A story based on Twin foals finding out they both exist to each other.
Faith Heart has never been one to keep secrets, unless it came down to wanting to protect someone. In this case, she thought she was doing just that. Protecting
Dessie and Aster are very different ponies, coming from different worlds.
Aster comes from an abusive father and only trusting in two ponies, both unicorns, WrittenMind, his mentor and Phoenix, who is Aster's "Brother" in some weird way to him.
Destiny, a free-spirited Pegasus is the daughter of Faith Heart, the Princess of Dedication, who feels stuck in her older sister's shadow at some points, though she doesn't like to admit it.
Things start to stir up as one day the two ponies meet outside of Aster's home in the Everfree Forest along with Violet, who was watching Dessie at the time. During that time Aster starts developing feelings for Violet and hopes to be more than "just acquaintances" little does he know that she's his best friend's sister.
What happens when lies and broken promises start to unravel, revealing truths that nopony could ever had thought about?
Wait and see to find out in The Heart Chronicles: "The Twin Trap"
I remember telling my little filly about thinking of having another filly or colt and I remember my ex-husband wanting one as well; little did we know we got what we bargained for because when I was pregnant I found out I was having a filly and colt, what I don’t remember is bringing my little colt or my ex-husband home with me. My oldest filly SparkleShine was with my best friend Jessie Flash and her daughter who’s Sparkle’s best friend Violet Flash along with Phoneix who is Jessie’s son, while Zeal and I were at the hospital. Did I mention they were twins? No, well now you know. The thing with Zeal is not that he was overly obsessed with me or anything, that was Nano’s thing, who is Sparkle’s Father. Zeal’s thing was that we had married young, so naturally, we had gotten a divorce, yet, we didn’t discuss the twin’s living situation because the divorce was before the twins were even born. I had no idea he could’ve stooped this low and done something so uncanny, it was really weird, because I got to hold my filly Destiny, but not Aster. When I came home that night carrying Destiny in her stroller I had to make sure that everypony was asleep, before I came in, lucky for me nopony was up, or so I thought…
“Welcome Home new Mommy,” Jessie says making me jump as I then give her a small shy smile while having my hood to cover up my face along with my horn. I knew covering up from Jessie was wrong, because she was one of best friends, however, I didn’t want her to question me or see me crying it was late and she, Violet, and Phoneix needed to get home and I also needed to feed Destiny and tell Sparks we had arrived.
“Faith, what in Equestria is going on?” she questions trying to get me to budge. “You do realize Bestie that I am the one who can read you like a book, not even your own parents can understand you, so you might as well bring down that hood and the carrier and bring yourself to me.” I sigh having the carrier in my mouth and lay Destiny on the floor while walking towards Jessie while trying to hold back the crystal blue tears from coming down my dark purple eyes.
As I sighed once more I was contemplating how I should tell her. If I rip it fast like a band-aid she probably wouldn’t understand me, but if I tell it slowly she’d probably tell me to pick up my pace, which is ironic because with my Cerebral Palsy I only have one pace. Slow.
“How do I tell you without you getting angry,” I tell her as she raises her eyebrow.
“Angry? why what did Zeal do?” She asks.
I look up at her with a raised eyebrow myself and question why she thought he did something. “You tell me, you come home all secret like only carrying one carrier and with tears in your eyes, so something must’ve happened.”
Biting my lip I then tell her “If I tell you this, you have to pinkie pie promise me you won’t tell anypony.”
She rolls her eyes asking me “Don’t you think we’re a little too old for that?” I guess we were, but this was big. Zeal had taken my baby and for that, he would never be forgiven, but I needed to make sure she had my back.
She sighs knowing that I wasn’t giving up without a fight. I am the Princess of Dedication after all. “Cross my heart, hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recites with a sigh, as I smiled proudly as I also quickly regretted telling her what Zeal did.
“While at the hospital I fell asleep after feeding the twins, but after I woke up…” I couldn’t go on to tell her what he had done. It was still kind of new to me, so telling her right then and there was scary, but I let her take in the next part of the information and waited for a reaction.
“I only saw Destiny in the room with me.” The next thing was so out of the blue that I didn’t know whether to laugh or be serious, but I stayed my sad self because no matter how much I denied it I knew my bestie was right.
“He basically ponynapped him,” she tells me, while I just shake my head no.
“Faith, my friend, are you blind,” she asks me as I just stare at her with a dubious look on my face. “Did you guys EVER talk about the twins’ living situation? Did he leave a note saying why he was TAKING HIM minus the fact that YOU DID NOT GIVE UP AS ASTER’S MOTHER!!! I could tell this was upsetting my best friend, but there was nothing I could do it was like I was frozen it wasn’t until I heard Destiny crying that I was alert Jessie still looking mad, but apologetic since her screaming was the thing that woke her up.
“Well,” She asks after I got done cradling Destiny. “What are we going to do about this,” she asks me. This was my fight I couldn’t drag her or anypony for that matter into it.
“We,” I tell her with passion. “Are NOT doing ANYTHING.”
Jessie looked up surprised at me, probably because I’m the Princess of Dedication, but I didn’t want to do anything I mean Aster was Zeal’s child as well, so technically what he did wasn’t all that bad. He wanted to raise his son. I understood that. I’d would’ve done the same thing if it was Nano, who wanted to take Sparkle. I could also understand that he wanted something to remember me by and Aster was my clone. So, to me it made sense.
“Wow, I honestly thought with you being so loyal and also the Princess of Dedication that you would be dedicated to getting your son back, but I guess I was wrong.” It was at that moment, where I was the one who got angry at her for questioning my title, which she knew I didn’t like to be called that because I don’t like the labels and for questioning my Motherhood “HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE ONLY THING THAT I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF DOING FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE AND HOW DARE YOU THROW THAT IN MY FACE LIKE THAT ZEAL WANTS TO BE A JERK LET HIM, But Don't EVER TELL ME THAT I AM NOT LOYAL OR DEDICATED TO MY OWN CHILDREN YOU OUT OF ANYPONY IN EQUESTRIA SHOULD KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE AND CARE FOR THEM!!!
“Really?” She asks me in shock. “Then where is Aster?”
To be honest, I didn’t want to fight with her or admit the truth to her, but I knew she was right, so I just stayed silent.
“Exactly,” she tells me. “I’m just trying to help you Bestie,” she says with a sigh. “Whether you accept the truth or not I hope you come to your senses, now I’m going to get Violet and Phoneix and we’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she says letting me just nod, sighing mentally this time.
After she, Vi, and Phoneix left and I left Destiny sleeping in her cot I went to check on SparkleShine and while in the room I did what I thought was best for my daughter and my family and that was for her to forget about Aster completely. As the light from my horn flashed onto her forehead I questioned if this will ever come back to haunt me. Oh, Celestia, I hope not.
The day started like any other, of course, breakfast with Mommy and Phoneix and then it was Celestia’s School of Magic with Phoneix and my best friend SparkleShine, then it’s off to her house to spend some time with her and her family, while Mommy goes and sings again on tour and won't be back for another week, of course I would miss her, but I was so excited for the afternoon I couldn’t explain it. In me, I feel like something big will happen.
“Woah, Vi, honey slow down,” Mommy tells me while adding “Gosh, I haven’t left yet, and you’re already wanting to leave,” she says jokingly with a smile while kissing my mane.
“Sorry, I just am really excited to spend time with Sparkle and Dessie, it’s been forever since I’ve been over there by myself,” I tell her while swallowing my cereal.
“What’s the big deal, you see Sparks in school every single day of your life,” my younger brother Phoneix tells me as I roll my eyes. “When you have a best friend that you care about so much, the times you get with them are the best feelings in the world, you’ll learn when you get older.” I tell him as he retorts “I’m only a year younger and I do have a best friend.” At that exact moment Mom chimes in ‘Alrighty, drop the best friend subject for another day,” she says looking at Phoneix harshly like if they trying to hide something from me, but I didn’t want to badger them or for them to ruin my good mood, so I had told my Mom goodbye and to have a safe tour and like always her response was to not drive Faith crazy with our madness, the reason she says that is because when you put Dessie, Sparks, and I in the same room together we’re either pranking Zane, Sparkle’s Special Somepony or her Mom, there’s never a calm moment with us, because we’re all so hyper in one way or another. Dessie likes to shadow me because I’m her same type of pony, which is a pegasus and SparkleShine is my partner-in-crime because if I were to ever get into trouble, she’d be right next to me and tell whoever was reprimanding me that she was the one who did it, which to me is the definition of friendship, she has my back every single time.
