Far from the busy and lively town of Ponyville, there stood a rather unusual farm. Most farms would have wheat, vegetables, or cornfields growing outback. Maybe some chickens with a few roosters for a substitute alarm clock. Cows and Pigs even. But no, this farm wasn’t like that at all. Nope, on this farm the ground was too rough for crops or for that matter, anything to be grown. It was only by sure miracle that trees were able to somehow coexist in the harsh environment. As for any animals, you can forget about that! There was no way that any farm animal would tolerate such conditions! What the farm did have was a house big enough for four bedrooms, a windmill, water tower and a barn that stood out in the field.
So, with all the negative sides of the farm, who in their right mind would take one look at this place and say to themselves, “Yes, this is where I would like to work!”… Or for that matter live? Well, the ones who did just that was the Pie family. The mother, Cloudy Quartz, the father, Igneous Rock and their four daughters, Maud Pie, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Marble Pie and Limestone Pie. And what did they decide to do on this bizarre location for a farm? Rock farming. Yes, riveting isn’t it? Please don’t ask why, no one really knows for sure why the family would choose to do this, but some thought that there had to be some way of making a profit out of it? There are valuable types of rocks after all. And some Unicorns were rumored to be hauling mine carts into the field where the loot inside them would be dumped onto the soil and sink into the ground eventually. It would be up to the Pies to break the rocks down and find what was inside them. If they found anything worth any value, they would place their findings back into the carts for shipping the next time a new batch of carts came around. A check would arrive at their residence a week later. Perhaps that is how family has been able to make a living out of it. They certainly seem to be happier now than they used to be.
Yes, the Pie family isn’t what you would call chipper. Joyless and sometimes cold, it seemed like the Pies wouldn’t be caught dead showing even the slightest bit of glee. However, that all changed one day when a rainbow suddenly appeared over the horizon, braking the dark gloomy clouds apart to make way for the suns warmth. Pinkamena couldn’t explain what came over her, but somehow all of a sudden she was feeling happier than she had ever felt! Before she knew it, She became the life of the party! Making her siblings and parents feel happy was the greatest! For the first time ever, the family was enjoying a random celebration! Laughing at each other’s jokes, playing games and just having a swell time together. And what could possibly be the icing on the cake for such a glorious set of happy circumstances? Pinkamena got her Cutie Mark, A yellow balloon between two blue ones! Just when Pinkamena thought the surprises were all over, another one lied just around the corner.
“Pinkamena? Pinkie, are you awake?” Came her mothers voice from outside her bedroom door.
The pink Earth Pony turned in her sleep giving off a slight grumble. The door opened and her mother came in carrying a plate of freshly made pancakes. She lowered the plate under her daughter’s snout. The sweet smell of syrupy goodness and melting butter filled her nostrils. Like a moth drawn to flame the filly had resin from bed. Her eyes still shut, but her hooves and drooling mouth were more than capable of following the promise of a delectable meal.
“Not so fast little missy,” said Cloudy Quartz, reaching out a hoof to block her daughter from going any further. “You know the rule. Go get cleaned up. Then you can come down and join us. Oh, and afterwards stick around. There’s something I have to tell you and your sisters.”
The sleepwalking filly made her way drowsily to the bathroom where the family pet, a baby Alligator had chosen the sink to doze off in. Yawning, the pink filly reached for what she thought was the faucet handle, but was given a hard squeeze by something she hadn’t seen.
“Oh, good morning Gummy!” she yawned again as the green reptile continued to bite her arm giving off angry hisses.
Most would think getting bit by any carnivorous animal would be painful, but Gummy wasn’t like any other reptile. Despite being only a baby, He had no teeth and purple eyes.
“Sorry Gummy, but I can’t play with you right now,” said Pinkamena, pulling the angered Alligator off.
Once she was fully awake, she and the Gummy went down stairs, to the rest of the family who were either finishing up their breakfast or like her, had just woken up. Her mother was cleaning her classes while her father with piece of hey in his mouth and black hat lowered, was reading the morning paper.
“Morning Pinkamena, I mean, Pinkie Pie,” said Limestone in her usual flat tone.
“Good Morning!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully back. “What’s with the gloomy mood Limestone? I thought we had fun yesterday?”
“We did,” said Limestone. “But… I don’t know. How can you be so happy?”
“Easy!” exclaimed Pinkie through a mouthful of pancakes. “Just take moment to think on what makes you happy!”
Pinkie watched as her little sister thought about what had just been said and looked back up when something came to mind.
“Pinkie, I don’t think…” began the oldest sister but Pinkie Pie cut her off.
“Don’t worry Maud! Come on Limestone! What makes you happy?”
Suddenly a small smile formed on Limestone’s face.
“That’s it Limestone!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly. “What did you think of?
“Um, Pinkie?”
“Not now Maud. Well, what is it? A rabbit? A puppy? What… Hey!”
Just then, Pinkie Pie lifted her tail up to see Gummy chomping down on it. Wiggling her tail as hard as she could the reptile wouldn’t let go. Suddenly Cloudy Quartz shot up.
“Ok. I get it Gummy! That’s enough!” she shouted and pried the baby Alligator off of her daughter’s tail.
“You mustn’t get all worked up Gummy. Remember how it was with me and my sister finding out the first time around?” she said straightening her glasses and patting the small reptile that only blinked back. “Patients, they will know soon enough.”
“Know what?” asked Maud. “Mom, what’s going on? Why are you talking to Gummy like that?”
The whole table was looking at the two of them now. Cloudy gave her husband a look for support. Igneous set the paper down tipped his hat up and cleared his throat.
“Girls, finish up and meet us in the living room. There’s something your mother and I have to tell you.”
When the four sisters met their parents in the living room, their mother had placed Gummy on a stool and placed him in the center so he wouldn’t be missed. The girls looked at the baby Alligator who only blinked back at them. The curtains had been pulled shut preventing any sunlight from getting in.
“Oooooh!” said Pinkie Pie, highly amused. “Are we about to tell scary stories?”
“I think I’ll pass,” said Limestone moving close to Marble.
“Shall I get the lights?!” asked Pinkie Pie, her excitement rising.
“No Pinkie, we aren’t going to tell scary stories,” said Cloudy Quartz patiently. “But I do have story to tell you all.”
“Oh, what kind of story?”
“Well, it’s about um… Gummy.”
She pointed at the baby Alligator. The four sisters looked down at Gummy and then at their mother who looked like she was struggling to find the right words. Finally she sighed and said,
“Girls, I want you to say hello to your great grandfather.”
For a moment the four stared at the Alligator who showed no sign of response at all and remained silent. Maud raised an eyebrow and catching the uncertain expression her mother was giving them decided to humor her.
“Well, alright. I suppose. Hello, grandpa Gummy? Ok, seriously mom, what’s going…”
“Grandpa Gummy!” Pinkie boomed throwing confetti out of thin air. “Oh, who would have thought I would have an Alligator as a grandfather? Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers right?”
