Equilibrium

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.