Guarded Emotions: Forgotten Linage

by Alabenson

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5550

Twilight and Moonwhisper journey to Cowcutta when Moonwhisper receives a letter from his supposedly deceased grandfather

Moonwhisper receives an unexpected letter from his grandfather, who he had believed had been dead since before he was born. Though Moonwhisper initially wants to ignore the letter as a hoax, Twilight insists that they investigate and the pair travel to Cowcutta to learn the truth of the matter.

Published 2020-06-28 22:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-06-28 22:30:00 UTC

Out Of The Blue And Out Of The Past

“While I appreciate the offer, Twilight, I really don’t think I would be a particularly good candidate for a substitute teacher for the school,” Moonwhisper said in what was becoming something of a morning ritual. It seemed every day at breakfast Twilight would try to coax Moonwhisper into taking on a role at her School of Friendship, and every day Moonwhisper would politely decline.

“I’m not saying you should become a permanent teacher or anything,” Twilight replied undeterred. “But it would really help to have somepony on standby who could fill in incase somepony gets called away on a friendship mission. Besides, who better to ask than my special somepony?”

Moonwhisper let out a sigh. “Let’s see, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, Applejack’s sister and her friends, Pinkie Pie’s sister Maud, Pinkie Pie’s sister Maud’s pet rock, any number of other inanimate objects, Discord…”

“Discord, really?” Twilight asked with a mixture of exasperation and disbelief.

“Alright, admittedly Discord would be more of a lateral move than an improvement, but my core point still stands. While I appreciate your confidence in my abilities, the fact of the matter is I’m less qualified to teach at a friendship school than many of the students there. Granted, I’m operating under the belief that Equestrian military history isn’t part of your curriculum, but I feel that’s a safe assumption on my part.” Moonwhisper added.

“What about phys-ed?” Twilight asked. “You can’t expect me to believe that you wouldn’t be able to handle running a gym class.”

Before Moonwhisper could concede Twilight’s point that there was at least one subject he be qualified to substitute for, Spike came rushing into the room carrying a letter. “Hey, Moonwhisper! I was going through your mail like you’ve asked me to, and I really think you’re going to want to read this!”

“You’ve been having Spike go through your mail?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow as Moonwhisper took the letter from Spike.

“Spike asked me if there was any guard business that he could assist with, so I’ve been allowing him to take on a few clerical duties,” Moonwhisper replied before leaning in closer. “I think Spike likes the idea of being able to feel like he’s part of the guard, and this way he’ll be less likely to try something potentially dangerous on his own.”

“Moonwhisper says I’m one of the best batdragons he’s ever had,” Spike added proudly. “Anyway, you remember how you said that if you got any letters from Penumbral Dusk I should read them and only tell you if he was dead, dying, or had done something he could be arrested for? Well, what about letters from any other members of your family?”

“What, you mean like my mother’s family?” Moonwhisper asked.

“You know, now that I think about it, you never really talk about her side of the family,” Twilight said. “Have you ever thought about reaching out to them? It might be a good way to find some relatives that…you know, you won’t have so many issues with.”

Moonwhisper let out a snort of annoyance. “My mother’s family are only marginally better than Penumbral Dusk himself. They pushed my mother into the marriage so they could bolster their social status by tying themselves to one of the old-blood noble families. Once they realized that the von Umbra name was basically mud, they practically disowned my mother and cut contact with her.”

“Actually, I was talking about something more like your dad’s side of the family,” Spike said uneasily.

“That wouldn’t be something that you’d need to be worried about,” Moonwhisper said. “Aside from Penumbral Dusk there aren’t any living members of the von Umbra family around anymore, at least that I’m aware of. Neither Penumbral Dusk nor his father had any siblings, and both of Penumbral Dusk’s parents died before I was born.”

“Um…how sure are you about that?” Spike said as he handed Moonwhisper the letter he had been carrying.

