Rock Solid Sisters

by Wolftamer54

Chapter 3: Nightmare Night

Royal Palace, Canterlot City.

Nightmare Night, several years ago

Limestone shifted back and forth uncomfortably, the sequined dress she was wearing making the normally stoic farmpony feel very out of place. The bright and glittering adornments and tightly fitting fabric made her feel more like a dress up doll than anything else.

Marble was similarly outfitted, and looking even more horrified for it. Shy at the best of times, the eye-catching wear did not help her nerves.

In contrast to both of her sisters, Pinkie Pie was as loud and happy as ever. Dressed up in an elaborate serial killer costume, complete with horn necklace and cutie mark dress, she was nonetheless beaming. Even as ponies stared at her uncharacteristically dark costume.

“Ooh! Ooh! Do you see how all these ponies are looking at me? That means they love my costume! Oh yay! I spent so much time making it!” she practically squealed with glee.

“I don’t think that they’re staring because they like it though,” Limestone butted in, causing Pinkie’s smile to drop.

“What’s that supposed to mean? They don’t like my costume? Then why are they staring? If you don’t like it, just ignore it. Making it into a big deal is just a meanie thing to do!” Pinkie pouted to her sister with a frown and watery eyes.

“You can’t control anypony else though, Pinkie. Why don’t you take your own advice and just ignore them. That’s what I always do.” Limestone reasoned, her expression calm.

“But I thought you wanted to come here to try and get noticed? Wasn’t that the whole reason you asked to come along? To get off the farm for a bit and meet some new ponies?” Pinkie questioned. “And I had to go specifically to Princess Celestia and everything to get more invitations. But now that you’re here, you’re just going to stand around in a corner trying not to get noticed?”

Limestone grimaced. “I meant what I said. I wanted to come, and I’m grateful that you managed to get us here. I just haven’t seen anypony that I particularly want to interact with yet.”

“Mhm.” Marble added meekly, nodding her little gray head from behind Limestone.

Pinkie, though still slightly crestfallen, nonetheless perked up a bit. “Okie dokie lokie! How about this, maybe you can get started with someone who you already know, and you can work your way up from there!”

“Um, okay. Who did you have in mind?” Limestone asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

As an answer to her sister’s question, Pinkie reached a hoof into the crowd and materialized a large red earth pony stallion seemingly out of nowhere. He was accompanied by a pink and purple unicorn mare, and an orange and blonde earth pony mare. The stallion had his blonde mane done up in a mohawk, thick black sunglasses over his eyes, a cigar perched in his mouth, and a grenadier belt.

The mares, oddly enough, were dressed in outfits nearly identical to those worn by Marble and Limestone. Though theirs were purple and green respectively, the unicorn’s was red and the earth pony’s a dazzling white.

“Hiya Big Mac! Hiya Applejack! Hiya Sugar Belle!” Pinkie said excitedly to the trio, who seemed not at all surprised at having been pulled over by her. “You remember my sisters, Limestone Pie and Marble Pie, don’t you?”

“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh in his trademark deep and slow voice.

“Well sure do, howdy there! How’re ya’ll doin’ tonight?” Applejack said in a friendly greeting, offering a hoof. Limestone reached out to take it and they shook briefly, though not without some reluctance on her part, remembering some of the trouble that they had gone through during the Apple’s visit on Hearth’s Warming.

“Um, I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Sugar Belle,” the unicorn said, also raising a hoof. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Limestone shook with her as well, and even Marble came out from her hiding spot to wave hello.

“Well then, I’ll just leave you all to mingle. There’s a buffet that needs my attention!” Pinkie announced, causing them all to look at her as she sped off to the concessions table across the room.

“Typical Pinkie. Gets us into a situation of her making, and then abandons us partway through.” Limestone thought with a touch of bitterness. Turning back to face the ponies that had joined them, she faltered. Much more comfortable in the face of a gigantic boulder than with other ponies, she had no real knowledge of how to traverse social interactions. Well, other than just being brash and aggressive, though she figured that wouldn’t go over well here.

Marble, even less socially adept, simply accepted her fate and shut down. Standing stock-still and staring forward, she tried her best to shut out everything around her. Though this backfired, as her catatonic state only drew greater attention from ponies concerned about her.

“Uhm, are you okay?” Applejack ventured hesitantly, edging closer to Marble. “You know us, you can talk to us.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac added, drawing close to the terrified mare, though still far enough away to keep from crowding her.

Though Marble didn’t respond verbally, a bright red blush spread across her cheeks at being addressed directly by Mac. She trembled in place a bit, her back legs shuffling against each other. A motion that was not at all lost on Limestone, who decided her sister needed a slight nudging.

