Equilibrium

Chapters

Moving in (Reworked)
The First Task
Meeting Maud (Reworked)
Sleeping Over

Moving in (Reworked)

The doors of the steam-driven train just swung open. A gray mare with a charcoal colored bob cut jumped off all by herself. There was a streak of lighter gray in her mane up front. Her scarlet red eyes monitored the strange new environment around her with an angered stare. This 'station' that was apparently her destination wasn't used at all. After all, it was nothing but a piece of platform by the rails. A smaller dirt road led through the barren and gray wasteland of dead trees, the only possible way she could go.

She grabbed the handle of her pack by the tail and got going as soon as she could. Not even thinking about her baggage or her black dress being a dusty, she strolled down from the concrete towards the unknown. All she knew that by the other end of this forest lied a smaller, rural facility running under the name of the Pie Rock Farm. What pies and rocks had in common she had no clue, but she didn't let trivial questions bother her. She was to reside there with three other researchers along with who already live there.

The little bumps and overall rough surface left plentiful of scratches on the already used package, but it was nothing new or serious for her anymore. As long as it held itself together, Lignite could care less about the looks. This was especially true about her dress which's originally long skirt was torn shorter. It was more comfortable this way. Leaving the forest, a smaller, just as deserted clearing welcomed her. One surrounded by an old wooden fence. Dislocated and about to fall apart in few places but it did the job well in marking the premises of the old house on its other side. Beige walls, wooden pillars and a straw roof, it fit the ran-down nature around for sure.

As she circled around the fences towards the gap did she notice how lifeless this whole place is, if not downright abandoned. She was not the one turning back just because this, but instead, this just raised her curiosity even more. Was this really that farm? The rocks were there, that was certain. She was to find it out real soon.

~~~

Lignite finally made it to the door. Sounds of ceramic clinging against one another was heard, as well as several hoofsteps. Yes, somepony was definitely living there. She banged on the door like someone who had no more patience, awaiting an answer.

"Yes?" a brown stallion with a black hat and a grey beard answered. He sure was very serious and cold in his voice, exactly like Lignite was.

"Good afternoon. I'm Lignite. Here for the excavation." the mare responded just as coldly.

"Igneous Rock." the stallion introduced himself, as the two shook hooves, each having quite the grasp on one another. Lignite was pretty impressed by this point, most would have been shown at least nervosity because of her blood red irises. Yet Igneous didn't even move a muscle.

"Come in." he added, turning around and showing the way. The house was just how she expected. Beige walls of loam, moss green wooden furniture, ragged, old carpets. The whole place had the 'grandmother's house' feeling to it, especially with that fireplace. Two other mares were chatting inside, but they both stopped as they saw the stranger coming in. One of them had a darker bluish gray coat with a similar bob cut of opal. The other had a light grayish blue color along with a straight, almost completely gray colored mane. The former had the cutie mark similar of hers, a stone with yellow veings, while the latter had three little pebbles on her flank.

"I suppose you might be the other researchers." she greeted them, raising one of her hooves as she introduced herself "I'm Lignite, nice to meet you."

The two looked at one another from the corner of their eyes, as if they wouldn't understand her.

"Actually, they're my daughters, Marble and Limestone,." Igneous added from behind "The others shalt be here soon as well."

"Marble." the darker maned spoke up, accepting the hoofshake. However, she looked quite startled regardless, Lignite could see the fear in those amethyst eyes.

"I'm Limestone." the other one greeted her in a more serious voice. She wasn't as scared of her though, it was seen and heard from that cautious and suspecting look. Trying to mask her fear, maybe, Lignite thought.

"You can just leave your things here, we don't enough room for five of us anyway." Limestone pointed it out after noticing the newcomer still holding onto her luggage. With that, she laid her hoof on the back of her sister and lead her upstairs "We got to go back and clean up in our bedroom.".

Lignite just nodded and took a better look around the living room. On her very left was a wooden door with a jittery window. On the right, somewhere in the middle was a fireplace. It was unlit now, but had a plenty of wood in it placed there on top of the ashes. The fireplace was just in front of the old red sofa by the other side, the rug in between them located in the middle of the room. By the back, stairs led upstairs. Next to it lied a smaller shelf full of newspapers, followed by another red sofa that was smaller, but still lasted to the corner of the room. In the end, she decided to leave it between the fireplace and the small sofa. She rolled it up there and laid it down on the ground, laying down her tired body on the couch.

As she crumbled her skirt up to make herself more comfortable, she heard a door open. It was a mare with pale coat and a light blue mane she wore in a bun. However, her most eye-catching features were her gold-rimmed glasses that were curved to lay very low, almost in the line of the nose. Such things had been out of production since ten years ago.

"Oh, greetings. Thou'rt the volunteer, correct?" she asked. Her voice was strict and orderly, though reflecting her old age, much like her speech.

"Yes. Lignite." the guest introduced herself once again. She didn't go for the hoofshake this time, just admired the mare from a distance. For some reason Lignite was quite fond of her style. Maybe the glasses, maybe that black, white-checkered collar around her neck, she couldn't put her hoof on it.

"Cloudy Quartz." she replied "Sorry for not coming, I hath to finish the dishes first."

"Oh yes, that reminds me," Igneous added as something popped into his head "if thou want to stayeth here thou mote help around the house, understood?" he demanded, his wife giving gentle nods by him.

"Yes, this not a hotel, this is the least thou should do now that Maud arranged thine stay here." Cloudy topped it with similar, cold orders.

"Maud?" Lignite asked back. Great, yet another name to remember. She didn't mind the household chores, at least she had something to do in the meanwhile. Though all this information dump was a bit too much for her. She already forgot which one was Marble and Limestone of the two.

"She's our other daughter beside Limestone, Marble and Pinkamena. She traveleth around Equestria as a rock researcher." Cloudy explained with visible pride, the motherly kind. Lignite started to put it together now. So she was to work with here with the Pie family and this Maud mare plus one pony at the excavation site. Quite a busy schedule, but it was exactly the reason she was here... and the coal, of course.

"So, Miss Lignite, where art thou hailing from?" Cloudy asked as she sat down on the other sofa. She was staying for quite a while so it was natural to at least open up to her. Igneous just followed her wife, but didn't actually choose to talk, only listen. Cloudy was much better at talking to guests.

"Manehatten. I run a jewelry shop there." she explained in her usual, somewhat irritated voice. Yet on the inside, Lignite was amazed. Cloudy wasn't afraid of her glare either, for some reason. What in Equestria made these ponies so resistant to something of this caliber was a complete mystery to her. Not like she was bothered by that, of course, she was glad she found somepony that didn't break down in shivers when looking into her eyes.

"My, that sounds interesting. This explains why thou appliest here. There be many jewels in the rock ridge nearby." Cloudy responded, trying to act interested to have the gray mare open up to her a bit more. She needed to carry this conversation on as much as she could.

"I only work with jet lignite, but supplies have been running quiet short recently." Lignite explained, her voice not changing one bit, up until a sigh broke free from her throat. For the first time, her almost weapon-grade glare broke and turned into a more melancholic look towards the lower left corner of the room.

"Jewelry made of coal? I mean, can they... catch on fire?" Cloudy asked, visibly disturbed by what she heard.

"No, of course not. They are coated with a polish that doesn't let it happen. Question is how many of that is out there on the site." the gray mare responded, trailing off in her thoughts for just a moment. Soon she noticed it she turned back to her normal self, this time with a question.

"How much do you know about the excavation?" she asked as if she'd interrogate somepony.

The wife and the husband looked at one another, hoping for either of them to come with a better response before Cloudy decided to answer.

"Just as much as thou knoweth, really. Somepony foundeth a piece of a pre-Nightmare era relic, and that the place is swarming with diamond dogs. That's all we wert told."

A frown grew on Lignite's face along with an audible hum. No new information she could get from them, it seemed. As such, she didn't waste any more time with them. That ancient english they used started to get on her nerve.

"Mind if I take a look around?" she asked.

"Oh, no, not at all." Cloudy responded, as the question took her by surprise.

"Thanks." Lignite answered, standing up, brushing off the dust from her dress, then making her way towards the stairs. The wood rasped under each of her steps the way upwards, so much in fact she tried to climb it as lightly as she could. The whole thing sounded like it was to collapse under her. The stairs were quite steep, but within a few seconds she was on their top.

An undecorated, narrow corridor welcomed her from her right, with two jittery glassed doors on the other end, plus one right in front of her. Since that one was the closest, she decided to look into that one first. She strolled over to the door, and without any sign of care, twisted its knob to open it.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you." a voice warned her from the right.

"Marble!" a scolding whisper was heard just afterwards.

As Lignite turned her head that way, she saw the two sisters watching her from the left doorway by the end. Yet, while Marble looked slightly worried, Limestone shared the same angered expression the guest did. Though the door was opened just a tiny bit, Lignite took a step back and shut it the way it was.

"Why not?" she asked.

"That's our parents' room, even we aren't allowed to go there." came the quiet explanation from Marble. Strange enough, but Lignite respected that, and headed towards the other two that was left. She found it best to look around now so she knows where to find things, just in case.

"I suppose the last two is your room, then." Lignite said, walking through the empty corridor towards the room on the right, opening it without interruption.

"That's Maud's and Pinkamena's." Limestone pointed out, clearly implying Lignite shouldn't just brake in there either. It went pretty much unnoticed, however, as the guest was already in the next second.

The room followed the same scheme as the other ones. Simple lumber furniture, grayish-purple old walls of loam and overall lack of color, except for the pink blanket. A bunk bed was placed by the left side along with a large wooden chest. Next to it, just in front of them was the window, and on the right were a desk, mirror, wardrobes and shelves. Still, that off-pink blanket on the lower bed was weird. It was tucked in so well, its vibrant color just popping out of the depressing environment.

"I suppose this is Pinkamena's?" she asked. No answer. Curious, whoever was that pony sure was different from the rest. Very... pink, most likely. Just what did it all mean, that was the question. She was very interested in this Pinkamena figure now everypony brought it up, yet she herself was nowhere around. The room itself didn't have much more to it so she found no reason to stay.

Turning back, Lignite made one last comment.

"I suppose I'm not allowed to take a look at your room either?"

"That's right." Limestone replied, much to Marble's shock. Lignite and Limestone eyed one another for a couple more seconds. The tension between them was tangible, they weren't to get along well that was certain. Marble shied away and just let it happen, resenting with the thought she could not do anything. She just hoped it would stop soon. Several ages passed but Lignite broke contact and left the room, leaving the two of them behind her. Marble tried to follow her, but was stopped by a gate of her sister's hoof. She obeyed and let the mare go, watching her take the stairs back down.

