//------------------------------//
// Love Child 
// Story: The Composer 
// by Smug Anime Girl 
//------------------------------//

Andante's estate was a large, old building with many towers and sharp spires. Over the years, several renovations had added more rooms to the sides, and as a result, it looked like a child's building set, with different architectural styles and colors clashing with each other.

Around the property, dead bushes fenced off the yellowing lawn. A single crooked tree was on the left of the path to the front door, weathered and grey, clearly dead. Weeds poked out between the bricks on the path.

The younglings regarded the engineering mess before them with unease. Ocellus asked, "Are you sure this is the right place? How could anycreature even live in this...dump?" The little blue changeling said the last word very carefully, as if she would offend the house.

"Well, here's one way to find out." Spike stepped towards the big wooden doors and knocked loudly. There was some shuffling on the other side, and after several locks were opened, the poorly lubricated door creaked inwards. A blue unicorn looked at them with a haughty gaze. His messy grey mane blew gently from the door's draft. "What can I do for you children?"

"We're looking for Andante, does he live here?" Spike asked awkwardly.

"He does. I am Andante." The unicorn blinked, then began to close the door on them.

"Now hold on." Smolder kept the door open with her foot. "We've been sent here on a friendship mission by Princess Twilight."

Andante groaned. "I don't have time for this. I'm trying to write music, please, just go away."

"I'm sure you could gain the Princess' favor by cooperating." Ocellus pointed out. "She takes these friendship missions very seriously, and the Grand Galloping Gala is only a few months away. This just might be the thing that'll convince her highness to feature your work..."

They could very clearly see the cogs slowly turning in Andante's mind, and with an annoyed snort he let them in. The floor creaked under their combined weight. It was a complete mess inside, in fact, it was probably worse than the initial appearance of the house from outside.

Random bits of sheet music was tacked on the wall at random, dirty clothing lay on the ground in flat heaps, and if one peered deeper inside, one could see an assortment of pots and pans left to pile up in the sink, sadly abandoned like a scrapyard. Flies circled the smelly mess, landing at random to take bites out of bits of food still stuck on..

Yona's jaw nearly hit the floor. "You sure do live in a pigsty, mister!" She said without thinking.

He just shook his head, muttering about children's lack of restraint. After getting pouring out cold chrysanthemum tea, he slumped into a massive armchair, almost oozing into it. "Well? Are you going to get to the point or not?"

Gallus stepped forward. "Yeah, we're here cause Prince-I mean Celestia says that you have a daughter by the name of, uh..." He trailed off.

"Schuberry." Silverstream called from the next room. She was already exploring the place, sending bits of paper flying with each wing beat. "That's a big piano!"

"Yes, that. Her, I mean." Gallus continued. "She claimed that you kept Schuberry a secret, had her write music for you, then pawned it off as your own?"

Andante took a deep sigh. "I can assure you, griffin, that I have no children. And even if I did, I don't think any child could write music worthy of my time."

"Now wait." Sandbar said. "We've never heard of Schuberry until Celestia found her. Like Gallus said, Celestia thinks you kept her a secret this whole time, so how do you know you're not lying about your family?"

"Of course, there's no way to prove nor disprove it." Andante laughed a humorless laugh. "For the sake of argument, let's say that I did have a child, and then kept her a secret, taught her how to play the piano  at the ripe old age of five and write music before she even passed her first decade of life, and then stole her music. Is it against the law? Perhaps it is morally grey, but I see no laws broken, no rules bent."

"So you admit that it's not right." Smolder tapped her foot, agitated by his logic.

"Yes, I do, and I think that makes me less suspect, no?" Andante sat straighter in his chair. "Will that be all?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd come with us." Spike suddenly said.

"Wait, what?" Andante and Yona said at the same time, then they looked at each other.

"No, wait, that's a great idea." Gallus rubbed his chin. "You have everything to gain by coming with us and everything to lose by staying. Cause you'll look guilty, even if you're not, and if you go, well, there's your chance to clear your name."

