The Middle Pony

by AutumnSky98

Health and Food

Chapter 3

Health and Food

She’s not sure why…

Maybe it’s because she finally made some progress in helping Cadance through her pregnancy, or because she managed to help and protect Flame Shot the night before, but for whatever reason, Lavender manages to wake up with the sunrise and NOT feel like a pony who only got a few hours of sleep the night before.

The knock hasn’t even sounded at her door, when she calls for Flash to enter.

“Good morning!”

She greets in a quiet but happy tone of voice, chuckling at Flash’s bewildered expression.

“Um… How did you… What was… Good morning to you too, Miss Night.”

Flash finally manages to say, though he shrinks back a little at Lavender’s disapproving gaze.

“Sorry, Lavender.”

He corrects himself with a sheepish smile.

Lavender’s expression shifts to a reciprocating smile at his words.

“Did you sleep well?”

She asks, causing Flash to blink in a bewildered manner.

“Um, as well as I always do?”

He replies in an uncertain tone of voice.

“What about you?”

Flash asks, mirroring her question after having a moment to collect himself.

“Very well, thank you.”

Lavender replies with a smile, levitating her saddle bag onto her back as she speaks.

“Now, I need to get my hooves on a few medicinal herbs. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could purchase such things, would you?”

She’s half teasing but half serious too.

Flash smirks at her.

“I think I can help you out there.”

He boasts, his teasing tone not going unnoticed by the purple mare, who smiles up at him.

“Perfect, let’s go.”

Lavender says, moving to pass Flash and exit her room.

Flash, however, stays standing in her way.

“Flash?”

Lavender asks, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“How about breakfast first?”

The pegasus guard suggests as though hinting at the obvious.

Lavender feels herself blush, embarrassed.

“Oh, right…”

She gives a half-hearted chuckle and raises a hoof to rub the back of her neck.

“Can we compromise on breakfast on the go?”

She suggests meekly, causing Flash to roll his eyes while releasing a slow breath.

“Fine, but you have to eat at least two muesli bars, ok?”

He grumbles, stumbling back a bit when Lavender almost tackles him in a giddy hug.

“Thank you!”

She says, grinning like a kid in a candy store.

The sudden change in her demeanour and openness have Flash’s eyes widen and his muzzle blushing in surprise.

“Am I interrupting something?”

The two jerk apart so quickly Cadance is surprised they don’t give themselves whiplash.

“Your majesty.”

Flash says after clearing his throat and bowing to his Princess.

“Cadance!”

Lavender exclaims both happy and shocked to see her sister-in-law out of bed.

Cadance chuckles at the almost opposite greetings she receives from the two ponies in front of her, though she finds herself biting her lip when Lavender’s expression suddenly changes to a worried, questioning and reprimanding one.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

The Princess winces at her sister’s tone.

“Well, after that magic transfusion you gave the little one last night, I woke up feeling totally fine, so, I figured it would be ok for me to go down to breakfast and surprise Shining?”

With every word Lavender seems to inch closer to the Princess, her expression firm, and Cadance feels her determination to make it down to the main dining hall waver.

“Though I’m glad that you’re feeling better, I can’t let you out of bed until I know for certain if I can repeat last night’s fluke and keep you and her stable and safe.”

Lavender explains, pointing her hoof first at Cadance and then at her stomach.

Cadance feels her ears droop at that information, though she stays looking at Lavender when the unicorn gentle tilts her head so that the two are looking into each-other’s eyes.

“I know you’re happy to be feeling better, and believe me, I’m happy to see you so fit again too, but I can’t risk a relapse without some sort of back-up plan, especially since I don’t yet have any concrete proof that your little sunshine will accept a different family member’s magic.”

Lavender explains, her eyes shining with genuine love, worry and honesty.

Cadance gives her sister and doctor a watery smile after her little speech.

“I never can win against you when you’re like this.”

The princess sighs, though her soft smile is still present.

“I didn’t realise this was a competition?”

Lavender teases with a quirked eyebrow, causing Cadance to chuckle quietly.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Cadance chastens light-heartedly, and Lavender smiles in response.

The two tilt their heads a little so that their horns cross, and then glow purple and blue in a ritual that has a similar meaning to Cadance’s and Twilights ladybug greeting.

