Home Free (as in free from home)
The apartment was huge, surprisingly, and much to Pinkie Pies dislike. It was almost as big as the first floor of their old house. And it was really modern. A green, circular rug sat on the floor underneath a coffee table and in front of a silver sofa. Lamps lit up the room and the TV was appealing to the four that had never seen a TV before.
The kitchen was in the same main room as the living room. Down one hall was the bathroom and down the other were two empty rooms.
The four girls smiled and dropped their bags next to them, by the door. Each of them looked around in amazement at the spacious room, even if it made Limestone and Marble a bit uncomfortable. Pinkie Pie sighed dreamily.
Limestone Pie had a purple-grey complexion with grey, spiked hair. She wore a punkish white shirt that hung off of one shoulder, she had studded bracelets and belt. Some blue-grey jeans hung from her waist. Her big, black boots with spikes slammed into the floor as she inspected it. At her waist was a keychain of a rock.
"Seems... big," Limestone said and jumped on the couch, hearing a familiar creak! that made her relax with a smile of relief.
Marble Pie hid behind Pinkie Pie nervously as the latter walked around. She had green-grey hair with a grey-green complexion. Her hair obscured one of her eyes as she cowered into her mauve jacket. Her dull green shirt was a few shades darker than her skirt. Her mauve boots with white lacings barley made a noise as she tip-toed behind her older sister.
"W-w-w-w-we'll s-still share a room, r-r-right, Pinkie?" Marble asked nervously as she cowered further behind her sister. She swallowed once she looked down the scary hallway.
Pinkie Pie smiled as her pink hair bounced against her pink skin. Her blue boots had white lacings and pink bows, the blue matched her mini jacket and bracelets. Her white shirt with a pink heart was cut off at the waist by a purple ribbon tied into a bow. She had a big pink, poofy skirt with a graphic of three balloons. Currently, her little sister was shivering and hugging her tightly.
"Of course! No way am I sleeping without my baby sister!" Pinkie Pie pulled her sister from her waist and hugged her just as tightly.
Maud Pie sat at the door way and looked around numbly. She blinked slowly, "I think we have enough space for boulder." She looked at Pinkie, "And for all of your scrapbooks."
She had a grey complexion a bit darker than Marble or Limestones. She had straight purple hair with bangs and a dull purple eye shadow. Her turtle neck dress was a dull blue-grey with a black belt. Her boots matched her dress with a darker hue as straps and a dull purple bow on the top.
A bright yellow suit case popped open, causing all of the girl to shut their eyes and await impact. Marble and Pinkie Pie held each other with their respective smile and frown while Maud stayed put. Limestone cringed on the sofa as she creaked open one of her eyes and just looked annoyed.
Christmas lights in pink, orange, and grey lit up the rooms as they hung from nails, covering the walls and the lamp pole. Confetti littered the floor and the sisters. Balloons gathered up in the corners in pinks, blues, reds, and yellows, just like the confetti.
More furniture was added to the abode. Another pink recliner was added, and the kitchen seemed decorated with notes on cabinets that said 'open me'. Maud opened one of the cabinets, she was met with a shot of confetti and a stocked full cabinet.
Limestone creeped down the hallway and peaked into one of the rooms, she saw two twin beds pushed together in the corner, decorated in bright pink comforters with grey pillows and a brown headboard. There was a desk in the corner that was bright pink, decorated in tiny cats, balloons, and a blue desk lamp.
She looked into the other room and saw a dull brown desk in the corner. It had a simple piece of paper and a dull purple pen. There was a small, grey pillow on the desk with an indention. A grey curtain hung up in the middle of the room. She opened it and saw a punching bag at one end and a pile of colorful stuff animals in the other.
"That makes things easy," Limestone said and crossed her arms. The other girls piled in the room with their respective expressions. Marble stared in awe, Pinkie Pie was about to explode from happiness, and Maud looked bored. She smiled slightly at the desk.
"I'm assuming that all of my rock candy necklaces are in the drawers in the chest I keep them in?" Maud asked as a dull-blue chair raced in and slammed into her, forcing her to take a seat. The chair stopped right before she collided with the desk.
"It's just like home!" Pinkie Pie said happily, then she saw Limestones unhappy expression. "Aw, sis, what's wrong?" She pried herself away from Marble Pie and took a step closer to Limestone.
Limestone rubbed her still crossed arms. "It's just... we tried so hard to get away and now it's just like a modern, our version home." She looked at the punching bag and smiled slightly. There was a window to the streets right in the middle. She looked out and smiled again.
"I'm so happy we're away, I mean... I love mother and father and all... but it was like we were suffocating. We needed some interaction so we didn't end up hermits! I mean," she turned to Pinkie, extending her hand to Marble Pie who now sat happily in her throne-pile of stuff animals. "She can't talk to anyone! Maud is emotionless, and we've never talked to anyone after elementary school."
