//------------------------------// // Family is Beyond Time and Space // Story: Tales of First Contact: Unity // by Banjo64 //------------------------------// It is common for new mothers to have both rational and irrational fears about their child. Most would agree that worrying about a magical storm causing their four year old son to vanish in a flash of light to be an irrational fear. Mary Greger, however, would disagree. “Luke!” She cried out in horror as her baby boy disappeared into thin air. Words could not describe the terrible mess of emotions that coursed through her. “Mary…” said John as he slowly approached his wife. Then, suddenly, there was another bright flash outside. Mary didn’t hesitate. She turned and dashed out the front door in her pajamas. “Mary! Wait! We don’t know what’s out there!” exclaimed John. Mary ignored him. “Luke?! Luke?! Can you hear me?!” she called out. She heard someone crying. She rushed forward to see where it was coming from, but stopped in her tracks at at what she saw. The cries were not coming from her son, but from a small pink horse. It looked up at her with large eyes full of tears. “Mommy?” it asked. Despite her panic and fear, Mary felt her heart go out to the little thing. It seemed so lost and confused. Maybe it had been ripped away from its parents? Just like… “Mary? What’s… what is that?!” cried John as he caught up with his wife. The filly backed away, clearly terrified. Seeing it act so scared made something in Mary click. She made her decision. “Are you alright, little one?” asked Mary as she kneeled down. The creature still flinched and started crawling backwards. “Who… are you?” it asked, its expression fearful. “It can talk?!” exclaimed John. “John, hush!” said Mary before turning back towards the pony. Mary hesitated. She tried to imagine how Luke would have reacted if he saw a large strange thing creeping towards him. “I… I’m just someone who wants to help you. Maybe even take you to your mommy,” said Mary in as calm a voice as she could manage. The filly’s eye grew wide at her words. “You know where my mommy is?” asked the filly. Mary sighed. “No, but I can help you look for her, and give you a nice warm bed to sleep in tonight,” she said. “Oh… Ok…” the filly said, clearly nervous. Moving as slowly as she could manage, Mary made her way forward and picked up the filly. She was about as heavy as her own child had been. “Don’t worry, little one. I’ll keep you safe. Can you tell me your name?” asked Mary. “Starshine…” said the filly. “That’s a really pretty name,” said Mary with a smile. She turned around to see the utterly baffled expression on her husband’s face. “Mary… what on earth are you planning to do with that thing?” he asked. “Her name is Starshine, John. I’m taking her inside for a bath, then I’m putting her in bed,” said Mary. “But… but… Mary, this is ridiculous! We don’t what it… her… whatever, even is! She might be an alien invader! She might be why Luke just vanished out of thin air!” objected John. Mary’s expression grew hard. “You think I haven’t considered that? If those lights were any indication, then whatever took Luke from us brought Starshine here. I’m not going to pretend I have the faintest clue what’s going on, but I do know that this little one is going to need someone to take care of her,” said Mary. “Mary…” started John. “Think about it John: if this little filly’s been separated from her parents and is lost, what do you think is happening to Luke right now?” asked Mary. John was quiet as he realized what his wife was saying. “Somewhere, somehow, a talking horse is holding my little Luke in her hooves and trying to figure out what to do with him. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to see him again, but more than anything I want him to be safe. If I want to believe that Starshine’s mother will care for Luke as if he were her own child, then I absolutely must do the same in return,” said Mary. John sighed. He could tell there was no arguing with her now. Luke sat on a bed, staring at a wall. It wasn’t his bed, and it wasn’t his wall. The magic talking horseies had been nice to him, but he wanted to go home. He wanted to see his mommy. Suddenly, the door opened, and the big blue horsie walked in carrying a tray of food. The horsie said his name was Bright Light, but Luke thought that was a pretty silly name. “Hey, I brought you some breakfast. I hope you like eggs on toast,” he said. Luke was getting hungry, but he didn’t feel like eating. The horsie put down the tray and sat next to Luke. “I just got a letter from the really smart ponies I told you about,” said the horsie. “Uh huh…” mumbled Luke. “They said that they think they can send you home, but not for a really, really