Rock, Paper, Friendship
She finally had her cutie mark - three colorful floating balloons.... but nopony to share it with. Nopony to celebrate with.
Pinkie kept sitting on the swing for a while, but only barely moving back and forth, still starring on the spot he had vanished. It was just an ordinary spot of grass.
Without her playm... friend, it wasn't fun to swing anymore, so she got down to walk inside the castle, heading into the main hall which connected all rooms to one another.
It looked even bigger now and it was all hers. She looked around and didn't quite know what to do. The castle would maintain itself for the most part, since it was stuffed full with all kind of magic, so a single pony had no problems, to clean the rest in minutes. Still, it was a castle after all and freaking huge for this matter to live here alone.
She got to the kitchen and took a look into the fridge, but even after opening it a few times, nothing really appealed to her, so she let go and closed it for now.
The pony walked into the living room and the chimney light up itself, warming up the room just right. It even reacted when she talked to it, turning the flame a little bigger or smaller...
Right now it was only burning on a low flame for decorating manners.
She sat down and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere as she looked onto the picture above the chimney.
"Brighter" she said as the candles on the walls reacted in a similar matter like the chimney, enlighten the room, as she leaned forward. Of course she had noticed this picture the first time around and seen it often in the past days, but it was only now when she started to wonder, who was that mare on his side?
They had been so busy having fun, there was no worry in the world.
Pinkie jumped up from the couch and rushed up the stairs, taking a short orientation look, to head to the one door she had been unable to open until now.
When she had snuck into the castle, she had assumed it was locked, that's why she had used the bedroom on the end of the hallway which had -Angel- written on a door-sign.
That pony on the picture sure must had been a friend of him, like herself, that's why -Angel- had an own bedroom, she figured.
She grabbed the handle and pushed it down, but this time the lock snapped open and she stuck in her face curiously trough the slide, checking for monsters, before pushing the door fully open.
It was just another ordinary bedroom. No, it wasn't ordinary at all!
For starters the bed was at least three times as big as Angels... the room also was a lot bigger, at least five times and looked like all kind of artists had worked day and night to make it graceful as pony possible.
Everything was crested in elegant gold notes, and kept in a smooth white tone. A big mirror stood in the corner, having a thick wooden frame, which had painted wooden flowers all around it – which somehow moved like a soft breeze was blowing onto them. On the ceiling was a big chandelier, made out of diamonds or crystals and it was really large, but strange enough made out of really thin and swung parts, it seemed impossible it would not break apart and rain down in splinters, it must been enchanted as well and speaking of the ceiling... it showed the sky, but it wasn't just a picture of one painted on it, no, far from it!
It literally was like she would watch the blue sky outside, as pink and white clouds slowly passed above her head, casting their soft shadows on the ground.
This made her mouth stand open for a while, until it formed a word "Light?" - and the chandelier obeyed and light up from the middle to the outside, like a tiny sun had rose on this already wonderful summer sky. Little did she knew, at night the sky would show stars and the chandelier become the moon in the center.
The pony walked in and took a closer look. The floor had a wide soft whine red carpet and the walls a leaf green with a forest painting on it, seeming so real she wanted to wander in for a pick nick, as the painting slightly moved like the wooden flowers. It was like she was standing on a flower meadow, in the middle of an enchanted forest. It even smelled like it! As she noticed a fine and sweet note hanging in the air. From all the rooms in the castle, this was the most stunning for sure.
Other rooms might had some fancy magic, like a whirl pool, the fridge, a jukebox or something Discord had called -PV-, which turned out to be a funny little box with pony's inside... but this room sure got the cake. If she would had to guess: it probably had cost at least half the castles worth.
A picture of Discord came into her sight. She knew he had been here almost every night, making her feel a little disappointed. He was so nice towards her, but kept a room like this for him self?
Then she found another picture next to the first one, showing the yellow mare from before, in a green gala-dress, she was even more beautiful on this one. Plenty more pictures followed, some showing them on travels and exotic places, some with other pony's she didn't knew, but not a single one was without them smiling playful and happy towards the camera. Strange enough a few showed a mare which looked like her twin sister... could he have mistaken her with this pony? Maybe that's why he was so nice... but that mares cutiemark was hidden behind her friends, so... hmm... no, couldn't be it. Just an coincidence she figured.
