//------------------------------// // Goodbyes // Story: A tale of three sisters // by Widow Peak //------------------------------// Everything good has an end, and holidays are not an exception. If anything, holidays are exactly the kind of thing that always seems to end too soon. After a month away from Ponyville, the Sugarcube Corner and all her friends, it was time for Pinkie Pie to return home. Had it really been a month? So much had happened that it felt like it had been much, much longer. She missed her friends more than she would have ever expected, she missed the scent of the baked goods she made every day at the Corner, and she missed…well, everything. If only she could skip the train travel to be directly on the Ponyville platform… But as much as she was looking forward to go back to the place she called home, she couldn’t block the tingle of sadness that came with departing from Gravelpit. Years had passed since the last time she had seen her mother, her father, and Agatha. Who knew how long it would be until she would see them again. And Gunpowder, and Flint ‘n’ Steel, and Sledgehammer, and Warm Light. And even Swift Needle! …and Limestone. Pinkie stopped randomly stuffing things in her bags and eyed the other two beds. On the closest one, Octavia was cleaning her cello with care as she hummed a little song. She had finished packing all her stuff almost an hour ago. Mostly because she had less things to pack anyways, but also because Pinkie had undone her progress at least twice, driven by pure nerve. The second one, however, was empty. Limestone was spending some time with his new coltfriend, Steel. Pinkie Pie couldn’t be happier to see them together, but at the same time…The pink mare considered Gravelpit to be her past, where she came from and where she returned from time to time. To have one of her big sisters living here…it felt strange, to say the least. Granted, she was barely going to see her sister anyways, no matter where she lived. They would probably exchange more letters than before, and that was enough for Pinkie Pie. As long as she knew her family was okay, everything would be fine. And she couldn’t be happier for Limestone. She had found somepony who loved her and could make her happy. She and Flint ‘n’ Steel had been dating for a while now, and even though at the beginning neither of them was entirely sure how it was going to turn out between them, it was obvious now they were meant to each other. About a week after their first date, Limestone had decided to make it ‘official’ and tell her parents, much to Steel’s dismay. Pinkie Pie and Octavia had enjoyed the same scene as when the latter had introduced Vinyl to them, although Igneous had expressed his annoyance because threatening with the pickaxe was not as amusing as the first time. The next day, it had been Limestone’s turn to be introduced to Steel’s family, where Sledgehammer insisted to the mare that she was making a mistake, and that she would regret dating the featherbrain of his little brother. However, a quick jab on the ribs, delivered by a red hoof, was enough to keep him quiet. And since then, everything had been fine for the couple. Limestone had spent a lot of time with his now coltfriend, often leaving after lunch and coming back late at night. Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but wonder what exactly they were doing with all that time. Little did Pinkie Pie know how much time a couple can spend together without getting bored, especially on the beginning of the relationship. There was a knock on the door that interrupted Pinkie’s train of though. Both she and Octavia turned their heads and saw Cloudy Quartz entering the room with a pair of boxes hanging from her mouth with a string, which she carefully placed on one of the beds. “Is everything okay? Did you finish packing up?” she asked, smiling to her two daughters. Pinkie Pie shot a glance to her pile of belongings that still had not found its way to her bags. “Hummm…Almost!” she chirped. “I’ll finish in a wizzie.” “I made you something for the trip.” said Cloudy, opening one of the boxes. Inside sat half a dozen of muffins, still warm from the oven and emanating a delicious smell. Pinkie Pie needed all her will to not leap forward and bite a particularly tempting one, covered in blueberries. “Since you are going to leave today, I figured I could make something nice for you.” she said. “Thank you very much, mom.” said Octavia, opening the other box and taking a deep breath of that smell. Then she noticed the three extra baked goods, and gave her mother a questioning look. “I made a few more, in case you want to share with your marefriend.” explained Cloudy Quartz. For a few seconds, she contemplated her daughters with a smile. “Marefriend.” she repeated, her voice quavering. Her smile turned sad. “I remember when you left Gravelpit. First Pinkie and then you. Both barely an adult. And now each of you have friends, job…a whole life of their own.” Cloudy blinked and made a pause. “Has it really been so long? What happened with my three little girls?” Octavia smiled and trotted to her mother to embrace her. “We are here.” she whispered. Behind her, Pinkie Pie got off her bed and hugged the elder mare from the other side. “We are not gone; we will just be somewhere else. And we will keep I touch. Right Pinkie?” “Yes-indeed-ly!” replied the other mare. “I Pinkie-promise I will send letters. We will keep in touch.” “And you will still have Limestone around.” added Octavia. There was a brief silence, only interrupted by Cloudy’s sniffle. “Limestone has this Steel stallion now, she’s not a filly anymore either.” She muttered. The mare then let out a half-hearted chuckle. “I am sorry about that.” she said, wiping one of her eyes. “I don’t know what got onto me. I should be happy for her, and for you. I-I suppose I am just sad because you’re leaving so soon. This month flew by.” she said, letting out a small sigh. “I’ll just leave these here.” added the pearl