Rise of the Furball Chapter 25: "Divine Judgement"
“Apple Bloom…” groaned Applejack.
“Yeah, sis?” replied the filly.
“We’ve established that the whole ‘you not tellin’ us about bein’ a werewolf’ thing is behind us, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Now stop sniffin’ mah behind!”
Blushing, the young Apple backed away from her sister’s plot. “Sorry.”
Applejack just shook her head. “Please don’t tell me you sniff the behinds of other ponies in public.”
“Wouldn’t her teacher, whatshername, have mentioned something like that?” suggested Lightning Dust, before reaching into a bag of Happy Puppy dog biscuits and popping a few into her mouth, “Damn, these things are really good.”
“You’re referrin’ to Cheerilee, Ah'm guessin', and Ah wouldn’t eat too many of those, Dusty,” warned Applejack as she confiscated the bag, “this’ll be the only bag we’ll get until we get back to Ponyville.”
“Ah doubt it’ll last that long, Applejack,” pointed out Apple Bloom, “Ah went through a bag once a week initially, Ah was goin’ through twice as much by Nightmare Night.”
“Great, we gotta ration ‘em now?” rhetorically asked Applejack, taking a biscuit into her own muzzle, “Winona’s not gonna like it…”
“Better than eating actual meat, you do have to admit that” snarked the pegasus.
“True.”
“Ah’m just worried about what’s gonna happen to Razz,” mumbled Apple Bloom, “None of this woulda happened had Ah not gotten separated from the group.”
“What are you so worried about, sugarcube?” Applejack replied, trotting over to where Apple Bloom had sat down in the corner of the bedroom. It had been decided at the luncheon yesterday that for the time being, it probably would be better for the werewolves to all share a room to sleep in, since while even Raspberry didn’t know how close werewolves got to true pack animals, it was generally agreed that erring on the side of caution in that regard couldn’t hurt anything. As long as nopony tried marking their side of the room, lest the sleeping rage monster that was the Castle Canterlot cleaning staff be unleashed. “None of what’s happened was your fault.”
“B-but…” sniffled Apple Bloom, the water works starting up, “if Ah’d told you Ah was a werewolf, Ah never woulda-“
“Apple Bloom, I know what you’re going to say,” cut off Lightning Dust. “But in truth, if you had told Applejack and the others about your lycanthropy, then the events on Nightmare Night would have been different. Possibly with worse end results. Nothing would have changed that would have made the situation better; Fair Vista would still be after you, Raspberry would still be hiding in her own shell instead of ending a cycle of pain and suffering she kept subjecting herself to, and who knows what else. What’s done is done, so all things considered the fact nothing close to the worst case scenario came to be, we should be thankful there may be light at the end of the tunnel.”
Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, Lightnin’. But Ah still won’t feel right until this whole matter is over. Celestia called the other princesses in for discussion hours ago and there’s still no sign of them comin’ out so she can lay judgement.”
“Ah’m worried too, Bloomie,” soothed AJ as she lay a foreleg over the back of Apple Bloom’s neck. “Ah never did get the chance to really apologize for my behavior towards her when she said it might’ve been her fault Ah’m a werewolf again. It wasn’t her fault, really, nopony knew, and if she was right then Ah’d just been livin’ an illusion of havin’ been turned back to normal.”
Just then, there were a brief set of knocks at the door, followed by Fluttershy entering. “It’s time, girls, the princesses are going to end this once and for all.”
For the third time in as many days, Raspberry Beryl was being judged by the same four royals, this third and hopefully final time being more of an address to the country about her than anything, as news had spread of her stunt in the courtroom. On the one hoof, it felt like the trial all over again, except with the highest possible power of judgement about to hammer down the path of fate she was to follow, and no defense team provided by Twilight this time.
And yet, it was still better, as the reassuring grip of Heliodor’s talons on her horn – her fake, “regular” horn, as she’d decided to don her ‘preferred’ colors and form for the day in lieu of the form she had been altered into over the years as per the advice of Rarity – made a world of difference. She could feel the eyes of a nation, among them the ponies from Ponyville who she’d befriended even as they were hurt in her presence. She wondered if they were the only sets of eyes not sitting on a throne before her that wished for her well being. All the others…well, she couldn’t give less of a damn. If they had a problem with her, they’d need to get through Heliodor and a firestorm of emerald blazes first.
