Author's Note

And here is the beginning chapter of a little short story I wanted to do since the AJ/Pinkie Hearths Warming episode. Introductions are always the hardest for me, but I'd like to think I'm getting better at them... so in any event, this was the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed!

As this is a short story spanning of a certain amount of time, time jumps will be placed where appropriate and certain, more nitty-gritty details will be glossed over and implied rather than explicitly stated.

1. The Meeting

The lone human in the car was nudged awake when inertia had its way. The first thoughts that rushed into his cloudy mind were reinforced by the squealing of the train’s brakes in tandem with coming to a smooth, complete stop.

Blinking some of the residual drowsiness away, he fancied a glimpse out the passenger window and let his eyes roam over the rather unimpressive, drab landscape accentuated by thick, grey clouds above. From what he could see at the moment, it appeared he was in the right place. However, the holdout uncertainty that lay in his stomach—disguised as apprehensiveness—was waiting for the final bit of confirmation from the train’s conductor.

“This stop: Midway Rock Fields! Next stop: Canterlot Station!”

Showtime.

Hearing the cue he was hoping for, Eric Griffith stood up tall and stretched his arms overhead, loosening up his back and shoulders before ensuring that anything he brought with him was accounted for… all while ignoring some curious stares being shot in his direction from the other commuters, as he had grown accustom to.

Letting his mind meander as he secured his backpack and readied his rolling luggage, he remarked to no one that perhaps this whole ‘thing’ was a good idea. After all, considering that from this point, Canterlot—the home of his new university for the next two quarters—was only about forty-five minutes away by the same medium of transportation. Still, that bit of a silver lining did not make him any less edgy at what was to possibly transpire in the next half an hour or so.

Running a hand through his short but thick blonde hair, Eric took a deep breath as he made his way out of the train and took his first steps in the new environment.

This one seemed to be another world entirely from the homely, welcoming streets of Ponyville and the hustle and bustle of Canterlot proper. In fact, he was the only one to have gotten off at this particular station… and no sooner did he set both feet onto the platform did the kaleidoscopic train shut its doors and resume its diligent chugging eastward towards the capital city. Eric watched the out-of-place-looking train disappear over the horizon… as if lamenting over his only means of backing out of his current arrangement should things go south.

Well, you’ve come this far.

His trusty inner voice was right, though. It wasn’t like he was some introverted shut-in, considering he immediately made the leap through the portal to participate in the Earth-Equestria Educational Exchange Program the moment it was announced; there were other factors involved, though. Still, his friend Pinkie Pie’s words held some measure of foreboding weight in the back of his mind when she said, with pride, that her family “could be a bit… ‘traditional and different.’”

No matter. Stretching and smoothing out his navy-blue sweatshirt that held ‘UCI Biology’ proudly stitched on the front in gold, he glanced into the seemingly abandoned station window for use as a mirror; he had to make sure he looked at least moderately presentable for his to-be hosts.

The man chuckled derisively.

“Jesus… everything about you right now screams ‘tourist schmuck,’” Eric joked with himself as his bright blue eyes scanned his face, ensuring there were no errant strands standing out of his meticulously-maintained hair.

He ran a finger through his hair’s part on the right side of his head before curtly nodding, satisfied. With no one else around to judge him or show him around, he set off in the direction of this so-called ‘rock farm,’ reflecting on all the information Pinkie Pie bestowed upon him back in Ponyville.

The directions should be easy enough to follow… take the trail out of the station, second left about three-fourths of a mile up, and follow it straight to the front door of the farmhouse.

‘Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy’ was the descriptive phrase of choice for Pinkie when she relayed directions and explained how things would go down… and trusting that cute, exceedingly nice mare with his life at this point, Eric allowed his attention to turn to his more immediate setting.

At least at the station, a quick visual tour of his surroundings gave him the impression that the world itself was dead. Not one shred of green (or any other bright color, for that matter) could be seen in the acres upon acres of seemingly fallow farmland. In his mind, there couldn’t possibly be agriculture here…

…right?

Eric shook the thought away as he continued his journey, the crushing of dried dirt and gravel under his shoes serving as white noise and natural ambiance. it provided some measure of solace.

He mulled upon when he first arrived through the portal and instantly had to mesh with these new, anthropomorphic ‘ponies.’ To him, it was like a furry’s wet dream with the tails, the ears, and the endless continuum of colors and color combinations among mane and coat. Of course, it took some getting used to, even for one as social (self-proclaimed) as Eric, but upon realizing that the average pony was miles friendlier than the average Californian, his acclimation to this new world was not all that difficult. Moreover, they behaved essentially like humans and seemed to have all the ‘human bits’ one would consider important. There were incredible ponies and there was the occasional shithead, but the latter seemed to be relegated to the noble districts of Canterlot, which was fine by him.

The human smirked widely at the memory of traveling with a few new friends to Ponyville, and getting a taste of true ‘pony hospitality’ when he was assaulted by the notorious Pinkie Pie. After a chaste but satisfying party thrown in his honor, he had let slip mention of him wishing to live off-campus rather than in the dorms at Canterlot University, though he had little faith in that happening considering it was about two weeks before class started.

