Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony. This is a fanfiction.
Because of mom's bad back, Maud ended up stuck in the house. Granny was also still tired so Maud tended to lunch dishes, cleaning the sisters' room, and laundry alone. Mom would take care of the bigger chores and make dinner when she was feeling better.
The entire afternoon was worked in almost complete silence. Maud frequently felt her mind drift to the ore just beyond the west field, but reality would forcibly pull her back to the true task at hoof: laundry. Folding, placing, folding, placing. Her family didn't have much laundry, but when a filly's mind wondered as much as hers did, it was hard to finish any task in good time.
Rocks. They could be gray and sometimes round. They were small, cute even, poking out of the ground. . . that sounded good.
"Rock, you are a rock . . ." Maud let a few words trail from her lips as yet another sheet was folded and placed aside. "Gray, you are . . ."
"Maud! Maud! Maud! Maud! Maud!"
The sudden shouts of Pinkamena broke Maud's concentration on rocks. The pink annoyance came bursting through the laundry room door. Her mane was a crazier mess than even her bedhead had been. The younger filly looked like she had been in a landslide. Mane frizzy, dust in her coat, so much unnecessary bouncing; she was a wreck.
"Maud-you'll-never-believe-what-I-saw! There-was-this-this-this-colorful-ribbon. It-was-All-over-the-sky!-It-was-the-beautifulest-thing-ever! I've-never-see'd-anything-like-it! It-was-amazing!"
Usually Pinkamena's antics didn't surprise Maud. The pink filly had done some strange things in her time, but the speed at which she spoke now…
"I can't understand you." Maud said plainly returning to her laundry.
"I've-never-felt-so-so-so-like this before!"
Maud's attention was pulled from the clothes in front of her as her younger sister seemed to defy gravity and bounce circles around the room. Turning to watch her sister, Maud couldn't believe the enthusiasm spilling out of every step her sister made. Pinkamena had a grin from ear to ear and her mane seemed to come alive with a curly movement of it own.
"It's-like-nothing-I've-ever-see'd! I-feel-so-much! Maud-I-wish-you-had-see'd-it-too!-The-colors-the-brightestness!"
Though Maud could clearly see the dirt on her sister, even Pinkamena's coat seemed brighter. How could pink be brighter?
"Maud-you-just-have-to-see-what-I'm-doing," Pinkamena somehow seemed to stop in midair and then land perfectly in front of her sister. Maud took a step back at the sudden advance. "I want you to see it first! I need you to see it first!"
Pinkamena was behind Maud in an instant pushing her toward the door. Maud still had one of the fine sheets clenched in her teeth as she was pushed right out the door.
Systematically placed right at the back step was Pinkamena's rock pile for the day. Maud frowned knowing that those rocks were supposed to be moved from the south field hours ago, and they had no place here at the backdoor. What was worse, she had collected several others from various parts of the farm.
The bauxite dad had been cultivating for months had carelessly been stacked onto a now crumbling brazilianite pile. The bauxite was part of an important Manehattan order and Maud knew those rocks weren't going to find enough iron oxides at their back door. There were also the petrified stones from the Canterlot garden. They probably were just contaminated basalt with a rich mixture of quartz crystals on the farm to spend time airing out their magical impurities, but now Pinkamena had them doing so at the back door!
"Pinkamena, why did you . . ?"
"See," Pinkamena zipped around the pile, all arranged by colors. "I put the red ones first, then the orange and yellow. I put blue next, but I don't think it's right . . ."
"Pinkamena?" Maud tried harder.
"But I'll mix them with the green ones before I show mom and dad . . ."
"Listen to me . . ."
"I have a lot of gray ones, there wasn't even gray in the colorful sky ribbon. But I know you like it . . ."
Maud had had enough.
"Pinkamena," Maud stomped a hoof hard on the ground, her younger sister finally looked to her. "What are you doing?"
The laundry was dropped to the ground as the oldest sibling gain the attention of the younger. Pinkamena's ears lowered as Maud felt herself snort triumphantly.
"You no like it?" The smile faded from Pinkamena.
Maud was bothered. Even though she didn't fully understand it, that smile seemed right on her sister's face and she hadn't meant to remove it. Maud thought for a moment. What was the pink annoyance trying to do here?
"I don't think this is making me feel what you want it to." Maud said coolly.
