The wind blew across the humid, air, where the Pie family residence stood. It was a rock farm that not only, was their home, but also their workforce. They worked day and night; day after day, night after night.
Outside, on the front yard of the farm, were the Pie sisters: Maud Pie, Marble and Limestone Pie, and Pinkamena Diane Pie. All were a sort of a dull purple and grey color scheme. All except for Pinkamena, whom, even though she was dull as well, she was an immensely different color all around. Her fur was a dull shade of pink and her hair, although a darker shade of pink, was also dull.
Each of the Pie sisters’ long straight hair was flowing through the breeze. They were trying their best to do their jobs, moving rocks from field to field; harvesting the rocks. Every single gust of wind seemed to be getting stronger with each blow.
Sometimes the wind blew so strong to the point where they had to bring their forehooves up toward their faces so no dirt could fly up and get into their eyes. Made working on the farm a little harder at times.
“Eh, why is it that for the past few months, 99.9 percent of the time, whenever we try to harvest the rocks, there’s always some kind of horrible weather,” Limestone asked.
The rest of the three sisters looked at Limestone before looking at each other. They tilted their heads, not only in confusion, but also in wonder.
What has been with the weather lately the past few months, they all thought to themselves. Whenever it wasn’t windy, it’s was raining. Whenever it wasn’t raining, it was the terrible heat of Celestia’s sun. This was the main reason why the Pie family hadn’t been selling their rocks very well.
Their attention was quickly cut short once they heard the sound of somepony whistling. A light brown stallion with a short grey mane had his hoof in his mouth, blowing with all his might. His eyes were closed, becoming tighter as he blew.
“Girls, come inside. You’re mother and I need to speak with you,” he said.
The four young mares nodded. They ran as fast as they could toward the house, not wanting to get anymore specks of dirt in their faces. As soon as each of the mares got inside the little house, their father, Igneous Rock Pie, closed the door behind them.
Igneous Rock Pie and his wife, Cloudy Quartz, stood before their four daughters. They carried serious, yet, worrisome expressions on their faces. The stallion was the first to speak.
"Well," he began, "I suspect that you've noticed the...," he trailed off, not sure of how to continue the sentence. "...lack of sales due the very harsh weather over the past several months."
All four young mares nodded in sync. "Yes, dad," they all said in unison.
"Well, um... You see, if we don't get sales going up soon," he said, his face scrunching up, showing that he didn't want to say what was about to come out of his mouth. "...We'll lose the farm."
The four sisters' eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
Igneous put his forehooves up in defense. "Yes, I know, I know. But without making any money from our rocks, we'll lose our home," the stallion stated.
His wife took a step forward. "However, we've come up with a solution," Cloudy Quartz said.
"And what's that," Maud asked, in her usual monotone voice.
Their father and mother looked at each other for a few moments before turning back over to the girls. "An arranged marriage," they said finally.
"A WHAT," they all shouted in unison.
An arranged marriage? Which one of us is going to end up getting married, each of them asked themselves.
“To the son of one of my very good friends,” Cloudy Quartz informed them. “He is a very successful stallion with a lot of money under his fur.”
“We’ve talked to him about it, and he agreed,” Igneous said. “He has already chosen one of you for his bride.”
Each of the mares moved their heads from side to side, looking at each other.
“A-and who would that be,” Marble asked, swallowing a lump that seemed to be caught in her throat for quite some time.
Their parents said nothing for a good minute or two. They just stood in front of them, staring them down. The suspense was killing each of the four sisters. None of them were liking the idea of an arranged marriage. Marrying somepony you didn’t even know just screamed misery. Maud, Pinkamena, Marble, and Limestone snapped out of their thoughts when they noticed their mother was about to answer their question.
“Pinkamena,” Cloudy Quartz said, finally.
Pinkamena’s eyes widened. “M-me,” she asked, coming out as a sort of a whisper.
Her mother walked toward her, placing her hoof on her shoulder. “It’s to help out each and every one of us,” she told her.
The pink earth pony didn’t know what to think at the moment. She needed some time to process what she had just been told.
