Red Crimson

As Pinkie hugs Red, a voice familiar to Pinkie speaks timidly from behind her, "Um, who's this, Pinkie?" Red looks over Pinkie's shoulder and sees a grey filly with one big eye and the other covered by her dark green mane.

"Oh, hey, Marble," Pinkie screams with joy, "This is Red!"

"Oh," Marble hesitates quietly, "Is she a friend of yours?"

Pinkie comes out of the hug and replies, "She is now." The room's silent for a moment.

"Hi," Red greets, "You're Pinkie's little sister?"

"Mhm."

"I met Red after she fell off of a tall cliff," Pinkie interrupts, speaking at practically the speed of light, "It was quite a fall, but a bush softened her landing. All that she got from it is a bump on the head. Also, do you know where the other sisters are?"

"Um, Maud and Limestone are looking for more rocks," Marble flicks her mane, "They should be back soon," Marble is startled by the slam of the front door opening.

"That must be them!" Pinkie cheers excitedly. She gallops to the front door, leaving Red behind with Marble, and Red hears her say, "Limestone, Maud, I have a new friend!"

Red gets up off of the stool and trots over to the kitchen's doorway that connects to the room with the front door and takes notice of two new fillies: one a dark shade of purple, and the other seems disinterested and is a color of grey.

The grey one speaks to Pinkie first, but in a monotonous voice, "I found a new friend, too. Look," The filly shows Pinkie a rock, which makes Red confused, "I call him Boulder."

"That's awesome, Maud!" Pinkie exclaims.

"You have a new friend?" The purple one asks with a cocked neck and a critical tone, but without a smirk, as if the thought is unbelievable.

"Yeah, Limestone come on!"

"This I have to see," She says.

Pinkie turns around and sees Red, "Oh, there she is."

Red just waves.

"Does she even speak, Pinkie?"

"S-Sorry," Red answers.

"Well, what's your name?"

"Red Crimson."

"That's a strange name," Maud notes, "but it's not bad."

Pinkie looks to Maud and her grin widens, "Maud, are you happy for me? You seem very happy."

Maud continues her unvaried tone, "Yes, I'm very happy," She blinks slowly and Pinkie looks back to Red.

"Isn't this fun?" Pinkie asks no pony, in particular, hopping up and down.

Limestone begins to ask Pinkie something, but Maud stops her to ask Pinkie herself, "Pinkie?"

Pinkie finishes her hopping and turns to Maud, "Yeah?"

"Where's Mother and Father?"

"Oh, they're upstairs. Or at least I know dad is."

"Okay, I'll talk to your new friend, Red, later."

"Same," Limestone adds. Maud slowly moves toward the stairs and up them, with Limestone behind her, leaving the two other fillies downstairs.

"So those are your sisters?" Red eventually asks.

"Yeah," Pinkie beams, "what do you think of them?"

Red thinks for a moment, "Well, they are full of their own personality."

Pinkie snorts a laugh, "I know, right? They're the best. Though, I wonder what dad's doing. Mom could be cleaning the house."

"Oh," Red replies.

"That reminds me, I never asked where you live. Is it nearby?"

Red then realizes she has nowhere to go or live. Her facial expression succumbs to fear, "I lived passed the cliff. I don't have anywhere to live now."

"Well..." Pinkie's face contorts and she thinks for a moment, "Are you fine sharing a bunk bed with me?"

"I-I don't want to bother you."

"It's fine," Pinkie assures.

Red hesitates for another moment, "You... You mean it?"

"What are friends for."

"Th... Thank you."

"No problem. You stay here. I'm going to tell dad," and Pinkie zips up the stairs.

"She's so nice," Red thinks. Red goes back into the kitchen, the bag of ice still atop her head, and sits back down on the stool by the sink. She wonders where Jezebel might be. She could be in Red's bedroom window pecking at the glass or flying around the local school looking for her.

After a moment, Pinkie zips into the kitchen with a gleaming smile, "Dad says that it's alright."

"Okay," Red says glumly.

"Why so sad?"

"I'm thinking about Jezebel."

"Oh, she'll find you. I'm sure of it."

Red's frown lightens into a smile just slightly to the words.

