"How?"
My eyes widened after my grandmother to a huge bombshell. I stood up from my chair, I wanted to be angry. But it was too foreign for me to show my grandmother any anger. She was the one who practically helped took care of me in my earlier years. She was grandmother, my teacher, my instructor, she taught me things that would be too advanced for an ordinary unicorn child. Here, she admitted to having a hoof in messing with company property which is illegal and can put her in jail, but if that was not the bombshell, the shock wave was that the pony I took in... Contributed.
"Why?"
My grandmother sat there and took another sip of her tea. Eying her cup as she set it back down after she made a small audible slurp. The plate on the table met the cup with a slight clang sound. She looked up at me, not like some evil mastermind.
No...
How could she be? She had to be leading onto something. She was smart and was always two steps ahead of any pony when it came to ordeals. She was always an intelligent pony, practically the smartest unicorn I knew. This shock, I could not believe it.
She gave another sigh. "I asked for Ghendi to fix that contest. The family is... that I wanted you to see what it was like after you left."
"You mean you made my most trusted employee go against company regulations, let alone tamper with products that could get him jailed for ten years!" I almost came out yelling, "Just so that you want me to see what the family is up to!"
"Van..." She spoke. "I think it was time to put down the charade. And finally make peace."
"Pfft..." I rolled my eyes.
"Van... seriously." She pondered.
"You do not think I tried already?" I grunted. "Mom was covered and probably the best I was going to do. Twilight I'm not sure about because we keep snipping at each other. Shining Armor and I..." I growled, "I don't care anymore what the asshole does... as for father, I gave him a good thrashing."
"You didn't..." She looked at me with widened eyes.
"I did..." I smirked as I rested my chin on one of my hooves.
She narrowed her elderly eyes onto me. Disappointment struck her face, like a spear piercing her soul. "Then I hope you felt really good about yourself then." Wait... What?
"Grandma?" I scoffed, surprised to what appeared to be defending that piece of shit excuse of a parent.
My grandmother can get mad at times. Usually from ponies disregarding her work and achievements, the other her family. Simply, she put it as this, "I don't want this to go on forever with my family living a lie." She leaned forward from her seat, "A lie preventing them from achieving peace of mind."
I let my tongue roll in my mouth, let it press against my cheek. I was annoyed, more than anything. My eyes were rolling, I was tapping my hoof on the fine warm carpet. "A lie you say? My childhood with your monster of a son was hell!"
"Van please..." She tried to make me stop.
"I'm so sick of my own sister trying to pull me around, telling me I should give the family another chance. DO THIS! DO THAT! I ran away from home to not deal with their shit anymore!" I growled. "How many times can I come home and get hit for something I had no clue what I done? How many times can my dad toss me around? How many times can my own brother boss me around and beat me down? How many times can my mom just watch all this and do nothing!?"
"Va..." She tried again.
"I WAS SO DAMN SICK OF THEM! Every time dad would come home from his other job he always had something mean to say." I let my voice tremble a little, played the role of a child again to remember those bad times. "Every time when he was not there he was fine but when he does, he acts like I'm some big joke. He just kept doing it saying if I did not want to serve royalty then he should just throw me out. Nothing pleased him..." I heaved, almost worked myself into a panic attack. "I did not know why every time I go to the hospital, no pony steps in to stop it and take me away from all that! And even if some pony did, I just wind up back in the same house where nothing changed!"
She just sat there. An old and pained expression, filled with sadness. Like the painting of the farmer and his wife, their dullness showed they were both bitter yet continue to live on through their times.
