Missing Marble
As the Apple Blooms
Part 77; Missing Marble
As the sun began to set off into the horizon, Apple Bloom sat against her bedroom wall as she found herself bombarded with affectionate licks from Sparkplug. “Alright. Alright! Ah love you too buddy!” The former farm girl exclaimed as she held the small highland terrier in her arms. After a few minutes, Sparkplug finished kissing his “master” and curled up in her lap.
It had been about twenty-four hours since Apple Bloom had her little encounter with Ravage, and everything since then had continued as normal. The former farm girl manned the front of the chop shop, her uncle and his buddies worked in the smelting pools, and Sideswipe and Chromia did their best to fix anything that was salvageable.
At that moment, someone knocked on the red-haired girl’s door. Turning her focus away from Sparkplug, Apple Bloom called out, “Come in.” The door opened as Sideswipe entered, her normally spunky attitude replaced by an oddly nervous disposition as she held something behind her back. Curious, the former farm girl asked, “What’s up Sideswipe?”
Taking a deep breath, Sideswipe revealed what she was hiding; a colored sketch. The pale biker handed the drawing to her sister as she answered, “I uh… Made a little something for Marble and was wondering if you think she’ll like it.” Apple Bloom accepted the sketch as Sideswipe meekly continued, “With how chaotic everything has been, I wanted to make her something special.”
Apple Bloom was pleasantly surprised by just how impressive her sister’s sketch was. While not quiet on the skill level of a professional artist, it was nonetheless a very detailed image of Marble. The gray geologist was brushing her large bangs out of her face as she gave a gentle smile to the viewer. All in all, Sideswipe had captured the delicate yet clear beauty that was Marble Pie.
Giving her sister a large smile, Apple Bloom exclaimed, “This is amazin’! Ah think she’ll love this!” Sideswipe blushed as she replied, “Thanks. I just, I just wanna show Marble how much she means to me.” As the pale biker sat down next to her sister, Apple Bloom reassured her, “Hey, Ah’m sure she’ll love it.”
Sideswipe smiled as she said, “Thanks. I’m thinking of giving it to Marble tomorrow, and maybe taking her out to lunch. With school starting in a few weeks, I want us to have at least one date where nothing goes wrong.” Apple Bloom could only nod in agreement as she remembered how their first date ended with them being thrown out of Flavius’s for their “Alternative lifestyle.” Even with their second “date” being little more than a makeshift show thrown for them by their friends, it didn’t help that Marble’s first sleepover was dampened by Rattrap’s existential crisis.
Thankfully, Sparkplug distracted everyone from their melancholy by walking over the two girls’ laps and curling up with Sideswipe. The pale biker couldn’t help but feel her heart melt as she remarked, “Gotta hand it to you Sparkplug. You always know how to cheer everyone up.” Apple Bloom leant against her sister as she added, “He really does.”
At that moment, the girls were distracted by the sound of someone slamming the shop door open as a vaguely familiar voice called out, “Hello? Anyone here?” A confused Sideswipe asked, “Hold on. Is it me or does that voice give you a sense of déjà vu?” Apple Bloom nodded as she replied, “Yeah. Kinda sounds like….”
She was interrupted by a high-pitched girl’s voice screaming, “Marble?! You here?! MARBLE?!?!” Apple Bloom knew that voice could only belong to one person. Before she could fully process what, or rather who, this person was looking for, the former farm girl could only shoot up to her feet as she asked one question out loud.
“Pinkie Pie?”
Sideswipe immediately followed her sister as she asked, “Wait! They’re asking for Marble? And what are they doing here?!” Both girls shared a concerned look as they realized that something was wrong. Without a further moment’s notice, both girls darted out of Apple Bloom’s room, followed by a very anxious Sparkplug.
Entering the shop front, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe found that not only was Pinkie Pie there, but so was her sister Limestone Pie. The pink party girl was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a fluffy skirt (one that resembled a cupcake’s frosting), and white leggings. In contrast, the gray-blue girl was wearing a black tank top, a gray vest, black boots, ripped gray leggings, and a blue denim skirt.
However, what really caught Apple Bloom’s attention was just how terrified they both looked. Pinkie’s normally jovial and cheerful exterior was gone, and now the party girl was visibly consumed by terror and concern. Perhaps the most obvious clue was the fact that her normally puffy had deflated, something the former farm girl had only seen once before.
