The alarm on my pocketwatch went off, I nearly slammed it down but didn't as I began to wake up. It was nearly seven am and the sun hadn't even began to rise yet. But if Pinkie wants to see us at this time, then we should at least try to be there. So I got up and having a quick breakfast, I put on my normal clothes and began walking towards Sugarcube Corner.

There was a bit of light coming up from the horizon, but it was still quiet around the whole town. When I arrived, Twilight and Rarity were already there...I was smiling, pleased to see Rarity again, I walked over to her and kissed her while we hugged.

"Morning darling." Rarity said.

"Morning, my love." I replied.

We then saw Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash turn up and they didn't look quite awake yet.

"Has anypony heard from Pinkie Pie since yesterday?" Applejack asked.

We all shook our heads. with Dash yawning.

"I don't see what's so important we had to meet her here this early. Celestia hasn't even raised the sun yet!"

"I hope everything's okay." Twilight said as she knocked on the door.

The door opened and it was pinkie who had a chef hat and goggles on.

"Thank goodness you're all here! There's no time to lose!" she exclaimed as we walked inside. "Careful!"

We looked around to see piles of rock candy which was quite tempting to eat, but I resisted for the moment.

"What is all this?" Twilight asked.

"My sister Maud's gonna be here soon, and I need your help taste-testing my rock candy recipes!"

"Uh, we're happy to help you, Pinkie Pie, but this seems like an awful lot of candy." Applejack said.

"Even for you." Rarity added.

"I may have gone a teensy bit overboard." Pinkie squeed.

"Well, we should get started now...I'll make sure we'll have a proper lunch later." I promised.

After a while of testing and eating several candy, we were all full up and there were still loads more rock candy around.

"Everypony ready for more?" Pinkie asked.

"Ugh. My teeth hurt." Dash replied.

Fluttershy moaned.

"Ah think we've had plenty. And shouldn't you be on your way to pick up Maud from the train station?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, but you've only tried half of the flavours, and we have to choose the perfect ones before she gets here so I have time to make more!"

"Maud is your sister. I'm sure she'll love your rock candy." Twilight assured, "And I'm pretty sure you've made enough. She's only staying for the week."

"Aw, it's not just for Maud, silly. I'm making candy for all of us!"

The rest of us groaned.

"Well why didn't you say that before?" I asked as I struggled to get up from the candy eating.

"It's part of a very important, super-duper special tradition that only the closest and bestest of friends can share. We're going to make rock candy necklaces together!" Pinkie explained, "It all started when Maud and I were fillies on the rock farm. She taught me the Pie family rock candy recipe! It adds a secret ingredient...it's rocks! And she showed me how to string the pieces to make them into a necklace! And once we were done, we'd trade! Maud and I have been trading necklaces back and forth since I moved to Ponyville. They're a sign that we'll always be best friends!"

"Aw, what a great tradition." Applejack commented.

"Hold on. The secret ingredient is rocks?" Dash asked.

"Yeah. But these are a special kind of rock that Maud discovered."

"Oh, what kind of a rock are they?" Fluttershy asked.

"Can't tell ya that, silly! It's a secret!" Pinkie whispered, "Now that Maud is heading out to get her rocktorate in rock science, this may be our last chance to trade them for a really long time. I can't wait for you all to meet her. I just know that my best Ponyville friends and my best sister friend are gonna become bestest friends!" she jumped around us in excitement. "We can make bestest-est friend rock candy necklaces together! She expresses herself through fashion just like Rarity, and she's really smart and loves reading just like Twilight! And she's honest, and loves forest things, and is good at games, and...well, oh, she's awesome!"

"She sounds amazing, but won't she start worrying if you aren't at the train station when she gets here?" Rarity asked.

"She sure will" Pinkie then gasped, "I gotta get out of here!"

She took off her hat and goggles and galloped out of the shop, leaving us confused.

"Girls...I think we should gather as many of these candies and box them up..if there's any left, we'll use magic to make it disappear." I said.

"Good idea, Bond." Twilight replied.

We began working across the ground floor and clearing up and boxing the rock candy. There was one pile left when we were done but we had it disappeared with our magic and the shop now looked very clean, no longer filled with piles of sweets.

"Alright girls, as promised, let's have a picnic lunch by the pond." I suggested.

