Broken then Healed

by Tohshi

Chapter 9

Chapter 9
The four of us left the room some time later. Hunger gnawed at me. I was being carried by Lyra. Twilight had wanted to, but Lyra insisted. Twilight looked exhausted and I was fairly certain that she had not sleep last night.

“Can we get some food?” I asked, no longer ignoring my stomach. My stomach rumbled loudly in agreement.

Lyra giggled, being the only other one to have heard my stomach. She said, “Food does sound good. Bon Bon and I only had a small snack before we headed off to catch the first train of the day.”

“Cadence had invited me out to lunch today,” Twilight said. “Why don't we all go? I would love for Lilac to met Shining armor.”

“That sounds lovely,” Bon Bon said.

“This is going to be awkward for me,” Lyra mumbled. She hung her head low.

“Why?” I asked. Cadence had seemed very nice last night, well as nice as anyone would have seemed under the circumstances.

“Last time I talked to Cadence was just after her wedding,” Lyra said. “I don't know if she has forgiven me yet.”

Twilight laughed loudly. She smiled at Lyra and said, “Lyra there was nothing to forgive, you were under a mind control spell. Its been two years, Cadence will be happy to see you. We have to go now.”

“I wouldn't let my awkwardness stop Lilac from meting her uncle,” Lyra said.

Twilight looked out a window for a second. Her pace quickened, and she said, “It is later than I thought we should hurry. I would rather not be late.”

We left the castle through the court room and waiting room. The crowd had thinned significantly. Outside of the castle there was a large wall with a drawbridge which was down. Gardens lined the path towards the gate, and they were lined with guards nearly thirty of them. We crossed the drawbridge and headed down the hill. I looked back at the castle finally being able to see its full splendor. The castle must have been seven or eight stories high and was a magnificent sight.

We walked for about ten minutes, taking a number of twists and turns and ended up in front of a small sandwich shop. The higher up floors seemed to be appartments. Cadence and a white unicorn stallion with deep blue hair sat at one of the window tables.

Upon entering, Twilight asked for another table to be added to Cadence's so that all of us could fit. While the waitress complied, we walked over to the table.

“Hey, Twily,” the stallion said. He must have been Shining Armor. “So Cadence told me you have someone to introduce me to.”

“Hello, Shining. Yes, I do,” Twilight said. Her mood took a huge upswing whence we got to the store. She was positively radiating happiness. She picked me up with her magic from Lyra's back and sat me down in the chair across from Shining Armor. “This is Lilac Splash. She is sorta my daughter.”

Shining Armor sat there his mouth hung limply open. He just stared at me for a while.

“Hello, Cadence,” Lyra said. She was staring at her hooves.

“Hello, Lyra,” Cadence said. Happiness shown through her eyes. “It is nice to see you, its been what two years now?”

“Yeah,” Lyra said awkwardly. She looked at Twilight then to me and back to Twilight. “Have you told her?”

Twilight blushed slightly and shook her head no. Twilight turned to Cadence, and said, “So Lyra here is also Lilac's mom sorta.”

Cadence looked then at Lyra and smiled. Cadence said, “I can see the resemblance. Lilac has your eyes, Lyra. So you keep saying that you two are only 'sorta moms'. Why don't you explain for Shining's sake?”

Lyra looked at Shining who had finally awaken from his shock. Lyra said, “Lilac is our child though she is also from another world. Twilight and I saved her from an accident and now she is here. I don't think we should say much more than that here.”

“Lyra is right, suffice to say she is our child,” Twilight stated. Twilight sat down between me and the window.

The waitress walked up and pushed a table that was near by up to our table giving room for Bon Bon and Lyra to sit down, having added another four chairs. She was a unicorn with pale pink coat and electric pink mane. She handed the four of us menus and added two glasses of water to the table that Lyra and Bon Bon were sitting at. She then left us.

“Hello, my name is Bon Bon,” Bon Bon said. She smiled at Lyra. “I am Lyra's finance.”

“Nice to met you,” Shinning Armor said. He seemed a bit uncomfortable. He turned to Twilight, his voice growing jovial. “So you aren't going to be introducing both your child and special somepony to Mom at the same time, huh?”

Twilight giggled at his joke. She stopped suddenly. Twilight said, “Crap, I have to tell Mom and Dad. That is going to be weird.”

This time it was the rest of the tables turn to laugh. Cadence said, “Twilight I am certain, that your mother will be happy to have a granddaughter. Also maybe she will stop sending Shining letters asking how soon she can expect him to have children. Though on second thought that might make her send more letters. So Bon Bon, Lyra, do you two have a date in mind yet?”

“Not really,” Lyra said. She nuzzled Bon Bon. “I wouldn't mind it being soon but we haven't had the time recently to talk much about it.”

“Soon would be nice,” Bon Bon agreed. “Maybe after we get settled into the new house.”

