“So making family happy means doing things you absolutely hate?”
"Guh!" Limestone grunted out, slamming her forelegs down on a large chunk of her namesake. Cracks spidered out from where she struck, and another blow caused it to crumble into gravel. Wiping a sweaty brow, the Earth pony let out a huff, her breath puffing out in the late December air. She stared at the area behind her: pile after pile, all from an exhausting day's work. Most towns and cities wouldn't need the gravel for at least another two months, but her pa had taught her at a young age that there's no sense in putting off for tomorrow what you can do today. Walking back to the house to retrieve a cart, she stopped to survey an empty West field. "Maud got done early. Like usual." she muttered to herself after viewing perfectly-cut slabs of marble. Heading to the South field, she spied a maudlin-looking little Earth pony, staring at the ground. Behind the teenaged filly was an enormous pile of river rock, but she lacked the cuts, bruises, sweat, or just about anything that would signify she had worked at all. Striding towards her, Marble peeked out from her curtain of mane.
"Mm-hm." she mumbled out, making brief eye contact with her older sibling.
"Already done, huh? Or just taking a break?" The quiet little pony simply shrugged her shoulders, and went back to staring at the ground. "What do you mean..." Limestone mimicked the gesture. "Are you done or not?" The diminutive filly repeated the motion. Before the eldest sister could respond, Maud walked from behind a boulder, shaking her mane loose of gravel and debris. She was pulling along a cart of river rock...the same river rock that Marble was supposed to have done! As if clairvoyant, the stoic sister spoke up.
"She's still not feeling well. I helped her finish the field." The two siblings stared at each other. Well, one stared. The other glared, while threatening to grind her molars into dust.
"Good. I'm glad that you helped her. Again." Limestone grumbled out through gritted teeth. "Go inside and help ma and pa with dinner." The steadfast mare nodded, and nudged her little sister. The movement seemed to knock Marble out of a trance, and without a word she slid off the rock she had been sitting on, and the two walked towards the farmhouse.
After hauling the remaining piles of gravel and river rock, Limestone finally came inside. Taking off her scarf, and shaking off the cold, she sniffed the air. "Huh. Quartz soup? That's strange, it’s not anypony’s birthday." she muttered. Walking into the kitchen, she found her mother indeed ladling out sizable portions of the milky-white broth. Sitting down in a well-worn chair, she looked to her parents as they placed the bowls on the table. "What gives? I thought we only had this on special occasions." Igneous Rock sat down at his setting with a groan.
"We were hoping yond supper wouldst help Mar-" a stern look from his wife cut him off mid-sentence. "Rather, what I meant to say was: there is nay special reason. Some times we just need to enjoy things. Make ourselves...joyous." Rolling her eyes, Limestone looked down at her bowl. It smelled delicious as always; other ponies would never believe it, but rocks could give incredible flavors when you cooked them right. "Marble, dear! It is time for supper!" the Pie patriarch shouted. A tiny murmur was heard from the other room, and the little pony plodded in, passed an empty chair, and sat down next to Maud.
"It is quartz soup, Marble. Thy favorite." her mother commented, setting a bowl down in front of her. She nodded slowly. The family bowed their heads and gave thanks to the Princesses Celestia and Luna before digging in. Well, most dug in. The quiet little filly hiding behind a messy mop of a mane took three tiny sips of broth before pushing her bowl away. Looking at her parents, she squeaked out a 'thank-you' before excusing herself from the table, and returned to the bedroom from whence she came. Igneous gave his wife a concerned look.
"It is the fourth time she hast forsaken her meal. And twas her favorite." he stated sadly. Cloudy Quartz slumped her shoulders and nodded solemnly.
"...so can I have hers, if she's not hungry?" came a gruff voice. The Pie parents stared incredulously at Limestone. "Well, some of us need to keep our strength up, you know. Punching boulders into gravel isn't exactly paperwork." Igneous nodded reluctantly, as the eldest sibling pulled her vacant sister's bowl over.
The rest of the night went by as quickly and uneventfully as most nights: after supper, Maud and Limestone washed the dishes, their mother added a few more rows to a crocheted blanket, and their father silently read. Unsurprisingly, Marble was unseen until bedtime, when her sisters entered into the bedroom. She was curled up into a ball on her side of the bed, and was still as substratum. The two sisters quietly wished each other a goodnight, and slid into bed as slowly and smoothly as possible, not wanting to wake their apparently sleeping sibling. As usual, Maud slept in the middle with the other two siblings flanking her, hoof to head, on the outside. Limestone stared at the ceiling as her imperturbable sister began to lightly snore. She rarely went to sleep immediately, so she liked to use this time to plan out the next day.
Alright, so Box Crib will need three tons of pea gravel for some office building roof in Manehattan by the first of the year. I'm already two-point-one tons done, so I should definitely be able to get it done by then. I think Maud's already done with the slabs for Edge Profile's order, so maybe I can get her to help me convince Pa to finally start harvesting the glowing crystal out of that cavern. Celestia knows we could stand to make the money from it. As for the river rock order, it'd be nice if Mar- her thoughts were cut short as she felt movement from nearby. The youngest sister of the three was shaking, with short little staccato-like breaths every now and again. Huh. She must be cold. Why doesn't she just get closer to Maud like usual? Seeing that the middle sibling was curled into a fetal position, she rolled her eyes. Turning her head to see if there were any additional quilts nearby, she felt a foreleg wrap around her, followed by another, then a tummy. Jerking her head back, the gruff mare found herself the unwilling recipient of a hug. Her first instinct was to recoil away; Limestone Pie is not the touchy-feely type! Unfortunately, that would result in her falling to a very hard and very cold wood plank floor. Her second instinct was to push her sister away, but stopped when she finally saw Marble's face: it was scrunched and contorted, and most of all, wet. She was...crying? Why?
