Chapter 16
The Vanishing Star
By NocturneD
And that's when Twilight got hit in the face with a can. Juice splattered all over her mane, drenching it. She held her face to herself, trying to cover their pain and a little tear that I caught that escaped the side of her eye. She was only trying to make Ghendi tolerate the problem by standing his ground instead of insisting on leaving, only for her to meet an embarrassing moment. Slowly, I reared my head back to get a good look at where most of the cans thrown from. Did really no good so I did the only thing I could, I yelled...
"WHICH ONE OF YOU DEAD MOTHER FUCKERS JUST THREW THAT?!"
That was the best line to open up in a room filled with your relatives and other important ponies. Let alone the main family, who dressed in different colored robes such as red, white, green, blue, purple and yellow just watched. They watched as I blew up on random ponies who I really had no idea who they were. The big mistake was letting Ghendi go forward and introduce himself as a Kirin. Sure he should have left that part out, but that would deny himself of his heritage. So he was part Kirin, part unicorn. So what? Well apparently the Sparkle clan had a massive problem because history of ancient Equestria proclaimed as Kirins being monsters who had to be chained. You know where this is going by now, their ancestors made some bad mistakes but from what from what I learned from Grandma Lucrecia, they were more like tragic heroes. Throughout history there have been many clans trying to right the wrongs of their errors but that was not good enough for some ponies. It was over a thousand years ago, let it go.
Well, a lot went down after my rage attack. The main family ordered us to wait in another room until the proceeding was done. Meanwhile some little punk was probably sighing in relief that I did not find him so I could rip his face off with my magic. The main family did put out a form of discipline, from what I understood and made sense was that their consideration for a cut was pulled. Something here did not quite make sense. Why were they taking action of like a school teacher instead of mobsters for this moment? Its like taking away their treat they were promised to get. Who knows. I don't care anymore. I just want to leave.
It was not so easy once you and your family ordered to sit in a separate room like a child in trouble. Why were we in trouble? Wait. Were we in trouble? From what I could only think of there were some conflicting ponies in here. There was Twilight of course, you know her for being the princess's personal student and saved Equestria probably too many times to count. Then there was Shining Armor who was captain of the guard, married princess Cadenza, part ruler of the Crystal empire and crowned prince. You see where this is going? Then there were my parents, who probably were well-respected back then but once I disappeared they viewed them as monsters. That's the conflict there, two successes from two failures. Then whatever the hell my uncles, aunts and cousins did. Then there was Ghendi who was part Kirin, let alone former member of a few teams. Then there was me... Main family wondering what Fade Away was doing here. He was not a Sparkle member, but yet he won a medal. So that grants him a pardon? Somehow I felt that really was not going to be easy. Why should it?
I just sat at a similar looking table with the rest of my family. Not going over well as I wanted it to be. Some of us, just shooting daggers at each other. The room we sat in. Not much to say about it, it was dark. Only source of light was from the very illuminate from the ceiling that poured down on us. Rather creepy. Our chairs were sturdy but made of similar material of the table I bet. Again some pony must have had a royal fetish as there was some hints of gems embedded in the chairs. One chair alone must have been worth a good million to make. All of this, all of this just made me felt sick.
"So is this what the main family is?" I asked, a hint of unpleasantness in my voice crackled.
"Like what?" My uncle Libra asked. I eyed him from across the table.
I straighten my posture, "A game of show and tell. As well as giving up your work just for the main family to get a share."
"Look..." My uncle Libra shook his head while he explained, "It's always been like this."
"How come?" I let my eyes narrow. Not showing them any mercy or any reason to care whatever reason they gave me.
"Because it always has been. Even I don't know why." Libra crossed his fore legs and let his back lean further into the marble chair. "All I know is, if you succeed then its recorded as a Sparkle family success. They want in on your success and if its something they consider worthy then they will sponsor you a large amount of money to continue in ways they see fit."
"Corporate meddling." I said plainly. I tapped my hoof on the table top, showing my family that this is exactly what it was.
I knew this very well, at times Big Tex and his veteran staff that would later become the driving force of Big Tech; would throw out some suggestions for me to include and take out stuff from my projects. A lot of times I would convince them to let me do what I feel that I need to do. What Big Tex's old staff turned into was no surprise, price gouge the product to an unfair price because what I proposed the project was supposed to do. I ended up sneaking some stuff in and... Posting hacks online to bypass a few things the Lucrecia program excluded. Stuff that, the corporation wanted to do down-loadable content for a fee to expand the cash flow. Only thing was, I proposed a subscription instead that way you would get the updates for free. Sadly, some wires got crossed and I would have to bow to their meddling, for a time until they were let go... And meet an unhappy retirement...