“Everypony, please, settle down,” Luna calmly requested, the crowd of ponies instantly falling silent at her simple command, “As you all know, it’s been an…interesting series of events here in Canterlot thanks to the special nature of Miss Raspberry Beryl and her ever loyal pet, the phoenix Heliodor.”
Ever the attention lover, Helee feigned humility in the slight praise given to him by the princess of the night.
“Obviously, due to her claims that she is descended from the False King Sombra,” said Cadence, taking her turn to speak, “she is the last of what history has called the Crystal Imperial bloodline, a discredited branch of the old Equestriani royal family long thought extinct due to the former belief that Sombra produced no heirs to his name.”
Cadence then turned and nodded to the pony who she had once foalsat, now a fellow princess. Twilight gave a nod of her own in acknowledgement before she continued the speech. “But simply being of royal blood, no matter how far removed it has become from its source, does not excuse a pony’s actions. The laws that are a part of Equestria since its founding thousands of years ago are the true highest power, even we alicons are not above them, for it is not birthrights or privilege that those laws are to be judged by. No, this country, Our Equestria, was founded on the beliefs of Harmony: of honesty, of laughter, of kindness, of generosity, of loyalty, and magic, which together form the friendships that have bound us all together. The past days and events that will define their memory serve as a reminder of that, for initially the pony who sits before us; Raspberry Beryl, was brought here to be judged on the severity of her crimes. As we have learned, however, we can not judge a pony like her on those grounds alone, not when it was shown to us that her ‘crimes’ are in fact just a reflection of who she is on the inside.”
Once Twilight was finished, Celesta left a moment of silence for the words to register in all of the audience’s minds, before clearing her throat and made to finish this business once and for all.
“Raspberry Beryl, you were brought to Canterlot, of your own accord, I will note, to receive judgment and trial on grounds of having committed the greatest number of offenses against Equestria itself in its recorded history. These acts all sharing one common factor: dark magic.
"According to you, as well as been verified by several other trustworthy sources, the magic that you possess is no ordinary dark magic, but of a much more powerful nature that was inherited by your ancestor, King Sombra, and your special talent is having a mastery of the dark arts on his level as well which surpasses all others who wish to use the corruptive side of magic for their own ends. It is on those grounds that it does not matter whether you are innocent or guilty of conspiring and defying the authority of the Equestriani crowns, you are a very clear and present danger to every pony and every settlement in the country with the powers you hold.
“B-but your majest-!” cried out a shocked Raspberry, but a single raised hoof from Twilight silenced her.
“Please, let her majesty finish,” appealed the youngest princess, the slightest touch of a smile appearing at the sides of her muzzle.
“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” continued Celestia, resuming her place in her speech. “Surely, Raspberry Beryl, you must understand that it is not just your raw power and skill that makes you a threat alone, but the reputation that comes with those powers. A thousand years ago, Sombra used those same powers to turn the Crystal Empire into a nightmarish wasteland, enslaving innocent ponies, and other unmentionable horrors purely with the intentions of his new domain being a mere stepping stone to conquering all of Equestria. He almost prevailed again not too long ago had it not been for a special group of ponies and a certain assistant.” As she mentioned Spike in passing, she glanced over at the stained glass mural that commemorated the victory of Spike the Dragon over Sombra.
Spike was the one who saved the Crystal Heart?!” thought Raspberry, eyes shrinking as the gravity of her actions a few days ago finished sinking in, I don’t remember ever hearing about him even being there, but now that everypony more or less thinks I’m Sombra reincarnate and the biggest reason I’m here was how that diamond nearly killed him…
“Yes, the same assistant who is a beloved member of the royal family,” said the sun princess, not losing a beat but noticing Razz’s reaction, “the one who happened to befall a terrible injury by the same magic he helped defeat. Ponies will interpret that as you having the same ambitions as Sombra himself, which will generate panic and disorder should you be let free and unpunished, much less my hoof being forced purely because the act of dark magic practice is forbidden in Equestria outside of extraordinary circumstances. Furthermore, the actions at your trial must be interpreted as an attack on the highest degree of treason, which in of itself would be enough to sentence you to immediate execution.”
