//------------------------------// // Six: Ch.23 // Story: Six // by TryingToActProfessional //------------------------------// [Six’s P.O.V.- 8:15pm] I’ve been standing outside the Rich’s home for the last fifteen minutes, my body refusing to move to knock on the door. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. “Damn it, body….Move already!” I grunt and struggle. You a bit nervous, Six? I can take over for the night if you want. No! I want to do this myself. Why won’t my body move?! That would be my fault. I can’t let you become damaged again. Please, re-apply your blindfold. Then I will release you. Oh...I forgot I took it off…. I had changed into a simple black dress shirt and pants with a red bowtie. Always been a sucker for bowties. I reach into my pocket, finally free to move, and I tie the blindfold back over my eyes. You may now proceed. Best of luck. Thanks, I guess…. I shakily reach up and knock on the door. At least I won’t have to make eye contact… The door slowly opens, and a man dressed in a full tuxedo opens the door. He was a bit older than Filthy, and had grey hair. He was clean shaven, and I think they’re called butlers… “You must be our guest for the evening. Please, come in.” He bows and steps out of the doorway. “Th-thanks….You, uh...don’t need to bow….it makes me a bit uncomfortable….” He looks at me curiously. He must be wondering how I can see with the blindfold on. I decide not to humor him. “Um...where am I going?” I ask politely. “Right this way.” He leads me down a long, grand hallway with family portraits and candelabras. The newest one was of Filthy, a woman I didn’t know, and a little girl around Applebloom’s age. The butler opens a large set of double doors, and I’m nearly blinded by the vast array of golds and silvers adorning the grand dining hall table. It was lined with all sorts of foods, some of which I wasn’t going to touch: meat. The mere sight of it makes me gag. The butler escorts me to a seat near the center of the table, and I sit down. “Thanks...Uh…” “Prim, sir.” “Right. Thanks, Prim. I’ll try to remember that.” He nods and leaves. Glad he didn’t bow… I take this time to look around the large room. There was a massive, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, adorned with hundreds of little lights. The ceiling was painted to look like Prance. It must’ve cost a fortune… The walls each had a tapestry with a piece of Equestrian history sewn into its fabric. I feel poor just by breathing in here…. The double doors open again, and Filthy walks in, joined by the purple-haired mare from the portrait, as well as the little girl. He was wearing a three piece suit, as usual. The woman was wearing a black evening gown and long, sleek gloves that went up to her elbows, and the little girl was wearing a frilly, pink dress with a white trim. She had a small tiara on her head. I stand as they enter, and Filthy smiles. “Glad to see you’ve found the place.” He jokes. “Yeah...Heh. Little hard to miss it…” He nods and gestures to the older woman. “Six, this is my wife, Spoiled.” She smiles and bows slightly. “Charmed.” “And this is Diamond Tiara.” He gestures to the little girl. She nods, clearly frightened of me. “Nice to meet you both. Please, call me Six.” “Indeed. Well, shall we have dinner served? We have quite a bit to talk about.” Filthy says, smiling. Shade, do me a favor, would you? What’s that? When I decide to take this blindfold off, can you keep the burdens from going into me? He can’t, but I can. And I will. Thanks. We all take our seats, with Filthy and Spoiled at the heads of the table, and Diamond and myself facing each other near the center. It’s hard to see past the centerpiece, but I can tell she’s still scared. “Well then, let’s begin. Proper?” Filthy calls to the maid standing outside another door I hadn’t seen before. She nervously bows and leaves into the room. “So, Six. I hear you’ve made quite a name for yourself recently.” Spoiled says stick-up-the-assily. God, her voice is grating… “N-not really….It’s no big deal…” “No big deal? You sealed away Nightmare Moon and gained Princess Luna’s favor, as well as Princess Twilight’s affections I’ve heard!” I blush. Crap, the rumors spread…. “W-well, I guess….” Filthy chuckles. “So, why don’t you tell me what’s happened since you’ve come to town?” “Well, eh...I don’t know if a lot of it’s appropriate for Diamond to hear…” I rub the back of my neck, chuckling. “Mm, I see. Well, I’m glad we’re having this meal together.” Filthy says with a smile. The first course was a simple salad, which was brought out from the kitchen. By the second, Prim and Proper served each of us