Chapter 14 - Turn of Events
Meanwhile, Arc and Snowflake walk through the woods together. She bounds along happily.
“We did pretty good today!”
“Thanks to your keen eyes.”
Snowflake giggles. “It’s easy to see this stuff when I don’t have to worry about something trying to eat me.”
“That may be. But just remember that I’m not infallible.”
“Well, it might also be due to the fact that I’m closer to the ground.”
Arc sighs. “Or that, yes.”
“Something bothering you, Big Brother?”
“…kinda.”
“Maybe you’re just hungry.”
“Yeah.”
They walk on in silence for a few moments before Arc stops. Snowflake looks back, confused.
“What is it? See something?”
“No. Um… can I ask you something?”
“Sure!”
“Your parents don’t have any other… foals, I guess. Does that… bother you?”
Snowflake shakes her head. “Not really. I mean, it’d be really nice to have a younger sibling, I guess.”
“Maybe you just never really thought about it.”
“Nopony’s ever asked.”
She sighs.
“Anything, that is.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I go into town, nopony even wants to look in my direction. Most of them just turn around and pretend not to notice me. If I’m lucky, that is.”
“And if you’re not?”
“They suddenly look REALLY mad!”
“Why’s that?”
“Because they think my mom and I are helping the Crimsons.”
“Your mother mentioned that the other day.”
“After she was accused?”
Arc nods. “Yeah.”
Snowflake sighs. “We didn’t DO anything!”
“I believe you.”
“Thanks. It means the world to hear somepony say that.”
She turns and looks up at Arc solemnly.
“If I had a little brother or sister, I wouldn’t let ANYPONY hurt them!”
“Oh?”
“That and I’d teach them everything I knew!”
“Like what?”
“How to identify helpful herbs while avoiding the poisonous ones. That and I’d show them how to properly brew potions just like mom taught me.”
“Anything else?”
Snowflake grins. “And… and I’d love them with all my heart! They wouldn’t feel abandoned like I do! Even if they turned out to be a freak like me, I’d still take care of them!”
“You’re not a freak, Snowflake.”
Snowflake sighs. “Trust me. If you knew what I looked like under this robe, you’d agree with me.”
“I’d really like to make that decision for myself.”
“Maybe… um…”
She paws at the ground nervously.
“Sorry. My dad told me not to. After all, it’s not a pretty sight.”
“Well, if Shadow told you to do something, you should probably listen.”
Snowflake sounds relieved. “Thanks for understanding. I mean… it’s not like I WANT to look like this. But it’s… it’s just really hard when you don’t look like everypony else.”
Arc sighs. “That I do understand.”
“Yeah, I suppose you do. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You’ve been through more than I have probably.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… I’m guessing wherever I’m from everyone looks like me.”
“So nopony would look twice at you?”
“Again, probably.”
Snowflake sighs. “My dad came up with this cloak idea. The other ponies in town don’t make fun of me now.”
“Do you really think that was the best idea?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe it would have been better to let them get used to you as you are rather than just hide under a cloak.”
“I don’t see how. After all, I really am a freak when compared to everypony else.”
She sighs before continuing.
“My mom is the only one who can stand to look at me without this thing on.”
“What about your dad?”
“Like I said, it was his idea to cover me up.”
“How do you feel about him?”
Snowflake groans. “I don’t know. He must care about me somewhat since he keeps me around. But sometimes I wonder if that’s just because my mom wouldn’t let him toss me out.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He’s always just so… cold towards me.”
“Shadow seems to treat everyone that way from what I can tell.”
“I guess. But… I always wished he treated me like mom does.”
“Like what?”
“Like his daughter, and not just his employee. To be completely honest, I think he likes you more than me, Big Brother.”
“Really?”
Snowflake nods. “Yeah. You may look different than we do. But you’ve proven you’re really useful. Me… not so much.”
“That’s not true. After all, I don’t know which herbs are safe and which aren’t yet.”
“But you’re learning pretty fast.”
“You don’t think Shadow’s trying to replace you, do you?”
“Maybe. After all, you’re more useful than I am.”
Arc looks away. “What if… he was replaced?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Imagine someone else was your dad. Would that make you happy?”
“Probably, yes. But it would depend on whom was replacing him, I suppose.”
“What kind of stallion would you like?”
“Somepony nice, I think.”
“Is that all?”
“No. They’d also love both mom and I. That and be there for us when we needed him.”
