Returning Home

Chapters

A night of light.
Return home Maud
Foals, Trains and Limestone
Long road home
Sister Talk
Trail of squabble
The choosing stone chooses
A hug in the middle of the night

A night of light.

Prologue

It was a starlit sky. It reminded me of those times in dark caves when my light would go out. Sometimes there would be fluorescent lichen that glows in the dark. It made me feel like the entire world was connected. Even the plants were trying to help me.

The field was empty except for us and that sky. Ponyville’s citizens moved slowly in the distance. It was late and I wondered if this was a good idea. It was getting cold and we had work the next day but Starlight insisted we stay a little longer.

“Look! Maud!” My girlfriend, Starlight Glimmer, pointed her hoof to the sky. “Look at those stars. It makes you feel kind of small, doesn’t it? Do you think there are other ponies out there staring at Equestria right now?”

“It is a statistical probability,” I told her. I don’t think that was the answer she was looking for. Her ears drooped a bit and she laughed her nervous laugh. I thought we would have been comfortable with each other by now.

“I just thought it was kind of romantic to picture ponies out there getting hope from ponies like us.” She sat on the gingham blanket we brought, shifting the remnants of our picnic.

“I am not good with romantic thoughts.” I looked at the ground. I felt the pressure to get moments like these “right”, though I was never instructed how. Pinkie assured me that there was no “right.”

“It’s okay, Maud. You don’t have to be. You’re good at Maud thoughts. And I love those.” She placed a hoof under my chin and turned my head towards her.

“Maud thoughts?” I supposed it made sense to her. I just saw them as thoughts. That's because I was Maud.

“Yeah. Maud thoughts. How you see rocks in everything and are always so calm. Does anything surprise you?”

“Sometimes,” I admitted. “I have the same capacity to be truly caught off guard as any pony, I just don’t show it.” I recalled the surprise when Starlight first kissed me. We weren’t together at that time. She was just distraught over Trixie but still it stirred something in me.

“What do you look like when you’re surprised, so I know if I succeed?” She wiggled her eyebrows and stared at me for any change.

I stared at her with my normal expression. I couldn’t do faces. Surprise was a reaction. You can’t really show reactions when the stimulus wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be real.

“That’s kind of what I thought,” Starlight concluded incorrectly. “We’ve been dating long enough to know that face.”

“It has been a while.” I looked at the sky again. Compared to the thousands of years that light took to reach our world our relationship was a mere blink. But then so were our lives.

“When I was a foal, I used to dream that relationships were like this. No fighting, no whining, no neediness… oops, I’m doing it again,” Starlight looked down, biting her lip. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. It helped her be more present. “I’m comparing you to Trixie again.”

“Yes.”

“But it’s all good stuff. Trixie was fun, but we didn’t work. You don’t compare me to Mud Briar?” I looked at her face trying to read what context she wanted to hear. Did she want comfort or somepony to agree with her? I decided the truth was best.

“Well, you are much more affectionate and sexual than he ever was. Your weights are vastly different. And you taste—” A pink hoof stopped my lips from summarizing my comparison.

“Okay, okay! I don’t want to know what Mud Briar tasted like.” She quickly looked back at the sky. I made her uncomfortable again.

“Okay.” I didn’t continue.

“Are you… better with that now?” A raised eyebrow made it sound like Starlight was looking for something. I sighed. Talk of my dead husband was not normal in our conversation. But I wasn’t the type that shied away from it.

“He’s gone. He would have wanted me to continue on with my life. I am… happy.”

Starlight breathed a sigh of relief. Was she still worried that I was haunted by him after all this time?

“Well, that makes me feel better. I always kind of worry about that but if you're really ready to move on, then I have something to show you.” This time she bit her lip in excitement. She bounced off the ground and landed on her hooves as her horn began to glow.

“Mmm?” ‘Ready to move on?’ I was thrown. It didn’t sound like how Starlight thought. What did she plan to show me to help me “move on”?

“Look at the stars, please.” She requested with a nearly breathless voice. Light was streaming from her horn and she pranced in place.

I glanced up at the night sky. It was endless. An eternity of light and darkness before me. It reminded me of looking into a piece of snowflake obsidian. When I look past the darkened reflection of myself in it, a universe opens before me.

The darkness was cut by a small light. It was like a star but brighter. Then it began to grow, its light outshone the stars around it. I was so entranced by the magnesium glow that I nearly missed the words it burned in the sky.

“I love you Maud. Please marry me.”

My eyes widened and my heart leapt in my throat in true shock. I sat there for an eternity, staring at the words burning in the sky. All I could hear was my heart beating in my ears.

I looked over at Starlight in complete disbelief. She was kneeling beside me with an open jewelry box. A large smile stretched across her face as she offered me the contents of her outstretched hoof. Her horn lit the field with a green cast.

It was a necklace with a heart shaped grey pendant. On closer inspection, in the burning light, I realized it was a piece of meteorite. Something I’d only studied through a thick pane of glass in a museum. How had she managed to afford this?

“It’s like both of us put together,” she hurriedly explained. “A rock from the stars. So, uh... surprised?”

“Yes.” My hoof shook as it slowly grasped the rock from the stars. It was light, yet it made it through the atmosphere and didn’t disintegrate.

“Will you marry me, Maud?”

There was no thought. I didn’t need to debate. There was really only one answer I could give.

“Yes,” I said breathlessly.

“I did it!” Starlight shouted while she jumped in the air. The field felt like it was moving as the bright light source soared and landed in glee.

“I surprised you! I saw your surprised face! Your voice even changed! Oh my gosh, now you’re blushing!” She lifted her hooves to her mouth but the huge smile was impossible to hide.

My face was on fire. I wished I had some water to put it out in. It was not a feeling I was used to but I smiled despite the discomfort. The necklace floated on a mint green tray made by the ecstatic unicorn. I bowed my head and let the mighty gift glide around my neck.

The earth resumed moving. The stars shone brighter as the spell in the sky wore off. The crickets and other insects continued to sing. I didn’t notice. All I saw was Starlight glowing with happiness.

Return home Maud

Chapter 1

“Are you sure that’s what I should do, Dr. Maud?” the little changeling asked, looking up at me with emerald-colored eyes. Their facets reminded me more of quartz but they were definitely emerald in color.

“Yes.”

“But I don’t even like stones.” The changeling scrunched her nose like I had asked her to eat broccoli. Young fillies seemed to hate broccoli.

“The cavern is filled with crystals. When the sun shines in through the hole in the top, the topaz glows a deep yellow. Yellow has a pleasing effect on the mind and increases serotonin levels producing a much more cheerful disposition.” It was rock science.

“Oh.” The little changeling’s face brightened. I think she was blushing. It was hard to tell with the red ones.

“I am sure your friend is probably experiencing a depressed state because she has left home for the first time. It is common in first-years.” The student seemed to consider my words. It was strange seeing so many younger ponies and creatures looking to me for advice. Most didn’t understand the advice I gave but the things I said they took to heart and thought about. I wasn’t used to that.

“Thanks. Dr Maud,” the changeling said happily. “I’ll bring Thicket there as soon as I can.”

“Please bring an adult to supervise.” Student safety was paramount. We didn’t want to risk another cockatrice encounter.

The door closed and I was alone in the room again. As the student counselor of Twilight’s School of Friendship, I had to continually study the latest advances in student psychology. It was different from rocks. Rocks were more stable.

The style of the counselor’s room had finally changed over from Trixie’s; the performer had filled it with magic tricks. It took me a while to find all the flowers she had stashed to bring out at a moment's notice. I had replaced them with rocks.

I looked at Boulder in his snuggly little bed. It was easier to keep calm by stroking his back. I thought the students would have responded more positively to a pet. Most of them ignored him.

A knock on the door lifted my head as it echoed through the room. I had to add some sound absorbing rocks.

“Come in,” I said to the blue-and-white doors. They opened in response, and a ghost walked in. At least I thought it was at first. The grey coat and dark brown hat immediately struck me as familiar. It looked like Pa. It was startling, so startling my eyelids raised a little further.

Pa? It couldn’t be. Pa had died of disease this past year. I wasn’t there at the end but attended the funeral. Did he need me to complete some sort of life’s work?

The apparition raised their hatted head, and I saw green eyes peer from in the shade of the brim. Those eyes used to be filled with an unquenchable malice for the world. Marriage and age had mellowed my sister out.

“Hello Limestone,” I said.

“Maud,” she answered, and tugged at Pa’s hat on her head. “It’s time.”

“It’s only noon.” I said looking at the clock. “My day doesn’t end until 3.”

“That’s not what I meant.” The old glare returned, if only for a moment. “You and Starlight are engaged. We heard about it from Pinkie.That’s not tradition. It’s not how Pa taught us. You have to ask the choosing stone first, then you can get engaged. You haven’t even brought this Starlight home yet.”

I was quiet. Limestone had started to act more and more like Pa since he’d died. She even wore his hat. But there were times that the fire burned within her, not cooled by time. Like an active caldera.

“Ma wants you to come home. All the family is gathering for it. Will you come?” She lifted her eyebrow. But I knew the question was a challenge.

“Yes.”

“Have you told Starlight about the choosing stone? Is she at least ready for it?”

“No.”

Limestone grit her teeth. The grinding sounded like a boulder moving up a hill. It was the sound of home.

“Have you told her anything about us?!” she spat through her teeth.

“No.”

“And you’re engaged to her?” Her disbelief was palpable. It was inconceivable to skip the steps in the process for her. There was a right way and a wrong way, no in between.

“Yes.”

Limestone opened her mouth fully and filled her lungs, while I waited. But she stopped and looked at the ground instead. “I’ll tell Ma you’re coming, then. It’s about time Starlight met the family she’s about to marry into. If the stone approves of it of course.”

She wordlessly turned and made her way past the remaining students. They looked at her with wonder, but she gave them no cause for any further interest.

I sat still in my room for a while. Home was so far away from where I was now, or so it felt. The distance didn’t actually change.

I’d deliberately never told Starlight about the choosing stone. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t know how she would feel about something like this. The stone was an old tradition. I thought my family was always too focused on it. They clung to traditions like old mares did with the past.

But marriage was very final in my family, divorce was rare. I was a widower. A widower in my family normally didn’t marry again. Their mate was gone and they were supposed to be thankful that they found a pony at all. The idea of finding another mate afterward seemed greedy. Did the stone think that? Would it bless me or curse me?

I didn’t want to know, but I couldn’t ignore my family because of it anymore. It wasn’t right. They didn’t deserve to be ignored because I felt uncomfortable and afraid. I had to tell Starlight but I didn’t know what to say.

