To See Her Smile

by Striving Scholar

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Maud Pie, Pinkie Pie, Random
Length: 11472

A good friend wants to see Maud Pie smile.

Rough Cut met Maud Pie during their studies in college. After a ‘rocky’ start, they became friends and have remained close ever since. While he enjoys her company, there has always been a small trait of hers that he enjoyed seeing: her smile. He knows that it is rare, but he wants to see it as well as be someone who can make her smile...and an opportunity arises during her next visit to Ponyville.

Cover Art by: kuren247

Published 2016-03-09 03:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-04-27 16:27:44 UTC

Chapter 1: Their Meeting

“Alright everypony, gather ‘round! We’re starting the quarry assignment.” A gruff, older Earth Pony stallion in a mining coat and hardhat called to a group of younger ponies that were all dressed in similar attire for the cool weather that was plaguing their campsite in the autumn season.

The group of students obeyed and gathered into a semicircle around him.

“This may be our first research trip of the semester, but we’re still here to work in this region of the Foal Mountains,” He began and then reached into his pack to retrieve a small stack of papers. “Now, each of you have been assigned groups and have a little warm-up exercise to do today,” He explained, "Your jobs are to find a few sample specimens of rocks listed on this paper in different qualities, organize them and record your findings.” He explained as he passed the papers around and listened to the murmurs of his students. “Your results papers and specimens are due tomorrow night, which we will then move on to the other projects planned. You can get to it.”

The students all nodded in understanding and gravitating towards others who were in their groups. The instructor observed their departure until a particular student caught his eye.

“Oh yeah, just a moment, Rough Cut.” The teacher called.

Among the crowd of dispersing ponies, a dark orange Pegasus stallion with a dark messy mane, charcoal colored hooves and grey eyes poked his head up over the crowd. On his rump was a chisel with two gems and a magnifying glass cutie mark. He responded to his name being called and let out a bored sigh as he jumped into the air and hovered over to the instructor. “Yeah, sir?” He asked flatly, peeking through a messy dark mane.

“Since you were busy napping during class yesterday, you didn’t hear who you were working with, so I’ll tell you now,” he stuck out a hoof and pointed to a grey pony sitting at a nearby bench, “your partner is the mare over there. Good luck with that one...” He explained before turning back to his clipboard.

Rough Cut raised an eyebrow as he looked over and spotted said gray mare who was looking over the assignment paper while slowly moving towards a nearby rock. “I get it, sir.” He replied lazily as he gathered up his pack and walked towards the mare in question. He wasn’t interested in the assignment, but knew he had to do it to pass this class.

As he approached her, he could make out more detail about this mare from under his messy mane. She had a neat, yet dull purple mane and tail that complimented the color of her gray coat. Her eyeliner matched her mane and the frock and belt she wore didn’t really stand out either.

Rough Cut stopped beside the mare and stood quietly beside her for a moment; she didn’t seem to notice him over the assignment paper. “Hi there.” He started, trying to get her attention.

The mare looked up from the paper and slowly met him with turquoise eyes. “Hello,” she simply stated, keeping her eyes fixed on him.

Rough Cut smiled uneasily as she looked at him and cleared his throat. “Um, I’m Rough Cut.” He introduced, trying to break the ice with his new partner.

“I’m Maud Pie. Nice to meet you.” She replied mono-chromatically.

“Maud Pie, huh?” Rough pondered a moment, as he thought her name sounded familiar. He didn’t have time to ponder on it though, so he brushed off the feeling and nodded, “Well, it looks like we’re partners on this trip…”

Maud simply nodded slowly and continued to look at him. “It does.” She deadpanned as she put the paper away. “Should we head out and get to work?” She asked calmly.

“Uh…yeah, sure. So, let’s head out and find some samples then?” Rough Cut said with a nod.

“Sure.” Maud simply replied and slowly followed him towards a small area in the distance to begin their mining expedition.

“Wow, I can already tell she is going to be ‘gem piles’ of fun.” Rough Cut thought to himself sarcastically, still wrapping his head around her personality as they headed into the area to begin the task for finding samples.

***

Around lunchtime, the groups took a break and set up small picnic like areas for lunch.

Rough and Maud had found a long flat rock around their area and had set up for lunch there, munching on the assortments of veggies, sandwiches and other snacks that had been packed for the day’s trip.

Rough Cut had munched on a packed cheese and carrot sandwich as he looked over some extra rocks that had been acquired during the sample retrieval. He paused his observation to look at his partner out the corner of his eye.

Maud was calmly eating her dandelion sandwich that looked to also be filled with daisies, lilies and…rocks? *Crunch* As she took a bite, a demolishing crunch confirmed that suspicion. From the sound of it, she had incredible power in her jaw muscles.

Though Rough Cut didn’t care for the projects yet, he did think he should try to get to know his partner. Out in the field earlier, he noticed she was entirely focused on her work, more so than almost all of the other students in their entire class was, so he didn’t get to really talk with her. Now that she was more relaxed and unfocused, he thought he’d have better luck here.

“So, uh…” Maud looked up from her sandwich and stared at him. “…What are you studying for?” Rough Cut asked, trying to start a conversation.

“Geology. I’m here to earn my Rocktorite.” Maud replied before returning to her sandwich.

“Oh…that’s cool.” Rough Cut replied with a half-smile as he watched her for a few seconds and then looked away. “Pffft…ok, I might as well be talking to a rock.” He thought to himself.

“…What about you?” Maud asked a few moments later, returning her gaze to look at him in the same stony stare.

“Huh? Oh, it’s…for Ore Refinement.” Rough Cut started, surprised by her sudden reply.

“Why Ore Refinement?” Maud asked, her expression remaining blank.

Rough smirked internally at the idea of getting some reaction out of her, “Oh, I just happen to have a knack for seeing details in gemstones and stuff.” He explained as he looked over the stone in his hoof for details.

“Oh. That’s nice.” Maud replied and continued to watch him silently.

“Yeah, it is pretty cool isn’t it? I have a good eye in making sure the stones are good and look good too, y’know?” Rough continued, thinking he had her interested with the conversation.

“I see.” Maud replied.

Rough Cut was kind of expecting a better follow up and was now pretty annoyed at how hard it was to converse with her. “Wow, this is like trying to milk a rock…” he whispered under his breath as he looked back at his current sculpting piece.

“You can’t milk a rock,” Maud quickly stated, turning to face him with a calm gaze, “Rocks don’t have mammary glands, are gender-less and don’t reproduce offspring that way, so there is no need for any kind of maternal nurturing.” she explained.

Rough Cut blinked. Not only was he surprised by her correction, but also because that had to be the most words she had ever said to him since they had been paired up. He just cleared his throat and looked away, “Um...right...thanks for clearing that up for me.”

“Sure.” Maud said and then simply turned and went back to her lunch. She then took one half of the sandwich she had left and slid it towards a rock that was sitting next to her on the table.

Rough noticed this and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you giving that pebble your sandwich?” He asked curiously.

