Aftermath of A Fallen Star
By Rated Ponystar
Edited by The Unnamed Pawn and Commander X5
Pre-Read by: Magic Man
I am a big sister (Maud’s POV)
***
I watched the various rocks pass by on the train as we got closer to Ponyville.
I knew them all, but my mind wasn’t focused on rocks.
It was focused on my sister.
Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie and I always had a special connection ever since we were fillies.
She was the only one who could really read me. Showing emotions... wasn't something I was good at.
I was also the only one who really understood Pinkie. Seeing her intentions and feelings under her chaotic and energetic personality, understanding what she was saying under the endless wave of words that would confuse the most brilliant minds. Only I could could understand her.
We’re not all that different in some ways. I hide my thoughts by expressing no emotion. She uses tons of emotion to hide hers.
But there are times when she lets it all out; like recently.
Three weeks ago, her friend Twilight Sparkle died. She was murdered.
I was there with my family for Pinkie Pie during the funeral. I never saw her cry so much, not even when Granny Pie passed away.
Twilight was a good pony. We never were close, but she was a good pony.
Boulder liked her.
I had been worried about Pinkie, leaving her alone in Ponyville instead of coming home with us. I wanted her to, but she wanted to be with her friends.
I sent mail asking how she was doing.
No replies.
I sent a message to the Cakes, asking what was happening.
They said Pinkie was smiling. Still being fun. Still making sweets.
There was one problem though, and I noticed it in the letter.
She was not throwing parties.
I got a ticket to Ponyville first chance I got.
I know my sister. And she needs me. She’s not fine. She is far from fine.
I arrive at the station. I make my way towards Sugarcube Corner. I may not have look like it, but I am scared for my sister.
After greeting the Cakes, I walk up to my sister’s room and open the door. Confetti flies into my face.
“Surprise! I knew you’d be coming, Maud! I got a Pinkie Sense Combo that said my best and favorite sister is coming to visit me!” She then hugs me and nuzzles my cheek. “Oh I missed missed missed missed missed you so much! It’s been ages since we saw each other!”
She shows me her room. There are her usual party things: balloons, streamers, punch, cupcakes.
But no ponies, apart from us.
“Well, let’s shake our behinds to some tunes and get this party started!” says Pinkie as she heads over to the record player.
“Pinkamina.”
That’s all I need to say to freeze her. She knows I never use her real name unless it’s serious. She turns around, her smile slowly fading, but it was never a real smile to begin with. The moment she hit me with confetti she thought she could fool me.
But I’m her older sister. I know.
“Y-yes?” she asks.
I look into her eyes. I can still see it. The suffering. The sorrow. The confusion. My sister never handles loss well, especially when it’s somepony close to her.
I walk over to her and hug her, let her head rest upon my chest. “It’s okay.”
It’s all I need to say to get her to start crying. Her hair falls and straightens, and all she can do is sob. She keeps crying and I hold her. Time passes. A lot of time.
It’s near dark by the time she finally starts to stop. Three weeks of holding your tears does that to you.
“I’m sorry... I got your shirt wet...” mutters Pinkie Pie.
“It’s okay...” I say, patting her on the back. “She was important to you.”
“Twilight...I just want her back...” Pinkie whispers. “I loved her so much. I love all my friends so much. To lose her without saying goodbye...I...I...”
A thought comes to my head as I give her a narrowed eyed look. “Have you been taking your medication?”
She looks away in shame. I had my answer.
“Pinkie, you need to take it...”
“I know... but.... among the voices...I can hear hers.”
I tighten my hug around her. Memories of the first time she started hearing “them” in her head make me shiver. Those were dark, tearful days.
“I can hear her voice... with the others... asking what I learned about friendship... what parties I’m planning... even just a simple ‘Hello’...” she looks at me with her big wide teary eyes. “I know she’s dead but I don’t care! I’m hearing my best friend and I want to hear her speak over and over again! Even if I have to hear all those other scary voices!”
I shake her. “Do you remember what happened to Granny Pie?!” I say this in a loud voice, something I rarely used. “Do you remember... how she died?”
I close my eyes. I can still see her body. Swaying on the rope around her neck.
Pinkie is crying again as I hold her tighter. “I don’t want to see that happen again. I don’t want to see that happen to you.”
“... I’m sorry...” she mutters. “I just really miss her.”
“I know...” I said. “I know...”
Pinkie then suddenly leaves my embrace as she turns away. “Can I make a deal with you?”
I say nothing, but I nod.
“If... if you help me with something... I’ll take my medication...”
“What is it?”
