//------------------------------// // Chapter the Family (Part 2) // Story: Family Disclosure Protocol // by TerribleSpeller //------------------------------// Twilight always loved her mother's blueberry pie. The taste reminded of the many nights when her mum would read her bed time stories, when dad would let her stay up late and watch the stars, or when she and Shiny stayed up late so they could sneak into the kitchen and steal some cookies. The Researcher looked up from her meal to see Cady laughing with her parents about something she didn't quite catch, but when she turned to face Shiny, he saw something wrong in his eyes. Fear. Twilight's mind then when into full on Sherclop Holmes. She scanned the dining area, untouched meal, sweating just above the brow, nervous glances towards her, this could only mean one thing, he knew something about her. Shite Nuggets. Had she slipped up somewhere? Was there a leak? Is Shiny actually part of a GOI and planning to take her out!? "-light?" Twilight snapped out her panic trance to face her father who asked the question. "Twily, Shiny just asked you a question," said Nightlight "Oh, right, was the question BBBFF?" Twilight asked cheerfully to her BBBFF. "Have you met any organizations or struck any deals with any since your coronation?" Asked Shiny, who looked tense. "No, why?" Twilight was begging that Shiny dropped the question, she feared that if Shiny had managed to connect the invisible dots, he would ruin her chances of explaining everything. "Well you see...Twily, you are a suspect in a investigation," Everypony in the room gasped, "Impossible!" "What!" "Shiny how could you!?" "Im a what?!" "What's the meaning of this Shiny!?" Demanded Cadence. The former guard captain sighed before explaining, "Me and some of the former and current captains were ordered to investigate into some murders of some of Equestria's top researchers and mages, and after more than a month, we've drawn up with only one suspect and one organization, You Twily, and the Foundation," "Who the buck is the Foundation?" Asked Twilight, hoping that playing innocent would throw him off. "Don't play dumb, Researcher Twilight," said Shining as he got up and stared down Twilight. "No seriously what is this Foundation you speak of?" Twilight was sweating like crazy now. "This Foundation is the reason for the murder of 23 different ponies and one former guard captain! Tell me now Twilight why are you working for them!?" Twilight held back tears before screaming, "For the Greater Good!" "Why would killing innocent ponies be for the Greater Good!?" Twilight sniffled before answering "Do you even know what the Foundation does? Do you think we are murder happy ponies? Do you think we murder ponies for just causes!? No! We do it for the greater good! To save you all from the horrors of the dark!" Everypony went silent. "What...horrors of the dark?" Asked Twilight Velvet "This world is not perfect, there are many glitches in the world, from scary things of unimaginable horrors, to a infinite sandwich. We the Foundation does our best to protect you all from them, and sometimes we have to fight fire with fire. We need the best minds in the world so we can fight them, and faking deaths do that the smartest could work without distractions. But, sometimes we have to kill somepony becuase the anomalies of this world forces our hooves. A popular saying in the Foundation is 'The End justifies the Means', The Ends is the safety of creature kind, and the Means are anything, from murdering a city of ponies to large amounts of gold to covering up the existence of another continent. We must do these things, becuase some of the things, if we know what they actually are, we be dead becuase knowing or seeing something can mean death. I had many friends who I knew died horrifying deaths in the name of the rest of all creatures, so don't go around accusing them Shiny! We've done many horrible things, I've ordered the executions of 57 different convicts becuase they were infected by an anomaly, and I had to pull the trigger on a friend once becuase he also got infected! We were good ponies, we were good, we became bad to protect the rest of the good ponies from the worst of the worst! Please, please just forgive me," Twilight broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Shiny went over and hugged her, and was joined by Cadence, Velvet, and Nightlight. Their daughter had went through seemingly the depths of Tartarus so that they and many others can live peaceful lives, and they now can repay her for her work. By being there for her and comforting her and helping her when she needed help. Becuase even if you have to go into the dark, you don't have to go in alone.