Chapitre Neuf
Butterscotch was grateful that the old staircase did not squeak or crack with each step he took towards the dancers' bedroom. He was sweaty and out of breath, but thankful to finally reach the door. He sighed out of relief before pointing his front hoof towards the door knob.
Just as he was about to open the door...
A soft femine voice said "Morning Butterscotch."
This calm greeting made Butterscotch almost jump out of his skin and squeak in fear. He looked like a scared fainting goat during all this. He tucked his wings in tight and fell to the wooden floor with a THUD!
"Oh no! Butterscotch!"
Butterscotch felt his head and neck being lifted by some pony. He slowly opened his eyes...
He whispered "Bluebell."
Bluebell exclaimed in a panic stricken voice "Butterscotch?! Can you hear me?!"
Butterscotch groaned while trying to get up "Yes Bluebell, I can hear you. Sorry about that...I don't know what came over me."
Bluebell softly answered "Let's get you back to bed."
She gently lifted Butterscotch's forelegs over her shoulders and dragged Butterscotch through the door. She was careful to not bump Butterscotch's knees and hooves on anything on the bedroom floor. This was hard to do due to the narrowness and the amount of twin beds in the room.
Once they reached Butterscotch's twin bed by the window, she tenderly tucked the yellow pegasus in. She softly smiled at him, and Butterscotch responded in the same manner. The mighty clock tower began to ring and ding across the streets. It sent a soothing chill down Butterscotch's spine. He closed his eyes and sighed in the sweet sound.
"Butterscotch, have you taken ill? Tell me, is it the room's chill?" said Zircoro as he quietly opened the door.
Bluebell replies "Don't worry Baba, Butterscotch is not sick."
Butterscotch placed himself in a sitting position on his bed and explained "It's nothing to wrong about, I was just...taken by surprise. By Bluebell. And...I actually stumbled over my own hooves. Silly me."
Zircoro groaned in a worrisome tone and carefully approached Butterscotch's bed. This made the shy pegasus extremely nervous. Is his own father suspicious of him?
When Zircoro was by Butterscotch's side, he softly proclaimed "My son, where did you go? Tell me...what is giving you fright and woe?"
Bluebell's eyes widen at her father's question. She didn't know that Butterscotch was out and about early this morning. How did her Baba know this fact but not her?
Butterscotch answered with great hesitation, "I-I was...at t-the sanctuary...Baba."
Zircoro questioned further "Why? Tell me why there? Tell me what truly makes you quiver and sigh?"
Enormous beads of sweat and anxiety were flooding Butterscotch's face. How much does he have to lie?! Especially to the ones he loves?!
He gulped before meekly responding "I'm not quivering...nor sighing...Baba. I was just doing my usual prayers. But I wanted to do it somewhere peaceful...for today Baba."
Zircoro narrowed his eyes..brought his head down towards Butterscotch's face...and muttered "Is the Phantom consuming your thoughts? Please...tell me that it's not."
Butterscotch's mouth was dry. His mind was racing, his heart was struggling to breath. Why did he have to harbor such secrets within himself?! Why?!
Bluebell could feel tension and heavy emotion in the air. Especially between Zircoro and Butterscotch. What is going on between them? She thought to herself.
Butterscotch stuttered "She's not consuming my thoughts Baba. J-Just like every pony else, s-she's in the back of my mind. Just to be c-cautious and mindful! Nothing more!"
Zircoro closed his eyes and slowly drew his head away from Butterscotch. The zebra's tense body relaxed and slightly slumped over. His children's eyes were glued on him, and he could feel it.
He opened his emerald eyes and looked down at their hooves. He sighed out "Forgive me. Please...don't not fear what you see."
Butterscotch quickly responded "No Baba, we're not...I'm not scared of you."
Bluebell immediately went to her father's side and hugged him around his neck. She comforted him with "We would never fear you."
Zircoro gave into his daughter's embrace and nuzzled gently into her mane and neck. When he slowly pulled away from Bluebell's hug, he gave each of his children a comforting and tender smile.
He then gently said "Thank you my watoto. It's just that...I wanted to know what was true. But...I need to be truthful too."
His sweet smile slowly faded away. He motioned Bluebell and Butterscotch to follow him to his bedroom. Zircoro's bedroom was the small room in between the male dancers' room and the female dancers' room. Bluebell and Butterscotch still couldn't understand why their Baba would want to sleep in this room. He could have any other room in the opera. But...Zircoro picked this one.
The cramped room was filled with glowing red wax melting candles on each shelf and corner of the space. There were books, jars of herbs, painted wooden masks from his homeland, and brown and yellow pictures of his children. Right next to the tiny bed that consumes the room...was a small writing desk. Zircoro sat down at the writing desk...and turned his gaze on the picture frame on the left side of the desk.
Butterscotch looked at the picture frame and saw that it was a portrait of a beautiful white pegasus mare. She had long curly and wavy dark brown hair, along with piercing brown eyes on her face. She had an angelic smile while playing a violin with her light wings. She was too gorgeous for words. Butterscotch felt strangely drawn to this mare in the portrait.
"She and I...The Phantom and I. We didn't always exist here. The Great and Powerful Presto's Freaks Galore Show, we came from there."
Zircoro began to remember the ring master. He was a blue unicorn with a light blue slightly curled mane. He had evil looking purple eyes, and always had an twisted cocky smile on his face. Always. Presto also loved to wear that star patterned light purple suit. With the light purple top hat to match. But the worst thing for Zircoro to remember about Presto was...his voice. His out-landish, exaggerated, yet cruel voice.
Zircoro continued narrating "When I was young, I was taken away from my homeland. As a colt, dancing and rhyming at the freak show was my only plan. At the time, no pony has ever seen somepony like me. Yes, I was mocked and ostracized, but I had it easy. The phantom, you see, is an immortal being. She ages differently from you and me. I don't know how long she was there. But I had a feeling that...she had been living too long in Presto's care. Her magic was her spectacle. Presto was in love with all things magical and whimsical. She was his star. But when she disobeyed him, her punishment were...scars. Despite his lack of magic and power, she allowed him to whip her. She was so scared and fragile then..."
Butterscotch silently gasped at the thought of Eris being whipped. How come any creature, pony or not, do something as vicious as that to another living soul?! His heart break and sank in his chest. Her sadness and loneliness came rushing through him like a gust of wing. This is why Eris understood, he thought to himself, because she was just like me. Except her bullying was criminal, tortuous, and just plain abuse.
Zircoro continued "Even when she committed no sin, he would still punish her. His favorite place to whip her...was her face."
Butterscotch could literally hear Eris's screams echoing inside his mind. He could imagine hearing...seeing...and feeling every strike...that Eris received on her face. He pondered to himself Oh Eris...if only I knew. Then I would have...
Zircoro then narrated "She tried conjuring a spell to fix her facial scars, but there was no cure. She tried hiding it away, but with Presto...there was no way. Ponies laughed, ponies sneered. Those ponies gave her no kind words to hear. One day...she couldn't take it anymore. With vengeful scorn, she turned Presto into stone. She was no longer owned. She took pity on me, and set me free. We escaped into the night. We made it to the opera house, despite the tight bind. She found sanctuary underground, but I was rescued and found. By her..."
Zircoro paused and caressed the picture of the beautiful pegasus in his hooves. The zebra looked at the mare with tenderness and sadness in his eyes. He sighed before softly retelling "Her name was Christine. She was so pure and pristine. I loved her, but...she did not love me. To her, we were just friends...that's all we could ever be. She was an angel and she played like one too. She was in L'Opera de Cheval's orchestra...with the conductor Monsieur Charles La Rue. She loved Charles La Rue, but he was shallow...selfish...and crude. He loved her only for her beauty...and wanted to take away her purity. One night, in the orchestra pit with no light...Charles defiled...my pristine Christine. I heard her screams and cries. I ran to her side. The police took him and locked him away for good. But this left Christine with child,...and her delivery was far too soon."
Zircoro gazed away from the picture and looked at Butterscotch with tears in his eyes, "Butterscotch...that baby was you."
Butterscotch and Bluebell both gasp at this. The yellow pegasus felt faint for the world around him was spinning to no end. But he couldn't faint now! He needed to know more. Butterscotch quickly asked "I..I..but h-how? When? I...Where is she?! Where's my mother?!"
Zircoro choked back some tears before answering through a sob, "She sacrificed her life to give you life my son."
Butterscotch instantly felt the hot rush of tears and grief come to his tears. He couldn't hold them in. He muttered out sadly "No..."
Bluebell immediately wrapped Butterscotch in her forelegs...and held him tight. She wanted to get rid of his pain and overwhelm him with the feeling of love once more. Awhile, trying to hold tears in her eyes. She had to be strong for him.
Zircoro uttered out the best he could "My mwana, her battle was something that could never be won. The only thing I can do...was take care of you."
Zircoro slowly turned his face towards his daughter, which grabbed her attention right away. He choked out with a raspy voice "Binti, from the moment I saw your little eyes...like her eyes...staring into mine...at the orphanage...I couldn't leave. You are truly Christine's daughter, this is what I truly believe. Maybe not by blood, but your face so serene. Christine's serene face..."
Then Zircoro completely broke into a moaning sob and slowly crawled himself on the floor. His children quickly cuddled to each side and embraced him in a loving hug. Bluebell and Butterscotch were crying soft silent tears in their closed eyes.
Butterscotch couldn't sleep that night. He was lying wake on his bed, with the covers climbed tight to his chest. While the rest of the male ballet dancers are able to slumber peacefully. Butterscotch was even jealous of Bubble Berry. The pink stallion was sleeping sideways on his bed, with his head and legs hanging on each side of the bed.
Butterscotch knew the reason why he couldn't sleep. His mind was too occupied with what he learned today. The shy pegasus feared that he would have a nightmare about Eris's abuse...or about his mom. He wondered if she was the angel of music in Baba's stories. She had to be now that he thought about it. This made him groan and cover his face with his bed blanket.
Butterscotch didn't notice that sparkling magical pink star dust gracefully floating on top of his yellow and pink head. The dust disappeared once it reached the tips of his ears. His ears flinched a little as if feeling snowflakes fall on top of his mane. Butterscotch removed his blanket from his face, and looked up to see what was dripping on him. His teal eyes caught some of the magical pink star dust.
His eyes immediately grew heavy and sleepy. His head soon followed their lead. He yawned before collapsing into his pillow. With a sleepy smile, he closed his eyes and drifted into his dreams.
In the dark shadows of the corner ceiling, a pair of glowing but soft gold and red eyes were gazing at Butterscotch. The creature smiled sweetly, showing her sharp fang sticking out of her mouth.
Eris whispered with tenderness in her voice "Sweet dreams Butterscotch."
Stats
Page generated in 0.013 seconds
Total duration
1,053 users online
78,379 hits today, 2,156,967 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
O_O
....
data.desustorage.org/4ch/mlp/image/1425/29/1425294222877.jpg
I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SO MANY EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW!
img05.deviantart.net/7260/i/2012/044/4/0/request__sweetie_belle_crying_with_happiness_by_pangbot-d4pn8st.png
Okay... that was sweet.