Pride Rock
Chapter 1: Pride Rock
Out on the vast grounds of the Pie Family's rock farm, one Earth Pony filly was in the midst of a very important activity she had plan out just for this perfectly sunny day. Before her was a carved-out rock that's shaped like an egg and was as tall as her. And in front of the artist was a colossal, spherical rock, which was a thousand times taller than her and bore the same egg-like shape as her unfinished work.
This was Limestone Pie, a very ambitious, little filly who took pride in her work, be it from mining, cooking, or modeling a rock sculpture out of her family's pride and joy, Holder’s Boulder. With a chisel in her fore hoof and a hammer in her mouth, she took her time chiseling her work. All that's left for her was to capture every single detail from the still-life model, and her latest masterpiece will soon be completed.
Just as long as there were no distractions--!
“Today’s the day! Today's the day! Today’s the day!”
From that familiar, ear-piercing screech, Limestone lost focus as her hammer drove against the chisel's flat side with much more force than intended. Because of that one slip-up, the unintentional strike created an crack that spread rapidly all across the entire, unfinished sculpture. And once the infection consumed her work, it instantly collapsed in a million pieces, right before the gaping, horror-stricken pony's eyes.
With her sculpture resulted in nothing more than pebbles and dust, it took a while for Limestone Pie to accept this tragedy before her. But soon enough, she flipped into a heavy scowl and sharply turned around to face the pony responsible for all of this. The innocent-looking offender took the form of a happy-go-lucky, pink filly with very wild, curly hair and a personality that matches her uncanny ability to bounce constantly in place.
“Pinkie Pie, what did I say about bothering me like that when I'm working over here?” Limestone groaned with a lime-green glare directed at her always cheerful, younger sister.
“Sorry, Captain Grumpy.” she giggled with a big, easy-going smile. “I’m just… so excited for what day it is today!” she adds with renewed excitement.
“And what day would that be?” Limestone asked sarcastically while fetching herself another good-sized rock for her next attempt in sculpting.
“The day where Maud Pie and I get to make rock candy necklaces together!” Pinkie shrieked in a high-pitched, joyous voice much to her older sister's increasing annoyance. “It's going to be SO great! Last year, she showed me on how to string the rock candy pieces together, but this year, she's going to show me on how to make actual rock candy!”
“Pfft! That’s not a big deal.” the grayish-purple pony scoffed while setting her new rock in place. “I could teach you on how to make rock candy. Ma taught me the family recipe herself, you know.” she boasted mildly with a proud smirk on her face.
“Yeah, but Maud discovered a secret ingredient that makes rock candy even more rocky than ever!”
“Let me guess, rocks?” she asked with skeptical eyebrow and a mocking smile.
“Could be~!” the pink pony answered with an innocent, squeaky smile. “Either way, I can’t wait to get started with my very best big sister in the whole world!”
Suddenly, Limestone Pie froze in place after she heard the overly excited Pinkie’s declaration. Just like her previous sculpture, her heart began to crack from the inside as the silent Earth Pony had troubled processing on what her little sister just said. She always thought that she had been a good big sister to all three of her siblings. But when she started making comparisons with Maud Pie, she began to have doubts with herself. Sure, she had lots of talents, but so did Maud. Not to mention she was very smart, especially when it came to geology. But one thing Limestone began to realize was that maybe she hadn't spent as much time with her sisters as she imagined. Compared to Maud and Pinkie Pie, those two are inseparable. As much as she hated to admit it, she sort of wished that she shared that kind of bond with her sisters too.
“Oh hey, do you want to join us?”
With the smiling Pinkie Pie getting up close and interrupting her out of her own thoughts, Limestone Pie shook her head and swiftly turned away from her inquisitive sister before answering with a barely cold tone, “Nah, I’ll pass. Don't want me to get in the way of you spending time with your big sister.”
Paying no mind to her older sister’s growling emphasis, Pinkie simply accepted her sister's response with a carefree smile. “Okie-Dokie-Lokie~! Just let us know if you changed your mind.”
As the perky, pink pony literally bounced away at a leisurely pace, the other Pie Sister remained unusually quiet as she leaned her forehead on the rock she was about to carve next. No longer does she feel like sculpting or doing anything right now. She’s just too distracted by how there was somepony who can surpass her; somepony who may be better and can take her title as “big sister” forever, namely Maud Pie.
However, her inner passion lit up like a raging inferno as she's not the kind of pony to give up so easily without putting up a fight first. She just needed to figure out a way on how to prove herself and her sisters that she's the best one of them all.
Then, she got an idea as there was one pony unaccounted for. And with a plan in mind, she rubbed her fore hooves with glee as a very crafty smile stretched across her face.
Well two can play that game, Maud!
Right away, Limestone Pie approached the bedroom she shared with all three of her sisters as she was certain she will find the one sibling she was looking for. As she expected, she found her youngest sister in one corner of the room having a little tea party with her make-believe friends. Surrounding the table are a seated cast of colorful characters ranging from stuffed animals to rocks that are decorated with tiny clothes and accessories. And hosting the tea party was a tiny, light gray Earth Pony with long, smooth, darker gray mane that covered half of her face and the only sister in the family that hadn’t earned her Cutie Mark yet. With a pleasant smile to herself, she served her one of her guests another nice steaming cup of tea.
“Hey, there you are, Marble Pie.”
From Limestone’s abrupt announcement, Marble was completely startled by her older sister's presence as she let out a small “eep” in response. Soon after, there was an awkward pause between them as the youngest of the two looks away with shame over playing pretend. Eventually, Limestone broke the ice for them.
“You uhh… having a good time with your… friends there?” she hesitated from staring at Marble’s choice in playmates.
“Mm-hmm.” she nods very sheepishly.
“Oh… that's neat.”
With a tiny, polite smile, Marble presented her teapot to offer her sister something to drink, but Limestone declined the generous gesture with a modest grin and a wave of her hoof.
“Ehh… no thanks. I'm good. Say, you think I am a good big sister, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’m glad you think so because I got the perfect activity for us today.”
Timidly, Marble was about to make her guess, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Limestone stopped her right there.
“No, Marble Pie. It's not rock climbing this time.”
Then, Marble attempted to make her second guess, but once again, Limestone beats her to it.
“Or rock sledding.”
And then another.
"Or rock throwing."
And another.
“Or rockball.”
And after giving it some more thought, Marble was about to make one last guess, but Limestone Pie was losing her patience as she snaps in response, “Look, would you just stop guessing so I can tell you what it is already?!”
“Mm-hmm.” she complied apprehensively.
Not wanting to scare her little sister, Limestone reestablished her cool as she cleared her throat before explaining today’s activity. “We’re going to make rock candy necklaces today. Pinkie and Maud are getting started with theirs. So I figured why should they get all of the fun?” With a confident smile, she wrapped a foreleg around her hesitant sister as she continued with even more enthusiasm, “And best of all, I, your upstanding big sister, will be the one to show you on how to make one. What do you say, sis? Wanna give it a try?”
Marble Pie was a little indecisive at first, but seeing how the proposed activity seemed safe enough, she agreed to the idea with a shy, honest smile. “Mm-hmm.”
“Sweet! I knew I can count on you!” Limestone grinned ecstatically as she hugged her sister in a tighter squeeze. “Just you wait, Marble! We gonna make the best rock candy necklaces ever! And that will show Maud and Pinkie once and for all on who's the best around here!”
This caught Marble by surprised as she raised a curious eyebrow. And once Limestone realized that she almost revealed her true motives, she hastily restated herself with a reassuring grin.
“I-I mean because… our necklaces are going to be way cooler than theirs! Ahem! Anyway, we better hurry up so they don't start without us. Come on!”
And with Marble Pie in tow, Limestone hurried out of their bedroom to join up with the others.