Maud looked at him silently for a few uncomfortable seconds. “This is my pet. His name is Boulder.” She stated.

Rough Cut blinked and glanced down at the rock near her hoof, perplexed by her idea of a pet. “Um…ok then…” he replied curiously and then went back to finishing up his sandwich in awkward silence.

Lunch continued rather quietly, though there the other groups were all chatting it up and getting to know one another. The only noise from the pair, came from the noises of lunch and coming by for a quick hello and to ask how their project was going.

As Maud finished her lunch, she took notice that Rough Cut was now looking over the rocks that were extras from their findings for the day. He had a chisel tool in his mouth and was chipping away at the rock as though it were a shaping stone. Since it was an extra that wasn’t part of their actual findings, she didn’t pay any mind to his work. However, after a few more seconds, Rough looked over the worked rock and blew off any stuck fragments from the finished work and set it down next to several other ‘sculpted’ works. Maud’s eyes widened slightly as she stopped playing with Boulder to look over the rocks that he had been working on.

In the small pile of rocks, Rough Cut had fashioned them into various shapes that were well crafted. One was shaped like a small sailboat, another like a star, a ball, gear and finally a small diamond with various grooves that resembled a real gem.

“You’re really good at shaping rocks.” Maud stated calmly.

Rough Cut paused from the grooves he was currently making in a piece of limestone and looked at her. “Yer, whaa abouu ii?” He asked, chisel still in mouth.

Maud looked at his work silently for a bit and gave a shadow of a shrug. “Nothing, I was just curious about the skill.” She said, “You take a lot of care in cutting the stone; I don’t see very much excess pieces on the rock.” She commented.

Rough Cut looked at the table and the half-done piece in his hand to see the pieces she was talking about and just shrugged. “Eh, yer, I doo. I’f awaysh been gerd a doin ii.” He muttered through the chisel before dropping it into his hoof to think about his next cut. “If you take care in the crafting, a rock can become more beautiful than it already is. That's the way I see it, anyway,” He stated, before replacing the chisel back into his mouth.

Maud’s eyes widened slightly at his statement, as it sounded familiar to her. Her thoughts were interrupted however, when she eyed the rock he was crafting. “Is that the specimen of limestone from our chosen sample set?” Maud asked flatly, pointing at the rock in his hoof.

Rough Cut looked from her to the rock in his hoof. He grunted and shook his head. “Don’ worra, ish on off a toshed…blegh, sample we decided not to use.” He explained, taking the chisel out of his mouth again. He then looked over the piece again and made a few more scratches with the chisel in hoof. “Come on, Maud, do you think I’m dumb enough to use a project rock for the job?”

“No, I was just checking, but that’s a relief.” Maud said. Something about him, the way he was chipping the rocks with care, the way he looked and especially with that little quip he mentioned a few moments ago, all reminded her of something…like somepony she had met before, but she just couldn’t put her hoof on it. All she could do was watch him work and find enjoyment in it.

Rough Cut remained focused on the stone before noticing her gaze out the corner of her eye. He looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Uh…is there something on my face?” he asked.

Maud snapped out of her trance and shook her head. “No.” she replied, showing no sign of emotion about her action. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.” She apologized and then started packing up her lunch remnants.

Rough Cut looked at her for a few moments and just shrugged as he too proceeded to pack up his little ‘rock projects’ and got ready to return to work. While he was still a bit put off at her stoic nature and dry attitude, but he somehow still felt like he was starting to connect with her, even a little bit. Either way, he continued on after her towards the campsite, to prepare to continue on with their assignments for the first week of being partnered together with Maud Pie.

***

The sounds of birds chirping loudly could be heard in the distance as Rough Cut groaned in his sleep. The sunlight shining in the window only aided in awakening him as he gave in to the hopes of sleep and opened his eyes. “Mmmm…” he groaned as he tiredly sat up and yawned to look around the area. He was in a cottage bedroom with housing furnishes...and a case of bedhead in his jet black mane. “Oh...so I was just dreaming...of that first day.” He muttered to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Getting out of bed, he stretched and trotted over to the open window. Shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight, he looked out across the neighborhood. With one last yawn, he sighed with a smile as he looked out across the town. “Ah...good morning Ponyville.” He mused to himself as he put his head out the window and closed his eyes.

The morning breeze felt wonderful on his fur; the birds were also chirping and the morning business of Ponyville was commencing as usual. He took the time to let himself wake up and recall the dream he was just having.

It had been a couple years since he had met Maud Pie during the class trip. A lot has happened since then with both of their lives. Since then, Rough Cut had graduated with his degree in Ore refinement, had taken residence in Ponyville and had taken up a job in the town’s mine. He had also changed physically as well; his hair was clipped to a shorter and more manageable length, he was a bit taller and was even a lot easier on the eyes.

As he enjoyed the crisp autumn morning breeze and looked around the early morning bustle, a nagging feeling invaded Rough Cut’s mind. If felt like he was forgetting something very important, but couldn’t put a hoof on what it was. He arched an eyebrow and looked back into his bedroom, curious if it held a clue.

In his room, there was a typical assortment of stuff: his big and comfy bed lay unkempt from his night before, an assortment of tools and knick knacks were around on the floor and desk and other things were around as well; nothing looked out of place to him. On the opposite wall, partially illuminated by the morning sun, was a calendar that sported a nice painted image of an autumn field with trees and wooden fences along a pathway. Below, was a typical set of numbered days, some with notes written on them...and near the middle of it, rested one marking that stood out. the beginning of the week was circled in red pen with a note:

‘Me+Pinkie, Maud, station: 9:20 a.m. :)’

Rough Cut arched an eyebrow...and then it dawned on him. A certain somepony was supposed to meet him to go to the train station to pick up her sister at the station. “Wait…where is she?” He asked himself meekly and then glanced at his bedside clock, which read 9:43 a.m.

Where was Pinkie Pie and why wasn’t he already on his way to the station???

Author's Note

Here it is, the first chapter of my first multi-chapter fiction. Thank you for checking it out. More to come down the road, all feedback is welcome and encouraged :twilightsmile:

Chapter 2: Reminiscing in Town

Two sets of hooves galloped through the streets of Ponyville. A frenzied Pink pony and an Orange stallion were running like Celestia had canceled tomorrow towards the train station.

“Come on, Cutty Putty, we’re already really late to meet my sister!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as her hooves started spinning to pick up speed.

“Don’t call me that Pinkie! I hate that nickname...” Rough Cut huffed in retort as he tried to keep up with Speedy-Gon-Pinkie. “And besides…I’m still hurtin’ from your little ‘morning greeting’...”

-ten minutes ago-

After realizing what day it was, Rough Cut dashed out of his room, tripped down the staircase and landed painfully on the carpet below. Feeling little pain in his frenzy, he quickly got up, shook himself off and dashed to the bathroom to make half-flanked efforts to look presentable.

