for her family wasn't one-way. They wanted to support her, too. No matter what, they'd be family.

Limestone looked down at her soup in thought, and then grunted. "Thanks, pa. May I be excused?"

Igneous nodded, not even looking up from his supper. "Aye, lass. Go and think; we shall leave some supper on the hearth for thee when thine appetite returns."

Limestone scooted her chair back and slowly trotted out of the room, as if in a daze. Marble chewed her cheek over, considering following her, but remembered she still had a job to do here, first. Encouraged by Igneous' earlier words, Marble took a deep breath, as though about to dive into a pit of icewater.

Now or never.

"Ma, Pa, Minuette sent me a letter. She, umm... she wants me to go to Ponyville with her. For the weekend...?"

The last part of her sentence came out sounding like a question, as Marble's eyes darted between her two parents. Cloudy and Igneous looked at each other, and then back to her. Igneous gave a small, almost imperceptible smile.

"Certainly, Marble. Thou worked hard these past seasons, though I know it pained thee to be away from her so long. Enjoy thineself."

To Marble's surprise, Cloudy leaned towards her across the table, and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "I am proud of thee, Marble! Not so long ago, we would have needed to guess at thine intent, for thee wouldst never have stated things so clearly. Take heart in thine growth."

Marble, who had just barely kept from passing out prior to asking, just nodded and smiled at the both of them. As happy as she was that they seemed so accepting of her relationship now, there was a much more important thought on her mind right now.

She could go! She could see Minuette again!
> Comforting Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marble readjusted herself in her seat for what had to be the hundredth time since boarding the train. Ponyville was coming into view, and it was only now truly dawning on her that she was visiting a completely new city. Somewhere she'd never been before, without any familiar faces.

Except Minuette.

That one thought was all that kept the shy grey pony from leaping off of the train and running for home, she was sure. Her thoughts had been so consumed with the idea of seeing Minuette – and three days, no less! – that she had completely ignored the context.

They were going to a show; that meant lots of other ponies, strangers, sitting close to them, in an strange city. Marble quailed at the thought, but in the end it didn't matter.

She was going to do this. For Minuette.

And hey, as long as Minuette was there, it would be fine. Marble always felt so much stronger around her marefriend – hee, even the word made her feel warmer.

Then again, it had been a long time since they'd seen each other, hadn't it? What if Minuette's feelings for Marble had cooled?

Or... even worse... what if Marble didn't feel the same way around the perky blue unicorn anymore? What if...

Actually... what if Minuette was having the same concerns? Did she think Marble didn't like her anymore, and had just been making excuses not to visit her? She couldn't think that, could she?

But if Marble was thinking it...

The thought of that beautiful, wonderful blue mare feeling lonely sent a spear through Marble's chest.

The train started to come to a halt, prompting a startled gasp from Marble. She clenched her jaw. There was no more time to worry about it all.

If Minuette didn't know she loved her, she'd fix that.

With that thought held at the fore of her mind, Marble grabbed her bag in her teeth and made her way off of the train. Thankfully, almost no one had boarded on the Ponyville-Nickerlite line, so there was nopony in her way as she disembarked. As soon as she stepped onto the platform, she spotted Minuette, though for a moment she almost doubted it was her.

The Minuette she'd always known would have smiled wildly, waved, run straight to her, and probably yelled something encouraging. That wasn't what this Minuette did at all.

Instead, Minuette just gave a slow, uncertain wave, matched to a nervous-looking smile.

Marble felt that cold tendril of fear creep up her back again, whispering her doubts back into her mind. Was Minuette going to break up with her? Was she unhappy to see her? Why was she acting like this? The thoughts made the grey mare's legs shake.

Marble couldn't convince her forelegs to wave at Minuette, so she settled for planting one shaky hoof in front of the other, instead. She wanted to bolt to her marefriend, but she couldn't force herself to do more than trot.

Then again, it was only a dozen steps.

Face to face at last, Marble carefully set down her bag, watching Minuette for any sign of what was wrong. Minuette, for her part, was watching her with the same intensity.

"Are you worrying my feelings changed?" Marble's voice came out barely above a whisper, and she only realized it was her speaking after a second. Minuette's eyes widened a little, and she suddenly looked ashamed, trying to look away.

She didn't get the chance. Marble had snatched her into a kiss before she even felt her hooves move.

First came the shock, the excitement, like arcs of electricity running from her face and down her whole body. Then came a wave of warmth, lighting up her cheeks and flushing over her whole being. Marble wasn't sure how ridiculous she looked or how deeply she was blushing, but she pushed down the thought.

All that mattered was Minuette. She tugged the her marefriend closer, pulling her into a full embrace, and felt a shudder – from both of them – when their fur mingled. She felt more than heard Minuette moan into her mouth, and her body echoed it before she had a say in the matter. She was happy Minuette was happy; Minuette was happy she was happy. Marble's brain just kept bouncing between the two, until the difference seemed to break down entirely.

She could lose herself in that terrifying, wonderful sense of static and warmth forever. It was intoxicating, to the point that Marble barely registered that they had gone way beyond the pecks on the lips they had tried before. She wasn't sure how long they stayed lost in each other like that – it felt like she had somehow slipped into a different universe and lifetime, something utterly different from life in Equestria, and lived out a full life in that moment.

Slowly, like a whisper in the back of her mind, a thought came to her. She hadn't told Minuette she loved her, yet. Marble needed to do that, at some point.

Eh, she'd get around to it. Eventually.

The thought elicited a slight giggle from Marble as she and Minuette kept up their emotional dance. That was how it felt; like dancing, or their first time ice-skating, like no words were needed to or could express the most important things in the world.

But it was still important to say them. That thought got more persistent, until Marble finally, gently, pushed Minuette away, just a few inches. She looked into her marefriend's eyes. "Minuette, I—"

Marble blinked. Minuette's eyes fluttered open, but lolled around unfocused for a few seconds, in such a goofy manner it made Marble giggle again. She finally, sleepily, focused on Marble.

"... Whoa."

Marble nuzzled her, though it started to feel like her cheeks were going to permanently burn out their capacity to blush. "I love you."

Minuette wrapped her hooves around Marble, eliciting an excited squeak from her. "I love you too, Shy Pie. Though after that... wow. Maybe that's the wrong nickname for you."

It turned out Marble could blush harder. It actually hurt a little. "Uhh... that was alright, wasn't it?"

"YES! Oh Celestia, do not think that was not okay!"

Minuette laughed and tightened her hug, and Marble's mind exploded. She only came back down to Equestria when Minuette snickered while nuzzling her.

"Turns out my marefriend is an amazing kisser! Who knew?"

Now Marble's neck hurt from blushing so hard. She didn't even know that was possible. And her, an amazing kisser? How? It was her first time, yet...

Well, it was amazing. Marble couldn't deny that.

"I, umm, I'm glad you liked it."

Minuette leaned back from the hug and gave Marble a sly look. "So glad you promise to do it again?"

Marble blinked a bit, and then nodded hurriedly. "Mmmmmhm."

"Good! We've still got half an hour until—"

Minuette's eyes narrowed, and Marble followed her gaze up to the station clock. She gasped lightly, as did Marble.

"8:10?! We were... I... I lost track of time."

Marble knew from Minuette's letters that her special talent was not, in fact, directly related to dentistry. It was actually keeping track of time and timed tasks, which made her a lot better at her job. She had never, ever lost track of time before.

"I'm sor—"

Minuette snatched Marble's head around to look at her. She was smiling wildly. "I lost track of time! Me! Jeez, Marble! You kissed me so hard you fried my brain!"

Minuette just laughed wildly, and eventually Marble laughed alongside her. Still giggling, Minuette sprang to her hooves and beckoned Marble to follow, her horn lighting up and carrying Marble's bag. They began trotting towards the center of Ponyville.

"I'm really sorry about calling you to a new town," Minuette said, inclining her head at the houses, "but Ponyville is a small, friendly place. I figured you might like it here once you get to know it, and I come around here often to visit my friend, Lyra. Anyway, this is where the show is, so..."

Marble gently swerved a little closer, so that their coats brushed slightly as they walked, sending enjoyable tingling sensations through her skin. "It's okay. I was nervous at first, but you're here. I'll be okay."

Minuette smiled at her, and just the sight filled Marble with a warm feeling again. At least it stayed off of her face for once.

"Thanks, Marble. I'm glad you're open with me about what you're uncomfortable with... and what you're, uhh..."

They both giggled again. Marble's cheeks heated up again, but she just ignored it this time. "I'm sorry if that was too forward, it's just, after being away for so long, I thought maybe you were worried I didn't like you anymore."

Marble could see Minuette nibbling on her lip as she considered her response for a few seconds. Finally, she just sighed. "Yeah, I was. It was stupid, but I thought maybe something had happened, like you had finally met that stallion from the Pairing Stone or something."

"I'd tell you if anything happened," Marble snapped out without thinking. She blinked in surprise, but took a deep breath and pressed on. "If my feelings ever change you'll be the first pony to know. I'd never hurt you like that. And... I was worried about the same thing, so don't say it was stupid. What was stupid was me not putting my hoof down and insisting on seeing you. That's never going to happen again."

Marble noticed Minuette staring at her in surprise, and suddenly withdraw her face behind her mane. Had she said too much? That was so forceful. But... she felt really strongly about it, so shouldn't she be firm about it?

Minuette laughed and shot another sly look at her. "Are you trying to get another kiss in before the show? Because I'm not going to fight you on it."

Marble considered taking her up on that, then and there, but her earlier bravado had faded. She just squeaked, but then she felt Minuette's comforting hoof around her shoulder.

"Hey. I'll remember that, okay? Thanks."

Marble just gave a little nod and smiled. Whatever problem there was, she had fixed it. That thought released tension from her chest, like air rushing in. She felt Minuette come to a halt and she did likewise, glancing at her marefriend.

