Chapters Bleak, dismal.... boring. Pinkie-pie scuffed a hoof against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dingy gray dust and particles of stone. She'd been so enthralled with getting a cutie mark, with discovering her special talent was spreading happiness... but it had all ended so quickly. After the celebration she had thrown to surprise and delight her sisters and parents, everything simply went back to the way it was, only now she was a pink spot newly decorated amid the shades of gray of her life. Her mother and father had returned to their daily grind of hauling stone and she and her sisters were delegated to the smaller fields where the rocks were only half their already minuscule size.
“I want to play....” She mumbled to herself, plucking at her explosive curls of hair with a hoof and snorting noisily.
“Pinkie!” She heard her sister Inkie call out in dismay. “Hurry up, I don't want to have to be out here all day.” Pinkie bobbed her head quickly, Inkie was always the most abrupt of them, and the strongest of the triplicate. Blinkie was the pretty one, and Pinkie was well... pink. Pinkie glanced back at her current quarry and sighed, it was heavy... but they all were, heavy, gray blocks that weighed down her body and her mood. Why didn't anypony want to have another break of the monotony and have some fun?
Day passed to night and quite exhausted Pinkie wandered back to the family home, trailing in the wake of her sisters... how did they always have so much energy? It seemed like they were growing stronger lately and her own stamina was waning, especially lately.
“Hey Pinkie.” Blinkie Pie lagged a bit until she was walking at an even pace with her sister. “Want to play Dragon Tile?” Pinkie's head dropped low as she shook it from side to side, she really wasn't in the mood, or rather she was... but she was too tired and she just wanted to sleep.
“Sorry Blinkie, maybe tomorrow.” Blinkie eyed Pinkie oddly but Pinkie didn't notice her sister pause as she continued inside. Maybe tomorrow things would be a bit brighter, maybe the grays wouldn't be so... so gray...
It was chilly, even with sunlight streaming brightly through the glass panes of Rarity's bedroom. Grumbling at the blatant rudeness of daylight interrupting her beauty sleep; it was imperative to get at least ten to twelve hours for maximum effect after all, Rarity tugged her blankets until they covered all but a tuft of her violet mane.
“Ra~rity!!!” The high trill of her mother further disturbed the young filly and with a great huff of agitation the blankets flew up, alight with bright blue magic.
“Whaaaaa~t” Rarity wailed back, scrubbing her muzzle on the back of her foreleg she inwardly bemoaned her loss of obviously necessary beauty sleep before slumping out of bed. Using her magic to neatly fold her blankets at the end of her bed she trotted easily to her dresser and mirror. Levitating a brush she proceeded to preen herself, it would take extra effort without the additional sleep, but she would have too make due.
Downstairs, Pearl maneuvered the kitchen expertly prepping breakfast while her mate settled himself on the table bench and read over the latest headlines in the Ponyville Post. Rolling her eyes when she heard Rarity shifting about she returned her focus back to her cooking.
Rarity made her way downstairs only after making sure she was presentable. A delicate scarf wrapped about her neck to ward off a bit of the early morning chill, it of course, had to be 'in' as far as fashion went, she couldn't be seen in anything less after all. Glancing back at her flank, she smiled happily at the triad of blue diamonds, she could just imagine them sparkling when she walked. A slight hiccup of a gasp erupted unintentionally when Rarity remembered something important... very important.... no! Exceptionally momentous! The grin on her face spreading almost impossibly wide she hurried towards the kitchen. Excited at the prospect and thought of what she might find.
The first few steps past the doorway into the room her parents occupied was not a complete disappointment. The smell of honey-wheat pancakes and syrup was thick and heady and Rarity's stomach growled ferociously at the scent. But the few moments for her mind to catch up with the reality of the absolute... normality of the moment brought her to a standstill.
“But...but...” Rarity spluttered, blue eyes widening in dismay. She took a step back, shaking her head briefly.
“Rarity, come over here, breakfast is just about ready.” Her mother gestured her to the table distractedly as she used both magic and hoof to get breakfast made.
“but-”
“Looks like the Stampeding Bulls are going to the championship this year.” Her father observed blandly from behind his paper. “They won 14 goals to nothing. That Stronghoof fellow is certainly turning them about quick from last year.” Rarity gaped at her father, and then at her mother. Her ears folding down as her head slumped forward and she walked slowly to the table. Her mother hummed a nonsensical tune as she set the table, planting plates of pancakes in front of all of them and tutting while using her magic to remove her fathers paper from his field of view.
“Its time for breakfast, you can read that later.” Her father rolled his eyes fondly, but eagerly set about devouring his meal.
