Stone in Love

Apparently, working on a rock farm is something between a cattle farm and a quarry. Sometimes you move rocks from field to field. Other times, you cut up the rocks for bricks or other rock related needs. Maud tends to do most of the cutting with her hooves. You will never know how she can do that so well. You stick to just hauling rocks from field to field. She said it was good to expose them to different soil and sunlight. It still doesn't make sense to you, but Maud knows a lot more about rocks than you ever will.

You hardly ever see anyone else out on the farm. The only outsider you regularly see is a young stallion who delivers the mail. He is a skittish little thing. Oh and he has a crush on Maud. You can easily tell because every time he gives her the mail, he gets all nervous and sweats like a pig. Hell, the poor guy can hardly get a word out..

You are pulling a cart by the house when you see the pony walking down the path. Maud is still out by the barn/workshop, so you decide to get the mail today. Unhitching yourself from the cart, you walk over to greet him by the mailbox.

"Hey there Speedy. Anything for me?" The stallion smiles as he goes through his saddle bags to grab some letters and a box.

"Just some letters and this package Mr. Odren." He responds, handing you your mail.

"That's good. And it's just Odren. You don't need me to feel any older than I already am." You are at least ten years older than the stallion. He is, what you guess, his late teens/early twenties. Not too far from Maud's age, but he still has a lot ahead of him.

"I don't see why you wouldn't. When I get that old, I am going to have everypony call me Mr. Delivery." You chuckle and flip though the mail, trying to find anything other than a bill. "So... where's uh... Maud?" You stop flipping through your bills and look down at the nervous guy. He has been like this every time he asked about her. This time, you try and make something happen.

"That depends. Are you finally gonna ask her?" He scrapes his hoof on the ground in thought. Looking closely, you can see his cheeks turn a shade pink.

"...maybe." No, that won't do at all.

"I can't tell you until you sound more confident. She is as blunt as these here rocks. I know. I live with her. So if you want to ask her, you have to be strong, sturdy, and blunt. Like a rock. So I'll ask again. Are you gonna ask her." He takes a visible gulp and puffs out his chest. That’s better.

"I'm going to ask her if it's the last thing I do."

"That's what I want to see. She's working in the barn. Go get her tiger." You point over the hill that hid the barn and send him on his way. He kinda reminds you of yourself when you first dated Applejack. Hopefully it will turn out better for him.

You go back to flipping through the mail. A few bills for water and ley lines. Ley lines, as you found out, are basically pony versions of electricity. All the appliances run off it like the microwave and fridge. In-between all the bills you do spot one bright pink letter. On the front rests the signature picture of Pinkie's cutie mark.

You haven't heard much from her besides the first week you spent here. It was an awful week of back breaking labor. If you thought the Apple family worked hard, they could take lessons from the Pie family.

You decide it would be better to wait for Maud to get back before opening it. That brings you to the package. It isn't big, but still big enough for you to wonder what is inside. You look for a sender, and it's from Pinkie as well. If you were a betting man, which you are, you would guess that it would either be rock candy or some kind of pastry.

Walking back to the house, you set the mail on the table. There will be time to deal with it once you get your work done. You grab an apple and head back outside. After a couple trips back and forth from the east to west field, you spot Speedy trudging back from the barn.

You know the walk of shame, having done it plenty times before. And he was doing it. You walk to intercept him. When you get closer, you can tell he isn't cry at least. He's taking it better than you thought he would.

"Hey Speedy." He slowly raises his head.

"Oh, hey Mr. Odren."

"I take it, she said no." He nods his head.

"Want to talk about it?" He shakes his head.

"Do you want a drink?" He almost shakes his head, but ends up nodding instead.

"C'mon, let's get you inside."

You show the stallion the house and offer him some water. He's still on the clock so you don't want him getting fired for drinking on the job. He just takes little sips and swirls the glass around.

"So, why don't you tell me what happened?" Speedy thinks about it before opening his mouth.

"So, I went to the barn like you said. She was working on something. I'm not sure what it was."

"Cinder blocks, but go on."

