Maud stared up at the bunk above her, riddled with indecision. While her eyes were blank and focused, muscles relaxed, and expression as plain as ever, she struggled with what she wanted to say. The sun had not even begun to cross the horizon of Holder's Boulder, but she knew she could not fall back asleep.
The tiny filly moved off the bed, doing her best not to wake Limestone, Marble, or Pinkie, and dressed herself in her favorite tunic. Nopony had the heart to tell her that this tunic was exactly the same as all of her other ones, but she knew this one was special. It was her good luck tunic. Or maybe it was the one still in the closet. It was hard to tell sometimes. However, filled with confidence, she quietly walked across the floor at a steady pace, considering her options. Her mind raced with options in her head of how to approach the delicate subject to her parents.
"I need to be very careful with how I word my question," Maud thought to herself. "I need to be expressive. Not too desperate, but firm. I need to be reasonable. And if they say no... maybe I can try the cute route? No. That'll never work."
She opened the door to the girl's bedroom and stepped into the hallway of her home. She could already hear the clacking of hooves downstairs as the Pie Parents began to prepare breakfast for another hard day at the rock farm. Maud closed the door at a relatively normal pace and the handle clicked shut. She walked down the stairs in utter dread and fear, signaled by her signature signs of normal breathing, average pace, and half-attentive gaze. She took a regular breath before walking into the kitchen.
"Good Morning, Mom," Maud said.
"Well somepony's up early," said the maternal Pie, who whisked around the kitchen serving breakfast on plates. "Help me set the pebbled kale on the table for when we wake your sisters. We're harvesting the west field today, so everypony will need their strength."
Maud paused, knowing that she needed to say what was on her mind. She needed to make her voice heard. Her hooves were relaxed and calm. She opened her mouth, ready to broach what had been eating her for weeks.
"Okay," she said flatly.
Cloudy Quartz stopped dead in her tracks, two plates of breakfast in hoof as she turned to her daughter.
"Maud," she said quietly. "Is everything alright? You haven't spoken like that since the Wheat family moved away. You sound like we weren't able to get you rocks for Hearth's Warming Eve."
The filly remained silent as she moved to the kitchen counter and moved the plated of pebbled kale, one at a time, to the table. Her mother remained quiet as the filly then moved in front of her. Indecision was overflowing from Maud's void expression.
"How could you tell I wanted to ask you something?" Maud asked.
"Family always knows," Cloudy responded with a smile. "Now then, what is it dear. Spit it out."
Maud's heart warmed, her stomach felt more at ease, and her body didn't make any noticeable change as she pondered how to phrase her question. She knew she needed to be careful. She needed to ease into the question carefully. If she was too blunt, then they would refuse for sure.
"I really want a pet," Maud said.
Cloudy's expression scrunched, and then her features smoothed out once again. Her lips curled into a small frown.
"Maud, we talked about this," she said, her voice firm.
"I would take really good care of it," Maud said monotonously with desperation. "I would take it on walks, and encourage it, and I wouldn't let it eat rocks from off the table. I promise."
Cloudy frowned then turned away from Maud.
"Your father and I have told you that we can't afford a pet and that is that. End of Discussion."
"But-"
"No but's," Cloudy said. "Now go wake your sisters. It's going to be a long day."
A loud crack rippled through the air, and the stone in front of Maud shattered straight down the middle. As Maud robotically worked, she could feel her heart not into her work today. Even Pinkie's rockin' puns weren't enough to make Maud show any sort of discernible emotion other than neutral.
She couldn't help but think about what it would be like to have a puppy or a kitty to come back home to at the end of a hard day in the field. Something cute that would snuggle up to her on the cold nights by the fire. Or maybe something like a bird that could fly around in the fields and find cool new rocks to study. Or even a small tortoise who she could practice reading her rock poetry to. Yet, with each passing thought, her heart plunged further into the abyss and set her gaze looking no lower than it usually did on a regular basis.
Yet, as she sorted amongst the rubble of the sedimentary rock in front of her, she paused. Normally the rocks that came out of the harvest were sharp and jagged. These rocks could be sold off or re-used for for tools. Alternatively, molten down to make metals for other luxuries. However, something was different about the rubble. Maud studied the remains with a curious mind and a completely stoic expression.
Directly in front of her was a small rock that stood out from the rest. It was small enough to be held in her hoof. It was completely rounded on all edges. And for that matter, it was all one continuous mineral. Sedimentary rocks are made by lots of smaller rocks being smashed together and hardened by the elements. But this rock was special. It was almost as if all of the rocks in this particular sedimentary stone were all clustered together around one, larger, smoothed stone that was preserved by the elements. This single stone had weathered years upon years of elements, preserved inside of this protective casing. Then when Maud had swung down her pick, the casing of the rock had shattered around it, keeping its single contents, it's 'gem', safe.
It was as if she had hatched an egg, she thought.
She looked down at the pebble, realizing the monument of this find, and quickly tried to hide her reserved expression with look of neutrality. She picked up the stone and hid it inside of a pocket in her tunic, as casually as could be. She glanced over her shoulders at her sisters, and then her parents, who were still working away, then picked the axe up once more.
Maud closed the door to her bedroom tightly then pulled the stone out once more. She turned the stone over and over, studying it carefully. It was a tiny, grey thing, but it's features were as smooth as clay. In fact, there wasn't a single pore on the entire surface of it. She couldn't help but feel as if what she held in her hooves was precious. Special, even. She took this rock and gave it new life. It was concealed in the darkness for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, and she hatched it back into the world. It was something she could have easily tossed back into the cart of nearly identical other rocks, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. This was special.
