A Good Sun Day

Chapters

The Seed is Planted
A Flower Grows
A Bloom Passes
Beauty is Shared
Beauty Burns Bright
Marble Finds Freedom

The Seed is Planted

The wind whistled across the rock-strewn farmland. It carried with it the smell of dust, ash, and the sterile scent of sun-baked stone. Marble felt the warm wind blow through her mane and stared across the farm at the rising plume of smoke.

The fire wasn’t large, but Pa and Limestone had been fighting it alongside the neighbors since early morning, and it was taking an unexpectedly long time to stop it. To help in the efforts, Marble had been left with her Ma, Cloudy Quartz, at the farmhouse to prepare supplies and deliver them as needed. Things like food, water, and sandbags to assist in stopping the spreading blaze.

The brushland around the rock farm wasn’t used for anything, but the fire spread smoke and ash, and it drove wild animals into their living space. After one fire a few years ago, a wild cat made its home in the quarry and they had to drive it out. Since then they decided it would be best to smother fires as quickly as possible.

Today’s fire was of middling ferocity. They had caught it early and already had it cut off from further sources of fuel. All that was left was to watch it burn itself out and snuff the embers. Marble was waiting for Ma to finish making some sandwiches, then she would deliver the food to everypony stuck out watching the fire. It wasn’t glamorous, but she wasn’t as brave in the face of danger as Limestone.

“Marble! Come here, please,” Ma called from the house.

Marble turned away from the rising smoke and went inside. Ma had finished the sandwiches and had them all packed up in saddlebags for the trip. Marble turned and let her mother cinch them on her back. Ma patted her on the withers and gave a smile.

“Do not keep them waiting, dear child. It’s been a very busy day for everypony,” Ma said. Marble nodded and stepped outside, then broke into a trot toward the smoke.

The fire was quite a distance away from the farmhouse. Their house wasn’t in any real danger, but the fear of floating sparks or other flaming material had Ma staying at the house just in case. While she walked, Marble looked at the floating detritus coming down around her, and if she hadn’t known it was ash from a fire, it would have been strangely beautiful. A few small glowing bits fluttered down. They settled in the dirt and faded to grey as the rocky earth sapped their heat.

Marble could see the edge of the fire just ahead, and more of the glowing bits fell around her as she approached. Her Pa–Igneous Rock–was waiting and waved a hoof when he saw her. He was covered in ash and soot, but he was still as solemn as he always looked. As though putting out a fire were no different from quarrying.

“Good noon to ye, child. I trust it is our meal which you bring with ye?” He’d sometimes sprinkle fancy speech into conversations like that, though nopony else in the family did. It was usually when he was around ponies other than family.

Marble didn’t say anything, but she nodded and smiled. She might not be the best at fighting fires, but she could cook and clean to help around the house. She was good at carving rocks as well, but that was no use here.

She opened her saddlebags and pulled out sandwiches and a canteen for her Pa. He took them graciously and motioned for her to continue down the line to the rest of the group.

To prevent the fire from spreading, they had set out a perimeter of dirt and stone, and trimmed any flammable plants or other objects that might catch fire. There were quite a few ponies out to help, but most of them had families of their own providing food. Ma had prepared extras just in case, though.

Marble continued along the edge of the fire, meeting her sister, Limestone, who accepted the food with grudging politeness. Then she went further to ensure everypony had something to eat and drink. Once she was sure everypony was taken care of, she returned back along the line to her Pa.

“Thank you for your efforts today, Marble. All appears well. We shall see thee and thy mother upon the setting of the sun.”

Marble nodded, her head low so her mane drooped in front of an eye, and headed for home. The fire, which was now far less threatening than it had been this morning, became a muted glow behind her as she walked. Now that she wasn’t facing the fire, she stopped and looked up at the smoke and ash falling around her. Without the flames ahead of her, it truly was like a softly glowing snowfall. She smiled slightly and then lowered her head and continued home.

The rest of the evening was spent helping her Ma clean and cook. If the fire didn’t die out as quickly as they hoped, they would have to stay out all night tending to it. As it was, somepony would have to stay out to survey the remains and make sure they didn’t blaze up again. Knowing her Pa, he would volunteer, which meant Marble and Limestone would have to take turns going out to check on him.

With the setting sun, Marble and her Ma sat on the front porch, waiting for Limestone and Pa to come back. The glow of the distant fire had dimmed significantly, but as Marble had expected, it was a lone Limestone who came stumbling back without their Pa.

“Pa is going to stay and keep an eye on the remains,” Limestone said.

Ma nodded solemnly, as if she knew it would end up like this. They all did. She ushered Limestone into the house and to a warm bath, getting her comfortable after such a long day.

Once Limestone was cleaned up and in bed, Ma prepared another batch of food, along with some strong coffee for Pa. She packed it all into Marble’s saddlebags and sent her off into the night. Marble grabbed a lantern, lit it, and held it in her teeth as she trotted out into the smoky darkness.

The darkness wasn’t a hindrance to her. For her, the rock farm was an old friend, one that she knew from all sides. Every boulder and ditch was a place she’d played and worked in her younger years. In addition, finding her destination wasn’t going to be difficult, as warm embers still glowed.

This trip, because she knew it wouldn’t take her much longer, she took a hike through a short ditch. It had rocks in it that formed a natural lip she could hike over, or walk under if she wanted. It was like crawling through a small tunnel without the danger of it collapsing. When she was inside her miniature canyon, she could look up and see the stars, and it felt like she was much further below them than she was. It was a nice feeling.

As she walked, she saw a glowing ember flittering down toward her. It was tossed this way and that by the evening breeze, but it passed through the rocks above and settled on the rocky soil in front of her. This one, unlike the ones that had instantly cooled upon landing, didn’t lose its warm glow. It pulsed faintly as it sat, innocent and unassuming.

Marble approached and looked down at the glowing ember. When she got closer, she noticed it was shaped oddly. It looked like a kidney bean, smooth on all sides, with a crack on one end that was glowing hotter than the rest. Curious, she watched as it pulsed with a regular rhythm, as though a tiny heart beat inside it.

Marble set down her lantern and leaned in closer. Her breath passed over the tiny ember-like thing, and it shuddered. She pulled back in surprise, but it didn’t do anything else. She leaned in again and breathed on it, and it shook slightly. She inhaled and blew on it, and it shivered harder. She blew on it again, and the crack on one end grew wider, and a tiny glowing appendage sprung out of the hole.

“A seed?” Marble looked closer, squinting to get a better look, and sure enough, the thing that had come out the end of it looked like a tiny sprout. Marble didn’t know what to think about it. It looked like it was on fire. Was that just a trick of the light? She stuck out her hoof and gently prodded the glowing bean. It was hot, so she was right about that, but a growing seed shouldn’t be made of fire or embers.

Marble shook her head, and remembered that her father would be waiting for her. She shouldn’t be dawdling like she was. She blew on the bean once more, and the shoot growing out of it stretched out again. She smiled at it, then picked up her lantern and stepped over it. There was nothing flammable around it, so she didn’t have to worry. She’d come check on it tomorrow after all this fire nonsense was done with and if it was still here she could ask Pa about it.

Marble made her way through her little crevasse to the edge of the fire, where Pa was awaiting her delivery. “Good evn’ to ye, daughter. I thank you for the food and drink. Be sure to deliver mine regards to thy mother upon your return.” He took a long swig of the coffee and motioned to the dying flames. “It was a long and tiring day, but we have triumphed over the flames. A good community works well together, with everypony playing their part.”

Marble just nodded without a word. He knew he was trying to send her a message. She was quiet, and shy, and didn’t talk to many other ponies. Limestone was loud, and outgoing. She was very business-oriented, and was going to be the one to take over the rock farm after Pa was done. Pinkie had already moved out and starting baking and organizing parties, so the only pony left in the family without a direction was herself.

He hadn’t yet told her, but she knew he was looking to marry her off. She’d overheard Ma and him talking about it, and this off-hoof comment of his about everypony playing their part in the community was him getting her to agree that she needed to find her place. Then he’d bring up a marriage, and she’d be forced to agree.

Marble fidgeted, waiting for him to say something else. When he didn’t immediately speak, she started to turn back toward home. He cleared his throat and she stopped with a flinch.

“Rest well, Marble. We shall speak on the morrow when I have had time to rest,” he said.

Marble lowered her head as she walked back home. Her mane and tail drooped as she dreaded the inevitable chat about what she was going to do to help out the ‘community’ as Pa kept saying.

“Marriage. I don’t want to get married,” Marble muttered to herself. “Just because I can cook and clean and other household things doesn’t mean I want to be some stay-at-home mare. What about my art?”

Marble grumbled all the way home, and silently helped Ma prepare the next package of food for Pa. They waited up, keeping each other quiet company by playing chess to pass the time. Marble had carved all the pieces out of stones found around the farm. It had been one of her first big projects, and she was very proud of it. Ma said she should make more to sell.

Ma won the chess game, as usual. Marble was good at making the pieces, but not so good at knowing where to move them. She packed it all up after the game and went to wake up Limestone. Marble crept into her sister’s room and patted her on the shoulder. She didn’t wake up at the first touch, so she gripped her and shook her gently.

Limestone growled and shifted to look up at the offending hoof. “Grng. What’s… ‘zit time already?”

Marble nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“Ugh. You ‘n Ma got the saddlebags ready?”

“Mmhmm.”

Limestone rolled out of bed and flopped onto the hardwood floor. She staggered slightly and blinked furiously. She slapped herself in the face with her hoof, then shook her head. “Okay. Load me up and I’ll get this done. Pa’s gonna need his coffee if I’m feeling this tired.”

Marble led the way downstairs and helped Limestone put on the saddlebags. She double-checked the contents to make sure everything was in there; water, coffee, and food. Then, with a small smile and a hug, Limestone went galloping out into the darkness.

