//------------------------------// // LyraBon // Story: The 63 files // by punisher143 //------------------------------// >Begin Observation of Case 59< The Heartstrings household stood near the center of Ponyville and fit pretty well into the aesthetic of the town. The sun had set half an hour ago and its youngest resident was in her bed watching a puppet show. “You shall not pass!” the old wizard puppet shouted at a chimera puppet. “No, it’s too dangerous!” a filly puppet yelled at the wizard. It was in vain though as the chimera and wizard bashed into each other. The filly gasped, fully absorbed in the story. The battle continued, with the filly puppet begging for the wizard to run. After a while, the filly’s cheers whenever the wizard seemed to be winning died down and the bedroom door creaked open and Harpsy peeked inside. Bon-Bon, who was on the floor with puppets on three of her hooves, motioned toward the bed with a questioning look. Harpsy looked at his daughter curled up in a comfortable ball holding her green seapony doll close to her and looked back at Bon-Bon and mouthed ‘she’s asleep’. Bon-Bon nodded and took off the puppets on her front hooves with her mouth, the last one with her front hooves, and quietly walked toward the door. Bon-Bon blew out the candle and closed the door leaving a crack of light. “She’s so cute when she’s asleep,” Harpsy whispered to his wife as he took one last look at Tootsie. Bon-Bon nodded and motioned to Harpsy to move. Harpsy nodded and he and Bon-Bon walked quietly to the living room and sat on the couch, Harpsy in is usual oddball style and Bon-Bon lying normally laying her head on Harpsy’s lap. They spent the next few minutes enjoying each other’s company and Harpsy stroking Bon-Bon’s mane with a hoof. Harpsy noticed Bon-Bon was unusually stiff and stirring every now and then. “Something on your mind Bon?” Harpsy asked. Bon-Bon sighed and spent a minute thinking. “I was just thinking about Tootsie is all,” she said. “Why?” “She can’t stay a little filly forever Harpsy, it won’t be much longer until she’s a grown mare.” Bon-Bon looked up at her husband. “I guess I’m a little worried about how she’ll turn out.” “She’ll be fine Bon,” Harpsy said and continued stroking Bon-Bon’s mane, “We’ve done a good job so far. Honestly, I’m a little surprised at how well I’ve been doing, remember how much of a nervous wreck I was when Tootsie was born?” Bon-Bon thought back and giggled at the memory. “I guess you’re right, I should worry less about Tootsie and more about you,” Bon-Bon said with a smile. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “If I remember right, you had very bad luck when it comes to teenage mares.” Bon-Bon’s wide smile clued Harpsy into the joke and he decided to play along. “The way I remember it I only had trouble with one mare in particular, and the method I used worked most of the time.” Bon-Bon moved up and sat on Harpsy’s lap facing him. “Yes, but I don’t think that method would work on your daughter,” Bon-Bon pointed out and wrapped her forelegs around Harpsy’s neck with Harpsy wrapping his forearms around her waist. “Well, I guess I’ll have to figure something out then.” Harpsy pulled Bon-Bon closer until their faces were touching. “We’ll figure something out,” Bon-Bon corrected. “Right, sorry.” Harpsy closed what little distance there was to kiss Bon-Bon. They had been married for who knows how long and in that time every kiss they had felt the same as their first. The feel of their lips on each others, their breath on their cheeks, and just the simple feeling of closeness was enough for them. When they broke the kiss and looked into each other’s eyes for the next couple of minutes. “So, you ready for bed Bon?” Harpsy asked. Bon-Bon released the hug and shook her head. “No, I think I’m going to take a bath first and then I’ll go to bed.” Bon-Bon stood up and got off the couch, swiping her tail across her husband’s snout. “I’ll see you there,” she said in a sultry tone. Harpsy didn’t need any more hints, so he got off the couch and followed Bon-Bon with a grin. >Warning: connection malfunction< >Observation drone disconnected< >//:reestablish connection >connecting< >…< >connection reestablished< >Opening observation channel< The sun was shining down on Ponyville which was bustling with activity as usual. Through the crowd of milling ponies walked two unicorn mares, one with a grayish purple coat and blonde mane and the other light blue with a dark shade of purple for her mane. “Are you sure your parents won’t mind if I study at your house Tootsie?” “Don’t worry Dinky, I’m sure they’ll be fine with it,” Tootsie said then quietly added, “if they’re even home.” “Well, if you say it’s alright,” Dinky said a little unsure. “I still don’t understand why we can’t go to your house,” Tootsie said, and Dinky thought back to the morning. “Give it back to me!” Ditzy yelled at the object of her rage. Dinky walked up to her and gave her a confused look. “Uh mom, why are you yelling at the vase?” she asked. “Because it stole my muffin!” Ditzy said and started growling at the vase. Dinky looked over at the table to find a muffin sitting on it. “Uh mom, there’s a…” Dinky trailed off at her mother’s angry look at the vase. Sparkler walked up and sighed a little. “Don’t worry about this Dinky, just go to school. I’ll take care of this.” Dinky slowly nodded and walked to her bags, put