Sweetie Drops took in a lungful of air.
There was just something inherently peaceful about an empty train station on a summer day.
'Empty' meaning empty aside from herself and Sunny, both of whom were currently sitting on a bench and enjoying the evening sun.
They had all gone to see Sunny off at the station, but when Lyra had seen that the train wouldn't be there for another forty minutes, she had offered to take Anon for ice cream while Bon Bon stayed behind and waited with Sunny.
Sunny sat leisurely on the bench, watching the sunset. She had done an especially good job with this one: the sky was smothered with red clouds and coloured in all shades of orange.
"You know, Twilight is going to be right miffed with you over the ticket thing," Sweetie Drops said after a few more minutes of silence.
"Hmmm," Sunny hummed, basking in the sunlight. "I'm probably going to have to send some new assignments for her."
Sweetie gave a nod. There was only one pony in all of Equestria who would accept more homework as an apology, and her name rhymed with Penlight Gargle.
"You know," Sweetie said slowly. "I don't think you ever told me how she found out."
Sunny scratched her chin, a content, happy look on her face.
With nopony around to listen in on them - Sweetie Drops made sure of it, and Sunny helped with a little silencing spell - they could talk freely now, face to face. A sadly rare occurrence for them in the last few years.
"I never did, did I? Silly me." Sunny laughed. "But it was really Spike who figured it out, though."
Sweetie Drops leaned back on the bench, hooves crossed behind her head. It truly was a glorious dawn. Playful. Sunny was definitely in a good mood today.
"Let me guess," Sweetie Drops said. "You forgot the horseshoes again."
Sunny groaned, face hoofing.
"You'll never let me live that down, will you? I was in a rush!" she stammered. "And it's not like it happened more than once!"
"Cadence," Sweetie Drops retorted with an evil smirk.
Sunny hid her face behind her wings, groaning some more.
"A new alicorn was found! I had a good reason to be a little out of it. Also, that was my tiara, that's entirely different!" She argued weakly, before sighing in defeat as Sweetie Drops laughed, and found she still fostered a ghost of a smile. "Anyway, Spike noticed something else was going on when I oversaw the proceedings concerning his adoption into the Light family."
Sunny looked up into the sky, avoiding eye contact for a moment, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Spike figured it out after-" Sunny blushed slightly, remembering the incident. "-well, there was this halfwit- ehm, I mean a noble, who… let's say loudly suggested that a dragon shouldn't be part of a pony family. And they did so in front of the little one in question."
Sweetie Drops gave her a knowing nod.
"Ah, I see," she said evenly. "Was the fire service required or did you manage to stop the flames from spreading that time?"
Sunny folded her wings on the chest, throwing her head back in mock offense.
"I resent this statement," she said. "I'll let you know I only slightly singed the baron. His stay at the hospital and subsequent facial reconstruction surgery was all blown out of proportion."
Sunny froze in her dramatic pose, one eye turning towards Sweetie Drops, winking.
"You… you're a terrible actor, mom. You know that?" Sweetie managed to say without much wheezing. "But I guess that's alright. I wouldn't have a job otherwise."
Sunny crossed her hooves, raising a brow at her daughter.
"Oh, like you never had your moments," she said, to which Sweetie Drops gave her a questioning look.
"Like what for example?" Sweetie Drops asked. "My records are pristine… mostly."
Sunny eye's sparked for a moment, almost smelling the opportunity.
"Didn't you recently send me a report detailing how you trailed Anon through Ponyville?" Sunny said innocently.
Sweetie Drops squirmed in her seat, the shark-like grin on Sunny's muzzle making her sweat.
"Yeah, and? Anon never saw me," she said nervously.
"You're her foster mother," Sunny deadpanned. "You can just go with her, nopony would find that suspicious in the least. The opposite, really."
There was a moment of silence between them, only punctuated by the crickets deciding to start their orchestra at that very second.
