The Vanishing Star
by NocturneD
It was a very awkward night. I was at the medical ward in the castle being treated for my bruises and cuts. Even had to stay the night in there while my family stayed in the guest rooms. Ghendi was not too far off as he was a few beds down with his prosthetic arm removed. We shared a room because of our affiliation while Shining Armor was stationed a few rooms over from what I heard. We had our guests. Both of us just staring up at the ceiling with the twirling fan in motion. There was a TV hanging on the wall but I did not really feel like watching anything at the moment.
It was late anyway. We had visitors earlier after we were patched up. Most of them were surprising. Others were expected. Some were not as pleasant. Such as Twilight and man was she not happy. More disappointed than wanting to rage all over the place but still she gave it to me. Still her nagging etched itself in my head. Just thinking back gives me a headache.
No more than later than little Synn dropped by my sister came in. The nurse said we were allowed one more guest before calling it a night. Synn hugged his big brother and hustled out of the room for a waiting Betsy. Big Tex was one of my first visitors and pretty much gave me a stallion to stallion chat about my actions. Sure he felt disappointed that I had to fight back without reason but was still proud that I did not try to over exert myself and keep fighting until I got a fractured skull.
But with my sister just sitting by my bedside. I knew she was not pleased. She just sat there. She gave one glance at Ghendi then grunted and focused back to me. I told her, "Don't be mad at Ghendi he was only fighting for me."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "We had an agreement."
"An agreement on what?" I scoffed.
"That you would tell the rest of the family that you're really Vanishing Star and can finally put this awful thing behind us." She beamed.
"And I told you that we would do this.. MY... WAY..." I could not put as much emphasis on it even if I was not trying to be sarcastic. "Not only did you go behind my back and tried to blow this thing sky high once. Twice. Now three clopping times."
"If we did this your way then its going to take forever." She kept her glare on me.
"Would not. Only when I felt it was right." I shot back.
"When is that? When dad is in the ground and mom is on her death bed?" She kept going. "Vanishing Star for the longest time I kept thinking that you were alive ever since that day you went missing." Wait for it. "Because you went missing everything went to complete crap! Mom and dad were ridiculed and..."
I interrupted, "Blah blah blah what do you want Twilight? For all of us to go on the Steve Wilkos show and make everything all better with sugar and lolli pops like nothing happened?" If we did that I predict a lot of chairs would be thrown by an angry bald pony.
"No! Because once you left dad tried killing himself and mom almost went crazy! How is that sugar and dandy?" She demanded. "What's worse is those two think I'm lying! And Shining Armor is not convinced you're Van either!"
"Maybe it's for the better then." I slid my hoofs to the back of my head to relax.
"Oh come now you don't think you're going to spend all week here in Canterlot and not tell them?" She scoffed.
"Maybe I will. Maybe I won't." I smirked.
She just froze. "You can't be serious."
"I mean why should I? Shining Armor practically bashed my face in. That is such a nice welcome." I mocked. "And for what? Because I ignored them during the ceremony? That I wanted to hear their sob story which is probably bull shit? But oh no, don't go anywhere near princess Mi Amore because Shining Armor will beat your face in."
"Oh yeah." She shook her head in annoyance, "What was that back there anyway with her?"
"I was trying to fix your music box and then she showed up. We had a drink and went to talking." I shifted my shoulders. "I was tinkering around with it and she really showed some interest in it."
"Honestly?" She raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I stared at her. "I already have a fiance why would I mingle with Mi Amore?"
She kept staring at me.
"Twilight..."
"Now you don't think I'm jealous do you?" I chuckled.
"I don't know." She frowned. "Maybe my rich older brother who lived it up in a great house, had money, went to a fine school, went to a fine college, being a billionaire playboy is really sad inside. Maybe he never grew up. Maybe he's still that brat who whined when he didn't get his way. Practically had to use other pony's ideas to come up with something and have a lucky break."
Alright you're really bringing my piss to a boil.
"Where do you get off saying that?" I grunted.