long time,” said the horsie. Luke looked up, confused. “Really, really long time?” asked Luke. The horsie sighed. “Long enough that you’ll probably be all grown up by then,” said the horsie. “Oh…” said Luke as he turned back toward the wall. He probably would have started crying again if he wasn’t trying so hard to be brave. He missed his mommy and daddy. They both sat their in silence for a bit, the horsie looking for the right words to say. “Look... Luke... I know you want to see your parents, but you can’t just sit here in your… I mean, this room for years on end. This isn’t your home, but you’re going to be in this place for awhile. Do you really think your parents would want you to lock yourself up like this?” asked the horsie. Luke knew his mom would be really mad if she was here. And he did want to go outside and play again. But... The horsie cleared his throat before continuing. “Luke, Sunshine is determined to be your guardian, and after getting to know you, I don’t see a reason to argue with her. We both want to see you happy,” said the horsie. “You’re not my daddy…” mumbled Luke. The horsie sighed again. “No, I’m not. And I can’t care for my little foal, either. I can only hope that your mother is taking care of my Starshine. I know me and Sunshine will never be able to replace your mom and dad, but we really do want help you. So… maybe you can call us Uncle Bright Light and Aunt Sunshine?” asked Bright Light. It took a few moments for Luke to respond. “OK…” he whispered. “Aunt Mary, Uncle John, I’m home!” called Starshine as she closed the front door. “Welcome home, sweetie! How was school today?” called Mary from the kitchen. “It was great. We learned how to multiply by six,” said Starshine as she made her way to her adoptive aunt. “Still just as easy as always?” asked Mary. “Yep. I really wish they’d give us something harder. I don’t get why everyone else finds it so tricky,” said Starshine as she put down her saddlebags. Mary chuckled, though she found herself once again pondering if the filly’s mother knew just how talented her daughter was before Starshine had been sent here. She shook her head. No point in dwelling on that again. She just had to hope that everything was fine wherever Starshine had come from and, hopefully, where Luke had gone. “Don’t worry. You’ll find a math problem that gives you trouble in due time. How’s Matt?” asked Mary. “He’s still out sick, but teacher said he’ll probably be in school again tomorrow,” said Starshine with a nod. “Glad to hear that. Maybe you two can play soccer again soon,” said Mary with a nod. “I hope so. I have this super cool new kick I want to show him,” said Starshine with a smile. Luke hummed an aimless tune as he happily drew in his sketchbook. The sunset was beautiful that evening, and he wanted to try and capture it as best he could. “Evening Luke,” said a young yellow pegasus as she flew down to him. “Evening Cloudburst. What’s up?” asked Luke. “The sky, as always,” said Cloudburst with a giggle. Luke chuckled, but remained focused on his drawing. Cloudburst sat down next to her best friend. “It’s hard to believe that we’re almost ready to graduate,” she said. “I don’t know, Cloudburst. Graduating from general school isn’t that big a deal. Almost everypony does it,” said Luke as he changed colors. “It’s still an important landmark. It’s the point where we stop learning all that useless stuff and can focus on learning more about our talents. It shows the world we’re not little kids anymore,” said Cloudburst. “We’re not adult yet, either. We still have to deal with a bedtime,” said Luke with a smirk. Cloudburst rolled her eyes. “Why do you always have to be such a downer, Luke? Ever heard the saying about the bright side of life?” asked Cloudburst. Luke rolled his eyes back. “Cloudburst, I’m not a downer. I’m just a realist. I do see the bright side of life. Like… that fact that I’m happy to have found my talent without a cutie mark to prove it. I’m just anxious about what I’m going to do with myself,” admitted Luke. Cloudburst sighed. “Luke, you worry too much. When they open that portal to your home world, everything will turn out alright. You’ll see,” she said. “I certainly hope so,” said Luke as he added the finishing touches to his work. “...our speaker of the class, Miss Starshine Greger!” announced the principal. Taking a deep breath, Starshine stood up and made her way to the podium. She’d taken the time to prepare for this, but the butterflies refused to leave her stomach. Who’d have thought that the alien pony would end up graduating from college first in her class? “Thank you, principal Harris. It’s a honor to have been choose for this role. I’m a bit overwhelmed by this, so please forgive me