//------------------------------//
// 6. Thoughtful Rest 
// Story: The Rock Farmer's Daughters 
// by Sketcha-Holic 
//------------------------------//

After a long day involving rock hauling, rock sorting, and rock smashing, the Pie family and Cheese went in for supper. It was once again awkwardly silent, and everybody just ate their meal before moving on to the living room.

Even then, everypony just picked up a book and began to read. The only exception was Maud, who took some paper and a pencil, lay down on the floor, and began to write something. As curious as he was about what she was writing, Cheese decided it was best to leave her be.

He wasn't really interested in the book he was reading. He didn't even understand what was going on. He couldn't tell why Honeybee Rose was whining over why Blazing Silver wouldn't pay attention to her, or why Cremello was putting up with her whining. Who were these characters? The magnitude of whining on the first page made him cringe, and he quickly shut the book—apparently titled "The Rose of Blood Bay"—and switched it with a different book. His new book turned out to be a dictionary.

He opened it up, figuring that he'd learn a few new words. Of course, the words he found were those he already knew, or those that he'd never use in his vocabulary. It wasn't long before he shut the book and headed for the door.

Cloudy looked up from her book. "Where are you going?"

As Cheese opened the door, he answered, "Just going out for some fresh air."

Limestone looked up from her book as well and said, "We've been outside all day."

"Yeah, you got plenty of fresh air," Marble added.

Cheese glanced at the mares who spoke and said, "I just want to feel the evening air and watch the sunset."

He shut the door behind him, and took a deep breath. The air felt fresher in the evening than in the daytime, and it was cool to the skin under his coat. Stepping out into the dusty yard, he could only hear his soft footsteps in the dirt. Though both inside and outside were silent, the yard's silence was a tranquil one, inviting a soul to enjoy the lovely evening.

He stopped at the fence and leaned against it, gazing at the orange and pink light that made up the sunset. The warm colors merged with the navy blue sky above him, which had the first glimmer of stars appearing.

"If I ever get the chance, I'll have to thank Princess Luna for such a beautiful night," Cheese mumbled.

His gaze fell to the rock field, and his smile faded. His forelegs ached just looking at those rocks, and he thought of the boulder that Maud had shattered. She had made it look so simple, and that single punch would put many well-built stallions to shame.

And then there was Cheese Sandwich. Ungraciously given the nickname of Toothpick by a group of thugs, told he was not built for rock farming by Pinkamena, and only having been hired out of pity, the stallion was feeling down. If he could just trade his life for another, he'd do so in a heartbeat. A special talent that was not wandering Equestria and working odd jobs here and there would be nice.

But those hoofprints on his flank were permanent.

He heard a lonely wolf howl in the distance. A soft breeze caressed his cheek, and he continued to stare at the rocks. Those dull and lifeless rocks, which looked black in the dim landscape.

He wondered what it was like to have the strength that the Pie family possessed, and tried to imagine his body with muscles. However, the mental image of beefed-up Cheese Sandwich looked downright ridiculous, with muscles that were big and solid to unrealistic proportions, a thick neck, and a completely dopey look on his face.

He cringed at the thought. Why couldn't he imagine a less exaggerated muscled version of himself?

A yawn came out of his mouth, and he decided to return to the house.





Pinkamena flipped through the pages of the encyclopedia, only stopping when she found a picture of someplace new. She couldn't help but gaze at the places beyond the rock farm and Nickerlite, reminding her of how big the world was. Photos of Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot, and countless other cities had her fascination, and she wondered what it was like to live in one of those cities.

She was staring at a picture of Cloudsdale, the city in the sky. She proceeded to read about the pegasi-dominated city, and found herself fascinated by the weather factory among other things. She even liked the idea of ponies who could sit on clouds.

As she read, she imagined herself with wings, soaring above Equestria and taking in the amazing view. She imagined what Cloudsdale must be like, how the weather was made, and what clouds felt like. Her mind switching to other places, she determined that if she was a pegasus, she'd fly to every corner of the world.

The door opened, and Pinkamena peeked over her book, watching Cheese Sandwich walk in.

"I thought you ditched us," she said dryly.

Cheese closed the door and answered, "Uh, no." He glanced around before asking, "Did the others go to bed?"

Pinkamena hadn't even noticed that the rest of her family had left the room. She shrugged and said, "Most likely."

"Oh, okay. Whatcha reading?"

"Encyclopedia. Why?"

"Just curious, that's all." Cheese walked past her and toward the stairs. Pinkamena was glad that he didn't press the matter further, because she really didn't want to go into why she was reading about Cloudsdale.

As Cheese made his way up the stairs, he said, "I'm going to hit the hay. Good night."

Pinkamena didn't reply, and went back into both her book and her fantasy.





When Cheese walked into his room, he was surprised to find Marble and Limestone in there. They were lying on the floor, reading the rock books. He stood there, staring at the two girls awkwardly, his mind drawing a blank as to any reason they'd be in here.

"Um… excuse me?" he asked.