"I don't know." She frowned. "Maybe because while you were living it up mom and dad were living a complete hell. Grandma Lucrecia barely talked to us. Our other relatives despised us."
"What do you want me to do? Go back in time and change the past where I was miserable and continue living like that?"
"Well..." Twilight rolled her eyes. She shook her head after she realized something, "Well no. Just tell mom and dad that you okay this entire time."
"And?" I asked. "What am I to expect when I just walk up to them and say... Hi Mom and Dad. I'm really Vanishing Star this entire time and I was never dead. Some couple who happened to be rich picked me up and adopted me and the rest is history. Because I did not have to worry about two parents to beat and ignore me everyday and lived happily where I got the love and praise I always wanted." I mocked. I don't why but the more and more I kept coming across that bridge from my old life to my new one but it was always painful. Sometimes I wondered if I made the right decision. Not like Big Tex or Betsy ever punished me, they did it sparingly and told me that I needed to learn from experience. What did Twilight Sr and Orion do sparingly? I sniffed to clear my nose. No surprise.
"Do you hate us?" She asked. "Did you always hate us?"
"No... I..." I tried to explain.
But she cut me off, "Then what's the problem?"
"I just want to everything to be just right okay?" I simply told her.
"That's what I'm trying to help you with!" Twilight shouted.
"Not in a very good way!" I shot back. I rose from my hospital bed and glared at her, "Just look at what our brother did to me. I tried standing up to him and look what happened. Nothing changed!"
"A lot has changed." She shot back.
"Yeah mom acts like a shell and oblivious. Dad just shouts. Shining Armor still hits ponies." I remarked. "And you just have to get your way or else you throw a hissy fit."
"Well when you're done being a selfish ass come find me." Twilight fumed.
"Don't be like that." I frowned. "It's just... why can't you just look at this from my perspective?"
Guilt stricken her face, "I just don't want mom and dad to sink any lower. They love us and admit to making a lot of mistakes..." Her eyes wandered, "I just want to ask... why try to hold off? Do you hate us? Or do you just want to forget about us? Want to let them wither in guilt and self hate?"
"I'm scared okay!" I shouted back. "There you go! I'm scared! Has that never crossed your mind!"
"Scared...?" She slowly repeated to herself.
I wiped my nose with my fore arm.
"Yeah! I'm afraid."
Her tension eased. Those daggers in her eyes then turned to sorrowful. "Afraid of what?"
I could not handle what I had to say but it came out anyway. "A number of things... What if I just out right said it to them what would they say?" I did not want her to see me like this. "Would they call me a liar and yell at me? Would they get offended?" I gulped. "What if it just makes things worse than they already are?"
"You're not thinking of the publicity?" She asked.
"That's what makes it bad." I wiped my nose again. "Mom and dad said it themselves the press made them out to be monsters and would not leave them alone. What happens if I just come out of the blue? The press would be all over this."
Twilight did not say anything. Maybe she realized that she finally caught herself in a technicality.
"Now you see why I did not reveal myself?" I asked. "I just can't let that happen. I don't want Big Tex and Betsy to get into trouble." My throat started to feel heavy, anxious to let out my feelings but I fought them back.
"But... I... I.." Twilight's lip trembled. "I'm sorry... I was not thinking straight." No surprise that she started crying again. "I w...was the one being... being selfish." I pulled her into a hug and I let her cry into my shoulder. That was so her, always wanting to help and not think ahead without it having any bad consequences. Like the earlier days when Twilight would cry over having a bad day and I was the only one to comfort her. It was like this for a couple of minutes. She would mumble some things here and there but all in all.
This was a bit of an eye opener for the two of us. She finally saw why I did not want to reveal myself without making this a huge deal. I saw it as my family actually got the torture I wanted them to receive when I was younger. Well not exactly what I wanted but it they got something. And I still felt sort of bad about it. But finally after a few more exchanges, she left. But then I just realized the door was still open this entire time and ponies outside heard us.
But... then I saw mom just standing there in the doorway. Her tired expression just peering at me. Almost like a scarecrow... But then those tired sad eyes.. Finally showed a little twinkle of hope. She just gave me a small smile then turned around to have Twilight escort her to her room.
