Bronze Tiara

Chapter twelve

If it hadn’t been for the cup or so of coffee then the pair might have just crashed after arriving at the station. Thankfully though, with a small amount of pep in their step, both Marble and Bronze slowly made their way down the trail leading towards the colts’ home.

The father of the two might have hoped his daughter had gone to bed on time, but with her at her friends, that was unlikely. It at least gave them the house to themselves, something they could use after a trip like that.

The pair after the door opened barely made it past the frame before a mighty yawn took hold of the mare and quickly jumped to the company she kept. “It’s been one hell of a day…” Bronze rubbed her eyes with a talon, feeling the few morsels of food she had during her meal finally wearing off just as the caffeine did the same.

“I think yours was far more exciting to be honest,” Marble commented as he stepped inside and looked around the room once or twice to make sure everything was in order, “all I did was follow the thumping, you took the brunt of it.”

Feeling the few tosses and bumps along the train across her body from the short scuffle, Bronze cracked her hind knee with a sharp pop as she relaxed there for a moment. “Eh it was-” though after a quick bite of her tongue she silenced the slight yelp she wanted to let loose from her lips.

An action that didn’t go unnoticed by another. Marble turned his head to the mare and watched as the wince on her face slowly gave way and Bronze started stumbling on her limbs, exhaustion taking hold, “Are you alright?” he asked, looking over her with a fine-tooth comb.

“Yeah, I’ve been worse…”

“And you’ve been shot… again,” Marbles’ eyes rested on the dots along her abdomen and leg that already had healed over to stop the bleeding, but still likely held those rounds lodged in them.

“Oh please, this is nothing, honestly,” Bronze commented, already starting to wobble from under his gaze.

She had known about the injuries, but didn’t want to make him worry. If anything, she had planned on removing them herself with the handy dexterity of her talons, and probably a few shots of the whisky she saw in the kitchen.

Yet with the cat out of the bag, and the colt slowly rolling his eyes at her, the mare was hard pressed to find any other excuse to ignore the wounds she sustained. Bronze opened her mouth to say something more, and quickly found herself greeted with a hoof in the air from Marble as he hushed her. With nothing more than a gesture, she was waved up the stairs to her bed room with him not too far behind her, nudging her almost with his muzzle to keep her afoot.

“Lay on the bed there Bronze, I’ll be back in a second,” Marble said as he parted ways from her door and went further down the hall.

Bronze meanwhile for once did as she was told and laid there on her back. With her hind hooves stretched out and her fore legs curled up to her chest. She wasn’t used to taking orders from another, let alone following them. Yet, in the end, he was the one that allowed her to fix what had been broken. The least she could do was listen to him, even if it did put her like this.

“Probably not my proudest moment…” she thought for a second noting her position, before quickly jotting this down on the ever-growing list of low moments in her life.

The sound of some hoof steps welcomed the colt as he stepped in the room with a medical bag in tow. Placing it down, Marble went through and pulled out everything he might need for the occasion as if he had done this before. Much to Bronzes’ surprise, as he laid down a few towels on the bed next to the mare and sterilized the forceps with some alcohol.

“Why do you look like you know what you’re doing?” her curiosity got the best of her, while his horn took up every instrument like that of a surgeon.

“I’ve had a daughter that likes to get in all sorts of trouble when it comes to play time…” Marble mentally groaned after recalling the number of times he had to help Topaz whenever she’d get hurt, before taking her to the doctor, “needless to say, I took it upon myself to learn a thing or two about first aid.”

“And yet here you are looking like you’re about to give me field surgery?”

“What can I say? I made it to Alicorn in the Colt Scouts of Seren,” Marble rubbed his hoof on his chest, rather proud of that achievement from the past that had still managed to help him throughout the years that would follow, “Besides, otherwise we’d have to drag you all the way to the doc in town, and he’d likely still say to come back in the morning.”

