//------------------------------//
// Angry Acceptance 
// Story: The Quartz Quartete Quarrel 
// by Phaoray 
//------------------------------//

	
Lime ignored the stares she received as students walked by her.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Yet, here she was, Standing in front of a bench a few hundred yards away from one of the side entrances of Canterlot High. She was not very patient, and from the way the students would flinch and avoid her, she knew that she was failing to look friendly at all. 

Fuck' em. Any minute now...

Her 'research' into Trixie revealed that, unless she was putting on one of her stupid little shows, this would be the entrance she came out of nine times out of ten. Limestone also knew that Maud and Trixie never hung out on Tuesdays, so that was why she chose this day to track Trixie down and talk to her somewhere the girl would feel safe. 

Marble had shook her head repeatedly when Limestone brought up how much easier this would be if Lime could just corner her in an alley. Apparently that would give off the wrong impressions, or some shit.

Ah... Lime thought, eyes trained on her target as Trixie walked out of the side doors of the school. Lime was still over a hundred feet away from her, arms crossed and trying to smile. There's the little bitch n-hey!

Trixie ran off the walkway and quickly started running along the grass away from Lime. Trixie had apparently missed her smile, Lime surmised as she ran after her.

"Hey! Wait! I have something to say to you!"

Trixie ran around the corner of the school as fast as she could, causing Lime to lose sight of her.

"Get back here!"

Lime sprinted around the corner, and quickly noted the lack of an overly dressed magician's presence. With a frustrated sigh, she looked around, seeing only a few trees and some bushes nearby. 

Great. Where the fuck is she!?

"Come out here, Trixie, and make this easier on both of us!"

After waiting a moment, Lime let out a soft growl as her teeth clenched and her shoulders cracked.

"Fine, have it your way!"

Slowly, Lime stalked forward, glaring at everything in sight. She knew she was in the wrong, but having to apologize, to someone who wasn't even family, pissed her off.

A quick flick of blue showed itself behind one of the trees. The sleeve of Trixie's jacket. Lime got as close to the tree as she dared before lunging.

"I've got you now, bitch!"

Lime grabbed hold of Trixie's jacket sleeve and pulled. 

Pop! Hssssssssssssssss! 

Fuck, Limestone thought, staring at the abandoned jacket in her hand, then down at the smoking little black ball on the ground. Her name is Trixie, why the hell did I fall for-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang as the black ball exploded, covering everything in smoke and blinding her. She swore she could hear someone running off.

"Damn it!" She screamed, throwing the jacket to the ground as she began coughing. 





Several Days Later...

Trixie looked around the home ec room nervously, then back to the girl who insisted they talk alone.

Pinkie Pie smiled and gave Trixie a rough slap on the back "There's nothing to be nervous about, silly! Thank you sooo much for meeting me between classes like this!"

"Pinkie...Trixie was in the middle of class when you barged in and told the teacher you were borrowing her for an emergency..."

"Potato, tomato. Besides, it is an emergency! A family one!"

Trixie knew it. She shook her head at Pinkie. "No. Look, I don't care what Lime told you, I-"

Pinkie shook her head, causing bits of confetti to fall around her. "No no no, silly! I'm not here to talk about Lime. Wellllll, okay, that's not, hmm...." Pinkie stroked her chin and looked up for a moment before snapping her fingers. "I'm not here for Lime, I'm here about Lime!"

"What do you...what are you doing?"

In a flash, Pinkie was completely on the ground, arms straight out in Trixie's direction as she seemingly worked on her impression of a plank of wood.

"I'm bowing!" Came Pinkie's muffle reply.

Why do I have to deal with this? One Pie is enough in Trixie's life, thank you.

"That's not how you bow, dolt!"

"Uh-huh! You bow low to show your sorry, right? So you have to bow reeeeaaaaallllly low when you are super, duper sorry!"

"It doesn't-" Trixie shook her head. These last few days had reminded her just how odd, and at times, dangerous, the Pie's were. "What are you apologizing about?"

With physics defying speed, Pinkie stood back up. Her fingers were together in a pleading manner. "I am sooooo sorry about my older little sister Lime!"

"W-wait, that doesn't-" Trixie rubbed her head a little. "forget it. I really don't want to know. Is this about the other day?"

Pinkie looked at Trixie quizzically. "No no, why would I be sorry about that?"

"Well, she was trying to attack Trixie at school. Someone should apologize to Trixie about that."

Pinkie shook her head again. Trixie really hoped all the colored flakes coming out of her hair were just paper. "She came to apologize, not attack you."

Trixie raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "She looked ready to kill me the minute I walked out of the school!"

"That's just her thinking face!" 

"She chased after me while yelling!"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "She really, really wants to make up!"

"Pinkie," Trixie grabbed her by the shoulders in irritation. "She threatened me and called me a bitch! She grabbed my coat with enough force to have thrown me to the ground if it had been attached to me at the time!"

"I know!" Pinkie smiled, bouncing a little. "I was so surprised how much Limestone held back! Usually this kind of thing makes her go all punchy! But, she didn't punch anything, so she was really working to control herself around you!"

Trixie sighed and let go of Pinkie's shoulders, sitting down at one of the nearby chairs. "You're all crazy. Look. I don't care if you say she was 'holding back' or not. Trixie does not want to see her again, ever. Okay? One Sunset in Trixie's life was enough." 

"Hey!" Pinkie put on a slightly annoyed face, one which she pushed up against Trixie's. "She's not like that!"