He would never forget the twinkle in her eye and the magnitude of the smile she sported at said mention.

And so, he was offered the chance to live with Pinkie Pie’s family, who were looking for some extra help around the rock farm and the house itself. He would be set up completely and payment was really only with his labor… and that really sealed the deal for him. Eric had been meaning to try and exercise more, and while he wasn’t in bad shape by any means, he would, ideally, like to sculpt himself a little more; what better place to do that than with hard labor on a farm?

And despite all this newfound optimism, he was drawn back to reality by the sheer nothingness of his surroundings. It was almost eerie in contrast to, say, Sweet Apple Acres. It kinda reminded him of one of his favorite TV shows.

Enter a world where the land around you has fuck-all for color…

…where the environment killed itself out of boredom…

…and you couldn’t imagine any goddamn form of life living here at all.

You’ve probably entered into some form of the Twilight Zone I guess… or wherever the hell this place is.

Eric chuckled at his little joke, but he kinda felt bad afterward. This was Pinkie’s family’s home area… and it wasn’t too kind to disparage someone’s sacred ground. Besides, if he was being honest with himself, it wasn’t so bad; it had the peacefulness factor going for it.

That wasn’t saying much, though.

This is literally the Bakersfield of Equestria.

It was about that time that Eric realized where he was having followed Pinkie’s directions to a ‘T,’ and finding himself face-to-face with the entrance to the farm itself.

He noted that based on the slight soppiness of the dark dirt beneath his shoes that it had probably rained not too long ago… which was weird considering it was dry at the station. His eyes, however, were drawn to the stunning, interspersed crystal formations with which their colors, he could not determine precisely. The geometric perfections appeared lavender in some light, while silver at an alternate angle, and Eric noted that the entire property was littered in said crystals. This held true for the walkway leading up to the front door, reminding him fondly of an airport’s runway at night.

Eric finally arrived at the front door of the homely-looking farmhouse and stood tall, steeling himself one last time before knocking on the door four times. He took one last deep breath as he heard some muffled hoof-falls from beyond.

Putting on a friendly smile, he adjusted the grip on his suitcase for some measure of reassurance. He also gave a stern warning to himself to watch his language. He loved his curse words and their gratuitous use; fuck off.

Here we go!

The door unlatched and swung inward, revealing a lone mare with a dull, grey coat dressed in a faded-blue frock and crimson skirt. Eric immediately noticed that her demeanor seemed to hold a textbook air of stoicism, and as a male, his eyes spared a glance at her figure… which could not truly be discerned under the modestly-fitting clothing, the given time, nor the afforded light. Her form was complimented by a mauve, impossibly straight mane and tail, along with aqua irises that seemed to scrutinize and judge Eric’s very existence.

She blinked twice.

“Sorry about my outburst… I have to admit that I forgot you were going to be a ‘human,’” she apologized in the most monotone voice Eric had ever heard… and her words only made him cock his head slightly to the left.

“Wait, what?”

“I’m Maud Pie, one of Pinkie’s sisters; please, come in,” she beckoned him inside, ignoring his question, and Eric wasn’t going to deny that request. He entered into the comfortable abode which looked… almost exactly as he expected it to look. The air was definitely a bit warmer inside, but he didn’t get much of a chance to wander or process his new environment on account of Maud closing the door and speaking up again.

She inferred with absolutely no change in her voice from when he met her; absolutely none:

“You must be the famous Eric that Pinkie told us about.”

Christ in a caravan that voice is gonna take some getting used to…

“Y-Yeah, I’m Eric. Very nice to meet you, Maud,” he then replied with a genuine smile, extending his hand to her.

The mare shook his hand with a grip that betrayed her passive nature, Eric having to quickly beef up the firmness of his handshake lest he get crushed and he come across as some wimpy dickwheel. He had to admit, though; despite her virtually unreadable exterior, she was indeed quite pretty in an old-fashioned sort of way… and he could make out a modestly slim figure and a proportional bosom nestled beneath her frock.

“Trust me, the pleasure is all mine,” Maud remarked with nary a drop of emotion, so her comment almost sounded sarcastic.

The thought of that sent Eric giggling internally, considering how he prided himself on being fluent in one of Earth’s greatest languages.

Maud gestured to the side of the front door.

“Please, set your stuff down and make yourself at home. I’ll get everypony else. They’re as eager to meet you as I was.”

Gee that’s reassuring.

“Okay! Thanks Maud!” he called back as she left the room, taking her up on her words and relieving himself of his backpack and other suitcase.

Setting them against the wall with a satisfying thud, he straightened out his clothes and made certain there was no dirt or fuzz on his person before he met the other members of Pinkie’s family.

It was a shame that pink-coated mare couldn’t be here today to introduce them formally and facilitate this in her own style, but from what he remembered, there were four others: her mother, her father, and three sisters, of which one of the latter he just met. So far, Maud was nice despite her inability to sound enthusiastic about his arrival… or anything for that matter; he only hoped at least the former stipulation held true for the others.

Raven definitely went through a new phase after the Teen Titans.

