Okay, breathe. Just breathe. There’s nothing to be worried about. The mare thought to herself as she stared at the front door of a very familiar house.
“Alright Mom! I’m all packed up for heading back to Dad’s!” The mare said as she placed a large backpack near the front door in the foyer.
A fair unicorn mare who had a very light grey coat, a soft pink mane tail with the latter tied up near the end with a somewhat clear magenta ribbon that matched her eyes, walked into the foyer after her daughter, a saddened look made itself known on her face. She kept her eyes on her daughter as she said, “I still can’t believe you’re leaving so soon. You said that you’d be staying for at least another year. Maybe if you let me speak to your father I could-”
“NO!” The daughter rudely interrupted her mother. She chuckled nervously before she continued. “I-I-I mean, you can’t really. My father mentioned getting me the last ticket available and that he wouldn’t be able to wait for me there so I’m gonna have to ride the train alone or something like that.”
“I wonder what would’ve happened if I told her the truth.”
“Sweetheart? Are you hiding something from me?” The mother thought she could help out her daughter by stating what every child should remember... “You know you could talk to me about anything right?” …parental guidance.
“No Mom, I’m not! I swear to Celestia!” A thought wandered to her soon to be swelling belly. She looked up at her Mother and smiled. “You’d know if I was hiding something. We tell each other pretty much everything, right?”
“I guess you’re right.” The mother decided to drop the topic at hand.
“She probably could have helped me through all of it.” The mare felt nothing but utter shame at that moment. “Why did I have to be so stupid? If only I had said something.”
“Well, tell your father I said ‘Hi’ for me and be careful on the train.”
“I will mom, thank you.” And with a short hug, she pick up her luggage and walked out the door.
The mare calmed herself down by letting out a sigh. “I just hope she can forgive me.” With that said she looked back up, rose her hoof and gave the door a firm…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Oh! Coming! Coming!”
“Okay. Now remember Scootaloo-“
“I know, I know, don’t say anything bad, just like with my dad.”
“Father…”
At that Scootaloo blinked. “… What’s the difference?”
Twilight just looked at the door and let out a breath she had been holding as she said, “More than you know.”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to ask another question but was interrupted by the door they stood in front of opened up and revealed a light grey unicorn with a translucent magenta ribbon in her greying mane just above and behind her ear. “Oh. Hello. May I help you?”
Twilight was first to speak up… Not that Scootaloo was given much choice as to that. “Yes. I’m here conducting an investigation and we were hoping you could help us.”
The mare looked over Twilight and Scootaloo before she looked back to Twilight and said. “An investigation you say? And would you happen to be the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle I’ve heard so much about?”
Twilight blushed sheepishly. “Uh, yes, but just Twilight’s fine.”
“Ah, apologies for asking, it just seems odd to me that a Princess and a filly wanted to talk to me of all ponies for an investigation.” She pointed out.
Twilight blinked at the realization of how ridiculous their situation sounded. “Oh. That. We’re actually looking for somepony quite special to little Scootaloo here.”
“I’m not little!” Scootaloo argued before getting a quick look from Twilight that told her to stay quiet.
Twilight looked back at the mare before continuing. “We’d actually like to ask you a few questions. Would you mind letting us in?”
The mare nodded and moved to the side to make room for her sudden guests. “Of course, …Twilight.” After Scootaloo and Twilight walked in the mare closed the door and lead them to her living room.
While being escorted through the house Twilight decided to look at what she could from where she was. “You have a lovely home Ms. …I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
The mare smirked. “That’s because I haven’t given it yet.” The mare giggled before continuing. “My name is Pastel Light and I would think my home looks nice. I may be retired but an Interior Decorator always has to add a little “sparkle” to their home. Wouldn’t you say?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. Then she noticed that Pastel‘s cutie mark was of a ruler. Well, that explains her cutie mark. I just hope she something about Scootaloo’s mother. I feel like we’re so close to finding her and I was getting an idea of who it might be but that picture… I’m sure that “-y” was for the end of a name! It was probably a picture from her with a note on the back that signed somepony who’s name ends with a “y”, but who could that be? Rarity? Fluttershy? Gran- No! Definitely not her. And also, why am I trying to guess ponies from Ponyville? If the mother comes from here in Baltimare then why do I feel like I know her?
