Cornelius woke Sebastian up gently and helped him to his feet. He wobbled a bit but regained his balance quickly and said goodbye to Fluttershy as he left. The pair passed several rooms with even more machines in them. Seb noted that the machines didn’t look anywhere near finished. They exited the building and jumped into the limo with Seb resting his head against the window, immediately trying to relax. He was surprised at how much his arm actually hurt for it not being there. They had given him weaker painkillers to slowly wean him off them as he healed, but it did little to ease him. Seb hadn’t noticed he’d fallen asleep again until the limo stopped and Cornelius opened the door. Seb climbed out of the car and shielded his eyes from the bright sun. When he was able to focus, he saw that he was standing about 20 feet away from a grave with a headstone on it. The stone was surrounded by perfectly cut and green grass with flowers resting on the actual grave itself. Behind it was a young willow tree, its branches couldn’t quite touch the headstone. Seb’s whole body shook as he stepped towards the grave. He could just make out the writing on the headstone but he had already figured out who was buried there.
“Trisha...” He whispered sorrowfully as he approached the grave.
He dropped to his knees and rested his hand on the soil. It was a new pain, like he had just lost her all over again. It was one thing to see someone dead, but to see their grave was a whole other matter completely. It confirmed that they were no longer with you, and you would never see them again. Leaving only the memories of those who had known them to carry on. Seb’s fingers dug into the ground, as if trying to feel her through the dirt. Cornelius tried helping Seb up, but the thief wouldn’t move. He refused to get up. Seb moved his eyes next to a smaller gravestone that read,
“Michael Edwards. A young life that never lived.”
Seb managed a weak chuckle that sounded more like a sob, catching in his throat.
“She named him Michael... She wanted to name him James, and I wanted Michael... that little fox....” Seb sobbed a bit as he felt an old, weak hand rest on his back.
“I remember when they tried to save the boy. I suppose Trisha must have told her father because when the case went public and reporters asked about the child, all he said was Trisha wanted to name him Michael, and left. No one has heard from him since.” Cornelius said. It did little to ease Sebastian’s crumbling heart as it continued to break apart inside him as he sobs on the luscious green grass before them.
Seb began coughing and wheezing as another attack began taking hold of him. He collapsed onto the pair of graves and bent into a sort of awkward fetal position. Cornelius began desperately fumbling through his pockets before capturing his prize, and losing it again on the grass. The bottle of pills busted open on a rock and it’s contents spread out into the grass. Seb’s coughing was totally automatic by that time; he wasn’t even conscious as the air escaped him. Cornelius finally managed to snatch one of the pills up from the ground, taking a few blades of grass and some dirt with him, and forced it between Seb’s lips as he parted them to cough. The old man covered Seb’s mouth and worked his throat until Seb involuntarily swallowed the pill. It was an agonizing five minutes before Seb stopped coughing and began opening his eyes. He was, once again, covered in blood and exhausted.
“Come on, let’s get you into bed.” Cornelius said, helping Seb to his feet.
“Grandpa...”Seb gagged out the words in a sickly manner. The old man stopped a moment, letting Seb lean against Trisha’s gravestone for support. It would be the last time she would help him.
“What did you call me?” Cornelius asked, Seb’s body shook as his eyes glossed over with exhaustion and heartbreak.
Before Seb could answer him however, he saw a man coming up the walkway carrying a bundle of flowers in his arms. The man made it up the walk way and saw Seb standing once again. Unassailable rage filled the man’s eyes and Cornelius went pale as a result. Seb couldn’t figure it out until a hard punch met his jaw. Seb was sure a tooth had be knocked loose as he plummeted to the ground. A rain of iris petals cascaded around him as the man dropped the flowers he’d been holding.
“You sick fuck.” The man said, his voice trembling with anger. It was the voice that made Seb begin to remember but also, he managed to get a glimpse of the man’s full face.
“Alan?” Seb asked rather obviously, wincing a bit at the still barely fettered pain.
“Good, you remember me. I’m going to fucking kill you for what you did to my little girl, you bastard!” The man exclaimed with conviction. Seb could see tears in the man’s eyes, even as a kick to the ribs sent him rolling down the negligible slope of the grassy field.
Cornelius grabbed the man’s arm quickly.
