//------------------------------// // CH2 - A rocky awakening // Story: A rocky affair // by FallenLaughter //------------------------------// The first thing she felt was pain. Her entire body ached and her head felt as if it had been split in two. Groggily, she tried to stand up, but the moment she put pressure on her limbs, they immediately gave in, forcing her back down. She tried a few more times to get up, but after the fifth failed attempt she sighed and lay back down, wondering what had happened. All she could remember was a shout, then a pile of rocks had collapsed onto her. Warily she raised a hoof and began to search her body for injuries, but to her surprise she couldn’t find anything more than a few bruises. Only her right front leg felt as if it might be something more serious, but without a doctor it was hard to tell. Confused by her apparent lack of injury, she put down her hoof again. Obviously she had somehow survived the incident, she just couldn’t tell how and no matter how hard she tried to remember, nothing came to mind. While she wondered about that, part of her registered that the surface she was laying on was surprisingly soft. Hadn’t she been hit by rocks? She was no expert on the matter, but as far she knew, rocks were not this soft. Curious, she wriggled around a little, trying to get a better idea of where she was. Yes, the ground she was laying on was incredible soft, and now that she thought about it, she noticed that something was laying on top of her; something heavy, but just as soft as the ground, which greatly confused her. She was about to try and sit up again, when she suddenly heard a voice. "You're awake," a monotone, feminine voice stated from somewhere besides her. It was close, too. Startled by the sudden noise, Sonar let out a quiet yelp and, fighting through the pain, she pushed herself up and turned towards the newcomer. “Where am I?" Sonar managed to croak despite the discomfort. Her throat felt incredibly dry and she had trouble keeping her voice from failing. “You’re at our home. My sister brought you here," the mare stated in the same tone as before. “Our home..?” Sonar asked groggily. The pain she still felt kept her from thinking clearly, so the vague statements of the mare confused her deeply. “Yes." Sonar waited for the mare to continue, but nothing came. Unsatisfied with the answer, Sonar decided to press the matter a little more. “And you are?" "My name is Maud,” the mare said, “Maud Pie. My sister's called Limestone," she added after a moment of thought. Again a silence followed, only this time Sonar didn’t object to it She felt to exhausted to press the matter any further, not to mention that, seeing how things currently went, she assumed that she couldn't get any more information out of Maud anyway. So, in an attempt to save her strength, she simply let herself sink back, letting out a small sigh in the progress. Apparently Maud took that for a sign that the conversation was over. She suddenly turned around and began to walk away. “Where are you going?" Sonar asked, not bothering with sitting up again. “I am getting Blinkie." "Who’s Blinkie?" Confused Sonar turned towards Maud. “I mean Limestone," Maud clarified after a moment. "Blinkie is what my sisters and I call her. After she carried you over here, she asked me to look after you while she talked to ma and pa. She also asked me to get her once you are awake." "So she's okay?" Sonar asked relieved. Considering how close Blinkie had been just before the rocks started falling, there was a good chances that she had been caught in the rockslide as well. It was good to hear that at least one of them had made it out unharmed. Maud only nodded slightly, then she left the room through the door, leaving Sonar alone with her thoughts; not that she had many. Due to the still lingering pain, she had trouble forming any complex thoughts. The best she could muster was to listen to what was going on around her. Angling her ears, she followed Maud's steps down the hallway. She followed her hoofsteps through what seemed to be a halfway, until Maud suddenly stopped. Next she heard the sound of hooves knocking against wood, then the sound of a door opening. "And? She had expected Blinkie to open the door, but this definitely wasn’t her. This voice was much rougher and deeper. Also, it belonged to a stallion. “She is awake." That one was Maud. A second of whispering followed, which in turn was followed by the sound of shuffling bodies. Next, she heard the door close again, then a second, lighter set of hooves approach her direction. A moment later the door to her room opened and Blinkie stepped in. "I see you’re feeling better,” Blinkie said. Her voice was completely neutral. “Seems like it,” Sonar answered. “How long was I out?” "Not long. Little more than a day." Blinkie replied. Her voice was still completely neutral. "Admittedly, I'm surprised. "Considering that I had to drag your sorry flank all the way from the fields to here, I was expecting you to stay knocked out for a while longer. ” "Yeah. thanks for that by the way," Sonar said. "Don’t worry. I mean, it was an accident right?" Blinkie said and waved a hoof. "I mean, it isn't as if i was warning you to leave or anything." Suddenly she gasped in fake surprise and held a hoof to her mouth. “Oh wait, I was," she finished coldly. Across from her Sonar tried to smile at her, while she scratched the back of her head with her uninjured hoof. "Umm I'm sorry?" “You better be!” Blinkie snapped, causing Sonar to shrink back a little. “Do you know how lucky you are to still be alive?” “Very?” Sonar asked an