Her sisters looked on in bewilderment, as the pink filly was perfectly acceptant of Gummy somehow being related to them. Maud gave her father a quick glance but he, like their mother was wearing an expression of someone who had just been asked to live in the Everfree Forest.
“Um, Dad, what is mom talking about?” asked Maud as Pinkie picked up the Alligator and began asking him as many questions that hyperactive mind of hers could think of.
“As hard as it may be to believe and trust me, I too had my doubts at first. Yes, Maud it is true,” said Igneous. “This is your great grandfather, Gum Ball.”
“Wait,” said Marble for the first time. “Gum Ball? Isn’t he the one your aunt Rain Drop called a sneaky old snake?”
“I thought it was something else,” said Maud thinking back. “That’s right, She said he was a sly old son of a…”
“Yes, that would be him!” said Cloudy Quartz loudly before Maud could finish. “Anyway girls, this is Gum Ball.”
“But, how?” asked Marble. “He doesn’t look like us?”
“He doesn’t now. But trust me, he wasn’t always an Alligator. Now, let me see. Where should I start? I guess the first thing you should know is that Gum Ball was like my sister said, sly and always had an eye out for the next big prank to pull. We were told that there wasn’t a day where Gum Ball wasn’t cooking up something special he had in mind.”
“Sounds like my kind of pony!” said Pinkie happily.
“Oh, hush!” hissed Marble smirking a little.
“Right,” said Cloudy Quartz. “Anyway, While Gum Ball did have a knack for pranks, not all of them were a success. One day while he was in the Everfree Forest looking for plants to help him make his next joke, he stumbled upon Poison Joke.”
Maud, Marble, Limestone and Pinkie gasped.
“But I thought Poison Joke wasn’t meant for animal transformations!” said Marble aghast.
“They typically aren’t but you are forgetting. Gum Ball was as much an inventor as he was a prankster. He foolishly decided crush the Poison Joke and turn it into a beverage. The idea was that the pony who drank it would be in for quite a surprise when they woke up the next day. You know, doing things oppositely maybe even shrink or find that their voices have heightened or deepened.”
At this point Cloudy Quartz placed a hoof to her forehead as if fighting back the urge to call the Alligator an idiot for what he had done next.
“So, you could imagine how excited your great grandfather was about his new idea and as usual, he tested it out on himself. Well for weeks the family searched high and low for Gum Ball, but couldn’t find him anywhere. At first they thought he had run away, but about two months afterword his little sister found a startling discovery in Gum Ball’s house. What she found is the baby Alligator you see now.”
“What did she do?” asked Pinkie curiously. “I bet he had an antidote lying around!”
“Ah, if he only did,” said Cloudy Quartz a little annoyed. “But he never got around to making one because normally Poison Joke wares off in time. But as Marble said before, Poison Joke isn’t meant for animal transformations.”
“Surely she must have tried to help him?” asked Maud.
“Of course she did!” said Cloudy Quartz. “But there are no cures for somepony that has been cursed to live their life as a baby Alligator. So his little sister did the next best thing. She decided to look after him. He’s been passed on from one relative to the next until I came along. And now it is time for one of you to become his caretaker.”
When their mother had finished, she and their father left them to discuss how they were going to decide who would be taking care of Gum Ball AKA, “Gummy” from now on.
“Wow, what a story,” said Marble after a while of silence. “So, who’s it going to be?”
“I don’t believe this,” said Maud trying to make since of their mother’s tale.
“One of us, Gummy’s caretaker?” said Limestone confused.
“Ooh, Ooh! I know how we can decide who will look after grandpa!” boomed Pinkie Pie with delight. “We’ll make it a competition!”
“A competition?” asked Maud.
“Yep!” replied Pinkie Pie smiling broadly. “Just give me until tomorrow to figure out the rules. Scratch that, I got it! Consider this, a part of the challenge girls! Each of us will watch over Gummy for an entire day! During that time we will show Gummy just how capable we are at taking care of him! In the end the one who has made sure that Gummy’s time with them, has been one he won’t ever forget is the winner! Got it?”
“I think so,” said Marble thoughtfully.
“I’ll give my best shot! How about you Maud?” said Limestone.
“Well, alright. Count me in,” said Maud plainly.
“Then it’s settled!” chimed Pinkie Pie. “Oh, this is so exciting! Here, draw straws!”
“Wait how did you… Never mind,” said Marble taking a piece of straw her big sister was holding up.
At the end of the straw drawing, Pinkie Pie had the longest straw with Maud possessing the second longest. Leaving Limestone with the middle end and Marble coming up short. =
“I guess, I’ll watch after Grandpa first,” said Marble shrugging. “And after that, I’ll help Limestone out.”
“Hey! What makes you think I can’t look after grandpa on my own?” Limestone questioned her with a frown.
“It’s not like I don’t trust you Limestone. It’s just…”
“I’m perfectly fine doing it all by myself Marble!” Limestone pouted. “Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I can’t do everything you three can do! And the rules are for each of us to look after Gummy not two!”
“I never said you couldn’t!” said Marble affronted. “I’m just thinking ahead, incase you might need help! Pinkie, is it alright for me to help Limestone if she needs it.”
“Certainly!” Pinkie Pie said pleasantly. “And me and Maud will help her too if she asks!”
“No, No, No! I don’t need your help! Or Pinkies, or Maud’s! ” Limestone said waspishly.
“Well, alright,” said Marble giving in. “If you’re sure.”
“Now that that’s settled, Marble, you may begin at any time!” Pinkie said, eager to get the show on the road.
Marble scooped Gummy up and placed him on her back. Back in her and Limestone’s bedroom, she stared at the baby Alligator as if daring him change back into an Earth Pony. Turning her back to him she waited for just a couple seconds before turning back expecting to see a full-grown stallion standing there. The baby Alligator stared back blankly. Marble decided to set up a small bed for him. Laying the Alligator down she pondered on what to do next. How the heck was she supposed to know what made an Alligator feel welcome? Deciding she should start off small, she went back downstairs to fetch something for him to eat. When she came back she almost dropped everything she was carrying. Hers and Limestone’s once neat room now resembled the after affects of a bad storm. The homemade bed she had made for Gummy laid upside down with the blanket feet away. Their drawers had been opened and scattered clothes lied on the floor. The cup of water she had left behind had been knocked off the desk. Water dripped off the edge forming a puddle on the floor damping the clothes. The curtains had been torn and a lump was moving around underneath her little sister’s bottom bunk covers. Placing the experimental food tests aside, Marble reached inside the cover and felt around. Her hoof touched something and she made to grab it. There was a hiss followed by a sharp force coming down on her hoof. Marble let out a high pitch scream of terror and yanked her arm out. Gummy came into view swaying this way and that as Marble tried to shake free. After Marble was successful in getting Gummy to let go, she set him down next to the smorgasbord of mashed foods. The Alligator sniffed each one before sampling. First he tried the stew which he spat out instantly.