Ma had already gone to bed, which left Marble all alone. She was tired after a day of running back and forth, so she retired to bed herself. She lay awake until she heard Limestone return from her delivery. She heard the slam of the door downstairs, then the rattle of the saddlebags being dropped, then the rough hoofsteps of her sister stomping to her room. Once she was satisfied her sister had returned safely, then and only then did Marble allow herself to fall asleep.

A Flower Grows

Her dreams came quickly, though she would sooner call them nightmares. Arranged marriages to stallions who didn’t care about art and Pa being disappointed when she tried to run away. In her dreams she would try to run and hide, but Pa would always come find her to have a ‘talk’, and she would have to keep running.

She awoke with a start, jolting up to a sitting position. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and looked around her room. Pa wasn’t here. The sun was streaming in, which meant morning. She shuffled on careful hooves to the window and looked outside. The sky was clear and blue, with only a few clouds. There didn’t appear to be much in the way of smoke floating by, so the fire had been snuffed out. That meant Pa was probably back home.

Marble grimaced and crept to the door to her room. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened for Pa’s voice. She didn’t hear him, so she cracked open the door. She could hear somepony cooking, which was probably Ma, and nothing else.

With a sigh of relief, Marble stepped out of her room, walked over to the bathroom and freshened up for the day. When she was done, she walked downstairs to greet Ma and help with breakfast preparations.

“Pa went to have a short nap since he’s been up all night, but I’ll wake him up soon. He said he wanted to speak with you this morning,” Ma said.

Marble fumbled the cutlery she was holding and dropped them on the floor with a clatter. She looked at her Ma with panic in her eyes and shook her head back and forth.

Ma chuckled and gave a small sigh. “I know, I know. You can’t put it off forever, you know.”

Marble nodded but gave her mother a pleading look.

“Alright, fine. Not today. Pa shan’t argue much since he is exhausted, but you can’t be here when he’s awake. Take your breakfast and see to some business outside until late afternoon.”

Marble smiled wide and gave her mother a hug. She stole some cheese and fruit from the pile Ma had cut, grabbed her saddlebags, and disappeared out the front door.

Safe from the intense scrutiny of Pa, Marble walked casually away from the farmhouse. She had responsibilities, so she thought she would get some of them started in the time before Pa came back out. With him so exhausted, he might not even wake up until nine!

Marble went to the quarry they were currently working in. Her job was to check tools for wear and note quality and functionality, as well as helping Limestone check the mine itself for structural problems before excavation. The tools were a quick and easy chore, so she chose to do that before she would skip off elsewhere to avoid encounters with pa. She

She finished quickly, and trotted out of the quarry. She saw there was still a thin plume of smoke coming from the remains of the fire, but Pa might go there to help with clean-up, so she turned away. She couldn’t go to her sculpting portion of the yard, as Pa would check there for sure. That left several hiding places on the farm Pa and the rest of the family never went to.

That reminded her of the strange little seed she had seen last night. If it actually was a seed. Marble broke into a trot and went to her miniature canyon. Nopony else in the family liked it, so Marble felt safe there. It was unlikely Pa would discover her, and she could check on the little thing. No matter what, she could just hide and work on some smaller carvings while she waited for afternoon to come.

Marble entered the little tunnel and was immediately struck by the faint glow inside. She could see that the thing from last night was still ‘alive’, as it were. There on the ground, or rather, sprouting from the ground, was a tiny little seedling poking up out of the hard soil. It was orange, and glowed softly, pulsing in time like a flaming heartbeat.

Marble lowered herself to the ground and moved closer to it. It was a tiny stem with a little bud on the end. Its little leaves struggled upward, just like any other plant would. Marble reached out to touch it again, and it was still hot. Colours swirled on its surface of various shades of red, yellow, and orange, giving it the appearance of solid flame. Which, as far as Marble could tell, it very well could be.

“Magic?” Marble mused. She had lived on the rock farm her whole life, and had only encountered unicorns in passing. Most of the neighbors were earth ponies, with a pegasus living some distance away from them. Unicorns were tough to find working the land out where they lived, so they were a rare sight.

This little plant had to be some form of natural magic, though. It was growing out of the soil like a plant, but she couldn’t touch it because it was too hot. Fire usually tried to burn plants, and her family used rock and soil to smother flames, so how could a plant made of fire be growing out of the soil? She hadn’t done anything other than blow on it the night before, but if that was enough to get it growing, how could she abandon it now? Then again, it might be dangerous to allow it to grow.

That gave Marble an idea. She opened her bag and pulled a piece of paper from her sketchbook she kept for concept sketches, and tore off a tiny piece. She held it out to the little bud and gingerly tapped it to the closed leaves. She jumped as it caught on fire, even though she was expecting it. The flame that sprouted on the paper burned like normal fire would, but the flame bent toward the bud and was sucked into it as it burned. That was not normal.

Marble released the slip of paper, and it burned to ash. The last of the fire disappeared into the bud, which grew bulbous and round. The stem stretched upward a few centimeters and the bud split open, revealing four leaves growing out of a small, golden-yellow flame in the center. The flame swayed gently back and forth in its position, performing a mesmerizing and adorable little dance in the shaded tunnel.

“You are so cute!” Marble gushed. She meant it, too. Before seeing this, Fire had always been a tool or a danger. It was used to heat the home and cook food, but it was always kept inside the stove or the fireplace. At the quarry it was used to heat rocks and smelt metals, and like yesterday, it was considered a danger to the safety of the community. This time, though, the fire was beautiful.

Marble watched, enraptured, as the little flame spun slowly in place. The flame pulsed softly and the tip waved gently, as if it were greeting her. Marble waved back, though it made no response. She took another small piece of paper and held it out to the flame-flower. The sprout in the center bent into the fuel and consumed it, sucking in more fire as her paper was devoured. It grew the barest bit from the pitiful meal, but the golden-yellow flame was bigger and more beautiful than before. She could see whorls of deeper red hidden within its center, swirling about within it.

“I think I’m going to keep you,” Marble said. The flame didn’t respond. It just kept slowly spinning in place. “Well I’m glad you approve.”

Marble pulled out her carving tools and some small stones and began carving next to the little flame flower. It was slow work, carving stone, and you could not afford to mess up when doing it, but it was rewarding, and very tactile. She appreciated the feeling of control she had over the rock and its appearance. It was cathartic for her.

Marble kept an eye on the flame as she worked, and as the hours passed, the flame flower stayed as steady as ever. She, however, heard her stomach grumbling at her and realized it was probably late into the afternoon by now. Pa would be awake and done his work by now, and he would want to have the talk. She couldn’t avoid it forever, like Ma said. She had to come home to eat eventually, and that time was swift approaching.

Marble sighed and began packing up her things. Her carving was becoming a coarse facsimile of the little flame flower. Stone could not truly do its smooth shape justice, but she had to try. Something as beautiful as that needed to be properly appreciated, and that was why she did art to begin with: So that somepony could appreciate her visions for what they were. Her Pa certainly didn’t. He and Limestone were all business and no pleasure. Or that was how it seemed, anyway.

Marble stood up and prepared to go, but spared one last look at the little flame. She smiled down at it and pulled the rest of the sheet of paper from her bag. She looked at the flower, then at the paper, but crumpled it back into her bag.

“I want to see you grow and have the time to appreciate it,” she said to it. “Besides, I haven’t finished my carving of your shape, yet. I will come see you tomorrow, okay?” The flame did not respond, of course, but she smiled anyway, and trotted out of the tunnel toward home.

By the time she reached the farmhouse, her smile had disappeared, and her head was hanging low. Her Pa was standing on the front porch, his face seemingly expressionless, but Marble had grown up seeing that face, and she knew this one expressed sincere disapproval. Dinner would be quiet, but afterward would be ‘the talk’. She was not looking forward to it.

Marble disappeared up to her room with only a furtive glance at Pa. He looked at her as she approached the farmhouse, chewing silently on a stalk of hay. His disapproval was not voiced, but for Marble his eyes spoke volumes. She didn’t want to hear any of it until after supper, so she rushed past, and stumbled up to her room. Ma caught her eye with an; “I told you so” look, and she turned away from that look as well. She could hear Limestone in the shower, but she knew she’d get no sympathy there, either.

Marble shut the door to her room and dropped her saddlebags to the floor. She kicked her bed, which barely shifted, and made a strangled, frustrated noise. She crawled onto her mattress and lay there, sprawled out, stewing in her frustration.

When she was called down to dinner, Marble waited until she heard Limestone come out of her room to come out herself. She followed behind Limestone down to the dinner table, and sat at her chair, avoiding Pa’s gaze. Everypony was quiet, which wasn’t unusual without Pinkie Pie, but this time, the silence was focused intently on Marble. Although everypony knew it, Limestone was the only pony who seemed willing to speak up about it.

“So, Marble, when are you going to visit the Pairing Stone?” Limestone said.

Marble spat out some of her food and whined in protest.

“Oh, come on, we all know that’s the plan. Pinkie works in Ponyville, Maud has her rocktorate, and I’m taking over the farm. Since you’re not going to school or getting a job, the best thing is for you to get married and help increase the Pie family farmland.”

Ma said nothing, but Pa spoke up. “Limestone’s right, Marble. You can’t continue living like this. You need some way to take care of yourself when Ma and I are gone. Limestone’s hooves are full with the farm, and you haven’t yet been to the Pairing Stone or gone to University.”

Marble mumbled a response.

“Art isn’t a job, Marble,” Pa said. “Carving is all well and good for a hobby, I used to engage in carving myself when I was younger, but it doesn’t pay enough to live on.”

Marble clenched her teeth but said nothing.