Once in the bathroom, Rough Cut grabbed a comb and started hastily combing his messy black mane. After several quick strokes, it got caught on a knot and he had to tug to get it out. after a firm tug, it snapped out and his mane formed a balled up neat style that resembled that famous singer ‘Earnest Parsley’. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the curious style and chuckled to himself at the thought.

Several loud knocks at his door snapped him back to reality. Shooting a glance from the door to the mirror again, Rough cleared his throat, “Ahuh, huh...thank you very much, but no thanks,” he said in a deep voice and shook his head, allowing his mane to fall freely to a naturally messy style. “Eh, good enough…alright already, I’m comin'!” he compromised as he headed down the hall towards the door to greet the annoying and impatient guest.

Rough Cut trotted to the door and fumbled with the doorknob. “Hang on...hey, uh-?!” he started, only to greeted by a pink fur ball tackling him painfully. The pair tumbled backwards, Rough Cut landing on the floor and cushioning the tackler’s landing. It was Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie, who was huddled into his chest, stood up and frantically started trotting in place next to him. “Ohmygosh, I’msosoSOsorrycutty!” She started in one quick breath. “I made a lot of rock candy, it was really tasty...ate a lot of it...went to bed late...and now we’re... late for my sister!” She said frantically, taking deep breaths between words. Rough Cut wore an expression of irritation below her.

“Ugh...whatever Pinkie...thanks, but let’s just get going.” Rough Cut retorted with a groan.

“Hee, hee, sorry Cutty…” Pinkie said as she helped him up and continued to trot in place impatiently, a forced smile plastered on her face, “Ok, let’s go; We can talk more on the way!” Pinkie exclaimed as she zoomed back out the door in a trail of pink.

Rough Cut sighed and shook off his daze before galloping after her, futilely trying to keep up.

~Flashback End~

“Hey I said I was sorry! It’s not my fault I like sweet dreams.” Pinkie said with a giggle as pieces of rock candy fell from her mouth.

Rough Cut just sighed as he continued to trot after her. “Anyway…why do ya...keep using that…dumb name for me?’ He panted, changing the subject.

“Well because, Cutty…hee, hee…” Pinkie trailed off and slowed her trot to run next to him. “I make nicknames for all my friends, you know? I told you before that I think it suits you best, because you like chipping rocks and though you act all tough and stubborn, I know deep down you’re as soft and mushy as putty, so it’s gotta be Cutty Putty!” She explained with another satisfied giggle.

Her statement gave Rough Cut an idea and he smirked, “Ok then...I’ll give it a shot. Let’s see,…how about I start calling you…Pinkis Cupcake?”

Pinkie froze midair with a erratic shudder and dropped to the ground with her hooves wrapped around herself. “Ooooohhh! W-why would you want to c-call me that, Cutty?!” she asked nervously.

Rough Cut slowed down to look back at her curiously, “Well, let’s see…you’re off the wall, crazy and have a bottomless stomach for treats...so why not Pinkis Cupcake?”

Pinkie winced at each trait he pointed out and shuddered, “U-um...please don’t call me that...I don’t like that name.”

Rough Cut tilted his head with an arched eyebrow, “ ...Why not?”

Pinkie bit her lip and continued to tremble. “I don’t know…I just get this weird feeling that that’s the name of a crazy pony who would gobble up anything...even ponies...and make a mess of everything in a crazy way!” she exclaimed with wide eyes and ears drooping. “It just sounds kinda mean to have…”

Rough Cut scratched his neck uneasily; he didn’t get why she’d be so pent up about it, but decided to drop it, “Er…alright, sorry Pinkie…I didn’t think it sounded mean or anything.” He apologized and looked away.

This earned him a smile from Pinkie through pouty eyes. “It’s ok, Cutty Putty…”

“Oh, hey…aren’t we supposed to be going somewhere?” Rough Cut reminded her, getting back on topic.

Pinkie leaped in the air and gasped loudly. “Ohmygosh, you’re right! We’re coming, Maud! Arriba, Arriba, Andale!” she exclaimed before revving up midair and disappearing in a pink blur.

“Dang it Pinkie…” Rough Cut sighed under his breath before taking to the air to continue pursuit.

Up ahead, as Pinkie got out of Cut’s sight, she glanced back with a crazed expression and ominous shrunken irises, “He must never learn the truth…eheheheh...” she thought in a dark giggle before returning to normal and continuing on at her hectic pace.

~***~

The train sat idly in the Ponyville Station, the usual hustle and bustle of ponies exiting and boarding the train going as expected. Sitting on a bench near the platform, was a gray mare with a purple mane, a dull frock and a calm expression on her face. Maud Pie had arrived and sat with a familiar pebble in her hoof and a large suitcase at her side, prepared for a stay with her sister.

“I wonder where they are?” Maud thought to herself as she rolled Boulder in her hoof. Her sister said that she and Rough Cut would meet her there, but they were nowhere to be seen. Maud was a very patient mare and didn’t mind waiting, but she was a bit curious where they were as they were over twenty minutes late now and that wasn’t like Pinkie at all.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait for much longer. The sound of a particular frantic set of hooves galloping her way reached her ears and she turned her head to see a pink mare barreling towards the platform, earning some surprised expressions from passing ponies.

Pinkie Pie had arrived at the station and upon seeing Maud, her smile brightened. She slowed down and bounced up to her sister, in excitement. “Maud! You made it!” she exclaimed, wrapping her hooves around her sister’s neck, trying to hide her shortness of breath.

Maud blinked and returned the hug, “Pinkie, I’m glad you made it here. I was starting to worry that something had happened to you.” she said, Pinkie letting her go and trotting in place happily, “Where’s Rough Cut? Didn’t you say he’d be here too?” she asked curiously, looking around for a missing orange Pegasus.

Pinkie raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Of course he is, he’s right here with...me…” she pointed behind her and looked, only to realize that he was nowhere to be seen. “Uh...oopsie...I may have left him behind a teensy bit there, heheh…” she smiled sheepishly and looked back to see where he was...which was nowhere to be seen yet.

Maud simply blinked at her sister, “So how come you two were so late to come meet me, Pinkie?”

Pinkie bit her lip and smiled sheepishly, “I’m so so so sososososo super sorry, sis. Let’s just say we both slept in a teensy bit this morning.” she stated, “It was because I was preparing for some extra special surprises for us to do during your stay...and Cutty Putty was...well, just a lazy morning pony, same old, same old.” She giggled.

“I see, so he is.” Maud replied, catching a glimpse of a dusty orange Pegasus that was reaching the steps to the platform.

Rough Cut had finally caught up, was out of breath as he pulled himself up the final hurdle...the few steps to the train platform. “Ok...note to self: remember to not forget that trying to keep up with that crazy pony is futile...and exhausting,” He thought, before composing himself and walking towards the other two.

“Hi Cutty Putty! So you finally managed to catch up?” Pinkie stated, bouncing over to him, with Maud following close behind.

“Yeah, well I’m not a fast flier, y’know? Nor am I made for ‘speed’ stamina...hauling stamina maybe, but not speed,” Rough Cut retorted in irritation at her unintentional insult.