Outside their house, Maud Pie finished setting up a solid ring of rocks to serve as their campfire while Pinkie Pie trotted over with a bundle of sticks. As they placed the sticks in the center of their campfire, Limestone and Marble Pie walked up to join them. Once Pinkie noticed the two approaching sisters, she beamed with a huge, gasping smile and galloped towards them.
“Limestone! You're back! Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
“Well, I didn't want Marble Pie to feel too left out, so I brought her along with me.”
“Gasp! Great idea!” she agreed with an even broader smile before rushing up to hug her baby sister. “Oh you're going to love this, Marble! It's going to so much fun now that all four of us are here! Right, Maud?”
“Glad you two can join us.” the second oldest sister said in her always deadpan tone.
“Yeah, I'll bet.” Limestone muttered to herself as she mistook Maud’s response for sarcasm due to the lack of enthusiasm in her voice.
“Woo-hoo! Then the gang’s all here!” Pinkie exclaimed with a bright, toothy smile as she pulled her sisters in for a one big group hug. “So, what's the first thing we should do, Maud?”
“Hang on.” Limestone intervened sharply. “How about I take care of the rock candy for us? After all, I know the family recipe like the back of my hoof.” she proclaimed in a boastful manner.
“Okay. But we’ll still use Maud’s secret ingredient, right?”
Upon Pinkie’s insistence, Limestone just rolled her eyes whilst grunting out a heavy sigh before complying in a slightly grumpy tone, “Fine. What is this oh-so secret ingredient you want to share with us, Maud?”
“I'm so happy that you asked, Limestone.” she answered in a lackluster tone.
She then grabbed a large bag with her mouth and dragged it toward her sisters. Next, she reached for something in her bag and revealed what she had in store in her own enthusiastic way.
“Ta-da.”
The reactions from Maud’s sisters varied from one another. Pinkie Pie of course squeaks with constant excitement as her eyes expand to significant proportions. Marble Pie simply showcased a sense of curiosity and piqued interest. But for Limestone Pie’s case, her lower jaw hanged out like it weighed a ton of bricks. And her pupils shrank over the sheer amount of disbelief from not only on how completely unorthodox Maud’s choice in ingredients were, but also from the unbelievable sense of irony from one of her sarcastic remarks earlier.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” she summed it up in an aggravated tone.
The big reveal of Maud’s secret ingredient was something most ponies wouldn't consider as food. In fact, it would hardly qualify as food. For in Maud’s fore hoof was a rock. A plain, old rock with countless pores covering its very coarse surface.
“Of course!” Pinkie Pie gasped mightily with an energetic smile. “Rock candy… made with real rocks! Simple… yet brilliant!” Then, she slid close to the flabbergasted Limestone Pie and commented with an amusing grin, “And hey, Limestone! You were right all along! Did you already know the secret ingredient yourself? You sly pony you!” she goaded with a playful elbow pressing on her older sister's side.
Ignoring Pinkie’s lighthearted teasing, Limestone lightly pushed her aside to approach her constantly stoic sister with a very sour face. “Wait a minute, Maud! You seriously cannot believe that we going to use ordinary rocks when it comes to making rock candy!”
“Of course not, Limestone. What do you take me for?” Maud asked in a very monotone voice, which caused her testy, older sister to scream on the inside on what she wanted to say otherwise. “They’re special rocks.”
“Oh really? And what’s so special about them, Ms. Know-it-all?” she leaned closer with a mocking smile.
“...Can't tell you.”
“Why not?” she inquired with a mild grunt.
“It will ruin the surprise. And you know on how Pinkie Pie just loves surprises.”
“It's true! I really do!” Pinkie Pie agreed as she trembled with joy over the mention of surprises.
“Ugh… you know what? Fine. Whatever.” Limestone dismissed sharply as she walked away from her steadfast sister. “How about this. I’ll make rock candy my way, and you can make rock candy your way.”
And after a momentary pause, Maud conceded with just a simple, emotionless response, “Sure.”
“Great!” Pinkie said with an upbeat smile before she directed her gaze to her baby sister. “Hey, Marble Pie? This is your first time making rock candy necklaces, am I right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It is?” she gasped with immense glee. “Well, why don't you join with me so that Maud can show you how they're made?”
Not wanting to be outshine by Maud, Limestone quickly grasped Marble to her side with a strong foreleg wrapped around her shy sister as she intervened with a heaved chest and her head held up high. “Actually, Marble Pie wants me, her big sister, to teach her instead since you know, she looks up to me and stuff. Right, Marble?”
Feeling mildly pressured by her grinning sister's strong insistence, Marble Pie merely agreed with a nod and a smile, “Mm-hmm.”
“See?” Limestone confirmed with a winning smirk.
“That's fine.” Maud complied without any fuss whatsoever. “We can make more rock candy this way if we divide up the work together.”
Ecstatic as ever, Pinkie Pie announced with a jubilant smile, “Alright! Then let the 2nd Annual Rock-Candy-Necklace-athon begin!”
At the start of their event, they set up another campfire for Limestone and Marble’s use. Afterwards, the two oldest sisters fetched what they need to make their rock candy, including ingredients, cooking utensils, and dozens of pots and pans. Once they split their tools and ingredients, the two self-appointed team leaders parted ways to their separate stations.
“Can you believe those two?” Limestone grumbled to her cooking partner as she set her items on a bedrock table. “Thinking they can make Rock Candy using real rocks like that? I know we live on a rock farm and all, but come on!” Without getting too distracted from such nonsense, she relieved her aggression with a sigh and bore a more confident smile for herself. “Anyway, while Maud and Pinkie are busy making fools of themselves, let me show you how it's done around here.”
As Marble stood aside without getting in the way of her more motivated sister, Limestone did one last check up to make sure she had everything she needed. The table consisted the basic ingredients when it comes to making rock candy, such as water, sugar, corn syrup, food coloring, and various flavor extracts.
“There, I think we're all set. So, ready to make some real rock candy?” Limestone issued with a grin.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Alright! Then let's get started!”
From there, Marble Pie stood right next to Limestone as she observed her older sister going through the first steps of the recipe. First, by pouring the right amount of pure white sugar and corn syrup into the large pot of boiling hot water. Once the first three ingredients are in the kettle, Limestone set a candy thermometer that’s attached to the side of the pot and began to stir constantly. But in the midst of her stirring, she overheard Pinkie talking to Maud, and she took a glance behind to see what the fuss was all about.
“Can I help place the rocks in the pot this time, Maud?”
After she gently dropped one of the first stones into the steaming pot of sugary water, Maud turned to face her eager, younger sister and said to her, “I don't know, Pinkie Pie. It might be dangerous.”
“Pleeeeease? I’ll be REALLY careful!” she insisted greatly with big, persuasive eyes.
As Pinkie poured all of her willpower into her natural cuteness with her baby blue eyes and pouty lips, Maud just stared at her with an entirely blank expression. And after a short pause between the two where Maud only blinked once, she finally made her decision.
“I can’t say ‘no’ to that face.”
“Yay!” Pinkie Pie squeaked adorably over Maud’s compliance.
“Just be careful when you drop them in, Pinkie Pie. You don't want the hot water to scorch you.”
“Got it!”
Containing her inner excitement to the best of her abilities, Pinkie stepped on some of the flatbed rocks that served as a stool, and she carefully dropped the remaining rocks into the pot.
As Limestone watched this, a twinge of jealousy gripped her heart from seeing how Maud and Pinkie bond so well together. But when she turned to Marble Pie, who was heedlessly looking at the ground and playing with some pebbles nearby, guilt began to overshadow her envy as she felt bad for not allowing her little sister to be more involved during their cooking process. But from that realization, Limestone Pie sought to change that.
“Say, Marble? Do you wanna take over and stir this for me?”
