Familia 16: Teenagers are Awful.


                                            =Familia 16=


                                            >There were times when you could remember Earth.

                                            >It was strange, you’d no idea how long you’d been on Equestria, the days and months and years all seemed to flow together now, but you never forgot where you had been born.

                                            >In the past you had remembered streets and roads, people and houses, great things you could build with your hands and tried to recreate here for your children.

                                            >Today you were thinking about cigarettes and how you could really use one right now.

                                            “I didn’t even smoke…”

                                            >A leather bound book crashing through the window next to you and landing in your back yard where you were taking your refuge pulled you out of your thoughts with an annoyed sigh.

                                            >”NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” you heard from inside.

                                            >”THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” came the immediate response.

                                            >Your head hangs and shakes as you sigh for the millionth time today alone.

                                            “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, right Partner?” you ask the wind.

                                            >Old bones creek a bit as you stand up and compose yourself, entering the house to a tense standoff between siblings.

                                            >Both Chrysalis and Sombra had grown over the years in your care, now both in what you would call their “adolescent” stage.

                                            >Which brought with it all the joys of puberty.

                                            >They both turn to face you as you enter the home and lose just a smidgen of the fire in their eyes.

                                            >You keep it brief.

                                            “Whoever threw that is fixing the window. Tonight.”

                                            >”I-“

                                            >”Chrysalis threw it.” Sombra answers quickly.

                                            >The bitter embers in Chrysalis flare up to an inferno as she grits her teeth and gets in her brother’s face.

                                            “Because YOU were hiding behind it when I was talking to you, oaf!”

                                            >Sombra narrows his eyes and glares back at Chrysalis.


                                            >You step in.

                                            “Chrysalis, the window. Now.”

                                            >All her time with you must still be forming the foundation of her mind because even though you don’t see that fire in her eyes die at all, she pulls her head back and grumbles “Yes, poppy.”

                                            >Sombra allows himself a half-smirk at his perceived victory as you walk into the house and Chrysalis walks out, first aiming to get the book.

                                            >”Well spoken.” He says.

                                            “For that, go help her.”

                                            >Sombra’s eyes bug out and he stomps his hoof at you. “What!? Why?! I will not!”

                                            >You turn towards him slowly and point out the back door.

                                            “I saw your look. There will be no scheming rivalry or pulling one over on one another in my home. Go. And help her.”

                                            >Sombra’s pupils shrink as he lowers his head and glares at you. Chrysalis may have poor control of her emotions sometimes, but you knew she was all talk.

                                            >The boy was a different story, however. You could see clear intent behind those eyes at times. The only counteraction to it you’d found was standing up to him.

                                            “Daylight’s burning.”

                                            >Sombra snorts and trudges towards the back door. Chrysalis spots him and pokes her head up to see through the window. “HA-!”

                                            >A single glance from you sends her face into freefall and scrambling for recovery.

                                            >”HAAAAAeey, do we have any spare glass anywhere?” she asks sheepishly.

                                            >Silence fills the air for a moment as you look at her and she tries a small smile.

                                            “That was a poor save. Pick the glass up from out there first, then we’ll see what we can do.”

                                            >”Yessir.” She answers.

                                            >”This is your fault.” You hear Sombra says once he’s outside.

                                            >Chrysalis shushes him rather than let the argument take on new legs.

                                            >Good.


                                            >You wait till the two of them are out of earshot before falling backwards into your chair and rubbing your face.

                                            >There were occasional days such as today where you fear you’re not cut out for this job.

                                            >”Strong men carry with them strong spirits”, your father used to say, and the children you watch over now are mighty indeed while you yourself were…not.

                                            >Even as a boy so many lifetimes ago, you were far happier sitting and listening like a tree instead of standing like the little mountains you were caring for.

                                            >Celestia and Luna, even Discord at times, you had taken for granted. It was always so easier to talk to those three and you’d all spent such time together that you knew one another inside and out, and if there was something you didn’t get, you could go ask another.

                                            >But most importantly they all LIKED each other, even Discord. Sombra and Chrysalis were just…constantly at each other’s throats since Sombra’d arrived. Assigning blame was a fool’s errand that would lead to trouble, but it was difficult to avoid thinking that his attitude had at least something to do with it.

                                            >Squabbling voices outside push your introspective thoughts back again and force you out of your seat.

                                            >The two of them were at it again, arguing out by the tree.

                                            >”I’ll pick up the glass, you go see if any of the wood from the house was damaged!” Chrysalis shouts.

