//------------------------------// // Part 17: Skeletons from a Closet (One Really Crappy Birthday Part 3) // Story: Broken Diamond // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// (Again, just for a bit of fun I'm going to do a Supernatural Style Recap. You can just skip ahead if you want.) "Hey, listen the fireponies wanted me to come and tell you this. The arson investigator has already done a bit of digging and guess what they found in the kitchen." Rainbow said before she held out a talisman. It took a moment, but Twilight soon registered what Rainbow was saying in her mind and gasped to herself. "It... It was on purpose. The fire, all of it. But who would do such a thing?" Twilight asked in horror and sadness. "I know. I know why you did what you did." Raindrops said, remembering her only cousin's past. "That poor filly, she's going to need your help over the coming weeks. Make sure you give it to her when she needs it." "Well, we do have some leads." Bon-Bon admitted, although she knew she really shouldn't be discussing this case with those not on it. "We couldn't find any hoof-prints on the talisman so we figure it had to have been handled by unicorn magic." Script growled. "That's not a lead, that's a just a bleeding theory!" Script snapped. "Uncle Caeser!" She said and buried herself within his fur. "So sorry, but when I heard what happened to my brother in but blood I came as soon as I could." The newly named pony said in a sorrowful along with a somewhat embarrassed tone of voice. "Oh yes, she hugs him and all I get is scorn." Script muttered to himself. Nearby Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie "Uncle?" and the other CMC member could only shrug. "Not by blood, but he might as well be. Runs a big law firm in Manehatten." Silver whispered back. "Dummy Blank Flanks, you should know this. He's famous." Silver sniped as Script heard her from nearby and sighed in disgust at himself. Now he remembered who the guy was. "So he is a lawyer!" Potion exclaimed happy his father was right. "Alright, I guess I'll give it a shot if only for a month." She said. "But if by the end of the month I still don't like Script..." Diamond trailed off and Caeser finished for her. "I adopt her." Behind the door, was Pine Tree lying dead on the floor blood pooling out from a wound on his head. "Seems like somepony didn't want him to talk." Bon-Bon muttered. "How do you know he didn't just take his own life to avoid being captured and thrown in the bin?" Steel asked. "Believe me, that's one possibility but it doesn't add up. See that wound right there?" Bon-Bon pointed out. "Yeah, it's hard not to." Steel commented. "Saw something similar back in a case I worked once. It's a concussive wound, and as far as I can see I don't see any blunt objects nearby do you? Whoever did this must have teleported off and killed old Tree here before we got here." Bon-Bon reasoned. "They wanted it to look like a suicide, whoever we're dealing with is very devious and quite possibly insane." "Why do you care so much?" Diamond asked, and Script stood stunned for a moment unable to speak. Finally he did so, and he gave the answer Luna had told him to do the day of the Rich Family funeral. Script had finally figured out what she meant. "Because... Because I was in the same situation you once were." Script said, giving away his biggest secret. Only Raindrops knew it, and she'd swore never to tell anyone else. "I lost my parents in a fire, and I may have lived with a foster family but I never felt... loved. I adopted you because I wanted to try and give you a better life then I got. Well, I think it's safe to say I thoroughly failed at that didn't I?" Script muttered only for Diamond to shake her head and hug him. "I can break the code." Somepony said, and both Lyra and Bon-Bon looked up blushingly only to see Twilight Sparkle, who was blushing as red as they were after seeing their little scene. "W-What are you doing here?" Lyra stammered in shock. "Heard about the letter you guys found." Twilight said matter-of-factly. "Luckily for you, I've studied plenty of books on codes." She said proudly before she answered Bon-Bon's encoming question. On a nearby table sat a piece of paper, with the letter's decoded contents on it... "I need you to do something for me. My rightful earnings have been held away from me from far too long, I need them now! Get rid of the Rich Family, and as for their daughter... Well, I'll deal with her." Love, Caesar. (End "Carry On My Wayward Son" here) Present Time: Script Residence Once Script had figured out what had happened, and he'd learned from Fluttershy that she'd seen Caesar follow Silver and Diamond out into the backyard he'd become furious, not just with Caesar but with himself as well as he paced back and forth on the living room floor rug. "I... I don't believe it! I don't bucking believe it! I let him into my house, my home and near my daughter and my son as well! A sociopath was near my family the whole time and I couldn't even pick up on it even in the slightest!" Script ranted and raved before finally he knocked over the table in front of the couch in frustration spilling Diamond's presents all over the floor. Twilight tried to reassure him, but it was to no avail. "It's... It's okay, he fooled us all. I trusted him too, you know." Twilight put in, but Script ignored her completely and was still blaming himself as Potion and Raindrops watched in concern, not sure how they could help. "But I was supposed to protect her, and now I've completely bucked that up in so many ways! She's probably dead already!" Script sobbed as he