Chapter 29
Tarnish was quiet, and this was bad, because the silence was scary. Sumac dipped a piece of bread into the fondue pot, let it soak for a moment, lifted it up, and let the cheese dribble from it. Down at the end of the table, Pinny Lane dipped a rock salt encrusted chunk of pretzel into the chocolate fondue, and then, like Sumac, she let the excess drip away. Beside her, Megara eyeballed the now chocolate covered pretzel and licked her lips.
“You know, Tarnish, there is no harm in listening to what she has to say—”
“Betrayal,” Tarnish said as he turned his piercing gaze upon Octavia. “From you of all ponies. After all those times you argued with Cloudy, after all those hours spent fighting and bickering—”
“Tarnish, darling, it is because of those hours spent fighting that I suggest this. Peace is fragile and we should do what we can to preserve it. I am merely suggesting that you listen to what she has to say… but that doesn’t mean you have to agree to it.” Holding her fondue fork in one fetlock, she lifted up her glass of mulled wine with her other. “Cloudy might have something worthwhile to say, something meaningful. Let’s at least keep the peace.”
His good manners forgotten, Sumac crammed the entire chunk of cheese-soaked bread into his mouth and began to chew. He speared another and Pebble passed him her fork, which already had bread on the end. Watching Tarnish, he dunked them both and then waited while they soaked up cheesy goodness. After pulling them out and letting them drip, he passed one back to Pebble, who took it in silence.
“Ce poulain est trempé dans du fromage… I think?” Pinkie Pie shrugged as chocolate ran down her fuzzy chin. “I don’t remember learning Fancy, but after drinking all of that Fancy brandy, it feels like the right thing to say. Yes.” Turning to her sister, she added, “Cheer up, Limestone, you’re getting married.”
Biting her lip, Limestone had nothing to say in return.
“Okay… out with it, Cloudy. I’ll listen.” Again, Tarnish dipped into Maud’s fondue pot, and for the second time, he was slapped for his infraction.
Cloudy took a deep breath and Sumac tensed in anticipation of whatever might be said. Beside her, Igneous was feeding Boomer bits of dried fruit that he stabbed with his fork and offered to her. Pinny was now watching her son in thoughtful silence. Pebble held her fork in one fetlock, and her other foreleg was now wrapped around Sumac’s.
“You’ve been good to Maud,” Cloudy began, and she gestured at everything around her by waving her fondue fork around. “Together, the two of you have accomplished so much. You have this home and your family is growing. I would like to know if you could find it in your heart to share just a little bit of all of this with Limestone. As her mother, I know that she gets lonesome and she worries about her prospects.”
“Cloudy, why? Why do this?” Tarnish asked.
“Tarnish, what lengths would you go to keep Pebble happy?” Cloudy replied.
Sumac watched as Tarnish’s furrowed brow unwrinkled, and something about the new expression upon the chocolate brown unicorn’s face made Sumac feel small… foalish. Was this a stern daddy look? It might have been. Whatever it was that Sumac was witnessing, Tarnish was deep in thought. In silence, he crammed more cheese-soaked bread into his mouth and began to chew.
“If you were me right now, would you not want your daughter to share in all of this? To have a little of her sister’s good fortune? It is good for sisters to share and to keep a family together… just look at the Royal Pony Sisters. Limestone is just starting to come into her own. While she’s already successful, I hope that a little of your success rubs off on her and inspires her to be an even better pony than she already is. I know that Limestone can take care of herself, I’m not asking you to take care of her. What she needs is an outlet for her success and to be with those who would be her equals.”
“Wait…” Maud lifted her hoof. “I think I understand. You worry about Limestone becoming some dumb colt’s sugar mama, and because we started off as rock farmers, you want Limestone to go up a few rungs on the social ladder, but you don’t want her getting lost to the snobby elites.”
Shrugging a little, Cloudy nodded her head while her eyes narrowed. “Something like that, yes. I don’t want Limestone unequally yoked. I’m terrified of that happening, actually, and you and Tarnish are the only ponies that I know and trust with all of this.”
