Broken Trust and Ripped Out Hearts
I am very sorry for not updating in a while, took a break, but now back and ready to keep going.
Celestia feels guilty and heartbroken over Jade declaring herself no longer her daughter while Jade returns to Canterlot and decides to leave altogether
Celestia sat on her knees on the courtyard floor, still sobbing as Firo, Aydia, and Volaris held her to try and comfort her. She really should have told Jade the truth, but she just couldn't because she was hurt and in pain over sending the twins and Volaris away from Canterlot.
"I should have told her, but it just hurt too much." she had changed since they were last together and the twins were just a few days old.
"You two were already in danger due to your mixed heritage. Who knew what type of villains wanted to try and hurt you both, or worse, kill you? When Sombra attacked that day, I sent you all away to safety so you would not be in constant danger! And when I found out I was pregnant with Jade a few weeks later, I didn't want her to know you existed not just because I feared she would go looking, but because villains would be after her too if they knew she was related to you." Celestia explained to them. Firo and Aydia exchanged looks, yes it was true they were not full demons like others here, but they fit in just fine whereas Jade, when she arrived with Riley, didn't because she was mostly human due to Celestia changing her permanently into a human a few minutes after her birth to help her control her powers. Then when she explained her story to them and showed them her raptor form and explained how it happened.
Volaris gently removed himself from the hug. "Celestia, Jade told us everything and while we understand why you did it, it still doesn't make it right," he said firmly, yet gently. The Sun Princess looked at him and nodded her head.
"Your majesty?" a voice called and the four of them turned to see Ash standing in front of them. "Where is Lady Jade? I have to show her how her swords are coming along," she informed them.
Firo and Aydia's eyes widened. In her anger with her mother and screaming at her, then leaving, Jade had forgotten about her swords. "She left, Ash," Aydia explained to her friend. Ash's brows furrowed with concern. "Is everything alright?"
"This is our mother, Princess Celestia of Equestria. She arrived a few minutes ago." Firo introduced his mother to Ash. Celestia, despite her red eyes and flushed face from crying, nodded respectfully to the young woman in front of her. Ash nodded back.
"And no, she got angry with mother and disowned her before leaving with Riley and Shadow," Aydia explained and Ash's face grew concerned. "Will she be back soon?"
"I don't think so," Celestia answered this time. "She very well might be going back to Canterlot to get her stuff and go back to Earth with Riley and her raptor pack."
"Her what?" Ash asked and the twins, King and Celestia realized that Ash didn't know about Jade and Riley being able to shift into velociraptors.
"She and Riley can become creatures known as velociraptors. They were injected with raptor blood back on Earth years ago." Celestia explained, using her magic to conjure up Jade and Riley's raptor forms. Ash eyed them warily. "Why did she not tell me?" she questioned.
"She likely didn't trust you enough to tell you yet. She doesn't trust well." Celestia said as the image vanished. Ash looked hurt by the fact that Jade didn't trust her fully. "But I can tell that she is starting to trust you since you offered to reforge her sword," Aydia noted with a smile on her face. That notion lifted Ash's spirits. "Thank you, Princess Aydia. I hope Jade and I can become friends in the future."
"I'm sure you will. Jade doesn't have any friends, so having you as a friend would be wonderful for her." Celestia stated with a small smile. Ash bowed to the royals and went to find her captain.
Celestia sighed heavily, she inhaled a calm breath before facing her lover and two oldest children. "I want to stay here with you all, but I cannot leave Canterlot in Luna's hooves for long." She explained sadly, her heart ripping in two that she was forced to leave her love and children due to her sister being alone with duties. Luna wouldn't be able to handle the duties for too much longer.
"We understand, mother. We'll miss you." Aydia said with a sad smile. She just got her mother back and she had to leave again because she had duties to attend to. Celestia drew both twins into her arms, holding them tightly, wishing more than anything that she could remain here with them, but she could not! "You both have grown into beautiful and strong individuals, never let anyone tell you otherwise, my loves." She told them, pulling back from the hug to smile warmly at them despite her eyes filling with water.
She then moved to Volaris and he drew her into a tight hug, his wings wrapping around her gently. Firo and Aydia joined the hug not wanting their mother to leave them. "I will find a way to free you all, I promise you this!" Celestia vowed that she would do whatever it took to free her children and lover from the thick fog bank that surrounded the kingdom. She looked at them with watery eyes before unfurling her wings and lifting into the air, she waved goodbye to her children and lover, who waved back to her as she headed for the fog bank and flew into it, disappearing from their line of sight.
Meanwhile, a pissed-off Jade Harmony gripped the handles of the saddle so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her whole body was vibrating with rage and anger toward her mother. How dare she follow them and reveal herself to them now? why couldn't she have stayed in Canterlot?