Bronze on the other hoof just rolled her eyes and let him go to work on her, “Alrighty, then in that case let’s get this over with…”

“Way ahead of you,” Marble said as he took the forceps and using his magic, wiggled them inside of the first hole in Bronzes side.

While the subtle burn from the alcohol still on them didn’t help her mood at first. Bronze was more worried about him hitting something that was vital for her well-being, especially when she looked down and saw him with his eyes closed. However, before she could say but a word, Marble calmly whispered a simple hush to her from under his breath as the burn started to subside.

“Translucent spell… plus a little De-sensation to help with the pain,” he muttered, as his eyes fidgeted around under his lids, “probably way too much experience… but I can see everything clearly, don’t worry.”

Putting her trust in to his nimble hooves, or horn in this case. Bronze laid there and let him go to work as he played in her insides. Before she knew it there was a slight tug on her skin that was barely noticed through the rest of her body. As the first round was brought out and placed on the towel. The mare laid there in bafflement at his skill from both jewelry, and apparently the medical field as well.

“So… the scouts taught you to do surgery?” she asked, hoping not to break his concentration, but at the same time feeling awkward to be just laying there as he went about.

“Not quite…” Marble answered, having already pulled out another round from just above her hip, “they taught us the spells needed, and how to use them. That’s about it, anything else we learned was from practice or just learning on the go.”

Bronze watched as he pulled yet another metal slug from her body. If those cartridges had any more punch in them, she might have bit the dust, thankfully the weapons in her automaton’s claws seemed to be a little less engineered than if she was overseeing their production. ‘Maybe moisture getting in to their powder?’ she pondered for a moment.

“Have you done this sort of thing before?” she asked as he went on what might have been the last hole, if she had bothered counting how many times she was shot.

“Had another scout fall with an arrow in his aura once, got lodged in his leg,” Marble said as casually as if it were a sunder morning breakfast conversation, and finally dislodged the last round he could find with the spell, “had to get it out somehow, so between the four or five of us there, we managed quite well.”

“Well, aren’t you a hero,” Bronze chuckled for a moment as she winced, already feeling his spell wearing off from the nerves finally starting to fire up once more, “I thank you for this, it was better than what I had planned.”

“What? Were you just going to dig them out yourself?”

The blank stare from the mare as he laughed quickly silenced the colt, realizing just how serious she was about that prospect, “I mean I could have… these are pretty useful after all,” Bronze held up her talons for him to watch as they fiddled.

“You… don’t have to worry about trying to do it all on your own…” Marble mused as he brought out some gauze and bandage wrapping. Gently applying some healing ointment to the cloth, the colt did his best to avoid the gaze from the mare as she looked his way and watched him work in her own silence. “No one would fault you for asking for some help here and there.”

‘I would… if I thought I deserved it,’ Bronze summarized in her head for a second as the colt stopped there.

“What was that?”

‘Oh shit! Not in my head!’ Bronze stammered for a moment while putting her cards together, “nothing, nothing at all… I’m just, surprised, that you’re being this good to me.” She lied from the deepest part of her throat.

“What…? I’m supposed to let wounds go untreated with you?”

“No, no, no not like that,” Bronze shook her head, trying to sort out her deck as best she could, and give herself an out, “I mean that after all these years, I still wouldn’t have expected this much of a change out of you…”

“I’m going to start sounding like a broken record if you keep bringing that up,” Marble said with a smile as he gently wrapped the bandaging around Bronze as she laid there, careful to have her move only when need be to help his work, “I have a number of things to make up for in the past, and I’ll try to, piece by piece.”

With those last words the colt finished with his wrapping of the wounds, and snipped the bandaging with a pair of sheers. Looking over his work once more, the colt was rather proud that he still managed to keep the skills in the forefront of his mind. Even with it having been a while sense Topaz took a tumble. Packing up what he had brought out from his kit, the colt quickly caught the eyes of the mare staring back at his own while he stood there stashing his supplies away.

“What?” he asked, wondering what was going through her head.

