Everything was pitch black. Your vision was blurred out, and your mind was blank. You saw nothing but shadows, and your entire body felt like it was on fire.

You were in agony.

Nothing could save you at this point. Your bones were like dust, and your heart was racing.

You knew your soul was that of a human... but you felt like your body was far too gone. You no longer felt your hands, your feet... or anything, for that matter, aside from the pain of being crushed by something heavy.

Light soon formed from a crack. Your vision was slowly returning... but from the other side, you could see nothing more than an equine giving you an alarmed look.

She muttered something, but you couldn't quite understand the words she spoke. Her piercing yellow eyes glared at you, but her words sounded like that of genuine concern.

She was determined to get you out of there.

And after reaching her hoof your way, you could find a bit more strength in your body returning to you. Your bones, once dust, now reformed into solid mass, and you could move again, albeit slowly, and with heavy resistance.

You slowly reached your left arm her way, only to find a thick, fuzzy brown and white hoof in your view.

You were no longer human. That much was a given. Now... now, you were, according to the size difference... or perhaps the color patterns... a horse among ponies.

These were your first memories upon waking up in Equestria.

Your eyes slowly open back up. Another memory, it seems. Your hooves soon reach your forehead, and you brush the line of sweat off.

Ever since one week ago, your body was adjusting to its new form. You couldn't remember who you were back then, and you still can't remember who you are now.

All that you know, is that you are where you shouldn't be.

You hear their muffled voices behind the closed door. It sounds like an argument from the silver-maned mare with the yellow eyes.

Ever since she pulled you out of that large boulder, she seemed very, very close to you... almost like you were some sort of sign, or good luck charm.

But then again, it could just be because you're her patient that she found stuck inside the center of that huge boulder.

You digress, though.

Right now marks the seventh morning you've woken up. They provided you with some kind of soup flavored with a mineral-rich rock in the center of them. To your surprise, it was actually pretty good. You voiced your thanks every time, but they would give you a confused look, responding in their own language, which in turn, left you puzzled.

And this morning is no exception.

You look over and see the door swing open, with the yellow-eyed mare standing on the other side, speaking to the shy, coal-maned mare behind her.

At least, you assume they're both female. The other one you didn't really see or hear, aside from the occasional mumble, but her eyelashes seem like a dead giveaway.

You accept your breakfast with a grateful nod, and she grumbles something back to you in return, before heading out, seemingly in a fit of rage about something.

You're confused about her attitude, and turn towards the dark maned one, who seems to still be peeking at you from behind the doorframe.

You smile at her and wave, or try to at least, but this only makes her meekly yelp and hurry away from your sight.

"Hmm... seems like they're always like this." you theorize, before taking a sip of your soup.

A couple more hours pass, and you find yourself sitting up, staring the silver-maned mare in her big, yellow eyes.

She slowly mouths off a word, while motioning towards her chest with her forehooves.

"Lime... Stone" she mumbles in their language. Though you aren't quite sure what it is, or means, you open your own mouth and try to echo her words.

"Lehriime... Shlehtowne" You fear that you've, once again, butchered their language, as she firmly plants a hoof over her eyes and groans.

"No! No! NO!" she roars, shaking her head. You can at least guess what that one means, judging from her negative reactions.

"Sorry." you apologize.

She deadpans at you and mutters something in response... likely something along the lines of "she still doesn't understand what the hell you're saying".

She then glares at you once again, and all you can do is smile sheepishly at her and shrug your shoulders... starting to feel a bit more natural, what with your new body shape, and all.

Then you hear her mother calling her name. She turns back to the doorway and calls out her response, before giving you an annoyed look. She says something else, before hopping from your bed and exiting the room.

You are left alone once again. Turning towards the nightstand, you find a book, and open it once more. Like always, it's full of strange markings you haven't seen before.

You try to make sense of it, and form words that'd otherwise match, but you conclude that, regardless of how hard you tried, the dialect is just too different than what you're used to.

The symbols, for instance, can form words, but the words themselves would be unknown still, meaning there's literally nothing to work with. Pencil, for example, could be pronounced "Ishvalda" in their language, and you'd not have a clue where to put the "P"... because in their language, it doesn't even have a "P".

So, you're not going to be getting any knowledge from books at this rate.

You set it back down and sigh. Then you look at your hooves and blink owlishly at them.

"On the brighter side, though, it seems my hooves can still operate like hands to some degree. Sure, I have a bit of a harder time picking something large up, but simple things that are thin can just fit between the crevices of a hoof."

You decide you'll have to test your anatomy later. For now, though, nature calls.

After finishing with your business in the restroom, you make your way back towards your room. On the way, though, you bump into someone, and look down.

It's the dark-maned mare from before. She's staring up at you wide-eyed, and shivering as she falls backwards, landing on the floor with a thud.

"Oh! I'm sorry, ma'am!" You quickly reach a hoof down to help her back up, but she just seems to continue staring up at you in, what you'd guess is, absolute fear.

This isn't the first time you've had a chance to see just how small these ponies are to you, but this is the first time you've made physical contact with one, aside from the occasional hoof-graze while accepting breakfast bowls from them.

You pull your hoof back when she doesn't respond, and back up a few steps, until you hear a loud gasp behind you. Turning around, you spot the silver-maned mare staring at the gray-maned one in shock. She rushes over to her and calls out for, what you'd assume are, her parents.

Sure enough, the other two rush inside and nearly have a heart attack when they see the gray maned mare on the ground. They hurry up to her, with the mother grabbing her lower hooves, and the father carefully gripping onto her stomach. He tells her something, and she weakly nods, gripping onto her mouth.

You look at the scene, completely lost in confusion and fear. Your fears only intensify when, upon lifting her just an inch, you spot a hint of blood starting to drip from the mare's mouth.

"What the hell is going on with her?! I-is she alright?!" You want to ask them this, but your instincts tell you to keep quiet.

You reel back a bit as, once she's on her hooves again, her parents (at least you assume they are) rush her into the bathroom, while the silver-maned one stays behind and glares at you... this time a lot more darkly than she ever has up to this point.

She asks you a question, and you can only assume it's "What happened?" in their language. Her voice is... unnervingly calm.

You look towards the bathroom, then back at her, and shrug your shoulders, with the worry clear on your expression.

She's about to take a step your way, when the bathroom door opens up. You can hear torrents of liquid falling into the toilet, along with choking, crying, and coughing... puking. It sounds like she's losing a lot of blood in there. The silver-maned mare looks away from the bathroom as the father steps out, looking at her with a relaxed expression.

He says something to her, and then they both look at you. Her expression seems to soften a bit, as if she's lost in thought, while he simply keeps the calm, reserved expression on his face.

You look between the two of them, and feel uneasy about the whole ordeal. Your mind is distracted by the sound of the mare puking in the bathroom, before you motion towards the door.

"Is she alright?!" you finally ask.

He tilts his head a bit, before looking to his daughter and telling her something. Then he approaches you, while the silver-maned mare walks away in a huff.

He places a hoof on your shoulder and nods his head, replying in their own language in a calm manner.

Though you can't understand his words, you can at least feel a little more at ease with his calm demeanor... it's likely that he's explaining to you that this is normal to them... or to him, at least.

You sigh and nod your head, unsure of what he says, but at least getting the basic gist of it.

The mare clears her throat and mutters something, catching your attention. You look over at her and she motions for you to follow her into your room.

You gulp, looking over at the father. He simply gives you a nod, and heads back into the bathroom, leaving you with the mare who, more or less, might be on the verge of killing you.

"Lime... Stone!" she says through grit teeth, as she taps on her own chest.

As it turns out, it was back to her simply trying to teach you their language... and more or less, her name.

You try again to mouth her words.

"Lihme... Shtiine?" you reply. She groans and rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

"No! Lime... Stone!" she says, increasing in rage each time you butcher her name.

To her credit, you're surprised she's been at it this long without slugging you in the face.

"Nuu... Lim... Shone?" you reply, earning another annoyed growl.

To your credit, it's not that you don't know her name at this point. It's "Limestone"... but there's two key problems that you can't really address to her.