The mare walked away from her family, her head down and a still shocked expression on her face. Her hooves could be heard from each step she took on the stairs, making her way up to her room.
“An arranged marriage…” Pinkamena said, a bit of bewilderment still in her voice. She was laying on top of her bed, her head hanging over the edge. Strands of her long straight hair was touching, even laying on the wooden floor. Her hooves were clutching a pillow against her ribcage.
“An arranged marriage,” her sister, Maud, repeated after her. The light purple earth pony sat on top of her own bed, watching her best friend still trying to process over the news.
The pink mare flopped over on her bed, now with the pillow underneath her stomach. Her eyebrows furrowed together whilst her hooves lay on top of one another. “An arranged marriage,” she said once again, only more in disbelief. “An arranged marriage! Wha-” she exclaimed. “Marriage?! Now?! I can’t get married now. I’m only sixteen.”
“Look, I know you’re upset,” Maud said, her blank expression not changing.
“I’m not upset,” she responded. “I’m just… caught off guard…”
Maud took this time to get off her bed and sit next to her sister. Pinkamena then decided to sit up beside her so she could talk to her properly.
“I know you probably don’t want to do this.”
She gave her best friend a somewhat of a glare. “Oh, I know I don’t want to do this,” she corrected her.
The emo-like pony, put her arm around her sister, trying to give her some reassurance. “Alright, so you don’t want to go through with this. But, think about what mom and dad said: ‘It’s to help each and every one of us.’”
Pinkamena thought it over for a few moments. “But I don’t even know him,” she said.
“Well, you’ll get to sooner or later,” Maud said, in her deadpan voice.
“What if he turns out to be a jerk?”
“If he’s the son of one of mom’s good friends, then he can’t be,” she responded.
“And if he is?”
Maud’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed together, her usual blank expression becoming protective. “Then he’ll have to go through me,” she said, her voice now showing a hint of their father whenever he’s looking out for one of his girls.
Pinkamena laughed at her sister. She embraced her best friend into a hug. As soon as she did, her face immediately went back to its blank expression.
Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz sat in the kitchen. They have decided to let their second oldest flesh-in-blood have some time think about what the two of them had told her.
“Do you think this is a good idea,” she asked him.
Igneous hesitated before answering. “What choice do we have?”
She gave him a sly smile before looking down at the kitchen table. His laid his hoof on top of hers, squeezing it gently.
“If we don’t do this, we will end up losing our home. Do you want us to end up on the streets?” His wife shook her head. “I’m sure the girls wouldn’t want to either. Pinkamena’s going to have to agree sooner or later.”
As soon as he said that, the sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs could be heard by the husband and wife. The two of them turned to see none other than Pinkamena.
She stood in front of them, not saying a word. For a few awkward moments, no pony said a word. Igneous cleared his throat. “Yes, Pinkamena?”
The pink earth pony took a deep breath. “I thought about what you’ve said.”
The two of them looked at each other. “And...?”
“And…,” she began, “If it’s to help us keep the farm, and keep sales going…,” the mare trailed off, hesitating once more. “Then I accept.”
Both her mother and father’s eyes widened in shock. She’s accepted? That was sooner than we’ve intended. They both got up from the table and walked over to her.
“Thank you, my dear,” Cloudy Quartz said.
Pinkamena gave them a little smile. “So, who will I be marrying?”
Cloudy Quartz held one hoof up in the air, intending for her to wait a moment. She went to the next room over to grab, what looked to be, a photograph in her mouth. Pinkamena took the photo in her hoof to see a blue unicorn with a poofy, curly mane and tail.
She noticed that he was wearing some kind of expensive clothing. A red formal coat with a white ascot underneath. The coat seemed to show off his cutie mark: some kind of balloon animal.
Pinkamena had to admit, he was pretty handsome. "What's his name?"
Her mother looked at her father before answering her question. "His name is 'Party Favor.'"
"Party Favor," she thought. It suits him... I like it.
Igneous Rock hesitated before he spoke. "And you will be meeting him tomorrow."
Her blue eyes widened, almost fainting once she heard what came out of her father's mouth.
