Limestone's Incredible Adventures In Motherhoodby MasterweaverChaptersIn Which Limestone Pie Worries So Much That She Does Not Receive Crucial InformationIn Which Limestone Pie Is Ordered To Act In Ways Diametrically Opposed To Her Usual PersonalityIn Which Limestone Pie Is Forced To Consider The New ParadigmIn Which Limestone Pie Worries So Much That She Does Not Receive Crucial InformationMaud Pie sniffed at the crack. "Mmmm." She peered over it cautiously. "Ah." With the utmost delicacy, she trailed a hoof down its length. "Hrm." Limestone Pie gave a low growl out from behind her, but restrained herself from jumping forward. "Well?!" Maud Pie turned around, slowly lifting her gaze to match that of her sister's. "I have conducted a complete and thorough examination of the phenomenon to the best of my abilities." "...and?!" Limestone demanded. Maud let her eyes blink once. Limestone frowned fiercely. "....I have no flippin' clue what's going on." Instantly Limestone reared into the air. "GRAAAAAAAH! Well I guess you're rockterate is just useless then!" She galloped away, harsh words spewing from her lips as she disappeared into the mine. Igneous let out a small sigh, walking up to his daughter and awkwardly patting her shoulder. "I am sure thy sister means not what she speaks of thou. She merely expresses her frustration by pinning blame where she can, as ever." Maud flicked an ear. "I'm not upset with her. I am upset that I can't figure out what this is." She pushed the hoof off, turning back to the crack and narrowing her eyes. "My special talent is the ability to discern details from what others would consider irrelevant. I've learned so much, both here on the rock farm and at the university. I should know what this is. I don't. That aggravates me to no end." Marble wrapped her hooves around Maud's neck, gently nuzzling into her cheek. "Hmm." Maud turned to her, a tiny smile on her face as she returned the hug. "...and you're still my sister too." Igneous nodded to himself, smiling at his daughters held each other. True, they were the quieter of his progeny, but that also made their expressions all the more precious for when they did express them. His eyes drifted to the crack, and his smile morphed into a frown. "I know for a fact that my ears did recollect the whistle of a train arriving but two minutes ago; moreover, twas the one upon which thine other sister proclaimed she would arrive. It is unlike her to spend so long at the station..." Maud released Marble from her hug, giving her father a look. "She's probably just checking that mother is well. You know how Pinkie can get caught up in her own worrying." "Mhm," Marble agreed, nodding emphatically. "...perhaps I am worrying overmuch," Igneous conceded. "Dearest Cloudy did leave but five minutes ago. It is just... with such ill fortune to fall upon us, I cannot help but wonder after those of my kin that remain out of sight--" The quick clip-clap of galloping hooves drew his attention to his rapidly approaching wife. More pertinently, her glasses were dangling from her neck, revealing the outright panic in her eyes. "Husband, daughters, attend quickly! Pinkimena hath brought upon us a dangerous boon!" "She does have a tendency to do so," Maud deadpanned. "Mhm," Marble giggled, covering a tiny smile with her hoof. "This is no time for frivolity!" Cloudy Quartz insisted as she replaced her eyewear. "A princess even now approaches our homestead!" Marble's laughter stopped abruptly as she stared wide-eyed at her mother. "Mmh?!" "Surely you jest!" Igneous replied in disbelief. "Nay, though I doubted mine eyes did not deceive! A pony of wings and horn was bespeaking with our wildest, and Pinkimena claimed friendship with her!" Maud's eyelids fell to a lower position. "Did she have a purple coat?" Cloudy nodded. "Aye, she did..." "That'd be Twilight Sparkle then." Maud nodded. "I met her when I visited Pinkie before I went to the university. She really is a princess." "MMH!" Marble shot up and galloped into the house. "Thy sister is right," Igneous said firmly. "We must make haste to prepare our abode for presentation!" "But dearest, would it not be crass of us to leave nopony outside for greeting when the princess arrives?" "I'll stay out here," Maud volunteered. "She knows me." Igneous nodded. "Very well. Come, dearest, let us move swiftly." The two elder ponies trotted into the house as quickly as their old bones could take them. Maud watched them shut the door, her expression as calm and controlled as ever. "...You can stop being invisible now." There was a sound like a sigh, a shimmer in the air, and suddenly two ponies and a small dragon appeared beside her. The purple one let out a small sigh, giving a grateful smile to Maud. "Thanks for handling that so efficiently. I'm still not comfortable with the treatment some ponies think I deserve..." "Or demand," quipped the dragon. Maud glanced at him for a moment. Then she turned to the bouncing pink pony next to the purple one. "Who's he?" "Oh! This is Spike. He's a dragon that Twilight here hatched when she got her cutie mark. Spike, this is Maud Pie, my older sister." "The one that eats rocks?" Spike held out his fist. "Good to meet a fellow lithovore!" Maud bumped the fist with a hoof. "Actually, everypony in my family eats rocks." The pink pony sidled up to Maud. "Speaking of which, where are Marble and Limestone?" "Marble ran into the house just before you got here. Limestone's down in the mine, working off some stress." Maud considered the princess for a moment. "By breaking crystals in half," she clarified. Twilight nodded. "I gathered as much." Her eyes turned to the crack, and more specifically to the large rock that bore it. "So... this is the famous Holder's Boulder that Pinkie has told me so much about?" "Yes," Maud said simply. The three ponies and one dragon stared at the large rock for a few moments. "...it looks like an egg," Spike stated bluntly. "Spike!" Twilight admonished him. "This is the Pie family heirloom, and a center of their tradition!" "He's kinda right though," Pinkie pointed out. "It does look like an egg." "It is true," Maud agreed. Twilight sighed. "Yes, I know, I just... didn't want to... you know, sound dismissive of something you considered so important." Maud gave her an exceptionally flat look. "Pointing out facts isn't dismissive. It's investigative." "Like if I pointed out this crack on Holder's Boulder, which was never there before!" Pinkie demonstrated eagerly. "Or how when I got the letter about the crack I thought 'gee whiz, that sounds almost impossible' and then I figured 'who do I know that does the almost impossible?' and then I said 'Discord, duh!' but then I thought 'I don't know if my parents are ready for Discord just yet or if he's ready for them' so then I decided to go with Twilight since she became a princess which is also pretty impossible you know?" She suddenly frowned, tapping her hoof on the ground. "Wait, no, that wasn't investigative at all. Forget all that!" Twilight managed to bite back a chuckle. "Right, well... I'm willing to help out in any way I can. Can you tell me what you know about this crack, Maud?" "It started appearing yesterday at around midafternoon. After everyone living on the rock farm examined it, they sent out letters to me and Pinkie. I arrived this morning, and examined it myself. Despite my education in all things rock, I cannot identify a potential source. There is no impact indentation, but the crack is too constrained to be considered a form of natural rock expansion. The expansion of the lines