The ceiling competes in a staring contest with the rooms only occupant. However, it grows bored of the forced competition.
Chitter sits up and blinks while rubbing his bad eye. “Stupid dust.” He grumbles a bit more as he lays back down to finish his impromptu contest. “Blind in that eye already and now dust in it too. Why do bad things keep happening to me?”
His ears perk up as the sound of crying fills the house. He doesn’t bother to move as his father takes care of that stuff. His thoughts drag him back to the previous stupor the dust had interrupted. Just as he’s about to lose himself again the crying becomes screaming. “UGH!”
Heaving himself to his hooves, he moves to see what the trouble was now. His door creaks open as those darn hinges need oiling. With no particular reason to rush, Chitter mopes down the hall. Reaching the living room he finds nopony present and continues to follow the sound. He halts in front of Mom and Dad’s room where Summer’s cries emanate from. He waits for a few moments before twisting the handle.
The door swings open and inside the normally well kept room was a disaster. The bed contains a disheveled, sleeping father. The covers were bunched up at the foot of the bed with an unmarked bottle sticking out of them. On the dresser, any of the pictures that display his mother had been turned around or laid flat. Next to the bed is the crib that holds his baby sister, with the filly now getting even louder.
“Dad?” He shakes his father who just snores on.
WAAAAAA!
“I don’t know what to do for you.” He says to her. Looking around, he tries to find something that might help him get Dad up. Instead, he sees a book cover up, on the floor and it catches his attention. Till the First Steps: A New Parents Guide, He picks up the tome and rights it in his grasp. “Till the First Steps: A New Parents Guide! Maybe this can tell me what she wants.”
He flips open the book and skims it while searching for anything helpful. “No, no, no, ah- no… Okay here. Crying: Cause and response.” He reads the pages as best he can with the screaming filly in background. “First, check diaper to see if they need to be changed. If not or crying doesn’t slow: See page…” He moves over to her and doesn’t even have to look; The smell alone make him gag.
He reads over the procedure with disgust. “Ponies do this?!” He was absolutely appalled at the diagrams.
WAAAAAA
“Fine!” In a feat of brilliance, Chitter lets the green flames morph him again. In a really nasally voice me mutters, “At least I can’t smell anymore.”
After making his nostrils disappear he prepares himself for the repulsive mess to come. The book warned him, but he just didn’t know if he was ready for this. He takes a deep breath and with the book open next to him, he opens the diaper.
“EEEEWWWWW! Even without a nose this is bad!”
He rolls up the diaper and deposits it the trash bin. The rest he just does, trying his best to not remember a thing about it. Let’s just say it was bad…
“Cleaned, powdered,” brief muffled gagging, “new diaper. What else does it say?”
Afterwards it may be good practice to see if your foal may be hungry.
‘Right! I’ve seen dad do that. A scoop of formula and water.’ Chitter puts the filly back in her crib for a few minutes as he tries to sort out the bottle situation. He trots to the foal bag at the foot of his parents’ bed. “Formula, formula…” He finds and removes a metal cylinder with a plastic lid. Taking it and the bottle with him to the bathroom he starts to prep a bottle.
‘Clean it out, fill partly with warm water, put in scoop of powder, fill rest of bottle, shake, serve!’ He performs the action he’d learned from watching the few times Dad had done it. Shaking the bottle (without covering the nipple) he returns to Summer Sun. “Here you are little filly! One, fresh, gourmet, baby bottle. Enjoy.” He picks her up out of the crib and while cradling her, attempts to feed her.
While feeding her he looks back through the book.
Be sure to burp your foal after they eat.
Summer eats peacefully as her big bug brother rocks her with a great deal of cautious care. ‘Did Mom and Dad do this for me?’ He continues to watch her as she drinks her bottle.
‘She’s the reason you don’t have a mom anymore.’
‘Remember what the principal and Mom told you. She is your baby sister and needs you.’
Chitter tried his hardest to ignore both of the tiny changelings on his shoulders. ‘She’s my sister, but this is supposed to be Dad’s thing.’
‘I can live with that.’
‘Yep.’ Both of them dissipate into nothing.
SNOOORE
“He still isn’t awake!” Chit pulls the bottle away from the filly then moves her over his shoulder as the book shows. He pats her back till he’s satisfied it worked before he attempts to return her to her crib. He holds her in front of him and gets a good look at her for the first time.
