• Published 14th Jun 2022
  • 3,550 Views, 253 Comments

Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S8 - Banshee531



The School of Friendship has opened its doors to all creatures, meaning a new wave of adventures soon await our heroes as they learn the ups and downs of being teachers and world saviors.

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The Maud Couple

The Ponyville Comedy Club, where the funniest ponies in the town hung out and shared some of their best jokes. It's here that Pinkie and Maud, the Pie Sisters, walked out with Pinkie having a huge smile on her face due to Maud's great stand-up routine.

"Your jokes, your hilarious delivery, your..." She bounced around her, "...your everything!"

"How was my..." Maud stopped mid-sentence for several seconds, "...timing?"

This caused Pinkie to burst out laughing again. "You got me!" She bounced a full one eighty and the pair again began walking through the town. "C'mon, let's celebrate sister-style! We can get matching stickers that says 'Eyes on the Pies'!" she pulled out a bunch of stickers and plastered them to her face. "Then show them off at the Ponyville Sticker Convention that I could plan for tomorrow if you want."

"Actually," Maud replied, "I'm busy tonight."

"Aww," Pinkie moaned, "That's what you said yesterday." She wiped the stickers off her face. "And the day before that. And the day before the day before that." She let out a sigh and started circling around her sister. "It's just, we haven't hung out in a really long time because you always have other plans. Even when you promised to build whipped-cream pyramids with me." She took out a can of cream and sprayed it into her mouth, Maud watching and giving a mild expression that told Pinkie she was feeling bad about it.

"I know. I am sorry, Pinkie. The reason is I have a-"

"Apology accepted!" Pinkie cheered, covering Maud's mouth with her hoof. "As long as we get some serious sister time before your birthday. And there's, uh, definitely no reason I wanna hang out before your birthday. Just, you know," she unsubtly nudged her with an elbow. "Not planning anything special."

"Okay," Maud slowly said.

"What about tomorrow morning?"

"Okay."

"Yay!" Pinkie threw a bunch of confetti into the air, "Just you and me! Best sister friends forever!" She began bouncing again as Maud just stood there.

"Best sister friends forever." she deadpanned.

"I can't wait for tomorrow to be today." Pinkie then let out a mighty squeal and headed off to Sugarcube Corner, the squeal continuing to emit from her the whole way. Maud simply turned in the direction of her cave home, walking away with a stoic frown appearing on her lips.

"I need to tell her..." she sighed.


The next day...

Wild Smile and his puppets had just gotten back from a job a few towns over, not expecting to get home so early, but the party he was working at had finished, allowing him to get on an overnight train to Ponyville. The unicorn let out a yawn as he and his puppets made their way through the town. But despite the tiredness, Wild was happy he had gotten back earlier, knowing he could help with preparing Maud's Surprise Birthday Party.

And as he went for his house, the thought of a nap was in his mind due to the uncomfortable train ride, only to hear a certain squealing sound he knew from anywhere. "Pinkie?" He turned to see his girlfriend bouncing down the street, letting out the high-pitched squeal as she did so. "Well, somepony's happy."

Pinkie stopped squealing when she noticed her boyfriend. "Wild!" She cheered before bouncing up and jumping onto his back, "You're here! I thought you weren't gonna be back until later today!"

"I got an earlier train," he responded, "So, what's got you so excited?"

Pinkie squealed again. "I'm gonna hang out with Maud! We're gonna go Cake Shopping!"

"Won't that ruin her surprise party?"

"I'm not gonna tell her about the party silly," Pinkie leapt off his back as he let out another yawn. "Wow...you look tired. Like, you did ten parties in one go."

"Not quite. This is because of trains...which are great transport, but not so good beds." Pinkie laughed at this as he continued, "I'm gonna go take a nap. Meet up with you later?" Pinkie nodded and the pair shared a kiss before Pinkie starting squealing again, the earth pony bouncing towards Maud's cave.

And as Wild finished his journey home, he found that Lightning wasn't there either. This wasn't a surprise since Lightning seemed to be spending more time over at Rarity's lately, the unicorn expecting the defender to move out eventually, but right now, he was too tired to really care. He quickly threw his saddlebag into the corner and floated his puppets over to a shelf, only to hit the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Wild wasn't sure how long he was out, but he got to enjoy quite a fun dream involving a roller-coaster flying through space. That is, till he was shaken awake. "Wild!" He heard Lightning call out, making him jolt.

"Wah?" He looked up and saw Lightning staring at him. "Oh...hey."

"Hey, hey, hey," his puppets added.

"Hey bud...got a question." Lightning replied while holding something up: A missing pony poster.

"What's that?" Wild moaned before blinking, only to see Maud was on it. "What the heck?!"

"Your girlfriend's been posting them all over town," Lightning responded, "You wanna tell me what the heck is going on?"

"No idea. I just got back." Wild yawned, slowly stretching his hooves. "But I got a bad feeling about this..."


Starlight was in her room, looking forward to Maud's birthday party the next day. She was currently reading a book, only to hear a knock on her door. But before she could open it, the door flung open to reveal one Ms. Pinkamena Diane Pie. "Ah-ha!" She ran into the room and pointed, "Found you!" But she was pointing at nothing, the mare then zipping around and throwing stuff everywhere.

Starlight raised an eyebrow at this and caught everything Pinkie randomly threw into the air. As she did, Springer happened to walk by and noticed the commotion. "What's going on?" He asked, seeing Pinkie open a chest and dive into it.

