Chapters "Luuuuuna!" The high pitch voice bounced down the halls of the large castle, "Luna, come on! Mother wants us to be ready for the picnic!" Trotting down the corridors the small sized strawberry-colour maned alicorn hummed to herself with an agitated expression clearly showing on her face. This wasn't the first time the lunar princess was holding up the family outings and fun she was bound to have messing with the younger sibling.
"HELP! TIA, M-MY WING!!" The blue filly bellowed from her chambers in a terrified manner.
"Luna? Luna, I'm coming!" Celestia pumped her wings and shot down the hall and through her sisters door. "Luna, are you okay?! What's wrong with yo- oh you have got to be kidding me Lulu.." her voice died down and she face-hooved; ashamed.
"Getmedowngetmedowngetmedown!!!" She shrieked.
"Oh be quiet, you did this yesterday!" She couldn't believe it... well, actually she could. Luna got herself trapped in a mess of rope again. "You really have to stop training so hard. You won't be able to fly at all if your wing keeps getting caught, let alone fly through loops and do acrobatics.." Sighing to herself Celestia levitated the blue ball of rope and fur, undoing the rope and carefully untying it from her wing.
Rubbing her sore wing and folding it against her side, Luna got up and stood next to her sister. "I know, Tia.. Thanks for getting me out again hehe..." She said sheepishly.
"You're welcome, Luna. Now come on, if father sees this mess, we won't be going anywhere today!" Celestia enveloped Luna in her aura and placed her on her back as she readied her wings. Looking back to Luna, she flapped her wings, taking them out the window and around the castle to greet their parents for their outing of the day.
Luna always loved the air whizzing passed her face, showing clearly as she began to smile and let her wings catch and glide through the air. Celestia bombed down causing Lunas sore wing to twinge with pain so she placed it back at her side.
Landing gracefully befitting a regal princess, Celestia shone a happy smile to their mother and father before walking ahead causing Luna to roll and fall off her back.
"Hey!" She huffed, crossing her hooves.
"Haha, sorry Lulu; but you know how much I love mothers cucumber sandwiches!" Giggling and running over to the picnic blanket her parents were on, Celestia shone a happy smile to them.
Glaring, Luna got up and dusted herself off, "Oh, you're going to regret that Tia..." Luna started walking up to Celestia with a small frown as Celestia floated a sandwich and a small glass of juice with a straw.
"Come on Lulu, there's plenty to eat, mother even made lunar bars!" She said giddy, looking up to her mother; her galactic mane swirling with constant nebulae and shooting stars.
"Yes, do dig in dear, I added a little something just for you." Galaxia said warmly, bringing all of the food out and setting it down. "I hope you still like fudge." She added with a smirk.
"Really?! I haven't had any desserts all week! Can I can I can I?" She pleaded as if her mother was tricking her.
"Haha, just be sure to finish a few sandwiches and we have a deal." She picked up her tiara and took a small leaf out of her mane. "And Celestia, if you take your sister flying, make sure she's off your back before you gallop away." She chastised slightly, in a small joking manner.
Looking down, Celestia placed her yummy sandwich down and tapped her hooves together, "Sorry Luna... I should have waited." She said sadly.
"...It's okay, Tia. Just don't do it again and we have a deal." The happy princess said with a wink to her mother.
Celestia nodded with a smile and nibbled on a lunarbar, while Eternia's horn shone and a medium-sized hoofball bounced around the blanket and landed in front of Celestia. "When you two are done eating for a bit, you should go and play. Crater here hasn't been outside for a whil-"
*whack*
Luna kicked the ball at his head, making the king fall and topple over. "I told you to stop calling me that, father!" She huffed and looked away, sipping her juice.
Galaxia gave a soft laugh and poked her husband, "Strong kick, dear?"
Eternia chuckled and sat up, "It wasn't a weak one if that's what you mean." Frowning playfully at Luna he used his magic and turned the ball into an exact copy of the moon in the night sky. Bouncing the ball a few times in front of her and laughing, he tried launching the ball, but when he did so Luna grabbed on and flew through the tree line with it.
"We're you really thinking she'd grabbed it?" Galaxia raised a brow.
"Of course. Crater's been trying to fly like that for so lo- OW!" The ball slammed in his face and bounced off, back into the bushes towards Luna.
"Hehehe, father was right. Lulu is quite good." Celestia said through a fit of giggles.
"Why don't you go join her dear? I'm sure she's waiting for you by now."
"But I was going to go to the rose gardens and see all the new blossoms!" She protested. "Even the tulips are beginning to respond better to my magic!"
Galaxia thought for a moment and unwrapped a cloth that was filled with two vanilla cupcakes with honey-berry frosting and strawberries on top. "What? Did you think I'd forgotten about you as well?" She teased.
The whole time Celestias eyes were wide and her muzzle was dripping with drool. "Those wouldn't be what I think they are, are th-"
"Oh yes they are~" She floated them around Celestias head as her child followed them, "Go play with Luna and you can have one. Your sister gets hers after you see her, got it? Luna gets a cupcake too, alright?"
Celestia mumbled something incoherent and grabbed hers with her mouth and smacked the other with her wing as she galloped towards the trees.
Eternia shook his head as his wife laid on the blanket and he over top her neck. "Our foals have an unhealthy addiction to sweets and you know it."
"Says the stallion that can eat ten whole liters of ice-cream and still want to have apple fritters," She said with a small smile and an eye open.
"Mmm, 'irsh cupcake ish delicioush!" The solar filly said ecstaticly through her whole cupcake mouthful. Striding through the grass and trees, Celestia looked for her younger sibling, watching out for the moon to come whipping passed her face... Or in it.
"Come on Tia, you're getting closer~!" Luna's voice blew thorough the branches. "I wanna play something other than hoofball today."
Celestia Didn't know why but her voice sounded extremely close, but she couldn't see her. "You're on, Lulu. What's the game this time?" She questioned to the breeze.
"Hide 'N Seek! Count to thirty and come find me, Tia~" The bushes rustled and blue lunar eyes poked through.
"Okay Luna, get ready!" Celestia turned around and started counting. "One!"
Luna sprang through the many bushes behind her and smiled at the flowers, smelling them.
"Eight!"
Her friends she had made earlier fluttered about the bush, taking in the sweet nectar of the butterfly bushes' flowers. "Did you all miss me?-" She looked over her shoulder.
"Twenty two!"
"-Because I have a great idea for Tia." Rubbing her hooves together like she was an evil genius, Luna whispered into the mass of butterflies.
"Alright, so you're sure you understand it?" Luna asked the butterflies.
They flew around her head giving her small butterfly kisses. Laughing and falling down, she nodded and climbed up onto them.
Smiling evilly, she pointed up and slowly hovered above the highest branches.
"Perfect.." she said happily.
"THIRTY!" Celestia yelled, taking her hooves away from her eyes and standing up. "Come out, come out wherever you are~" She called through the woods leading to the jungle. She never liked the place, but it did have a wonderful view.
The sunny filly ran through the bushes and vines, trotting around anywhere that wasn't covered in prickly thorns. Pushing branches away with her magic and hooves, she couldn't see any sign of Luna.
Puffing her cheeks out , thinking it would have been easy to find the blue princess, she sucked on her cheek in contemplation. "You won't get away from me, Luna. I'll find you!" Stomping her hoof she trotted away down a small trail.
Holding her hooves over her mouth, and giggling furiously under them, Luna floated above her older sister and waited for her to leave completely before bursting out and rolling along her butterfly hovercraft.
"I'm closer than you think, sister~" She said maniacally while the blue filly floated around in the air, inspecting all her new friends. Not a single one was alike. They were all so pretty and colorful, it was like a mixed rainbow. Clopping her hooves together in delight, the night princess raised a hoof and exclaimed, "Onward! Helpers of Luna, the best princess ever!"
The mass began to fly toward Celestia and once above her, Luna peaked over and watched her older and "Therefore greater" sister as Tia liked to put it, search for her in a mess of tangled vines and large trees.
"UGH." She kicked the ground in annoyance. "I WILL find you, Lulu." She stated.
Everywhere the future ruler of the sun would look, her smaller and lunar counterpart would follow, laughing to herself. Celestia looked thorough the great trees where she thought she saw Luna standing, but it turned out to just be butterflies in a swarm the same shape...
Although she didn't find her, the butterflies must have seen her. Even when she watched Luna hop into a tree, when she followed, Luna disappeared before she could call out that she'd found her.
This was starting to infuriated the future ruler. If Celestia didn't find her soon, she'd scream!
Laying out on her fluttery hovercraft, Luna sighed and looked up at the sky; clear and blue, clouds idly drifting from the jungle. "Hmm, I wonder if mother will allow FOUR lunar bars..." humming to herself, Luna couldn't see her sister stomping and flaring her wings, ready to take off.
"THAT'S IT!" Celestia screeched, springing off the ground and flying into the air just gliding above the trees, "If I can't see her from down there, I'll get an aerial view!"
Not even noticing the other sibling in the air, Luna hummed and played with her hooves, pretending to mush the clouds; until, a large butterfly flew around her face erratically, causing her to look.
"OH NO!" She yelled, " DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!" She commanded her minions of kindness.
But they shot down too fast and she launched through the branches, fallen trees and many bushes.
Screaming and flailing her hooves, she was trapped under a log and her wings were sore from twigs and leaves being pulled through.
"H-help!!" She grunted and fell down, the log too much for her to push off. "T-Tia! I'm... I'm s-stuck!" Feeling tired and sore, she was pinned and couldn't do anything. "M-mommy..." She whimpered devastated.
"Does that hurt..?" An unknown voice shot into her ears.
"Hello? P-please, help me-e-e!" She began to tear up.
"I'm really sorry to ask, but if I do will you promise not to yell..?" The stranger asked.
"W-why would I-I yell?" Luna asked, sniffling.
"Everyone seems to..." the voice stated in a sad tone.
"I p-promise, just please help!!" She pleaded.
The tree beside her rustled and a small colt-like creature stepped off a branch, sliding down the tree.
Very slowly he took a step and knelt down. "Are you okay if I... Lift the log off you? I don't want you hurt more." Luna looked up at him with teary eyes and nodded quickly.
The young boy crouched slightly and began to lift the small fallen pine, easing the petite princess so she could breathe fully. But then he stopped.
"What are you doing? I'm a-almost free!" She asked in terror.
"I'm sorry... it's just, I can't lift the rest." Luna was perplexed. If he could't, then how would she ever get free? "Plus." He added, "There's a white unicorn looking at me really angrily."
At this, Luna's eyes shot open and she was filled with joy, "Tia, I'm right here! Help!"
Celestia saw Luna underneath a strange creature on two legs and ran to her side, standing at him defensively.
"How dare you do this to my little sister! I'll make you pay." The defensive sister barked, glaring.
"B-but I didn't do this... I saw your sister and tried to help." The boy was stilled hunched over and just stared at Celestia.
"Then why are you about to try and hurt her!!" She looked him up and down noticing something. "Why aren't you moving? Admitting you tried to hurt a princess? Not to mention MY younger sister!"
"I really didn't mean anything by it..." The boy looked down and saw Luna with a smile. "In case you were wondering, it's because if I move, this innocent sister of yours gets stuck again. Maybe if you pushed on that side we could get her out"
Celestia blinked and gasped, "Oh jeez, Luna! Don't worry, we'll get you out! Don't move." She ran to the log and bent down, lifting her back and pushing it up.
At the same time, the boy grunted and shoved his shoulder against it as hard as he could.
"Just a little... More." He got his footing and pushed with Celestia; the log being tossed back and freeing the tiny princess.
*cough* *cough* "Luna, are you okay?" Celestia asked thorough the dust.
As the little cloud of dirt settled, Luna stood up and coughed, letting her wings hang loose. "Y-yeah... I guess, I am.
Celestia sighed in happiness, "Oh thank you, thank you!" She told the empty sky, draping a wing over Luna's side.
The boy simply sat there, arms extended on the ground. He began getting up when Luna moved her face from her sisters chest and looked up to him quizzically.
Smiling to him again, she walked up and hugged his stomach. The boy went wide eyed and looked down to the insanely happy Luna.
"You keep smiling at me." He said in a flat voice.
"Yeah? So what? You didn't let me get crushed by the log again... other ponies would have been scared of Tia, but not you!" She hugged him tightly again and let go.
While Luna was thanking him, Celestia was getting a good look at him. He wore cloth that seemed to cover a few inches above his knees to his waist and the other covered part of his abdomen to his shoulders. He had a patch of hair on his head like a mane, but was about half it's length. The biggest thing she noticed though was his fairly small stomach. He must have not eaten anything in days!
Blinking, crossing her legs and rubbing her hooves together, she smiled warmly, "Are you hungry?"
The sudden question rocked the boy from his own thoughts and he nodded slowly.
"Then come back with us. We have plenty of food just over the meadow." Luna looked up to her and nodded erratically, to which Celestia placed her hoof on her mane, smiling.
They turned to walk, but he interrupted by asking, "is it okay if I bring someone else too? I'm sure she's just as hungry."
Celestia looked at Luna and back at him, "Do you have family?" She asked
"Haha, well I count her as family." Whistling a small tune, and waiting for a moment, they heard a bird calling back. Then diving from the sky a medium sized phoenix flew above their heads and landed on the boys shoulder with a few flaps.
"Is that..."
"A PHOENIX?!" The sisters said together.
"Uhm. Yes? I thought there was lots of them here." He sounded confused as if finding a flaming bird of legend was common.
"Only if you're a dragon!" Luna shouted astonished.
"What?"
"Luna means that dragons live as long as phoenixes, they're legendary! They're practically eternal!"
Starring at the bird on his shoulder with a strange stare, he shrugged. "She isn't THAT special."
The phoenix screeched and sparks flew off its feathers, starting tiny ember fires on the shoulder of his "shirt".
"OKAY, OKAY! SPECIAL BIRD. ETERNAL LEGEND!" He yelled, running around and rolling to put out the fires. Flapping just above him and perching on Celestia's horn, looking at him proudly, she called out.
"Sure, take her side 'cause she called you pretty and legendary. Don't thank the one who feeds you." He mumbled, standing up.
"R-really? Are you sure, because father was once almost burned alive by a family he tried saving. He rescued their nests, but they attacked..." she said, uneasy.
"She's as calm as a fly." Sticking a finger close to her beak, he added, "Just hates me is all."
Smiling at him, Celestia nudged Luna. "Mother and father will love him." Luna nodded excitedly.
"What was that?"
"Don't worry about it, lets get you some food." She told him happily.
Celestia started walking away but Luna took a step and whined. "Ow, ow, ow!" She lifted her hoof and held it closer.
"Are you okay Luna?" The concerned elder sister asked.
"I-it's my ankle.. I think it's sprained." Placing it down and putting some weight on it she picked it up again.
"Hurts that much?" Taking a knee to the ground, the young boy lifted Luna onto his back before either could protest.
"W-what are you doing?" The blue alicorn asked.
"Well," he started, standing up. "We can't have a princess like you walking on it, can we?" He turned and smiled at her, which only made Luna stick her face in his back.
"Hehehe, looks like Luna made a new friend." Celestia giggled, trotting off down the trail and trees.
Following quickly, he laughed and caught up with her, "So you two are really princesses?" He questioned.
"Yep! Our parents are the rulers of Equis. My father, King Eternia rules the night and commands the royal army while our mother, Queen Galaxia rules the day and handles the nations co-existing and future relations."
"Wow... I never thought I lived in a place that was so, populized!" He said, shocked.
"Father raises the moon and is in charge of creating all the planet's. Mother raises the sun and is in charge of creating stars and life... Tia takes over for mother and-"
"-And you take over for your dad. Raising the moon at night?" He finished for her.
Stuffing her face directly into his back she just went, "Mhm." Then went silent.
"Haha, I was wrong. I think father might not like you as much." She held a hoof to her mouth.
"What, why?" He asked a little scared.
"You're going to steal all of Luna's attention, hehe."
Grinning to himself he bumped her side, causing her to look. Taking a small pouch from his pocket, he took out a few rather large seeds. "You wanna feed her?" He asked.
Celestia looked giddy, "Oh could I? I've never fed one before!" Sticking out her wing and holding it out, he got the idea and placed them on her wing tips.
Quickly turning her head, the phoenix licked it's beak and watched intently.
"So what do I do?"
"Haha, she's a tough one. Never liked beak feeding. Here," He picked one out of the pouch and flicked it into the air with his thumb.
Screeching and flaring her wings, she shot through the air and caught the seed in her beak, chomping down strongly.
"Oh wow! She's so fast, her jaws are so powerful. She was a flash and it was gone!" Celestia's eyes were sparkling, she was mesmerized by the phoenixes beauty and grace.
"Oh yeah. She's a natural born killer alright." He stated proudly.
The rest of the way over the small hills and shrubbery, Celestia was flinging bird seeds up for her phoenix friend to eat.
"Don't give them all to her, those are hard to find and she loves them."
Tossing back the pouch and smiling she thanked him, "That was so cool, I can't believe I really just did that! What's her name?"
"I never really thought of one. I just got used to her calls so I never had to name her." Looking at the sun filly he could see her slightly downtrodden. "You're more than welcome to take a crack at it though. She might like it."
Smiling brightly she squee'd and did a small dance. "Are you sure? You don't want to?"
"Go ahead, after having her this long, she deserves one."
Nodding to him, she thought while they reached the tree lines opening. "How about... Flare?" The bird screamed and bent upside down, pecking her muzzle. "Take that as a no.. Hmm, Luna; remember mother's timber wolf? What was her name?"
"Da..bu..t." She mumbled out.
"What was that, future raiser of the moon?" He egged her on.
"Day.. Burst.." Luna yelled from his back and through her hooves.
"That's it! How would you like Day Burst?" She asked the phoenix. She Flared her wings and let flames fly off. "Okay, I'm sorry!" She bent down, looking at the young boy holding her wounded sister with such care, she smiled with such deep happiness; she felt warm inside.
"Give up, Celestia? Haha" He laughed.
"...Philomena..." she said suddenly.
C'awing happily and turning her heat down, Philomena rubbed her cheek against Celestia's.
"You just meet her and she only gets a peck? Where's your loyalty." He laughed.
Celestia giggled and moved her mane out of her eyes to look over the meadow through the trees.
"Mother!" She yelled happily, running through the bushes and jumping, fluttering her wings to get a little air until she was in her fathers hold.
"What's gotten you so excited, Celestia?" Eternia asked, chuckling and putting her down.
"Oh father, mother, Luna and I met somepony!" They exchanged glances and looked back at her.
"Who?" The parents said in unison.
She opened her mouth to speak but realized she never asked his name. "Uhmm... I actually don't know, haha." She rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly.
"I don't exactly have one, you're majesties." The boy interrupted as he walked up to the blanket and sat the tired princess down on it. Slowly laying her on her side, he ripped a tiny piece of his shorts and tied it around her ankle.
They stared at each other confused to the highest degree but not upset. "Then what shall we call you?"
Author's Note
Now, I know some of you might not understand or be happy with the ominous and random backstory of his upbringing, but it will be all revealed tomorrow in the next chapter.
The Best Day Ever
"I don't really mind what you call me. I thought my mom called me something I thought was my name, but I doubt she meant it that way..." He put a finger on his chin in thought.
"Why don't you believe she was referring to you by name, child?" Galaxia asked, worridly.
