Chapter 3
Chisel sat on the bed, hugging the purse. The boy still had no expression on his face. He was numb, felt nothing. He hadn’t even reacted when Sharp Spear was arrested on the train platform. As long as nobody touched the purse, he just let the other guards lead him away.
Ponies had talked with him, but he just ignored them. They had brought him to this room, a pink one with a crown had told him he would be staying here for a little bit. He showed no reaction to hugs given to him. They brought him some food, but he didn’t want it. He just wanted the purse.
The boy’s mind was still on one image, his mom, lying motionless on the sidewalk. Stil half-buried under the bricks, not responding to his cries. They had tried to take the purse away, he grabbed it and refused to let go. He would allow no one to take it.
“Let me see how he is; then we’ll see how it goes.” A voice said as the door to the room opened. Chisel ignored it.
Hoofsteps approached the bed, and a pony came into view. She was maroon colored, but her muzzle and back were white. Her mane and tail were navy blue and on her flank were three small suns.
“Hey, Chisel,” the pony smiled gently. The boy didn’t respond.
“My name is Foxy Stripes,” she introduced herself and placed her left front hoof gently on the bed, revealing it was white. “I just want to talk with you for a little bit, is that okay?”
Chisel just hugged the purse tighter. Foxy continued to regard him, never dropping the gentle smile on her muzzle.
“Is that your mommy’s purse?” she asked gently. Chisel nodded. “It’s really pretty.”
Chisel slowly turned his head to look at the mare. She made no move to take the purse. She didn’t try to hug him. Didn’t tell him everything was going to be okay.
“What’s in it?” Foxy asked gently, but there was a hint of playfulness in her voice. “Or is it a secret? If it’s a secret, don’t tell me.”
The boy tilted his head; she sounded different than the others. She wasn’t telling him things; she wasn’t talking about how his mother was gone or trying to comfort him or anything like that. She just wanted to know what was in the purse.
“Mommy’s stuff,” finally the young colt spoke. Slowly he relented his iron grip on the purse, slowly he raised one hoof and tried to open it. It was a little bit of a struggle, but Foxy made no moves to reach over to assist. Finally, Chisel managed to open the purse and looked in.
“She has a brush… an’ napkins… an’ bit pouch…” he counted up slowly. He reached in with his hoof to rummage a little in it. “Mommy…”
The floodgates opened, the tears started streaming down his cheeks and the boy curled up, clutching the purse as he cried. Foxy deftly climbed up to the bed, lay down next to the boy, but still avoided touching the purse. Gently she laid her red right hoof on the boy’s back and started to caress his back gently. Then she began to hum a song softly as the boy sobbed.
“I lost my daddy when I was even littler than you. I never got to know him,” she said gently. Chisel slowly looked up, the tears still flooding down.
“Whut happened to him?” he whispered between the sobs.
“He got very sick, one day the doctors said to my mommy that they could do nothing more for him. Then he was gone,” she explained to the boy.
Chisel sniffled, then he let go of the purse, crawled over to Foxy and climbed between her forelegs. There he curled up against her chest. The mare gently put her legs around the boy.
“Why is mommy gone?” Chisel whispered and started to sob again, burying his face in Foxy’s chest.
“Because a very mean pony drained all the magic away, which caused the accident to happen,” Foxy told him sadly, she started to hum the song again as Chisel continued to cry.
Three concerned ponies watched as Foxy Stripes exited the room. The maroon pegasus had an uncharacteristic frown on her face. Princess Cadance, Barricade, and Barbell almost dreaded hearing the verdict.
“He’s sleeping right now,” Foxy told them quietly. “He had closed off, which can be a natural reaction to shock. I will need to talk with him some more to see if there is anything more, he’s naturally traumatized, but he’s managed to get some emotional relief. If we continue to work with him, he should be fine.”
“That’s good to hear, I was getting a little worried how little he reacted to things unless you came too close to the purse,” Cadance said and put a hoof on her chest in relief.