mare, giving the boxes a gentle tap. “I’ll be downstairs.” she gave her daughters a little smile, this time more honest, before disappearing through the door. After a moment, the two sisters returned to their tasks. Octavia pulled one of the muffins from the box and took a bite of it. “You know?” she muttered. “As much as I want to go back to Canterlot, I am going to miss being here.” “Me too.” admitted Pinkie Pie. “But I miss Ponyville so much, and I am so happy to be back to my normal life again. It’s been nice to be with you all for a little while.” Octavia mumbled an agreement. Almost an hour later, Pinkie Pie finished packing her stuff, just in time for catching the train. She and Octavia crossed the door of their room, the latter pausing for a moment to give it one last glance, before going to the bottom floor. There, sitting on the couch, waited Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz. Octavia felt relieved when she didn’t see any sigh that could imply that her mother had been crying. Pinkie, on the other hoof, simply knew the smile on her mother’s face was honest. Cloudy Quartz got up from the couch and embraced the two sisters, lingering for a few seconds. “I love you two.” she mumbled. “I love you too.” said both mares with one voice. They looked to each other and shared a laugh, that helped ease the moment. They gave Cloudy one last nuzzle before stepping back. Then Igneous Rock got up with a grunt and made his way to the two mares. He gave each a brief look, and his stern expression broke into a small smile. “I am proud of you.” he said. “Both of you. Good luck and…um. Yeah, good luck.” he finished awkwardly before hugging his two daughters. With nothing else to say, the two young mares made their way to the main door, made a pause, and pushed it open. The dirt path to Gravelpit greeted them, inviting. But before definitely leaving the house behind, they couldn’t stop but give each of their parents one last hug, and then they parted, Pinkie Pie pulling her small cart, and Octavia with her cello draped over her back. Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Stone watched them walk away until a hill hid them. The train station was not nearly as busy as the day when Pinkie Pie arrived. Still, it was crowded for Ponyville’s standards. Dozens of ponies hurried to take a seat on the passengers wagons, while a small amount of wooden boxes, probably full of minerals and other goods, were being loaded on the freight cars. Octavia and Pinkie Pie craned their necks, trying to get a glimpse of Vinyl, Flint ‘n’ Steel and Limestone. The unicorn would be at the station for certain, as she had to go back to Canterlot with Octavia. Limestone, on the other hoof, had told her sisters she would meet them at the station to bid them goodbye. She wouldn’t just not show up, would she? It was the older sister who finally located the white unicorn. She wearing her mane the same way as Pinkie had first seen her, done to a side and not dyed. On her nuzzle sat the same square glasses that gave her such a distinguished appearance. She was sitting on one of the stone benches, patiently waiting for the sisters, her back hoof waving at the rhythm of a melody that only she could hear. When she saw them trotting in her way, she grinned and walked over them. “Hey Octi.” she said, giving her marefriend a kiss on the lips. Then she noticed Pinkie standing behind the gray mare, and acknowledged her with a nod and a sheepish smile. “Uh, hello there, Pinkie. Have you seen the other two yet?” Two heads shook. “They should be here already.” replied Octavia, taking a glance to their surroundings and failing to locate them. “If they don’t hurry up, we’ll miss the train.” “They’re there!” cheered Pinkie Pie. Vinyl and Octavia looked upwards and saw the bubblegum mare, perched on top of a lamppost, pointing with her hoof across crowd of ponies. The three mares pushed their way through the colorful mass of ponies, and reached the couple. Steel was the first to notice them. “Hello there!” he greeted them. “Just in time. I though ya were going to miss the train.” Limestone was standing next to Flint ‘n’ Steel, her sides touching his, and her head resting on his neck. She wore an absent, blissful smile. Pinkie couldn’t help but grin at that. She had not seen her sister so at ease since she had arrived. “We had some problems.” replied Octavia, smiling as well. “Pinkie Pie insisted in shoving her things into her bags, so we had to unpack everything and start again. Sorry about that.” “It is okay.” muttered Limestone, nuzzling Steel’s neck. She let out a sigh and stepped aside, almost reluctantly, to give each of her sisters a hug, and bump Vinyl’s hoof. “I am going to miss you.” she said to her sisters. “It is weird. I’ve barely seen you for years, and I’ve been fine. Now, after just a month together, having fights and bad times, I feel like you are suddenly a big part of my life.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll keep in touch, at least.” “Sure we will!” replied Pinkie Pie. “And I’ll make sure to reply, always, and as soon as possible.” she said, tracing a cross over her heart. “I wish the best for you two.” added Octavia. “Make sure to-” The sound of a steam whistle interrupted her. Somewhere, a stallion gave the last warning. The train would part in any moment. The five ponies shared a single wide-eyed look, before Pinkie, Octavia and Vinyl galloped to the closest cart. The three went into an empty compartment, just as the train initiated its movement with a shudder. Outside, Flint ‘n’ Steel and Limestone waved their hooves at them, smiling widely and once again standing very close. The mares waved back at them as the train accelerated and left the platform behind. Pinkie Pie kept waving at the couple until they were nothing but a pair of dots, gray and red. She only stopped when the train turned and she couldn’t see them anymore. Letting out a sigh, Pinkie Pie sat on the bech. “Goodbye…” she whispered under her breath.