***

“Starlight?” I asked after being welcomed into her office. She was methodically signing things and cross-checking through a castle of paperwork. She looked like two hooves moving through paper-made towers.

“Mmm? Oh, Maud!” The hooves disappeared behind their ramparts of documents and Starlight appeared, wrapping me in a warm hug. No matter how many times she did it, I still lingered with that warmth.

“What’s up? You normally don’t see me until after the work day is over.” Starlight leaned her head on my shoulder.

“It is over,” I reminded her. The day had ended a while ago but I knew Starlight was busy. I didn’t want to bother her flow, but the work would have to wait. Limestone would track us down if we didn’t show up.

“Is it? Oh well. Maybe just a few more papers before we go home...” Starlight’s eyes drifted back to her fortress of parchment.

“We can’t.”

“Why not?!” She was concerned. I normally didn’t disagree with her. Her face was immediately set for some battle she longed for but which never came.

“I… I have to go home.” I finally told her.

“We can,” sighed Starlight, now that the battle seemed trivial. “I mean, if you want me home that bad, I do have a sofa in the back …”

“We have to go to my home, at the farm.” I didn’t want to be as tempted by the sofa idea as I was. Starlight brought out a part of me I wasn’t as aware of. I found it was something the unicorn could access quite easily.

“The farm? Like your rock farm?”

“Yes.”

“Umm, is there a reason?” Starlight cocked her head in that cute inquisitive fashion. I had to fight the couch idea again.

“Yes.”

“And that reason is …?” Her hooves prompted me to elaborate.

I stared at her a little longer than I normally do. It was hard to put into words what my family and I believe. Most just nodded and smiled and I didn’t want to see her do that. She was one of the few that actually got me. I didn’t want her to be like every pony else.

“We have to go to the choosing stone,” I finally sighed. It sounded strange telling Starlight something like this. Lately my love life and family life had been separate and the idea of bringing them together was surreal.

“The choosing stone? I thought that was if you couldn’t find a mate or whatever.” Starlight looked a little taken back. “You already found me.”

“No. It’s to bless the couple after they find who they want. You take the pony you have chosen to the stone and the stone lets you know if the match is good. It’s not very scientific, but it’s tradition. If you don’t feel comfortable–“

“Uncomfortable? No, no,no! I want to meet your family and understand your traditions.” She stood alongside me, giving more hooffuls of hug.”I was waiting for you to tell your family. My father has been chomping at the bit to meet you. ” I leaned into her, craving that warmth.

“I would have met him if you’d asked. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you seemed to be avoiding your family. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable by bringing you to mine. But Dad’s kind of big deal to me. He’s the only family I have. Sunburst’s mom never looked at me the same way again after I married Trixie.” I couldn’t see the look on her face, as nuzzled into her soft mane as I was. I didn’t want to see her as she talked about Trixie.

“I thought Sunburst was okay with it.” I pressed into that soft silky hair further, soaking in its comfort.

“He was. He knew I liked mares but his mom had planned for us to be together. Things didn’t work out that way and she kind of got mad.” Her voice drifted off.

“Starlight?”

“Mmm? Oh, well, I guess you’re not the only one with family baggage.” She squeezed me and broke contact. It was like turning off the sun. I fought the urge to shiver.

“We should probably face it.” I stood up straighter, knowing what we had to do but it was difficult. My family had a long history of being as stubborn and immobile as the rocks they grew.

“Yeah, well, I’ll marry you no matter what your family or a stone says.” Starlight placed her hooves around me again, and the cold evaporated.“I love you.”

“We will see what the choosing stone says, hopefully it approves. It’s a rock based decision.” I hid my face in her mane again, I didn’t want her to see the fear in my eyes.

“Is it really? I think it’s kind of a you-and-me thing.” Starlight lifted a critical eyebrow. She didn't know our ways.

“In my family, the choosing stone is important. It measures the various traits that make relationships last. Stones know how to last.” The Starlight smell was so strong. I wanted to curl up in it and sleep.

“Just don’t think a stone knows more than you. I want to marry you, and I know you want to marry me, don’t let a rock get in the way of our happiness. It’s been so good for so long.” Starlight squeezed me with such excitement I felt a small blush on my face. Luckily I blush in grey, so nopony ever noticed, except Starlight.

“We have to get going. Limestone is waiting for us.” I said it but didn't let go. I hoped that her mane could stop time and I could stay in it indefinitely.

“Your sister?! She’s here?! Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?! We have to pack! We don't want her to get angry! I have heard what happens!” Starlight let go and frantically collected random things around the office. They raced into her saddle bag at breakneck speed. None of them were things she really needed except her plant. I sighed, feeling reality seep into me, pushing out the parts of Starlight I absorbed.

“Starlight … My farm has a stapler.” I began to pull out some of the office supplies, she wouldn't have time to do any office work.

“Right…” Starlight sat down, taking deep breaths. Was she nervous about the farm or Limestone? Both sounded reasonable.

“You don’t need anything. My sisters and I will provide it all, including staplers. You should take Phyllis, she and Boulder can share a room.” The plant and pet rock had gotten along after I officially moved in. Twiggy took a while to get used to the new pet, but they got along well.

“Right! She hasn’t been out in a while.” Starlight floated Phyllis into her bag. “So what do I need to know about this stone? Is there a test or questions or something?”

“It’s kind of a test.” I looked at the floor, I didn't want to think about the stone now.

“How does it work?”

“I can’t tell you that yet. You’ll see when we are there.”

Starlight’s face fell and she swallowed hard, but she nodded. It was something we had to face together. Our first real challenge.

I saw Pa’s hat from across the train station. It made her stand out from all the other ponies there. It was like a dark blip on a sea of pastel colors, Pies were like that.

“So, umm, will your whole family be there?” Starlight asked, wide-eyed. She hadn’t met them all. She knew Pinkie, Cheese, and their foals but Marble, Limestone and their wives were a mystery to her as was Ma. Ma was scarier to me than the stone.

“Yes, it’s tradition they all come to see the new couple and share the joy of choosing the stone.” I walked to my sister, holding my mare’s hoof. It wasn’t something I used to do with Mud Briar. My sister noticed it immediately and scowled.

“Maud,” Limestone said with a nod. “So, this is Starlight Glimmer, huh? I didn’t think my little sister would find anypony else after Mud Briar died.”

I paused momentarily. Limestone can be very blunt but she was right. I was different, there were few ponies that could tolerate, much less date me.

“Well, here I am, heh heh.” My mate’s nervous laughter died with only a glance from my elder sister. Starlight instinctively backed up a little behind me. I stood protectively in front of her.

“Let’s go. The rest of the family is already there, well, they should be if they know what’s good for them. My wife has a habit of flying off but she’ll be back by nightfall.” Limestone sighed, her jaw clenched with the sound of cascading boulders, and walked on to the train. We followed in silence.

Foals, Trains and Limestone

Chapter 2

I knew Starlight was uncomfortable but normal comfort measures wouldn’t work here. Limestone didn’t appreciate displays of affection when Spitfire wasn’t around. The retired Wonderbolt captain was able to relax my sister in ways I never understood but it worked. I at least placed my hoof around my mare.

The train clacked down the rail billowing steam past the window. The tea tray cart clinked as it rolled closer. Starlight raised her hoof to hail it which nearly hit me in the head.

She ordered tea for the table, Limestone nodded her approval. There were times when I believed my sister deliberately made an uncomfortable situation worse. She had a look in her eyes that was more amused which normally meant trouble. I didn’t see the need to make ponies feel awkward. Most of the time they already did.

“So, Starlight, what do you see in my sister?” My sister started with one of the worst questions on purpose. Does anypony know what attracts one pony to another? It’s chemistry. I never studied that.

“Well, we’ve been friends for years and she’s always been there for me. When my wife left me, she was there as I tried to pick up the pieces. She never left, no matter how hard it got. The rest, well, that just seemed so natural that it felt like neither one of us wanted to stop it.” Starlight was bright red but seemed to enjoy telling the story. She left out the part where I slept next to her in her bed for two months. Probably a good idea.

“I heard that you guys got together only two months after the divorce. What if this is just one of those rebound things?” Limestone pointed out with a definitive hoof poke in Starlight’s direction.

“Er, it’s not...” Starlight’s ears drooped a little and her eyes lost their glow. “We knew each other before, and I kind of had a thing for her back then. When she started to date Mud Briar, I figured she liked males and I backed off.”

“We thought so too. Ma was a little shaken up when she heard. Pa… Well, he had always been the more open one.” Limestone had oddly dropped the sadistic smirk. She was more subdued when she talked about Pa.

“She was?”I asked. I didn’t know it would bother Ma so much. I thought my parents were both comfortable with mares in relationships together. Two of my sisters were married to mares and she didn’t have a problem with it.

“Well it’s not like she’s against us.” So said the elder sister who had already married a mare. “She’s just disappointed that Pinkie’s the only one that will have grandfoals.”

“There is a spell for that,” Starlight said smartly. Then realized what she just advocated. “I, I mean, if that’s what we wanted, of course.”

“Well I for one would be terrible with children. So would Spitfire,” Limestone said, leaning back. It made me realize that she was starting to look more and more like Pa. We were all getting older.

“Foals could be difficult for me …I don’t know how I feel about them,” I said, as honestly as I could. I watched Starlight’s reaction carefully. Her eyebrow cocked and she looked out the window. The plumes of smoke flowed past and didn’t provide her the answers she sought. I knew that look.

“What about Marble and Vinyl?” I said, taking the pressure off of Starlight.

“They could. Marble would love kids and, well, who knows about Vinyl?” my sister sighed.

“Vinyl?” Starlight’s head snapped over from the window. “Vinyl Scratch? DJ PON-3?”

“Yes. Marble’s wife,” I informed her. I should have brought this up a while ago, but I didn’t want to overwhelm her then and I didn’t want to think about my family. Too many memories.

“Wait, Marble? As in Marevelous Rocks?!” Starlight’s eyes began to sparkle in their star struck fashion.

“Who?” I don’t think Limestone’s eyes could get much bigger. She stared at my girlfriend as if Starlight had just taken her own head off.

“Marevelous Rocks is DJ Pon3’s partner. She shows up as a hype mare and mostly says ‘mmhmmm’ in the background. She also is a record scratcher, or whatever it’s called. It was cute watching the two of them.”

“Did you know about this?” Limestone demanded of me. Marble had always talked to her more. I didn’t know why she didn’t know, unless she didn’t listen

“No.” I said in my standard deadpan.

“So I guess I did meet your sister and her wife and I met Spitfire once,” Starlight said, visibly relaxing. “So Limestone is the only family member I haven’t met yet.”

“You also haven’t met Ma,” added my sister.