"I wish I knew," Starlight sighed as she put the items back to their normal places while Pinkie got out of the chest and did a few more glances around the room.

After looking under the bed, she glared at Starlight. "Where's Maud?!" She started pacing, "I've already tried Discord's dimension, Granny Smith's wax museum, and Yakyakistan! She has to be here!"

"Nope," Starlight replied, "It's just me. Reading." Pinkie zipped over to the book, looking under it and flicking through the pages to see if Maud was trapped between the pages.

"Story checks out." She put the book down, then thrust her face into Starlight's. "Or does it?!" Starlight blinked at her, Pinkie pulling away. "It does." She trotted away, a smile appearing on her face as she took out a magnifying glass. "But are you sure there's nopony hiding..." She pointed, "...in your closet?!" But the part of the room she was pointing to didn't have a door to the closet.

"Pinkie...I don't have a closet." Springer leaned in again as Starlight added, "Is everything okay Pinkie?"

"No," Pinkie sighed, "I was supposed to go birthday cake shopping with Maud today."

"And ruin her surprise party?" Starlight responded with a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't gonna tell her why, silly! But now I can't even find Maud! I'm usually way better at hide-and-seek than this." She turned to Springer, "Springer, you've gotta find her! She might be in trouble! Or worse!"

"Pinkie..." Springer slowly pushed her away, "I don't think Maud's in danger. If she was I probably would have sensed it."

"Yeah," Starlight nodded, "She probably just found a new rock formation and forgot you two were gonna hang out. Tell ya what-" She wrapped a hoof around Pinkie's neck, "you take care of the cake, and I'll look for Maud."

"Really?!" She asked as Starlight led her to the door, Starlight nodding back at her. "Thanks, Starlight!" She bounced out of her grasp and was about to leave, but then grabbed a potted plant on a nearby bookshelf and pulled it out of the pot to look inside. "Just checking," she put it back and left with Starlight and Springer smirking.

"Classic Pinkie," Starlight sighed.

"Would you want to have her any other way though?" Springer added, the unicorn shaking her head. "So, want me to try and track Maud with her aura?"

"Nah," Starlight shook her head. "I'm sure I'll find her." She headed out her room, Springer following, "But it is curious. Maud is a lot of things, but forgetful isn't one of them."

"But you said she probably just found a rock formation."

"I just said that to keep Pinkie from panicking. When it comes to her sisters, that pony can be a little over-excitable. But I'm not gonna let myself panic yet. I'll go check out her normal hang outs and if I can't find any trace of her, then I'll start to worry." Springer nodded as the two continued through the castle, both curious about what could be causing Maud's unexpected absence.


Wild was wondering the same thing as the unicorn and his puppets marched through the town and saw the lost pony posters everywhere he looked. One was even stuck to Derpy's side, though half of it had been rolled up due to her wings. "Pinkie wouldn't have done this if it wasn't serious," he whispered, "So what's going-" He stopped when he caught sight of the pony on all the posters. "Maud!"

The mare turned to him as he ran over, "Oh, hello Wild Smile. Are you having a good day?"

"I was until I saw all this," he pointed at the posters. "What's going on? I thought you and Pinkie were hanging out. So why the heck is all this here?"

Maud looked around, Wild guessing she was only now noticing the posters. "It's quite obvious that Pinkie, unable to locate me, started putting up those posters in order to try and get a clue about my whereabouts."

"Yeah, we figured that out on our own."

"Figured it out, figured it out, figured that out on our own."

"So where have you been? It's not like you to blow Pinkie off."

Maud nodded. "I feel bad, but I guess I'm just not used to all these new experiences I'm enjoying. In fact, maybe you can help me explain the situation to Pinkie."

"What situation?"

"The reason I've been unable to spend so much time with my sister is because I now have a boyfriend."

"Oh, that makes sense. A new relationship is always something that takes time to-WHAAAAAAT?!" Wild's jaw hit the floor, with Maud nodding as she pushed his mouth closed.

"I have a boyfriend now. Seeing how happy you and Pinkie are, I decided to take the plunge and ask out somepony I found interesting." Wild was still frozen in place, his eyes wide and his jaw once again sliding open, only to shake his head.

"So...you have a boyfriend?" He asked, Maud nodding. "An actual flesh and blood boyfriend?" She nodded again, "Huh. Well that's me out of betting pool. Guess Flash is gonna win the pot." Maud raised an eyebrow at this, "Let's just say a lot of ponies had different ideas about how you would reproduce."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I always assumed you'd sculpt a pony out of clay and use a spell or something to turn it into a real pony."

"Well that's just ridiculous," Maud responded, "Clay is far too brittle a material. If I was gonna do that, I would use something stronger, like diabase."

"Oh," Wild replied, "I see. Well anyway, I'm happy to hear you have somepony special in your life."

"Special, special, special somepony."

"So when do Pinkie and I get to meet him?"

"Like I said, I'm hoping you can help me tell Pinkie about him. Every time I try, she interrupts with an idea about something fun for us to do together."

"Yeah, that's Pinkie. Hmm..." Wild rubbed his chin and smirked. "I think I have an idea. But first, we gotta find her. Any idea where she might be?" Maud nodded and began to lead him through the town, soon reaching the town's baking supply store. "Of course. Where else would she be if she wasn't at Sugarcube Corner, the castle, school or...actually she goes to a lot of places regularly. It's impossible to find her sometimes."