are levered inwards, which is the exact opposite of what a chisel would provide." Maud paused for a moment, blinking as Twilight looked over the crack herself. "...If Holder's Boulder is hollow, something from within could have made this crack." "First Spike says it looks like an egg, then you suggest that it might be hollow," Twilight quipped jokingly. "Next you're going to tell me that it was found in a cockatrice nest." Pinkie giggled. "Ha, no, that would be silly! Holder found it in a dragon's nest." She pulled an old, tattered book out of her mane and flipped through the pages. "See? Right here in the family book of fables, 'origin of the rock farm.'" Twilight froze for a second. Very very slowly, she let her eyes travel up the height of Holder's Boulder. "...so," Spike said, "it looks like an egg, acts like an egg, and was found with a bunch of eggs." "...Spike, I need you to stand next to the boulder for a second. I'm going to try a relative magic resonance scan, just to make sure that this is not, in fact, an actual dragon's egg." With a shrug, the purple drake walked up to the boulder and struck a pose. Twilight rolled her eyes, but kept whatever she was thinking to herself. Her horn lit up, magic spreading out first around Spike, then all across the large rock. After a moment, it faded away. "...well?" Pinkie asked brightly. "...It's a dragon's egg alright," Twilight conceded. "But it's a lot bigger than any dragon's egg I've seen..." "Why is it only hatching now?" Maud asked. "It's been on the farm for generations." "Hmmm." Twilight began to pace. "Well, I know from my experience with Spike that dragon hatchlings remain in a form of natural stasis until a large amount of magical energy is directed into their bodies, and I suppose that enough of Rainbow Dash's first sonic Rainboom could have been absorbed--no, but that was years ago... maybe it triggered a magical acclimation without internalizing the resonance--" She turned to Pinkie. "Didn't you say Applejack accidentally knocked it down into the mine?" "Well, it's a biiiiiiit more complicated then that," Pinkie hedged, "but it did end up near the mine, yeah." "Crystals." Twilight clicked her hoof against the ground. "That's gotta be it. Some crystals hold magical energy for a long time, so being near the crystals triggered the wakening process. That's the best theory I've got, anyway." Maud glanced at the crack again. "If it took so long to start hatching, it'll probably be a while yet before it comes out." "Yes, you're right. We should have time to make a plan about this." "We?" Pinkie asked. "Yes, we." Twilight brought herself up and started trotting quickly toward the house, the other ponies and dragon quickly following after her. "As much as this situation affects your family, the fact is we are talking about a dragon egg hatching in Equestria, which kind of involves politics. So I'm going to have to get involved, since I'm the closest political figure to the situation. Thankfully, though, we should have a couple of days." Maud opened the door for them. "Assuming no more magic crystals get near it." "Yes, assuming that." Twilight stepped aside so Pinkie could bounce in. "But the odds of that happening are almost--" A sudden panting sound caused them to turn around, and they caught sight of Limestone dragging a cart full of pinkish crystals up the ramp. It took her a couple of seconds to spot them, but once she did she scowled. "What?! I had a lot of frustration to work out, okay?!" With an audible crunch of rock, the crack jumped halfway up Holder's Boulder. Limestone whirled, ears perked. "Oh no!" She rushed for the large object, cart still attached to her back. "Hang on, I'm coming!" Maud flinched as the crack branched out. "Well, there goes our spare time." "GET THE CRYSTALS AWAY FROM IT!" Twilight shrieked. "THE CRYSTALS ARE MAKING IT BREAK FASTER!" Limestone spun around. "WHAT?!" The cart, moving by inertia, spun next to Holder's Boulder. One of the crystals flew out, spiraling through the air too fast for Twilight to catch with her magic. As Limestone turned to look behind her, the tip of the crystal bounced against the crack. There was a moment of tension. Then Holder's Boulder exploded. In Which Limestone Pie Is Ordered To Act In Ways Diametrically Opposed To Her Usual PersonalityShards of grey scattered across the rock farm, smashing into the ground, the boulders, and the walls of the house. Thankfully the windows were not made of glass, but a transparent form of crystal; some very very tiny part of Limestone's mind was pleased that she had fictored that expense into repairs and maintenance. The rest of her mind, however, was split between horror and utter confusion. Horror because the heart of her domain, the very reason she lived for, had just shattered into a thousand irreclaimable pieces before her eyes due to a mistake she herself made. And confusion, because... well... ...because something very strange had replaced it. Some sort of... wisteria-colored reptile, flopping to the ground around her with an odd mewling rumble. It was about five times her size, with four chubby legs ending in four-clawed feet; the head alone being as big as her whole body, and she could see her shocked expression reflecting back at her in pale silver eyes. A set of yellow-green scales ran from jaw to tail along the creature's underside, matched by the seven long flat spines extending backward from the head and the flaps of skin from the four odd limbs extending from the shoulders and hips. It opened its toothless mouth and gave a deep, earthshaking whine as its long pink tongue flapped about. Limestone just stared at it, unable to think. "DON'T MOVE!" Limestone's ears perked at the unfamiliar voice--no, it was the voice of that purple winged pony from before. With that abrupt input, her thoughts began to move again, and she started to realize exactly what happened. She was tempted to yell at her, to tell the interloper that she was the one in charge, but the giant mouth in front of her convinced her not to. The sound of hooves on wood alerted her to the arrival of her parents and other sister. "What madness hath--? LIMESTONE!" "Everypony stay back!" the voice of the purple pony demanded. "This situation requires some delicacy. Mister Pie, I promise I will ensure your daughter's safety, but you have to trust me, okay?" Limestone could barely hear a quick and whispered conversation between her family members as she stood still, staring into the large eye. "...Very well, your majesty." Her father apparently backed off. "We will defer to your judgement on this matter." "Okay," said the purple pony, still loud but not quite shouting. "Who tended to spend the most time around Holder's Boulder?" "Limestone," Maud managed, her voice hitched just a tad. "Oh. Oh, okay, this is probably a good thing, then." Limestone snorted. How could this be a good thing?! Holder's Boulder exploded, and she was now a prisoner of this... boulder-exploding giant lizard thing! Some part of her mind suggested there might be a word for the creature, but most of it was too angry to go looking. "Limestone Pie!" the purple pony enunciated. "Can you crush those crystals into crystal dust?" Her eyes flicked to the purple pony. "...Yeah?" "Good! What I want you to do is coat your foreleg in crystal dust, then let the hatchling suck on it." ...What. "What." What. "Your majesty," her mother objected, "surely you cannot be suggesting--" "Just trust me on this, okay?" The purple pony smiled awkwardly. "I have experience with dragon hatchlings." Dragon, that was the