"I did not know why I was always on the end his punches. I was too afraid to even sit in that house because I lived in fear and confusion!" I heaved again, instead of working myself into a panic attack I mustered up my younger ego. Tears were welling up in the corners of my eyes, dripping from the side of my face and falling gracefully on her carpet. "It was like there was two different ponies in one body! That was why I tried to distant myself away from him and wanted to live with you and grandpa! Because... I COULD NEVER PLEASE HIM NO MATTER HOW I TRIED!" My voice was cracking under pressure. "I GOT GOOD GRADES! I STUDIED HARD! I STAYED AWAY FROM DRUGS! I DID MY HOMEWORK! I WON SCIENCE FAIRS! He... He..."
"Shh..." She soothed me the best she could. Spent a good couple of minutes with her hugging me. I cried like I was eight years old again... Pretty embarrassing for a stallion to cry like a little colt. I did not care, I was in her embrace again. I longed for this for so long, to have my teacher and grandmother to give me the soothing emotion and words I would always crave whenever I felt down or mortified.
"I'm sorry grandma..." I trembled. "I just... do not understand why he did it."
Or why he would want to? Or why was he willing?
...
"But your father had no excuse for what he did, he took the patriarch role too seriously..." She hugged me harder. "And it blew up in his face, other patriarchs and matriarch shot down all of his ideas... Only for the other branches to steal his ideas and turn them in like they were theirs. They found him weak willed... I told him many times to leave, but he would not listen. Between when you were seven and eight, he had the most outrageous term. It took him some convincing to make him quit where we started a better change in his behavior... but, when you left... it was the final kick in the flank that he needed to realize that the main family... especially Sirius did not care what he had to offer."
Sirius... I let that name flow through my memories... I knew I heard it from somewhere but I remained quiet as she took a deep sigh. The story she gave me, made a few things clearer about the patriarch role. Dad went in with good ideas, only to have them taken away or thrown back into his face. No matter how he tried, he felt like he could benefit in making our lives better. But it did not happen, he never got a bigger share of the money the main family was willing to give for the Sparkle family success. I don't know who these ponies were back then, but they definitely were a part of the cogs that made dad feel like he needed to take his anger out on me... Still, he had no right to do what he did. My eyes were straining again under the pressure. I felt a new anger until...
"I'm sorry too child." She backed away from me. No longer I was in her embrace, but now she held my face to look straight into hers. "I'm sorry for everything as well."
The tears just kept rolling, "I'm sorry for leaving grandma."
She smiled, "I'm just glad you are standing here. I am glad for a lot of things, a million times over I'm glad you wanted to be some pony."
...
"You came a long way from when you were a little foal. You grew into a successful young stallion." Her old lips mustered up a slow smile. "You never forgot about my teachings and granted a wish to an old mare like myself..."
I sniffed to clear up my nose, my eyes still fluttered with small tears. "I did?"
"You took my teachings, my lessons and spread it throughout Equestria. You passed on something that I was trying to do for ages, with your ways." She pulled her hooves away from my face. She sighed, "I have been teaching magic before I even married your grandfather. Equestria was just so big that I thought I would never cover it all, even when I was out adventuring in my younger years... I was hoping my students would pass along my knowledge, some did... Others still are aging and using it for their own purposes."
"I...I was actually feeling a bit guilty of doing it at first riding on your material." I frowned. Guilty as charged. Hell, I was scared on the final touch ups once it finally finished and was ready to be pushed out the door.
"Honey... It is not about riding on some pony else's material, its about sharing what you learned. If its successful and works, you pass it on. That's all I ever wanted." My grandma replied. "Sure when it first popped up there was some talk here in Canterlot and within my family... that and..." Her eyes rolled, "Your uncle Libra wanted to take legal action against your company but I told him my teachings were for all. It was never about the bits, it was about passing on knowledge to become a better unicorn or pony."
"He wanted to sue me?" I gasped. That would have been bad. Also, was a big risk to take on making something that was not based on your own work.
She waved her hoof in dismissal, "Long story, I said something about my books were missing a long time ago that had the exact same material." She shifted her shoulders, "I found the page with the credits and had my name on it, he shut up afterwards."
"Good, if he did then your legacy would have been for nothing." I frowned.