if I’m a little… horse,” said Starshine. There were some laughter from her classmates, though a few parents in the crowd shifted awkwardly. It was easy to spot those who still found listening to a talking pony to be weird even if her existence was common knowledge now. Not that Starshine minded. She was used to being a bit of a weirdo, and not just from the hooves and tail. “I know, I know, that joke’s as old as dirt. But I keep making it because I think it makes a rather profound point whenever it comes… from the horse’s lips,” said Starshine. There was more laughter at this one, though she could have sworn she noticed her boyfriend facepalm out of the corner of her eye. He never did care for puns. “I am an alien. There’s no point in denying that. But I am also an alien with a sense of humor. I can take a few jokes at my expense. And standing here, giving an acceptance speech for my class, I can say I’ve had more than my fair share of criticism and doubts,” said Starshine. Again, there was some awkward shuffling in the crowd. Starshine ignored it. “But I soldiered on. We all soldiered on. And now, we’re actually here, about to graduate from one of the most prestigious schools in the world. This cape and gown are more than just a symbol of academic achievement. It’s an indication that we were all strong and smart enough to overcome every obstacle that came our way, both in and out of the classroom,” said Starshine. Starshine turned toward her adoptive uncle and aunt. They were looking at her with eyes full of liquid pride. She owned them so much for helping her get this far. “So when I say I’ve overcome my… neigh-sayers, I’m not just making a pun. I’m telling the  world that I’m ready for whatever it can throw at me. That I’m ready to step out and become an adult. That I’m ready to use what I’ve learned at this academy and do incredible things,” said Starshine. And those stupid anti-talking horse haters can kiss my first-of-class backside, she thought to herself. Luke took a deep breath. This was it. He’d been dreading and looking forward to this day for as long as he could remember. Would his parents be proud of the artist he’d grown up to be? Would Starshine be safe and sound? Would he… “Luke, you’re working yourself up again,” chided Bright Light. Luke winched. “Right, sorry Uncle Bright. I’m just nervous,” said Luke. “Me too, Luke. I’m about to meet my daughter, who I haven’t seen in twenty years. I wasn’t there to see her grow up, so I can’t help but wonder if I’m really her father anymore,” said Bright Light. “Of course you are, Uncle Bright. She was old enough to remember you when we switched places, so she must still know you're her parents. Celestia knows I still remember mine, even if I’m just as worried about how they’ll react,” said Luke. “Just because you remember someone doesn’t mean they haven’t changed. Twenty years is a long time. Maybe she doesn’t consider herself a pony anymore. Maybe she’ll be too busy to come see us. Maybe…” “Now look who’s working themselves up,” said Sunshine with a giggle. Bright Light coughed, though a blush still crept onto his face. “It’ll be fine you two. Call it a mother’s intuition, but I just know this is going to turn out alright,” reassured Sunshine. “Alright, you three ready?” asked the head mage. “I believe so. You can start when you’re ready,” said Bright Light. “Got it. Stand by, everypony. Portal will be opening in 3… 2… Starshine looked at the two ponies in front of her. The stallion was bright blue, and his mane flopped to the side in a pattern like hers did. The mare was bright yellow, and her eyes were just like the ones she always saw in the mirror. The faint memories from her childhood came back in perfect clarity. There was no mistaking who these two were. “Mom? Dad?” she asked, her voice hesitant. The stallion took a nervous step forward. “Is that you, Starshine?” he asked. Tears were forming in her eyes. She felt so overwhelmed with emotion. Confusion, joy, sadness, shame, hope, and goodness knew what else burned inside her. She couldn’t bring herself to speak. Instead, she simply nodded. The dam broke. The stallion and mare raced forward and pulled her into a hug as tears started flowing from everyone’s eyes. “After all this time… my baby…” mumbled the mare through her tears. “I’m… I’m back… mom… dad…” Starshine managed to choke out. It would be quite some time before they broke their grasp on each other. As their emotions began to calm and their tears started to dry, the three of them turned to look at the other ongoing reunion. The three humans were together in an equally strong hug. The mothers of both sides made eye contact. There were no words between them, just a silently shared expression of gratitude.