I felt a little nauseous. If Ma was disappointed, she could make things difficult. But it wasn’t as bad as the choosing stone itself. What if Starlight and I fail? What would my family say?

“Maud? Are you ok?” Starlight’s voice snapped me back to the current conversation.

“Yes.” I hoped it sounded genuine. I didn’t want to concern her. The stone was pressing on my mind again, suffocating my thoughts. I didn’t need that right then. I needed to think.

Limestone looked at me. She knew I wasn’t okay. She had Limestone sense. She could feel the emotions of everypony at the table. I watched as she turned to Starlight. She was wondering if my mare was going to notice. It was a test.

“You seem a bit distracted,” Starlight pressed. “Normally you’re worried about something when you're like that.”

I glanced at both ponies that were looking at me. Limestone seemed impressed and Starlight seemed worried. I didn’t know how to tell her about the stone. It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t science. It was more like folklore or mythology. Something ancient and old but still true.

I relented. “I am worried about the stone.” I looked at the table, hoping it would call me a silly pony or crazy for being worried. The table wouldn’t answer so Limestone did instead.

“You should be. We don’t know what the stone is going to say. It might say this is going to be the best thing for you. It could say this will end in heartache again. We’re never sure. You had a husband, the stone knows that. It might not be like being asked about another mate. Especially since you didn’t consult it first.” Limestone’s tone was sharp and to the point.

“Can that happen?” Starlight looked at me, her eyes wide. “Can it tell us ‘no’ because we were married to different ponies before or didn’t consult it first?”

“Yes.” I could feel my heart racing. Fear gripped it. A sensation I rarely felt. Even in the most intense of moments I normally remained calm but this was a fear I had no control over. It wasn’t pleasant.

“That’s not fair! We deserve a happy marriage. We deserve to be together. Sure, we were both married before, but you lost your husband and my marriage became a battle all the time.”

“The rock is about stability,” I told her. “Permanence. It tells us that our relationship can be like that. That we can be each other’s rock.”

“And if you lose your rock, that’s it?!” Starlight was upset. It felt like an argument. I wasn’t arguing. “We only got one shot?”

“That’s the way it’s supposed to work,” Limestone piped up. “But there are times when it does bless a second marriage. It’s pretty rare.”

“No! If I want to marry Maud why can’t I? Rock or no rock.” Starlight glared at Limestone like she was the cause.

“It’s just our way.” The volcano was active again. The old smoke and magma shifted underneath the cooler exterior underneath Pa’s hat. “If you want to be a part of our family then you should respect our ways. You may not like them, but they are solid.”

Starlight opened her mouth once more, but I closed it for her with my own. It was the best way to stop a raging Starlight. The heat of anger switched to a passionate look. I sat back down again.

Limestone was not amused. “Well, Maud has learned to be a lot more passionate because of you. I’ll give you that. She wouldn’t even glance at Mud Briar that way in front of family. If she did at all.”

“I did.”

“Ewww. TMI, Maud.” Limestone made an expression she’d made many times. She had a habit of asking me questions about my sexuality and activities, then getting upset when I answered. I didn’t know why she asked.

“Still, if you're willing to marry my sister, stone or no stone, you have a lot more passion in you than I thought Maud could find. I’m kind of impressed.” Limestone had definitely grown. She would have never admitted that before.

“Thanks. But it’s hard not to be passionate for those you love. Maud has just as much as I do but doesn’t show it to everypony. I can’t wait to be her wife.” Starlight looked at me with such happiness I couldn’t help but blush a little. She seemed so certain.

“I am equally excited,” I said, trying to match her enthusiasm but anything that I say comes out dry and flat. But both of them knew what I felt.

Limestone put her head in her hooves and sighed. Not that long ago she would just yell at us for being reckless and not following tradition. “It’s not going to be easy to convince everyone that you guys will work without the stone’s blessing. Especially Ma. She’s more traditional than Pa was.”

“But we could do it, right?” Starlight sounded almost desperate. “We could still get married without the stone and your family could be ok with it.”

“It’s possible,” Limestone sighed. “But it’s not our way. Ma would want to make sure you can follow our ways first. And you might have to throw in that foal thing. That might convince her right there.”

This time Starlight blushed. She and I had never discussed foals. I didn’t even know about the spell. I would have to think about that.

“I don’t know … I have a pretty intense job and Maud, well, is that something you want, Maud?” Starlight looked at me for any indication. I could feel my head splitting in half at the mere thought of foals.

“I don’t know.”

Starlight gave me a little squeeze and leaned her head against me. “No pressure, I don’t know how I’d do either. It’s a huge, hard decision. Not like marrying you.”

“Barf! Come on! I’m, like, right here!” shouted my sister. “I hope Spitfire and I weren’t like that in the beginning.”

“Yes you were,” I told her, remembering all their strange kissing competitions and makeout fights. They were almost combative in their wooing of each other.

“Don’t tell me that. Well, we got better and calmed down,” sighed Limestone. She looked kind of jealous. “It’s not like it was when we first began, but it’s better. We’re more at ease with each other. We don’t have to go so far to remind the other how much we love them. It’s not as intense, but it’s still strong. Like anything she and I do could ever be weak.”

Her speech wiped the small amount of jealousy from her eyes. She was back to her normal confidence. I wondered if everything was really okay between them.

So much to think about.the stone, marriage, foals, my sister’s happiness, home. These were the normal home thoughts. The three of us fell into silence as the train puffed along. The clouds gathered in the distance but they didn’t look like rain. Just the type of melancholy that hung in the air after awkwardness had passed. A brooding cloud.

Long road home

Chapter 3

The train dropped us at our stop, but it was still a little ways to the farm. More time to wonder. Marble and Pinkie were there to greet us.

“Maud! You came! How’s my favorite sister in the whole wide world that isn’t my twin or the oldest?” Pinkie probably meant the eldest but I didn’t feel like correcting her. It felt too much like a Mud Briar thing.

“Hi Pinkie,” I said instead. I lifted my forehoof for the onslaught of hugs she gave. My body shook as though hit with a freight train as the Pinkie blur slammed into me. I was used to it. I knew how to stay on my hooves when that happened.

“Maud, isn’t it happtastically stupendous that we’re all here again?!” Pinkie tried to crush me. I couldn’t be crushed that easily.

“Yes.”

“Hi, Pinkie; it’s so weird to see you as a potential sister-in-law,” Starlight said as candidly as she could.

“Starlight! Welcome! You will make the best-unicorn-sister-in-law-that-married-by-favorite-sister-that-isn’t-my-twin-or-the-oldest ever!” Pinkie bowled my marefriend over with a massive hug. Starlight had told me she didn’t want training, even though I had offered.

“Marble,” I said, turning to the youngest Pie. “Vinyl and the rest are back at the farm?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m glad to see you.” It felt awkward to say that even though I meant it. Marble looked at the deserted train station. No pony really came here unless they lived here. Even those that did scared the little mare.

“Mmhmm.” She lightly wrapped her hooves around me. Nothing bone crushing could come from her. She was as soft and gentle as green hay.

“This is my fiancée, Starlight,” I said, presenting the unicorn. My sister immediately dropped her head so her hair fell in front of her face.

“Hi, Marble, I think we actually met before,” Starlight said, shaking the already-shaking mare’s hoof. “Marevelous Rocks right?”

Marble’s head crept out of her hair made hood. “Mmhmm.”

“I thought so. We met at a concert in Manehatten once at the Hoofhaus.”

Marble’s head poked out even more and I saw a twinkle in her eye. “Mmmhmm.”

“I love how you and DJ PON-3 just go back and forth with the effects and your record scratching.” Starlight was acting like a fanfilly. Marble was fully out of her hair and inches from Starlight. My little sister’s eyes looked like geodes.

“That’s one of our favorite things about performing,” Marble suddenly excitedly rambled. “We get the crowd kind of rooting for one of us, normally Vinyl, and almost battle with the music. I couldn’t believe how fun it could be until Vinyl made me try it. Now it’s like a dream, a wonderful dream I never knew existed. I didn’t tell my sisters because they wouldn’t understand. Except maybe Pinkie. But it’s amazing to have a fan. And one dating my sister. I’m so glad she met somepony else. We were all really worried after Mud Briar died. She can be so shy. “

“Now you started it,” sighed Limestone. “There is no stopping it now.”

I followed Limestone as we walked to the farm. Marble’s continued gushing about her musical career with Vinyl became a droning noise.

The dust road that led to the rock farm hadn’t changed. When I was foal this road was the edge of my world. Nothing existed past it. The small green-grey shrubs blocked all outside knowledge. Sometimes they felt like guardians of the farm. When I was older they became walls. Walls that stood against me. They didn’t want me to see the world beyond.

The road took on a whole new meaning when I left for college. It was a symbol of status. I left the old world behind to embrace the new. It was the beginning of my journey to true freedom and experience.

The road never changed but this time it looked grey and cold. It beckoned me like a whisper on a cold night. The type that offers peace from traveling but if followed the traveling ends.

“I’ve never seen you this nervous Maud,” Pinkie said, appearing next to me, scattering any thoughts of the road. She always knew how I felt. Even without Limestone’s ability to feel what everypony else felt. Pinkie could always read me despite my bland expression.

“So what’s got my sister feeling all moopy gloomy? And on such a nice day.”

I stared at her a bit. She wore her most carefree smile. It was like nothing bad could stick to her. It just slid off her, leaving a smile in its place. I was envious of her that way.

“Was it tough to have foals?” I plainly asked.

“Foals! Oh my gosh! Are you planning to have foals too!” Pinkie grabbed my face and started her tarade of banter that she was known for. “I thought you were nervous about the stone or Ma or seeing Pa’s grave, but foals? Yeah, I mean the carrying was hard, and the pushing and the feeding, but they're so cute and bring so many smiles. It was the best thing Cheesy and I ever did. So you’re thinking of having foals with Starlight? I didn’t think you could.”

“There’s a spell for that.”

“What kind of spell? Does it just, ‘pop’ here’s a foal? Does it give one of you parts? How does it work? Who’s going to carry it?” She let go of my face and looked around wildly for answers. The scene didn’t give her any and I hoped Starlight couldn’t hear her.

“Pinkie. Calm down.” Sometimes I had to remind her to breathe. She could get really excited and it was hard to think clearly when she was that excited. I wanted to think.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Pinkie took several huge breaths. Small gale-force gusts filled her with peace. She looked up and smiled a little too wide “Better? I think you and Starlight would be great moms. You’re both smart. Starlight is great with foals, she runs a school. And you’re good with listening, and advice, and fun, and games, and stand up comedy. All the things a mom needs to be.”

“You don’t think I would be … weird?”

“Well if you are, your foal would be weird too. Then you could both be weird together with Starlight.”