"Right, cinder blocks. So, she was working and it was really loud. I couldn't even hear myself. So, I walked up and tapped her on the shoulder. I guess I scared her because she socked me right in the jaw." Ouch. Getting bucked is one thing, but a punch from Maud was like taking a rock to wherever she hit you. At least it was only his face. You remember when you tried to surprise Maud when she was working in the kitchen. You still aren't sure you can have kids. At least she took care of you. There was almost a hint of emotion when she apologized.

"So said she was sorry and gave me some ice to stop the swelling. We got to talking about things, and that's when I decided to ask her out. She obviously said no and here I am."
You offer him a hand on the back.

"Sometimes it just doesn't work out." He just shakes his head.

"That's easy for you to say. I bet you have been with plenty of mares."
Now it's your turn to shake your head.

"Nope. I was turned down plenty of times. Only one said yes, and she was the apple of my eye."
Speedy looks at you with curious eyes.

"What about now?" Your gaze goes back to the table.

"Was, is the key word. Things got tense between us and I ended up breaking it off. That's what led me here. I just needed some space and a place to stay. Maud had both, so I took it."

"Then why haven't you asked her out?" That's... a good question. Why haven't you asked her yet? It's not that you don't think she is attractive. Far from it. Thinking back, it was probably not being able to read her emotions. You still struggle with it now, but you know to look for those subtle hints.

When she is in a good mood, her ears stand up a little straighter and she is more attentive. When she's in a sour or bad mood, she tends to walk slower than usual. The easiest emotion to read is when she is sad. Her ears actually lay back like a normal pony. Her face doesn't change, and that is the biggest mistake ponies make. Looking back at Speedy, you realize you have been drifting in your thoughts for a while.

"I guess it's because I don't want to mix work with personal life." He just cocks an eyebrow.

"But you live together already. As far as I can tell, you both could be married and nothing would change." You raise your finger to rebuttal, but you suddenly find no argument. You both live together. You both work together. Hell, besides Speedy, she is the only pony you see.

"You have a point, but I doubt she wants to do anything like that with me. She'll find some nice stallion. I'll get kicked out and move on to the next job. The cycle continues."

"That doesn't sound like a very good life." You shrug your shoulders.

"Meh. You take what you get." Speedy looks at you, then outside.

"Well, I better get back to the post office." You walk him to the front gate. Right before he flies off, he turns back to you.

"You can always choose a better life."

"I thought I was supposed to be helping you. Not the other way around." He sticks his tongue out and laughs before flying off. At least he left in good spirits. There is your daily good deed. Now it's time for work.

You finish up moving the rocks around and Maud finishes up the order of cinder blocks. This time of the day is the best. It isn't too hot or cold. Plus, all the work for the day is done. That's always good. Maud just finished up her shower and headed downstairs.

"Have a good shower?"

"Yes. As much as I like rocks, being covered by them all day starts to hurt after a while."

"I hear ya." You are relaxing in a recliner in the living room. She took her own seat on the couch.

"So, what happened with Speedy?" And her ears flop down. This isn't going to be fun.

"I would rather not talk about it."

"Fair enough." She paws at the couch. This must really be bugging her if she is showing this much emotion. That's when you remember the letter and package.

"Hey, if you want some cheering up, Pinkie sent us a couple of things." Pinkie was always a subject to bring up when she was feeling down. It gets her in the right mood, but who wouldn't be happy thinking about that bubbly pony.

"That would be nice, yes." You both get up and walk to the table. You have already dealt with the bills so all that's left is Pinkie's letter and package. Handing Maud the letter opener, she carefully opens the letter. At the last second, she turns it toward you and you get showered in confetti. You smile and dust yourself off.

"Thanks for that." You swear you saw her smile a little, but you couldn't tell.

"You're welcome." She pulls out the sticker covered letter and reads it to herself.
You get a little anxious about it's contents.

"So what does it say?"

"She says that a plot of land opened up near Ponyville that would be good for a rock farm."

"Sounds nice. Are you going to take a look?"

She looks back down at the card and studies it.

"It might be worth taking a look at." You nod your head.

"That's good. So when are you going to head down?"

"We." You cock your head.

"What do you mean we?" She sets down the card and looks you straight in the eye.

