Dissociative

by Strawberry Jelly

Chapter 6 - Rock On

The rock farm always had the same monotonous days that you could honestly skip by without noticing that anything other than a skip in the calender. Every day of the week consisted of waking up, eating breakfast, brushing your teeth, going outside, rotating the rocks, shattering certain stones for their gems. On the weekends they would load up carts with the precious gemstones and either Maud or Igneous would take them down the road towards the clients that have ordered them.

It was rinse and repeat for all of the ponies involved: Cloudy would make food while the children would work the farm all day, Pinkie would rotate the rocks, Marble and Limestone would shatter of the stones that clients needed, and Octavia would almost always be busy at that fancy school that she went to. At first her parents were against the very idea of their daughter wanting to be a musician, but a cutie mark and their irritation of listening to those strings day in and day out had quickly persuaded them. Not that they particularly cared about their daughter's bizarre aspiration, but they decided it best that she could play somewhere else and not disturb them every day of the week.

Igneous and Cloudy weren't bad parents per se, but they had trouble grasping the concept of their daughters not wanting to work on the farm. To them, that's all that mattered in life was the rocks and the money to help pay for more rocks. Limestone was the only daughter that gave her parents elation at her goals, being the only daughter that actually was interested in working the farm.

Limestone let out a relieved sigh as she finally ground the last rock gravel and bagging it up for that order in Canterlot. She couldn't help but smile at the sound of music playing from the barn once again. While she truly did love her blissful job, Pinkie always knew just how to make a day better by having a party at the end of it. Oh how Octavia had gotten so upset when she heard that Pinkie was allowed to play her own music around the house but she was forbidden. Not that she was really too upset; after all, she had been enjoying that music school at the time.

“Silly Pinkie,” Limestone giggled as she went to join the party, only to find one Octavia already home and helping Pinkie set up the finishing touches. Their parents had actually been gone for the weekend, apparently taking a vacation to the Great Rock Spires of Griffondale; leaving Octavia with the duty of babysitting for the duration of her spring break.

“Oh hi Limestone!” Octavia smiled and gave the filly a tight hug, “I guess it's just going to be us here for a little while, huh?”

Pinkie nodded, her grin not wavering, “I wish mom and dad could be here though; they're gonna miss the 'Happy Spring Break, Octavia' party.”

“I'm sure they'll be fine. You throw a party almost every day,” Maud chimed in flatly, “Hello, Octavia.”

The eldest sister only nodded at her deadpan sibling, “Hello Maud; how has work been?”

“Good. School?” Maud was always the stunning conversationalist that everyone knew her for. Her voice always flat and unwavering, showing hardly a single emotion beyond certain highlights like Pinkie's first party or when Octavia first showed her special talent to the family.

Limestone had stopped paying attention to that boring stuff after only a moment and turned to her pink sister that insisted on wearing her mane in that fluffy style ever since her first party; although she did at least think to brush the tangles out to mane it look less like a cotton ball and more like a cloud. Pinkie was always so happy ever since that day, and so had everyone else. Where there were no smiles, Pinkie made so many. Where there was no laughter, Pinkie made jokes. Where there was no sugary treats, Pinkie baked. She was honestly the best older sister that Limestone could ask for; especially with how she would take time out of her night just to sing those silly songs to help Limestone fall asleep.

“Tavi, t-there's some strange pony outside and he's not leaving,” Marble's soft voice was usually trampled under the weight of other ponies' conversations, but her words somehow pierced the noisy barn. It was no surprise though, not when you stop to think just how popular a rock farm of all things would be. Octavia looked at her sisters before comforting them with her strong words.

“I'll deal with it.”

Octavia was truly the only mare in their little family that truly had social skills. After all, Marble always insisted that she was a Canterlot Pony at heart, to which all of the other siblings eagerly backed this up. In hind sight though, it should have been no surprise to Limestone when Octavia had up and left to the big city. The four fillies that were currently hiding in the barn had poked their heads out through the door, one mare at a time, to see their sister.

“Hello Bass,” Octavia said shakily, crossing her hooves over her chest, “What are you-”

Limestone's eyes shot open to see a blue unicorn shaking her with a single hoof, “Come on; wake up, the party's starting soon.”