Snowflake sits on her haunches and looks down at the ground.
“And… not hurt her.”
“Hurt?”
“I’ve seen the bruises on my mom. Dad’s kinda rough on her when I’m not around.”
“Yeah.”
Snowflake sighs. “They think I don’t notice because I’m just a little filly. But they forget that I have eyes and ears too.”
She walks over to Arc and puts her front hooves on his shoulders as he kneels down to her level.
“I know what you’ve been doing for my mom. Letting her sleep with us. Putting her in the tub early in the morning. Getting her medicinal herbs for the pain and swelling. You take pretty good care of her. More so than my dad does from what I’ve seen.”
“Snowflake, I…”
“Thanks for doing all that, Big Brother. It means a lot to me. And my mom too I would imagine.”
“Um… you see…”
Arc sighs.
“You’re welcome, Snowflake. But we need to get home right away.”
“Huh?”
“I need to talk to your mom about something.”
“Okay. Let’s get moving.”
The pair stand and begin walking again. Soon they arrive back at the cottage. Snowflake runs inside.
“We’re back, mom!”
Silence echoes through the cottage. Arc sets his satchel on Sunshine’s workbench before turning to Snowflake.
“She must be working at the shop.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. She’s been home at this time these past few days though.”
“That was just your dad’s way of getting back at the town though, remember?”
“Oh… right.”
“Why don’t you go see if Shadow needs help in his workshop? Tell your dad I’ll bring our finds to her.”
“Okay. And you can have that talk with her.”
“Y-yeah.”
Snowflake heads for the door. “See you at suppertime!”
Arc nods wordlessly as Snowflake leaves the cottage. She sighs as she heads for the shed.
“I hope whatever it is you have to say to mom will help, Big Brother.”
Meanwhile, Arc walks back over to his and Snowflake’s satchels. Looking them over silently for a few moments, he eventually picks the bags up and leaves the cottage. Frowning, he makes his way toward town.
“I… can’t sit here and do nothing. Can I?”
Groaning, he muses to himself.
“Snowflake deserves better. But am I really the one to make that happen? While I’d like to think so, I… I don’t really know. Am I really a good individual? After all, I might find I’m not someday when my memories come back. And then what? Do I just up and leave Sunshine and Snowflake? Do I take them with me? Or… or might I harm them?”
Continuing on, Arc sighs.
“I don’t really have much of a choice here.”
Soon Arc comes to the familiar store. Entering, the bell over the door jingles. A few moments later Sunshine trots out of the back room.
“What can I do for…?”
She stops and blushes as she spots Arc.
“Oh… h-hello.”
“Hi.”
Arc shifts on his feet uneasily before holding up the bags.
“I… uh… brought today’s goods.”
“Th-thank you. Can you please bring them back here?”
“Um… okay.”
Arc follows Sunshine behind the counter and to the back room. She points to her workbench.
“You can just put them there.”
Nodding, Arc does as he is told. Sunshine shifts uneasily on her hooves as Arc turns back toward her.
“Are you okay?”
“Kinda. I mean… I’m still a bit upset with myself for… what I said and did the other day.”
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
“I… had a little talk with Snowflake today in the woods.”
Sunshine looks around nervously. “What did you tell her?!”
“Nothing really. In fact, it was more about what she told me.”
“What she told…?”
“I asked her about her feelings on how things are going.”
“And what did she say?”
Arc sighs. “That she wished things were different.”
“Anything specific?”
“For starters, she knows what’s going on in your house.”
Sunshine blushes. “What?! How?!”
“Not from me. All I can figure is that she put two and two together.”
Sunshine sighs. “I assume she’s pretty upset.”
“Not really. More along the lines of feeling like this isn’t a normal family dynamic.”
“What can I do to make her feel better?”
“She… kinda wants what you suggested the other day. To start fresh somewhere else.”
Sunshine looks up at him, hopefully. “And you want that too?”
“I… just want you and her to be happy. If you’d like, I agree to help you and Snowflake get out of town and find a new one.”
“That’s… a bit complicated.”
“It is?”
Sunshine nods. “Yes. You see, other than the Crimsons, we’re the last town in the land.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh, yes. There hasn’t been any contact with the ruins of the old countries for around a thousand years. If there was anypony else out there we’d have heard from them by now.”
“So where am I supposed to take you then?”
“Anywhere but here would work, I suppose. However, there is one place I’d really love to see.”
