2 Years Later
Hearthswarming Eve
Snow covered the slumbering earth while strings of colored lights lit it from above in a multicolored light. The sky is still a dark gray after the snow had stopped. The weather was to remain as such until tomorrow morning then sunlight was the forecast.
All the homes of Ponyville were shut tight and families spent the day preparing for Hearthswarming. This was true of the home containing an unusual set of family members as well.
Their home had a wreath on the door, lights strung down the path and across the fence. Lights also adorned the household exterior in an easy but cheerful fashion. The interior was well decorated too, from the present lined tree to the tightly stuffed stockings set aside from the lit fireplace at the moment.
“Momma?!”
“Over here.”
A soft buzzing moves from room to room. THUMP “Oww." The buzzing continues again trying to find his intended target. It stops after finding a dirty orange colored pegasus in the kitchen. “Momma, I eat?”
Said pegasus looks down to the black bug colt. “Can I eat?” She picks up a sheet of cookies and puts them in the oven.
“C-cn I eat?”
“C-A-N.” She pronounced out.
“Momma!” He looked at her in childish seriousness, “I want food.”
“What do you say when asking for something?”
“Please?”
“There we go, good job!”
The changeling colt looks at his mother in pride for remembering his, uh what were they, manders?
“Well come here and get lunch.” She holds out her forelegs inviting him in for a hug.
“Hold on a second!” The unicorn father walks into the room after finishing the shoveling. “And why was I not invited for the lunch ceremony?”
“Dad! Help lunch?”
“Well of course I wanna help my two favorite ponies.” He walks over to his wife and son and pulls them into a big hug. He loves his family and makes sure they are well protected and provided for.
Chitter adores anytime he gets to eat, whether its sitting at the table eating something that agrees with him, or out and about with his grandparents.
He doesn't understand other ponies though, some are just as happy to see him as he is to see them. Gram and Gramp love to see him. Red visits most mornings but she and mom leave fairly quickly. Aunt Twilight sometimes comes over to see him and he enjoys his time with her and Spike.
Others want absolutely nothing to do with him. Still some say mean things to mom and dad. Chitter remembers that time a mare came up to momma and said she should be ashamed. Some other words were said to mom that he didn't understand, like decency, or self-respect.
Chitter began to laugh, lunch was fun. His dad asks him, “What are you laughing about Chit?”
“Momma hit mare nose!” He laughs more,
“She go, oh oh oh, how dare you!”
Willow looks guilty, “I told the guard that investigated that she was using covered threats against my family.” She gets serious and directs Chitter’s attention toward her. “Momma was bad, my little love bug. We don't hit ponies.”
“Why?”
“Shield.” Willow buries her head in Chitter's side.
“Well, uh. Hitting ponies is wrong. It hurts them.”
“Hurt?” Chitter askes in foalhood innocence.
“Hurt… Ow!”
“Ow! Hit make ow? No like ow.”
“Very good, we don’t hit, right?” Shield verifies.
“No dad, no hit.” He smiles proudly.
“That’s my colt!” Shield loves his son. Every day the family exists, the more he can't be without them. Gone were the thoughts of wishing this colt was his blood. “So how was lunch?”
“Did you get enough?” Willow finally joins back in.
“Full momma!” The changeling rubs his belly, “No more!”
“Alright Chitter go ahead and play. Don't go outside without us.”
“Love momma. Love daddy.” He hugged each parent before trotting into the living room to play with his Legos. His dad followed then jumped up on the couch and just watched.
Sitting near the fresh pine tree, Chitter gathered his preferred toy. He liked the blue blocks but didn’t have enough for the idea in his mind. He wanted to make something he saw earlier in the yard, but couldn't seem to get it to his liking. He tore it down and started adding grey bricks. He worked and worked and got so close to what he considered a perfect replica.
“Dad! Lookit!” He holds the unusual block structure up for him to see. A grin taking over most of his face.
