Chapter 19 Thinking before one acts is hard
We talked for a while yet but I wasn’t really listening anymore. Belle had join Hope and I in the chair and I was just snuggling up against her. There was a sense of completeness to us all being together even if it had been such a weird journey. Life had broken us but together I felt real and complete. It wasn’t long until sleep found me.
We were sitting in Bon Bon’s and Lyra’s house there were small blurs running circles around us. Bell was leaned up against me as she slept in the warmth of the sun that fell through the windows. The whole world seemed to have the fuzziness that I had long come to associate with love magic. Slowly my family joined Belle and I on the couch. Their faces were somewhat obscured but the love that I felt for them was clear as day. The purple blur that had to be Twilight was on my side and just past Belle was a pair of cream and mint blurs that must have been Lyra and Bon Bon. Chasing the little blurs around the living room was a much smaller Hope but I didn’t really give that much thought. An indigo shadow floated into our living room from seemingly nowhere but they seemed as much part of this as anyone else here but they only lingered for a moment.
I could tell I had overslept when I woke and had to stretch the sleep away. Feeling the push of my wing muscles was a bit off putting but nothing I could shove back down into me. I was in my bed in the castle. Belle was on one side and on the other Hope. She barely fit on the bed being so large. I slowly scooted out from between the two of them. It was a miracle my stretching hadn’t woke either of them.
Pausing at the door out of the room, a thought occurred to me. Hope had freaked out the last time I had left her alone without her knowledge. I didn’t want to scare her again. Breakfast could wait. Instead I pulled out some of my art supplies and went to work on that. It was so fulfilling to just draw for a while that I didn’t even notice when the other two stirred with wakefulness.
Hope had snuck up on me her feet making none of the noise I had grown used to from hooves. She glomped me which was almost a bit too crushing as she was so much bigger than I but as she almost fell onto me her hand caught the ground.
“Sorry,” Hope said. “Being this big is weird.”
“Being this small is weird to me,” I said. “I don’t know why you are so much bigger than a human would have been but I hope that doesn’t cause you too much trouble.”
“I think I am hungry,” said Hope. “I don’t know though. Like everything is so confusing and I don’t know anything. It is like you put a dictionary in my head for language but I don’t have any context. I am pretty certain this is stress though.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean for you to come out this way. I will have to be much more careful of anything like that ever again. It wasn’t fair of me to deny you the ability to have a childhood.”
“I”m not sad I exist. I hope that you don’t regret making me,” Hope said.
“No, of course not,” I said. “All it is is me wishing that I had done a better job.”
“I see so much of that in your memories that you left me,” Hope said. “So much pain because you think you didn’t do well enough but you did your best. Isn’t that all anyone can ask for?”
“Yeah,” I said. “And I know that. Well at least logically I know that, but I don’t think I believe that.”
We just sat in silence for a second. Her slouched over me her legs lying like a wall around me. It was so weird being engulfed by another like this but it wasn’t unpleasant. There was a bit of me that thought that it should have been the other way around though. I should be the one comforting her, not the other way around.
Her bare feet were dark with dirt. We were going to have to go to Rarity today. Winter was rapidly approaching and the small dress she had was not going to be sufficient. How I was going to pay for that was beyond me but I tried not to dwell on it.
Feeling the need to actually do something instead of just waiting around here for Belle to wake, I extracted myself from the cave that was Hope. She didn’t make it easy. I made my way over to the bed where Belle was sleeping with the subtle painting of Hope’s feet behind me. Belle looked so peaceful in her sleep. A warmth spread through me as I watched her sleep.
With my magic I pulled a piece of paper and pencil to me. I left a neatly folded note on Belle’s wheelchair that I pushed right up next to the bed. It was sort of strange leaving her here but I didn’t want to wake her. I knew she needed the sleep.
Hope and I slipped out of my room as quietly as I could with my magic. There was no way we had woke her when we left. There were more guards than I had expected stationed outside my room. The fact that there was any was a bit of a surprise but having eight of them seemed excessive. Again they all bowed to me as I came into the hallway. I pushed down any guilt that wanted to eat away at me. If others looked at me as a hero and princess it would be mean to take that from them.
Food was first on the list. I was really looking forward to some pancakes right now. I hoped that pony food would work for Hope. I wasn’t certain what we would do otherwise. I could smell the kitchen a full hallway away from it. It was going to be packed wasn’t it with so many in the castle. I wasn’t looking forward to that.
There was a line of off duty guards that stretched out of the dining room. Even they bowed when I walked up and they parted to let Hope and I through. I would admit that there was some perks of being an alicorn. That or the giant angel behind me gave me a bit of extra authority. I wasn’t going to complain either way. There was no sitting room left so we just grabbed a few plates full of food with a bit of everything and fled the noise. I managed to stay focused and avoided any panic episodes.
There was tension building in me that I didn’t really notice till we were safely back in my room. It washed away and I could finally relax once more. We seemed to have woken Belle when we came back. Hope and I joined her on the bed. It was as good of place as anywhere to eat breakfast.
“Anything smell good?” I asked of Hope.
“Something does,” said Hope. I don’t really know what though. Like it smells like her.”
Tears welled up in Hope’s eyes. She must have been reliving the memories I had left her. I wasn’t certain which food triggered this or even if it was food. Maybe it was eating together on the bed on lazy sunday mornings. I rubbed what part of her arm I could with my hoof as I made a plate of food up for her. It was all stuff I had eaten in the past so hopefully it would work. Belle awkwardly picked out food for herself but sat there waiting for us to start.
It took a bit, but eventually Hope calmed down enough to start eating. I tried to keep up a strong appearance, but it was wearing on me. My wings twitching from time to time kept a constant reminder of my mess up. I had left her with my pain and little more. I needed to talk to Lyra and Bon Bon or Doctor Vibes. He would know what to do. How to make this better because I wasn’t able to really think of anything.