“Come on Marble, it’s okay. This is what you wanted, remember? Meet up with the Apples again, and get to know them better. They’re not strangers, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”

Swallowing nervously, Marble looked her sister in the eye. Limestone stared her down intensely, and then indicated Mac with her gaze. Following the same line of sight, Marble once again drank in the stallion. Gigantic and imposing, with the tight vest highlighting every curve, ever rock hard tendon and muscle. With fiery red fur to complement, he was truly an astonishing sight. Yet despite his intimidating presence, he wore an expression of care and concern. The rough and powerful exterior held a gentle soul. A fact that allowed Marble to finally break from her stupor.

Edging forward, Marble drew closer to Mac and gave him a small smile. The red farmpony gave her a smile in return, each looking intently at each other. While Marble would be content to simply stare into his eyes for the rest of the night in comfortable silence, there were other factors to contend with.

“Well, at least it’s something,” Limestone sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Is she always this nervous?” Sugar Belle asked, tilting her head in puzzlement.

“Not all the time, no. She’s a bit more open back on the farm. She’s just not used to being this close to stallions,” Limestone explained.

“Oh. I thought you all had met before though? What’s the matter now?” Sugar Belle continued.

Though she didn’t particularly want to betray her sister’s feelings, Limestone didn’t feel like lying either. She drew up next to Sugar Belle’s ear and whispered “She’s got a crush on Mac. She’s had one ever since they met.”

“Oh. Oh my,” Sugar Belle’s eyes widened in understanding. “That complicates things. I’m Mac’s marefriend.”

The world had ended. All happiness and light extinguished in a second. Or so Marble thought as her long-held desire came crashing down around her. In an instant, her gaze upon Mac turned from one of admiration and lust to one of sorrow and misery. It felt as though a knife had been plunged into her heart, and then twisted around sadistically.

Of course, such a rapid change in demeanor hardly went unnoticed, and the others all looked to her in concern. Mac’s mouth gaped open in surprise and concern, Limestone pursed her lips, and Applejack and Sugar Belle’s eyes both widened.

“Uh, I think we’d better be going. I’ve got to make sure my sister doesn’t shut down completely. We still need her on the farm,” Limestone said hurriedly, wrapping a foreleg around Marble’s shoulders and attempting to steer her away. The catatonic pony refused to budge however, and Limestone had an embarrassing moment of fruitlessly struggling against her statue-like sister.

Seeing the desperation of Limestone and the disheartened Marble, and the awkwardness only growing as the seconds dragged on, Applejack cleared her throat.

“Hold on now, y’all don’t need to go just yet. We can still talk things through a bit, no need to run away. Or go comatose,” she ventured, a strained smile on her face.

Pausing in her attempts to move Marble, Limestone huffed and puffed for a second, leaning against her sister.

“Okay then, what did you have in mind that might salvage this situation at all?” she asked, a slight edge in her tone and eyes.

Glancing around, Applejack leaned closer and whispered, “Not here. There’s some things that’re worth sharing with y’all that don’t need to be heard by anypony else.”

Her curiosity piqued, Limestone straightened up and her expression changed from defensive to one of interest. A quick glance to her side confirmed that Marble too had heard Applejack’s offer, purple eyes now staring intently at the orange pony.

“Come on, let’s head off to one of the side halls,” Applejack said, moving through the crowd and gesturing for the others to follow her with a hoof. Mac and Sugar Belle both followed diligently, checking behind them to make sure Limestone and Marble would as well. Though slowly, Marble was still managing one step at a time, steadily following behind. Limestone right along beside her. With the group on the move with a purpose, it didn’t take long for them to escape the noise and crowd of the party, emerging into a side chamber away from the main event.

Closing a door behind them, Applejack checked around to make sure there actually was no one else around.

“Alrighty then, I think we should be okay,” she said finally, reasonably sure that they wouldn’t be eavesdropped on.

“So why all the secrecy? What big bad truth must be told behind locked doors?” Limestone asked, raising an eyebrow at Applejack.

The orange pony shuffled a bit, unsure about how to continue. She glanced between Limestone, who was confrontational, and Marble, who was still disheartened. Even though she didn’t know the other pony very well, Applejack still wanted to help her. Her shy attitude reminded her of an even more socially anxious Fluttershy. So, swallowing a lump in her throat, she finally found her voice to talk.

“Well, you see, even if Sugar Belle is Mac’s marefriend, that doesn’t mean he can’t still love more than one pony.”

“Eeyup,” Mac said sagely, still giving his calming look to Marble.

“Exactly. So don’t give up hope yet Marble. Though of course, I’m not the one you would need to talk to about this,” Applejack finished.

At this, Sugar Belle stepped forward to put in her piece as well.

“As long as Mac’s up for it, I really don’t mind him being with someone else as long as it’s upfront. It’s almost like the philosophy at my old village. Equality for all means sharing everything. And relationships can be a part of that.”