"Oh, wow, we need to clean up."

Minuette was wiping her chin with a hoof and smirking. Marble reflexively did the same, realizing her chin was wet too.

"Oh! I'm—"

"Apologize for that kiss and I'll never forgive you."

Minuette stared at Marble with a goofy-looking faux glare, and Marble snickered. "Okay, I'm not sorry, but I didn't realize we were so... messy."

Minuette laughed and threw her hooves into the air. "Who cares?! Totally worth it. Let's just hit our hotel room and clean up."

"But what's the point? We'll just... UMM..."

Marble suddenly covered her face in her hooves. Why did she always speak without thinking around Minuette? It was just so easy to voice whatever she was thinking. Too easy. Then again, did Minuette ever hold it against her?

No, it was always her who had the problem. Marble might have dug a little deeper into that, but she was shaken by Minuette laughing.

"O-hohoho! Well then!"

Marble slumped down a little, only for Minuette to pull her into a hug. Her voice came out gentle, comforting. "Marble, thank you. I get that you're really putting yourself out there for me, and here I was worrying how you felt. It's... good."

Marble just snuggled into her marefriend. It was good to be wanted. She knew.

The two of them ultimately did pass by the hotel room (Marble noted that there were two beds, and had a brief fit of embarrassment when she automatically questioned why they needed two), and lost an extra ten minutes to snuggles before they headed back out to the show. Minuette had managed to keep them perfectly on-schedule, such that they arrived just as the show was about to begin.

There was a fabulous-looking stage made out of wood, gold, and marble in the center of town, large enough for a full musical concert, with massive curtains that towered above the nearby houses. Marble wondered how anypony had managed to move something so massive to Ponyville, or if this was just a normal part of the town. Given that it was in the middle of the road, she figured on the former, and that just added to her confusion.

"Whoa. That's new. Trixie's really stepped up her game." Minuette chuckled. They had a pair of seats in a private tent off to the side of the main seating area, for which Marble practically exploded with gratefulness. This way, she could focus on the performance without worrying about other ponies.

Minuette snuggled up nice and close, sending a wave of warmth over Marble, and another wave of gratitude she didn't have to worry about prying eyes.

There were other things she could focus on, too.

Before she could follow that thought to its conclusion, however, the lights dimmed – all the way down to the level of romantic candlelight – and a blue unicorn in a starry cape and perfectly-tailored tuxedo stepped out from behind the massive curtains.

Minuette hummed. "Huh, Trixie isn't wearing her hat. Great tux, though. Really adds to the 'great magician' feel."

Trixie, though too far to have possibly overheard the exchange, nonetheless looked straight at Minuette. She spoke softly, yet her voice carried all through the audience.

"Why thank you. I felt that for tonight, this ensemble was, one might say, better suited."

A few groans and chuckles went up from the audience, and Minuette's eyes went wide. "She can hear us?"

Trixie simply winked at Minuette. "Only if you talk about me, don't worry."

Confused murmurs went through the crowd, and Trixie glanced somewhere off to the side. "Now, now. There's no need for that kind of talk. Tonight isn't a night about showing off or impressing a crowd."

Trixie's horn lit up, and shot a beam into the sky. A huge, multi-colored energy dome closed around the entire audience and stage. When Trixie spoke again, her voice had a faint echo to it, as though it resounded off of the edges of the enclosure.

"Tonight is a night about magic. And that most special kind of magic of all, love. Tonight is a night for lovers old and young, new and veteran, for all of the ponies who have that special somepony in their hearts."

Marble was entranced by the show of powerful magic, which was, if the silence was any indication, the same as the rest of the audience. She glanced at Minuette, only to see her blushing furiously. Minuette's voice came out as a whisper. "I didn't know this was a romantic magic show."

Marble just gave her a gentle nuzzle. "I don't mind." Minuette's blush only grew deeper, but she smiled.

Trixie cleared her throat. "To all of you who are carrying watches or other timepieces, please remember to set them back an hour. Many of you may have thought we were kidding when we said that this was a two-hour show packed into one, but we wouldn't want to inconvenience anypony when you discover that the flier was quite literal."

Chuckles went up from the crowd, along with a few murmurs, and Trixie just rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Suit yourself; it is not Trixie's fault if you wake up early tomorrow. Now... please enjoy the Great and Powerful Romantic Magic Show, brought to you by Trixie with the indispensable assistance of her friends."

Trixie bowed her head, smiling deviously at the crowd as she slowly backed away into the curtains. A gentle roll of thunder shook the crowd, and rain began to fall, pattering on the top of the dome and running down its sides. Soft flute music began to play, intertwining with the bass of the thunder and the sounds of the rain, creating a soothing atmosphere.

Marble breathed a deep, contented sigh. "This is... so nice." Minuette snuggled into her a bit, and nodded. "I never knew Trixie could make a show so... peaceful."

Trixie's voice echoed around the dome, this time far more sinister in its aspect. "Prepare yourselves, little ponies... for a show unlike any other."

Two huge, spectral snakes slithered onto the stage from under the curtain. They glowed various hues as they caught the light, not unlike crystals, and squared off in the center of the stage. Marble tensed up. "Are they... about to fight?"

Minuette hummed slightly. "I don't... think so?"

Inwardly, Minuette was panicking about how different this show was than she imagined. She had several of Trixie's shows in the past, but none were anything like this. Then, the flute was suddenly accompanied by gentle vocalization, slowly rising in timbre and volume, and the rain's tempo changed. It almost seemed to fall on the dome in intervals, like a drumbeat. The two snakes began to bob their heads.

"Oooh!" Minuette held a hoof up to her mouth. "I've heard of this! It's a snake dance!"

As if on cue, the two snakes began darting their heads left and right in sudden, snappy motions. Then they began circling each other, heads still darting back and forth with the beat. Marble leaned forward in sudden interest. "They almost look like they're made of bismuth, but the faceting is definitely different. You can see through them slightly, see?"

Marble pointed excitedly, and Minuette squinted. "Oh, you're right! I've seen bismuth before, but that's definitely different. They look a bit like crystal ponies!"

"Crystal what?"

Minuette didn't have a chance to answer before the music's tempo suddenly increased, and the two snakes leapt at each other, coiling and spinning on each other in midair.

The dance grew more intense, with the two snakes dancing around on each other, leaping into the air and kicking off of other another only to dart back together on the ground. There were occasional lulls in the music, where the two snakes would coil together and stare at each other.

Marble had been so intent on the show, she didn't realize that Minuette had been snuggling closer and closer until she felt her weight press down on her shoulder. Marble's cheeks flushed crimson, but she certainly didn't mind it. 

String instruments that Marble didn't recognize joined the music, and the dance became far more aggressive, with the two snakes squaring off and pulling stunts near each other. Their dance became asynchronous, and each snake demonstrated completely unique movements. One of the snakes coiled up, and then stretched itself up into the air, forming an elongated helix; the other snake leapt on their head, and bounced off of their head into the air, forming themselves into a loop and spinning wildly in the air before landing in a wild horizontal spin.

Hoofbeats went up from the crowd in appreciation. Marble wanted to applaud as well, but that would mean breaking from Minuette, and that just wasn't an option. Minuette, for her part, clopped her hooves together, but stayed resting on Marble's shoulder.

Without warning, the two snakes suddenly leapt towards the crowd together, coiling together in midair in the process. Marble could not see what happened next, but she heard cries of alarm followed by laughter and hoofbeats of applause. She worried for a brief moment, but felt Minuette clamp onto her and snapped her attention to the side. At first, she thought her date might be going for a kiss, but then she heard an alarmed gasp and her eyes darted to the floor near Minuette.

There was a tiny spectral snake on the ground, weaving towards Minuette's chair. Marble's mind went blank, and she felt something impact her hoof sharply. She only realized what happened a moment later; she was out of her chair, and she had slammed her hoof down on the intruder. The ground under her hoof split, sending a fissure straight out towards the stage. Marble gasped in surprise, both at the gap and at what she had done, but when she lifted her hoof she saw crushed gem.

At least it hadn't been a real snake, but where had that sudden aggression come from? She didn't even have the time to feel anger! She had just acted. It didn't matter now, though; she had ruined the show! That fissure kept growing, spreading towards the stage—

And then stopped. The ground suddenly yanked itself back together, and there was a faint, pale glue glow from the tiny crack that remained, and it sealed itself up. Minuette, though panting heavily from the surprise, pulled Marble back to her chair.

"Marble! Marble, it's okay! Calm down!"

Marble realized she was breathing rapidly and sweating, but Minuette's embrace was rapidly calming her nerves. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down, and looked at the dust on her hoof. What if it had been a real snake? Would she have—

"Wow, Marble! I had no idea you were that strong! Not to mention protective!"

Minuette curled up into her, eliciting a squeak from Marble. "I-I didn't mean to, I just..."

"It's fine! No, really, that was... thank you. I think spooking us was the whole idea, you know? It's like a thriller."

"A thriller?"

"Yeah, a show that shocks and scares ponies. Couples go to them sometimes."

Marble's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Why would anypony go to something like that? Especially a couple?"

Minuette pressed into Marble's side tightly and giggled a bit. Her voice had a playful tinge of sarcasm to it. "You'll keep me safe, won't you?"

Oh.

Marble got it.
> Merciful Revenge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight and Chrysalis made their way backstage once the crowd had dispersed. Starlight was chuckling to herself still when she spoke.

"Discord and Twilight? I know the story behind Discord helping her, but I wonder how Trixie wrangled that kind of backup for this!"

"It was for us. For you, more specifically."

"Oh." Starlight laughed a little more uncomfortably. "I guess that makes sense. But hey, what a show!"