“Y-yes, your highness…” acknowledged Raspberry, her head drooping in acceptance of the fate she hadn’t escaped after all.
“But,” added Celestia, getting a shocked reaction from all those in front of her, Razz and Heliodor chief among them, “it is extraordinary circumstances that have guided you through life, my little pony, and even more extraordinary that you should bear the powers and features of King Sombra, yet within your heart and mind are untouched. You have struggled for years not only because of your lineage, of the sins committed centuries before your time, but because you chose not to use those powers to gain power and follow the path of evil like Sombra. You desire not what your blood demands is yours as part of royalty, but what is a given birthright to all ponies.
“You have also gained the trust of some of the most important ponies in the country, chief among them Princess Twilight, who you hurt through no fault of your own when Spike ate your handiwork. You were there to protect Apple Bloom, sister to Applejack, from an unforeseen evil that the Elements themselves couldn’t prevent. And above all else, when you had the entire ruling body of Equestria at your mercy, you cared more about vengeance for the companion who has been your only family for so long, rather than surpassing King Sombra in accomplishing the one thing he never could. But that is unfair, admittedly, because that suggests that is how you compare yourself to the pony who defined so much of you before he was even defeated the first time, when everything that you do, the desires and goals that drive your actions and decisions, are so that comparing him to you would show you are nothing like him.
“As I said before, your crimes against Equestria itself and the royal family are on the level of the highest treason imaginable, so in that regard the punishment must be equal in repercussions. However…” Celestia suddenly smiled – a genuine, if small, smile - which was the scariest thing Raspberry Beryl and Heliodor had ever seen. Was the princess actually happy about leveling something as bad as a death sentence?
Luna was of the same opinion. “Have you gone mad, sister?!” she whispered discretely to her counterpart, “Raspberry Beryl has done nothing wrong where her unfortunate birth didn’t come into play! My time as Nightmare Moon has my offenses to Equestria be far worse with a single attack on a settlement, whereas the worst she’s done is kill her father in self-defense!”
“There is a difference, dear sister,” responded Celestia, “just watch.”
If it’s not death, thought Raspberry, quaking in her seated place in front of the same ponies who had condemned Sombra to afate worse than death, and then later condemned to actual death, then what will they do to me? Cast me into a shadowy form, locked in the ice?
“Raspberry Beryl, while normally a pony who has intentionally committed such acts as you have would be put to death, your unique situation suggests a much preferable fate would be to serve the Equestriani Crown for the rest of your life, so that is what your punishment will be.”
“In hard labor?!” blurted out the unicorn, scared she would be forced into a situation where she couldn’t properly care for Heliodor.
Celestia laughed, which for a moment put everypony on edge for the same reason Raspberry had been earlier, but it quickly became clear there was more going on than initially thought. “Of course not! You may have been born on a farm but you are not an earth pony. You are, however, a unicorn with mastery over one of the most dangerous kinds of magic known to exist. Dark magic has always posed a threat to Equestria by those who would wish to see it fall or be their own domain, but all ponies who explore the dark arts fall under its corruptive influence and so it is impossible to truly understand it such that better defenses against it can be created. Sombra’s short-lived return a while back was a rude awakening to the fact our defenses against dark magic are no better now than they were a thousand years back. Combined with the various ways his influence has continued to affect Equestria ever since his first defeat, the need for improving those defenses has never been greater. An impossible task as even we alicorns require great amounts of our power and concentration to use it, with all unicorns who try to examine it either dying in the attempt or turning against the crown, which defeats the point.
“But you, Raspberry...you’re the exception, the one pony who has ever had the raw power of dark magic, straight from Sombra himself, along with the skills to fully utilize that magic…yet your heart and mind are as pure as can be. Nopony who is as truly good as you ever deserves a life sentence to anything, but even I cannot overrule the doctrines that Equestria is founded on, though I can exploit how vague the statement ‘service to the crown’ can be when interpreted.”