them on, walked out the door. “Sweetie, the vase won’t give up the muffin! Go get The Doctor, this vase must suffer!” “I’m not sure what’s going on, but mom’s acting a little crazy today. It’s probably best not to bug her while she’s like this.” Tootsie nodded and noticed they were approaching her house. ‘Oh I hope Dad isn’t home by himself,' Tootsie thought as she knocked on the door and opened it. “Mom, Dad, I’m home,” she called into the house. She walked into the empty living room and looked around, Dinky waiting by the door. “Mom, Dad?” “Boo!” “Ah!” Tootsie jumped a foot into the air and turned to see her father barely holding in his laughter. “I got you again Tootsie,” he said between laughs. Tootsie looked back at Dinky with an annoyed look. “I didn’t see him coming!” Dinky said, which drew Harpsy attention. “Hi there Dinky, what brings you here?” “Hi, would it be ok if I studied with Tootsie here for a while?” “Of course it would, come on in.” Dinky nodded and walked inside, already feeling a little cheery from Harpsy’s smile. “Do you want a snack or something to drink?” “Oh, no thanks.” “Hey Dad, where’s Mom?” Tootsie asked and set her bag on the floor. “I talked with Bon earlier and she said she still had a few candy batches to finish up. That was about half an hour ago, so it should be a few hours until she gets home.” Harpsy walked into the kitchen and Tootsie stared at him in horror. “Um Tootsie, are we gonna get started?” Dinky asked. Tootsie snapped from her trance and walked over to Dinky. “Sure, what should we start on first?” Tootsie asked, not letting her inner thoughts show through. ‘Oh I hope Dad doesn’t do anything embarrassing.’ “Ok, so if X equals 47, then that would mean that…have you been following at all Dinky?” Tootsie asked. Dinky laughed softly. “Um, no,” Dinky said and Tootsie sighed. “Ok, let’s start from the beginning. First you take-” “Hey, would either of you girls like some sarsaparilla?” Harpsy asked peeking his head through the kitchen door. “No thanks Dad, I’m…” Tootsie stared at Harpsy for a moment. “Dad.” “Yeah?” “What is that on your head?” Harpsy pointed at the hat he had on and Tootsie nodded. “It’s a wool hat,” he answered. “Why are you wearing that?” “It’s trendy.” Tootsie mouthed ‘What, trendy?’ before shaking her head. “No thanks, I’m not that thirsty.” “I’m actually a little thirsty,” Dinky said. Harpsy nodded and returned to the kitchen. Tootsie and Dinky went back to studying and after a few minutes Harpsy walked out levitating a glass of sarsaparilla and a plate with a sandwich on it. “Here’s your drink Dinky,” Harpsy said and set the glass in front of Dinky. “Thank you,” Dinky said and took a drink. Harpsy levitated the sandwich and took a bite from it. “Ok, do you have a good understanding for what we’re doing for math?” Tootsie asked. Dinky nodded and Tootsie put her math homework away. “In that case let’s go on to something else.” Harpsy took another bite and Tootsie glanced at him before taking out a piece of parchment. “I’ve been having some trouble in history, so why don’t we…” Tootsie looked back at Harpsy, who wasn’t doing anything other than eating his sandwich and watching them. “What? Why are you watching us?” “I’m just eating lunch,” Harpsy said and motioned to the sandwich, “am I bugging you?” “It’s just a little unnerving.” “I’m fine with him sitting there,” Dinky said. “W-what?!” “Let me finish my sandwich and I’ll go do something else,” Harpsy said and took another bite of his sandwich. “Well, alright,” Tootsie said and opened the parchment, “So, where were we here Dinky?” An hour later, Tootsie and Dinky decided to stop studying and started just chatting away. “No way!” Tootsie exclaimed. “I swear, I heard Silver Spoon making out with somepony in the bathroom during lunch! It was one of the most surreal things I’ve ever heard.” Dinky said and the two shared a laugh. “Feh, teenagers these days.” The two girls turned to Harpsy who was sitting in the corner tuning his lyre. “What does that mean?” Tootsie asked. Harpsy inspected one troublesome string before answering. “Teenagers these days have no sense of shame. When me and Bon-Bon were teenagers, we at least had the sense to wait till school was out and we were back home before we were all over each other.” One of the strings of his lyre snapped and Harpsy sighed, set it down, and walked to a cupboard. “Where did I put those replacement strings?” Tootsie stared in horror at her dad before she could even think of reacting. “Why would you say something like that?!” she yelled at him, “I don’t want to know the details of my parent’s early love life, and especially around my friends!” Tootsie was taken off guard when Harpsy started laughing. “I love being a parent. I can totally embarrass my kid and there’s not a thing they can do about it. Oh here are the strings.” Harpsy levitated some strings out of the cupboard and walked back to the lyre, with Tootsie staring at him in horror the whole way. When Harpsy sat down and started fiddling with his lyre Tootsie covered her face with her hooves. “Um…do you want me to go home?” Dinky asked uncomfortably. Tootsie replied with a groan. “I’ll take that as a no.” “Harpsy, I’m home,” Bon-Bon called out when she entered her house. She was greeted by Tootsie walking up and nuzzling her. She also noticed Harpsy walking from his work corner. “Hi Mom, how was your day?” Tootsie asked. “It