Limestone sighed and took another sip of her lemonade. She was sitting at the desk in her room, trying to figure out what she should do about a recent development in her life. Pictures and notes were scattered across her desk haphazardly. All of them about a certain wannabe magician. Her attention at the moment, however, was on the framed photo in her hands. Her family, the Pie family.

Few people in Canterlot knew them well, despite the family moving to the area over four years ago. She knew not many people really cared to, her entire family was strange in one way or another. She could admit as much.

Pinkie Pie was impossible to not notice, and, at times, to get away from. Ever cheery and ready to make someone smile. She was known to go to incredible lengths for others.

Limestone couldn't stop that, nor did she want to. But, she expected that someone would take advantage of her little sister one day. Luckily, Pinkie Pie had shown no interest in getting a boyfriend, so that was a small blessing.

Pinkie didn't fit in with their parents. For that matter, she didn't really fit in with the entire family. She took after their grandmother. A patch of pink amidst a family of grey. This also applied to her ambitions. Pinkie also didn't fit anywhere in the family business, something their father worried about constantly. Still, she was happy, and the family had more than enough money to help her with whatever dream she may have for the future.

Then, there was Marble. Home schooled ever since the incident. Limestone felt the most assured of Marble, that she wasn't going to get into trouble again like last time. Marble had even gone with their parents on a few trips, in order to help her learn more about being a business inspector. It was a good way for the family to keep an eye on their business partners, and it would help them make sure their own practices were safe and efficient. The fact that it was a job of quiet observation and would be more about paperwork, and much less talking, was also a huge plus for the shy girl.

As for Limestone herself, well, she expected to take her over the family business one day. She was currently in college for business, and had been helping her parents with finances and purchasing years before that. She knew she'd do a fine job, if she could just have someone else pitch ideas and handle employees. She wasn't...good with people outside of her family.

And finally, there was Maud. Limestone set the photo frame down on her desk and let her finger run over her most promising sister.

Maud had plans to be an Geologist. At least, that was what Lime had heard from her last. She wanted to go to different mines and quarries, help find new ones, and grade the stones found there. Her grades were excellent, and Maud probably knew more about mining and grading stones than anyone else in the family.

And all of it might go to waste thanks to one blue-skinned bitch. Lime picked up one of her photos. She growled at the smug conceited face staring back at her.

She had thought Maud was smarter than this. She was sure Maud had learned enough after what happened to Marble. But, despite that painful time, Lime saw the same pattern emerging again.

The changes had been slow and subtle, something hard to pick out if Limestone wasn't Maud's sister and looking out for her like she was. Maud spending more time at the quarry wasn't anything unique. But, when it became several times every week, a few warning bells started ringing for Lime.

What was odd was when Maud announced she was going to the Spring Fling. She had never gone before. At first, Lime was concerned, but, Maud showed no signs of dressing up for it; no signs of having a date. So Lime had brushed it off as probably a promise Maud made to Pinkie to go, or something along those lines.

For Limestone, that was the night where everything had started to go wrong.

Maud had come home very late, bruised and battered. Apparently, she had gotten into a fight, but refused to tell Lime anything other than that. A short time after, Maud started coming home late. When Limestone asked, Maud never told the full truth of where she had been.

With more force than necessary, Lime went through the papers and pictures, crinkling some with the force of her grip. One paper showed the price of a stone statue, along with the name of the artist hired to make it. Another picture showed the broken remains of the statue, with the date it supposedly happened. Maud had still refused to explain anything about that incident.

Another paper, and yet more purchases. Lime bit at her lip. Maud had been so frugal with her allowance up till this point. Purchases for eyeliner and subtle makeup were evident. Makeup! Her sister was wearing makeup for probably the first time in her life!

Receipts for clothing purchases were in abundance as well, despite it once being something Maud couldn't be bothered to shop for more than once a year. To be fair, most of her wardrobe still looked the same. But, anything slightly tattered had been thrown out and replaced. Along with them were yet more receipts for snacks and food from malls, or small, nearby restaurants.

Maud had finally admitted to having a friend, but, asides from her name, she had refused to say little else about the girl. Just getting that information out of Maud had taken Limestone over an hour of prying and the silent concern of Marble for both of them.

Trixie. Feh, what a stupid name. It's telling you right there that she is just going to fool you and walk away.

For Limestone, it had reached a critical level when Maud had been injured again. This time though, it wasn't just a few bruises, she had cracked several bones in her hand and had to wear a cast. She refused to tell Lime why yet again.