“Ew! Grandpa! You could have just…”
But the Alligator had already moved on to the next choice, a cold buttercream soup with apples and peaches. At first it looked like he liked it but then his eyes shrank and wore the expression her little sister had given her parents after eating a green vegetable for the first time.
“Oh come on,” said Marble mockingly. “It can’t be that bad.”
As soon as the spoon entered her mouth and the taste kicked in, the utensil dropped to the table with a loud clang. Picking one of the bowls at random she wolfed it down in a couple sips. She soon wished she hadn’t. Marble collapsed onto the floor. Her mouth filled with a bad aftertaste and stomach started to bubble in protest.
“Ok, maybe you were right,” she moaned.
From above her she heard the Alligator slurping down the second to last bowl.
“Glad to know you like that one,” she said weakly.
But congratulations would have to wait for Marble heard the tell tale sounds of liquid hitting the table. This was going to be a long day.
That night marble set gummy down in the tub and filled it with water. When she made to fill it with soap her Alligator grandfather leaped out of the water trying to snatch the bottle out of her mouth.
“Hey! would you relax!” Marble said to the best of her ability.
In no time, the water was filled with bubbles. Maybe, too many. Marble couldn’t see Gummy in the fizzy wonderland. Moving the sparkly cylinders aside she tried to spot the baby Alligator, but saw nothing.
“Um, Grandpa?” Marble called out starting to feel a little nervous. “Are you ok?”
A quick flash of something dark shot out from one side of the tub to the next. Before Marble could put together what she had just seen, the water rose and through the foam came a soapy Alligator that clamped its jaw onto Marbles mane. Shrieking from the surprise attack, Marble leaped in the air and landed with a mighty splash! Sending water and foam everywhere! As Marble and Gummy’s heads poked out of the water she had a sneaking suspicion that even in grandpa Gum Ball’s reptilian form, he couldn’t let an opportunity like that pass. The next day, Marble let a determined Limestone have shot at being Gummy’s caretaker.
“Now if you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask one of us,” said Marble handing Gummy to Limestone.
“We’ll see,” said Limestone taking Gummy and headed outside with him.
Marble watched from the window as her little sister put their grandfather down and started talking to him as if expecting to hear a response. Smiling to herself, Marble left thinking that maybe Limestone was right. Maybe she could handle it. The hours went by without incident… All the way until Limestone came dashing into their bedroom at some point in the afternoon out of breath.
“Limestone, how was grandpa? I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.”
“Marble… I … need… you to… help me!” panted Limetone, trying to catch her breath.
“I was trying to tell you what he might be capable of before you left with him,” said Marble not catching a word that had just been spoken. “You know, at first I was skeptical, but after his bath I began to wonder if there might be some truth to what mom had told us.”
“Marble I…” began Limestone, desperately trying to get her big sister to listen.
“Wow! You two were out there for hours!” said Marble noticing what time it was. “I hope you didn’t have too much fun! Remember we’ve got work tomorrow! And dad says the rocks this time are very important!”
“Yes, but you have too know that…”
“Speaking of grandpa, where is he? I thought he would be with you when you came in? Or did he go crawl into another sink somewhere?”
“Marble, listen to me!” shouted Limestone.
Marble, taken aback by her little sister’s outburst fell silent.
“I don’t know where Gummy is!”
“What do you mean? I thought he was with you?”
“He was, but I lost him! Grandpa is gone!”
For a moment Marble sat still letting her sister’s words sink in. Marble looked back at Limestone hoping that she would correct herself. When she didn’t, Marble shot up and with the speed of a Timberwolf, she sped out of their room and out the front door with Limestone following close behind!
“How could you have lost him?!” asked Marble racing out into the rock field.
“I’m sorry! I don’t know how it happened!” Limestone squeaked galloping faster in order to keep up. “One moment we were playing by the boulders and the next he was gone!”
The two approached the towering boulders and began searching. Thinking that a bird’s eye view would give them a better chance at spotting Gummy, Marble climbed on top of one of the highest stones. Squinting her eyes she looked out in the distance. The barn was a few meters away.
“Do you see anything?” called Limestone from below.
“No, nothing yet! Wait, I think I see him!”
Before Limestone could ask where to go, her big sister leaped off the boulder landing on the next and proceeded on her path. Limestone hurried after her, following the sounds of her sister hooves as they made contact with each stone surface. Marble hit the ground. Her front hooves sinking slightly in the dirt before she kicked off! For a split second she saw a flash of green dart toward the open barn doors. Sliding to a halt, Marble and Limestone looked inside the barn and their mouths fell open and ears dropped. Before them were piles of crushed rubble. In the stables where farm animals would be living if they had any, stood mining carts filled with shimmering valuables they had found inside rocks. Great, just what they needed.
“Ok,” said Marble her right ear twitching. “Ok, Limestone you check the piles over there and I’ll check the ones over here.”
The two began digging through the mounted rubble, every now and then they would let out a small gasp thinking that they saw the baby Alligator only to have it turn out to be bigger piece of rock.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to find him,” said Marble diving into another crumbled up rock pile. “He should stick out!”
“Grandpa?” called Limestone as she poked her head inside the hole she had made. “Grandpa, you can come out now. We’re not playing around anymore.”
As Marble’s tail disappeared into her pile, the shimmering surface of one of the full mine carts began to move. Gummy’s eyes poked out scanning his surroundings. The sneaky baby Alligator crawled out of his hiding spot only to be spotted a second later by Limestone who cried, “Marble I see him! He’s over there!”
Marbles head popped out of the rubble. She and her sister were covered in a dark grey coating. Gummy blinked once and leaped off of the cart and scurried out of the barn. Shimmering specks fell behind him. Just then, Pinkie Pie appeared at the barn doors.
“Hi, girls! Whatcha doing?”
“Catch that gator!” shouted Marble shooting out of her rock pile.
Marble’s darted past Pinkie Pie in hot pursuit. Limestone and Pinkie caught up with Marble who was completely winded.
“How can he just… Keep going?” panted Marble.
“Did you see where he went?” asked Limestone hopefully.
“No,” frowned Marble. “I lost him right when he led me around the house!”
“I don’t get it,” said Limestone sadly. “How were mom and the rest able to keep up with him all these years?”
“Don’t worry!” chimed in Pinkie Pie. “Your big sister Pinkie Pie is on the case!”
They had absolutely no idea how she did it. But in the blink of an eye, their big sister had pulled a detective’s hat, bubble pipe and magnifying glass out of thin air and started to move around the area like a hound dog sniffing out the scent of an animal it was tracking. The two followed close behind also looking at the ground for any tracks.
“AHA!” Pinkie Pie announced stopping in her tracks.
The sudden halt made her younger siblings bump into her.
“What is it? Did you find something?” asked Marble.
“Yes,” answered Pinkie Pie and pulled Marble close so she too could see what she saw.
With both their eyes looking through the scope, they saw something shimmer in the dirt. Marble brushed the dirt aside to see a speck of blue crystal peeking out.
“Look,” said Limestone who had noticed it too. “There’s more of them, and they lead straight for the house!”
