//------------------------------//
// The Basement 
// Story: The Perfect Baker 
// by Harmonator 
//------------------------------//

Pinkie Pie was waiting for them to come back now. She couldn't wait to rub it in Limestone's face about how she cleaned the mess all by herself, not only that, but she also finished up some other chores that she wasn't even asked to do. If this didn't put Limestone in her place, then nothing would. It was time for her to feel the way that Pinkie felt for once. No longer would she be Limestone's little punching bag. Pinkie would also expect Limestone to apologize for the awful things that she had said to her when she was cleaning the mess in the kitchen. How could she say such terrible things to her little sister like that? Pinkie would be sure to find out why. And now was her chance, for her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bell jingling, signaling that somepony had walked through the front door.
"Pinkamena! We're home!" Cloudy Quartz shouted as she and Limestone walked inside carrying bags filled with cooking supplies. They found Pinkie Pie standing in the middle of the kitchen with an interesting look upon her face. It looked as though she was holding back the urge to unleash her true emotions of anger towards the both of them, but was trying to cover it up with a smile that seemed to make Cloudy Quartz and Limestone feel uncomfortable. Cloudy Quartz dropped her shopping bags on the kitchen counter and took a good look around the room before saying anything.
"Well, I see that you managed to clean the mess that you made." She finally said, turning to face her youngest daughter.
"Yes. Indeed I did. And Mom, I just want to apologize for my behavior, it was very unlike me to act that way." Pinkie said, still having the same expression that she had when they first walked into the kitchen. Cloudy Quartz gave a look of concern at Pinkie before replying.
"Well, at least you learned your lesson."
"And I also took the liberty of shining the counters and washing the dishes while you were gone." As Pinkie said this, she turned and looked directly at Limestone. Her older sister just stood there confused, as Pinkie stared at her with a face of gloat.
"Really? You did all of that?" Cloudy Quartz said surprised. She then observed the cabinets to find that all of the dishes had been washed and observed the counters to find that they were shined.
"Well thank you very much Pinkamena, I'm sorry that I yelled at you the way I did." She then walked over and hugged Pinkie and kissed her on the forehead. Yes, this was exactly the way that Pinkie wanted it to go, it was time for her to get the praise and for Limestone to be shoved to the sidelines. Now it was time to reveal the truth of Limestone's dirty trick.
"And Mom, I think there's something else you should know." Pinkie said pulling away from her mother.
"What is it Pinkamena?" Cloudy Quartz said with a look of concern.
"You should know that Limestone came back here to the bakery while I was working, and decided to say the most nastiest things you could imagine to me." Pinkie said pointing her hoof at Limestone as she spoke. At first, Pinkie expected Mom to believe her, but that wasn't the case.
"Pinkamena, what are you talking about?" Cloudy Quartz finally responded. This was when Limestone finally decided to speak.
"Yeah, what are you talking about? I was with Mom the whole time while we were at the market." Pinkie's confident stature then began to deflate as she realized that her mother was not going to believe a word she was saying.
"But it's true Mom, I heard Limestone as I was cleaning up the kitchen. I did, I heard her, I swear! She was saying horrible things to me, saying that I was weak and pathetic, and that...and that I was the reason that the family fell apart, and that I was never going to a be a perfect baker! And...and...!" Pinkie was rambling before her mother cut her off.
"Pinkamena, calm down. Look, I don't know what you heard, but it couldn't have been Limestone. She was with me the whole day, she never left my sight. Maybe you just imagined it." Cloudy Quartz said holding Pinkie Pie trying to calm her down.
"But...but..." Pinkie tried to speak before being interrupted by her mother.
"Now Pinkamena, you must be very tired from all of the hard work that you did today, and maybe you let your imagination run wild when you heard your sister's voice." Cloudy Quartz then gave Pinkie a gentle shove out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. "Now why don't you go to your room and get some rest, you deserve it." And with that Pinkie made her way slowly up the stairs towards her bedroom.