Chrysalis nodded. She had enjoyed the show, but there was one aspect that bothered her.

"You ponies are terrifying."

"Wha...?"

"Time dilation. Remote weather control. Impenetrable barrier. Automatic, selective clairaudition. That was some incredibly potent magic – and all for a performance. It might as well have been a military demonstration."

Starlight's laughter was significantly more uncomfortable and a full octave harder when she patted Chrysalis on the back. "Oh, Chrysalis. Don't be silly! I'm sure a lot of that was... special effects! Trixie does have a way with stage magic! Besides, I don't think they meant to intimidate anyone—"

Chrysalis just shrugged. "I don't take it personally. I was a dangerous criminal in their eyes until a week ago. It only makes sense to make an underhanded threat to keep me in line."

Starlight lowered her hoof and kept trotting, nervously chewing over her lip. They wouldn't do that... would they? She couldn't entirely discount the possibility, so she couldn't deny it outright...

Trixie, Twilight, and Discord came into view. They were laughing heartily about something, and it was Discord who saw the pair first.

"Ohohoho! If it isn't the two lovebirds! Or, hmm..."

Discord teleported over to the two of them, inspecting them.

"Well, given your lack of wings," Discord poked Starlight in the side, eliciting a dirty look and defensively-raised rear hoof, before teleporting over to Chrysalis and leaning in to inspect her wings, "and your, hrm, situation, let's go with lovebugs instead. Close enough!" He made that declaration with good cheer and teleported back to Trixie and Twilight, who were still snickering.

Chrysalis just sighed irritably. "Discord, while the show was appreciated, I just want to be clear; Starlight and I don't need you interfering in our lives any further. The idea you set up this ridiculous spectacle just to further your—"

Discord laughed uproariously at that, and even Twilight seemed somewhat amused, chuckling openly. He suddenly extended his neck over to Chrysalis. "Oh my! Look at who's all full of herself! You think I did all of this for you?"

He snapped back into place and rolled around in midair, gravity entirely forgotten, still laughing. Twilight just shook her head with a smirk, picking up where Discord had left off. "Chrysalis, Trixie wanted to invite the two of you. Discord and I put this show together for, er... someponies else."

Chrysalis and Starlight exchanged confused looks, but then something dawned in Chrysalis' eyes. "The private booth. Who was in it?"

Discord paused in his midair roll and landed on on the ground, wiping a tear away. "Oh, noponies of importance, at least to anypony but themselves and their families. Nothing you need concern yourselves with."

Trixie, for her part, just rolled her eyes. "For what it's worth, Starlight, the Great and Powerful Trixie wanted to give the two of you a truly magical evening of romance, utterly independent of whatever... these two have in mind."

Starlight scrutinized Discord and Twilight. "You two are working together now?"

Discord smiled broadly and leaned down, wrapping an arm around Twilight, who did her best to smile malevolently. It almost didn't look nerdy. "Why yes, we are. More specifically, Twilight is studying under me. Isn't that wonderful?"

Starlight looked to Twilight in confusion, but Twilight just nodded back. "It's true. Discord is teaching me about chaos magic! I'll have a full report—"

Discord groaned. "A report? Twilight, demerit!"

Twilight groaned, facehoofing. "Right. Old habits."

Starlight just stared at Twilight for a few moments in disbelief before shaking her head with a smirk. "Yeah... good luck with that, Discord. Twilight's about the most orderly mare—"

Discord suddenly appeared about Starlight and patted her on the head. "Why thank you. It's true, I will need all the luck in the world, but we'll manage. After all, I'm the foremost expert on chaos there is! Professor Discord is in!"

Twilight suddenly checked a non-existent wristwatch. "Discord, look at the time! There's still loads of discordant harmony we can spread before the night's out! We should get on it!"

And with that, Twilight's non-wristwatch-wearing left hoof fell off, rolled to the side to point upright, and Twilight did a midair somersault towards it, clapping her other hoof to it and disappearing into thin air. Discord floated up a bit and took on an appraising stance.

"Ooh, very good. She's getting top marks when I figure out where she went."

Discord held up a hand to snap. "Wait!"

Discord glanced over to Chrysalis, who had called out and raised a hoof. "Discord... I need to know something."

Discord raised an eyebrow and his eyes glowed slightly. "Yesss?"

"I saw the look of venom on your face when we took Fluttershy. Why have you done all of this for me? For us? Did you not want revenge?"

Discord frowned, looking unusually serious, and appeared in front of Chrysalis. "Of course I wanted vengeance, Chrysalis. You hurt Fluttershy. You weren't the only one plotting how to get back at someone these past few months."

Chrysalis recoiled slightly. "Then why?"

Discord rolled his eyes. "Well, how do you think Fluttershy would feel about it if I took vengeance on you? Hmm? I decided to do what she would want and extend a little kindness. Hrmph. Look a gift horse in the mouth why don't you."

And with that, Starlight teleported to Discord's side, and he held her mouth open. She chomped down on his fingers and irritably trotted back over to Chrysalis, prompting Discord to blow on his red, swollen hand. "Ouch!"

Chrysalis shook her head. "That's not the only reason. There's something you're not saying."

Discord just groaned. "And you think you can understand me, is that it?"

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes, studying the draconequus for a few moments. "You had to know."

The two stared at each other for a few moments, locked in a tense silence. Finally, Discord shrugged. "I suppose I did."

Chrysalis sighed, and pawed at the ground for a moment. "... Thank you."

Discord leaned down to eye level with her, and Chrysalis met his gaze with a surprisingly vulnerable expression. He looked at her intensely for a few seconds.

"You're welcome."

And with a snap, he was gone.
> Deceptive Honesty
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minuette gave a happy sigh as they trotted to the hotel. "That was amazing!"

Marble just smiled and pressed into her date with a smile. "Mmmmhm."

"And could you believe the fireworks? I mean, Trixie usually goes for big, loud, flashy stuff. The little glowing butterflies, that was something else!"

Marble giggled. That had been her favorite part of the show; the finale, rather than being big and explosive, had been soft and romantic. This 'Trixie' had really delivered. "Thank you for taking me."

"Oh, my pleasure! I mean, I can't really take full credit. I didn't even know there was going to be a show in Ponyville until I got my tickets!"

Marble leaned her head away slightly to give Minuette a curious look, prompting a shrug and smile from the mare.

"I got my tickets for winning some kind of 'dentist's appreciation raffle'. I don't know the details, but apparently they give vacations away to dentists each year or something!"

Marble considered that. Altogether, it sounded fishy.

"That... sounds kinda suspicious."

Minuette laughed. "I thought so too, but it's not like I had to sign any papers with weird fine print or anything. Everypony knows better than to chase a 'free vacation' that has paperwork involved. I just got a congratulatory letter with a ticket saying that I needed a plus-one. I'd been planning to set up a date anyway, but this arrived at just the perfect time!"

Marble hummed at that and thought about it. Had Pinkie somehow set this up? Or somepony else?

Well, that seemed kind of far-fetched. Honestly, who even knew the two of them were dating? It wasn't like they were celebrities.

Minuette let them into the hotel room, and immediately flopped down on one of the beds. "I'm beat! We should get some rest so we can tackle a full day of Ponyville tomorrow. Hey, I never got to say this earlier, but wow you guys were not kidding about smashing rocks with your bare hooves, huh? That strength was crazy!"

Marble froze up a bit. She chewed over her cheek a bit, contemplating whether to talk about it. She'd noticed how much stronger she was, of course, but the reason for that...

"Well... Maud left the farm, like I mentioned... and Limestone's been kind of depressed lately. I've, umm... I've had to fill in. A lot."

Minuette whistled. "Two and a half workers' worth of chores on a rock farm, huh? No wonder you were too busy to see me, especially come harvest season. You've got super strength now, though!"

"I, umm, I wouldn't call it super strength..."

Minuette smirked and narrowed her eyes at Marble, and then at the stone wall nearby. "Hey. Think you could punch a hole right through that?"

Marble glanced at the wall. "Granite... half a foot thick..."

Of course she could. Granted, this wall had been reinforced with wood and was properly cut and treated, but she broke harder structures than this on a daily basis back at the farm.

"... Probably. No, I could. Definitely."

Marble hid a bit behind her mane, but she just heard Minuette laugh good-naturedly. "That's awesome, Marble! You should be proud of that! You're like a farmpony superhero!"

Marble just smiled and trotted further into the room. Minuette was already snuggling under the covers, and Marble realized she had a choice to make.

Did she go to her own bed, or... try to join Minuette?

The thought elicited a squeak from her, and she felt heat crawling up her neck. She had already been so forward tonight... but then again, Minuette had hardly seemed to mind. On the other hoof, she might take it the wrong way, too...

Minuette cracked an eye open. "Marble? You okay?"

Marble looked over at Minuette quickly. "Mmm... mmmmhm."

Minuette sat up in bed. "What's wrong?"

Marble shuffled a bit on her hooves. Her nerves were rattling full force, making her shake a bit. This somehow felt like a really big deal all of a sudden.

"Umm... w-where do I s-s-sleep?"

"Wherever you want!"

Minuette just gave an innocent smile. Marble almost wondered if she didn't catch her meaning. She took a deep breath.

"W-where do you want me to s-s-sleep?"

It was Minuette's turn to look a bit nervous. She coughed lightly into her hoof. "I, uh... I picked a two-bed room so you could choose, Marble. I wasn't really sure if you'd want to, y'know... share one."

There was a tense pause. Minuette seemed to realize the issue after a second. "But, I'd like to if you'd like to. No pressure."

Marble let out a relieved sigh and trotted over towards Minuette's bed. She had already pulled back the covers and started to climb in when she saw that Minuette was blushing furiously and averting her gaze.

"Minuette? I-is this alright?"

