“Dude!” Despite his short stature Bass Drop hits Crisp like a freight train. “You gotta see this!”
Crispin sighs “I have to sit at the isolation table.”
“I know, I know but you guys gotta see this first!” Bass insists, he drags Crispin bodily toward a massive framed picture along the far wall. Cortland follows at a slower pace, still deep in thought over the implications of Crispin’s photo. Bass proudly points up at the picture on the wall.
Cortland gives it a cursory glance. “It’s a camp photo, so what?”
“Dude look.” He points earnestly at a group of girls in particular.
“That’s my mother,” Says Crispin, face slack with something resembling awe. He stares at the photo and Bass Drop fades into the background as he focuses on his mom. Her hand is gently resting on the shoulder of the girl to her right. She’s smiling brighter than he can ever remember seeing.
Cortland swallows, “That there is my Aunt Dash,” He points her out for Crisp “and my Aunt Twi too.”
Crispin recognizes their faces, though he has only seen them in photos. His mother has told stories about them, rarely, when he catches her on a good day. “That’s- that’s Aunt Shy, Aunt Pinkie and –”
“Aunt Sunset.” They finish together.
Dinner is filled with the boys comparing notes. Crispin’s mother has been less than forthcoming about most of her old friends. Cortland on the other hand has plenty of information. Crisp is rooted to his seat as the other boy tells story after story. Cortland describes their time at Canterlot High, and colorful personalities in such detail that Crisp can almost see it. Rainbow Dash and her game winning goal, Aunt Fluttershy and her animals. Aunt Pinkie's Parties and Twilight Sparkle's genius.
“I can’t believe Mother has never told me any of this.” Crisp sighs as he leads the way back to their shared cabin. “She’s mentioned the others but never- she’s never mentioned your mom. I always assumed she was gone… She always told me that it was just us… I had a brother, another mom, and she never said anything.”
“Several Aunts and an Uncle too,” Cortland says, he pulls his wallet from his pocket and shows Crispin the photos inside. Pointing out his relatives with gusto, “Uncle Mac an’ Sugar Belle, Aunt Applebloom, Granny Smith, Granpappy Pear, and those are just the ones that live in Canterlot. Ma says there’s Apple’s in just about every city you can think of!”
The boys talk long into the night, exchanging stories about their families. Admittedly, Cortland has a lot more to say than Crispin. While Cortland’s family is close, and massive, Crispin only knows his grandparents and Aunt Sweetie Belle. Rarity had moved to Manehatten when he was only a baby and being that far from Canterlot meant that he didn’t often see his extended family. The boys manage to compare enough half-stories and family history to figure out that their mother’s had attended Camp Everfree with their classmates around 2016 and graduated in 2017. Rarity had given birth on May 2nd, 2021, as a sophomore in college. What wasn’t clear was why they were separated.
Rarity had always told Crispin that his second parent was long gone and that they were alone. Applejack however, had told Cortland that Rarity refused to marry her before packing up and leaving. Neither woman had ever mentioned either twin to the other. The more they discussed the more frustrating the tangled web became.
“It makes no sense!” Crisp groaned, “I wish I could just meet her. I want to ask her to her face why Mother left her, why she never even looked for us… I just want to know.”
“And I’d really like to talk to Mom.” Cortland admits quietly, “Ma told me a little but she always got real sad after. Like, real upset and then she’d just go out to the orchard for hours… Granny always said she died a little when Rarity took off.”
“Which I don’t get! Why would they let each other go if they both ended up so hurt? And why lie to us?”
“Bet Aunt Sunset would tell us,” Cortland mutters, “she says family is the most important thing in life, especially the family you choose. And it wasn’t a lie… technically; I mean I never asked Ma outright if I had a brother or nothin’. And I bet you never asked Mom if Ma was actually dead or not.”
“A lie by omission is still a lie.”
He barks out a laugh so sharp and clear that Crisp jumps and sends the pages he’d been idly drawing on fluttering to the floor. “Sorry,” Cortland says sheepishly, “it’s just that Ma says that all the time.”
“Yeah, Mother does too.”