Familiar Skies: Part 1

Pinkamina

Pinkamina's bunk bed thunked and rattled as her slightly younger twin sister crawled down from the top bunk. She was further pulled from the gentle lull of sleep as she heard her other two sisters- both older than her, arise from their own beds. Soon after Pinkamina also rose and began brushing her mess of a dark pink mane into its usual plain shape.

She followed her sisters downstairs and into the family dining room, where their mother had already prepared their pebble porridge for breakfast. As her family sat in silence, and ate their usually boring array of rock-themed foods, Pinkamina felt her mind wander. She wasn't particularly imaginative, as her dull surroundings provided little to imagine with.

And yet, she found that she wanted to let her mind wander. She wondered about the greenery and plant life she'd seen in town. About the ponies that lived there, and the lives they had. What they did for fun- and if their lives were as dull as hers.

Pinkamina was, unfortunately, snapped back to reality as her elder sister, Limestone, prodded her and silently nodded to Pinkamina's mostly full bowl of porridge. Pinkamina sighed and continued eating her breakfast. She hadn't realized in her day-dreaming that she had been neglecting her food, and she knew her parents never approved of wasting meals.

The eldest child of the Pie family, Maud, slowly and meticulously set her spoon and bowl off to the side. She rested her hooves on the table, one placed on the other, and lifted her head to address her parents, though she knew her younger sisters would hear her declaration.

"I was accepted into the Preparatory School of Sedimentary." She said flatly.

Pinkamina was elated that finally, someone decided to start a conversation this morning. Most breakfasts were spent in silence, besides the noise of eating and cutlery being used. Pinkamina was also elated at her sister's statement, though she took care to not reveal too much of her excitement. Still, she looked on at her older sister and parents, as did Marble and Limestone.

"Mm." Their father nodded, setting down his own spoon. "When do they desire you to join their congregation?"

Pinkamina was often confused about the phrasings her father chose, though she gathered that her father meant: "When will you be joining the school?"

"They begin classes next month. They will have an orientation week, and I am to attend that as well." Maud replied, her tone as mild and controlled as ever.

Pinkamina knew, though no sign could be seen on her voice nor in her tone, that Maud was as delighted as ever to join a school she'd worked so hard to be a part of.

"Then you shall begin your transition to this new venture. Your mother will help you gather your needed materials within the town." Their father replied. He picked up his utensil again and just like that, breakfast was silent once again.

After the table was cleared, the mares set out to complete their work for the day. Pinkamina was excited for Maud, though as she marched out the door of their home, and towards the south field, a realization hit her.

If Maud was leaving for school, Pinkamina wouldn't see her for a long, long time.

Pinkamina's pace slowed as she walked, reality setting in. She didn't hate, or even resent her life. Her family simply were, how they were. And she loved them for who they were, dullness and all.

But life weighed on her often, and Maud was one of the only lights consistently comforting in her dark moments. Pinkamina felt herself becoming overwhelmed by this sudden realization. She looked around her wildly. Her sisters weren't anywhere in sight, nor either of her parents.

They'd all gone off to complete their work for the day, and she knew that was also expected of her. She briefly considered running around the massive field to search for one of them- just to comfort her for the moment. But that idea was soon dashed as she knew none of them would console her the way she needed, and more than that, she would be told to get back to her work.

Solemnly, Pinkamina walked towards the mountain range that bordered her family's farm, and separated them from the nearest town. She walked, head hung low, until she felt her head bump into a solid stone wall.

The tiny, pale pink foal sunk to the dusty ground beneath her, totally defeated. She curled her legs up and silently wept. She didn't much care if one of her family found her in this condition, nor did she care if they berated her for neglecting her work. She didn't care about anything at the moment, except for the deep despair she felt.

After some several minutes of her silent tears, Pinkamina lifted her head and looked around her. She wiped her tears away and sighed. She felt only mildly better, though she knew the loss of Maud, if only for a time, would still weigh on her.

As she looked around at her surroundings she spotted a small, barely noticeable hole in the side of the cliff she was leaning against. Only a few paces away from her, a small crack in the rock gave way to a hole, barely large enough for a small foal to fit inside of.

