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// Red barn, green apples 
// Story: Convictions set in Stone 
// by Gustav Gynt 
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The mares of the community were around the town's fountain to wash clothes. At least, washing clothes was the excuse, though the real purpose was, of course, gossip.
One mare with dark eyes was just finishing her story. "...and that is how Calcite got that bruise on her leg."
Lead Ore rolled her eyes: the news had been really slow, in the last couple of days. Fortunately, she did have a succulent story to tell, being the railroad employee's wife.
"Yeah, very interesting. Now, ladies, would you like to hear something really good?"
The others murmured unconvinced: Lead didn't often bring really good stuff.
She, however, was unfazed by the cold reaction and proceeded, "You know who left the community to go to Ponyville just this morning?"
The murmur changed its tone immediately: that was probably going to actually be good.
Lead smiled slyly and said, "Now you're interested, aren't you? Very well, I'll tell you... my husband Iron told me that yesterday somepony came to buy a train ticket for Ponyville. That somepony was Marble Pie, Cloudy Quartz's youngest daughter."
The mares gasped and a few audible comments raised.
"It's always the Pies."
"After that weird pink daughter of theirs, years ago, and the oldest just a few months back... those sisters are the worst!"
"Can you imagine how embarrassing must it be for Cloudy?"
Lead grinned at the figurative avalanche she was starting with her metaphorical snowball off the slope, then proceeded. "Yes, apparently she's going to see her sister in Ponyville. However, a bird told me that she wanted to also see that family that the Pies invited to their house during Heart's Warming Eve again."
The gasps were even louder, but she started talking again before the comments could begin. "Do you remember that, amongst that family, there was a young stallion?"
They sure did: it had already been subject of one of their gossiping sessions.
"Well, I am not suggesting anything, but what if there is something behind the impressionable and young Marble Pie's trip?"
The comments exploded: that was just too good.

"SURPRISE!!!"
Marble was indeed surprised: she expected her sister's friends, the ones who were at the station, but she did not expect to see the Apple family as well; there were also two little fillies besides Applebloom who were about the same age as her. She was glad to notice that Big Mac was amongst them. All of them were looking at her and she blushed violently.
Pinkie started talking. "I knew you would have liked to see the Apples again, so I had them organise the party in their barn (of course I did help, duh) and I just couldn't not invite my friends so that they can know you a bit better and Applebloom asked if she could invite the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well and I said why not, but, after that, I remembered that you don't really like big and loud, so I did not invite anypony else. Do you like it Marble?"
Marble looked around: there were streamers, tables filled with sweets, another banner which read "Welcome to Ponyville Marble... Again!!!". She turned her head towards her sister and, smiling and blushing at the same time, she nodded.
Pinkie's enthusiasm became palpable, as she said, "Let's get this party started!"
Marble was relieved to see that the other ponies did not crowd her all at once: as the music started playing, the others would start dancing and chatting with each other. The only ones who rushed towards her were Applebloom and her two friends.
"Hi Marble! Do ya remember me? Ah'm so happy to see you again so soon! Ah wanted to introduce ya to my friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!"
The two fillies, a white unicorn and an orange pegasus, waved at her as their names were mentioned, then Scootaloo intervened. "Together, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
Marble just then noticed that their cutie marks were very similar to one another, which she found very odd, but she didn't question them about it, fearing it would have been rude.
She just said a very soft "Hi!"
It was the little unicorn's turn to talk. "We help ponies to figure out what their cutie mark means!"
Marble was fascinated by that concept: she had never really given a thought towards what her cutie mark meant, it had just appeared one day and she liked it, that was the end of it. She thought it would have been interesting to learn the meaning of those three marbles on her flank. Her thought went for a moment to what would Sandstone think of that, but she immediately forgot about it: she never even paid attention to what the clerk's cutie mark was.
Applebloom kept on talking. "Yeah! If ya ever need it, we'll be mighty glad to help!"
Before the conversation could go any further, Sweetie Belle pointed in one direction and asked, "Is Pinkie Pie bringing in the chocolate chip muffins?"
One moment later, the three fillies had vanished. Marble looked around the place and her gaze met with Big Mac's, for a moment, before he looked away: he was apparently just sitting in a corner, not speaking with anypony else. The reason why she had noticed him in the first place, not even a week prior, was the fact that, like her, he seemed more inclined to thinking than speaking, which she found to be a rare trait. His current behaviour was consistent with the idea she had got the last time she saw him, which gave her a strange, but happy, feeling. She wanted to approach him, but her legs didn't seem to cooperate. Marble forced herself to at least go towards the buffet, in order to close the distance a little bit without going straight to him. She had a slice of the apple pie that was there, made with green apples, like the one on Big Mac's cutie mark. She noticed that the barn itself had roughly the same colour as his coat: a deep red. She liked the contrast: the red coat with the green cutie mark.
As she was lost in these considerations, the purple alicorn known as Princess Twilight went near her and spoke to her.
"So, you're Pinkie's little sister? It's very nice to meet you. You're kinda different from what I was expecting..."
