The Secret of Sheldon Clopper.

by theanonymousbrony

Sweet Memories, Harsh Realities

I've lost count on how long it's been ever since I left Ponyville; it felt like it had been months at this point. That strange inner voice that stopped me from using that beeping noise upon Shining Armor told me to head east; I've done nothing but trekked towards that one direction, and yet I still haven't gotten closer to whatever it is the voice is wanting me to go to. Having to travel through the wilderness has to be one of the hardest challenges anypony would ever have to go through. Since I didn't bother to bring a tent or a sleeping bag, I had to use my Mind Powers to make a shelter out of the branches of trees. If the branches were covered with leaves, then rain is something that I don't have to worry a lot about; but if a Timberwolf or any other dangerous animal were to suddenly pick up my scent, I'd have to get out of there and find another place to sleep. Now of course you're probably thinking to yourself, "Why don't you just sleep at a hotel?" well, I would be lenient towards that idea, I even stumble upon trails that'll lead to a nearby town from time to time, except I can't allow myself to get captured by Celestia or anyone who might be serving her. So I instead have to resort to sleeping beneath trees, running from wildlife, and having to eat grass, shrubs, and pretty much any type of plant I can come by (you know, since I also didn't bother to bring food with me as well).

Anyway, after what felt like a thousand miles, I finally stumbled upon a lake. I dunked my whole head into the water--not even caring if I were to drown. After that quick drink, I pulled my head out and was now able to get a clear look of my reflection. My face was covered by a rugged beard, my once long--but elegant--hair has now started to become shaggy, and due to the lack of any edible food my cheeks were slowly starting to dissolve. Wherever this voice is leading me, it better have lots of food!

"Don't give up just yet, Sheldon," the voice read my thoughts. "You'll arrive to your destination in no time; and don't worry, you'll know it when you see it."

Just as I was about to get up and continue my journey, I heard a sweet, little voice say, "Is this water safe to drink?" that's when I saw a tattered looking filly with light green fur and brown hair (with the Cutie Mark of a dove holding an olive branch) standing beside me with a canteen. After giving her a nod, she went ahead and filled it up. "Thanks, you don't know how hard it is to find good drinking water around here. I was almost starting to think that every water in this forest is poisoned."

Feeling a little concerned that some filly is just wandering around some dangerous forest, I picked up my chalk with my muzzle and wrote on my board. "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"Of course I am, that's why I'm searching for water." That's when my stomach started to growl. "You know something Mister, you look like you haven't eaten in months. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure that my family can share some food with you."

Seeing as how it was either dine with a couple of strangers or resort to eating my chalk, I figured that maybe these ponies can't be too bad. As I was following her, that voice tried to talk me out of it. "No Sheldon, this is no time for you to be dawdling with some strangers; just keep heading east!"

I then decided to give that voice a piece of my mind. "Buck you, I'm starving!"

While we were treading through the woods, the little filly decided to start a conversation. "I'm Felicity, by the way. Do you have a name?" fearing that she might've heard about me, I decided to just simply leave my last name as I was scribbling my first name onto the board. "Sheldon. Were you named after somepony?"

"My grandfather."

"Must've wanted you to carry on his legacy, no doubt. Not that I have anything against it, in fact I was actually named after my mother."

"What was she like?"

"Well, my father told me that she was very pretty and always liked to help others; he even says that I'm kinda like her in a way. Although, this is just what he says. I never really knew her personally."

"How come?"

Her smile had crumbled into a frown as she prepared herself to answer my question. "She died giving birth to me...my father didn't want to feel like she lost her, so he gave me her name. What about your mother? did she die to give you life too?"

Despite seeing her and my family being taken away from me, I still had some bit of hope in me that they'll be all right. (Of course, I haven't yet gotten word about their demise at the moment.) I just wrote on my board, "No, she managed to live long enough to see me become a stallion. Even my speaking problem wasn't enough for her to give up on me."

"Now that you brought it up, why are you always writing everything on a blackboard?" before I could write down an explanation, we had finally arrived to her little hideout. She moved a curtain of leaves away to reveal a little hut made out of shrubs and tree branches. "Father, I brought some water."

That's when I saw this old earth pony with black fur, short white hair, and a Cutie Mark that kinda looked like the golden medallion that was hanging around his neck. "Oh good Felicity, I knew that praying would lead you to water."

As he was reaching for the canteen, I noticed that he wasn't looking directly at Felicity (in fact he needed her to hand over the canteen for him). After finally getting a good look at his gray, paled eyes, it occurred to me that her father is blind. As he was drinking some of the water, Felicity told him, "Actually, I didn't find it on my own. In fact, the real pony who's responsible for this is with us."

"Is he? well where is this kind pony?"

Felicity grabbed my hoof and led me closer to her father. "Sheldon, this is my father, Partisan. And father, this is Sheldon."