After several more seconds, Sweetie Drops managed, "…Ah."
Finally, she laughed.
"I guess it runs in the family, doesn't it?" Sweetie said.
"I suppose so," Sunny said happily, smiling back.
Sweetie Drops shot a quick glance at the clock tower. The train would be there so disappointingly soon. She briefly played with the idea of convincing Sunny to stay longer and fly to Canterlot later, but that ran the risk of somepony noticing that the Princess was missing. Sweetie Drops was sure Celestia prepared some terribly contrived cover story, but they shouldn't push it too far.
Not to mention the rain that was coming later, clouds already gathering above Sweet Apple Acres. The weather team still had a lot of rain to catch up on to be on schedule.
No, she and Sunny would have to wait before they could talk like this again, sadly.
"How is Luna doing?" she asked quickly.
Sunny shrunk, more somber - concerned.
"Luna is… adapting," Sunny said. As she spoke, she reached a wing around Sweetie's shoulder, pulling her closer as she shivered from the wind, the first signs of another storm the pegasi prepared for the night. "But it's a slow process. The staff at the castle certainly doesn't help. It took two weeks until the maids stopped screaming every time they saw her. One would think that after Spike living in the castle, they would get used to some fangs on an alicorn a little faster.”
“Well, that’s hardly Luna’s fault.,” Sweetie Drops said.
“True,” Sunny nodded. “But try convince Luna that that's the case.”
Sunny sighed, and Sweetie Drops shuffled even closer until they were shoulder to shoulder. They could hear the train in the distance now.
"Still, despite that setback, Luna is doing much better now," Sunny said, sounding more than a little proud. "She's even laughing again."
"That's good," Sweetie said.
Sunny nodded once glanced at the sky, lost in some far-off memory as the train trudged towards the station lazily.
"Yes, that's… that's very good."
Together they sat for the last few minutes, letting the seconds tick by.
Sunny closed her eyes, relaxing, but Sweetie Drops couldn't do the same. She gulped. Not really knowing how to breach the next subject, she looked around once more just to be sure that nopony was listening in.
"We have to tell Anon the truth," she said finally.
Sunny sighed, stretching and picking up the clipboard as she prepared to get up and board the train rolling into the station. The noise of the locomotive was a good mask for their conversation.
"We can't. Not right now," Sunny replied softly, eyes darting to the side.
Sweetie Drops' brows furrowed as she scowled.
"It's her home," she stated coldly. "Anon deserves to know."
Celestia nodded. Sweetie could see it: How the disguised alicorn withdrew into herself- put a distance between her emotions and the choice laid in front of her.
"She does," Celestia agreed hesitantly. "And she will, just… not now. If we tell her now, it will destroy her."
Sweetie Drops gave a glance at the train, nearing the Ponyville's station stop.
"It's not fair." Bon Bon said.
"I know." Celestia whispered. “But it's necessary."
And with a quick hug, Sunny departed, leaving Bon Bon standing there with nothing but her thoughts.
"Are you sure that they'll be alright?"
Anon took another glance at what was possibly the strangest mob she had ever seen. From where she was sitting in the Ponyville cafe, it almost looked like a party. Except with attempted bribery instead of any partying.
Lyra shrugged, using her magic to pull out a chair for Anon. The cafe was empty; most of the town was currently busy chasing the element bearers for the gala tickets, leaving the place practically to themselves.
"Nah, they'll be okay. Stuff like this just happens sometimes in Ponyville," Lyra said, pointing at the chair. Anon sighed and reluctantly hopped onto it. "But Sunny probably shouldn't have said out loud that all of them have a ticket to the gala. Would have avoided a repeat of the whole mess."
I think that was intentional, actually.
Outside, she saw a multicolored blur whizz by - Rainbow Dash undoubtedly - followed quickly by about half of Ponyville's weather team. She also saw a brief glimpse of Pinkie Pie, who narrowly avoided getting tackled by a swarm of ponies by throwing a condensed ball of party supplies under herself and then disappearing in a cloud of confetti and streamers.