Again, Sumac performed the ritual, dunking his and Pebble’s fork into the bubbling cheese.
Tarnish’s cider glass hovered near his lips, but the stallion did not drink. Nostrils flaring, Tarnish just sat there and Sumac stared at him, dying to know what was going to happen next. The colt had no real idea of what was going on, and he didn’t understand much of what was being said. This was heavy-duty adult stuff that flew right over his horn.
“You’re trying to protect Limestone from her own success,” Pinny Lane said to Cloudy, “by giving her over to those who have already sorted out the dangerous pitfalls. I must say, that’s admirable. Tarnish, honey, my little choco-drop, I’m glad you listened.”
“No mother wants her daughter exploited.” The tendons in Cloudy’s neck creaked as her jaw firmed for a moment, and she turned to look at her daughter, Limestone. She gazed upon her grown up foal with great fondness in her eyes, and then, after blinking a few times, she turned away. “Limestone is in a weird and dangerous place… a place that I don’t fully understand. If she moves upwards, towards high society, I don’t know if I can protect her, but I want her to be in a place where she can realise her full potential.”
Slumping down in his chair, Tarnish closed his eyes. “I understand your worry, now that you’ve explained it. I get it, I do. And yeah, if I was in your position, I might just be doing what you’re doing right now.” After sighing a bit, he tipped back his cider glass and then emptied it.
Serious adult stuff was going down, and Sumac smacked his lips as he gobbled his food. The adults were so engrossed in everything going on that nopony even bothered to suggest that he mind his manners, so he made the most of it, and beside him, Pebble did much the same. Spearing an apple slice, Sumac took Pebble’s already loaded fork and made ready to dip them, but this time he intended to go for the chocolate, which was further down the table.
“Stupid money has made my life complicated,” Limestone muttered to herself as she stabbed her fork into a nearby fondue pot. “Becoming the Baroness of Bat Shit was the worst idea ever.”
Nopony said anything to scold Limestone for her outburst, and Sumac was rather shocked.
“Cloudy…” Tarnish opened his eyes and focused upon his mother-in-law. “While I am flattered that you would trust me with another one of your daughters, I can’t. I honestly can’t. Limestone is like a sister to me… maybe too much like a sister. We’re very close, she and I.”
“Which is why I asked.” Cloudy leaned in Tarnish’s direction and her ears fell into a submissive position. “Maybe I misunderstood, but I always thought that you and Limestone might have had a little something special after she went off on that adventure with you and Maud. You both seemed so close… there has even been times when she’s slept in the bed with all of you.”
“She has, but it’s always been innocent,” Maud said to her mother. “Mostly, she just wanted to be with me.”
“Limestone?” Tarnish’s eyes turned in her direction, but Limestone did not return his gaze.
“It’s too gross to think about, being with Tarnish in that way,” Limestone murmured and it was difficult for Sumac to make out her words. “He’s my brother in every way that it matters and it is just too squicky to even think about. I can’t even think of him in that way without feeling queasy.”
Igneous was quick to leap upon the opportunity. “Well, I think that settles it. Only a madpony tells another pony to develop romantic feelings for their sibling. This should now be left alone because going any further on this issue would be a terrible idea.”
“You’re right.” Cloudy nodded at her husband, and then turned to look at Tarnish with warm, expressive eyes and perked, pleasantly positioned ears. “Thank you for hearing me out, at least, and I’m glad that we at least reached an understanding.”
“You know, Cloudy, I think you’re right. We have reached an understanding and I think we’ll all be a little closer because of this.” Tarnish filled his glass with more cider, smiled, and Sumac could read relief upon the stallion’s now relaxed face. “Octavia, I’d like to thank you for getting me to listen.”