"Either way, one of you is a liar, but you have more to gain from lying." Silverstream added on. Their arguments were beginning to sink in.

"Bah!" Andante cried out. "I'll go. Let me pack my things." He stormed up his stairs and muttered about how modern parents were too lenient and how foals now had too much power in the family unit. Ocellus shook a little, certain that he was going to punch right through the boards.

"Thanks for having my back, guys." Spike said, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. "That almost turned into a disaster."

"Anything to get out of class." Gallus joked, patting the little dragon. "Oh, here he comes."

Andante had grabbed a bulging worn saddlebag. "Let's go." He said gruffly, brushing past them. The little group walked back out past the snag and the dead bushes.

"You guys can go back to Ponyville." Spike said to the students. "I'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."

Yona was about to protest when Sandbar cut her off. "Don't worry about us, we know how to get a train ticket. We wanted to stay in Canterlot for some food anyways. Thanks for letting us tag along."

"Sure thing." After Spike and Andante had left, Sandbar turned to his friends, who were staring at him with looks of horror, annoyance, and concern.

"What was that about?" Gallus half-yelled. "Now we have to go back to school!"

"We aren't done here." Sandbar gave his friends a mischievous grin.





Silver Shores had recently been connected to the Equestrian Rail Network by a new station and a track extension. The work had been dictated by Celestia's government, one of the last public works she had dictated before she stepped down. The tracks were so new that they were still shimmering silver. The small brick house that served as the station building had green awnings extending off the roof, and under one of these awnings, the alicorn of the night wore a cold expression as she stood waiting for the Friendship Express to arrive.

The weather matched her mood; great sheets of rain swept across the scene, with the occasional bolt of lightning lighting up in the distance and thunderclap washing over the scene. Several other ponies stood around with umbrellas and ponchos. Luna ignored them and pawed at the ground, agitated.

The train rounded the bend and let out two mournful toots of it's whistle. The rain was so loud that the train's hissing and screeching was nearly drowned out as it slowed down. Coming to a stop at the platform, the train let out a metallic clang. A small number of ponies got on, and a blue stallion and small purple dragon got off. Luna curtly nodded at Andante. "It's a pleasure to have you here. Your music is quite enjoyable." She mentally winced at the awkwardness of that compliment. "And it's good to see you again, Spike."

"Thank you. I appreciate your work in the dream realm." Andante and Luna shook hooves. "Shall we be going?"

Luna nodded and cast a spell. It wasn't initially clear what it was, but when she stepped under the rain, the droplets began to splash against a thin blue film. She had covered the small group entirely, and making sure everycreature was dry, led them away from the station.

The journey back to the house was a quiet one. There wasn't a single other pony on the street. They passed the bakery where Schuberry had played a few days before, and Luna slowed her pace slightly to catch a glimpse inside. A young couple were inside, chatting away.

Celestia had opened the door for the group as they neared the house, and her trademark smile shone through the storm. Luna nodded at her and cleaned off her hooves on the doormat. "I'll get her."

"Thank you." Celestia whispered, then turned to Andante. "Would you like some tea?"

Luna let her older sister deal with the pleasantries and crept into Schuberry's room. "Your father's here." She whispered.

The little filly looked up from her desk. She had finally finished writing the song she played in the bakery, and was stapling together the sheet music. 'Ok, I arrive now'

Keeping Schuberry slightly behind her, Luna went to the now-filled living room, where Andante was voicing his displeasure to a serene Celestia.

"If it were not to make clear that there seems to be a misunderstanding, I would not be here at all!" Andante complained.

Celestia ignored this. "Ah, Schuberry."

'Hello you' Schuberry turned to Spike, curiously nuzzling his scales.

Andante frowned at the filly. "She's younger than I assumed...are you sure it's her?"

"Quite." Luna curtly replied.