Minuette nodded hurriedly. "Yeah! I'm just, y'know... it's not, er, I've never really shared a bed with anypony."

"Really?" Marble was surprised. She'd had to share beds with her sisters before, so it didn't strike her as being as big of a deal. Though that didn't mean she wasn't already turning funny colors.

"Yeah. But, well..." Minuette took a deep breath. "I mean, it's not something you can do wrong, right...?"

Marble slid into the covers, and pulled Minuette in tight, snuggling against her. "It takes a little getting used to, and I've never, uh, been this close to anypony before, but don't worry."

Minuette seemed to almost melt in her embrace, curling into her effortlessly. Before long, both mares had passed into deep slumber.
> Honest Deception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning was a little awkward, as Marble and Minuette woke up to a fit of nervous giggles and disentangled. A couple of numb hooves and stiff limbs reflected the truth of Marble's comment about practice, and as they prepared to leave, Minuette found herself snickering.

"Well, I guess we'll have plenty of opportunity to practice in the future."

Minuette glanced over and saw her marefriend blushing, just barely visible behind her mane, as she shook out one of her hooves. Minuette chalked that up as a win for cuteness everywhere and floated her saddlebag onto her back.

"Alright, let's go! Still plenty of time before the next performance, so I should show you around town a little, and pick up some stuff at the market. That sound good?"

Marble took a little while in answering, seeming to turn things over in her mind, but Minuette was used to that by now. She was probably just weighing the social anxiety of going out in public against the chance to do new things with Minuette. Minuette felt a little bad for pushing her to be social, but Ponyville was about as relaxed a place as any – monster attacks aside – so she hoped Marble would warm up to it quickly.

Minuette trotted over to her marefriend and nuzzled her. "It's a quiet, small town. Don't worry; you'll feel at home here in no time."

Marble snuggled back. "Okay..."

Minuette frowned slightly. Marble was still really struggling with these things, she knew, but she needed her to at least give Ponyville a chance.

For both of them.

"Alright, then let's head out!"

And with that, the two of them departed to the market, though Minuette was deeply nervous. What if Marble hated this place? What if even Ponyville was too crowded for her marefriend? Her whole plan revolved around making Marble love this place, but what if that wasn't to be?

Well, Minuette would do whatever Marble needed, in the end. She just hoped her plan worked out.

The two of them passed by a few vendor stalls, Marble pressing close. She seemed comfortable enough, and Minuette was glad for that. It was good to be there for somepony, to know that there was someone out there who liked you for who you were, took strength from your presence.

Unfortunately, Minuette's errand required her to step away for a bit.

"Marble, I need to go talk to somepony here for a few minutes. Do you think you might be okay staying here for just a little bit?"

Marble's eyes widened in fear for a moment, but she took a deep breath and nodded. It was torture for Minuette to watch, but she knew Marble would be okay. Her marefriend was far tougher than she gave herself credit for.

At least, that was how Minuette saw it, and what she told herself to make it feel a little less cruel. It wasn't like she was going to just leave her in the hotel room; she really did want to show Marble around the town. As if sensing her unease, Marble gave her a nuzzle.

"I'll be okay. Y-you do what you need to do, I'll take a look at the, umm... the shops."

Minuette nuzzled back and then nodded. "Alright. Don't go off and get into any wild parties without me!"

She smiled broadly and trotted off. She had a stallion to speak to about a house; she hoped Marble would like it as much as she did, but if the morning thus-far was any indication... well, she'd just have to ask her when the time came.

Marble watched her marefriend depart silently, but her mind was full of noise. Why had Minuette made a point to take her out here only to leave her alone? Were all these strange ponies really as friendly as she said? What if—

"Hey. Miss."

Marble jumped slightly and turned slowly to the source of the sound, only to see a small wooden stall set up. She hadn't seen it before, but she also hadn't been paying close attention to the market. A grey-white unicorn with a bored-looking expression sat behind the desk, next to a stack of fliers. Marble noticed he had a strange-looking horn; it was pale blue and... was it slightly off-center?

"Miss. You want a flier?"

Marble glanced around, but couldn't see any other mare he might be speaking to.

Which meant he was speaking to her.

Oh no.

The unicorn's horn glowed slightly, and held a flier up facing her, though he didn't shove it in her face. She glanced between the unicorn and the flier nervously, before the text caught her eye.

Rock-Carving Workshop And Exhibit
Show off your artistic talent in stonework and earn some bits!
As part of the Equestria Institute of Rockology's 'Sediment to Settlements Mineral Mayhem' tour
To spread appreciation of rockology and mineral-based arts
Can you tell the difference gabbro and granite at a glance?
Or maybe you just know how to work a chisel?
Don't diabase your own skills, it's not too tuff!
Swing on down and strut your stuff!
Ponyville Town Hall, noon!

Marble actually winced at the rock puns, but the general concept intrigued her. Rock carving, here? She could carve pretty well, but they only really used that skill around the farm for things like Hearth's Warming dolls or practical applications.

Could artistic sculpting really be a profitable career?

"Miss? You interested?"

Marble was shocked out of her thoughts by the unicorn's comment, and made a small peeping noise as she retreated back behind her mane.

"Umm... I-I have a d-d-date with my marefriend. I shouldn't... sorry!"

Marble bolted, putting quick distance between her and the no-doubt frustrated unicorn. She thought she heard a frustrated groan come from behind her, and she glanced behind her in a panic to see if he was following her, though the idea seemed absurd.

She paused mid-flight. The unicorn and the stall were... gone? That was strange. Then again, Marble didn't know how things worked in Ponyville. Maybe it was a unicorn quirk? It was all just so strange! Nearly hyperventilating at this point, Marble decided to just find a quiet bench to park on until Minuette returned.

Minuette, for her part, had just finished negotiating. The brown stallion gave her a curt nod.

"Alright. That price is fair, given the condition. When will you be able to sign?"

"I'll need to ask my marefriend first. Nothing's final without her say-so. But, well... I'd appreciate you holding it for me, at least for a few days."

The stallion nodded. "Certainly. Just don't take too long; never know when a better offer will come down the line, after all."

Minuette nodded and trotted out of the house. It had taken a lot longer to negotiate than she had thought; that stallion had been determined to inflate the price for all sorts of ridiculous 'advantages' the property had, even though it was actually a bit run-down and on the outskirts of town.

She didn't mention that it being on the outskirts was one of the reasons she picked it. No need to give him more ammunition. The town records had indicated he had been sitting on that property for almost two years, so she was confident he was glad just to get rid of it, and she had managed to work him down to a very reasonable price. She'd actually saved up even more than she needed for it, over the past six months.

For now, though, she needed to get back to Marble. Hopefully, she had run across someone friendly and had a good time, but Minuette knew better than to count on Marble having a good time in any kind of public place on her own. She trotted with purpose and speed, until she heard someone call out to her.

"Hey! Miss! Blue unicorn! You!"

Minuette stopped and glanced over to see a bored-looking unicorn with a pale blue, slightly off-center horn and a dull grey-white coat waving to her from behind a small wooden stall. She paused a few seconds to wonder what the heck had happened to do that to his horn, but realized it would be rude to stare. She trotted up to the stall.

"Something you need?"

The unicorn rolled his eyes and his horn lit up, floating a small flier over to Minuette. She scanned over it quickly, ready to ignore the whole encounter, but then paused.

"Oh! Thanks! I think my marefriend would be really interested in this!"

The unicorn gave a shrug, and Minuette took the flier into her magic as she trotted off.

This could be exactly what she needed! Minuette held her head high up as she trotted towards where she and Marble had parted ways.

Talk about good luck!
> Orchestrated Coincidence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Limestone groaned, swinging her hooves back and forth on the little bench in Ponyville Town Hall.

"Is anypony even going to show up? If I made this delivery for nothing somepony is going to regret it."

Lemon Hearts flinched a little, her ears flattening against her head. "The Pie rock farm is going to be paid either way—"

"I don't care! I mean, I do, but that's not the point! Do I really have to stay here when I could be working? Nopony in this town gives a bit about rocks!"

"We only just opened. Just have patience; ponies will show up. I think."

Limestone just grunted. She didn't want to take out her frustrations on Lemon Hearts; she had just been sent here to act on behalf of the Equestrian Institute of Rockology. The pay had been good, but losing an entire day's labor to just sit around and be reminded of what a fringe market rock-farming was definitely didn't help Limestone's mood at all.

The doors to the town hall opened, and Limestone shot her best glare – until she saw that the two ponies entering were Minuette and Marble. Then she just looked confused.

"What are you two doing here?"

Minuette brightened immediately, smiling that annoyingly broad smile of hers. "Limestone! Lemon Hearts! Hey! It's great to see you!"

Limestone grunted in response, but Lemon Hearts ran up to the two of them and threw a hug around both Minuette and Marble. Limestone tensed; Marble was sure to hate that. Then again, she was... smiling?

Well okay then.

Lemon Hearts laughed. "What are you two doing here?"

"That's what I said," grumbled Limestone.

Minuette nudged Marble meaningfully. "We got one of the fliers in town, and I wanted to see Marble's rock-sculpting skills!"

Marble hid her face a little more. "Mmmmhm."

Lemon Hearts released both of them and shot a hoof at Limestone. "Hah! Someone did show up!"

Limestone rolled her eyes. "She's not even from Ponyville, though. The whole idea was to set up a regular source of revenue between the farm and the town."

Inwardly, Limestone was still glad to see her sister here. It made things a bit more bearable, and maybe she could draw some interest to this place. Not that she'd admit any of that.

At least it's not some annoying townie with no idea how to work stone.

Limestone just watched as Lemon Hearts explained where the rocks had come from and set up Marble on one of the workbenches with a chunk of marble. Marble looked like the weight of the world was one her shoulders. It annoyed Limestone that she was so nervous, but she also wanted to say something encouraging.

