Since When am I Faust?

by McDufus_456

Chapter 9: Recovery Days

I moved my head slightly as I began to wake up from my slumber. I was lying on my side, and my face was buried in my pillow. I took a slow deep breath, and the smell of lavender filled my nose. As I slowly opened my eyes, blinked a few times to clear my vision. Turning over, I looked around at where I was. I laid in a hospital, but this hospital was one that I did not recognize. 

The room was strictly built for functional purposes, rather than the flamboyant designs one would find in Canterlot Castle. The room was a large rectangular room with a small washroom on my left, and to my right, there was a large window overlooking the city. Looking towards the window, I spotted Celestia and Luna sitting on a couch. The two had fallen asleep, and Tia’s wing covered her younger sister in a soft embrace as Luna leaned on her big sister. 

A small smile crossed my face at seeing both ‘my’ daughters sleep peacefully. It was comforting to know they were alright, and I sighed as a figurative weight lifted off my chest. 

Looking at myself, I was relieved to see that most of my wounds had already healed. There were a few of the larger injuries that were still bandaged. However, from the looks of things, the doctors were now focusing on restoring my mana reserves. I wasn’t very fond of the magic stimulants they gave me. They made my mouth taste funny. 

Leaning forward, I checked on my wings, they were still bandaged, and they ached a bit from most likely a few fractures, but they felt like they were getting close to being back to normal. 

I breathed out through my nose as I leaned back in the bed. Shaking my head at the absurdity, my life has become over the past few weeks. Rolling over, I looked at the sleeping alicorns. Outside the window they were under, I could see the hustle and bustle of the city’s citizens. Several buildings were undergoing restoration from the attack, and off in the distance, I could see Canterlot Castle. I smiled, and with a soft voice, I whispered to myself, “It all worked out, in the end, didn't it.”

As I spoke, my ear lifted, catching the sound of the door creaking open. As I sat upright, the strain on my neck muscles began to take its toll, and the pain that I hadn’t realized I was going through slowly seeped in. My muscles were slow and reluctant to respond, and it felt as if I pulled every muscle in my body. I winced but forced myself to look over to whoever just entered. As I turned my head, I saw Cadance and Shining Armor enter the room. They looked tired as if they had been losing sleep, and they had brought a few drinks and a box of doughnuts with them. 

I gave the couple a soft smile and struggled to pull my arm out from under the sheets to wave. Shining put the drinks and the box of sweets on the nightstand beside my bed. He moved a small bouquet of lavender flowers to the side as he did. 

Cadance walked up to my bedside, “How are you doing? Are you feeling any better?”

I tried to speak, but on my first attempt at speaking at a normal volume, I found my voice cutting out and had air simply exit my mouth. Clearing my throat, I tried again, and my voice came out in a weak breath as I said. “I’m alright,”

While I spoke with Cadance, Shining Armor found one of the rolling bedside tables, and he took a doughnut, along with a small coffee, and put them on the table. He rolled it over to the left side of my bed, and as he put it in place, I lifted my arms to keep from being trapped under it.

Once it had been settled in place, I nodded at the stallion with a look that said, ‘Thank you,’ and reached for my coffee. I gripped the cup between my front hooves and took a sip. The coffee was sweet, with a fair amount of cream and sugar mixed in. Not my best cup, but I was far from complaining. I felt myself regain my senses ever so slightly as the caffeine enriched drink washed over my tongue. Placing the cup down, I glanced at Cadance and asked, “So how long has it been?”

She breathed out, looking at me with a smile. Her eyes had a melancholy look in them, and Shining had a similar expression. “It’s been about a week.” She turned her head. “ And those two have been here the whole time.”

I felt my heart flutter, and a warm smile stretched across my face. While I spoke with Cadance, our conversation began to stir Celestia from her sleep. As she woke, the white alicorn silently sniffed at the air, and Celestia’s eyes fluttered open. She shifted around as she tried to clear the fogginess from her mind. While she did, Tia heard a groan at her side. Looking down, the white alicorn saw her younger sister leaning against her side with a grumpy pout as she tried to stay asleep. Tia smiled and stroked her sister’s mane as she looked up and glanced at the rest of the room.