...great, just great. As if I didn't have enough to deal with. Ugh. Why couldn’t Pinkie be here to deal with this?! She's all about this 'feelings' stuff! she thought with a groan. Noticing that Marble was still shaking, she let out a frustrated sigh. Returning the hug, her baby sister buried her face in the teenager's barrel tuft, and after what felt like a lifetime, seemed to stop crying. She even fell asleep at one point, although when that was would be lost on Limestone, as her mind was wracked with confusion.
As the sun rose on the next day, Limestone's eyes cracked open to the sight of the morning sun rising over the horizon. Instinctively attempting to leave the bed, she noticed with frustration that she was still trapped in a sisterly embrace. Prying off her youngest sister's vice-like grip, she stumbled out of bed. Stifling a yawn as she entered into the kitchen, she was met with a steaming cup of coffee at her spot in the dining room.
"Ma and Pa went into town to collect orders for the new year." came a monotone voice. Taking a sip of the onyx-colored liquid, Limestone rubbed her eyes.
"Good. We could always use the money. Now if only Marble would start pulling her weight, we could start the year in the black." Opening her eyes, she viewed an unamused older sister.
"Marble's not feeling well. You know that." she stated.
"Yeah, well, she's not sick. I know when she's sick, and she's not. And she's not injured, either."
"It's not a physical thing." Maud replied, downing her coffee, before pouring another mug's worth. Cocking an eyebrow, Limestone set hers down.
"So she's, what? Sad? Is that why she was crying last night?" she asked nonchalantly.
"She was crying? When we went to bed?" The unflappable sister answered, her eyes widening.
"Yeah, but she stopped."
"Is that why you were holding her this morning?" Maud dryly asked, leaning forward.
"She was holding me." Limestone replied, finishing her cup. "But whatever it is, she needs to snap out of it. We all have jobs to do, and being sad can't get in the way of it." Trotting to the door, she wrapped a scarf around her neck. "Make sure she gets up soon. And cut down on the coffee; you're already hyper enough as it is."
The sun rose high in the sky as Limestone pounded boulder after boulder into gravel. With any luck, she'd be able to get at least another half-ton done by the end of the day, and she could be done with this order before Hearthswarming. Despite her brisk pace, her mind was filled with questions. Why was Marble sad? Did she really hate harvesting river rock that much? Admittedly, Limestone hated cutting slabs into squares, so she could understand not liking a part of the rock farm. But did she hate it so much to make her cry? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe she was afraid for the farm itself. The Pie family was well-known for their rock farm, and supplied all sorts of solid sediments all over Equestria. But they were still left with razor-thin profit margins, and that undoubtedly caused more than a few white hairs in her parents' manes. No, that probably wasn't it either. Neither Maud nor Marble were nearly as concerned with the farm's finances as she was, probably because they weren't the ones who would be taking it over once her parents weren't able to. What could it be?
"I just don't get it. HUH!" Limestone grumbled, bucking a boulder. "She's got a good life here. HNG!" Another buck, and more cracks formed in the rock. "What could she possibly be going through to make her all off-kilter like this? GUH!" A final buck, and the giant stone shattered, crumbling into pieces. "She has everything she needs: a roof, a job, food, a famil-" Limestone stopped mid-stride. "No, that couldn't be it." she muttered, a hoof coming to her chin. "Then again, I remember what it was like for me..." Her mind began racing as she stepped to the next boulder in line. The young mare knew what the problem was, and more importantly, might even know how to fix it!
Limestone, as usual, was late in getting to lunch. And, as usual, it was being held on top of a large slab of feldspar, not too far from the house. Her sisters were already eating their meals in a comfortable silence when she arrived. Noticing her sister sit down with a visible huff, Maud quietly removed a napkin-wrapped daffodil sandwich from a basket and nudged it to her. Limestone nodded in thanks, and began munching on the food as her sister poured a glass of water. Unsurprisingly, Marble had barely touched her food; just a few nibbles here and there, whereas her sisters were practically wolfing down theirs. After quickly finishing off two sandwiches and three glasses of water, Limestone sat on her haunches in an attempt to get comfortable. She cleared her throat before taking a deep breath. Time to fix things.
"So Marble. You're sad, right?" The bluntness of the question seemed to catch the two other fillies off-guard, as Maud uncharacteristically jerked her head to glare at her sister, and the youngest sibling's eyes flashed open in surprise. "I mean, we all see it. And it's fine." Looking away in disgust, Marble hid behind her mane. "No, I mean, I understand what you’re going through. I really do."
"Limestone." came a slow warning.
"Look, we all go through puberty, and it's weird for all of us. I remember how it was for me: I was smelly, and got angry at the drop of a hat. Hormones do that. But eventually your body will get used to it." the surly mare continued.
"Limestone."
"And then there's the whole 'weird thoughts' part. You start looking at stallions in a way you didn't before." she said, taking a drink of water. "And that's when you actually get to see stallions. At least ones that you’re not related to. That's part of the reason I go into town with Ma and Pa sometimes. Because fantasizing about stallion hunks is better than hunks of rock, let me tell you."
"LIMESTONE." came an increasingly louder and perturbed, yet still monotone, voice.
Waving off her sister’s interruptions, she continued. "And like I said, the hormones: it can give you some awful mood swings. I remember going from wanting to punch rocks to wanting to hug them to wanting to cry at them. It was...weird. And then there’s the smell. You end up having to bathe more than once a week. It’s awful. But it’s not all bad. You actually get to grow into your limbs, and you start gaining some muscle. You won’t be so gangly anymore. Anyway. So when you put the hormones, the body changes, the need for a strong stallion to hold you? I understand. And I just want you to know that if you need to talk about it, I'm here. Because I was like that once. It's not to say that I don't still get like that from time to time, but I have better control over it now." the mare continued, ignoring the horrified looks on her sisters’ faces. "And I could talk Ma or Pa into taking you into town if you wa-" she was suddenly interrupted by the angriest squeak she had ever heard, as Marble stood up indignantly, glowering at her before stomping off. Limestone was left bewildered.
"...what just happened? I'm trying to say I'm here for her during puberty! Does she think I don't know what I'm talking about?" she demanded, looking to Maud for a response. Letting out a sigh, the young mare shook her head.