Confused, Moonwhisper took the letter in his magical aura and opened it. As he silently read the letter, Moonwhisper’s face rapidly took on a look of utter shock and disbelief. “This is impossible. It has to be somepony’s sick idea of a joke.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“It says it’s from Silent Shade,” Moonwhisper said. “That’s the name of Penumbral Dusk’s father. My grandfather.”

“But, didn’t you just say he was dead?” Twilight asked somewhat confused.

Moonwhisper nodded as he crumpled the letter into a ball. “Supposedly he’s on his deathbed in some place called Cowcutta. This is obviously some sort of especially obnoxious hoax.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing. Like I said, this is obviously somepony’s idea of a prank, and not a very good one either. I don’t know who was behind this, it certainly wouldn’t be in character for Miss Pinkie Pie or Miss Rainbow Dash, but I have no intention of wasting my energy on an obvious wild goose chase.”

“Actually, I think maybe we should go and check it out,” Twilight said after thinking about it for a moment.

“You have to be kidding,” Moonwhisper said incredulously.

“No, I’m serious. Think about it, even if that letter is a hoax, whoever sent it to you somehow knew your grandfather’s name, that sounds like something you should at least be curious about it. And, besides, what if it really isn’t a hoax?” Twilight added, to which Moonwhisper simply looked away in irritation. “What if I come with you to Cowcutta? We could make it a bit of a vacation so even if this is a prank it won’t be a total loss.”

“But, what about your responsibilities at your school? I wouldn’t think you’d be able to just take off like that,” Moonwhisper protested.

“Actually, the School of Friendship is on summer break, and Twilight got everything prepared for the next semester a week ago,” Spike helpfully pointed out while Twilight grinned at Moonwhisper.

Moonwhisper glared irritably at Spike before looking at Twilight and finally letting out a sigh of defeat. “I see. So, when do you want to leave?”

*********

“So, what kind of pony was your grandfather, anyway?” Twilight asked as she and Moonwhisper sat in the train to Cowcutta. Moonwhisper had remained largely silent since they had left Ponyville, mostly just morosely staring out the window at the passing landscape. “I know you said that he was supposed to have died before you were born, but I have to imagine that you know at least a little about him.”

A few moments ticked by as Moonwhisper continued to stare out the train window in silence before finally he let out a deep sigh. “The only things I really know about Silent Shade are that he traveled extensively when he was alive and that he was avid art collector. To be frank, I only really know about that last part because I once overheard Penumbral Dusk raging about how he couldn’t locate where Silent Shade left his collection.”

“Is that really all you know?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “With how obsessed Penumbral Dusk always seemed about your family I’d have thought he’d have talked a lot more about him.”

Moonwhisper shrugged. “I never really got the impression that Penumbral Dusk was especially close to his father. My understanding was that Silent Shade had died while Penumbral Dusk was still a young colt and before that Silent Shade spent too much time traveling the world for them to ever really bond. Not that I can really blame Silent Shade for wanting to stay as far away from Trotsylvania as possible,” Moonwhisper added under his breath.

“So, Silent Shade might not have been anywhere near as bad as your father,” Twilight Sparkle suggested hopefully.

“Perhaps not, but given the nature of the von Umbra family I wouldn’t be especially optimistic,” Moonwhisper snorted. “What I can’t figure out is why anypony would want to pretend to be Silent Shade in the first place. Whoever it was obviously doesn’t know me all that well or they wouldn’t be relying on using supposed familial connections to lure me to Cowcutta. For that matter, I can’t understand why in Equestria anypony would want me to come to Cowcutta in the first place.”

This time it was Twilight’s turn to sigh. “You seem really insistent that this is all some kind of trick.”

“Twilight, let’s say one day you received a letter out of nowhere saying it was from your great uncle Noble Deed and it claimed he was actually still alive and living in…I don’t know, Vanhoover. What would you think was going on?” Moonwhisper asked pointedly.

“Alright, I see your point,” Twilight admitted, leaning back in her seat. “So, I’m not all that familiar with Cowcutta. What sort of place is it?”

