CHAPTER 1
The three large brick ovens simmer at a consent two-hundred-and-fifty degrees Fahrenheit, permeating the warm dense air lingering within the bakery with the smells of baking breads.
Two of eldest Pie sisters, Maud and Octavia, stand by one of the wooden displays in the center of the store that's half-full of one-pound dark rye loafs. Picking up one of the loafs, Octavia shows it to her eldest sister. "Do you like this one?" She picks up another one. "Or this one?"
Maud stare's intently at the loafs. "That one looks good." She points to the one in Octavia's right hand. Her sister smiles and places it in their basket.
In the back of the bakery, the three younger Pie sisters, Limestone, Pinkie, and Marble, lay their faces against the large viewing window overlooking the bakery's kitchen. They fixate their gaze on a mare kneading a wad of dough. Flour coats her hands and arms as she hums a soft tune to herself. Her work memorizing them all the while. Sensing that eyes are upon her, the mare looks at the fillies and gives them a sweet smile. The sisters smile back.
Walking up to the register, Octavia places the loaf on the countertop. The cashier, who is working on some paperwork drops his tasks and looks over at the sisters. "Well hello Maud, Octavia, how's your evening going?" He walks up to them crossing his arms on the countertop.
They smile. "Going well Mr. Cake," Maud replies, taking out four tokes.
Mr. Cake takes the coins. "That's good to hear." He looks out the open door as he places the bread in a bag. He sees several dark clouds rolling over the mountain tops. "Walk safely back to your home, there's a storm coming." He hands over the bag. "And make sure you say hi to your Ma and Pa for us."
"We will Mr. Cake. Come on fillies say goodbye to Mrs. Cake we have to go!" Octavia calls out. Her younger sisters look over their shoulders. With a frown, they wave goodbye to the mare. Mrs. Cake waves back with a smile.
…
Leaving the bakery, the sisters step onto its veranda and look around as they button up their wool coats. Watching a putter-wagon roll on past them, the head down the main street of their hometown, Ashmore. A small coal mining community in the Yellow Tail Mountain Range of the Earthen Republic.
The main street along with its minor connecting arteries are busy with activity on this humble Friday. Putter-cars, putter-wagons and boar-pulled carts stroll along the mud clogged gravel roads. Earth ponies of all shapes, sizes, and age, mull about their evening, finishing up their errands before the sun sets behind the snow-covered mountains to the west of town.
A powerful gust of wind roars down the mountain sides, howling loudly as it sweeps across the town. The temperature drops slightly causing many outside residents to shiver. Limestone pulls her scarf over her face, covering her snout. "Gosh, it's cold!" She stutters, rubbing her hands along her arms.
Maud and Octavia smirk at her predicament while they pull up the collar of their coats closer to their cheeks.
Pinkie giggles as she skips up alongside Limestone. "That's why you should skip Limestone!" She slips away, joining her twin sister Marble. "It keeps you warm!"
Limestone rolls her eyes as her twin sisters giggle at her. Maud and Octavia hold in their laughter. "HA, very funny." She grumbles, burying her snout in her scarf, using he bonnet to hide herself from the world. Her cheeks blushing all the while.
The twins, losing all care for their sister's embarrassment, hum a tune as their skipping picks up pace with each step they take. Picking up more speed than Marble, Pinkie gets some distance from the group. Turning around with a giggle, she gives them a goofy smile. Maud seeing her trajectory bolts ahead of the group and extends out a hand. "Pinkie! Watch out!" Pinkie jerks from her sister's tone and loses her footing, her hooves slip under her causing her to fall off the veranda.
Hearing a soft poof, her sisters look over the edge of the s veranda and find that she is stuck in a freshly shoved pile of snow. The snow is past Pinkie's waist, only the tip of her tail sticks out. With a grunt, Pinkie kicks her legs trying to free herself from the icy trap, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Her sisters give into the amusing scene and burst out into laughter. Their joyous laughs further reddening Pinkie's cheeks.
"And that's why you'll never see me skip!" Limestone snickers. Pinkie looks up at her with a pout, her tongue sticking out. Limestone returns the gesture.
