Gaze Into The Life of Limestone Pie

by Optimism

2

Limestone Pie could tell something was wrong. The basic math just didn’t make sense. She flipped through the ledger on the farm’s expenses this quarter one more time just to be sure.

Expenses were up at least ten percent compared to last quarter. Had there been an increase in the prices of their supplies or food that she hadn’t known about? Maud was usually very diligent about letting her know so she could weigh how much profit they’d make when she calculated sales and expenses.

She looked outside the window. It was still dark, and too early to go to work in the quarry. Technically these three days were work-free, since they’d collected the maximum number of rocks that were likely to yield crystals in time for transport to the market, but Limestone didn’t see the point in the leisure when work could be started on the next quarter. She wasn’t tired.

So here she was, awake long before the sun had risen, pouring over ledger notes to solve one little problem that she couldn’t seem to figure out. Why were expenses up ten percent? Her brow creased in a moment of frustration. Had she stayed in school longer than what was necessary to learn only the most basic of mathematics, maybe this would have been a simpler riddle to unlock.

She ignored a hungry rumble of her belly, willing her eyes to bore holes through the paper filled with expenses and force it to reveal the secret it was hiding from her.

When minutes passed with no success on the problem, Limestone grumbled, and walked away from the ledger. She was wasting time- maybe a hot drink would help her concentrate.

She glanced back at the bunks of her other three siblings. All of the occupants were sound asleep, breathing so quietly that the slightest squeak of wood under Limestone’s hooves seemed deafening- regardless, she carefully stepped downstairs, casting one last look back to make sure none of her sisters stirred. None did, and she finished descending to the ground floor of the farmhouse, reflecting on the thought that all four of those bunks being occupied by her sisters had become an extremely uncommon occurrence.

The early rising mare trotted into the kitchen and put the kettle on, preparing her favorite morning beverage: lime green tea. While the water started to boil she opened a kitchen cabinet to search for a tea bag and fresh lime. A quiet squeak of the wooden floorboards behind her made her left ear twitch and she turned around- it was Marble Pie, standing in the entrance of the kitchen and rubbing her tired eyes.

“Oh, morning, Marble.” Limestone said, forcing herself to give her younger sister a smile. “You want a cup of tea?”

Marble Pie nodded gratefully, and like Limestone, forced herself to smile at her sibling. She stood in a mutual agreement of silence with Limestone, while her older sister poured some of the hot water from the kettle into a mug, added a tea bag and several drops of lime juice, then offered it to her.

Marble Pie took the offered mug of tea and went into the dining room to stand by the table and set it down, taking delicate sips from the steaming surface. A few moments later Limestone Pie joined her across the table, taking deep gulps of her own tea from another mug, the heat not seeming to bother her.

Limestone finally broke the silence, to Marble Pie’s relief, since she wasn’t sure she could have done it.

“So, it seemed like you had something on your mind yesterday in the quarry.” Limestone said in her harsh voice, turning her eyes to make eye contact with Marble. “Was there something you wanted to tell me, Marble?”

This was her opportunity, although Limestone’s cool gaze was wilting Marble Pie’s precious seedling shoot of courage. She opened her mouth, a tiny squeak escaping her throat, and tried to form the words- they just wouldn’t come out!

After a few moments of exhaustive effort, Marble Pie closed her mouth, wanting to cry. She just couldn’t say anything. She was trying, she really was, but she couldn’t.

Limestone Pie frowned, and spoke first instead. “Are those guys at the Nickerlite schoolhouse giving you a hard time again?”

Her big sister’s perception was startling. Marble Pie’s jaw flopped open as though it were hanging from a string, bouncing up and down as she tried to close it again and couldn’t manage.

Eventually she nodded, a single tear escaping her mane-covered right eye and trickling down her cheek to fall onto the wooden floor by her hooves. She hadn’t wanted to bother Limestone about it, but the echoes of the past incidents were back all over again- the room around her seemed to be swirling in a whirlpool of memory and she thought she could hear the faint cries of the two colts who had been making her last month of school miserable.