Their parent's weren't of much help either. They were busy as usual managing the family business. Plus, in Lime's opinion, they trusted Maud a lot more than they should. The money she wasted on Trixie was evidence enough for Lime that Maud was no longer thinking straight.

Maud staying out most of the weekend was becoming an increasing issue for Lime. Her attempts at subtly watching the situation had to drop when Maud caught on and began harassing the investigators Lime hired. They had to stop all together once Maud actually called Lime from the cellphone she had snatched from one of them! Things had gotten progressively awkward between the two of them since. And it was all that snobbish wanna-be magician's fault!

The same pattern was happening again. Only this time, Lime was aware of it and working to prevent it. Lime wasn't willing to act too late. There would be no repeat if she could help it.

She let out an irritated huff as she quickly stood up, knocking the chair backward from the force. Limestone made her way out of the room and into their hallway, intent on getting something hard to chew on from the kitchen to vent her frustrations. However, on her way there, she heard a noise coming from Maud's room. Limestone actively worked to make her heavy footfalls gentler as she approached. Maud was talking to someone on her cellphone, yet another new purchase from last month.

Carefully, Limestone pressed her ear to Maud's door.

"Motionless, stationary, static, on the side of the slope am I. A solitary, secluded, singular troll caught out in the light of the day."

Was that...poetry? Was Maud actually repeating poetry over the phone to someone?

"I contemplate and cogitate in my ossified, fossilized, petrified state. Immobility leaves me limited, restricted, constrained while I wait."

Just what the hell was-

BANG!

Limestone gave a sharp cry as the door she had been pressed to reverberated with the force of the impact.

"Nothing. I just got rid of a pest."

Lime took the hint, and headed to the kitchen, softly swearing to herself along the way.

Wordy. If there was one word Lime wanted to use for how Maud was around Trixie, that would be it. Maud often gave no response to strangers, and only a few words at a time to her family. But with this Trixie bitch, she was willing to recite entire poems!?

Every time Lime brought up Trixie, Maud told her to stay out of it. It was Maud's business. Let it go. All the same words Marble had said.

She paused in the kitchen, angrily slamming one of her fists into the table and causing it to creak in protest.

It was impossible for her to leave this alone. Not after last time.

"Wait, your house has pests?"

Maud eyed the door to her room. "Something like that..."

"Hmmm, if Trixie were to guess, it's because of your sister. She can't imagine Pinkie being the cleanest of people."

Maud turned from the door and picked Boulder up again. "You'd be surprised."

Trixie's laughter rang out over the phone. "Not nearly as surprised as Sunset was!"

"..."

"...Maud?"

Maud gripped Boulder a little tighter. "...I didn't like what happened..."

"What do you mean?"

"...I lost control."

"Everyone did, Maud. It's not like you were alone in that. Sunset probably even had Trixie under her control for a few moments."

"...I don't like losing control."

There was a pregnant pause before Trixie tentatively spoke up again. "Do you even remember what happened?"

"...Not really."

Maud heard a sigh on Trixie's end. "Me neither. When Trixie came to, there was a hole in the ground, Sunset Shimmer crying, and Pinkie and those jerks looked...weird."

"Sunset became a demon."

"Pfft, she didn't have to transform for Trixie to know that about her."

"I thought you didn't remember anything."

"Some of the students saw it happen before Sunset took them over...this really sounds ridiculous."

"...Yeah..."

Another minute went by while Maud idly rolled Boulder around on the floor.

"Well, whatever. The important thing is that Sunset is gone now and won't bother anyone again. Me especially."

"...Was she still bothering you?"

"No, but, Trixie really couldn't relax when she was around, you know?"

"..."

"Did you just nod? I can't see you nod your head, Maud."

"Then how did you know I did it?"

"...anyways, we have Monday off because of...whatever all that was. So why don't we-"

"-Actually, would you like to come over tomorrow?"

"...What? Why?"

"There is a show on Rosey Quartz I wanted to watch."

"...You need to get out more."

"..."

"...Fine. Trixie will grace your humble home with her presence. Feel honored."

"...Okay. My sisters should be gone for the weekend."

"Ah. Trixie is glad to hear it, Pinkie is a little...much, even for Trixie. The others will be gone too?"

"...Yes. There is nothing to worry about."

"...Why would Trixie have to worry, Maud?"

"My sisters are...odd."

"...Ya don't say."

"...What?"

Limestone tried not to sound annoyed at Maud for making her repeat herself. She failed.

"I said the trip got called off, meaning me and Marble just wasted all that time last night packing. Didn't you hear us down here?"

"...I thought that was Pinkie..."

Limestone let out a snarky laugh "Yeah, when was the last time Pinkie was home on a Saturday afternoon?"