The school bell rings and like a bullet, I dash out of Magic School flying whoosh, with Sparks trolling behind me and then I see her running I assume to catch up to me, however, I am wrong when I hear Zane’s voice saying “Watch out Flash,” and I duck feeling as if it’s just safer to walk. “Sorry,” he says before pecking Sparks’s cheek. “So, what are you two doing today,” he asks her.
“Vi’s Mom is going on tour, so she’s staying over for the week., the unicorn says while smiling big, I guess she is excited of spending time with me as much as I am with her.
“I see, so, Flash, what do you say to a race to see who’s the fastest, he says with a mysterious smile. “Sure, but don’t think I’m going to go easy on you Skies,” I tell him showing the competitiveness of my personality.
“You’re on,” he says expanding his wings to let Sparks on his back, let’s just say that my bestie’s weight kind of slowed him down making me the winner victoriously.
“No fair, I had Sparks on my back,” he tells me as I just roll my eyes as this is the excuse he always uses.
“I didn't mean to slow you down babe, you offered,” my best friend says. “True, but still, I should’ve won,” he says as I roll my eyes once more.
Sparkle then opens the door and calls out to her Mom and Dessie. “Guys, anypony home,” she asks the empty house, well I thought it was empty until I saw Dessie flying practically to me. “VI,” she practically yells as she jumps on me. “Hi, Dessie, hey maybe later we can go and take pictures together if that’s okay with your Mom,” I tell her.
“Where is Mommy, anyways,” Sparkle asks
“She’s working, she has her hood on, so she’s in full-blown dedication mode,” Dessie replies.
“Uh-oh, when Faith gets into something, she doesn’t stop until it’s finished, I just hope she’s eaten.” I think to myself.
“Has she eaten,” Sparks asks, do I not know my best friend or what?
“Yeah, she ate,” Dessie says as we walk completely into the house, which is ironic because you would think that with Faith being a princess that it would be a castle, but it’s just a normal home.
“Mom, we’re home, we’ll be in my room if you need something,” she tells her. Let me explain the relationship Sparks has with her Mom, it wasn’t until Sparks Dad Nano had cheated on Faith when Sparks was a smaller filly, which led her to promise to her Dad that she would take care of Faith whenever something happens to her, which I think it’s sweet, but I’ll let somepony else tell you about that.
Immediately after entering Sparks room, I hop onto her bed and say “Oh my Celestia, your bed is so comfy,” as the unicorn laughs a little and goes back to her writing. She like her Mom is a writer although she’s not as good as her Mom, she’s learning though. Dessie comes in just staring at us as I grab my backpack from school and start taking out my colored pencils and start drawing whatever comes to mind.
As I am drawing I suddenly hear a flash and I look up seeing Dessie with a soft smile. Luckily for me, I have extra film. “Des, don’t waste any of her films,” Sparks says “I don’t mind Sparks I have extra,” I tell her assuring Dessie to continue.
A few minutes later as I finished the last finishing touches on my drawing I was happy with what I had drawn; it was a color-pencil drawing of a red unicorn stallion with a money cutie mark, why I had drawn that specific cutie mark I’m not sure. All I know is that the unicorn right next to him I pictured him kind of nerdy his coat, kind of light blueish like Destiny’s and hair is in the style of a mushroom look and Faith’s hair color, with his Cutie Mark a paintbrush with science symbol surrounding it also, and yet I don’t know why, but I pictured his personality being shyer than Fluttershy, somepony who’s not all that tough, but someone who still is gentle and kind. Once I finished I held it up to show the girls and say “Hey, look what I drew.”
Sparks turns her body and hops down to get a better look at the drawing as does Dessie, who has been doing poses while taking pictures as she’s the first pony to speak and says “Oooohhh, Pretty Picture Violet,” as I smile to her and wait for Sparks to say something, I quickly regretted showing her what I was most proud of.
“You drew my ex-stepdad,” she says so coldly as I can hear the tone of her voice quiet yet it was like if I had just stabbed her in the back. “Hey, why are you mad at me,” I asked. “And, how is he your ex-daddy, where is he now,” Dessie asks her, while Sparks was turned away from her and me.
“I’M MAD AT YOU BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM!!! He LEFT ME TO TAKE CARE OF MY MOM WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH DESTINY AND YOU KNOW THIS!!! YOU KNOW THAT I CANNOT STAND NEITHER OF MY Dad's BECAUSE OF THEM LEAVING MY MOM AND ME!!! YOU KNOW THAT HE’S THE REASON WHY MY MOM Pours HERSELF INTO HER WORK BECAUSE IF SHE Didn't SHE’D PRACTICALLY BE IN HER BEDROOM CRYING HER EYES OUT FOR HOURS BECAUSE EVEN AFTER NINE YEARS SHE’S NOT THE SLIGHTEST BIT OVER HIM YET!!!
Seeing her so upset with me made me feel so bad that I actually showed her this. “Hey, Hey, HEY, WHAT IN EQUESTRIA IS GOING ON!!!” Faith says coming between me and Sparkle. “I accidentally reopened a few scars,” I say with a sad look on my face.
“ACCIDENTALLY!!!” My best friend screams at me. This made me feel even worse as Sparks emerald green eyes turned crimson, fiery red and her horn magic turning green like her eyes normal color.
“That’s enough SparkleShine,” Faith says sternly as Destiny and I just stare at her with a sudden scared look on our faces, I knew that Sparks had the magic that her Dad had, she was practically his clone, which is why I think they were so close. This magic though just happens when she gets angry she’s able to handle it better than Starlight was when she was mad at Trixie when she visited Twilight’s castle. “Sparks, they will be downstairs when you are able to calm down and not turn into your father,” she says before Dessie asks her “Momma, can we go to the Everfree Forest to take pictures?” I then look at Faith as she looks at me with a wink, indicating that I was responsible for Dessie, so like always when I want to show I can be responsible I nod and smile. There was just one question I had on my mind when we walked out.
Who in Equestria was the colt in the picture and who was he to Zeal?
I dash out of my house as carefully as possible. My Dad had gotten a call from work and I thought to myself, “Perfect, I can sneak out now.”
It isn’t that I don’t love my Dad, it’s just that… Okay, yeah it’s the fact that I don’t love my dad. To be honest, I’d prefer my Mother, even though he had told me that she didn’t want me, because of the way I walk, which I don’t think is true, because he also says that she’s a princess. According to most fairy tales, princesses aren’t all that mean, especially to their animal friends. Oh, Celestia, I hope, whoever she is, that she does not talk to animals like Fluttershy. I’ve always found that part of her creepy. It’s not that I don’t like Flutter, because I do, I love her element and what she stands for, kindness, but everypony has that one thing they can’t stand and for me, it’s the way she talks to animals. Other than that I don’t have any complaints.
The thing with my Dad is that he’s not so nice to me and he has never really been that nice of a pony, or at least from my perspective. He’s always being rude to me, making me not want to deal with him at all. Oh, and there’s also the problem with me not having my special little speck anymore. Let me explain.
Ever since I could crawl, I had always been fascinated with this one particular speck. They called it the main circle of Equestria, and it oversees my home in the Everfree forest. A better name for it, however, would be Ponyville. For years, I was only interested in drawing that speck that I longed to live in. Ponies say that it’s the most wonderful place in all of Equestria. I was just a tiny colt when I had realized the effect that little speck had on me. I would always hop onto a ladder to see since I was not able to levitate myself yet. I would imagine that I was the prince instead of Rapunzel stuck in that tower, where somepony I barely knew kept me captive. I was only allowed to teleport from home in the forest to school in Celestia’s Magic School, and back to my room, this being so he says, “the most brilliant plan”. It was thought up by my father, so that way other ponies won’t see me. I would also make myself invisible every time I ate lunch because of him. Hey, I am only doing what my father thinks is right for the Kaiser name. This is the way I lived my life, even to this day.
One day, when I had teleported back into my bedroom from school with a smile on my face, I had gotten my backpack to grab my sketchpad. I wanted to try again to see what the speck looked like. To be honest, it was all just a mystery to me, like if you’re looking under a microscope discovering a new species. I am really into science. Anyways, when I looked to see my little speck of a mystery, I had noticed that all I could see was pitch black. This baffled me. They say it was curiosity that killed the cat, and boy was I one curious kitten.
“Sir,” I speak in a nearly inaudible voice. He looks up and sees me practically shaking due to my nerves.