“Eeyup,” Mac added again. He finally moved from his position opposite Marble, over to where Sugar Belle and Applejack were standing. Putting his hooves around them, he hugged them close and nuzzled into their manes. Pulling his snout out, he addressed Marble directly.

“I’m awfully flattered you think of me in such a way, and as they’ve both said, I wouldn’t mind being in more than one relationship. I just don’t know if I’m the one you really want a relationship with. We barely know each other. Isn’t there any other stallion back home who might be a better match?”

At this, Limestone quickly shook her head behind Marble’s back, catching Mac’s eye.

“Oh. Um… or not,” he stuttered, now breaking eye contact with Marble and looking around nervously.

For her part, Marble was starting to show the beginnings of tears pricking at her eyes, making them appear glassy and even shinier than before. Her eyelids slid shut silently, and the tears cut tracks on her face as they slid down.

“I know we don’t know each other very well. And I know that they’re are other ponies in your life already. It’s just... something. You must know at least somewhat. Stuck on a farm with just your family, you still want to meet someone, anyone else. Even for the briefest of moments, I thought we had some connection,” she wiped away her tears and drew closer to Mac. Placing a hoof on the side of his face, she turned him to look her in the eye. “And if we don’t know each other well now, there are ways that we can fix that,” she finished hopefully, giving him a tentative smile.

“Oh… well, um… that sounds good to me. Though there are some things you might not like about me so much once you know them. Especially with your sisters and all,” Mac said nervously, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

Marble exchanged a knowing look with Limestone, and then gave a confident smile to Mac. “Believe me, they can’t be any worse than what we’ve done. And I’d rather know the whole truth and make up my own mind than to be told a lie and have a rosy view of someone,” she reassured him.

Mac in turn looked to Applejack, and when she gave him a nod of confirmation he leaned down to whisper into Marble’s ear: “Me and my sister… we’ve been together even longer than me and Sugar Belle. She’s the reason we have an open relationship in the first place.” Having said his piece, he drew back, expecting to see shock, disgust, or even hurt on Marble’s face. Instead, she merely looked mildly confused.

“Oh, well that’s not really a big deal. I’ve slept with all of my sisters many times. I thought it was commonplace, especially in areas with so few ponies to start with,” she explained in earnest.

“You know, I think she’s actually kinda right about that Mac,” AJ butted in. “The whole reason that the ‘hicks are into incest’ stereotype started was because that was the only option when you were in such a small community. Especially back in the founding of Ponyville, almost every family was related in some way. So it didn’t really matter who was rolling in the hay with who.”

“Oh, well… okay. I guess that’s not a problem then,” Big Mac said, looking between each of them in turn. “So then… what did you want to do now? Go back to the party or stay out here and talk some more?”

“Actually,” Marble began with a blush, “If you’d be up for it, I think we’d probably be into something more… exciting. Just while we have this time together. It’d be nice doing something we can't do long distance. There’s always letters and chats for getting to know each other better, but actual physical connection can’t be done when we’re living miles and miles away from each other,” she grinned up at him suggestively.

Mac looked to both his sister and his marefriend, and both gave him reassuring nods. When he faced Marble again, he even saw Limestone looking eager over her shoulder.

“Alright then, but let’s not stick around here. There’s much more appropriate areas than in a desolate hallway,” Mac said, returning Marble’s grin.

With that, the group trotted off down the halls, looking for anywhere that might serve their more… intimate needs.

“Come on, this way,” Applejack whispered, leading them down through various halls and passageways.

“Why? Where are we going?” Sugar Belle inquired.

“To the guest bedchambers. Princess Celestia gave each of the Elements one since we end up in Canterlot so much,” Applejack explained.

“Ah.”

Applejack continued to lead the way, and soon enough they entered one of the residential areas of the castle, with uniform doors stretching down either side of the hallway. Stopping in front of one, Applejack pushed it open with a hoof and stepped inside, with the others following suite. Even if the room itself was not a permanent lodging, it was still the finest bedroom Limestone and Marble had ever seen in their lives. Ornate stonework, a fine oak table and chair set, and most importantly, a magnificent four-poster canopy bed.

It was to this particular piece of furniture that the 5 ponies were drawn, with AJ quickly hopping up onto it, and spreading out into a more comfortable position. As she stretched her limbs out, they began to poke out from beneath her dress, showing the lace stockings adorning her back legs.

“Now, I may not use this room much for myself, so why don’t we all put it to good use now? This oversized bed might actually come in handy for once,” she said, smiling suggestively.

Limestone grinned and Marble blushed, and together with Mac and Sugar Belle, joined Applejack on the bed.

“Get ready for a night you’ll never forget,” she whispered intimately in Marble’s ear.

Author's Note:

Comments are nice.