was alright, I got to sell all the candy I made today.” “Hey Bon,” Harpsy said and gave Bon-Bon a quick kiss. “Hi.” Bon-Bon slid her saddlebags off and noticed Dinky sitting near the table. “And hello to you Dinky, how are you?” “I’m alright ma’am,” Dinky replied quietly. Bon-Bon laughed a little and moved to the couch to lie down. “So, how have your days been?” Bon-Bon asked when she was comfortable. “My day was alright, aside from some small annoyances,” Tootsie said and gave her father a look, with Harpsy only smiling at her. “My day went fine ma’am,” Dinky said. Harpsy sat on the couch next to Bon-Bon who moved to rest her head against him. “I’ve just been fixing my lyre in between watching those two.” Tootsie gave him a look again and Bon-Bon nodded. “I hope you didn’t embarrass her too badly,” Bon-Bon said flatly. Harpsy noticed this and couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “Of course I didn’t. Is something wrong Bon?” Bon-Bon fidgeted a little before answering. “We’ll talk later.” Harpsy nodded and started stroking his wife’s mane. Dinky happened to look out the window and was shocked at the time. “Oh no, I didn’t think I’d stay this late,” she said and hurriedly put her saddlebags on, “I gotta get back home. I’ll see you tomorrow Tootsie.” “Ok, see you then,” Tootsie replied and waved at Dinky, who returned it and walked out the door. Tootsie stood up and stretched before turning to her parents. “I’m going to get started on dinner. Do you want anything in particular?” “Not really dear, but I’ll be in there to help you after I’m done resting,” Bon-Bon said and snuggled up closer to her husband. “Ok,” Tootsie said with a nod and walked into the kitchen. Harpsy looked down at Bon-Bon and started stroking her back. “So, what’s on your mind?” Harpsy asked. “Later.” Harpsy stopped his stroking and Bon-Bon looked up at his large grin. “Being stubborn huh? Well I know how to fix that.” Bon-Bon’s eyes widened and she sat up. “Don’t.” “Don’t what?” “Don’t you da-“ Bon-Bon didn’t get to finish as Harpsy pounced on her and started tickling her. This was one of Bon-Bon’s greatest weaknesses and she was laughing loudly within seconds. “Ahahahaha, Harpsy sto-o-op it!” she said between laughs. “Then tell me what’s bothering you!” Harpsy yelled and pressed harder with his assault. “Later!” Bon-Bon managed to push Harpsy off so she could get away. Bon-Bon ran up the stairs with Harpsy not too far behind. “You won’t get away for long!” he called. He saw Bon-Bon go into their bedroom and smiled. ‘Aha, the room’s a dead end! She’s mine now.’ Harpsy thought as he entered the room. But it was a trap! The second Harpsy was in the room, the door closed and he quickly found himself pushed onto the bed with his wife looming over him. He stared up into Bon-Bon’s blue eyes, one of the many reasons he had fallen for her, and smiled at his predicament. “Gotcha,” Bon-Bon whispered and lowered her head, her eyes closing along the way. “Yep,” was all Harpsy said before meeting Bon-Bon’s lips. He wrapped his forelegs around Bon-Bon’s waist and pulled her down onto him. Bon-Bon yelped a little through the kiss at the sudden movement but that was quickly replaced by pleasurable groans. They broke the kiss after a minute and stared into each other's eyes while they caught their breaths. “You know, that’s the third time this month that you’ve done this to me,” Harpsy said and rubbed his wife’s coat while chuckling. “I wonder when I’ll stop falling for that.” “You never will, you love this too much,” Bon-Bon said and kissed Harpsy again. When they pulled away from this one, they both laughed softly. “Yeah, you’re right,” Harpsy said and raised his head up. Bon-Bon leaned down expecting another kiss, but was pleasantly surprised when Harpsy instead moved past her mouth and placed a small nibble on her neck. She let out a small yelp and was rolled over onto her back. She looked into her husband’s yellow eyes and smiled. “I love you,” Bon-Bon said. “I love you too,” Harpsy replied and brought Bon-Bon into a deep kiss. Bon-Bon moaned into Harpsy’s mouth and tightened her hold on him. They always loved this part of the day. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Tootsie was going through the fridge and discovered something. “Uh oh, we’re out of milk,” she whispered to herself and closed the door, “I better go get some more.” Tootsie walked out into the living room and looked around at the empty room. She had heard the commotion that happened here, but didn’t really think anything of it. She glanced over the stairs, but quickly stopped her mind from going any further. ‘I remember Berry Wheat’s parents saying Mom and Dad never quite left the ‘high school sweetheart’ stage of their relationship. I have to agree.’ Tootsie opened the front door when a rogue thought entered her mind. “No, bad brain, I don’t want to know that!” she said and knocked the side of her head a couple times with a hoof before walking out. When Tootsie got back home she found her Father on the couch working on his lyre and Bon-Bon poking her head out from the kitchen. “Where did you go?” Bon-Bon asked. Tootsie motioned at the carton of milk floating next to her. “We were almost out of milk, so I went to get some.” Tootsie walked into the kitchen and placed it in the fridge. With that done she walked to her Bon-Bon. “What are you making?” “It’s just a daffodil and spinach casserole, I hope that will be alright.” “Of course it will, let me help you,” Tootsie said and gave her mother a small nuzzle before walking to a counter. Minutes of silent preparation passed and when Bon-Bon put the nearly finished dish in the oven, she felt a weight on her back and hooves wrap around her neck. “Hi hon,” Harpsy whispered into her ear sending shivers down her spine. “Harpsy, I’m trying to cook dinner,” Bon-Bon said and tried half-heartedly to shake her husband off. “I know,” Harpsy hugged Bon-Bon a little tighter and moved his face closer to her ears, “anything you need me to do?” “Um, do you want me to leave for a moment?” Tootsie asked. Harpsy immediately let go of Bon-Bon and stepped away rubbing his neck. “No, there’s no need for that,” Harpsy said. Tootsie shook her head and smiled at her parents. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the adult here. Can you set the table Dad?” Harpsy nodded and went about his given task. With Harpsy busy, Tootsie walked next to a blushing Bon-Bon. “You know Mom, it should be you and Dad embarrassing me when I’m close with somepony, not the other way around.” “Oh hush,” Bon-Bon said and gave Tootsie a light nudge. Tootsie laughed and nuzzled her mom before going back to dinner preparations. The dinner turned out well and it was very cheery until they all retired for the night. After school the next day Tootsie, Dinky, and Berry Brew were having lunch at a café and chatting about their day. “Ugh, these school days are too long,” Berry lamented and stretched a little, “do you remember when school only lasted half a day and we could play all the time after that?” “Yeah I do, it was only a few years ago. I can’t believe you’re actually nostalgic for something that recent,” Tootsie said and took a drink. “It was really fun though, playing tag all day, crusading for our cutie marks. I felt kind of sad when I got mine, but I was glad when we still played,” Dinky added. “That reminds me, I have to practice later. You can’t get better if you don’t practice.” “Oh yeah, playing the flute is your special talent. Sometimes I forget that,” Berry said and chuckled a little. Tootsie looked back at her cutie mark, a silver flute with music notes floating next to it, and looked back at Berry. “Yeah, it’s easy to forget. How are you doing on that front by the way?” Berry twirled a hoof in the air. “Eh, it goes. I know mom’s glad my talent is wine and juice making like her, but you have to be very patient when it comes to that. Hopefully I’ll build it up.” Berry stood up and said, “I’ll be back in a second,” before walking away. When he was out of earshot Dinky leaned closer to Tootsie. “You haven’t asked him out yet, have you?” she asked. Tootsie nearly spat her drink out but managed to keep it in the cup. “W-what, no I haven’t. Where did that come from anyway?” “I was just wondering, I mean you’ve been meaning to do it for a while now.” Tootsie stared into her drink as she thought of an answer. “I know, I just haven’t gotten around to it. I mean, what would I say?” “About what?” Tootsie and Dinky let out a shriek of surprise and looked at Harpsy who was sitting at the table and eating from a box of candy. “Dad, what are you doing here?!” Tootsie exclaimed. “I was walking home and saw you here, so I wanted to drop by and say hi. I also have some candy from Bon-Bon. Want one?” Harpsy held out the box to Tootsie and Dinky and Tootsie shrugged and took one. “Why not, I love Mom’s candy,” she said and took a bite from the candy. “Thank you,” Dinky said and took one as well. At this point Berry came back. “Hey sorry I took so long,” Berry said and noticed Harpsy. “Oh hi Mr. Heartstrings, how are you doing?” “I’m fine Berry, thanks for asking. Want a candy?” Harpsy held the box out to Berry who took one. “Thank you,” Berry said and popped the candy into his mouth. He savored the flavor for a moment before turning to Tootsie. “Was this made by your mom?” he asked and tootsie nodded, “That’s what I thought, your mom makes the best candy.” The other’s nodded and Berry sat down. “So what were you talking about earlier?” Harpsy asked Tootsie. “Dad, that’s private!” Tootsie said with a light blush. Harpsy, with his superior Father instincts, managed to deduce what was going through her mind. “Alright, we’ll talk about it later,” Harpsy said and popped a piece of candy into his mouth. “NO, let’s never talk about it!” “You know that really does suck,” Harpsy said inspecting a piece of candy. “What?” “I was at the store getting food for later when I saw a box of candy on a shelf.” “What?” “Why would anypony willingly pay twice as much for inferior candy when you can get Bon-Bon’s candy for half the price? What’s up with that?” “Wh- what are you talking about?!” “What’s the deal with candy prices?” Dinky said and nearly broke down laughing. Tootsie sighed into her hooves. “Dad, don’t you have something to do besides embarrassing me?” she asked. “Oh yeah, I do have a song to finish. I’ll see you at home Tootsie.” Harpsy gave one last wave and walked away. Tootsie sighed and looked at her friends. “Why does it seem like I’m the only one of us with a parent that regularly embarrasses me?” “Heh, if that’s what you think then you have to see Mom on Saturdays,” Berry said. “I think embarrassing your kid is part of a parent’s job, although I’ve never had that problem,” Dinky added. “Of course you haven’t, your