Wanderlust

by DwarvishPony

20. Wearying Work

Spike was accustomed to heavy lifting, thanks to his time living in the Golden Oaks Library. He was accustomed to bizarre commands, thanks to Twilight's somewhat baffling habit of reshelving every book in the library every few months (a task that had become more daunting now that they lived in a castle). Spike was also used to digging and working in the dirt because he was lucky enough to help Rarity on her gem-hunting excursions. Spike was not, however, accustomed to rock farming and all of it's surprising intricacies.

Like where to move rocks to, and why they needed to be rotated around the fields. He'd understand if rocks ripened like gems did, but they didn't. Unless they contained gems inside them? Spike was overcome with curiosity, but when he'd tried to crack one open, he'd been reprimanded by Trixie.

"Spike! You're supposed to be helping the rock farm, not ruining the rocks!" Trixie had scolded harshly. Spike wondered if Trixie even knew why she was moving rocks around an open field.

The land itself wasn't good for normal farming, but that didn't mean the Pies couldn't have grown hardier plants. Cacti, for example, required little water and would actually benefit from the gravel in the soil. Gravel meant better drainage for the plants. Plus, the fruits from cacti were tasty. Spike hated the random facts that stuck in his head whenever Twilight went on a rant about a new interesting subject.

By the time dusk settled over the farm, Spike was good and ready for a long nap. Judging by the frayed manes and tired eyes of everypony else, Spike wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Ugh. I'm beat." A mare with a bluish gray coat said as she flopped onto a worn cushion in the living room of her house.

"Mhmm..." A weary looking lighter gray mare agreed.

Trixie had introduced the two as Pinkie Pie's sisters Limestone and Marble, respectively. Limestone was clearly a sister of Pinkie's. She was brash and a bit rough around the edges, but she had the same was of saying what she meant that was distinctively 'Pinkie'. Marble, on the other hand, could have passed for a relative of Fluttershy's. Spike hadn't heard her say a word since meeting her, unless he counted 'mhmm'.

Igneous and Cloudy Quartz had gone to the kitchen to prepare a quick meal. Spike wished he could order a pizza. He'd never had to work so hard in his life. Seriously, what was with moving rocks around a field?

"Thanks for helping Trixie. And you Spike." Limestone was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling. "We needed the help." There was an undertone in her voice. Resentment maybe?

"Bah. Trixie needs no thanks." Trixie waved a hoof of dismissal. "But Trixie has been curious about one thing. Why are your parents in the fields? Last time Trixie was here, you and Marble were capable of handling everything yourselves." Trixie looked at the eldest Pie sister with concern.

"Ugh..." Limestone huffed with more than a little frustration. "Some jerk is trying to buy the farm. He keeps saying that we don't make nearly as much as he could if he could make if he owned the land. Wants to bring in fancy machinery and excavate everything. Since he showed up, we've been having problems around the farm. Wagons breaking in the middle of the night, tools going missing, things like that." The mare glowered as she spoke. "I just know that jerk's behind it somehow. But the only way he's getting my farm is over my dead body!" Limestone emphasized her point by smacking a hoof against the cushion she lay on.

"Whoa. That's some pretty serious stuff. Maybe we can talk to this guy and convince him that you're not interested?" Spike offered.

"Don't think we haven't tried that. He just says that he'll pay enough to make sure that we never need to work again." Limestone glared at Spike.

"Well, wouldn't that be a good thing?" The dragon asked. Limestone's glare could have burned holes through his scales.

"This farm has been in my family for generations! Ever since Holder Cobblestone built this farm!" Limestone was scary when she yelled. "I'm not giving it up because some stuck-up rich pony wants more money." Limestone was on her hooves, stomping forward toward's Spike as she spoke. She ended her short speech nose to nose with the dragon.

"Okay..." Spike gulped in fear. "So how do we help?"

Limestone's expression softened into something akin to confusion. "What?"

"How do we help? Me and Trixie are here, so we should do something." Spike told the mare. "Like maybe catch whoever's messing with your farm equipment? Then we can prove who's behind it and get them to stop!" Spike exclaimed, seeing no flaws in this plan whatsoever.

"You'd really do that for us?" A timid voice asked, barely audible despite the silence in the room. The voice was soft velvet, and just so happened to belong to Marble Pie. She was staring at Spike in awe.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I? I couldn't just sit by and watch you guys lose your homes." Spike responded, unsure why there was confusion in the first place.

"I think what Spike is trying to say is that if we didn't help we'd be no better than the pony trying to take your farm." Trixie chimed in. "Trixie says we come up with a plan and catch the pony responsible. Call it paying you back for helping Trixie back onto her hooves."

Limestone gave a devilish smirk. "Fancy Hooves won't know what hit him."

Author's Note:

Current Location: Pie family rock farm

Comments

[TheGuyWithTheFace]

noticing a distinct lack of maud, interesting

Love the story, keep it up

[DwarvishPony]

7064220
She's coming soon. I decided to have her show up at a different point in the story. Because of reasons.

[Simmerian]

Pretty much read the whole story in one sitting. Absolutely love it so far and can't wait for more!