Anon's Emerald

>the heat of the sun is becoming unbearable
>you figured working on a farm, even a rock one, couldn't be that hard
>but it seems the work is just as strenuous for you as for the ponies
>you glance over to Limestone and Marble
>the latter is silently pushing a small boulder, the former mumbling angrily at a bigger one
>it still baffles you that the Pies were okay with you staying at the farm
>all it took was the princess' word that you meant no harm
>the princess herself didn't take that long to learn to trust you either
>just some "scientific" tests and being questioned by her friends
>after that the orange one offered to let you stay at her farm
>but after her little sister walking in on you taking care of yourself, you knew it was time to go
>luckily the pink one and the princess put in a good word for you at the rock farm
>and now here you are, in this strange and beautiful land, "farming" rocks
>you still have no idea why or how, but you're here and so far it hasn't been bad
>the ponies, though nervous at first, seem sincere in their attempts to make you feel at home
>not to mention the fact that they are extremely cute
>especially Marble
>though you have only exchanged a few words (most of which were mm-hmm), you feel closer to her than any girl back on earth
>"ANON, GET BACK TO WORK"
>an angry Limestone looks at you with a look of utmost disapproval, it seems you stopped pushing while reminiscing
"S-sorry", you say and get back to work

>it's now your seventh day in Equestria and it's already starting to feel like home
>maybe that's because you never felt at home on ear- an angry stare from Limestone snaps you out of your thoughts
>"Anon, why don't you go inside and set the table, clearly this work is too much for you"
>you are about to protest, but then you notice Marble is already on her way to the house
"Uhm sure, your call boss"
>Limestone smiles smugly at your display of submission
>you rush to catch up with Marble
>as the two of you walk up to the house, not a single syllable is uttered
>quietly you start to set the table
>as Marble passes you with the pan of rock soup, you open your mouth before realising you don't know what to say
>"Y-you hungry, Anon?"
>she really is the sweetest and you are truly the most awkward
"Uh yeah, I uh, yeah"
>both of you silently return to your tasks
>once all is set, Marble calls for her parents upstairs, while you signal Limestone in the fields
>dinner is probably the best time of the day, not because of the rock dishes, which are horrible, but because Marble opens up a bit at dinner
>yesterday she started talking about her favourite kind of gem, emerald, and kept on going for five full minutes
>you just hope Limestone doesn't start talking trash about you to Mister Pie again

>after politely waiting for everyone to get seated and filling their plates, you immediately dig in
>Igneous turns his disapproving eyeballs your way
>you realise you have made a mess and turn red
>Limestone smiles cruelly, but luckily Mrs Pie is merciful and hands you some napkins to clean up
"Th-thanks, Mrs Pie"
>you really need to get a grip, this is the third time in your four days here
>it's not that you weren't raised properly, it's just that being in such a strange world makes you nervous
>not to mention the thoughts about Marble racing through your head
>you hurry to clear your mind, as the clothes the ponies gave you are not fit to conceal an erection
>luckily for you, Limestone decides it's time to talk about the farm
>"Father, we really should hire a big strong stallion to help us"
>you know Igneous isn't very fond of you, but he's even less fond of potential stallions staying at the farm
>"Daughter, thine suggestions are truly valued, but we have no need for another mouth to feed"
>you began to smile, but Mrs Pie's stern gaze turns you back to your soup
>"But father, I know we have Anon to help us, but he doesn't have the strength of a stallion"
>Mrs Pie intervenes "Have we not raised you well, that thou wouldst gossip like this about somepony else"
>"It's not gossiping when they can hear you!", Limestone protests
>but Mrs Pie gives her daughter the same stern look she gave you and with that, the argument ends
>now is your chance to say something interesting to redeem yourself
>too bad you have no idea what to say
>you don't know jack shit about Equestria and all your Earth knowledge does not seem relevant at all

>"Uhm, Father, Mother, would it be okay if, uhm, I were to pay Pinkamena a visit tomorrow?"
>Marble's parents exchange confused looks, seems like Marble doesn't make requests like this one alot
>"Daughter, thou knowest we need everypony to run the farm"
>"I just thought, m-maybe now that Anon is here I could take one day off?"
>Mr Pie looks conflicted
>Mrs Pie interjects "Your sister Maud will be here in two days, she can then take over your work"
>"But dearest wife, certainly we cannot let our daughter make this far journey alone?"
>this is it, time to be a hero
"I could take your daughter to Ponyville, Mr Pie"
>all eyes turn to you and you immediately regret your words
>Limestone opens her mouth, but is cut short by her mother
>"It is agreed then, in two days Anonymous will accompany Marble to Ponyville"
>it amazes you to see how both Limestone and Mr Pie do not object
>Marble smiles shyly at you, "Thanks Anon"
>after dinner you head to bed
>you start thinking about your upcoming trip, this is your chance to prove yourself to Marble and the other Pies
>maybe if you were to encounter a monster, you might prove yourself a hero
>but what kind of monster could you encounter on the train to Ponyville?
>you sigh and sink your face into your pillow
>trying to come up with a way to impress Marble you slowly sink into sleep