mom is awesome. I’ve seen how she makes raisin muffins.” “I just realized all our moms are really good at making some kind of food,” Tootsie said and twirled her hoof in the air, “Celestia help us if they decided to combine their powers to make some kind of muffin-candy-wine hybrid.” “Mhmm,” Dinky hummed and nodded. “Actually that sounds awesome,” Berry said and stood up, “let’s see if they’ll go for it!” Tootsie and Dinky stared at him for a moment before shrugging. “Sure why not? I don’t have to do anything for a few hours anyway.” Tootsie said and stood up as well. “I have to admit, I’m kind of curious too,” Dinky said and followed her friends. Harpsy was lying on his couch plucking some strings on his lyre that was floating in front of him. This was how he usually wrote songs, just playing notes until he found some that sounded good and wrote them down. It’s worked so far for him, so why change it? Anyway, this is how Tootsie found him when she came home. “…Dad.” “Yes?” “Why are you upside down?” Yes, he was upside down on the couch, and no there was no clear reason for it. “I don’t know.” Tootsie and Harpsy stared at each other for a few moments before Tootsie sighed and walked to the stairs. “Well, good luck with that. I’ll be practicing in my room if you need me.” “Alright.” Harpsy waited until the hoofsteps faded away before he started playing again. “Ooh, that’s a good one,” he murmured and jotted down the notes on the sheet next to him. Harpsy heard a soft flute melody drifting down from upstairs. He smiled and played a couple notes before a shrill note startled him and nearly caused him to drop his lyre. “The heck was that?” He asked and after a few moments the flute started playing normally. Harpsy actually managed to get some notes written down before another shrill note called out. Harpsy sighed and set his lyre down, rolled off the couch, and walked upstairs to Tootsie’s room. “Do you need help in here?” he asked peeking into the door and startled Tootsie. “W-what?” Tootsie asked confused. “I can hear you from downstairs. What’s wrong?” Harpsy walked into the room and Tootsie sighed. “I was trying to play a song, but I underestimated how hard it is,” Tootsie explained and motioned to a set of sheet music. Harpsy picked them up magically and looked them over. “Buck’s Little Fugue? Why do you want to try that?” Tootsie looked down at her flute and scratched at the bed. “I thought it sounded pretty,” she said “Heh, yeah it does, but you gotta be careful. Sometimes the nicest songs are the hardest. Hold on a second.” Harpsy set the sheet down and left the room. Tootsie watched the door for a moment and Harpsy came back in with his lyre. “If I remember right, this song is actually kind of difficult to do alone. Maybe it’ll help if I play with you?” Harpsy sat on the floor and smiled at Tootsie. Tootsie thought for a moment and proceeded to levitate the flute up. “Sure, it couldn’t hurt. How should we do this?” “You start playing and I’ll join after you. And Tootsie, just relax. That helps more than anything.” Tootsie nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself, looked at the sheet music, and started playing. Tootsie was a little surprised when she was doing better than she was before. After a moment Harpsy joined in with his lyre. Any bit of nervousness Tootsie felt faded away as she closed her eyes to let the music carry her. It wasn’t just the song or the way the flute and lyre mixed together that really relaxed Tootsie. Hearing her father’s playing brought her back to when she was a filly. Harpsy was just about to fall asleep when he heard crying coming from down the hall. Harpsy turned to his sleeping wife next to him and nudged her. “Hey Bon,” he whispered to her. Bon-Bon fidgeted a little but didn’t wake up. Harpsy got out of bed as quietly as he could and walked down the hall to Tootsie’s room. He opened the door to find his daughter, barely four years old, crying on her bed. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?” he asked and lit a candle to see. Tootsie sniffed and looked at Harpsy. “I had a bad dream,” she said. She sniffed and let out a few sobs before Harpsy got down and pulled the filly into a hug. “Shh, it’s ok Tootsie. It was just a dream,” he said. The hug did its job since Tootsie started to calm down and hugged him back. After a minute or so of hugging, Tootsie stopped crying and looked up at Harpsy. “Can I sleep with you and Mommy?” she asked. Harpsy thought this over for a moment. Tootsie had been having these bad dreams for a few nights now, and while it was ok for her to sleep with her parents, both Harpsy and Bon-Bon were hoping the dreams would pass. Harpsy looked into Tootsie’s big eyes and nearly conceded defeat when a thought struck him. “Well we could do that, but I think I have a better idea,” he said and let go of Tootsie to lower himself to her eye level. “Would it help you sleep better if I played a song for you?” Tootsie blinked a couple times and looked at her hooves. “Um…” “Let’s try it. If it doesn’t work then you can sleep with me and mommy. Does that sound good?” Tootsie stared for a moment longer before giving a small nod. “Ok, wait here for a moment.” Harpsy got up and left the room to get his lyre from downstairs. When he got back Tootsie was wiping some leftover tears from her eyes. Harpsy sat his lyre down against a toy chest and walked over to Tootsie. “Alright