"Come on, dad! Are we seriously still listening to this thing?"
Five ponies stood around a giant stone, the emotions on their faces varying wildly from pony to pony. Confidence, joy, anger, fear, and utter ambivalence all found a home on the faces of the onlookers as they gazed upon the rock in front of them.
"Indeed so," Igneous Rock Pie responded, his confident smile unwavering. "For it was upon the whims of this very Pairing Stone that the joyous betrothal of thy mother and myself began."
"And we have been happy ever since," Cloudy Quartz added, unable to peel the smile from her face. "And further blessed with four beautiful daughters."
"But that was the old days!" Limestone Pie shouted, her frantic hooves threatening to tear out part of her short mane and shorten it further. "Just because something worked back then doesn't mean we need to do it that way today!" She turned to her sister next to her, setting a state of desperate frustration upon her. "Come on Marble, back me up!"
"Mhm," Marble Pie responded. Although given the way she was cowering, the intent of her response was likely more to get the attention off of her than to actually agree.
"I always listen to rocks," Maud Pie stated. Limestone's gaze now set upon her, clearly uninterested in dealing with her taciturn nature.
"How can you be against me on this?!" Limestone growled. "You're in the same position as Marble and I!"
"And yet they seem unbothered by it," Igneous said.
"Does this look unbothered to you?" Limestone responded, pulling a shaking Marble in her father's field of vision.
"Yes, but you are the only one to react with anger, dear Limestone," Cloudy told her. "For all we know, Marble's trembling could be attributed to nervous eagerness."
"Indeed," Igneous agreed. "Mayhaps the concept of possibly being the Pie sister chosen to wed this mystery stallion intrigues her."
"And to bear his children," Cloudy added, her smile growing. "Do not forget that."
"Yeah, somehow I doubt that," Limestone grumbled, letting her shaky sister go. "And what the heck is up with that anyway? The thing's all precise in pairing you two but it can't decide which of us it wants to marry this guy?"
"The Pairing Stone works in mysterious ways, my daughter," Igneous replied. "It simply stated that a Pie daughter would wed this stallion. And being as Pinkie is already betrothed to that fine Apple stallion, so the burden falls upon one of the three of you. Although one should not look upon it as a burden, of course. Surely, this will be a wonderful and glorious occasion!"
"Yeah, I'm gonna stick with burden," Limestone said, unimpressed. She set her glare on her sisters once again. "Are either of you going to argue here or am I the only one upset about this?"
"Mother and father know best," Maud replied. "And so do rocks."
"It is best for business, young Limestone," Igneous said. "The stallion's father is a wealthy and successful farmer. Perhaps he can impart some wisdom and merge our businesses together." He smiled a warm smile to Marble. "And that sounds very nice and helpful, doesn't it?"
"Mhm..." Marble agreed, although the fear hadn't left her face.
"Well isn't that just perfect," Limestone groaned, whirling around in a huff. "If anypony needs me, I'll be doing my best to avoid all of you and all of this." With that, the perturbed pony stormed off, the frustration in her eyes threatening to vaporize anything that impeded her progress.
"Such a willful pony," Igneous mused as he watched her go.
"She gets it from you, my stallion," Cloudy said with a smile.
"Indeed so," Igneous agreed. Then he turned his attention to his other daughters. "Please go and tend to your sister."
"But the last time she was this upset, we had to pry Maud out of the wall..." Marble squeaked.
"It was nice being one with the sheet rock," Maud said calmly. "However fleeting it might have been."
"I must implore you to heed my word, my daughters," Igneous told them. "Make haste and improve thy sister's mood." The two younger Pies gave each other a look before heading off towards the house. It wasn't wise to disobey Father, after all.
~~~~~~~~~~
Limestone sat in the middle of the bedroom she shared with her sisters, staring angrily at the wall as if it somehow had something to do with all of this. Their bed was an absolute mess, blankets and pillows thrown carelessly around the room. Maud and Marble had made sure to set it neatly once all three were out of it, but the orderly bedspread was the first thing to feel Limestone's wrath upon her blustery arrival. Had the rest of the room sapience, it would have hoped that the bedspread would also be the last victim, but given Limestone's temper, that would have been wishful thinking.
Limestone's death glare at the offending wall was interrupted by the door opening, its hinges creaking almost fearfully as if they knew just how little the room's occupant wished to be bothered. An errant pillow flew from Limestone's hoof towards those who intended to invade, bouncing harmlessly off of Maud's face.