Both of them looked up, with Marble tilting her head and Limestone rapidly blinking. Now that he had their attention, he continued, "What are you doing in here?"

The two mares glanced at each other, and Marble answered, "Reading."

Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you doing that downstairs?"

Limestone rolled her eyes. "We were also waiting for you."

Cheese blinked and put a hoof on his chest. "Me? Uh, why?"

"We've been wanting to ask some questions."

"Oh, uh, what kind of questions?"

Both girls sat up onto their haunches. "You've travelled a lot," Marble said. "So, we thought you'd have some stories to tell."

Cheese walked past them and sat on his bed. "Yeah, I do have a few. Did you come here to hear one?"

Both of them nodded. Seeing the curiosity that gleamed in their eyes, he smiled. It couldn't hurt just to tell them about the crazy adventures he had. After all, there were plenty that were gems in his eyes, and he couldn't help but chuckle at them. He'll have to start out with just one tonight.

"All right, little fillies," he said. "Let me tell you about my first job…"





Pinkamena shoved the encyclopedia back onto the shelf, and suppressed a yawn. She muttered under her breath as she went around the room, making everything ready for the night. All lights in the living room were quickly turned off, and the doors were locked. She made one final sweep of the dark room before making her way up the stairs.

She reached the top of the stairs, and that's when she heard Cheese's voice in a wistful monologue. Having heard him say earlier that he was going to bed, she wondered what he was doing up, and why he was talking. She headed to the door, ready to kick it open and scold him, but then she heard one of her sisters ask a question, and another interject with a comment of her own.

"They really used those burnt muffins as charcoal?"

"Wow, they must have been bad."

That answered the question of why Cheese was up, but brought up another: Why were Marble and Limestone in there?

"Yeah… I learned that day that baking was not my special talent. They made me serve for the rest of my time there, and well… sometimes I found the patrons kind of scary. I nearly had a heart attack when some of the big stallions in town all marched in at the same time! Nearly half of them were in a bad mood, and there I was, a little colt, frozen in place and expecting to get squashed like a bug."

You still could get squashed like a bug, Pinkamena thought, shaking her head. How did that stallion manage to survive on his own for such a long time?

"And as I feared, they got into a fight, with curses spewing out of their mouths and punches and kicks flaying like mad. I was panicking like mad, and without thinking, I threw the cake I was carrying at them. They turned to me, ready to kill me, but they softened when they realized I was just a scared colt. They quickly excused themselves after that… and if I recall correctly, they were banned from the bakery."

There was a pause, and Pinkamena could hear Cheese draw another breath.

"Well, I left after a few months because… because it didn't feel right for me. My employers were very understanding, and they wished me luck in finding out who I am. So, I travelled all Equestria, searching for my purpose in life…"

A few more moments of silence, and Cheese yawned. "Okay, girls, I've got to get to sleep. You know, long work day tomorrow."

"Yeah," both Limestone and Marble muttered.

Pinkamena heard their hoofsteps heading for the door, and she quickly headed to the room she shared with them and Maud. She jumped into her bed and slid under the covers, glancing at the door. Not long after, the two mares walked into the room, muttered "G'night" to each other, and headed for their beds. Neither of them noticed that Pinkamena was awake.

She lay flat on her back and stared at the ceiling. Hearing part of Cheese's story piqued her curiosity, and part of her wanted to ask him what the places he travelled to were like. Asking him about Cloudsdale was out of the question, but maybe asking him about a place like Manehattan could elicit an answer.

She groaned. Why did she even care? Why would she even bother asking a pony who couldn't even put up a decent fight? Why should she pry into his life when he wasn't worth the attention?

Of course, this pony had been travelling since he was a little colt. He had to be doing something right for him to even make it to adulthood on his own. Besides, Limestone and Marble were genuinely curious about whatever adventures he had, and at least he was pleasant about his answers.

Not to mention his voice was better-sounding than Trixie's was during her stay. Much better-sounding, for it was a cool and deep voice when he wasn't a nervous wreck. Pinkamena certainly wouldn't mind hearing that voice some more, especially at a time where he was comfortable and could talk smoothly.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she closed them for the night.





Usually when he was telling a story, the ponies he stayed with had warm smiles on their faces. Those smiles usually made him comfortable and lessened his tension. As long as there was no silent judging that he could sense, he'd be all right. He could tell his story smoothly, though not without a few stutters. Perhaps that was why it was starting to bother Cheese that neither Marble nor Limestone had smiled during his story.

Then again, nobody on this farm had smiled at all during his stay.

Still, he could tell that the two mares were interested in what stories he had to tell. They had commentary, they listened to him, and he could see the interest in their eyes. He had noticed it from them the day before, and he suspected that they would return for another story the next day.

Still, no smiling? That was peculiar.

He lay on his bed, in the dark, staring toward the ceiling, though all he could see was a dark blue blur. With a yawn, he thought that perhaps he was thinking too much into it. Considering that they worked with rocks, he couldn't blame them for being so grumpy. And as far he could tell, the family seemed content.

For now, he was just glad to be in bed. But he was dreading the days to come.