//------------------------------//
// Traveling Music 
// Story: Rocky Road Trip 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 5:
Traveling Music


The Pie sisters continued their journey in awkward silence.  For a time, the only sounds that could be heard were the clip-clop of their hooves, the wind rustling through the trees, and Marble occasionally muttering to herself.  Maud didn't seem to mind, but after a while, Limestone couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, uh, Marble.  We're getting close to ole Teeter," she said. "You know, Teeter Rock?  That slab of granite we used to play on when we were foals?  Man, those were some good times, huh?  I wonder if..."

"Limestone, please.  I don't want to talk to you right now," Marble interrupted curtly.

"Marble, c'mon!  Are you seriously gonna do this to me?" Limestone groaned. "I was just kidding about that whole tart thing!  I didn't mean it!"

"Then why did you say it?" asked Marble, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it was funny!"

"Well, it wasn't funny to me."

"Marble, if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?"

"Oh, so I should just let ponies insult me for being weird?"

Limestone sighed. "Marble, of course I'm not saying that.  I'm weird, too.  We all are."

"Then why did you mock me?" asked Marble

"Again, it was a joke!" Limestone cried. "You know I'm always making jokes like that!  Why are you taking it so personally?!"

"Because apparently, you think being a smart aleck automatically exempts you from making an apology," huffed Marble.

"Hey, I apologized!"

"Saying 'sorry' and then continuing to be condescending does not an apology make, Limestone."

"Marble, be reasonable here!  Remember when you gave this silent treatment to Pinkie after she laughed at your bed head that one time?  She almost thought you didn't love her anymore!"

"Do you think that now?" inquired Marble.

"Well, no," said Limestone sheepishly. "But..."

"Then that really isn't a fair comparison to make, is it?" said Marble.

Limestone tried to form a retort, but found that she had none.  As she paused to think, a subtle buzzing sound came from all directions, followed by the occasional chirp.  Ignoring this, Limestone trotted up to Marble.

"Marble, wait!" she said. "Th-this is supposed to be a happy occasion, right?  We're all supposed to be having fun here."

"That's true," said Marble, her eyes still affixed on the road ahead of her. "So?"

"Sooooo, let's forget about that silly incident and focus on something happier!"

"Like what?"

Limestone paused to think for a moment. "Um, well, how about you sing us a song to lighten the mood?" she suggested.

Marble gave Limestone a quizzical look. "Limestone, all I know are rock lullabies.  I don't think those are good traveling songs."

"You could always make something up," said Limestone with a shrug.

"Why, so you can make fun of me again?" Marble growled.

Limestone smacked her forehead. "Ugh, I walked right into that one," she grumbled. "Maud, help me out here, will ya?"

"I don't want to be dragged into this, Limestone," said Maud, not even bothering to turn around. "Although frankly, I think you're both acting like children."

Marble rubbed the side of her head. "How are we acting like children?  Adults can have arguments too, Maud."

"It all depends on what you're arguing about," said Maud blankly.

"Well, adults also have feelings," said Marble with a pout. "And mine were hurt.  Ergo, I have every right to be angry at Limestone right now."

Limestone rubbed her temples as she felt a migraine coming on. "Could somepony please throw me a freaking bone here?!  This trip was supposed to be super special for all of us, but now everything's just going downhill and I feel horrible about it!"

"And whose fault is that?" asked Marble.

Limestone heaved a great sigh. "Mine," she admitted. "Man, if only Pinkie was here.  She'd find a way to put a smile on your..."

She trailed off as an idea struck her. "Wait, that's it!"

She quickly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out an ice cream sandwich.

"Here you go, Mar-Mar," she said, thrusting the confectionary in front of her sister.

Marble stopped for a moment and gave Limestone a sideways glance. "Seriously?  You think this is going to make everything better?"

Limestone chuckled nervously. "Hey, you can't blame a pony for trying," she said with a shrug.

Marble breathed a quick sigh before accepting the ice cream sandwich. "Thank you, Limestone.  But I'm still mad at you," she said, nibbling on it a bit.