~~~

Minute by minute, Lignite could feel her blood reaching its boiling point again. Fine, if she could not find out more about Maud or Pinkamena now, she'll do it later. Why, she might even ask the parents about the two. Yet Cloudy and Igneous were nowhere in the hall by that time. The only things that were left to check were the bathroom and the kitchen, but she could guess where those were now.

"I go take a look outside."

Again, no answer. She didn't care, just huffed and ripped the door open, leaving. She needed to chill off before her anger could take control over her. Only then did she notice the tall windmill and the even taller pantry by the side. Not having anything better to do, she thought she might as well get a better look at them too.

The windmill was made out of nothing but wood. Its wooden pillars dry and rough, yet still firm enough to hold the whole thing together, at least for a while. Part of its propeller atop, though, was broken down entirely, making the whole thing unable to spin, but rather just do some awkward wiggle.

"I should have repaireth this long ago, if not mine back." the voice of a stallion noted from behind her "Lignite, here a couple bits, stroll down to Ponyville for some yeast, please." he asked, handling over three golden coins.

"Sure." Lignite replied, then put the bits away in her mane and took the way towards the old gates. She didn't ask any questions, just let the flow of the events turn out as they desired. She had more than enough time and she wanted to take a look around Ponyville anyway. Maybe she could even calm down on the way.

Igneous watched her stroll away, not turning back at him once. He felt somepony's hoofsteps from behind himself, but he didn't bother to turn back. He knew well who it was.

"Do you think we can trust her, Pa?" Limestone asked, joining the stallion in keeping an eye on the newcomer.

"We shalt see if she passeth the test first." Igneous replied, turning back and taking the way back to the house.

Limestone, however, kept her eyes on Lignite for just a little longer, until she faded into the forest entirely. Something was not right about that mare.