She wandered a little more and jumped on the bed. Oh that was a bed she could spend hours laying on, soft as a cloud! Making her self fall backwards onto it, when something really uncomfortable poked into her back, so she grabbed below to find another picture of the two friends, showing a party of some sorts.
He was dressed up in an elegant black smocking, with a red tie and black top-hat.
She had a white long dress and a yashmak on her head, which was pulled back to reveal her face and some kind of ring around her neck on a chain. Pinkies nose got closer to the picture: that wasn't a just a dress - it was a WEDDING DRESS!! "This pony is his WIFE!?" she shouted loud enough to be heard in the howl castle, scarring of some birds nearby. How in the hay... , so she was his family? This explained everything! ...but caused even more questions.
He had locked him self often in this room and ...she wasn't around - neither had he mentioned her once. Maybe she was... he had lost her?
Now she felt really bad for him and shortly after bad for her self.
She missed her own family too and seeing the way he acted in the morning, she could image how much her own family probably missed her as well.
Pinkie put the picture carefully on the bedside cabinet and closed the door behind her, as she run down the stairs to the fridge. This time she wasn't picky, grabbing everything that was inside, to put it into a bag and after she grabbed some other things as well - run off home, leaving the castle behind. The big iron gate, which had opened itself, shut behind her and something like a giant bubble flashed up for a moment, before fading into invisibility again.
It took her almost a howl days to get back home, but it had been a lot easier than running away.
For one thing her friend had made sure she would not be poor, as he had shown her a small chest which would create one really valuable crystal per day.
The chariot stopped and the cartpony asked for his payment, for this kinda long trip it would be around fifty-two bits. She gave him the crystal as his eyes got wide. This crystal was worth a half years effort. "Keep the change!" she yelled over her shoulder as she run of towards her parents farm.
Pinkie slowed down at the door, as it suddenly became kinda scary towards her.
The gray old house had nothing of the castles grace. It was small and lacked any sort of stile, like it was impossible to build something even more plain and the door, it looked disconcerting, like she would knock by some stranger.
She rose her hoof hesitant but, before she could even tap the door once it swung open and her mother stood in the middle. She was a gray furred mare, with greygreen mane, blue eyes and glasses hanging around her neck on a chain, which she put quickly up her nose.
"Pinkie, is dat you!?" Pinkie didn't hesitate now and jumped on her mother, throwing her on the back to give her a hug.
"Pah! Come fast, Pinkie is back!" she shouted as a stallion came from the rock field rushed into the house, trough the back entry. He was a little bigger than his wife, having a dull brown fur, a gray mane and sideburns, wearing a big black hat as well black tie. "Pinkie!" now he got over to her, picking her up for a big hug.
"Whe´r have yu been!? We wo´ried sick!"
"I missed you too... i'm sorry i run away"
"We are yust glad ur back" her mother said in a caring tone as she shattered some tears of glee, alongside, as well her father did.
Now her sister came into the room "Oh, Pinkie you are back" she said in a somehow monotone voice, but walked over to give her sister a casual hug. "Missed you". The mare was gray and had purple flat mane and eyes green as a sapphire, wearing a blue/gray dress with a black belt.
Maud didn't quite show emotions on the same level as her, but Pinkie knew better - she sure meant it and was the first one to notice "Pinkie, your flank" giving it a close look, making the others aware as well.
"Ouh, my baby finally has her mark!" her mother cheered.
Her father was a little confused about it "those are some strange rocks" making Pinkie giggle at him.
Maud could not help to correct him, "Dad, those are balloons"
"Ohh.. i see." he might didn't had expected this kind of mark, but he sure was happy it finally had happen, as the put his arm around their mother to share his glee.
The pink earthpony only could been happier ,when her other sisters had been around, but her parents told her she was on a rock study trip.
"Oh, this reminds me" she started and dug around in her pocket "i got a present for you Maud" handing her over one of Discords favorite marbles, which he had given her.
The marble was transparent and inside it kept changing color's all the time, in a wild mishmash of white, yellow, orange, blue, purple and pink - her sisters favorite.
"Its... nice", she said once again - in a dry tone.