Riley gripped her mother's waist, wisely remaining quiet in case her mother turned her anger towards her grandmother onto her instead. Jade's fist balled tighter and then she realized her anger and rage in a pent-up scream. "AAARRRGGGHHH!" Riley and Shadow both cringe at the scream and the Night Fury crooned softly to his sister.
"Mum?" Riley questioned cautiously. Jade, after releasing her pent-up anger, looked down and closed her eyes. "I am sorry, you two, I didn't mean to drag you from meeting your grandfather, aunt, and uncle Riley, I just couldn't be there with Mum, not after she lied to me." Jade's eyes became narrowed.
Riley said nothing and patted her mother's stomach, as that was where her hands were right now. Jade felt it and removed one hand from the handles and gripped her child's hand tightly. "Will we be going back to Canterlot and staying there?"
Jade sighed. "No, we are just going back to get our stuff and we will be returning to Earth."
Riley's eyes widened at this. "But what about...?"
"I know what you are going to ask, Riley and we will be finding another place to live, away from everyone," Jade informed her child. Riley looked down, she liked living in Equestria, but if her mother wanted to head back to Earth to get away from her grandmother, then it was her choice.
Jade looked over her shoulder. "I promise you, Riley, I will always protect you, same with the pack, they are coming with us after all."
That made Riley grin, as she couldn't imagine a world without her sisters in it. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder as her uncle flew them back to Equestria and the castle. They got back within two hours and upon landing in the garden of Canterlot Castle, were surrounded by their pack, the raptors nuzzling them, grateful they were not harmed.
"Thank goodness you both are not hurt." Tyra crooned as she nuzzled her alpha and sister, purring. Jade smiled as Riley hugged the beta raptor around the neck tightly as the others chittered happily for their safe return. Once they had greeted each other, Luna appeared, looking sheepish, ears down against her head.
Jade inhaled a deep breath, watching as her aunt came to a stop. "I know you have found out the truth and that you must hate me, I know you do. I am so sorry for keeping it from you, Jade. I wanted so badly to tell you, but Celestia swore me to secrecy. I have failed you as a aunt and grand-aunt." Luna looked down, ashamed.
Jade stared at her for a moment before she felt Riley's hand on her wrist, the young teen silently asking her not to be too hard on Luna, as she had tried to say something, but could not. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and pointer finger, exhaling a breath before she spoke. "I know you did it to protect me, but I deserved to know that I still had a father and older siblings. I already told mother..." Luna noticed how Jade practically spat at the word mother like venom from a cobra. "That she is to no longer speak to me and that I am no longer her daughter." Luna's blue eyes widened in shock that Jade would go so far as the disown herself, but she figured something like this would happen.
"You may have tried to say something, but you still kept it from me, aunt Luna. That's why I have decided to go back to Earth, but somewhere different and safer for us."
Luna lifted her head and though she was devastated that Jade, Riley, and she presumed the raptor pack and Shadow, would be returning to Earth. "If that is what you choose, Jade. I will not stop you."
The Snow Queen walked past the blue alicorn and entered the castle with her daughter, pack and brother, heading up to her bedroom to pack a few bags for their return to Earth. Luna stayed where she was and let the tears she had kept at bay fall, crying as the guilt ate her up.
Riley, her mother, pack and uncle walked down the many halls of the castle, heading for their bedrooms to pack their belongings and head to Earth. They stopped at Riley's bedroom whose door was just before her mother's door that led up to a tower bedroom. "Pack your bags, Riley. Meet back here in an hour, okay?" Jade ordered her daughter, who nodded and entered her room, followed by Lapis and Raven, the two raptors eager to help their sister pack her things. Jade, Tyra, Fern and Shadow headed for the large, oak door with a snowflake painted on it, pushing it open to reveal a stone, spiral staircase that led up to her bedroom.
They made their way up the stairs, the Snow Queen holding the stone rail beside the stairs until they came to a second door with a snowflake also painted on it, Jade opened the door into a spacious bedroom, the walls were a pounder blue in colour with stars an snowflakes. A queen sized bed sat up against the wall with blue and grey bedsheets and two blue eddied tables on either side. A glass door led out onto a balcony connected to the room and two doors, one on the left side of the room led to a bathroom while the other led to a walk-in-wardrobe. A desk sat near the glass door with curtains to keep the room dark at night with a dresser beside it. All in all, it was a nice bedroom.
Walking into her closet, Jade took out a large duffel bag and set it on her bed, walking back and forth to her closet, grabbing out clothes and shoes she would need, making sure her weapons were were she could see them. As she didn't have her sword with her, she made sure that she had plenty of arrows and bullets for her bow and pistol before stowing them away in her bag, leaving her bow and quiver strapped to her back. She doubled checked that she had everything she needed, toiletries included before she grabbed her bag. Looking back at the two raptors and her brother, she sighed, rubbing her eyes.