The First Task

It took roughly twenty minutes for Lignite to arrive to the small town. Though this was just a guess purely based on her instincts, as she had no watch with her.

The dead wasteland faded into green clearings, the green clearings then faded into apple trees. It was a whole forest of them behind the wooden fences, a gigantic orchard. A red barn was seen in a distance, standing atop a smaller hill. Lignite has never seen or felt a thing quite like this before. Compared to the concrete jungle she grew up in this was completely strange to her. It's been ages since her hooves last walked a road made of nothing but dirt. It felt so natural, different but in a good way. Strolling down the hill she finally arrived to her destination.

A small stone bridge arced over a stream, leading into the town center. The houses were mostly all the same, yellowish white loam and straw roof, usually with two floors. Exception of that was the enormous Town Hall in the middle, of course. It was a circular shaped building with two floors and a red, bell shaped roof. Pillars made of wood held the platforms in their place. Ponies strolled up and down on the streets, in pairs or small groups mostly, talking and just having their times. The town wasn't all too quiet, albeit not as noisy as Manehatten. It was a mystery how this was named 'Ponyville' and not 'Ponycity' or 'Ponypolis'. It was way too large for a mere village, though too small to be called a city as well.

Finding a general store was Lignite's main aim at that moment. However that was a lot more difficult than what she counted for, and after some time of aimlessly wandering around, she had to admit that she was lost. Eventually, she ended up in what seemed like a marketplace. It was but a simple street filled with stalls on each side of the road, the perfect time to ask somepony. She was not fond of this at all, whenever she could, Lignite preferred to do everything by herself. The other ponies avoided eye contact with her too, and she knew well the reason. The eyes she used to get an edge ahead the competition now backfired.

She sounded a loud groan with her teeth shown in their full glory, just adding fuel to the fire. She kept on stomping down the dirt road in hopes of finding a place, mares and stallions both giving her way or staring at her from a distance behind their booths. A couple moments later did she spot a very different house made of... gingerbread? She turned that way to take a better look. Yes, it indeed was a gingerbread house, how strange.

If this was not something food related she had no clue what it was then. At the least she can get a clue where the yeast is. She had to give it a try, she was given a task after all.

Approaching the building a small sign with large curly letters caught her attention in the window. It read 'Sugar Cube Corner' with a big 'Open' under it. A catchy name, she had to admit. Soon she stepped through the wooden saloon doors, though, she collided with somepony else.

It was a pale yellow pegasus with an pink mane long enough to almost sweep up the floor. She mumbled something that Lignite could hardly hear over the noise of the place. It looked like some kind of restaurant, rather than a store. There were a couple tables here and there filled with the townsfolk discussing things. Sometimes a tall, yellow stallion with a plate of sweets appeared from behind a door, carrying the goods on the tail. Their voice tried to outdo the others', and the whole thing blended into an obnoxious, almost unbearable noise.

Out of the mess, Lignite's ears picked up something from her left. It was the little pegasus again, but Lignite could make no heads or tails what she was trying to say. Her eyes jumped at the mare who flinched back in fright, then back to the crowd. Her breathing became more and more severe, her teeth show itself once again, and her muscles started to itch.

"Shut, up!"

A stomp with the power of an earthquake shook the floor, along with the last word echoing through the building. Products on the shelves jumped collectively from the shock. The busy building went almost completely silent, only some frightened whimpers sounding from time to time. An unmoving body on the floor with eyes wide open would have been oddly fitting.

Clouds of steam erupted from Lignite's noses with a loud huff. Then she turned her attention away from the watching crowd back to who was ahead of her.

"So, what do you wanted to say?" she asked the pegasus, her voice irritated but now much less loud.

"I-I'm sorry, just c-could you please move out the doorway?" she begged with the most awkward smile and a look filled with fright.

"Sure." Lignite replied, taking a gentle step to the side to give way to her.

"Thank you." sounded the reply, as said pegasus snuck away though the path. Then once she felt she was out of the other pony's field of view, she blasted away with a speed that made Lignite's skirt, mane and tail linger like she stood in an autumn wind.

Great, now with that dealt with she could continue. Her eyes targeted the counter, and the pink, poofy maned pony behind it. Poor thing swallowed hard, shaking. Her pupils shrunk smaller and smaller as the gray mare approached. Her stomps were louder and louder with each stepped until she reached the counter.

"Can I help you with anything?" the pink pony mumbled, trying to mask her fear behind a smile but to no avail.

"Do you know where can I get some yeast?" responded Lignite, her question sounding more like an order.

"Yeast? Yes, of course. Just a second." the shocked mare answered, turning around and running into the room on the other side of the door to get some. Lignite's ears started to catch whispers from somewhere in the room, to which they responded to with a twitch. They rotated around trying to find a source, but the sounds ceased to continue.

Just a couple seconds later, but the pink one already returned with a tiny block of yeast covered in a shining, brass colored wrap. She carried it in her mouth before dropping it on the counter. Lignite reached to the back of her mane and took out three coins, placing them on the counter afterwards as well.

"Is this enough?" she asked, receiving a couple quick nods in return.

"Thanks." she said, taking what she came for and - as if nothing would have happened - leaving the place at once. Her steps were shaking the floor like tiny earthquakes as she departed with rageful elegance.

"What a barbarian." noted a white unicorn, Rarity, once the earth pony in question was far away not to hear it. Yet for some reason, she looked extremely familiar. She was sure she have seen this mare somewhere.

Life started to return to normal, as the ponies continued on their talking, just a couple first, then more and more. Though despite the threat being away, they were much quieter than before.

"Are you alright Pinkie?" a second one, Twilight Sparkle shouted over to her friend behind the counter. Pinkie Pie nodded, yet did not speak. She was still traumatized by the event, one could see on her face. Twilight and Rarity stood up from their table on the other side of the room. They walked over to her to avoid the need to shout.

"Did you see her eyes?" Pinkie's menacing whispers flooded their ears, as she pointed towards one of her own irises.

"Her eyes were not my issue, but did you see that dress?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant," replied Pinkie as she shook her head "Those eyes were full of anger and hatred. This much anger." she gestured by stretching her two legs as far as she was able to. Though in Pinkie's mind that was still an understatement.