Don't go embarrassing us now.

No, that's terrible.

"Show them what the Pie family can do, Marble."

It came out curt, irritable-sounding, and coarse. But Marble smiled, and that meant it worked. Limestone almost smiled. It was nice having a sister that got her.

Marble was swift with her pick and chisel, knocking precise pieces off of the slab with practiced ease. It was less than an hour before she had a small bust carved out, and the result made Limestone plant a hoof on her head. Marble, for her part, just blushed furiously when she realized what she'd done.

Of course it would be a bust of her marefriend. What else would she have on her mind?

Limestone groaned, once again. "Nopony's going to want to buy a bust of some random unicorn, Marble."

Marble flattened her ears. Minuette and Lemon Hearts, who had been busily engaged in conversation, looked over. Both gasped, and Lemon Hearts swept in quickly to lift it in her magic.

"Marble, this is perfect! We'll put this outside with a sign and it'll draw ponies in in no time!"

Marble perked up at that, and Minuette gave her a reassuring nuzzle. Limestone grumbled.

I'm not jealous.

Sure enough, within the hour there were ponies wandering in to check out the workshop. A few tried their hooves at the tools, though none could produce anything as precise as Marble's work. Many more were eager to get carvings of themselves or their loved ones; Marble ended up doing a carving from a photograph of a long-deceased grandparent, and the customers were ecstatic.

Minuette handled the negotiations, and stood by Marble's side as she worked. It reminded Limestone of how Pinkie used to stand in whenever Marble was too nervous to speak; Minuette would just silently pick up on it whenever Marble was getting uncomfortable, and put things right.

The whole thing made Limestone grumble.

"Hey, gloomy guss. You okay?"

Limestone glanced to her side to see Lemon Hearts sitting next down next to her. Lemon had a concerned look, and Limestone reflexively rolled her eyes.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be? You were right, there's stuff going on here."

"Hey... don't be like that. Tell me what's wrong."

Limestone grunted. "Just annoyed. As always."

"Nooo, it's not like always. Something is annoying you. Is it Minuette?"

"Hrnn, you sure are nosy."

"I nose because I care."

Limestone rolled her eyes again, but she smirked at least. "Fine. You know that I worry about Marble taking off already."

Lemon glanced at Marble and Minuette, and comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh..."

"Yeah. Minuette's showing her around a town that Marble might actually be able to live in. And two of our sisters have already moved here. Now she's starting to enjoy this rock-carving thing, and... well, just look at the two of them."

Marble and Minuette were giggling about something while Marble gently chipped away at a stray edge on her latest sculpture, a model of the planets requested by some purple unicorn in sunglasses and a dress.

"They look happy," Lemon commented quietly.

"Yeah. Happier than I've ever seen her. I'm amazed we held onto her this long, but it's a sure thing; Marble's leaving. I'm going to end up being the only sister left in Nickerlite."

Limestone sighed. She tried to find a reason to get mad about it – anger helped keep worse feelings at bay – but there just really wasn't anything. She couldn't get mad at Marble, especially not for doing what her heart said was right.

"Celestia knows she's earned it. She's never really done anything for herself before."

Lemon blinked in surprise, and Limestone initially mirrored her confusion, before she realized she had said that out loud. Ugh, how sappy. Stupid yellow unicorn really knew how to pry her open, and that just pissed Limestone off. A little.

Limestone felt a hoof on her shoulder, and glanced at Lemon in confusion for a second before she saw the sympathetic look on her face.

"Lime, listen. Even if she moves here, she'll still be your sister – and I know you're about to say 'sister you never see', but it doesn't have to be like that. I mean, think about what you were suggesting, right? That she moves here, does this," Lemon gestured at the workshop, "for a living? You'd see her all the time. Stone has to come from someplace, right?"

Limestone resisted the urge to smack the hoof away; it wasn't like Lemon meant any harm. She just looked at the floor and thought it over.

Would it actually be a big problem? She's right; Marble wouldn't abandon us, no matter what.

"Hrn. I guess it could bring some extra revenue in, especially if she can actually make a few bits here."

Lemon suppressed a snicker, earning her a hot glare from Limestone. "I know what you really mean by that."

"Huh? What are you getting at? I mean what I said."

"No, you brought up the money issue because you'd already decided it wouldn't be too bad to see her here, but you weren't comfortable talking about it."

Limestone grumbled again. "If you're going to get into my head, keep it to yourself." Stupid yellow unicorn and her stupid prying. Limestone smirked again.

It's nice having a friend that gets me, too. Stupid, annoying, but nice.

Minuette strode up to the two of them, prompting Lemon to very quickly and discreetly remove her hoof. Limestone actually missed the contact for a second, before she clamped down on that feeling like a rabid timberwolf. She was distracted enough that she didn't notice the sack Minuette was floating until she set it on the bench next to her.

"Marble said she wanted you to bring this back to the farm; it's half of her profits from today."

Limestone incredulously opened the sack. It was full to bursting with bits.

"This is half?!"
> 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.
> Passive Aggression
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The meal portion of the event was over, and the dance was starting. Lights flickered through the air, various songs played, and ponies flooded onto the massive stage to have a good time, though many opted to simply hang around the center of the dining area and mingle, instead. Starlight and Chrysalis were among those who opted not to dance, having instead made a bit of an investigation of trying to find out who had been in the private tent the previous evening. Starlight had said such mysteries always nagged at her until she figured them out.

For her part, Chrysalis couldn't care less what the insane draconequus had been up to, but she had enjoyed the chase nonetheless. Intrigue and investigation came naturally to the ex-queen. Now, however, she had far bigger concerns.

"Starlight? Could you go on without me for a little while? There's something I should take care of, but I'll be back in just a few."

Starlight, who had just been combing the crowd to see whether or not any of Fluttershy's relatives were present (that'd explain it!), glanced over at her date nervously. Chrysalis going off on her own for some unexplained reason sounded dangerous, but then again, trust was the bedrock of any good relationship – and it wasn't like she was the ex-queen's chaperone.

"Uhh, sure! See you in a few?"

Chrysalis leaned down to give Starlight a brief peck on the forehead, eliciting a blush from the unicorn. They hadn't done a whole lot of touching. Yet, Chrysalis added, snickering slightly. "It should just be a couple of minutes."

Chrysalis sauntered into the central crowd, and quickly flickered into a disguise once she was out of view, taking the form of 'Crissy'; it brought some relief to Chrysalis to wear black again, even if it was as a pony. This would be a thousand times more awkward if she tried to approach the pony openly, and Starlight would definitely want to intervene once she saw whom Chrysalis was speaking with. For all that she respected Chrysalis, she was also fiercely protective of her.

Satisfied that she had vanished into the crowd, Chrysalis quickly hunted for the pony she had spotted from afar. It wasn't hard to find her; Cadance towered over most ponies near her, and her coloration wasn't exactly subdued. Chrysalis made her way over to Cadance and Shining Armor, who were busy socializing with a few other well-dressed ponies, trying not to let her nerves show.

Deep breaths. You're just going to have a talk with a pony you imprisoned, impersonated, whose husband you entranced and stole energy from, and whose wedding you ruined. Oh, yeah, plus all of the other horrible things I did to her.

I'm sure she won't hold a grudge.

By the time 'Crissy' made her way to Cadance, she was positive the mare held a grudge. Not because of any evidence, but simply because ruminating on why you shouldn't freak out had proven to be one of the best ways to freak herself out.

Before Chrysalis had a chance to speak, Cadance turned towards her and waved. "Oh, hey there. I don't think I've seen you around before. Came here to see the performance?"

"Oh, no. I just moved here recently, but, ah, I had something I needed to tell you."

Cadance looked taken aback, having only given Chrysalis a polite, quick look while mingling with the other ponies. Now Chrysalis had her full attention, and she could feel her hair standing on end a bit from nerves.

Good grief, it's not like I'm about to engage her in mortal combat! Get it together!

Cadance leaned forward a bit. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

"No problem, but it's private..."

Chrysalis gave a meaningful glance at the many ponies around, and Cadance glanced at them as well. There was a moment of contemplation, as though she were weighing the risks. She probably was, Chrysalis figured.

She's been through a lot, thanks in part to me. Ugh. This whole situation is just made of awkwardness.

Finally, Cadance leaned to Shining Armor, whispered something, gave a polite wave to the other ponies, and trotted away from the throng. Chrysalis quickly followed after, until they were a fair distance away and well out of earshot. Cadance turned and looked at her expectantly.

"I don't suppose this is something as innocent as romantic problems?"

Chrysalis spluttered a bit. "What? Oh, no! No, I wanted to apologize to you for what I'd done before."

Cadance raised an eyebrow as Chrysalis steeled her nerves. "I'm Chrysalis."

"Oh."

There was a nice, drawn-out moment of awkwardness as Cadance regarded her more coldly. Chrysalis tried not to let her apprehension show; right now, this pony held all of the power. She was a princess in Chrysalis' new home. She could banish her if she wanted, or just fly off of the handle in an enraged rant – it's not like anypony would blame her. Well, anypony but Starlight. Maybe.

Instead, Cadance just frowned slightly in confusion. "Why are you even bothering to apologize?"

Of all of the things Cadance had said, that was one of the hardest to handle. Because...

"I... I'm not really sure. I need to."

"But you don't really feel regret, do you?"

Chrysalis chewed her lip over in thought, looking away and trying to gather her thoughts. This was an altogether more... probing response than she had prepared for. And the truth of the matter was...

"I haven't been big on introspection since I moved here. Or... I suppose even before. It's not like I wanted to hurt you. Or anypony for that matter. I wanted food for my subjects, and I didn't... I just didn't care what else happened. It only got personal after, and even then it was just instinctual. Take revenge, show the 'lings how strong you are, keep their faith strong. That... that sort of thing."

