Of Stones and Roots

by Ignimbrite

The Park

“Sorry. I've never heard of that place.”

Masquerade frowned. She just knew it was a trick. Why else would a supposed professional neglect to leave an address on the letter? For that matter, how did she not catch that until now?

She made her way back to where the Stone family and her niece were all looking around at the buildings.

“Nopony here has ever heard of this place.”

As she frustratedly sat down on a bench, Quartz picked up her letter in a levitation field and looked at it.

“Hmm… I haven't heard of it either, but I'm not exactly from here. Let's go ask my brother. He’s been living here long enough; I bet he knows the area here like the back of his hoof.”

The park wasn't too far from where they were, so most of the time in the journey was spent keeping the sightseeing foals from wandering off.

When they arrived, the more local members of the family were finishing setting up.

“Hey, Corundum.”

The yellow unicorn looked up to see the two families approaching.

“Quartz.” He looked up at the clock on one of the nearby buildings and laughed. “And here I thought you'd show up before Zirc did, most of your family having wings and all.”

Quartz laughed a little himself as they shook hooves. “Well, you know how it goes. We all travel at the speed of the slowest member.”

“You're outnumbered, man, and they're growing up on you too.”

He bent down to Obsidian and Feldspar and held a hoof above the ground a bit below the height of Feldspar’s head. “Shooting up like bad weeds. I'm certain you two were just this tall last I saw you.” He tussled their manes, then looked up to the two newcomers.

“So who are these two?”

“These are some friends from Ponyville. This is Masquerade and her niece Kind Face.”

“Kind Face?” He stooped down to her level. “So you're the filly that ran off with these two that time.”

Kind Face blushed enough to see even through her fur color. “Um… maybe.”

The others laughed. “You three certainly caused a stir.” He got up and looked at his older brother.

“When the first few articles came out, Zirc and I joked about writing letters congratulating you on Obsidian’s 'ascension’. We never sent ‘em because we heard he'd run off over the matter.”

“Well it certainly was frightening for us,” Gneiss added. “What did you end to doing when you heard?”

“Well, our first wind of him running off was that ‘alicorn foal seen in Canterlot’ story, so we all sent letters to Thorite to see if he'd heard anything and if he could keep an eye out. We sent a few to some friends living down there as well.”

He stooped back down to address the foals again. “You three really did give us all a fright.”

They all lowered their heads, but Feldspar took a couple steps forward. “Sorry. It was my idea. I wasn't even thinking of all that.”

Corundum chuckled and tussled her mane again. “You always were the one with imaginative ideas. You should probably get some practice thinking them all the way through, though.”

As he was speaking, some other unicorns and an earth pony approached behind him. The pale blue one lifted a hoof to shake with Quartz.

“Hey Quartz. We were wondering when you'd show up here. How are things in Ponyville?”

“Going well, Zirc.” He turned to the Masquerade. “This is my older brother, Zircon, along with his wife, Pyrite and Corundum's wife, Agate.”

Turning back, he introduced Masquerade and Kind Face.

“Well, it's nice to meet you two. What brings you here to Filly?”

“We're looking for a place called the Fillydelphia Performing Arts Center. Have you heard of it?”

Corundum scratched his chin and looked up. “I don't recall a place like that.” He turned aside to Agate. “You?”

“She's probably thinking of the Fillydelphia Community Arts Center. Ponies get the name of that place mixed up all the time.” She turned to Masquerade.

“It’s not too far from here, just downtown about that way. You can't miss it; it's an older building from back when the architects tried to make things look nice.”

“Thank you. I suppose we should head off that way then. It was nice meeting all of you.”

“It was good to meet you too.”

As Masquerade and Kind Face headed off in the direction of the art center, Obsidian and Feldspar waved, then bounded off to go join the other foals.

“So, anything we can help set up?”

Corundum shook his head. “Not on my end,” he turned to Zircon, “you?”

“Just a few more tables over here. Come on.”

As the three brothers headed off to finish setting up, the sisters in law headed towards the pond to keep an eye on the foals.

“So what did happen, exactly?”

“Let's just say those two reporters won't be working in that particular industry anymore. Quartz made absolutely sure of that.”

“Well that's a relief to hear. If somepony did that to any of my foals, I don't know that I'd do.”

“Let me guess,” Agate grinned, “buck them straight through a wall?”

Pyrite feigned a grievous offense. “Oh dear, must you always assume earth ponies are so vulgar in their methods?...”. She looked around and leaned in closer. “I'd find where they live and plant a few of the more, shall we say, exotic seedlings from the nursery around their homes.”

They all chuckled briefly at the thought. After all, Pyrite did work at one of the few nurseries that cultivated Everfree seedlings.

“Well, she almost guessed right; just got the wrong mare. I did buck a pony across the room.”

“So what would you do, Agate? Shoot them with your horn?”

“Oh please, don't be so uncivilized… But yes I would. Repeatedly.”

They laughed a little again, then Gneiss sighed and looked over to see where the kids were playing.

“Well, on the bright side, nopony in town's called him an alicorn since. Celestia knows how much he hated that back in Manehatten.”

“And to think how little Rose wants to be an alicorn when she grows up.” Pyrite gestured to her youngest, who was showing off her rather unstable but, considering her age, still rather impressive shields to Obsidian.

Gneiss and Agate chuckled. “Let her dream,” Gneiss smiled. “Fillies that age need a dream. I’ll have to remind Obsidian not to make an issue of it if she calls him one. She's still young, after all. She wouldn't understand”

“Don't tell me he's still sensitive to that, is he?”

“He was nicknamed ‘prince’ and called an alicorn by ponies who only wanted to hurt him, then called the same by ponies who only did so because they wanted to hurt his father. How do you think he'd react?”

“Okay, fair point.” Pyrite looked back over at the foals.

Gneiss sighed and looked off in the same direction.

“It's a shame, really. When he was younger he used to enjoy the thought that he might be one. ‘Prince Stone Hoof’ he used to call himself. ‘Defender of the Downtrodden’.”

She smiled a little as the memories returned. “He and Feldspar used to run around the house ‘rescuing’ their toys from whatever evil monster they'd last read about.”

She sighed again and lowered her eyes. “Now I'm afraid that part of him might be gone forever.”