//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: A Sense of Foreboding // Story: An Instance of Happiness // by AidanMaxwell //------------------------------// Chapter 6: A Sense of Foreboding The large bell atop the school building rang loudly the following afternoon, as it always did, but unlike most days when the school bell rings, not every filly, colt, mare and stallion evacuated the schoolroom for lunch and, shortly after, recess. Instead, as Cheerilee escorted the majority of the students outside, Felicity found herself freezing at the threshold of the door at the sound of five simple words. “Happy birthday, by the way,” said Tinder casually just as she reached the door. For a moment, the words didn’t register with Felicity. She stood still, pondering just what they meant, and the deeper implications they carried. “Huh?” “Happy birthday,” Tinder repeated, looking up from the chalkboard he had busied himself with clearing. “You know, congratulations on being a year older, and stuff.” “How did you—” “-know? Warden and Airy kept a letter from your dad with the information on it. I’m somewhat surprised you remembered yourself, seeing as we never told you.” Felicity gulped, tears forming in the pockets of her eyes. “Mr. Warden did.” “Ah,” Tinder said simply, turning back to his work. The sound of something soft hitting the wood floor caused him to turn around again, and when he spied Felicity sitting at the door, he dropped the eraser in his grip and moved to her side. “What’s wrong?” “I...” she stammered. “I had... h-hoped I’d g-get to spend my birthday with my family.” “Oh... Felicity, I’m so sorry—” “Sorry?” she interrupted. She looked up at him with a silly grin, tears still forming in her eyes. “I did it! I’m happy!” Tinder blinked. Felicity, taking it as an invitation, wrapped her little hooves around his leg and squeezed him gently, rubbing her cheek against his knee. “B-but Felicity,” Tinder stammered, “you’ve got a family already.” “I know,” she whispered. “Last night, at the Apple’s farm, I finally saw what a real family looks like. And... and I already have one. I’ve always wanted one, but I never knew what it was. Family isn’t blood, or having the same parents; it’s the relationships, the friendships... the love. You, Airy and Warden are my family, Tinder.” Tinder tried to stand still, to silently take in what she said, but found himself returning the hug a moment later. He brought her up to his shoulder and pressed himself against her, returning her affection in full. Tears came to his eyes, and for a brief moment both ponies remained in the loving embrace. “I love you, Tinder,” Felicity said quietly into his ear. “I... I love you too, kiddo,” he replied, setting her down on the wood floor. “And no, you can’t have any candy from Cheerilee’s jar.” “Drat,” she whispered. Tinder laughed. -~-~-~-~-~ Instead of having an afternoon lecture, Cheerilee declared there would be a field trip to an unknown location. She led the kids out of the schoolhouse after recess and walked into town with the students trailing after her. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked to Felicity nervously, but she said nothing to them to maintain the suspense, pretending to know where they were going. As Sugarcube Corner loomed into view, even she began to grow visibly curious. Cheerilee knocked on the door of the Corner. A voice emanated from behind it. “Who is it?” “It’s Cheerilee, Pinkie. May we come in?” “We’re not ready yet! Come back later!” Cheerilee paused, tilting her head to the side in confusion, then knocked again. “Who is it?” “It’s... Cheerilee, Pinkie. May we come in?” “Yeah, come on in!” The door swung open and Pinkie Pie motioned energetically for everypony to enter. Felicity’s eyes widened exponentially as a monstrous cake loomed into view; the smell of the busy kitchen wafted past it, and the sight of the bright pink and white frostings made her tongue water. It was large enough to fit a pony inside, and threatened to bump the ceiling at its summit. Pinkie Pie jumped beside her and playfully bumped her with a hoof, smiling with an overbearing intensity. “Happy birthday, Felicity!” “I... thank you?” Felicity managed, her eyes fixated on the cake. “What’re you waiting for?” Pinkie asked. “Dive in!” Then she, quite literally, dove headlong into the cake. A loud shout emanated from within, and an icing-covered Warden emerged from the confines of his confectionary prison, rubbing his temple furiously. Pinkie began devouring Felicity’s cake single-hoofedly, but the little filly did not pay much attention to it. As Cheerilee and the rest of the kids swarmed into the Corner, targets locked on the mountainous cake, Felicity slowly approached Warden and wrapped her little hooves around his leg. “You did make me a cake,” she said excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, kid,” Warden