HC: Pinkie's Puritanical Parents by Lopoddity on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Hey all, sorry about the slowdown on art lately. My mom had a big health scare and went through a major surgery, so I've been pretty tied up. Fortunately, everything is taking a turn for the better! Did some headcanons to de-stress. Have some notes~

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"May Providence favor thee well, and to thou comfort our humble homestead bring."

_-_Far out in the barren borderlands of Equestria, there lives a small sect of traditionalist earth ponies. They are known as the Ponies of the Plains, or Plain Ponies. Similar to the real-life American Amish, this community spurns the technology and comforts of the modern world, opting instead to maintain the same primitive lifestyle as the ancient pony clans (before Celestia and Luna came to power).

The Ponies of the Plains place heavy emphasis on duty, discipline, family, and hard labor. They believe firmly in Providence, or the will of fate, and are adamant in their belief that earth ponies were divinely designed to be the laborers of Ponykind, and the guardians of nature. All earth ponies were made to toil, and that is why Providence, in it's divine wisdom, made earth ponies the strongest and sturdiest of all three pony races, and granted the earth ponies their own unique magic, often manifesting as a distinct connection to nature.

Each Plain Pony household is jointly governed by the patriarch and matriarch. Young mares and stallions are always betrothed via the magical Pairing Stone. Plains Ponies consider foals a blessing, and families are encouraged to produce many children to aid in the laboring. Foals are home-schooled and strictly disciplined, and their access to the outside world is heavily restricted. Plainness and humility are emphasized in clothing, decor, and architecture-Vivid colors and flashy designs are frowned upon, as Plain Ponies place great value in humbleness. Ponies of the Plains are typically quite stern and serious in demeanor, as obvious outward shows of emotion are viewed as foolish and child-like. A true Plain Pony must be dignified and collected at all times.

-Igneous Rock Pie is a severe and hard-working Pony of the Plains. Igneous rocks are molded by extreme heat and pressure, and thus the stallion's name is quite fitting, as he has refused to buckle under the strain of running the family rock farm, standing strong in the face of drought, blight, disease, storms, wildfires, and even twisters. He inherited the farm from his own grandmother (and Pinkie's "Granny Pie"), Humble Pie. Igneous can be curt, stubborn, impatient, and seemingly cold, but he cares immensely for his wife and daughters, whom he considers the center of his world. It may not be apparent to outsiders, but all four Pie daughters know when their father is smiling on the inside.

-Claudine Diane Quartz ("Cloudy Quartz") also hails from a long line of rock farmers. She is impatient when outsiders dismiss the notion of rock farming, or claim it to be pointless toiling in the dirt. Besides yielding valuable gems and crystals, a well-maintained rock farm can yield rocks that have absorbed the unique magic of their surrounding environment. These magically-charged rocks can be sold and traded with outside populations to be used to power machinery, and increase the potency of potions and spell-work. These rare, powerful, carefully-farmed rocks can sell for a pretty penny, and the Pie family is quite well-off, despite their humble outward appearance. Some rocks, loaded with important minerals, can be safely consumed, and one of Cloudy's hobbies is finding new ways to innovate with rocks in the kitchen. Ma's old-fashioned rock soup and pebble muffins were a beloved staple of the Pie Sisters growing up.

While Cloudy Quartz oversees the finances and business dealings of the rock farm, she is no stranger to hard labor, and often joins her husband harvesting the fields. Cloudy's cloven hooves are a leftover from a distant unicorn ancestor, and she is quite talented at channeling earth pony magic through her hooves to detect precious gemstones. She is a stern but caring mother, and often, in private, broke her stoic facade to coo over and sing to her teeny daughters.

-Cloudy and Igneous were partnered and betrothed by the Pairing Stone, a magical artifact made of the same quartz as the Tree of Harmony. The Pairing Stone cannot truly calculate romantic compatibility, as Love is a fickle force that is tied more closely to Chaos magic than the forces of Harmony. Princess Cadence ascended to alicornhood precisely because she mastered the powerful, mysterious force of Love. The Pairing Stone instead calls upon Harmony to pair the individuals that would simply get along the best. Love is not at all a factor in these arranged marriages- in fact, Igneous and Cloudy met only a half-hour before they were wed. Their relationship was certainly awkward at first, with neither young pony knowing how to reach out to the other, and feeling silly and foolish for it. It took getting trapped in a gem mine together for Igneous and Cloudy to have their first real conversation....which led to another conversation, less stilted and awkward this time......As time went by, their attitudes toward each other evolved from stiff politeness to something almost like friendliness, then comfort in each others company, then affection, until eventually, a year after they were married, they somehow stumbled their way into falling in love. Igneous greatly admires his wife's mind and subtle rebellious streak (Cloudy does enjoy a good prank or two), while Cloudy enjoys her husband's inner and outer strength (and secretly, how much he dotes on the girls).

-Maud Pie is their eldest daughter, and the apple of her parents' eye. She is the strongest and most intelligent of her sisters, and shares the Pie passion for all things rock related. Limestone Pie is their surly, temperamental

secretly insecure

middle child. Pinkie Pie and Marble Pie are twins, with Pinkie being the older of the two by just a few minutes. While Pinkie is ultra-extroverted, Marble is ultra-introverted, and struggles with severe, debilitating social anxiety and selective mutism. Cloudy and Igneous are especially patient and indulgent with their two youngest daughters, to Limestone's annoyance.

Cloudy and Igneous are the oldest of the Mane Six's parents.

-Cloudy and Igneous are not as bound to tradition as the rest of their community. They do practice the traditional, ancient way of life, but have a habit of tossing tradition out the window when it comes to their daughters. It's unheard of for a Plain Pony child to leave home and venture into the outside world, but when their darling firstborn Maud wanted to leave to pursue her rocktorate degree, Cloudy and Igneous couldn't have been prouder, and even allowed a tear or two to fall as they sent Maud off. Celebrations in the community are rare, small, subdued events, and overindulgence in them is seen as pointless folly. Still, when their little Pinkie Pie planned a surprise party for her parents, how could Igneous and Cloudy, staring into their filly's nervous, hopeful blue eyes, do anything but encourage her? So what if parties and dancing and music were folly? They made Pinkie happy, and that's all that mattered. It was Cloudy and Igneous that nervously arranged young Pinkie's apprenticeship under Mr and Mrs Cake.

-Applejack and Pinkie Pie are distantly related, connected via a shared relative, "Auntie Apple Pie".

-Pinkie Pie was the first to have foals with her doofy party pony husband Cheese Sandwich, and Cloudy and Igneous are quite fond of their grandchildren, Cupcake, Jam Sandwich, and PB Sandwich, to the point where they might even smile openly around the foals. They also enjoy Maud's rather polite adopted son Moondancer, even if he came from the less-than-polite showboat magician, Trixie. Later on, when Limestone seeks a change of pace and becomes a law enforcer in Ponyville, she strikes up a curious relationship with resident air-headed hippie Treehugger, as well as Treezie's young son Chakra Blossom. Both green ponies embody pretty much everything Cloudy and Igneous don't approve of about the outside world, and both aren't too keen on Lime's strange over-protectiveness of the odd mother and son. More on that here: . Going against community tradition, Marble Pie is child-free by choice, and remains on the rock farm where she feels comfortable and safe, tending loyally to her parents.

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More from my MLP character headcanon series:

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