The library closed at 5 O'clock in the evening.

Starry was writing her letter to Rolling Thunder with the old librarian hobbled up to her and made her aware of this information. With apologies spilling past her teeth, Starry replaced the books, rolled up her letter, and left the library. 

The streets wouldn't grow dark until about 7, so if she wanted to, Starry had time to wander. But she couldn't help but think back to her earlier conversation with Stone. He had been so worried about her and the research she was partaking in. If he knew what she suspected, would he be angry?

Would she be careless to tell him when she had nothing? Would he think her an idiot?

The thought of disappointing the stallion didn't sit right with her. A part of her that she wasn't sure how to deal with wanted to make him happy, to show him that she was capable and not a delicate flower. But how could she do that if she couldn't even stand up to Hoverstep?

She felt small and insecure, and that irritated her. As she made her way through the town, the idea of picking something up for the stallion crossed her mind. She could do something to make up for worrying him and thanking him for helping her get on her hooves.

A small gift seemed like a good idea in her mind.

As she walked, Starry passed by the same jewelry shop that Plaket had gotten the lion charm at, pausing to stare at it. Pausing to stare at the shadow that stood by the charms. The spirit looked at her, then at the charms, then spoke.

Here.

She didn't know what made her listen to the spirit, but she felt a sense of inspiration as she walked past it and started looking at the charms. She hoped she didn't make a mistake by entering.

As Starry walked through the charm shop, her eyes wandered over the displays. There were countless trinkets, just like there had been the last time was there, but she didn't want anything to flashy. She knew that Stone was a simple pony, she had to be subtle. Eventually, her eyes landed on a simple silver chain necklace with a shiny orange stone that was just different enough to stand out from the crowd, but not so much that it drew too much attention.

"I'll thank this one please-" Starry smiled at the pony at the counter and then she was on her way.

As she reached the apartment complex, Starry noticed the sky growing darker. She glanced up and frowned slightly with the bag clutched in her teeth. Winter Solstice was coming up, so it made sense, but she wasn't entirely happy. She turned her attention inside, hurrying up the stairs and towards Stone's apartment.

Anxiety fluttered in her stomach as she reached the door, glancing down at it and taking a deep breath.

Starry pushed through the door, pressing a smile on her face and shutting the door behind her. The apartment smelled different, it smelled good and Starry's stomach grumbled in protest at the wonderful smells.

Her face twisted in confusion when she saw the normally empty table set with plates, a salad, pasta, and a red sauce she didn't recognize. She also saw Stone, in the kitchen with a bouquet of mixed flowers in a jar, preening the leaves and fluffing the buds. When he glanced at the door and noticed her standing there, he paused.

"You're back-" He stated as if shocked "  I didn't think you would be for another hour or so."

Starry stared at him, the bag still hanging from her jaws, her tail curling around her back leg in nerves. In a moment of clarity, Starry managed to lift the bag in her magic and take a step forward.

"It... The library closed early," She stammered.

With his tone calm and even, he spoke ", I wanted to surprise you. You never really got a proper welcome to Ponyville.

Starry took a moment to process his statement, why in Equestria would he want to surprise her. Welcoming her to Ponyville seemed too silly, she had been there for almost a month now, but asking such a question seemed pointless. Before she could begin to formulate a question in her mind, Stone continued.

"Come, sit down, and enjoy the meal."

He motioned toward the dinner table as he turned back to the kitchen. His actions we swift, but his tone and demeanor were far calmer than before. So calm, in fact, it caught Starry off guard for a moment.

As Stone exited the kitchen, the jar of flowers clutched close to his chest, his eyes landed on the bag that Starry still had wrapped in her magic. Starry watched as his gaze fell on the bag she had almost forgotten about, his expression more than confused.

"What's that?" He asked her and she jerked slightly, realizing that the gift was for him and she still held it close. Perhaps she had been waiting for the right moment to give it to him, but now seemed just as good a time as any.

Starry smiled to herself as she set the gift on the table, trotting closer with ever-present bashfulness plastered across her face, "I wanted to thank you- For letting me stay with you."

Stone's face fell as he watched her set the gift down, her smile wavering as she watched him. The stallion set the flowers down on the table, and Starry noticed the colors. Dyed blue and purple flowers, subtle warm greys and browns flowed so smoothly with each other. The mare looked back up at him, her eyes welling with unexpected tears.

This dinner had not been to give her a proper welcome, it had been made for her.

"I-" Starry started as Stone River pulled the gift closer with his wing and peered inside. She paused, waiting for a reaction that she couldn't begin to gauge, as the stallion fished out the necklace with the orange gem and held it up to get a good look at it. Nerves clawed at her stomach as she watched him, her heart skipped a beat, and fear made her want to run and hide.

"I felt bad about worrying you-" Her voice sounded like a foals'.

Stone stared at the necklace on the tip of his wings, angling to see it in the light. He was silent for several moments, his eyes following the glinting of the stone. When he finally broke the silence, the first thing out of his mouth wasn't an acceptance of the gift, or a compliment.

"Why are you giving me this?" His tone was curious rather than accusatory, but the question caught Starry off guard.

"I- I just wanted to thank you for your help and-" Her voice trailed off, struggling to continue ", And."

Starry wasn't sure what to say, she had prepared herself for a lot of things in her life, but the past month had not been any of them. She had not anticipated that Stone would call to question the gift itself.

"You've done... So much for me these past few days," She stumbled out as Stone rounded the table to stand in front of her ", And I thought... Um... You know... I just wanted to... Yeah..."

Starry felt red crossing her cheeks as she struggled to find the right words. It should have been easy, a simple exchange of flowers and the necklace with appreciation and then a cup of tea. But it hadn't been, it was slowly turning into something else.

She felt Stone step closer to her, closing the already small space between them, a whimper escaped her throat. She felt overwhelmed by the situation, her emotions running high and her thoughts struggling to keep up with the moment.

What was happening?

Why was this singular moment so intense?

As she tried to collect herself, she became fully aware of Stone's presence. His gaze locked on hers, the red spreading through her face. Something about the way he was looking at her made her fur stand on end in all the best ways possible. But that only made things worse.

She felt utterly speechless, unable to say anything in response.

A moment of silence passes, the two of them staring at each other. Faces too close, breaths coming in short bursts. Starry felt her heart beating too fast, and she wondered if their hearts were beating in sync, matching her breathing. 

Then, without warning, his mouth pressed against hers, the taste of smoke and tomatoes on his lips. His wing brushed against her cheek as he moved against her. And Starry lost herself in his touch, her mind went blank.