Before either Apple Bloom or Sideswipe could ask anything, Pinkie Pie ran up to them and desperately asked, “You two! Has Marble been here?” Confused and overwhelmed, all the former farm girl could do was awkwardly reply, “Uh…. What?” Pinkie immediately grabbed Apple Bloom by her overall straps as she belted, “Where’s Marble?! Has Marble been over here in the last hour or two?”
Sideswipe stepped forward and answered, “Marble’s not here. If she were, I think she and I would be kinda… inseparable.” As the pale biker blushed at the thought of being with her girlfriend, Limestone groaned as she complained, “Great! That’s another place she’d be off the list.” Starting to find herself growing scared, Apple Bloom asked, “What’s goin’ on? What are you guys doin’ here, and where’s Marble?”
Before either Limestone or Pinkie could answer, Ironhide and Chromia entered the shop front from the living room as the family patriarch asked, “What in the name of Primus almighty is going on here?” The gray-haired teen turned to her sister as she asked, “You want me to tell them?” All the pink party girl could do was nod yes as she felt tears form in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Limestone answered, “It’s Marble. She’s….” Starting to choke up, she gave an unsettling answer.
“She ran off.”
For several moments, everyone stood there, not entirely sure of what they’d just heard. After about a minute, Sideswipe frantically asked, “What? What do you mean she ran off?” Pinkie Pie sighed as she explained, “Well, Limestone and I found something concerning and…. We didn’t want dad to stop us so Maud is staying behind to distract him and…..” The pink girl finally lost her composure and collapsed to her knees as she practically screamed, “I don’t know where she is!”
As Pinkie Pie devolved into a sobering mess, Apple Bloom tiptoed up to the pink girl and asked, “Ok, just slow down and start from the beginnin’.” Before Pinkie could say anything in response, Sideswipe stormed up to them as she exclaimed, “What are you talking about? We gotta find Marble!” The pale biker then stomped towards the door, only to be greeted a worn out and concerned Beachcomber.
Ironhide and Chromia walked up to the elder geologist as the former asked, “Ok, your protégé’s sisters are here in my shop front crying about her disappearing. What’s going on?” Sighing, Beachcomber pulled a document folder out of his jacket pocket as he informed, “Well now, we need your help.” Hesitating for a moment, he asked, “You mind if we sit down? This is gonna be a lot.”
After thinking it over only for a moment, Ironhide nodded as he warned, “I think we better be quick. We don’t have much time.” He and Chromia then led everyone into the living room, all while Apple Bloom and Sideswipe worried about their friend/girlfriend.
Once everyone was in the living room, Beachcomber turned to Pinkie and Limestone as he asked, “You girls want to explain what you found?” The pink party girl meekly nodded as she began, “Well, two days ago, Limestone, Maud and I were helping to clean dad’s study, and, well…. We found something.” Limestone then made her way towards Beachcomber and took the document as she added, “We found an old medical report that dad had been hiding from us. Specifically, hiding from Marble.”
Setting the folder down on the coffee table, Limestone explained, “We all knew Marble was always different, but this proves dad knew before she had her meltdown a few months back.” Curious, Apple Bloom reached for the document as she asked, “May Ah?” When Beachcomber and the two elder Pie siblings silently nodded, the former farm girl brought the folder up to her face as she read it while Sideswipe nervously looked over her shoulder.
Reading the folder’s contents, Apple Bloom and Sideswipe realized it was mental assessment of sorts. What caught their attachment were the assorted pictures of a very young Marble Pie, probably from when she was around five years old. In one picture, the very young Marble was sitting next to a tall stack of building blocks, the kind one had to have worked hard to build without it falling over. Another picture had the young girl arranging several toy dinosaurs as if they were in a parade. Apple Bloom was so busy focusing on these pictures that she barely noticed that the text was describing someone who showed signs of being on the autism spectrum.
After a few minutes, Sideswipe’s eyes widened as she nervously asked, “Apple Bloom?” The former farm girl glanced at her sister as she asked, “What is it?” The pale biker gulped as she pointed to something written at the bottom of the page that both surprised them while also not surprising them.
“With the evidence we have discovered, we feel comfortable in diagnosing the patient, Marble Pie, with Perceptor’s Syndrome.”
For a few minutes, Apple Bloom didn’t think too much of it. ‘Doesn’t seem too bad.’ The former farm girl thought to herself. After all, Marble had already learned she had Perceptor’s Syndrome earlier that year.