“What’s that?”
“Many long years ago, during the time of the original Three Kingdoms, there lived a great and wise unicorn named Star-Swirl the Bearded. I’ve always wanted to see his old home for myself. Although I admit it may not have survived the ensuing war, its existence always fascinated me.”
“Where is it?”
“Legend has it the castle once stood far to the west of here. But we’re talking some time ago.”
“Maybe that’s where we should go. After all, if others did survive that war you mentioned, it stands to reason they would have settled around the castle.”
“That does make sense. Then we could live in a real town too!”
“Maybe. Um… but do you think they’d be able to accept Snowflake’s deformities?”
“I suppose we won’t really know until we get there. Maybe we’ll even find some of your kind too.”
“That would be nice, I guess.”
“Second thoughts?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not really. But what if they treat her like the townsponies here?”
“Then we’ll make a place of our own somewhere. Just the three of us. Then she won’t have to worry about others ridiculing or belittling her. She can run and play without having to cover up all the time.”
“I think she’d like that.”
“Yes, she would.”
“So… when should we go?”
“Probably as soon as possible.”
“Something wrong?”
Sunshine sighs. “I think Shadow is getting suspicious of us sleeping together.”
“But we aren’t doing anything.”
“True. But it does look a bit odd when a mare sleeps with her daughter’s pet more than her husband.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Now then, let me gather a few things to make a couple sleeping potions and we’ll head home to make supper.”
“A couple sleeping potions?”
Sunshine nods. “Yes. I want Snowflake to be asleep for this. If she were allowed to stay awake, she might not want to leave everything behind. It’s for the best though.”
“I guess so.”
A short time later Arc and Sunshine walk the path toward the cottage. Her saddlebags are stuffed to the brim with pills, potions, reagents, and instruments that Arc cannot identify. He notices a new spring in her step.
“Happy?”
“I am, yes. Why do you ask?”
“Well… I would have thought the idea of leaving behind everything you’ve ever known would be kinda… off-putting.”
“This does kinda frighten me, yes. However, the knowledge that my daughter will be happy wherever we end up more than makes up for it. But what about you?”
Arc shrugs. “I wasn’t really here long enough to put down roots. That and the townsponies kinda look at me suspiciously too.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed that. But no matter where we end up, I’m sure we’ll make the best of it. Now then, you have some time before supper. I recommend you take the time to rest and gather your few belongings before supper.”
“Probably a good idea. After all, we’ll be traveling all night.”
“Yes. I’ll put that medicine in Shadow and Snowflake’s food again, just like I did last time.”
“And it’ll keep them both out, right?”
Sunshine nods. “Yes. All night long. By the time Shadow wakes up, we’ll be long gone.”
“You think he’ll come after us?”
“Maybe after a few days of drinking, yes. However by then our trail will have grown cold and we’ll be in the clear.”
“It sounds like you’ve got this all figured out.”
“Don’t tell anypony, but I’ve kinda been fantasizing about this very thing for quite some time. I’m not really sure if it’s because I’m starved for a normal relationship, want sex with somepony who doesn’t make me walk funny, or because my husband is cheating on me with other mares.”
“That reasoning makes me a bit nervous.”
“I think this is more for Snowflake than myself. After all, she deserves the chance to grow up in a loving home. The abuse I take from Shadow… it honestly doesn’t bother me. Ends and means, I suppose.”
“But…?”
“But Snowflake doesn’t need to see that continue as she gets older.”
“So this is all for her?”
“Not completely. After all, I do still want to make another foal.”
“I’m not promising to do that.”
“Understood. While I do hope you change your mind one day, it’ll be nice to know Snowflake has a chance to be happy.”
“You don’t think she’ll be mad, do you?”
Sunshine sighs. “Perhaps. But this is what a parent’s job entails. To make decisions for a foal that are too big for them.”
“I guess.”
Arriving back at the cottage, Sunshine turns to Arc.
“I’ll get supper going. As I said before, you should get some rest while you can.”
“Okay. But I think I’ll take a bath first.”
Sunshine reaches into her saddlebag. “I thought you might say that. Take this.”
She gives him a thermal bulb. Parting ways, Sunshine heads for the cottage as Arc turns and walks behind the barn. Filling the tub, he tosses in the bulb and gets in.
“I’m not really sure if I’m doing the right thing here. But if Sunshine stays here, she’ll just keep getting hurt.”
