Story of Blade Swift - It's all your faultCrowned Diamond could not believe it. Ruy had actually DONE it! Sure, the shareholders were shocked at first upon seeing his scars, but seeing how bravely the young unicorn spoke and showed his scars, even joking about them at times, made a huge impact on the ponies. "The company will be in good hooves!" had one of Crowned Diamond's friends said to him. Sure there was a lot of talk about the dangers of the experiment, but Ruy had pledged his trust and loyalty to his father, stating that "accidents happen, but we mustn't let those stop us from thriving for the future". Diamond knew that Ruy didn't mean what he said, at least not about pledging his loyalty and trust on him. Ruy hated him. Would hate him until his dying breath. And that kept Crowned Diamond's mood from brightening, even though the stocks were going up again. What good were they when his family now had two disgraces? As if the yellow earth pony wasn't enough, now his only unicorn son was also turning against him. Speak of the devil, he saw Shô walking up the corridor, dressed in a white formal attire, most likely brought to him by his brother. Upon seeing his father, Shô's whole profile changed, tensing up, ears pressing against his head, eyes looking down, head hanging low. Shô knew his father well enough to know when to keep his head down, literally. Usually this worked, Diamond would not even look at his younger son out of disgust. But today he was more mad than usual. He wanted to hurt someone. And since he could not get away with physical abuse, not when Ruy had such a close eye on his younger brother and would notice any bruise, he had to do it by words. And this was just fine for Diamond. "Where do you think you're going?" Diamond snapped at Shô when he was walking past him. When Shô didn't answer, he grew angrier. "Answer me, boy!" "Oniisan." was Shô's simple answer. Ruy had asked to meet his brother after the meeting. Diamond saw his opportunity to hurt Shô where it would sting. "Oh, so you can hurt him again?" Shô's reaction was exactly what Crowned Diamond had expected. Shô's ear perked up and he turned to look at his father, confused. "Wh-what?" he stuttered. "Are you that dumb? Where do you think those scars came from?" Diamond scoffed. "Oniisan said---" Shô stopped short. He had to think about what he would say. Saying Ruy had put the blame fully on their father would not go down well for him. "He said that the horn exploded, causing those scars." Shô said. Diamond scoffed. "That's what he tells you. To protect you. The horn didn't explode! You went berserk and started attacking everyone in sight! Even your own brother!" Shô's eyes watered. This was a lie. It had to be. "You're lying..." he whispered. "Why do you think the head scientists left, huh? You attacked her as well, and she felt uneasy staying around after that. Your brother barely survived the bleeding! He acts tough because he has to. Because he cares for you. Not that you deserve any of it." the old unicorn declared. Shô was crying now. "You were a defect on your birth, and you keep disappointing your family the longer you live! It was a very simple thing you needed to do: to test the horn. And you instead attacked your brother, causing him to loose his good looks. No mare will want him now. And it's all your fault." Shô sobbed, tears falling down. It had to be a lie. Ruy would never lie to him! But what if it WAS true? What if he really did attack his brother? The scientists? He didn't do it deliberately! But he still had done it, regardless. "And the one thing I can't stomach..." Diamond muttered under his breath. "Was the fact it is your fault your mother died." "WHAT!?" Shô shouted, half angered, half unbelieving. "It's true. If she didn't have you, she would have never gotten sick. Ruy knows this, and he hates you for it. But he doesn't say it. Because of the damn promise he made to Dove. To care for you. To love you. Ruy loved your mother, and took that promise to heart, no matter how much he detests you." Shô was shaking. Tears were falling down constantly. But the young earth pony had no words to say. These were all lies. But what if they weren't? Diamond scoffed again. "What a shameful show you are. We'd be better off without such a disappointment in our family." With that he walked away. And how good it felt. Yes, he had lied, but who cared? He was feeling better now, so it didn't matter. But behind him, Shô's demeanor suddenly changed. His tearful eyes were filled with something new. Something that would one day be the end of Crowned Diamond.Story of Blade Swift - I'm doing this for my brotherCrowned Diamond had not had a proper night of sleep in few weeks now. Maybe it was the last remnants of his consciousness screaming at him, or maybe it was the fact that the head scientists had walked out on him immediately after both of his sons were confirmed to survive and heal after the experiment, and now that she was gone, the other scientists were not listening to him anymore. Or maybe because the stocks of his company had tanked