//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Family // Story: Refracted Love // by Silentpegasus //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Family It has been a week since Geode told the others about his origins. Once the CMC asked him and he told them that Sombra would hold fighting competitions as entertainment. They luckily bought it and didn’t ask about his scars. Over the course of the week Sweetie Belle and Rumble had become an official couple while the other four remained silent. The CMC and the Pirate crew had a sleep over in the club house. Geode woke up to find that Applebloom was sleeping right next to him. He had concluded that she must have rolled over to him in her sleep. The red colt got to his hooves and let out a yawn. He was soon joined by the other two pirates and the three crusaders. A knock on the door caught their attention. The wooden door opened to reveal the orange mare with a smile on her face. “Howdy. Did y’all sleep okay?” “Yup.” They all said in unison. “Good to hear. Breakfast is being served at the farm house.” She said with a smile. The foals nodded and rolled up their sleeping bags. The group made their way out of the club house and trotted towards the farm. The yellow filly was blushing brightly as she walked next to the red colt who refused to make eye contact. The group walked into the farmhouse and sat down at the breakfast table with a stack of apple pancakes set in the center. The ponies happily fed themselves and conversed with one another. Geode looked at the clock and got to his hooves. “Thanks for having me over, but I’ve got to head back to the library. Twilight wanted me back ASAP for some reason.” He said with a shrug. “It’s alright. Head on home.” Big Mac said with a smile. The red colt nodded and hurried out the door with his bag over his back. The colt’s horn flared and he vanished in a flash of red light. The colt landed in a pile bushed that was across the street from the library. He quickly brushed himself off and got to his hooves. He stopped moving when he saw Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, a white unicorn mare with purple stripped hair trotting next to a light blue Unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane enter the library. Up in the sky a familiar cyan mare with a flowing Rainbow mane trotting along the road and had noticed him. “Hey Geode, what are you doing in the bushes?” “Two ponies just walked into the library with Cadence and Shining Armor.” “Oh! Those are Twilight’s parents.” She said as she connected the dots. “Her parents?” The colt said in surprise. “Yeah, she mentioned that they were coming by. She didn’t tell you?” The colt shook his head. “Must have just slipped her mind.” The colt rubbed his chin with his hoof for a moment. His eyes went wide and a mischievous smile spread across his face. “There’s only one logical thing I can do now.” “What?” “I have to mess with them and you’re going to help me.” He said with a grin. “Messing with Twilight? I am so in! What’s your plan?” The colt drew her close and whispered something into her ear. “Okay.....Uh huh......Oh that is so good!” She said with a laugh. “Glad you like it. Now let’s get cracking.” He said as his horn flared. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back across town the CMC and the Pirate crew were in the clubhouse talking to one another. The yellow filly paced back and forth across the wooden floor of the clubhouse causing the lose floor boards to creak. “Applebloom if you keep walking like that then you’re gonna create ruts in the floor.” Scootaloo teased. “I’m just bored.” “Wouldn’t be if Geode were here right?” Sweetie Belle teased. The yellow filly’s face turned bright red. “S-so. He’s just fun to talk to.” She argued. “You stink at lying lass.” Pip retorted. “Look Applebloom. Geode is a cool colt but you just can’t expect him to show up whenever you want him to.” Rumble said with a sigh. The group was then interrupted by a loud knocking at the door. The blue colt walked over to the door just to have it burst open by a frantic red unicorn colt. Geode barged in and hid under the table. “I must use this power for good!” Rumble yelled as he held up his right hoof. The foals crowded around the shaking colt. “Geode what happened?” Applebloom asked in a concerned tone. “No time to explain. I gotta hide!” The red colt said as he ran around the room. “From what?” Sweetie Belle asked. A faint knock was heard on the door followed by a sweet voice. “Hello? Applebloom, Sweetie Belle,Scootaloo? Are you in there?” The foals recognized the voice of the librarian. The blue colt trotted over to the door and opened it a crack. “You’re Rumble correct?” She asked as her eyes fell upon the colt. “Yes, ma’am.” “I was just wondering if you’ve seen Geode around.” She said in a sweet tone. Rumble noticed the mare’s twitching eye and her disheveled mane. “Um...” He thought as he glanced back at the colt who was mouthing the word ‘No.’ “Sorry, Ms. Twilight. I haven’t seen him since this morning.” He lied. “Okay then. If you do see him then tell him to come see me.” She said as she trotted away from the clubhouse. The blue colt closed the door and trotted over to the red colt that was hiding under the table. “What was-” “Shhh!” Geode said as he quietly trotted over to the window and watched as the mare left. “Thank Celestia.” He said as he let out a sigh of relief. “What in the hay was that about?” Applebloom asked. “Ah haven’t seen Twilight that worked up since the Smarty Pants incident.” She said as she raised and eyebrow. “Right, I decided to pull a prank on Twilight and it kinda got......out of hoof.” He said as he started his tale. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Twilight? We’re here.” Cadence said as she and the other three ponies entered the library. “I’ll be right down.” Twilight said as she looked around the room. “Spike, have you seen Geode?” She asked as she looked at the purple dragon. “Nope. Not since we dropped him off last night at the club house.” The dragon said with a shrug. “I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.” The mare let out a sigh and calmed herself. “You’re right. I’m sure he’s fine.” She said as she trotted downstairs. The mare smiled as she saw the ponies sitting down at the table. “Twilight!” The white mare said with a smile. Twilight hurried over and gave them each a hug. Twilight then did her traditional greeting with Cadence and hugged her brother. “It’s great to see you.” The blue stallion said with a smile. “It’s nice to see you too dad.” She said as the ponies sat down. Cadence looked around the room and scratched her chin. “Hey Twilight, where’s Geode?” Cadence asked. “Who?” The white mare asked. “You didn’t tell them?” Shining asked as he looked at his sister. “What is he talking about?” “Sorry, I’ve just been so busy lately that it slipped my mind.” She said with a shrug. “Who is Geode?” The white mare asked now getting annoyed. “Right....um.....Geode is-” The mare was cut off as Rainbow Dash entered the library with a smile on her face. Twilight’s eyes shrank as she saw a small harness on the mares chest holding a small red unicorn foal no bigger than Pound or Pumpkin Cake. “Hey Twilight I’m just.....Oh hey Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle.” She said as she noticed the two visitors. “Rainbow, we haven’t seen you since the wedding.” The white mare said with a warm smile. “Yeah it’s been a while Mrs. Sparkle.” “Please dear, we’re all friends here. Call me Velvet.” The white mare then noticed the red foal yawning. “Well....I didn’t know you had a colt.” She said trying to make the conversation seem less awkward. “Oh, he’s not mine. I was just watching him while Twilight cleaned up the library.” Cadence, Shining Armor and Spike put the pieces together in their heads. The dragon put a claw over his mouth trying to muffle his laughter. “What are you talking about?” The blue stallion asked as sweat formed on his forehead. “This is Geode.” She said as she held up the small red colt. The foal opened his purple eyes and reached towards Twilight. “Mommy!” He said with a giggle. The white mare looked at Twilight who had a dumbfounded look on her face. The white mare fainted on the ground along with the blue stallion. Twilight’s face was bright red with anger and embarrassment. Rainbow, Spike, and Geode couldn’t contain it any longer and burst into laughter. The red colt’s concentration was broken and he returned to his original form. “Oh man! Your face was priceless!” Rainbow said as she laid on the ground holding her sides next to the laughing colt. Shining was next to his parents with a small bottle of smelling salts. “Hey did it just get warmer in here all of a sudden?” Geode asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked at the cyan mare who’s face was now pale. The red colt looked over at the lavender mare who’s mane was now a bright red inferno and her eyes were ruby red. “EVERY PONY FOR THEMSELVES!” Rainbow yelled as she flew out a nearby open window. Geode let out a gulp and took a step back. He looked over at Shining who had a the same look of fear on his face. “Run.” He whispered. The colt nodded and summoned a small purple rock. He threw it on the ground releasing a cloud of purple smoke. Once the smoke had cleared the red colt had vanished. The lavender mare shifted back to her usual state taking heavy breaths. “Deep breaths Twilight. In and out.” She said as she and the Unicorn went through the motions. “He is SO going to get it when I catch him!” She said as she trotted out the door. “Shining go after her. I’ll explain everything to your parents.” The stallion gave her a quick peck on the cheek and hurried after his sister. Cadence looked over at her father and mother in law as they came to and sat up. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The colt finished his tale as the foals looked at the colt in amazement, hilarity and shock. “So I ran here as fast as I could.” “Dude that was awesome!” Scootaloo said with a laugh. “Are y’all insane?” Applebloom yelled. “It was just a small prank. I didn’t know her folks would faint.” He said with a sigh. He looked at the filly and groaned. “I’ll go and apologize once she’s calmed down and doesn’t have a mane made of fire.” He said as he trotted towards the door. “What will you do until then?” Rumble asked. “Lay low and try to avoid Twilight.” As he opened the door he was met with a firm white wall of fur. He looked up to see Shining Armor looking at him with a blank expression on his face. “Uh-oh.” Geode said as he gulped. “Geode, what a coincidence. Let’s talk.” He said as he put a hoof on the colt’s shoulder. Geode looked back at the group who had worried looks on their faces. The colt followed the white stallion away from the clubhouse. “I managed to persuade Twilight to go back to the library. So don’t worry about running into her.” “That’s a relief.” He said as he wiped the sweat off his brow. “Interesting prank.” He said in a flat tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that your parent’s would faint.” He said in a low tone. “They’re fine. A little shaken up, but fine.” He said as he looked at the colt. Geode kept his head low. “If it makes you feel any better, I used to pull all sorts of pranks on my parent’s when I was your age.” “Really?” “Yup, same goes for Twiley.” He said with a chuckle. “I once enchanted her ink so that it would vanish after she wrote something down.” He said with a chuckle. “Classic. Did she always do that fire mane thing?” “That is a rage shift. It happens when a Unicorn is put under a lot of emotional stress and their magic tends to get out of hoof.” He said with a sigh. “Every Unicorn can do that?” “Yeah, I’ve been there myself.” He said as he let out a sigh. The colt still had a glum look on his face. “How about we talk more over a scoop of ice cream? My treat.” He said with a smile. The red colt stopped walking and looked at the guard captain with a look of surprise on his face. “Wait, I prank your sister, cause your folks to faint and you’re offering to buy me ice cream? I don’t mean to cause offense, but I fail to see the logic here.” Geode said in confusion. “If you were a stallion I’d take you to a bar. Since you’re not, ice cream is the next best thing.” “Well, I am over one thousand years old.” He said with a grin. “I doubt the bartender will buy that.” The stallion said with a grin. “C’mon, Twilight tells me that Pinkie’s ice cream is the best.” He said as the two made their way towards the sweet shop. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back at the library Cadence and the other ponies had calmed down and were having a pot of tea. Cadence had just finished explaining the situation with the red colt as Twilight walked back into the library and joined them. “So you’ve been taking care of him for how long?” Velvet asked as she looked at her daughter. “About a month now.” Twilight said as she sipped her tea. Cadence sipped her drink and looked at the blue stallion who had a blank expression on his face. “Honestly Cadence, you sent a teenage Unicorn colt to live with my daughter when you knew nothing about him?” He asked in a condescending tone. “I understand Starlight. I didn’t know what else to do.” Cadence said in a defeated tone. “You could have put him in an orphanage.” “It’s a bit more complicated than that dad.” Twilight said with a sigh. “I’ll admit Geode has been a little....difficult." She said with a sigh. "But, I know that he’s changing for the better.” She said as she sipped her tea. “Just imagine being locked away for one thousand years. Something like that takes a toll.” “I still don’t see why you couldn’t have put him in a foster home.” The blue stallion said with a sigh. Cadence looked at Twilight who had an uneasy look on her face. “King Sombra put a curse on the crystal ponies, so that they see Geode as a threat and attack him on sight.” The two ponies looked at her in shock. “Living on the streets was the only way he felt safe. It would be like giving him a death sentence if I sent him to one of those places.” She said in a low tone. “How long have you known this?” Velvet asked as she felt tears in her eyes. “He only told us this a week ago.” Twilight said as she looked down in her glass. “Look, I know I don’t know that much about him but, I know I can help him.” “What do you know about this spell?” Star asked. “I’ve got some scholars from Canterlot researching it. Unfortunately exposure to a spell like that over a long period of time could take years to break down and dissolve.” Cadence said in a low tone. “Geode can’t go back to the Empire. At least not with that spell affecting their minds.” The pink Alicorn said in a low tone. Velvet held back her tears and focused her attention on her daughter. “Okay Twilight. Why did you really call us here?” “What are you talking about?” THe lavender mare asked in confusion. “Twiley, I know when you’re lying to me.” She said in a flat tone. “Is that because you’re a psychiatrist?” Twilight said in a stagnant