“I have a lot of things to do today,” I said. “Some of them I need you to come with, Hope, and others are probably unnecessary for you to be there. We need to go get you some more clothes and at least some shoes. Which means going across town to the Carousel Boutique to get that done. I need to find funds for that but Twilight talked about an allowance a while back for me and while that probably won’t cover much I want to have money in hand to get you what you need. I need to go talk to Bon Bon and Lyra. I wasn’t really all there when they came to talk yesterday and I want to make that better. Well and I need to explain my...wings...to them.”
“Can I come with?” Hope asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“I can’t say no to that and I will need you with me so Rarity can get your measurements. I sort of want to talk to Lyra and Bon Bon alone though. There is some heavy things that I need to talk to them about and there isn’t any point in ruining your day too,” I said. “But I am sure that Belle would love to spend the day with you, wouldn’t you Belle?”
“Of course,” Belle said. “Besides if you get to leave the castle then so do I. No more we have to keep you secret stuff.”
“Maybe we should talk to Luna or Twilight first but I don’t think it is fair to keep you cooped up all the time,” I said. “You’ve been here for a month and you haven’t left the castle? That seems harsh.”
“Oh we left the castle,” Armored Belle said. “We just went to a meadow far from here. Luna teleported us. It was nice but I want to meet other ponies. I want to make some friends.”
“I know just the trio for that,” I said. “Fair warning they like to get in over their heads so yeah. Be careful.”
“Anything to get a break,” Armored Belle said. “If you want to talk to Luna she is in court now. I figure if you just show up that she will have to say something.”
“When did you become a trouble maker?” I teased.
“Someone around here has too. Everypony has been so hurt as of recent, I can tell. If I wasn’t so persistent they would be sad all the time,” Belle said. “Besides Doctor Vibes agrees with me. Or at least he hasn’t told me to stop. Really no one has.”
“Don’t worry I won’t leave you alone anymore, I promise,” I said. “I’m sorry I was gone so long.”
“You were sick,” Belle said. “That isn’t your fault.”
“When did you become so wise?” I asked.
“I had to,” She said. “Besides I am ten years old now and that is almost an adult.”
“Not really but thanks for the encouragement,” I said. “So where is court being held? The entrance hall?”
“Yep. They set up a big chair between the two stairs. If you are careful you can spy on it from the top of the stairs,” Belle said.
“Cool. I will be right back,” I said. “Hope can you stay here with Belle for the moment?”
“Uh, yes, I guess,” said Hope a bit sheepishly.
“Don’t worry I don’t bite,” Belle said. She sort of tackle glomped Hope from the side and started to try to tickle her.
I smiled at the pleasant scene. My family had grown in ways I hadn’t expected but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I hopped off the bed. I made it much further than I had expected. Maybe that was a bit of the pegasus magic running through me. I charged my horn and my teleportation spell was ready before I hit the floor.
Pop. Maybe teleporting into a crowd of ponies was not my best idea as I pushed several ponies to the floor with my magic. A bit of a startle ran through the crowd as it tried to rebalance itself. Why there were so many at court was beyond me. Twilight had told me that Celestia never saw more than one hundred in a day but this seemed much more than that. The crowd grew noise and a few ponies even screamed. Definitely didn’t think that one through. Not that I could do anything about it anymore.
“My ponies,” Luna said in the canterlot royal voice. “Please calm yourselves. There is nothing to fear.”
The crowd quieted and I started to push through it to the front. Up to where Luna was standing now. It was a bit hard but I didn’t want to startle anypony else by teleporting up to her. I couldn’t thank Twilight enough for teaching me that spell. There were whispers from the ponies right around me as they turned to look at what was pushing through their midst. Some of them even dropped into a bow. I finally made it through the crowd and sort of fell out into the open space before Luna.
A blonde maned unicorn sat just in front of the crowd. There were two beefy earth pony guards next to him. They were almost as big as Big mac was. The unicorn gave me a glare that could have killed but it softened for a moment with confusion only to turn all the more rancid in a second. It was a strange transition to see happen on a pony’s face.
“Welcome Princess Lilac Splash,” said Luna. I knew I was going to get it later. Her voice had acid in it. “Nice of you to join us. So early.”
“Ah, uh, sorry for interrupting,” I said.
“Well now that the cat is out of the bag. Please come up here so that I can properly introduce you...to the world,” Luna half said half sighed.
I walked slowly up the small raised platform they had set up a throne on. It was a bit dinky now that I thought about it. Hardly fitting for what it was being used. This did not bode well for the state of the Equestrian government. A problem for another time.
“To all in this great hall of friendship and harmony, I would like to introduce Equestria’s latest Alicorn,” Said Luna. The whole room except for the blonde unicorn bowed at those words. “Princess Lilac Splash is the daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle and has accomplished what many had thought impossible.”
“Isn’t that the same filly who fought Chrysalis and won?” asked somepony in the crowd. “The one who was supposedly in a coma due to that fight?”
“Yes. Yesterday Princess Lilac woke from her coma. It was an eventful day for all involved,” said Luna.
“What did she do that you made her an Alicorn? Why is she worthy and I am not?” asked the blonde maned unicorn. “Playing favorites already.”
“I assure you that Princess Lilac earned her wings. It was not by my choice that she ascended nor by my hoof either,” said Luna. “As I am sure you have heard before, Blueblood, ascension is something that happens when a pony accomplishes something truly great. Princess Lilac did some such thing and is now standing amongst the rest of us Princesses.”
“You mean the ones you haven’t banished,” Blueblood said. “What did she really do to deserve this?”
“She did the impossible,” Luna stated. “Something even I could not do.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” said Blueblood. “Tell me why she is worthy but I am not.”
“I think that this would be a conversation best held at another time,” said Luna.
“Why? So you can hide it again. Like you did with the bookworm,” said Blueblood. “This child is not fit to be a ruler of Equestria and yet you make her one.”
“I said that this will have to wait, Prince Blueblood,” said Luna. I could tell she was angry but the look on Blueblood’s told me that he wasn’t going to back down.
“No the ponies of Equestria have a right to know,” said Blueblood. “I have the right to know. We both know that if it was based on merit it would be me standing next to you not that runt of a brat.”
Luna’s horn lit up but I was quicker. I said, “You want to know what I did. Here I will show you.”
