• Published 31st Jul 2012
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Hope and Shadows - dlazerous



Follow the lives of the main six and their children as they face an uncertain future

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Grandpa Knows Best

Hope and Shadows
Chapter 6 "Grandpa Knows Best."
By Steven Little
My Little Pony © Hasbro




Clyde gently laid the small pegasus in the upstairs guest bed. "Inky, go next door and get old Doc Splint, he should be home today."

"Be right back dad. It should only take me an hour." Inky trotted out of the room but Honey watched her launch into a hard gallop as soon as she was out of the house. Turning back from the window, she was fixed by her grandfather's gaze while Blinky quietly washed down Jato's wounds.

"I don't mind you dropping in for a visit every now and then, dear but I'd prefer you not do it literally." Honey hugged her grandfather tightly as she started to sob. "Hey now, what's this? There's no need to cry, your friend here will be ok. It looks like he broke one or both of his wings and took a nasty bump to the noggin but he should be okay. Were you watching this little guy for his mother? I'm sure she'll understand."

Blinky cleared her throat to get her fathers attention. "Daddy. She's not watching him for somepony." She said tapping a hoof to the right side of her neck and motioning her nose toward Honey.

Honey stood frozen while her grandfather brushed her mane aside revealing the bandage on her neck. "He's my mate Grandpa. I know he looks small but he's the same age as me."

"Come on downstairs so we can talk about this. Blinky, let me know if the boy wakes up. I'm going to want a few words with him as well." Clyde led his granddaughter down into the living room and motioned for her to sit on the couch while he chose his own chair that while comfortable was older than he was and showing its age. Like the chair, the house was old. The farmhouse had been Clyde’s home ever since he moved there with his wife over forty years ago. Even then it wasn’t much to look at.

The living room itself took up most of the first floor with a doorway to the kitchen on the right wall and Clyde’s bedroom off the left. Honey stopped looking around a slowly met her Grandfathers gaze. "I'm sorry Grandpa. I didn't want to tell you like this. I know how you feel about this sort of thing."

"And how is that may I ask?"

"Well, momma told me how she wasn't allowed to have any colt friends for a long time and when she did, they never hung around long. She told me how you felt about colts and fillies getting together before they were married. She even told me you brought a pickaxe to her wedding just to make sure daddy would go through with it."

"All true, but something your mother didn't tell you is that as I've gotten older I've realized that what I think shouldn't really matter too much. I'm old fashioned and stuck in my ways and nothing is going to change that, but Honey, my ways are not the only and certainly not the best way. You have to find your own path in life. Now answer me this, do you love him, I mean really love him?"

Honey thought for a second. "Grandpa Clyde, I love that pony more than anything in the world, he means everything to me. We grew up together, I know everything about him, even the cute way he fidgets when I'm moving to slow for him and I always let him go race around in the air but he never leaves me behind. Most of all, I love the way he treats me. He's defended my honor on at least two occasions. He's never aggressive with me, all he wants to do is hold me and wrap his wings around me. He's my little baby bird. I feel safe with him Grandpa, safer than anywhere else in all of Equestria. When he's with me I feel like I could fly, even without wings. Sorry Grandpa, I didn't mean to ramble."

"You go right ahead and ramble, that was very sweet and honest." Her turned his head to a noise on the stairs. "Come on down Blinky, you don't have to skulk on the stairs. How's the boy doing?"

"He's resting. It doesn't appear that he has any real bad injuries other than his wings. I put an ice pack on his head to help with the swelling." Blinky looked over to her niece. "Please don't worry about him dear, I'm sure he'll be fine. How are you Honey?" Blinky walked over to the couch and sat next to Honey. "Why don't you tell us why you and your little 'baby bird' are here?"


Over the course of the next half hour, Honey told them everything from the time Braeburn found them at Garnets house up to that moment. "I don't know what to do Grandpa. I was hoping we could stay here until everything cools down and Daddy would be willing to actually talk with us instead of yelling."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, I can understand where your father is coming from. If I had walked in on something like that with one of my daughters I'd be fit to be tied."

"But dad, it was completely harmless." Blink said.

"You know that and I know that but Braeburn didn't and he didn't seem like he was in the mood to listen. Sounds like he hasn't been in the mood to listen for a while. Oh well, I'm sure he'll be around soon enough. If I know your mother, she'll have that boy searching under every rock and twig looking for you." Clyde chuckled to himself. “Either way, I suppose I should send a letter to him let him know where you are before Pinkie beats him up."

"But Grandpa, we came here to get away from him. Why would you tell him where we were?" Honey asked him, bewildered.

