You could have heard a pin drop. In fact, that pin could have coughed up a hairball an no pony would have noticed as they all stared transfixed at the Pegasus mare outside the door. She had a poker face that would have beaten a statue. Derpy's eyes were aligned and super focused now at this unexpected revelation.
"W-what?" she finally managed to squeeze out her throat. She suddenly realized that she had been holding her breath.
The mare sighed and rolled her eyes. "My employer has sent me to retrieve his great grandson from... less than ideal living conditions. Rest assured, any trouble his presence may have caused will be compensated."
"Oh, no-no, he's been no trouble," Derpy said in a low voice. "But, I thought that his family disowned him. That's why he was on a wait list for the orphanage."
The mare groaned, visibly annoyed by how long it was taking. "No paperwork was every officially written up. Sir Cloudburst is..."
"W-w-wait," Rainbow Dash suddenly said, flying over and looking over the lawyer with a skeptical eye. "Sir Cloudburst?"
The lawyer nodded.
"Sir Cloudburst? Inventor of the Dramatic Funeral Weather?" the multi-colored pegasus said in shock.
"Also correct."
"Fifth richest pony in Equestria? The one who turned down an offer of nobility on the grounds he refused to let his children inbreed?"
The lawyer grew a little red in the face. "Yyyeah. That would be him. Though technically, that offer is still open to him. Though he did accept that knighthood. As eccentric as the stallion is, he does make a valid... What in heahave ven's name am I doing? I've got a zeppelin to catch. Please relinquish the child."
Derpy was about to say something, but then Twilight stepped up. A flash of recognition crossed the lawyer's face and she bowed swiftly.
"Y-your highness, Princess Twilight. What are you doing here?"
Twilight cocked her eyes at the mare. Something was off about her. But she just couldn't place it. "I was visiting a friend. That is what the Princess of Friendship is expected to do, after all."
The lawyer rose and nodded while she swallowed a nervous lump. "Of-of course, your majesty. I didn't mean anything by it."
"So, you're here for Conquest?" Twilight asked, looking back at the fillies, who seemed to have a taken a liking to the colt, gathered around him in confusion. Then she turned back to the mare and cleared her throat. "Do you have the proper paperwork and signatures?"
The lawyer nodded and pulled a few parchments from a pocket, hoofing them over hurriedly. She gave a crooked smile as the princess looked them over with careful eyes. After several drawn out minutes she nodded and passed them back.
"They're in order," Twilight said in a low satisfied voice. "Although, if I may ask, what brought on this sudden change of heart for the Cloudburst family?"
"Excluding Sir Cloudburst," the lawyer pointed out as she pocketed the papers. "He's been... very ill. Certain family members with otherwise selfish motives may have been exercising certain privileges they thought they had in order to gain an advantage."
"What?" Derpy exclaimed loudly. "Abandoning a cripple family member just so they can have a bigger muffin when great grandpappy kicks the bucket? That's... that's..."
"The word you're looking for doesn't belong in polite company," the lawyer said. Although she seemed a little surprised at Derpy's reaction. As though she hadn't expected her to be so upset. "Anyway. Can we move this along? I happen to like my bed."
"But, we're in the middle of a party," Pinkie said as she popped up next to lawyer, giving her a start.
"Be that as it may, I am obligated to fulfill my employer's request. This way I can be comfortable and eat three square meals a day."
"Can't you just wait..." Pinkie began.
"No," the lawyer groaned. "I'm going to be late as it is."
"But it's his party," Derpy pointed out, hope in her voice.
"And he's a little colt who's up past his bedtime," the lawyer pointed out in return. Something was off about her voice. Like it was straining to hide conflict. "He's probably on the verge of falling asleep anyway. The zeppelin suite will be a perfect place for him to sleep."
"But...," Derpy began.
Twilight put a hoof on the mailmare's shoulder and shook her head warningly. "She's right, Derpy. No matter how horribly some of his family may have treated him, she has full legal rights to take him. holding him from his family would be kidnapping. I understand, you're a mother, and you would hate anypony that would abuse a foal. But, don't worry, as a princess I can have a few checkups made here and there. I'm sure that'll be enough to dissuade any child abuse."
"But mommy they're picking on me," Derpy said in a snarky singsong voice that drew looks of shock.
"What?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Derpy scowled at her. "When you were a filly, did telling anypony in authority there was a problem ever really solve anything?" Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but Derpy cut her off. "I don't mean little things, like a spat between friends, or needing a little help here and there. I mean real problems. Did the bullies ever stop? Did the neighbor's dog keep chasing you? Did your mother just tell you your exaggerating? Did your father say 'toughen up'? Well, what was it, Princess Twilight?"
Twilight and everypony just stared at Derpy for a long, drawn out minute. Finally, Twilight lowered her head and sighed. "There's nothing I can do, Derpy. I'm just as bound by the law as you are. Those are supreme court orders, Mr. Cloudburst must be very connected, and you can only dispute those if you..."
Derpy held up a hoof to silence her, her face becoming softer. "I understand, Princess..."
