Taken for Granite

It was a hot summer day in the Galloping Gorge, the sun hung high in the sky beating down on the poor uncovered heads of the few foolish ponies who went about their day without a care in the world. These were simpler times, and as a young Cloudy Quartz stepped onto the stamped-down dirt path in front of her family home she was determined to make her father proud. Who knows, today might be the day she finally gets her cutie mark!

Cloudy wasn't the best rock farmer, nor the most formal. Most families in the gorge weren't mining the stones themselves, but rather using them to make ornate statues or other stone creations which would be sold all across Equestria. The Travertine family ran the town with a silver hoof, kind yet strict when they had to be, especially seen in the family patriarch Boulder. Cloudy had gotten in trouble with them plenty of times and became known as the town troublemaker. No matter how many punishments she received and how many nights she had to spend locked in her room, she always went out the next day looking for mischief.

"Cloudy Quartz!," called her mother Rosewater. The young future matriarch spun around and glared daggers at her mother, scrunching up her face as she prepared for another round of scolding. What would it be for this time? Destroying Rubble Roller's pathetic statue of Princess Celestia? Making a mess of Larimar's birthday cake? Getting out of bed and skipping breakfast? She was a busy mare, she had places to be and this family was holding her down!

"Boulder Travertine is stopping by for dinner tonight. I expect you back when the sun touches the edge of the gorge and not a moment later! Him and your father have important business to attend to, and I don't want you embarrassing us in front of the town leader. Now off you go, no sense staring."

Rosewater slammed the door before Cloudy could fully comprehend what was just said to her. Boulder Travertine was coming over for dinner tonight?! Though she did care for her family more than anypony could imagine, her sense of excitement and energy at the thought of a prank was too strong to ignore! Oh what could she do, she pondered as she started down the main path with a small bounce in her step. Maybe put something into his soup like a bug or some hair? What about some gunpowder to blow his teeth out?! Or even better--

"Look out below!"

Zooming through the sky and rapidly approaching the ground was a stallion in a dirty Wonderbolts uniform, a streak of orange and yellow following him due to his sheer speed. Cloudy was too focused on her upcoming pranks to hear his cries, and so the two collided head-on and created quite a scene in the middle of town. As the pegasus slammed into the youngest Quartz they created a long crater through the center of Galloping Gorge, drawing the attention of several workers who abandoned their projects to investigate the earth-shaking chaos.

This stallion's name was Fire Streak, a promising young Wonderbolt. He was dazed as he rested against Cloudy, who had a horrible cough from the dust flying about her head. "Are you okay, ma'am?" Despite a potential concussion the pegasus came to his senses in a heartbeat, standing up and offering to help the markless mare to her hooves. "I am so sorry, I didn't expect a sudden downdraft like that! Are you hurt, need an ice pack or anything?"

"I'm fine, but you keep talking like that and I'll make sure you're in hospice before supper!" Cloudy stood up on her own accord, spinning about with a stomp and smacking the accidental attacker with her braided tail. "I'm going to the Travertines, you best make yourself scarce before Gravel gets his hooves on you, pretty boy!" The gorge rarely saw pegasi visitors, but when they a few did come around they weren't treated very well. The greatest enemy of a good sculpture was erosion, and erosion was often caused by rain and winds. Living in a gorge the winds typically went overhead, but the rain? There was nowhere for the rain to go!

As Cloudy stormed off and left the others to tend to Fire Streak, she couldn't help this strange feeling reaching from the tip of her tail to the peaks of her ears. She felt oddly tingly as she thought about the stallion, what his eyes looked like behind those goggles especially perplexed the single mare. That mane, that streak he left in the sky, those exotic colors on his uniform! It stuck in her brain like pressure surrounding diamonds, and before she knew it she was back home laying in bed whilst Boulder dined with her mother and father.

Fire Streak had felt the same, asking around for any information he could get on the strange mare who he crashed into. Though he lived for the thrill of ripping across the sky like a shooting star, he felt that same buzz as he thought of Cloudy. He recognized his feelings for her, and so rushed out to her cottage and began to toss rocks at her window. The mare inside growled as she opened the window, putting on her face of stoicism as she looked down at him. "Oh, pretty boy. Why are you still running around Galloping Gorge."

"I came to see you! Maybe the crash just fried my brains or--"

"That's pretty likely."

"What? Nevermind, as I was saying the crash might've messed with my head a little, but I can't stop thinking of you."

"Well that's not concerning in the slightest." Cloudy began to shut the window before Fire Streak flew up and through the gap, causing her to fall back with a sound of shock. "Shit! What in Tartarus do you think you're doing boy?! This is trespassing, I have Boulder Travertine downstairs right now and--"

"Shh!" Fire Streak stopped her by putting his hoof over her mouth, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "I know that, now listen! Please I, I need to at least get this off my chest. Promise you won't scream?"

Cloudy hesitated before offering a small nod, unaware that a small layer of blush coated her cheeks as the stallion stepped back and rested on his haunches.

"I know we just met and all, but something about you... Excites me. I love flying, all I've ever wanted to do with my life is be a Wonderbolt and fly for a living! The thrill of flying I always thought was impossible to replicate on the ground, but then you came crashing into my life. I want to know you better, before anything else. If I miss a few practices, I'm sure General Flash won't mind." He hesitated for a moment as he looked over to Cloudy, whose eyes seemed to be sparkling. "Of course ah, I'll let you have your space. Yeah."

With a small flap of his wings the stallion left through the window again, beginning his walk down the darkened main road as Cloudy was left to process. After a minute or so she rushed past her family and down the stairs to chase down the pegasus just before he took off.

"Pretty Boy!"

Fire Streak stopped just as he pulled down his goggles, half-turning to face the strange girl he crashed into.

"I... Would like to know you better as well."

Several months passed as the two grew closer, though Cloudy Quartz insisted that her companion stay out of sight of her family when they were together. Her mother would certainly lose her mind, and Celestia knows what her father would do if she was found with a freeloading cloud-pusher! But they continued their romance in private, until one day she came home complaining to her father that she was incredibly ill after a long night. She had been gaining weight, though her family assumed it was from overeating while out in town.

It was a dreadfully long train ride to the nearest doctor, though upon arriving for what was meant to be a routine checkup, the doctor delivered quite mortifying news.

"Your daughter is pregnant. The baby seems to be healthy, though I must ask... Was she ever in contact with a pegasus?"