Pinkie lowered her head. “The swords that were used to kill Twilight? They weren’t ordinary swords.”
That made sense. Alicorns were tough. Very few things could kill them and no ordinary blade could do it.
“The blades... they were made with orichalcum.”
My eyes widen. Orichalcum was a very rare metal. It was so strong yet light. It could cut through a dragon's scales like hot butter, but never dent. Orichalcum was rare because it only could be found in the minotaur islands.
Except for one other place.
My eyes widen and, for the first time in a long time, my mouth drops. Because I know who else has orichalcum in Equestria. But I don’t want to believe it. It was a secret that had been passed down to my family for generations.
Pinkie looked at me with anger in her voice. “Help me find out if our family sold our secret orichalcum deposit.”
The Stoned Faced Sister and the Pink Balloon worked together
They found the truth
They cried in each other’s embrace
They then made their journey to confront their family
Because of this chapter I suggest doing pinkie pie next.
Interesting, I can't wait for the follow up.
Interesting. Although the image of Maud widening her eyes is... heh. Well, I can't see it.
Well, either they sold it without knowing, or sold it for the exact purpose to help kill Twi. (As I sit here forming an idea that is somewhat similar. TOO MANY IDEAS.)
Well that was unexpected.
So the metal used to make the swords used by Twilight's killers likely came from the Pie family's secret deposit. And the only way the conspirators could of gotten access to it is if the family sold it...
That's a connection that definitely bears a closer look at.
Something just tells me that if Pinkie and Maud's parents did sell their secret orichalcum deposit, they're gonna have a whole lotta 'splainin' to do!
So Pinkie's family gave the killers the weapons they needed to do the deed? How could they ever have thought it was a good idea when one of their daughters was friends with Twilight? Were they willing to scarifice their own daughter simply because they didn't like what Twilight was going to do? That's disgraceful. And they wonder why Pinkie never talked about them. (Somehow I hope that I'm wrong, and that they sold the material for a different purpose, and found out they were duped by the killers.)
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I am betting the swords orders were commission as cermonial or practical swords for the nobility since the nobles were on it, and may have been bought in bulk. I doudt they knew it would be used to assinate Twilight Sparkle as that would not be a intersting twist or plot, unless the family is terrible. I think they are still guilty as the person who makes the gun and supply the metal.
No what would be a intersting plot twist is the following two:
1) They are trying to silence the knolwdge they supplied the metal that made/or used the metal commission the swords that killed Twilight Sparkle since it would ruin their family. Look at what happen to Samuel Mudd for treating John Well Both despite not knowing he killed the Aberham Lincon.
2) Someone else in on it outside of the nobles already caught and excuted in on the excution. People the pies are not saying for they do not want to be known as the people that supplied the weapons that killed the princess
So next fic is Pinkie Pie [or Pies]?
Holy plot twist Batman!
Love, love, LOVE it! Hopefully we return to the Pie sisters in a later chapter!
Ooh, I cannot imagine how Pinkie would feel if the weapons use to kill her friend were made by materials sold to her murderers by her own family!
I suppose finding who sold the orichalcum would be easier than finding out who supplied the leather strips and iron ingots.
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121013014504/elderscrolls/images/thumb/6/6e/OrcishSword.png/80px-OrcishSword.png
From the voices Maud mentioned, and "Party of One", I'm guessing Pinkie has schizophrenia, or some pony analogue. It's quite depressing that she misses Twilight so much that she skips using her meds just to hear her voice again.
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Or, you could look at it from the perspective of a more abnormal view that Pinkie can actualy hear dead ponies. It is a possibility, though a mental illness would make her antics believable, if explained right. That in itself would take tons of research on the topic of mental diseases and which ones fit Pinkie sparodic behaviour.
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Indeed. You've whetted my curiosity.
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I guess the family rock farm was facing bankruptcy again (if you remember Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party!) so Igneous and Cloudy were forced to sell their orichalcum. Imagine their reaction when they find out about Twilight´s assasination and their own, unwitting complicity on it. They have must been living in regret and terror since then, awaiting for the Guard to knock on their door.
4614676 They might not have known about it until the assassination and tried to hide the fact because it might end up that the WHOLE Pie Family would get the ax.
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I'm not saying that they necessarily knew what the orichalcum was for beforehand, but it's still hard to think that your family had a role of any kind in the murder of one of your closest friends!
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I agree. They might not have known that the orichalcum was going to be used for the weapons that killed Twilight. Also another idea, what if they sold it to the Royal Guard, who made the weapons on Celestia's Orders (in case a Alicorn from beyond Equestria tried to take the kingdom over) and it was to be kept under lock and key.