"Joke is on him. I bought like twenty or thirty of your little gadgets that had the Lucrecia program on it. Some for my students as a present, others just started walking in with them and read along." She chuckled.
I froze. "About that actually... the contest. You mentioned Ghendi..." I growled. I was so angry with him for lying. But, in a way I was a bit happy for this one moment. No, if anything I was conflicted. "Was... he the one that tipped you off that I was alive?"
"Right... Ghendi. " She nodded. "Sorry to say but... I did know Ghendi, longer than you have actually... but he was not the one who tipped me off that you were alive..."
Wait... Who else could have then? I only knew Ghendi for the year, he was the one who fixed the contest surely but I have not met him until the embassy incident but back then he did not know who I exactly was. So mark him out... Synn can sometimes blab secrets but knew me just as Fade Away, I only mentioned having bad parents maybe a few times before. Mark him out... Swan Song, my fiancee I told maybe once or twice and I told her to never bring it up ever again. Told her I was happy with my new family... I never really told any pony else at work... so that leaves... either...
"Honey... He needs us."
"I know but... I don't think its right."
"Have you seen that look in his eyes? That was a foal crying for help with some of the small bruises I found on him while giving him a bath. It's obvious that his parents are mistreating him."
"But what if they aren't though?"
"I refuse to take that chance. If it helps to take a child into the arms of a better family why even chance it?"
"I'm sorry... But he's not ours. We took him."
"Big Tex..." I muttered. I sat back down in my chair with a big heap with hooves covering my face in disbelief. I remembered that night perfectly when I quietly sneaked downstairs and found them talking to each other. So I hid behind something to listen in. How scared I was for Tex to even talk about sending me back to my original family.
"So he did do it after all." I mumbled to myself. Again, anger was trying to rush through my mind. How could he? Did he really not want me back then? He was willing to throw me back into the lion's den?
*Sigh*
His conscience... He had the conscience of a saint for taking me in, but... He thought I was trying to make it look like my old family were monsters. For the longest time I thought it worked. Of course... With realization kicking in, to him back then it was probably supposed to be a simple; "Found your child, pick him up", type deal. He probably only wanted to take care of me until my parents came by and picked me up.
"So... when did he call you?" I asked with my hooves still over my face, ashamed I was.
"Big Tex?" She asked. With a light chuckle she sat back comfortably in her chair. I could tell because of the weight she was putting on the find leather. "A good stallion he is, always had a goo..."
"JUST..." I almost erupted, then I held myself back, "Just please tell me straight."
She nodded, "It was a couple of weeks after you went missing."
I slid back further into the chair. Mortified, "That... That soon huh?"
"This is going to be a hard story for me to tell honey, but hopefully it helps clear the air." Grandma took one more sip of her tea, "I'm not too proud of some of the stuff that happened..."
(*out of Van/Fade POV*)
(play this song during the next part)
(Into Lucrecia's POV)
I remember it all too well... I died a little more inside...
An elder white mare in her mid sixties closed the door to her home after bidding one of her sons a good day. Her home, finally quiet after a long day. No more chattering of students, nor grandchildren having fun or screaming, or crying even. Earlier that afternoon, her son Orion paid her a visit. To ask her a favor, almost too embarrassing for him to ask her for anything. Not after what happened earlier in the year, after the whole hospital fiasco.
"Mom...?" The blue unicorn was not big on words. Not anymore to at least.
"Yes?" Lucrecia stood in the front doorway. The door wide open, Reginald her butler was given the day off. The sun was lowering, the afternoon quickly fading into the twilight hours.
"I need to ask you for a favor." Orion frowned. He felt guilty for even coming to ask his mother for something so simple, yet it was so hard to even ask.
"Well... come in Orion before you catch a cold." Lucrecia still loved her son, despite the set backs he did and all the trouble he caused. The grief he brought with him in order just to please an immovable faction. The blue unicorn slowly crept in, unsure if his own mother was willing to put up with him. Though it was not like she was one to turn down any of her children for anything.