It was only at that moment that Apple Bloom realized something. ‘Marble only found out she had this thing a few months ago. But this folder shows pictures of her as a toddler while also diagnosin’ her.’ The former farm girl looked up at Beachcomber as the older man defeatedly informed her, “I always suspected she had it. I just didn’t know her father knew it.” It was at this moment that Sideswipe put everything together as she spelled out what the document was telling them.
“Her dad knew.”
As Apple Bloom turned to face her sister, the pale biker began to grow visibly angry as she exclaimed, “Her dad knew she was different and he….” Sideswipe was interrupted by Limestone, who practically shouted, “Exactly. Dad was always too hard on Marble even when he knew she was different! He tried to force her to be something she wasn’t and….” The gray-haired girl growled as she angrily blurted, “And we just let him lie to her for years!”
A confused Chromia stepped forward as she asked, “I’m getting kinda lost here. What exactly is going on?” Pinkie Pie brushed her droopy flat hair out of her face as she explained, “This means that dad knew Marble had Perceptor’s Syndrome and tried to treat her like she was neurotypical!” As everyone took this in, the pink party girl continued, “We didn’t know what to do, so Limestone and I decided to come down here and tell her while Maud stayed behind to keep him back.” She then added, “I just… I didn’t want to imagine her finding out on her own.”
As everyone took this in, Limestone began to sniffle as she continued, “When we showed this to her, Marble…. She didn’t take it well.” Pinkie Pie immediately interrupted with, “She started hyperventilating and she just ran out of the museum. We tried following her but....” Her tears starting to bleed out of her eyes, the pink party girl confessed, “I have no idea where she is! I’m scared!”
Without a moment’s notice, Sideswipe began making her way to the door. Ironhide immediately asked, “Where are you going kid?” The pale biker turned around, revealing her now teary eyes as she bluntly answered, “I’m going to find my girlfriend, and no one is gonna stop me!” Before she could continue, Beachcomber informed her, “That’s the problem. We’ve checked the Cyberland Arcade, her favorite Café, Takara’s Toys, everywhere she’d possibly be.”
Ironhide then asked, “There anywhere else she might be?” Beachcomber shook his head as he replied, “I don’t know.” As the elder geologist sighed, Chromia inquired, “How long has it been since she ran off?” As tears began to form in his eyes, Beachcomber answered, “About three hours.”
Rubbing his forehead to alleviate his growing stress, Ironhide informed, “Ok, given everything I’ve just heard, I’m gonna call the police. Maybe they can help us find her.” As the family patriarch pulled out his cellphone, Chromia made her way up to Sideswipe as she tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry. We’ll find Marble.”
Sadly, the pale biker angrily blurted out, “No! Marble’s out there somewhere and I have to find her!” She then darted out of the living room. Apple Bloom ran after her sister, screaming, “Sideswipe! Wait for me!”
Once both girls were outside the chop shop, Sideswipe stopped, turned to face Apple Bloom, and to the former farm girl’s surprise, angrily warned, “Don’t get in my way!” Instead of trying to fight the pale biker, the former farm girl took her sister’s hand as she replied, “Ah’m not lettin’ you do this alone.”
Giving a cocky smile, Sideswipe ordered, “Get in the side car. We’re turning this city upside down.” Both Sisters then made their way to the pale biker’s motorcycle, intent on finding their missing friend.
Two Hours Later….
“Thanks anyway.” Apple Bloom dejectedly bade the baker Mr. Sourdough as she and Sideswipe departed his bakery. They’d stopped by the older man’s establishment after Sideswipe suggested it due to Marble having a soft spot for his sandwiches. Now, the two sisters solemnly trudged back to the pale biker’s motorcycle in defeat.
Sitting down on her bike, Sideswipe groaned as she began, “Ok, we’ve checked the bakery, farmer’s market, swimming pool, The Energon Room, the park, both Iacon and Kaon High, re-checked Takara’s Toys, the café….” Starting to feel her voice crack, the pale biker tearfully asked, “You have any ideas where Marble might be?”
Struggling to keep herself calm, Apple Bloom defeatedly answered, “Ah have no idea.” Sideswipe immediately slammed her head into her bike’s handlebars as she exclaimed, “Well that’s just fucking prime!” The pale biker began to sniffle as she shuddered in sorrow. As the former farm girl tried to reach for her sister to comfort her, Sideswipe brushed her aside, clearly not in the mood for mere comfort.