"Doesn't it make you want to smile?" Pinkamena looked desperate in that moment. "Don't the colors make you want to jump?"
Maud looked to the rocks then back to her sister.
"This makes me want to put them where they belong." Maud answered again by examining both pile and sister. Pinkamena frowned, Maud groaned.
"What, what do you want me to do?" Maud couldn't understand what had changed her sister so. They were rocks, beautiful indeed, but in need of much care. Why would the mistreatment of rocks be cause for smiling and jumping? It was disrespectful to the farm and the family's work. No, Pinkamena wouldn't simply do that, so there was something Maud was missing.
"I want you to know how I felt when I saw the ribbon." Pinkamena was fighting back a tear or two.
Maud looked up at the sky. There weren't any ribbons.
"Did a pegasus fly by?" Maud scanned the skies.
Their rock farm was just outside of Ponyville. Occasionally one of the town's resident flyers would pass overhead much to Limestone's and Marble's amusement. Maybe one had done so with ribbons? Strange, pointless behavior maybe, but a possible situation. Perhaps the pegasus had come by to clear the clouds with a ribbon. That seemed more logical.
"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Pinkamena stomped her little hooves again and again.
Maud sighed. She searched her sister's face trying to understand what would cause such a reaction. If not a pegasus . . ?
"What ribbon then?" Maud asked sincerely trying to understand.
"It, I . . . the thing was . . ." Pinkamena stumbled over her words as Maud could see the little one searching her mind for an explanation.
"It's okay," Maud held up a hoof.
Maud knew her sister had never seen 'the ribbon' before. Whatever it was Pinkamena would never be able to explain it properly and most certainly wouldn't be able to get her family to understand it with her rock display.
"I'm telling the truth, Maud," Pinkamena whimpered seeming to sink into the ground with shame.
"I know you are," Maud reassured gathering the fallen sheet in her teeth and turning back into the house. Pinkamena followed.
"There was a loud boom! and everything was shaky. And there were so many colors in the sky," Pinkamena made wide gestures as Maud went about finishing the last of the laundry. "And then I see'd it whoosh! across the sky. I've never see'd something whoosh like that before. And it, I was, it was so pretty!"
"Hmm." Maud was content with her chores finally being finished. It was getting to be a little late to start working on her own project in the fields, but maybe Maud would be able to finish Pinkamena's work.
Allowing Pinkamena to ramble on about the colorful bands in the sky, Maud went out to the arranged pile of rocks at their backdoor. She knelt down and placed a few on her back and a few more in her teeth, careful not to hold any contaminated rock for too long. She took the rocks around front where a small wagon was waiting. Dad had had three small wagons made for the girls to help them move larger loads faster and, though this wasn't technically a heavy load, Maud found it would be faster still to use the wagon.
Maud loaded all the rocks up before nudging Pinkamena onto the wagon as well. Maud began to pull, every so often prompting the chatterbox to unload another small group of rocks in their proper place. Maud made sure to unload the bauxite herself to ensure the proper sides were facing the mineral-rich dirt and had to scold Pinkamena twice for gathering the contaminated rocks with her mouth when they started floating off the wagon base. Those Maud encouraged Pinkamena just to buck off the wagon.
"I see'd green and red and yellow and so many colors! It was like my dream last night because in my dream I see'd blue ponies and red ponies and yellow ponies! I saws them all colors! There was unicorns and pegasuses and earth ponies too! And they were nice and colorful and they were coming to be with me. Oh, but the ribbon wasn't a pony. I was thinking that I wanted you and mom and dad and the sisters to see it too. You have to feel what I felt, and I started thinking that I could make a ribbon too!"
Finally, the work was done. What should have taken Pinkamena merely twenty minutes had become an all-day event, but Maud was happy to have that time with the rocks.
It was the smell of earth that was most inviting. Maud could listen to the tapping and the skipping of tiny pebbles running from under her hooves for hours. The calm of feeling solid minerals under her soles. It was a perfect feeling.
"Looky there!" Pinkamena squeaked as she pointed toward the sky. Maud looked up to see two pegasi working to move clouds back into the area.
"It's 'cause the boom! moved the clouds!" Pinkamena frowned.