She apparently had ended up taking a nap the moment her head hit the pillow of her hotel bed. Not that she really remembered doing it to begin with, but the trip had obviously taken a toll on her body that her brain hadn't noticed. She was always like that though; she didn't pay attention to the needs of her body and she always ended up overworking herself or not eating enough. That was a reason that she loved having Trixie around; because despite her egotistical demeanor, she really was fragile an caring. She cared so much about other ponies and she made sure that Limestone would eat and take breaks. It wasn't until after she had left the farm that she truly started to regress into that same unintentional self-neglect all over again.

“Already?” Limestone asked groggily, her hoof slowly rubbing her temple to wipe the drowsiness from her head that assaulted her. Slowly she sat up to meet those two eyes that she had grown accustom to over that time on the rock farm with her. Trixie really had become her alarm clock of sorts; especially after Limestone accidentally smashed the old one.

“It's almost five, so yes,” Trixie nodded and helped the earth pony stand up and climb out of the bed with a soft smile appearing on her face. Although she loved to show off and be a mare larger than life, Trixie was always humbled by the rock farmer; a feat that only Twilight Sparkle had managed to make her do otherwise. Her horn glowed with a pale, magenta aura and made fixed the disheveled blankets that Limestone had left in her wake.

“I do feel bad for not seeing Pinkie or Maud before the party though,” Limestone lamented to herself, but only shrugged off the feeling, “I do hope that they will like the gifts that we brought though.”

Trixie shrugged, “I'm sure that they'll love what you picked out, and I'm even more sure that they'll love what I brought. Fireworks all of the way from Prance? What's not to love?”

“I still can't believe that's where you were hiding all of this time,” Limestone said while shouldering her saddlebags. They were filled with bags that were easily twice her body weight, but to Trixie's ever-present amazement, she didn't even falter with the excess weight. The unicorn couldn't help but wonder if living on the rock farm would have done that to her if she had lingered long enough; although she couldn't help but shudder at the mental image of herself looking like an Equestrian body builder.

“Well, my shop had become pretty popular with the locals around the city,” Trixie shrugged and levitated her own, far lighter, saddlebags onto her own back. After her defeat last time she was in Ponyville, she had decided to just finally settle down and start her own business. While a magic emporium in a country primarily populated by unicorns would seem like a rather pointless endeavor at first glance, it had actually proven to be quite fortuitous for the mare. After all, it was rare for a pony to find such rare imports from all over the world. She even had artifacts, although some where admittedly replicas, of countries as far east as Griffondale and others as far north as Wolfenstein. Her 'magic emporium' quickly became nothing more than a 'magic imports store', but Trixie couldn't really complain with the sheer amount of money that she had been raking in.

“I figured it would be, but I wonder how they're going to handle it being closed for a week though,” Limestone wondered, opening the door and escaping the dreary hotel into the warm Ponyville air.

“Closed?” Trixie shook her head, “I left someone in charge of the shop.”

Although Twilight had blatantly showed the magician her magical superiority, that didn't make Trixie any less of a powerful spellcaster. She could still cast spells far beyond the scope of your average unicorn, and a golem designed to run the shop was only a parlor trick for the blue mare. Little known to her though, she was going to have four charges of destruction of property waiting for her back in Prance.

She never said that it was a flawless plan.

“Thanks again girls,” Pinkie cheered happily as she balanced the gargantuan cake on her back with the help of Twilight's magic to stabilize it. It was a shame that Limestone hadn't showed up, so it fell onto Pinkie to make the snowcream icing; not that it was going to be near as good. With any luck though, the cake would be just as good with its predecessor that was made so many years ago on the farm.

“It's no problem, Pinkie. After all, we're all going to this party too,” Twilight reassured her friend with a soft smile. While she was still desperately curious about what was going on with her, she had to still put her friend first. Besides, Maud had managed to help assuage her worry; albeit being replaced with blunt curiosity instead. That being said though, Pinkie was acting just like herself again and it did help reinforce Maud's reassurance.

“Think nothing of it, Darling. You help me all of the time around the shop,” Rarity agreed, unaware of Twilight's discomfort and curiosity that was wracking her brain.

“I just hope the girls like it,” Pinkie looked up at the cake with a hopeful smile. In a way, it was like a symbol of their reunion to the mare; one that didn't only symbolize the four sisters together, but the return of the fifth that had been so far away for so long.

“Pinkie, they're your sisters; I know they'll love it,” Twilight smiled and helped fit the cake into the library, taking care not to let it bump into the doorframe and damage the presentation.

