Her Brother, Her Angel, Her Depressionby Kustom95ChaptersMountain Orchard orphanageMeet the FamilyA Talk About ShadowsMountain Orchard orphanageThe only one who had been close to her was her brother, and they weren’t even related, at least not by blood. They were orphans, abandoned at the some of the highest class orphanages in Canterlot, and cycled through different ‘homes’ before ending up here, at The Mountain Orchard orphanage. ”I don’t see an orchard” DarkCloud muttered as he surveyed the scene before him. While the building itself appeared to be freshly painted, at least, everything else about the place seemed to yell out “END OF THE LINE, KID”. The charcoal-grey colt grimaced at the thought that he was going to die here “I figured we would have been adopted by this point, and then I could’ve died in a nicer setting. Nothing too fancy, but nicer than this.” DarkCloud looked at the kahki-colored filly to his left, giving a small jerk with his chin to say that they should get through the formalities and get settled in. “It looks like we’ll be here for a while” he said. Spring Song nodded in agreement, looking at her brother with a sad light in her eyes. They started through the somewhat overgrown yard, following a path that had been worn from either constant use, weather, neglect, or a combination of the three. DarkCloud’s horn glowed as he levitated their belongings, passing by a few other ponies sitting in some swings, or scattered around the yard in pairs talking softly to each other. His sour mood lightened when he saw that it was a mixed orphanage, one that allowed all three species of ponies to reside there. He hadn’t seen a pegasus or an earth pony for the last two years, and the thought of being surrounded by unicorns again would have driven him crazy. He and his sister weren’t like the other unicorns. Yeah, they used their magic often enough, but the Canterlot unicorns would always try to convince them that, because they had magic, they were far superior to the other species. That thought made him start seeing red, he wasn’t an egotist like the others, and he had made some friends with both kinds before. Being here couldn’t be all bad, though. There was still the chance that one of them could be adopted, even out here on the edge of town. For what it was worth, this house and the small village nearby were much more homey and welcoming than the “high society” snobs back in Canterlot. As the pair approached the door, a rattle came from the doorknob and a huge red stallion appeared as the door swung open. At first glance, Cloud mistook the Stallion in front of him for a Pegasus, but a more focused look revealed that he was an earth pony. He had heard of pegasus stallions developing their muscles to the point where they looked like flying boulders. He didn’t think that an earth pony could grow so large. Both of the young ponies quickly shifted their gaze and moved to the side to let the larger one pass. “I was opening the door for you” the stallion gently rumbled, moving backwards into the house. “Oh, um…sorry” came the reply from Cloud, who looked down at his hooves. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, you probably aren’t used to too many adults showing you kindness” came the rumbling reply. The voice had a sad quality to it, like it knew some of the pain they had felt. But it was comforting at the same time. It was the voice of somepony who held their peace when they had no opinion, a voice that captured everypony’s attention when it had something to say, and a voice that whispered it could be trusted with any problem and it would give the best advice it could offer. Looking back up at the owner of the voice, Cloud suddenly felt as if a weight was lifted off of his chest. He took in the details of the huge stallion in front of him with an artist’s eyes, the shaggy blonde mane, docked tail, horse collar, and gentle green eyes that told he would give them all the chances they needed. “I’ll give this place a chance, if the things this stallion can show me with his eyes alone are true, then it’ll be nice here.” “Let’s get y’all inside and put away, dinner’ll be along in a bit” again the soft rumble spoke to them. “Dinner? Already? It’s barely five!” came the exclamation from both siblings, not too loud, in case the giant became angry with them. “Eeyup” came the reply “It’s how things run on the farm”. The siblings looked at each other with the question apparent in both of their eyes “Farm?”. “I’m Big Macintosh, by the way” the stallion said, turning and moving into the house, motioning for the two ponies to follow him. Cloud had dropped the luggage when he saw Big Macintosh open the door, and now picked up the bags and levitated them inside as he followed. He looked back when he noticed his sister hadn’t moved, she stood with her eyes glazed over in a trance. With a smirk, Cloud lifted his sister with his magic and started to carry the bags by the handles instead. She would be in that state for a little while; this had happened a number of times before, and she wasn’t surprised when she snapped out of it in a location she didn’t remember moving to. With his sister and luggage in tow, he followed Big Macintosh through the house, which was nice. Everything seemed to be made of various shades of wood, with the addition of several large and comfortable-looking rugs and cushions scattered throughout the rooms. The hall stretched back further than he expected, with large entrances into the dining room and living room areas, making them feel like one big room that stretched across the hall. Towards the end of the hall, was a bathroom, and at the end were two sets of stairs. Having seen nopony aside from the giant in front of them and the pair out front, Cloud was curious as to how large the home was. “How many others are there, Mr. Macintosh?” Cloud asked tentatively as they passed the living and dining rooms. “First off, call me Big Mac, that’s my nickname. And there’s no need t’ be shy. Including you, there’s fourteen in the family. There’s me, Fluttershy, Zecora, Applesprout, Springdarling, Greenhoof, Bluebolt, Starcatcher, Firefly, Poundcake and Pumpkincake, Diamondroot, and now you two.” “Zecora?” Cloud wondered aloud, “That doesn’t sound like a pony’s name” “You’d be half right, seein’ as Zecora is a zebra.” Big Mac replied “That, and she’s a doctor of sorts, though she prefers t’ be called a Shaman. She doesn’t live here, but she drops in often enough.” He gave a small chuckle as remembered one incident that had involved the CMC, a crate of dynamite, and a certain zebra being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That, and a lot of heated words towards many a pony. At this point, Spring’s eyes snapped back into focus, and she took in her surroundings. “What’s a zebra?” She asked as she joined the conversation. Big Mac turned to look at the filly, who’s voice had projected from a higher elevation than he had expected, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed her floating gently towards the ground, enveloped by her brother’s magic. Cloud blinked when he noticed that a stalk of wheat had appeared at the corner of Big Mac’s mouth. “There’s more than three types of ponies out there. Aside from pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies, you got thestrals, zebras, alicorns, and a few others. Most of ‘em tend to stay to themselves, is all.” Spring was about to reply when a head popped out of the kitchen and asked, “Hey Big Mac, do you know where the triangle is?” Turning to face pony in the next room, Big Mac replied “Have you checked the usual places?” “Most of e’m, but we can’t leave this sitting on it’s own, it’s a two-pony job.” “Try yellin’ out the window for BlueBolt, he should pass by in a few minutes anyhow. If that doesn’t work, then Diamondroot and Springdarling are out front” “No can do. Could you see if Starcatcher is awake yet?” “Sun’s going down, I’m sure he is” Big Mac said. “Thanks”. And with that, the head blinked out of existence as the pony moved back into the kitchen. “That was PoundCake, him and his sister Pumpkin are the ones who take care of cooking. I’d help out now and then, but I’m a bit too big for the kitchen.” Big Mac stated. The trio began moving down the hallway again, with Cloud and Spring looking into each of the rooms they passed along the way. They didn’t see anypony else as they toured the house, down the stairs, and into a long hall that stretched back towards the front door, upstairs. What they hadn’t seen from the outside was that the house was three stories tall from the base of the hill, the back end serving as a staircase between the floors. The hall that stretched before them was illuminated well enough to see, and each side was lined with five rooms. At the end of the hall, they could just make out a T-shape. “Which one do we get?” Cloud asked. “We’ve got five rooms open down here, so you can each have your pick” Big Mac told them. “Are there two next to each other?” Springsong spoke up. “Eeyup. There’s two just to the right of the intersection. The other three are a little spread out.” The two ponies moved down the hall ahead of Big Mac, to the rooms placed next to each other. As they passed the third door on the right, the fifth door on the left side opened to reveal a Dark grey colt. He stepped out to reveal a pair of bat wings, and shut the door before talking to Big Mac. “I’m going hunting” He said. His voice was low pitched and somewhat scratchy, it almost sounded like a