The others nodded in agreement as we left Sugarcube Corner.

When we met up by the pond for our picnic, it was dead on lunchtime and we were enjoying ourselves together. We began tucking into our food and rock candy whilst waiting for Pinkie to turn up with Maud.

"I sure hope Maud has an appetite." Fluttershy said.

"Never met a pony or critter who didn't love Granny Smith's apple spiced muffins!" Applejack added.

"Oh, it's no use! I simply cannot find anything suitable to wear!" Rarity complained.

"I doubt she'll notice what anypony's wearing, so what's the big deal?" Dash asked.

"The big deal is that it will be very difficult to show Maud what a strong fashion presence we have in Ponyville if the most fashion-forward pony here can't keep her hat from falling apart!"

"Oh Rarity my love, I wouldn't worry about it one bit." I said as I put my hoof around Rarity. "It's what's inside that counts."

"Hmm, you're right, darling." She replied as she did the same, sharing our love together and looking at each other.

"I think we're all a little nervous about Maud's visit." Twilight said, "She's Pinkie Pie's sister, and it's obvious Pinkie really wants us to hit it off. Being able to make those rock candy necklaces together is really important to her. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"We're heeeere!" Pinkie exclaimed as she turned up.

"Where's Maud?"

"She's coming!"

"Uh...you sure?" Dash asked.

"She's not quite as fast as me. I asked Gummy to stay with her in case she got lost!"

After a while, we began to hear hoof-beats and then a grey mare with purple mane and wearing a dark turquoise dress...with Gummy holding on to her tail by his toothless jaws...this must be Maud, Pinkie's sister.

"We're over here, Maud!" Pinkie yelled.

She walked slowly towards us before she stopped at a small rock.

"Hm. Sedimentary." she said very glumly.

"Huh?" Dash asked.

"This is a sedimentary rock."

"That's...really fascinating, isn't it, all?" Twilight asked sheepishly, "We're just so thrilled you could come for a visit before your big trip. Pinkie Pie has told us so much about you. I'm Twilight, and this is Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Bond Racer."

"We're ever so glad to meet you." Fluttershy said.

"We're just gonna have the best time!" Applejack added.

"Pinkie Pie tells me you share my love for fashion." Rarity said as she showed off her huge rock crystal hat.

"I'm really into expressing myself through my wardrobe" Maud replied glumly.

I guess Pinkie was overstating on what her sister was like, she looks and speaks quite boring.

"A-and what is the delightful frock you're wearing now saying?"

"It doesn't talk. It's a dress."

"Oh, yes, of course, I, I just meant, the frock is, just..."

Just then, the mares's pets turned up.

"Uh, so this here's Winona." Applejack pointed, "That's Owlowiscious, Tank, Opal and Angel. Pinkie Pie told us you have a pet, too."

"He's in my pocket." Maud replied.

"Oh, you have a pocket pet? Like a tiny mouse? Or a baby bird? Or a trained butterfly?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a rock. His name is Boulder."

"This is going to be the best, most awesome, funnest week ever!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I can't wait for us all to become bestest friends!"

The rest of us laughed nervously, obviously it was going to be quite awkward from where we stood.

We settled down at the picnic and began eating away, the girls had more to ask Maud, but I kept quiet as I hugged Rarity from behind.

"Maud? Would you like to try one of Granny Smith's famous apple spiced muffins?" Applejack asked.

Maud sniffed and picked up a crystal rock by mistake...must've fallen out of Rarity's hat.

"Oh, uh, heh, that's not– Um..."

Maud then crunched and ate the crystal.

"It's crunchy." she said.

"Maud's right! They are crunchy! Yum!" Pinkie added as she took a bite out of a muffin.

"So, uh, Pinkie Pie tells us you like games." Dash said.

"Boulder and I sometimes play a game called 'Camouflage'. It's kind of like hide and seek but way more intense."

"Awesome?"

I decided to heck with it, I'm gonna go all random on Maud.

"So when we're done with the picnic, wanna come to the other side?" I asked Maud, "We have waffles."

"Waffles are not important...rocks are." she replied.

"So I guess when you have so many rocks..." I paused as I put on my shades, "...you occasionally get stoned?"

"I never get stoned...only rocks hold my interest."

