Chapters Marble's Birthday
When they walked in, they found everyone else eating breakfast.
Igneous smiled and said, "I see you enjoy early morning walks, just like Marble."
Nite sat down next to Marble and started eating oremeal (Get it? Oatmeal? Oremeal? Oh forget!).
"So what's it like being a mean, nasty, fire breathing dragon?!", grinned Limestone deviously.
"One, not all dragons breathe fire and are mean! There are several categories of dragons in this world. The ones you refer to are from the Fire category. In this category, you have your common Flamefire Dragons (Basically a normal dragon like Spike), Luck Dragons, and Solar Dragons. I'm a Quarry Dragon, from the Stone category. With that being said, I can't breathe fire.", Nite replied, very offended.
"You'll have to excuse my sister, she's not one for details.", said
Maude in her slow voice as Limestone glared at her.
"Details aren't important!", Limestone sighed.
"Not to mention, my cousin, Inspector General Braveheart is a very nice Luck Dragon who lives in Ponyville.", Nite smiled, obviously accepting the apology.
"I think you're very nice too.", smiled Marble leaning against him.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Happy birthday, Marble!", said Cloudy Quartz, handing her a wrapped parcel.
"Happy Birthday Marble!", Pinkie burst out a party after this.
"Wait, today's your birthday?", Nite exclaimed.
"You don't have to give me a present, Nite. At least, anything material. As long as I have your love, I'll be happy.", Marble said, putting her hooves around his neck.
"But Marble! Just let me! Name any one thing, and you'll have it!", he pleaded.
Marble realized she wouldn't win this argument and gave in, "Very well, just don't go to too much trouble!"
"What do you want me to get you?", Nite asked before going out the door.
"Surprise me.", she smiled in her cute, shy way.
As soon as he left, Limestone burst out, "What a flank kisser!"
"Now Limestone, I think he's a very nice young dragon. Perfect for Marble!", Cloudy scolded.
Then there was a knock at the door, Maude went to answer it.
"Um, excuse me, I was just wondering if my cousin, Granite Braveheart was here. Is he?", asked a furry, white Luck Dragon in a trench coat.
"Inspector General Braveheart! Nite's not here right now, but come in and sit down!", exclaimed Pinkie.
"Thank you, Pinkie. But please, call me Gene.", smiled the Inspector, taking a seat next to Limestone.
"Hey...you're that goody goody cousin Nite was just talking about, aren't you?", Limestone asked.
"In the flesh.", said Gene, a bit annoyed at Limestone's comment.
Nite, came in panting, holding a flower with his paw.
"Oh my gosh! A Marbled Rose! Where did you find it?", Marble exclaimed, covering him in kisses.
"I tunneled to the top of the mountain behind your farm and found it.", Nite replied, catching his breath.
He then saw the Inspector in the room.
"Gene!"
"Nite!"
"What are you doing here?", Nite asked as the two cousins embraced each other.
"I came to invite you to my wedding! It's next month!", Gene smiled.
"Congratulations! Who's the lucky lady?", Nite grinned.
"Don't worry, you'll meet her soon enough. How's things been going for you on the farm?", Gene pondered.
"Pretty good. How's it in Ponyville, and how's Cousin Cadance doing?", Nite asked.
"She's thrilled about it! She was just asking about you, so I thought I'd come check up on you. Have you found yourself a marefriend?", Gene laughed.
"Well, uh..."
"I'm his marefriend. It's great to meet you.", Marble stepped in.
"Wowzers! Aren't you a pretty thing? Well, I best be going, you know how impatient some girls get. Bye, Nite! I'll be expecting you and the Pies to be there!", Gene said, embracing Nite one last time before leaving.
"Later, Gene!", smiled Nite before saying, "Happy Birthday, Marble."
The Naming Game
Marble was so excited that her and Nite were finally engaged, it was 3 weeks till their double wedding with Gene and Fluttershy, in the meantime however, she was naming her future kids after colored gemstones,along with Maude, Limestone, Pinkie, and Cloudy.
"First, there's Ruby..."
"I like rubies, they're so shiny!", exclaimed Pinkie, bouncing up and down.
"Then Citrine..."
"Orange is so dull...", Limestone laughed.
Maude looked at her before saying, "I find orange rather refreshing."
"Oh, and Topaz..."
"Oooh! I love Topaz!", her mother smiled.
"Peridot, which is a lime green, is my personal favorite...", smiled Marble, "and Tanzanite! A nice shade of blue."
"Baby blue? That's my favorite blue!", Pinkie.
"It would depend...", Nite smiled, taking a seat next to Marble, as he and Igneous came in from fixing the silo.
"Amethyst, Alexandrite, Aquamarine, Emerald!", Marble grinned, getting a little carried away.
"Umm, honey...I don't think we could have that many kids...", Nite said jokingly.
Marble looked sadly at the floor, before he added, "But we can try."