"You, eh, don't sound very interested in the gala. Or any of this, really," Anon pointed out.
Lyra blanched for a second, sticking her tongue out.
"Ugh, don't even remind me," she said wearily. "I took an offer to play at the gala once. Worst. Night. Ever. Of all time."
Their table shook slightly as the mob of ponies outside moved, following the five mares running off into the distance. The spectral banjos were now following suit, playing what Anon could have sworn was the Benny Hill theme.
Before Lyra could say more, the still incredibly posh waiter brought the order in.
Order. Singular.
And that was a problem.
Anon's eyes twitched and brow furrowed as she stared at her sundae - while Lyra simply sat there, her smile slowly morphing into confusion as she witnessed an intense internal battle within the filly.
"You didn't order anything," Anon said slowly. Lyra flinched a little. The filly sounded so genuinely betrayed; she had to do a double take. Never before had she seen somepony look so hurt from getting ice-cream.
"No, I just didn't want to waste-"
Lyra immediately stopped talking - the stare Anon gave her almost made her shudder.
Without uttering a word, the filly reached into her mane and pulled out-
A spoon? Lyra thought. Why does she carry a spoon?
Anon took the True Spork in its spoon form and buried it into the sundae, on the opposite side of the spoon already in it.
With a flare of her green magic, the ice cream was slowly pushed into the middle of the table. Anon refused to break eye contact with Lyra as the treat was nudged into the gray zone between the two sides waging a war of wills.
"You don't have to, I-" Lyra tried, but the filly interrupted her.
"I want to," Anon said, and Lyra was surprised by the sheer intensity in her voice. "It isn't right otherwise."
Either she has really strong opinions about ice cream, Lyra wondered, Or it isn't about the ice cream at all.
"Well, that's very… ice of you," Lyra said with a smirk.
Anon gave her a deadpan stare, but her cheeks puffed and turned red, and air escaped through her nostrils as she fought on.
Lyra beamed as Anon burst into uncontrollable guffaws. It made her feel warm and snug inside, seeing the filly laugh. Every time she managed to make the filly even smile was a victory in her book.
"But I could just buy another sundae," she finished, and the filly looked at her astounded as she processed the information. "You don't have to share yours."
"Oh, right. You can do that," Anon said sheepishly, retrieving the spork. "Sorry."
Anon finally dug in into the sundae, not paying much attention to the face Lyra made.
It was heavenly - just as she expected.
Anything with sugar in it had become like ambrosia since her transformation. It must have been something about the pony body that made sugar feel so damn good.
Wolfing down her ice cream in one go was, in Anon's mind, entirely necessary considering she had almost let it melt.
"Slow down, you'll get a brain freeze."
Anon gulped, the last piece of the sundae vanishing, leaving behind a pristine glass.
"What?" she asked, to which Lyra waved a hoof.
"Eh, nevermind." She levitated a napkin towards the filly, intending to clean a small bit of chocolate-based debris from Anon's cheek. "Foals and sugar I suppose. It's good for you, but-"
Anon raised a brow.
"Sugar is good for me?" she said, dodging the napkin.
"Hmm," Lyra hummed. "Sugar gives short bursts of energy. That's really good for developing mana pathways. Especially for young unicorns."
Anon sat there, a dumbfounded look on her face - barely noticing Lyra's cleaning efforts as the new information made its way into her brain.
"... Sugar makes me more magical?" Anon asked.
"Kinda?" Lyra waggled her hoof in the air. "It's more that it makes your natural magic more efficient."
Sugar is good for me here…
Anon shrugged.
Welp, that's it. I found it:
Heaven.
"Wait," Anon said, realization dawning on her. "Is that why Pinkie is…well, the way she is? Because of all the sugar?"
Lyra shook her head, dashing any of Anon's hope at finally understanding the conundrum that was the Pink One.