Pinkie Pie sat on top of her bed for a very long time. She tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She was too busy...thinking. Thinking about how Limestone got away with this little scheme of hers. There was no way that Pinkie could have imagined her sister's voice, it was too real. It was so clear that Limestone might as well have been standing right next to her as she spoke. But then again, the more that Pinkie thought about it, she didn't recall anyone being in the room at the time. Maybe she really did just imagine it. What was wrong with her? Was she going mad? No, no of course not! Not Pinkie Pie. Not the perfect baker. She wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. She most definitely heard Limestone's voice that afternoon and she was sure of it. And she was sure that Limestone was behind it all. In fact, Pinkie could just imagine Limestone right now denying the whole story. Cloudy Quartz probably asked Limestone all about it after Pinkie went upstairs, and of course Limestone would lie right through her teeth and swear that she never did anything of the sort. Just like she did that day when she lied about splattering paint all over the side of the house. Pinkie knew it all too well, Limestone was a liar. She knew that Limestone somehow managed to sneak away from her mother at the market and come back to the bakery just to mock poor little "Stinkie Pie." Well if that's how Limestone wanted to play, Pinkie could play right along with her.

The next morning, Cloudy Quartz had gone out shopping again for groceries, only this time, she didn't take Limestone with her. She made Pinkie and Limestone stay at the bakery, so that they could spend some time together and hopefully get along with each other. Which did not thrill neither Limestone nor Pinkie, but they were stuck with each other for the evening. Cloudy Quartz suggested that Limestone help Pinkie Pie with mixing and preparing dough while she was out. So that's what they did for a while. Limestone carefully demonstrated the right amount to measure and mix and how to get the texture of the dough just right, but once Pinkie started trying to mix, it was a complete disaster. After about fifteen minutes of this, Limestone finally said.
"Ugh, you're hopeless Stinkie Pie!"
"Oh, are you going to say to me the exact same things you told me that day when Mom thought that you were with her at the market!" Pinkie shouted back, throwing a piece of dough on the floor.
"What is wrong with you! I told you that I was with Mom the whole day! I never went back to the bakery!" Limestone said raising her voice at Pinkie.
"I don't believe you, you're a liar Limestone, and you always will be." Pinkie Pie said staring straight into Limestone's raging eyes. Limestone then stepped away from Pinkie Pie shaking her head.
"You know what I think? I think you were just trying to get me into trouble with Mom. And you made that whole story up, about how you so called 'heard my voice.'"
"You know what, forget it. I didn't think you would confess anyway." Pinkie said as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving Limestone still standing there.

Later that afternoon, Pinkie Pie was sitting behind the counter reading a book that she had gotten from the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville. Whenever Pinkie Pie had nothing to do, she would try reading. She never really used to read all that much, but ever since she found out about a place in Ponyville that rents books, she started picking up on it. She mostly read books that involved baking. Pinkie figured that reading a few of these books might help her improve in her baking skills, and they helped a little, but not enough to solve the whole situation. However the book she was reading today was very strange. It was a book that told about the mysteries of the Everfree Forest, which was a patch of woodlands that was just outside of Ponyville, and Pinkie had heard about how all of the residents lived in fear of the dreadful forest. The book was mostly filled with tall tales and legends about the dark woods. Most of them were scary, and Pinkie liked it. But there was one legend in the book that really sent shivers down her spine. It was a tale about these ponies that lived in the Everfree Forest, and they had their own little village and everything. However the ponies in the village struggled to find any food to eat, for they had no knowledge of how to farm. And because of this, the ponies in the village had to resort to cannibalism. Cannibalism? Pinkie had never heard of it before. She had to look it up in a dictionary before she finally figured out what the word meant. She was disturbed, she had never heard about ponies eating other ponies before, and it almost made her sick. Although, it did peak her curiosity. What would pony meat even taste like? She figured it would most likely taste disgusting, but still, it made her wonder. But Pinkie Pie's reading was interrupted when Limestone came up to her to say something. Pinkie Pie closed the book and sighed.
"What is it Limestone?"
"Hey Pinkie, why don't we go down to the basement and play a game?" Limestone asked pulling Pinkie out from behind the counter. This threw Pinkie off for a second. First of all, she didn't call her "Stinkie Pie," and second she wanted to play a game with her? This was very unusual for Limestone, but Pinkie figured that she shouldn't waste the opportunity to make up with her sister.
"Okay, sure. But what basement are you talking about?" Pinkie asked confused, as she was being tugged along by her older sister.
"I found it not too long ago. It was behind that really old-looking door." There was indeed a basement in the bakery, but neither Pinkie nor Limestone knew about it when they moved in. Even Cloudy Quartz didn't notice it. It was only now that Limestone had discovered it. Unlike the rest of the bakery that was remodeled when it's new house owners moved in, since the basement was unknown to them, it was left untouched. When Pinkie Pie and Limestone opened the door that led down into the basement, it was very dark. Pinkie Pie hesitated at first, but she figured that Limestone would tease her if she acted afraid of the dark. So Pinkie Pie started down the creaky steps that led down into the dark room, when suddenly she felt a shove from behind her, and she tumbled down the stairs and with a loud crash, hit the floor knocking over many unknown objects in the darkness. Pinkie Pie struggled to get up when she heard her sister's voice from the top of the stairs.
"That's for lying and trying to get me into trouble!" And with that final outburst, Pinkie heard the door to the basement shut close. Pinkie Pie tried to make her way through the dark room and felt her way up the stairs to the door and began to pound against it.
"Let me out! Let me out!" But it was all to no avail, for Limestone did not answer, and now Pinkie was stuck in a dark room all alone. She should've known that it would be a trick, why else would Limestone be so uncharacteristically nice to Pinkie all of a sudden after they had a fight. Pinkie knew that Limestone could be really cruel sometimes, but nothing like this! Locking her little sister up in a dark and scary basement. With no company at all. At least, she thought.
In the pitch-black darkness of the basement, Pinkie heard a voice. She began to become terrified, she was so scared that she dared not breathe. But she listened very closely to the voice. To her surprise, the voice sounded very familiar. It was a voice that she had heard her whole life. It was the voice of her mother.