I concentrated on my magic pulling on more than any pony had the right to have. Much more than I had prior to my fight with Chrysalis and much more than Blueblood had. I could feel the strength of his wellspring as I tapped into my own. My alicorn senses lit up and I could feel the wellsprings of everypony in the room. Only one of them was my better and none my equal. I poured more magic into my spell work. This time I wouldn’t have the same mistake as with Hope. I would not create a mind of a child in a body of an adult ever again.
My magic collapsed into a ball of light in front of Blueblood. Slowly it formed into a shape. A pony shape. There was a blinding flash and in the place of that ball of energy was a small sleeping foal. No bigger than a newborn. She opened their eyes and a small wail of a foal crying filled the air. It hit me. I had fucked up again.
Everypony in the room was dead silent. Even Blueblood seemed to be without words. Luna recovered quickest and she started to clap her hooves together. Soon the whole crowd followed. Except for Blueblood who was just staring at the newborn foal a few feet in front of him.
Floating the newborn over to me I held her in my foreleg. She had dark blue fur and a silver mane. A small horn poked through what mane she had. Dread and wonder were filling my head and heart. I couldn’t help but feel a tug of joy at the baby but the reality of what I had just done would not escape me. That was twice in twelve hours that I made new life. I was in so much trouble.
“All life is precious. To create new life is the joy of all parents. Princess Lilac is able to skip a few steps,” Luna said loudly after the clapping died down. The crowd giggled at her comments. Luna glared at me. It was a glare I had gotten used to seeing from Bon Bon and Luna was even better at it. “May all welcome Equestria’s newest princess, Lilac Splash, alicorn of life.”
Luna’s magic grasped me and I felt the teleportation before it happened. I appeared in a living room I had missed so much. There was a sense of belonging being back here after what felt like so long. Nopony seemed to be here at the moment and it seemed odd that Luna would send me here.
“Mom,” I said loudly. “Are either of you home?”
“Lilac,” came the surprised voice of Bon Bon from down the hallway. “What are you doing here? I’ll be out in just a moment.”
True to her word no more than a couple moments later Bon Bon came down the hallway from the bathroom. I ducked around the wall so that she couldn’t see what I was holding. It wasn’t going to last long but any extra seconds of not being yelled at seemed like a good thing right now. The foal had fallen asleep in my leg.
Bon Bon gave me no reprieve and came around the corner to the hallway in but a moment. Her eyes lit up when she saw the baby. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe. Bon Bon scooped the foal up into her own cradle of arms and slowly rocked her back and forth.
“Where did you get her?” asked Bon Bon. “Where is her diaper? Where is her mother?”
“Well you see,” I started. “I can explain.”
“Did you steal a foal?” said Bon Bon. There wasn’t any anger in her voice just disbelief.
“No nothing of the such,” I said. “So I know you are going to be mad at me and maybe just maybe you can not...yell...at me. Don’t want to wake the foal now do we?”
“What did you do?” said Bon Bon sternly. There was no dancing around it anymore.
“So you know how you keep telling me to think before I cast magic. To you know think of the consequences. I know that is mostly a don't use all your magic all at once thing but this applies. Very much so,” I said. Continuing but much quieter. “I made her.”
“I didn’t catch that last part,” Bon Bon said. The sternness hadn’t left her voice.
“I made her,” I said. I paused for an awkward silence. “With my magic.”
“Is this another golem?” Bon Bon said. “But she is breathing. I can feel the warmth from her. What is going on, Lilac? Tell me straight.”
“So yesterday when I woke up I was hearing voices. Turned out to be a demon and when I talked to Luna about it she had a solution. It was a bit risky but everything went fine. I just had to fight the demon in a dream realm and not lose. Or the demon would have taken over my body,” I said. Bon Bon was very not happy with me right now and her eyes had fire in them. “Look everything went fine. Sort of. I wasn’t much of a match for the demon so I called for help with my magic. But this time had to be different because a golem wouldn’t help me in the dream realm. So instead I made something much more special. I made an angel. A living breathing soul having angel. Out of thin air. And well I got these.”
I flared out my wings at that moment. They only half listened and they hung at weird angles. But the effect was immediate. Tears filled Bon Bon’s eyes and I could tell if it was from joy or fear. Her free hoof covered her mouth and was clearly stifling a shocked yelp.
“What?...How?” Bon Bon said. “I knew you were strong magically but this seems crazy. Was it the same spell that made Armored Belle into an alicorn?”
“No,” I said. “Luna said I ascended due to worth of my action. The same way that Twilight ascended.”
“Does that mean you’re a princess now?” asked Bon Bon. “I don’t think I want you in charge of Equestria. Especially not right now. You’re so young. You deserve to have a childhood even if you keep doing things to shorten that.”
“I am a princess now. It was just announced at day court just oh a few minutes ago,” I said. “I sort of accidentally forced that. Let’s just say that I did something that I shouldn’t have and I learned my lesson.”
“What does all this have to do with this foal?” asked Bon Bon.
“Uh so I made her,” I said. “Some jerk unicorn was being a jerk and so I proved to him why I was an alicorn.”
“You made a foal just to prove your worth to someone else?” said Bon Bon.
I just looked away and nodded my head. The yelling was about to start. I could feel it. Dread filled me but the yelling never came. I flinched at Bon Bon’s touch but it was only a hug. She rubbed my back and pulled me into her as we sat on the floor for a minute. The two of us looked at the sleeping foal in her arms.
“I am much too young to be a grandmother,” said Bon Bon. “But if there is anything I have learned from living with you these last six months is that you just have to roll with the punches. Don’t do this again. Not till you’re older. Like forty. I want to be angry at you but I know that you are going to do your best to make this right. We will figure something out but she is your responsibility. You don’t get to walk away from this one and pretend that everything's the same. This changes everything and you need to be ready for that.”
“I know. I can’t run from this,” I said. “I don’t know that if I could I would even want to.”
