Chapter 49 – First Steps to Forgiveness

Tentatively, Breeze walked up to Rainbow Dash's door. He stopped, hesitant of what she may say or do. He wondered if she would understand or even forgive him for the blunder he had made. His ears nearly pasted to his head in shame as he leaned forward and tapped the tip of his horn to the door repeatedly, a form of knocking he was forced to use. "GO AWAY!" he heard the pegasus say from inside the room.

"I'm sorry Rainbow." he said, "I screwed up big time."

"That's not all you screwed!" she said.

The lewd comment took him by surprise, she had known of his past behavior and just how inappropriate he could be so in a sense he felt he had deserved it. "I'll admit I was way out of control before I met you." he said gently, "But I really didn't know of any of this. And whatever she told you…just ask me and I can clear things up."

"I don't wanna talk about it!" she said in response, though her voice was now softer, sadder. More broken and quiet. His own heart nearly shattered hearing the strong, confident voice he knew and cared for break like that.

"Ok, let's talk about something else." he said, trying to help.

"I just wanna be alone right now." she said, her voice breaking even more.

"Oh." he said, somehow his ears flattening even more, "Ok." With that, he took a few steps away from the door, "I just thought I could help is all."

Rainbow grouped a bunch of her cloud together, burying her face into them as if they were a pillow, and let the unheard tears soak in.

"No luck?" Blade asked as his younger brother emerged from the hallway. To this, the unicorn simply shook his head in sorrow. Blade simply took a deep breath, a sign that usually meant he was changing the subject, but trying to be tentative about the previous one, "Care to explain why I now have a Talu child on my back?"

Breeze lifted his head to the comment and instantly glanced upon his son, "Oh, right!" he said, "Blade meet my son Lau-R-Tor. Lau, meet your uncle Galaxy Blade."

Blade turned quickly to the small boy, eyes wide as saucers, and then back to his brother. "Your what?"

"Aint he a bit old to be yer boy?" Applejack asked.

"I had to have been around fifteen when it happened." Breeze said.

"You're an idiot." was all his older brother said, and then the dark-furred pegasus turned back to the boy, "So I'm your uncle huh?" he asked.

"It appears so." Lau said in response.

"He's got the long skull shells of a shaman, anything you wanna tell me brother?" Blade asked.

"I messed up." the pegasus said again, trying not to let others repeat Rainbow Dash's comeback.

"Clearly!" Applejack said in surprise as the boy slid from the back of the pegasus to the floor, "How come you never told any of us that you had a kid?"

"Because I just found out today, and none too gently." Breeze explained.

"My mother has little to no tact." Lau said bluntly.

"Luckily you didn't inherit that trait." Blade said, and looked the boy over, "He's even thinner than you were at his age."

"You hungry, pardner?" Applejack asked as she looked to Lau.

He turned to the orange pony, and with a shy nod gripped his uncle's wing.

"Looks like he's nervous." Breeze said to himself, "Don't worry buddy, nopony here will hurt you, and we're all really friendly."

"COSMIC BREEZE!" they all heard two voices shout out, not in anger, but rather in excitement. Pilit and Twilight both turned the corner in a blur, running faster than he'd ever seen either of them run before, and with huge grins on their faces. He stood back a bit before the two girls looked into his eyes with star-struck vision.

"That video evidence was amazing, can you take us to see the real thing?" Pilit asked.

"Yes, we need to start the expedition right away!" Twilight asked, "We'll need tools, cameras, supplies, permits…does your planet HAVE excavation permits? This is just so exciting!"

"Um, you guys…" he asked to calm them down as much as he could.

"DO NOT take this from us!" Twilight pleaded, "We've been cooped up in this garage since we went on that excavation in the ruins, WE NEED THIS!"

"That was this mornin." Applejack added in, "And yer scarin Lau!"

"Who?" Pilit asked as the two of them looked to the orange earth pony questioningly.

"Breeze's little boy." Applejack said as she pointed her hoof to the small shaman.

The two of them looked to the small boy as he nervously waved to them, and Twilight quickly turned to Breeze, "YOU HAVE A SON?"

"I was just as shocked as you when I found out." he quickly admitted.

"Who has a sun?" they all heard Pinkie asked from the kitchen.

"Breeze does." Twilight said.

Pinkie pursed her lips and spat a raspberry, "Breeze is fast, but he can't have a sun."

"See for yourself." Twilight said, used her magic to pick the pink earth pony up and place her right in front of the boy.

"OH! A SON!" she said, "I thought you meant the sun in the sky!"

"Why would Breeze have that kind of sun?" Twilight asked.

"THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING!" Pinkie said in her defense.

"This got out of hoof really fast!" Breeze said to himself.

"You look hungry." Pinkie said to Lau, "Have you ever had a Cupcake before?"

Lau, hidden behind his uncle, shook his head.

"We need to fix that, TO THE KITCHEN!" Pinkie shouted and was off like a rocket.

"You'll get used to her." Blade said to the young boy, "But trust me, her cupcakes are the best around." With this, Blade crouched down, allowing the smaller boy to climb up to his back as the group trotted to the kitchen, leaving Breeze and Pilit behind.

"What just happened?" Breeze asked, "I can usually keep up with Pinkie but I think I got lost somewhere."

"So did I." Pilit said, "When did you say you found him?"

"Probably about an hour ago." he said, "And I may have kidnapped him from his mother."

"Not a likable person?" she asked.

"No, not at all." he admitted, "In fact, I'd go as far to say she's crazy."

"Then, what did you see in her?" she asked.

"I was young, reckless, and really stupid." he admitted.

Pilit simply nodded, watching the group retreat into the kitchen, "Does Rainbow Dash know you did this?"

"She found out at the same time I did." he said.

"Did she claim you two were married?" she asked.

"Yes…" he said hesitantly.

"Was it by the law of this world?" she asked.

"No, definitely not." he said.

"Ok, I got you on this." she said and made her way into the control room.

"What is going on?" he asked in a slight panic.