Tia glanced around the room, and she stopped as she observed the sight before her. She hadn’t expected Shining Armor and Cadance to be standing there when she woke up, but seeing them talking to her mother was even more unexpected. Tia’s eyes went wide, and they shined with tears. “M-mom…?” She croaked, a mountain of emotion had overwhelmed the mare, and she was struggling to hold it together,

I gave her a warm smile and waved, “Hello, Tia.”

Tears threatened to stream down her cheeks, and as she began to get up, she woke Luna. With a groan, the blue alicorn clenched her eyes shut as she tried to hold onto her slumber. It was useless, however, and with slow, groggy movements, her eyes began to open. She looked up at her sister with a grumpy pout. Celestia smiled at her sister and leaned down, saying, “Lulu, she’s awake.”

Luna’s eyes opened slightly as her head lifted. “She is?” 

Wiping her eyes and giving her head a shake, Luna accepted her sister's hoof and stood up. As the two walked over, Cadance moved to the other side of the bed, allowing them some room to stand. 

The pink alicorn looked over to her fiance, and with a nod, Shining Armor stepped out of the room. He had a look on his face like he had forgotten something. 

Out of the two princesses, Tia was the first to arrive at my bedside. I reached out, and she readily took my hoof. Looking me in the eyes, she asked me, “How are you feeling, mom?”

I glanced away as I thought about it, then I refocused on ‘my’ daughters. I stretched my cheek to the side, giving them a half-smile, and said, “I’m alright, just a bit sore,”

Luna stepped forward, her eyes were filled with relief, but her eyes shined like Tia’s. “We thought we might have lost you again…” Her voice was low, and although it was subtle, I could see her bottom lip quiver as she said those words. Tia also lowered her head as she glanced down. 

My heart ached. The pain and worry that I had put them through was tearing me apart, and despite my body’s reluctance, I found myself sitting up and wrapping ‘my’ daughters in a hug. As I did, I felt Lauren momentarily pull them closer, as she whispered, “(I’ll never let you girls go again. I swear it.)”

As she uttered those words, the two Princesses hit their limit, and they could no longer hold back their tears. While our embrace held like that for a mere moment, for those two, it was an embrace that filled their souls with a fire of love and hope. “Love you, mom.” They both said, and Lauren’s emotions welled up inside me, making my heart feel as if it would burst, and I hugged them tighter. 

Cadance stood on the other side of the bed, smiling sweetly at the sight she saw. Looking at her fellow princesses, she suddenly really wished she had brought her camera with her. 

As we pulled away from the hug, I looked at ‘my’ daughter’s with a shallow smile, and before I could say anything further, I heard the door open. The three of us looked away from each other and over to the door in front of my bed. As we looked over there, we saw Shining Armor, Twilight, and her friends enter the room. I reclined back in my bed as I watched them enter. Celestia and Luna stepped back from the bed, wiping their tears from their faces before all the guests could see them in such a state.

Out of the group entering the room, Rainbow Dash was the first to arrive. She zoomed past the others and hovered in the air above my bed. “Hey, lady! I saw your fight with the changeling army. You were so totally AWESOME!” The pegasus exclaimed, throwing her arms out. A moment later, her eyes suddenly shot open, and she was pulled down to the ground by Applejack. 

I looked down and saw the orange mare tilting her hat with an apologetic expression, “Please pardon my friend, er, miss.”

“It’s fine,” I said. 

But my words went unheard as Rainbow got up, rubbing her head. She turned to the farmer and said, “Hey! What the heck was that for!?”

“Cuz, you was bein’ rude.”

Before I could watch the argument progress any further, Pinkie’s head lowered into my view. I didn’t even see her move over here. She stood atop my bed and was leaning over me as she grabbed my cheeks. 

“Ooh, so you’re the mystery pony? What’s your name? Do you like pastries, because I do. I mean, who doesn’t like pastries? Wha hey!...” Pinkie cried out as she was levitated off of me by Luna. With a half-lidded stare, the alicorn pulled a doughnut out of the box and shoved it into the pink mare’s face. It quickly vacuumed itself into her mouth, and she chewed it down with an ‘mmm’ sound.