Trixie scowled and grabbed Pinkie's head, pushing her back. "Really? Then why did she, oh, Trixie doesn't know, THROW ME AGAINST THE WALL AND KICK ME OUT OF YOUR HOUSE!?"

Sheepishly, Pinkie rubbed the back of her head, avoiding eye contact. "Oh. That. Weeellll, you kind of, scared her." 

Trixie gave Pinkie an unamused stare. "I scared her!?

Quickly, Pinkie waved her hands in front of herself.

"It's not an excuse! I mean, what she did was horrible, and Maud is totally pissed at her about it. Buuut, yeah. You scared her, and you scare her."

"I...." Trixie pointed to herself. "Scare her?"

Pinkie nodded. "Exactly! So-" Pinkie put her arms back up in a pleading motion. "Don't stop being friends with Maud over it! She really really, really, really-"

"Pinkie-"

"really, really, reeeeeeeeeee-"

"PINKIE!"

"-allly likes you!"

They stared at each other for a moment, Pinkie smiling while Trixie tried to hold back an incoming headache.

"Pinkie?"

"Yes, Trixie?"

"I'm not going to stop being Maud's friend over Lime."

"Really!?"

"Really."

"Yaay!" Pinkie cried, two streamers shooting out of her hands and making a small mess along several tables.

"Trixie is just going to avoid the rest of you and never go back to her house again."

The cheer in Pinkie's face drooped a little. "Oh. That's not so great....Wait, you're going to avoid me!?"

Trixie stood up from her chair and eyed the exit. "That's what Trixie said."

Pinkie looked at Trixie, confused and feeling a little hurt. "Now hold on, what did I do? We've been friends for-"

"WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS!"

Trixie was in Pinkie's face now, glaring from an inch away. Her hands were balled into tight fists. Pinkie gave a slow, audible gulp.

"...I never helped you." Trixie almost whispered.  "You never helped me. We have barely ever talked to each other." Trixie pulled away, shaking her head. "No. We aren't friends. You don't get to say that just because I'm friends with your sister."

"..." Pinkie looked at the floor, dejectedly. 

Trixie sighed and looked off to the side. She didn't feel good about hurting Pinkie, but, she refused to be involved in another fake friendship if she could help it. "Is it okay if Trixie goes now?"

"...but..."

Trixie looked over at Pinkie, curiously.

"But-" Pinkie continued, lifting her gaze to look at Trixie. For a moment, Trixie thought Pinkie's hair looked less...vibrant...but shook the thought away. "You're Maud's friend, right?"

"Yes."

"Right..." Pinkie nodded, confidence returning to her face. "So that means I have to be your friend!"

Trixie scowled, working up her anger again. "No, I'm NOT Yo-"

"I don't mean right now, silly!" Pinkie smiled at her, ignoring Trixie's outraged look. "I'll learn more about you, talk to Maud, and totally find time to hang out with you two! I'm okay if we aren't friends right now. BUT! We are totally going to BECOME friends, or my name isn't Pinkamena Diane Pie!!"

"I...umm..." Trixie was a little flabbergasted. She rubbed the back of her head and looked away from the crazy pink girl. An odd mix of irritation and embarrassment was making its way through her body."I'm not sure if I should tell you to leave me alone or wish you luck..."

"Hehe!" 

She suddenly felt her ribs compact as the air was pushed from her lungs for several long seconds. Seconds where all she could see were stars. Thankfully, it ended before her skin turned any bluer as Pinkie Pie let her go.

"I'll go with the second option, thanks!"

"Y-you're *hack* welcome."

Pinkie hummed thoughtfully while Trixie gasped for air. "But, you know, you and Maud are sure alike when it comes to friends. You're both really picky."

"I-ish that *cough* so..?"

Pinkie nodded. "I mean, everyone is my friend! Or, well, I think they all are, and no one has ever said they weren't." She pointed at Trixie. "Except for you, I mean. I guess Lime and Maud are the same way." 

Pinkie sighed, looking a little nostalgic. 

"It wasn't always like that, you know. I'd totally hoped that the move would have let them put all that stuff in the past. I mean, yeah, it was tough, everyone was going through some icky stuff back then, Marble especially. Lime was always a little prickly, but she had a few friends."

"Pinkie, Trixie really needs to get back to class, could you babble a-"

"-But Maud, poor Maud. I didn't think moving away from all her friends would have hit her this hard. I mean, I wasn't happy about it either, but I keep in touch. She didn't try at all! So, I tried to help her find new ones, but-"

She was interrupted by a finger pressed against her lips. 

"Wait..." Trixie calmly said, giving Pinkie a curious stare. "Maud had friends?"



 

Knock Knock Knock!

"Ugh.." Trixie muttered out loud as she approached the door. "Mom, did you lose the key again? Trixie swears you-"

Less than a second after opening the door, she slammed it shut. Or, at least, she tried to. Limestone had an edge on Trixie in strength.

"So, you dress like a slut at our place, but not at your own home?" Lime commented, pushing with her shoulder as she worked to pry the door open.

"Trixie got home less than a minute ago! Give her time to-Wait!" She grunted and tried stomping on one of Lime's feet, but did not have the force behind her to do more than irritate Lime. "Trixie isn't a slut, you grey hairball!"	

"Sure could have fooled me." Lime continued to press against the door, feeling a bit more amused than angry at the moment. There was just something funny about watching someone flail helplessly against the inevitable. With precise aim, Lime trapped Trixie's foot under her own while trying not to press too hard on it. 

"Get your dirt covered shoes off of Tri-ow!"