For one thing, you're in a new body, which means your mouth feels way different than what you're familiar with. Talking with a snout is freaking difficult for someone who lived at least over twenty years without one.

Second, you can't voice out the first reason to her, meaning she's left to think you're just too dumb to catch onto her name... which brings you both to the loophole that you're in right now.

To your relief, however, the mother steps inside and clears her throat, stopping Limestone from clobbering you. She looks over her shoulder and groans, motioning towards you and whining about something... likely the situation being hopeless.

The mother nods her head and smiles at her, gently patting her on the shoulder. She says something to Limestone, who in turn nods her head and scoots off the foot of the bed, giving you time to look at your new teacher.

She then reaches behind her back and places a blank notebook on the bed, followed by a coal pencil and a book that has a picture of, what appears to be, a unicorn filly floating blocks over her head.

...

Wait... unicorns?! Does this world have unicorns in it?!

Your distraction is cut short when she flips the book open. There's a strange symbol on the top left of the page. It then clicks.

This is an Alphabet Book!

You smile and bow your head gratefully to the mother, who in turn smiles back at you and nods her head in understanding. She then taps a hoof on the first symbol and mutters the letter out.

You follow suit.

It takes a few tries, but eventually you're at least able to give her an accented version of the letter that wins her a nod of approval.

She then places the coal pencil in her mouth, between her teeth, and scratches the symbol on the notebook, before moving over to the next page.

You both spend a few hours going over their alphabet, before the sun starts to set.

Another week of long, tedious studying passes. You've finally gotten used to your new face structure, and could pronounce their names properly, albeit with a bit of an accent.

The silver-maned mare is Limestone. Grumpy, and likely in charge of keeping the place running. She's got yellow eyes, and seems to carry a scowl at all times. Perhaps to keep a tough image, or to hide something? You aren't quite sure, yet.

The gray-maned one is Marble. She's very shy, and doesn't even talk at all. Despite the situation in the hallway, she seemed to have lightened up around you, and even brought you some breakfast one morning, giving you a shy smile behind her mane. She was caught off-guard when you figured out how to say "Thank you" in their language. But besides that, she tends to spend a lot of time just hiding around in the shadows.

The motherly figure is Cloudy... Q-something. You can't quite figure out what to call her entirely, so you simply addressed her as "Ma", which you can guess is the title her daughters gave her. She laughed at that, of course, but didn't object to it. She has a dark, grayish green mane that's tied upward, and a light coat similar to Marble's. She also has blue eyes, which radiate intelligence and protection, which is only elevated by the reading glasses she often wears at the tip of her snout. You have a gut feeling she has a military background, judging from how even Limestone shudders in fear when she accidentally steps out of line... which happened only once or twice since you've been here. That, plus her posture is straight up, eyes at the front, and shoulders together.

Finally, there's the colt of the house, Ig... something Rock. Like Mrs. Cloudy, you simply called him "Pa". He didn't really laugh like Ma did, but you could see a bit of mirth in his face in the form of a slight smile. He's strong, reserved, and downright serious, but fair and just. You also can't help but notice a subtle accent that he and Ma carry that differs from the way that Limestone speaks. Sure, it's difficult to determine, but it's almost like comparing Japanese to Chinese for someone who hasn't memorized either. You can just tell based on the way how the throat works, you'd guess... that, and the amount of syllables in each word. Regardless, though, you'll eventually learn of their word usage, and mentally translate it to keep things easy.

Speaking of words... you've now memorized what you've deemed the "Equish Alphabet"... to a degree. You can't write a sentence, and don't know the symbols like their equivalent to a "Period", "Comma", et cetera. That, and you are quite certainly not able to write it, yet, what with your newfound hooves.

You tried writing with your teeth, and found that to be easier... but even still, your writing is beyond sloppy. You'll have to work on that.

As for words, you've at least learned to write and say the essentials. By that, you mean "Food", "Drink", "Toilet", "Bath", "Me", "You", their names (and nicknames), "Note", "Book", "Write", "Read", "Say", "Yes", "No", "Help", "Rock", "Hold", "Good", "Bad", and a few other simple words. All in all, you feel quite pleased with your results.

But alas, when it comes to hearing their words fluently waved back and forth, you still feel like a toddler learning how to walk for the first time. They seem to get a good kick out of you using words, though, and Limestone even seems a bit flushed by hearing you laugh along with her parents. You aren't quite sure why, but you'd wager a guess that she feels a little let down because her mom did all the work, and she pretty much just yelled her name at you.

As for the whole situation with Marble? She didn't seem to have any more episodes... at least, none while you were around. But even still, you had quite the nightmare after witnessing her just spewing out blood by falling on her back. You've made it a priority, once you've mastered their language, to get more insight on that. It's odd, to say the least, but after you bumped into her and caused that episode in the first place, you've felt the obligation to help protect her from something like that happening ever again.

And her subtle shyness, mixed with her absolute kind heart, only fills you with that much more determination to make it so.

You're broken from your train of thought when the door opens. Marble approaches your bed with a bowl of soup gently held in her teeth.

You give her a warm smile and a grateful nod. "Thank you... Marble." you tell her, albeit slowly and heavy with your alien accent.

She gently places the bowl on the nightstand and nods back at you. "Mm-hmm.~" she gives you a warm smile in response, before heading back over to the entrance.

You take a sip of the soup and sigh, content. You didn't realize how much a bunch of talking and studying can dehydrate someone!

Your eyes are focused on a simple word book, that you fail to notice Marble is still standing there, looking up at you. Eventually, though, your eyes look up at her, and you give her another smile.

"Food good." you tell her, nodding towards the bowl.

She seems delighted to hear that, and heads out of the room.

You raise an eyebrow. "Huh... she seems very chipper today." you think to yourself, before looking back at the book.

Huh... so that's how you spell "Apple" in Equish... good to know.

A couple more weeks, and now an entire month has passed since your wake. You've finally mastered the art of "mouth writing", and learned some more of the basic word structures of their language... well, you say you've mastered it. It's still about Kindergarten quality, and the spacing could use some improvements.

But now, you can at least understand a few basic sentences! Sure, they have to speak slowly, and often repeat themselves to you, but you're getting there!

But therein lies a new problem... you're getting tired of just lying around, while these kind ponies take so much of their time helping you. It's about high time you started to work for your keep.

You tried to bring it up before, but they were insistent that you recover, first. They also brought up a good point while using a creative mix between words and drawings... how would you know what they'd need you to do if you couldn't understand what they say to begin with? They could ask you to take something East, and you'd wind up West!

Today, though, you've at least gotten out of bed, and started walking around their house. Thanks to your frequent trips to the bathroom, you've at least gotten movement taken care of since the start... but even still, your muscles can use a bit more for their routine.

You are about to open the door, when Limestone beats you to the punch, opening it up. She looks up at you and blinks owlishly.

"Hello, Limestone!" you say enthusiastically in your heavy accent.

She deadpans at you. "Ain't you supposed to be in bed?" she asks. You take a moment to register her words, and she repeats herself about twice, albeit slower, until you finally catch on.

You shrug your shoulders. "Tired of bed." you reply.

She looks over at the bed, before nodding. "Understandable. I'd be tired too if I were cooped up for as long as you've been."

You have no idea what she said, but you simply nod in agreement.

"I want to help." you tell her.

She plants her face in her hoof. "Ugh... not this again. Look, I admire your effort, but until Ma gives you the all-clear, you're just gonna have to get over it!"

You can't quite put your finger - erm... hoof on it... but you'll just take that as a "no". At least, not until Ma says something. And so, you sigh, nodding your head.

She then motions for you to follow her. "Anyways, it's time for Breakfast."

You pick up the word "Breakfast", and smile weakly at her. "Thank you, Limestone."

This makes her turn her head away from you and... you could swear you almost see her blushing a little bit.

"Hmph! Just... just hurry up and come to the Dining Room, Doofus!"

You nod gratefully, her nickname she's given you flying right over your head. And so, you follow her into the kitchen, where the family's gathered around.

"Hey! He wanted to get out a bit more, so I brought 'em here! That okay with you all?" she asks them.