broke down and covered his face with his hooves as he cried. Rarity grabbed him by the shoulders tightly making Script look up at her. "Now you listen here, the police are already after Caesar even as we speak, but that doesn't mean you should sit around here blaming yourself! If you want to save your daughter, go after him. He couldn't have gotten far after all." Rarity told Script in one of those tones that made no room for argument, and yet it was that kind of tone that made Script remember why he loved her, because she could give him a kick up the arse when he needed it. Script let a small smile as he wiped away his tears before rage came back to his features. "Alright, but you're coming with me. I want you by my side for this, after all you may very well turn out to be Diamond's new mother if I don't screw things up again. And I do know one thing and one thing alone, when Caesar meets me, and this time it'll be the last time he does... He's going to die." Meanwhile, in a unknown location... In a dark room, Diamond groaned and rubbed her head in pain as she awoke. She was scared, she didn't know where she was and how she got there. Last thing she remembered she was with Silver in Script's backyard, and now she was here. Then a frightening thought struck her, SILVER! Where was she, and was she alright? "S-Silver...?" Diamond asked nervously. "I'm right here." Silver's voice said from somewhere beside her in the darkness. "Ugh, my head... Where are we?" Then, the question was answered as Caesar stepped out of the shadows smirking. "With me. Hello, my niece." He said with a smile. "I did say you'd be coming home with me, and in a few moments we will be... Well, once the train arrives anyways." Diamond's eyes widened. Now she knew where she was. Judging from all the packages and how some were marked fragile along with the letters scattered about along with her Uncle's words, they were in the mail room of the Ponyville Train Station. "H-Home...?" Diamond inquired nervously. My home is with Sc-No, Daddy." Diamond sobbed in fear, She finally admitted it, she thought of Script as her new dad, and had stopped denying it. Heck, she should have stopped denying it since the funeral Diamond thought to herself. She'd just been too stubborn to think otherwise. But on hearing this, Caesar flew into a rage. "DADDY!?! He's not your daddy! Your father was, and nopony could ever replace him. Mind you, he wasn't a very good dad considering what he let you turn into, and what he did to me." Caesar mused to himself. "W-What do you mean?" Diamond inquired, not sure she really wanted to know. But she was about to get her answer.... Elsewhere in Ponyville... Meanwhile, Rarity and Script ran frantically through the streets of Ponyville. The police were searching every possible house in town that Caesar might hide in, but they knew better. The lawyer would need to get out of town, and there was only one way to do that... "Still can't believe it. He completely fooled us all! That despicable brute!" Rarity exclaimed and Script chuckled darkly. "Hey, look on the bright side." Script commented, and Rarity stared at him in disbelief. How was there a bright side to any of this? Script soon gave her the answer to her unanswered question. "At least the butler didn't do it." Script snarked. Back with Caesar, Diamond and Silver... "Remember when I told you I was your uncle in all BUT blood? Well, I lied. Your dear old daddy and mommy cut me off from the family fortune just because they wanted it all to themselves. Guess that shows how oh-so perfect patrons of high Ponyville society they were, doesn't it?" Caesar asked sarcastically laying some old and what the Rich family wanted to be forgotten type secrets bare. Caesar continued his monologue while Diamond shook her head in denial. She refused to believe what she was hearing. "I had to build myself up, and for a while I was happy. But the money began to run out after I gambled a bit too much. So, I remembered my old family fortune. I burnt down the house, and that leaves you for me to grab and deal with. You don't know how much it pains me to say that." Caesar said sorrowfully, but Diamond and Silver were having none of it. "Oh yeah, if it really pained you to do it you wouldn't have left me a orphan in the first place!" Diamond snapped while Silver told Caesar her exact and to the point opinion of him. "You're sick." She said simply but was ignored as Caesar laughed and took out a knife and began to sharpen it all the while murmuring to himself a old nursery rhyme. "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head..." He sung to himself while Diamond shivered in fear and sobbed to herself. Somepony she'd always trusted had turned out to be a murderous lunatic and now wanted to kill her! Nearby, Silver managed out a weak but still somewhat defiant response. "Hey, leave her alone!" She shouted, catching their captor's attentions and making him turn his head back to them. "W-When I get out of here... I'll... Well, I don't know what I'll do but it'll be something bad for you I assure you!" Silver squeaked and Caesar only laughed long and hard. "Who says you'll be leaving? Gotta have no witnesses to a crime after all to testify." Caesar laughed and Diamond whispered "Please, somepony... Anypony help..." Her prayers were answered at last when Script and Rarity burst in, breaking the door down and reducing it to splinters with a magic blast from their horns. Fury was etched on both of their faces, and even though Caesar wasn't going to admit it he felt fear right then and there. "Get your hooves away from my DAUGHTER!" Script snarled...