As they got close, somepony appeared in the store's open doorway. A tall and lanky earth pony stallion who was gray in color with a brown mane and tail. He appeared to be sliding through the door, Wild changing his sight-line and spotting his girlfriend pushing him. "What's she doing?" They were too far to hear as the stallion turned to talk to her about something, Wild now seeing Pinkie wearing an annoyed expression before she slammed the door in his face. "Well that was rude."

"That's Mudbriar," Maud added, only for Wild to see something he rarely saw from her: A smile.

The stallion turned to them, "Oh. Hello Maud." He turned to the unicorn, "And you must be Wild Smile."

"You know me?"

"Technically, no. But I've seen a picture of you in Maud's cave home. She also told me you were a puppeteer and since you have a bunch of puppets floating around you, it's safe to say you are obviously Wild Smile." As he said that, he noticed something behind a large rock beside the path and stepped over to it. "Interesting. A twig from a sycamore tree." He picked up the tiny twig, "It's unusual to see something like this on this side of Ponyville."

Wild turned to Maud as she commented, "He's a stick expert, like how I'm a rock expert."

"Huh. I should have seen that coming." Wild added before hearing the door of the bakery supply store fly open.

Pinkie walked out, letting out a frustrated moan. "No Maud, no cake, no anything!" She slowly walked up to the two, staring at the ground, "And how annoying was that pony?! Who takes so long to say goodbye?! Or was it 'see ya later'? Ugh! Now he's got me doing it!" She then crashed into Maud, the older sister's sturdier stance causing Pinkie to bounce off and fall to the ground.

She looked up and went wide-eyed at the sight of her sister, "Hello, Pinkie Pie."

"Maud!" She leapt up and hugged her, "Found you!" She then let go, "My turn to hide!" She tried to run off, but Maud grabbed her tail in her mouth, only for Wild to grab Pinkie's face.

"Wild? What are you-"

"Trust me. You're gonna thank me for this." Pinkie raised an eyebrow, only for Wild to run around her so fast that he formed a mini tornado. When it vanished, Pinkie was locked into a straight-jacket tied to a large sack trolley with tape over her mouth.

"Impressive." Maud commented as she did one slow clap.

"Thanks. Its something I've picked up while dating her." Wild replied, "Now Maud, say what you wanted to say."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around this morning," Maud responded to Pinkie as she tilted her head. "The reason is I met somepony." Pinkie repeated that last word through the gag, though it came out muffled. "You see, I have a boyfriend now." Pinkie's eyes went wide and her entire body began to shake.

"A wha...?" She muffled through the tape.

"A boyfriend."

"A whaaa...?!" Pinkie asked again, actually managing to rip the tape off her mouth by opening it so wide.

"A boyfriend."

"A WHAAAAAA!" Pinkie's shaking finally ripped through the straight-jacket, freeing the mare as she hovered in the air and screamed.

Maud didn't seem to register this face, "A boyfriend."

"Okay," Wild laughed, "I think we all get it. Maud has a boyfriend. Party time!" He reached into Pinkie's mane and took out a remote, pressing a button that caused lights and a disco ball to appear around them as 'Celebration' started playing. Wild danced on the spot while Pinkie simply stared at Maud in shock and joy.

"Ooh," Pinkie jumped on the spot and turned off the music and lights, "This is so exciting! My sister, in love!"

"Technically, we're still in the 'like' phase."

"That's great! Tell me everything!" Pinkie screamed, "Who is he? What's his favorite color? Does he like ice cream? If he were a bird, what kind of bird would he be? Wait...is he actually a bird? Oh, I don't know, because you haven't told me anything yet!"

"You'll like him," Maud slowly replied, "We have a lot in common."

"They do," Wild nodded. "I just met him and he's...very Maud-like." Pinkie was vibrating at this.

"Well, I love you, so I know I'm gonna love your boyfriend! Oh, I can't wait to meet him!"

"You don't have to," Maud pointed at a giant rock, Pinkie turning and gasping.

"He's a rock!" She cheered, "And you love rocks, so it's perfect!" She then gasped again and whispered, "Is Boulder jealous?"

Wild burst out laughing, falling on his back as Maud slowly replied, "No. Behind the rock. Mudbriar, are you back there?" Pinkie stared at the rock with excitement, but that excitement quickly vanished when the pony behind it stepped out.

"Technically, not anymore."

Wild smirked, but then heard his girlfriend gasp...and deflate, just like when somepony had told her to cancel a birthday party. "A wha-whaaaaaaaaa?!"

Maud, completely oblivious to her sister's horror, began introductions. "Pinkie Pie, meet Mudbriar."

"Technically," Mudbriar stepped over to her, "We've already met."

"You?!" Pinkie asked, looking him over.

"M'yes."

"You?" Pinkie's shock slowly turned to horror.

"M'yes."

"You..." That horror turned to sombreness.

"M'yes."

Pinkie blinked, looking at Wild for support while the unicorn just shrugged at her. She then shook her head and tried to put on a happy expression. "I mean..." She let out a forced laugh, "You! You, you, you!"

"M'yes. M'yes. M'yes."

Wild watched Pinkie vibrate, her face morphing in and out of rage, only to let out a long huff, "I'm sorry. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Maud's sister, Pinkie Pie." She offered her hoof to shake, but Mudbriar just stared at it.

"I know." Pinkie blinked and slowly put her hoof down.

"Sooooo...how did...you two meet?"

"At a rock show," Maud chimed in.

"Oh! You're into rocks, too?"

"No," Mudbriar shook his head, "I like sticks."