Shield looked at the colts toy and honestly couldn't tell what it was. But he wasn't stupid, oh no this was hard work for the changeling and he didn't want to ruin his fun.
“That's very good Chit! Now we’ve been working on it, what’s it called?”
“A bard! Tweet tweet!”
Ok so it’s a bird, good to know. “That’s a very fine looking bird.” Mentally he shook his own hoof in triumph at successfully hiding his cluelessness.
SMASH
Before he could think of much there was fire throughout the house. Shield leapt like a mad stallion and scooped up Chitter.
“WILLOW GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND FLY STRAIGHT UP AS FAST AS YOU CAN!”
Shield ran through the house to the front door in an effort to escape. Fire blocked the exit as the front porch was covered in flame. He made a dash for the bathroom. Turning the shower on full blast he ran a towel under it then stuffed Chitter inside of it. “We'll be ok!”
Shield coughed while he dipped himself under as flame started to engulf most the house spreading extraordinarily fast. The heat was intense and he was pretty sure his fur was singeing.
Making a break again for the front door he leapt through the flame, over the porch, and landed on his front left hoof badly: it snapped. Both tumbled to the snowy ground, Chitter still tightly wrapped in the damp towel. Both gasped for clean air.
“Well well, you actually made it out. Too bad it survived though. Oh well, we can have more fun with it this way.” A stallion's raspy voice casually remarked.
Shield fought through the pain and tried to stand. He had to get his son back. The hooded pony kicked him in the head rendering him unconscious. No mercy was shown to him.
“Dad, daddy! MOMMA HELP!” Chitter screamed. Flailing as much as possible wrapped in the towel still.
“Those two idiots can't help you now.” The black hooded figure makes a dash for the front gate while magically choking Chitter.
Chitter coughs and gasps as he cannot fight against the attacker because of the towel. But instincts kick in and a green flame crawls across just his neck. It dissipates leaving him with the wooden neck of a Timberwolf he’d seen in the Three Little Pigs book.
He can breathe again. “MOMMA HEL-"
“I SAID SHUT UP!” The foalnapper strikes him across the face. Chitter screams as his chitin cracks, drawing blood.
WHAAAMM
A huge force slams down from the sky right on top of the assailant. While pinned down, a swift rear hoof comes down on their head snapping the horn clean off.
“You picked the wrong mother bucking family!”
Any chance at escape has been well and truly busted. The hooded pony writhes, screaming on the ground, bleeding from his broken horn. By this time more ponies start to show up to see where the smoke is coming from. Even Princess Twilight had gotten the news of a fire.
Willow grabs Chitter and pulls him protectively to her chest. There was a frenzy in her eyes most ponies saw as ‘stay away from my baby!’ She backed away from the gathering crowd to her downed stallion. She'd protect him too, she has to.
“What happened here?!”
“BACK OFF, YOU WON'T HURT THEM!”
A guard was in front of her, “Ma'am, you need to calm down. We aren't going to hurt you or your family.”
“Back off!” She squeezed Chitter tightly as he cried into her chest. “Momma's here, Momma's here. The bad ponies won’t hurt you.”
“Daddy ow!”
THOOOOMM
Two very enraged Princesses of Equestria landed with small tremors, the dry dirt cracking. Willow flinches for a second before backing away on three hooves.
“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” The sheer volume of the Princesses combined literally pushes ponies away from them.
Chitter finally gets his forelegs free and drops the supposed toy bird he made. It falls to the ground and practically explodes into bits. “Momma, I oww." He slowly brings a hoof to his injury.
“Shhh baby it's alright. Momma will make it better, I promise.”
“Willow Breeze, what happened here?” Princess Celestia asked.
“Princess, I need the hospital right now! Hooded ponies attacked! He's badly hurt and so's Shield!”
“Twilight, teleport them to the hospital, Luna search the back of the house. Guards, pick that pony up and bring them and any others there might be to the prison hospital.”
All the ponies set upon their tasks as Twilight teleports the injured to the local hospital. A guard is waiting and snaps to attention with a salute.