"...So you're home today?"

"For all that's left of it."

The noise of someone softly walking down the stairs distracted Lime. Marble, dressed in a light pink skirt that went down to her knees, could be seen descending the stairs to enter the kitchen. Limestone looked back to Maud.

"Seriously, what the hell is wrong with airports? They couldn't have-um...Maud?

Maud's widened eyes threw Limestone off of the tangent she had been working up to. "You okay?"

"..." Maud turned around and got her cellphone out. Limestone heard the noise of Maud quickly tapping the keys as she made her way upstairs and passed Marble without saying a word.

"....Okay, what the hell is her problem?"

Marble shrugged for a second and looked at Lime suspiciously.

"Woah, hey. I haven't done shit to her, okay!?"

Marble's face went back to normal, though she did raise a doubting eyebrow.

"Seriously, I haven't bothered her about that little bitch Trixie in over a month, okay!? She's the one with the problem, not me!"

Limestone angrily gestured towards the stairs Maud had just walked up.

"Hell, I didn't even ask her for her cell number yet! Doesn't that kind of annoy you too? She's had it for over a month now, but didn't bother to give her sister's her number?"

Marble looking to the side and innocently whistling brought a glare to her sister's face.

"You suck. I bet Pinkie has it too, doesn't she?"

"...Mhm..."

"Great. Just fucking great."

Marble rolled her eyes a second too slow for Limestone to not see, then took out her cellphone. Within seconds, Marble typed out a message and sent it.

Limestone heard her cellphone go off and took it out of her pocket. Shortly after, she gave Marble a scowl.

"You're pretty ballsy when you don't have to say anything."

"Hmph." Marble's single eye glared at Limestone with all the strength of a puppy. She pointed at her phone and then gave Limestone a come hither motion.

Lime couldn't help but crack up a little. "Heh, no thanks. The last thing I want is to get into a shit throwing match over the phone with you. I'll just-"

Knock Knock Knock

"Huh?"

Knock Knock KNOCK!

"Okay! I'm coming! For fuck's sake!"

Limestone made her way over to the door, a slight tick pulsing on her forehead as whoever was there began pounding again. With a quick turn of the knob Limestone threw the door open, ready to let out her anger on the impatient idiot that kept knocking.

"WHAT THE.....fuck...?"

"Hmm...your sister was right, you are odd. Has Trixie's wonderful appearance shocked you into silence?"

The girl. The bitch using her sister was standing right in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Despite the intended harshness of Lime's tone, Trixie returned it with a smirk.

"Funny, Trixie could ask you the same thing. Maud said she had the house to herself today."

So that's why she was so freaked out. Damn it, Maud, you seriously invited her here!?

"Plan's changed. So you better just-"

"Is Maud here?" Trixie interrupted.

"Yes, she is, and I don't-"

Trixie walked around her, ducking underneath Lime's arm that was holding the door open in a death grip.

"Maud!? The great and powerful Trixie has arrived!"

You did NOT just ignore me!

"Huh, you're not Maud either. Cute though."

"Mmmmm...!"

Lime turned around to see Trixie standing less than a foot away from a red faced Marble. Marble was trying to inch away from Trixie and looking to Limestone in terror.

Lime growled and slammed the door before stalking towards Trixie. "Get away from her you B-"

Trixie's eyes looked away from Marble's due to Lime's yelling, but instead of focusing on her, they looked to the stairs. "Ah! There you are!"

"Trixie...you're scaring Marble."

Limestone's eyes darted to the stairs where Maud was now standing.

"What?" Trixie huffed, eyeing Marble. "I'm not even touching her!"

"She's...not good with strangers..."

Despite Maud talking to Trixie, her eyes stayed on Limestone. With a growl, Limestone gave Maud a glare.

Trixie eyed the blushing girl for a moment longer before stepping back. Seconds later Marble took a seat at the table, making sure to keep it between her and Trixie. "Hmm, must be why I don't recognize her from school."

"...Did you get my message?"

"Oh, sorry, Trixie left her phone at home. Was there something you needed her to pick up?"

"..."

She chuckled. "Your silence's are SO helpful, Maud."

"..."

Trixie eyed the way Maud and Limestone kept looking at each other. "Are you two fighting?"

"..."

Trixie sighed. "Maud, could you please let whatever it is you two are angry over go for right now? Trixie came here for fun...well, however much fun there is in quartz. Speaking of which!"

Trixie stood in front of Maud, breaking the sister's eye contact with each other. Lime couldn't see what, but Trixie was holding something up to Maud.