As if on cue to break the tension, Maud appeared beside them and looked at Rough Cut. “Hi Rough Cut, it’s really great to see you. You’ve gotten your mane cut? It looks really nice.” she complimented in a deadpan tone and leaned forward to pull him into a hug.

Rough Cut returned the hug with a small blush, “Hi Maud, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” He asked, pulling away from her hug.

Maud shrugged, “It has. Other than a few letters, it’s been a few months since our last meeting.” she stated and then looked over his form. “Did you get a mane cut? It looks nice shortened like that.”

Rough Cut smirked, ‘Yeah, the long ‘do’ got old a while ago, I decided to get it trimmed a few weeks back,” He ran a hoof through his mane for emphasis, the bristles and tufts springing back into place easily, “I still can’t get used to how much lighter it makes my head feel.”

“Mm...it looks really nice,” Maud replied before turning to Pinkie, “So should we go to your place to drop my belongings off before any of your trip plans for my visit, Pinkie?” she asked.

Pinkie grinned and nodded enthusiastically, “Of course! Let’s go!” she said happily before bouncing down the station steps (basically doing cartwheel poses on each step).

Maud nodded and followed her down the steps; Rough Cut watched Pinkie’s antics and just shook his head and followed behind them into the town.

~***~

“So how is your job treating you, Rough Cut?” Maud asked as they walked towards Sugar Cube Corner, “It has been a while since you told me about any possible new rock formations appearing in the caverns,” she elaborated.

Pinkie Pie listened in patiently, humming to herself as she bounced alongside and between the pair.

Rough Cut shrugged, “Nah, it’s not too much different than it was before. Although, we did find some small new veins of Amethyst, Rubies and other types of rocks in those mines,” he said with some excitement, “also, it hasn’t been that bad...except a few weeks ago when my coworkers made me dig out some of the stubborn rocks...by hoof, because they ‘forgot’ to grab the shovels,” he scowled at recalling the laziness of his friends and coworkers on his job that day.

Maud’s expression remained blank, though her eyes stayed on Rough Cut, “That’s very interesting; maybe I should stop by to inquire on some of those rocks…” she looked ahead, “I haven’t had a chance to research amethyst since it is so rare and expensive around this area of Equestria, even the ones sold for ornamental display are expensive.” she inquired, as if to herself as much as Rough Cut.

“I’ll say...and I know my boss ain’t gonna let anything happen to them on his watch,” he chuckled to himself and then looked up at the sky in thought.

After finishing his degree, Rough Cut Applied for a job as a sorter in the mines on the outskirts of Ponyville. The managers and foremen were impressed with his attention to detail and ability to sort the gems and supply, so he was hired with several other graduates who were new to the work world. The work was mentally exhausting and hard, but the pay was decent, and he enjoyed it, so it was all good.

“Understandable. So how is your family? Is your sister doing well with her baby?” Maud continued, breaking Cut’s reflective daydream.

Rough Cut nodded, “Yeah, the folks are good; working hard in the gem industry during this busy season,” he stated, before his expression turned uneasy, “As for Gleam...yeah, she’s doing good. She’s working things out and taking good care of her daughter...she’s gonna be four soon, y’know,” he concluded with a semi-happy smile.

“That’s good to hear; my family is well too,” Maud replied flatly.

“You know something that’s really, really, REALLY cool that I just remembered!?” Pinkie chimed in as she popped up between them.

A few moments of silence passed before Rough Cut cleared his throat, “Uh...sure, why not? What’s so special all of a sudden, Pinkie?”

“Well, it’s been exactly three hundred and ninety five days, four hours and twenty six minutes since you graduated, Cutty Putty! It was time for a party at some point in that day, right?” Pinkie piped as she bounced beside Rough Cut, looking at him with her head completely upside down.

Rough Cut raised a brow, “Wow, seriously? It’s been that long already?” he asked, bemused. He thought back to his graduation, which Maud and his other friends and family had attended.

“Yup! And you moved here to Ponyville two weeks, one day, four hours and twenty six minutes later too!” Pinkie continued, “you still remember that super fun awesome party I threw you that day, right Cutty???” she questioned, leaning in uncomfortably close.

Rough Cut rolled his eyes with a half-smile, “Of course I do, Pinkie...I doubt anypony would forget something like that happening…and, how funny it was to see something not go right for you, too.”

~Two weeks, one day, three hours and twenty-six minutes after graduation~

Rough Cut sat at the dining room table of his new home in Ponyville. He was surrounded by cardboard boxes and large parts of furniture that needed to be put together once he was more situated. In front of him on the table, lay a bunch of letters he had received from various ponies, including college friends, his sister, parents and even Maud.

As he sat, he rested his chin on a hoof as he looked over Maud’s letter curiously. It was mainly just her asking how he was, congratulating him again on his graduation and his new home in Ponyville, but one part near the end stuck out to him as opposed to the rest of the letter…

...I will come by to visit you and my sister who lives in town when I have the chance. Please be sure to do the same for me, when you have time, I would love to see you again.

Take care and I hope to hear from you soon,

-Maud Rock Pie

P.S. Don’t worry about finding my sister when you get into Ponyville...she stands out and will surely find you first. You may not remember her, but you will know her when you see her and will get along well.

Rough Cut raised an eyebrow and set the note aside, “I’ll know her when I see her? And what the hay does she mean ‘she’ll find me first’?” He pondered uneasily at Maud’s wording. He didn’t think he’d have to worry about anything, but it just made him warily curious.

A knock at the door snapped him out of the trance. It knocked three times, followed by a hastier set of knocks before he even had time to get up from his seat.

“Alright, I’m coming! Geez...hold your horses, heh.” Rough Cut called as he trotted down the stairs towards his impatient summoner at the door. He calmly opened the door with a partial smile, only to be met with a large blue cylinder in his face...and a pink mare with a mile-wide grin standing beside it, pressing a button. nothing happened; raising a brow, the mare tapped the side and walked around it for a bit, confused on why it wasn't working.

In the background, several crouching forms could be heard whispering among each other in the late afternoon sunlight, “Is it malfunctioning again or something?” “What’s going on?” “How are we doing this now?” “Hurry up, I want some cake…and I need to pee…” “What’s happening up there?” “Is everything alright, Pinkie?”

the mare stuck her tongue out and hopped into the cannon, her back end sticking out and tail bobbing around as she tinkered around inside of it, "Oh, wait! here's the problem! Just gotta move this little itty bitty piece here...wipe this smudge off over there...and now it...uh oh..." The mare called from inside the cannon as she felt the object start to work again...

“Uh...hey, are you Pinkie P-!” Rough Cut’s pupils shrank as he saw that the cannon started to quiver with pressure, “Oh crap, w-wait, hey, no-!” He shouted as he tried in vain to back away and avoid what was to come.

* BOOM! *

The cannon fired, releasing many strands of confetti into the air. Pinkie was thrown forward and crashed into Rough Cut. The force pushed them both backwards as he caught her in the tumble, landing in a heap against a nearby tree.