Eric righted his posture and gaze as he heard several sets of hoof-falls just outside the room, and he mentally prepared himself for meeting his host family.

He smiled as in walked an older-looking stallion, but one that stood a couple inches over him. Right behind him was a mare of comparable age, presumably his wife, as well as another mare. The stallion was beige to the coat and was garbed in a grey button-up shirt which was layered-over by a set of black overalls. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and a pilgrim-esque hat was adorned atop of his fairly bald head, while his gray mane flowed at shorter length behind him and seemed to mesh with his sideburns. His yellow-eyes gaze bore into Eric’s very soul, regarding him with the same lack of warmth that the others exuded. This was further amplified by his intimidating build, doubtlessly honed in the figurative crucible of rock-farm life.

The older mare had an off-white coat and some blue-colored mane and tail that Eric could not rightly place; he was a man, and as such, his sex dictated that his color palette did not range beyond the simple colors and a couple miscellaneous shades. Her mane was secured neatly in a bun, and she was clad in a rather traditional housedress of sorts, one that Eric would liken to those worn by women in the 1800s. Her eyes were the same color as Maud’s, and with vision assisted by a pair of glasses that rested on the brim of her muzzle.

Eric did not have time to briefly appraise the other sister before the older stallion stepped forward, the sound of his hooves tapping the floor being amplified for some reason.

With a deep voice exactly what the human expected (though with a bit of a rasp), he asked:

“Surely thou art the one they call Eric Griffith, yes?”

Eric could only nod a little slower than he would have liked.

“I am called Igneous Rock Pie, the father of Pinkamena Pie whom you are acquainted with, and son of Feldspar Granite Pie.” he introduced himself, removing his hat from his head.

He then extended his hand and Eric went for the shake as he replied.

“That’s me, sir. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Pie,” he said, delivering a much firmer handshake than he did with Maud.

He met firm resistance as well. Igneous nodded tersely, and to Eric, it was a successful introduction, if a bit more formal for his tastes. Still, he could manage.

The older mare stepped forward and took her place by Igneous’ side.

“And thou shalt know me as Cloudy Quartz,” was all she said, bowing her head.

Eric nodded and also extended his hand to her, to which she reciprocated with a firm but gentle shake.

Igneous then added to their collective introduction.

“May Providence favor thee well, and to thou comfort, our humble homestead brings," he stated simply...

...which floored Eric by the sheer formality again. He hoped he wasn’t expected to reciprocate that very manner of speaking, because he’d just end up looking like an asshat.

Okay…

“Thank you both, Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, for your hospitality,” Eric said, bowing his head slightly in return. “I’m sure I will have a wonderful time here, and I hope I can repay you fully with my labors.”

Nailed it!

The younger mare stepped forward, and she looked about the same age, maybe a bit younger than Maud. Now able to get a better look at her, her coat was about the same color as Maud’s mane and tail, and this one’s mane was also similar in style, but cut short to just above her shoulders and faded in color which gave her some measure of a tough-girl look. Eric liked the look on her, to be honest, and in conjunction with a svelte figure, she was still kind of a looker. Her more casual clothes consisted of a (not coincidentally) lime-green tank top and some work pants.

Eric’s smile brightened, expecting her to be somewhat similarly tempered like the young mare who greeted him first.

His first mistake was assuming.

“I’m Limestone Pie,” she declared with authoritative sass, pointing to herself for emphasis. “My parents own this farm but I’m the one who keeps it running smoothly. As long as you’re willing to work your hardest around here and pull your own weight, you and I will get along just fine. The last thing I need is somepony new mucking it all up. Don’t cross me; got it?!” she added, getting in his face.

Eric recoiled a tiny bit, if only for personal space, and nodded. He was reminded of a certain phrase Pinkie used to reassure him.

‘Difficult Difficult Lemon-fucking-Difficult.

“Yes ma’am,” he affirmed.

“Good!”

Well, at least she speaks normally…

There, Eric thought introductions were over with, but at the last second he remembered that there was supposed to be a third sister, and since Maud was standing to the side observing as enthusiastically as ever, he took note of the absence. Simultaneously, he realized that there was a lone eye upon him from beyond the veil of a doorway to his right. The moment he looked, the mysterious figure suddenly emitted an ‘eep!’ and slunk away. Limestone noticed this too, and only rolled her eyes.

“Come on Marble, we have a guest! That’s just rude!”

Eric had to cough into his hand to avoid laughing his ass off at the irony of that comment.

With no luck forthcoming, Limestone looked toward her parents, to which her father nodded solemnly. She sighed out a breath of irritation, one which betrayed an air of commonality, and stomped over to and beyond the doorway. In her return, she dragged a struggling young mare of similar age back with her against her will, as evident by her flailing and attempts to scurry away.

“Just… introduce yourself!”

Limestone propped the new mare up and pushed her forward; the newcomer stumbled and nearly crumpled to the ground in front of Eric but the human was quick to act through reflex.

“Whoa there!” he blurted, grasping the unknown mare by her shoulders and ensuring her face did not meet the cold, unforgiving wooden floorboards.