“Now I was going to have this conversation in private after dinner, but since Limestone brought it up, I want you to pick a day this week to go to the Pairing Stone,” Pa said. “You too, Limestone.”

Limestone’s smug grin disappeared. “What? Why do I have to go?”

“Because you can’t manage a rock farm all alone, no matter how tough you think you are. Sometimes you’ll get sick, and you’ll need somepony to help you.”

“Well…” Limestone was looking for an excuse, and suddenly decided to take Marble’s side. “Then why not leave Marble here?”

“Because you can’t both stay single your entire lives. You need foals or how will anypony inherit the rock farm?”

“I’ll just sell it when I get old!”

“Why would you sell something our family has worked so hard to build up?” Pa yelled.

It quickly became a shouting match between Pa and Limestone, like it had many times before. Ma sat and quietly ate, but Marble wasn’t going to stay down there and listen to everypony sell her future without her consent. She left the remainder of her food on her plate and walked away upstairs. Pa and Limestone didn’t seem to notice her leave, but Ma caught her eye and nodded sternly. She hadn’t forgotten the purpose of the conversation and she wasn’t going to let Marble forget it either.

Marble shut her down to muffle the voices from downstairs and crawled into bed. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and squinched her eyes shut. Despite the attempt at refraining from seeing anything, her mind’s eye brought up Pa’s stern glare, and Ma’s unwavering look. Sleep was hard to reach, but she made it there eventually.

A Bloom Passes

In the morning, she was up early and crept to the bathroom to wash up. She didn’t turn on the shower to avoid waking anypony else, and snuck downstairs. She had been beaten to the punch, and saw Ma sitting at the table in silence. Ma motioned to the chair next to her and waited for Marble to sit down. She wasn’t going to allow Marble to decline, so Marble took the seat, but she didn’t look Ma in the eye.

There was silence for some time, but Ma broke it soon enough. “You’re scared?”

Marble’s mane drooped in front of her eyes, but she nodded.

“I know that I, too, was afraid of the Pairing Stone when it was my time to go,” Ma said. “I know what it feels like, but I promise that we will find a suitable stallion for you, and you won’t have to worry about him being cruel. Pa and I will not let that happen.”

Marble didn’t say anything. That wasn’t the main concern that she had about having a suitor chosen for her. He could be as nice as could be, but if he didn’t let her work on her art, what would she have? She’d be nothing but an object, living out her life and raising foals, then dying, all without sending her message to Equestria. She wanted to say something, even if it wasn’t with words. A marriage would put all of that on hold. Her parents didn’t think of her art as worthwhile, and she knew that, but it was important to her.

Instead of voicing any of her concerns, or talking to Ma about how her art could pay for itself if she could just leave the farm and find a suitable audience for it, Marble just slowly nodded. She cursed herself for a coward, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk back to her parents. They only wanted what was best for her.

“Good. Now I need you to pick a day within the next week to go see the Pairing Stone. I won’t accept a no, you must pick a day,” Ma said.

Marble just drooped in defeat. She wasn’t going to get out of this. She could delay it, though. It was Monday, so the latest possible day would be on the weekend, Sunday. “Sunday.”

Ma just gave a small smile. “Delaying it only makes it that much worse, but that is acceptable. This is a big step, and I nor your father will bring it up again until then, okay?”

Marble nodded.

“Now go on. Get something to eat, and you can have the day to yourself. Nopony will bother you until lunch if you want to work on your carvings.”

Marble gave Ma a relieved smile and grabbed some vegetables from the fridge, then disappeared into the room Pa had built for her carving. Despite his insistence that it wasn’t a viable job, he had encouraged her to do it. ‘Good for the soul,’ he had said. He had built an addition on the house where Marble could keep stones of various shapes and sizes along with all her specialized tools, all so she could carve.

Marble stared at the blocks sitting on the shelves, then at her tools. She picked up a chisel and hefted it in her hoof. The farm itself had an abundance of granite, so her tools were top quality to sculpt the hard stone. Still, she had worked hard to help Pa to coax him into ordering stone they didn’t have. Alabaster, soapstone, limestone, and yes, even marble. All this stone he’d gotten her, encouraged her, and now he was just treating it like it was some toy she had to throw away! She liked sculpting and carving very much, and she refused to give it up so easily!

Marble chose a sizable block of granite, picked her mallet up in her teeth and began furiously chipping away at the stone. Her mallet struck the chisel with hard, practiced swings, and flakes of granite fell to the floor. The block slowly lost its previous shape, and it began to take on a new life, the imagined form it would become being pulled out of it by Marble’s skill.

Hours passed, and Ma came to her door and called her to lunch. Marble didn’t respond, but struck her chisel harder, hoping the sound would drown out her mother. It didn’t, but Ma took the hint eventually and left her alone. She heard the door open then close, and spared a look to see a plate of food had been placed on the floor for her. She ignored it for a while, but her stomach convinced her that eating would allow her to work unhindered.

She stopped to eat, and had a little bit of time to then look at what she had been making. It looked like a pony with two heads, though the heads were the only part that looked somewhat complete. One head was looking to the left, and the other to the right, and they both had different expressions. Neither head looked happy. Marble frowned at the sculpture, and ate her food in silence.

After she was done eating, Marble picked up her hammer and chisel and walked back to the sculpture. She looked at it long and hard, then whined in frustration. She threw her chisel across the room and stamped her hooves in anger. She screamed through clenched teeth and pulled out another block of stone. She picked up a new chisel and began carving something else. She continued until it was suppertime, and she yet again ignored the calls to come to dinner. Ma slipped that plate in as well, leaving Marble to work through her emotions.

It was late when Marble finally left her workshop. The floor was covered in bits of stone and dust filled the air. She left the windows open to air out the room overnight, and slipped into the house proper. She crept upstairs and into the bathroom to clean herself up. Dust caked her mane and tail, and her hooves were scraped all over from her careless hammering. She’d never cared about her appearance much, but Ma would chastise her for being so rough with her work. She’d get an earful Sunday when it came time to visit the Pairing Stone for certain.

She showered and slipped into her room as silently as she could, careful not to wake anypony else. She tip-hoofed across her bedroom floor, but kicked something as she worked her way through the darkness. She bent down to pick it up, to find the small carving of the flower she had made yesterday. She felt it with her hooves, touching it in its unfinished state to feel the smooth stone she had only begun to polish. It made her smile, and she realized she had forgotten to go see if it was okay today. It was such a fragile and contradictory thing, she wondered if it had survived.

Marble held the sculpture for a little bit longer, then lit a candle in her room to get a better look. She looked at the rough flower for a while, then looked down at the floor and her saddlebags, with their contents strewn about on the floor. She packed them back up, and put the flower inside the bags with them, then hung the bags on her door handle. Ma said she could do what she wanted this week, so she was going to go see that little flower tomorrow. It gave her a warm sense of peace that she desperately needed right now.

The next morning was quiet. Neither Pa nor Ma said anything to her about her marriage. Pa didn’t even accept the date of Sunday for going to the Pairing Stone. Marble figured she had Ma to thank for that.

She finished her breakfast quickly and quietly while Limestone and Pa discussed business on the rock farm, then Marble disappeared with her saddlebags out onto the farm. Nopony said anything to her, and nopony asked where she was going. It was a relief.

The tunnel was aglow with soft light when she arrived, and the sight that greeted her was beyond what she had expected: The little flower from two days ago had blossomed, and the small candle-like flame had bloomed into a full orb of light. The plant was still no taller than her shins, but this single flower was unique.

There were now eight petals cradling the little ball of light, and one half-formed one tucked underneath the others. The ball of flame itself looked to be a full sphere, but she couldn’t tell if it was still floating just above the leaves or if it was attached to them, the curling petals obscured half of the sphere, and she couldn’t get as close to it as before, due to the uncomfortable heat. Despite the heat, though, it didn’t give off a lot of light. The orb was filled with reds and oranges, with some darker spots swirling across its surface.

Marble looked away and blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. It was beautiful, but it was still fire, and looking at it for too long gave her afterimages in her vision. She wondered if this was as much as it was going to grow, or if it might get bigger? Would it have seeds? Seeds like the one that landed in front of her a few days ago? That might get dangerous if so, she didn’t want more seeds floating away.

No matter how the seeds appeared, if they even would, her sculpture of the flower was now sorely inaccurate. She could remember what it looked like, but without the life-accurate appearance to work with, her sculpture was going to suffer for it. She needed to be sure not to miss a single day of the life-cycle of the flower past the one she already had.

Marble set down her saddlebags and opened them up. She drew out her smaller set of tools and the older model of the flower. She held her sculpture up next to the real one for comparison. There was logical progression in the life cycle, but she wondered where the extra petals came from. The stunted one underneath might grow into a full one, that could be it.

No matter what, Marble was intent on capturing the unique beauty of the flower before it wilted or changed again. She had all day to do it, and she brought snacks. She could stay out here as long as necessary.

She got to work completing the one she had started two days ago. There was the intermediate period she had missed, so she had to finish that quickly. It didn’t take her much more than an hour or so to get that done, though she wasn’t pleased with it. It was rough, and didn’t capture the look of the flower she remembered. Still, it was better than nothing.

For the flower’s current appearance, she chose a small block of sandstone to try to match the colour. It wasn’t close at all, but she didn’t have anything better. It was at least a warmer colour. She started shaping the edges, seeing in her mind’s eye where it was going to take shape. It would never stand under its own weight, she’d need a display mount for it, but she knew how to make it look correct.

Marble worked through the day, and with all the time she took she finished drawing the shape of the flower from the stone. It still needed to be smoothed and polished, but the outline was done. She’d taken a lot of time to make sure it was accurate, and it showed. She hoped her family would feel the same way when she showed it to them.

