The Thing About Supper at the Rock Farm
Chapter One: The Thing About Supper at the Rock Farm
The brightly colored train makes it way down the tracks as Celestia’s sun shines overhead with only the slightest bit of cloud cover ghosting over the sky. Pinkie Pie bounces in her seat a smile spread across her face much bigger then her normal one, if that is even possible.
“Gee Pinkie,” Twilight Sparkle smiles back at her friend. “You must be really excited for you sister Blinkie to come stay with you. How long did your parent’s say she’d be in Ponyville?”
“Indefinably,” Pinkie giggles not seeing the shocked and concerned look on her other friends’ faces. “It’s going to be so great! I don’t think Blinkie ever really left the rock farm its going to be such an adventure!”
“Wow she’s never been off the farm,” Rainbow Dash raises an eyebrow. “How old is she now?”
“Seventeen,” Pinkie affirms. “My parent’s said she’s looking for some kind of career! I guess with Maud going off for her research, Inkie studying music and me with my party planning Blinkie never really got a chance to figure out what she wanted to do with herself.”
“Well I certainly hope she finds something,” Rarity says flipping her mane absentmindedly. “I remember when I discovered my love of fashion it was the most marvelous experience ever.”
“Its important for everypony to find something they love to do,” Twilight agrees with a smile. “I’m sure with your help, Pinkie, Blinkie will be able to find something she loves just as much as Rarity loves fashion or you love parties or Fluttershy loves animals!” The friends all nod happily in agreement as the train lets out a loud whistle and pulls to a halt as a quaint little train station.
The landscape around is barren but not dead as ponies go about the station carting cargo of various types of farming produce and rocks. Looking out the window the six are surprised to see the oldest Pie sister, Maud, standing at the station waiting for them. Stepping off the train Pinkie wraps her arms around Maud hugging her tightly.
“Maud what are you doing here,” Twilight asks. “We all thought you were off on your research trip!”
“My parent’s sent me a letter telling me that Blinkie is going to live in ponyville,” Maud says in her normally dry tone. “I thought it might be a good chance to see the family together so I took a few days off to come home. I brought you a present, it’s a rock.” Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes as Maud pulls out a small box and presents it to Pinkie. Inside is a bubblegum pink rock attacked to string.
“That’s simply gorgeous,” Rarity cries out in excitement admiring the shining stone.
“I have a rock for all of you at the house,” Maud says. “I just couldn’t fit them all in my pocket or Boulder couldn’t have come too.”
“How thoughtful of you,” Fluttershy smiles happily. Maud gives a small but genuine smile as the group trots off the station platform and down the road. As the road goes on a large farm can be seen coming up on the horizon. A Large gate with a sign presenting the title ‘The Pie Family Rock Farm’.
“This place is huge,” Applejack awes. “Ah recon you could have about 15 field on this here property.”
“Eighteen actually,” Maud says pushing open the gate so her sister and friends can go through. A long drive lined with rocks leads to large, antic looking house where a young pony sits on the porch.
She is a teen girl with a coat that lies in a tone somewhere between purple and gray. Her mane is in a bob cut with square bangs and a silver color. Her eyes are tired looking and yellow. Pinkie lets out a squeal of delight as she dashes up the path and throws herself onto the younger mare, squeezing her tightly.
“BLINKIE,” Pie cries out excitedly rocking her sister back and forth in the bone crushing hug. “It’s been sooooooo long look how much bigger you’ve gotten. I mean not like BIGGER, bigger but like taller bigger!” Blinkie carefully steps back from the hug and gives a halfhearted smile, her eyes reading heavily of deep sadness.
“Hi,” Pinkie,” She says dully. “It’s good to see you too. I’ll go get my bag.” The pony leaves without giving a question or greeting to the other five ponies that came with her sister. As she goes into the house two older ponies emerge from the house.
“Pinkie,” the female pony smiles hugging the pink girl. “We’ve missed you so much.” The male pony joins in the hug a smile on his work-hardened face.
“Mom, dad it’s so good to see you again,” Pinkie gives a deeply warm smile. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Her father says. “We heard you planned Princess Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s wedding. We’re so proud of you.”
“I’ve prepared a big dinner for you, your sisters and all your friends,” her mother says. “I’ve read so much about all of you in Pinkie’s letters I feel like I know you all already.”