Summer Sun was just a tiny thing. She’s so small that if she stood on her hind legs, she might just get her fore hooves level with his back. Her mane is just the shade of faded yellow their mother’s was; the same could not be said about her coat. Her coat was the color of a summer's day sky. Those big amber eyes stare right back into his own cerulean eyes. She decided now was a fine time to just let out a random noise, “Rrrr…”
“Well, you don’t look evil…” He still held her in front of him. “In fact you look absolutely harmless. How could you have possibly taken mom away?”
“Brbrbr”
“See! You can’t even do anything by yourself.” Chitter sets her gently back into her crib in a lying position and starts to leave. He looks back just before he closes the door, she isn’t asleep but she stays quiet while her big eyes watch him curiously. He smirks and she grins and looks away in that weird baby emotional overload. Chuckling, he closes the door to Dad’s room.
…...
Day four after fight.
Chitter is scrounging for any scraps of love he can gleam off of any source. He spends time with his friends when he isn’t helping Dad out. That means he’s seen less of his friends now than when he was grounded. He attempts to get some off passerby as he goes to school, when he does go. His emotions are clouding and seem to be more and more aggressive as the days pass.
Day seven after fight.
Things have reached a point where all Tartarus is breaking loose. Shield struggles to raise two foals by himself while also dealing with the loss of his wife. While raising his foals is difficult, coping with the loss is driving the family down the wrong path. He has recently taken up drinking to the point of blackout most days and leaving the two siblings to fend for themselves.
Little Summer doesn’t know any better and is acting as a newborn should.
Chitter… well, he is almost having a worse time than his father. Starved of most emotions by this time, keeping his sister alive and well, helping Dad, grieving, and trying to keep up in school. It’s more than any nine year old should have to put up with.
……
Cries of a foal echo throughout the house for the umpteenth time as a drunken father lay passed out on couch yet again. “WAAAAAAHHHH”
A very grumpy, hungry, changeling marched into the room. “What do you want now?!” The filly stopped crying and watched him. “I’ve changed you, fed and burped you, and you should be happy! What do you want?!” Little Summer kept following him with teary eyes, upset about a lack of attention. “Dad is supposed to do this, n-not me! I can’t do it alone…” An idea hit him like a run away carriage, “but I know someone who can!” He moved to the baby prison called a crib and reached down for his sister. “Let’s go Summer.”
He placed her in the carrier and strapped it to his back, shifting his fragile wings out of existence with the last of his transformation energy so they don’t get damaged. Dad completely unaware of anything happening.
With the idea firmly jammed into his head he uses all available emotional energy to carry out the task. Leaving the house he made his way to the first close family he thinks of; The Light’s. The trip took him down the cobble walkway to the dirt roads of Ponyville. Without enough emotional energy, he cannot change to lessen the stares he received as he continued to move forward. Past Mrs. Bonbon’s candy store, Sweetie Drops, further still past the empty, Castle of Friendship, when he is stopped by a homeless mare.
That by itself was unusual as he didn’t know of any homeless ponies, especially here in Ponyville. The tan pegasus was in really bad shape, matted unkempt appearance, missing a front leg that had been replaced by a material he didn’t have words for, her wings were dirty and needed to be preened. She looked disturbing to the nine year old changeling. “Hello there little ones. Did you need help with something?”
Chitter backed away, “No, we’re okay, thank you.” That mare gave him the creeps.
“What’s the matter? You look tired and hungry.”
“No, we’re good Miss. We’ll just be going now.” He said trying to get the two of them away from the stranger. “We need to go.”
“Have I met you somewhere?”
“No, I’ve always lived here.”
“Huh, must be mistaken.” She looks at them in a way that confuses Chitter. The homeless mare smiles a seemingly genuine smile but hidden beneath is something he can’t place.
“Well, bye!” He turns and bails, sister strapped firmly in her seat if the sounds are anything to go by. He continues to navigate the town for a bit, occasionally looking to see if that weird mare is following them. Before long he spots it, “There it is!” They approach the brick two story home. It was so close to the path that it had virtually no front yard. Steps lead up to the front door similar to the Apple's farm. Chitter knocks loudly and impatiently for the occupants.
Baaaabrbrbr
“I don’t know what you want Summer.”
The door finally opens revealing a magenta pegasus mare with a lavender bun. “Hel- Oh, hey there Chitter!”
“Mrs. Fix, can you help me please?” Chitter looks scared, “I tried to do like Mom told me, but I just can’t anymore! I-I-I don’t feel good anymore. Just mad all the time.”
