The crystal heart began to glow with warmth and magic as ponies danced in the grand hall below it. It watched over the crowd, as it had for centuries. It was an artifact of the past, and yet now it shone brightly, casting out light and colors.

Pulse wiggled in place with little mechanical shuffles of sounds. "It is almost time."

Beat squeezed her brother's hoof. "Can you believe we're finally here?"

Pulse held still a moment, then turned towards his sister. "Is it okay to be this excited? Is it normal?" He did a canter in place. "We're going to live. We will breathe and feel a heart." He put a hoof at his chest, cool and still. "What do you think will happen? I am nervous."

Beat laughed and leaned against her brother. "That's how it works. You feel the nerves and they get chased away by other feelings. It is a day to enjoy ourselves. Our mother likes the day a lot." She glanced away and back. "She will be busy with dad, doing married things."

Pulse winced at that. "Ew. Maybe we should stay away from them?" He put a hoof over his eyes. "They do adult things when we aren't around."

Beat rolled her eyes. "I know that. We're dolls, Pulse. But for that one day, we won't be." She flashed a bright smile. "I know who I want to spend it with."

Pulse nodded along. "Friends and family, I hope." He started up the stairs to the Crystal Heart. "There are a lot of ponies out there. A few must be nice, right?"

Beat thumped against him. "You are too pure for this world. No! They're nice and all, but I have a colt I have my eyes on."

"Ew." Pulse backed a step, just to close in a moment later. "Will it be fun?"

"I hope so. Silly." She touched noses with him. "Go have fun, and don't even think about family for a day. Just you, being alive a while. Have all the fun you can cram into a day, okay?"

Pulse gave Beat a nuzzle. "You too. Oh!" He perked. "After that, maybe we should do some adventuring? I've never been on a train before."

Beat bobbed her head. "We could visit our extended family. Twilight and many others live close together." She shook herself out. "But that's later. Focus on right now."

The pair stopped as they stood before the Crystal Heart, a piece of the past given a new and powerful life. The light and color filled them both with warmth.

"It is beautiful." Pulse pressed a hoof to his chest. The heart pulsed, a wave of power washing over them body. He squeaked as he jumped, a machine on the way up, and hitting the ground on newly gained organic hooves. "Ooo! Oh!" He cantered in place, breathing hard with the rush.

Beat burst into giggles at her brother's reaction. "You're so silly." She shuddered as the energy swept over her, hearing the hum of her metal parts turning to flesh and bone. She dropped to the ground, rolling over onto her back to stare up at the heart. "Thank you." She finished the roll right back to her hooves. "Now, I have a day, so bye!" She leapt into a full gallop down the stairs, dashing past the crowd with an eager cry. "Oh! And good day to you all!"

Pulse found himself momentarily stunned by the sudden excitement of the moment. His new heart was thumping wildly. A thousand ideas played in his head, but he wasn't sure where to start. "Dad!" He rushed forward to hug his father. "Oh! Look at me!" He bounced up and down. "I'm a real colt now!"

Blueblood hugged his son with a soft laugh. "Yes, my son. You are alive and well." He kissed each of Pulse's cheeks one by one. "You were always alive, but breathing now too. Dearest child, your mother has plans for me, what brings you this way?"

Pulse stepped back from the hug. "I wanted to tell you that I love you, dad. Um, and now I am going to go explore."

Blueblood smiled at that. "My darling colt. You do that. Just be mindful of your new form, it's more delicate than it was before. Listen when it complains."

Pulse nodded in agreement. "I will be safe, father. Do not worry. I'll listen to my heart." He leaned up to touch noses with his father. "Maybe it'll say we should spend time together?"

He laughed gently at that. "As if that was ever in question, Little Pulse. Go, enjoy the day. We can be side by side any other day that's less time sensitive for you and—"

"There you are." Tempo threw a living arm around Blueblood's neck and drew him away. "Have fun, Pulse. We are occupied."

Pulse began to laugh at that. "What happened to mom?"

Tempo glanced back over her shoulder. "What?"

Blueblood quickly cut in with a pat to Tempo's chest. "It's his first time seeing you in the flesh, as it were."

She perked her ears, eyes widening. "Oh! How thoughtless of me." She turned to him fully. "I look just like your aunt, don't I?"

Pulse bounded closer, ears perked high. "Not quite." He touched her chest and drew away with a slight smile. "You are at least half more pretty than she ever could be."

Tempo laughed softly at that. "Shush, little one. Don't compare me to her, just accept me as I am. I am still your mother, even if we now have the same body type." That was an understatement. Made flesh, she was an exact copy of Cadance down to the placement of the hairs in her eyelashes. "Now, I need to go." She kissed his forehead.

"Mom, how can you even tell me apart from all the other colts?"

Tempo held still at that. "Because you're mine, silly colt. Now, I love you, but go play with somepony else. Just because you are flesh doesn't make you impossible to discern."

