Cadance gazed out across the assembled ponies before her throne. "What say you?" She settled herself a bit deeper in her seat. "The statue looks well. Thank you for the concern."

The ponies made noise of their own. Many wanted to address some issue or another, one by one. There were the usual petty grudges and issues with friends or family members, all coming up to their princess. She tried her best to deal with each one fairly as it came, sending some away with smiles and others with less charitable expressions.

A young colt in the back whispered. "Do you think she's mad at me?" He rubbed at his shoulder as he looked towards Cadance.

The pony next to him rolled his eyes. "I don't think she even knows who you are."

A foal's voice rose up from the crowd. "She doesn't know who I am? But I've been coming here every day." His distress was clear for those listening to the conversation.

The first pony waved a hoof. "But you never talked to her not even once."

The little foal kicked the ground with his forehooves. "Well... If you want something done, you have to do it yourself!" He bounded up through the crowd, somehow evading hooves and legs to bounce up to Cadance's throne. Two spears came down, blocking his path.

Cadance pricked her ears at the sudden movement. "It appears we have a sudden guest." She didn't have it in her to be properly angry at a little colt. "I'm sorry, but only those with concerns are permitted this close to the throne."

The little colt leaned against one of the spear points. "I do have a concern! I've been worried about my friend who is a doll, but you won't let me see her!"

Cadance inclined her head. "Doll? Her?" She mused that a brief moment. "Do you mean Beat? Do you go to the same school?"

The colt nodded eagerly. "Yes! But she isn't at school today, or yesterday. Is she sick? Or did she get hurt? Ponies said she got hurt. Did she? Is she okay?"

Cadance gestured for the guards to stand down from their protective positions. "She is not sick. I do not think any of the dolls are capable of that. She and her mother are sharing some special time together. It is a matter between one doll and the next. Not even I was invited."

The colt clapped his hooves together with an eager nod. "Good! And what about the party? Can I go? We all want to go!" He swept his forehooves out.

Cadance laughed at the colt's energy. "I just said even I was not invited, little one. Your dear friend will return, unharmed. I can promise that."

A new voice cut in sharply, "We would be better if the 'dolls' stayed well away from our foals."

Cadance glanced up at a familiar pony. A crystal pony, of course, but she did not stand out like many of her kind. Her mane was sleek and lustrous, if rather dull in color. She struggled to place that mare's name. "Do you have an issue with them? They've only saved the foals thus far."

The mare crossed her arms. "The children are traumatized by the near death experience. They're scared to do anything, and especially to go back into any caves."

Cadance leaned forward in her throne. "And for good reason."

The mare stomped a crystal hoof on the ground. "Before those dolls came along, the children explored with joy and not a single accident. The very instant they take those wicked things along, it collapses on them. A coincidence? I find that unlikely, 'ma'am'."

Cadance squinted slightly at the other pony. "Are you insinuating the dolls caused this accident?"

"Yes." She rolled her eyes and glanced away. "Princess. You're from the far south. This isn't a case of them saving the foals from what some would call an act of nature. That was all their doing, and it should be brought to your attention."

Cadance stroked her chin in thought. "Do you have any evidence?"

The mare rubbed at her mane. "The tunnel they were in is flooded. I can't exactly go snooping around in there, now can I?" The crowd murmured in support of that. "The 'proof' is that the children had done this dozens on dozens of time without incident until the day the dolls came with them."

Cadance let out a thoughtful hum. She knew the dolls, of course, being related, but she couldn't just look too biased on the matter. She swept her eyes over the crowd, spotting several familiar faces, including those of the foals that had been rescued. "Children? Is this true?"

The colt jumped up and down with energy. "What? No way! We did this before they were even here!"

The mare smiled at the colt. "But you never had a problem before they were there, did you?"

The colt shrank back a step. "N-no?"

The mare glared at Cadance. "As I said! They were not just some passing heroes. They made the problem!"

The colt hopped forward. "They did not! They were nice!" He peered back at the foals, smiling softly. "They even saved me." He glanced up at Cadance with hope in his eyes. "I believe them."

Cadance tilted her head down at the colt. "These are very serious allegations. I cannot, and will not, decide entirely on an outside word of a pony who wasn't present at the time, no matter how well-meaning her logic is."

The mare's scowl grew. "So you'll just ignore this danger?!"

"I will not." Cadance lifted a hoof flatside up. "We will call them, the children, doll and flesh both, and get each to say exactly what they experienced from the start. We'll get to the bottom of what exactly happened, and who it is, if anypony, is at fault. I am certain of it." She glanced down at the foals. "As for you, you are my guests of honor tonight. I can only invite you all as one group, so please, share the news with the rest of your schoolmates."

The colt saluted even as the others scattered.

Cadance nodded. "For now, the issue is settled. Next in line, kindly?"