I then brought on a wrestling outfit and grabbed a mic, "Well Bond Racer says this, the rock smells what you're cooking, so get ready for me to whip and eat aaaalllllll those candy rocks!"

Everypony looked at me, completely befuddled at what I just did, Maud however stay the same.

"I'm gonna go and find more rocks...see you later, Pinkie."

"Okay Maud, see you later." Pinkie replied as Maud walked off to another part of the field.

"Well...that was a big random moment from me." I said embarrassingly, "I shall not be doing that again."

"Anyways, we should go back to Sugarcube Corner, this is the perfect time for us to set up everything we'll need to make our best friend rock candy necklaces!"

We then showed concerned expressions at Pinkie.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not sure it's the best time to make best friend rock candy necklaces." Twilight replied.

"Why not?"

"Uh?"

"Well, darling, you see..." Rarity paused as she didn't know what else to say as I held her hoof.

"You're ever so thoughtful to share your special bonding ritual with us, but, uh..." Fluttershy said.

"But what?"

Applejack sighed and said, "The truth is, we've all been tryin' real hard to get closer to Maud, but, well...maybe some ponies just don't click the way others do." all of us agreed except Pinkie, "We just wouldn't feel right makin' somethin' that means we're best friends if, well, we aren't."

"Oh. Okay." Pinkie replied sadly as her mane and tail deflated, "If anypony needs me, I'll be at Sugarcube Corner trying to figure out what to do with two hundred pounds of rock candy."

She then walked away from us slowly. Feeling a little guilty for what we did, we met up at the library.

"Cheer up girls, we did the right thing." I assured, "It was extremely awkward for all of us."

"Yes dear, but still. I feel awful! Just awful..." Rarity sighed as she nuzzled her head on my neck.

"Maybe we should have just pretended we were friends with Maud." Fluttershy said.

"If we didn't tell Pinkie Pie that we hadn't all become the best of friends, I think Maud would have." Twilight added.

"Maybe, but who really knows?" Dash asked, "That pony is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an igneous."

"Don't you mean 'inside an enigma'?"

"Nope. I mean igneous. It's a kind of rock. Ask me how I know that."

We then a heard a door knock and Twilight opened it to see Pinkie bouncing and her mane and tail back to normal.

"I've come up with just the thing to bring everypony closer together!" she exclaimed. "Follow me!"

We sighed and followed Pinkie to another huge field with an empty river-lake and we stopped to gasp at what looked like a huge obstacle course and Maud was there too...I could tell that this was going to end in disaster.

"I call it "Pinkie-Rainbow-Rari-Twi-Apple-Flutter-Bond-Maud Fun Time"!" Pinkie declared.

"Say that ten times fast." I remarked to nopony.

"It combines everypony's interests into one giant activity that we can all enjoy together and that will totally bring all of my bestest friends together as bestestest friends! You'll need these."

She showed us several costumes on ponyquinns.

"Like I said, say that ten times fast."

"Probably better for me to show you. Watch this!" She then went through the course and describing each section,"Applesauce tunnel for Applejack, pretty shiny stuff for Rarity, reading material for Twilight, critter time for Fluttershy...Cupcakes for yours truly...and it's a race for Rainbow Dash"

"Pinkie Pie, what is that?!" Twilight asked.

"A rock slide, of course! For Maud! First you climb, then you slide!"

"Ah've got a bad feeling about this..." Applejack said.

Pinkie jumped up the piles of rocks until one caught her hoof...we then knew there would be trouble. A huge rock at the top was wobbling before the big rock came tumbling down the pile, we all gasped. I tried to fly upwards but then my wings gave out.

"Ugh!" I gasped as I fell down a little hard, "I guess my wings have still not recovered yet..."

The mares couldn't watch as they closed their eyes.

"HELP!" Pinkie shouted.

Suddenly, Maud galloped from us and grabbed a costume and jumped onto the pile and straight to the big rock, she dug right thorough it with minimal effort. She then smashed the rock that trapped pinkie's hoof and she was now free, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

"What– how– what?!" Dash gasped.

Pinkie then jumped off the pile and onto safe ground, Maud did the same and then hugged her sister.

"Pinkie Pie, what were you thinking?" Maud asked with concern.