after the rumors of the failed experiment had started spreading. Or the fact that his eldest son refused to speak with him now. Or the fact that there was suppose to be a meeting with the shareholders this very evening and he was not ready for any of it. Crowned Diamond groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. Ever since that yellow abomination was born, everything had started to go wrong. He was not able to see his own faults in the situation, the fact that if he had not resented his younger son and wife so, White Dove might have not gotten sick and died. And if he had treated Shô with respect and love, he might still have Ruy's respect. Or the fact that if he had just swallowed his pride and accepted the fact that Shô was an earth pony, and not try to change him with the use of faulty technology, Ruy could still have his good looks he so desperately needed in this job. But now his profile was ruined forever by those scars... Diamond muttered curses under his breath as he made his way to the meeting-hall. He didn't know what to tell his shareholders. He was prepared to lie his way out, but he also needed an excuse for the rumors itself. As he was wondering what to say, he heard shuffling in the dressing room. Curious he opened the door... to see Ruy putting on his business attire. "What are you doing!?" Crowned Diamond shouted, half mad, half panicking. Ruy wasn't thinking of making an appearance like... that? Ruy simply gave him a cold leer with his partly blinded eye and muttered "Crowned Diamond." with faked respect. "You're not going out there! Not with those scars! You'll pull the whole company down with you!" Diamond said, now clearly panicking. "Correction: YOU will bring this whole house down with YOUR stupid ideas. If you keep lying to the shareholders that everything is fine, when it clearly isn't, you will pay the consequences sooner rather than later. Besides..." Ruy said calmly, as he was putting on his tie with his magic. "The doctor said my scars will never fully heal." Diamond winced. "Then use a concealing-spell! I know you can do them!" "Transparency with our shareholders is the first step to achieving more solid future." Ruy said simply. "Either way. Let me make some things clear to you:" Ruy started, as he stepped closer to Crowned Diamond, leering him so coldy the older unicorn felt shivers down his spine. "I'm doing all of this for my brother. If you mess up, he won't have a livelihood anymore. And since you keep making decisions that hurt us all, I'm not going to trust you with deciding our fates anymore. I'm going to take over this company one day, and once I do, Shô shall be my assistant and right hoof. And you will have no say in the matter, or I will reveal the whole truth of the matters to the media myself." Crowned Diamond wanted to look away from Ruy, but couldn't. There was something in his eyes, something familiar. And then it hit him: Dove. She had looked at him the same way when he had been threatening Shô. "I shall show myself to the audience, make a statement that an unfortunate accident happened while testing our newest product, that due to the potential dangers is now being discontinued. Some shareholders will leave, others will stay, and new one shall come to replace those who left. We will have harder patch for now, but we'll manage." after saying that Ruy walked past his father to the hall. Crowned Diamond ran after him. "You say I'm a lair, and yet you lie yourself! The development of the horn is not done yet!" "It is." Ruy simply said, not turning to face his father. "I told the scientists to scrap the damn thing and get rid of all the blueprints. Told them to do something more creative and useful." Diamond watched as his son proudly and bravely made his way towards the hall. A part of him was proud of the stern and strong willed stallion he had been able to raise. But the other one felt nothing but seething hate. Towards whom? Even Diamond himself didn't know...Story of Blade Swift - Not your faultShô found it difficult to open his eyes, and when he did, the light in the room stung so bad he winced and closed his eyes again. There was a horrible ring in his ears, and his head had a throbbing pain in it. Shô tried to remember what had caused this all. And when he did, he forgot all about his hurting head and got up. He remembered it all. The horn malfunctioning, the alarm, his own screams. After that things were bit fuzzy, but he got the jist of it all. He had failed. Again. "Shô?" The young stallion turned around upon hearing his brother's voice, only to see him wrapped in bandages. A surge of horror washed through Shô's whole body. Did he cause that? "Onii-san!" Shô almost screamed and tried to get to his brother, but his head was still spinning, and he almost fell over to the floor between their beds. Ruy caught him with his magic however and hovered the young stallion on his bed. "Easy!" he said. "You shouldn't be up yet!" But Shô wasn't listening, he just threw his hooves around his brother and cried. "It's my fault, isn't it?" he sobbed. "Shô, listen