Indigo considered the coral quietly a moment, along with the buzzing little insects that guarded over it. There had to be a solution... One that didn't end with a lot of angry insects. "What if we traded?"

One of the insects buzzed before him, asking him what he'd give in return for it that'd possibly be an even exchange.

A great question... Indigo scanned around slowly. "What do you need?"

They needed flowers, to avoid another kind of insect that looked sort of like them but weren't, and they needed peace to do their job. Indigo was not helping with the last part.

Indigo smiled brightly. "What if Harry, that's the bear there." He pointed. "What if he brought you new flowers and watered the ones that were here, so you ended up with a lot of new flowers.

Go on, or so the insect invited.

"Well then you'd have lots of flowers, and a guardian." Indigo sat up, nodding quickly. "You give him some sweet stuff in return, and that would be a fair trade, right?"

They weren't so fast to believe.

"I'll get him to bring some flowers first, just to show he can." Indigo hopped to his hooves and dry-swam over to Harry. "Hey! Good news. I think they'll trade the sweet stuff to you."

That perked Harry's interest, but what would he trade?

"Yourself, I mean, you just get flowers." Indigo moved his hooves to show the approximate size of a good flower. "Bring it and plant it here, where the insects can reach it easily. Water them and care for them, and they'll give you sweet stuff in return."

Harry glanced up at the insects before looking back at Indigo with obvious uncertainty.

Indigo shrugged softly. "Bring a nice batch of flowers and plant them and either they do their part, or at least your house has some more flowers around it. That's not so bad."

It was a deal. Harry rose up and wandered off in pursuit of flowers. As it turned, that part of the forest didn't have as many flowers as other parts, and Harry had to go far to get a real armful.

That made him all the more welcome when he began planting the flowers, and the rejoicing among the insects got louder when he watered them all. He had just made their lives a lot easier and safer.

Coming down with a small bucket held up by a swam of the insects, they set the bucket down beside the bear and buzzed away without a word. Not that words were required. Harry accepted his gift with a happy grunt and moved to his home to enjoy it.

Indigo had done well. Sure, Harry hadn't said thanks, but fish were funny that way. He turned back for the castle and got to dry-swimming home, whistling along the way with building self-satisfaction, at least until he remembered the mess with his friends. He swallowed heavily as he went, hoping that Cherry wouldn't be too sad about whatever they had seen that upset them so much.

Maybe a gift would help? Yes! Indigo redirected himself and approached Ponyville proper at a good trot. "What would she like..." He trotted right into the marketplace and began to look around.

"Hey." A unicorn, green in color, was looking at him. "You're one of the sea ponies that lives with Twilight, right?"

Indigo leaned a little, seeing the unicorn had an odd thing on her flank. Something with... were those bones? He couldn't tell. "Yeah, say, I'm looking for a gift for a mare."

She colored a bit and burst into giggles. "Oh my! Such a daring colt you are. What sort of gift?"

He wasn't that young! Indigo colored a little at being called a colt. "A very special gift for a special friend of mine. She's... been a friend forever, and I kinda hope eventually more?"

"One of the other sea ponies?" The pony tilted her head.

"Don't tell her!" He raised a hoof to his mouth. "But yes. The blue one."

"Brave."

"Huh?"

"Getting a gift for one without one for the other. She's going to be jealous."

So what if she was?! For a moment Indigo just didn't care what Berry thought, but he reconsidered it. Berry hadn't done anything that wrong besides decide that she liked him, and... was that a bad thing? "O-okay, maybe one for both?"

The unicorn nodded. "Let's pick something nice. Oh, my name's Lyra." She offered a hoof. "How about some jewelry? Haven't met a mare yet that doesn't like something shiny that goes with her fur or mane."

Indigo clopped one hoof against hers. "That's a good idea. Where do I get those around here, and do I have enough, um, bits?" He dug out his collection of coins and showed them to Lyra.

She examined his collection with a raised brow. "Maybe jewelry is a bit out of your reach..." He pouted and she hastily raised a hoof. "Easy there, scout. We'll get your lady-friends some candy instead."

"Huh?"

"Candy, nice and bright and still colored right." Lyra turned away. "Come with me. They'll forgive you if you give these to them with a big smile and a sincere apology." She looked over her shoulder. "You did make a mistake, right?"

He did, but what it was... "I think so. I'll do that then, if it means they'll be happy." Indigo raced to be beside her and soon they were approaching a store he hadn't been in before. "What is this?"

"This is my best friend's shop." Lyra gestured broadly. "Welcome to Bon Bon's Sweet Shop, where every bite is sweet, unless it's sour." She rolled her eyes. "Worst tagline, best candy. This way." She opened the door with her magic and trotted inside. "We'll brighten both of their days."

