Author's Note

Ah, you've made to chapter eleven of Fireflower's fanfic that goes beyond the typical oneshots made from before, a Mature one no less on the grounds that a previous chapter has recently dealt with a reference to a subject matter proven to be unsuitable for those under eighteen, easily offended, and/or quickly nauseated; suffice to say, I would like to apologize for denying you an option to skip ahead recently, especially considering the fact that I'd crammed in too much dialogue and the like: the references alone were just too good to ignore.

Aside from disclaimers long ago, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the second half of the story's progress; somehow, the new year had provided us with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that's coming on: I believe at this rate, everything will make sense soon enough like before.

One last thing before signing off, I hope you can be surprised about this chapter now even more than the others before because some special guests are going to be joining one of our fateful protagonists in this chapter below: two canon characters will be joining her, a local and her mother at the beginning and the end respectively; of course, it'll not be the end until I say otherwise so please stay tuned and enjoy it, okay?

Clean

To say that today was good would prove to be highly subjective to fault whichever one person was asked about such a trite thing; that being said, there was peace and prosperity nonetheless. The golden sun itself was found having already emerged from the log horizons of daybreak’s bell, delighting both the optimistic and hopeful instantaneously embracing its light and warmth. The numbers of people in attendance, however, were few and far, reflecting of the nearly barren environment and the structures found within them, purposes, or lack thereof notwithstanding. There were mountainsides raging with growth and erosion in the process of their trying times, bearing witness to the barely stagnant civilization taking form nearby within their slow pacing. Tones were neutral due to their utter lack of coloring and an abundance of extreme mediocrity; that isn’t to say that life itself was nonexistent but rather the other way around, despite numbers.

One particular denizen was found standing about over a ligneous platform out amongst the few, the proud, and the geeky: a lonely woman staring at the rails up in front of her view. Her very skin was one of the fairest within the land and beyond, a bright coating full of milkiness deeply inside the pores as they were currently freed of imperfections so to speak of. The woman’s eyes had possessed some light turquoise shining rightly like crazy diamonds in the rough, capable of moving to the ends of the earth with due diligence and humbleness. Her locks were a dulled purple that were running past the nape of the neckline despite being short and strait, matching the eyeshadow she was presently wearing over both lids. The woman wore a vividly indigo frock covering up much of her body only to stop past the kneecaps as they were held in place by a thin black fabric, matching the heavy boots.

The woodwind sounds of whistling cut on through the cold daytime air as it was followed by the constant percussion of steel parts in rapid succession. Within the distance, an enharmonic orchestra came in the form of a rustic and bulky locomotive already undergoing the tender process of deceleration. Slowly and steadily, the synchronicity of music concluded gently when the grinding metal was accompanied by the whooshing smoke clouds nearby. Instantaneously, the doors slid open to unleash many passengers now taking their own spot onto the same surface much like the lonely woman earlier.

Amongst the sea of faces was another woman sharing many similarities with the observer, from the eyes to the skin quality; of course, the former was different. The lemony traveler in particular was plain enough to see with teal eyes, despite the capability of moving heaven and earth with tenderized tranquility and grace. The subject’s locks were a hot pink running all the way down to the midsection, adorned with a barrette in the form of a white swallowtail butterfly on the right. Adorning the traveler’s body were a white long–sleeved blouse with some emerald green pants and some ocean blue trainers, all that covering more of her skin.

“Pinkie…?” the purple haired individual had blurted out, catching the carnation colored counterpart off–guard consequentially.

The lonely traveler herself looked around amidst her small reference pool’s worth of peers and squeaked out, “huh…?”

“Over here…!” the observer said to the lemony subject, this time the former’s voice rising slightly while waving, “it’s me, Maud…!”

“This must be one of the sisters Pinkie told me about years ago: she looks so different from her and yet she thought I was her; if it weren’t for my hair, then she would’ve missed me…” the pink haired individual cerebrated as she started edging forward to the eponymous speaker almost immediately.

It didn’t take long for the purple haired individual to make contact with her carnation colored counterpart currently, bringing a small tear to the former’s eyes before speaking to the latter, “I’m so glad to see you: for a moment, I’d thought that I would’ve been able to see her again; even your hair reminds me of my sister…!”

