//------------------------------//
// Reassurance From Beyond 
// Story: Accept What Is Given 
// by xd77 
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The day really felt like it had flown by, for the time being was now 4:40 PM. It was 19 minutes before Sunny closed up shop for the evening, but Lasso still wanted her newest flavor of smoothie, the alicorn special. And Sunny knew that she had to keep her promise of letting him have one, so after they worked together to store away everything, she did just that. Once she had closed the door to her trailer, she started up the blender one last time. Soon, Lasso and Sunny were out of the trailer, and into the orange skies of the sun setting over Maretime Bay. Each with alicorn special smoothies in their hooves.

"Thanks for everything today Sunny, Ah' really enjoyed it." Lasso said with a smile, he was now feeling warmed up a bit.

"It's no problem Lasso, just remember that you are always welcome to see me." Sunny replied, "Now, we just have to wait for Izzy to come back and get you."

"Sunny, Lasso!" said a couple of familiar voices. Sunny and Lasso turned to see Zipp and Pipp walking towards them. 

"Hey Zipp, Pipp!" Lasso said with joy, running up to them and hugging them. Sunny followed behind him as well.

"Sorry you two, I've already closed up shop." 

"We know, we just needed to get a breather from helping our mom out." Zipp exclaimed.

"What happened?" Lasso asked.

"We had to pamper Cloud Puff for her all day!" Pipp whined, "All his slobbering and hyperactive behavior was driving us nuts!"

"Wow, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Sunny said.

"Well, anyway, what brought you to Maretime Bay today?" Pipp asked Lasso.

"Well, Izzy had some stuff to take care of here, she was going to have a smoothie, but Ah' guess she had too much to accomplish." 

"What kind of work?" Zipp asked.

"Did she have to get some diamonds here for her jewelry?" Pipp asked.

"No." Lasso answered, "She's had to meet with a landlord for a decent selling price on mah' old home. Plus, she's gone to get some final papers signed for her to become mah' legal guardian fully."

Zipp and Pipp could tell, aside from Sunny, that the colt was feeling down. Because the whole time he was answering their questions, he responded with a nervous tone.

"Hey, why are you talking like that?" 

"Is something wrong?"

Lasso was clearly having enough of everypony's curiosity on his attitude, so this was the last time he was going to say it.

"Ah've been thinking about what Ah' said to Opaline when me and Sunny defeated her. Y'all know about y'all being mah' family. Even though y'all are just mah' friends."

"Why would you be so concerned about that?" Pipp asked, rubbing his mane.

"Because Izzy is practically mah' second mom. Ah' want to call her that and get a real family again. Ah'm just scared of what her response will be."

"Pipsqueak, I'm sure Izzy won't mind if you called her your mom." Pipp assured.

Zipp picked Lasso up and held him the same way Posey did earlier, "Come on kid, when was the last time Izzy denied anything that you requested?"

"When she refused to let me take some beads for a school project." Lasso answered sarcastically.

The girls shook their heads, "I meant you calling her anything other than her name?"

"Um...uh?"

"Yeah, we soooooo didn't think so." Pipp vocalized.

"You see Lasso, if you ask her, she won't mind it. Besides, I'm pretty sure that nopony will ever replace your parents. You should know that even though they are gone now, they're alive in you. And your parents knew how much you love Izzy, so why not face it up and ask her?" Sunny informed.

Lasso quickly thought this over, turning over to the sun setting in the horizon on the ocean. Sunny was right when she said to him that his parents would always love him no matter what. Plus, they were still alive in him, heart and soul. His thinking was soon interrupted by the sound of familiar hoof steps approaching their direction.

He turned to see Izzy, trotting up to the group with a good attitude and appreciative.

"Hey Iz." Zipp said.

"That sure was one heck of a to-do list you accomplished." Sunny replied.

"Well, it turned out to be a miracle." Izzy replied back, Lasso figured it would be good news. So, he walked up to his legal guardian, hoping for the best.