Pulse backed up a step as Tempo quickly stole away her husband, leaving him alone to think on that. "My momma loves me." He turned about and scampered off to enjoy the day, but his attention was split between his friends and family and the various stalls and games about the fair. They were amusing enough before, but being flesh and blood brought a new dimension to them.

"It is fun to be alive." Pulse wandered down a street, heading nowhere in particular, taking in all the sights and sounds of the fair. He wandered up to a stand offering crystal apples. "I would like to try one please."

The stallion behind the counter smiled at Pulse. "Here you are." He plucked up an apple from his table and handed it over.

Pulse hesitated as he looked over the sparkling piece of candy. He touched his nose to it, but no taste came, just the teasing scent of it. "That is new." He considered a moment before he heard laughing just behind him.

"Did you forget you have to eat it?" A colt not much older than Pulse was walking alongside him, with a group of friends following along.

Pulse blushed faintly at the words."Y-yes," he admitted without guile. He shifted nervously from hoof to hoof. "I've never eaten before." He looked over the crystal treat. "Um."

The colt smiled and came closer. "Do you want help?"

Another, larger, colt stomped up. "Just take it!"

"Nah." The first did take it, but only to offer it to Pulse. "Go on, open your mouth."

Pulse opened his mouth to ask a question, just to get an apple pressed into the space. He squeaked in surprise, but the flavor began to run over his new tongue in a way his previous sensors couldn't quite match. It was sweet and crisp, an odd juxtaposition. He felt like it should have been cold, but instead it was almost warm. The texture surprised him most, crystal crunching between his teeth in a surprisingly solid manner. It was, in the end, good. "Thamk you!" He sat and nuzzled into the treat, licking and crunching it with all the zeal he had lacked at the start.

The colts began to laugh. "You are so adorable! We could just pinch your cheeks!" One grabbed Pulse in a hug from behind. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you eat right."

The first nodded. "He's with me." He punched Pulse's shoulder. "Like the little brother Ah never had!"

The larger one rolled his eyes. "Quartz, what are you thinking? He ain't that cute." He huffed softly. "I thought you wanted that apple."

Quartz blinked at him, then waved a hoof. "Buy yourself one. I didn't want it that much. I don't have to have every crystal apple I see. It's not like they're hard to get, Crystalline."

Crystalline huffed with obvious annoyance. "You're lucky, colt. I thought I'd see Quartz knock you over and take that apple."

Pulse squeaked at the idea. "Why would he do that? Did I offend? I'm very sorry. I didn't know what I was doing!"

Quartz came over and ruffled Pulse's mane. "He wouldn't have done anything. Ah like you too much for that." He touched noses with Pulse. "Silly little thing. So, where are you from? Ain't seen you around town."

Pulse finished his treat before answering. "I live here." He considered a moment before it hit him. "I am normally metal."

The other colts erupted into laughter at that. "Of course you are." Quartz nudged him playfully. "And why ain't you now?"

Pulse rubbed at the glitter on his coat. "The heart made me alive, just like it made you all into crystals." He hopped to his hooves. "You're all very pretty."

Quartz stared a moment before a smile slowly formed. "Thanks. Now, how about I show you around? Crystal ponies know these parts like the back of their hooves."

Pulse took in the sights and sounds of the festival. He had found new friends, and didn't look like he could be much happier, though he tried.

***

Tempo sat up at the sound of the door slamming shut. "Beat, Pulse? Please do not abuse the door like that. We are metal and we must be careful with doors and windows, since they are fragile and–" She halted as she got a look at Beat.

Beat was dressed in bright clothes, a sundress with a red cape. She had makeup, but it was running. She had been crying, and it was painfully obvious to see with it streaks it left through what had likely been delicately applied marks. "M-Mom..."

Tempo was to her side in a moment, pressing close against her daughter. "Foal, what is wrong?" She stroked over Beat's back, even as the filly burst into new tears. "Who or what hurt you? Inform me so that matters can be put to right."

Blueblood sat on her other side. "Beat. I am a stallion, once a colt, so forgive me if I am in error, but those tears. I gave them once to a little filly. I'm terribly sorry, but did a colt say or do something to you?"

Beat turned away from her parents, her tears growing more intense. "I can't tell you!"

Tempo huffed. "Why not? I assure you, he will regret it when I am through with him."

Blueblood put a hoof on her shoulder, drawing her back. "Beat, we are here. We love you terribly so. You can tell us when you're ready, and we promise we're not mad at you at all."

Beat peeked back at her parents. "P-promise?" She burst into new tears and leapt at Tempo. "He was the colt I like! He just wanted to spend time with me."

Tempo patted her child, which turned into gentle strokes as she rocked her bawling filly.

Author's Note

Yep, that feels like a done chapter. One foal finds delights, the other... well, not so much. They're both adorable and deserve all the headpats they care for, metal or not.

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