Where We Come From

Chapter 12 Where I Want to Be

Perspective: Mathew

Steph and I laugh and giggle as we run down the driveway to Roses farm. I didn't think walking all the way here would have been this fun, but it was! We played a ton of games to pass the time. Eye spy, hop scotch, tag -even when it was completely one sided. We're racing back to her home now, but I'm not trying to win. I can run a lot faster than she can, so I'm running at her speed. It makes it more fun that way. Plus, she really likes to win.

We rush towards the metal tube thing she calls home and I let her pull ahead to win. She jumps up on the step and slams her hand on the door, cheering herself on. I just laugh and slow to a stop, catching my breath along the way.

"I win! Whoo! That means you have to eat an apple!" I roll my eyes at her. I may have wanted to lose so I can eat an apple without being judged too harshly. I'll never say though.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Should we be yelling like this? Isn't your grandma asleep?" I ask her.

"Don't worry about her. She could sleep through a bulldozer tearing through a glass factory. Smells wake her up instantly though. She'll wake up once she smells us inside. Oh! One last thing, watch out for the orange cat inside. He's... not the nicest cat." She opens the door and rushes in quickly, leaving me a little confused. Am I supposed to wait? "Your turn."

"My turn for what?" I ask as I step up to the door.

"You have to rush in or the cats will run out." Oh, that makes sense, I guess. I look up to the door handle and realize my first obstacle. I'm too short to reach the handle. I could just ask Steph to open the door for me...but that's just not happening.

I rustle my wings as I try to think through this. I could rear up and open the door, but then I can't get in that quickly. Maybe I can do that just enough to open the door slightly, then rush in. But, I'm not that smooth on my hind legs. Plus, the step up looks a little loose, so I doubt 'd be able to get the door open that quickly. I give my wings another shake as I try to think of an answer. I could just try to open the door and go for it, but I really don't want to lose any of her grandmothers cats. Hmm...

...

...

...

"Um... do you need help-"

"I got it!" I yell, conveniently at the correct time. I flap my wings and get airborne long enough to open the door. Then, using gravity, I rush through the door and buck it shut. A few cats tried to rush out, but I got through just in time. Score one for Mathew! "Right, now you said something about rhubarb pie?"

"Right, took you long enough." Steph jibes as she steps over a few cats to get to the kitchen.

There are a lot more cats in here than I had anticipated. I was thinking five or ten cats, not twenty or thirty cats! Most of them are mewing at me, eyeing me curiously. A few are even sniffing me, but I don't think they'll do anything. I take a look around and try to find a way to get around them, but they won't let me be! I would fly over them, but that just seems rude. I don't want to send a draft through the building and knock stuff over.

"Come and get it!" Steph yells from the kitchen. I start to get nervous as I try to find a way though, but there are too many cats! Maybe I can just push through them? Not roughly of course! Just... a little persuasion out of my way. “You coming?"

"Just a sec!" I yell back to her. I take another look around as I try to see if there is anything that would break from a little draft. Porcelain figurines, fancy photo frames, stacks of books; oddly enough, this place is really clean. They must spend hours cleaning this place daily.

With no other options, I start to tip hoof my way through the ocean of cats. Almost immediately they start to walk away, giving me a path to walk. Strange. I guess I just needed to let them know what I wanted to do. I make my way to the kitchen and join Steph at the table. She slides me a slice of pie and an apple. She giggles at my response, but I begrudgingly eat the apple. If it lets me eat in relative peace, then why not?

We each go through two slices of pie together. It was nice. No one talked, no one was in a hurry or telling me to stay down, we just ate. I thought it was weird at first that we weren't talking, but when she smiled back at me I just let it be. She's happy, I'm happy, nothing needs to change. When I finish my pie I push the plate away and sit back, content and full of pie.

"Do you hear that?" Steph asks after a brief pause. I flick my ears back and listen intently, hearing muffled voices outside.

"Do you think it's Mrs. Mouldouth?" I ask nervously as I get out of my chair. Steph shrugs back to me, moving towards the door. I follow her into the living room and watch as she goes to check outside. I really hope it's not her. I don't want to go back.

"It's Ms. Lynn and Ms. Cassaway," Steph whispers to me.

"Who?" I ask absentmindedly.

"Rose." I blush at that. How did I forget that? "They're talking pretty loudly, but I still can't understand them. Whatever they're talking about, it looks pretty serious." She shuts the door and turns back to me, concerned. I think about it for a moment before I make up my mind.

"Step aside. I need to talk to them," I tell her, trying my best to look brave.

"Why? We should just run to the hide out in the woods or-"

"I can't run from this forever. I'll have to face them eventually. Heck, I want to face them again! They're some of the only ones who have been nice to me, so far. It would be the right thing to do." She tries to form an argument, but she quickly sees how serious this is to me. She rushes forward and gives me a quick hug. Nothing like the one before, but enough to give me a boost of confidence. I walk to the door and take a deep breath before opening it... letting all of the cats out.

"*Sigh*, don't worry about it. I'll work on getting them back." Steph drones to me as she walks past me. All of the confidence I had before has left me now. All I can do is stare back at Ms. Lynn and Rose and blush. Why did I have to do that? Now I just want to run and hide! Pony feathers!