“Momm-" Chitter's head slumps down, his body going limp, a nasty horseshoe shaped crack along the side of his face. His face bleeding a blue ichor slowly.
Willow's panicking doubled in an instant. “We need a doctor!” She trots in place hurriedly.
A nurse at the desk jumped up and hit a large blue button on the wall. A loud but not overwhelming alarm sounded. She then picked up the intercom microphone. “Doctor Quick Shot to the emergency entrance immediately! Code blue, two ponies.”
Willow held her injured colt despite her own injuries. “Momma's here.”
“Ughh, Willow?” Groaned the stallion brought with them.
“Shield, oh my. What happened?” She received no answer as the doors burst open and two separate gurneys were maneuvered out.
“Doctors, all three were in a fire and need oxygen immediately!” Twilight states as they start moving the colt and his father.
“Understood Princess.” The family doctor turns to Willow, “Please follow me.”
The family are guided away from the Princess and into the facility. “Hey Mr. Shot, you do know that-"
“Mrs. Breeze, I am well aware of Chitter's needs. The nurses are preparing a room for the three of you. Now please follow me, we do not have any idea how bad the smoke inhalation is.”
“Doc please, I’m fine just save my baby and husband!”
“We will do everything we can for them. For now see one of the nurses and don’t argue! I will personally see to Chitter's injuries and another will check on Shield Polish.” Without another word he moved toward the unconscious colt and examined the cracks in his chitin.
“Ma'am I was told you aren't to leave this room but please come over here and sit down.” She rolled up a tank with a face mask. “Here, breathe normally and let’s check you for injury.”
......
Shield laid on his medical bed with his hoof in a cast. He was absolutely fuming with rage. ‘That pony nearly killed my family. When he didn't succeed, he kicked me in the head.’
Every second he sat there the higher his rage went. He wanted to beat that pony to a bloody pulp and burn the rest.
“Shield, Shield!” Willow's voice disrupts his thoughts.
“WHAT?” He lashes out verbally, his face burning with anger.
“Don't you yell at me!” Willow was weeping. “We nearly lost our son and our lives!” Willow clutched Chitter whose head was wrapped in a thick white bandage.
“Daddy mad me?” Chitter whispered, “Dad vew mad.”
“Did you forget that our son can read emotions like a book?” She looked at the stallion. “You just being angry upsets him. You, are in a full on rage and that's physically hurting him.”
“Daddy?”
“I'm right here Chit.” Knowing that his emotional status is hindering his son, Shield tried to let the rage slip away. It was very difficult, but he had to for his family's sake. “I’m sorry Chitter. Dad's not mad at you, dad loves you very much.” He made grabbing motions in his direction while lifting him with magic.
Chitter squealed as his was lifted from his mother. “Momma help!”
“Chit, it's ok! It's just dad, I'm lifting you.” The changeling lands softly on the bed with his father. “See? It's ok.”
Chitter cowered, “No ow Daddy, no ow.”
“I'd never hurt you. Daddy loves you.” He pulled Chitter to his chest careful to avoid the cast. With the final bits of rage dissipating, Shield let his love for his family fill him.
Chitter slowly stopped shaking as his father held him protectively. After a while he spoke,
“Daddy can I eat?” Chitter asked, finally getting back to his usual self.
“Good job! You're getting so smart!” He smiled and lightly rubbed Chitter's mane fin.
“Go ahead little one, it's dinnertime anyway.”
“Yumm!” Chitter did his usual absorbing motion. After eating his fill of love he sat back against his dad's side.
“Willow, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I just hate everything and everypony involved.” He sighed dejectedly, “Willow, they-they took everything from us!”
“Oh Shield, we have everything we need!”
“How? We have no home, no bits, or belongings. Our son even lost that bird he made! We lost everything, and without any of it we'll lose him too!” The big bad ex-royal guard was on the verge of tears himself. “Hearths warming is tomorrow too! We had presents for everyone…”
“Shield, look at me.” His wife was sitting next to his bed. “The house and the things in it are replaceable, the ponies are not. You made sure you got Chitter out and out unharmed.”