Apple Bloom slank into the side car as she thought to herself, ‘Where could you be Marble?’ Struggling to keep herself calm, the former farm girl continued to think, ‘Ah know you’re out here somewhere, and we’re gonna find you Marble.’ Taking a moment to remember everywhere she’d been with Marble, Apple Bloom whispered to herself, “Ok, Ah’ve been with her at the museum, the Energon Room, the Chop Shop….” Hesitating for a moment, she continued, “There was the day we first met at the….”
It was at this moment that Apple Bloom realized something. Turning to face Sideswipe, the former farm girl blurted out, “The Golden Lagoon!” The pale biker hesitated for a moment before asking, “What?” Apple Bloom immediately answered, “The Golden Lagoon! It’s where Tender Taps and Ah first met Marble!” She then realized, “Ah guess if Ah hadn’t met her, she’d have never met you.”
Sideswipe immediately revved up her bike as she asked, “You sure she’s there?” Shrugging, Apple Bloom replied, “Ah can’t say Ah’m certain, but right now we don’t have a better lead.” Realizing her sister was right, the pale biker fastened her helmet as she warned, “Hold on.” The former farm girl only had enough time to slip her own helmet on before the bike began to move off on its trek towards the Golden Lagoon.
The Golden Lagoon…
Apple Bloom couldn’t help but admit just how depressingly tranquil the poorly named body of water appeared in the evening. By this point, the sun had completely set, and now the moon hung high above Allspark Wells. As the fireflies fluttered around them, the former farm girl thought to herself, ‘Well, here goes nothin’.’
Taking a deep breath, Apple Bloom called out, “Marble? You here?” This was followed by Sideswipe tearfully asking, “Marble? Please say something! Are you here?!” Sadly, there was no response, something that the former farm girl found very unsettling. The pale biker then calmed herself down (albeit not by much) as she begged, “Your sister’s told us what happened. We just wanna talk.”
As they made their way closer to the “lagoon,” Apple Bloom noticed something; at the far end of the now broken docks, she saw someone sitting at the edge of the pier. It didn’t take three guesses for the two sisters to figure out who it was.
Running up to the pier, Apple Bloom exclaimed, “There you are Marble!” However, the gray geologist didn’t react to them, simply staring out into the horizon. As they closed the distance, the two sisters realized that Marble was wearing her jacket over her back like a blanket as she shivered, not from the cold, but from what could only be described as a massive meltdown.
Sitting down next to her girlfriend, Sideswipe asked, “I’d ask if you were alright, but we both know what the answer would be, wouldn’t it?” Turning to face the pale biker, Marble shook her head as she mumbled “no.”
As Apple Bloom sat down next to the gray girl, she was able to tell that Marble was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater (this time one with long sleeves), a dark gray skirt, and black boots. However, what really caught the former farm girl’s attention was the clear tear stains that ran down her cheeks. Resting a hand on her friend’s shoulder, Apple Bloom gently asked, “Anythin’ you wanna talk about?” When Marble hesitated, the former farm girl reassured her, “It doesn’t have to be about today. Anythin’ in particular on your mind?”
Taking a deep breath, Marble tearfully began, “When I was little, dad always made us watch this tv show with him called The Living Dead. It was about a world overrun by zombies.” Feeling her eyes sting, the gray geologist continued, “There was this character called Millstone. She was a girl who was kinda like me. Curious, afraid of conflict, prone to panic when the stupid zombies showed up and….” Struggling to find quite the right words, she simply answered with, “She was like me.”
Starting to tremble, Marble continued, “Apparently Millstone was always causing problems by accident, and nearly getting people hurt. Eventually, her dad, the main character, decided she was a liability and….” Looking over her shoulder to Sideswipe, the gray geologist finished, “He killed her. He took a pistol and shot her in the head.”
As Apple Bloom and Sideswipe took this in, Marble tearfully explained, “I know it’s just a TV show, but dad always tried to tell me to act less like Millstone and more like the others. That I should try to not be as angry or focus less on dinosaurs and more on my duties at the rock farm and…” Now giving into her building turmoil, she blurted out, “That I had to be normal!”
Sideswipe impulsively brought her girlfriend into a massive hug, one which the gray geologist reciprocated tighter than she ‘d hugged anyone before. The pale biker gently caressed Marble’s back as she reassured her, “It’s alright, just let everything out. We’re not going anywhere.”