"Where the fat cats believe if they find something they don't like, they want change because they think." I stopped, gave one good look around the table from my sister to Ghendi. "They think they know what the customer wants. Or too scared to take chances, worried that any bad publicity could ruin them."
"Except this is not another company." Shining Armor's voice tensed, almost like he was ready to challenge my view. "And you know what? Keep your business talk to yourself because as far as I see it. No pony cares for your over thinking."
What the hell?
I heard Cadence scramble to his side, placed her fore leg over his shoulder to ease him, "Shining just relax. It's okay."
"What crawled up your plot and died?" I frowned.
"Pretty much everything that happened so far. That's the problem!" He growled. "Ever since you came back here things have gone wrong!"
"Whoa whoa Shining-son. Calm down!" Uncle Libra threw himself into the conflict. He stood up from his seat and hollered to show his superiority.
"You know I don't even think you are Vanishing Star!" My brother then stood up. Cadence fell to her seat as Shining jumped up with great speed.
"What makes you think that?" I narrowed my eyes again.
"It's just..." He heaved, "It just how can you really be here? How can you just be sitting there all smug? If I did not know any better I would assume you just dug up information on my little brother and just used it to get to know the main family!"
I slowly clopped my hooves together, was an asshole thing to do but he deserved it, "Bravo... Not only does that sound stupid. But its only making you look delusional in front of every pony here."
"I AM NOT DELUSIONAL!" He roared as his fore legs banged on the table, almost every pony slid back into their chairs in surprise because of that. Not me, I'm calling my brother out on his bullshit. Some pony had to, always Mr. Perfect in every pony's eyes.
"Then sit down and shut up." I growled. "If anything that went wrong this week, it came from your dumb ass!"
"YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL INFRONT OF MY WIFE!" Shining slanted his eyes at me, his teeth grating together like rocks.
I kept my ground, "YOU DID THAT ON YOUR OWN!"
"YOU CHALLENGED MOM AND DAD WHEN THEY WERE AT THEIR WEAKNESS! YOU ALMOST MADE MOM GO INSANE! LET ALONE I DON'T KNOW WHERE DAD GOT THAT GASH!" Shining hollered, "If you had anything to do with it, I swear..."
"Shining Armor." Dad rubbed his forehead, showing that he had a head ache forming. "I told you time after time, a bookshelf fell on me and he helped me up."
"You swear on what?" I challenged while I ignored dad. "How you're captain of anything is beyond me! Let alone I have to applaud Cadence here for dealing with your stupid shit!" Probably not the best thing to say as Cadence and Twilight gasped for my profanity. Did not help that it gave Cadence shoot a scornful look at me either. "So here's the thing Shining Armor. Since your prince of the Crystal Empire, what kind of example are you setting when you lash out like this? Punch random ponies who you think is getting chummy with your wife? What is wrong with you?!"
"Come on guys this is no time for fighting!" Twilight moaned, her hooves covered her face. Not wanting to hear what we had to say, "Please!"
"I think..." Ghendi said, "No... No they need this."
Shining Armor just gritted his teeth. Cadence reached up to him to gently pull him back into his seat. Slowly, his enraged face turned sorrowful. Truly he had dealt with some demons, but I pressed further in. "Shining Armor. I don't know why back then you did what you did, but it finally came back to bite you in the ass. For all the crap you given me back then, I could not believe I could live in a home with an abusive father, an alcoholic mother, let alone a bully of a brother. You would punch me, kick me, thrown stuff at me, make me fall down stairs. No pony tried to stop it unless I was flat-out unconscious or bleed too much!"
He did not say anything. Just slowly shaking his head, he did not want to hear any of this.
"Too bad. You're going to listen to everything I have to say!" I roared this time slamming my own hooves to the table. Making it really shake this time. "I want to know why!"
"Not here you two!" Libra ordered.
"You know what?" I stopped myself, I lifted up my briefcase and left my chair. "Apparently I learned something today. You guys never changed and I'm glad I ran away from your awful asses. I should have NEVER revealed myself this morning." I made my way to the outline of a door nearby and opened it with my magic. I turned my head, "Ghendi, we're going... I'll set up your new fore leg back at the castle."
Ghendi looked back to my family, then back to me, "But..."
"I'm not repeating myself young man!" I said sternly, I showed intimidation. The first time, I ever really used my superiority over him and I have to admit, it was unpleasant. I never liked treating him like a child but there are times when I have to treat him like one.
Ghendi got out from his seat and walked up to my side, he turned to face my family and bowed, "It was an honor meeting you all."
