“Where are we going, mommy?”
“We are going to visit the rock farm,” Pinkie answered her new son, walking over to his yellow and pink suitcase in their shared room. “You are going to learn to be really close to your Aunts and Grandparents.”
“Awwwwww,” Lil’ Cheese groaned. “But I was gonna rock out to my record of “Rock Jamming Hits” from Auntie Limestone! Clastic tunes!”
“You can bring it with you,” Pinkie said, grabbing the album from the colt’s bed and placing it in the compartment of the outside zip of his suitcase. “You’re gonna see her anyway. You can jam out together!”
“But I don’t wanna gooooooo!” Lil’ Cheese whined.
“What is wrong with going to see your family?!” Pinkie asked, irritated, voice rising. She had already been stressed with the preparations for this visit, her mane and tail already a little deflated – the tiny argument with her son did not help from causing more air to flow out of it.
“You haven’t even MET your dad’s side of the family, yet. You have uncles as well! Well, other than Mudbriar, that is.”
Pinkie growled under her breath, keeping it quiet enough so her son could not discern what the sound was. Truth be told, Pinkie still did not think that the annoying stallion was good enough for her precious sister Maud, but he made her happy, somehow. She understood why Lil’ Cheese did not want to see her family, but he had to learn to at least appreciate them. She could never forgive herself if she let her own son drift away from her family like she did not so many years ago. She was going to make sure that her spawnlet learned how to make friends and family out of others. He was not going to be alone in the world when he eventually left the nest of his parents. …IF he leaves the nest. There was safety in numbers, after all. She was going to at least *try* to make her entire family tight, despite her child’s protests. She had to. For him.
“Yeah, but…” Lil’ Cheese paused. “I don’t really wike ‘em.”
Pinkie slowly and creepily turned her head an entire 180 degrees his way, dropping her previously wavering smile. Her neck cracked a little. Even at a young age, he realized that he had to change his choice of words. QUICKLY.
“I mean I DO like them…they’re your friends and they are cwose to you, so I could never hate them. Plus, according to you and Daddy, they are good, law abiding ponies.”
Pinkie calmed down, unturned her head back the way it came from staring at her back and turned her body around to face him, satisfied enough to relax, but she also nodded her head for him to continue.
“Tell me what you like about them.”
“Well…Gran and Grah’Pa keep calm in bad situations,” He said, “Uncle Muddy is…my Uncle. He’s very smawt as least, so that’s a fun trait! Aunt Limie is scawy but gave me an alblum, Auntie Marbles is not very cuddly because she is always scawed, but she did knit most of my quilt that all of you helped make, so they are nwice in their own ways, I guess.”
Pinkie nodded, her mane poofing up again and she sat down. “That’s true, what about Aunt Maudie? My most favoritest sister in the whole wide world?!” She gave you that teddy with the fluffy pink fur.
“Ummm,” the little tyke started, “I dunno…the teddy kinda scawes me. Looking at it’s blank face, it’s scarier than the most ex-ex-expressive face of all my toys. I can’t weally handle blank or unweadble expressions. There must be some weason you like her, and she can not be stone-hearted like I think, she gave me the fluffiest teddy in the whole whide world! All the way from Argemtena! The eyes are the most bwilliant diamond I ever did see! However, her attitude is kinda scawy…She does not even expwess herself like normal ponies! At weast my other Aunts and Uncle have a specific ways that they act – like you and dad! It is howwible to not be able to guess what someone thinks about you, or how to keep a conversation going. I do not know who you interwact with her, or what you wike about her. I am glad she is my aunt, but I do not weally wike her. To me at weast, she’s kinda stone-cold, if you get what I mean. I really don’t wanna go...”
Pinkie was tired of arguing with her incredulous spawn. Losing all her calmness at hearing the slander against her favorite sister, she yelled – tears filling her eyes and her mane deflating worse than last time. “…What did you say about her?! No. No! Little Cheesecake Sandwich-Pie! You are coming with us, and you’re going to enjoy it. In fact, when we get there, I am personally going to ask Maud if she could spend some time with you! If you can’t appreciate her, you will learn. To! I don’t care that you hate her, that you think her lack of emotions is creepy! You don’t know her like I do…know her for her kindness, her coolness, her wonderfulness, nor her companionship. Now…I want you to grab your suitcase, and follow me outside to the train carriage. You had better come with us, and I better not hear any excuses along the way to our family! I am telling you now that it does not matter that you do not see what I see in Maud. All matters is the fact that she is still your aunt and you are too blind to see her potential!”
