Author's Note
Hey, happy late Christmas, it seems my monthly plan is starting this month instead. I’m sorry for not having this be the… highest-quality upload, but I do have better things to upload which I simply haven’t yet.
QnS did a fic exchange, and I was asked by Bicyclette to write a story in which any princess was shipped with Maud Pie. So, I chose Twilight and banged this out.
As always, constructive criticism is allowed and encouraged, and I hope you all at least somewhat enjoy the story.
Like a Geode
The party was in full swing, Pinkie Pie had set everything up in record time, even for the pink pony, all for her sister. It was a party alright, a party so thoroughly Pinkie that Twilight couldn’t take it for longer than a half hour.
While Pinkie throwing a party for her sister was great, one peculiar thing was that Twilight couldn’t find Maud anywhere.
Now, she didn’t quite know Maud, but Pinkie had confirmed multiple times that whatever pony she was asking about wasn’t Maud.
While Twilight at least wanted to find Maud, she had to take a break, so she headed to her room to take a quick rest, and after that, she hoped, the party would calm down.
Though, as Twilight headed towards her room, she recalled all the books she had, and the endless topics she had to explore, and she quickly realized she probably wouldn’t be taking a rest at all.
Twilight entered her room, prepared to read whatever book struck her fancy, when she noticed a pony sitting on her floor.
The pony looked like a rock, a muted grey color with short hair and a seemingly bored expression. The earth pony mare Twilight saw was flipping through a book.
“Um, hello there,” Twilight said, surprised there was a pony who wasn’t enjoying a Pinkie Pie party. “Perchance, what are you doing here?”
“Moving to Ponyville.” the pony said in a completely flat monotone.
“What are you moving to Ponyville for?”
The pony, completely absorbed in the book, replied, in the same monotone, “Pinkie Pie invited me.”
“To live here?”
The mare gave a noncommittal noise of agreement. It could’ve been an ‘mhmm’, but Twilight couldn’t tell.
“And what are you reading about?” Twilight asked, trying to make conversation.
“Rocks.”
“Why rocks?”
“I like them better than parties.”
That… didn’t really answer the question, but Twilight couldn’t disagree with that assessment. She, too, liked a lot of things better than parties.
“Do you like anything other than rocks?” Twilight asked.
The earth pony stared off into the distance, before pulling herself back to her book and flipping a page. “Pinkie Pie.” she stated.
Twilight was going to ask more questions, but this mare wasn’t the talkative type. Besides, there was something in her that Twilight related immensely with, never being a talker, reading instead of having the stereotypical kind of fun, and that odd, off-kilter feel to the mare mainly worked to her benefit. She felt attracted to this mare for some reason she couldn’t explain.
So, Twilight just sat, with nothing but the flipping of the mare’s book pages breaking the silence.
That is, until, a pink blur came into the room.
“There’s the bestest sister in the world!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I was looking for you, and hello, Twilight! I see that you two are already becoming the bestest of friends! Come on Maud, you wouldn’t want to miss the festivities!”
Maud laboriously shut the book and followed Pinkie Pie out. Twilight decided to just stay back and let the party wind down, she’d have to talk more with Maud. There was something about that mare that she wanted to know more about.
Twilight had indeed talked more with Maud, and found herself attracted to the interesting way in which she acted. Not only did Twilight see herself in the mare, as she was never a good social butterfly and was known to fixate on things for long periods of time, though Maud had a fairly extreme variant of it, but Twilight also saw how much Maud clearly loved Pinkie, even if she wasn’t the best at showing it.
This had led them to the Annual Pie Sisters’ Gift Exchange, and them traveling together to pick out Pinkie Pie a present. Well, Maud invited Twilight along as much as she could muster.
Twilight wasn’t sure why Maud had brought her along, Maud didn’t really communicate that, but Twilight didn’t mind. The mare was a geode, dull on the outside, but crystals within.
Twilight chuckled a little at that, as it was a very fitting metaphor for a pony like Maud.
Looking around, Twilight took in the sights and sounds of the Ponyville market. Ponies usually set up stalls in the streets to sell things, usually of their own creation, to whichever pony would have them.
“So, Maud, what were you planning on getting Pinkie for the exchange?” Twilight asked excitedly, taking in all the hustle and bustle.
Maud didn’t respond, instead examining the stalls, or staring into space. One of the two.
Twilight gave Maud a quick nudge, and that snapped her out of something. Twilight laughed, once again really enjoying Maud’s presence.
