//------------------------------//
// Entry Eight- Mother 
// Story: The Journals of Silas Sombra 
// by DreamWings 
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Entry Eight.
I checked my house every day for a sign of my mother’s return. Days went by, followed by weeks, and there hadn’t been any sight of her. Lilac and Rosen kept their eyes open as well but, from my description, she could have just been any other crystal pony to them. But they knew that, to me at least, she wasn’t just any other pony. She might have abandoned me, she might have forgotten that I was suffering from the loss of dad too, but she was still my mom and I loved her more than anything in the world.
I’m not saying I didn’t love my new life in the palace. Rosen’s parents and aunt and uncle were usually busy so I didn’t have to see them very much (which is pretty useful when you don’t want grown-ups asking awkward question) and I spent all day, every day with my best friend. Rosen and I had been close before but it was at the palace our friendship really kicked into overdrive. We began to understand what the other pony was thinking or feeling before they had a chance to say it out loud. We began to see everything the same—and we began to see each other in a different way. Rosen wasn’t just my friend anymore. She was my life-saver. 
This came in handy two weeks after my mother’s disappearance. I’d walked over to my house, as I did every day, but this time I had a different mission in mind. I wanted to see Mr. Ember about some crystal-berry pie. I hadn’t been able to get hold of crystal berries, or anything really that fun to eat, since entering the palace. Rosen wasn’t kidding when she’d said they had to sneak fun-foods in when they wanted them. Their food was horribly boring and healthy. 
Anyway, I trotted up to my street and saw a big crowd gathered in front of my house. There were ponies in white coats, ponies in red hats, ponies in suit-and-tie with notepads and pens, and ponies wearing nothing at all. Mr. and Mrs. Ember were in the middle of the crowd talking to one of the suit-and-tie ponies. I sneaked forward, trying not to be seen. I couldn’t understand what was going on.
“Silas, he’s about this high with a spiky black mane and green eyes,” I overheard Mrs. Ember say. I couldn’t understand what she was doing here. Usually she’d started work in the Library by now. 
“And you’re sure this is his house?” the suit-and-tie pony asked.
Mr. Ember nodded. “Yes, he lives there with his mother—or at least, he used to, I suppose.” He looked up at my house. He looked like he was about to cry.
I heard footsteps behind me and jumped. It was Lilac. She was staring at me puzzled. She’d obviously seen the crowd. “Is that your house, Silas?” she asked.
I nodded and put my hoof to my lips. I pointed at the ponies and mimed pulling me away. Lilac seemed to get what I meant, though I don’t know how. I wasn’t a particularly good mime. 
“Stay here until I tell you to move, okay?” she told me and then walked up to the crowd. The other ponies saw her coming and bowed their heads low to the ground, creating a path between them for her to walk to. The suit-and-tie pony was bowing as well and Lilac gave him permission to stand.
“Can I ask what’s going on here, officer?” she said, her voice the voice you’d imagine a princess’s should be—commanding but kind.
“Er- yes, your highness. I’m afraid the mare that lives here has been found in- well, in not particularly good shape, I’m afraid, your highness.” The suit-and-tie pony was bright red. He’d clearly never come up close to a royal before. He was treating Lilac the same way Rosen was always treated at school. I supposed she was used to it.
“Oh, where is she now?” Lilac asked.
Mr. Ember stepped forward. “They’ve taken her to the hospital, your highness. We were just trying to find out what had happened to her young son.” 
Lilac smiled kindly at the older colt. Mr. Ember blushed. “Well, I can set your mind at ease about that. Silas is in the custody of my family, and has been since his mother’s disappearance two weeks ago.”
“You know the colt, your highness?” the officer asked, stepping back into the conversation again. 
“He’s become a very close friend of my family,” she told him. It was my turn to blush. I felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside my chest. It was nice to be included. “And do you know what his mother shall be free to leave the hospital?” Lilac asked.
One of the ponies in a white coat stepped forward. I later found out that his name was Steffi Scope. He was a nice, but blunt, pony. “She won’t be out for a while. She’s got a lot of treatment ahead of her.”
“Oh.” Lilac thought for a moment. “May I enquire as to what the problem is?”
“Ma’am, the mare was found purposely half-starved, believing that all she needed was crystals to survive,” Steffi Scope said. “Doctors believe that she has something we call ‘the downs’. She won’t be powering any crystal heart for awhile, I can tell you that.” He snorted as if he’d said something humorous. Lilac ignored him.
I think her original plan had been for her to go and see what was going on and then call me over, but she never did call me. In fact, she didn’t carry on the conversation much further from this point, and the majority of the rest she’d done in whisper so I couldn’t hear her. I was nervously watching behind a street-lamp. My mother? In hospital? What in the world was ‘the downs’?
Lilac came back to me and I looked up. “Okay, Silas,” she said, patting my on the back, “let’s go home.”
“Which home?” I asked, tears clouding my eyes. 
Lilac didn’t seem to know how to answer. She’d only said home as a slip of the tongue because she was so used to it being Rosen she was dealing with. I wasn’t Rosen, and the palace wasn’t my home. I’d already had two homes, and now I was to have another.
We walked back to the palace in pure silence and then when we’d arrived back Lilac had sent Rosen to me immediately, demanding that she drop what royal duties she was doing and go play with me. Rosen was more than happy to oblige. She hadn’t liked doing her work anyway. It did help me put it out of mind a bit. But there was still that looming fear that somewhere out there, my mother was being kept away from me. And that night, in bed alone, I cried and cried and cried. 
I understand what Diddy’s gone through, you see. I know I shouldn’t talk about other patients in these journals, but I can’t help it. Seeing Diddy waiting for his mother to come on visiting day just reminded me so much of this time—the time that my mother was lost to me. And the sad thing was, at the time, I wasn’t sure I was going to get her back. That’s why I’m determined—determined—that Diddy shouldn’t have that worry. If I’d have had a speck of my past to cling to it may have helped me with my loneliness. I’m determined that Diddy will have that speck.
And there’s nothing, or nopony (no, not even Nurse Temple) that can stop me helping him.