"It's not puberty that’s made her depressed, Limestone. It's that she-"
"I’m just trying to help! But she won’t listen to me! She just grunts at me and goes off into la-la land! So you know what? If she doesn't want my help, then she can just be smelly and frustrated on her own!" And with that, the eldest Pie daughter stormed off. Sighing again with a roll of her eyes, Maud began packing the basket.
Limestone slammed a hoof into a boulder, crushing it to pieces. “Stupid Marble.” she muttered. Scooping up a hoof’s worth of gravel, she heaved it into a nearby wheelbarrow. “I just wanna help. But will she take it?! No. She doesn’t. She is just. So. Selfish!” she screamed, smashing another smaller rock. Watching it crumble into pebbles, she stared over at a set of railway tracks, partially hidden in the snow. She didn’t have to follow it to know where it went; it went to an old closed-off mine. A mine practically overflowing with glowing crystal. Glowing crystal, that if sold slowly and carefully, could keep the family in financial security for generations to come. But for some reason that she couldn’t fathom, her father had sealed the mine off long before she was born, and forbade Limestone and her sisters from ever entering. As to why was anypony’s guess. Filing the question away for another day, the young mare lined up another rock to smash.
Many hours and obliterated boulders later, the sunlight began to wane, and Limestone hooked her wheelbarrows into a train before heading off to the house. She was tired and sore. Moreso than usual. Then again, anger has a habit of exhausting oneself. That, and not paying attention to what you’re bucking, and bucking into a piece of quartzite without being prepared. She’d pay for that pain again in the morning. Maybe even the rest of tomorrow.
I just don’t get it. Marble has NEVER been like this! Quiet, sure. Clingy? Yeah, a little bit. But this sad? Never. What’s changed? If it’s not puberty, then wha- her thoughts were interrupted by a stone-faced mare blocking her view. “GAH!” she screamed. “Maud! What have I told you about this?! No sneaking up on me!”
“You nearly walked into me. But that’s not why I’m here.”
“UGH.” the eldest sister angrily grunted. “I swear, if this is another one of your lectures about why I should let ponies get near Holder’s Boulder, I’m going to scream.”
“Limestone. Why do you think Marble is sad?”
“I already told her what it is! It’s puberty! That’s why she’s a sad-sack!” the green-eyed mare shouted, attempting to shove past her sister in the process. Sidestepping, Maud continued to block her way.
“No, Limestone. Puberty has little to do with it. Marble is sad because she misses Pinkie.” Scrunching her nose, the short-tempered pony snorted.
“...she misses Pinkie? That’s it? So what? We all do! Without her here to help, everypony has to do more around the farm!” the eldest sister shouted, waving her forelegs.
“Limestone, you’re not listening. It’s not that she misses Pinkie for her work ethic; it’s that Hearthswarming is in two days, it will be the first one that she won’t be here with the family, and Marble is taking it harder than the rest of us. You know how much she looks up to her.” the unflappable mare stated firmly. Her sister only rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on. That’s all it is? It’s not like Pinkie’s gone forever! You read the letter, just the same as me! She said she’ll be back in January to visit, so there’s no reason for Marble to get all weepy on us. I think she’s just trying to milk this whole thing to get out of wo-” a hoof was shoved in her mouth, and the normally stone-faced Maud suddenly became very serious.
“Limestone.” She seethed through the angriest monotone ever heard. “You know as well as I do that she is not trying to get out of work. Marble is hurting. She is in severe emotional pain. She misses Pinkie terribly, and does not understand the obligation that comes with an apprenticeship with the Cakes. You know how Pinkie treated all holidays, especially Hearthswarming.” Her older sister bristled under the lecture, but even she knew not to mess with Maud when her dander was up. Removing her hoof, her face returned to its default neutral state, and she took a breath. “And right now, without her here, Marble is experiencing something that none should ever have to, but all do. Yes, the loss of Pinkie for the holidays is temporary. But it is also her first time feeling this, and the least we can do is be understanding for it.” Limestone glared at her sister for a moment before speaking.
“...I told you to cut back on the coffee. It makes you hyper and aggressive.” her sister snorted, shoving past the monotone mare. “Hearthswarming. Sure. That’s why. This Tuesday is what matters, even though it’s literally the same as every other Tuesday of the year.” As she walked with a slight limp to the silo, the train of wagons behind her rattled and clanked, although her mind tuned out the pain of her leg and the noise of the carts. It’s not that Limestone hated Hearthswarming; quite the opposite. Far-flung family would usually come visit, which was nice. And it always called for some of the more delicious meals of the year. It also wasn’t uncommon for her and her sisters to receive a thoughtful gift from her parents, like the scarf she was wearing. The thought about how her sister was feeling turned her mind into a maelstrom of memories. Much as she hated to admit it, Maud had a point: Pinkie always did celebrate holidays, and Hearthswarming was when she would go all-out. She would decorate the farm from top to bottom, sing out loud from sunup to sundown, and make as many festive treats that she could get her hooves on.
But for the good, there was the annoying: those same decorations always got in the way of work, listening to what felt like the same five songs over and over for a month was akin to cruel and unusual punishment, and while she didn’t mind a sweet treat every now and then, Pinkie seemed to live on the stuff. And her baking went into overdrive for the holiday. It was enough to put the family in a diabetic coma! She still remembers the first time after the bubbly filly had gotten her cutie mark…
It was, what? Maybe three months since Pinkie’s first party? Limestone had enjoyed it well enough; the sights, the sounds, the smells, the tastes, just the...newness of it all. She had never experienced a party in her life, at least not one like that. And her sister had taken the warm reception the family had given and galloped with it. Of course, no one in the Pie family could have expected how much it would transform the little pink pony:
“HAPPY HEARTHSWARMING EVE TIMES TWENTY-FOUR!” screamed the screechiest, most exuberant voice Limestone had ever heard. While she didn’t mind Pinkie’s overall hyperactivity, she did mind when it was before the sun rose.