“No you take everything head on,” said Bon Bon. “You can’t do that anymore. You can’t put yourself at risk like you have in the past. We are all very happy that you saved Nympha’s life but you almost died. Again. I know that things are going to be different now that you're an alicorn but please be careful. You have ponies who need you now.”
“I promise to not push myself so much and to maybe develop a sense of self-preservation,” I said. “Maybe.”
Giggling, Bon Bon bumped into me. She looked at the small little bundle in her arms. She said, “So I assume you haven’t got to the doctor with her yet have you?”
“Nope came straight here,” I said. “So one more thing to do today. Do we have anything for a diaper? I really really really don’t want to deal with that without one.”
“You’re in luck,” Bon Bon said. “Pinkie Pie dropped of some diapers a week or so ago. She said something about us needing them. Which I assumed that she meant for the twins but maybe not.”
Bon Bon handed me the baby and walked back down the hallway. She was gone for only a moment before she returned with a saddle bag that looked full. Of stuff. Out of one of the side pockets she pulled out a diaper and showed me how to put it on. With that task out of the way she went and filled up a bottle and presented it to me. Levitating it in front of her mouth I waited till she decided to take the bait. I didn’t have to wait long for her to wake up and soon enough she was eating. I couldn’t be happier. One burping later and she was back asleep.
“Um so I, uh, don’t know how to ask this but how is Lyra holding up?” I asked. “I heard about her mom.”
Bon Bon pulled me into a side hug. She said, “It has been a hard month for us. With Lyra losing her mom and you having been in a coma, it has taken a toll on Lyra. She is sleeping right now. I’ll need to go wake her soon. Really probably should do that now. She has an appointment with Doctor Vibes in a hour or so.”
It took a few minutes but Bon Bon left and returned with a still sleepy Lyra. I could tell just from looking at her how much the last month had hit her. It looked like she hadn't been eating and there were dark bags under her eyes. Even her smile seemed broken.
“What are you doing here?” asked Lyra with a strained joy filling her voice. “Wait who's foal is that?”
“Surprise, you’re a grandma now,” I said. “Oh and a mother to an alicorn princess.”
“What!?” shouted Lyra.
The baby started crying and I tried to soothe her. It wasn’t really working and Bon Bon took over for me. The foal calmed down pretty quickly after that. Turning to Lyra I flared my wings once more. This time my wings were more cooperative. That seemed to only spark more questions and after about fifteen minutes I had caught Lyra up. She took it harder than Bon Bon had, and I wasn’t surprised. But after her anger faded she warmed up to her granddaughter.
“I had another five months of not having to deal with this,” said Lyra jokingly. “And now you have me holding a foal.”
“Practice so that you’ll be the best when the twins get here,” I said. “But really I’ll take care of her as much as I am able.”
“You have way more important things to do right now,” Lyra said. “You’re a princess. Like there has to be a lot of training that goes into that. Are you sure this is the right choice?”
“I may have made a mistake but it is one I don’t regret. Even if it was dumb of me and I didn’t even think about what that meant just that I had to defend Luna’s honor by proving my worth,” I said. “I am a bad mom, aren’t I?”
“That remains to be seen,” said Lyra. “But if you are set on this, then I will support you. But you had better do right by this.”
“I will,” I said.
“I know you will,” said Lyra. “I don’t think there is a thing in the world that could stop you from doing what you’ve put your mind to. I’m sorry to cut this short but I have to get to my appointment. I’ll schedule you one too, Lilac. I feel like you need one and soon.”
“Probably,” I said. “Um so I need to get back to my other pseudo child. Okay I have no idea what to think of Hope at this point.”
“Hope?” asked Lyra.
“The angel I made when I ascended,” I said. “That is her name. I’ll bring her by to say hello later today. I have to go find money now.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Lyra. “We’ll figure something out.”
“You shouldn’t bear the burden of my choices,” I said.
“You’re our child. It is our responsibility to bear that burden,” Bon Bon said. “You don’t have to do this alone. Remember that doing everything by yourself is why we are in this situation. You can rely on us.”
“I know,” I said.
“Do you?” asked Bon Bon. “Well you are right you should probably get back to the Castle. Princess Luna probably will want to talk to you.”
“Yeah,” I said. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. “Um do you think I can instead just run away and live in the forest where no one will find me and I never have to deal with an angry alicorn? No okay.”
“It won’t be that bad,” said Lyra. “Princess Luna is very understanding. She is probably only slightly mad is all.”
“So much better,” I groaned. I started to charge my horn. I picked up the baby pack which was too big to fit on me right. “Um see you soon. I love you.”
“We love you too,” said Bon Bon. “How about we all have dinner together? Including Hope and Belle.”
“See you then,” I said. I popped out of existence and appeared in my castle room. Hope and Belle both seemed startled by my sudden appearance. I would have to remember that and not teleport to here directly.
“Where did you get that baby?” asked Belle.
One explaination later and the four of us were sitting on the bed leaning against the headrest. Both of them took that better than I had expected. Belle just wanted to be the baby's aunt and Hope seemed enamored by the foal. I could barely even think anymore my brain was fried from having to explain this to so many ponies already and I had only talked to half of them so far. I had gone past worry and into just exhaustion. It was a weird sort of worry though. It wasn’t out of control like my numerous panic attacks were.
Luna walked into my room a some time later. It must have not been that long really but it felt like forever. She stared at me for a second. There was anger in her eyes but it was tempered by pride. I calmed considerably after seeing her eyes.
“Do you ever think on your actions before you do them?” asked Luna.
“Sometimes,” I said. “But so far not today. I’m sorry.”
Luna just snorted and started laughing. It took her a moment before she collected herself enough to talk. When she did, she said, “Apology accepted. I hope you know what you’ve done. The gravity of what you’ve done.”
“That I am sort of an eight year old who made a foal in front a crowd of ponies,” I said. “Like by some regards Belle is older than I am right now. Yeah I am not the smartest cookie out there. But I don’t know what the political and social effects of this are going to be. I just know that I made life again that I am responsible for without thinking of what that means.”