“Agreed; they will love it and you know that,” Rarity nodded, understanding Pinkie's nervousness all too well. As an artist, she knew that Pinkie's baking truly wasn't too different from the dresses she made. They were both only really used one time and then they were gone forever; although Pinkie's goods were eaten and Rarity's dresses were just closeted for the rest of time after their use.

Pinkie sighed and sat the cake down onto the table with a smile forming on her lips again, masking the nervousness, “You're right; they'll love it!”

“Alright, the banners and streamers are up,” Rainbow Dash called out from above, landing next to her three friends on the ground, “We did run out of yellow though, so Fluttershy's out grabbing another roll.”

“Really? I was sure I bought enough,” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin and shook her head at that idea, “Oh well; the party's supposed to start soon though; it looks good though! Thank you, Dashie!”

Pinkie swung her forelegs around the pegasus' neck with a smile. Originally she was wanting to put the party together herself, but her friends insisted on helping her. After all, they knew good and well how much this party meant to her and they wanted to make it just perfect.

Rainbow Dash only grinned, “So, who all did you invite?”

“Oh, well, there's you girls of course, Limestone, Marble, Maud, Oc-” She paused, reminding herself that Octavia wanted a guest appearance. “Uhm... whoever you all want to come and whoever my sisters invited.”

She offered a half-smile that Twilight was about to question before being cut off by a loud voice echoing from the doorway, “What's a party without the entertainment?! After all, why would you not invite the Great and Powerful-”

“-Trixie!” Both Twilight and Trixie finished that sentence at the same time, although Twilight sounding a bit more spiteful than arrogant.

“What are you doing here?!” Rainbow Dash flew into the air, ready to divebomb the intruding unicorn before she noticed the second mare walk in.

“Limestone!” Pinkie squealed and latched her forelegs almost instantly around the smaller mare with a grin wide enough to almost outstretch her face; a feat that only Pinkie could manage to do.

“Pinkie!” Limestone giggled and hugged her sister back as tightly as she could before turning her head halfway to the blue unicorn and then back to her sister, “I brought a guest, and I hope it's okay.”

“I-” Twilight swallowed before smiling, reminding herself that Trixie was a changed mare ever since that duel so long ago.

“Well duh! Who is it?!” Pinkie giggled excitedly at her sister, hoping that she was bringing her special somepony or something along those lines.

“Uhm... Hello?” Trixie waved her hoof with her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh...” It took a moment before it finally sunk into Pinkie's head, “Oh!”

“Yeah...” Limestone smiled nervously, “She's my plus one.”

With that surprise visit from an old enemy, the rest of the party guests arrived one by one with a less impressive effect. Save for Rarity spending almost every waking second catching up with Coco Pommel on how life had been for her ever since they met so long ago. Not that Rarity hadn't secretly been keeping tabs on her fashion line in the Manehattan Fashion Weekly, but it was nice to genuinely talk to her about it.

Pinkie looked around the room now that the party was in full swing, distracted by the lack of one Octavia. She swallowed hard at that fear; what if she wasn't coming? What if she only came to see Pinkie and that was it? “No, she promised to come see us.”

Nobody breaks a promise to each other in the Pie family. That was grounds for court martial! Not that Octavia really acted like family to begin with; not since that incident so many years ago, but she was still Family to Pinkie and that's what mattered.

“Where is she?” Pinkie thought to herself again, not having a single voice answer her this time. She still couldn't help but start to have that rising feeling of panic in her stomach... She couldn't show it though; she still had a party to run and run it she was going to do.

“So, you and Pinkie's sister?” Rarity inquired as the two mares sat on the balcony, watching bizarre and foreign fireworks being launched at the hooves of Trixie.

“Yeah... We met a while back through Photo Finish actually; she's married to Marble's agent.” Coco shrugged and brushed a lock of her mane behind her ear. “I don't know how I didn't put two and two together when she said her sister's name was Pinkie, but I guess it's a small world after all.”

“I'm glad to see you again though, darling. I've seen that you've made quite a name for yourself in Manehattan,” Rarity smiled before turning her gaze back to Trixie, “What about her and Limestone though?”

“I doubt it!” A cheerful, third voice chimed in from behind the two mares that turned to see one Pinkie Pie who held two drinks on her back, “More punch?”

“Ah, thank you Pinkie... What makes you so sure about Limestone and Trixie though?” Rarity asked, taking a sip from the offered drink, only to recoil at the realization that it had that familiar alcohol burn. It wasn't that she didn't like a nice drink every now and then, but it seemed a little early to start drinking. “Darling, why is there alcohol in this?”