“Speak UP son.” He barks, causing me to become even timider and attempt to hide from him by trying to make myself invisible. Before I could do so, he grabs my horn, making my magic stop almost immediately. He roughly lets it go and says with a harsh tone, “Go on Son.”
“W…Wh…What ha…pp…end… to…the…w…in…d…ow… in my r…o…om?” I ask, stumbling over my words.
“You’ll soon realize, Son, that dreams and ambitions are nothing but a waste of everypony’s time because those dreams and ambitions do not keep the roof over their heads.” He says with a strict yet monotone voice.
“You say that, but you got your cutie mark,” I tell him.
He sternly looks at me and yells, “Yes, I got my cutie mark, but it wasn’t because I spent hours drawing someplace I would never go! Practical is the way to go!!”
I couldn’t believe what he was saying to me. “But, I do everything you ask me to do sir, why do I have to be punished for being dedicated to something?”
As I waited for him to answer he turned his back. “Gosh, you’re so much like her. I’m sorry, the window stays tinted.” He goes back to his work and I went back to my room, trying not to cry my eyes out, but I cried anyway.
Through my tears, I kept screaming to him, although not loud enough for him to hear me, “I hate you! You’re the worst father anypony could ask for!!”
My speck was gone, and so was my happiness. I soon decided not to dwell on what he had done to my speck, but to do something magical. I hopped onto my ladder and as my crystal blue magic did its thing, my tinted window then became a galaxy. With that, something lit on the side of my flank. There appeared to be the only thing I ever really did thank my father for… my cutie mark.
My thoughts on that day, 4 years ago, are interrupted by me bumping into somepony. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” A young filly says with a hyper, yet an apologetic tone of voice.
This pony has a light blue coat, black hair with blue highlights in her mane, and a director’s chair for a cutie mark. Looking up at her, I used my magic and teleported to another part of the forest. Surely enough, though, I find myself in a very highly ranked predicament as when I popped into the other side of the forest, the only place to hide was Zecora’s hut. I had no choice but to ask her if I could hide there.
“My dear Aster, you mustn't be shy, Violet Flash is faster, and she can fly.” She recites. “So, I can’t hide here..?” I ask in a quiet voice.
She shakes her head, gesturing for me to go back into the forest and leaving me to bump into that filly again. I couldn’t use my magic this time because I already knew that she was faster than me.
I apologize to the filly in an inaudible tone, “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t even hear myself over the the loud sound of my trembling.
“Hey, it’s okay.” She says with a smile, hugging me. It was probably meant to calm me down. “You dropped your sketchbook on the other side of the forest when you teleported over here.”
I just nod as opposed to saying “Thank You.”
“I like to draw too.” She says, bringing her camera up to her eyes. I am astounded that she wants to take my picture, my eyes grew big and blinking when the flash of the camera hits my eyes. A Polaroid picture comes out of the front of the old camera.
“Perfect,” she states, with an even bigger smile. “So, what’s your name?”
I think fast about how to explain my true identity without saying a single word. I’m not used to speaking to other ponies except my dad, and usually, that in itself is not a good idea. I levitate an Aster (genus) flower and put it by her ear, then quickly put my name into the flower. A-S-T- E-R.
She smiles. “It’s nice to meet you Aster, I’m Violet Flash. It’s always nice to meet a star.” Her words make me blush. “I’m anything, but a star,” I reply quietly.
“He speaks!” She exclaims, laughing a little. I think she was more in shock than anything else.
“Of course I do,” I say in a small voice. “Do you want to see my artwork?”
She looks up from her sketchbook; she was drawing my reaction to the picture she just took. “Why are you drawing me?” I ask, my voice still silent.
“It’s just for me, I won’t show anypony.” She gives me a small smile and looks at my sketches of the speck I once knew.
“Wow,” she says, astonished. “You have an imagination. Ponyville looks nothing like what you’ve drawn,” she says in a playful tone. I just nod.
“I can’t look at it now, my speck is covered. But it’s fine because I turned it into the galaxy. I’m really into astronomy.” I tell her. Yes, I know I’m speaking only one-liners, but what do you expect from somepony who’s shy?
She chuckles a little. “Well, at least you took something negative and made it into something positive, that’s what my best friend’s mom always says.”
We were then rudely interrupted by a pegasus who was screaming out her name and flying towards her, nearly knocking me over.
“Oh my Celestia, I’m so sorry kid!” she exclaims apologetically. “Destiny, be careful where you’re flying!” Violet reprimands her. I’m assuming they’re sisters, but they look nothing alike. It isn’t until I get up that I see Violet’s mouth drop open. I look at the other pony to my left and just tell her with a shaky tone of voice, “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” I teleport back to my room, my safe place from the outside and what I just witnessed.
“I wonder why he had to leave so quickly,” Vi says to me as we were walking back to my house. I was fairly quiet as we walked out of the forest wondering if I had done something to upset the pony before he disappeared because he looked at me as if he knew me. It was as if I had seen him before. “Hey mini Sparks, you all good,” she asks me as soon I heard her call me “Mini Sparks” I looked up.
“I’m not Sparks, I’m just thinking, sorry if I’m not as enthused as usual I just need to process what I just saw before he vanished.” It was weird seeing someone who looked like me, but why did he? I’ve seen the cake Twins before and they look absolutely nothing alike. Okay, maybe the color of them both, but that’s it. And also my Mom and Aunt Amethyst Heart. Amethyst is dark blue and Mommy is very light yellow. This is all so creepy. I need answers and fast. There’s no way I could have a twin.
As we enter the house Sparks is in the dining room writing in her journal as she gets up and then comes to us and asks us “Did you guys have fun?” Vi speaks up first as I grab one of her cameras and start taking wacky pictures of myself. Trying to get out of my mind of what we both experienced Acting like if nothing ever happened is one of the specialties I possess. I should be an actress instead of a model when I’m older.”We met somepony in the forest,” I hear Violet say to Sparks. “I even got a picture of him,” she says with a gleam in the tone of her voice as she shows my sister the picture of the sky blue colt.
“Holy Celestia,” Sparks says “Am I seeing double,” she says kind of baffled as she held the picture up to my left side leaning over Violet. “Oh my gosh, this is so exciting, Dessie don’t you know what this means?” I shook my head because for me to be a twin it would have to go way back in the other centuries just like it did for the Cakes. This was absurd. “This is absurd,” I tell her. “You’re more excited about this colt then I am, which is really weird because you’re acting like if you know of him,” I say with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t I’m just saying, you have your own doppelganger,” she says excitedly.
“Just because he looks like me, does not mean that he’s my Twin,” I tell her with a raised voice. “And you can’t have a doppelganger unless you’re Discord and you have his weird magic,” I tell her. “Suit yourself little sister, but it would be so cool,” she says to me. Sparks was really getting on my nerves with this whole Twin scenario subject. The pony I really wanted to be excited about this whole thing is Momma, although I’ll understand if she’s afraid of this at first, this is really a world turner if it’s correct.
“Do you have a name for this mysterious unicorn?” Sparks then asks Violet as Vi then takes off the flower from her ear and says “This is what he did to the flower he wrote his name, which means star.”
“That’s a pretty meaning, can we hear what his name is though,” Momma asks Violet as we all jump. How long has she been standing there? We then hear her chuckle and then say “Sorry my little fillies, didn’t mean to scare you I am done with my work for today and I wanted to see if you guys were hungry I can make sandwiches if you guys want any?” We all nod as Violet then clears her throat and follows Momma to the kitchen while Sparks and I go back to what we were doing. It wasn’t long before we heard a crash and Violet asking Momma “Oh my Gosh, Faith are you okay,” Sparks immediately rushed into the kitchen to aid Momma and calm her down. When I got there all I saw was this face of distraught and utter relief on Momma, which was weird. “Mom, why don’t you sit down and I’ll clean this up while Vi and Dessie make the sandwiches,” Sparks says giving her a comforting smile. “I… Can’t sit down…” Momma says kind of scaring me a little. “I…I…have to go, excuse me,” she says while flying out of the house.
“What was that all about,” I asked while helping Violet with the sandwiches. “What did you say to her?” “Nothing, I just said his name and then the glass pitcher of Apple Juice crashed as she covered her face with her hoodie like she was afraid of something.”
“You guys want to skip lunch and find out what it is,” Sparks asks us.
“I just want to make sure she’s not mad at me,” Violet says with her ears faced down as she frowns.
“I’m sure she’s not mad Bestie maybe just a little shaken up,” Sparks reassures her as she nods.
“So, are we heading out or what,” I asked with a somewhat smile. It’s not that I was excited I just wanted to get out of the house since I came home early from school.