replied, still rubbing his head where Pinkie had landed on him in her haste. “I even waited inside it to surprise you, but that crazy Pie girl just smacked me so hard my ears started ringing. I swear, she cannot and will never find time to settle down—” But Felicity failed to reply to Warden. Instead she nuzzled his ankle affectionately and darted away, desperately trying to snatch a piece of her cake before the ravenous fillies and colts in her class devoured it. Tinder approached Warden as he watched Felicity break away. “How long did this take?” Tinder asked, looking around the room in a daze. Streamers and balloons seemed to fill every square inch of Sugarcube Corner, and ponies were starting to enter through the front door, further crowding the scene. “All night,” Warden replied. “Airy didn’t get any sleep, had to go to work early. She’s probably at home right now, actually.” “As if,” came a voice from above. Tinder and Warden both looked up and saw Airy floating near the ceiling, her hooves crossed over her chest and her eyes half open. “I might be beat, but I wouldn’t miss the squirt’s birthday party for the world.” “Speaking of the squirt,” Warden said suddenly, motioning to Tinder to move away from the commotion. All three siblings moved to the corner of the room at his command. “She’s acting rather... oddly. The way she was thanking me, being all affectionate... Did something happen?” “Yeah,” Tinder admitted, staring at the ground with a remorseful frown. “She thinks of us as her family. She’s come to terms with us, and now she doesn’t want to leave.” “Well, good!” Airy interjected. “I don’t want her to leave, either. You know what she means to us.” “At what point are we going to pony up and move on?” Warden said frankly. “I don’t care how much we love her. The moment somepony comes for her, we have to give her up. We knew this day was coming for years now.” “It’s different now,” Tinder offered. “Back then, it was our job.” “Isn't it still?” “Last I checked,” Airy countered, “she lives in our house, eats our food, and goes to school with my little bro.” She let out a long yawn and wiped some moisture from her eyes. “So to answer the question, no, it’s more than that now.” Warden sighed. “I know what you’re saying is true, but so is what I’m saying. We can’t pretend like this will last forever. It’s only going to make this harder.” “So what do we do?” Tinder asked, his hooves clasped nervously. “I don’t want her to go.” “There’s not much we can do—” “But not much isn’t nothing!” Airy interrupted. “What do you want me to do, Airy? Short of adopting her ourselves, I can’t see any way of keeping her much longer!” Airy and Tinder exchanged hopeful glances. Warden paused. “No,” he said after a moment. “No, no, no.” “C’mon, Warden!” Airy said, shoving him playfully with her hooves. “It’s a great idea!” “It would legally bind her to our family,” Tinder added. “She would never know the difference, and when we explain it to her, she won’t care. It keeps her here and everypony goes home happy.” “Except, say, Mr. Gardens,” Warden said evenly, “whom you two seem to have forgotten about.” The siblings went silent. Both sides of the argument had valid points, but neither was compromisable. Either Felicity joined the Lightheart family, or she continued to wait for somepony to adopt her. Tinder was torn. He grasped his chest suddenly as though he was in pain, and tears started to trickle down his face. “Tinder,” Warden said quietly, putting his hoof on his brother’s shoulder, “I want her to stay with us also. Don’t think for a second that, if it were realistic, I wouldn’t jump on the chance to keep Felicity around—” “Then do it!” he shouted. No pony in the room seemed to care, and with the party in full swing, his shout was drowned out by music and laughter. “We know how, we just refuse! We sit back and let things happen without a fight!” Warden’s ears fell. “Tinder—” “And so what! Who cares about Mr. Gardens, anyway? If he was trying so hard to get her back, then why hadn’t he come sooner? He probably doesn’t even know where we are anymore! He might have gone to the orphanage and turned back around or something! She’s all we have left, Warden!” “Left of what?” “Of Yearlingdale! Of the orphanage, and of Mom and Dad! We’ve basically raised that little filly ourselves! She’s part of our family in every single way!” “I... I agree with you, Tinder...” Warden bit his lip and looked away, then sighed in resignation. “If we haven’t heard from anypony regarding Felicity by tomorrow... I’ll file for adoption. That’s technically within our legal capabilities, but it’s a long process.” Tinder looked at Airy and smiled weakly through his tears. She winked back at him. “I just don’t know what to do about Mr. Gardens,” Warden said slowly. “Whatever, he’s not our problem,” Airy said. “I’m gonna go mingle some more.” “Airy, go