"We nph to talk," Maud said, her stare and resolve far less impeded than her speech by the gentle assault. A fearful Marble peered over her sister's shoulder, and would have been the target of a second pillow if Maud had not intercepted this one with a hoof.
"Do I look like I want to talk?" Limestone growled.
"No," Maud answered matter-of-factly. This acknowledgement did nothing to stop her progress into the room, Marble nervously shuffling in behind her. Limestone glared balefully at her undeterred sisters, but cooler heads thankfully prevailed before an attempt could be made to create another Maud-shaped hole to patch up in the wall.
"What the hay is there to talk about?" Limestone hissed as her sisters had a seat on the bed. "Mom and Dad are forcing one of us to marry some stallion we don't know from the back of our hooves–"
"His name is Caramel," Maud stated, earning a flat stare from her sister.
"...Because of an ancient tradition," the undaunted Limestone continued. "You two seem to be just fine with it, and I'm the only one who's upset about it! I think that covers everything, huh?" She grumbled and sat on the bed as well, refusing to look at the two. "It would be nice if somepony had my back."
"We do have your back, Limestone," Marble said softly. "We're sisters. We always have each other's backs."
"Yeah?" Limestone huffed. "Then why are you siding with them?" It took a fair amount of willpower not to scream at Marble. As upset as she was, she knew how skittish her youngest sister could get, and while she didn't want to be bothered, she had no intent of terrifying Marble out of the room.
"It's not as simple as that..." Marble said, trailing off as she tried to figure out why what she said was true and hoping that it wouldn't be questioned.
"Why not?" Limestone shot back. Marble found herself at a loss, giving Maud a silent plea for help.
"It's tradition," Maud stated. "Mom and Dad barely knew each other before the Pairing Stone chose them for each other and that worked out fine."
"So?" Limestone said. "That was forever ago!"
"If it didn't work, it wouldn't be a tradition," Maud responded.
"Things change!" Limestone shouted. "Ponies don't need a Pairing Stone to find somepony to marry! Pinkie didn't need a Pairing Stone to marry a stallion and get knocked up, did she?"
"N-no..." Marble said, blushing at Limestone's choice of vernacular. "But I think we can all agree that Pinkie's always been a little...different. In a good way, of course."
"Well it's still ridiculous," Limestone said, flopping back onto the disheveled bed. "I mean, it didn't even specifically name one of us! How can we trust a Pairing Stone if it can't even specify a pair?"
"I wish I had a good answer for that," Marble said with a sigh. "But all I can really say is what we said already."
"Well...it's stupid," Limestone grumbled. "And I don't see why we have to go along with it."
"Because we do," Maud said, staring up at the ceiling. Silence filled the room for a good ten seconds before she spoke again. "If neither of you like him, I'll marry him."
"What?!" Limestone exclaimed, sitting up to look at her sister.
"I'm the oldest," Maud said, her gaze at the ceiling unwavering. "If it means stopping my little sisters from being unhappy, then it's my responsibility."
Limestone sputtered a bit as she stared at Maud. As selfless as it was of Maud to offer that, it still didn't sit quite right with her. She turned to Marble and was met with a look of uncertainty. She looked back to Maud, hoping for some visible sign of what she was thinking, and was completely unsurprised to find no such thing. After a bit of frustrated flailing of hooves, Limestone finally sighed.
"Look...we'll see what happens, okay?" Limestone grumbled.
"Sure," Maud replied.
"Right," Limestone said. "I'm gonna go for a run." With that, she rolled off of the bed and made haste out of the bedroom. Marble waited for Limestone to close the door before turning to her sister in awe.
"I can't believe you got her to calm down like that," Marble said. "She almost seemed agreeable...how did you do that?"
"Guilt trip," Maud responded. "It's the same way I got her to eat her collard greens when she was young."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hurry, hurry girls! Make haste! Everything must be clean, he shall be here any minute!"
Hurrying was practically an alien concept to the Pie family. They were more used to working at a slow but steady pace, one which allowed them to carefully assess problems as they arose and deal with them efficiently. As it stood now, though, there was simply no time for being careful. A miscalculation in lunch planning had left the family with almost no time to prepare, and the fact that Limestone had little to no interest in participating at all didn't help matters. Still, she found herself begrudgingly aiding in the frantic cleaning of the house. Not doing so would make Father upset, and the last thing she wanted to do–other than marrying and having foals with a random stallion because a rock said so–was make Father upset.