>next day, you're out in the fields
>Mr and Mrs Pie are in the next town over selling rocks or something
>Marble and Limestone are collecting rock seedlings from a cave or something
>it's not like you even get half of what rock farming is about, you just push the damned things
>you guess there's some sort of magic involved or maybe it's just chemistry?
>since Limestone isn't around to scold you, you decide to take a small break
>you're still not sure how to impress Marble
>you could give her a gift, but the little money you make, is not going to impress her
>if only you were a rich man, you could buy her all the emeralds she wants
>but for now, you'll have to think of something else
>after five minutes of fruitless thinking you decide to get back to pushing
>you see a particularly round rock with an extremely smooth surface
"Well hello there, beauty"
>did you just talk to a rock? you hope that's not to weird for a rock farmer
>as you approach the rock you trip over another one and hit the smooth boulder
>it starts to roll away from you and before you can stop it, it tumbles into the quarry
>"WHAT THE HELL"

>oh shit, that's Limestone, was she down there?
>you rush down there and find a shattered boulder and an angry Limestone glaring at you
>"Anon, clean this mess up right now"
>better get to it then
>"How did this happen?!"
"S-sorry, I tripped"
>"I can't believe how clumsy your kind is, watch your step next time, we don't pay you to destroy our crops!"
>did she just say 'crops'?
>mumbling angrily, Limestone heads for the fields
>you're not sure what exactly to clean up, so you start tossing rubble into a corner
>it seems only half of the boulder was shattered, but the other remains intact
>as you pick up the remaining half and inspect it, you notice that inside is an emerald the size of your fist
>you feel a wave of joy come over you
>this is the perfect gift for Marble
>it's even round and smooth already
>you put the thing in your pocket and head back to the fields
>at dinner Limestone brings up your accident, but Mrs Pie dismisses the subject
>for some reason the mare is willing to cut you much more slack than the others are

>the next morning, while working in the fields, you see a pony approaching the farm
>you squint, which does virtually nothing, but feels right anyway
>the pony has a grey coat, purple mane and for some reason seems very familiar
>on her head the pony carries a small rock
>"Daughter! Thine presence gives me joy!"
>the pony does not respond to Mr Pie's words
>silently she approaches him and just says "Hi father"
>is this Marble's sister Maud? wasn't she supposed to be here tomorrow?
>Limestone comes rushing over, greets her sister and all three Pies head for the house
>you start to follow them, but Limestone signals you to keep working
>oh well, it's not like you were curious or anything
>you wonder what this Pie sister is like
>kind like Marble? shy like Marble? cheerful like the pink one?
>adorable like Marble? Mean like Limestone? cute like Marble?
>maybe she could help you become closer with Marble, since Limestone definitely won't
>too bad you won't really have time to talk to her
>better get back to daydreaming about Marble then
>you wonder how ponies do intimate stuff with their lack of fingers
>maybe they prefer to use their mouths for that sort of thing?
>your brain runs out of blood to think, so you get back to the mindless work

>at dinner you are once again baffled by the Pies as Maud talks about the best kind of rock to make rock soup
>a full twenty minutes you are enlightened about the culinary benefits of sedimentary rocks
>but now her tale of taste is over, your plate is empty, but just as you want to rise, Maud turns to you
>"What about your home? What are the rocks like?"
>what the fuck
>does she really expect you to know anything about rocks?
"I, uh.. I don't know that much about rocks, I guess, I think they're the same as here"
>she doesn't respond, but looks slightly disappointed, you think
>you head upstairs, lie down and close your eyes
>you need to find the right moment to give Marble the gem tomorrow
>obviously not in front of her family or the ponies in Ponyville
>but if you give it on the train and she doesn't like it, that would be awkward too
>but she will like it, right? she said she liked emeralds
>you hear hoof steps on the stairs, you raise your head and see Maud
>that's right, you'll be sharing the room with her for the night
>suddenly Maud stops and sniffs the air
>you're not sure whether what she's smelling is you, but she seems intrigued
>she walks towards the chest with your belongings
>"Is there a gemstone in there?"
>did she smell the emerald inside the chest? that's some odd shit right there