“We’ll go now, finish your lunch,” Sparks tells me before going back to her own.
After lunch, we headed back to the Everfree forest, where we hid behind a bush as we saw Momma screaming a red stallion saying “Let me see him,” “Let me see him Please,” it sounded like she was crying too and my heart broke. Sparks had used her magic to project their voices, so that way we could hear better. “Sparks, did you know anything about this,” Violet asked. “I don’t know Vi, but if I did know anything, I’d probably send it to the back burner now,” she says very bleakly. It was at that very moment, where Sparks stopped the projection of their voices and she started looking pale and green at the same time, which frightened me a little because I know that when Sparks becomes ill it’s really bad just like Momma.
“Baby, you okay,” we hear Zane say as Vi and myself look at each other with a raised eyebrow wondering “when did he show up?” As Sparks rushes to a trash can to go puke her guts out and Vi and Zane follow her I stayed looking at Momma talking to the stallion and then I see her coming out with Phoenix, Vi’s brother, but why would he be at this pony’s house, this didn’t make any sense to me at all. Who are these ponies? Why did Momma want to see the colt so bad? And, why was she yelling at that Stallion?
Immediately following Zane, who was following Sparkle, who was becoming sick to her stomach my heart broke for my best friend. She only got this tummy bug when she became anxious, so while yes, she does get sick often, she does not get this type of sickness unless she’s anxious, and when she became anxious it meant something bad was going to happen, but what she was anxious about, well everypony that’s beyond me.
Picking up her mane, so it’s not in her face I hear her retching, while I also hear Zane as he licks the sweat marks off her face. “I’m done,” she whispers to us as I let go of her hair and he stops licking her. I then turn my attention to her Special Somepony and let him know of the key under the mat of their house and to just let them in and that Dessie, Faith and I would be home as soon as possible. He nods and then turns to Sparks telling her to climb on as she does and he takes to the skies, while I sigh worrying for my best friend as I go back to see where Dessie was. I enter the forest only to see a sad Phoenix and an angry Faith as I gulp and ask “What’s going on?” It is Dessie who speaks up first and says “Phoenix is best friend’s with the mysterious colt.”
“DESTINY!” My brother yells at her. Ladies and gentlecolts this is where my mouth falls to the floor wide agape as I could not believe what my “student” was telling me, oh, did I mention besides being one of Dessie’s closest friends I am also her mentor? “So, if Phoenix is best friends with Aster, then why does your Mommy look so angry, are you mad at me,” I asked Faith as her face softened a little and she let go of Phoenix gently as she tells me “I’m not mad at you Violet I’m mad at your Mommy, she didn’t keep a Pinkie Promise and I’m just mad at her right now, but I’ll get over it soon I hope and Phoenix I’m not mad at you either, I’m glad you have him as a best friend, I’m just sad I couldn’t meet him personally he seems like a really sweet colt,” she says to my brother. “Plus, it now opened my eyes, I now know what I have to do,” she says with a hint of determination. I loved when she gets this way it showed fire, it showed passion, it showed courage, it showed why she was chosen to be a Princess of Equestria and I admired it, not only because of what she has gone through with her own daily struggles but because whatever it was Faith had to do it showed she was ready for the battle and I can see in her eyes that it would be one heck of a fight for her to deal with, even though I’m not really sure what she means by “it now opened her eyes” but I’m pretty sure we’ll all figure it out soon enough.
“Alright, I have one, two, three…” she counts as she stops seeing that Sparkle wasn’t with us as she sighs “Wasn’t Sparkleshine with you guys, that’s what Dessie said,” she looks down at me with a questionable look. I sigh as I think to myself “Wow, Dessie, you have a big mouth for everything else, why didn’t you tell your Mommy that your sister got sick.” “She got anxious again, which made her nauseous, so I told Zane about the key under the mat, to let themselves in so that way she can get better,” I tell her. “You do know that now that he knows about our new hiding place for the key he’s going to enter the house now every single day of our lives until he and Sparks get married right,” Dessie asks me. This is true by the way, so each month what we do is that we put a key to the house in a different area of the house every once a month. This has been the ritual ever since we were Sparks, Zane and I were four. “It’s time for us to pick a new spot for it anyway since it’s a tradition that we do this, every year my Mommy goes on tour,” I tell her as Faith then chuckles and nods “This is true Violet.”
As we exit the forest Faith then speeds like a bullet home to SparkleShine and Zane as we then follow her to the house, where our mission was now to hide the key from Zane once more and this time I think we’ll hide it inside the house, so he would never find it. “Where should we hide it this time,” Dessie asks me as we then hear Zane shush us as I was just about to answer her.
“Rude much,” Dessie says, which normally I would agree with her, but once I saw why he was doing it I was on his side. Sparks had just fallen asleep Dessie might not understand this because she’s still young, but Zane and I knew it was hard and almost impossible to get SparkleShine to sleep when she wasn’t well.
“She also kept apologizing on the ride over I just kept telling her not to look down whatever she did, because if she was feeling sick her vomit would be in somepony’s mane soon,” he chuckles a little as I was just looking worrisome at my best friend. What was she nervous about? “Well, at least we know one thing, she’s definitely Faith’s daughter if she’s apologizing for something that's out of her control,” I giggle a little. My attention is then on my brother’s whereabouts when I realize he’s not around being his usual perky self. I then go flying upstairs to go find him. When I do I find him in Faith’s old bedroom and I say this because she now eats, sleeps, and breathes in her recording studio I’m not kidding that pony has an ACTUAL bed outside of the booth inside the studio, so she had converted her old bedroom into a guest room.
“We’re not supposed to be in here,” I tell him as he’s looking through Faith’s Magic books.
“Don’t worry sis,” he says to me. “I asked if I come in here, Auntie Faith said it was okay.” I nodded as I bit my lip… thinking of how to bring up Aster and how he knew him. It puzzled me. “Something up Violet, you’re usually running off with Dessie somewhere teaching her about pictures, why are you just standing there,” he asked with a raised eyebrow. I took a breath and just came out right out and asked him. “Hey, nix, can I ask how you know Aster?” As he looked up and slammed the book he was looking at closed he then used his magic to close the door of the room and covered my mouth with his hoof.
“Violet, how do you know that name,” he asks taking his hoof away “I met him while taking pictures with Dessie earlier today, why did I do something wrong,” I asked with a disappointed look on my face. He sighs and tells me “Maybe, I’m not sure yet, it’s just that Aster’s dad is really strict and mean to him, the only time he even wants to come out of his room and hang out is when he knows his Dad is going to be gone for the weekend he was just leaving when Auntie Faith came and bombarded the Stallion with questions.
“Phoenix, do you know who that is, the Stallion I mean,” I asked my younger brother. He nods and tells me “Yeah, he’s Auntie’s ex-husband. Again, my mouth DROPPED! He knew who this Stallion WAS and DIDN’T TELL ANYPONY, meanwhile Sparks, Dessie, and I are left clueless.
“How do you not tell me YOUR OWN SISTER ABOUT THIS!!! You do realize that Aster might be Faith’s kid right,” I asked. My brother just nods his head and says “I’m aware of the situation, but thanks for the info though.” I sigh there has to be a reason why we couldn’t figure it out and my kid brother could.
“How do you know of him,” I asked as he just looked at me with this face that I really didn’t like seeing it was one of those “You really wouldn’t like the answer” type of faces and for once I agreed, but he knew I wasn’t going to let this go as he tells me “Mommy had been taking me over there to hang out with him since she found out Zeal took him away from Auntie.” It felt like my world was spinning out of control. The one and only person besides my best friend that I have complete trust in was keeping this from ME!!! Her clone, her right-hoof, her FIRSTBORN!!! How DARE SHE!!! I then excuse myself from my brother flying to Sparks room, since she was sleeping on the sofa. It was then where I started feeling the warm tears caress my cheeks as I start hyperventilating all of a sudden my body temperature starts boiling and at the top of my lungs I scream to the rooftops “WHY IN EQUESTRIA IS THIS HAPPENING!!!” Plopping onto my best friend’s bed I am now crying, screaming, and coughing as the door opens Faith shushes me telling me to copy her breathing, then after I’m calm she tells me “Oh, sweetie, you can’t stay mad at your Mommy, she does these things with good intentions,” she says while still calming me down “Why don’t you come downstairs, Sparks is asking for you.”
I roll my eyes smiling “When is she not asking for me?”