to me when I tell you: this was in NO WAY your fault. It was all father's fault." Ruy said, sternly, yet with a hint of warmth in his voice. "Father KNEW the horn was not ready to be tested yet. He KNEW it could be dangerous. And yet he went ahead with it all. It's his fault that you got hurt. It's his fault I got hurt. The scientists warned him, and he ignored it. You only did what you thought was right. And you fought back as much as you could." Ruy said, stroking his brother's back while trying to calm the crying earth-pony. And even though Shô did believe his brother, he had no reason not to, the thought in the back of his head, that HE had caused this and Ruy was blaming father just to make him feel better, did not go away...Story of Blade Swift - Help himThe lab was a mess. To say the least. And when the horn sent out a strong enough electrical blast to crack, although not completely destroy, the protective glass, things escalated even more. Scientists running around, shouting at each other, trying to find a way to stop the horn from potentially exploding again. In the center of all this stood Crowned Diamond, looking inside the glass container to see both of his sons laying on the ground, the artificial horn sending sparks flying even when detached from its host. Finally the horn went dim. The scientists had found the kill-switch. As the head scientist opened the glass container-door to rush to the brothers, Diamond pushed him aside and dashed past him. He was about to simply grab Ruy, and if he found the powers in him, maybe even Shô, and take them to the medical wing, but was stopped short when he saw Ruy move. He was ALIVE! And then he saw his eldest son in full. Deep gashes of bloody scars lined all around his right side. The ground under him was flooding with his blood. And yet he was getting up. And he still had that cold look in his still remaining eye that he had given his father before dashing into the testing-area. And despite being hurt, bleeding, the words he said still proved to be that of a loving brother. "Save... him..." Diamond could not find words to say. Ruy was hurt! Badly! And yet... yet he wanted him to save that... that abomination!? The head scientist caught up with him, and gasped as she too witnessed the horror that was his elder son. And yet Ruy said: "Save... HIM..!" "Ru-Ruy-kun..." she muttered, but Ruy shook his head. "I'm conscious... I'm alive... but Shô... he isn't... he isn't moving... save him... please!" he gasped, pleading with his one remaining eye. The head scientist took a shaky breath and nodded. She carefully levitated Shô off the ground and onto her back. "Kongō-sama." She then said in a stern voice. "Support your son from his left side and help him to the emergency-room. We might still be able to heal his eye if we hurry." Diamond took some deep breaths and turned to face his son again as the head scientist galloped out of the lab carrying Shô. He took few steps closer to Ruy, who had slumped back down on the floor. Upon seeing his father approach him, he snarled. "Stay away from me, you heartless monster!" he hissed. Crowned Diamond was taken back by those words. "I'm... I'm trying to help you!" he muttered. "I don't want YOUR help!" Ruy hissed again. The other scientists saw what was happening and few of them made their way in the glass-cube. "Your decision almost KILLED my brother! I want no help from the likes of you!" Ruy shouted, as much as his broken voice allowed him. Diamond couldn't move a muscle. Ruy had been hard for him from the day Dove had died, but he never thought he would turn against him like this... Two scientist came to Ruy and carefully helped him up on his shaky legs. No more words were exchanged that day. But there was no need for it anyway. That day, Crowned Diamond lost both of his sons.Story of Blade Swift - Give me strenght"What's happening!?" Ruy yelled as he watched the horror-show of his brother twitching and screaming in the cradle of light blue electricity. "The magic-levels rose to uncontrollable levels! The horn is overheating and spreading unstable magic around itself! Sir! I said it was not safe to test the horn yet!" the head scientist shouted over the blaring alarms to Crowned Diamond, who did not respond. All he did was to stare at the small yellow earth pony twitch on the air, screams going quiet as his throat was going sore. His face was twisted in horror and pain, but whether this was because of the sight of seeing his son in pain, or the knowledge of making a mistake so grave, nopony knew... "You KNEW this could happen!?" Ruy snarled at his father. "You KNEW it was unsafe! And yet you still threw your OWN SON to it like he was trash!" Crowned Diamond didn't know how to answer. Before he could form one word, Ruy had already turned his back to his father. "You're a monster. I promise mother I would protect Shô, but I never thought she meant from his own FATHER!" the white unicorn shouted again, heading to the door of the testing-area. "Ru-Ruy-kun!? What are you doing!?" the head scientist shouted upon seeing this, and