"I guess I wasn't." Pinkie replied sadly.

"I know how important it is to you that your friends become my friends, but I just don't think it's going to happen. I think it would be best if I just go back to the rock farm and spend the rest of the week there. It was nice to meet you all. Makes me happy knowing Pinkie Pie has such good friends."

"But... we never even got to make our rock candy necklaces..." Pinkie's voice nearly broke, "Wait, Maud! I'll come with you!"

Pinkie then galloped off, catching up with her.

"I can't believe Maud cut her trip short." Twilight said.

"I can't believe we nearly lost Pinkie Pie to that ridiculous obstacle course." Rarity added.

"And I can't believe that this is not butter." I said as I saw tub with the same title on the card table.

"Thank goodness Maud was able to reach her in time." Fluttershy said.

"Did you see how fast Maud moved?" Dash asked.

"And the way she smashed that huge rock into dust? How in Equestria did she do that?" Rarity added.

"Pinkie Pie was in trouble! Maud would move mountains for her if she had to."

"That's it! I think I finally realized what we all have in common with Maud!" Twilight stated, "Something that just might be worthy of a very important super-duper special tradition that only the closest and bestest of friends can share!"

"Really, what is it?" I asked.

"Come on all, we have rock candy necklaces to make."

"Sweet!"

We went back to Sugarcube Corner and we each made a rock candy necklace. When we had seven made by sunset, we went to the train station to find Pinkie and Maud waiting for a train to arrive, they noticed us as we walked on the platform.

"What are you doing here?" Pinkie asked.

"Pinkie Pie, we're so sorry we hurt your feelings by not bonding with Maud right away." I replied.

"And Maud, we're sorry that you felt the only way to spare Pinkie Pie's feelings was to leave Ponyville early." Twilight added.

The rest of us agreed.

"We've seen how much you care about Pinkie Pie first-hoof." Applejack said.

"Pinkie Pie's happiness means as much to us as it does to you, and we're sorry we couldn't see it sooner. The thing that makes us click and creates a special bond between us is how much we all love Pinkie Pie!"

"Aw, shucks!" Pinkie replied.

"That's a pretty great thing to have in common, if you ask me. What do you think, Maud?" I asked.

"Sure." Maud replied.

"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked.

"Sorry, darling. I think we all just thought she'd be a bit more excited about this." Rarity answered.

"Are you kidding me? I've never seen her more excited in my entire life!"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't show my enthusiasm for things quite in the same way my sister does." Maud explained.

"Uh, we noticed and we're totally cool with it." Dash assured.

We nodded in agreement before a train arrived and pulled into the station.

"Maud, we'd like to give you something to take on your trip, so that you remember all your friends from Ponyville." I said as each of us gave Maud a candy rock necklace.

"Thank you." she replied.

"Try not to eat all the candy before you leave!" Pinkie said as she chewed on a rock candy.

Maud then opened one of her bags and placed the rock candy necklaces into them, we saw several more as well.

"Are those all the necklaces Pinkie Pie sent you?" Twilight asked.

"Mm-hm."

"You haven't eaten any of them?"

"I don't really like candy. But I do love Pinkie Pie."

Maud then smiled for the first time as Pinkie ate the last candy on her rock necklace.

"Have a great trip Maud, I'll see you soon!"

"Same to you, Pinkie." Maud replied before she winked at me...did she just troll me?

Maud got on-board the train and waved before the train began to move and leave the station. We left the station too, exchanging our farewells and heading on for our homes. I walked with Rarity and holding hooves, I kissed her as well.

"Darling, I forgot to tell you today that tomorrow, I'll be working on costumes that are part of a filly school play for Sweetie Belle." she said, "You're more than welcome to come along and help me and Coco design them."

"Sure my love, I'd be happy to help." I replied with a smile.

"Fabulous dear, I'll see you tomorrow then."

We shared a passionate kiss before I walked on home. I took off my clothes and walked on over to my bed as evening fell. I had to admit as I was laying on my bed, it was quite a day of awkwardness seeing Maud Pie, it was also the first time we all learnt that Pinkie had a third sister, when we all thought she had two. I wonder how she got into rock studying...oh well, I have an important manner to focus on the next day with my love. Next Chapter: For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 27 Minutes