“Ah, a good find my dear Limestone!” praised Pinkie Pie and stuck the bubble pipe in her little sisters mouth, which emitted flurry of bubbles.
It couldn’t have been any better timing Marble thought as the sky was growing a faint pink in the horizon.
“Right, lets hurry on then!” said Marble eagerly. “If we hurry, we might be able to cut him off before he disappears again!”
She and Limestone sped off toward the house. Pinkie Pie was still following the crystals on the ground.
“Pinkie, hurry up! We know where grandpa is already!”
With the sun setting, the three opened the front door and crept across the wooden floor incase their mother was close by. They saw more crystal shards on the floor that continued up the stairs. From the kitchen they heard their mother who had just taken out a pot. With Pinkie Pie in the lead, she arched her back and rolled to safety at the beginning of the staircase. Poking her head out of the corner to make sure the cost was clear, she signaled for her little sisters to follow. Marble crawled quickly across the floor and made it to the other side before their mother turned to face where hers and Pinkie’s heads had just been. When she turned back to continue preparing dinner, Marble signaled to Limestone. She was just an inch away from the safety zone when their mothers voice called out to her.
“Limestone, Marble, Pinkie, is that you?”
“Just me mom!” answered Limestone spitting out the bubble pipe and turned to face her mother smiling nervously.
Luckily for her, Cloudy Quartz’ back was facing her.
“Where are your sisters? I thought I saw Marble running out with you. And Pinkie just left.”
“They’ll be around,” said Limestone noticing that bits of dust were falling from her coat.
“How was your time with grandpa Gum Ball?” asked Cloudy Quartz.
“Oh, not bad, I-I mean, we just got back and uh… I need to clean up before dinner so…”
But before she could finish Marble had grabbed her by the tail and yanked her out of sight. The three siblings followed the trail of crystals that stopped directly at the cracked closet door.
“Ok, we got him pinned now!” whispered Marble. “Pinkie, when I give the word you open the door and Limestone and I will grab him.”
Pinkie Pie, clearly enjoying herself, placed her front hooves on the closet door and waited.
“One, two, three… Now!”
Pinkie Pie pulled the door open and Marble and Limestone dove in. There was loud thunk, and all went silent.
“Um, guys, are you ok?” asked Pinkie Pie, poking her head inside the closet.
She found the switch and turned on the lights to find her little sisters on the floor clutching their heads.
“Did you get him?” she asked
Marble only groaned in response. Pinkie Pie continued to look down on her sister’s tired and annoyed expressions when hoof steps made her turn around to see Maud approaching her. Gummy was standing perfectly still on her back.
“Does this mean it’s my turn to watch grandpa?” she asked.
“I don’t think so, not yet any way.” Pinkie Pie answered.
“Maud!” exclaimed Limestone rising to her hooves first and gave her eldest sister a grateful hug. “Oh, Thank you for getting him! You have no idea how long we’ve been trying to catch him! How did you do it?”
“He came in my room,” said Maud simply. “I thought your turn for watching him was up, so I took him.”
The tired filly looked up at the baby Alligator that stared down at her, completely oblivious to her exhausted expression and not tired in the slightest. Limestone sank onto the floor sighing.
“Um, did I do something wrong?” asked Maud curiously.
“Nope!” said Pinkie Pie happily. “That was a great game you two! We should definitely do it again sometime!”
And she hopped away singing to herself. A reappearing Limestone and Marble watched as their hyperactive big sister hopped toward her own room. The inspector’s hat bounced in sink with each hop.
“So, how was it?” Maud asked.
“You don’t want to know,” said Marble sounding like she had sudden migraine.
“Where you two messing around in the gravel?” Asked Maud noting the dusty imprints Limestone had left on her light purple shirt. She then spotted the small pieces of crystal on the floor. Maud left for her room only to emerge a couple seconds later with a small wooden box and began to scoop shiny shards up.
“Maud you will have to take my word for this,” began Marble, “When it’s your turn to look after grandpa Gummy, don’t let him out of your sight even for a second!”
Maud nodded in response as her collecting led her to the stairs. Surprisingly, Gummy staid on Maud’s back the entire time and when she was done picking up the last crystal shard, she put him in her little sister’s bedroom. To Marble and Limestone’s relief, he staid there the rest of the night.
The next day, the Pie sisters headed outside at the crack of dawn to begin setting up for the day’s work. Their dad came out to tell them what they were going to be looking for. Luckily for the sisters, he had pictures of what he had just described ready and placed them on an easel. Apart from keeping an eye out for coal they would have to find rocks that when cracked open, they contained crystals. They would also be looking for marble and soapstone. With everyone clear on what had to be done, the rock collecting began. With sacks full of rock breaking material at hoof, the sisters spread out across the rock field.
It didn’t take long to recognize the crystal rocks sense a lot of them had already broke once dropped off. Just one hit from one of their hammers was enough to break them once found in one piece. Coal was another easy target since it was the only rock out on the field that solid black. Maud carried the full buckets of coal away first. Pinkie had noticed that Gummy was outside with them too, but instead of being free to wonder, he was tied to the fence. This didn’t seem to bother Limestone or Marble at all. When Marble saw what Maud had done to make sure Gummy was outside and wasn’t that far from Maud’s sight she wasted no time in saying that it was better than nothing. The lead that the Alligator was strapped to was long enough for him to venture to the barn and back. When he realized that escape was futile, he found shady spot at the barn doors and laid down observing the girls work.
“Have you found any marble yet?” asked Maud smashing another sedimentary rock with her hammer.
“No, But does this look like soapstone to you?” replied Limestone holding up a green stone.
Maud walked over to examine it.
“It looks similar to the picture dad showed us,” she said tilting her head to the side. “Is it soft?”
She took the stone and felt around the edges.
“Hmmm, so far so good.”
Next, Maud placed the stone down and attempted to break it with her hammer. Nothing happened.
“Yes, this is soapstone,” she announced. “See if you can find more.”
She placed the newly found stone in her sister’s empty bucket and continued smashing her find of crystal rocks. Pinkie Pie was busying herself by sorting out the marble from the soapstone when a loud crack was heard. All heads turned to Maud who was looking at her hoof that she had pulled back from a piece of marble she had just broke in half. Curious, she placed a piece of coal down and brought her hoof down. It too broke under the might of her crushing blow. The three younger siblings watched as Maud tried the Soapstone next. She was more hesitant with this one. WHAM!
Maud stiffened up for a split second as the force of the blow made her bones raddle.
“Ouch,” she said raising her hoof up from the stone that lied there unfazed by the attack.
She put the stone into her bucket with the rest and looked at the remaining crystal rock. Something told her that attempting to break this type rock wouldn’t end well and decided to crack it open with her hammer instead. Pinkie and the rest of Maud’s sisters went back to work after that. Wanting to try something new, Pinkie Pie decided to test Maud’s technique herself. She stared down her rocky opponent and focused.