“Mr. Edwards, please stop.” He begged. The man ignored him and shook off the older man’s grip, stepping over to Seb, who had just managed, with his one arm, to sit up.
“You killed my daughter, murdered her. I thought you loved her. What? You got her pregnant just so you could kill them both? Was it some kind of sick game to you?” The man asked. He couldn’t even get a hard grip on Seb’s throat as he tried to choke him.
“Alan...please...” Seb winced.
“Don’t you ever say my name again!” Alan snapped with tangible rage. Cornelius tried to pull him off but Alan had some strength against him.
“Alan, please, he didn’t kill Trisha.” Cornelius begged.
“What would you know Cornelius? You weren’t there. You don’t know this bastard like I do.” Alan snapped.
“I do know him Alan, he’s my grandson.” Cornelius replied. Alan’s grip loosened and Seb’s body froze.
“Grandson... you mean all this time... he’s been your heir? To the Crawford estate?” Alan asked, sitting back.
“Yes, though he never knew.” Cornelius replied. Seb was trying to put pieces together. He remembered Nathan saying something along the lines of being an heir or Cornelius being related to him but he couldn’t remember.
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t kill Trisha.” Alan said, shaking a bit. “She was my only daughter...” The distraught father’s voice ebbing away near the end of his sentence.
“I know Alan, I know. Sebastian didn’t kill her though. You remember my son, Nathan, right?” Cornelius asked with all the empathy he could give to the grieving father.
Son... Nathan? Nathan said he was his uncle, didn’t he? Seb’s mind felt like it was being split in two as the new information was being processed.
“Yes, I remember him. He helped us with the funeral.” Alan replied, wiping a slowly descending tear from his, the men beside him pretending not to see. “And you helped us move, when my wife said she couldn’t stand living there anymore.”
“Yes... I remember. Nathan was the one who killed your daughter. He was after Sebastian for the inheritance, but he found Trisha instead.” Cornelius explained with a dark and somber expression on his face.
Alan stood up and walked over to Seb and reached into the front pocket of his shirt. He pulled out something and began handing it to Seb. For the first time in his life, Seb flinched at a fist coming towards him. It was an odd feeling and Seb felt so weak after he’d done it. When no pain breached him, he looked up at the outstretched hand to see a simple, gold wedding band in his hand. Seb couldn’t figure if he wanted to grab it or run away from it until Alan made the choice for him and rested it in Seb’s palm.
“She would have wanted you to have it. She wore right up to the day she died.” Alan’s voice was brimming with all the despair of a childless father. Seb looked at the ring in his fingers, taking a glance at the inside finding the engraving was still there. The words made him shudder as he remembered saying them to Trisha.
“You Saved My Life, Now Let Me Share It With You.”
Seb almost cried. He gingerly held the golden band between his fingers, as if Trisha’s very soul was inside it, and if he squeezed too hard he would break her. Alan wiped his face clear of tears again and sighed. Seb stood up slowly and lowered his head to Alan.
“I’m so sorry. It should be me in that grave.,” Seb said, then laughed a little. “or at the bottom of a river.”
“I can’t believe you’re Sebastian Crawford though.” Alan said, running a hand on Trisha’s gravestone.
“What do you mean?” Seb asked. Cornelius cleared his throat.
“You haven’t told him?” Alan asked the old man. His eye wandered over to Seb’s missing arm and cringed. Seb tried not to notice, he didn’t feel like telling the man the truth about it, though he didn’t want to lie to him either.
“No, I haven’t.” Cornelius said, almost like a child that had been caught in the act.
“Told me what?” Seb asked.
Cornelius didn’t answer, instead he invited Alan to come back with them. He agreed and said a quick goodbye to Trisha’s grave. Instead of going to the hospital, the limo took the trio to a large mansion hidden by pines and hills. Seb’s body felt like it was on fire. The pill Cornelius had given him stopped his attack, but it didn’t help the pain. They stepped through the parlor where a perky, petite maid dusted a vase for the third time that day.
“Ah, Good afternoon Cornelius, I see you have guests, I’ll make some tea.” She had a British accent or something. Her hair was done up in a tight bun and coupled with her thick, 80’s style glasses, she looked just a little bit like a librarian.
“No tea for me, Kitty, thank you.” Cornelius said, giving her a quick hug. She turned to the other gentlemen.
