//------------------------------//
// Rock Talk 
// Story: Life Goes On 
// by hattafan2593 
//------------------------------//

Pinkie Pie sighed deeply and she speared another chunk of meat on her fork and held it to Gummy's mouth. The crossed eyed baby alligator sniffed the morsel in front of him, then opened his mouth as wide as he could so his owner could push it into his mouth. Having no teeth, Gummy needed assistance with eating, which involved pushing his food all the way back to his throat so he could swallow it. Gummy tipped his head back, allowing the meat to go down his throat, and then lowered it again. He blinked slowly, showing his appreciation. 

Pinkie smiled, a strangely sad-looking smile for the usually chipper teen, and she reached with her fork for more meat. 

Anyone who looked at Pinkie would think the poor girl was sick; her normally bright blue eyes were now very dull and morose, she had a bit of a pallor to her pink skin - it was almost gray looking. And her signature poofy hairdo was now limp and hanging in her face, as if it had been doused in water. 

Of course, considering what the girl had been through these past few months, it wasn't hard to understand why she looked the way she did.

"I thought you had work today."

Pinkie turned to the source of the familiar monotone to see Maud standing in the kitchen doorway, her pet rock Boulder held delicately in her hand.

She turned back to Gummy, who was licking the fork. "We're not busy today, so the Cakes gave me the day off." 

She placed the fork on the now empty plate and walked towards the sink. Gummy, seeing that lunch was over, hopped off the kitchen table and wandered off.

Maud walked into the kitchen next to her sister, placing Boulder next to the sink. "I wrote a new poem today. Do you want to hear it?"

"Sure, Maud." Pinkie said absentmindedly as she filled the sink with water.

Maud stood up straight and recited, clearly and boldly, 

"Oh rock,
You are a rock.
Round and smooth
I love you, rock."

She turned to Pinkie. "What do you think?"

"That's great Maud." Pinkie replied, smiling, as she washed the dishes. Her sister always had a great way with words.

Maud blinked slowly, then looked at the sink, then back at Pinkie. She asked, "Why did you put Boulder in the sink?"

"I WHAT?!" Pinkie shouted, her eyes becoming as round as dinner plates. She frantically searched the bottom of the sink, splashing soap and water, feeling around until she discovered that, indeed, Maud's pet rock was sitting in the center of the bottom.

"OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH!!!" Pinkie plucked Boulder up and grabbed the nearest towel. She rubbed as quickly and as gently as she could until the rock was dry once more. She stroked the rock in apology. "I'm so SO sorry, Boulder." 

Pinkie held Boulder out to Maud, her head bowed in shame. "Sorry sis."

Maud took Boulder from Pinkie, her stoic expression never changing. "He needed a bath, anyway."

Pinkie slumped, then sat down at the kitchen table, face in her hands. Maud distinctly heard her mutter, "....just one more thing I've messed up...."

Maud regarded her little sister, then sat down next to her, gently placing Boulder on the table. "You're still upset about the way you treated Sunset."

It was a statement, not a question. Pinkie nodded glumly, her frown deepening to comical proportions. 

"You made a mistake, Pinkie. Beating yourself up's not going to fix it."

"I didn't make a mistake, Maud." Pinkie deadpanned bitterly. "A mistake is when you put chocolate sprinkles on a costumer's cupcakes instead of rainbow ones like they asked for. What I did was not a mistake. It was a super-colossal-Kamehameha-atomic-blast-of-Pinkie-is-the-worst-friend-in-the-history-of-worst-friendom FAUX PAS!" 

Pinkie took a deep breath, her rant having deprived her of oxygen, then slumped over the table, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Maud blinked, then said, "Pinkie, I want you to listen to me. And I want you to listen carefully."

Pinkie sat up, wiping her eyes, and looked at Maud. Maud leaned in.....and continued to lean in until her forehead was almost touching Pinkie's. 

"Shit happens."

Pinkie let out a gasp at her sister's use of profanity, which was immediately stifled by Maud covering Pinkie's mouth with her hand.

"Shit. Happens. Accidents happen. Things don't go according to plan. People make mistakes. Sometimes we have bad days and we lash out at other people. It's not fair. It's not right. It's downright disgusting. But it's a part of life, and we have to deal with it. And sometimes, when the shit hits the fan, the only option you have is to let it splatter all over you."

Maud ignored Pinkie's muffled, "Ewwwww....."

"And when that happens, you have two options; you can wallow around in it, or you can get up, wash it off, and move on."

Maud removed her hand from Pinkie's mouth and leaned back to her original position. "You guys hurt Sunset. It was wrong. But feeling sorry for yourself's not going to change things. If you want Sunset to forgive you, you need to learn to forgive yourself."

Pinkie bit her lower lip, considering her sister's words, then asked timidly, "But what if she never forgives me?"

Maud gave a small shrug. "If she doesn't, she doesn't. The important thing is that you learn from this. You and your friends are going to butt heads. But you shouldn't let your emotions get the better of you. Talk to your friends, have faith in them, and make sure something like this never happens again."

Maud crossed her arms. "So what are you going to do, Pinkie? Wallow around, or try to wash it off? Because most people don't want to hang around someone who wallows in shit all day. Those people are gross."

As Pinkie listened to Maud's words, her eyes began to brighten. Her face regained a little color, and even her hair began to look significantly poofier. 

She let out a snort of laughter, which turned into a fit of giggles. "You're a real crack-up, Maud!"

Pinkie smiled, a real, genuine smile, the first in a long, long time, and embraced her sister in a tight hug. 

"Thanks, sis. You're the best."

Maud's expression did not change as she monotoned, "Yes. Yes I am."