“Yeah, that’s his security blanket right now, no touchie, unless he allows it,” Foxy warned them, then she turned to Barricade. “We’ll let him meet you when he wakes up.”
Barricade nodded in understanding. He was himself a little nervous about meeting Chisel, as far as he knew the boy didn’t even know he existed. He and Barbell had arrived several hours ago, but after meeting and talking with Princess Cadance, they held off rushing to the boy until Foxy Stripes arrived who thankfully didn’t take too long to come.
“Now tell me, who was it who had the bright idea to remove him from the hospital his mother was in, hide him for a few days, then run for the Crystal Empire?” Foxy looked at Cadance, her frown slowly changing to a scowl. Barbell and Barricade instantly turned to the princess as well, looking about as angry as the pegasus right now.
“One of our soldiers, Sharp Spear. She’s originally from Vanhoover and was a friend of Sunny Daze. She is confined to barracks until Shining hears more about how things will proceed with Chisel,” the princess calmly explained to them. Barricade’s eyes narrowing even more, told her that he needed to hear much more than just that.
“As I told you, she was a friend of Sunny. She only knows about old you Barricade, the one who hurt her. She thought she was doing Chisel a favor by preventing child service from sending him to you.” Cadance noticed that Barricade’s scowl eased up instantly. Foxy and Barbell, however, still looked highly unimpressed.
“I know Barricade used to be a jerk, but that’s no excuse to practically abduct his currently traumatized from mother loss child to hide it from him,” Foxy snorted.
“Foxy, I tossed Sunny once across a living room in a drunken rage. I nearly broke her back and then I… slashed my horn across her cutie mark,” Barricade hung his head, his face expressing the regret and guilt he was feeling right now. Barbell was already placing a hoof on his back, while Foxy’s scowl instantly vaporized and was replaced with shock.
“I’m so glad I never met that Barricade,” the maroon pegasus muttered, but said no more, already seeing how guilt-ridden the stallion was over the whole thing.
“Six years ago, Sharp Spear may have been justified in her actions, but that was six years ago. If you want to place charges against her, Barricade, for abducting your son, that is your right,” Princess Cadance told him.
“Five seconds ago, sure, but no… she was just trying to protect him… from the pony who hurt his mother. I would expect nothing less from a friend of Sunny,” Barricade muttered and turned around to walk away, followed by Barbell, leaving the princess and Foxy behind.
Cadance seeing that the couple wanted to be alone, motioned for the pegasus to follow her. Foxy shrugged trotted after the princess.
“What didn’t you tell us, Foxy?” the princess asked once they were well out of earshot.
“As I said, I can’t tell anything definite until I’ve had a more proper talk with Chisel,” Foxy said and furrowed her brow. “He’s six, already in school, but talks more like he’s four or five. Granted, right now, he’s going through grief and trauma that no child should have to suffer through, that can play into things. But there were still alarm signs. I don’t know enough about Sunny and Chisel. I would need to hear more about how they lived their lives in Vanhoover.”
“Tell me what you think you’re looking at?” Cadance asked curiously but with a hint of worry.
“Not a spoiled child, but a babied child, small shallow social pool, probably knew barely anyone except his mother and maybe this Sharp Spear. Probably having some problems already in school that ponies will dismiss as him being still young, no friends in his age group,” Foxy counted up and sighed. “Of course, now I’m just drawing up from my experience of meeting other such children, but as I said, I saw alarm signs.”
“In other words, you need more data,” the princess guessed.
“To quote Applejack’s brother, eeyup,” Foxy nodded.
“You’ve met him?” Cadance chuckled a little.
“No, but Coal has,” the pegasus told her, referring to her own daughter.
In the barracks of the crystal guards, Sergeant Flash Sentry was approaching guarded quarters. He nodded to the two armored ponies before opening the door and entering. The first thing the pegasus noted was how dark it was. Then he spotted the unicorn mare on the bunk.