I tried to pick up the menu with my magic, and only succeeded in tossing the thing several feet up into the air. I blushed. I said, “Sorry I didn't mean to.”

“It's alright, it may take you a while to learn control with your magic,” Twilight said. Her magic held the menu in front of me.

They served a large selection of sandwiches, many which included flowers. I decided on something from the foal section of the menu. The waitress had returned with a steaming tea pot. She set it in the center of the conjoined tables.

“Have you decided what you want or do you need more time?” the waitress asked. She had a quill and note pad levitating near her head.

I nudged Lyra, grabbing her attention. I asked pointing at a particular sandwich, “Can I get this one?”

“Of course, why don't you tell the waitress,” Lyra said. She returned to studying her menu.

“Can I get the grilled cheese and zucchini sandwich please?” I asked. They were going to be out of the zucchini, I could just feel it. The waitress nodded in my direction.

“Two daisy sandwiches, one with light on the dressing,” Cadence ordered.

“Two daisy sandwiches, and a Grilled Zucchini. What about you two?” the waitress asked, looking at Bon Bon and Lyra.

“I would like the Alfalfa Supreme,” Lyra ordered. “Can I get some extra dressing on the side with that, please?”

“Of course,” waitress replied.

“Can I get a daisy sandwich too?” Bon Bon asked the waitress. The waitress nodded writing it down on her note pad.

“I would like the Moon Cactus melt,” Twilight said.

“Okay those will be right out,” the waitress said before walking off towards the kitchen.

The wait for our food was mercifully short as my stomach decided to be mutinous. My sandwich was quite good, though Twilight's looked great as well. I wasn't certain what I thought about a daisy sandwich. Small talk was made as we ate.

A bright flash interrupted our meal. A very large and very strange creature sat at next to Shining Armor. He had a cup of tea in his right paw which was a lion's paw. His other arm was that of a birds and he had two mismatched horns on top of his goat like head. Beyond his unusual physic there was some sort of unnaturalness to him that I couldn't place my hoof on.

“Sorry to interrupt dears, but Princess Sunbutt wanted me to tell you of my return,” the creature said. He took another sip from his cup, and the color faded from the cup leaving it invisible, an revealing the full cup of tea in it. “Hello, Twilight's progeny. You and I may be great friends some day.”

“Leave Lilac alone, Discord,” Twilight demanded. “Also I am pretty certain that Princess Celestia has asked you to stop referring to her as Sunbutt.”

“She asked that I not forget her station. I don't think she meant the Sunbutt part, hence Princess Sunbutt,” Discord said. His grin was large and quite scary. “Well we should get going, Princess Sunbutt went of to wake Grumpy Wumpy and I simply must be there to watch.”

He snapped his fingers and Twilight, Cadence and himself were gone in a flash of light.

Shinning Armor shook his head. He said, “I don't see how any of them can stand him.”

“Fluttershy seems to like him. I trust her opinion on the matter,” Bon Bon said.

Thankfully, the rest of our lunch passed uneventfully. Shining Armor paid for the meal, refusing to let Lyra or Bon Bon to help. He then headed back to the castle carrying Cadence and Twilight's leftovers with him.

“Now what?” I asked. We had left the sandwich shop and were standing outside.

“We have to go back to the castle to get your identification paperwork dealt with,” Lyra said. She looked at Bon Bon who was carrying me. My legs were still sore and I didn't think I could walk up the hill back to the Castle. “Though I would bet we will either need Twilight or Princess Celestia herself to help us with that, and they are probably busy. Why don't we go see my Parents?”

“We probably should. Your mother is going to be quite surprised. Did you ever tell her that were engaged yet?” Bon Bon asked. She was smiling at Lyra.

“Not yet,” Lyra said. Her gaze wandered. “We should probably get going then. This is going to take a while.”

Lyra lead us back up the hill. Our path lead us further from the castle till we entered a distinct neighborhood. The building were all of similar architecture, a more Victorian feel to them. After a few more minutes of walking we ended up in front of a large blue house. Lyra sat there staring at the door for a few minutes before she went up and knocked.

The door opened and an elderly unicorn stallion opened the door. He had a pale beige coat and dark brown mane, gray peppering it. He said, “Ah. Hello, Miss Lyra, Miss Bon Bon. This is quiet the unexpected visit. Please do come in?”

The stallion opened the door fully and stood back to let the tree of us in. Lyra hugged the elder stallion. She said, “It is nice to see you, Iron Hoof. Sorry this was a bit unexpected for us as well, but we figured that since we were in town that we should stop by.”

“Your mother will be happy that you have done so. Though you have missed your father he has a lecture to perform at the University this afternoon,” Iron Hoof explained. He lead us further into the massive house. “Madame Heartstrings is in the reading room.”