"Welllll, she started screaming 'Sana' and yelling when I let a bunch of traps loose hahaha." He smiled and put his hands behind his head, "I never liked having to catch animals, she knew that. I could never stand seeing their faces like that."
The parents shared a glance and turned to their oldest daughter, "Where in all of Equis did you find him, dear?"
"Luna crashed and he helped her... I wouldn't have found her if he hadn't shown up when he did, he must have been passing through the woods. Mother, he's the kindest soul!" She answered.
Lifting her head from her child's, she looked at the young boy telling her husband stories and falling back laughing. She smiled calmly and cleared her throat.
The two stopped and looked at her. "Yes dear?" The king asked.
"If you don't have one child, perhaps you should give yourself one. I'm sure you've wanted one haven't you?"
He looked at her like she was crazy. "If you tell me why I need one, I'll be more then happy to." He said, not smugly but almost challenging her.
"Why you need a name?" She asked, surprised a child would ask such a thing. He nodded and waited. "Well..." Looking to her husband he shrugged and pointed to her. "You need a name because it holds meaning. Caring for somepony and wanting them to feel reassured. I named my little sunshine, Celestia, because I knew one day her face would shine brighter than the day. You must have a name as a title. A title to show others the love you hold." She finished and patted her daughters head.
He began thinking over what she said, then started laughing uncontrollably. "Ahahahahahaha, oh my goodness... Stop, stop! Please, if y-you keep movin-Ahahaha!" Laughing even harder, he rolled over again and again.
"Uhm... Mother? Are you doing that?" She cocked her head sideways.
"No dear, I'm not." Galaxia told her, watching with peaked interest.
"Please! I'm sorry, just take the stupid bag and go hahahahahaha!" He was now in tears, laughing to the point he couldn't even fully let a chuckle out. He flopped on his back, tired; and that's when his shirt started moving. A small orange and red-feathered bird crawled out, looking at the group of alicorns.
"You have a phoenix..." Eternia said drying. "As a pet?" The elders said and asked in unison.
"I wouldn't call her that if I was you. She's more than just a pet, she's family. I've spent most of my time with her over the years." He corrected, sitting up cross legged. "Plus she's a frigid and grouchy girl." He sighed, all out of laughs but grinning instead.
Quickly snatching the pouch and jumping into the air, Philomena circled the picnic blanket a few meters above. Sparks shot off her wingtips as she stuck her beak into the bag and bit down on her favorite treats.
"Y-y-you... Have a Phoenix." Eternia said breathlessly. He couldn't believe it, the last phoenix he had seen tried killing him! Not to mention it was over four thousand years ago!
"Again, family. Not just a phoenix." He stood up and whistled a short call to her, "She's more like a little sister with anger issues than anything else." Philomena glided down to her friend and slowly perched herself on his waiting arm.
"How doesn't she set you ablaze, boy?!" Eternia said, highly confused and leaning so far to his left side, the boys arm and phoenix weren't within feet of his head. "That bird should be lighting you on fire and flying away to find another for nest ashes!" He exclaimed.
"Excuse me, you're majesty, but you clearly don't know much about them." He said calmly, not wanting to offend. "Philomena can control the temperature and flames her body produces with ease. All she has to do is warm her core to its hottest and suck the heat to it. She hasn't burned me since I was teaching her." He explained.
"That's simply, incredible, my dear boy. How in the name of the great power did you find her?"
"After a year of being on my own, I was freezing outside a small cave and I found a crack in the wall. There was a tiny red egg covered in yellow flames, almost completely buried in ashes. There wasn't any embers so I thought the bird had died. But I picked it up and put it in my palms, laid down and went to sleep. When I woke up, this little thing was whining and pecking my fingers." He scratched her chin and suckled his finger.
"You said, 'Philomena'." Galaxia smirked, "Why does your little sister hold a title and not yourself?"
"Haha, you can thank Celestia for that. Third time was the charm, but Philomena loves it."
Looking to her, Galaxia's gaze was uneasy. Celestia looked down and fiddled with her hooves. "It fit at the time." She told her mother.
Gaze softening, the queen rubbed Celestia's mane and smiled warmly, "I'd say it fits perfectly Tia."
Smiling wide, she nodded and had her cheeks turn the slightest bit of rosy.
"Now." Galaxia said flatly, "What shall we call you?" She said to everybody there.
"Fire Catcher?" The king proposed. Staring at him with a shamed look, the queen shook her head. Putting his hoof down, Eternia slunk down with it.
"I say we let Celestia decide." The young boy said steadily.
"W-what?!" Celestia gasped, "I mean... I named her, but you? I couldn't name YOU!" She said exhaustively, as if she were under pressure; to which she was at the moment.
"You named her; Philomena. That's better then anything I could have come up with. Besides, I'm happy as long as it's not, 'hey you'."
Sharing a small laugh, the group calmed down and looked to the future ruler.
"Okay, fine." She smiled, "Let me think..." tapping her chin with a hoof, she looked at him in deep thought, thinking over every detail she could find of him and a name to fit. "Eeee, this is perfect! " she squee'd, giddy to share.
"Well? What shall I be known as from this day forth?" He joked.
"Your new name is-"
"Brother..." Luna mumbled, stirring in her sleep and grabbing a few of his fingers where his arms lay at his side.
Author's Note
I'm not entirely done with his backstory, I know I left a few holes in it, so don't worry it's coming.
Enjoy!
Big Brother
The entire group stared at Luna in silence, until the boy looked at Celestia like his normal happy self, "You were saying? Haha." He lightly held Luna's hoof, making her sigh in her sleep.
"Uhm," Celestia turned to Galaxia and she just nodded warmly. "Right. Well, I thought about it, and how do you like 'Lyric'?" She asked cautiously.
"Lyric... Lyrrrric. Lyric, Lyric, Lyric." He said it over and over, rolling it off his tongue. "Perfection, you're highness." He gave a mock bow and chuckled.
Celestia giggled at his antics and looked to her parents. They smiled to her and said, "You're wonderful with names Celestia. How'd you think up that one?" Her mother asked, winking.
Tapping her hooves together, the white filly remembered his actions and the way he had been since they met. He's such a wonderful boy... so kind, truthful, generous, loyal to his only family, quite entertaining, and a mind far passed a forest dweller.
"He's everything..." She whispered to her parents between her hooves as she tried to hide half her face in embarrassment.
They laughed at their young child and glanced at the boy. He seemed to have sprung out of no where and captured their hearts.
"Lyric?" Eternia asked.
The boy looked at his phoenix Philomena drifting in the clouds and then turned to them, "Oh! Right, that's me now, hahaha." He put his hands behind his head and answered, "Yes, you're majesty?"
"We're oceans passed formalities, Lyric. Call me Eternia." Lyric nodded and waited for him to continue. "I was curious about your family, your kind, tribe, maybe village?"
Sighing out of having to tell them this, he fell back onto the grass the blanket was on and spread out. "I don't have one. Other than Philomena of course."
"B-but you're only near twelve! You must have come from somewhere?" He prodded.
"Well, like I said before, my mom raised me, but I could never understand what she was saying. She always used to tell me things I couldn't understand and try to teach me it. I could never get it, so one day my mom just disappeared. I would always let animals loose she tried to eat and try my best to help them, but mom would always kill them if they were still close enough to the house. I guess she got tired of me."
"You speak our language just fine, why could you learn ours?"
"I'm not sure, it was just easier. It was like I already knew a little and I just needed teachers. When I was nine, a zebra tribe had found me on the edge of the jungle and took me in. They were nice and helped teach me how to talk, but I felt as if I was freeloading and I left."
They sat there stunned. This child is truly alone? When they first set eyes on him they were curious of his species, there was so much they could learn! What even WAS he? They knew creatures were still coming from the Everfree Jungle, but they'd never, seen anything like him.
"So your family is..?"
"I don't know. Probably gone or just, far away." He waved at the clouds.
"Celestia?" Galaxia asked.
"Yes mother?" She stared at her looking scared.
Breathing in deeply and bumping Eternia to whisper something in his ear, the queen kissed her husbands cheek from his response.
"I think we should ask Lyric first dear, haha." The king put a wing over his queens back and smiled to the boy, "Lyric, would you like to come live with us?"
Mouth agape and eyes wide, Lyric slowly nodded then paused. "Can Philomena have a place to fly and hunt?"
"Are you kidding, my boy? I'll have a nest personally made for her. An amazing creature you have with you."
"Then I'm in- Ah!"
"I have a brother!" Celestia tackled Lyric and hugged him tightly while he was still trying to sit up.
"Help... Strawberry maned princess crushing me." He said while the happy filly giggled.
"We have a brother?!" Luna screamed, looking at Lyric confused as she rubbed her eyes. She slowly put it together and a smile formed, "No way!" Running up to his head, she looked over his eyes upside down, "You're really coming to the castle with us?"
"You got it." He told her.
Galloping to her mother she hugged her leg, "Thank you , thank you, thank you!" Fluttering her wings and dive bombing the two, Luna hugged Lyric as hard as she could.
"Double help... Lunar princess crushing neck." He wheezed.
Laughing heartily, the elders shared a loving gaze and picked the trio up in their magic and separated them, placing them facing the castles trail to the gardens entrance.
"Celestia, Luna. I trust you can lead your new brother to the castle?"
"Of course we can!" Celestia exclaimed excitedly
Grabbing Lyrics hand, Celestia began galloping down the meadow and let go after he started running while picking Luna up and placing her on his shoulders.
"Hahaha, yeah! Faster, faster!" She giggled, the wind blowing through her mane as they vanished down the trail.
"We did just do that, didn't we?" Eternia asked in astonishment.
Nuzzling her husband's muzzle, Galaxia lit up her horn and made the picnic begin putting itself away and bottled the drinks, wrapping the blanket around the basket, she placed it on her back.
"Lets go, love. I can't imagine what those two are going to be getting into with the new addition to the family."
Gasping and screaming, "I LEFT THE FIREWORKS FLARES IN THE COURTYARD!" The king steadied his wings and gave a thunderous clap as he flew through the wind.
"...I left the children's playhouse unlocked." She sighed and slowly trotted her way back to her home. "The damage is done."
Hearing small explosions followed by larger ones, the queen chuckled to herself as Eternia shot from the castle high in the air covered in black soot and a trail of smoke.
"I didn't make iiiiiiiiiiiit! " The king screamed as he landed with a plume of smoke.
Author's Note
To all who have wondered about my absence from this fic, it's due to myself being on a small vacation of sorts. I'll be going to Harrison hot springs and won't be able to write much. My friend has invited me and I can't say no to her. Possible chapters while I'm "sleeping" though such as tonight.
Welcome Home
"Holy cow..." Lyric exclaimed, gawking at the site of the magnificent fireworks spectacle taking place.
"You could say that again..." Celestia said, barely paying attention to his words. "Ooo."
Letting out random 'ooos' and 'ahhs', the trio stood there staring blankly at the sky until it was over.
"That was amazing!" Looking at Tia desperately, Lyric asked her, "You have more right? Right?"
"Well actually... We should probably head inside."
"But... More explosions." He said sadly.
"Be my guest if you wish to deal with father when he finds out you lit alllllllll his flares off."
Adorning a sheepish look he nodded, "Right. Time to go inside and hope he can't find us for a while?"
"Most favorable of choices. Now let's run!" She said as she began galloping away, "If that smoke trail I saw earlier was what think it is, we may have to leave Equis..." She told herself.
Peeking through his hair to Luna, Lyric smiled from her slack-jawed muzzle and tickled her back hooves making her giggle and squirm. "Better hold on to me tight." He told her.
Nodding as fast as she could, Luna secured herself on his shoulder and held on to the side of his head, looking assured.
"Haha, okay." Lyric chuckled and started running after Celestia, arms extended like a bird as he ran around in circles and loops, leaving the blue filly to giggle crazily as she fluttered her wings, practically hugging his head.
Celestia ran over the steps leading to the crawling lilies section of the garden and into the castles main chamber. Looking to her newest sibling she felt her heart beat skip and she smiled widely, "It's like he was made to make Luna laugh. He's a wish come true!" She exclaimed with small 'squee'.
Running up to the cloud minded filly, Lyric skidded to a stop and shone her with a smile. "Where to now?" He asked, clearly excited.
"Why don't I show you where we can get you dressed in something other than the clothes you've torn." Galaxia said from behind them, walking thorough the archway of the path.
"Heh, well I guess these are pretty torn" Lyric said, giving his ripped clothing a quick look over.
"I'm glad you agree, we wouldn't want you having to stay with them when you have our tailors." She told him with a wave of her wing.
"Awesome... I haven't had new clothes in years! Kinda lost track of the need haha."
Luna tapped his head and looked down, "How'd you only have those?! Tia has over a hundred hooflets just for TUESDAYS."
Looking back and forth quickly, Celestia lit her horn and picked up Luna, tossing her at their mother as she ran behind Lyric and starting pushing him along.
"HOW 'BOUT WE GO TO THE TAILOR AN- YEAH!" The embarrassed filly stammered.
Being dragged along, Lyric stumbled through the colorless doorway and somersaulted into the tailor. "What have we here you're highness? Have you found somepony for the princesses to play with again?" He chuckled.
"Hey, I'm not a pony. I'm a Lyric!" Celestia and Luna giggled as the tailor grinned.
"I see, my boy. Well I'm a Soft Stitch, and it's wonderful to meet you, Lyric." Standing proudly, Soft exclaimed, "I make all the gowns and clothing in this castle . If you see a maid; that's mine handy work." He added with a wink.
"Wow. You must be a pretty important pony." He gawked.
"One of the most important." Galaxia added from behind them with a happy look. "Now my loyal Soft. Our newest child and brother is need of-"
"CHILD?!" Soft yelled. "You adopted him? Did you not go for a simple picnic, where in the world did you find him?"
"I actually kinda found them, haha." Lyric said with his arms behind his head as he laughed, "Too bad it wasn't sooner." He said with a glance to Luna's hoof.
Following his look, Soft caught in his throat and quickly back to Lyric. "My my my, a young knight we have." He said with a gentle smile.
"Young by stature, not by strength!" Lyric said before he laughed, leaving the rest to join in.
"I think you found yourself the perfect family, Lyric." Soft told him warmly. "Now let's get you fitted for something befitting a young prince." Taking out his tape and quickly going around him, the tailor stopped and picked up his arms.
"Why ya doing that?" Lyric asked in mild wonder.
"Making sure your suit fits and breathes properly. Can't have you snug and heat-stroken can we?" Finishing up, he chuckled to himself as he looked over the measurements.
Why are they funny?" The boy asked as he crossed his arms. "Laughing at someone about something they don't know, ISN'T funny."
"But... It was only something I found interesting, Lyric."
Lyric blinked and had a small laugh, "Oh! Okay, I get it. What's interesting though?" His curiosity was peaked .
"Haha, questions every other word. You crave to learn, I take it?"
"Well I guess you could say that. I do know over six thousand nine hundred and two edible and non edible plant life in the forest." He said with a look of contemplation.
"S-six THOUSAND?" Soft and Galaxia yelled.
"Yep. I know even more of the animals!" He rocked back and forth on his heels excited to share. "Lots of nice ones. Tonnnnnnnnnnnnns of mean ones though. Just gotta know what they like."
The tailor and queen shared a look of disbelief and shook their heads.
"Full of surprises, aren't you my boy?" Soft told him as he placed his markings down and walked to his shelves. "Come back before dinner is served and I shall have some wonderful new robes for you."
"Wow! I can't wait, thanks so much!" He exclaimed, running up and giving Soft a rather large stone covered in ash.
"What's this for?"
"You're making me new and FULL clothes. I can't walk away and leave you without something."
"I appreciate it , bu-" Galaxia shook her head slightly and nodded to Lyric, "Well I suppose I can keep it." He said to the now cheerful boy.
"Oh great! Because I've been keeping this one for a while." Lyric told him as he looked at the stone.
"What is it Lyric? A stone you found special?" He inquired.
"Stone?" Lyric asked in confusion, "It's better than that." Picking it up and rubbing it with his hands, he placed the now shining and gorgeous four inch gem in his hooves. "I had to make nests for Philomena, my phoenix, well in a way she's her own phoenix I guess... ANYWAYS, she had these nests and one day we left our camp, I found it when I was picking up coals."
The tailor was speechless. This child just handed him a diamond-amethyst that could go in Equestrian royal crown pieces!
"I-I-I... Don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything, just take it." Lyric smiled as he crossed his arms behind his head and walked out with Luna and Celestia.
"Y-you're majesty?" Soft asked
"Yes?" She asked calmly, on her way out the room.
"M-may I really keep this?" He was shaking in confusion and disbelief.
"Why of course. Lyric gave it to you didn't he? I have a feeling he wants you to keep it." She waved to him with a wing and left.
Soft fell flat to his haunches. "That kid just solved every problem my family will have for generations..." He said aloud, if only for himself. "By the light of day and shine of night..." Standing on all fours, the tailor composed himself and set his new gem down. "Welcome home... Prince Lyric."
Soft excitedly and happily worked as fast and as thorough as he could. Nothing would stop him from giving these clothes the perfect stitch, fabric, shears, and buttons. 'Not a thread shall be seen', he thought to himself.
Author's Note
I've been hospitalized the past week from my holiday and have been horrendous vomiting blood and the like. I am sorry I haven't been able to keep up the updates but when you're stuck in a bed getting shots of hydroform and morphine, you tend to be incapacitated. This is a tiny sampler of what's to come. Don't get angry at the "tease" some of you might take it as, it's just so I don't lose a reader. Enjoy the bit, thanks for understanding.
A Destined Family
As Lyric strode through the hall away from the tailor with his sister's, he asked, "Why was he so surprised, it's not like those are rare too or something."
The princesses stopped and their jaws dropped, "Not rare?! That was a crystallized diamond amethist!" Celestia exclaimed.
"Yes? Your point miss pink hair?" He asked with a smirk.
"It's not pink... It's strawberry." She told him with a pout. "Beside the point. How can you think those are common?!"
"Because I have piles of them." He said humorously. "I use them as target practice and skipping stones." Laughing to himself, Lyric continued his way down the halls.
"Those are practically the rarest gems other then the sapphire-opal on daddies crown!" The lunar filly told him exasperated.
"Really? Huh." He was in deep thought for a moment the grinned. "You two wanna know something even better than those 'incredibly rare' gems?"
"What do you mean..?" Celestia asked curiously.
"I mean; would you like to see a waterfall who's rocky path is made of emerald." Lyric chuckled at their look of amazement.
"You've been... To my mother's... Old home?" Galaxia butted in from behind, a look of need and nostalgia on her muzzle. "W-were the pillars still intact..?"
Lyric took his hands from his head and placed them at his side, "Your mother's..?" He couldn't believe it. He'd come across the waterfall one week when he was so tired and weak he had collapsed in the river and had been carried through to the basin of the falls. "Galaxia.. Your family is the greatest I've seen. The artwork and depictions were simply beautiful, I never thought those ruins would come back to me."
"Y-you and me b-both, Lyric." The noble queen way trying her best to keep her composer, but it was fading. Her mothers final resting place and original spot where her mother and Eternia's father began the very construction of the power alicorns, unicorns, pegasai and earth bound ponies all hold. "
"Would you like to visit the progenitors I found, Galaxia?"
Widening her eyes and beginning to shake, the queen nearly collapsed from the last part. "You... Y-You found t-the progenitors?" She asked as slowly as she could.
Giving her a knowing glance and smiling his warm and always friendly smile he nodded, "I met them."