A bit surprised from her older sister calling out to her, Marble Pie timidly went up to Limestone on the flat,stepping stone and looked down at the pot. Seeing all those big, boiling bubbles made her feel nervous, and she showed her insecurity to her sister. Of course, Limestone could read Marble’s silent expressions easily as she gently reassured her with a soft hoof on the shoulder.
“It will be fine, sis. All you have to do is stir this nice and gently. That's all.”
She then handed Marble the long, wooden spoon, and despite her mild hesitation, the quiet filly stirred the pot in large, steady circles. As Limestone saw her sister stirring at a comfortable pace, she acknowledged her efforts with a welcoming grin.
“See? You got this.”
From receiving such praise from her big sister, the shy Earth Pony responded with a smile much bigger than usual. And as Marble kept on stirring, Limestone went ahead to make preparations for the next step. With several smaller pots, she each added the right amount of extract and some food coloring to match the right kind of flavor. There was a wide variety of flavor extracts to choose from, including orange, cherry, blue raspberry, lemon, sour green apple, and grape.
Just as soon as the flavor-infused pots were all set, Marble Pie gingerly tapped Limestone on the shoulder and pointed something to the large kettle she was just stirring. With her sharp eyes, the eldest sibling saw the candy thermometer reaching at the right temperature to proceed with the next step.
Once she read the thermometer, she smiled to her sister, “Nicely done, Marble.”
They first put the campfire out with buckets of water. Next, Limestone set up the first small pot of flavor extract and food coloring at the appropriate spot where the sugary water will be poured into. After that, they slid a special lever right underneath the large, hot kettle.
“Thanks, sis. Now stand back. This could get a little dangerous.”
Abiding to her sister’s command, Marble stood a good, safe distance away as Limestone Pie operated the level carefully where it tilted the cauldron forward and steadily poured the hot liquid into the smaller pot. Once the large kettle was safely reset back in place, Marble carefully removed the first filled pot and switched with an empty one in its place. Then, they repeated the process until all the smaller pots were filled up. After that, they divided up the work with stirring each of the pots until their colors are completely blended together. Lastly, they poured the colored pots into their respective, thin pans to allow them to cool and harden.
As they wait for the liquefied candy to harden, Limestone Pie decided to check up on the other team. For Pinkie and Maud’s case, they were nearly finished with their coloring process as they scooped up the last rocks from the individual pots. On a cooling rack, the dyed rocks were nestled together like eggs in a basket as they displayed a variety of colors. Though granted, they weren't as bright and beautiful as Limestone’s batch due to their ugly, de-saturated colors. As Pinkie and Maud sat still around their rocks with gazes locked on to them, their oldest sister walked up to them with a very smug look on her face.
“Well well well… what a surprise.” the Earth Pony said with a sarcastic grin. “Guess they didn't turn out the way they intended, huh?”
Without turning her attention to her goading sister, Maud simply replied in a blunt, dull tone, “They’re not ready yet.”
“...Huh?”
“Yeah.” Pinkie nodded with a perky smile as her bright, blue eyes were fixated on the dye-colored rocks. “Maud Pie said they have to rest first as they're still being cooked on the inside. So we just need to wait until these chickadees are ready to hatch.”
A bit flabbergasted by her sisters’ resolve and casualness, Limestone gritted her teeth and then twisted her body around while saying with a huffy frown, “Whatever. Me and Marble Pie are already in the cooling process. So don't act so surprised when I say, ‘I told you so.’ ”
“I won't.” Maud responded in that same monotone voice of hers.
Minutes later, Limestone and Marble’s batch of candy became rock-solid hard, and the eldest of the two became quite eager for this particular moment.
“Alright! The rock candy has cool down and harden.” she announced with glee before a somewhat evil grin spread across her face. “Time to get down to the fun part.”
From one of her tools nearby, Limestone grabbed a hammer and two pairs of safety goggles, one for herself and the other one for Marble. Once she secured the goggles over her sister's face, she fastened her own pair before she gripped the hammer’s handle between her teeth as her mouth stretched into a very sinister smile.
And right away, Limestone went to town with her hammer as she smashed the flat, thick sheet of candy into chunks and pieces. As the hammer-wielding filly went ballistic, Marble couldn’t share much in her sister's enthusiasm as she turned away when rock candy bits flew towards her. Eventually, Limestone stopped once she had done damage to the first sheet of hard candy
“Yeah! Now this is more to my liking!” she smirked with satisfaction before she handed the mallet to her sister, “Here. Give it a try.”
Timidly, Marble walked toward the next sheet of unbroken candy with the hammer feebly held in her mouth. And after some hesitation, she lifted her head up high before making the first swing.
Tink!
From that first hit, it hardly made a crack on the hard rock candy. So she attempted once again.
Tink!
But just like the first time, it didn't break. So Marble kept making fruitless strikes on the candy. And as Limestone observed this with a blank stare, she held back her urge from face-hoofing herself before making an attempt to coach her sister.
“Come on, Marble Pie. You can do better than that.”
Feeling the pressure from not disappointing her big sister, Marble continued to hit the hard rock candy with more force at a rapid succession. However, she began to tire herself out, and all of her efforts resulted in chipping the candy's surface… barely.
Feeling a bit impatient from all of this, Limestone goes up to her sister and sighed, “Here, you better let me handle this instead.”
Feeling ashamed with herself, Marble handed the mallet back to her sister and walked away in a very dejected manner. Once Limestone took over, she easily smashed the candy into pieces, but with less enthusiasm than before.
But as she moved on to the next sheet of candy, she turned her head and saw the still somber look on her little sister's face. Then, Limestone noticed the direction of her sister's melancholy face as the depressed filly continued to look at her mark-less flank. It didn't take long for Limestone Pie to piece it all together as she felt great pity for her little sister. She didn't mean to make her feel left out nor did she want to make her feel worthless. She just needed some way to give Marble more confidence in herself. And after giving it some more thought, an idea came to mind, and she trotted toward her sister to cheer her up.
“Hey, don’t feel too down.” she said to Marble with a positive smile. “I know something that you might take an interest in.”
Marble’s gloom mellowed down a bit as she tilt her head to signify her curiosity, so Limestone continued, “Ever tried sculpting before?”
In response, Marble lightly shook her head, and her big sister explained further with a wider grin, “Well you’re in luck because I happen to be the best sculptor around these parts. And being the awesome big sister that I am, I'd be more than happy to share a few of my techniques with you. Think you’re up to it?”
Feeling mightily inspired by her big sister’s confidence, a small yet promising smile began to unfold on her face, and she mildly nodded in response, “Mm-hmm.”
“Just wait right here while I go get my tools.” And with an overly eager smile, Limestone gallops like mad to her carving station she set up this morning.
After retrieving her carving tools, Limestone took one of the big chunks of rock candy and sat next to her sister just so she can see the process herself. First, she took her chisel and hammered it around the edges to give its rough shape before she smoothed out thoroughly. Next, she used her finer carving tools to give it some exquisite details. As Limestone Pie was finalizing her miniature piece, Marble Pie marvelled at the craftsmanship her big sister was demonstrating. Finally, Limestone gave it a couple of breaths to blow the shavings away, and she proudly held up her latest masterpiece: a purple rock candy that portrayed the carver’s head. It even captured her unique hairstyle, fierce gaze, and winning smirk.
“See, nothing to it.” Limestone proclaimed ever-so proudly. “All you need are the right tools and a steady grip, and you too can create marvels of work in an instant. So, ready to give it a go--?”
CRACK!
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound interrupted their session as they turned around to the source while Limestone Pie pondered out loud, “What was that?”
Right on cue, the always excited Pinkie Pie rushed up to her two sisters and urged them with very ecstatic smile, “Limestone! Marble! Come quick! You’ll miss out on the surprise!”