"Ta Da! Trixie figured she should bring a gift over, and here it is! To rose quartz! And to... whatever they are used for." She dropped the thing in Maud's hand.

"...Were did you get this?"

Trixie turned from Maud and raised her hands to her sides in expectation. Limestone tried to glare at her, but quickly realized that Trixie wasn't even registering her existence at the moment.

"Amazed, Maud? Well, you should be. Trixie searched high and low for a mid grade Rose quartz for tonight! The dealer-"

"-Wait...you bought this?"

Trixie half turned back to Maud, letting Limestone see the piece of rose quartz in Maud's hand.

She bought that!?

"Of course Trixie bought it, Maud. You wouldn't expect her to mine it herself, would you?" Trixie shook her head at the ludicrousness of such a thought. "No, no, Trixie assures you, she got the better end of that deal. The poor dealer was practically in tears at the price Trixie bargained him down to!"

"...It's low grade...and cracked."

"...What? Let me see that."

Trixie swiped the quartz out of Maud's hand and peered at it.

"The dealer said it complimented Trixie perfectly!"

"..."

Limestone could literally feel the glare Trixie was leveling at Maud.

"Very funny."

"...I didn't-"

"You were thinking it!"

"...What part did he say was mid grade?"

Limestone was getting annoyed at trying to stare a hole through Trixie's back, and went over to sit next to Marble. The siblings silently watched the two bicker.

Trixie looked at Maud, confusion on her face. "What...part...?"

"...Was it the tone...the saturation...the-"

Trixie stamped a foot on the ground and looked away from Maud. "I don't know! He just said it was mid-grade! How would I know!? I'm not a rock freak!"

Limestone couldn't help herself and yelled at Trixie. "Just what the hell does that mean!?"

Gently, Maud placed a hand on Trixie's shoulder. "He was right though."

Trixie gave Maud a sideways glance, irritation still on her face. "So it is mid grade?"

Seriously!? Limestone thought to herself. Am I fucking invisible!?

"...No. You were ripped off."

"Damnit!"

"...It does suit you a little though."

"HA!"

Limestone's outburst caused Maud to stare over at her for a second. When Maud turned back to Trixie, she was met with a pair of deadpan eyes.

"...I didn't mean anything bad..."

"..."

Surprisingly, to Limestone, Maud looked frustrated. It was unique, something she hadn't seen from Maud in a long time.

"Look-" Maud pointed to the quartz in Trixie's hand and moved it around. "The tone and saturation work well with you, he was right about that. The clarity is...horrible...which...works with..."

"..."

"..."

Finally, Trixie sighed and handed the quartz over to Maud. "Maud, you suck at compliments..."

With a shake of her shoulders, Trixie turned around and started up the stairs. "You're lucky Trixie's in a good mood, and that her confidence is unshakable. Let's just go watch this video of yours now and quit wasting time, okay?"

"...Okay."

Maud followed Trixie up the stairs. Trixie's voice could be heard loudly proclaiming something, but Limestone couldn't understand it.

A glance over to Marble revealed her own worries and confusion on what they had just witnessed. After a few moments, Limestone's phone beeped. Lime looked over the message, then turned to Marble and nodded.

"Yeah. We're totally doing that."

A little sparse, but it fits her.

If there was one word Trixie had to describe about Maud's room, it would be functional. Give her another word, and it would be grey. The bed was comfortable enough underneath her, and with a pillow Trixie was comfortably using the wall the bed pressed against for support. But, the greyish sheets, blankets and pillows were... well, Trixie wasn't sure. Awkward? There was matching a room to one color scheme and then there was overkill.

This was overkill.

The bed, the dresser, the desk, the chair, hell, even the carpet and paint color of the room. Trixie was surrounded in a vastness of grey. The only real color was the myriad of different colored and shaped stones on shelves above the desk. Trixie stared at them for a minute or two, chewing her cracker slowly, before taking a peek over at Maud. She was met with a familiar sight.

For the third time in a row, Trixie caught Maud staring at her instead of the television. And for the third time in a row, Maud looked back to the screen quickly. Trixie finished chewing her crackers and swallowed. "What?"

"...Nothing."

"Is there something on Trixie's face?" Trixie rubbed around her cheeks, but only came up with a couple crumbs.

"...You brought a lot..."

"Hmm?" Trixie looked over to her back pack, and the multiple boxes of crackers sticking out of it. "Yeah, I guess so."

Trixie grinned to herself, grabbing another handful. "There are so many flavors, and Trixie gave them up when she-"

A gentle prod to her side reminded Trixie of Maud's aversion. Every time Trixie unwittingly slipped back into third person, it bothered Maud. When it happened too often, Maud chose to let that displeasure be known. Luckily for Trixie, Maud chose to let her know it in a ticklish form.

