Re:Harmony

by starcross7

96 - Mountain of Departure

Chapter 96 - Mountain of Departure

Saddle Lake. It used to be a lake, but the atmospheric clash of Gaea's weather spires and the weather witchcraft of Pegasopolis rendered the body of water northeast of the Ponyville Slums into an arid desert. Years ago, the Environmental Studies Department published a study claiming that it was the Government itself who through its numerous damming projects had purposely dried it up. Sometime afterwards, the head of the department mysteriously resigned, and the published study was nowhere to be found ever again.

Not that the study could do anypony good anyway. The Saddle Lake Bed had turned into a sprawling industrial complex with a grid of large hangars that contained the military might of Gaea. Visitors were acquainted to the flock of patrol jets zooming overhead as well as a dozen or so Justice-class airships floating gingerly in the sky. Monolithic weather spires bordered the edge of the lake bed at the northeast, and massive transport trucks led a seemingly endless phalanx of Clone Soldiers and Roboponies towards the many hive-like barracks nestled in the mountain's edge. Endless chimney smoke striped the skies and funneled towards the air above the Ponyville Slums.

Should he be worried about this sudden arms buildup? It was out of the question. Lancer's loyalty lied with Posey, and when the call came for him to summon Trixie Lulamoon back from the Crystal Empire's borders, he did not hesitate to contact Taurus and Aries to arrange for an early morning pickup. The pickup took him here at the edge of an empty helicopter landing pad not too far in Saddle Lake. Taurus had said that Trixie would be arriving in about thirty minutes or so. An hour had passed instead, and the constant sound of pounding hammers and spinning metal saws barely kept the yawning stallions awake. Until yesterday, the base was as quiet as a mouse.

Eventually, Lancer noticed in his peripheral vision Aries spotting a black blur in the sky keeping a steady altitude. It was speedier than a bird, but slower than jet. As such, Lancer correctly guessed that the thing in the sky was unmistakably a helicopter.

Except this helicopter suddenly made a dive-bomb descent towards Lancer's general direction. He readied himself to jump in the backseat of his SUV until he realized that the helicopter blades started turning into… bat wings? Then the front of the helicopter started growing… a mouth? Last but not least, its windshield multiplied itself into an asymmetrical array of blood-red eyes.

The demon helicopter pounced on the concrete when it made its abrupt landing. The snarling beast tried to form scratching claws from its skids and a cancer of spikes from the tail. Before it could complete its transformation, a familiar blue unicorn wearing the accursed amulet pranced out of the aerial vehicle with an upturned nose. Her possessed black and crimson cape gradually peeled away the helicopter's transformation, reverting it into a twisted metal husk of its former self. The pilot, copilot, and gunner spilled out from their seats stupefied and drooling with their faces close to the ground.

Unicorns. Nothing good ever came out of them, but Lancer could not argue with Posey's decision to recruit this horned equine witch, especially when Trixie answered his call, however late she may be. Still, he minded the collapsible lance stored in his jacket should he need to use it, but even in his heart he knew that he was no match for her. It was safe to say that Trixie's demonic crimson cape became an extension of herself, and it fluttered in the ethereal wind like jellyfish tentacles. If not for Trixie, it would have infected the very ground she stood on.

"Trixie questions the reasoning behind her being summoned back to the capital of godless atheists," said Trixie. "She nearly has the Crystal Empire within her grasp."

"Miss Lulamoon," spoke Lancer. "Due to our national security being compromised, Chancellor Posey has called upon your assistance to help defend our Niflheim armaments here in the Saddle Lake Base. We have declared open war against Pegasopolis."

"Defend this hovel? Trixie supposes, considering that Pegasopolis is a much greater threat at the moment. In the meantime, she needs to be pampered after a less than luxurious trip in the air. The in-flight meal was not up to her satisfaction."

"In a minute. I must issue my subordinates a few last-minute orders."

"So be it, but you do not want to test Trixie's patience. She gets bored very easily."