home and get some sleep,” Warden chided. “You look exhausted.” “I’m not tired, Ward.” Airy’s left eye twitched and she moved back a step shakily. “But... yeah, I’ll go home. Felicity knows I love her, and... stuff...” Tinder snickered at his sister as she stumbled away, off balance from her lack of sleep. His laugh cut itself short as the emotion choked him, and he stopped to rub the tears from his eyes. “I... thank you, Warden.” “Don’t thank me,” Warden said quietly, smiling warmly. “Your devotion, and Airy’s, was what made the decision. I love Felicity, but I was not planning to keep her.” “I’m gonna go tell her,” Tinder said with a nod. “Not yet,” Warden replied. “Let’s do it later tonight. That way, all three of us can be there to break the news. Airy’s not exactly up for doing this right now, anyway.” Warden moved to Tinder’s side and wrapped his hoof around his neck in a gentle hug. Tinder returned the hug and laughed abruptly. “What’s so funny?” Warden asked in a serious tone. “We’re gonna have a new sister,” Tinder said slowly. “Technically, she’d be our... daughter, of sorts. From a legal standpoint.” “Whatever. She’s becoming part of our family.” “Wasn’t she already?” Then Warden released Tinder from the hug and walked past him, joining the festivities that proceeded around them. Felicity was at the other end of the room, opening presents that had been hastily gathered from the townsfolk and wrapped in colorful papers the night before. She looked up from an unwrapped box and smiled at Tinder from across the room. He was at her side in a heartbeat. “What is it?” he asked excitedly. Felicity quickly ripped the top off the box and dumped the contents onto the floor. Another box, also wrapped, hit the wood with an empty sound. When she shook the new box, Felicity frowned. “It’s empty.” “It’s a gift box!” Pinkie Pie interjected, her head protruding from the monstrous cake. “Have you ever experienced the joy of giving a gift? It’s worth regifting!” “There’s... a lot of wisdom in that,” Tinder conceded. Felicity nodded, but glared at the present resentfully a moment later. “Some candy would’ve been cool, too.” “Say thank you and move on to the next one,” Tinder said curtly. “That was the last one,” Felicity replied. She looked around the room for a moment, but her eyes drifted back to Tinder. A smile crept across her face. “Thanks for the party, Tinder.” “Now how come I’m just Tinder but Warden gets to be ‘Mr. Warden?’” “Because he’s old.” “Hey!” came a gruff shout from the crowd. “I heard that.” Tinder laughed, and then stopped to consider how happy he was. Not since he had left Yearlingdale had his spirits been so high. Elated, he moved into the crowd and disappeared from Felicity’s view. The moment he was gone, she stood up and moved to the door of the Corner, where three innocently innocuous fillies waited patiently for her. “Did you get the goods?” Felicity asked them, casually leaning against the wall. “Eeyup,” Apple Bloom said. She passed a wrapped package to Felicity, who unwrapped it slowly. A little cloth bag slumped to the ground with a jingle. “It’s a few bits from each of us. Hope it’s enough.” “This is plenty,” Felicity said. “We’re sure to get lots of essentials with this. Say, how many banks did you have to rob to get all these bits?” “None!” Sweetie Belle replied, aghast. “How awful! Did you rob a bank, Scootaloo?” “What? No!” Scootaloo said quickly. She looked around nervously for a moment. “M’ah sister gave me some bits,” Apple Bloom offered, understanding Felicity’s question. She shot Sweetie Belle a confused glance. “Ah said it was a birthday present.” “Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “I just asked Rarity for some bits as a gift. She wanted to make you a dress, but I told her it would take too much time. By the way, she says you’re welcome to come by the Boutique for a fitting anytime.” “My parents just gave me allowance for the month,” Scootaloo added. “So that’s some of it.” Felicity attempted to swallow a lump that had formed in her throat, but it did not go away. “T-thanks, girls. You’re the best.” She cleared her throat and smiled deviously. “Let’s sneak out to the Joke shop and get some supplies. I’ve got the grandpony of all pranks in store for this party.” “Cutie Mark Crusader Pranksters!” the three fillies cried in unison. “Yay!” Felicity’s ears bent in, trying to dampen the sound. “Ouch...” The Crusaders stepped through the door, which jingled cheerfully but was ultimately drowned out by the party inside, and snuck into the street as quickly as they could. They took one look behind them to make sure they were not being tailed and collided with a large object. When they picked themselves up, they noticed the object was a stallion. His green coat bristled at the sight of the four fillies staring in confusion back at him. Felicity started to move