“I couldn’t tell you all that much about it myself,” Moonwhisper replied with a shrug. “It’s one of the quasi-independent sections of Equestria, mostly known as a spice trading hub if I recall correctly.”

“Is that really all you know about it?” Twilight asked.

“Well, from what I’ve heard there’s a rather good Cowcuttan restaurant that’s opened on Restaurant Row in Canterlot, but I wouldn’t really call that useful information,” Moonwhisper said with a shrug. “I’ve never visited that part of Equestria, it’s an area that the guard only rarely deals with, and the guardponies that are responsible for it aren’t ones that I have any real contact with.”

Twilight let out a small sigh. “Well, if that’s really all you know about Cowcutta then I guess we’ll just have to do some research before we get there. Normally I prefer to read up on my destinations before I leave, but in this case, I guess it can’t really be helped,” Twilight said as she levitated a few books out from her saddlebags. “I couldn’t find all that much in my library about Cowcutta before we had to leave to catch the train, but this should at least give us a good start.”

*********

By the time the train finally pulled into the Cowcutta station both Twilight and Moonwhisper had both managed to read through the books that Twilight had brought with her, though neither seemed to feel all that much more prepared. “While I’ll certainly admit that that was a pleasant enough way to occupy the time, I’m not sure reading about Cowcutta’s pre-Equestrian history will be all that relevant to the reason we’ve come here.”

“I did say I didn’t have time to really sort through my library for useful information,” Twilight said as she returned her book on Cowcuttan cuisine to her saddlebag.

“Well, it was more than I managed to bring,” Moonwhisper said. “In any event, we should head to the address on the letter. The sooner we get to the bottom of what’s going on, the sooner we can return to Ponyville.”

Realizing that any further efforts to convince Moonwhisper to keep an open mind about the authenticity of the letter would be wasted, Twilight simply nodded and followed Moonwhisper as he quickly made his way through the crowded streets. After several minutes of wandering (and twice having to stop for directions), the pair finally succeeded in finding their destination, a small curio shop down a deserted side street. “Are you sure this is the right place?” Twilight asked as she eyed the building skeptically.

“I’m certain. The address here matches the return address on the letter exactly, see for yourself if you don’t believe me,” Moonwhisper grumbled as he levitated the letter towards Twilight.

“Alright, I believe you. Well, if nothing else, maybe we can do some antiquing while we’re here,” Twilight suggested, actually managing to elicit a smile from Moonwhisper.

“You have a true talent for finding the silver lining in situations like this. Still, it would be nice for this trip to not be a complete waste.” With that, Moonwhisper opened the door into the store and held it open for Twilight, who stepped inside to find the store a disorganized mess. Rows of shelves filled the interior of the shop, all of which were piled with assorted, dust covered knickknacks, many of which Twilight couldn’t even identify.

“Can I help the two of you?” Twilight and Moonwhisper looked up to see an elderly unicorn stallion with a faded green coat sitting behind a counter. “I’m sorry if I startled you, my name is Jade Relic. Were the two of you looking for anything in particular?”

“Yes. Whoever thought it was amusing to send me this,” Moonwhisper snarled as he passed Jade Relic the letter he had received.

Jade Relic’s eyes widened as he looked over the letter and then glanced back to Moonwhisper again. “You’re Moonwhisper! I’m sorry, I should have noticed the family resemblance right away. You know, you look a great deal like Silent Shade did in his younger days, especially before…well, I suppose he’ll want to tell you about that himself.”

Moonwhisper narrowed his eyes in irritation. “So, should I assume that you’re the one who sent this letter to me then?”

“Well, I’m the one who mailed it, Silent Shade hasn’t been able to so much as leave his bed in months,” Jade Relic said. “But I’m guessing you’re looking for a bit more of an explanation than that. You should head upstairs, Silent’s bedroom is the third door on the left. I’m really glad you decided to come, I don’t know how much more time Silent has left.”