“How about you boys?” She asked, giving both of them quick hugs.
Seb seemed uncomfortable, especially with the awkward-missing-arm hug (which Kitty didn’t seem to notice) but he also had never had tea before. They offered it to him back in Equestria but he usually turned it down in favor of water or something else.
“Uh, sure.” He said quietly. Kitty seemed ecstatic that he said yes and practically ignored Alan as she rushed off to get the tea.
“We’ll be in the parlor, Kitty!” Cornelius shouted over his shoulder as he led Seb and Alan down the hall.
Cornelius welcomed them into the parlor, offering a seat for them. It was a lavish room with all white and gold colored furniture and cream colored walls, trimmed with golden paint. There was a dark cherry wood table with a crystal top a lounge cough off to the corner. Alan helped seb down onto the couch and watched as blood began staining the couch immediately.
Cornelius smiled humbly. “Don’t worry about it. I never liked that old thing anyway.” He said, sitting on a couch across from Seb. Alan sat beside the older man.
Seb suddenly felt very cold and shivered as Cornelius cleared his throat. Before he could say anything however, Kitty set down a silver platter with a tea kettle and three cups. Cornelius smiled slightly. He knew she’d simply ignore him and get him some tea anyway, but he didn’t mind. Seb stared at the tea set and frowned. He tried to calculate exactly how to pick up and pour out some tea with only one arm. Before he could think any further, Kitty began pouring the tea into the cup. Seb hated the dependence but was grateful she spared him the embarrassment. Thankfully, Kitty broke the awkwardness even more and grabbed another platter of small finger sandwiches and cakes.
“You must be starving, Mr. Crawford.” Kitty said to Seb. Seb felt extremely uncomfortable, no one had ever called him ‘Mr.’ in his life. “Those bloody hospitals never know how to feed a young man. Look at you, you’re skin and bones. Will this tide you over until I can get some lunch ready?”
“Uh, I’m okay. Thank you.” Seb said nervously. He hadn’t even touched his tea.
“No you’re not, young man. If there’s one thing I know it’s that a young man needs to eat, and with your injuries you need twice as much. Good food feeds the soul and heals the body as I always say.” Kitty said setting one of the sandwiches on a small plate.
“You’d better eat it, or she’ll force you.” Cornelius warned, leaning across the table. The old man was thankful for the interruption, though. He needed time to explain himself.
“Um... Okay...” Seb said as he took the plate.
It was a small ham sandwich with a bit of cheese and some mustard on some type of roll that had been cut to size perfectly. Seb took a bite quickly, considering Kitty was giving him a stare, as if it say ‘if you don’t eat it, I’ll make you eat it’. He almost felt something pop in his head as the taste hit him. It was a sharp, almost metallic taste, coupled with a wide range of tangy and smooth tastes. The thing he noticed most was the ham. It’d been so long since he had meat he nearly forgot it existed and the sudden shock to his system made him shiver. He couldn’t tell if he liked it or not. Kitty gave a satisfied smile and walked off to dust the vase one more time, just to be sure no spec of dust dared make a homestead on it.
“Sebastian, I probably should have told you about this earlier but I feared the stress would have gotten to you.” Cornelius began, rubbing his wrist anxiously “You see, your parents were very important people and single handedly pulled this city of out a depression the rest of the world was already deep into. With the money they had already earned and the business they started, they probably could have bought this city three times over. Before they died, they left all of that money to you. I suppose the simple way to say this is, you’re rich.”
Seb’s shuddered, but not from the cold this time. Rich? Him? He’d hated the rich all his life, stole from them, and lived off their waste. How could he possibly be rich?
“Nathan was your uncle. He wanted your money, as he most likely told you-”
“He could have had it.” Seb interrupted, Cornelius wasn’t sure how to respond. Seb tried to stand up but he was already exhausted and he felt heavy. He sat back down and Alan sighed.
“From what I remember of your parents, they were great people, and this city has been on the brink of another economic depression since the day they died and you turned up missing. You’re this city's only hope.” Alan said. He seemed to be pleading with Seb not only for forgiveness, but to save his city.
“What can I do? I’m no politician.” Seb replied. He actually had no intentions on helping but it seemed like he had no choice.