word--oh. Limestone looked at the whimpering head in front of her, mentally swearing. Dragon, it should have been so obvious... With great reluctance she reached for the cart behind her, pulling out a long shard of crystal and carefully shattering it between her hooves. Before long, her forelegs were glittering as much as a crystal pony's would. Spreading into a firm stance, she steeled herself and held one of them out. "...Come on, little guy, I've got num-nums--" The large pink tongue wrapped around it and almost yanked her into the mouth, but she managed to keep herself from stumbling too far forward as the scaly lips wrapped around her shoulder. She couldn't help but morph her face into an expression of disgust as she felt her leg get slathered and tugged by that long, twisting muscle. "That's it! You're doing good," the purple pony encouraged. "In a little bit, the dragon will have all the crystal dust off the leg, so he... or she, maybe, will relax his or her tongue. What you need to do then is slowly pull your leg out and let it suck on the other one. Keep coating your legs in crystal dust and repeating until I tell you to stop. Can you do that?" "Ugh, my leg is getting all slimy!" Limestone grunted. "Can't somepony else do this?!" "You spent the most time around the egg, which means you're the one it recognizes the most. Plus, you're right there," the purple pony explained. "It's in the process of imprinting on you, and it is very very dangerous to stop dragon imprinting midway." "What happens when a dragon's imprinting is stopped?" Pinkie asked. "I'm... not exactly sure," the purple pony admitted. "All I know is that Celestia told me it was an extremely bad thing." Limestone's eyes snapped wide. "Imprinting on me?! You're dumping a dragon--" She paused to pull her leg out of the now still mouth, offering the other to the same slimy tongue. "--a dragon hatchling on me? UNF, ow, not so tight little guy..." "It's not like that!" the purple pony protested. "I have a flippin' farm to run!" Limestone protested, wincing as the suckling hatchling squeezed her leg. "I don't have time to handle a kid, let alone a giant dragon hatchling!" "We'll all help!" Pinkie chirped brightly. "Right Marble?" "...m...hm," Marble hesitantly agreed, staring wide eyed. "I've always wanted to be an aunt," Maud Pie stated. "And I'm quite sure mother and father are willing to forgive you having a child out of wedlock." Limestone flushed furiously, glaring at her. "MAAAAAAUD!" "Oh, no, we would not disinherit our daughter for this," Cloudy agreed, a faint smile managing to grow on her face despite the worry in her eyes. "We merely wish to ensure that our progeny didst not bespoil themselves before they meet the partner of their life; the adoption of a child is a show of a large heart, not a loose one." Limestone's eyes fell on her father, silently pleading for him to take action. He frowned in thought, contemplating the situation, before turning to the purple pony. "If we may ask, princess Twilight Sparkle, wouldst thou be willing to bring some form of assistance should we agree to handle the care and upbringing of this... dragon?" "Oh of course," the purple pony reassured him quickly. "I hatched Spike here, and I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to raise a member of another species." She ruffled the spines of the small dragon next to her. "But it is definitely worth it." "Hey..." Spike halfheartedly swung his claw at the hoof, trying to hide his grin. "Quit it!" Twilight Sparkle turned back to Igneous Rock. "I'll see to it that you receive financial support for the hatchling, and I'll try to send you whatever unique objects he... or she needs. Starting with somepony who can tell us if it's a boy or girl... and I'll try to come by as often as I can to help myself, of course!" she added. "I'd like to think I have experience with this sort of thing." "Does anybody care how I feel about this?" Limestone shouted, already reaching back for another crystal to start crushing. "Because I don't know if you've noticed, princess, but I'm not exactly all fluffiness and hugs over here!" "You look like you're doing pretty good, all things considered!" "You know how home-ec classes give you fake filly dolls to take care of for a week?" Limestone started lathering her forelegs up with crystal dust again. "I failed because mine came back traumatized!" "And I failed because I accidentally starved mine! Those things aren't really good measures of parenting ability!" "She's right!" Pinkie agreed emphatically. "I got a hundred percent on that assignment, and I wasn't at all prepared for actual foalsitting!" Maud smiled faintly. "And you know how my attempt went...." Her sisters and her parents all shuddered at the memory. "Uh..." Spike raised a claw, paused, and slowly pulled it back down. "On second thought, I don't want to know." Limestone groaned as one of her legs was again pulled into the massive maw, giving a flat glare to the large eye next to her. "Come on, little guy, back me up here. You hate me, right?" The dragon hatchling gave a bone rattling coo, releasing her leg and rolling onto its side. "Okay, that means he or she has had enough crystal dust for now," Twilight explained. "What you need to do now is sing the hatchling to sleep." The rock farmer slowly turned to stare at the princess. "Sing." She raised a slimy hoof to point at herself, ignoring the way the massive child idly kicked at the air. "Me." "It doesn't have to be too complicated," Twilight pointed out. "Pick any lullaby! Just a simple rhythm and some gentle pitch variance should do it." "...Princess Twilight Sparkle, my voice sounds like I blend together glass shards and tar for my morning coffee," Limestone pointed out. "And that's when I'm being level headed and calm. Right now I am a mix of angry, frightened, angry, disgusted, and absolutely furious. And you. Want me. To sing a lullaby." The alicorn stared back at her. "...yeeeeeeeeees?" "I remember you used to sing the twins to sleep," Maud pointed out, waving a hoof at her youngest sisters. "It was adorable." "Oh yeah!" Pinkie sighed with nostalgia. "I remember that song, it was always one of my favorites." Twilight blinked, looking at Pinkie and Marble anew. "Wait, you two are twins?" "That was before I hit puberty!" Limestone protested. "I sounded completely different!" The dragon let out a plaintive whine. Marble glanced between Pinkie and Limestone before, very hesitantly, taking a step forward. "...hmm?" "Seriously," Twilight asked again. "Twins? You two?" Limestone recoiled. "...I--you--this--!" She gave a resigned sigh, looking away with a blush. "FINE. Fine, but only because you asked so nicely." With an awkward cough, she turned back to the large hatchling, awkwardly stroking the scales as she prepared her throat. "Right... how did that go again... This world is filled with toils and strain but wonders are all about And though I feel some small disdain when the day I work throughout For now, at least, I look at you a smile upon my face Sleep well, dear child, and dream a few wonders which I might grace." The hatchling's eye fluttered slowly shut as Limestone continued her grating hum, its massive chest slowly rising and falling as a small breeze poured out its nostrils. Twilight let out a little sigh. "Huh, you were right Maud. That is... surprisingly adorable." "And still as effective as it was in days long gone," Igneous added, nodding toward his youngest daughters... who were leaning on each other, entirely asleep. Spike stared at them, wide-eyed. "...Huh. Pinkie Pie does