"I've never seen somepony so angry before in my entire life." she added, returning back to her fours.

"She possibly was just having a bad day. Who knows, all she might need is just a bit of cheer-up." Twilight said.

No response. Absolute silence filled the little group, awkward and clueless. It took Pinkie Pie a couple seconds to realize what Twilight was implying.

"Uuh, I don't know if I can handle negativity of this caliber Twilight." Pinkie confessed with an anxious look on her face.

The unicorns look at one another in shock. Was Pinkie Pie just giving up before even trying? Such thing was unseen from her, not even Rarity saw this happening before. The town's main party maker whose goal in life is to make everybody smile, leaving somepony with a black look? That was a unexpected.

"Then let us help you with it." Twilight suggested with a heartwarming smile, placing her right hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.

Pinkie, though afraid still, but was ever so grateful inside that she had friends like this. She nodded with a small 'Okay', then left the counter to ask Mr. Cake if it is okay for her to leave for a little. Though Twilight and Rarity could not hear them, the nodding of the tall stallion implied their pink pal is good to go.

"Okay girls, let's find her." Pinkie shouted, determined and joyful once again.

"Good. I wasn't to allow to let anypony roam around in such atrocity anyway." Rarity added with a coy smile, a sign of her mind working on some devious plan.

One after another, they left the Sugarcube Corner in search of the grumpy gray newcomer. The sight of Pinkie hopping after such thing reassured the faith in Twilight. Nothing was better than seeing her friend being her own self. Still, her mind couldn't help but construct one emergency plan after another, in case something goes downhill.

Lignite was not very satisfied. She was most likely late, and she was mad, the whole ordeal took a lot more than what she expected. She could recall passing the little stream when coming, it seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity to wash her face and cool off a bit. The now familiar tower of the Town Hall was her guide towards there. She kept her eyes glued to it, her mind drifting away in the waves of melancholy.

Ponyville was nothing like she imagined. All she hoped for was a tiny, quiet settlement where she doesn't need to worry about the stress. A place where she can live without her 'issues'. Yet all she got was a mini-Manehatten.

She saw the bridge from next to the town hall now, and after a few moments, she saw the water too. She climbed down the steep ditch with great caution until reaching the stream. She was desperate for something like this, something cool and refreshing. Lignite immersed her front hooves into the flow that was just as perfectly cold as she imagined. She took out as much water as her hooves could handle and rubbed it all over her face. The contact, though slow, was still unpleasant, almost hurtful due to temperature differences. She let out a heavy exhale, as after the first inconvenient moments, the sensation was delightful as ever.

"Hi!" a squeal broke her silence from her right. Lignite jumped from fright, her ears slapping against her head for cover.

"Saw that ugly frown on your face before and I thought I might help to turn it into a big, good smile!" she shouted, taking a red balloon into her mouth. She reared up while inhaling, and blew into it as she fell back to the ground.

Mid-way, though, it slipped out of her mouth, resulting in the plastic blob breaking lose. It circled around like a startled fly in the air, until it crashed right into Lignite's forehead with a splat.

The mare flung her head and hooves around, trying to get the sticky thing off her face. The balloon did not hold onto her for long before dropping to the ground, allowing her to wipe off the remaining spit from her forehead.

"Uh, whoopsie." Pinkie mumbled, her mind and body fogged once again by the fear.

Lignite's furious groans and teeth revealed themselves once again. Her throat itching to let those blood-curdling screams of her out once more. Out of nowhere, however, two other ponies shown up.

"Leave her alone!" the mulberry one shouted, descending from atop the crest, rushing to block the path between her friend and the stranger "She wanted no harm."

"Can we talk this over like civilized creatures?" the second, ivory colored added, climbing down with a whole lot more caution than her friend.

"Sure, whatever." came the angered reply, as Lignite turned back to the stream for some more water.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Pinkie and Rarity," Twilight started "What's your name?"

The stranger sat down, wet her hooves and cooled herself off once again, having the others wait a couple seconds for the reply.

"Lignite." she said. She didn't bother to turn towards them, instead, she took a bit more of the stream to drink.

"We haven't seen you before, where are you from?" Twilight carried on the conversation. She was desperate not to awaken the dragon but she knew well she was playing with fire.

A loud exhale later did Lignite respond "Manehatten."

Rarity's eyes shot open from the surprise, she knew she could take this to her advantage. Somepony from Manehatten, the city of fashion, surely could give a few tips on what is the new 'in'. She just prayed it wasn't that thing on Lignite.

"Well, I suppose a big city pony like you definitely has a fine sense of fashion." she complimented, trying to bury her lie under as much sugar as possible.

"Was this some kind of joke?" Lignite said, her volume climbing once more.

Rarity was petrified, her mind trying to come up with something but without success. She considered herself lucky that the mare was not finished there.

"I don't care for fashion. I got this dress a couple years ago and it still does its purpose just fine. Though I got to rip off the skirt because it was a tad to long."

Rarity frowned, but shown a whole lot less signs of her irritation. She could not tolerate such unspeakable crimes against dresses, no matter how simple or extravagant.

"Then allow me to fix it up for you, free of charge." Rarity offered. After all, the only thing that dress needed was a clean cut and some ironing. She could afford that, right?

Lignite raised one of her eyebrows in curiosity "And what's the catch?"

"Oh there is no catch, darling," Rarity replied, gesturing a couple small waves with her right hoof, then placing it on her chest "Trust me it's for the sake of good will."

Lignite's expression did not became any less suspicious, yet she went into the deal regardless.

"Alright." she said, standing up and allowing the unicorn to lead the way.

"Wonderful! This way, please." Rarity shouted with a satisfied and joyful smile. She strolled back up to the road to head to her boutique. Then out of nowhere, the realization hit her. Of course, she knew now, this was the mare she saw on the train last month, when its engine broke down. She was that angry conductor.

"But make it quick, will you? I should be getting back to the farm already." the mare demanded.

"Don't worry, it won't take more than a minute." Rarity reassured, being prim and proper as a lady, though it was a matter of time for how long.

The bells of the boutique rang up as the door slapped them. Rarity's shop was quite unlike the ones Lignite got used to in Manehatten. It was a round and airy building full of elegant curves, instead of being a chunk of a block stuffed with rows of clothes. It was a lot more distinct and better, almost canterlotian.