a plate of food from the spread on the table. But, when they came around with the meats, I politely declined. That got Filthy’s attention. “Not a meat eater, eh?” Filthy asks. “No. I haven’t touched the stuff since I was eight. Can’t stand it. But you go ahead and enjoy.” I eat my rotini in silence. We all sat in relative silence for a while before Filthy and Spoiled start talking amongst themselves about work. I hear a little *psst* sound from across the table, and I peek around the massive centerpiece. Diamond was leaned in close. “C-can...I ask you something?” She asks nervously. “Sure. Go ahead. No promises I’ll answer, though.” “Why do you have a blindfold on?” “Diamond!” Spoiled exclaims suddenly, making her and I both snap back into our seats. “That’s quite a rude question.” “No no, it’s fine. I’ll be seeing you more often, hopefully, so you may as well know.” I stand up and take the blindfold off slowly. When I put it away and look down at Diamond, she’s staring in awe at me yes, her eyes filling with tears. “W-wow….so pretty….” She manages to say, wiping her eyes. I look over to Spoiled, who is also tearing up. “I see now what Filthy meant by Happy eyes… I’ve not felt this happy since Diamond was born…” Spoiled gently dabs the tears from her eyes. I look to Filthy, and I see him smiling happily, holding back tears, too. But, he had a large, black mass surrounding him. He’s suffering a burden...And it’s a big one. Oooh, boy….I didn’t expect to see him with a burden...I thought I’d see him without one, and I’d just have an excuse to leave. But… His is huge…. You and I both know that a burden like that only means one kind of sin: Abandonment. He….actually does feel sorry for leaving us…. It would seem so. I nod at him, smiling. He smiles back. “Daddy, can I ask a question?” Diamond asks. Filthy clears his throat as I sit again. “Of course, darling.” “How come Mr. Six is visiting us?” “Diamond, that’s rude to ask!” Spoiled retorts. “No, she should know. She’s almost in High school now. Diamond, before Mommy and I met, I was married before.” She gasps. “You were?” “I was. But, I learned how wicked she was, and I made the biggest mistake of my life. I left my old family behind. My ex-wife, my other daughter…” He gestures to me. “And my son.” Diamond looks at me, absolutely floored. “What...what happened to your ex-wife and daughter?” I tense up a little. “Well, my...ex-wife was a bad woman, so she was put into a hospital for a very long time. And my daughter….Six’s sister….She’s….she passed away quite some time ago…” I feel Diamond’s foot on mine. When I look around the centerpiece again(Really fucking hate this thing), she was smiling at me like my sister used to smile at me. “I’m sorry...about your sister, Mr. Six…” She wipes her eyes again. “It’s okay. I may not have forgiven your father yet, but I’m going to protect you now, like my sister did for me. I owe her that much. So, you can call me Six from now on, okay?” She nods and smiles. She seemed like a sweet girl. But, I can’t help but feel like there’s something off about her… As the second course comes to a close, they start passing around desserts. Again, I politely decline. “Would you care for a parfait, Six? Perhaps a crepe?” Spoiled asks. “I, um...N-No thanks...I’m okay. Sugars don’t sit with me well…” “Why not? Do they make you sick?” Diamond asks. “Well, in a way. Yes. How old are you now, Diamond?” She holds her head up proudly. “I’m thirteen!” “Hm...I suppose I can tell you since you’re old enough. Sugars can’t filter through my digestive system properly, so my body turns it into energy instantly, which sends me into a seizure.” I explain. She covers her mouth in shock. “N-no sweets? That’s awful!” “Well, I can have sugar-free things, or low sugar foods. But high-sugar foods like desserts are really bad.” I look over, seeing Proper scribbling down notes. I look back at Filthy, who was eating a piece of chocolate cake. “Well, I hope that you’d stay with us, Six. I understand if you aren’t comfortable with that just yet, but I thought we would offer one of the guest rooms for you to stay in until your home is built.” “My...how do you know about that?” “Oh, one of my businesses is construction work here in town. My company is building it to the Princess’ specifications. I even made a call earlier this evening to have it built by the forest closer to here. I hope you don’t mind.” “Not really. I’m just...surprised that you’re getting involved with my hectic life…And I suppose I could stay for a few days or so. Just till the house is done.” “Splendid! I’ll have Prim prepare the room for you! And Proper has just gone to