//------------------------------// // 3 - Digging Deeper // Story: A Solid Foundation // by thedarkprep //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Digging Deeper “Okay, Maud, just wait here for a bit while I go take care of business, kayses?” Maud nodded in reply as her sister made her way towards the bathrooms, not even ten minutes after arriving at the mall. She’d be annoyed if Pinkie wasn’t so predictable.  The least she could do was not leave me stranded with so many people. And there were indeed so many people. Everywhere she looked, Maud saw throngs of teenagers and parents alike shopping, laughing, and yelling as far as the eye could see, the noise mixing with the music blaring through the loudspeakers to assault her ears with an ever surrounding oppressing dissonance And yet, just as she was about to resign herself to stand there and endure the horde, Maud managed to spot a lone ledge not too far from the bathrooms where she could pass the time, hidden from view by a freestanding trash can. The stone edge felt cold against her legs as she sat down, grounding her from the noise, and she felt almost thankful that Pinkie had convinced her to wear the shorter dress to meet her friend. Almost.  “Come on! It’s super cute,” Pinkie had said earlier that day, while digging through Maud’s luggage. “You want to make a good impression right? And the mall is heated. Besides, what if you meet a cute girl while you’re there? You have to wear this one.” The dress was cute and the mall was indeed warm despite the winter cold outside. Maud could not argue those points.  And she did want to make a good impression on this Trixie girl, insofar that she was important to Pinkie and she wanted to be on good terms with her when the day was over.  But I can do that in a dress I’m more comfortable in, Maud thought bitterly. Besides, I’m not the one that needs to impress the other person here. She does. She’s the stranger. Which was yet another annoyance Maud focused on as she scrolled through her phone. When she had gone into Pinkie’s room to talk the day before, she had expected to learn who Trixie was, who she was to Pinkie, and a bit about her personality.  And yet, Maud had learnt next to nothing.  “Oh. She’s a friend of mine,” Pinkie had said. “Yeah, she comes over sometimes. We’re kind of really close friends. What? Oh she’s the bestest.” And maybe it was because of how frail Pinkie’s smile seemed or because of how things had gone during breakfast but, for some reason or another, Maud had struggled to probe deeper, keeping the conversation light and friendly instead—Marble’s warning in her ears. It wasn’t until she returned to her room that she noticed she’d even forgotten to see a picture of what the girl looked like.  She had, however, asked to meet her. Pinkie had nervously agreed and set up an outing at the mall for the next day. I’m not here to meet girls. I’m here to make sure Pinkie is safe and to learn about what kinds of people Pinkie has been hiding from me.  “Hey, do you mind if I sit here?”  Maud looked up from her phone and started to respond but stopped, taking in the girl standing in front of her. She then shook her head and gestured to the seat. But I mean, while I’m here… “Thank you,” said the girl, taking a seat beside Muad before pulling out her phone and beginning to text at furious speeds. Maud stared at her for a second longer before she caught herself, swiftly turning her attention back to her own phone. Well, most of her attention. Maud kept the girl and her cute silver hair in her periphery vision, willing herself not to blush or turn as the girl giggled at something on her phone screen. A message perhaps? Get it together, Maud. She looked at her own screen, a text to Pinkie telling her to take her time typed out before her. She chanced a glance at the girl again and this time she found plum eyes discreetly looking back at her for a second. Then they quickly looked away. And then back again. And then down to the ground. And is she blushing? And why am I still staring? The girl suddenly turned to look at her directly and it was all that Maud could do to not turn away from her gaze.  “I’m sorry,” the girl began, “I’m sorry if I was bothering you. I’m just waiting for someone but I can wait somewhere else. I don’t mind at all.” Her voice is quite lovely. Strong. I bet she’d be a good singer.    “I swear I wasn’t staring at you,” the girl continued, “I mean, I obviously was. You caught me staring, after all. But it wasn’t like that. You were just next to me and I glanced at you a couple of times, but I swear I’m just easily distracted. I didn’t sit next to a cute girl so I could ogle at her up close, you know?” Wait, did she say she was bothering me? Because of sitting next to me? Maud blinked, focusing back in on the conversation. “Oh, I don’t mind.” A hitched breath. Why is she blushing harder? Maud thought, beginning to panic. And as the second half of that conversation became apparent, her face flushed in realization. No no no no, she thinks I meant… “Maud! Trixie!” Pinkie yelled, running up to them. “Oh good, you found each other. That saves us time!” Pinkie ran up to the girl and gave her a huge hug, one that was rather intimate considering the public setting. And maybe that would explain why the girl’s‒Trixie’s blush only seemed to deepen. But then why are her eyes still locked on me, Maud asked, knowing full well why—her own face hot with shame. “So… What were you two talking about?” Trixie’s eyes practically begged her not to answer and Maud could not help but agree. I’d rather die than admit to that. “Just saying hello. Now why don’t we get moving?” Maud had never been one for puzzles. That had always been more of the younger siblings’ thing. Maud and Limestone though, they had always preferred problems with simple solutions. It was in their nature: Limestone, reaching an answer through brute force and stubbornness, and Maud, chipping away slowly at a problem, diligently until the whole thing went down. The younger siblings were different though. Marble was the clever one, able to see things in ways others often couldn’t. Pinkie was…something—likely to wonder why a problem needed to be solved to begin with instead of adapted to. Each sibling worked in their own way to overcome challenges, and each way of dealing with problems had its strengths and weaknesses. As Maud had been finding out recently, for example, there were things that needed to be done that only she could handle. And yet, as she had watched the two girls walk beside her, listening in on their conversation, Maud wondered to herself if perhaps Marble wouldn’t be better suited to figure out the puzzle that was Pinkie’s current life and relationships, wouldn’t be better suited to decipher the patterns in body language and tone of voice that had always eluded her. What did it mean that Pinkie’s smile seemed as strong as it ever had been? What did it mean that the two, for the most part, kept their distance from each other? What did it mean when they showed affection and acted like a shy and blushy brand new couple compared to when they spoke like a couple that had been together for years? No, Maud was certainly not the right instrument to use for this task. But when all you’ve got’s a chisel, you chisel, she grumbled to herself. Do not bemoan the missing tool, right Father? Suddenly the conversion grew quieter and Maud looked up from her thoughts to find she had once again lost sight of the couple‒the friends, this time finding them looking at some popcorn vendor. “You’ll spoil your appetite,” Trixie said as Maud stepped closer, “Besides, most of these stores will not let you in with food.” “Nu huh, nu huh! There’s no rules against going in with food. I see people in there with food all the time.” “Right, that’s them. They won’t let you in with food anymore.” “They will if you hold it for me!” Pinkie begged. Maud couldn’t help but smile at the way Trixie looked away from Pinkie’s pleading eyes in a last ditch effort at denying the girl from getting her way. In a few seconds she would crack, even Maud was sure of that, and she found the whole thing rather cute. But Pinkie is dating Caramel, the thought cut through the good cheer like a dropped plate. And Trixie was definitely checking me out earlier, I can see that now. If Pinkie gets close to her and she gets hurt… “...please be careful?” Maud’s nose tickled, the smell of popcorn muting, fading, and for a second she was in Marble’s room again—just for a second. “How about a compromise,” Maud interjected, just as Trixie opened her mouth to give in. “I only ate a small breakfast and Pinkie can always eat. If it’s ok with you, we can have an early lunch and sit down somewhere. Get it out of the way, and not bring food into stores since I don’t feel like getting kicked out.” Pinkie seemed about to protest, but Trixie interjected, taking the offer handed to her. “Yeah, I could eat. Sounds good.” “I can’t believe you two are teaming up against me,” Pinkie said, glaring from one girl to the other. “This is not why I introduced you, and I want it noted that this is completely unfair.” At which point she turned around and began heading towards