“Well it’s great to meet one of our very best friends parent’s,” Applejack beams widely. “And you’ve got a mighty fine farm here.”
“Well thank you dear.” Pinkie’s father says. “I’m Igneous Rock, and I’d love to give you a tour of our farm before supper.”
“I’d be honored,” Applejack smiles as Igneous leads the way off the porch.
“I think I’ll come with you,” Twilight says trotting after them. “I’d love to learn about the workings of a rock farm!”
“I think I’ll stay and help with dinner,” Rarity offers. “If that’s alright with you Miss Pie.”
“I would adore that,” the woman says. “And you can call me Cloudy Quartz.” Fluttershy offers her help as well as she, Pinkie, Dash and Rarity, follow Cloudy into the house. Inside is older looking furniture, clearly well used and possibly passed down from somewhere else in the Pie family. The walls are completely covered in family photos and every shelf has something that one can assume was made by one of the Pie sisters. Suddenly Pinkie’s warm and friendly personality makes a lot of sense.
“Your home is simply lovely,” Fluttershy compliments as she admires a picture of Pinkie and Maud making a ‘snowman’ out of rocks. Dash herself giggle as she seems a shelf of nothing but rocks painted silly colors with goggly eyes glued to them.
“Thank you dear,” Cloudy says. “It’s been in our family for generations.” As they group walks into the kitchen they are hit with a smell of cooking vegetables and baked goods.
“Everything smells divine,” Rarity exclaims.
“It’s so wonderful to have so many ponies here again,” Cloudy smiles fondly as she puts ears of corn into the pot. “Since most of my daughters have moved away dinner is much smaller, I missed cooking big meals.”
“I always wished a had a little brother or sister to mess with growing up,” Rainbow Dash notes.
“Having sisters is the best,” Pinkie says bouncing around the room. “You can play games, share clothes, and do each others makeup.” Pinkie goes onto a rambling mess about the greatness of sisters as her mother laughs softly to herself. As the group goes on with happy conversation Blinkie Pie stand awkwardly in the doorway.
“Blinkie, dear will you get the blue berry pie from the oven,” Cloudy says without really looking at Blinkie though she clearly knew she’d been standing there for a moment. Blinkie nods her head and pulls a delightful smelling, homemade pie from the oven and sets it on the windowsill.
“Need anything else,” Blinkie asks softly, looking down at her cracked hooves.
“Could you set the table dear? Maud is already in the dining room setting up the center piece,” Cloudy says smiling at her youngest. The girl merely nods her head and walks to the dinning room where a long wooden table centers the room. Maud Pie is filling a vase with shiny, round rocks and a few flowers. Blinkie goes the china cabinet and takes out the good plates and starts placing them at their proper places on the table.
“Are you excited to go to Ponyville and stay with Pinkie,” Maud asks absentmindedly.
“I guess,” Blinkie says setting yet another plate down. Maud takes the answer at face value as her father, Twilight and Applejack come into the dinning room.
“Something smells amazing,” Twilight awes sniffing the air.
“Hope you walked up a hunger,” Cloudy says as she and the other girls carry the food into the room. They set it at the table and then take their seats. Igneous sits at the head of the table and smiles widely looking down across the table at all the ponies.
“Thank you all,” the stallion says. “Thank you all for coming here for Blinkie and for being such wonderful friends to my Pinkamena. It means so much to me to know she’s living life happily surrounded by people that love her. Please enjoy the food.” Everyone soaks in the warmth of the speech as the food is passed around the table. Everypony talks happily sharing food and stories and yet Blinkie stays silent.
While no one is looking Blinkie takes her plate and goes to eat on the porch alone. Out of the corner of her eye she can see a ghost image of Inkie Pie, sitting alone in her room, playing her cello, miles and miles away in Canterlot.
Author's Note
A/N: Wow it’s been a long time since I wrote a fanfiction like a really long time. Notably turning this into a comic is the main goal but with work and college and moving into my dorm I have a feeling my time to make a comic is going to lessen, so here’s a story.
The Thing About Awkward Train Rides
The Thing About Awkward Train Rides
Cloudy Quarters and Igneous Rock give tearful goodbyes to their daughters as they prepare to leave for the train station. The sun is just now hitting the horizon as the sky goes ablaze with marvelous colors. Everypony is in the brightest of moods with full tummies and happy spirits, or at least, almost everypony. Blinkie solemnly hoist her backpack onto her shoulder.