Pinkamina stared at the opening curiously. And then, she felt a twinge of... something. The feeling made her stand up and snap to her senses. She looked around her again, her family's home barely visible in the distance. She looked back at the hole, and felt that same, sudden twinge of... something she couldn't understand.

But she felt... suddenly curious and aware. She had no idea what the hole in the base of the cliff could lead to... but she WANTED to know. Something, the twinge, made her want to know. This strange curiosity.... this weird foresight- it made her want to crawl down into the earth, and see what lie beyond.

Pinkamina approached the opening, and peered down into the crevice. The only thing visible was darkness, though Pinkamina felt- knew even, that SOMETHING was calling her down there. Something without a voice or sound, just a feeling. But a compelling feeling, that made her suddenly aware of all that was around her, every sight and sound, texture or smell.

And though her eyes only perceived the darkness in the stone beyond, she knew something- just something was worth finding. She stepped closer, and gently placed a single hoof into the void beyond. Nothing happened, though she had expected something to.

But the lack of anything also intrigued her. Her hoof hadn't touched stone, or dirt, or anything else common to the underground. That meant there was more space down there than she could see. That mystery further compelled her. She was sure she could fit down there- if only she would-

"Pinkamina!" A voice snapped behind her.

She didn't jump, but quickly whirled around to see two of her sisters watching her. One with a very annoyed expression, and one with a very confused expression.

"What are you doing!?" Limestone continued. She was harnessed to a sizable wagon of rocks. Marble stood beside her, holding in her mouth her own piled up basket of rocks.

Pinkamina quickly pulled her hooves from the strange crevice, and stood in front of it. Guilt mixed with shame made her more inclined to hide her actions... though there wasn't much to hide in the first place.

"Nothing..." Pinkamina replied. She was sure this cover up was fool-proof.

"Nothing doesn't keep you from doing your work!" Limestone snapped back. The young mare quickly unlatched herself from the wagon and rushed over to where Pinkamina stood.

"Move." She growled, her frustration at the situation only growing with Pinkamina's further denial.

Pinkamina swiftly moved out of her sister's way, not taking a chance at making her even more angry.

Limestone stared for a moment at the base of the cliff. She had expected something to be there, an animal or something else that would've distracted her head-in-the-clouds younger sister.

All that she could see, however, was a hole in the base of the cliff. She brushed a hoof over the area, and felt her anger quell slightly. Only slightly though, as now she was questioning her sister's sanity.

Limestone looked to Pinkamina, whose blue eyes stared up at her with a particular innocence. Limestone stared back, her green eyes bubbling with stress and confusion.

"Nothing's there." She finally commented.

Pinkamina nodded. "Yeah, I told you that." She replied.

Limestone's nostrils flared and she leaned in close to her younger sister. "Are you getting smart with me?" She hissed, her tone threatening to turn angry once more.

Pinkamina recognized this, and backed away, making her way towards Marble.

"N-no I'm not. I'm sorry Limestone." She replied, lowering her head and avoiding eye contact.

Limestone huffed and re-attached herself to the wagon. "Whatever." She snipped. "Since you can't get anything done without being watched, Marble is gonna help you on your side for the rest of the day." Limestone continued.

She looked to both her sisters, and gestured towards the field Pinkamina had entirely ignored. "I still got a lot more work to do- but if I catch you slacking off again..." Limestone trailed off.

In truth, she didn't have any threat to use, as the only "punishments" that her household dealt was doing various chores around the home. Which was often part of their regular work in a day regardless. But, she didn't need to remind her sisters of any future discipline, as both of them feared her anger enough to get their work done.

With that, Limestone departed from the south field, and began her workload once more. Pinkamina watched on as her elder sister walked away, and finally out of sight.

She looked to her younger twin, Marble. Marble nodded her head towards the field and Pinkamina nodded. She walked with the same, depressed pace as she usually did while working in the rock fields. But as the two sisters carried on, Pinkamina couldn't let go of that compelling feeling.

She didn't know what it meant, or why she wanted to know so much. It defied all logic or reason. The feeling was so strong, it compelled and pulled her towards the unknown. And, as she was dragged back into the safe, known reality she lived day-to-day, Pinkamina gave a final, desperate glance back at the crevice.

It was the first time since that previous day that she'd felt a spark of something new and exciting, and she wasn't going to let that feeling go ever again.