Andante was unconvinced. He looked over at the piano. "Sit, please." Schuberry did as she was told, and Andante pulled out an Ambletivirus violin. "Do you know the quote on quote 'famous' part of my Ursa Major Concerto?" After seeing her nod, he began to play. Schuberry quickly joined in, gently complimenting his plucky tune. He frowned, and stopped playing the lead. Schuberry didn't miss a beat and immediately took charge. To the untrained ear, it would have sounded like she was off tempo and completely destroying the song. Her plucky movements and approach to the tune didn't match the slow moving piece.

After attempting to seize the lead again several times (and being rebuffed by Schuberry spectacularly), Andante stopped. "Very well. She's certainly above average for her age." Andante concluded. "And quite the showpony too..."

"That's hardly the achievement." Celestia chuckled and took a sip of her tea. "Satisfied?"

"I suppose." Andante grunted as he returned his violin to it's case.

"Now when I heard you were coming, I wasn't going to call you here to point hooves and get a 'he said, she said' argument out here." Celestia began. She was choosing her words carefully. "There is a certain spell I would like to perform on the two of you."

"Go right ahead." Andante said confidently.

"Hold on, I haven't told you about it." Celestia saw his look. "You need to have full disclosure before being able to give consent to the spell. I'm going to probe both of your magic and try to sense a parental connection."

"Like I said, I have nothing to hide." Andante repeated. Schuberry also nodded.

Celestia spread her wings (presentation was important, she thought) and her horn glowed. Andante and Schuberry were lifted into the air, and a bright yellow glow originating from the ancient alicorn's horn blinded the room occupants. After several minutes, the magic subsided and the two ponies landed back on the wooden floor. "Andante, you're not magically tied to Schuberry."

"Of course I'm not, I've been saying, I'm not her father." Andante scoffed.

"I'd better get the adoption papers ready..." Celestia mused. "Would you two like to stay for lunch?"

"Sure, thanks." Spike quickly answered.

"Oh, thank you, but I must be going. The sooner I return, the better." Andante began to head for the door.

"Wait. When I said I enjoyed your music, it wasn't just some awkward compliment. I meant it." Luna blushed slightly. "Could you possibly play the Pheasant Duet for me please?"

He stopped and looked back, sighing. "Very well. I certainly do find Schuberry fascinating. Do you know this song, filly?"

'I promise I play accompaniment with no fight'

So Andante returned to the living room and took out his violin again. Celestia and Spike had begun to prepare food, but Luna noticed that they were paying as much attention as she was. They looked over at each other, checking that they were ready, and then they began together.

The Pheasant Duet was a rather slow moving song, meant for couples to slowly ballroom dance at establishments with limited access to musicians and equipment. It was one of Andante's first published works, and perhaps still Luna's favorite. She gently swayed as she listened, eyes closed. Andante's playing was more reserved compared to Schuberry, and the alicorn could tell that the filly was trying hard to not inject her own element into the playing or overtake the stallion.

Luna's worries melted away like soap in water. Of course Schuberry wasn't Andante's child; she had been an idiot for thinking so. The relief was almost immediately overshadowed by the thought that perhaps Schuberry had some sort of hidden agenda. Cozy Glow taught everypony in Equestria that even a foal could become a dangerous villain. Was this another case of a foal led astray by delusions of grandeur or the seductive nature of power?

She didn't seem like that kind of pony, Luna thought as she opened her eyes and looked towards the piano. A cunning villain wouldn't have made up such an easily refutable story. Schuberry seemed incapable of lying; just the other day, she attempted to fly and accidentally broke a picture frame. She made a pathetic attempt to shift the blame to a mouse. Before Luna knew it, the song came to a close, and Andante gave a slightly sarcastic bow. "Thank you, thank you. Now I really must be off."

Andante was interrupted by a sound that could only be described as a dying cat's last few breaths. The source of the sound was Spike, whose face was a comically shade of blue and on his knees, clutching his throat. He sputtered out green flame, and a fat scroll flew out. Celestia snatched it up and read the few first sentences. "Andante, I'm afraid you'll have to stay."