“I got myself knocked out and nearly lost our son, is what I did.” Shield grumbles.
“Dear, you saved him from fire! Actual fire! If anything you deserve a medal.”
“Yes that’s quite right.” Came a voice from behind Willow.
“P-Princess Celestia!” Willow bowed.
Chitter waved at the new pony, “Hi, Lady!” Sure someponies don't like him but he always wanted to make a friend.
“Evening Princesses.” Shield bluntly stated, barely giving the respect they deserve.
“Ant Twi!” Chitter exclaimed happily. “Play Spike?!” Over the last couple years he and Spike became good friends. Not best friends for some weird age related reason, kind of like when a younger cousin comes over.
“Sorry Chitter, he's at the library finishing chores. If your parents are ok with you going I'll take you.” Twilight directed the remark to his family.
Celestia leans toward the family, “I brought her specifically to watch him. There's a lot I need to discuss with the both of you. I personally believe he should get some distraction from this whole mess.” Celestia leans back, “While I’m getting answers from you he will be guarded at all times by a trained guard.”
“I-I don't like that idea Princess. To be completely honest I don’t want him anywhere we aren't. I mean he was attacked while we were next to him.”
“That's understandable, Twilight do you think you can bring Spike here, and maybe a few toys of some sort?”
“Toys? I want toys and Spike!” Little Chitter nodded his head vigorously. “Ow, Momma ow.”
“Be easy Chit; it’s going to hurt for a while.”
“Okay!” He started swaying back and forth, “Spike Spike Spike!” He coughed a bit,
“Mamma, can have water?”
“Sure, come here.” She picked up a glass from the bedside table. Willow brought the straw to his side of the glass, but before he could drink a nurse came in with a sippy cup.
“Pardon my intrusion, Doctor Shot sent me in with this special formula for-" She looked down at a clipboard she carried, “Chitter?”
“Ohh ohh, me!” Chitter waved at her, “Hi lady!”
Princess Celestia sat to the side, ‘Even after being attacked by ponies he still just wants to meet new faces.’ She smiled, ‘I hope you remain this optimistic throughout life.’
The nurse leaves after giving him the foals cup, which he eagerly stuffed into his face. Celestia decided to speak up again. “So what exactly happened?”
“Princess, we had just fed Chitter lunch and Shield was watching him play in the living room. I was in the kitchen making something small for Shield and I. The was the sound of multiple windows breaking and then fire was in the house! Shield yelled for me to get out the back door and fly straight up.” Willow takes a calm collective breath. “I decided to exit through the window that was smashed and found a robed unicorn waiting outside in the backyard. They saw me and cursed my family and said that I didn't even have the dignity to die with them. Before I knew what I was doing I was standing over them with their head bleeding. I was then trying to find a way to see if they were in the house but couldn't see inside anymore. That’s when I heard the scream from the front.”
Willow hugged Chitter close as she began to sob, “I heard my baby screaming for Momma to help. I don’t recall making it to the front of the house just seeing Chitter flailing in the other robed unicorn’s magic, held by his neck alone.” She sobbed loudly. “They were killing my baby! That pony then struck him in the face and cracked his shell! I remember slamming into them and yelling. Chitter was safe and they wouldn't hurt him. Then you showed up, Princess.”
“Momma, ow, ow!” Chitter winced in pain.
“I'm sorry little one, Momma's sorry.” Willow looked at her foal and was met violently with the realization that her foals left eye was faded.
“Momma mad me?” The changeling looked sad and confused. He wasn't sure why mom was mad at him.
“Princess look at what they did!” Willow lifted and turned the colt to face the white princess.
Even Celestia herself was taken aback at what the pony had done. She silently prayed to herself that his eye would recover without incident. ‘Who in the wide world of Equus would strike a foal in this way.’
A barely noticeable knocking was heard at the door. “Yes?” Princess Celestia inquired.