Bronze simply sighed, unsure which card from her deck of tricks to pull out and play, so instead she played the honest truth. A card she was playing more often than not, “You’ve grown to be a wonderful colt, Marble… Don’t let your past tell you otherwise.” The mare said to him with a wide beam, recalling all the kind gestures he had given to both her, and those that he knew.

If she had seen what this colt would become while they were still in school, she would have only believed it to be a dream. Yet here he was, with a delightful youngster of his own, a sprawling business that he can be proud of, and a life that he can live one day at a time. As opposed to hers, which went a mile a minute when she was in the thick of it with her dealings, not justly knowing when it would crash and burn around her.

With a shake of his head, Marble stammered there for a moment as he tripped over his words, and levitated the kit over to him, “It’s… well, kind of late isn’t it,” he looked at the clock, and knew that the sun would be up no sooner than when he crawled in to bed, “tomorrow, or later in this case, I’d like to pick up Topaz before checking out the store for a bit, after that the day is ours…” he looked over the bandages once more to make sure everything was in order, “if you’d be up for it that is.”

Bronze simply snickered at him while she slid deeper in to the covers of the bed, careful not to pull against her fresh dressings. “I think I can manage a day out, especially with the care that you put in to patching me up,” the mare esteemed the covering work just as much as its artist, “Thank you, Marble. It probably would have been a lot messier if I had tried to do it myself.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would have managed,” he rolled his eyes at her, with only the slightest tinge of blood going to his cheeks as he stepped closer towards the door. With a hoof on the light switch, he looked at the mare once more, “Until later, Goodnight Bronze.”

With a flip of the switch, and a goodnight as well. The mare laid there in the bed, and let the ointments do their job, thankful to have him around to patch her up if need be. Yet, even with that thanks, and what he had said he was trying to make up for. Bronze still knew one thing at the end of the day was true.

“No matter what debts you think you have…” she looked towards the door he had just departed from, feeling the filthiness on her tips, and ignoring her own words, “I’ve far more blood on these talons from the past than you can imagine.”

***

With a wide yawn on her part, Bronze shook her head free from the tired embrace of sleep, while trying to whisk it away after the morning had come all too fast it would seem. Both herself and Marble saw the creeping sun coming up from their respective windows, and knew that the day was going to start with or without them regardless.

So, with her body washed clean from the sandponies clutches for the time being, and with a vigor in her step from the bandages having done their work over the night and now retired for the day. After a quick wash yup, and breakfast. Bronze and her companions made their way through town as the noon day sun started to approach.

Her cloak was long gone allowing her coat to breath, yet even as she walked through the clear day with the sun against her back, and the heat warming up the legs plating. Bronze could feel the gaze of quite a few of those around her looking at the oddities that adorned her body in every which way shape or form.

From the spire atop her head she stole from another ponies kind after her birth, to the appendages of the stumps from that of another species. The mare quickly started to wish she had brought a cloak with her this time around, regardless of the warm welcome she had gotten on the train.

“Pay them no heed, prosthetics aren’t really all that common, and certainly none like yours,” Marble said as they walked past a few other citizens, and he took notice of their gestures out the corner of his eye, “They just aren’t used to seeing such works of art.”

“It’s not really art that they’re staring at…” Bronze commented as she saw a few that passed do a double take and look back to not only her, but him as well. Herself she could understand, though doing a once over from him, that she hadn’t had an answer for, “why would they be looking at you though?”

Marble continued down the street stone faced for but a few more moments as they went, before his stoic looking glare turned in to a grin, and soon in to a chuckle. “Let’s just say I’m pretty well known in these parts… and it’s not like they see me with another creature by my side often, at least a mare.”

Those words went in her ear, but it took a few moments for them to finally register what he was saying, “… Bullshit,” she laid out, kicking the words out the other side,“…I find it hard to believe that you’ve been a bachelor this whole time,” Bronze raised one brow to him as he walked along the path, unsure if he was merely being coy or was actually telling the truth.