"Um... Thanks." He trotted in. The older mare closed the door behind them.
"You're looking well Orion." Lucrecia added, "The stress classes helping at all?"
Orion winced in uncertainty, "A little, I guess. They want me to start doing exercises and start counting to ten."
"All in all, it will help down the line." The older mare turned to her son. Looking proper, clean, and started to look more like a gentle colt. "Remember you're doing this for your children."
"I know... I know." He nodded.
"Come I'll make us some tea." She waved him over to follow her.
"Um. I was hoping this would be short though." He brought up.
"Okay then. What do you need?" Lucrecia asked.
"Well... since I considered on quitting being a patriarch and passing it onto another pony. I'm no longer getting the funding and pay I would usually get." Orion scratched his cheek. He was embarrassed to even bring it up, "I'll understand if you say no but... Since Twilight's entrance and tuition fee, with Shining Armor's academy fee along with dorm room fees because he needs to be on the base... I paid with those with the last of the funding that the main family gave me and pretty much half of our savings. So I was wondering and I know I'm in no right to ask for... Um.. Since Vanishing Star's birthday is coming up he wanted to go to Pony Canyon again like you and dad took the kids last year."
Lucrecia only chuckled in response. "Say no more."
"I'll pay it back I swear." Orion interjected.
"No... No, just think of it as a helping hoof." Lucrecia then approached the stairs and proceeded to climb the carpet blanketed steps. "After all, it was a tough year for all of us."
I went to my savings and gave your father the money. He was on a road to a very good recovery though there was always room for improvement. After all, he was my son. And if he needed the help of sending you kids to have a proper education and having fun, then I respect him for that. This however, was for you to have fun. To have a good birthday after a tough year of arguments over money, the death of your grandfather, to gain favor, the death of your unborn sibling, inheritances, disagreements, stress. Your father finally knew what the main family was capable of... He grew a bitter hatred towards Sirius, an up and comer they would say. He was filled with good ideas they would say, some pony they wanted to lead, he had charisma, he had connections, all of that. Your father took my advice and finally gave up, he admitted defeat that debating and politics were not his thing.
The next week you and your family finally left for Pony Canyon for a weekend trip. I myself, was planning a surprise party and to be ready when you got back. Though a trip could be tiring both ways between going to and coming back from, so I decided to throw a small get together between family and I invited a few of your friends; Grim, Tails and Jacks I think they were called. Correct me if I'm wrong. We had a cake made, presents bought, balloons and a banner hung with care. It was a very tough year for all of us, but somehow I knew that this party was a bit for every pony here. We really came together for this...
"Wow... It just looks amazing." Libra said with amaze.
"Oh Van is just going to love it." A thin pink unicorn added, "I just hope he loves the present we got him. Hopefully you remembered which toy to buy him."
"Shimmer, I think I know my own nephew in and out. He likes those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles right?" Libra looked at his wife.
"I thought it was Ghostbusters?" Shimmer tapped her chin.
"Oh jeez..." Libra slapped his own forehead.
Shimmer only laughed playfully, "I'm kidding honey, he likes basically anything that has a cartoon with it."
Lucrecia smiled at a job well done. Her children and their families came together to honor the birth of a fellow family member after a year of difficult slopes. However, progress was slowly being made, there were still some trouble here and there but it was hardly an issue not to overcome. Lucrecia took one final look around and let out a deep sigh of happiness.
You really deserved this happiness Van... We all did... Nothing could ruin this...
Within the next couple of hours, the finishing touches were made. The rectangular chocolate cake with tons of white and blue frosting was placed perfectly on a small round table. A candle in the shape of a number eight stood proudly in the center of the cake. Presents were scattered around the table, big ones, small ones, it did not matter as they were all wrapped and placed with care. Balloons were taped to the table so they could not float away. It was perfect.