"That explains earlier," Wild added as Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

"Then why were you at a rock show?"

"It was a petrified wood show, which technically makes it a stick show." Pinkie blinked at this, only for Maud to turn and smile at the stallion.

"Except that in the per-mineralization process of petrification, all organic material is replaced with silicates: I.E., rocks." Wild could actually hear a bit of enthusiasm coming from Maud, something he didn't think he would ever hear from her. He looked at Mudbriar and also noticed the smile appear on his lips.

"While retaining the original structural elements of wood: Q.E.D., it was a stick show."

"Well, that makes sense," Wild lied, his face now showing the most confused expression he could give, Pinkie doing the same.

"I'm...really into sticks, too!" Pinkie slowly replied before reaching up into the foliage of an overhead tree and pulled out a colorful sun-shaped candy bag. "They're great for hitting pinatas!" She took out a large stick and pulled it back, "haaaaa..." But as she was about to swing, Mudbriar looked horrified and Maud's smile vanished.

"Pinkie..."

"Oh!" She offered the stick, "You wanna go first?"

"That is stick abuse," the stallion responded.

"It is?" Wild asked, now getting a serious case of deja vu, remembering back to when he met Maud and got on her bad side for skipping rocks. He had no idea rocks could apparently drown. He watched as Pinkie grabbed the pinata and threw it away, a frown appearing on her face.

"I'm sorry. Oh, this is awful. I'm not being a very good sister. Let's start over. I'm Pinkie Pie!" She held out a hoof, "Nice to meet you!"

"Technically, we've already met." Wild couldn't tell if Mudbriar was going along with Pinkie's start over plan or just being really obtuse.

"You should introduce Pinkie to your pet," Maud chimed in, Mudbriar nodding and pulling out a twig, Pinkie's eyes going wide.

"Oh! Your pet likes fetch!"

"This is my pet," Mudbriar replied, "So no." He put the twig down as Maud placed Boulder on the ground next to it, the stoic pony smiling again.

"Aw. Look at Twiggy and Boulder playing together."

"They're adorable," Mudbriar smiled as Pinkie took a closer look at both objects. She then got up and whispered to Maud.

"It's just a stick."

"Don't be rude."

"This is just getting stranger and stranger," Wild sighed, "Though I guess having a rock and stick for a pet isn't any weirder then having a bunch of puppets you call your friends."

"Friends, friends, friends."

"Don't patronize me."

Pinkie let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. One more time. I'm Pinkie Pie!" She held out her hoof and spoke through gritted teeth, "Nice to meet you!"

"Technically, we've already met." This resulted in a loud growl from the pink pony.

"Well, this has been fun," Wild said as he ran up to his girlfriend, "But Pinkie has a few prior engagements. I'm pretty sure there's a five year old somepony in town that's supposed to get a great job not crying during your mane-cut party." Before any of them could say anything, Wild pushed Pinkie away.

"I can't believe that guy!" Pinkie cried once they were out of range, "What does Maud see in him?! He's like, the most blandest boring pony in all of Equestria! Why would somepony as funny, talkative and exciting as Maud see anything worth making a relationship with somepony like that?!"

"Bit harsh," Wild replied, "Mudbriar might be a bit weird, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be in a relationship with somepony."

"I didn't say he couldn't be in a relationship, but he and Maud have nothing in common!"

"Pinkie, they have as much in common with one another as we have in common." Pinkie burst out laughing at this, Wild raising his eyebrow.

"Don't be silly," she giggled, "Wild, I love your sense of humor, but this isn't the time to be making jokes."

Wild and his puppets all slumped, "Oh no..."

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, "There has to be somepony I can talk to about this. Somepony that knows Maud almost as much as me."

Wild raised an eyebrow at this, "Uh...there's nopony like that except your family."

"Yeah, but I can't just go all the way back to the rock farm to talk to them about this. There's gotta be somepony closer that I can talk too." She then gasped, "Starlight!" She shot off, moving so fast she left a Pinkie-shaped dust cloud in her wake.

"Pinkie!" Wild yelled as he ran after her, "Jeez, I've had to be the voice of reason a lot since Pinkie started being my girlfriend. Not sure how comfortable I am with this." He stopped when he noticed Pinkie now seeing Starlight walking through the town.

"STARLIGHT!" She screamed, the unicorn turning to her and putting up a shield as Pinkie tried to tackle her. "Ugh!" She moaned as she slammed into the magical dome, sliding down it like a bird sliding down a window.

"Sorry Pinkie, you just surprised me there." she dropped the shield and saw Pinkie try to get back up as Wild ran over, "What's wrong? I'm still looking for Maud."

"I've found her!" Pinkie screamed, standing up and thrusting her face into Starlight's. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Ooookay." Starlight slowly leaned back.

"I...think you should just hear her out." Wild added, Starlight blinking at him before Springer suddenly appeared beside her.

"What's going on?" He asked, "I heard Pinkie screaming from three streets over." Suddenly, he and the three ponies were wrapped up in Starlight's magic. In a flash, they were back in the castle outside Starlight's bedroom. "Ow! Warn a jakhowl before you do that!" Springer began to rub his eyes as Starlight opened her door and stepped inside.

"Alright," Starlight jumped onto her bed, "What's the problem? Let Counsellor Starlight hear all your worries."

