Tide and Effect

Why her?

What cruel force had cursed the magician to cross paths with her doom, her tormentor, the destruction of her life as she knew it? Twilight Sparkle. The name burned in her brain leaving an impression forever. She had just wanted to perform, just wanted Ponyville to love her and her to do the same but fate would punish her for these things. It wasn't just that Twilight was altogether better than her, it was that she'd stomped on her reputation as well. She crushed her dreams along with the wagon Trixie lived in. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe her words had brought the bear to town. Maybe she really was the catalyst for her own destiny like she so often was. Her shimmering reflection in the water judged her. It was her fault. It's always been her fault. There was no Amethyst Star or Twilight Sparkle, there was only Trixie. And Trixie could hurt herself in ways the others could never. Hey, at least that means she's the best at something. Her hooves shook as she slowly climbed onto the railing, hanging on with all her might as she brought her forelegs over to dangle above the rushing water. Was it warm? Trixie knew it was almost certainly bitterly cold but as she stared at the rushing stream, she imagined it would be like plunging into a warm bath. She closed her eyes and leaned farther forward. All she needed was a little push and gravity would carry her over the railing down several feet into the foam. Maybe it is warm. Maybe it will be ok.

“What are you doing.” came a voice from behind her. Trixie groaned, expressing her distaste at her thought process being interrupted.

“Just hangin out. Over the railing.” She lied, turning to the pony behind her. It was a grey earth pony wearing a teal frock.

“That's very dangerous. You could fall in the river.” The earth pony said, not a tinge of concern in her voice. Or maybe that was concern, Trixie couldn't tell.

“That's the idea.” Trixie mumbled.

“I'm serious. The river is shallow so you'd probably hit your head on the rocks. And even if that didn't kill you, the current is too fast to swim. You'd probably drown” the earth pony said matter-of-factly.

Trixie was disgruntled by the pony's forwardness and bluntness. In her self loathing delirium she tried to get back at her by being blunt herself.

“Yeah? I'm trying to kill myself.” Trixie snarled, annoyed at being very rudely interrupted in her suicide attempt.

“Don't do that.” The pony said. It was such a strange response to what she'd said that Trixie didn't know how to process it at first. She looked the pony up and down. She looked to be a farm pony and her expression was almost impossible to read.

“Does the name ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ mean anything to you?” Trixie said to the farm pony, trying to gauge the likelihood that her popularity has reached her.

“No.” The earth pony put bluntly. Trixie nodded and looked back towards the river.

“Yeah. Thought so.” She said defeatedly.

“Why are you trying to kill yourself?” The earth pony pressed on.

“What's it to you? It doesn't matter.” Trixie said, expressing her frustration at what she was realizing was genuine concern. There was a long pause while the earth pony thought of what to say next.

“If you fall, I will save your life” the earth pony said, propping herself up on the railing. Trixie was astounded, and a little nervous now that this random pony was joining her on the railing.

“Hey, you're going to get yourself killed” Trixie said, expressing the danger of the situation.

“What's it to you? It doesn't matter.” The earth pony said, winking at her use of the words Trixie had just said. Trixies confusion and wonder caused her to back off from the railing, looking the pony up and down.

“Who the fuck are you?” She asked, incredulously.

“My name is Maud. Maud Pie” the pony said. “Nice to meet you.”

The magicians suicidality briefly left for a need to understand the strange character before her. She was unrelenting in all ways, blunt, yet impossible to read. A complete mystery.

“Will you tell me why you were trying to kill yourself now?” Maud said, ever persistent. Something about her stone cold expression told Trixie she wouldn't be able to avoid this question. She sighed.

“My place was destroyed by a big bear and I have nothing left and my reputation was ruined by some pony and now I can't get a job because everypony hates me.” Trixie summed up.

Maud thought about it for a moment.

“That's a pretty good reason to try to kill yourself. It's ok though. You can stay with me and work on our rock farm. We need some extra help this season anyways.” Maud said, generously offering Trixie both a place to stay and a job. She began walking away from the river, implying Trixie should follow.

“Wait, a rock farm? As in, you're farming rocks? How the fuck does that work?” Trixie said, still perplexed, but following suit.

“You'll figure it out. Also, language.” Maud said.

Trixie followed Maud down the path through Rockville. She hid her face as they passed the pub she'd been thrown out of for asking for drinks on the house. Maud had this commanding presence about her that made Trixie a little nervous. But altogether there was something in the air that made her trust the earth pony. Maybe it was her connection with Zecora that reminded her of Maud. She shivered slightly thinking of Zecora, letting out a few breathless pants as she reminisced about their time together. She nervously looked at Maud, hoping she hadn't noticed.