"H-hey Mathew," Ms. Lynn starts out nervously, stepping towards me. "We were looking for you... and now we found you... and this is getting awkward so I'm leaving! Later!" She quickly turns around and quickly walks away.

I feel my nerves begin to falter as I look back to Rose. She looks... scared. More scared then I am. which puts me at ends. What is she scared of? Shouldn't she be mad? Even worse, I'm too scared to ask her what's going on. I know I'm in trouble, but what else has happened to make her this scared? I want to be the one to ask, but I can't find my voice. I can't even move out to the porch!

"Mathew,” she forces out with a heavy breath. "We need to talk... a-and I need to show you something too. Can you come with me... please?" We stare at each other in silence for a moment before I nod to her. She nods back to me, but grows paler. I swallow the lump in my throat and look around, though I don't know what I'm looking for. "Let's go."

"O-okay." I step out and shut the door quietly. We share another look for a moment before she turns and starts to walk away. I try to say something, but nothing comes out. I leave it at that and follow after her, head held low.

--o-0-o--

The walk was long and silent. I could see the fear in her eyes, the doubt. Whatever it is that she's going to show me, it's something big. Something I don't think she wants to talk about. But, apparently, she has too. I tried to ask her what was going on, but I couldn't bring myself to break the silence. This is already hard enough for her as it is, there's no need to make it harder by asking a thousand questions. I'll let her say what she needs to say when she's ready.

She takes me down the road and out along the corn fields. There isn't anything out here besides the occasional crow, the corn, and us. The road we're walking on follows the corn fields as they roll along the hills. Each row of corn is evenly spaced from the others. It's kind of creepy how organized they are. How could they have done all of this by hand? Unless they used that carriage thing from before. How could such a small town need so much corn? I'm sure they sell if elsewhere too, but that's still a lot of corn out there.

We finally make it to the bend in the road. Rose leads me off the path and towards a tree on a hill ahead of us. I can see a small forest in front of a grassland all around us, giving a peaceful glow in the area. I grow more and more curious about the tree and we step closer, but I keep my questions to myself. I'm sure I'm about to get all of the answers I want soon enough. We make it to the tree and walk around the back to find a stone hedge standing there. It looks a little weathered, but is mostly well kept. Rose kneels before it and starts to sob a little, so I take a seat beside her and wait. It takes her a bit, but she eventually forces herself to speak.

"This is... this is Cadie... my daughter." I lose my breath when she tells me that. I look to the stone again with a new appreciation. Rose had a daughter, and she... I swallow the lump in my throat as I try to think of what to say to her. But here isn't anything to say, nothing that comes to mind at least.

"I was seventeen when I had her. I was just a kid really. I met a boy and... well, I thought we'd be together forever. When I found out I was pregnant I told him first and... he didn't really seem too moved by it. I guess... I guess he always thought he'd leave town as soon as he could. Do something bigger with his life. But with a kid on the way, that wouldn't allow him to chase his dreams. So one night he just left. No goodbye, no note, nothing. It was just me and my old man for a bit... until he found out that is. He had... an old way of thinking. He didn't want a bastard in his house, so he kicked me out. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at the church for a while, but that was just the beginning.

When Cadie was born... she was the only thing that mattered to me. I thought, 'I may not have Johnathan, but at least I have her.' I had to work every day to be able to afford rent, food, the babysitter, everything. I worked from sun up to sun down, sometimes working multiple jobs. And as soon as the sitter would leave, she would start crying. She must have really hated me. She would cry, and scream, and push me away! She couldn't stand to be near me! I didn't mean to shake her that hard! I was scared! And hurt! And I just wanted her to love me the way I loved her!"

She breaks down again, clutching her lap tightly as her tears fall to the ground. I can feel myself start to tear up as well. Why would her father send her away like that? What kind of person sends their child away when they need them most? And why wouldn't this Jonathan guy stay? Didn't he love her?

... Did my parents do that? Is that why I'm here? Was I so much trouble that they decided to send me away? What could I have done that would force them to do that? Didn't they love me?

"I know this is a lot to take in right now." Rose continues, gaining slight control of herself. "You probably have more questions than I have answers right now, and I'm sorry. But I had to tell you what happened. You have a right to know what kind of person I am. Right had to know what kind of monster I've been."

She breaks down again, crying to herself. I look down and wipe my eyes when I feel a tear roll down my cheek. I don't think she's a monster. She... made a mistake. A really big mistake. But... that doesn't make her a monster, right? I don't think a monster would care so much about their victims. Or love them as much as she does. I don't think that just because you make one bad decision that you are forever a bad pony. She apologized, and I'm sure she faced whatever punishment there is for that. I don't even want to know what that would be.

If she could, I'm sure Cadie would forgive her. She's still her mom after all.

Rose is still crying. I don't know what to say to help her. I don't even think there is something that could be said. I want to make her feel better... but what can I do?