“Actually, I’m Fluttershy, her friend; you must be the one that she told me about, although I never imagine how different you two are…” the aforementioned woman introduced herself as she was now found to be squeezed by Maud’s gentle forearms instantaneously, “anyways, Pinkie really wanted to come along with me for the whole trip yet she’d gotten sick so I’d went alone.”

“How is she though: mom’s been worried sick; what has my sister been up to…?” the purple haired individual had asked her carnation colored counterpart consequentially at once.

Fluttershy struggled to look Maud in the eye and replied at once, “nothing much really: Pinkie’s been visiting the Cakes now and then at the old town, although she’d mentioned that there was another farmer also staying with them as well to look after her brother along with his wife and kids. She’d never told me that Carrot Top and Carrot Cake were related, let alone sister and brother; of course, it was starting to make sense somehow: they had looked so similar to one another, much like her and myself.”

“Speaking of which, you did looked like her honestly…” the purple haired individual laughed lightheartedly, “anyways, how are your folks…?”

“They’re pretty nice: mom’s a gardener, dad’s a collector, and my brother… he’s just living; although, I also happened to have adopted a child to raise him as one of my own…” the lemony traveler answered while blushing about.

This prompted Maud to ask Fluttershy another question, “what is his name and how did you become a mother all of the sudden…?”

“I can’t say, at least not here and now: it’s a long story and I don’t want anyone else to be listening in on our conversation…” the lemony traveler squeaked about as she looked around at the people nearby herself and the lone observer.

Maud turned around and spoke somberly, “I understand: besides, mother and father are probably getting worried sick about me being gone too long, especially after what happened to them years ago; I’m pretty sure that Pinkie told you about it…”

“Yeah, I know: if it’s any consolation, then you probably want to know why I’d considered adoption too; besides, I feel guilty knowing that my family is safe but I wasn’t…” Fluttershy had replied, following after her dulled correspondent just as the platform was cleared in enough time, “so, this is Rockville, so much like my old hometown: tied to the ground and filled with people. How long have you lived here though…?”

“For most of my life, especially since my birth; the only exceptions were to get my education in geology: they said that I had potential at a young age…” Maud answered as the train started to pull off from the adjacent station, resuming the orchestral movement that had signaled its arrival so earlier ago while its other observers dispersed.

The lemony traveler looked around to find how scarce yet so populous the community was and inquired on the dwarfing demographics, “hey Maud, was your hometown always this small when you were growing up…?”

“Of course, which is just the way they’d liked it: my parents believe that I’d possessed much potential as a geologist so they’d sent me off before I’d turned eighteen; I still wish it could’ve stayed that way though…” the titular townsperson had retorted timely almost immediately so to speak of literally, “you have no idea what happened while I was gone. I still feel guilty about what they had gone through to this day: the things they did to mother, father, Marble, and Limestone; they deserved far better than to be treated like livestock.”

“What have they done to them…?” Fluttershy had started stuttering, stopping in place with growing trepidation.

Maud started to shed another tear, this time with the clean intent to hold back the deluge as she’d clenched her left fist before saying, “things that made me close to feeling emotions I never thought I would giving into since my youth: imagine yourself having the ideal family in a remote location and setting out, only to comeback to find their lives torn to pieces like common tissues!”

“What do you mean by that, Maud: how could they be torn to pieces like common tissue; did something happen to them to make you feel this way…?” the lemony traveler said as her dulled correspondent started shaking, “please tell me…!”

“That won’t be necessary: my mother would take over from here; besides, we’re almost there…” Maud interjected, pointing to a certain structure.

The particular area in question was a quickly growing phenomenal homestead free of stereo but otherwise brimming with life and liberty nonetheless. Rather than copious yields filled by a potential golden harvest, it was perhaps rather barren save for an overabundance of rocks in all shapes and sizes. A wooden fence overlooking the area sat still on the solid ground, planted neatly all throughout the way as it’d kept the stones away from the house. In close range was a single solitary windmill standing by as it provided the home with its own brand of gentle breeze like sentient ligneous lifeforms. Nearby on the opposite end therein was one of the mountainsides lurking about, posing of little consequence to the women present and accounted for.

