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Description

WARNING: Psychiatric Ward

~~~~~~~~~~

This visit was long, long overdue. Tempest Shadow was finally going to introduce her mother to her family, to reunite with her herself after all these years. She should have been thrilled to see her mother. Why was she so scared?

As she led her wife and daughter into the ward, she began to realize why Snowcone was so terrified of going in. The atmosphere was cold and bright, a stale sanitary scent hanging in the air. The toothpaste-green walls and stark lack of decor made for an unsettlingly open environment, yet somehow also claustrophobic. It made her stomach turn.

She couldn’t imagine being here even a day. And this was where her mother had been for decades?

Tempest gave the receptionist her mother’s forms and arranged the visit all with a dry mouth, her mind elsewhere the whole time. Her time in the waiting room was only a few minutes but it felt like hours.

What was this going to be like? Would her mother even be the same? Would it be worth it for Snowcone? For Tempest herself?

An assistant finally poked her head out of a door, calling out a name.

“Queen Consort Tempest Shadow?”

“Here.”

Tempest croaked out, motioning for Snowcone to follow her. She looked over to her wife for reassurance.

“I’ll wait out here. Give you some time.”

Twilight brushed her wings over both of them comfortingly, whispering words of encouragement as she sent them off after the assistant.

They were led down a few halls, each one as cold and soulless as the last. Snowy pressed herself up against her mother in fear, but Tempest was scared too.

Then they entered a cafeteria. It was big and cold, populated by ward staff and patients but none of their faces registered to Tempest as she scanned the room.

Then she saw her.

Snowcone was so terrified of this place that even though her mothers had promised she wasn't going to stay here, she had a paranoid fear at the back of her mind.

That this place would envelop her into it. That she would end up cold and dull and a shell of herself too.

She really did want to meet her Nana, she swore up and down that she did.

But when Snowcone laid her eyes on her, her stomach dropped.

Raspberry Sorbet was sitting alone, drawing invisible circles on the table with her hooves.

It was clear she was just as nervous as they were but there was a ghostly pallor about her, a layer of separation that made her seem almost non-equine.

She looked up and saw them, all three mares making eye contact. She was the first to croak.

"FizzyBerry? My baby filly? Is that you little one?"

Tempest’s stomach dropped too upon seeing her, she actually knew her mother and she could tell that she was barely herself. She was older, grayer, more distant. But hearing her old nickname uttered again was all she needed to know her mother was still there.

A lump instantly formed in her throat as she responded.

“Y-yes Mom, it’s me.”

She gestured towards Snowcone.

“And this is my daughter, Snowcone Syrup. Your...granddaughter. I thought...you two should meet.”

She tried to be formal in her introductions without letting her own feelings get in the way.

Snowcone smiled a bit as she heard what could only be her mother’s childhood nickname. It was a genuine, non-forced smile.

She wasn't dumb, she was scared but she had eyes.

A frightened mare with a broken filly in her heart and an old horse who was clearly not herself didn't need a stubborn filly on top of all of it.

Raspberry noticed this and looked around, almost like she would get in trouble for...whatever she was planning.

She pulled Snowcone in like she had seen her every day since the day she was born and kissed the top of her head. Her movements were as slow as a sloth.

"An earth pony like her Nana Raz, so beautiful. Like a blueberry pie!”

Snowcone looked to Tempest with a look of embarrassment on her face but she leaned into the hug.

"Mother has really missed you Nana..."

“I really have.”

Tempest affirmed, honestly and truthfully, a million memories of a motherless childhood coming back to her. The lump in her throat grew even bigger.

“There hasn’t been a day where I didn’t think of you. Where I didn’t wonder what had become of you. All these years I thought you were gone...completely gone.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, which she tried desperately to hide by tilting her face upwards. But her shaking voice gave her away.

“I only found out...you were here...after Father died. That was a few years ago. I was too cowardly to visit, to see what he did to you. It’s one of the many, many things I will forever regret, and I...”

She couldn’t take it anymore, a flood of sobs escaped her as she crumbled into her mother’s lap.

“I’m so sorry!”

She gripped onto her desperately as she cried, like if she let go she’d lose her again.

Snowcone stepped back, backing up far enough to give them space but close enough for her to still hear.

Raz watched her walk back like she was the most beautiful thing in Equestria. She had done something good. Two things. And they were right here.

Her expression changed from a smile to one of contemplation as her Fizzy began to approach.

She had never spoken to Raz like this. What did she mean by “completely gone,” what had happened? Why was Fizzy so...shaken?

HIM.

Everything clicked into place when she mentioned her father. He told her she was dead. That sick old stallion wasn't right in the head. He had done this to all of them.

"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, you shut your mouth!"

She snapped, but realized how that came across as soon as it left her lips. So she continued.

"You are not a coward. No Berrytwist has ever been a coward. You were a little filly, you couldn't have known. This will never be your fault. I would die a thousand deaths before I ever let somepony make you feel that way again."

Raz held onto Tempest even harder, soon joined by Snowcone who had fallen into shambles. The three of them cried together, as they did gentle sparks emitted from Tempest’s horn. Sparkles seemed to come from Raz and Snowcone too though it was anypony’s guess how.

Nopony, no stallion, was ever going to come between them again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Trip
Next: What She Needs

~~~~~~~~~~

[Image Description: Tempest Shadow, a dark purple broken-horned unicorn with a red mohawk and a dark gray scarf and cape, kneels down before her mother Raspberry Sorbet, an elderly, grayish-dark pink earth pony with a curly, graying, almost-black messy bun and a pale blue hospital gown. Tempest is crying into her lap while Raspberry looks down at her with a blank, medicated stare. Snowcone Syrup, a blue earth pony with a lighter blue mane and a cyan hair bow, looks on quietly. End Description.]

