Jeweled Graniteby XvernChaptersWelcome to PonyvilleFriend Making and Job ChoosingStart of a New DayWelcome to Ponyville"I spy with my little eye something... white." "Snow?" The filly sighed as she let her head fall on top her brother's. Her muzzle was covered with a two-toned scarf that matched her brother's gray coat. Specks of snow coated her turquoise fur, the same color as the scarf covering her brother's muzzle. Her brown mane was done in a bun with a red flower sticking from it. Her tail was splayed over her brother's back as she sighed in boredom. "I spy isn't fun in the winter," she stated as she blew a lock of her mane out of her eye, "What time is it?" Her brother chuckled as his horn lit up with his white magical aura. The aura stood out against his black mane. Not a second later, a silver pocket watch levitated out of a fold of his scarf and opened in front of his ice blue eyes. On the inside was the clock on one side and a picture on the other. The picture showed the two in a busy plaza in a pose much like they were in currently. "It's, hmm... I don't think I can read this. Care to help sis?" he asked, levitating it up in front of his sister's purple eyes. Her own magic, also white, took hold of the watch from her brother as to properly examine the device. This included turning it in six different directions as she 'hmmm'ed in thought. "It's..." came her muffled voice. It then peaked in excitement as she lifted her head, "It's two-two!" "Close," her brother replied, his scarf covering the smile on his face, "It's two-ten. Remember that the long hand causes the big lines to mean increments of five. Five, ten, fifteen, so on." "Hmph," grunted the filly as she laid her head down again and let her brother take back the watch, "I don't see why I need to tell time." "Telling time is important to know, Jewel. It helps you know when you need to be somewhere or how late it is when you can't see the sun," he explained. "Like now!" Jewel exclaimed as she stood up with her forehooves atop her brother's head. "Yes," he chuckled, "Like now." The filly's brow scrunched into a frown as she looked down at her brother's eyes, "But I don't need to tell time cause I'll always have you around. Right Granite?" Granite frowned at the worry in her voice. He pulled down his scarf so that she could see the reassuring smile on his face. "I'll never leave you Jewel," he said as said filly nuzzled his mane. He pulled up his scarf as a smirk replaced his smile, "You still have to learn how to tell time though." The filly gave a flat stare into the distance, "Darn." Granite's laugh was swallowed by the snow as he continued his march. Applejack was a very simple mare when all was said and done. She would wake up, tend the crops, hang out with friends and family, and then go to bed just to repeat it the next day. This wasn't counting any wacky adventures that might spring up. 'Course, that was when there was a crop to tend. Winter meant no crops which meant that a huge portion of AJ's day as gone. So, with nothing to do, she had offered to help around town. Mostly this meant making sure the roads were clear of the white fluff that came with winter. So, everyday she could be found out and about armed with a trusty shovel. She was just finishing up today when she heard... singing coming from opposite of the direction from town. The singers, a stallion and a filly from the sound of it, came from the other side of the hill. AJ knew that the only thing out that way, though, was open road heading Fillydelphia way. "Now what in tarnation are ponies doing out there?" she asked herself as she set her shovel aside and began the trek to the top of the hill. The cold caused a shiver to go down her spine. After this she was gonna head straight to Twilight's and take up on her offer for hot cocoa 'fore heading home. As she got closer, she could hear the stallion start a new song. The stallion was off key but the joy he sang with made AJ smile. AJ paused at the filly's voice. It was... majestic. The way she sang reminded the farmpony of Sweetie Belle. The joy just added to it. It was at this point that the two, formerly unknown ponies, crested the hill. This allowed the farmpony to see that it was indeed a stallion and a filly. The stallion was gray with a black mane and light blue saddlebags. A turquoise scarf was wrapped around his neck. His face, like the filly's, seemed to be cracking by the size of the smile he had. The filly was turquoise with a brown mane. The scarf around her neck was gray and the saddlebags she wore were purple. She noticed that both were unicorns. She also noticed that the stallion was well-built for a unicorn. "Oh, Granite, look!" exclaimed the filly, who was now pointing at AJ with a hoof. The stallion turned from the filly to look at AJ as well. His smile lessened some but he still seemed to be happy so AJ didn't question it. "Don't point Jewel," the stallion muttered. "Why?" the filly, Jewel, asked innocently, causing AJ to chuckle. "It's rude," Granite replied, causing an "Oh" from Jewel as she dropped her hoof. "Howdy partners," she greeted, tipping her hat, "What are y'all doing out here in the cold?" "Traveling!" Jewel answered excitedly as she jumped up and down. "In the snow?" AJ questioned, pointing her look at the stallion. The stallion shrugged, "A lot better out here." "Yeah, brother said we should go find a new home!" The filly added, causing the stallion to give a sad smile at the filly. "W-well," AJ was shocked by their answers. How could the open road in winter be better than there home? "You couldn't have come upon a friendlier town!" "Really?" asked the filly, turning on her brother, "Ya hear that Granite? Think that we can stay here?" "We'll see," he said as he got low to the ground, "Climb on." Happily, the filly climbed on her brother's back and walked up to his head. She then planted both forelegs on top of his head and laid her head on them, the smile still present. AJ smiled at the sight. It made it even cuter that Granite's horn seemed to bisect her face. "Care to lead us to the inn, Ms...?" "Oh. I'm Applejack and I think you look like you're in need of some hot cocoa," she said, leaving the bait for the filly. "Hot cocoa!" screamed the filly, jumping to her hooves. Unfortunately, her forehooves ended up planted on top of her brother's head. AJ had to give him credit; he didn't seem the least perturbed by it. The filly then pushed her forehead into her brother's horn, getting her face as in front of his as she could, "Can we Granite? Please~?" "Sure. I don't see why not," he replied with a smile. While the filly 'squee'd!' and withdrew her face, Granite shot AJ a look that spoke volumes of how far he would go to protect her. AJ offered him a reassuring nod before turning back to town. "This way. My friend won't mind a couple of visitors," she stated as she began to trot through the town. In a whisper she added, "Might do her some good." As they walked through town to the library, AJ would sneak glances back. The first brought a smile to her muzzle. Every other kept it there. The filly was going back and forth on her brother's back, looking at everything with a childish awe. The stallion seemed to be looking at everything as an effort to not look at AJ. Even though he tried, the farmpony caught him once or twice. It wasn't long though before they were standing before the library. The sing in front of it named it the 'Golden Oaks Library'. "Your friend works here?" Granite asked while Jewel had laid her forelegs on his head and her head on her forelegs. "Lives, actually," she replied, smirking at his raised brow, "Come on." The farmpony then walked into the dark library, a knowing smile unseen by the stallion or the filly. The siblings looked at each other and shared a shrug before following the friendly mare inside. "Why is it dark?" Jewel asked. "SURPRISE!" Two things happened as the lights came on and the many ponies came out from hiding. One: Jewel screamed and jumped down behind her brother. Two: Granite dropped his front and lowered his horn, a snarl on his muzzle. The aftereffect was a frozen library. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Jewel yelled as she shoved her way between her brother's legs to come out between his forelegs. This forced him to raise his body and helped disarm the little standoff. The filly was unaware of this though as a large smile adorned her muzzle. "HI!" greeted a pink mare that suddenly appeared in front of them, causing the filly to 'EEP' and shrink back a little, "I'm Pinkie Pie! Sorry for scaring you but it wouldn't be a SURPRISE party without the SURPRISE! Hehe, now would it? You may be wondering how I knew you were coming! Well, I woke up today and-hmph!" Granite silently thanked the cyan hoof that was now blocking Pinkie's method of babbling. "What she means is 'Welcome to Ponyville'," explained the owner of the hoof, which was one cyan pegasus with a polychromatic mane and tail. She smiled at the two, "I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" "I'm Precious Jewel, umm..." her face then scrunched up in thought. "Laziest filly in all of Equestria," Granite stated with a smirk. "Hey!" Jewel shouted as she sat in front of his forelegs and crossed her forelegs. Granite chuckled before offering a hoof to Rainbow, "I'm Cut Granite, her brother." "Nice to meet ya," Rainbow said, removing her hoof from Pinkie's mouth so that she could return the hoofshake with her other hoof. She then backed up and waved a hoof at four other mares. From left to right there was a lavender unicorn, a white unicorn, AJ, and a yellow pegasus that was standing behind AJ with her mane covering one eye. "That's Twilight, Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy," she introduced, pointing at them in order, "You've already met Pinkie." "Hiya! Again!" exclaimed the pink earth pony. "We've already met as well, Rainbow," Applejack stated with a nod. "Oh, I love how color coordinated you two are! It's so cute!" squee'd Rarity, causing a blush from Granite and a large smile from Jewel. "Welcome to Ponyville," Twilight greeted with a smile. "Um...hi," whispered Fluttershy. Granite nodded to each while Jewel waved. In a burst of confetti, the pink pony was suddenly between the siblings and the four mares. An almost manic smile took up most of her face. "It's time to PAR-TAY!" Friend Making and Job ChoosingJewel was in filly heaven. There were so many ponies and all of them had nothing but smiles and warm greetings for her. While her brother talked to the six mares, she had decided on going on a little exploration mission. With her brother's permission of course. "Just stay in the building," had been his instructions. This left a plethora of opportunity for the filly. Where should she visit first? The DJ? Nah. The dance floor? Worse idea than the DJ. The snack table? Of course! With destination in mind, the filly began her dodge and weave of the adults' legs on her quest for the goods. She wondered what confections the table held. Maybe it had cookies! The filly's eyes lit up at the thought and her efforts were doubled as she treated the adult ponies legs as an obstacle course. More than once she had to apologize for bumping into somepony but everypony was really friendly about it. Though this was a bit new to Jewel, the big city not containing the nicest of ponies, her young mind was focused on but one thing. Ducking under a teal mare, Jewel found herself in front of her goal. The table stood in front of her, it's height hiding whatever sat on top. Her scrunched up in concentration as she tried to discern a way to see what was up there. Standing on her hindhooves, she put her forehooves on the table. She 'harumphed' when the tip of her nose barely crested the edge. Looking side to side, she spotted something that would assist her in her quest. Running over to it, the filly jumped on top of the chair... just as somepony did. There was orange and purple before pain exploded in Jewel's forehead and she found herself on her backside on the wooden floor. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing her forehead with a hoof as she looked around the chair's legs. Mirroring her was another filly, an orange pegasus with a purple, short mane. Gathered around the pegasus was a yellow, earth filly with a red mane and pink bow and a white unicorn filly with a purple and pink styled mane. "Oh my, um... are you okay?" Jewel asked hesitantly as she got back to her hooves. The three fillies looked at Jewel at once, causing the turquoise filly to shy away slightly. "I'm fine," replied the pegasus, even though she continued to rub her forehead. Jewel's head still throbbed but she could deal with it. Also, it was the pegasus that almost took a horn to the face. "Yeah, Scoots has taken hard hits, haven't ya?" joked the yellow filly has she slapped Scoots on the back. Her reply was a half-hearted nod as she dropped her hoof. "Oh! You're the new filly, huh?" excitedly asked the white filly, either at the prospect of meeting somepony new or figuring it out, Jewel couldn't tell. "What gave you that idea Sweetie Belle? The fact we haven't seen before or the saddlebags and scarf?" asked the pegasus as she got to her own hooves. "Umm... both?" Sweetie replied with a soft blush. The pegasus rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, Ah'm Applebloom," greeted the yellow filly, pointing to herself. She then pointed to Scoots and Sweetie and introduced them in order, "That's Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." "Hi! I'm Precious Jewel," replied Jewel as she gave a friendly wave. "You're after the treats too, huh?" Scootaloo asked, motioning to the table with a nod of her head. Jewel nodded enthusiastically, "Mhmm!" "Ah don't know why the adults always use such tall tables at parties," Applebloom stated, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, I remember my brother once saying that it's rude to sit at a party," Jewel stated, "That might be why." Scootaloo blinked at her before nudging Sweetie's side, "She sounds like you." "Well, whatever the reason," Applebloom continued, ignoring the bashfulness that suddenly came over Jewel, "One of us needs to get up there. Scootaloo?" "On it!" shouted the pegasus as she jumped onto the chair and looked at the table, "Jackpot!" "Scoot it to the edge and then Sweetie and Jewel can magic it down!" Applebloom instructed. Jewel was confused as to how she got wrapped up in this but was willing to help if the reward was a sugary treat. "Here it comes," Scootaloo announced just as the edge of a plate peeked over the side of the table. "There's good!" Applebloom then turned on Sweetie and Jewel, "You're up. Just gently levitate it down and I'll handle the rest." Sweetie and Jewel nodded in determination as they looked up at the plate. The plate had a handle on either side, making it simple for the two unicorns to both grab it without their magical fields conflicting. With their grips on the plate, the two slowly slid it off of the table. The plate wobbled but the two were able to compensate as they slowly lowered down. Finally, it touched the wooden floor and the three fillies got a full view of the stacks of cupcakes that sat atop the plate. "Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she jumped down from the chair. As she hit the floor, her hindhoof made contact with one of the plate's handles. This sent all of the cupcakes airborne with one immediately smacking Scootaloo in the head. Quicker than anypony could react, Jewel wrapped her magic around four of the sugary confections. "Run!" she shouted to her new friends. The three fillies didn't hesitate as they chased after the turquoise filly that had the cupcakes circling her head. "AGH! MY MANE!" screamed somepony behind the retreating fillies. None of the four broke stride. Granite didn't know how it happened but he had somehow ended up in heaven without dying. He was currently sitting at a table with six beautiful mares in a building FULL of mares. So far he had only spotted ten other stallions. Ten! There must have been a hundred ponies in attendance! Now, it wasn't like this skewed ratio was uncommon. It was general knowledge that there was more mares than stallions in Equestria but to have the ratio skewed this greatly? Never before had he seen it like this. Not that he was necessarily complaining, of course. "Where are you from again?" Rarity asked, leaning forward in her seat. she sat across from Granite. Pinkie and Applejack sat on either side of him with Rainbow and Twilight next and then Fluttershy beside Rarity. "Fillydelphia," he replied, taking a sip of some of Pinkie's 'special' punch. It wasn't hard to discern why it was special; the burn did a good job of telling you. It was also helpfully colored differently than the kid's punch. "Oh, such an industrious city. I've been wanting to visit. How is it, if I may ask?" Rarity took a sip from her own punch but it was so small that Granite wondered if she had took a sip at all. "Nice if you're in the right part. Ugly if you're not," he replied with a shrug. "What do you mean by that?" Applejack asked. Granite took a look around the table, his eyes falling on Rainbow due to the understanding in her eyes. "I mean that I didn't come from a wealthy family. I didn't live in a modern suburban home," he explained while taking another sip, "Jewel and me were born and raised in a hole in the wall apartment in some unnamed alleyway. Us and seven other siblings, plus our parents. Our lazy, sex-crazed..." Granite