Octavia rolls her eyes at her sisters' antics. Jumping onto the muddy road she steps up to Pinkie and offers her a hand which she happily takes. Getting back to her hooves, Pinkie wipes snow off her dress and fixes her bonnet. Smiling at her sister, Octavia helps her back onto the veranda.
With the sisters reunited, they continue down the street, passing many shops occupying small, long compacted spaces no more than ten-feet-wide, twenty-feet-long and two stories tall.
…
Arriving at the main intersection near townhall, Octavia pulls out a piece of paper from her coat's breast pocket. "So, fillies," She reads the paper. "Do we have the eggs, cabbage, bread, milk, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and onions?" Maud looks into the basket and seeing the items listed she nods affirming her sister's question. "Great… Is there anything else we need?" Octavia asks.
"Is that all Ma wrote?" Limestone stands next to Octavia, eyeing the paper.
"Yes." Octavia quips. "But if we can think of anything else, let's make sure it's worth the tokes." She states placing the paper back into her coat's pocket.
Pinkie and Marble look at one another with determined smirks. "We need candy!" Pinkie sings with glee as she stands on one hoof, twirling in place. Marble copying her every move.
Octavia frowns. "No!" She stomps her hoof against the porch, the wood planks under hoof dully vibrating. "Ma only gave us so many tokes, we need to buy essential items." She re-ties her bonnet. "We can go without sweets for today."
The twin's eyes become teary-eyed. "But we haven't had candy in a week!" Pinkie's voice cracks. They stick out their bottom lips, trying to win sympathy.
Octavia grunts, she's having none of it. "No!"
Instantly, the twin's drop their pouting and copy the Octavia with a grunt of their own.
Maud shakes her head. Octavia and the twins were always the stubborn ones. Well, maybe Limestone has a few more points in that department. With a laugh, she pulls out a small cloth sack from her saddlebag. "Hold out your hands." Pinkie and Marble break their charade with their older sister and comply with her demands. "Both of you get two tokes for the candy shop. So, pick your sweets wisely!" She gives them a playful smirk. The twins smile wide as they take off, crossing the street to the candy shop three buildings down. Vehicles halt their slow movement, allowing the twins to pass.
"Thanks, sis!" Pinkie yells from the entrance of the shop before entering. Marble following after her with a skip and a jump.
Octavia and Limestone look at Maud in confusion. "Sis, Ma told us we have to make these tokes last until next Monday! If she finds out we've been using them for sweets, she's going to get mad!" Octavia complains, holding the sack of tokes.
"Really, really mad." Limestone adds.
Maud smirks as she jiggles her sack of tokes. "I know that, but these are mine."
"Where did you get those?" Limestone asks wide-eyed.
"Really, don't you remember? I get paid for helping out Miss. Cheerilee at the elementary." Maud pulls out four more tokes from her sack. "Why don't the both of you relax and get yourselves a sweet."
Limestone quickly snatches two tokes from Maud's hand. "Forget I ever said anything!" She runs off to the candy shop, giggling to herself.
Octavia stares at the tokes in Maud's hand, it seems to her at least that the sack looks emptier. "But these are your tokes?" She points at them.
"If I wanted to keep them, would I be giving them to my sisters?" Maud states with a raised brow. Octavia gently takes the remaining tokes from her sister's hand, giving a nod of thanks. "Now run off and get a sweet, I'll be waiting by the water tower." Maud smiles as she points to the tower.
Octavia raises a brow. "What about you?"
"You know me, I'm not one for sweets." Maud waves her hand. "Now go, hurry before the storm rolls in." Octavia smiles and runs across the street to the candy shop. Seeing her sister enter the store, Maud looks both ways before stepping off the veranda and crossing the street, making it to the left-side of the road.
Arriving at the water tower, she puts her arms through the basket's handle and leans against the wooden fence surrounding the tower.
She watches the residents of her hometown going about their evening. Some children run through the streets playing games, annoying the elder residents. Other children follow their parents as they go about their shopping. She smirks and some of the children's bored expressions. One some of the street corners sever earth ponies are performing illusions or puppetry to passing ponies.
A young couple eventually catches Maud's eye. She watches them eat at one of the restaurants a few feet from her location. The couple reminds her of her own relation with a certain stallion. She smiles as she thinks about his soft blue eyes, his white mane and tail… his broad shoulders…
DRIP!