“Ugh...what are you talking about, Pinkie?” she groaned as her whole body bounced on the mattress her sister was actively jumping upon. “It’s too early for arithmetic.”
“It’s December First! That means we’re twenty-four eves away from Hearthswarming’s Eve! Which means that we’re twenty-four days away from tomorrow being the BEST. DAY. EVER!” she screamed. “And do you know what that means?!” Her sister grumpily shook her head. “It means that I need to get busy!” And with that, a pink blur left the room, shouting the whole way.
“...I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Limestone grumbled out, giving silent thanks that Pinkie hadn’t also woken up the much deeper-sleeping Maud and Marble. Her baby sister she could deal with, but Maud was not the kind of filly you wanted to wake up unnecessarily.
The next twenty-four days were, as predicted, full of her younger sister celebrating her favorite holiday in every way she could think of: cookie baking. Screaming carols. Festooning the house, barn, silo, and even rock fields with every shiny bob, bit, and bauble she could get her hooves on. Begging to make receiving presents harder by hiding them, for some reason. Crying when Ma and Pa said no. Watching Ma and Pa relent and agree to it. Coming up with ‘Reindeer Games,’ like hiding a picture of a rock, and forcing everypony to find it so they could be the lucky one to raise the flag on Holder’s Boulder.
That last bit may have been a touch insensitive to reindeer, but Ma insisted that as long as they kept the name within the family, there was no harm. It was better than listening to Pinkie get all mopey about it, anyway.
When the actual Eve of Hearthswarming arrived, however, Limestone arrived home with Pa to find a makeshift stage set up in the living room. Ma was sitting on the couch with Marble and Maud, all three sipping warm cider. “Oh! Good! You’re finally home!” came a muffled voice. Igneous looked to his wife with a confused expression, who only patted the seat next to her with a shrug. The two ponies took a seat, and the show began.
What followed was probably the most saccharine-sweet, unrealistically moral play Limestone had ever seen. It’s not that she wasn’t familiar with the story of the windigos and the founding of Equestria; it’s probably the most recited story within equinity. It’s that Pinkie’s hyperactive nature, combined with her love of bursting out into song, took what should have been a short little five- or ten-minute story and turned it into a twenty-two minute epic. She had obviously spent a lot of time setting everything up, from the intricate stone marionettes of the main characters to the flowing costume she wore to simulate the windigos. At the last note of ‘The Heart Carol,’ Limestone thanked Celestia that it was over. She was about to get up when Pinkie’s head popped out onto the stage with a hopeful look.
“So? What did you think?”
The little gray mare was about to offer a half-hearted ‘thanks for the show’ and leave it at that, but…
“Twas a wonderful spectacle dear. We all truly enjoyed it.” Limestone’s head nearly fell off when she heard her mother speak up.
“Really?!” the pink filly squealed.
“Indeed.” her father added. “Thee were faithful to the source, and thy additions did improve it.”
“Wow! What did you guys think?” Pinkie asked, looking expectantly to her sisters.
“I really enjoyed how you well you made the puppets. Your knapping skills with basalt have gotten a lot better, despite the increased complexity in dealing with the details needed. Also the song was nice.” came a quiet, monotone voice. Marble enthusiastically nodded with eyes wide. Moving her gaze to Limestone, the pink filly waited with bated breath. She looked to Pinkie, then her family, and back to Pinkie.
“Uh...yeah. What they said.” The relief on her sister’s face was evident as she came from behind the stage.
“Thank goodness! I was afraid you’d all hate it!”
Igneous Rock shook his head with a throaty chuckle. “Nay, dear. We enjoyed it.”
“So can I do it next year?!” she asked, her eyes shining. Her mother and father shared a look, then nodded.
“Indeed.”
By the time she finished pouring hundreds of pounds of gravel into the silo, the sun was fully set, and the moon was rising. Entering into the house, she removed her scarf and shuddered away the cold. Cloudy Quartz placed a platter of steamed carrots and broccoli at her place on the table, and returned to her crocheting. Unsurprisingly, her father read by the fire, Maud stood at the sink cleaning, and Marble was nowhere to be seen. She quickly and quietly ate her dinner, and helped her sister in drying the dishes. As the eldest sister finished putting away the last plate, she noticed her mother and father discreetly speaking to each other, both with intense looks on their faces. What were they talking about? Even though it was highly frowned upon, Limestone couldn’t help but edge closer to the living room in an effort to eavesdrop.
“Coming to bed?” came a colorless voice, interrupting her attempted spying. Frowning, she turned to her sister.
“...yeah, sure.” she grumbled. “Go ahead without me. I’m going to get a bath.” Maud nodded, and wished her a good night. A short time later, Limestone left the bathroom, her mane still slightly damp. As she entered the bedroom, she wasn’t surprised to find her sisters fast asleep. Like the night before, Maud was curled up in a fetal position, and Marble was facing the far wall. After silently slipping under the covers, she stared at the ceiling and planned the next day’s work orders: Alright, I’m nearly done with Box Crib’s order. Just another hundred pounds, give or take a few. I don’t know what else Ma and Pa have planned, but if there’s nothing due for the immediate future, I’ll see what I can do to convince them about opening up the Crystal Cave. If what Pinkie said is true, they could retire from a year’s harvest. Maybe we could even hire some wor- her inner monologue was abruptly cut short as she felt a tremor in the mattress.
Turning her head, she noticed that Marble was now facing away from the wall, and tears were streaming down the side of her face. Is she crying AGAIN? Rolling her eyes, Limestone slowly reached out to offer a hoof to her sister. Alright, come on. If it will keep you from bawling all night. Her hoof crept over, when it was slapped away without warning. Grunting in surprise, Limestone offered a foreleg again, only for it to be violently smacked away. Her baby sister, never opening her eyes, quickly shifted to face the wall once more.
“Mm-mm!” came an irritated squeak.