There was a spring in her step as she made her way home, her smile widened every time she thought about the carefully packed sculpture in her bag as she approached the farmhouse. The closer she got, however, the less bouncy she felt, and the more she dreaded entering.

Her fears were confirmed when she stepped inside and Pa looked up at her from his seat at the dinner table. “Were you off sculpting all day?”

She nodded.

“Well, render it from your system while you have this opportunity. Once we locate for you a good stallion, you shall be busy for the foreseeable future.”

Marble’s enthusiasm for sharing her work was immediately gone. Pa’s dismissal of her work as something just to be done for fun killed any hope she had of him appreciating her work. Marble said nothing else and retired to her room, taking a small portion of food with her.

She could hear Ma talking to Pa about what he had said, but that wouldn’t change much. He was just happy to have her off to get married. Limestone might be interested, but finding time to talk to her was hard with Pa working her to the bone like he worked himself. She never had time for anything “fun” anymore. Mind you, she thought work was fun, so maybe that was fine with her.

Marble pulled out her sculpture and looked at it, turning it over in her hooves. It was beautiful, and it seemed to glow with a life all its own. She wanted to make more. Tomorrow, she would do just that. Tomorrow.

The next day saw Marble back at her little tunnel with the flower. She had brought more stone for sculpting, but the flower hadn’t changed at all since yesterday. The half-formed petal underneath the others was still half-formed, and the orb was still the same colour as before. Though Marble looked it over, it didn’t even appear to have grown taller.

“Did you run out of plant food… uh… fuel?” Marble said. She opened her saddlebags and pulled a slip of paper out of her sketchbook. She tore off a little piece and held it close to the flower. It caught fire easily, and the flames were pulled toward the flower again. Their arcing paths danced and swirled around the outside of the ball for a few seconds before they disappeared into the colourful orb. Marble waited for something to change but nothing did.

Was it preparing seeds? The sphere looked like something that would be filled with seeds if that were the case. She might just have to be patient.

Marble decided to wait and watch for any differences to become apparent. She pulled out the sculpture from yesterday and began performing the finishing touches on it. She smoothed out the rough edges and began polishing it. This was the time-consuming part of sculpting stone. Breaking off chips of it required a careful touch and applications of just the right amount of force, but smoothing and polishing was what made it look pleasing, and that took nothing but time.

The day ended much the same as yesterday, but tonight’s dinner was silent. Marble couldn’t bring herself to show off her work to her family, but she resolved to do so by the end of the week. Once the flower was done. She went to bed with the sculpture on her mind, wondering what would happen with the flower itself.

When Marble went back out to check on the flower, she was dismayed and alarmed to see it listing heavily to one side. Its colour was a deeper red than before, and the petals appeared to be wilting. She circled around it in a low crouch, trying to see what might be the problem. The ground was dry and cracked where it sprouted out of the soil, but that wasn’t uncommon for the rock farm. It wasn’t known for its lush greenery, that was for certain.

Uncertain what was wrong, Marble decided that there was only one thing she could do: Feed it. It didn’t feel as warm as before, so it might be dying. It might also be getting heavy with seeds, but she didn’t want to take that chance. More fuel or food wouldn’t kill it immediately, and could only do more good than harm.

Marble pulled a full page from her sketchbook, and lowered it center-first only the orb of the flower. It caught, burned, and disappeared into ash within seconds, but the colour of the flower stayed the same. Thinking one wasn’t enough, she pulled out a second page and dropped it on top. That one disappeared within seconds, but the flower didn’t change colour or perk up. It needed something bigger!

Marble emerged from her tunnel and galloped back home. She nicked a piece of firewood from the stack and brought it back to the little flower, then placed it close by and waited.

The side of the orb that was facing the firewood began to glow a lighter colour than the rest. It turned orange, then yellow, then almost became white. Marble had to squint to watch, but soon enough, the firewood burst into flame. The fire that burned on it glowed white-hot, and Marble could see it spread across the log, consuming the dry wood with haste.

As the flames from the log were pulled into the flower, Marble could see it stand taller. The arcing flames swirled around the orb and disappeared inside in a steady stream of glowing heat. She could feel it against her face.

The burning sphere ate more flame and changed colour from deep red until the whole orb, which before was only as big as her hoof, had swelled to half the size of her head. The petals had grown as well, including the stunted one. The stunted one also looked like it had a different purpose from the others. It had rolled itself up, and had begun to grow thick and tube-like. It appeared to be filling with bean-shapes, which meant this was where the seeds came from! It was going to give off seeds! And all it needed was fuel!

Marble hurried and pulled out her sketchbook. She needed to capture this look before it changed too much. She had the seed period sketched out, which was when it had been a kidney-bean shape, and the bud, then the blossom, and now it was flowering, using the fire it took into the orb to prepare the next generation of seeds.

Marble wondered, if this was a mere stunted level of growth from being in such dry and non-flammable soil, what kind of growth would be seen if it was allowed to consume bigger things? It was a beautiful and unique creation, and it was a shame it was so stunted by its environment.

…kind of like herself.

Something like this should be free. Free to go where it wanted, and burn itself out or share its flame as it saw fit. Ponies could take its flame into themselves or burn out with her, fiery and uninhibited. They both needed to be free.

Marble went home that night wondering how she could take the plant and grow new ones. She was silent all through dinner as she pondered ways of harvesting and carrying the seeds herself. Nopony commented on it. She was usually quiet, so it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. By the time it was bedtime, Marble had her plan. It was Wednesday night, so she still three days left to herself. So long as nopony bothered her, she could test her plans and fix them as needed.

In the morning, Marble was quick to finish her breakfast and head out to her workshop. She searched through the mess of stone and other tools until she found what she was looking for. A tin, emptied of its contents, but big enough to hold a moderate amount of dirt, and a flower…

The tin had been used to transport small stones before. Special stones that she had taken and sculpted into various interesting shapes. She’d given them away as presents to ponies she knew and to family. Now, if this tin proved resilient enough to the heat of the flower, she could use it for something else.

She grabbed some protective rubber gloves and a spade and trotted out to the rocky tunnel where the flower waited. The log was nothing more than ash this morning, but the flower was looking much livelier than before. It was standing straight up instead of listing to one side, and the seed pod beneath it was plump and had visible bumps. From a cursory glance, it looked to have five seeds hidden away inside it.

Marble smiled at the flower and cooed gently. “You’re certainly a big one, aren’t you? I’m glad you’re doing better you beautiful little thing, you. Pretty soon, you and I will be together.”

Marble took her tin and placed it near the flower, waiting and watching to see how it held up to the heat. It didn’t melt, and the flower didn’t flare up, so it appeared to be safe. The tin wasn’t going to burn. Next, Marble took her rubber gloves and held them out close to the flower. They too, got hot, but didn’t melt, and didn’t catch fire.

Marble nodded in satisfaction. She needed to get close to the flower, but she didn’t want to touch it directly. It was burning hot. Literally.

She looked at the flower and tried to gauge where the roots were, if it even had any. She hefted her spade, touched it to the packed earth beneath the flower, and pressed down with care. She had a good amount of space between the stem and her spade, but she was worried about damaging the plant. She wouldn’t be doing this if she wasn’t sure it had seeds to grow more of itself with.

The earth was packed hard, and was very brittle. The shovel took some work to dig in, but she managed to work it into the ground with effort. To her surprise and dismay, the dry and baked ground crumbled and fell apart beneath the flower, and it flopped onto its side amid the crumbly mess of dirt.

As soon as she saw the flower drop, Marble gasped and let go of the shovel. Bits of dirt flew up and scattered as the shovel fell to the ground. As for the flower, the moment the sphere touched the dirt a horrible hissing arose from it. It sizzled and the dirt underneath it cracked from the heat. In desperation, Marble reached out with her gloved hooves and picked it up. She could feel the heat even through the gloves, and she squealed in pain.

“No! No, no, no! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Marble tossed the flower into her tin as she grimaced in pain. As soon as it was in she ripped the gloves off and buried her hooves in the dirt, trying to soothe her burns. Tears started rolling down her cheeks, both at the thought that she had destroyed the flower, and from the pain.

The dry dirt provided little comfort, and she eventually pulled her hooves out and poured out her water canteen over them. The water poured over her hooves, and down into the overturned dirt. It sizzled as it hit the roots of the flower, snuffing what remained of it out.

Once the pain was manageable, Marble sobbed and turned to her tin, where the flower was lying on its side at the bottom. It looked pitiful, lying there. The sphere was squashed and oblong in shape, and it was no longer a healthy yellow, but was taking on a deeper red. She knew it was dying. In trying to take its beauty for itself, she had killed that self-same thing she loved. Her careless hooves had murdered it.

Her heart sank, and she sat back on her haunches, sobbing. “I didn’t mean to hurt you! I just wanted to keep you close to me!” Marble watched as the plants colour faded even further, and she noticed the pod. “The seeds!” She grabbed at the pod, pulling the swollen case from the body of the flower with her bare hooves. She hissed in pain, but it separated, and the cooling pod itself split apart, spilling five glowing orange seeds onto the bottom of the tin. They looked healthy. The plant itself was beyond rescue, but the seeds were fine.

Marble sighed and fell backward into the dust. The weight of knowing she had killed the flower was gone, now that she knew she could grow more. But where?

Marble picked herself up, wincing at the pain in her hooves. She needed to get home and clean those soon to prevent infection, and she needed to figure out if she needed to do something to preserve the seeds. They looked fine, but if they died without something to grow in, she’d never forgive herself.

Marble picked up her slightly melted gloves and her shovel, then picked up the tin with the dying flower and seeds in it and limped back home. She went straight into her workshop, placed the tin on a workbench with a quick glance to make sure the seeds were okay, then washed her hooves.