“Well, if I’ve come this far, I may as well see this farce to the end,” Moonwhisper snorted as he headed towards the stairs with Twilight in tow. The two made their way to the room Jade Relic had pointed them to and opened the door into a cluttered bedroom, dimly lit by the few motes of sunlight able to penetrate the room’s curtains. Lying in a large bed on the far side of the room was an ancient, emaciated unicorn stallion, his coat a faded ash grey and his mane reduced to a few wisps of bone white hair.

As Moonwhisper and Twilight entered the room the unicorn stirred and half-opened his eyes, addressing them in a hoarse whisper. “Jade? You…you’re not Jade. Who are you?”

“Allegedly, I’m your grandson,” Moonwhisper said. “I will say this, you’re looking rather well for a pony who’s been dead for decades.”

Moonwhisper’s reply had an immediate effect on the unicorn, whose eyes snapped open as he struggled to shift himself so he could better see his guests. “Moonwhisper, is it really you? And…an alicorn?”

“I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, Moonwhisper’s…well, I’m his special somepony. I mostly came with him for moral support. If you don’t mind my bringing it up, Moonwhisper said that he was under the impression that you died years ago…” Twilight said, leaving the implied question hanging in the air.

“Yes, you deserve an explanation for that,” Silent Shade as he closed his eyes, as though merely mentioning the subject caused him physical pain. “Tell me, how much do you know about my marriage to Aloof Airs?”

“My grandmother?” Moonwhisper replied. “Aside from the fact that the two of you were married long enough to produce Penumbral Dusk, I can’t say I know all that much. Aloof Airs passed away shortly before I was born, and all I can really say about her is that she was the one pony Penumbral Dusk seemed to have an entirely positive opinion of.” Moonwhisper shrugged. “Normally I’d say that tells me everything I’d need to know about her, but she was his mother after all.”

Silent Shade let out a derisive snort that swiftly developed into a brief coughing fit. “Your first instinct was correct, I’m sorry to say. Aloof Airs was a shrill, grasping harpy of a nag who only seemed to find pleasure in looking down on other ponies.”

“In other words, the rotten apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” Moonwhisper grumbled. “That said, if you despised her so much then why in Celestia’s name did you marry her?”

“It wasn’t by choice, I can assure you. Ours was an arranged marriage, part of a business deal between our parents. I won’t bore you with the details, not the least because I can’t remember them anyway, but the only part of me that Aloof ever cared for was my title and there was never a part of her I could stand,” Silent Shade said.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but that doesn’t make any sense,” Twilight interjected. “You couldn’t have been in an arranged marriage, Princess Celestia passed a decree banning them over three hundred years ago.”

“As much as I hate to argue with you, Twilight, that ban only prevents the arrangements from being legally enforceable. They still occur, however, particularly among certain, particularly socially backwards groups,” Moonwhisper said. “Penumbral Dusk actually made a few attempts to pull me into one when I was first promoted to captain. It took me months to finally get him to put an end to that stupidity.”

Silent Shade nodded his head. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite as fortunate as you were in that regard. It didn’t help that I was young and stupid at the time, and the one nice thing I can say about Aloof was that she was an attractive mare in those days. I didn’t realize how repulsive she was on the inside until after it was too late for me to escape the loveless marriage I had allowed myself to be trapped in.” Silent Shade grimaced as he closed his eyes in remembrance. “Living with Aloof was soul-crushing. She’d spend her days screaming at anypony she deemed one of her ‘lessers’ who was unfortunate enough to get caught in her path, and when she wasn’t doing that she devoted herself to obsessing over her social standing in Canterlot. The only escape I had from Aloof’s constant scheming and tantrums was by traveling, the more exotic the location and the fewer amenities it offered the better. Aloof tried tagging along during my first few trips, but it didn’t take long for her to decide that she was fine with giving me my space if I wasn’t going someplace that was less than a five-star resort.”

“As scintillating as listening to you describe your marital troubles is, it doesn’t really answer my questions regarding the apparent exaggerations of the rumors of your passing,” Moonwhisper said irritably.