“And I get that answer a lot when the subject comes up,” he shook his head as they approached a doorway along the main street, “I never really got out much after Pommel passed, especially with Topaz running about… and running… and still running,” with a steady knock against the door with his hoof, the two waited for the sounds of little hooves to grow louder as their greeting approached in seconds anticipating their arrival.

Within moments, Topaz burst through the doorway and latched herself on to around her fathers’ neck line. If she had been any stronger, she may have just put him in a choke hold. Though with her little filly hooves, she only managed to hold her father in an embrace that any parent would adore.

“Morning dad!” the filly beamed as the adult to her supervision approached.

“Good mornin’ there girly,” Marble looked down upon his daughter and nuzzled her, before turning her attention to the mare of the home, “I trust she wasn’t too much trouble, Peachy?”

“Oh no more than could be expected,” the mare answered as her own kin ran past her legs and welcomed the new comers, “her and little Berry Swirl had a grand old time here.”

“You bet!” the other filly beamed while Topaz held on to her dad.

Meanwhile Bronze stood there and only could watch in the exchange of affection and friendship. Having not known it for the years she had been around in this world, and only recently having known the feeling of being close to another in any capacity. With a hug to her friend Berry and her mom Peachy, Topaz met her dad along his legs as the trio went down the path to the main road and waved to the small family in their departure.

Walking along the road way of the town, the three made their way down a now familiar street to Bronze as they approached Marbles’ store. Stepping inside, the ring of the bell announced their presence to another there behind the counter.

“Welcome to-” the same Pegasus that Bronze had encountered her first day in town stood there on her hind hooves, before quickly dropping to all fours, “Oh good morning Marble, and to you as well little Miss Topaz.” She beamed from over the counter at the pair, seemingly missing the older mare in the group.

“Good morning to you too, Miss Gust,” Marble nodded to her as he looked around his store.

“Ah it’s you again!” the mare finally pipped up with a warm smile after seeing Bronze standing there behind her employer, “Decided to come around and look at what Mister Marble here has to offer?”

“Actually, I was just following an old friend around,” Bronze answered while keeping an eye on her host, “I was in town before and ran in to him not long after leaving from here.”

Marble looked over to her, knowing full well that she hadn’t come for him, and that she must have checked out his store first before trying to rob it. “That’s right, I knew Bronze here years back, figured I’d show her around…” the colt played along with her act, “she’s helping me fix up a few things as well.”

“Didn’t realize you two knew one another,” the mare extended a wing to her fellow mare, “Ashburn Gust miss, pleasure to meet you, well… again.” She started to chuckle as Bronze looked at the wing.

Taking it lightly in her own talon and with a gentle shake she returned the gesture, “Bronze Bolt, and likewise.”

“Oh, those are spectacular,” Ashburn looked over the ornate limbs that the mare across from her was sporting, not hidden behind the vale of a cloak this time. Taking it up in her wing, the mare examined it from hinge to tip as Bronze just stood there. Getting used to either having creatures stop and stare from aversion, or gawk at her appearance in esteem. “Whoever did your work truly did a marvelous job at it.”

“Bronze did those actually,” Topaz piped up as she hopped up atop the counter.

“Did you now?” the Pegasus continued to ogle, tracing over the limbs with the tip of her feather.

All the while Bronze just stood there still unsure how to take all the attention, as she grinned awkwardly off to the side at her companion, silently asking for help. Though, Marble never lifted a hoof in her aid. He was too busy looking over his own pieces on sale and snickering to himself at her demise from over his shoulder.

“Why ahh… thank you Miss Gust,” Bronze finally had pulled her limb free from the mare and back down to her side, wishing she had brought the cloak once more.

“So sorry to bother you about that, I just hadn’t seen anything like them,” the mare looked at them once more before turning her attention to her boss, “Though what can I do for you Mister Marble?”

“Oh, nothing really, just thought I’d pop in and see how things were going,” he slowly turned his attention to the mare with him, “and see what else might need fixed.”