Rarity rolled her eyes as she walked up to my bedside and put her hooves on the railing, “Well, yes. You certainly put on quite a show, darling. How did you do what you did with the cloth you had around you?”

As I glanced at the mare, I felt myself move without my intention, letting me know that Lauren was taking control. She sat up and smiled at the unicorn, “(I used the blanket as a base and solidified it with magic, it’s kind of like a reinforced shield spell.)” Lauren said. 

Our head dropped for a moment as I suddenly found myself in control again. Lifting my head, I glanced up and saw Rarity nodding with interest, and Shining Armor leaned closer with a notepad held in his magic. Cadance put a hoof on his shoulder, and he looked to the side with a blush. 

Just then, Twilight had finished saying hi to Celestia and began walking over to see me. As she approached, Rarity stepped to the side to make room for her. Once the unicorn got to the side of my bed, her head tilted to the side, and her inner bookworm made her eyes shine with adorkable curiosity. 

I waved tiredly and said, “Hey, Twilight.”

“Hi, Lauren,” She waved back, “You feeling any better?” 

“I’m alright.” 

She gave a satisfied nod, and then her eyes widened as a stray thought caught her attention. She shifted in place, and the expression on her face made her look as if she was contemplating whether or not to say something. Making up her mind, she leaned closer and asked, "If you don’t mind me asking, what was that last spell you used?"

I smiled and chuckled to myself, "Cookie shield."

“Cookie shield?” Twilight repeated, and her face contorted with confusion. 

Behind her, I saw as Celestia’s eyes went wide, and she started coughing on her second doughnut as it went down the wrong way. Luna ran over and started hitting her sister with a book until she coughed it back up. The two alicorns went unnoticed by the others in the room as they focused on me, but I felt myself hone in on the two as Tia found herself able to breathe again. Once I knew that she was okay, I sighed and spoke up with a chuckle, “Well, well, it appears Tia remembers that one.”

The two unicorns at my bedside looked back at the white alicorn who was still collecting herself. Celestia straightened up and walked closer, so she was standing behind the two at my side. While she did, Luna looked at her older sister with a grumpy glare and then back down to the doughnut’s remains on the floor. Reaching out with her magic, she grabbed it and threw the thing in a nearby biohazard bag. 

Celestia stood looking at me and said, “Yes, I do remember, and unfortunately, I still haven't found a way to counter that.” Her stoic expression turned into a sly smile, and she lifted a hoof and looked to the side with her eyes. “But,~ It’s a good thing I have my own pantry now.~” Her words were drawn out and came out like a taunting melody. 

A feeling of mischief washed over me, and I grinned at the alicorn with a sly smile. I crossed my forehooves as I looked at her, “Well then, I'll just put it on this pantry,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows. 

There were no words to describe the sudden dread that filled the eyes of the alicorn before me. As those words left my mouth, her eyes shrunk, her foreleg fell, and her mouth hung open. She leaned back with her body shaking, and I swear I could see her white face pale, “N-No, mom, p-please don’t!” She pleaded.

I put my hoof up to my chin, “I don’t know, Tia, you could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe it would be worth it.” I taunted as I pointed at her flank. Luna laughed, and Celestia went beat red.

“Mom~!” The alicorn whined. 

Cadance cursed herself for forgetting to bring a camera and silently banged her head against the wall. On the other hand, I laughed at the white alicorn and the looks she was getting from the six mares. Wiping a tear from my eye, I said, “Don’t worry, Tia, I’m only kidding...” 

The princess slumped down, and her breathing was heavy. Luna smacked her with the bag of doughnut remains and walked away. When I had got the last of my giggles under control, I noticed the room had gone silent. My ears shifted around as I wondered where the noise had gone, and raising a brow, I looked at Twilight's friends. All of them stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths. 

Rainbow broke the silence as she flew up and threw her arms out, shouting, “You’re Celestia’s MOM!?” 