"Just hand me over the dress and leave the rest to me." Rarity said, her horn charging up with a beautiful light blue aura as she reached for her tools in a distance.

Meanwhile Lignite slipped out from her black cloth, and folded it together, letting the magic take it away. Twilight took the opportunity to get a look at her cutie mark, only from the corner of her eyes. It appeared to be some kind of dark rock with a couple searing hot veins in it. That noted, she turned back her attention to the other unicorn before Lignite could notice her. Rarity didn't need no table, for she could work with ease by levitating everything.

"Don't worry Lignite, Rarity is the best tailor I've ever met." Twilight reassured the gray mare, seeing her face still wielding that angry scowl. That didn't help, either.

They were running out of ideas and Pinkie's hopelessness started to affect her expression. All they could do was watch the seamstress working. Rarity stretched out the skirt, and with the help of her measure tape and scissors she cut down the torn end. She carefully measured the length of different points again and again, occasional chipping away a bit of fabric until she was pleased with the outcome.

"That is done, now just one more thing left." Rarity narrated, levitating an iron and its desk out of a room on the other side. She set it up, turned the machine on and began ironing out the dress with swift yet precise moves.

"A bit here, a little bit here, and done!" Rarity sung with joy "Here, try it on. I'll bring the mirror for you." she added, hovering the fixed product back to its owner. Lignite slipped into her still warm dress once again, checking its new style at her rear. Now the skirt was only long enough to reach for the top of her tail. Yet aside that minor thing it didn't feel any different for her.

"Well, how is it?" Rarity asked after rolling an enormous mirror in front of Lignite.

"It's good." the other one answered, no change in her voice or emotions whatsoever. She took a peek from the front and the side, but it was anything but a careful, all-around check.

"If you're not satisfied you can tell me and we can figure out something." Rarity offered with her voice trembling from the fear of her work being unsatisfactory.

"I am satisfied, don't you see?!" the reply boomed through the room like a thunderclap, shaking everypony around to the bone.

However, soon as the fear took hold on them, Lignite laid her heavy head into her hoof with a hurtful sigh. She didn't keep it there for long, just allowed herself to take another breath before letting go.

"I'm sorry." she whispered, her voice different, barely even sounding like hers anymore.

"You come up to me, not even knowing me, fixing my dress and I treat you like this. I have no words for this." she confessed, sounding weaker and weaker with each word.

Then, in a blink of an eye a regretful cry blasted through the room as she smashed one of her hooves against the floor. The others retreated once again, approaching her with even more caution as she was volatile.

"Is there anything we can help with?" Twilight asked.

"Just... having a bad day, that's all." Lignite replied, covering her head resting in one of her hooves again, as if she'd had a headache "If you don't mind, I really got to go back to the farm. I'm sure I'm late."

Lignite sighed as she returned onto her fours, making her way towards the exit. The bells rang up once again as she opened it, but she looked back for one last word before leaving.

"Thank you very much, Rarity. Feels good to know there are ponies out there you can trust." she said. She turned around and strolled away, without a word. She looked so hurt, depressed, and on top of all, frustrated. Lignite was quite clearly ashamed of herself, that must have been what angered her.

Twilight and company just watched her go before Pinkie snapped them out of the stasis with her cheerful bouncing.

"You did it, Rarity! You did it!" she shouted "She didn't smile, but you at least made her day better."

"I don't know, it seemed more than just a simple bad day for me." the skeptical Twilight noted as she scratched her jaw.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about that dress anymore." Rarity added with a satisfied grin growing on her face "Reminds me I should clean up the mess back here."

"Yes, I also need to look after something." Twilight added. With Pinkie having to back to the Sugarcube Corner as well, all of them knew it is time to part ways.

"See you girls."

"Ta-ta!"

"Until next time."

Rarity put her right hoof on her chest and allowed the afternoon air to fill her lungs, then leave with a relieved exhale. This was quite a scare. She was most glad she helped out somepony this desperate for some positivity, yet on the other side, she was happy Lignite was gone. Now, to rid the hall of the black scraps of fabric.

"Hey! Rares!" a familiar shout trashed her peace, a voice just too well-known not remember to "Did I just saw Fury Nancy leaving from your shop?" an unicorn with a coat of pale mustard asked, her mane short with two shades of purple.

"Yes, Agate, you did. Her name is Lignite, however." Rarity responded, emitting a slightly irritated aura around her.

"Oh gee, I hope she didn't break havoc in there. I heard she is not working on the trains anymore because she could not take the heat." Agate told her, breaking out in small chuckles afterwards.

"Get it? Heat?" she laughed, poking a bit the side of her friend, who was rather unimpressed by the bad pun.

"Yes, I got it. Though it begs the question what she is doing around here." Rarity wondered, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. She could only hope that by 'the farm', Lignite didn't mean Applejack's farm. Though for a second thought, she had this sick desire to see that farmer suffering with taming her at work.

"Anyhow, would you like some tea, darling?" she asked, disregarding the topic and turning back to her friend. Agate just shrugged as usual, she had time, and she never refused the company of her friend before. Rarity stepped out of the doorway, and with a gentle wave, she let the smith in first, before following her. The sound of the bells was heard once again, as she closed the door behind them.

Meeting Maud (Reworked)

Lignite's hooves shook the ground on the way back, one after another. Though it was not cold concrete, the continuous unwilling stomping pained her limbs regardless. Her face shown none of this pain, but her usual anger if not more. At least she didn't need to hear the occasional sweeping sound the dress made.

She saw the Pie sisters in a distance, smashing rocks into pieces one by one, overseen by their father. Marble took down the rocks from a cart, aligning them into their correct position for Limestone to hit. It looked like some sort of karate lesson, but with huge rocks instead of a plank of wood.

"I'm back." Lignite shouted, passing by the gates. She didn't wait for the questions, instead, she already reached for the yeast. Soon Igneous got a couple moments to grasp the happenings, Lignite threw the brass colored block towards him.

The yeast flew in a large ark yet Igneous didn't reach to catch it, just watched as it hit the ground. A corner slightly deformed from the impact, followed by a couple flips before the yeast stopped.

"What was this?"

"Thought you're going to catch it."