loud whisper. “On your way out, can you tell the others that dinner’s almost ready?” “Of course” he replied, “I’ll be in the woods at the base of the mountain” “Just be back in time to help with the cider” Big Mac reminded him The thestral cracked a grin at that. He moved past the trio to the door near the stairs, spreading his wings and taking flight when he was outside. “What kind of pony was he?”Springsong asked. “That was Starcatcher, and he’s a Thestral” Big Mac replied. Seeing the questions piling up in Springsongs’s eyes, he said “He’s going to the orchard to tell the others its time for dinner. But let’s get you settled in before you ask any more questions”. Spring decided to keep calm for the moment and bother the large stallion later. Meet the FamilyBig Mac pointed out the rooms that were empty, and the foals each claimed one. Spring found the bed to be a little too big for her taste, but she wasn’t about to complain. It was a very comfy bed, one that you could sink into, and she had a window that looked out of the side of the hill. Cloud on the other hand, got a room that was nice and dark, the way he preferred it, with a bed that was firm, and plenty of room on the walls. Each had a small nightstand and a few shelves. ”I should get unpacked real quick” He thought to himself ”Big Mac said that we had a little while before dinner”. Cloud moved about, sorting out his collection of belongings, and a small selection of clothing. He accomplished this rather quickly, and with his remaining time, he was scribbling in an artist’s notebook. That’s what he was, an Artist, and a rather good one, but he didn’t care to show everything he drew. A lot of it was for his own devices. Those drawings would be revealed in time, because this year would be different; he had a plan for this room, and his sister would probably hate him for it. Cloud heard a large number of voices suddenly enter the house, which he took to mean that the other orphans had arrived for dinner. He used his magic to place the notebook on the dresser in the room. As he started towards the door, his legs buckled beneath him, and he was lucky his head didn’t slam into the floor. His body had locked up. The only thing under his control was his mouth and his eyes. He wasn’t seizing, thank Celestia, but he couldn’t move. His whole body hurt as if he was given to Cerberus as a chew toy, every muscle burning as if it was being stretched to its limit. He had an affliction, and he had had it since he was little. The doctors had said it would kill him eventually, and this knowledge had forced him to grow up more quickly than he should have. Figuratively, that is. He had been forced to take more responsibility, he had matured much faster, and he had despaired over one of the harshest things anypony and everypony had to face. Death He had seen it in his dreams. A pony with no mane, and a coat as white as bone; a pony that was shrouded in the black cloak of his waking dreams. Almost every night he went through the silent horror of watching the pony walk closer, without a sound to be heard. He had been dreaming of the pony for two years now, at first it had been cloudy and distorted, but now, the thing had covered half the distance it had started from. He had come to accept this recurring dream as his timer, a countdown before he passed. It wasn’t every dream he’d had, but it was most of them. He didn’t know how long he would be there, but it was long enough for Spring to knock on his door and ask if he was coming to dinner. He managed to tell her that he would be out in a minute, and she brushed it off as him being in his drawing mood. She was somewhat reluctant to go ahead of her brother, but after meeting Big Mac she was sure the rest of the family would be nice. Family. It was such a strong word for an orphan. It was full of hope, but it was also filled with doubt and sometimes, fear. She shook her head to clear her thoughts for a moment; she didn’t need those worries in her head. She started down the hall to the stairs ready to meet the others, and her belly was filling up with both nervousness and giddiness. She had been wondering about the other Spring in the house, Springdarling. She would meet her upstairs, hopefully with Zecora, she really wanted to meet a new kind of pony. ********************************************************** The pain had started to fade. His muscles loosened and he allowed himself to tip over and lay on the floor. He hadn’t locked up in months. Cloud lay on there on the floor, breathing heavily, and when he found the strength to move again, he stood up on shaky legs. ”They’ve been getting worse. I’ve got to tell somepony” Cloud was sweating. The attacks were getting worse all the time, and they ranged from panic attacks to full body lock ups, and sometimes seizures. Those were the ones that really scared him. He had only had three that he could remember, and he was lucky to have somepony around to keep him from hurting himself. He needed an adult to confide in, somepony who would help where they could and give him advice. ”Big Mac is obviously an option, but I need to know him better first. Wait… He said that Zecora was some kind of doctor, right” Cloud thought to himself “We’ll see what happens, but for now I have to wash up for dinner”. He made his way out of his room and up the stairs, ducking into the bathroom at the top of the stairs to wash up. He ran some water and splashed it over his face, holding his face close to the bowl of the sink. As he dried off, he noticed his eyes in the mirror. The amber irises had a sad light in them, something that had been present for years now. He would change that, by the end of the year he would change that. He left the bathroom and caught a brief glimpse of khaki, blue and pink being chased by a zigzag of dark blue. He also heard a giggle from his sister, a real giggle that he hadn’t heard in a long time. She was obviously enjoying herself; she had been up here for about five or six minutes, plenty of time to make a friend. Lights were on in the rooms they had passed earlier and he could hear a number of voices coming from the dining room where they had seen Poundcake. “Um, Bluebolt, could you sit down and eat? Please?” A soft voice called out, clearly accustomed to talking quietly. The blue streak stopped in the middle of the hall and turned into the form of a young colt with spiky brown hair, who called into the dining room “But I’m having fun, Mom”. This got a reply from another female voice, this one much more social than the first, “Do I have to chase you again?” Bluebolt nodded vigorously before turning into a streak of color once more. Dark cloud had reached the doorway to the room and looked in before snapping his head out of the way as a purple mare flew out of the room and landed in the living room across the hall. She stood still while she watched Bluebolt flying in random patterns around the room, albeit close to the ground. Cloud watched as she smiled, snapped her wings out to the side, clipped Bluebolt on the cheek and then pounced on the startled colt, wrapping him in her forehooves as they both fell into laughter. Cloud turned and began his trek into the dining room, which was currently home to a large table and enough ponies for a small party. He spotted his sister sitting around the table next to a yellow mare with a pink mane. Cloud could tell from her body language that she was talking about animals. Actually, the mare looked as excited as Spring was. Big Mac watched Cloud enter the room and pointed with his hoof to an empty chair next to Poundcake; Cloud nodded and moved over to his seat. He could feel a few sets eyes on him, not judging eyes, but eyes all the same. After he sat down, Poundcake turned to him and ran him through the names of everypony at the table. Pointing to a yellow mare sitting next to Big Mac, Poundcake started “Alrighty then, starting at Big Mac’s left, that’s Fluttershy with the pink mane. We call her Mom for short. To her left and traveling around the table is Dia-” He was cut off by the white filly he was pointing at. “Why don’t you let us introduce ourselves, Poundcake? I’m Diamondroot, and the colt to my left currently drowning himself in soup is Greenhoof”. On closer inspection, she had a speckled white and grey coat and a purple mane held back with a black headband. The colt she was referring to had a dark green coat with a vibrant yellow mane and, ironically, light yellow hooves. “Hey! I’m not drowning, I’m inhaling” Greenhoof replied with mock indignity, glaring playfully with violet eyes and wiping some soup off of his face. “And how is that any different?” Diamondroot retorted, returning the glare with her own olive-green eyes. “Moving on!” Poundcake said with unnecessary flair, pointing to the next mare. She had a pink coat with a ruffled blue mane, and she was currently snoozing with her head on a placemat. “Well, that’s Firefly” Poundcake introduced her, “She sleeps a lot, but she’s always running errands when she’s up and moving”. Both the purple mare and Bluebolt had returned from the other room and started eating just before Poundcake pointed at them. The mare took notice of this and smiled “I’m Springdarling, and this is my little brother, Bluebolt.” Holding a hoof to the side of her mouth, she said “He’s an ornery o- Hey!” Bluebolt had decided to try and swipe his sister’s glasses while she was talking, which was funny because Springdarling was four times his size. This time, an orange-ish