The idea made sense. Pinkie made sense which most would find uncomfortable. But then too many ponies see the silly goofiness of Pinkie and don’t listen to what she says. She may say it in her “Pinkie way” but she’s right a lot.

“I still don’t know. It’s a lot. And I’m not sure it will convince Ma.” I could see that disappointed look on her face. It deflated like a balloon. It would be more disturbing if I wasn't used to it.

“Oh Ma... well, she’s been kinda…” Pinkie looked at the ground. Flecks of mica shone through the billowing clouds of earth with each hoof step.

“Stuck up and stubborn,” Limestone finished. “After Pa died she’s been sticking to tradition even harder. She started complaining about how me and Spitfire aren’t acting right. That decent mares wouldn’t be so loud or make fun of each other. It’s just the way we work.”

I said nothing, but cringed a bit inside. My fiancée and I were definitely not traditional. Not in the Pie way. Pies don’t find new mates. Windowed Pies focused on their family and helped keep the next generation in line. They definitely don’t accept proposals before consulting the choosing stone.

Before any more discussion, the farm came into view and stole all my words. I was hit with a strong wave of nostalgia. The farm didn’t look any different. The rocks in the fields had all been turned and some were ready for harvest. The bounty seemed to have doubled. It was hard to believe my sisters were able to produce more.

“That’s a lot of rocks,” whistled Starlight. Once, she’d explained to me why we were able to grow rocks. She said all earth ponies have the ability to make things grow. The Pie family’s magic was so strong they could even make rocks grow. At least that was her theory.

The rest of the family had already assembled at the farm. Spitfire nodded as her wife came into view. Vinyl and Marble shared a look but said nothing. The rest of the Cheese family ran around the farm like a circus act. They would tumble and giggle and laugh at each other. Cheese was there as well, trying to keep the youngest one from jumping off the cliff with balloons tied to her back. I didn’t see Ma.

After Little Cheese (at least that’s what they called him), Pinkie had decided to have more foals and ended up with a set of twins and a little filly. Ma had been proud, and Pa had enjoyed the company at his bedside for the past year.

“Welcome home Maud!” chorused Cheese and the Cheese-Its. If bracing myself for a Pinkie hug was hard, an entire family of excited party ponies like fighting an avalanche of fuzzy warm boulders. I was bowled over by puffy-maned ponies and deafened by ecstatic giggling.

“Hello,” I said from my position on the ground. It was comfortable there in the dirt. The mass of perky ponies shifted and I heard my fiancée make an “oof”. They’d gotten her too.

I slowly sat up and watched the pile writhe with Starlight trapped inside. I knew she wasn’t in any real danger. It was still strange to see that much energy here. The farm was always so drab but serene in its unchangingness.

“Okay fillies, colts, stallions, and mares,” Cheese Sandwich announced over a bullhorn he pulled from… somewhere. “This party is just getting started. Get your taste buds ready for some rock-based cuisine. Traditional Pie style... with a twist.”

“I would like mine without the twist. It giveth me stomach issues,” the matriarch of the family grumbled, as she hobbled out of the dark house. She walked with a stiffness that only age could bring. It was like she was slowly becoming a stone. Her face looked careworn and chiseled from granite. It looked like she aged a decade in the year since Pa died. Her cheeks had sunken, her lips looked like dried orange peels. My heart ached with the sight of her withered form.

A large table was laid out in front of the farm house. The entire family couldn’t fit inside any more so all the diners were held in the front yard. The young Cheeses constantly exploded with confetti and outside was easier to clean than filling the house with small pieces of paper.

“Don’t worry Mama Pie,” Cheese said lightly patting Ma’s back. “I made one or two completely traditional.”

“Thou shouldst not mess with a fine thing,” the sour mare scowled. She limped her way to the head of the portable table. It took two of them linked together to hold us all. “Now, we should eat. In silence! Nourishment should be the only thing on our minds.”

The Cheese children sighed. “Yes, Granny.”

“Good. Now we must thank the rock as your Pa wished. Then we may eat.” The old pony slowly sat down in a rickety chair and motioned the rest to follow suit. They did.

Starlight watched and imitated the bowed heads of the rest of the family. I was surprised that even Spitfire had gone silent and serene like the rest of them. She would normally pester Limestone under the table with a flick of her tail.

The group slowly ate the spice-soaked rock soup that was a traditional Pie main course. Cheese has added strange spices that I didn’t know but the flavor did enhance the stone’s generally blandness. I glanced at Starlight and saw the normal confusion and hesitation. It took a long time for outsiders to get used to eating rocks, if they ever could.

“Oh, uh... this is… different.” Starlight was rambling. She did that when she was nervous.

“Dost thou need to talk to eat?” Ma’s scolding tone cut across the table. Starlight started to shrink. “Obviously thou dost not know our ways. That was made clear when thee asked Maud to marry thee without the stone’s permission.”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know,” Starlight desperately pleaded.

“Perhaps thou shouldst know thy bretrothed’s family first before thou asketh for her hoof.”

Starlight looked heartbroken. A blush of shame reddened her face. A shame she didn’t deserve. I had to save her.

“Ma. That was my fault,” I said. The rest of the table looked further at their soup. A Cheese or two tried to watch but was bumped by another and resumed their solemn chewing.

“Thou art right. Thou shouldst have waited for the stone. Now, ‘tis likely it will curse thy marriage,” Ma said, matter-of-factly. Her faith in the “right way” was undeniable.

“Is there anything we can do to make it right, Mrs. Pie?” Starlight was hoping to make peace. I was apprehensive. Normally when Ma made her mind up it was set in granite.

“Aye. Thou canst find some other pony. My daughter hath lost her mate. ‘Tis better for her to continue to honor him by not finding another.” Ma’s words started a series of gasps throughout the table.

They all looked at me. Normally, when Ma started to get out of hoof, I was the one that calmed her down. Limestone couldn’t control her anger and was typically the subject of Ma’s wraith. Pinkie was too cheerful to get involved in calming her down, and Marble hid under the table whenever Ma was too judgy.

Only this time I was the one being judged. Starlight and I. I couldn’t let Starlight get in trouble for something she didn’t really do. I had to take action.

“Mother,” I said, standing from my seat. The harsh silence returned.

“Maud.”

“Please come into the house where we can discuss this without further embarrassment to my fiancée.” The old mare squinted at me. I blinked. My expression didn’t change but her’s seemed to scrunch into those eyes.

“I refuse to acknowledge that claim. Thee hast not been blessed yet.” The squished face refused to budge.

“It’s ok, Maud,” Starlight whispered to me with a hoof on the side of my neck. “I’m not insulted. We just got off on the wrong hoof.”

“Wrong hoof? Ye hast go off at the wrong train station. Thee should return—”

“Mother,” I said quietly. “Please.”

“If thee will listen then I shall talk.”

The old mare slowly rose. Though we normally talked in private, it felt strange somehow. The strong, independent, logical matriarch had become small, withered, and full of leathery bitterness. I became painfully aware of that as she slowly walked behind me. The group at the table remained silent but resumed their meal.

When we finally got inside I offered a chair like I always did. These talks could get long and I found hurt feelings or violent tempers cooled when one was more comfortable. Ma had always declined to sit. The annoyance had always kept her standing. But this time, she promptly sat, still wearing her same disgruntled expression.

“Well, my daughter, what sort of justification dost thou have for me? Have I not spoken the truth? Thou knowest the tradition of a mare of mourning. And I have joined thee there now. We can pine together if thou likest.” She patted a nearby chair.

“It’s an old tradition, mother. Normally the widows are much older than I am. They had their long lives together with their mates, and I had only a short while.”

Ma snorted at me like I was a spoiled filly. “It’s not the size of the boulder but the strength. Thy bond with Mud Briar was strong. Its memory shouldst keep thee going for many a year to come. Love is like the stone itself. Though we do not see the rock beneath our hooves, it is still holding us up. So too with love.”

She looked out the window towards the little grove where both our husbands were buried. The movement was ingrained in her muscles in her neck.

“Mother,” I whispered, bringing that withered mare back from the depths. “There are many rocks underneath us. More than one that keeps us stable.”

Ma laughed, a vicious-sounding bark. My spine tingled for a second. Then my body resumed its normal functions. It’s good like that.

“Stability? That filly that hath asked for thy hoof hath removed thine sense and stability. Thou used to come home. Thou used to follow the traditions. Thou used to study the rock and its teachings. Pinkie hath told me of thy life now. Abandoning thy family for this unicorn. Hiding our ways to keep her comfortable. Giving up thy dream of rocks in favor of talking to her students. Thou hast lost thy way. And thou speakest to me of stability?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. She was right. Starlight had changed me more than I realized. Had I lost myself to placate her? How many of my decisions had been to make her happy? Mud Briar never asked me to change who I was, and I never felt the need to. Why did I need to change so much of my life for Starlight? Or did I use her as an excuse to change?

“I knew it. Young filly, thou hast been led astray. A cute tail and pretty face hath enticed thee off the path. Thou mayest still return to the rock once more. She is a pretty mare. She will find where she belongs. And thou mayest join me here with those that have loved an entire life’s worth.”

The old mare looked at me with a strange smile. It chilled me. I noticed that there was a chair next to her’s. It was a death sentence. Sit down and watch life pass by, there was nothing else left. I couldn’t give up.

“No.”

“What did thou say??” My mother’s voice actually raised in pitch. She could get loud. But rarely did the tone change.

“I said no. I want to marry Starlight.”

“So this unicorn hath completely enchanted thee. I had my doubts, but now I know it to be true. If thou shalt defy thy tradition and thy mother, thou hast no place here.”

She stomped the floor with a withered hoof. Despite its size and density, the sound was like a nail driven into a coffin. She tried to look away from and sit defiantly in her self righteousness. I wouldn’t let her.

“This is my home, Mother. And I still plan to go to the stone. I honor the tradition so long as it makes sense. Starlight asked me to marry her, and I said I would. Isn’t that also the Pie tradition?”

“Thou did not have the right to accept without the stone’s approval. Thou did know that.” Ma crossed her forehooves. She was not budging.

“I suppose it depends on what the stone says. Will you listen if it says it will work?”

“Wilt thou listen if it denounces this travesty?”

I bit my lip. Could I put my trust in the stone as my ancestors did? Could I risk my love with Starlight to appease my mother? Would I really leave her if the stone said so?

I needed Ma to calm down. I needed her on our side. If she was going to listen to me at all, I had to play her game and trust the stone. Otherwise she will be denouncing us the entire time.

“... Yes.”

“The stone will see reason, and so shalt thee.”

Mother slowly got up and walked away. In my mind, I felt the weight of the stone grow exponentially. It all came down to its judgment. I didn’t like that. Starlight was very important to me and I didn’t want to leave that to chance or a stone I used to believe in.