“Oh, I just need to check a bandage, if that’s okay?” The voice heard was as soft and timid as the knock had been.
“Yes yes, by all means.” Celestia allowed.
The door opened gently and a butter yellow pegasus stepped in. “Oh, there's so many ponies. I think I’ll just come back.”
“Nonsense Fluttershy! You're already here might as well. Though I need to ask what you’re doing checking bandages. You’re not a doctor or nurse.” Celestia leaves the statement hanging in the air garnering the attention of the rest for the answer.
“Umm, I was sent for to give Doctor Shot a turtle shell patch. To fix a patient here.” Fluttershy kept her gaze on the floor. “I just need to check it worked but I didn't know they used it on a Changeling.”
A few more knocks could be heard on the door. “Please make it stop with all these ponies! I just want some time with my family!”
“Shield, calm down. It's probably Princess Twilight.”
“That's where you would be half right.” The aforementioned Princess walked in with a bag and toolbox in her magic, and a purple dragon on her back.
Chitter removed the cup from his face with a pop. “Spike!”
“Hi Chitter, you ok?”
“I ow.”
“I bet, that looks pretty bad, but look what we brought!”
‘Great job with that Spike.’ Twilight mentally cheered at him getting straight into distraction. She did take note however of the dulling in Chitter's left eye.
“Hello again Polish family.”
“Hello Princess.” The two greeted.
“Welcome back Twilight.”
Twilight lifts the bag she brought in to the couple. “I’m sorry it took so long but I went and did a search through the remains of your house.” She motions to the bag, “This and that toolbox were the only things found. The rest was destroyed beyond recognition or repair. But you’ll be pleased with what I recovered.”
Willow dived into it while the two Princesses talked quietly and the two young ones played. She pulled out a blackened photo album, that was more or less ok.
The next item out was a small metal box, blackened by the fire but sturdy nonetheless. Willow checked inside the box hoping to see what were supposed to be in it. She let out a loud sigh of relief. “Shield, look.”
Shield glanced over from watching Chitter and Spike. “Well looks like those bits I paid were worth it.”
“They better be, these are our wedding rings! We need to have these forever!” Shield raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Ok maybe that was a little creepy sounding but no less true.”
Twilight spoke up, “We have no idea what that toolbox is made of but it survived both the fire and the house collapse. That’s not the interesting thing, it did that while not having any of the Legos in it melt!”
“Yeah, that’s grandpa Smelt's work.” Shield chuckled. “He was the most unusual unicorn, a unicorn blacksmith. I don't mean anything by it, it’s just that earth ponies usually do that, don't know why but I’ve always seen it that way.” Shield was about to continue but Twilight interrupted him.
“Well actually it has to do with biology, earth ponies are generally more gifted in talents related to ground based tasks and activities. So working with iron let’s them get a much higher quality ore and metal as compared to say a pegasus or unicorn.” Celestia just looked at her. “Sorry, sorry, please continue.”
“Annnyway, he was as skilled as the best earth pony smiths there. But it seemed that whatever he made would always catch fire, so he started making everything out of a special metal. He was so worried that he made his own tools out of this metal for fear of burning down the shop.” Shield laughed, “Oh sorry, long story short, that’s not a toolbox but actually a toy chest he made for me as a colt. So it being fireproof isn’t a big surprise.” Shield started to chuckle, the laugh, before being in a full gut grabbing fit.
“Momma? Daddy ow?” Chitter and Spike both looked at him in confusion.
Willow was just as confused but reassured her son regardless. “Daddy’s fine, go ahead and play.”
“Ok. Momma home?”
Willow ignored Shield for a bit, considering what Chit said. Best she could guess it meant when are we going home. “Later love bug. Go play.
Chitter scrunched his face a bit, she wasn’t telling him something. Her emotions betrayed her against his senses. To him each emotion was an ingredient, and his mother and father were chocolate cakes made of lemons. His mother was worried and dad was well, dad.
“Go ahead, it'll be ok.”