"...Sorry. Have I been speaking like that a lot tonight?"

"...A bit."

Trixie shrugged. "You're going to have to get used to it, Maud. I'm trying to remember not to, but it's kind of a... habit."

"...Habits can be broken."

Trixie sighed and waved a hand at Maud. "Yes, yes. Trixie has no interest in breaking it though. So just accept it already."

"...So...the crackers?"

"Hmm? Oh! Right!" Trixie took a moment to chew on another one. "I gave them up when I decided to remake myself, the calories on these are ridiculous. Then, when that...fell through, I wasn't in much of a mood for, well, anything."

She sighed and began licking the remains off of her fingers. "So, I'm indulging. Sunset's gone, we have a three day weekend, and this is my first time at your house. I think it's a good time to indulge, don't you?" Trixie grinned over to Maud, slowly licking her last finger to savor the taste.

Maud looked away from Trixie quickly, feeling heat radiating across her face again. She could feel her heart beating faster and tried to calm her body down.

By this point in their friendship, Maud had come to expect this sort of thing from Trixie. She was almost positive Trixie didn't even realize what she was doing to Maud, or what her actions would have meant to anyone who didn't know her by now.

Trixie was, in all aspects, a horrible tease.

Once Maud felt her face cool down, she looked back to Trixie. She was nibbling on another cracker slowly in a way that, to Maud, emphasized her lips. It was clear to Maud how much Trixie enjoyed crackers, she just wished that Trixie didn't show it quite this much. Still...

I know her favorite snack now...

Maud looked over to Boulder, and then back to the bags of crackers, looking for something to take her mind off of Trixie's unintentional antics.

"Maud, what are you doing?"

"Boulder's hungry..."

"Don't waste them like that!"

"What the hell are they doing?"

Marble shrugged, but kept her ear pressed to the door.

"Of all the stupid things, that's it! Maud, you are banned from Trixie's crackers for the rest of the night!"

"But-"

Lime didn't hear the rest of the conversation, she was busy seething.

With the money Maud's spent on her, that bitch shouldn't complain even if Maud just threw them all out!

Limestone wouldn't have been surprised if Maud had been the one to purchase the snacks for tonight as well. Or, at least, had given Trixie the money for them. I can't believe Maud is being taking in by this waste of-

A hand on her shoulder took her out of her thoughts, causing her to jolt in surprise. Marble was looking at her in concern. The reason became clear as Lime quickly realized how ragged her breathing had become, and how a slight red haze had taken the sides of her vision away.

"Sorry, I'm fine now. Look, it's clear how Trixie treats Maud, right? So- "

Limestone was interrupted by Maud's door suddenly opening. Marble, with no support now, fell forward and sprawled out half in the hallway and half in Maud's room. Maud calmly looked between the two of them, a slight twitch of irritation on her face.

"...What are you two doing...?"

Lime heard laughter from behind Maud.

"Aww, isn't it obvious, Maud?" Trixie called from Maud's bed. "They didn't have anything better to do since their plans got cancelled. Did you two want to watch the show with Maud but were too afraid to ask?" She chuckled, giving Lime a pitying look.

"Mmmmmm!"

Lime looked over to Marble in confusion. No one had stepped on her, so why had she made such a high pitched noise? A quick once over confirmed that Marble wasn't hurt, but her face was redder than Limestone had seen before. Confused at this, Limestone followed Marble's gaze back to Trixie's face.

Then, she looked down. Her face instantly matched Marble's.

What the hell!

Marble was still in her pink skirt from earlier. Lime had stripped down to a pair of grey shorts and a white tank top. Maud had Lime's same taste in sleepwear, though she still had on her makeup for some reason.

Trixie, however, was clad in a blue and purple one piece negligee that more resembled a corset than anything else, and hid about as much. She grinned over to Marble and patted the space next to herself "It's okay girls, I think Maud wouldn't mind starting the video over again, right?" She looked up to Maud for confirmation. "She missed most of it anyway."

Maud looked over at Limestone and Marble. Despite Marble's blushing, she nodded with some enthusiasm, trying to appear innocent while keeping her eyes firmly away from Trixie. Lime rolled her eyes and shrugged at Maud, also trying to latch onto the excuse Trixie had given her and Marble for snooping.

Maud walked over to the television and started fiddling with the menus. "...I guess."

Limestone looked over to Marble nervously. Marble eyed her apologetically before standing up and taking a spot on the floor as far away from Trixie as possible.

With an internal groan, Limestone stood up and took a spot next to Marble as Maud started the video again.