away, unconcerned with the stranger, but the other three fillies recomposed themselves and smiled at him. “Good morning, young ladies,” said the stallion slowly. “I’m looking for somepony. A new resident to this area. Do you know anypony named Lightheart?” “Sure do!” said Apple Bloom happily, pointing at Sugarcube Corner. “All three of the siblings are in there, Ah reckon.” The stallion stopped short for a moment, then his eyes drifted to Felicity. His face grew solemn. “Felicity?” Her eyes shot up to meet his, shock riddling her expression. “Daddy?” -~-~-~-~-~ Tinder’s eyes drifted around the party, lazily looking at the many ponies dancing, talking and enjoying themselves. The commotion was nearly deafening, but the camaraderie radiating off the friends relishing in the festivities warmed his heart. Never before had he seen such a tight-knit community, where everypony knew each other and these kinds of social gatherings were just another integral part of their lives. Yearlingdale was so large, so impersonal, and Tinder had never known anything else. “Having fun?” said a voice from behind him. Tinder did not react immediately, assuming the question had been posed to somepony nearby, but when he felt a hoof touch his back, he whirled around to see Twilight Sparkle smiling at him. “Oh, Prin— err, Twilight. Hello. Yes, I’m having fun.” “You seem a little dazed.” Tinder sighed. “This is all so... new to me. The closest thing you’d find to this in Yearlingdale would be a New Year’s Eve party at some rich noble’s house.” “Oh, still acclimating to the small-town mentality, then?” Twilight snickered. “I suppose I’ve gotten used to it, but I find it amusing that you haven’t thrown parties like this before.” “We were orphans who ran an orphanage. We were lucky if we could celebrate any of our individual birthdays with a cake, let alone inviting the entire town.” “I suppose that’s true.” A moment of silence passed, then Twilight looked around quickly. “Speaking of which, where’s the birthday girl?” “I think I saw her trying to sneak out,” Tinder replied aloofly. “She’ll come back.” “Shouldn’t she be here? It’s her party, after all.” “I was gonna go make sure she didn’t wander off in a second, but I have a feeling she just went out for a breath of fresh air. It’s borderline claustrophobic in here.” Twilight’s gaze came to rest on the window. “She’s right outside, actually. I can see her.” “Oh?” Tinder looked in the direction of the window, but only saw a green stallion loitering nearby. “I don’t see her.” “She’s talking to that green pony.” Tinder grimaced. “I thought I taught her not to speak to strangers. I’ll get her.” Then he moved to the door and exited the Corner. Twilight followed at a distance, poking her nose around the corner. When he approached, Felicity turned to Tinder and shot a glare at him that made him sick. The corners of his mouth tucked back. “What’s... going on?” “Tinder, this...” Felicity began, but she stammered on the rest. “Herb Gardens,” said the stallion kindly, extending a hoof to Tinder. “Pleasure to meet you.” Tinder’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Herb tried to wait patiently for Tinder to accept the hoofshake, but gave up after nearly a minute of silence and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. “So... are you Tinder Lightheart?” he asked slowly, staring into Tinder’s eyes intently. Tinder nodded. “Oh, good. You have no idea what I’ve been through these last few days, trying to find my daughter. Did you receive my letter saying I was coming?” “I... yeah,” Tinder managed, finding his voice again. Every few words, a choke grabbed at his throat. “We couldn’t w-wait any longer for you.” “Yes, I understand. Is everything in order for me to begin the adoption process then?” “I-I... no?” “No?” Herb blinked. “What do you mean?” “W-we planned to adopt Felicity, a-as a birthday present. Sh-she...” Herb blinked. “You, adopt her? Even after all the letters I sent, and the promises I made to come get her personally? Does your brother know you planned this?” “H-he was more willing to wait for you, but-” “Good, as long as somepony in your family had some sense,” Herb interrupted, his smile fading into a stern grimace. “It would have been quite unprofessional for you to step on my hooves like that. As much as I appreciate all the time you’ve invested into my daughter, I am not above taking this to court.” Felicity blanched. Tinder’s ears started burning. “Now,” Herb said crossly, looking around the town, “where is your brother? I will speak to him now about the paperwork, if at all possible. I’d like to be back in Canterlot before sundown.” -~-~-~-~-~ The Ponyville train station felt warm and rural, much like the rest of the town, but Tinder found no comfort in it sitting beside the ticket counter. He found the warmth to be distant and the comfort to be alienating. The