"Maud has a boyfriend!" Pinkie almost screamed, causing Starlight and Springer's eyes to go wide. "His name is Mudbriar and he's the complete opposite of Maud." She started pacing around the room, "He's super boring and annoying. He talks in this completely lifeless tone and likes sticks, but not for any of the really fun things about sticks. It's just..I...he..." Her face slowly turned red as a whistling sound filled the air, "Daaah! I just don't get this guy!" She paced some more as Starlight let what Pinkie said sink in.

"Wow. Maud has a boyfriend?"

"Jealous?" Springer asked, chuckling as Starlight rolled her eyes.

"No, though a lot of my friends do seem to be in relationships. Guess it's just that time of their life." She heard Pinkie groan as the party pony fell onto her back.

"How could she like someone so weird?" She started pushing herself along the floor, stopping only when she almost hit Starlight's dresser. "He has an inanimate object for a pet!"

"So does Maud," Starlight pointed out.

"Boulder has ten times the personality of some random stick! Mudbriar too, for that matter! He's not like Maud at all!" She pushed herself up as the others watched her count off Maud's traits. "Maud is hilarious, friendly, caring, and easy to talk to!"

"Yep," Starlight nodded, "That's Maud."

"But this guy is awkward, quiet, and kind of...strange."

"That still sounds like Maud," Springer pointed out, Pinkie glaring at him, the jakhowl sighing, "Pinkie...do you remember how much trouble we had connecting to Maud when we first met her?" Pinkie thought back to that event, remembering all the issues her friends had connecting with Maud. It wasn't until Pinkie almost killed herself on an obstacle course that they found a way to connect.

"Yes? What's your point?"

"Well, the way you see Mudbriar is likely the same way we saw Maud when we first met her. Because you didn't grow up around Mudbriar the same way you did around Maud, you don't know how to look passed his outer shell. If we wiped your memory and put you next to Maud, I have a feeling you'd see her the same way you see Mudbriar."

"The wolf has a point," Wild added, "The only serious difference between Maud and Mudbriar is that he's not related to you, so of course you can't connect with him."

Pinkie let this information sink in. "So...I see Mudbriar the way you all see Maud?"

"How we saw her at first." Springer corrected as he leaned against the wall. "It took a while, but we all learned to appreciate her. Maybe that's what you've gotta do with Mudbriar."

"Springer's right," Starlight nodded, "Maud obviously likes something about him, so they have something in common. Maybe you just need to spend more time with him. Find out what you have in common."

"That's easy...there's NOTHING!" She looked away, frowning as Starlight sighed.

"You both care about Maud." Starlight responded, "Say, how about this? He could help you with her party."

"I guess..." Pinkie sighed.

"And I'll keep Maud busy while you and Mudbriar plan the best surprise birthday ever."

"That I can do!" Pinkie headed for the door, "But I'm sure Mudbriar and I have nothing in common. We're like chalk and cheese. And he's not even the good chalk, the pretty colorful ones you can use to make hop-scotch markings with. He's the boring grey type that teachers use to write on boards with."

The others shared a glance as Wild followed her out the door. And when they left, Springer turned to Starlight, "So...what are you gonna do to keep Maud away from Mudbriar?"

"I'll figure out something," Starlight replied, "And I'm sure Pinkie will be able to find some common ground with Mudbriar. I mean...she's Pinkie. Name one pony she's never been able to make friends with."

"None," Springer nodded, "Though she and Cranky didn't exactly start out great. But you're right, Pinkie can do this."


The next day...

As soon as she was up, Starlight headed over to Maud's cave. "Maud?" She called out at its entrance, "You in there?" She trotted down until she arrived at the area the mare kept her bed, only to see Maud down by the water, the earth pony using it to clean herself up. "Hey Maud!"

The Pie spun around, "Hello Starlight. This is a surprise."

"Well, I figured we haven't had a chance to hang out in a while," she showed the mare a kite. "Wanna go fly?"

"Sure," Maud grabbed a towel beside her and used it to dry her hooves and face before the two headed up. "Sorry I haven't been around so much lately. I've just been really busy."

"Oh, I know," Starlight giggled, "A little birdy told me you have yourself a boyfriend." Maud actually smiled at this, a sight Starlight rarely got to see. "Mudbriar, right? I hear the two of you have a lot in common."

"Yes, though I think Pinkie is having trouble seeing that."

"That's alright," Starlight replied as Maud grabbed her kite, "I'm sure she'll come around. I mean, if she loves you and you're so similar to Mudbriar, there's no way she won't be able to love him." They headed up towards the surface, only for Starlight to ask, "So what is it that drew you to him? Sure, you're similar, but that can't be the only reason."

Maud thought about it and smiled. "I like how he focuses on what words to say before saying it. And how he always points out the truth about things. There are so many mistakes that happen in this world because ponies just say the first thing that pops into their heads and don't take the time to explain the most important details."

"Huh, that's an odd thing to like about a pony. But if that's what you enjoy, I'm happy you found somepony like that." They then arrived at the hill just outside the forest and put their kites down. Starlight used her magic to create a small gust, strong enough to lift the kites up, but not strong enough to break the string.

"So, what about you?" Maud asked, "What do you like in a pony?" Starlight blinked at the question. "So many of your friends have relationships now, you must have thought about finding a pony to be with."

"Hmm...not really. Romance has never really been something I've looked into. Rarity lent me a couple of her cheesy love novels and honestly, I couldn't get into them. I don't think love is something I can expect in my life."

"I didn't think I'd find somepony I would like to date, but here we are. I'm sure you'll find somepony if you look. It just depends on what you find attractive."