Rose Quartz. One of nature's many miracles. Who could imagine that adding a small amount of titanium, iron, or manganese, could produce such a magnificent color? In this documentary, we-

Trixie pointed vaguely at the screen. "What's that one?"

Why.

"...A m-milky quartz..."

"And the one behind her?"

Won't.

"...A smoky quartz..."

"Seriously? Why is she still talking about the rose one? The smoky one looks more interesting."

She.

"...I-if you want, I have that one r-recorded too..."

Trixie squeezed Maud's arm between her own before giving a nervous little laugh. "Heh... maybe next time, okay?"

Shut up!?

Marble comfortingly rubbed one of Lime's shoulders.

The last hour had been an endurance trial for Limestone. It had, at least, firmly helped cement her thoughts on Trixie.

The bitch was definitely using her sister. No one went to these lengths if they weren't getting something out of it.

Limestone had watched silently as Trixie kept talking throughout the entire documentary. It was all inane, stupid things too. What rock is that? What's that thing? Why don't the workers look like miners? What did the narrator just say?

To make it worse, her sister Maud just answered like nothing was wrong! Like the little brat wasn't bothering her, or acting like an idiot! And every time Maud answered, Trixie had given Maud's arm, which was firmly held in both of Trixie's own and pressed slightly against her right breast, a squeeze.

Maud's responses would have been kind of funny, if she wasn't Lime's sister. Maud was red the entire time she sat on the bed next to Trixie, and at least half the time Maud's response, despite only consisting of one or two words, had a stutter in it. It probably didn't help Maud that Trixie kept squirming and accidentally rubbing her naked legs against Maud's.

Twice throughout, Maud had left for the bathroom. Both times, Trixie had stretched herself across the entire bed and completely ignored the show until Maud had come back. None of this endeared Lime to her.

It's disgusting. Lime thought. Marble didn't even have to put up with this shit in the beginning. Is this how she's getting Maud to pay for everything and get in fights for her?

It was clear to Lime now that Trixie was faking being Maud's friend. She had barely looked at the screen when Maud was away, and the black void that Trixie called a mind clearly had no clue about geology in the slightest. She was just putting up with this to keep Maud.

Lime couldn't do anything tonight, but tomorrow, she could. Tomorrow she'd stop being nice and rehire the investigator. Tomorrow she'd start digging up everything that made this blue-skinned fucker tick.

After all, she thought. No matter where you dig, eventually you'll find a skeleton.

Later that night...

Trixie slowly slipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, humming a happy tune.

I didn't understand half of that show, but at least Maud and her sisters seemed to enjoy themselves. I think.

Maud had told her earlier to help herself to whatever was in the fridge, and since she was thirsty, that's just what Trixie intended to do.

After crossing half the distance over to the fridge though, Trixie became aware of the sound of clicking. A quick glance around the kitchen, and Trixie found the source of the noise. Marble.

Hmm, well, she seems the nicest of Maud's sisters. Perhaps I should try to talk to her again. She's quiet, like Maud. She also kept sneaking glances at me, like Maud.

Trixie knew from earlier that Marble was a little nervous, so she made sure her footfalls were heavy as she made her way over to the table. Despite that, Marble didn't glance up at all.

Impressive. Trixie thought, watching as Marble's fingers flew over the keys on her phone in a blur. Marble's face was scrunched up in concentration, though she wore an amused grin.

Well, no time like the present to break the ice. Again.

"What are you texting ab-woah!"

With a sharp cry of surprise, Marble launched her phone into the air. The phone flew up for a few seconds, before making a quick descent and hitting the table with a solid thunk.

Trixie nervously laughed. "W-well, that could have been worse."

"...." Marble slumped in her seat and stared down at the table.

A minute passed.

It's like getting to meet Maud all over again.

With a sigh, Trixie sat down next to Marble, not quite touching her, but close enough that Marble couldn't avoid seeing Trixie out of the corner of her eye. Trixie quickly noticed Marble turning red.

"Are you okay? Trixie didn't scare you that badly, right?"

Marble's eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere they could but at Trixie.

"Hey, calm down, Trixie doesn't bite." She gave a sideways grin before lightly patting Marble on the back.

Things went drastically downhill from there.

"GAH!" Marble nearly leaped out of her seat at the sudden contact, and proceeded to trip over one of her chair's legs and fall over. The chair came along for the ride and made a solid smack as it hit the tiled floor next to Marble.

Trixie sighed and leaned down, peering at Marble for a second before grabbing her wrist and trying to help her back up.