Just as the two are about to extinguish their link, Lavender feels a third pulse of magic and realises that the golden glow from Cadance’s womb is back.

“Would you look at that.”

Lavender says softly, still keeping her magic in contact with Cadance.

The princess is a little confused at first, before she looks down and sees her stomach glowing.

“Woah.”

Cadance breathes and Lavender nuzzles her head against hers, making sure to keep their link open.

“She did this when I was singing last night.”

Lavender explains, though she can’t see Cadance’s expression, she can see the little girl’s golden glow slowly twist through the air towards her and Cadance’s glowing horns.

“What is she doing?”

Cadance asks quietly, genuinely confused and curious.

“Last time she tried to create a direct transfusion link with me and took my magic in time with the music of my song.”
Lavender answers, her horn tingling as the golden glow makes contact and, again, struggles to create a transfusion link with her.

“But you’re not singing this time.”

Cadance points out, a warning note in her voice as she worries for her sister.

“I’m not… but I’m going to trust your emotions on this one. So long as your worry doesn’t get too strong, I don’t think she’ll hurt me, unintentionally or not.”

Lavender reasons and opens the transfusion link as she speaks.

While Cadance draws in a sharp breath, she does her best to do as Lavender said and not let her worry get the best of her. She trusts her sister, maybe even more than her husband, and she won’t stop now.

Lavender feels the unnatural tug at the base of her horn that means that her niece is withdrawing her purple magic into herself.

It’s a slightly uncomfortable feeling, but it doesn’t hurt.

“Hey there little one.”

Lavender says softly, angling her head to better look at the glowing ball in Cadance’s belly.

“I hear you let your mum rest really well last night. Thanks for giving her some time to recover.”

Her words are soft and coaxing and so incredibly kind that Cadance can’t help but smile, her magic spiking in response to the huge levels of love that Lavender is exuding.

“If you’re ok with me, I’m going to start giving you a few snacks during the day, so that you don’t tire your mum out too much, how about it?”

Lavender offers, a small pulse of golden magic her answer as her niece again cuts off the magical link between herself and her aunt.

Extinguishing her magic and straightening, Lavender gives Cadance a reassuring smile.

“Well, it looks like you’ve got yourself a patient approved family magic doner to take the edge off of your little one’s hunger.”

Lavender states, her smile softening as Cadance’s eyes start to tear up.

Moving to stand so that Flash can’t see Cadance’s face, Lavender addresses her guard and friend.

“I’m going to escort the Princess back to her room, I’ll meet you in the foyer in a few minutes…”

Flash nods and Lavender pauses a moment before adding.

“I know I don’t have to say it explicitly, but the things you’ve seen here are still considered highly confidential until the Princess deigns it safe and appropriate to inform the people of her condition.”

Flash answers her with a resolute nod and an easy smile.

“I’ll have a honeyed musli bar waiting for you when you come to the receiving foyer.”

He replies, before turning and making his way to the dining hall to collect some breakfast for the two of them.

His head’s still spinning from so much confusing information, but he trusts Lavender, and he knows she’s likely to explain what just happened to him when she doesn’t have to worry about the Princess.

Once Flash is out of sight, Lavender moves to support Cadance and take her back to her room.

“You know YOU’RE the one that just had her magic drained, right?”

Cadance points out with a little giggle.

“Shouldn’t I be supporting you?”

She offers teasingly.

Lavender merely smiles.

“I’m fine, thanks though.”

Lavender replies, pulling back the covers and gesturing for Cadance to get back into bed with her head.

Cadance merely shakes her head but does as the doctor bids.

“So, what’s next o doctor of mine?”

Cadance asks, and Lavender realises that she may be in such a teasing mood because her energy levels are normalising themselves and her body isn’t yet used to having so much energy again.

Coming out of her musings, Lavender puts a hoof to her chin as she adopts a thoughtful expression before speaking.

“Well, though I don’t want you to overexert yourself, I will allow you to be up and about in your room. BUT, if anything happens or you start to feel off, I want you to call for me immediately and we’ll see where to go from there.”

Lavender orders sternly, her expression brooking no argument or compromise.

Cadance nods her understanding.

“Got it… Sooo, you want to tell me what I walked out on earlier?”

