//------------------------------// // XIV: Release // Story: Flight // by TheUnknownPerson //------------------------------// Marble slowly trotted towards her little home. She moved at a snail's pace, though thankfully not because of her hoof. Neatly wrapped in a bandage, she could finally walk at whatever pace she wanted with minimal pain! She tried to take in every detail she could. The crunch of the gravel beneath her hooves, the bleak, bare fields around her, the slight smooth breeze in the spring air, the goose bumps forming on the backs of her hooves. Polyps had formed on the back of her tonsils, her quiet restlessness driving her insane. I know Limestone's gonna be... she shook her head, bumping nose first into a fuzzy, cotton surface. She stepped back and looked up, her eyes meeting Maud's. "Hello Marble," Maud said in her usual tone. "How was the train ride?" Marble stepped back up to her, wrapping her hooves around her. Maud returned the hug nearly immediately. "Welcome home, sister," Maud said with a warm voice, yet she still kept her flat tone. "How was Pinkie?" "Okay." Marble released her, returning back to her prior position. "S-She's still in the hospital, but she's up, walking and cracking jokes, l-like usual." "That's good. Hopefully, she'll be back at her bakery in no time." "Mmhm." Marble agreed. "Is Limestone still...?" Maud nodded. "She was livid when I told her what happened. I still don't think she's entirely okay," she said somberly. "I cannot blame her, in all honesty." "H-How bad is it?" "She screamed at me for going along with and then ran out of the barn." Maud shuffled back towards her home's open door. "When I went to go check on her, she had kicked the back door in and tears were streaming down her face." "Oh..." "Yes. She still works in the fields, this hasn't slowed her down in that way, but once she's finished, she just goes back to her room." Maud finished as they entered. "I've assured that she hasn't destroyed anything of yours, but mother and father's room is a wreck. She still refuses to speak to me." Maud's voice quivered only for a moment. Marble glanced towards her, the pit in her stomach only deepening with her worry. I hope she's okay. "I-I think I understand..." "Good." Maud turned, strolling passed the living room. The familiar smell of rock soup filled the air around her. "I've prepared lunch. Limestone's still out in the fields, but we can go ahead and eat before I start my work." "Mmhm." Marble entered the kitchen, a small, dented metal pot steaming on the white stove. A large wooden spoon sat on the marble counter beside it, the back and bowl covered with the slightly green liquid of the soup. "It's the best I could do at the moment. Maybe we could go to Ponyville and pick some pots up once Pinkie is out of the hospital?" Maud proposed as she stepped up to counter, biting the spoon and side-stepping in front of the oven, tilting her head slightly and stirring the soup. The rocks on the inside hit the inside of the pot as she mixed the soup, making small dings. "It's nothing to worry about right now. You can go ahead and eat if you'd like, or you can help Limestone finish up everything and we can eat together." Marble nodded. "I'll go help her." "Alright, just make sure you don't strain yourself," Maud said. Marble nodded before she exited the kitchen, heading back outside. She walked back down the gravel road, near immediately seeing Limestone in the field nearest to the barn. Most of the field had already been messily plowed, but there was still one more row left. She slowed, giving her hoof a break as she neared Limestone. "You shouldn't do that by yourself." Marble warned. Limestone paused, turning back to her, the ropes holding the sifter wrapped around her torso and shoulders. Her eyes widened and a small quiver ran through her lips. She quickly turned away, trudging back towards the end of the field. "About time you got back." Her voice was monotoned, keeping her face from Marble's sight. "Y'know it was hard. Waking up in the morning and you're missing. Father's angry, mother's upset, and I didn't have a clue where Maud was. I didn't have a clue where the hay you were until Pinkie came by." Marble remained silent, slowly following behind her. "And then she tells me you've dislocated your forehoof? Nopony told me!" She grunted, beginning to move slightly quicker. "Seems like nobody tells me anything important, no! 'Let's leave Limestone in the dark, she's too young to hear this,' 'Oh no Limestone, you can't hear this! You can't know anything about what father did,' 'Don't be so angry! I just let you live in the same house of a psychopath for weeks on end!'" "I-I didn't mean-" "And then Maud has the audacity- the bucking gall to try and apologize for them!" She stomped forward, huffing through her snout. "It's too far gone for 'sorry!' No, not after what they did! After what she did!" "Limest-" "She told me everything!" Limestone turned back to her. "Everything, Marble! What Pinkie was and what happened!" She bared her teeth, almost grinding them out of frustration. "Did you know?!" Marble looked downward, her lips tightly sealed. "Oh, you have to be kidding..." She slowed to a stop, her eyes darting back to the field. Limestone had missed the end of it by a few feet. "Looks like I'll have to re-sift this spot. Great..." She sighed. Her fury had disappeared. The rage and anger once apparent in her voice were nowhere to be seen. Only replaced by defeat. "I'll get it," Marble took a few steps forward. "I have to relearn this thing anyways." "You sure? Your hoof..." She cast a glance to the wrapping around her hoof. "I can do it. Really. I'm just... venting." "Mmhm." "Alright..." Limestone reached down to her chest, untying the rope and pushing it off her shoulders. It came to rest softly against the gravel. "Let's see if you still have it." Marble quickly stepped forward. She stepped through the two small holes of the rope, pulling it up onto her hooves, moving them up slowly, one at a time. Left, then right, right? She pulled the rope onto her left shoulder before moving onto her right. A jolt of pain stopped her, but only for a moment. "Marble, don't be stubborn. You're gonna hurt yourself again." "I'm fine." She