Lancer, Taurus, and Aries slowly backed away from Trixie. They knew that she knew about their apprehension over an out-of-control unicorn being ordered to protect an important military site. It might be that through her witchcraft she had already read their minds or could listen to every word they would say in the next few minutes. However, the obvious snobbery and her self-superiority in her eyes made her consider the three earthborn stallions beneath her interest, and she amused herself by commanding her demonic cape to snatch up a Robopony pulling up the rear of a marching formation. Even for a robot, the sight of Trixie's cape devouring it was horrific. When it completed its violent digestion, the living cape defecated a mess of metal and wires at the other side. By then, Lancer and his stallions were far enough that they believed they could neither be seen nor heard.

"Sir, I really don't like her being here," said Aries, the smaller stallion of Lancer's subordinates. "I'm receiving reports that she infected the northern battalion with her magic."

"I don't trust her either," said Lancer, "but for the honor of Chancellor Posey, we need her to defend our weapons from the pegasi. All the same, we must keep our guard up. You and Taurus keep a close on eye her. If she tries anything suspicious, then I give you two the highest executive order to kill her."

---

The rough sheets had been pulled up to her neckline as Maud lay on her back staring up to the rocky ceiling. Maybe it was true about what the other ponies said about her bed being hard and lumpy. Granted, it was essentially a rock slab, and it was perfectly contoured for her spine. No, that wasn’t it. So much had happened to her on the day before: the Spitfire's return; Gaea finally declaring an all-out war on Pegasopolis; and now she discovered that she had a third sister.

Knowing the reason for her restlessness, Maud rose up from her slab of a bed and shuffled over towards a dry aquarium tank where a lone sedimentary rock stood alone in a plot of sand. Boulder was cold. It had been getting chillier as of late, and so she took out from the dresser a long gray scarf to snugly wrap around her pet rock. For good measure, she turned on the incandescent lamp for it shine over him for at least an hour or so.

Maud’s own fur was not enough to keep her comfortably warm. This was nothing compared to her soldier days in the Frozen North, but it was starting to get uncomfortable. It forced her to slip into frock seven of seven that hung inside her armoire. She snugly tightened a black belt at her trunk before walking out of her room that stood straight across the hall from Fleetfoot's.

She smirked internally at the notion of her having a clipped pegasus as a dear friend when before they were mortal enemies in the battlefield. "Saboteur Fleetfoot" was what they used to call her. She had been known to infiltrate Gaean military squads and sabotage their operations with deadly results. Maud had often been ordered to root out Fleetfoot from hiding, and all their encounters ended in a draw. Admittedly, it gave Maud a rush whenever she fought Fleetfoot in the battlefield, but she did not miss her violent days in the front lines.

Maud did not step out to reminisce or catch up on the old days. She regained her focus, and turned towards the direction of the Rainbow Falls cantina. She was not a drinker, but perhaps one or two draughts would help ease her. The closer she approached, the more she remembered Rainbow Dash giving her an order to expand the cramped watering hole with her bare hooves. Now it had a high ceiling of strobe lights and disco ball, all of which were inactive tonight. Maud also remembered carving a small yet sizable stage with a pair of tower speakers and a custom-made audio mixer at the side. This was remodeled to Vinyl Scratch spec, but right now a blues guitarist was on stage playing a slow tune for a slow night with dim lighting.

Even at late nights there would be playful drunken fights going on here, but given the current atmosphere, none of that occurred. Not that it mattered anyway, because whenever Maud would appear, mares and stallions would shy away and resume drinking peacefully. It got annoying that everypony became intimidated on sight by her sheer strength and taciturn presence. She never got into the rough and tumble camaraderie of rebels and pirates, but it certainly gave this cantina life.

"Damn it!" a mare cried out. "That was supposed to be my vintage! You weren't supposed to drink that!"

