//------------------------------//
// 32. The Detours of Life 
// Story: The Rock Farmer's Daughters 
// by Sketcha-Holic 
//------------------------------//

Cloudy Quartz knocked on the door of the spare room. "Pinkamena? You've been in there all day--it's time for supper."

No answer. Cloudy pursed her lips, and glanced at the girls' room once again. She had already checked to see if Pinkamena had gone in there, and upon finding that she didn't, deduced that she was still in Cheese's former room. It was obvious that Pinkamena was missing Cheese terribly, and was just sulking in the memories they had made in there. Cloudy had only heard him tell one story, but she could see why her daughters had started to grow fond of him. She herself was terribly disappointed about the events last night and the firing of Cheese that morning. 

But, breaking a promise to a Pie was serious business. And she couldn't help but wonder just what Cheese wrote to his brother that brought on such a reply. And while it had been suggested that Igneous had been overreacting, what was done is done, and Cheese was on his way to the next town. All that was left to do now was to adjust back into the way things were before.

She knocked on the door again. "Pinkamena! Answer me!"

There was yet another lack of response, and Cloudy groaned. She opened the door, and walked in, only to find that Pinkamena wasn't there. Instead, there was an open window with a broken lock. Cloudy's eyes widened. 

"Oh, no." She turned and bolted down the stairs, yelling, "Igneous! Pinkamena ran off!"





Igneous cantered into town, grumbling under his breath about that pink daughter of his. It couldn't be a coincidence that he fires Cheese in the morning, and Pinkamena runs away later that day. His daughter had turned into a lovesick puppy, and she was most certainly chasing him. And by granite, Igneous was going to get his daughter back. 

He had left the girls to watch the farm, and stand by in case Pinkamena returned. Meanwhile, he was going to travel as much as he needed to in order to fetch her and bring her home. And perhaps put Cheese in his place should Pinkamena have already caught up with him. 

The town had already quieted down for the day, save for a few stallions walking into the saloon and laughing like idiots in there. He watched from across the railroad as a few bottles flew out and hit the door of the candy shop. He noticed a silhouette of a well-built stallion with a cowboy hat walk into the saloon, but thought nothing of it. He hopped onto the platform of the station, and approached the ticket station. 

The pony there smiled. "Howdy! How can I help you?"

Igneous cleared his throat. "Has a little pink mare about yea high, with darker pink hair and blue eyes come here?"

The other pony stared at him blankly. "...I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"A pink mare. You know, one of the Pies?"

"What, Pinkamena... oh, you're her father!" The other pony laughed with an obnoxious "Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk," before he went serious. "I'm sorry, but she didn't come to the station. Why do you ask?"

Igneous huffed. "She took off. I intend to track her down and bring her home."

The other pony shrugged. "Sorry, bud, but she didn't come to the station. But I did hear ponies talkin' about a pink pony just jumped onto the caboose of a train that was leaving earlier--ya think that could be her?"

Igneous growled. "Train hopping, Pinkamena? That'll get you in trouble..." He snorted. "When's the next train?"

"Er... later tonight, 'round eleven. My shift'll be over by then--I need my beauty sleep, yanno."

"Uh-huh. I'll be taking that train. If I'm right, then she's following the colt I fired, and he's going to the next town."

"Oh, that's Ponyville!" The other pony grinned at him. "So... one way or round trip?"





Cheese gazed out the window, watching as the landscape passed by under the dimming light. What was outside of the train alternated between meadow and forest, through varying shades of green, and bore many kinds of trees, from the evergreens to the aspens, the oaks and the maples, and the willows and the ash trees. The window was open just a crack, but it was enough for him to smell the pine scent and feel the cool breeze from outside. Had he not been in a train, he was sure he'd have heard the chirp of crickets, the hoots of an owl, and the howl of a lonely wolf. 