“I was getting to that,” Silent Shade said sadly. “While I was traveling, or to be honest, while I was fleeing my family in Trotsylvania, I found a number of ways to keep myself entertained. Collecting fine art, for example. At first it was just a way for me to aggravate Aloof. Among many other things, Aloof was a skinflint to the core and I knew how much it galled her when the bills for my acquisitions came it, but I soon developed a genuine appreciation for it. Of course, I indulged in…other forms of entertainment as well.”

Moonwhisper wrinkled his snout in disgust. “Of course you did. I suppose it would be too much for me to hope that there was a member of the von Umbra family whom I didn’t find repugnant in some way or another.”

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Twilight said.

“Silent Shade was a philanderer,” Moonwhisper replied. “Probably a serial philanderer, if I’m reading what he’s saying correctly. Admittedly, that’s a fairly minor offense by the standards of the von Umbra family, but that bar isn’t exactly difficult to get over.”

“…You truly despise the von Umbra family, don’t you?” Silent Shade asked.

“I have my reasons,” Moonwhisper said with an air of defiance.

“Yes, you do,” Silent Shade said. “And in any event, you’re right about me, I had affairs with mares in almost every place I visited. At first it was never anything serious, I was just starved for the affection I couldn’t hope to receive at home, and perhaps a hint of spite towards Aloof as well. But then I met her.”

“Her?” Moonwhisper and Twilight asked in unison, to which Silent Shade gestured towards a photograph in a frame on his bedstand. Levitating it over, the two saw that it was an old photo of a pegasi mare dressed in an outfit that looked to be more sheer gauze than anything else. The outfit, combined with the sultry look on the mare’s face, left Twilight feeling as though her cheeks were about to catch fire.

“Midnight Breeze,” Silent Shade said as Moonwhisper returned the frame. “She was a dancer when we met, and the way she moved…I had heard the phrase ‘poetry in motion’ before, but I never fully understood it until the first time I saw her. When we were together, I knew I couldn’t let it be just another torrid affair. I needed her, more than I had ever needed anything in my entire, spoiled waste of a life.” Silent Shade fixed his gaze on Moonwhisper, his pale eyes sparkling to life with a sudden fire. “Do you know what it’s like to love somepony like that? To need them in your life like you need the air to breathe?”

“Yes, I do,” Moonwhisper replied solemnly, casting a glance at Twilight.

Silent Shade glanced between Moonwhisper and a furiously blushing Twilight before settling back down with a satisfied smile. “I see the rumors I’d heard about you were right on the mark. In any event, devoting myself to Midnight Breeze meant I needed to cut ties with Aloof Airs and Trotsylvania completely. Unfortunately, I knew Aloof well enough to know that she’d do everything she could to make the process as painful for me as possible. If I had thought it would have been just myself involved I wouldn’t have minded, I probably deserved as much, but I couldn’t let Midnight be dragged into the middle of that. So, I spoke to a few lawyers and got ready to give Aloof an offer even she couldn’t refuse…”

*********

“Whatever it is he thinks he’s offering; I don’t care!” Aloof Airs snarled at Per Curiam, her soon to be ex-husband’s attorney, completely ignoring the fact that Silent Shade was seated next to her. “I’ve been willing to ignore the fact that he’s been rutting every mudhoof whore he could find in those repulsive backwaters he’s always visiting, since he at least had the decency to be discreet about it. But if he thinks I’m going to sit by while he actually leaves me for some cloudmuncher tart I’ll –”

“Shut up and listen,” Silent replied, not even bothering to stifle a smirk at the shocked expression on Aloof Airs’ face. “I’ll freely admit that, if we went to court, you’d take most of our assets, but don’t think for a second that I’d let you come out of it spotless either.”

“What are you talking about?” Aloof asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m just saying that a divorce between members of the old nobility is the sort of thing the Canterlot tabloids just eat up,” Silent Shade said.

Aloof Airs let out a cruel laugh. “You’re going to have to do much better than that if you want to scare me. Don’t forget, I’m the victim in all this while you’re the filthy whoremonger abandoning his wife and son. Whose side do you really think the tabloids are going to be on?”