She looked around the room, smiling softly before she checked her watch and saw that her packing had left her with fifteen minutes to spare. Noticing some framed photos on her dresser, she stopped to pick them up, they were photos of her as a child with her mother and aunt before she was taken by Midnight and when she, Riley, the pack and Shadow arrived here. All of the photos depicted her and her family with large smiles on their faces. It made her smile softly before she placed them back down and walked out of the room, her brother and the two raptors following.
The small group walked down the spiral staircase and met Riley, Raven and Lapis waiting for them, Riley held her own duffel bag packed with her things. "You have everything you need?" Jade asked her daughter, who nodded as she listed what she needed, to which Riley confirmed she had in the bag. With that out of the way, the small family made their way towards the throne room where Luna was waiting for them, having has her little cry fest and now waiting to deliver her family to Earth. She was not sure if they would ever come back anytime soon.
The doors opened and she saw Jade, Riley, the four raptors and Shadow walk inside, her niece and grand-niece held bags in their hands, packed with their things they would need. "We're ready." Jade declared and Luna nodded, even as tears welled up in her eyes, she inhaled a clam breath and closed her eyes, her horn lighting up with powerful magic as she concentrated on a portal that opened up in front of the family, showing the land of Earth in front of them. Jade nodded for Riley and her sisters to go first. She let her child say goodbye to her nana and walked through, followed by her sisters, Shadow warbled to Luna, his way of saying goodbye to her before he walked through, leaving Jade and Luna in the room. The Snow Queen sighed and looked at her aunt, who looked down with guilt in her eyes.
"I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you for not telling me, aunt Luna. Even if you did try to tell me, but you couldn't." Jade spoke firmly to Luna, who nodded, she figured that would happen. "I understand. Be safe, Jade."
The woman nodded and walked through the portal, joining the rest of her family as the portal closed behind them. They all saw that they were in the woods not far from their previous home. Riley looked around. "Now what, mum?" The 11 year old asked curiously.
"Now we leave London and head somewhere else." Jade answered, putting her bag down and pulling out a map she had packed with her, she unfolded it and laid it out flat, showing the whole world and the important states around the world. Riley studied the map. "Where should we go?"
Green eyes scanned the map and settled on Florida, she traced the map with her pointer finger, finding plenty of forests, so there was bound to be something. "How about we try, Orlando, Florida? There is bound to be a house there far from other people where we could be safe." she suggested to her family, looking at them. Tyra chittered softly. "It's worth a shot. How about you three?" she asked her pack mates, all of whom agreed to try Orlando and see hat happens. "Okay, it's settled then, Orlando, here we come." Jade folded up the map and stowed it away in her bag. She turned to her brother. "Will you be able to fly all of us, buddy? I know it will be hard."
The Night Fury flared his wings. "I will try my best, at the least, two of the raptors can ride on my back with you and Riley and I can carry the other two in a sling or something."
Jade nodded and looked around the forest, she spotted a few strong looking vines and gave them a tug to test their strength, they felt sturdy enough and she got to work making a sling to fit her brother. It would be a long journey from here to Orlando, they would be crossing the North Atlantic Ocean and it was massive, it would take them at least 9 hours, non stop flying to get there, but she knew her brother would need to take stops to rest and the raptors to stretch their limbs, but there were no islands out in that sea, so they would likely be flying non stop.
"Shadow, it would take us nine hours to get there, no stop flying, you would not be able to take a break since there are no islands around. Are you sure you want to do this?" Jade asked her brother, worried for him, as she knew he would be exhausted once this was over. Shadow nuzzled her shoulder. "I know, Jade. But I will be fine, I promise." the woman looked at her brother and then hugged him tightly around the neck. "We'll make the sling for you then do some fishing so you have some food for the trip, okay?"
Her brother warbled softly and she finished up the sling in no time, securing to her brother's body and had him hover in the air, she directed two of the raptors to get in the sling, making sure they were comfortable. "How's that, Shadow? You feeling okay, not sore or too much weight?"
The dragon shook his head. "I am alright, Jade. Once this is over, I will be having a few days rest." he crooned.
"You will be having more than a few days rest, buddy. Have a week off to rest."
He landed and the two raptors, Lapis and Fern, shook their bodies as she climbed out of the sling. The family headed for a nearby river, where Jade and Riley caught plenty of fish and bagged them in a waterproof bag for the trip. "Okay, everyone ready?" Jade asked once they had some food and got nods of confirmation from her family. She mounted the saddle and Riley climbed up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist as Tyra and Raven climbed up onto Shadows back, curling up behind Riley as Lapis and Fern climbed into the sling and the dragon took off into the sky, beginning a long journey. But they were not aware that the people who had tried to recapture Riley and her sisters were also in the same state they were headed for!
Shorter than normal, but I hope you all like it. Enjoy!