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// That Time Limestone first used the rope 
// Story: Spike Pie: Scrapbook of Memories 
// by Silver Butcher 
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Limestone looked out across the rock farm, then to her brother, who was slowly pushing a rock twice his size across the ground.
"Atta boy Spike," She called to him "You've been a big help today, at this pace we should get these last rocks to the field before the storm comes in,"
"Well It's not like I have school to worry about," Spike noted "And with Mom Pregnant and Dad taking care of her It's not like I could just leave you alone out here,"
"I can and have done this alone many times," Limestone assured him with a nod. "But your help is appreciated greatly,"  Limestone moved away from her brother as she began pushing rocks around towards the west field, as she moved Spike spied at her and then spun in place and floated slightly in the air before placing his head against the rock and spinning his tail, moving the rock faster than he had been before.
"Spike," Limestone said sternly without looking behind him "You'll never get any stronger if you cheat with balloons,"
"I'm just using my head," Spike chuckled back as he moved his rock. Limestone just shook her head and continued pushing her rock, Spike managed to go for a few minutes before stopping and panting as he limply floated next to his rock.
"I was lied to," He complained getting Limestones attention "You said this was cheating but my tail muscles are burning from all the spinning,"
"Then rotate out," Limestone said simply, smiling at the sudden knowledge that Spike was working out some part of his body when he flew "Push on the ground and the air, change every couple of minutes,"
"You're just trying to trick me into a workout routine," Spike muttered suspiciously.
"Sorry Spike, but your not gonna get a Cutie mark to help give you that extra little push, so you gotta do the push yourself," Spike muttered as he landed and continued pushing the rock, silently plotting a way to make his work easier without having to do a lot of work to make it easier. Spike came up with a great plan and slowly pushed his rock slower, His Sister caught him instantly.
"Nice try," Limestone said "Maud tried the same trick, but I assure you I'll notice if you just stop pushing and disappear,"
"Maud's already thought of everything," Spike muttered as he continued pushing, still trying to figure out how to make his work easier.
"That's the problem with halving older siblings," Limestone replied "They've already thought of most of the good schemes and can typically figure out what your planning just as you put it into motion," Spike frowned for a moment before smiling.
"I can think of something you haven't thought of," He realized with a mischievous grin. Limestone turned on the spot as she felt an odd tingle run along her back, Spike might not have had a cutie mark, but he did share one thing with all of his family, they could all tell when Spike was doing something or in some kind of trouble. Their mother could always tell when Spike was Lying, their father could always tell if Spike was misbehaving, Pinkie could always tell when Spike was Sad, Maud could always tell when Spike was in trouble, and Limestone could always tell when Spike was about to do something absolutely stupid.
"Spike don't you dare-" Limestone's warning fell on deft ears as Spike spun on the spot and began floating away with the aid of 12 balloons, a new record Limestone was not happy to witness as he shot up to nearly 10 meters in the air. Spike laughed at his genius, Limestone just about had a heart attack.
"Get down from there," She yelled out angrily, her anger mostly coming from a fear of him falling or floating away.
"Never," Spike replied as he lay back "Never gonna work again,"
"Spike avoid your chores won't make them go away," She called back "Maud already tried that too," Before Limestone could keep yelling at him she heard the sound of hooves and turned to find her parents looking around suspiciously.
"What did he do?" Igneous demanded as Cloudy looked out across the field "He pulled a Maud and run off from his chores didn't he?" Limestone, realizing she might be having a panic attack as she was having trouble breathing, simply pointed straight up. Igneous and Cloudy looked up and both nearly had heart attacks themselves.
"What are you doing up there!" Igneous demanded.
"Spike Bolder Pie you get down here now!" Spike looked at his parents, then to Limestone then gave a nervous chuckle.
"How?" He asked simply.
"How do you usually land!?" Limestone demanded.
"I just drop down and land on my feet," Spike called back, now also joining his family in panic "I've never done this with more than three Balloons before! The highest I ever got I just landed on top of the house and had Pinkie get a Ladder to get me down.
"We don't have a ladder nearly that long!" Cloudy yelled back, now also venting anger born of fear as she desperately looked around, "Maybe if we used Holders Bolder we-" Limestone looked at her mother like she was crazy, and Spike verbally confirmed the idea was a bust
"Never," Spike called back "No one touches Holders Bolder!"
"Spike now is not the time for tradition," Igneous yelled back "Now is the time for trying anything that might remotely work," Limestone looked around, trying to find something that might work remotely, and then spies the Silo, both Tall and Filled with supplies.
"Spike" She yelled up at him as she formulated a plan "use your tail and fly towards the Silo,"
"But I'm to far above it to land on it," He complained.