Author's Note
Well, here's the rest of the chapter. I will be getting rid of the tiny chapter as just the beginning and adding it to this one, I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I'm still feeling iffy in the hospital. Enjoy my medicine induced chapter!
A Destined Family *Full*
Galaxia stopped altogether and froze in place. He spoke to the progenitors; the beings of old... Nopony in any era has ever even come close to witnessing their form for a mere millisecond , The queen thought to herself.
"What's a pro-geni-tor, mother?" The lunar filly asked.
Coming back from her stupor, Galaxia blinked as she realized she had a question to answer. "The progenitors are the beings that created our universe, Luna. They have untold power and wisdom, each holding a different form of life. T-they... Created everything."
Luna and Celestia were now in the same catatonic state their mother was in just a moment ago.
"B-but that's daddies and your duty!"
"Luna, without the magic these beings left in the soil and air, my mother, Eternias father; they would have never been able to move a single grain of sand with magic..." The queen finished and stared blankly at her son.
Lyric had been nodding along and seemed to almost bite his tongue on parts he disagreed with.
"You're right in the same context I suppose, Galaxia. But they never left any 'magic' in the air or soil."
The queen was taken back, "They didn't?"
"Not in the way you're thinking." He almost giggled from joy; finally, finally he could share his knowledge! Sitting crosslegged, he began. "Ya see, these beings have long outgrown their mortal bodies and have far passed any other. After each passing millenia, they grew with more power and potential, but at the same time, they were taking a tole on their mortal flesh and became unstable. Finally when they reached their evolutionary peak, they gratified life into the beginning of a cycle of constant change. When your parents were born, they saw the potential inside their hearts, granting them ivory horns made from their essence and feathers made of the lightest air." Taking a breath and making sure they were still following along, he continued. "They decided to entrust their energy to your bloodline in hopes they had done what they had set out for, and receded into the earth. Do you understand now, Galaxia?"
Laying with a hoof over her head from constant thought, she caught on. "They've been pulsating raw magic and life throughout the world, to everything and everypony for eons..." She whispered.
"Not just that." He said with a chuckle.
"What do you mean?" She asked slowly.
"Not only are they sending out their energy. They've been giving everything and anything their very life force... They haven't stopped watching, caring, and observing; they've been keeping ponies and all, safe and with peace. They love us like no other would, Galaxia..."
"Child..." Eternia's deep voice interrupted and asked, "Did they give you something?"
All three fillies looked up to their king with wonder, "Give him something?" The asked consecutively.
Lyric chuckled humorously, "You already knew I had this, didn't you?" He said, reaching under his shorts and untying a necklace from his leg. "Keeps it safe and always with me. Can't get anything by you, can I?" He said with a grin as he held it out.
A ball of molten dark-star silver was attached to the twine, holding it around his leg securely. The ball seemed to move on its own, as if the molten core was still turning.
"By the light..." Eternia gasped, " D-do you know w-what you hold, Lyric?"
"An electrified atmospheric compressor, energy wave transmitter and boil point of life." He said proudly. "Basically it controls what does and doesn't happen when it touches, well, anything." He said with a goofy smile.
Gawking madly at this small boy, who held such power in a way he seemed to not seen care, the king couldn't help it; he started chuckling, which of course made Lyric join in.
"Nothing passed you, eh?" He said as he tied the twine around his thigh once again and put his shorts down. "Keeps it safe and gives me the most amazing sites when I meet people... Or I guess it's pony? Oh well."
"Sites?!" The king yelled exasperated. If he were to answer his next question truthfully, the king would faint. "Lyric, my chi-"
"I see the most amazing moments from another's past. I see into the hearts of others and feel what happiness or sadness they have..." Lyric told him as he knew the king would ask.
*THUD* And he fainted...
Eternia's head hit the marble and stone floor with a loud smack of his muzzle. His head was too boggled, too many questions needing answers.
"Eternia? Dear, oh do get up." Galaxia prodded him with a hoof and finally composed herself as she stood.
The king rubbed his jaw where he had planted it on the hallway and spoke, "Lyric." He started, looking to his dearest wife, "You MUST bring us to our family's ruins. The chance to revisit their final resting place and home... It would be the greatest gift we could ever receive."
"Not to mention the chance to communicate with our elders of the earliest time..." Galaxia stated breathlessly.
"Our young boy." King Eternia began, "Will you do us the honor of this travel?" Bowing to show their appreciation to this child of untold potential, they were rewarded with a fit of laughter.
"Ahahahahahahaha!" Rolling on the floor and clutching his sides as tears escaped his laughing face, he said between breaths, "Y-you should s-see yourselves! Hahaha!" Lyric had seen many things; but royalty bowing and asking, almost pleading him to do something he had already planned on doing, was too much.
Cracking an eye open, Eternia frowned slightly, curious. "Why do you laugh over our request?" He asked.
"You're pleading for me to take you somewhere I was about to take you! Haha, you two must have wax in your ears." He told them playfully as he rose.
Calming down and realizing it, the noble queen let a giggle slip out of her mouth, causing her king to give a quizzical look.
"Before I interrupted, I believe lyric was telling his sisters of the falls and if they wished to go, haha." Shaking her head, she placed a caring hoof on his head. "Always a step ahead."
"Haha, only for you two." He grinned which caused Celestia and Luna to giggle at their parents. "Heyheyhe- Oof!" Lyric yelled out as he landed on his back with two adorable princesses hugging him for dear life. Letting out a breath he said, "Whyyyyyyyy..."
"I can't help it when mother keeps saying we're family!" Squeeing and hugging him tighter, she smiled.
"Same here! Plus you said we get to take a trip!" Luna said happily from her position on his neck as they proceeded to pepper his face in little smooches.
"Hahaha! Come on, this isn't fair, stop! Ahahahaha, too much cuteness for the brother!" His laughing pleas did nothing to wade them.
The parents shared a chuckle as Lyric finally sat up; face covered in kiss marks.
Giggling and whispering to themselves, the pony princesses went on either side of him and planted a small kiss on each of his cheeks.
blushing madly and having his eyes spin, he got up and ran down the hall at top speed, screaming, "I GOT KISSED. AHHHH!"
Author's Note
Here it is ^^ I'm out of the hospital and taking me meds as needed. No more hospital in years for this happy writer! I hope you all enjoy it, and as always; comment what you think, helps make it better for everypony who reads.
Goodnight... My Son
"We might want to follow him, dear." Galaxia told her husband in mock fear. "He did run toward-"
"My China!" The king exclaimed, eyes wide as he gallopped after the small boy. Leaving the queen with her daughters, they each let out a deep sigh as they followed them.
"Mother, I thought you told father to get rid of those plates..." Celestia said, ashamed.
"I did... Those are all new ones, he got them three days ago!" She said with a darkened expression.
Going white, Luna told her mother in a whining tone, "But mooooootheeeerer. Star shine always makes fun of me because he's so girly..." Pouting, Luna stopped and tapped her hooves. "She says daddie's not fit to rule..."
"Oh Luna, my silly minded daughter." The queen turned and placed a hoof on her cheek, "She's only teasing you. Besides. You know just how strong your father can be when he wants to."
Turning and walking once more, Luna quipped, "He could show it a little more..." As she began to follow .
A twinkle shone ever so slightly in the queens eye as an idea came to her. With a smirk she thought, Oh yes... this will be most pleasant for them all.
"I can't believe father got more of them..." The strawberry maned filly said as the trio rounded the corner to find the noble (using this word lightly) king Eternia and Lyric screaming as well crying at eachother.
"I-I'm so s-sorry!" Lyric yelled at the king, "It w-was an a-a-accident." He said as he wiped his arm along his sniffling nose.
"How could you?!" Eternia screamed back through tears, mimicking his son's motions. "So many memories... Gone." He said, sniffling.
Scrambling on his hands and knees quickly over the broken shelves and thousands of pieces of plates, Lyric grabbed the one intact plate he could find and stood in front of Eternia's graveling.
Looking up at the boy, he wiped his tears away, "Yes..?" He said pathetically in sorrow.
Holding the plate in front of his hung head Lyric said, "I-I'm really sorry for breaking them... T-there's still this one."
Looking at the small boy; so terrified and unsure of what he would say or do... The king couldn't help but notice that he was frightened to his core.
"It's... It's alright, Lyric." He said, beginning to calm down. "I. I think one plate is good enough."
"R-really? Are you sure?"
"Y-yes..." He managed to get out.
Expression changing immediately, Lyric smiled. "Great! 'Cause it was super fun smashing them, hahaha." Looking to the doorway, he noticed the facehoofing family members. "Oh. Hey guys."
Slipping her hoof down her face, Galaxia sighed. "All I had to do was break those infernal things?!" Covering her muzzle quickly, she blushed from her outburst.
"What do you mea-"
"HOW ABOUT WE ALL GO TO DINNER EARLY AND I GIVE YOU AN EXTRA DESSERT?" She said rapidly as she shot her forelegs into the air.
"Two desserts?!" Celestia, Luna and Eternia cried out.
As the others ran out of the room and formed a huddle outside the door, they nodded and yelled, "Deal," trotting regally down the hall.
Lyric just stood in the room for a moment, letting Galaxia break the silence. "Mhmpf. I suppose you agree with their ruling?" She asked, curious.
"Well... Can I clean my mess first, Galaxia?" He asked, holding his hands together with a solemn look.
"I... You do know we have maids and the like, my child?" She told him suspiciously.
"I know... But I really want to lend a hand, I did this sorta on purpose..."
Placing a hoof over her mouth, she asked, "You did?"
"You think I'd run into a room full of breakable and expensive plates by accident?" He asked, ashamed of his actions.
"But Lyric, you clearly know better!" She chastised the young boy. "Why would you ever do such a thing?"
"I kinda..." He walked up to her slowly and whispered, "Not hard to hear down a hallway and see this place, your highness..." Smirking the faintest devious smile, he walked back to his place in the room and started putting them in a pile.
Blinking and rubbing her eyes, Galaxia seemed perplexed. He couldn't have possibly heard that with all the noise in here-... That little thestral!
"You need help." She finally said as Lyric was walking to his pile with arm-fulls of debris and plates.
"Thanks, but I like to fix my own problems. You have a promise to keep to every...pony? Else." He told her.
With a small pop and gleam, a broom and several bags made their way in front of him, along with a smiling Galaxia holding her own broom in her magic. "I believe they wouldn't like me showing up without the newest member to our family. Besides, I can't leave this all to you. Am I wrong?"
Growing his own friendly smile, Lyric nodded happily and started sweeping into the trash bags.
"Two bowls of icecream and hot fudge, I can't wait!" Luna said happily.
"I'm having my special cakes made up. Mother hasn't given me one since I last shot a solar flare into my canopy!" Celestia exclaimed, giddy.
Eternia sat there listening to his daughters decide and swap their favourite treats, but the nagging thought that his wife was taking a long time to get Lyric to the dining room was weighing on his mind.
"I wonder what's keeping those two..."
"Maybe mother wishes to speak with Lyric about something important, father? Perhaps the progenitors you were all speaking of." Celestia gave him as solace.
"I suppose." He said relieved, going back to his thoughts of dinner and after meal conversation that was obviously going to take place.
Midway through giving up on what to eat and thinking of the future relationship between the Zebrania tribes and Zebreca nation; each fighting to rule, the missing duo came in giggling and laughing with eachother.
"And you simply ate the paint without asking?" She asked, thoroughly enjoying his tale.
"Ahuh, haha. They never told me jelly looked so much like the paint they used to mark their tribesmen." He said, sticking his tongue out in remembrance.
"Oh by the light!" She cried out, laughing her royal form to its centre. "I can't believe you just scooped it up!" She bewilderedly bellowed.
"Not as bad as the yummy... Ugh, 'secret delicacy' they served. It's not a secret when it tastes like insects and you can see a scorpion leg in it..." He said, nausea taking hold.
"Haha, you might want to speak of better meals now, Lyric." Galaxia told him with a tip of her head.
Looking at the table he saw them all covering their mouths with an uneasy look.
"Uhm... Bon appetite?" He told them all nervously.
Throwing their napkins down over their empty plates, they all pushed off from their seats and grumbled.
Knowing very well where this was heading, the queen gave up on trying to rationalize the need for dinner, she simply gave a small, "Take the dessert to bed..."
A round of cheers and hollers were heard as they ran to the doors and politely told them what the desired.
"You just haaaaad to get two full bowls didn't you?" Celestia nudged her little sister.
Happily nomming on her last bits of sundae, she licked the fudge off and smiled down to Celestia, "Not my fault thou eats cakes like father." She teased.
"Hey! They were special, and you know how much I love eron berries with sugar... Mother only has one branch that still grows." She pouted from her mother's barrel.
Each yawning and slumping onto their parents backs, the princesses gave a light snore.
Sighing happily as the day was over and they were finally able to rest, the king and queen slowly placed them each in their respective rooms and warm beds.
Closing the door on the solar princess, they turned to Lyric rubbing his eyes.
"We have a room made up for you as well, Lyric. I believe Quick Note added something to it you may like." Eternia stated as they walked another few meters to his room.
Nodding to him, Lyric opened the door and gasped in joy, "You really did this for me?!" He exclaimed. There, sleeping on a stone perch filled with coals and ashes was Philomena; sleeping peacefully as her feathers rustled.
He couldn't wait another moment and ran into his new room, jumping onto his springy and welcomingly soft bed. Letting out a moan of delight he opened his eyes and smiled as wide as he ever had.
"I take it, Quick did an alright job?" Eternia laughed softly.
"You bet!" Lyric said excited. "Can I see him and say thanks? Can I can I can, Galaxia?" He pleaded.
As he said this, his covers and blanket came to life and tucked him under them. Galaxia gave a sad 'hmpf' as she and her husband moved to the side of his bed.
"We've been calling you our son and brother, Lyric. You're part of the family now..." She said in a wavering tone. "We truly like you Lyric, you're the only one who's gotten Lunas attention other then her single playmate... We love you as our own, my child... We... W-we only want..." She trailed off, lightly crying; she did, from the time she heard him laugh with the others, love this small and obscure child.
Having his heart begin to heat up and his mind start to wonder, he thought, She's been calling me her son all day. I'm, I'm their son now... It had been years since he was last to feel this kind of love; never from his own original mother, not the zebra. He liked it, and this was a feeling he wasn't going to ever let go. "Please don't cry, mom..." Lyric said, sitting up and instinctively wrapping his arms around her neck. "I can't stand seeing anyone cry, especially you mom."
Catching in her throat, Galaxia gave a mixed smile of joy and sadness, feeling her heart beat deeply. Laying him back down she kissed his forehead and uttered, "Goodnight... My son."
Author's Note
Hope you like it, first chapter update in a while!
A Taste Of Royalty
Lyric slept like he never had before, dreaming of his mother and telling her all the wonderful things that have happened; the family he's become apart of, the love he's been shown with barely talking to them. It turns out the ways he was taught over the years made him how he was meant to be. And he was ever so glad he had the chance.
As he slept, he turned in his bed and rolled straight through the fluffy comforter with a solid smack onto the floor.
"Ow..." He mumbled from his mess of blankets.
Standing upward and popping his head out of the wraps he chuckled, "That's gonna take some getting used to." Looking at her perch, it seemed Philomena flew through the chimney pipe in his room to get outside. He walked to the door but stopped and looked at the handle; a brand new suit and pants with a few changes of shirts and shorts hung on it. Soft seemed to guess they were his forties.
Dawning his new and fancy robes, he pushed his cuffs out and strode out his room to where Celestias was.
Tapping on the door lightly, he waited as he took a regal pose.
"Ugh.. it's so early, you're not suppose-" She opened the door rubbing her eyes and fell backwards. "Hahaha, I thought you were a guard! You look so funny in those."
Doing his best royal impression he asked, "What? Does thou believe my robes are unbeknownst to me?" Laughing himself, he started scratching and wriggling his arms around inside his suit and fluffy shirt, "How can you guys wear these??"
"Hehe, you should wear it all the time." She giggled.
Slipping his arms back in, he turned his head. "Why's that?"
Poking his nose and grabbing her small hooflets she said, "Because Lulu might faint haha."
Scratching his head and tilting it Lyric wondered aloud, "Why would Luna faint if she saw me in a suit and all fancy?"
"I'm not sure." She giggled and pushed him to Luna's door. "Now knock and do your pose hehe." She said as she hid around one of the flower pots.
Not really knowing what to do he did as she said and knocked a few times.
"Go a..way... It's too earrrrly." He heard from inside.
"Are thou sure? This be the exact time of day I was told to awaken." Lyric said in his royal composure.
"Huh?" Is all she said as he heard the small clip clap of Luna's tiny hooves then the door opened.
"Good morrow, my younger sibl-"
"EEP!" And just like that the lunar filly flushed pink and seemed her door shut.
"Uhhm..." He looked over to Celestia behind the large vase and leant back on his heels to find her in a fit of giggles. "Was that supposed to happen?"
"Hehehehe, you bet it was!" She laughed as she got up and wiped her happy tears away. "Oh goddess, I think I might have broken her this morn."
Celestia knocked on her door and waited for a reply, smiling playfully at lyric.
"Go away go away go away!" Luna quickly cried out.
"It's me, Lulu." Celestia sang. "Now come on out, Lyric got up earlier than both of us, we can show him around and surprise mother."
There was a brief pause before she spoke. "Is he still there?"
Giggling through her hooves, Celestia answered. "Yes, and he's been waiting in his new delightful clothes." She looked back to Lyric who was clawing at the underlining of his white shirt. The tired princess slapped his hands away and huffed.
"What? This thing's worse than I thought!" He said, chewing on his collar.
"Will you stop that, you'll ruin it!" She said quickly as she grabbed his arms, trying to pry him away from destroying his suit.
"It's so stuffy." He hollered, rolling around with the white filly.
"Then why did you put it on- You're tearing it!"
They wrestled around on the ground as Luna's door slowly opened to reveal a confused and tired lunar filly. Rubbing her eyes, they grew immediately and caused her to let out a small giggle.
What a sight! She thought.
Lyric was on the floor with one arm pinned as the other was other was through Celestias forelegs, tickling her sides as she laughed trying to keep him still.
"Will you just STOP." She fumed, laughing with as much strength as she could muster to keep the boy still. Her horn lit with her hooves holding him down, fixing his suit and fell over as Lyric pushed her off, taking a deep breath.
Gawking at them, Luna sat on her haunches giggling her soul away. "You two are the cutest couple."
Having herself a grand old time, she decided to flip the game on them.
Huffing as she jumped to her hooves, Celestia glared at her, "You can never let me have any fun can you?"
"Not when I stumble in on it." She teased.
Laying on his back in reflection, Lyric starred at the two princesses fighting and smiled for a moment as a thought struck him. They seem to do this a lot... Maybe I can give them a taste of their own medicine. He thought, standing and slowly walking away down a long corridor.
Looking around at the large ceilings above him and staring at the thick marble it was cut from, Lyric thought about the pranks or tricks he could pull on his unassuming siblings; a right of passage to get to know him a little better, they seemed to have enough fun themselves.
"Maybe I could... Nah, that would end badly. Where would I even get that many lizards?" Thinking aloud, he noticed how boring and dull the halls looked; an occasional side table and flowerpot, now and again a guard with a stern looking face. He stopped and looked at the guard as Celestia and Luna tried skipping passed him, humming.
"Hey, my name's Lyric." He said with a hand extended to shake.