The Pink mare atop of him giggled and wobbled from the shock, “Whoops…I guess my old cannon needs some tuning, hee, hee,” she said aloud and shook her head, “Hi! Welcome to Ponyville, Rough Cut!” she said brightly, pressing her nose against his with a bright smile.

Rough Cut groaned and looked at her with a scowl, “What the hay was that all about...and what are ya all doing in my house?!” he asked darkly.

Pinkie giggled nervously and leaned back to help him to his hooves, “I’m really sorry about that; my party cannon hasn’t been firing on all cylinders lately,” she explained innocently.

Rough Cut rubbed the his sore neck and eyed said cannon, “Doesn’t it only have one cylinder to work with?” he asked.

“Exactly!” the mare explained as she quickly rolled her party cannon away and waved a hoof to the other ponies outside. With a quick curious look amongst one another, the herd stampeded into the house, shocking Rough Cut and left him to watch as they greeted him with smiles and started talking amongst each other and enjoying the party in his house.

For a moment, he was a bit put off that they were in his house without asking, but since other than the decorations for the party being hung around his freshly set up furniture and his belongings were untouched, he let it go.

“*Ahem*…you’re Maud’s sister, Pinkie, right?” Rough Cut asked, relaxing with the events going on.

The mare grinned with a gasp and nodded rapidly, “Yes I am! Oh I’m so glad you remember me, Roughy!” she said before opening her arms wide and pulling him into a hug with nuzzling his cheek.

“Er, yea, kinda…?” Rough Cut replied, unable to rack his brain for any memories he still had of Maud’s family when they were little.

“Yup! I’m Pinkie Pie and you’re Rough Cut, Maud’s good friend from college, right? Right?” she asked excitedly. At Rough Cut’s nod, she continued, “my sister has told me all about you; your looks, your background, your graduation (which this is also a party for, so it’s a super fun double party**) and even that you were coming to town!” she jumped in the air, “that made my party planning so much easier and everything,” she bounced up to him and pulled him into a hug, “It’s so great to finally meet you…I mean, see you again, Rough Cut!”

“Uh, yeah…nice to see you too, Pinkie,” Rough Cut said, trying to be polite. “So what’re ya doing in my house…and with a bunch of other ponies?” he asked, curious about the strangers in his new home.

Pinkie giggled, “Well duh, silly, it’s your super special welcome to Ponyville party for you, Rough Cut!” she proclaimed, putting her hooves on his shoulders and then waving her hoof around the ponies around the party-fied house.

“I kinda...didn’t order one?” Rough Cut replied.

“Of course you didn’t silly, I did this on my own; I do this for every pony who is new in town.” Pinkie explained as she trotted over to one of the food tables. Rough Cut followed her, “I also do birthday parties, foal showers, Cute Ceneras, anniversaries, and so much more! It’s kinda my specialty.” She concluded with a proud grin.

Oh, ok, well that’s unexpectedly interesting Pinks,” Rough Cut said as he looked around the room at the decorations in his house. He thought the decorations looked cool and it would be fun.

“Yeah, but I planned everything out in advance,” Pinkie continued, “this was an extra special one, because my sister’s best friend is coming here!” she eyed a cake that rested on a tray on the table, “that’s a special occasion, don’t you think? It means we get to reconnect and have all sorts of fun while getting to know each other all over again!” she proclaimed and then closed her eyes.

Rough Cut nodded, interested to do so…until he saw her tongue come from her mouth, coil down to the cake and in an instant: scooped it up into her mouth, swallowed it and saw her belly bonce downward from it hitting its mark. His jaw dropped and he blinked in shock, “What the-?! D-did you even taste that?!”

Pinkie scrunched her nose, “Hang on…” she smacked her lips for a few seconds, “Ok, now I do...and it wasn’t sweet enough; I knew I should have put extra bag in the mixer. Oh, well! Hee, hee.”

Rough Cut remained stunned for a few seconds but shook his head and looked around at the party in the room. It wasn’t the kind of ‘introduction’ he would have liked to his new home in Ponyville, but it was still a great party.

~Flashback ends~

“Yeah…it was a memorable experience, I’ll give you that,” Rough Cut chuckled with an eye roll, enjoying the thoughts of the past.

“You’re welcome, Cutty Putty! I promise that your next birthday will be extra, super-duper more awesome than last year’s party!” Pinkie continued as she bounced ahead again.

Rough Cut chuckled nervously, as he recalled the mishaps that happened in that one that he said nothing about and then looked at Maud, “So anyway, Maud, what classes do you have in this last year at the college?” he asked.

Maud looked at him and thought about it, “Well, this semester I have a few electives left to fill in and I also have the graduation seminar course to take as well,” she explained.

Rough Cut sighed, “Oh yeah, that thing…ugh, I hated that class, but I did manage to finish it with a B+ in the end,” he said proudly.

“What subject did you choose for yours, again, Cut?” Maud asked with interest.

“I did mine on the polish of gemstones and certain techniques that jewelry stores have to make them stand out more to ponies aside from the type of cuts that are used on them,” Rough Cut explained, remembering his topic.

Maud blinked with a nod, “That’s interesting Cut, you’ll have to finally let me read the paper sometime. I’m considering doing mine on rocks, how hard they can be and rocks that can be different levels of hardness depending on how they are formed under the ground in different areas of Equestria,” she detailed. “It’s still just a draft idea that I need to do more research on, but so far my data.” She continued and then looked ahead at a back side of a large gingerbread-like house that they were now approaching.

“Just so long, as it’s not a special project on ‘fire stones’ that Spare Change used for that one project…my tail still feels the burns that it gave me and the other ponies in class…” Rough Cut muttered at a less than fond memory he had of that finals day in class.

“We’re here!” Pinkie exclaimed as she trotted up to the back doorway, “The cakes say we can go in…but, just be careful; I may have made a teensy bit of a mess that I didn’t have time to clean up yet…” she trailed off with a sheepish smile.

Rough Cut snorted as he approached the door, “Oh come on, Pinks, I’ve seen some of the huge messes you can make, and I doubt his would be any better,” he rolled his eyes and smiled before proceeding to push open the door.

Pinkie winced with a pained grin as the door creaked open and a sudden landslide of multicolored rocks spilled out, covering Rough Cut and stopping a few inches from the door.

A spot at the top of the pile started to quiver and Rough Cut poked his head up, shook off some rock candy that stuck to his mane and spat a couple pieces out, “Ok now I see what ya meant, Pinkie,” he deadpanned at how much she had piled there.

Pinkie grinned sheepishly, “Eheh…yeah, sorry…I was still cleaning it up and everything before this morning,” she explained.

“You were making all this rock candy for my visit?” Maud asked honestly.

“Well I didn’t want to make so much! It’s just that the flavors weren’t coming out that well this time no matter what I did and I ended up making more than I had planned,” she explained.

Maud understood and glanced over at Rough Cut, “Are you alright, Cut?” she asked.