"We'll be having dinner soon," Pinkie says, "but dad told me I should show you around the rock orchard."

____

Once they exit the home, Pinkie gestures Red to follow. They start trotting their way straight ahead and after a while of silence Pinkie breaks it, "Do you like rocks?"

"I don't hate them, so I guess."

"Good, because I wanted to show you our rock mine," Pinkie begins hopping as she trots.

"Your family's a bit odd," Red changes the subject.

"You think that?" Pinkie honestly wonders.

"Yeah."

Pinkie stops hopping and turns to Red, giving her a raised eyebrow, "Why is that? Do you not like them?"

"No, they're interesting. They're just... Not a lot like you."

"What do you mean?"

"They look different from you."

"Well, doesn't anypony's siblings look different from them?"

Red ponders how to say something, placing a hoof on her chin. Then, "They're all greyish colors, and you're bright pink."

"Well, yeah. So?"

Red realizes she can't be more detailed than that and gives up, "Nevermind."

Pinkie goes back to her cheerful state, "Okay, well we're here."

Pinkie points to a cave supported by wooden beams leading inside a mountain. Scattered outside the cave are fragments of rock and rubble, probably caused by the previous prospecting.

Pinkie speaks up again, "This is our family mine. It's been here before I was born."

"Oh," Red says, "is that all you wanted to show me?"

"Nope, I wanted to bring you inside it and take you somewhere amazing," Pinkie drags the last word with emphasis, "Come on!" Pinkie walks ahead inside leaving Red Crimson.

Red looks around for a moment and thinks, "Well, it has to be better than anything out here." She begins making her way into the cave and it becomes dark. "Pinkie?" Red calls, her voice echoing through the cave of darkness. She stands in the dark for a moment, blind, and a bright light in front of her with heat emanating from it spooks her, "Ah!"

She covers her eyes with a foreleg and waits for something bad to happen, but nothing does. She takes her foreleg from her eyes and looks back toward the light, noticing that it's Pinkie with a torch and a wondering look.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

Red sighs, "I thought something bad was going to happen."

"Like what?"

"I thought the fire was going to attack me."

Pinkie giggles and assures her, "It's alright, silly. Come on, the place is this way."

Red follows Pinkie through the mine as she looks around the lit area around them. The walls are stone and crumbly, looking like they could give away anytime soon. She thinks to herself that nothing is keeping the ceiling up beside the wooden pillars that are at least 15 feet apart. The ground has pebbles on it and the air is cold. So cold that it gives Red a chill up her spine. She shivers unintentionally and Pinkie notices.

"Come over to me if you're cold," She tells Red. Red doesn't hesitate and follows beside Pinkie who holds the torch closer to Red to keep her warm.

"So where is this 'somewhere amazing'?" Red asks.

"Ah," Pinkie sounds, "are you curious?"

"I am a little," Red admits but doesn't smile.

"Well, it's a surprise." Pinkie giggles again.

"Can you tell me if we're close or not?" Red asks impatiently.

"Sure," She tells her, "it's up ahead."

"That doesn't tell me much."

"Just follow me," Pinkie tells her. Red reluctantly continues with Pinkie through the mine's tunnels. After a few minutes, the two reach a fork and Red looks to Pinkie expecting her to know where they're going.

"This way," She tells Red as she takes the right path surely.

"Are there any bats or other creatures in here?"

"Not that I know of," Pinkie places a hoof to her chin, "Though, I haven't been in here for a month or so." Pinkie continues going, but Red halts her hoofsteps to that unsure note. Pinkie turns around and begins to worry about her, "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm afraid," Red tells her.

"It's okay," Pinkie trots over to her and boops her snout, "you're with me. And nothing gets past me."

Red thinks for a moment, "O... Okay... But I don't know what that means for me."

"It means I can keep you safe."

"How?"

Pinkie winks an eye, "I have my ways."

Red simply complies with following Pinkie and soon they reach a wooden door blocking the end of the path. It's a huge dark door with binding chains that towers over the two fillies but is only intimidating to Red.

Red stutters, "W-w-what is this door for?"

"The surprise is behind it!" Pinkie cheers.