Pulse's eyes closed when their lips touched. His body went stiff with the thrill running down his spine. Quartz's lips were soft, warm and moist. His whole body tingled as they kissed, and he felt his entire frame start to vibrate as they came closer. He sat up in the darkness, his dream ending abruptly. In the dark, he looked around, seeing many slumbering foals around him, including Quartz.

As quietly as he could, he got to his hooves and plodded free of the tent into the frozen air of the mountain top night. Fortunately for him, he was a construct, and the cold set off distant alarms of concern, but didn't immediately harm him.

Pulse sighed to himself as he sat down, looking at the starry sky above. The night sky had no light pollution out here, and it seemed to sparkle as far as he could see. He gazed on them, lenses adjusting with little clicks as he focused from one distant object to the next. Why had he dreamed that? His thoughts refused to simply be happy with the stars. He wanted to know why he'd dreamt that.

"Ah can't sleep, either." Quartz was there, smiling at Pulse with a soft gaze. "You're just sittin' out here, enjoying the scenery?" He sank next to Pulse. "It's cold out here." He was wearing extra, almost buried in cloth to survive the chill. "Ain't you a little cold?"

Pulse shrugged lightly. "I don't feel cold like you do." He offered Quartz a smile. "But I am programmed to know it is cold. If it gets too cold, I will go back in the tent." Reminded to check, he turned his attention to that sensor he'd been ignoring. His core temperature was slowly dipping towards potentially dangerous areas. "Oh."

"I heard that." Quartz threw an arm around Pulse, drawing him closer. "Wow! You really are chilly." But he snuggled against the nearly frozen automaton of a friend, sharing the heat of his squishy body.

Pulse heated a little for other reasons, being snuggled like that. "Um." He licked over his lips, dream replaying in his head. "I want to ask something, but I am afraid you may hate that I asked it, and then I won't have you as a friend."

Quartz rubbed over his shoulders and back, sharing the heat. "I would never do that to you. Ask anything." He ruffled Pulse's mane.

Pulse let out a short squeak as his hair was tussled, but he leaned into it anyway. "I had a dream. In the dream, um." He hesitated, embarrassment flooding him. But Quartz wouldn't judge him for this, right? Pulse needed to ask, and so he would. He lowered his voice to whisper, "In the dream, you and I kissed." He swallowed thickly.

Quarts recoiled at first, surprise clear even in the dim light. He didn't run though, and soon nestled back in. "We did? Um. Was it a bad... thing?"

"That is what I wanted to know!" Pulse blurted loudly, then turned and clapped his hooves over his mouth. He glanced back towards the tent, where a filly's head popped outside. Pulse waved his hooves at her, and she ducked back inside with a giggle.

Quartz waved her off. "You listen to them, we're already kissing. Forget the fillies. Look, uh, Pulse." He touched nose to nose, enduring the chilly touch of that metal against his sensitive snoot. "You're a friend. A good one! So, uh. I mean." He rubbed behind his head. "Shoot, now ah'm the one ramblin'. Look, we're jus' little ponies. We don't know nothin'!" He pressed in. "So we get to experiment, figure stuff out."

Pulse considered these words for a moment as they sat in silence, only the faint breeze stirring about the mountain top. "Would you be happy to experiment with me?" He reached up to Quartz, drawing him closer. In the chill of the night, the two held tight, sharing the warmth the two had.

Quartz swallowed thickly, then slowly leaned in to kiss Pulse's nose. "Yeah." His eyes fluttered closed. "Ah think we can."

Pulse was so thrilled that his body vibrated wildly, rattling the rocks and pebbles on the ground. Quartz burst into laughter, the tension broken. "Way to break the mood." He pounced on Quartz, grabbing him tightly as if to hold in all the vibration. "Silly thing."

Pulse hugged Quartz back. "Thank you."

"For what?" Quartz glanced down at him.

"Accepting." Pulse snuggled in tighter. "You are the bestest friend ever."

Quartz's smile softened. "Ah do try." He slowly encouraged Pulse back to his haunches. "Look, um, glad we talked, but it is kinda cold. I vote we head back inside."

Pulse nodded quickly. "Yes, please."

The pair returned into the tent to settle back down and get sleep before the long hike back down the mountain in the morning.

***

Blueblood was there when the two foals returned. "Ah!" He hurried to them with a smile. "My dear children. I trust your event went well?" His gaze fell on Pulse, who looked up at his father.

"It did." He glanced over towards his big sister, and then back towards his father. "You could say I learned something interesting, if you ask it of me."

"I did." He touches noses with his son, then looked to Beat. "And you?"

"I also learned something." She looked aside at Pulse. "Though now I am uncertain if it's the same thing or not." She stepped closer to him and wrapped a forelimb about her father's shoulders. "You were right."

"Excellent!" He grinned at them, nuzzling them both with a happy laugh. "Sounds like you both had a lovely time. Now, not to be a down beat on your festivities, but do be sure you're ready for school in the morning. If you've completed any assignments you may have, the rest of the day is yours to recover from that little outing."

Tempo lifted her head from where she'd been reading over a book. "Welcome home. I would like full reports of the experience. Written."

Pulse stamped a hoof with a metal clap. "Mom!"

"My order has been given." Tempo inclined her head. "Do not disappoint me, and do not leave out details."

Beat and Pulse glanced at each other, then back towards their father. "We won't disappoint," Beat assured.

"Go get to your rooms." Blueblood released them both, waving towards the hallway. As they scurried off, he went to Tempo's side. "A written report? How thorough of a request."