He sighed. Thinking of a lonely wolf reminded him of how alone he was, and that he had just lost who he had come to consider his family, and the chance to rekindle a bond with his brother. He was back to square one, and bound to continue the old pattern of walking, working, making friends, and then losing all he had gained in one blow. This time hurt the most, because he not only grown attached to the Pies, but he ended up falling in love with one of them. It didn't help that he had been humiliated in town right after getting fired. 

He leaned against the window and sighed. "Kick me while I'm down, huh? Why not bother getting to know the vagabond before flapping those tongues? I'm not that bad... I'm just... nopony, that's all."

That's when a head popped up from under his seat and startled him enough to shout. He stared at the head, which was pink, bore a mess of raspberry ringlets, had beautiful blue eyes...

"Pinkamena?" He sat straight back up, rubbing his eyes and blinking, wondering if he was hallucinating. 

She was glaring at him in a scolding manner. "Cheese Sandwich, you are not nopony! Anypony who dismisses just how sweet and funny of a stallion you are is wrong! Ooh, let me tell you the many ways you are not a nopony! First off..."

He continued to stare at her, expecting her to fade away. When she didn't, he tentatively reached forward, and held her face in his hooves.  He kept on gazing at her, as awestruck by her eyes as he was when he first saw them. He wasn't even listening to what she was saying, just listening to the high voice that rang like a bell touched by an angel. She was scolding him for the way he was thinking, but his heart was just soaring at the mere fact that she was here, in front of him, and he could feel her. 

"...and that's my list of reasons why you're not nopony! Anypony who says otherwise is wrong!" She kept the brow furrowed to keep a stony stare, but she was clearly failing as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Those Nickerlite ponies are stupid! They don't ever register what any Pie says because we don't even live close enough to be part of their community and have these dumb labels slapped onto us." She pulled the rest of her body out from under the seat. "It's not fair for us, and it's not fair for you! It's not fair that my Pa has the wrong idea. It's not fair that you got fired like that. And it's not fair that those ponies judged you by your association with us and your status as a drifter. No matter what, I'll keep repeating how wonderful and special you are until it is drilled into your thick head!" 

He continued to gaze at her, a mixture of confusion and awe in his face, and whispered, "Why?"

Pinkamena took a deep breath, and her expression softened. "Because I love you."

He had already had an impression that she really liked him back--the kiss they shared the night before was a very heavy clue--but hearing her say it really hit him like a ton of bricks. It was strange to know that she was drawn to him, but it was the good kind of strange. He could feel his heart swelling with joy, almost to the point of bursting. His face was the definition of shock for a brief moment, before it drew up into a smile. He wanted to return the phrase with an "I love you" of his own, but words failed him. So, he quickly devised a backup plan. 

Still holding her face in his hooves, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was not a very well thought out plan, but it worked as she reciprocated. That same warmth and sweet taste came rushing back to him, and he just wanted to draw her in closer, hold her tight forever, and--

Another thought hit him, and he quickly pulled back. Before Pinkamena could complain, he asked, "Uh, just one question: What are you doing on the train? I think I would have noticed you earlier."

Pinkamena bit her lip and looked away. "Well... I kinda jumped on as the train was leaving the station..."

Cheese nearly jumped out of his seat. "You stowed away?!"

And that was when the conductor trotted in, and gave them both a cold, hard glare. 





"Oh, throw us off the train, pal! Not like that'll hurt us!" Pinkamena yelled.  

Cheese rose from his patch of dirt, and started spitting out dirt clods that had formed in his mouth. His body ached from the impact, and he was pretty sure his chin was bleeding. He glanced at Pinkamena, who was rubbing her front right leg as she shouted obscenities at the cars passing by on the railroad. Both were covered in dirt, and Cheese had a crack in his glasses. It was just in the corner, but it was going to drive him crazy. 

Pinkamena snorted as the last car passed, and then looked at the trees surrounding them. She had never seen so many different types of trees, and never had she been in a forest at night. "Gee, I guess we're lost."