the food court. “She’s so cute when she pouts,” Trixie whispered as she began to follow Pinkie. “Adorable,” Maud replied, walking alongside her. “So…” Trixie began after a few steps, glancing at Maud from the corner of her eye. “Has Pinkie converted you into a vegetarian yet?” “Did she convert you?” “Her cooking did more than anything,” Trixie answered, miming wiping drool off her lip. “It all looked so good. I’m not really a vegetarian consciously, but most of what I eat now is non-meats because of her. And you’re avoiding the question. Did she get to you too?” Maud replied in what she hoped was a teasing tone. “Assuming I wasn’t one already, you mean?” “Well, I knew you weren’t originally unless you changed recently.” Huh. Maud paused for a step before continuing. “And you know this, how?” “Well, I’ve heard a lot about you, you know.” “Oh?” “Yeah, Pinkie talks a lot about you. The smart one. Went to grad school. Super kind. A lot of the smaller details come up as well.” “Wish I could say the same.” This time it was Trixie who stopped for a step. “Yeah, I guess that’s fair. Not much to know though. Kind of unfair to expect her to update you on all her friends you know?” “I guess,” Maud continued staring ahead, “But I do wish she would let me in on what’s going on in her life. What important things are happening? When she needs help? Stuff like that.” “And this has to do with me, how?” Maud sucked in a breath. “I know you’re—” “We’re here!” Pinkie interrupted, gesturing to the food court. “Whatcha wanna eat?” Maud expected that to be the end of the conversation, for things to go back to the surface level pleasantries of the day, but Trixie seemed to have other plans as she said, “How about you get us our usual Pinks. And also, do you mind giving us a few minutes alone as well before you do? I think your sister wants to talk to me in private for a bit. You’ll know when we’re good. You always do.” “Oooh some private time with my sister? Scandalous!” Trixie groaned, causing Pinkie to burst out laughing but she did leave anyway. Trixie led Maud to a table that offered some privacy from the rest of the crowds.  “You were saying.” “I know you’re sleeping with my sister.” “Obviously,” Trixie said, her blush not reaching her voice. “But I seriously doubt that’s what you want to talk about unless you and Pinkie have a similar sense of humor. So what do you actually want to ask me about?” “You can’t say you’re not someone important when you’re obviously that intimate with my sister.” “You’ve never heard of one-night stands, huh?” Trixie grinned, “But I guess that’s fair, that’s not what this is. Pinkie and I are close, but not because of that. Though I still think you have the wrong idea.” “Then explain,” Maud said, tapping on the table. “I’ve seen the way you were staring at us today while we were shopping. Looking at every time I held her hand or leaned in close like I was something encroaching on your precious sister’s life and you were trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing. But the thing is, she is the one encroaching in my life. Not the other way around.” Trixie leaned back in her chair. “Pinkie heals people. She finds people who need help and she will help them, against their will if necessary. She’s the type who’s first step in solving a problem is asking the problem if it’s ok.” Maud closed her eyes to the smell of vanilla on warm summers. “You don’t have to tell me that.” Trixie chuckled under her breath. “Yeah, I guess I don’t.” “So you were having problems? Or are still having problems?” “No offense, Maud, but I just met you.” “That’s reasonable. Still want to know, though.” Trixie scoffed. “I guess I can say that it’d be weird if I wasn’t still having problems. Everyone is having problems. My deal is that they tend to be the same ones over and over. What makes us or breaks us is how we handle them and who we have to support us.” “I’ve been seeing a lot of that lately,” Maud said, glancing at Pinkie who was standing in a line. “Having a strong foundation, a strong support system, is such an important part of weathering a storm. That’s the reason why I wish that Pinkie would stop hiding so much from me.” “So you could do what?” “Help her!” Maud yelled, quickly looking around, embarrassed at her outburst. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, however, and Trixie continued unabated.  “Pinkie has had her ups and downs, sure,” she said. “But so does everyone. Even if you had known. Even if you hadn’t left. There’s nothing you could have done to fix that or change that in any meaningful way.” “You don’t know that.” “Yeah, I do.” “Oh yeah? How?” “Because AJ couldn’t do anything,” Trixie said calmly. “And Sunset before she left. Even Caramel and I sometimes can’t do much for her other than hold her.” “But I’m her family,” Maud said leaning over the table. “And she’s her own person,” Trixie replied, looking away. For a moment she said nothing, fidgeting with her bracelet, before resuming, “What you have to understand is that people are going to feel what they’re going to feel. Sometimes they’re going to suffer and they’re going to go through things you don’t want them to. And most of the time you can’t solve things for them. The most we can do is trust that they’ll reach out when they need us and to be ready to comfort them in whatever ways we can. The difference between being there for someone and forcing your help on someone.” “And Pinkie is there for you?” “Yeah,” Trixie took a deep breath. “She is. And I’m there for her, in whatever ways I can be.” Maud looked at Trixie, really looked at her. Not judging or analyzing, but truly took her in and it was at that moment that she decided that she did indeed like her. She smiled at her. Trixie smiled back. Maud blushed and looked away. “Still sucks though,” she groused.  “It does,” Trixie agreed, “But it doesn’t have to. Here, I think I know what your problem is. Mind if I do a quick Tarot reading?” A what? Maud thought, but was unable to ask as Trixie was already pulling out her cards. Are those just regular playing cards? “Here draw three cards, and place them in any order in front of you,” Trixie said, fanning her cards out before Maud.  “Okay…” Maud replied, placing her three cards atop the table. Trixie flipped the first card. “This first card is the card of self, and for this you’ve drawn an ace of diamonds. You are the strong one, the one that can withstand things, the one that handles the things that others can’t. You don’t dent. You don’t get scratched. You don’t crack under pressure. Depending on your self-esteem, this is either how you see yourself, or how you are seen by others, though based on the little talk we’ve had and what I’ve heard from Pinkie, I’m going out on a limb and saying both.” Maud nodded silently. “Right,” Trixe said, flipping the next card, “Your second card is the card of desire, what you want most, and you see that you’ve drawn the three of hearts. Now, I believe you have three sisters, so I believe this represents that what you want most is their happiness and wellbeing, as represented by a healthy heart.” Woah. “Your last card is the problem card. The thing in your way,” Trixie almost whispered, causing Maud to lean forward in her seat. “And this one is the Joker card. Huh, well that’s interesting.” “What does it mean?” “Hmm..” Trixie thought for a second. “Well, you see, the Joker plays tricks right? Sleight of hand, illusions, trickery, that’s his thing. Which means the thing in your way is that you are being deceived. Not by anything in particular, but by imperfect perception. See..” Maud watched as Trixie picked up the three of hearts off the table.  “It is not uncommon that sometimes the biggest thing in our way is our own actions. You see it in literature all the time, people trying to avoid  a prophecy cause it. People trying to be cautious make mistakes. Or in real life, overprotective parents drive kids to misbehave. In your case I think it’s this.” Trixie spun the card in her fingers.  “You see three hearts in need of protection, but what you saw as three hearts are actually—” with a flick of the wrist the one card turned to three before Maud’s eyes—three cards identical to the one already on the table “—three ace of diamonds, all of their own.” Maud stared in disbelief. Okay, I really like her. “Oh wow, you’re good.” “I know right? Trixie does have her moments,” Trixie said, putting the cards down. Maud took a moment to reflect on what she had just been told. “So what?” she asked, “Just give them space and hope for the best?” Trixie thought hard for a second before answering, “More like, trust that they’re tough enough on their own to figure things out and that they’ll reach out to others if they need help, yourself included.” Maud picked up the four ace of diamond cards from the table, running her fingers across the rough plastic.  “I guess I can do that,” Maud said, unconvinced. “But also…” Trixie began, causing Maud to look up. “There’s nothing stopping you from being the one to reach out first. Ask about her life, and pester her for information. Be the nosey one. If you’re that worried, that is. I doubt she’d mind.” I guess I could, Maud considered. It wasn’t that she never messaged first, but with Pinkie always taking initiative she almost always was on the responding side of the conversation. Nothing wrong with changing that. “You know, you’re surprisingly forward for someone ‘I just met,’ to borrow a phrase,” Maud teased. “Blame Pinkie,” Trixie shrugged. “She told me she wanted me to be completely open with you today, since she hadn’t been fully open with you up to now. You know, to make up for it. So if there’s anything else you want to know, for today and today only, I’m an open book.” “Hm...” Maud considered loudly, “Are you and my sister actually dating?” “Nope, but we might as well be. We do have a few boundaries still, and our reasons for them. Mostly me, if I have to be honest about it.” Maud nodded. “How does Caramel feel about it?” “You’d have to ask him, but the guy is really hard to annoy at the worst of times and I’ve been on my best behavior with him, mostly,” Trixie winked. Maud smiled. “How about this? You know about my desires,” Maud said, gesturing to the cards, “But what about you? What do you desire most?” Trixie closed her eyes for a second and leaned back in her chair, taking a deep breath and fiddling with her bracelet again before giving a soft snort of laughter.  “To go to a magical land of ponies and live in a world where every problem is solved with magic, friendship, and cotton candy.” Maud snorted as well. “If only, right?” “Yeah…” Trixie sighed, “If only.” “Hey, girls! I hope you’re hungry!” Both girls looked up as Pinkie arrived balancing three trays of food, drinks, and various desserts.  Maud looked from Pinkie’s guilt-free smile to Trixie’s nonplussed expression and somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered Trixie telling Pinkie to order “the usual.” How is this much food “the usual?” “Good job, hun, but we’re going to need way more napkins than this,” Trixie said, collecting her cards and getting up from her seat. “Making a good impression on your sister, right?” “Right. Right. You’re right,” Pinkie said, sitting at the table, and placing the trays down. “It’s cool. I’ve got them. Be right back,” Trixe said. As she left however, she leaned over and kissed Pinkie on the forehead, causing the girl to melt into her seat. Maud couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. “You okay, Pinkie?” “Uh huh.” “You know, thank you for setting this up. I’m glad I met her.” “I told you she’s the bestest.” “Yeah, I guess you did.” Both of them stared as Trixie pulled what looked like half of the napkin stack out of the dispenser and began making her way back. “I do have to ask. Did she cheat on those Tarot pulls?” “Oh, totally!” Pinkie waved a hand dismissively as she rolled her eyes. “She has no idea how to do Tarot and she refuses to learn.” “Ah okay. I kind of figured. Still was cool though.” “Always is,” Pinkie said grinning from ear to ear. “But there’s something else that was much cooler that you totally missed.” “And what might that be?” Maud asked. “I was watching you two talk from way over there the whole time,” she gestured with a nod. “I couldn’t hear what you were saying, but I could see you just fine. And when you smiled at her, she smiled back.” She did? “Here we are,” Trixie sat down next to Pinkie, placing a stack of napkins on the table. “So, I was thinking, how about after lunch we head over to the Guitar Emporium?”  “Why? So you can show off for Maud?” Pinkie asked with a grin. “No, so Trixie can show off for everyone,” Trixie huffed indignantly. “What do you think, Maud?” “Yeah, sounds good,” Maud heard herself say, though she was unsure what she was agreeing to, distracted as she was. She’d heard her name, and she’d responded, she knew that much, but her mind was elsewhere. She was vaguely aware of Pinkie’s eyes on her. “So it’s agreed,” Trixie said in between mouthfuls of food. “You wouldn’t happen to play any instruments would you? Maybe we can jam sometime while you’re here.” This time Maud didn’t answer whatever Trixie had just asked. She could hear Pinkie answering on her behalf, some explanation or other just beyond her hearing. In fact, all her ears could hear right now was Sandstone telling her no one outside her family would ever be able to read her—a hint of shame as her emotions were once again misunderstood. Maud closed her eyes and played back that moment when she had let her guard down, when she had decided that this stranger was someone she could trust around her sister. She had smiled at her. And in her mind’s eye she could clearly see Trixie smiling back. Oh, Sandstone has got to hear about this.