A verbal fight or two was normal for the Rainbow Falls cantina, so Maud ignored it and pressed on. Or at least she tried to. The thing about Geosense was that it had its peculiarities. While it granted her enormous strength, she had yet to learn how to "turn off" certain aspects of it. So whenever she sensed a pony feeling apprehensive, she would feel it through the ground.

Berryshine was the source of that apprehension, and Maud could see the top of her bushy raspberry mane poking out of one of the table booths along the wall. She hardly got angry with her drinking buddy. Most of the time, her drinking buddy would get angry with her, so a reversal of that situation was a rare occasion. Curious, Maud craned her neck towards the cantina to see what kind of drinking partner would cause Berryshine distress. When sight failed her, she shot out a quick Geosense trace indicated that it was a pony new to the base. This pony's aura, however, wasn't just familiar--it was also familial.

She maneuvered herself through the stone tables of the cantina and straight towards the booths. Berryshine tried to alleviate her recent distress by drowning herself in a couple of beer cans, and her drinking partner had her face flat on the table in the middle of a forest of 120 proof sarsaparilla bottles and other potables. That mare had a frighteningly alluring pink mane that was as straight as Ingrid and Bellamena's should they have grown theirs long. Maud did not recognize her at first glance, but she quickly recognized the images of three balloons--two blue, one yellow--burned onto her flank. No mistaking it. It was her.

"Berryshine," Maud spoke.

"Who?"

"Berry Punch, I mean."

"Ah, I almost forgot my real name there. Maud, you gotta do something about this pink pony. She's drinking up my drinks, and she's making me look sober in comparison. I've got a reputation to maintain!"

For a brief moment, Maud entertained an idea to just leave Pinkie here as-is. Then again, it would be irresponsible as co-commander of the Rainbow Falls base to do so, and Berryshine (Berry Punch) was incapable of taking care of Pinkie right now. So Maud took Pinkie Pie off the table and carried her out on her back. She was not heavy, but Maud felt a lot of weight and guilt as she walked her down the halls. She already knew where Pinkie roomed at. Until now, Maud made a conscious decision to avoid it.

Pinkie's room was unlocked, and since it was a shared domicile, another pony had already occupied the right half of it. The yellow pegasus mare sleeping on a quilted bed on the right was Fluttershy. It made Maud uneasy to know that she looked remarkably like Chancellor Posey, but knowing that she slept rather adorably with a teddy bear hugged close to her body assuaged Maud's apprehension.

Pinkie's half of her room was on the left. Judging by the line of 120 proof sarsaparilla bottles on the top of the dresser, she had been drinking here as well. Other than that, she made herself home here relatively quickly as befitting a pony with the image of three party balloons on each side of her flank. The existing shelf on the wall had unopened boxes of balloons, party favors, gunpowder, and C4 explosives. Below it was a bag of flour, a bucket of turnips, a stacked pile of rocks, and an ungodly bundle of lint. What was most peculiar was that each of these four objects wore their own party hats.

Maud was careful not to disturb Pinkie's trinkets as she placed her on the bed. She cleared her long and straight pink mane off from her muzzle, and slowly pulled the colorful balloon-patterned comforter over her body. Maud tried to keep a straight face as she looked at her. With that long and straight mane, Pinkie really looked like her grandmother in her youth. Maud really needed to leave.

"Granny," Pinkie slurred. "Is that you?"

"Go back to sleep, Pinkie."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I have to sleep."

"But I want to talk to you."

"There's nothing to talk about. It would be best that you avoid me."

"Why?"

Maud sighed hard. If she did not tell her, Pinkie would not stop avoiding her.

"I did a terrible thing to our family," said Maud. "Dad entrusted me with the deed to our rock farm in order to prevent the Government from seizing it, but they would not stop harassing us. The last straw came when I was called back to the Ponyville Slums. There, I learned that Ingrid was taken to the hospital after she was beaten and raped. Bella told me that the ponies who did this told her that it was for refusing to sell the rock farm.

