It's a bright and beautiful autumn day in Equestria, as the clouds move slowly across the sky. Looking up from your book, you watch the white fluffy puffs of water as they crawl past the sun. After all of the nippy weather lately, the warm front would be welcome while it lasted.
You sat on a park bench, your paws gripping onto a new book you began to read called 'One-Way Ticket.' It wasn't anything outrageous or special, just some story about two ponies finding love on a train ride. Yet, something about the tale was heartwarming and filled you with warmth.
Your eyes move out to the park's playground where the ponies played. Well, mostly ponies. Off to the side was one other little one that you held very special. He stood tall on two paws, with light brown fur that matched yours perfectly. At least, up until his mid-rift. The upper half of his body was a better reflection of his father. Two human arms gripped a ball tightly as he focused on a broken bucket that was nailed to a tall post. His face was nearly perfect mirror image of a younger Anonymous, but he still had your golden-brown hair.
Once he was held in your arms in the maternity ward, you knew exactly what you would name him. The minute he laid his handsome green eyes on his mother, he grew a wide smile that filled you with a sense of life and purpose that you had never felt before. That was the moment that you knew you would be there for Jade every single day that you could.
Jade dribbles the basket-ball in his hands and holds it in his hand as he takes aim. Getting a ball for him was a little expensive, but he loves that thing to death. His eyes light up like stars when you got him it for his birthday. Since then, you couldn't keep him away from it.
Jade tosses the ball from his hands towards the basket. It bounces on the edge and flies off. Quickly, he scurries off on his two paws to retrieve it before it gets too close to the other ponies. With a sigh, you frown to yourself.
If only there were a way to have him be more accepted by the other young ponies. Jade always wanted to know why he didn't look like the other little ponies. The problem was that you didn't have an answer for him. You tried to explain that it was because his Mama was a diamond dog, but it didn't stick very long. His paws and hands didn't match.
He was stuck in a realm of confusion that he didn't have an answer to.
Soon he would be starting school with some of the other fillies and colts and you were worried for him, to say the least. With a sigh, you look back down to your book. He'll just have to learn the hard way. You will be there for him, every step of the way. But what could you do? He was different in a way that it would be almost impossible to explain. All you can do is the best that you can.
You are a good mother. At least, so you tell yourself. You can do this.
"I haven't seen you around this park before," says a familiar voice.
Turning your head to the source of the friendly tone, you see a tall human, a few feet from your park bench. He wore a pair of jeans and a button up red flannel shirt. It was almost as if he didn't change at all since you last saw him, the morning after the blizzard. Turning back to your book, you act as if he were a total stranger.
"It's nice out. My son and I decided to try a new park," you reply, pretending to read.
Your hair stood on edge. You've done this well without him. The idea of seeing him again fills you with anxiety and unease. You can't trust him. Nopony can trust him. After two new satyr children were born into Ponyville, it didn't take long for the townspeople to put together two and two.
You kept to your side of town and as a result, got to keep far away from whatever it was going on in Fluttershy and Anon's life. Fluttershy never re-extended the offer to help you with doctor's appointments and you wouldn't have dared to return to ask. There wasn't a single part of their drama that you wanted to be a part of. Anon already did enough to you.
"Your son?" Anon asks, looking out into the playground. "Oh. I see him." He stands up straight, watching as Jade lines up to take another shot.
"What's his name?" Anon asks.
"His name is Jade," you reply with a terse tone, rereading the same paragraph a third time and hoping to glean some sort of meaning from it.
"I see," Anonymous replies. "It's a nice name."
"I thought so," you answer, finally turning a page of your book.
Anon turns to you, then looks back and watches Jade as he shoots the ball. The ball overshoots the bucket and rolls off away from the little boy as he chases after it.
“I knew I should have put up a backboard," Anon says under his breath.
You look up from your book to Anon.
"You put up those baskets?" you ask him curiously. Anonymous nods and looks back to you.
"Yeah. Once I saw how Ivy turned out, I realized the parks in town weren't very human friendly," He turns out and admires his handiwork. "So I homemade a few things that I could remember back from Earth and put them up. That's supposed to be a basketball hoop, but I couldn't find something for a backboard that would work right," Anon explains.
"Why?" you ask.
Anon pauses and looks back at you with a pained expression. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, then opens it again. "Do you mind if I sit down?" Anon asks.
You look back at him and you can feel yourself grow more uneasy.
"It's a public bench. I can't stop you," you reply flatly.
Moving over, Anon sits on the bench beside you and leans back. He watches Jade dribble the ball around the park and back to the hoop.
"After I left, the last time we saw each other. I went home and Fluttershy wanted a divorce. I tried to talk us through it... but the damage was already done. We went to the Princess to have our marriage annulled and while that happened, a critical issue came up. Custody," Anon explained. You close your book and watch Jade as you listen to Anon's story. "Fluttershy didn't want me to even get close to her daughter. I tried to plead my case, but at the end of it all, she got full custody and won't even let me see her. I don't want to cause anymore drama than I already have... so I just try to help in little ways,"
"Those baskets are in every park in town," you mention.
"Did you think I would forget about yours?" he asks. You turn to him and cast him a glare.
"Right, nevermind," he says. "Anyway, I just wanted there to be something for them. Anything. Something I could do to help out. Fluttershy won't let me do anything. I figured this could be my own little way of helping."
He watches Jade carefully line up a new shot for the basket. Why would he do all of this? Is it so he can try to win back Fluttershy? No, that doesn't make sense. If he was trying to win back Fluttershy, wouldn't he try to go directly to her, not the child?