We left the house. Ma held a look of triumph while I was apprehensive. Starlight caught my look and knew I was defeated. Or at least felt defeated.

The dinner went on in silence. I couldn’t help but notice the many stares directed at me, especially from Starlight. Dinner suddenly became bland and disinteresting.

The table was cleared by Pinkie’s foals. They tried to outdo one another with how many bowls they could balance on their snouts. Ma shook her head at their impossible antics but seemed satisfied that they helped.

The ponies at the table began to break off into groups and talk of their lives and new projects. I remained at the table, the stone eating away at me like the food I just ate. It wasn’t digesting properly.

“Maud? Are you okay?” Starlight’s voice caused my stomach to spasm again but its contents remained at the bottom.

“No.” I laid my head on the table. It felt like I was sick. It was too much pressure for me. I loved both my fiancée and my family. I shouldn’t have to choose.

A pair of pink hooves wrapped around me. I could feel that warmth I craved return to me. It was like the world stopped spinning for a moment and I was safe. There were no expectations on me. Just me and that warmth.

“So … it didn’t go well, did it?” she asked in a tentative whisper.

“It’s up to the stone now,” I said into my hooves.

“Well, it’s you. The stones never let you down before, right?”

I remained silent. I wished for her confidence at that moment. I wished my mother understood the love I held for Starlight. But all she held onto was rocks. I used to think like that. But you can only talk to a rock for so long. They can’t really fulfill you.

“Maud? It will be okay. You still have me. And no matter what, I’m not going anywhere.” Her hooves encircled my middle and the fuzzy warmth increased as I felt more of her body gather me up.

I could feel my face flush as it pressed against the table. It was a feeling I never wanted to end. In the depths of that warmth, the idea of leaving Starlight was impossible, stone or no stone. But I had promised Ma I would if the stone said to.

“C’mon, I want to see your farm. Can you show me around?” Starlight slowly turned around in my chair with her magic.

I began to stand when those hooves moved up to my shoulders. There was nothing but love in the eyes staring down at me. No hidden agenda. No trickery or lies. Just love. I wanted that.

“It’s hard to show you around the farm when you’re hugging me like this,” I informed her with a glance.

“Oh, sorry,” Starlight said as she pulled her forehooves away. I couldn’t help but look longingly at those hooves. I missed the castle and the freedom to be ourselves by ourselves.

“It’s okay. Let’s see the farm,” I said, and began trotting off to Holder’s Boulder.

“So, heh,” Starlight began as soon as we were out of ear shot. I knew what she wanted to ask, and it made my heart ache. Though it was probably my stomach. Hearts don’t actually feel pain without something being seriously wrong. “Does your mother really not like me?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

“Because I proposed to you too early?”

“Not that.”

“Then what was it?” Starlight sounded desperate. Her eyes pleaded.

“She thinks you’re causing me to give up my dreams of rock studying; causing me to ignore my family and traditions.”

“But ... but I never said you should avoid your family or stop looking for rocks.” Starlight looked like she had been slapped in the face. She slowly backed away from me.

“I know.”

“Then why does she think that?” She shuffled nervously.

“Because I haven’t come home, and switched jobs.”

Starlight placed a hoof to her forehead. I waited. Some ponies like to place their hooves to their face when they think. I didn’t want to interrupt.

“I mean, why didn’t you tell her it was your choice? Or tell her why you haven’t visited?” Starlight pleaded. Her face looked hurt and confused.

“Oh.”

“Can you at least tell me? It wasn’t because of me, was it?” Starlight’s tone shifted from confusion to concern.

“Not exactly… I just felt better when you were around. The new job kept me close to you, and I wasn’t certain how my family would react to a second mate.”

Starlight sighed. “I appreciate that you want to be close, but I’m not going anywhere. You could have visited your family, or even better, you could have taken me.”

“The school kept you pretty busy.”

“Maud ... you know you're important to me. That’s why I asked you to marry me.” Her scolding tone was back. She sounded like a mother. “You know that. So why is it really?”

“It felt wrong.”

“Because we were together?”

I looked at Holder’s Boulder, with all its weathered marks and careworn chips. The Boulder was the foundation of the farm. It represented the Pies’ right to farm here. It kept us safe. I looked back at the farm and felt the hollowness here, like a piece of the Boulder itself had broken free. It hadn’t.

“Because Pa wasn’t there. It didn’t feel like home without him,” I admitted.

“Oh. I see. So this is about your dad and not me. You should tell that to your mom. She might understand.” Starlight bit her lip, shifting from hoof to hoof. She only had her dad, so the idea might be upsetting.

“I don’t want to make her feel worse. She lost him not that long ago. If I tell her I didn’t want to come home because he’s gone, it might make her feel worse.” It hurt when I said it out loud. I was running away from his death still, but dealing with two deaths had been nearly impossible for me at the time.

Starlight held me in a comforting hug. A hug a dear friend would give. Starlight was a dear friend first.

“It’s not fair.” Starlight’s muffled words came from my mane. “You lost Mud Briar and then your father right after we got together. You shouldn’t have to deal with so much pain in such a short time.”

“But I found you. It hasn’t all been bad.” My gut twisted as I heard my own words. Did I just say Mud Briar’s death was a good thing that led me to Starlight? Was the death of almost all the stallions in my life worth finding my current love?

“We found each other, right when we needed to,” Starlight said, pulling me close. My own snout was filled with the soft strands of her mane. It sounded much better the way she worded it. If that were true, there would be no way the stone would deny us.

Sister Talk

Chapter 4

“So are you really thinking of having foals?”

I paused in the sip of tea I was about to take. I glanced at the gray-striped mane of the pony that asked. Marble’s eyes looked at me in awe.

I stopped rocking the large porch swing that hung from the ceiling. Marble nearly fell off, not expecting the sudden change in motion. I stared at her on the other end.

“Pinkie told you,” I said flatly.

“You know she didn’t have to.” Her face retreated into her mane.

Marble was talking about her Marble Sense. She could hear the thoughts of others and send her own to a few select ponies. The family could all hear her, and so could Vinyl Scratch, it seemed. But she didn’t like using her gift. She thought it made her seem strange.

“It would make Ma like Starlight more. We hope,” I informed her. The tea filled my mouth finally. Lavender had a calming flavor and scent. It was working.

The porch creaked as Marble shifted a little closer. I felt the swing dip lower as the weight shifted. She seemed uncomfortable. I wasn’t certain why.

“Is that the only reason?”

“I don’t know. I do love Starlight, and the idea of having her foal or giving her one makes me feel warm somehow. Like bringing a joy that only I can give that Trixie didn’t.” It sounded selfish to want something special that Starlight’s ex-wife didn’t get.

Marble stared at her steaming cup. The trails of vapor wrapped around her snout, leaving little water droplets on her hair. She closed her eyes.

“I can understand that. But I don’t know if ‘competing’ with her ex-wife like that is a good reason. If you want foals, you should have them because you will love them.”

I nodded. Love was the real reason to have foals. Traditions, expectations, and competition would not help make the rearing easier. Resentment could easily crop up and a foal didn’t deserve that.

“How would this spell work?” Marble cocked her head letting her face poke out. It was a strange question. I didn’t think my family would want to know the particulars of how the foals were conceived.

“Starlight said the spell would temporarily turn one of us into a stallion. Then she would insert ...”

“I, I know how that works. Do you think it would hurt? I’ve never been with a stallion before.” Marble returned to her mane-made sanctuary.

I felt dumb. She wasn’t asking about my plans at all. She was hoping to have foals herself. I sighed into my tea, pushing a plume of steam into the crisp night air.

“You don’t have to. I’m sure Vinyl could.” I imagined Vinyl had all sorts of experiences prior to meeting Marble. I was still shocked how well they worked together. I guess Vinyl must have taken the warning I gave her when I caught them in bed to heart. I told her to treat my sister right.

“No, I want to carry them. I don’t want to slow her down. I know she always thought foals would be ‘cool’ to have. But I don’t want her to slow down because of it. She loves her music very much, and if I can bring her a foal it will be worth it.”

I stared into my teacup. The small lavender pieces floated around with a carefree feel. I knew they couldn’t actually be carefree. They were plants. It was simply in response to the stimulus of me drinking. But knowing that didn’t make the patterns any less interesting.

“I know you will make wonderful parents. But are you sure you want to give up your new music career for this?” I watched her reaction. There was no sadness, just resolve and joy.

“It’s what I can do for her. Like you said. Vinyl has been so kind and so giving. She’s opened up my world and shown me the love I was looking for. So I want to do that for her. With a foal.”

Marble was pretty resolute. She wasn’t the type that would be dissuaded, despite her docile demeanor. She would have her foals. If Vinyl agreed, of course.

“Have you talked to your wife about it?” I didn’t know what else to say. The idea of a pregnant Marble was not that far fetched. She had always been the motherly type.

“Yeah. As soon as I heard about it. She’s still thinking about it but I know my wife. She is really excited about it and just doesn’t want to seem uncool.”

“Being a mom isn’t ‘cool’?”

Marble looked like she was about to burst with laughter. “It’s not like that. She’ll seem kind of silly if she starts running around like a filly. That’s what she’s like at home. She acts like a foal herself sometimes. But that’s what I love about her. She’s so different at home than she is with everypony else. Kind of like I am.”

“You two would be great moms. You’re both really energetic. I’m not like that. Starlight is but I don’t get that excited. I don’t know if I could keep up with a foal.” It was a lot of energy. Pinkie’s children were all over the place all the time. I could barely see them move, let alone keep up with them. I tried to picture myself with a smaller version of Starlight as a foal. I felt my resolve and heart melt at the thought. It began to sway my opinion in favor of the idea.

“That daydream was really cute,” Marble said candidly. That Marble Sense of hers was sharp. “You should really think about it.”

“That’s if the choosing stone blesses us. Ma won’t even acknowledge us until then. If it goes badly, Ma wants Starlight to find somepony else.” I tried not to think about the promise I made to leave Starlight if the stone said so. Marble would know.

Marble shook her head. “It won’t. I can tell. You two are made for each other. Anypony can see that. Ma is just … upset. She wanted to be part of your life, too, and she feels kind of left out.”

“You should throw her a party!” The ball of pink cried out as she rushed out onto the porch. It was followed by an explosion of confetti that floated down around Marble and I.

“Hi Pinkie,” I said calmly. Confetti didn’t hurt so I didn't react like the others. Marble nearly fell into my lap.

“Hi Maud, Hi Marble, are you guys talking about foals?” Pinkie sat in between us rebalancing the swing. I think half of Pinkie Sense is just really good hearing, and she plays it off as supernatural. But I couldn’t deny her ability to see things before they happen.