Maud looked back at the filly for just a moment before returning her gaze to the sky. With the clouds came a soft breeze. It was a welcomed feeling which stirred the scent of the ground around them. Maud paused to enjoy it for a moment; the touch, the smell, the sound. With her eyes closed, Maud felt she could sense the rocks just a little more and she was content with that moment.
Maud's eyes shot open upon feeling pressure on her nose. Right in her face was her little sister. Nose to nose, the pink annoyance started making soft . . . repetitive noises. Maud had never heard that before. It was a sound so foreign. To make the sound required Pinkamena to shake slightly, smiling all the while. Her cheeks perked up and her eyes were nearly aglow. She looked so full of an emotion.
"Are you happy?!" Pinkamena nearly squealed allowing the noise she was making to completely consume her. The little sister stumbled back on her bottom and just let herself belt out the sound.
Pinkamena's noise wasn't exactly calming, but the more Maud watched her sister's display the more she found she liked it. Maud had no idea how it was done, but she liked it.
Pinkamena slowly calmed, but her smile never faltered. She got to her hooves and was beside her sister in the blink of an eye.
"It feels like that!" She bounced. "It feels like the happy only a lot more! Try harder!"
"Try harder?" Maud gave her sister a puzzled look.
"At the happy! Be very happy!"
Maud didn't know if she envied what Pinkamena had, but it was pleasant to watch. Whatever that was, Pinkamena thought it felt good, and perhaps it was worth a try.
Maud closed her eyes and tried to feel the farm again. It was nice, but . . .
"Maybe," Pinkamena began. "Maybe you need other stuffs to make you happy too! I really liked the colors. What do you like?"
The pink one was quick to start searching the area. Maud watched her for a moment and then glanced back up to the sky. There was supposed to be a scheduled rainstorm that night, but the slow work of two pegasi was certain to change that. Regardless, it was time to turn back. Maud enjoyed the smell of the rocks. Maud enjoyed the feel of the stones. Maud enjoyed the sound of her sister's hooves echoing off the rocks around her.
Maud enjoyed the smell of the rocks. Maud enjoyed the feel of the stones. Maud enjoyed the sound of her sister's hooves echoing off the rocks around her. Maud hadn't seen Pinkamena's color ribbon, but she was certain she understood. This feeling; though she wasn't sure how to express it, at least not like Pinkamena, was probably very close.
"Let's head home." Maud turned herself and the wagon around much to Pinkamena's dismay.
"But I think I found . . ."
Maud didn't hear the last bit of her sister's words. Maud knew the pink one would follow if she began her walk home, and did. It was starting to get dark by the time they reached the house. Maud unhitched the wagon and joined her litter sister at the back door. Pinkamena was still bouncing around with a pout begging for Maud to try one more time. Maud chose to ignore her sister and opened the door to the house. Both sisters were surprised to find their parents waiting for them.
"Why were you girls out passed dark?" Dad was quick to respond as the two fillies came into the house. Pinkamena quickly positioned herself behind Maud to which the older sister responded by reaching around the younger and shutting the door.
"There were a few rocks that needed to be put away." Maud answered. It was the truth, no need to explain ribbons that weren't there.
Mom was quick to come over and examine the fillies before speaking up.
"It's too easy to get lost or hurt in the dark," she was worried like a mother should be. "If it started raining you could have gotten sick."
Dad seemed to have different concerns about the situation.
"Those rocks should have been put away long before lunch, Pinkamena."
Even with mom's fretting over them, Maud could feel her younger sister draw closer to her back leg. She was a bit shaky and Maud could tell it wasn't from a twitch.
Maud suddenly felt the house had gotten hotter. It was strange, but having dad's gaze on her was troubling. Maud knew he wasn't looking directly at her, but it was upsetting all the same. As the little pink one trembled behind her, Maud felt an unfamiliar anger.
"Maud," dad's stern voice broke Maud's concentration on her new feelings. "Go wash up for dinner."
Maud felt her breath drawback in her throat. Her hooves felt very heavy, and they were rather cumbersome to move.
"Next time she doesn't finish her chores, you tell me." Dad didn't bother turning to Maud as she walked out, so she didn't bother to look at him. However, that last tug on her hind leg was hard to ignore, not impossible, just very, very hard.
Dinner was quiet, just like lunch had been. Granny was at the table, which was nice. The salad and oats tasted very nice. It was nice. Maud just wasn't hungry.