She brightened up again, "And Fancy Diamond, Garnet, and Lapis Lazuli! Moonstone, Morganite, and Opal! Oh Nite! I want to have a million children!"
"You're going to have a lot of little troublemakers then.", her father smiled
She sighed and fell into Nite's arms before going on, "Paraiba, Pearl, and Rubellite! Sapphire, Spinel, and Tourmaline!"
"Dear, you only have two gemstones left.", Nite smiled, kissing her cheek.
"Is that so?", she grinned, kissing him back.
"Turquoise and Zicron. That is, unless you want to start naming our children after random rocks.", he replied, taking a sip of Rock juice.
"I think I'm done, we'll be busy with 24 sets of hooves and paws running around anyway.", Marble giggled as Nite choked on his juice when she said 24.
Igneous and Nite looked at each other for a second before Igneous said jokingly, "Good luck, soldier! You've gone beyond the point of no return!"
Big Mama's Coming Back
It was one more week till their wedding, which explains why Marble was so excited, but Nite on the other hand, was feeling a bit down. One morning, Marble found him crying on the porch.
"Nite, what's wrong?", she asked, sitting next to him with concern.
"I just wish Big Mama could be here to see this...", he replied before singing to himself.
Nite stopped before saying, "Mama used to sing to me before I went to work everyday at the Rusty Dragon Inn, before she..."
"I understand Nite, I'm sure she would be proud.", Marble nodded.
"Of course I'm proud of him! He's my special boy!", said a booming voice.
They looked out to see a light brown furry Quarry Dragon, wearing a pink dress.
"Big Mama!", he cried rushing towards her with a hug. The rest of the Pie family came out to see what was going on.
"Big Mama! I thought you were gone! ", he sobbed in her fur.
"Oh come on, dearie. It'll take more than that silly Tirek to get your Big Mama down! Now, I heard my special boy was getting ready to get hitched! Where's the lucky mare?", she grinned, running her paw through Nite's fur.
"I am...", Marble said shyly, stepping forward.
"Well aren't you such a distinguished, beautiful, young lady? You're just right for my Nite.", said Big Mama, looking closely at Marble, before asking Nite, "Have you heard anything from your cousins?"
"Yeah, Gene is going be part of the double wedding we're having! He's getting married too! And Cadance had her first kid several months ago!", Nite replied.
"Haha, Your Aunt Luna always said Gene was a nerdy type, apparently he's not. Is alright if I come in?", Big Mama laughed, looking at Igneous and Cloudy.
"Of course you can come in! You're part of the family now!", Igneous smiled.
So they spent the rest of the evening talking.
Personality Overview
It had been 5 years since Marble and Nite were wed, and ever since, Marble had 6 foals at a time, fulfilling her dream of having 24 foals in all. Let's meet them before we continue with part 2 of this story!
The oldest, Alexandrite (4), she is a stone colored unicorn (don't ask me how!), whose mane changed from a cool bluish mossy green to a raspberry red depending on the lighting.
Amethyst (4), is a purple Quarry Dragon, she was crazy about grapes.
Aquamarine (4) is a sky blue pegasus with a sea blue mane, but he loved swimming more than flying.
Citrine (4), is a shy, lemon yellow colored Quarry Dragon with an orange brown eye and a red brown eye. He gets embarrassed about his mismatched eyes, but his parents tell him that's what makes him special.
Diamond (4), is a perky, fun loving earth pony, who you can actually see through! It's not too bad, until she starts eating, then it gets nasty. But everyone still loves her.
Emerald (4), is a green Quarry Dragon, who loves Spring. He often prefers it over other seasons.
Fancy Diamond (3), is a unicorn, I would describe her further, but it's complicated. She's constantly changing colors! One day she has pink fur and a champagne mane, the next, yellow fur and blue mane.
Garnet (3), is a red colored Quarry Dragon, with an orange mane. It's unusual for a dragon to have a mane, but he's very proud of it.
Jade (3), is a green earth pony with a lavender mane, she loves to speak different languages! She's only 3 and is already fluent in 10 languages.
Lapis Lazuli (3), is a dark blue Quarry Dragon with gold specks in her fur. Her favorite thing to do is to sit outside with her father and look at the beautiful night sky.
Moonstone (3), is a yellow pegasus with a gray mane. He hopes someday to help his Great Aunt Luna raise the moon.
Morganite (3), is a pink Quarry Dragon. She is very violent, at least to the rocks. She's been known to crack a boulder with her pinky toe when in a bad mood, scaring even Maude.
Onyx (2), is a black Quarry Dragon, who is very shady, much like a mafia member, to Marble's surprise. But he's very honest, which is he redeeming quality.
Opal (2), is a rainbow colored earth pony, certain colors getting brighter depending on how she's feeling. For example, when she's angry, her red shines very brightly.
Paraiba (2), is a electric blue unicorn with a green mane. He invented a very rare form of dimensional magic called the Paraibic Effect.