“Don’t worry about the political backlash over this. There will be some from the nobles. Especially Blueblood but the general public will probably not care either way outside of what happens to the foal and you because of this. You have a lot of good will right now amongst the public and I don’t see this changing that,” Luna said. “No, we must talk about what this means personally.”
“I will take care of her,” I said. “Both of them. I won’t let someone else suffer because I didn’t think things through.”
“But can you provide for her, or even Hope, the best life they could have?” asked Luna.
“Can anypony say that they can?” I responded. “Because the best possible life they could have is not something I can give them but the best I can do is something I will do. Being a princess is supposed to be about living for your ponies. Well what sort of princess would I be if I didn’t do the best for and by my own children.”
“Your heart is in the right place and I see no fault in your logic. It isn’t as if you are just a child. Even when you act like your physical age. As a princess in training you are provided a stipend by the crown,” said Luna. “Never will you or any of you three go without. I expect you to spend this money wisely and I will check in on this frequently. I know that you may need a bit upfront so I have arranged that. Please keep the source of this money a secret from the general public. I don’t need Blueblood to hear of that one.”
“Okay. So not to sound greedy but where can I find that money?” I asked. “Hope needs shoes and other clothes. And I have a pack of supplies for the foal but that won’t last long I don’t think. Well honestly I don’t know. Pinkie Pie packed it apparently. I need to go say thank you to her.”
Luna’s horn lit up with magic and she summoned a small bag that jingled with coins. She said, “That should be more than enough for today. If not just talk to Twilight or I about it. Speaking of Twilight, I suspect she will want to have a word with you as well. She is currently in Manehatten for a few hours. There was a riot that she went to do deal with.”
“How many of those are happening?” I asked. “How bad is it?”
“Far worse than I want to admit. I fear that someone is pulling the strings behind this. But that isn’t a thing for you to worry about. Ponyville is safe and you have much bigger things to worry about right now,” said Luna. She tossed me the bag of money.
“Um so can Belle come with for my errands?” I asked. “I don’t think it is fair to keep her locked up like this.”
“You are right,” Luna said. “I guess it won’t hurt any more than this morning did. Just keep her safe and don’t go performing more miracles. Either of you.”
“We won’t,” Belle and I said in unison. We both giggled over that. It was nice to have a younger-ish sister around again.
“I have things to attend to. Try to have some fun, and please be careful. I can only imagine what would happen if something were to happen to that foal,” said Luna.
“Um wait I need your help with something,” I said. “You know how to force a naming dream or something like it?”
“Oh of course,” said Luna. “Such a simple thing that it skipped my mind. This will be a bit vivid but shouldn’t be too disorienting. If you would come closer this works better with horn contact.”
When our horns touched a vision overcame me. It was sort of dream like but still felt very real. I wondered if this was what regular naming dreams felt like. I Saw a small white flower that shone in the moonlight. The moon was full and high in the sky but it was the flower that stole my focus. It floated on a perfect pool of water and was purest white. I came out of trance feeling drained in ways that I hadn’t expected.
“Midnight Lily,” I said. “I think.”
“A great name,” Luna said. “May she live up to such a gift. Now for real I must take my leave. If you have need of me feel free to come find me but maybe ask a guard before you teleport into something. I shall see you later. When I have figured out a better schedule we can continue your magical training. Your’s are canceled for the day, Belle.”
“Awesome,” said Belle. “Let's get going then. I don’t want to waste a minute of today.”
“Have fun,” said Luna as she left the room. I breathed a sigh of relief after she was completely out of the room. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to do that again for a while. Hopefully we wouldn’t have to explain all of that to everypony we met.
“So I was thinking of teleporting us much of the way,” I said. “That way hopefully we can avoid some of the stares.”
“But I want to see all of the city,” Belle said. “Please?”
“If we walk the whole way we won’t have as much time to spend at any one place and if we get done quickly enough we could visit the school house and I am sure that there are ponies there that would love to meet you.”
“Really?” Belle asked excitedly. “Will the teacher mind us just showing up?”
“No idea but I doubt too much,” I said. “Cheerilee is pretty nice. Besides we are both princesses that has to give us some leeway.”
“I hope so,” said Belle. “Okay fine we can teleport.”
“Are you alright with that Hope?” I asked.
“I guess,” Hope said.
She seemed hesitant but I figured it was just a number of teleports away till she was used to them. I charged my horn and I poured more mana that was probably necessary. Maybe if I over charged it I could make it a bit more comfortable. We popped into existence some ten or so meters away from the Carousel Boutique. The teleportation took way more energy out of me than I had expected but it was relatively smooth. No one seemed to be too affected by the teleportation. Midnight was woke though by it and she seemed a bit fussy. Maybe she needed to eat again. Hopefully Rarity would let us use her sink to make some formula.
I lead the way down the road. We got way more stares than I had expected and it was hard to tell who of our group received more attention. I was betting it was the giant angel the size of Celestia herself. But we all were getting stares. There was even a few who bowed to us as we passed.
Rarity’s shop was fairly busy. Rarity herself was busy taking measurements of a lavender unicorn with dark purple mane with light nearly neon blue stripe that ran through it. Others were browsing the racks of clothes that Rarity had on display. Much of it was a dazzling display of winter wear. There was some that was foal sized that I would have to browse after talking to Rarity.
Everypony in the store froze when Hope ducked through the door into the room. She was carrying the foal supplies and when she noticed everypony was staring at her she hid behind the bag and her own hair. The only pony seemingly not fazed by Hope was Rarity.
“Lilac, who is your friend there?” asked Rarity. “One doesn’t see something like them everyday. I’ll be with you in a few moments, just have to finish taking these measurements. Oh and it is good to see you out and about Armored Belle.”
“Yeah it is really awesome,” said Belle. The eyes of the ponies in the room all fell on Belle and then me. It took about three seconds before most of them were bowing. Notably was the pony Rarity was working on at the time and Rarity who hadn’t seemed to notice that anything was up.
A light brown earth pony stallion with a dark mane came up to me. He had a huge smile on his face. He bowed deeply in front of me. It was a very awkward and far too low bow like he thought he had to get under my head level. It was almost like he was groveling. Thankfully he right himself shortly thereafter.
