Maud Pie's light turquoise eyes gazed out the window of the train car she was in, counting every rock, every boulder that passed by. Most ponies would think nothing of this behavior and wouldn't pay the mare a second thought.
But one pony knew better. Mud Briar hadn't been Maud's boyfriend very long (from a technical standpoint as they had met before considering a relationship) but he knew Maud enough to know when something was troubling her. It was hard for her to express it around others, but around her boyfriend she tended to feel more comfortable. "Something is on your mind, isn't it?" Mud Briar questioned as he not so subtlely scooted closer to Maud.
Maud let out a faint sigh, turning her attention to the fine stallion just inches away from her. "You know me too well, Mud Briar," She remarked in her dry voice. "I'm a little concerned about this trip to Ponypalooza."
"That is the town where you were born and raised, is it not?" Mud Briar asked in his factual tone of voice
Maud nodded and then added. "Actually, I was born and raised on a rock farm on the outskirts of it. It's actually just outside Ponyville, but the train tracks don't go to it. It's easier to just take the train than it is to walk all the way there."
Mud Briar smiled as he put a hoof around his girlfriend. "A rock farm sounds like a very interesting place to grow up. Though I must ask: How does one farm rocks, exactly?"
"We usually just sell them for rock gardens or for buildings. Sometimes we discover geodes and sell them to market," Maud explained to Mud. "A couple of times we've sold rocks for gravel when construction companies ran short. It was an okay place to live and work on, it's how I met Boulder."
Mud smiled. "I know, you told me the story many times. But I never get tired of hearing it, and neither does Twiggy. It's a shame he couldn't make the trip with us."
"Perhaps one of my sister's friends could make a pouch for you to carry him in," Maud suggested to her boyfriend. "Though it's probably for the best it's just you, Boulder, and I going on this trip," She went back to looking out the window. "This is something I knew we'd have to do sooner or later. I'm surprised it took my sister this long to tell my parents I have a boyfriend."
"I already befriended your sister, her quercus offering was most appreciated." Mud Briar confidently declared to Maud.
The earth pony mare shook her gray locks. "The rest of my family isn't like my sister, or even me. In fact, Pinkie is the most outwardly expressive of all of us. Even her coat makes her stand out."
"I see," Mud duly noted. "She is the pink sheep of the family, you might say. Because technically, if she had black fur she would blend in better."
But Maud shook her head again. "It's nothing like that, Mud Briar," Her expression appeared to shift ever so slightly. If one squinted it might appear that she was glaring a bit. "We all love Pinkie Pie, and she loves us. She brought much joy to the rock farm once she discovered her cutie mark and started throwing parties. She left the rock farm because my parents felt her talents would be better suited in Ponyville once she came of age. I left the rock farm when it was time to go to rock school and get my rocktorate," She paused, drawing in a deep breath. "My family consists of two other sisters: Limestone is my older sister and Marble is my younger sister."
"I thought Pinkie was your younger sister." Mud shot Maud a perplexed look.
"They're both. Pinkie and Marble are twins." Maud answered.
Mud couldn't think of much to say in relation to that. Still, he managed to get out. "That sounds nice. I had no siblings younger or older. I have not told my parents we're dating, though I do not think they would care much either way."
Maud simply sighed again as she told her boyfriend. "I wish it wasn't necessary to involve my parents, but they're already planning to come to Ponyville this Hearth's Warming. I felt it would be better if they met you now, as opposed to then. Especially because I didn't use the Choosing Stone."
"And what is this 'Choosing Stone'? Does it tell you who your soulmate is supposed to be?" Mud innocently questioned.
His girlfriend quickly answered. "Sort of. The Choosing Stone points you in the direction of your intended partner through a very complex process. At least, that's what Mom and Dad have mentioned. The oldest sibling is supposed to go first, but Limestone hasn't bothered yet. Until she does, the rest of us aren't supposed to be romantically involved with anypony. That way we don't get attached when the Choosing Stone wants to direct us to our real soulmate," She paused and her tone of voice became faintly softer. "I don't regret falling in love with you though, Mud Briar. You know how to make me happy and you understand me in a way that few ponies do. Now I can only hope the rest of my family accepts my decision. Convincing Pinkie was easy, this will be difficult."