“Your mother and I started the Crawford Pharmaceuticals and Research Foundation and during the first depression, the company is what saved the city because we found a solution for the whole city to save money on energy. The solar panels you see on the houses and buildings today, which you’ve no doubt have become accustomed to, are not like typical solar panels because they take energy from the moon as well. and that is when it recharges all the electronics in the building, even cell phones and toys. This was a total accident however and before your father could figure out how it worked, he died.” Cornelius said, still rubbing his wrist. Sebastian thought he’d rub it raw.
“That still doesn’t explain how I can help. I’m no rocket scientist I can’t tell you the secret.” Seb protested. His shoulder was starting to ache and the bandages that covered his stump seemed to be tightening around it.
“Actually, it’s your....illness....that may save this city.” Cornelius said. This time it was Alan’s turn to be confused.
“Illness? You mean he’s still sick from two years ago?” Alan asked lamely. He hadn’t paid much attention to Seb’s sudden attack at the graveyard and thought little of it until now. Cornelius nodded grimly.
“You see, it’s my fault he’s sick.” Cornelius said and looked up at Sebastian with pleading eyes. “Your mother was sick as well, tuberculosis actually, but it was a strange type. It wouldn’t go away with typical medical procedures or medicines, and no one could figure out why. Your father spent hours looking for a cure in his laboratory and never came up with anything. Soon afterwards, an outbreak on the east side of the city began spreading. I began looking for a cure myself after my son had given up. I thought I had found the cure, but it was a dangerous substance. In my grief and determination to save my daughter I tried it on a week old baby.” Cornelius paused, letting out a deep and regretful sigh.
“ I should have gone to jail for it, especially since my little girl died anyway. You seemed fine for a while, though you began showing some incredible strength for a child so young. By the time your were seven your true strength showed and so did the nasty effects. I remember it so clearly, you were seven and helping your mother clean the house. She needed to move the couch for some reason or another, and you moved it for her. It was then that, with your mother dying , your parents decided to give you up. I can’t really explain why they would... but I think it had something to do with your father committing suicide, and probably keeping you away from me. They both died as soon as they came home from taking you to the orphanage. I’m afraid all your misfortunes are my fault. But that is where you come in. The city is suffering from a similar disease as your mother’s and-” Seb stood up as Cornelius ceased speaking. The one armed man was shaking from his anger.
“My parents die, you give me this wretched disease, my uncle tries to kill me, kills my fiance, and now you come crawling to me for help?” Sebastian said, gritting his teeth. Cornelius seemed to actually cower in fear. Alan seemed afraid too, especially as Seb shattered the teacup in his hand, sending tea and porcelain to the white, plush carpet floor.
“I am tired of this family. The legacy you worked so hard to maintain, ends with me old man. I renounce you, your name, and refuse to call you psychos ‘family.’ And if you come near me again, I will pay you ass holes the same respect you paid me. As far as I’m concerned, you no longer exist.” Sebastian said calmly. Alan shuddered. Sebastian’s voice was so calm and precise he thought the young man would kill Cornelius anyway.
Seb walked out of the parlor and over to the front door. Kitty ran up to him. She was quick despite her size and grabbed on to Seb’s arm. Seb whirled round and gave the maid a good slap, which rang through the hallway. He instantly regretted it, and rushed out of the mansion. When he got to the end of the driveway, he stopped and doubled over, trying to catch his breath and cry at the same time, he heard a ting and looked around to see Trisha’s ring bouncing down towards the gutter. He jumped at it and grabbed it as it fell into the dirty water, clipping his chin on the ground since he had no other arm to stop him. He held it close to his chest and shivered against the cold.
“I’ve doomed Fluttershy. Trisha... I can’t do this without you. You would have held me back.” Seb said to the ring. Drops of water dripped onto the ring and at first, Seb thought it was his tears, but as more drops fell into his hand, he recognized the rain.
He stood up again and stumbled away from the large mansion as the rain fell. He wandered the streets solemnly, shielding not necessarily himself but the ring from the rain and passing cars that hit puddles and splashed water onto him. Seb really had no idea where he was going. He seemed to be on autopilot. It wasn’t until he went down an alleyway and saw a lonely dumpster, tagged with graffiti and the bile of the homeless who took refuge there in his absence. He opened the lid to the dumpster, not realising how hard it was with only one arm, and dropped it. He made sure he still had his ring and moved around the dumpster to the side that blocked him from the main street, leaned against it and slid down into a puddle of murky water.