The Princess of Love asks, the innuendo in her question obvious, and if her tone of voice hadn’t given her away, her expression certainly would have.

Lavender presses her lips together as her cheeks pink when she remembers how she’d acted earlier.

“I get the feeling Shining talked to Flash about some of my… tendencies, when I get caught up in a job or research of some sort.”

Cadance opens her mouth to point out that that hadn’t been her question, but Lavender simply shoots her a look that says I’ll get to it in a bit, and Cadance clamps her mouth shut to wait and keep listening.

“Anyway, he didn’t want me leaving the castle without having breakfast, so we compromised that I’d eat while we walked to whatever shop he was going to take me to, so that I could get a few medicinal herbs for you and for some general use as well. I was having a pretty good morning and, I guess, I have some sort of instinctual trust towards him, so, I just let my emotions out for a bit and, obviously, surprised him, by giving him a hug.”

Lavender explains in a murmured voice that tells Cadance just how embarrassed her sister is to have done such a thing so openly.

Privately, Cadance is delighted that Lavender is opening up to other ponies.

She was never as social a butterfly as her big brother, but she would say hello and play with other ponies.

She was just, always, quiet.

Where Twilight had her head hidden in a book, Candance always had the feeling that Lavender’s head was up in the clouds. Lost in thoughts that, when she did, on rare occasion, speak them out loud, no one could really follow or understand.

Still, her magic had drawn her to the two of them.

Although it hadn’t been the romantic type of love, Cadance had seen that shimmering heart halo around the two of them, and she was most curious to see how their relationship would develop, especially considering Twilight's vital role in their dynamic.

“Cadance?”

Said pony snaps out of her musings when Lavender calls her name and gently nudges her with a hoof.

“You ok?”

Lavender probes carefully.

“Fine, fine!”

The princess exclaims, a little startled.

Lavender quirks a brow.

“Ok…”

She says uncertainly.

“Well, I’m going to go and meet Flash downstairs now. Like I said, send for me if anything happens, and otherwise just try to build up your magic reserves again.”

Lavender instructs, moving to the door as she speaks.

“You got it.”

Cadance reassures her with a smile.

Lavender smiles as well, though she pauses before exiting the room.

“You know I’ve known you long enough to recognise your expressions, right? If you ever want my opinion on the type of love Flash and I might share, all you have to do is ask.”

Lavender says, grinning when Cadance blushes and pouts at having been caught.

“Bye!”

The purple unicorn calls quickly from behind the door as she leaves Cadance’s room, laughing when she hears a pillow thud against the other side of the door.

After reigning in her laughter, Lavender recalls where the foyer is and teleports there, causing Flash to jump a few feet in the air as she materialised right next to him with a magical ‘pop’.

“Hehehehe, sorry Flash.”

Lavender chuckles sheepishly.

Flash rolls his eyes at her obviously insincere apology, but lets it go, flapping his wings a few times to land next to her.

“Don’t sweat it.”

He replies, giving her a grin, before procuring the promised musli bar and handing it to her with a flourish.
Lavender rolls her eyes at his antics but levitates the snack out of his hold with her magic, smiling when he starts to lead her out of the castle.

“So… Where are we headed first?”

Lavender asks once they clear the castle gates.

“Amberlocks Herbs.”

Flash replies with a short sideways glance.

“If you need herbs, seasoning or anything plant-based, she’s always your best bet in the Crystal Empire.”

He explains, the rest of the walk passing in companiable silence, before they come to a stop outside of a quaint little building.
Lavender has to blink herself out of her thoughts to realise that 1. Flash has stopped 2. They’re a good way away from the castle and 3. They’ve stopped at the fringe of the empire, with rows upon rows of different herbs growing behind and around the little establishment called “Amberlocks Herbs”.

Walking up to the door, Lavender raps against the frame a few times, cringing when she hears the distinct sound of something spilling and shattering inside.

Hearing the pounding of hoof-steps coming from inside the building, Lavender, wisely, takes a few steps back, just in time to avoid getting hit by the door swinging open with great enthusiasm.

“Um… Good morning?”

Lavender greets quietly, though her confused tone is only too apparent.

Then again, she hadn’t expected to be greeted with a steaming platter of cookies in her face.

“Good morning to you too, my dear. Please, come in, come in!”