It stung sharply. She hissed as the cold water struck her burns, but when the dirt and dust was gone she was happy to see the wounds were clean and not too severe. The keratin portion of her hooves was black and cracked in places, but that would fall off and be replaced soon. Her frogs had minor burns and were sensitive, which would make walking difficult, but she didn’t need to walk very far now that she had the flower in her workshop.

Marble was no stranger to injury, having learned the hard way just what a hammer and chisel can do to a hoof. That combined with work on the rock farm led to her keeping first aid kits in her workshop. She covered the frogs of her hooves in cooling ointment and gingerly lowered her hooves to the floor. She was taken care of, now it was time to make sure the seeds were okay.

Upon looking in the tin, she was saddened to see the flower was barely more than a pile of embers. It would be interesting to see what was left of it, but her focus right now was the seeds. They were still glowing a healthy orange-yellow, and pulsing with that inner light she remembered. She was glad they appeared okay, but she needed someplace to plant them and share their beauty.

Marble thought back to what had happened with the flower’s initial growth. It had landed in dirt, and had taken root, but it’s environment–one lacking fuel–had prevented proper growth. If she hadn’t fed it, it wouldn’t have become the beautiful creation it had become. It needed fuel, and space. She didn’t want to start another wildfire, so it needed to be someplace isolated where it couldn’t cause too much trouble. Marble pondered where might be a good place to plant some of them, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Marble sweetie, are you okay? You rushed inside really quickly, and I came as soon as I could.” Marble heard the door to the workshop open, and looked frantically for something to cover the tin. She saw the rubber gloves and just laid those overtop, hoping it would be enough.

“I’m… I’m okay, Ma,” Marble said as the door opened.

Ma walked into the room and took in her daughter in one quick glance. “You most certainly are not!” She swooped in and lifted one of Marble’s hooves to look at it. “You’ve clearly been crying, and what in Equestria has happened to your hooves!”

Marble frantically tried to come up with some excuse as to why her hooves were burnt. Other than the truth, which she didn’t want to share, she couldn’t come up with anything. Instead, in place of words, she just made a quiet; “Mmmhhh?”

“Where did you go to get burned? Were you trying to fetch charcoal from the remains of the fire?”

Marble leaped on the excuse. “Mmhmm.”

“Well it’s dangerous out there. Some coals can remain hot for days, and there’s no way we can find all of them. Just stay away, we’ll order you some charcoal, okay?”

Marble nodded, relieved at not having to explain herself.

“You’ve taken care of them. I taught you well, and I’m glad you remembered. Your poor hooves, though. Just before going to see the Pairing Stone.” Ma lowered Marble’s hooves and pulled Marble inside the house. “Come on, let’s get you comfortable.”

Marble allowed herself to be dragged inside, limping along behind her mother. Ma brought her in to the couch, sat her down, and brought her food, water, and some more ointment for her hooves.

“I’m glad you’ve been having a good time with your art, Marble, dear. But you really must be more careful,” Ma said. “Pa and I has picked out three suitors for you, and they’ll all be at the Pairing Stone this Sunday. We want you to look your best, you know.”

Marble looked away and frowned.

“Oh, of course. I wasn’t going to talk about it this week. I do apologize. Just forget about it and let your hooves heal, dear. I’ll bring you a book.” Ma brought Marble a book to read and left here there on the couch.

Marble didn’t read it. She sat there thinking about how she could get out of marrying any of these three suitors that had been chosen for her. She’d never seen the Pairing Stone, but she knew how the ceremony was supposed to go: Two ponies approached the stone, and depending on the ‘reaction’ it had, they were deemed compatible or not. Then, from the suitable choices, the parents picked the one they wanted. To Marble’s modern sensibilities, it all seemed very hokey.

If she was going to get out of marrying them, she needed to prove to her parents that she would be better by herself, allowed to grow how she wanted, in an environment that would benefit her instead of smothering her. She needed an out of some kind. Any kind.

Beauty is Shared

Despite the passing of days, Marble was unable to come up with any plan to get out of marrying them. Arguments that art could be a useful and lucrative job were destined to fall on deaf ears. Her father wanted her or her husband to have a steady job, and her mother wanted her to be taken care of. They were both far too traditional in their beliefs for Marble to prove that ponies wanted and appreciated art, and would be willing to pay her a living wage for it.

The days passed. Marble checked on the seeds every day, and they kept glowing softly, waiting for something to take root in, such as they did. Her hooves healed, and although they were still blackened by the time Sunday came, she could walk with only a little bit of pain. Her mother was pleased. Her father even had an upturn to his lips as they prepared for the walk to the Pairing Stone.

Marble’s face, however, was not so happy. Despite the pretty dress Ma had put on her, and the descriptions of the three stallions Pa was giving her, she desired anything but what was happening. She was being uprooted from what she loved, and forced into an environment that she didn’t want to be in. Unless her husband-to-be was, by some miracle, tolerant of her art, she didn’t see herself being able to continue. And what if he wanted foals? Was she just going to be made pregnant constantly? The moment she had one, she’d have no time to herself. She remembered being a foal. Limestone, Pinkie, herself, and Maud, were all a challenge in their own way. That kind of challenge would preclude art. She would have no time for anything but family!

Marble had worked herself up to a nervous wreck, and she was shaking by the time they reached the Pairing Stone. There were nine other ponies already there and waiting when Marble limped up to the stone with her parents. She could tell immediately who the suitors were. They–or their parents–had dressed up nicely for the occasion, while the other ponies were old. One only had a father figure with him, while the ninth pony was dressed in some strange ceremonial garb.

The ceremonial pony started talking, but Marble didn’t register any of the words that were being said. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she was shaking so much that she had to be prodded along by her mother. The suitors were all standing as tall as possible, trying to show off their strength or something. Marble didn’t care. The only pony who cared was Ma, who gushed about something in Marble’s ear.

The ponies all introduced themselves. Marble didn’t remember any of their names. The ceremonial pony started talking, and they eventually entered the cave where the Pairing Stone was. This was something Marble remembered.

The Pairing Stone was an impressive and monumental block of stone that occupied one end of the massive natural cave. It was solid onyx, if Marble didn’t miss her guess, and it shone with a black sheen. On its face was a carving of two things Marble assumed must be ponies, but it was stylized to the point where they were barely recognizable as such. Still, it was huge, almost symmetrical, and beautiful. The irony that her own beauty was about to be sold to the highest bidder by this awesome sculpted piece of stone was not lost on Marble. She could not be mad at it, however. Its beauty was its own, and this was its use.

The ceremonial pony started speaking, and eventually marble was pushed forward with one of the suitors. She stood in front of the pairing stone blankly while the stallion put his hoof on a pedestal in front of it. The ceremonial pony cleared his throat, but Marble didn’t move until Ma came forward and lifted her hoof and placed it next to the stallion’s.

The Pairing Stone’s onyx surface shimmered for a moment, and the ceremonial pony shouted something happy. The first stallion’s parents stamped their hooves in applause, and then he was replaced by the next stallion. It, too, had the same effect, as well as the third. Marble wasn’t sure what happened, but there was confused and angry muttering. Pa and the other fathers went to talk to the ceremonial pony while Ma ushered Marble from the room. They eventually returned home where Pa sat pensively in a chair while Marble relaxed on the couch with a gormless look on her face.

“I’m going to take you to meet them at their homes, Marble,” Pa said.

She looked at him and blinked. “What?”

“We’re going to meet them, and we’ll see how they behave at home and around you. That’s how I’ll decide.”

How HE will decide. He’ll choose. He’ll pick. He’ll make the decision to whom she’ll be sold! Marble was confused, agitated, and frustrated. She didn’t know how the Pairing Stone made decisions, but each one was equally worth to marry her. That either meant they were all worthwhile husbands… or they were all equally as worthless to marry.

Marble smiled a slow smile. Her Pa took it as a good sign and nodded, pleased. Marble knew better. They were all equally as worthless to marry as all the rest. The Pairing Stone knew, but they had misinterpreted. She couldn’t convince Pa of that, but she knew how to avoid marrying any of them. If there was no worthless stallion to marry, she couldn’t marry him now could she?

As soon as Pa was done scheduling her life for the next week for her, Marble removed her fancy clothes and went out to her workshop. First, she checked on her seeds. They were glowing and waiting. Waiting to be planted somewhere they could grow into the beautiful flowers Marble knew they could become. She knew where they could be planted, and all it would take is some careful planning and transportation.

Marble found an old rock tumbler she had. She hadn’t tumbled many rocks in recent years, but when she was just starting out, it had been useful in helping to make rounded rocks. It was made entirely of metal, so it wouldn’t melt or burn when in contact with the seeds, and she could excuse her having it as searching for rocks. Pa would believe her, and would back up her reasons for having such a thing to the other families.

Marble used the rubber gloves to transfer the seeds to her tumbler and closed the lid. She put it inside her saddlebags, along with her sketchbook and pencils. She was as prepared as she could be to go visit the three worthless suitors and see just how they lived. She would give them at least somewhat of a chance. She didn’t know them at all other than from the meeting at the Pairing Stone, so maybe one of them would prove to be a nice pony. Marble wheezed a laugh. She wasn’t expecting it. Anypony who was willing to just silently let their parents arrange a marriage for them was worthless. She had been, but she was going to fix that.

The meetings with the other families were scheduled to happen throughout the next week. Pa was insistent on it happening as soon as possible. Marble thought he just wanted to unload her as soon as he could.

The first meeting was to happen on Tuesday. Marble helped out where and when she could, as per her usual routine, until Tuesday came. Pa woke her up early, and Ma helped her choose some clothing for the trip. When she grabbed her saddlebags, Pa got curious.

“Why are you bringing those?” Pa asked.

Marble hung her head and rubbed one foreleg against the other. “To collect stones.”

“You think they’ll have better rocks than us?”

“No… just different.”