Marble's first reaction was one of fright, but then Twilight went on. "... but in a totally positive way."
Marble looked at her and gave her a faint smile, right before remembering that she was talking to royalty and lowered her gaze.
Twilight noticed that and said, "You don't need to be intimidated by me: ponies these days see me as a princess, but I would like you to just call me Twilight and treat me like anypony else, if you can. I wasn't always a princess, you know? All is still new for me, and it is actually kinda scary, at times..."
Marble looked at her in the eyes again: it was the first time she had ever spoken to royalty and the princess in question had just shown vulnerability. That was absolutely new and unexpected to her: in her experience, ponies with power never showed vulnerability, they used the vulnerability of others to their advantage. But, she thought, this Twilight was Pinkie's friend: it actually made sense that, if Pinkie befriended royalty, it would be with sompony that was at least actually kind of alright.
Twilight completed her thought. "... which is why I would be honoured if you thought of me as your friend and not as your princess. Pinkie's family is family to us as well!"
Marble opened her mouth and softly said, "Thanks, I'll remember it... Twilight."
Twilight chuckled and answered, "This is the first time I heard your voice: it's nice, you should let it out more often. Now, I'm going to see what Spike is doing over there, to make sure he's okay. Enjoy your party, Marble! It was a real pleasure to speak with you!"
As Twilight went away, Marble's mind was boggling... Nice? A princess just said that her voice was... nice? And she also said that it had been a pleasure to speak with her and... she looked like she meant it! That was the very first time anypony told her things like that: she had never even considered that her voice could be... nice. She felt like never before: she was meeting all these new ponies, who came one after another, careful not to overwhelm her, just to say nice things to her. Granted, she still preferred the company of herself or, at most, just another pony she trusted other than her, but this was the first time she was actually kinda feeling well within a small crowd.
The next of Pinkie's friend to approach her was Rarity, the white unicorn with purple, stylish mane and three diamonds as cutie mark: her posture, her expression and even the way she moved screamed self confidence and elegance.
She got near Marble and addressed her. "Pardon me, darling, but I couldn't help but noticing your beautiful, flowing mane! I just had to come and ask you if you have any kind of dress to go with it: it's divine!"
Marble's eyes opened wide in surprise. "My... my mane? Dress?"
Rarity kept going, absolutely unfazed. "Why yes, darling! It would be a crime against everything I stand for if you didn't have anything to go with that beautiful and smooth shower of grey of yours."
Marble didn't even know how to respond to that: nopony ever praised any of her features, especially nopony so... elegant.
"N... no. I don't have any dr... any dresses."
It was Rarity's turn to open her eyes wide, letting a loud gasp out. "My, this is unacceptable! It so happens that *chuckle* I am quite the accomplished stylist, if I do say so myself..."
There was the catch, Marble thought: somepony so distinct couldn't possibly give her so much praise if not for trying to sell her something...
"... which is why I'm going to make you a dress especially tailored for your needs as a welcome present. What do you think, darling? I will not accept "no" for an answer!"
Marble's mouth went agape. The fleeting thought passed through her head that this Rarity might be the owner of that beautiful shop she had seen and daydreamed about earlier, but the shocking turn of events made that thought slip away instantly.
"Uh... tha... thanks but I can... I... I can't possibly..."
"Nonsense darling! If you just come tomorrow morning to my boutique, I will get your measurements and make it as soon as I can."
"Uuuh... tomorrow?"
"Yes: I'm afraid that, after this party, I cannot afford to spend time on leisure or side projects today, but tomorrow should be fine..."
"Oh... it's ju... it's just that I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Oh. That's... that's really a pity. I suppose that, if I work a little extra tonight, you can come later today and I will send the dress to you by mail as soon as I finish it."
"Thanks but... uh... I don... I don't think it will be necessary..."
And Marble just left the table, leaving Rarity behind. The whole conversation reminded her that, if she had come back to the community with a fancy dress, she wouldn't be able to wear it anyway; it reminded her that all the niceness she was experiencing wasn't but temporary; it reminded her that, by the same time, the day after she would already be working again in the rock farm. She didn't dislike rocks and her family's business, but the new world she was seeing was just so beautiful that the thought of coming back from it so soon was unbearable. She was just so lost in these thoughts that she didn't even notice when she passed just next to Big Mac, who tried to get her attention by raising his hoof and emitting a "uuh" kind of sound, but in vain.
Marble thought that it was actually kinda funny how her good mood had been fragile. She dragged herself towards a corner and just sat there, leaning her head against the wall. She also thought back at her conversation with Rarity and realised that she had been stuttering; she felt a wave of embarrassment filling her up from bottom to top: it had been the first time that anypony showed such niceness to her and she just... embarrassed herself. It wasn't long before she heard somepony coming to her, but she didn't raise her head to see who might it be.
She heard a deep voice addressing her. "Pardon, madam... Ah recall meeting ya last Heart's Warming Eve and... uh... is there something wrong?"