Her thoughts leave her as she feels a droplet strike her snout. Confused, she looks up and sees that the light grey clouds are slowing turning a dark grey.
CRACK!
Hearing distant thunder rolling across the sky, echoing off the mountain peaks. Maud's ears fold against her head. 'The walk back is going to suck…' Another droplet of ice-cold rain strikes her snout. Soon another droplet, then another begins to fall from the sky. With s grunt, she quickly crosses the street once more and back onto a store's veranda's awnings can protect her. 'Don't take too long fillies.' She frowns watching the rains pick up speed.
…
Walking into the store, the weight of her steps making its hardwood flooring moan and creak, Octavia scans for her sisters in the vast sea of sweets. Finding them over by the licorice, she smirks, watching their intense gaze as they mull over which flavors they want. "Can't decide on what you fillies want?" She hovers over them, gazing at the licorice behind the glass.
Pinkie looks up at her. "There's too many to choose from…" She moans, Mable and her place their faces against the glass, squishing their snouts. The store clerk on the other side of the glass rolls his eyes playfully as he puts away a stack of chocolate bars on the wall behind him.
Octavia looks at the chewy straws. "How many do you get for two tokes?" She crosses her arms eyeing her sisters with a questioning smirk.
"Four." Limestone replies, eyeing the green and red ones, licking her lips.
Octavia counts the flavors and finds that there are ten in all. "Well, I would split it in half and get two of my favorites or pick four individual flavors for more variety."
The twins' smirk as they whisper to one another. Nodding, they turn their gaze to the store clerk and wave him down. "What can I do for you fillies?" The clerk asks as he leans on the display's countertop, his gaze looking softly upon the sisters.
"Can I have four green apples," Pinkie asks.
"And can I have four red cherries." Marble adds, giving him their tokes.
The clerk places the chewy treats into a brown paper bag. "And you two?" He asks, eyeing Limestone and Octavia.
"Oh… I would like two lemons and two raspberries." Limestone states, giving the clerk her tokes.
"Can I get two black licorice and two white vanillas," Octavia hands him her tokes as well.
"Alrighty then, here you go fillies." The clerk hands them the paper bag full of licorice. Taking the bag, Octavia holds it close to her chest. With a smile, they nod their heads and wave goodbye. "Enjoy your sweets." He smiles, giving them a two-finger salute.
"We will mister!" Pinkie squeaks as they leave the shop.
…
Stepping outside the sisters' halt their advancement as they look out over the town. The storm is in full swing. The rains drenching the town in cold H2O. The droplets pound violently against the earth, turning streets into mud, forming small streams the run down the hilly landscape of the town, finding low lined places to make artificial ponds.
Several putter-cars' horns blare out as the mud halts the flow of traffic.
Seeing Maud huddling under an adjacent shop's awning on the corner of the main-intersection, they dash across the street, running as fast as they can. "Did you get the sweets you wanted?" Maud asks as her sisters climb onto the sidewalk-porch.
"Yeah…" Limestone yells over the drumming from the metal roof. She shakes off the water droplets that cling to her dress with a groan.
"The weather sure did change on a toke?" Octavia quips, looking towards the sky at the giant thunderclouds rolling overhead.
"My dress is wet!" Marble cries. Pinkie giggles at her twin. Marble not like her sister's tone, sends a frown her way.
"Well, it looks like you're going to have to get used to that sister." Maud looks up the road that leads to their home. "We better hurry…" She picks up the basket. "Let's go." Jumping down onto the muddy road the sisters make their way up the hill.
…
By the time the sisters arrive at their home, their fur coats, dresses, and bonnets are soaked through. Their hooves are caked in mud and numb from the freezing rain. Walking up the steps onto the porch, they open the front door and walk inside. Warmth washes over them, making their fur stand on end. Off to the right-side-wall, a fire burns calmly in the brick fireplace. A smile comes to their faces, as a chill of delight runs down their spines. Stepping up to the coat rack by the door, they take off their coats and bonnets, placing their apparel on it.
"Hi Ma, we're home!" The twins sing out as they skip their way into the kitchen, passing the dining table, both squeezing themselves through the small doorframe.