“Here,” Pinkie says brightly, bouncing up behind her grabbing her suitcase. “Let me help you with that.” Blinkie offers a very weak smile not seeming to be able to find words around the group of unfamiliar ponies who invaded her home and sent her fleeing the kitchen table to eat alone on the porch. After dinner they had all gathered in the living room to tell stories about the sisters growing up. At this Blinkie had simply gone to her room not wanting to try and find a way into the conversation only to be pushed out. Maybe she should grow a backbone at some point in her life, she thinks, or maybe it’s too late for that and she’s just going to be a tiny little stone everypony steps on for the rest of her life.
“I’ll walk with you to the train station,” Maud offers. “It could awhile before I see you all again. I have to head straight back to my research site as soon as your train leaves.”
“I’m really sorry you had to take time off your research to come home,” Blinkie says softly finally speaking up. “I didn’t mean to cause such issue.”
“It’s not an issue,” Maud reassures though her face remains its usual expressionless way. “Helping my family is never a problem.” Blinkie nods her head though she clearly doesn’t believe a word her eldest sister says. Still there is no further assurance, not that Blinkie expects it, though god knows she needs it.
“Well come on,” Pinkie Pie whines bouncing up and down in her place. “I want to get back to ponyville before the Cakes go to bed so I can introduce them to Blinkie!”
“Pinkie regardless of how quickly we get to the station the train is still going to arrive at the same time,” Twilight says rolling her eyes though she is still smiling. “We do however need to hurry or we’ll miss the train.” The group of eight ponies picks up their hooves and trot down the beaten road as the sun dips farther behind the landscape the sky’s reds and oranges turning to deep blues and royal purples as stars speckle the skyline.
They all walk in a calm and pleasant silence as the train stations lights glow in the distance and the whistle of the train calls out in the distance. When the ponies reach the train station the baggage stallion takes Blinkie’s bags and taking them onto the train.
“Well I guess we gotta get going,” Pinkie says a slight sad in her tone as she smiles at Maud.
“It was good seeing you again,” Maud smiles back. “I love you Pinkie. And Blinkie you behave for her.” Blinkie nods her head slowly taking firmly to mind that Pinkie got an ‘I love you’ from the stoic sister while she got an order to behave. Not that this is any kind of surprise. Pinkie and Maud were always very close and Blinkie had always felt in the shadow of their bond. It never really seemed fair to her but she guess there’s nothing about her that would warrant any of her sisters to have any interest in her at all. Blinkie shakes her head as she is shoved hurriedly onto the train as the conductor calls ‘all aboard.’
The group of mares takes their seat, Blinkie between the window and Pinkie. She rest her hooves in her lap and looks out the window.
“Oh man am I full,” Dash says rubbing her stomach. “Man Pinkie now I know where you get your cooking skills from.”
“Oh yeah mom is the best cook ever,” Pinkie beams. “Can I see the rocks Maud got you guys?” The five other mares pull out stones that Maud had presented them with after dinner. Rainbow Dashes is black and tints rainbow in the light. Rarity’s is a purple gem protruding from simple gray stone. Twilight’s is a perfectly round stone that sparkles pink against its natural purple tone. While Fluttershy’s isn’t something amazingly colorful, but a fossilized paw print, and Applejack’s is a deep black stone that Maud had informed her is perfect for sharping any type of tool while never dulling itself.
“I simply adore her gifts,” Rarity gushes. “Whoever would have thought Maud would be such a thoughtful gift giver!”
“I know,” Applejack says admiring her sharpening stone. “This is going to come in mighty handy.”
“Blinkie did Maud get you a stone,” Twilight ask the teenage mare who frowns and pulls a rough looking stone. The six look confused by the simple uninteresting stone compared to the ones given to them though Blinkie doesn’t seem outwardly upset by it. The young girl puts her rock away and does back to looking out the window without a word. The other six ponies looks awkwardly around trying to think of anything to say to break the silence brought on by the bland stone, but there is nothing to say. Just endless, awkward silence until the train stops in Ponyville.
Author's Note
Well I'm really sorry this one was rather short, long chapters aren't my strong suit. I also have yet to find someone to do my editing/proof reading so for now it's just me and my fiancé right now so again, sorry,
