Equilibrium

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."