"Pick it up!" the stallion roared. The mare took her time, she strolled over to the product, picked it up, then like nothing have happened, handed it over to the stallion. Yet, while Igneous was furious, this hardly had any impact on Lignite.

"Don't let me see thou doing this again." the scolding followed, along with a tiny grunt. Frustrated, he took his way towards the cottage. Lignite took one more second to look at him before disregarding the incident and getting back to her business. A huge slam perked her ears up as Igneous shut the door behind himself. He got mad quickly, though not beating the gray one in her game. Not yet at least.

"Hey, new girl! Be so kind, help us out a bit." Limestone shouted in her usual, bossy manner.

The reply was anything but unusual, "Sure."

Marble pushed down another boulder from the wooden cart that landed with a huge thud. She hopped down, rolling it a bit further until its completely flat side was facing towards them. She reared up and held onto it, not letting gravity drop its end back.

"Guess those little city hooves can break this?" Limestone teased her, doubting her strength with a sadist look on her face. A look that pierced into Lignite's eyes and proceeded to crawl all around under her skin. Limestone was best not provoking her.

"Try to hit it in the middle." Marble advised, tapping the target point with a hoof, while keeping the other end of the rock standing and still.

Lignite crackled her hooves and let the itch pass into them. She was to prove her strength she built up in all her life so far, with the help of her own anger. A second later, the lock broke apart. Her mind and body was possessed by the pent-up hatred, like a controlled forest fire. A shriek blasted out from her mouth as she reared up, striking down on the hard, cold boulder with a powerful punch. Like mere glass, it cracked all over the impact's place, extending rapidly to the sides before collapsing into its fragments.

Marble took a step or two back on her hinds before coming back down to the ground again. Her pupils like peas, she reached to her chest with her right hoof after such jumpscare.

"My, you might be even stronger than Maud." she said in utter awe, approaching the mare who were massaging her hurt right hoof. She sucked the air in between her teeth, groans and sighs leaving afterwards.

"Don't exaggerate, she was nowhere near her." the grumpy Limestone replied, acting rather defeated after witnessing this display of power.

"I think she was close." a third, unknown voice commented from behind. A grayish blue mare in a frock was watching them, approaching by the fences. She had a faint purple mane styled similarly that of Twilight's.

"Maud!" shouted Marble as she jumped over the low fence for a shortcut and wrapped herself around her neck "I was so worried, why didn't you write anything?"

Yet despite all the positive emotions that rained down on her, Maud remained surprisingly calm. She didn't show any emotion at all either when supporting her little sisters head against her neck.

"We don't have a mailbox."

Even her voice, so flat and lifeless. Yet, there was some odd charm to it for Lignite. She couldn't tell why, it was just there.

"Good to see you, Maud!" Limestone added, joining but keeping herself and Lignite behind the fences.

"Agreed." Maud responded, yet as she spotted the stranger behind her sister, her lowered eyes widened just enough to be notable "Who are you?"

"Lignite, I'm one of the volunteers for the excavation." Lignite introduced herself, stepping forth and reaching over the fence for a hoofshake.

It took Maud a second of deadpan staring at the limb before she accepted it. They gazed into one another's eyes, and what Lignite saw inside...

...what she saw was nothing. Maud's grasp was growing stronger, even more so as a burst of panic took over Lignite that weakened her body. There was absolutely nothing inside those pupils, no matter how hard she tried. Just space, cold and black void all it was. For the first time in her life, Lignite was actually scared, frightened even. She could not read her. How?

Then it stopped. Maud let go of her numb hoof, which Lignite had to massage a bit before putting back down again. She had quite a grasp, no doubt.

Limestone turned and made her way down by the fence, the others following her on both sides. Maud and Lignite stayed slightly behind the two sisters, a chance for some inquiry.

"So, two of us are here, where is the third wheel?" Lignite asked.

"Scrapper is sick." Maud answered. She kept her sentences short and simple, most likely not the talkative kind of mare. Maybe those questions can wait until they grow together a bit more.

As they left the last fence behind the group of four took their turn towards the cart again.

"Need some help with the rocks Limestone?" Lignite asked, making the mare burst out in a sound of utter disgust.

"Ugh! No thanks, we can handle. Why don't you and Maud discuss your excavation business in the meanwhile?" she said. Lignite huffed at the gesture, the more she was around that mare the less she liked her.

"Sure."

Maud and Lignite looked at one another, a slight spark of surprise in both's eyes. Did they just said the same thing at the same time? Strange. Maud took the lead as they split up, taking Lignite towards the backyard. They let gentle blows of the breezes whisper in their ear with each small step, after all Maud hurried nowhere. They passed the windmill, then the pantry, arriving yet once again at a row of fences. On the other side of the fences was a field full of rocks, dead trees and even more rocks. All set up in front of a pinkish orange wallpaper.

Maud passed by the end of the fencing, a small, open slot between the final wood and a large bush. It was just big enough to have a pony slip out between them. A pony without a dress that is. A twig grabbed the skirt on Lignite, holding onto it like a filly to her mom. She groaned, backing up a bit in hopes of it letting go, but to no avail. She reached to her skirt, biting into it and with a confident move, tugging it out of there. A small sound of a tearing fabric echoed in the silence, as the twig ripped the tiniest of a cut into the lower part. She disregarded it and carried on. Soon as Lignite caught up to her again she decided it is time to talk already.

"Do you know what this excavation business is all about?" she asked.

"Research team found stones used to build houses in the age before Nightmare Moon. Maybe a village was built there." Maud explained. That was not much, but at least Lignite saw the full picture now.

"I see." she replied. Then the silence again.

"I'm so bored." Lignite sighed "Is there anything you can do on a farm like this?"

Maud hummed a bit, then lied down on the ground, set her frock a little bit to make herself comfortable, then took a pebble out of its pocket.

"This is Boulder." she said, throwing it down on the ground. For a couple seconds, Lignite just stared at it with baffled eyes, until Maud decided to answer her unspoken question "He's my pet rock."

"You sure like rocks." Lignite responded, her eyes slamming into the right corner in disbelief.

"Mmhmm."

Maud took the closest rock on her right, then slid it next to Boulder. She picked up another one with her tail behind her, passing it along to her hoof. She laid it down on the opposing side.