Raspberry’s eyes started to grow wide and misty. She was not going to die. “I-if it’s going to be my sentence to help keep this country safe, that my magic can be used for good, then I will happily accept my sentence. Just…just don’t put me in a dungeon cell or separate me from Heliodor, I don’t want to go through that again!”
“That wasn’t even possible regardless of your opinion, Raspberry,” answered Cadence. “Your magic is of such a powerful nature that there are few ponies who could contain any trouble you could cause. It would be seen as foolhardy to leave you in a stone cell with only guards keeping an eye on you, since even the most powerful guards would be but toy soldiers against your might.”
“Fortunately,” continued Twilight, “as it so happens, all the ponies who would be able to properly act as handlers live in the same place. It’s a small little village, maybe you’ve heard of it?”
Raspberry’s eyes grew even larger and brighter. “Y-your majesties are letting m-me go back to Ponyville?”
Luna nodded for her fellow royals. “Indeed. We have discussed it at length and have determined the best means of any supervision for you would be from ponies that you feel comfortable around and everypony in Equestria can rely on to keep you on the straight and narrow. But, above all else, we would be no better than your father by denying you the life you deserve. You found happiness in Ponyville, a place that you feel is where you belong after so many years of drifting aimlessly. Who are we to take that from you?”
“I…I…” stuttered Raspberry, having sprung back up onto all four hooves but all attempts to speak resulting in choking. Heliodor furiously fluttered about either side of her head, trying his best to wipe up the first tears rolling down her cheeks while not placing himself in the line of sight between his mistress and the four alicorns. He eventually gave up with a tired sigh and retired to sit on Raspberry’s back. She hadn’t even noticed him as she finally choked out a vital question; “Th-there has t-to be a c-catch…*snif* always a c-c-catch…”
“Unfortunately, there are one or two,” confirmed Celestia, wishing there was some way she could have said that without killing the light of hope in Raspberry’s eyes, but it would be alright in the end. “Due to the dangers posed by your dark crystal gems should they be eaten by a dragon like Spike, unlikely as that may be, or if they react to some other magic breaking them open and allowing them to grow uncontrollably, you are forbidden from selling or distributing anything made from black crystal in any form unless further safety precautions can be devised for that line of work. Additionally, you are forbidden to leave Ponyville without being accompanied by one of the ponies who will carry the title of warden, and in the event there is anything involving dark magic requiring the involvement of the crown, you will be summoned for duty as an expert as is laid out in your sentencing.”
Silence. Raspberry stood there, trembling, expecting Celestia to mention something else. The whopper, the deal-breaker, something that would prove this was all more bullshit that fate was throwing at her to make life even more miserable. But there was nothing. Celestia just sat there on her throne, just like the other three princesses, looking at Raspberry with an indiscernible expression. She couldn’t take it. “That…that’s it?!”
“Raspberry, is something wrong?” inquired Twilight, concern on her face.
“Of course there is!” screamed Raspberry, the tears starting to flow freely, “You expect me to believe that after everything that’s happened here, the worst you’re going to do is basically order me to use my dark magic in ways that will help other ponies?! And that I can also just go back to Ponyville, to the Retreat, and just live life like I’ve always wanted?!”
“Um…y-yes?” replied Celestia, now wondering if at any point, something had been said wrong that had triggered Raspberry’s temper. The eldest princess started prepping a defensive spell should this moment, which should have been a relief all around since it took a lot of loophole finding to manage her punishment on Raspberry, degrade into another episode akin to the trial.
“NO! I…I CAN’T!” blurted Razz, evidently more confused than actually angry, “That’s not how life works! Not for me! Everything good that’s come my way, other than Heliodor, always ends up falling through, always ends up-“
*SMACK*
In her hysterics, Raspberry had failed to notice Rarity get up from her place, stride confidently over to the self-destructing unicorn, and then bitchslap her clean across her face. “For heaven’s sake, darling, pull yourself together!” The rest of the Ponyville crew had gotten up and now stood around Raspberry, who still was recovering from Rarity being most unladylike.