Pearl (2), is a pure white Quarry Dragon. Much like Aquamarine, she loves swimming, but prefers deep diving.
Peridot (2), is a lime green Quarry Dragon. She can often be seen hanging out with her Aunt Limestone.
Rubellite (2), is a pink pegasus with a ruby red mane. She looks to her grandmother, Cloudy Quartz, on knowledge on how to sort rocks.
As for the ones that were recently born, and have not had much time to develop any personality are as follows:
Ruby, a deep red Quarry Dragon.
Sapphire, a deep blue unicorn with the same color mane.
Spinel, a bright red earth pony.
Tanzanite, a baby blue Quarry Dragon.
Topaz, a honey colored Quarry Dragon.
Tourmaline, a peach earth pony with a cranberry mane.
Turquoise, a light blue Quarry Dragon.
And Zircon, a dark red earth pony with a brown mane.
Nite's Birthday and Room Cleaning
Nite's Birthday and Room Cleaning
Today was another ordinary Saturday morning on the rock farm, that was, until Nite had his 26 children sitting on top of him shouting, "Happy Birthday, Pa!"
Pinkie, Maude, Limestone and their parents along with Big Mama were also in the room, Marble stood in the doorway with a cake.
"Happy Birthday, Nite, darling.", she smiled.
"Awww, thanks everyone! You didn't have to do this, it's just another day.", he smiled, kissing every one of his children.
"But, Pa! It's your birthday! It's not just another day!", Alexandrite exclaimed, her mane being green before she entered the room, where it turned a nice raspberry red.
"Yeah, Pa! You're our Pa! And that makes you special!", Diamond smiled, whose heart could be seen beating rapidly from excitement.
"Yeah! Just like you said I was special!", Citrine grinned, his mismatched eyes sparkling.
"Oh, I guess you're right! Here, let me get up...and we'll have cake!", Nite smiled, getting out of bed.
Everyone cheered except Diamond.
"What's the matter, honey?", he asked.
"I can't...I'll just gross you guys out...", she cried, tears running down her face.
"Sweetie, it's not that bad! You don't gross anyone out! The only things we can see are you heart and your stomach. And I see it's crystal clear that we still love you, if even if you're crystal clear! Am I clear?", he smiled, putting his paws around Diamond.
"Crystal clear.", she giggled, she loved it when Nite used the phrase, "crystal clear" when talking to her.
Happy Birthday, Cousin!", Gene smiled, carrying a box in, followed by his wife Fluttershy and their kids, Flutterheart and Braveshy.
"Happy Birthday, Nite!", Fluttershy cheered.
"Happy Birthday, Uncle Nite!", Flutterheart and Braveshy shouted, Braveshy stuttering a little.
"Gene! You didn't have to come!", Nite smiled, embracing his cousin.
"Didn't have to? Heck, Nite! You're my cousin! Of course I had to! I hope you saved us some cake!", Gene grinned.
"There's still plenty left.", Marble replied.
So after the new arrivals had cake, it was present time!
Igneous and Cloudy had made Nite a brace for his back, which had been getting fragile lately, Pinkie made him special grape juice (Which Amethyst chugged down!), Limestone made him some of her famous limestone chili, Maude gave him a pet rock, Marble and the kids got him a really big picture frame so he could hang up their family picture, and Gene got him a very pretty sun hat, and Big Mama got him a tree he could plant outside.
"Thanks, guys!", Nite smiled.
After Big Mama, Gene and his family left, Marble piped, "Alright children! Time to clean your rooms!"
"Ma! We did that yesterday!", Aquamarine moaned, his wings drooping.
"I know, but there's nothing wrong with a little pick up every day!", Marble smiled, nuzzling her son.
Jade said something in Chinese.
"What was that, dear?", Marble asked.
"She said, 'Mama's right! It would be wise to keep what's neat, neat.'", Nite translated.
"Aww! I'm glad someone agrees with me!", Marble grinned, kissing Jade.
Jade smiled, "You're welcome!", in French, she never could stick to one language, but her family didn't mind.
"Tell you guys what... I help you clean your rooms, and we play outside afterwards, alright?", Nite said.
The kids cheered.
Since Marble and Nite had their first set of kids, they had to add a long hallway with 13 doors on each side to the little farmhouse.
Nite started with Alexandrite, her room was exceptionally clean, except the spell books that she had lying all over the floor.
After that, he inspected Amethyst's room, which was a greenhouse full of grapes! He helped her make a path through her room.
Aquamarine's room was practically an aquarium, Nite having help him feed all his fish.
Citrine's room was half and half, the orange brown side was really neat, the other side, painted red brown, was really messy, alongside his mismatched eyes, he also had a split personality, one half being his normal, shy self, the other, was brave and daring.
His dear, little Diamond, her room was always kept straight and neat, everything in the room being made of diamond.
Emerald had flowers everywhere, so he had to straighten out his pots.
Fancy Diamond's room, like her, was also constantly changing colors, so rapidly it made Nite dizzy.