Pinkie Pie ran off and downstairs, tears streaming out of her face, hooves thundering like a storm and making the normal whines and breaths that come with heavy crying.
Lil’ Cheese flintched, terrified. He had never heard her mom be that furious before at ANYONE, much less him. The reason for her anger fluorite over his head – it surprised him so much that he did not know what to do! He only spoke the truth, and he thought that his mother wanted him to be honest! But despite his best efforts, he had still made her upset. He sat there, immobile; petrified. Finally, the boy sighed, grabbed his suitcase with his prehensile tail, and slowly trotted outside the room, following the trail of tears his mother had made.
…
Lil’ Cheese got into the carriage without a sound, his tail swirling his suitcase to the side of him. His mom sat on the left as far away as she could; forelegs crossed, ears down, and with a furious, monstrous glare stuck on her face – looking like a foreign object. A shadow spread across her face like some kind of angry cartoon character.
Lil’ Cheese sat on the far right, shivering in fear at their lack of communication, and the carriage driver started off to the train station. He could tell that his mother did not want to chalk, her anger not evaporited. The lack of talking was basalt on his senses, and the silence was rubbed it into his wounds. At least his mom did not look like she was jaded, she was very, very mad at him. He wondered how they could start back with a clean slate. She was clearly aggregated – and right now talc was cheap - but he needed to repair the accidental damage he has caused ore risk their relationship eroding. He did not want to anger her further, however, and soon, the trio had reached the train station and were on the train; halfway to the Rock Farm.
As Pinkie Pie continued to ignore her family, Lil’ Cheese Pie’s dad Cheese Sandwich – who had been sitting in the middle of carriage between them – could not take it anymore so he decided to cut the thick tension and speak up.
“Ok, are you just going to continue to igneous (ignore) your son and husband, or are you going to tell me what’s eating your happy soul and stealing your smile?”
“…”
“Please?”
“Ask your son.”
“But could you PLEASE first explain your part of your woes yourself?”
“No.”
“B-but-“
“Shush. I said no.”
…
“But mom –“
“GRRRRRRRRR.”
“Mom please! I’m so-”
“Go away.”
ENOUGH! Someone explain why we are not talking while we are halfway to Pinkie’s birth home yet not talking about our family or even anything during this trip?! The tension has been palpable the whole time!
“…”
“…”
“…Sorry dad,” Lil’ Cheese apologized, being the bigger pony, despite his technical innocence in the situation since he was too young to know what he had done to warrant the dormant explosive he had turned his mother into.
“I think I weally angered mommy…”
…
*A little while of explaining later…*
“Oh…” Cheese Sandwich mumbled. “I see what the problem is here. Ok, Pinkie, calm down. Our son really did not mean to insult Maud. Honestly, I see why you are upset, but I also understand why Jr. said the things he did. Pinkie, you better floof your mane back up right now. I know that for you, this is an extremely sensitive topic, and it struck a few hundred nerves. You cannot expect Cheese Jr. here to be perfect. He’s BARELY four for crying out loud! He literally just got done with being a baby and he still had trouble with figuring out the consequences of his actions and the fact that foals can be detrimentally honest! Give him a break – he is laterally shaking and crying because his most favorite pony in the entire universe is still glaring like a hawk that is hunting him.”
Cheese Sandwich was right, she was glaring at him from the furthest side of the carriage. Pinkie complied, barely recoiling her now elongated neck at a fraction of an inch and relaxed her face at her son. Slightly.
“And furthermore,” Cheese continued, “You are right – Cheese does NOT know how much Maud means to you, or that she helped your soul in both the god times and the bad. He doesn’t know anypony in our family yet. He still thinks that they are strange, scary and that they are out to get us. We are nothing like them. He has to experience and encounter Maud and the fam first; for more than a few hours. He needs to be able to really know whether or not he really dislikes his family or not, and if so – we help him through the thought of at the very least, loving them as part of the family. I understand that you want him to be a part of your family despite what most of them already think of him behind our backs.”
“He’s just like his parents, he is going to become an exhausting trouble maker and have all that destructive energy all the time – especially since he was already born like that!”
A surprised Pinkie perked right up and stared right at Cheese. How did he know?!