Pa just shrugged and led the way out of the farmhouse and down the road. Marble still didn’t know who they were going to visit, but due to the distance they lived from other ponies, the trip was going to take up most of the day.

They arrived within a couple of hours, and were greeted cordially. Pa began talks with the stallion’s parents, while Marble and he were forced to sit together. Marble said nothing, but the stallion kept leaning in and trying to start a conversation.

“How are you today?” he asked.

Marble glanced at him, and had to admit he was a good-looking stallion. Too bad she wasn’t interested in looks. Rocks looked beautiful on the outside, but inside they could be ugly, and vice versa. The ugliest of stones could have a beautiful core, and Marble wouldn’t be satisfied with any husband unless she could choose them after discovering what lay at their core. She would discover the inner workings of a stallion at a time of her own choosing, and in a manner she decided upon.

“Are you doing well?” the stallion asked again.

Marble still didn’t know his name. She didn’t care. Pa was used to her being so quiet, so he wouldn’t mind her not talking. This stallion would just have to learn that as well.

Marble nodded.

“So, uh… what do you do for fun?”

“I collect rocks.”

She was certain he sighed quietly, but he put on a smile and politely continued the conversation. “Oh? What kinds?”

“All kinds.”

When she didn’t volunteer any further information, he put on a forced smile. “That’s… very interesting,” he said. He looked away from her when he said it, so she knew he didn’t think it was interesting at all. If he didn’t like her rocks, then they weren’t going to get along. Worthless indeed.

Marble saw the stallions mother motion to him. He gave her a confused look, so she rolled her eyes and walked over to the two of them.

“Why don’t you to go look around outside. If Marble is going to be part of the family, she’d want to see the farm she’ll be living on, right?” She said.

Marble nodded. “Mmhmm.”

The stallion perked up. “Okay! Follow me.” The stallion led the way out the door while Pa talked to his parents.

He showed her their barn, their tools, some of the animals they kept. Unlike her own family, these ponies had a farm that produced food. Mostly animal products by the looks of it.

During the walk, Marble picked up random rocks here and there. He was confused at first, but he just shook his head and ignored it after the first few times. He waited impatiently for her to finish.

“Collecting rocks is kind of foalish,” he said.

Marble narrowed her eyes at him. He didn’t seem to notice. He was yet another pony who thought her hobby was useless. Very worthless.

As they came back to the farmhouse, Marble pretended to see a stone she wanted near the back of the farmhouse. She glanced back to make sure he wasn’t looking, and he wasn’t. She opened her tumbler, pulled out one of the seeds, and planted it right next to the back of the house.

Worthless stallion. He would snuff her out and not even question why. Worthless.

The two of them went back inside to greet Pa and the stallion’s parents. All three were all smiles and good humor, and were interested in knowing how the two of them had gotten along during their little walk. Marble kept her face at a carefully neutral position while the stallion gushed about how they’d chatted about this and that and nothing at all.

Marble didn’t correct him. He glanced at her while he talked as if gauging her reaction on whether or not she’d say something. She didn’t. She let him have his moment, talking about how well they’d get along. He thought she was a pushover, and once they were married he’d be able to do whatever he wanted. He was the type of stallion who’d sleep around because she was just going to be the quiet, meek type.

Well, she had news for him. They weren’t going to get married because he would be conspicuously absent if all went well. Even if he survived, Pa wouldn’t want her to marry into a family suffering such hardships as they were about to experience. Marble had a small smile on her face as they returned home. Pa noticed, and asked her about it.

“You seem cheerful,” he said.

“Mmhmm.”

“Well, I’m glad you liked him so much. They have a solid farming setup going, and they can provide for you,” Pa said. “I’m sure it will take some getting used to if you move in with them, but we still have two other families to meet. We won’t make the decision until we’ve met all three.”

‘We’ won’t make the decision he said. As if he had given her a say in the matter. Oh well. He didn’t have to. She was going to be taking care of things her own way. There would be no marriage, and she would force Pa to accept her living her life her way.

They arrived back home and had dinner. Pa talked with Ma about the meeting and Pa explained how well the two of them had gotten along. It was still too early to make a decision, but this first one had turned out well.

Marble kept silent, saying nothing, and letting Pa have his moment. He felt like he was in control, and that’s what made him happy. Marble ate her food in silence.

Limestone wasn’t going to let her have peace and quiet, though. She kept prodding Marble for more information. “So, Pa said you two went off alone together. Did you… see anything?” Limestone winked.

Marble didn’t dignify it with a response, but frowned.

“Aw come on, you didn’t even try?” Ma cleared her throat and gave Limestone a look. Limestone shut up after that.

When dinner was over Marble retired to her room. The next meeting was on Thursday, when Marble suspected the flower she had originally planted would have grown into the bud form. She had planted it behind some other plant, but with room to spread its petals. It should be able to reach more than enough fuel for growth. It would either burn tomorrow, or the day after. Either way, Marble had an iron excuse. There were multiple ponies that knew where she was at all times. Pa was going to keep poor little Marble busy, after all. She went to sleep with a smile on her face.

Wednesday was busy. Pa got her up at the crack of dawn and had her helping out fetching tools and cleaning things all day. She didn’t get a moment’s respite. He said it was because he had catching up to do due to yesterday’s missed work, but Limestone was taking care of most everything these days. Pa just liked to feel useful. She went to sleep tired, but heard nothing about a fire all day.

Thursday morning was up early as well, and Marble was cleaned, dressed, fed, and out the door by the time the sun had crossed the horizon. Pa led the way as they walked down the road to meet the next potential suitor, with Marble trailing behind carrying her saddlebags with her tumbler.

She was worried the flower she had planted had been smothered by something or had even been discovered. It was fragile, but its fire was potent, and even when small it had burned quite hot. When she had fed it the log, even the wood started on fire easily, and had spread with haste. She trusted it. It wouldn’t let her down.

They arrived at the next stallion’s house and Pa got to talking while Marble was once again sat next to some stallion she didn’t remember the name of. He wasn’t as good-looking as the last, but he was much stockier. This stallion had muscle to spare. He also really enjoyed talking about himself.

“So, how well can you cook? I work out a lot, and I need to get the right kind of food, or I start losing mass,” he said. “I also work out twice a day, so breakfast and supper need to be on time.”

Marble listened with utmost patience and said nothing, and he seemed content with that.

Eventually, Pa suggested they take a walk together around the yard. This stallion’s family didn’t own a farm. Instead, they owned a factory of sorts, where they processed ingredients into feed for animals, and even made fertilizer.

Marble nodded, and the stallion took her about the place, and she feigned interest, but she collected rocks the whole way, making a big show of it the whole time, cooing over particular rocks and frowning at others. Upon their return, she started rummaging through the dirt next to their house, and surreptitiously planted another one of her seeds, hidden behind a wheelbarrow.

“Yo, sweetcheeks. You gotta cut your rock-collecting short. It’s almost time for me to do my reps. I mean, you can watch, but you’re already cutting into my schedule,” the stallion said.

Marble rolled her eyes and covered the seed gently in soil, then picked up a random stone she found in the dirt and made a big show of putting it into her saddlebags. The two of them walked back inside where the stallion disappeared into an adjoining room without even so much as a goodbye. Marble could hear grunting and counting coming from the room as they were shown out by his parents.

Upon stepping outside, they were greeted by a plume of smoke rising into the sky in the distance. Pa adjusted his hat to get a better look, while Marble put a hoof to her mouth to cover her smile.

Pa turned back to the family in the doorway. “Who was the last pony to check on the site of the wildfire?”

“Um… the Turnovers?” The older stallion said.

“Contact them as quickly as you can! Send your son! If it’s flared up again, we need to know possible other sites that might flare up as well!” Pa ordered. “I’ll head to the smoke and do what I can! Marble, stay close to me!” Marble said nothing, but galloped after Pa as he took off down the road toward the smoke.

The closer they got, the more certain Marble became that her trap had done its job. They were headed directly to the farmhouse of her first suitor. She was upset that it had started during the day, because that meant it would be more likely that the stallion would have survived, but there was still a chance, and Pa likely wouldn’t marry her off to somepony without a house or farm to his name. He wanted her to be taken care of, after all.

When they arrived, they found a crowd of ponies from other farms all collected around the land, setting up barriers, dirt walls, and removing anything that might help the fire jump from their land to anything nearby. Marble was delighted to see that the fire had engulfed the house, some of their crops, and their barn. Farm animals were loose everywhere, running for their lives. In it all, Marble hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her suitor. She found his mother, weeping into a neighbor’s embrace.

“Ma’am, where’s your son?” Marble asked.

“He… he’s somewhere in there still! He and his father went to go let the animals loose when the barn caught, and they haven’t come back out!”

Marble fought to keep a look of concern on her face. Like the worthless fool he was, he dove directly into the fire. With her flower working on the fire, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

A collective gasp arose from the gathered crowd, and Marble turned to look at the fire. All the flames were curling inward toward a specific point. Nopony could get close to see, but Marble knew it was her flower. The flames, having consumed everything with more haste than was natural, were being sucked into the flower. The house, barn, and fields all burned out, leaving only charred husks. There was silence for a moment, then a crackling sound, followed by a *BOOM* that knocked everypony to the ground. From the ashes flew glowing specks of light, disappearing into the air, carried on hot winds to places distant.

There was silence for a moment, then Marble heard Pa yell. “Embers! Find out where they’re going to land! We’ll need everypony on high alert and prepared for more fires! Whatever that was, it’s dangerous and likely to spread!” Pa ordered. “I need two ponies to come with me to find any survivors, has anypony seen…”

Marble tuned out his yelling. She was ‘helping’ the distraught mother who had possibly just lost her husband and son. It was the sort of thing a weak and useless mare was expected to do, after all. Marble held out a hoof for the mare to hold, and made generic calming noises. She didn’t care, but she had to pretend, and this was the best way to do it.