Twilight knew something was off with Chitter and went in for distraction duty. “Hey Chitter. How are you?”
The little ling looks away finally, “Ant Twi, fire hot, pony ow daddy, pony ow I, momma ow pony.” He looks back at his dad who finished laughing. “Daddy very mad to pony.
“Chitter, it's ok now the bad ponies aren't going to bother you anymore. Why don’t we go play huh? Sound like fun?” Mentally she was taking notes about his behavior.
‘He seems to be in synch with his parents emotions on a scale I’ve never seen. He knows something is wrong but due to his lack of learned skills, he doesn’t know why or what to do about it.’
“Want momma no sad!” He yells out.
“Chitter it's ok.” Spike tries to cut in. “Why don't we look at the houses through the window?”
“NO!” He sprints as fast as his little legs will carry him towards his mother. Poor little guy didn’t see the chair on his left side and bounced off of it landing on his side. He just lay there crying his eyes out.
All conversation stopped when he had yelled no. Upon crying on the floor, a mother was set on the move. Poor Celestia stood no chance to get out of the way of that speeding bullet.
Spike sat back with his arms folded. Watching the scene made him miss their own parents a bit. “Hey Twilight, when are we going to Canterlot next?”
Twilight sighed from her place next to him. “We were supposed to go today, remember?”
“I do now, but when were we going to leave? Because if it’s now aren't the trains no longer running?”
“Well Spike I guess it's just you and I this Hearthswarming.” She pulled her little brother in for a hug. “I’ll just tell mom that some unexpected events took place and made us miss the train. Well get there in a few days.”
Spike sniffled a bit, “This,” he gestures to everyone, “makes me miss mom and dad.”
“I know Spike, I know.”
“My big question is why don't you fly or teleport Twilight?” Celestia chimes in. “You can always go with me. I’ve still got to go home too you know.”
“You'd do that for us Princess?”
Princess Celestia smiled, “Well of course. It is Hearthswarming eve-” she trailed off.
‘It's Hearthswarming tomorrow and these ponies have nothing.’ Celestia sat in silence for a few moments. “Polish family, I'm sorry I can't do much for you at the moment. But I can promise this, the ones responsible will pay for all damages, medical expenses, and their crimes.” She gave a sad smile, “For all that it's worth, do try to have a happy Hearthswarming.”
Celestia turned to leave, “With everything that went on, I will be sending a guard to investigate. Come Twilight and Spike, we must go.”
“Can I say goodbye Princess?” Spike asked.
“Of course you can.”
Spike plodded over to the two still on the floor. Chitter was still sniffling in his mom's embrace. “Hey Chitter, I’ve got to go home.”
“Spike bye?” He asked with a sniff.
“Yep, bye Chitter. By everypony.”
“Goodbye Spike.” Willow said with a small smile.
“Bye Spike.”
He turned and followed the others out of the room. The room returned to the silence that had gotten Shield into trouble.
“Ummm, excuse me.”Both parents eyes snapped to the sound.“I just need to check on his shell and I’ll be on my way. If that’s ok I mean.”
“Yeah sure, just please hurry.” Willow was borderline mentally snapping herself.
“Of course.” Fluttershy flitted about checking the injury and shell repair compound.
After a moment she looked to the mother with concern. “I’ve seen this before.”
“Well with as close to a vet as you are I’m sure you’ve seen a lot.”
“Well, I’m not that good. But I have seen an eye that looked like that before. One of my choir birds flew into my window.”
“I don't like where this is going.”
“He went blind. I’d recommend calling the doctor immediately. Other than that he'll be ok, I’ll leave you alone now.” She flew out the door faster than anybody could open their mouth to stop her.
As soon as Shield’s brain caught back up he punched the call button. A few moments later a nurse came in, “Is everything ok?”
“We need doctor Shot immediately.”
“I’m sorry, but he left already. But he did assign someone directly to Chitter I believe the name was.”
“Well get them, please hurry.” Shield demanded. The nurse nodded and left the room.