“Look at her, Marco. She can’t even afford real toys.” A turquoise pegasus colt leered at Marble, snagging a pebble that she was using as a teacup from her grasp and darting away when she tried to reach out to take it back, her bottom lip beginning to tremble.

“Yeah, but whadda’ya expect when she’s some blockhead off a rock farm, Polo?” A robin blue pegasus colt of sizable stature sneered as he landed in front of Marble when she stood to try to retrieve her stolen pebble. He leered down at her as he stood in her path and she wilted pathetically, stepping away. She was terrified of confrontation, and felt like all of her muscles were going slack. Her stomach was queasy and she had a terrible wet pressure behind her eyes that wanted to explode. Marble Pie looked around the schoolyard for help, but there was none nearby. Her tendency to pick playing spots that allowed her to indulge her desire to be a recluse had backfired on her, and there were no other students in sight. She wasn’t sure if they would have helped even if they were in sight.

“Tell you what, Penniless Pie.” The boisterous colt said in a tone of falsified benevolence. “If you want your toy back-“ He pressed his nose against hers, pushing her backwards and onto her rump, deliberately stepping on the pebbles she’d arranged and crushing a few, her limp limbs and weak will offering no significant resistance.

She squeezed her eyes shut and cowered, wishing she could disappear, or sink into the ground. She wanted to be anywhere but here right now. Then the pressure on her nose was gone and she opened her uninhibited eye, daring to hope Celestia had granted her wishes- was it over?

“If you want me to stop-“ Her bully was still there, standing tall and menacingly just a few steps away, his lackey hovering in the air beside him, still holding her teacup between his two hooves. Both of them looked like looming giants from her cowering position on the ground looking up at them, ready to squash her like an insect.

“-just say something and I’ll stop.” The pegasus colt finally finished, and donned an expression of expectation. “Come on, throw it all out. Get mad; tell me to go away. Are you a mute or something? Just talk, Penniless Pie!”

She tried, like she just had with Limestone, but it was comparable to trying to push an enormous boulder up a slope that endlessly became steeper and steeper as she ascended. She just wasn’t strong enough! A hoarse cry wrenched its way from her throat, and she finally broke, tucking her front legs over her eyes and weeping. She wanted to vomit, to bury herself alive; she wished her sisters were here. Why was this happening to her? She hadn’t done anything to them. Why didn’t they just leave her alone?

“Forget it, Marco.” The hovering one broke in. “That’s enough, she’s not gonna talk. She’s like some kind of mute dum-dum. Let’s leave her alone.”

“She’s gotta learn, Polo.” The other one interjected, speaking with excessive indulgence, as though he was explaining the obvious. Then he turned the stream of abuse towards Marble back on again. “Whatever, freak mare. It’s no wonder you’re never going to make any friends besides pebbles. You’re going to live and die on that rock farm and nopony’s going to remember you if you never learn. Chuck the dumb pebble and let’s go, Polo.”

Marble Pie didn’t dare look up until their steps receded and there was no sound except her haggard breathing as she tried to swallow a lump in her throat and wiped the salty tears from her eyes, able to feel how red and raw they were whenever she blinked. She didn’t want to stay at school any more, even though the next class session was on her favorite subject: history. Permitting herself another few moments to sniff dejectedly so as to purge as much of the swirling emotional pressure as she could, she stood and walked away, leaving the schoolhouse behind to return to the rock farm. She could come back and collect her saddlebags from the lost and found tomorrow- it was a routine she was getting used to repeating as the harassment from the two colts became more frequent.

The memory alone was nearly enough to reduce Marble Pie to a sniveling heap all over again. She hadn’t wanted Limestone Pie to find out, but unbeknownst to her, Limestone had seen the signs, and perhaps had known for some time. If she had known, why hadn’t she stopped them? Marble couldn’t help but wonder that as she looked up at her older sister, feeling miserable.

