GREEN
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2592 14.4 KB 213
2592 14.4 KB 213
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>"Yeah, this my early morning look, don't say a word."
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>Of all the places you could've gotten a live-in job, you had to pick the one with the grumpiest mare alive.
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>And, to make matters worse, she was basically the boss. Sure, her mother and father still owned the farm, but she's the one who ran the place.
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>To top it all off, she's impossible to get away from.
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>One, because you really had no employable skills beyond being a rock roller.
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>Two, because she took it upon herself to personally train you in rock farming.
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>Three, she was the one with the empty bunk, which means you wake up when she wakes up and go to bed when she goes to bed.
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>Her other sisters barely ever spoke—not that they would have anything to talk about, with one being rocktistic and the other nonverbal—and you can't parse the dialect those two pilgrims spoke downstairs.
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>So Limestone wound up being your only company.
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>And you're pretty sure she would bury you alive if she woke up in a bad enough mood one day.
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>But trying to avoid interacting with her only peeves her off even more, so you have to grit your teeth, smile, and play nice for as long as you can.
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>One season of saving, and then you're going to go find greener pastures.
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>Or any pastures, honestly.
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>You realize she's still glaring at you.
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>So you nod your head and turn around, giving her the privacy she wants.
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>It's surprising that she cares about her appearance at all.
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>Maybe she realizes it'd be a good opportunity to get back at her for being mean to you.
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>Not like your mane's much better after waking up.
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>Limestone makes an annoyed grunt and stomps down the stairs more loudly than usual.
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>Great. You do what she says, and she gets ticked off over it.
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>Breakfast is going to suck.
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>More than usual, anyways.
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>Breakfast was a tense affair.
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>Limestone bored a hole into your skull the whole time.
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>Maud informed her parents that she was going on a trip to Ponyville to see her sister.
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>She's probably a weirdo just like the rest of 'em.
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>Cloudy said something to you that you didn't understand, so you just smiled and nodded.
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>Limestone didn't like that.
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>Well, at least you're getting used to eating rocks.
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>"Do it like I showed you, Anonymous!"
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>And now you were getting used to farming rocks.
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>At least, you thought you were.
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>You have to admit, the way rocks were farmed was pretty interesting.
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>The ground beneath your hooves was full of all kinds of rocks, from tiny pebbles to titanic boulders.
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>And, using a fairly intuitive way of pounding at the ground, you were able to 'draw' rocks up to the tilled surface.
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>Crystals and gems were harvested from the mine, because scratching from the 'drawing' process significantly impacted their value, according to Limestone, but she wouldn't even let you look in the mine's direction.
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>"Watch me do it again. And don't take your eyes off of me!"
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"You got it, Limestone."
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>You weren't even sure how you were doing it wrong, honestly.
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>You follow her directions dutifully and watched her stomp the ground.
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>Sweet Celestia, is she strong.
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>Your legs tingled from the shockwave of her hooves hitting the dirt.
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>Muscle ripples in her forelegs as she works, and you can tell this isn't even her final form.
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>Scary.
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>You stand back and watch as she rears up, bringing both hooves down at once, and stone pops up through the spray of dirt.
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>She flips her hair (now combed) to one side and stares you down, almost shouting at you in a suspicious tone.
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>"You didn't take your eyes off of me, right?"
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>You shake your head.
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"Nope, kept 'em glued right on you."
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>"W-What did you see?"
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"Uh, muscles? You're way stronger than me. I think that's why I'm not as-
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>"Then get stronger!"
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>She pounds a hoof and the pile of stones erupts, spraying dirt and chips of rocks everywhere. You stumble backwards, squeezing your eyes shut, spitting out grit stuck to your tongue.
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"Warn a colt before you do that!"
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>"Stallions shouldn't complain! Now follow me."
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>She storms past you and grunts in your ear, making you flinch.
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>You mutter under your breath:
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"Even the Princesses would complain if they had to deal with you..."
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>Limestone snaps her head back, "What was that?!"
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"Nothing, Limestone. What are we doing now?"
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>"I'm going to find something you're good at."
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>You look back at the question mark on your flank.
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"I think I'm good at plenty of things. Wandering, traveling, drifting..."
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>"I mean good at on my farm! And those are all the same thing."
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"There's quite the difference between those, you know."
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>You quicken your pace to catch up with her.
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"Not all those who wander are lost, not all those who travel have a destination, and not all those who drift—"
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>"I don't understand any of that."
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>She cuts your eloquent spiel off right as you arrive at the part of the rock farm where Marble works. You hear the ringing of her pick striking stone somewhere behind the hills of broken boulders.