“He’ll like them in time,” Cheese stated, swooping his pride and joy into his forelegs to rock him like a baby.
“You’ve probably scared him like nopony’s business. And all because of your insecurities. All because of one of the very few and first mistakes he’s ever made in his life. Not cool, Pinkie.”
Pinkie looked away, ashamed. Lil’ Cheese felt a little bit safer around his mom. He sniffed.
Pinkie started to understand her son. He was too young to fully realize the importance of loving ponies despite their flaws. He was also too young to see the flaws in the ponies he loved – especially his parents. Anypony that acted differently than them seemed mean and scary to him. Just like the times when Pinkie’s friends had met the rest of her family. Mutual trust and time were the only things that made somepony sure about accepting a new friend.
“Now, Jr,” Cheese Sandwich said, “I know that you were just trying to be honest and state your mind, but maybe you did not say things as nicely as you could have. I understand your fears and worries about our family, especially Maud since one cannot outwardly feel her expressions, but you will get used to them.”
“Will I weally?” Lil’ Cheese asked.
“Yes, of course, my little Cheesebomb,” Cheese Sandwich nuzzled his son and hugged him. “Of course you will!”
“And, don’t worry. We really will get Auntie Maud on the case here, and you’ll see that you just have learn to feel her expressions, and you will see that she is a sweet pony who loves you very much!”
“OK then,” Cheese said, “I’m sawwy Daddy...I weally sowwy Mommy. Make fwends again Mommy?”
He held out a hoof to make physical contact with his mom as an apology, but she didn’t take it, refolding her forehooves while her son’s mane deflated a bit. He sniffled, starting to cry again.
“PINKIE!” Cheese yelled.
“FINE,” Pinkie said, “But he’s better not insult my family again!”
Cheese gave Pinkie an unemotional stare. It meant “don’t you dare make things worse.”
That gave Pinkie the chills, her fur sticking up like a surprised cat’s. “Heh, I guess that emotionlessness CAN be scary like Jr. said.”
Pinkie cantered over to her son and did better than return the hoof-hold. She scooped him up and held him. “I’m sorry, my precious cotton candy mane, I acted silly. I was mean and scary…no one you like should be mean and scary for more than five minutes. I know we had our argument, and I blew it out of proportion like a whale shooting water out of its nose.”
Her offspring smiled.
”I should have stayed calm, told you what Maud means to me, and explained that family is important, no matter what they are or what they do as a living.” Pinkie laughed, burying her muzzle into her son’s belly – making him laugh. “Even if they at first seem scary or their job at first seems filly.”
“Ok, Mommy!” Lil’ Cheese agreed, “This visit should be fun then!”
“Yes it will! Heeheeheehehee-SNORT!”
“We have arrived at Igneous Rock’s Rock Farm!” The train conductor yelled out.
“OOP, looks like we’ve reached our stop!” Cheese Sandwich noted.
“Yep, thanks for making sure we arrived there in time in one piece as a family unit!” Pinkie said, rocking her baby.
“Yeah, no problem!” Cheese Sandwich replied, I did not want to face our family and stand beside a melted cheesecake sandwich and dried up old bubblegum to visit them.”
“Hey, who are you calling ‘old’?!”
“N-Nopony I didn’t mean it like that!”
Falling asleep, Lil’ Cheese was ecstatic to know that the relationship with him and his mother was secure and not gone forever. He yawned. This would be a good visit after all.
Pinkie bounded off the train with her sleeping son in her sturdy mane, husband following behind.
“Pebble to the metal!”
…
“Happy day before your birthday, sis!”
“I awoke to the sound of my hot Pink little sister making sure I get up early to enjoy my celebration before the special day. She looked out of place in the family, but I didn’t mind. She lit up my life, and balanced out my outward nonchalance about everything in life. If I was the rock, she was my candy, a duo that, when you first think about it, it does not make sense – then, you put the two together, and it’s suddenly clear that they mix and are meant to be together. I was so happy to see her in our old bedroom, I could have cried.