"Quickly, girls!" Cloudy exclaimed, pulling Marble in front of her first. The youngest Pie made quiet sounds of protest as her mother fussed over her, fixing her mane. The sisters were more than old enough to take care of themselves, but that didn't stop their mother from interfering and adding her own personal touches. Marble pouted slightly as a blue bow was tied into her mane. She was quickly shooed off as Cloudy moved on to Maud. Maud offered no reaction as a green bow was applied to her mane, and continued to offer no reaction as it silently fell off as soon as her mom moved on. Limestone did her best to intimidate Cloudy out of applying a red bow to her mane with a stare, but Cloudy was a seasoned veteran of such behavior and glared right back. It was Limestone who backed down first, and she too was left pouting at her new and annoying mane accessory.
"There we go!" Cloudy said with a smile, overflowing with pride as she looked over her daughters. "Such beautiful mares...Maud, must you wear that frock?"
"It brings out the colors of my soul," Maud replied. "And it rhymes with rock."
"That it does," Cloudy responded. "Oh, you all look lovely...I can't wait for one of you to marry this Caramel fellow and begin giving me grandfoals..."
"Geez, Mother," Limestone said, rolling her eyes. "Pinkie's already pregnant. Isn't that enough?"
"No!" Cloudy answered, her eyes sparkling. "I want so many grandfoals..." The three sisters gave each other a look, but decided not to offer a response. This was one topic that it wasn't worth fighting with Cloudy on. Not that they would have had time to fight with her on. Not with the very recent knock on their front door.
"That must be him!" Igneous shouted. "Quickly, everypony, come hither! Take your places!"
Cloudy scurried to the front door, joining her husband's side as he waited. The three sisters took their places behind their parents, arranged in a neat little line. As usual, Marble wore an expression of nervousness, while Limestone tried her best to contain her scowl and Maud looked as if she couldn't possibly care less about anything that was going on. Once he was sure everypony was in position, Igneous opened the door.
"Welcome to the Pie Family Rock Farm," Igneous said, looking out to their guest. Or rather, to their guests. Before him stood two ponies, each carrying their own bags. The taller one was a blue unicorn stallion with a pale, wavy mane and a particularly pointy horn. Next to him was a shorter earth pony mare, sporting a yellow coat and brown mane and staring at the ground in front of them.
Igneous looked back to the rest of his family, unsure of what to say. The rest looked equally confused. None of them had been expecting a second pony. Still, hospitality was prudent, especially in an situation as important as this. Igneous quickly turned back to the two ponies, offering a smile.
"I am Igneous Rock Pie," he stated. "This is my wife, Cloudy Quartz, and these are my daughters: Maud, Limestone, and Marble." He nodded politely to the stallion. "You must be the Caramel whom the Pairing Stone has chosen to wed one of my daughters." The stallion smirked lightly before shaking his head.
"My name is Pokey Pierce," he told Igneous. "I'm Caramel's friend and traveling partner."
"Oh?" Igneous asked, looking quite confused. "Then where is Caramel?" Just then, the smaller mare cleared her throat. All attention turned to her.
"Um..." the mare said awkwardly. "My name's Caramel. Sorry about this."
Here's Caramel! The Strange Stranger From Ponyville
The first order of business, oddly enough, was not figuring out where the miscommunication over Caramel's gender happened. Rather, the first order of business was to wake Cloudy Quartz, who had fainted dead away moments after Caramel's reveal.
Uncomfortable looks were exchanged between the family and the two newcomers as they set about trying to wake Cloudy up. Caramel, for her part, was incredibly apologetic about the entire thing, and she and Pokey were more than happy to get Cloudy comfortable while they figured out what to do. Or at least they were happy to try and help.
"Here, let me get her onto the couch," Caramel offered. Her offer was quickly rebuked by an angry Limestone.
"You get your hooves away from my mom!" Limestone growled, glaring a hole through her.
"Come on..." Caramel said, backing away a bit. "I'm just trying to help."
"Some help you've been so far!" Limestone replied. "It's your fault she fainted in the first place! You were supposed to be a stallion!"
"I can explain that..." Caramel started. Before she could do just that, Limestone attempted to shove her away. The attempt likely would have been successful if it wasn't for Maud stepping in.
"This isn't helping," Maud said, restraining her sister until she stopped trying to struggle.
"Agreed," Pokey chimed in, stepping between the two. "The most important thing right now is to tend to your mom."
"I think we are owed an explanation once my wife is awake," Igneous said, glancing over from his wife's side.
