Blade

“L-…” Pinkamena was stunned. “Lilly.”

Lily shot a smug grin at her sister. “Sister.”

Scootaloo tried to look around her caretaker to see who was at the door. Limestone caught her eye just as she did the same.

Limestone burst into the cottage, knocking her sister to the side, not even noticing.

“And who is this, now?” She asked Scootaloo in a condescending tone.

Scootaloo had talked to enough adults to know this tone. It was the one that said; you look incredibly dumb and immature. I’m going to assert that by talking down to you.

She answered anyway. “I’m Scootaloo.”

Limestone turned to her sister without changing her expression. “Good job, sister. Where is your prize of a husband?”

Pinkamena glared at Limestone as she regained her footing. “I don’t have one.”

Limestone smirked. “HA! Well of course not.” She chuckled. Clearly it was a very silly idea, her sister finding somebody that loved her. “I’m only kidding, you know.”

Pinkamena wasn’t falling for that bullshit. For what possible reason would her sister come back into her life other than to brag or tease? Her morning was ruined.

“How did you find me?” She suddenly wondered.

“Some large boy in town directed me to this…lovely home you’ve given yourself.” Limestone replied, scrubbing her surroundings visually.

She had to ask. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it just so the point could be reached and she could kick her sister out faster. “What are you doing here?” Pinkamena asked through her teeth.

Without hesitation, she flew into a memory of her success and prosperity. “Oh, just to catch up about the farm is all.”

Scootaloo knew she wasn’t part of the conversation, but she asked anyway because she was so hopelessly curious. “What farm?”

Pinkamena quickly turned to the child. “Nothing.”

Limestone pushed her sister aside again. “It’s where we grew up, sweetie. A rock farm. I own it now.”

Scootaloo cocked her head. “Rock farm? How does that work?”

“It’s like mining! But better.” Limestone exaggerated.

Pinkamena’s face grew grim. “It’s yours now?”

“Why yes, sister. Father gave it to me not too long ago and I’ve flipped it into the green already.” Her sister answered pridefully.

A flash of joy surged through Pinkamena, but it quickly dissolved into anxiety. “I-…is daddy dead?” She asked hopefully.

Limestone’s face went blank. She hesitated at the question.

The room was silent for a moment or two as the two sisters looked at each other very seriously. It was in that silence that they had the first connection to each other in years.

“No…” Limestone finally answered. Her tone was rather gray.

Pinkamena only responded by breaking the stare and looking to the ground. The connection was gone, but there was an understanding. Neither of them were happy with her answer.

Limestone perked back up like a spring being sprung and soared back into her fantasies of wealth. “I have a car now. It’s on the edge of town. What do you have, sister?”

“Go away.”

Lily turned back to Scootaloo “Oh, she’s just jealous. Your babysitter could have gotten a share of the farm too if she’d stayed back home.”

“I’m not her babysitter.” Pinkamena growled.

Lily ignored her. “It would have been big with us two. All three of us would have been nice, but our other sister died when we were very young, you know.” She told the filly.

This set off a trigger in Pinkamena. It had always been there but she always forgot about it; how it’d always just brush her the wrong way whenever someone talked about Ariel.

Pinkamena lightly shoved Lily out of the way. “Don’t talk about Ariel, Lily.”

Limestone scoffed loudly. “You act like I don’t even care about her! I loved our sister! And it’s Limestone now!”

“Then why won’t you say her name, Limestone!?”

“What name?” Limestone asked.

Pinkamena couldn’t believe it. Had she actually just asked?

“Your. FUCKING. Sister’s! ARIEL!!!”

Limestone was stunned by her sister’s rudeness. She put her hoof to her chest and gave her a look that said; how dare you call me out on my sneakiness.

“I didn’t need to. That’s why.” She whipped up.

Pinkamena was disgusted. The mare in front of her was nobody to be respected no matter what she had. This shallow excuse for a woman didn’t even have the decency to speak of her dead sister like she was real.

At this, they had at it. Pinkamena began to rant as Limestone began to accuse. They did this rather loudly and Scootaloo had no idea how to respond to it. So she ducked and turned her face away from the two of them, too frightened to say or do anything.

At some point, Limestone noticed this and abused it to divert attention away from herself.

“Now see what you’ve done? You scared your little butler with all of this screaming!”

Pinkamena stopped. She analyzed the words her sister had just said. Was it so hard for Lily to picture somebody that loved her? Even calling her a friend would have been better. But no. Lily assumed that the two had no relationship at all because she obviously thought very little of her. Lily clearly thought Pinkamena incapable of having loved ones. That brushed her wrong too. Just a little bit too wrong.

Limestone noticed that her sister had stopped arguing. Her wonderful situational awareness had diffused the situation and she had won. Good for her. Good for Limestone. She smirked again.

“Good.” She said. “Glad to see you’ve finally come to your senses. Spooking ‘The Help’ is never supportive of their overall conduct you know. Especially for one so yu-“

Pinkamena’s hoof slammed into Limestone’s cheek like a solid brick of concrete. Limestone’s sentence slipped out of her mind and she crashed onto the floor, quickly coming to terms with the pain she was experiencing. Blood gushed out of her nose and mouth. She screamed.

Scootaloo gasped, startled greatly by the new development.

Limestone grabbed her nose and mouth in hopes to halt the bleeding, muffling her cries of pain.

Pinkamena stood on her hind legs and towered over her sister. Limestone cowered and shielded her face with her free hoof.

“Don’t you ever talk about my daughter like that!” She yelled.

Scootaloo was shocked by her friend’s words. She would have never seen that coming. Not in a million years. But she liked it. It made her feel strangely warm in her tummy. She really liked to know what Pinkamena’s feelings really were.

Limestone gave a shrill yelp of terror when Pinkamena crouched down closer to her ear. She was shivering.

“Get out of my house.” Pinkamena whispered. “Get the hell away from my family.”

Limestone screamed again and crawled out the door as fast as she could. She didn’t dare stand up until she was off the porch. When she did stand, she scurried away like a rat. Like a prissy little rich rat with a little car and a little farm nobody gave two shits in the world about.

Limestone never saw her sister again.

Pinkamena slammed her door and turned back inside. Scootaloo was looking at her with wide eyes. The two looked at each other understandingly for a while.

“Sorry about your sister, Ms. Pie.” Scootaloo finally croaked out.

Pinkamena thought about this silently. She looked at the child, so vulnerable and innocent, broken by everyone, nobody to love her. Tossed around like a ragdoll her whole life.

Pinkamena grinned ever so subtly. She went to Scootaloo and wrapped her arms around her tightly. Scootaloo seemed confused at first, but quickly returned the embrace and giggled with joy.

“Thanks, Ms. Pie.”

“Mom.”

“What?”

“Call me Mom.”

Scootaloo suddenly wanted to. And after a few moments, she did.

“Thanks, Mom.”

Pinkamena shook. Scootaloo looked up and saw tears running down her eyes, but she was still smiling. Scootaloo smiled too and only held on tighter.

“I love you, kiddo.” said Pinkamena.

“I love you too, mommy.”