stallion far larger than the other kids reached over and clamped his teeth on the back of Bluebolt’s neck, making him curl up and effectively holding him as if he were a kitten. Springdarling retrieved her glasses and thanked the other orphan as he released Bluebolt and ruffled his hair. Poundcake spoke up to give his name “That’s Applesprout. He’s Big Mac and Fluttershy’s kid, but he’s like a big brother to all of us. Oh, and don’t worry about Bluebolt. He and Sprout are really close; he wouldn’t hurt him on purpose.” Cloud took a moment to look at Applesprout. He could see the features of his parents by comparison; he had Big Mac’s frame and build, Fluttershy’s hair color, a coat colored somewhere between crimson and yellow, and lastly, he had kind and gentle eyes the color of emeralds. But no matter how kind or how much of a big brother he was, Cloud would be envious of him. He didn't like judging others, but being an orphan made you begin to loathe those who hadn’t felt the loss, hadn’t been abandoned like you were. It was an unconscious thing, and Cloud hated that. Both he and Spring had been abandoned, and it was something that had developed, and couldn’t be shaken easily. He would have to watch his tongue when he spoke to Sprout. Deep in his reverie, he almost missed the last introduction. He tuned back into reality as Poundcake finished “- my little sister, Pumpkincake”. With that last part, the yellow and orange mare gave Pound a friendly wallop on the shoulder, accidentally knocking him out of his chair. To add to the moment, she added “Only by a few minutes!” This got everyone at the table to erupt in giggles, with more nervous and reserved chuckles coming from Fluttershy and Big Mac, respectively. Still chuckling, Pound climbed back into his chair and addressed Cloud once more, this time he leaned in and whispered. “You met Starcatcher downstairs, right?” Cloud nodded “Actually, we saw him more than met him, and Big Mac said he was a thestral.”. Poundcake asked, “Did he say he was going hunting?”. When Cloud nodded in response, Poundcake said “It’s about time he did.” When he noticed the question pop up in Cloud’s eyes, he added “I’ll tell you later, but keep quiet around the others”. Dinner carried on for a while, and everyone found a conversation partner across the table. Big Mac watched over everything with a lazy look on his face, Fluttershy and Springsong talked about animals the whole time, and when Bluebolt started dozing off, Applesprout picked him up and deposited him on his back, then moved to let the others load Firefly on his back. “I don’t wanna go to bed yet” the blue colt objected “We didn’t get dessert” Pumpkin trotted over and told him that they didn’t make dessert that night, but tomorrow they would make Granny Smith’s apple pie. That made the colt’s eyes go wide with excitement, and in the next moment he fell asleep on Sprout’s back, muttering about apple crumbles. Fire fly’s ears twitched at the mention of apple pie, but other than that, there was no reaction. With a goodnight from everyone at the table, Applesprout set off to put his brother and sister away for the night. Cloud noticed that his sister was getting drowsy, probably from playing with Bluebolt earlier. Cloud suggested that she get to bed, and she insisted he walk her down. Cloud excused himself from the table and guided his sister back to her room, using his magic to move her when she almost collapsed. Inside her room, Cloud moved her to her bed and tucked her in, and as he turned away, Spring grabbed his hoof and muttered “I like it here Cloud, it’s nice”. The lights were out, so she couldn’t see the grin Cloud was wearing, but he replied “I saw, and I like it too. ‘Night sis.” “Goodnight Clo-“ She was interrupted by a yawn as she curled up and hugged her pillow. Cloud smiled and closed the door, and then he turned and moved through the now dimly lit hall to go upstairs again. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he noticed something moving outside. It was Starcatcher, dropping in for a landing in the backyard. Cloud waited as he walked to the porch just outside, opened the door and entered the house. When he was inside, Starcatcher noticed Cloud watching him, but more than that, he saw a shadow hanging over him. He had seen Darkcloud just before hunting, but he hadn’t introduced himself. That was rude of him, he wasn’t the most social pony, but he wasn’t going to be rude. “I’m sure Big Mac told you already, but my name is Starcatcher” He said. Cloud nodded and said “My name is Darkcloud”. The thestral asked, “Are you going upstairs? If so, then please, you can use the stairs ahead of me” Starcatcher said. Cloud gave nod and began to climb slowly. He really wanted to ask the thestral behind him some questions, and he would get more accurate answers from Starcatcher than Poundcake. “Um..” He began “Can I ask you what you meant earlier when you said hunt?” Starcatcher stopped and looked at the colt “You can, but I’d rather you keep quiet about it. As of now only you, Big Mac, and Poundcake know”. “I can keep a secret” Darkcloud replied, leaning over the banister and looking at where he thought Starcatcher was. The Thestral, equipped with eyes that could see in shadow, saw the look, and chuckled inwardly. “You can’t tell anyone, especially not Fluttershy” the deep and raspy voice reponded. “Every time the moon reaches its peak, what you know as the full moon, thestrals are overcome by bloodlust. We hunt small creatures to rid ourselves of this possession; we only need a small amount to do so. I go under the guise that I am searching for herbs or plants that the twins, Poundcake and Pumpkincake, can use, and I leave during the twilight so as to distance myself from others. A thestral with bloodlust is not a pleasant sight, and we are known to attack anything near us.” With that explanation, Darkcloud had sated his curiosity for the moment, and they had reached the top of the stairs. Back in the light, Cloud turned to get a better look at Starcatcher and noticed a bit of blood above his lip. “Hey, you’ve some blood right there” he whispered, indicating the area with his hoof. “Thank you” the thestral replied as he wiped the blood from his face “Say, are you going to help us make cider?” “I wouldn’t know how” Cloud said. “It’s actually very simple, but it requires a large amount of work” the thestral said “you can talk to Big Mac and Poundcake about helping tomorrow night.” Starcatcher tried to give a friendly grin, but Thestrals and grins don’t often mix well, so Cloud thought he was scrunching his face to get rid of a fly. The colt wasn't sure how to reply. He was new, and he had really met Starcatcher only a few moments ago; but here they were, with Starcatcher asking him to help with “A stallion’s job” as it was called. “I,..um, I’ll ask” he said nervously; he wasn’t used to being treated like this. Maybe it was something in the way Starcatcher spoke, but he was comfortable around the strange colt. He pondered this as he traveled down the hall to talk to the others who were still awake. A Talk About ShadowsCloud and Starcatcher made their way down the hall and entered the dining room once more, emptied of everyone but Poundcake and Big Mac. The others had moved into the living room across the hall, and a few were outside on a small balcony Cloud had failed to notice before. Big Mac and Poundcake were talking about prices and such with a small pile of papers in front of them. As they entered the room, both of the stallions at the table looked up for a moment, and PoundCake got up and walked into the kitchen and Big Mac returned to the papers on the table. Starcatcher took a seat at the table and motioned that Cloud should do the same. “What are the numbers this month?” Star asked Big Mac “Same as always” Big Mac replied “Higher than what we need” “Is that enough to expand the orchard?” “Eeyup” came the simple and fitting response At this point Poundcake trotted back into the room, carrying a tray with several bowls and plates on his back. He deposited them on the table in front of Starcatcher, who thanked him for the meal. Cloud was confused as to why Starcatcher hadn’t gotten the food himself, and voiced the question to Star. “That seems kind of rude” he said “What are you referring to?” Starcatcher asked “If you knew there was food in the kitchen, why didn’t you get it yourself?” Cloud asked, tilting his head slightly. Poundcake overheard and replied across the table “That’s my fault. I’m horribly picky about how ponies treat my kitchen. I take after my father, I’m told.” Without looking from his papers, Big Mac added passively “he also makes a big fuss about any messes in there” “I don’t complain about Pumpkin’s messes” Pound tried to defend himself “Yer sister doesn’t count, she’s in there as much as you are and she knows how to clean so you don’t nag her about it” Big Mac came back as flipped to the next page. Cloud watched as the small exchange continued, and glanced over to see that Star had eaten over half of the food Poundcake had brought him. Poundcake dropped the argument with Big Mac, who hadn’t glanced up from his papers through the whole exchange. When he was thoroughly satisfied that his math was correct, Big Mac passed the small stack of papers across the table to Starcatcher, who had finished his meal with astounding speed. Not to mention a freaky cleanliness, seeing as there wasn’t a spot of food left on the dishes. “If ah’m right, then we can expand the orchard by five ta six acres. The question is, should we get somethin’ new this time?” Big Mac asked “We’ve got Apples and Zap Apples, some Cherries, Oranges, Pears, and Lemons so far.” Starcatcher looked over the papers and checked the math. “There’s enough for seven if we take a few bits from the savings” He offered to Big Mac “I’d rather not” “As for the crops, Darkcloud, would you like to choose? Cloud fidgeted where he sat. It was uncomforting, all this friendliness. He hadn’t expected something like this, and while welcomed, it felt a bit much for his first night there. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Cloud asked “You can if you’d like, but you don’t have to” Big Mac said Cloud sighed, Big Mac and the others seemed like really nice ponies, but they were overdoing the welcome a bit. He felt a yawn pulling at his mouth. He tried to fight it but found that he was more tired than he’d expected. “Well, looks like you and me are gonna make the cider, Star” Poundcake said “why don’t you pack away for the night?” he asked Cloud Cloud nodded while another yawn took over “I guess I need some sleep” “It must be because of my attack earlier” Cloud excused himself from the table again, and began to walk down the hall to his room. Several voices sounded off as he passed the living room, wishing him good dreams. He thanked them and replied in kind, and made his way slowly down the stairs, his thoughts beginning to muddle together. He tried to concentrate on what his attack could mean, sometimes it was a precursor to something worse, other times it was an attack alone. He made it to his room and looked around as he sat on the bed. He had a vague thought about what his life could be like as his vision faded and he was embraced in the warmth of a dream. ______________________________________________________________________ “I need to see Zecora” Starcatcher told Big Mac The large stallion looked across the table at the thestral. “Why’s that?” the stallion rumbled “I need to talk to her, it could be something urgent” Starcatcher replied “That doesn’t sound good” Poundcake said as he returned from the kitchen “What’s going on?” “How should I say it? There are many ways to tell if somepony is sick, and there are many types of illnesses.” Starcatcher began to explain “Think of a shadow hanging over somepony. The shadow will become lighter when a pony is clear from danger and darker when a threat is present. This is how it works for most ponies. Thestrals have the ability to see this shadow and predict a safer course of action if we sense a threat. There are some exceptions to the basic rule of the shadow. For instance, some shadows are always light or dark, and others darken gradually and steadily, which indicates some imminent event which will end their life.” “I take it that something is wrong with Cloud’s “shadow” as you put it?” Poundcake asked “Yes, I believe so” “Why would you need to see Zecora?” Big Mac asked “If’n you can see the shadow and tell what’s going on, is that all you can do about it?” Starcatcher was shocked by Big Mac’s bluntness about it. He had just revealed that Darkcloud could die, likely sometime within the next year, and the farmpony had seemingly brushed it off like it wasn’t a concern. Big Mac noticed the look of shock that both colts were giving him and sighed. “Look boys, it’s not that I don’t care, but when somepony tells you something like that, and nothing can be done about it, it’s best to put it out of your mind. Never forget it’s there, but don’t fret about it and make sure you’re prepared for when it happens.” “How can you say something like that?” Starcatcher asked, confusion apparent in his voice. This was not what the stallion was normally like. He knew Big Mac the farmpony, a caring, strong and fatherly figure. Big Mac shouldn't be one to brush off somepony dying. Big Mac sighed and began to speak “When you get old enough, you learn to deal with this kind of thing. Take Fluttershy, for example, every time one of her animal friends dies, what does she do?” “She grieves, buries it, and tells the family” Poundcake replied “What’s that got to do with it?” “After that, she goes on and keeps taking care of the others, doesn’t she?” Both of the colts nodded and shared the same look of confusion “She doesn’t let it get in the way. And the same thing applies to me, and you’re lucky it didn’t happen with you” he said, pointing at Poundcake. Poundcake’s expression deepened with his confusion. Big Mac continued “When I was little, I had to go through both of my parents deaths. Thank Celestia I wasn’t there to see my father, but my Mother died soon after that, and I had to watch the pain as she faded away. In addition to that, I had all the responsibilities of the house thrown at me.” “I didn’t have to go through that” Poundcake pondered, his hoof on his lower lip as he looked at the floor in thought. “Exactly, ya’ll were too young to remember when Fluttershy and me took you in” “I was three, right?” Big Mac nodded solemnly, recalling the events that had happened fourteen years ago. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. “Anyways, what can Zecora do, besides tryin’ ta work her witchcraft?” “Her “Witchcraft” as you call it, can work amazing changes in ponies. Zebra magic works in ways that unicorn magic can’t” Starcatcher told Big Mac “If you think it’ll help, feel free to visit her” Big Mac responded “Just be sure to come back by the end of the weekend” Starcatcher nodded and excused himself from the table. Big Mac walked around the table and gathered up his papers without a word. He then made his way to the door, telling Poundcake “I’m gonna grab a little shut-eye before we get ta making cider” Poundcake nodded and got up himself. “I’m gonna clean the kitchen then” Big Mac left him to his business and poked his head in the living room to wish everypony goodnight. Diamondroot and Greenhoof were already filing down the hall to get some sleep, and stopped to wish him a good night. Pumpkin and Spring were chatting and playing cards when he looked in, planning their next trip into Canterlot, no doubt. Fluttershy got up from the couch and followed Big Mac from the room. Everything was calm for a few minutes while the girls chatted, Pumpkin listing off the ingredients and utensils she wanted to get, as well as a few cookbooks for rare recipes. Spring was interested in some new writing materials, showing her papers to a few publishers, and replacing her glasses. Eventually, Poundcake came in and joined the girls for a few hands of the game. “So. Why did Starcatcher leave?” Spring asked “He’s visiting his Aunt” “Again? That’s the third time in the past two months” Spring noted “What’s his excuse this time?” “He says she teaches him some of the potion recipes she’s famous for” Pound gave the usual response “He’s a scholar, what would you expect from him?” “Explain how she’s his ’Auntie’ again?” Pumpkin asked Poundcake rubbed a hoof on his forehead, trying to remember the lessons Starcatcher had given him on Thestral social traditions. “Um….. He recognizes her as a teacher and master of her craft, and he learned from her for about two weeks while she was fixing his wings and as such sees her as a caretaker” He said slowly, still collecting his thoughts “However, since they are not related by blood, he has imprinted on her as a superior and was set on referring to her as ‘Master Zecora’. But she found that offensive in some way and insisted on him calling her ‘Aunt’, because it’s a zebra tradition to refer to an elder who you hold respect for, or whom you have a close relationship with, by the title of ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’.” Poundcake rattled off as he remembered Starcatcher’s explanation Pumpkin took a few moments to piece the information together, but quickly gave up. “Would you like the short version?” Spring asked “Please” “Basically, he enrolled himself under Zecora as a student, but she didn’t want him to call her master, so she decided to use a Zebra tradition to ‘adopt’ him as her nephew” SpringDarling told her Pumpkin stared at her for a minute before saying “I’m sure that makes sense, and I kinda get it, but you lost me” “It’s okay, sis, those social rules start getting really confusing for other species” “It’s not really important either way. As far as I’m concerned, my priorities lie with gathering the best apples in the orchard for the pies tomorrow.” “AH! QUIT TEASING MY MIND!” Spring wailed, throwing her cards in the air and then clasped her hooves to face dramatically “Granny. Smith. Apple. Pie” Pumpkin whispered the words “Why can’t you make it!?” Spring asked, pointing an accusing hoof at Poundcake “Because I’m better at cooking, I need something to do at any given minute” Pound said “It’s a pegasus thing” “And I’m better at preparing and occupying myself while my beauties gain their flavor” Pumpkin stated “Wow, look at the time” Spring said, looking at the clock on the wall, genuine surprise in her eyes. It was late, almost midnight, and the all three ponies felt the sudden weight of exhaustion on their shoulders, Poundcake less so than the mares. “We should get some rest then” Poundcake said, gathering up the cards “G’Night” The two mares made their way out of the room, each thinking her own thoughts. Spring wished Pumpkin a good night when she reached her room. As she tucked herself into bed, she blurrily wondered if Poundcake had given her a fake answer to Starcatcher’s visit to Zecora. She