this snapped Diamond out of his trance. "Since none of you are doing anything to save my brother, I might as well do it myself!" Ruy yelled, opening the door with fury, only to be overwhelmed by the magic gushing inside. "Ruy! You stay right there!" Diamond tried to shout with the authority he had used to boss his sons before. But His voice was weak compared to the screams of the small earth pony. And Ruy could not ignore them. "Diamond, Shô is your SON! But if you are so ready to throw him away..." Ruy snarled. "Then you shall lose us BOTH!" and with that he dashed inside the test-cube, galloping towards his brother. "Ruy-kun!" the head scientist shouted after him. But when the young stallion showed no intend to stop, she continued: "Remove the horn off him! If the horn doesn't have a vessel to suck magic out of, then it should turn off!" "What are you doing!? STOP HIM!" Crowned Diamond shouted. "Kongō-sama, your son has better magical abilities than any of us compared. Above that, he has the motivation to saving his brother that the rest of us lack. Including you..." that last part was spat out so venomly that Crowned Diamond's rage vanished. The head scientist knew she might get fired for that, but at this point, she would probably walk out anyway. "SHÔ!" Ruy shouted as he tried to reach his brother with his magic. But there was some kind of protective shield around Shô. Ruy didn't have much time to think, so he simply jumped towards his brother. The force-field let him inside, and Ruy assumed it was only protecting Shô from magic. But when he finally got a hold of his brother, he felt the pain the earth pony must have been through this whole time. Electrical currents going through his whole body, each of his muscles was twitching and his blood felt like it was boiling. But Ruy would not let the pain he felt overwrite his own head. He had to save Shô! He was the last piece of family he had left! He hardly counted Crowned Diamond as anything but a monster who was ready to get his brother killed for profit! He had made a promise for mother! He would either save Shô, or die trying! Now that he was inside the force-field, he tried to use his magic again, and this time he got a hold of the horn. But with that came a new sensation. Now instead of inner feelings of overloading magic, he felt his skin burning. The horn was attacking him, trying to protect it's host. 'Mother, give me strength!' Ruy thought, and didn't let go of the horn. He was so close! All he had to do was to muster enough power to pull it off! He held his brother, now silent, as his vocal cords were too tired to scream anymore, and tried to muster enough energy to save him. And as if a higher power had indeed given him that strength, the horn finally snapped off Shô's head. Just as Ruy was throwing the horn to his right, it exploded into another wave of blue sparks. Last thing Ruy felt was burning sensation on his skin, and then... Everything went quiet.Story of Blade Swift - Mistakes have been made"Is this necessary?" Ruy asked his father as they were making their way to the laboratory. "It is if we want to keep our reputation as the top magical technology providers in Neighpon!" Crowned Diamond scoffed at his eldest son's question. Little Butterfly followed his father quietly. He had learned long time ago to not ask unwanted questions, especially when father was unhappy. And if what his father had said earlier was true, after these tests, he could finally be a useful part of the family company! The lab was buzzing with scientists working under Diamond who were all shouting numbers to each other and writing down test-results. Shô had only been in the lab one time before, and he did not remember that day with smiles, so he took solace near his big brother as many times before. Crystal Dragon looked around the unicorns working in the lab. He could sense the urgency in their step, in their voices. He had a bad feeling about this all. He noticed his father being ushered away from them ad the head scientist whispered something to his ear. "What? What do you mean it's not ready for testing?" Diamond whispered, keeping his commanding tone in his voice. "I'm sorry Kongō-sama! It's still too unstable to be tested on a pony!" the head scientist apologized, urgency in his voice. "You told me it was ready to be tested not two hours ago!" Diamond demanded. "I did, but I didn't mean on a pony!" the scientist whispered, looking at Shô worryingly. "We don't know the... we can't tell if it would be..." she was stopped as Diamond took a strong step towards her and snarled at her. "We will run the tests, today, right now, or you all lose your jobs!" The scientist simply bowed her head and galloped to the others, still shouting results to each other. Diamond raised his head. He didn't know the risks, and he didn't care. He would not be humiliated in front of his sons! "Is... this safe?" Shô asked as the metallic horn was placed in his forehead. The two unicorns looked at each other, and simply smiled at him. But the smile was anything but genuine. "Otosan. I know you want