Immediately, the three sisters galloped to where Maud Pie was stationed at as she just cracked one of dye-colored rocks on a wedge-shaped stone. It was so precise that it was enough to split the rock into completely equal halves. And once her sisters gathered around for the unveiling, Maud slowly pulled the halves apart to reveal the surprise inside.
From its gradual exposure, a bright, purple light shined its sparkling radiance on the observers’ faces, almost blinding them in the process. But once the initial light does down, they eventually get a better look at its contents. Surprisingly enough, the rock was hollow in the center, but clinging to the inside walls were clusters of crystals that shimmered like diamonds and are more vibrant and colorful than the rock’s ugly, outer shell.
Almost all at once, Limestone, Pinkie, and Marble are completely speechless in their own ways. Pinkie Pie, of course, stretched her gaping smile to its extreme limits as her awestricken pupils grew so wide they almost overshadowed her already bulging eyes. Marble Pie’s awestricken expression was similar to Pinkie’s, except her mouth was barely opened and not as over-the-top as her pink sister's. As for Limestone Pie, her reaction to these stunning crystals was just as extreme as Pinkie’s, though to a different degree than hers. Although her eyes were just as wide as her two sisters’, her loose jaw dropped low to the ground as she remained stupefied on how colorful crystals like that were even possible to make.
“Ooo! So pretty!” Pinkie Pie squealed with delight, to which Marble Pie agreed with a nod and a growing smile.
Meanwhile, Limestone remained flabbergasted as she had a hard time on comprehending the rock’s inner, sparkling brillance. “I-wa-uh-what? How can you make candy out of a rock like that?”
“Technically it's a geode.” Maud Pie explained casually. “They're special because they can absorb sugar, coloring, and flavors through the rock’s pores once they were boiled in really hot water. Also, they're just as hard as regular rock candy, so anypony can eat them.”
To demonstrate geode rock candy's taste, Maud used a special scraping tool to remove some of the candy-infused crystals into a small bowl, and she first passed it to her cooking partner, Pinkie Pie. Without hesitation, she popped a few of them into her mouth, and she savors it with every crunchy bite on the sweet, juicy, and slightly tingling flavor.
“Mmmm~! She’s right!” Pinkie Pie confirmed with a joyous smile as kept on munching on them. “They taste exactly like rock candy! Only… a hundred times better! Here, try some!”
With Pinkie Pie passing the candy bowl to her baby sister, Marble Pie coyly tried some for herself. And after chewing a couple more times, a broad smile blossomed across her face while she lets out a small moan of satisfaction.
“So, what do you think?” Pinkie Pie asked with an eager, giddy smile. “Pretty good, right Marble Pie?
“Mm-hmm!” she answered in a usual, quiet manner as she continued to enjoy her sampled candy. She then offered the rest of the candy to her older sister, but Limestone Pie lightly pushed it back as a mild frown was plastered on her increasingly sour face.
“Ooo! Ooo! Can I crack the next one?” Pinkie asked excitedly. “Can I? Can I?”
“Knock yourself out.” Maud permitted.
“Thanks!”
Once she picked an ugly, pink one, she instantly cracked the geode opened with nothing but her forehead, and it didn’t faze Pinkie Pie one bit while also causing the rock to make a perfect split just like Maud’s. From its uncasing, the edible crystals inside displayed a bright, pink shimmer that was just as colorful as Pinkie’s own mane and coat.
“Way to use your head, Pinkie Pie.” Maud kidded in a very dry tone.
Of course, Pinkie Pie chuckled greatly over her older sister's sense of humor as she embraced the always stoic pony whilst saying with a giggling smile, “Te-hee-hee! Good one, Maud! Isn't she the greatest? I’m so lucky to have a big sister like you, Maud Pie!”
Hearing Pinkie Pie giving Maud Pie the title of “big sister” once more began to make Limestone’s blood boil like mad. Not only that, but seeing how the rest of her sisters were reacting so positively over Maud’s version of rock candy was making it worse to contain her own inner jealousy. With Maud Pie’s supposed triumph looming over her, Limestone was too determined to give up her self-appointed rank in the sisterly hierarchy as she twisted her body around so her sisters couldn’t see the scowling face, and she said to them in a huffy manner.
“Fine! You discovered a way to make candy out of rocks! Big deal! Just wait until you see how my rock candy necklace turns out. You’ll see. Come on, Marble Pie.” she commanded as it caused the youngest sister to flinch from hearing such a subtle growl before she followed right behind the stomping filly.
As Limestone’s team marched back to their work station, Pinkie bore a blank expression that's similar to Maud’s, and they looked at each other silently on what has gotten their oldest sibling in such a sour mood.
Hmph! So Maud think she's so great just because she found some stupid geodes to turn them into rock candy? Pfft! Whatever! My skills are still unmatched when it comes to rock carving! Yeah, I'll make them so flawless, they'll shimmer like diamonds! Then that will show Maud and Pinkie on who's the best sister around here!
Ever since she retreated back to her station, Limestone Pie made it her goal to trump over Maud’s rock candy by feverishly carving and grinding her candy pieces into works of art. Not willing to let anything distract her from crushing her ultimate rival, she poured her heart and soul into her work as she kept switch back and forth between her carving tools, a grindstone, and some sandpaper. She was so intense with her candy-making craft that beads of sweat dripped on her face and it felt like her fore hooves are on fire. But she didn’t let that stop her as she was so close to its completion.
With her last piece of candy jewelry finished to its perfection, she sewed all of her arranged pieces together onto one long string. Once her rock candy necklace was finally completed, she held it up to get a good look her edible masterpiece. It was a mesh of yellow lemon diamonds, purple grape pearls, and red cherry rubies, and as its centerpiece was the Limestone-head-shaped candy that she carved earlier, which was also grape flavor.
“There! Perfect!” she smiled with immense pride over her own work as she puts the necklace around her neck. “Oh I can’t wait to rub it into their faces when they see this! Say Marble Pie? How are you coming along with yours?”
She turned to her side expecting her sister sitting next to her, but to her surprise, Marble Pie was not there. A bit puzzled by this, Limestone looked around to see where her little sister had gone to. But then, her searching came to a halt when she heard some soft giggling behind her. Swiftly, she turned around and turned her attention to Maud’s team from afar. Obviously, the merriment came from Pinkie Pie since it's hard to say on when the last time Maud Pie had ever laugh before, or for the first time for that matter. Already, they were working on their rock candy necklaces as they seemed to be having a grand time over there. But to Limestone’s surprise, Marble Pie was also part of their circle of friends as she was quietly giggling alongside her pink sister.
As the speechless Limestone Pie inched closer to where all three of her sisters have gathered together, she suddenly stopped herself when she caught a glimpse at what Marble Pie had next to her grinding stone and her own set of carving tools: a small bowl of bright green, speckled crystals that share the same characteristics as Maud Pie’s specially made rock candy.
From piecing together her own conclusion, Limestone felt her own heart shattered into many pieces as she assumed the worst with Marble Pie turning her back on her on how she picked Maud’s candy and company over hers. Everything they did together felt like it was all for nothing since it was already decided that Maud Pie was worthy of the true title of big sister. And what’s even worse, she's the only one left out in all of this as it looked like all three of her sisters were having so much fun without her.
But just as her hurt feelings were about to expose themselves, she immediately blocked them out with her own building rage as she screeches out loud, “Marble Pie!”
This sudden outburst was enough to greatly startled Marble and Pinkie, but not Maud of course, as the three face their glaring sister before the latter continued, “I can’t believe you! You're supposed to be on my team, not fraternizing with the enemy!”
From dealing with such harsh accusations from her older sister, Marble sank really low as she was too afraid to respond right back.
Pinkie Pie on the other hand was a bit confused by what Limestone Pie was referring to, and she asked with a slightly puzzled face, “Wait, teams? Were we playing a game or something?”