Partisan started to touch every part of my face so he could get a good idea of what I look like. "Well sir, I maybe blind but I can tell that you're a good pony for what you did for Felicity." I written "Your welcome." On my board, but since he's blind Felicity had to read it out loud for him. "Now Felicity, why don't you just let this pony speak for himself?"

"Because he can't speak, father."

"What do you mean he can't speak?"

I then wrote on my board, "I was born with damaged vocal chords; I've been having to write what I have to say ever since."

After having it read out loud for him, Partisan said, "Oh, well that's unfortunate. Don't worry though, you shan't be discriminated for it. I've taught my children to always respect those who aren't as fortunate as they are. In fact, I think I can hear my son coming back right now."

I heard the sound of the leaf curtain being pushed aside, and that's when a stallion with white fur, long black hair, and the Cutie Mark of a basket with food had entered. "Good news father, we shan't be going hungry today; I've brought us enough berries to feed an entire town." He then placed a big bag on the ground and untied the tip of it to reveal a big pile of berries. But when he finally noticed me, he started to look a bit uneasy. "Who's this?"

"This is Sheldon," Felicity quickly introduced me. "He helped me find some drinking water. And Sheldon, I'd like you to meet my brother, Stuart."

While she and Partisan were very welcoming towards me, Stuart seemed to not be very comfortable with me being here. "Oh no, Felicity. Don't even think about bringing some drifter into our lives; we already have enough problems trying to feed ourselves, but we're not going to start catering for other strangers as well."

"Stuart, I'm surprised at you!" Felicity cried. "This stranger has helped me find good drinking water for us, and you're not even going to show him some hospitality? you know that father taught us to always be willing to share with others."

"She's right, Stuart," Partisan replied in agreement. "This pony was kind enough to lend us a helping hoof; so it's only fair that we show our gratitude by allowing him to have a share of the food."

Knowing that he's not going to be able to argue his way out of this, Stuart looked at me and said, "Fine, but if you're going to be staying with us, then you're going to have to help out. So why don't you make yourself useful and help me divide these berries for everyone."

When it was finally nightfall, we were gathered around a circle with plates of berries in front of us. Before the feast can commence, Partisan was starting things off with grace. "Bless the food that we're about to eat tonight, bless my son for always making sure that we don't starve, bless my daughter for never giving up hope, and bless our most honored guest for his good deed. Amen."

As soon as it was over, I was practically the first to finish my plate. This rushed consumption resulted in berry stains covering my beard; the sight of which caused Felicity to giggle. "Would you like to wash that down?" she handed me the canteen, and I in turn took a small sip.

After giving it back to her, I decided to write something on my board. "How long have you all been living here?"

Felicity was the first to reply. "Since we were tossed out of our home."

"What happened?"

This time, it was Stuart who gave me an answer. "Our landlord kicked us out. We've always paid our rent on time, but then he decides to throw us out of our own house just so he can give it to one of his poker buddies!"

"You mean you couldn't buy another house?"

"Oh sure, we had more than enough money to buy another house," Stuart assured me. "That is if we didn't have to always pay a monthly tribute to some bandits just so they cannot harm me and my family! although now that I think about, we don't even have anymore bits to spare for them; so we're pretty much broke. And even if we didn't have to give up every single bit to those bandits, you'd think we'd still be here?!"

"Stuart, don't raise your voice like that," Partisan tried to calm him down. "Sheldon meant no offense by it; he was asking a question." He then decided to ask me one, "So as you can see Sheldon, my family has been having to go through some harsh times. But what about you, though? what brings you to this forest?"

Not really so sure how to put it to them, I just written down the first thing that came to mind. "Celestia sent me here."

That seemed to spark Felicity's interest. "Really?! You know Princess Celestia?!"

"Not personally."

"Then how come she's the reason you're here, then?"

"Because she wants me dead."

When that last sentence was read out loud, Partisan said, "Why would she want you dead?"

"Because I was born different from anypony else; and she seems to consider that a threat."

"No, no, Sheldon, Celestia would never want to harm somepony just for being different. I should know, I've taught everypony about the mercy and faith of our dear princess way before I lost my vision. And as a pony of Celestia, I know for a fact that she would never bare any ill will towards anypony--no matter how different they are."

"She had guards take away my family and force me to leave my life and all my friends behind," I erased that statement. "Where's your 'mercy and faith' on that one?"

Upon having that statement read aloud, Partisan persisted in his claim. "Sheldon, whatever grudge Celestia has over you and your family must be a mere misunderstanding. Whenever bad times fall upon me and my family, I always look up to Celestia for guidance. I can assure you that in one time or another, Celestia will probably forget whatever quarrel she was having over you and will gladly welcome you back to your home."

"Where was your home, exactly?" Stuart asked.

"I lived in Ponyville."

That almost made him choke. "You mind explaining on why a Ponyvillian is going so far east?"

"I don't really know myself, but I'm just hoping that this path will help me to rescue my family and maybe marry the mare that I love." That is if she hasn't already found another stallion to replace me.