Her own instincts helped when she clung to his forearms for support, and Eric cautiously helped her regain her balance.

With an air of friendliness and that extra accentuation of formality (to be safe), he added"

“Don’t smash your face into the ground! I’m Eric! You alright, miss?”

His words grabbing her attention, Eric watched as Marble looked up at him, and the two locked eyes for the briefest of moments. A mere second’s look was all he needed to discern that this mare was gorgeous; her eyes, or rather, the one that was not obscured by her straight, flowing, graphite-colored hair, possessed the lavender color that Eric had been so fond of since arriving in Equestria. Instead of meeting a warm gaze or even a stoic one, however, he was unpleasantly surprised to see her pupils shrink to pinpricks. Cheeks coloring heavily while clearly panicking, she uttered a small squeak, a barely acknowledgeable ‘mm-hmm!,' and promptly tore out of his grasp, disappearing out of sight from whence she came.

This time, nobody tried to stop her.

Everypony watched her go, and Eric could not hold back the deadpan look plastered on his face.

Is there no one normal here?

Fuck.

“Well… that’s Marble,” Limestone added, annoyed, while gesturing to the empty doorway. “She’s a little on the shy side.”

“I really didn’t notice,” Eric replied, shaking his head and masking his sarcasm perfectly.

Limestone then moved to exit the room to do… whatever she had to do, but not without some harsh parting words for Eric:

“Oh, and stay away from Holder’s Boulder!”

“Umm… sure?” he replied, not knowing what she demanded of him at all.

Still, his words looked like they satisfied the mare, as she only nodded, huffed, and disappeared. Eric was a bit more worried about Marble, though; he sincerely hoped he didn’t make a bad impression on her.

“Is Marble… is she okay?” he directed his question to the two parents.

“Worry not; t’was nothing thou hadst done. She shall come around eventually,” Cloudy Quartz assured. “In the meantime, Maud will show thee to thy room, so thou mayst get settled before supper.” Igneous Rock echoed her words with a curt nod of his own.

“Yes ma’am. Thank you,” he said as the aforementioned, blank-faced mare walked up next to him. She had collected his luggage for him and he promptly took over.

“This way,” she said, leading the two of them out the doorway where Marble had fled through, though there was not a single trace of the latter. It was a shame though, as from what Eric was able to see from just that couple-second glance, she was probably the prettiest of them all. He couldn’t get a good glimpse at her figure through her baggy clothes, but her eyes had already won him over. Overall, each of the three sisters were pretty in their own rights.

And that’s when his pupils shrank in realization as to how screwed he was. Eric would be living with a family—where clearly the heads of household were much more conservative—with three daughters roughly his age that all happened to be attractive despite having their quirks. To him, this whole setup had to be something out of a sitcom on Comedy Central, one that would have a crappy laugh-track associated with it.

Great.

“Up here,” Maud cautioned the human as the ascended the stairs to the second level of the house.

“Mind your feet on the sixth step.”

On cue, Eric’s foot got caught on a piece of fractured wood, tripping and nearly face-planting into Maud’s butt… which he had to admit looked pretty nice in that skirt she had on. Perhaps fate was trying to tell him something?

“Thanks for the early warning,” he blurted out sarcastically without restraining his tone, but before he could backtrack on that, Maud produced the faintest of huffs.

Wait… did she just laugh?

“I can already tell we won’t have any trouble getting along,” she added dryly, and the human chuckled in kind.

“Likewise.”

Maud led Eric down a hallway towards the alleged guest room. The light from outdoors was all that illuminated the corridor, revealing the boarding-school-esque layout. The contrast between the light and the shadow against the monochromatic paint-scheme made Eric feel like he should expect two twin fillies to appear at the end of the hallway and ask him to ‘come play with them.’

“And here we are,” she proclaimed when they reached the end of the hallway.

Gesturing to the first door on the left, she turned the latch and flung it open, revealing a rather spartan-looking room that held four distinct bunks. Eric wasn’t really surprised at all at the revelation, and it didn’t bother him in the slightest; bunk beds were ‘the shit’ in his opinion. Other than that, the gray color of the wooden beds matched that of the identically-wooden floor, leaving much to be desired in terms of personal touch. Again, Eric (ever the optimist) wasn’t too concerned; depending on how well of terms he would become with the Pie Family, perhaps they’d let him touch the room up to his liking… within reason of course.

A lone four-paned window took up most of the wall on the opposite end of the room, letting in just the right amount of light despite a cloudy day. To their credit, all the beds seemed to have been made fairly recently and it did not look like there would be anyone else living in this room with him, to Eric’s knowledge at least. Overall, his new room was definitely different, but it held an innate sense of homeliness to it. While the presence of bunk beds would be best shared with someone else, Eric had learned over the years to fully appreciate the intrinsic value of privacy.

Having to share rooms with siblings of his own while younger, he would fully attest to that, and ergo, he did not wish to live in the dorms with somepony.

With an excited smirk whilst pointing to no bed in particular, Eric asked:

“Sweet! Can I just pick any?”

“Whichever you like; make yourself at home,” Maud invited without so much as a change in her stoic demeanor.