Garnet's room had mirrors and brushes everywhere, so he could take 'excellent care' of his mane.
Jade had shelves full of books of different languages.
Lapis Lazuli had many star charts all over her room.
Moonstone had a skylight from which the moon always shone in brightly at night.
Morganite had crumbled rocks from her last fit all over her floor.
Onyx had his curtains closed, making his room very dark.
Opal had rainbows all over her wall.
Paraiba had strange contraptions everywhere.
Pearl had pearls decorating everything.
Peridot had limes sitting on her dresser.
And Rubellite had her grandmother helping her sort her rock collection.
At the end of the day, Nite jumped into bed and sighed, "I thought Braveheart2015 said we were only going to have 24..."
"What was that dear?", Marble yawned, nuzzling him.
"Nothing dear, just tired.", he replied, his head dropping like a rock on his pillow.
Some Soup, and Home....Sweet Home
Some Soup, and Home....Sweet Home
The next day, Diamond was still sick, and Marble was taking the kids to Ponyville for a party, hosted by Pinkie, who had invited them, so Nite got to take care of her, while the others worked the farm.
"Why isn't he doing anything?", Limestone groaned, when she heard the plan.
"BECAUSE...he needs to be there to take care of Diamond! Wouldn't you want to be there, anyway, if you had a child who was sick?", Cloudy frowned.
Limestone sighed, she could be heartless at times, but never to family, "I guess you're right."
In Diamond's bedroom, Nick had brought her some mud soup with pebbles in it.
"Here, try some of this, it always helps me when I eat too many enchiladas!", Nite smiled, handing her the bowl.
She slurped it down before burping with satisfaction, "Mmmmmmm...thanks Papa, you always take such good care of me. I love you."
"Anything for My Little Diamond.", he smiled, kissing her forehead, and taking her bowl to the kitchen to wash it up.
When he came back, and sat on the foot of her bed, Diamond asked, "Papa, what does love look like?"
Nite smiled, "Well honey, you see your mother doing your laundry, it's because she loves you, your siblings help you clean up, it's cause either they were told to, or because they love you, mostly the latter. Grandma Cloudy tells you stories because she loves you, same thing with everyone else in this family."
"Do you love me?", she asked.
"Oh, honey, I love you all, that's why I try so hard to take care of you. But most of the time, love isn't always about what you see, it's mostly about what you feel, in here.", he smiled, putting his paw on her heart, which was visible through her transparent body.
"Papa, I feel much better!", she exclaimed, jumping out of bed, into Nite's arms, "Can we go do something?"
"Let's go out, then. You're just like your father, a few enchiladas can't keep you down!", Nite grinned, hugging Diamond.
When they got outside, they saw Princess Celestia talking to Igneous and Cloudy, who looked very excited.
She spotted them and smiled, "Granite, I have something to show you!"
They got in a chariot, flew across the countryside, as they flew, Diamond said, "Wow! Look down there, Papa! With all the trees, the rocks, and that babbling brook! And that tree looks like a big house!"
Nite just looked dumbstruck at Celestia, "Whaaa-how?"
Celestia chuckled, "Oh, Granite! I had the mall moved, and I used my magic to restore it to its original beauty, adding a house that you and your family can live in! Here, let me show you."
As soon as the chariot landed, Nite jumped out and started rolling around in the thick, lime green grass, shouting, "I'm home! I'm home!"
"Papa," giggled Diamond, "What are you doing?"
"This is was your old man's home when he was your age!", Nite laughed with joy.
"You used to live here? When you were my age? It's beautiful! Can we move here?", she smiled, rolling in the grass with him.
Celestia giggled, "Come on you two! There's more to see!"
So they went into the house, it was massive! There was many different halls and doors, one hall had all of the rooms for the kids, another one for Nite, Marble, and guests, and one with several bathrooms, a kitchen, a massive dining room, and a living room. The house had 50 closets in all.
"Oh Papa! I love it! Can we stay?", Diamond exclaimed.
"Let's go home and ask your mother, hopefully she says yes!", Nite exclaimed, jumping into the chariot, before Celestia could get in.
Celestia smiled.
"Oh, sorry, I got a little excited.", Nite apologized.
"Quite alright, Granite, let's get you two home!", she smiled, as they took off through the air.
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Pinkie's Wall Breaking (I hate when she does that!)
When Marble and the kids got back, she was shocked when Nite and Diamond told her about the new home Celestia had prepared for them.
"That sounds really nice, dear...but...I don't know if I could leave Ma and Pa here all by themselves...", she sighed.
"Oh, Marble. You know we still have Limestone and Maud here, and besides and...ahem...some new farmhands.", Cloudy smiled, pointing to Maud and Limestone with their stallion friends.
"Well...if it's okay with you guys..."
"Oh, Marble. We'll be fine! You know you want to go, don't deny yourself that chance.", Igneous grinned.