"I was angry. I was angry with myself for not being able to protect my family while I was away. I thought that by selling the farm that they would leave us alone, and that's what I did. I ran back home to tell mom and dad to pack up and move, but I was too late. The police stormed in and killed our dad. Then they arrested mom when she fought back. I couldn't retaliate because if I did, Ingrid and Bella would end up getting more hurt as well. I had to leave them at the orphanage to protect them from ponies like me, and then I went to a far off place to die.

"It turns out that it was really hard to kill myself. The jump that was supposed to break all my bones failed. I tried again and again, but all I ended up doing was creating more and more craters on the ground.

"On my last fall, I knocked myself unconscious, and that was when the military found me. I realized that I awoken my latent Geosense abilities, and I thought I could use it to destroy the military outpost and tear down the Rock Prison with my own hooves. Then I realized that if I did so, they would capture Ingrid and Bella and perform hideous experiments. The best thing I could do is enlist and volunteer to take on the most dangerous missions in the hopes of getting myself killed without the military discovering my abilities.

"So I threw myself into battle, purposely inciting the enemy and making myself a target, but I always emerged unscathed. I was congratulated and paid well for my duties, but I refused every promotional opportunity since it would take me away from the front lines. Eventually the military became suspicious about my survivability, but by then I shipped myself off to No Mare's Land to face off against the only mare would be able to defeat me: Fleetfoot.

"I thought I would have died in my last duel against Fleetfoot. Instead, we knocked each other unconscious, and we were taken to the Rainbow Falls base on Spitfire's orders. I told Spitfire that I did not want to be kept alive, but she insisted otherwise.

"'There are times when a pony has to make the ultimate sacrifice,' she told me, 'but I have a feeling that's not the case with you. Still, you should not throw your life away for a soulless government. Perhaps you should risk your life for something greater, and eventually you'll find a reason to live again.'

"She gave me a choice to stay or leave, but I decided to stay anyway. I know I can't undo what I did to my family or to the pegasi I killed in battle, but at least I can use these hooves to save others. Becoming a fighter for the Rainbow Falls Rebels was a lot more dangerous, but the rewards are greater. If I died fighting for them, then everything would be all right for me."

"But it's not all right," said Pinkie as she rose up from her bed. "Inkie and Blinkie are looking for you."

"To get back at me for leaving them. They have every right to be angry."

"They were angry at first, but they're now over that. They became bounty hunters so they could get the Elements of Creation to get the rock farm back. But getting the farm back isn't enough. They really wanted you to come home so we can be a family again."

"I betrayed mom and dad. I betrayed Ingrid and Bella, and by extension I betrayed you."

"Granny Pie told me that if I ever find the sister who left Ponyville that I should forgive her. Maud, I forgive you for what you did."

"I can accept your forgiveness, but I can never forgive myself. Pinkie, I need to leave."

"Maud, wait!"

The gray mare turned around and lunged forward to deal a quick jab into Pinkie's solar plexus, which knocked the pink pony out immediately. If Maud struck her with even the slightest decrease of strength, Pinkie would still have the wind knocked out of her but would still be conscious. In contrast, Maud would have shattered Pinkie's ribs and spine if she applied even the tiniest addition of strength.

Gently she lay Pinkie back down and covered her once more with the comforter. Then right as she was about to leave, she snatched a glimpse of the doleful blue eye of Pinkie's pegasus roommate blinking at her before closing shut to feign sleep. Maud did not care if Fluttershy knew, and even if she did, the Bearer of the Element of Empathy could not do anything at the moment. Maud's business was finished here.

It took everything within her to suppress her heartache, and the walk back to her room felt like the longest. Maud would attempt to sleep once more, but upon noticing her door had been left ajar, she knew something was up. A short Geosense burst indicated that her visitor had hollow bones enriched with years of calcium, which were telltale traits of a grounded pegasi. There was no danger, but there would be annoyance.

