Looking out the window, Twilight Velvet could see the familiar sight of Ponyville. The journey had been a somewhat long one. It took a little magical touch up now and then, but Twilight Velvet kept the little manticore spawn looking adorable and her ribbon presentable. She was sleeping now, and unaware of just how much her life was going to change within the hour.
Missions like these made the job worth it. Some missions were unpleasant. Broken homes, broken ponies, broken dreams of what might have once been a family—those things made the job unbearable. Twilight Velvet gazed out the window and watched as her daughter Twilight’s castle grew larger. Not every family was perfect, not every family had a happy ending, not every family stayed together, sharing a state of domestic bliss. But, this case would have a happy ending. Oh, it might not be a perfect ending, but it would do. Megara was not some unknown princess, lost and stolen away by some terrible villain, now recovered to have a storybook happy ending.
Nope, she was just an unknown daughter, created from tragic circumstance long ago. She was going to meet her father, who would embrace her, and a stepmother that would love her without hesitation. For Twilight Velvet, this was, for all intents and purposes, a storybook ending. Perhaps not perfect parents, but good enough parents, parents who would never stop trying to make things right.
The train slowed a little more and the thatched roofs of Ponyville were a welcome sight, as always. She looked over at Wormwood, then at Megara, and then back to Wormwood. There was another parent that would never stop trying to make things right. Wormwood, Gloomy August, and Silver Lining were as perfect of a family as one might hope for. Tragic circumstances had once more transmuted into something wonderful, something special.
“Megara, darling, it is time to wake up.” Twilight Velvet spoke with tender words—she had grown fond of Megara during the trip—but she grew fond of most of her clients. Sometimes it was difficult to let go. Indeed, letting go was the hard part. In Megara, she saw endless potential. The little cub was smart enough that she would learn quick, she tried to be gentle, but her enthusiasm might mean a few scratches here and there. The little cub loved to sing and Twilight Velvet hoped that her parents would see past her yowling and recognise the voice that needed schooling, nurturing, and guidance.
Lifting her head, Megara yawned, revealing that she had the typical manticore underbite. Her long, sandpapery tongue lolled out of her mouth, and her tail swished from side to side, as it too, awoke from its slumber. As she woke up, she flexed her little toes, her claws became visible for a moment, and she stretched her still developing wings.
“You are almost home, Megara.” Twilight Velvet gestured at the window with her hoof.
The little cub stood up on her hind legs and rested her front paws on the window sill. She pressed her nose against the glass and watched, wide eyed, as more of Ponyville came into view. After a moment, Megara pulled her face away from the window and looked at Twilight Velvet.
“How do… love?” Megara asked.
“How does one love?” Twilight Velvet clucked her tongue. “Oh dear, how I wish Cadance was around.”
“Not know… love. Ask pink pony. Not know she words.”
It took a few seconds for Twilight Velvet to piece together the cub’s words. “So, you don’t know or understand what love is, you asked Princess Cadance, but you didn’t understand what she had to say?” Paraphrasing was important, it helped a foal, or in this case, a cub, feel as though they were being listened to.
Megara’s face scrunched up and the little cub had to concentrate on Twilight Velvet’s words. After a moment, she shrugged, then nodded. “She nice, pink pony. Find her, ask for daddy. Her know.”
“Yes, Cadance has a remarkable ability to mend broken hearts and set things straight.” Twilight Velvet let out a sigh, glanced at Wormwood, and then returned her attention to Megara. “Love is both easy and very hard. For you, Megara, I think that all you’ll need to do is just give your new father a chance. He might make a mistake or two, but I know him. He won’t give up and he won’t quit. Just let him hold you and pet you and get to know you.”
“Megara the Lioness… not pony.”
“Oh, Megara, that doesn’t matter as much as you might think.” Wormwood stuffed his beat up and battered looking trilby down upon his head. “My stepdaughter is a griffon. Gloomy, my wife, she makes no distinctions about kind. Little Silver is hers… now, it might matter to some, but not to Gloomy, and not to myself. For some reason, ponies keep their opinions to themselves around me. Don’t know why.”
There was a soft chuffing sound as the brakes brought the train to a halt. The train lurched, but Megara kept her balance. Staring at the cub, Twilight Velvet, who had spent some time getting to know her, saw a little more equine in the cub than she had first thought. Sure, she had paws, and a lion’s tail, and she had peculiar glowing orange eyes that burned like two lanterns in the dark—that was bound to cause a few scares—but it was Megara’s mannerisms that brought out her equine side. Her thoughts, her actions, her gentleness. When she had scratched Twilight Velvet and drawn a tiny drop of blood, she had melted down and sobbed for hours, inconsolable.
No, Megara wasn’t fit for the wilds, not at her current age and state of development. She would never survive growing up in the wilds, which might be considered ironic, given who her father was. No doubt, he would teach Megara a new way of thriving in the wilderness. The thought made Twilight Velvet smile.
“Come, Megara, it is time to go home. You be a good cub, and don’t you go running off when we get off of the train, okay? Wormwood will be very cross if he has to chase you again.” Twilight Velvet reached over, pulled Megara away from the window, and gave her a little hug.