Speaking of which, Fluttershy had noticed a few of the people living here and said to herself, “so this the rock farm Pinkie told me about…”

It wasn’t long until the purple haired individual reached the house upon the land underneath the risen sun, raising her left hand to knock upon the blue door; in doing so, a frail and gaunt voice echoed from beyond the time, “who is it…?”

“It’s me, mother: your daughter Maud; I’ve brought a weary traveler, a friend of my sister…” the eponymous tenant answered back with a hint of concern, “is it okay if she could come in too…?”

“Allow me to turn the lock, my child; ‘twill not be long…” the voice from behind the wooden sighed as the clicking of metal was heard at once.

Almost immediately, the lone tenant was revealed to be of the same gender as the purple haired individual and her carnation colored counterpart; unlike the two, age and weight were greater. Dark green tresses were found already tied into a bun, save for a few strands out of place in the finite neatness tainted in white for both Fluttershy and Maud to bear witness to instantaneously. A part of glasses with a golden frame were held securely in place by some of its petite chains, overlaying the tired icy blue while underlined by concaves thicker than the two women already. Much of the elder’s body was cloaked in a jet black dress from top to bottom with some thin white lines intersecting one another evenly; additionally, she wore a gilded brooch with a gem. Standing firmly underneath her right hand was a plastic stick shorter than all three of them, held in place by the bespectacled tenant as she’d already latched onto its hardwood handle gently.

It didn’t take long for the purple haired individual to reach towards the elder and embrace the target while crying, “mother, I’m back: pardon me for taking so long but I brought a friend of my sister; hope that’s okay…”

“Thou meanst Pinkamena, mine prodigal progeny?” the matriarch slightly hissed, shooting off a frown in the lemony traveler’s direction, “perhaps it seems that her sosaid friend canst help but to bear resemblance to herself…”

“Sorry, but we’re nothing alike: I’m just a year older than her, ma’am; as a matter of fact, I already have a little brother…” Fluttershy gulped as she’d held her ground in spite of the chilly reception bestowed by the elder in mere seconds, “I’m Fluttershy, by the way…”

“Forgive me for treating thee in such a way; thou should knowst me as Cloudy Quartz, the matriarch of the Pie family…” the bespectacled resident had introduced herself, dropping into a more placid demeanor almost immediately.

The lemony traveler stepped into the house hesitantly and said, “I’m sorry about what happened though: I could never imagine how cruel people could be to one another, let alone to you; you seem like a nice person yourself…”

“At least thy temperament reminds me of mine youngest Marble, at least before the nightmares; but enough about that: it’s almost suppertime…” the elder in black sighed as Maud broke away from the hug, “Limestone’s assisting one of our guests in the kitchen preparing the soup; perhaps thou wouldst like a place to stay at the table: we have plenty of room.”

“I don’t mind, Missus Quartz; it has been a long train ride after all…” Fluttershy had squeaked, watching one of the aforementioned matriarch’s daughter saunter off to a nearby stairwell in due time.

The elder in black heard the lemony guest’s stomach growl and chatted, “indeed it was, but thou art just in time; speaking of which, I should go and notify maiden Lulamoon and her charges: I’m almost certain that she, too, is also hungry.”

“Of course…” Fluttershy said as Cloudy Quartz headed off in the opposite direction of Maud’s pathway.

The lemony guest found herself alone in the room and the time to close the door abaft so as to maintain whatever privacy had returned in the process. Fluttershy had quickly studied the background and found it filled to the brim with taupe shading, already held up with some large pieces of the timber. A thin carpet was found in the epicenter of the floor nearby the lemony guest, bearing different hues of purple as they were separated into some rings. A pair of some dark blue curtains hung near the windowsill, portray the dying light that was the golden sun as well as the scenery underneath itself too. Standing in front of Fluttershy was a fireplace with logs dry and barren, resting in between a drawer and shelf containing many ceramic tableware.

As the lemony guest edged towards the stairway, she’d heard a loud crash of porcelain in the adjacent wall followed by a shrill shriek, “OH DEAR…!”

“Oh my goodness, sounds like someone’s in trouble; I better go and help…!” Fluttershy ruminated instantaneously, daring to uncover the source of the noise nearby, “I hope she won’t get mad though…!”

It didn’t take long for the lemony guest to depart from the living room immediately, restoring the ambiance therein.