Hugging her girlfriend, Marble blurted out, “But he knew! He knew I wasn’t normal but he tried to make me “normal” anyway! I spent so long trying to be what he wanted me to be, but he was never happy!” Feeling her sorrow morph into anger, she growled, “I…. I….” Resting her hand under Marble’s chin, Sideswipe reassured her, “It’s alright. You can say it.” Feeling confident enough to be honest, Marble said the three words that no parent would ever want to hear from their child.
“I hate him!”
Apple Bloom found herself caught off guard by her friend’s blunt declaration of hatred. ‘Ah mean, she can’t really hate him right?’ She thought to herself. After all, she’d been on the receiving end of someone close to her saying they hated her.
Of course, Apple Bloom also knew that Marble’s father was not exactly a “great” man. From what little she’d seen of him, Igneous Rock Pie was controlling, domineering, practically obsessed with tradition, and unwilling to even respect his daughter’s decision not to build a simple cairn. And given that she now knew the Pie family patriarch had been hiding the fact that Marble had Perceptor’s Syndrome while trying to force her to act like she didn’t have it, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but feel that, at least on some level, she agreed with her friend.
Deciding that her “personal” issues were best left for another day, Apple Bloom asked, “Marble?” When the gray girl turned around, the former farm girl continued, “Ah… Ah’m sorry for everythin’ that’s goin’ on, and Ah wish Ah could say Ah understand how you feel, but Ah don’t.” Taking Marble’s hand, Apple Bloom reassured her, “But Ah can promise you no matter what. Ah’m here for you. Even if you just need someone to vent to, Ah’ll do anythin’ for you Marble.”
Tearing up, Marble pulled both Apple Bloom and Sideswipe into a group hug as she happily exclaimed, “You guys are the best friends I could ever ask for! I love you so much!” Both sisters hugged her back as Sideswipe happily replied, “I love you too!” Even Apple Bloom couldn’t help but reply, “Ah love you all.”
Once the trio finished their hug, Marble meekly asked, “So, I don’t mean to impose on you guys, but can we go home?” Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment before answering, “Ah mean, of course, but Sideswipe and Ah came on her bike, so it might be a bit… cramped.” As the gray girl sighed, Sideswipe had an idea.
“Well, I suppose we could all fit. All we need is to decide whether you want to ride in the side car or….”
Allspark Wells Geology Museum, Ten Minutes Later…
Pulling into the museum’s parking lot, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of Marble seated on the driver’s seat, hugging Sideswipe tightly yet affectionately. The drive back from the Golden Lagoon was a gentle and surprisingly slow. Of course, given that there was three people on the bike built for two, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Once they were parked, the museum’s front door opened, revealing three teenaged girls who proceeded to run towards Marble. Before she could even react, the gray girl was constricted by a pink blur as Pinkie Pie squealed, “There you are! We were so worried about you!” Limestone then walked up to the group as she asked, “Where was she?”
Apple Bloom answered, “She was up at the Golden Lagoon.” As she turned around to take in the sight of Marble and Sideswipe holding hands as the former talked with Pinkie, the former farm girl continued, “It’s kind of a special place for us.”
She was distracted when a vaguely familiar teenager’s monotone voice replied, “I’m just glad to see that Marble’s safe.” Not quite processing who she was talking to, Apple Bloom turned to see who it was only to realize it was none other than Maud Pie.
“Maud?” The former farm girl nervously asked. As the eldest pie sibling solemnly nodded, Apple Bloom asked, “What are you doin’ here? Didn’t Pinkie and Limestone say you were distractin’ your dad or somethin’?” It was at this moment that Marble noticed all three of her sisters were present as she began “Maud? What are you….”
“MARBLE!?”
The moment her name was called out by a clearly angry man’s voice, Marble froze in fear. As Sideswipe took her girlfriend’s hand as she tried to comfort her, the three elder pie siblings held their heads low in shame and submission as three men exited the museum. Two of them were Ironhide and Beachcomber, but the third man was a brown-mustard man with gray hair and a wide brimmed hat that could only be Igneous Rock Pie.
Storming up to his daughters, Igneous crossed his arms as he angrily demanded, “Now, thou tries to be a reasonable man but….” Almost immediately, he sighed as he continued, “Your sisters took one of my personal files, and to make things worse, you just had to run away! You’re lucky your queer friends found you before the police did!” As everyone backed away from the angry man, Igneous sighed in frustration as he asked, “So tell me, what the hell was going through your head?”