unamused Blinkie. “But not as lucky at you,” she continued after a moment. “You managed to get out of it without a scratch.” Blinkie snorted at that and shook her head. “That's no luck. I’m just tougher than you.” “Really?” Sonar asked doubtfully. “I mean, I’m not saying you aren’t tough, but I don’t think it matters how tough you are when a pile of rock is toppling down on you. That isn’t really anything anypony just shrugs off.” “Oh, you think so?” Blinkie asked. A hint of amusement rang in her voice, which confused Sonar. “Yes, why?” Instead of answering, Blinkie simply walked over to a nearby table and picked up a hoof sized stone that was laying on top of it. Confused, Sonar turned to her. “What are you- ?” She was interrupted when Blinkie held the stone up, showing it to her, before simply crushing it between her hooves, leaving Sonar slack jawed. Tiny splinters and dust fell to the ground as she brushed of the remains of the once-stone from her hooves, then Blinkie looked back to Sonar an obvious smirk on her lips. “You were saying?” Blinkie asked. “How did you do that?” Sonar asked, after she had picked her jaw up again. “Ehh, I just did it,” Blinkie shrugged. “It’s nothing special, really. Everypony in my family can do the same to some degree or another. Something like this,” she nodded to the dust below her, “is nothing.” “But how did you learn something like that?” Sonar asked in confusion. Surprised Blinkie raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t Maud tell you? Wait scratch that, of course she didn’t. We’re rock farmers. Stuff like that just comes with the territory.” “Rock farmers… ?” Sonar asked confused, causing Blinkie to roll her eyes. “Yes, rock farmers. Let me guess,” she added as Sonar opened her mouth. “What the hell is a rock farmer, right?” Across from her Sonar nodded, causing Blinkie to groan and face hoof. “I swear to Celestia, no one knows what we’re doing. Is it too much to ask that at least once somepony knows something about our work?” She looked back up, staring right at Sonar. “We are rock farmers. Our job is it to grow and distribute rocks. Yes you heard right, we grow rocks. We have special equipment for that. But that’s not what you want to know right? You wonder why anyone would grow rocks in the first place, right? Well, the answer for that is somewhat difficult. “First let me ask you, what do you think rocks are made of?” “What rocks are made of?” Sonar asked confused. “Umm, stone?” “Yes, ” Blinkie smirked, “but which one?” “Umm, which one… ?” “Yes.” Blinkie nodded. She gave Sonar a thoughtful look, then she suddenly sat down and cleared her throat. “Stone isn’t just stone, you know? There are hundreds of variations. Marble, slate, chalk, sandstone, onyx, the list goes on and on. Some of those are very rare in Equestria, maybe because they aren’t naturally found in high quantities or because they are only found in some far off lands and too expensive to import. “So, where do you think all those materials used in Equestria come from?" She paused and looked at Sonar, but when she didn't answer, Blinkie sighed and shook her head. "I’ll tell you where it comes from; from us. “ Ignoring the surprised look on Sonar’s face, Blinkie gestured to a nearby window, from where they could see the fields. “On this farm we grow those rare types of rocks, allowing for an easy and cheap distribution all around the country. “Need marble to built a new statue? We deliver it to you. “Need cobblestone to build a new house? We provide it to you. “Need ingredients for a new chemical mixture? We get it to you. “Whether you realize it or not, we are far more important to Equestria’s well-being than many others and yet nearly no one knows about us.” At this point Blinkie interrupted herself. She was panting slightly, anger written all over her face. Quickly she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “Anyways, ” she continued once she had calmed down enough. “Does this answer your question?” Sonar nodded, causing Blinkie to relax. “Good, because now I have a question.” “And that would be?” “What’s up with your eyes?” The moment the words left Blinkie’s mouth, Sonar froze. “Why? What is with them?” she tried to act casually, but there clearly was a certain uneasiness hidden behind her words. “They are so … strange” Blinkie said, struggling to find the right words. “I mean, I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure normal ponies eyes don’t have notes in them. Nearly didn’t notice because of all that hair of yours, but I saw them when I checked your vitals after rescuing you from those rocks.” “I’m wearing contacts,” Sonar snapped back immediately, causing Blinkie to raise an eyebrow at her behaviour. “Sure..” Blinkie said after a while. She wasn’t really satisfied with the answer she had been given, but for the moment it had to be enough. There were other, more important matters they had to address first. “Anyway, think you can walk?” Blinkie asked, as she stood back up, snapping Sonar out of her thoughts. “I’m not sure,” Sonar said hesitantly after a moment. “Why?” “Because Dad wants to see you. He told me to get you over there once you are ready. So again, can you walk?” Unsure, Sonar looked at her hooves. Carefully, she tried to put pressure on them and this time she was able to keep herself upright. If it was because the pain had numbed down, or if she’d just had gotten used to it, she couldn’t say. “I’ll manage,” she finally said. “Good, then let’s go.” She walked over to Sonar, supporting the mare as she stood up. Once she was standing, Blinkie guided her through the room and out of the door.