Their mother, Cloudy Quartz Pie turns around and sees her daughters standing in the dining room through the doorframe. She looks them over and sees how dirty they are. Before her youngest are able to hug her, she extends out a hand. "Hold it you two!" She points at the twins, causing them to stop in their tracks, confusion on their faces. "Why in heaven are you so filthy?"
Octavia chuckles. "It's raining outside, Ma." She points to the single window by the front door.
Stepping out of the kitchen, Cloudy Quartz looks at the window and sees the torrential rains slamming onto the earth. "Oh… Interesting, I didn't even hear it…" She scratches her head, her daughters giggling at her. "Well now, how was your evening out on the town?" She gives them a smirk.
"Good Ma." Maud hands the basket over to their mother. Cloudy Quartz takes the basket into the kitchen, her children following her. "Do you need help with supper?" Maud asks.
"Can we hug you?" Pinkie and Marble huff, pouting their lips.
Cloudy Quartz sets the basket onto the kitchen counter. "Of course, you fillies can, but first you need to bathe yourselves." She turns around and gives a playful frown. "I will not have my children eat supper when they're all dirty!" She places her hands on her hips. "And that goes for your Pa when he gets home." Her daughters giggle at her words. "I'm glad I can make you laugh, now run off, the faster you bathe, the quicker we can get supper ready."
"Come on fillies, let's go." Maud corrals her sisters to the bathroom.
…
Entering the small space that is the bathroom, the sisters begin undressing from their navy-blue dresses.
While her sisters undress, Maud closes the bathroom door and walks up to the iron bathtub's copper furnace. Opening its latch, she turns the red plastic nob, rapid, sharp clicks fill the room, within milliseconds the methane gas filling the burner ignites into a bright blue flame; the water within the tank situated above the burner begins to boil. Closing the hatch, she walks up to the medicine-cabinet above the sink and takes out a bar of tar-soap and places it on the rim of the tub.
Seeing the mercury in the temperature gage rising, Octavia turns on the faucet. The copper pipes creak and moan as water flows through them on its way to the tub. Satisfied, Octavia unties the knot on the back of her dress near the base of her neck and unbuttons three buttons on the chest face and lets the dress fall to the floor. "Stupid dress!" Pinkie wines as she struggles with the lace on her dress. Seeing her struggling, Octavia unties the knot for her and helps her out of the dress.
Fully undressed, the younger sisters wait patiently for the tub to fill. "Can we get in now?" Pinkie asks, rubbing her arms, shivering from the cold drafts coming from under the door.
Octavia eyes the waterline as it rises up the tub. She holds up her hand, displaying her fingers as she counts to herself. "Yes, you can hop in." She states, bending all her fingers into a closed position. "Just don't jump in..." Limestone, Pinkie, and Marble didn't wait for her to finish, they jump into the tub, spilling water onto the white tile floor. Octavia sighs and gets in herself.
Instead of joining her sisters, Maud sits on a stool next to the tub and takes out a newspaper from under the sink and begins reading it. "You're reading Pa's paper?" Pinkie asks looking at her sister with her bright blue eyes.
"It's three weeks old, I think he won't mind," Maud smirks, flipping the page. "Don't take too long fillies, I would like to have a chance to enjoy my bath as well."
"Yes, don't you worry… We'll take forever." Limestone teases, stretching her arms out making a smug face. Maud gives her an unamused stare as she flips the pages of the newspaper. Octavia giggles at the two while she lathers the tar-soap in her hands.
Ignoring their elder sisters, Pinkie and Marble play a game of 'who can hold their breath the longest.' They dunk their heads under the water, their fingers pinching the tip of their snouts. Their long manes mixing together in a sea of black and magenta. Finally coming up for air, Pinkie takes in long breaths, wiping her wet mane from her eyes. "Darn!"
Marble comes up after her, timidly she wipes her mane from her eyes. Seeing that she'd won, she lifts her hands in the air. "Woo!" She squeaks.
Pinkie frowns. "I want a rematch… HEY!" Limestone interrupts her, scrubbing her mane with lathered tar-soap. Pinkie protests this action, but Limestone ignores her as she hums a tune. Octavia does the same with Marble. Both twins give a frown, crossing their arms in the process. Maud smiles in amusement as she flips to the next page of the newspaper.
