Work. In the family that was the word they spoke the most. Sometimes they forgot to even say "Good morning", but they never forgot the word "work". The father of this family, Igneous Rock, was a very strict pony, He loved the traditions and the old ways, just like his father did, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him who started the rock farming legacy. But that didn't mean he was cold. He loved his family and, even though he it was hard for him to talk about his feeling, he hugged her daughters every night and talked to his wife until the candle ran out late around midnight.
His wife, Cloudy Quartz, was a very quiet pony who enjoyed cooking for her family and knitting clothes. They met at a county fair when they were young, they fell in love and marry after some time. But she had a secret. Contrary to what Igneous thought, she used to be a hyperactive pony who loved to have fun and go to parties. But after she met her beloved, she decided to leave that life style back to be with him and work on the rock farm. Although that didn't prevented her to have some fun to some times have small parties with her daughters, specially since one of them got a cutie mark after finding the magic of partying.
But this story isn't about them, or the pony whose cutie mark was centered on having fun and left the farm. This is about those ponies who stayed, those ponies whose will to help their family was stronger than their curiosity to find a dream of their own, and those ponies who even though they were almost grown ups they still haven't got their cutie marks. Their names: Marble Pie and Limestone Pie.
Marble has a gray coat and a long straight darker gray mane. She enjoys collecting rocks of all the colors she could fine, small pieces of diamonds, all kinds of gems, volcanic rocks, quartzite, almost every kind of rock known to ponies she had it. She is pretty shy, whenever somepony she didn't know came near her she covered her left eye with her mane and avoided eye contact. She doesn't really have interest in other places rather than the farm, that's why her interaction with other ponies was minimal. Before her big sister left, she loved to listen to whatever she said. Pinkie Pie usually spoke random things one after another and Marbled laughed as hard as she could, sometimes her belly hurt after all she laughed.
Limestone is very different from her sister. She always tries to have her purple coat cleaned and combs her light gray mane at least 50 times before leaving the house. As you can imagine, working on a rock farm meant that all this beauty don't last long. She enjoyed looking good and whenever her father went to the city she asked for a fashion magazine to be in touch to what's new. She loved her farm, but she dreamed to one day have a big travel around Equestria and know everything from the deep seas to the high mountains. She used to be with her big sister every night and try as many cloth combinations she could find, some times using Marble's rocks. Pinkie was never good giving fashion advice, but she knew about costumes, and what started as a fashion show ended as a game of who dresses sillier.
Although they were very different, they never were too far the one from the other. They are the best friends and tried to keep everything as happy as if their sister were still there.
One day Igneous called to the living room "Marble, Limestone, could you come over her?" His voice was fragile and weak, that wasn't normal on him.
The two sisters worried and went to the living room were their father was laying down on a big sofa and their mother brought some tea to him "What is it father? " said Limestone.
"Your father injured himself while trying to carry some rocks onto the cart" Cloudy Quartz sat on the side of the stallion
"Oh no! Father, are you okay?" Marble ran to her father followed by her sister.
Igneous, having all his family around him, smiled and tried to be strong "Yes, I just need some time to rest. I'm getting old and this poor back can't lift the stones as it used to" He took a deep breath and continued "Anyway, that's not why I asked you to come. We still have to take those rocks to their destinations. But as you can see, I can't do that and your mother can't go alone. That's why, you two will deliver the rocks".
Marble's jaw dropped while Limestone jumped around in happiness "Oh! I mean, sorry to hear about your condition father, but you can trust on us to deliver the rocks" said Limestone.
Marble pushed her sister aside and tried to convince her father otherwise "But father, aren't we too young? I mean, what if something happens? And, what if we wait until father gets better?"
Cloudy Quartz tried to convince her daughter to go on the journey "If we miss this delivery we won't have enough money to keep the farm on the winter"
Marble covered her face with her hooves "But, I'm not ready"
Igneous smiled "You are ready, If you two are together there's nothing that can stop you" This didn't make feel Marble confident about going, but it did make her feel good, and having her sister to come would make things easier.
Marble finally accepted "Okay, father. I'll go, where is the delivery?" Limestone jumped around again screaming "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh!"
Cloudy Quartz brought a map of Equestria with a some Xs marked on it "You have to go to five places to deliver the rocks. First, you'll go to Manehattan to leave the quartzites. Then, to Phillydelphia and deliver the sapphires. After that, Baltimare with the igneous..." They all giggled and look to the stallion on the sofa "Then, Applelooza with the tephra. And finally Ponyville with... flat rocks? Huh, isn't that interesting?"
When the sisters heard the last place they had to go their faces changed. Both of them smiled from ear to ear and screamed in excitement. Suddenly Marble wasn't worried anymore "We will finally see our sister" Then Limestone hugged her "Yes, we should totally get a makeover so she won't recognize us"
"Okay, okay, that's enough. You two should go to bed, you will start your travel tomorrow at sunrise. So go get some sleep now" Igneous tried to raise his voice, but he couldn't. His daughters went to their bedroom to get ready for the big travel.
During the night, neither of them could sleep. Marble and Limestone stayed awake lying on their beds waiting for the moment to leave "Hey, you think she will be surprised?" asked Limstone "Of course, it's been so long since last time" answered Marble "We are gonna have so much fun" They both thought, and closed their eyes trying to sleep