Starry and Stone sat across from Rolling Thunder, each holding a topped-off cup of tea that the mare had filled for each of them. Thunder reached into a bag he had slung around his neck and removed a letter, stamped with a wax seal of a quill. 

The pegasus glanced up at the two, handing the letter to Starry.

The lunacorn took it, setting it on the table between them and turning to face the pegasus, "What is this?"

"Father wants you to visit," Thunder muttered, pressing the letter closer to her ", So does Mother. From the way that Father has described the state of the Elite, he has some form of deal he wants to discuss with you."

"What do you mean a deal?" Stone interrupted, cocking his head to Starry.

"Uncle Jimbia is a sovereign brother of the Canterlot Historical Society-" Starry explained quickly, resting her hoof on Stone's ", Despite him and my father's hsitory, Jimbia has a secure place just outside of the Canterlot Elite that puts him in a position to have dealings with them and their families. If Uncle thinks there is a place for a deal, that means he has some idea of when the Elite will fall, right?"

"Correct-" Thunder nodded, sipping his tea and setting the cup down on the table ", Father didn't tell me the details, I'm sure that's in the letter, but it looks like Orion and the House of Clever are falling fast and there is no one to claim it."

"Can't Nova or Jimbia claim it?" Starry asked, leaning forward ", Isn't Nova the heir in writing?"

"Writing doesn't matter to the Elite, Starry, you know that." Thunder shook his head, pressing the letter closer to her. "And neither Nova nor Father want the estate. That leaves you, Starry. If Orion is to fall, then someone needs to rise to take his place so none of the trust-funds are at risk."

Starry nodded, the realization setting in on her and the idea forming in her mind. Stone stretched his wing, draping it over her back like a blanket. She reached out, taking the letter in her hoof and carefully peeling off the seal.

"I'm confused-" Stone spat, turning his attention to Rolling Thunder ", What does Orion falling have to do with Star? If he disowned her, she doesn't have anything to do with the family. Nothing to do with the trust-funds."

Starry read, her eyes scanning the weaving and neat lettering of her uncle's writing. At first, she couldn't help the joy the swirled in her bones as she read, but that joy turned to dread within seconds of scanning

"Hardly-" Thunder responded, pulling his gaze from Starry to the stallion next to her ", If someone outside of the family lays claim to the estate, they lay claim to the wealth that comes with it, including the trust funds Starry and Nova are set to receive at age 21. Who ever claims the house can destroy the worth of those funds and leave them with nothing."

"Oh gods-" Starry started, raising her hoof to her mouth as she slammed the letter against the table ", Jimbia wants me to take over the house of Clever? To take Orion's place in the Elite??"

Stone jerked, reaching out and taking the letter from under her grip, scanning the words himself.

"'You are of age and your father's power is about to fall?'" Stone read aloud, his voice growing louder ",'with minor assistance from the Princesses, we could have you seated in your father's place where you belong?' Are we trying to turn her into her bloody father?"

Stone yelled, his eyes wide with shock and anger as he stared down Rolling Thunder, who merely looked presently surprised. Starry reached out her hoof, resting on Stone's back and rubbing up and down his back.

"No- Stone-" She said with a shake of her head ", Jimbia wants me to take my father's place and secure the trust-funds for me and Nova. That's the smart thing to do and with my father's place so close to the ears of the princesses?" Starry let out a dry laugh. "It's brilliant."

"Wait-" Stone said, jerking and turning to face her ", You're agreeing to this?"

"Not exactly-" Starry said ", I'm saying the plan is brilliant and I think I should talk to Uncle Jimbia about his plan in detail... It's very clever and could save the house of Clever until someone else is powerful enough to take the estate. Then the name could die with me."

Thunder stood ", I assume that you'll be writing to father?"

"Yes- I'll send for him in the morning-" Starry chimed, leaping to her hooves and starting to the door ", Are you staying for the evening?"

"I depart in the morning-" Thunder nodded, cantering after her and stopping at the door ", I'll return for your letter by sunrise if that's not too early for you."

"I'll wake up at 9 and give it to you-" Starry smiled, wrapping her cousin in a hug. The stallion smiled softly and rested his head on top hers.

"I'll see you then cousin-" Thunder said, drawing back and turning back to Stone ", Thank you for your time, Mister River, and congradulations on your engagement."

And with that, Rolling Thunder stepped out of the apartment, Starry swinging the door behind him. She turned back to the apartment, only to see Stone staring at the letter, a look of defeat and dislike written across his face. He glance dup at her, his eyes fierce and hard.

"You're not going to do this, are you?" He asked her, holding up the letter in his hooves ", Because this? This is a stupid idea."