                                            >I should not even be out here you porous poppy! You were the one who threw the book, you shall be the one to repair the damage! And you owe me a new book!”

                                            >”I’ll give you a new attitude, how about that?! It’ll do you much more good than another book will!”

                                            >You sigh and lean on the frame of the door.


                                            >The siblings continue to just go AT IT, leaving you to marvel at where they find the energy to feud over the most trivial things.

                                            >”I’d like to see you try!” Sombra shouts.

                                            >”I’ll do more than try you ungrateful inmate! Poppy and I were living perfectly fine out here by ourselves when he took you in and this is how you repay us!? I should reduce you to that of a common rabbit and keep you as a PET!”

                                            >Now hold-

                                            “Repay? Ungrateful? I was forced here you vapid slattern! You and that bovine guardian keep me here to teach me how to be "proper" or some other such rubbish and deny the BOTH of us the lives we could be living beyond this place to continue playing at some infantile storybook fantasy!”

                                            >Chrysalis is taken aback. “Vapi-! Slatt-“

                                            >You see the gears in her head turning as she works out what was said to her until she turns to you. “Poppy! Sombra called me a name!”

                                            >You restrain your response for a moment, then get off the door frame.

                                            “I should ground both of you until you move out…”

                                            >Saying that was a mistake, now they’re both set off.

                                            >It barely takes a heartbeat for the both to get to a foot from you and start either begging you not to ground them or declaring how doing so would visit ruination upon you.

                                            >Every word they said was like a thousand swords stabbing you in the brain.

                                            >”Saints alive, I hope I was never like that.”


                                            >Wait you know that voice.

                                            >You and the kids turn your collective heads to the source, a wafting pastel mane peaking around the corner of the house with an impish smile.

                                            >”Hi Daddy!” she exclaims.

                                            >A smile tugs at the corner of your lips as the sight of your oldest, grown so tall when just yesterday she barely got up to your knees and looking like she was born wearing her raiment.

                                            “Heh…hello Tia.”

                                            >Celestia smiles and prances around the side of the house to the back door, she has a brown wicker basket floating in her grip. “The royal bake sale had about fifty extra Super Sugar cookies left over so I brought you a basket of thirty!”

                                            >You take the basket happily.

                                            “What happened to the other twenty?”

                                            >Celestia looks like a guilty filly for a few moments. “…It was a long flight.”

                                            >You laugh, Chrysalis groans.

                                            >”Of course YOU would show up here on a day like today…” she says.

                                            >Celestia smiles down at the Changeling and nuzzles her face. “Hello again, little friend! I’m so glad to see you again since the…uncomfortableness.”

                                            >You reach out and pet Celestia’s mane. The first time she’d met Chrysalis was when she came to you after defeating Luna, you didn’t want her thinking about that.


                                            >Chrysalis groans, Celestia shows mercy and turns her attention to Sombra. “But I haven’t met you before…are you new? Daddy, is he new?”

                                            “This is Sombra, Celestia.”

                                            >Celestia bows her head in greeting. “I bid you welcome, Sombra. You are in the best of hands possible.”

                                            >Sombra appears uncomfortable at all the ceremony and uncharacteristically backs away. “The only “hands” I want to be in are my own, quim.”

                                            >Celestia blinks, puzzled. “You speak like my sister used to…” she says, rising with a smile. “You’ll be a fun one.”

                                            >A glinting piece of glass catches her eye. “Oh dear! What happened to the window?”

                                            >Chrysalis attempts to dodge further interaction with Celestia. “It broke.”

                                            >”Well that will not do!”

                                            >Celestia’s horn glows a gentle gold, making all the pieces of shattered glass raise off the ground and reassemble themselves inside the window frame like a fractal jigsaw puzzle. A quick flash of magic connects the pieces and restores the window as if it were never broken in the first place.

                                            >Chrysalis looks annoyed, Sombra looks astounded. “How did yo-OW!”

                                            >He recoils as the book that started all this hits him in the back of the head.

                                            >”Ah! You dropped this, little Sombra.”

                                            >He begins to grumble but Celestia pushes the door open. “But come! I have cookies and some of them have my name on them!”

                                            >Both of your children give a quick glance towards you, gauging your response to this idea.

                                            >You shrug.

                                            “The window is fixed, you two aren’t fighting, and I’m far too old to discipline you all night. If there’s no harm, let’s eat, shall we?”

                                            >Chrysalis and Sombra strike momentary peace with a glance and head inside, you pause and talk to Celestia.

                                            “Just decided to stop in?”

                                            >”Originally, yes.” She says with a wink “But you looked like you would appreciate the help.”