“Reow?”
“I mean it.” Twilight Velvet’s voice was firm. “You want to look nice for your new family, don’t you?” That did it, in Megara’s eyes there was a glimmer of recognition and understanding. Twilight Velvet smiled, the cub was a smart one.
It was unknown if it was a feline sense of pride or an equine sense of herd, but Megara wanted to belong. She wanted love, acceptance, she wanted to belong to something greater than the sum of its parts. She needed more nurturing than a manticore family had to offer. Perhaps it was wrong of Twilight Velvet to think this way, but she believed that an equine family had more to offer Megara than a manticore one. A manticore mother tended to eat her spawn if they overstayed their welcome.
“If you run, you little scamp, I really will be cross with you. No joke.” Wormwood stood up and one of his eyebrows arched. “I’ve been cooped up in this caboose for too long, my legs are all cramped up.”
Megara turned her bright orange eyes upon Wormwood and gave him a devastating stare. Her lower lip protruded and her little whiskers quivered. She folded her ears back against her skull and the overall effect borderlined on lethal, weapons grade adorable, just as Shining Armor had stated.
“Eh, I’ve been inoculated. I’ve seen sad little griffon cub faces. But that’s impressive.”
When she saw it had no effect, Megara let out a meow and then slumped against Twilight Velvet, who gave the cub another squeeze. The sounds of pony voices could be heard outside as loved ones reunited or said their goodbyes.
“I wonder what makes her eyes glow like that,” Wormwood said to himself in an absentminded voice.
“Ready to go?” Twilight Velvet pulled Megara around to look into her eyes.
“What if no want?” Megara blinked and the overall effect was almost heartstopping.
Sighing, Twilight Velvet shook her head. “I suppose there is just no way to prove this to you. Come, my silly little Nutmeg, and let me introduce you to the father that is never going to let you go.”
An older looking house came into view. It stood on the northern edge of Ponyville, a relic of another era, another time, a house almost as old as Ponyville itself. It had started off as a barracks constructed of stone, but over time, wings and additions had been added, and now, it was a large, rambling house. It had a fence around it, the yard was filled with all manner of peculiar, and some might even say, dangerous plants. The two needler cacti near the front gate certainly gave ponies pause.
But not Twilight Velvet. She marched right up to the gate, with Wormwood following behind her. Megara was riding on his back and taking in all of the sights. There was a light dusting of snow upon the stone fence, but none was falling now. As Twilight Velvet approached, the gate opened, moved by some unseen force. The old wrought iron hinges creaked a little.
When the vines near the gate wiggled a bit, Twilight Velvet stopped to give them a good stern stare. They retreated from her baleful gaze and she raised one eyebrow at them. A snow dusted topiary of a large minotaur turned to look at her and Twilight Velvet cleared her throat.
“I am expected,” Twilight Velvet said in a loud, clear voice. “Delay me at your own peril.”
“You may pass,” the minotaur topiary replied in a voice that sounded like leaves in the wind. “Mrs. Velvet, we have been expecting you. Do come in, the door will open.”
Clucking her tongue, Twilight Velvet wondered whose bright idea it was to allow a druid and wizard to live together under the same roof. And not just any druid, the druid. His command over the flora was alarming. She felt the fine hairs of her pelt standing up along her spine beneath her jacket. Even now, she could feel eyes upon her as she approached the door. There were guardians here, powerful ones, and not all of them could be seen.
Megara would be safe here, and Twilight Velvet had a peculiar thought; her father might just give her a jungle to roam. It was within his power to do so. The fine web of vines covering the front door pulled away as she neared and the large, heavy wooden door swung open, inviting her inside. The old barracks had an entryway, a small room just past the door, and a second door awaited.
She stepped into the small room and so did Wormwood. The door behind them shut and then the door in front of them opened. This wasn’t a home, it was a fortress, made by one incredibly paranoid pony who had made far too many enemies. Again, Twilight Velvet thought about how Megara would be safe here. She would be free to roam these halls, to grow, to learn, and to adjust to how ponies did things. This would be an excellent place for her to come into her own.
Smiling, she stepped through the inner door.
“Hello again, Mrs. Velvet. I’ve been looking forward to your arrival.”
Twilight Velvet leveled her affectionate gaze upon the pony addressing her, and she felt pity. His eyes were red, bloodshot, and looked like he hadn’t slept for a while. No doubt, he had spent the long nights pacing the floor, waiting for something precious to him to come home. The room was filled with a small herd of ponies and she worried that Megara might be overwhelmed.
“Mister Teapot, it is always a pleasure to see you. You’ve done quite a bit to fix this place up. I am impressed.” She saw a weary smile cross his lips.
“I have to keep what I treasure safe.”
“So you do, Mister Teapot, so you do.” Twilight Velvet felt Wormwood brush up against her side. “I have brought you another treasure, Mister Teapot. Might I introduce you to Megara the Lioness…”
Using her magic, she lifted Megara from Wormwood’s back and heard a faint mewling sound. Twilight Velvet felt many eyes upon her as she levitated the cub over to her father. She knew these ponies, all of them, she loved them, trusted them, she was quite fond of all of them.