It was now Felicity's turn to ask me questions. "You have a special somepony?!"

"Oh yeah, we've been together since we were foals."

"Was she pretty?"

"I thought she was the most beautiful thing in all of Equestria," I erased that statement. "When I first saw her, I wanted nothing more than to have her as my girlfriend." I erased that sentence. "Of course I only knew about her beauty at first; I soon got to learn about her temper, her stubborn attitude, and her bad manners." I erased that sentence. "But we both managed to overlook each other's flaws. My grandpa once told me that love isn't about two perfect ponies forming an unbreakable bond, it's just a mutual agreement that two deficient ponies make just so they can be together." I chuckled to myself at that brief little memory of my grandfather. He always did seem to know the solution to everything.

We all heard a yawn come out of Partisan's muzzle. "Well, it seems that now is the time for us to rest. Be sure that you two say your prayers before you sleep."

"Yes father." While they all started to pray, I just lied myself down upon the earth and tried to sleep. But before that could happen, Felicity tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll pray that you get to be with your family and friends again." I of course had to chuckle at that sweet innocence. It was times like that, that I wish I could just relive those sweet memories back at Ponyville with all of my loved ones. And when I finally fell asleep, my wish kinda came true.

...

Unlike most of my dreams, these felt more like memories. The first one was of the time me and Apple Bloom had head over to Sugarcube Corner on Hearts and Hooves Day. I was finally able to win her heart; and we decided to celebrate our relationship with a first date. By the time we both sat down, Pinkie Pie had jumped up from beneath and cried, "Hello you two! care to try some of our new lovebirds milkshakes? they're free!"

Apple Bloom then told her, "Sure, we'll share one."

"One lovebirds milkshake coming up!" she then bounced her way into the kitchen and said to my mom, "Oh Diane, your son's here!"

"Really, where is he?"

"Oh he's just sitting over by that table with the cute filly in the pink bow."

Upon hearing that, my mom just had to see for herself. After peeking out the door, my mom was able to get her first glimpse at Apple Bloom. "Oh my, is that Apple Bloom? she's pretty."

"Yep," Pinkie shouted as she was about to bring out our milkshake. "Who would've thought that Sheldon could be quite a charmer?"

Right when she was about to deliver the milkshake, my mom stopped her. "Actually Pinkie, why don't I give it to them?" after taking the tray from Pinkie, she calmly walked towards our table. "One free milkshake for the lovely couple." By the way she was looking at me and standing still, I had a feeling that she wasn't going to leave just let. "Sheldon, you care to introduce me to your little girlfriend?"

Not wanting to be rude to my own mother, I quickly wrote a short introduction for Apple Bloom. "I'd like you to meet my mom."

Apple Bloom gave my mom a quick hoofshake and said, "It's a pleasure ta meet ya, ma'am."

"So you're the famous Apple Bloom that my son keeps talking about."

"Has he now?"

"Oh yes, he always likes to tell us how you're the most beautiful filly in all of Equestria."

"Aww, you really said all of that about me?" Apple Bloom then started to nuzzle next to me--which slowly caused my cheeks to turn red.

Seeing that she succeeded in flustering me, my mom said as she was turning back towards the kitchen, "Have fun you two."

When she was gone, I started to hear Apple Bloom's inner voice. "You know, maybe havin' Sheldon as my boyfriend might not be so bad after all. He does look kinda cute when he blushes like that. In fact, I wonder if he'll blush some more if I did this?" she then planted a little kiss upon my cheek, and my whole face was about as red as a tomato at this point. After letting out a giggle, Apple Bloom pulled the milkshake a bit closer to us and said, "Well aren't ya gonna drink it, or am I just gonna have ta drink this by myself?"

Since we were both drinking it at the same time, the milkshake had gone down much quicker. Everything was silent for awhile until Apple Bloom decided to let out a burp. Everypony just stopped and stared at us in an uncomfortable silence. Apple Bloom just looked at me (probably expecting me to be disgusted) for awhile, and then a smile started to form upon my face. She then started to chuckle a little until she finally decided to let all that laughter out (while I just smiled).

As soon as that was taken care of, everypony just went back to what they were doing before. And this was when the snob couple chose to pay us a visit. "Hello Clopper," Highbrow greeted me. "I see that you've found yourself a special somepony of your own."

"Hi, I'm Apple Bloom."

She let out her hoof, expecting it to be shook, but instead had it be kissed by Highbrow's lips. In a fit of jealousy I used my Mind Powers to toss a cupcake at the back of his head (making sure that nopony else had noticed it, of course). He then started to have another tantrum, "Who threw that?! whoever threw that will hear about this from my father!"

Diamond was able to calm him down though. "There, there, that's not important right now. All that matters is that you and I are finally together." After rubbing each other's muzzles, she turned and said to us, "Bye lovebirds."

When they finally left, Silver Spoon had then approached us. "Hi, I noticed that you two got one of those free milkshakes; I bet it was like delicious." She could tell by the scowl on my face that I didn't want her anywhere near me. "Look, I just wanted to take this time to tell you goodbye."