As expected, Maud found Fleetfoot in her room leaning over the tank containing her pet rock. Neither the earth pony nor the clipped pegasus made any effort to conceal their presence when they encountered one another. Maud did not have to say anything to get her co-commander's attention.

"I was checking up on Boulder," said Fleetfoot, "to see if he's warm and toasty."

"No, you're not."

"You're right. I'm here to give you a last minute mission briefing. Since Coco told everypony that Captain Spitfire is alive, Rainbow Dash has asked us to organize a team for her rescue at Coltcatraz. Seeing as this is a very dangerous mission, if not suicidal, I'm guessing that you're going to volunteer no matter what. Knowing you, you're going to need some help even when you don't want it. So I've decided to tag along with Coco as support. We'll leave once we see off Twilight Sparkle and her group."

"What are you really here for?"

Fleetfoot sighed. "I came to check up on you. Seriously, what is going on? I don't know what it's like to have a family, but I do know that you should not have treated your sister that way."

"It's none of your business, Fleetfoot."

"It is as your fellow co-commander and as a friend. Ponies might not be able to see your emotions, but I do know that you're really hurting inside. I care for you Maud, but I had to resort to acting like a bad guy in front of your sister and those three fillies just to cover for you. You really need to stop beating yourself up over what happened in the past."

"I made a terrible mistake."

"We all make mistakes Maud, but driving your family away isn't going to correct them. Here, that pink pony gave me this. Smells sweet, but my pegasus teeth probably can’t chew through it."

From her satchel, Fleetfoot threw a hoofmade confectionary jewelry onto Maud's bed and then left the room. A rock candy necklace. Maud was never fond of sweets, but her mother kept on making them for her. When she wasn't around, Maud made them for her little sisters, which they enjoyed immensely. It became a tradition that whenever Maud returned from her job at the university that she would exchange rock candy necklaces between her and her family. More often than she realized, it was the brightest point of the year.

She was not sure how Pinkie learned how to make them, even though the recipe was simple. Granny Pie might have taught her. Ingrid or Bella might have taught her. One deep whiff of the necklace assured Maud that this was a Pie family member's hoofwork, and the thought of it crafted a single tear that ran down Maud's stoic face before she wiped it off.

"Her name's Pinkie Pie," Maud cried out across the hall.

"I know," replied Fleetfoot from her room. "I wanted to make sure you remembered."

She gripped the rock candy necklace in her hoof, and resolved to make up with Pinkie with the one thing she knew well. It might not be enough for a full apology, but she had to start somewhere.

Maud would not be getting any sleep tonight.

---

Every rock had a soul. A single rock could shatter a glass window, but a million could topple an entire kingdom.

Her father had taught her everything about rocks; how they were made, how much mass they carried, and how much force needed to turn them into dust. He always wanted a son, but Maud was a close second, which was why the deed to the farm was written under her name.

As his "son" and heir, Maud did all she could to please him, and that including going to college and traveling across Gaea as a journeymare to perfect her trade. He always told her to focus on her work and studies and not worry about the Government harassing him for their land.

"I can take care of those government types," he stubbornly insisted. That only served to make Maud more worried about the Pie Family rock farm. They weren't poor, but both her mother and father had to work away from home to make ends meet. That often resulted in Ingrid and Bella growing up alone in their house. While Igneous "Iggy" Clyde Pie did not expect his two younger daughters to learn the trade, they did not have much to do at home other than learn about rocks. In all irony, Ingrid and Bella knew enough that if something should happen to Maud and their parents, they would be able to run the farm themselves.

The rock farm was now gone, and on top of it Gaea constructed an oppressive maximum security prison where they sent "Sue" Cloudy Quartz Pie nine months after her arrest. She was one of the first prisoners, and certainly not the last. Then Pinkie became the first foal born within those horrid walls.