“Yes,” I said.

“So which one of you is thinking about it?” Pinkie looked quickly between the two of us.

“Both of us, actually,” my shy sister admitted. She often had a problem talking openly with her twin. Most likely because Pinkie talked so much and Marble wasn’t the type to interrupt.

“Ooo, I always wanted nieces and nephews. How many are you guys thinking? Four or five?”

“Probably just one,” I said. Pinkie scrunched her nose in disbelief.

“Me too,” Marble agreed, hiding from the confused and shocked stare of her twin. “I don’t think Vinyl wants that big of a family.”

“Just one?! What is wrong with you two? Foals are the most fun, bestest thing in the world! You can love them, pet them, and dress them up. You can have a party every day if you want, and they’re always so excited. Little Cheese would have been lonely without the rest of the crew. And the more you have the bigger your heart grows to fit them all inside.” Pinkie hugged herself and swayed slightly.

“Aaargh, foals sound like cancer,” growled Limestone as she made her entrance onto the porch from inside the house. She flopped on a chair in front of the sister laiden swing. The full complement of Pie sisters were together again. I wondered if Starlight was okay with the husband and wives club. Mud Briar could never get used to it.

“Relax Maud, Starlight’s fine,” Pinkie said with a forehoof around me. “She’s playing with the Cheesy Tots. They’re just as excited about the wedding as you are.”

“If the stone says so,” I recalled with a pain in my gut.

“She made a deal with Ma,” my youngest sister whispered. “If the stone says no, she’ll have to leave Starlight.”

“No way!” Pinkie shouted angrily. “You can’t leave Starlight, stone or no stone. You two are way too good for each other to let a rock choose for you. Ma just has to get over it.”

“I don’t think we should just throw traditions out the window just because we don’t agree with them.” Limestone sounded just like Pa. “We have a way of life to preserve. If we don’t honor the stones, they will stop producing. You might have to pay for moving too fast, Maud.”

“You want Maud to be unhappy forever?” Pinkie whirled on our traditional sister in an instant. “She’s in love. You can see it, feel it, hear it, and taste it. There is no way she would be happy if Starlight had to go. I don’t even think Ma would be happy with that.”

“We’ll see what the stone says,” I said, trying to end the speculation.

“It’s a nice night,” Marble commented, redirecting the flow of conversation. “It’s nice when we’re all together like this.”

“We haven’t done this since ...” Pinkie’s words died in her throat. The last time we’d all been together was at Pa’s funeral. That had not been a happy meeting. I remember wishing that Starlight was there to hold me like a little filly. But it felt wrong to bring my new marefriend to the farm to meet everypony at a funeral. Like rubbing it in everypony’s faces that I was happy.

“I miss him ...” I said in a small whisper.

“We all do,” Marble whispered even more gently.

“Well, we have Limestone to read his lines and wear his hat. So it’s kind of like he’s here.” Pinkie’s attempt to cheer us kind of flopped. The three of us on the chair huddled together for support. Then Pinkie somehow swapped herself for Limestone so she wouldn’t be left out. The irate mare’s teeth ground in my ear.

“If he were here, I’m sure he would have no trouble convincing Ma to accept you two. I’m not that much like him at all.” My elder sister sighed. I looked at my sister in disbelief. She rarely took my side, especially against tradition. “Ma’s grumpiness is worse than mine lately.”

“That’s impressive,” Pinkie blurted, then clapped her hooves over her mouth.

“Shut up!”

“It makes sense. I wasn’t the nicest pony after I lost my husband either,” I reminded them, remembering Pinkie crying after I yelled at her. I shuddered. A crying Pinkie still haunts my dreams.

“We just have to throw her a cheer-up party!”

The rest of us sighed. “Not everything can be solved with a party, Pinkie,” growled Limestone for the millionth time. “Maud … you really should talk to her again. She respects you more than she does the rest of us, and you know what she’s going through. We can’t reach her, especially not through a party.”

“She seems to be angry at me,” I sighed. It was not something I found favorable but I found myself in that position a lot. I wasn’t the type to just give in, except to Pinkie but she is relentless.

“You know that’s not really true. Ma will calm down. She loves you and might just feel hurt because you didn’t come home with Starlight before getting engaged,” Pinkie suggested.

“Just talk to her again …” Marble whispered.

“You’ll have tomorrow on the way to the stone,” my elder sister reminded me.

I nodded. The exhaustion of the day was starting to set in. I didn’t want to break up the sisterhood moment though. I wondered what tomorrow would bring. How would it feel to make this trip without Pa? Could I convince Ma that Starlight wasn’t affecting me as much as she thought?

“Well I’m pretty tired, and we have a big day ahead of us, and… ” Marble cut herself off with a mighty yawn.

“Yes we should—”

“Look!” Pinkie’s shout drowned out my words. “A shooting star. Pa’s looking down on us right now. Maybe checking in on us mares.”

I saw the burning ball of light fill the sky with a bright flash. For a few moments the fields of the farm were easily visible in the blue tinged light. Then it was gone, leaving us alone in the dark again.

My hoof caressed the meteorite on the chain around my neck. Was that really Pa? Was he saying not to be worried? Was he telling me to honor my traditions? More than likely it was just a random meteor burning through the atmosphere.

That signaled the end of the huddle, and not long after, all the couples went to their respective beds.

Trail of squabble

Chapter 5

I woke up in my old room. It was disorienting. My first thought was to get the rest of the family ready like I used to. Limestone would grumble and growl at me. Pinkie would pop out of bed as long as I brought candy. Marble would quietly get up and brush her mane for what seemed like hours.

My body began to move only to be stopped by a pink hoof. Pinkie didn’t sleep in my bed that often. But the mare nestled against me wasn’t her. That’s when the plans for the day scrolled through my mind. It was time to walk to the choosing stone.

I moved closer to the pink hoof’s owner. The very idea that this could be the last morning I wake next to her left a cold feeling in my body. What would I do if the stone turned against me? Could I handle just leaving her because of a rock? Was marriage really a rock-based decision?

I turned to see a disheveled Starlight snoring away. It was strange. Most ponies couldn’t stand that loud, soul-grating sound. Even Trixie would slip out of their bed and sleep in a different room in the castle. It sounded like boulders rolling down a cliff side. I found it soothing and these days I couldn’t sleep well without it.

“Starlight…” I called to the unconscious mare.

“Mmm?”

“We have to get ready to walk to the choosing stone today. We should make a proper breakfast.”

“Not yet… Maud... I need more snuggle time first...” I didn’t know whether she was awake or dreaming. I could feel my cheeks flush as she called my name instead of Trixie’s, like she used to in the morning. I guess I hadn’t noticed when that had changed.

The groggy unicorn pulled me in her and I could feel her tail exploring around my hind legs. It was not a good time for that. But it was hard to resist that wonderful feeling of intimacy.

“Ahem...” The sound froze any of those thoughts and Starlight’s tail too. I didn’t have to turn to know who it was.

“Maybe you two should take your ‘energy’ out by helping me with breakfast,” Spitfire suggested.

“Morning, Spitfire,” I said, not wanting to turn around and see that disapproving glare. It was a little hypocritical of her. Limestone and Spitfire’s coupling was known to shake the homestead. “It is unusual for you to walk into your sister-in-law’s room and start judging her, though.”

Spitfire snorted. “Limey sent me. No need to get your tail in a bunch. Ma is up. You don’t want her to hear what you’re up to, do you?”

I calmed down. I was just nervous about the stone. My heart hurt looking at that tousled mane and groggy face. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I wanted to snuggle with that mare all day and skip this cursed ritual.

But I couldn’t. I slowly got up, drinking in all the warmth from my mate. I inhaled her scent and all the little details. I wanted to remember them. Just in case.

“I will help with breakfast. Starlight, I will see you down at the table.” I undid the curlers in my mane and changed after Spitfire left. I applied my usual eyeliner and shadow. Then I looked at my reflection. The reflection seemed to have tears in its eyes. Why was my mirrored version crying?

“Maud?” A Starlight-shaped figure appeared in the mirror behind me. She placed her hoof on my shoulder. “Are you okay? Why are you upset?”

“I’m okay. I must have gotten some of the eyeliner in my eye.”

“Maud ...” She didn’t believe me. I didn’t know how to tell her about my promise to my mother. I didn’t want her to worry about the stone like I was. If she began to panic, Ma would be even more annoyed. It wouldn’t help.

“Is it... Pa again?”

I leaned into her outstretched hoof. She was still soft and warm from the blanket. How could I ever leave this mare? Over a stone? It didn’t seem fair.

“You’ll be okay... I’m here for you.” She nuzzled her face into mine. I felt the guilt eat at me but remained strong for her.

“Thank you,” was all I could say.

Breakfast was the typical madness of eating and foals bouncing all over the place. Ma didn’t take charge this time. She looked at me with a smug, self-righteous look. I couldn’t meet her gaze. How was I supposed to talk to her like this?

After breakfast, the entire family grabbed their packs and prepared for the day-long journey. Starlight was excitedly prancing around with Pinkie. They both were eager to get to the stone, Starlight to receive a blessing and Pinkie to throw a party because of it. I wished I had their confidence.

Marble walked next to me. As usual, she was quiet. I knew she was trying to cheer me up. She didn’t need words to do that. Vinyl walked by my side too. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to comfort me as well, but the DJ just nodded along to a musical beat I couldn’t hear.

“I love long journeys,” Pinkie said. “It’s fun to share with family. It’s like all of us are trapped together and are forced to deal with our underlying issues.” Her eyes pointedly looked at me and Ma.

I sighed and let Marble and Vinyl continue to walk past me. Ma was walking next to Limestone at a pace my sister didn’t like. She sighed in relief as I let them approach me.

“I’m going to check on that birdbrain Spitfire. She’s flying so fast we won’t see her until we get there.” My irate sister sped up, passing the competition left and right. The competition didn’t notice.

Ma looked at me with a haughty smile. I tried not to be offended. Fighting with each other wasn’t something we enjoyed.

“Hast thou come to thy senses? Art thou going to request we to turn around?” My mother’s scorn was palpable.

“No, but I wanted to stop our fight. I don’t know how to fix it. It’s been a long time since we fought and this is not something I want to fight over.”

Her expression softened. There was some hesitation in her steps. “Thou hast always been so willful, Maudileena but normally respected the stones. I do not know why thou hast chosen now to stray from the path, but it fills me with sorrow. I had hoped we could comfort each other.”

“Comfort?”

“We both are widows. ‘Tis tradition that the widows provide comfort to each other. Though we are strong in our love of our husbands, ‘tis acceptable to share the loneliness with others who know this loss.” She looked away to disguise any emotion on her face. She didn’t want me to know the truth. When she looked back she was just as expressionless as ever.