Ironhide and Beachcomber immediately placed themselves in between Igneous and the girls as the blue geologist warned, “Calm down! It’s been a long day for all of us and I don’t want you blowing up at her.”
However, to everyone’s surprise, Marble walked up to her father and, in a move no one could have expected, defiantly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” When Igneous gave his daughter a surprised look, she continued, “You knew I had Perceptor’s Syndrome!” Now starting to grow angry, Marble demanded, “All my life, you knew I was different! You tried to make me something I’m not! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Finally starting to give into her sorrow, she asked, “Why can’t you be happy with who I am?”
For several minutes, no one said anything. The silence was deafening as Apple Bloom held her breath, worried what would happen when someone finally spoke up. Sadly, the silence was finally quashed when Igneous solemnly yet angrily asked one question, a question that shocked everyone to the core.
“Why couldn’t you just be normal?!”
As everyone took this in, the Pie family patriarch continued, “Your sisters can act like productive members of society, but you either refuse to communicate with people or you lash out like a damn toddler!” He then glared at Sideswipe as he continued, “And the few people you do seem to grow attached to just happen to be queers and troublemakers.”
Before anyone could say anything in her defense, Marble stamped her right foot and declared, “That’s it!” As Igneous stepped back in shock at his daughter’s defiance, the gray geologist brushed her hair out of her face, exposing both of her eyes as she finally let out a practical lifetime’s worth of pent-up stress and frustration.
“Dad, I’m tired of trying to live up to your impossible standards. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I have friends. I have a girlfriend who I love and who loves me back. I’m finally starting to feel comfortable around people and crowds. I actually had a sleepover and I enjoyed it. And yeah, not everything has been perfect, and I realize I’ll be stuck with this Perceptor’s Syndrome thing for the rest of my life, but at least I know why I’m so different.” As her eyes began to water once again, Marble looked her father dead in the eyes as she made an ultimatum.
“And dad, if you can’t accept who I am, then do me a favor and just go away!”
Everyone was taken aback by Marble’s willingness to stand up to her father. While Sideswipe found herself overcome with what could only be intoxicating pheromones, Apple Bloom turned pale in fear Igneous would snap and strike his daughter. ‘Please don’t hurt her. Please don’t hurt her. Please don’t hurt her.” The former farm girl thought to herself as she unconsciously found herself biting her nails.
After what seemed like an eternity, Igneous glared at his daughter as he tranquilly yet furiously demanded, “Say that again.” Rather than back down, Marble straightened her hair out of her face as she repeated herself, “I’m done trying to please you dad. You can either accept me the way I am or just go!”
Sighing to himself, Igneous turned around, straightened his coat, and strutted away. He only briefly stopped to glare at Beachcomber as he spitefully informed him, “You can forget about this month’s remittance.” The blue geologist angrily grabbed the Pie family patriarch as he furiously replied, “You can take that money and shove it up your ass!”
Once he was free, Igneous turned to face his daughters as he ordered, “Maud, Limestone, Pinkie. With me.” However, none of the older three girls complied, instead forming a protective barrier in front of Marble. Confused, their father demanded, “Now!”
Pinkie Pie looked her father in the face as she replied, “Dad, right now Marble needs us, and we’re gonna be here for her.” Limestone then added, “Yeah. And besides, Pinkie and I got here on our own, and we can all go home together.” Even Maud spoke up, with a deadpan, “And it’s not like any of us want to spend time with you after what you said to her.”
Igneous grew red with anger as he clenched his fists at his daughter’s insubordination. However, he realized that there was no point doing anything else here, so he simply took a deep breath as he warned, “We will be having a long talk when you get home girls.” With that, the Pie family patriarch made his way to his car, climbed in, and drove away.
Once Igneous was gone, Limestone sighed as she quipped, “I hate to say this, but once we get home, we’re fucked.” Rather than laugh at her older sister’s remark, Pinkie Pie turned to Marble as she asked, “You ok Marble?”
The gray girl immediately wrapped her older sister in a tight hug as she began to shiver in tears. Pinkie immediately wrapped her younger sister in a hug as she continued, “It’s ok Marble. We’re all here.” Limestone then joined into the hug as she added, “Yeah. We’re not going anywhere.” Maud was next as she quipped, “At least until tomorrow morning.”