“Well, Marble, let’s go.” Limestone abruptly decided, placing one front leg firmly around her younger sister’s shoulders, and guiding her towards the door. Marble was too frightened to resist or protest, but she managed to mumble out a one-worded inquiry when Limestone shut the farmhouse door behind them.

“W-w-where?” She asked.

Limestone Pie turned from the door with an expression of vengeful determination. “I’m taking you to the schoolhouse so you can stand up to those guys and put an end to this nonsense once and for all.” She stated, no room in her tone for negotiation. “A whole day of this happening is too long, but a whole month is crazy. No Pie family member is going to get talked down to while I’m running this rock farm. Let’s go, Marble. Even though it’s not a school day we might catch them playing hoofball on in the school yard.”

Marble squealed as Limestone roughly took her around the shoulders again in her typical tough-love fashion and began pulling her along past the fields, around the quarry, and down the winding path through the barren plains that led to the Nickerlite schoolhouse by the train station.

The whole while she tried to muster the strength to tell Limestone this wasn’t what she wanted. She was afraid- or more than that, she was stricken with fear like it was a malignant disease. She felt as though she might be sick, like her stomach was turning inside out in agony, like her knees were so weak that they were going to bend against her will and sent her tottering over like one of the few dead trees that had sprouted alongside the path they were walking.

She felt herself slowly being crushed, her personality receding inward as a subdued feeling of passive resignation came over her, her self abandoning its body to leave a husk that simply obeyed orders to walk forward with Limestone.

But she had free will, didn’t she? She had the freedom to choose if she wanted to go or didn’t want to go, even if she felt like she couldn’t choose. Surely her life wasn’t just a predestined straight line down the decisions that other stronger personalities made for her, which was a road that would indeed lead to the obscure eventual deletion of her from the minds of everyone when she passed. There had to be forks in the path along her fate that led to something better, something worth aspiring to accomplish.

Marble only wanted to be cared for with the most meager rations of love others were generous enough to offer, to be accepted as the incorrigible introvert of a pair of twins, and to feel in control of her own will, but she felt like she was failing miserably even with such humble ambitions.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing everything to go away, but it was useless, because her body betrayed her by continuing to move its legs forward, and soon enough she felt Limestone tap her shoulder, and when she opened her eyes she knew she’d see the school yard, she knew she’d see the other students, and she knew she’d see the two whom she dreaded seeing.

She opened her eyes, and was surprised, though by no means relieved when she saw that the school yard was only populated by the two colts, who were eyeing the two sisters with idle suspicion as they dribbled a ball on a makeshift court with lines drawn in the dirt to designate boundaries. When the two newcomers stopped at the edge of the court, Polo dropped the ball, letting it roll away, his brow furrowing in concern. Marco was unperturbed at first, but when his eyes met Limestone’s he glared fiercely.

Limestone Pie gave Marble’s shoulder a squeeze. “Stay here.” She said as reassuringly as she could. Then she walked out onto the court boldly, like an explorer crossing the sea, and marched right up to Marco, meeting his glare with an icy chill resonating from her own fierce lime-colored eyes.

“So, Marco, you’ve been having fun messing around with my sister.” She started, not waiting for the colt to speak first.

Marco didn’t back down, shoulders stiffening and craning his neck to exaggerate his height advantage. “Yeah, maybe I have, Pie. There’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun.”

“Stow the noise.” Limestone snarled, her face turning livid. “I can’t believe you’re still doing nothing with yourself after all this time. How many times have you been held back from graduating now? Six?”

Marco seethed, jamming his nose up into Limestone’s, “Only four.” He said defensively in pure hatred, spittle flying from his lips. “What’s it to you? You dropped out to go back to that dead-end quarry with those nuts you call famil-“

The rest of what he was going to say was cut off as he gasped for air, Limestone had lunged forwards and had his neck in a vise with one of her front legs, her lime eyes blazing with cold fury, and she hissed a warning into his ear. “I don’t care what you say about me Marco, but don’t ever talk about my family, you worthless, stinking horsefly.” She only kept her voice down for Marble’s benefit so she wouldn’t have to hear the slur.