sun was setting on the horizon, the light growing slowly dimmer over the course of the evening. Felicity was somewhere behind the counter, where the train was, probably pulling her meager suitcase onto a car. Tinder had no idea if that last part was actually true — indeed, Mr. Gardens had forbidden Felicity to talk to Tinder after his outburst earlier — but the pit in his stomach would not let him find out, unable to face the truth that Felicity was leaving him forever. A small sniffle snapped his attention away from the sunset. Felicity was sitting beside the bench, frowning up at Tinder. The orange bow in her hair had been removed, and her mane had been combed straight. Tinder almost failed to recognize her at all. “Hey, kiddo,” he managed. “Tinder…” A tear rolled down Felicity’s cheek. She climbed into his lap and lay completely still, sobbing silently into his foreleg. Tinder gingerly put a hoof to her head and stroked her straight mane, the pit in his stomach amplifying in size. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Why?” Tinder replied, equally quiet, as though too much noise might end the conversation. “You’ve done nothing wrong.” “I… I didn’t even ask D-Daddy if we could stay. He’s so scary, Tinder…” “Scary? How?” “H-he wants me to wear my hair straight, and w-wear clothes, and-” she choked at that point and resumed sniffling for a few moments. “-and he says we have to leave soon. He says we’re going traveling, and we won’t come back for a long time...” “He’s not being mean, Felicity,” Tinder assured, stroking her hair again. “He’s probably just… happy, to have you back, and excited to show you his life. He’s been waiting—“ Tinder choked as well, “—for a long time to see you.” “But why would we travel far away?” Felicity moaned. “I want to stay here… with you…” She nuzzled into Tinder and resumed sobbing, her little chest heaving with every broken breath. He could feel his ears burning, and his heart was beating faster than normal. Why was he so angry? It was Mr. Gardens prerogative to do as he pleased with Felicity — after all, she was his daughter. But to cause so much pain to both her and Tinder, by separating them so deliberately; what was the point? Could they not find a compromise where everypony was happy? “Tinder?” came the tiny voice, choked by tears. “Will I ever see you again?” “If I can help it,” Tinder replied kindly, slowly pulling her into an embrace. “You’re my little sister, after all.” She hugged him back, muttering ‘I love you’ under her breath a couple times. For almost a minute, the two ponies, lifelong friends, remained in each other’s company, saying a heartfelt farewell. They were content to remain there together until the pony managing the ticket booth leaned out of his window and whispered “The train leaves in two minutes, my friends.” “Right,” Tinder said with a gulp. “Guess you need to… go.” She nodded without a word, rubbing her nose against his chest one last time before climbing down and disappearing into the train station. Tinder stood up to watch her go, but stopped halfway and choked vocally, bolting in the opposite direction. Felicity turned to catch Tinder’s eye and saw him galloping into town. Before she could process that, however, her father, Mr. Gardens, approached her and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. Next thing she knew, she was riding on his back. “C’mon, Felicity!” he urged impatiently. “The train leaves in less than two minutes. Orchid will have decorated the mansion and made a special birthday dinner for you, so we mustn’t miss our train home, I dare say.” Felicity didn’t reply. Her father put her down when they reached the train. On the platform, standing near the door onto the car, were Warden, Airy, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, all of whom had come to see Felicity off. The Crusaders all moved to give Felicity a hug as the train blew its whistle. “Well, look at the bright side!” Scootaloo yelled, trying to speak over the whistle. “Now we have Crusaders in Canterlot, too!” “We’re gonna miss you, Felicity,” Sweetie Belle said solemnly. “Y’all come back an’ visit us soon, ‘kay?” asked Apple Bloom with a wink. Felicity stood still for a second, looking warily at her father, who was talking to Airy and Warden about Tinder, and making suggestions about finding him help. “I intend to.” The other fillies blinked in unison. “I won’t stay with my dad, even if he is my dad.” Felicity straightened herself and pushed her shoulders back resolutely. “Tinder and the Lighthearts are my family, not him. And even if it’s the last thing I do… I will come back here.” “But… when?” Apple Bloom said curiously. “And how?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Soon,” replied Felicity with a smug smile, a smile she had not worn since earlier that morning. “And I may not know yet, but I have a few ideas…”