I was outside the court room with Sunset and Apple Bloom.
"How's it goin' in there?" Apple Bloom asked.
I took a peak and saw Spoiled, pleading for Diamond to stay with her.
"Not good." I said.
"Wait, so Henry's your..." Sunset started.
"Uncle." I said.
"You bet I am." A voice said behind me.
"Hey, Uncle Henry." I said, turning around.
"Good to see my nephew again. Oh! Apple Bloom, right?" Henry asked.
"Yep." Apple Bloom said.
"I don't think I got your name..." Henry said, looking at Sunset.
"Sunset. Sunset Shimmer."
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Henry said.
"Is Kyle here?" I asked.
"No, he's back at the orphanage with Jane and the others. Your Aunt Beth's here, though. She's going to make a case soon, if you hurry, you could meet with her." Henry said.
"Nah, I'll save that for after the trial." I asked.
"Suit yourself. I gotta go, they're asking me up too." Henry said.
"Maybe after the trial today, we can all go see Sanctuary Orphanage. Diamond should know where she's going to." I said.
"Sure, I'm in." Sunset said.
"Can't. Got a meetin' with my friends." Apple Bloom said coldly.
"Look, I know you have a grudge, and I accept that. But I think if you two tried to get along, you could." I said.
"Jason, I hate doubting you because most of the time you're right, but you're wrong on this one." Apple Bloom said.
"If that was true, why did you even show up? They didn't ask for you, you chose to come." I said.
"I wanted to see her mother. She's the head of the school board, you know." Apple Bloom said as she got up to use the bathroom.
"Yeah, I know." I said sadly.
"You okay?" Sunset asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... we've haven't been the same since I talked to Diamond. I get that she bullied Apple Bloom, but it seems like the other way around, you know?" I asked.
"Yeah, it can look that way." Sunset said.
"It's just... everytime we had a fight like this, it ended quick. This hasn't. It's been one week and she won't even talk to me." I said.
Sunset started silently laughing.
"What?" I asked.
"I know you like her." Sunset chuckled.
I went slightly pale and mostly red.
"Was it that obvious?" I asked.
"No, I don't think anyone else knows except for who you told." Sunset said.
"Can you make sure it stays that way?" I begged.
"Of course." Sunset said.
We heard a flush and Apple Bloom walked out, rubbing her hands together.
"I'm back." She said as she sat back down.
After the trial went no-where for the day, we were sent home. I asked Henry if I could show Sunset and Diamond the orphanage.
"Of course! You're Diamond Tiara, right?" Henry asked.
"Yeah..." Diamond said.
"Ooh, some attitude. I like it! I see your name's purpose..." Henry said, pointing at the tiara on her head.
"Yeah. My mother gave it to me on my 13th birthday. One of the only times she was nice to me..." Diamond said.
"Yeah, I'd bet. A woman like your mother... Jason's mother told me all about that woman. I like to say that she's one of the many reasons children can grow to be deranged, aloof-- is that the word, dear?" Henry asked Aunt Beth.
"Well, I have no idea, and I highly doubt that Kyle does, considering that you homeschool him..." Beth said.
Kyle, my 13 year-old cousin. He turned 13 about a few months ago. He was like a little brother to me, to be honest. As a sidenote, my mother, Jess, is Henry's brother. I don't want you thinking that he was on my father's side of the family...
It'd kinda ruin the whole Humble-deal he has.
"Well, here we are." Henry said.
We hopped out of the car and Sunset and Diamond were in pure awe.
I was just letting out the smug grin I held off ever since I told Diamond about the orphanage. She thought it was a normal, plain old orphanage.
What I didn't tell her was that it was a former mansion. It had a farm a few feet away in the backround.
"Wh... Uh..." Diamond was at a loss of words.
"Looks good, huh? We found the place rundown and abandoned. Such a nice place, left behind. We got some family together, paid for a mortage, and built it back up. Most of our family works construction on skyscrapers and other buildings. This was no big deal to them." Henry said.
"Jason never told us about this..." Sunset said.
"I'd never see the awe-struck look on your faces if I did." I said.
"Wanna see the inside?" Henry asked.
"Yeah!" Diamond said.
We opened the gates and went inside. I saw Jane run by.
"Hey, Jason!" Jane said.
"Hey, Jane!" I said.
"Um, who's Jane?" Diamond asked.
"Oh, she's one of the workers here. She might be 15, but you'd be surprised at how well she works. I helped fend her from..." Henry started.
"I don't think you'd wanna hear that now." Henry concluded.
We went on with the tour until we saw nearly everything in the place.
"Wait, there're only 20 orphans here. Jason said you had a son?" Diamond asked.
"Oh, Kyle. I think he's upstairs, probably working on homework. Jane, when she comes home from school, always brings an extra sheet for him." Henry chuckled.
"So, are he and Jane..." Sunset started.
"Oh, no! He's just a friend of mine. Everyone's a friend here, and that's it, as far as we know." Jane said.
"How about the rooming?" Diamond asked eagerly.
"Oh, here comes my favorite part." I said.
"Come with me." Henry said.
We followed him out the mansion and out the back. We were confronted by at least 30, maybe 40 cabins.
"Wha..." Diamond started.
"We bought a LOT of bedding, and the orphans only stay so long. Some of them ask to be removed off the adoption list and choose to live here. Of course, we let them. We've been expanding ever since." Henry said.
"This is amazing... why did you choose this career?" Sunset asked.
"What, something wrong with saving young people's lives? This generation's running out. We gotta make sure that the next generation'll be better than the last. There're some people out there who don't see that. I learned that the hard way... When I was considered "the next generation", I was, well, worse off than you are, my dear." Henry pointed at Diamond.
"I was 11, maybe 12. I learned what happened when the next generation has to be better the hard way-- I learned when I murdered Trevor McKinnley. I was troubled as a kid, mistreated. I know first hand what mistreatment does to a child. We were... me and my friends of mine were beating down our main target, when this-- this kid RAMS us with his bike. We avert our attention to him, I pulled out my switchblade, just... just to scare him. But instead, my friend shoved him into me, into the blade. I learned later that I killed him. I accepted any punishment they gave me, and I went with my friends to pay our respects. You see, Trevor was a very special person. Ever hear of Pay It Forward? He inspired the idea into an action, for a 7th grade project." Henry chuckled.
"And after I killed him, I was-- I don't know how else to say it-- broken for many years after that. I went to church for a long time, but I never quite forgave myself. I was in a bar one night, drinking as usual. Then, these 2 gangsters came in, grabbed the woman next to me, and started beating her down. I saw my chance to redeem myself, and I took it. I beat those gangsters down and called the police. Guess who that woman was..." Henry said as his wife came up.
"After we fell in love, I told her about what I did. She accepted it, and we both went back to that school, back to that town to say our final goodbyes. We were met by his mother, Arlene. She saw me there, and she forgave me. That was nearly the same as HIM forgiving me. A few years later, me and Beth got married and had Kyle. I already told him, and he accepted it. He's a good kid, and one day, I have a good damn feeling he'd be the man I never got to be... 12 years, wasted in a bar, or on the streets... that's the life I don't want those children to have." Henry said.
After he let that out, Diamond slowly took a step back mid-speech.
"He's fine, Diamond. He does this every time a new child or parent ask that question." I said.