Soon, Indigo was heading back to the castle with two bags strapped to his sides, brimming with the sweet and sour mix that he was assured would win him forgiveness.

He was whistling again, confident and happy. He would give them the candy and apologize for... whatever he'd done to make them think he was doing something awful, and then they could be friends again!

He found them both in the kitchen, preparing something. So they were hungry? Perfect! He approached them with a smile. "I got a gift for you."

Berry glanced at Cherry then back at Indigo. "For who?" Her voice made it plain that the answer was very important to her.

Getting one gift would have been a mistake, or so Indigo silently decided. He pulled off one bag. "Both of you for both of my special friends." He revealed the brightly-colored candy for them. "I'm sorry I made you so scared before." Even if he still had no idea how he had. "Please accept this as my token of apology."

Cherry leaned in over the bag with her own colored candy and peered at it curiously a moment before she sniffed it. "What is it?"

Indigo waved at it proudly. "They're candy. Some are sweet and some are sour, but they're all tasty, promise."

Berry snatched one from Cherry's bag and chewed on it thoughtfully a moment before she nodded.

"How is it?" asked Cherry curiously just before Berry stuffed a candy in her mouth. "Mmf!" She started chewing the candy a moment before she let out her own mmm and settled down. Soon both mares were exchanging candies back and forth with one another.

He had succeeded! "All forgiven?"

Cherry leaned across. "Berry told me it was... kind of a mistake."

Indigo bobbed his head. "I swear, we did nothing wrong."

Berry shook her head. "I wouldn't believe him if not for the way he said it..." She popped another candy into her mouth. "He's innocent, I'm sure of it."

Indigo reached shyly for one of the candies, only to be warded away by Cherry's hoof. She snagged one and popped it right in his mouth. "Ours, you get some only by being a good boy."

Cherry leaned in closer. "Speaking of which, we've been talking."

Indigo tensed. Their conversation could mean a lot of trouble for him. Mmm, that candy really was good...

Berry nodded. "We have decided to make our competition formal, and you are the judge. You will decide which mare wins."

Indigo blinked softly. Wait, did that mean... "Cherry, you?"

Cherry held up a hoof. "You have to make a choice."

Indigo crashed to his hooves as the implication became clear. He had to pick a winner, and with it, a loser. He could just--

Berry shook her head. "And no picking for at least one full turning of the moon."

Cherry nodded. "I have an advantage that's unfair. You have to decide as if you didn't already want to be my coltfriend."

How could he pretend not to? He co--

Berry took his cheeks in her hooves. "Give me a chance at least. If you decide, fairly, you want Cherry, then I'll accept that."

Cherry bobbed her head. "A fair chance."

"B-but... you.. will you?"

Cherry smiled. "I think I care about you, Indigo..."

Indigo felt his heart racing as he looked back and forth between the two mares. He leaned back against the table for support as he tried to regain his breath.

Things had taken a turn...

Berry rose to her hooves. "You'll give me a fair chance, right? This isn't a fight if one of us already won."

Cherry nodded firmly. "You have to promise to be fair. Berry deserves a chance."

Indigo didn't understand it. If Cherry really wanted him, why would she even want Berry to have a chance? Everything felt dizzy and confusing. "I need a swim..."

He staggered off towards their room, leaving the two of them together.

Berry glanced aside at Cherry. "Do you think he'll do it?"

Cherry wriggled her nose. "As your rival, I will give you a few pointers to get on the right side, then we can compete fairly." Cherry nodded firmly before taking a candy and chewing it. "These really are nice."

Berry took one for herself. "He's a thoughtful stallion..." She reached and tapped Cherry's nose. "And you are a thoughtful rival." She flashed a bright smile. "Win or lose, it will be an honor to face you on the field of battle."

Cherry burst into giggles at that. "I hope... win or lose, you keep being my rival."

Berry blinked at that. "Can you be a rival forever?"

"Why not?"

"What would we be rivals for?"

Cherry gestured in the direction of the train. "We could do mechanical things? We have that going, don't we?"

"Oh yeah." Berry smiled. "I'll show you how good my mechanics are, starting with this engine of yours. How close are we to finishing it?"

Cherry waved it off. "Close, but I need a few parts that broke clean off and I need a copy that isn't broken to copy from."

Berry rose to her hooves. "Watch. I'll get those!"

Author's Notes:

Episode end, with a redrawing of the battle lines, as it were. Cherry and Berry decide they were just a typo and decide together where it should be.

No, Indigo doesn't get a vote. The mares are talking! Just like a stallion, trying to add typos to it.