Beat smiled in the sun, though snow spread out all around them. It was chilly below and gently warm above, but her metal body could accept the differences with little complaint. They were far from their home in the Crystal Empire, having gone on a brief adventure with Tempo. She looked up at her mother with hope and joy, enjoying the scenery as much as she was enjoying their mother's company. "It's pretty here."

Tempo drew to a stop alongside Beat. "It is." She leaned in to nuzzle at her foal. "I am glad you see that. I wanted to talk to you, just us mares."

Beat perked. "What about?" She peered around. They had gone away from any road or village, out into a glade filled with trees. Her eyes rose, taking in the wispy white clouds high overhead. "It's so cold, but it's so pretty."

Tempo drew Beat in against her side. "Some would say what I speak of is foalish to bring up to a doll. We do not have those needs, but you are a clever filly, as was I. I got into that, and I imagine, one day, you might too." She touched her nose to the top of Beat's head. "One day you may find love."

Beat clapped her hooves together. "I know what love is! You love me and Pulse, and we love you too."

Tempo chuckled at that. "I mean another kind of love, Beat. Not the love of family." She considered a moment. "Think of your father, Blueblood. The love we have for one another is different. We were not related, but chose to come together, to celebrate one another. What we share is special."

Beat bobbed her head, excited at the idea of learning something new. "And we'll find somepony like that? That would be neat."

Tempo sighed and began walking again. "Come with me. You may, or you may not. I just want you, little one, to be ready in either event. There is no hurry. Don't feel like this is some test." She inclined her head forward, walking between the trees and over the snow-covered grass.

Beat paused and reached for a crystal sticking up from the ground. It was as tall as her, but perfectly smooth. She could feel a faint impression on it, of a dark and tight place. That crystal had once been underground. It was neither happy or unhappy to be on the surface. It was just a rock. It had no interesting memories. She scampered to keep up with Tempo.

"Oh! And what should I do if I meet somepony? They have two genders, right? Will one be more interested than the other?"

Tempo didn't turn her head. "How astute of you, but not entirely correct." She turned an ear towards Beat. "Flesh ponies have two primary sexes, but a thousand thousand shades between them. And all along that spectrum, any of them may decide they like you, maybe a lot. You can't control them, only yourself."

Beat looked down at her hooves as she followed behind Tempo. "I don't get it. Is this why Blueblood picked you instead of any other pony? Did you pick him back?"

Tempo smiled at that. "He admired my steadfastness. He also appreciated my appearance." She waved over herself. "But I share that with Cadance, and he did not chase her, now did he? No, his attraction to me started up here." She tapped at her own head. "He fell in love with who I was, as a pony. That is a delightful place to begin, though it is not always where it will start."

Beat touched her hoof to her cheek. "Love starts here?"

Tempo halted and turned about, laying a hoof to Beat's chest. "I can only tell you what it felt, for me, when I began to return his feelings. Oh, to answer, he came for me first, and I echoed it in time. I liked his attention, and then I liked him. And then I loved him."

Beat blinked and considered those words. "Love feels like being happy?"

Tempo laughed and hugged Beat close. "It's a little more complicated than that, little one. It is a complicated thing. But that is a good start. I should warn, it is not always happiness. Like all good things, it's worth a bit of struggle." She nuzzled her daughter gently. "One thing. You are a young model, still many shells ahead of you. You are not constructed for more physical displays, and you may never be. Your shell will be entirely yours to design by that point, and you can decide for yourself."

Beat began walking forward at Tempo's side. "So there's no wrong choice?"

Tempo smiled at Beat, walking through the trees at a leisurely pace. "No right or wrong, my foal. It is, and will be, your body." She turned an ear back. "I would be a poor parent if I insisted you follow my design. Yours is unique to you, as was mine. You should only seek what makes you happy."

Beat started up at her mother. "But what do you think of it?"

Tempo gave a little laugh. "I lived much of my life without such needs, and I learned I never had to make a choice." She pointed off at the Crystal Empire in the distance. "The Crystal Heart is tied to us in a special way."

Beat stamped her hooves, enjoying the sound of that echo among the trees. "Oh! Are you saying we can love who we want?"

Tempo chuckled again. "My daughter, that is exactly what I am saying." She grinned at Beat. "But I am serious about the Crystal Heart. When they energize it, we get a brief time as a flesh pony. The time of that festival draws close, which is why we are here, having this discussion. And why you should consider it."

Beat pointed towards Tempo. "Can I look like you?"

Tempo kept walking along, ears tilted forward and a soft smile on her lips. "I am confident that no matter who you choose to be, your friends will accept you." She was quiet a moment, their steps the only noise for a little while. "Just remember that what I look like was already borrowed from Cadance. Ask your aunt before you borrow it too, if you really want to."

Beat sighed softly, but continued along at Tempo's side, exploring the woods and the strange wonderland of ice and snow. They traveled onward, talking about many things. Their walk together, alone, was not all that far, but it did lead them down an interesting path.

Author's Note

I really liked that mother to daughter chat.

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