sweetie, I need you to lie down for this ok?” It took Tootsie a moment to comply with her father’s request. Harpsy’s horn glowed as the covers pulled themselves over Tootsie’s body and his lyre floated next to him. “Close your eyes, it works better that way,” he said and Tootsie did as she was told. Tootsie was a little scared of what would happen, but that fear soon melted away when Harpsy started playing. The song wasn’t too complex, just a short and simple tune much like the lullaby’s her mother would sing to her. She heard her father’s voice humming along softly with the tune. Tootsie tried to stay awake, but the song melted away any form of resistance the filly could put up. It encased her in its sweetness and in a few short minutes, Tootsie was fast asleep. Harpsy continued to play for a minute longer before he stopped and walked quietly out of the room, blowing the candle out along the way. He closed the door softly and quietly made his way back to his room and set the lyre down on a dresser. He turned back to the bed to find Bon-Bon looking at him with a smile. “I heard your song,” she said and patted the bed next to her, which Harpsy promptly got on, “It was nice.” “Heh, thanks Bon,” Harpsy said. Bon-Bon leaned closer and kissed Harpsy on the cheek, smiling at her husband’s blush. “And you were worried you wouldn’t be a good father.” Harpsy laughed a little and hugged Bon-Bon closely to him. “Yeah, I guess it is kinda silly.” The way Tootsie remembered it, she never really had any bad dreams after that, and if she did Harpsy would play a song and put her right to sleep. Her mind returned to the present as she and Harpsy finished the song. “See, once you relax a little it’s really easy,” Harpsy said with a chuckle. He then looked at Tootsie with some concern. “Hey Tootsie, are you alright?” “Y-yeah, of course I am. Why?” Harpsy pointed at Tootsie’s face. “You’re crying.” Tootsie raised a hoof to her eyes and it came back wet. Tootsie blinked a couple times in surprise and wiped the rest of the tears away. “Heh, what’s wrong with me?” she asked and laughed a little. Harpsy set his lyre down and sat next to Tootsie on the bed. “Is something wrong Tootsie? You know you can tell me anything,” Harpsy said. Tootsie set her flute down and hugged Harpsy, much to his surprise. “You know, despite all my complaining about you embarrassing me, I still love you. I hope you know that,” Tootsie said and nuzzled against Harpsy. “Of course I do sweetie,” Harpsy said and nuzzled Tootsie, “And I do know what it’s like to have an embarrassing parent.” Tootsie pulled away with a confused look. “Huh?” “Oh yeah, you should have seen my dad when I was a teenager. He’s kind of chilled now, but you should have seen him back then.” Tootsie laughed at that and Harpsy joined in. After a moment Tootsie calmed down and looked at Harpsy. “I find it hard to believe grandpa would act anything like you back then.” “I never said he acted like me,” Harpsy said with a laugh. “That’s actually kind of scary that there would be somepony that could embarrass you.” Harpsy chuckled at that. He glanced off to the side and something caught his eye. “Hey what’s this?” Harpsy asked and levitated a green doll over to him. Tootsie’s eyes widened as she recognized the doll, the color having faded a little over the years and with some noticeable stitches. “You still have this? I thought you got rid of it years ago.” “Can I see that?” she asked and Harpsy released the doll so Tootsie could take it. Tootsie looked the doll over and smiled a little. “Why would I get rid of this?” Tootsie slowly stirred to consciousness and opened her eyes. Usually when she did she would find either an empty room, her mother coming to wake her up, or her father smiling widely at her. Today it was the third one. “Good morning sweetie, how are you today?” he asked. Tootsie answered by reaching out and touching Harpsy’s snout with a hoof. “Honk!” “Oh no you didn’t!” Harpsy said and started tickling Tootsie who tried desperately to fight off her father while laughing. Eventually Harpsy stopped tickling her and smiled again. “Do you know what day it is Tootsie?” Tootsie shook her head while still laughing a little. “It’s your birthday today! You’re turning five today!” “Wow. Does that mean I can have a Pinkie party?” she asked with her eyes shining with joy. “Of course, but not right now, Mommy is making breakfast downstairs so we gotta eat first.” Harpsy lowered to the floor and looked at Tootsie. “You want a ride down?” “Yay!” Tootsie jumped onto Harpsy’s back and the two walked downstairs and into the kitchen. “Hi Mommy!” she called and waved at Bon-Bon who had just set a plate of pancakes on the table. “Good morning Tootsie, how are you feeling today?” Bon-Bon asked as Harpsy lowered himself down so Tootsie could get off and bounce toward her mother. “I’m great! Daddy says I’m turning five today,” Tootsie said and tried her best to look at the pancakes, “Are those for me?” “Well, they’re for all of us, but you can have as many as you want since it’s your birthday today,” Bon-Bon said. “Yay, I want two please!” Tootsie said and bounced over to a chair, where she managed to get up on it all by herself. Bon-Bon scooted the chair forward and Harpsy set about preparing Tootsie’s breakfast. The three of them were soon enjoying the delicious pancakes. Tootsie swallowed a mouthful of pancake and looked