…
With the table set, Octavia and Limestone overlook their work, eyeing the tarnished silverware and worn porcelain crockery, making sure they were in the right order. With a smile, they step away from the table and walk into the kitchen to see Pinkie stirring the contents of the pot, and Marble helping out their mother with preparing the spice-butter. "Mmm… The food smells yummy!" Limestone hums, licking her lips as the aroma of cabbage stew hits her nostrils.
"Is supper ready?" Octavia asks watching her sister stir the mixture.
"Why yes, it is…" Cloudy Quartz states looking over her shoulder at the clock. "Now we just have to wait for your Pa." The clock reads 7:45pm.
"Pa is forty-five minutes late…" Limestone muses, kicking the wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room.
"Did Pa have to work late again?" Marble asks, hugging her mother's waist.
Cloudy Quartz runs her fingers through Marble's mane. "I'm not sure…"
…
Igneous Rock Pie stands under the awning of Ashmore's only train station. He's covered from head to toe in coal dust and sweat. The steam train behind him, huffs and puffs as it sits idle, allowing its small load of passengers to unload themselves. After watching other stallions of varying stature and age leave the station, heading to their homes for a few short seconds, he breathes a content sigh and picks up his tin-lunch-pail from the station's wooden deck and heads home.
The light from the gas-lanterns lighting the town, light up the surrounding rain droplets and puddles, creating a scene a master oil painter would paint. Even though it is cold, he enjoys the scenery. He always liked the rain. He found it helped his stress levels.
Trekking further into town, the cold begins to num his snout and hands. His clothes begin to cling to him and the mud clings to his hooves. He shivers as he pushes on, allowing the quiet of the town to carry him. Nearing the main intersection, he turns left and heads up the hill. Seeing his home in the distance, he smiles as he picks up the pace, his walking turning into a light jog. Nearing his house, he sees his eldest daughter Maud walking up the steps onto their porch with several logs in her arms. "Hello sweetheart, got a large load there?"
Maud looks over her shoulder, giving her father a smile. "Hello Pa, you look quite dirty." She giggles. "Did a lot of coal mining this week?"
Igneous laughs. "Sure did, come let's head inside." Maud nods and heads for the door.
…
Cloudy Quartz and her daughters are watching the stew simmer within the pot when they hear the front door open. "Hold on dear let me get the door for you." Igneous's voice echoes into the home. The family turns their attention to the door and sees Maud walk into the house carrying several logs and following close behind is their father and husband, Igneous Rock. His bright yellow eyes standing out from his filthy appearance. Setting his lunch bin down, he leans forward placing his hands on his knees. "Oh colt, the rain is brutal."
"How bad is it dear?" Cloudy Quartz walks up to her husband, helping him out of his overcoat.
"Bad, when I arrived into town from the train station, the rains just began turning into sleet." He takes off his coat, the stench of coal floating off of him.
"Hello, Pa." His children call out with smiles as they stand around him.
"Hello, fillies." Seeing that they were in their nightgowns for the evening, he pats their heads. "I would hug you, but I think your Ma would get mad." He teases, giving his wife a smirk.
The sisters giggle at their father's words, but their mother sighs, putting her hands on her hips. "Go wash up, the faster you bathe, the sooner we can eat." She returns the smirk. Their father smiles and hands over his hat to his wife before walking towards the bathroom.
…
The family sits around a humbly sized dining table, eating their supper in silence, only the sounds of silverware colliding with porcelain echo throughout the house. They take their time with their meals, each enjoying the warmth the stew brought as they mull over a task of their own accord.
Their father sits at the head of the table, their mother sits to his right. Their eating is slow as their minds' full attention are on the stories within the newspaper they are reading.
Maud sits across from her mother on her father's left. She's reading her 'Earth Speak' book, an advance read on the earth ponies' native tongue. Limestone and Octavia sit to Maud's right. They're reading their music-sheets for their respective musical instruments, Limestone the piano and Octavia the violin.
Pinkie and Marble sit to their mother's left. They whisper to one another about whatever comes to their young imaginative minds.