Okay, maybe she pressed a little that time.

Lime took her foot off of Trixie's and slammed the door forward, sending Trixie flying back. Though Trixie had to flail her hands around a bit, she managed to stay upright. 

"Nice, Trixie, at least you aren't a total klutz on top of the shit way you dress."

Trixie was caught between her anger and fear. For now, she let her anger win out. 

"Trixie will have you know that she spent months picking out her attire! She looked through dozens of magazines on fashion! So, if you have a problem with it, then maybe you're the one who has trash for taste!"

Lime growled a little, but kept her temper. For now. "Yeah, right, because that get up you had on last week didn't have 'fuck me' written all over it!"

Trixie eyed her irritably.  "Trixie doesn't have to explain herself to you, pervert. Now get out of her house!"

"Yeah, no." Lime cracked her knuckles and shoulders, a habit she often did after a little exercise. "I didn't waste my time coming here to just walk out after bitching at you about your slutty wardrobe. I-" 

Limestone paused as she looked over Trixie for a second. Despite the angry tone of voice and how she was easily returning Lime's retorts, Trixie was shaking. Looking down for a moment, Lime noticed one of her hands balled up into a fist, and pressed into the open palm of her other hand. A few seconds later, and Lime stomped her foot down hard on the carpeted floor, angry.

Fuck. I SUCK at this! Why the hell does she have to be scared of me!?

"Look-" Lime began. "Let's just-"

HIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS	

Lime began coughing as smoke filled the room. 

Not again with this shit...FUCK!

Lime cursed inwardly and gave out a cry as the smoke detector went off directly above her, deafening her. She pressed her hands over her ears and tried to ignore the noise, her teeth gritting in irritation at Trixie's antics. As another few seconds went by, the smoke started to clear, leaving Limestone standing alone in the small front hallway of Trixie's house.

"Huh-" Lime muttered, unable to hear herself. Her eyes roamed around the room. "How the hell did she disappear like-"

An open window in the living room gave her the clue she needed. As Limestone ducked her head back outside the front door, she quickly homed in on Trixie making a mad dash down the sidewalk. Limestone screamed, more for herself than anything else. 

"Grrr! Fucking COWARD!"





Hmmm... Trixie looked down at her work of the last few hours in the quarry. It's not...quite what Trixie envisioned.

"...Are you done?"

Trixie looked over what once was one large rock, now turned into a small pile of rubble by her inexperienced hands.

"I think so..." Trixie dropped her tools on the ground and looked over at the small bunny Maud was chiseling out in mild irritation. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to the stump Maud was using as a table. Maud was sitting cross legged in front of the stump, carving tools in hand. Glancing down, Trixie gave Maud's outfit a brief look over.

While Maud still wore long boots and frocks most of the time, she had acquired a few different colors after a few outings with Trixie. Today's color of choice was dark green. Trixie shuddered at the memory of Maud telling Trixie that at one point her closet had been filled with nothing but the same colored outfit. 

Now, If I could just get her to wear something beyond purple makeup to match her outfits.

Maud had been surprisingly adamant on her color in makeup.

A few seconds later, and Trixie was taken out of her musings by Maud's voice. "...Anyone bothering you...?"

Trixie shook her head and gave a crooked grin. "Not in particular."

"...Great. Lime had me worried..."

Trixie let out a nervous laugh and waved a hand in Maud's direction. "Oh, Trixie can handle her j-just fine."

Maud put the chisel down and turned towards Trixie. "So...she has been bothering you..."

"It's nothing Trixie can't handle on her own."

"..."

Trixie leveled a glare at Maud. "I'm serious! Let me handle her. Trix-I-I'll come to you if...I can't. Okay?"

"...Okay..."

Maud turned back around and began chiseling again. 

"So, Trixie heard something...interesting."

Maud continued to chisel away.

"A certain pink menace let slip that you had friends in your last school. Trixie was wondering what they were like?"

"...She was wrong."

Trixie raised an eyebrow as she peeked over Maud's shoulder, staring at the stone rabbit. "Really? But that's what she told Trixie."

"...Trixie?"

"Yeah?"

Maud's chiseling slowed to a crawl as she continued. "If...if you had a group of people, who you were around a lot. But, suddenly, you left for weeks. If they didn't notice, or care, would you call them friends?"

Trixie didn't need to think on it. "No, Trixie wouldn't."

Maud nodded, and resumed chiseling normally. "Then Pinkie was wrong, I didn't have any friends at that school..."

"...Oh..." Trixie thought on that a moment. "Maud?"

"...Yeah?"

"Why did you disappear at your last school for weeks?"

Maud stayed silent for a time after that. Finally, she put her tools down and blew, dispersing the dust clinging to the rabbit. "...I don't want to talk about it..."

Trixie nodded from behind Maud and gave her a  pat on the head before taking a few steps back. "All right, Trixie can accept that. So, are you ready to go?"

Maud nodded as she stood up and looked over to the pile of stones Trixie had been working on earlier. "Sure. No luck...?"

"No," Trixie said, while shaking her head. "Turns out an elephant was not in that rock either. Trixie will just have to try again next week." 





A small bang caused Lime to look away from the fridge and over to the door. Maud was home. Limestone gritted her teeth for a second, and then tried to give a smile as she turned to face Maud.

"Hey, sis. Look, I-"

Maud ignored her, shoulder checking Lime hard enough that she was forced to take a step back. Maud then headed up the stairs without a word.

Damn it, that's three days in a row she's been pulling this shit...