Marble gives you a shy smile, before nodding her head. "Mm-hmm!"

Ma smiles warmly at you as well, and nods as well. "Of course, Dear! Please, come have a seat!"

Pa, whose eyes are glued to a newspaper, simply nods his head.

You take this as your cue to join them at the table when Limestone pats on a stool next to her, while looking at you.

Taking a seat at the stool, you can't help but admire the room's classic feel to it. Two parents, their two children, and their guest, all seated at a table, with a large bowl of stew in the center, and bowls spread out for each member.

You also can not help but make a mental note that your bowl was already sitting there... almost like they were expecting you to leave the room at some point. Needless to say, you feel a little nervous, to say the least. This whole month, you've mostly just been in bed, the bathroom, or the hallway in-between. Now, though, you are actually sitting among the family that's been helping you for this long.

You're so lost in thought, that you don't even notice the soup being poured into your bowl right in front of you.

"There you go, dear." Ma tells you... at least, that's what you think she says.

You look up at her and smile, nodding your head. "Thank you, Ma."

She giggles a bit, waving a dismissive hoof at you.

Breakfast is, like usual, soup flavored by rocks. You've honestly gotten used to it at this point, and with each flavor being different, you can't really object to it. Free food is free food, no matter the shape.

But that being said, you can't help but wonder if there's more to this place than just soup? It's not that you're ungrateful, but you wouldn't mind a bit more variety.

"Is something the matter, dear?" Ma asks you, showing a bit of concern. Pa looks over at you from his newspaper, while Marble hides her face behind her mane. Limestone just deadpans at you.

It's at this point you realize that you've been just staring at your reflection in your soup. You smile nervously at them and wave a dismissive hoof, before taking another sip of your soup.

They still seem to be looking at you.

You sigh, before looking towards the window near the kitchen sink. "I want to help." you reply to her.

Limestone groans, rolling her eyes. She then looks over at them and speaks up.

"He's wanting to help out around the farm, still. I think he's not ready, yet! What if he mixes the Quartz with the Rubies, or the Asphalt with the Feldspar?! We can't just risk him-"

"I'd say it's about time." Pa replies to her, flipping the page of his newspaper.

They all look at him surprised, before he continues. "He wants to help, and it's not like sorting things is the only thing he can do. Frankly, he's got a strong back, and a worker's heart. So, I'd say y'all should bring 'em to the Marketplace. Let 'em carry the load while Limestone handles the business end of it. He don't need to talk, he don't even need to understand any more than 'come here', 'go there', 'follow', or 'wait'. And plus, he's been bed-ridden for over a month, now. I'd say if he wants to help, then let him help."

Whatever he said, it seems to have gotten the rest of the family lost in thought. They look over at you, as if expecting you to say or do something.

You gently set the bowl down and sigh, before looking over at Ma and, with a determined look in your eye, nodding your head. "I want to help." you reaffirm.

She smiles at you, then nods her head. "Then you will." she tells you. Perhaps the clearest, most understandable phrase you've heard any of them say.

This makes you smile and mentally cheer. Perhaps now, you can see what this world has to offer?

Though you're unsure what Pa said, it seems that he's satisfied with your answer as well.

Limestone, however, glares at you. "Fine, then! But don't expect me to go easy on ya!"

You feel the sensation that she's threatening you. And so, you give her the response that any other mature male your age would do.

You stick your tongue out at her and say, "Yes."

You're able to get a bit more studying done in your book. Looking over at the clock, you rub your chin in thought. Did Limestone forget that you were going to help today?

As if on cue, the door slams open, and Limestone trudges in, eyes glued on you.

"Come on, Doofus! It's time to go!" she says.

"Huh... again with that nickname. Wonder what it means?" you think to yourself, before nodding your head, assuming she's telling you that it's time to get to work.

"Yes." you casually tell her, placing the book down on the nightstand. Then you hop off of the bed, and follow her into the Living Room.

"Ugh. One month on, and that's all you can say clearly, isn't it?!" she complains to you.

You can understand what she's saying, for the most part. However, you're not going to let this one slip by.

Giving her a smile, you simply shrug your shoulders. "Yes."

"N-now you're just messing with me!" she says through grit teeth, pointing at you. You can't help but laugh a bit, which only makes her cheeks flush a brighter red.

"Hmph!" she scrunches her face and looks away, before opening the front door and walking outside.

You can hear Marble giggling a bit beside you, so you give her a winning smile. Naturally, she shies behind her mane upon being seen, but her eyes are still fixated on you.

With a bit more pep in your step, you follow Limestone out of the house, and into the field.

To be honest, you've been cooped up in the house for over a month. Long enough to understand that you're in some kind of farm, at least.

Naturally, you'd expect to see a bunch of green fields at least somewhere among the brown you've seen out the window. Maybe a few wheat fields? Perhaps some hay bales, or a bright, red barn on top of a hill?

But what you didn't expect upon stepping outside... was to see that there's literally nothing but brown fields covered in rocks. From the entrance of the house, to the distant fields, even around the occasional neighbor's house.

If anything, you'd wager a guess that, sure enough, it's a farm... but instead of growing plants, they grow rocks!

It defies all logic that you know of... but then, it occurs to you that you're in an alien world, so perhaps it simply works differently?

You digress, though. Way too much thinking for now. Brain is hurting. Gotta work the other muscles.

Your attention is drawn to Limestone, who's currently several meters ahead of you. You pick up the pace and follow her over to the barn, which is far from bright, or red. It's more of a faded tan color, if anything. And to top it all off, it's covered in dirt from top to bottom.

"Alright, so here's the thing! We're goin' to the Marketplace, and you're carrying the wagon! Got it?" she asks.

You can pick up most of what she said, though the "Marketplace" word is something new to you. And so, you decide she's just taking you somewhere on the farm.

So, you nod your head and smile at her. "Yes."

Next thing you know, you're standing in the barn with her fastening a wagon up against your stomach. She fastens a harness around your shoulders for extra support, before placing a few crates of rocks and gems onto said wagon.

"Can you carry this much, Doofus?" she asks you.

You take a few steps forward, and find that it's pretty easy to drag around... perhaps the supports, or the new body? Maybe both.

But you look over at her and nod your head. "Yes."

"Hmph... good! Then keep up with me, and don't expect a break until we get to the Marketplace!" she tells you, before trotting ahead out of the barn. You follow right behind her, missing out on most of what she said, as usual.

You're unsure how long you've both been walking. It feels like it's been about an hour. However, you're quite surprised at how you've literally not broken a sweat, yet.

Granted, you miss your old body, but you're at least able to count your blessings. Though hands were a lot more efficient, your fingers' capabilities weren't entirely lost... only toned down a notch. Though you miss the flavor of a good burger, you're almost certain that your new body won't miss the meat, and your taste buds have no cravings for it.

All in all, it's sort of a few losses, with a bunch of gains.

That, plus you standing well over twice the size of the locals is something you'll get used to.

"I wonder if this is how Jensen and Jared feel off of Supernatural..." you can't help but think to yourself. The thought of it just makes you smirk a bit.

This doesn't go unnoticed, as you hear the sound of a few whispers around you.

Blinking yourself back into reality, you notice that your vertical stature has drawn in quite the amount of eyes. You don't really mind the attention, though you can see Limestone is trying to avoid it.

The whispers can also be heard, though you can't quite tell what they're saying. Something inside of you, however, tells you that they might be checking you out. And not in the safe for work kind, either.

This... worries you a bit, actually.

Eventually, though, you and Limestone reach an empty corner of, what appears to be, a Marketplace. She orders you to stand still, while she unstraps the wagon from your body.

Then, she sets up a stall, and places various gems and stones onto it.

Your eyes drift around at the varieties of items the others are selling. You'd wager a guess that they come from all across the land in order to strike a deal from the locals, while the locals, in kind, strike deals with those from the more colorful regions.

Then another detail strikes your attention - the variety of species that are communicating among each other.

You can spot griffons and dragons quite easily... but then there's the occasional minotaur, a few dogs with colorful tongues, goats, and subspecies of ponies that you were quite amazed to see: some with wings, and some with a horn on their heads. Then there are creatures you haven't even thought of, like ponies with bug-like skin, animals that stand on two paws, some kind of fish-like people, hippos, and even a few deer.