continued, hoisting it back onto her left. She looked down, her hooves moving to tie the rope around her chest. "See?" "Hmph." Limestone mumbled. "You're still slow, but I guess you can handle this. Alright, go on then." She sat down. "Just turn and make another row." With a nod, Marble began to pull the sifter forward. She shuffled to her right slightly, hauling it towards the end of the row- only a five or ten mere paces. Her right forehoof quivered slightly with each step. "You lost some muscle while healing up." "Mmhm." She grunted. "Is your hoof alright? Seemed like it was pretty bad from what Maud and Pinkie told me." "Mmhm." "How is Pinkie, while we're talking about her?" "She's getting better every day. I was afraid for a while there... t-that we might lose her too." She continued forward, nearing the end of the row. "She's sacrificed a lot for me... if she... passed away because of what mother and father did..." Marble stopped, both in her speech and on her hooves. She didn't want to even think of the possibility of Pinkie being gone. "She would've been fine, Marble. It's Pinkie we're talking about." She trotted up to her, undoing her straps for her. "Though... I won't pretend that I wasn't a little worried. Just a little." Marble stepped out of the ropes, standing beside her sister. "This is good enough. We can take a break." Limestone noted, reaching down and throwing the ropes onto the top of the machine. "So, let me guess; Maud sent you out here?" Her ears fell flatly to her head. "Mhmm." "I thought so," She nodded. "So, what does she want?" "She just wants us to have l-lunch with her." Marble admitted. She couldn't just lie to her, especially not after the rant she had just heard. "At the table. Like o-old times." "No." Limestone retorted near immediately. "Not now, not tomorrow, not ever." She stomped up to her, touching snouts with her sister. "It's a miracle that she's not rotting away in prison with mother and father right now. She deserves to be in there, after what she did to Pinkie." Her hooves were shaking in anger. Marble took a step back, trying not to visibly cower in fear. "You don't u-understand-" "I understand that she deformed Pinkie! She mutilated her, for Celestia's sake! How aren't you as mad as I am?! How can you even speak to her?!" Her voice was filled with conviction, booming and echoing loudly throughout the empty field. Marble lowered her head, whimpering slightly. "It-It's not that s-simple..." Limestone's jaw dropped, exasperated and stunned. "You... You're defending her?" Her voice was quiet, controlled. "No!" Marble raised back up. "I'm just saying- it-it's not as simple as you make it out to be." The sisters stood there, waiting for what seemed to be an eternity for the other to speak. Finally, Limestone released a quiet sigh, lowering her shoulders and facing away from her. "Go..." Her voice strained and weak from her screaming. "Just... let me be." She said, almost pitifully. "Limestone," She took a step towards her, extending her right forehoof, only for her to shuffle away and turn back towards her. "Stop!" She scolded loudly. "I can't be angry at you too. So please, just let me have my break in peace." Marble stared at her for a moment, almost unable to believe her sister was acting in such a way. "I'll come back later..." She turned away, heading back towards her home as quickly as her hooves could carry her. ===================== Maud and Marble sat at the kitchen table, only taking small sips every so often. Four bowls had been set out at each side of the table, for each member of what remained of the Pie family, with the exception of their parents. Two bowls had sat, steam rising off the surface. The soup was tangy, in contrast to her mother's savory taste to the soup. Unusually so. It wasn't bad- far from it; just different, especially for Maud. She usually follows mother's recipe to the letter. "I assume Limestone didn't want to join us." "Mhmm." Maud glanced downwards, staring into her soup. "Hopefully she'll be better once we go to visit Pinkie." "Mmhm." She agreed, sipping her soup. "Soon, with some luck. Though it seems it hasn't been with us recently." "Mmhm..." Marble sunk slowly into her chair, the awkward air over the room making her uncomfortable. I wish Pinkie was here... she could make this better. "Boulder is satisfied, at least." She glanced downwards, looking inside the pocket of her frock. "He was cold earlier, so I let him sit beside the stew while it was still warm." "Mm." Marble acknowledged. A few more moments of silence passed before Maud scooted her chair back from the table. "I'll go set Limestone's outside." She stood, stepping to the left side of the table and pinching the top side of the bowl between her teeth. She turned back, stepping away from the table and walking into the living room. The door creaked open, before slowly shutting again without a problem. Maud returned, sitting back down. "How did you two get work done?" Marble asked. She blushed, realizing that her wording of the sentence was rather poor. "I mean, you two don't even talk, how did you split up all the work?" "We stayed on opposite sides of the farm." Maud scooted forward. "I took the quarries and the far fields, she took the barn-work and fields near the house." "Oh..." "Yes. It was more work for me, but whatever keeps her happy." She took another sip from her soup. "She's sleeping in the barn now." "What?" She questioned, almost stunned. "Why?" "She took her mattress out the day after I told her and put it in the barn." Maud paused for a moment. "Am I really that bad, Marble? Have I become that cold?" "No, no." She leaned forward. "You're not cold, not at all." Marble claimed passionately. She's done everything she could to help me, she's at least trying to make things right. "You don't have to sugar-coat it, dear sister. I know what I did was evil." She admitted. "I've reminded myself of that for the last thirteen years." Maud stood up again. "I'm sorry, dear sister, but I think I'll head back to the quarries early. I've lost my appetite. Thank you for eating with me." She left the kitchen without another word, the door creaking open and softly shutting, leaving her sister alone. I really wish Pinkie was here... =====================