"We'll be okay! This is a new start for all of us!" Pinkie Pie smiled brightly and held her sisters arm. "Marble can make some friends, Maud can be in the researching club... thingy! And you can be on the soccer team!"
"And you?" Limestone asked, almost demanded. She raised an eyebrow at her little sister.
"Duuuuuh! Party planner slash yearbook slash all around party girl!" Pinkie Pie threw her hands up, a shot of confetti coming from her blue back pack. She smiled brightly at her sister who simply rolled her eyes. She softened, "Look, we'll be okay. We're away from home... for now!"
Limestone whirled to her, "You trying to say we'll go back?" She growled.
"No silly," Pinkie rolled her eyes with a smile. "I mean, duh! We have to go back for holidays, though... I hope the school does a play for it."
"Do you think they have books on rocks?" Maud asked numbly, holding Boulder in her hands. Pinkie Pie smiled brightly and jumped over the desk to hug her.
"I bet they have a whole research team for rocks!" Pinkie Pie nuzzled.
"W-w-what s-school are we, um, going to a-again?" Marble asked, barely audible from her soft voice, behind her hair, and underneath a pile of stuff animals.
"Uh, Canterlot High, I think," Limestone said. "I think they're the wonder colts or something," she mockingly did jazz hands.
"But that school is super friendly!" Pinkie Pie bounced into the stuff animal pile with her sister.
"Why don't you guys lay down? It's been a long day, I'll cook us something," Limestone said as she left the room. Pinkie Pie nuzzled into the stuff animal pile with her sister as Maud took out a small, dark red rock. She started writing in a dull-purple journal, picking up the rock and putting it back down every now and then.
"You two should unpack," Maud offered, examining the rock. Pinkie Pie jumped up and pulled her sister out of the pile. The two smiled as they ran into the living room to retrieve their bags.
Limestone rolled her eyes as she made pancakes, "You have a party cannon to decorate the place, you didn't have one planned for our bags?" She smirked. She looked around and pointed at the empty wall by the door, "I'll put up the picture of us in front of Holders Boulder later."
"Great idea! Oh yeah, I only packed Maud's bags with a party cannon cause I knew she would be busy!" Pinkie Pie bounced, excitedly eyeing the pancakes. "But I knew how much fun it would be to unpack with you two! Especially Marble!"
Marble and Pinkie ran off with yellow, grey, and pink suitcases and bags.
After Limestone finished cooking and they all ate. Limestone, Marble, and Pinkie Pie unpacked together, happily and disgruntledly -Limestone- putting away their things.
Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie's clothes were the only ones that fit in the closet in the room, so Limestone and Maud put theirs in the other room. Shelves were filled with nick knacks made from rocks and old toys they used to play with. Of course, Maud, Pinkie, and Marble got their stuff to fill the shelf, leaving Limestone's memories in a box at the bottom of the other closet.
Marble Pie slept closet to the wall, Pinkie Pie cuddled around her. Maud slept on her back with her hands over her chest like a corpse right next to them. Limestone slept at the other edge of the bed and decided they were too big to do this anymore, as she was falling off.
She got up in her white shirt and dull-grey shorts, like her sisters Marble and Maud. She walked into the other room and found a blanket in the closet. She took it and went into the living room, she plopped down on the small sofa and smiled as she cuddled up in the blanket.
She wasn't used to not running a days routine like usual. And she wasn't used to not doing any homeschooling either.
Even if she did that all on her own. Her parents were too busy to teach them, so once Limestone got older, they trusted her with teaching her sisters.
She wasn't used to being in control, she was terrified of being entrusted with her sisters future capabilities all on her own. Sooner or later, she saw she wasn't half bad at it. Then, once her parents started getting older, she took over the rock farm.
She loved being the big sister, even if it meant being the 'strong' one. She wasn't allowed to cry, she was supposed to take care of her sisters. Though, it was impossible to hide anything from Pinkie, especially feelings. She loved that about the annoying pink fluff.
Whenever her sister cared about her, she felt like a sister and not a guardian. It made her feel young again, especially since she knew she grew up too fast.
She grumbled sleepily as she tried to use her foot to turn on the ceiling fan. She groaned and got up to turn it on, turned out she was only a few inches away. She snorted, Pinkie would've said a few 'feet' away, she thought. Maud would urgently try to correct her, she smiled. And Marble would simply giggle silently in the corner, she cuddled into the pillow.
"I hope they make friends," she said sadly, hugging her pillow tighter.
"They will," Pinkie's energetic voice assured. Limestone turned to see her standing at the front of the hallway. She groaned and fell back to the pillow.