retrieve your belongings from the Castle.” “Wow...efficient.” I stand and smile. “Well, um...If you’d be alright, I’d like to take a walk in the backyard.” “The garden? Of course, go right ahead.” Filthy smiles warmly. I excuse myself from the table and walk through the double doors and out through a set of glass doors that lead to the enormous flower garden in the back. The yard alone could house four of Applejack’s barns, and it was surrounded by a tall hedge. The flowers varied from small, dull colored ones to large, brightly colored ones. It was truly a marvelous sight. “Wow…..” I walk down the small, marble steps and out into the paths leading through the gardens. I had never seen so many vibrantly colored flowers before. I follow a path leading to the furthest point of the garden, and I eventually approach a small pond full of koi fish. I find a nearby bench and sit, staring at the many fish as they swim and swirl around. As I sit, I notice them start to swim closer to me until they were all swimming just at the edge of the pond by my feet. I chuckle and kneel down at the edge of the pond, reaching my hand in slowly. A particularly large koi, which was a vibrant orange with a yellow head, pushed its way through the others until his head touched my hand. “Hehe. Eager, aren’t you?” I gently rub along the length of its back. It’s cold and wet, and feels like rubbing along the flesh of an apple. “I’ve never pet a fish before...You’re all very friendly. Hmm...I think I’ll call this big one Goliath.” The big one does a quick spin. Guess he likes it. I sit back at the end of the pond and watch them as they continue to swim normally all around the pond. Goliath stays as close to me as he can. I suddenly hear a small gasp from behind me. When I look back, it was Diamond. “How are you doing that with the big one?” She asks. “I’m not. He just came up to me.” I chuckle, patting the floor next to me. “Have a seat.” “On the ground? I can’t sit on the ground! It’s so dirty!” Ah. That’s what was off. She’s spoiled rotten. “Alright. Then you can sit here.” I pat my knee. “Are you sure?” She asks. “Yeah. It’s fine. You won’t fall in. I’m a unicorn.” She slowly sits on my knee, resting her hands on my shoulder as she watches the fish. “It seems your big guy likes being petted. Did you train him?” “H-He likes being petted?” She asks, confused. I reach down, and Goliath swims up to meet my hand. Diamond gasps. “That’s so cool!” “Do you wanna pet him?” “Uh huh!” I carefully take her hand and guide it down to Goliath’s head. Her hand touches his head, and she gags a little. “He’s so slimy!” I laugh. “It’s not slime. It’s mucus to keep him insulated. And I’ve named him Goliath.” “Goliath…” She rubs his head a little. Goliath spits a bit of water at me, then dives down. “Aah...I got sprayed...Guess he was tired.” I laugh. Diamond giggles. “H-Hey, um….Six?” “Yes, Diamond?” I ask, looking up at her. “Can...Can i call you Big Brother?” My heart leaps. “Of course! You don’t have to call me Six all the time. And can I call you Little Sis?” “I-If you want to…” I smile warmly, my heart fluttering a bit. I felt really happy. “B-Big Brother?” “Hmm?” “Could...you take me to school tomorrow?” “I don’t see why not. You’re at that school in the edge of town, right?” “Mhm…” “Alright. I’ll take you in the morning.” You two are not allowed to come out around her unless it’s an emergency. Understand? She’s too innocent to taint with your evils. Fine. Dick. As you wish, asshole. Fuckin cunts… “Oh! Daddy sent me out to show you to your room!” “Oh, alright. That sounds good. Lead the way.” She stands and tugs at my hand excitedly. She looked like a kid with a new toy. I laugh and follow her back into the house and up the stairs. She lead me down a long, wide hallway with doors on either side. There had to be twenty rooms up here alone… She lead me to a door with the name “Sixth Sense” etched onto a metal plate by the doorknob. “Come on!” She giggles and pulls me inside. The room was absolutely massive. There was a king-sized bed with a grey curtain around it, a large balcony door with black curtains, a huge dresser, a floor to ceiling mirror, and a door that lead to my own restroom and private bath. “This….Wow, this is a bit much….I’ve never had such a nice place to call my own…” Diamond pokes my arm. “And my room is right next door! Daddy and I agreed this room should be yours!” “Alright. Well, why don’t you head to bed now. You can wake me up in the morning, okay?” She beams and starts ro leave, but I take her hand and kneel down so we meet eye to eye. “Diamond, I know I’m new to this family and all, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. I’d do anything for you if I can. I want to protect you for the rest of my life, even though we just met. Because you’re my Little Sister. I promise to protect you. Just like my Big Sister did for me.” She tears up and hugs me tightly around my neck. I smile, tearing up too as I hug back. “Thank you, Big Brother….I love you…” This child will never be harmed with me around. I’d disembowel a dragon if it even blinked at her wrong. I agree. Six, your happiness is already limited, but this girl seems to have filled a gap in your heart. I will tear a hydra limb from limb to keep her and you happy. Thanks, Guys… “Love you too, Little Sis. Now, go on off to bed. You have school tomorrow.” “Can we go play in town this weekend! I wanna introduce you to my friend Silver Spoon!” “Only if you’re a good girl in school and stay out of trouble. I might even treat you and your friend to ice cream.” She squees adorably before rushing out. I laugh and shut the door as she leaves. I yawn loudly and strip off my shirt and tie. I was about to take my pants off when there was a heavy knock at the door. “Six, it’s Filthy. May I come in?” “Yeah, sure. Come in.” The door opens, and he steps in wearing an evening robe with red silk pajamas underneath. “How are you liking the new room?” He asks, trying not to stare at my scars. “It’s bigger than I expected...You sure I’m okay to be here?” “Of course! Diamond adores you already, and Spoiled thinks you’re lovely company to have around. I insist!” “Alright, alright. Filthy, I wanted to tell you right now that I’m going to be your daughter’s guardian from now on.” “Really? That’s wonderful! I, well...I came here to tell you about Diamond. She, well….She doesn’t get along with the other kids at the school.” “Really? She just seems a little spoiled to me.” “That’s because she’s an angel normally. But she gets jealous of the other kids and can be...rather rude. I’ve heard from Applejack and Big Macintosh that Diamond’s bullied Applebloom and her little friends. But I can’t get through to her.” “Well, I’ll try talking to her. If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s fixing broken people. Diamond may just need a little shove onto the right path.” “Thank you, Six. Good Night.” He starts to leave, but I catch him with my magic. “Filthy….Dad, look. I’m trying to forgive you, and I think the first step is to talk as if we’re not strangers. Alright?” He turns back to me, smiling proudly. “Alright, Son...I’ll do my best to earn your forgiveness.” He quickly leaves, shutting the door after him. I sigh and take my pants off, peeking into the bathroom. “Hmm...Maybe a little bath wouldn’t hurt….” I step into the restroom and shut the door behind me. The bathroom has natural stone floors and bamboo walls lining the perimeter. There was a shower head on the wall above a stool, and a single drain in the middle of the room. The bath was one solid piece of carved stone, perfectly smooth. “Wow….This is really expensive looking…” I go over to the edge of the bath and turn the water on from the bamboo fountains. Steaming water starts to pour into the bath, filling it quickly before turning itself off just before it was full. I step into the bath, and shudder from how warm it was. It felt like slipping into a pile of blankets after a whole day in the cold. “Aaah, this is nice…” I recline my head back. “I see you’ve finally came.” I yelp, looking around. I see Luna standing in the corner just out of sight of the bathroom door. She was wrapped in a black towel, exposing quite a bit of cleavage. And her lower end was just covered enough to not expose anything. “L-L-L-Luna!? What’re you doing in here? How did you even get in here?!” “I teleported, dummy.” Oh right. “Princess, you shouldn’t be out of the castle at night. Don’t you have duties in Night Court? And you have to do the whole dream thing.” “I am. I don’t have to be asleep for that. And as for the court, no one ever comes anyway. I came here to see you.” “This is very irregular, Luna. And you’re so...inappropriately dressed, too.” Alright, ask her about your own body. I am not taking the fall for you. “Luna, I actually have a question.” She raises an eyebrow. “Ask away, Shade.” “Is there a way...to get myself my own body?” She taps her chin, seeming deep in thought. “There may be a way….But it would take time.” “Please try. Because Six loves another woman, and I can’t love you physically like this.” Her face burns red, and her head steams. “P-P-Physically?! Y-you mean like sex?!” “Well, yes….” “I must go! I have work to do!” She suddenly vanishes. Oooh, boy...She wants the D. You think?