Willow huffed, “I can’t believe Fluttershy would just say something like that and then leave. Is she trying to get us to have a heart attack?”
“Well it may have been a little rude but she probably just wanted-" Shield was cut off as some more knocks echoed in the room making Chitter jump. “Come in.”
The door opened and a golden unicorn mare with a silver mane walked in. “I received word that you needed to speak with me, correct?”
“Were you the one Doctor Shot assigned to Chitter?”
“Yes sir. My name is Clean Slate. You had a question about your son?”
Willow beckoned her over and her out her son. “Look at his eye! We just heard he might be blind and that we should get it looked at immediately.”
“Well let me take a look.” She took a seat in front of Chitter once his mother had set him down. “Well hello, I'm doctor Slate. Who are you?” She spoke to him in a friendly tone to make the process easier.
“I Chitter!” He exclaimed excitedly. This pony wanted to be his friend and he was happy about it.
“Hi there Chitter, can you help me?”
“Help?” He questioned looking excited to be able to help.
“Yep, can you do this?” she used her hoof to cover her right eye.
He smiled and covered his left eye.
“No no Chit. The other eye.” His dad corrected.
“Kay daddy.” He changed eyes and his smile fell. “Daddy dark!” He uncovered his eye. The world returned to light and that confused him. He didn't close his eyes so why was it dark?
Chitter experimented on his own. He brought a hoof to his left eye but couldn't quite see his own hoof. “Momma, I hoof wrong.
“It appears as though the assessment is correct. He does seem to have no sight in his left eye. We'll do some more tests to be sure.
The doctor did some more tests before calling in an optometrist. Willow and Shield just sat with mouths agape in an exasperated silence. “Ma'am, Sir, It is my unfortunate conclusion that Chitter may be blind in his left eye permanently.
The eye doctor took off his magnifying glasses and cleaned them with a wing. “Chitter seems not only to have suffered a traumatic cataract causing the cloudiness of his eye but was also inflicted with a detached retina.” He slipped his glasses back on his muzzle. “In my professional opinion, he will remain blind in his left eye indefinitely. I just can't accept that somepony could be so species-ist that they could do this to a foal. I mean I know they did but, just how could you?”
The parents asked question after question after question for what felt like an eternity
“Before I leave to go home to my own family I will get you a copy of medical records concerning his eye. You'll need them if you have to go to court. Now please excuse me while I get those for you.” He turned to leave the room he mumbled to himself, “Striking a little foal and on Hearthswarming eve!” His mumbling faded as he trotted down the hall.
“I know it's a lot to take in but is there anything else I can help you with?”
Willow and Shield didn't respond, but a rather chipper voice cut in while shaking a cup. “Juice, Please?” Chitter looked up at his parents for praise for his “manders”.
Shield looked at his son with a genuine smile, “Good job Chit!”
Chitter himself beamed with pride.
The doc smiled too, “Sure little guy I can get you more of the mix Quick left me.”
Willow finally spoke up, “That's all thank you. I believe we all need some sleep after this.”
“Of course.” The doc left and returned a few minutes later with the drink and the aforementioned documents. “I'll just leave you to yourselves. Try to have a moment's rest, Princess Twilight sent a couple guards to guard her nephew.” Doctor Slate left for the final time that evening.
“Momma, go home?”
“I'm sorry sweetheart. Home is gone.”
“G-on-e?”
“Err, no more.”
Chitter's ear fins drooped, “Home, no more.”
Shield lifted up his son with a free hoof. “Now you listen here mister. Mom and dad will take care of you, with us you're safe.” He pulled him into a firm hug. “Mom and dad love you Chit.”
“That's right. We love you very much. We always will.” Willow added as she joined her family on the bed.
Chitter brought the cup of juice up and tried to drink from it as his eyes grew heavy. He got a few sips in before the sippy cup slipped out of his hooves and he was fast asleep.
“Goodnight love bug.” Mom whispered, kissing his cheek.