“I can’t even go back to the one place I could call home. I guess it seems I just don’t belong anywhere.” Seb said, confiding in the ring. He closed his eyes and let the rain drench him as he sat there.
Seb opened his eyes two hours later. He hadn’t noticed he’d fallen asleep and now he was freezing. He shivered and his body ached and he felt numb all over, probably from the cold. The rain had become heavier and he could barely see the road in front of the ally. He pressed his forehead against the icy metal dumpster and chuckled to himself.
“I can’t even get out of a storm.” He mumbled. He began coughing and slid to the watery concrete, his blood mixing in with the running water. He smelled the faint scent of Iris flowers and closed his eyes as he felt a warmth cover him like a blanket.
“Live, Sebastian.” Trisha’s voice wafted through his ears and through his mind.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in a plush bed. At first he thought he was back in the hospital but he looked around to see elegant floral wallpaper with a bay window and a bench underneath it. He was in a woman’s bedroom. He thought it maybe was Trisha’s, but he didn’t recognize the furniture. Right then, he felt a pressure on his chest and turned his head to see Kitty above him. She had a large bruise on her cheek, but was still perky as always. She was rubbing some type of gel on his chest, massaging it while she did and he felt all his pain melt away.
“I’m sorry...” Sebastian said.
Kitty smiled with every ounce of kindness in her being. “Don’t you fret a bit. I know you didn’t mean it.” Kitty replied and that was the end of that. They never spoke of it again.
It turned out, Sebastian was in the room his mother had lived in as a child. He could feel her all around him, though he barely remembered what she looked like. He felt something metal roll off his chest as Kitty continued to rub whatever it was on his chest. He tried to look for it but he couldn’t tell what it was. He soon felt the metal on his neck as well. Kitty held up Trisha’s ring on a chain around his neck.
“I figured you’d be wanting that.” She said.
Seb smiled hugely. “Thank you.” He replied before letting out a slight cough. “What is that?” He asked, nodding to the cup in her hand.
“Muscle relaxer.” She explained simply. “Just let it do it’s job, and get some rest. Mr. Crawford said you would need it.”
Seb looked away in disgust. Kitty frowned.
“You know, Sebastian,” She began, “Mr. Crawford went looking for you himself. He was the one that saved you in that terrible storm. He’s been repenting for what he did to you for years.”
With that, she left.
“What an idiot.” Seb muttered to himself and did, in fact, get some rest.
After a few hours, Seb made his way down stairs, wearing a collared, long-sleeved. shirt made of silk and some loose fitting dress pants. The clothes, along with real leather dress shoes, had been laid out for him by Kitty. The shirt fit awkwardly, considering his lack of an arm, but otherwise it fit fairly well. Cornelius met him at the bottom of the stairs. There was a long pause of tension between them. It was broken by Kitty bringing a small silver tray with a cup of water and some medications. Seb recognized the one pill that was the medicine Cornelius had given him. The other two he didn’t recognize.
“One is a pain killer, the other is an immune system booster.” Cornelius explained, taking an effort to use as few words as possible. Seb picked up the three pills and washed them all down with the cup of water. Kitty seemed pleased that Seb was somewhat cooperating.
They returned the the parlor, and Seb was surprised to find Alan there, along with a woman, who Seb recognized as his wife. She shot him a flash of anger though he remained unmoved by it, averting his eyes warily. Alan calmed her down as Seb took a seat, doing everything in his power to not peer within the woman’s harsh gaze.
“Sebastian, I’m sure you remember Carol.” Alan said, introducing his wife.
“Ma’am.” Seb replied, still not directly looking at her.
Carol did little to hide her anger with him. Alan had explained to her that Seb hadn’t been the one who killed their daughter but that hadn’t stopped her from hating him. In fact, the fact that he was suppose to die instead of her daughter made her hate him even more. Seb could feel her hate even from across the table.
“Sebastian, I had Alan and Carol come here so they could be reassured. Also, we still need to talk about your company.” Cornelius said. He figured it was best they got to business quickly.