“Oh… I didn’t know how lonely you were. I’m still a widower. I’m still here for you.”

The hard stone face slipped a bit and I could see the real pain and isolation in those creases. I nearly stopped in my tracks. If it had been anypony else I would have hugged them, like Pinkie taught me. But I knew Ma. It would be too startling and, more importantly, it would seem like pity. Ma wanted none of that.

“‘Tis not the same,” she sighed. “Thou hast found another mate. One that fills thee with joy and comfort. I can see that in just this short while. Though I still say it is not our way. I shall take no happiness when the stone tells thee of thy transgression.”

“Other ponies have gotten remarried with the stone’s blessing,” I countered. I wasn’t going to give up. I had to convince her.

“Such a thing is rare. Those mates died young before the true root of love took hold. They were not satisfied or filled with the rock’s true blessing. Thou didst have a long time with thy husband and made strong the bonds of love with him. Honor the blessing the rock hath given thee.” She made it sound like we were married for decades and not just mere years. I noticed the trees thinned as we climbed further up the mountain.

“It wasn’t long enough. He left me too soon.”

“All believe that. Even I feel stripped of that love too soon. Though it was many years more than thou.” Ma looked ahead. Her face regained its composure. She was standing on the stone principles again.

“So you don’t want me to be happy?”

“I did not say that. Why would I want thee to suffer? I reminded thee that thou hast strayed. Though thou hast found more happiness, it hath come at cost of thyself.”

I shook my head at that notion. I felt more myself around Starlight than I ever had. “That isn’t true. I made the decision to stay away. I made the choice to become a counselor instead of returning to rocks.”

“Thou hast yet to tell me why. The only change I have seen is this Starlight.” She pointed at my fiancée with firm conviction.

“It’s not because of her!” It was odd hearing my voice that loud. It was still emotionless but I was shouting. I didn’t like to shout. It made me sound like I was using intensity to debate instead of words.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s… Pa… and Mud Briar.” I didn’t want to say it. It felt so petty. It felt so weak to admit that their death had changed my life that much. Ponies die all the time. The rock stays firm and continues on. But I crumbled. I didn’t have the strength to be the stone that she was.

Mother said nothing, just looked ahead. I couldn’t tell if she was angry, disappointed, or just sad I wasn’t the boulder of strength she wanted me to be.

We shifted quietly around the large rocks that broke the landscape. The maneuvering made the silence less uncomfortable. But the tension was as large as the stones themselves and weighed just as much.

“So... that was it,” she finally said, passing the larger rocks. “The rock has shaken thee. It is hard to watch all that thou carest about as it crumbles around thee. Why did thou not come to me sooner? I would have taken care of thee, as thy mother. Thou did not have to replace my love with a mate. I could have used thy company as well... Thy sisters do not know our pain.”

“Ma...” I didn’t know what to say. She’d just told me I replaced her with Starlight. I didn’t think it was the same thing. “You weren’t replaced, Ma. You’re still my mother. I love Starlight differently.”

“I know. It just happened so quickly. I thought thou wouldst take more time for thyself. Perhaps return to the farm and remember thy roots. But the next thing I hear is that thou hast found a new mate. A mare, no less. And she was nowhere to be seen when thou did return for thy father’s funeral. When thou didst need her most, she was not there.” She glared at Starlight in a way only a mother could when their foal had been wronged.

“I told her not to come.” I sighed. Admitting my own fault is not as easy, especially when your mother is judgemental.

“Why? Would she not have brought thee comfort?”

“Of course, but I didn’t want you or anypony else to feel bad. I didn’t want to feel like I was showing off my new marefriend when you were in pain.” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see Mother’s disappointed look again.

“‘Tis true I might have felt... unneeded. After all, if I cannot comfort thee as thy mother, what purpose do I serve? But it might have been a reminder as well.” The sorrow was oddly palatable, it made my heart ache. That reminded me of the stone, which was getting closer and closer with each hoofstep.

“A reminder?”

“That life can continue after such loss. That hope continues. I was in such pain, the only thing that brought me comfort was my daughters. To see them all happy would have brought me hope.”

I swallowed and looked at my mother. She was looking away. The sun showed off her fading coat and whitening mane. It made her look ethereal. Like the passage of time and hardship brought out her true strength. She stood on the edge of a vista, where the trees spread out like a carpet of green.

“So you don’t disapprove of Starlight?”

Ma sighed. “She is not a bad mare. She does not respect thy culture.”

“I didn’t tell her anything about our culture. She was acting on her own beliefs. You cannot hold that against her.” I hoped she would finally relent.

“That troubles me further. Art thou ashamed of us because of her?”

“No.”

“Then tell me why thou hast been silent with her?” She looked at me intently, her gaze could pierce the strongest justification.

“I felt like I was in a different world with her. It was safe there. I didn’t need to think about Mud Briar or Pa. I didn’t need to explain what I was to any other pony. She’s one of the few that gets me.” It was a simple fantasy, one that I had fought hard to maintain.

“Thou wert hiding. I understand. If there was a world free of the pain I would probably also stay there. I thank thee for thine explanation. I will be there for thee when the stone denounces thy relationship.” She placed a reassuring hoof on me but I felt worse.

The stone was close and soon it would pass judgement. I might have convinced her not to hate Starlight but she still believed we were cursed. I glanced at my fiancé with failure crushing my gut. I felt woozy, my hooves stumbled a bit.

Starlight stopped immediately and supported my body. My mother turned away from the scene but a stray look showed both pity and envy. I didn’t know what to say.

“Are you alright Maud? You’re normally really sure hoofed.” Starlight had a tinge of panic in her voice.

“Just nervous…”

“Is this stone really that important to you?”

“Yes.” I didn’t want to say that our relationship actually hung in the balance. I had bet on us and that the stone would show everypony we were meant together. Why couldn’t I trust it?

The choosing stone chooses

Chapter 6

The path continued up. The mountain summit was in sight. Most of the party was huffing and puffing, especially the Cheese children. Ma hadn’t spoken in a while and neither had I. The conversation had gone as far as it could and only the stone remained.

The choosing stone hung over my heart like a weight prepared to drop. Each hoofstep closer tightened the knot in the pit of my stomach. My legs felt like lead. My head spun. What would the stone say? Starlight helped keep me moving in a straight line. The rest of the family, except Ma, looked at me with concern and sadness.

It was the longest walk of my life, but it still finished too soon. We summited the mountain and stood on the sacred rock. The wind whipped my mane like one of Starlight’s kites. The sun was low and the air smelled cold. I don’t know if that was actually a smell or if my snout was too cold to smell anything.

The stone maker and the stone reader were there waiting for us. They were dressed in dark clothes with hats similar to Pa’s. The maker had a goatee while the reader had a beard that ran from his chin to his ears.

Starlight stood tall next to me. “So what do we do? Where is this stone?”

“You’ll see.”

“Welcome once again Pie family. Hast thou brought those to be judged?” bellowed the Stone Maker, his commanding voice echoed over the nearby mountain tops.

My elder sister spoke the traditional response. Normally it was Pa but she wore the hat now. They would regard her as equal to them. “We are here. I, Limestoneabelle Louise Pie, guardian of Holder’s Boulder, speak for the Pie family.”

“Name thy kin so that it might be noted. They shall be recorded as proper witnesses.” The Maker pulled out a large book and began to write as Limestone spoke.

Limestone took a big breath and began the list of the family. “Cloudy Quartz, daughter of Hard Rock; the daughters of Igneous Rock, Limestoneabelle Louise, Maudileena Daisy, Pinkamena Diane, Marblelyn Rose; spouses Spitfire, Cheese Sandwich, and Vinyl Scratch. Children–“

“That be plenty. Mine hoof hath gotten sore.” The Maker shook the hoof with the pen in it.

“Bring forth those that consult the stone,” called the reader in an equally booming voice. I stepped forward. I felt my tail hang low and my ears drop.

Starlight stepped next to me, looking more concerned with my mood than the ritual. “Maud? Are you okay? You look miserable. Is this really that bad?”

I kept the fears from my mouth. It wasn’t the time or place to voice them. Instead I thought of the stones, trying not to throw up. The stones were strong and not nauseous. They waited, they didn’t anticipate. They were hard and strong, not weak and pliable like my body.

“I am,” I finally spoke. “We, Maudileena Daisy Pie and fiancée Starlight Glimmer, ask for the stone’s blessing.”

“Maudileena? Thou art returning for a second time?” cried the reader. “What hast happened to thy husband?”

“He died.”

“Very well; thou knowest this shall not be as easy as thy first time. Approach and receive thy stones.”The Reader commanded with sadness in his voice.

“Stones? I thought there was only one choosing stone,” Starlight whispered in confusion.

“That is the choosing stone; we are going to receive the casting stones,” I told her. I pointed a hoof at the large slab of slate that lay on the ground like a large altar. Its dull, grey, sheer surface shone like a monolith of doubt. It was impenetrable. Was my mother right? Was Starlight actually my destined wife? Or were we just two lonely mares clinging onto each other because we didn’t want to face reality alone?

The reader offered Starlight and I our large flint balls. The dense weight brought me right back to the last time. I remembered Mud Briar’s calm, palacid face staring back at me as we took our places. He had stood a few paces away from me, and we’d both thrown our boulders at the same time. The cracks in the slate had sounded like the world ripping from under our hooves. I had watched with no fear as they’d quickly intersected and run together, nearly splitting the choosing stone in half. It had been a clear sign that we were destined. I must have missed the part where his crack stopped abruptly. It would have warned me I was going to lose him.

The reader stood on the far side of the slate tablet. The piece was wider and thicker than last time. It was the size of a small table rather than the smaller nightstand-sized piece Mud Briar and I had stood before. I understood why the stone didn’t choose second pairings.

It didn’t seem right. For the first time I saw the stone as an adversary. It could keep me from the one I loved. It could tell the entire world that what I wanted was wrong.

We were placed four flint blocks away. Mud Briar and I were half the distance last time. Just another obstacle against us.

“Art thou ready?” the Reader said.

“Wait a minute,” called Starlight, inspecting her flint nugget. “So ... I’m just supposed to toss this rock on to that rock and what …?”

“See if thy crack can reach Maud’s. ‘Tis the way the rock speaks.” The Reader looked at me with a curious expression.

“So it’s just about making sure the cracks meet?”

“Aye.”

“Okay.” Starlight said quietly. She looked at me. Then she looked at the stone. I watched that mind of hers start to whirl. She was analyzing. I hoped she wouldn’t dare use magic in this. She had to know this was a strength only feat.