shrugged it off as she slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Mountain Orchard orphanageThe only one who had been close to her was her brother, and they weren’t even related, at least not by blood. They were orphans, abandoned at the some of the highest class orphanages in Canterlot, and cycled through different ‘homes’ before ending up here, at The Mountain Orchard orphanage. ”I don’t see an orchard” DarkCloud muttered as he surveyed the scene before him. While the building itself appeared to be freshly painted, at least, everything else about the place seemed to yell out “END OF THE LINE, KID”. The charcoal-grey colt grimaced at the thought that he was going to die here “I figured we would have been adopted by this point, and then I could’ve died in a nicer setting. Nothing too fancy, but nicer than this.” DarkCloud looked at the kahki-colored filly to his left, giving a small jerk with his chin to say that they should get through the formalities and get settled in. “It looks like we’ll be here for a while” he said. Spring Song nodded in agreement, looking at her brother with a sad light in her eyes. They started through the somewhat overgrown yard, following a path that had been worn from either constant use, weather, neglect, or a combination of the three. DarkCloud’s horn glowed as he levitated their belongings, passing by a few other ponies sitting in some swings, or scattered around the yard in pairs talking softly to each other. His sour mood lightened when he saw that it was a mixed orphanage, one that allowed all three species of ponies to reside there. He hadn’t seen a pegasus or an earth pony for the last two years, and the thought of being surrounded by unicorns again would have driven him crazy. He and his sister weren’t like the other unicorns. Yeah, they used their magic often enough, but the Canterlot unicorns would always try to convince them that, because they had magic, they were far superior to the other species. That thought made him start seeing red, he wasn’t an egotist like the others, and he had made some friends with both kinds before. Being here couldn’t be all bad, though. There was still the chance that one of them could be adopted, even out here on the edge of town. For what it was worth, this house and the small village nearby were much more homey and welcoming than the “high society” snobs back in Canterlot. As the pair approached the door, a rattle came from the doorknob and a huge red stallion appeared as the door swung open. At first glance, Cloud mistook the Stallion in front of him for a Pegasus, but a more focused look revealed that he was an earth pony. He had heard of pegasus stallions developing their muscles to the point where they looked like flying boulders. He didn’t think that an earth pony could grow so large. Both of the young ponies quickly shifted their gaze and moved to the side to let the larger one pass. “I was opening the door for you” the stallion gently rumbled, moving backwards into the house. “Oh, um…sorry” came the reply from Cloud, who looked down at his hooves. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, you probably aren’t used to too many adults showing you kindness” came the rumbling reply. The voice had a sad quality to it, like it knew some of the pain they had felt. But it was comforting at the same time. It was the voice of somepony who held their peace when they had no opinion, a voice that captured everypony’s attention when it had something to say, and a voice that whispered it could be trusted with any problem and it would give the best advice it could offer. Looking back up at the owner of the voice, Cloud suddenly felt as if a weight was lifted off of his chest. He took in the details of the huge stallion in front of him with an artist’s eyes, the shaggy blonde mane, docked tail, horse collar, and gentle green eyes that told he would give them all the chances they needed. “I’ll give this place a chance, if the things this stallion can show me with his eyes alone are true, then it’ll be nice here.” “Let’s get y’all inside and put away, dinner’ll be along in a bit” again the soft rumble spoke to them. “Dinner? Already? It’s barely five!” came the exclamation from both siblings, not too loud, in case the giant became angry with them. “Eeyup” came the reply “It’s how things run on the farm”. The siblings looked at each other with the question apparent in both of their eyes “Farm?”. “I’m Big Macintosh, by the way” the stallion said, turning and moving into the house, motioning for the two ponies to follow him. Cloud had dropped the luggage when he saw Big Macintosh open the door, and now picked up the bags and levitated them inside as he followed. He looked back when he noticed his sister hadn’t moved, she stood with her eyes glazed over in a trance. With a smirk, Cloud lifted his sister with his magic and started to carry the bags by the handles instead. She would be in that state for a little while; this had happened a number of times before, and she wasn’t surprised when she snapped out of it in a location she didn’t remember moving to. With his sister and luggage in tow, he followed Big Macintosh through the house, which was nice. Everything seemed to be made of various shades of wood, with the addition of several large and comfortable-looking rugs and cushions scattered throughout the rooms. The hall stretched back further than he expected, with large entrances into the dining room and living room areas, making them feel like one big room that stretched across the hall. Towards the end of the hall, was a bathroom, and at the end were two sets of stairs. Having seen nopony aside from the giant in front of them and the pair out front, Cloud was curious as to how large the home was. “How many others are there, Mr. Macintosh?” Cloud asked tentatively as they passed the living and dining rooms. “First off, call me Big Mac, that’s my nickname. And there’s no need t’ be shy. Including you, there’s fourteen in the family. There’s me, Fluttershy, Zecora, Applesprout, Springdarling, Greenhoof, Bluebolt, Starcatcher, Firefly, Poundcake and Pumpkincake, Diamondroot, and now you two.” “Zecora?” Cloud wondered aloud, “That doesn’t sound like a pony’s name” “You’d be half right, seein’ as Zecora is a zebra.” Big Mac replied “That, and she’s a doctor of sorts, though she prefers t’ be called a Shaman. She doesn’t live here, but she drops in often enough.” He gave a small chuckle as remembered one incident that had involved the CMC, a crate of dynamite, and a certain zebra being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That, and a lot of heated words towards many a pony. At this point, Spring’s eyes snapped back into focus, and she took in her surroundings. “What’s a zebra?” She asked as she joined the conversation. Big Mac turned to look at the filly, who’s voice had projected from a higher elevation than he had expected, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed her floating gently towards the ground, enveloped by her brother’s magic. Cloud blinked when he noticed that a stalk of wheat had appeared at the corner of Big Mac’s mouth. “There’s more than three types of ponies out there. Aside from pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies, you got thestrals, zebras, alicorns, and a few others. Most of ‘em tend to stay to themselves, is all.” Spring was about to reply when a head popped out of the kitchen and asked, “Hey Big Mac, do you know where the triangle is?” Turning to face pony in the next room, Big Mac replied “Have you checked the usual places?” “Most of e’m, but we can’t leave this sitting on it’s own, it’s a two-pony job.” “Try yellin’ out the window for BlueBolt, he should pass by in a few minutes anyhow. If that doesn’t work, then Diamondroot and Springdarling are out front” “No can do. Could you see if Starcatcher is awake yet?” “Sun’s going down, I’m sure he is” Big Mac said. “Thanks”. And with that, the head blinked out of existence as the pony moved back into the kitchen. “That was PoundCake, him and his sister Pumpkin are the ones who take care of cooking. I’d help out now and then, but I’m a bit too big for the kitchen.” Big Mac stated. The trio began moving down the hallway again, with Cloud and Spring looking into each of the rooms they passed along the way. They didn’t see anypony else as they toured the house, down the stairs, and into a long hall that stretched back towards the front door, upstairs. What they hadn’t seen from the outside was that the house was three stories tall from the base of the hill, the back end serving as a staircase between the floors. The hall that stretched before them was illuminated well enough to see, and each side was lined with five rooms. At the end of the hall, they could just make out a T-shape. “Which one do we get?” Cloud asked. “We’ve got five rooms open down here, so you can each have your pick” Big Mac told them. “Are there two next to each other?” Springsong spoke up. “Eeyup. There’s two just to the right of the intersection. The other three are a little spread out.” The two ponies moved down the hall ahead of Big Mac, to the rooms placed next to each other. As they passed the third door on the right, the fifth door on the left side opened to reveal a Dark grey colt. He stepped out to reveal a pair of bat wings, and shut the door before talking to Big Mac. “I’m going hunting” He said. His voice was low pitched and somewhat scratchy, it almost sounded like a loud whisper. “On your way out, can you tell the others that dinner’s almost ready?” “Of course” he replied, “I’ll be in the woods at the base of the mountain” “Just be back in time to help with the cider” Big Mac reminded him The thestral cracked a grin at that. He moved past the trio to the door near the stairs, spreading his wings and taking flight when he was outside. “What kind of pony was he?”Springsong asked. “That was Starcatcher, and he’s a Thestral” Big Mac replied. Seeing the questions piling up in Springsongs’s eyes, he said “He’s going to the orchard to tell the others its time for dinner. But let’s get you settled in before you ask any more questions”. Spring decided to keep calm for the moment and bother the large stallion later.