Rough Cut nodded as he chewed on a couple pieces of the rock candy still in his mouth and scrunched his face in disgust, “Ugh…yeah I’m good…and she’s right, this stuff tastes like junk, blagh!” he told them and spat them towards the bushes and wormed his way out of the pile to shake himself off. “Anyway…I say we go in through the front and just sweep the defects out the back,” he voted sternly.

“Yeah…but let’s go in the front either way,” Pinkie giggled, seeing as the backdoor was not really an entrance right now.

“Agreed. I wanted to say hi to the cakes and drop my stuff off before we headed into town,” Maud said before glancing at the pile once more, “We’ll help you clean it up first, ok Pinkie? Let’s head inside.”

Rough Cut snorted and curled his lips, “well...sure, but I just wasn't planning on doing more work on a day off, ya know? I clean this kinda junk every day at work already," he complained calmly, not looking forward to the job.

Maud and Pinkie looked at him, “Come on, Cut, we’re going to help Pinkie with the mess. It’s a really small pile, so it shouldn’t take that long,” she said with a soft sense of finality.

Rough Cut just blinked and sighed, figuring there was no sense arguing with them and followed them. With one last glance at the pile, he did see and think that it wasn’t that big, but still didn’t like it.

At the door, Pinkie opened the split flip door to let them in. Rough Cut bracing himself for another pile to spill over them, though miraculously, it wasn’t.

“You can share my room, Maud; I’ve got a guest bed set up for you!” Pinkie said and bounced inside.

Maud slowly followed her sister inside and looked back at Rough Cut, “Come on, Cut…I have some new rocks to show you once I can unpack my books,” she called warmly, waiting for him to come.

Rough Cut smiled and took a deep breath as he trotted into the house. He was glad to have more time with his friends and knew it was going to be a long and interesting week with the Pie sisters here in Ponyville.

Chapter 3: Workday and Poetry

*TWEEEEET!*

The sounding of the mines whistle signified that another work day was ending that late afternoon. Various miner ponies looked up from their tasks with a mixture of stoic and relieved expressions as they readied for this phase of the day. Many picked up their tools and headed for tool racks and equipment bins while others waited to finish the tasks they were working on before following suit.

Rough Cut smiled as he heard the bell, “Yabba Dabba…oh wait, wrong job site,” he said aloud as he caught himself in glee of finishing work for the day. He looked over his pile of mined gems to sort and took off his hard hat to wipe the sweat from his brow, “Whew...it felt like today would never end…” he muttered to himself while locking up his tools on the workbench toolbox.

Rough Cut had a job as a sorting pony, whose responsibilities included: working with the gems and stones that were mined, testing their quality and then sorting them into bins to go to their destined uses (i.e. jewelry, accents, building blocks, etc.). His workstation was fairly standard: he had his shaping tools that were used to clean up the gems that came to his table and some small metal and wooden hammers to test the quality of each piece. If they were good, they’d have a nice chime, if not, a tough clunk. He also had a set of jeweler’s eye loupe to help see the initial quality before and after they were sculpted, which was also a task that he did on occasion as well.

Stretching from sitting for a long while, Rough Cut took a glance at the rest of his station; there were numerous bits of gem and dirt still scattered around the table and two buckets on one side. He cleaned off the scraps and looked to said buckets. The one on the left was his ‘dud’ bucket, which was filled with gems and stones that failed inspection and were to be emptied into a cart to be sent back down into the mines. The other was the ‘keep’ bucket which were good products that were put into another cart to send up for processing. He picked up the half-full bucket of failed gems he had from his sorting and hefted it over to a large metal cart that contained a lot of small, cracked and choppy gems, signifying they did not pass his inspection to go out and be a fine piece of jewelry.

As Rough Cut dumped the rejects gems into the cart, the sound of another bucket tapping the cart reached his ear. Looking over, he was met by a mare with a dusty brown coat and a lighter brown mane. She set her emptied bucket on the ground and wiped sweat from her brow before looking at him with her sharp orange-yellow eyes, “Whew! Heck of a long day today, huh, Cut?” she asked in a thick Hooflyn accent.

Rough Cut shrugged with a smile, “Oh, hey Tiger Eye, yeah it kind of felt like it dragged today, didn’t it?” he replied, recognizing the mare.

Tiger Eye grinned with a chuckle, “Heh, it felt like it sometimes today…and you know it drags when the ‘water cooler’ talks here suck, too!” she continued, referring to an underground stream of running water that miners would use to refill canteens or get a drink, making it the ‘water cooler’ of this ‘office building’.

Tiger Eye, is a rough and tumble Earth Pony miner from Fillydelphia. She and Rough Cut had met during his first week on the mine job...which was a very rough start, although she eventually became friends with Rough Cut. She was rough around the edges and didn't care for conversing when she didn't want to, but that had changed in recent months and was a more pleasant pony now. Rough Cut was the first pony to see her for a pony rather than a rebel filly with all her piercings and harsh demeanor that scared other ponies off growing up.

Aside from her sharp demeanor, Tiger Eye’s most noticeable trait is her piercings and body jewelry that she wore. She had a set of 4 piercings in each of her ears, a lip ring, nose ring and even a bellybutton ring in her current possession. While it wasn’t uncommon for ponies to wear body jewelry, many weren't very attracted to various ‘permanent’ ones; most would wear clip-on styles or would just have one or two sets of ear piercings at most; naturally all of the gems for each were real. A lot of ponies found it easier to not need cleaning and other personal care, but it was all in taste. Due to safety regulations of the mines, Tiger Eye wore only a few studs and removed many of her others until after work.

“Now that’s something if that happened,” Rough Cut replied with a snicker, “So how was it down in the mines? Find a better haul than the junk your unit usually brings up?” he chided, knowing the gems on the side of the mine she works at are often not that profitable, as shown with the amount of rejected stones that came from there when he had to sort through them.

Tiger gave him a dark look before sighing and shook her head, “Nah dude, it’s just the usual rubies and sapphires in that vein. Those, or other things like those weird stones we dug up last week…” she trailed off uneasily.

Rough Cut smirked as he put the bucket beside his bench, grabbed the good gem batch and turned back to her, “Yeah I remember that…and what it did to you was hilarious,” He chuckled, earning a glare from her.

Tiger Eye just snorted and looked away, “Personally, I’d rather take on those dang Diamond Dogs that keep trying to raid our finds instead of those noisy rocks,” She grumbled, “Seriously, those idiots are the real reason we get scuffed up so much in that new tunnel area of the lower mines, you know that, Cut,” she looked at him seriously.

“Hey, you enjoy playing 'whack a dog' and you know it,” Rough Cut interjected smugly, pointing a knowing hoof at her.

Tiger Eye shot him a dark and sly smirk, and snorted, “Yeah...you know I did…” she leaned back against the cart with her hooves crossed, “So anyway, Cut...what’cha doin’ tomorrow night? Got any big plans?” she asked, “Me, Gear Grind, and some other crew members are heading to that new tavern that opened up down the block; wanna come with?”

Rough Cut thought about it, “I’m up for that, sure. What time are ya meeting up for there?” he asked.