Just then an orange unicorn, female with a fancy curly purple mane came trotting in. She was heavily breathing but was in good spirits. Every pony looked at her as she heaved in and out as she tried to support herself while she used the doorway to lean against. She held her hoof to her chest to catch her breath.
"Sorry every pony." She heaved.
Lucrecia approached her, "Sunny Rays? You look like you ran a marathon."
Sunny frowned then slowly lowered herself onto the fine wooden flooring. "I just saw Orion and Twilight Velvet round the corner from up the street with their carriage."
"Oh good. Places every pony!" Lucrecia called out. "Van is going to be so happy when he sees this."
"Wa...wa..." Sunny heaved again.
"What?" Another of Lucrecia's children, this time Aries spoke up.
"I don't think I got a good view of Vanishing Star..." Sunny heaved once more.
"Well maybe you could not see him from where you were standing." Aries fetched her a glass of water then gave it to her. "That or he went to a friend's house."
"Or he's probably tired from a big trip." Lucrecia chuckled, "Probably laid his head down in the backseat to sleep."
How much I wished that was true... When your family parked their carriage in the driveway, we were all anxiously waiting to jump out and shout. Your family walked in, but something was a miss.
"SURPRISE!" They all shouted with joy. Ponies jumped out from their hiding places from behind couches and inside of closets. Streamers and party blowers blew. Lucrecia was levitating a a special birthday hat that had the words, BIRTHDAY COLT written across it. All the smiles and laughter, then turned into frowns and questions.
"Uh..." Some of the ponies looked around.
"A party for me?" Twilight gasped and waddled over to the cake. "Oh pretty!"
"Um... Where's Van?" Aries asked. "Is he like sleeping in the carriage outside?"
Your father could not form the words to explain. But seeing the mortified expression on your mother's face told us something went wrong. Your brother just hid his face and walked straight up into his room, punched a hole in the wall once he reached the top stairs and slammed the door shut. Your sister did not grasp the connection fast enough back then, then again I figured your parents sugar coated the story of your disappearance so it could easily sink in later.
Lucrecia dropped the birthday hat onto the floor. It felt like an eternity as the rest of the family and friends were mortified with the news. Their jaws hung open with horror. Some could only shake their heads in disappointment, others wanted to run over to Orion and bash his skull in for being so careless and inconsiderate.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST HIM?" Aries shouted.
"I... I..." Orion could only sit his plot down onto the wooden floor. He was being yelled at from all sides. How much he just wanted to shout back at them, this was one fight he could not win no matter how hard he tried.
"THIS IS THE WORST THING YOU COULD DO!" Libra shouted. "THE WORST THING!"
"I TRIED TO TAKE CONTROL BUT VAN WAS BEING DIFFICULT SO I..." Orion tried to explain but it was useless.
"You left him on a corner and drove around the block to teach him a lesson." Shimmer said sarcastically. "Great parenting..."
"BUCK OFF! I thought he would stay put!" Orion sniffed, it was rare to see him cry on anything but this was different. "I was going to come back! I knew the block was short but we got stuck in traffic! And before I knew it... I raced around the corner, he was not there anymore."
"Mmm...cake." Young Twilight stuck her little hoof into the cake and stuffed some of the delicious dessert into her little maw. "Oohhh it's chocolate."
The yelling would continue, though I'm not sure how little Twilight could have ignored all of that. She must have learned how to do it earlier when things were horrible, your cries as your father beat you. That or that sugar coated lie really seeped in. But later... she finally figured things out, and a long overdue crying session was had during her new life in the castle, but for now. I just let her enjoy what she could as things were going to get a whole lot worse.
"OH THAT IS JUST GREAT ORION! JUST FREAKING GREAT!" Gemini yelled at Orion. "YOU LEFT A POOR EIGHT YEAR OLD ALONE IN A PARKING LOT WHERE SOME PONY COULD HAVE TAKEN HIM!"