Mrs. Fix moves aside, “Please, come inside! Of course I can help you.” She finally gets a full view of the object on his back. “Chitter, what’s in there?”
“Summer.”
Her eyes nearly bug out, “You brought your sister?! Buh, but what about your dad?”
“Dad is asleep.”
“Did you leave a note at least?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry Chitter, but you need to bring her home right now.”
“But I can’t care of her all by myself anymore! Please help!” He winces as his stomach rumbles angrily. “OOOWWWW!” His eyes water as it brings him to his knees. “BBAAAA!”
In an instant, Mystery unbuckles the carrier he’d strapped on. “What happened?!” She sets it down with care before checking on the now fallen changeling.
“My belly hurts! AAAHHHAHAH!” He lie clutching his abdomen, “Please!”
Mystery is nearly in a panic as she tries to recall if she knows anything about changelings. She couldn’t bring anything to mind that would be any help. “Are you sick?”
“Hungry!” He weeps out loud struggling to keep from screaming as his body prepares for further cannibalizing of his body. “P-lease love!”
She doesn’t know what to do and is stunned by the starving colt. “How?”
“Lo-ve! BAAAAHAHA! OOOOWWW!”
Mystery is grasping at straws now ‘How do you feed someone love?’ Summer Sun is getting upset now at all the noise and lets out her own opinion. ‘That’s it! Happy families exude love!’ “Bubble, sweetie come here please!”
Bubblegum runs in after hearing her name called in all the yelling, “What?”
“Come here sweetie. I really need your help, think you can help me?”
She nods eagerly, “Uh huh!”
“Can you give me a hug and tell me why you love me?”
Bubblegum smiles and hugs her mother’s side. “I love you Mom! You play with me, and help me with my homework, and give me ice cream, and we go to the park…” The list continues as she list thing from day to day activities to family events.
Chitter sobs loudly but a strong feeling of love starts filling the room with its unmistakable scent. In between sobs he tries to drink it in to fill the empty tanks.
The front door opens again, “Now, where are my mares?”
“Light, hurry in here! We need help!”
Hearing her family in distress, the earth brown unicorn drops her mining helmet, smashing the light on the floor. She doesn’t care even one iota as she sprints to help her family. She skids into the room hearing crying, screaming, a stream of babble. Her wife sits in the center of some kind of foal torture circle.
“Come here!”
“What’s going on here?”
“Light of my life, how much do you love us?”
“What’s going on?”
“Light, just answer the question, please!”
Being completely blindsided by this whole development she stutters and mumbles. With a few seconds of gathering , her thoughts are clear enough to at least spit out. “I love the both of you more than anything. I don’t think I could ever live without you both with me. You two mean more to me than the air I breath.” She pulls them both into her embrace and holds them tight.
Chitter catches a few glimpses of the heartfelt family moment. He feels happiness for the first time in nearly a month. He manages a weak smile as the feeling of death wanes. The love in the air is the best thing he’s eaten since before Mom and Dad found out Mom was pregnant. After a few minutes, Chitter feels a decent recharge of positive emotions and is able to compose himself.
Chitter trembles as he rises and resumes duties given by Mom. “Are you ok Summer?” He doesn’t expect an answer but pokes a hoof softly at her tummy. She eases crying now that she has attention and latches onto his hole filled hoof. “Easy, I still need that!”
“Chitter, would you mind explaining why you’re here?”
He didn’t catch who said it but looks at the forgotten family. The two mares watch him curiously while they await an answer. “Uh…”
“Not gonna fly there buggy. Why are you here alone with your sister?” Lightstruck questions.
He tries to get the best words he can about something he doesn’t know. “I was out of love and Dad has none no more. He just drinks the drinks we can’t and usually is sleeping.” Chitter shuffles his hooves some, “Mom told me to help Dad but I cant by myself no more! Summer is always crying, sometimes about nothing! I can’t do it!” Chit’s gaze falls to the floor, “Mom would be mad at me…”
Mystery and Lightstruck are stunned by this. Lightstruck gets visibly red and her expression becomes furious. “Myst, watch them. I’m going out.” Without another word to anyone in the room she storms towards the door.
SLAM
“Oh no.” Mystery whispers to herself.
“What?”
She just stares towards the door for a moment. “Your father is not gonna be happy in a few minutes…”
......
“I get home for the first time in weeks and I’m met not by my family, but by starving and mistreated foals!” Lightstruck snorts angrily and tosses her mane as she trots down the road.