Eric wished to believe that it was a giant joke and that sooner or later, she would speak normally and Ashton Kutcher would jump out from somewhere and tell him he was being punked.

The easiest choice for Eric would be the top bunk on the right side of the room, and he laid his luggage on the bottom bunk to sort through in a moment.

“Perfect. Thanks, Maud.”

“I, or, we should be thanking you actually,” Maud confessed, closing a little bit of the distance between she and Eric.

The human was more stunned that she changed up the inflection based on the word emphasis she wanted to convey, but he was instantly brought back to reality when the mare crossed her forearms over her stomach, relaxed her posture, and breathed deeply. Such a sign was the telltale harbinger of some potentially serious discourse.

“What do you mean?” he asked, facilitating the impending conversation and slipping a hand into his pockets.

“Mom and Dad are getting older, and while they’re stronger than a lot of ponies in Equestria, they’re not able to do as much anymore,” she explained, and Eric’s mouth formed an ‘o,’ feeling that things were making a bit more sense all of a sudden.

“I’m not always here to help because I’m also in school, and Limestone thinks she can handle running day-to-day operations just fine on top of her own work… but even she needs help, though she won’t say it. She's much too proud.”

“What about Marble?” Eric asked, leaning against the bedpost.

Maud nodded with respect and reverence towards her sister.

“Marble is strong and tactful when she needs to be, but between the three of us, her skills are more suited to rock harvesting and surveying; there’s more to this whole operation though, and with me not being able to be around constantly, it can put a strain on things,” she confessed.

“The fact that you were willing to accept our offer and pick up the extra slack says a lot, even though we really haven’t told you much yet. I had to convince everypony that assistance was very much needed, which was why I wanted to be the one to greet you and introduce you. Just know that your help will be truly appreciated.”

‘Rock harvesting.’ Goddamn rock farms, man. How do they work?

“Yeah I’m not really sure what this all entails, really… but I can at least try. Hopefully whatever you have me do won’t throw out my back too badly,” Eric replied, then added:

“Seriously though, it seems like awesome work. I’ve been meaning to try and get into better shape anyway, so no worries.”

“It definitely is… and that’s a relief,” Maud said.

“Don’t worry, though, we’ll walk you through your tasks when we start tomorrow. For now, just get settled. My room is on the opposite end of the hall, farthest left. Limestone’s is the one before that, and Marble’s is across from hers on the right. The bathroom is just across this side of the hall. I’ll come get you when it’s time for dinner, but come find me if you happen to need anything else,” Maud offered the last bit of useful info she could impart with the same blank expression from when Eric first met her.

Eric smiled brightly at the mare, even though he knew he wouldn't get one in return, but that was okay.

“Perfect! Thanks again, Maud!” he replied.

As he mentally noted beforehand, things were starting to make more sense, and part of him actually couldn’t wait for dinner to be upon them so he could see everypony in a newer light. He was also looking forward to figuring out what this rock business entailed; if it was as hard of work as he was led to believe, he’d be riding on some pleasant soreness for when school started in the next week. With the second or two of silence that reigned between the duo, Eric entertained the idea of sculpting himself into the stereotypical, strong farmhand.

Swole as fuck.

Maud gave a gentle tilt of her head and headed back out the door, but before she exited completely, she glanced back at the human over her shoulder.

“…And I mean ‘anything,’” she added stoically, punctuating with a light flick of her tail and using it to grasp the doorknob and close the door behind her.

With her extreme lack of emotion, Eric wasn’t too confident in what that meant; she had gotten her point across, after all. He shrugged and began the unpacking process with earnest.

Huh, wonder what that was about.

Stretching his back again out of habit, he unzipped his rolling luggage and set out to work. Thankfully the room was furnished with a fairly standard set of dresser and nightstand, so Eric wouldn’t have to live out of his suitcase. The monotony of such a task allowed him to ponder things yet again, and Eric found himself this time focusing on the three mares that he had just gotten acquainted with. Tallying things up, Maud was easily the friendliest of them all, though in her own special way of never showing it through emotions, but rather actions; Limestone was the hard-ass of the family, clearly… probably from assuming the responsibility of the farm at her age, Eric gathered; and Marble, of course, was the demure one that he never really got a chance to actually meet considering she bolted out of the room when Eric so much as muttered his own name.

If he had to guess, Eric felt she might actually have some measure of anxiety issues.

Even though Cloudy Quartz assured him that it was not his fault, that her actions were just her nature, he still couldn’t help but feel partially responsible. After all, he technically was a bit different in appearance being a human which, moreover, were not entirely common in Equestria just yet. Eric drew comparisons between Marble and Pinkie’s friend Fluttershy, and how nearly the exact same chain of events transpired: the cute mare quite literally shied away from him when he tried to introduce himself… though admittedly, she didn’t turn on her hooves and high-tail it in the opposite direction, but rather hid behind Pinkie for a while before ascertaining that he wasn’t a threat. Then, she warmed up to him fairly nicely, though her shyness still showed through in more endearing ways.