“This ain’t a trick, Razz,” said Apple Bloom, walking up and putting her hoof on Raspberry’s. “Ah told you to trust in ‘em, that everythin’ would work out.”
“Indeed, it will be a shame that I won’t be able to use your services to help decorate my products anymore, but we’re still friends and that’s what counts the most, no?”
“Plus, you can’t always look at life like a cup and say it’s half empty,” Lightning Dust interjected. “I mean, the fact that little problem of mine still hadn’t been fixed kind of puts a damper on things, but other than that, being in Ponyville has made me happier than I’ve been in years, no small part on Rainbow and friends giving me a second chance after nearly killing them all. But you? You never even had a first chance, but now you do.”
“Hey, would throwing a party help cheer you up?” suggested Pinkie, to the surprise of absolutely nopony, “We’d have to wait until we got back home, but a nice, big party should help you fit right in!”
“Ah also think you should remember how much we need you, Razz,” admitted Applejack, “the only reason Apple Bloom is still with us is because you stopped you-know-who. If that were-bitch comes back, you’re the only one who can really stop her.”
Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, that actually reminds me, you’ll need to show us some of your sweet moves! Apple Bloom was saying the beat down you were giving on that ghost sounded like an epic fight but since you put her in that crystal prison for her own safety she didn’t know what you were actually doing. Unfortunately for you, I do want to know.”
“And don’t worry about the other ponies in town, they’ll warm up to you again,” said Fluttershy. “I mean, you’ll probably want to just stick with the form you’re in, since your real horn would scare the children and small animals, but maybe using your dark magic for mundane things that wouldn’t hurt anypony, like levitating fruit into a bag or something, would prove you’re just as much a regular pony as the rest of us. Your aura is just unique.”
Raspberry looked at each of the ponies gathered around her one by one. Every single one of them had a reason for hating her guts, but…they didn’t. They’d instead listened to her story, understood her plight, and in the end had done what Apple Bloom had promised.
“T-thank you…all of you!” cried Raspberry, throwing caution to the wind and taking Pinkie Pie into a rib-crushing hug. Behind them, in the crowd of general public ponies who were bearing witness to all this, a low rumble began to be heard. Gradually, it became louder, and louder, until the entire hall echoed with the sound of thunderous, hoofstomping applause for the mercy shown by the princesses. But to Raspberry, it was the sound of congratulations, of victory over her long and troubled life. Everything had turned out for the best…well, almost.
There were still two ponies whose judgement was still to be passed, in their own castle back in Ponyville. And though they were mere specks in importance compared to Celestia’s decision, their opinion mattered far more to the dark unicorn.
Later, after Luna had raised the moon, and long after the Ponyville crew was allowed to return home, Celestia looked out from her private balcony. She could see for many miles from this vantage point, but as usual her attention was focused on the same place she often gazed toward. Over a hundred years ago, when she had told the Apples they could start a farm there to live on instead of being a nomadic wagon train, she’d known a town would spring up soon enough. Granted, she hadn’t known about the zap apples, those had come as a surprise, but if the magical fruit hadn’t been in play the town would have still sprung up as a center of community regardless. She hadn’t planned on that town being where the six ponies who would bear the restored Elements would converge on that fateful night for the first time, though originally Twilight hadn’t been the one who Celestia had thought would be the “spark” that would restore Luna from her tortured state as Nightmare Moon.
“Compared to Sunset Shimmer,” came an all too familiar voice, “Twilight was the better choice.”
“I do wish you would develop a habit of not intruding on the privacy of other ponies in their rooms, Discord,” sighed Celestia.
“That would imply I was even in the castle to begin with, my dear,” chuckled Discord, who promptly levitated up from below the balcony and oriented such that he was upside down. “Though I will admit I am genuinely worried for your health. After all that business with Raspberry Beryl and her turning out to be the complete opposite of the resurrected nightmare you initially thought she was, you really should get some shut-eye.”