The pink one had been sent to bed early after only getting a piece of bread and a glass of milk. It was a fitting punishment for not doing her work all day, but it didn't sit well with Maud. Pinkamena had seen something that really excited her today and she wanted to share it with the family. Of course, her methods were all wrong, but she was still little and prone to make mistakes. Then again, Maud had never done something like that herself.
Pinkamena was a very different from the rest of the family and it seemed impossible to understand her. She never thought things through so mom and dad had good reasons for being mad at her; now that Maud was thinking about it, they got mad at her a lot. Then again, Limestone and Marble were younger than Pinkamena and they managed to get their work done just fine. The punishment was justified regardless of how Maud personally felt about it, and there was no more to think about.
The family finished up dinner and nightly chores. Mom then gathered the three obedient siblings together on the couch in the living room for a story. Each sister would take turns reading a page from one of mom's many storybooks. Maud appreciated the time listening to all the voices Limestone tried to make for all the characters, but it was hard to enjoy Marble's reading. Marble still needed a lot of help reading and mom wouldn't let a single syllable go uncorrected.
Tonight's story was one Pinkamena would have really enjoyed. Maud had heard this story once when she was younger. It was one of the first stories mom had taught her to read. It was a folk story mom had said. It centered around Princess Celestia's pet phoenix and, even without really knowing what one looked like, Maud liked to imagine the bird covered in deep red feathers just like rubies, mom's favorite type of rocks.
Limestone had read the part about all the birds of Equestria originally only having three colors: brown, gray and black. All the birds were sad because of their lack of color. The birds would try to dye their feathers with berries or flowers, but nothing changed the color of their wings.
Limestone had done her best to sound like a crying bird, but mom made her act seriously while reading.
Marble read about the birds always watching the sky after a rainstorm to see a rainbow, the most colorful thing in Equestria. The birds would all sit in the trees and watch the colors dance across the sky. But one day, when the rainbow appeared, it looked dirty and drab. Its color was fading!
Marble gasped at the thought. Mom assured her that rainbows were made in Cloudsdale and that the story was just pretend. It wasn't possible for anything, or anypony for that matter, to lose its color.
After everything Maud had seen Pinkamena do that day she was beginning to question how true mom's statement could be.
The storybook was finally handed over to Maud to read about the phoenix, Philomena.
"The magical bird had seen the pli, plight of the rainbow and flew swiftly to the birds of Equestria," Maud read plainly as her youngest sisters leaned in close. "Philomena called to her bird cousins, 'I am a Phoenix, and it is my job to protect the rainbow! But our beloved rainbow is being attacked by parasprites.'"
"What's a paraspite?" Marble asked inching closer to her mother from fear of the scary part of the story.
"I'm sure it's just something the writer made up, little one. Continue, Maud." Mom prompted.
"The birds all cried for they loved the rainbow very much. The phoenix spoke again, 'Fly with me and with our songs we can lead the wicked parasprites away.'" Maud turned the page and froze.
In front of her, printed in black and white but easily distinguishable, was a picture of all the birds flying toward what looked like a giant ribbon in the sky.
This is what Pinkamena had seen: a rainbow!
"Maud," Mom asked with a frown on her face. "Go ahead and finish up so we can get ready for bed."
"Mom?" Maud fixed her gaze on her mother. "Why do rainbows appear?"
"What do you mean, 'why?'" Mom sounded insulted and she didn't seem too fond to answer what she must have viewed as a stupid question. "You know how they're made."
And that was true, but why? And how did the pegasi know to make one over the rock farm that afternoon? How could they have? Didn't they only do so after the rain?
"Would the weather ponies make a rainbow on a sunny day?" Maud pressed lightly not wanting to ruin the mood of the evening.
Mom just sighed and rose to her hooves.
"We'll finish the story tomorrow,"
The twins groaned.
"A mother should only have to put up with so much in a day . . . I'm ready for bed."
Mom had a rough day, Maud knew. She wasn't frustrated with her, she was more troubled with the pink one again. Maud knew the answer. The pegasi made a rainbow in a big vat and rained it down in drops during a heavy storm. It was something pretty to look at after a big storm; a promise and reminder that everything was under control and there was no reason to worry.