"Braeburn is your father and no matter what you may think of him at the moment he deserves to know that you are safe. Also, I think the boy's parents should know he's been hurt. Don't you think it's only fair?" Blinky explained to her.

"Well said Blinky. Her comes Inky with the doctor."


===============================================================


Big Macintosh approached the Sheriffs Office and casually knocked on the door. "Come in." Came a shout from the other side of the door. Walking into the office, Macintosh saw Garnet filling out some paper work at his desk.

"Sorry Mac. I need to get this done; I have an appointment out of town in a little bit."

"This will only take a moment of your time Sheriff."

"Mac, it's me. Since when did you ever refer to me by my job title?"

"Since I have a favor to ask you." The red stallion stared at Garnet with the no nonsense look he usually had but Garnet could tell there was something more, buried just below the surface.

"What's going on?"

"Jato told me about an incident yesterday down at the bowling alley. He said the stallion got locked up here. I need to see him."

"Okay, all you had to do was ask. He's down in cell two." Garnet escorted him into the back room and down the hall. The purple unicorn knocked a hoof on the cell bars to wake the sleeping pony. The stallion rolled over to make a snarky comment to the sheriff when he met the fiery gaze of the stallion next to him.

"Charger, I might have known it was you. All these years and you have the gall to show up in these parts again. To top it all off, you end up hitting on Braeburn's daughter." Macintosh's voice was mellow and measured but Garnet could tell the stallion was restraining a raging animal burning inside of him.

"Braeburn? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. So what now, you gonna’ beat me up, make me pay for my wicked ways?" The prisoner asked sarcastically.

"Garnet, that favor I was going to ask you, keep him here. Don't let him out of that cell no matter what. I don't rightly care how much money he offers up as bail, keep him here."

"No problem Mac, he's got several warrants out for his arrest. He isn't going anywhere." Garnet assured him.

As they walked back out to the front room, they could here Charger taunting them from his cell. “If you happen to see the cute little piece of tail, you tell here I’d still like to take her for a drink!”

Ignoring the prisoner as best they could, Garnet shut the door separating the holding area from the office. "Mac, before you go, I have a few questions. First, when did you talk to Jato? He's missing and everypony is quite worried about him and Honey. Second how do you know my prisoner, he seems to know you and your family, and third why do you want me to hold him.

"Honey and Jato have gone to the Pie farm outside of town. As for your prisoner, I know him form a long time ago. He hurt someone very close to my family. He got away from the law once we don't want that happenin’ again."

"Alright, I can accept that. You should go tell Braeburn and the others where Jato is. If I see Twilight or Applejack, I'll let them know. The Pie farm is actually where I have business today."


===============================================================


In Hoofington, Applejack and Twilight walked down the street, headed for the jewelry shop she visited once before. Moving down the street, every pony would stop and bow as Twilight walked by. "Don't that get a might annoying?"

"You have no idea but Celestia said to humor them. No matter what I say they will still bow as I walk by." She said as they approached the front of Tipony's. Holding the door open for her, Applejack walked in first followed by Twilight.

As the bell above the door chimed, a salesmare rushed out from behind the counter to meet them. Twilight quickly realized it was the same pony that helped her the last time she was in. The salesmare had a light pink coat with a mint green mane, her wardrobe obscured her cutie mark but Twilight knew it was her. "Princess, it's so good to see you again." She said bowing low.

"You don't have to do that, please get up." The sales mare slowly got up to her hooves.

"Your majesty, you have impeccable timing. We've recently finished your order, I was about to send a message to you letting you know of their completion."

"Excellent. I'll be picking those up before I leave. Mrs. Blossom, I believe you know my friend here?"

"I don't think so. I'm sorry, you are?"

"Blossom, it's me Applejack. I know it's been a while, how you doin' cousin?"

The pink mare’s face lit up brightly as she hugged Applejack in a crushing embrace. "Oh AJ, it's been so long! How have you been?"

"I'm good sugar cube. I'm married to a wonderful stallion and we have a little foal named Toffee. But Blossom, we're here for another reason." She sighed. "It's Braeburn, he still feels guilty about what happened all those years ago and he's taking it out on a colt back in Ponyville who has eyes for his daughter."

"What's going on?" She asked. Twilight and Applejack related the whole tale since that faithful morning at Garners house. "That hoof for brains!" She quickly checked her volume. "I can't believe he's still brooding over that. I've moved on, he should too. Princess when do you need me in Ponyville, I’d like to help."

"Thank you, if you can leave now, that would be best." Twilight explained.

"Let me talk to my boss, he's a very understanding stallion." Blossom left the room only to return a moment later with a large box. "Here's your order, my boss told me to take as much time as I need so where is your carriage?"