Lime couldn't hold back a frustrated little whine.  Seconds later, she received a pat on the head. Looking over revealed that Marble had managed to sneak up on her again.

"...I'm going to have to do something about this soon, aren't I?"

Marble nodded and gave her sister a small, encouraging smile.

With a sigh, Lime gave a small grin back. "Fine. But I'm not playing nice anymore. I'm settling this shit tomorrow."





The door to the girls bathroom banged against the wall as Trixie quickly ran in and hid in one of the stalls. 

What the hell is she still doing here!?

That was the crux of the situation, the reason why, after seeing her in the hallway during lunch break, Trixie ran in here. With luck, Sunset wouldn't find her.

This doesn't make any sense. She destroyed part of the school, she did...something to everyone's heads. Everyone knows about the blackmail and threats now. Why is she still here!?

Trixie took deep breaths, trying to calm down while her hands wrung through her hair. Was Sunset impervious? Did she have something on Principal Celestia that forced her to make the mess Sunset caused to go away? Or...was she just here, getting her things because she was expelled?

No. Trixie thought. It couldn't be the last one.  Sunset had called out to her, said she had been looking for Trixie. At least, that was what Trixie thought she heard Sunset say. Trixie was still in shock at seeing her in the school at all, and then too busy running to listen. 

If Sunset was still in the school, after all that happened to her, then surely she was looking for a punching bag. Trixie did not want to be that punching bag. Not again.

After a few minutes, and no Sunset, Trixie's breathing calmed. She heard some girls come in and out of the bathroom during that time, but none had disturbed her. Some chatter went on in the background, a distinct click sound, probably from someone's heel, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

I'll just...avoid her...like the Pie family...Trixie's list of people to avoid sure has grown...

With a deep breath, Trixie tried to get her mind off of Sunset and to the upcoming weekend. Lavender was having a family reunion. While not family, Fuschia was going to be there so Lavender didn't go insane with boredom. Trixie was sure she could have livened it up and suggested they put together a small concert to surprise Lavender's family with. The three mostly played for fun, but Trixie thought they would be good enough to entertain a small get together.

However, Trixie was quickly waved off by Fuschia. Something about how the looks Lavender often shot Trixie's way would probably upset her family. That part confused Trixie. Lavender was a friend and a fan of hers, so why would Lavender's adoration of everyone's favorite magician upset her family? 

She would have continued that train of thought, were it not the jacket that someone threw at her over the stall door.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Don't throw your...y-your..."

Trixie's mind went numb as she clutched to the jacket. Her jacket.

"Listen-" Limestone's said, clearly leaning against the stall door, trapping Trixie. "We need to talk."

Trixie quickly looked to the side, wondering how fast she could crawl and if she could make it to the door before Lime caught her.

"And don't try anything this time. The door's locked from the outside and I have the fucking windows locked too. So if you pull one of those damn smoke bombs out, we're both going to have a bad time." Trixie heard Lime crack her knuckles. "I don't think you want me coming in there, right?"

"...N-no..."

Trixie saw Lime turn around and give out an irritated sigh. "For fuck's sake, don't give me that voice."

"...W-what kind o-of-"

"That one! That voice right there! Look, I'm not here to fucking hurt you, okay? So stop making me feel like I'm the damn bad girl here!"

Trixie swallowed, hard, and then tried her best not to stutter. "Lime...you literally locked me in the bathroom with you. What the h-hell do you expect me to think after last week?" 

"Hey!" Lime said, not quite shouting, but close. "How else was I supposed to talk with you after all that shit you pulled? You have more escape acts than that fucking Houdini guy!" Trixie could hear Lime cracking her knuckles. "So I needed to get a little more forceful is all. And it's working so far. *Crack* Right?"

"R-right..."

"I thought I told you-"

"How do you expect me to stay calm when you keep doing that!?"

"Doing what?"

"C-cracking you-"

"Hey! It's a fucking nervous habit. Lay off!"

Trixie blinked. "Wait. What the hell do you have to be nervous about?"

A low growl was her only response for a few seconds.

"Look-" Lime started in as close to a neutral, calm tone as Trixie had ever heard. "I get I freak you out. So, I'll make this simple. You don't have to see me if you don't want to, but you ARE going to listen to me, okay?"

"...And no matter what...you won't come in here?"

"Right. I don't need Maud any more pissed off at me than she already is."

Trixie sighed and leaned back against the toilet. This week had been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster for her. A shame most of those emotions had been anger and fear. "Fine. What do you want from me?"

"Simple. I want you to come back to our house this weekend."

"...No."

Trixie heard Lime's growl again. She could see Lime's legs tense and, through the crack in the door, see her fist come up to strike the door. But, after a minute, no strike came.

"Look, I need you to come back to our house, wear whatever the fuck perverted outfit you want, and act how you did last time so Maud finally gets off my fucking back."

"Lime...I have no intention of ever going over to your house again. I don't want...that to happen to me again." Trixie put her arms around herself. "You're not the first to treat me like that..."

There were a few awkward seconds of silence before Lime spoke up again.

"...Really?"

"..."

Trixie could see Lime turn away from her and heard her give out a heavy breath. 

"...Fuck. Look, Trixie. A lot has happened to my family. I...don't like anyone getting near them."

"Why?"

"...Fuck."

Another silence. 

"Okay." Lime started. "If I tell you this, will you consider coming back? I swear, it'll be different this time...fuck."

Lime walked away from the stall and kicked the bathroom wall. Trixie heard Lime mutter to herself.

"I sound like that bastard, don't I?"


"Fine."