"And don't bother looking me up because I won't be there!" I yelled as I slammed the door. I forgot something to say so I opened the door again, "Oh yeah it was nice meeting you again uncle Libra, Gemini and Aries. Oh also, Cadence." The pink alicorn looked at me, "Take care of him okay?" This time I slowly closed the door. I let out a deep sigh and walked through the long hallway with Ghendi close behind. As I really wanted to bring my point across, I just did not want leave entirely on a bad note. Ghendi just kept quiet, his eyes saddened to the fact that he was going to have to walk back out to the party where every pony might treat him like garbage again.
"What about the main family?" He asked.
"I don't give a flying feather about the main family. If anything, I think my brother and sister's success can win them over. They don't need me." I kept walking.
"How do you know?" He blew a piece of hair away from his eyes.
"Look if you're trying to guilt trip me it's not working." I grunted. "I just want to find Swan and your brother so we could leave. Plus I don't want to stay here in Canterlot anymore."
This next part is what's going to make you wonder. Why I even bothered to come if all I was going to do was just get fed up and leave. Well, I opened the door at the far end of the hallway as Ghendi and I stepped through. We were back in the assembly room as the main family was still interviewing families. But this time, finally they were with the Lorenzo family. With Illusive Von Lorenzo standing front and center like he just gave a presentation. On what? He gave up on the whole alicorn research, he told me so back before this meeting even started.
Slowly I just kept walking but still listened. Ghendi just growled as he looked at Lorenzo as he was holding himself up like an Adonis before the judges. I could not help but feel sickened also. This pony, I never really cared for but I had to get on his good side. All else, he was just plain creepy despite him being blonde and wearing white. Thankfully no pony saw us so they could start riling up again against Ghendi, there was maybe a railing or two along with a short wall we could watch over.
And so we did... The next part... horrified me...
"Very well Illusive Von Lorenzo, we listened to your promise of a serum to turn a regular pony into an alicorn. In by all ways, violating the course of nature." The blue robed pony announced that she was pleased somehow. Maybe she always wanted to be an alicorn, still the research bugged the crap out of me. How could he just lie about that? Then again, he was a politician too so they always lie. "Have you got any proof that this works?"
"Oh... I tested it on myself." Lorenzo's face became deranged. "You probably do not know, last time we met I was just an ordinary unicorn."
"That is... correct. Where is this going?" The red robed pony asked.
Lorenzo just halted over and sat his plot on the marble floor. His teeth grit and moaned in pain as removed his shall from off his shoulders. Something was going on and let's say after watching the movie Total Recallafter a certain scene you would find it disturbing too. Yeah, if a smaller pony were to grow out of his stomach I was going to puke. Ponies tried to race over to Lorenzo's side, his father just watched proudly while his little brother was about to throw up. Can not blame him either, Lorenzo's back was boiling, something wanted to burst out of him.
"What's the meaning of this?" The green robed pony asked, unsure of what to do.
"Oh gross..." I gagged.
Just then, two large limbs busted out of Lorenzo's back. Bloody with ripped flesh still attached. Ponies were screaming at the body horror that was just committed. Lorenzo breathed in and out, to catch his breath from all the pain he went through. He moved one limb around to show if it was functional, then the other. Then it dawned on me, surely Lorenzo somehow cracked the secret of the alicorn race but still wondered if he did it correctly without cutting corners.
"You created a mutagen to grow more limbs from your back?" The yellow robed pony asked.
"No..." Lorenzo cackled, "I... I finally found the missing link between alicorns and regular ponies. I created many vials sure to prove to you all, but who else would be a perfect specimen. That's right... myself." Slowly as he explained, feathers started to grow beautifully across his bald bird like appendages. He demonstrated his new appendages by flapping his wings then fly around the room then landed. Ponies ran up to him to feel if they were real, well some were still sickened to the fact that they were still a bit bloody. Almost like it was really looking into a true Adonis, Lorenzo always wanted to meet perfection but now if he is what he claims he is, then what next?
Is he still going to go after Celestia?
Let alone... what does this mean for Equestria?
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And the plot continues on
That isn't good, for sure.
Something tells me Lorenzo is going to shed his family's system and take it over deeming himself a god.
I like it when he fights with his old family.
Oh dear, nothing good comes out of a situation where someone with an obsessive desire suddenly gets what he wants. I believe Celestia and Luna's health are possibly at risk if Lorenzo is out to get them.
Okay, didn't see that coming.
I have a really bad feeling something is going to happen.
When they first mentioned the alicorn research, I knew something like this would happen.
So he actually did it...
(The right one is in there somewhere. I'm just too lazy.)
I just have to say i love this story and youre doing a great job i hope you dont lose interest in this story
Yay update!!!
This isn't going to end well!
I will admit, the whole thing with Malik sorta lost me a bit. I was getting really bored, but now I can't wait see what happens next.
This is getting good...