//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Lapis comes to town // by Dudofall //------------------------------// Peridot facet 4C9O cut 6ËT glared at her screen. “Why are we still here?” Lapis Lazuli facet 133 cut 2 rolled her eyes. “I already told you 3 times. Something felt...off.” “You and your ‘feelings’ have already gotten me sent this far from homeworld!” Peridot 6ËT bellowed. She gestured at the cages full of ponies. “If we don’t get these organics to the laboratory, with the chunks, on time, we might as well shatter ourselves!” “Would you stop and think for one second?” Lapis facet 133 cut 2 returned. She walked up to a cage with an an elderly lime green pony inside. “Who’s a good organic? You are! Yes you are! I bet mean old Peridot woke you from your nap. Let me help!” Granny Smith glared at her. “You won’t get away with this!” She yowled. “Princess Twilight will stop you! Young’uns these days have no respect for their elders! Isn’t that right Applejack?” Applejack paused in her efforts to buck open the cage of yellow light. “What about me?” “She’s got ya there granny,” Applebloom laughed. “Eeyup,” Big Macintosh affirmed, also resting. Lapis and Peridot gaped. Lapis closed Peridot’s green jaw for her. "I told you it felt off," she said smugly. *** Transport preparation paused due to rule 58625942985705928386 Exception 73 occurred. All gems attack the source of the dissonance. "Gem's's?" Twiggles snarfed. Shhhe slllllowwwwwly stepped towards the smell of lavendnr. "Liek the elementals of harminmee???"" The Amazing Grorilla dash helpfully pointed her ehaded in the riashgt direction. Dissonance increasing. Comm cations sys s faling. rqs8888 nyyyyyyoooooooooooooo. "lel that s funn66yy" twi try to say. WHAT? Twilight bolted to her feet. "Something's seriously weird about these dreams," she told herself. "Maude? Are you there? The surface!" She jumped into the air, soaring up to where the outskirts of Ponyville remained. *** "ah," Maude screamed softly. Lapis easily out-flew the guards, but couldn't fly as fast as when she'd raced Twilight for fear of hurting her reluctant passenger. "Where should we go?" she asked frantically. "My home," Maude recommended before quietly screaming again. She pointed. Lapis flew where she bade, which looked to be the entrance to a cave of some sort. "I see. You live in a cave because you study rocks." "I don't study rocks at home. I just kick back and relax usually," Maude corrected. Lapis placed her on the ground. "Step into my parlor." The gem shrugged off the odd phrasing as she followed the geologist into the dark. *** "I'm sure she would want to apologize," Twilight told Captain Speak Softly. "I know I'd feel just awful about wasting a guard pony's time, and I'm sure that Lapis feels the same!" "Oh she can apologize alright!" the stallion boomed. "As soon as we throw her in the castle dungeons!" "My castle's gone," Twilight informed him, raising an eyebrow. A few of the other guards chuckled. Speak Softly whipped his head around, and instantly all mirth vanished. Twilight cast a spell. "If you really want Lapis to apologize, I suggest you take a more diplomatic tone." The spell told her where the wayward gem had gone, and she started walking. The guards followed her, some seeming all too pleased to see their commanding officer taken down a peg. *** "No thank you," Lapis uttered. Maude put one teacup back. She deliberately poured her tea so that the steam could waft across the table and tempt the gem with a lavender aroma. Then she sipped some of her own cup. "Delicious." "Fine, I'll try some," Lapis relented, getting up and grabbing the other tea cup. Maude smiled slightly and poured her a generous serving. They could never resist the wafting technique. Lapis took a tiny sip of the tea. As she sipped a bit more, Maude sat patiently in her chair. She watched the gem's face carefully. She smiled a little bit more. "Would you like to hear some of my poetry?" Lapis nodded. "I've never heard poetry before. Is it like singing?" "It's a lot like that. This first poem is a bout rocks. They're all about rocks. Two rocks were playing on the outskirts of the town When suddenly water rose up out of the ground The rocks tried to hide but they couldn't, they were rocks Soon the both of them were found A large red rock was about to separate them. When the sister rock gave her an ultimatum 'If you leave me and my sister alive I'll show you where all the other rocks hide.' Insistent as her sister was that she should not assist The very system she was trying to resist She knew the hiding rocks would be found anyway And decided they would miss the ship and hide in the abyss. Let this be a warning, don't trust who you see. Don't expect warm welcomes just because there's tea. Rocks will do such awful things to save their families. Beware the smell of lavender. It belies a sleeping poison. I hope you liked my poem," Maude told the sleeping Lapis Lazuli, "I've never written something so personal before. Except maybe my poem about two rocks reuniting and taking part in the tradition of making rock candy." She lifted the sleeping gem with little apparent effort, and laid her down in a makeshift cell behind the waterfall. *** "They're at Maude's place!" Twilight triumphantly trumpeted. The guards nodded their lead laden heads. It had been a long flight and subsequent walk into the caves. Even Speak Softly was starting to wonder if they wouldn't be better off returning to camp and coming back when everypony was well rested. He didn't suggest it, however. "Should we break down the door?" Lieutenant Carry A. Big asked. The princess shook her head. "Friends don't break down their friends' doors." The lieutenant nodded. "Okay. Sergeant Head and Corporal Foot will organize a search into the other parts of the cave." The two named ponies nodded, and left with a couple underlings each. The captain ran a hoof through his mane. "Now that it's settled, let's search this property." Twilight led them into Maude's home. Maude looked up from her tea. "Oh, Twilight." The alicorn hugged her friend. "Where's Lapis?" The earth pony scratched her nose. "It's just terrible. She got so upset with me that she ran off." Twilight hit the ground with her tail. "Darn! Where did she go?" The gray pony pulled her face down with both hooves. "Deeper into the caves." Just then, Corporal Foot burst into the room. "My search deeper into the caves found nopony!" "Oh ponyfeathers."