"How is it a stupid idea?" Starry asked, moving around the stallion and lifting the discarded cups in her magic to bring to the sink ", This idea is going to save mine and Nova's trust-funds. And if Orion merged mine with hers? It gives me the ability to secure a new fund for myself. Think of the wedding we could have, the house we could buy-"

"Starry-" Stone stated, standing meeting her in the kitchen ", I don't think this is a good idea. What if you get stuck there? What if you don't want to go? What if you're not good enough for that life?"

"Excuse me?" Starry snapped, turning to him and slamming the cups into the sink ", Not GOOD enough?"

"That's not what I meant-" Stone said with a shake of his head.

"Please-" Starry snarled ", Tell me EXACTLY what you meant then."

Stone sighed and stepped closer to her, pinning her between the sink and himself, " I didn't mean that you wouldn't be good enough to do it. I only meant that what if it's not a good enough life for you."

"I was born to take my father's place, Stone-" Starry glared at him, pressing him back with one hoof and turning towards the sink ", I was raised in court life. I've only been gone from it for eleven months and if it's like roller skating? I'll take to it again."

"Let me rephrase my conscerns then-" Stone said stiffly ", I don't want you to do this."

"I haven't said I would-" Starry hissed, snapping to look at him as she turned the faucet on ", I only said I would think about it."

"And I'm telling you that I don't think you should-" He stated again.

"And what if I want to?" She snapped, turning to him and glaring ", What if- just maybe, I want to make my father pay for what he did to me? To you? To my family, Stone?"

"So you're letting revenge take you back to that life that treated you like shit?" Stone growled, stepping back.

"It's an OPPERTUNITY, Stone-" Starry countered, her tail lashing behind her ", An oppertunity for financial backing and security for my sister and me."

"And what about me?" Stone yelled, his wing extending to the kitchen around him ", What about me? And my home? And my business, Starry? Do you expect me to drop everything to come with you?"

"No!" Starry yelled back, stamping her hoof on the ground under her ", I was hoping you would support me! That you would back me and agree that this is a chance to gain a better ground here! That with money we can expand and grow here! Have a family together, Stone!"

"And what am I supposed to do while you're in Canterlot playing dress-up and tea parties?" The bat pony snarled ", Sit here on my tail and go back to how everything was before you came here?"

"Gods!" Starry barked, turning back to the sink ", I never said that! There's trains, Stone! It's not hard to travel! I'm not going to humor this childish behavior!"

"Childish?" Stone scoffed, drawing back from her and glaring ", I'm trying to have an adult conversation about our future, Starry. I want to marry you- Not some haughty mare from the Elite."

"And you think I'm going to become that?" She sneered over the dishes, wincing as the hot water burnt her hooves ", You think I'm going to turn into my mother? Sleeping around with what ever stallion tickles my fancy and not staying faithful to my husband? That I'm going to turn into some air-headed mare with no sense of conversation?"

"No!" Stone yelled again ", I'm terrified that you're going to leave me for that life!"

Starry froze, her hooves resting in the hot water, her head bowing down as she grit her teeth. This was pointless. This arguing was pointless and useless. The mare turned, flicking her mane back and raising a brow.

"Do you think that I'm so shallow-" She muttered in discontent, a flash of hot tears forming in her eyes "- That I would leave you for that life? The life that turned me into a pyrriah? Into an outcast? "

Stone didn't answer, so she continued what she was doing.

"Those ponies turned against me," She continued ", Some of them I'd known for years, turned their backs on me. I would never leave you for them. If that is what you're scared of? You're a fool. If I can make a difference- A change that would help my sister?"

She set the cups on a rack to dry, then began to dry her hooves and fur on a towel.

"Then I'm going to do it. I'm going to help my sister," She stated ", And I'm going to secure a place for her, and secure myself finacially so I can have a comfortable life with you here, in Ponyville. I haven't even agreed to anything and you're treating me like I have. I'm not going to tolerate that."

She hung up the towel and pushed past Stone, starting down the hall to their bedroom. She stopped at the door, turning to look at the stallion who stood across from her, hoof resting on the door frame.

He looked pitiful standing there, head bowed and eyes tracking her down the hall, his teeth clenched as if he were holding back a flood of swears. The stallion's wings shook, until he looked up, and Starry saw the dreads of tears forming in his eyes. If it weren't for her own frustration, she would have rushed to him and held him, telling him she didn't mean a word of what she said.

But she did mean it.

She had to protect Nova and her future, just as much as she had to protect her own. So she steeled her will and turned to the bedroom.

"I'm going to bed-" Starry said, sighing and pressing her hoof to her forehead ", Come in  when you're done being mad at me for something I didn't agree to yet."