"Want to build a rock fort?" she asked, noticing Lignite's bewildered expression.

"Sure, why not?" came the expectable answer. Lignite cared not about her dress being dusty, she laid down as well, fetching the rock closest to her and putting atop another. Maud then added another rock to the pile. The bricks were hastily put together, allowing the air to linger in between them. The bigger it became, though the harder it was to maintain its balance.

Lignite took another small rock and placed it atop the slanted brick, though making it stay in its place was difficult. Either to the left or to the right but soon the hooves released their grasp, it started moving.

Like an angered lion she groaned, louder and louder with each try until the rock chose to fell inwards, making the entire building collapse on top of itself.

"Curse you!" she roared, stomping on the ground.

"It's fine. Let's try again." Maud calmed her.

Lignite rest her head down on her hooves with a sigh "I'm sorry. Just frustrated a little bit."

"Something wrong?" Maud asked, picking the ruins of the fort apart, except for the base.

"It's just, a bad day." Lignite said, putting another brick into the fort. Her head started to feel so heavy again, but she tried her best to hide it.

"Hm?" the curious hum was heard, though Maud was paying more attention in keeping the balance of the sediments she was working with.

"Trouble with the trains, then Ponyville, then that pink little freak with her balloons."

The castle crumbled upon itself. Dead silence filled the air as Maud laid the rock down on the ground, slow as ever. Her eyes penetrated Lignite's in a manner never before. Chills went down Lignite's spine as she stared into the void. The void that stared back at her, freezing her body from the inside out.

"That was my sister."

The realization hit the gray one like a train. Suddenly, it all added up now. It was clear as crystal. Pinkie, Pinkamena, how could she not figure it out? Her mouth opened, trying its best to come up with a word but not even air could leave it. She was choking, her mouth closed itself and her throat swallowed hard. Her eyes locked on Maud's who didn't even blink since.

"It's okay, you probably didn't know." Maud said, looking away and sparing her partner.

Lignite however, insisted on the apology, and now that she had the chance she took it "I'm sorry.". She sighed, her face returned into the hold of her hooves as she confessed.

"I have a couple issues with my anger, the stress of my last job and the city is tearing me into shreds."

Maud gave up on the castle, her attention all focused itself on Lignite. She leaned closer with a curious hum.

"I used to be a firemare on a train, shoving coal into the thing all day. It was hot, dirty, stressful and worst of all, neverending." Lignite said, getting her head up from the ground again.

"I see." Maud responded, her voice seemingly indifferent as always. However, Lignite knew that is not the case, she could see it in her eyes. She could see it now, all of it. Those eyes blue as ice that calmed her raging fires. Maud was so understanding, a wonderful listener. Lignite was not afraid to pour her heart out to her.

"They told me to try being a ticket inspector instead, that was the point I noticed I have problems. I quit, I just couldn't-

"Maud! Lignite!" a third voice interrupted from the side. Marble, engulfed in relief now that she finally found them paced up to them from the farm.

Once she arrived she continued more quietly "Dinner is done.".

Maud stood up, brushing the dust off her frock, then reaching into the pile of rocks. Lignite followed her actions with an audible, grunt-like sigh.

"Come Boulder." Maud picked up her inanimate friend, stashing her in a pocket of her dress as the three headed back to the farm. It was getting dark and cold now, the Sun's last trails illuminating the west, while the east succumbed to the night completely.

"Lignite?" Marble asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm, uh, sorry about Limestone. She... doesn't trust new ponies very much." she apologized, shying away behind her mane, her face red from embarrassment.

"Yeah, I noticed." Lignite replied. Marble didn't speak a word from that point, just fell behind her two fellows who made their way back to the farm. She felt as if they were angry at her, though she knew that it is not the case. Hopefully.

The sisters weren't most talkative, Lignite deducted that. Maud was emotionless, Limestone was distrusting and Marble was reserved. Pinkie was the pink sheep in the bunch. It all added up now.

The kitchen of the house followed the same scheme as the rest of the house. Round, wooden chairs surrounded the big, rectangular table. At the two shorter sides sat the stallion and mare of the house, while the others all took their places by the longer sides. Lignite and Maud sat on the right, Marble and Limestone on the left. The table had spoons, forks, knives and dishes, antique ware with beautiful flower motives. Yet all but food was found.

They all put their hooves, lowering their heads as their eyes shut, with Lignite's exception. It took her a second of baffled gazing to join, before Cloudy could finally begun her prayers:

"Celestia, thank thou for raising the Sun and growing our corps. We art in your eternal gratitude for this meal."

A moment of silence fell upon the room, before they let their hooves down once again. Cloudy stood up and brought the oatmeal to the table. Lignite hid her confusion behind her usual anger as much as she could. These outlandish traditions were just all too new for her to understand, but so long they were mere words she could handle them. She only hoped that things will not getting any crazier.

Sleeping Over

Lignite's wish for something average was not granted with that dinner, that was certain. Heading up the stairs one by one after washing her dishes, she still felt the terrible after-taste in her mouth.

"Didn't I tell you? There's no room for you up here!" Limestone's raspy voice roared at her.

"She can stay in my bed, I'll sleep in Pinkie's." Maud retorted in her usual emotionless manner from the front of the pack.

"Uh, alright, fine." Limestone responded, dissatisfied but respecting the choice of her older sister before continuing her way up to the narrow corridor upstairs. Though before opening the door to her and Marble's room, she still handed out an advice.

"But keep an eye out for her."

Not whispering, or hinting any form of subtlety, she just plain said it right next to Lignite herself. She was, without a doubt losing her temper, and Lignite felt the same. For now though, they got some space apart from one another. The group separated, each pair returning to their rooms at once.

Closing the door behind her, Lignite tried her best to just shake off everything that frustrated her. If only it was that easy. Maud took off her frock at last, revealing something underneath that somehow didn't come as a surprise for Lignite. Her cutie mark was a rock, just in the shape of a diamond. Being fond of the idea, Lignite did just the same, she took off her black dress.

Maud also gazed at her cutie mark, for an awful long as well. Enough for Lignite to 'feel' it too.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Your name is Lignite, but cutie mark is a piece of anthracite. Anthracite has a higher ignition point than lignite." Maud explained like it was basic math. It took a couple seconds of bewildered stare for Lignite to get it. As interesting of 'fun fact' it was it didn't really bother her. She just sighed instead.