Sometime later, Pa came back with two other stallions. They were covered in soot and ash, and upon approach, Pa removed his hat and held it to his chest. Everypony knew what it meant, and it sent the mare into an even harder fit of sobbing.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. They were both found near the barn. We suspect your husband was inside and your son was outside. They died trying to free the animals,” Pa said.

The mare sobbed harder, clutching Marble’s hoof and shaking. Marble feigned comfort, but sighed inwardly in relief. She wouldn’t have to marry this one, at least, and nopony would suspect her. She was safe from one worthless stallion. She just had to wait on one more, and fix the last one. It was just a matter of time.

They returned home very late. Pa had allowed Marble to continue to comfort the mare while he organized a fire-watch with other ponies around the area. Only one of the embers had a reported landing site, and it had been quickly stamped out. The others were, as of yet, unaccounted for.

Marble was sad to hear that one of the seeds had been destroyed, but she still had three seeds of her own, and seeing the discharge of the seeds at the end of the plants life cycle had been a treat. She was just sad she couldn’t see the flower itself when it finally gave out. That would have been a sight to behold.

Beauty Burns Bright

The next day was a flurry of Pa trying to manage the threat of fires, and Limestone trying to get work done at the quarry. No new fires had sprung up, which made Marble sad, but depending on where they landed they’d need time to grow. She knew one was going to germinate soon, and she was looking forward to the news tomorrow when it did.

When the day was done, Marble jumped into bed and slept soundly, waking up with the dawn. She was barely able to contain her excitement, and her parents noticed. They thought she was excited for some other reasons, and tried to get her to take the situation more seriously.

“Now Marble, you must maintain proper decorum. We’re going through with this because work doesn’t stop when there is a tragedy,” Ma said. “Animals need fed, crops need watered, and ponies need to be taken care of, despite the tragic news.” She fussed with the buttons on Marble’s shirt. “Be eager, but not too eager. Don’t bring up the accident first, but if they do, offer condolences, okay?”

Marble nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“See you later today, Cloudy. Come fetch me if anypony needs me.” Pa touched his hat, kissed Ma, and he and Marble were on their way.

This house wasn’t far. It was closer to their farmhouse than the other two, but it was the opposite direction from the others. Marble hoped they could make it to the fire in time when it finally happened.

This stallion’s house was quite modest. Marble could see that it wasn’t as big as the others, and the land, while still a good size, had a lot of wild growth on it. It was as if the ponies living here were having difficulties managing what little land they had. Marble recalled the meeting at the Pairing Stone, and remembered it was just the two ponies that had been there. Were two stallions really having that hard a time of it?

Pa turned to her. “Now I know it doesn’t look like much, but Jagged Bluff is a good stallion. His father has been getting weaker lately from the same sickness that took his wife.” Pa held up a hoof at her opening her mouth. “It’s not contagious. The doctor says it’s a sickness of spirit more than anything else. Jagged Bluff hasn’t caught it, and his father has had it for half a year now.”

Marble nodded in understanding.

“Good. He’s a good stallion, and with his mother gone and father sick, he may seem melancholy, but I think he’d be a good match for you.”

Pa knocked on the door and a young stallion, who Marble assumed must be Jagged Bluff, answered it. “Oh, welcome to you both. My father’s in his study, so we’ll be meeting in there,” he said. “Please, come in.”

Pa and Marble entered, then followed him into the study where the older stallion was waiting. Now that she looked at him, she could see he was thin, and his eyes were rheumy and clouded. Pa and he got to talking, and Jagged Bluff took the initiative to talk to Marble without prompting.

“Would you care to see the farm?” He asked.

Marble took the proffered hoof and stood up from the couch to follow him. “Mmhmm.”

He took her around to see the meager crops they were able to grow, and the old silo they kept their grain in that was in desperate need of repair. He laughed about how hard it was to work with the rusty tools they had, and even took the time to ask her about herself.

“What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?” He asked.

“I sculpt.”

“Sculpt? Is that what those rocks are for?”

Marble nodded. “I collect rocks, and carve them.”

“Well that’s quite interesting. Do you have any on you right now that I could see?”

Marble had to shake her head no. She had been collecting rocks here just like the other farms, but this time the stallion was genuinely interested in what she was doing. He kept asking about the type of stones she was picking up, and she could answer, but he was going to make it very difficult to plant a seed at his house if he kept watching.

He asked about her family, her farm, and how he had heard so much about the Pie family and their long history in the area, and before they knew it, it was late afternoon. Jagged Bluff was leading her back to the farmhouse when she saw a plume of smoke in the distance.

“Oh no!” Marble said with genuine alarm. She was going to miss the flower!

Jagged saw what she was talking about and galloped back to the farmhouse. She followed after a bit slower, and took the time to plant one of her seeds next to the house. She could hear Pa and Jagged Bluff shouting about the fire. Marble entered afterward as soon as she could.

“Marble, stop at home and bring me the blue sack. If Cloudy has already seen the smoke, she’ll know I need it. Jagged, you come with me. We need to nip this in the bud if it hasn’t raged out of control yet,” Pa ordered.

Pa and Jagged ran directly across the fields toward the smoke, while Marble took the road back home. Ma had seen the smoke and she was standing outside with the saddlebag. She traded Ma her saddlebags and dashed off toward the smoke. She arrived just in time to see the flames disappear and the seeds burst into the sky, scattering to the winds once more. Marble stamped a hoof in frustration.

The fire was out. The flower consumed everything it needed to spread its seeds, and ponies were bustling about the aftermath searching for the family. Marble found only the son this time. He was alive, but his right foreleg was blackened and shriveled, and he had massive burns on the right side of his body.

He was crying.

Marble held no sympathy for him. She didn’t even try to hide her emotionless glare as she watched him twitch in pain from a distance. His first concern was about himself, and though he’d lost everything now, until he had he was concerned about what she would give him instead of what he could give her. He was worthless then, and he was worthless now. She was protecting herself from irreparable damage. Pa would never make her marry that.

A gasp went up from the crowd as a smaller plume of smoke started in the distance. Pa and the other stallions chased after it, with Marble following behind. They arrived to find a smaller brush fire with one of her flowers in the center. This one was quickly stamped out and killed. The stallions put out the nearby flames, and Pa piled dirt on the flower then stamped it out.

Once he was sure the fire was under control, he swept the dirt to the side to look for any embers. When he was satisfied there were none, he nodded and turned to the assembled group.

“It would appear the source of the fires is magical in nature. The behavior of the flames and subsequent discharge of embers, or ‘seeds’ is what’s causing these accidents.” He pointed at the cold ashes of the flower he had killed. “They take form as small flowers, and grow by feeding on flammable substances. We don’t know how long they take to grow, but this one is likely from the first housefire. Everypony is to check the perimeter of their homes at regular intervals during the day and night. We don’t want them growing unchecked and causing any more accidents.”

The gathered ponies muttered their agreement. Pa nodded and came back to her, his head shaking.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Plants made of flame. They’re dangerous, and too destructive to be allowed to run rampant. Can you imagine if one made it to a denser forest?” He took his bag from her to carry. “That would be a disaster. If it gets much worse, we may have to call in some pegasi for rain.”

That was how Marble knew things were getting serious. He normally let things go as they were, without asking for different weather from the pegasi, but if he was considering calling in some rain to help with the fires, he was worried. She didn’t understand why, though.

Sure, the fires were bad, but the one she hadn’t planted was minor, and easily snuffed out. Why he wanted to do that, she didn’t quite get. It was beautiful, and it was natural. Why stop it? Because it was doing what it was supposed to do? What it was meant to do? Should everything that doesn’t do what you want be destroyed?

Pa liked control. He liked knowing how things were going to go, where the quarry was headed, where his family was headed. He wanted her and Limestone taken care of. Well, Marble had news for him. She wasn’t going to be controlled. She may be quiet, but she wouldn’t put up with ponies telling her she couldn’t do what she wanted with her life. If snuffing out things was what it took to control her own life, by Celestia, she could play that game, too.

Dinner was somber and silent. Pa got up frequently to check the perimeter of the house for any fires. He didn’t know that the seeds could remain buried up until it was time for them to start on fire, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. Giving him any more ammunition to use against her flowers would be terrible.

Marble went to sleep and rested easily. Not so her Pa, who woke up every few hours to patrol the house. By the time morning came, he had dark circles under his eyes from a sleep that had left him wanting.

Marble Finds Freedom

The day’s events passed slowly. Pa admonished Marble and Ma to keep an eye out around the property for any of the glowing flowers. Limestone and he both took bags filled with fire prevention gear in case anything happened at the quarry. Also in case they spotted anything from the quarry and they had to rush to help. The day was frantic for everyone but Marble.

Marble took it in stride, and recognized that this was just the way things had to be. She had come to the realization that beauty was created by destroying something else. In her carving, she stripped away the outer layers of the rock to expose the beauty she saw underneath. In painting it was the oils, dyes, and watercolours that were extracted from other things, be it plants, minerals, or animals. Every bit of beauty in Equestria, even herself, were destroying things to survive and be beautiful. Fire was no different.

The next day, there was a fire at a house again. Everypony, Marble included, arrived to see Jagged Bluff’s house go up in flames. Jagged Bluff was fine, but his sickly father succumbed to the smoke, and in his weakened state, died despite being pulled to safety.

This time, Marble had a front-row seat to the beauty of her flower as it grew to maturity. It towered beside the smaller shack, pulling flame and heat from it, the orb atop it glowing white-hot before the seed-pod finally burst, destroying the flower as it released hot winds to blow the seeds to parts unknown. The sight was better than Marble had imagined, and her breath was taken away by both its searing heat, and destructive beauty.

