Twilight Gets a Puppy
Season 5
By TDR
Hearthstone Breakers,
Part 4
“Well. That coulda gone better.” Applebloom sighed.
“Which part? Upsetting Igneous and Cloudy, or causing Marble to faint? Maybe giving Pinkie a mental break down? Or the fault line thing?” Sunset asked.
“All of it pretty much, though ah noticed yah didn't say anything about Limestone freaking out.” Applebloom frowned.
“Ehh after all her talk and rudeness, bitch deserves some stress.” Sunset shrugged.
“WHAT WAS THAT!? YOU WANT TO GO MARE!?” Limestone snarled stomping over to glare at Sunset.
The orange unicorn mare considered a moment before she shrugged.
“Actually. Yeah.” Sunset nodded before Limestone jumped her this was followed by an explosion of fire.
Applebloom blinked, winced, then went off to find Rahs, or some one else sane and able to do something. Those sort were in short supply since Spike had fallen into another rock fueled food coma from breakfast.
Applebloom was going to suggest Twilight put him on a diet when they got home.
“Why was there a fault line in the middle of your front yard?” Twilight questioned as she floated down the side of the cliff towards the mine entrance, not using her wings of course.
“Limestone dug too deep. “ Maud offered, simply walking down the side of the cliff by planting her hooves in the rock wall.
“Woof?” Rahs asked as he stepped out from behind another large rock at the base of the cliff and approaching the fallen Holder's Boulder. The trip through the Oneiroi had been odd, not that he expected anything else. He had met Pinkie's Moon Dog before. She was a nervous wreck and probably suffering from several mental issues, but she was functioning enough to do her duty and rather fanatic about guarding Pinkie's dreams as if all life depended on it.
The rest of the families moon dogs were a little better, though they didn't talk much and only answered a few of his questions, not speaking much on how they got along with the Pie's dreams.
“No, it doesn't look damaged. What are the odds that Applejack would have planted the flag pole right in a fault line?” Twilight sighed before blinking.
Both Twilight and Maud turned and looked at Rahs who flattened his ears to his head.
“Bork!”
“Family drama is still drama, so I can, and I will, blame this on you.” Twilight huffed. ”So how does it look Maud, is it broken or can we haul it back up?”
“It's hollow.” Maud stated.
“What?” Twilight demanded trotting over to where Maud was. On the bottom of Holder's Bolder, where it had been sitting on the ground, was a pony sized hole.
“Some sort of nacre. This was not in my studies.” Maud offered as she looked inside.
Twilight and Rahs looked inside, the inside of the rock coated with some sort of iridescent material that looked like mother of pearl, though the rock farm was far away from any seas or oceans.
“Some theories say Equestria was mostly under water ages ago, but none of the gods recall that being the case. Well Discord might, but he's kinda cagey.” Twilight offered.
“Bark.” Rahs stated.
“Yeah, I know he's trying to stay on my good side due to his daughters, but he's still Discord so even his good answers are infuriating.” Twilight sighed. “I have no idea what could have made this It's not a dragon, because Spike ate his egg moments after he hatched and that seems to be the norm.”
“It's not anything my studies have mentioned.” Maud frowned.
“Rahs do you smell anything?” Twilight questioned.
“Ruff.” Rahs shrugged.
“Just Pinkie huh? Well she was all over this yesterday so no surprise there.” Twilight sighed. “ There's no magic on it either, it's just a hollow rock from my scans.”
“No. Something came out. Notice the crumbling around the edges of the hole. Layers were cracked and something left from the inside.” Maud frowned. “Years ago looking at the wear.”
“So it's nothing threatening at least, or it would have done something by now.” Twilight nodded pretending not to hear the cursing, nor the laughter and multiple explosions that rang out from the top of the cliff.” Well as much as I want to study it, I doubt your sister would let us. “
“No.” Maud agreed. “Can you get it back up?”
“Shouldn't be a problem, but I'm content to wait here until what ever is going on up there is done.” Twilight sighed. ”I'm only a guest of the Apples. So AJ, Pinkie and everyone else can work this out.”
“That may take some time. Every pony is upset.” Maud offered.
“Nah, this will work out into a friendship. I can feel it.” Twilight smirked.
“There y'all are. Sunset and Limestone are tearing up yer south field in a big ole fight.!” Applebloom screamed down at them from the top of the cliff.
“What was that about Friendship?” Maud asked.
“Sunset is still learning the term.” Twilight muttered.
“Mine husband's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Holder Cobblestone found the boulder in a dragon's nest, older than time itself. He built the farm around it, even though it tis just an ordinary rock. It always brought good luck.” Cloudy Quartz explained to Granny with a tone that made the explanation sound well rehearsed.
“An heirloom, an odd one, but still an heirloom.” Granny Smith nodded as the two of them sat in the kitchen while everyone else was working on fixing the farm, or burning and smashing it. Sunset and Limestone were still tearing up the southern field. No one was stopping them and Pinkie and Twilight were already betting on the winner.