He looked over his shoulder towards his door contemplatively, indirectly homing in on Marble’s room where the mare in question most likely was. In mulling, Eric hoped that he could extrapolate from his experience with Fluttershy; he would like to get to know Marble and the others since he’d be pretty much living with them for the next twenty weeks or so. Eric liked to consider himself a ‘go-getter,’ so perhaps, in his mind, a small trek down the hall to the room of a Marble Pie was in order.

Maybe I should go see her…

Thinking further and taking in how she reacted in front of her family, who knows how she’d react when she would be alone with him, so on a second thought, that may not have been the best idea at the moment. Shaking his head clear, Eric resumed neatly unpacking and refolding his clothes in preparation for the first supper with his generous hosts.

Were he to have acted on his impulse however, he would’ve found a lone, lavender-colored eye peeking cautiously yet curiously towards his room from a doorway down the hall and to right. The eye’s owner breathed a heavy, if shaky sigh, and retreated back into her lair with a resounding latch of her door.

[Two Hours Later]

When Maud fetched Eric for dinner as promised, he skipped down the stairs (minding the sixth step from the floor) with his head held high and an extra pep in his step. After all, the dinner table was a sacred place for families to bond together and talk about anything and everything on their minds; it was the general trend for Earth and from what he heard and observed here in Equestria, it also held true. It wasn’t that Eric felt they all got off on the wrong foot earlier (except maybe with Marble) but he’d like to at least get to know the Pie family better over some good food. Moreover, Eric was one that found pleasure in meeting new people, usually at parties or wherever, and potentially making new friends; it was only fitting that something similar happened here.

However, as Eric sat in complete, awkward silence amongst his host family while they quietly slurped their soup, he was beginning to abandon that notion altogether and his once surging confidence that all would instantly be happy and merry gradually waned. Eric glanced around the table with his spoon in his hand, bringing the first bite of the odd-looking vegetable soup; surprisingly, it was great! Thus, Eric took little issue in eating like a normal person, but one thing that he did find peculiar was the set of rocks staring back at him from the bottom of his bowl.

The food wasn’t his issue, but the fact that nopony was chatting outside of general pleasantries and table etiquette was starting to get to him.

Studying the seating orientation, Igneous Rock, naturally, sat at the head of the table with Cloudy Quartz at his right. Eric sat next to her a chair down and all three of the Pie Sisters sat on the opposite side with Maud being in the middle, Limestone on the left (from Eric’s point of view) and Marble on the right. He still couldn’t make out much of the latter other than her admittedly ‘cute as fuck’ face which hid behind her mane. Continued, fleeting glances out of the corner of his eye revealed the same Marble Pie that ‘greeted’ him earlier in her baggy, long-sleeved shirt that she wore. What was new, however, was that by the way she was sitting, Eric could make out something he didn’t expect at all.

I’m not saying that girl has boobs… but that girl has boobs.

All ate in a peaceful silence that seemed to only be awkward for him, and it was killing him because he felt like he had no right to speak at this point without drawing unnecessary attention to himself. Despite Maud’s heartfelt reassurance that all was well and that his presence was more than welcome amongst them, Eric gave a pass to his mind for thinking that wasn’t exactly the case. It’s not that they were mistreating him by any means, of course not; they generously and without question provided him a room and dinner… but the nagging feeling of being out of place for an unknown (or probable) reason was as strong as ever.

Shifting in his seat as if it would give him some respite, Eric glanced down again to his soup after having another bite and looked at the four rocks that lined the bottom of his bowl like stones in a murky lake. He didn’t want to seem rude at all, so he scooped up one of the foreign objects of nature and rolled it around in his spoon. Contemplating on what he should do with it, and being too much of a bitch to ask out loud, he was gonna place it back in the bowl and address the concern later when Maud’s voice pierced the silence.

“You don’t eat the rocks,” she said monotonously yet pointedly.

For once, Eric was almost relieved to hear Maud’s sonorous voice grace his ears in his time of uncertainty. He looked up to her for extra confirmation and noticed that only she was addressing him; the others were diligently eating their food and barely paying him mind… especially in Marble’s case, who looked like she was actively avoiding crossing gazes with him.

“Oh… okay cool,” he said stiffly, chuckling and averting his eyes.

“Yeah. They’re flavor rocks, not eating rocks.”

Eric’s eye twitched.

‘Eating’ rocks…

“Gotcha,” he replied, letting said rock drop back to the bottom of his bowl as he continued slurping on his soup.

He could feel the occasional eyes upon him from different directions, but they were only for fractions of a second it seemed. The conditions seemed right for the group to fall into another uneasy (for Eric) silence but the evening was saved, surprisingly, by Igneous Rock.

“Pinkamena tells us that thou art a student at Canterlot University,” he stated, though the implicit question was obvious.

What’s more, Maud raised her head up to face Eric again, clearly intrigued. Deciding that it would be in his best interest to not be a smartass, Eric replied appropriately.

“Y-Yes, sir. Transferred from Earth to study here, though that’s probably a bit obvious,” he answered meekly.

“What studiest thou, Eric?” Cloudy Quartz fielded her own question.