"I knew you love it!" grinning at her sister.
Her parents owned a rock farm and on the next day Pinkie got to work on the fields again.
She wasn't forced to do so, but she liked to spent time with her sister, which was really into rocks. There was nothing she didn't know about rocks, just by taking a look or smell at them. Sometimes... or in fact often Pinkie had wished she had such a special gift like her, but she wasn't as good, no matter how hard she had tried. Still now she knew what made her special, so she didn't mind as much anymore. Cheering others up, this was what she was meant to do and it made her feel a lot more confident than before.
"How was your travel?" her sister asked.
"It was not to exciting for the most part... well, unless the last days, those been a blast!"
Maud blinked once slowly.
"I have to tell you!" she grinned.
About four hours later of fast babbling Pinkie was done telling her everything about Discord, the castle and the princesses and how exactly she got her cutiemark.
Maud blinked once more slowly, the first time in four hours.
"You been with this guy? I thought he is dangerous." putting her head slightly on the side.
"What!? No he isn't... he is funny and nice and a little sad - but really funny!"
"Pinkie, i think i should show you something"
The two sisters walked back into the house, into Maud´s room. It was gray in gray, some pictures showed her petrock – bolder. The only pitches of color been photos of Pinkie or presents she had given her, which stood carefully placed all around in the room, making it the opposite of Pinkies.
"Here. You might should read this" handing her the newspaper from last week.
Now Pinkie was speechless.
"I'm glad you are alright, but maybe you don't tell our parents".
Giving her another casual hug.
This night Pinkie could not possible sleep.
It wasn't just the room she was in, compared to the castle, she was quite literally sleeping on stone right now, but her thoughts could not make all of this fit together.
He could not be the monster they said, he was the nicest and funniest guy she ever had met, but why else would the princesses come to him... so it had to be true, or not?
She got up from her bed and walked over to her sisters room, like she used to when she was a filly, every evening, when the sun was going down- casting scarry shadows into her room.
Pinkie walked up to Maud's bed and snuck under her blanket, waking her up in the process.
"Pinkie?"
"Is it okay when i stay tonight?"
"Sure."
She grabbed her big sister´s hoof and put it around her waste, like some would wrap them self into their blanket - cuddling up with the gray mare, but the pink pony started to fidget around after a while.
Her big sister Maud always been reassuring towards Pinkie, making her calm down when ever she was afraid at night. She was the single most amazing pony there is after all, not just for her big stone knowledge, she also was really strong and fast if she wanted to, which she had earned by working with rocks of all sizes over time.
Once she had scared of a bunch of bully's, by simply shattering a near by tree with a single blow of her hooves, but she actually never harmed anypony else, being usual quite peaceful.
The gray mare could not help to notice, her younger sister still wriggled around. Most of the time Pinkie would tell some story's or talk about things she had seen, like some cute little bug and fall asleep doing so – and given she had seen so many new things and didn't babble right away it was quite unusual behavior.
"Pinkie, whats the matter?" she asked in her dry voice.
"Ouh sorry Maud, i cant sleep... i cant help to think of Discord... i hope he s alright".
"He blew up a City."
"I know, but he didn't hurt anypony! And he s actually really nice..."
"He´s to take responsibility for his actions"
Pinkie moaned at this "I guess he was angry..." she said thoughtful.
Her sister didn't respond on this. Knowing nothing about him, which she had not read in the newspaper, when Pinkie spun around, looking her sister in the green eyes, which got illuminated by the bright fullmoon night.
"Maybe he was sad?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe he missed his wife..."
"That's no reason to such things."
"But she was his family, don't you would be sad when i was gone, like forever?"
"Pinkie, of course, i told you."
"You see! You should have seen her room, he had built for her..." losing her self in the thought of this impossible sight, but lacking the words to describe it, since her vocabulary wasn't quite big "it was amaazzzzzziing..." stretching the word for half a minute.
The gray mare understood what she tried to say, pulling her sister a little closer to calm her down, which rubbed the head onto her chest like it was a pillow.
"Maud..."
"Mh?"
"I´m glad you are here."
"Me, too."
Days passed and everything had returned to normal.
The Pie family kept check of the farm and nothing special ever happened around here.