DID YOU JUST...SERIOUSLY?! Limestone thought, struggling to suppress her anger. ALL I’VE DONE IS TRY TO HELP, AND THIS IS HOW I’M TREATED?! Her body trembled with rage. Staring back at the ceiling, she took several deep breaths. Remember what Ma taught you. Inhale, count to ten, then release. And no hitting your sisters, even when they really deserve it. After what felt like an hour of controlled breathing, she was finally calm. Turning to glare at her youngest sister, she noticed she had finally stopped crying. Or at least stopped shaking. Whatever it was, Limestone had to resume her breathing to calm back down.
Tomorrow would be a long day.
Limestone’s eyes cracked open as the tiniest sliver of sunlight streamed into the bedroom. She slid out of the covers and shivered as her hooves touched the floor. Marble was still asleep, the quilt barely shifting up and down as she breathed. For a brief moment, the eldest Pie sister thought of yanking the covers off to wake her; a count of revenge for so cruelly rebuffing her offer to help yesterday. Twice. But the moment came and went, and Limestone shook the idea out of her head before quietly stepping out into the living room. Her mother and father were at the table, quietly murmuring between sips of shale tea. Striding past them, she wrapped her scarf around her neck and gripped the door handle to head outside before Igneous Rock cleared his throat, stopping her.
“Limestone, dear. We shall rest today.” he announced. Spotting the confused look on his daughter’s face, the Pie patriarch continued. “Rather, we shall not be toiling in the fields. Nay, today, we shall decorate for Hearthswarming, as it is the Eve of the holiday.”
“...I thought that was something only Pinkie did.” she grumbled out. “Besides, I’m nearly done with Box Crib’s order, and I wanted to get that done before we take tomorrow off.” Before her father could respond, Cloudy Quartz spoke up.
“Thee shall have five days after the holiday to finish the order. More than enough time, dear.”
“But what about-” Limestone interjected.
“Nay.”
“...yes, Ma. We’ll decorate.” she grunted out. “Celestia forbid we try to get a little ahead before the New Year.” the young mare grumbled.
“What was that?”
“I said that I’m going to head up to the attic to find some decorations.” the mare replied through a forced smile. Heading into the hallway, she looked up to find a string dangling from a folding set of stairs leading up. She had to jump twice to finally get ahold of it in her mouth, and again had to jump to get out of the way as the steps quickly unfolded with a slam. Stomping up the stairs, Limestone sneezed as her nostrils filled with dust. Rubbing her nose, she sniffed while scanning the room. It didn’t take long to find Pinkie’s boxes of Hearthswarming decorations; after all, they were the only ones covered in glitter and bright stickers. Limestone removed other boxes that had been carefully stacked atop them, and grabbed the two she needed. Or rather, the two she thought she needed. Labeled on top of the second box was “HARTHSWARMING DECS 1/3” The gray mare let out a sigh of frustration as she whipped her head back and forth in an effort to quickly spot the missing box. Seeing nothing, Limestone poked her head down the steps. “MA! Do you know where the other box is? I only see the two!” she shouted.
“Nay, dear. Keep looking.”
“...ugggh.” she grumbled. “We only ever did this for Pinkie. She was the only one who actually enjoyed all this silly stuff.” She again looked around the room, this time moving containers back and forth in the hopes of uncovering some lost, gaudy-looking box that would finally get her out of the attic. “Come ON. Where’s the other one?!” Limestone’s impatience, combined with the darkness of the attic, resulted in her tripping over a short stack of family albums. She let out a high-pitched shriek as she fell face-first into a brightly colored box, smashing in the top. The mare let out a hate-filled, guttural string of obscenities as she cursed everything dark and trippable. She lifted herself from the mess, only for her eyes to focus on what she had crashed into: “HARTHSWARMING DECS 3/3.” Removing the lid, she heard the sound of scraping and tinkling, as though something was broken. Please be an old family heirloom that nopony remembers... she thought. Peering through the dim light provided from the floor below, everything seemed to be okay. Heaving a sigh of relief, Limestone began to replace the lid when she finally saw it: one of the stone puppets Pinkie used for the play was broken in three places. It was...what was her name? Right, Chancellor Puddinghead.
“Did you find the other box?” asked a calm voice. “It’s the one with the play materials in it. Marble always loved it, so I was thinking one of us could act it out in place of Pinkie.”
Limestone’s head whipped around to see a piercing gaze coming from the most neutral of faces. “Oh. Uh. No. Not here.” she stammered out. Maud blinked once. “Seriously. It’s not here. I’ve looked everywhere. Go check the barn or something.” Her sister blinked again before ever-so-slowly lowering her head out of the attic, never removing her gaze from her elder sibling. Placing her head back in the box, Limestone checked again. Yup, it was definitely broken, and not in ways that could be easily repaired. In fact, it appeared that the head was somehow missing altogether. Letting out a long, angry sigh, she ran a hoof through her mane. Great. Just great. It’s bad enough that I’ll have to SEE this play again, but now everypony will be mad at me for breaking one of the stupid puppets! Even if it was an accident!
"Did thee find it?" Cloudy Quartz asked, noticing Limestone creeping down the stairs.
"Uh, no. I bet it's somewhere outside. I'll go look with Maud." she replied, refusing to make eye contact with her mother. Grabbing her scarf and heading out the door before she could respond, the eldest Pie sibling quickly exited the house. Breathing in the cold winter air, she let out a deep sigh as she walked towards the basalt stores...that were in the barn. The barn she had sent Maud out to in order to find a box that wasn’t there. She swore under her breath as she stopped. If the barn which held every rock that wasn’t still a boulder was no longer an option, what was she to do? Limestone idly paced back and forth for a moment before her eyes flashed wide. “Crystal.” she quietly said to herself. Remembering the railway tracks, she galloped off in the direction of the long sealed-off cavern.