Mud quickly took to stroking Maud's mane with his hooves. He knew from experience that she enjoyed his soft touch, said it helped to loosen her up whenever she became tense and stiff like a rock. "Whatever your family is like, I'll be there for you the entire time. I am certain they will accept me in time. And even if they don't, I won't be bothered. Most ponies probably don't think much of us, but as long as we're happy together that's all that matters."
Maud's face morphed into a smile, which is something it rarely did. "Thank you, Mud Briar. I'm glad I have a boyfriend like you. With you by my side, I feel even more confident than I do when Pinkie is around me. And my sister means the world to me."
The train ride didn't last long. It was really more of a quick jaunt than anything else. When the train pulled into the station in Ponypalooza, Maud and Mud knew the time had come. They departed as quickly as they could, and Maud led the way to her family's rock farm.
The farm itself consisted of a humble one story farmhouse, a storage silo, fields of rocks, a mine, and a rotating blade attached to the top of a wooden tower that served as a makeshift weather vane. Most interesting of all though, was the huge, egg-shaped boulder that rested near the farm house. Mud Briar had never seen anything like it before and it wasn't hard to notice the look of amazement reflected in his eyes.
Sensing what her boyfriend was thinking, Maud grinned as she informed him. "That's Holder's Boulder. It's been in my family for generations. In fact, my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Holder Cobblestone found that rock and built the farm around it. Father always says it was found in a dragon's nest, but I've never heard of giant boulders living next to dragons."
"Perhaps it and Boulder are related somehow?" Mud suggested as he curiously reached out a hoof to touch it.
"Hey, no touching Holder's Boulder!" A gravelly sounding voice screeched! In the blink of an eye an earth pony mare came rushing up and swatted Mud Briar's hoof away. The mare had a bluish gray coat. an opalish gray mane and tail similar in style to Maud's, light apple green eyes, and a cutie mark depicting a lime above two small rocks.
Maud tried not to grin or otherwise seem to be amused by Limestone's overly aggressive display. "Sorry about my sister, she's very protective of Holder's Boulder." She apologized to Mud Briar.
"You're darn right I am!" The mare boldly retorted. "I'm Limestone Pie, and I run this rock farm. It's my duty to keep everything here in tip top shape, and that includes Holder's Boulder. In all the years since I've been here, it's only moved once and that was one time too many for my taste!" Limestone then gazed into Maud's eyes. "So, Maud, is that your boyfriend Pinkie Pie was telling us about?" A teasing grin crept across her face. "I gotta say, he certainly is a handsome looking stallion."
Mud Briar quickly and flatly retorted. "My heart belongs to Maud and Maud alone. Do not get any ideas."
Limestone appeared to growl. "Can't you take a joke? Honestly, it's like you don't have a sense of humor."
Maud quickly intervened to break up any potential conflict. "That's enough, Limestone," She decided it best to change the subject. "Where's Marble?"
"Inside with Mom and Dad," Limestone answered. "We've all been waiting for a chance to meet your boyfriend. And just so we're clear I'm not jealous of you for finding a boyfriend before me."
"I didn't say anything about jealousy, did I?" Mud questioned as he wondered why Limestone would bring such a thing up.
Maud just whispered into Mud's ear. "Just play along with it. It's best not to get on my older sister's bad side." Not only did she not want her boyfriend and her older sister getting into a fight, but she was concerned about far more than the possibility that Limestone was jealous (Pinkie had mentioned it when Maud had asked her where she'd disappeared to a few days before her surprise party).
Limestone led Maud and Mud inside the farmhouse, which was just as modest in its shades of browns and grays as the outside had been.
Three ponies very familiar to Maud were in the kitchen. The first was a turqoisish gray coated earth pony mare who sported a dark cyanish gray mane with lighter gray stripes, said mane was styled so that it went into a bang over the right eye. Her eyes were an innocent looking grayish violet in color with a faint trace of eye shadow, and she had three purple marbles for a cutie mark. The second was also an earth pony mare, this one much more elderly in appearance. She had a light cobalt bluish gray coat, a grayish opal mane and tail, light arctic blue eyes hidden behind a pair of amber colored glasses, and a cutie mark depicting three rocks. And the last was an earth pony stallion who had a moderate amber coat. His mane and tail were medium and light gray in color, he had brilliant amber eyes, a cutie mark depicting a pickax, and a black fedora hat that rested atop his head.