The guard didn't even move a muscle or take a breathe as he stood there.
"Hellllllooooo~?" Lyric asked.
Again, he simply stood in place without uttering a single word.
"Why won't you answer me?!" Lyric fumed, ready to kick the guard's shin.
"They won't move." Celestia told him as the duo trotted over to him.
"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
"She means they won't move no matter what you do." Luna chimed in.
"Wait, seriously?" Thinking to himself he gained a smirk. "So, if I were to, say do this-" Lyric flailed his arms and hands around if he were trying to get his attention then pulled his cheeks apart sticking his tongue out.
The guard made no movement and blinked slowly.
"Wow." Lyric stated, "They take this seriously." He chuckled.
"Yep. And that's not even the best thing you can do." Celestia told him as she climbed up the guards body, doing a small tap dace on his helmet before dismounting with a bow.
"Hahaha, that was fantastic!" Lyric clapped excitedly.
"Watch this." Luna said determined, fluttering her wings to get ready as she took the guards shoes then sprang up with a bunch of small wing strokes, placing the hoovelets on his ears. "See? They can't move even if they wanted to, Daddy ordered them to keep watch over us and the castle. He said if they ever went against his decree, he'd fire them in an instant."
"You don't say?" The boy said with a devious smirk.
"Hahahaha!" The trio left the unfortunate guard with his helmet on backwards, hoovelets on his ears, spear held upside down and a flower in his mouth. As they walked away, the guard mumbled, "Maybe exile isn't the worst option..."
The children wandered the castle, thinking of what they could do. Even Lyric was ducking into rooms and looking at the marvelous windows, the scenery and landscapes captivating him. He'd seen such a sight before, when he climbed the dragon escalades to map out the plains but this? This was beautiful. You could see the entire jungle, stretching out over the mountains and even beyond that!
"You guys are the luckiest ponies in the world, you know that?" He said from sticking his face against the glass.
"We're princesses Lyric. We know." Celestia deadpanned.
"I was just saying, jeez." Lyric threw his arms up in defeat. "Do you guys go on a lot of picnics? I'm curious, 'cause I'd do it every day if I could."
"Not as often as we'd like... Our parents have tons of work they need to do; paperwork, border relations, keeping the ponies happy, and most importantly, keeping a peaceful and thriving kingdom." She finished with pride. "At least that's what Father tells us."
"So... You two are just left alone?" He wondered.
"Kinda." The blue filly added, "Daddy makes sure to always have our personal guard withing fifty meters of us. Unless were in town; there's lots of em there but half the time we have to call those one or have mother say something."
"Plus, we get to do whatever we want inside the castle and town!" Celestia said happily.
"Wait." Lyric said, holding his hands up. "There's a town?" He asked, surprised.
"Of course there's a town, haha. Do you think all the ponies just live here in the castle?" Lyric half-chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Really?"
"Well what's it called?"
"Mother thought of it but father proclaimed it; Ponyville."
"Huh... Not the most creative."
"Better than anything you could come up with..." The solar princess mumbled as she made way to the courtyard, the other two in tow as the eldest constantly gawked and asked questions like, "What's that pillar for? Is that another guard or just a really good statue?"
His first step outside onto the stone stairs was already making his smile grow. Just the fresh air alone was enough to make him happy. Celestia and Luna galloped passed him and ran into the gardens archway.
Picking up his pace, he ran through the archway and got a face full of pollen.
"Ah! Help, monster flower!" He cried.
"Hahaha, it's just the Megapoinsettia." Celestia laughed as she moved it away from him. "I wanted to show you Mother's garden. She's been growing different flowers and plant life for eons."
Lyric took a moment to take it all in; rows upon rows of the most vibrant of shades of flowers decked the hedges. He walked along them, smelling and lightly grasping them all. Daises, daffodils, roses, lilies, tiger lilies, fire weeds, tulips, pansies; she had everything and more.
Stopping at a flower he'd never seen in the everfree before, he leaned in and took a whiff. "Hey Tia?" He asked, halfway across the garden.
"Yes? Did you find something you liked?" She pondered, making her way over to him.
"What kind of flower is this? It's super spirally and has a bunch of yellow buds on the inside.." Just as he was about to grab a part of it, Celestia shrieked and stopped moving.
"Don't touch that!" She said worriedly. "We should step away before we disturb them."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyric wondered as his curiosity got the better of him and he lightly picked up a spiral branch to inspect it. He understood right away why she had warned him...
"W-what kind of flower is this..?"
"Mother created it... She calls it honeycomb sickle." She whispered the end.
"I'm gonna run!" He yelled, his body covered in pollen as he ran for dear life.
Limping his way back, after running for half an hour from an angry swarm of bees, Lyric sat on a bench and sighed. "Should have... Said there was... Bees." He heaved out.
"Well maybe let me explain first before you stick your face into it, brother." She teased.
"Do you feel up for a tour?" Luna asked from behind Celestia's mane.
"Tour? Like, around the castle?" He wondered.
"Well, that's what Tia said. But I thought you might want to look at-"
"The town, of course Lulu!" The white filly finished for her.
"You mean... You think everypony will be alright? I mean, the first time I set foot on the Zebra tribes territory I freaked them out. I got caged for an entire day!" He told them, remembering the fun they shared afterwards.
"I, uh, don't think they'll cage a prince..." Luna said, almost giddy.
"Have I really, uhm, been crowned a prince?" He asked, quite awkwardly.
"Father is bound to in the next few days. They might be discussing it with the council as we speak."
"So, I'm uh, this is weird... I'm actually going to be a prince?"
"Not if we don't show you off!" Celestia giggled as she grabbed his cuffs in her mouth and started leading him out the gardens.
Author's Note
Wow... It's been a while once again, but here we are! I hope you all enjoy the ramblings of a tired and worn out pony-writer.
First Impressions
Strolling down the trails, Lyric whistled a few bird calls and delighted in the mass of flocks that fled the tree tops and craned their necks down, staring at the small group of children in wonder.
"You have to teach me that sometime." Celestia said with a face full of astonishment.
"It's not that hard, really. I learned the Mocker call in just a few days. They change the pitch every second tone."
"Wow, you must have learned a lot in th-"
"Look, look!" Luna said excitedly. "I can see the town already, oh boy, I can't wait to show off to Star."
"Who's Star?" Lyric asked, hopeful to meet another friend or simply another pony.
Luna's wings fluttered slightly as she jumped in joy, "My best friend! She comes to the castle whenever I ask, and she even stays over sometimes!" Luna informed him, her enthusiasm dripping from her widening grin. Not wanting to wait any longer, she took off down the path, leaving the others in dust as she made her way to her bff's home.
"Why's she so entranced? Hasn't she been there plenty of times by now?" Lyric asked, scratching his head a tad.
"Yes," Celestia started. "But now she has a chance to show off her big brother!" Smirking to herself, she grabbed his cuff in her mouth and dragged him along as she mumbled, "And sho do I!"
Right into the bustling marketplace did they go; Earth ponies, Pegasaii, unicorns, and even the rare Griffon was roaming the vast area of exchange. Passing by, Lyric was in awe by the amount of goods the ponies were all selling; jewels, clothing, candy, drinks, food, even the Griffons had their own small area in the far side of the courtyard-like grounds where they sold hanging meats. Trying to make their way through the crowd, they nearly had to walk through the many ponies legs. Until that is, when they began noticing just who it was trying to get passed.
Multitudes of "Good morning your highness", "Glad to see you again princess", and the like badgered them as they went by. Only one pony in fact caught on and decided to speak up as he noticed the mystery child taking in the sites.
"Princess Celestia, if I might but inquire?" He said as if he were on thin ice. Nodding to him, he began once more. "Thank you your majesty, and of my inquiry, it is about that" He said with a gesture to the small boy. "Who or what, is that?"
"He is not a "what" Geo Granite, he is our brother and if you do not treat him with the same respect, our father will hear of this I'm sure." She stated firmly, causing Lyric to smile at the soon-to-be-ruler. The entire marketplace ceased to a halt as the ponies dropped what they were doing and left their jaws to hang open in shock. You could practically fit a bowling ball in their mouths.
"You-you mean to say that the King and Queen have adopted this child into t-the royal family?!"
"Indeed." Celestia retorted with a tint of pride.
In an instant the Marketplace erupted into a clash of rumors being spread like wildfire. "Lost bloodlines", "A hidden past" the usual petty chatter of ponies who can't just accept that this has happened.
"Oh wow!" Lyric shouted in surprise. "You sure have an awful lot of finely cut stones, Mr." Lyric told the merchant as his eyes sparkled with the gems on Geo's booth.
"W-why of course I do, your highness." Geo began to feel a tad worried.
"I have almost all the same ones, but mine are a lot more obtuse. I like 'em!" He said with a smile.
"You do..? I-I mean... Why not pick yourself out one?" He said with a forced smile as sweat began to run.
"Really? Wow, thanks!" Lyric looked all over the booth until he found one that caught his eye. "How about this one?" He asked as he pointed at a small sapphire with a red indignation in the form of a spiral, forming a new color in the center.
"Are you sure? That's merely a common-" Lyric looked up at him for a moment, "W-what I meant was it's all yours, my prince!" He told the boy as fast as he could, hoofing him the polished sapphire.
"Awesome, I might come back with something to trade next time, this is so great, I can hardly find any with flaws like this one. Thanks!" Lyric said happily as he turned around to see the mass of merchants and customers staring directly at him. "Why are they all staring..?" He whispered to his sibling.
"You're new royalty, what else would they be doing to you?" Celestia explained.
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhm... Hi." He told the crowd with a small wave.
The crowd continued their consistent and unrelenting gaze on Lyric until Celestia nudged him, "Way to make an introduction." She said playfully as they parted the sea of gawking ponies.
"That was the weirdest moment of my life." Lyric said, still being pushed along by his sister.
"You're telling me." Celestia mumbled as they reached the house Luna was hopping up and down in front of, right next to a small grey filly with a pale white mane.
"I told you he was real!" Luna excitedly exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at the filly beside her.
"Yeah, yeah. I guess you were telling the truth, Moody," She huffed. "So." She squinted her eyes, sizing him up. "You're the one, huh? What's your name?"
"Name's Lyric, it's ni-"
"Lyric, hmm? What are your plans with these two? Because if you even think about hurting Moody here, I'll have to teach ya' a lesson or two." She said with a hoof curled up.
"-ce to meet you." He finished, making Luna to giggle softly. "I think you'll find, my dear, I have only but the up-most respect for my dearest sisters. I can assure you that." He said, turning on his "regal" voice since his clothes weren't that messy.
"A wise guy, huh?" Star said as she glared at him slightly to which Lyric mimicked.
"I once had a staring contest with a giant coil snake so it wouldn't eat me, you shant be winning this one my dear- I BLINKED!" He screamed in defeat, holding hands over his eyes.
"Haha, I like him, Moody." Star said as she extended a hoof towards Lyric. "Name's Star Shine, best remember it, 'cause one day I'ma light up the sky!" She said with an over exaggerated look of confidence for such a small filly with big hopes.
Grinning to himself and shaking her hoof Lyric added, "I can't wait to see it," Seeing the same playful yet determined grin on her muzzle. "Wait." He said with a small look to Luna. "Why do you call her Moody?" He wondered.
"Because she's just like the moon, duh. A different mood for every day." She told him, looking at the Lunar filly sticking her tongue out.
"Haha, that makes sense, I guess." Taking a moment to look up at her home, Lyric asked, "So Star? Is there anything fun to do in the town?" Clearly ready to start his new adventure in this pony filled town that just awaits him.
"Most of the time I just go to the castle to visit Moody, but when she does come here we just go inside... It's a little small for so many ponies so maybe I could just show you around?" She said with a tint of embarrassment.
He looked at his sisters who nodded vigorously. "Sounds like a plan, Shine."
Motioning for them to follow, Star Shine led them down a dank alleyway that connected to another set of alleys. As they turned the final corner Lyric could see a torch lighting the end and ran over to it, quickly finding the entrance to the center of the town. The others caught up and looked at Lyric, staring at the torches that were on a nearby merchants booth with various weapons and armor .
As they continued their stroll through the town, Lyric was asking as many questions as he could. Making it hard for Star Shine to not want to zip his mouth shut... Even if she DID say she would show him around. Beginning to near the the middle of the town, Lyrics mouth began to water as an intense and delicious aroma was emitting from a stand in front of them.
"Why hey thar Shine, you come by fer yur parents again?" A stallion with a dark orange coat and two-toned brown mane asked in an increasingly thick accent.
"No, not today. I was actually just showing the Princesses new brother around."
"New BROTHER?!" He exclaimed, loud enough for the fillies to cover their ears. "Well I'll be a little sapling, looky here." He said, looking straight at Lyric.
"Hiya, haha. My name's Lyric and I like the way you talk, it's funny." He told him with a smile. "Even better smell though." Lyric said from the top of Appleseed's booth, which is currently housing his drooling mouth.
"Mighty fine tah meet yah, Prince Lyric. Name's Appleseed and I provide the town with alllll your apple filled desires." He said as he noticed Lyric's face. "Haha, yah sure got a good taste, that's fer sure."
"That's so cool, so you're like, a farmer?" He asked, hoping to learn more.
"Just started up when I was little as you. Got my family homestead over yonder on Sweet Apple Acres if yah ever come by." Appleseed was putting more edibles onto his stand when he placed a plate of apple fritters beside Lyrics face.
"Uhm... Mr. Appleseed? Could I possibly try one of those..?" He asked as his eyes filled with plea. "They smell divine." He said with an inhale.
Appleseed wasn't the type of stallion to just go and give out something for free, but this was the Prince... And it did seem like he really wanted it. "Sure, first one's always free, young'n." He said with a slight chuckle as he gave Lyric a fritter and watched him take his first bite of Apple Family legend.
"Tanks sho musch!" Lyric said through a mouthful of apples, pastry and the most perfect amount of cinnamon.
"Come on, I wanna show you the fountain, they say it's bottomless!" Star told him with a tug on his shirt. Lyric, far too indulged in his treat just went with it til he heard somepony scream loudly and a massive crash came from the marketplace. Suddenly, a pack of Diamond Dogs came running across the roofs, jumping off and making a beeline to Lyric who was simply enjoying the last bit of his fritter before he looked over at the dogs, seeing the bag.
"Hey. Did they steal that?" He asked, holding his last mouthful in his fingers.
"Why else would they be running with a heaping bag? Now get back here!" Celestia said in fright, jumping behind the stand.
Lyric stood still and waited for the dogs to run passed him, then he started running as fast as he could, keeping his pace beside the pack.
"Hey!" He shouted from the side of them.
"What?! Who are yous?" The leader asked, bewildered.
"I'm Lyric. Also, did you steal those?"
"Yesss, we dids. They are ours!" The leader said as he tried to swipe at the small boy. Lyric, no stranger to the dangers of attackers, slowed down at his swing and sped back up making the leader's ears shoot steam.
"You should give them back. Stealing's bad, you know."
"We don't care, foolisssh child. Now go... A-way!" He said roughly, smacking Lyric and causing him to land in a puddle where his tiny amount of apple gold landed.
Lyric dawned a frown, glaring daggers at the pack. "I warned you!" He screamed after them. Putting his fingers in his mouth, he whistled at the top of his lungs and grinned.
"Eeeeeoww!" They screamed, holding onto their ears with their paws. "Make it stops... Make it stops!" They howled from behind a house, dropping the bag while they sat there whining, which Lyric picked up.
"Now you see that stealing's bad. It doesn't get you far in life, and it's just wrong." He lectured them with a pointed finger. "I'd make you apologize but I think this did the trick." He said, turning and walking off back to the booth. Putting the bag down, he sat on the ground and wiped his forehead. "Wow. Those guys can run." He chuckled to himself.
Peaking over the booth, not hearing any commotion, Celestia gasped when she saw Lyric with the bag and then the whining Diamond Dogs, slowly crawling away.
"Did you... How did you do that?!" She yelled out, happy and excited. "Also why. That was stupid, you could have gotten hurt." She chastised, pushing him a little.
Breathing in and out a couple times, Lyric said, "No pony else was doing anything." He picked up the bag as he stood next to her, "Besides, I told you; you just have to know what they like... Not to mention dislike, hahaha." He laughed as he closed his eyes, proud he could teach them a lesson.
Appleseed was as shocked as the fillies, with eyes wide and mouth hung open. Lyric swung the bag over his shoulder and thought for a moment. "Hang on. I need to give these back. Then, we should totally check out that fountain."
Quickly rushing his way to the shops and crowd of ponies gathered around Geo's booth, Lyric could hear his voice in sadness. "All of them! The entire booth..." He slunk, nearly on the verge of tears. "I... My life's work, stolen by those, those, dogs!"
The small but brave young man made his way through the ponies with the help of some nice ponies who made way for the little guy. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "I believe these belong to you, sir."
Looking over with hazed eyes from sorrow, Geo instantly bolted upright and let a few tears trail his eyes. "My jewels! You found them." He exclaimed. "But-but how did you get them back from those law breakers, my Prince?"
"Diamond Dogs can't stand a certain pitch in a whistle, it's nothing, really." He told him, kicking the dirt until he was lifted into the air wildly. "Hey-hey-Woah!" Flying up into the air, he began to smile as the townspeople tossed him.
"Three cheers for the Mighty Prince Lyric!" They shouted in joy.
Bouncing up and down, Lyric's smile widened a mile as he flung his arms out happily. "Haha, wee! Yeah!"
"Once more again!" Lyric shouted in joy, being thrown around like a bag in the wind as they placed him softly on the ground. Taking a moment to compose himself he chuckled and waved goodbye to the excited ponies and strolled his way back to his waiting sisters and playmate.
The fillies in question were on their hind legs, peaking over the side of the fountain when Celestia noticed Lyric out of the corner of her eyes. "Why in Esquis did you go off on your own? We were worried." She told him, puffing out. "You shouldn't have done that."
"Hey Lyric, check this out!" Star said from behind Celestia. "You can drop in a bit and it'll disappear! It's bottomless, or at least that's what they say."
The small boy kicked up a bit of dirt and hugged his elder sister, "Sorry for running off like that, sis. I'll make sure to bring you around until I'm better known." He said apologetically, looking around at the fountain; a pegasaii, unicorn, and earth pony were pouring water over the others back, the water weaving out of the stone buckets and down their backs into the large and deep bottom. "So, it's bottomless?" He said, turning his attention to the paused Star Shine.
"Yeah! Try it for yourself." She said arrogantly.
"Fine, maybe I will." Lyric told her with squinted eyes as he bent down and picked up a stone. Looking between them and grinning, he took a deep breath and held his head under the water, dropping the stone out of his hand and listening. After a minute, he heard a tingling and cracking noise from the sides of the fountain and pulled his head out, breathing in quickly and sitting next to the bassen.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" The white filly bellowed, inspecting his face with her hooves than letting go roughly as she watched his tongue poke out at her humorously. "UGH! Could have drown, and he plays it off..." She shook her head and told herself.
"Well? Is it bottomless?" Shine asked suspiciously and happily, not noticing or possibly not caring about his spectacle.
Coughing and taking a few deep inhales of fresh air, Lyric laughed. "It's not bottomless, but man... Is it ever deep!" He smiled and laughed while his legs moved faster than his arms and he shot up straight, landing on top of the fountains edge, balancing carefully.
"Awe c'mon! The adults are always lying to me..." The grey pony said, seeming downtrodden.