“Since when have you cared for my health?” inquired Celestia with a raised eyebrow. “Even if you managed to spin the whole ‘Luna and I were captured and imprisoned by your failed scheme from a thousand years ago’ event to be favorable to you in the end, it still doesn’t change the fact you let it happen in the first place.”
“True, I did allow my plunder seeds to abduct you, but beyond the initial panic were either of you in any real danger at any point?”
“Well…no, we were kept in pretty cramped conditions under all those vines but we weren’t explicitly hurt.”
“Exactly. Believe it or not, as much as I serve to be the counter-agent to everything you desire for the country, I’m not stupid. There must always be a balance.”
“I would hardly call what you did to this world twice, before and after you were first imprisoned in stone, anything remotely resembling ‘balance.’”
“Yes, well, I admit, those things do make me sound hypocritical, but…”
“Don’t you dare say the ends justify the means here.”
“Of course not, that cliché is old and boring anyway. No, the reason I screwed up the balance of everything those two times was because I had let myself go out of control. Yes, yes, I know! It sounds strange coming from somebody whose entire point of existing it the opposite of ‘control’ but bear with me. The first time I took over Equestria, it was supposed to be a test.”
“A test?”
“Yes, a test to see what you and Luna would do in the face of a country-wide crisis. Unfortunately, due to your mother leaving this world several years before, I lost the only gauge of how much chaos was too much. You see, as an agent of chaos, it’s my job to cause it, as your mother’s job was to bring order and peace. That’s why we got along so well, you see, because we had respect for the importance of the other’s purpose. But while I was comparatively much more powerful with the ability to alter the world with nothing but a snap of my fingers-“
“Fingers?” asked Celestia, curious. “What are those?”
“Oh, right, those don’t exist here, uh, just forget I said that. Anyway, with a mere snap, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. But Faust, she had a much better understanding of things, of the why behind things happening or existing. She perceived how to best use our powers in tandem to keep this reality in check with itself, for the benefit of all living things.”
“You really needed Queen Faust to tell you when things got excessive? I’d think making ponies becoming shallow imitations of themselves is well beyond what would be considered ‘excessive.’”
“Yes,” admitted Discord, which Celestia realized was a true, honest admission of fault. This creature, who would try to spin anything such that it looked like he had been in the right all along, was honestly saying he’d screwed up somewhere. “We were such a team, Faust and I, sort of a ‘brains and brawn’ dynamic. She was the brains, telling me what needed to be done and where, and I happily did it, but never did she treat me as anything less than an equal. Considering every single other thing alive at the time saw me as an evil being, she really was the only anchor I had to sanity.”
“So when the time came to ‘test’ Luna and I, you sort of lost it and went overboard out of grief?”
“Not out of grief, but out of a need. You won’t believe me, but it was part of Faust’s final request as well as the prophecy I told you of earlier. But now that Raspberry Beryl is back on her intended path, it’s safe for you to know everything now.”
“So, you’re going to let me read that scroll you’ve been dangling in front of me like a carrot?”
“Sort of, the reason I won’t share it with you now is because Luna needs to be here. You are both the only things of Faust that remain in this world, you both deserve to know your mother’s final words. Along with what our favorite little ponies may be facing in the near future.”
It had been a rough week for Raspberry Beryl. One week ago, she’d willingly surrendered to the crown after choosing to save Apple Bloom from Fair Vista over a clean escape. She’d spent several days as a prisoner on trial, though admittedly only two of those nights had been absolute hell thanks to well-justified separation anxiety. Now she was legally in service to the crown ‘for life’ in the vaguest sense of indentured servitude imaginable, but her gamble in befriending the most dangerous ponies in the country (to her) had paid off.
“You ready?” asked Twilight.
“As I’ll ever be,” replied Raspberry. Heliodor perched on her back, not where he would rather be but in order to keep a low profile he wouldn’t be able to perch on her horn as usual.
“If the worst should happen, darling,” said Rarity, “you can always stay at my place, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say I know everything is going to be alright.”