took a deep breath before continuing, "I worked in construction making a bit a day. I worked from sun-up to sun-down with a half-day on Sundays. Every bit I made went to making sure Jewel lived a proper life." "What about your other siblings?" Rainbow asked after a couple seconds of silence. "The ones that weren't in gangs or currently in jail were just as lazy as my parents, trying to live off of the welfare that came once a month." "So you took Jewel and ran?" Rarity asked. Granite nodded, "I had to get her out of there. I didn't want her to struggle for the rest of her life." "No pony disagrees with you dear," she intoned, earning a nod from her friends. "Those bags and scarves look well kept for somepony living in poverty," Twilight pointed out. "The bags and blankets I bought with the last bits I owned." "And the scarves?" Granite shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I stole them. Told Jewel I paid for them." "You stole 'em?" Applejack asked with accusation. Granite rounded on her, "It's winter! If I hadn't done it, we would've froze faster. Even with them, there was times where-" He stopped his tirade as he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Turning, he was met with Pinkie smiling at him. Sighing, he took another sip of punch. "No pony's judging you," Rainbow stated, "Right Applejack." "Well, it was for y'all's sister." "I know you had good intentions in mind," Twilight added with a smile. "Thanks," Granite replied, smiling back. "So," Rarity started again, "What do you plan on doing no that you're here?" "I..." Granite paused. He had been about to say that he doesn't think they'll be staying but what would be the point in them leaving? This place was accepting and, so far, looked to not have any of the troubles that plagued Fillydelphia. "I think I need to get a job before anything else," he finished with a smile, not knowing what he had unleashed upon himself. "Oh, I could use an assistant at my Boutique!" "We could always use another hoof at the farm!" "CUPCAKES!" "I-I co-ould use some h-help." Granite looked confused as he glanced between the four mares that had jumped when he said 'job'. "Umm... one at a time?" he asked lamely, not sure he had heard all of them correctly. "Well," Rarity began, "I have become so busy with my new winter line that I haven't time for any of the, bleh, administrative work." "And I could use some help on the farm, what with the new field we're gonna put in," Applejack explained. "CUPCAKES!" Pinkie shouted, slamming her hoof on the table. "You mean a baking assistant?" Granite asked hopefully. Pinkie's serious facade broke into a huge smile. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "And you Fluttershy?" Granite asked gently. "I-I could use some h-help feeding the animals every m-morning." "I see. Rarity, your job is currently winter seasonal, right?" "Yes dear. Winter clothes are for winter." He rolled his eyes in such a fashion that it appeared he had just looked over at Applejack, "And your job, Applejack, is in the summer and fall, right?" "Correct sugarcube." Granite then pointed his forehooves at Rarity and Applejack, "So I can do both of your jobs," he then pointed at Pinkie and Fluttershy, "But you two, hmm..." He dropped his forelegs and set his chin onto his forehooves in a thinking pose. His horn then lit up. Twilight quirked a brow, "Umm, what are you-?" "Hehehe. Wee~!" giggled Jewel as she floated above the party-goers to the table Granite sat at. Granite set her on the table in front of him. After taking a moment to relieve her of her saddlebags and set them next to his, he fixed his gaze on her. Jewel, to her credit, took up a position of attention. "Jewel reporting, you called?" she asked as she saluted. The siblings ignored the chorus of 'd'aaw's. "Do you want to make money?" Granite asked. A frown crossed the filly's face as her hoof dropped. "Are we leaving again?" Granite shook his head, "No, we're staying here." "So, this is our new home?" she asked. He nodded, "Yes." Jewel suddenly started shaking in excitement. Slowly, Granite reached out and placed a hoof on her small nose, "Calm, young one. We have business to discuss." Catching on, the filly suppressed her excitement and took upon a look of seriousness. The six mares looked on in astonished amusement. "Now, do you wish to make spending money?" "Doing what?" she questioned back, a brow raised quizzically Granite gave a smirk of approval before motioning to Pinkie on his right, "Miss Pie here is in need of a baking assistant. As well," his hoof moved to point behind Jewel at Fluttershy, "Miss Fluttershy is in need of an assistant to help feed her animals every morning," he placed his hoof back under his chin, "The choice is yours." "Hmmm..." Jewel hummed as she looked between the two mares. She settled her gaze on Pinkie, "Miss Pie," the mares shared a giggle at the filly's serious attitude, "when would you need my assistance?" "Just whenever Sugarcube Corner gets a super-duper really big order or when the Cakes leave. Either one," Pinkie explained in her quick voice. "I see," Jewel stated as she rubbed her chin and looked back at her brother, "there seems to be one course brother." "Indeed?" "Yes." "So, who do you choose?" The filly's act finally broke as she burst into a large grin, "Both!" Start of a New DayThe party went on well into the night. Not wanting to be rude, Granite stayed for much longer than he was comfortable with. He stopped drinking when he knew that he was buzzed, switching to ginger ale instead. Through the night, he found himself being dragged to the dance floor by a multitude of different mares. He wouldn't have minded if it didn't seem like they were... aggressive to each other as they did. Finally being released by his current dance partner, he began walking to the side when he saw a heap of fur laying in the corner of the room. Confused, he moved over to ascertain what the multicolored mound consisted of. When he got closer, he couldn't help but smile. Laying on the floor was Jewel. Laying in front of her, causing their bodies to form a capital 'T', was a yellow earth filly. Beside Jewel was a white unicorn filly and an orange pegasus filly. The two fillies were staggered so each could set a head on Jewel's back while Jewel herself used the yellow filly's back. Jewel's scarf was used by said yellow filly as a pillow. As gently as he could, he used his magic to rearrange the fillies so that Jewel was free but allowed the three other fillies to use each other as pillows. Wrapping the scarf back around Jewel's neck, he set her on his back. Happy that she was secure, he worked his way back through the party to the table that the six mares he originally spoke to were still seated. They all looked a bit sweatier than when the night started, indicating that they had at least partaken in the activities. When Granite got to the table, he smiled apologetically at the girls. "It seems that Jewel is beat. Can you tell me where the nearest inn is?" he asked as he slipped on his bags and scarf. He took Jewel's bags and draped them over his neck before taking a thin blanket from said bag and draping over the sleeping filly. "Did you say you trying to find an inn?" asked a voice as he drew the blanket over Jewel. Turning his head, he found a pale yellow pony with a two-tone red and pink mane standing to his right. He noticed the soft blush on her cheeks when he looked at her but chose not to comment on it. Just like he chose not to comment on how entrancing her stem-green eyes were. "Yeah. You're Roseluck right?" a nod and a brighter blush gave him his answer. "I-I can show you where it is. It's close to my house, afterall." "You don't mind leaving the party?" he asked, not feeling right for dragging somepony away from a party that still appeared to be in full swing. She shook her head, "I was gonna head back anyway. I need to work tomorrow." "Well, alright. Let's go then," he said before looking at the six at the table. He gave them a nod, "Girls." "Can I expect you at the Boutique tomorrow?" Rarity asked. Earlier tonight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had given him detailed directions to their houses so that the siblings could get to work. Granite nodded, "Of course. And Fluttershy, you can expect Jewel at your cottage early in the morning." "O-oh, I'm sure she'd be much to tired after tonight to do much-" Granite held up a hoof to stop the mare, "She'll be there and, trust me, she'll be as energetic as ever." "O-okay." "Right, well," he turned to Roseluck, who was shuffling from hoof to hoof, "let's head out then." She just nodded as the two moved to the door of the library. Granite was glad to see that she had grabbed a red and pink scarf from a coat rack and wrapped it