“ASTER!!!” Somepony called me. I had been daydreaming again about how this weekend went down. I jump hiding shamefully in my book after I noticed everypony staring dead at me like if I’ve just done something wrong, my book levitates to the front of the class as I then tell it “Hey, where you going come back here,” everypony then laughs as I just shamefully put my head on my desk as some filly tells me “Hey Aster, your book won’t listen to you, maybe you should run after it, oh wait,” she says this making me slump in my chair. “That’s enough Swirly Swirl,” he says as he then uses his magic to then put me in a sitting position he then asks me “See me after class yeah?” I nod as he gives me my book back and continues teaching, while I still am lost in what happened this past weekend.
The bell rings for recess, while I just sit there reading on what I missed during his lesson while he was grading papers but then clears his throat “You were out of it today, something on your mind,” he asks me. I guess I didn’t hear him because this time I heard him call me by my last name “Kaiser!!! I then look up as he looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand Mind,” I tell him, this was my problem, not anyone else’s. “You’re probably right because I am not that much older and wiser than you,” he says, making me sigh and tell him what was on my mind, he was my mentor after all and he’s made it quite clear that I can go to him for anything. To be honest, this being one of those times, as I sigh and step off my chair bringing it over, so that way I can sit on it while facing his desk. It takes me a few seconds before I can get the words out of me, but I do. “Well, you see I had my best friend Phoenix come over, since my father was leaving on a business trip it’s the only time I ever like to come out of my room,” I tell him as he nods as I stop for a little bit wondering if I should tell him about what happened with Phoenix’s so-called “Aunt Faith” “He wasn’t alone though, there was this Alicorn that was there begging my Dad to come and see somepony, and I think it was him, but I’m not quite sure, he kind of protected me by making me invisible, but I heard everything and he kept calling her Auntie Faith,” I could’ve sworn Mind’s face when I mentioned this Alicorn’s name, it was like he knew her because after going completely blank, he did a complete three-sixty and smiled while chuckling a little “My, I haven’t heard that name in quite a while,” he says while magically bringing down an old picture frame down from the shelf of the room. Not knowing what this has to do with me as he then smiles at the picture and says “Hey Cubby,” as if the darn thing was going to speak back to him. “Come around Aster,” he says as I do what I’m told.
Despite the dust on the frame, it was a beautifully framed in Oak hardwood, which is one of the shiny ones I think, though I was in awe of the beautiful watercolor picture ever, gosh I would love to work with those colors, however, I don’t have any since my Dad’s a jerk, the picture was the Alicorn and Mind cuddling with brown letters saying Happy Birthday Bear! “That’s HER!!! My Dad has some pictures of her in his office, this is insane” I was in shock, what does she have to do with my English teacher? This was really weird, is this pony connected with everypony I have contact with? My Dad and Phoenix, Violet, and now MIND? Oh, and I put two and two together for Violet since Phoenix is her brother and all, I’d bet she was the Mom of her best friend.
“Her eyes are like mine, but darker,” I tell him, stalling the big question. “Mhm, she also has the same condition as you,” he tells me looking at me.
“My limping problem?”
“Your Dad never told you the name of your own diagnosis,” he asks me with a raised eyebrow.
“Mind, you do know I don’t talk to my father right, he always gets mad at me for being so quiet, what is it exactly,” I asked kind of now curious to hear the name of my limping situation.
“It’s called Cerebral Palsy,” he tells me.
“Cerebral meaning the brain and Palsy originating from the word paralysis meaning frozen,” I say as he now has his mouth agape, hey I’m a man of all sciences, even though astronomy is my most favorite.
“So, how do you know her,” I ask him. He shakes his head I guess still from the amazement of my knowledge of neurology and says while clearing his throat “Um, she’s like a sister to me,” As I just shake my head I couldn’t believe what he was saying to me. First Nix and now him too, this was one subject that was bugging me. I had to speak up. “With all due respect Mind, Phoenix calls her Auntie, but she’s not biologically related to her, and here you are saying that she’s like a sister and the same goes for you, you’re not related to her,” I tell him, just not in a yelling matter. I don’t like yelling or being yelled at.
He smiles while chuckling. “I know we’re not, but have you ever heard somepony ever tell you “You’re like the brother I never got to have,” he asks me as I just shook my head. “I don’t go out that often.”
He sighs and then tells me “Okay, take Phoenix, for example, do you ever hear him call you his “brother?”
“I mean he does call me bro, but what does that have to do with anything?”
At this point, he was going off-topic all I wanted to know is why he thought of the Alicorn like a sister, this was making my brain hurt.
“Okay, let me put it in a way you’ll understand, which is stronger in science: a biological bond or a chemical bond?”
“Is that a trick question, there are no bonds in biology and what do they have to do with each other they are sciences,” I tell him quite confused as to where he’s going with this.
“I used to think the same way as you but, you see Aster relationships are like chemistry, how two ponies react to each other depends on if they either attract or repel each other no matter if they’re related or not, do you get it now?”
“Vaguely, but yeah a little. So, why don't you see or talk to her, she’s obviously somepony you care about,” I asked scared that I might have pried way too into his personal life.
“She became very busy when she became a Princess, she was always dedicated to her work and her children, it’s a shame she doesn’t have all of them with her today,” he says with a sad monotone voice. Folks, when he mentioned her being a Princess, my mouth fell to the ground, my mother is a Princess could this be her?
“Mind, what is she a Princess of,” I ask him.
He looks up “Why do you ask, and it’s dedication, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“I was just wondering is all,” I lie to him. I definitely had a hunch that this pony was my Mother after all, but I needed proof. I needed to be sure.
“Aster I would speak to your Dad about this, it’s not my place to disclose that kind of information to you,” he says to me with a sigh after that. “But, I’ll always be here for you if and when you need me to be,” he tells me with a smile.
It was at that moment I realized that WrittenMind, while yes I find it ironic that a pony, who doesn’t have any children himself because of his Autism and him not liking consensual touch or loud noises is a school teacher. I also find it ironic that an energetic pony like himself could see himself in a shy, non-talkative, quiet pony like me we’re nothing alike. I guess I now understand the meaning of his lesson as I can feel his love and support within me. He is the father I never got to have.
Waking up to an empty house is kind of scary and depressing, both my Mom and sister aren’t home as Momma left a note saying that she went to Manehattan for the week, though Sparks I have no idea where she could be. As I fly downstairs I see Violet eating her cereal with Apple Juice. I smile trying to hide the fact that I’m down and ask her “Hey Vi, where’s Nix?” She swallows her cereal as she then says “He’s at school already, which I’m going to be late for because I have to take you to flight school,” she says as I nod. “Is Sparkleshine with Nix then, where is she staying, is she okay?” Folks after not coming home after what happened with Momma, you guys can see why I am nervous. They normally don’t fight and if they do it’s for something really not worth fighting about, but they usually patch things up and fairly quickly. “Yeah, she’s with Nix, she’s staying with her mentor Rooted Kin until she’s ready to come home, and she’s still upset, I think now she’s just upset about the situation and mad at herself for treating Aunt Faith so badly.” As Vi continued talking my mind flashed back to what happened before we all knew about Sparks and Momma's argument.
The day started off as normal. We were off from school since it was a Teacher Workshop day, so we were all home. Phoenix was studying Magic as always in Momma’s old bedroom, while Momma was working in the kitchen probably on lunch, while Sparks, Violet and I were in Sparks room I was just taking pictures of the outside, while Vi was coloring and Sparks was writing.
It wasn’t until I saw something that caught my eye as I then turned to the girls and say “Um, girls, the colt from a few days ago is here.” It was Sparks who spoke first and asked all excited, even though she’s an introvert, which is ironic. “Really???!!!” while Vi was flying in circles until she reached outside and became dizzy “Oooh!” As I watched them I can only just roll my eyes and chuckle a little. Phoenix then tells both girls to control themselves as Vi fights back with a “Never!” I then roll my eyes again “It’s not that big of a deal.” I then turned my attention to the mysterious colt from a few days back. “So, what’s your deal,” I ask him as he just shrugs and folks what I wanted to be in my head actually came out of my mouth as I then say “Oh, great another introvert,” Sparks then chimes in and offensively asks me “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” Sorry, sis didn’t mean for it to come out.
