Vengeance at nightfall

(chapter 58) the truth about family

After Sombra had been defeated, Nightshade ordered some guards to cut his horn in half and bury the pieces in different locations, to make sure that he wouldn't come back. And she tended to her son, as the guards and sapphire were freed from their mind control. It took a while to properly fix Mantis’s body, but the work proved to be worth it, as he was soon able to speak and eventually walk. Knowing this, Nightshade walked with him back to her room and kept an eye on him as they did.

“mommy, why didn't grandpa like me?”

The question wasn't surprising, but the timing of it did catch Nightshade off guard, as she looked down into the pools of turquoise that she knew were her son’s eyes.

“well, you see, he doesn't hate you exactly, he just hates what he calls weak in you,”

She said, which only made him tilt his head in confusion, and Nightshade sighed softly.

“he thinks that feeding off love and good emotions makes you weak, and the fact that you are a hybrid he doesn't approve of plays a role in that,”

She looked ahead of them, and only turned back to him when she noticed that he had stopped.

“so he did hate me, because I'm weak,”

Nightshade turned to face him and lifted up his head to look into his eyes,

“that is hardly a fact, I saw the look on your face when we were in the gardens and I don't see it that way at all,”

She sat down and pulled him closer to her, holding him in her arms,

“I know that it wasn't just my emotions transferring to you either, your face reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago. He was brave and I looked up to him, we promised that we would never forget each other no matter how separated we would be, and he was brave enough to defend me without magic.”

She looked down at him, and he was looking up at her with a confused yet interested expression.

“was he a pony?”

He asked, his adorable confusion made her smile, and she stroked his mane with a hoof,

“no, he was a griffin, but he was nice to me and didn't mind that I was a pony at all. When we were still friends he told me something, something that made me want to unify Equestria long ago. What he said was ‘even though we are all different, we are all strong in our own ways, and even though we might not know it, we are all connected’”

Mantis’s eyes lit up with wonder, and he began to smile as he stared up at his mother.

“I'm going to be as amazing as you someday, right?”

Nightshade smiled, and hugged him tightly as she felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, but she forced them back.

“yes, don't let anyone tell you any different, because you are unique and you are like no other pony out there, and I…I love you,”

Mantis hugged her back and giggled softly.

“I love you too, mommy.”