Something in my thoughts just told me that... She knew...
ooo
The next morning I was allowed to leave the ward. But I had to give my side of the story to the whole reason for the fight at the banquet the other night. What's worse is that if you have the princess of Equestria going to decide a punishment, you know it can't be good. Sure I heard Twilight say she has a heart of gold but she can be stern at times. I was escorted by my sister into the thrown room as both Shining Armor and Ghendi without his prosthetic were already there standing in front of her as Mi Amore as also by Shining's side. I figured all she needed was for me to explain.
I bowed in Celestia's presence then she told me to rise. "You may rise Mr. Fade Away."
I nodded, "Thank you princess. You require my assistance?"
She sat up on her thrown like the sun in the sky. "I just want to hear what might have set the gears in motion for last nights unpleasant scuffle. If you would like to start off where the party began?"
I cleared my throat. "As you wish your majesty." I turned my head to see Shining playing it straight. As normal as a guard is supposed to be. I turned to Ghendi, still plain but he knew the rules and he was used to consequences. I looked back up to the princess. "Well it started off as miss Sparkle here invited me to the banquet... at the last minute." I looked at Twilight who still felt guilty. "My family and I attended. I really was not feeling alright so I decided to get some fresh air outside."
"Yes your personal guard told me that you were absent for atleast a half hour." Celestia added.
"So having at least thirty to forty minutes to myself letting the Asprin kick in. I came back in to find Twilight in an argument with her family about a family member. She was really upset about it as her family was being dismissive, so I came up to them after... Not shaking hoofs with them at the ceremony I'll admit and apologize for. I am sorry." I looked at Shining Armor. "I wanted to get to know them as Miss Sparkle really opened up her hospitality to me and my family. That I thank her for." I smiled at Twilight then I went back to talking. "Though it really was not any of my business I wanted to know about this family member and they were a bit open to explain about it. They admitted to being not great parents back then. Shining here wants to know why I was being a bit nosy about it. I..." I shook my head. "I just have a thing against mistreated children so I got a bit tense and told Shining off that he should go chase his wife after some stories they shared."
"I am aware of my student's family life Mr. Fade Away. I am still sorry for their loss. Twilight's sibling had real potential and was taught by one of my former instructors." Celestia nodded. "It was tragic."
"I am sorry for their loss as well." I nodded. "But continuing. After I had my shots with Shining Armor I decided to head over to the bar area to cool off. Twilight said one of her trinkets given to her by her brother was broken so I offered to fix it since I know my way around fixing watches and other trinkets." She nodded in approval and motioned me to go on. "I ordered a drink and sat by myself to look at the trinket and decided to work on it there. Not too long I was joined by princess Mi Amore who excused herself earlier from the story the Sparkle family told me. She was not in the best of moods with her husband. I decided to strike up a conversation with her because come on it was a celebration. She asked what I was doing, I explained how it worked and she showed some interest. Before I knew it, I was tapped on the shoulder by captain Shining Armor and punched in the face."
Celestia looked over at her niece, "Is that part true?"
Cadence nodded, "Yes I did go to the bar area to cool off myself. We talked and watched as he fiddled with the little music box. I was curious." She looked at her husband saddened, "Then my husband punched Mr. Fade Away in the face. Then the fight happened."
Celestia frowned, "Okay. So far the stories match up almost perfectly. The fight happened. Mr. Fade Away was bested, panic issued. Mr. Ghendi here challenged captain Shining Armor. The fight went on outside in the courtyard where it gained an audience between the Sparkle clan, other invited guests and the guards off duty to much of my dismay." She sighed, "But I did allow it and appreciated it did not escalate to destroying anything in the court yard nor killing one another."
We all waited for her next response.
"Here's where it going to hurt. Captain Shining Armor, starting with you since you practically started the fight physically." Celestia beamed. "I am suspending you for three weeks without pay. Also no access to anything in the castle above private or cadet are allowed to. I also want you to apologize to Fade Away's family and the rest of the guests for that unpleasantness. I got a dossier so that should help."