Seb said nothing to Carol, there was nothing he could say. He merely offered an apologetic glance that did little to quell her anger.When Cornelius realized that nothing was going to be said, he spoke.
“Sebastian, you asked earlier how you could help this city. While your disease mimics the unusual strain of Tuberculosis, it just isn’t the same. But, perhaps if we could sample your blood, and use it to lock in the virus and maybe find a way to depress it, there may be a cure for the city.” Cornelius explained. Seb rested his fingers against his chest and, consequently, Trisha’s ring. He thought for a long while before answering.
“For the city, not you.” Sebastian said. “Then I want no part of this family, or it’s money. Do what you want with it.”
“Fair enough.” Cornelius said. “But let me do one last thing for you, besides a medicine to ease your illness.”
Seb didn’t reply. Almost as if it were on cue, the doorbell rang. Kitty rushed to answer it a few moments, a man with a briefcase entered the parlor.
“Mr. Taylor, everyone.” Kitty said and then returned to her seat.
“Ah, good to see you again Jeffrey.” Cornelius said, starting to stand.
“Please, Cornelius, stay down.” Jeffrey said, and turned to Seb, then smiled. “I suppose I don’t have to ask who my patient is.”
“Patient?” Seb asked, looking to Cornelius for an answer. Cornelius simply grinned.
“I’m Dr. Jeffrey Taylor. I specialize in prosthetics.” Jeffrey said, walking up to Seb.
“Prosthetics?” Seb asked, trying to lean away from the man, who was now using a tape measure to measure his remaining arm.
“Yes, I’ve been asked to see that you get a replacement arm of the highest quality. It won’t be like the one you lost of course, but you’ll forget you lost it sometimes when I’m done.
Seb wanted to say he couldn’t afford one, but it dawned on him that he could based on what Cornelius had told him. He let the man take his measurements and looked at the stump that was his arm.
“This may be difficult.” Jeffrey said, looking at the almost fully healed stump.
“Can you do it, Jeff?” Cornelius asked. Jeffrey smirked.
“Cornelius, are you questioning me again?” Jeffery asked. Cornelius chuckled and shooed him on as if to say “Please, continue your manhandling of the poor boy.”
Jeffrey left and Seb was exhausted. While most of his strength had returned, the night in the storm took nearly all of it.
“I want to see Fluttershy...” Seb said, not remembering Alan and Carol were still in the room.
“Who is Fluttershy?” Carol snapped quickly.
“Oh, no one. The painkillers must be kicking in.” Cornelius said hurriedly. Carol eyed him but she never brought up the subject again.
Two weeks passed and instead of taking Seb to Fluttershy, he was taken to the other side of town to get his new arm. They entered a hospital and went up three levels to what reminded Seb of a psychiatrist’s office you saw on television. Jeffrey was sitting behind a desk and smiled when he saw Seb.
“How are you feeling today?” He asked. Seb shyed away. It wasn’t that he thought the man was going to hurt him, it was the fact he was overly chipper.
“Fine...” Seb replied.
“Well, let me show you what we’re going to put on you then.” Jeffrey said and shoved a few papers and such off his desk and lifted a prosthetic arm onto it from below. It was something out of the future. It looked like any human arm aside from a few places where the mechanines showed and at the multiple joints. At the top of the shoulder was an opening that was meant to attach to a large bowl looking thing that Jeffrey brought out next. Seb could see the slots and protrusions where the two pieces were meant to attach as well as a thousand, tiny, string looking things in the cavity of the shoulder.
“They attach to your nerves and control your arm. With practice, it’ll move as easily as your real arm did. Actually, it was your father who invented this. It was his dream to make it so anyone could buy one.” Jeffrey explained. Seb looked over the arm. It even matched his skin tone. He was a little freaked out about it.
“The procedure will be quick, you’ll be out during the surgery as they attach the base to your shoulder.” Jeffrey said, motioning to the bowl looking thing. It didn’t really look like a bowl, now that Seb looked at it more closely. It seemed to be an optical illusion of the arrangement of the mechanics. Seb turned to Jeffrey and nodded slowly.
The surgery was quick, like Jeffrey had said, but when he woke up his shoulder felt like it was literally on fire. He looked down and saw the new arm attached and resting on the bed. He tried moving it, but it didn’t move.