have an off switch. Who knew?" "I still can't believe she's a twin," Twilight replied. "I mean, she's always been so... singularly unique, you know?" "Okay," Limestone called out softly. "Dragon's asleep. Are we done now?" Twilight blinked, turning back to her with an embarrassed smile. "Um, actually, it'd be best if you stayed there for now. If the dragon wakes up without being able to smell you nearby, it could panic and... well, panicking dragons aren't ever a good thing." Limestone growled, just barely keeping her voice low. "So how long do I have to stay here? A day? A week?" "Um..." Twilight fidgeted. "It's usually suggested that the creature a dragon imprints one stick close for a minimum of... well... two months." "TWO M--?!" Limestone's eyes darted to the sleeping dragon. "...Two months?!" she hissed harshly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I promise I'll help out as much as I can," Twilight replied. "If I may, your highness," Igneous managed, "we should perhaps converse about such plans of assistance. Might I be so brazen as to offer a table and seat for our discussion?" "Oh, that would be very kind, mister Pie." "Twould be best if we gathered blankets and pillows for her sojourn," Cloudy Quartz murmured to herself. "I can help with that!" Spike offered brightly. "I'll carry the twins inside," Maud offered, already heading for her sisters. Within moments, the only pony outside was Limestone herself, standing slimy-legged next to a cart of crystals. She turned slowly to glare at the face of the oblivious dragon hatchling curled around her. "This is all your fault, you know." The dragon rustled its wings in its sleep. Limestone turned away with a snarl. "....you're lucky you're so flippin' cute." In Which Limestone Pie Is Forced To Consider The New ParadigmA kreening wail rattled the earth, pebbles shaking as it reverberated through the grey landscape. "Guh, FINE!" Limestone tossed off her harness, stalking over to the pile of crystals with a dark grumble. "Fine, I was in the middle of moving rocks to the south field, which is a critical part of our work, but sure, whatever, I guess feeding time is now huh?" She took a number of the pink gems and started crushing them into powder. "Whiney fire lizard brat, can't you just let me work for thirty minutes... SPRUCE! DAISY! Get your lazy flanks out here!" "Oh for..." An orange-coated pony stepped out of the homestead. "We were in the middle of preparing Ametrine's scale soap, Limestone!" "Can it wait for three hours?" "Well, yes, but--" "Then you have that long to get all the rocks to the south field." Limestone pointed at the cart she had just detached herself from. "There's your startup, get that to Dad and he'll tell you what to do next. Don't come back until the job is done, got it? DAISY IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR TAIL OUT HERE TO HELP YOUR BROTHER I SWEAR I WILL MAKE IT A HEARTH'S WARMING ORNAMENT!" "I'm coming, I'm coming!" A pink mare galloped out of the house. "Honestly, I know you're a farmer and all, but I thought that there were some basic workplace regulations in place!" "There are. Harnesses are fully within legal code. I should know, I made them myself." Limestone pointed at the cart. "Now get those over to the south field while I feed Ametrine. You're both ponies born of rock and soil, act like it." "We're ponies born of tree and vine!" the mare protested. "The rock and soil ponies live in the CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" "No, those are ponies born of frost and light," Limestone countered. "Real earth ponies have the strength of the mountain and the will of the caves, and don't laze about making soap when there's rocks to be moved!" "Unicorns never have these kinds of arguments," grumbled the stallion as he harnessed himself. The pink mare rolled her eyes. "Timber..." "What? You know it's true!" "Trust me on this, you go to some scholarly meet with an eastern unicorn, and you'll find them bickering over the details arcana with an equestrian-raised one." The mare hooked herself up to the cart. "At least it's not as crazy as the fights the Pegasi clans get into. Cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus, they're all clouds anyway!" Limestone rolled her eyes as the two of them started to trot away, coating her forelegs with crushed crystals. "Honestly, how are those two even experts on dragon care? Why are they even here?" She held out one leg expectantly, giving a resigned wince at the familiar feeling of suction as it was pulled into the dragon's mouth. "It's not like they're doing anything special--I mean, making the soap, answering questions, we could have done the first on our own and the second with a manual. All you do is eat and sleep--you don't even need a diaper, that's just weird you know?" The dragon slurped on her leg idly. "I mean, sure, what you plop out is great for growing rocks. But... I don't know, that's weird, isn't it?" Limestone looked toward the south field with a sigh. "I don't know. This is a lot to just... drop on me at once. I mean I can't really blame you, but I wasn't prepared for this. And now I sound like one of those mares you hear about in the news all the time..." She snorted, pulling out one leg and holding out the other. "I just wanted a nice, organized life. I mean, sure, Pinkie's weird, but at least she knows when to rein it in." A light croon came from the great scaly beast currently engulfing her limb. "...how does this even make sense?" Limestone grumbled. "I mean, where are you getting the suction instinct from? You're a dragon, chomp and swallow, what is this thing even... I mean do you drink lava normally?" There was no reply save the continued suction of crystals off her leg. "I guess this isn't too bad," the mare continued. "I mean sure, you're interrupting my usual schedule. But it's kind of like Pinkie. Her interruptions make sense. At least to me, maybe not the rest of Equestria. And I guess this isn't the first time I've helped to raise a child... well, maybe the first time I've really been responsible... you don't understand a word I'm saying." "Glrmblprph?" Ametrine opinionated wisely. Limestone sighed, coating up her forelegs in more crystal shards and staring at the horizon. "...You know, Holder's Boulder was... my pride and joy," she muttered. "I mean it was the family's pride and joy, but it was there for generations. I thought I'd be showing my great grandchildren that rock, explaining its history and its power. And... now it's gone. Nightmare Moon returned, and Discord burst from stone, and the Crystal Empire returned, and then... Tirek, I guess. But the boulder remained. Even if Equestria had been destroyed, the boulder would have remained. Even if my family had all died, the boulder would have remained. Of the same substance as the mountains and the earth, only slowly battered by age." Her eyes drifted to the creature sucking on her leg. "And then you. And I can't even really blame you, because you're a baby and this was decided long before the family even took that boulder. If anything, stealing an egg from a nest, we were the ones in the wrong. But... why should a decision made generations before I was even conceived affect my life now?" "Lrrngmmhpring." Limestone pulled her leg free, staring at the distant mountains. "Adventures are supposed to happen to ponies that get shaken up. That have to get out of the normal life they have for some reason--even if it's just as stupid a reason as being bored and wandering around. Adventures aren't supposed to happen to ponies living their lives on a rock farm." The dragon looked at her with curious, uncomprehending eyes. "...You'd better not make a mess of things," she grumbled. "Any more than you already have."