Phoenix then speaks up asking him “How are you doing bro,” to which the colt responds that “Same old Same old. Not much going on and you?” This is where I had to do something I was getting bored with the formal talk so I chimed in interrupting them and asking them “Hey, do you guys want to play tag, but normal tag no transporting or flying.” I state as almost everypony was down for it, but of course, Vi and the colt had to chime in and complain about something. “Man, you’re no fun,” Vi says as she stops flying but reluctantly agrees as I narrowed my look to the colt, who tells me “No fair I limp,” I so wanted to tell him something first he comes into our group like if he’s some big shot and now he wants to complain about his personal problem, who is this guy? Phoenix then chimes in and tells him “C’ mon bro, it will be fun. I got your back if anything happens.” Violet then asks Nix “What does he mean by…?” “Why don’t we start playing.” Nix ever so rudely interrupts his sister. Now, it was just the debate on who starts and how we play. This is where I asked “How about you,” to the colt that had the personal issue. Folks, I might be hard on him, but I’m only doing it to get him out of his shell. I am not doing it with a malicious intention. Uncertain of my question he looks at Phoenix, who then looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a mad look on his face after he smiles at the colt and says “I’ll do it, I’ll start.”
“Suit yourself,” I tell him. It was at that moment where Zane, Sparks Special Somepony appears asking “’ Sup little ponies, whatcha doing?” Sparks then asks him “Where the heck did you come from?” Vi then states while giggling “Bestie, he’s a ninja for crying out loud.” As Zane then smirks while pecking my elder sister cheek as Vi squeals “Romance is amazing to me!” as I gag and tell them “Get a room you two,” as I then turn to Phoenix and ask him “Nix, are we playing or what?” I was quite bored just standing around. “Why don’t we do teams?” Sparks asks him, folks note that my sister only suggested this, so she can spend some time with her Special Somepony, it was then where Vi suggested we do guys versus girls at this point I had to scream “I'M FINE WITH WHATEVER I JUST WANT TO PLAY!”
“Calm down Dessie,” Phoenix says “We’ll go on the count of five.” He says as I nod.
After three rounds of the game, it looked like the colt was becoming breathless as Zane asks him “You okay buddy?” He then replies breathlessly and shyly nods with an “I’m just done,” when he said that Nix came rushing towards him asking him “Bro, you okay, do you need anything?” It was then where I started to feel bad because he had told Phoenix “Yeah, I’m okay, just tired. Transporting is easier, which is why I prefer it, although his gaze turned towards me when he said that, which made me feel like poop. “It’s okay, you just wanted to play. But he does seem like he has a limp. We just got to be careful.” I nod as I see Momma from the corner of my eye coming towards us looking directly at Violet and Sparkle. As she sighs and asks them “Hey Girls, can I talk to you for a second.” I could tell something was off with her and so could Nix as they went to talk with Momma, Zane had vanished and the mysterious colt had left to go find his father Phoenix looked at me probably because we were both thinking the same thing we both hoped everything was okay with Sparks, Vi, and Momma. Few seconds of silence later and I’m backed into a corner with Phoenix as he then starts yelling at me.
“WHAT THE HECK DESTINY!!!” he shouts at me. “WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU DECIDED TO QUESTION BRO LIKE THAT???” DID YOU NOT THINK I WASN’T GOING TO NOTICE!!!
“No, Nix I didn’t think you were going to notice,” I say sarcastically. “But what I did notice was that you speak FOR HIM like he’s some celebrity pony, what’s his deal anyway?”
“He isn’t anypony famous, but he doesn’t know anypony, except us, well me more than you guys, and the fact that he DOES NOT HAVE an extroverted side, not even like how Sparks and I do. He’s all introverted, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t QUESTION HIM OVER ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU Don't KNOW him as I DO!!! Do YOU UNDERSTAND?” He sighs after screaming at me.
“Momma?” I asked, wondering why she was flying out of the house. It was then where Nix had calmed himself as he whispers “Something has happened I can feel it.” Running towards the house we came into the library where Sparks and Vi were still at, with Sparks breathing heavily and Vi with a shocked look on her face. “Why does it feel like somepony died here, what in Equestria did you do to Momma?” I asked my big sister as Nix then chimes in and says “Why do I feel like a relationship won’t be how it used to be?”
This is where Sparks finally snapped yelling at us saying “This is NONE OF YOUR GUYS BUSINESS!!! So, it doesn’t matter what I did or didn’t do! Mom kept something from ME! This doesn’t concern you guys! Stay out of it,” she says to us all before transporting back to her room.
The look on Violet’s face was so heart wrenching as tears came down caressing her face and Nix sulks his head a little. I then ask them “So, I guess this means me too?” Violet sniffles “I understand why Sparks is feeling that way. It is a big secret. But, I understand why Auntie would keep it a secret.”
“What did she tell her though,” I asked, still curious.
“She said she hated her,” Vi tells me as my eyes grew wide.
My mind roamed with two different questions “How could she say something like that and what was Momma’s big secret?
Still baffled at what my daughter said to me. Still hurt by the tone of her voice, the piercing tone of her mumbling those three words that sliced me open, it was like a knife to the heart. You see Sparks has always been not only my firstborn but also my right hand, whenever I need something, condition-wise or just somepony to talk to when Jessie isn’t around I turn to my daughter sure she can be a little overprotective like her Dad was, but I love my daughter and no one can take the bond away from us.
The waves crashed against the sand as I tried to calm down from the storm inside of me. I don’t know what it is about the beach that is just so calming to me, it’s my Mother’s Reality Weaver’s favorite place to be, maybe that’s why I feel like it’s a calming serenity because it reminds me of home, where my family is back in Manehattan.
As I am remembering my family I then hear somepony call me as I have my hood up so I couldn’t really look at them and then I hear her. The voice that has been there for me since Destiny and Aster were born, the one person that made me realize that what Zeal did was wrong. My other half when Amethyst isn’t around me. As I jump to her calling my name I tell her “Oh, it’s you. Hey Jess,” as I tried to keep a smile on my face for her not to worry, but that totally backfired on my end.
As Jess stops flying she asks me “Hold up, I know you too well, what’s wrong? I sighed Jessie dod know me too well to know that something was on my mind, but for me, it was too fresh to talk about with anypony at the moment and I just wanted to be alone, but on the other hoof I wanted her next to me, which is exactly what happened because in just a few seconds she was sitting next to staring out at the water massaging her temples. “I’m missing everyone so much right now,” she tells me as I just snort and tell her “I kind of needed a break. Wish we could switch places just once.” Jessie then chuckles a little and says “Heh, you’ll be great with the music and sound design. I swear you would be much easier to work with. Only I wish I wasn’t so far.” I am so dazed out of it, because of what happened with Sparkleshine that at that moment I unintentionally blurted out why I was so upset and tells my best friend “Sparks hates me.” Hearing this makes Jess choke and ask “What why?!”
She had already left when I magically erased my daughter’s memory of Aster, so you would think that her reaction would be a shock right? Well, if you chose yes, you’re half-right. “I told her about what I did with erasing her memory of Aster with my magic the night I brought Dessie home,” I tell her as her face looks somewhat confused, but also like if she’s processing the information in her head. Jess has always been an analyzer. “Wait, back up and tell me how it happened from the beginning, just so that way I’m not so confused as to what went down,” she tells me as I sigh and start from the beginning, where I asked Vi and Sparks to come and talk to me.
I was looking at them from a distance, watching all of the kids, especially all of mine play with each other, the sight made my heart melt. It was too bad I had to ruin it, but once I saw that Aster was slowing down, because of the limp that his Cerebral Palsy gives him, just like mine I took the opportunity and waited for them to finish talking before I made myself known and ask the two eldest girls “Hey girls, can I talk to you for a second?” I suddenly get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, because I am not sure how they’re going to react, especially Sparkle.
As we enter what used to be my bedroom, but is more like a library now, I then start telling them what has been going on for the past nine years it was time for me to come clean. “There’s something I’ve been hiding from you guys,” I say while biting my lower lip. “And, I’m not sure how you guys, especially you,” I say while glaring at my eldest “are going to react.” As I then see that Vi is shaking as Sparks comforts her and tells me “I’m sure it won’t be that bad Mom. Just come out and say it.
As I heard those words I start by exhaling and saying “9 years ago, when you guys were still little and on the day Dessie was born, there was an incident involving Zeal… I was supposed to come home with two babies. But, I only came home with Dessie.
Vi is the first one to speak up and asks me “Say what now…? So, you mean Dessie has a Twin?” I chuckled and nodded it was amazing how something so big can excite Vi, she was a lot like Jessie in that sense. As I tell them “You’ve met already. I just don’t want to tell them yet.”