"Rats.  Swing and a miss," Limestone mumbled. "Well, at least we've got nothing else to worry about."

"What about a swarm of parasprites descending upon us?" said Maud.

"Parasprites?" asked Limestone. "Funny.  I didn't hear any—"

Her thoughts were interrupted as the subtle buzzing from before became louder and more pronounced.  In a matter of moments, the sky was blotted out by a myriad of colors and wings as parasprites of all shapes and sizes surrounded the Pie sisters from every conceivable angle.  But something was different about them.  Their green eyes seemed to be generating an eerie light, and none of them looked happy.  In fact, their gaze was more akin to wolves stalking their prey; a behavior that was highly atypical for the cute creatures.

"Okay, seriously, Maud!  How the heck are you noticing these things before I do?!" Limestone griped.

"I think we have more important things to worry about right now," said Maud.  Although she appeared to be calm, her monotone was a semitone higher than usual and conveyed a bit more urgency.

"Right.  You're right," said Limestone, taking a few shallow breaths. "Okay, what're we gonna do?"

Marble tilted her head. "I thought you were the brains of this team, Limestone."

"Marble, now's really not the time!" Limestone yelled.

As the parasprite closed in on the Pie sisters, Tom watched from some bushes nearby.

Yes!  My army of pests shall soon bring Maud to me! he thought with excitement. Then I shall make her my queen, and the rock farm will be mine!  Oh, how I love it when a plan comes together!

"They're getting closer," said Maud, backing into Marble and Limestone. "We could run through them, but they'd only give chase."

"And feeding them is out of the question, too," added Limestone. "If we give 'em our stuff, they're just gonna want more.  Which leaves us with only one option."

As she said that, her gaze shifted to Marble.  Marble gulped.

"Limestone, I really don't think that's a good idea," she said.

"Marble, you're our only hope," said Limestone. "Maud doesn't sing, and I'm just not as good as you or Pinkie.  It's up to you."

"But, what should I sing?"

"I don't know!  Make something up!"

"And have you make fun of me again?  No thank you."

"Marble, I understand that you're mad at me, but for Celestia's sake, could you put that aside for just one minute and get rid of these guys before they do something we're all gonna regret?!"

Tom snickered mentally. Oh, this is just perfect!  They're too busy arguing amongst themselves to try and stop me!  This'll be just like taking candy from a foal!

The parasprites moved in closer and closer, all of their eyes focused on Maud.

"This is wrong," said Maud, her voice jumping another semitone. "They don't seem to be interested in food.  They want, me."

Limestone's eyes went wide before she turned back to Marble. "Okay, Marble!  I am begging you at this point!  Just sing whatever you want!  I won't make fun of you, honest!"

Marble arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really!"

"Pinkie Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Marble placed a hoof to her muzzle and furrowed her brow.  Finally, she nodded.

"Alright, but I'm holding you to that," she said. "Now then, what to sing?  Um, uh..."

"They're starting to grab me," said Maud, trying in vain to shake the parasprites off of her body. "You should probably hurry up."

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Marble cried, her breathing becoming erratic. "I-I don't do well under pressure!  Uh, um..."

She then noticed the ice cream sandwich in her hoof, and a lightbulb went off in her head.

"Okay, I think I got it!" she said.  After taking a deep breath, she started tapping her hoof on the ground in a rhythmic fashion.  Some of the parasprites were diverted from their task and looked at her with interest.

W-wait, what's going on? wondered Tom. Why are they stopping?!  Don't stop, you stupid pests!  Go get Maud!

He blasted his telepathic command right into the parasprites' brains.  But before they could go back to doing his bidding, Marble began to sing.


"Traveling on the rocky road,
With my sisters, à la mode,
Hey, I think I just made a pun,
On the rocky road.

Traveling on the rocky road,
Carrying my pet geode,
Her purple crystals match my eyes,
On the rocky road."


One by one, the parasprites were entranced by Marble's soft, melodic voice.  Small smiles formed on their faces as they bobbed up and down in time with tempo Marble set forth.