They got up in the morning, got over to the field and collected some rocks for them to sell and put out new ones, like they did ever since – and their grand parents before that and their grand parents parents before that and so on.
Pinkie had noticed how repetitive and boring this life was, even before she had met her new friend – in fact, it was the reason how she got to meet him.
She had thought often about it, since she was back - at times it seemed funny how things turned out after all, but not today. Today she missed him a little more and the memory became bitter sweet.
Back than, it was just like any other day, when her father was busy with an special marmor delivery and she was the one to bring in the mail. In between the usual letters from other parts of her family there was also a bright pink flier in between the gray envelopes.
It was a advertising for a big town party, showing balloons and cake and happy pony's dancing, making her eyes grew wide in astonishment.
She wanted to go to it so badly, but she wasn't sure if their parents would let her go, so she gave it a shot and just run for it without asking.
On her first attempt she almost got lost on the way, since she barely got to town, having been teached home-school, but than she finally had found her way and joined the party.
At first it was really great, everywhere was cake as promised, the music was upbeat and she even got to dance along with the others, until some of them started to point at her and giggle. She didn't notice at first but more pony's joined in and some even talked up to her and one another "ain't you a bit old to be a blank-flank?" "I'm not sure you are invited" "Hey, who let that grown blank flank in here?" "Is she sick?" "Maybe its contagious!".
This when it came back to her, like it was in school, when all the filly's and colts had their marks, but she still didn't and even their former friends started to make fun of her.
Pinkie did the only thing she knew and run away. She just headed for the towns border and kept running until she found her self to be lost, but she didn't want to return anyway, knowing that those pony's still would be near by.
It was quite a while later, as she found her self lost in some woods, to discover a really funny looking path - made out of colorful stones which would lead her to a really strange looking castle. This was when she met him. He was just like her, he was different.
Discord didn't had done anything like all those mean pony's she hat met before, he was just nice towards her and they laughed together at the most stupid things! Like when he gave some frogs blue feathered wings and they flew away. This made her smile.
Little did she know, that today would be as fateful back than - and once again the mailmare would be the one to start it with a seeming harmless piece of paper and her sister was the one to get it.
"Thanks" she said calmly to the blond maremail, which gave her an awkward smile and flew off.
Pinkie sat in the kitchen, eating her porcini soup, when Maud came in and sat down next to her, sorting out the letters. Most of them belonged to family, one tried to sell a big bathtub for an reduced price and the last bundle was the newspaper.
Her big sister noticed Pinkies lack of appetite "Not hungry?"
Pinkie shook her head, using the spoon to build a mushroom pile.
Maud had noticed this kind behavior more often the past days and got a little worried and kept trying to cheer her up.
"Wanna play -Game of Stones-?"
Once again she shook her head.
The gray mare took the newspaper and gave it a look, maybe there would be something good interesting towards Pinkie, like a Menhir-Convention, when she found something about stone, but not quite what she had hopped for - making her blink and put down the paper of the table.
"Well, i think father would like to read it" she got up and thought about leaving, but Pinkie still didn't ate and dropped the porcini´s one by one into the soup with a small splash.
Maybe she should tell her, but how are the chances it would make it worse?
Still, she was her sister after all and from what she saw, he was somehow important to her,
so saying nothing wasn't any better than lie her straight to the face.
Maud got over to Pinkie and put on her serious face, which pretty much looked like any other face to most pony's, but her sister recognized right away.
"Pinkie, we need to talk."
"What about?"
She put the newspaper onto the table and slid it over to Pinkie.
A single look on the main cover was enough to give her a shock.
Maud had to tell in their parents, since Pinkie didn't snap out of it.
"What´s de mader?" her mother asked upset "Honey, are you allrig´d?" starting to pet her mane, as her father came in "What is all the ruckus abut?" as the mother just shrugged and shook her head.
Maud was the one to speak "Its Pinkies friend, princess Celestia has punished him..." showing both the newspapers headline.
-Discord turned to stone, Equestria save again!-
The picture below showed the draconequus, being solid rock, standing in some big garden.
"...but don't worry Pinkie, he isn't dead" Maud said towards her sister, as she tapped on the picture.
"How you know?"