“Your highness, it is such a pleasure to met you,” said the stallion. “I am Filthy Rich, your humble servant. Though if you would, I prefer to be called Rich.”
“Thank you, I guess,” I said. I wasn’t really certain how I was supposed to deal with this. “Um, I am, uh, Princess Lilac Splash. Uh it is nice to meet you.”
“Don’t forget me,” said Belle. “I am an alicorn too.”
Filthy Rich looked over Belle. His eyes bulged as he did and he dipped into another bow. He said while still bowing, “Forgive me, your highness. I offer my deepest condolences.”
“Please don’t,” said Belle. She looked more than a little angry. “I don’t need your pity. There isn’t anything to forgive though. Can’t blame a pony for missing small details. My name is Armored Belle, and I am a warrior princess.”
“Of course you are,” I said giggling. “Um sorry we have some shopping to do and I need to talk to Rarity about a custom order. If you don’t need anything, of course.”
“Oh of course your highnesses,” said Filthy. “Here is my business card. If you ever need general supplies Filthy’s Bargain Barn has the best prices in Equestria. Oh and a discount for royalty.”
“Thanks,” I said. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to suck up to us or if he had something else in mind. Either way he seemed harmless and at least somewhat genuine. “We may stop by later today. I need more supplies for this one.”
I lifted Midnight in my arm. It was so strange having gotten used to walking on three legs. I could have carried her in my magic but I wanted for her to feel safe by having that contact. Midnight seemed to be pretty well occupied by having her eyes wander the world.
“Oh well if you are looking for Foals supplies then you’ll find no better place,” said Filthy Rich. “Again it was my pleasure to met you. Have a wonderful day, your highness.”
He bowed again and popped out of the store. Rarity was headed our way and the unicorn she had been helping was flipping through the racks. Rarity stopped halfway to us her eyes wide once more but this time they were only glued to me.
“Oh my Celestia,” said Rarity in a high pitched squeal that only she could make sound graceful. “Wings. Lilac I knew you were special but my dear this is beyond even my wildest dreams. And you have a couple of very interesting friends. Won’t you introduce your friend, dear?”
“Oh of course this is Hope,” I said pointing at her with my spare hoof. That was not the most brilliant decision and I almost fell face first onto Midnight. I was only saved by Rarity’s magic. “Never doing that again...Sorry.”
“We all make mistakes. Who is the little one and where did you find such a cutie?” asked Rarity.
“Her name is Midnight Lilly and sort of out of thin air…,” I said. “Um can we talk about it somewhere a bit more private, please? On a related note I need to make her some formula. I think she is hungry.”
“Of course,” Rarity said. “Why don’t you go do that and I’ll join you there after I finish up sales here.”
“I don’t want to cost you business,” I said.
“Oh don’t fret,” Rarity said. “They come here because I have the best wears. Waiting an hour or two for that won’t stop them from buying something.”
Rarity walked off and flipped the open sign in the window to closed. She then went and started to talk to another customer. I wasn’t going to turn down some generosity especially not from Rarity. Thankfully Sweetie Belle had invited me over a couple of times and I knew my way to the kitchen. We had spent a number of times there helping Sweetie Belle with her math homework.
Hope and Belle just sat near the table while I worked on making a bottle for Midnight. Thank Celestia for instructions on the container. I would have surely messed this up otherwise and that was just what I needed today. I gave the bottle to Hope who was holding Midnight and sat down at the table. I was feeling exhausted and drained. Today had been far too busy already and it was still the morning. I channeled my mana through my body attempting to reinvigorate myself. Successful, I felt my exhaustion fade away but the drain that I was feeling was still there. My body may have been ready to run a marathon but my mind was far from that.
Rarity came into the room after about thirty minutes. Her mask dropped when she did and I could tell that she must have been as tired as I was. She wasted no time making a pot of tea which took no time thanks to a fire spell she used on the pot.
“Funny thing about that little spell,” said Rarity. “Sweetie Belle made it. Not on purpose mind you but it is quite handy when you have a handle on it. Boiling water takes seconds to make. Mind you if you don’t stop after that it tends to burn down kitchens but still,” said Rarity. She levitated a tray over to the table on which was a number of labeled jars. “So what flavor will you all have?”
“Anything that will wake me,” I said.
“Mint, please,” said Belle.
“Uh, mint, I guess,” said Hope.
“Hope dear, you remind me so much of my good friend Fluttershy,” said Rarity. I would bet that the two of you would get along smashingly. Now that we have tea, care to fill me in on, well, everything?”
I breathed a deep sigh. This was the fourth time today I had explained this. I said, “I made Hope last night because demons are hard to fight and apparently making a soul turns you into an alicorn. I am not to certain on the details. Then this morning I decided that words weren’t enough proof of why I am now an alicorn so to shut up that jerk Blueblood I made Midnight. Which was dumb of me and now I have to take care of a baby as well as try to take care of Hope. That is pretty much it. Any questions? Wait I know what you’ll say. Yes I have told most of my parents. That is Twilight doesn’t know yet but Bon Bon and Lyra do. As does Luna. I have funds to take care of them and I want to do this. I think that that covers everything. Oh and all this happened in the last twelve hours.”
“Quite thorough,” said Rarity. “I take it this isn’t your first time explaining that.”
“And not the last time,” I said. “I still have to tell Twilight. She knows about Hope but yeah. Midnight seems like a harder thing to explain.”
“So what brings you to my shop? It is a treat just to see you but I suspect based on that sort of morning that this isn’t just a social trip,” said Rarity.
“For Hope,” I said. “She is sort of human and humans need clothes and I can’t think of anyone better to fix that than you. Also some cold weather clothes for Midnight would probably be good or really all of us. This is the first winter I have spent here.”
“Well if you will tell me what you are thinking, I’m certain I can make some clothes for Hope,” Rarity said. “Let’s go into my workshop and we can work out the details. I have some sketch paper so you can draw up some ideas. Do you need any piece right away? It is the busy season in the shop so this might take a week or two.”