Meet the FamilyBig Mac pointed out the rooms that were empty, and the foals each claimed one. Spring found the bed to be a little too big for her taste, but she wasn’t about to complain. It was a very comfy bed, one that you could sink into, and she had a window that looked out of the side of the hill. Cloud on the other hand, got a room that was nice and dark, the way he preferred it, with a bed that was firm, and plenty of room on the walls. Each had a small nightstand and a few shelves. ”I should get unpacked real quick” He thought to himself ”Big Mac said that we had a little while before dinner”. Cloud moved about, sorting out his collection of belongings, and a small selection of clothing. He accomplished this rather quickly, and with his remaining time, he was scribbling in an artist’s notebook. That’s what he was, an Artist, and a rather good one, but he didn’t care to show everything he drew. A lot of it was for his own devices. Those drawings would be revealed in time, because this year would be different; he had a plan for this room, and his sister would probably hate him for it. Cloud heard a large number of voices suddenly enter the house, which he took to mean that the other orphans had arrived for dinner. He used his magic to place the notebook on the dresser in the room. As he started towards the door, his legs buckled beneath him, and he was lucky his head didn’t slam into the floor. His body had locked up. The only thing under his control was his mouth and his eyes. He wasn’t seizing, thank Celestia, but he couldn’t move. His whole body hurt as if he was given to Cerberus as a chew toy, every muscle burning as if it was being stretched to its limit. He had an affliction, and he had had it since he was little. The doctors had said it would kill him eventually, and this knowledge had forced him to grow up more quickly than he should have. Figuratively, that is. He had been forced to take more responsibility, he had matured much faster, and he had despaired over one of the harshest things anypony and everypony had to face. Death He had seen it in his dreams. A pony with no mane, and a coat as white as bone; a pony that was shrouded in the black cloak of his waking dreams. Almost every night he went through the silent horror of watching the pony walk closer, without a sound to be heard. He had been dreaming of the pony for two years now, at first it had been cloudy and distorted, but now, the thing had covered half the distance it had started from. He had come to accept this recurring dream as his timer, a countdown before he passed. It wasn’t every dream he’d had, but it was most of them. He didn’t know how long he would be there, but it was long enough for Spring to knock on his door and ask if he was coming to dinner. He managed to tell her that he would be out in a minute, and she brushed it off as him being in his drawing mood. She was somewhat reluctant to go ahead of her brother, but after meeting Big Mac she was sure the rest of the family would be nice. Family. It was such a strong word for an orphan. It was full of hope, but it was also filled with doubt and sometimes, fear. She shook her head to clear her thoughts for a moment; she didn’t need those worries in her head. She started down the hall to the stairs ready to meet the others, and her belly was filling up with both nervousness and giddiness. She had been wondering about the other Spring in the house, Springdarling. She would meet her upstairs, hopefully with Zecora, she really wanted to meet a new kind of pony. ********************************************************** The pain had started to fade. His muscles loosened and he allowed himself to tip over and lay on the floor. He hadn’t locked up in months. Cloud lay on there on the floor, breathing heavily, and when he found the strength to move again, he stood up on shaky legs. ”They’ve been getting worse. I’ve got to tell somepony” Cloud was sweating. The attacks were getting worse all the time, and they ranged from panic attacks to full body lock ups, and sometimes seizures. Those were the ones that really scared him. He had only had three that he could remember, and he was lucky to have somepony around to keep him from hurting himself. He needed an adult to confide in, somepony who would help where they could and give him advice. ”Big Mac is obviously an option, but I need to know him better first. Wait… He said that Zecora was some kind of doctor, right” Cloud thought to himself “We’ll see what happens, but for now I have to wash up for dinner”. He made his way out of his room and up the stairs, ducking into the bathroom at the top of the stairs to wash up. He ran some water and splashed it over his face, holding his face close to the bowl of the sink. As he dried off, he noticed his eyes in the mirror. The amber irises had a sad light in them, something that had been present for years now. He would change that, by the end of the year he would change that. He left the bathroom and caught a brief glimpse of khaki, blue and pink being chased by a zigzag of dark blue. He also heard a giggle from his sister, a real giggle that he hadn’t heard in a long time. She was obviously enjoying herself; she had been up here for about five or six minutes, plenty of time to make a friend. Lights were on in the rooms they had passed earlier and he could hear a number of voices coming from the dining room where they had seen Poundcake. “Um, Bluebolt, could you sit down and eat? Please?” A soft voice called out, clearly accustomed to talking quietly. The blue streak stopped in the middle of the hall and turned into the form of a young colt with spiky brown hair, who called into the dining room “But I’m having fun, Mom”. This got a reply from another female voice, this one much more social than the first, “Do I have to chase you again?” Bluebolt nodded vigorously before turning into a streak of color once more. Dark cloud had reached the doorway to the room and looked in before snapping his head out of the way as a purple mare flew out of the room and landed in the living room across the hall. She stood still while she watched Bluebolt flying in random patterns around the room, albeit close to the ground. Cloud watched as she smiled, snapped her wings out to the side, clipped Bluebolt on the cheek and then pounced on the startled colt, wrapping him in her forehooves as they both fell into laughter. Cloud turned and began his trek into the dining room, which was currently home to a large table and enough ponies for a small party. He spotted his sister sitting around the table next to a yellow mare with a pink mane. Cloud could tell from her body language that she was talking about animals. Actually, the mare looked as excited as Spring was. Big Mac watched Cloud enter the room and pointed with his hoof to an empty chair next to Poundcake; Cloud nodded and moved over to his seat. He could feel a few sets eyes on him, not judging eyes, but eyes all the same. After he sat down, Poundcake turned to him and ran him through the names of everypony at the table. Pointing to a yellow mare sitting next to Big Mac, Poundcake started “Alrighty then, starting at Big Mac’s left, that’s Fluttershy with the pink mane. We call her Mom for short. To her left and traveling around the table is Dia-” He was cut off by the white filly he was pointing at. “Why don’t you let us introduce ourselves, Poundcake? I’m Diamondroot, and the colt to my left currently drowning himself in soup is Greenhoof”. On closer inspection, she had a speckled white and grey coat and a purple mane held back with a black headband. The colt she was referring to had a dark green coat with a vibrant yellow mane and, ironically, light yellow hooves. “Hey! I’m not drowning, I’m inhaling” Greenhoof replied with mock indignity, glaring playfully with violet eyes and wiping some soup off of his face. “And how is that any different?” Diamondroot retorted, returning the glare with her own olive-green eyes. “Moving on!” Poundcake said with unnecessary flair, pointing to the next mare. She had a pink coat with a ruffled blue mane, and she was currently snoozing with her head on a placemat. “Well, that’s Firefly” Poundcake introduced her, “She sleeps a lot, but she’s always running errands when she’s up and moving”. Both the purple mare and Bluebolt had returned from the other room and started eating just before Poundcake pointed at them. The mare took notice of this and smiled “I’m Springdarling, and this is my little brother, Bluebolt.” Holding a hoof to the side of her mouth, she said “He’s an ornery o- Hey!” Bluebolt had decided to try and swipe his sister’s glasses while she was talking, which was funny because Springdarling was four times his size. This time, an orange-ish stallion far larger than the other kids reached