Starlight tilted her head at this, "Hmmm...I guess I'd like it if they were nice. And I'd like it if they were smart, so we could talk about interesting things with one another."

"Is that it?"

"Maybe they could enjoy a few of the same things as me. Like my favorite board game and maybe even kite flying. But...they'd also have to live nearby. I never really see long distance relationships working, so they would have to live in Ponyville. And since the school's open, I don't think I'll be moving away any time soon."

"So there's nopony in town like that?" Maud asked next.

Starlight shook her head, "No, I can't think of anypony. Guess I'll be living the life of the old crone."

"I'm sure somepony will show up that'll interest you," Maud responded, "Ponyville's a popular place, and with the school, even more ponies will show up over time. I'm sure one of them will catch your eye."

"Yeah...you might be right. Thanks Maud," Maud nodded back as they continued flying their kites. They did this for another half hour before their excitement was interrupted by the arrival of Pinkie and a stallion she didn't recognize.

"Huh," Starlight smiled, "You must be Mudbriar." The stallion said nothing in return, making Starlight cough. "I'm Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you. I've heard great things!" Again, Mudbriar was completely silent. "Umm...I'm so glad the two of you are spending time together." Pinkie frowned at this, Starlight seeing that her attempts to bond with the stallion and find some common ground weren't going so well. "So...how's it going?"

Pinkie pushed the frown away and showed her sister a happy face, "Mudbriar and I have just spent the best time bonding!" She put a leg around his neck, "And we're really starting to make some headway becoming besties, except for one teensy-weensy disagreement that maybe you could settle, Maud." She moved over to her sister and pointed at the stallion. "See, Mudbriar here seems to think that-" She started laughing, "you don't like surprise parties! Isn't it funny how WRONG HE IS!" She turned to scream that into his face at the end, making Starlight flinch.

"I like surprise parties..." Maud started, causing Pinkie to hum and give Mudbriar a knowing look. "...because I know they make you happy when you throw them for me."

"See?" Pinkie told Mudbriar, only to realize what she had just said. "Wait, what?!"

She turned to Maud as the mare explained. "I'd rather just do something small with you, Starlight, Boulder, and Mudbriar for my birthday." She took out her pet rock and placed him on the ground while Pinkie fell onto her rear and looked ready to start hyperventilating.

"No party?" She pulled her eyes lids downward, the mare looking like somepony had said they would want to take a bath in lava. "No party?!" Her horror suddenly turned to anger, Pinkie turning to Mudbriar. "Did he put you up to this?!"

"Mm-mm," Maud shook her head. Pinkie leaned over to Maud, whispering so that Mudbriar didn't hear them.

"Maybe you should consider, I don't know, taking things a little less serious with Mudbriar because he's kinda sort of...IMPOSSIBLE TO LIKE!" She leapt into the air as she screamed this, Starlight rushing to the stallion's side.

"Hey, Mudbriar, have you ever flown a kite? Let me tell you all about it. See, the first thing you should do is-" Pinkie zoned the rest out and moved back to her sister.

"I just can't believe you would choose sitting around with him over a party with your own sister!"

"I didn't choose either of you," Maud replied, "Technically, I said I wanted to be with both of you."

"Technically?!" Pinkie gasped, "Ugh, you even like the way he talks?"

"Everything about him makes me happy," Maud added, the statement sending a thousand daggers flying through her sister's heart. Pinkie gasped and started tearing up.

"Then I guess you don't need a best sister friend forever anymore." With that, she turned to leave as Maud's smile faded and was replaced by a concerned frown.

"Pinkie..."

"Hang on Pinkie," Starlight called out, "Let's all slow down and talk about this."

"NO!" Pinkie screamed before running off, leaving the three behind as she started crying.

"See you later!" Mudbriar called out after she was gone.


Meanwhile...

Wild had chosen to spend the day getting a present for Maud's birthday so Pinkie and Mudbriar could have more time together. The earth pony wasn't the easiest pony to shop for, but the unicorn believed he had gotten something she would appreciate. He was just heading home when he heard the sound of his girlfriend crying, only to then see the pink pony running and sobbing.

She stopped when she reached a bridge and looked down at the water. "I don't understand! How could Maud like Mudbriar?" Wild frowned, seeing that the bonding experience didn't go well. "Is it Opposite Day? Nothing makes sense!" As he got closer, he saw Pinkie's face start to morph into one of horror, "Oh no! What if I don't like cupcakes?!" She then screamed before running off at Rainbow Dash speed, leaving a dust trail in her wake.

"PINKIE!" He screamed, letting out a sigh as he ran after her. "For once, can't I be the insane one in this relationship?!" He quickly chased the dust trail into Sugarcube Corner, soon heading upstairs. "Pinkie, you up here?" Reaching her room, he threw the door open and saw Pinkie with a suitcase on her bed that she was packing full of sweets and prank supplies. "You...going somewhere?"

"Home."

"But you are home."

"I mean the family farm," Pinkie responded as she slammed the suitcase shut, "It's clear I don't understand Maud as well as I thought, so the only choice I have to figure out why she likes Mudbriar is to talk to my sisters."

"Isn't that a bit excessive?"

"Excessive, excessive, a bit excessive."

"No," The suitcase then pushed back on her, making her slam her hooves down on the case, "Nothing makes sense anymore! Did you know that Maud would rather not have a birthday party?! WHO WOULDN'T WANT A BIRTHDAY PARTY?! Mudbriar is obviously brainwashing her with his weirdness, and the only way to free her is to get Limestone and Marble's help." She let out a mighty scream as she body checked the case, closing it with a thud.