"I think, I'm going to call you Boulder," Maud whispered in the empty bedroom. "And we're going to be best friends."
Then, before she could realize it, Maud realized there was warmth inside of her that was aching to leap out. She felt it crawling across her face, moving through her veins and into each hoof. She felt the corners of her mouth turn up, and she paused. She quickly halted her expression and shook her head.
She stole a rock from the farm. Nopony must know. In addition, if she were so obvious with her expressions, then everypony would know instantly.
"Girls!" called Maud's father from downstairs. "Come down here this instant!"
Maud snagged Bolder and placed him in her tunic pocket in a motion that was neither hasty nor slow, and then trotted downstairs to where the family had gathered. Igneous’s brow was furrowed and Cloudy stared at the floor as Maud joined the rest of the Pie sisters. It had been months since the last post-harvest meeting. While Maud kept a cool and calm expression, she felt sick to her stomach at having a feeling what this could be.
"I'll make this brief. Our harvest is down, girls," said Igneous, sternly. "We're going to have to begin to work extended hours so we can continue to make ends meet for the rest of the year."
The rest of the girls collectively groaned. Maud groaned internally, but did not groan aloud.
"Now, that said," Igneous continued. "We realize how hard this will be on you girls. So, we've talked... and, well. Mom and I decided that if you girls do well, and keep doing a good job, we can get a pet for the family this Hearth's Warming Eve."
Cloudy looked directly to Maud for a second, then to the other girls. Maud added two and two in her head. This was for her. She knew that. However, she felt the weight of Boulder in her tunic pocket and that warm feeling spread once again at the thought of her new friend.
"This will also mean no rock snacking out in the field," he continued. "We can't let any of the harvest go to waste. Every single piece has to be put in a cart for sale."
"E-even the Hearth's Warming Rocks?" little Marble squeaked.
"Especially those, dear," Cloudy added. "Carved stone fetches a good price. In fact, we'll have to make some more statues to sell."
"So, unless anypony has any rocks that they would like to bring forward now, that's the end of the discussion."
Silence fell through the room after Maud's father spoke. Marble and Limestone Pie trotted through the home and placed a few vibrantly colored rocks before Igneous, but Maud stood still. She felt a dread fall over her as she stared at her parents. The sisters fell in line once more, and then the room was still again.
"Anything else?" Igneous asked.
A chill ran through Maud's spine. She blinked, but continued to look at her parents blankly. The Maud father sighed then shook his head.
"Maud, the stone please?" Cloudy said quietly.
"No," Maud said firmly.
The Pie sisters whipped their heads to their sister before interchanging glances.
She took the stone out of her pocket and held it out for all to see.
"His name is Boulder, and he is my friend."
Pinkie Pie looked to Marble who looked back to her sister.
"I think she's losing it," Pinkie whispered to Marble, who nodded in agreement.
"It's just a rock," Igneous said. "It doesn't have a name."
He trotted forward and snatched it from his daughter's hoof. He turned away as Maud's hoof fell to the floor slowly.
"Don't think I didn't see you take it this morning," he said with his back turned to his daughter. "The only reason I know Pinkie hasn't stored anything is because she usually eats everything she takes."
Cloudy and the rest of the family remained silent.
"Well, it's true," Pinkie whispered.
"Igneous," Cloudy said.
"We can't afford to take from our own profits anymore," he said firmly. "When things are easier, we can make exceptions, but."
"Igneous," Cloudy said, a little louder this time.
"What?" he said, turning to his wife.
Cloudy Quartz nodded to her daughter, and Igneous turned to see Maud.
In the corner of her lips, Maud showed the slightest hint of a frown. Her eyes focused on the floor just in front of her father's hooves. She remained perfectly, and utterly silent.
"Oh, you can't be serious," he groaned in exasperation. "This rock means something to you?"
Maud looked up to her father and quietly nodded.
"You'd give up the ability to have a pet, for this rock?"
Maud paused, thinking to herself about going to a pet store and adopting some abandoned puppy or cat that was left to wander in the wilderness, versus the possible millennia of darkness that Boulder had to go through out in the field, the one-in-a-million chance of evading her pickaxe, and then still coming out smooth and untouched. If that wasn't destiny, then Maud didn't know the meaning of the word.
In addition, the Pies didn't own a dictionary.
"Yes," Maud said, her voice flat.
Cloudy Quartz looked back to her husband in utter bewilderment, and Igneous glanced back at her in shock. Silence fell through the room. Igneous looked down at the rock.
"Well," he sighed. "I suppose this isn't even anything special. I probably couldn't sell this for more than a bit. Why is this so special to you?"
Maud opened her mouth to speak, but struggled for words.
"It's like poetry," she said. "It's like one of the poems I wrote."
Maud cleared her voice.
"Rock. Rock. You are my rock. The cornerstone of my being. You might break under pressure. But now you are two rocks."
Silence fell through the room. Cloudy looked back to Igneous for support. Pinkie leaned to Limestone before quietly whispering: "Woah, that's deep."
"Well," Igneous said. "I don't fully understand it, but I suppose it can't be helped."
He trotted over and placed the tiny stone back into Maud's hoof.
"But now Pinkie gets to choose what type of-"
"ALLIGATOR!" Pinkie yelled aloud.
"What?!" the Pie parents exclaimed in unison.
"I WANT AN ALLIGATOR!" Pinkie Pie redoubled.
The Pie parents sighed in exasperation as Maud looked at the tiny pebble in her hoof. She sighed in relief and brought the stone to her cheek to feel its smooth corners against her fur. And with that, she made her sister proud and turned that frown upside-down.