Lime turned back around. "What?"

Trixie gave her temple's a massage, wondering if she was going to regret this. "If you tell me what in the world happened, I'll consider it."

A bang to the side of Trixie caused her to give out a startled yelp. Looking underneath the stall revealed Lime's feet quickly making their way into the stall next to Trixie. Lime sat down, feet twitching in agitation.

"Okay. Look, I'm not good on details, got it? I'm just going to get to the main points. I don't like thinking about this. None of us do."

"Trixie can accept that."

"Heh, about time you started that crap again."

Lime gave another heavy breath.

"To sum it up, Marble has shit taste in men. She wasn't the most outgoing in her old school, but she still had friends. She was...a lot better around others back then. Well, she got herself a fucking boyfriend. He acted like he liked her, and Marble acted like he was her fucking world or something. It started out okay, I think. But, the fucker was using her. She bought him shit, she came home with bruises, and whenever she got called out on it, she insisted everything was fine. That she could handle it."

Trixie heard the sound of toilet paper being ripped and wisely kept her mouth shut about it.

"She couldn't. One day we get a call and find out Marble was hospitalized. The fucker got angry with her, he...it was bad, okay? I'm not going into it. A few weeks later, I paid some guys to help me out, and almost broke the fucker in half after I found him." She gave out a small, dark chuckle. "I'd say Marble had company in the hospital pretty quickly. Sometimes, I wish I had gotten a recording of it. That fucker screamed like..."

Limestone went silent for a bit.

"...Anyways, things changed a lot after that. All of us got pulled out of school. Pinkie and Maud spent a lot of time with Marble in the hospital. I was...out of it for awhile. Tracking that fucker and punching holes in anything or one who looked at me wrong. Pinkie, she got out of that better than anyone else. She still kept in touch with her friends in school and didn't really change. Kinda glad about that, at least one of us didn't get too fucked up."

Another deep sigh, and the sound of paper towels being ripped.

"Marble couldn't deal with anyone outside of her family after that. We even took turns sleeping at the hospital. Mom and Dad did all they could, but, it was a shit situation for all of us. When Marble got out of the hospital, Maud was with her constantly. But, word got out about what happened quickly, and with what I did to that fucker, our parents decided it'd be better if we moved. So-"

Lime pointed to the floor. "We came to this crappy little town. And from there...I apparently fucked up Maud's life."

"What? How?" 	

"Because I saw how much shit Marble was going through trying to go back to school and convinced our parents to have her home schooled. I was fucking sick of hearing Marble crying, or seeing how exhausted she was from all the stress she was going through. But...I didn't think how it hurt Maud. Maud was quieter, but I didn't think she was so freaked out over what had happened."

Trixie heard Lime scratching her head.

"Her and Marble did everything together, and when I got Marble pulled out of school, Maud was alone. I thought she was fine with that. She never talked about her friends from her old school like Pinkie did. Fuck, I was happy about it. If Marble and Maud didn't make any friends, I didn't have to worry about them getting in trouble."

Limestone gave out a mirthless laugh. "God, I was stupid. I mean, hell, I have friends, why the fuck did I think it was good that they didn't?"

Lime stood up from the toilet and gave it a flush. 

"So, yeah. Maud wanted Marble around, and wanted to get her used to school. I wanted Marble safe and away from everyone. I won and Maud got hurt. And now, we're here. Maud's pissed, Marble's worried, and Pinkie's probably listening at the damn bathroom door instead of KEEPING WATCH LIKE I TOLD HER TO!"

A loud, indignant cry from outside the bathroom confirmed this. Limestone sighed and walked out of the stall.

"Trixie, I, fuck, I'm sorry, okay? I go off the handle when it comes to my family. You freak me out, you and Maud became friends so fast that I couldn't trust it to be real. And she's...acting like Marble did. I don't want her hurt like that. I can't let that happen again. But...just come back to the house. I don't want any of my sisters to think they can't have friends because of me."

Trixie heard Lime knock on the bathroom door. This was followed by the sounds of nearly a dozen locks being undone. Finally, the door opened, and Lime left, leaving Trixie to think over everything.

RINNNGGGGGG!!

Or to run desperately to her next class on an empty stomach.





The rest of the school day was uneventful for Trixie, and the walk home gave her a little time to think on what Lime had told her. The puzzle was simple enough for Trixie to put together now that she had heard bits and pieces from each of the Pie sisters. 

Marble was horrible around others because of being hospitalized by someone she thought loved her, Lime was violent and mistrustful of anyone outside the family because of the incident, Maud became very distant to others after finding out her friends really didn't care about her, and Pinkie was...Pinkie.

Trixie groaned and rubbed her head, thinking on just how much money a psychiatrist could make on any one of the Pie's. Did she really want to get any more involved than she already was? Maud was fine, but did she really want to be around a girl who was a nervous wreck half the time, another who could easily put her through a wall if accidentally provoked, and Pinkie Pie?

No, no she didn't. Maud was enough weirdness in her life. Even if Pinkie found ways to interact with Trixie more, it would probably only be for an hour or two. If she started going to Maud's house, Trixie's only escape would be running out again. And Trixie was better than that, damnit. 

Better to not test it though. On the other hand, she had told Lime she would give it some thought, and since it was Friday she had the whole weekend to relax and go over everything. 

Trixie nodded to herself as she approached her home. This was the right decision, she'd play some games, talk Maud into coming over on Saturday, and-

For what was probably the dozenth time in the last week, Trixie's thoughts abruptly cut off. Glancing over to her houses front door revealed that a Pie was waiting there. An unexpected one.

