//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: All the Time 
// by Shrinky Frod 
//------------------------------//

Morbid curiosity led Limestone to check the hook by the door when she got back and, sure enough, her cap and scarf were missing from it. It was just as well, really; she didn’t know what she’d do if they had still been there.

Probably try getting Pinkie to pull enough random outerwear out of her tail that we could set up a booth in the market, she admitted to herself as she hung up the ones she was wearing.

In the dining room, all the ponies on the farm were gathering together, chatting and settling in for dinner. Since the first… less than stellar shared Hearth’s Warming, a silent agreement had been reached that each family would bring one of their traditional dishes to the table, regardless of which family was hosting. The last few years, that had been Granny Smith’s seven-layer bean dip or apple pie. This year, with Big Mac and Sugar Belle starting their own family and Mudbriar joining them for the first time, there was a wider selection than Limestone had seen since she was a filly.

This year Sugar Belle had spent the morning baking sweet rolls. The homestead was filled with the scent of cinnamon and yeast, which only grew stronger when the unicorn pulled her rolls out of the oven to cool for dessert. In the center of the table, one tray held Granny’s bean dip and the corn chips to go with it, while another held Mudbriar’s… honestly, Limestone wasn’t sure what Mudbriar had brought. It looked like a tray with slices of wood, some of them dyed a faint, reddish-brown color, and others a dark, amber color.

“The spiced yacaratia wheels will be a bit dry on their own,” Mudbriar warned the ponies at the table as Cloudy Quartz served up bowls of rock soup. “It should go well with the soup, though.”

“Yaka-what-now?” Granny Smith asked as she took one of the slices of wood and peered down at it.

“Yacaratia,” Mudbriar repeated. “It’s a semi-tropical, fruit-bearing mango tree from southwestern Equestria. The internal vascular structure absorbs liquids exceptionally well, which prevents the wood from splintering. The candied wheels are a traditional dish, in case the spiced ones didn’t turn out well.”

“Learn somethin’ new every day,” Applejack mused, helping to pass out food to everypony before sitting down to eat.

Limestone enjoyed the content silence that came with the meal. The spiced wooden wheels Mudbriar had served did, indeed, go well with the broth - well enough that she thought Maud had probably helped him test the blend of cloves, cinnamon, and peppers that had gone into them. They might take a little getting used to, but if she thought of them like a hard, crusty bread to use to get the last of the broth, it made sense.

Like most ponies, Mudbriar was a little hesitant the first time he tried biting down into one of the rocks in his soup, though not as much as Sugar Belle was. They each did try them though, Mudbriar’s expression keenly analytical as he considered the flavor, and Sugar Belle shrugging faintly.

“Interesting… definitely better than those darned muffins!”

Huh, she’s got a baking cutie mark, what sort of muffins would she compare rocks favorably to? Limestone pondered. Sugar Belle giggled when she saw the raised eyebrows that she got from most of the new faces around the table.

“It’s a long story. I sort of lost my knack for a while, but I’ve got it back now.” She smiled contentedly as Pinkie let out a sharp laugh.

“No kidding! The muffins you made for Starlight were a totally different thing!”

“You made the muffins that made Pinkie sick to her stomach?” Limestone asked incredulously, glancing out at the kitchen where the delicious smelling sweet rolls were waiting.

“In my defense, she did eat a dozen of them. And I had to make sure that I baked at the same level as the worst baker in the village. Like I said, long story.”

Well, Granny Smith accepted her into the family, so she can’t just be a complete disaster in the kitchen, Limestone mused, picking up the rock from her soup and crunching into it. Grinding dinner was always a good excuse for not talking, and just paying attention to the little things around the table.

The disapproving look Applejack gave Granny when she collected a healthy serving of chips and dip, and the defiant glare Granny gave her back. Igneous Pie’s calculating consideration of the edible wood Mudbriar had brought, and the little shudders Mudbriar made as Maud took advantage of her father’s distraction to probably rub her boyfriend’s flank under the table. The silent, slightly jealous glances that Marble kept sneaking at Big Mac and Sugar Belle.

Most days, the interplay would probably have gotten on Limestone’s nerves. But it was Hearth’s Warming, and somehow, the parts that would usually have grated on her just didn’t seem as important tonight. Her family was here, bigger than ever. Everypony was getting along, even if Mudbriar looked as nervous as a stone frog in the middle of a gravel patch that Maud would get him in trouble with her parents.

It’s worth it. Getting everypony together, all of us getting along… screw the extra bits. It’ll work out. Once the family had finished with their soup, Sugar Belle brought her rolls out magically, splitting them up between everypony’s plates along with some of Mudbriar’s candied wood. Curious about the more exotic dessert, Limestone took a bite out of the translucent, amber-colored wood. A complex blend of flavors, mostly honey with a hint of a lighter, sweet citrus flavor, filled her senses as she chewed it thoughtfully to a honeyed pulp. For the first time in ages, Limestone felt at peace with the world around her. 

“Limestone, you’re smiling!” Pinkie teased playfully. “It really is a Hearth’s Warming miracle!”

And, Limestone sighed inwardly as she swallowed, just like that, the moment is gone.

“Love you too, Sis,” she replied without letting her expression slip. “Just remember who’s assigning chores tomorrow.”

“Girls,” Cloudy Quartz said sternly.

“Sorry, mother,” each of the two chastened mares said, lowering their ears.

“‘Tis not I to whom you should apologize.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Cloudy,” Granny Smith laughed. “Why, Ah remember one year, Big Mac an’ his cousin Braeburn near about started throwing hooves one Hearth’s Warming!”

“Mac?” Sugar Belle gasped, though her grin suggested she was far more amused than scandalized.

“Eeeyup,” he muttered, blushing.

“A little too much cider an’ even a friendly game of cards can get rough,” Applejack chuckled. “T’be fair though, Brae did look like he’d slipped somethin’ into his vest pocket.”

“That’s why you never play cards with somepony who’s dressed,” Limestone observed. “Not that we get the chance too often, out here.”

“‘Idle hooves do Nightmare’s work,’” Igneous quoted. “Having brought up the workload, Limestone, I would like thee to speak with Mudbriar and Maud about his suggestions for helping the garden later. Most of the work will have to wait for spring, but I have faith thou shalt have ideas for how to make preparations for then.”

Of course I will. I’ll be the one who has to do the work when spring comes around, best get started on it now.

“Yes, father,” she said instead, nodding and lightly buttering one of her sweet rolls.

“I’m flattered that you think it’s worth trying, Sir,” Mudbriar offered, “but it could wait until after the holidays.”

“Somepony’s new to farm work,” Applejack chuckled. “Always something to do, even when the snow’s high, holiday or no. Heck, Ah’ll bet there’s something Limestone’s thinkin’ about that needs workin’ on right now, if’n it weren’t Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“About six of them, and one I’ve got to go do even though it is Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Limestone finished her meal and glanced at the window, judging the amount of daylight left. “Ma, I should get going to set up the rock hunt.”

“You’re excused, Limestone.”

The pale earth pony stood and started out to grab her scarf, snagging a piece of parchment and charcoal and tucking them under her hat before going out into the bracing winter wind.

“Applejack doth speak the truth,” Igneous explained to Mudbriar as Limestone got ready to leave. She was just about to close the door when she heard the second part of what her father was saying.

“It will do thee good to see what is involved in running the farm. Give thee time to adjust to the idea before thou takest it on, with Maud.”