As the four sisters hugged, Sideswipe and Apple Bloom watched as both girls found their eyes watering at the sight of the heartwarming group hug. Before either of them could do anything, Pinkie Pie noticed them and playfully ordered, “Get in here you two!” Though the pale biker didn’t hesitate to join in, Apple Bloom paused for a moment as she replied, “Uh, you sure? Ah don’t wanna get in the way of….” She was caught off guard when Pinkie Pie grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the massive group hug.
Once everyone was finished with their hug, Pinkie Pie took Apple Bloom aside for a moment as she informed her, “I want to say thank you. You’ve helped Marble grow into the person I always knew she could be.” As both girls turned to face Marble, they found the gray geologist and Sideswipe sharing a passionate kiss. The pink fashionista continued, “Without you, I don’t know if she’d have been brave enough to stand up to dad.”
Turning back to face Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie finished, “I guess if you hadn’t been such a mean old secret stealer, you wouldn’t have met Marble and…. Well, what I’m trying to say is…” With that, Pinkie Pie said the three words Apple Bloom never thought she’d hear from any of her sister’s friends.
“I forgive you.”
Taking this in, Apple Bloom asked, “What? You mean that….” Pinkie Pie nodded as she added, “Yup. Just make sure to stay out of trouble.” Smiling, Apple Bloom let out a gentle giggle as she replied, “Ah think Ah can handle that.”
Beachcomber and Ironhide then made their way up to the group as the former called out, “Marble?” Making his way up to his protégé, the blue geologist placed his hand on her shoulder as he complimented her with a warm, “That took guts.” Both Beachcomber and Marble shared a quick hug as the latter replied, “Thanks Mr. Beachcomber.”
Ironhide then walked up to his daughters as he complimented, “I’m so proud of you girls.” Apple Bloom replied, “Thanks uncle Ironhide.” Sideswipe then quipped, “I just hope you don’t mind us running off, but I couldn’t just sit by.” Thankfully, Ironhide pulled his daughters into a hug as he reassured them, “It’s alright. Just tell us next time, ok?” Needless to say, both girls nodded as they simultaneously replied, “You got it.”
Once the scrapper family finished their hug, Beachcomber walked up to them as he asked, “So, since we’ve had a long day, I was thinking of ordering some pizza for the girls. You guys want to join us?” Ironhide looked to his daughters, who both gave him puppy dog eyes as he answered, “Of course. I just need to call the others.” The blue geologist smiled as he replied, “Sure thing.”
As Beachcomber began to make his way into the museum, Marble ran up to her friend and girlfriend as she asked, “You guys wanna go up to the museum roof? After everything today, I kinda want some peace and quiet.” Sideswipe immediately answered, “You got it dude.” The pale biker quickly blushed as she corrected herself, “I mean, I’d love to.”
Apple Bloom took a moment to consider it, looking around at everyone around her as she replied, “Ah think that sounds like a plan.” With that, the three friends made their way up to the museum roof, hopeful that they could have a relaxing end to a clearly stressful day.
The former farm girl was just happy that, while today had started rather boring and turned terrifying and overwhelming, it could at least end on a high note with her friends and family.
Stats
Page generated in 0.024 seconds
Total duration
781 users online
561,940 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I’m going to borrow from this famed Aerosmith song, l more specifically a parody of it.
Here’s what made Marble snap
That she’s tired of her dad’s crap
Also, I just looked up Ableist on Google and… as someone who’s autistic, this makes me hate Igneous with a passion now.
11264597
Yep, quoting Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones.
Yeah expecting his daughter to be like everyone else was cruel and stupid. I have a feeling that his daughters are going to be spending a lot less time with him in the future considering if he lied about this what else did he do in order to have his normal family.
That was just sad.
Good chapter. Glad to know pinkie officially forgives Applebloom. Now if only applejack would
11270609
Fun fact, I have Asperger’s Syndrome and this chapter was “partially” inspired by when I leaned I had it (to be fair, I learned when I was in 6th grade and it wasn’t hidden from me. My family simply waited for me to be able to fully comprehend it).
And secondly, marble’s relationship with “the living dead” was inspired by a minor controversy with the character of Sarah in the walking dead game (basically she’s a girl implies to be neurodivergent and treated as the load before being killed off) and I felt that mindset reflected Igneous’s refusal to understand his youngest daughter.
Forgive my poor spelling. I don’t have immediate access to spellcheck at this moment.
So many hugs this chapter. I love it.
11271292
I hope there aren’t too many hugs. 😊
11271401
There can NEVER be too many hugs.