//------------------------------// // Better Left Forgotten // Story: Raising a Human Daughter // by unleashedtwilight //------------------------------// Early Auther's Note: Just a warning, this chapter will get pretty dark... be prepared. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack just groaned waking up in Applebloom’s bed. “Ugh… what in the hay happened…?” She ask before looking to see Buttercup again. “Wait what!?” She exclaimed before falling off the bed. “A-Applejack! Try to calm down!” I exclaim. “Calm down!?!? There’s nothin’ to be calm about here!!” Applejack exclaimed before slowly walking up to Buttercup. “I mean… It just can’t be her…” “Actually…” Applebloom started. “She isn’t… ‘our’ momma…” Applebloom sighed after saying that. “What?” “You remember when Mom went into that other world through the mirror?” I asked walking up to Applejack, getting her attention. “Well she’s actually from that world…” As soon as I said that, she just slowly looked back at Buttercup. “I’m sorry Applejack…” Buttercup started before going to hug her. “I know you must miss her awfully…” Applejack just stared into Buttercups eyes and sighed heavily. “Yeah… she ain’t our mother… but gosh darn it you are still her…” She said crying a bit. “Applejack?” Another voice said from downstairs. “What in tarnation are you doin’ up there?? We’re wastin’ daylight!” “I’ll be right there granny!” Applejack exclaimed before turning back to Buttercup. “What are you doin’ here in Equestria anyhow?” “Well…” she said before looking at me. “In our world, Miss. Shimmer and I were chasin’ down a cider drunk filly, and she just jumped into a magical portal before I could grab her… and I kinda fell in.” “Uhh…. what?” Applejack asked  looking at me. I just smiled sheepishly at her. “You drank cider… as a filly?” “Eheheh… Sunset might’ve told me to slow down with the cider at the time but it just tasted so good…” I chuckle a bit rubbing the back of my head. Applejack just stared at me for a moment… before laughing? “Guess somepony shoulda told ya that you were too young.” She chuckled placing a hoof on my head before ruffling my hair… before wrapping her hooves around me to hug me. “Huh?” I ask after the random hug. “Sugarcube… thank you.” “Yeah…” Applebloom said joining the hug. “We all gotta thank you.” “What? Why are you thanking me?” I ask getting hugged by everypony. “Well… I never really got to meet her before…” Applebloom started. “And seeing her like this… and hearing her voice… I just feel really happy.” Buttercup giggled a bit. “Guess your little chase turned out to be a good thing in the end…” she said before turning to Applebloom. “And speakin’ of voice… would you wanna hear the song I sang to your daddy when we were growin’ up?” “Are you kiddin’!?” Applebloom exclaimed before hugging Buttercup. “I’d love to hear you sing!” Buttercup giggled a bit. “Now if only I could play a guitar with hooves…” she cleared her throat a bit. “We're far apart in every way, but you're the best part of my day… And sure as I breathe the air I know we are the perfect pair. On a prickly path that goes on for miles... But it's worth it just to see you smile… And I cannot be pulled apart from the hold you have on my heart… And even if the world tells us it's wrong, you're in my head like a catchy song…” Applebloom was in tears hearing her mother sing… I couldn’t help but cry a bit too. “You’re voice is so amazin…”  Applebloom let out before Buttercup continued. “The seasons change and leaves may fall, but I'll be with you through them all… And rain or shine, you'll always be mine. On a prickly path that goes on for miles… you're the only one who makes it all worthwhile…  And you should not blame me too, if I can't help fallin' in love with you…” “You really do have a beautiful voice…” I smile rubbing my eyes. “Applejack!!” Granny Smith exclaimed. “Don’t make me come up there!” “You two should get goin’...” Applejack said smiling at Buttercup. “As much as I know Granny  Smith and Big Mac would love to see you again… I just don’t know if their hearts could take it.” Applebloom just ran up to Buttercup and hugged her tightly again. “Do you think you could come and visit every now and then…?” “I’d love to Applebloom… but I just don’t think it would be such a good idea for me to be walkin’ around town… when… well… you know.” “How about Applebloom goes to that other world to see you instead?” I suggest. “It would be less crazy if there were two Appleblooms.” I say giggling a bit. Applejack looked at me and smiled. “I think that would be a great idea… now come on; you two need to get goin’.” “But how do we get out without bein’ seen?” Buttercup asked looking around… before being levitated up in the air. “W-whoa!” “I got you.” I say levitating Buttercup out the window, slowly lowering her down. I then levitate myself out the window and onto Buttercup’s back. “Now I get why everypony was staring at us like that on our way here…” “You know, when you said Applebloom never mentioned me or Bright Mac, I knew something didn’t feel right…” Buttercup said heading back to the library. “We should just head back before other ponies get the wrong idea…” She said before picking up the pace. ------------------------------------------ “I think I might’ve found something.” I said looking inside one of her books. “With this spell, one of us would be able to go inside of Crystal’s mind and see what’s in there… even her subconscious… but there’s a small problem.” “What is it?” Sunset asked looking at the book. “In order for the spell to work, it has to be