“Would you like some tea?”
Twilight was suddenly taken out of her train of thought by Pastel Light’s question. “Huh? Oh, um. Yes please.” was her quick response, realizing little of what she actually said after they made their way to the Pastel’s well decorated living room and onto her soft, designer sofa. Well, at least it looks like designer. Twilight never actually paid much to designers other than her friend Rarity.
Pastel Light let Twilight’s zone out go without a response and quickly left to collect the fresh tea she was making before her guests had arrived. She always made some extra tea just in case she had some unexpected guests. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it she always said. “So, you said you have a few questions you wanted to ask me?” She said as she poured each of them a cup of fresh, warm tea.
Twilight took a quick sip of her tea before replying, “Yes. We’d like to ask you what you know about roughly 8 years ago.”
Pastel’s eyes widened slightly at that. “Um, excuse me for asking but why ask me about something that happened 8 years ago? It just seems that what happened to me all of those years ago has no real relevance to somepony you’re trying to find now?”
“The pony we are looking for disappeared 8 years ago and we believe you may hold some information that might help us find them.” Twilight explained.
Pastel lowered her gaze to the flooring below them. “Oh. So you’re looking for her. It’s been so long. I thought everypony had given up searching for her.”
Her?! She knows who we’re talking about! Scootaloo, hold on to your tail because we’re about to find out just who your mother is! “Ms. Light, would you kindly tell us what happened?” Twilight knew that whatever happened was troubling this mare but she also knew exactly who they were talking about.
Pastel Light sighed before speaking. “It was the beginning of summer, my daughter had come to stay with me for a while.” She lets out a short chuckle. “I still remember her smile. She was so happy to see me after 3 years of being apart. You see, she lived with her father before then and we were never able to see each other very often. But then her father was promoted to a position that required him to travel all over Equestria, so we came to the agreement that our daughter could stay with me whenever he traveled away. And so he was sent out of Equestria and my daughter came to live with me. It was great at first, we had plenty of time to catch up with each other but after all of that was said and done thing started to get a little awkward between us. You see, she hadn’t made any friends while we were catching up so she stayed cooped up in her rooms most days. So I took it upon me to help her get out of the house. I suggested she that a walk through the park.”
“I don’t know whether she went to the park or not but when she came back she was smiling, telling me how she made a new friend. After that she would leave the house as soon as she could just to go meet her new friend. They spent a lot of time together. Eventually I found out that this new friend of hers was a colt named Picture Perfect. He was a nice young stallion I’ve seen around town a few times. He never really caused any trouble so I didn’t hold it against either of them when they started seeing each other as… a bit more than just friends.” Pastel laughed.
“It was about time too, I saw the way they looked at each other. Even if they didn’t realize themselves I knew they liked each other. It was rather cute seeing unfold from my kitchen window. He would always bring her home every time they went somewhere together. I got to see them grow closer to each other every night. I even saw the first time my daughter gave Picture a good night kiss. It was wonderful watching them grow so close to each other. But the he suddenly stopped coming over and picking her up.”
“I asked my daughter about it but every time she told me that she didn’t want to talk about it and go straight to her room. I don’t think she ever noticed but whenever I walked past her room I would hear her crying. I didn’t know why and it didn’t help that she had gotten a letter from her father saying how he was coming back to Equestria. She packed her bags so fast that I barely had a chance to say goodbye before she left. I wish I had taken her to the train station that day.”
“About a week later I sent a letter to her father’s house just to check up on how she was doing. When her father sent me a letter saying that she never made it home I immediately the worst. I went to ask Picture Perfect if he knew any about her disappearance but he couldn’t remember who I was or who I was even talking about. It had been as if his memory had been removed somehow. I wasn’t sure but… I think my daughter might have had something to do with that. She probably did it so that he wouldn’t feel hurt when she ran away.” Pastel began to cry. Bringing back those old, painful memories was beginning to become a little overwhelming for her.