The blood quickly rushed to Marble's head as Trixie leaned down, her eyes transfixed on the negligee Trixie wore and the uncomfortable contact. Panicked, Marble started kicking lightly at Trixie's feet to keep her away.

"Oh come on, Trixie is trying to help y-ow!" She got out of her seat and sat down on her knees next to Marble, keeping Marble's wrist firmly in her grasp the entire time despite the squirming.

Crap, her face is completely red, is she hyperventilating?

Irritation wormed its way onto Trixie's face as she grabbed for Marble's other hand that was waving around randomly. "I said calm down!"

Suddenly, Trixie was lifted up. With a solid smack, the air was quickly forced from her lungs as she hit a wall. She was firmly held against it while a furry gray blob screamed into her face.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MARBLE!?"

"W-wait, *cough* Trixie was-"

Limestone ignored her and moved the arm pressing against Trixie's chest up to her throat.

"I don't give a fuck what you think you were doing. Stay away from my family!"

Trixie found her vision starting to swim. "I was just-"

Lime's eyes widened as a twisted look crossed over her face. Her other arm gripped at Trixie's shoulder and dug in painfully. "I will break every bone in your fucking body and make it look like an accident.."

Trixie found herself shivering. Futilely, she grasped for words. "I-I'm not-"

Limestone quickly pulled Trixie towards her and then slammed her head back into the wall. " I already did it once, you know. You don't deserve to be around Maud, so you can take your stupid little accent, inane questions and slutty outfit and get the fuck out of my house!"

Trixie's breathing became more erratic. For a second, she saw Sunset in front of her again. Saw herself slammed up against a locker again. Saw Sunset's hand against her throat.

A second hand joined Lime's at her neck. Marble's. Trixie heard an unfamiliar voice. It was soft, but insistent.

"Stop!"

Air suddenly became much easier for Trixie, as both hands let go of her throat. Without a second thought, Trixie ran between the two of them and fumbled for a few seconds with the lock.

The soft voice called out again. "W-wait..."

Trixie didn't hear it. The second the lock was off she threw the door open and ran out into the night.

Marble wouldn't let go of her hand. Sure, Limestone might have gone a little too far, but she wasn't about to go chasing after the little bitch.

The look on Marble's face said that she thought otherwise.

"I-I'm okay." Lime panted. Why was she panting? "Seriously."

Marble shook her head, and kept a firm grip on Lime's hand.

The sound of someone walking down the stairs made Limestone's eyes go wide for a few seconds.

Fuck. Maud's gonna be pissed. Well, it wasn't my fault. Trixie was attacking Marble.

Yeah, Lime let her rage out on the bitch, but she deserved it.

"...I heard something."

Lime watched as Maud slowly looked over the room, eyes lingering on the fallen chair, Marble holding onto Lime, and then finally, over to the door.

Looking over the scene herself, Lime gave a soft whistle. The door stopper had been completely smashed into the wall and would need replacement. There was also a slight, acrid smell in the air that caused Lime to look around. Her gaze finally fell to the floor, where a small, wet trail was obvious. Limestone almost wanted to laugh.

Holy fuck, It's been forever since I made someone piss themselves.

Finally, Maud looked over to Limestone. "...Where's Trixie?"

Lime grumbled angrily. This was going to suck. "Probably halfway home by now."

"....What?"

"Hey, she attacked Marble!"

Maud blinked. "...Why?"

Limestone clenched her teeth before leveling Maud with a glare. "Why? That doesn't matter, Maud! She. Attacked. Marble! Marble was struggling on the floor with Trixie still in that whore outfit of hers trying to pin her down!"

Maud's wide eyed, disbelieving stare only pissed Limestone off more.

"...u-uhm..." Limestone felt her hand being tugged at, but ignored it.

Clenching her first, Limestone raised it in front her. "So I threw that bitch off of her and into the wall! I warned her to stay away from us! Away from you! You aren't thinking straight anymore, Maud!"

"B-but.."

"I saw it all, Maud! All the money you've wasted on her! The injuries you came home with! Did you really think I was going to let her treat you like that!? She's just after your money, like that son of a bitch that latched on Marble!"

"She wasn't-"

"And tonight proved it! You saw what she was wearing! She was practically begging you to fuck her! She's manipulating you, Maud! And she showed her true colors when I came downstairs and saw her attacking M-"

"She wasn't attacking me!"

Marble's scream stopped Lime's rant cold. After a few seconds, when the rage had calmed down a little, Lime picked up on a few things she had failed to notice until now. The tight death grip Marble had on her hand. The small sniffs and sobs that Marble had probably been working up to during Lime's rant.

"Wait..." Lime asked, torn between anger and confusion. "What?"