Marble Pie.

She was dressed in a simple lime green dress that reached down to her knees, and a pair of white shoes. The most striking thing to Trixie at the moment, however, was how much Marble seemed to be using the door for support. Not to mention how Trixie could almost hear her gasping for breath from here.

"Ahem. Marble?"

With a loud gasp, Marble slowly peeked her head around, wide eyes on Trixie. Those eyes quickly darted away as she was distracted by several people walking up the block on the sidewalk. 

Trixie groaned as Marble started shaking. "How did you even manage to get here in the first place?" 

Trixie stepped around the nervous girl, thankful that she wasn't screaming from Trixie being so close to her, and unlocked the door. As Trixie opened the door, she was surprised by Marble frantically moving past her and disappearing around a corner.

"Please, make yourself at home!" Trixie called out sarcastically.

Still, despite Marble being an unwelcome guest, Trixie went and fetched drinks for them both before trying to figure out where Marble disappeared to. A quick search in the direction Trixie had seen her run off quickly revealed a uncharacteristically large, shaking lump in Trixie's bed.

Seriously. Trixie thought, placing the drinks down on a tray table by the bed. None of them understand the concept of personal space.

"So," Trixie addressed the lump. "Trixie assumes you meant to come here, and that you didn't get lost and just happen to find her home, right?"

"..."

"If you want, Trixie brought you a drink."

"..."

Another minute passed in silence before the covers started to move. A quick peek, and Marble identified where Trixie was. Another where the drink was. Seconds later, Marble's hand reached out of the covers and grabbed the drink, before disappearing back within. 

"Marble, if you spill that on her bed, Trixie is going to be annoyed."

The soft sounds of gulping were her only reply. After a minute, the hand came back out and deposited the empty glass back on the table.

"You...have experience with this."

"Mmhmm."

"Right, well, could you tell Trixie why you are here now?"

"..."

Trixie's groan came out more like a whine. She sat down on the edge of her bed as weariness creeped over her. "Marble. Come on, Trixie has had a really rough day. She doesn't want to play twenty questions with you on top of it."

Another moment passed in silence before she felt the bed moving again. Shakily, a hand sneaked out and gave Trixie's thigh a squeeze, startling her.

"Marble! What the heck?"

The hand slowly slipped upwards, and felt along the outside of her thigh before disappearing. 

"So, what? You get to freak out if Trixie sits down next to you, but you're fine feeling her up?"

More silence. Then Trixie sighed as she felt a hand on her other thigh. When it finally worked its way up again, it stopped, feeling along the pocket Trixie's cell phone was in.

"Mmmmmm!" Marble tapped frantically on Trixie's cellphone.

"Okay, okay! Quit it!" Trixie took out her phone and placed it in Marble's hand, which then quickly retreated back into the depths of the blanket. "Seriously, is anyone in your family normal!?"

For the next minute, Trixie heard a series of clicking sounds coming from underneath the covers. Finally, her phone was spit back out. Within seconds, a ringtone she was unfamiliar with emitted from it. Picking it up, Trixie saw she had a message. From Marble, of course.

Normal? What would you know about normal? 

"Excuse Trixie!?  She's not the one hiding behind the covers in someone else's bed."

You carry smoke bombs and a cape with you. 

"I'm a magician! I need those."

Maud doesn't talk to normal people. Normal people don't talk to Maud. Ergo, you are not normal.

The little face sticking it's tongue out at her at the end made Trixie a little intrigued.

"You're pretty bold for someone who was shaking like a leaf in front of Trixie's door."

That was there, this is here. You're pretty bold yourself. My nose almost bled from you prancing around in that 'sleepwear' of yours.

"Oh, not you too! It was recommended in several fashion magazines!"

...Did any of them have articles about 'spicing up your love life', or have women wearing revealing clothing on the cover, by chance?

"Some did, why? That's not a bad thing, is it? Some people like romance. And Trixie didn't read the article's, she just looked over the outfits recommended!"

The next message was just a laughing face. Trixie leaned over and gave the lump a quick poke, resulting in a loud squeak and a message containing nothing but angry faces.

"Look, while Trixie has found this...entertaining. Could you tell her why you are here already?"

Marble hummed for a minute before sending the next message.

I didn't fall asleep until late the night you ran out of our house. Maud and Lime talked afterwards and I listened in. I never realized how much Maud was hurting over what happened...

Trixie nodded. "She's not the easiest to understand sometimes."

Right, but I'm her sister, not some stranger. And she got hurt because of me. My whole family was hurt because of me. Even Pinkie, she just hides it better. I want to do something to help them.

Trixie eyed the lump in her bed confusedly. "Then go tell them you're sorry, don't hide out in Trixie's bed. The only thing you're doing here is depriving Trixie from laying down."

Marble shook her head, exaggerating it so Trixie could see it from beneath the covers.

Pfft, no. Saying I'm sorry won't help anything. Maud and Lime are upset over what happened last week. I am too. The only way for them to feel better is if you come back over.

Trixie gave Marble a dead-pan expression. "Lime just bothered Trixie about this. Trixie has decided it'd be best for her to just meet up with Maud. Over here. Where it's safe. And not crazy."

Oh, come on! I know Lime can be scary, but I swear, since that night, she is all bark and no bite with you! Maud made it clear that Lime crossed a line that night. And I'll be there too! I...I know I didn't help things, but I'll try really hard! Just as hard as I'm trying not to wet your bed right now!

"YOU WHAT!?"