Cheese was now on all four hooves and picking up his hat and saddlebags. "Nah, we're not lost as long as we follow the railroad. Now... what kind of foolhardy thing are you doing running away from home?"

Pinkamena started to follow the railroad, turning her head to glare at him as she did so. "You're one to talk--you ran away from your home, remember?"

Cheese trotted beside her. "Hey, Pinkie, Nickerlite's the other way..."

"I'm not going to Nickerlite, I want to get away from Nickerlite..."

"Your family is going to miss you, Pinkamena! I'm the nopony of my family, remember? Not like I'm missed."

Pinkamena flared her nostrils. "Not like you're missed? Um, hey, how about that brother of yours? I'm sure he misses you!"

Cheese snorted. "Yeah, sure, that's right. Never mind that he got me fired!"

"So, what, you're just going to forget about trying to contact him again? Dash all hope of you two reconciling?"

"Pinkamena, the letter smelled like a crook! The words alone may have been suggestive, but that smell implies that he's not the little brother that I knew. He did say I should expect a change in him--I just can't believe it's such a horrifying way for him to grow up. And I invited him over to the farm..."

Pinkamena tilted her head. "I highly doubt Bluejinx would have a crook for a friend..."

"Tomato's just living a double-life under Blue's nose." He glared at her. "But, we're getting off track! Why did you run away?"

Pinkamena ground her teeth. "Didn't you hear me complaining about the idiots in Nickerlite while we were on the train? They seem to have a collective reason repellent in their brains!"

Cheese raised an eyebrow. "Reason repellent?"

"It's the only thing I could think of!" Pinkamena sighed. "Besides... I'm tired of Pa trying to protect me. I just feel like a caged bird. I want to go out and see the world and what it has to offer. Your tales have only made that desire grow, and when you showed us that view, I got even more excited."

Cheese's mouth was a tight line. "Were you just saying you loved me just so I could take you on a world tour?"

"What? No, I wasn't!" Pinkamena stopped and stomped her hoof. "I don't say 'I love you' very often, Cheese! When I say it, I mean it!"

Cheese scoffed and stopped. "Fine, whatever you say. I still think we should turn around and take you home."

"You can turn around and go back; I'm going forward, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." She stuck her nose up, and resumed trotting forward.

Cheese stopped, grinding his teeth. If he tried to drag her back, she'd only drag him forward, being stronger than him and all. His arguments had been shot down, and he had a gut feeling that she'd take his warnings as a challenge. He sighed and sauntered forward, not willing to leave her alone in the woods. Brute strength was not going to help her should she come across a poisonous plant. 

They came across a train tunnel. It was only wide and high enough that a train would fit through, and didn't leave much additional room at the top and both sides. All that could be seen in there was pitch black, which Cheese figured meant the other end of the tunnel was a ways away. He stopped, and tugged Pinkamena's tail to stop her.  

Pinkamena turned her head to glare at him. "Hey!"

"Don't go in there. It's safer to go around."

She shot him a half-lidded look. "We'll get lost if we stray from the tracks, remember? Besides, the train already passed, so it can't be that bad." She resumed her walking, only for Cheese to jump in front of her and shake his head.

"Pinkamena, we don't know when another train will come, if there are any safe spaces in there, and if there are, would we be able to get to them in time should a train come? If I had a schedule for the trains, I suppose I would consider going through; but we don't, so I say we go around the tunnel."

Pinkamena looked up at the hill that the tunnel was bored through. It was high, and it looked too slippery to scale. She looked at Cheese, and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a train horn coming from the tunnel. With a groan, she answered, "Fine, we'll go around."



  

Igneous Rock was alone. 

He stood there on the platform of the station, with only the firefly torches as company. Night had fallen, and he was just switching between looking both ways to see if a train was coming, looking forward at the empty street, and looking up at the stars. 

