=Familia 11=

“Princess Twilight Sparkle to see Princess Celestia?”
>The guard at the palace gates looks over his clipboard and nods to you with a smile. “Welcome back to Canterlot, your highness!”
>He opens the gate ant ushers you in “Always nice to see you!”
“You too!” you call back.
>Today was the day you were supposed to go visit Anonymous, but Princess Celestia had called you to Canterlot instead.
>Her letter was vague as to the reason, but an official summons was an official summons. Anonymous was the kind of guy who wouldn’t get upset about princess business, anyway.
>The path to the conference room was one you were more than familiar with from the gate, even before your princess duties manifested themselves.
>You remember back when you were a little filly receiving lessons from Princess Celestia how she would always let off steam having come directly from a conference or another just before. Eventually you had asked to see the room she was so annoyed with and remember being a bit disappointed to see nothing but an average meeting table overlooking the city.
“I guess everything seems more intense to a filly.” You say to yourself with a giggle.
>Finally you come to the room and head inside, meeting your first surprise of the day.
“Oh! Anonymous, what are you doing here?”
>The old man with a freshly trimmed beard looks up from his teacup. “Oh, hello Twilight! You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t greet you but an old man like me can’t be roused too easily after he’s had his tea! Hohoho!”
>You chuckle to yourself and walk in, shutting the door behind you.
“I don’t mind, but what brings you here? Is this what Celestia’s summons was about?”
>”Heh. I’m sure Celly just wanted us all to meet.”
>Us?
>You don’t get to ask before someone else speaks up. ”Poppy, do you have enough tea? I’m sure I can find us more.” 
>Wait, you knew that voice. It couldn-
>You whip your head to the other end of the room and find that it’s EXACTLY who you think it is.
“WHAT IS -SHE- DOING HERE?!”

-Anon PoV-
>You press down one last time on the suitcase and click it shut.
“There…that should just about do it I think, hmm?”
>You turn and look back at the owner of the suitcase. Celestia’s eyes were wide with tears and her bottom lip trembled.
“Tia…”
>”DAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYY-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y!” she cries through snotty sobs as she throws herself onto your shoulder.
>This had been a common occurrence the last few weeks so you knew at this point to just keep quiet and pat the back of her neck.
“Tia. TIA! It’s alright! This was your idea!”
>”I DON’T WANT THIS IDEEEEAAAAAA!” she bawls.
>You pat her neck again.
>”She still screams?” you hear behind you.
“She still screams.”
>Luna comes out of her room with a suitcase of her own and rolls her eyes. “Let me, I suppose…”
>She goes for Celestia’s bag but gets swatted away by a magical hoof. “I can doooo iiiiiittttt.” Celestia says through sobs.
>Luna scoffs. “Come now sister, compose thyself! T’was our own decision to go to the tribes of ponyfolk and establish a nation! You saw what their division almost did those winters ago!”
>You feel your shoulder getting wetter. 
>”BUT I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE DAAAADDYYYYYYY!”
>Luna grunts in annoyance again.
“It’s fine, sweetheart. I expected this. Can you get the door?”
>As Luna opens the front door, you begin to lead Celestia through it.

“Ooookay, okay sweety, let go.”
>Celestia does as you instruct and takes her place next to her sister, you stand before them and smile slowly.
>Luckily, you’d been practicing for this.
“…Look at you two…so big now, so wise!”
>You take a few steps closer and run your hands through their manes, thinking back to when those two little fillies ended up on your doorstep.
“When I was first asked to raise you, I was scared I’d mess it up, did I tell you that?”
>”Only every other year.” Luna says with a sarcastic scoff.
“Well it’s true. But look at you both now…”
>You sniff and pull a tear back into your eye.
“My little girls…going out to make the world a better place. I was scared when you both first came here, but now, now I feel…lighter. Like I know that everything went as it was supposed to.”
>You pull the two of them closer and wrap your arms around them. 
“I promise, you two both taught me more than I ever could have taught you…I know you’re both going to do fantastically with the other ponies!”
>The girls sniff and hug you back. “Oh father…”
>”We love you!”
“I love you too, gir-“
>”Oh blast it STOP, this is giving me cavities.”
>The three of you turn to where Discord is leaning in the doorway.
>”I think I’m gonna yak” he says, gagging on himself and coughing up a small six inch high yak from his throat that runs off around the back of the house.
>You chuckle and head over.

>Your boy smiles down at you and strokes his cultivated billy goat beard
“Discord, when YOU first came here, you were the biggest pain in my butt I’d ever experienced. Whereas now-“
>”Now I’m the cultured and erudite master of random chance that keeps your dreary life from becoming completely malaise?”
>You blink a few times wondering when his diction evolved.
“No, now you’re a sliiiightly smaller pain in my butt.” You say, holding your finger and thumb an inch apart.
>”Tch. You’re all love, pops.”
>You hold both your arms out.
>”…No.”
“Yes.”
>”No, dad.”
“Yes, dad.”
>”Dad, I’m serious, I’m nog going to hug you.”
>He took the bait.	
“Hi Serious.”
>Discord’s pupils shrink and he jams a finger of his lion paw in your face. “DO NOT”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
>”I’M WARNING YOU!”
>Your arms are still out.
“Youknowhowtomakethisstop!”
>”GAGH!” Discord stops his hoof in annoyance and puts his arms around you, tugging you in for a good-bye hug.