Amberlocks says happily, balancing the tray of cookies on her head and backtracking into the abode with Lavender in tow.
Placing the tray on a table, Amberlocks finally sees her guest…s, Flash having followed behind Lavender as soon as she went inside.

“I apologise, it seems I’ve caught you at an inopportune time.”

Lavender whispers out guiltily, her eyes flicking over to the tray of freshly baked cookies.

Amberlocks smiles warmly at the young unicorn in her home and business, immediately liking her genuine, though demure, sincerity.

“Not at all, dear. I just bake to pass the time between caring for all of my plants.”

She answers, gesturing to her house, which is indeed overrun with all sorts of potted and hanging plants.

“So, what do you have need of?”

She asks in a chipper tone of voice.

“Some Goldenroot, Ginger, Tulsi, Camomile, Lavender and Raspberry, please.”

Lavender answers, listing the ingredients she needs and wants the earth pony to give her.

Flash merely stands a half-step behind Lavender, keeping his eyes and ears open for any danger.

He doesn’t know what half the things are that Lavender just asked for, but he’s not there for his knowledge of medicinal herbs. He’s there to keep Lavender safe.

Amberlocks is surprised that this pony’s knowledge regarding the medicinal plant world. It’s not every day she meets somepony who knows and refers to Holy Basil by its original name of Tulsi.

Nodding to herself, Amberlocks smiles at Lavender.

“I will accompany you to the garden, so that you may harvest whatever herbs you require, and we’ll talk payment once you have everything you need.”

Amberlocks proposes, already moving to the back door of the house.

A quick look over her shoulder has Lavender meeting Flash’s gaze.

They share a small nod and Flash stays in the house, leaving Lavender to her own devices.

Maybe ten minutes later, the two mares re-enter the abode.

Amberlocks goes back to her cookies with a resigned look in her eyes and Lavender continues out the door with a quiet thank you and goodbye.

“Any problems?”

Flash asks, when the two of them are outside again.

“No. She wanted to hire me, but I already have a fairly time-consuming job at the moment, so I haggled her down to a reasonable price while choosing my herbs and payed her before we came back into the house.”

Lavender explains.

Flash just chuckles and shakes his head slightly.

“You realise you need only ask, and the princess and captain would be more than happy to give you an allowance for all expenses related to the princess’s treatment.”

Flash points out.

“But you aren’t the type of pony to do so, even though you’re aware of that option.”

He adds quietly.

Lavender’s ear flicks, missing the last part of Flash's musing.

“I know, but I do get paid to take care of Cadance, despite trying to turn down her payment, so I may as well use the money I don’t want to make to take care of the sister who’s paying me.”

She explains, turning back to look at Flash with a fond look in her eyes.

Flash finds his own expression softening at Lavender’s words and mien.

He still isn’t entirely sure how Lavender manages to put him at ease with her mere presence, but he’s slowly starting to suspect that she has that effect on everypony.

The rest of the walk back passes by quietly, though neither pony minds.

Lavender returns to her room and immediately sets about making a variety of different teas, jams and pastes, laying out a few choice herbs and roots to dry in the sun for later use.

After a few hours, Lavender is jolted out of her rhythm by the click of her room door opening to reveal her brother behind it.

“Sweet Celestia, Shining!”

Lavender chastens, her magic only JUST managing to catch a jar of crushed Gingerroot and Camomile nectar that she’d knocked off of the desk in her fright.

“Sorry Flowers.”

Shining Armor apologises sheepishly, inviting himself inside and closing the door behind him.

“What’s up?”

The younger sister asks as she puts the jar back on the table, screws the top on securely and turns to look at her brother.

“Figured I’d check to make sure my little flower was getting a bit of sunlight.”

Shining jokes, coming to stand next to his little sister and causing a small smile to quirk Lavender’s lips upwards.

“Well, the curtains are open, and I was out for an hour this morning, so there’s no danger of any sunlight deficiency here.”

Lavender answers honestly, turning away from her desk to look up at her brother with a smile, though it wavers at the worried, and slightly accusing, look in his eyes.

“…what’s wrong?”

She asks, genuine worry winning out over her hesitance to ask.

Shining sighs, well aware of his sister’s heightened sixth sense regarding a pony’s emotional state.

“I was hoping you’d tell me.”