around her neck. Even with their scarves, the two shivered as they stepped outside into the cold night air. "She's lucky," Roseluck commented, motioning to Jewel with her head, "All warm and cozy." Granite looked at his back and smiled as he saw just a heap of blanket with a turquoise muzzle sticking out, "Yep, she's a little gem." Hearing a snort, he looked at the mare to see her with a hoof to her mouth and a large smile on her face, "I'm sorry, that was just..." "Cheesy?" he finished with his own smile. "Mhmm," she replied with a nod. The two walked on in silence for a little bit, sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. "Soooo," Granite began, looking back at the pale yellow mare, "Where do you work?" "Oh, I have a stall in the Ponyvile market. I, umm," she rubbed the back of her neck as they walked, "I sell flowers." "Why are you so bashful about it?" "Because I'm sure it's nowhere near as exciting as what you did in Fillydelphia." Granite couldn't help it. He laughed for a good couple minutes. He calmed down when he saw the confused look in her face. Wiping a tear from his eye, before it could freeze, he said, "I was a construction worker. Trust me, not as exciting as one might think. And now," he shook his head with a smile, "I agreed to help out Rarity in her shop." Now it was Rose's turn to laugh mirthfully. "Y-y-you? W-working at d-dress shop?" Granite just smiled and shook his head again, "Laugh it up." "I-I'm sorry," she took a deep breath to calm herself. She gave one more small giggle, "I'm sorry. I just can't see you going anywhere near a dress shop." "Yeah?" "Mhmm." "Then what would I do if I met some lovely mare that I wanted to get a gift for?" he asked with a smirk. It became a full smile when he saw the blush creep into her cheeks. "Then..." she looked up and looked around in surprise, "Well, looks like we're here, actually. This is where I live. The inn is the next street down and to the left. You'll be able to see the sign." "Oh. Well, thank you for showing me the way," he said with a smile and a bow, "I hope we can get together again." Blushing, the mare started backing to her house, "Yeah, me too." Turning around, she darted into the house, leaving Granite with a smile on his face. "You like her, huh?" came a teasing voice from his back, causing the smile to falter and a blush to appear. "She is a nice mare," he stated as he turned and continued toward the inn. "So does that mean I should start calling her sister?" Granite looked back, his face feeling like it was on fire. The filly on his back had the widest triumphant grin he had ever seen. Grumbling, he faced forward and continued to the inn, ignoring the giggling filly on his back. All he wanted was sleep so that he can get to work tomorrow. And, maybe he could sneak in a visit with Roseluck before the day was out. As the first of the light's rays touched his face, he cracked an eye open with a smile. Looking down at the ball of fur nuzzled against his chest, he found himself wishing that he didn't have to wake her. However, not only did he have a job to get to but now she had one as well. He frowned a little at the thought. Getting a job was the first step and growing up and Granite really didn't want to see his sister grow into a mare. Sighing, he pushed the thoughts of the far future aside as he nudged the filly with a hoof. "Time to wake up Quiose," he said, using his nickname for her. The filly mumbled something unintelligible before grasping Granite's hoof in a vice hold. She then nuzzled into his leg. Giving it a couple seconds, Granite watched as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking at his leg, she followed it up to his face and gave a sleepy smile. "Time to wake up. Fluttershy is expecting you," he paused as he looked at the window curtains in thought, "And I guess we need to see the local teacher to get her enrolled for school." "Bleh, do I have to?" she asked as she released his leg and dragged herself to the edge of the bed. He nodded as he swung himself to a sitting position, "Yes, you do. Can't have you being ignorant to the world." "But school's boring!" she complained. She her best pouting face as she sat at the edge of the bed. "Not gonna work," he stated simply as he climbed off the bed and began to make it, "Now go take a shower and get heading on over to Miss Fluttershy's place. I'll have the directions for ya when ya get out." "Okay," she replied as she hopped off the bed and trotted into the bathroom. A couple seconds later, Granite heard the shower turn on. As he was tucking in the comforter, he heard a scream come from the bathroom. Leaving a gray blur behind him, Granite charged into the bathroom. In front of him, Jewel was shivering next to the still-running shower, dripping water. "C-c-c-cold," she stuttered. Granite facehoofed. "Did you turn it on hot?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes! I'm not s-s-stupid!" she yelled. Granite just chuckled as he took a towel in his magic and wrapped it around her. With her currently not freezing, Granite approached the shower. Reaching out a hoof, he tested the water. It was cold enough that he was surprised it wasn't ice. Looking at the knob, he saw that it was indeed turned to 'Hot'. On a hunch, he took the knob and moved it to where the shower was barely on. After waiting a minute or two, he tested the water again. He drew his hoof back quickly as it touched boiling water. "That's retarded," he mumbled. "What?" Jewel asked from where she sat in the corner. Granite looked over at her to see her curled up in the towel. "Whoever built this place put the knob on backwards. For hot water, just barely turn it on," he said as he got up to walk out, "And test the water next time." She just stuck her tongue out at him as he left, closing the door behind him. With the crisis over, he went back to finish making up the bed. When he was done, it looked like nopony had slept in the bed for years aside for the lack of dust. Smiling at his work, he made sure to quickly jot the directions down on the inn-provided paper. As he finished, Jewel came walking out of the bathroom, still drying her mane. "Here's the directions to Miss Fluttershy's. When you get done, just ask her for directions to Miss Rarity's, okay?" he asked. "Okay," she replied cheerfully as she tossed her towel aside. Granite caught it and laid it neatly in one of the corners of the bathroom. "Don't forget your scarf, either," he added as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Turning on the shower so that it got warm, he grabbed a towel and set it atop the toilet back. After emptying his bowels, he stepped into the shower and let the water wash over his coat. Sighing in content. He pushed his head against the wall underneath the shower head and set his mind adrift. His thoughts centered around his new job and the duties he may have to perform. As well, he thought of how life would be for them here. It wasn't long before his thoughts drifted to a certain pale yellow mare with a red and pink mane. It was inevitable, he knew. He was drawn to the mare like a moth to an open-flame. He had the same problem as the moth too; How to touch the flame without getting burnt. A sigh escaped his lips as he thought of how to go about it. If only there was a manual on this stuff. Granite had gotten done with the shower about a minute later. After drying off, he had grabbed his scarf and pocket watch and was out the door. Trotting down the road, he floated out his pocket watch and clicked it open. Eight-Twenty, he read. Nodding to himself, he replaced the pocket watch into the folds of his scarf as he navigated the town. As he walked through, many of the town's residents greeted him. Granite made sure to reply with a nod. It wasn't long until he was in front of his destination. A sign outside the carnival ride looking building proclaimed that it was the 'Carousel Boutique'. Guess that explains the design, he decided with a smirk. That same smirk remained on his muzzle until he walked through the door. What greeted him was utter chaos. Cloth and paper lay everywhere. Needles were stuck in everything but the pin cushion. A couple of marequins were stood around a stool like they were awaiting a sacrifice. In the middle of it all was the white unicorn that was his current employer. Her magic was being used to hold onto items ranging from cloth to needles to scissors; each floating around the room in a manner seeming random to Granite but must seem organized to her. "Oh, sweet Luna," he whispered as he took it all in. Hearing him, the unicorn turned her gaze to him, allowing him to see the small glasses she had on. "Oh, hello," she said with a smile, "why don't you start with organizing some of this mess, yeah?" Straight to business than, he thought, the smirk coming back, "Yes ma'am."