"OR WORSE! HE COULD HAVE WANDERED OFF INTO THE DESERT!" Aries added.
"JUST STOP IT! JUST STOP YELLING AT US OKAY!" Velvet cried.
"Oh shut up cow tits." One of the other females said mockingly.
"THAT IS IT!" Velvet overturned one of the tables containing another set of gifts. Then grabbed one of the boxes and hurled it at the wall. Then another, then another, then another gift hit a window. "MY BABY IS GONE! MY BABY IS GONE!" She turned to Orion and hulked her way towards him. "I told you to stop acting like an idiot and treat him to something else. BUT NO YOU JUST HAD TO BE PRIDEFUL! HAD TO TAKE TO HEART ON WHAT MY BABY SAID TO YOU! YOU'RE A FULL GROWN STALLION AND YOU WERE UPSET WHAT A LITTLE COLT TOLD YOU?!"
...
Orion said nothing.
...
"WELL?!" Velvet heaved.
...
"WELL?!" Velvet yelled again. Tears rolled fiercely down her cheeks.
Orion lowered his head in defeat. "It was an accident... a stupid one... I am prideful..." He sniffed, "But all it lead to was a collapse... I deserve all the hate." Some of the guests took their leave, disgusted with the turn of event and left everything as it was. They figured, the disappointment and loneliness was punishment enough. No matter how many wanted to hit the two, no pony stepped forward...
Lucrecia looked at the two. Not even sure how to even examine the situation, only thing that was on her mind was rage. Horrible, horrible rage. She stepped forward towards the two while there was still an audience.
"Mom?" Orion sniffed as he looked up.
I slapped as hard as I could. My eyes... My family said I had eyes of a demon that day... When Orion told me this story, I wanted to strangle him so badly. Of all the grief and smart ass comments he was telling me in the past year, I wanted to deck him but I just could not... Not until that day. I had many grandchildren sure, but none of them out shined as much as you. It felt like you were a part of me, something I could look forward to every weekend and wanting to listen to my stories. Learn whatever I threw your way... Anything... you felt like another son actually...
Orion just laid there, holding his face. I must have tore his cheek because I saw trickles of blood. I just eyed him and told him...
"Get up..." Lucrecia growled. Orion slowly rose to his hooves, hopefully that was the only thing his mother was going to dish out. He deserved that slap, he knew it too. Only to be met with another hard slap that sent him into the wall, where he wanted to slowly peel down to the floor again...
"Get up..." The older mare said coldly.
I said some pretty cold words that day. I told my son and his wife, I was sick of all this. I told them I do not want them to call me anymore, no more of their mess. I told them if I knew they were going to mistreat their children I would have never helped them in their journey to start a family. I had enough of the main family motivating your father to do stupid things only for him to land flat on his face. His wife tried, I admired her tuition to try but she did not put enough effort in. Even with the chewing out, Velvet just fell to the floor and cried. Told us that you were missing for a couple of days and the police would call if they came up with any leads.
I told Orion that it was over between us until you came home safely. Your uncle Aries and Libra tried their best in helping with the search, even called in a few favors to help. No leads other than it looked like little tiny hoof prints in the sand outside of the town. Along with what appeared to be either wolf or coyote tracks, we feared the worst. Thought you were attacked and could not out run them, never did find a body though.
Things went further down hill from there. Accusations were brought up, friends of the family stepped forward and accused your parents mistreating you. You had marks from time to time. Social services came and organized for your siblings to be taken away, but since Twilight was enrolled in the gifted school for unicorns while Shining Armor in the guard academy, since your uncle Aries was an officer there he volunteered to take your brother in and check on your sister from time to time.
