Chapter 15
This party, was like no other party she had ever known.
Which was saying something, since she had been to many, many MANY parties.
Two hundred and forty seven different parties in fact. Oh OH two hundred and forty eight if you include the party she was at right now. There had been birthday parties, get well soon parties, welcome back parties, going away parties, congratulations on winning your seventh rodeo party and even a sorry you didn’t win the rodeo party. This ... this was still new. At no time could she ever remember being at a ‘sorry for abandoning you ten years ago but lets be brother and sister again’ party. It was also a ‘lets celebrate our two awesome princesses party’ but she’d been to many of those so that wasn’t really a new experience.
So the next question, now she knew what kind of party it was, was what exactly did you do at this kind of party? There was Rainbow Dash, with her super singing brother, talking to Fluttershy and Twilight about … something. Up until a moment ago Applejack had been marvelling at being able to fit her whole head inside my mouth, hat and all. That wasn’t so strange, I can get my mouth that big for you any time AJ you silly. No, what was odd was the looks Princess Luna was giving Links, that was a funny kooky kind of look, like the one Cup Cake sometimes gave Carrot Cake in the evening. Evenings they usually asked her not be around. Would Princess Luna prefer she wasn’t around right now? If she would rather they weren't around that wouldn’t be very kindly or princessy of her to wish they weren't there, even if it was technically their party.
Speaking of funny kooky looks, Princess Celestia was giving Twilight a funny cranky look, the kind that Cup Cake would sometimes give Carrot Cake when he gave those funny kooky looks to mares passing the shop. She would usually try not to be around after one of those. Oh, would being around Princess Celestia be a bad idea at the moment? Ooooohhh, this was so frustrating, the two important Princessy Ponies didn’t seem to want to be at the party at all, in fact they really seemed like they wanted to be alone for a bit. Well, not quite alone as in no other ponies at all, if she didn’t know better it was more like they wanted be alone with certain some ponies. But a party of two couldn’t be very fun, it’s the loneliest number since the number one don’t you know?
Oh Oh OH! Linksy is waving me over. Now I can stop tasting the grass and go and talk to them!
I can also stop changing perspectives at random, it makes things hard to read.
The grass around here didn’t taste any good anyway.
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Well that sealed that deal.
After calling the black clad party pony over Links turned to his shining white sister, responding to some comment.
“I’m just glad to have you back Rainbow.” He gave her a big hug, what felt like the hundredth that night, and yet still a thousand too few.
They had spent a little time, with the ice-breaking powers of an earnest Fluttershy literally pushing Rainbow by the flank to confront the dark demons of their past.
It had been hard, heart in throat, chokingly hard. Links had no real idea what had happened that fateful night and hearing her side and the aftermath had left him burning. He was oddly surprised to find that she had no ill will towards him for abandoning her, she saved it all for their father. Links however felt he had enough self loathing for both of them.
When Rainbow had come home that night he had been upstairs and when the shouting had started, he had chosen instead of going down and defending her, like his heart told him he should, to hide under the bed like his head said he should. Away from his father and his trampling hooves. The window had smashed, his mother had screamed and the next thing Cuff Links knew his world was upside down as his father came rampaging up and packing all their things. They packed light, father had sent the rest of their belongings on later, but even so it took several hours before they were ready to leave. In that time several guards ponies had come to the door and father had left with them briefly. In all that time at no point had Rainbow been seen, and trying to mention her had earnt him a minute under his father's front hooves. When that demon in pony form had returned they left not long after, never to see Cloudsdale, or his sister again.
It had taken another four years before Links himself had managed to get out from under the imposing shadow of his progenitor. He’d gone to stay with his grandmother, on his mother’s side. She had been a kindly old mare, one with very dim views on his father’s behaviour, and even dimmer views on her own daughter’s for letting him get away with what he did. He worked with her in her management business until she died. He hadn’t told either his mother, or his father where he was going, or even that he was. Despite leaving their home he had been unable to escape Manehatten and them entirely until his grandmother’s inheritance allowed him to purchase the store in faraway Ponyville. He imagined that when they had found out his father had been livid, but all in all he didn’t really care.
All that mattered now was his sister, and these fantastic friends he had made. With their help they could now begin healing the scars left that night and long after.