Limestone looked out the car window at the late afternoon sun, then turned to study Pinkie Pie head-bobbing in time to the high energy dance music she had on.
“Do ya like it?” Pinkie asked, grinning. “It’s DJ’s latest mix!”
“It’s not really my style,” Limestone said, grimacing. “No, I just was thinking about how I keep needing you to drive me into town. Like… I don’t know.”
“Sounds like someone shoulda got her driver’s license when she had the chance!”
Limestone frowned and looked out the window again. “I never needed one. I mean, Mom does all the shopping, and the buyers at the quarry bring in their own stuff, and the Diamond Dog family takes care of hauling away what we don’t sell…”
Pinkie tittered. “Silly Limestone, never thinking that she’d want to date a boy.” She paused, looking reflective. “Actually, you know, you could ask him to pick you up sometime. That’s totes traditional, right?”
“Right.” Limestone’s gaze become less focused. “Pinkie, what am I doing?”
“Uh… going to talk to Sunset about how to straighten things out with Maud and Flash, right, silly?”
Limestone glowered at Pinkie. “Yes, I know that’s what I’m doing. But like, what am I doing with my life?”
“Working the quarry? Taking care of our parents in their old age?”
“Thank you! That’s exactly what I told Maud!” Limestone scoffed. “I’m doing what I need to do, right? Focusing on the essentials.”
“Yep! You’re doing all that stuff, and definitely not nursing a crippling sense of self-doubt and fear of rejection that keeps you from putting yourself out into the world!”
Limestone choked. “P… Pinkie!”
Pinkie shrugged. “Hey, if the shackle fits, wear it, amirite?”
Limestone focused on the feeling of anger that simmered in her brain. It was a lot more comforting than the other mass of feelings dancing around in there.
“Because, you know,” Pinkie said, intruding into the silence, “it’s really easy to look at Maud and Marble… especially Marble… and judge them for their struggles with that.” Her smile faded, and a rare look of worry crossed her face. “And it’s a whole lot easier to do that than to focus on yourself and get up every day and try to fight the knot of loco in your coco that keeps you looking at the world from a distance and wondering how you can be a part of it.”
The sisters met eyes for a moment, but then Pinkie broke the gaze for the sake of keeping her eyes on the road.
“Is that what you do?” Limestone asked.
“Sure I do.” Pinkie’s voice lost much of its usual floof. “If you want me to be honest, sometimes it gets kinda dark up here in casa de Pinkie Pie. I’m just a whole lot better at hiding it than the rest of y’alls are.”
Limestone nodded slowly. “I wonder if it’s genetic.”
“Who knows! …Although, I kinda hope not. Someday there are gonna be some little Pies who hopefully won’t get whatever all of us seem to have.” Pinkie gave Limestone a huge wink. “Maybe sooner than later, if you keep that boom boom workin’!”
“I will break you in half if you don’t shut up.”
“But you can’t drive!” Pinkie sing-songed.
Limestone growled and balled her fists, but she couldn’t deny a certain feeling of comfort at knowing her struggle wasn’t unique. Still, the thought raised more questions than answers for her.
“So what do I do?”
“Whaddaya mean, silly?”
“For driving. Or whatever. Putting myself out there.”
Pinkie smiled. “Kinda seems like going out with someone is a first step! Oh, and driving’s easy; you just call a driving school, and then bribe your favorite little sister into taking you over there. Couple of months later, you’ll be driving!”
Limestone nodded. “...Why put yourself out there at all?”
Pinkie’s look became serious. Deathly serious. “Because you know what’s in there when you’re all alone, sister. You may not like it, but you know it’s there. And it’ll drive you crazy if you don’t let someone in to help you with it.” She smiled again, and the effect was like a terrifying sun of positivity breaking through storm clouds. “Besides, don’t you have something you’ve always dreamed of doing other than just working for Dad?”
“Kind of?” Limestone’s lips tightened. “Honestly, I like working the quarry. I mean, I could actually see myself doing that for a big chunk of my life, and being happy with it for the most part.”
“And the part that isn’t most?”
Limestone sighed. “Come on, Pinkie. I know I’m not always the easiest person to get along with, but I’m not actually made of stone. Finding a boyfriend, or a husband, or whatever, could be nice.”
Pinkie gave her a toothy grin. “Thinking marriage already, eh? Go get ‘im, tiger!”
“No. No, no, no! Look, Flash is nice, but I don’t know if what I really want is nice. I don’t know what I want at all! I’m new to all of this.” She looked back out the window again. “Besides, Maud has an interest in him, too, and I don’t care what anybody says, Sunset’s still gotta be in the picture somewhere.”
“Not really,” Pinkie said. “I don’t know what Sunset’s thinking in the whole dating department, but I’m pretty sure ol’ Flash is permanently in her friend-zone. Or ex-zone. Whichever’s worse!”
Limestone thought in silence for a few moments. “I don’t know, Pinkie. I guess I should want something more, but the truth is that I like working the quarry. But if I just do that, what happens if I get injured, or just old? And how am I ever going to meet someone?”
“One thing at a time, silly! Let’s go talk to Sunset and work on disentangling this web of lies!”
“For Harmony’s sake, it’s not a web of lies. It’s one omission.”
“Are you sure that’s your position?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
Pinkie broke into a tremendous grin. “So you and Flash are doin’ things in the o-missionary position?”
Limestone groaned. “You know, if I pull the emergency brake before I throttle you to death, I can probably take my chances with spinning-out or whatever. This thing’s got airbags, right?”
“I love you too, big sis-o’-mine!”