“Shoes,” I said. “Humans don’t walk around barefoot, especially not during the colder months.”
Rarity lead us up to her workshop which was on the second floor. It was filled with a number of in progress projects and reams upon reams of fabric. One piece stood out from the rest though and it was a brilliant dress that looked like it would fit Luna. It was a near white pearl in color and had a number of black sparkling gems all over it. It was sort of like an inverse night sky.
“Princess Luna commissioned that for the next Grand Galloping Gala which for the first time ever will be held here in Ponyville,” said Rarity as she noticed me checking out the dress. “We have till spring before that but I prefer to have those sort of things done in advance as much as possible. Especially seeing as I need to make one for Twilight as well and maybe you two as well.”
“A pretty princess dress?” said Belle. “I am so game.”
“Yours will be made much closer to the gala,” said Rarity. “You are still growing and no pony knows how much you will as an alicorn. Here’s some paper and a pencil, Lilac and Belle why don’t you draw some normal clothes that humans would wear while I take Hope’s measurements. Going to have to use the big measuring tape for this.”
I passed a piece to Belle and got to work. I started with some shoes. They seemed the most important. I drew sandals, flip flops, sneakers and high heels. Belle was drawing a overly complicated dress that was part armor too. She had watched a bit too much cartoons back home. I drew some more practical clothing. Like sweatpants and sweaters. I wasn’t certain how to add her wings so I just left that part out. By the time Rarity had all the measurements I had some twenty pieces of clothes sketched out. Belle was still working on her one piece. With magic she was a decent artist but she was quite a bit slower than I was.
“So what do you have for me, my fellow fashioners?” asked Rarity. She flipped through my sketches before turning to Belles. She spent as much time looking at Belle’s one drawing as she had my several. It was sweet to see Belle given as much attention. “Some filly wants to be a knight doesn’t she?”
“Of course,” Belle said. “I’m gonna be the best warrior princess ever. Way better than Xena.”
Rarity gave her a puzzled look. I giggled and explained, “Xena is a fictional character from our home, Earth.”
“Ah, well I am sure you will be the best warrior princess ever,” said Rarity. “But armorsmithing is a bit out of my forte for now. So I think I can whip up these sandals in a few. What is the base normally made of?”
“Uh on those a foam that is durable,” I said. “Uh also leather sometimes. I bet a multilayered fabric would work.”
“Leather? Well that isn’t something we often use. The Griffons like to make armor out of it but I haven’t worked with any myself. Much too grisly for my tastes. But I think I can make something work I have some canvas for cloaks that is quite durable so that as a base and then a number of layers of something a bit more soft to the touch. If you are going to walk around on these all days they might as well be comfortable. Give me maybe ten minutes and I can have some prototypes ready.”
Rarity wasted no time getting to work. It was beyond impressive how many things she was levitating at once. I don’t think Twilight had that much precision with her telekinesis. Each layer of fabric was being cut out at the same time and then they stitched together with a thick waxy string. The whole process was a joy to watch and before long there was three pairs of sandals floating before Rarity.
“Try these on dear and tell me which feels most comfortable. Oh and walk around in them a bit. I want to make sure they stay on your feet. It is my first try at something like this,” said Rarity.
Hope did as asked and after the third pair she presented the second pair to Rarity. Hope said, “These are the best. You are really good at this. Thank you so much. It feels right to have some sort of shoes now.”
“One more thing and they will be yours, dear,” said Rarity. Her horn lit up as she floated the pair before her. It wasn’t the glow of simple levitation though as her horn was far brighter than that would entail. A moment later and the brightness faded from Rarity’s horn. “I enchanted them for durability. They should last for a while now at the very least. I don’t know how long though. First try for this after all.”
Rarity handed them back to Hope who slipped them on. It was good to see something good happen today. I asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“On the house dear,” said Rarity. “I just absolutely love a challenge and I haven’t had one like this in a while. I am being well over-payed by the crown for Princesses Gala dresses, not by choice mind you. Princess Luna insisted that I be and I quote ‘Properly compensated so that the common pony knows of the prosperity of the nation.’ You just added another dress to that bill, so it more than covers any expenses for this. Besides, if anypony asks where Hope gets her clothes I am sure you’ll send them my way.”
“If you insist,” I said. “I have too much on my plate right now to resist your generosity. Um do you know what sort of thing I should get for Midnight?”
“Of course,” said Rarity. “I wouldn’t be much of a merchant if I didn’t know what sort of products any customer might need. I have some stuff made up downstairs and one in particular that I think she will just be the cutest little thing in.”
Downstairs Rarity started flipping through a rack towards the back. It had many different sizes from newborn to my size on it. Each was unique though many of them were a bit more fancy than my tastes. Rarity pulled out a pale pumpkin orange jumper that came complete with a cute hood. It looked a bit big for Midnight but that was probably for the best. It certainly looked fluffy enough.
“Best part it comes with stain and mess repellent. I think it will be quite cute on Midnight,” said Rarity. “Let’s make sure it fits and we can make it horn accessible really quick.”
Rarity showed me how it fit on Midnight and then with a quick bit of spell work added horn accessibility. It did look very cute on Midnight and it would keep her warm. I pulled out the money bag that was in the baby bag. I would have to get one that was more friendly to either my size or a backpack that would fit Hope.
“How much do I owe you for that?” I asked. “Um I only have hundred coins. Can you break that?”
“Don’t worry about it, Lilac,” said Rarity.
“No really I insist,” I said.
“How about you each pick out something for the winter and with the shoes and this we will call that one coin even,” said Rarity. “Anything on the shelves.”
“As long as you are getting paid,” I said.
Belle had already started to flip through the rack for younger ponies. I however went over to where Hope was staring distantly at a rack. It was mostly scarves which was probably the only thing here that would work for her. After all Rarity didn’t often deal with customers of Hope’s size. There was one that I figured she was staring at. It tugged at my heartstrings too. It wasn’t likely all that good for staying warm but the silky mint green scarf was like a loaded gun of memories. A lifetime ago I gave Melody a scarf just like that. She would wear it all the time. Until it got stolen at her work. Melody was so hurt over that. It wasn’t a big deal to me but there must have been something special about that scarf that made it hurt more to Melody.