Nodding, I looked up at the pegasus, “Yep, and I even have some embarrassing stories to prove it.” I glanced at ‘my’ daughters as I said those words, and they both had an expression of worry. 

As I reclined in my bed, my expression softened, and I muttered, “But that’s a story best left for another time.” 

Both princesses breathed out a sigh of relief, and Cadance put down the notepad she had taken from Shining with a frown on her face. 

I glanced over at Twilight with a smirk, “I’m surprised you didn’t tell them earlier.” Reaching forward, I took another sip from my coffee and watched all the attention on Twilight. 

She looked around at her friends with a sheepish expression. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” She said as she shrugged her shoulders. 

Applejack took her hat off in amazement and muttered, “Well, I’ll be…”

I smiled and tried to imitate the warm tone Lauren would sometimes use at seeing all their shocked faces. Leaning my head forward, I said with a bow, “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Please call me, Lauren.” 

“Oh, oh, oh! I’m Pinkie Pie, that’s Rarity, this is Applejack, and that’s Fluttershy, you already know Twilight! And this is Rainbow Dash.”

Rarity’s magic enveloped her friend as she once again loomed over me. The pink pony was placed down on the ground, and as she floated through the air, Pinkie threw her arms out, “Weee!”

“A million apologies, your majesty. What she means is we are pleased to meet you as well.”

I smiled, “It’s quite alright, Rarity. I’m just glad that despite the events from earlier, you are all okay.”

Twilight nodded and lifted a hoof, “Yes, well, we did find ourselves in a bit of a tight spot at one point. But then, Celestia and the guests from the wedding arrived. They helped us escape from the swarm.” The unicorn looked over at Rarity, and she nodded her head.

“Yes, Darling, and by the time we had returned from the vault, the battle was already taking place outside. It was quite a sight to behold from the upper floors, but once we had gotten down to the courtyard, or what was left of it, the battle was already over.” Rarity finished, and she looked over to her friends. 

It was heartwarming to hear the admiration and care they had for Lauren and me without really knowing who I was. I was about to speak, but a knock at the door made me hold my tongue. The door opened, and three mares, along with a small filly, walked in. I stretched myself up to take a look, and as I did, I saw it was Lyra, Minuette, and Lillybreeze. A smile made its way onto my face, and I waved them in.

Twilight looked at Lyra and Minuette, and her eyes widened as she recognized her old friends. They waved to each other, and my three attendants approached the foot of my bed. I was glad to see the three of them together, even after witnessing the revelation that Lillybreeze was actually a changeling. I grinned at them and said, “So, it looks like you three have made up...”

Lyra was the first to speak, and she rubbed the back of her head, “Well, yeah, it was nerve-wracking at first. But now that it's been a few days, I think it’s actually kind of cool knowing she’s one.” she said, and Minuette nodded seconding her friend’s opinion. Then she looked at the others in the room, and realization seemed to dawn on her face. 

While Lyra shrunk back, a bit concerned for her friends' safety, I looked from the confused faces of the six element-bearers; to the calm and understanding expressions on the faces of the three Princesses and the Captain. 

With a nod, I looked over to Luna, “I’m assuming that you’ve brought the rest of the princesses and the Captain of the guard up to speed on Lilly?”

Luna nodded and stepped forward, “Yes, I discussed it with them on the night you were admitted to the hospital.” 

I smiled, “Good, and you, Adorilin, how are you doing? Last time I saw you, you had some fairly bad injuries.”

The maid rubbed her head and looked at the ground, awkwardly, “I’m doing okay now, but during the battle, the doctors were uncertain of my chances. Thankfully, some sort of wave washed through the area, it felt saturated in love, and it healed my wounds.”

I glanced over at Cadance, and Shining and the two let out an audible, “Heh…” As they looked away.

I looked back to the foot of my bed as I felt something bumping against it. At the bottom of the bed where my attendants stood, I saw a tuft of hair jumping up and down. “I wanna see, I wanna see!” A youthful voice called, and Minuette saw the look of curiosity wash over my face. With a grin, she reached down and lifted the small filly. She was a blank flank with violet eyes, a white body, and a light green mane. She looked at me with wide eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. 

