Among Geotongues and Rocks
The train pulled away, and Maud turned to look at the university, which sat in the middle of nowhere. Boulder sat in Maud's pocket.
"Are we there? What does it look like? Are there plenty of other rocks?"
"Yes Boulder. You won't be lonely."
"Yes! This totally makes up for the trip cut short. I was hoping to socialize a bit while we were in Ponyville. There was this one big guy named Tom who was talking about how the pony in the big stupid hat thought he was a diamond and-"
"Yes, I know. Why don't you go and make some friends while I head to the main offices."
Maud dropped Boulder in a pile of rocks next to the building and stepped inside. The lady at the front desk was typing on a typewriter and consulting a chunk of sandstone. Maud breathed a sigh of relief. She was among her own kind now. She stepped up to the desk.
"Good afternoon Mrs..."
Maud looked at the nameplate on the desk. "Sediment."
Mrs. Sediment looked up from her typewriter. "Maud, I presume," she replied in that deadpan tone that most Geotongues shared.
"Yes."
"Your room is on the west side of the campus," Mrs. Sediment said as she handed Maud the slip of paper with location info on it.
"Thank you."
As Maud turned to exit the building, the chunk of sandstone called out, "Goodbye."
<<<<(+)>>>>
Boulder sat amongst the pile of rocks against the building, waiting for Maud to return. He had tried to socialize, but these guys were either sleeping, or just didn't like talking. Maud came outside and found Boulder, returning him to her pocket and asking him if he had made any new friends.
"No. Were there any pet rocks inside?"
"Mrs. Sediment had a lively piece of sandstone."
"Did you get a name?"
"No, I didn't get her name. Boulder, you know that i'm not very social."
"Yeah. You said her, right?"
"Umm, yeah."
"Next time you go in there, I am coming with you."
"Sure. For now, we need to find our new residence."
<<<<(+)>>>>
The new residence was not much. It was a room... with a bed... a desk.... a few shelves...
Maud unpacked and began setting everything in a place somewhere around the room. Pinkie's box of rock candy necklaces went on the shelf. Her papers went on the desk. Boulder stayed in her pocket.
Maud decided that she might as well pick up one of the books that had been laying on the shelf well before she had arrived. The title read "The Art of Equestrian Geology." Maud opened to a random page near the end of the book.
>Many who devote vast amounts of their life to rock-related pursuits become Geotongues. A Geotongue is one who is aware of and fluent in Rockspeak, the language of rocks. Many Geotongues keep at least one rock as a constant companion.<
Maud closed the book. There was nothing new. She had been a Geotongue most of her life. In fact, the only member of her immediate family who hadn't gained the ability was Pinkie, who had found her destiny as a party pony before she had been exposed to rocks long enough to hear them.
Maud left the room and began to head downstairs, deciding that she would kill some time by walking around the campus. Reading was pointless when she would begin in two days anyway. Boulder, still in her pocket, came with her.
There was very little greenery in the park. Most of the park was composed of rocks. Dull, grey and brown, rocks. Maud loved it. Boulder listened for friendly sounding rocks from Maud's pocket. There were very few voices, and Boulder thought of one of Maud's poems. Smooth and round, asleep in the ground...
<<<<(+)>>>>
Boulder woke up... on the ground. How long had he been out? One would think that falling out of Maud's pocket would wake him up. Maybe he had passed out upon impact with the ground. Could rocks do that?
Boulder became aware of voices coming from somewhere nearby. There were three rocks, half-buried in the dry ground, talking amongst one another.
"Speckles, be patient. Rocks are supposed to be patient!" spoke the first, a jagged grey fist-sized rock in his firm, sharp tone.
"But Krag! I wanna be able to move around already!" wailed the second. She was a smooth, long, spotted river stone.
"We will when that unicorn who will be teaching the crystal class comes. For now, be patient!"
The third, the largest of the three, brown and lopsided, spoke in a tone and diction that immediately revealed his low mental stature, "Do you think that Carbine is telling the truth?"
"Lumpy, you idiot! Of course he is telling the truth. How would he be able to move on his own if he wasn't telling the truth?" Krag snapped.
"I uhhh... It is just kinda hard to believe that he can get the unicorn to make us all be able to move like him and stuff. It is kinda creepy how he talks about revenge and domination all the time and-"
"Who cares? I just cannot wait to be able to move!" Speckles cackled.
"Both of you shut up! Someone is coming!" Krag harshly whispered.
Maud ran through the rocky landscape, stopping every now and then to call Boulder's name. As soon as Boulder heard her, he began to shout, "I'm over here Maud!"
"Wait, what!?! Was he here the whole time!"
"Shut up Speckles! You! We're watching you!" Krag warned.
The three fell silent as Maud came close enough to see Boulder.
"Boulder, what happened?"
"I think I fell out of your pocket."
"Why didn't you call out as soon as you fell."
"I was asleep, and-"
"It's alright. The sun is setting. Let's get back and go to bed."
<<<<(+)>>>>
Boulder sat awake on the shelf. What had those shady rocks been talking about? Something about moving on their own. They had said that some rock named Carbine could already do that. It sounded exciting, yet somehow threatening as well. Maybe he should tell Maud. But then again, the jagged one had threatened him. Boulder somehow knew that that rock could make something bad happen to him. Was his safety worth something he barely even knew about, something that might not even be important? But then again, if it was nothing, why had Krag threatened him? Perhaps it was the opposite, something bigger and greater than he currently knew....