Several violent coughs reverberate throughout the home from Igneous as he holds onto the table with his right hand, while his left covers his mouth with a napkin. With a grunt, he hacks up what he coughed and spits it in the napkin. Looking at the paper cloth, he sees black mucus sticking to its soft fibers. With a sigh, he wads up the napkin and gets up, "Excuse me, my dears…" He walks into the kitchen, tossing the napkin into the trash bin.
The younger sisters look at their father with worry, but Maud gives them a look that tells them to let it go. They reluctantly comply to her demand. Taking his seat once again, Igneous looks at his daughters and sees their worried faces. "You fillies ready for church tomorrow?" He asks with a bright smile trying to mask a subtle cough.
The sisters stop eating. "Yes, Pa." They turn their attention to their father.
"Pinkie and Marble practiced this morning at the school earlier today." Cloudy Quartz hums with a smile. "I believe they will do a wonderful job tomorrow." She gives the twins a soft smile, they smile back with a blush.
"Do you fillies like singing?" He asks the twins.
They nod their heads quickly. "Yeah, it's a lot of fun." Pinkie smiles, expressing her statement by extending her arms out.
"It's scary… though…" Marble adds, tapping the table with her index fingers.
Igneous chuckles, his deep voice reverberating throughout the house. "But you and your sister have adorable singing voices. Have faith in yourself, my dears." The twins blush at his words. Igneous chuckles as he turns his attention to Octavia and Limestone. "Have the two of you been studying your music sheets all this week? You know your lessons are on Sunday." He points his spoon at them, before scooping up some of his stew into his mouth.
"Yes, Pa." Limestone answers before taking a bite of stew herself.
"It's been going well," Octavia adds before taking a bite as well.
Igneous smiles as he sips the warm broth from his spoon. "Maud, how is everything going with your schooling?"
"Good Pa, been getting A's," Maud replies in her usually dull tone.
Igneous smiles. "That's good to hear, I know you'll make a great elementary teacher…"
Knock! Knock!
The family looks at the door in confusion. Eyeing the clock, Igneous sees that it's almost nine at night. Getting up from his seat he walks over to the door. Opening it, he sees a stallion, thin in build with an ash-colored mane standing on his porch. "Granite what are you doing out in this storm… especially at this time of night?"
The stallion gives a chuckle. "Well, it's the storm itself, my friend." He rubs his hands together. "The telegraph lines aren't working all that well." He steps up closer to Igneous and leans against the step's railing. "I have a message for you from Dodge Junction."
Igneous ears perk up. Granite is the town's local telegraph monitor, the city's only source of news from the outside world. "Is there something wrong?"
Granite gives a sigh. "There's been a rumor going around…" He sees his friend's wife and children staring at them. "Can you shut the door?" Igneous understands his request and fulfills what is asked of him.
The sisters look at each other with concern. Getting up from their seats they stand next to the door to listen in on their father's conversation. "Fillies, sit your butts down and finish your supper!" Their mother hisses, pointing to the table. The twins and Limestone quickly obey and walk back to their seats, tails tucked between their legs. However, Octavia and Maud stand in place, staring at the door trying to make out words from the muffled sounds. "Fillies, sit down." Their mother hisses again, tapping a finger on the table. With a sigh, they walk back to their seats. Humming a tune and motioning to her daughters with a wave of her hand, they go back to their meal.
…
"Are you sure, Granite?"
Granite gives a sigh as his puffs on his cigar. "Yes." He leans against one of the wooden posts holding up the porch's awning.
Igneous blows out smoke before placing his cigar back in his mouth. "Unicorpian troops have never gotten this far inland." He blows out another wad of smoke. "Are the lines falling apart?"
Granite shrugs "From the sounds of it, yes, but I'm not sure, sure. The last telegraph I've gotten was from my brother. He told me that they were pushing them back over the old borders before this blasted war started." He sighs. "I just wanted to pass the word onto you and the others in the town, just in case." He steps down from the porch. "Let's hope it's nothing. Goodnight friend."
"Goodnight." Igneous watches the stallion jog off to the next home. With a worrisome sigh, he walks back into his house. Stepping into space, the warmth of the fire soothes his numb nerves, with a whisper, he puts his cigar out in an ashtray on the fireplace mantle and stands by the fireplace, warming his hands.
