It was a cold night in deepest winter. A barely visible crescent moon hung in the nightly sky, covered by a thick layer of black clouds. Snowfall had set in a few hours ago – single flakes of the white material slowly descended from the sky and silently fell to the ground, yet despite the bone-chilling cold, the snow had not yet managed to cover the ground and was spread out in single spots instead of one solid white carpet.

She didn’t mind the cold. It would have been wrong to say that she didn’t feel it at all, as her shivering legs and chattering teeth clearly betrayed that her body was feeling cold, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable.

She was a Pie. She was tough.

Coming here, she had been looking for a few moments of silence - away from work, away from her family, away from anypony else. She needed some time to herself; time to think, reflect, or whatever else it was that came to her mind. And this was one of the few places where she was sure nopony would disturb her.

Holder's Boulder.

Anypony else touching it, let alone sitting on it like she was, would have already gotten to feel her wrath -the ponies back in school hadn't given her the nickname 'Rock Crusher' for nothing- but she didn't see a problem with her sitting on it. After all, she knew of its importance, and she trusted herself to treat it with sufficient caution.

She had come here increasingly often throughout the past months. Sitting here made her feel secure; it filled her with a calmness and peace she couldn't get at any other place on the rock farm, maybe even in all of Equestria.

And even now, in the middle of this wintry blizzard where every normal pony would have been glad to be somewhere warm and inside, she had chosen to come up here instead of joining her family in the farm building; despite the freezing temperatures and weather around her.

But she was a Pie. And Pies were raised to be tough - simple as that.

That’s at least what her parents had told her ever since she was young.

However, looking at her other siblings, she couldn’t help but doubt that theory. One of them was a happy-go-lucky party-pony, the other one too shy to even open her mouth around strangers - not exactly a paragon of toughness.

Maud, the oldest of them all, was tough, yes. But only when she needed to be. She wouldn’t hesitate to stand up and fight for her family and friends in case of emergency, but she normally wasn’t what one would call a tough mare.

No, she seemed predestined for this sort of reputation - tough, harsh, intimidating; these were the attributes usually associated with her.

If the ponies calling her these things were right or wrong; if their judgements were justified or not wasn't hers to judge - she was the way she was, and if somepony had a problem with this, they were free to go their way and leave her alone. She wasn't trying to appeal to strangers, neither was she looking to make any new friends. Her life was busy enough as it was, and she definitely couldn't be bothered to care about what other ponies were thinking of her.

She. Limestone Pie. Daughter of Ingenous Rock Pie and Cloudy Quartz. Born on the Pie family’s rock farm, living on the rock farm … and destined to die on the rock farm.

She sighed softly, lowering her head. Her breath formed clouds against the cold air.

Why was she even thinking these thoughts? She made it sound like she didn’t like living on the rock farm. Like she didn’t like the hard work and the rare sleep; the monotony of her everyday life and the certainty that this was everything she would do all day, every day, till the day she would drop dead.

Really, what was not to like about all this?

She shook her head, forcing her eyes close as a gust of cold wind blew against her back fur, causing her to shiver again.

She should be ashamed of herself for thinking this way! There was nothing wrong with the life of a rock farmer! She should be grateful for what she had instead of complaining and wishing for more! Rock farmer was one of the safest jobs in all of Equestria – ponies would always need rocks, and while the prices for them admittedly weren’t too high, the Pie family had always managed to get by without any problems.

The only question was: for how long?

With her ongoing study of rock science and the increasing amount of research trips it brought along, her sister Maud was on the road more and more often, and her visits to her family had become more occasional than anyone was willing to admit.

Her sister Pinkamena was to be disregarded anyway – she had her own life going on in Ponyville, throwing parties, saving the world and whatnot. Her coming to visit her family had become so rare that everyone felt like celebrating when she would finally show up again.

And Marble … well…

She was the only one aside from Limestone who still called the rock farm her permanent home, but any fool could see that it wouldn’t stay like this for long. The way she looked at visitors, especially stallions … it was clear that she had no intentions of staying with her parents for long. She wanted to be like her oldest sister; to go out there, see the world, discover new places, find love and … all that. Limestone gave her a year, two at most, until she would turn her back on the farm and move into the city – Fillydelphia, Manehatten, maybe even Canterlot.