“Well, Twilight sent spike to Sweet Apple Acres, so it's just us adults, so I thought it was time to really get this party going!” Pinkie cheered on the start of the drunken debauchery; one that even Coco, Fluttershy, and Marble agreed to take part in. The latter two were especially an amazing feat considering Fluttershy hates the taste of alcohol and Marble was... well, Marble.

Returning downstairs, Pinkie was assaulted by the music that was being played by the white unicorn behind the DJ booth; which she was admittedly glad to have hired her old friend for the party. Looking over the room, she found Big Mac, who was currently drinking some hard cider that he had brought; Rainbow Dash, who was currently hoof wrestling Applejack; Twilight, who was sitting next to Big Mac, talking about something with her eyes wide; and Marble, who was watching the contest with some awe between the blue pegasus and the farmer.

“So you're saying what if we were all just tiny specs compared to the vastness of the universe,” Twilight stood with her mouth half-gaping as her conversation with Big Mac drew to a close.

“Eeyup,” He insisted quietly, taking another drink from the mug he held in his hoof.

“Wow,” She blinked, not really able to believe just how philosophical the gentle giant could be.

The room was fairly calm considering the drunken atmosphere that Pinkie had placed on the library, save for the cheering of the rainbow pegasus that had apparently one the hoof wrestle with her long-time rival and friend. Her grin only widened as she eyed Applejack, “Wanna go again?”

“Nah, I want another drink,” AJ shook her head and headed over to the keg that her and her brother had brought as a party favor, “Try Big Mac or something.”

Rainbow's eyes lit up at the idea, “So, what do you sa-”

“Eenope,” He said flat out before the pegasus could even finish, resulting in a pout from her. Quickly though, her eyes skimmed over the room to settle on her next victim, “What about you?!”

Marble's eyes widened in horror at the very idea, “What? Me?! I-I can't!”

She took a step back, bumping against the table that the competition was meant to take place. The writer honestly hated the idea of competition; she just preferred fun games that didn't really require brute force. “Oh c'mon, it'll be fun!”

“I don't th-” Marble was cut off by a pink hoof wrapping around her withers.

“She'll do it!” Pinkie grinned knowingly at her twin, who couldn't help but nod uneasily. Being a rock farmer gives you a certain level of strength and fitness that doesn't just leave you after you leave the farm, and Pinkie knew that good and well.

“Awesome!” Rainbow sat down on the chair and placed her hoof on the table, to which Marble took the other side with a nervous smile on her face that was half hidden behind her mane.

… Rainbow almost instantly found herself lodged into a crater.

With the satisfying crashing sound that Pinkie left behind her, she turned her attention to the quiet Fluttershy that sat in the corner with Limestone, “Hey girls, how's the party going?”

Fluttershy didn't say anything, but Limestone nodded with her cheeks flushed, “It'sh great!”

“Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked while turning back from her sister to where the quiet mare had been only a second ago, “Huh?”

“There!” Limestone giggled, pointing a hoof over to the yellow pegasus that now stood next to Twilight and Big Mac, “'Bout time she talked to him.”

“Wait, what?” Pinkie blinked, not really sure what was going on, but only watched Fluttershy say something and suddenly being dragged away from an angry looking Applejack.

“Heeeey Big Mac!” Fluttershy said loudly, her cheeks stained a dark red and her body feeling a certain numbness that only rum punch and apple cider could bring. It was rare for Fluttershy to actually drink, but for her close friends that had seen it in the past, it makes her a social butterfly that could put even Pinkie to shame.

“Eeyup?” He replied with a questioning voice.

“Fluttershy, uhm... How much have you had to drink?” Twilight raised her brow, worried for her friend. Fluttershy was known to be pretty unpredictable when she drank; not that other ponies weren't, but she was exceptionally so.

“'Eeey Big Mac, wanna-” She cut off to let out a hiccup and shook her flank eagerly, “-wanna see my-my cutie mark?”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac actually had a slight smile appear on his drunken lips before his vision became filled with a rather angry looking Applejack that happened to overhear.

“Sorry to break this up, but I have to take Fluttershy outside for a walk,” Applejack glowered at her brother and dragged her friend away from the party.

Pinkie only could laugh at what she imagined had happened in that conversation, “So, how have you been, sis?”