"They must be the rest of Maud's family!" Mud Briar realized. Igneous Rock in particular looked like the kind of pony who commanded attention and who you didn't want to anger if you could help it. Maybe he was where Limestone had gotten her outwardly hostile approach from?
Before either Maud or Mud could think of how best to be noticed, Limestone cleared her throat and called out. "Mom, Dad, Marble. Maud's here, and she's brought her boyfriend."
All three ponies stopped what they had been doing and turned to greet Maud and the newcomer. Marble even blew the bang out of her right eye so as to get a better look at Mud Briar.
Mud couldn't help but feel a little bit intimidated. He wasn't so good at meeting new faces and usually he wasn't bothered by it, most ponies he'd be content with just a simple "Hello." and maybe a "How are you?". But considering how much difficulty he'd faced connecting with Maud's sister in Ponyville, he'd come to realize that there were some situations where a good first impression went a long way. This was one of them, but for the life of him he couldn't think of anything to say. It was as if somepony had yanked out his tongue.
Maud appeared to be only slightly better. At the least she seemed to be doing a good job masking her emotions, something that came naturally to her. "Hello, everypony," She slowly greeted. "This is Mud Briar, he's my boyfriend."
The tense silence lasted for but a second before the three earth ponies were introducing themselves, starting with the stallion. "A pleasure to meet you, Mud Briar. I am Igneous Rock Pie, though you may refer to me as Igneous or Mr. Pie. I see you have already met my eldest daughter, Limeamina Dolly Pie," He gestured a hoof to the other earth ponies Mud hadn't meet. "This is my lovely wife, Cloudy Quartz Pie, but you may call her Cloudy or Mrs. Pie."
Cloudy spoke next. "And this be our youngest daughter, Marblina Dana Pie. It is a pleasure to meet the pony who is currently courting our second eldest daughter, Maudalina Daisy Pie. And I hear you have befriended my third daughter, Pinkamina Diane Pie as well."
"I am... delighted to have met her, and to meet all of you. You seem friendly enough." Mud Briar commented as he finally found the words to speak.
"Mmm-hmm!" Marble answered with a nod.
Maud was quick to whisper. "Marble usually doesn't talk much around strangers. She tends to let others do the talking for her."
Meanwhile, Igneous clapped his hooves together. "Since you've come all this way, Mud Briar, I hope you will do us the honor of preparing a meal for you. How do you feel about rock soup, it's a Pie family specialty."
"Do you eat the rocks within the soup?" Mud asked Igneous.
Limestone chuckled. "You bet we do! They taste great! Helps build up the muscles in your teeth as well."
But Cloudy added. "Thou does not have to eat the rocks if thou does not wish to. We find plenty of uses for the rocks not eaten. Most of our guests tend to leave the rocks alone and drink the broth." Then she trotted off to start work on the aforementioned meal.
A short time later, Maud and Mud joined the Pies for a delicious serving of rock soup. All ate the rocks within it except for Mud Briar and Maud.
"I hope thou enjoyed the meal," Cloudy said afterwards. "The recipe is one that is passed down from Pie to Pie, from mother to daughter. In this case, Marble is the one who has inherited the secret. Right, Marble?"
"Mmm-hmm." Marble nodded as the soup bowls were rinsed off and put away.
Mud Briar licked his lips. "The soup was delicious, Mrs. Pie. Thank you."
Cloudy appeared to smile. "I am glad thou thinks so. Rock soup is an acquired taste for many ponies, earth pony or otherwise."
Then Igneous spoke up, clearing his throat. "Now that we have all had our fill of delicious rock soup, I believe it is time we discussed a very important matter. That being the reason for our second eldest daughter's visit to the farm today."
Maud seemed to sigh ever so faintly. She had known this was coming. "Father, Mother, I know it wasn't my turn to use the Choosing Stone, and therefore I wasn't supposed to seek out a mate," She began as her tone of voice seemed to become one of that apologizing for doing something wrong. "But I couldn't help myself. Mud Briar was such a nice stallion, and there was so much about him that I liked."