“We were thinking maybe around six, we could meet up,” Tiger continued, before a thought crossed her mind, “Oh yeah, didn’t you mention something about your marefriend comin’ to town before?” she asked in a teasing tone.

Rough Cut blinked and blushed, “wha-? N-no, she’s not my marefriend!” he replied, flustered, “I said my best friend from college was coming and she happened to be a mare.” He defended.

Tiger Eye smiled and chuckled as she dumped Rough Cut's bucket into the good gem cart, “I know, I was just teasin’ ya,” she said with a warm gaze at him, “Anyway, why don’t you invite her along, too? I’ve only met her a couple times and…well…I think I’ll get to know more about her when we’ve got time to talk, y’know?” She suggested as she walked over to his work bench and grabbed the good gem bucket.

Rough Cut thought about that idea an shrugged, “Sure, that sounds good; I’ll ask her about it and let ya know.”

Tiger smiled and her ears twitched, “Great! Ok, me and Gear Grind are gonna be at the Whinny-link diner around 6 tomorrow night. Ask your friend and bring her along. If she doesn’t, then it’s her loss and we’ll still have a good time,” she salute-waved to him and then pushed the small cart up tunnel way and then looked back at him, “We’ll see you then,” she gave him a wink and wheeled their section's payload cart up towards the entrance before finishing her work day.

Rough Cut looked after her for a few moments and let out a satisfied snort and headed towards the locker area.

~***~

After putting his gear into his locker, Rough Cut made his way towards the mine entrance. Most of the other miners had already left, save for a few stragglers who were staying late to finish other projects.

As he rounded a corner in the main tunnel, he spotted another pony who stood silently observing a jagged rock formation along the wall. He could easily recognize the purple mane and gray fur adorned in a frock. Maud was there in the mines. Surprised as well as happy, he trotted over to her.

Hearing the echoing hoof steps coming towards her, Maud’s ear twitched and she looked back to see who it was, “Hello, Rough Cut. I was hoping you’d be coming out soon,” she greeted and then turned her attention back to the wall.

“Oh, hey Maud, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he said and smiled slyly, “What, did you come out here to see me or something?” he half-joked.

“That is part of the reason, yes,” she started as he walked up beside her, “I came to inquire about researching the vein of Amethyst that was discovered recently; you mentioned it when you and my sister the other day,” she reminded him.

“Oh yeah, I did, didn’t I?” Rough Cut replied, recalling that part of the conversation, “So…what’s the word on that situation?”

“There are a lot of words, actually,” Maud said, making Rough Cut blink, “I met with the foreman as he was on his way home a short while ago; he said that there were a few veins discovered and that he would be glad to have somepony show me around and inspect some samples from it. He also said he wanted to open up the section tunnel for more room to work in and said once it was done in a couple days, he would be glad to let me inspect it,” she explained.

“Oh yeah, I did see a lot of rubble and junk getting cleared in that section these past few days. It must have been them,” Rough Cut said, stealing a glance back at the mines before looking up at the rock wall she was gazing at so intently, “So what are you looking at?” he asked, curious about what aspect she was doting over on the wall.

“I was observing the formation of the wall and how it looks different compared to different parts of this tunnel,” she began, “this wall is well crafted and the shape is rather unique compared to the other rocks of the tunnel, this one has shapes on it,” she detailed, looking at different chisel marks up the wall from the days it was created, save for some smoothing out from time and refining work.

Rough Cut tilted his head and looked up the wall, trying to see what she was talking about, but didn’t see much. It looked like the same wall he and every other worker had passed in and out of for the entire time he had worked there. As the afternoon sun hit it, he did see some shadows that created some new shapes from the way it cast them, but to him, it did very little to change the overall appearance of the wall. His pondering was interrupted by some scribbling noises beside him and he looked over to see Maud, who was now sitting and holding a small notebook in her hoof.

Maud scribbled something down in said notebook and jiggled the pencil around in her tongue as she pondered about something.

“Find some inspiration in the wall, Maud?” Rough Cut asked.

Maud blinked, surprised by his voice and looked at him, “Yes,” she stated, “I thought of a poem from looking at the rocks and shadows. Would you like to hear it, Cut?”

Rough Cut smiled, “Sure, I'll hear what you’ve come up with,”

Maud took a breath and composed herself, preparing to do something she liked to do, “Rock, you are dark, casting shadows over other rocks. Because the sun is low, that is why, rock.” She recited in her normal, fluid manner.

Rough Cut listened intently and nodded as she finished, “Nice poem, as always Maud,” he said, “Did you have other poems that you’ve thought of lately?”

Maud nodded, “Yes. I’ve had a lot of poems created from inspiration like this since we last met. It has been several months,” she said.

Rough Cut shrugged with a half-smile, “Fair enough. Anyway, if ya want, you could show me some of those newer poems you made, later,” he offered kindly.

“Sure, I’ll show you some of it later…if you want to see it, I mean,” she trailed off, looking at him warmly.

“I’ll listen if you'd like me to,” Rough Cut replied, honestly interested in her writings…much like when he had first heard them back in College…

~Flashback: Summer of first year college~

That day's project in a"Research of Geological Purpose" class, had the class working out in the rocky upper hills of Trottingham. The subject matter of the day, was observing the proper digging techniques of finding different types of asphalt material stones and mixing them into samples of pavement and/or bricks

Rough Cut sat, taking a break and chiseling some rocks in the shade while Maud finished her set of samples on the mat they had set up for their lunch. Once she had finished, she joined him on the mat and ate quietly.

After a short while of silence, Rough Cut heard some pencil scribbles and looked over at Maud. She was laying on the grass, her pet rock Boulder beside her, with a pencil in her teeth as she wrote something into a small black notebook that she kept with her.

Maud didn’t seem to notice his gaze as she wiggled the pencil around in thought before returning it to the page and continuing to write.

Rough Cut tilted his head curiously. It wasn't the notebook she had before for taking notes and data for the research papers before, so he was curious about this. He had seen her writing before, but never knew what it was that she was writing, “What’cha doing, Maud?” He asked.

Maud finished her sentence and looked over to him, “I’m writing some poems while we have our break time,” she stated flatly.

“You do poetry?” Rough Cut asked.

“yes, I do.” Maud replied calmly, “is that a problem for you or something?” She asked flatly.

Rough Cut shook his head, “Nah, I’m just surprised you like something other than rocks…and your family, “he replied, honestly, as those were her most prominent traits that he knew about her.

Maud blinked, “Yes, I really enjoy poetry. I’ve enjoyed it ever since I was a filly,” she started, “growing up on my family’s rock farm, I became interested in writing poetry after reading a book about it. I’ve been writing ever since,” she explained with a hint of passion in her voice before looking over the poem again.

Rough Cut adjusted his mane and remained silent as Maud continued to write in her book, “Hey uh…could I hear some…?” he asked.

Maud paused from her writing and looked up at him, “You want to listen to some of my poetry?” she asked curiously.