“Don't play dumb with me, Pinkie Pie! We're here to see on who can make the best rock candy necklace! And in case you haven't noticed, I already finished mine first!” And she pointed hers out in a very huffy manner.
With blank expressions, Pinkie and Maud exchanged a silent look with one another, and the pink Earth Pony turned back to her aggravated sister before saying to her in a casual tone, “What? We never said that. We’re just here to make rock candy and have a good time together. That's all. You know, to have fun, remember?”
For a moment, Limestone’s anger came to a stop all of a sudden as she stared back at her curly-haired sister for being so carefree about this matter. But gradually, her inner frustration erupted like a newly formed volcano.
“...Fun? Fun? FUN?! Oh, so it's fun that you would pick Maud over me as your big sister?!”
From Limestone’s angry retort, Pinkie Pie felt ashamed over her poor choice of words as she tried to explain herself, “Oh uhh… I didn't mean--!”
But then, Limestone turned her heated gaze at Maud as she took out her frustration with her next. “Is it fun for you to show off your secret ingredients and forsake our family recipe?!”
Not so surprisingly, the inexpressive Maud Pie didn't even flinch from her older sister's outburst. So Limestone Pie directed all of her fury at her youngest sister as she criticized her harsher than anyone else.
“Or is it fun when you decide to betray me and join their side after everything I’ve done for you?!”
As before, Marble Pie was too petrified to answer her big, intimidating sister. Instead, her sensitive emotions ran so high that she was on the verge of tears. Noticing this, Pinkie Pie softly hugged her grief-stricken sister as Limestone wasn't persuaded by how hurt they were compared to how she was feeling at the moment.
“Yeah, some fun!” she spat it out with bitter disgust before she sharply turned away from her sisters.
But as soon as Limestone Pie turned around and was about to stomp towards home, she quickly halted herself when Maud Pie suddenly appeared in front of her. As she was taken by surprise over her sister's unexpected appearance, Maud remained as still and firm as a mountain before she spoke up in a slightly firmer tone than usual.
“Limestone, stop.”
Eventually, the grayish-purple Earth Pony recovered from her initial shock as she lined her glaring eyes with her sister's steadfast gaze before responding back in a very low growl. “Get out of my way, Maud.”
“Not until you tell me what's wrong.” she calmly replied back as she remained unfazed by her sister's growling tone.
“I just told you--!”
“No. You haven't. Not everything at least. I don't know why you’re acting this way, but you are clearly misunderstood.”
From being interrupted as well as being told on that she had it all wrong, the infuriating Limestone Pie bit her lower lip and quivered like mad. And as her boiling temperature rose, Maud pulled out one half of her rock-candy-infused geode that was filled with light green crystals, and she presented it as a peace offering to her sister.
“Here, have some of my rock candy. It will help you calm down--!”
But Maud’s offering got turned down immediately when her explosive sister knocked the geode high into the air. Everything went silent as the two youngest sisters’ eyes went wide while they instinctively tighten their lips over what they just witnessed. And as Marble and Pinkie Pie feared for the worst, Limestone got dangerously close to the immovable Maud as she retorted out loud in front of her inexpressive face.
“I don't want your rock candy! I don't want your help! And I don’t need you to tell me what to--!”
THUNK!
Suddenly, everything came to a complete stop as the two eldest sisters ceased whatever they were doing before their confrontation got really ugly after hearing such an awful sound. And following up on that loud noise, the two turned around to its source. But from doing so, they along with Pinkie Pie widened their eyes immensely as their horror-stricken gazes were fixated on their baby sister.
Limestone Pie especially was horrified on what happened to her little sister as poor Marble Pie was tenderly rubbing her aching head. In the midst of her frozen stance, Limestone glanced down, and she saw half of the geode with the bright, green candy crystals laying next Marble; the same rock that she just swatted out of Maud’s hoof. Realizing the terrible consequences of her own actions, Limestone looked back at her sister as Marble’s repressed tears kept building up to a point of rupturing at any moment. And soon enough, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer as she let out a most dreadful cry like never before.
From the horrific wailing of their injured sister, the rest of the three snapped out of their trances as they shout all at once.
“MARBLE PIE!”
Following with the three sisters’ unison shouting, they immediately rushed over to the aid of their youngest sibling as Marble continued to wailed out in pain while her relentless tears pour out of her eyes.
“Marble Pie! I-I’m so sorry!” Limestone said in a trembling, remorseful voice. “I-I-I didn't mean for that to happen!”
As Limestone remained hesitant on how to comfort her little sister, Maud remained cool and collected as she placed a comforting foreleg around the weeping filly. But Pinkie Pie however was quite the opposite in this situation, as she zipped around at a crazier speed than usual while she panicked uncontrollably.
“What do we do?! What do we do?! What do we do?!”
But at just the right time, the ever-so calm Maud Pie stopped her frantic sister with a free hoof just as soon as she was about to pass her. From there, she drew Pinkie’s worrisome gaze toward hers before getting her attention in a mild, clear tone.
“Pinkie Pie. Listen to me. You know where the first aid kit is, right?”
“Y-y-yes.” she stammered after calming down a bit.
“Good. Go get that for me along with an ice pack.”
“Right! Got it!”
With renewed, blinding speeds, the determined Pinkie zoomed toward their house once she received her orders. Meanwhile, Maud carefully examined Marble’s injured head as Limestone timidly stepped toward them. From gently parting her youngest sister’s mane, Maud could see a small bump pulsating slightly while it emitted a faint, red glow.
“I-is she going to be okay?” Limestone asked with dread continuing to build up inside of her.
“Yes.” Maud answered calmly after her quick examination. “She just has a minor bump, that's all.”
“See?” Limestone said to Marble with a shaky yet reassuring smile. “It's going to be okay, you hear me? You're going to be okay.”
Though Marble was able to look at her older sister, she was still unable to make a proper response over how much her head hurt as she huffed and whimpered in-between. Of course, she didn’t need to say a word as Limestone could clearly read right through her sister's emotions.
As the eldest sibling delicately caressed Marble’s fore hoof, she continued her best to comfort her woeful, little sister. “I know. I know it hurts. But don't worry. Pinkie Pie will be here at any sec--!”
“I’m back!”
And right on time, the pink blur arrived in a flash with a first aid kit and a bag of ice in tow.
“See?” Limestone added with a small, knowing smirk.
With the first aid kit aside, Maud carefully placed the ice pack on Marble’s head before asking her, “Here. Does that feel better?”
With the swelling dying down gradually from the bag of ice, Marble weakly nodded, “Mm-hmm.”
“Good. Just keep that on your head for every half hour and give it a break with every half hour in-between. Okay?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Timidly, Limestone approached her recovering sister and tenderly embraced her to show how sorry she was as she said in a very meek voice, “I’m so sorry, sis. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. Sigh… how am I going to explain this to Ma and Pa?”
“Explain what, Limestone Pie?”
From hearing that slightly gruff stallion voice behind her, Limestone reluctantly turned around and confronted the two ponies she was not ready to face: her father, Igneous Rock Pie, and her mother, Cloudy Quartz. Both of them stared down at their eldest daughter with firm gazes as they wait on Limestone to explain herself.
“Well, we are listening.” her mother added with a knitted eyebrow.
Standing before her stone-cold-faced parents was complete agony for Limestone Pie as fear gripped her throat from speaking the truth. But once she took a deep breath, she looked at them in the eye and steadily told them what happened.
“It's my fault, Ma and Pa. I got mad at Maud and swatted a rock right out of her hoof, and… well… it ended up hitting Marble’s head.”
As Limestone trembled subtly over what may happened to her, Igneous and Cloudy exchanged a look with one another, almost as if they were silently deciding on their daughter’s fate. But before either one of the older ponies could get the chance to speak, Pinkie Pie hastily stood between her parents and her older sister as she frantically spoke up in Limestone’s defense.