"You better make some too," Limestone grumped and rolled on her side to face the couch, telling her sister the conversation was over.
"Okay, I will," Pinkie Pie said, opening the fridge and pulling out a can of soda behind all the whip-cream. "But you better too. Just cause you take care of them and watch over me doesn't mean you aren't included in who matters."
"I'll worry about friends once I make sure this isn't like elementary," Limestone grumbled as she readjusted the pillow. She peaked open one of her eyes to see Pinkie standing over her. She rolled her eyes and sat up. Pinkie plopped down next to her.
"Sorry I kinda took your 'big sister' role today," Pinkie apologized and the sound of the ceiling fan moving rang in the small room. "I just wanted to help Marble... though, you have all of her classes."
"You know our classes?" Limestone asked, suddenly wide away. Pinkie Pie nodded.
"I know I would be too busy to make sure she's okay. I hate to baby her, but sometimes she needs it," Pinkie Pie said. They didn't say anything for a while. Pinkie snorted, "I bet she's gonna get a boyfriend before us."
Limestone smiled sleepily, "Yeah, well, I bet your little sister wants you. You and her seemed pretty comfortable earlier."
"You gonna go back to being mean later?" Pinkie Pie asked with a cheeky smirk as Limestone pushed her off the couch.
"You mean I'll go back to being the boss later, right?" Limestone asked angrily. Pinkie Pie chuckled.
"Okay, see you in the morning," Pinkie Pie smiled as she left. Before she walked down the hallway, she looked at her sister who was already half-asleep. "Big sis."
In the Rainbooms practice room, the four members started playing their instruments while they had their one-man audience. Sunset Shimmer, a girl with an orange complexion and some fiery-red and yellow hair, smiled and started applauding once the show was over.
The four smiled brightly at the praise.
"Are you sure you don't want to play with us?" Fluttershy asked with a small smile. She held her tambourine behind her back and smiled nervously, shifting her feet along with her.
"That's still a marvelous idea!" Rarity smiled brightly at her friends. "You could always pick up an instrument, I mean, we did so easily!"
Sunset smiled at their attempt to get her to fit in, but she was still stuck on something else. She shook her head to forget it and smiled at her friends. "Oh no, it's fine. I like my job as the audience!"
Sunset had her fiery red hair that fell over her black, studded jacket. She had a magenta shirt underneath that had a graphic of yellow and red forming a sun. Her orange skirt with purple and yellow dashes to it matched her hair while her black boots with pink tips shone bright.
"Alrighty, sugar cube," Applejack beamed with her proud smirk. "Just tell us whenever y'all change yer mind, ya hear?"
The four girls were beautiful. Applejack had orange skin with freckles that popped against it. Her golden hair pulled into a ponytail was topped off with a brown cowboy hat. Of course, she had a jean-skirt with a belt with an apple on it. She had shirt that went to her elbows, it was white with a green topping above her chest. Her big, brown cowboy boots with apples weren't a surprise either.
"Oh, how wonderful it would be to design a outfit with your hair color, eye color, and complexion!" Rarity said dramatically and with a bright smile.
The girl had three diamond clipping in her curls of deep purple. Her blue-white shirt fit well against her purple skirt and her diamond crested boots. Her makeup was done perfectly with her blue eye shadow. Her skirt held a graphic of three diamonds on the side.
Fluttershy smiled, "It would be fun to sing with you! It almost seems insulting to have you watch." She timidly smiled and stared at the ground, as she usually did.
Fluttershy had her beaming yellow skin with her long, pink hair. Her white tank top popped out against the green skirt she wore. She had a white butterfly clip in her hair, along with big, green boots with white tips. You could see her pink socks with white polka dots.
"Yeah! We'd rock even more with you in our band!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly. She crossed her arms and smirked defiantly.
The egotist with a smirk had cyan skin with dashing rainbow colored hair. Her pink eyes popped against her whole design. She had a blue, short-sleeve jacket over top her white shirt with a design of a rainbow lightning bolt and a cloud. Her pink and white skirt led down to her black capris-leggings that led further down to her blue and white boots. Her rainbow colored socks stood out against them.
Sunset Shimmer giggled. "I'm sorry, I would love to play with you all. I'm just thinking about things." She seemed to drop her façade and let her worry show through. The four girls exchanged worry glances.
"Is it, uh, somethin' with Twilight or some magic stuff?" Applejack asked and put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. Sunset looked at each of them and sighed.
Principle Celestia's voice boomed through the intercom, "Will Sunset Shimmer please come to the foyer?" The girls stared at her, confused and worried for her.
She smiled weakly at them, "I, uh, gotta go show some new girls around school. I'd rather them get to know the new me over the old me, ya know?" The girls smiled weakly back, knowing something was off, they nodded and picked back up their instruments.