Welcome to Ponyville"I spy with my little eye something... white." "Snow?" The filly sighed as she let her head fall on top her brother's. Her muzzle was covered with a two-toned scarf that matched her brother's gray coat. Specks of snow coated her turquoise fur, the same color as the scarf covering her brother's muzzle. Her brown mane was done in a bun with a red flower sticking from it. Her tail was splayed over her brother's back as she sighed in boredom. "I spy isn't fun in the winter," she stated as she blew a lock of her mane out of her eye, "What time is it?" Her brother chuckled as his horn lit up with his white magical aura. The aura stood out against his black mane. Not a second later, a silver pocket watch levitated out of a fold of his scarf and opened in front of his ice blue eyes. On the inside was the clock on one side and a picture on the other. The picture showed the two in a busy plaza in a pose much like they were in currently. "It's, hmm... I don't think I can read this. Care to help sis?" he asked, levitating it up in front of his sister's purple eyes. Her own magic, also white, took hold of the watch from her brother as to properly examine the device. This included turning it in six different directions as she 'hmmm'ed in thought. "It's..." came her muffled voice. It then peaked in excitement as she lifted her head, "It's two-two!" "Close," her brother replied, his scarf covering the smile on his face, "It's two-ten. Remember that the long hand causes the big lines to mean increments of five. Five, ten, fifteen, so on." "Hmph," grunted the filly as she laid her head down again and let her brother take back the watch, "I don't see why I need to tell time." "Telling time is important to know, Jewel. It helps you know when you need to be somewhere or how late it is when you can't see the sun," he explained. "Like now!" Jewel exclaimed as she stood up with her forehooves atop her brother's head. "Yes," he chuckled, "Like now." The filly's brow scrunched into a frown as she looked down at her brother's eyes, "But I don't need to tell time cause I'll always have you around. Right Granite?" Granite frowned at the worry in her voice. He pulled down his scarf so that she could see the reassuring smile on his face. "I'll never leave you Jewel," he said as said filly nuzzled his mane. He pulled up his scarf as a smirk replaced his smile, "You still have to learn how to tell time though." The filly gave a flat stare into the distance, "Darn." Granite's laugh was swallowed by the snow as he continued his march. Applejack was a very simple mare when all was said and done. She would wake up, tend the crops, hang out with friends and family, and then go to bed just to repeat it the next day. This wasn't counting any wacky adventures that might spring up. 'Course, that was when there was a crop to tend. Winter meant no crops which meant that a huge portion of AJ's day as gone. So, with nothing to do, she had offered to help around town. Mostly this meant making sure the roads were clear of the white fluff that came with winter. So, everyday she could be found out and about armed with a trusty shovel. She was just finishing up today when she heard... singing coming from opposite of the direction from town. The singers, a stallion and a filly from the sound of it, came from the other side of the hill. AJ knew that the only thing out that way, though, was open road heading Fillydelphia way. "Now what in tarnation are ponies doing out there?" she asked herself as she set her shovel aside and began the trek to the top of the hill. The cold caused a shiver to go down her spine. After this she was gonna head straight to Twilight's and take up on her offer for hot cocoa 'fore heading home. As she got closer, she could hear the stallion start a new song. The stallion was off key but the joy he sang with made AJ smile. AJ paused at the filly's voice. It was... majestic. The way she sang reminded the farmpony of Sweetie Belle. The joy just added to it. It was at this point that the two, formerly unknown ponies, crested the hill. This allowed the farmpony to see that it was indeed a stallion and a filly. The stallion was gray with a black mane and light blue saddlebags. A turquoise scarf was wrapped around his neck. His face, like the filly's, seemed to be cracking by the size of the smile he had. The filly was turquoise with a brown mane. The scarf around her neck was gray and the saddlebags she wore were purple. She noticed that both were unicorns. She also noticed that the stallion was well-built for a unicorn. "Oh, Granite, look!" exclaimed the filly, who was now pointing at AJ with a hoof. The stallion turned from the filly to look at AJ as well. His smile lessened some but he still seemed to be happy so AJ didn't question it. "Don't point Jewel," the stallion muttered. "Why?" the filly, Jewel, asked innocently, causing AJ to chuckle. "It's rude," Granite replied, causing an "Oh" from Jewel as she dropped her hoof. "Howdy partners," she greeted, tipping her hat, "What are y'all doing out here in the cold?" "Traveling!" Jewel answered excitedly as she jumped up and down. "In the snow?" AJ questioned, pointing her look at the stallion. The stallion shrugged, "A lot better out here." "Yeah, brother said we should go find a new home!" The filly added, causing the stallion to give a sad smile at the filly. "W-well," AJ was shocked by their answers. How could the open road in winter be better than there home? "You couldn't have come upon a friendlier town!" "Really?" asked the filly, turning on her brother, "Ya hear that Granite? Think that we can stay here?" "We'll see," he said as he got low to the ground, "Climb on." Happily, the filly climbed on her brother's back and walked up to his head. She then planted both forelegs on top of his head and laid her head on them, the smile still present. AJ smiled at the sight. It made it even cuter that Granite's horn seemed to bisect her face. "Care to lead us to the inn, Ms...?" "Oh. I'm Applejack and I think you look like you're in need of some hot cocoa," she said, leaving the bait for the filly. "Hot cocoa!" screamed the filly, jumping to her hooves. Unfortunately, her forehooves ended up planted on top of her brother's head. AJ had to give him credit; he didn't seem the least perturbed by it. The filly then pushed her forehead into her brother's horn, getting her face as in front of his as she could, "Can we Granite? Please~?" "Sure. I don't see why not," he replied with a smile. While the filly 'squee'd!' and withdrew her face, Granite shot AJ a look that spoke volumes of how far he would go to protect her. AJ offered him a reassuring nod before turning back to town. "This way. My friend won't mind a couple of visitors," she stated as she began to trot through the town. In a whisper she added, "Might do her some good." As they walked through town to the library, AJ would sneak glances back. The first brought a smile to her muzzle. Every other kept it there. The filly was going back and forth on her brother's back, looking at everything with a childish awe. The stallion seemed to be looking at everything as an effort to not look at AJ. Even though he tried, the farmpony caught him once or twice. It wasn't long though before they were standing before the library. The sing in front of it named it the 'Golden Oaks Library'. "Your friend works here?" Granite asked while Jewel had laid her forelegs on his head and her head on her forelegs. "Lives, actually," she replied, smirking at his raised brow, "Come on." The farmpony then walked into the dark library, a knowing smile unseen by the stallion or the filly. The siblings looked at each other and shared a shrug before following the friendly mare inside. "Why is it dark?" Jewel asked. "SURPRISE!" Two things happened as the lights came on and the many ponies came out from hiding. One: Jewel screamed and jumped down behind her brother. Two: Granite dropped his front and lowered his horn, a snarl on his muzzle. The aftereffect was a frozen library. "That. Was. AWESOME!" Jewel yelled as she shoved her way between her brother's legs to come out between his forelegs. This forced him to raise his body and helped disarm the little standoff. The filly was unaware of this though as a large smile adorned her muzzle. "HI!" greeted a pink mare that suddenly appeared in front of them, causing the filly to 'EEP' and shrink back a little, "I'm Pinkie Pie! Sorry for scaring you but it wouldn't be a SURPRISE party without the SURPRISE! Hehe, now would it? You may be wondering how I knew you were coming! Well, I woke up today and-hmph!" Granite silently thanked the cyan hoof that was now blocking Pinkie's method of babbling. "What she means is 'Welcome