"Nope," Lyra said nonchalantly. "It doesn't work like that."
So that's that theory in the trash.
Anon sighed. It shouldn't bother her that much; she had seen stuff just as strange, if not even stranger. The Pink One wasn't even that powerful, and yet…
Maybe it's for the best, the jumper decided. Some mysteries are better left unanswered.
"You have a pretty necklace," Lyra suddenly pointed out.
The polished metal felt surprisingly warm against her neck. Anon had almost forgotten she had it on in the first place, as it didn't weigh nearly as much as it should have, considering its size.
"Thanks," she replied, one hoof subconsciously touching the chain. "Sunny brought it from Canterlot. The princess said it was okay for me to have it back now."
Anon avoided Lyra's gaze. She disliked lying to Lyra, but she disliked the consequences of not lying even more.
"Can… Can I ask where you got it?" Lyra asked, biting on her lip.
The minty mare was torn between her curiosity and not wanting to cause Spring any more distress.
Both the gem and the chain were enchanted somehow. She'd thought little of the orange gem at first; it wasn't hard to find a precious stone that size if one knew where to look.
But then it healed Bon Bon and Spring in the castle.
"It was a gift." Anon replied, staring at the floor. Now the Sun Orb suddenly became heavy, pulling her head down with its immense weight. Or maybe that was just in her head. "From a friend… She was- she is…"
Just say it.
"She isn't around right now."
Coward.
Acknowledging it felt like treachery because while Daybreaker was gone, Anon wasn't so sure she was dead. Even if she only knew her for a short time, she was a friend. And she wasn't about to give up on a friend if there was still a chance, no matter how small.
Not again.
When Anon looked up, Lyra was there by her side - she had somehow managed to get up and walk around the table without her noticing.
The jumper wanted to chastise herself for such a lack of spatial awareness but such thoughts quickly vanished.
"Do you want a hug?" the minty mare asked hesitantly.
It was childish, stupid. Hugs were impractical and restricting, downright dangerous even.
"Yes," Anon said.
There was a ring as the doors to the cafe opened. In slipped Bon Bon, immediately closing the doors behind her.
"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up in the-"
The agent's heart melted in a way similar to that of the ice cream left unattended on the table.
There was Spring, holding onto Lyra. The filly looked so small there. Frail, almost, as Lyra held her close.
It was cute. It was nice seeing the filly trusting Lyra enough to do that.
And it was all built on a lie.
Lyra, not turning towards her, simply gestured at Bon Bon to come closer.
Outside the cafe, ponies ran around, still chasing the five mares. The ticket madness only finally ended after a brave last stand at Sweet Apple acres. A train was slowly chugging its way up Mt. Canterhorn towards the gilded city on its crest. And an agent questioned her mission.
All in all, it was a normal day in the not-so-normal town of Ponyville.
Anon turned her head to the side, trying her best to avoid looking over her left shoulder.
There are many words that a pony could use to describe the Ponyville doctor's office. Anon could come up with hundreds of them off the top of her head.
Most of them vulgar.
Finally, Dr. Horse pulled the needle out. The filly could relax a little as the pointy object was removed from her shoulder.
"Aaand done!" With a smile, the doctor placed a band-aid on the spot he had so mercilessly stabbed to draw blood.
Sighing with relief, Anon hopped off the exam table, landing on the blue linoleum with a soft thud of her hooves.
"Was that really necessary?" she grumbled, rubbing her miniscule stab wound. "You checked me after it happened. I'm fine."
It was the day after Sunny's brief visit, and Anon had found herself at the doctor's mercy once again. This was quickly becoming a rather bad habit of hers; the novelty of professional medical care was wearing out fast since she had to get a checkup two times a week.
Bon Bon put down her newspaper, shooting a few wary glances at the doctor and the nurse, who were salivating at the box of sweets on the seat next to her.