It’s Sparks who speaks up next and asks me very quiet-like “Is there more? I kind of already figured out who that is.” I sigh, turning my attention to my daughter I tell her “Slow your pace Sparks, I’m getting there.” I then tell them both that this next part was when Vi, Phoenix, and Jessie left, so they won’t know what happened. Looking at Sparkle I sigh and come clean with my actions from that night “I came into your room… and I erased your memory of him, without erasing your memory of Zeal knowing how close you were when we were together.”
As her eyes are bugged out for a second and the room is as quiet as mouse, where you could hear a pin drop, she then tells me “I’d rather have the thoughts and wonder what happened to Aster, who would be my long lost half-brother at this point instead of having the memories of SOMEPONY who left us, because HE WAS TOO AFRAID OF COMMITMENT AND WHO WASN’T MAN ENOUGH TO BE A FATHER TO HIS CHILDREN!” It was then when I heard her say what appalled me as I didn’t expect that to come out of my eldest child as she mumbles the words “I hate you,” my face does a three-sixty turn as I then dash out of the house.
As I finish with my rant of the century, or what I think it is because Jessie has heard me rant a lot in the past and present, but I think we both lean on each other and rant to each other. I mean who doesn’t complain to their best friend every once in a while, come on guys we’re all guilty of it.
As she breathes in and out she tells me “Faith, you’re my best friend, but seriously? I understand why you had to hide it from Sparks, but understand why she said that. She said it because you HID SOMETHING IMPORTANT LIKE A FAMILY MEMBER SHE NEVER KNEW SHE HAD! I’m sorry for being stern and I love you, but it’s true,” she says as she rubs the back of her neck.
Folks, this is where I got really heated and upset at my best friend because out of ANYPONY she shouldn’t be lecturing me about my CHILD! As she stops talking it’s my turn to tell her off and to make her realize what she did wasn’t right either. “Don’t yell at me! You ALSO HID SOMETHING! You hid the fact that YOU TOLD YOUR SON ABOUT MINE! YOU BROKE YOUR PINKIE PIE PROMISE! I TOLD YOU NO ONE WAS TO KNOW! I understand why my daughter hates me at the moment and I can accept that BUT YOU??? As I saw her shivering a little and wipe a tear she had I then calm myself down and tell her “I’m sorry I yelled, I’m just overwhelmed and need to understand why? That’s all.”
“It’s true… I’m really sorry about that. And Faith, I don’t hate you for what you did. I just got disappointed. But, I should be disappointed in myself also… I’m sorry,” she tells me. It’s not unusual for Jessie to apologize more than once, which means it wasn’t unusual for me to repeat myself as I first joke “You could never be mad at me even if you tried as I then sigh and ask her again “Why’d you do it? That’s all I’m worried about. I need a good reason.”
She breathes and then tells me one heck of a reason, which for me to forget about was pretty selfish of me to forget. “Well, Sparks isn’t the only introvert. Nix is as well although he’s a bit more open, I wanted him to have somepony like a brother on his side. Wave always pushed him aside and would make Nix think someway about friendships, but he seems so happy to be buddies with Aster,” she says with a sigh and then continues to say “I know I promised not to say anything about Aster, but I didn’t want him to be without a brother figure,” she says to me.
I smile letting her know that the answer satisfied me as I then tell her “I appreciate you looking after him. Better you than me I suppose.”
Jessie then comes closer to me for a side hug and tells me “You’re a great person and Mother I’ll be back soon don’t worry, I miss the rascals at home.” I then chuckle and tell her “They miss you too, me especially.”
She laughs and asks me “So, what are you going to do about Sparks, Zeal, and Aster?”
To be honest, my best friend was asking a really good question honestly. I don’t know what I was going to do as I shrug. “I guess I’ll let Sparks cool off before I go over to Rooted Kin’s house to get her to come home.”
“Isn’t she one of Mind’s friends?”
The mention of his name made me blush, mostly because I had not heard his name come out of anypony’s mouth in a while. The fact that she remembers his name is surprising because I haven’t mentioned my so-called “brother” to anyone as I look at her and shrug as if I didn’t know this, the truth is I did and yes, while they’re family, she’s Sparkle’s mentor, because she specializes in helping Special-needed ponies, Spark’s decision was not based on my friendship with Mind at all, I just want to make that clear.
“Alright Faith, you keep telling yourself, whatever it is to sleep at night,” she tells me and then changes the subject and asks “So, have you thought about any ways to get Aster back?”
“I don’t know, lawyers these days cost too many bits and I might be a Princess, but I can barely make ends meet with working on my Music at home and guest-speaking is a passion, not a full-time job, so, whether I like it or not, I can barely take care of the two fillies I have now,” I tell her.
The next thing that comes out of my best friend’s mouth is a shock to me as she breathes in and out and tells me “I’ll represent you.” My mouth drops to the floor and my eyes are bugged out as my heart is thumping so quickly, that I feel it could burst out of my chest at any given moment, this was a HUGE favor she would be doing for me as I ask her “How much?” Jessie raises an eyebrow as she shakes her head and says sternly NO! You’re not paying me A DIME, it’s the least I can do since I broke our Pinkie Pie Promise.” I was surprised by the sternness of her voice. “Okay, Okay,” I say as I then thank her for doing this for me. “No need to thank me Bestie I’ll always be there for you guys.”
The day I went to Kin’s house to apologize to Sparks was at the end of the week, Jessie and I talked about everything that went down. I figured it was time for us to talk and patch things up, I missed my little girl. I went home eventually to take care of Dessie and Vi and to finally handle some of my music stuff, I had written a lot of songs based on this experience, so that was good, the only thing some people might disagree with is the fact that I wasn’t letting this go, so easily and here’s my response to them why should I, this my kids come first more than anything. This whole experience had made us clash and we usually never do. I know I should’ve been honest with her about who her half-brother was, but I don’t know why I hid it from her.
I had to get the address from Nix and Vi, but it didn’t take much convincing.
As I got to Kin’s house I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was she still going to be mad at me or were we going to apologize and to each other, only time will tell.
The door cracked open without me even knocking and as she came out I could feel my heart and my head pounding suddenly, but I just thought it was because of seeing her again after what happened. The piercing sound of her tone of voice ringed in my head again as she looked up at me with nothing but disgust in her eyes as she says to me “Faith” I could tell she was still mad because if she was disrespecting me by calling me my first name instead of Mom, then she was livid and I didn’t blame her.
“Sparkle,” I say in the same monotone voice as her. “You’re still mad huh?”
“MAD ISN’T EVEN THE WORD I’M FURIOUS!!!” she yells at me as I gulp holding my head with my hoof because it was really getting to me. “HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY THINK I WOULD FORGIVE YOU FOR HIDING HIM FROM ME!!! I COULD UNDERSTAND WHY FROM DESSIE BUT ME!!!” AM I NOT YOUR RIGHT-HAND MAN ANYMORE, WHY IN EQUESTRIA AND IN CELESTIA WOULD YOU LIE TO ME?” I sighed knowing she had some point. She was my right-hand filly and she is the one I confide in when Jessie isn’t around, but you guys already know this. “Sparkle, I would take it all back if I could, I am SO SO SORRY!” I say to her practically begging her for her forgiveness. “MOM, STOP IT!!! YOU’RE PRACTICALLY PATHETIC BEGGING!!! YOU’RE A PRINCESS FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE! OH, WAIT MAYBE NOT BECAUSE A PRINCESS WOULD NEVER LIE!!! YOU DON’T DESERVE YOUR TITLE!”
At this point, I was even having trouble standing as my daughter yelled at me, but she was right in a way, right that I didn’t deserve my title as the Princess of Dedication or as her mother I then saw what was I think my life before my eyes, because on top of almost losing my balance it was getting very tricky to see. As I just mumble to myself “I can’t see, I can’t see.” It didn’t take long for me to faint as I could hear Sparks call out to me hysterically before I heard her yell “KIN, CALL 9-1-1!!!”
“EVERYPONY STOP!!!” Jessie yells. “Forgive me for being so blunt, but Cashmere, Reality, Amethyst, Twinkle, and Cocky, Faith Heart HAS NOT SEEN YOU GUYS IN YEARS!!! Since Sparks was born actually, so WHY IN EQUESTRIA ARE YOU GUYS HERE???” It was my uncle to speak first “We’re here because EVEN IF Faith has decided to cut us out of her life we’re still Family Jessie and we’re here for her no matter what.” I snort it doesn’t look that way considering they don’t know what’s going on with Dessie and Aster.