"Of course," Pokey agreed. Caramel, meanwhile, simply turned away from the group, unwilling to look at Limestone's hateful stare any longer. She opted to stay out of the way as the others tended to Cloudy, stepping away from the group. As it turned out, her choice of where to step ended up not being the best choice for one who wished to stay out of the way, as she managed to step right into the path of a galloping Marble, who had stepped out to get come cold water.
"Eep!" Marble squeaked, trying to divert her path but not having enough room to do so. The two mares quickly ended up in a pile in the ground, the bucket of water hurtling straight towards Pokey. A brief look of panic appeared on Pokey's face, but he managed to light his horn just in time to catch the bucket and stop the spill.
"Careful," Pokey said, seeming oddly shaken by almost being doused. He turned to hold the bucket over Cloudy, looking to Igneous for approval before dumping it over her head.
Cloudy sputtered and coughed as she came to. Being woken by a bucket of cold water to the face was not exactly the most optimal way of waking up. Then again, passing out from shock wasn't exactly the most optimal way of losing consciousness, so it all kind of worked out in a way.
"My daughters cannot marry a mare!" Cloudy exclaimed once she'd shaken herself out.
"Mother?" Marble said quietly. "That's...surprisingly intolerant..."
"Not for that reason!" Cloudy retorted. "How am I supposed to get grandfoals from two mares?!" Igneous sighed and put a foreleg around his wife, looking over to Caramel.
"Perhaps you should give her some space, young lady," Igneous said. "I am sure your friend here can explain what is going on in the meantime."
"Right..." Caramel replied. She looked up again, and was immediately met with Limestone's glare once more.
"Limestone," Igneous said. "Why don't you show Miss Caramel around the farm?"
"Me?!" Limestone shouted, ignoring the blush and light pout that her father's words appeared to ignite in Caramel. "Why me?"
"Because I said so, my daughter," Igneous replied. The words were so direct that it sent a brief chill down Limestone's back. It wasn't wise to disobey Father.
"Ugh..." Limestone groaned, before looking in Caramel's direction. "Move your rump. And you'd better not be slow." The smaller mare gulped and quickly followed Limestone out of the house. Igneous watched the two go, then turned to Pokey, his expression turning dark.
"Now then," Igneous said, sitting down next to his wife. "What exactly is the meaning of this? We have no qualms with two mares marrying each other, but we were promised a stallion to bear children with one of our daughters."
"And that's what I've brought you," Pokey responded calmly, eliciting what may very well have been the hundredth look of confusion from the family since Caramel and Pokey had arrived.
"Forgive me," Cloudy said, sitting up proper. "But we know the difference between a stallion and a mare, and Caramel there was most certainly a mare."
"At the moment," Pokey interrupted.
"At the moment?" Marble repeated. "What does that mean?" Pokey chuckled dryly, finding himself a seat and preparing for what looked to be a long story.
"Have you ever heard of the Cursed Everfree Springs?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure we should be here? It seems kind of...restricted."
Caramel looked around the area he and Pokey had found themselves in. The grass was a lush green, its colors accentuated by the presence of the shining blue springs that mottled the meadows. It truly was a lovely place, as he had been led to expect. The only thing marring the otherwise pleasant view was the presence of wooden signs scattered about the area. Most were written in a language Caramel didn't recognize. The ones that were legible to him spoke various words of foreboding, ranging from the mostly non-confrontational "Restricted" to the decidedly more insistent "Leave At Once" that Caramel nearly tripped over while observing its brethren.
"Oh, we'll only be here for a bit," Pokey insisted, stepping over another of the signs. "You do want to get the best grass samples Equestria has to offer, right?"
"I guess..." Caramel responded, unable to pull his eyes away from the assortment of oppressive signage. "It would really help with my research."
"Exactly," Pokey said with a grin. "And you can't further said research if we just up and leave, can you?"
"Well I mean I could-" Caramel started.
"Exactly," Pokey repeated. "Now come along. No more dawdling."
"You know, just because you're a bit older than me doesn't mean you have to talk to me like I'm a colt," Caramel said as he trailed behind.
"I know," Pokey responded. "There are a lot of things I don't have to do that I do anyway." Despite the obvious joking nature of the comment, his voice remained calm and even. Caramel wasn't quite sure how he managed that, but he had long since gotten used to his friend and business partner's peculiar cadence. It was the second voice that really threw him for a loop.
"I hope you know these pools are cursed," a deep feminine voice called. "Be grateful my anger does not burst."