“Ok Rock,” she said challengingly. “It’s just you and me! HIYA!!!”
“Uh… are you alright Pinkie?” asked Marble.
Pinkie Pie remained still daring not to speak. If she did, her scream would be enough to clear the landscape of every animal within a half mile of it. The solid lump of coal broke alright, but Pinkie Pie feared her hoof might have suffered as well. As Earth Ponies, they were stronger than Pegasi and Unicorns, but Pinkie understood at that moment that her older sister’s strength along with pain tolerance were far beyond hers.
“Pinkie?” Marble asked again.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it!” said Pinkie a little higher pitched than intended.
At the end of the day, the four had managed to fill half the mine carts in the barn with the amount of valued rock collected. Maud untied grandpa Gummy and continued the rest of the remaining hours of the day showing him her rock collection and throwing a red ball across her room that would bounce off the floor hit the wall and come back to her waiting hoof. She tried to get Gummy in on it, but he only watched. Finally after much time of waiting, hours of planning, it was Pinkie Pie’s turn to take care of grandpa Gummy for an entire day. Pinkie Pie was so overwhelmed with excitement that she rushed to her room with Gummy and shut the door behind her inclosing them in complete darkness. For a few seconds Gummy’s purple eyes glowed in the dark, but then the lights turned on.
“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie cried blowing a party horn.
Gummy looked around the room that had been redecorated in the most festive decorations. Confetti floated down from the ceiling, the walls had been covered with posters of celebration. Games had been set ready to be used and a table had been placed in the center of the room. A surprise “Grandpa Gummy” cake had been set up with the candles already lit. And was that a bowl of fruit punch? How Pinkie Pie had managed to set all this up without being spotted or being able to fit it all in her bedroom of all places was anypony’s guess.
“Welcome to my room grandpa!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “This is where all the magic happens! I plan all my parties up here! Oh, I almost forgot, here!”
She pulled out a miniature party hat and placed it on his head. To her delight it staid perfectly still.
“You look so cute with that on!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “So what do you want to do first Gummy? I mean Gum Ball? Perhaps you should blow the candles out on your cake first, but after that there are some games I want you to check out! Hmmm…. Perhaps I should’ve set everything up in barn like last time or perhaps downstairs. Oh well! We’ll make do!”
She picked Gummy up and held him close to the cake. He only blinked and a small release of air from his snout blew out one candle.
“Maybe I should do the rest grandpa,” said Pinkie Pie before se blew out the remaining candles in a single breath.
She picked the reptile up again and set him in front of the games she had prepared. He stared down at them, his eyes scanning each one. Pinkie Pie waited with anticipation. After what seemed like a couple minutes, Gummy picked up a game piece and… began to chew on it.
“Woah!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “I don’t think that’s what it’s meant for but hey, you’re the expert after all!”
Gummy continued to suck on the game piece until Pinkie picked him up once more and proclaimed happily.
“Of course! Silly me, you must be hungry! I’ll get you some cake!”
She bounced off leaving Gummy with his new chew toy. Pinkie Pie came back a second later with a plate of cake she set down next to him.
“Here you go grandpa! Eat up!”
Gummy spat the toy out and sniffed the slice of cake. He then stared at it blankly.
“What is it?” asked Pinkie Pie “Do you want me to cut it up for you? That’s right, I forgot! You don’t have teeth! Hang on I’ll just…”
But Gummy opened his mouth wide and dove on top of his piece of cake, gobbling it down in one bite.
“Wow! Did you like it?”
Gummy looked up at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds before jumping up and launched himself at her tail. Pinkie swung Gummy up to eye level.
“Is that a yes?” she asked.
Gummy let go and focused his bite on her bubble gum mane. The Alligator dangled there for a bit before Pinkie Pie proclaimed quite happily, “I’ll take that as a yes!”
The hyper pink party pony trotted over to the pile of games and once again tried to get Gummy to play them. The truth was she had hoped to get his opinion on the party activities. With her great grandfather being a master of festive cheer, she was hoping that he would pass on his knowledge to her. Instead, the Alligator looked at the board games and then at his great granddaughter. For some time they stared into each other’s eyes. Pinkie Pie didn’t know what had happened or how it was even possible, but for a faint second, she thought she heard something that sounded like a whisper. She looked around thinking that it was one of her sisters that had snuck into her room to join the party. There was no one there. She was about to put the odd occurrence aside when she heard it again. This time she caught the word, “Hey!”
She looked back at Gummy who was still looking up at her, his hissing loud and clear. Normally any other pony would take this as a sign to stay clear, but Pinkie Pie was sure her great grandfather was trying to tell her something. Crouching down to his level, she dared to put her ear close to Gummy’s snout. There it was. A whispering voice came through the hisses. It sounded like it belonged to young stallion. Not too high, or too low either. It sounded somewhere between the two and came off as annoyed.
“Hey, can you hear me or not?”
“Yes, yes I can hear you!” replied Pinkie Pie. “What is it grandpa?”
“Ah, at last!” Gummy’s inner voice sighed in relief. “Somepony who can understand me again! Look, only one of you can take care of me and so far…”
“What was that?” asked Pinkie Pie as if she was talking to someone across a raging river. “Did you say you would like more cake? Sure! Give me a second!”
“Ok, I might have spoke too soon,” said Grandpa Gummy through the long hisses.
“Here you go!” chimed Pinkie Pie setting a plate down at Gummy’s webbed feet. “Anything else I can get for you?”
“Please listen to me!” pleaded the voice coming from Gummy’s hisses.
“What was that?” questioned Pinkie Pie again. “Hang on, I have an idea!”
She opened Gummy’s mouth so that the hisses came through louder than ever. She drew closer, tuning into whatever her great grandfather had to say.
“Pinkamena!” shouted the voice.
“That’s me!” said Pinkie Pie delighted. “Pinkie Pie, at your service!”
“Right,” said Gummy, rolling his eyes. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes,”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure as can be!”
“Good. Now listen carefully…”
It felt like the two spent hours talking. Pinkie wanted to know more about Gum Ball and how big his parties were when he was an Earth Pony.
“But why won’t you teach me?” asked Pinkie Pie frowning in disappointment.
“Because there is nothing for me to teach you. You already learned. And you did all by yourself!” Replied Gummy smiling at her. “Your first party was a huge success! You managed to do what I used to do! You made your family smile!”
“And my second?” asked Pinkie Pie sounding hopeful.
“Well, it was an unexpected location to have one,” said Gummy thoughtfully. “Well played Pinkie.”
“But there has to be more to it than that,” said Pinkie Pie trying not to sound argumentative. “There just has to be more! Come on grandpa, what did I miss?”
“Nothing,” said Gummy wisely. “Don’t you see Pinkie? It doesn’t matter how many balloons and decorations there are, or how big the celebration is. The real gift you can give everypony is happiness! And you have what it takes to do just that!”
“You really think so?” asked Pinkie.
“I know so,” said Gummy.