“Maudileena, thy family did call this ritual. Thine is the first throw.” The Reader bellowed again, despite our close proximity. The world shook with that voice and it echoed out to the valley below.

I was shaken from my speculation. Starlight was up to something, but I didn’t have time to figure out what. I had to throw. The only thing that would give us an edge would be if I made my crack really big. Not enough to shatter the slate, but a large-enough crack that Starlight’s rock had a chance to reach it. I knew she wasn’t that strong, so I needed to make it easier for her.

The boulder wasn’t that heavy. I hefted it up onto the top of my hoof. It was something I had done a million times to a million stones. I looked at the natural cleavage of the target. Then released the flint with a decent amount of force.

The flint sprang into action, striking itself into the choosing stone. There was a shattering sound as a large crack rippled out from my stone’s impact. Spiderweb-like tendrils ran out from the crater I caused. The stone nearly broke in half.

I grunted a satisfied grunt. Starlight wouldn’t have to try so hard to reach it. But there was still a possibility the stone had other plans. If the stone willed it, Starlight’s fracture could simply arch off in the other direction. Or the piece of flint could fail to make an impact at all.

“Starlight Glimmer, thy throw is next.” The Reader didn’t seem all that moved by my result. I glanced at my mother, her jaw was tight and her eyes mere slits.

Starlight looked at me with a slight smirk and threw her boulder without hesitation. It sailed in a shallow arc towards the slab and slammed into the edge of the shale. A crack immediately formed and beelined towards mine. They connected and the slab fell in two.

“The stone hath spoken!” the Reader called out in his normal bellow. “These two be fated for marital bliss.”

“They cheated!” Ma shouted. “Maud used her strength to make it easier, and that unicorn used her own means to fool it.”

“There is no fooling the stone,” the Reader said with certainty.

“Then tell me, Starlight Glimmer, what did thou do?” my mother hissed. “How couldst thou throw the flint with such confidence? Did thou not know thy marriage was in the balance?”

“My marriage?” Starlight glanced at me with questioning eyes. “No. But that wouldn’t have mattered. I want to be with Maud. And if this test is what gets me there, it’s what I’ll do. I knew I had to change the angle of approach to match the cleavage of the rock so I could get the most bang for my bit. I also knew the correct angle to hit to cause the stone to fracture in the direction of Maud’s crack. All I had to do was use the right amount of force.”

“See? She cheated!” Ma cried triumphantly. “She used her unicorn wits to sully the decision of the stone.”

“‘Tis not cheating,” the Reader said calmly. “‘Tis the test of the stone. The reason for the choosing stone is to show the dedication and want within each pony. Their need to be charted on the stone. If Starlight and Maud use their strengths to remain with each other, that is well; it is what is needed in a strong relationship. This the stone shows. Also, their foals shalt be strong as well.”

“Foals? They’re mares! They can’t have foals together!” My mother was livid. She looked like her world was falling apart.

“Tis is a spell for that,” the Reader said plainly. “Now the choosing stone hath chosen. Be ye blessed, young couple.”

“Wait!” I couldn’t help it. I needed to know. “Does ... does ... the stone show how long we will last? Does it show if Starlight will be okay?”

The Reader stared at me. His eyes fill with sorrow and understanding. “Thou did lose thy mate too young. The stone tells me this marriage will stand long and proud.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, and Starlight knocked me off my hooves. “We did it! And you looked so nervous! I told you I would marry you! We’re getting married! And we’ll show the world how great we are together!”

“Yes.”

I looked at my mother. Her face was red and the blood vessels in her head were pulsing. I couldn’t tell if she was about to explode with rage or cry in shame. I needed to talk to her and tell her that she wasn’t alone.

I was about to get up when a pair of pink lips connected with my own. The world seemed to swim. It faded until there was only me and her. Her warmth was all over me and I could feel something others called excitement build.

“I am excited,” I said in my normal bland tones.

“Pssst,” Pinkie ppssstded in the loudest pssst voice ever. “Ma is watching you two ... you know.”

Starlight grimaced and got off me. I slowly got up. Ma hated public displays of affection. It seemed uncouth to her. I didn’t mind especially not with Starlight.

“Sorry ... I was just really happy.” Starlight admitted, red-faced. I realized this test had scared her too. She didn’t even know about my deal with my mother. I was glad I hadn’t told her.

I looked at my mother, but all I saw was the back of her head. She walked away towards the camping area and didn’t turn around.

“Now that thou hast thine answer, thou shouldst sleep in the Cave of Couples, which is a little down the southern slope. The others shalt sleep upon the bare rock. All should be open to the messages of the stone. The caller and I shall return in the morning. The messages from the bare rock no longer agree with my back.” The Reader pointed the direction to the Cave of Couples.

“Thou hast gotten too close to the stone itself,” the Maker snickered. “In age.”

“Quiet, thou wilst understand soon enough.”

The Maker and Reader walked off to their homes. I wondered how long it would take for them to get home. They must live close by. But then there aren't that many that follow the ways of the stone anymore.

“So ... uh, the Cave of Couples huh?” Starlight had an embarrassed shade of red on her face. “Is, uh ... that for what I think it’s for?”

“Yes. We must be careful though; the cave echoes.”

We were pretty quiet.. for the most part.

A hug in the middle of the night

Chapter 6.

“Mama?”

“Mmm?” I couldn’t think of the little foal’s name.

“Why are you and Grandma not talking anymore?”

“We do.”

The little foal looked at the ground. She was a dark grey color with a pink mane. Her little horn stuck out from the plume on her head. She looked like her other mother.

“No you don’t. You stopped talking after the stone. You should talk to her more. She’s sad. She misses you. I can see it. Please make up with her, Mama.”

I looked at that expressionless face that I had known all the little foal’s life. What was her name? I felt numb and guilty. I thought we had made up before the choosing stone. What had happened? Why couldn’t I remember?

“You should. That way Mommy and her can be friends, and you can see the farm more. I want to meet my cousins. I want to see my uncle and all my aunts. Mommy said they’re nice.”

This didn’t seem right. Why would I abandon my family? Why wouldn’t I have introduced my foal? What was her name?

“You will. Sometime soon. Go back to Grandma. Make sure she knows you’re sorry. Make sure she knows how you really feel. And tell her about me …”

I woke up with Starlight curled up in my forehooves. The cave was cold like my cave at home. It smelled like my old cave too. The musty smell brought me right back into Mud Briar’s hooves like a sweet hug goodbye.

I let myself momentarily go back. Back to that cave, to the time when Mud Briar stabilized my world. Things were so simple then. Starlight and I weren’t as simple but the complexity made the experience much more intense.

I was able to disentangle myself from my lover's embrace. It was difficult to pull myself from her. I wanted to stay in that embrace forever, but I couldn’t ignore what the rock told me. What my daughter told me.

I finally pulled myself away and stood at the entrance of the Cave of Couples. I had to find my mother somehow and to set things straight. I didn’t know what that entirely meant but I knew it had to be done.

The cold wind struck me as I stepped out of the cave. The full moon shone on the mountaintop, the rocks reflected the moonlight. I noticed my family was gone. The spot they were supposed to sleep on was vacant. Was this what the dream was about? Had Ma left and taken the rest of my family with her?

Then I saw her, her white mane glowing in the light. She stared out over the landscape. Immediately worried she was going to jump, I rushed over and stopped in front of her. I didn’t want to startle her and watch her fall.

“Good evening, Maud,” she said without turning. “Hast thou exhausted thyself in the Cave of Couples?”

“I would rather not talk about that.”

“Very well. ‘Tis natural after the Stone’s blessing, after all. But I noticed the sound was a lot more … impassioned than last time. You truly love this mare.” There was a sadness in that voice, the sound of defeat.

“Yes.”

My mother looked down at the blue-tinted blanket of trees below. I watched them bend to the will of the wind as it rose up the mountainside. It was like watching them bow in respect to an unseen deity.

“I did not know how wrong I was …” my mother whispered.

“I didn’t let you meet Starlight, so you really didn’t get to know her before this. It was my fault.” I wasn’t sure what she wanted to hear. Which truth would heal the fissure in our relationship?

“‘Tis not Starlight nor even your relationship I was wrong about. ‘T’was the way of the stone itself. I held onto it in a deathgrip, only for it to forsake my faith and disgrace me.”

“It didn’t leave you, Ma.”

“It did! I thought I knew the stone’s will but it turned upon me and played me for a fool.” My mother’s body was as rigid as stone. If I touched her too hard she might shatter. But I reached my hoof out towards her anyway.

“What art thou doing?!”

I was a reflection of her. Like two ponies looking into a pool. But her face and body wore all the ripples that time hadn’t touched on me yet. Still, my lack of comfort from touch was a reflection of hers. Now it was time to show her what a simple hug could do. Like the first one Starlight gave me, the hug of a friend.

I wrapped my strong hoof around the skeletally thin frame of my mother. She looked almost terrified. But I pushed past my ingrained fear of causing discomfort and hugged her. I hugged my mom.

I felt that thin body that I mistook for stone shaking as I held her. Giving hugs wasn’t something the Pies did often unless it was Pinkie. For the rest of us, it was uncomfortable and strained. It touched an emotional weak spot in us that was not like the rock or at least that’s what I was told. Crystals growing naturally were extremely hot.

“I, I ... I am not sure what thou hast done with my Maudelina, but this is, is ... much warmer than I did expect. Is this from Starlight’s influence?” The voice cracked like a geode.

“Yes.”

“I see. I thank thee. ‘Tis necessary to experience such warmth from one’s kin from time to time. ‘Tis possible I hath misjudged this union.” She pulled back to look at me through her thick glasses, a small smile on her face.

“Will you accept her?”

Ma sighed. The hard stance body I held in my hooves softened. “‘Tis the will of the stone. Perhaps I should listen closer to it.”

“Will you accept our daughter?” I bit my lip, the stone had told me she was coming.

The stiffness returned to her body. “Art thou telling me thou hast performed this spell in there?!”

“No. But I think Starlight and I might have foals, or at least one.” It was something I became more certain of the more I talked about it.

“Then I shall welcome her when she arrives. I thank thee, Maud. I have kept my heart too cold. The rock may also be warm in the light of others. I shall try to learn that anew. Now, it might be best if I should get some sleep. ‘T’will be a long journey tomorrow. Good night.”

Ma leaned on me a little longer, then turned to leave the rock top. “Wait,” I called. “Where are you going? And where is everypony else?”

“Oh. The family hath moved down the mountain a ways. Your mate might be destined and a very warm unicorn, but she sounds like a burrowing rock bear when she sleeps. The cave made it worse.”

I sighed and smiled. “That’s my Starlight ... soon to be my wife.”