“Faith had cut everypony out of her life when she found out that she lost her son,” my Grandmother Reality said to Jessie. Did she not realize Aster was right, wait, where did he go? I then see Vi sleeping on what I think was air, but then I see the purple magic coming from the “air” as I then realize Aster had made himself invisible, which I don’t blame him, because dealing with the original clan of the Heart Family wasn’t easy.
“Heart Family,” a voice said as I turn my attention away from the two, who were cuddling and rush over to Chocolate Swirl, who was Mom’s neurosurgeon, she was one of the best doctors in Equestria, and I’ve been here multiple times when my Mom had her really bad headaches, so when she sees me and Jessie she smiles and says “I wish these were different circumstances,” as we both nod agreeing with her.
“What’s wrong with my baby?” Grandma Reality asks Chocolate Swirl worriedly. I was getting annoyed with the Original Heart Family acting like they care, I know they do, but where were you at any other points of Mom’s life?
“Well, since Miss Heart was unconscious we couldn’t ask her about her symptoms, so we had to do an MRI and we found that the endoscopic third ventriculostomy has closed and so we need to perform a reopening of the ETV in order for her Cerebrospinal fluid go down another valve smoothly and easily.”
I was on the verge of tears I should’ve recognized the symptoms, although Mom wasn’t experiencing vomiting and fatigue, as usual, she was experiencing the headaches, lack of balance while being dizzy, and vision problems. At this point, I walked away I had heard enough as I sat down next to Aster and fresh tears shed down my face.
“Bestie?” Vi asks. “You do know this isn’t your fault right?”
As she asked me that I nodded, yet still blaming myself, because I shouldn’t have yelled at her I mean I was angry, so I didn’t notice her symptoms and I’m supposed to be helpful for ponies with disabilities, what good am I if I can’t even help my own mother? I then feel it inside of me to yell so I do, because with all of this bickering and talking I can no longer take it.
“LEAVE NOW EVERYONE!!!” This making Aster jump, re-appear and then walk invisibly again. I needed my space whether that was in the waiting room or at home I didn’t care, the thoughts in my head were too much to bear, thinking about whether my Mom lives or dies, which is the hardest thing a child has to go through, I knew our options were minimal and we didn’t have much time, I walked into her room, where still unconscious was my Mother, my best-friend, other than Vi, the one I can always talk to about my problems, whether at school or if I felt like she did something to upset me I’ll be the first one to say it.
Sitting by her hospital bed I have a lump in my throat as I can feel my eyes turn from green to red knowing that I am really, really angry. The guilt that I have inside of me has reached a peak, where I can’t cry anymore, so I buck up, wipe my tears, and exhale sharply. Gosh, I wish my Dad was here.
“So, um, they’re going to be reopening the Endoscopic Surgery you had done, many years back, because it malfunctioned, however, YOU Faith Heart CANNOT DIE on ME!!! The twins still need to find out about each other and we need to get Aster back with you and we can’t do that without you, this is the reason, you cannot DIE! We still need you, Mommy, I still need you,” I say sniffling as fresh new tears come from my eyes as I start weeping hysterically and start apologizing.
“Mom, I am so sorry for yelling and disrespecting you, you were only trying to rekindle what was going on with us, you mean the absolute world to me, please wake up, so you can see me I’m practically begging you!”
“S…S…So, when do they s…s…start the s…surgery?” I hear somepony say thinking it was Aster since his shyness always makes him stutter, but when I look up Mom was up and awake.
“I’m pretty sure Grandma has already signed the consent forms since you were unconscious, but I wanted the alone time, so I kind of told everypony to leave along with Chocolate Swirl,” I tell her with a nervous chuckle and sigh.
At the mention of her own mother being here her eyes bug out “Sparkleshine, what did you do?”
“What? Shouldn’t they know that you’re here?” I asked her.
“They,” she asks. “Who else is here?”
“Everyone who is a Heart is here,” I tell her.
“Oh boy,” she murmurs to herself “Well, Sparks get ready for the discussion of a lifetime.”
Chocolate Swirl comes back inside Mom’s room and smiles “Oh, you’re up, so you’re ready for this Princess?” I want you all to know that Mom really was trying to bite her tongue when she was called her title. Labels really do bother her.
“Totally, I have had this done numerous times before Dr. Swirl,” Mom says with a smile. “Okay, then let’s get going.”
“Good luck Mom,” I tell her as she blows me a kiss and tells me she loves me. They then wheel her away from me as I then head out of the room back into the waiting room.
I saw that everypony I had kicked out was back in the waiting room as they were all looking at me. Dessie spoke up first “How is she, did she wake up?”
I nodded as she then whispers something in my ear as I then nod again and walk towards Aster, Vi, and Phoenix and tell them I’m heading out for a second with Dessie.
“Everything okay with you two,” Phoenix asks probably referring to the fight that I had with Mom, but I nod and tell them that we’ll be back.
***
Dessie:
I didn’t want to be walking to the church by myself, so I whispered to Sparks to ask if she could come with me, although I know that the Home of God makes her uncomfortable because she was an Atheist, which to me is very weird because of both Nano and Momma are children of God, so it’s weird how my sister is an Atheist, but she agreed to join me as we told the group we were leaving and then headed our way.
On the way there I spoke up to her and asked; “Hey Sis, why did you choose to be a non-believer?”
As she looks at me with a raised eyebrow she tells me “I shouldn’t have to turn to someone who isn’t there to keep up with the faith that I have,” this broke my heart as I then ask “If you don’t believe in God then how do you believe that anything wrong will go right?”
She smiles as if she had been waiting for somepony to ask her this question for years she then tells me “Know why, because Mom has so much that when I told her I didn’t believe in God, she told me that it was okay that she would have twice as much for the both of us and that is who I instill my trust and my faith in it is in her name after all,” she says as she chuckles. “Do you think she’ll pull through?”
She sighs and then tells me “Don’t think like that Sissy, she’ll be fine. I know it.”
As we enter the church we see that someone is already in there praying as I light a candle for my Mom’s friend Beautiful Angel and I sit next to the pony praying as Sparks is in the back waiting for me to finish.
The funny thing is that the pony and I raise our heads at the exact same time and we giggle. “So, what did you pray for,” she asks me.
“For my Momma’s surgery to go well.”
“Same here although she’s the one performing it,” she tells me as I nod.
She then reaches out her hoof to me and says “I’m Swirly, but most ponies call me Swirl.” “Destiny Heart,” I tell her “but most ponies call me Dessie.”
Before we can even say “Nice to meet you” Phoenix comes rushing in and tells both Sparks and me “Guys, come quick, your Mom’s out of surgery, yet there’s a problem between everyone in the room.”
Sparks transports out of the church as I apologize to Swirl, but that I really had to go and fly back to Momma’s hospital room.
When we get there everypony is at every other pony’s throats. As the colt, who has been hanging around the Flash/Heart clan screams for the first time in his life “EVERYPONY SHUT IT FOR A SECOND AND LISTEN UP!!!” It’s all of a sudden the room goes quiet, almost too quiet as if somepony coughed they would be too scared of what would happen next. “Now, I might not know any of you, but I do know that just by looking at the Princess, EVEN IN HER STATE of helplessness SHE IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE CAPABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HERSELF AND HER CHILDREN!!! AND ON TOP OF THAT IF YOU TAKE HER TO MANEHATTAN YOU GUYS ARE DISAPPOINTING THE MILLIONS OF PONIES WHO LOOK UP TO HER MYSELF INCLUDED!!! SHE DOESN’T DESERVE SUCH PUNISHMENT, BECAUSE OF THE WAY HER BRAIN WORKS HYDROCEPHALUS CAN BE REALLY TRICKY TO COMPREHEND AND WHILE WE DON’T KNOW WHY GOD PUTS HER IN THESE POSITIONS ONE THING’S FOR SURE SHE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY, SHE DESERVES TO BE DOING WHAT SHE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT AND THAT IS HELPING OTHER PONIES So, if I were you guys I’d RECONSIDER what is BEST for your DAUGHTER!!!
“And just who are you to be talking to me like that?” Grandpa Heart asks the colt as he sighs from all his yelling and tells Grandpa “I don’t know yet, but I would disown you if we were EVER RELATED!”
At this point everypony else myself included is FLABBERGASTED with what just went down as Nix tells him “I’m proud of you bro,” and hugs him by the side.
Redirecting my focus to the original gang of the Heart family I smile as I hear everyone say that they love Momma and for her to call them daily as she rolls her eyes and just tells them “Maybe, for the first few weeks, but I am not doing it every day,” as they just nod and come to an agreement and leave as I then turn to the colt and tell him “Thanks, for saving my Momma and her freedom.”