"The Nightmare hurt you badly, Spring," she said. "The doctor is just making sure you'll heal properly."
Doctor Horse lifted his eyes away from the box, nodding. He poured a little of the blood into a machine best described as the lovechild of an Edwardian era boiler and an analog computer.
"Healing magic is very finicky," the doctor explained. "Even masters at it, like the Princess, are not flawless."
With a ping, the machine spat out several sheets of paper. The doctor's brow furrowed as he looked them over.
"Well, the scan's a little fuzzy…" The doctor shrugged. "Must be the remnants of the spell interfering with our readings."
Bon Bon tilted her head, muzzle scrunched up.
That's… not normal.
Healing magic was powerful - as in it required immense reserves of magical power to even attempt - but it didn't leave a trace like normal magic. That was the whole point: boosting the recipient's natural mana and using that to vastly accelerate healing. It didn't leave behind a foreign magical signature, because if it worked, it would just become part of the recipient's mana.
The wound had healed, so that magic should have been absorbed.
So what's blocking the scan?
Sadly for her, Sweetie Drops wasn't an expert in the arcane arts. Sure, she knew more than your average pony, but this was far out of her own knowledge.
Think logically, draw possible conclusions from available information. Analyze.
The machine used the natural magic of a pony - said magic always held a shape, and when malformed, it tried to return to said shape. But that shape was missing from Anon; the magical scan was blind to her.
Except if that was the case, there wouldn't be a scan at all.
So Anon's magic had to know the general shape of her body - the scan was evidence of that - but something else was influencing it.
The necklace?
That was… a real possibility. The enchantment on the necklace could interfere with the scan, theoretically.
The issue with that idea was that the enchantment had to be activated first. Meaning that either Anon was constantly under a barrage of attacks on her mind, or…
Sweetie Drops shot a look at the orb, settled in the necklace. The crystalline, polished surface faintly sparkled with inner light.
Or there is another spell on Anon right now.
"Otherwise, there isn't anything new on the scan. The fracture is still healing nicely," the doctor said, and Lyra let out a relieved sigh.
With a sudden look of sadness, the doctor turned towards Lyra.
"As for you…well…"
Anon felt herself flinch. Throat dry.
But then she noticed a few things. How the doctor's lips were tugging upwards - barely concealing a smile. How Bon Bon rolled her eyes.
And how Lyra herself was grinning.
"So doc, how much time do I have?" she asked casually, Bon Bon only sighing in reply.
"I say about ten," the doctor said confidently, there was a visible effort not to smile and appear stoic on his part. Lyra rose a brow.
"Ten?" she asked. "Ten what?"
"Nine, eight…"
Lyra burst into giggles, just as doctor Horse did the same.
Meanwhile Anon became more interested in the scans.
It was kinda weird, seeing her insides and skeleton like that. Well, she had seen parts of her insides before, under much less pleasant circumstances, but it still was a strange experience witnessing just how different from a human she was on the inside.
Not that different, apparently. But it was freaky to discover an extra set of teeth in her skull - waiting to replace the milk teeth she still had.
And then there was Lyra's scan. Most of it looked normal, if very grainy, but there was one part that got her attention.
I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that spines aren't supposed to look like that.
It was the lower back - the vertebrae were misaligned, and some were fused together.
"Wait, aren't Lyra's scans also fuzzy?" Anon asked.
Doctor Horse gave her a shrug.
"Perceptive, aren't you? Miss Heartstrings' scans always were a little… special," he explained. "Our best guess is that it's due to the magical nature of the medication."
Lyra laughed, playfully ruffling Anon's mess of a mane.
"Looks like we're both mysteries to modern medical science, Springy."
Anon blushed. A warm, tingly feeling spread in her chest. Not an alien, unfamiliar feeling, simply one Anon doubted she would ever feel again.
She tried to push Lyra away, but her heart wasn't in it.
"Okay, what's next?"
Lyra gave her a bright smile.
"School!"