“Thanks, I really mean it. You all pulled through for me back in Canterlot, so if you all think this is going to work out, then I believe so, too.” With a quick smile and deep breath, Raspberry departed the group of friends who had become almost a surrogate family to her, a sisterhood of sorts. But as she walked up the familiar old steps and opened the door, the little bell attached to it letting out a cheerful ring, she hoped she could count two other ponies among the family she had found in Ponyville.
“One second, just need to put these keys back!” came the easily recognized voice of Cashmere from behind the front desk, followed by a near-silent ‘clink’ of a keyring hitting its hook. “There we go! Apologies, but welcome to the Traveler’s Retr-“ as Cashmere turned around, delivering a stock greeting, she stopped-mid sentence as realization of just who had entered hit her. “Ra…Raspberry?”
“Yes, Mrs. Cashmere, it’s me. I’m home, but only if you want me.”
“Bu-bu-but…why wouldn’t you be wanted?”
“I’m sure you already know, but I was convicted of high treason after what I did at the trial about me using dark magic near exclu-“ She was caught off guard as the elderly mare made a surprisingly athletic tackle and took the unicorn into a big hug.
“Have you been worried about what Ascot and I would think of you after hearing about all of that?” asked the innkeeper, her eyes misty.
“Why wouldn’t I? You two did so much for me, opening your home, letting me live and work here, only for me to turn out to be a pony on the run and all the lies I fed you.”
“You poor thing! Didn’t Rarity tell you? She sent letters almost daily to us about what was going on, you wouldn’t believe how worried we were that you would be taken from us all on account of some dusty old laws and fate being cruel to you. We feared the worst when we didn’t get a letter today, but now you’re here again, oh blessed Celestia you’re home!”
“You…you’re not angry at me? For the lies or the dark magic or the-“
“Why would we be angry?” came a new voice, this time from Ascot, who had emerged from the door leading into the large dining room after hearing the conversation. “From the letters, we know what you have told us was mostly true, anyway, what you hid from us was not for reasons of ill-intent, but of shame of who you were. You wanted to protect us from the things of your past. Nopony can fault you for that. And anypony with a brain can figure out the thing with Spike was an accident and not some premeditated assassination or whatever. Hell, if it wasn’t for your magic, not only would that young Apple not be around today, neither would I!”
“Wait, what?” said Twilight, who had suddenly appeared behind Raspberry, startling the group. “My apologies for intruding, but we were getting worried when Raspberry didn’t come out to let us know if everything is good or not between you two and her, so I just wanted to make sure. But Razz, why didn’t you mention having saved Mr. Ascot back in Canterlot?”
“It…it was nothing, really,” Razz said meekly, blushing all the while. “I just did what any good-hearted pony would have done.”
“Modest as usual, good to see you haven’t changed a bit, Raspberry!” laughed Ascot, who moved alongside the redder unicorn to drape his good wing over her in an embrace. “But really, what she did that night, she and that rascal of a bird she keeps as company, nopony else could have done it.”
“N-no, really Mr. Ascot, I didn’t do that much, honest!” Raspberry blushed harder while Heliodor just rolled his eyes, knowing what was to come.
“Well, it sounds like a story worth hearing, Mr. Ascot. Would you mind?” asked Twilight eagerly.
“Sure, sure, bring in the rest of the girls, too! We’ll whip up something for you all to eat, it must have been a long train ride. But Raspberry…what she did for us that night, what she’s done since…damn it all if we don’t think of her as like a daughter.”
In the clamor that was to follow in preparing the dining room for the story, everypony took note of the great, big, silly smile on Raspberry’s face. The smile that indicated the biggest hole in her life, the void left from the only parent she’d ever had having never loved her, had finally at long last been filled. Deep down, Raspberry knew her place in the world as a master of dark magic aligned with the forces of harmony would be difficult, but even an army of a thousand Fair Vistas couldn’t stop her now. Not when Raspberry finally had found her place in the world. A place where she was wanted, where her magic could be used for more good than just making small shiny gems just to make a living, where there were ponies who knew what she was and loved her regardless, where she finally had something to hold her down such that she would willingly defend it against anything fate threw at her now.
A place…called home.