Trixie's only response was Marble gently laughing under the covers. She scowled.

"That's not funny!"

Oh come on, you know I wouldn't actually do that!

"No, she does not know that! All Trixie knows is that you're nervous a lot and that you just drank an entire glass of water! She just put two and two together!"

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. For the record, I'm not a bed wetter. I'm going to be nice and not bring up what you did to our kitchen floor.

Shamed and red faced, Trixie stood up. "L-look. I don't...I-"

"Sorry."

A slight pressure on Trixie's shirt caused her to look down. Marble's hand was lightly grasped onto Trixie, giving soft, but insistent tugs. Marble had her head out of the blankets, an apologetic expression across her face. She only made eye contact with Trixie for a few seconds before looking away.

"Sorry."

Slowly, Trixie let herself be tugged back to sitting on the bed. When she didn't move to stand up again, Marble slipped back under the covers.

I didn't mean to hurt you. When I talk with Lime we pick on each other a lot, but we never mean what we say. You're not Lime though. 

"It's...okay."

That's the thing though, it's not. You have this horrible night etched in your memory as the only experience at our home. You only remember Lime acting angry and frustrated. You haven't seen any of her good side. I want you to come back to our place this weekend. Please. 

"Marble...It's not that easy."

Is too. I already told you Lime won't hurt you. What's left to worry about?

"..."

...All right then. You want to be stubborn, like Lime and Maud. I'll just have to play my trump card.  

Trixie eyed Marble incredulously. "Your trump card? Insisting Trixie does something repeatedly isn't going to get her to change her mind, you know."

"..."

"...Marble?"

After a minute, the blankets began to shuffle as Marble emerged. Gently, she placed the blankets on the floor, before slowly crawling over and sitting next to Trixie. They were close enough that their hips were touching. Marble gradually moved her hands over Trixie's and grasped them before completely turning away from Trixie. After several seconds, Trixie felt Marble starting to shake.

"M-Marble?" Trixie asked, nervously. "What are you doing?"

Haltingly, Marble turned her face around, freezing Trixie up entirely. Marble's eyes were like two large purple lakes, ready to spill over at the slightest provocation. She moved between biting at her lips and letting them quiver as she squeezed Trixie's hands. 

"Please..."

"M-Marble..."

Marble let out a quick sniff as her body softly began to shiver.

"Please..." 





Saturday Afternoon...

Don't feel bad. None of my sister's could hold up for longer than a minute either. I'll let Maud and the others know your coming over tomorrow!

Trixie shook her head, re-reading the message for what felt like the tenth time before getting back to her conversation with Maud.

"You're kidding me."

Maud shook her head while walking along the sidewalk next to Trixie. Her and Trixie had backpacks on, filled with things from Trixie's house.

Trixie grit her teeth. "Trixie calls foul! After all that demon did, she is still allowed in school!?"

"There was no evidence...no pictures...and telling the police..."

"Pfft, Trixie can imagine that already. Hello, officer? Trixie would like you to arrest this girl. Oh, yes. Trixie and most of the school think she turned into a demon and blew up part of the building. So, what? We are supposed to keep going to school with that demon and accept it?"

Maud gave the tiniest shrug of her shoulders. "Most of the school hates her now..."

"Trixie...guesses that's something at least... It's still not enough though..."

Trixie prevented her legs from shaking as their destination came into view.

The Pie family household.





"I get it, Marble."

Marble raised an eyebrow. Lime growled in response. 

"I said I fucking get it! I won't do anything! I can control myself, you know. I got her to come back here, didn't I?"

"Mmhmm."

Lime grabbed her juice off of the kitchen table. "Isn't that enough proof then? I'll be fine, so get off my back."

Marble rolled her eyes while Lime ignored her and eyed the door.

A few minutes later, the door opened and Maud walked in, with Trixie behind her.

"So, what's it tonight, you two?" Lime asked, looking at Maud.

"...Smoky quartz..."

"Hah," Lime barked out. "I was expecting that. Fine, you two get settled and we'll be up in an hour. Okay?"

Maud looked over to Trixie, who then looked over to Marble. Marble gave a small smile and an encouraging nod. 

"All right." Trixie said, a nervous edge to her voice.  "I'll see you two in an hour, then?"

"Huh?" Lime looked at Trixie confusedly. "What the fuck, Trix? You aren't talking like last time you came over. Talk like that."

Trixie cautiously raised an eyebrow at Limestone, and received a challenging glare and the barest hint of a grin in turn. 

"Very well then. Trixie expects to see you two in an hour then. Don't keep her waiting, or you'll miss out on some of her amazing insights."

"Hmph. Can't fucking wait."

With a small grin on her face, Trixie walked up the stairs, followed by Maud, who gave Lime an annoyed frown before leaving.

"Huh? Now what the hell did I do?" Lime looked over to Marble, who shrugged cluelessly.





Trixie was in the kitchen a few hours later, getting a drink. She also needed a little break from Maud's newest habit; wasting crackers on that rock of hers. Apparently crackers were now Boulder's favorite food. She rolled her eyes. The really strange part was that the crackers kept disappearing after a while. Trixie was sure that Marble was playing along with Maud and eating them when she wasn't looking though.

Trixie consoled herself on the fact that she at least looked decent. The last sleeping gown had to be tossed out, for obvious reasons. This one suited her better anyways. Her gown this time covered a little more, particularly her arms, and the purple color matched her eyes.

"Hey, Trix?"

She tensed at Lime's voice and quickly turned around.

"Heh, you startle easy, huh?"