With a small sigh he shaped back up. "I understand and accept princess."
She turned to Ghendi. "Mr. Ghendi..."
He bowed his head, "Yes your majesty?"
"As much as I want to give you the same punishment. You're not part of my guard so I really can't suspend you and you really don't have access to anything in the palace." She frowned. "But I am aware of your track and service record. I'll discuss this with you later. But there is one thing I do want you to consider. Since you really show devotion to Mr. Fade Away and his family. I would like a friendship report from you."
"A...wha?" He blinked.
Twilight just squealed, "Oh a friendship report! Its something me and my friends do when we learn a valuable lesson. Write it down and send it to the princess to show what we learn."
He frowned, "A report on friendship?"
"Yeah. Trust me they're fun and really are life changing." Twilight smiled. From my understanding Ghendi probably has enough material to write an entire book. "But don't try cheating on it just writing down one sentence. It has to have substance."
"Yes. Mr. Ghendi, a friendship report whenever you learn a valuable lesson." Celestia smiled. "I'm sure you already learned a few. Submit them whenever you feel is necessary."
He bowed, "I accept princess."
"We'll discuss your actions further later young pony. There is just something I have to know about." Celestia smiled. Then she turned to me. "As for you Mr. Fade Away."
I bowed. "I apologize princess. But first I would feel that I should return my medal." I reached down into my pocket but could not find it. "Well I had it..."
Twilight fished it out of her dress shirt, "I held onto this for you."
"Thank you." I raised the medal to my face. Then noticed something. "Hey... Some pony tried to take a bite out of this."
"Uh... Pinkie Pie thought there was chocolate inside." Twilight frowned then rolled her eyes.
"That won't be necessary Mr. Fade Away." Celestia waved her hoof. "But I will give you a warning. Despite you not starting the fight, you still set the gears in motion in letting your charm go to your head. Just because you have money, power and have the brain power does not give you the right to be a... well I won't say it. You obviously have a great life going on. Why get involved? But I will give you a choice. You can sit in one of the classes at the gifted school... Or you could perhaps write a friendship letter just like your friend."
"Your majesty if I can interject?" I asked.
"Permitted." She confirmed.
"Those last two don't sound like punishments." I claimed.
"Dungeon sound okay then?" She gave a playful smirk.
Every pony gasped.
"I think those two options are fine. Question retracted." I jittered.
"I kid. I kid." Celestia laughed.
I put a poker face on and played along. Was not sure if she was serious or not.
"So... what time do you want me to sit on one of the classes?" I asked. Still a bit nervous.
"Oh... If in today's two o'clock class its okay with you?" She smiled.
"Oh goody." I clapped my hoofs together.
"You are all excused." She proclaimed.
We all left and met up outside the thrown room. Despite me getting off easy, somehow I still feel like I got the worst of it.
*SPLAT*
Ignore the weird gunk thrown on the wall just now.
When I thought this was the school for the gifted. I expected the children to be well behaved.
"Hey Mister guess what I had for lunch?" A small pink unicorn with blonde hair trotted up to me.
"Beans!" The little unicorn put her arm under her arm pit and started making farting sounds.
"Oh that's great kid." I frowned. Wonder how tired Shining's arm and magic is from now writing all those apology letters.
About now the little unicorn ran back to her desk. Thank Celestia I did not have to do this alone, I looked over to my right to find my fiance by my side sitting at another desk. Still, she's been a little cautious since last night.
"Thanks for attending with me." I smiled.
"Oh." She smirked, "I just want to see the little one's faces. They're all so cute..."
"Hey lady guess what I had for lunch!" The same little filly asked Swan.
"Oh... bananas?" Swan chuckled.
The little filly frowned, "No... beans." She put her arm underneath her armpit to fart some more.
"Your parents must be proud." Swan chuckled.
So I sat in one of the classes and was not really expecting to talk that much at all. Well just so happens that the instructor called me up to the front of the class to explain what I do. Seems harmless. Until you got some other little ponies throwing stuff all over the place. Sometimes I wonder if this was the same gifted school that Twilight went to.