Applejack smiled at her cousin. "There are faster ways to travel when you're the friend of this particular Princess." Applejack said. Twilight walked between the ponies and wrapped a wing around each of them. With a blinding flash they were gone only to reappear outside of Applejack's home.

"What was that?" Blossom asked, startled and a little dizzy.

"Teleportation. Not the most relaxing way to travel, but defiantly the fastest." Twilight explained. Applejack ran over to the front door of Braeburn and Pinkie's home to find a note nailed to it.

"Applejack, Princess Twilight. We have located Jato and Honey out at Clyde's rock farm. The rest of us are on our way over. If you know of something that can help the situation please come immediately." Applejack said, reading the note aloud.


===============================================================


Back at the farm, Jato had regained consciousness while the doctor tended to his wounds. "You were very luck youngcolt." The doctor told him. "You were so exhausted from towing the extra weight that you lacked the energy to properly brake. This could have been a lot worse. As it is, your left wing has sustained a hairline fracture and you've lost a lot of your feathers. Don't worry; your primaries are still in place. Most of the feathers you lost were the small tertiary ones. They should regrow in a few weeks." He turned to address his neighbor. "Clyde, I want you to see to it that this boy gets plenty of rest, he's in no state to travel."

"Not a problem Doc, I'll see you out. Honey, do me a favor and see if you can get some food ready. Inky, Blinky, make sure he stays there."

"You got it dad." Inky said. Honey ran over and gave her mate a quick kiss then followed her grandfather and the doctor out of the room. "She really does love you." The dark gray mare told the young stallion.

"Oh Inky, you should have heard her gushing to dad about him. It was so cute." Blinky giggled.

"I'm right here you know." Jato said a little irritated.

"Oh, we haven't forgot about you." Blinky said. "Just wait till dad gets back. I really wouldn't want to be in your hooves right now."

"Well, while I'm waiting for my impending doom. I was wondering, is this place really a rock farm?"

"You've been talking to Pinkie haven't you? No, it's a quarry but Blinky and I look for gems and crystals and precious metals in the rock for separate sale plus we always keep a little for our hobby." Both of the mares laughed. Blinky reached up to a high shelf and pulled down a box. Opening it she pulled out a gold band with the picture of a shield that looked a lot like Garnets cutie mark. The picture itself was made completely out of purple amethyst.

"Wow, that's amazing! How long did it take you to do that?"

"Only a few hours. It's not that difficult a design." Blinky told him.

"Do you think I could ask you to make something? I want to give Honey a present and something like that would be perfect."

Inky pulled out a quill. "Describe it to me and I'll see what we can do."

"Well, it would go around her hoof of course. I'd like it made of silver so it sticks out against her coat. The band would be small, I think about an inch in width. In the middle, if you can, I'd like a picture of a bird made of blue topaz if you have it."

"Well, that seems easy enough. We have all the materials so it wouldn't take to long to make. What time frame were you thinking?" Inky asked.

"As soon as possible would be best. I can pay you of course. My bag over there has about two hundred bits in it, I hope that’s enough." Jato informed her.

"Well, if Inky and I both work on it, we could probably get it done in about an hour. And you don't have to pay us. If it's gift for Honey, we're happy to do it."

"Thank you." He called after the two gray mares as they left the room for their workshop. Jato tried to get out of bed and had barely made it onto his hooves when Clyde walked in.

"Either you're hard of hearing or you're stubborn as the day is long. The doctor told you to stay in bed."

"I barely listen to my parents, what makes you think I'm going to listen to a doctor I don't know?" Jato thought about what he said for a moment. "I'm sorry sir. I've had a bad couple of days. I didn't mean to take it out on you or the doctor that helped me."

"Do you think you could make it downstairs?" Clyde asked him.

"If you helped me, I'm sure I could make it. My head's still spinning a bit but my legs seem okay." Clyde helped the pegasus down the stairs slowly and helped him onto the sofa. Honey walked in balancing a tray of sandwiches. Jato moved to help her but Clyde shot him a warning glance and moved the tray off her back himself.

"Well now. I don't know about you two but I'm hungry. Help yourselves." The three ponies ate the meal in silence. Clyde noticed that every chance they got the two younger ponies stole a glance at one another. It made him smile but he was sure keep the emotion from showing on his face. "So, Jato is it? You said you were having a bad couple of day. Why don't you tell me about it."

"Where to start?" Jato tapped a hoof against his chin. "Lets see. I was woken up yesterday by Braeburn yelling at me for no reason. Honey was forbidden from seeing me ever again. Yeah that was great."