“What about this one?” I asked picking out a different scarf. “I bet this one will look good on you.”
The one I had picked out was a bright red scarf. It was fluffy and made of what seemed like felt. It definitely would be warm in the cold days to come. Not only that but it would add a bit of color to her which she was lacking right now. Her dark black dress was not the most colorful and outside of her brilliant emerald green eyes there wasn’t much color anywhere on her.
“It is pretty,” said Hope. “And fluffy. Which is a plus. I love fluffy things.”
“Well then let’s get it for you,” I said. “Nothing is calling me right now though.”
“You seem so off put by ponies seeing your wings,” said Hope. “Maybe a cloak or somethign to cover them?”
“I don’t want to run from them. I have them and it isn’t going to be long till the cloak would not do it’s job,” I said. “Best just get used to it now. I changed so many things without thinking and then I did it again just a few hours later. My wings are a symbol of that to me but to others they are a symbol of hope. They are the promise of an alicorn to be there for the ponies of Equestria. I can’t deny them that.”
“Well then a scarf for you too,” said Hope. She pulled out a beige felt scarf. It was nearly as fluffy as the one she was wearing around her neck. In a matter of moments the scarf was wrapped around my neck. “That looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Let’s see if Belle has something picked out yet.”
She had and had the dark red cloak thrown over her shoulder. It did look good on her and would probably keep her plenty warm during the winter months. Twilight assured me that they were much more mild here in Equestria than what I was used to but it didn’t hurt to be prepared.
“Here is that coin,” I said. “I need to go pick up supplies for Midnight but I don’t really know where is best to do that any suggestions?”
“Thank you,” said Rarity. “It depends on what you’re looking for?”
“I know this isn’t helpful but everything,” I said. “I don't have a crib for her. We have nine diapers left and I have no idea how long that will last. A container of formula, one bottle and a single toy. And I am sure I am missing a bunch of things that I haven’t thought of yet.”
“Do you want some help with that?” asked Rarity. “I have some experience with foals. I haven’t had any of my own yet but I have always been quite active in my little sister’s life.”
“Only if you let me buy you lunch,” I said. “I wouldn't want to take you from you work for nothing.”
“Deal,” said Rarity. “I was going to have to close up for lunch soon anyway.”
The five of us headed out of the shop only pausing for a moment for Rarity to lock the front door. Ponyville was by far more busy than I had come to be use to. Worse yet, is that everypony around us would pause and stare dumbfounded as we passed. Much of it was on Hope but I got nearly as many stares. It was starting to wear on me. I knew I was safe here, but images of being harassed on the streets of a dirty city kept popping in my head. Hope seemed to be doing even less well. We were going to have to do something about this.
“Squee,” came a distant pony. The dreaded Pink blur came speeding over to us from down the street. Pinkie Pie started talking faster than any other person I had ever heard. “Hi. I am Pinkie Pie and you must be new in town because I know everypony or well everyone who lives in Ponyville. Which let me tell you, has been way harder as of recent with the whole all the new ponies from all over the place coming to help set up a new seat of the Equestrian government. But you are special. Like I have never seen anyone like you. And I would remember because I remember like everything. Can you remember being born? I can. Or at least I think I can. It might have been a fever dream from a night of one too many ciders mixed with my super fun time never sleep formula. It just isn’t working as well anymore. But that is enough about me tell me everything about you. Like where are you from? Are you from Gryphonhelm? Or no you must be from the other side of Equis. Like you would have to be for me to not even know about what kind of creature you are. Or maybe you aren’t from this world? Are you an extraterrestrial? Cause that would be super cool like space ships and everything. You come in peace right? That is good I want to be friends with an alien and it would be such a bummer if you were all like ‘This is my laser sword’ and then swish swoosh and arg.”
Pinkie pie fell over pretending to be dead. From seemingly nowhere she had found a daisy that she held in her hooves as she laid on the ground like a plank. Hope looked absolutely lost and was shaking. I tugged at Pinkie with my magic. It wasn’t enough to move her but it did work to get her attention.
“Oh. Hi,” said Pinkie Pie. “Wow you look like super duper tired and exhausted. Which is sort of funny because last I heard you were still sleeping and like a month long nap should leave you all rested. Or well I would think and you would be the expert on that as I don’t know anyone else who took a such a long nap. It is good to see you up and about. Twilight has been having a hard time as of recent and I am pretty certain that you being awake will help with that. And what is this? You have wings. Like holy cupcakes, wings. Do you know what this means? Party. Like the biggest party because you are a princess now and Equestria needs a party right now. Nobody seems to get that but me but you understand right?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“I knew you would,” said Pinkie. I was frankly surprised she stopped long enough to hear my response. “But if we are going to do this right I am gonna need your help. After all if you aren’t there it won’t be a much of a “Super Gigantic Alicorn Party of Princess and WIngs Congratulations Party” if you aren’t there. So here is the thing that we are going to need some extra energy for this but don’t worry I have the perfect thing.”
Pinkie pulled out from her bag a pair of water bottles. They were filled with something that wasn’t water though. It had a glow to it that looked a bit like what movies on earth depicted as radioactive. Whatever the stuff was it was extremely thick and barely splashed when Pinkie held them out for me to see.
“This is a drink of my own creation,” said Pinkie Pie. “It is like the best thing since whoever made up cupcakes. So like I found this plant that grows in the Everfree and it is like coffee but way way better and I had Twilight look at it and she says that it is safe to drink so either way. The downside is that it tastes horrid so I just added more sugar to it to make it not taste bad but then it got a bit well glowy. But yeah like with this I haven't slept in like a week.”
Pinkie opened one of the small bottles and poured the bottle down her throat. It was almost nauseating to even watch. My mouth hung open as she literally started to vibrate. I was so shocked that when Pinkie poured the second drink down my throat that all I could do was swallow.
“Pinkie,” Shouted Rarity. “What were you thinking?”
“That this is going to be the best party ever,” said Pinkie.