Maud methodically checked each box in the loft of the Pie family’s barn. She was certain that the remaining Hearthswarming decorations weren’t here, but her parents had taught her that there can be no half-measures in one’s work. More to the point, she wanted to give Limestone a chance to be alone. Something was eating at the mare, but Maud couldn’t quite place her hoof on it. Part of her believed it was the fact that their over-enthusiastic sister was absent for the first major holiday. It had definitely put a damper on things, that was for sure. But while she was sure Limestone missed Pinkie, it didn’t feel like the primary reason.
Finding nothing Hearthswarming-related in the barn, just as expected, the monotone young mare left. Closing the doors, she noticed Limestone stomping off towards the fields. She almost called out to her, but decided to leave it alone. She knew that gait; her sister was on a mission. An irate one at that.
Finding the cavern wasn’t hard. Even with the tracks covered with snow, the whole Pie family knew where the entrance was. What wasn’t as well-known was why it had been boarded up; it had been sealed long before Limestone was born, and every time she brought it up, her parents would tell her that it was simply dangerous, to leave it alone, and change the subject. Trotting up to the opening, she took a heady breath. There was no way her parents wouldn’t be able to figure out where the crystal came from, and she would undoubtedly get in trouble.
“Well, maybe if I harvest a bit out of here, I can show Ma and Pa there’s nothing to worry about with it.” she grumbled before wrapping her forelegs around a board. It took some prying, tugging, and cursing, but the young mare was able to pop off the first board. Each one became a little harder as she continued, her muscles succumbing to fatigue. With the last wood plank pried off, she inhaled deeply; whoever had nailed the entrance shut hadn’t messed about! Limestone briefly thought about retrieving a lantern from the silo when her eyes spied a faint pink glow coming from around a corner in the shaft.
Carefully stepping inside and peeking around a rock wall, the Earth pony was nearly blinded by what she saw: pink crystals! Easily thousands of them! And some of them larger than Pa! She walked through rows and rows of towering luminous clusters of the mineral, completely awestruck. “Sweet Celestia…” Limestone whispered, her face reflecting in a diamond window. She nearly wiped out for the second time that day when a hoof collided with a solid, unmoving obstacle: a sizable piece of crystal, reaching halfway up her foreleg.
Maud returned to the house, shivering away the cold. As she passed her mother, the monotone pony noticed that the stairs to the attic hadn’t been closed. Raising an eyebrow at the oversight, she ascended the steps to poke her head inside. It wouldn’t do to trap a family member, after all. Seeing nopony, she nearly descended when a twinkle in the dark caught her eye. She fully entered the attic, tracing the source of the attention-grabbing sparkle, when she came upon a garish box. Specifically, the missing garish box that contained the remaining Hearthswarming decorations. The top was smashed in, but it was definitely what they had been looking for. Hefting the rather weighty container on her back, she carefully stepped down the stairs before replacing them back into the attic.
“Oh, did thee find the missing box?” Cloudy Quartz asked, looking up from her crocheting. Maud nodded her head. “Wonderful. Please tell Limestone to return from outside, then.” The dry young mare again nodded her head and left the house to find her elder sister.
It hadn’t taken Limestone long to figure out why her parents didn’t want her messing about with this glowing pink crystal: it was laced with internal fissures and seams, and when broken by, say, a buck from an impatient young mare? It caused scores, if not hundreds, of sharp hide-cutting edges. This was made even worse when the same impatient young mare forgot her carving tools, and decided that knapping the remaining pieces into a vague pony shape was the right way to go about it.
Growling in frustration, Limestone threw another chunk of crystal to the ground, shattering it. Her breath was ragged, her hooves were in pain, and she trembled with anger. Plopping down with a huff, she tried her breathing technique in an attempt to regain her composure. While counting to ten for the fourth time, she noticed her reflection in a large crystal. It was hued pink, and reminded her of Pinkie before the filly got her cutie mark: a mane flatter than a piece of paper paired with a miserable look upon her face.
“...I wish Pinkie were here.” she quietly let out with a sigh. “She’d know how to cheer Marble up, just like that.” she emphasized with a clop on the ground. “I’m no good with all this touchy-feely stuff. Never have been.” The young mare wiped her snout with a sniffle. “Guess I never had to learn with her around.”
“It’s never too late to.” came a dry voice. Limestone nearly broke her neck in whipping her head around to find a neutral face staring at her.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” she shouted, kicking away a few of the pitiful attempts at puppets she had made.
“Ma sent me out to get you after I found the last box. It was upstairs.”
“Yeah, well-” Limestone started.
“This was near it.” her monotone sister interrupted, hoofing out a small, broken stone puppet.
“What, were you spying on me?!” she shouted, glaring at her sibling. Maud shook her head.
“No. The acoustics are incredible in here.” she replied, gesturing towards the cavern’s walls. “Also you don’t have an inside voice.” Limestone rolled her eyes.
“Well, congratulations. You found me. Now leave me alone.” A pregnant silence permeated the scene as both Pie daughters stared at each other. Lifting up the damaged puppet again, Maud broke the stillness.
“...did you accidentally break this?” Limestone looked away, refusing to answer. “It’s okay if you did. These things happen.” she continued. Gazing around her stalwart sister, she noticed bits and pieces of shattered crystal. “Did you come out here to make a replacement?” Still refusing to answer, the eldest Pie sister shifted her body to face away from her. Maud looked to her sister, then to the crystal on the ground. “I’ll go let Ma and Pa know where you are.”
“NO!” Limestone shrieked, reaching out for her sister. Again, the two stared at each other, daring the other to blink. “I...yeah. I did. It was an accident. I tripped on some stupid book or something upstairs, and broke it. So I came out here to fix the problem. But this stupid stuff is so hard to knap!” she exclaimed, idly kicking another rejected puppet.
“...I thought you hated the Hearthswarming play?” Limestone’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “You also don’t have a poker face.”
Letting out a huff, the eldest Pie daughter stared ahead. “...yeah. It’s annoying, and syrupy sweet, and goes on forever.” Finally looking at her sister, she continued. “But I know how much it means to you guys. And even if I hate it, I’m willing to sit through it because it makes you happy.” A tiny, almost imperceptible smile crept across Maud’s face as she sat down next to her sister.
