//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Two Sides of the Same Coin 
// by Minute Trapping 
//------------------------------//

	Once outside, Caramelle and Twilight Sparkle found that a fruit stand selling plantains had been toppled, its wares spilled across Mane Street, a dark green unicorn levitating them back into the cart and apologizing profusely. Twilight motioned for Caramelle to follow her as she took a different route. "So what do you think, Toffee? Should you come clean?"

"Call me Caramelle." As they walked along the detour route, a sense of foreboding built inside her. "…and I don't know. Even if they accept me for who I am, could they forgive me for lying to them for all these years?"

Twilight nodded as they turned a corner. "It might take some time, but I think everypony will…"

Caramelle interrupted Twilight with a motion of his hoof.

"Oh, I'm so sorry; if I'd known you'd be uncomfortable, we could've gone a different way."

Caramelle shook her head. "No, I'd like to go in." Both mares turned and walked toward the large metal gate, and under the sign reading, in large letters, "Rocking Chair Memorial Cemetery".

Twilight followed Caramelle as he wound through the rows of gravestones of all shapes and sizes, all carved from the same white marble. They came to a rest in front of   a small headstone, no bigger than her eye, half covered by the tall grass that grew where the mowers couldn't reach. Twilight trimmed the grass away with her magic and read the inscription.


Nougat
August-September 992


"I… I didn't know. Is this why you didn't want to come to Canterlot?" Twilight asked as tears started to fall freely from Caramelle's eyes.

Caramelle didn't respond, or even seem to have heard her question. Twilight left for a minute and returned with a small diamond which she placed gently on the grave. Caramel said nothing for ten minutes, before drying her eyes and turning to Twilight.

"Was Nougat…" started Twilight.

"She was my daughter." nodded Caramelle, sniffling deeply.

"What happened?"

"It was nine years ago. I'd been a mare for two months, and I settled down with a stallion named Cumulus. He was a dark green pegasus, and a great inventor. Two months later, we found out I was pregnant. Everything went fine for three more weeks, and then…"

"Oh Celestia!" said Twilight, putting the pieces together. "Then it happened again, didn't it?"

Caramelle pressed her eyes shut and lowered her head. "Yes. It turns out it's pretty hard to sustain a pregnancy when you don't have a uterus any more. I miscarried. It had been long enough that I honestly didn't expect it to happen."

"That's awful." said Twilight, knocked off her hooves by the revelation. "I can't imagine how terrible it must feel to lose a foal."

Caramelle nodded. "Even worse, I couldn't mourn openly because a stallion with no mate mourning that kind of loss would raise a few eyebrows."

Both mares sat in silence for what felt like hours, and very well may have been hours for all the attention they paid to the passage of time. After however long, Caramelle coughed and spoke in a deepening voice. "If I could have some privacy?"

Twilight turned around out of respect, understanding of Caramelle's current sensitivity. She glanced at the clear gemstone glistening on the small grave in the moonlight, the night almost silent save the wind and the breathing of the two ponies.

"You can turn around now." said Caramel, his eyes still wet with tears.

Twilight turned around and wiped the tears from Caramel's eyes. "If you think it would help, I could take you to see her. Hades isn't too far from Ponyville, and I know my way around. It's a long story."

Caramel smiled. "I might take you up on that offer, but let's take things one life-changing decision at a time, okay?"

"Deal."


[COMMERCIAL BREAK]