Guess who had the lock and keys?
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If Granny Pie could hear the same sort of things as Maud seems to insinuate, I'm going with it being that Pinkie can hear the dead. Two sufferers of DID and similar mental illnesses are going to have very different experiences with it. Not to mention it appears to be familial, and passed from Granny (Who we assume was similar to how Pinkie is now) to Pinkie, where the rest of their family is populated by emotionless Amish farmers.
..........
Holy crap.
Oh...oh damn...I did not see that coming...
To be fair, though, I don't think that the Pie family knew what they were getting into when they sold the deposit to whomever fashioned the blades that ended Twilight's life. I don't think they knew they were selling it to Twilight killers.
At least...I hope not...
i want to know what happens i kinda dont care about any1 else until i find out if their family sold the deposit and who it was
Christ on a cracker!!! First, Twilight dies and now Pinkie and Maud's parents are gonna mysteriously hack themselves to pieces and then set themselves on fire.
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Actually it could be either the parents, the other sisters, or both. Though my money is honestly on the parents. They seem like the type who would put an insane value on traditionl... and the fact Twilight wanted to make so much friendship with the other non-pony races and even invite them to Equestria, their secret deposit of that metal would have become less valuable with a better relationship with the Minotaurs.
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This sort of regicidal insistence on Things Being As They've Always Been is going to give somepony something of an existential crisis before things are all said and done.
Perhaps at the end of the story a more enigmatic statement could have been given.
But in all, your short abrupt style fits Maud Pie to a tee. Your reasoning for her closeness to Pinkie is , pardon the pun, rock solid. And from what we learned of Maud in the show I am convinced that the writers would have used a similar explanation if they ever undertook a similar story line. So cheers to you for writing this excellent tear-jerker.
.... Huh.
words cannot express how sad I'm feeling right now
Well.
Oh shit.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Well...damn. If the Pie family willingly sold the Orichalcum knowing its intended purpose, then nothing on Equestria can save them.
One too many "could"s here.
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No idea
This was a great chapter, and I'm unsure whether the family sold the deposit with malicious intent or not. After all, they sold the deposit and not actual swords. However, there are few real uses for orichalcum...
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Some researchers do think schizophrenia has a genetic factor, Pinkie could very well have inherited the condition from her. Of course, in Equestria the voices may really be the dead talking to you. Unless the author clarifies, I guess we'll just have to guess.
It's start with a bittersweet story about two sisters.. but now.
[youtube=FONN-0uoTHI]
By Discord's bushy eyebrow! Could it be true?! I swear to whoever would be appropriate to swear to at this point that I will flip out if it's true!
4614599 Hmmm, those are very good points, all of them.
Still, I would like to see what Pinkie and Maud's parents have to say on the matter. Hopefully, they are innocent of any wrongdoing (I can't help but feel that they are, actually). But we'll just have to wait and see, huh?
I've never favored that theory, that Pinkie Pie is crazy. Do like the theory that she isn't always as happy as she seems, but never that shes crazy. its your story i guess...
it fits pinkie's family would not be happy with the goings on but to do that wft
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*shrug* It's canon (see party of one).
Personally I like the idea that she's mentally unstable. It adds an extra dimension to the character and her behavior without really taking anything away.
And still I cry, My sympathy engaged [insert song reference/lyric/title / Frozen reference here]. This, and it's precursor, are good stories. You made me cry. Thank you.
I may be hated for this: knowing Maud's character and the first person narration style, this chapter kinda reminds me to Twilight (the book series, not the pony) and Maud to Bella. Of course, I am aware that the books and movies are worthless and this fanfic is waaaaaaay much better (well anything is way much better than Twilight, the book)
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I agree with Ron Burgundy and you about how it escalated quickly.
looked
____________
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Emotionless, Super Powered, Amish Farmers. And it wouldn't surprise me with Pinks own slew of super powers, that her Pregognition / Reaity Warping woulldn't give her a peak to Twilight's ghosty consciousness.
I was about to say give us the name of the pony who sold it but seems thats going to be in pinkie 2 chapters so yeah
I think this was really well done, given how little we know about Maud cannonically. You knocked it out of the park.
Funny for all the wrong reason.
I loved this chapter, the little/big sister relationship was perfect untill...
I had real connection up to that point.
With Pinkie I accept that anything is possible with her, even this, but this is just not what I think Pinkie is like. Aside from that personnal opinon this chapter is brilliant. This:
Now that's a cliff hanger.