Pinkie Pie smiled at the baby Alligator. She vowed to hang on to those words to help improve her party making skills along with whatever surprises she had in mind for the future. She and the Alligator yawned. They hadn’t realized that the night had been upon them for some time now. As she turned off the lights and finished picking up her party infested room Pinkie realized that her day was almost up.
“Grandpa Gummy?” she asked putting the Alligator in his small bed.
The Alligator opened one eye in response.
“I hope you’ll be happy with whoever is chosen to take care of you. I think you’ll grow to like my sisters. They’re really nice once you get to know them.”
Pinkie Pie thought she heard Gummy give a sarcastic snort as she crawled into her bed.
“Don’t be silly Gummy,” she said. “I know you’ll like them too.”
As the pink fillies eyes threatened to close she could have sworn she saw a smile form on the Alligators mouth before he too fell fast asleep. It felt like she had only just begun to drift into a deep slumber when she felt someone shaking her shoulder.
“Pinkie, Pinkamena! Wake up!”
“Wha- what is it mom?” Pinkie Pie moaned.
“Not mom! It’s me, Limestone!” get up, this is important!”
Pinkie Pie sat up, the clock in her room had just turned to four in the morning. The sound of soft tapping on the roof told her that it was raining outside.
“This is quite an early time for this don’t you think?” she asked rubbing her eyes.
“I know, but…”
“But what?”
"It’s Gummy, he’s gone again!”
“What are you talking about?” asked Pinkie Pie pointing over to the spot where their great grandfather was supposed to be sleeping. “He’s not gone. He’s over, over…”
Pinkies eyes flew open and she darted to the empty bed and began to look around nervously.
“What?! Where did he go?!”
“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out,” said Limestone.
“We?”
But before Pinkie Pie could finish asking, their big sister walked in, her mane and tail messy from just getting out of bed.
“I searched all of downstairs Limestone. But he’s nowhere to be found. Oh yeah, and the powers out?”
“Oh no, I hope he isn’t outside somewhere,” said Limestone, already hoping that her suspicions were wrong.
Maud had disappeared and came back a couple seconds later with a drowsy Marble beside her. She kept drifting out, her head coming to a rest on her big sister’s front leg.
“Marble!” Pinkie Pie said trying to shake her little sister out of her tired state. “This is not the time for napping sleepy head! We have a problem!”
“Is it one that can’t wait till morning?” she asked grumbling.
“No, I’m afraid not! It’s Gummy, he’s gone!”
Marble blinked a couple times before she shook her head in disbelief. Her big sister had woken her up for this? Hadn’t she, Limestone, and Pinkie Pie already dealt with hunting down Gummy before? And now she was about to be asked to help her sister’s look for their great grandfather again in the dead of night while it was raining? Before she could have her say in the matter, Maud cut her off.
“I think we should all head downstairs and if we don’t find him in the next hour, we should start to look outside.”
“Sounds like a plan to me!” said Pinkie Pie ready for action and took out the detective hat once more.
“We can cover more ground with more ponies on the look out,” added Limestone in agreement. “What do you think Marble?”
Marble had already fallen asleep again and was woken up by a poke from Maud.
“Wha- what time do we begin rock collecting Maud?”
“She’s in too,” said Maud for her.
“Great, and we should probably keep it down so we don’t wake up mom and dad,” said Limestone as an after thought.
With nods of agreement from her big sisters, they headed downstairs only to have flashlights shining directly at them. Shielding their eyes they saw that when the lights turned away, it was their mother and father. Their expressions tired, but they seemed to understand something they didn’t.
“Mom, dad, what are you two doing up at this hour?” asked Pinkie Pie confused.
“Normally we would be asking you three the same question,” said Cloud Quartz. “But this time, it is different.”
The four sisters exchanged looks before their mother continued on.
“Well, it looks like grandpa Gummy wanted to play one last game with you four before your competition ends.”
“One last game?” asked Maud. “Like what?”
“Ooh, ooh! Is it board game?” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Does it have to do with puzzles, filling in the blank, mphuphof!”
Marble had just silenced Pinkie Pie’s continued questions by placing her hoof on her big sister’s mouth.
“As Maud said, what does grandpa want us to do mom?”
“I think it shouldn’t be too hard Marble,” said Cloud Quartz patiently. “I think it’s safe to say he has chosen to do the same thing with you four as he did with me and my sister many years ago. I believe you’re familiar with hide and seek?”
“Hide and Seak!” proclaimed Pinkie Pie, unable to hold back her excitement. “My favorite!”
“Yes, but his way has a couple things added to it.”
“Oooh!” said Pinkie Pie, liking the unknown possibilities.
“Which is why we will give you some flashlights to help you out in your search.”
“Thanks, what are the added touches he made?” asked Maud taking her flashlight.
“Oh, in his version, anywhere outside is definitely a possible hiding spot. The power has been turned off to provide a challenge and he is aloud to put decoys in the way to confuse the seekers. Other than that it’s pretty much normal. Once he is spotted you catch him.”
“Ok. Let’s get started girls! We have a tricky gator to find,” said Marble turning her flashlight on and headed down the hall with Limestone.
Maud left shortly after taking another look around the kitchen.
“Go ahead Pinkie,” said Cloud Quartz insistently. “Grandpa won’t stay in one place for too long.”
“Right!” Pinkie Pie saluted. “It’s so on! I accept your challenge grandpa and I’ll find you for my name isn’t detective Pinkie uh… Pie!”
As the last sibling left, Cloud Quartz had a rather knowing look on her face, but when her husband asked what she was smirking about she said, “I think Gummy knows who he wants to be with, but he’s giving them all one last shot.”
“Really? How can you tell?” asked Igneous.
“Oh, I didn’t expect him to sit back and let them have all the fun in their little competition,” Cloud Quartz giggled.
Marble and Limestone ventured down the basement in search for the elusive Alligator. The flashlights beams scanned the piped ceiling then moved down the tan walls and highlighted the corners. Marble looked behind the staircase while Limestone continued toward something she had seen out of the corner of her eye. With the flashlight in her mouth she aimed it at a spec of green coming from underneath an upside down box.
“Pst! Hey, Marble, come over her. I think I found him!”
Marble left her search of a nearby corner and saw what Limestone had found. She cautiously approached the box from behind and set her flashlight down to place both front hooves on the top.
“Ok. Limestone, lets get this over with. On three. One, Two,…”
“You’ll have to do better than that Gummy!” Limestone shouted as the box was lifted up.
Just then a dark mass scurried across the floor from the shadows and dashed up the stairs disappearing from sight.
“What the! Did you see that?” asked Marble letting the box fall on top sealing her little sister.
“Hey! Who turned out the light?!”
“Oh, sorry Limestone! I thought I saw… What is that?”
“It’s Gu…not Gummy.”
What Limestone thought she had in her mouth was Gummy’s tail, turned out to be a green towel tied to a wet mop head. She spat it out in disgust.
“I guess this is what mom meant by setting up fakes,” said Marble. “Which means… That shadow! He was just hear a second ago! Drat! We just missed him!”