Trixie glared.

Lime cracked her shoulders. "Right. Sorry. Look, I just wanted to give you a tip. It's fucking awkward for me, but I do kind of owe you for giving us a second chance."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "And just what is this tip you wish to grace Trixie with?"

"...Okay. See, the thing is, you don't need to try so hard. You pretty much have Maud wrapped around your finger already."

"...What?"

Lime rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, how could I not see it? She didn't fucking take her eyes off of you for half the video. All those leg rubs and other shit you were doing, you already got through to her, okay? You're already dating, so quit trying so hard."

Trixie blinked, looked like she was about to say something, then stopped herself, and went to sit at the table. A confused Lime joined her.

Trixie pointed to Lime. "You think we're dating?"

"Umm..yeah?"

Trixie took a moment to think through that before speaking up again. This time pointing at herself.

"You. Think Trixie and Maud are dating?"

"Is there a fucking echo in here or something? Yes!"

"...Huh..."

Trixie got up and went upstairs.

"...The fuck was that about?"





Trixie was staring at her. She had been for the last half hour. It felt nice, in an unnerving way that Maud couldn't understand. What surprised Maud most, was that Trixie continued to stare at her even when Maud stared back. Maud always looked away, like it was wrong to be caught looking at Trixie.

Apparently Trixie didn't have that issue.

"...Trixie?"

"Maud."

Slowly, Maud blinked in confusion. Trixie nodded, seeming to come to some sort of conclusion. About what, Maud couldn't imagine.

"Maud?"

"...Yeah?"

"There is only one victor."

"...Okay..."

Trixie sighed, shaking her head. "No No, Trixie means, that every competition between two people always winds up with one coming out on top. In every endeavor, one loses, and the other wins."

Maud nodded, following along, but not sure where Trixie was trying to go with this.

"Trixie always wins, Maud."

"...O-okay...?"

Trixie grinned, and squatted down, Maud felt her face starting to turn red as Trixie leaned in closer.

"Good..." she almost whispered. "Trixie just wanted to make that clear beforehand. You may have started this, but Trixie intends to finish it."

Maud could listen to Trixie for hours, and had done so on occasion. But, this was one of the few times where Maud listened, and couldn't understand a thing Trixie was trying to tell her.

Without another word, Trixie went behind Maud and began rummaging through a backpack. Maud heard some shuffling of clothes, then nothing.

I wonder what that was about...

Maud didn't remember challenging Trixie to anything. So why-

Something pressed up against her back. Maud only had on a light white t-shirt, so she could feel it quite clearly. Two nubs pressed just between her shoulder blades. Arms, Trixie's arms, began lightly caressing Maud's own.

"You know," Trixie whispered, inches away from Maud's ear. "I've learned a lot about quartz since coming here. For example, the ideal shape is a six sided prism. Not two-" The nubs pressed against Maud harder for a second. "But six."

Maud felt her entire body heating up as she realized what was pressed against her. Trixie's bare arms only confirmed the state of dress Trixie was in. Right behind her.

"You know the best thing about well-formed Quartz, Maud?"

"T-Trixie, w-w-"

One of Trixie's fingers began circling Maud's earlobe. "Well-formed Quartz forms in a bed, Maud. One with unconstrained growth into a void."

Maud could feel it as Trixie exaggerated looking around the room for a few seconds. 

"This room is pretty void, Maud."

Maud was sweating as Trixie went in for the kill.

"It also has a bed."





Lime lifted her hand to knock on a Maud's door, and barely managed to get out of the way as Maud burst out of it, running for the bathroom.

"What the hell?"

Laughter from inside the bedroom drew Lime's attention. What she saw in the room caused even her ashen face to redden.

"Trixie!? What the actual fuck!?"

Trixie tensed and covered her chest as she looked over at Lime. After a few seconds, the nervousness on Trixie's face was replaced with a mischievous grin, followed by her sticking her tongue out at Lime.

Lime face palmed in both embarrassment and disbelief. She quickly walked over to Maud's dresser and found one of her sisters oversized shirts before flinging it at Trixie. "For fucks sake, put something on! What the hell were you doing in here!?"

Trixie put the t-shirt on before grinning over to Lime. "All's fair in love and war. You were right, Lime. Trixie has decided that she likes Maud. So, she plans to win this, and make Maud ask her out."

"...Wait...so you two aren't dating?"

"Not yet. But, believe me, Lime. She'll crack before Trixie does."

The sound of water dripping prevented Lime's retort as she looked over to the door. Maud was completely soaked. Maud's eyes met Lime's for a few seconds before darting over to Trixie.

Trixie was proudly wearing the oversized shirt. One hand was on her waist while the other rested on her exposed legs. A pair of blue, glittery panties was barely visible below the hem of the shirt. It didn't take long for Maud to home in on the two obvious nubs of Trixie's sticking out.

For a moment, it looked as though Maud was going to last a whole ten seconds, but then Trixie glanced down at the water dripping on the floor around Maud's feet. A devilish smile crossed her face.

"You're so wet, Maud."

Maud's resolve broke. With a quick turn, she ran back to the bathroom.

"Oh, Maud" Trixie called out, standing up while laughing.  "Trixie is just teasing you, come back!"

Trixie walked out of the room, following after Maud. A few seconds later, Marble peeked into the room. Lime was sitting on the bed, hands in her hair, muttering.

"Is this really what life is going to be like now? Did I really beg that fucking pervert to come back here?"

Marble nodded, and gave Lime a pat on  the head.

Lime's only response was to groan in frustration.