"If we buy the land, it will be as much as mine as yours." This is the first time either of you talked about ownership or manage-ship of the farm. You always assumed that she was the boss and you were the lonely worker. Apparently, you were a partner.

"So I guess I am coming along then."

"Yes."

"And there is no way to get out of it."

"No."

"Have I ever told you that you sound like Big Mac."

"Yes."

"Alright then, why don't you open your box?" She grabs the letter opener and cuts the tape off the box. Then she angles it towards you.

"Oh don't you-" The box opens and you are covered in more confetti.

"I'm starting to think that you are having fun doing that." You watch as her ears straighten and the edge of her lips barely curl. You have never seen her so happy. Granted most of the time you just work, but still. She continues to open the box to reveal a half dozen cupcakes, and a map of Ponyville. Pinkie must have circled the plot of land that you would be looking at.
It was at least half the size of Sweet Apple Acres.

"That's a lot of land."

"It sure is. It looks just as big as what we have here. I think if the land is good, it would be better to move over there." She studies the map with a critical eye. You aren't sure why she would want to move. She doesn't seem to miss being around anyone. She mostly deals with rocks all day. Hell, even the land she picked out was way out in the middle of nowhere. You have been tending these fields for years, and suddenly she gets an invitation from Pinkie and she is all ready to go.

"So why the change of heart?" She looks up at you and cocks her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why do you seem all gung ho to move to Ponyville?" Her facial expression doesn't change, it never does, but you know on the inside, she is starting to question herself.

"I guess, I miss being around other ponies." Ouch, that kind of hu-

"Not that I don't mind being around you. Just seeing others would be nice." Okay, that's better.

"I never would have pegged you for being a social butterfly."

"What did you think I was?" You shrug your shoulders.

"I was thinking more along the lines of the solitary rock." And her ears lower slightly. Good job Odren, you brought her back down. Looking for a way to cheer her up, you grab a couple of cupcakes and hand one to Maud.

"You know I don't really eat cupcakes or candy." You smile a bit.

"I know, but why not live a little. They are from Pinkie after all." She is a little hesitant, but eventually grabs the cupcake.

"I guess it couldn't hurt." She takes a small bit, and you take your own bit out of your cupcake. It's really sweet. Like really sweet. Too sweet. You both end up spitting your pieces.

"I think she went a little overboard with the sugar."

"I think so too." You fill up a couple glasses of water and you both wash out your mouths.

"I think I will stick to your cooking if you don't mind."

"Not at all. I'll start the stove." You wave it off.

"No, I'll just take a salad if you don't mind." She nods her head and starts to fix the salad.
Maybe Speedy was right. You are kind of like a married couple.

Maud wrote to Pinkie saying that she will be coming to take a look at the plot of land. A day went by before you and Maud went to the train station. The train ride itself isn't too exciting. You both just looked around, regretting not bringing a book. Seeing you still have a lot of time ahead, you strike up a conversation.

"So, you excited to see your little sister?" Maud comes out of her daydream and looks at you.

"It's been awhile since I last saw her. It will be nice to see her again."

"You going to make some rock candy necklaces?"

"If I know Pinkie, we will at least make one necklace. What about you? Are you excited to see anypony?" You think about that for a second. Sure, you were friends with Big Mac... but that might be because you were almost family. There are also the Elements of Harmony that welcomed you when you first arrived, but they were more acquaintances than friends. No matter what Pinkie says. You saw Dash enough because of Applejack to be called a friend. Then there was you ex. You don't think you are ready to deal with her. She can be so hard headed and stubborn. Hell, the first thing she would do is probably flatten your ass for leaving. You didn't exactly say you were leaving the entire town when you packed up.

"Not really. I didn't have too many friends besides Dash and Big Mac. I guess I am going to thank Pinkie for telling me about you, but that's all I plan on doing." When you see her ear twitch, you are worried that she might press your obvious discomfort. But, she doesn't bring it up.

"Well, you are welcome to make a necklace with me and Pinkie." You shake your head.

"No, no. That's your thing. I wouldn't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be. If I know Pinkie, she might try and rope all her friends in on it." Looks like she really wants you to go.

"Alright. I'll come with you." Her ears straighten a bit, so you can tell you said the right thing. You sit back and wait for the train to reach Ponyville.