We walked through a long hallway and Iron Hoof showed us into a small library with a few couches in it. A light blue unicorn mare sat lounging in on of the couches. Her yellow mane was braided and tossed over one of the arms of the couch as she read some novel. From the cover image it appeared to be some cheesy romance novel, it was titled Fifty Shades of Neigh.

“Madame Heartstrings,” Iron Hoof said. “Your daughter, and Bon Bon, are here to see you.”

Heartstrings looked up from her book and glanced over in our direction. She set her book down and walked over to us. She said, “Lyra, dear this is quiet unexpected. What brings you to Canterlot? And who is that little Filly Bon Bon has with her?”

“Well, uh,” Lyra stammered. She looked over to Bon Bon and me. “I guess the answer to both of your questions is, my daughter, Lilac Splash.”

“Well that is a pretty name,” Heartstrings said. Her smile faded quickly. “Wait, did you call her your daughter?”

“Yes,” Lyra said. She tensed as if expecting her mother to exploded. “I know this is kinda sudden, and sorry for not telling you sooner but I only found her two weeks ago.”

“Who is the other parent?” Heartstrings asked. She looked me over. Her smile returned. “Lilac looks to be at least six, I don't remember you having any flings back then.”

“I didn't. Lilac isn't that old,” Lyra explained. “Lilac is biologically mine and Twilight Sparkles child. I had cast a spell that let me view another world and something terrible happened to Lilac on the other side of this veil. Twilight and I saved her, but to do so had to make her a new form which Twilight did out of part of me and part of her.”

“You are so much your father's daughter,” Heartstrings said. “He is going to be ecstatic, though I believe more based on the happenings than in having a granddaughter now. Can you stay for diner?”

Lyra looked at Bon Bon. Her face was covered in confusion. Bon Bon said, “We would love to stay for diner. I have good news as well. Lyra asked me to marry her. I said yes.”

“Well congratulations,” Heartstrings said. She turned to Iron Hoof. “Iron, can you make up something special for diner? I would love to celebrate.”

“Of course,” Iron Hoof said. He had a tear in his eye, which he wiped away before bowing and leaving the room.

“He is quiet proud of you, Lyra,” Heartstrings said. “Even if he is too proper to show it.”

Lyra blushed. We sat down on the couch. Heartstrings sitting next to me.

“So Lilac what sort of things do you like to do?” Heartstrings asked. Her smile was beautiful.

“I really like to draw,” I replied. “I could draw you something if you have some materials. Though it may not be very good I am still getting used to my magic.”

We talked for an hour or two. Our conversation flowed back and forth between wedding discussion and me. Heartstrings had giving me a stack of paper and a quill and ink. After a few tries I got my control down for the quill. It was mostly stopping trying to control the quill directly and more just seeing the picture I wanted to draw in my head and letting my magic flow. My third attempt may have been my best drawing yet. It was of Lyra and Bon Bon. The conversation had drifted towards wedding plans at this point.

I presented my drawing to Heartstrings. She said, “Another artist in the family. You are quite good at this. Can I keep it?”

I blushed at the compliment. The picture was decent but it needed work. My quill was too unsteady. I said, “If you want it, I don't mind if you keep it.”

Halfway through my next picture, a unicorn stallion entered the room. He was quite scrawny, and his coat was bright orange, and his mane was dark red. He said, his voice regal, “I am home, Symphonica. How-” He noticed Lyra and Bon Bon on the couch “-Lyra. Nice of you to visit. Who is the filly?”

“My name is Lilac,” I told him.

“Well I am Professor Twisted Logic,” He told me. Twisted Logic sat down on the couch with Symphonica Heartstrings. He looked at Lyra. “So who is the other parent?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” Lyra said.

Twisted Logic laughed. He said, “What sorts of magic made this happen? I was one of Twilight's teachers six years ago. Twilight was far to absorbed into her studies to have had a kid then.”

“Twilight created Lilac's body just two weeks ago,” Lyra explained. She looked down at her feet which were nervously fidgeting. “I don't really know what spells she used for it, though I know one of them was an aging spell.”

“Aging spell huh,” Twisted Logic said. He seemed ecstatic. “How did she age the mind? I don't know of any aging spells that would have imparted knowledge with them.”

“She didn't I don't think,” Lyra stated. “Lilac's soul is from another world.”

“That is truly impressive magic,” Twisted Logic said. He seemed to stare off into space.

“Now dear, enough of this,” Symphonica Heartstrings said. “Lets have a pleasant evening with our granddaughter and Lyra's fiancée.”

“You finally popped the question then,” Twisted Logic said. His voice was brimming with pride. “Congratulations.”

The conversation returned to wedding plans. I returned to my drawing and Twisted Logic seemed to find what I was doing fare more interesting than the conversation. He watched quietly, only interrupting me once.