Honey elbowed his ribs. "Jato, manners! Grandpa just wants your side of things there's no reason to be snarky about it." Honey whispered.

"I'm sorry sir, ponies have been judging me for a long time either by my size, the company I keep or in this case, the mare I love. And to be completely honest I'm getting a little tired of it. I can't seem to do anything right by anypony."

"I understand your feelings Jato. Please continue with your story." Clyde encouraged.

"Well, Princess Luna and Princess Twilight intervened and they got Pinkie involved. Pinkie told us to go on our date and she would deal with Braeburn. We tried to hang out with some other ponies but some stallion started hitting on Honey so I had to inform him that she was with me. I ended up not being too gentle about it. We went out to eat and later that night we, uhm, you know." Jato was blushing so hard his coat started to turn purple. "When I brought her home, Braeburn and I got into a fight and he ended up accidentally hitting Honey. We left after that and after making a stop at Fluttershy's house, we came here and well, I crashed."

"Interesting. That's almost the exact same story Honey told me although she was a lot more detailed. Let me ask you something Jato. How do you feel about Honey over there? Now I've known plenty of colts and stallions in my years. I want the honest truth. No bravado, no attitude or empty flattery. I want to know how you really feel and if you can't admit that in front of her than how can you expect anypony else to believe you?"

Jato looked at Honey sitting across the sofa from him. "I love her sir. I always have but I couldn't admit it to myself because I was too concerned with what others would think. When we were little and she went away to visit her family in Appleoosa, I cried for days. Every night and every day until she returned. When we started to go to school she always insisted that I sit by her and play with her even though I knew she had other friends that wanted to play. The bullies in school made fun of me and picked on me because of my size. Honey would always charge to the rescue and fight them off. When I was learning to fly, it was Honey who encouraged me to try my best and never hold back. In everything I do, Honey is always there cheering me on, inspiring me to do my best. She's smart, she's funny, energetic, loving, and compassionate and there's nothing I wouldn't do for her. When I heard Braeburn forbid her to ever be around me again, I felt my heart tear in half. I felt like somepony told me I'd never see the sun again. Honey has done so much for me and I know I'll never be able to fully repay her but I want the chance to try. Without Honey I don't think I'd ever fly again." Both he and Honey had started to cry but never once did they take their eyes off each other.

Clyde seemed to wipe something from his eye. "You have a gentle spirit Jato, I hope you never loose it. I will talk to Braeburn on your behalf. But until then you two should get some rest. Now, while I don't have a problem with you being together, there will be no hanky panky in this house. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." They said in unison.


The two ponies walked up stairs to the only guest room in the house. "You go ahead and take the bed Honey, I'll be fine over here in the chair."

"Don't be silly Jato, you're still hurt; you need the bed more than I do. Please, I insist."

The blue pegasus installed himself in the plush chair and closed his eyes. "It's okay Honey, you need your rest as much as I do." Honey could see there would be no arguing with him. Crawling into the bed she laid her head against the pillow and fell asleep.

Downstairs, Clyde answered a knock at his door. Standing before him was Princess Twilight, Applejack and a new pony he didn't recognize. "Ladies, Princess, please come in. I have a feeling I know what this is about."

"Are they here sir?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, they're upstairs sleeping.” He informed them

“Oh thank goodness, has anypony else come looking for them?” Twilight asked.

“No ma’am, I was about to check in on them when you knocked. Would you like to join me?" Clyde asked.

"Lead the way." Applejack said. The four ponies quietly walk up stairs and peaked in the door to the guest room. Honey was sleeping soundly in the bed while Jato slept in the chair in an awkward position. "What happened to him sir? Why's he all bandaged up?"

"When he landed here earlier, he crashed and broke his left wing and lost quite a few of his small feathers. His big ones are all still there though." Clyde explained.

"The poor dear. That chair can't be good for him." Twilight said as she used her magic to levitate the small pegasus out of the chair and into the bed next to Honey under the covers.

Honey unconsciously rolled over and wrapped her hooves around him talking softly in her sleep. "Mmm, baby bird."

"Oh, they are so precious." Twilight cooed.

"I'd love to be here when they wake up. I told them no hanky panky while they were here. Should be quite funny when they wake up." Clyde smiled at his own comment. The other three ponies giggled.


Several hours had passed and by know Clyde felt like half the population of Ponyville was sitting in his living room. Inky and Blinky had finished their work and was downstairs doing there best to make their guests feel welcome. Garnet was turning over the bracelet he had Inky and Blinky make, marveling at it's quality. "You two did a marvelous job with this. I don't think I could get a better bracelet made anywhere else."