“It’ll take some time.” Cornelius said as he walked into the door. Seb looked up and felt something scrape against his neck. He looked down and saw straps of leather and buckles on his chest, padded by cloth. “It’s a harness, to take some of the weight of the arm off. It’s got a lot of computers and gears in it.”
“How long until I can use it?” Seb asked.
“Depends on the person.” Cornelius replied. “Some people never quite get the hang of it.”
Seb turned to the arm and concentrated. He tried to think of various things like “move” or “now” but nothing seemed to work until he tried to remember what moving his arm felt like. One of the fingers twitched.
Seb was released and sent back home with a novel of instructions on how to use, clean, and store his new arm when he wasn’t using it. It was the incentive he needed. The next morning at Cornelius’s mansion, Seb woke before Kitty even did and rolled off his bed and onto the floor. He started pushing his body up down with one arm, breathing hard as he did and letting the ring around his neck tink and clank against the wooden floor. He was filled with a new determination that he’d only felt when he was in Equestria, and he couldn’t figure out why. He attempted to do crunches after his push-ups but the still tender scar on his stomach made it nearly impossible. He just resorted to other, simpler, exercises using what he could around him. He dressed himself in some clothes Cornelius had ordered be made for him and walked down the stairs, using them as an exercise as well. Kitty had just woken up and was preparing breakfast when he came down.
“Good morning, Sebastian.” She said cheerfully. Her bruise had finally disappeared.
“Morning, Kitty.” Sebastian replied. He couldn’t figure out why he liked her, but he did. Especially as she set down a fairly large stack of waffles and a cup of coffee on the table as Seb sat down.
It was his chance to see how well his arm would work with simple tasks. He lifted it up, something he had managed to learn the night before, and worked on grasping the fork. He managed to get the wrist to rotate but wound up simply stabbing the waffles. He passed the fork over to his left hand and began eating that way. He remembered the last time he ate a waffle. It was the day he first met Cornelius and Nathan when he stole one from a street vendor. Once he had finished eating, he went to the back patio and watched the city skyline in the morning fog. It was nice, just sitting for once. Seb couldn’t really remember a time when he did just sit and relax, not even in Equestria. He thought of Equestria often, and how different the easy going town of Ponyville was from the bustling city that sprawled out before him. The familiar sounds of busses breaking for passengers and sirens blaring in the distance seemed almost unreal to him compared to the silence of Ponyville. He watched a raven peck out worms in the damp lawn that declined down gradually before him and briefly imagined what it would be like for Trisha and him to sit there and watch their son play in the yard, perhaps with a dog. His daydreaming was cut short though, when Cornelius joined him in an adjacent chair. He sighed and groaned as he leaned back into the chair, his old body relaxing.
“Lovely out, isn’t it?” Cornelius asked. Seb simply nodded. “My old bones can’t take this cold anymore though, I’ve thought about moving.”
“I just want to sit still somewhere. Not move from place to place, I just want to.....” Seb couldn’t find the words he wanted to say. nothing he could think of seemed to work.
“Go home?” Cornelius suggested. Seb looked up quickly.
“Yes.” He replied. Why didn’t he feel like he was home? Sure he didn’t have one of his own but the city felt like home. At least, it use to.
“You know, Sebastian, I’ve been thinking..” cornelius said, turning the skyline. “The machines are nearly fixed, and your friend will be able to return home soon. have you thought about maybe...going with her?”
Seb looked at the old man, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the horizon.
“To Equestria?” Seb asked, almost as if confirming.
“There isn’t anything for you here. You’re not company president material, no offence.” Seb waved him on as if to say “I agree”. Cornelius continued. “You can’t be a thief anymore either. You don’t belong in the world of the rich and you don’t belong in the world of the criminals either. You don’t belong in this world.”
There was a long, very silent pause from Seb before he spoke again.
“I think you’re right. I have no idea how to run a company.” Seb said, standing up using his new arm. Cornelius seemed impressed. “I want you to use my money and open up an orphanage. Give as much as you can to charities throughout the city and use the rest for whatever this company does.”
Cornelius nodded.