“Were you an artist before? On your home world?” Twisted Logic asked.

“Not really. I liked to draw but wasn't very good at it,” I explained. “Something about this that just fits better. This is the best work I have ever done.”

Twisted nodded and let me work without further interruption. Diner came sooner than I figured it would. Glancing at the clock it was much later than I thought. Iron Hoof lead us into the dining room which had a large table that could have comfortably held twenty. He brought out a large collection of dishes, several of which Lyra oohed at.

“Iron, please join us for diner,” Symphonica said. “This is a family celebration and you are as much a part of it as anyone.”

“If you insist, Madame,” Iron Hoof answered. He sat down next to Twisted Logic.

The meal was quite delicious. My favorite of the many dishes was a green bean casserole with crispy fried onions on top. Most of the dishes must have meant something special to Lyra because she spent most of the diner savoring every bite and ate the slowest out of all of us. Bon Bon on the other hand ate quickly and spent most of the day talking with Symphonica and Iron Hoofs about parenting tips. Twisted Logic was still studying me, though he would occasionally pop in with tips for Bon Bon. Each of his tips while interesting and seemed valid were very situational.

When Lyra had finished her last bite, Iron Hoof excused himself and retrieved dessert. It was a simple blackberry pie, though magnificent in both taste and presentation. I was too full, and could only eat half of my piece. Lyra finished it for me.

Drowsiness fogged my head. It became difficult to keep my head lifted upright. I fought my tiredness as much as I could.

My efforts must have been cute for Symphonica was giggling. Symphonica said, “Why don't you stay the night?”

Lyra looked at Bon Bon, trying her best to be cute as well. Bon Bon said, “If you will have us that would be nice. It has been a long day for Lilac, and we do have business still in town.”

I was carried off to a bed. I stopped fighting the sleep and it came quickly.

We were sitting in the new living room. Someone had lit the fire and I was drawing though the images were blurry. The fire started to grow noisily until it burst out of the fire place becoming a little filly made of fire. The fire filly touched its horn on the wall and the flames greedily ate at the wall. I shouted at the fire filly to stop. It only smirked at me. Its eyes opened and they were the dark green from the crystals. Laughter escaped the fire filly's mouth, and flames started to radiate outward from the strange filly. I ran from her.

Somehow I had ran all the way to the Canterlot castle. I rushed in to warn and seek refuge though when I entered the court room instead of finding a princess I was met with the evil flame pony. It's laughter rang through the room as it royal guards all who had the dark eyes as well lept at me and piled on top of me. My head was the only part of me not buried and the flame pony jumped at us engulfing us in flames.

I was awoken by my own scream. I was alone in a guest room. There wasn't any living flame attacking me. My rapid breathing slowed. The light flickered on, as Iron Hoof came into the room. His previously stoic face had been replaced with a worried one. Tears ran down my checks. My bed felt wet, and looking down I realized that it wasn't sweat. My tears turned into sobbing. Iron Hoof picked me up out of the bed and cradled me in a hug.

Bon Bon entered the room, her face also clad in worry. Bon Bon asked quietly, “Another nightmare?”

“It would appear so,” Iron Hoof said. He chuckled quietly. “It has been a long time since I had to clean up a wet bed.”

“That one is new,” Bon Bon said. She took me from Iron Hoof and hugged me close. My sobbing slowed. “Is there any chance we can get her a bath with out waking the rest of the house?”

“Yes, Twisted Logic likes to take showers late at night so he has a sound proofed bathroom next to his study,” Iron Hoof said. He gathered the bedding into a bundle, and levitated it with him as we left the room. We passed a cupboard which he pulled two towels out. The cupboard next to the first one opened up and was a chute in which he shoved the bedding down. He led us to the particular bathroom. “Here it is. There is a collection of soaps and shampoos in the cupboard. Feel free to use what ever you like. Do you require anything else?”

“No, thank you Iron Hoof,” Bon Bon said as she entered the bathroom, me still in her grip.

Bon Bon sat me down on the floor mat and turned on the tub. The tub was both huge and had jets in it. A small rumbling started when Bon Bon turned on the faucet. The rest of the room was a fairly typical bathroom though both the floor and walls were tilled with a black with white veins marble.

Bon Bon picked me back up and lowered me into the filling tub. The water was just the right level of hot and when up past my ankles. Bon Bon had opened the cupboard and was looking through the selection of bathing materials inside. Bon Bon selected a shampoo and a bathing salt. She sprinkled some of the salts into the water and set the shampoo near the edge. The water had raised up to my knees.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Bon Bon asked quietly.

“I don't mind,” I replied. I scooted back to make room for Bon Bon. Slipping I fell with a splash into the water. I sputtered the water out of my mouth.

“You alright?” Bon Bon asked. She lowered herself into the tub.