Several members of the community came prepared for the explosion, and the swiftest ponies were sent to catch the seeds wherever they might land. Marble didn’t expect many of the seeds to survive their flight, but she was happy all the same. It had grown, it had bloomed, and it had shown the world what it truly was, unapologetically. What ponies did with the results of that mattered little to it now.

Marble worked with ponies to help salvage whatever they could from the remains of the house. Much of it was beyond rescue, as the heat had melted tools, destroyed wood, and consumed crops. Jagged Bluff would be in as sorry a state as the others, and Pa would never consent to marriage while he was homeless and destitute. Marble was completely safe from marriage for now.

For now…

Marble hadn’t even considered what would happen after she got rid of all potential suitors. Pa certainly wouldn’t stop. He was intent on marrying her off. Until he was certain she was going to be ‘taken care of’, as he was so fond of saying, he wouldn’t stop searching for suitors. Maybe he’d even go so far as finding a suitor from a nearby city. Appleoosa wasn’t too far, and he could send letters. The pony of ceremonies in charge of the Pairing Stone would know of suitors from all over. Anypony who knew about the Pairing Stone and was still interested in this sort of archaic matchmaking would know about it, and she was eligible as they came!

Marble’s joy over her successes were all brought crashing down around her at this realization. She only had so much time until Pa went on a crusade to find her a new husband. Ma might even help, and Limestone too! They all wanted her to be ‘taken care of”, as though she couldn’t do it herself.

They returned home after Pa once again admonished everypony to keep an eye out for any of these flowers hidden anywhere. They ate dinner, talked about the fires and the cause, and slept.

The next morning was business as usual, but with Pa looking exceedingly tired. He had woken himself up again during the night to check for fires. Nothing had happened near the house, but there were reports of smaller fires starting elsewhere. All had been snuffed out quickly, but it was still running Pa and many others ragged.

To her surprise, Jagged Bluff came by to check up on them, and offered to run the rounds of their area in Pa’s place, giving him time to rest. He just needed the supplies, but he could handle it.

“I know you’re usually in charge, sir, but I lost everything in that fire, and if it will help keep other ponies from suffering the same fate, I’ll gladly dedicate my time to it,” Jagged Bluff said. “All I ask for is food, water, and shelter until we’re certain this is done with.”

“Very well. It won’t do for me to work myself until I pass out.” Pa motioned to Marble. “It’s the blue bag, Marble. If you could fetch it here for your fiancé, he can head out to work. If that’s alright with you, of course, Jagged. You could use a new family after losing yours.”

Jagged Bluff looked surprised, and looked downward, looking contrite. “Thank you, sir, but we’ll have to wait until this mess is dealt with. More pleasant things can wait. Once we’re safe, then I will gladly marry your daughter.”

Marble gaped at the exchange. Right in front of her, and Pa was still going to force her to marry! His audacity knew no bounds! Jagged had come expressing nothing more than a desire to help, and Pa saw a golden opportunity to promise her to this stallion!

Marble knew, right then, that she would never be truly free of this with Pa breathing down her neck. Her brand new “fiancé” was off to murder the beautiful flowers she loved so much, just like he would murder her beauty with his demands for foals, and food, and care, and so much else! No, she had to nip this problem at its source.

Jagged Bluff took off across the fields, looking to help anypony in need and protect everypony from fires. His valiant efforts and desires had earned him Marble’s hoof in marriage, but by the time everything was done, Marble would be free of him and his wants.

She stayed at home with Pa, helping Ma where she needed it, and running back and forth between home and the quarry as a messenger for Limestone and Pa so Pa could keep abreast of the business. When she finally found some time to herself, Marble disappeared into her workshop with her little tumbler. When she was safe inside, she opened it and peered at the contents.

Two little seeds were left. Three had been given new life near plenty of fuel, and all that was left were these last two. Marble knew what to do with one of them, at the very least. Pa needed to be dealt with so she could be free.

Marble needed freedom.

She got a hammer and ripped up one of the floorboards in her workshop. She scraped up a small amount of dirt, and planted it directly under the house. That way nopony would find it until it was far too late. She covered it up, replaced the board, though without nails, and hoped nopony would notice. She was usually the only one who came into her workshop, so she didn’t think it would happen. She was safe.

She stayed in her workshop a while, working at some carvings and essentially just killing time. She went to have dinner with her folks when they called, and Limestone talked about how work was going while Pa encouraged her to do better.

Jagged Bluff came by at the end of the day, and Pa invited him in. They talked about what fires had been found and how they had been dealt with, and Pa nodded and smiled more and more. He was pleased with how Jagged Bluff had managed the daily affairs and invited him to stay in the guest room for the night.

Ma nudged Marble toward him and Marble frowned. She didn’t want anything to do with this goody-goody stallion who thought he could just come in and take everything she had. He was getting smiles from Pa! He was getting conversation about something other than marriage and how art wasn’t enough! He was getting acceptance from Pa, whereas all she got was disappointed sighs! All that he was getting because he didn’t do art! She’d show them beauty! She’d show them art! She’d show them the results of all her efforts in making things beautiful!

Marble waited in her room until deep into the night. She waited until she heard either Pa or Jagged Bluff to make the latest round of the house, and gave him ten minutes to fall asleep again. She crawled out of bed and put on her slippers, then padded downstairs as quietly as she could. She passed by the guest room and slipped into her workshop, then pulled up the board to look for her seed.

She found it, lying there in the dirt, with just the barest hint of a sprout coming out of one end. It was so small, and weak, but capable of such beautiful destruction given half a chance. She was going to give it that chance.

Marble fetched a brush from her workbench and held out the bristles to the seed. They glowed for a moment, then lit on fire, and the seed pulled the flames into itself. It shivered and glowed, then the sprout grew.

She held it there until the bristles had all been burned off, and it was starting to catch the wood of the handle. She put it down next to the seed and went to get another one. She fed that brush to the flower as well, and set that down next to the flame. The flower was growing larger by the second, its roots had dug into the soil, and it had reached the bud stage and was almost to the point where it was going to bloom.

Marble heard hoofsteps.

“Hello? What’s that sound?” Jagged Bluff said. His hoofsteps approached the workshop.

Marble panicked. She couldn’t let him ruin her flower before she’d even had a chance to see what it was capable of! She grabbed a chisel from a nearby bench and hid behind the door. She waited until he opened it and stepped inside, then struck!

“What th-ghk!”

He only had a second of surprise before she jammed the chisel into his throat. He fell to his side, gurgling. Marble grabbed him and pulled him into the workshop and shut the door, then locked it. She laid him out next to the flower, close enough that when everything caught on fire, he would burn as well.

Marble was shivering, though from excitement, horror, or fear, she did not know. Her flower had bloomed into a beautiful small bloom, the orb seeming to look deep within her as it crackled.

She grabbed the tumbler from its place on a workbench and dumped the last seed into her hoof to cradle it close to herself. It sizzled and burned her, but she ignored the pain.

“You can be that beautiful one day, little one,” she said to it. “As long as you let nopony tell you what to do and order your life around for you, you can be that beautiful. Even more beautiful, even. You can grow to amazing heights and blazing glory, and when you finally let go, you can spread seeds that will ignite the hearts and minds of ponies around you, making them into your true children. Children who will burn just as brightly as you did.”

The flames had caught on the wooden floor, and Jagged Bluff’s corpse was beginning to smolder. The smell of burning hair was terrible, and Marble could feel intense heat on her fur. She stayed seated, waiting and watching as the flames grew. They burned to the door, and were starting to climb a nearby workbench. When they reached the top, and hit some of her chemicals, they blazed up. One of the bottles burst, dousing Marble in drops of liquid. The liquid caught fire as it flew, burning her skin.

Marble didn’t scream, nor did she panic. Screaming would wake the other ponies up, and she couldn’t have that. Panicking might cause her to drop her last seed, and she needed to protect it. Instead, she walked calmly to a window, opened it carefully, then crawled outside, seed in her blistered hoof.

Marble stepped away from her house, watching through the window as the flower grew in size. The burning spread quickly, feeding into the flower as it crackled through the ceiling and raced through the rest of the house. She heard screaming as Limestone noticed, and shouting as Pa called for Jagged’s help. Their voices were quickly overtaken by the crackling and burning, and Marble had no idea if they made it out.

She didn’t care.

Marble’s mane burned off, and small flames continued licking at her fur, but they eventually stopped. Her head stung, and patches where she had been burned hurt intensely, not to mention her severely burned hoof. Marble made not a sound, though, and walked away from her burning house.

She limped out to her little tunnel, where she had first discovered something truly beautiful, and sat down. Her lungs ached, and she hurt all over, but there was one last thing she needed to do, now that she was free.

Marble needed to be beautiful.

Her carvings would never be enough again. She could never hope to truly capture the beauty of these flames, and could only make weak copies. She’d shared their beauty with other ponies, and despite their reactions, she was happy to have shown them how truly destructive beauty could be.

Marble looked down at the seed in her hoof. Her hoof’s flesh was peeling, and the keratin was cracked and black. It hurt to move it, but Marble lifted it up to her face to look closer. It roiled and glowed, radiating heat, and she sighed in contentment.

Marble lifted it to her lips, opened her mouth, and swallowed it.

It burned as it crossed her tongue, and she choked and gagged as she tried to swallow it. It hurt–Celestia did it hurt!–but she swallowed it. It burned her throat, and as it entered her stomach, she could feel its negative reaction with the contents of her gut. She curled over, clutching her stomach. It hurt so much! She squeaked in pain as heat radiated from her midsection. She felt it climb up her throat and fill her skull, heat burned behind her eyes and every breath she took felt like fire! Light filled her vision, spilled out of her open mouth, and for the first time, Marble felt truly free and beautiful.

The End.