"Pinkie," Wild jumped in front of the door, "Don't be silly. What about your work at Sugarcube Corner and the school? You can't just up and leave because you're upset with your sister."

"I can and I will," she replied as she curled her tail around the case's handle. "I'm not coming back until I figure out why Maud likes that lame-o!" With that, she reached up and pulled a cord from the ceiling that caused the wall to open up and unleash a vacuum-like hose that sucked her up.

"Pinkie!" Wild yelled into the hose, "Come back! You're forcing me to be the voice of reason, AND IT'S NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR ME!"


Over at the train station, a piece of the wall opened up and unleashed a vacuum hose that spat Pinkie out. She bounced along the platform, soon landing on a bench with a suitcase landing next to her, the earth pony crossing her hooves as she waited for the train to arrive. As she did, she remembered what her sister had told her, "Maud does like parties," she grumbled, "She has too," her hair slowly started to deflate. "We're sisters, so we have to be the best of friends. But if Maud doesn't like parties, how can we be friends?" Her ears started leaking smoke, making her head hurt.

And as a whistle filled the air as the train pulled into the station, Pinkie got on board, only for Wild to run up to her, "WAIT!" He leapt through the train doors, only to hit the floor and slid along till he hit the far wall. "Ow."

"Wild!" Pinkie gasped, "Are you okay?" Wild pushed himself to his hooves as tiny little pegasi began circling his head.

"Wagner loves chicken," he moaned as Pinkie rushed to his side.

"Just rest your head," she said as she pulled him to her seat, leaning him against the window. She then reached for her suitcase and moved at lightning speed, opening it up and grabbing a piece of candy before slamming the lid shut fast enough that the contents didn't have enough time to explode everywhere.

Pinkie stuffed the lollipop into his mouth, the unicorn sucking it happily. "You silly billy," she giggled as the train rolled along the countryside, only to sigh, "Aww...why can't Maud find a pony like you? She'd be so much happier with a pony like you instead of Mudbriar."

"No...I...don't...think so," Wild mumbled as he took the sucker out of his mouth, "Pinkie, Mudbriar is perfect for Maud. You just can't see it because you don't like Mudbriar. But trust me, he's perfect for her. It shouldn't matter if you like him or not, as long as he makes Maud happy."

Pinkie just frowned at this, the mare glancing away, "But why does he make her so happy?! That's what I can't understand!" Wild facehoofed at this, only to slump back in his chair, sucking on the lollipop again.

"Welp, here's hoping Limestone and Marble can help."


The next morning...

A rooster's caw was the first thing Pinkie heard on the morning of Maud's birthday, the mare shooting up in bed the moment the sun's light hit her face. "Good morning!" She cheered, only to remember why she was there, "Oh, wait. Bad morning." She let out a groan and laid back down, wishing Wild hadn't been put in another room and unable to snuggle her.

A moment later, the door opened and Limestone looked in, "Get out of bed, sis. If you're gonna be here, you gotta work. Yer boyfriend's already up and ready to start farming."

"Ohhh," Pinkie groaned as Limestone left. It took a few more minutes, but Pinkie got up and headed downstairs. "Morning Marble," she sighed when he saw her twin pouring some rock tea into a cup. "Thanks." Pinkie drank the gravelling liquid down, the pie heritage allowing her to feast upon the pebbles without issue.

Tea drunk, she and Marble headed out. Their parents had gone off to market, so it was just the three sisters and Wild as Pinkie turned to Marble, "You're probably wondering why Wild and I came back to the family farm in the middle of the night," she guessed as Marble gave her quiet reply of a nod. "Well, it all started when-"

"Less talking, more farming!" Limestone interrupted, making Pinkie frown as Marble glared at her.

"Smooth," Wild commented as he threw a rock in her direction that she crushed it into powder.

"It's just...Maud has a boyfriend." Pinkie's statement caused Limestone's eyes to go wide.

"I'm not jealous!" She stated, "Who said anything about jealous?!"

Wild laughed at this, Limestone glaring at him as Pinkie sighed. "Don't be!" She stepped up to Limestone, "He's super-duper weird! And somehow, he tricked Maud into liking him. And now I'll never get to see her again!" She sat on the ground, her gaze shifting to the two remaining Pie sisters. "I came home because you two know her better than anypony. What am I missing? What does she see in him?" She pulled them close and started tearing up, "What does he have that I don't?!" She then started bawling, the water faucets exploding from her eyes and landing on the pair.

Limestone moaned and turned to Wild, "Has this been happening a lot?"

"Only when she thinks she'll never get to see Maud again," Wild replied, "Can you fix this, cuz I'm completely lost."

"What do you think about him?"

"He's...okay," he responded, "Not really my kind of thing, but I think he's a good match for Maud." Pinkie didn't hear this, still crying while Wild leaned up to them, "In my opinion, he's practically a male version of Maud who likes sticks instead of rocks. Other than that, they're practically the same pony, but Pinkie can't seem to see that."

"Ahh...sister glasses in the way." Limestone turned to her sister. "Buck up, Pinkie Pie. You look as miserable as I feel all the time." Pinkie sniffed as she let them go, the mare falling into the small puddle she had made.

"It's just that I love Maud, and I want to love Mudbriar, but I can't see anything to like about him!" Her sisters got up, with Marble turning to give Limestone a look that told her they needed to do something.