"Okay then, we'll go. But it'll take forever to pack.", Marble decided, accepting defeat.
"That's why I'm here to help you pack!", Pinkie beamed, popping out of thin air.
(Dang it, Pinkie! How many times do I have to tell you, stop jumping to conclusions? That's not what happens!)
"Well what happens then?", Pinkie asked, looking to the sky.
Celestia had sent some guards to help Nite and Marble pack.
"Oh, fine! But next time, I get to choose what happens, okay?"
(Uh...how about NO?)
"I guess...sniff...you don't want to be my friend anymore..."
(Fine...only once!)
"Okay! Thank you, DaiAtlas2016!", Pinkie smiled, walking away.
(I'd like to take a moment to apologize for her behavior. I'm not exactly responsible for her actions, so again, I'm very sorry.)
"Are you finished, sir? I think these people would like to get back to the story now.", Marble asked.
(Sorry about that, Marble. Move along.)
After a couple of hours, everything was packed and everyone said their goodbyes before Nite and Marble and their family left for their new home. They were personally escorted by Princess Celestia.
When Marble and the rest of the kids saw it they gasped.
"Oh, Nite! It's beautiful! Just like you said!", Marble beamed, rolling around in the thick green grass with Nite and the kids.
"Would you like us to stay and help you unpack?", Celestia asked.
"No thanks. We're good.", Nite smiled, helping Marble up as he thanked Celestia.
After everything was unpacked, Aquamarine asked, "Hey Dad? Can me and Pearl go swimming in the river?"
"Yeah, just be careful. Current might pick up a bit. That'll be the first thing I do, set up a dam. So no one drifts away."
"Oh, Nite. Our family will be so happy here!", Marble beamed, watching their kids frolic in the green pastures.
"Now aren't you glad you agreed to move?", Nite smiled, putting his arms around her and kissing her.
"I'm just glad I met you in the first place...", Marble grinned, kissing him back.
And so, a new chapter of their lives began on the plains, where Nite grew up.
Before I start this chapter, I forgot to give the last few children personalities, so here they are:
Ruby, a deep red Quarry Dragon, loves boxing. She is the lightweight champion of Equestria, though she has had many bloody noses. The taste of her own blood gives her renewed strength and vigor, which none can match.
Spinel, is a bright red earth pony, whose back/spine can support up to 40 times his own weight. Though Marble doesn't like it, when she is away, Spinel gives all his siblings a ride, even his father.
Sapphire, a deep blue unicorn, cries a lot. She cries when she's hungry, when she's hurt, or even when nothing is going on.
She can't help it though, but when she does cry, her tears become sapphires.
Tanzanite, is a baby blue Quarry Dragon. But if people didn't know any better, they'd think he was the Tazmanian Devil! (I don't own Looney Tunes!) Somehow he manages to spin faster than 200 mph, thus earning him the nickname, "The Tanzanian Devil".
Topaz, a honey colored Quarry Dragon, who eats so much honey, she has to have her mouth unjammed. But she can't help it, it's an addiction. She eats honey for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and constant snacks.
Tourmaline, is a peach colored earth pony, with a cranberry tinted mane. If there was such a thing as "Swagtastic", that would be the word to describe Tourmaline's fruit smoothies. Especially her peach and cranberry flavored smoothie, which, much to Marble's disapproval, Nite gobbles down after covering it in chocolate sauce.
Turquoise, a light blue Quarry Dragon, has big dreams. He believes that every princess should have a dragon helper. With that in mind, he hopes to one day become assistant to his favorite princess: Princess Cadance.
Zircon, a dark red earth pony, with a brown mane, moves so fast, he has a special unit just to describe his speed: A Zicron. Now, in correct calculations a Zicron would equal about 2,000,000 miles per millisecond, and yeah, I'm not going to try and convert that to seconds...
The next day, Marble and Nite made plans for the day at their enormous table, while everyone ate breakfast.
"So, your pa tells me there's a mud pit, complete with a hot spring, not too far for here. Who wants to go with me and have our own day at the spa?", Marble announced.
"And for those of you who don't want to go, can come fishing with me!", Nite smiled.
Diamond yawned before falling face first into her cereal.
"Diamond!", Nite and Marble exclaimed, lifting her head to see if she was okay.
"Huh...what...Oh! Sorry, Mama...I was just so excited about living here last night, I forgot about...*yawn*...sleeping.", Diamond yawned.
"Oh, well, you can sleep while I take your siblings fishing.", Nite smiled.
"Okay...Papa...*yawn*...good night...", Diamond grinned, before leaning on him and falling asleep.
After breakfast, Marble took Jade, Alexandrite, Fancy Diamond, Citrine, Turquoise, Tourmaline, Topaz, Rubellite, Peridot, Paraiba, Opal, Moonstone, Lapis Lazuli, Garnet, and Emerald with her to the mud pit and hot spring. Nite took Ruby, Spinel, Tanzanite, Zircon, Pearl, Onyx, Morganite, Aquamarine, Amethyst, and Diamond, who was fast asleep on his back.