“I’m just glad that this worked out,” Octavia replied. “I had a dreadful fear that the past would repeat itself and we’d all end up in a row. We haven’t always listened to one another quite so well in the past and I was rather worried that you’d blame me if this went wrong. I am relieved.”
“This feels like a friendship lesson.” Pinkie Pie, her muzzle slathered in chocolate, let out a hiccup that made her ears flap like bird wings. “All that bickering was why I kinda sorta stopped coming home to visit. Mom, no offense, but a stallion and a mare can be good, close friends without being romantically linked, I think. Maybe? But you had this notion that every mare that Tarnish liked, he had to marry.”
“I guess I did.” Cloudy’s ears sagged a little and she stared down at her plate. “The times have changed and I’ve been rather isolated on the rock farm. Things are different now. It used to be that if a mare and a stallion were friends, ponies would talk… things would be said, and those things said could damage one’s respectability.”
Wiping his lips with his foreleg, Sumac had an idea. It was a wonderful idea, perhaps his best idea ever, an even better idea than the salt and vinegar potato chips with milk for breakfast. Liquid courage coursed through his veins and his scalp burned with the heat of ten thousand brilliant ideas. He smacked his lips once, then again because it felt good, and then cocked his head off to one side as he looked Igneous right in the eye.
“I’ll be happy to take Limestone off of your hooves, Mister Pie.”
The sound of Pebble giggling filled Sumac with confusing feelings and he couldn’t stop thinking about the sight of her yawning. He was sleepy, so very sleepy, and his body felt like lead. Limestone, who was holding Pebble, seemed fit to split and was about to bust a gut. Supper had turned into a laugh riot, though Sumac was having a little trouble recalling why exactly, and everypony had laughed while they feasted. At some point, he had managed to fill his glass with more mulled wine, and this had gone unnoticed.
What had been so funny again?
“Hey… Pebble… you… you wanna go to bed with me?” Sumac asked, and his question made Pebble bury her face into Limestone’s side. “I think… I think it’s past my bedtime.”
“Kiddo… you sound… sloshed.”
Sumac froze at the sound of his mother’s voice, and it was without a doubt, the worst sound in the world. Trixie sat down beside him on the couch, lifted him up, and pulled him into a warm, velvet embrace. She was sleek, shiny, and her pelt was somewhat oily, as if lotion had just been rubbed in. The overpowering scent of rose petals and lavender filled Sumac’s nose as Trixie cradled him.
Lemon Hearts appeared without warning and plopped herself down on Trixie’s right. Twinkleshine eased in on Trixie’s left. Sumac, held in a rather foalish position, peered up at the three faces looking down at him. What had these three mares been doing that had kept them from dinner? Rubbing each other down with lotion, it seemed. He had some vague awareness that the smelly stuff was rubbing off on him.
“You know, I think we could do anything we wanted with him,” Lemon remarked.
“Yeah, probably,” Sumac replied and he was somewhat disturbed by his own confession of the truth. “I’m sleepy.” As an afterthought he added, “All of you are very pretty.”
“Oh, he’s one of those kinds of drunks.” Twinkleshine offered up a knowing nod and her cheeks grew round when she smiled. “My parents would let me have a few sips of wine around the holidays. Some of my fondest memories of when I was little was being held by my father while I drifted off to sleep and my mother would read the story about Hearthfire. I’d imagine that the warmth I felt from a few sips of wine was just like the warmth that Hearthfire offered.”
“As I am now a grown up, I understand why parents give their foals wine and cider around the holidays.” Lemon Hearts leaned over and Sumac found himself gazing into her raspberry-coloured eyes. “All those sugary treats… all that excitement. The eagerness to get presents. A little wine or a little cider is the only way to get those foals to bed.”
“Those were Caper’s tenderest moments.” Trixie’s voice was husky and distant, as if she wasn’t speaking to anypony in particular. “Lord Lulamoon would drink to excess… he would be deep in his cups, as my mother Dandy would say, and it was only then, during these moments, that he would be affectionate with me. Sometimes. He would read to me… the tale about Hearth’s Warming.”