"I-I'm sorry..." Marble mumbled out, burying her head in Limestone's back. "I'm so sorry...she-she-"

"...She what?" Maud asked, her eyes slowly moving between the door and Marble.

"...She scared me. S-she...wanted to talk. T-then she...touched me. And I fell. I-I'm sorry. I just-"

"Hey, hey." Lime turned around and embraced Marble, hugging her tight. "It's not your fault."

"B-But-" Marble whimpered out, clinging to Lime. "I-if I could just t-talk to s-someone normally...T-this-"

"...Don't worry." Maud said, coming over and giving Marble a pat on the head. "...If Trixie likes you, or...is comfortable...she's...bad at...personal space..."

"B-but, she was t-trying to help me u-up, and t-then I panicked. I was k-kicking her, a-and-"

"Sssshhh" Lime quietly said while rubbing Marble's back. "You're fine Marble, okay? It's not your fault. You're not to blame here."

"No," Maud agreed icily. Lime looked over to Maud, surprised at the coldness in her voice, before seeing something she hadn't expected.

Maud was glaring at her. There was no hinting at what Maud was feeling at that moment. She was completely pissed with Limestone.

"You are."

With that, Maud turned around and walked back upstairs. Less than a minute later, she came back down with her shoes on, and headed out the door, far faster than Lime had seen her move in years.

"So..." Lime started, dumbly. "she wasn't hurting you?"

Marble, still pressed into her chest, shook her head.

"...Fuck.."

After Maud left, Limestone helped Marble get to bed, even tucking her in before she left. With her sister calmed down, all Limestone could really think to do was wait for Maud to come back. So, she camped out in the kitchen and waited.

A little over an hour later, Maud walked through the door. From Limestone's vantage point, the anger on Maud's face hadn't lessened at all. Lime could hardly remember the last time Maud had stayed angry for this long.

"Any luck?" Lime asked.

"...She's home..." Maud closed the door and walked over to the table. She didn't sit down. "The light was on...before I knocked..."

"That's good. I guess?"

"...I knocked on her window..."

"Ummm, okay?"

Maud grabbed the back of one of the chairs. The chair creaked as Maud squeezed it.

"I knocked for twenty minutes..."

Lime looked at her confusedly. "Why?"

"If you're persistent...Trixie won't ignore you..."

Lime heard the back of the chair cracking.

"She didn't answer..."

Why are my sisters so messed up?

Lime held both her hands up, as if trying to ward off Maud's anger. "Look, I fucked up, okay? But you can't blame me, that bitch-"

Maud's glare stopped her from continuing.

"This is why I didn't want her around you."

"What? Because I could see what she-"

"-Because I can't trust you anymore."

That hit Lime hard. It was like Maud's words had cut a hole in her chest.

"H-hey. Come on, I-"

"-You never thought about me."

Lime was creeped out. Maud was talking in full sentences. Maud was glaring at her. Anger was visible in Maud's normally monotone voice.

Maud continued, fingers repeatedly clenching on the poor abused chair.

"You stepped on everything I had. Again."

"Maud," Lime winced, she could hear the pleading tone in her own voice. "calm down. L-look, I don't remember ever stepping on your life."

Maud raised a hand, and brought up a finger.

"You took Marble."

She held up a second finger.

"And now, Trixie."

"W-what!?" Lime protested. "What the hell are you talking about? I never took Marble from you. What does that even mean!?"

"You talked her out of school."

"I was trying to protect her! She couldn't handle being around all those-"

"She was getting better!" Maud shouted.

That action seemed to release something in Maud. Quietly, she sat in the chair she had been gripping up to this point. She bowed her head and stared at the table.

"She was getting better," Maud insisted. "And, and even if she wasn't...I wasn't alone..."

Lime didn't know what to say to that. After a moment, Maud continued on, voice slightly choked.

"Trixie...Trixie doesn't know what we do..."

"...What?"

"She doesn't know. About the business, about the quarries. The mines. Anything."

Lime looked at her, dumbstruck. "You're fucking kidding me. You don't expect me to believe that, right?"

Maud shook her head, still refusing to look up.

"No, but I do. She also thinks...I made the statue."

"..."

"..."

"...Seriously?"

"Yes..." Maud slowly reached out to grasp one of Lime's hands. She gave a hard squeeze before looking up, revealing how wet her face had become. "And if you chased her off for good, I''m never forgiving you."

Author's Notes:

Long time no see, eh? It seems like every year, for a few months, I just lost all interest in writing. If anyone is interested, Here is the poem Maud was reciting.

The second part will not take another four months to get done, I promise.