Nite and his group reached an enormous dock, where everyone threw in their lines. Diamond insisted that they tie a line to her tail and throw it in while she was sleeping. After an hour, Onyx, Zircon, and even Diamond had caused a fish, Ruby started to lose her cool.
"Stupid fish! It's been an hour, and I still haven't caught anything! Diamond caught a whopper, and she was FLIPPING ASLEEP!", she screamed in anger.
Nite smiled, "Calm down, honey! You'll get something eventually! You just got to be patient."
Another hour, and everyone but Ruby had caught something...until...
"Look at this!", she exclaimed, pulling a fish as big as her out of the water.
"See? What'd I tell you? Patience always pays.", Nite grinned, taking a picture, before he threw it back in the water.
"Do you wanna know what pays even more?", Ruby asked.
"What?"
"Having you for a dad!", she smiled, hugging Nite tightly, as he returned the favor.
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The Spa, More Wall Breaking (By Me, not Pinkie), and A Bittersweet End
Meanwhile, at their outdoor spa, Marble and her group were having a great time.
"Mom, do you think the hot springs would mess up my mane?", Garnet asked with concern.
Marble smiled, "Oh, Garnet! It'll be fine! And besides, it'll help your mane! Maybe even make it look a few years younger."
"Oh Boy! Count me in!", he grinned jumping into the hot spring.
Alexandrite laughed, her face covered in avocado cream, and cucumbers over her eyes, "Garnet! Watch my face! I'm trying to get these dreadful wrinkles out from underneath my eyes!"
Fancy Diamond looked like a disco ball underwater when she took a dip, her constantly changing colors flashing in the sunshine. Jade was instructing Citrine (In French), on how to take a mud bath properly. Turquoise was practicing massages on his mother, Tourmaline was making everyone her signature "Peach and Cranberry Pick-Me-Ups", while Topaz was drenching hers in honey, much to Marble's objection.
Meanwhile, Nite and his group were already home.
"Dad? What are we going to do now?", Diamond asked, now fully rested.
"We are going to watch my favorite show, Who's Got The Button!", he smiled, (If it's my luck that it's a real show, I don't own it!)
"Yeah!", the kids exclaimed.
After watching all of season 1, Marble and the kids came home.
"We're home, Nite! What do you think?", she smiled, having her hair tied in a bun, and her face looked 12 years younger.
Nite's jaw dropped, "Baby! I think you look hot!"
"Oh, please...I don't look that good...", Marble blushed.
"Dad's right, Mom! You look pretty! Very pretty!", Onyx smiled.
"Okay! Who's ready to have lunch? We're having my homemade wheatgrass lasagna!", Nite grinned.
Everyone cheered and ran to the...table...except...Diamond?
(Hey. What's wrong?)
"Who said that?!", Diamond asked in surprise, looking around.
(It's just me, the guy writing this story, DaiAtlas2016. So...are you going to tell me what's wrong?)
"You wouldn't care, you're the author. I'm just one of your creations...", she sighed sadly.
(Hey...don't say that. I love all my creations, no matter what. And your not just another one of my creations, you're special, unique. Just like everyone else in this story.)
"Well, since you put it that way...Dad thinks I like his lasagna. But the truth is, I don't. I don't want to hurt his feelings, so I've never told him. What should I do?", Diamond asked.
(You just need to tell him the truth. I think he'll understand, it's all part of being a father.)
"Are you sure?"
(Trust me...)
And for a split second, Diamond thought she saw the ceiling twinkle, like it was winking, then Nite came into the room.
"Diamond? What's wrong?", he asked with concern.
Tears filled her eyes, "Oh, Papa! I'm so sorry! I should have told you before! But I didn't want to hurt your feelings! I...I don't like your lasagna! I'm so sorry!"
Nite smiled, "Oh, honey. It's alright. Besides, it takes a lot more than words to hurt me. Come on, I'll make you a sandwich."
"A peanut butter and caramel sandwich?"
"A peanut butter and caramel sandwich.", he agreed, before turning to the ceiling quickly and smiling, "Thanks, old friend! Thanks for everything!"
(Anytime...Anytime...)
And so, they lived out their days in the beautiful valley. Marble and Nite, raising their children, watching their grandchildren, and finally leaving...making their way to paradise at the ages of 102 and 100 respectively. Poor Diamond...she died young, leaving her children motherless, and her husband widowed.
But...according to Luna, if watch the night sky at midnight, the starry images of Nite, Marble, and Diamond will run and skip across the starry sky, playing tag. Marble and Diamond will hide behind the moon, and Nite will search until he eventually finds them. This goes on until he finally catches them and pulls them into a hug, disappearing as the sun rises...to return at midnight that night.
Author's Note
This story may seem short, but by the time I had got to this story, I had run out ideas. So I put it out to the pasture.