In Which Limestone Pie Worries So Much That She Does Not Receive Crucial InformationMaud Pie sniffed at the crack. "Mmmm." She peered over it cautiously. "Ah." With the utmost delicacy, she trailed a hoof down its length. "Hrm." Limestone Pie gave a low growl out from behind her, but restrained herself from jumping forward. "Well?!" Maud Pie turned around, slowly lifting her gaze to match that of her sister's. "I have conducted a complete and thorough examination of the phenomenon to the best of my abilities." "...and?!" Limestone demanded. Maud let her eyes blink once. Limestone frowned fiercely. "....I have no flippin' clue what's going on." Instantly Limestone reared into the air. "GRAAAAAAAH! Well I guess you're rockterate is just useless then!" She galloped away, harsh words spewing from her lips as she disappeared into the mine. Igneous let out a small sigh, walking up to his daughter and awkwardly patting her shoulder. "I am sure thy sister means not what she speaks of thou. She merely expresses her frustration by pinning blame where she can, as ever." Maud flicked an ear. "I'm not upset with her. I am upset that I can't figure out what this is." She pushed the hoof off, turning back to the crack and narrowing her eyes. "My special talent is the ability to discern details from what others would consider irrelevant. I've learned so much, both here on the rock farm and at the university. I should know what this is. I don't. That aggravates me to no end." Marble wrapped her hooves around Maud's neck, gently nuzzling into her cheek. "Hmm." Maud turned to her, a tiny smile on her face as she returned the hug. "...and you're still my sister too." Igneous nodded to himself, smiling at his daughters held each other. True, they were the quieter of his progeny, but that also made their expressions all the more precious for when they did express them. His eyes drifted to the crack, and his smile morphed into a frown. "I know for a fact that my ears did recollect the whistle of a train arriving but two minutes ago; moreover, twas the one upon which thine other sister proclaimed she would arrive. It is unlike her to spend so long at the station..." Maud released Marble from her hug, giving her father a look. "She's probably just checking that mother is well. You know how Pinkie can get caught up in her own worrying." "Mhm," Marble agreed, nodding emphatically. "...perhaps I am worrying overmuch," Igneous conceded. "Dearest Cloudy did leave but five minutes ago. It is just... with such ill fortune to fall upon us, I cannot help but wonder after those of my kin that remain out of sight--" The quick clip-clap of galloping hooves drew his attention to his rapidly approaching wife. More pertinently, her glasses were dangling from her neck, revealing the outright panic in her eyes. "Husband, daughters, attend quickly! Pinkimena hath brought upon us a dangerous boon!" "She does have a tendency to do so," Maud deadpanned. "Mhm," Marble giggled, covering a tiny smile with her hoof. "This is no time for frivolity!" Cloudy Quartz insisted as she replaced her eyewear. "A princess even now approaches our homestead!" Marble's laughter stopped abruptly as she stared wide-eyed at her mother. "Mmh?!" "Surely you jest!" Igneous replied in disbelief. "Nay, though I doubted mine eyes did not deceive! A pony of wings and horn was bespeaking with our wildest, and Pinkimena claimed friendship with her!" Maud's eyelids fell to a lower position. "Did she have a purple coat?" Cloudy nodded. "Aye, she did..." "That'd be Twilight Sparkle then." Maud nodded. "I met her when I visited Pinkie before I went to the university. She really is a princess." "MMH!" Marble shot up and galloped into the house. "Thy sister is right," Igneous said firmly. "We must make haste to prepare our abode for presentation!" "But dearest, would it not be crass of us to leave nopony outside for greeting when the princess arrives?" "I'll stay out here," Maud volunteered. "She knows me." Igneous nodded. "Very well. Come, dearest, let us move swiftly." The two elder ponies trotted into the house as quickly as their old bones could take them. Maud watched them shut the door, her expression as calm and controlled as ever. "...You can stop being invisible now." There was a sound like a sigh, a shimmer in the air, and suddenly two ponies and a small dragon appeared beside her. The purple one let out a small sigh, giving a grateful smile to Maud. "Thanks for handling that so efficiently. I'm still not comfortable with the treatment some ponies think I deserve..." "Or demand," quipped the dragon. Maud glanced at him for a moment. Then she turned to the bouncing pink pony next to the purple one. "Who's he?" "Oh! This is Spike. He's a dragon that Twilight here hatched when she got her cutie mark. Spike, this is Maud Pie, my older sister." "The one that eats rocks?" Spike held out his fist. "Good to meet a fellow lithovore!" Maud bumped the fist with a hoof. "Actually, everypony in my family eats rocks." The pink pony sidled up to Maud. "Speaking of which, where are Marble and Limestone?" "Marble ran into the house just before you got here. Limestone's down in the mine, working off some stress." Maud considered the princess for a moment. "By breaking crystals in half," she clarified. Twilight nodded. "I gathered as much." Her eyes turned to the crack, and more specifically to the large rock that bore it. "So... this is the famous Holder's Boulder that Pinkie has told me so much about?" "Yes," Maud said simply. The three ponies and one dragon stared at the large rock for a few moments. "...it looks like an egg," Spike stated bluntly. "Spike!" Twilight admonished him. "This is the Pie family heirloom, and a center of their tradition!" "He's kinda right though," Pinkie pointed out. "It does look like an egg." "It is true," Maud agreed. Twilight sighed. "Yes, I know, I just... didn't want to... you know, sound dismissive of something you considered so important." Maud gave her an exceptionally flat look. "Pointing out facts isn't dismissive. It's investigative." "Like if I pointed out this crack on Holder's Boulder, which was never there before!" Pinkie demonstrated eagerly. "Or how when I got the letter about the crack I thought 'gee whiz, that sounds almost impossible' and then I figured 'who do I know that does the almost impossible?' and then I said 'Discord, duh!' but then I thought 'I don't know if my parents are ready for Discord just yet or if he's ready for them' so then I decided to go with Twilight since she became a princess which is also pretty impossible you know?" She suddenly frowned, tapping her hoof on the ground. "Wait, no, that wasn't investigative at all. Forget all that!" Twilight managed to bite back a chuckle. "Right, well... I'm willing to help out in any way I can. Can you tell me what you know about this crack, Maud?" "It started appearing yesterday at around midafternoon. After everyone living on the rock farm examined it, they sent out letters to me and Pinkie. I arrived this morning, and examined it myself. Despite my education in all things rock, I cannot identify a potential source. There is no impact indentation, but the crack is too constrained to be considered a form of natural rock expansion. The expansion of the lines are levered inwards, which is the exact opposite of what a chisel would provide." Maud paused for a moment, blinking as