Needless to say, the variety of creatures, and seeing them communicating, trading, and the likes... makes you feel at ease around here.

You were, honestly, a bit worried that you'd stand over everyone else here, but the dragons and minotaurs put those thoughts to rest.

Their strange tongue is starting to bug you, though. You decide that, if you're going to be communicating with any of them, you'll have to hit the studies even harder.

And that's what you plan for the rest of the day... after Market Time, that is.

You've just been standing there, bringing items that Limestone points at over to the stand, while she's been taking care of the customers. However, a few of them would often bring you up into their conversations, and Limestone would have to answer for you.

You're still learning, after all.

A few of their comments would leave Limestone either fuming, blushing, stuttering, or a mixture of the three, while others seem... relatively pleasant.

You'd guess that the pleasant ones are from her younger years. School friends, for example... actually, do they even have schools here?

They have homes and markets, so it'd be safe to assume so.

Eventually, though, the sun begins to set over the horizon, and Limestone starts to pack the gems back into the crates. You'd help, but you have no idea which ones go where. There's a few green shards that go in different crates. You're pretty sure you'd place them incorrectly, and simply piss her off if you tried.

So, you decide that, if you're going to make yourself useful, your best thing to do is just follow directions.

"Well, look who it is!" you hear a colt's voice call from the distance. Your left ear twitches a bit, as you look over towards the one that Limestone groans at.

"Ugh... what do you want, Flint?" she asks the brown-coated colt with a gray mane.

You recognize the tone in her voice as annoyance... perhaps an old enemy? You take a step forward, out of the shadows.

He chuckles a bit, before looking over at you. "Just came by to do a little shopping... but my, my! Didn't think I'd be in for this kind of surprise!"

Limestone rolls her eyes and looks away from him. "Whatever gossip you're spouting, you can keep it to yourself."

This makes him roll his eyes and smile slyly at her. "Oh, really now? Very well, then, I won't tell!"

Limestone ignores him and begins loading another crate up with gems.

Then, he trots over to her and places an arm over her shoulder, much to her displeasure. "So, how bad has your business been, anyways?"

She groans again. "Much better than yours, I'd bet."

He smirks, before bringing his other hoof under her chin. "Oh, come now. No need to hide it from me! Had you told me your family started up a Stud Farm, I'd have taken that job offer sooner!"

She immediately glares at him and shoves his chest, forcing him off of her. "The buck did you just say?!"

Her anger only makes his cocky grin grow, though, as he waves a hoof up. "Ah-ah-ah! Temper! Wouldn't want your poor little sister's tummy ache to get any worse, now, would you?" he asks her tauntingly.

Though you can't tell a majority of what they're saying, you notice Limestone's ears immediately fold back, and her sour look to completely change to intense panic. "N-no! Wait! I-I didn't mean it like..."

He chuckles a bit more. You look over at Limestone, and notice a few tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Yeah, this isn't a friendly conversation.

"There's a good girl. So now that you know your place again, let's talk business, and how we can keep our... mutual exchange... in check." he says, approaching her once again. She looks away from him, and avoids eye contact as he wraps his hooves around her.

"Maybe you can make it up to me? I mean, if you're running a Stud Farm, clearly you could use that extra money for your fillies, right?" he says, forcing her to look his way with a hoof.

She glares at him, and replies, "That's not what's going on! He's a farmhand, and nothing more!"

This makes him chuckle again. "Oh? Well, that only makes this better, then!"

He starts to bring his lips closer to hers, while she tries to push him away.

Yeah, that's quite enough of that, now.

You walk up and shove him off of her, right before his mouth could reach hers. They both look up at you in shock, before he glares up at you and harrumphs. "Hmph! Looks like your meathead friend here doesn't know his place!" he shouts.

You then notice a small glow coming from the center of his mane. Then, it occurs to you - he's a unicorn! And the glow soon turns into an orb of white light.

Before you could blink, the orb flies into your chest... then splashes off of you.

He looks at you in shock, as you slowly look down where the orb once was.

"W-what the... what kind of freak are you?!" he shouts.

You look back up at him and glare. He tried to shoot you, it seems. As luck has it, though, the magic didn't affect you... but even still, a strike attempted is a challenging call.

And so, you respond in your own way. Raising your right hoof up, you swing full-force at his face.

Once your hoof connects, he flies several meters back into the air, crashes into a nearby stand, and lands on his back, while many faces stare at the scene in shock, including Limestone, who practically screams at you.

"NO!"

You blink owlishly as she rushes past you to help him back up. He swats her hoof away and glares at her.

"H-how DARE you let such a... a brute strike at me like this?!" he tells her, before shakily standing back up on all fours and wiping the blood from his nostrils. "I suppose you don't want your sister to have her medicine, after all!"

"N-no, please! I swear, he had no idea what he was doing! I-it's just a misunderstanding!" Limestone pleads with him, falling to her haunches and begging him.

You're taken aback by her sudden change of attitude. Unsure of everything they're saying, you're starting to wonder if this guy's actually her friend, or something?

You heard Marble's name being swung around, so could he be her special someone?

"Hmph! Well, misunderstanding or not, this will not go unmentioned to my father!" he says, before leaving you both alone.

Limestone falls to the ground and bows her head. You hear her sniffling, and can see the tears falling onto the dirt.

You're at a loss for words. You feel it would be best to give her some space, so you head over to the wagon and start loading the crates back into it.

The trip back to the farm has been quiet thus far. After strapping the wagon back onto you, Limestone just remained silent - no insults, no threats, no... whatever else she'd tell you off with. But most of all... no glare. It's just an empty, blank expression.

And that, somehow, is far more scary than her angry glare you're used to seeing.

Eventually, you both reach the barn. You return the wagon back to its proper place, while Limestone helps you out of the harness.

As she makes it to the door, however, you clear your throat.

"You okay?" you ask her.

She looks down and sighs, before replying, "No." Then, she exits the barn, while you follow behind her.

When she steps inside, you separate from her and have a seat on a bench outside the front patio. You let out a long, drawn-out groan, and place your face in your hooves.

"Great... I play hero for one second, and already I've screwed something up. And that something involves Marble, somehow."

You bump your forehead with a hoof, trying to think about what was said at the Marketplace, when the front door opens.

Looking over your right shoulder. you notice Pa stepping out; his expression, unreadable. He seems to be just blankly staring out in the distance.

Then, he looks over at you and sighs, before approaching you.

He takes a seat next to you on the bench, and gently places a hoof on your shoulder. When you look at him, you notice that he's... smiling?

"I don't think you can understand me fully, just yet... but I wanna be the first to say that, if you'd have not done anything there, then I'd have been a lot more upset with you." he says, patting you on the shoulder a bit.

You raise an eyebrow, before clearing your throat.

"... Marble?" you ask.

He shakes his head and chuckles. "Good. Marble is good. I've already prepared a letter for the Tinders. His father won't press charges, since his son was the first to instigate the situation."

You can't understand the majority of the words, but at least you can catch the "Marble is good" part. And that's enough to make you smile again.

"And... Limestone?" you ask.

He smirks. "Limestone is... Limestone. For good or bad... you choose." he tells you, clearly dumbing down his words so you can understand easier.

Needless to say, you're both relieved and terrified. Limestone's scary even by normal standards!

"Thank you." you tell him, to which he shakes his head and places a hoof on your chest.

"Thank you, boy." he replies, before standing back up and heading to the front door. "Come. Dinner time!"

You smile again and nod your head. All that work has built up quite the appetite. And besides that... you and Limestone didn't have lunch, either.

Soup, once again. But this time, you're relieved just to be given the privilege, after what you did in the Marketplace. Though Pa seems happy about it, you were quite worried how everyone else felt.

Ma was still pretty much the same. Smiling warmly at you, and such. Marble was still pretty shy about you, though you could swear she's sitting a little bit closer to you, now. Limestone, however, didn't even look your way even once.

With dinner finished, you volunteered to do the dishes this time. Ma was thankful, to say the least, and didn't object.