"Ugh, fine!" Limestone hissed, "We're taking a work break. Come on!" Pinkie stopped crying and watched her sisters walk off, the mare getting up to follow. After a few minutes, they arrived at a section of the farm with several round rocks in it. Limestone stepping up to one as Marble picked up a pickaxe.

She looked down at one of the round rocks, "I'm looking at a sparkling bright blue and white rock. See it?"

Pinkie and Wild looked down at the rock, "You mean that lumpy gray one?" Pinkie asked, with Limestone shaking her head.

"No, the beautiful blue and white one." She pointed at the lumpy rock, "Right there."

"I might need to get my eyes checked," Wild commented.

"I would not describe that as beautiful, blue, or white, but uh...maybe okay?" Pinkie shrugged as Limestone turned to Marble.

"Show her." Marble nodded before she hit the rock with the hammer, causing it to split perfectly in two. Doing so revealed the inside that was filled with beautiful blue and white gems, the two entertainment ponies staring at it in amazement.

"A geode?" Wild gasped as Limestone nodded.

"That's right," she picked it up to give to Pinkie, "The outside looks like a regular rock, but the inside is filled with beautiful gems." Pinkie's eyes didn't leave the geode, the mare sitting down and looking it over as she thought about what Limestone was trying to say.

"So you're saying I should crack open Mudbriar like a rock!" Wild's eyes went wide at hearing this as Pinkie stood up. "IT ALL MAKES SENSE!" But then she stopped, "No, wait. It doesn't."

"It's a metaphor, Pinkie!" Limestone held up the geode and showed her to back, "You see Mudbriar as a rock, but Maud sees him as a gem. Even if you never see past his dullness, you can see how happy he makes Maud. And to a sister, that's all that matters." Marble nodded with a smile as Pinkie picked up the geode pieces and looked them over. She then turned back to her sisters and started tearing up.

"Oh, Limestone, Marble, thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you two! Pie pile!" Before the pair could stop her, Pinkie tackled the pair to the ground and hugged them from above.

"Okay, okay! You're crushing me to gravel, Pinkie!"

Wild laughed at this and stepped over to pull Pinkie off them, "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I really owe Mudbriar an apology," Pinkie replied, only to gasp, "And I owe Maud a party! I just hope I'm not too late!" She turned to her sisters and gave them one final hug, "Thank you! I promise to send you both a piece of cake."

With that, she shot off as Wild laughed at her retreating form before turning to the two sisters, "Thanks for helping. I owe you one."

"Just keep our sister safe and happy," Limestone replied, "Then we'll be square." Wild nodded before running off, leaving the Pie sisters to get back to work.


Back in Ponyville...

Mudbriar was standing at a table outside of town hall, the earth pony staring a small log with a bunch of wrapping paper and a ribbon. Mudbriar wrapped the paper around the log, but when he let it go to grab the ribbon, it unfurled itself. The pony frowned as he tried again, with the same result.

He let out a sigh, only for a pink hoof to appear to hold it in place. Mudbriar looked up to see Pinkie smiling at him, then watched as her hooves moved in a flurry of movement that wrapped the log up with a pretty bow. She then reached into her mane and took out a stick to two leaves, "I brought you an olive branch to say sorry. I was really unfair to you, and I'm ready to listen to your ideas for Maud's birthday, if you still want to plan it together."

Mudbriar's eyes narrowed at the stick. "Technically, this isn't even an olive branch." He took it from her. "It's a quercus, most likely castaneifolia."

"OH, COME ON!" Pinkie screamed, but then took a deep breath, "Sorry! Keeping it together...!"

Mudbriar smiled back, "And I love a good quercus." He held out his hoof, "Friends?"

"Friends!" She shook it. "Now, do you have any ideas for the party?"

Mudbriar nodded, "There is one."


Several hours later...

The party was in full swing, everypony attending as they deleviered presents. Flash and Twilight were dancing whlie Fluttershy and Iron were enjoying themselves off to the side. Lightning, Rarity, Applejack, Heart, Soul and Rainbow were watching Wild's puppet show, which was showing the time Maud saved Pinkie from her obstacle course of doom.

Spike and the jakhowl pups were running around the food table, trying to get one of everything they could get their claws on while Springer and Grand were eating off to the side together. Then, everypony stopped as they turned to the town hall's main doorway.

The doors opened and a moment later, a cardboard pony with Maud drawn on it floated into view. "SURPRISE!" They all cheered as the Maud cutout flew off to the center of the party and Starlight stepped out the hall behind it. Starlight smiled as she watched everypony pretend the cutout was Maud, then look over at a distant hill and waved.

She was waving to the three ponies sitting there, watching the party from a safe distance.

"This is my favorite party ever," Maud slowly said.

"It was all your amazing boyfriend's idea," Pinkie replied, "He said the best present would be me throwing you a surprise party you didn't have to go to."

"Technically, it wasn't a surprise because she could see the pre-party preparations from up here."

Pinkie took several deep breaths at this, "Technically," she hissed through gritted teeth before smiling and returning to normal, "You're right!" She pulled the pair into a hug, the couple smiling back at her. Yes, relationships were hard sometimes. The pony you care about might have a hard time connecting to those closest to you, but if the pony you care about makes you happy, then that's all that matters. Because no matter what, relationships that makes you happy is worth it. And if those you care about truly care about you, they'll find a way to get along with your special somepony no matter what.

Author's Note:

I know this wasn't very different, but after everything that's happened before hand I felt I could be a little lazy with this one. Hope you still enjoyed it.