Chrysalis glanced at Cadance, but Cadance just kept that impassive stare. "Go on."

"Well... I don't know what else to say. It was stupid. The whole thing was just... it was stupid."

Cadance cocked her head. "Stupid? Why?"

"Have you really given any thought to Equestria's military?" Chrysalis snapped the answer out, but Cadance just looked thoughtful.

"Well, Equestria only maintains a minimal military force—"

"There's a reason for that! Look around you and really take it in! You ponies control the sun, the moon, the weather, the plants, the animals – if you had a more militaristic culture, you might literally destroy the world around you in partisan conflict! Equestria is so peaceful because it has to be; the power you ponies wield is actually too dangerous to use in warfare, if such a thing is possible. Some of you can even control time or alternate dimensions! Yes, attacking you was stupid! Risking that you would retaliate against the hive was one of my worst judgement calls, easily! If you weren't such a forgiving lot, I could have cost my subjects everything!"

Cadance didn't flinch from Chrysalis' impassioned rant, but simply seemed thoughtful. "Okay, so it was stupid because it was risky and poorly-considered. Is that why you're sorry?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just... ugh, it's just hard for me to even really remember what it was all for. I remember the general details, but looking back, the whole thing just seems idiotic. And it just got more like that, as I became bent on revenge and kept courting disaster by challenging Equestria. It's... it's like a drug. Conquest, revenge, they're things you can throw yourself into, talk late into the night with your subjects about, dream about. They bring a perverse hope for the future without requiring you to really analyze that future in any depth. It's a direction that keeps you from thinking about your own problems as long as you stay focused on it, even if it goes nowhere."

Chrysalis was starting to get really upset, now. Cadance's passive expression was driving her crazy; the mare just refused to get angry, or sad, or anything. All of the focus was on Chrysalis, and Chrysalis hated it. This whole apology seemed like a terrible idea; this was nothing like dealing with Starlight, Twilight, or even Discord, who at least had the decency to be low-key hostile towards her.

This just made her feel ashamed.

"Why did you end up in a situation like that, Chrysalis? What problems were you trying to get away from?"

Chrysalis groaned. "Isn't it obvious by now? Having a grand scheme, like conquest, it keeps worse emotions at bay. You've met Thorax, haven't you?"

Cadance nodded, quirking an eyebrow curiously. Chrysalis huffed. "He could never get past it all – sympathy for his prey, guilt over what we were doing. The whole culture of the hive, it's meant to help us get past that."

"You're telling me all changelings feel like that?"

"Of course!" Now Chrysalis was just insulted, and she let it show, despite how terrible of an idea it was. She leaned forward and grimaced. "Why wouldn't we?! It's not like we're mindless bugs, Cadance! The creatures around us, we can talk to them, learn their hopes and dreams, share them even. The only thing keeping a changeling from falling in with their prey and starving is discipline. And that discipline... well, it requires ignoring a lot of really obvious truths about what we were actually doing. We couldn't afford friendship, or sympathy for our prey. Not if we wanted to survive. That's what we told ourselves."

Chrysalis sat back on her rump, panting. Her chest was hurting like she had just decided to go for a run up an endless staircase.

This is stupid. This whole thing is stupid. I should just walk. It's not like she cares about my excuses.

"What's so different now? What changed?"

Cadance's voice grated against Chrysalis' mind, causing her to wince. "Well, I was forced to talk to my prey, wasn't I? And the more I did, the more I saw how stupid the whole thing was. Here I was, devoting all of my time and energy to pointless nonsense, but you know what I was to Starlight? Basically nothing. She was going about her life, and the only time she thought about me, it was to pity me for being so stupid. I was a joke. That was the reality I was ignoring. And the more I thought about it, the more I looked at what the hive is doing now, the more I realized that I had just..."

Chrysalis panted a bit, shaking her heard. She didn't want to continue. Cadance sat down across from her, leaning in a little. "You've really been avoiding all of this, huh?"

Chrysalis nodded. "Starlight's made it easy. Every day there's new things to do, and I can just focus entirely on her. I guess I traded one fixation for another, but I can't spend all of my time focusing on her. So sometimes I just have time to sit and think, and... it's almost like coming up for air. I realized how much I lost. How much time I wasted, scheming when I could have been living. She... she feels the same way about her own past. Being with her... has been teaching me how to just live for once."

The two were silent for a while, hearing nothing but the distant sounds of the party. Cadance held an infuriating, contemplative look, and Chrysalis finally just heaved a sigh. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't even know if I want you to; it's not like I've really come to terms with what I did. It's hard to try to relate to what I was thinking back then, and I don't even want to at this point. So yeah, when I look back, I mostly think 'stupid', instead of 'horrible', and I know that's not good enough for you. But I wasn't going to just let this linger while I'm in Equestria, pretending nothing happened between us. I figured you at least deserved to know that I don't think of us as enemies, and I'd like to coexist."

Chrysalis shrugged, pointedly looking away and chewing her lip over. Ugh. I hope she doesn't try to lecture me or make this about feelings. This is already so absurdly awkward. I don't know how ponies get through moments like this without wanting to throw themselves off of a cliff.

Cadance's voice interrupted her frustrated rumination. "I don't know if we can ever be friends, Chrysalis, but a lot can change over the years. A lifetime can be a very long time to hold on to grudges. But there's something else I wanted to ask about, now."

Chrysalis glanced back in surprise, watching Cadance carefully, but saw that the mare was still wearing that frustrating mask of neutrality. Cadance leaned forward as she spoke. "You and Starlight... I could barely believe it. How is that going?"

"None of your business," Chrysalis snapped irritably, looking away again.

"Chrysalis, she's my sister-in-law's student, a fellow protector of Equestria, I'm the princess of love, and the person she's dating has literally infiltrated my relationship with my husband before. It's all kinds of my business."

Despite herself, Chrysalis snickered at that. "What, you expect me to tell you that I've been treating her properly and it's all butterflies and rainbows? My capacity for romance even in disguise wasn't stellar, Cadance. Out in the open like this, it's... I have basically no idea what I'm doing. So no, I'm not handling it well, and if you're going to warn me not to mistreat her, well, I've got some sorry news for you, but I can't guarantee you a thing."

"Well, do you want to treat her right?"

"Of course!" Chrysalis rolled her eyes, and then caught herself. "Wait, why should I tell you this anyway? Ugh."

"Why not? Are you literally embarrassed by admitting you want to treat your marefriend well?"

Chrysalis opened her mouth to respond, but then snapped it shut. Wait... was she? Why? Because it didn't fit with her conqueror-queen image?

Chrysalis scowled. "Old habits, I guess."

"So? You're not sure you can do a good job, but you at least want to, right?"

"Starlight's bent over backwards for me. Anything less would be a disgrace, and... well, the idea of hurting her sickens me. Satisfied?"

Cadance pondered, and Chrysalis fumed. She was no stranger to protectiveness; she'd felt it many times for her swarm, and used to take pride in the fact. This felt more like Cadance was prodding her for a weakness, though, and she hated it.

"Chrysalis, you've kind-of danced around the real point, here."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Which is?"

"Well... do you love her?"

Chrysalis gritted her teeth, and her horn flashed, revealing her true form – in all its sickeningly sweet aesthetic. She gestured meaningfully at herself. "Yes, okay? Yes. Do I have to spell it out for you? It's not like I got this way deliberately."

Cadance just nodded, still as passive for ever, and Chrysalis could faintly feel her blood pressure rise, pushing against her chitin. After another moment, Cadance hummed and spoke again. "So, do you think she loves you?"

"Cadance. I'm a changeling. I literally take power from her affection for me."

Chrysalis' demeaning tone got a mild look of frustration from Cadance. Finally, anything but that stupid mask.

"We both know that doesn't have to be romantic love, just like your own transformation. It doesn't prove anything. So answer me for real this time."

Chrysalis snapped her mouth open to answer in the affirmative and put an end to this inane questioning, but hesitated. Really, how did Starlight think of her? Cadance nodded, even though Chrysalis hadn't spoken.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. You're not sure, are you?"

Chrysalis snapped her mouth closed and frowned irritably. "Well, how could I be? I mean, look at the circumstances in which we came together! She feels responsible for me in Equestria! I was told she was interested in me, and I wanted to give her a chance, but now I'm wondering if any of that was true, and she's just dating me out of... out of pity. I hate that! It drove me up the walls that all she could feel for me was pity when we met, and I can't be sure that's gone now. Sometimes I wonder if she's just taking this far enough to make sure I'm not a threat; I have to wonder sometimes, with stuff like this magic show, if she's really just trying to drive home how stupid I was being."

Chrysalis huffed, rubbing her forehead. Her chest was hurting even worse, now.

"And really, what do I bring to the table, anyway? Oh, sure, I've got power, but she's got powers I can barely understand. I thought I had a grasp over obscure magic, but she works through magical theory like it's a second language to her. So of course I feel doubt!"

Cadance actually looked concerned, leaning in and cocking her head. "Chrysalis, you do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? Why would Starlight date you for power? That's not why you're dating her, is it?"

Chrysalis recoiled. Then she just groaned, rubbing her face with her hooves. "Ugh. No. That's stupid. See, this is what I mean! How am I supposed to try to do a good job at it if I'm not even sure what she's taking from the relationship?"

Chrysalis lowered her hooves, and realized they were wet. Time stood still for a moment when she realized what had happened. "Oh for Celestia's sake! I can't believe I've gotten this soft!"

Cadance was the one to roll her eyes this time. "Why, because you actually care about not screwing things up for Starlight? Because you take someone else in life seriously?" Cadance started gesticulating wildly. "Oh no, stop the presses, greatest embarrassment of the year; stoic queen decides somepony else is worth crying over. Come on, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis made a disgusted expression and looked away, though Cadance's antics actually had amused her a little. "I can hardly believe I'm talking to you about all of this. You should hate me."