Needless to say, though, it was difficult to do the dishes with hooves. Eventually, though, you got it all done, and with a little bit of Ma's help, you were able to put the dishes in their proper spots.

With all the tasks done, you find yourself heading back to your room. However, you hear a commotion in the room next to it, and look over.

It's Limestone's and Marble's room. The door's cracked open, and you're able to see their reflections in a mirror.

Limestone is gently talking to Marble, while helping fasten some sort of cast on her stomach and neck. Marble is mumbling a bit, as the cast tightens on her stomach. You can also see an empty vial next to her nightstand, with a familiar face drawn on it - the colt from the marketplace earlier.

"A cast around her stomach and neck. A vial with that guy's face on it. So he's a supplier for her medicine... no doubt about it. She needs that medicine to keep her stomach from bleeding out while she's asleep." you theorize. You decide not to pry, though, and continue to your room.

"So Limestone was begging for him to keep sending Marble medicine for her stomach... and I almost ruined that chance just because I wanted to defend her." you mentally berate yourself.

You throw yourself on the bed and sigh. "Ugh... why's it so difficult to be the good guy?"

Tonight wouldn't be very restful, to say the least.

Days of rigorous study and work soon become weeks. Then, in the blink of an eye, another month has passed.

Ever since that day at the Marketplace, Ma and Pa had you working with Limestone nonstop. You've been following her around since then.

It seems that you've won quite a reputation after clocking that jerk in the face. Many customers at the stalls would give you a compliment, or tell Limestone how lucky she is to have a bodyguard like you around her.

Naturally, she reacts in her usual grumpy way.

But to your relief, that jerk "Flint" hasn't shown up to stir up trouble. Perhaps Pa had a word with his father?

Whatever the case, you're now fluent enough to at least speak the language and understand a large portion of it. Once you've gotten the basics down, the rest of the words just seemed to fit together naturally!

Sure there's a few special words you aren't familiar with, but at this point, those are rarely used anyways.

So now, you're waking up from the comfort of your bed. You stretch your forelegs out and yawn, while Limestone opens your door and steps inside.

"Wake up, Doofus. It's time for Breakfast!" she says.

You smirk at her and fold your legs over your chest. "Okay, Ma!"

Her cheeks flush red at that. "I-it's Limestone!"

You stick your tongue out at her in response to her flustering. Her cheeks redden even more.

"Hmph! You and your jokes again!" she groans before storming off. Marble, who was standing behind her, giggles.

You smile at her and nod your head. "Good morning, Marble!"

"Mm-hmm~" she replies, giving you her warm smile that always helps brighten your day.

You kick your legs off the bed and stretch a bit more, before heading into the Dining Room with Marble right beside you.

"Good morning, Ma, Pa, Limestone." you tell the company at the table.

They each give you their greetings, save for Limestone, who's preoccupied with drinking her soup. You look out the window, and realize that it's raining out, so you'll have to stay indoors for the most part.

You've heard that, in usual circumstances, pegasi would schedule weather across the continent, but Rockville is a rare exception that mostly receives the residue from the leftovers of the surrounding towns.

As such, rain here is uncommon.

Pa looks over at you from his newspaper, then over to Limestone. "So, I got the response from the Tinders, finally."

This makes Limestone place her soup and look at him determinedly. He told you about the name, and why it's important to this house.

Your theory was right on the mark. They're a family that provides the medicine needed for Marble's condition... the closest supplier for it. Turns out, the heir to the family, Flint, has been harassing Limestone for some time now, but Pa was unable to do anything because he had yet to get "physical" with his actions... or rather, it wasn't reported up until last month.

From what you saw, however, Limestone was the victim of his antics for quite some time, now. Who knows how long she's been keeping it from the family?

Pa clears his throat and continues. "Father Timber said that, while he disapproves of the condition his son was in, he understood that his son was in the wrong as well. And so, he's willing to keep the trade route open between us and them."

You and Limestone both sigh in relief.

"... However!"

This catches both of your attention again.

"He requests that no more violent acts be put on his son. Since it's the first time this has happened, he's willing to let it off with a warning. But should there be a next time, he'll have no choice but to take more drastic actions." he concludes. He looks at you and sighs. "This means, no more fighting."

Limestone nods her head and looks over at you. "I'm fine with that. And you?"

You rub your chin in thought. "Then... what do I do if he starts harassing Limestone like that again?"

She rolls her eyes and deadpans at you. "Look, I can handle myself, alright? And besides, I've put up with his crap for years, now! What's a hopeless flirt like him gonna do?"

You sigh, shaking your head. "You've all been so good to me. I can not just let him get away with that kind of attitude."

Ma smiles warmly at you and nods her head. "I appreciate you standing up for my little Limey, dear, but sometimes, the best thing you can do is hold."

Limestone nods her head. "Yeah! Besides, it's not the first-"

She bites her lips, as her parents both look over at her inquisitively. "What was that, Limestone?" Pa asks.

She smiles sheepishly at him and shakes her head. "N-nothing, Pa!"

"It wasn't the first what?" Ma asks her.

Limestone sighs in defeat. "It... wasn't the first time he started forcibly kissing me like that."

Everyone's silent for what feels like five minutes, before Pa clears his throat. "And how long has this been going on?"

She places a hoof on her forehead and groans. "It hasn't happened this past month, so-"

"Doesn't matter. How long has it been going on before our friend here took action?" Pa repeats, motioning towards you.

"A-about... a year, now." she replies.

Pa glares at her. "And you've been keeping this from us... why?" he asks, a dark hint in his voice.

"Igneous, dear, I think we should drop this-" Ma begins, but Pa slams his hoof on the table, disregarding the newspaper.

"Like Tartarus am I gonna drop this! If our friend here didn't step up, then how long would it have taken before he took it a step further on our daughter?!" Pa asks in a fit of rage you haven't really seen coming from him.

Both Limestone and Marble sink back in their chairs, looking up at him worriedly, while Ma simply deadpans at him.

"Yes, but she has her reasons! Perhaps she didn't want us to do something rash, and risk Marble's medicine from being delivered to us!" she replies to him.

He shakes his head. "And so he gets the right to walk all over Limestone like that?! I think not! At that point, we're just picking which daughter's life to ruin!"

"Ma, Pa, please!" Limestone begs, but Pa glares at her.

"No! No daughter of mine's gonna be mistreated like that, especially while I've still got life in me!" he then looks over at you.

You seem a bit worried at this point. Perhaps it's best you take your leave, before you're dragged into this conversation?

"Did he give any implications that he'd do anything else to her?" he asks, stopping you from escaping.

You look up and rub your chin in thought, avoiding eye contact. Then, a comment he said begins to echo back into your mind.

"Well... he did say... a thing about... I think it was... 'Stud Farm'... when he was look-ing... at me." you tell him. You're still working on conjoined words, though, so it takes you a bit of time to sound it out.

Whenever you finish your sentence, though, both Ma and Pa stare at you, mouths agape. You're guessing that's not a very good term in their books.

Then Pa glares again, before looking towards Limestone. "Is that true, Limestone?"

"Pa, it's not-" she begins.

"IS. IT. TRUE?!" he shouts, making her sink down even lower in her seat.

"Y-yes, sir! H-he... he said that if he knew we were running a Stud Farm... h-he'd have volunteered sooner..." she nods her head.

Pa sighs, closes his eyes, and places his hooves on his forehead.

You decide to pitch in. "That was what he said before he start... ed... to lean closer to her."

Pa nods his head and looks over at you. "And he hasn't made a move since you stepped in, right?"

You shake your head. "No, sir. He has not even shown up since then."

He nods and smiles at you. "Good... then at least he ain't as dumb as he made himself out to be." Then Pa looks over at Limestone, then back at you. "In any case, though, I'm gonna have a long, long letter to send 'em about this new development."

Then he glares. "But son... if he so much as touches her again, I give you my full approval to beat some sense into 'em. In fact, I want you to knock his sorry hide out the second he so much as tries to touch her."

Ma deadpans at him. "No, hon! This ain't a matter of pride, it's about Marble's condition! And you know what'll happen if a simple push becomes a shove!"