I jump forward and grab her arm in a tight hug, burying my face against her sleeve. She flinches from the contact and pauses in her tears. The two of us just stay like this for a while. I can feel a few tears soaking into her shirt, but I tighten my grip on her regardless. I don't want her feeling like this. I don't want anypony feeling like this! But this is all I can think of to help her. Maybe I should say something, but I don't know what to say. I guess I could try to say something from my gut... I hope this goes well.

"I'm sure Cadie would forgive you if she could. Nopony can stay mad at their moms forever... no matter what." Rose chokes on her tears a bit before scooping me up in a tight hug. I hug her back, hoping that I helped in some way.

While we hold each other I can't help but think to my own mother. Why did she do what she did? When I meet her, will I be mad? And will I be able to forgive her as well? It seems mean, but I don't want to find her right now. I want to stay here a bit longer. Just so I can help Rose.

Perspective: Agent Lewis

Carter and I sloth into our motel and move to cover all of the widows. It's been a long day, and it's only getting longer. The talk we had on the way here only made things worse. We don't know what to think. We need to call HQ. We need more answers. Once everything is close, locked, and sealed, we start setting up for the call. Encrypted computer, smart link satellite connection, voice modulators; this is a covert as things go. Once everything is set up we sit back and look to each other. We're both unclear on what to do, and none of the options we thought of were optimal. Carter pulls out a cigarette and lights it, ending his five-month streak. Where did he even get those?

"*Puff*, start the damn call." I nod to him and start connecting. It takes a minute, but we eventually get through to HQ.

"This is Eclipse, give me your code name," a distorted voice demands. Carter and I each pull out our wallets and bring out blank business cards. We check them against the screen to see our name.

"This is Morning Star, checking in," I tell him, knowing that I sound the same on the other end. He stays silent for a moment, verifying our identities no doubt. Carter takes a long pull from his cigarette and finishes it off. I don't care right now though. There is too much going on for me to care right now. How did it even get to this?

"Verification checks out, what's your status Morning Star?"

"Confirming contact with subject A-6. Unclear how to proceed sir." The other end stays quiet again. Long enough for Carter to start another cigarette and get halfway through it. I just keep my eyes on the screen. Waiting for them to respond.

"We're off the books now boys, speak freely." Carter and I look to one another again. This was unexpected. Then again, so was everything else.

"He's just a kid sir," Carter starts out, leaning forward to talk more directly into the computer. "I don't think taking him to the compound would be wise. He needs to be out-"

"How was the public reaction to him?" Eclipse cuts him off, not caring about his opinion. Carter takes a drag before continuing.

"Mostly normal. Several were able to look past his appearance rather quickly. Some even were willing to lie to us in order to protect him-"

"And the boy? How is he adjusting?"

"Fairly well," I chime in, pulling out some of our notes to read. "He appears to have amnesia, of some sort. He doesn't recall his people or himself. I don't even think he remembers the Anomalies. Though, he could be repressing them."

"Did any of the others make it?" Carter asks bluntly, making me cringe. No matter how much I want to know, I know what the answers will do to me. We wait for Eclipse to answer. They always take forever to respond, clarifying each bit of information.

"None of our contacts have activated. As far as we know, he's the only one. They've also been silent since the first landing. We sent teams Alpha through Geronimo, but they've all missed their check-ins for the past few days. As of now, we are assuming the worse."

"Total fucking annihilation," Carter muses, flopping back into his chair. I swallow the lump in my throat as I think about the implications of this. An entire planet, gone. What has the power to do something like that? How are we going to stand against them? They had magic for Christ sake!

"If Equis has fallen, then we have to assume that we are next. Even if they can't find us, the threat is real. We need the child here to prepare him for what may come."

"So he's a slave now, is that it?" Carter asks, getting angry. "If Celestia were here I'm sure she would-"

"If Celestia had followed protocol, she would be here. But she's not, so we need to make the best tactical decision. And as of right now, he will be our greatest asset-"

"He's a fucking kid you drone!" Carter yells, sitting up in a rage. "If we force him to grow up in some facility we can't even guarantee that he'll want to fight for us! We need to let him-"

"Carter!" I yell, slamming my fists down. "Enough! This is more than just the kid! It's about what's best for the rest of us! If we can find a way to combat this, then we need to make sure we utilize this to its full potential!"

"Do you even hear yourself? Utilize? Full Potential? We're talking about someone’s life here? He needs to grow up like a normal kid-"

"But he's not normal! He's a fucking talking horse! He's never going to be normal here, never! And what about the public? What if word gets around that there's a talking, winged horse? Do you really think his life will be normal then?"

"Don't give me that bullshit," he scoffs with a wave of his hand. "We were able to trade Paul McCartney with some blue freak from space, I think we can keep this quiet. Look at where he landed! It's the perfect location for this! It'll take more effort than the alternative, but it's the best option for him!"

"But is that something we can afford?" Eclipse asks, making us both go quiet. "Transfer all of your files. We will send you a package with your next orders as soon as possible. Until then, stay silent. Eclipse out." The call drops and Carter leaves the room in a huff. I sit back and sigh. What are they going to do? What are any of us going to do?

I hope you knew what you were doing Celestia. We as sure fuck don't.