at her mother. “Mommy, when I’m done eating can we get a present?” she asked. Bon-Bon rubbed her chin and pretended to be in deep thought. “Well, I don’t know…” “Oh please mommy, can we go?” Harpsy said in his best childish voice and gave Bon-Bon a puppy dog look. Tootsie looked at her father for a minute before doing the same. Bon-Bon managed to withstand this assault for a few seconds before breaking into a small laughter. “Alright alright, we can go.” “Yay!” Tootsie exclaimed. “But you have to finish as much of your breakfast as you can, ok?” Tootsie nodded and set about eating her breakfast with a renewed determination. “And that goes for you too,” Bon-Bon said to Harpsy. “Hey I was gonna,” Harpsy said and took a bit of his pancakes. Bon-Bon smiled and shook her head a little. A few minutes of quiet eating passed and Tootsie pushed her empty plate forward. “I’m done,” she said smiling. Bon-Bon examined the plate and nodded. “Alright, go get your saddlebag ready. We’ll leave when we’re done eating.” Tootsie nodded and carefully got off the chair and trotted out of the kitchen. Harpsy finished his meal next and used his magic to stack the two empty plates on each other. “I’ll take care of the dishes, ok Bon?” Bon-Bon nodded and finished the last of her pancakes. Harpsy took that plate as well and took the stack to the sink while Bon-Bon left to find Tootsie. She found her in the living room setting her saddlebags next to her parent’s bags. Tootsie saw her mother and bounced over to her. “Mommy, can Dinky come to my party?” she asked. “Of course she can, your party wouldn’t be complete without her.” Tootsie squealed in joy and bounced around her mother. Harpsy walked in during Tootsie’s third trip. “Alright, let’s go,” he said. The three put their saddlebags on (Tootsie with a little help from her parents) and walked outside. It was a sunny day outside with some groupings of clouds here and there. Tootsie made sure to say between her parents as they walked toward the toy store. When they reached it and walked inside, Tootsie looked around excitedly and looked up for her parent’s permission. When it was given she wasted no time in looking through the selection with Harpsy taking care to stay near her. “Hi!” Bon-Bon jumped at the sudden voice and turned to find Pinkie Pie standing there. “Oh Pinkie, you spooked me a little. How are you?” Bon-Bon asked. “Oh I’m doing super because I know today is a very special day for a certain special filly! I also know your birthday is in one month and seven days, Harpsy’s is in three months twenty seven days, and your birthday was last week,” Pinkie said pointing to the mare behind the counter, “I’m so sorry I missed it. Here, have a birthday cupcake.” Pinkie placed a cupcake on the counter and the mare took it with a smile. “Thank you Pinkie,” she said. “Aw, you’re welcome.” Pinkie turned back to Bon-Bon, “So is the party going to be at your house or Sugarcube Corner? Oh, maybe it’ll be at the park, I haven’t had a party there in ages! Oh, maybe we can have it at-“ “Pinkie!” Pinkie stopped talking and tilted her head at Bon-Bon. “We were thinking Sugarcube Corner at around 3 or 4. Would that be alright?” “Of course it will! Any special requests you can think of?” Bon-Bon scratched her head for a moment. “We were going to invite Ditzy and her daughters, so maybe you could have some muffins ready for them?” “Silly Bon-Bon, I was going to invite them anyway, but thanks for reminding me. Welp, I better go get started, I’ll see you this afternoon.” Pinkie trotted out the door with a wave at Bon-Bon. “She’s such a nice mare,” Bon-Bon said aloud. “Can I have any one of these Daddy?” Bon-Bon turned to see Tootsie and Harpsy standing next to some dolls and walked over to them. “Yep, you can have any one you see, but you can only have one ok?” Tootsie nodded at her father’s question and stared hard at the selection of dolls. After a few moments of searching, she perked up and started bouncing. “Oh oh, I want that one!” she said pointing at a pile of seapony dolls. Harpsy walked over to them and looked at Tootsie. “Which one?” “The green one!” Harpsy looked at the pile and levitated a green doll up. “This one?” Tootsie nodded and pointed at it. “Mhmm, I know he’s the right one because he looks like you.” Harpsy looked at the doll and smiled. “My, she’s right. He’s such a handsome seapony,” Bon-Bon said and giggled. Harpsy blushed at his wife’s comment and looked at Tootsie. “Alright, let’s go pay for him and you can have him.” Tootsie could hardly contain her excitement as her parents payed for the doll. When she finally got her little hooves on it she hugged it tightly before setting it carefully in her saddlebag. “Come on Tootsie, let’s go play in the park until your party starts,” Bon-Bon said and held the door open for the filly and her husband. On his way out Harpsy planted a small kiss on her cheek. Bon-Bon smiled at him and they made their way to a fun day at the park. Tootsie looked up from the doll and at Harpsy, feeling tears coming back to her eyes again. “It looks just like you.” Harpsy sat stunned, finding he had nothing to say. Tootsie sat the doll down and hugged Harpsy, who felt some tears starting to gather in his eyes as he hugged her back. “I love you Dad,” she said and some tears finally spilled out. “I love you too sweetie,” Harpsy said and stroked Tootsie’s mane. They must have sat like