Maybe...
Is he trying to aim for you?
"So, why are you here then?" you ask him bluntly. Anon remains unfazed as your words jab into him.
"Do you see those flowers over there?" he says, pointing to another part of the park.
"Yes," you answer.
"Turns out Ivy didn't have an interest with sports, even with her Aunt Rainbow egging her on. So her mother and her planted those. Ivy comes out to tend to them almost every day. She waters them and will talk to them. I think it's pretty adorable," he says.
"So, you come out to watch her," you observe.
Anon shifts in his seat. "Well, when you say it like that, it just sounds creepy," he says. You look out towards Jade and smile.
"No, I kind of understand. There's something innocent about them," you say warmly as you watch your son. The two of you sit on the park bench as Jade recollects the ball again.
"His stance is wrong. He needs to have his feet wider and jump when he shoots," Anon says. "The backboard would help too. I'm going to do that. I'll-"
"I don't want you interacting with my son," you say with a warning, not turning to Anon. Silence fills the distance between you two.
"I know. I won't," he answers weakly.
"However, I know he will want to know who his father is one day," you reply, looking down to your book. Anon goes quiet.
"What will you do then?" he asks. You look back out to your son, who recollects the ball and runs back to the hoop.
"Hey Jade!" you call out to your son. He turns to look at you. "Try jumping when you throw the ball!" you call out to him. Anon looks back to the pup with curiosity as he yells back to you.
"Okay, Mom!" Anon shakes his head.
"He sounds like me when I was a kid," he observes.
"I guessed as much," you reply.
Jade leaps into the air and tosses the ball lightly. It spins around on the rim and then falls inside.
"I did it!" he calls out. Jade turns back to you, jumping up and down. "Mom! It worked!" Jade yells.
"I saw sweetie! Good Job!" you call back to him. He runs to get the ball and lines up for another shot.
"Listen, I probably better go... I've intruded on you enough," Anon says, rising to his feet. Looking back to the human, he rises and takes a few steps away from the bench. "I don't know if you are trying to keep Jade away from Ivy, but she will probably be here in ten minutes or so," he says.
"Yeah, I suppose it's not the right time for them to see each other yet," you answer.
Anon walks away quietly, his hands in his pockets. You look back to your son, as he tosses the ball at the basket again and the ball falls in again. A radiant look of pride beams from his face as he lines up to get three in a row.
"I haven't decided yet!" you call to Anon. The human turns back to you, as you try to elaborate. "I don't know what I'll do, when he wants to know who the father is," you explain. "But, he will probably want to meet him,"
Anon takes a few steps back to you and looks back at Jade.
"What are you saying?" he asks.
The words are jumbled in your mouth. You don't want Anon even close to your child. However, Jade deserves to know who his father is. Anon looks back to you with hollow eyes and an expression that seems to have tried to hide five years of sadness. Your eyes move back to the basketball hoop, then back to the flowers.
"You really want to be a part of their lives, don't you?" you ask. Anon sighs and looks back at Jade.
"More than anything else I've ever wanted in this world or even my original one," he says. Silence fills the gap as Jade shoots the ball for third time.
"I'll think about it," you state. "I won't promise a thing."
The ball bounces off the rim and flies away from the basket.
"That's good enough for me," Anon says. "Can I ask one thing though?"
You turn to Anon and he looks back to you. For a moment, deep in his eyes, you can barely recognize him. You don't see the hurtful person that snapped at you in Fluttershy's home. You can't find the beautiful eyes that drove you to the edge of your sanity. All you can find is pain. Pain mixed with a small dose of hope.
"Is Jade happy?" he asks softly.
Your strong defense seems to waiver just a little.
"Yes," you answer softly. "The happiest little pup I've ever seen."
Anon smiles and brings two fingers to his eyes to attempt to rub away tiredness. They pull away from his eyes with a few drips of damp liquid.
"Then, I'm proud of him," Anon says, turning away from you and walking towards the edge of the park.
Your throat feels tight as Jade lines up for another shot. Maybe... maybe Anon has changed. Standing up, you walk towards your son, holding your book. You don't want him interacting with Fluttershy's daughter. It will probably be inevitable one day, but the longer you put off that day, the better.
Jade leaps into the air and tosses the ball at the basket. The ball falls in with ease and Jade smiles and turns to you.
"I think I got it, Mom!" Jade smiles to you.
"That's great, Sweetie. You will have to teach me how to do it sometime," you say to him softly. "But I think it's time to go home for lunchtime."
"Okay!" he says, grabbing his ball and running up to you. "I'm ready to go."
"Alright then, let's head home," you say to him, as the two of you begin the journey back home.
Out of the corner of your eye, you see a small girl with long pink hair, walking on two yellow hooves and wearing a bright blue dress, walk toward the bed of flowers on the other side of the park. Placing a paw on Jade's back, you ensure his eyes are facing away from her.
"Jade?" you say softly.
"Yeah, Mom?" Jade asks, looking up to you with his innocent emerald eyes.
"I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you," you say to him warmly, giving him a wide smile.
Jade smiles and takes your paw in his hand as the two of you stroll back towards home.
"I love you, Mom," Jade says happily.
"I love you too, Jade," you reply.
You've got a lot of thinking left to do. The answer won't come overnight. But for today, you will just smile and cherish this moment with all of your heart. Because no matter how hard things can seem, one thing rings true. If you just give it time, things will get better.