Lyric, picking up on this decided it was enough. "Soooooooo, Mrs. 'Can't take a joke about possibly drowning but I would have been fine anyways'... Anypony else I could meet? Maybe we could play a game?!" He said excitedly, leaping off the side and pointing his arms up triumphantly.
"Well, I'm not sure really. I quite usually end up in the gardens or fields with a few friends..." She said with a blush at the thought of he nice friends.
Star placed a hoof to her chin in thought and looked around the small town. It's true, most of the time when the young princess would want to play they would simply head to the castle... But she did have something better in mind for this day. "Hmmm, we could go and find the others and start up a game I suppose..?" She asked the empty air around the other children.
"No objections here."
"We can see the others!" The little blue princess exclaimed happily.
Jumping and pointing an arm out, Lyric said, "Great! Then it looks like were on a friend hunt!" As he ran in a random direction and kept his arm extended, pointing at a random line of houses.
"He isn't all there, is he?" Shine said, looking back at the sisters with a raised eyebrow.
Luna playfully pushed her along to start following. "Just get going..."
Taking his lead, and following the excited but very, very lost boy down the road, they stopped at a home and knocked as they called for him to get back to them. Jogging in place behind them, he was just in time the see the door slowly open and see twin fillies at the door.
"Blossom! Bloom!" Celestia shouted in glee, going in beside them for a hug.
Blossom, the red maned blue coated filly had a cutie mark of a rose blossom with a sun behind it and spoke first. "Celestia, Luna, it's great to see you two again." She said nicely.
Bloom, the blue maned red coated filly had a tulip spreading its petals in rain, hid behind her thin mane, along with her sister. "Yes... Wonderful to see all three of you again..." She said quietly. (The two were twins, but they shared only their love of gardening; one shy, one bold.)
"We came by to see if you wanted to come play with us in the fields." Celestia said, looking back at Lyric who was still jogging in place. She grabbed him and brought him in front of them.
"Hahaha, I was just standing, Tia." He laughed, dusting himself off and extending a hand outward. "Hiya! My name's Lyric."
The sisters gasped and Blossom excited shook his hand with both hooves, "Oh wow! How cool, what are you? Where'd your come from?! THIS IS SO COOL." She said quickly, shaking his arm to the bone.
"Ni-ccc-e t-oo-o meee--eeet yo-ooou..." He shakily got out, wobbling and standing tall again, almost right away. "And you are?" He said as nicely as he could, holding his hand out hoping for another whirlwind but was surprised with a tiny shake. If that's what you could even call the filly poking his hand and moving it up and down twice. "Fantastic to meet you, Bloom. I love your mane." He said, happily smiling at her hiding between her thin mane, hoping to get her out of her shell so to speak.
Taking in their features more, he noticed something different about the twins and his new crowd. "Wait. What are those tattoos on your backsides?" He asked confused.
Hiding their haunches with a tail and wing, the girls' faces went a light pink as they looked away from only Lyric. "Our cutie marks..." Blossom whispered.
"Uhm, what's that?" He asked again.
"Lyric, it's what shows a ponies special talent when their ready. It shows what you're most suited for and can do to the best of your ability." The snow-white girl informed him.
Lyric stood there with a blank stare. "But... How?" Is all he could wonder.
The collective fillies all shuffled and mumbled to themselves until they looked around and shrugged. "Uhhhhhhhm..." Is all they could give as an answer, closing the door and walking away from the house and down a well-used trail.
His eye twitched as he sprinted after them, yelling, "Seriously guys, c'mon! I wanna know!" As he began running backwards and looking at them, hoping to answer the question before he tripped and fell.
Author's Note
Well, well, well... It's been a hell of a time since this was updated! I hope you enjoy the small chapter, and the rest that are sure to come! New laptop, new job, and new PUPPY!
A Young Moon Descending
"Okay, we'll play... hide and seek." The withered down Star said with disgust. "But only if you're it!"
"What?! Why me? Its Celestia's idea!" Bloom shouted with a hoof at her princess playmate.
Celestia flushed and pointed to Luna when the younger princess went to shake Lyrics pant leg and stand on his head after picking her up. "Its for Luna's sake, she's been feeling like we all don't like her very much. Its her favorite game girls, come on." She said with a little sadness
All the fillies looked at each other with the addition of Blossom who gasped with a hoof to her mouth.
"How's that possible?" Bloom asked with sorrow dripping in her tone; she loved Luna, she loved her whole family. She was a great little friend.
"She doesn't what..?!" Star said through anger and a tinge of pain. After all this time... After everything they had been through... SHE DIDN'T THINK SHE WAS HER FRIEND?
"Okay... I get it now, let's just all play hide and seek. For Luna, girls!" Blossom shouted with passion in her voice.
"Let's do it." They said as Lyric came back playing with Luna on his shoulders.
"You gu-" He received a deep glare from all the fillies in the group, "-girls? Ready to play?" He asked with Luna playing in his hair.
"Yes we've decided on hide and seek, Lyric. Its going to be fun don't ya think?" She almost pleaded.
"Yeah! This is going to be great!" He shouted as Luna jumped off and sat down.
"Really? Yay!" The blue princess screamed. "I wanna get a head start cause I'm smaller though! My wing and leg still hurt sometimes..." She told them with a light rub across her wing
"Fine Luna, but make it count this time. You remember all the times we played this right?" All eyes were on Star and she worried a moment before she remembered what they JUST talked about.
Luna kicked a little dirt and trotted into the trees after yelling "YES."
"YOU JUST HAD TO?" Celestia said angrily and tired of her. "You couldn't just say 'okay'..." She told the young filly who was sheepishly backing away.
"I, uh... I think I'm gonna go hide now!" Star said while she ran off into the woods and never looked back.
"Gosh, I still can't believe you keep her around."
"Say it all you want, Blossom... She's a nice filly at heart, you know." Celestia told her with a cracked looking smile.
"Isn't somepony supposed to like count or something?" Lyric chose this moment to speak up as he hadn't a clue what was going on with this group. "Up to one hundred right? Or was I imagining those games I played in the trees with those cool flying lizards... Hmm."
As Lyric pondered the thought of his own mind and slowly walked into the brush of the woods, the small ponies nodded and bolted into the trees themselves while the lone flowery filly sighed and let her face hit the old tree trunk. "At least they aren't fighting..." She sighed. "One! Two! Three!" She began yelling her counting out.
Celestia watched closely and smiled to herself as Lyric climbed a tree with a smirk at his sister, hanging onto branches as he weaved in-between them like a pro. "Hmm... I DON'T think I'll be able to do that..." She chuckled slowly and looked around for her spot. Determined to win, she searched through the bushes and found a small thistle bush and lit up her horn, using her magic to open it in half and securely slink inside of it. Closing it just in time, she stuffed her hooves to her mouth, giggling furiously as she saw Blossom stroll right passed her. They'll never find me ... She thought.
All the foals in the game were slowly finding their hiding spots but a few were still having a little trouble... "What do you think you're doing?" The grey filly fumed with her forelegs raised. "I got here first!"
"So what, I can't hide here with you?" Blossom frowned, crossing her hooves and sticking her nose up at Star. "Not like I'll give you away; jeez ..." The filly said, clearly annoyed at her small friend. Bloom quickly scampered off, almost skipping along as she tried her best to find a solution to her hiding fiasco, so at a turn of her head, she simply decided to keep moving and trotted as fast as she could in one direction; leaving the selfish little grey filly to her old tree trunk.
Luna, the glorious and most regal princess that has ever been... Was lost already. She looked around to find a hiding spot; any hiding spot! But she when she thought she'd found a perfect hole to hide in and cover up, she thought she'd heard somepony running over so she fled as fast as she could into an open field that was completely out of the blue for her... She worried they might not ever find her again...
Lyric was hanging upside down, minding his own business as he idly swung his body to and fro. None the wiser of the small white pony below him, drawing a small rabbit munching on a leaf with a small stick she had carried with her magic through the bushes. She looked up and saw someone she wouldn't have liked; he's gonna get me caught, oh goddess ... She told herself annoyingly.
"Mannnn this is boring... I wish Philomena was here, she makes everything more fun..." Lyric sighed, laying his legs on the tree branches, doing small flips as he caught the other branches, flinging up and idly walking along the branches; balancing, not even playing the game at this point. As he was walking around the tree tops he thought he might as well find somepony he can hide with; this game is getting slow He thought .
"Where the HAY are they?!" Bloom screamed to the trees; tropical birds and small creatures rushing from the sudden sound. Her first idea had been to search in the tree's but she only found bird flying at her and pecking her muzzle. It turns out they weren't as clueless as she had hoped. That's when she got the idea of the larger boulders on the outskirts of the woods; right next to a big open field... "Hah!" Bloom exclaimed as she came across a small hoof-print with an extra indent on the front. I'll get Moody first and then I can finally get help , She thought, with her tongue sticking out to the side.
While she laid on the soft grass, the poor little alicorn was starting to worry more and more. "I... I just thought I could win if I ran really fast..." She pouted to the grass with the wind passing by. She was thinking to herself when out of no where she heard a small sniffle and she looked back over the grass, tall enough to nearly hide her and saw Bloom looking sad.
"I'm so sorry Luna, I hope you're alright." She said as she helped her up and slowly started to push her a little to get her walking along.
The young princess nodded and walked along-side her older friend, too embarrassed to even look up to meet her eyes. I thought nopony was around... Why'd she have to come THEN? It was hard to enough by myself, now I have to be around one of them even more... She murmured inside her mind.
"Wonder if Luna is still sad?" Lyric began, "You know, because when the game started she went off really fast..." The young child cocked his head and sighed. The squirrel he was talking to and trying to help his problems simply stared back and started to try to chew on the tree branch, looking for anything it could find. "Hmm, yeah yeah I guess you're right on that one; But... I still think I should try to help at least, she's family after all and family doesn't abandon family; no matter the cost!" He screamed to the heavens, about to leap off the trees, he spoke up at the last moment before he hit left the tree. "Thanks Kevin!" He yelled upwards.
Although the squirrel had no idea what was happening; about a mile away there was a young dragon who's ears seemed to twitch, "You're welcome?" Kevin said aloud.
Author's Note
As promised (first time I kept this one and I intend to continue) The next and daily chapters of TFTL is up for reading and adorattacks! Hope I don't disappoint but if I do, at least I know you'll tell me in the comments! Thanks for keeping me into doing this; keeps the spirit high when you think cute 24/7!
A Young Moon Ascending
Lyric hit the ground running; his need to venture off in the slightly new forest and find somepony to hide with! He was getting so desperate he wasn't even watching where he was running which might have been smart considering a root was sticking straight up for his foot to catch; he rushed face first into the bushes, tripping over the root and landing with his nose in a thistle bush.
"Ow, ow, ow ,ow!" He screamed in pain. Not exactly the best choice when Blossom and Luna were running passed to find Star Shine.
"Found you, Lyric!" They chimed in unison.
Opening his eyes and blinking as he lay the forest floor, Lyric stared at the bush; and it stared back but with a frightful looking Celestia. "Uh... Found you Tia." He stammered.
Pushing the bushes out with her magic towards him, making Lyric jump up and back all at once as she said, "Really?! You just couldn't let me have this win, could you?" She pouted slightly with crossed hooves.
Lyric playfully chuckled and wrapped his arm around her withers. "Come on Tia, it's just a game, haha." She smiled slightly at his antics and the care. "Besides... I know where Star Shine is if you wanna get herrrr~" That was all the incentive she needed as a wicked little smirk formed.
They bush-whacked and crawled through the various bushes and trees until they came across the very small clearing where a large old hollowed out tree trunk was laying. Everypony around the stump could see her grey hind-legs trying to kick her higher and higher but it was useless now.
With a small motion of her hoof to her lips Celestia slowly crouched down beneath her legs and grinned ear to ear. "BOO!" She screamed and saw the most brilliant star in the sky that day; Star shot out like a bat out of hell, screaming like a siren as she bolted from the bottom right out the top, leaving a trail of echoing bellows through the sky with her small body rolling to a stop about ten feet from them. "Hehehe!" Celestia collapsed on the ground, doubling over in her almost maniacal giggling.
The unfortunate little grey filly lay there, glaring daggers at the rolling ball of white giggles and dusted herself off, ready to backlash like the very heavens in a great storm; but something stopped her. She looked over and noticed that it was only Celestia actually laughing at her, the rest of the children separate Bloom who was still to be found amongst the woods, was watching Lyric making funny faces at Luna to make me clap her small hooves together.
"Hahaha! Again, again!" The tiny princess yelled adorably. Lyric happily continued and pulled his cheeks apart, sticking out his tongue as he wobbled it around; this time getting a resounding laughter from Blossom, Celestia, and even Star gave a small 'pfft' in amusement. Star slowly smiled and hopped right beside Celestia, knocking her backside with her own and smirking as the white filly nearly toppled but seemed not to mind as much as she would before.
"Soooooo, anypony seen Bloom?" Lyric asked out, smiling and sighing as he sat back with his arms holding him up; tired from making his little sister chuckle away.
The group coughed and looked around quickly, "Well, looks like we have ourselves the winner at least. Time to find Bloom and find what else Lyric can see around town before we have to go for dinner." The gardening loving filly told the group. It was almost as if everyone had been finding out that Lyric was a gentle soul and the best to be around; they couldn't put a hoof on it but they all felt something inside them after just playing with him and showing him around town. They found that they had a connection with this young child be it laughter or moments of pure randomness. This boy was slowly growing on them and the matter of fact is; they absolutely loved it.
The small gathering of children agreed that they should pick somepony to look with so they could get the game finished and be on with their next adventure, but there seemed to a small problem with that...
"Are you kidding me? He's MY brother!" Celestia flaunted to the others.
"Yeah but you always get to see him!" Blossom shouted.
"We only just met him, c'mon! I wanna hunt with Lyric!" Even the bostrous Star added.
Lyric was taken aback and looked between the group of girls fighting over the right to just be around him. I wonder if life is always going to be like this... It better not because this is too much even for Eternia ! He internally thought, flipping over each of them as his eyes darted quickly back and forth until he looked at his side and saw Luna curled up beside him, almost none the wiser of the whole scene before him.
"Well it's my choice then." Lyric stated sternly.
The fillies scrunched up their noses and huffed lightly, making small mumbles under their breath until Star became irritated, "Why should Youu choose? we're the one's that each wan-" Her obviously theatrical speech and tort was cut short by Lyric's hand ruffling in his pockets with . When they came out, he had three equal pieces of the soft lining of his suit-jacket's pockets and smiled happily.
They had no idea what he was planning, but Lyric had an amazing idea to solve it; although Celestia's left eye had begun to twitch quite rapidly at the sight she just saw. Lyric was ready with his small pieces and held them up. "These-." He started, "-Are going to be how we decide." The fillies around him still had absolutely no idea what the young man was on about.
"WHAT. DID. YOU. JUST. DO?" Celestia's eye was now not exactly twitching, as it was just one constant flashed spasm of an eye.
Lyric gulped and laughed uneasily. "Hahaha... haha... haaa... I made blindfolds!" They still didn't follow at all. "I'm not the one deciding and neither are either of you gu- GIRLS!" He stammered swiftly. "I'm going to do this-" He instantly went behind the princess of twitch and tied it on; not tightly though, there was a reason for that. "-and then this-" He mimicked the same tie one Star, "-and just like this-" He once again tied the same knot, loose but still able to stay on for a few moments, "-and then we're done!" He said happily.
"So... What now?" They little fillies asked aloud.
"..." Nothing responded.
"Lyric?" Celestia asked around, looking to the side of her with her blindfold on.
"..." Nothing but the breeze welcomed her query.
As the girls waited another few seconds, their blindfolds fell off and became untied; the soft fabric of the lining slipping easily away to reveal Lyric sprinting away with a happy Luna under his arm with her wings gliding, "Sorrrrrrrryyy~!" He screamed back to them, leaving them to look at each other and get the exact same deadpan look.
"Your brother sucks." Star admitted.
"He's weird." Blossom finished as she strolled passed Celestia with Star Shine.
"That little..." She tampered off, mumbling little playful insults under her breath.
"Hahaha, this is awesome!" Lyric yelled happily, running with Luna still under his arm, her wings extended to her full wingspan as she glided up and down, being secured under her big brother's helpful hand. Lyric was having the time of his life running as fast as he could but suddenly remembered that it wasn't a racing game and through his heals into the dirt as much as he could; a dead stop with his head flinging forward comically, letting the blue filly giggle at him.
"Lyric, why are you always so funny?!" She chuckled out as he slowly let her down and grinned ear to ear at her, crouching down for their noses to almost touch.
"Ever seen someone when they aren't laughing? It's like the visual of feeling your tummy rumble when you don't know why." He ruffled her mane playfully and booped her nose for the first time, "I'm funny because why shouldn't life be?" He finished with a happy Luna nodding back as fast as possible, clearly feeling better then the early morning and day.
She looked up at him and kissed his cheek quite quickly but didn't blush as much as the morning either, "I love you big brother." She said to him as she jumped into his chest and hugged him for dear life.
"Hahaha oh c'mon Lulu, I know you do. I love you just as much!" He told her, hugging her into him with vigor, letting go and seeing her still attached to his chest. "If I knew it was as easy as answering a question, I would have asked you a ton before, sis." She looked up at him with a confused stare. "Don't think I don't notice evvvverrrrryyythinnnng~" He said mystically, chuckling as the princess almost let loose yet another giggle storm.
"You knew..?" She asked, still latched on.
"Of course I did... Family tends to notice when they aren't as happy as they could be." He said, prying her off finally and sitting down for a moment. "No matter how hard it gets with friends and worries, Luna; your big bro ain't going anywhere." He full-heartily told her.
"You're the bestest pony I'll ever meet, Lyric." She said with a small tear on the brim of her eyes. Lyric used his pinkie and wiped the tear onto it, holding it in front of her.
"You see this?" He asked her to which she nodded. "Well now you don't!" he flicked it away and patted her head, "That's what sadness is Luna; it comes... and then it vanishes. Don't sweat the little stuff." He finished but instantly jumped up; "Of course that is unless it's a little bit of sweat!" He said with his tongue sticking out, making the future ruler giggle yet again.
"I get it now, brother." She stood up as tall as she could; tall and proud. "I'll always remember that."
Author's Note
Hey look at that! day THREE of the daily updates! Hope you enjoy and like it!
ps... I don't know what happened to the other half of the chapter, it for some reason doesn't change the indent even if I deleted the chapter and tried to re-paste. So if you for some reason don't like the chapter because of that, I am indeed very sorry. The next chapter won't have any indents. (I DON'T GET IT)
pps... I finally have a perfect idea where this is fic is going.
Let the Good Times Last
"You know for a fact the children will be fine, Dear. Ponyville is by far the safest town west of Equis, they have every guard and townspony looking out for them." The calm and collected Queen Galaxia told her worry-wart of a husband.
"It's not the children I worry for, love... It's the poor ponies that run into them along the way." Eternia spoke, his eyes wide and plastered open as he held a metal pot to his head, staring above at the fiery bird of prey circling the throne room's ceiling. "I mean why me? She literally follows me everywhere trying to catch me; I swear." He said, quite scared and timid.
Galaxia smiled with a titter and watched the bird continue to do small loops around the room; careful enough to weave in-between the chandeliers , gliding across the edges of the top marble. "I wonder what she's doing up there?" The queen happily wondered aloud.