Maud watched mom escort the twins upstairs. Maud closed the storybook and held it in her lap. She wanted Pinkamena to hear this story. She would show it to her in the morning and explain what a rainbow was then. Maud took the book in her teeth and followed upstairs. She stayed out of mom's sight and went to her room. She placed the book on top of Granny Pie's chest before tending to her bedtime rituals.
Teeth brushed, prayers prayed, Maud laid down in bed next to her grandmother. The graying mare gave a small snort and rolled over as Maud snuggled into the sheets.
There was a comfort in the darkness. Maud liked this quiet time to think and plan for the next day. With Granny Pie's steady breathing being the only nightly distraction, Maud let the image of rock types pile behind her eyelids. She could envision the entire rock farm laying there. No stone was forgotten in this abiding rhythm of night.
Taking in what Maud thought would be her last waking thought, a new sound drifted into the air. Soft, but pain-ridden, Maud could make out the faint whimpers of one of her younger sisters. A pitiful cry that seemed to come more from the hallway itself then the siblings' room. A cry that clearly spoke of a fear of the dark.
It was nighttime so Maud already knew who it was crying in the hall. Pinkamena hated the dark. Maud could still remember so many nights when the little pink one would race down to mom's and dad's room complaining about scary shadows or monsters under the bed. It was annoying, to say the least. They were both so young at the time and the lack of sleep made it hard for Maud to focus on dad's rock lessons in the morning.
Another soft whimper came from the hall. She was going to be impossible to ignore.
Maud slipped from her bed and trotted gently to the door. She opened it silently, but apparently not silently enough for Pinkamena. Even in the darkness, Maud could see the little filly jump at the sound of the door creaking open. Pinkamena's soft cry gave way to an open sob as she huddled close to the floor and covered her head.
Maud glanced down to her parents' door. They either hadn't heard or were choosing to stay in bed. Either way, considering how much trouble Pinkamena had gotten into today, it probably wasn't best for her to wake her parents too.
"Calm down," Maud stepped into the hall. "It's only me."
"Maud!" In the blink of an eye, the pink one was wrapped around Maud's forelimbs burying her cries into her sister.
Maud sighed, a feeling of pity coming over her. The reason Pinkamena hadn't gone straight to their parents must have been because she thought they were still mad at her. Even if her little sister's fears were unfounded, Maud didn't like to feel Pinkamena shiver and cry because of them. Maud took a seat and hugged her sister close.
"Shh," Maud shushed. "There is nothing to be scared of."
"It's so dark!" Pinkamena whined faintly.
"That's because the sun went down." Maud explained hoping a little reason would settle her sister's nerves. It didn't.
Pinkamena continued to cry as Maud groaned. She had to hush or somepony was bound to hear them.
It wasn't for Pinkamena's benefit only that their parents didn't scold her again. Maud had still felt unsettled by dad's stare earlier that night. Maud knew it wasn't directed at her, but being caught in his gaze had been enough to merit not wanting to see it again tonight.
"Pinkamena, stop this." Trying to gain control, Maud pushed her sister aside gently. "You already know the dark can't hurt you."
"I don't wanna go back to bed," the pink one sobbed collapsing to the floor with a light thud. "I don't wanna!"
Again Maud looked down to her parents' room. It would be inevitable. Pinkamena wasn't going to settle down if she had to go back to her room. Maud sighed.
"Why don't you sleep with Granny and me tonight." Maud offered just wanted to prevent mom or dad from hearing.
"Really?"
Maud didn't answer what she had already explained and stood to enter her room. Pinkamena was quick to follow. Maud watched her younger sister bound in front of her making sure to only step on the parts of the floor that the moonlight brightened up. The small pink sister struggled up the sheets into bed and made herself comfortable under Maud's pillow.
Maud yawned before following. She'd make do without a pillow if it meant finally going to sleep. Hopefully, this was the most excitement she'd have to put up with tonight.
(A/N) I hope you enjoyed! Please leave reviews of what you liked or what you think could be better. It was so much fun trying to write about things like Laughter without using the word. I've enjoyed writing for Maud even though she thinks and acts very differently from me. It's also such an interesting challenge to write in a way that is clear to you the reader while at the same time being true to the expressions of a filly Maud's age. This story has been great with helping me develop my Show-Don't-Tell skills. I'm not sure if I'm getting all my ideas across here, but it will be fun seeing the end product no matter what. Sorry for the wait, the next update I'm sure will be a while off too. Sorry.