Shining bemoans, a spark of mischief lighting his eyes, letting her know that he’s exaggerating his complaint, just a smidge.

Lavender cocks her head to the side in a quizzical manner.

“What do you mean? Has something happened to Cadance!? I told her not to get out of bed yet, even if…”

“Stop. Cadance is FINE Lav. I was just with her and she’s resting, just like she promised you she would... I was actually asking about you.”

Shining interrupts, noticing how Lavender’s eyes were widening even as her speech accelerated.

It was an easy way to tell that she was working herself up into a frenzy.

A bad habit she’d picked up by jumping to the wrong conclusions and empathising with all of her patients, even the ones that couldn’t be saved.

It made losing them that much harder on the mare, but it also drove her to work herself much harder than any pony should be able to, striving to find a cure for every illness known to pony kind.

Lavender herself wasn’t all that well known, because she preferred to dedicate her time to finding new treatments and cures for different illnesses, when she wasn’t helping any pony she happened to cross paths with. Hell, only a handful of ponies even knew that Dr. Night was a mare, but EVERYPONY had heard of the infamous Dr. Night, the doctor that discovered and created the cures for the feather flu, horsey hives, pony pox and even airsickness.

Shining both understood and respected Lavender’s decision not to advertise her successes, but he also worried about her.

She was the kind of pony to give her all, no matter what she was doing.

And although there was no chance of losing Cadance, Shining could tell that Lavender was again doing much more than she had to.

After all, she’d been in her room for FIVE straight hours, drying, grinding, mixing, shaking and creating all sorts of different concoctions that, if he had to hazard a guess, would hopefully help Cadance make a faster recovery.

Still, it was always worrying to see his little sister completely forget herself while trying to help somepony else.

“I’m fine.”

Lavender replies, taking a few deep breaths and refocusing on her older brother, who, in turn, refocused on her.

She’s met by her brother’s 'I-don't-believe-you' stare.

“Hmm… Nope, not buying it.”

He quips.

“Wha-… but I’m really fine!”

Lavender repeats.

“Really?”

He goads.

“YES!”

Lavender exclaims, a pout decorating her lips.

“In that case… when was the last time you ate?”

He challenges, throwing Lavender for a loop.

She opens her mouth, pauses, then closes it again, a guilty look clouding her mien.

“…breakfast.”

She admits quietly, cringing when Shining heaves an exasperated sigh.

“Well… It’s not like I wasn’t expecting that answer.”

Shining sighs, gifting Lavender with a rueful smile when she turns a curious look on him.

“I know you’re not going to lighten up with an important patient to take care of, even less so since it’s family, but at least take the rest of the day off…”

Shining implores his little sister, cutting her off when he sees her open her mouth to argue.

“You’ve been working in here for HOURS, and Cadance isn’t exactly in critical condition anymore. Go give her another once over, but then go outside, EAT something and go enjoy some free time.”

He says firmly, blinking when his ears pick up on his sister’s quiet chuckles.

“You just sounded exactly like mom when she used to chasten me for spending too much time inside reading, instead of outside with you and Twi.”

Lavender explains with a grin.

Shining huffs out a laugh, remembering only too well how he used to hear his mother’s voice from his sister’s room.

“Well, someone has to get you to leave your room every once in a while.”

He points out, catching Lavender around the shoulders and giving her a quick noogie, before she twists out of his grip.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll go outside once I’ve checked on Cadance and gotten a bite to eat.”

Lavender agrees, pushing her brother towards her door and quickly swinging it closed after exchanging a brief smile with Shining.

'I’m glad he cares, even if it costs him more nerves than he has to spare at the moment.'

Lavender thinks with a little chuckle, before snatching up her guitar and teleporting into Cadance’s room.

“Goooood… Afternoon.”

Lavender greets, prolonging the first word just long enough to gauge the position of the sun outside of Cadance’s windows, and add the time of day to her greeting.

Cadance chuckles at Lavender’s entrance, eyes immediately honing in on the guitar floating by her side.

“Hello Lavender… To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Cadance asks, slipping out of bed to give her sister a hug.

“I wanted to come and see how you were doing before headed out to town for the rest of the day.”

Lavender answers honestly.

“Oh. How come?”

Cadance questions, genuine surprise registering in her expression.