"What's the miracle Mo-Ah' mean Izzy?" he asked, causing Izzy to turned confused.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Uh n-nothin'." Lasso answered nervously, "Just a slip of the tongue."

Izzy smiled small, "Whatever sweetie. Anyway, I got a hold of the landmare who your parents used when they bought your former house. I spoke with him about pricing for sale, and he managed to offer 150,000 in gold bits for the price."

Lasso was really pumped out at hearing this!

"Ya mean, Ah'll finally have enough for mah' own room?!" he asked.

Izzy shook her head nervously.

"Iz, why are you nervous about that?" asked Sunny.

"Well, he told me that 150,000 was going to be the actual price. But, he told me it would be at least several weeks before they can get it ready for selling.

"What!?!" Lasso asked in shock, "But, Ah' want mah' stuff and mah' own room back!"

Izzy trotted up to Lasso and fubbed his main.

"I know sweetie, but it's going to be a while before we can do that."

"Awww nuts!" Lasso groaned.

"Well anyway, I'm sure you listened to Sunny and did what she told you?" 

Lasso nodded.

Izzy then turned to Sunny, "Did he?"

"Of course he did." Sunny answered, pulling him to her side "In fact, he was the biggest helper I have ever had."

"Well, I guess we can settle out bonds after all." 

"Or surrogate families." Lasso stated, this made everyone turn to him, confused.

"What do you mean pipsqueak?" Pipp asked.

"Ah' mean the fact that, we're all here, like a family." Lasso answered, still trying to hide what he really wanted.

Izzy smiled, and put a hoof on his shoulder, "I guess you can say it like that."

Izzy and the others looked up to see the sun was about gone, and it was getting really late. Not only was it about to be nightfall, but it was also nearing Lasso's bedtime. It was an on cue moment though, because Lasso yawned, he was pooped from all the working with Sunny.

Izzy giggled at hearing him yawning, "Well, I guess we'd better get going cowcolt, you've had it out and in today." She said, levitating him onto her back.

"Well, I'll see you all later. Thanks for watching him Sunny." 

"Don't mention it Iz, it's what I've always wanted to do." Sunny replied. 

As Sunny, Zipp, and Pipp watched Izzy leave with Lasso, something came upon Sunny. In one quick hesitation, she turned to Zipp and Pipp.

"Girls?" 

"What is it Sunny?" Pipp asked.

"Listen, while Lasso was helping me today, he looked rather down. But whenever he stared at me, he showed happiness." 

"Maybe he's just warming up to being around you." Zipp replied.

"Or it could be that he saw you as his ment-o-r-r-r-r." Pipp vocalized in tune.

As they were talking, they overlooked one building, the sheriff's office. Because Hitch was closing it up for the evening, it did not take him long to hear the three familiar voices yakking behind him. Sparky on the other hand could not keep awake, especially because he was a baby dragon, so he was already fast asleep on Hitch's back.

"Hey girls, what's up?" 

"Hey Hitch." Pipp replied, quickly noticing little Sparky fast asleep on him. "I see your little helper did his share today."

"Heh, you could say that." Hitch replied, joining them on their walk, "What were you all talking about?" 

"Well, Izzy had some personal business to take care of today. So, I was put in charge of watching Lasso while she was out taking care of it."

"How's the little guy doing, I mean he's been really depressed for the past two days now."

"Hitch, his parents were murdered by Opaline, isn't it obvious why he's depressed?!" 

"Sorry, anyway how's he doing?" 

"Well, he was still feeling down today. Posey came by also to be with him for a bit, but he was telling us about something strange. He told us he was wanting to call Izzy his mom, but he was afraid of her replacing the role of his real parents. He also was questioning about us being his adoptive family, even though he said we were when he and I defeated Opaline."

Zipp and Hitch quickly bonded up, Sunny and Pipp showed determined looks.

