//------------------------------//
// The Rock Farm 
// Story: Indelible Ink 
// by alexisrose1454 
//------------------------------//

*RIIIINNNNGG*

“Up! Up! Up!”

Slowly getting out of bed was a gray young mare with a long, straight dark-grey mane.  She got up and stared around her room.  Two other beds lay beside her own.  One filled with another body, that of her sister.  She was around the same age as her however she sported a shorter light-grey mane and had a purplish sort of coat.  The other bed however remained empty.  There was no trace of anypony ever sleeping there.  Upon seeing this, the grey pony frowned until moving away from the thought to tend to her still sleeping sister.

“Blinkie,” the gray one said tiredly, “time to get up.”

“Alright!  Alright!  I’m going!  No need to yell Inkie!”

“You’re the one yelling…”

After a minute a somewhat loud voice came from below.

“Girls!  Time to go!”

“Yes mother!” Inkie replied while grabbing her saddle bag.  “I’ll see you at breakfast Blinkie.”

“Yeah, sure…”

As Inkie went through the hallway she noticed the sight outside the window.

Huh…  We beat Princess Celestia to the day again.  Oh well, there’s work to be done anyway.

Inkie continued her walk until she reached the stairs.  Then down she went into the kitchen.  There she was met with the stares of two elderly ponies.  The faded, brown stallion took a quick glance at Inkie and then returned to his grain while the pale gray mare tried to look behind her.

“Dear?  Where’s your sister?”

“She’s taking a while to get out of bed.”

“Well could you go and get her then?” the brown stallion said, not looking up from his bowl.  “We need to get moving.”

“Got it pa’…”

Inkie went back up the steps and back into her room to retrieve her sister.

“Blinkie?  Are you ready to go?”

“I guess.  What’s in line for today?”

“Well, that’s up for pa’ to say.  I think we’re just going to continue moving the rocks from the south field to the east.”

“Okay then, let’s do this fast.”

As the pair emerged from the staircase, the pale gray mare began to set up two more bowls of oats.

“Thank you ma’.” Blinkie said while sitting in front of one of the bowls

Inkie soon followed suit and so did their mother.  The table was almost full except for that one empty seat.  In front of the 
unoccupied space was a small filly’s bowl and an empty cup.  Both have gathered quite the amount of dust.  Inkie stared at the spot the whole time as she ate her oats.  The first one to get up was her father.

“Okay girls, same as yesterday only today we have to cut work short.  I got a message from some local weather ponies that there might be a slight storm scheduled for this area.”

“A weather pony?  Are you sure dear?!” the older mare questioned.  “Hardly anypony comes around these parts.  Why schedule rain for this plot of land?”

“Somthin’ Princess Celestia wanted to do.  You can’t really question her.”

Work getting cut short?  Huh, I guess it won’t be a normal work day after all.

The family of four cleaned their bowls and began to move out one by one.  Like the many generations before her, Inkie and her sisters were born rock farmers.  They would harvest rocks and deliver them to wherever they needed to be moved.  It was a simple yet boring life but then again, it was all they had.

Inkie looked up at the dark blue sky in wonder as the sun began to rise.

I wonder…  Are you looking at the sun as well sister?