Limestone couldn’t reproach her. She knew that going to the city and starting a career was something many little fillies dreamt of, and she had to admit that there were more interesting things in Equestria than living on a rock farm.

Still, she couldn’t help but to notice that a part of her mind wished for Marble to change her mind and stay on the farm instead.

Why? Well, because she wanted to keep the family together and the farm running of course! Farming rocks was a hard job as it is, and it was clear that keeping the production running would be even harder with only three ponies instead of four around - not to mention that their parents would probably have to cut back on the physical labor sooner or later.

With all that in mind, it was clear that Marble leaving the farm would mean a noticeable increase in the three remaining ponies' workload, and the longer she would stay and lend a helping hoof, the better it would be for Limestone and their parents.

But … maybe keeping the farm running wasn’t all that was on Limestone’s mind. Maybe … maybe she wanted Marble to stay here so that she could go out there and travel the world instead.

Ha. Ha ha. What a ridiculous thing to think about, right? Limestone Pie, leaving her family to see the world. One had to be retarded to even think about something this absurd, right? ... Right?

Limestone sighed, pulling the gray scarf around her neck a little tighter as she rubbed her hooves against her sides. It was getting cold. The icy wind blowing over the farm didn't really help keeping her warm.

As if she would ever do something like this. As if she could ever do something like this.

No, the mere thought of this was just stupid. She was the one keeping this farm running; the one her parents depended on; the one destined to step into her ancestors’ hoofsteps and keep the centuries-old tradition up.

This was the way it was, and the way it would always be, no matter if she liked it or not.

She loved her family; they meant more to her than anything else in this world, and she wouldn’t hesitate a second to protect them - even with her own life, if necessary.

But sometimes that protection meant to give up on some things; to act in favor of the greater good without thinking of one’s own interests.

Besides, it wasn’t like she didn’t want to live on the rock farm. She enjoyed the company of her family, the hard but rewarding work, and the satisfying feeling of having accomplished something big at the end of the day, all with the knowledge that she was doing a good job and making her parents, grandparents, and ancestors proud.

But still … she couldn’t drown out this voice in the back of her mind; this voice that told her to leave it all behind; to go out there, experience adventures, see new places … maybe even find a nice stallion to stick with.

With another, slightly weaker sigh, Limestone leaned forward, crossing her legs and resting her chin on her hooves as she stared into the distance.

The nightly sky was pitch black, and she couldn’t see for longer than a few feet, but in front of her mind’s eye, she began to see what she didn’t dare share with anypony else.

She began to wonder what would happen if she would leave the farm. Where would she go? What would she do? Despite being a few years older than her sisters Pinkamena and Marble, Limestone was still relatively young – young enough to start a career in whatever profession at whatever place. The world was literally laying at her hooves.

Maybe she would join the military? She imagined herself in a uniform, complete with helmet, sword and armor, marching in formation, moving out to protect Equestria from whatever may threaten it. Fighting battles, defeating enemies, becoming a hero.

After a few years, she was sure, she would be promoted to be a commander. Wouldn’t that be nice? Having a whole group of ponies at her command? A whole bunch of well-trained soldiers, listening to what she had to say, and following her orders?

“Sergeant Limestone Pie reporting for duty.” She heard herself say in her mind, and felt how a weak grin crept onto her face.

She wondered what it would be like to have this sort of power. To meet choices that could decide about a country's victory or defeat; about the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies, not only about these of rocks and boulders.

Would she be a good tactician? Could she lead her army to victory? Or would she fail, and send hundreds of ponies into their certain deaths? Would she have the nerve to meet these decisions under the pressure of a whole country on her shoulders, or would she break like a piece of softened sandstone?

She didn't know how she would do as a military commander, but she knew for a fact that she wouldn't mind giving it a try. No guts, no glory, right?

Or maybe her future was somewhere else? What if she would join the Manehatten Police Department and become a police officer? She was great at keeping law and order on the Pie family’s farm, so why shouldn’t she be able to do the same in a big city? It hadn't gone past her that a few ponies were impressed, not to say intimidated by her, so maybe this would give her an advantage when dealing with criminals.