Description

WARNING: Psychiatric Ward

~~~~~~~~~~

This visit was long, long overdue. Tempest Shadow was finally going to introduce her mother to her family, to reunite with her herself after all these years. She should have been thrilled to see her mother. Why was she so scared?

As she led her wife and daughter into the ward, she began to realize why Snowcone was so terrified of going in. The atmosphere was cold and bright, a stale sanitary scent hanging in the air. The toothpaste-green walls and stark lack of decor made for an unsettlingly open environment, yet somehow also claustrophobic. It made her stomach turn.

She couldn’t imagine being here even a day. And this was where her mother had been for decades?

Tempest gave the receptionist her mother’s forms and arranged the visit all with a dry mouth, her mind elsewhere the whole time. Her time in the waiting room was only a few minutes but it felt like hours.

What was this going to be like? Would her mother even be the same? Would it be worth it for Snowcone? For Tempest herself?

An assistant finally poked her head out of a door, calling out a name.

“Queen Consort Tempest Shadow?”

“Here.”

Tempest croaked out, motioning for Snowcone to follow her. She looked over to her wife for reassurance.

“I’ll wait out here. Give you some time.”

Twilight brushed her wings over both of them comfortingly, whispering words of encouragement as she sent them off after the assistant.

They were led down a few halls, each one as cold and soulless as the last. Snowy pressed herself up against her mother in fear, but Tempest was scared too.

Then they entered a cafeteria. It was big and cold, populated by ward staff and patients but none of their faces registered to Tempest as she scanned the room.

Then she saw her.

Snowcone was so terrified of this place that even though her mothers had promised she wasn't going to stay here, she had a paranoid fear at the back of her mind.

That this place would envelop her into it. That she would end up cold and dull and a shell of herself too.

She really did want to meet her Nana, she swore up and down that she did.

But when Snowcone laid her eyes on her, her stomach dropped.

Raspberry Sorbet was sitting alone, drawing invisible circles on the table with her hooves.

It was clear she was just as nervous as they were but there was a ghostly pallor about her, a layer of separation that made her seem almost non-equine.

She looked up and saw them, all three mares making eye contact. She was the first to croak.

"FizzyBerry? My baby filly? Is that you little one?"

Tempest’s stomach dropped too upon seeing her, she actually knew her mother and she could tell that she was barely herself. She was older, grayer, more distant. But hearing her old nickname uttered again was all she needed to know her mother was still there.

A lump instantly formed in her throat as she responded.

“Y-yes Mom, it’s me.”

She gestured towards Snowcone.

“And this is my daughter, Snowcone Syrup. Your...granddaughter. I thought...you two should meet.”

She tried to be formal in her introductions without letting her own feelings get in the way.

Snowcone smiled a bit as she heard what could only be her mother’s childhood nickname. It was a genuine, non-forced smile.

She wasn't dumb, she was scared but she had eyes.

A frightened mare with a broken filly in her heart and an old horse who was clearly not herself didn't need a stubborn filly on top of all of it.

Raspberry noticed this and looked around, almost like she would get in trouble for...whatever she was planning.

She pulled Snowcone in like she had seen her every day since the day she was born and kissed the top of her head. Her movements were as slow as a sloth.

"An earth pony like her Nana Raz, so beautiful. Like a blueberry pie!”

Snowcone looked to Tempest with a look of embarrassment on her face but she leaned into the hug.

"Mother has really missed you Nana..."

“I really have.”

Tempest affirmed, honestly and truthfully, a million memories of a motherless childhood coming back to her. The lump in her throat grew even bigger.

“There hasn’t been a day where I didn’t think of you. Where I didn’t wonder what had become of you. All these years I thought you were gone...completely gone.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, which she tried desperately to hide by tilting her face upwards. But her shaking voice gave her away.

“I only found out...you were here...after Father died. That was a few years ago. I was too cowardly to visit, to see what he did to you. It’s one of the many, many things I will forever regret, and I...”

She couldn’t take it anymore, a flood of sobs escaped her as she crumbled into her mother’s lap.

“I’m so sorry!”

She gripped onto her desperately as she cried, like if she let go she’d lose her again.

Snowcone stepped back, backing up far enough to give them space but close enough for her to still hear.

Raz watched her walk back like she was the most beautiful thing in Equestria. She had done something good. Two things. And they were right here.

Her expression changed from a smile to one of contemplation as her Fizzy began to approach.

She had never spoken to Raz like this. What did she mean by “completely gone,” what had happened? Why was Fizzy so...shaken?

HIM.

Everything clicked into place when she mentioned her father. He told her she was dead. That sick old stallion wasn't right in the head. He had done this to all of them.

"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, you shut your mouth!"

She snapped, but realized how that came across as soon as it left her lips. So she continued.

"You are not a coward. No Berrytwist has ever been a coward. You were a little filly, you couldn't have known. This will never be your fault. I would die a thousand deaths before I ever let somepony make you feel that way again."

Raz held onto Tempest even harder, soon joined by Snowcone who had fallen into shambles. The three of them cried together, as they did gentle sparks emitted from Tempest’s horn. Sparkles seemed to come from Raz and Snowcone too though it was anypony’s guess how.

Nopony, no stallion, was ever going to come between them again.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Trip
Next: What She Needs

~~~~~~~~~~

[Image Description: Tempest Shadow, a dark purple broken-horned unicorn with a red mohawk and a dark gray scarf and cape, kneels down before her mother Raspberry Sorbet, an elderly, grayish-dark pink earth pony with a curly, graying, almost-black messy bun and a pale blue hospital gown. Tempest is crying into her lap while Raspberry looks down at her with a blank, medicated stare. Snowcone Syrup, a blue earth pony with a lighter blue mane and a cyan hair bow, looks on quietly. End Description.]