Reporters flocked in from all over the city to Cornelius’s mansion. When the Crawford company/family had simply and suddenly poured over half it’s money into charities, and began building one with no warning or word of doing so, the media had a field day. Seb stayed locked inside, not daring to come out. Cornelius attempted to quell their questions but the hungry reporters didn’t seem to let go. One afternoon, after Seb had eaten lunch and finished his exercise, Cornelius walked in with a young reporter, about Seb’s age. She was a brunette with sharp hazel eyes and a giddy attitude which she tried to hide with a stern “I’m only here to do business” look. She failed. With her was a cameraman, who seemed indifferent to whatever was going on.
“Sebastian, this is Kelly from the local news, I figured you could at least say something to at least one reporter.” Cornelius said, a little worried Seb would be angry. Seb looked up from the book he was reading and sighed.
“Fine.” He muttered and stood up. Kelly’s eyes immediately went to Seb’s right arm Seb said nothing and they sat down in the parlor.
“Nice to meet you, first of all, Mr. Crawford.” Kelly said with a bright grin on her face. She stuck her hand out for a handshake but when Seb didn’t move she shied away.
“Nice to meet you.” Seb replied. He looked tired. Kelly couldn’t decide why, but didn’t ask. The camera man lifted his heavy camera onto his shoulder and Kelly made sure her hair and makeup was in order and picked up a microphone before turning to the camera.
“Just let me do most of the work and answer what you can. We’ll edit what we can.” She said and turned back as the camera silently counted down with his fingers.
“This is Kelly Johnston with Channel 15 news. I’m here with the heir to the famous Crawford Family, Sebastian Crawford. Now, Mr. Crawford” She turned to Seb. “You’ve been missing for 15 years, before we go into the details of your sudden charity donation, can you tell us where you’ve been all this time?”
Seb wasn’t sure how to respond. Should he tell them where he really was all this time?
“I was on the streets mostly.” Seb replied. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie either.
“For 15 years? That’s a little hard to believe, especially since you’re so famous.” Kelly replied.
“You’re no one on the streets.” Seb replied coldly. The young reporter recoiled a bit, like the man in front of her was a vicious animal. She’d never had a person react that way with her. She was, however, determined to continue considering that this story was one to make her career with.
“Well, that isn’t why I’m here anyway so let’s move on. About your sudden deposit into charity wh-”
“Is that so wrong?” Seb interrupted somewhat angrily.
“Well um, no. The people just wanted to know wh-”
“Do they really have to know? Is it such a big deal that when someone in my position shows some decent human courtesy that the people should demand a reason why?”
“Well um...I.-”
“Do you want to know?”
“I... well... Yes?”
“Does it matter why I did it? Does it truly matter why I gave the amount I did and began construction on the type of building I did? Does it matter that I gave out money I didn’t truly need?”
“Well..um...”
“I thought not. Have a good day Miss Johnston.”
Seb stood up and left the room, leaving Kelly, as well as her cameraman, speechless. Cornelius chuckled and had Kitty show the pair out. The next day, the whole, unedited, video was played across the world.
It was a chilly, frosty morning the day Cornelius took Seb to the laboratory for the last time. Seb rushed to Fluttershy’s room, a backpack full of books, medicines, and various treats for the others back home slung over his shoulder. Fluttershy flew over to greet him at the door way and hugged him tight. He hugged back and she noticed his new arm.
“It’s a prosthetic. It isn’t a real arm but it can do everything a real one can. Almost...” Seb explained, using it to push back her lock of hair. He couldn’t feel it, but he was glad to see that it moved more fluidly than before.
“Oh, it’s lovely.” Fluttershy said, though she didn't quite understand its workings.
“Ready to go home, Fluttershy?” He asked softly. She looked up at him with bright, shimmering eyes and a gentle smile.
Cornelius led them to the rooms with two, brand new looking machines side by side. Fluttershy looked back at Seb with a quizzical look. He simply smiled at her, and made his way to one machine, sitting down on the bed that was to send him back. Fluttershy beamed and floated over to the other.
“Should we destroy these machines when you leave?” Cornelius asked.
“No, you never know when I’ll need to come back.” Seb replied, and laid down. Fluttershy did the same and he smiled to her.
The beeping began and Seb felt the familiar drowsiness waft over him and he closed his eyes. The beeping grew louder and louder, then slowly disappeared. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a pale blue sky.
He was home....
End
Hey everyone!!! Here is a link to the Sequel!!!!
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/84183/honor-among-thieves-2-reborn