Maud had just left her post when she heard something scampering across the floor in the next room. Before she was about to investigate, creaking sounds met her ears. She poked her head out and pointed her flashlight at the now empty living room. A rocking chair that was once immobile was now swaying back and forth. Maud approached the cracking of the wooden floor and made the noise stop. The instant it did she was left in total silence. The soft ticking of the clock and the continuing plops of the rain outside were the only things left. The beam of light passed over the clock showing that it was almost five o’clock. Maud had just looked behind the couch when the window from the kitchen had opened. She hurried to the front door and opened it! Outside the rain’s heavy falling was louder than ever. She stepped into the muddy ground and saw as far as the beam of light traveled. Gummy could be anywhere outside at this point. Luckily, Maud saw that the barn in the distance was still closed and apart from her own tracks, being this far out, no four-clawed ones had been made. Now completely soaking wet, she headed back to the house where at last, she spotted a set of tracks disappearing underneath the house. Seeing that there was no other alternative, Maud crouched down and crawled her way under the house. The dry dirt underneath her home was now wet from her soaked body and once she had emerged on the other side, she was covered in mud and dry dirt. Making her way around the house she saw that the open window was still there. If Gummy wasn’t outside, then where inside could he possibly be? While pondering this thought she heard crashing sounds from the halls and dashed back inside to find both Limestone and Marble covered in flower and coughing. Their flashlights laid forgotten on the floor.
“I said not to… Jump until I told you to!” Marble spluttered trying to find her way around the hall with an outstretched hoof.
“And I told you… To make sure that it really is Gummy you’re looking at… Before you tell me what to do!” argued Limestone slouching to the floor and attempting to rub her eyes clean.
“We almost had him Limestone! I was sure of it that time!” said Marble taking a wet dishcloth Maud had given her and wiped her face.
“Here you go Limestone. I swear, once I get my hooves on that little… What happened to you Maud?”
Marble had just noticed the dirty form of her big sister. Maud picked her flashlight back up with her mouth. She didn’t seem to care how she looked and shook her muddy hooves lazily.
“I followed Gummy outside,” she said as clearly as possible. “Was he back in here with you?”
“Oh, he was here alright!” said Marble angrily. “I chased him to the cupboard but he gave me the slip by placing another trap for me and Limestone! The instant we opened the door, a bucket filled with flower fell on top of us!”
“There must be some way we can corner him!” said Limestone thoughtfully. “Maybe Pinkie is having better luck. Maybe we should check on her?”
“Come to think of it I haven’t heard any yells from her yet,” said Marble considering her little sisters proposal. “Maybe we should…”
“AHA!!!” came an unmistakable voice from upstairs.
The three trick damaged ponies galloped up the stairs to where they heard their sister’s voice. They spotted her pressed up against Limestone and Marble’s bedroom door, trying to hear what ever might be inside. She turned the doorknob and proceeded to cautiously open it. Pinkie felt something slide against the door and immediately abandoned her action.
“What is it Pinkie?” asked Limestone from behind. “Did you see him?”
“Oh, hi guys! Nice camo! No but I found another trap!”
“Wait what did he do to our room?” questioned Marble nervously.
“I’m not sure, but it could be anything,” replied Pinkie Pie taking pride in finding many of the traps without setting off a single one. “It could be a classic bucket above door prank, a tripwire, a net trap, or…”
There was the sound of something being released from behind her then came a gasp and Maud was hit in the face by a water balloon. Brown water dripped off her mane soaked face.
“Or something like that!” Pinkie Pie finished gleefully.
“This is getting ridiculous!” said Marble clearly annoyed. “How many traps has he set up? More importantly, how could he have done it?”
“Well, I found most of them up here, you guys seem to have found the ones downstairs, and Maud just found another, so I think there can’t be that many….”
But she stopped talking when Marble shot her a mean look.
“What a night!” She sighed in frustration. “I don’t think I’ve been beaten this many times in a single game before. And it’s not even over yet!”
“At least we’re all having fun!” Pinkie Pie boomed happily. “And that’s what really matters!”
“Are you kidding?” asked Marble burying her face in her hooves.
“Hmmm… No! I’m being a hundred percent serious Marble! Think of it this way, At least you’re not the only one playing grandpa’s game!”
“Ugh!!!”
“I think I see what Pinkie means Marble,” said Limestone. “Sure we’ve fallen for grandpa’s traps but at least we didn’t have to face them alone.”
“Limestone’s right,” agreed Maud sitting down beside Marble and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Think, has it really been that bad?”
Marble sat up and thought back to what has happened so far during their search for Gummy. Sure, it was true that their great grandfather had picked the worst time for them to play a game of hide and seek. And they did run into some crazy tricks of his along the way. But in a weird way, all the twists seemed to add a surprising amount of fun to the task.
“What do you think Marble? Are you having fun?” asked Pinkie Pie curiously.
“Yes, yes, I suppose I am,” Marble replied with a small smile.
“That’s the ticket!” said Pinkie Pie with glee. “Now hurry up, I think I saw Gummy head off in this direction!”
“Wait, you saw him? When?” asked Limestone.
“Before you guys came up here. I just had to make sure Gummy knew all of us were here so he wouldn’t leave his hiding spot! Now that we’re all here, let’s get him! He’s right in here!”
Maud and Limestone shrugged before following Pinkie Pie down the hall. Marble’s eye began to twitch.
“Marble are you coming?” asked Limestone.
“I… but you… Pinkie?… Why didn’t you just…”
Words failed her. She couldn’t find a single retort for her older sister’s way of revealing useful information at the last second. Lowering her head in defeat she said in an exhausted tone, “Yeah, I’m coming.”
The four sisters approached the bathroom door where they heard the sound of running water. With their hearts pounding in their chests, Pinkie Pie reached out and opened the door. Inside, the girls saw that everything appeared to be intact, but the tub was once again filled with bubbles. Warm water ran from the faucet filling the tub up. Maud took watch outside the room incase Gummy decided to make a break for it while the rest searched inside. Pinkie Pie turned off the water and stuck a hoof into the fragile foam. Limestone pulled open the counter drawers prepared to snatch a hidden reptile, but found nothing. Marble looked in the trashcan but saw nothing in it. Finally, their flashlights were aimed at the tub. Pinkie Pie took her hoof out of the mountain of suds and dangled her flashlight above it. She wondered if Gummy was in there, could he see the beam of light shining down through the waters surface?
“Do you see anything?” asked Limestone.
“Nothing yet,” replied Pinkie Pie. “Come on out grandpa! You can’t run away from us this time!”
There was no answer. No rippling of the water to indicate that he was even in there.
“Alright, have it your way then!” said Pinkie.
She knew what had to be done. If Gummy was in the tub the only way catch him was to go in with him. Putting her flashlight down she hoisted herself over the tubs edge and landed with a splash. Pinkie Pie then began digging through the foam, feeling around for the slightest hint of something being in there with her. At last, her hoof found something. Pinkie Pie acted without a moments notice and made to grab what she had found. Yes! Success! Pinkie Pie had found Gummy, but just as her hooves where about to wrap around him, he leaped out of the water!