Ponies stay a distance away from the enraged mare. Some give a halfhearted wave, others question who and why that mare is so grumpy.
“I swear to Celestia I will beat his face in if…” she trails off as she approaches the house rather quickly than even she had thought. She storms up the path to the door and throws it open with no regard to anyone who might be home. She sees no life in the house except a loose ferret that scampers around a corner when spotted. ‘Just Stripe.’ Light commences a methodical search of the house for the target of her rage. In the last room she checks is where the target lies. Forgetting she has magic she uses her hooves to flip the mattress and toss the occupant to the floor. “WAKE UP!”
“UUGH!” Shield lands hard on the carpeted floor and is in a stunned stupor.
“GET YOUR STUPID WORTHLESS FLANK UP THIS MOMENT!” She pulls the mattress back to the frame and stomps around the bed. “WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING ON THE FLOOR?”
Gradually things start to piece together and a name enters his cloudy mind. “Lightstruck? Wh-what's happening?” His brain is still trying to process the situation but most of the gears are rusted from their coating of hard alcoholic drinks.
“Stand up before I get really mad. I’m nowhere near afraid to start a fight, especially with a drunk.”
Shield wasn’t sure exactly what she said, “A fight? What? What are you talking about?” his mind cloudy and slow.
The earth colored unicorn grits her teeth and levitates one of the pillows off the floor. She swings it into his face with rage induced force knocking him over. “How dare you treat your children like this! How dare you treat your wife like this! What in the name of Celestia is wrong with you?!” She waits for a response.
Shield brings a hoof to his throbbing head, “What was that for, you crazy mare?”
“Crazy? Crazy?! Listen here alcoholic, this mare hasn’t even started crazy. But if you keep refusing to listen and reply she might just let it out. So I’ll ask; Why are you acting brain dead?”
“You come in my home, assault me, and now harass me?” His face is getting red as he stumbles onto his hooves, “What is wrong with you?”
Lightstruck jerks back in offense, “Me? You need to get your head out from under your tail and start being a father again. Your son looked like he was nearly dead!”
“He’s fine. He’s just upset that he’ll never see his mother again.” Shield sniffs a bit. “I know exactly how it feels too.”
“Shield you’re a fool.” she spat. “You know nothing about his feelings or needs right now do you? YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM WITH NEGLECT!”
“I’m not a violent pony, but you better get out of my face.”
“You’re not listening again!” she sneers, “You want me out of your face?! Bucking bring it then!” She instigates a fight but is more then ready and willing to participate. “When I kick your flank, you better straighten up.”
“Buck. Off.” With impaired judgment and falling health he takes a swing at the mare, catching her off guard as she expected him to back off.
Her head turns from the force and she slowly looks back at him with a smile, “Well well, you started it…” She dips her shoulder and juts forward slamming into Shield’s chest with enough force to put him up on his hind hooves. She ensures the drunkard goes all the way over by continuing the push with magic till he falls. When he lands on his back she puts both her fore hooves onto his chest with her weight pinning him down. “Now you listen!” She presses down slightly making it harder for him to breath. “Do you honestly believe after all that Chitter said he does for you, that he’s just acting out? While you lie passed out, apparently he has been the only one taking care of your daughter. Why do you treat them like this? What would your wife say?”
“It doesn’t matter cause she’s not here anymore! I’m doing what I can for them but I can’t do it by myself either! How am I supposed to take care of two foals, keep a job, and make sure I don’t keel over myself?”
“Shield. Shut your muzzle and get the things the three of you need for a couple days.”
“What ar-”
Light cuts him off, “No. Go. Get. Stuff. NOW!”
The dormant guard pony still inside snaps to attention and moves as ordered. He makes sure to grab Chitter’s gem, the diaper bag with all its accoutrements, and various toiletries. While he does, Lightstruck checks the windows, doors, and appliances for safety.
After a bit they meet up in the living area with Shield feeling much better mentally, but still mangled physically. He sits drinking another cup of water after being forced to. ‘At least she cares about them.’
“Let’s go already. You have a lot of both explaining and making up to do.” Light shakes her mane a bit to get it back in place, “I can’t believe you’d do that to your own foals. They deserve so much better than what they’ve been through.”
A little agitated from all the remarks he lashes out, “It’s been hard, ok?! Everything in life was absolutely beautiful and great, then death came and ruined everything! Willow was more to me than life itself and I would have traded places with her without hesitation.”