When the two arrived at the Pie family rock farm, Trixie was no closer to understanding what any of the purpose was. She did, however, notice the tone of the place. Maud's family was all as grey as she was, both in color and mood. They all begrudgingly did their chores, and from Trixies first impression this wasn't the kind of place you'd want to be if you were struggling with depression.

“Hey Maud, who's this?” One of them asked. She was another grey pony with green eyes.

“This is Trixie. She's gonna live and work here.” Maud said as if they'd already decided.

“Who said you could just decide that? She doesn't exactly look cut out for it.” The sister said, not even trying to be subtle in front of Trixie.

“Excuse me, I-” Trixie started.

“Nopony. I just did. She just tried to kill herself. I think she'd try again if we didn't.” Maud said, in the strangest defense of Trixie she'd ever heard.

“Oh yeah! I'm suicidal!” Trixie said, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

The sister squinted before approaching Trixie.

“I'm Limestone. Stay away from the mine, stay away from Holders Boulder, listen to everything me and Maud say, you got it?” She said.

Trixie nodded. She already didn't like how militaristic this place seemed but she supposed it was better than being dead. Maud then turned to walk out to the field of rocks, taking a small pickaxe with her and handing one to Trixie. The unicorn followed, examining the pickaxe as she quietly pondered what exactly they were going to do. As they walked through the field of rocks, Trixie noticed the house getting farther and farther away. The scope of the farm and its operation were finally starting to hit her as their journey steadily began to incline downwards towards a rock wall that had been carved out of the earth. Lying next to it was an empty wooden cart.

“So… Maud, what's the plan?” Trixie said, already so bored she was having trouble staying awake.

“These pebbles of quartz are encased in this larger sandstone rock, our job is to get them out so we can sell them” Maud said, gesturing to the rock wall, which had several round light-colored rocks sticking out of it.

“Oh, ok.” Trixie said, a little happy it was so simple and didn't seem very hard.

“It's very simple and not that hard, I figured it would be the thing you're best at here.” Maud said. Trixie took it as an insult to her intelligence and ability.

“Gee, thanks” she sneered sarcastically.

“No problem” Maud said earnestly. “You stop work when the cart is full or the sun goes down, then you come inside.”

“Oh.. ok.” Trixie said, staring up at the wall realizing that this is probably what she was going to do for the next however long she's here.

“I have other chores to do, so I'll be somewhere else. Yell or walk back to the house if you need anything” Maud said, before turning to leave.

Trixie then turned to the pebble right in front of her, it was mostly sticking out of the rock already so she figured it would probably be the easiest to get out. She swung her pickaxe at the soft sandstone around it until she'd cleared its perimeter. She then pulled on it really hard with her magic, it didn't budge. She put both hooves on it and threw her whole body weight back, it still didn't budge. Frustratedly, she hit around its perimeter with the pickaxe again, realizing that the pebble was actually much longer and more embedded than she had initially expected. She worked diligently with the pick to soften up more and more of the sandstone to pry it free, until eventually, after enough tugging, it was finally released from its stone prison. After Trixie picked herself up from falling flat via tugging on it, she spun around triumphantly with it, relishing in her success. Her eyes fell on more rocks. Her feat of terrific strength and dexterity had been seen by an audience of no one. It would be like this every time. Heartbroken, she dropped the pebble into the cart with a clunk. One down, hundreds to go.

As she worked, she found herself daydreaming of performing again, or having a drink, or something to eat. She realized she was terribly hungry, having been too destitute to afford food the past few days or so. Her stomach rumbled as she worked, but soon the silent air took her to more spiteful places. Twilight Sparkle, the name rang like a funeral bell in her head. Shown up and run out of town, Trixie imagined the prissy purple unicorn's face on every inch of space she clobbered with her pickaxe.

“Maybe one day she'll learn her lesson” Twilight had said. As though being forced into homelessness was warranted for being a performer in Ponyville. Ponyville, the place she had wanted a new start, and for her naivety, she was now farming rocks without a place to call home. How she missed her hammock, how she missed her booze cabinet, how she missed getting drunk and singing ballads to herself at 3am, how she missed her stylish star shaped sunglasses. Twilight Sparkle. Her faux-humility was nauseating. What, was it only ok to brag if your name happens not to be Trixie?

“What are you doing” Maud said, startling Trixie out of her spiral. She blinked, realizing in spite she had imagined Twilights head as one of the pebbles which she was currently trying to break in half with the pickaxe. It wasn't working.

“Your job is to collect pebbles, not break them. That pick isn't hard or sharp enough for that” Maud said, pointing out the inconsistencies.

“Oh whoops, sorry, guess I got a little carried away!” Trixie said, smiling nervously.

Maud's expression was unchanging. Judgemental, lenient? There was no way to tell. The silence was deafening.