to Ponyville'," explained the owner of the hoof, which was one cyan pegasus with a polychromatic mane and tail. She smiled at the two, "I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" "I'm Precious Jewel, umm..." her face then scrunched up in thought. "Laziest filly in all of Equestria," Granite stated with a smirk. "Hey!" Jewel shouted as she sat in front of his forelegs and crossed her forelegs. Granite chuckled before offering a hoof to Rainbow, "I'm Cut Granite, her brother." "Nice to meet ya," Rainbow said, removing her hoof from Pinkie's mouth so that she could return the hoofshake with her other hoof. She then backed up and waved a hoof at four other mares. From left to right there was a lavender unicorn, a white unicorn, AJ, and a yellow pegasus that was standing behind AJ with her mane covering one eye. "That's Twilight, Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy," she introduced, pointing at them in order, "You've already met Pinkie." "Hiya! Again!" exclaimed the pink earth pony. "We've already met as well, Rainbow," Applejack stated with a nod. "Oh, I love how color coordinated you two are! It's so cute!" squee'd Rarity, causing a blush from Granite and a large smile from Jewel. "Welcome to Ponyville," Twilight greeted with a smile. "Um...hi," whispered Fluttershy. Granite nodded to each while Jewel waved. In a burst of confetti, the pink pony was suddenly between the siblings and the four mares. An almost manic smile took up most of her face. "It's time to PAR-TAY!"
Friend Making and Job ChoosingJewel was in filly heaven. There were so many ponies and all of them had nothing but smiles and warm greetings for her. While her brother talked to the six mares, she had decided on going on a little exploration mission. With her brother's permission of course. "Just stay in the building," had been his instructions. This left a plethora of opportunity for the filly. Where should she visit first? The DJ? Nah. The dance floor? Worse idea than the DJ. The snack table? Of course! With destination in mind, the filly began her dodge and weave of the adults' legs on her quest for the goods. She wondered what confections the table held. Maybe it had cookies! The filly's eyes lit up at the thought and her efforts were doubled as she treated the adult ponies legs as an obstacle course. More than once she had to apologize for bumping into somepony but everypony was really friendly about it. Though this was a bit new to Jewel, the big city not containing the nicest of ponies, her young mind was focused on but one thing. Ducking under a teal mare, Jewel found herself in front of her goal. The table stood in front of her, it's height hiding whatever sat on top. Her scrunched up in concentration as she tried to discern a way to see what was up there. Standing on her hindhooves, she put her forehooves on the table. She 'harumphed' when the tip of her nose barely crested the edge. Looking side to side, she spotted something that would assist her in her quest. Running over to it, the filly jumped on top of the chair... just as somepony did. There was orange and purple before pain exploded in Jewel's forehead and she found herself on her backside on the wooden floor. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing her forehead with a hoof as she looked around the chair's legs. Mirroring her was another filly, an orange pegasus with a purple, short mane. Gathered around the pegasus was a yellow, earth filly with a red mane and pink bow and a white unicorn filly with a purple and pink styled mane. "Oh my, um... are you okay?" Jewel asked hesitantly as she got back to her hooves. The three fillies looked at Jewel at once, causing the turquoise filly to shy away slightly. "I'm fine," replied the pegasus, even though she continued to rub her forehead. Jewel's head still throbbed but she could deal with it. Also, it was the pegasus that almost took a horn to the face. "Yeah, Scoots has taken hard hits, haven't ya?" joked the yellow filly has she slapped Scoots on the back. Her reply was a half-hearted nod as she dropped her hoof. "Oh! You're the new filly, huh?" excitedly asked the white filly, either at the prospect of meeting somepony new or figuring it out, Jewel couldn't tell. "What gave you that idea Sweetie Belle? The fact we haven't seen before or the saddlebags and scarf?" asked the pegasus as she got to her own hooves. "Umm... both?" Sweetie replied with a soft blush. The pegasus rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well, Ah'm Applebloom," greeted the yellow filly, pointing to herself. She then pointed to Scoots and Sweetie and introduced them in order, "That's Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." "Hi! I'm Precious Jewel," replied Jewel as she gave a friendly wave. "You're after the treats too, huh?" Scootaloo asked, motioning to the table with a nod of her head. Jewel nodded enthusiastically, "Mhmm!" "Ah don't know why the adults always use such tall tables at parties," Applebloom stated, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh, I remember my brother once saying that it's rude to sit at a party," Jewel stated, "That might be why." Scootaloo blinked at her before nudging Sweetie's side, "She sounds like you." "Well, whatever the reason," Applebloom continued, ignoring the bashfulness that suddenly came over Jewel, "One of us needs to get up there. Scootaloo?" "On it!" shouted the pegasus as she jumped onto the chair and looked at the table, "Jackpot!" "Scoot it to the edge and then Sweetie and Jewel can magic it down!" Applebloom instructed. Jewel was confused as to how she got wrapped up in this but was willing to help if the reward was a sugary treat. "Here it comes," Scootaloo announced just as the edge of a plate peeked over the side of the table. "There's good!" Applebloom then turned on Sweetie and Jewel, "You're up. Just gently levitate it down and I'll handle the rest." Sweetie and Jewel nodded in determination as they looked up at the plate. The plate had a handle on either side, making it simple for the two unicorns to both grab it without their magical fields conflicting. With their grips on the plate, the two slowly slid it off of the table. The plate wobbled but the two were able to compensate as they slowly lowered down. Finally, it touched the wooden floor and the three fillies got a full view of the stacks of cupcakes that sat atop the plate. "Awesome!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she jumped down from the chair. As she hit the floor, her hindhoof made contact with one of the plate's handles. This sent all of the cupcakes airborne with one immediately smacking Scootaloo in the head. Quicker than anypony could react, Jewel wrapped her magic around four of the sugary confections. "Run!" she shouted to her new friends. The three fillies didn't hesitate as they chased after the turquoise filly that had the cupcakes circling her head. "AGH! MY MANE!" screamed somepony behind the retreating fillies. None of the four broke stride. Granite didn't know how it happened but he had somehow ended up in heaven without dying. He was currently sitting at a table with six beautiful mares in a building FULL of mares. So far he had only spotted ten other stallions. Ten! There must have been a hundred ponies in attendance! Now, it wasn't like this skewed ratio was uncommon. It was general knowledge that there was more mares than stallions in Equestria but to have the ratio skewed this greatly? Never before had he seen it like this. Not that he was necessarily complaining, of course. "Where are you from again?" Rarity asked, leaning forward in her seat. she sat across from Granite. Pinkie and Applejack sat on either side of him with Rainbow and Twilight next and then Fluttershy beside Rarity. "Fillydelphia," he replied, taking a sip of some of Pinkie's 'special' punch. It wasn't hard to discern why it was special; the burn did a good job of telling you. It was also helpfully colored differently than the kid's punch. "Oh, such an industrious city. I've been wanting to visit. How is it, if I may ask?" Rarity took a sip from her own punch but it was so small that Granite wondered if she had took a sip at all. "Nice if you're in the right part. Ugly if you're not," he replied with a shrug. "What do you mean by that?" Applejack asked. Granite took a look around the table, his eyes falling on Rainbow due to the understanding in her eyes. "I mean that I didn't come from a wealthy family. I didn't live in a modern suburban home," he explained while taking another sip, "Jewel and me were born and raised in a hole in the wall apartment in some unnamed alleyway. Us and seven other siblings, plus our parents. Our lazy, sex-crazed..." Granite took a deep breath before continuing, "I worked in construction