Pinkie beamed at me, silently reminding me that she brought her whole family to visit the rest of ours, including her perfect little son. He was quite cute, but I do not think that he was ready for our family yet; kinda scared of it, actually. I’ll help him out. He was sleeping when his parents arrived and everyone crashed into bed after the re-introductions and greetings, so I did not get to say “hi.” Pinkie giggled, regaining my attention. I looked up, focusing on her - my little sister smiled wider, radiating the same sunshine that I missed seeing all my life, ever since Pinkie Pie moved to Ponyville and eventually became the surrogate daughter of the Cakes; the distance preventing me from being woken up with that angelic smile that always got me going each day. And I wasn’t there for her to protect those smiles. No sister, to stand up for bullies, or help with parties. Pinkie was there to make smiles from life’s moments of frowns. Speaking of which, those smiles were not cookie-cutter. Even if they all looked the same, they were not. Pinkie Pie gives everyone genuine smiles directed at anyone or anything she was looking at in the moment. The smile that she gave to Cherry Berry was not the same smile she gave Lyra. The smile she gave Princess Twilight wasn’t the one for Rainbow Dash – despite the fact of her having equally the same amount of love for both ponies. The strained smile she gave her mom as a filly when she agreed to spend her breaks doing hard work rather than making friends isn’t the same older smile she gave when she first met Mudbriar. That reminds me, even though she smiles more genuinely at him now, I think he can tell what she really feels about him. I think he is carrying a grudge from that…he did not give Lil’ Cheese a present when his parents showed him to us. I’ll make him fix that later. He won’t get way with that.
Speaking of Lil’ Cheese and Pinkie, smiles also carry a sense of the previous emotions that had existed before the expression of smiling. I can tell Pinkie of Cheese’s true emotions when something bad had happened to either of them before the talk. Or the feeling of elation after celebrating a Cutecinera, or after arguing with each other; the searing heat of emotion giving their now only just stabilizing voices away – not able to hide the rawness of the fresh wounds in their hearts. Just slightly; but enough to betray temporary mistrust and frustration, sometimes, even…a few seconds of…hate…pure hate. Not enough to last a life time, but just enough to disrupt an entire day of hope, trust, and love. A normal part of life, yet not…not enough to make ponies stop being surprised at the outcome when they emotionally slash each other to pieces, accidentally or other wise engaging or attacking. On the note of arguments, Pinkie and her family had just been through one, I can tell. Pinkie’s smile covered up distant and the feeling of absolute betrayal. One from a family member shocked at the fact that her own flesh and blood did not immediately love her first loves – her family…me. Her son’s was also a feeling of betrayal, of his first plutonic love and favorite pony feeling that her own had been attacked and yelled at him for it. Cheese Sandwich was just tried to keep his family from breaking apart like glass in the moment and had succeeded. I frowned harder than usual and looked away from Pinkie. And all this stupid, love damaging conversation was mostly about was little old me. *Sigh*…such as waste of time. Pinkie was always so competitive about this topic. Her family was always a sore spot for her, especially concerning me. I am glad she was “reigned in” and remembered her conscience. At least Cheese Sandwich was there to keep his other two loves from coming apart.
I’ll speak to the little one as quickly as I can. Maud looked up and finally caught Pinkie’s eyes again; smiling at her like she had not been able to in a while Not without Pinkie being there.”
“Thank you, Pinkie. And good morning to you, my favorite sis!”
“Hiya! I’m so glad you’re awake! That must have been a long, internal dialogue!”
“It was.” I agreed, “Sorry for zoning out on you there.”
“It’s A-OK! It’s always…A-OK…Um…I know it’s the day before your special day and all,” Pinkie explained, “But…I think there is something we need to talk about…”
“Yeah,” I said gently, quieting my voice to a whisper, “I know.”
…
It was a usual cloudy day at the Rock family residence. In the grass in front of the silo and beside the barn, Pinkie bounded over with her son mimicking her movement beside her. She stopped partway and moved backwards, enough to stay in the vicinity, but enough to not be able to eavesdrop on the oncoming situation despite her razor sharp ears. Before that she pushed her son onward a little with her hoof.
“Hey Auntie…” Her son started, cantering softly over to his Aunt, then sat down in front of his mother’s still strangely enough, biological sister.
“Hey Tiny Cheese.” Maud’s voice was monotone as if her voice was flatlining. Though, as far as he could tell, her voice and life were apparently still existing and he still had an aunt to speak of.
“I am really sorry for judging you and the family,” He whispered, head down in shame. “I had not been able to get to know you, and everypony’s attitudes seemed scary – even Auntie Marble’s, and everyone’s traditions seemed strange and arbitrary. Now I know that – according to mom – you have been together through the thick and thin, and that you really love each other, I can learn to love you too, as much, or maybe even much more than Mommy does.” He smiled at his aunt, a true genuine, fearless smile.