over and clamped his teeth on the back of Bluebolt’s neck, making him curl up and effectively holding him as if he were a kitten. Springdarling retrieved her glasses and thanked the other orphan as he released Bluebolt and ruffled his hair. Poundcake spoke up to give his name “That’s Applesprout. He’s Big Mac and Fluttershy’s kid, but he’s like a big brother to all of us. Oh, and don’t worry about Bluebolt. He and Sprout are really close; he wouldn’t hurt him on purpose.” Cloud took a moment to look at Applesprout. He could see the features of his parents by comparison; he had Big Mac’s frame and build, Fluttershy’s hair color, a coat colored somewhere between crimson and yellow, and lastly, he had kind and gentle eyes the color of emeralds. But no matter how kind or how much of a big brother he was, Cloud would be envious of him. He didn't like judging others, but being an orphan made you begin to loathe those who hadn’t felt the loss, hadn’t been abandoned like you were. It was an unconscious thing, and Cloud hated that. Both he and Spring had been abandoned, and it was something that had developed, and couldn’t be shaken easily. He would have to watch his tongue when he spoke to Sprout. Deep in his reverie, he almost missed the last introduction. He tuned back into reality as Poundcake finished “- my little sister, Pumpkincake”. With that last part, the yellow and orange mare gave Pound a friendly wallop on the shoulder, accidentally knocking him out of his chair. To add to the moment, she added “Only by a few minutes!” This got everyone at the table to erupt in giggles, with more nervous and reserved chuckles coming from Fluttershy and Big Mac, respectively. Still chuckling, Pound climbed back into his chair and addressed Cloud once more, this time he leaned in and whispered. “You met Starcatcher downstairs, right?” Cloud nodded “Actually, we saw him more than met him, and Big Mac said he was a thestral.”. Poundcake asked, “Did he say he was going hunting?”. When Cloud nodded in response, Poundcake said “It’s about time he did.” When he noticed the question pop up in Cloud’s eyes, he added “I’ll tell you later, but keep quiet around the others”. Dinner carried on for a while, and everyone found a conversation partner across the table. Big Mac watched over everything with a lazy look on his face, Fluttershy and Springsong talked about animals the whole time, and when Bluebolt started dozing off, Applesprout picked him up and deposited him on his back, then moved to let the others load Firefly on his back. “I don’t wanna go to bed yet” the blue colt objected “We didn’t get dessert” Pumpkin trotted over and told him that they didn’t make dessert that night, but tomorrow they would make Granny Smith’s apple pie. That made the colt’s eyes go wide with excitement, and in the next moment he fell asleep on Sprout’s back, muttering about apple crumbles. Fire fly’s ears twitched at the mention of apple pie, but other than that, there was no reaction. With a goodnight from everyone at the table, Applesprout set off to put his brother and sister away for the night. Cloud noticed that his sister was getting drowsy, probably from playing with Bluebolt earlier. Cloud suggested that she get to bed, and she insisted he walk her down. Cloud excused himself from the table and guided his sister back to her room, using his magic to move her when she almost collapsed. Inside her room, Cloud moved her to her bed and tucked her in, and as he turned away, Spring grabbed his hoof and muttered “I like it here Cloud, it’s nice”. The lights were out, so she couldn’t see the grin Cloud was wearing, but he replied “I saw, and I like it too. ‘Night sis.” “Goodnight Clo-“ She was interrupted by a yawn as she curled up and hugged her pillow. Cloud smiled and closed the door, and then he turned and moved through the now dimly lit hall to go upstairs again. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he noticed something moving outside. It was Starcatcher, dropping in for a landing in the backyard. Cloud waited as he walked to the porch just outside, opened the door and entered the house. When he was inside, Starcatcher noticed Cloud watching him, but more than that, he saw a shadow hanging over him. He had seen Darkcloud just before hunting, but he hadn’t introduced himself. That was rude of him, he wasn’t the most social pony, but he wasn’t going to be rude. “I’m sure Big Mac told you already, but my name is Starcatcher” He said. Cloud nodded and said “My name is Darkcloud”. The thestral asked, “Are you going upstairs? If so, then please, you can use the stairs ahead of me” Starcatcher said. Cloud gave nod and began to climb slowly. He really wanted to ask the thestral behind him some questions, and he would get more accurate answers from Starcatcher than Poundcake. “Um..” He began “Can I ask you what you meant earlier when you said hunt?” Starcatcher stopped and looked at the colt “You can, but I’d rather you keep quiet about it. As of now only you, Big Mac, and Poundcake know”. “I can keep a secret” Darkcloud replied, leaning over the banister and looking at where he thought Starcatcher was. The Thestral, equipped with eyes that could see in shadow, saw the look, and chuckled inwardly. “You can’t tell anyone, especially not Fluttershy” the deep and raspy voice reponded. “Every time the moon reaches its peak, what you know as the full moon, thestrals are overcome by bloodlust. We hunt small creatures to rid ourselves of this possession; we only need a small amount to do so. I go under the guise that I am searching for herbs or plants that the twins, Poundcake and Pumpkincake, can use, and I leave during the twilight so as to distance myself from others. A thestral with bloodlust is not a pleasant sight, and we are known to attack anything near us.” With that explanation, Darkcloud had sated his curiosity for the moment, and they had reached the top of the stairs. Back in the light, Cloud turned to get a better look at Starcatcher and noticed a bit of blood above his lip. “Hey, you’ve some blood right there” he whispered, indicating the area with his hoof. “Thank you” the thestral replied as he wiped the blood from his face “Say, are you going to help us make cider?” “I wouldn’t know how” Cloud said. “It’s actually very simple, but it requires a large amount of work” the thestral said “you can talk to Big Mac and Poundcake about helping tomorrow night.” Starcatcher tried to give a friendly grin, but Thestrals and grins don’t often mix well, so Cloud thought he was scrunching his face to get rid of a fly. The colt wasn't sure how to reply. He was new, and he had really met Starcatcher only a few moments ago; but here they were, with Starcatcher asking him to help with “A stallion’s job” as it was called. “I,..um, I’ll ask” he said nervously; he wasn’t used to being treated like this. Maybe it was something in the way Starcatcher spoke, but he was comfortable around the strange colt. He pondered this as he traveled down the hall to talk to the others who were still awake.
A Talk About ShadowsCloud and Starcatcher made their way down the hall and entered the dining room once more, emptied of everyone but Poundcake and Big Mac. The others had moved into the living room across the hall, and a few were outside on a small balcony Cloud had failed to notice before. Big Mac and Poundcake were talking about prices and such with a small pile of papers in front of them. As they entered the room, both of the stallions at the table looked up for a moment, and PoundCake got up and walked into the kitchen and Big Mac returned to the papers on the table. Starcatcher took a seat at the table and motioned that Cloud should do the same. “What are the numbers this month?” Star asked Big Mac “Same as always” Big Mac replied “Higher than what we need” “Is that enough to expand the orchard?” “Eeyup” came the simple and fitting response At this point Poundcake trotted back into the room, carrying a tray with several bowls and plates on his back. He deposited them on the table in front of Starcatcher, who thanked him for the meal. Cloud was confused as to why Starcatcher hadn’t gotten the food himself, and voiced the question to Star. “That seems kind of rude” he said “What are you referring to?” Starcatcher asked “If you knew there was food in the kitchen, why didn’t you get it yourself?” Cloud asked, tilting his head slightly. Poundcake overheard and replied across the table “That’s my fault. I’m horribly picky about how ponies treat my kitchen. I take after my father, I’m told.” Without looking from his papers, Big Mac added passively “he also makes a big fuss about any messes in there” “I don’t complain about Pumpkin’s messes” Pound tried to defend himself “Yer sister doesn’t count, she’s in there as much as you are and she knows how to clean so you don’t nag her about it” Big Mac came back as flipped to the next page. Cloud watched as the small exchange continued, and glanced over to see that Star had eaten over half of the food Poundcake had brought him. Poundcake dropped the argument with Big Mac, who hadn’t glanced up from his papers through the whole exchange. When he was thoroughly satisfied that his math was correct, Big Mac passed the small stack of papers across the table to Starcatcher, who had finished his meal with astounding speed. Not to mention a freaky cleanliness, seeing as there wasn’t a spot of food left on the dishes. “If ah’m right, then we can expand the orchard by five ta six acres. The question is, should we get somethin’ new this time?” Big Mac asked “We’ve got Apples and Zap Apples, some Cherries, Oranges, Pears, and Lemons so far.” Starcatcher looked over the papers and checked the math. “There’s enough for seven if we take a few bits from the savings” He offered to Big Mac “I’d rather not” “As for the crops, Darkcloud, would you like to choose? Cloud fidgeted where he sat. It was uncomforting, all this friendliness. He hadn’t expected something like this, and while welcomed, it felt a bit much for his first night there. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Cloud asked “You can if you’d like, but you don’t have to” Big Mac said Cloud sighed, Big Mac and the others seemed like really nice ponies, but they were overdoing the welcome a bit. He felt a yawn pulling at his mouth. He tried to fight it but found that he was more tired than he’d expected. “Well, looks like you and me are gonna make the cider, Star” Poundcake said “why don’t you pack away for the night?” he asked Cloud Cloud nodded while another yawn took over “I guess I need some sleep” “It must be because of my attack earlier” Cloud excused himself from the table again, and began to walk down the hall to his room. Several voices sounded off as he passed the living room, wishing him good dreams. He thanked them and replied in kind, and made his way slowly down the stairs, his thoughts beginning to muddle together. He tried to concentrate on what his attack could mean, sometimes it was a precursor to something worse, other times it was an attack alone. He made it to his room and looked around as he sat on the bed. He had a vague thought about what his life could be like as his vision faded and he was embraced in the warmth of a dream. ______________________________________________________________________ “I need to see Zecora” Starcatcher told Big Mac The large stallion looked across the table at the thestral. “Why’s that?” the stallion rumbled “I need to talk to her, it could be something urgent” Starcatcher replied “That doesn’t sound good” Poundcake said as he returned from the kitchen “What’s going on?” “How should I say it? There are many ways to tell if somepony is sick, and there are many types of illnesses.” Starcatcher began to explain “Think of a shadow hanging over somepony. The shadow will become lighter when a pony is clear from danger and darker when a threat is present. This is how it works for most ponies. Thestrals have the ability to see this shadow and predict a safer course of action if we sense a threat. There are some exceptions to the basic rule of the shadow. For instance, some shadows are always light or dark, and others darken gradually and steadily, which indicates some imminent event which will end their life.” “I take it that something is wrong with Cloud’s “shadow” as you put it?” Poundcake asked “Yes, I believe so” “Why would you need to see Zecora?” Big Mac asked “If’n you can see the shadow and tell what’s going on, is that all you can do about it?” Starcatcher was shocked by Big Mac’s bluntness about it. He had just revealed that Darkcloud could die, likely sometime within the next year, and the farmpony had seemingly brushed it off like it wasn’t a concern. Big Mac noticed the look of shock that both colts were giving him and sighed. “Look boys, it’s not that I don’t care, but when somepony tells you something like that, and nothing can be done about it, it’s best to put it out of your mind. Never forget it’s there, but don’t fret about it and make sure you’re prepared for when it happens.” “How can you say something like that?” Starcatcher asked, confusion apparent in his voice. This was not what the stallion was normally like. He knew Big Mac the farmpony, a caring, strong and fatherly figure. Big Mac shouldn't be one to brush off somepony dying. Big Mac sighed and began to speak “When you get old enough, you learn to deal with this kind of thing. Take Fluttershy, for example, every time one of her animal friends dies, what does she do?” “She grieves, buries it, and tells the family” Poundcake replied “What’s that got to do with it?” “After that, she goes on and keeps taking care of the others, doesn’t she?” Both of the colts nodded and shared the same look of confusion “She doesn’t let it get in the way. And the same thing applies to me, and you’re lucky it didn’t happen with you” he said, pointing at Poundcake. Poundcake’s expression deepened with his confusion. Big Mac continued “When I was little, I had to go through both of my parents deaths. Thank Celestia I wasn’t there to see my father, but my Mother died soon after that, and I had to watch the pain as she faded away. In addition to that, I had all the responsibilities of the house thrown at me.” “I didn’t have to go through that” Poundcake pondered, his hoof on his lower lip as he looked at the floor in thought. “Exactly, ya’ll were too young to remember when Fluttershy and me took you in” “I was three, right?” Big Mac nodded solemnly, recalling the events that had happened fourteen years ago. He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. “Anyways, what can Zecora do, besides tryin’ ta work her witchcraft?” “Her “Witchcraft” as you call it, can work amazing changes in ponies. Zebra magic works in ways that unicorn magic can’t” Starcatcher told Big Mac “If you think it’ll help, feel free to visit her” Big Mac responded “Just be sure to come back by the end of the weekend” Starcatcher nodded and excused himself from the table. Big Mac walked around the table and gathered up his papers without a word. He then made his way to the door, telling Poundcake “I’m gonna grab a little shut-eye before we get ta making cider” Poundcake nodded and got up himself. “I’m gonna clean the kitchen then” Big Mac left him to his business and poked his head in the living room to wish everypony goodnight. Diamondroot and Greenhoof were already filing down the hall to get some sleep, and stopped to wish him a good night. Pumpkin and Spring were chatting and playing cards when he looked in, planning their next trip into Canterlot, no doubt. Fluttershy got up from the couch and followed Big Mac from the room. Everything was calm for a few minutes while the girls chatted, Pumpkin listing off the ingredients and utensils she wanted to get, as well as a few cookbooks for rare recipes. Spring was interested in some new writing materials, showing her papers to a few publishers, and replacing her glasses. Eventually, Poundcake came in and joined the girls for a few hands of the game. “So. Why did Starcatcher leave?” Spring asked “He’s visiting his Aunt” “Again? That’s the third time in the past two months” Spring noted “What’s his excuse this time?” “He says she teaches him some of the potion recipes she’s famous for” Pound gave the usual response “He’s a scholar, what would you expect from him?” “Explain how she’s his ’Auntie’ again?” Pumpkin asked Poundcake rubbed a hoof on his forehead, trying to remember the lessons Starcatcher had given him on Thestral social traditions. “Um….. He recognizes her as a teacher and master of her craft, and he learned from her for about two weeks while she was fixing his wings and as such sees her as a caretaker” He said slowly, still collecting his thoughts “However, since they are not related by blood, he has imprinted on her as a superior and was set on referring to her as ‘Master Zecora’. But she found that offensive in some way and insisted on him calling her ‘Aunt’, because it’s a zebra tradition to refer to an elder who you hold respect for, or whom you have a close relationship with, by the title of ‘Aunt’ or ‘Uncle’.” Poundcake rattled off as he remembered Starcatcher’s explanation Pumpkin took a few moments to piece the information together, but quickly gave up. “Would you like the short version?” Spring asked “Please” “Basically, he enrolled himself under Zecora as a student, but she didn’t want him to call her master, so she decided to use a Zebra tradition to ‘adopt’ him as her nephew” SpringDarling told her Pumpkin stared at her for a minute before saying “I’m sure that makes sense, and I kinda get it, but you lost me” “It’s okay, sis, those social rules start getting really confusing for other species” “It’s not really important either way. As far as I’m concerned, my priorities lie with gathering the best apples in the orchard for the pies tomorrow.” “AH! QUIT TEASING MY MIND!” Spring wailed, throwing her cards in the air and then clasped her hooves to face dramatically “Granny. Smith. Apple. Pie” Pumpkin whispered the words “Why can’t you make it!?” Spring asked, pointing an accusing hoof at Poundcake “Because I’m better at cooking, I need something to do at any given minute” Pound said “It’s a pegasus thing” “And I’m better at preparing and occupying myself while my beauties gain their flavor” Pumpkin stated “Wow, look at the time” Spring said, looking at the clock on the wall, genuine surprise in her eyes. It was late, almost midnight, and the all three ponies felt the sudden weight of exhaustion on their shoulders, Poundcake less so than the mares. “We should get some rest then” Poundcake said, gathering up the cards “G’Night” The two mares made their way out of the room, each thinking her own thoughts. Spring wished Pumpkin a good night when she reached her room. As she tucked herself into bed, she blurrily wondered if Poundcake had given her a fake answer to Starcatcher’s visit to Zecora. She shrugged it off as she slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