Twilight repeated what she had just said, knowing that Maud probably needed a refresher, just like Twilight did when she got absorbed into something.
“So, Maud, what were you planning to get for Pinkie for the exchange?”
“Balloons.” Maud said simply.
“What kind of balloons?” Twilight asked.
Maud blinked. “Balloons.”
“But—“
“Balloons.”
Twilight sighed and looked around the stalls for some balloons, when she found some, she trotted towards them, as anypony would do.
As she was walking to get balloons for Pinkie Pie, Twilight realized that she should probably give Maud something, too. Seeing that mare smile would make her day.
Which, now that Twilight thought about it, was a weird thing to think, but doesn’t everypony want a smile from their friends?
Now at the stall, Twilight went straight to the pony running it and asked, “Excuse me, but do you have balloons to spare?”
“Oh, you’re Twilight Sparkle, aren’t you?” the pony stated, pulling out balloons for Twilight. “Of course, I’ve got a stack of them.”
Maud paced up behind Twilight, and the salespony immediately stopped.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing her along.”
Twilight looked about quizzically.
“Is there something wrong with Maud?” Twilight asked.
“Is there something wrong? When Pinkie brought her out for the party, she didn’t get along with anypony, and talked about rocks the entire time. It was a little weird.”
Twilight looked to Maud, and then back at the salespony.
“Don’t talk about Maud like that. She moved here a while ago, and I’ve felt more kinship with her than anypony else. Her one-track mind, the fact that she’s not great in social situations, and well, everything else. She’s weird, sure, but that weirdness works to her benefit, I’ve never seen it in anypony else, and I think, that, that she isn’t really, weird… just, unique. That uniqueness has drawn me close to her…”
Twilight suddenly realized why Maud smiling would be the height of her day. There was something in Maud that she, loved, admittedly,
“…And Maud deserves better than being hated on for being unique. Now, do we have a deal?”
The stallion nodded. “…Alright. Anyways, we had a deal beforehoof. Pay up.”
Twilight obliged, and now carrying a stack of balloons, Twilight followed Maud outside.
“I’m sure Pinkie Pie will love these,” Twilight said. Looking back at Maud, she realized that she never picked up Maud’s present; she made a note to herself to pick that up later.
The weather ponies had scheduled for a bright sky today. Sunlight rays beamed through the windows of Sugarcube Corner. Inside the building was Twilight, Maud, and Pinkie, all gathering around a table. Pinkie Pie had actually invited Twilight to the Pie Sisters’ Gift Exchange, and Twilight wasn’t going to deny the chance.
Mainly, she just wanted to spend time with Maud.
Pinkie Pie had heaped presents on Maud, and she had opened all of Pinkie Pie’s already.
Now, Pinkie Pie was tearing into the one marked as from Maud, Maud insisted that she add Twilight’s name, but Twilight mentioned that it wasn’t really her gift.
“Balloons!” she said in an instant, having torn open the present with gusto. “Thank you, Maud! These will look great for my parties!”
Twilight thought for a second. While the Pie Sisters’ Gift Exchange was between the sisters, she had one thing left. A present to Maud, that Twilight had picked out herself.
“Hey, Maud, I got you something, too,” Twilight said.
Twilight handed Maud a present.
Maud opened it relatively quickly, and took out what was inside. It was a collection of rocks.
“Wow! Rocks!” Pinkie Pie said, completely unironically. “I’m sure Maud loves it!”
Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Well, I wanted to get you something as a gift. Just, because I realized how much you meant to me. Maud, you just being you has drawn me in, and I’ve found it hard to get out, because, well, I love that about you.
“I don’t know much about rocks, but I did ask about them. The pony at the stand said that they were geodes, and I thought that was amazing, because they’re shiny on the inside, despite how rough they look on the outside, and that’s something I thought worked great with you, Maud. So, I just wanted to say—“
“Amethyst.” Maud inturrupted.
“What?”
“It’s an amethyst geode.”
Maud cracked the geode open on the floor of Sugarcube Corner to reveal an inside brimming with purple crystals.
“It’s you.” Maud said.
“Thanks?” Twilight asked.
Maud got closer to Twilight and kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you.” Maud said.
Well, it was now or never. Twilight really liked Maud, and, well, she’d never done this before. Never confessed to a pony, nor did she think she would. She always thought that if anything, she’d be confessed to, but given the audience, that was unlikely.
“Well, here goes nothing,” Twilight whispered, before taking a deep breath.
“Maud, will you be my special somepony?”
Twilight thought she could see the grey earth pony smile.