"I'm not sure this is ok." Ocellus tried to protest as she heaved Sanbar up. "We're breaking into a pony's house. This isn't right."

"I won't lie, I don't think this is right." Gallus agreed, hovering outside a second story window. "I mean, we're not even going to take anything!" Seeing his friend's looks he tilted his head. "What?"

"Just try to return things back to where you found them, ok?" Sandbar pushed open the window. "And be quiet, please." He pushed himself in, and after his winged friends flew in, they pulled Yona up with a heave. After brushing wooden splinters from beneath scales and out of fur coats and layers of feathers, they looked around. The gang found themselves near the back of the house, in what once must have been a grand dining room. There were display cases crammed with trinkets, none of which any of the children could positively identify. "Ok gang, let's split up."

Gallus and Smolder headed into the kitchen, Silverstream and Yona headed back into the piano room, leaving Sandbar and Ocellus to head straight forward. It was a rickety staircase that led into a dark cellar.

"Well, let's go." Sandbar flicked on the light switch and a light orange glow emanated from the bottom. He slowly made his way down warily. Ocellus followed closely, slightly shivering. As they looked around, it became clear that it was a small living space, perhaps a servant's quarters once inhabited by the family's maids and butlers. The space was sparsely decorated, with some sections just bare brick. It must be cold during the winter, Sandbar thought. There was a wall to the left specifically meant for preparing food, and further back there was a washroom. To the right, a row of doors were closed.

Ocellus tried the first few but found them all locked. The one on the end swung open, dust gently billowing. "Sandbar."

"Yeah?" He had checked out the washroom and promptly concluded that there was nothing of interest. However, in Ocellus' room, there was a small bed neatly made. Sandbar checked the drawers in the desk and found a few pens and pieces of paper. "Nothing here."

"What about the dresser?" Ocellus asked, tentatively. They pushed the doors open and found a black tuxedo neatly hung up in the hangars and a small pile of mismatched socks. "That's strange..."

"This is just about it." Sandbar sighed. "Lets head back up to see what the others have gotten."

"Wait." Ocellus pulled a book from the pile of socks. Flipping it open, the blue changeling's lips moved with the words as she read. "This looks like some sort of journal. I don't think Andante's going to miss this."

"We're supposed to be returning things." Sandbar tried to put it back.

"No, seriously, Andante's not going to miss this." Ocellus pointed at the socks. "Schuberry definitely had this hidden."

"Alright. Whatever." The earth pony shook his head and led them back upstairs. Schuberry's journal was quickly forgotten when he saw Silverstream clutching a small pile of documents. "What...are you doing?!" He cried.

"Collecting some evidence." Yona grinned. "These here say that Andante has been taking care of Schuberry as her legal guardian since birth...and there's more."

"Andante is NOT the father!" Silverstream giggled. "This is just so juicy!"

"Yeah, ok." Gallus stepped forward. "We found nothing."

"That's not absolutely true. There seems to be these scribbles lying all over the place and they're covered in dots. Andante has made a lot of critiques on them...he says things like 'she should have made this part should be more like this' and that sort." Smolder held it up proudly.

"It's not really that profound, not on it's own. But," Sandbar said. He paused for effect. "Ocellus and I found similar paper in Schuberry's desk."

"So then. Now what?" Ocellus looked back and forth.

"Let's get this to Princess Twilight." Sandbar suggested. "She'll know what to do from here." He led them out the window and climbed out, one after another. Smolder and Gallus barely caught Yona (Smolder's feet actually sank into the ground a little). Once everycreature had collected themselves, they immediately headed for the Canterlot Castle.





It was a very awkward lunch, especially for Andante, who refused food and sat off to the side sulking like a foal. Spike engaged in some conversation with Schuberry to keep her attention away from the other side of the table.

Luna was staring daggers at Andante, while Celestia was gently prodding him with questions. "So Schuberry has no biological connection to you?"

"Of course not." He snorted. "If she did, I would be happily married with her mother right now."

Celestia thought this over. "Are you going to tell us her name? We can probably track her down and return the filly to her."