"What fer?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well you see, I understand that I've done some like horrible things to the both of you, and now you two are finally together. I've done some talking with my parents; and since I don't want to get in the way of your relationship, I've decided to move to Manehattan."

"Oh gees, have ya told Diamond about this?"

"No, I'm like not even gonna bother. I was never really her friend; if anything I was nothing but a stooge to her. And since she has a colt of her own, she's probably not going to even need me to suck up to her anymore." She then turned her attention to me. "Sheldon, I know you have every right to hate me, but I really do love you--even if you never loved me back. Before I move away, I was wondering if you could possibly forgive me for what I've done to you and Apple Bloom? I might not be able to be your girlfriend, but maybe we could at least be friends?"

As much as I didn't even want to say anything to her, Apple Bloom was able to talk me into it. "Please Sheldon, won't you at least accept her apology; she does seem ta feel bad about doin' all that stuff."

Not wanting to look like a jerk in front of my beloved, I decided to just go ahead and write down, "I forgive you."

Upon reading it, Silver Spoon started to tear up as she said, "I'm sure that you don't really mean it, but it's nice of you to say it anyway." And with that said, she walked out of Sugarcube Corner--never to be seen by anypony here ever again.

...

The next memory I had was of the time Pecan had taken me to the dentist. The minute we've entered, Minuette was more than eager to greet us. "Hello Pecan, what brings you here?"

"It's my friend, Minuette," Pecan explained. "He's havin' a toothache."

"All right, just hop on and let me take a look." While I got myself settled on the dental chair, Minuette was getting out all of her tools. "So you're Sheldon? Pecan's been telling me a lot about you. Is it true that you, um...have a speaking problem?"

I just wrote on my board, "How did you guess?"

"I don't mean anything bad about it, I just don't usually meet that many mute ponies. OK, now open your mouth and let's see what the problem is." After inspecting my teeth with her mouth mirror, she shouted, "Oh, there's the problem!" she then used her dental tweezers to pull out a little chunk of a potato chip. "You just had a little bit of a chip stuck in one of your molars." She then gave me a bag with some dental floss in it. "Now I know that you kids these days just love to chow on snacks, but make sure you always floss after a meal. You wouldn't want to have more bits of food stuck in your teeth, would ya?"

After writing down a "Thank you." On my board, I left the dental office and pretty much allowed Pecan to have some alone time with her. (I mean why else would he want to take me to her?)

...

This next memory had took place at Button's house. It was a Saturday evening, and Button and I were in his room, playing a two player game together. As we were getting nearer and nearer to the final boss, Button was saying, "Now this is what makes a good Saturday: no homework, no chores, and getting to play video games with your best friend. How can this day get even better?"

I then paused the game and took the time to write on my board, "Weren't you and Sweetie Belle suppose to be doing something today?"

After letting that question sink in, Button suddenly shouted, "Oh buck me, I promised her that I would take her to the fair today!"

"Then shouldn't you go and take her there?"

"I could, but tickets have probably been sold out and Sweetie might be too angry to see me right now. I'll just make it up for her tomorrow."

An annoyed scowl started to form upon my face as I wrote down, "You know Button, you can be very cruel to her sometimes. All she wants is for you to care about her and yet you don't even seem to put too much effort when it comes to dating her."

"I do so care about her! it's just that I get distracted easily."

"Oh Button, can you come down please?" his mom called out.

After turning his game system off, Button went down the stairs--while I just followed behind him. As soon as he got to the bottom he saw somepony that made him shout, "Dad!" I then saw him rushed towards his dad--who in turn had lifted him up in a hug.

"Hey kiddo," his dad said. "You've been taking care of your mother while I was gone?"

"You bet! but what brings you home so early?"

"Well Button, it just so happens that the company is allowing me to test out this new game system." He then took out a new game system that almost brought Button to tears. "You wanna try it out, son?"

"Would I?!"

As soon as they both went upstairs, it was now just me and Button's Mom. "Oh good, you're still here. You mind if I talk with you for awhile?" she then led me to the living room. Even after having Apple Bloom as my girlfriend I still seem to find myself being attracted towards Button's Mom. When we sat upon the couch, the first thing she said was, "Sheldon, I know you have a crush on me."

Starting to feel a blush coming on, I quickly tried to act like it wasn't true. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me, Sheldon, I overhear everything you boys talk about; and you're blushing right now."

Seeing as how there's no way that I'm ever going to be able to fool her, I figured that there's really no point in denying it. "Does this offend you?"

"Oh no Sheldon, I've got nothing against this little crush of yours. If anything I'm flattered that a young colt would even think that an old mare like me is still beautiful."

"You're not that old."

She giggled at my compliment. "As sweet as that maybe for you to say Sheldon, I'm afraid that you're going to have put an end to this little crush. (I am married after all.)"