"Rock studies."
Pinkie jumped up into a celebrating pose, like a marathon winner would and hold in for a second.
"I must go, he needs my help!"
"Hey dere foal, slow down, you just have come home..." the adult mare said, receiving backup from her husband "She is right, yu just came home and now yu want to leave for that monster?"
"He ain't a monster" Pinkie said grumpy "he is my BFF - best friend forever!" crossing her hooves in front her chest.
"Yu cant even tell me the path to down, how yu want to travel to the princess?"
"Rig´d. I even doubt she had time to see you".
Her parents had a good point. Celestia was really busy. On a regular day she had at least a hundred visitors, most of them with important concerns, so it could take months or longer to get approval for a visit, let alone being allowed in the castle, since making a request didn't automatically mean she would see anypony. A dozen of secretary´s worked around the clock to check and plan out each day to her best use – unless there was an emergency, which needed her attention.
"Pinkie, they are right."
being talked down from her parents for her own good, that was nothing new towards her, being used to it since she was small, but even Maud got on their side. Pinkie felt stabbed in the back.
"You too Maud!?"
"Its for your best."
Her pinks lips began to shiver, as she ran past everypony in the room and locked her self up.
Nopony went after her. Her parents thought this was one lection she had to learn her self, you cant just change the world with good intentions, some things happen for a reason... this time the reason was quite obvious and it was not to be dismissed out of hoof.
When it got late, Maud brought her a bowl of food and a chain of rock candy and placed it in front of the door, knocking two times shortly to let her know she was there, so when the sister came past the door later, at least the rock candy was gone.
Pinkie sat in her room and chewed the candy her sister had made. It was really sweet and crunchy. She always did this to cheer her up and it worked this time as well.
While she was about to eat the last rock, she could hear the others talking below her. The house wasn't to big, a little smaller and it might had fit into one of the castles rooms, so she could hear fragments of the conversation. They talked about her and him, but despite putting her ear onto the ground, she could not quite get everything, since the rest of her family usual kept their voice down.
The bits she could make out was her father raising his voice for a minute, as he talked about Canterlot, how long and dangerous a trip would been - not to speak of the costs getting there.
Her mother was also upset, but she could not understand her part quite, but it was similar and if Maud was down there, well - she didn't express emotions like the others, so there was no hope she would raise her voice at any point.
After a while Pinkie gave it up and walked up and down in her room, trying to think of something and making time pass faster, but the hooves of the clock seemed to stand still.
"Oh, they do stand still" she said to her self, getting over and to wind up the old table clock.
It was about an hour after midnight when the clock rang, but it was almost silent, since she had put it bellow her pillow. The earth pony got up and grabbed her bag from the corner she had prepared, it included a self drawn map, a small lamp and some rock candy.
Pinkie tried to walk on the tips of her hooves in order to make no noise, opening her door just a little bit to take a look down the hallway. Nopony was left, neither right, so she got to her bed and put in some her toys to make it look like she was still sleeping in it, heading back to the door to check once more. The path was clear.
Pinkie did make sure she almost crouched on her belly, while passing her sisters and parents room, to maker her way really slowly downstairs, feeling like a ninja that snuck around in an enemy castle.
She grabbed the old door nob and turned it really slowly, while it made a creak noise – the pony bit her teeth like it would help to make the sound less noisy.
The door latch now jumped out of its place and she started to open the door, transforming from a ninja to a diamond thief, who was trying to open a safe, without making the alarm go off.
Right in front of her was the cold dark night and a long journey with little to no chances of success and every journey, no matter how big it was started with a single step of an hoof, so she put it down on the border of the door as a light shined from behind, making her turn around.
"I knew you would try"
"Maud?" she reminded her self to keep her voice down "Please don't tell them, i have to..."
"But Pinkie, you barely know him."
"I know he is my friend and he needs somepony"
Maud shook her head a little, her sisters was stubborn as granite.
"Then i come with you."
Pinkie smiled from ear to ear, while her sister wrote a short note towards their parents.
-We are on rock studies, coming back soon, Maud-
She really wasn't a pony of many words.
The two sisters headed out, towards Canterlot... little did they know, that this newspaper had caused similar reaction's in other corners of Equestria.