“Oh, and who might you be?” I said.

“I’m Penny!” She shouted with her arms up, and the rest of the mares in the room giggled at the child’s antics. Minuette set the child down on the end of my mattress, and Lilly gestured to the filly with a smile, “Mrs. Faust, Princesses, I'd like to introduce you to my little sister, Pennilia Alternate. I was able to bring her from one of the camps made in the mountains outside Canterlot.” 

I smiled and leaned forward, “Well, it certainly is nice to meet you, Penny.” The child smiled, and I continued, “But will you grant me the honor of seeing your true self?”

The filly’s eyes widened, and she looked at her elder sister with a worried expression. Lilly looked at her younger sister and assured her, “It’s alright; she’s friendly.” 

The child was hesitant, and she took some time to glance around, looking at the others. But a reassuring hoof from her sister calmed her down. The filly nodded, “Okay…” she said, and with a brilliant flash of emerald, both changelings in the room dropped their disguises. 

Twilight, her friends, stumbled back in shock, and Dash jumped into an attack position. The six mares looked ready to pounce, but before they could do that, I shouted, “Hold it!” Getting their attention, they all looked over to me. I raised my eyebrows and waved my hoof, “It's okay. They’re with me.” The group gave me a confused stare and hesitantly straightened up.

Rainbow hit her forehooves together and pointed at Adorilin, “Alright, fine, but only because the Princesses mom says so. But I've got my eye on you…” Dash warned.

The teenage changeling rolled her eyes and ignored the pegasus. Compared to what her mother had put her through, Rainbow's words were but an empty threat.

She looked over to her sister and smiled, the nymph was trying to catch Lauren's tail as she moved it back and forth.

Rainbow looked at the changeling's disregard for her comment and frowned. With a huff, she shrugged it off and joined the other mares. She landed beside Applejack, who was looking around in confusion. “Hold on, ain’t they a threat?” She said, pointing at the two as she saw everyone else settling down.

I sighed and looked over at the group of friends. Giving a warm smile, I said, “No, Adorilin, here was the one who warned us about the incoming invasion, giving us a chance to prepare. That’s why the shield was up in the first place.”

Luna nodded and looked at the farmer, “Yes, and during the battle, she even risked her life nearly dying in the process to protect my own.”

Both Lyra and Minuette nodded, confirming what the princess had said. But the mares were still on edge. Fluttershy looked like she was about to leap out of her own skin. Shining also seemed to have trust issues, but that was understandable given his situation. 

Cadance seemed to understand the situation but still had her guard up behind her smile. Looking at the others in the room and their discomfort, she shook her head and went to grab a second doughnut out of the box beside Tia. She opened it and found it empty. Looking up at the white alicorn, Cadance gave her a half-lidded stare and said, “Auntie, that was a box of twenty-four. It’s been less than ten minutes. I’m beginning to think you have a sweets problem.”

Celestia looked down with a blush, “Sorry…”

Cadance shook her head and glanced over to the six mares, “I’m heading down to Doughnut Joe’s to get some more. Anypony else want to come?”

The six of them eagerly nodded and joined her as she headed for the door. With a glance, she gave me a wink, and I smiled softly as I understood what she was really doing. Shining followed the group out as well, and as he stepped out the door, he looked over to me and gave a nod. Then he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

While the group stepped out to a place they found to be more comfortable, the little changeling snuck over to the top of my bed. She stood tall with her arms above her as she declared, “Justice will be swift; justice will be painful; justice will be delicious!” Her little form then jumped on me, and she snuggled the top of my head.

I instinctively shook, and she slid down the front of my head and landed on my chest. I looked down at her, and she looked up at me. She gave me the biggest puppy-dog eyes I had seen since coming to Equestria. I smiled and said, “Oh, that's not fair, that's not fair at all! How am I not supposed to love you when you look at me like that!?” I wrapped the child in my arms and rubbed her mane. 

The small changeling giggled at my comment, and then she gained a mischievous grin, “You're going to love me!” she stumbled forward and planted her face against my chest in a hug.