“It sounds like you already know how to make us happy, then.” Earning a confused look from her older sister, she cleared her throat. “Just because you don’t break out into song every fifteen minutes doesn’t mean you can’t bring joy to us. We love Pinkie for her energy, her positivity, and that she’s willing to go above and beyond to make us smile. But that goes both ways. Do you know those rock candy necklaces?’” Limestone nodded. “I don’t care for them. They’re nothing but sugar, and would have rotted away my teeth years ago if I ate each one that she gave me. But I help her make them because I know it makes her happy. The same is true with her ‘surprise’ birthday parties. I don’t care for large crowds, but I know how ecstatic it makes her to throw them.”
“So making family happy means doing things you absolutely hate?” Limestone asked with a snort. Her sister shook her head with a soft smile.
“Not exactly. What it means is coming out of your comfort zone to make them happy. Because you know they’d do the same for you.” She picked up a chunk of crystal and stared at it. “Family cohesion and contentment is never guaranteed, and we all have to work at it. Pinkie has her way, Ma and Pa have theirs, I have mine, and Marble has hers. They’re all different, and they all help in their own way.” Holding up the crystal in the light, she inspected it closely. “But when somepony is gone, that dynamic has to change. Which means that we have to change. Even if it requires us to further step out of our comfort zones.” Hoofing the crystal to Limestone, she stood up. “Stay here. I’m going to go get my carving tools out of the barn. Knapping this crystal is not an ideal means of making a replacement puppet.”
It took a few hours and more than a few angrily shouted obscenities, but with Maud’s help Limestone finally made a reasonable facsimile of Chancellor Puddinghead. Their father was livid when he first heard that they had entered the cavern, but his anger quickly subsided when he found out why. Agreeing to talk about it later, the family worked swiftly to turn the Pie house into a Hearthswarming spectacle worthy of the name. Placing the last string of popcorn garland on a nail above the kitchen doorway, Igneous Rock nodded to Maud, who moved towards the childrens’ bedroom.
Marble sat on the edge of the bed, fighting tears. That seemed to be her favorite pastime these days. Her head swirled with feelings, and none of them positive: she felt awful from her family’s inability to cheer her up. Her parents had made her favorite meal, let her shirk her chores, and never pushed her to open up if she didn’t want to. Maud had been supportive in her own way. She did both her job and her own! She never asked, she just did.
And...and then there was Limestone; she didn’t understand. At all. But even if she didn’t understand, she at least attempted to ‘fix’ her. The diminutive filly felt nothing but guilt; she knew they were trying their hardest to make things better, and the fact that it was all met with failure made her feel like she let them down. After all, family is supposed to be the mend-all, and if they weren’t doing it, it must be because something is broken in her. But that was the problem: how do you fix something that’s broken when you don’t have all the pieces?
She didn’t think she would miss Pinkie as much as she did. So much that it physically hurt. Of course, after their shared fourteenth birthday, Pinkie had taken that baking apprenticeship in Ponyville; missing her was to be expected. But on Hearthswarming? As far as Marble was concerned, Pinkie WAS Hearthswarming. That pink filly went all out for the holiday! She made the whole month special; it was just her way. And when you take that away, it left such an empty, gaping hole. Even if Pinkie was going to return after the New Year, it wouldn’t be the same. A small part of her wanted to hate her sister for leaving, but that was quickly squashed. She knew that this was best for Pinkie, or at least that’s what her parents told her. That it was a better fit for her, and would let her ‘develop her natural skillset in an environment that she can thrive in.’ Marble only understood about half of what that meant, and she knew it meant that it would help her sister in the future, but that still didn’t make the hurt go away.
The little gray filly uncomfortably shifted on the bed as she mulled over her options for the next few hours until it was time to sleep: stare ahead blankly, or cry in the fetal position? Without warning, her rumination was interrupted by a light cough. Turning her head around to spot the intrusion, she found Maud standing in the doorway.
“Come to the living room. We have something for you.” she beckoned, gesturing out to the hallway. Marble’s eyes turned away, unsure of how to respond. “You’ll like it. I promise.” Looking back at her sister, the gangly little pony shrugged her shoulders, and lethargically hopped to the floor. Walking towards the room, her nostrils were slowly filled with the smells of spice cookies and mulled cider. The space was dimly lit by a low-smoldering fire, and her parents were curled up on the sofa. As she sat on the floor, she noticed a crudely set up...stage? Is that what that was? As Maud placed a steaming mug and plate of cookies before her, she heard a gravelly voice speak from the ether:
“Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and...uh...before the peace-no. And before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony. It was a strange and dark time. A time when...when...when ponies were torn apart by hatred!” came the unsure-sounding voice. “During this frightful age, each of the three tribes, the pegasi, the unicorns, and the Earth ponies cared not for what...befell? Befell. The other tribes, but only for their own welfare. In those troubled times, as now, the pegasi were the stewards for the weather.” A small stone marionette of the pegasi leader, Commander Hurricane, dangled from a string onto the stage as the hoarse voice continued. “The unicorns magically…’brought forth’ the day and night.” A similarly-sized stone marionette of the unicorn leader, Princess Platinum, gave a pitiful trot onto the stage. “In return, both races demanded something from the Earth ponies...the food they grew.”
With that, the final marionette clopped its way to the stage. Except, there was something wrong: it wasn’t the normal Chancellor Puddinghead marionette. Rather, it was considerably larger than the other two, far less detailed, and instead of being made out of basalt like the others, it was made of...glowing pink crystal? The same crystal that came from the cave they were expressly forbidden from going into?
Marble turned to see her father’s face, fully expecting a frown, but only found a soft, benign smile. Her mother wore the same expression, and Maud? Maud had the largest grin she had ever seen! Admittedly, it would barely register as a smirk on a normal pony, but it was easily the most expressive she had ever seen her sister. She returned her gaze to the stage, sipped her cider, and quietly munched on what had to be the most delicious spice cookie she had ever tasted.