Cadance just gave a shrug. "I'm the princess of love. I'm pretty poorly qualified at hate."

Chrysalis snickered, wiping at her eyes. "I could give you lessons! Step one: Categorize everything about your target that might cause you to like them or feel sorry for them and rationalize why those things just make you hate them more."

Cadance giggled, rubbing her forehead. "I'll try to remember, oh master of grudges."

The two were silent for a few moments before Cadance took a deep breath and spoke again. "You've really had nopony to talk to about all of this, huh?"

"Well, who would I go to? My old swarm? Her teacher, Twilight Sparkle? No. It's hard enough getting most ponies to even speak to me normally; none have shown interest in broaching difficult topics like this with me. Nopony cares."

"Well... I always care where love is involved. And as for Starlight, you don't need to worry about whether her feelings are genuine. That mare is far too self-respecting to date anypony that she isn't honestly interested in, for any reason at all. Whatever she sees in you, pity isn't a part of it; you need to respect yourself and her more than that, and trust that things between you are honest. Trust is the bedrock of a good relationship."

Chrysalis scoffed. "I should have realized that on my own. You're right, Starlight wouldn't go along with something like that, but... why? What does she get out of hanging around me? The other ponies have made it clear enough that I'm not great company."

Cadance shrugged. "Sometimes, what our partners take from a relationship is something we don't even realize we're giving. Maybe it's just that you understand her and accept her as she is, in a way nopony else can. Sometimes that's enough; to have somepony who leaps to your aid when nopony else even realizes you're struggling, or who can listen and really understand what's bothering you. Isn't that part of what you see in her?"

Chrysalis grumbled, and Cadance's ears perked up. "Sorry, I didn't catch that, what?"

"I said, 'you're annoyingly good at your job and I hate you for it.' "

Cadance laughed. "Well, good luck keeping that up! Shining says I'm impossible to be mad at for long."

Chrysalis grumbled some more, but with a smirk this time.
> Quiet Enthusiasm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marble cracked an eye open, letting in the welcome sight of her marefriend in the morning light. Last night had been very different from the first night's performance, but that had suited Marble just fine; they'd had a lovely dinner, and even danced a bit, bringing memories of Marble's first time on the ice rink rushing back. As long as she was with Minuette, she felt like she could do anything, and the thought brought a giddy, almost electric feeling to her, like all of the worries of all of the years of her life were slipping away.

With a giggle and without a second thought, Marble threw herself on her marefriend with a kiss, eliciting a happy moan from the half-asleep unicorn. It took Minuette only a moment to start returning the kiss, and soon the two were rolling around and laughing without a care in the world. Eventually Minuette halted her giggling long enough to get a question out.

"Geez, Marble, what brought that on? Not that I'm complaining or anything!"

Marble giggled in response and buried her head in her marefriend's neck, giving it a playful nip before she even registered what she was doing. "You mean besides being hoof over tail for you? Or did you just want to hear it again?"

Noticing a lack of response, Marble glanced at Minuette's face, seeing it had gone scarlet. Minuette met her gaze and chewed her lip over slightly before she responded.

"Wow. I just, I guess I didn't expect you to get like this. You've always been so, well—mph!"

Marble planted a playful kiss on her lips and nuzzled into her barrel, giggling uncontrollably for a few moments, soon joined by her marefriend. They snuggled a bit as Marble thought over what Minuette was saying. She took a deep breath as she considered her response.

"I trust you."

Minuette angled her head to look down at her marefriend, still nuzzled into her. "That's really all it is, huh?"

"Mmmmhm."

Minuette laughed at that, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "You just had to really believe I wouldn't push you away or get mad. I guess it never even occurred to me you would think I would."

Marble nuzzled her barrel a bit more, and cracked an eye to look at Minuette. "You feel the same way, don't you?"

Minuette's blush deepened, and she glanced away. "About being hoof over tail? Definitely. I guess I just haven't let go, yet, y'know? It's not that I don't trust you, it's more like I don't... I dunno. It's about me. I don't know about me is all."

Marble nodded, rubbing her cheek into Minuette's barrel as she did so. "Mmmmhm. I understand. I still feel that way a lot. I'm happy to wait until you get there, too."

Minuette glanced down at her marefriend quizzically, but Marble had both eyes closed and was still just rubbing her cheek against her barrel. Her phrasing sent Minuette's head spinning with ideas, but she didn't want to presume too much. Then again...

Marble didn't have to wait long.


By the time the two ponies emerged from their hotel room, they were both worn out from their frolicking. After all of that, a shower, and some other preparations, it was past noon by the time the two ponies made their way to Sugarcube Corner.

"So how does this Pie Sisters' Surprise Swap Day work, exactly?" Minuette inquired as the bakery came into view.

"Well, we meet up in a different place each year—"

Pinkie Pie suddenly charged out of Sugarcube Corner, so quickly it was like she spontaneously appeared before them, stopping just short of Marble and Minuette, leaning forward on the tips of her hooves such that her nose was almost touching Marble's. Marble recoiled, but Minuette quickly wrapped a reassuring leg around her, while Pinkie picked up where Marble had left off.

"andthenweshoweachotheraround andwhenthedayisalmostover WE SWAP GIFTS!"

Marble quickly took a steadying breath, trying to keep her heart from hammering its way out of its chest at the sudden invasion of personal space. "H-hey, Pinkie."

"Hey, Marble! So how's your time in Ponyville going?!"

Pinkie paused to consider for just the briefest moment, remembering her sister's boundaries and distaste for talking at length, before leaning back and holding up a hoof. "Oh, sorry, nevermind, you don't have to—"

"It's been amazing, Pinkie. I'm really happy to be here."

Marble nuzzled her cheek up against Minuette's, prompting a giggle and returned affection from her. Pinkie froze in place, her eyes widening. She slowly blinked a couple of times, but somehow the image before her didn't disappear. Pinkie quickly pinched herself, but somehow, she didn't wake up!

"Marble! You're, you're, you're..."

Marble slowly retreated behind her mane, eyes wide in anticipation, but Pinkie seemed lost for words for once. An awkward silence descended on the group for a second, just long enough for Marble to remember that Minuette had her, and that same giddy energy she had felt all day came rushing back, making her feel like she could fly if she just wanted to. She spoke without even a shred of reservation.

"Madly in love?"

Pinkie's jaw fell open, and Marble almost threw a hoof over her mouth in horror. She only got halfway before she realized she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Minuette was amazing. She glanced at her marefriend, who was just smiling as broadly as ever, and giggled when Marble looked at her. "Wow, Marble. You're all kinds of bold today."

Marble buried her burning face in her marefriend's cool neck and mumbled, "Only with you," eliciting a giddy and nervous string of laughter from Minuette. Pinkie just rapidly looked between the two of them, an almost unnaturally wide smile growing on her face. A sudden crash from the entrance to Sugarcube Corner caused all three ponies to look over.

Maud Pie was standing in the doorway, a broken glass on the ground at her hooves. What Pinkie and Marble focused on, however, was her visibly shocked expression, jaw open. Maud quickly trotted over to Marble, closing her mouth as she did so, until she stopped near her. Marble smiled at Maud, and was surprised when Maud responded with a small smile of her own, and reached a hoof over. With a glance at Minuette, Marble disengaged from her and gave Maud a gentle, firm hug. Maud's usually deadpan voice had just a tinge of emotion to it.

"Marble, I'm really happy for you."

As curt as it was, it meant the world to Marble. She sighed happily as she leaned in to Maud.

"Could this day get any better?"

Pinkie's smile grew manic. "Only one way to find out!"
> Eternal Moment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whoa." Limestone's eyes widened as the fireworks lit up the night sky. It was hard to predict what would come next; one firework burst created magical, illusory phoenixes which streaked across the sky, while another set highlighted various constellations. She had thought the magical cloudbank they were sitting on, enchanted to accommodate all ponies, was impressive, but the show itself went above and beyond.

Lemon's tail, wrapped around hers, gave a faint squeeze, and she smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Limestone still wasn't big on touching, but this was comfortable. "Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm glad I stuck around for it."

Real smooth, Limestone. How do ponies even do this whole... dating thing? Ugh.

Lemon snickered, prompting a defensive look from her date, and shook her head. "You don't have to be so nervous, you know."

Limestone huffed at that. "I know that, but I can't help it. Feel stupid being here."

Lemon cocked her head with a concerned look, and Limestone facehoofed. "See? That's what I mean. I say something like that, and then you wonder if you did something, and I'm just... what do we even talk about at a thing like this? Like, what do ponies do?"

"You know... we don't have to talk. Last night was really nice, but you don't need to feel pressured to try to share or make smalltalk with me if you don't need to. We can just sit here, be comfortable, and enjoy the show."

"Huh." Limestone turned that over, setting her hoof down and looking at Lemon, who was still smiling comfortably. She looked back at the sky, which had just lit up in a soft, purple glow, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yeah. You're right, I shouldn't be sweating the details. You get me."

Lemon nodded and looked back to the sky as well. "But I am here if there's anything you do want to talk about."

Limestone chewed at the inside of her cheek in thought. Is there anything I want to talk about? There's stuff bothering me, but should I even bother bringing it up? Not like I want to ruin the night.

Ugh, knowing what a sap Lemon is, she'll probably be happy if I share my grumbling. Guess I might as well. It does kinda help.

"There's a couple of things."

Limestone could feel Lemon looking over to her, but kept her eyes on the sky. It was easier that way. "I'm still worried about the pairing stone. It almost feels like abandoning our parents, our traditions. It almost feels like the end of an era."

"I'm sorry it didn't pick me."

