The museum of Canterlot was, rather unfortunately, not exactly high on people's list of priorities when it came to places to visit when they wanted an exciting or enjoyable day. Oh sure, there was always some small measure of enthusiasm to be had here and there, but for the most part, you'd only truly get a small number of devoted visitors on an average day. But, within the museum itself, there was indeed some love for what went on there, and nowhere was this more apparent than with one of the place's tour guides; Maud Pie. The girl, with her infamously stoic expression, was currently going about her business, making sure all of the displays of the geology section were where they needed to be. Thanks to her, every igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock was prominently displayed, looking about as exciting as one would expect such treasures to be. And while most wouldn't notice it, to those who knew her, it was clear that Maud was loving her work here. One of those aforementioned close friends was none other than the one who now spoke to her.

"You've arranged that rather expertly, Maud."

The barest hint of a smile crept onto the girl's face, and she turned to see her boyfriend, Mudbriar, looking to her. He too appeared just as reserved as she, but for Maud, that suited her just fine.

"Thanks. I was thinking of going for a bit more of an avant-garde presentation, but I decided going with the tried and true way was preferable."

Mudbriar nodded.

"I can only hope my work on the ancient tree displays yield that kind of success."

Stepping forward, Maud placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"It'll be fine. You're good with wood, Mudbriar."

Mudbriar nodded. But, before he had the chance to reply to that, they were both halted by the distinct sound of somebody clearing their throat. Together, they turned to see that a third individual had arrived onto the scene. It was a small girl, with dark purple hair, who was currently wearing what appeared to be a miner's helmet. Though Mudbriar had no knowledge of this child, Maud most definitely did, and walked closer towards her before speaking up.

"Hello. You were that girl from my presentation the other day."

The girl, with her hands clasped behind her back, gave a nod, blushing slightly before answering.

"Um...yeah. I'm Sally. From the Maud Squad?"

Maud nodded, and looked over to Mudbriar, who nodded right back to her.

"Technically, I should be staying to pick up your checklist after you’re done, but...I'll leave you to your friend," he declared.

"Okay," Maud responded in her usual deadpan manner.

So, she watched her boyfriend depart, leaving her with this eager-looking young girl.

"So...what can I do for you?"

Stepping closer, the girl clapped her hands together, looking so excited that, for just a brief moment, Maud was reminded of her sister, Pinkie Pie. But she said nothing about that, instead remaining silent as the girl finally spoke up.

"Well...I was wondering if it'd be okay for me to stay and watch you work? You know, seeing you handle all those rocks and bones and stuff?"

Slowly, Maud blinked, then nodded.

"Sure...I see no reason why not."

Sally squealed with joy, then immediately rushed over to a small chair by the side. Just as she'd said, she watched as Maud carried on with her work. For the next several minutes, Maud took out rocks or fossils from their respective boxes, matched them up to the names on the display stands around her, as well as checking off all of them from a clip-board she had close by. For many, this might have appeared as somewhat tedious work, but for Sally, she seemed to just eat up every minute of it. It was an enthusiasm Maud couldn't help but comment on.

"You know...I wasn't expecting to get a fan-club for myself."

Sally snorted.

"Pfft! How could you not?"

Maud turned, looking to her with the usual degree of emotionlessness.

"I know I'm not as exciting as a lot of my friends. My sister's exciting, Rainbow Dash is exciting, even Applejack is exciting. But me? Most don't normally think me interesting enough to warrant making a group devoted to me."

Leaning forward, Sally frowned slightly.

"But you're awesome! All this geology and old stuff is really neat! Leaning about how rocks form or what turns bones into fossils is just so...so...so..."

Maud considered her words.

"...Exhilarating?"

Sally, snapping her fingers, then pointed one straight at her.

"Yeah! That! I've loved stuff like this since I was little!"

She paused, thinking on the words she'd just said.

"Well...more little than I am right now anyway."

She giggled at her own joke, all while Maud simply watched.

"That was funny. You ought to join me during my Saturday stand-up comedy session at the local café."

Sally seemed utterly star-struck at that prospect.

"Oh my gosh! You think so?"

Maud nodded.

"Yes. But you may get a...rocky reception."

A pause, but only for a few moments, for the girl soon burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she did so. Maud watched her, standing perfectly still and waiting until she'd finished laughing.

"Glad you liked the joke."

Wiping away a tear from her eye, Sally nodded.

"Oh...that was good!"

Turning back to her display, Maud got down to one knee, casting a critical eye on the old stones before her. Sally walked beside her, and she too began to stare at them.

"What are you doing now?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Maud looked to her, then got back up to a full standing position.

"I'm making sure it's in a good position so that the lights of the museum cast a good shadow. Making sure it has the proper aesthetic is important...even if most don't really notice it."

Sally walked closer.

"What can you tell me about it? The stone there?"

Looking down to her, Maud seemed to be silent for an unusually long time. Sally, noticing this, suddenly appeared just a touch hesitant.

"I'm...I'm sorry. Am I not supposed to ask?"

Maud shook her head.

"No, it's just...it's always surprising when people show actual interest. Usually my sister and her friends are the only ones to really care what I have to say."

She considered that for a moment.

"Well...others care...but only when I have some magical help to make the displays more unexpected."

Putting her hands upon her hips, Sally frowned.

"Well, I'm the founder and leading member of the Maud Squad, the most prestigious Maud-Pie-loving group in the world, and I’m interested, so I'd like to hear."

The older girl thought on that, then gave a nod of consent, much to Sally's clear joy. She clapped her hands, then rushed over to her earlier chair and, with the expected screeching sound, dragged it over to be closer to Maud. She sat back down on it, looking to her in the same way children would when they were about to be told their favourite bed-time story. Maud, after realising that this enthusiasm was genuine on her part, thought long and hard for a while, before clearing her throat and giving the girl the lecture she so desired, pointing to a particularly large geode close by.

"This example here was first brought to the museum back in nineteen-fourteen, and was the subject of controversy when it was accidentally placed on the same display intended for a fossilized pterodactyl wing."

Slowly, she blinked.

“But, hold onto your seat...because this is where it gets crazy...”