Twilight looked over the crack herself. "...If Holder's Boulder is hollow, something from within could have made this crack." "First Spike says it looks like an egg, then you suggest that it might be hollow," Twilight quipped jokingly. "Next you're going to tell me that it was found in a cockatrice nest." Pinkie giggled. "Ha, no, that would be silly! Holder found it in a dragon's nest." She pulled an old, tattered book out of her mane and flipped through the pages. "See? Right here in the family book of fables, 'origin of the rock farm.'" Twilight froze for a second. Very very slowly, she let her eyes travel up the height of Holder's Boulder. "...so," Spike said, "it looks like an egg, acts like an egg, and was found with a bunch of eggs." "...Spike, I need you to stand next to the boulder for a second. I'm going to try a relative magic resonance scan, just to make sure that this is not, in fact, an actual dragon's egg." With a shrug, the purple drake walked up to the boulder and struck a pose. Twilight rolled her eyes, but kept whatever she was thinking to herself. Her horn lit up, magic spreading out first around Spike, then all across the large rock. After a moment, it faded away. "...well?" Pinkie asked brightly. "...It's a dragon's egg alright," Twilight conceded. "But it's a lot bigger than any dragon's egg I've seen..." "Why is it only hatching now?" Maud asked. "It's been on the farm for generations." "Hmmm." Twilight began to pace. "Well, I know from my experience with Spike that dragon hatchlings remain in a form of natural stasis until a large amount of magical energy is directed into their bodies, and I suppose that enough of Rainbow Dash's first sonic Rainboom could have been absorbed--no, but that was years ago... maybe it triggered a magical acclimation without internalizing the resonance--" She turned to Pinkie. "Didn't you say Applejack accidentally knocked it down into the mine?" "Well, it's a biiiiiiit more complicated then that," Pinkie hedged, "but it did end up near the mine, yeah." "Crystals." Twilight clicked her hoof against the ground. "That's gotta be it. Some crystals hold magical energy for a long time, so being near the crystals triggered the wakening process. That's the best theory I've got, anyway." Maud glanced at the crack again. "If it took so long to start hatching, it'll probably be a while yet before it comes out." "Yes, you're right. We should have time to make a plan about this." "We?" Pinkie asked. "Yes, we." Twilight brought herself up and started trotting quickly toward the house, the other ponies and dragon quickly following after her. "As much as this situation affects your family, the fact is we are talking about a dragon egg hatching in Equestria, which kind of involves politics. So I'm going to have to get involved, since I'm the closest political figure to the situation. Thankfully, though, we should have a couple of days." Maud opened the door for them. "Assuming no more magic crystals get near it." "Yes, assuming that." Twilight stepped aside so Pinkie could bounce in. "But the odds of that happening are almost--" A sudden panting sound caused them to turn around, and they caught sight of Limestone dragging a cart full of pinkish crystals up the ramp. It took her a couple of seconds to spot them, but once she did she scowled. "What?! I had a lot of frustration to work out, okay?!" With an audible crunch of rock, the crack jumped halfway up Holder's Boulder. Limestone whirled, ears perked. "Oh no!" She rushed for the large object, cart still attached to her back. "Hang on, I'm coming!" Maud flinched as the crack branched out. "Well, there goes our spare time." "GET THE CRYSTALS AWAY FROM IT!" Twilight shrieked. "THE CRYSTALS ARE MAKING IT BREAK FASTER!" Limestone spun around. "WHAT?!" The cart, moving by inertia, spun next to Holder's Boulder. One of the crystals flew out, spiraling through the air too fast for Twilight to catch with her magic. As Limestone turned to look behind her, the tip of the crystal bounced against the crack. There was a moment of tension. Then Holder's Boulder exploded.
In Which Limestone Pie Is Ordered To Act In Ways Diametrically Opposed To Her Usual PersonalityShards of grey scattered across the rock farm, smashing into the ground, the boulders, and the walls of the house. Thankfully the windows were not made of glass, but a transparent form of crystal; some very very tiny part of Limestone's mind was pleased that she had fictored that expense into repairs and maintenance. The rest of her mind, however, was split between horror and utter confusion. Horror because the heart of her domain, the very reason she lived for, had just shattered into a thousand irreclaimable pieces before her eyes due to a mistake she herself made. And confusion, because... well... ...because something very strange had replaced it. Some sort of... wisteria-colored reptile, flopping to the ground around her with an odd mewling rumble. It was about five times her size, with four chubby legs ending in four-clawed feet; the head alone being as big as her whole body, and she could see her shocked expression reflecting back at her in pale silver eyes. A set of yellow-green scales ran from jaw to tail along the creature's underside, matched by the seven long flat spines extending backward from the head and the flaps of skin from the four odd limbs extending from the shoulders and hips. It opened its toothless mouth and gave a deep, earthshaking whine as its long pink tongue flapped about. Limestone just stared at it, unable to think. "DON'T MOVE!" Limestone's ears perked at the unfamiliar voice--no, it was the voice of that purple winged pony from before. With that abrupt input, her thoughts began to move again, and she started to realize exactly what happened. She was tempted to yell at her, to tell the interloper that she was the one in charge, but the giant mouth in front of her convinced her not to. The sound of hooves on wood alerted her to the arrival of her parents and other sister. "What madness hath--? LIMESTONE!" "Everypony stay back!" the voice of the purple pony demanded. "This situation requires some delicacy. Mister Pie, I promise I will ensure your daughter's safety, but you have to trust me, okay?" Limestone could barely hear a quick and whispered conversation between her family members as she stood still, staring into the large eye. "...Very well, your majesty." Her father apparently backed off. "We will defer to your judgement on this matter." "Okay," said the purple pony, still loud but not quite shouting. "Who tended to spend the most time around Holder's Boulder?" "Limestone," Maud managed, her voice hitched just a tad. "Oh. Oh, okay, this is probably a good thing, then." Limestone snorted. How could this be a good thing?! Holder's Boulder exploded, and she was now a prisoner of this... boulder-exploding giant lizard thing! Some part of her mind suggested there might be a word for the creature, but most of it was too angry to go looking. "Limestone Pie!" the purple pony enunciated. "Can you crush those crystals into crystal dust?" Her eyes flicked to the purple pony. "...Yeah?" "Good! What I want you to do is coat your foreleg in crystal dust, then let the hatchling suck on it." ...What. "What." What. "Your majesty," her mother objected, "surely you cannot be suggesting--" "Just trust me on this, okay?" The purple pony smiled awkwardly. "I have experience with dragon hatchlings." Dragon, that was the word--oh. Limestone looked at the whimpering head in front of her, mentally swearing. Dragon, it should have been so obvious... With