"I'm sorry if it bothers you that I think you're beautiful."

"You don't have to apologize for that. Believe me Sheldon, you're not the first colt to think I'm beautiful. When I was your age, nearly every colt in the neighborhood wanted me to be their special somepony; but I instead chose that quirky video game geek and ended up having two wonderful sons with him. Sheldon, there are plenty of pretty fillies for you to choose from; and I'm sure that a sweetheart like you can't have too much difficulty in getting one."

"I already have a girlfriend; and I love her very much."

"And I'm sure that she must be very lucky to have a sweet and caring gentlecolt like you for a boyfriend."

"I'm the lucky one; she never would've been interested if I hadn't told her how much she means to me."

Button's Mom then did the one thing that I never would've expect her to do: she kissed me on the cheek. "I'm sure that the both of you are lucky to have each other." After that, I just quickly got up and went back home.

When I was gone, Button's Dad had finally came down and joined his wife. "Button seems to be enjoying that new game system; and I bet that the CEO's will be pleased to hear about this. So who were you talking too?"

"Oh just one of Button's little friends--whom happens to have a little bit of a crush on me."

"The kid must have good taste, then." After giggling at her husband's comment, the two of them had then made contact with their lips.

...

My next memory was of the time I spent my first Nightmare Night at Ponyville. I was all prepared in an Altamare costume, while patiently waiting for my friends to come over. As I was pacing back and forth in an impatient manner, my mom--who was dressed as a vampiress--had just finished filling the bowl with candy as she said, "Be patient Sheldon, your friends won't start trick or treating without you." And that's when the door knocked. "Oh, sounds like they're here."

When she opened the door, there stood all of my friends in their own costumes. Pecan was dressed up as a bandit, Rumble was dressed up as some kind of bat superhero, Scootaloo was a vampire hunter, Button was a knight, Sweetie Belle donned a yellow princess dress, and Apple Bloom was wearing a bunny costume. Trying my best not to laugh at her, I wrote on my board, "What happened to your zombie costume?"

"It shrunk," Apple Bloom grumbled. "So I had ta wear this instead."

"I think it makes you look cute."

"Shut it, Sheldon."

"What, I can't say that my girlfriend looks cute in a bunny costume?"

"I said shut it!" not wanting her to get angry, I gave her a small smooch to the cheek--which ended up calming her down. "You're lucky that I think you're sweet."

Before we could leave, my mom said, "Now don't be gone for too long, Sheldon. You still have a bedtime."

"Don't worry Mrs. Clopper," Tex (who was dressed as a cowboy bounty hunter) assured her. "I'll make sure yer boy gets ta bed right on time without missin' any of the fun."

And so we all wandered all over Ponyville and collected candy--while Tex was keeping an eye on us. We got lollipops from Sugarcube Corner, bonbons from Carousel Boutique, toothpaste from Minuette, we even got some chocolate bars from those mutated monkeys. After collecting enough candy, Tex had then led us to a statue of Nightmare Moon.

"All right kids, now go dump all yer candy ta the statue."

"Why do we have to do this again?"

Scootaloo was the first to answer. "Because everypony has to offer Nightmare Moon a share of their candy."

And Sweetie Belle added, "And those who don't get gobbled up."

This might sound frightening, but none of them seemed to be too scared about it. So I figured that maybe a little prank wouldn't hurt. When it was my turn, I just took out the toothpaste and placed it in the pile, while I hid my bag behind my board. A wind started to howl, and after a couple of thunder strikes, there stood Princess Luna herself. "Children of Ponyville," her voice boomed with an echo. "Your Princess of the Night is ever so grateful for your offering, and...wait a minute, what's this?" that's when she noticed the toothpaste. "Who dares to hoard the sugary goodness to themselves?!" no one answered. "None of you wish to confess, huh? In that case, I'll have no choice but to eat all of you then!" after they had all ran away screaming, Luna lowered her tone a bit as she said to me, "It was you, wasn't it?" after revealing the bag of candy, she and I joined in a little laugh. "You're quite a mischievous little colt, but it's still nice to finally meet you in person."

"I'm sure that my parents will be thrilled that I got to meet the Princess of the Night herself."

"Yes, but don't think your attempt at flattery will excuse you for your little prank. You wouldn't want me to take this up with my sister, would you?" upon mentioning her, I started to get a bit tensed up. That is until she calmed me down. "No, no, Sheldon, I was only joking. I promised you that I wouldn't let her know about your secret and I meant it. You have no reason to be afraid around me." To show her how much I appreciated her kindness towards me, I decided to give her some of my candy. "Thank you Sheldon." Like the first time I met her in my dream, I saw a green flash from her eyes, but also like before, I paid no heed to it.

...

The next memory was of the time my mom had gotten sick on Mother's Day. After my dad had left the room, I went up to him and wrote on my board, "Is she OK?"

"No son, your mother has a little cold; it might not go away until a week. I'm afraid we're just gonna have to cancel all those fun things that we had planned for her."