"Stop right there, criminal scum! Officer Limestone Pie from the Manehatten Police Department! You are under arrest!" A little uniformed pony hollered inside Limestone's head, gaining another weak grin from the shivering mare.

Sure, it was hard, unforgiving and dangerous work, but so was working on the rock farm. And she was sure the daily routine of a rock farmer was in no way comparable to that of a policepony when it came to diversity and thrill.

Or … heck, why not something completely different like nurse or engineer or bouncer or firefighter or detective or … ballerina or something?

Limestone paused, her eyes focusing again as the image of her performing ballet-dances in a pink tutu seemed stuck on her mental eye. As much as it was against everything she stood for, she couldn’t deny that a tiny little partition of her mind liked this idea.

Yes, why should she not become a popular danseuse? Why the heck not? What was keeping her from giving it a try?

There were thousands of possibilities for her out there, just waiting for her to be explored. So many things she could do, so many experiences she could make.

…

And all it would take to do so is leave her family behind with the knowledge that the farm; the Pie family’s legacy and everything her parents had worked for their entire lives will slowly go downhill and eventually be gone.

With both, Marble and Limestone gone, there was no way Ingenous Rock and Cloudy Quartz could keep up the production at the current rate – they weren’t the youngest anymore, and without their daughters to help them out, they would sooner or later run into shortages, which would cause them to lose important customers and get financial problems. Eventually they would have to sell the farm and move to some other, cheaper place. That is, if none of them would bite the dust before-

Limestone ended that train of thought with a shake of her head. This was why she normally didn’t think too much about these sorts of things. It was an unspoken fact that their parents needed at least one of their daughters to stay with them permanently and eventually take over the farm. And given the circumstances, it was almost certain that this honor would go to Limestone.

Not that she would complain of course. It was a fact she had made peace with years ago, and a sacrifice she was ready to bring, as it kept the tradition going and gave her parents a feeling of security during their sunset years.

It was just … sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she would have been the one to leave the farm instead of Pinkamena or Maud. Would her life be as diverse as that of Maud? As adventurous as that of Pinkamena? Or would she just end up on another farm, or –even worse- somewhere in the gutter.

Well, not like she needed to worry about these things, right? Her future was at the rock farm, period. What would have happened to a different Limestone Pie in a different universe was none of her concern.

“Um … Limestone?” the meek voice interrupted Limestone’s thoughts and caused her to look up with a slightly surprised “Hm?”

“Down here…” the voice sounded again, and Limestone lowered her head to see the silhouette of her sister Marble in the dim light of the cloud-covered moon. “Dinner is about to be served.” Her sister explained, her voice trembling ever so slightly as she too was starting to feel the freezing cold, “Are you going to come inside?”

“…Y-yeah.” Limestone replied, surprised at how hard it was for her to bring out a word, and cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m coming.” she muttered and got to her hooves, noticing only now that her eyes were wet with tears.

She quickly wiped a hoof over her face, then shook her head, turned around, and jumped off Holder's Boulder, landing next to Marble who flinched with a surprised, “eep.”

Limestone looked at her younger sister, mustering her in the dim moonlight for a moment.

What if Limestone would just explain her how she felt? Maybe she had gotten her sister wrong and Marble had no intentions of leaving the farm after all? Maybe she didn’t dream of travelling Equestria and preferred to stay with her parents instead? Or maybe she would voluntarily stay behind to give her big sister a chance to travel and find her place in this world.

“L-Limestone? Is everything alright?” Marble asked her sister slightly confused.

The older sister looked at her for a long moment with a look that betrayed a touch of wistfulness, but then quickly shook her head and replied with a thin smile, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. I was just ... thinking too much again." she said, running a hoof over her still wet eyes and running nose, "Come on,” she added, softly placing a hoof on Marble’s shoulder, “Let’s head inside. Wouldn’t want to keep Ma and Pa waiting, right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Marble replied with a weak nod, and the two ponies turned around, walking through the dark snowsquall and heading back to the farm house where their parents were waiting for them.

After all, it was just another night on the Pie family’s rock farm.