“Has Chisel been given to that bastard yet?” Sharp Spear snorted without turning around, keeping her back facing Flash.
“Chisel’s father has arrived in the Crystal Empire along with his wife and a therapist to help the boy cope with his recent loss,” Flash Sentry told her neutrally. There came a snort of contempt from the bunk.
“Jeez, wonder what brainless ditz he managed to rope into marriage,” Sharp retorted.
“I dare you to say that to Barbell’s face,” Flash Sentry remarked right back at her.
That prompted Sharp Spear to raise her head and turn it a little so she could see the sergeant, the soldier was frowning.
“You’ve met her?” Sharp Spear asked, unsure.
“Met her, attended the ceremony. The pony you were trying to protect Chisel from no longer exists Sharp,” Flash told her flatly.
“Hah, yeah right!” the soldier snorted and laid her head back down.
Flash Sentry shook his head, he did have a feeling that would be the reaction, but he had to try. As Shining Armor had said, Sharp Spear was one of their bests. He had personally requested for her to be in his squad when he was made sergeant.
“Sharp, you are a smart pony, if he was still like the pony who hurt your friend, you honestly think child service would even let Chisel remotely near him?” he asked, there was no response from the bunk.
“There is more to this irrational behavior than just him, isn’t it?” Flash wondered and walked a little closer. “The Sharp Spear I knew would have cooperated with the local authorities, not hidden a child who just lost his mother, then try to make a run for it with him.”
There was still no response. Flash stopped before he got too close and sat down. Things were not adding up. He felt he had known Sharp long enough to know how she worked. She had kept her squadmates safe while being barraged by crazed ponies and creatures driven mad by King Sombra himself. The pony on the bunk didn’t sound like the pony who had kept her shield up while being taunted and attacked by the Crystal Empire’s most dangerous enemy.
“What happened, Sharpy?” Flash dropped into the nicknames; he was here as a friend, not her commanding officer.
“I went to Vanhoover on my leave, decided to drop by Sunny’s place to surprise her and Chisel,” Sharp whispered, her tone was hard and emotionless. “I offered to take them out for some ice cream, even got Chisel to convince her to go. Sunny never goes out unless I manage to push her to go.”
“She never goes out at all. I was her only friend. I even told her if she needed anything, she could go to my family. They would be completely welcoming to her. Chisel doesn’t even have any friends at school, he practically only knows her and to lesser extend me, I was the only family they had,” Sharp looked up, cracks were starting to form in her voice and face.
“I killed her Flash! I killed my friend. I went to save Chisel from the falling bricks but left her behind, and she got buried in it. Just because I conned her into going out for stinking ice cream!” Sharp was shouting these last few words, then she dropped her head back down and started crying.
“And now I’m just supposed to accept that the bastard who hurt Sunny, the pony she was mortally afraid of gets Chisel. He doesn’t even know his father exists; they are sending him to complete strangers!” she continued to sob.
Flash listened calmly, letting Sharp rant as she cried. Then he rose up and walked over, going to the side the unicorn was facing. There he lifted one foreleg and used it to draw the soldier closer. He felt legs go around him as Sharp Spear clung to him in a hug as she continued to cry. The sergeant spread out one of his wings to drape it around her.
“Sharp, you did not kill her. Yes, this was a terrible accident that happened, you couldn’t have known this magic drain would occur, none of us did. It just suddenly happened. The ones responsible have been punished,” Flash Sentry told her gently.
“You did well. You didn’t lose your cool, you rushed in and saved Chisel. I’m pretty sure that is what Sunny would have wanted. You couldn’t have known how far the spread was,” he continued to reassure her gently. He made a mental note to suggest to the captain that Sharp Spear get some counseling.
They stayed like this for a little while before Sharp broke free from the embrace and lay back down. Her head rested on the pillow, partly concealed by the unkempt mane as she stared forward. Flash put his leg back down and folded his wing back but continued to watch her.
“What happens now?” Sharp Spear whispered.