"What did Granite want?" Cloudy Quartz asks.
Igneous looks over his shoulder at his family. "Just to let us know that the telegraph lines are down tonight…" He turns around and walks up to the table. "And the state of the war."
"Is it something we should worry about?" His wife asks.
"No… It's fine." Looking at the clock, he cracks his knuckles. "Time for bed fillies." The sisters are upset by this, but they know not to protest their father's commands. Getting out of their seats, they walk to the restroom once more to brush their teeth.
With their children gone and out of hearing range, Cloudy Quartz holds onto her husband's hand. "How bad is it?"
Igneous sighs. "From the sound of it, the eastern lines are breaking." Cloudy Quartz places her hand over her mouth, muffling a gasp. Seeing the worry in her eyes, he puts a hand under her chin. "Let's not worry about it. Come let's head to bead as well dear, we have a busy day tomorrow."
…
Pinkie lays in her queen-sized bed next to Marble at the foot of the bed while Octavia and Limestone lay beside each other at the head of the bed. On the right-hand corner of the room, Maud lays in her own twin-sized bed. Their room although small and lacking square footage, still holds a long dresser, a toy chest, an oak desk and two-night stands. A single window hangs above the dresser allowing the dim light of the oil-street lamps to flood into the room.
With sleep not embracing her, only worry about tomorrow and what it might bring, Mable rolls over on her side, facing her twin. "Pinkie?"
Pinkie's ears twitch from hearing her sister's soft, timid voice. "Yeah?" She turns around, her blue eyes looking into Marble's purple eyes.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Marble hugs her pony doll tight to her chest.
Pinkie shrugs her shoulders. "Kind of, but I think we'll do good, Ma thinks we will. Besides, it's just one song..."
Limestone listens to their conversation with a smirk as she stares at Maud through the dim light flooding their room. With a stretch and a yawn, she turns over on her side. "Hey, Maud?"
"What?" Maud asks, not opening her eyes, her pillow consuming a majority of her head.
"When is your colt-friend going to propose to you?" She chuckles.
Maud blushes, her eyes open wide with embarrassment. "Why would you bring this up tonight?" She lifts her head facing her sister with a confused stare.
"Well, you were gone all yesterday…" Limestone gives her sister a sly smile. "Just curious as to when you two will make it official already?"
Maud huffs. "There was school yesterday… That's why I was gone most of yesterday!" She pulls her covers closer to her chin.
"Liar… School was let out early that day!" Limestone sticks out her tongue. Maud blushes. "So, when is he going to propose?"
I-I don't know…" Maud turns over, facing the wall to hide the redness that washes over her cheeks.
Octavia giggles. "He's taking his sweet time." She joins in on the fun. Pinkie and Marble join in as well with their own set of giggles.
Maud frowns at her sisters' antics. "He sure is…" She mumbles thinking of the colt. Laughter begins to take hold of her sisters which causes her to roll her eyes.
Pinkie's giggling stops as a thought crosses her mind. "Well, you better get married soon." She crosses her arms in a huff.
The giggles stop as silence floods the room. Maud's face reddens further "Why?' She asks, concern coming over her at what answer Pinkie will give.
"Well it's obvious, I'm nine years old!" Pinkie sits up, arms stretching out wide. "I'm not getting any younger, I mean, being an aunt at ten will suck!" She wines, falling back onto her pillow. "I'll be too old to have fun with my niece or ne-ne… Nefew?"
"Nephew." Marble corrects.
"BWAH!" Limestone loses it, her laughter being so robust that she has to clutch her stomach. Maud's redness increases as she places her pillow over her head. A pathetic moan escapes her lips as she tries to muffle their laughter. Octavia holds her hand to her mouth, her eyes watering like crazy. Pinkie and Marble giggle uncontrollably from seeing Maud's reaction.
"FILLIES GO TO BED!" Their father's booming voice shouts from their parents' room. As quickly as their laughing began, it stops. They quickly get comfortable in their beds, allowing sleep to take over, all be it, very slowly. Some giggles slipping from their lips every so often until soon, they drift off into a deep sleep.