“Trixie?” both Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine said together.
“Looking back on it, I’d like to think that Caper wanted to be affectionate with me, but didn’t know how,” Trixie continued, and then she punctuated her words with a wistful sigh. “It is easy to believe the worst in somepony, especially somepony like Caper, but after talking with Twilight Velvet and Night Light, I’ve chosen to believe in what good I can. It helps, it does, just a little.”
Sumac was entranced by the three faces pressed together above him.
“So,” Lemon Hearts began, “Sumac Apple, what’s this I hear about you getting engaged to Limestone Pie?”
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What do you mean resolved? Limestone might have said yes!!! lol
I want MOAR!
i can say that i am a funny drunk also a little bit of a giggly drunk
This was sweet.
WTF Kudzu? I call Shenanigans! We haven't even been told if Limestone Pie accepted Sumac's proposal! I mean he IS an up and coming Sorcerer who is adopted by a member of one of the Noble Houses, a direct line to Princess Luna no less! Honestly I don't know why Limestone would NOT say yes, but more say she'd marry him when he gets older when there isn't such an age difference. I mean ponies DO say how handsome he is, and we all know Sumac has a great heart with his head on straight when it comes to how to treat ponies
Jumping one cliffhanger to land on another . Nice
8563817
I remember, but I figured they'd either let that one slide, or his punishment would've been over by now.... is he really stuck as a pillow on her couch?
I think Pinkie is working through her own feelings here as well, an extension of some of the things that came up in Chubble-Bubblegum.
8563826
He's hurt, sad, and sulking. This isn't punishment, this is him trying to figure out how to make the hurting stop.
I can imagine a future where Limestone might be happy alone, but that does seem to fly in the face of the whole herd instinct. Hmm.
8563406
Well, you have the option to: Alcohol boils at a much lower temperature than water does, so you can safely bring wine to a low boil without damaging any of the flavorings you add (usually while spices and citrus). I can see Pinkie and Octavia maybe not boiling it since that does intensify the flavor.
Also, they were drunk, so it probably never even occurred to them that the younguns might be drinking it too.
In fact, the text confirms that.
8563720 I thought it was cheesy, on account of Sumac constantly dipping food into the cheese.
8564055
... Well played.
8563847
So it's of his own Volition. Thanks.
Sumac, you scamp!
Maybe the reasonnCloudy is so set on tarnish is because of the isolationn on the rockfarm, and it blinds her to the possibilities that are right there
I can't shake the feeling that if Tarnish and his family put their minds to it, they know enough good ponies to find one who would fit Limestone.
If not Pinkie could bring in Twilights and sevilles connections.
If all that fails, there's always Princess Cadance's Lonely Hearts Club Land.
8564208
Twilight and Seville are about five years into the future.
Sumac is dead. We just witnessed his crossing to the Elysium Fields.
Rest in peace, Sumac.
End of the story, folks! Move along! Move along! Nothing to read here!
Is it weird that Cloudy has such an obsession with getting her adopted son's dick into as many mares as possible? Maud was one thing, but then Octavia and Vinyl, and now Limestone.
You know, it took me researching Israeli food to realize we had a hint to Sumac's talent all along (though I'm surprised Iakvol didn't note it). Here in the US, we are more used to Belladonna's use of sumac... an irritant. In the Middle East, however, sumac is a spice used for flavor enhancement!
Mind=blown
8574298
It is a fine dick attached to an even finer pony. A little frustration of internal temptation makes a mother bring out the matchmaker to spite ones own envy.
Do you fondue?
Well that was anti-climactic.
But i must say, lying here in bed at 2 AM half assleep catching up on 7 stories after... 3? 4? Months of missing out, trying to stay quite so my cousin who is watching Mindhunter can not ask about what im doing, this
This fucking broke me. I froze, phone slipped from my hand, and i laughed silently hard enough i started to cry and choke on myself. Thank you kudz, this was brilliant.