tone. “No, it’s because I’m your mother.” Twilight let out a sigh and levitated a piece of paper over to her parent’s The mare pulled out her reading glasses and read over the parchment. Her eyes shrank as she handed it to her husband. Star’s eyes quickly read through the words and looked back at his daughter. “You’re serious about this?” Star asked. “I am.” The group was interrupted by a few knocks on the door. “Come in.” The door opened to reveal the white Unicorn stallion and the red unicorn colt with a regretful look on his face. The guard captain gave the colt a slight nudge and a reassuring grin. “I’m sorry.” Geode said in a low tone. “I’m sorry I tricked you all like that. It was extremely immature of me and I hope I caused no offense to you or your parents.” He said as he looked at the other two adult ponies who looked at him in amazement. Velvet looked at her husband and chuckled. “Well, that’s more of an apology I’ve ever heard from Shining.” Velvet said as she looked at the blushing Unicorn stallion. The mare got to her hooves and bent down to his eyes level. “It’s nice to meet you Geode. I’m Velvet Sparkle and my husband is Starlight Sparkle.” “Nice, to make your acquaintance.” He said in a flat tone. “Oh lighten up Star. At least he’s honest.” Velvet said with a warm smile. “Not to mention he’s so cute!” She said as she pinched his cheek. The red colt rubbed his face and gave a weak grin. “Twilight and Cadence were just telling us about you.” “I hope that it’s all good things.” “For the most part.” The blue stallion said. “I have to say though, I haven’t been scared like that since Shinning put pink mane dye in my shampoo.” The red colt looked up at the guard captain who hid a small snicker. “If you don’t mind me asking. Are you just visiting Twilight or is there some other reason why you’re here?” The adult ponies looked at one another and grinned. “He’s a sharp one.” Velvet chimed. Twilight walked over to the colt with a smile on her face. She led the two of them over and sat them down at the table with the other Unicorns. “Geode, I called my parents here so you could meet them.” She said with a smile. The colt looked at her with a quizzical look on his face “I called them here so I could get their opinion on letting me adopt you.” Geode felt the gears in his brain stop at the mares words. “Y-you want to adopt me?” He asked in a timid tone. “Yes.” The red colt looked down at his hooves and felt tears well up in his eyes. He looked at the two adult Unicorns who had smiles on their faces. “From what we’ve seen and what Cadence has told us you remind us of Twilight and Shinning when they were your age.” Star said with a smile. “You seem like a gentlecolt and Twilight has done a good job so far.” Velvet chimed. The red colt felt Twilight wrap a hoof around his shoulder. “This can only happen if you want it to.” Twilight said as she showed him the paperwork. The colt couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and smiled. “Yeah, let’s do it.” He said as he hugged the mare. Twilight returned the gesture she, was soon joined by the other ponies and the dragon. The group broke the embrace and filled out the proper paperwork. “Honestly Shining, Twilight is tied with you in the grand plan.” Velvet teased. The white stallion felt his face go red as the pink Alicorn chuckled. “You two had better get working on it.” She chimed. “Settle down dear.” Star said as he put a hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “Grand plan?” Geode asked in confusion. “Shining may have gotten married first but I have cute colt like you which makes us officially tied.” Twilight said with a grin. Shining blushed and face hoofed. Geode chuckled as he put the pieces together. The red colt smiled as he spent the rest of the afternoon with his new family. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deep in the Everfree Forest the cloaked stallion withdrew a dark crystal and placed it on the ground in front of the fire place. A projection of the older stallion appeared on the wall. “What do have to report?” He asked in a rough tone. “The element of magic just adopted the twerp.” The elderly stallion let out a grunt. “We need to act fast. Since he told the pink ditz about us we’ve had to bunker down more than ever.” He said in a cold voice. “I may have the solution we seek master.” The cloaked stallion said with a grin on his face. “I’m listening.” “There’s a holiday this weekend where everypony wears a costume and dresses up like monsters. They then go around and collect candy.” He said in an annoyed tone. “For what purpose?” “Something about ‘paying tribute to Nightmare Moon.’” The stallion shrugged. “I believe that that would be the best time to strike.” The elderly stallion scratched his chin and thought for a moment. “Don’t disappoint me.” “Never sir.” The stallion said with a salute. The image vanished as the stallion laid back against the rock and smirked. “Soon, soon the master will rise.” He said as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.