great reluctance she reached for the cart behind her, pulling out a long shard of crystal and carefully shattering it between her hooves. Before long, her forelegs were glittering as much as a crystal pony's would. Spreading into a firm stance, she steeled herself and held one of them out. "...Come on, little guy, I've got num-nums--" The large pink tongue wrapped around it and almost yanked her into the mouth, but she managed to keep herself from stumbling too far forward as the scaly lips wrapped around her shoulder. She couldn't help but morph her face into an expression of disgust as she felt her leg get slathered and tugged by that long, twisting muscle. "That's it! You're doing good," the purple pony encouraged. "In a little bit, the dragon will have all the crystal dust off the leg, so he... or she, maybe, will relax his or her tongue. What you need to do then is slowly pull your leg out and let it suck on the other one. Keep coating your legs in crystal dust and repeating until I tell you to stop. Can you do that?" "Ugh, my leg is getting all slimy!" Limestone grunted. "Can't somepony else do this?!" "You spent the most time around the egg, which means you're the one it recognizes the most. Plus, you're right there," the purple pony explained. "It's in the process of imprinting on you, and it is very very dangerous to stop dragon imprinting midway." "What happens when a dragon's imprinting is stopped?" Pinkie asked. "I'm... not exactly sure," the purple pony admitted. "All I know is that Celestia told me it was an extremely bad thing." Limestone's eyes snapped wide. "Imprinting on me?! You're dumping a dragon--" She paused to pull her leg out of the now still mouth, offering the other to the same slimy tongue. "--a dragon hatchling on me? UNF, ow, not so tight little guy..." "It's not like that!" the purple pony protested. "I have a flippin' farm to run!" Limestone protested, wincing as the suckling hatchling squeezed her leg. "I don't have time to handle a kid, let alone a giant dragon hatchling!" "We'll all help!" Pinkie chirped brightly. "Right Marble?" "...m...hm," Marble hesitantly agreed, staring wide eyed. "I've always wanted to be an aunt," Maud Pie stated. "And I'm quite sure mother and father are willing to forgive you having a child out of wedlock." Limestone flushed furiously, glaring at her. "MAAAAAAUD!" "Oh, no, we would not disinherit our daughter for this," Cloudy agreed, a faint smile managing to grow on her face despite the worry in her eyes. "We merely wish to ensure that our progeny didst not bespoil themselves before they meet the partner of their life; the adoption of a child is a show of a large heart, not a loose one." Limestone's eyes fell on her father, silently pleading for him to take action. He frowned in thought, contemplating the situation, before turning to the purple pony. "If we may ask, princess Twilight Sparkle, wouldst thou be willing to bring some form of assistance should we agree to handle the care and upbringing of this... dragon?" "Oh of course," the purple pony reassured him quickly. "I hatched Spike here, and I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to raise a member of another species." She ruffled the spines of the small dragon next to her. "But it is definitely worth it." "Hey..." Spike halfheartedly swung his claw at the hoof, trying to hide his grin. "Quit it!" Twilight Sparkle turned back to Igneous Rock. "I'll see to it that you receive financial support for the hatchling, and I'll try to send you whatever unique objects he... or she needs. Starting with somepony who can tell us if it's a boy or girl... and I'll try to come by as often as I can to help myself, of course!" she added. "I'd like to think I have experience with this sort of thing." "Does anybody care how I feel about this?" Limestone shouted, already reaching back for another crystal to start crushing. "Because I don't know if you've noticed, princess, but I'm not exactly all fluffiness and hugs over here!" "You look like you're doing pretty good, all things considered!" "You know how home-ec classes give you fake filly dolls to take care of for a week?" Limestone started lathering her forelegs up with crystal dust again. "I failed because mine came back traumatized!" "And I failed because I accidentally starved mine! Those things aren't really good measures of parenting ability!" "She's right!" Pinkie agreed emphatically. "I got a hundred percent on that assignment, and I wasn't at all prepared for actual foalsitting!" Maud smiled faintly. "And you know how my attempt went...." Her sisters and her parents all shuddered at the memory. "Uh..." Spike raised a claw, paused, and slowly pulled it back down. "On second thought, I don't want to know." Limestone groaned as one of her legs was again pulled into the massive maw, giving a flat glare to the large eye next to her. "Come on, little guy, back me up here. You hate me, right?" The dragon hatchling gave a bone rattling coo, releasing her leg and rolling onto its side. "Okay, that means he or she has had enough crystal dust for now," Twilight explained. "What you need to do now is sing the hatchling to sleep." The rock farmer slowly turned to stare at the princess. "Sing." She raised a slimy hoof to point at herself, ignoring the way the massive child idly kicked at the air. "Me." "It doesn't have to be too complicated," Twilight pointed out. "Pick any lullaby! Just a simple rhythm and some gentle pitch variance should do it." "...Princess Twilight Sparkle, my voice sounds like I blend together glass shards and tar for my morning coffee," Limestone pointed out. "And that's when I'm being level headed and calm. Right now I am a mix of angry, frightened, angry, disgusted, and absolutely furious. And you. Want me. To sing a lullaby." The alicorn stared back at her. "...yeeeeeeeeees?" "I remember you used to sing the twins to sleep," Maud pointed out, waving a hoof at her youngest sisters. "It was adorable." "Oh yeah!" Pinkie sighed with nostalgia. "I remember that song, it was always one of my favorites." Twilight blinked, looking at Pinkie and Marble anew. "Wait, you two are twins?" "That was before I hit puberty!" Limestone protested. "I sounded completely different!" The dragon let out a plaintive whine. Marble glanced between Pinkie and Limestone before, very hesitantly, taking a step forward. "...hmm?" "Seriously," Twilight asked again. "Twins? You two?" Limestone recoiled. "...I--you--this--!" She gave a resigned sigh, looking away with a blush. "FINE. Fine, but only because you asked so nicely." With an awkward cough, she turned back to the large hatchling, awkwardly stroking the scales as she prepared her throat. "Right... how did that go again... This world is filled with toils and strain but wonders are all about And though I feel some small disdain when the day I work throughout For now, at least, I look at you a smile upon my face Sleep well, dear child, and dream a few wonders which I might grace." The hatchling's eye fluttered slowly shut as Limestone continued her grating hum, its massive chest slowly rising and falling as a small breeze poured out its nostrils. Twilight let out a little sigh. "Huh, you were right Maud. That is... surprisingly adorable." "And still as effective as it was in days long gone," Igneous added, nodding toward his youngest daughters... who were leaning on each other, entirely asleep. Spike stared at them, wide-eyed. "...Huh. Pinkie Pie does have an off switch. Who knew?" "I still can't believe she's a twin," Twilight replied. "I mean, she's always been