Eternia lifted his pot-helmet up enough to look upwards, studying the bird carefully; It was true that the last pheonix known to be seen was over a hundred years ago, lost to time and the ages as their beauty morphed into legend and tales of hopeful sights. But to actually have one, to watch it and study as it didn't burn a thing... That was untold of, even in the ancient days where all life lived by each other. It was almost imaginary.
The last time he had witnessed these creatures it wasn't exactly a happy meeting. He was risking his life on top of a giant volcano ready to erupt; straining his own body to somehow lift the obsidian and brimstone nest the flaming birds had crated halfway up the mountains peak. He was pecked and had his own body burned by the magma escaping under the nest so horribly that he finally found the strength to uplift him and sever the stone right from the very mountainside. The birds flew away without so much as a parting flap or the like. The only thing they left him was a single feather, falling down from their escape.
"Dear?" The now worried Queen asked her statue of a mate.
Being shook from his past and thoughts, he looked at his wife. "If I had to guess, it looks like she's trying to find her family. Pheonixs only circle repeatedly when they know another is .. ne..ar...." His eyes grew even wider and he slowly felt his lips quiver. "She's bringing family..." He stated terrified.
The queen instantly shot up and nearly collapsed. "You mean there's going to be more?!" She yelled excitedly. The king could only go slack jawed at his wives excitement. "Oh will you stop, Lyric has her and I doubt she'd let others do anything to him or the ones he loved. As you said yourself; they are very territorial." She finished with a smirk.
"I shouldn't talk..." Eternia said with a slink into his throne.
2 Hours Prior
"Bloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!" The name echoed over the landscape of the White Tail Woods, lingering for a few fleeting moments as it passed and passed. "Come out, come out, wherever you arrrre! " The three small ponies called out as they began to almost worry she was too good and they'd have to just let her come out.
"I wonder where she even hid? We've been around the woods at least four whole times now and haven't seen her at all." Celestia told them all.
"She can't be in here, there's just no way!" Star said in an annoyed and bossy tone. "I bet she cheated." She declared.
Blossom threw a small tuft of grass at the grey filly. "My sister does NOT cheat." She said, huffing and puffing her small cheeks out in disgust. 'She knew her sister very well and she would never cheat in a simple game, or any at all! There had to be a reason she was so good; maybe they saw her and didn't even notice.' The young Blossom thought erratically.
Lyric and Luna were taking their time looking, taking a moment or two to find small shiny stones or to laugh and play a small game inside the one they already were in. Lyric found that whenever Luna was around him, he could pretty much say anything and he'd be rewarded with at least one giggle. He wasn't sure she had the best sense of humor though; after their talk, he wasn't even trying anymore!
That didn't matter in the slightest though. For she was happy, and he was happy she was happy. The day couldn't possibly get any better.
"Hey brother?" The small alicorn asked to him as he dangled from a tree, trying to get a good vantage point to say anything that might move in case it be the illusive little Bloom.
"Yeah, sis?" He said, taking away his hand-binoculars and dismounted, trying to stand like a gymnastics pro.
She rubbed her hooves and smiled, "When do you think Mommy and Daddy are going to tell the town about you?" She asked in wonder.
Scrunching his face up in question, he jumped and crossed his legs, landing on his backside and thinking, "I'm not sure... I'm pretty sure though that the town doesn't need to be told anymore hahaha." He smiled and laughed at the memory made already. "Why do you ask?" He questioned.
Luna tapped her hooves together a few times to muster up the courage to say what was on her mind. "I just..." She stopped and let a breathe out, making Lyric smile. "I just really want the whole town to know what a great and awesome big brother I have now." She finished and nearly blushed but had enough faith to look upwards at him; all there was, was the biggest smile Lyric had ever shown them so far. (in reality, it was the biggest smile he had ever actually shown)
He picked her up quickly and placed her on his head, still smiling gigantically wide. "You better hold on, Luna." She blinked and watched as he crouched down slowly, tensing his legs; that's when she got it and quickly hugged her hind legs around the back of his head, her fore hooves clinging to his wild and messy hair. "I hope you're READY!" He screamed as he leaned down like a track runner, bolting off at incredible speeds as he hurdled over bushes and ran through small plants and flowers; The young princesses cheeks almost flapping in the wind as she shot out her wings, the feeling almost just like every time Celestia let her fly around with the younger one on her back.
"I love youuuuuu!" The blue filly screamed through the wind much to Lyrics delight.
The sound also caught the likes of a small filly trotting over to her next hiding spot. "What in the world was tha-" Bloom was cut short as she saw a whiz and blur of colors rush right past her and keep on going. "Was... Was that LYRIC?!" She screamed in fright and confusion.
The boy going faster than a manticore in predator mode looked behind him about twenty yards and had his eyes goes wide as saucers. "I FOUND BLOOM!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.
Luna quickly shot her head back accidentally turned her wings, causing Lyric to almost turn directly around and run the other direction. Luna's mouth was wide open as she found this out and smiled a bright, large, teeth-showing grin. She angled her wings slightly upwards and at every second that Lyric ran and jumped; he nearly floated off the ground and glided over a small shrub.
"That's amazing, Luna!" He said up to her, only another ten feet from Bloom. "Ya-hoooooo!" He exclaimed as he glided to her.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She screamed, thinking he might have missed her entirely and kept running, but as soon as she looked back; Lyric was already behind her and sitting down the moment he was within her reach.
"Hiya." He said calmly; sweat dripping down him like a shower as the little ruler jumped off and began hopping around like a child who ate too many sweets in one sitting.
"I can fly, I can fly!" She screeched to the heavens as she jumped around the two children sitting down; one nearly sweating to death and the other laying her face in the dirt.
The latter of who, was finally talking, "I can't believe I didn't stay inside the lily patch..." She said through a muffled mouth near the ground. "I should have just stayyyyyyed." She said morosely.
Lyric finally laid back and sighed. "I love when games end..." He smiled up to the skies, exhaling and putting his arms behind him.
"Why's that?" Bloom looked up with her chin still on the ground, slightly depressed with her timid voice.
"Because then you sit back and laugh and remember about the things you did; can't get any better than memories." He said, exhaling slowly and breathing in deeply. The timid girl didn't know why, but that actually helped her...
Bloom let a small smirk form on the corner of her lips and stood up. "Yeah, you're right. It was pretty fun, haha." She chuckled slightly as she thought about the tiny animals that scattered and tried to come by her cautiously. He's different... A good different... She thought with a knowing smile.
"Hey!" The other flowery filly yelled as her two friends became clear through the grass-line. "I knew you weren't cheating!" Blossom screamed cheerfully as she jumped to her sister, wrapping her forearms around her neck.
"You know me, sis... Why'd you think I was cheating?" She asked almost with worry and heart ache in her.
"No no no!" She stammered as fast as possible. "She-" Her hoof pointed to the now sucked in cheeks of Star. "-Said that you probably cheated. I told her right away you'd never do that!" She all but yelled in defense, not wanting anything bitter to stick in her heart. Bloom instantly shot a look at her grey friend and snorted.
"Of course it was..." She said with an annoyed tone.
She looked to her side as she heard something in a low voice as Lyric passed her, nearly tackling Celestia in a hug he lifted her with. "Friends stick together..." He said just above a whisper.
Bloom's eyes were slowly being dowsed from the flames that held behind them and she let her anger simply fade away and sighed, "Either way, I still won and didn't cheat." She said proudly as she held a hoof to her chest.
Celestia was slowly let go, but not before she could get a quick squeeze-hug in and chuckled to herself. "Why're you so huggy all of a sudden, Lyric?" She said as he dropped her.
"Ohhhhh just something I heard today is all." He said with a wink to Luna; her entire face going a bright red, making a squeak escape her small lips.
The whole group seemed to laugh together, already forgetting any bad blood or knots that occurred doing the game. If only every pony in the world could take a chapter from this simple game of hide and seek...
"Are you sure this is the way through?" The cautious Bloom asked the almost strutting Star Shine as Luna held tightly to Lyric's pant-leg. The group had wandered from the White Tail Woods to the back roads of Ponyville at Star's request of taking her 'cool' way home and through the dark alleyways of the small town's most frightful area; one that children were to stay away from in fear of seeing something they wouldn't wish to, or meet somepony that wasn't exactly... Proper.
"Are you sure we should even be here right now..?" Celestia worried to the obnoxious grey filly.
"Oh don't be such a lame-o, Tia. It's not like we aren't going to get there or something; if anything it's a shortcut." She told her friend sternly and snootily. She had taken the alleyways so many times there's no way she could get lost... At least, that's what she told herself.
Back At The Castle
"FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS PONY, WHY ARE THEY STILL CIRCLING?!" The king screamed at the top of his lungs, looking as frightened as he ever had before; and for good reason, too. There was now a total of five Phoenix's circling the top of their grand chandelier, circling over and over, waiting for the rest of their kind to show.
Queen Galaxia was like a kid in a candy shop. She didn't know which was better; the fact that she had actual Phoenix's inside her castle, acting as dossile as a lamb; or the fact that her husband was near weeping point. "This is the most brilliant thing to ever happen to us! I can't believe it, I can't believe it!" She hollered like a school-filly.
You see, Galaxia was in charge of all the life that was needed to grow and thrive; meaning she could feel the very life-force of almost every creature and life form. This was incredibly hard to deal with as everything must come to an end; all life dies throughout every day we live, and she feels every moment of it. After millenia with dealing with her power and realizing that this is a way of life; the Queen of Equis came to terms that all things, even loved ones, must come to an end eventually. The only creatures to have ever slipped by her sight have showed themselves in the passed week... And now there was another four right above her; living, breathing, Phoenix that have the power to hide their own energy without even trying. This was her nirvana.
An Hour and Exactly Forty Two Minutes Later
"If you just admit you're lost, I'm positive we can get home..." Bloom told her small companion leading the pack.
"I'm not going to admit anything, because I know where we are!" Star said loudly enough to cause them to almost backpedal.
They had been going in circles for almost two whole hours now, looping around the same dirty and grungy looking alleyways. Eventually Celestia got tired of all the filth they had been walking in and put a very easy encasement spell on her hoovelets; the smaller princess choosing a much different route.
"I still don't know why you like it up there so much..." Lyric tried to say in any way that wasn't a happy tone as he tried his hardest not to break a smile at the tiny filly princess dangling her fore-hooves of his face and playing with his stands of brown hair.
"Because I can do dis!"She said incredibly cutely as the small filly puffed up his hair in a ball and started forming it into the shape of a doll and leaning it forward to show Lyric.
The rest of them chuckled immediately, spare Star who was struggling to the highest degree. "Oh. Well then, by all means~" Lyric told her in his most royal of voices with a stare at his new appendage sticking out his head.
Star began to get worried and looked back at the ponies following her lead, giving a less than hopeful stare at them right before she bumped into something... Or somepony. "Oof!" She collided and rubbed her nose, looking straight at the foreign object she had just bumped into.
It was a rather average looking stallion turned the other way. His coat was a deep orange with a rusty mane that look haggard and torn; almost barely hanging on like a rat tail dangling over his nape. He slowly turned and faced the group of ponies, a sly smile of greed ever-plastered on his unknown visage. "Why hello, little ponies... What brings you to my side of town?" He asked in a strange way, almost as if his question wasn't real; a deceit to draw them in.
"U-uhm... H-hello Sir..." Star stammered as she realized how much bigger he was than them.
"Oh my, you seem to have run right into me, haven't you?" He said with his grin gleaming in the growing darkness around the town. It was at least five in the afternoon now, and it was already beginning to slowly become sunset; the light still around but casting an eerie red and orange glow across the land.
"I-I'm v-very s-s-s-sorry s-s-s-s-s.." Star was too terrified to talk. Her parents always told her to never walk down the back alleys in case there was dangerous ponies, but she had never run into them before, so why now? Why now!? She screamed in her mind.
"Oh please, don't be so scared my dear. I don't think I'm all that scary." He said as he began to take a step towards her, leaning down to take a look at the filly. That's when a certain sight caught his attention; two little princesses and not a guard in sight... Perfect for a low life; and he was most definitely a low life.
Lyric stood as still as a wooden board. He had seen this look in many Zebra and creatures he studied in the woods; this was the look of evil in a ponies heart. He knew this feeling he was getting from inside this pony... "Hello mister." He said with a hand outwards to shake.
The stallion gave a slight eyebrow raise as he had just noticed this bipedal thing with a royal atop his head. His smile only grew in surprise and greed. "Hello there, who might you be, my boy?" He asked as he very slowly shook the child's hand.
"I'm Lyric." He stated sternly, not a sound of happiness or joy left in his words. The others instantly noticed this and all stared at each other in worry. "You're not going to." He told him, still shaking his hoof in his hand.
The stallion's eyes opened fully from their half closed position and his smile almost wavered. "Not going to do what, child?" The rusty stallion started to have his words more firm now.
"You aren't allowed to have them." Lyric said as angry as possible.
Now it was the stallions turn to laugh whole-heartily, "Hahahaha. You could tell, couldn't you? I always let it slip when the children are around me..." His image changed to a unicorn with green hair and dark yellow coat. "It's honestly too bad no one will see me. I think I would like to be known as the one who got away with the princesses own crowns!" He quickly yanked on Lyric's arm but Lyric was fast; he knew what his plan was the very moment he looked at them and tossed Luna off his head, directly into Celestia and was pulled right over the stallions shoulder, sending him flying... Or so the stallion thought.
"You can't get rid of me that easy." The small boy said as he held on to his hoof, trying to pull the stallion over his own shoulders but he wasn't strong enough, not by far. The changing stallion yanked back the other way and made Lyric slam into the coarse gravel-dirt alley, leaving him winded and coughing on the ground.
"My my... A young knight I see. I was wrong when I thought there wasn't a guard around, now wasn't I?" He smiled with an evil glare and stood atop Lyric, closing his lungs and reprieving him of oxygen. He walked right over the young boy's chest and back-kicked a small amount of dirt into his face, now only a few feet from the huddled fillies; terrified and scared for their own lives.
"P-p-please s-stop... I have bits! I have lots of bits!" Celestia tried to reason with him one last time before she knew he would try something else.
"Oh you royals are all alike, you know that? You think the world revolves around bits; the currency your family produces. Not everything in this world is bits, little brat." He snarled, creating a wall to part the other three fillies trying to block the robber from the ones they knew he wanted. They were forced back onto the wall without pain, simply being held there to cry out to the coming sunset; to call for anypony that might hear and come to their aid.
As he reached for the youngest princess, making her eyes erupt in a fountain of pained tears and cry out for their mother, a small hand yanked his stringy mane down roughly to meet eye to eye with an extremely angry Lyric; eyes wide and bloodshot from his pain and fear. "If you touch her I swear to the gods I will bury you in the dirt." He growled at the stallion, reaching into his chest pocket and taking out the small metal ball, seeming to constantly rotate even though it was solid and formed a fist around it, punching his eyeball with all his might and slid back in front of his sisters, arms stretched out with fists clenched to protect his family.
The pony of a thousand faces changed yet again, holding his eye and howling in pain, trying to open it but all he saw was black when he tried to see. Now he was that of a large blue and lime green pony with a full mane and anger to match his size. "You little piece of scum. You dare you get in my way?!" He screamed in frustration, having to work for his prize. "I admire your spunk child, not to mention your magic, but it isn't I who will be buried this day." He swore to him.
Lyric didn't move a muscle; unwavering in his strife and standing between his loved ones and certain death. It wasn't the first time and it will certainly not be the last time that Lyric will protect those closest to his heart. "If you want what they hold, you have to take care of me first." He even grew a tiny smile, "Filth." He finished.
"Urrgh!" The stallion shot a powerful vibration spell towards the trio, causing Lyric to have to dive with his sisters to the side, almost nearly being shot in any direction by the spell that bounced shrapnel everywhere from the wooden fence it exploded. This was beginning to irritate the pony above them.
"Quickly. Go. NOW." He yelled at his sisters, making them jump at his harsh words but none the less they tried to stand; they couldn't. They were too scared, Celestia's legs couldn't even move; she was almost going limp in terror. Seeing this, Lyric only had one choice. He placed his fingers together and whistled as loud as he could, a high-note being the very key in the whistle causing the stallion's magic to waver and his hooves to cover his ears. They all had to cover their ears from the sound.
"What in the world is that sound!?" Eternia almost screamed as he covered his ears with his queen following suit. For the first time in hours, Philomena stopped dead in her tracks making the current rulers stare up as she almost looked to be falling down through the air, she suddenly stopping the flapping of her wings; dive-bombing the ground and screeching as she shot out straight in a powerful spiral directly through the door as her flames became huge, burning a perfect hole through the center of their main door and shot through the castle, defying speed and sound as she went around the halls, calling out to her brethren as she shot out the castle walls and right out to the sky, calling upon the help of her family; to save her family. The others quickly followed suit, dive-bombing the ground one after the other almost identically. The rulers were at a loss but the most horrible feeling welled up inside Galaxia as she remembered Lyrics whistles when they met.
"THE CHILDREN!" She screamed as she tried bolting after the birds, being held back by her husband. "WHY, WHY DO YOU HOLD ME BACK?!" She screamed in horror.
His stoic face should have been enough. "Have you felt them?" He stated. Her mind was racing and her magic lit up almost instantly after he asked the absurd question and she slowly let her strength fade; for he was right... They haven't been harmed... But for how long will that stay? She wondered to him in her own brain, knowing he knew her well enough to read it.
As the phoenix's sped their way towards the oncoming storm of savior, their flames grew and grew until the birds almost tripled in size; five nearly fully grown phoenix on their way to save a lone child in battle.
"I will beat you with my very hooves if I have to!" The steed continued to fire bolts of magic towards the boy; Lyric had to abandon his sisters and simply dodge and keep the older pony away from them as much he could. He jumped in the air three feet, letting the freeze bolt that would have frozen him solid only grab hold of his right foot and drag him right back down. The unknown stallion crushed the child's frozen foot under his weight until her heard the ice shatter as well as the boy's ankle.
"Arhhhhhhhhhh!" Lyric screamed out in pain; his sisters wailing in a ball as their friends grabbed them and begun dragging them away, inch by inch.
"Oh no you little bastards don't! Those are mine!" He yelled at the foals, charging straight at them until he swatted Blossom and star away, leaving Bloom to scream and let her waterworks flow freely. He picked her up and tossed her to the side with the others; the group of friends now stark scared, none of them even able to move a millimeter. "I'm taking these and nothing is going to stop me, you hear me? NOTHING." He barked.
Lyric's saving grace was coming in hot. Extremely hot. "Scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!" The legendary birds let out their warning call and swooped down, picking up Celestia and Luna in a heart beat as Celestia's leg was burnt with a small feather imprint, and glided into the air immediately. Not a second after, the rest of the foals began to be picked up until there was only Lyric and the low-life mugger left. The stallion had no idea what was happening; one minute he was about to rip the very crowns of princesses off and the next, he's jumping back in agony from being lit on fire and singed from birds lit up like a torch that carries foals into the sky... His entire form shook, "You did this," He cracked his neck towards Lyric. "Didn't you? " He seethed.
Lyric smiled and coughed, his chest immensely hurting from the constant abuse of the stallions own legs. "I... I don't know what you're talking about, haha- ow - ha... I only knew about... The one..." He laughed in pain, smiling up to his family being taken back in the direction of the castle by the only living thing he would trust with his own life as well. "It's too bad." He smiled, " I would have liked to be known as the one that stopped the low-life that tried to steal the princesses crowns..."