The rock farm could wait. Maud had to reconnect with her mother's final legacy, and she need to do so by making up with Pinkie Pie. She sealed herself inside the dreary Rainbow Falls kitchen and had all her ingredients arranged perfectly at her work counter: string, spices, sugar crystals, and vials of food coloring. The recipe was simple, but it would not be a unique Pie Family hoofwork if love was not poured into each candy piece.

The seven pots of boiling food coloring dyed the sugar crystals with delightful bubbling. Maud was in a rush, and while it was safer to let the colored crystals cool, the gray mare pulled each one out with her bare hooves. Piercing holes into the colored sugar crystals with her the tip of her hoof was an easy feat for an earth pony who possessed even the most basic of Geosense abilities. Once they had been drilled, she meticulously ran the string through each crystal in alternating colors until she ran out, and then completed the necklace with a secure knot at the ends. Maud gave it a shake and a smell. She then approved the sound and scent of her craftwork with a grunt and a nod. The necklace was done.

The clock on the wall read 4:30 A.M. Still too early present Pinkie with her sign of apology. Maud had set the digital kitchen timer to wake her up in thirty minutes, and then rested her head on the counter.

Then she dreamed.

She dreamed of a newly rechristened Pie Family Rock Farm. Maud took residence in a humble new cabin accompanied with a new barn and a new grain silo. She emerged onto the front porch in her morning frock to behold a field of rocks as far as the eye could see. In the distance rose the ruined silhouette of the infamous Rock Prison. Even if it was half torn down, it still caused Maud to frown at its continued existence, but she refrained from tearing it down to remind her of what she lost and what she gained.

In that dream, she waited on the porch as she watched a large cart drive up to her house from far down the road. It wasn't a smoky motorized one found throughout Gaea's cities. These carts were horse-drawn, and the mighty husbands of Ingrid and Bella pulled it to carry their wives and children. The family was so big that they filled the cart to the brim. Maud had counted about ten or so fillies and colts, and unlike their earth tone mothers, they were vibrant and colorful.

In that dream, another cart rolled up. The cart was much more colorful than Ingrid and Bella's. It had an overall look of red with gold-painted wheels. A series of gears and axles on the bottom meant that its tooting organ pipes and automated cymbal crashes were powered by the motion of Pinkie pulling it down the road. It did not appear it could house anypony inside, but when Pinkie pulled to a full stop, the side opened. A set of stairs rolled onto the ground, and out came a charming light magenta unicorn in a white summer dress adorned with glistening gems from the Crystal Empire. Pinkie Pie held her hoof as she walked down, and she continued to do so as they trotted up to meet up with her middle sisters and their in-laws. In no time, they all burst out laughing.

"Big sis!" Bella cried. "Guess what? Pinkie's pregnant! And this unicorn mare knocked her up!"

What? Maud tried to run down the walkway, but somehow ended up knocking her head against a couple of hanging pans. She fell off her stool and onto her back. Fleetfoot had now stood over looking quizzically down on her.

"Geez, I know you wanted to avoid that pink pony," said Fleetfoot, "but this is too much."

"I wasn't avoiding her," said Maud. "I was making a rock candy necklace for her. What time is it?"

"It's almost seven. They're about to leave on the captured skiff at the northern hangar."

Maud looked at a nearby clock to make sure Fleetfoot was joking, but unfortunately she wasn't. The time as reported by her friend was correct. The timer, however, flashed 00:00:00. She overslept.

The gray mare erected herself off the floor and grabbed the completed rock candy necklace off the counter. She ran off and ignored Fleetfoot's warnings about the repair work being done around the cavern base. She brushed past several maintenance workers along their way and ignored their warnings about the construction not being finished. Maud made it to the northern airship docks on the upper catwalk railings. She slipped underneath the yellow construction tape and followed the rail to towards the captured Pegasopolis slave skiff two docks down. She immediately recognized its crude, elongated shape as well as the eight aero-oars jutting from within each side. Thank the earth they had not left yet. The skiff's rear hatch and ramp was still wide open, but the final boarding was about to take place. What remained was a baby dragon struggling to pull in a cart loaded high up with elegant trunks that probably belonged to the Diamond Princess of the Crystal Empire. Not too far behind him was Pinkie Pie slowly trudging up the skiff's ramp with the help of Fluttershy. Pinkie's mane and tail were still flat from last time.