Caramel whirled around, nearly stumbling into the pool he stood near. He wished he could have thanked his amazing agility and sense of balance for saving him, but he found himself sadly lacking in both areas and could really only look to dumb luck as his savior. Pokey, in his typical Pokey manner, remained mostly stoic. A raise of the eyebrows was the most the surprise could get out of him.
Caramel's brain immediately set into motion, scouring his vast intellect for the proper words with which to respond to the surprise. If he had learned anything from those self-confidence classes, a clever retort was crucial to earning the respect of whoever had spoken and showing that he wasn't easily shaken. He trusted in his razor-sharp wit to guide him and make him shine.
"Gah!"
The brevity may have been present, but the wit was sorely lacking.
The two stallions set their sights upon the new speaker. Caramel was positive he'd seen the zebra in Ponyville before. Either that or he was being unintentionally racist.
"Zecora?" Pokey asked. Caramel was glad he wasn't the one to ask.
"Zecora is my name, that is correct," Zecora responded. "There are signs saying to leave, if you haven't checked."
"R-right..." Caramel stuttered, already making motions to leave. "We'll get out of your mane."
"Right after we get what we're here for, that is," Pokey added, putting a hoof on Caramel's back to stop him. The smaller stallion let out a quiet whinny of protest, but Pokey was insistent.
"If my words you do not heed, you might perform a terrible deed," Zecora said, her tone becoming more stern. "The curse on these pools is centuries old. If I were you, I would do as I'm told."
"What curse?" Caramel asked.
"The Curse of Everfree Springs, my friend," Zecora responded. "Of those who came to a watery end." She pointed out over the springs, a grave look crossing her face. "Each spring contains the spirit of those who have passed. If one falls in, their curse will take effect very fast. The spirit inhabits and brings upon change. Their influence makes the cursed one's body rearrange! Enhanced by cold water, suppressed by hot. If you try to remove it, you'll find you cannot. I shall give you my warming once more; please, take heed. You must find another place to harvest your seed!"
Caramel didn't need any more convincing than that. His spine was tingling adequately enough that staying here was about the last thing he wanted to do. And he would have left on the spot too, if it wasn't for Pokey's magic grabbing him.
"We'll take our chances," Pokey said. "That all sounds a bit too far-fetched to me." Caramel found himself spun around and set down neatly next to his fearless companion. He had no idea how Pokey could possibly remain this calm after hearing how cursed this place was, but there he was, the picture of serenity. He looked nervously to Zecora, waiting to see just how angry Pokey's comment had made her. Other than a brief frown, however, she seemed mostly unbothered.
"I find it foolish this curse you have scorned," Zecora spoke evenly. "Don't let it be said that you weren't warned." The zebra then turned her nose up at the two, giving them a look as if she was daring them to remain.
"Well then, that's settled," Pokey said, turning away to look over the lush grass that covered the area.
"Are you kidding me?!" Caramel exclaimed. "Did you hear all the things she said? Cursed! The ponds are cursed! We have to leave yesterday!"
"Oh, Caramel," the undaunted Pokey responded with a wave of his hoof. "So naive. Now let's get our samples."
The inappropriately calm demeanor in the face of potential danger combined with the unwarranted condescending tone finally proved to be too much for Caramel. The frustrated stallion was usually not one for violence, but he couldn't help himself as he gave Pokey a small shove.
"Why are you always so calm?" Caramel shouted. Then he gasped as he watched the unsuspecting Pokey topple over. He tried to reach out to stop him, but was too slow, and was subsequently left to watch in horror as his friend splashed into one of the cursed springs.
"Pokey!" Caramel shouted, as if his scream would reverse time and undo what had happened. Unsurprisingly, the desired result was not achieved. His eyes couldn't pull away from the spring, barely even registering the sight of Zecora in his peripheral as she walked up to his side and shook her head. A couple of bubbles drifted to the surface, each pop raising his heart rate.
"Please be okay please be okay please be okay..." Caramel muttered as the seconds passed like minutes. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally noticed a figure rising to the top of the water. He leaned in, ready to issue apology after apology as soon as Pokey's head breached the surface. He was only able to make out the very first "so" before he realized that he was now face-to-face with a huge grizzly bear. The startled stallion stumbled backwards, letting out a yelp.
"Your friend has discovered the Curse of Drowned Bear," Zecora said simply as Caramel flailed past her. He could barely control his limbs as he attempted to flee, and before he knew it, he was plummeting headfirst towards another spring.