This was the final straw, the stallion could take no more from this boy. He stood in front of him and raised his right leg high above Lyric's head. "You die here child."
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH A SINGLE SOUL IN THIS WORLD EVER AGAIN, Sharp Change." A horrifying and deep voice bellowed through the town like a rolling thunder; the stallion jumping back in fear as a dark cloud formed in front of him. King Eternia slowly coming into view from the smoke as he walked out of it; every step he took sounded like that of a lightning strike and every second he looked into his eyes, he could see himself burning. "FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE VERY LIFE I SWORE TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, I BANISH THEE TO THE VERY DEPTHS OF TARTARUS!" The kings horn was enveloped in a black smoke that grew and grew spinning around the ivory, even seeming to move on its own as a large skeleton leg appeared. The pony was crying and screaming for his very life while clawing desperately at the wall of the alleyway, but it was no use for as soon as he was touched by the bone, he vanished in smoke and his very existence disappeared from this world.
The town grew completely silent almost as if even sound had been stopped, nothing being heard as Eternia sucked back his magic and power, his eyes losing the fire of the depths and smoke receding back into him; leaving it as if nothing had ever happened there. He exhaled a green smoke and quickly rushed down to Lyric and immediately started healing him. "Lyric, can you hear me? Please tell me you're alright son, please, say something!" He all but begged with his hooves holding his sons shoulders tightly.
Lyric looked up from his position and smiled faintly, "Hey dad..." He spoke, trying to put his hand closer to Eternia's face. "What're yo'... doing 'ere..?" He spoke faintly.
"Don't move, Lyric. Your body has been seriously injured, what were you thinking? You have at least three broken ribs, your ankle is shattered and I can feel your shoulder is dislocated... Why? Why would you do that..?" He asked the young boy for an explanation.
"I promised 'una... I'd... always 'e 'ere... For 'er..." He managed to get out before passing out from exhaustion and pain, leaving the King to worry even further.
"LYRIC!" He yelled to the heavens as he teleported them both into the throne room; Galaxia waiting with a bed and various spells she knew could create regeneration on any living form of life... All there was to do now was wait for him to wake up
Galaxia weaved her pristine white wisps of regeneration magic into his poor body and spoke slowly. "He's going to be alright..." Eternia sighed deeply in happiness.
"Oh thank you... Thank you..." He spoke to the ceiling above.
"I could feel him..." Galaxia spoke, "I was able to feel Lyrics life-force for a total of ten minutes..." Eternia looked down at her and raised his eyebrow. "He was more powerful than me..." She said breathlessly.
Author's Note
I apologize to any who were reading during the random deletion of the chapter. It was for a reader who claimed I didn't have an update. ENJOY!
Author's Note
I truly hope this finally makes it to the latest updated list as my last chapter did not. If anyone does see it there, please do inform me. Thank you and ENJOY!!!!!!!! This counts as the same day because why not, I'm on a roll with this fic!
The Memories of Ancients
"What on earth do you mean, dear?" Eternia almost yelled before he quietened himself for Lyrics sake; the other children brought home and the sisters made to stay in their rooms until notified. "That's physically impossible, even for one of his kind we know nothing of. He said nothing about being able to use magic, only knowing our very... Foundation for... It...." The kings words slowly dried in his mouth.
"I think... I think he was gifted the power of our predicesors." She said almost in shock while she focused on healing and weaving the proper amount of energy into his broken bones to rebuild. Her eyes were open and doubtful of blinking ever again, "I could feel them inside him... I could actually feel the others that we passed; our family's through generations and time... He has every single one of them lost inside him waiting to call out." She took a very deep breath and slowly exhaled as her horn stopped glowing and she used her mouth to cover Lyric in a warm blanket as they watched over him in the throne room.
"That... That can't be, Galaxia. He showed us what he obtained from the lost waterfall and ruins, he showed us the only power he truly had; I don't think it's possible." He said skeptically.
"Do you not trust in my abilities, Eternia?" She worried and asked. His mouth opened and closed rapidly.
"Of course I trust them; I was never able to gain them and only yourself has the brightest of lights and truest of souls. You can feel any's presence... But them?" He asked her in a shallow voice.
"I know how absurd and downright foolish it sounds but that boy has been special since the moment he entered our lives and even before that on his own!" She sat upon her throne with her hooves doing rolling across her temples, "He has the ability if used right to form an entire world on his own..." She slowly opened her eyes and let her hooves fall to her side. "Or destroy an entire one..." As fast as the thought had entered, it instantly disappeared from her mind.
"I worry this will be too much for him, darling. He's still only a child; he's but twelve years old in a castle he made his own by chance... This boy has done something amazing already. He was able to bring us together and create a family for himself." The king looked back to the boy sleeping and nearly cried at the thought, "I don't want this burden upon our child, my love. It's hard enough to bestow our own gifts to our little girls..." The queen looked at her husband with love and admiration; he was the commander of the most vile place that has ever existed, but he shows no emotion of it at all.
"Lyric has already proven himself, my love." The gentle king took his seat beside her in his throne and half-glanced between Lyric and his beloved. "He protected our children- his very sisters not by blood, the friends he met not a day prior. He stood his ground for his beliefs and what was good in this world; he's going to be fine." She finished sternly.
Eternia stared at the calm and happy-go-lucky smile that was plastered on his face while he slept. "You think he ever stops smiling?" He asked as one found it's way to his muzzle.
"I don't think he knows how." The queen slowly relaxed as she watched him sleep; the smile never fading, never wavering from his lips. "I wish we were still that innocent," She began. "...Do you remember the time when you came to my mothers window by accident one night and she nearly lit you on fire for peeping?" She giggled away at the remembrance of past times; happier times of young ages.
His face went red as he chuckled, "Do I ever, love..." He glared at her smugly. "You don't even know what she actually did to me when she caught me, do you?" He started to laugh much to Galaxia's surprise; she hadn't ever known he was caught and shook her head with a calm smile. "She actually picked me up by the tail with her teeth and walked me all the way home to my father and mother; they weren't awake and she didn't want to disturb them so she froze me in place!" He down right bursted into an uproar along with his queen.
"The entire night?! Oh my dear mother, that's so her, leaving you in a time stasis for your parents to find... I can't believe you never told me!" She almost screeched like a little filly at a slumber-party, leaning over the edges of her throne and all.
Lyric's smile only grew as he tried his hardest not to laugh but let out the very smallest of "Aha...hahah..." The rulers turned on a pin and looked straight at the boy lying with a peaceful look, but something didn't seem quite right; the hand covering his mouth wasn't very subtle. As if to know what they were thinking, he opened an eye and looked at them, "Do you know I'm awake..?" He asked a useless question, causing another vast laughter session for the king and queen themselves. Lyric sat up and tossed the blanket upwards, "Awe man, I wanted to hear more stories about dad peeping!" The queen fell back off her throne and left the king to stand and trot over to the bedside.
"You truly are a blessing, you know that, son?" He said as he ruffled his hair and kissed it.
"I try my best!" Lyric told him as he sat and waited for Galaxia to come over. "Do you guys know about them already?" He asked like he had been hiding something under his coat. They exchanged looks of curiosity and partial fright.
"You mean... The others inside you?" Galaxia said as she tried to word it properly for him to fully understand. He nodded slowly with his head lowered and knees to his chest. "Why didn't you tell us before, son? How did you even know about them..?" She wondered as she asked questions.
"They talk to me lots..." He said as his knees laid back down and he stretched out, no longer worried they might chastise him about not revealing the immense secret. "They're my best friends and I didn't want to scare you guys off. You can't tell ponies that you hear constant voices in your head telling you secrets and stories about the old world..." He almost sounded as if it was normal to hear all this.
"You mean you can actually speak with them?!" They both exclaimed in complete shock.
"Well not really, no..." He said as he played with his toes and slowly held onto each one as he talked, "See it's like this; they talk to me throughout the day and night, one at time as they each reveal a little piece of history." He grabbed his big toe and chuckled. "The main one likes to tell me about the ponies and creatures... the second one talks about landscapes allllll the time. The third one just really likes plants and the forth one always tries to get me to do things out of my comfort zone. The fifth one reallllllly loves to talk about words and stuff; she hates it when I said stuff, calls it a filler word but I say it's useful when any other word simply doesn't fit the exact object or emotion you're trying to express... We get in lots of arguments about that but she always wins the debate, haha." As he continued to tell them about the various voices and talks he's had with them, it all started to make sense; the only way he could have even made it this far on his own was with their guidance. The only way he could have found a phoenix egg was by their direction... It all slowly started to add up to the rulers why this child was the way he was.
"You've had teachers guiding you along in life this whole time, haven't you?" He happily nodded and bit his bottom lip gently to show her it was indeed very true. Galaxia softened her features and sat down on her haunches as she was about to ask a question she's always truly wondered. "What are they like?" She asked. "What were they like when they were alive?" Her wonder had gotten the better of her; and who's to blame her when you have a child sized key to the past.
Author's Note
This chapter starts off where I left the last one but then takes a sudden jump. It's nothing drastic, only a very tiny time skip, so don't worry; I'm not jumping years in advanced with this chapter, I just thought it needed to be done for the story to progress further. Anyway enough of my rambling, ENJOY!
Family Sticks Together
"Lyric..." The kind queen started as softly as she could, making him look up at her with a calming look, "You know what this means for you, don't you?" She asked only like a mother could to her child; loving and hopeful with a caring stare as she brushed her hoof over his head tenderly. "It means that you have... You have certain responsibilities you're going to need to adapt." Her face changed lightly into one of worry as she kissed his head and slowly rubbed it evenly. "You're going to have grow up very fast for somepony your age and it won't be happiness all the way, you know that, right?" She hopefully asked in her motherly tone.
He chuckled at her and held her hoof to his heart, "I grew up the moment I moment I found Philomena." He told her, causing her to be uplifted and brush his cheek. "I know what's in store for me, mom. I took care of Philomena the very second I felt her cracking open... Family sticks together and doesn't waver. I know what's important, mum." He said with a look to the door; peering through the hole and seeing a bright pink mane shoot down. "I'm pretty sure they know it too."
The door was shot open and Celestia ran with tears of joy flying through the air and dripping across the floor, leaving the boy to titter and smile. "You're okay... Oh by mother, you're really okay..." She sat at his bedside with a pouting look across her muzzle. "You saved us..." She nearly bawled into his sheets. "You fought somepony when you knew you couldn't win; you scared us so much when you yelled..."
His heart sunk at that and he sighed deeply. "I didn't want you two to see me... Like that" He said dejectedly, making Celestia look up and back at the little blue foal slowly making her way to into the room without a single word, climbing his bed and sitting in his lap. "Please don't say anything else..." He almost teared up as he saw Luna's sad looking face. "Please..." He pleaded.
She instantly laid down and crawled up so she could wrap her arms directly around his neck and nuzzle herself into the crook of his neck. "I love you so much, brother..." She told him in a hushed tone; never letting go for a second. "You said family sticks together... And we aren't going anywhere, right?" She asked the teary-eyed white alicorn with her chin resting beside his hand. She nuzzled it affectionately and tried to make him place it on her head.
His eyes were leaking but not a sound was let out of his mouth. He just sat there, raising his hand along her muzzle and stroking her mane slowly, wrapping an arm around the pony princess sitting on his chest and looked up at the parents; nothing but love showing in their bright eyes.
"As she said Lyric... Family sticks together; they don't get angry at each other. For love is the only reason you can feel anything bad towards them; you feel it inside that something made you counter it... But in the end-." Eternia pulled his wive beside him and smiled, "They only grow stronger." He said with a knowing smile.
Lyric's face was filled with every emotion all at once as his lips quivered, "Y-you... You are the most amazing family I could have ever asked for." The throne room was filled with quiet crying and cuddles that could have lasted forever if he so chose...
As the season grew colder and Eternia kept to his promise of letting the townspony know of his new decree; Lyric was unveiled to the world letting all who live inside their kingdom and even some who didn't, know of the child prince who walked straight into the hearts of everypony he met; there wasn't a pony or griffin around that didn't know the name of the crowned prince, a new addition to the entire world and a new addition to the family that keeps on growing. Time is a fickle thing and not everypony has as much as they wish; but to Lyric it was as if time flashed by, but always stayed still. In a way, Lyric was the luckiest boy in the world. For he could watch and remember every moment this world has to offer; past and present were his show of a lifetime. Only a few months had passed by since his unveiling, but to him it felt like a milisecond. He saw the world through a different lense than anypony else; and that meant he could do anything he wanted as long as he had his sisters at his side and love in his heart.
The Coming Winter...
The snow slowly fell upon the town's roofs like a blanket of pure white, the sun high in the sky and beating down warm and gently rays to the welcoming embrace of the first day of winter; the ponies of the small town all rushed and bustled about, trying to secure provisions in case this winter was a tough one and trotted around in the many streets of the marketplace, almost no room being passed for ponies to quickly run by.
It was a grand old time, one of celebration and and great love; Hearths Warming. The greatest time of year where any who knew it's name could easily tell stories about the last one they shared with friends and family. Even the more desperate of ponies seemed to be jumping in cheer and seeing the world through a snowy yet brighter mirror.
Everypony who was anypony knew of this time of year and the love it held; all but one...
" 'uick, 'Ia! 'all 'um!" The boy tried to say through his own little practice of the year.
"I told you it happens and what do you do?" Celestia told him irritatingly as she lit up her horn a faint rose color and sat beside her sister on the bench. "You do it anyways..."
" 'Ell it's 'ot 'ike I could 'ust 'eave it 'e!" He tried to reason as his tongue began to feel numb. She's never going to let me forget this, I know it... He thought as he looked at his tongue stuck to a lamp post and sighed, feeling the warm breath on his tongue. They were walking through town in their brand new scarves and small booties knitted by their chief expert; Soft Stitch, and had decided that maybe a few winter theories needed to be tested. The first of three happened to be that the first snowpony made of the year was the whitest and most pure snow; they debunked that myth as soon as Lyric created a snowpony out of the first snow he could find... Which happened to be the only spot left where the leaves weren't cleared... The second myth was that if you touched your tongue to a lamp pole in winter; it would be stuck there forever and you'd never get it back. That wasn't exactly the whole truth, but as far as they knew... It seemed as much for Lyric.
A small pony family walked passed the boy and gave a small greeting, "Why hello, prince Lyric!" The stallion said as the small foal went to his side. "I would very much like to thank you for the help you gave me last week; I don't think I would have been able to finish off those scrolls without your help." He said brightly, trying to sound as nice as he could for the time of year.
"Oh, 'on't 'ention it!" He said with a thumbs up to the family. "I 'ove 'ighting!" The stallion cocked his head and simply nodded a fast goodbye as he quickly rushed his child and wife to follow. " 'Obly 'ought I 'as 'essing 'ith em, 'ah 'ah 'ah." He tried to chuckle.
"I literally kept saying, 'Star Shine did the same thing last year and she was stuck there for over an hour until she was able to have somepony come by and see her ' over and over again!" She fumed as she watched the family leave, quite annoyed but at the same time chilly. The younger of the princesses shivered and caught the attention of the older sibling. "Oh Luna, are you cold?" She nodded and stuffed her face into her dark and light blue checkered scarf, almost disappearing into it. "Haha, well then lets get you some coco. What do you say, hm?"
"Coco!" She exclaimed and hopped off the bench and into the snow, going straight down and popping her head out of it. "Oh come on!" She screamed and jumped out of the pile, shaking it off and stuffing her face even further into the soft wool. Celestia shook her head at her young sister.
" 'Ah 'ah 'ah 'ah." He tried to laugh as he witnessed Luna's small incident.
"Well then we better hurry now shouldn't we?" She asked rhetorically and earned a single nod from her little sister. She took her hoof with her own and chuckled at Lyric's unfortunate little predicament he got himself into. "Well, we'll see you later then Lyric." She grinned and began walking away before calling out, "Mother will send a guard, she sent back a green pulse!" And continued on their way towards where the coco vendor was boiling up some of her famous liquid chocolate gold.
" 'Oh is 'oy..." He said to himself as they vanished into the marketplace. He never enjoyed it when the guards were the ones to come to his rescue in situations like this; they seemed bored with him at every turn for doing things a child would do... Or at least what this child would do.
"Prince Lyric, you truly must stop this mischief some day or it will be the end of you." The guard told him as he appeared from the small walkways and steadily poured warm water from his cantine, gently prying the boy off the lamp post. "I mean really; a lamp post?" He said incredulously.
"Hahaha!" He stuck his tongue out and started wobbling it around, making wild slurping sounds, anything to feel his tongue. "Thanks a bunch, Tim!" The boy credited as he sped off to the hot coco booth down the way.
"My name is-!" He tried yelling at him but then tampered off and sighed. "I swear he thinks we really don't have names." He said to his fellow gaurdspony.
"Do you honestly want to be the one that tells him?" The chuckling guard asked his friend. " 'Cause I sure as heck don't want to answer the questions that kid can fire off." Saber Edge smiled at his own words and tapped his partners helmet with a hoof, "Lets get back to our post before they get stuck again."
"So you actually melt the marshmallows into the chocolate?!" Luna screamed loud enough for all of Ponyville to hear as she quickly downed the small sample cup of coco the amazing mare placed in front of them.
"You got it; it leaves a gooey and creamy feel to the coco before I add even more chocolate and milk. But I'll never tell you the recipe." She winked a the blue filly and got a small giggle in return.
"Hey!" A sudden voice called out, drawing all three of their attentions. "I knew you'd still be here..." He said as he got closer and slipped on a puddle of ice beneath the snow, sending him sliding and flying through the air into the snow right in front of the booth. Celestia chuckled and poured a small sample cup of coco onto the pile, turning it a chocolate brown and seeing it slowly fade away as lyric began munching away until his face was clear, "Oh my gosh!" He yelled absurdly loud. "This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted!"
"Haha, I see all the royals seem to like my coco." Coco Jelly said to the small prince. "Here, why don't you all have a full cup, it's my pleasure." She told them as she banged on her brass-wood contraption, pulling the lever and letting the creamy hot chocolate drain into three good sized paper cups. "Enjoy little ones!" She told them as they started walking away, thanking her immensely for the large helpings.
"So I take it the guards were nicer this time?" Celestia asked as she watched him take a sip and dip his tongue into the coco to defrost his partially numb muscle.
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah; but they still told me to knock it off." He smiled and took a large sip, the warm chocolate leaving a brown mustache across his upper lip. "Not like I can help it, everything's just so much fun around here!" He told his sisters as they walked through the village to find their waiting companions.
"Hehe, I think you should probably wipe you-" Luna tugged on her scarf and shook her head with an adorable little grin on her face. "-Nevermind." She quickly said and leaned in beside her sister to share a small giggle at his misfortune, earning a quizzical stare from their brother.
"Okaaaaaaaay then." He continued to sip and continued to gain a larger and thicker stache of chocolate to which the girls could almost nearly take if it wasn't for the constant stares of curiosity they received from him.
"Why good afternoon, prince Lyric." A passing pony offered as he gave a rather strange look at his face. One to which Lyric gave back and caused the stallion to chuckle as he trotted passed.
"Okay seriously, what is it?" He said with an almost half inch of chocolate mustache.
"Ahahahahahaha!" The girls toppled over to their left and fell to the snow, laughing as he looked between his nose, going cross-eyed as he saw the chocolate formation.