From a catwalk that was mounted over an empty dock, Maud waved frantically to get her sister’s attention. She continued waving, but Spike had miraculously managed to squeeze the cart and its towering luggage into the skiff. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had also made it inside, but the former seemed hesitant to leave as she plopped herself down on her haunches with a long sigh. That was not enough to stop the departure, for the motors in the slave skiff revved higher and its aero-oars began to spin.

She did not get Pinkie's attention. Saddened, Maud leaned against the railing, but she did not realize minutes ago that it creaked dangerously. The railing snapped, and she quickly regained her balance by grabbing onto a nearby pole. Then her powerful weight caused the catwalk bend from its support until it snapped off. Her heart raced, and her body froze itself in panic. A terrible thought of dying enveloped her mind right as the platform gave way, and she found herself falling deep into a vacant airship dock.

Suddenly, a bright pink flash spirited Maud from her fall, and she found herself plopped down right behind the stolen skiff. Before the concerned maintenance workers gathered around her, Maud followed the brake trail to her unexpected savior, Pinkie Pie, whose mane and tail had been restored to its poofy glory. Her Pinkie Gear had created a shallow trench upon her landing, and her neutral expression and her hunched pose made her appear unexpectedly cool.

"Thanks," said Maud.

"What were you doing?" asked Pinkie as she waved her hooves in the air. "I know I've been doing some crazy things in my lifetime, but that's just plain dangerous! You should've known that railing was rusted, sista!"

"I could have landed just fine."

"You're a bad liar Maud, and I don't even need Geosense to sense that. I know you weren't in focus when you fell, and if not for me and my twitchy tail, you would've gone splat!"

"You're right. I wasn't in focus. I was… worried. I was worried that you might not come back from Pegasopolis before I apologized for being so cold towards you."

"Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud, Maud. You're family. Of course I'm going to accept your apology. And second of all, I am going to come back from our Pegasopolis adventure 'cause we're going to hold our own Pie Family Reunion on our restored farm."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"That's not how it goes. But I like your version of the Pie Family Promise a lot better. Pinkie, I wanted to give this to you before you left."

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It is."

"Can I eat it now?"

Maud nodded. Ceremoniously she anointed her younger sister with the rock candy necklace. The stoic mare could no longer suppress her own smirk as she watched a wide smile draw itself across her sister's face. Seconds later, Pinkie immediately started gnashing on the various sugary rocks on the necklace. Maud could watch her eat so happily for a long time, but Pinkie could not stay. Fluttershy and Spike called out for her from the slave skiff, whose rear hatch gradually sealed shut as it began its departure. With a full mouth, she mumbled a goodbye while giving a Maud hug--a true hug, and then revved her Pinkie Gear to launch herself into the departing skiff.

"Bye Maud!" Pinkie waved as she continued chewing. "I'll make sure to bring some souvenirs from Pegasopolis!"

"Oh, Pinkie!" Maud cried back. "I just want you to know that even if you prefer mares, I'll still love you."

"What? What do you mean by that? Maud?"

The combination of the skiff's primary engines, its spinning aero-oars, and the closing of the rear hatch muffled Pinkie's shouts. Maud realized she said something wrong, for the last image she saw of her youngest sister was her having a deep red face. It also made the nearby maintenance workers look at Maud funny, and it caused her to manifest an emotion she thought she never had. In her all experiences in suppressing her feelings, she could not hide the red on her own face, and she lay down prone on the ground trying to hide away from the stares of other ponies. Maud was often told that she spoke with bluntness. She usually did not care how ponies reacted to her terse words, but when it came to her sister, this was beyond embarrassing.