“Oh, they’re going to be on their own side, naturally. And you’re absolutely right, no matter what I tell them my reputation in Canterlot will be completely destroyed by the end of all this. The thing is, unlike you, I really couldn’t care less what any of the stuffed shirts in Canterlot think about me. So, it won’t bother me in the slightest to drag my name through the mud if it means you’ll be stuck associated with the worst scandal Canterlot’s seen in decades,” Silent Shade said, his smile growing ever larger as he saw the dawning realization on Aloof Air’s face. “And that’s before I start telling the tabloids my side of the story. About how I was chased into infidelity by my horrible shrew of a wife. I’m sure the gossip pages will be fascinated to hear all the juicy details about your tantrums, your tribalism, the way you treat ponies when you don’t think anypony important is watching.”

“Nopony will believe you,” Aloof Airs replied, to which Silent Shade simply shrugged.

“I suppose they’ll doubt me, at the very least. If only I had some way of corroborating my claims, like a list of former servants who’ve witnessed your behavior firsthoof and who you’d fired for one petty reason or another.” Silent Shade watched with barely disguised glee as the color drained from Aloof Airs’ face. “Of course, if you’d rather avoid all that I’ve had Per Curiam draw up an alternative proposal. You might actually be pleasantly surprised by it.”

Aloof Airs nodded in silence and levitated a small packet of papers offered to her by Per Curiam. After reading through the document for several minutes, Aloof looked up and stared at Silent Shade in shock. “Is this some kind of trick? You’re offering me even more than I’d take you for in a regular settlement.”

“Oh, it’s no trick,” Silent Shade replied “Under that agreement I’d take my art collection and a portion of our liquid assets, the whole amount totaling about…what did we figure it came to, Per? Twenty five percent of the household? Thirty percent?”

“You would retain roughly twenty eight percent of the household’s net worth, with Mrs. Aloof Airs retaining the remainder,” Per Curiam said.

“Well, a 28/72 split doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but there you go. You keep the house, the lands, the title, most of the money, and I get my art and enough money to start my life over. Most importantly, however, I get away from you,” Silent Shade added firmly. “You sign those papers, we divide the assets and that’s it, you never attempt to contact me again.”

“And what am I supposed to say when everypony starts asking where you vanished off to?” Aloof Airs asked.

“Tell them whatever you want. Say I went off on some adventure and went missing, nopony will care enough to question it. Tell everypony I was eaten by a manticore for all I care, the important bit is that I’ll be out of your life for good,” Silent Shade said.

*********

“Aloof didn’t need much more convincing after that, she always had been greedier and vainer than she was spiteful, though not by much,” Silent Shade concluded. “Once the funds were divvied up I moved here, married Midnight, and opened this shop. It was a good life, and I had no regrets about what I had done to get it. At least, I hadn’t until…”

“Until what?” Moonwhisper said.

Silent Shade closed his eyes as he took on a pained expression. “I’d never made much of an effort to keep tabs on my former family. Occasionally, though, some bit of gossip would make its way back to me, usually some proof that my son had inherited Aloof’s personality with none of her skill at maintaining a facade of respectability. There were the occasional stories about you as well, but I’m ashamed to admit I never paid much attention, not until Jade Relic ran into a pony who had witnessed you save a little filly by fighting off a wyvern.”

“I recall the incident, it occurred shortly after I was assigned to Ponyville,” Moonwhisper replied.

“And I recall just how the story said you managed to fight that wyvern,” Silent Shade said pointedly. “Our family’s secret spell. I knew the basics of how it works, and what you must have gone through to learn how to use it. Then I recalled some of the darker rumors about my son and what he’d supposedly been up to.”

“Is there a point to any of this?” Moonwhisper snapped irritably, causing Twilight to look at him in shock. “Yes, my pre-adolescence was a living nightmare. I am well aware of this fact and, with no small amount of difficulty, have been working to get past it. That being said, I fail to see what any of that has to do with you. Penumbral Dusk was the one responsible for what happened to me, not you, and nothing you’ve said thus far would indicate otherwise.”