“But it was an accident! She didn't mean for that to happen! Honest! We all saw it! Please don't punish Limestone for that!” she pleaded desperately.
Silently, they took their daughters’ words into greater consideration, and soon after, Igneous placed a gentle fore hoof on Pinkie’s curly mane as he laid a fair assessment of the situation.
“Steady thyself, Pinkamena. We know thou art speak the truth and have taken great haste for your fellow sister's well-being.”
Pinkie Pie smiled slightly over her father's understanding, but he still had more to say as he sat in front his petrified, first-born daughter before continuing in a sterner tone. “But Limestone Pie, thou should know better than to lose thy cool like that, especially if thy wrath is directed toward your sisters, intentionally or otherwise.”
“Yes, Papa.” she replied in a soft whimper.
After exhaling out a soft breath, the beige-colored stallion pulled his little filly in for a warm, fatherly hug as he said with immense relief, “Let us give our thanks to Celestia that this has not turned into a something much worse that we would all come to regret.”
“Come, Marble Pie.” her mother instructed softly as she cradled her youngest daughter with one foreleg. “Let's get you inside. Thou need thy rest.”
“B-but what about our rock candy necklaces?” asked Pinkie Pie in a mild whine.
“I'm afraid that we need to put that on hold for the time being.”
As the parents took Marble Pie back to their home, the still ashamed, docile Limestone followed right behind. But before the two remaining sisters could catch up on them, Maud looked at her younger sister, whose mane had deflated a little, as Pinkie said with a very sad face.
“Ooh, and everything was going so well between us.”
Despite her constant, dull expression, Maud’s actions spoke for themselves as she embraced her dejected sister to offer her sympathies. Eventually, they ended their hug and steadily caught up with the rest of the family.
Later that night, the severely downhearted Limestone Pie continued to lay and mope on her side of the bed. She barely moved an inch from that spot ever since she locked herself in her room. Even when it was time for dinner, she refused to come out of there despite her parents not punishing her in the first place. To her, this was her own form of punishment as she couldn't bear to show her face in front of her family, especially Marble Pie for that matter.
As she was busy with her silent grieving, Maud and Pinkie quietly entered the room as the purple-haired, gray pony carried a small tray with a warm bowl of soup with her. And upon entering, the pink pony announced their presence in a less perky voice than usual.
“We brought you something, Limestone Pie.”
“It's your favorite, rock soup.” Maud announced dry as ever.
“...I’m not hungry.” Limestone replied in a still sulky manner.
From readjusting herself, the seemingly emotionless filly plopped her head on the pillow as she faced directly at the moonlit window with her back facing toward her younger sisters. Not wanting to force her to eat something, Maud simply left the soup onto a table near the bed.
“We’ll leave this here for you then, just in case.”
As Maud began to leave the room, Pinkie remained hesitant as she looked back at her unresponsive Limestone, but shortly after that, she sadly followed right behind the other sibling. Suddenly, Maud stopped herself as she felt there was something more she wanted to say. Although she was a bit indecisive at first, she turned her head back toward her moping sister and said with absolute.
“Limestone, It's not your fault.”
For a moment, her lime green eyes glanced at Maud’s direction. But once they reset back in place, Limestone replied in a soft, guilt-ridden tone, “Yes it is. Marble is hurt because of me.”
“You couldn't foresee that happening.” Maud counter in a gentle voice. “And besides, Marble Pie is doing just fine. She’s made out of tough stuff, you know. She is a Pie after all.”
This reassurance caused Limestone to look back at Maud, and for a brief second, she could have sworn she saw her stoic sister crack a small smile. And just when her two sisters is about to leave her sister in peace, Limestone hesitated before she called out to them.
“W-wait!”
“Yes?” Maud replied.
“I'm… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything. I guess I was just so angry with you because I was… jealous. Mostly at you, Maud.”
Maud paused over her sister's confession before sharing a glance with the bewildered Pinkie Pie. Then she asked, “Why would you be jealous of me?”
“Oh come on! Isn't it obvious?” Limestone snapped over Maud’s supposed cluelessness. “You're like the smartest and most creative of the bunch! It's no wonder Pinkie Pie is so attached to you! You two share this… ultimate sisterly bond that it started to tick me off!” Once she let it all out, she took a deep breath and plopped back on her pillow while turning away from Maud. “Because if truth be told, I wanted something like that for myself. Sigh… let's face it. You're an even better big sister than me in every way, Maud.”
At first, there was nothing but disturbing silence between the three sisters. But then, Maud Pie walked up to her sulking sister and sat next to her on the bed.
“I'm sorry you feel that way, Limestone Pie.” she said with a hint of sincerity in her deadpan voice.
“Me too.” Pinkie Pie said remorsefully as she stand in-between her two sisters. “I didn't mean to hurt you by saying Maud’s the best big sister ever. I meant that as ‘the best second oldest sister ever.’ ” she added with a weak, chuckling smile.
Much to Pinkie’s dismay, Limestone wasn't entirely convinced by their act of compassion, so Maud Pie carried it on from there.
“Still, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You yourself have skills and characteristics that even I certainly lack.”
“Like what?” Limestone inquired with a mild grump.
“Your ability to express yourself for one thing. I don't know if you noticed, but I have trouble… showing my emotions toward others. But you however never hold yourself back when it comes to expressing your true feelings. I’ve always admired that about you. You’re so passionate, both in your actions and in your words.”
“Is that another way of saying ‘hot-tempered?’ ” Limestone huffed with a raised eyebrow.
“I mean on how much you care, towards your work, your passion, and more importantly, your family. You got a very big heart in that rock-hard body of yours.” she added while she lightly jabbed Limestone’s chest with a fore hoof. “And that’s why all three of us are proud to have you as our big sister.”
Limestone took the time to reflect on sister's stoic, reassuring words. She didn't think she would possess those kind of qualities in herself until Maud pointed them out for her. With her self-esteem building from the ground up, a smile began to blossom on her face, and she gave Maud Pie a hug to show her gratitude.
“And I'm proud to have a smart, dependable sister like you, Maud Pie. I’m just sorry that I didn't realize that sooner.”
From Limestone’s humbleness, Maud simply nodded and hugged her back following it up with an overjoyed Pinkie Pie as she turned it into one big group hug. Once that was settled between them, Maud and Pinkie got out of bed and steadily headed out of the room. But before their exit, Maud looked back at Limestone and added one more thing in mind.
“You know, Pinkie Pie and I don't have to be only ones with a special sisterly bond. You just haven't realize it yourself.”
From hearing her sister's vague statement, Limestone Pie could have sworn she saw a tiny, crafty smirk creeping on Maud’s face while Pinkie Pie giggled to herself. And before Limestone could confirm what she just saw, her two sisters suddenly left the room without another word. But in her place, another pony stepped in. Limestone’s eyes widened as she saw who was peeking from the doorway. Ever-so shyly, Marble Pie stepped into the bedroom to check up on her big sister.
“H-hey, Marble Pie.” she greeted her nervously. “Is your head doing okay?”
Marble took a moment to check on her current condition by placing a hoof on her forehead, which no longer required an ice pack. And seeing how her head was no longer in pain or throbbing, she answered Limestone’s question with a nod and a smile.
“Mm-hmm.”
“That's good.” she let out a soft sigh in return. “I’m definitely relieved to hear that.”
A disturbing moment of silence passed between the two as Limestone was acting more shy than her younger sister. Eventually, she looked back at Marble with shameful eyes as she had something that she needed to come clean with.
“Listen Marble. I’m really sorry for everything I did to you. I… well… I really messed up big today, and it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the end.”
To her surprise, Marble Pie displayed a soft, forgiven smile, but Limestone felt unworthy to accept such compassion as she had much more to say. “I mean… the whole reason why I got so mad was because I was jealous on how Maud was becoming a better sister than me. That was why I…”
She paused as she was trying to find the right word to describe her initial ploy.