Now she needed to apologize to Pinkie again. For a completely different reason.

Comments

[The Yaoi Mistress]

Nice chapter, So... all earth ponies can watch the future or only the Pie family?

[Crimson Dawn]

Lol Maud way to potentially embarrass your sister! So Maud sees Pinkie with a Magenta Unicorn eh? I am a little surprised that it is even a big deal it is clear that she likes to flirt with Rainbow Dash for instance (I wonder if that would bother Maud if Pinkie was to actually try to hook up with Dash).

Anyway nice chapter I was hoping to read something good before I go to bed.

[TheDeolex]

How I got into this story:

Looked at the feature box, totally skipped the title, read the "Cover art wanted" thing, read the rest of the text, got interested in the unicorn thing, thought to myself "Unicorns and extinction?", imagined a heroine unicorn that looked like Littlepip looking epic against hateful and impossible odds, clicked on the story to add to read laters, looked at the words and "OMG over 300,000 words!", and then finally added the story to read laters.

Did I mention how I love ridiculously long stories? That usually means they're good.

[Snow]

...Alright. Let's give this a try. Normally I avoid stories that go the whole 'extinction gloom / doom / unpleasantness' thing, but the synopses gives me a good feeling.

I do, however, hope that the story is appropriately tagged. In particular, the Tragedy tag exists to warn off folks like me who don't mind nitty gritty dark stories, but hate bad ends, and the absence gives me further hope that this will be one of those stories I can enjoy.

[Scarheart]

So many pony stories...so many lesbians. It's getting to become boring it's so common. I guess with so few canon males, it's to be expected.

That's the the only thing boring with this story. The rest of it is a delightful read.

Keep in mind, my opinion is my opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of others.

I look forward to the next chapter.

[Misty Spell]

6268985 Probably just a funny little coincidence or something.

[Iamawesome]

6270519 I find that a bit unlikely. The S[x] E[y] formula is not something that you would use without thinking of an episode. Magical Mystery Cure is also the last episode that aired before this chapter.

[Misty Spell]

6271183 I blame the pony illuminati.

[Greeny3003]

6255639 I remember alright. So is it pinkie or applejack that more resembles Suki?

[GMZ_Casper]

Finally, I was able to get this read. That was a warm interaction between the two Pie sisters, and it was nice to see that Maud is finally beginning to forgive herself. And despite my dislike for all this shipping nonsense, I still found the whole silliness at the end to put a big grin on my face. Can't wait to see how this new mission of saving Spitfire is going to turn out.

C&Cs:
I ran back home to tell mom and dad to pack up and move, but I was too late. The police stormed in and killed our dad. Then they arrested mom when she fought back.
> Capitalize the first ‘mom’ and ‘dad’. The second ‘dad’ is correct, but the second ‘mom’ need to be capitalize.
"I betrayed mom and dad. I betrayed Ingrid and Bella, and by extension I betrayed you."
> Capitalize ‘mom’ and ‘dad’, then put a comma after ‘extension’.
That only served to make Maud more worried about the Pie Family rock farm.
> Delete the extra space. I think in this case, you may want to use “Family’s”.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

6254280 More Alucard abridge

[PsyGoth]

Are you a super-nerd by any chance?

Why did you need to specify that Scootaloo had a "kunai" dagger more than once? That's something straight out of anime, and makes me think you might be a weaboo.

Why do you need to call Primline the "Marionettenspieler"? That is a very impractical nickname considering there are no other German words being used in "Gaen" culture. I mean, you're even using a Greek Goddess' name for their country!. A lot off nerd like using German words to sound tough and cool, but all they manage to be is pretentious.

Finally, why are all the main characters lesbians! Why are they ALWAYS lesbians?! Does this bear ANY semblance to how life works in reality? It's hard to relate to a world where people take a shit all over hetero-normativity.

You started this story off good, but you let it fail. Don't just ignore my words because you don't like what they say either, swallow them and think about your writing.