After the class ended I decided to take a stroll around Canterlot with Swan to get a good look around. And boy did Canterlot had a lot to show. We went to the park and hitched a ride on those romantic carriage rides. Sat down in one of the cozy coffee and tea shops and admired for what the uptown market district had to offer. Sure where I lived it was more like a city but this place is like... A step back in time with modern day ideals of business. It was pretty quaint. And honestly... I missed this when I was a kid. The history. The marvel. I could tell Swan felt like she was at peace instead of being cramped in an lab five days a week where she is some sort of a workaholic.
I marveled still. The sky was blue. Sun was shining but not too distracting. I felt at ease. But I knew the thought of Twilight trying to get me make amends with the rest of the family. Usually right about now Twilight is going to come running up and spoil my time. I thought I set her straight but from hearing about her track record from her friends. She can jump to conclusions too quickly and sometimes I think she forcefully forgets herself why that is bad.
3...2..1...
"Oh... Hello Mr. Fade Away. Enjoying Canterlot's finest coffee hubs?"
Wait that sounded a bit older than I would expect Twilight to sound like. I looked up to find to find my mother just standing there. Along side my father.
"Now honey we shouldn't bother them they must have a busy schedule." My father tried to persuade my other in leaving us alone.
My mother shook it off. Her tired eyes still looking at me.
"I would just like to apologize for what happened last night between you and my son." Her eyes trailed while she chuckled nervously, "We taught him to know better but he made a poor call in judgement. I just hope you don't see this as the Sparkle family being a bunch of prudes."
I raised my cup of tea to my lips and took a sip. Then spoke, "It's water under a bridge Mrs. Sparkle. I did admit I should have scuffed you at the ceremony."
"Oh no. No. It's alright. You're practically a celebrity and you don't need acknowledge every pony." She waved her hoof and laughed a little.
"Just talking with you Mr. Fade Away is an honor." My dad smiled.
I smirked. But then Swan asked, "Would you like to join us Mr. And Mrs. Sparkle?"
Say no. Say no. Say no. Say no.
"Well..." My mother looked at my dad, he just shifted his shoulders and they pulled up two chairs.
Celestia Damn IT!
"Waiter we're having another couple join us!" Swan waved to our waiter. Surely enough our waiter came by and took my parents orders. Mom ordered an herbal lemon tea, dad just ordered a regular coffee. And here Swan had some double mocha with cream. I ordered a refill on my tea. So far so good. So I continued ignore the fact that my parents were indeed my parents and pretended they were another couple. I don't know what is preventing me from lifting the table above my head and smashing my dad over the head with it. But some how I'm seeing them a bit differently. Maybe it was time to help these two mellow out. Or it could all just be a charade. We talked for almost an entire hour. Business. Politics. Food. Current events. Somehow talking to mom and dad as an adult. They actually compliment each other like a puzzle piece. Heh. And I thought mom was just being poetic once she said she tried saving dad from considering death. It seemed a lot less scary but still, if word gets out that I'm really Vanishing Star who knows what might happen.
"Oh Mr Fade Away." My mother blinked, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"
"Oh?" I asked.
"We would actually like to invite you for a dinner party tomorrow. As you see... it's.." My mom was cut off.
"The Sparkle clan is having a family reunion this entire week since most of them are in town. We would like to make it up to you since last nights banquet was cut short." My dad explained.
"Sounds... Nice." I smirked.
"It's your choice sir. If you got other things to do we can understand." My dad frowned, almost like he wanted to make up.
"That sounds fun." Swan added.
"Um yeah. Fun. Tomorrow night you say?" I asked.
"Yes." They nodded.
"Where at?" Swan asked. They gave us the address. My dad offered to pay for his and my mom's drinks but I took care of the bill.
Already I decided I was not going to go. Rather just sit in the castle and take advantage of the alcohol cabinet in the rooms. There was nothing to convince me. Nothing!
"Hey Vanishing Star." Twilight came up to me from behind.
Ugh...