Used. Tricked. Manipulated. Decieved.
They were the first words that crossed her mind, which pierced her like razor-sharp daggers, and they hurt her even more since they each carried a painful shred a truth no matter which one she would pick out of the them. As renewed guilt began to twist her from the inside, she quickly got back on track and decided to go with a word that was less hurtful than the other four.
“...asked for your help earlier, so I can prove that I'm a better sister than her.”
Marble’s expression was entirely blank when she heard Limestone saying that to her. The older of the two didn't even know what to make from her sister's reaction, so she briefly turned away as she continued with renewed shame.
“I know! I know! I was being selfish, but I really had a great time today spending time with you! Honest! I really did! I… really missed that.” she acknowledged quietly as she looked back at her sister with pitiful eyes. “It's just that… to me… being a big sister meant ponies would look up to me. Being seen as… useful and… being somepony’s hero, you know? Sigh… but what good is there for anypony to look up to me anymore?”
From readdressing her own gloom, the melancholy pony slumped back on her pillow as she aimlessly looked away with very dreary eyes. Meanwhile, in the midst of their silence, Marble Pie took her time to gather her thoughts before she considered on what she should do from there. Normally, she would continue to act shy and leave Limestone be. But this time, she decided to take the initiative as she slid next to her big sister and gently nuzzled her. This caught the older sibling by surprised, but that was nothing compared to what she heard next.
“I still look up to you.”
It was so rare for Limestone Pie to hear a sentence, let alone a word, from her usually quiet sister, Marble Pie. Still, that did not shock her more that the response she just heard.
So Limestone turned back to Marble with wide, speechless eyes and asked, “You… you do?”
“Mm-hmm.” she nodded with an honest smile.
“But why?” she flabbergasted. “After everything I did today, why would you still look up to me?”
“Because you’re my big sister.” she answered simply much to Limestone’s disbelief. “I mean, you’ve always took care of me, and looked after my well-being. Whenever I was picked on at school or I got hurt or sick, you would be there for me. I know how timid, afraid, and… shy I can be sometimes. I… often wish that I was more like you, even though you can be… a bit aggressive from time to time.” That last part kind of hurt Limestone a little as she began to feel bad, so Marble Pie continued to hopefully raise her sister's spirits. “Still, you’ve shown so much patience with me and sought to build up my confidence whenever you get the chance, including today.”
And then, Marble finished it up with a soft embrace as she concluded with a warm smile, “No matter what, you will always be my big sister, Limestone Pie. And nothing will ever change that.”
Limestone was utterly speechless by Marble's heartfelt words as her eyes were glued onto her sister's genuine, smiling face. Never has she thought she would hear such kind, thoughtful words from anypony, let alone from her own sister. It was almost hard for her to accept them.
But once those sweet, sincere words sank in deeply, she gradually broke out of her frozen state as she trembled like mad. As she shook uncontrollably, her quivering lips stretched out all the way to her cheeks. And before she knew it, tears began to pour out of her eyes like fresh, clear spring water.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Limestone rushed forward to hug her little sister and said in a tear-stricken, grateful tone, “Thank you, Marble Pie. Thank you.”
With tranquil silence between them, the two sisters held on to their heartfelt hug for as long as they can. And after an extensive period of time, they gradually ended their sisterly embrace. But once they were done with that, Marble Pie suddenly jumped out of their bed and left the room. Limestone Pie was shocked and confused by her sister's hasty departure. But thankfully, her shock was only momentary when her little sister came back shortly afterwards.
From her return, Marble was carrying a necklace in her mouth. It had dozens of pieces that looked like spherical shapes of rock candy that consisted of blue, red, and purple variations. Along with that, there were also half-moon shaped pieces, which sparkled just like Maud’s special batch of rock candy.
Once she set the candy jewelry aside next to her big sister, Marble explained in an increasingly shy manner, “I've been meaning to give you this.”
In response, Limestone picked it for a closer inspection and replied, “Hey, this is your rock candy necklace, isn't it?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But why are you giving this to me?”
“Well, I wanted to impress you for what you have taught me today.” she answered shyly as ever. “And I thought Maud’s candy looked really pretty. So I went over to their side to borrow some of theirs. Pinkie then told me more about their candy-making tradition as they would trade their necklaces for each other once they complete them. I… hope you like it.” she addressed with a blushing smile. “I tried to carve them like limes since these rock candies share the same flavor. They're your favorite, right?”
Limestone looked at the necklace again and paid close attention to the lime-shaped candy pieces. Each of the green-colored wedges had lines etched on them that are evenly spaced out. They each even have a half-circle outline to serve as the citrus fruit's rind.
As Limestone continued stared at the necklace, Marble added in a shaky tone, “I understand if you don't want it since it's not as good as yours.”
“No, it's not good.” Limestone responded bluntly, which caused Marble’s heart to break a little even though she tried her best to cover that. But to the younger filly’s astonishment, a wide smirk spread across Limestone’s face as she continued in a witty manner, “It's perfect.”
From hearing her big sister saying that, a slight gasp escaped her wide, gaping lips as they stretched into a trembling smile across Marble’s face. And just as the youngest of the two was about to weep in joy over pleasing her sister, Limestone was the next pony to reach for something this time.
Right underneath her pillow, she pulled out her own candy necklace, which still featured the edible centerpiece of the candy-maker’s face. She hid her necklace earlier because she couldn't bear to have it serve as a reminder on how disastrous today was. But once her guilt had washed away thanks to her supportive sisters, she discovered a new purpose in her recently crafted necklace as she held it in front of her bewildered sibling while displaying a big, toothy smile.
“Here. I believe this counts as a fair trade, right?”
A bit hesitant to accept such a wonderfully detailed gift at first, Marble eventually gave in to her sister’s generosity as she graciously welcomed it by placing the necklace around her necklace. And in return, Limestone put on her gift as well. Once the string of candy was secured around her neck, Marble Pie took a moment to enjoy the craftsmanship her big sister put into her necklace. And afterwards, they share one big hug to commemorate their first Rock-Candy-Necklace-athon together.
In the midst of their hugging, Limestone looked at her sister and asked in a gentle tone, “So umm… is there anything you wanna do for tomorrow?”
“Well… I would like try my hoof on sculpting some more if that’s okay with you.” Marble replied with a shy, adorable smile.
“I think we can make that happened.” she complied with a smirk.
The Next Day…
Just like yesterday, Limestone Pie was working on her sculptures once again, but this time, she brought over a friend with her as Marble Pie was quite happy and eager for today's lesson in sculpting. Each of them had a large, rectangular block of marble along with their own set of carving tools. Along with that, they wore their rock candy necklaces, which they gave to each other last night. Some of their rock candy pieces were already eaten throughout the day. With her little sister ready and willing, Limestone was more than happy to carry out with today's lesson plan.
“Okay, Marble Pie. The trick is to picture in your mind on how you want it to come out.” Limestone instructed as she stood in-between her sister and the large block of marble. “Everything depends on the first strikes you make on your statue. You gotta be the marble.”
“Be the marble.” the younger sibling mused with wondrous eyes.
“That's right.” she grinned as she placed a hoof on the enormous rock in front of them. “Look at it. Visualize the sculpture within. Be the marble.”
Mimicking her older sister, Marble Pie also placed a hoof on the block to get a good feel of the material she's working with, and she repeated to herself once again, “Be the marble.”
“Yes, exactly! So, ready to make your first marble statue, sis?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Then go for it, Marble!” Limestone exclaimed in an energetic manner.
From her big sister’s support, Marble felt a boost of confidence like never before. With a surprisingly fearless smile, she grabbed her chisel and hammer and firmly placed the former tool on the marble’s surface. And once she visualized the concept in mind, she felt ready enough to begin her work, and drove her hammer against the chisel's flat-sided end.
