It had been long enough. They had intruded Mrs. Cake’s home and taken advantage of her hospitality. After so long away from home, it was finally time to head back. Velvet wouldn't take ‘no’ for an answer. Twilight apparently really hates the third bite of cupcakes, as it is usually squashed afterwards. Too many messes, too much time wasted for Mrs. Cake. Why did fate not allow them to just get home?
Noteworthy stared in shock and awe as he struggled to comprehend what was before his eyes. His knees trembled, shaking loose the tears which had clung to his coat. Now on his haunches, he watched as a lavender bullet sped towards him.
"Tw- Twilight!"
Twilight embraced Noteworthy, leaving behind her trail of tears, tracing back to her parent's side. She nuzzled his chest, seeming like a clamp around him. He held her back, simply sobbing.
Night Light and Twilight Velvet simply stood there, eyes wide, mouths slightly agape, hooves cemented to the earth. Their minds were gears, jammed by an unexpected rock which had come from seemingly nowhere.
"Twilight... I... I can't believe it. It’s been so long..." His speech was cut off as his body was wracked in sobs. Twilight unburied herself from between his to look eye to eye. She smiled, only to find he had beaten her to it. The two rubbed noses, then giggled.
"Um, he... Hello?"
The voice of Night Light seemed to ruin the moment, as Noteworthy immediately froze. He glanced up at the two, and narrowed his eyes. Getting up, he assumed a defensive posture, shielding Twilight with a hoof.
"Who are you and why did you have Twilight?" He demanded, glaring at the shocked couple. Each one's expressions switched to fear, then they narrowed their eyes.
"We are Twilight's parents. Unhand our daughter."
"Twilight, it'll be okay," the blue pony whispered to the small filly who now looked panicked. Twilight had gone through enough. He had saved her from her father, and wasn't about to allow these strangers to hurt her. Looking back to the couple, he replied: "Twilight already has parents. Or should I say a parent. She has a loving mother and deserves to be with her. Now, unless you two can tell me why she is with you, I'm going to have to call over a Royal Guard."
"We have adopted her-"
"Lies!"
Velvet was about to yell back when her husband cut her off with a hoof.
"Sir, we mean Twilight no harm. I can assure you that we are in fact her legal guardians, and we can supply ample documentation that proves such. Twilight seems to know you rather well, so I can tell that it is in both of our interests that she stays safe. There is obviously a misunderstanding here. However, I hope you can see our point here and the fact that we cannot have a possibly hostile stranger holding our daughter. Please... Let her go."
Noteworthy simply stared for a moment. You could almost watch his toiling mind.
"I am not holding her back; she may leave at her own free will." He glanced down at the filly, adding "Twilight, do you know these people?"
Twilight nodded and approached the couple, turned, then smiled back at him.
"I'm going to need to see aforementioned proof," he said.
"With pleasure," Night Light responded, trotting over to him, subtly embracing Twilight on the way. "However, I would appreciate it if you would tell us how you got to know our daughter."
That elicited a response. Noteworthy’s eyes widened, but then they softened. "I guess you do have a right to know."
Differing levels of worried expressions had made themselves prominent on the faces of the couple.
"Really?" Twilight Velvet muttered, almost inaudibly. In response, Noteworthy nodded, moving his tail to cover his flank. He lowered his head onto his arm, then shivered as the memories came back to haunt him like they did so often before.
"How did you all get away?" She asked.
"Well..."
Consciousness swam in and out, mocking and teasing. This went on for hours, or maybe seconds, but eventually it had had its fun and was now slowly returning. Something groaned, then a softer, weaker echo. Light flickered into the world, but was instantly snuffed out. Moments later, it ventured back into the world of the living, yet this time it decided to stay, and grow. It grew until it morphed into a blurry image. Was that an... Ear? Yes, after a few blinks, it was a clear image of somepony's ear a few inches away from his face. Smell was the next thing to return, and he immediately wished it be expelled to the depths of tartarus.
Getting up was a little harder. His legs ached as if they hadn't been used in years. Once balance had been achieved, it was immediately rejected as he fell. Getting back up, limping a little, he looked around. A muscular stallion lay on the floor, out cold. He could easily discern the cause of his unconsciousness, the objects on the floor next to him evidence enough.
Suddenly memories of the night before came rushing back. Twilight and her mother being beaten, him being knocked unconscious. The door wasn't locked... He rushed out of the room, then ran through the house searching for the mare from the night before.
"Hello? We need to get out of here immediately! Twilight? Twilight, where are you?"
A small head poked out from beneath a dilapidated piece of furniture. He smiled at her, crouching low. She recoiled for a moment, but a slowly outstretched hoof beckoned her back. He caressed her cheek, tears coming to his eyes as he felt how rough it was. In an attempt to show his intentions, he strode to the front door and opened it.
Hope glimmered like two amethysts in a sea of grime.
The recounting ended with an embrace from Twilight Velvet.
"Thank you for helping Twilight."
"And thank you for giving her a good home."
Gratitude was exchanged, as well as proper greetings and apologies.
The former stranger, now trusted friend, lowered his head however.
"I know that I must leave now. Neither of us want to bring harm to Twilight, and reminding her of the past incidences would do only that. I would serve no purpose but a walking beacon of memories."
In the silence that followed, only the giggling of a small filly was heard as she apparently found amusement in something on the ground. She then glanced up, curious as to why the adults suddenly stopped talking. She saw that out of three, one looked sad, so she hugged him once more. She knew he didn't deserve to be sad.