“I don’t know, sorry. The captain is still pretty furious about the whole thing. I do know though that Barricade is not pressing charges,” Flash told her, this prompted the unicorn to look at him puzzled.
They were interrupted by a green crystal pony who burst through the door, peeking in was a blue crystal pony and a purple pegasus, the two stallions looked apologetic, while Sharp Spear was being squeezed in a hug by the mare who had rushed inside.
“Apologies, sir, we could not contain her any longer,” the blue pony confessed.
“I’m surprised you two managed to contain Emerald this long at all, Bright Spark,” Flash Sentry remarked and chuckled softly.
“Shush, Sharpy needs cheering up,” Emerald stuck her tongue out at them.
“Well, I’m being hugged by a cute mare, that’s at least something,” Sharp Spear smiled weakly, trying her best to breathe through the bear hug and returning the hug at the same time.
“She is supposed to be confined to quarters,” Flash Sentry pointed out, seeing that his entire squad was now in the room.
“She is, I’m not and we all share these quarters,” Emerald immediately pointed out while finally letting Sharp Spear go.
“Good Grief, Sparky, what reps have you been making this girl take while I’ve been off,” Sharp Spear remarked to the blue pony, feeling a little crushed after the hug but was nevertheless grinning a little now. That just prompted Bright Spark to smile in amusement.
“Blackberry, any word?” Flash Sentry looked at the purple pegasus.
“None, sir. I think the captain is still waiting for further development,” the pegasus reported. “Though I have a feeling that once the father has properly met the child, they will disembark from the Crystal Empire.”
Flash just nodded, considering her emotional state right now, Sharp Spear might attempt something to disrupt things. That was probably the reason Shining Armor had only confined her to the barracks and her quarters instead of immediately discharging her.
“I have a daddy?” Chisel frowned in confusion. He was awake again and Foxy Stripes had arrived shortly after to talk with him. The colt still hugged the purse but not nearly as tightly as before, he also no longer had that blank expression but still looked sad.
“Mommy never said I had a daddy,” he said and looked down.
Foxy nodded, she sat right next to the bed, not wanting to intrude on Chisel’s personal space. After making sure that the boy was still talking and not reverted to how he had been before, the mare started to explain to him what was going to happen slowly — telling him about his father and where he would now live.
“Your daddy had a good reason to stay away from your mommy, but I am going to let him explain that reason,” the pegasus said.
“Auntie Sharp Spear say I would live in the Crystal Empire,” Chisel looked up at Foxy again, he still looked confused, almost lost.
Foxy sighed, wondering what more this Sharp Spear had told the boy that wouldn’t be true right now. Personally, she wanted to meet that pony and shake some sense into her but knew that wasn’t why she was here. Barricade also did have a point; Sharp Spear had been trying to protect Chisel from the pony Barricade had used to be.
“Sharp Spear didn’t know, maybe she thought you would live there, but your daddy does not live here,” Foxy said, she knew this must be very confusing for Chisel. He was effectively being given over to ponies he had never met and didn’t know.
However, since Barricade was his father and he was by now on moderately good terms with the mothers of most of his other children. He was raising one daughter already; courts would see no issue granting him automatic custody. There was currently no one to contest it. Sharp Spear even made it look worse for her by being willing to practically steal Chisel away before the authorities could assess his situation.
“Where is daddy?” Chisel asked unsurely, Foxy detected a hint that he didn’t quite believe her.
“He’s right outside, want me to call him in?” she asked, Chisel hesitated almost as if he hadn’t expected that answer. Foxy wondered if he was confused by the mix of messages, Sharp Spear, a pony he trusted had told him one thing, now a complete stranger was telling him something entirely else. Slowly the colt nodded.
“You can come in now,” Foxy called.
The door opened, and Chisel was already looking at it. The boy watched as a dark gray unicorn with blonde mane and tail, and a brick wall on his flank walked in.
“Hey, kid,” Barricade greeted him with a solemn smile.
End chapter 3