I nodded my head and got back on my feet. The water level raised quickly as Bon Bon sat down in the tub. It was now half way up my torso. Bon Bon let the water run for a bit more, till it was splashing over my back and turned off the flow. Bon Bon laid down and the water level rose to the point that I had to tip my head back to prevent water from entering my nose. Bon Bon stood back up and the water receded. She got to work scrubbing me clean. She was much better at it than Lyra was. The scrub down felt quite good and that with the warm water washed away my tension. Weariness flowed in replacing the lost tension.

Bon Bon rinsed both of us off with fresh water as she let the tub drain. She got out and dried herself before drying me off. We left the room, leaving the towels hanging on a rack, and headed back towards the bedrooms. I feel asleep along the way.

Something shaking the bed woke me later. My limbs were wrapped around Bon Bon still. I rolled my head over to look at the rest of the bed and Lyra was trying to creep out of bed. She saw me awake and smiled.

“If you're not ready to get up, go ahead and get some more sleep,” Lyra whispered at me.

Gently I unwrapped myself from Bon Bon and crept out of bed following Lyra. We left Bon Bon to sleep and headed out of the room. We headed off towards the dining room and stopped one door short stepping into the kitchen. Iron Hoof was hard at work making some breakfast.

“Morning,” Lyra said. She walked over to the coffee pot, grabbing a coffee cup from the cupboard with magic she poured herself a cup.

“Good morning miss Lyra, and miss Lilac,” Iron Hoof said. He paused his preparations, and turned to look at us. “I hope the rest of your night was less eventful, Lilac.”

I blushed. I said quietly, “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” Iron Hoof said softly. “We all have had accidents before.”

Lyra's ears perked up, but she kept her face calm and unconcerned. Iron Hoof returned to his work. Lyra lead us into a living room where Twisted Logic was sipping at some coffee himself. Twisted was seated in an armchair. There were two more armchairs and a couch all spread out around a coffee table. There were a large set of windows on one wall which let the morning sun flood the room with light.

“Good morning, girls,” Twisted Logic said. He folded up the newspaper he had been reading. “Sleep well?”

“I did. Lilac didn't so much,” Lyra said she took a seat on the couch. “She has been having nightmares for a while now.”

“Well hopefully that clears up before too long. If you don't mind I have a few more questions for the both of you?” Twisted Logic asked. His eyes were a dance with excitement.

“As long as you don't tell anyone else, save Mom, I don't mind answering them,” Lyra stated. “Lilac can answer any she likes. Please don't push her too much though.”

“I shall be gentle. Now first off did you finally find this world of Bipeds?” Twisted asked.

Lyra's face brightened as she got into it. Lyra said, “Sort of, I cast a variable frequency scrying spell which I had attuned to a set of crystals to create a viewing portal. After a bit of tweaking the spell locked in on Lilac's world. I must have done something wrong because after it attuned to Lilac I couldn't get the spell to react to my commands.”

“Interesting, I assume you couldn't cancel the spell?” Twisted Logic asked. His own excitement feed on his daughter's, growing.

“I only tried once, didn't want to loose my chance to learn about the bipeds, but I couldn't get it to cancel. I am pretty certain that, relatively speaking, Lilac's world is somewhat close to us dimensionally,” Lyra explained. “Which would explain their appearance in our myths. That and Lilac wasn't very surprised by our appearance, which though could be attributed to her general personality.”

“Hmm, Lilac, does your world have myths about our ponies here in Equestria?” Twisted Logic asked. He turned his head to look at me, eye to eye. There was something off about Twisted Logic, a little too manic.

“Some things similar but these are legends thousand of years old or older,” I said, as I fidgeted. “We have myths of unicorns and a myth about a single pegasus. Though in those myths the unicorns and pegasus weren't depicted as intelligent.”

“Interesting. Leads credence to your theory, Lyra. I would have to more thoroughly research their myths to be certain though,” Twisted Logic said. He paused for a second, before speaking again this time his excitement grew more manic. “Now if you don't mind indulging my interests, can I scan Lilac? I would love to see if I could get traces of the spell Twilight cast to create Lilac's form.”

“I don't mind. Lilac, is it alright?” Lyra asked me.

“As long as it won't hurt I don't mind,” I said. I looked away from Twisted, my body tensing up in expectation.

Twisted Logic's horn lit up as his spell washed over me. His magic was a bit rougher than I was used to but it didn't hurt. His inspection was quick. Twisted Logic said, his voice having grown cold and serious, “Who cast Sombra's magic on her?”

“That's why you can't tell anyone,” Lyra explained. “Twilight's first soul binding was fading. Princess Celestia and Twilight used a modified version of Sombra's spells to permanently fix her. I don't know which spell specifically.”

“I do. It was Sombra's Soul Binding,” I said solemnly. “Twilight explained it to me.”

