Never the Final Word (Vol. 2)

by FanOfMostEverything

Georg and CCC's Laser, Focused (Estee's "Princesses Produce Persistent Plumbing Problems")

Author's Note:

[Comedy]

This is a follow-up to Estee's Princesses Produce Persistent Plumbing Problems

SOURCE STORY'S SURREPTITIOUS SUMMARIZING SPOILERS: Castle Canterlot needs as much maintenance as you'd expect from a building that age, and the plumbing is no different. The diarchs call in an expert from the Crystal Empire, capable of growing crystalline pipes superior to any metallic ones on offer... with one exception. Shed alicorn mane and tail hair carries a small magical charge until the root dies. The faceted crystal focuses the discharge into coherent beams of destruction.

(Georg)

"Scrubbie dubbie in the tubbie," sang Shining Armor as he added a gloop of No-Tears, No-Stress, Crystalberry Essence Shampoo to Flurry Heart's mane. "Is Daddy's little girl feeling happy in the tub? Yes, you're a good little girl..."

A faint rumbling made tiny ripples across the bathtub, which Shining Armor ignored in favor of more infant hair care, not even noticing the faint glow to the hair that swept down the tub drain when they were done. It took until Flurry had been fluffed with towels, read three stories, and put to bed before the noise floated up in his thoughts again.

"Hey, Cady. The castle plumbing has been acting up again. Want me to take a wrench and look into it?"

Cadence looked back at her handsome hubby and shook her head. "No. I remember the last time you tried home repair on the castle. And the time before that." She shrugged. "I'll have Twilight look into it next time she's up here. Alicorn magic needs some practical practice, after all. Besides, it's probably nothing."

---

(CCC)

Three weeks later

"...are you seeing it?" asked Celestia.

"Dost thou refer to yonder column of light, rising above the vicinity of the Crystal Empire?" inquired Luna.

"Yes... Are you pranking me with a dream, or do you think Cadance really needs help?"

"'Tis not a dream," says Luna. "That much, at least, I can be certain of. What it is, I cannot say with certainty..."

---

"...it's probably visible from Equestria," says Shining Armor, looking up at the column of light rising from the newly-evacuated Crystal Palace.

"No doubt, honey," said Cadence. "But do you have any idea what it is?"

"It's not any sort of deathtrap left by Sombra," mused Shining, "because if he was capable of this much, it would have triggered with less warning and we wouldn't have been able to evacuate in time. My current theory is that something in one of his labs escaped confinement... whatever it is, it's a very bright, very strong source of energy that's getting reflected and magnified through the crystalline structure of the Palace. If only we could figure out where it was coming from, we could probably handle it..."

"Hm. Pity about the timing, really... I'm going to go and find somewhere to give Flurry the rest of her bath, okay, dear?"

Comments

[Speckle]

This alone needs a sequel, somehow

[Georg]

10612316 "Spike!" called out Princess Twilight Sparkle from somewhere inside the leafy library. "Is this all of the mail??"

"I put it on the writing desk, stacked by importance," called Spike back. He considered the chessboard in the dappled light of the afternoon cascading in through the open library window, reached out to make a move , then pulled his hand back. This game was getting tricky.

"Princess Celestia says we need to have the sewage lines inspected," called out Twilight again. "There's something about shed alicorn hair residue causing magical reactions, but her explanation is not making much sense."

"Uh-huh," said Spike, then cautiously moved a pawn.

"I mean if I'm shedding something dangerous," she continued, "I'd be affecting the whole town's sewage lines."

"If you did the bills, you would know we're not tied into the city sewage lines," called back Spike. "The library is old enough it has a septic tank somewhere under the roots."

There was a long pause, broken only by the scratching noise of Spike's opponent moving a bishop.

"A septic tank?" asked Twilight in a question that really did not need answered. "You mean all of our... waste products have been accumulating in a tank under the library for the last few years? That doesn't sound safe. Have you noticed anything weird going on," added Twilight as she trotted over to Spike's chess game and stopped.

"Weird for Ponyville?" asked Spike with a shrug. He reached around the thin oak branch that had just moved a bishop and scooted the dragon's rook one square over. "Check," he announced. "I can still beat it three games out of four."

[Speckle]

10612380

[WanderingPony]

10612380

Let's also note that whatever's under there is also likely to be getting bits of dragon (not exactly what one calls non-volatile bits) as well.

And in typical earth pony fashion, it's probably being used as fertilizer. Enough of THAT and it'd probably bounce one of Tirek's blasts off the foilage.