Pa shakes his head at her. "We're from the Military, Cloudy! We ain't pushovers, and we sure as Tartarus ain't gonna let our daughter take it like a little school filly, just because he's got the only medicine that can help Marble!"

She sighs. "And as former soldiers, we both know to hold our punches unless it's absolutely necessary. Pride ain't a necessity when our family's safety is on the line!"

"So you're saying our daughter's wellbeing ain't necessary?!" he asks.

"Are you suggesting our other daughter's life ain't more valuable than pride?!" Ma retorts.

He slams his hooves on the table. "THIS AIN'T ABOUT PRIDE, WOMAN! IT'S ABOUT PROTECTING OUR DAUGHTERS!"

She, in turn, slams a hoof on the table, losing her composure and glaring back at him. "EXACTLY! AND BY PROMOTING SENSELESS VIOLENCE, WE'D MOST CERTAINLY LOSE ONE OF THEM!"

A door behind you slams shut. You all turn to see that Marble ran into her room during the commotion. You then hear the front door slam shut, and turn to find that, sure enough, Limestone ran as well.

They both stand from the table. Ma rushes towards Marble's room, while Pa rushes over to the front door.

You decide to stand from your seat and follow Pa.

He opens the door, and calls out. "Limestone, wait! Come back!"

But she doesn't respond. The fog in the rain makes it too thick for her to be seen. The rain, itself, blocks out the sound of her hoofsteps.

Despite this, though, you waste no time and hurry outside. "I will find her, do not worry!" you call back to Pa.

He nods his head and lights a lantern to the front porch, providing you with a guiding light. Within seconds after leaving the patio, you're immediately drenched in the rain.

Five minutes have passed, and you've been calling Limestone's name. You eventually come across the barn, and open the door.

Upon entering, you hear sniffling in the corner... Limestone. You follow her voice, and notice her just sitting there in the corner, wiping her cheeks.

Like you, she's completely drenched in water. You approach her slowly.

"Limestone?" you gently call out to her, but she doesn't respond immediately.

You take another step closer to her, and her ear twitches. Sniffling once more, she slowly looks over to you. Her eyes are reddened from the crying.

"... What do you want?" she asks.

You shrug your shoulders and reply, "Honest... lee... I do not know. I just want to do the right thing."

She rubs her nose with the back of her hoof and sighs, looking away from you. "Well, join the club. We have shirts."

You frown a bit and have a seat near the wall, not daring to get too close to her. She might take it as you invading her personal space.

"Why are you... cry... ing?" you ask, looking towards her again.

She sighs. "... What difference does it make?"

You look away from her and shrug your head to the side. "I do not know. I want to help, though."

She smirks. "Yeah, well sorry. You can not help with this one."

"Why not?" you ask her, raising an eyebrow.

She finally looks over at you and glares. "Because it's my problems I need to fix! Not yours!"

You wave your hooves defensively. "Okay... but if you need-"

She punches the ground, causing the wooden floor underneath her to crack. "I DON'T NEED HELP!"

You lean back a bit as she breathes heavily from her outburst. Then she huffs and turns away from you, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

You shake your head at her. "I know. I was say-ing... if you need to talk about it, then I can listen."

She groans and bumps the back of her head against the wall. Closing her eyes and steadying her breathing, her expression soon softens, and she curls up into a fetal position, resting her head into her forelegs.

"Why do I screw everything up?" she asks, muffled from her legs, but still clear enough for you to hear.

You scoot a tiny bit closer to her. "I am sorry. I am the one who did... this, though."

She smirks, and raises her head back up, then looks at you. "No... you did what's natural. But in the end, this is all my fault."

"What is your fault?" you ask, leaning a bit closer to her.

She looks away from you, but doesn't object when you find yourself just a foot away from her, sitting to her left.

"I... I can't tell you. It's... it's too personal." she shakes her head, leaning away from you a bit.

"Limestone... I will not tell." you assure her.

She pauses for a moment, before letting out another sigh. "... Fine, but listen close. I will not repeat myself."

You nod your head.

She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and calms her breathing. Then, after about thirty seconds of gathering herself, she looks over at you. A tear falls from her eyes, as she clears her throat.

"You know that Marble has a... condition... with her stomach, right?" she asks.

You nod your head. "Yes."

"Well... the truth is, she has a scar in her stomach, lungs, and throat... terrible scars that healed poorly." she explains.

You look away from her, pondering this. How does she know about that, anyways, or better yet... why does it bother her this much to begin with? It's almost like she's...

"You want to know the reason why she has those scars... don't you?" she asks, as if reading your mind.

Again, you nod your head. She looks away from you once more and closes her eyes.

"... You're looking at the reason." She opens her eyes again, looking as far away from you as she can. "... I'm the one who gave her those scars."

Several Years Ago...

Limestone and Marble were only fillies, aged eight and six respectively. One year since their little sister Pinkamena Dianne Pie threw their first party, and they were given a bit more leeway with their chores.

In this sense, they were allowed to play and have fun. This was a strange change, but a change, nonetheless.

Though Pinkamena moved to Ponyville to further her education in school, they still wrote often; her and her sisters.

Limestone and Marble were out playing in the fields, racing from one point of the farm to another, all while minding Holder's Boulder, by order of their parents.

Naturally, Limestone would win in every challenge they had. Marble began to feel a bit bugged by this.

"Ugh... it's not fair, Limestone! You always win!" she pouted.

Limestone chuckled, before pulling her into a hug, and giving her a playful pat on the head. "Relax, Marbs! You'll get there someday!"

Marble grumbled and pulled herself from her sister's grasp. "Hmph! But still, I want to win at something!"

Limestone rubbed her chin in thought. "Hmm... well, there might be SOMETHING you can win!"

"And what would that be?" Marble asked halfheartedly.

Limestone grinned mischievously at her. "Truth... or Dare!"

Marble deadpanned at her. "No! You'll just dare me to do something impossible!"

"Pfft, no I won't! Promise!" Limestone said.

Marble was about to relent again, when Limestone's mischievous grin only grew.

"And tell you what... if you agree, I'll even go easier on you with everything else! But if you refuse... I'll tell everypony in school that you still wet the bed!" she said.

Marble's cheeks flushed. "Y-you wouldn't!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?~" Limestone taunted in a sing-song voice.

Marble sighed, and closed her eyes. On one hoof, she could just play the silly game for one or two rounds, and be done with it. On the other hoof, she would be embarrassed for life.

Having reached her decision, she gave Limestone a determined glare. "F-fine!"

"Ha! That's the spirit! Now, then..." they both take a seat in the dirt, "... Truth or Dare?"

Marble closed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. She knows better than to call a Truth, because Limestone would just fish out more embarrassing details she might not be aware of. "Dare!"

Limestone rubbed her chin in thought. "Huh... thought you'd call a Truth. Okay, then! I dare you to, uh..." She wanted an easy one to start with... but an idea started to make its way out of its shell. "Aha!" She picked up the small creature and chuckled menacingly. "I dare you... to lick this snail!"

"EWW!" Marble squeaked as the small creature squirmed out of its shell. "I-I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU'D GO EASY!"

Limestone shrugged her shoulders. "That IS easy, compared to what else I've got in mind. And besides that... I said anything else, silly!"

Marble glared at her and seized the snail from her hoof. She gulped and looked at the creature with a frown.

The snail squirmed in her grasp. She knew her sister wouldn't pull punches... but she also knew what was at stake here. And so she took a deep breath, stuck her tongue out, and plopped the snail onto her tongue for only a split second, before dropping the creature and spitting at the dirt.

"UGH! Pleh! Pleh! Gross!" she whined, wiping her tongue with her hooves. Limestone burst out laughing, while Marble's cheeks flushed red.

"HAHAHA! That... was... PRICELESS!" she chuckled.

Marble decided she would get her back. "Oh, yeah?! W-well... I... I dare you to... umm..." She then grinned back at her. "I dare you... to kiss Holder's Boulder for ten seconds!"

Limestone gasped. "W-WHAT?!"