With Bronze rolling her eyes at him, sharing the same grin he had worn not too long ago. The other mare present shook her head at him, “I’ll be quite alright their sir, it’s a slow day. The suns still out, and its warmer than I was expecting, why don’t you spend time with your little one?”

With a glance from Topaz, and a swift sweep of her leaping off the counter and on to her hooves. The little filly already stood by the door ready and waiting for them to depart, “Come on dad! The park should be pretty clear at this time,” seeing no objection the little filly said her goodbyes to the shop keeper that day and already had her tail out the door.

“Hmm… think they hopped her up on sugar before you picked her up?” Bronze mused to Marble as he just shook his head once more.

“Enjoy the rest of your day Miss Ashburn,” he called out with a wave and stepped outside with his friend, answering her, “I sure hope not too much… best case scenario I have to carry her home on my back after it all comes crashing down.”

Chuckling with him, Bronze and Marble quickly caught up to Topaz as she almost hopped along the road with them as they made their way to the park. Slowly though as they went the filly started to die down in her spunk and settled for walking happily with the adults on either side of her as she beamed and hummed to herself. Bronze on the other hoof looked at the little one with her own expression of satisfaction, reminiscing on the days that were so much simpler all those years ago.

Going into town with her own mom and dad, in much the same position as Topaz was. Finding supplies Anvil needed for projects around the town, or what Aurora might have needed to try baking the newest recipe she’d come across. All of it brought a smile to the mare, of a time she could have spent an eternity in, and one that reality took away from her in a blink.

‘If I could do it all again,’ the mare clenched her teeth together, ‘oh how much could I have-’

“How was your trip?” Topaz popped up as she looked between the two awaiting an answer, “hopefully the train ride wasn’t that bad for ya.”

Looking to one another, both adults bit their lower lips as they tried to think what to tell the little one, and at the same time found themselves coughing and sniffling a tad bit at the previous day as they bounced around the subject. Usually, Marbles’ excursions out to the mines had been uneventful, but this last one added a whole new chapter into his book.

“Well, the train ride wasn’t that bad…” Bronze started.

“…Boring as you might expect…” Marble picked up.

“…A few bumps here and there, but nothing major…”

“… I showed Bronze around the mine, all the ins and outs of the job…”

“… and I do have to say it’s quite an operation…”

“…The train back was much the same,” Marble looked away after lying to his kin.

“Yep, just kinda boring,” Bronze mused as she took the same route and diverted her eye from him, “except for dinner,” she watched as his eyes snapped back towards hers for a moment, as she answered it with a smile, and a wink, “That was particularly… enjoyable, really.”

Breathing a sigh of relief that she didn’t go further than that, Marble relaxed and even returned the motion. Yet, the fleeting moment the two made eye contact hadn’t gone unnoticed, and a fit of giggles started to erupt from the little one between them. As they looked down at her, Topaz had been trying to cover her muzzle up and stifle them, though after hearing them go back and forth. She was rather hard pressed to succeed.

“You both looked too cute just then,” she continued with her titters, much to the dismay of the mare next to her who immediately locked her jaw up and tried her dandiest to hid her face from the colt across from her.

Something that didn’t help the filly recover in the slightest as another wave came forth from her muzzle. Leaving her father standing there rose faced and wishing he could bury his head in the sand, “Bronze… I apologize on her behalf,” he said with a groan as he ran a hoof down across his face.

“You… Don’t have to worry about that,” Bronze straightened herself out as she mentally shot her thought process with a rocket, and crashed a zeppelin into it to for good measure, “It’s quite alright.” The mare made sure to keep her face away from his own as they went.

“Oh! Would you look at that,” Marble quickly changed the subject, “We’re here!”

Looking out, they indeed had reached the park of the town. If just to give her something else to look at. Bronze took in the swing sets, jungle gyms, and even play ground castle that made up the center. As on the outskirts dotting around were several picnic tables for families, trees for those that just wanted a little shade, and of course more than enough open field for any group of kids to get some sort of game going. All the more things for the mare to steer her eyes towards, and away from the filly.