She quickly released him, however. As much as she wanted to knock him on his rump and stamp all over his stallion pride, built by abusing the faults of others, that wasn’t why she’d come here, and she had to keep her temper in check. That comment about the family had gotten to her, though. She didn’t care if he was bigger than her, if he said something like that again she’d fight him in an instant.

Marco wheezed and regained his breath, his blue face turning a shade of purple as he raged sullenly, looking like he wanted to take a swing at Limestone. Polo flew to his side immediately, looking worried. Marble Pie was trembling with fear, but Limestone stood fast, not taking her eyes off him. Marco was taller than her by nearly a head, but Limestone was squat and brawny, and her back and shoulders were lined with knots of muscle where Marco was skinnier and gaunt- she wasn’t afraid of him.

“Figures your sister can’t fight her own battles.” He wheezed out as soon as he had enough breath, leaning on Polo for support briefly, then pushing him away. “So, are you gonna whoop both of us for her, is that it?”

Limestone’s visage hardened briefly, but she shook her head. “No.”

“Then what do you want?” Polo demanded angrily as he attempted to rub the raw spots on Marco’s neck, only to have his hoof swatted away by his angry friend.

“Marble’s going to stand up to you, and then you’re going to leave her alone. That’s the deal.” Limestone declared. Marble Pie froze up, and again desperately wished for the power of speech and eloquence to be granted back to her. This wasn’t what she wanted! She trembled on her four legs, and opened her mouth, but closed it again. Things were happening that affected her, but she was taking no part in the direction of the events!

Marco actually laughed, his sore throat aching with the heaves of mirth. “She’s going to stand up for herself? That’s a laugh! She can barely even stand on her hooves when we start hassling her.”

Limestone Pie immediately seized on his overconfidence, hoping to make Marble Pie’s task easier. “Then have Polo fight her.”

Marco turned to Polo, a grin on his face. “Well, go get her. This’ll be quick.”

Polo hesitated, a shadow of reluctance passing over him, but he acquiesced and flew over to the middle of the court, folding his wings and landing. “What are you waiting for, Penniless Pie, show us you can stand up for yourself!” He taunted without significant zeal, not wanting this to happen much more than Marble Pie.

Limestone Pie stepped over to her younger sister, who looked at her pleadingly, wanting to beg, wanting to cry, wanting to run away. She pushed Marble onto the court and whispered in her ear. “Come on Marble, stand up. You have to do this, I know you can.”

When Limestone Pie stepped away Marble Pie felt a distinct loneliness envelop her. Although her sibling was right there, all comfort of company began to recede into the distance until it felt like she was adrift in an ocean with nothing but water miles around, alone, facing a violent tempest looking to obliterate her fragile mortal body and dispatch her into the void.

She shakily managed to stay on her feet, though she wanted to retch and weep bitterly. With great effort, she tried to step forward towards Polo, and she managed to take one step, two steps. Then Polo used a quick flap of his wings to rapidly close the distance and jabbed hard at Marble’s cheek with a front leg. Marble, who had never been in a fight before, tried to recoil, raise a leg to protect herself, and restrain her weeping all at the same time, but succeeded in none of those actions, and nearly fell, a hot pain burning in her right cheek under her long mane. The tears began to flow, but she stayed standing.

A guilty expression ran over Polo’s face, and he hesitated, but he didn’t want to look weak in front of Marco, so he drew his other front leg back and attempted to deliver another hard jab into Marble Pie’s face, looking to finish the fight as quickly as possible.

Marble Pie finally succeeded in raising a front leg to protect her face, and Polo’s hoof cracked against her own as she raised it over her burning cheek. He recoiled, a look of surprise and pain on his face. Hitting her hoof had been like hitting a solid rock, and now his appendage was throbbing, the nerves protesting against the impact.

“That’s it, Marble.” Limestone bellowed. “Protect your face, and give it to him!”

Marble Pie, scarcely able to see through her long mane and the tears in her eyes, gave no indication that she’d heard her sister, ears folded down and the three legs keeping her upright quivering uncontrollably.