Pebble stood near her father’s side, her expression unreadable. Maud, Pebble’s mother, also stood near her husband’s side, her expression also unreadable. A short distance away, Octavia sat on an ancient looking chaise lounge, and Vinyl Scratch stood with a camera.
“Megara, this is Tarnished Teapot.” As Twilight Velvet spoke, she could not help but notice the matching shades of chocolate brown. Oh, there were a lot of brown ponies, but Tarnish was a very distinctive shade of silky dark chocolate, as was Pebble. “Mister Teapot, this is your daughter, brought home at last.”
“Hi,” Tarnish said as Megara was set down on the floor in front of him. He sat down with a plop and lowered his head so that he could be closer to her, down at her level.
Looking shy, Megara just sat there, unmoving, staring up at the father she had never met. There was a flash from Vinyl’s camera, which made Megara blink her bright orange eyes, and the cub’s tail swished around, behaving as though it had a mind of its own.
“When I found out, I cried a lot.” Tarnish held out his right front hoof, but did not touch Megara. “I didn’t know… I didn’t realise. I wish I had known… I wish I had known…”
Lifting up her own paw, Megara reached out and touched the extended hoof. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the hoof that her paw rested on. Her ears pivoted around as she concentrated, and keen feline-equinoid intelligence could be seen upon her face as her whiskers quivered. “We same.” The cub looked over at Pebble, then back at her own paw, and then up at her father’s face. “Same.”
“I like things that are brown,” Maud deadpanned.
Where she stood, Vinyl had changed cameras, and now, she was recording this moment on film so it could be watched later. Twilight Velvet smiled and leaned up against Wormwood. Without even looking at his face, she knew that he was crying, because she could feel his sides hitching as he tried to hold it in.
“Can… can I hold you?” Tarnish asked in a hesitant voice. “I’m so scared that I’ll make you uncomfortable or scared… I’m a stranger to you.”
“Scared?” Megara asked.
“Yes, I’ve been scared for a while now. I’ve driven everypony around me crazy, asking them what do I do if you don’t like me… I think they’re all a little fed up with me.”
“Only just a little,” Pebble said in a deadpan that matched her mother’s.
“You have something in common, Mister Teapot.” Twilight Velvet’s voice held a mother’s reassurance. “Megara here has been scared this whole trip, fearful that she would not be wanted. She has been beside herself.”
A large tear rolled out of the corner of Tarnish’s eye, down his cheek, and then splashed onto the floor, leaving a tiny puddle. “I’ve felt so bad… I hate my father… he’s a deadbeat. And when I learned about you… I… I…” Tarnish’s words trailed off and he shook his head.
Megara stepped forwards, closer to Tarnish, and sniffed him, her whiskers quivering. Reaching up, she placed one paw upon his neck, pressing it against him, and then, closing her eyes, she rubbed her face and ear against his neck in a display of feline friendliness. “Hold Megara.”
“Okay.” Tarnish swept the cub up and wrapped his foreleg around her, content to sit on the floor and hold her close. He felt her tail curl up around his foreleg and he held her just a little closer, almost squeezing her. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know… I didn’t realise that manticores and ponies could…” He fell silent, unable to finish what he had to say.
“You want?” Megara asked.
Tarnish did not reply, not right away. A pained expression crossed his face and he squeezed his eyes shut tight for a moment. When he opened them again, more tears spilled out. “I want…” he began, “I want a chance to make things right. I’m never letting go of you, Megara.”
“Well, Wormwood, our work here is done.” Twilight Velvet gave a sidelong glance to her sniffling companion. “Mister Teapot, there are some papers, and yes, I know how you feel about bureaucracy. I’ll return at a later time so that we might go over them and sign them. Right now, you need time to get to know your daughter. If you want to win her affection, I recommend canned sardines, Mister Teapot. She adores them.”
“Oh?” Tarnish looked up, blinking away tears.
“Come, Wormwood, pull yourself together. Happy endings are our business and our business here is done. Let us get you home.” Twilight Velvet turned her head and looked at Maud. “Thank you, Mrs. Pie, for making this easy. You’ll need to sign a few adoption forms to be listed as her legal mother. It takes considerable moral fibre to agree to adopt sight unseen.”
“I like what I got.” Maud’s voice was flat. “She’s brown and fuzzy, like a rock covered in lichen. What’s not to like?” The stony mare moved closer to her husband and placed her muzzle close to his ear. “Look, somepony thoughtfully included a ribbon on your gift, Tarnish. We’ll have to keep it.”
“Ready to go, Wormwood?” Twilight Velvet’s hooves clattered upon the stone floor as she turned to face her companion. “Do you need a hanky, Mister Wormwood?”
“Nope, I’m fine.” Wormwood sniffled and wiped his eyes with his wings. “Nothing wrong with me. All these plants, allergies. I need some fresh air, Mrs. Velvet.”
“Very well, Mister Wormwood. Let us away… this story has a happy ending, and we have other stories to work on, like your own. I should very much like to see little Silver Lining.”
“Sure thing, Boss, sure thing… let’s go…”