Before he could even say a word to his kin, Topaz had already started darting towards the castle to claim her throne. Leaving Marble there to smile and wiggle his legs to get the blood flowing and muscles stretched, “It’s going to be one of those days… I can tell.”

“There’s that sugar rush we were talking about,” Bronze joked with him as he limbered up, “if it makes you feel any better, I can probably carry you home if needed.” She tapped her recently injured leg without so much as a grimace from the pain.

For a moment the colt considered the idea, “…I might have to take you up on that, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Her affirmation of a grin answered that much for him, “You wouldn’t have it any other way though I’d imagine,” she said watching Topaz climb up the rope net to the side of the castle as she rolled over the wall, waiting anxiously for her dad to join, “I’m going to take a place under one of the trees, enjoy some of this fresh air… you go play dad.”

Nodding lightly to her as he cracked his neck, Marble quickly chased after his daughter as she started to make her way around the fort and play tag with him inside. While her wounds from the fight earlier might have patched up rather well, the mare still wanted to enjoy some of the calm day while it lasted. Keeping her head on a swivel, Bronze looked out past the few other families that were there with them as she kept her eyes out for anything that might ruin their fun and shatter the innocence of this quaint surrounding.

‘If you had managed to get in to town once, you could do it again,’ she thought to her creations as a whole, wondering how well Seren had been working to mop up her little parting gift.

This town may not have had the same unease about it from them roaming the woods as another that she had visited. However, a few more encounters with them and that would soon change. Bronze only hoped that with the little advice she had given to the soldier that it’d spread and help out the rest of them throughout the nation.

‘If it’s not too late…’ she pondered once more, knowing full well what she encountered on the train, ‘those shouldn’t even be around… let alone the gryphons, I hadn’t dealt with those since before even contacting the DDR and the Kingdom.’ Bronze thought back to all her dealings and how much prep time was put in to building up her master plan, even before she got any of those nations involved, ‘but if they’re still active… then it might be too.’

Looking out to those in the park, the mare got a renewed sense of dread in what she had released in her hate. All the laughing and smiling faces of those family members out for a simple day at the park with their loved ones, or just to relax on their own, had now been put at risk. She may not have the hammer from her dad on her right now, that was back at the house, but she could still feel the weight of it on her side as her parent’s eyes peered down to her.

With her eyes drifting upwards, Bronze looked out to the clouds as she pictured her folks watching over her, “I’m trying to make it right, and I will… no matter the cost.”

Resting her head back against the tree. The mare turned her attention to that of those she had come with to this tranquil setting, and after seeing the colt she once knew as nothing but trouble, now laughing and playing with his own daughter. Bronze could rest happily in her own mind that she’d figure something out, knowing that thanks to citizens like that, there was a reason to not take that step off the cliff once more. If only to prevent the same news she’d gotten while younger, from being delivered to another. With that, her lungs let the breath escape as her eyes nodded off for a well-deserved nap.

How long she had rested there the mare hadn’t a clue. Whether it had been a few minutes, or even an hour it mattered not. The soft tap to her nose quickly roused Bronze from her slumber as she shook her head and looked around wondering what had awakened her. The only thing that could be the culprit being Marble as he laid on the ground, letting the cool grass of the shade calm his hot back from the sun.

“You’re it,” he smirked back at her from his position, peering at the mare through a half open eye, “and no tag backs.”

Looking around, Bronze quickly saw Topaz dashing away from her and zig zagging amongst the playground equipment. “You really want me to play?” she asked, already knowing the answer, as she felt the blood in her body kicking up a few beats.

“It’s hot, I’m tired now, and I thought you might like to join in on the fun,” he rolled his head over and watched his kin, “Plus she asked if I could get you in on it.”

“… sly little demon,” Bronze chuckled for a moment as she got up.

“Yeah… but she’s my sly little demon,” Marble sighed a deep breath from his chest, and finally got his breathing under control, “by the way, this tree is safety.”