“It's normal to go a little crazy doing this yourself. I'm sorry, I should've been here helping you.” Maud said. “At any rate, you've been doing a good job so far.”

Trixie looked over to the wooden cart, it was now half-full of pebbles. She had done a good job! The rock wall was missing a good chunk more rock than it had been when she started. The sun was just starting to flirt with the horizon in the distance.

“Thanks Maud.” She said, dusting herself off as she followed the earth pony back to the house. When she entered, Maud could tell she was way too tired to stay awake for dinner, and therefore led her to the bedroom, where Trixie would be sharing a bed with Maud. Trixie then tucked into bed and drifted off to sleep, her stomach rumbling. Having encountered too much drama for the day, she merely dreamed of a full course meal to fill her belly.

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The sound of rocks cracking open carried through the brilliant crystalline cavern. Its walls and ceiling were lined with large blue, pink, green and red gemstones. In the center, the grey pony worked, having taken in a cart full of geodes from outside which she was systematically cracking open with her pick. The sound alone of each impact was teeth shattering, and the acoustics of the cave made them ring out like gunshots. However, Maud persisted, this was her element. For a moment though, she stopped. Someone was watching her do this.

“Hello Princess.” She said to the cave. Out from a shadow in the wall, the princess of the night appeared.

“You can call us Luna, you know.” the Alicorn said, walking up to join Maud as she continued cracking geodes.

“You're always working on your dreams, we're curious as to why.” Luna said, a little frustrated with Maud's busywork.

“I thought dreams were the manifestation of unfinished things during the day. I have some actual geodes to crack so I'm here cracking geodes.” Maud said matter-of-factly, splitting another one open with such force it made Lunas bones quake.

“But dreams can be so many things! Surely your imagination must want things more than just busywork” Luna said, bounding around excitedly, trying to get Maud's attention. Maud turned to look at her.

“Do you visit other ponies this frequently or is it just me?” Maud questioned, causing the Alicorn to stop dead in her tracks, before hiding her face from the rock pony, blushing profusely.

“We love our royal subjects equally, it's just your life is of the most interest to us, and especially this night where you sleep next to Trixie, another we have had our eye on for a while.” Luna said defensively, trying to justify her obsession with Maud, as well as change the subject. Maud saw right past it.

“That doesn't explain the fact you visited me three times last week, and nearly every night this week.” Maud said, very curious.

Luna was taken aback, to be accused of such idolatry to and by a common earth pony, it was below her royal stature, it was unthinkable, it was scandalous, it was.. true.

“We do quite enjoy your company, Maud.” Luna said, finally faltering and knocking her hooves together timidly.

Maud was unsure how to feel, if this was something more than just friendship, she had no idea. For now, she was just glad Luna was here.

“I like spending time with you too.” Maud said. “And Trixie seems alright, if a little unstable.”

“We're very glad you met her, as you're one of the very best sources of stability we've ever seen.” Luna said, grateful to have changed the subject.

“Is this another part of your vision, her meeting me?” Maud said.

“Well, yes, but once again, it's simply fatal magnetism that causes it, we have no hoof in Trixies exploits, yours or Starlight's.” Luna said, wishing to remain a passive observer as long as possible in order to escape culpability.

“Well you have been visiting me a lot, I think eventually that's going to influence me.” Maud said. “You've said everypony has a threshold to cross between the world they know and the unknown. Eventually, you will too.”

Luna nodded solemnly, as always, Maud was right. The cracking of rocks continued through the cave. Luna pondered the future and what it held. Surely it wasn't long now. Everything was already in place, it just needed time.

“I've never been to the ocean.” Maud said, breaking the silence.

Luna turned, smiling as the cave walls began to crumble, the rushing tide lapping at her hooves as the dust fell into the water. The glittering moon reflected onto the seascape. Maud got up from her position to stare at the ground. The rushing water degraded the floor, turning the hard cave rock into silt and sand, thousands of years of erosion, done in mere moments as the wind and water broke the crystal cavern down to a rocky outcrop along a beach that stretched far into the horizon.

The magic of the scene as it unfolded was awe-inspiring. Luna saw as the geologic concepts Maud had described made themselves real along the shoreline. Maud's lucid power traced the fault lines on the coast, the breakdown and creation of sedimentary rock, the shifting of the tectonic plates, all of it orchestrated in a symphony of entropy and change as tumultuous as the sea they stood near.

And Maud, the wind and ocean spray, cleaning her of her cavernous dirt and dust, looked out upon the sea, The wind in her hair, and smiled. It was the prettiest thing the Princess had ever seen.

“Maud.” Luna said, her stomach filling with butterflies as her heart pounded.

“Yes Luna?” Maud said, forever in that calm and gentle tone, stoic and composed.

“I love you.” She said.