Caramel's mind raced as he sank in the water, thankful that he'd possessed the forethought to catch and hold a breath before submerging. He'd already seen his close friend seemingly transformed into a bear, and could only fear what would become of him. He was already feeling odd in a way that he couldn't quite put his hoof on–although the fact that he still had a hoof to not put on it was likely a good sign. He did his best to right himself in the water and figure out which direction was up, then began frantically paddling up once he had. Something about his movement felt slightly unfamiliar, but not so much that it felt entirely wrong. Perhaps his spring wasn't cursed? Or maybe it was just inhabited by the spirit of a pony who felt tingly a lot?
Caramel's head breached the surface of the spring, and he gasped for air as he pulled himself towards solid ground. From what he could see as he flailed towards land, he was still in possession of his same yellow forelegs. Something about them, though, looked slightly different...a tiny bit more slender, perhaps? He could feel his wet mane pressed against his forehead, neck, and shoulder, and even saw a bit of it obscuring part of his vision. That in itself was a bit strange. His mane wasn't really long enough to cover that much of him. Apparently this spring was haunted by a long-maned pony.
Caramel pulled himself out of the spring and to the ground, and immediately noted the shocked look on the face of the bear that was apparently Pokey, as well as the bemused face of Zecora. Those expressions certainly did not fit Caramel's assumptions of what had happened to him, so there had to be something more. It was just then that he noticed how much smaller and rounder his muzzle appeared to be. Slowly but surely, the pieces began to come together in Caramel's head. A quick turn of the head gave Caramel a view of a smaller body with gentle curves, and it was only just then that he became intensely aware of a very different feeling between his hind legs.
"And you have discovered the Curse of Drowned Mare," Zecora said, before granting herself a light smirk. "I know I do not have to do it all the time, but how very fortunate that this happened to rhyme."
The last thing Caramel remembered before fainting was the bear rushing to his–or rather, her–side.
~~~~~~~~~~
"...So you can turn into a bear?"
Oddly enough, it was Marble's voice that broke the long silence following Pokey's explanation. She was typically one to promote silence, not break it. The rest of the family, on the other hoof, seemed to have embraced Marble's usual stance on the matter. She would have been proud if she wasn't so busy being curious.
"That's correct," Pokey responded.
"Can we see?" Maud asked.
"I...suppose," Pokey replied. "But being a bear would make it very hard for me to explain more about all of this."
"Fine," Maud said. If it was any other pony, there would likely have been a hint of disappointment in that statement. "But I want to see once you're done."
"Very well," Pokey said, giving the oldest Pie sister a raise of the eyebrow.
"So Caramel is not a mare then?" Igneous asked. "At least not all the time?"
"Precisely," Pokey said. "As Zecora so enigmatically described, a splash of cold water while we're in our original forms transforms us into our cursed forms, and hot water does the opposite. Caramel showed up to your door as a mare because we ran into a rainstorm on our way and he wasn't quick enough in deploying his umbrella." Before Pokey could continue, he felt a set of forelegs wrap around him.
"So he can still give us grandfoals!" Cloudy exclaimed, squeezing poor Pokey with all of her might.
"Y-yes..." Pokey choked out, surprised by the older mare's strength. Gentle attempts to pry her off proved fruitless until he employed the use of his magic, carefully untangling himself from the embrace.
"And you are positive this curse cannot be lifted?" Igneous asked. "There are many talented magicians out there. Surely one of them can figure it out."
"The curse seems to be beyond magic, if that makes any sense," Pokey explained. "Many have tried to remove the curse from other ponies, and all have failed. Even Princess Celestia could not manage to undo it. It seems that we're stuck dealing with our lots in life. I'm adjusting a bit better than Caramel, but even he seems to be slowly growing to accept it."
"That is a good attitude to uphold in the face of this predicament," Igneous said, offering a smile. "And so let it be known that the Pie family accepts you and Caramel for what you are, and that our arrangement for him to wed one of our daughters shall remain intact."
"Excellent," Pokey said, smiling lightly back at the Pie family patriarch. "I'm sure everything will work out just fine."
Not a second had passed following Pokey's sentence before he was doused with a bucket of cold water. The transformation was so quick that the ponies present could barely perceive it, and before they knew it, a large, confused grizzly bear was sitting right where Pokey had been.
"Well," Maud said, discarding the bucket. "He was done."
"Indeed," Igneous said, as Cloudy gently coaxed Marble out from hiding behind the couch. Then he tapped his chin with a hoof. "I wonder where Limestone and Caramel have gotten off to..."