The play continued as it always had, more or less. Sure, there were some gaps in the dialogue, and at least one muttered swear word that she could hear, but it all came to a standstill near the end. “They must be…” the throaty voice sighed, “...they must be...” And from behind the stage came what would eventually be known as the third-silliest thing Marble would ever see: Limestone Pie, the toughest pony she ever knew, was wearing a costume from the play. “...windigos.” It was ill-fitting, possibly torn in some places, and her sister was obviously uncomfortable. Still, she began galloping around the room, making the ghostliest noises she could muster while waving a foreleg in the air. After completing three full laps past the stage, she finally stopped, and returned behind it. She took a deep breath, and continued to the end of the play, only stopping before the traditional carol. Clearing her throat, Limestone poked her head onto the stage. “Look, I’m not singing this alone, so if you wanna hear the song, one of you will have to start.”
Cloudy Quartz quietly chuckled, and began the first verse:
The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
Igneous Rock nodded, and joined in the second verse:
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart
Maud quietly added to the voices:
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Marble’s voice softly accompanied the rest of her family’s:
Laughter and singing will see us through
The Pies looked expectantly to the still silent Limestone, who, with a roll of her eyes, united her voice with them:
We are a circle of pony friends, a circle of friends we’ll be to the very end!
Silence permeated the scene after the song ended. The sound of fabric rustling could be heard, and the eldest Pie sibling, sans windigo costume, came out from behind the makeshift stage. “So now that that’s done with, can we-oof!” She found herself enveloped in a ribcage-crushing hug. It didn’t exactly take a brain surgeon to figure out where it came from, but Limestone was still surprised when she looked down to see her youngest sister doing her level-best to squeeze the life out of her.
“Thank you. So much. It was perfect.” she whispered.
“Yeah, well, don’t go spreading this around; I only did it for the family, and only because Pinkie wasn’t here to do it.” Limestone grumbled back, before returning just as tight a hug.
The play, in fact, hadn’t been perfect; it wasn’t even as good as the time Pinkie did it with no voice and double pneumonia. But it came from the heart, and that was the only thing that mattered.
It was the third of January before Pinkie finally made it home. Despite being overloaded with bags and suitcases, she still bounded off the train as if entirely unencumbered. In her mouth was an envelope addressed from the Cakes, and in a majority of the suitcases were all sorts of fresh-baked goodies, still inexplicably hot after an eight-hour train ride. Dropping her load on the platform, she leapt towards her family.
“MAUD! MARBLE! LIMESTONE! MOM! DAD!” she shouted, gathering them into an all-encompassing hug. “Oh my gosh I missed you all so much! You won’t believe it! My apprenticeship went so amazingly awesome! Mr. and Mrs. Cake said that because of me, they had the biggest Hearthswarming orders EVER! They want me to come back in February, because they already have a super-big order of their special heart-shaped sachertorte cookies for Hearts and Hooves Day!” Releasing her captive family, she looked over her parents.
“Aye, Pinkamena, all in du-”
“Wow! You two have more gray hairs in your mane than I remember! They make you look even more distinguished than ever!” Igneous and Cloudy exchanged a look of confusion as the bubbly filly moved on to her siblings.
“Hello Pinkie. I hope you had a good time in Ponyville.” came a monotone voice.
“Maud! You’re more effervescent and charismatic than I’ve ever seen! You’re gonna be knockin’ ‘em dead on a comedy tour soon, I can just feel it!” she exclaimed, giving her sister another hug. Turning to her technically younger sibling, she gasped.
“OH. MY. GOODNESS! You’re positively radiant! Who are you, and what have you done with the real Marble?!” she asked conspiratorially.
“I’m really happy that you’re back, Pinkie.” the diminutive filly mumbled out.
“Aww, me too! Oh my gosh, I have so much to tell you and show you! You should see the stuff the Cakes have taught me!” she replied, playfully nudging her sister. Turning to find her oldest sibling, Pinkie found...an empty spot. Whipping her head back and forth, she finally found the pony piling luggage onto her back. “Limestone!” she shouted, galloping towards the unexpecting young mare. Tackling her in a hug, she caused bags and suitcases to go flying.
“Yeah, yeah, Pinkie. Good to see you, too. Next time give me some warning before you’re about to do that.” she grumbled.
“I did, silly! I shouted ‘Limestone!’ and then came running up to you!” the perky pink pony replied. Bringing her head down, she lowered her voice. “Maud told me what you did for Marble. That was so sweet, and I’m so proud of you for leaving your bubble!” The gruff young mare’s eyes flashed wide, and she glared daggers at Maud. “And I think it’s something you should do EVERY year!” the pink pony suddenly yelled.
“Yeah, great, sure, whatever you say Pinkie. Just don’t get used to it.” Hopping off her older sister, the pink filly gathered her scattered belongings. Jumping to her hooves, Limestone stomped over to her younger sisters with a forced smile. Wrapping a muscular foreleg around Maud, she led her away from the group. “...I thought I said to not spread this around.” she growled out.
“You only requested that from Marble, not me.”
“Tell anypony else, and I swear I will murder you so hard you die to death. Understand?” Limestone sputtered out through gritted teeth.
“Of course, Limestone. I won’t say anything...” Maud replied with a small smile.
Author's Note
So if I'm honest, this story didn't start out as a bit of catharsis, but it sure turned into it. Just a few months ago, I lost my mother suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly. She had numerous health issues, but it was still a shock when it occurred. As a result, this was the first Christmas that she wasn't with us, and it hit the whole family pretty hard. And so silly as it may sound, this My Little Pony fan fiction ended up being a way to channel my feelings of loss, and help me grieve, if only a little bit.
And so, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart in allowing me to share this with you. If you'd like to read my holiday story from last year, "How to Go to Prison on Hearthswarming Eve in Five Easy Steps," feel free! And with that, I wish you all a belated Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a Cheerful Kwanzaa, a Respectful Ramadan, a Tip-Top Tet, and a Fantastic Festivus.