Luna's death glare was now turned on her sister.

"I had the luck of meeting who she...preferred over me." Andante began, and paused. "They had a very toxic relationship. It wouldn't be good for Schuberry."

"Why didn't you admit her into an orphanage then?" Celestia continued the interrogation. If she wasn't wrong, it was concern she detected in the stallion's voice.

"I didn't want her to go into the orphanage system." Andante's voice grew softer. "I've been through it myself. It's not...desirable."

Celestia nodded, understandingly. "May I ask about you taking Schuberry's music?"

"I didn't take, we agreed that it would be for the best. Such a talented filly would instantly become very famous..." Andante scratched the back of his head. "I believe that she should not be displayed to the Canterlot nobles as some kind of circus animal."

"That's another lie." Luna folded her forelegs. The chair creaked under her weight as she leaned back. "You cut her coat and mane like a stallion and bought her a suit. It appears that you were about to present her to the world, like a circus animal. It says so in your journal."

"Just how much did those spoiled brats steal from my house?" Andante grumbled. Luna tried to react but was restrained by Celestia. Spike, who overheard what he said, shook his head to himself.

"Now now, let's be civil." Celestia chided. "Andante, we aren't here to punish you."

"Luna might be." Andante snuck in.

"I want what's best for Schuberry, and I hope and believe you do too." Celestia quickly brought his attention back. "My sister and I think the best arrangement for Schuberry is to live away from you right now. We'll provide her with everything she needs. You'll be able to see her whenever you want, so long as she wishes to see you too."

"What about the music I borrowed from her?" Andante asked. Both sisters thought it was very narcissistic of him to be worrying about that rather than the child first, but Celestia brushed it off. He was certainly better than the vast majority of the Canterlot nobles.

"How about this. The music you have already published, you can keep under your name to prevent public embarrassment. But half of the revenue earned from the music will be transferred to Schuberry's name in a savings bank account, where she will be able to begin withdrawing money from the age of eighteen." Celestia folded her forehooves.

Andante thought about it, and after letting out an exasperated "Bah!" threw his hooves in the air. "Alright. I still have a song to complete."

"If you want her help, just stop by, alright?" Celestia stood up, ready to show him the door. "And Andante. We're not pressing charges because Princess Twilight asked us not to. Are we clear?" 

"Yeah, yeah..."

After the door was closed on the unicorn, Celestia let out a long sigh.

"Diplomacy at it's finest." Luna shook her head as she began to do the dishes. "Oh, Spike, Schuberry, you run along now. We'll clean this mess up." Watching the two head off (presumably to play), she asked Celestia, "Do you think we could give her voice back?"

"There's something strange about that filly." Celestia said darkly. "When I was doing the magical probe, I found traces of a very powerful magical essence embedded within Schuberry. It might have something to do with her innate musical talent."

"Oh, that is strange..." Luna wondered aloud. "We might have to ask Starswirl to look into it for us..."

"Well, that can wait." Celestia dried off a fork. "At the very least, the spell has made a case to whether or not inquiry should be put forth, but it should be stressed that relevant facts cannot be established with any degree of certai-"

"When you use such circumspect language, you end up saying nothing whatsoever." Luna unplugged the drain in the sink. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Celestia dried off the last of the plates and put it away. Her attention inevitably drifted back towards the grand piano. "Perhaps I'll consider a career in law. And let's just say for now, I have a hunch that I can't confirm."

"We should have enough foodstuffs for a few more days." Luna checked the fridge. "Do you think Schuberry will like some treats? Candy?"

"I'll go get her some candy apples." Celestia began gathering some loose bits. "Do keep an eye on her."

Schuberry came bounding over and booped Luna's hoof. She looked down. "What is it?"

"You're it!" Spike laughed. "Run, Schuberry! Run!"

"Oh you fiend-!" Luna chased after Schuberry, giggling as she skidded along.

Celestia shook her head and smiled. "Don't break anything, Luna!"