done by somepony outside… I’d have to be asleep next to her. Sunset, do you think you’d be able to perform the spell on me so I could see what Crystal is thinking?” “Isn’t it kind of dangerous to do that…?” “I don’t care… I want to be able to help my daughter through this.” “Well… if you really feel that strongly about it, then I guess I can…” Sunset said before looking outside. “Oh, they’re both coming back… wonder why they’re in such a rush.” “Hm?” I ask looking outside. “It looks like they’re running……” And as soon as I say that, they just burst through the door and Crystal quickly closes it behind her. “Huh? Is everything okay?” “Next chance we go back to the Crystal Empire… we need to bring Buttercup back home.” Crystal sighed panting a bit. “Did something happen at the Apple farm?” “Let’s just say Applebloom is gonna be visiting me in the other world from time to time…” Buttercup said panting as well. “Uh… okay then…” Sunset said kind of confused. “We found a spell that could help with your bad dreams Crystal… but you’re going to have to be asleep for it.” She said before turning back to Buttercup. “Do you mind sticking around for a bit longer? This won’t take too long…” “Take as much time as you need to.” Buttercup nodded before looking around at some of the books in the library… literally looking at them. She didn’t really know how to pick them up as a pony. “Alright Crystal… I need you to lie down on the ground for me.” Sunset said. Crystal just nodded and went to lie down on the floor… I went to lay down with her. “Huh?” Crystal asked looking at me. “I’m going to be the one looking into your mind sweetie.” I said kissing her cheek. Crystal just smiled at me and nodded. “Okay Mom… really hope you can help me.” “I’ll do anything I can Crystal… I promise.” I said before looking back at Sunset Shimmer. “Are you ready…?” “Just about…” Sunset said looking over the spell. “Seriously though… be careful Twilight.” Sunset urged. “I know she can do it.” Crystal said smiling at me. “My mom can do anything!” Sunset just smiled at Crystal before using her magic to put both of us asleep… … … … … . . . After a while, I eventually open my eyes to see myself in a hallway full of doors. “What…?” I ask looking around. “What is this…?” I go to open one of the doors… inside showed Crystal and her friends on a rollercoaster. “This looks like her party…” I said before closing it, moving onto another one. Opening the next door, I could see Crystal as a pony, writing to Princess Celestia with Sunset Shimmer’s book. “So this is where she was during that time…” I say to myself closing that door as well. “All these doors must lead to different memories…” I keep going down the hallway, looking through different doors… some memories of her time in school, others while practicing magic with me, or just her spending time with her friends… I couldn’t help but smile at how far Crystal has come. However, going deeper into the hallway, the doors started getting darker… from the white doors where I started, to a more gray looking color. Opening one of the gray doors… I could see Crystal back in her own world, walking through the alley all alone. “All these people who stop and give me food… why can’t they just give me a home…?” Crystal sighed eating what looks like a half eaten meal left by someone else. I go back out the door and look at another one… This time I could see Crystal hiding behind a dumpster while other people were fighting around her. “Please stop… Please just stop…” Crystal said shuddering while hiding. Looking over at the people… I see one of them raise what looks like a knife… and I quickly close the door before seeing what happened next. “What a horrible place… how could anyone do that…??” I ask myself… before hearing a loud high pitched scream coming deeper from the hallway. “What the… that sounded like Crystal!” I exclaim running down the hall… Finally reaching the end of the hall, I see two doors: A white door, and a completely black one… both of them were blocked off by chains. “What in the…” As I say that, I could hear the loud pitched scream again coming from the black door. “Crystal!!” I exclaim using my magic to carefully unlock the chain. I slowly open the door and just see complete darkness… everything was empty. I walked inside looking around… only to have the door slam shut behind me. “What the--!” I shout before a bright light blinded me. When I was finally able to see, I could see Crystal… just sitting on a chair looking down. “Huh…?” “Please… I just want to go home… I just want to be with my mommy…!” Crystal exclaimed starting to cry a bit. “You know I can’t do that…” A male voice said in the dark part of the room. “I already told you why I brought you here Rebecca.” Rebecca…? I think to myself. She did have a name…? Then why… Just then I could see a dark figure walk up to Crystal… holding a syringe in their hand. “H-hey! Get that away from her!!” I yell before instinctively shooting at the figure… only for it to completely faze through them. The figure just grabbed onto Crystal’s arm. She just struggled and and screamed… until the figure smacked her across the face, forcing her to stop. “Knock it off!!” the man yelled. The man then injected the syringe into Crystal’s arm… with her just crying as she watched, with a red mark on her face... I felt like I was about to lose my mind. “Now then… do what I told you to do.” “B-but it didn’t work the last time…” Crystal whimpered. “Please this is just crazy…! I just want to go home! I haven’t seen Mommy in a really long time…!” She cried. “Just