Holder's Boulder was a sacred artifact for the Pie Family. To merely touch the object and get caught by either Ma or Pa would be a spanking ready to happen, mixed with a night without supper, and followed by a week-long grounding!

Marble grinned mischievously at her sister. "Well? You give up?"

Limestone's cheeks flushed red and she glared at her. "Hmph! N-no!"

They both stood up and went over to Holder's Boulder. Marble giggled as Limestone walked closer to it. Then she glared at Marble and pointed at her. "I-if Ma or Pa find out, it was YOUR idea!"

Marble rolled her eyes and motioned towards the boulder. "Your coltfriend is waiting for you!~"

Limestone groaned, before looking at the boulder. It seemed a bit smooth for a rock, so at least it wouldn't be uncomfortable.

She closed her eyes and growled, before puckering her lips and pressing them against the boulder.

This lasted for ten seconds. Immediately on ten, she pulled back and moved away as fast as she could. "Th-there! My turn again!"

Marble followed her back to their spot, but they didn't sit down this time. Rather, they continued moving further down the road, until they reached the Stalagmite Fields, which surrounded a fairly large plateau that protruded about as tall as their house.

Limestone then had an idea. She looked over at the Plateau, then over to Marble. "Okay, I'll tell you what! One more dare for you! If you can pull it off, I'll give up, and you'll win!"

Marble nodded her head and smiled determinedly. "Ha! Challenge accepted!"

Limestone crossed her hooves over her chest, sure she'd win this one. She pointed at the plateau. "I dare you to climb up the Stalag Plateau, and proudly declare yourself the 'Queen of Equestria'!"

And at once, Marble's confidence is lost. "W-WHAT?!"

Limestone grinned triumphantly. "Ha! Betcha can't do that one, huh?!"

Marble shook her head. "N-no, it's not that! It just rained yesterday, s-so... the rocks are slippery! Th-this isn't just crazy, it's completely dangerous!"

Limestone rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Pfft! Yeah, right! Since when did you start sounding like a silly book?"

Marble glared at her. "i'm serious, Limestone! W-we could get seriously hurt if we trip and fall!"

Limestone smirked. "Okay, okay, tell ya what! I'll go up there first, and test the rocks out, alright? If it's all clear, then you gotta do it!"

Marble shook her head and gripped her older sister's shoulder to stop her. "N-no! You shouldn't!"

Limestone deadpanned at her and brushed her hoof off. "Hmph! Well what're ya gonna do, tattle on me?"

Before Marble could reply, Limestone already took a step onto the plateau's base... followed by another. Soon she started to climb the plateau, while Marble gripped onto her mouth in shock.

"S-seriously, Limestone! This is going too far!" she cried out.

Limestone chuckled, having reached the halfway point. "Oh, it's just the start, little sis! When I reach the top, I'll even declare myself the beautiful queen! You can just settle for being the pretty little prin-"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, the rock beneath her right forehoof slipped beneath her, and she started to slide down at a rapid pace.

"H-HUH?!" Limestone gasped, as the rest of the rocks beneath her hooves crumbled from her weight. After hitting a particular bump, though, she bounced a little ways off the plateau, with her body nearing the stalagmites.

Marble wasted no time to react. She leaped onto the plateau and steadied her hooves, before reaching back and grabbing Limestone by the tail with her teeth. She then swung her sister back onto the flat surface of the pathway, as the rocks below her hooves broke.

She couldn't even react, as her body turned from the momentum. She could only see the sharp edges of the stalagmites as they drew rapidly closer to her body.

Limestone groaned as she slowly sat back up. "Oof... that was a close one! Thanks for the save, Marble!" she said, as she brushed herself off.

Hearing no answer, though, she turned around. "Okay, Marble, I guess you...w... win..."

Upon turning around completely, however, her blood immediately ran cold, and her heart began to race at an alarming rate at the gruesome sight before her.

Marble was hanging up above the ground. The ends of the stalagmites beneath her were coated in blood, as they rose up and impaled her in the throat, chest, and the stomach. Her forehooves were gripped onto the one impaled into her throat, and her lower legs were just barely holding onto the thicker side of the stalagmite in her stomach. Her mouth, however, was completely filled with red, which was draining out of the corners of her lips, mixing in with the streams of tears falling from her eyes, which were locked in a state of panic.

She was gurgling, choking, and shaking heavily.

Limestone's breathing intensified as she quickly rushed to her sister. "M-MARBLE!" She looked around the stalagmites in a panic. "H-HANG ON, SIS! I-I'M GONNA GETCHA OFF OF THIS!"

She tried gripping Marble's stomach, but the moment she lifted her so much as an inch, a torrent of blood spilled from Marble's mouth, which made Limestone pull her hooves back and scream.

Then the door to the distant house slammed open. Limestone turned to see her mom and dad rushing their way. She ran over towards them.

"Limestone! What's wrong? What happened?!" Igneous Rock asked, immediately before Limestone gripped him firmly in a hug, sobbing much more than he's ever seen her before. Then, he noticed the red marks on her hooves, and gasped. "Is that blood?! Limestone, what happened? Where's your sister?!"

"S-SPIKES! MARBLE! H-HELP! PLEASE!" she replied, pointing towards the area.

Igneous looked past the larger spikes and, sure enough, could spot the bloody mess. He broke from the hug and ran as fast as his legs could take him.

Upon seeing his daughter on the spikes, he gripped his mouth with a hoof. "M-MAKER'S BLOOD!"

He rushed to her and placed a hoof on her right cheek, as she slowly opened her eyes halfway and looked over at him. She was wheezing for air, as the blood continued to drip from her.

Cloudy approached halfway, and gripped her mouth in shock. "S-sweet mother of..."

"H-hang in there, Marble... y-you're going to be okay!" Igneous vowed to her, before turning to Cloudy. "Get the others! Bring a torch, a wagon, bandages, and a bucket of water! HURRY! WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME!"

She nodded and rushed to the house, dragging Limestone with her, who was still looking back at the scene in horror.

Cloudy Quartz gathered the requested supplies and called Maud up to help her. Needless to say, the middle sister was on the verge of panicking, but held her composure for her baby sister's sake... though the worried frown on her face spoke volumes.

As Igneous, Cloudy, and Maud gathered around Marble, Igneous continued to comfort his daughter, while giving orders to the family.

"Okay, now! Cloudy, you lift her up by the lower legs. I'll lift up her chest. Maud, you keep a hold of her stomach, and apply pressure the second that puncture gets opened up!" He turned to Limestone. "Limestone, you get that torch lit immediately! Once you've got it lit, you pass it to me once we've got Marble in the wagon! Everyone ready?!"

They all nodded their heads, while Limestone immediately struck the tinderbox at the torch.

"HEAVE!"

The three of them started lifting Marble up. She began puking out even more blood as the holes in her body became exposed to the elements.

Limestone picked up the now-lit torch and quickly passed it to her dad as soon as they gently set Marble into the wagon. She then hurried back to her mother and hugged her tightly, while they all watched Igneous bring the flames to his daughter's wounds.

He cauterized the wounds quickly, before strapping the wagon on. The rest of the family hopped in, and he took off immediately, as Cloudy used some of the bandages to clean the wounds with water, then applying them to the wounds.

Once they've reached the hospital, they were immediately booked to the ICU, where Marble was strapped to several machines that neither of them have truly seen before. The beeping of the heart monitor was the most unsettling, due to how low her pulse was.

Marble lost consciousness the moment she was removed from the stalagmites. She was, undoubtedly, comatose before they even arrived.

Minutes became hours, as the family, still covered in blood, sat there patiently with worry in their hearts.

Neither parent were upset with Limestone after she explained the story. This was traumatizing enough as-is... there would be no sense in making it worse.

Before long, three hours have passed before the doctor came out of the Operating Room. Igneous was the first to stand.

"How is she? I-is she going to be okay?!" he asked.

The doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses, before looking at the chart in his hoof. "Honestly, Mr. Pie... it's too early to say."

"What do you mean by that?" Cloudy asked, hugging Limestone even tighter, as she balled up in her lap.