"I don't want you to land on it, I want to be higher up so I can pull you in," Limestone ran for the Silo, Igneous following after, with Cloudly, frantically running around below Spike to try and catch him if he plummeted. Limestone burst in and began digging around the Silo, Igneous joining in her search.
"What do you need," He demanded.
"Anything," She shot back "Christmas lights, a bunch of Bungie cords, a long pole, just anything!" Limestone found some stream and tossed it aside, then saw it, and grabbed it without hesitation, a Long piece of rope, about 3 meters long. She grabbed it and rushed to the Silo Ladder, climbing up to the highest point of it, and with the highest level having no openings she began beating on the wall, her Father joining in once he made it up the ladder and the knocked it down. The Rope in her mouth Limestone looked in the Direction of Spike and saw he was just out of her reach and was now in a fight with the wind, she looked to the wind and her eyes went wide when she spotted it.
"The Storm," Igneous cried out "I forgot there was a Storm scheduled for this afternoon!" Limestone looked to her Brother, and then punched a hole in the wall, then another, and then slowly began punching her way up the side of the Silo, the wind buffeted her but she ignored it once she got high enough and looked to Spike, Who's tail was spinning at high speeds as he looked directly into the wind, trying not to be sent sprawling off into the distance. Limestone began swinging and tossed at Spike, only to miss him as the wind sent the wind trailing to her side. Spike spied it and she felt the bad feeling he was about to do Something Stupid, Spike Began spinning in the air, and then suddenly his Balloons flew away as he shot to the side and grabbed the rope, Limestone gripped tightly as he hit the side of the Silo and reeled him in until he was dangling over the open hole, where Cloudy had joined her husband.
Spike was instantly pulled in and Limestone began slowly making her way back down, she arrived with a few cuts on her legs but ignored them as she found Cloudy and Igneous examining Spike. Behind her, the rain began coming down.
"Oh my starts," Cloudy said as she hugged him then held him out "Young man you are in so much trouble," Igneous was clearly trying to think of something that would be a punishment but Limestone could already tell the problem that would come of it.
"If you ground Spike, Pinkie will just ground herself with him and Maud will just hide him in her room and let him be ungrounded while he's in there, You tell him her can't do his chores then he'll probably try doing it again to get his way in the future, So there's only one solution, you'll have to punish me and him,"
"How is that fair?" Spike demanded as their parents looked at each other
"Because it's the only punishment that'll actually work on you," Limestone said flatly.
"Your cheating again," Spike complained as Limestone took the rope she had used to real Spike in and tied it around her waist before tying Spike up around the middle.
"What is this?" Spike demanded as he pulled at it.
"The Rope," Limestone replied "You and I will now spend the rest of the day like this, and that includes Dinner, our free time, bath time, and bedtime"
"A Bath!" Spike demanded as he immediately tried to escape, and quickly realized he couldn't untie Limestone's knots, "Can I just be grounded?"
"No," Igneous decided "No this might actually work,"
"And since it's raining when we go out to do our chores tomorrow you and I will also be tied up and will spend the rest of the day like that to until we finish our chores, and if we don't finish them before nightfall you'll be getting another bath,"
"No," Spike cried out dramatically as Limestone picked him up and held him by the back of his neck as she went down the ladder before having him ride on her back. The Two made their way inside while Igneous and Cloudy talked about the repairs the Silo was going to need. Limestone went up to her room, sent Spike on her bed, and made her look him in the eye.
"Look at me," She said, he looked and she gave him a once over "Are you ok?"
"I don't like baths," He replied stubbornly, she just sighed and hugged him "No more Ballons until your older," Her tone had gone soft as she patted his bath "Not without permission and supervision, ok?"
"Ok," Spike said in defeat as he hugged his sister back.



"Aw," Pinkie said "That was such a cute ending,"
"Thanks for tagging that one Spike," Limestone said flatly as her sisters all looked at her, "Wipe that look off your face, Maud," Limestone said as she pointed to Maud's blank expression.
"That was so adorable," Maud said simply.
"She's not my best big sister forever for no reason," Spike declared proudly.
"Wait," Aloe said in confusion "I assumed Maud was your favorite sister," That earned a laugh from all of the Pies, even Maud let loose.
"Ha," She declared dully "Aloe we Pie's don't have a favorite, we all either treat each other as the favorite or beat each other to a pulp, we've all had a really bad fight at least once,"
"You should have seen then time me and Maud got into a fight, we were both in the hospital for a week,"
"Your family is so confusing," Lotus decided as she failed to even think of a reason why Maud and Spike might argue, much less fight each other to a point of sending each other to the hospital,"
"Anyway," Pinkie smiled "The time has come for me and Spike to pick our stories, and I won the origami Ninja star contest so I get to pick first, and I have picked one that I'm sure will interest everyone," Pinkie flipped through a few pages before finding the one she was after.
"Alright, This is the story of..."