“Don't you know what today is?” Rarity mumbled, pushing her plate slightly with a hoof.
“Hm... what was that?” Her father asked swallowing a mouthful thickly. “What did you say?” Rarity stared at him in disbelief, turning to look at her mother.
“Mother?”
“I'm sorry dear, what was that?” Rarity almost fell against the table, tears gathering in her eyes. She burst into a sobbing wail and bolted from the room. Her father watched after her with an arched brow and looked to his mate.
“Such drama.” Pearl chuckled at his observation and they both turned back to their meal. Assured that Rarity would calm down and come back, they did not notice when the plate remained untouched and the upstairs was silent of a woeful filly.
Hauling stone after stone never became any less dissimilar from the last cycle. Pinkie tired of the repetition after the first rock. The harness she was wearing that day was biting through her short fur and her hooves ached. She'd dragged herself through a game of dragon tile with Blinkie the night before, but enjoyment hadn't come. Even before she had her cutie mark she'd always enjoyed spending time with her sisters outside of the work they had to do. How could her cutie mark be spreading happiness if everything was so drab and empty... how could her sisters, her parents not want anything more than dragging boulders and stones for the rest of their lives?
Groaning with exertion, Pinkie dug in her hooves, attempting to drag a boulder a good half a size larger than herself. It was the last one she had to do, but it was so big. Why did she even have to do this, what end did it serve? Who did it make happy? Certainly not her... and not her sisters who were struggling with their own loads, not her father whom she had only ever seen smile that singular time, and her mother was the same... what joy was there in this? Pinkie's thoughts echoed tumultuously, her ears folding back as her eyes shut tight. Willing her mind to clear, she stopped moving, dropping to her front and covering her head, whimpering softly.
When it finally dimmed, Pinkie realized that the whimpering hadn't ended.
“huh?” Lifting her head, one ear perking to try and identify the source of the sound she opened her eyes, still hunched in the dirt. At first she saw nothing to indicate the source of the sound. Climbing to her hooves, Pinkie tiptoed curiously forward, the sound growing louder; yet still a soft, stifled whimpering. “Is someone there?” She called out warily, the sound instantly stuttered into an alarmed gasp and she spotted a flash of ivory darting from several boulders close to the edge of the fields.
“Hey wait!” Pinkie hollered, losing all sense of subtlety. Not even glancing back at her work she burst into a canter. Giving chase without any mind to her sisters, whose heads shot up at the sound of her raised voice.
“Hey Pinkie!”
“Where are you going!?” Pinkie ignored their cries, feeling a sense of urgency she hadn't in the past few days, a sense that she needed to go to that whimpering thing...
It was only a few moments before the end of the fields came and went, but it felt slowed... as if the world has suddenly become a crawl and her hooves were made of lead, even though her mind urged her forward.
***
She had run, blindly without thought of where she was fleeing to... only that she had to get away. Thick tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to choke them back, failing miserably. Heads turned as she bolted through town, but she was gone too quickly for anyone to really react to her distress.
How could they have forgotten? Really forgotten it... her special day, the most special day! Her birthday... Rarity hiccuped miserably. Her eyes were stinging and blurry, her magic was sparking inconsistently with the fluctuations of her thoughts.
It was some time before her short legs began to tire and she had to slow down. Blinking away tears as she sniffled, Rarity looked around in confusion. She'd never really been to this side of ponyville... The ground was dusty and gray, and her hooves were already an ashen color rather than white. She cringed in distaste, but her mind refocused rapidly on th crux of her situation.
Where was her delicious overdone breakfast? Her tackily wrapped presents? Her parent's congratulating her on another year passing and how big she had gotten? It came every year at the same time, the same way she had almost gotten bored of it. Rarity didn't realize how much she had come to depend on those singular efforts, those moments of familiarity and comfort. Why did it hurt so much to be forgotten in such a way?
Feeling the well of despair surging up again Rarity flopped on her flank, lower lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears, she scrubbed at them fiercely with the back of a hoof.
“Look at me... I'm a mess.” She despaired aloud, gulping down a heavy breath as she tried to keep from breaking out into sobs once again.
“Is someone there?” The voice caught Rarity off guard and her head whipped around in horror. No one could see her in such a state! Lurching to her hooves she cast a brief glance back, catching a flash of pink before fleeing.
“Hey wait!” Needless to say, Rarity did not... demanding more speed of her unfortunately short legs. She wanted to be alone in her despair! Woe to her unfortunate, devastating circumstances... no one would even want to be in her company in such her state, she simply had to get away from everypony.