“That is powerful and dark magic,” Twisted Logic said. His voice still dark and serious. “Did they cast a purification ritual afterwards?”

I nodded my head. Relief spread across Twisted Logic's face. Twisted said, his voice having regained its enthusiasm, “Have you noticed any changes in your magic?”

“I have more I think, and its harder to control. Twilight said that it was more likely that her previous spell had been limiting my pool than the new spell having an increase.,” I explained.

“How much more would you say?” Twisted Logic asked. He had jumped

“At least twice as much, but maybe as much as ten times as much. I don't know for certain I didn't know how to feel it, till a few days ago,” I said quietly. I rubbed my hooves across the couch I was sitting on, slowly back and forth.

“Well that is interesting,” Twisted Logic rambled. “You have much more magic than a normal filly your apparent age, bigger than average for an adult. Though that could be from the genetics of your new body, Lyra is a bit above average for magical prowess and Twilight Sparkle is probably the most magical being, outside of maybe Discord. How old were you before your transition to here?”

“Nineteen, though humans don't live near as long as ponies do. A human reaching one hundred is a special thing,” I said. A strange comforting thought, I was likely to live over three times what I expected.

“Do you still feel that age?” Twisted Logic asked. “It could be due to your unusual nature you have an adult magical reserve. Magic comes from the soul, your soul being older could cause of your larger pool. Though it could easily be from your bipedal soul as well.”

“Not really,” I said. Confusion muddled my thoughts. “I feel like a kid again. I don't really feel like Alex anymore.”

“Makes sense. You have a new mind even if half of the blueprint is the same as the old you,” Twisted Logic said. “Thank you for answering my questions. Theoretical magic is sort of an obsession for me.”

“Your welcome,” I said. The stress which I had not been aware was building in me seemed to loosen and fade.

“Last night you said you still had business in town, what else do you need to do?” Twisted Logic asked. His tone had lost its excitement. He took a large sip of his coffee.

“We need to get Lilac some proper identification paperwork,” Lyra said. “There was a fire and our house was badly damaged. The insurance pony said we needed to have Lilac's information to apply a claim.”

“That might be a bit difficult with out direct intervention from one of the Princesses,” Twisted Logic replied. “I know a few of the social workers from the castle. They are stricter than our dean, when it comes to proper paperwork.”

“Twilight should still be in town, so hopefully she can help us with that,” Lyra said, concern licking at her voice.

“Hopefully she will be able to,” Twisted Logic said. He seemed unconcerned though. “Her help would definitely ease the headache of that.”

Symphonica Heartstrings entered the room. She had a cup of coffee as well. She said, “Good morning dears. Iron Hoof says that breakfast shall be ready shortly. Is Bon Bon up yet?”

“I don't think so,” Lyra replied. Leaving the couch behind, Lyra headed out of the room. “I will go wake her.”

Symphonica sat down in one of the large armchairs. Exchanging her cup for a section of the newspaper she read quietly. Twisted Logic had also returned to his section of the newspaper. I shifted to the end of the couch and laid my head on the armrest, or, as I realized, must have been intended as a headrest. Bon Bon and Lyra returned a short while later and I scooted back into the middle of the couch.

Just after both Bon Bon and Lyra had found comfortable seating, Iron Hoof entered the room. He wore a small smile on his face. Iron Hoof said, “Breakfast is ready.”

He lead the way into the dining. He had laid out a spread of fresh cut fruit a pot of oatmeal and had some scrambled eggs. Lyra got me a plate with a little bit of everything and then did the same for herself, though taking more generous portions. The oatmeal was simple but well cooked as were the eggs. I sat there fiddling with the last piece of fruit on my plate for a minute before finally eating it.

“So what are your plans for today?” Symphonica asked. She had finished her first plate and was working on a second one with just fruit.

“We have to go get Lilac's identification papers sorted out,” Lyra said between bites.

Bon Bon poked groggily at her food and had barely eaten anything. She said, “Lyra, can you two do that without me? I really need to get back to Ponyville, I can't miss another day at the stand.”

“We can manage. Are you going to be fine going home by yourself?” Lyra responded. Concern tempered her normally more cheerful voice.

“I will be. I just had a hard time getting back to sleep last night is all,” Bon Bon stated. She picked up her pace on eating.

“Sorry,” I said quietly. Guilt hit me, souring my mood.

“It's not your fault,” Bon Bon said. “I just shouldn't have got into the tub with you. It woke me up.”

My guilt subsided but refused to dissipate fully. Bon Bon ate for a few more minutes before giving up. Lyra had also finished her meal. She gathered our plates and took them into the kitchen. Twisted Logic had finished the section of newspaper he had been reading and moved onto another.

Lyra returned from the kitchen. She said, “We should probably get going. Thanks for having us, Mom, Dad.”