But since a previous student of mine was now teaching at the gifted school, I asked her to consider taking Twilight under her wing, give her the chance of being in a real family. She had a son herself who was a little rascal... you might now him but sadly a few years after that, some plans changed and Twilight went under Celestia's wing for sure. So sad for what happened to Hinata and her husband, they were going to be the next king and queen of Equestria that has not happened to Equestria since... Maybe over a thousand years...
A few days after you vanished. I received a phone call, a business one that is.
"The phone is for you Doctor Lucrecia." Reginald held the phone to her while she sat in her expensive leather chair. Just looking out the window over the distance to see the beauty of Canterlot. With a bottle of white wine and a glass with ice cubes on the decorative table next to her, the alcohol was the only thing keeping her from raising her blood pressure. Pains erupted from her chest after she yelled at her son and his wife for how stupid they could have been. She went to another doctor to see if the symptoms she had match one of ponies with heart problems. The news was not one that she would have liked.
The older mare summoned her magic to levitate the phone to her ear. She spoke into the mouth piece, "Hello, this is Doctor Lucrecia speaking." After the drama was spread through out Canterlot about a missing child. She still had a composure to keep as a professional. Her classes were far and in between, or literally cancel classes altogether so her students could not see her stress and depression.
"Uh yes Doctor Lucrecia. This is Big Tex from Big Tech, I'm not sure if you remember me." A heavy male voice spoke through the telephone line.
"Oh yes..." Lucrecia frowned, "Yes it's been awhile Big Tex. How is Betsy?"
"She's fine. Fine." Tex said over the line, "Um... She finally accepted the fact that she can't have a child."
"I'm sorry to hear that Texan." Lucrecia sighed, "I apologize, it's just been a hectic few days."
"No need to apologize, it's been... something we have been dreading for awhile." Tex sighed, "She really wanted a kid to call her own..."
"Have you considered adoption?" Lucrecia let her eyes dull, her voice dulled as well. "There is really nothing wrong with adoption."
"Well... Yes and no. Well I mean... Not until recently, I um... got a bit of a problem myself." Tex replied. "You see, I uh... Betsy and I have came into possession of a child."
Lucrecia tried to put on a playful smirk, "Oh. Well congratulations then."
"Thanks. Um..." Texan kept tripping over his words.
"Texan, it's fine. I know its been awhile since the last time we talked but I'm happy you and Betsy were my students and made something of yourselves. You're a business pony and I understand you barely have time to talk anymore..." Lucrecia explained.
"Yeah... it feels good talking to you again. Uh... But I guess by the sound of your voice I caught you at a bad time." Tex apologized.
Lucrecia sighed, "Yeah... I'll be honest, you caught me at my worst.. I nearly had a heart attack after what happened, have to go on for more medication than I was before. But the worst of it is... My family is falling apart, my husband must be rolling around in his grave by now. Just when things were looking up, with the proper help my grandson Shining Armor finally got the junk out of his system that got him fired from my husband's teachings, he's going to be a guard I hope. My granddaughter Twilight is finally starting classes for the gifted school for unicorns." The older mare sighed.
"Well those sound great for the two youngsters." Tex complimented.
Lucrecia sighed again, "Yes but... my son and his wife are facing serious jail time if found guilty in court. Ponies think that they took their son out in the middle of the desert and killed him then buried him. Though my other sons went out looking and found tracks then they disappeared..." She paused, then stood up from her chair with the phone still by hear ear, she levitated the other part of the phone as she walked towards the window that looked out into the valley of Canterlot. "Almost..."
"Like some pony took him?" Tex finished her sentence.
Lucrecia raised an eyebrow, "Well that's a good possibility. But yet a more frightening one."
"I wouldn't blame you. Not after the news of crazy gangs mutilating mares and children back then, I would be mortified too." Tex added.
"Don't remind me... It took forever to get that psychotic Minotaur put down. After what he did... it really put every pony on edge." Lucrecia frowned. "I don't even want to think what horrible pony could be doing to my grandson if that was the case."