>You enjoy a moment in your first son’s embrace.
“…I’m dad.”
>Discord vanishes in a flash of light and reappears behind his sisters. “There you go! You ruined it! You know this is why people have trust issues!”
>”Thou art such a drama queen, brother.”
>”Oh who asked you.”
>The three children all look to each other and share a small smile. “You know” Discord begins” Living with you two wasn’t as much of a hassle as I thought it might be, I could PERHAPS be talked into doing it again sometime soon.”
>The celestials sisters glance at each other and then say “We couldn’t.” in unison.
>Discord’s face falls. “Hah. Aha. Aha.”
>The three snicker to themselves.
>”You’ll write?” Celestia asks.
>”Oh maybe once or twice, if I’m in the MOOD.” Discord says.
>Luna winks at her sister. “Worry not, we can track him down.”
>A long silence hangs in the air for several heartbeats, and it’s up to dad to break it.
“Go, get out of here, all of you have grand destinies to meet that you can’t do on my doorstep.”
>The three turn their gaze to you now and nod, then Discord floats off. “So long! Farewell! Auf-wiedersehen, you three!”
>Celestia and Luna nod and then fly off themselves, waving goodbye with tears in the corners of their eyes as well.
>And you stand there, grinning like a mad fool beaming with pride watching them go. 

>That night you stand by your favorite tree and talk to the wind with a glass of milk in your hand.
“Ah, you should have seen the three of them, Red. If I was as proud as I was, I can’t even begin to imagine your reaction.”
>The wind swirls among the grass and up to your ears. “I promise, it couldn’t have been as beaming as yours.”
>You take a sip and ponder that.
“How does that make sense? They’re your creations, them realizing their destiny has got to be a point of pride for you, right?”
>”Who is more worthy of praise? The one who built the house, or the one who made someone want to live in it?” she asks.
>You take another sip.
“…Deep.”
>”I try.”
“Come on though, not even a bit?”
>The wildflowers chime with a melodious chuckle. “I’m happy that the three of them are taking their first steps into a larger world. They have a lot to do in it.”
>You nod, that was true.
>”But I’m also happy for you, partner. You proved my hunch right.”
“Hunch? What hunch?”
>The stars in the sky seem to look down on you with grace and gratitude. “That it doesn’t matter where something comes from, what matters is what we do with it while it’s here.”
>You nod and smile to yourself.
“Yeah, I think I understand that.”
>”Good, because it’s about to be put to the test.” Your partner says before the wind abruptly stops and you hear something hiss from your house behind you.
“Huh?”

>What was that noise?
>You hide yourself behind the tree and peak back at your domicile, never having seen it be this threatening before.
“Heeeello?”
>There! Off to the side, you see movement, black on black darting to the shadows underneath your porch.
“Hey! Who’s there!”
>Silence is your answer.
>You gather your courage and creep closer towards the deck.
“I saw you run under there, you might as well come out!”
>No answer, but you hear something shuffling around down there.
>Your curiosity overrides your survival instinct now, making you lean down and look in through the hole it must have squeezed through.
“Is it a raccoon?” you ask out loud.
>”I am most certainly NOT!” is your high pitched response.
>You jump back a bit and an awkward silence sets in.
>”U-uh…I mean…you heard nothing, pale thing! Now away with you!”
“I can’t go anywhere.” You tell the little voice “This is my home.”
>The voice is quiet again, not having considered that, perhaps.
“I know you’re in there now, what are you?”
>You hear shifting and a slight rumbling sound.
>”Hungry…” it answers, pathetically but earnestly.
>The sky smiles down at you when your feet start moving on their own.
“Hold on.”
>You head inside the house and grab a basket of cookies you and Celestia had made a week or so prior. Once you return outside, you have a seat next to the hole and put one in your mouth. 
“See? Yummy.”
>You then offer one to the darkness.
“Would you like one?”
>”…What is in it?” asks the voice.
“Uhm…dough, chocolate, and love?”
>”…Stay right there and do not move.” The voice says wearily.
>You do as you’re asked and let her walk closer to you just as the moon shifts slightly and you get a good look at her.
“My…you’re certainly a unique one.”

-Twilight PoV-
>”Stop yelling, by the Progenitors.” She says rubbing her hooves against her forehead.
“Not until someone tells me what is going on! Why are you HERE, Chrysalis!?”
>”To receive a splitting migraine, it seems!” she retorts.
>Anonymous chuckles with a slightly pained look on his face in the seat next to her. “Quite the set of lungs on her, huh?” he asks.
>Chrysalis nods. “Quite so, Poppy.”
>She said it again.
“Don’t tell me…”
>”Don’t tell you what?” Anonymous asks.
>”I invited them here, Twilight.”
>Princess Celestia enters the room over your shoulder and bows her head. “Apologies for my lateness daddy, matters of state.”
>Anonymous smiles warmly. “You never need apologize to me, Tia.”
“I- But- She-“
>”One at a time, Twilight.”
>You take a breath. “Will someone PLEASE explain to me what is going on?”
>”You’re smart, Sparkle.” Chrysalis says next to Anonymous. “Guess.”
>Celestia walks around the table and sits on the other side of Chrysalis, getting narrowed eyes and a tighter mouth from the Changeling.
“Uh…nevermind, I think I figured it out.”
>”Your mastery of the obvious is as developed as Celestia’s then.”
>”Be nice.” Anonymous chides.
>Chrysalis takes a deep breath and utters a faint “Sorry.” Under her breath.
>Celestia beams and nuzzles her head. “I forgive you.”
>”Joy. Of joys.” Chrysalis bites out.
>”Little sister~.”
>”DO NOT. Call me that.” She spits out again.
>Both Celestia and Anonymous laugh to themselves.
“I- Why did you call me here, Princess?”
>Celestia looks down at you with motherly affection. “Today it has been decided that you will learn about the…other members of our extended royal family.”
>Chrysalis is still uncomfortable. “Of all those that I could have to tell this tale to, Sparkle. It would HAVE to be you.”
>”It could be Cadence again.” Anonymous says.
>”Objection withdrawn.”