"We'd appreciate your understanding, even if your acceptance is too much to ask for at the moment." Mud Briar finished as he trotted over to his girlfriend, offering her his support.
But to the surprise of both, Igneous spoke quite clearly. "Maudalina Daisy Pie, surely thou does not think so lowly of thy's own parents. Who is to say the Choosing Stone would not have pointed you to Mud Briar anyway?"
"Besides," Limestone added. "With a boyfriend like Mud Briar, how could anypony ever think any less of you? So maybe he's not exactly the kind of stallion Dad is, and so maybe you didn't use the Choosing Stone to find him. You already seem perfectly happy with him in spite of that."
"You're not mad?" Maud asked her parents, both of whom shook their heads to confirm her statement.
"The Choosing Stone does not hold the final say on romance for our children," Cloudy informed Maud. "When one's children leave the rock farm for other pursuits, it is to be expected that they may seek out a relationship on their own. What matters most is not what we may want in your choice of a boyfriend, but what makes you happiest. And in that, we firmly believe you have found what is best for you in Mud Briar."
Limestone grinned. "We already don't talk the way Mom and Dad used to talk all the time, but that doesn't make them like us any less. They still supported you when you went away for your rocktorate, and of course you know about how we all agreed we'd keep in touch with Pinkie Pie even after she moved to Ponyville and settled in with the Cakes. Honestly, Maud, I expected you to be the smartest one in the room. You went to college."
Igneous was quick to declare. "Though we would've liked you to obtain permission from us to go out of turn in finding a mate, we understand that thou did not want to wait until Limeamina decided she was ready to use the Choosing Stone," And with what appeared to be a smile he added. "But since thou is already quite happy with Mud Briar, we see no reason why we should object to your relationship. We accept that he is different, and we accept that it is because he is different that you like him."
Maud slowly trotted up to her parents, hugging them both. "Thank you. I never should've believed that you would object to Mud Briar."
"It is okay, Maudalina," Cloudy reassured her daughter as she lightly stroked her mane. "It is natural to be worried about what one's parents will think of your choice in romantic partner."
With tensions now defused, Limestone snuck in a teasing remark to Mud Briar. "So, Mud Briar. How long have you and Maud known each other?"
Mud Briar corrected Limestone. "Technically, we have known each other since before we started dating. Since it would be impossible for us to have dated each other without first knowing one another. Unless one is implying a blind date, which would only truly be blind if neither of us could see we were on one."
Limestone appeared to make a gag face. "You're no fun at all."
"On the contrary, I can be quite funny when I want to be," Mud Briar replied to Limestone. "I simply choose not to be."
Meanwhile, Marble appeared to be snickering as she blew her bang out of her right eye and finally spoke up. "Hey, Limestone, you know what this means don't you? It means now you have to use the Choosing Stone to find a mate. Unless you want to give your turn to Pinkie Pie."
Limestone's composure seemed to shift as she started to stutter. "W-well, it's not like I haven't thought of that. I-it's just... well... if I used the Choosing Stone I'd then have to leave the rock farm. And who'd take over running it then? Maud's got her rocktorate, Pinkie's tied to Ponyville, and you're too young, Marble."
"I'm not that young," Marble retorted. "Maybe you're just afraid you won't find anypony on your level."
Limestone growled. "S-shut up! That's not funny!"
But even Mud Briar and Maud were giggling. Amidst all the giggling, Mud leaned close to Maud and whispered. "You have quite the family. And I'm honored to be part of it."
Maud simply grinned as she whispered back. "Just wait until you meet our extended family, the Apples. We're fourth cousins twice removed. We're all going to gather together in Ponyville this coming Hearth's Warming."
Mud Briar gulped anew. That meant an entire new family he'd have to introduce himself to. But at least now he could count on the support of not just his girlfriend and her younger sister, but their entire family.
Author's Note
Since Mud Briar was apparently in "The Best Gift Ever" (albeit in the background) I think it's clear that by now Maud has in fact introduced him to her family. But this was something I felt was worth exploring since long before that.
I didn't want to go the usual route of either disapproving parents or embarrassing parents. Especially since Igneous and Cloudy don't seem to be bothered by Pinkie Pie's behavior, or the fact that Maud left the rock farm to study and get a degree.