making a bit a day. I worked from sun-up to sun-down with a half-day on Sundays. Every bit I made went to making sure Jewel lived a proper life." "What about your other siblings?" Rainbow asked after a couple seconds of silence. "The ones that weren't in gangs or currently in jail were just as lazy as my parents, trying to live off of the welfare that came once a month." "So you took Jewel and ran?" Rarity asked. Granite nodded, "I had to get her out of there. I didn't want her to struggle for the rest of her life." "No pony disagrees with you dear," she intoned, earning a nod from her friends. "Those bags and scarves look well kept for somepony living in poverty," Twilight pointed out. "The bags and blankets I bought with the last bits I owned." "And the scarves?" Granite shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I stole them. Told Jewel I paid for them." "You stole 'em?" Applejack asked with accusation. Granite rounded on her, "It's winter! If I hadn't done it, we would've froze faster. Even with them, there was times where-" He stopped his tirade as he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Turning, he was met with Pinkie smiling at him. Sighing, he took another sip of punch. "No pony's judging you," Rainbow stated, "Right Applejack." "Well, it was for y'all's sister." "I know you had good intentions in mind," Twilight added with a smile. "Thanks," Granite replied, smiling back. "So," Rarity started again, "What do you plan on doing no that you're here?" "I..." Granite paused. He had been about to say that he doesn't think they'll be staying but what would be the point in them leaving? This place was accepting and, so far, looked to not have any of the troubles that plagued Fillydelphia. "I think I need to get a job before anything else," he finished with a smile, not knowing what he had unleashed upon himself. "Oh, I could use an assistant at my Boutique!" "We could always use another hoof at the farm!" "CUPCAKES!" "I-I co-ould use some h-help." Granite looked confused as he glanced between the four mares that had jumped when he said 'job'. "Umm... one at a time?" he asked lamely, not sure he had heard all of them correctly. "Well," Rarity began, "I have become so busy with my new winter line that I haven't time for any of the, bleh, administrative work." "And I could use some help on the farm, what with the new field we're gonna put in," Applejack explained. "CUPCAKES!" Pinkie shouted, slamming her hoof on the table. "You mean a baking assistant?" Granite asked hopefully. Pinkie's serious facade broke into a huge smile. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "And you Fluttershy?" Granite asked gently. "I-I could use some h-help feeding the animals every m-morning." "I see. Rarity, your job is currently winter seasonal, right?" "Yes dear. Winter clothes are for winter." He rolled his eyes in such a fashion that it appeared he had just looked over at Applejack, "And your job, Applejack, is in the summer and fall, right?" "Correct sugarcube." Granite then pointed his forehooves at Rarity and Applejack, "So I can do both of your jobs," he then pointed at Pinkie and Fluttershy, "But you two, hmm..." He dropped his forelegs and set his chin onto his forehooves in a thinking pose. His horn then lit up. Twilight quirked a brow, "Umm, what are you-?" "Hehehe. Wee~!" giggled Jewel as she floated above the party-goers to the table Granite sat at. Granite set her on the table in front of him. After taking a moment to relieve her of her saddlebags and set them next to his, he fixed his gaze on her. Jewel, to her credit, took up a position of attention. "Jewel reporting, you called?" she asked as she saluted. The siblings ignored the chorus of 'd'aaw's. "Do you want to make money?" Granite asked. A frown crossed the filly's face as her hoof dropped. "Are we leaving again?" Granite shook his head, "No, we're staying here." "So, this is our new home?" she asked. He nodded, "Yes." Jewel suddenly started shaking in excitement. Slowly, Granite reached out and placed a hoof on her small nose, "Calm, young one. We have business to discuss." Catching on, the filly suppressed her excitement and took upon a look of seriousness. The six mares looked on in astonished amusement. "Now, do you wish to make spending money?" "Doing what?" she questioned back, a brow raised quizzically Granite gave a smirk of approval before motioning to Pinkie on his right, "Miss Pie here is in need of a baking assistant. As well," his hoof moved to point behind Jewel at Fluttershy, "Miss Fluttershy is in need of an assistant to help feed her animals every morning," he placed his hoof back under his chin, "The choice is yours." "Hmmm..." Jewel hummed as she looked between the two mares. She settled her gaze on Pinkie, "Miss Pie," the mares shared a giggle at the filly's serious attitude, "when would you need my assistance?" "Just whenever Sugarcube Corner gets a super-duper really big order or when the Cakes leave. Either one," Pinkie explained in her quick voice. "I see," Jewel stated as she rubbed her chin and looked back at her brother, "there seems to be one course brother." "Indeed?" "Yes." "So, who do you choose?" The filly's act finally broke as she burst into a large grin, "Both!"
Start of a New DayThe party went on well into the night. Not wanting to be rude, Granite stayed for much longer than he was comfortable with. He stopped drinking when he knew that he was buzzed, switching to ginger ale instead. Through the night, he found himself being dragged to the dance floor by a multitude of different mares. He wouldn't have minded if it didn't seem like they were... aggressive to each other as they did. Finally being released by his current dance partner, he began walking to the side when he saw a heap of fur laying in the corner of the room. Confused, he moved over to ascertain what the multicolored mound consisted of. When he got closer, he couldn't help but smile. Laying on the floor was Jewel. Laying in front of her, causing their bodies to form a capital 'T', was a yellow earth filly. Beside Jewel was a white unicorn filly and an orange pegasus filly. The two fillies were staggered so each could set a head on Jewel's back while Jewel herself used the yellow filly's back. Jewel's scarf was used by said yellow filly as a pillow. As gently as he could, he used his magic to rearrange the fillies so that Jewel was free but allowed the three other fillies to use each other as pillows. Wrapping the scarf back around Jewel's neck, he set her on his back. Happy that she was secure, he worked his way back through the party to the table that the six mares he originally spoke to were still seated. They all looked a bit sweatier than when the night started, indicating that they had at least partaken in the activities. When Granite got to the table, he smiled apologetically at the girls. "It seems that Jewel is beat. Can you tell me where the nearest inn is?" he asked as he slipped on his bags and scarf. He took Jewel's bags and draped them over his neck before taking a thin blanket from said bag and draping over the sleeping filly. "Did you say you trying to find an inn?" asked a voice as he drew the blanket over Jewel. Turning his head, he found a pale yellow pony with a two-tone red and pink mane standing to his right. He noticed the soft blush on her cheeks when he looked at her but chose not to comment on it. Just like he chose not to comment on how entrancing her stem-green eyes were. "Yeah. You're Roseluck right?" a nod and a brighter blush gave him his answer. "I-I can show you where it is. It's close to my house, afterall." "You don't mind leaving the party?" he asked, not feeling right for dragging somepony away from a party that still appeared to be in full swing. She shook her head, "I was gonna head back anyway. I need to work tomorrow." "Well, alright. Let's go then," he said before looking at the six at the table. He gave them a nod, "Girls." "Can I expect you at the Boutique tomorrow?" Rarity asked. Earlier tonight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had given him detailed directions to their houses so that the siblings could get to work. Granite nodded, "Of course. And Fluttershy, you can expect Jewel at your cottage early in the morning." "O-oh, I'm sure she'd be much to tired after tonight to do much-" Granite held up a hoof to stop the mare, "She'll be there and, trust me, she'll be as energetic as ever." "O-okay." "Right, well," he turned to Roseluck, who was shuffling from hoof to hoof, "let's head out then." She just nodded as the two moved to the door of the library. Granite was glad to see that she had grabbed a red and pink scarf from a coat rack and wrapped it around her neck. Even with their scarves, the two shivered as they