Rough Cut shrugged, “Sure.”

Maud closed her eyes, placed her pencil down and turned back a good chunk of pages in her book, “This one, I wrote a while ago, but it’s one of my better ones,” she stated, “Rocks, these are my rocks. Sediments make me sentimental. Smooth and round, Asleep in the ground. Shades of brown, and Gray.” She concluded before looking up at Rough Cut.

Rough Cut blinked after hearing it and gave her a blinded dear look, “Huh, wow, that’s, uh…hm...” he trailed off, trying to think.

Maud looked back at her book, almost un-phased, “It’s ok, my poetry isn’t easy to understand,” she said before picking up her pencil again, “it’s fine if you don’t get them; thanks for listening anyway, Rough Cut.”

Rough Cut shook off the confusion and caught himself, feeling like he upset her, “Wha? No, no, I didn’t ‘not’ like it,” he stated, making her pause, “I’m just…taking it in, that’s all. geez, give me a sec to think here...” he assured her curtly.

Maud looked at him quizzically, awaiting whatever kind of curious answer he could possibly have.

Rough Cut looked away and scratched his chin, trying to think of the better words for it in the heat of the moment; he could tell she was watching and waiting for an answer, “Well…I thought it was pretty…abstract,” he paused, “but it had a big message behind it about rocks being in the ground…and colors and…stuff…” he trailed off, trying to piece a response together the right way.

Maud’s eyes widened slightly, “Yes, I was conveying the calmness a rock would have, sleeping in the soft soil and also with a collection of them being around.” She explained in clear detail, “Thank you for seeing what I was trying to convey, Cut, though you don’t need to pretend to enjoy them,” she concluded, “My poetry isn’t what most ponies find…understandable, but I enjoy writing them."

Rough Cut shook his head, “Again, I did like it and…” he trailed off with a sigh, “Look, I’m no poet, but I get what you’re trying to say. Not gonna lie, it's different than any other poetry I’ve read,” he said honestly, making Maud blink, “but yeah, that’s what makes your stuff interesting; it’s not like a typical formal fancy junk ya read in many books, so it’s cool to hear another version of something besides a ‘cookie cutter’ style of writing.”

Maud raised a brow, still not convinced, “I don’t think that baking cookies has anything to do with my poetry, Cut. They’re about rocks, not cutting cookies into different shapes for appealing to those who eat them.”

Rough Cut's face hit the blanket, “Yeah, I know, I meant…” he caught himself about who he was talking to, “Ok, yeah, but um…” he took a breath to think about it for a moment, “Poetry is actually very much like…” he looked around and then spotted the stone and chisel he had been using before and an idea sprang to mind, “Chiseling! Yeah, it’s like working with chisels,” he explained, holding one up to her.

Maud eyed the tool and tilted her head, “It’s like a crafting tool?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Rough Cut clarified and then picked up a small rock from his pile for an example, “See, they say you get a smooth finish to a rock if you use a no. 8 filing chisel, right?” Maud nodded, “Well, you can get the same result if ya use a no. 2 shaping-tip chisel too. It just takes a different approach to do it the same way,” he picked up another chisel for his example, “Anyway, my point is, that your poetry is good and says what you’re trying to get it to say, but you’re just taking a different way of doing it; both ways work, even if ponies don’t get what you’re trying to do by doing it that different way.” He concluded with a smile.

Maud’s eyes widened visibly and she looked at him in surprise. Nopony had ever tried to understand her poetry the way he had…yet alone, be able to use an example about rocks to describe it, “Thank you, Cut. I hadn't thought of it that way, but you have a point. It's nice to think of a way to express things in line with your talent,” she said warmly.

Rough Cut smirked, cleared his throat and rubbed a hoof across his chest, “Yeah, well, it’s kind of a knack and…stuff…even if I just think of it last second, ya know?” he tried to sound cool and said with confidence.

Maud looked at him for a moment, a small smile gracing her lips as images of a similar looking younger colt with a charcoal mane played with her back in the rock fields of her family farm, “Yes…I understand that,” she simply said and then looked up at him with more to talk about now.

The pair continued their conversation and while not very close at this point, they were slowly warming up to each other and learning more every day.

~Flashback End~

Rough Cut chuckled at the thought of that event, “Yeah…I did have a way with words…even if they weren’t really that great,” he admitted, trying to hide the fact he really hadn't planned on sounding that smart.

Maud nodded and picked up her book to put it back into her satchel before returning to the rock formation in front of her.

Rough Cut watched her for a moment and then a topic mentioned earlier came to mind, “Hey, Maud?” he asked, she turned her head to him, “I was wondering…me and a couple friends, you've met them before, were going to head to a new pub across town tomorrow evening after work…and I was wondering if…” he hesitated nervously, “if you’d like to join me- us for dinner there?” he asked with a smile.

“Dinner with your friends?” Maud asked.

“Yeah, if ya wanna anyway…I know you don’t like too much social stuff with other ponies if you don’t want to, but I just thought I’d offer,” he assured her, understanding how she was.

Maud shook her head, “No, I’d be glad to go,” Rough Cut’s ears perked up, “I don’t have a problem with any of your friends, Cut. It’s Tiger Eye and Gear Grinder, right?” She asked and he nodded, “Sure, I’d love to go to dinner with you.”

“Awesome! It should be a fun time. I mean, I haven’t been there so I don’t know if the grub’s any good, but yeah at least we’ll have company,” he said in relief that she wanted to go.

Maud nodded and picked her satchel up, “Yeah, it will be. I am about done here for today; do you want to head home? Pinkie said she was making a special surprise for us when we returned.”

Rough Cut nodded, but then winced at the implication, “Well…I just hope she’s not trying to ‘experiment’ with any ‘special’ dinner recipes she thinks of…that last one a couple months ago was not a good one…” he trailed off as they left the mines together.

Maud chuckled a grunt and shook her head, “Don’t worry, she isn’t experimenting, just cooking regular food,” she told them as she walked beside him closely. "Are you ready to go, Cut?" she looked back at him with a warm smile in the setting sunlight.

Rough Cut froze in place and his heart beat faster as he looked at her. She looked very nice in the sunlight reflecting off her eyes and a genuine smile gracing her lips. It was a smile that was rare to see on her face; in the several years he had known her, this was a rare treat...and one he would never tire of seeing if he could.

Maud's smile disappeared and she tilted her head curiously as he didn't respond, "Rough Cut, are you ok?"

"Huh?" Rough Cut shook his head and cleared his throat, "O-oh, yeah, sorry. It's good that she's making regular grub this time," he said with a sheepish smile and trotted up next to her. Maud just blinked in response and continued walking together with him towards Pinkie's place together. He just hoped that the surprise was good food this time at home as well as the dinner being tasty and enjoyable.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading the this latest chapter everypony. I hope you are enjoying the story so far and I'll have the next chapter ready in the near future. Look forward to it :rainbowdetermined2:

Again, all feedback and comments are welcome and appreciated to help me continue this story as well as others in the future :twilightsmile: