Sins of the Father

by TornadoBlitz

First Meal

Cadance straightened her posture as the door cracked open. She studied every little movement of the nervous foal as he entered the room. Even in her second meeting with the strange colt, a range of emotions ran through Cadance.

Cleaned up, he was even more adorable than he had been. The patchwork of bandages stirred her anger at the ponies that could attack him. Then again, there was still that horn, and all the harm it could bring.

Putting a hoof to her chest, she breathed in, then out—silencing all those thoughts and bringing focus to the task at hand. As the princess of love, and ruler of the crystal empire, she had a duty of care to the ponies that served and lived under her. She needed to learn this foal’s story and then decide; not jump to conclusions like those that had maimed him.

“Please take a seat,” she said, pointing a hoof at the seat next to her. The foal froze for a moment, looking at her like he had seen something he didn’t understand. Her heart clenched with the belief that she had frightened him already, but before she could say anything else, he jumped up onto the seat. Never once taking his eyes off her, he radiated with both fear and amazement. Cadence could understand that. He must have just as many questions for her, as she did for him.

“Do not be afraid, my husband and I are not here to hurt you,” she said, pouring a cup of tea for the foal. “We do have questions, but we will not harm you.” Sitting the cup in front of the foal, she then picked the honey stick up. “Honey?”

“Please,” the foal said, relaxing enough to give her a smiling nod.

Cadance returned the smile as she stirred in the honey. “Now, let's have a nice dinner, and see what we can learn about you.”

With a loud clap of her hooves, Cadence summoned a unicorn into the room with a domed tray in his magic. The servant levitated the tray on to the table and removed the lid to show the contents. The foal’s eyes went wide at the collection dishes on the tray. It was nothing fancy: a hearty lunch of mixed fruit, salad, and a few vegetables; the same kind of meal that could be found in any home. A little tray of crystal candies was the only thing that marked the meal as elaborate.

Reaching out, she took a fresh roll and placed it on Shining’s plate, before getting one of her own. “Your father named you Monster?”

The foal hesitated a moment, as if the question had been complicated. “Father called me Monster, but he wasn’t my dad.”

Cadance held a neutral expression, digesting what the foal had said. “Would you like some bread?” She asked, holding up a butter glazed roll.

The foal nodded with excitement. “Yes please.”

“This pony, Father,” Shining asked, taking a bit of salad into his plate. “Where is he now?”

The foal’s expression wilted at the question. “The last time I saw Father was before spring. He threw me out into the snow and told me to run. When I was far enough away, I saw ponies in gold armor. They took everypony away.”

Cadance glanced at her husband as she placed salad on her plate, then the foal’s. “How long had you lived with them?”

“For as long as I can remember.” The foal said with all the dignity he could muster.

Shining tore his roll in half and nibbled on it. Taking that as permission, the foal broke his bread as well, but instead of taking the little nibbles, he consumed the whole thing in a few bites.

Cadance chuckled. “They treat you well there? How was the food?”

The foal shrugged. “The family took care of me. The food was mostly hay and grass.”

Shining was pretty sure that now was not the time to ask, but the question on his mind would not be ignored. “Do you know what the horn is?”

Cadance looked cross at Shining but the foal just smiled. “Father said that it belonged to a great ruler.” Closing his eyes, the foal continued as if reciting a nursery rhyme. “The family have kept it safe until the day of my creation. I am important to the future of the world and this horn will help me.”

Cadance looked towards the foal curiously. It was weird for the foal to use the word “creation” to describe himself. “But they didn’t tell you anything else about the horn?”

The foal picked up a fork with his hoof, then gathered some of the salad on his plate with it. “No. I’m not very good with magic—or flying. Father and Mother had only started my training just before they got captured.”

Collecting her thoughts, Cadance dived out the rest of the meal between them, letting the foal eat in silence for a moment. “So you don’t know what it was they wanted you to do?”

The foal shook his head. “Whenever I asked, they kept saying things like ‘You’ll find out when you’re older’ or ‘Just focus on your training, the rest you will find out later.’ ”

Cadance found her smile again, at the foal’s youthful frustration at being told to wait. Chewing her meal, she looked over to Shining. He seemed a bit more troubled than her, but his cutie mark gave her an idea.

“We could find you a teacher. Somepony that could show you how to use your gifts to help ponies, and protect them. Would you like that?”

The foal’s eyes lit up at her words. “Really!?”

“I don’t see why not. You’d like to become a good pony, and help others, like the foal that fed you, right?”

The foal all but bounced in his chair as he nodded. The eagerness to help others put a smile on Shining’s face to match on tone of his wife. “We’re going to have to get you a better name first.”

The foal stopped bouncing and looked directly at Cadance “Better name?”

“Well, I’m sorry to say that Monster is not a good name for a pony,” Cadance said. “Shining and I were talking about it earlier, and we thought of a new name for you. What do you think of Lucerna?”

The foal chewed on a fit of dried fruit for a moment, staring blankly into the distance. “It’s a pretty name. What does it mean?”

“It’s from my family’s old language. It means light, because I hope you grow up to shine light into the dark places of Equestria.”

“Lucerna...” The foal said, testing the name on his tongue. “I like it.”

“And we can call you Lux for short,” Shining added with a smile.

“So am I going to live here now?” Lucerna asked.

“For a little while,” Cadance said, giving the foal a sympathetic look. “Here isn’t the safest place for you, but I’m personally going to see that you find a very good home.”

---

After they had taken Lucerna back to his room, Cadance and Shining Armor retired to their own quarters.

“You look exhausted,” Cadance said, giving her husband a hug as the door closed behind them. “Go on to bed if you want, I’ll be there shortly.”

Shining yawned. “Thanks dear.”

“Just don’t hog all the pillows before I get there.” Cadance giggled, then nudged him towards the bedroom with a wing. She couldn’t blame her husband, he had been on constant march and patrol for an entire week, and she hadn’t really let him rest since getting home. What he needed now was sleep.

Turning towards the writing desk, Cadance sighed. As much as she wanted to join him, she need to send a letter of to her auntie, Princess Celestia.

Dear Auntie Celestia,

I hope you and Auntie Luna are keeping well. Shining Armor and I are doing fine up here. However, we have a matter that requires your immediate attention. I told you before about reports of a “monster” roaming the lands near the crystal empire. Well Shining and his troops found our culprit and he was as shocked as I was when we saw what the culprit was.

What we found was not a monster, but of all things a foal. This foal however had one crucial difference, his horn is like that of Sombra. Whether or not this foal is a child of Sombra or he’s from a place where this type of horn is common we don’t know. However, as you know, the ponies of the empire will not give this foal the benefit of the doubt and will chase him out. I have placed a spell on the horn to make it look like a normal unicorn foal to onlookers but you and I both know that this is a temporary measure at best.

Shining and I have talked about this and we believe that it is best if you and Auntie Luna were to take him with you to Canterlot for his protection. I have told the foal that I will find him a good home to keep him safe, and you are the one pony that I know who can do just that.

One more thing, the foal said he was part of a “family” that had grand ambitions for him. The family had told him that he was important to the future of the world and that the horn would be his guide. He also said that the last time he saw the family was when ponies in gold armour came and took them away while he escaped. I’m guessing that’s the royal guard, and if so, then you’ll have to explain to the foal why you did that. I hope that you can respond soon and I hope that things are well with you in Canterlot

Yours
Cadance

P.S We have named the foal Lucerna because the only name he was given was Monster. I think you and I can agree that’s no name for a foal.

Comments

[Orion 141]

Let us begin the read...

[paul]

nice story so far.
although Lux feels more like 6 years old or something, definitely older that 3-4 y.o., basing on his thoughts and behavior.

[Grekoy]

I like it.

[Marisher]

I love what you've done with the piece.
Especially what you've done with Lucerna.

Well played, well played...

[ThiefTichy]

Lucerna? Someone is using the Czech language.

[TornadoBlitz]

6375091 No, Latin... but I just found out they have similar meanings. Language is cool like that isnt it

[ThiefTichy]

6375133 True, true. Well, most European languages have a lot of words from Latin. So I'm not surprised that they are similar.

[Magthere]

The following is a hypothesis, due to my lack of awareness as to the authors opinion of spoilers even done by prediction I shall thus have them put as a spoiler, ye be warned they who put their cursors along it.

Hmmmm so somepony thinking Sombra was the best thing since sliced bread decided to use what may well have been his horn and implanted it on a child quite Sombra's possibly though I doubt it, more probably an average earth pony or pegasi (more likely the former though this is based on mere speculation of his unfamiliarity with flight or wings [this does not of course rule out his being Pegasus as we don't know what age they knowingly fly nor is their any mention of a wing transplant]) abducted from his former home with his birth parents unaware of his survival or dead themselves...

Wonder what we shall learn from the crooks themselves as by all accounts they have been captured by the guard and barring their death, injurys that prevent communication, escape, release, or clearing themselves in court they should be available for questioning.