“Thanks for coming,” Symphonica said. She got out of her chair and pranced over. She gave each of us a hug in turn.

Putting his paper down, Twisted Logic said, “Yes it was nice having you over. I am looking forward to receiving a wedding invitation.”

“As soon as we decide on a date you will get it,” Lyra promised. She headed out of the room.

“Goodbye. Have a good day,” Bon Bon said cheerfully.

“Goodbye,” I said as I followed Lyra. “It was nice meting you.”

Iron Hoof met us at the door were another set of farewells were exchanged. Standing outside Lyra asked, “Do you want us to go with you to the train station?”

“Thanks for the offer, but why don't you two just head towards the castle,” Bon Bon stated. “No point in you walking down the hill to walk all the way back up it.”

Lyra hugged Bon Bon tightly and gave her a long passionate kiss. Lyra said quietly, “I love you. See you soon.”

I had been standing near by waiting for my turn. When Lyra released Bon Bon from her hug, I grabbed Bon Bon, giving her a hug. I said, “I love you, too.”

Bon Bon returned my hug. She said quietly, “I love you as well. Have a good day, and see you at home later.”

We parted ways us headed towards the castle and Bon Bon headed out deeper into the city off towards the train station which was visible from here. The city was quiet expansive though as far as I could tell none of the buildings were higher than four stories tall. On the whole the town was very asteticly pleasing. Even the poorer sections of the town, ones were nearly all the buildings were apartments, were well kept and decorated from what I could tell.

Our trip to the castle didn't take long and soon enough Lyra was back to haggling the secretary. There was less of a crowd than yesterday though the morning was still young. My legs were getting tired having walked all the way from the Heartstrings estate. The secretary was a young earth pony mare who had a pale baby blue coat and light pink mane.

“Hello again,” the secretary said. Though clearly trying to keep her voice cheerful, her disdain for Lyra shown through. “What can I help you with today?”

“Do you know if Twilight Sparkle is still here?” Lyra asked. She too seemed to be trying to hide her annoyance, though similarly failing.

“Once again, I am not kept up to date on who is still in the castle nor if I was would I be at liberty to share that information with you. If you need help with public paperwork or want to speak to Princess Celestia, I can help you with those,” the secretary said surly.

“We need to get some identification papers for Lilac Splash,” Lyra said. She pointed at me though I couldn't tell if the secretary could see me from behind the counter. I peeked up by standing on my hind legs and bracing myself with my forelegs against the counter.

“Replacement papers require that you provide proof of identification, do you have a birth certificate?” the secretary asked.

“It isn't a replacement set,” Lyra explained. “And no I don't have a birth certificate.”

“Okay, which hospital or town was Lilac born in? Who are her parents?” the secretary responded.

“Ponyville, though born probably not the right word,” Lyra said offhandedly. “And parents are Lyra Heartstrings, myself, and Twilight Sparkle.”

“Twilight Sparkle doesn't have any children,” the secretary stated. She looked a little bit confused and a lot annoyed.

“That's why I asked you if she was still in at the castle this would go much easier if she was here to explain,” Lyra snapped back.

“Well, I don't know,” the secretary said.

I hopped down from my perch and started to look around. The number of guards had doubled since we entered the room. Lyra and the secretary had started to go in circles with their arguing. I wandered over to the open door towards the court room. The throne sat empty. I turned back around and did a small lap around the chairs. Most of them were empty though a few ponies sat waiting for the start of day court. One of the ponies was reading a newspaper he had it folded out and was reading something a couple of pages in. The main headline read: Storms in Dragon Lands Wreck Havoc. There was an artists rendition of some large tornado.

I finished my lap. Lyra and the secretary's argument had gotten heated. I glanced back into the courtroom. Two Guards entered the courtroom followed by Princess Celestia. I glanced back at Lyra. Her anger distorted her features, causing fear to run through my spine. I shivered. Princess Celestia had almost made it to her throne, out of earshot of the ensuing argument. Panic wormed its way into my head. My breathing hastened and tears started to flow down my checks. I crumpled into a heap on the floor. The evil green eyes flooded my vision.

The warmth of a morning sun washed over me, chasing away my fears. I looked up, seeing Princess Celestia standing next to me. She looked down at me, her beautiful smile warming me. Princess Celestia strode over to the counter. She said, her voice quiet and calm, “Is there anything I can help you two with?”

Noticing the Princess for the first time both the secretary and Lyra dropped to the floor in a bow. The secretary was the first to regain her composure. She stood back up though her head still hung to the floor. The secretary said, “I am sorry, Princess. My behavior was unacceptable.”

“It was my fault,” Lyra stated. She too rose up into a standing position. “I have had a very stressful week, and I was taking out on her.-” Lyra turned to the secretary “-I am sorry for being an ass.”