“That’s just it,” Silent Shade wheezed. “Penumbral Dusk became the pony he is, a pony who could do monstrous things to those closest to him, because of me! Because I shirked my responsibilities as a parent and left him to be molded into a twisted copy of his mother! If I hadn’t continually ran off to the ends of Equestria, if I had stayed in Trotsylvania and been the father I should have been, maybe you wouldn’t have had to suffer the way you did.”

“Perhaps,” Moonwhisper replied after a moment’s silence. “But ultimately Penumbral Dusk bears the responsibility for his own actions, your failures as a parent notwithstanding. Assuming you called me here for absolution then, fine, you have it. I’m not going to blame you for something you had no direct hoof in, and even if I was forgiveness is a worthwhile concept to apply, within reason.”

Silent Shade sank back into his pillow, apparently relieved by what Moonwhisper had said. “That was part of it, I won’t lie. But, even if you don’t blame me for what happened I still feel responsible all the same. That’s why I prepared this.” With a small grunt of exertion, Silent Shade magicked open his nightstand and levitated out an official-looking document, which he passed to Moonwhisper.

“And this is…?” Moonwhisper asked.

“My will. I don’t have much longer, I can feel it, and that represents the last bit of unfinished business I have. To spare you the need to read through the legalese I’ll get to the part where this concerns you; I’m leaving you my art collection,” Silent Shade said.

Moonwhisper raised an eyebrow at Silent Shade’s declaration. “That really isn’t –”

“It’s necessary to me!” Silent Shade yelled as he raised himself to a half-sitting position. “You might not care two bits about any of this, but as far as I’m concerned I owe you for what you went through and I always settle my debts.” Silent Shade was forced to end his tirade as a series of coughs wracked his frail body, causing him to collapse back onto the bed. “If you don’t want the collection, then you can get rid of it. Sell it, donate it, do whatever you want, I’ll be past caring by that point anyway.” Silent Shade let out a yawn as he settled back down and closed his eyes. “The important part is that I’ll have settled things. The last bit to take care of. It’s a shame…we never…sooner.”

Moonwhisper and Twilight stood in silence for several seconds before Twilight finally spoke. “Is he…?”

“Don’t worry, he’s asleep, not dead,” Moonwhisper confirmed. “Relaying his story must have left him exhausted. We should probably go, I doubt he’ll wake up anytime soon.” Twilight nodded quietly and the two exited the bedroom, carefully shutting the door behind them.

*********

“Do you want to talk about it?” Twilight asked as she and Moonwhisper settled into their hotel room. “You haven’t said anything since we met your grandfather, and hearing about what happened must have been a bit of a shock.”

“Twilight…the truth is I’m still not sure what I feel or what I should feel, about any of that,” Moonwhisper said. “I think part of me still doesn’t feel anything at all. Grandfather or not, Silent Shade is a pony I’d never met before and had barely even heard of. To me he’s just an elderly pony on his deathbed with regrets about parts of his life that he’s not proud of. I guess I feel a bit…not quite sad, but close?”

“Melancholic?” Twilight suggested.

“That’s it,” Moonwhisper replied. “It’s a sad situation, but I can’t bring myself to feel any personal connection to it. But I feel like I should! This feels like something that should be affecting me more deeply than it is, but it just isn’t.” Moonwhisper turned to Twilight with an anguished expression on his face. “What does that say about me? My grandfather spilled out his heart to me on his deathbed and I barely feel anything?”

Twilight brought one of her wings around Moonwhisper and hugged him close to her. “You’re not a bad pony, Moonwhisper, I can promise you that. And I don’t think there really is a right way you should be feeling about this, it’s something that you’re going to need to work out for yourself. But, I’ll be here with you by your side while you do.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Moonwhisper said as he lovingly nuzzled her. “This is probably the worst vacation you’ve ever been on, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Twilight said with a grin. “Did I ever tell you what happened on that family airship cruise my mom won?”