so... singularly unique, you know?" "Okay," Limestone called out softly. "Dragon's asleep. Are we done now?" Twilight blinked, turning back to her with an embarrassed smile. "Um, actually, it'd be best if you stayed there for now. If the dragon wakes up without being able to smell you nearby, it could panic and... well, panicking dragons aren't ever a good thing." Limestone growled, just barely keeping her voice low. "So how long do I have to stay here? A day? A week?" "Um..." Twilight fidgeted. "It's usually suggested that the creature a dragon imprints one stick close for a minimum of... well... two months." "TWO M--?!" Limestone's eyes darted to the sleeping dragon. "...Two months?!" she hissed harshly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I promise I'll help out as much as I can," Twilight replied. "If I may, your highness," Igneous managed, "we should perhaps converse about such plans of assistance. Might I be so brazen as to offer a table and seat for our discussion?" "Oh, that would be very kind, mister Pie." "Twould be best if we gathered blankets and pillows for her sojourn," Cloudy Quartz murmured to herself. "I can help with that!" Spike offered brightly. "I'll carry the twins inside," Maud offered, already heading for her sisters. Within moments, the only pony outside was Limestone herself, standing slimy-legged next to a cart of crystals. She turned slowly to glare at the face of the oblivious dragon hatchling curled around her. "This is all your fault, you know." The dragon rustled its wings in its sleep. Limestone turned away with a snarl. "....you're lucky you're so flippin' cute."
In Which Limestone Pie Is Forced To Consider The New ParadigmA kreening wail rattled the earth, pebbles shaking as it reverberated through the grey landscape. "Guh, FINE!" Limestone tossed off her harness, stalking over to the pile of crystals with a dark grumble. "Fine, I was in the middle of moving rocks to the south field, which is a critical part of our work, but sure, whatever, I guess feeding time is now huh?" She took a number of the pink gems and started crushing them into powder. "Whiney fire lizard brat, can't you just let me work for thirty minutes... SPRUCE! DAISY! Get your lazy flanks out here!" "Oh for..." An orange-coated pony stepped out of the homestead. "We were in the middle of preparing Ametrine's scale soap, Limestone!" "Can it wait for three hours?" "Well, yes, but--" "Then you have that long to get all the rocks to the south field." Limestone pointed at the cart she had just detached herself from. "There's your startup, get that to Dad and he'll tell you what to do next. Don't come back until the job is done, got it? DAISY IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR TAIL OUT HERE TO HELP YOUR BROTHER I SWEAR I WILL MAKE IT A HEARTH'S WARMING ORNAMENT!" "I'm coming, I'm coming!" A pink mare galloped out of the house. "Honestly, I know you're a farmer and all, but I thought that there were some basic workplace regulations in place!" "There are. Harnesses are fully within legal code. I should know, I made them myself." Limestone pointed at the cart. "Now get those over to the south field while I feed Ametrine. You're both ponies born of rock and soil, act like it." "We're ponies born of tree and vine!" the mare protested. "The rock and soil ponies live in the CRYSTAL EMPIRE!" "No, those are ponies born of frost and light," Limestone countered. "Real earth ponies have the strength of the mountain and the will of the caves, and don't laze about making soap when there's rocks to be moved!" "Unicorns never have these kinds of arguments," grumbled the stallion as he harnessed himself. The pink mare rolled her eyes. "Timber..." "What? You know it's true!" "Trust me on this, you go to some scholarly meet with an eastern unicorn, and you'll find them bickering over the details arcana with an equestrian-raised one." The mare hooked herself up to the cart. "At least it's not as crazy as the fights the Pegasi clans get into. Cirrus, stratus, cumulonimbus, they're all clouds anyway!" Limestone rolled her eyes as the two of them started to trot away, coating her forelegs with crushed crystals. "Honestly, how are those two even experts on dragon care? Why are they even here?" She held out one leg expectantly, giving a resigned wince at the familiar feeling of suction as it was pulled into the dragon's mouth. "It's not like they're doing anything special--I mean, making the soap, answering questions, we could have done the first on our own and the second with a manual. All you do is eat and sleep--you don't even need a diaper, that's just weird you know?" The dragon slurped on her leg idly. "I mean, sure, what you plop out is great for growing rocks. But... I don't know, that's weird, isn't it?" Limestone looked toward the south field with a sigh. "I don't know. This is a lot to just... drop on me at once. I mean I can't really blame you, but I wasn't prepared for this. And now I sound like one of those mares you hear about in the news all the time..." She snorted, pulling out one leg and holding out the other. "I just wanted a nice, organized life. I mean, sure, Pinkie's weird, but at least she knows when to rein it in." A light croon came from the great scaly beast currently engulfing her limb. "...how does this even make sense?" Limestone grumbled. "I mean, where are you getting the suction instinct from? You're a dragon, chomp and swallow, what is this thing even... I mean do you drink lava normally?" There was no reply save the continued suction of crystals off her leg. "I guess this isn't too bad," the mare continued. "I mean sure, you're interrupting my usual schedule. But it's kind of like Pinkie. Her interruptions make sense. At least to me, maybe not the rest of Equestria. And I guess this isn't the first time I've helped to raise a child... well, maybe the first time I've really been responsible... you don't understand a word I'm saying." "Glrmblprph?" Ametrine opinionated wisely. Limestone sighed, coating up her forelegs in more crystal shards and staring at the horizon. "...You know, Holder's Boulder was... my pride and joy," she muttered. "I mean it was the family's pride and joy, but it was there for generations. I thought I'd be showing my great grandchildren that rock, explaining its history and its power. And... now it's gone. Nightmare Moon returned, and Discord burst from stone, and the Crystal Empire returned, and then... Tirek, I guess. But the boulder remained. Even if Equestria had been destroyed, the boulder would have remained. Even if my family had all died, the boulder would have remained. Of the same substance as the mountains and the earth, only slowly battered by age." Her eyes drifted to the creature sucking on her leg. "And then you. And I can't even really blame you, because you're a baby and this was decided long before the family even took that boulder. If anything, stealing an egg from a nest, we were the ones in the wrong. But... why should a decision made generations before I was even conceived affect my life now?" "Lrrngmmhpring." Limestone pulled her leg free, staring at the distant mountains. "Adventures are supposed to happen to ponies that get shaken up. That have to get out of the normal life they have for some reason--even if it's just as stupid a reason as being bored and wandering around. Adventures aren't supposed to happen to ponies living their lives on a rock farm." The dragon looked at her with curious, uncomprehending eyes. "...You'd better not make a mess of things," she grumbled. "Any more than you already have."