"Poor, poor Pinkamena. Did your bad sister do this to you?"

"Mom?" Pinkie said trying to talk back to the mysterious voice. She stood up and ran all around the room bumping into random objects and falling down, desperately trying to find her mother in the darkness.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, we can't have this now, can we? I wanted you two to bond and play nice with each other, and this is what happens?"

"It's true Mom! Limestone pushed me down the stairs to the basement and she locked me in here and I'm so scared Mom, it's so dark in here!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she felt tears coming to her eyes.

"I believe you. You don't have to worry, your mother's here to take care of you now."

"But Mom, where are you? I can't see you!" Pinkie Pie pleaded, still crying.

"Now, now, stop your crying right now Pinkamena. That's no way for a perfect baker to act, now is it?"

Pinkie Pie then wiped away her remaining tears and took a few short breaths to calm down.

"Good, now that that's been taken care of, it's time we discuss what needs to be done."

"What needs to be done? What do you mean?" Pinkie asked as her little head perked up.

"What I mean is, we have to discuss what needs to be done about your sister."

"Limestone? Why?" Pinkie asked, confused.

"Well Pinkamena, do think that what she did to you is acceptable? Do you think that ANY of the behavior that she has shown to you is acceptable? No, of course, it isn't. That is why something must be done to stop it."

Pinkie Pie sat in the darkness of the basement listening to all that her mother had to say to her. And she was right, the behavior that Limestone had shown to Pinkie was unacceptable, and something had to be done.

"Not only that, but Limestone has been getting in your way. Every time you try to improve with your baking, Limestone is always three steps ahead of you. I know how much it hurts you Pinkamena. And I also know how much you hate it. In fact, I know how much you hate her."

Pinkie Pie was shocked upon hearing this. How did her mother know about her feelings? Pinkie always had a feeling that she somewhat hated her sister, but she never wanted to admit it to herself. How did Mother find out?

"You don't have to hide anything from me Pinkamena, I know that you deeply despise your sister. And I don't blame you, and you want to know why? Because she is holding you back from becoming a perfect baker. Haven't you noticed how much she gets all of the attention with her baking skills, and yet you are still fiddling around with pathetic samples of dough? We can't let this go on Pinkamena. You have to do something about it. You have to get Limestone out of the way. You must...remove her."