I let her stay like that for a moment before I picked Pennilia up and held her above my head. She threw her arms out like she was an airplane. I smiled and looked at the nymph, “Well, despite the circumstances and all the collateral damages, I’m glad I got to meet you, Penny.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the small changeling gave me a grumpy stare.

“Hey! I didn't damage anything!”

This time, all of the others in the room began laughing, and the only one left to be confused was Penny. I set her down on my lap and proceeded to stroke her mane. She enjoyed the attention for a few moments, but then a thought seemed to come to her, and her big eyes went from happy to inquisitive. 

Taking this as something I should pay attention to, I paused and waited for her to say what was obviously on her mind. After a few seconds of looking around, her mouth slowly opened, and she asked the one question that I didn’t even know I had been dreading. 

“Why did you send mommy away?”

The room froze, and the nymph stared at me with her big cat-like eyes and proceeded to tilt her head to the side. With a drawn-out sigh, a saddened look came across my face. “Well, first off, I didn't want to send her away. But...” I looked over to my good friend and previous maid for some help. She nodded to my silent plea and trotted over to the side of my bed so she could talk to the nymph face to face. 

“She sent mom away because she was protecting me.”

Pennilia turned her head to look at her older sister in confusion. “But why would she need to protect you from mom?”

Adorilin now looked sad, and her head lowered as she continued her explanation, “Because mom didn't agree with changelings and ponies living in peace.”

Immediately the child on my lap got an understanding expression on her face. And her questioning stare vanished, “Oh, so she was going to make an example out of you. Okay.”

Celestia, Luna, and I were in shock. In my lap, the little child spoke about her mother killing to teach as casually as she would talk about the weather. Had she been a little older, I would have pressed onto the matter, but there was always the possibility at this age, she just didn't understand what she said. 

The nymph, bored of the conversation, turned to hop off my lap. Approaching the side, she eyed the ground with caution. After all, my bed was easily three times her height, and with her standing on top of it, that would make it four. She continued to stare for a few more seconds before she gave a sad sigh and turned to face me and the others with a sheepish expression. 

“Um, help...” she said.

Once again, us older ones gave way to her cuteness and smiled brightly as some giggled at her pouting face. Leaning forward, I lifted her into my hooves and proceeded to hand Penny over to her older sister. While I was doing that, one of the wires attached to me came undone, and one of the monitors started going frantic. 

Adorilin quickly took her sister with her magic and placed her on the ground. And I fought with the wires trying to stop the loud noise before the doctors took notice. The room’s door clicked open, and thankfully before it moved any further, an emerald light flashed in the corner of my vision. The light reassured me that Adorilin was back to being Lillybreeze, and I felt a sense of tension leave me. 

The door opened, and a stallion with a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck walked in. His head snapped towards the monitor, and he walked toward it. He quickly got all the wires back into their intended places, and then he turned around and looked at the filly in the room. His grumpy glare scared the disguised nymph, and she hid behind her sister's leg. Minuette stepped forward and looked the doctor in the eyes, “Dude, what’s your problem?”

He leaned forward to speak but then looked at the two princesses in the room. He held his tongue and stormed back out the door, muttering to himself about children playing with the equipment and whatnot. 

The four of them stayed a little longer, but as they checked the time, they realized that they needed to leave soon, some to return to their duties at the castle, and others to run personal errands. Before they left, I thanked them for passing by along with Tia and Lulu. When Penny realized it was time to go, she looked at her sister with a frown and chirped, “Aww, but I didn't get my revenge yet.” And she leaped for my bed. 

Lilly shook her head, rolled her eyes as she caught the kid in the air before she could reach me. “Come on,…” She said, as she lifted her little sister onto her back. The nymph grunted and bumped her forehoof against the proto-queen’s back.

As the group walked over to the door, Penny sat up on her sister's back, and she looked at me shaking her arm, “Mark my words! I will get my snuggles!” She shouted. 

I laughed. She was just too damn cute for her own good. Waving as they left the room, I called out and said, “I look forward to it, Penny, bye-bye.”

“Bye.” She waved back and then leaned her body on the back of Lilly’s neck. Then they disappeared from view.