“I am sorry for being a jerk as well,” the secretary said. She lifted her face and her stress shown through her eyes. “I can sympathize with having a bad week.”

“Looks like you didn't need my help after all,” Celestia said. “Miss Heartstrings what brings you back to the castle today?”

“I need to get Lilac her identification papers. Also do you know if Twilight is still in town?” Lyra said. Lyra looked Princess Celestia in the eyes as she talked.

“Elegant Note, I want you to help them draft up the identification papers. They will need brand new paperwork Lilac here just celebrated her seventh birthday a two weeks ago yesterday,” Princess Celestia said. “They will however need a full set of new papers. Her previous ones were lost. Lyra do you know the details enough that Lilac can come with me?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you for your help,” Lyra said. She did a curtsy bow.

“Will she need a new personal identifcation number as well?” Elegant Note asked. She lifted her head to look directly at me. She was staring at me intently.

“She will,” Princess Celestia said. “Anything that you need more official authentication on please send the filled out paper work to me after lunch.”

“Yes, Princess,” Elegant Note said. She turned to Lyra and beckoned her over to the desk.

Princess Celestia turned back towards the court room and she walked over to me. She lifted me up onto my feet with her magic. My outburst had taken its toll, as had the walk here, and I was shaky on my legs.

“Would you mind spending some time with Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked me. I shook my head. Celestia smiled at me. “She has been in the library for most of the time she has been here. I feel she may be a slight bit obsessed though I am hoping spending some time with you will help her with that.”

The two of us walked over to hallway leading into the castle proper. Princess Celestia stopped and said, “Sadly I am needed here. Day court opens in just a few minutes. Golden Glaive here will take you there. Golden Glaive if you don't mind I would like you to carry miss Lilac to the library to visit Twilight Sparkle.”

“At once, Princess,” said the white guard unicorn his magic levitated me and he walked off with me on his back.

Author's Note:

Author's notes: For those of you who don't know Glaive is a type of spear, I am uncertain how common knowledge that is outside of table top gamers. I hope I did Discord right. Well lets put that differently, I hope I did him well enough that he isn't groan worthy bad. Both him and Pinkie Pie scare me as a writer. I love them in the show though. I kinda wish I had been describing Cutie Marks up till this point because Elegant Note might have had an interesting one as would have Twisted Logic and Iron Hoof, whose name is meant as he runs a house with and iron hoof. Also I had initially intended to have only two chapters of while in Canterlot, and now its spawned into three. I could easily do another one more after chapter ten of them still in Canterlot but I want to get back to Ponyville soon.

Comments

[Zappa12]

Two chapters in one day. Nice. Keep up the good work.

[Tohshi]

5296959 Well chapter 8 was finished almost a week ago and chapter nine was finished yesterday so really it wasn't two in one day its just i prefer to have a full chapter done ahead of time. With that said chapter 10 is being tricky so i figured i would just upload 8 and 9 today. Either way thanks for the encouragement.

[ferret]

I don't know why Lilac feels so guilty about all the terrible things she's done. I think I could consider Genghis Khan's war crimes paid back in full if he had to be turned into a little girl who wets the bed.

Maybe this explains why Sombra was in such a bad mood all the time...

[Tohshi]

5302413
out of left field in a bad way? or a good way?

Wetting the bed wasn't because of Sombra's magic, though more on that later. the Sombra's magic not the bed wetting, at least as far as i know so far.

Either way thanks for the comments, I really like reading them.

[Texus]

“I wouldn't let my awkwardness stop Lilac from meting her uncle,” Lyra said.

okay I have to admit that is a nice thought, I have to put my personal distaste asside. I'm only that sappy or emotional, which is why I don't exactly like Shining Armor and I usually only hate Cadance in the show, or the thing with her love magic is overdone and she get's some sort of all knowing power.
It is the same thing with Spike, if he would only looke a tiny bit more mature and not like a baby, or at least if the stupid things wouldn't always happen to him, then I could probably like him a bit more too. It is what they try to make out of him.

I admit till now I didn't knew how three parents would work out, but the way you let it happen it worked so far. I would probably habe not enjoyed it, if Twilight would join every chapter not sure how to explain it rightn now.

[Dark Star the Crazed]

“-I am sorry for being an ass."

Where's the donkey? I was expecting a donkey?

[Tohshi]

8322052
Nope no donkey's in this story yet and none planned. Though my plans have been changing and being thrown out as of recent...

[Coma Blitz]

I've come to the discovery that twilight is technically lilac's surrogate mother

[Luckyfanisaac]

I tried to pick up the menu with my magic, and only succeeded in tossing the thing several feet up into the air. I blushed. I said, “Sorry I didn't mean to.”

Reminds me of Nyx. How she made Rairty’s teacup going flying into the air.

[Black--Soul]

Very good chapter. Damn nice story. So this is season 4-5 i guess