Marco, however, was furious that she was still up, and roared at Polo, “What’s the matter with you, Polo? Knock her down! She can’t even keep her legs from shaking.”

Rebuffed by his friend, and fueled by the pain in his hoof, Polo swooped forwards and attacked, this time not letting up, throwing out a succession of jabs from his front legs like pistons.

Marble Pie shrieked in pain as he pummeled her relentlessly, covering her eyes with her front leg and trying to back away on the other three unsteady ones. Her lip was split and bleeding, the leg protecting her eyes was sore and bruised, and her burning cheek was swelling, but the blows kept coming, and she felt the tears trickling down her face, but she choked back the sobs, and still stayed standing.

Limestone ground her teeth, wanting to intervene. She wanted to pound Polo into the ground and Marco too, who was smirking at her in a perverse delight at the violence, no doubt taking joy in needling her since he knew she wasn’t afraid of him. But this was Marble’s moment to stand up, and although she couldn’t physically help her, she couldn’t stand to let her do this completely on her own.

“Get him, Marble.” She commanded shrilly again and again. “Get him!”

Marble Pie looked over towards her older sister in a daze, not entirely understanding at first, and Polo’s hoof made contact with her exposed eye. She took a step back, crying out in pain and squeezing her injured eye shut, but finally the words her sister had said registered. Get him.

When Polo drew up and back to hit her again, Marble Pie surged forwards, catching him around his midsection and wrapping both of her front legs around his back. She started bawling aloud, letting out all the pain she was feeling physically and mentally, swallowing bile that she’d been gagging on, and her back convulsing violently as she continued to sob. Without realizing it, she began to squeeze Polo more and more tightly, until he turned limp in her grasp.

She didn’t know how long she stayed like that, holding fast to Polo to make the pain go away, but suddenly Limestone was there, pulling her off and saying, “Let him go, Marble. Let him go, he’s had enough.”

Marble let go of Polo and threw her hooves around Limestone tightly instead, crying into her older sister’s shoulder, and Limestone Pie, for a tender moment, told her, “There, there. You did it, it’s over.”

Marble Pie didn’t understand, what had happened? She looked back when she could muster the courage and brushed the mane out of her left eye to see, the other one hurt too much to open.

Polo lay on the ground wheezing, and Marco was standing next to him, expression stricken with worry as he helped Polo up, smacked him on the back, felt his stomach, and asked him if he was alright.

Then the bully turned towards Limestone, “What the Tartarus is wrong with her?” He demanded. “She could have killed him!”

Marble Pie was shocked. She could have- what? She hadn’t meant to do anything like that, she’d just been scared, sick, and wanted the pain to stop. What had she done?

“You’re not messing with her anymore.” Limestone Pie declared flatly.

“Yeah, we’re not messing with her anymore.” Marco agreed, looking at Marble Pie with an expression that was no longer playful animosity but pure hatred. “Freak.” He turned away from them both to help Polo stand, who was still wheezing like an asthmatic, face colored and eyes wriggling about in a semi-conscious stupor.

Limestone pulled Marble Pie along. “Come on, we’re going back to the farm. You’re all beat up.” After a moment she added, “I’m proud of you, Marble.”

Marble Pie held on to Limestone Pie for dear life, aghast at her own actions. “I didn’t want to hurt him.” She said aloud miserably as sobs continued to wrack her body.

Limestone led her onwards and patted her on the back tenderly, uncertain of what to say. “There, there.”

“I didn’t want to.” Marble repeated more quietly, feeling wretched. She was ashamed that the two front legs she’d squeezed Polo with belonged to her, and wished she could bury them somewhere far away.

“Keep some pressure on your lip.” Limestone said, “It’s bleeding real bad. Here, right there like this.” She said, guiding Marble’s hoof to apply pressure in the proper spot.

“I didn’t want to.” Marble repeated dully, hoof pressing her lip as red drops trickled down, mixed with falling tears and turned pink.

“There, there.”