"Wait, what are you saying? What are you saying, Mom?" But Pinkie Pie just sat there waiting for a reply that would never come, for the voice was gone. Pinkie Pie pondered on what the voice of her mother had told her. What did she mean by "get Limestone out of the way?" She wasn't really suggesting that...no, of course not, her mother wouldn't suggest such a thing. Would she? Pinkie Pie then began to pick herself up and felt her way to the bottom of the stairs and climbed up them. She reached the door and before she had a chance to knock, it opened, and there was Limestone standing in front of the bright light that shined through the doorway. Pinkie Pie's eyes squinted at the sudden burst of light in her eyes. She gave them a chance to adjust before speaking.
"Finally decided to let me out?" Pinkie said, giving Limestone the dirtiest look.
"I heard you yelling and talking to yourself in there, so I thought that you might have needed some air." Limestone said with the same sickening grin that she always had.
"I was not talking to myself, I was talking to Mom!" Pinkie said close to Limestone's face.
"Oh great, making up more lies, huh?"
"I'm serious, I heard Mom's voice as clear as day!"
"Oh, will you just shut up, Stinkie Pie! You are so annoying with your stupid stories!" Limestone yelled, raising her volume.
"I'm not lying! She really did talk to me! She said that you shouldn't treat me the way you do and that you were getting in my way!" Pinkie yelled breathing heavily. Limestone then perked her ears up as she heard this.
"Oh really? So she says I'm getting in your way? Is there anything else I should know about?" Limestone said with growing frustration. Pinkie hesitated for a moment, but then told her everything.
"She said that you were in the way of me becoming a perfect baker and that you had to be stopped, and...and she said that I need to get you out of the way, that I needed to...to...remove...you..." The two then stood silently for a moment as Limestone let all of the information sink in. Limestone then leaned toward Pinkie Pie and said.
"There is something seriously wrong with you Stinkie Pie. You need to grow up." Limestone then began to walk away, until Pinkie said under her breath,
"I hate you." Limestone stopped for a second, not turning around to face her.
"Yeah, I figured." Limestone walked a few steps down the hall until she said,
"You know, you better get used to me being in your way, because I'm not going anywhere." With that, she walked away, with Pinkie standing there almost on the verge of tears.


It was late in the afternoon and Cloudy Quartz had still not come back yet. Pinkie Pie and Limestone had stayed out of each other's way since they had their little mishap earlier. Limestone was in the store dusting the tables, while Pinkie was standing behind the counter reading her book about the cannibals. She paused from her reading and went over to Limestone. She figured that she had to apologize for the way she reacted and for the things that she said. But before she could speak, Limestone spoke.
"What do you want?" She said in such a harsh tone, that it caused Pinkie to back up a few steps.
"I...I just wanted to apologize..."
"For what? Saying that you 'hate me?' Whatever. I don't want to hear it." Pinkie Pie quickly felt rising irritation. Here she was trying to offer an olive branch to her sister, and yet she still wanted to play the bully. How typical.
"Limestone, please listen to me. I'm tired of fighting with you all the time. I don't want to be enemies with my own sister! Why can't we just get along like normal sisters do?!"
"You want to know why, Stinkie Pie? It's because, in all honesty, I hate you as much as you probably hate me. I never wanted to be pulled away from my home on the rock farm, just so I could be dumped in the most decrepit excuse of a bakery that I have ever seen, and it's all because of you that this happened to me!" As Limestone was rapidly saying these things, she was slowly making her way towards the small pink filly, effectively making Pinkie feel almost insignificant.
"I never wanted to leave my home, and I most certainly did not want to be taken away from my Dad, and all because you acted like a baby, and went crying to Mom whenever things got tough for you!" Pinkie Pie then suddenly began to not feel so insignificant anymore, on the contrary, she felt a strong sense of anger welling up inside of her.
"That's why I can never forgive you, Stinkie Pie! You took everything that I held dear away from me, and all because you're just a sad little brat! Which is what you will always be no matter how much you may try to change! You'll always be nothing more than a snot-nosed baby brat!" Suddenly after this harsh statement, Limestone felt a powerful hoof smack across her face, and it was at this moment that she noticed how infuriated Pinkie had become. Limestone wiped her face with the back of her hoof to find that her nose was now bleeding.
The two fillies stood there silently for a moment, both of them slowly taking in the intense situation that had just transpired between them. For the first time in her young life, Limestone felt a twinge of fear towards her younger sister. She noticed the deep, burning hatred in the eyes that stared intently back at her. Limestone was so uneasy that she felt inclined to speak first.
"Okay...okay, I'm...I'm sorry. I might have gone too far." These words, no matter how genuine Limestone tried to make them sound, did nothing to soften the hostile look in her sister's eyes. There was another long period of silence, in which the fillies only stared intently at each other, only this time, the role of dominance was switched between them.
"Mom was right." Limestone heard Pinkie finally say, almost in a whisper.
"You have to be...removed..." And in that very moment, Pinkamena again heard the sweet melody of her mother's voice, beckoning her to give in to her instincts.

"Pinkamena, you know what you have to do."

Limestone Pie then watched in terror as her younger sister slowly distorted her fearful expression of anger into an uncomfortable smile.
"Hey Limestone, why don't we go down to the basement and play a game?"