"Uh yes, I found one the other day"
>"Is it an emerald?"
>what is it with these ponies and their rocks? how did she smell the type of gem
>the look on your face goes unnoticed by Maud, who opens the chest and takes a look at the gemstone
>"This is a nice emerald"
>you have no idea how to respond, not even an appropriate facial expression comes to mind
>maybe this is the moment to ask Maud for help? oh well, here goes nothing
"Uhm, so.. I was planning on giving this gem as a gift to Marble.."
>she turns to you and her eyes widen, but only slightly
>now her face returns to it's emotionless default
>"Where did you get this?"
>something in her voice betrays that she is not as calm as she would have you think
>you wouldn't exactly call it excitement, but it's the next best thing
"I found it near the quarry"
>"You found a gem lying near the quarry and you just took it for yourself?"
>shit, you never thought about it like that
>well, so much for the perfect gift
>"Don't worry, I won't tell anypony"
"Uh, thanks"
>"I'm going to bed now"
>and just like that the conversation ends

>morning is here, you are awoken by the sounds of hoof steps downstairs
>you sit up and see that Maud has already gotten up
>today is the day, just you and Marble travelling together, it's safe to say you're excited
>you grab your bag, containing only the gift for Marble
>you head downstairs, where a surprisingly rock free breakfast awaits you
"Good morning everyone"
>you're feeling confident today, everything is certainly fine
>the ponies greet you in return and you start you all start breakfast
>Mrs Pie and Maud are whispering something to each other, earning them a stern look from Mr Pie
>they proceed to look at you, Mrs Pie with a wide smile, Maud with a slightly more excited expression than usual
>you're not sure what they're trying to get across, maybe you've got something on your face?
>but there is nothing on your face and it seems you're not the only one who is confused as you see Limestone and Mr Pie exchange confused glances
>Marble seems oblivious to the whole situation or maybe she's just ignoring it
>you decide to just politely smile back at the mares, which makes their smiles even wider
>whatever, you've got more important things to worry about
>you empty your cup, nearly choke on a pebble and decide it's time to set the day in motion
"So, when are we leaving?"
>"You will leave right after breakfast, to catch the early train"
>Mrs Pie's excitement has clearly found its way into her voice
"Is it a long trip?"
>maybe you should have asked this earlier, you didn't realise you were so unprepared
>"Only a couple of hours"
>Maud displays the same kind of mildly excited behaviour as last night

>after breakfast you all head for the train station
>before you arrive Mrs Pie takes you aside
>"Anonymous, I have heard from Maud that you plan on giving Marble a gift"
>every trace of her old-fashioned way of speaking has disappeared, must be the excitement
"Uhm, yeah, that's true, if you don't mind, that is"
>you had hoped to avoid a situation like this, at this point you're not sure why you told Maud
>you'll just have to play it cool, pretend Marble isn't the girl of your dreams
>"I don't know what your intentions are, but I have seen that you are a kind and hard working stallion and you have my blessing"
>that's unexpected, you never thought anyone's mother would approve of you
>maybe the stallions here are all giant douche bags?
"Uh, thanks, Mrs Pie"
>you'd think this endorsement would boost your confidence even further, but the unexpectedness of it all has thrown you off
>"One more thing, Anonymous, if you are to pursue a relationship with my daughter, you would be wise to let her tell my husband"
>she's probably right, Mr Pie is the kind of man to chase a suitor of his property with a shotgun
>then again, you're not even sure if you'll have to worry about all that, it all depends on Marble
>let's hope she shares her mother sentiment
>the two of you catch up to the rest
>within a few minutes the train arrives and you prepare to say goodbye

>the doors close, the train departs
>the ponies at the station become smaller and smaller
>the first half hour of your trip is spent in silence as Marble admires the landscape and you work up the courage for what is to come
>come one Anon, you can do this
"Uhm, Marble?"
>"Hmm?"
"I wanted to give you this"
>you reach into your bag with both hands and present to her the emerald
>silence, the one thing you feared more than outright rejection
>a full ten seconds pass before Marble unfreezes
>then a smile sneaks unto her lips and she takes to gem out of your hands
>"It's beautiful"
>she spins it around on her hoof, causing it to sparkle in the sunlight
>you have never felt as relieved as in this moment
>Marble then looks at you, insecurity overtaking her expression
>she slowly moves her head towards you
>oh shit, is she going to kiss you? you are not prepared for this
>a chill runs down your spine as her lips make contact with your cheek
>she then rests her head on your shoulder
>"Thank you Anon"