“Save it for later.” She grabs one of the bags he’d packed in her magic and slips it over her head. “We need you to be 100% sober before we start talking some more. Foals first, self later.”
With a sarcastic tone and dramatic nod towards the door Shield scoffs, “Lead the way, oh great and experienced one.”
……
“Are you feeling better now Chitter?”
“Much, Mrs. Fix.” Chitter jumps off the sofa and gets close to his sister, who is in Mystery’s hooves. “Was she better than me?”
Mystery cocks her head to the side , “What do you mean by that?”
“I was starving but she eats all the time.”
Not quite understanding what he was saying she takes a stab in the dark. “She is mostly healthy, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Chit turns his head to let his good eye get a fuller view of his sibling. To him she looks completely fine so he doesn’t understand mostly. “Mostly?”
“Well the little one is a bit chubby, probably not enough exercise between naps.”
The short changeling’s eyes widen and he begins to stammer, “B-but I did what the book said to!”
“Chitter, stop. This is in no way your fault. If anypony is to blame, it’s your dad who is to blame.”
“But I did it for him a lot.”
‘How long has this been happening?’ Mystery questions mentally. “You weren’t supposed to. Your dad is supposed to be the one doing this stuff. I understand times are hard for all of you after you lost your mom but this is really bad for him to do.”
“But Mom asked me to help Dad.”
Mystery shakes her head, “This is not the help she meant and she would be very mad at him for acting like this. She wants you to help them over time not raise her yourself.” Further conversation is halted as the front door opens and a proud Lightstruck with head held high trots in.
She looks around the hall with a big smile before calling out, “I'm back!”
A scrambling sound could be heard, then a bang, finally Bubblegum rushes around the corner with a huge smile, “Daddy!”
“Gummy!” She holds her hooves high in invitation. The lavender filly gasps slightly and sprints into her hooves knocking them both backwards. “I missed you!”
“Me too Dad!”
Light pauses for a moment, “Shield take a seat in the living room and get comfortable.” She refocuses on her filly, “I brought you something we found!”
“What is it, what is it?”
Shield steps by the floored unicorn and pegasus and proceeds to room the filly had just exited.
“Dad!” Chitter runs up to him and buries his face in his dad’s floof before looking up to him with sad eyes, “Am I in trouble now?”
Shield sits down and pulls him into a tight hug, “Oh my sweet colt, as much as I’d like to ground you forever for this, I should thank you.”
“Thank… me?”
“You bet buddy. I have been very bad lately and you and your sister have suffered from it.”
Chitter perks up suddenly, “Dad has love!”
Mystery takes this as the perfect time to inform Shield of just how bad things got. “Shield as much as I disagree with how Light went about things, she had a very good reason to.” She looks between Chitter and Lightstruck, “What happened before she went and got your dad Chit?”
“My stomach made me cry.”
“Why?” Mystery asks.
“No love.”
“Shield, you were starving him. I don’t mean he wasn’t getting enough or was hungry, he was literally dying! You can’t shut him out anymore or… or… Celestia forbid, but we may have to tell someone.”
Shield’s eyes widen, “You can’t take them away!”
“Then you better straighten out and stop acting like a little foal.” Light replies. “I know it’s hard, but you have two foals that need you more than anything else in the world.”
“You can’t ignore them. Not anymore.”
“Myst, hon. They’re going to be staying a while. Could you set up the guest rooms while I keep an eye on things?” Light leans in to whisper in her wife’s ear, “Please?”
“Oh fine. For you I guess I could manage something.” She smiles then trots off towards the stairs.
“Thank you!” She looks back to see both son and father no longer where they were. “Hey, wher-"
“There’s my little filly!”
Bah!
“I know and Daddy’s sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”
Chitter leans against his dad while he handles the filly. “What did she say?”
“Nothing at all.”
“But…”
“Buddy, I was making stuff up.”
“Oh.”
Lightstruck watches from a distance when a force to her foreleg nearly takes her down. “Wha- oh, hey Gummy. Whatcha want?”
“What are they doing?”
“What’s it look like?” She answers playfully.
Bubblegum mocks anger briefly, “Not that, Dad. I mean staying over.”
“Gummy, they need a little help after Aunty Willow passed away. They’re here so they can get back up.”
“Oh.”
“No Gum, they won’t share your room.” Light rolls her eyes.
“Fwew.”
“Be nice.”
“Ok, Dad.”
The two leave and the room goes silent as Chitter is reassured by his father. From the window a hidden pony watches the broken family. “Soon, little colt, soon.”