"Twilight, Derpy," Twilight said in a reassuring tone.
"...Twilight," Derpy sniffed, not daring to meet her eyes. Which would have been hard enough already. "I'm sorry. You're right. I hate the thought of somepony abandoning there own flesh and blood, especially in a time when he needed them most. I... I'll go get him."
The ponies parted as Derpy slipped back inside gathered up Conquest, who was still in the middle of the protective fillies. The mare's mouth gained a small smile when she saw Dinky actually holding on to him protectively. It appeared her little filly had grown some familial attachment to him.
"Does 'e really gotta go, Mrs. Doo?" Applebloom asked, ears down and her lower lip quivering. "He's so much fun. We were thinking about making him an honorary Crusader, even if he does have his cutie mark already."
"I'm afraid," Derpy managed to say in a controlled voice. She gathered up Conquest in her forehoofs and lightly flapped back to the doorway and set him on the ground in front of the lawyer. "sorry about the delay, Miss..."
"Sustained Objection," the mare said in a light tone as she seemed transform in front of the small colt. She rubbed his head in the manner of a friend. "Hello, Heavenly Conquest. You remember me right?"
"Objection," Conquest shouted enthusiastically while pointing at the mare.
"Sustained," the mare said with a stern face, pounding her hoof on the ground like a gavel. She chuckled and wrapped a wooly scarf about his neck to keep the wind chill off and then picked him up in her mouth to set him between her wings. "He seems healthy... as can be expected after his accident. I just about strangled those brats when I read the medical report they tried hiding from Mr. Cloudburst." She looked at Twilight and put on a nervous smile. "Ah, that is to say, I wouldn't really do that , of course. I was... mad... very, very... mad."
Derpy started to feel better. This mare appeared very friendly, and Conquest seemed to trust her. Perhaps it was for the best that he was going away now. At least if Mr. Cloudburst was half as friendly as this mare.
The mare was about to take off with Conquest, but then paused, her left wing twitching strangely. She turned around and nodded to the assembled mares and fillies. "I have forgotten my manners. Thank you, for taking care of him, he's had so few friends in his life. What with his autism all it's... oddities. I've never seen him so comfortable in the presence of so many ponies. In some small way, this has been good for him. I'll make sure Mr. Cloudburst rewards you very handsomely Mrs. Doo."
Derpy opened her mouth in protest. But then remembered her little lesson about pride with Applejack and Twilight. She closed her and gave Sustained Objection a grateful smile. "It was truly my pleasure helping him. Have a nice flight home you two."
Objection smiled and turned about, flapped her wings and flying away into the night. "Lets go see GG, Conquest."
The mares and fillies all watched as they disappeared and then all eyes turned on Derpy who sighed heavily. "I'm gonna miss him."
Rarity put an leg around Derpy's barrel and chuckled. "I don't know how you do it, Derpy. A biological daughter, an adopted daughter, and foster foal. Well, I'm sure you'll se him again someday."
"Let's go back inside before we all start crying," Derpy chuckled as she slipped out of Rarity's hug. "Let's let the fillies finish the flick, say that ten times fast, and call it a night."
Tears were still shed. In hysterical laughter at the reel. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie almost coughed up their lungs several times, and Rarity managed to make a guttural guffaw in a very ladylike fashion. But then it was over and projector put away. The leftovers were left over for the Doo family, and all the fillies said their bittersweet goodbyes. When they were all gone, Derpy sent the girls bed so she could do a little cleaning and thinking alone.
It had been an interesting few weeks with Conquest. Tomorrow she would need to contact the right authorities to let them know Conquest was no longer in her charge. Then she would concentrate on the family reunion. She paused for a moment as she was dumping streamers in the trashcan. She reached into a pocket and pulled out some folded adoption papers she had just procured that day. All that was missing was the signature of one small colt. She dropped them in the trash in a couple of tears in her eyes. But then, she shook it off and reminded herself that he was probably better off now.
Sustained Objection seemed really nice, his great grandfather could probably get him some unicorn magic medicine. More than she could have done for him. She tossed some more streamers on top so that they wouldn't be discovered and then stretched her back.
"Enough, Derpy," she told herself. "All you need is a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow there will be fewer responsibilities, things will go back to normal, and Dinky and Amethyst will try to wake up before I do and get sick on cake and ice cream. I'll let them, they deserve. And now I'm talking to myself. Com'on girl, you're not old enough to go crazy yet."
She trotted to her room and didn't even bother with washing up. She collapsed on her bed with loud crumpling noise. Her eyes shot open at that. Neither her body nor the bed were supposed to make that sound. She lifted her mattress and found the now wrinkled documents Future Luna had given her.
"But, apparently you're old enough to start losing your memory," she muttered to herself. She grabbed the documents and lit a candle. She felt she might forget it entirely if she didn't at try to read some now.
With a great yawn, she opened it up and began to reading the pages. Half an hour later, she was streaking through the sky after the zeppelin in a Shadowbolt costume and wearing an eye patch.