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>"Pick up that pickaxe and break this into '5/8 minus' gravel."
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>You cast a sideways glance at Limestone.
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"I don't understand any of that, either. Maybe—"
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>She jabs a hoof at a pile of rubble that looks like any other. "That's 5/8 minus gravel. I'll make some. You'd better watch me carefully. Then you try."
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>You resist the urge to sigh, nodding your head instead. With a grunt, she bends down to bite the tool's handle, twists her neck, and starts swinging it into the boulder. She breaks off chunks, then pulverizes them into gravel with a few quick swings.
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>You watch her form as she works and you have to admit, she's really good at what she does.
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>Her form makes every swing look effortless, and you see her eyes quickly finding the perfect place to strike and shatter each chunk of stone.
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>There's no way you're gonna meet her expectations for anything today.
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>"You watched me do it, right?"
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"I've been doing nothing but watching you all day, Limestone. I saw. I don't know if I can copy you, but I'll try."
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>For once, she doesn't have a comeback. She drops the pickaxe and looks away quickly, going off to one side to watch you.
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>She hasn't lost that glare, though. You feel it burning your flanks as you bite on the handle of the pickaxe and try to imagine yourself moving like she did.
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>Hooves here, twist like that, and swing...!
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>You crack the stone and almost break your jaw from the rebound. Everything hurts.
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>Feels like that was the wrong place to hit.
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>Limestone runs to your side. "Why did you hit there?! That's completely the wrong place!"
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>Yup, completely wrong.
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>You drop the pickaxe and sit on your rump, rubbing your jaw with your hooves.
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"I don't... ow... think this one's a good fit... aaah. That smarts."
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>"There was nothing smart about what you just did, Anonymous!"
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>The ringing in your ears stops as Limestone circles around you, inspecting.
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>Oh, here comes Marble. That's why the ringing stopped.
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>"Marble! Go get mom and dad!"
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>The silent sister sprints like your life depends on it.
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"Doesn't feel like—ow—like I broke anything. Gah..."
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>Limestone turns back to inspecting you. You move your hooves to let her look, but the action does nothing to assuage her.
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"Why didn't you just do it like I showed you?!"
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>You seriously debate what you're about to say.
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>You're not sure if anypony has ever criticized her and lived to tell the tale.
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>Then again, maybe she wouldn't kick a colt when he's down?
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>You're more mad at yourself than anything for thinking a full-power swing was a good idea.
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>Screw it, may as well.
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"Dunno if anypony's said this, Limestone, but you're bad at teaching."
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>"I showed you how to do everything!"
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"Yeah, and look at what happened. You need to actually explain things."
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>As Limestone starts to argue, her parents come back and Cloudy speaks to her in tongues.
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>You only understand Limestone's half of the conversation.
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>"No, I showed Anonymous how to do it! ... I thought he... No... No... okay..."
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>But you get the main idea.
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>She did something she shouldn't have, and now there will be consequences.
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>And consequences there were.
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>Cloudy Quartz assisted you back to the farmhouse while Igenous stayed behind with a stern look that made Limestone cower.
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>Cloudy Quartz started interrogating you, so you just recounted the last hour or so to avoid having to parse her questions.
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>The walk back wasn't short, but moving made you realize you had pain going from your teeth all the way down your neck to the withers.
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>She sat you down on a stool and lifted a candle, lowering your jaw with a hoof. She clicks her tongue in a way you can only interpret as bad.
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"What's wrong?"
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>She explains what's wrong. Presumably.
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>Your vacant gaze has her repeat herself before she touches a particular spot on your jaw that makes you yelp in pain.
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>"Splitte."
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"Cracked a tooth, got it. Just great. Is there a dentist nearby?"
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>She nods her head, then trots off and fetches you ice from their ice box, wrapping it in a kerchief before sending you off to rest in bed for what's left of the day.
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>You give your thanks and lay down, thankful to have anything to soothe your pain.
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>With nothing left to do but rest, you think about whether you should tough out the rest of the season here.
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>It's only been a week since you waved to the surly mare and asked if there was any moss for a rolling stone.
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>Your poetic side gets the better of you, sometimes.
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>She was shocked by your presence (you suppose they didn't get much in the way of travelers down their less-beaten path) and ran off to round up her family.
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>After a round of translated twenty questions, they decided to take you on, and that's when the trouble with Limestone began.
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>You should've just slept in a hedge for the night...
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>Cloudy interrupts your reverie with rock soup and a straw.