“Shame ol', Shame ol',” Limestone shrugged and took another swig of the punch in front of her. In a party where everyone was drinking, Pinkie had admittedly indulged herself a little as well; especially with the cider. Partially it was just to help her relax and have more fun, but it was more to silence that nagging realization that Octavia hadn't been planning on coming to the party at all.

“I think we should cut the cake soon,” Maud chimed in after approaching her two sisters. Although she looked just as apathetic as ever, Pinkie could tell that she was completely drunk off of her rocker. Limestone could tell too; maybe it was just a family thing, but they could always tell just how Maud was feeling.

“M-Maybe wait a little while longer?” Pinkie bit her lip, clinging to the very slim hope that Octavia was going to arrive. She knew better than to let her hopes get back up, but the alcohol clouded her sense of logic; which wasn't particularly a strong point to the Party Pony to begin with.

“For?” Maud asked, knowing there was something that the party pony was waiting for. After all, Pinkie always had her parties planned perfectly to where the cake would be cut when everyone was ready for it to be. So, what was she waiting for?

“I-I'm sorry for being late,” A voice called from the doorway of the library, to which nobody had noticed her over the beat of the music, save the one party pony with her eyes glowing brightly in excitement.

“Her.” Pinkie grinned and jumped from her seat, running over to her eldest sister, “Octavia!”

“Octavia?” Both Limestone and Maud said, with Maud as apathetic as ever and Limestone having a flare of anger shooting from the name.

“Tavi?!” Marble dropped her mug, spilling cider onto the ground with her eyes widening in a mixture of horror and anger.

“What is SHE doing here?!” Limestone's words were dripping with venom, eliciting a strange look from the other party goers.

“Well, duh! I invited her, silly!” Pinkie giggled and hopped in place, obviously too excited that she had actually arrived to notice the discomfort that her sisters were obviously feeling.

“You-” Marble stumbled over her own words, watching Pinkie drag Octavia into the room with a wide grin.

“Let's cut the cake now!” Pinkie wasn't even listening at this point, literally hopping across the floor until she reached the cake, dragging Octavia with her. Limestone, however, wasn't near as excited; she trotted with stomping hooves up to the eldest sister with a glare that could sour milk.

“You have a lot of guts showing up here. Pinkie, what were you thinking?!” Limestone hissed, to which Pinkie dropped the knife back into the table and turned to see her sister's rage apparent on her face.

“Maybe I came to apologize...” Octavia said calmly and quietly, feeling her heart pound brutally in her chest as she was forced to face her youngest sister with the intensity that she had been expecting. She hadn't realized that she was arguing with a drunken mare though; an endeavor that proved fruitless.

“Apologize?! You can't just apologize for what you did!” She hissed, “Why did you even invite her, Pinkie?!”

Pinkie felt her eyes start to water as the music was cut off by the shout from her youngest sister, “I just... I wanted us to be...”

Twilight stepped closer with a wry frown on her lips, “Girls, calm down; this is supposed to be a happy night for you.”

“Happy night? Do you know what this... What this... Stranger did?!” Limestone put emphasis on the word 'stranger'; not wanting to show any kinship to the invading mare.

“I came because-” Octavia started, but was cut off by two hooves suddenly thrusting into her chest, causing her to tumble backwards into their pink sister who let out a surprised squeal in shock.

“Gah!” Pinkie screamed as she hit the table, tipping its contents over onto both her and Octavia, the latter of whom escaped with only a bowl of punch and a bit of icing and cake, but Pinkie let out a pained scream from a knife, several glasses, several plates, and a gargantuan cake all toppling over onto her.

“Pinkie Pie!” Maud screamed, actually showing emotions that almost everyone in the room thought impossible. She was actually screaming in fear for her sister; to which she almost immediately was next to her, trying to clear the shattered glass and frosting off of her.

Pinkie only opened her eyes, feeling her body ache with a burning pain and watching blood start to mat in several parts of her fur. It wasn't a thick, running blood, but it was small wells of blood from several small wounds that felt like she had been stabbed by dozens of needles; or shards of glass in this case. Her pale blue-gray eyes focused in onto a rather hefty gash that showed itself onto her left foreleg that actually started to dye a darker crimson before she focused on Maud, showing just who she really was in that moment.

She collapsed from the sight of her own blood, only falling back into the shards of glass.

“It'll be okay, Inkie...” Maud murmured ever so quietly as the world slipped away for the unconscious mare. With that, her last glimpse was that of her friends circling around her, some with tears, some with frowns, but all with that same look of fear in their eyes.