Lavender supresses her laughter with a smile.

“Is it really so rare to see me outside?”

She asks, the light of her laughter still sparkling in her eyes.

“Well, you’re not usually one to leave your room without reason.”

Cadance points out, a soft smile gracing her own lips at Lavender’s expression.

“True… Shining kicked me out for the rest of the day. Said something about eating something and getting enough sunlight.”

Lavender explains with a small smile.

“Well, if you actually listen to him, he has my full support.”

Cadance says with a playful grin.

“Yeah, yeah, you might want to watch your comments, unless you don’t want me to sing you another song after this scan.”

Lavender rolls her eyes, gently depositing her guitar on Cadance’s bed, before getting ready to update her scan of Cadance’s magic functions and the health of her and the foal.

Cadance’s expression softens at Lavender’s teasing, and she gets into position without another word.

Taking a deep breath, Lavender again focuses her magic on the pregnant mare before her, willing it to note down any detail to do with her and the foal.

The scan was also a wordless spell that Lavender herself had invented.

It functioned like an x-ray, but instead of showing the bones of a pony, it recorded and returned the statistics of a pony’s health and directed them straight into the caster’s mind.

Things like height, weight, magic type, magic strength, stored magic and system cleanliness could help a doctor determine any number of problems. Or, in this case, the current progression of a pregnancy.

Firing her stream of magic, Lavender smiles when her spell returns with the information on Cadance and the little foal.

“You’re doing much better. You’re still a little low on magic, in comparison to an alicorn’s usual magic levels, but your little foal is happy and healthy, if a little hungry at the moment…”

Lavender fills Cadance in.

A knowing look passes over the alicorn’s face, as her eyes stray to the guitar, which Lavender is now levitating into her waiting hooves.

“So, any preferences?”

Lavender asks as Cadance lays back down in bed and Lavender takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

“Just pick a song by the same artist, I liked your song from last time well enough… and the little one did too.”

Cadance comments kindly.

Giving the Princess a little nod, Lavender picks out a different Aquilina song this time.

Taking a breath, Lavender starts the song with a few soft and careful strums of the guitar.

Her voice is quiet and full of emotion when she starts to sing a little while later.

(Forest Fires)

“I don’t have much to say,
There’s nothing in this name,
Sorry to disappoint again.
Nobody pines for the listener,
A thrill I fail to deliver.”

After only the first verse, Cadance’s stomach takes on the foal’s magical glow, both mares sharing a relieved and pleased look as Lavender continues to sing.

“And whilst I watch in silence,
You’re starting forest fires.
You start them just to feel the heat.”
The mares watch, almost entranced, as the glow slowly morphs into a thread.
“And whilst I keep my quiet,
You’re running with the tigers.
You’re running just to run from me.”

Pausing as the lyrics require, Lavender continues strumming her guitar, carefully reaching out to help the unborn foal complete the connection for a direct transfusion.

She can almost hear a happy little laugh when the two powers interact and merge together. Pleased that she’s taking a slow and measured amount of her power, Lavender refocuses on the song and continues with the next verse.

“The people on this train,
Already made up their minds about me.
I can already feel their hate,
The stranger, his sorrow,
Must be fault of my own.”

Taking a breath, and carefully monitoring the little one’s magic intake, Lavender decides to stop after the next chorus.

“And whilst I watch in silence,
You’re starting forest fires.
You start them just to feel the heat.”

The mares watch, pleased and pleasantly surprised, as the glow slowly morphs into a thread.

“And whilst I keep my quiet,
You’re running with the tigers.
You’re running just to run from me.”

Finishing the song prematurely, and on a soft and quiet note, Lavender and Cadance both gasp, when the little one gives Lavender some of HER magic, before again severing the link herself, and letting the golden light of her magic recede.

Blinking at each other, Lavender is the first to break the silence.

“I do believe… that she’s become quite attuned to the two of us.”

She comments, drawing Cadance out of her thoughts.

“…I certainly agree with you.”

The princess tacks on.

“She’s quite powerful already, you know?”

Lavender prompts, her niece’s magic like a warm shock to her system.

“I guessed as much when she cut the connection with you the first time.”

Cadance admits.

“Good. So long as we know what we’re dealing with, we should be able keep the both of you happy and stable until her birth.”