"I don't blame you, I'm sorry I even brought it up. Draco did a great service then." Tex added. "But um... I wanted to call you about the kid Betsy and I picked up."
"I'm sorry..." The old mare pressed her forehead against the glass window. "I'm not really in the best of moods. My grandchild is alone out there in the big world, my son and his wife are going to go to jail and if that's the case... Shining Armor and Twilight are not going to see them for a long time." She sniffed, ready to let the water works take over. "I don't know what he could he be doing right now, he must be cold and lonely, crying, hungry... or worse little Vanishing Star could be dead... Never going to know what it's like to graduate, or get his first kiss, or get married, get a job that he'll excel at."
"Oh... Well, about that being cold, lonely and hungry part. I think we got that fixed." Tex replied.
The mare's eyes shot wide open, "What do you mean?"
"That kid we picked up? He had a blue coat and dark blue and black hair, nice blue eyes, a white cutie mark of a star with clouds around it I think..." Tex brought up. "I called because... I went through the bags he had on him and found out that they belonged to you."
...
At that moment, I knew he was talking about you. So, the next day without telling any pony I set out to the home of Tex and Betsy. I had plans of bringing you back myself. Tex said over the phone that he and his wife took care of you after they found you in the desert. Though his conscience was eating away at him, he felt that he needed to do the right thing. I was surprised that you took some of my books without asking, I was going to let that slide. Some books compared to a child, it was obvious that I cared more about your well being.
When I got there, Tex's butler greeted me. Nice fellow. Tex and Betsy did alright for themselves by taking a good look around their home. But all I cared about was you. Tex finally caught up, he explained the story and I listened. Not very far, you were in the room with Betsy, playing and doing arts and crafts. I watched from the doorway, I was going to go in there and get your attention. But then I stopped myself... I hid behind the wall but still managed to peek a bit. I watched, for so long Betsy had some failed pregnancies and some that almost made it. Then I noticed something... She was smiling... And you were too. Though you only knew each other for a short while, it felt like you two were parent and child.
I wanted to watch a little more. This time Tex rotated out with Betsy, I told him to just act natural and pretend I'm not here. Tex grew up with a lot of brothers and sisters, took care of the younger ones, pretty much a middle child himself. I watched as you two played catch outside in the yard. It really said something, just watching you two play. I saw the desire Tex wanted to be a father, but I knew he was scared to admit it. He lost two younger siblings in a fire when he was younger, been distant from pretty much every pony except for his wife until... well he met you.
I don't know why... but after taking the whole day hiding from you, I learned something about Tex and Betsy. They were happy to have new life around the home, you were the child they really wanted... and the one they deserved. I had an important issue to think about, should I risk letting my own son believe that his son was dead just to give another couple happiness? Or should I rip the only thing keeping these two happy and bring you back home with no guarentee of a safe home? Let alone bring the press in to claim that Tex and his wife kidnap a child for a couple of weeks? I knew the ponies of Equestria, they love to cling to these things.
I took a deep breath... And made an offer to Tex and Betsy. A stupid one, an unbelievable one, yet a sacrificial one. I told them to give you a new identity and let them raise you. I was going to regret some parts of the decision as I had to call in a few favors from the main family. I had to make them dip their business into your father's court case and pull some strings. Found not guilty, but their was a price to pay... And well...your parents tried for another child, but no way the media was going to leave them alone. They were pretty much on their own, I secretly slipped a little money using the alias, "Lady L". But, the main family came knocking and wanted their payment. They did not want my money, Sirius took one last blow to your father's pride... and took their child... a colt. Cute as a button. I came knocking, ready to give them something else... But my student, Dr. Lucia, wife of Sheen Lorenzo offered in return her ancestor's research of finding the secret of becoming an alicorn. In return, they gave her the child and made her swear to keep her promise. By now, the child has to be a teenager...You might have meet him a couple of times and would have never knew...
to be continued...