No!  No, stop that! Tom ordered. Retrieve Maud and bring her to me!  You must obey!

Unfortunately for Tom, his mental commands were drowned out as Marble continued to sing.


"Traveling on the rocky road,
It's to joy I sing this ode,
Wait no, that's a different song,
On the rocky road.

Traveling on the rocky road,
This song's in Dorian mode,
The parasprites dance in mid-flight,
On the rocky road."


Soon enough, all of the parasprites were free from Tom's psychic hold.  As Marble shifted from verses to solmization, the parasprites made a path for the Pie sisters to walk through.  Marble continued singing as they continued on, with the parasprites hopping along behind them.  Even Limestone and Maud began to hum along.  And all the while, Tom watched the spectacle, silently stewing.

At a fork in the road, the parasprites bounced off into the forest.  Marble saw this as her cue to wrap things up.


"Traveling on the rocky road,
With my sisters, à la mode,
Hey, I think I just made a pun,
Onnn, the, ro, cky,
Rooooooad~."


She then breathed a great sigh as the last of the parasprites disappeared.  She looked up expectantly at Limestone.

"Well?  Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

Limestone blinked. "Wh-what do you want me to say?"

"You thought the lyrics were weird, didn't you?" said Marble, averting her eyes. "C'mon, be honest."

Limestone shook her head. "Marble, why would I say that?  That was amazing.  You really came through for us, and for that, well, I'm glad."

She then pulled Marble into a hug. "Hey, I'm really sorry I teased you about the whole Marblicious thing before.  I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings.  I was just being an expensive, crowd-disappointing piece of cake."

Marble paused for a moment before hugging Limestone back. "No.  No, you weren't.  You were just being you, and maybe I shouldn't have gotten so offended."

"Don't try to turn this around, Mar-Mar.  Let me take the fall on this one," said Limestone. "I know you're sensitive about these things, and I shouldn't have made fun of you."

"I, guess you're right," said Marble. "Just, next time I come out of my shell, I'd like some more support, okay?"

"Deal," cooed Limestone.

Maud looked at the tender moment between her sisters, and a ghost of a smile crossed her face. "Heh," she breathed.

Limestone perked up and looked at Maud. "Did you say something, Maud?" she asked.

"I'm just happy you two decided to make amends," said Maud.

Marble's expression drooped. "We were making you uncomfortable, huh?" she said glumly.

"Maybe a little," said Maud.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" asked Limestone, raising an eyebrow. "You're not exactly an easy pony to read, Maud."

"I did say something," said Maud.

"You mean, the part when you said we were acting like children?" said Marble.

Maud nodded.

Limestone bit her lip. "Well, I feel like an idiot," she said.

"So do I," said Marble. "We're sorry, Maud.  We probably ruined the trip for you."

"Not at all," said Maud, hugging both of her sisters. "Honestly, maybe I could've said more to get you to to stop.  But, none of that matters.  The important thing is we're still together."

"Yep," Marble whispered. "We're still one big, happy family."

"You'll get no argument from me," said Limestone as Maud released the two.  She then pulled an ice cream sandwich out of her bag and nibbled on it. "Alright, we're almost at Nana Pinkie's house.  We should have time for a quick visit and be back before sundown.  Y'know, just as long as there aren't any other crazy distractions."

"Like a giant floating rock wearing sunglasses flying at us?" said Maud.

Limestone let out an exasperated groan. "Y'know, as soon as I opened my mouth, I knew I was making a huge mistake."

She turned around, and sure enough, Tom was flying down the path right towards the Pie sisters.  He managed to stop short of hitting them.

"Alright, no more messing around!" he proclaimed. "I'll just have to..."

Before he could continue, Maud walked up to him and gave him a few sniffs.

"Hmm.  I thought you smelled familiar," she said.

"Let me guess.  He's made out of the same metamorphic rock we found at the stupid sign?" said Limestone.

"Yes," said Maud. "But that's not all."

"There's more?"

"Indeed.  I, think this is Tom."

Marble and Limestone's jaws dropped. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah, I don't get it, either," said Maud with a shrug.