He took off his hat and shook some dust off of it. Placing it back on his head, he closed his eyes. It was a rare occurrence that he traveled without making a rock delivery, and even rarer that he'd take a train. But he needed to hurry and catch Pinkamena before she went too far, and if that meant staying up late to catch the train, so be it. 

He could feel his head grow heavy, and his breathing get slower. He shook his head and forced his eyes back open, but could hardly suppress his yawn. He checked the station's clock, which read 10:45. He groaned, reminding himself that he usually didn't stay up this late.  Still, he had fifteen minutes left, and once he boarded the train, he could sleep a few winks before the train reached Ponyville. 

It was silent. Not even crickets were chirping. Even the saloon, which was usually open late, was silent. It was an eerie silence, almost like the very moment before a monster jumped out and attacked a pony. Igneous could only hear his own teeth chewing on the wheat in his mouth and his own steady breathing. While the silence was a bit unsettling, he wasn't scared. 

Of course, there came an interruption to the silence in the form of several stallions crossing the tracks, whispering about some mischief they were up to. He spotted one of them carrying what looked like a bucket of black paint, and while he was curious, he decided that he shouldn't press it. They passed on by, and Igneous merely continued to wait. 

That's when he heard laughing, and the screams of a pony being attacked. Alarmed, Igneous jumped off the platform and ran to the back of the station. Much to his surprise, out of all ponies, he found Cortland being held by several of those thugs he had seen around town. For once in his life, the younger stallion looked absolutely terrified, and upon looking at Igneous,  held a pleading face. 

"Mr. Rock, save me!" he cried. 

Igneous stepped back, watching the scene before him. He quickly realized that that bucket they held did not hold black paint, but tar. They also carried a pillowcase, in which feathers were stored. The thug ponies looked greedily at their next victim, slowing ripping open the pillow and slowly stirring the tar to torture him. Cortland struggled, but the other ponies were too strong. His eyes silently begged Igneous to stop this gang, using his super rock farmer strength. 

There Igneous stood, pursing his lips and looking straight at that colt. The colt who had relentlessly harassed his daughter, spread lies about his family, and frustrated his own father trying to nudge him back on the right path. There was a part of him who just wanted to stay standing there, let him be punished for the grief he had been causing Pinkamena. He was tired of the rumors in town that he had aggravated, and he pondered just how satisfying it would be to see him tarred and feathered. 

On the other hoof, this night would surely lay heavily on his conscience. For one, being tarred and feathered was hardly a pleasant experience for a pony, and it was something that Igneous wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. As much as Cortland was a nuisance, he certainly didn't deserve that kind of pain and humiliation. 

Besides, it was about time that those thugs got taken down a peg. 

The first thing Igneous did was jump forward and knock the bucket away from the thugs with one of his hind legs. One of the thugs dropped the pillow, and leapt forward to attack him. Igneous knocked him back with a good headbutt, and then bucked away another pony coming after him. The other thugs dropped Cortland in surprise, and went to dogpile Igneous. Much to their dismay, he bucked them all off in one jump, and sent them flying in several directions. A couple of them hit the back wall of the train station, which was made of stone. While the group was all dazed, Igneous begrudgingly helped Cortland up. 

"Don't take this the wrong way," Igneous said. "I still don't like you."

Cortland rolled his eyes. "Ah figured as much."

Then, one of the thugs shouted, "Come on! Let's show Oldie what we're made of!"

Igneous snorted. "Oldie? I'm not old..."

Cortland backed up as Igneous was jumped by the thugs. He kicked a pair of them away, and then punched another. He grabbed one that leapt toward him, and threw him into another. He ducked as another tried to jump on him, and then bucked another pony trying to sneak on him from behind.

Noticing that four of them had  lined up and were charging him, he sprinted forward and then slid. He quickly bowled all four of them over, and used a small rock as a stop. The sudden stop made his hat fly off, but Igneous decided to retrieve it when he was done with the fight. He turned to look at the stallions lying in the dirt, groaning and grumbling about the old stallion being tougher than he looked. He glared at them, his breaths heavy and his legs beginning to ache. 