First Encounter
It was another sunny day on the rock farm, which Pinkie's family worked on! Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz were talking as they pulled a wagon loaded with rocks, while Maude, Limestone, and Marble Pie sorted through them, and Pinkie stood atop a pile of rocks, watching as if she were expecting someone.
Igneous saw this and groaned, "Face it Pinkie, he's not coming. Just as well, I never did trust his kind."
"But Pa, he probably just got lost! After all, he didn't ask for directions!", Pinkie pleaded.
"Because he was stubborn!", Cloudy retorted.
"No, I think I upset him when I asked about his old home, so he forgot about asking for directions."
"What about his old home?", asked Marble Pie shyly.
"Well see what happened was... Look! It's him!"
They turned to see what looked like a fin, slicing through the ground, stopping in front of Pinkie before going under. It popped out, attached to a stone colored dragon, with lots of fur and no wings, and very sharp horns.
"Sorry, I got lost!", he sighed.
"You made it! Ma, Pa! This is Granite Braveheart! He's a Quarry Dragon!", Pinkie.
"So when do I start?", asked the Quarry Dragon.
"As soon as Marble shows around the farm. Marble, could you please show this dragon around?", Igneous frowned.
"Sure thing, Pa! Follow me, mister.", Marble answered in her pretty, but shy voice.
As they walked away from the others, the Quarry Dragon turned and said, "So your name is Marble Pie? I like it. It's a beautiful name."
"Thank you. I never did catch your name, could you please repeat it?", Marble blushed.
"Granite Braveheart, but you can take me for Granite, everyone else does.", he smiled.
Marble giggled a bit before asking, "Would it be alright if I just called you Nite?"
"Sure, I don't mind. Sounds a lot better. Ooooh! Is that iron?!", he said as they passed a rock the size of Marble's hoof.
He scooped it up with his paw and threw it in his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed.
"You like iron too?! It's my favorite!", Marble grinned.
"Yeah, it's nice and salty. And crispy.", Nite smiled
After showing him around, Marble took Nite back to the farmhouse for dinner, Flintstone Stew.
After dinner, and Nite went out to take care a couple of chores while everyone else got ready for bed, Marble slipped into her nightgown, and hopped in bed, dreaming sweet dreams of her handsome Quarry Dragon and her.
Home
Everyone got up at the crack of dawn to have breakfast like usual, except Nite, who woke up a couple hours before dawn, gulped down some iron ores, and went outside. The only one who knew about this was, of course, Marble, when she heard him go out and decided to follow him. She found him sitting all alone on a slab of stone, and as she sat down beside him, she asked,
"Are you thinking about your old home?"
Nite sighed, "What makes you think that?"
"Pinkie mentioned something about it. So what happened? You can tell me.", she returned, really concerned for the welfare of her new friend.
"Well," Nite replied as Marble snuggled up with him, for it was cold out, but Nite's fur kept her plenty warm, "Picture this: A vast field of green grass, rocks scattered around, trees as well, and a warm, babbling brook next to my tree, I lived in the top of a tree at the time..."
"That sounds so beautiful! I wish I could have seen it!", Marble sighed dreamily, it was a dream come true, being this close to Nite.
"It was, but you wanna know what all that made way for? A shopping mall!", he shouted angrily before bursting into tears.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!", Marble gasped, putting both her hooves around Nite. She started reciting a poem to him,
"Home is simply where you feel at home,
Home is simply with your dearest friends.
There's no other place just like it,
Where each long day ends,
Home...
Home is simply where you are loved,
Home is simply composed of love.
It will always be with your heart,
Filled with love, from up above."
She sang these two verses once more before Nite (As in Knit) said, "Thank you, I feel much better."
"Good, let's go home and have a proper breakfast.", she smiled, running her hoof through his fur.
One day, Nite wasn't feeling too well, so Marble insisted that he stay in bed. Nite on the other hand, insisted that he was fine, right before he started wheezing and collapsed on the floor. Marble really freaked out then.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Nite!", she exclaimed. With her father's help, she managed to get him back in his bed.
"He's been working pretty hard these last few days, I'll be out working with the others if you need me, Marble.", Igneous sighed, Nite was pretty heavy.
Nite came to, "What's going on?", he asked, trying to get up.
But Marble pushed him back into bed with a firm hoof, "Nite, you need some rest. You stay there, while I go get you a surprise I've been saving.", giving him an Eskimo kiss before she left. She came back with a picture frame shaped like a heart, and it contained a picture of the two of them in front of the farmhouse. Nite held a pitchfork in his left paw and had his right paw around Marble, who was blowing raspberries at the camera, while he made a derp face.
"Remember that? You insisted on having our picture taken the same way my parents had theirs. But I made you laugh so hard, well, it's pretty obvious.", she said pointing to the picture Nite held in his paw.
"Aww...Thanks Marble! I love it. I hope we get our picture taken that way at our wedding. I mean if we ever get married! I mean I would have to ask you first! I mean..."