stepped outside into the cold night air. "She's lucky," Roseluck commented, motioning to Jewel with her head, "All warm and cozy." Granite looked at his back and smiled as he saw just a heap of blanket with a turquoise muzzle sticking out, "Yep, she's a little gem." Hearing a snort, he looked at the mare to see her with a hoof to her mouth and a large smile on her face, "I'm sorry, that was just..." "Cheesy?" he finished with his own smile. "Mhmm," she replied with a nod. The two walked on in silence for a little bit, sneaking glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. "Soooo," Granite began, looking back at the pale yellow mare, "Where do you work?" "Oh, I have a stall in the Ponyvile market. I, umm," she rubbed the back of her neck as they walked, "I sell flowers." "Why are you so bashful about it?" "Because I'm sure it's nowhere near as exciting as what you did in Fillydelphia." Granite couldn't help it. He laughed for a good couple minutes. He calmed down when he saw the confused look in her face. Wiping a tear from his eye, before it could freeze, he said, "I was a construction worker. Trust me, not as exciting as one might think. And now," he shook his head with a smile, "I agreed to help out Rarity in her shop." Now it was Rose's turn to laugh mirthfully. "Y-y-you? W-working at d-dress shop?" Granite just smiled and shook his head again, "Laugh it up." "I-I'm sorry," she took a deep breath to calm herself. She gave one more small giggle, "I'm sorry. I just can't see you going anywhere near a dress shop." "Yeah?" "Mhmm." "Then what would I do if I met some lovely mare that I wanted to get a gift for?" he asked with a smirk. It became a full smile when he saw the blush creep into her cheeks. "Then..." she looked up and looked around in surprise, "Well, looks like we're here, actually. This is where I live. The inn is the next street down and to the left. You'll be able to see the sign." "Oh. Well, thank you for showing me the way," he said with a smile and a bow, "I hope we can get together again." Blushing, the mare started backing to her house, "Yeah, me too." Turning around, she darted into the house, leaving Granite with a smile on his face. "You like her, huh?" came a teasing voice from his back, causing the smile to falter and a blush to appear. "She is a nice mare," he stated as he turned and continued toward the inn. "So does that mean I should start calling her sister?" Granite looked back, his face feeling like it was on fire. The filly on his back had the widest triumphant grin he had ever seen. Grumbling, he faced forward and continued to the inn, ignoring the giggling filly on his back. All he wanted was sleep so that he can get to work tomorrow. And, maybe he could sneak in a visit with Roseluck before the day was out. As the first of the light's rays touched his face, he cracked an eye open with a smile. Looking down at the ball of fur nuzzled against his chest, he found himself wishing that he didn't have to wake her. However, not only did he have a job to get to but now she had one as well. He frowned a little at the thought. Getting a job was the first step and growing up and Granite really didn't want to see his sister grow into a mare. Sighing, he pushed the thoughts of the far future aside as he nudged the filly with a hoof. "Time to wake up Quiose," he said, using his nickname for her. The filly mumbled something unintelligible before grasping Granite's hoof in a vice hold. She then nuzzled into his leg. Giving it a couple seconds, Granite watched as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking at his leg, she followed it up to his face and gave a sleepy smile. "Time to wake up. Fluttershy is expecting you," he paused as he looked at the window curtains in thought, "And I guess we need to see the local teacher to get her enrolled for school." "Bleh, do I have to?" she asked as she released his leg and dragged herself to the edge of the bed. He nodded as he swung himself to a sitting position, "Yes, you do. Can't have you being ignorant to the world." "But school's boring!" she complained. She her best pouting face as she sat at the edge of the bed. "Not gonna work," he stated simply as he climbed off the bed and began to make it, "Now go take a shower and get heading on over to Miss Fluttershy's place. I'll have the directions for ya when ya get out." "Okay," she replied as she hopped off the bed and trotted into the bathroom. A couple seconds later, Granite heard the shower turn on. As he was tucking in the comforter, he heard a scream come from the bathroom. Leaving a gray blur behind him, Granite charged into the bathroom. In front of him, Jewel was shivering next to the still-running shower, dripping water. "C-c-c-cold," she stuttered. Granite facehoofed. "Did you turn it on hot?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes! I'm not s-s-stupid!" she yelled. Granite just chuckled as he took a towel in his magic and wrapped it around her. With her currently not freezing, Granite approached the shower. Reaching out a hoof, he tested the water. It was cold enough that he was surprised it wasn't ice. Looking at the knob, he saw that it was indeed turned to 'Hot'. On a hunch, he took the knob and moved it to where the shower was barely on. After waiting a minute or two, he tested the water again. He drew his hoof back quickly as it touched boiling water. "That's retarded," he mumbled. "What?" Jewel asked from where she sat in the corner. Granite looked over at her to see her curled up in the towel. "Whoever built this place put the knob on backwards. For hot water, just barely turn it on," he said as he got up to walk out, "And test the water next time." She just stuck her tongue out at him as he left, closing the door behind him. With the crisis over, he went back to finish making up the bed. When he was done, it looked like nopony had slept in the bed for years aside for the lack of dust. Smiling at his work, he made sure to quickly jot the directions down on the inn-provided paper. As he finished, Jewel came walking out of the bathroom, still drying her mane. "Here's the directions to Miss Fluttershy's. When you get done, just ask her for directions to Miss Rarity's, okay?" he asked. "Okay," she replied cheerfully as she tossed her towel aside. Granite caught it and laid it neatly in one of the corners of the bathroom. "Don't forget your scarf, either," he added as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Turning on the shower so that it got warm, he grabbed a towel and set it atop the toilet back. After emptying his bowels, he stepped into the shower and let the water wash over his coat. Sighing in content. He pushed his head against the wall underneath the shower head and set his mind adrift. His thoughts centered around his new job and the duties he may have to perform. As well, he thought of how life would be for them here. It wasn't long before his thoughts drifted to a certain pale yellow mare with a red and pink mane. It was inevitable, he knew. He was drawn to the mare like a moth to an open-flame. He had the same problem as the moth too; How to touch the flame without getting burnt. A sigh escaped his lips as he thought of how to go about it. If only there was a manual on this stuff. Granite had gotten done with the shower about a minute later. After drying off, he had grabbed his scarf and pocket watch and was out the door. Trotting down the road, he floated out his pocket watch and clicked it open. Eight-Twenty, he read. Nodding to himself, he replaced the pocket watch into the folds of his scarf as he navigated the town. As he walked through, many of the town's residents greeted him. Granite made sure to reply with a nod. It wasn't long until he was in front of his destination. A sign outside the carnival ride looking building proclaimed that it was the 'Carousel Boutique'. Guess that explains the design, he decided with a smirk. That same smirk remained on his muzzle until he walked through the door. What greeted him was utter chaos. Cloth and paper lay everywhere. Needles were stuck in everything but the pin cushion. A couple of marequins were stood around a stool like they were awaiting a sacrifice. In the middle of it all was the white unicorn that was his current employer. Her magic was being used to hold onto items ranging from cloth to needles to scissors; each floating around the room in a manner seeming random to Granite but must seem organized to her. "Oh, sweet Luna," he whispered as he took it all in. Hearing him, the unicorn turned her gaze to him, allowing him to see the small glasses she had on. "Oh, hello," she said with a smile, "why don't you start with organizing some of this mess, yeah?" Straight to business than, he thought, the smirk coming back, "Yes ma'am."