"But she's got to least have something. It's Mother's Day for Celestia's sake!"

"I'm sorry son, but your mom's just too sick for something big."

Just because she couldn't do something fantastic, didn't mean that she still couldn't enjoy herself. So after getting every bit out of my jar, I went over to Sugarcube Corner. When I'd entered, Mr. Cake said, "Why hi there Sheldon, what brings you here?"

I then wrote on my board, "My mom's sick."

"Oh that's awful." Mrs. Cake sympathized.

"I want to give her something special for Mother's Day."

That's when Pinkie Pie popped from out of the counter. "Say no more Sheldon, I'm way ahead of ya!"

She then gave me a box that had a cake in it. As I was about to pay them, Mrs. Cake said, "Oh no Sheldon, you don't have to pay for it. Your mom's been such a good help that it's the least we could do to thank her."

Back at home, my mom was lying on the bed with a pack of ice on her head and a runny nose. After seeing my dad come in, she said through her coughed up voice, "Jack, what is it?"

"Well Diane, you might be too sick to go and enjoy yourself, but Sheldon just got you a great surprise."

I then came in and used my Mind Powers to lay a tray upon my mom's bed. She saw the cake with yellow frosting and in white letters it said: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Next to it was a pink and white card that had a picture of her holding me as a baby and a message that reads: BEST MOM EVER!

As she was starting to shed tears of joy, she reached out and hugged me as she said, "Thank you sweetie."

...

This next memory involved my grandmother. When she and my grandpa came for another visit, she insisted on meeting Princess Twilight. So one day, I was leading her to the top of Twilight's castle, and that's when we saw Spike scribbling some notes. "Oh hey Sheldon, what brings you here?"

"My grandma wanted to meet the princess."

"Oh, this is your grandma?" he then greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

"Likewise," my grandma said. "Anyway, Sheldon told me that the princess really liked my pie; so I made her another one."

"Thanks, the last one you sent was delicious."

"Wow, I never had my cooking complimented by a dragon before!" my grandma's inner voice was squeeing in excitement.

The door suddenly opened, but instead of the princess, it was instead her buck buddy, Flash Sentry. When he noticed the pie, he said to Spike, "You've been cooking again Spike?"

"Actually, she made it." He corrected him.

Upon seeing her, Flash said, "And who might you be?"

My grandma was sweating as her inner voice was saying, "Oh my gosh, a Royal Guard is speaking to me! how can this get any better?!" regaining her composure, she told him, "I'm Amy Clopper; my grandson was kind enough to take me to see the princess."

"Is that so?" he then took off his helmet and placed it on my head. "Here ya go kiddo, now you can be a Royal Guard."

When he started to have a piece of the pie, Twilight had finally came in. She giggled when she saw me wearing Flash's helmet and said, "Aw, has this brave little soldier come to protect me?"

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for kids." After giving her a kiss, Flash took back his helmet, patted me on the head, and then flew off.

My grandma then tried to introduce herself to the princess. "Princess Twilight, I'm Sheldon's grandmother. My grandson's always gets to see you, so I thought I'd come along with him."

"Well it's an honor to meet you," Twilight said to her. "And I'd like to say that your grandson is probably the nicest colt I've ever met."

"I've baked you another pie. Sheldon told me that you liked the last one."

"Yes, and it was delicious." She then took a bite. "But not as much as this one. You really gotta tell us your recipe."

"Sorry, it's a family recipe."

...

And now I've come to another memory. It was Hearth's Warming Eve, and my entire family was just in absolute joy over the many things that we got for one another. That is except for Dr. Egghead. I noticed that he was sitting by himself on a couch, drinking some hard cider, so I went up to keep him company.

"Why are you so upset?"

He looked at me with a frown and said, "Well Sheldon, it's Hearth's Warming Eve, and I'm just a little bummed out that I won't get to spend it with my family."

"Why don't you?"

"Because I've lost them."

"You mean they died?"

"No," tears started to slide down his cheek. "They just left me. You see Sheldon, I once had a wonderful wife, and two amazing kids. The only problem was that I barely got to spend time with any of them. Since I'm always having to help other children, my kids were forgetting that they even had a father. My wife of course would always lash out on me for always picking my patients over my own family; so one day, she filed for a divorce and got full custody. I haven't seen them for such a long time; you're probably the closest I'd ever have for a son for awhile. The point is nopony should ever have to spend Hearth's Warming Eve without his family."

I didn't want to see him upset, so I tried to be sincere with him. "Dr. Egghead, you've might've lost your own family, but you still have mine." I erased that sentence. "After all the times you've helped us, you've become much more than family to us. If I'm the closest thing for a son to you, then your the closest that I'd ever have for an uncle." I erased that sentence. "So don't feel like you're alone; because you're not."

His tears finally dried up and a smile was slowly forming on his face. "Thank you Sheldon, that means a lot coming from you."

...