Shô to be a unicorn above all else. But this is risky." Ruy muttered to his father behind the protective glass. "Think about the possibilities presented to us, Ruy! If this works, our family's status as a full unicorn-family will raise back up! And not only that, we have made a huge step towards the next magical technological breakthrough! Earth-ponies and pegasus everywhere will pay thousands just to get one artificial horn!" Diamond painted the image of great success, mostly to calm his own nerves. But Ruy did not believe his father was thinking straight. Worryingly he watched his brother, who was now left alone in the testing-area with a table of various items. "Alright, Shô-san! We're ready whenever you are." the head scientist said to the speakers. "I'm as ready as I'll get, I suppose..." Shô muttered, nervous of all the ponies staring at him. "Very well. Please look at the items on the table in front of you. Now, imagine lifting one up with your magic. If it helps, you can close your eyes to help you concentrate." Shô chose the green and red apple on the table, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Seconds flew past them, as the whole lab was tensing up. Just as the head scientist was going to call off the test, they saw green sparks surround the apple. Little by little, a green magical field surrounded the fruit, and slow, it lifted off the table. Shô opened his eyes when he heard cheers through the speakers and turned to see the whole lab celebrating. He turned to see that the apple was indeed levitating above the table. Overjoyed, Shô turned to meet his brother's eyes, Ruy was smiling at him proudly, and relieved that nothing bad had not indeed happened. Then Shô took a peek at his father, who, for the first time in his life, was smiling at him. In truth, Diamond was more happier about the fact that his instincts had been right and he had indeed not been humiliated by his decision. But to Shô, that smile was for him. The yellow pony was overjoyed. Maybe now, after all there years, his father would see him as a true son. Maybe finally, he could be part of this family. Maybe, finally, he would be a full pony. Just then, the red sparks took over the magical field around the metallic horn. Shô was shaken by a sudden electrical current going through him. Before he could say anything, the apple he had been holding with his magic friend into ashes, and the magic lifted him off his hooves. Before anypony could do anything, he was engulfed into blue sparks that caused his whole body to tense and a painful scream escape his lungs. The whole lab was blaring with sirens and red lights, only contrasted by the blue lightning caused by the metallic fake horn.Story of Blade Swift - Abomanation"Okasan ! Shô won't stop crying!" Dove peeked her head from the kitchen and saw her two sons, Ruy and Shô, sitting on the living-room floor. The elder brother had been playing with the small foal when it had started crying all of the sudden. Ruy had tried everything, making funny faces, tickling, playing peek-a-boo, but the yellow earth-pony colt would not calm down. "What do I do?" Ruy asked, almost panicking. Dove giggled. "Babies just like to cry sometimes. Let him cry it all out." she said and went back to cooking. Ruy looked down on the baby pony, crying it's eyes out for no reason. The colt could not understand why Shô had to cry so much. Dad would not be happy about it... Suddenly Ruy got an idea! Shô's teddy bear seemed to always calm the baby whenever mom would sing him to sleep. "Wait here you pesky lil Brimstone!" Ruy giggled and ruffled the small cyan-blue tuft of hair on the colt's head. "Onii-chan will be back soon!" Ruy galloped to their room and found the bear laying on the side of the crib. Being too short to climb in himself, and the bear being too big to squeeze through the bars, Ruy had to use his magic to get it. But he was still learning, so it took him longer than what he would have liked. Once he finally did, he was excited! Not only would Shô calm down before dad came home, but he could also tell his parents how good his magic was getting! They would be so proud of him... "Leave him alone!" "Can't you even keep the damn abomination quiet for two minutes? What kind of mother are you?" "Ruy cried just as much as he did, but that didn't seem to bother you!" "I come home after a long and tired day with a headache and you think it's acceptable for you to scream at your husband!" "It is when you hurt my babies!" Oh no... Ruy ran to the door only to witness his mother covering Shô with her body while his father was looming over them, looking furious. While Ruy had been gone, Crowned Diamond had come back home, indeed after a long and tiring day, with a headache. And first thing he saw and heard was his younger son crying his eyes out. Diamond hated Shô. Ruy wasn't sure why, but he always had. So when the small pony started to crawl towards it's father in search of protection, Diamond had roughly pushed the colt away from him with detest. Dove had witnessed this and immediately jumped into protecting