With that the full-grown mare peeled off towards the filly. Topaz saw the metallic coat glint off the sun as she approached, and the little one was forced to take some evasive maneuvers. Rolling under one of the swing sets, Topaz leapt up to the monkey bars and swung atop them with all the grace of a gymnast, as Bronze stalked from below like a shark.

“I knew you’d want to play,” she beamed down to the mare, while walking atop the rungs, careful not to get to close to her hunter.

“Oh, I just needed a little nap,” Bronze answered with a small yawn, “Besides, it had been years since I had done anything like this, and I was not about to pass it up.” Smiling to herself, she reminisced once more on those days’ past, and the sad truth, ‘wait, who had I even played with back then besides mom and dad?’

Topaz leapt from the frame to the top of the castle, using her magic to carry herself just a tad further as needed. The mare had to stop there for a second, knowing full well that self-levitation was an impressive feat for one her age. With a quick shake of her head, Bronze got back in to the focus of the game and used her talons to scale the side of the castle in record time.

Though as she popped her head over the edge, the filly was nowhere to be seen, only the flicking of a tail going down the enclosed slide welcomed her. Dropping from the wall, Bronze rolled over to the slide as Topaz already beat her hooves against the ground to get away from her older counterpart. The mare hadn’t the slightest clue how she was managing to put distance between them, but Topaz was certainly doing it.

‘I’ve been running my whole life,’ she said to herself between careful controlled breaths, ‘this should be easy, shouldn’t it?’ Bronze put the press on, trying to catch her before she reached the tree.

Something she was steadily failing at.

With a single bound, and a roll, Topaz neatly put on hoof on the bark marking her safe from her pursuer. Leaving Bronze in an attempt to grind her limbs into the ground to stop. Though with her talons finding better purchase than hooves, it only sent the mare face first to the ground as she started munching on the grass. Much to the enjoyment of both Marble and his daughter, as Bronze added this new fact to the back of her mind.

Bronze Bolt, leveler of towns, war monger of nations, talon in the death of thousands… loser in a game of tag.

“Okay… you win,” she rolled over flat on her back and rested there, “I fold.”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” Marble chuckled as he got up and waded over to the mare, “you gave it your best go too.”

“Come on! Let’s go to the swings,” Topaz called out as she already headed that direction past them.

With a shake from her head, and a helping hoof from the colt, the mare watched the little one take off, “It never ends, does it?” Bronze asked as she got up and followed Marble after his daughter.

“What? Her energy?”

“Seriously, if you could put that in a gem, imagine what kind of power it’d have,” she started to think if for a moment, before drawing the line at draining little children of their magic for her own goals.

With herself neatly situated on the first swing, and her father behind her. Marble steadily pushed her as Topaz rocked back and forth, allowing the two adults to more or less take a breather as the filly still had her fun. Judging by the sun, from Bronzes’ perspective at least, she had to guess they had been out here a few hours by now after her nap. Likely to be heading back soon… if Topaz ever tired out that is.

“Now little miss,” Marble got the attention of his daughter, “What would you like for dinner? While we’re out I figured we could stop by the store.”

“Cake!”

“No.”

“Brownies!”

“Guess again.”

“Cupcakes!”

“Still a form of cake.”

“Why would you ask me if you’re not gonna to take any suggestions?” Topaz questioned back at him.

“Because I wanted to see if I’d get a sound answer from you, or if it’d be an endless trail of sweets… like you haven’t had enough of those,” he chuckled for a moment, and watched the eyes roll before him. Though the small tune of a cart perked his ears up for a moment, as he peered out and saw the pony that works an ice cream cart come to the park, “Think it over, the both of you. I’ll get you something sweet, but you’re having an actual dinner later as well, keep that in mind.”

Turning his attention to the mare, Bronze just held up a talon before he even spoke, “Of course… I don’t mind pushing her.”

“That answered my first question,” he smirked, “flavor though?”