This last memory had happened right when I was finally a teenager. Ever since she finally got her Cutie Mark, Apple Bloom hadn't spent that much time with me anymore. Fearing that I might lose her, I always try to be around her every chance I got. But it would seem that it was starting to get on her nerves; so at one point, she finally snapped.

"OK Sheldon, you really need ta stop this!"

"Stop what?"

"This constant smotherin' me with attention! you've been actin' very clingy tawards me as of lately, and it has ta stop!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to spend time with my girlfriend! it's not like you try putting any effort to be around me!"

"You're sayin' this is my fault?!"

"Maybe I am! ever since you got your Cutie Mark, you're barely around anymore!" I erased that statement. "So you can't really blame me for wanting to remind you that you have a stallion who loves you!"

"Sheldon, I have a Cutie Mark now; I have other things ta worry about now! you're not the only thing that matters here!"

"So what?! I have other matters in my life, but I at least still allow you to be a part of it!"

"Ugh, you're so impossible ta put up with! ya use ta be sweet and caring, but now ya just bein' stubborn and selfish!"

"Look who the buck is talking! I'm not nearly as stubborn as you; or temperamental, or rude for that matter!"

"Well at least I can speak!" that last outburst had silenced the both of us. While I was trying to fight back tears, Apple Bloom was already starting to regret her choice of words. "Look, why don't we just talk later, all right? Sheldon?" instead of responding, I just turned away and went straight home--and I'm sure she did the same thing.

I was lying on my bed and moping like any teenager would do when he feels that his relationship is about to end. I then heard a knock on my door. "Sheldon Clopper II." And then another knock. "Sheldon Clopper II." And then a third knock. "Sheldon Clopper II." I knew right away that it was my grandpa. After opening the door with my Mind Powers, he came and sat next to me. "Hey there, I couldn't help but notice that your facial features were expressing grief. Did something awful transpired?"

"Apple Bloom and I had a fight. I think she doesn't want to be around me anymore."

"Oh boy, I just knew that this day would arrive." His inner voice was saying. He then told me, "Sheldon Clopper II, you're a stallion now, so it only makes logical sense that I enlighten you about relationships. You see, sometimes ponies who love each other tend to get stressed out with each other and will want to have a little space away from one another for awhile. Sometimes they'll get back together, and sometimes they never see each other again. I understand what you're going through; it happened to me and your grandmother one time."

"You mean you and her use to fight each other?"

"Yes, we even broke up at one point. But we still managed to find a reason to stay together, get married, and eventually give birth to your father. The point is Sheldon Clopper II, you're never going to have a relationship without an occasional fight once in awhile. Your parents fight sometimes, and they still love each other."

"Mom and dad don't fight; they're always happy."

"That's only because they wait until you leave and then they let out their frustrations. You and Apple Bloom have finally let out your frustrations, and now it's up to you two to decide whether or not you still want to be together. Love isn't about two perfect ponies forming an unbreakable bond, it's just a mutual agreement that two deficient ponies make just so they can be together."

After letting that information sink in, I was finally able to pull myself together. "Thanks grandpa, I know what I have to do now."

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was in her room--pretty much going through the same thing I just went through. Her sister then came in to check on her. "Hey sugarcube, what's with all the mopin'?"

"Sheldon and I just had a fight, and I might've said a few horrible things ta him."

"Well I'm sure it's nothin' you two can't fix together," that's when I knocked on her door. "See, there he is right now. I'll just leave you two alone."

When she left, I sat next to Apple Bloom and wrote on my board, "I'm sorry if I've been getting on your nerves these past few weeks. I just love you so much and I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sorry too, Sheldon. You were right, I do have a temper problem. I didn't mean ta make ya feel bad about not talking, I just got a little angry."

"I understand. You're just not perfect; and I'm not perfect either. We might be the most imperfect couple in Equestria, but we've still managed to be together."

"Ya know, I just realize that you're the only colt who was ever interested in me. Now that I look back, that time I burped on our first date, most colts would want ta get away from me after that, but you managed ta still love me despite of it. I guess I've just been takin' yer love fer me fer granted."

"Look, we shouldn't let any of our flaws be an excuse to not be with each other. Whatever problems we have, we can fix together. Is that a deal?"

"Deal." After giving each other a small kiss, we just nuzzled next to each other as I saw her brother walk by and I heard his inner voice say, "Oh brother."

...

After that long trip down memory lane, I finally woke up. Except my hosts weren't around; that is until I started to hear voices. As I got out of the hut, I saw Felicity and her family being harassed by three thugs. One was a grey earth pony with long black hair, wearing a black waist coat, and a top hat upon his head. The other was a buffed looking brown earth pony with a twirly black mustache, a red vest, and a bowler hat upon his head. And the last was a bald purple earth pony with a butler's outfit and a monocle.

Stuart was the first to say, "Look, you three have already got every last bit that we could spare. There's nothing left for us to offer."

"Don't be ridiculous," the grey stallion said. "Just because you can't cough up some bits doesn't mean you can't trade. But what do you have that's even of any value?"

"Your Grace," the purple stallion said. "What about that gold medallion around the old bag's neck? That ought to be worth something."

"You're right Your Excellency," the one called Your Grace agreed. "There might be some pawnshops who would have to get their hooves on some gold." He then turned to the brown stallion. "Your Majesty, would you kindly confiscate that medallion?"

Without saying anything, the brown stallion went and ripped the medallion from Partisan's neck. "No, that's a family heirloom!" Stuart tried to fight back, but ended up getting punched in the gut by the brown stallion.

Your Grace then started to say, "I wouldn't want to be going rough with His Majesty if I were you."

"Oy, look over there!" that's when they finally noticed me.

"Oh, a little company no doubt." His Grace said.

"You leave him alone," Felicity stood up to them. "He has nothing that you three would be interested in!"

"I'll be the judge of that, girly." His Grace then said to me, "What do you have that's worth parting with?"

I then wrote on my board, "All I got is a board and chalk."

"Oy, looks like we got ourselves a dumb one." His Excellency commented.

"Who are you calling dumb?!"

"Easy now, he meant no offense," His Grace tried to calm me down. "His Excellency was just simply stating that you're incapable of speech. Kind of like His Majesty." His Majesty then suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to His Grace. "Well I'll be, if it ain't that Mindbender Celestia's been after." That's when I realized that the piece of paper was actually a wanted poster.

"What are you talking about?" Partisan asked. "Mindbender's are a myth."

"Not this one," His Grace said. "This fella had caused a big raucous over at Ponyville. He might've gotten away from Celestia, but she still made his family pay."

"She might have my family right now, but I'll be back to rescue them!"

His Excellency started to laugh, "Kinda hard to save anypony when their heads aren't on their shoulders."

I was confused at that statement. "What do you mean?"

His Grace then explained to me, "His Excellency is referring to the fact that your family's dead."

Dead! No, this can't be true. I might've been gone for awhile, but even I know that they wouldn't have died already. "You're lying!"

"Oh no, it's true. We were actually there when it happened; weren't we Your Excellency?"

"That's right, we were over at Canterlot getting these fancy duds, and that's when we saw Celestia drag your family out in public and chopped their heads off one by one."

"She even decided to use their heads as decorations for her castle. And to think none of that would have happened if you had just surrendered yourself and let her take your head instead."

No words could describe the feeling of despair that I was experiencing right now. My family: my parents who gave me life, my grandparents who helped me at times when my parents couldn't, and my therapist who practically saved my life by having me move to Ponyville are now gone! I failed! I was suppose to come back and save them, but now they're dead! all I could do was allow this anguish to sink into me as I was pouring out tears and crying out sobs that nopony could hear.

Upon witnessing this sight, His Grace said, "There, there, now, there's no need to be crying now. We do have hearts after all. So I'll make it easy on you," he then took out a knife. "I'll just slip your throat, deliver your head to Celestia, collect that million bit reward, and while we're living the rich life, you can be up in pony Heaven with your mommy and daddy."

As they were getting closer, I saw their faces turn into that of Celestia's. Soon my sadness was now turning into rage. I then built up enough force with my Mind Powers and sent the three of them flying! I watched as His Majesty had planted his face right into a tree, as he laid down in pain I quickly made the tree go crashing down upon him! The sight of his hind legs twitching was enough to make His Excellency flee in terror. But he didn't get too far until he ran on top of a rock and I lifted it off the ground. As he tried to keep his balance, I turned the rock over to make him fall; then I slammed it down with enough fury to chop him in half! he coughed up a little blood, moved back to reveal his intestines sliding out of his body, and then he stopped breathing. His Grace quickly picked up the knife and tried to finish me. But my Mind Powers were too quick; I lifted him up in the air, and I slowly pulled all four of his legs and his neck. He sent a scream that could be heard all over Equestria; but it soon went quiet by the time his limbs were removed from his entire body!

After that, Stuart was standing in front of Felicity and Partisan while shouting, "Stay back! don't you dare try to hurt them!"

"Why would I? It's not like you three had murdered my family." I erased that sentence. "What are you being so mad about anyway? you hated these three."

"Yes, but murder is still murder!"

"But he saved us." Felicity defended me.

"Don't encourage him!" Stuart shouted. "He's nothing but a bloodthirsty monster!"

"The only bloodthirsty monster around here is Celestia. I might've failed to save my family, but now I have a new mission: and that's to kill Celestia!"

"Halt, in the name of Princess Celestia!" I turned around to face the Royal Guards, but I wasn't prepared to whom I was about to come face to face.

Comments

[theanonymousbrony]

10074190
I have been needing to update this fic to how I currently write my other fics, add some new characters, as well as fix up any spelling errors; that, and a friend of mine is working on a cover art for this, so I wanted to wait until he completes it before I even start working on a new chapter. I imagine by the time I finally do get to come back and fix it, your suggestion will be included.