He noticed another of the ponies crawling toward Cortland, and galloped toward him. Grabbing the thug by the tail and throwing him behind him, Igneous gritted his teeth and glared at the Apple stallion. "You idiot! Get out of here!"

Igneous was pulled back into the fight before Cortland was able to respond. The rock farmer was thrown into a paint pony, who shouted, "You moron! I'm on your side!"

As he got off the thug, he ended up taking a whiff of the stallion's scent. His eyes went wide and he froze as he recognized the smell. He stared at the pony, who stared back with great curiosity. As the two were locked in their stares, Igneous couldn't help but think of the night before, when he had read and smelled the letter from Cheese Sandwich's brother. 

But just who was he staring at?

A searing pain suddenly ran down his back as something sticky was slathered onto him. He cried out in pain, and instinctively bucked away the pony spreading tar on him. Cursing himself for forgetting about the tar, he turned around to see more thugs, only to be pushed forward by the paint. He used this to his advantage, quickly headbutting one of them down, and punching and bucking a few more away. At one point, he scooped up some dirt, and threw it in the faces of the thugs. 

He glanced at Cortland, still standing there and watching the fight. "Go home! You shouldn't even be out here right now!"

Another pony tried to jump him, so Igneous turned and bucked in swift motion. However, he stretched just a little too far, and as he hit the other pony, something seemed to pop in one of his hind legs, and his muscles began to scream. As the legs landed, they buckled out from right under him, and with a cry he collapsed on his side. Clenching his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, he could feel his leg throb, and each throb was like a knife stabbing him in the leg repeatedly. All energy was suddenly sapped from that leg as the pain continued, and he could feel it beginning to swell.

The thugs stopped their attack, and surrounded him, looking down at him, breathing heavily. They looked surprised that their opponent had fallen, especially since he had more on them than they did him. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do about him. They watched as Igneous tried to lift himself back up with his front legs, but collapsed again as his hind legs failed him. 

Igneous heard Cortland laugh. He looked up to see the Apple stallion approaching them, a wicked smirk on his face. 

Cortland looked at the thugs. "Good work, fellas. Didn't Ah tell ya he'd strain himself if you were persistent?"

Igneous' face contorted in anger. "What?! You mean you're with them?!"

Cortland shrugged. "Hey, you had the option of leavin' me to be tarred and feathered."

"But you weren't going to be, were you? You just faked it to get my attention, huh?" 

"No... pfft, hahaha, eeyup."

"And here I thought you weren't that low. How'd you jump from harassing my daughter to siccing crooks on me?"

"Can't say, Ah don't really know." Cortland crouched down so they were face to face. "But what Ah do know is that yer attitude just don't fit in here, Iggy. And Ah'm plannin' to fix that."

Igneous spat in his face, causing the younger stallion to jerk up and wipe his face. Glaring up at him, Igneous retorted, "You're still sore that you can't have Pinkamena, aren't you?"

Cortland replied by spitting in Igneous' face. He looked up at the biggest thug, and snarled, "Knock 'im out. I'm done hearin' him."





"Well, what do you know? We're lost!" Pinkamena snapped. "Nightfall sure didn't help matters."

Neither of them knew how long they had been away from the railroad, but now they were in a dark forest at night, a chilly breeze combing through their fur. They were treading carefully on the forest floor, watching for dark shapes that could be rocks or bushes that could be tripped on. Sticks cracked under their hooves, and the chirps of crickets and the hoots of an owl permeated the otherwise still forest. 

Cheese kept glancing at the crack on his glasses, and he bristled every time he did. One small little crack shouldn't be this irritating; but it was, and Cheese feared that he would be driven mad by it. It didn't help that Pinkamena was complaining about their detour. 

Cheese snorted. "Well, excuse me for worrying about the possibility of us getting killed in the train tunnel. Trains don't have a conscience, you know. Maybe if you had just agreed to turn around and go back to Nickerlite..."