"Come on everypony, we all need to show him that we are all going to be there for him." Zipp reprimanded.

"You're right." Hitch said, "Lasso needs a group of ponies to call family, even if he's not so sure. Plus, he needs a male role model, and fatherly figure to look up to."

"Better add a little brother figure too." Zipp informed, referring to Sparky.

"Well, he also needs a maternal grandmother, an aunt, a surrogate sister, and foalsitters." Sunny said.

"How will we find that?" Pipp asked.

"We'll figure it all out together." Hitch answered.

Unknown to them, behind the corner of the street they were on, Posey Bloom had been listening. She really felt like she had to be a part of this, because she loved Lasso so much. Therefore, she decided to wait until the last moment, a moment to if she could take the sister lead.





.....LATER THAT NIGHT, AT IZZY'S HOUSE....

Lasso was underneath several rows of quilts and blankets on the living room sectional. The same sectional he had slept on for the past two nights, now his third night. His head rested on two pillows; he was fast asleep with Izzy's hoof wrapped around him to keep him close.

Without warning, a sudden rush of cold air flew around him, it was so intensifying to feel that it woke him up. Lasso looked around to see where the feeling came from, but the room was quiet. So, he went back to sleep, after just a few minutes of his transitioning phase of sleeping, he heard voices. 

...."Lasso."....

He had woken up again.

"Who's there?" he asked, before he knew it, wisps of magical smoke came out of nowhere. Lasso was now terrified at what he was seeing, making him cover his face with the sheets. 

...."Do not be scared sweetheart.".... The voice said, it sure did not take long for him to find out who it was calling him. 

"Mom, Dad?!" Lasso asked with a soft voice, and indeed it was none other than his parents. The magical smoking wisps formed into ghostly apparitions of them.

"Lasso sweetie, you must know that even though we are now in the afterlife, we are with you in spirit." said the ghost of Lone Star Jr.

"Really?" he asked his father.

"Yes dear." Granny Smith III answered, comfortingly.

"You also have to know, Izzy loves you just as much as we do. No matter what you two do, nopony will ever replace us."

Lasso smiled, "Thanks."

"Always remember, and never forget." Lone Star said, then he and Granny Smith III vanished away. The whole thing was revealed to be a dream though, because Lasso woke up with a small gasp. He checked his surroundings for any signs of magical smoke, or voices, there weren't any.

Even though his gasp was silent, it still managed to wake up Izzy, because she yawned.

"Lasso, what's the matter, did you have a bad dream?" she asked, pulling him even closer to her.

Poor Lasso, he couldn't bare it any longer. Thanks to the vision he just had, he finally had the courage to admit the truth.

"Izzy, Ah've been wanting to ask you this. And it's not about helpin' Sunny, or smoothies at all."

"Oh?" 

"Ah' know you're mah' legal guardian now, but...." he sighed, "Can ah' call you mom?"

Izzy was in utter confusion "Are you sure about that sweetheart, I just mean, I don't want to take in place of your parents."

"Well, Ah'm askin' because ever since we met, Ah've seen you as a second mommy to me. And no matter what, even though you are just a guardian, Ah' want a second mommy, and you won't ever replace mah' parents."

"You really mean that?" Izzy asked with tears filling her eyes.

"Yes, Ah' want you to be mah' mommy!" Lasso exclaimed.

Izzy held Lasso in her forehooves, the two clung to each other tightly as they both hugged each other.

"Oh sweetie, of course you can call me mommy."

Lasso could not now have felt any better, for he finally managed to get that out of him.

"Well, let's go back to sleep okay."

"All right."

"Good night Lasso, I love you." Izzy said, kissing him on his forehead. She was first to fall asleep again, but she soon felt rubbing. She opened one eye and saw her little cowcolt had snuggled closer to wear his back and head were warm on her chest.

"Ah' love you too.........mommy." Lasso muttered.

Gradually, they both drifted off to sleep.