her young. Now the bear Ruy had held in his magic fell on the floor. With horror he watched his parents yell at each other. Even Shô, who had started to cry again after being pushed, stopped, as if knowing that his crying would only make things worse. "I tell you one more time; don't you dare to hurt my babies!" Dove snarled, her horn sparking with weakened magic. "How dare you threaten me? When you know full well that this abomination is all your fault!" Diamond snarled back, his horn sparking in retaliation. "OTOSAN ! Stop!" Ruy yelled after throwing himself between his parents. He looked at his father with teary eyes. "Don't hurt my brother! Or mother! Please!" Diamond took a step back after seeing his older son's face. Without saying anything, he simply turned and left. He would eat outside and sleep in his office. Again. Ruy fought tears as Dove gave him a tight hug. "Thank you, Koibito. " she whispered. "Why does dad hate Shô so much?" Ruy sobbed. Dove looked up and sighed. "Take you brother and help him in the chair. I'll tell you over dinner..."Story of Blade Swift - Welcome Little BrotherRuy had been waiting for an hour now. The house was dead quiet, except for the clocks ticking on the walls. Listening to them was about to drive the young stallion crazy. The doctor had come late in the evening and disappeared to his parent's bedroom. Dad had only told Ruy to finish his homework and go to bed. But Ruy could not. He was worried. Mom had been sickly lately, more sickly than usual. What if something was to happen to her? Or the foal? Ruy had been so excited to become a big brother! He didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, he just wanted a baby sibling to take care of and to play with! Worry kept the young unicorn awake as he sat on the sofa, eyes nailed onto the bedroom door. The clock ticked away in the silence. Suddenly the door opened and the doctor stepped out. Ruy jumped of the sofa and dashed towards him. "Doctor!" he shouted, causing the elderly unicorn to jump a bit. "How is okasan ? Is she fine?" As the older stallion calmed himself, he gave the worried pony a smile. "Your mother is just fine." and with a twinkle in his eyes, he continued: "And your little brother as well." Ruy felt his heart explode with joy. Cheering and jumping around the living room, Ruy felt all of the worry he had before wash away. "I have a little brother!" he shouted excitedly, almost knocking over the doctor with his jumping. "Indeed..." the elderly unicorn said, gathering the things he had dropped. "He was born a bit earlier than he was supposed to. But as long as he gets plenty of milk, he should grow normally." "Can I go see him?" Ruy suddenly asked the doctor. "By all means, young one!" The doctor answered. "Take care of them both now, your mother and brother, Crystal Dragon!" the doctor said before he left. Ruy could hardly hold his excitement, but knew he had to calm down before he could go in to see his brother. He could scare the small thing if he made too much sound. So he took a deep breath and composed himself. Just as he was about to open the door, his father walked through it. "Otosan ! Otosan ! I have a little brother!" Ruy was swept away with happiness again and could not hold himself from jumping few times. In his excited state he didn't notice his father's less than angered face. "You do." Crowned Diamond growled. "Look after your mother. I'm going out." "Yes, father!" Ruy said, playfully saluting his father. Ruy wondered what would be so important for his father to go out for, especially when he was just blessed with second son! Maybe he was going to his friends to tell them the happy news? Either way, now there was nothing holding him back from meeting his brother! Once again he calmed himself and stepped through the door. On the bed he saw her mother. But instead of smiling warmly like always, she looked sad and miserable. The worry came back into Ruy's mind, but just then Dove noticed her older son and the warm smile returned on her face. "Hello dear. Come and see your little brother!" she said. Ruy forgot all about what he had just seen and eagerly, yet carefully, stepped forward. In Dove's hooves, there was a small bundle of yellow and cyan fur, who was sleeping soundly in the arms of it's mother. Ruy's heart was about to explode again. He was so SMALL! And FLUFFY! And SMALL! And CUTE!! "Do you want to hold him?" Dove asked. Ruy thought about it for a while. Then he nodded and extended his hooves to receive the small bundle in his arms. "He is so... small... and warm... and fluffy!" Ruy whispered, not wanting to wake the small pony. The foal in his arms yawned widely, and Ruy felt tears in his eyes. "What's his name?" Ruy asked. Dove was quiet for a while and then answered: "Little Butterfly. " "I promise, Shô. Nothing bad will ever happen to you!" Ruy promised as he gently snuggled his nose against the baby's. Dove smiled upon seeing that, but it soon faded as her eyes now looked at the window where rain-drops started to drum against the glass. The clock ticked away in the silence.