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>Your smile is returned with a nod and you're left with a hot meal in bed. You put the straw in the side of your mouth that didn't get rocked.
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>Ooh, salty.
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>You might start coming around on the soup at this rate.
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>Best leave the rock alone, though.
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>You are Marble Pie.
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>Your sister is very sad.
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>And that makes you very sad, too.
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>You stood by and watched as Father chastised Limestone.
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>"That... mustang is an irresponsible vagrant."
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>"He knows nothing of our ways."
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>"It is clear now by his words and actions he did not propose to you, Limestone."
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>"We all were fooled."
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>"Should he stay, he shall be a hauler and porter, nothing more."
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>"There will be no more fraternization with Anonymous."
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>And you continue to stand by her as Father turns his back to the two of you and walks back home.
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>The sun is setting, but your sister hasn't budged from where she dug her hooves in.
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>She's staring at the ground, but you can hear how she's breathing. How she's holding back tears.
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>The farm means everything to Limestone.
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>You can't remember the last time she took a step beyond the fence. You were the one who went shopping with Mother and assisted Father with trade.
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>She hates change. She knows the farm and feels safe here.
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>So she's never really left it. And that makes courtship difficult for her. Or even talking with anypony, really.
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>She's too blunt...
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>Then, one day, a smooth-talking earth stallion shows up and asks her if he could settle down with her?
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>And with such a striking coat, too. Green's a rare color in these fields.
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>For it to turn out like this...
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>You want to hug her, but you know how she is about being touched.
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>...
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>Is there anything you can do?
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>Maybe, if somepony could explain the situation to Anonymous, things would get better.
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>You freeze at the thought of being the one to try and explain to him.
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>The idea alone is making you start to hyperventilate.
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>If only Pinkie or Maud were here, this would be so much easier.
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>"I want to be alone, Marble."
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>You turn your head to look at your sister.
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>She's shaking.
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>Tears fall to the ground between her hooves.
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"N-Nnn..."
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>"GO!"
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>She shouts with such force you feel your legs moving before you even realize it.
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>You feel something hot running down your cheeks.
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>Oh, you're crying too.
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>Think, Marble, think!
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>There has to be some way for you to help!
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>If you can't talk to him, he can't understand Father or Mother, and Maud's gone, then...
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>Well, then you'll just have to go and get Maud.
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>You change direction and gallop towards the station.
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>You might be able to catch the last train for Ponyville.
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>"He did WHAT?!"
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>You're still catching your breath from tailing the train as it left the station.
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>You are never chasing down one of those again, even for your sister.
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>"Pinkie Pie. Wait."
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>"When I get my hooves on this Anonymous I'm dragging him straight to an unmarked—"
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>You love Pinkie Pie, but you really wish you had found Maud by herself.
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>"Pinkie Pie. Wait."
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>"—drop-kick that dense dingus right into bowl of dough—"
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>At least she was easy to find. All you had to do was knock on the door to Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie answered the door with a yawn.
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>"Pinkie Pie. Wait."
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>"—baked at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean! Yes, Maud?"
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>And when you explained why you had come over... well. Pinkie has been very animated since.
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>"Wait."
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>Pinkie Pie freezes in mid-air, then falls to the floor in front of the store's counter.
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>Maud pulls Boulder out from her frock and lifts him to her ear.
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>"Boulder says he wants to write a letter to Anonymous."
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>Good thinking, Maud! This way, Pinkie Pie won't be there to make trouble!
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>"You're right, Maud. We need to make sure he has his affairs in order before I—"
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>"Pinkie. I need a pencil and paper to write Boulder's letter. Please."
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>"Okie dokie! Does Boulder want—"
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>"Boulder doesn't have a nose, Pinkie."
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>"Unscented it is!"
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>You smile and giggle. You're glad you have sisters like them.
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>Maud turns to you. "Marble. Boulder wants you to deliver the letter to Anonymous tomorrow. There are still many caves here to explore."
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>She blinks. "Caves full of rocks."
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>You nod. Boulder cares a lot about Maud's well-being. You have a feeling that, if Anonymous reads his letter, everything will work out.
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>Pinkie Pie pops back in and whips her head, throwing paper and pencils all over the counter before Maud and you, "Let's get crackin'!"
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>"You don't crack a letter, Pinkie."
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>She giggles, "I know that, silly! I meant the eggs for the breakfast rush! It's only a couple hours away."
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>Pinkie hooks you by the neck and, with a move that can only be described as 'yoinking,' throws you into an apron and hat.
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>"We've got a lot of work to do before dawn, Marble!"
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>Are you going to get any sleep?
by greenwriter