“Biology, ma’am. It’s been my life’s passion,” Eric replied, proud of his choice and that others were actually inquiring. He remained hopeful that this would be the start of a pleasant time here at the rock farm if the conversation picked up.

“A student of the sciences; impressive,” Igneous remarked, keeping his attention on his food as he ate.

“No wonder you get along well with Maud,” Limestone piped up, pointing a thumb to her sister in question. “You’re an egghead like her.”

“Don’t mind her,” Maud added in. “She’s just jealous that she can’t study rocks and look this hot,” she said with complete seriousness, and with her monotone voice, Eric nearly burst out laughing.

Fuckin’ savage.

Instantly, that set off a fiery exchange of banter between Limestone and Maud… though ‘fiery’ may not have been the most apt term given both of their personalities and speaking mannerisms. Both of their parents seemed indifferent to the display and only occasionally offered each other a few words by whisper. Though, Igneous ultimately decided upon asking Eric some more questions, and while a normal person might shirk under such questioning, Eric welcomed it wholeheartedly.

“And what dost thou intend to use thine education in Biology for, occupation-wise?”

“Well I’m hoping to get a specialization in Virology or Bacteriology. There’s some influence coming from my family though, since both of my parents are doctors. I’m pretty broad right now since I’m still only in my second year, but I know that I wanna research diseases and try to find cures. Maybe that’s a bit idealistic and vague but it’s what I wanna do,” Eric replied.

Glancing again out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed that Marble had slightly come out of her hair-veil and was seemingly interested what he was saying, which made him feel an involuntary smile begin etching itself on his face… and that in turn fed into his much more jovial demeanor.

“Not idealistic at all if it’s what makes you happy,” Maud’s voice swept Eric’s attention towards her blank face. Limestone was focused intently on eating once more, and the color her cheeks sported indicated that she most likely lost the banter-match with Maud and was irritated as a result.

“Indeed. Many know not what they wish to pursue in life, even if Providence hath shown them the clear way. It is most admirable that thou hast a plan,” Cloudy weighed in with her thoughts, and Igneous nodded in silent agreement.

“Maud here also attends school.”

“So she told me,” Eric acknowledged, turning to face the stoic mare in full. “I don’t think I asked what you were studying?”

“Geology with a concentration in Geological Agriculture,” she answered so succinctly. “My hope is to use my education to explore more efficient ways to help get the most out of the rock farm as well as others abroad.”

“Ugh,” Limestone grunted. “I told you, Maud… we don’t need help like that.”

“Don’t start with me, Limestone. I’ll come down on you like falling feldspar,” she warned.

This time, he made no effort to stifle his hearty chuckling, though what made it that much better was when he heard some simultaneous giggling emanating from across the table. Turning to look out of reflex, he saw Marble laughing into her hand along with the cutest expression on her face, enhanced by her visage not being obscured by her mane for the first time. Again, Eric was struck by how beautiful she was… and when Marble felt his look upon her, she too turned to face him. Internally, the human went into turmoil with a slew of thoughts entering his head and vying for dominance over the course of half a second. Fortunately, one set of instructions stood out enough.

Shit dude… she’s looking at you! Smile, you jackass!

Eric did just that, shooting her a friendly smirk when their eyes locked onto each other. The reaction was immediate, and Marble, suddenly feeling as if his eyes were studying her, instantly retreated behind the cover of her mane. Her cheeks colored brightly and her giggling that Eric had found so adorable had abruptly ceased.

While the human held his expression and directed it elsewhere, internally he wanted to beat himself. At this point, Eric felt he went and creeped out this nice mare who was opening up suddenly with the aid of a friendlier atmosphere… or at the very least, he probably pushed his boundaries with her and set back progress at least a week.

“So, answer me this, Eric,” Limestone grabbed the human’s attention by way of his name. “Do you have rock farms back on Earth?”

Well, let’s hope there’s no permanent damage so far!

And truthfully, that was all Eric could root for as he began answering Limestone’s question. Even so, the atmosphere around the dinner table livened up beautifully, and conversation flowed easily from then on. Eric became the center of attention and he was happy to let his hosts in on details about his world, his current education, and his life… though with the latter, he skipped some more personal details. As Eric had come to expect, he and Maud shared some similar interests and overall attitudes on education and overlapping courses (though to be fair, he felt she only had a single attitude). Granted, Marble did not really participate actively in the conversation, rather, she only shifted her eyes around between the participants as any indication she was paying attention. But, it was something, and Eric was just happy he didn’t potentially scare her off entirely.

In the end, it wasn’t so bad. If he had to deal with some shyness from Marble, so be it. As of now, things seemed to improve marginally with everypony else, and Eric couldn’t ask for much more than that. Truthfully, it was technically incorrect for Eric to say that things were ‘improving,’ considering there was nothing to really improve; as he noted previously, the Pie’s were not treating him poorly. The notion of ‘improving’ was primarily to allay his own concerns of not being wanted, or potentially being forced into a dynamic that did not request nor require his presence.

So far, that did not appear to be the case.

