Heavy Rock

by CoffeeMinion

Track 6: Between The Hammer And The Anvil

Limestone couldn’t resist cracking a smile as she sat down on Maud’s plain grey comforter. “It was great. There was this crazy energy. I mean, we just played two or three things, and I might’ve played a total of four notes through it all, but what a rush.”

Maud sat in the swivel-chair next to her small upstairs window, and had her legs folded up across her knees. She glanced out at the clear, starry night, and gave one of the bigger sighs that Limestone could recall hearing from her.

Limestone smothered her nascent grin beneath a lifetime of instinct in frowning. “Come on Maud, this is what you wanted, right? I hung out with the boy. I played music with the boy.” She paused, and fell back into a quiet smile. “The boy even touched me a little.”

Maud’s eyes went wide. Like, actually, legitimately wide.

Limestone’s eyes went wide as well. “What? Are you alright?”

“I’m very sorry,” Maud said, regaining her composure. She took a deep breath. “I think I wasn’t quite prepared for how you phrased that. I imagine you chose your words to get the biggest rise out of me that you could. I applaud your success.”

“Not really,” Limestone said, squirming a bit despite herself. “Okay, maybe a little. But he guided my hands through playing the notes, and he got up right behind me to do it…” She shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t kinda nice. I mean, he’s nice and all, but he’s got enough edge in there to not just be a total toolbag. Y‘know?”

Maud looked at the floor. “And… my lyrics?”

Limestone frowned. “He looked at them, and really seemed to like them, but we spent most of our time just hanging out or playing. Sorry?”

“I understand. It sounds as though you really hit it off.”

“Maud, stop. I told you this was weird for me, and what you’re doing, right now, isn’t making it any less weird. So what if Flash is a fun guy to hang out with, and he’s got surprising amounts of body heat. You’re the one who’s nursed a crush on him for however long.”

“Just a couple years,” Maud said quietly.

Limestone sighed. “And why didn’t you go for him when you had the chance?”

“What chance? He was with Sunset.”

“Oh, please. I’ve seen you crush rocks twice her size without even breaking a sweat.”

“No,” Maud said, just a hair more intensely than Limestone was expecting.

Limestone shook her head. “Maud, please, I may be a pain in the butt but I don’t want to actually get in your way here. I don’t have to see him again. You can tell him I’m PMSing or something. Harmony knows it’s true enough, right?”

“You and I both know it’s not that simple. The heart wants what it wants, Limestone. And again, you two hit it off.”

“I’m trying to help you out here!” Limestone laid back on the bed, and rubbed her temples. “Okay, what if we try honesty. We can tell him that you wrote the lyrics. Then he’d have to think about what matters more to him. Right?”

Maud was silent for a moment. “I don’t know if forcing him to make a choice like that is fair to anyone.”

Limestone growled. “Come on, Maud! At a minimum, I would feel better if I owned-up about the lyrics instead of just deflecting the question every time. He really likes them, you know.”

Maud smiled. It was subdued and tiny, but it was there.

“There! Look!” Limestone pointed an accusatory finger at Maud’s face. “You care about it! I caught you actually caring about it!”

The smile faded. “We should proceed with an abundance of caution. I don’t want to make things any more complicated than they already are.”

Limestone nodded. “Sure, but how do we do that? I don’t think you or I are exactly relationship experts.”

Maud straightened in her seat. “No, but we know somebody who is a Flash expert.”

The sisters’ eyes met. Limestone sighed. “This is about to get weird again, isn’t it?”

“Two college-age sisters seeking the assistance of a high school girl to help them peacefully compete for the affections of that girl’s ex?” Maud cracked a small, wry grin. “Not weird at all.”

Author's Note:

Comments

[MisterNick]

*Finishes reading the chapter and shakes his head* Well ... there's only one thing that can be said about this plan... ALL ABOOOOOOOOOOARD:

[Maran]

I love the way you write all the characters, especially Igneous even though his role was brief. He was actually lighthearted in a way that worked for the story – for once I could see how he and Pinkie could be related. And his King James/Elizabethan dialect was flawless. Best Igneous ever!

And underneath her rough demeanor, Limestone really does care about Maud's feelings.

[CoffeeMinion]

8277611
Thank you much! I'm still not quite sure how, but at some point I found ways to write the Pie family that I liked for the most part, and I've been happy to see that others have seemed to like them also. ^^

[Bicyclette]

Maud looked at the floor. “And… my lyrics?”

Limestone frowned. “He looked at them, and really seemed to like them, but we spent most of our time just hanging out or playing. Sorry?”

big oof for Maud

“Oh, please. I’ve seen you crush rocks twice her size without even breaking a sweat.”

love Limestone's very rock-crushing-centered mindset here

“Two college-age sisters seeking the assistance of a high school girl to help them peacefully compete for the affections of that girl’s ex?” Maud cracked a small, wry grin. “Not weird at all.”

i mean, it's a little weird if you phrase it that way, sure! and again, love how despite this bizarre rivalry that is set up, these two are sisters foremost, and really feel like it