Lavender says, her posture relaxing as she takes a moment to collect herself.

“Lavender…?”

The unicorn opens her eyes, letting them slide to the side, where Cadance is still lying in bed, before humming to let her sister know that she’s listening.

“…What ARE we dealing with?”

She asks hesitantly.

Lavender slowly turns her head to meet her worried sister’s gaze.

“I don’t know… But I FEEL like whatever it is, she’s good.”

She reassures Cadance, gently stroking her slightly swollen belly for emphasis.

And that’s her honest opinion.

She’s never before felt a foal with so much power, but such strength of character and kindness as well.

She’s clearly working based purely on instinct when she reaches out with her golden magic, or cuts off the transfusion, but, the very fact that she does such things, attests to her empathetic prowess and good nature, no matter how young she still is.

“So, you get some more rest, and I’ll come by again after dinner.”

Lavender says by way of goodbye, smiling when Cadance gives her a little nod, before teleporting to the foyer and calling Flash by sending a quick jolt of magic through her hair clip.

He flies into the foyer only a few seconds later.

“Need something?”

He asks, and Lavender can literally see the tension flow out of him as he surveys his surroundings and determines that she isn’t calling him because she’s in some type of danger.

“Sorry to bother you, I just… interrupted your lunch, I’m sorry.”

She breaks off, seeing a smudge of food at the corner of his mouth.

Without really thinking, she levitates a pale purple handkerchief between the two of them and wipes the spot of food away.

“Uh… That’s ok.”

Flash answers when he finds his voice again.

“I actually just wanted to ask if I could eat with you, since I haven’t had lunch yet, and Shining gave me a scolding about it a little while ago.”

Lavender continues, picking up her sentence where she’d dropped it.

Flash loses a few shades of colour when he realises that he also forgot to check if Lavender had eaten anything else after her snack for breakfast.

He’d just gotten caught up training and hanging out with some of his comrades… Captain Shining was going to skin him for this one!

“No problem, let me just find you a cook and you can let him know what you want.”

Flash answers with a nod, already flying up a few meters to scan the immediate area for personnel. The tug of Lavender’s magic on his tail brings him back to the ground though.

“That’s… not what I meant.”

She says quietly, toeing the ground with her forehoof.

Flash cocks his head at her quiet admittance.

“Oh, did you want to get something in town again?”

He tries, biting the inside of his cheek when she shakes her head.

“…wanted to eat in the guards’ mess hall with you.”

His ear flicks, but she’d been too quiet for him this time.

“Sorry?”

He probes.

“I actually wanted to eat in the guards’ mess hall with you.”

She says again, forcing her voice to take on a normal volume.

Flash blinks.

This was new.

“Ah… sure?”

He answers, folding his wings away to show Lavender the way to the guards’ mess hall on hoof.

“This way.”

He says, walking back the way he’d flown with Lavender following a half hoof step behind him.

It doesn’t take too long to get to the guards’ mess hall, and Flash pauses outside of the large wooden double doors.

“Now, you’re SURE you want to eat in here?”

He asks one more time, having done so multiple times on their walk over.

“Again. Yes, I’m sure.”

Lavender answers back, her curiosity getting the better of her as she listens to the loud calls, crashes and cheers coming from the other side of the doors.

Sighing, Flash turns to face Lavender.

“Ok, one more time, what did I tell you on the way here?”

He asks, waiting for her to refocus on him.

“Try to stay close to you, don’t take any comments personally, and if all else fails, don’t hesitate to reveal my connection to Shining.”

She repeats, wondering what could possibly make Flash so nervous as to have him make her promise such things.

Hearing a loud exhale, Lavender sees Flash giving her a resolute look.

“With that, I welcome you, to the guards’ mess hall at lunch.”

He says, before he turns back to the doors and pushes them open to reveal absolute mayhem.

Author's Note:

Hello to all my lovely readers!

This chapter... took longer than I thought it would, BUT, I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it too!

Let me know what you think in the comments!

I HOPE to post at least 1 more chapter before Christmas... with Uni starting up again it may be difficult to do anything more than that, BUT, I look forward to your comments, and to continuing the story!

Without giving too much away, the next chapter should be seeing a certain mare and stallion having an interesting first meeting.

Anyway, enjoy the read!

Yours,
Aki