“Quick, get him!” yelled Marble diving at the Alligator who slid out of the way just in time.
The reptiles slippery-scaled back tripped up Limestone and Maud had just let Gummy dash under her before he ran down the hall.
“I don’t think so!” Marble snarled as she left her flashlight behind, squeezed passed her eldest sister and headed after the fleeing reptile.
It only took a few seconds before the three remaining sisters heard a loud crashing sound and silence took over. They hurried back down stairs where they saw pillows from the couch had been flung off and the coffee table was lying upside down. Pinkie Pie approached the arm of the couch.
“Marble, are you ok?”
She was answered by Gummy who shot up on the other side of the couch. Pinkie Pie was about to sneak around to catch him when Marble’s body rose from the floor and to her relief she held up Gummy for her sisters to see. Gummy didn’t attempt to escape this time. He knew the game was over. Marble gave a loud exclamation of joy as her sisters stomped their hooves with just as much enthusiasm. Gummy blinked once before he wiggled free from marbles grip and bit down on her mane where he dangled there, unfazed by the collective gasps around them.
“Grandpa! What are you…” exclaimed Marble.
But to hers and the rests surprise, Pinkie Pie began to laugh.
“Wha- what’s so funny?” asked Marble confused.
“Oh, Marble don’t be silly!” Pinkie Pie said still laughing. “This is grandpa’s way of expressing himself! He is only congratulating you! That’s all!”
“She’s right girls!” came a pleased voice from the top of the stairs.
Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock made their way down beaming at their daughters on a job well done. Igneous went on ahead to turn the power back on while Cloudy Quartz stayed behind.
“Congratulations girls!” she said still smiling. “You found grandpa Gummy and in record timing too I think.”
She was glancing over at the clock that was just about to reach a courter till six.
“Why, my sister and I didn’t find him until the sun rose! And that was with just the two of us!”
Just then, the power came back and the darkened room was lit.
“Gum Ball, you can let go of Marble now,” said Cloudy Quartz with a giggle. “I think she’s had enough for one night.”
Gummy let go of Marble’s mane and walked over to his previous caretaker.
“What Pinkie said is true Marble. Grandpa Gummy had to find a way to communicate with us after being transformed into an Alligator so when he’s upset or wants to show how happy he is, he bites down on either your mane or tail.”
Pinkie Pie listened with the rest of her sisters, but she was wondering about how she could hear him speak to her through the hissing noises he makes. A thought had just occurred to her. Was hearing him talk to her all a dream? Could she have fallen asleep at some point during Gummy’s party? No, that couldn’t be. Could it? Cloudy Quartz found Pinkies worried expression and gave her a knowing smile.
“What I want to know,” started Marble. “Is how did Grandpa do all of this? I mean, how was he able turn off the power and set up all of those… all of those…”
But, her mother was suddenly cleaning her glasses, looking sheepish. She looked to her sisters and saw that Pinkie Pie wore the same look.
“Mom, Pinkie, what did you… Oh, don’t tell me!”
“Sorry, Marble!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed hugging her little sister.
“Wait, it was you who set up the traps?” asked Limestone in surprise. “And mom, what did you do?”
“I only made sure your sister didn’t get too carried away setting up all those pranks,” said Cloudy Quartz putting her glasses back on as her face turned red. “While your father took care of the power.”
“So, you were all involved in some way?” Marble asked, feeling embarrassed that she hadn’t realized it sooner.
“Yep!” replied Pinkie Pie and she knew she could say what was on her mind now. “It was all Gummy’s idea after all!”
“What?”
“That’s right! It was all him! He came up with the idea for the game and the rules and when it should start!”
Igneous Rock had just come back from the basement, his black hat tilted and he was smiling broadly at his daughters.
“Well I think that settles things,” he said chewing on a piece of straw. “Did you tell them yet?”
“We just finished explaining dear,” said Cloudy Quartz sweetly.
“But how was he able to tell you what he wanted?” asked Limestone. “He can’t talk!”
“Not in the way we can,” explained Cloudy Quartz. “Your great grandfather may not be able to speak like we do, but he has found a way to communicate with us throughout the years. It has also been said that grandpa Gummy can talk to us if he wants to, but you have to be really quiet to hear him.”
She saw the puzzled looks Marble, Limestone and Maud were giving her and added, “His hissing.”
When the rest of her daughter nodded in response Gummy started to hiss. Cloudy Quarts lowered her head in order to hear him.
“What’s that Gummy? Oh, of course I’ll tell them.”
“What did he say?” asked Maud.
“He tells me that this was the most fun he has had in a long time!” said Cloudy Quartz. “And that if it’s alright with all of you, he would like to know who gets to look after him?”
“Oh!” said Marble scratching the back of her head nervously. “I’ve been thinking and… I don’t think I’m ready for a pet of my own just yet. Sorry, Grandpa.”
“Are you sure about that Marble?” Pinkie Pie asked. “You looked like you were having a blast near the end of the game!”
“I’m sure,” said Marble grinning humorously at her big sister.
“And I thought I was able to do everything you guys were doing, but I only lost Gummy and had to ask Marble to help me find him,” admitted Limestone digging the rug with her hoof.
“Wait, you did what now?” asked Cloudy Quartz.
“And I ummm… I second what Marble said,” Maud spoke up before their mother could question her youngest daughter any further. “So, that leaves just you Pinkie Pie. Are you going to look after grandpa?”
For a moment it looked like Pinkie Pie was going to refuse having been put on the spot. There was a loud energetic squeak followed by a burst of random confetti and Pinkie Pie jumped in the air completely overjoyed by being asked to take care of Gummy.
“Are you kidding?!” she demanded happily. “I would love to look after him!”
Her mother and father beamed as Pinkie Pie scooped up Gummy in her hooves and placed him on her back.
“I promise, I’ll take really good care of you grandpa! What do you say?”
Gummy blinked in response and a split second later, he opened his mouth and bit down on his great granddaughter’s tail.
“I’ll take that as a yes!” Pinkie Pie smiled.
Cloudy Quartz, Igneous Rock and three of their daughters were outside waiting on a pair of Unicorns to come by and collect the mine carts that afternoon.
“So, how do you think Pinkie will be able to handle Grandpa Gummy?” asked Limestone to her mother. “If Me, Maud and Marble couldn’t keep up with him how does Pinkie expect to?”
“Don’t worry,” answered Maud confidently.
For she had a sneaking suspicion that when their great grandfather’s games were meant to test them on patience just as much as playing along with him.
“If anypony can handle Grandpa Gummy, it has to be Pinkie Pie.”
As the rest of her family smiled at Maud’s words, Limestone looked up at the window to Pinkie Pie’s bedroom where inside, scattered pieces of party planning paper laid on the floor and on the bed, the pink filly continued to snooze with a baby Alligator curled up next to her.