do it Rebecca!” The male voice yelled. “This time I know it will work!” Crystal just sighed looking over to the blocks that were placed on a table… she moved her hand, pointing at the blocks and started to concentrate… in just a few short moments, the blocks then started to rise in the air. “Yes!” The man exclaimed. “Yes, it worked!” “W-what did you do…??” Crystal asked surprised that she was levitating objects. “I’ve just made magic real!” he exclaimed before grabbing hold of Crystal. “And this is just the beginning! We have so many more tests to perform!” This… this is just cruel… just what kind of person would do this?? I think to myself… after that moment the room went black again, until cutting to Crystal who was practicing spells… This is why she can pick up an spells so easily… because of this…! Eventually it cut to Crystal, just alone in a dark room, in a small bed. She was just crying quietly to herself. “Please… if there’s anyone who can hear me… please… help me… I want to go home… I want to be with my mom… I… I… I just want to get out of this nightmare…” I just look down at Crystal starting to cry myself. Once again the memory cut… going to Crystal back in the testing room with the man. Crystal was shooting at cans with her magic and sighed. “When can I go back to Mommy…?” “You can’t…” The man said flatly. Crystal just looked at the man looking like she was starting to get angry… “Why not!?” She exclaimed. “Please Daddy… why won’t you let me see her…?” she said crying again. . . Wait… Daddy!?!? “I really miss her… I know you two always fought but I just really want to see her…” The father just looked down silently and sighed. “It would be impossible even if I wanted to.” “What do you mean…?” Crystal asked… the father just stood there silently. “Daddy… where is she…?” “She’s gone sweetheart…” The father finally answered. “What do you mean she’s gone…??” Crystal asked starting to cry again. “What did you do to her!?” “I did what I felt was necessary for the future…” Crystal just stared at her ‘father’... her hands started trembling in anger. Tears were streaming down her face… Then the whole building started to shake, and Crystal started surging…! “Rebecca! Stop this!!” “You…… MONSTER……” Crystal said breathing heavily… Her eyes then went completely blank while looking at her ‘father’ “I’LL KILL YOU!!” Just then a blinding light surrounded Crystal and everything went white… When the light faded, I could see both Crystal and that man on the ground… only it looked like that man wasn’t breathing and Crystal was knocked out. Just as I was about to approach Crystal, I could hear someone walking closer to us… But who I saw, I wasn’t expecting at all. “You poor thing…” Celestia said walking up to Crystal. “What the… Princess Celestia…!?” I exclaimed looking at her in shock. “You’ve been through so much pain…” Celestia sighed placing a hoof over Crystal’s head. “Your cries did not go unheard… I will give you a better life…” She said before placing a her horn over Crystal’s head. “But for now, it’s best that you forget about this traumatic experience… Memories like this are better left forgotten.” Her horn started glowing… and just then I was forced out of the black room, flying into another. I just layed on the ground, looking up at the sky as it rained… staring into nothing while in complete shock. She knew… She knew about Crystal before even sending me to that world… I slowly got up to look around and see where I was. “Wait… this is…” I said to myself looking around the corner… only to see myself, and Crystal. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” the other me said trying to calm Crystal down.. “Hi...” she said in a quiet tone. “Um... are you a real unicorn?” she asked the other me. The other me just looked at her for a moment. “Yeah... I’m a unicorn.” I said walking up to her. “I’m Twilight Sparkle... Forgive me for asking but... what are you?” Jeez… I seriously feel bad for asking her like that now… She looked into my eyes for a moment. “Um... I’m a person...” “A what...?” “You know... a human...?” “Human...” The other me said to herself. She looked like she was gonna reach for something but stopped. “Shoot... well... do you have a name?” she stared at me with sorrow in her eyes and just shook her head. “You don’t have a name...?” I asked. “Why wouldn’t your parents give a you a name? Where are your parents?” “My... parents...” she let out slowly. Suddenly she just started crying in front of the other me. Wait… was she crying because she couldn’t remember…? I think to myself for a moment. “How would you like to come with me? Have a home where you would be loved and taken care of?” the other me said putting a hoof on her. “I could take care of you, and give you a better life.” “You’d really do that for me...?” “Of course I would...” After that, everything just went white... ------------------------------------------------- I then just woke up next to Crystal… Crystal just looked at me confused. “Mom…? Are you okay? You’re crying…” I moved my hoof over to my face… and sure enough, I actually was crying. “I didn’t realize…” “Did you find anything out?” Sunset asked looking at me. I just stopped and looked at Crystal for a moment before sighing. “No… I didn’t find anything useful…” Crystal looked kind of upset from that answer. “Maybe we should wait for Princess Luna again…?” “Yeah…” I nodded. “That would be best.” I don’t want to bring up that horrible past  to Crystal… I don’t want to risk any chance of her remembering it… … But I need to have a talk with Princess Celestia.