"Nite, is there something you would like to ask me?", Marble said gently.
"Marble Pie, will you marry me?", he asked, getting on the floor and presented her a diamond ring before wheezing again.
"I will! If you get back in bed!", she smiled, kissing his snout.
When they announced it to the rest of the family, they all cheered. Except Limestone, but that was normal.
Diamond's Difference
The next day, Nite got up early to go sit in a tall tree next to the one Big Mama had gotten him. He then noticed Diamond lugging a sack, sneaking off.
"Diamond?", he shouted, jumping down from his tree.
She tried to run, but Nite caught up to her and stopped her.
"No! Let me go!", she exclaimed, struggling.
"Diamond...Diamond! Honey...calm down! What are you doing?", Nite retorted, setting her on a nearby rock.
"I'm leaving! I'm a freak! There's no place here for someone like me!", she sobbed.
"No! We don't use that word around here! No one here is a freak! You're not a freak! You're perfectly normal!", Nite scolded.
"Pa! Look at me! Look right through me! See the problem! Sure, Alexandrite is normal with her green/red hair, Citrine and his mismatched eyes and split personality, or even Fancy Diamond, she's flipping changing colors every other second! But me? I'm a plain old earth pony, with a fur problem!", she screamed.
"You don't have a fur problem, it's how you were born!", Nite shouted.
"Oh? Well I wish I wasn't born!", she screamed so loud it could be heard for miles.
"That would make your mother very upset.", Nite stated.
"Boohoo for her!", she shouted.
"It would make me very sad.", he said more firmly.
"Look I don't care how you feel! Just let me go!", she screamed, kicking him.
"Go. Go if you want. But I'll still love you with all my heart, more than you can imagine.", Nite sighed, letting her go as a tear came to his eye.
Diamond started to walk away, but she couldn't help looking back. Nite was curled up on the ground, his face, full of tears, "Don't look back...", he sobbed, "Don't look back..."
She couldn't stand it anymore, "Papa! I'm so, so, so, SO sorry! Papa! I love you!", she exclaimed, running back to him as she completely lost it and broke down into tears.
"Oh, Diamond! Promise me you'll never underestimate my love for you, Am I clear?", Nite sobbed.
"Crystal...clear!", she sniffed, rubbing her face in his thick fur, as her heart thumped loudly.
They went back and had breakfast with everyone else, neither of them saying anything about the past dilemma.
At first, Diamond couldn't eat, but Nite put his paw around her and kissed her forehead, and whispering, "You'll always be my Dear Little Diamond."
"I love you, Papa!", she smiled, hugging him tightly.
Marble knew something was up. So that night as they lay in bed, she asked, "What did you two do today? Diamond hasn't called you Papa in a long time."
Nite told her the whole story.
"Oh my, she seemed pretty upset!", Marble said in surprise.
"Yeah but it's nothing to worry about now.", he smiled as they went to sleep.
The Trouble with Enchiladas
The Trouble with Enchiladas
It was a beautiful day on the rock farm, until Diamond woke up with a stomach ache.
"Papa...I don't feel so well...", Diamond moaned, laying in her bed with a bucket next to her, holding Nite's paw as Marble examined her.
"What did you eat last night?", Marble asked with concern.
"I tried eating some of Papa's enchiladas, they didn't quite agree with my stomach.", she moaned before hurling into the bucket.
"Oh, honey...I'm sorry, I should have put it somewhere where you wouldn't have found it! Those are spicy enough to melt a slab of limestone!"
"It's not your fault, Papa! I shouldn't have eaten it.", she said, before hurling some more.
"You need some rest, we'll leave you alone now.", Marble sighed, kissing her forehead before leaving with the room with Nite.
"Papa!", Diamond whimpered, stopping Nite, "Can you...ACK!...tell me a story?"
"What kind of a story?", he asked, making himself comfortable at the foot of her bed.
"Make up a story.", she smiled.
"Okay, let's see here...alright... Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there was a beautiful princess, her name was Princess Diamond along with her 25 other siblings. And she had a beautiful mother named Queen Marble. Her father, King Granite, was a kind, graceful king, who ruled the land with truth and kindness. One day, however, the dear Princess Diamond got terribly ill, and the only thing that could heal her was a magic flower, that was guarded by a evil manticore, in a tall tower, on a really tall mountain, far, far, FAR away!", he started, immediately making Diamond chuckle at the emphasis he put on the FAR.
"What? It was really far. Anyway, the king decided to go get the flower himself, because he was afraid that one of his knights would not be fast enough. He didn't want his little princess to suffer. So he went across the deepest oceans, the driest desert, up the highest mountain, climbing the tallest tower, defeating the manticore, and bringing back the flower. And the flower helped make his daughter feel better, for he loved his children very much...so much... I would do anything for you guys.", Nite smiled as she fell asleep.
He kissed her forehead before getting up and leaving, whispering, "Rest well, My Little Princess Diamond."