that for a few minutes, a half hour, or a whole hour. It didn’t matter to them. After a while they heard the door open downstairs. “I’m home,” Bon-Bon called out. Harpsy and Tootsie reluctantly broke the hug and wiped away the tears. “Come on, let’s go see her,” Harpsy said and hopped off the bed. Tootsie nodded and followed her father downstairs where Bon-Bon was waiting. Bon-Bon tilted her head a little at the sight of them. “Did I miss something? You two look like you’ve been crying.” “Oh um, we were just reminiscing,” Tootsie said. “Oh? Well I hope you’re willing to share later.” Bon-Bon’s smile dropped and she dug through her bags until she pulled out a piece of paper. “Tootsie, can you go get dinner started? I need to talk with your father for a moment…alone.” “Um, sure,” Tootsie said, grabbed the paper with her magic, and walked into the kitchen. When Tootsie was out of the room, Harpsy looked at Bon-Bon concerned. “What’s wrong Bon?” he asked. Bon-Bon stared at the floor for a moment before looking up into her husband’s eyes. “Well…” Tootsie was worried about her parents. Whatever it was that her mom said it killed any conversation that could have happened. Right now the three of them were sitting at the table eating a salad dinner Tootsie had prepared. Well, ‘eating’ wouldn’t be the proper term since Harpsy was just staring at it while Bon-Bon was just playing with it. Tootsie swallowed the bit of salad she had managed to eat before speaking up. “Are you two fighting?” The question was enough to knock her parents out of their stupor and looked worriedly at Tootsie. “What, no we’re not fighting,” Harpsy said and looked at Bon-Bon. “It’s just…” Harpsy trailed away at his wife’s look. “It’s ok, you don’t have to tell me,” Tootsie said and levitated a forkful of salad up. “I went to the hospital today.” The fork stopped midair and Tootsie looked at her mother. She couldn’t see her eyes since her twin colored mane was blocking it. “Huh?” Tootsie said and set the fork down. “I haven’t been feeling too well lately, so I went to the hospital a couple days ago.” Tootsie felt a pit grow in her stomach and hoped this didn’t mean what she thought it did. “The doctor told me to come in today for more tests, so I did and…” Bon-Bon paused for a moment and started breathing heavily. Tootsie realized she was crying when tears came down Bon-Bon’s face. ‘Oh no, it is,’ she thought and felt her own tears start to form, ‘please don’t tell me it’s something serious.’ “What did he say?” she asked. Bon-Bon took a couple breaths and mumbled something. “What was that?” Tootsie asked leaning closer. Bon-Bon looked up at Tootsie and spoke louder. “I think I’m pregnant.” Tootsie’s eyes widened and she could have sworn her heart stopped. “W-what?” “I’m not entirely sure and there are still some more tests that need to be done, but right now it seems very likely.” Bon-Bon smiled as more tears fell down her face. “You’re going to be a big sister Tootsie.” Tootsie’s reaction was to sit there for a moment before quickly getting up and hugging her mom tightly. “I thought you were sick or something and I was going to lose you!” Tootsie buried her face into Bon-Bon’s neck and felt the tears come out, “Compared to that, this is the greatest news I’ve ever heard.” Bon-Bon returned the hug and stroked Tootsie’s back and then they felt Harpsy hug them both. “Yeah, it is,” he said and closed his eyes. “I’m going to be a daddy again.” The three of them spent the rest of dinner like that, silently taking in this good news. Sometimes, there just aren’t any words that need to be said. >Drone shutdown initiated< >Running diagnostics< >…< >Diagnostics complete< >Opening test channel< Harpsy finished brushing his teeth and, with one last check, exited the bathroom and made his way back to bed where Bon-Bon was waiting for him. “Sorry I took so long,” he said as he got into bed and hugged his wife, “How you feeling?” “Well, all things considered, I’m feeling alright,” she answered and rubbed her swollen stomach, “I’m just a little uncomfortable.” “Well, look on the bright side. It’ll be over soon enough.” Harpsy ran a hoof down Bon-Bon’s chest and over her stomach. He kept it there for a moment and felt the baby- his baby- kick. “Ah, she’s getting really active,” Bon-Bon said. Harpsy moved his hoof back up and Bon-Bon turned to look at her husband. “What’s the matter?” “I’m just really scared Bon,” he said and let his fear show, “I mean, how do I know if I’ll be a good father?” Bon-Bon rolled so she was facing Harpsy proper. “Are you asking whether or not you, a simple lyre player, will be a good father to your first foal?” Harpsy looked away from his wife, but Bon-Bon turned his face back toward her. She smiled at him before drawing him into a kiss, which he gladly returned and pulled Bon-Bon in as close as her belly would allow. When they broke the kiss, Bon-Bon stroked the side of Harpsy’s face. “The answer is yes, I think you’ll be a great father.” “…Even with all of my little habits?” he asked. “Yes, even then. They’re a part of who you are, and you are the pony that I married.” Harpsy smiled and kissed Bon-Bon again. “Thanks Bon,” he said and they both settled into a peaceful sleep in each other’s arms. >Observation suspended< I'll admit, I got a little teary eyed writing the end parts. Let's see if it translated well. Next time, I need to hire a caterer for better planing.