“Eh… surprise me,” she returned the face, as the stallion went to fetch their sweets.

Leaving the two girls there alone. It wasn’t long after Marble was out of hearing range that Topaz turned her head to look at the mare over her shoulder, and caught Bronze staring back at her dad as he walked away. From this point however, the filly caught site of something else just past the mare.

“Ugh…” Topaz said in disgust.

Looking out that way with interest, Bronze quickly saw a trio of fillies that couldn’t be much more than a year older than the filly herself, though something about them just screamed trouble, “I take it you know them?”

“Sadly…” Topaz groaned with even more distaste, “they usually give me trouble in school when I’m alone,” she started to pout, a face that Bronze had known all too well.

Whether she realized it at first or not, the back of her teeth started to grind against themselves as if by reflex, and it took most of her will to settle her composure back down. “Some ponies are like that to others… I should know,” Bronze took another glance at the colt off to her far side, “Though you know how I got over them?”

“… How?” Topaz asked through gleaming eyes.

“I beat them with a hammer.”

For a few seconds the two remained silent, though it didn’t take much longer than that for both Bronze and Topaz to snicker. The mare knew that this filly may not have believed her, but it’s something that the little one’s father would be able to back up all too well, if he hadn’t told her that much of their past already. In the end, it brought the young mares’ attention away from the others in the park, and with that they went back in to the steady rhythm of push and swing.

Until Topaz piped up once more, “So… I have to ask,” she wasn’t quite sure how to say it at first, and watched as Bronzes’ eyes looked on curiously to where she was going with this.

“Yes? Topaz,” Bronze pressed slightly, urging her as she pushed the swing gently with a talon, “What is it?”

“… Do you like, my dad?”

Nerves wanted to fire, but somewhere between her ears, mouth, and brain. Bronze blew a fuse as her next push on the swing missed Topazes back entirely, and almost put the mare off step. Stumbling over her words she tried to organize them any which way she could, while Bronze found her eyes going back and forth from the filly to her father as he paid for their cones.

“I mean… ahh… he’s gotten, better since I last seen him,” she bounced around the subject, thinking how best to word it without saying too much as she resumed gingerly pushing the filly, “Plus, Marble’s grown up a lot,” she started to go over a few of the reasons in her head, if only to satisfy the filly, “Great job that he loves, a little family of his own that he adores, a wonderful home with everything he could ask for, certainly not sore on the eye-” Bronze choked for a moment as she let that last bit slip. Watching now as the snicker grew on the filly’s own face, “you didn’t hear that one…”

“Oh, I heard all of it,” Topaz giggled once more to herself at the mares’ fumble, “Is that… yes?”

“I never said that…” Bronze scratched the back of her head, taking more interest in the rusting bolt of the swings frame work that likely needed replacing, while she tried to divert her attention away from the little one.

“It’s also not a no,” Topaz pointed out.

“Hey! Looks like he’s on his way back,” Bronze continued to push her and try to play if off like everything’s cool.

Though, the filly had other ideas as she kept up the appearance and went along with the act for a second, “if it makes you feel any better,” Topaz said under her breath to the older mare as Bronze bit her lip with unease, and watched Marble get ever closer, “I think he likes you too.”

With that mental reboot running at a minimum, Bronze was all but oblivious to the chocolate cone of ice cream held in front of her face. “If you want something else, I can always go back,” Marble pointed out as she stood there blank faced.

“Nope! Chocolate is great!” Bronze finally picked back up, and took a bite out of the confection. Thankful that the cool treat was helping to take some of the heat off from her face. Even if she had to pay for it with the roof of her mouth freezing over.

Looking back and forth between the two girls, Marble had little clue what they had discussed, and could only ask the obvious. “Ahh, everything alright you two?”

“Great dad!” Topaz answered as she looked over to Bronze in her blunder, and gave her a slight wink.

“Yeah… everything’s just… wonderful,” Bronze replied, returning the showing of good faith to the filly.