By the soft light of the flickering, magical candles in his new room, Eric climbed up to the top bunk and flopped down with hands behind his head. Breathing out a massive sigh of relief that dinner turned out to be a great success, he mentally went over what had happened throughout his first day here, tallying up the oddities and emphasizing the victories. Igneous Rock even shook his hand yet again, this time with a noticeable smile on his face… and that was Eric’s proudest accomplishment of the night.

Dressed in some sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, Eric rested his eyes and was more than content with drifting off to an early sleep so he could get an equally early start in the morning. He figured it would make a good impression on everypony, especially Limestone, if he showed up ready to be bestowed with his tasks early at around sunrise.

Even so, the others had, one-by-one, retired to their respective rooms so Eric felt he really did not have much choice in the matter unless he was to be bored out of his mind.

So, as he had already decided, an early bed-going was in order. Letting his eyelids drift shut, Eric settled into the astonishingly comfortable bed and let his mind meander just enough to tire him out. In fact, his technique was working beautifully until his eyes shot open out of reflex; he could’ve sworn he heard the faintest of knocks at his door. Nothing sounded when he listened out again, so Eric wrote it off as an old house creaking with the gentle nudging of the breeze outside. Letting his ears concentrate on the outdoors, the sound of the breeze which carried the miscellaneous calls of the surrounding wild served as soothing white noise.

I can definitely get used to this.

He set about letting himself resting his eyes when this time he was absolutely certain someone knocked. Eric was only just about to settle into a comfortable slumber, so he could afford to get up and greet whoever happened to be at the door with a nice attitude… like he would do anything else. In the couple-seconds of time it took to sit up, drop to the floor and make his way to the door, he speculated on who it might’ve been; perhaps Maud letting him know ahead of time on what he would be doing tomorrow.

For the second time today, he was dead wrong.

Opening the door inward revealed the absolute last pony he expected to see, namely a certain lavender-eyed mare with that impossibly straight, graphite-colored mane.

“M-Marble?!” Eric asked as he met her eyes.

With the timid mare standing right in front of him, he could finally see that, yes, she was shorter than him by about three inches or so, and she looked relatively the same from earlier today. The only major difference was that she was dressed in what Eric would describe as a form-fitting one-piece pajama suit which was decorated with a repeating pattern of marbles. Her immeasurably cute attire afforded Eric the chance observe and confirm what he initially believed was the case: she had a slim body with a prominent chest.

Also, Eric noticed that she wasn’t replying to him, seemingly frozen in fear and outright refusing to focus her gaze on his own.

Marble’s eyes darted around on account of her crippling shyness and irrational fears, yet she held her ground firmly. Her lips were pursed, and a determined expression soon overrode her fearful one, which gave Eric the impression that she had something important to say. But, she remained silent for a few moments longer, and Eric was gonna ask her what she wanted, though he soon found out that wasn’t necessary.

“HiEricI’msosorryaboutearlierI’mMarblePieandit’ssonicetomeetyouIhopewecangettoknoweachotherbetter!!” Marble suddenly blurted out in one rapid, run-on sentence that sent Eric reeling in astonishment.

The mare instantly covered her muzzle upon the utterance of her last syllable and blushed profusely, as if pondering the consequences of her words. Seeing Eric’s startled expression only furthered her resurging fears and she promptly turned on her hooves and strode down the hall, quickly finding her room and closing the door behind her.

Standing in his room’s doorway, Eric was left dumbfounded, and he blinked away enough of his bemusement to take a peek down the darkened hallway. He couldn’t see anything and Marble’s door was shut tight.

What the hell just happened??
.
.
.
Further down that same hall, Marble Pie leaned against the inside of her door and slid to the floor, landing softly on her butt and folding her legs into her chest. Wrapping her arms around her shins, she curled up and rested her head on her knees, eyes shut tightly in frustration.

“Stupid…” she muttered, shaking her head indignantly as she internally admonished herself.

To her, here was a chance to have a clean slate with somepony new, to not let her overwhelming shyness come out in full-force and, hopefully, to actually meet someone without wanting to run away as a first instinct. She promised herself that she wouldn’t let this happen, and yet here she was, having potentially ruined her first impressions with Eric entirely.

This is your chance to come out of your shell…

Pouting, Marble pondered deeply about today and the next few weeks ahead. She meant every word she incoherently blabbed to Eric; she did wish to get to know him. He was going to be living with them, as it were, and they would be inevitably exposed to each other both on the farm and in the house. Since it was only him and nopony else, she saw this as a chance; the species difference was of little to no concern to her. What truly mattered was that she was given an opportunity to do what she always wanted to do, though in a much more controlled environment: not necessarily ‘change,’ but improve upon her extremely withdrawn and reserved personality. Perhaps, even break out of her reticence.

Pursing her lips again, Marble felt her eyes become a bit misty, and a few whimpers and sniffles escaped unhindered at what seemed like a monumental task ahead of her… but regardless, she swore to herself that she would see this through.

Softly yet resolutely, all she had to say to herself was:

“This time, or never."

Nodding decidedly to nopony but herself and balling her fists up. There she sat for about ten minutes before collecting herself enough to crawl into bed, simultaneously welcoming yet dreading the next rise of Celestia’s golden sun.