He sighs and submerges his head under the warm water.
“What else can I do though?”
Sometime later Arc lays down on his makeshift bed in the barn. Staring up at the ceiling, he frowns. The sounds of small footsteps fills the air as Snowflake walks in.
“Big Brother? Are you in here?”
Arc sits up. “Yeah.”
“My dad ran out of something and wants us to run down to the shop to get more real quick.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
They hurry down the path toward town. In short order the pair arrive at the shop. Snowflake unlocks the door and runs into the back room. She looks all around as Arc joins her.
“So what are we looking for here?”
“Talc powder. I know it’s around here somewhere… there it is!”
She points a hoof at a nearby shelf.
“Help me up there!”
Arc picks Snowflake up and holds her to the shelf above them. Grabbing the bottle, the corner of her robe catches the jars on either side of it.
“LOOK OUT!”
Arc turns his head down as the containers fall past him and smash on the floor below. Snowflake groans.
“Not again!”
“Again?”
“I do that every so often unfortunately.”
Arc sets her down and looks at the mess. “Why don’t you bring that jar to your dad? I’ll get this mess cleaned up.”
“You sure? That stuff doesn’t sweep up very well.”
“I’ll take care of it. Tell your mom that I might be a bit late for supper though.”
“Okay. Sorry for the trouble. “
Arc reaches for a nearby broom. “Mistakes happen.”
Hurrying out the door, Snowflake runs home. However as she nears the cottage she hears the sound of loud arguing. Trotting up to the front porch she peeks through a window. The filly spots her mother and father quarreling loudly and angrily. Unable to clearly hear what they are saying, Snowflake watches intently as she tries to figure out what to do. Sunshine slaps Shadow across his muzzle. Clearly enraged, the stallion turns and bucks the mare into a massive shelf of reagents. Several bottles fall from their places onto Sunshine’s head as she slumps to the floor. Walking past her, Shadow kicks the shelves over. The creaking of wood causes Sunshine to turn her head just in time to see every bottle come crashing down on top of her followed by the heavy shelf itself. Chuckling, Shadow picks up his tankard and pours himself a drink before stumbling out the front door. Horrified, Snowflake runs over to him.
“DAD! We need to help mom!”
Shadow frowns as he pushes past the filly and keeps walking. “Let her help herself.”
Hurrying into the cottage, Snowflake rushes over to the shelf.
“MOM! Can you hear me?!”
“Ugh… Snowflake? Is that you?”
“I’m here, mom! Don’t worry! I’ll get you out of there!”
Grabbing the edge of the shelves, Snowflake lifts will all her might. However she is unable to even budge the heavy furniture.
“It’s too heavy for you, Snowflake. Run out to the barn and fetch Big Brother.”
“Dad sent us to the shop! He’s still over there cleaning something up!”
“Get… get help! Hurry…!”
“I will, mom! Just hang on!”
Running past her father as he heads for the shed, Snowflake rushes down the path toward town as fast as her hooves will carry her. Several ponies look at her as she runs over to them.
“I need help! My mom’s trapped under a shelf! I think she’s hurt!”
Frowning, they turn and walk away. Snowflake repeats the process several more times with those she sees, but receives the same response. Finally reaching the shop she bursts through the door and into the back room.
“Snowflake? What’s…?”
“Mom’s trapped under her reagent shelf back home!”
Arc jumps up. “Is she hurt?!”
Snowflake nods fervently. “I think so, yes!”
“Let’s go!”
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oh me mad
shadow that fucking ashole
sunhine probaly told him hes a unloaded gun
Somehow I can't help this is a murder for divorce.
Confrontations usually don’t turn out to well for either side….
11032314
We don't actually know what was said. But whatever it was... he snapped.
11032393
He could have left at any time. After all, it's not anyone there could have forced him to pay foal support or alimony.
Just a douche move on his part.
11032446
Agreed. At least not confrontations that escalate to shouting matches and physical abuse anyways.
11032535
Just because they can't force him to pay there isn't Society pressure to stay married. It's commonly done in the human world just to get out of marriage unfortunately
One of those dice rolls where two plans occur in the different sequence they were hoping for?
Really hope its just painful instead of crippling or worse.
11032314
That or he had noticed Sunshine's bags fuller than usual, and things snowballed from there, likely thinking she was stealing supplies for the Crimsons
11033174
Ding! Ding! Ding! You're right!
11032633
Argus?