Sunset smiled as she left the room and looked down the desolate halls. The Rainbooms have been getting to school early, ever since the announcement of a Battle of the Bands. She wasn't all that used to the empty school just yet, then she started questioning things about the new girls as she started walking to the foyer.
Why are they here so early? Surely the website has the time they should be here, Sunset thought. Maybe they were just worried they couldn't get their lockers opened in time or something.
She continued to think, well, that's somewhat stupid, surely they know how to use a locker, right? She laughed to herself slightly, then her mind started worrying again. What if they were homeschooled and I'm a complete jerk about it?
She started to worry even more. What if they hate me and then once they learn about what I've done they hate me even more? What if they give my friends a reason to hate me?
She was so focused on her negative thoughts that she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. She crashed right into something and fell back with a yelp. She rubbed her head as she sat up.
"Pinkie!" She heard a soft and rough voice. She didn't recognize them, or the name. Well, as she thought about it, she recognized the name, but from where?
"Pinkie?" She heard a voice deadpan. She opened her eyes and saw four girls. One was on the floor and two were at her side, one was standing above all of them with a blank expression. Her worry started to become a reality. She shot to her feet.
"I am so, so, so sorry," Sunset Shimmer apologized and extended her hand to the pink girl on the floor. The girl smiled up back at her and took her hand.
"Are you Sunset Shimmer?" The pink girl asked happily and shook her hand. Sunset Shimmer smiled, feeling as if this new girl would be a great friend of hers. She nodded.
"I'm assuming you're the new girls?" She asked happily. The pink girl and one with hair covering one of her eyes smiled. One with bangs and dull colors waved pathetically. The other one crossed her arms and looked away, her brow furrowed in anger.
"Names Pinkie!" The pink girl jumped happily and shook her hand again. Then, she shoved the girl with hair covering her eye in front of her. "Here's my baby sister: Marble!" She got near Sunset Shimmer, away from her sister and whisper yelled -though it was loud on it's own- "She's shy!"
Sunset Shimmer smiled. "Nice to meet you!" She looked to the other two. The grumpy one glared daggers at her and seemed to cross her arms even further. The other one looked emotionless.
"I'm Maud," the emotionless one deadpanned, once again. Pinkie was about to burst from happiness, she looked eagerly at the angry one who tried to avoid her stare.
The angry one groaned and finally looked at Sunset Shimmer, "Limestone, and hurt my sister again and you're done." She threatened. Sunset laughed nervously and smiled through fear.
"And we're the Pies!" Pinkie smiled happily. The idea of having a family name reminded her of Applejack. Still, she smiled at the closeness of the sisters as Pinkie Pie hugged them, as if getting into a shot from a camera.
Sunset heard a click!. She turned to see a pink polaroid camera set up on a blue tripod. Pinkie Pie jumped with happiness and grabbed the camera, she pulled the photo from it. She shook it and smiled at it. "It's a keeper!"
Sunset smiled at this new girl, she was fun and bouncy, and definitely random. And unexplained randomness was one thing she could use from life, she wanted sheer randomness without an explanation, and it didn't need one! It was better than try to explain the Equestrian magic of your friends, at least.
"Well c'mon, I'll show you around and help you find your lockers," Sunset smiled cheerily and started walking down a hall, explaining which room was which as she went by them.
She moved down to another hallway, "That's the biology room, there's the science room, and that's the history room!"
She turned to the four girls, seeing the nervousness and fear in three, but the happiness from Pinkie. She almost felt bad for the three. She smiled nervously, "Well, I should get back to my friends but I'm pretty sure there were all of your classes. I can show you everything else after school, if you don't mind."
Limestone was going to respond, but before she could, Pinkie stepped in. "We would love too! Thanks Shimmer!" Her sister stared at her, she seemed furious.
"Pinkie!" Her sharp, gravelly voice cut through her sisters cheery atmosphere. She turned to Sunset Shimmer, "Thanks, but we'll find what we need on our own." She shoved past Sunset, dragging Marble along with her.
Sunset stared at Pinkie, she felt bad for Limestone, and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie looked like a balloon that had just been deflated. Sunset smiled awkwardly, "Well, uh, see ya around, I guess."
Pinkie Pie smiled awkwardly back, then she sighed after Maud put her hand on her shoulder. Pinkie faced Sunset with a smile, "Sorry about her! I'd still love to get shown to the extra places like club rooms after school!" Her smile went from awkward to cheery, so did Sunsets.
"Alright, and you can bring along any of your sisters, well I gotta go, see ya!" Sunset Shimmer started off. There was something odd about the four, but she chose to ignore it. She'd rather have an adorable group of sisters as friends, over dealing with magic at the moment.