Limestone rolled her shoulders in a shrug, and shook her head. "Not something any of us could control. But I bet it's eating our parents up that three of their daughters are dating outside of the tradition. Heck, it's bothering me, too. We were raised and told life would be a certain way, and now everything is changing."

"Well, it doesn't have to. If you want to just be—"

Limestone cut Lemon off with a wave of her hoof and a grunt. "Don't go there."

There was a long pause before Lemon spoke up again, and her voice was soft. "Why not?"

There was that question. The big one. Why were they moving on to dating? If it had just been one night, or even two, that would be one thing, but here they were. Third date.

And it wasn't like this was going to be the last one, either. Limestone didn't want it to stop. Sure, talking through their feelings was lame, but it was cathartic. She didn't have to fight or be on guard all of the time with Lemon, or worry about the family dynamic. She could just talk, Lemon would listen, tell her what she thought. And she liked being there for Lemon, too, through her issues.

Simple. Sensible. Limestone huffed and rolled her eyes to herself. Not sure why I have to make everything so complicated.

"I don't feel like being alone anymore. That's all."

Limestone chewed her cheek over in silence for a few moments, waiting for a response. When none came, she glanced at Lemon, and saw her deep in thought, with a troubled expression. She played back what she had said in her head and groaned.

"What I meant is, I like you. I like this. Us. Whatever. And I know I wasn't really alone before, but—"

She felt a hoof press into her shoulder, and stiffened slightly, but then relaxed. Lemon's voice reached her ears softly again. "Thank you."

Limestone nodded, and snickered to herself unexpectedly. She heard Lemon join in after a second. Good, she gets it. I hate having to get so specific. How much really needs to get said before ponies get it?

Then again, I guess I don't give her much signal on how I feel at all.

Limestone thought to her parents. The rigid way that Igneous showed affection to Cloudy, the stiff and uncomfortable motions they shared. Was that really how she was going to be with Lemon?

Hmm... buck that.

She spotted some large fireworks working their way up into the sky, and reached a hoof over behind Lemon. The mare gave a startled 'yipe!' as she was pulled in next to Limestone, and immediately began giggling uncontrollably, which got a smirk from Limestone. Truthfully, it made Limestone a little uncomfortable to be this close, but she stayed with it. After Lemon had calmed down a bit, she turned to look at Limestone.

"You know, you don't have to do this for my sake."

"I know. But I want to get used to it sooner rather than later."

Lemon contemplated that for a moment, and nuzzled in close. It brought a blush to Limestone's face, but she did her best to relax into it.

"You know, Lime... I've been considering moving to Nickerlite for my post-rocktoral research. I can still do my catering stuff from there. Was even, umm... I was even considering working on some new rock-candy recipes with your family, if that's alright."

Right, she also does catering and confections. I usually just think of her as a geologist.

"I'd like that."

"Really?!"

Limestone snorted at Lemon's excited response. Stupid cute yellow unicorn. "Yeah, that's why I said it. It'd be nice having you around. Our rock candy didn't take off in Canterlot, so maybe you can help us cook up something better. Can't let Marble rake in all of the new bits."

Lemon giggled and kept close. It took a little while, but Limestone started to get used to having her there.

By the time the fireworks finale arrived, she felt more at peace than she had in a long, long time.


A short while before the finale...


Starlight and Chrysalis shared a brief, passionate kiss, and curled into each other as the sky lit up in various colors. Leaning against her marefriend, Starlight took a deep breath.

Here's hoping this doesn't get too awkward.

"So... Cadance mentioned you spoke with her last night."

Chrysalis snorted. "That little snitch. I should tell Shining where she keeps her dirty magazines."

Starlight laughed, gently rapping her head against her marefriend's shoulder like she was beating it against a wall. "You cook up revenge plans faster than most ponies can put on a saddle."

Chrysalis, still utterly straight-faced and watching the fireworks display, simply nodded. "I pride myself in my work."

There was a moment before both of the mares started laughing. Starlight rolled her eyes in her mirth. "Cadance doesn't really keep dirty magazines hidden in her room... does she?"

"You see, that kind of reasonable doubt is what makes it so effective."

"C'mon, tell me."

"And violate her privacy? My, my. I thought you were reformed, Starlight."

"But now I'll wonder forever!"

"And thus I have my revenge on you, as well."

Starlight snorted and beat her head gently against Chrysalis' shoulder further. "You are incorrigible."

"A true paragon of my people."

"You have a quip for everything, don't you?"

There was a brief, tense pause. "Yes."

Starlight laughed again, rubbing her head with a hoof as she did so. "Great. You've got Maud's sense of humor. Now we just need to get the two of you to do stand-up together."

Chrysalis paused, raising an eyebrow, and then grinned. "Indeed. That is how I will take over Equestria."

Starlight cocked her head. "With stand-up comedy?"

"Ponies will love my stand-up routine."

It took a second for Starlight to comprehend Chrysalis' meaning, and she groaned at the implication, snickering and slumping against her marefriend again. Chrysalis chuckled and pressed on, "You should be happy. You're dating the mare who will be the most powerful stand-up comedian in the world."

"I had a train of thought. I swear I did, once, but your goofing off has derailed it so much..."

"My plan, you see."

Starlight smirked and shook her head, still pressed into Chrysalis. "Fine. I give up, heh."

They stayed there watching the fireworks for a little while before Chrysalis sighed. "Alright, what did you want to ask about my chat with Cadance?"

"Oh! Right. I just wanted to ask if it... y'know, went well."

Chrysalis chewed that over. She was sure Starlight was curious what they spoke about, but she was equally sure that Starlight was being sincere in worrying about her first and foremost. She shrugged.

"She gave me some good advice, actually. I think... we might be friends, someday. It went a lot better than I thought it would. I can still hardly believe how forgiving you ponies are, but... well, she suggested I stop questioning everything so much, and I think she's right. I'm just going to take things a day at a time."

Starlight nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "I'm still kinda going through that myself. For a long time I thought I saw slights and insults everywhere, and... well, ponies didn't say anything, but I constantly worried they were judging me. I still do, sometimes."

Chrysalis thought that over a moment, and nuzzled into Starlight. "Well, they can judge all they want. We've got each other, now."

Starlight leaned away slightly to look at Chrysalis sidelong. "Wow. That was way more sappy than I thought you'd go for."

Chrysalis shrugged. "And why not? Did it bother you?"

"No! No, I'm just surprised."

"If it didn't bother you, why should I care? No one else is here, and I wouldn't care what they thought even if they were."

There was a moment of silence between the two, and Starlight began smiling warmly, prompting Chrysalis to do the same. They leaned back together, and Starlight sighed happily. "Guess I should have figured you would be bold in romance like everything else."

"How else am I supposed to impress the mare that swapped the princesses' cutie marks?"

Starlight gaped. "How did you hear about that?!"

Chrysalis just smiled smugly. Starlight rolled her eyes and buried her head back into the mare's shoulder, groaning, and from there they watched the firework finale in warm, companionable silence.


A short while before the finale...


"It's, umm, it's too bad this is my last night in Ponyville." Marble and Minuette were curled up on the edge of the cloud platform, behind a low bank of clouds that obscured them from the rest of the gathering.

Minuette looked at her marefriend slyly, and nudged her in the side with an elbow. "Regretting we don't have any more nights booked at the hotel?"

Marble blushed furiously and buried her head in the cloud, prompting a laugh from Minuette. Unable to resist, she continued, "These fireworks have nothing on us."

Marble swatted at her gently, but smiled. The two snuggled together in silence for a while, while Minuette tried to gather her courage. There just wasn't a lot of time left to ask, she knew.

"Marble?"

"Mmmmhm?"

Minuette found her throat surprisingly dry, and gave a slight cough. "So, I was, uh, I was thinking..."

Marble was watching her intently, and for once that made Minuette more uncomfortable. She knew it was a lot to ask, leaving the farm, leaving her family, especially for a mare that hated new places, but...

"This doesn't... have to be your last night in Ponyville. I mean... well... I was looking at a house, and..."

Marble's eyes widened. Minuette glanced away, grimacing slightly. Was this really right to ask of her?

Would Marble feel awful if she had to say no? That wasn't what Minuette wanted at all.

"I mean, I don't want to pressure you or anything. I—"

"Are you asking me to move in with you in Ponyville?"

Minuette winced and rubbed her face with a hoof. Marble had to finish her sentences, now; this was a new low. She just nodded, trying to think over what to say next, when Marble's voice cut off her train of thought.

"Yes. Yesyesyes, yes! That would make me, umm... really happy..."

Minuette glanced over in shock, to find her marefriend smiling wildly at her, red in the face but almost shaking with excitement.

Minuette had to work her jaw a couple of times before it would cooperate. "Oh, uh, well... great! I'm really glad!"

Marble cocked her head slightly, still smiling. "Did you think I would say no to something like that?"

"Uhh... I mean, I thought you might... or probably would..."

Marble watched her for a few seconds. "Because of my family?"

"Well... yeah. I know how much they mean to you—"

"You're family too, Minuette. I have to think about your feelings. And I know everypony in my family wants me to be happy, and nothing would make me happier than being with you!"

Minuette froze at that, like the gears in her head had just stuck. She tried to stammer something out, but she couldn't figure out what to say. She felt a wave of heat wash over her face, bringing tears to her eyes as she smiled. Marble pressed a hoof to her barrel.

"I love you, Minuette. If you want me by your side, that's where I'll be. Okay?"

Minuette looked at her marefriend. She was staring at her, smiling, but there was so much more there. Love, determination, a sort of finality. This was it; they were in this together.

Nothing was ever going to get between them again.

Minuette didn't have words for what she felt, but she also didn't need any. She leaned forward, and they shared an electrifying kiss as the finale kicked off.