“No.” Pinkie started-
“HUSH.” Maud interrupted. “You were the cause of the outburst that made this mess to begin with. Let the boy dream, they might come true.”
“But-“
“I don’t ever want to see any smiles from you that give off the action of arguing to manifest itself less than 30 minutes from seeing or visiting me again, you hear? Especially not if you argued with your family, ok little one? Understand? Do you hear me loud and clear?”
“Y-yes big sister.”
Lil’ Cheese noticed that despite her outgoing nature, his mom Pinkie Pie was still subject to her sister’s authority, not just her mom and dad and the Cakes as he had first thought. Aunt really must have been a role model for Pinkie’s life; she did not usually listen to advice straight away.
“I accept your sweet apology, Cheesie.” Maud said, “and yours too, Pinkie.”
“Wait, what appolo-…oh.” AHEM! I’m sorry Maud and son, I acted irresponsibly for the five millionth time in my life, the million when it comes to my love for friends and family, and the five hundred thousandth when it comes to you. I am so sorry.”
“Write me a five-page double-spaced essay on the ways that rocks can aid in friendship, the ways you could have handled your argument with your son peacefully, and do my chores during this visit, and I’ll let you off forever and personally forgive you.”
“WHAT?! I don’t even like writing that much-” Pinkie Pie screamed. That’s not fair-FINE…”
Thankfully, Pinkie Pie had dropped her anger like a stone and Lil' Cheese could feel that he was completely safe with her again.
Maud nodded and explained to her nephew, “It’s OK, I understand. I think I am OK in myself, but a lot of ponies see a problem with that, like there is something wrong with me and my outward emotionlessness. I emote quite well and I take things in since I am quiet. I just don’t smile much, but most ponies do not understand that and think I am weird – even despite my degree and the fact that I have made so many friends…my family are literally the only ponies that have never judged me in the thorough society has. Excluding a few friends, the only ponies that I can truly trust on are my family.”
“Wew, that incoods me!” Lil’ Cheese giggled and hugged her foreleg. Ant Maud brought him closer and hugged him with her other foreleg, almost crying at his love and sincerity. Another family member to love.
“I’ll try to never let this affect me as much ‘agrain,’” Pinkie punned, then beamed, elated that her son and sister were really making friends in her family. “Let’s get some food and I’ll tell you about the times my sister has saved my life from falling rocks.”
“YAY! Ant saved Mommy!”
The little cheese-colored colt grinned, literally from ear to ear. Maud was used to that kind of slightly creepy cartoonish behavior due to spending time with his mom, but did not judge him for it.
She smiled inside, Lil’ Cheese actually feeling her happiness and smiled harder. He did not judge her for not showing or not being able to show her emotions aloud. Like Pinkie Pie had taught him about her, he started to get used to Maud’s quirks and took it in his stride.
‘How did you know that all this happened before we told you, Ant Maudie?“
“Chalk it up to experience, little pebble,” Maud said, finally smiling at her nephew.
The duo hugged happily, with all smiles; their relationship stronger than ever.
“Do you want to make best friend rock candy necklaces? You can take home a ton, and it might her us become best friends~.” Maud accentuated the last of her sentence with a visibly cheery little bit of singing at the end of it, forcing a longer smile before the face drop this time.
“Gasp, of course, I would love to! Lil’ Cheese exclaimed, jumping up and down, “Sounds like some yummy, fun, friend-making time! I wanna learn all about you, my pwecious Ant Maudie!
“OK.” Maud smiled, knowing that her sister and nephew would never truly take her for granite.
“Let’s go!” Pinkie Pie yelled, her sister taking her son’s hoof and leading him done the hill of their farm, bounding behind them, the sunset causing the cloudy grey skies to vanish, caking the three in light and shadow; darkening the silhouette of a grey earth pony mare in a blue makeshift dress that seemed to occasionally bounce with her curly-maned relatives as well.
Before they reached the house, Lil’ Cheese had another thing to say about the two-day discovery:
“Plus, me and Ant have both have a new thing in common, mom!”
“What? Pinkie Pie asked, confused.”
“With all our hearts, we both love YOU!”
Pinkie Pie literally melted at this, her smile growing wide.
“Thank you!”
Maud smiled at this, too, sighing in pleasure.
“You really do bring out my smile, Pinkie. You too, Little Cheesecake.”
...