He looked at the chart and shook his head. "To be honest... I'm shocked that a filly her age is even able to hold out for this long. Her throat was torn, though thankfully the jugular was missed by a hair. Her lungs, however, were punctured, four ribs were cracked, two of which completely shattered, and her stomach was, unfortunately, infected due to both; too much exposure, and small traces of foreign substances from the stone that impaled her. There's... no easy way to say this, but even if she were to somehow make it out of this alive... not even magic can repair this kind of damage. She's... probably not going to completely heal, if at all."

Limestone broke down, as the doctor explained the damages. Her tears continued to stream down her face, as well as Cloudy's and Maud's. Igneous, however, glared at the doctor.

"Are you telling me that... my daughter is going to die?" he asked the doctor.

The doctor's frown only worsened. "We will not give up on her... but the chances of her survival are very, very slim. And permanent damage is inevitable. I'm... I'm sorry. I really do wish there were more we could do."

Igneous sighed, and lowered his hat to cover his eyes. To say he was upset would be an understatement... not at the doctors, nor at Limestone, but the situation in general.

To feel so powerless... it tore into his soul.

"Doctor... please, at least tell us that there's a silver lining to this. We can't afford to lose her." he pled to the doctor.

The doctor adjusted his glasses and looked away. "Well... there may be one option, though it's rarely used, and highly discouraged."

"What is it?" Igneous asked quickly.

"There's an alchemist a couple towns over. Burning Tinder. If there's anyone who can brew up a potion for... just about any situation, it'd be him. However, he can be a bit... one-sided with his dealings. If you manage to strike a deal with him, he'd likely put you in a lifelong debt. That, plus he'd only give you potions, which are questionable at best, and only provide temporary treatments."

Igneous's eyes lit up at that. "Then... which town is he in?"

"Appleloosa. He runs a small farm there, and can probably brew you a special potion out of Gossamer Flowers." he replies.

"And what can those Gossamer Potions do?" Igneous inquired.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "According to the information he gave us, it would build up a temporary web inside the body that coats the damaged tissues, and supports it with a thin layer of protection. However... only liquids can travel across it without getting stuck. Any solids would get tangled up into the web, and likely tear through it due to the weight buildup."

"That won't be an issue. We'll just get her on a liquid diet." Igneous told him, rubbing his chin in thought. "Though I have to ask... how do you know about this?"

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. "He wanted to submit the potion as a potential export, though we declined his offer because he lacks a medical license, and because we don't operate with potions in here. We only use scientifically-approved medicines and occasionally magic for smaller cases."

"And how long was it since you rejected his offer?"

"... A few months, at least. There may be a chance that he doesn't even make it anymore, since it was rejected."

Igneous shook his head. "Well, there's one way to find out."

And so, with a determined look, he told Cloudy, Limestone, and Maud to stay at the hospital, and the doctor to keep treating Marble. Then, he took off towards the Train Station.

Present Day...

You ponder the situation as Limestone continues to recount the story of, what she considers, the worst mistake of her life.

"When Pa got back a few hours later, he told us he gave the Stalagmites up to the Tinders, and agreed to send them half of the farm's earnings, in exchange for a steady supply of medicine for Marble. After giving her the first dose of the potion, the doctors started seeing improvements in her recovery... but even still, she was in a coma for about eight months."

You nod your head and look over at her. "What happen... ed... after that?"

She sighs. "I left school to be with her. We both were homeschooled for her safety, and I stood by her ever since. It's... the least I can do to make up for the trouble I've caused her."

You're not really able to say anything more after that. She curls back up and starts to cry once again.

"And now, several years later, I almost caused her to lose the one lifeline that's keeping her around."

You want to tell her that it isn't her fault... that you're also to blame for the situation at the marketplace... but you know words can't help her in this situation.

And so, you scoot a bit closer to her, and slowly wrap a hoof around her.

She sniffles a bit and looks up at you confusedly, but you only pull her in for a hug.

You expect her to just shove you off, berate you, and/or yell at you... but you feel her hooves wrap around your stomach, instead, and she presses her head into your chest, crying.

No wonder she's been so grouchy all this time... with as many burdens as she has, and regrets, you doubt if she gets much rest at night.

But now you're here... and deep inside, you make a vow that you'll find a way to help mend these broken hearts. You're indebted to them, after all. It's the least you can do.

For now, though, you can just comfort Limestone in her broken state. And that's what you decide to do.

You both decide to wait until the storm softens. Then, when it's clear enough, you and Limestone both head back to the house. Pa would still be waiting out in the patio for both of your return.

The rest of the day goes without much of a hitch. You've been working on your writing a bit more, and spend a few hours reading your work.

Before you know it, you all share a quiet Lunch, and then a cheerful Dinner. Limestone, however, avoids looking at you throughout the day... but you can tell she's at least thankful for you providing an ear that listens.

The day passes by, and turns to night.

You're now lying in bed, and the sweet sensation of sleep is about to take over, when you hear the door creak open slowly. Quiet hoofsteps draw closer, and you feel a pressure press down on your shoulder and shake you lightly.

"Psst... hey, Doofus!" Limestone whispers. You open your eyes and look over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Limestone?" you ask.

She looks away from you, cheeks reddening. "I, uh... I-I just wanted to say, umm... th-thank you. F-for... y'know... listening to me this morning."

You simply smile and nod at her. "Of course."

She then turns around and crosses her forelegs over her chest. "Y-yeah... b-but don't think that means y-you can, uh... g-go around telling anyone about today!"

And, she's back to her usual self, grumpy looks and all. You're okay with it, though, and chuckle a bit. "I will not."

"G-good! N-now uh... get some sleep, Doofus! W-we've got work to do tomorrow!" she orders, before hurrying out of the room in a flash.

You figure that's as much of a thanks as you'll get from her, anyways. You're honestly a bit taken aback that she even thanked you at all. After all, you simply provided an ear that listens, and while some of the details were lost in translation, you could at least pick up a vast majority of what she told you.

To be honest, you enjoyed the bonding time you had with Limestone today... and who knows? Perhaps tomorrow, you'll be able to bond with her a bit more.

And so you close your eyes, as sleep once again begins to take over.

Author's Note

Time to answer a few questions before they are asked!

"Really, man?! ANOTHER story?!"

Yes. Limestone needs more love, and I figured this would be a nice change of pace.

"Cloudy and Igneous aren't using 'Thous' and 'Thys'! What gives?!"

Multiple reasons.
First: They didn't use those in their first appearance, which was during "Cutie Mark Chronicles", so I'm using MA Larson's canon for that, while blending in Nick Contalone's personalities given to them during "Hearthbreakers".

Second: It's a story of "Perspective", and a particular sentence was given: "Regardless, though, you'll eventually learn of their word usage, and mentally translate it to keep things easy."

"Why is there a 'Comedy' Tag, when there's nothing funny in this chapter?"

Because we've got to get through the 'Drama' Tag involved in the opening to reach the 'Comedic' parts of the story. Give it time, you might get a giggle here or there.

"Who is the protagonist?"

He doesn't have a name just yet. It'll be decided in a later chapter, once it's relevant.

"How often can I expect an update on this story?"

I can't promise it'll be often, but I'll be updating it a bit here and there. I'd rather take a few months to make a good chapter, than take a few hours to ruin an entire story.

"Incomplete? Will this story be 'Complete'?"

Likely not. I want this story to keep going on. It might eventually reach a conclusion at some point, but if that's the case, a sequel may be in the works following it.

"Why do you suck at writing?"

Because a vast majority of my dislikes are never with constructive criticism, meaning I can't improve, and am stuck in "Crapfic Purgatory" because of it.

"Why do you write so many Incomplete Stories?"

Because I like writing, have an overactive imagination, and can't merge every idea I have into one or two stories, so I have the need to dish out as much as I can just to sate those appetites. I come back to them when I crave more of that idea, and take each different story in at my own pace, so that they don't burn out for good. That, plus most of these stories are technically not "Incomplete", but rather, "Persistent". Sadly, though, FimFiction doesn't have that tag in its options.

"When will you update [Story Title] next?!"

Eventually,

"I have a question not listed here!"

That's not a question, but ask away via PM, and I'll do my best to reply!