Tempo nodded once, her eyes on her book. "I wish to know how well they are growing as individuals." She lifted her gaze at last. "It is important to know. For example, did you know Beat had a crush?"

Blueblood blinked at his wife. "On whom? Oh, do you mean that foal that hurt her?" He scowled at the memory. "Glad she seems to have recovered, but poor business that."

"I agree, but it's a good lesson to learn." Tempo turned her attention back to her book. "She will recover and grow, and I look forward to seeing what else she gets into." Tempo inclined her head, thoughts drifting. "It means it's working."

"Working?" Blueblood sat besides her. "What is?"

"They are free. Free to make mistakes. Free to learn." Tempo shivered a little as the memories of old returned. Her time under the cult, the dark times where she'd been manipulated and controlled, only doing what she was instructed to do. It was a life devoid of meaning and feeling. Her time had been so short in that, compared to others of her kind, and she still hated it. "They will never experience that, and they are already growing in new ways."

"You'll have to give them space, then." Blueblood patted his wife's shoulders. "You can't always be there watching. There's a lot of things they'll get up to without you."

Tempo turned an ear towards them. "They can do what they want, but I would like reports afterwards." She lowered her gaze and sighed, letting out a long gust of breath she held in. "I will be there when I can, and let them make mistakes when I cannot."

Blueblood rubbed down Tempo's back. "We'll raise good foals here. I'm sure of it." He nuzzled against her and smiled before rising. "And, small benefit, but I enjoyed our time to ourselves. I love them both so dearly, but a little break was nice."

Tempo lifted her eyes at that, and then nodded. "I agree. This is good." She flipped a page in the book as she read on.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Blueblood dipped down to get a peek of the cover of that book, but Tempo was quick to shut it and stash it aside. "Oh? What's that?"

She gave a little grin. "A book from a friend. It's called 'Mechanics for Dummies.' A gift from an old acquaintance, and one we should both know well." Her smile grew wider. "I will share more details if you like, but for now I wish to finish my reading before I am ready for sleep."

Blueblood blinked at this. "My dear wife, I can see why you might be interested in that topic. You wish to have a more direct hoof when they are ready for their next shells?"

Tempo nodded once. "It is only a small thing, and perhaps only a tiny contribution, but I want to have my own special hoof in what my children experience, even when it comes to the shells they inhabit.

Blueblood snuggled in against her. "A marvelous idea. Let's work together then. Perhaps, when they're ready, we'll both be able to contribute. Though their current shells are wonderfully made, it is a pity we couldn't really do them justice the first time around. It'd be nice if we didn't have to hire outside help again."

Tempo nodded at that. "I agree with you." She glanced down towards his hooves, and then at her own. "It seems like we will have a lot of learning to do before then." She pulled the book out and let it lay in sight that time. "Read with me?"

He nodded, leaning against her to look at the words in the book, letting the evening pass by in silence.

Upstairs, Beat crashed on her bed. "Why are you so much luckier than me?!"

Pulse perked up. "What do you mean?"

Beat pointed at him. "You actually get to be kissed by your crush! You got it so easy. You didn't even need to plan it!" Beat crossed her arms. "You picked a good pony, that loves you, for real. He cares about your feelings, and he doesn't care that you're metal." Beat rolled over. "I wish my last crush had been like that."

Pulse cocked his head at her. "What was he like?"

Beat shrugged. "A jerk. It's not worth going into. I just hope you're happy with Quartz." Beat pulled out a notepad and began to write on it, a small light illuminating the room.

Pulse crept closed to her. "Besides that." He sat at the side of her bed. "You didn't get close to him because he was a jerk."

Beat lifted an ear and lowered her pen. She considered a moment before answering. "I thought he'd be different if I was only nicer to him. Then, he'd see what a great pony I was, and he'd love me." She trembled faintly. "I thought I could fix him."

Pulse hugged his sister suddenly from behind. "That is a dumb idea. Why would you do that?"

Beat burst into laughter. "I said that already." She hugged her brother back. "But thanks for your opinion. I tried, and messed it up." She lay there, cradled by her caring brother. "Don't get with a pony for what they could be. Love who they are, or don't bother."

Pulse lay against his sister in the dark room. "I like him. For real."

Beat smiled gently. "Good." She kissed his brow. "Go to your bed now. We both need sleep."

Pulse nuzzled in with her, refusing to release her. "I will sleep here."

"This is my bed!" But he wasn't moving. "Pulse..." He remained attached to her. "You are incorrigible." Beat slid over in the bed and made room for him, letting him crawl up and curl up beside her. "Fine, but if you kick me in your sleep, you'll sleep on the floor."

Pulse's smile grew as he got in comfy with her. "I love you, as a sister." He inclined an ear. "Why do they use one word for different feelings? Sister love is not the love I feel around Quartz."

Beat nodded once. "They have different words for different kind of loves. There's familial, platonic and romantic." Beat glanced down at him. "Romantic is kissing love." She kissed his nose. Doing that, she paused. "I just ruined my own definition. Um. Kissing on the lips."

Pulse giggled gently at her fumbling. "You're funny. I will remember those words. Familial love, for you and mom and dad. Platonic love for my friends, whom I do not romantically love." Content with that, he closed his eyes and nestled in.

She was quiet, watching him enter sleep. Holding him, she felt herself starting to drift away. Having a good brother was kind of nice, she decided before she lost her grip entirely and faded away.

Author's Note

I thought that was soft and adorable. Yay!

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