"And do what? Work on rocks and deal with those idiots in town for the rest of my life?"

"Here's an idea: ask about staying with relatives."

Pinkamena huffed. "Yeah, sure, that'll work."

Cheese sighed. "Pinkamena, you can't just run off like that."

"Ahem, I'm talking to a fellow runaway."

"Well... you can't stay with me. Let's not forget my so-called 'motives' concerning you and your sisters. You're going to be in a heap of trouble once your father finds you, and I'm ninety-five percent sure he'd skin me alive if I so much as look at you again."

Pinkamena sat on a stump and laughed derisively. "He's not going to find us; we're lost! We'll probably die here from some tree falling on us, or we'll fall off cliffs! Or maybe we wander into an Ursa Major's cave and get eaten!" 

Cheese groaned and shook his head. "Let's just find a place to sleep... like a soft patch of grass, a nice small cave without any Ursas..." He looked up, and to his surprise, he saw a little light up on the hill. He leaned forward for a closer look, and added, "Or maybe a random cabin in the woods..."

"Huh?" Pinkamena jumped off her stump, and looked up on the hill. She saw the light, and the silhouette of a house. She stared at it, a look of awe on her face. 

Cheese tapped his chin. "What is this pony doing staying up so late?"

Pinkamena lurched forward, grabbed his tail, and dragged him up the hill. "Who cares, let's go!"

"Whoa! Pinkamena? Pinkamena? Pinkie?" Cheese tried to dig his hooves into the ground, but that failed as Pinkamena continued to ascend with him in tow. He bumped his hoof on a rock, and cradled it as it ached from that. He looked behind him, and they were getting closer and closer to the cabin.

Finally, they were at the door, and Pinkamena proudly knocked. She bounced in place as they awaited the resident of the home. Cheese looked at the plain exterior, and wondered aloud, "What kind of hermit lives here?"

The door opened to reveal a pink older mare, with her sandy brown mane wrapped up in a bun, save for some bangs drooping on the left side. She looked at them curiously with golden eyes before her expression softened and she chuckled. 

"Another pair of lost hikers," she said. "Come in, dearies, I was just making some midnight hot cocoa."

Pinkamena happily trotted in, while Cheese just stared at the interior. The walls were plain log walls, adorned with pictures of rocks, cats, trains, and some faraway photos that he assumed were of her family. The furniture--consisting of a couple of soft chairs, a rocking chair, a coffee table, and a sofa--was almost all red and purple plaid, as was the rug on the hard floor. The kitchen was small and simple, with a stove, some cupboards, an icebox, and a table. On the stove was a kettle, which he assumed was water for the hot chocolate she was making. 

"Go on, young colt, take a seat," the mare said. 

Cheese blinked and strolled into the cabin, shutting the door behind him with his tail. He made his way to the couch, and sat beside Pinkamena. He took a deep whiff of the pine scent that filled the cabin, and glanced at a set of stairs placed between the living room and the kitchen. 

The mare had a spoon and was now stirring chocolate into hot water she had poured in three mugs. "So, dearies, would you care to introduce yourselves?"

Pinkamena put a hoof on her chest. "I'm Pinkamena Pie... but, feel free to call me 'Pinkie.'"

Cheese twiddled his hooves. "My name is Cheese Sandwich."

"Ah... so Pinkie and Cheese." The mare chuckled. "What a funny coincidence; 'Pinkamena' was my mother's middle name, and she liked to be called 'Pinkie.' Can't say I've ever met anyone with the name 'Cheese', though."

Cheese and Pinkamena looked at each other, and then their eyes were drawn to the mare's cutie mark. It appeared to be a stone hearth, with a warm glow coming from the fire within it. 

As the mare brought a tray with the cocoa, Pinkamena asked, "So, uh... what's your name?"

The mare smiled, and set the tray on the coffee table. "My name is Sedimentary Rock."