“He had no idea where my daughter was… and he was the last pony she actually talked to. My daughter ran away and I have no idea where she went. I just want my little filly back. I just want to see her, to hold her one more time.” Her tears had stopped. It seemed as though she had cried all the tears she could years ago and nothing would change that.
Twilight looked at the aging mare. “I’m so sorry Ms. Light. I hope that in the end, we can reunite you with your daughter.” She waited for Ms. Light’s response which was just a simple nod. “By chance, would you happen to have a picture of her? Maybe in an album somewhere?”
The mare picked up her head. “Y… Yes. I was making an album for her when she was here with me. Something for her to remember me by when she moved back in with her father. I never got to give it to her. She was leaving so fast and I barely had time to even tell her goodbye I…” She stopped herself midsentence and decided to say something else. “It’s just over here.” She walked over to a nearby dresser and from the bottom drawer pulled out a large book titled “My Special Little Girl” in a collage of fonts and colors.
She placed it on the coffee table in front of Twilight and Scootaloo so the two of them could get a good look at it, despite how dusty it might be. Twilight was the one to pick up the book first using her magic. “By the way Ms. Pastel, I never got the chance to ask you. What’s her name?”
“Her name is-”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Pastel was interrupted by someone knocking at her door. “Oh. That’s strange. I wasn’t expecting any visitors today. Excuse me a moment Prin… I-I mean, Twilight.” She walked out of the room and towards the front door.
Twilight took this opportunity to open up the album and take a look inside. She was absolutely speechless from what she saw.
“Twilight? What is it? What do you see?” Scootaloo was getting a little anxious sitting there quietly not being allowed to talk and so decided that now would be a good time to ask Twilight what was going on. However she got no response. So she took matters into her own hooves and decided to climb over Twilight to take a look inside the book herself… but she stopped herself when she heard something come from the hallway.
“Hey… Mom. Long time no see, huh?” Mom? But if Pastel’s my grandmother then the only pony that would call her Mom would be…!!! Scootaloo made a mad dash for the hallway running as fast as her little legs would carry her. This was it. This was her chance to finally meet her Mom! She just had to run into the hallway and-
SLAP!!!
Scootaloo ran into the hallway just in time to see Pastel slap the mare that stood in the doorway before pulling her into a bone crunching hug letting out new tears that must have formed from the sheer happiness she was feeling at that very moment.
However, the way Pastel was hugging her made it so that Scootaloo couldn’t see who it was that she was hugging. So she walked closer as Pastel cried, “You’re back… Ooooh, you’re finally back… My little girl is finally home… Oooh, I’m so happy you’re back… I’ve missed you so much…”
Scootaloo inched ever closer. Making her way around Pastel and FINALY she is able to look at her mother in the face. However, when she saw her mother’s face a look of sheer heartbreak took over her whole being. Her mother opened her eye in time to see Scootaloo back away from her slowly without breaking eye contact for a single second.
“S-Scootaloo I’m…” She stopped herself. She had no words for this. She couldn’t look at her own daughter in the eyes and tell her how sorry she was. She was completely and utterly speechless.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have to because Scootaloo made a dash for the door and didn’t stop running. Tears pouring down her cheeks she ran further and further away from the one pony known as her mother.
The mother could only watch as Scootaloo ran out the door and beyond. She wouldn’t dare move in fear of making things worse than it already is.
Twilight however did move, but it wasn’t to catch Scootaloo. No instead she marched right up to the mother, a look of anger drowning her face making her look as though her calm and peaceful demeanor never even existed. Twilight grabbed the mother her with her magic and pulling her so close that their noses were pressed tightly against each other and near growled, “Explain. Why did you do all this? What was the point?! Why even go through all of the trouble of giving her up for adoption if you were just going to take care of her anyways? Talk!”
“I-I-I…” The mother was still unable to speak a single word.
“I said TALK Rainbow Dash!!!”