"This is all so weird and different." she said, climbing the ladder up to her bed that was no different on that either. She never slept on top of a bunk bed before, she could only hope she won't turn out and fall down from that high above in the middle of the night.

"This place, these foods, these ways ponies talk... this bed." she whined, lieing down on her back "You've been traveling Equestria, you understand it, right?"

"I do." was the reply.

Short, but for some reason these two words were enough to give the gray mare some relief and peace in her mind. It felt great to have someone listening to her. She felt calm by Maud, she didn't know why, but she did. Such an alien feeling, but it was just a mere drop in the ocean at this point.

"Don't fall asleep yet, you got to take a bath too." Maud warned her, pacing over to the wooden closet on the other side of the small room. She opened it and took out a simple, white towel with her mouth. Then, she carried it back to her bed, shutting the closet's door with a fling of her tail.

"The oldest goes first, but since you're new you'll be the last." she explained, laying the fabric down on her bed for the time being.

"You got rules for everything, don't you?"

She didn't answer that one, just picked up her towel once more and headed towards the door. Though her being the oldest didn't surprise Lignite, she placed her little personal bet on Limestone being the oldest, with Maud only close second.

"One more thing! Maud!" Lignite called her out before leaving "Thanks."

Of course, her mouth was too full to answer. Instead, she just replied with a slight, coy smile that she flashed for a mere second before closing the door. She... smiled. Lignite laid back on her bed. The picture of that last smile kept lingering in her mind. Maud was virtually emotionless when they first met and now she's smiling? Could she go through the same thing as her, just in inverse? She didn't know.

The night sky have covered everything under its blanket now, and for once, Lignite could see the stars. She turned around, resting her head on her hooves as she admired them. Never have she seen them this clearly before, the lights of the city made that impossible. And then, there was the moon, out in the open for all to see. There were nothing that could cover it from her eyes, no sky-high buildings or statues. It was just her and the wonderful, peaceful scenery. She loved it. As strange as the whole ordeal was she felt she could get used to it in a flash. In fact, she'd love to live in a place like this, far from the noisy, busy city.

Three loud knocks broke her peace, before the door opened.

"Hey!" Marble greeted her "Mind if I come in?" she asked, quiet and scaredy as usual.

"Sure, what do you need?" Lignite replied, her voice more tame and gaze much lighter than before.

"Oh, you know... just coming to talk a little." she responded, almost sung, as she stepped in, her eyes looking everywhere but towards the mare.

"Mhmm." Lignite hummed.

Awkward silence. Marble tried to come up with a question behind her long mane, a topic that might be of her interest, something they might have in common, anything. It didn't take but a couple seconds and the stress was visible on her. Her eyes shifted back and forth, she smiled awkwardly, sweating, shaking beneath Lignite's stare.

Then something came up.

"You have any hobbies?" she asked, a mighty big rock falling off her heart.

"Not really." came the answer, followed by another period of silence. That didn't work. There had to be something else, and Marble's nerves were set on overdrive to think up something new.

"Ma told me you live in Manehatten, what's your house like?" she asked, that uneasy smile still on her face.

"Ah, you know, just a regular flat like everyone else has." Lignite sighed, looking away, clearly wishing to avoid this topic as it was brought up at the worst of times.

"Oh, a... flat house." Marble responded with a small, artificial giggle.

"You know, a flat." Lignite repeated, before the realization hit her "You haven't seen a flat before, have you?"

Marble did not answer, she returned covering half her face with her mane. Only a tiny 'um' left her mouth.

"You've never been to a city before at all?" Lignite added, receiving a slight head shake from the mare.

"Have you never wished to see the world a little bit?" Lignite asked some more, raising her eyebrow in curiosity now.

"W-well, I do, kind of, but Limestone says the farm needs us." Marble mumbled back, her voice turning rather melancholic. Poor girl, Lignite thought, being boxed in here through her entire life and being so afraid to speak up for herself.

Wait...

Lignite's ears perked up, her shrunken eyes gazing into the void for a mere second. She jumped off the bed, landing with a huge thud before rushing towards the door. Marble panicked, her eyes shrinking and she gasping loud "Wait!". But the other one ignored her, stomping through the room and almost ripping out the door.

Nothing. Her angry eyes monitored the corridor on both sides but to no avail, nobody was there. This was fishy. A girl like Marble would no way just come over like that, unless...

Just as she was to close the door, noises caught her attention. The creaking of the stair and loud hoofsteps signed Maud's arrival.

"Your turn Limestone." she said aloud, but still in that emotionless way of hers. The door on the other side opened, revealing said mare with her towel on top of her back.

"Thanks Maud." she said, passing by her and heading towards the stairs. Lignite took a step aside to let her roommate in, but before closing the door, she took another look at Limestone. A look that didn't go unnoticed. Turning down towards the stairs, Limestone repaid the favor. Her furious gaze met with Lignite's just for a blink of an eye before she disappeared behind the wall.

"Hey Marble, need anything?" Maud asked her sister as she headed towards her bed.

"No, I was just to go anyway." she excused herself, heading for the door and leaving in a hurry.

Now it was just Lignite and Maud once again, and the former was not happy one bit. Limestone didn't trust her, that was alright, but to use her sister as a... spy? What was this, war?

"You might want to speak with Limestone about the matter between you too." Maud advised, folding her towel into a neat block. A loud, almost grunt-like "Eh?" left Lignite's mouth in response. She couldn't even decide what shocked her more, what Maud knew, or what she said.

"Her trust is hard to earn, but she'll be a good friend once you do." she explained.

"And how do I do that?" Lignite inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Ask her about that." came the answer.

With a blink, Lignite's expression changed from curious to doubting. Just walk up to her and ask about it? Seems too simple, suspicious even. She was not questioning Maud's intentions of course, but she had a hard time believing that. Of course, it would come in handy, teamwork will be a must when working out on the fields after all. She will give her one chance, just so she can say she did, but she wasn't expecting positive feedback on the matter. If anything, she'd just add another name to the long list of enemies.

"Want to play something?" Maud asked as she opened a small chest next to the bed full of toys "Marble likes long bathes."