"I agree. I wouldn't mind commissioning a few pieces from you two when I get back to Hoofington. The owner of Tipony's would absolutely love this." Blossom said. Braeburn hadn't said more than two words to her since he showed up, a fact she had noticed. "Do you have any other examples of your work?" She asked.

Inky pointed to the box on the table. "We made the jewelry in there but you'd have a hard time opening it. We asked Luna to put a spell on it so it can only be opened by two particular ponies." An assembly of eyes looked toward Princess Luna.

"What? It was a simply request and I saw no harm in it. Besides, they let me see before I sealed it." She told them.

“Hey Twilight, how’d you get here before the rest of us, you were all the way in Hoofington.” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh, that’s easy, we teleported back to Ponyville and when we saw the note on Pinkie’s door, we teleported here. I wanted a chance to talk to Jato and Honey before everypony showed up but they were sleeping.” She explained. The assembled group of pony's looked up when the heard a yell and two loud thumps against the ceiling.

"That'll be the young'ns." Clyde chuckled. "I'll go get them. Ya'll stay here and wait please." Clyde climbed the stairs and put an ear to the door.

"Oh my gosh, If my grandpa caught us in bed together he'd tan both our hides." Honey said.

Clyde pushed the door open laughing. "I wish I could have seen your faces. Princess Twilight put Jato in the bed; I know you two weren't up to anything. I appreciate that you both respected me enough to behave as I asked. Well, everypony in Ponyville is downstairs waiting on you two, better to get this over with than linger." The elderly pony saw the dejected faces on the two young ponies. "It'll be okay, I promise. Now lets get a move on." Clyde, Honey, and Jato walked downstairs to meet the stares of their parents and most of their relations and friends.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin galloped over to their son. "Oh sweetie, are you okay. Your beautiful wings, I hope they don't hurt too much."

"Moooom." Jato complained.

"Let your mother worry son. Don't frown, I know a doctor who can get those feathers grown back in now time but until your wing heals, your grounded."

On the other side of the room, Honey was getting the same treatment from her parents. "Oh Honey, I was so super duper worried about you. Why didn't you tell me you were going to Grampy's rock farm?"

"It's not a rock farm!" Clyde hollered in the background.

"We were looking all over for you. You really had us worried." Her mother cried.

Braeburn hugged his daughter tightly. Jato was watching them to see how it went between them. No matter what Braeburn thought, he didn't want to be a wedge between Honey and her father. "I'm so sorry Honey, I didn't mean to hit you. It was an accident. Please don't hate me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you Daddy but only if you apologize to Jato about all the hurtful things you said and admit that you were wrong about him." She said. Braeburn turned and glared at the young pegasus only to see Jato glare back.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I don't think I can ever forgive or forget that he was the one who took my daughters innocence."

Honey shook herself from her fathers embrace and walked over and sat next to Jato. "You're never going to change are you? You don't ask questions or try to learn the truth about anything, you just think you know what's happening and run with it." Honey had tears in her eyes.

"Honey, please try to understand." Her father pleaded.

"No, shut up!" She yelled at him. "Jato didn't take anything, I gave it to him. Last night I tied him down and did what ever I could to make both of us feel good. I shared my body with him freely. He couldn't touch me at all. It was all me! I gave myself to him because I love him! Why can't you understand that?" The intimate confession shocked more than a few ponies in the room. Clyde just stood there smiling, he'd already heard it all and nothing much fazed him anymore.

"What if you got pregnant, had you thought of that? Do you really think he'd stay with you? That boy’s got too many ambitions to be tied down by a foal." Braeburn asked in as mellow a tone as he could.

"Jato wouldn't leave me." She said looking into the eyes of her baby bird. He smiled at her then turned and scowled at her father. "I don't know what I'd do if I got pregnant. I guess I'd try the best I could to raise it." Jato was starting to get hot from anger when Blinky tapped him with a hoof and subtly pointed to the box on the table. He looked up at her with hopeful eyes and she nodded with a smile back at him.

Jato walked toward Braeburn breathing slowly, trying to calm himself. "Braeburn, I don't know the real reason why you hate me so much but like I said before it doesn't matter. According to tradition, Honey is my responsibility now." Jato turned and grabbed the box off the table and walked back to his mate. He carefully slipped the top of the box and watched as two silver bands toppled out. The first was exactly as Jato described to Honey's two aunts. The other had a broader band and instead of a blue bird the gem design was a honeybee. He looked over to the two sisters and the nodded at him smiling. Picking up the slim silver band, Jato took Honey's left front hoof in his and looked her straight in the eyes. "Honey, I love you more than anything. More than flying, more than life itself. Honeybee, will you marry me?"