It didn’t take long before the minipones returned and whispered Starry’s whereabouts into Edgy’s ear. He returned them to the darkness and started casually walking over to where Starry was supposed to be. He was a little apprehensive and a little cross at her, but it was a little hard to hold in his curiosity as to why she was acting so weird.
He found her dozing off on a park bench with no Cass or Bee in sight. He could tell she was deep asleep and hesitated about waking her.
He didn’t have to worry about making that decision though.
He instantly whipped up the shadows to surround him when he heard a noise off to his left. There was a rustle in the leaves of the nearby bushes and a small squirrel hopped out and made leaps toward the bench. Edgy could see the squirrel was holding a small bag in his mouth, and as he came up to Starry he placed it on the ground next to her and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder.
Starry woke up and looked down at the ground before giving Rochester a sleepy smile and taking the bag up with her magic.
Rochester chirped back at her before he leapt back off into the bushes.
Edgy had remained hidden in the darkness so that neither could see him, but he decided it was now or never to confront her.
He was just about to lower the darkness around him when he saw what Starry pulled out of the bag. There was a note, or maybe a photo. He couldn’t see what was on the other side of it, but whatever it was that Starry saw, it made her smile. She curled back up and he thought maybe he could see what was on one corner of it.
Just as he was about to whisk the shadows away there was another sound coming from the bushes. This time, it was just the rustle of the wind, but he felt a little apprehensive.
Again, he was just about to walk out to Starry when a pony grabbed his right hoof and started dragging him away. He muffled his own startled yelp but Starry heard it and looked his direction. She didn’t see him, though, because just as suddenly he was thrown behind the fountain statue and remained there until she turned back away.
He looked at his kidnapper but all he saw was a cloaked figure.
“Shhh,” the cloaked figure turned toward him before dragging him off in the direction of the back alleys of Ponyville and away from Starry and the park bench.
Out of curiosity he let the pony drag him away. They got to a neighborhood that seemed familiar to him but he couldn’t quite name it, but when they went to enter the cloaked figure’s home, he remembered.
Granny Angel?
The old pony took off her cloak and set it aside on one of the nearby sofas.
“Yes, and I know who you are, Edgy,” she went off toward the kitchen and began pouring tea as he sat down at the table.
“I know those impressive scars are more than what they seem.”
Edgy nearly dropped the tea cup she had offered him.
“What do you mean?”
“I know you have a lot of abilities that other ponies don’t know about. And a lot of burdens.”
She sighed and looked up at a picture that Edgy hadn’t seen the last time he came in there with Starry. The picture showed a young filly Granny Angel with what looked like a sweet green colt. She seemed tired and worn in the picture.
“Neither of us could have the family and home we thought we wanted, but I think we both managed to find our own way, all the same.”
Edgy looked away.
“Starry needs your help. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on with her lately. She feels like she’s lost her purpose, the one that’s kept her going for a long time,” Granny Angel said and looked directly into Edgy’s eyes.
“If you can convince her to stop by and see me, it’d be much appreciated.”
With a smile, Granny Angel turned back toward her own tea cup as she sat across from Edgy.
It seemed like Granny Angel was done, and even though Edgy was a little apprehensive as to how much Granny Angel might know about his powers, he took off.