“You seem rather calm about all this compared to yer hubby.” Granny questioned as Cloudy sipped her earth gray tea.
“Mine families traditions differ from mine husbands. This sort of merriment is not unknown to me.” Cloudy explained. ”It is a thing that happens when mine great grand matron comes for the holiday as well.”
“Oh? That the fabled Granny Pie Pinkie goes on about?” Granny Smith asked.
“Indeed. Though she is of the pegasi race and oft travels the world, her returns here are limited thankfully.” Cloudy sighed.
“Well ah suspect we might meet her at some point if she comes tah visit Pinkie.” Granny nodded.
“I hope thine are insured.” Cloudy offered. ”Much as she is loved, trouble follows that one.”
“We're kinda used tah trouble in Ponyville.” Granny nodded as another explosion rocked the south field. “Brought half of it with us too.”
“THIS ISN'T OVER LIMESTONE!! YOU HEAR ME?!?” Sunset bellowed out of the train window. The orange mare was bruised and dirty and clearly irate still.
Rahs also had a hold of her tail to keep her from launching back out the window to continue the fight with Limestone.
“I WILL END YOU!!” Limestone screamed back, held in place by Maud. The gray mare was covered in soot and light burns.
As the train chugged off Limestone kept glaring at it until it was out of sight before a smile crossed her features.
“Have fun?” Maud asked.
“And here I thought this was going to be a boring holiday.” Limestone chuckled.
“Mmmm.” Marble offered.
“What? Seriously?” Limestone grumbled.
“Mmhmm.”
“Ehh well. Yeah, I guess he was kinda cute, for a dog.” Limestone considered.
“Hmmm.”
“Surprised that you weren't fawning over the red one.” Limestone looked at her sister.
“Mmmm”
“Huh, I guess being part dragon is a bit of a turn off there, even though he didn't eat any rocks.” Limestone huffed.” Unlike that little one.”
“Spike has a wealth of flavor knowledge on rocks.” Maud stated.
[Canterlot , Winter, Not long before Hearths Warming]
Princess Celestia rubbed her temples with a hoof as Raven warned her about the next name.
Really she should have expected it, but she was hoping at least one of them would be content to think one of the other ones passed on the message.
A dark blue unicorn stallion with a navy blue mane and tail trotted in the main door. His cutie mark was a pair of crescent moons, the smaller in the hollow made by the larger.
He trotted up to the throne a pair of saddle bags bouncing lightly against his sides.
“Hello Princess. Happy Holidays.” Nightlight greeted.
“To you as well Nightlight Sparkle. I assume you are here to threaten me to leave Chrysalis alone as well?” Celestia sighed.
“Of course not. I'm sure my son, daughter in law, and wife have done that more than enough.” Nightlight explained, shaking his head. “Besides Chrysalis has already gone into hiding so I doubt you'd be able to do anything to her even if you could find her.”
“Well that was some what expected, though I am surprised you are not coming here to warn me away or something.”
“Please Princess. I'm an aging Royal Astronomer who dabbles in amateur archaeology, exactly what would I be able to threaten you with?” Nightlight pish poshed.”No no, I'm here about this.”
Celestia narrowed her eyes skeptically as the unicorn reached into one of his bags and pulled out an envelope floating it up to her.
Celestia blinked taking the envelope. She opened it cautiously drawing out an eight by ten glossy picture.
The picture had barely cleared the envelope before Celestia's eyes shot wide open and the image and envelope were reduced to less than ash before any one else in the room could get so much as a glance of what was on it.
“Where did you get that!?” Celestia demanded her voice quaking as she glared at Nightlight clearly both pissed and terrified.
Nightlight offered the sort of grin that was usually accompanied by a fin cutting through the water above it.
“I have copies, and a multitude of other pics along the same vein, though that one was by far the least of them. All scattered across Equss in various banks and secure locations, all to be released if anything untold should happen to me.” Nightlight continued to grin.” While no one else has seen them but me so far...”
“WHERE DID YOU GET THEM?!” Celestia demanded.” Cameras were not even invented yet!!”
“Funny story. Years ago I was at a dig and I found this strange blue box that I thought was a tomb to be fair, though it had a door and an odd light on top. However before I could open it to see what was inside I was stopped by a white rabbit who offered me a trade for the artifact.” Nightlight explained.” He took my camera, vanished, and came back with a host of pictures. He explained that I should only do something with them when the time was right. And well. I think this counts.”
“White.” Celestia growled, her throne starting to melt.
“As I said Princess this is hardly a threat. This is more of a doubling down on what has already been threatened. “Nightlight considered. “After all our family motto is 'Quare utere malleo aequatam, cum a tribula malleus in vobis?'”
Celestia blinked, then groaned.
“Why use a mallet when you have a sledge hammer?” Celestia translated as Nightlight's grin grew wider.
“Indeed. Have a good Hearth's Warming Princess.” Nightlight offered before cheerfully trotting back out of the throne room.
Celestia sighed watching him leave with a shudder. “This family is going to drive me to drink.”