But just right after the first strike she made, a crack began to spread rapidly just like Limestone’s disastrous piece from yesterday. Much to the two sisters’ horror, Marble’s rock was covered entirely in cracks. And in an instant, its hard shell crumbled into a million pieces. The crumbling dusts got into their eyes so they had to close them shut for a bit. Of course, Marble just wanted to cry over how her work literally fell into pieces. But once the dust settled and they were able to reopen their eyes, they once again stared at the remains with huge, gaping faces and big, bulgy eyes. However, what they were witnessing was nothing short of a miracle.
For in its place was a magnificent statue that stood out like a phoenix rising from its ashes. Miraculously, it bore a resemblance of Princess Celestia with her large, swan-like wings, her tall, regal body, her signature crown and shoes, and her expansive, wavy mane and tail. Everything about her was a spitting image to the real princess. Meanwhile, the two gawking fillies were so blown away by the sculpture’s pristine details that they were utterly speechless.
But soon enough, their gawking got interrupted when they noticed their sister, Pinkie Pie, standing next to them with an extremely gaping face mirroring that with theirs. Though strangely enough, Pinkie’s wide-eyed gaze was directed at her two sisters more instead of the impressive statue beside them. And just as the awkward silence was about to linger a little bit longer...
“AAAAAAHHH!!”
Pinkie Pie let out a mighty, high-pitched scream, and she immediately ran back home, screaming all the way.
From observing Pinkie’s over-the-top reaction, Marble took it harshly as she looked back at her eldest sister with a very worrisome face. “Oh no. My work is so terrible, it scared Pinkie away. I’m so sorry, Limestone. Did I do it all wrong?”
Limestone was flabbergasted from hearing her timid sister's worries. But shortly after that, she suddenly bursted into spontaneous laughter much to Marble’s confusion as she responded out loud, “Are you kidding me?!” Once her laughter died down, Limestone simply shook her head and added with an amusing smirk. “I can’t believe I'm saying this… but… this is the best sculpture ever!”
“It is?” Marble squeaked with immense surprise.
“Yeah! I mean, look at it!” Limestone exclaimed with very impressive smile. “You were able to create it with just one stroke of your chisel!”
It took awhile to accept such praise from her big sister, but gradually, a humble smile spread across her face. But her moment of glory was put on hold when they noticed the presence of the rest of their family, no doubt thanks to Pinkie Pie upon her return.
“Everypony! Lookie! Lookie! Lookie!” Pinkie shrieked in a sing-song voice.
As per usual, Maud Pie didn't show a slightest change in her constant, blank expression. But for their parents’ case, their reactions are quite the opposite compared their second-born filly as their mouths hanging widely while staring with big eyes at the marvelous statue in front of them.
Amazed at the sculpture’s beauty over his majestic princess, Igneous Rock Pie removed his hat and placed it over his chest before muttering in the form of a whisper, “Sweet Celestia! It's… so beautiful!” And for a moment, a tear escaped from one of his eyes.
Flabbergasted as her husband, Cloudy Quartz turned to her youngest daughter and asked, “Marble Pie? Did thou do all of this by thyself?”
Completely shy by all of the attention Marble was receiving, the grinning Limestone Pie took it upon herself to speak on her sister's behalf, “Yep, she sure did, Ma!”
“Oh Marble Pie! We are so proud of you!” her mother beamed with joy as she and her husband embraced their timid daughter endearingly. “We simply couldn’t believe it once Pinkamena told us about it!”
After their parents’ congratulatory hug, Pinkie Pie stared at them with a slightly bewildered frown before saying to them, “What? I didn't call all of you out of here for that!”
The rest of the Pie Family stared at the pink pony with confusion on their faces. But before any of them could respond, Pinkie Pie continued as she directed what she was talking about it with a fore hoof.
“I called all of you out here for that!”
Following the direction of Pinkie’s foreleg, they all turned their heads to see what she was pointing at. But once they did, nearly all of them at once we're in complete shock at what they were seeing. Even Maud Pie, out of all ponies, displayed a sense of surprise when she raised the eyelids from her normally half-lidded gaze just a little. The only exceptions to this kind of surprise were Pinkie Pie, of course, and strangely enough, Marble Pie, as everyone else's stares were directed towards her.
“Wh-why is everypony looking at me like that?” Marble asked in an uncomfortable manner.
But as Marble's nervousness was starting to get to her, Limestone tapped her on the shoulder to get her sister's attention. Once she did, the smirking Earth Pony simply pointed down with a fore hoof as she directed on what's behind her little sister. And from following her older sister’s sly gesture, Marble looked down, and once she finally saw what everypony was gawking at, she too let out a silent gasp as her expansive eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
On her flank were three grayish-purple orbs that bore a smooth, rocky texture similar to her trademark name. Seeing this meant only one thing, but she had a hard time grasping that herself.
“Is that..my… my…?”
“That's right. You're very own Cutie Mark!” Limestone answered with a grin for her speechless sister.
Even with her older sister's confirmation, Marble still couldn't believe it herself. But sooner or later, the revelation began to sink in as she finally came up with a proper response for herself.
“YEEESSS!!”
In a manner very similar to her older, pink sister, the very ecstatic Marble Pie was bouncing around excitedly while squeaking out in joy over her newfound Cutie Mark. As her extreme giddiness began to down, she realized on what a scene she was making in front of her constantly grinning family. And from feeling incredibly flushed about this, Marble stopped herself and restated her jubilation in a normally quiet voice.
“Ahem. I mean, yay.”
“Eee! This is so exciting!” Pinkie Pie squeaked with a very big, perky smile. “You know what this calls for right?”
Not much to anyone else's surprise, Pinkie rushed around her family like a miniature pink tornado. And from completing her mini-twister, her family members were wearing a wide, colorful variety of park hats as Pinkie Pie shouted out loud with a burst of confetti showering upon them.
“A PARTY!”
As for Maud Pie, she too expressed her enthusiasm in her own unique way before blowing through her party blowout to showcase her overwhelming joy in the call for celebration.
“Woo-hoo. Pfffffff!”
“Just you wait, Marble Pie!” Pinkie said to her merrily. “I'm going to throw the best Cute-ceañera you will ever see!”
Bouncing ahead of everypony else, the young party pony extraordinaire leads her equally jubilant family to get their grand party ready. But just as Limestone was about to follow them, Marble stopped her with a fore hoof as she had something she wanted to ask first.
“Umm… Limestone?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“What? Why would I be?” she asked with a mild chuckle.
“Because… well… I finished my statue so quickly before you even got started with yours. And I was afraid that you would… h-hate me for that.” she answered ever-so timidly.
Speechlessly, Limestone just looked at her increasingly coy sister whilst blinking a couple of times. But then, she displayed a soft smile before pulling Marble in for a comforting hug as she reassured her in a gentle tone.
“I could never hate you, Marble. You're my little sister after all. Besides, I'm actually impressed that you could create something like that in an instant.”
Feeling much better over Limestone’s reassurance, Marble then replied bashfully, “Well… I did have a pretty good teacher. That, and a great big sister too.” she added with a wink and a knowing smile.
Following up on her sister's clever remark, Limestone let out a hearty chuckle before acknowledging that with a witty grin, “Yes you do.”
They then share one big hug over their rekindled sisterhood before Limestone lightly nudged Marble and suggested with a smirk, “Now come on! Aren't we gonna have a party or what?”
“Mm-hmm.” she answered with a sunny smile. And side by side, the two fillies galloped straight for home to join the others for today's celebration in honor of their youngest member in the family.
And from that day forward, Limestone Pie learned to take pride in somepony else than herself. And there was nopony she was more proud of than her little sister, Marble Pie.
THE END