"You couldn't even feel it?!" The lunar princess cackled as she went to his side and grabbed his green and brown checkered scarf, flapping once as she jumped and wiped it off. "Therrrre ya go!" She smiled sweetly at him while Celestia let her giggles taper off and got back to her hooves.
"Sometimes I worry about you, Lyric." The celestial filly told him with a small shaking of her head.
"It's just way too good!" He tried to reason as he gulped down the rest of the chocolaty liquid and ran over to a trash bin, sliding back to them through the snow. "So where are they anyways? I thought we were meeting them at the hot chocolate booth?" He asked Celestia.
"Well Star said she might be running late and to go to the field if she wasn't there by the time we were... So I guess we're heading to the field." She declared as she started walking before either of them could argue with her.
"Hop on, sis." He said with a quick smirk to Luna as she readied up her jump; her whole body leaning down and tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she jumped and flapped once, gliding to her favorite position. "Gosh sis, you're getting dead on with it now!" He said excitedly.
"I know, I know!" She told him happily as she sat with her hind legs on his shoulders and forelegs over the top of his head; her face just barely reaching over the top of his small green toque. "Onward!" She said with a hoof pointing to Celestia.
"As my princess commands!" He yelled and began a small even pace to catch up with his other princess.
"Huzzah~!" The filly shout out for the first time, causing Lyric to laugh like a fool. Only she would ever do that... He thought with a brightening face.
"Hurry up, Lyric! I can hear them already!" The impatient young alicorn called back to him.
It only made him quicken his speed as he could almost see over the hill that led to the open field of battle; he sprinted at the thought of being able to play with his friends and quickly passed Celestia in a white-wash of snow, slamming face-first into the giant snowpony that wait atop the hill. Luna on the other-hoof went shooting off his shoulders and directly into the air.
"Ohhhh myyyy gooooosh~!" She screeched with her forehooves extended outwards and wings popping out to glide to the waiting ground. She landed with half her body sticking out of the snow; legs wiggling to get free.
"Was... Is that Moody?" The grey filly questioned to her two friends packing snowballs. She galloped over to the dangling legs and yanked her out; a bit of snow popping out with her. "Hahahaha, look at that!" She tried to stifle her snickers but failed.
"Grrr, I swear if you didn't get me out, I'd put you under with me." She told Star with a small frown but then quickly changed her tune just as fast as it had came as she saw Lyric taking his own head out of the snowpony, leaving a top hat of snow on his noggin.
The two children ran down the small hill to see their waiting group of friends and rushed to see them. "So what was it you all wanted to show me?" Lyric asked curiously as he punched the top hat off his head, leading to a gentle stifled giggle from his sisters. "I really liked the last thing I was able to do with snow so I hope this is just as much fun!" He was brimming with enthusiasm.
Blossom and Bloom each picked up a snowball and tossed it into the air, catching the others as they smiled. "It's called a snowball fight, Lyric; and we made lots. I mean, LOTS." Blossom told him as she stuck a hoof behind herself, pointing to the large mass of snowballs they had been creating.
Lyrics eyes began to sparkle and he had the look of gods grace on his face, "You mean..." His mind was trying to work out his thought at the sudden mountain of snowballs, "We... We can throw these things at each other?!" His head had worked it out and he was as excited as he had been when he drank the hot chocolate.
"You're darn right we can." Star said as she reared up and threw a snowball as hard as she could at the snowpony, leaving it crumble and fall apart. All the children stared at her in terror. "Five time winning champion in the towns annual snowball fight." She smirked smugly.
"There's... No way is this town even cooler than before!" He screamed like girl; his fun-o-meter set to the highest setting in his head. "This is... This is... THIS IS THE FUNNEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" He all but yelled, panting at the idea of being able to get back at all the townsponies that had stared him down when he was buried alive in chickens, covered head to toe in taffy, and somehow managed to get onto the clock-tower and hang off the hour dial; just a few of his many escapades they were forced to into the passing months.
"Haha, calm down Lyric, it's only a snowball fight." The celestial little alicorn told him.
"But it's my first one!" He said, inches away from touching noses. "I can't believe it, a snowball fight!" He squee'd in delight.
The children all laughed and smiled at helping the young boy experience his first snowball fight. "Well lets see... There's six of us, so the teams aren't a problem." Star started telling the group, explaining it. (Mostly for Lyrics sake, of course.) "There's two teams, Lyric; each team can make a base and create walls but no roof. Once they make the bases and have their stock pile of ammo-" She pointed to the mass of snowballs the twins were finally finished up with, "-then we all count down from five and start tossing until one side's base is destroyed; or the other team is bombarded and forced to give up every shred of hope they have and admit utter defeat." She said with a sinister smile spreading across her small muzzle. I can't wait to make the last part come true... She thought evilly as she rubbed her hooves together.
"So... It's war?" He asked sadly, almost as if he had seen the real thing and was worried to see it again; his features become remorseful.
"Brother don't worry." Luna said with a wide, closed-mouth smile. "It's only a game, remember? It's fun, trust me." She said as comfortingly as she knew how. He slowly grew a large smile and nodded rapidly.
"Okay I get it; so we just pelt each other or destroy the base, right?" Star and the gardening twins both nodded once. "Haha, okay! What are the teams?" He said, looking back and forth between the girls.
"You really gotta ask, bro?" The little lunar filly said with a bright smile.
"Hehe, I'm with Luna on this one." Celestia said as she grabbed his hand in-hoof and led him over to the other side of field; the three fillies rushing over to their own side, quickly packing snow in a half-circle.
Lyric watched his sisters for a moment as he sat cross-legged in the snow, seeing how to begin the crafting. They slowly rushed back and forth, packing small amounts of snow and trying to slide it along the edges of a small mound to curve it; leaving a filly-sized blockade in front of themselves. As Lyric started to understand the concept, a light went off in his head and he grinned at his brilliant thought. He stuffed a small snowball together and placed it on the ground, remembering what they taught him earlier about making snowponies and rolled it along, back and forth until it was about half his size; he breathed in and out deeply, preparing himself. Lyric bent down slightly and ran as fast as he could, picking up more and more snow until it was almost his size and stopped; re-positioning himself to face the girls slowly constructing their own fort. He sped up and ran in a circle around Celestia and Luna as they stopped in their tracks and watched the boy speed around them, creating a gigantic ball of snow and leaving the grass to spring forth, almost as if summer was coming through the only patch for hundreds of miles. He stopped pushing the gargantuan boulder of snow and panted with a large but tired smile; standing proud with one arm against it.
He was out and panted lightly, "I... Hope this is... Whew- big enough..." He finished with a wipe of his forehead. The princesses only nodded with their mouths hanging open. Lyric grabbed Luna, "Get ready, sis." He told her
"Get ready for wha-" She was cut short as he tossed her lazily up onto the boulder and watched her legs sink into it. "I... Whatever." The small alicorn said in acceptance as she pried her legs out and stood atop the nearly ten foot high and ten foot wide mountain of snow.
"Now we shape it!" He said as he started packing snow underneath the bottom to secure it.
Celestia simply shrugged and looked up to her blue-coated sister, "Hey Luna, you start on the top! Make it something secure!" She called up to her sister.
Luna looked back to the blank slate of snow, "Something... Secure." She thought aloud to herself.
They never exactly put a time limit on how long they were able to make the forts, just that they had to be done at the same time and agreed on the rules... A good half hour had passed and the children were so focused on constructing the perfect fort, they never took a second to look at the others contraption. As Star finally finished the tip of their fort; a very nice looking fort indeed, with a large steeple holding her scarf as the wind blew. It even included a small staircase about five feet high where they had a fortified wall for aerial attacks onto the unsuspecting royals. All in all, it's size was fourteen feet wide with walls that ranged from four feet high to seven feet at it's highest wall, leaving the tippiest top at nine feet high with the makeshift flag flapping away; But what they should have been making perfect was their eyesight...
"Hah! Lets see them try to take this out." Star said proudly to her friends who grinned widely and hopped to their positions.
"I bet they don't even have a stee...ple..."Blossom's jaw dropped and Star and Bloom wondered why, jumping beside her and starring; she grabbed their heads and turned them to face across the way at the spectacle that lay before them...
Author's Note
Dammit; I was so close to being able to stick to a daily publish! My laptops IP address became corrupted so I had to switch to another but only found that out after two days of diagnostics. Well, this chapter isn't as big as I was hoping but I promise a much larger chappy next time! ENJOY!
Can't Beat A Town
What lay before the poor unfortunate fillies of the town was a staggering tower of power. The base of the fort had been securely founded to the snowy ground with two even pillars shooting up to where the true fortification lay, the beams were made of snow and thickened with a fast polishing to create a solid piece of ice to help hold it up. The misshapen middle of the structure was rounded at the center and carved into, to provide a perfect vantage point and cover for sending relentless snowy fury down upon their victims; having small castle-like walls across it's center and getting a stock pile of extra snowballs ready beside them, almost exactly what an archers nest would resemble. The crowning achievement of the grand building was the tower on the top that looked exactly that of the Princesses small watchtower their parents had had built for them when they would take long journeys to the next country over or just allow them a fantastic view while keeping them secure and safe from harm; it was the lunar filly's favorite spot to sneak out at night and watch the stars passing by the night sky. She had spent near the entire half hour working on the single tower, making sure every detail was specific and exactly like her most favorite vantage point.
Lyric and Celestia had made a small tunnel-like staircase that went from the bottom all the way to the top; it's second purpose proving to be a quick slide for a getaway or fast distraction. They had made their way to the top and saw their little sister decorating the lines along her tower, drawing in the nooks and crannies with her small horn, "Holy cow!" Lyric exclaimed as he reached the top, bending his neck to look up at the magnificent tower above a few feet. "Sure know how to make it secure, my gosh..." He said astonished.
"When I said secure, I didn't mean the castle..." Celestia said just as shocked and mind-blown at the sight. The blue filly was still humming with her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth in concentration when they had said this and back away a few feet to look at her work and squee'd in happiness.
"Hehehe, I thought it was perfect!" She said, looking at them with the brightest of eyes.
They nodded with a small slack jaw and shook themselves to get it together. "For the republic of Celunaca!" They all shouted with a hand and hoof together, holding them upwards and smiling sweetly to one another. Making their way to the edge of the ten foot tower of power, the children chuckled and pointed towards the smaller fort across the way; by no means was it a bad fort, but in comparison to the sculpture across the way, it was miniscule.
"No fair!" The grumpy Star yelled at them from the other side of the field. "I said no roof!" She screamed in outrage, accusing them of cheating.
Lyric looked up and starred at the small roof that belonged to the tower and climbed the side slowly, scrunching and shimming his way to the top as he punched each side of it to loosen the snow then picked up the solid chunk and hummed it off the building to the ground. "What about now?!" He screamed, trying to actually get an answer from her.
Her muzzle went a shade of red not seen by the fillies before and she fumed. "UGHHHH, FINE!" She screamed.
Lyric slid down the tower and landed on his bottom, "But brother, it was mine!" Luna told him sadly, pouting.
"Oh I'm sorry sis, but she was right; there was a roof and she said it wasn't allowed in the rules." The filly's mouth was wobbling. "It was absolutely amazing, Luna. I can't believe you did this from memory. How about when we get home I help you make the whoooooole castle out of snow?" He asked hopefully; and did it ever work.
"REALLY?!" She screamed, nearly sending the poor boy to launch off, the only thing stopping him being his hands holding onto the castle-like walls.
He crawled back over to her and chuckled, "You're going to do something intense one day with that voice, you know that?" He smiled. "You bet we are! From the top towers to the dungeons; it's gonna be great." He told her as he picked her up and placed her sitting on one of his shoulders, walking over to the side of the main wall with Celestia in tow. "Onward to victory!" He screamed and saluted towards the other side of the open battlefield.
"We are never going to take that out..." Blossom said incredulously.
Bloom shaking in fear as her pupils shrank to the size of pin pricks could barely speak, "N-no... Way..." She managed to get out.
"This isn't fair!" Star screamed across the way at them. "Your fort isn't a fort, it's a castle! I didn't say you could make a freaking castle..." She pouted and argued. The royal children frowned and Lyric jumped onto his bottom with Luna sitting in front of him as he slid down the tunnel; the white filly soon following him.
They walked across the field and met midway with the fillies running to meet them. "But you didn't say we couldn't." Lyric said with a slight frown and sideways mouth. This only seemed to annoy the young child even further.
"That doesn't mean you can just make a darn tower and hide up there." She said snootily, pressing her nose against Celestia's in anger. This did not sit well with the young princess.
"Are you kidding me?!" She screamed at her friend, pressing up against her just as much, starting a small back and forth wobble. "You said we could MAKE a fort. It couldn't have a ROOF; we took it off." She said assertively, pushing roughly against her.
"She's right!" Luna said, piping up and coming into view from behind Lyric's pant leg, defending her sister.
"Yeah, but it should be clear you can't make a darn castle that has no chance of even being taken." Blossom stood beside Star as their argument became a group discussion, grabbing the attention of the only filly scared to speak as she backed away scared and bumped into the young boy who was standing behind her, leaning up against a pile of snow he had formed.
She was startled but Lyric held his hands up and slowly reached his hand over to her head without saying anything; the shy pony almost cowering away until his fingers landed and he slowly pet her mane, giving even strokes through it as she began to soften into his touch. "Haha, I knew that'd work." Lyric smiled as he stopped and got a sad look in return from stopping.
"T-thank you, Lyric." She said timidly with small smile.
"Don't mention-" Lyric cut himself off as he gradually started turning his head to the slight and faint noise he heard. Bloom stood beside him and followed his gaze; squinting as she looked at the hills.
They could just barely make out the tops of a few ponies heads and Bloom got a excited, "Oh goody, maybe our mother came to...Visit..." Her words died in her mouth as her eyes widened and a small crowd of townsponies began showing up over the hill; galloping through each other with frightful yet excited smiles on every one of their faces.
"Uh... Girls?" Lyric said to them, now sharing the same look as his friend; eyes wider than the open sky and pupils smaller than pin pricks.
The horde of ponies was fast approaching and were holding the odd shield, wearing various sizes of helmets; a few of them even going as far as galloping with slingshots in their mouths. "GIRLS!" The timid girl finally let her voice be heard, the group turning their heads quickly to her.
"WHAT?! " They screamed in unison.
Lyric extended his hand and roared, "TO THE FORT!" He began running towards the castle of snow; the girls looking between him and the horde, instantly galloping passed him and scrambling up the tunnel in fear. "OH SURE, NOW LISTEN!" Lyric said loudly, sprinting his way up the tunnel and taking chunks of the tower and tossing it into the hole, stomping on it with one foot as he ran over to quickly peak over the side with his many friends; just as soon as he got to the edge he was watching a giant crowd of ponies rush into the middle of the field, completely decked in snow-gear with their many battle armaments clutched to their bodies. "When was the annual snowball war again..?" He asked as the line of ponies all looked down to Star at the end.
"I-I swear it wasn't for another week!" She stammered in fright. "They must have changed it a week early to keep Hearths Warming open..." She said with giant eyes.
"Hearths Warms." Lyric said aloud to no one in particular. "I've been hearing this all month and I still have no idea what it's about." He said with a confused and sad look on his face. "I mean; I get that it's all about the snow and having a good time, but what's the big deal?"
"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?!" The fillies screamed together, quickly turning their heads and glaring at the young boy. Lyric held his hands up in defense, looking at his sisters for help.
"Let me tell you a story, Lyric." Celestia said as she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down into a sitting position...
Author's Note
Sorry about the 3 day wait, I've been preoccupied but have been writing in my books every chance I get to come back and get them on here! Enjoy everypony!
Maybe You Can
"You see, Lyric... Many years ago, there was a a terrible conflict between all the nations; Unicorns, Pegasaii and Earth ponies were fighting each other day in and day out." She started her story, gripping the boys attention immediately. "The Pegasaii were changing the weather to make it so nopony, not even the Earth ponies, could grow food but them. The Unicorns stayed in their homes and thought of different spells to counter it and make it so the Pegasaii were unable to control what weather was being formed; The earth ponies were freezing but were able to grow food in small amounts, just enough for themselves and made sure to hold it tightly. Their battles were so fierce that they left the grounds barren and skies clouded for weeks! All of the races suffered from their battles and were incredibly weakened to the point their forces couldn't even battle anymore." She said, getting right into her tale with a growing smile; Lyric was almost devastated at every word. "The highest ranking officers of each tribe, got together in good faith to discuss the coming winter and what would happen if their fighting never stopped; nopony would be the victor, they would all perish if something wasn't done right that moment. As each of the commanders gathered in one small room with their first officers, they each slowly took out a gift of good faith, presenting it to each other in hopes of coming together to stop the blood shed and have a true world together as one; to thrive and live in peace, never tied in knots with one another." Lyric's face started to change as he began understanding the concept, "As the gifts were shown and opened, they had a sudden realization that they were all one race; they were ponies, united as one, and they stood together that day. Proud and happy to honor the pact they created that day." She smiled at the thought of what the first Hearths Warming must have truly been like. "Ever since that faithful day when the different races came together as one; ponies of all kind came together and showed what they were grateful for; those around them." She finished with a knowing smile.
Lyric's own smile started to slowly form onto his lips, "So... Hearths Warming means to give gifts to the people you love?" He asked, hitting the nail right on it's head.
The children nodded and smiled at him with understanding. "You got it, brother! It's about family this time of year." His little blue sister said as she hopped into his lap and put her forelegs onto his chest, smiling. "It's about love." She said with a happy and bright colored face.
Lyric chuckled and grabbed his sister in a hug, lifting her up by her stomach and holding her in the air. "Now I get it, sis!" He said as she wiggled happily in his grip.
*SMACK*. A snowball fired through the air, whizzing millimeters by the blue fillies face; Lyric's left eye began to twitch as he slowly placed her down and looked at the ponies launching snowballs at one another with almost killing intent. He watched as they tackled each other, stuffing snow into the faces of the fallen and holding up shields like the spartan's did with their phalanx; they held no mercy in the battle of winter. A group of earth ponies and unicorns ran to the castle, looking above at the children hiding out and made a small barricade in front of them, levitating and stringing back their snowballs; unleashing freezing fury upon them as all but Lyric ran and cowered inside the tower behind it's small walls. Lyric stood still at the walls as the snowballs went passed him, his hands clenching the castle walls. He broke the snow in his fist as his eye twitched madly.
"Lyric, quick! They don't stop until there's only one pony standing!" Star shrieked. "GET BACK HERE ALREADY YOU DUNCE." She screamed at him.
He had no intention of running and hiding when one of those ponies nearly pegged his little sister with a snowball at high speeds. This isn't going to be a day for kindness; for that was still a week away . He thought to himself with a large teeth showing grin. "FOR THE CROWN!" He screamed and leaped off the walls, terrifying the ponies and making them scream. Lyric yelled a battle roar as he yanked snow from the ground while he was running up to the first pony behind the shelter and jumped at him, pushing the snow in face and piling more onto him to cover his entire muzzle as he quickly turned his head, grinning like a maniac as he looked at the other ponies starring at him with their jaws open in shock.
"Prepare to know why they don't let me out that often!" He chuckled as he tried his best to sound scary. The ponies held up the their slingshots with snow already loaded and smiled at the boy, "Uh oh." The child said and jumped just in time towards the other side of their barricade as the shots fired and were launched into the snow/shield shelter with the boy ducking under the snow and slowly tunneling his way behind them like a mole.
"Where'd he go? I swear he was right there!" The brown unicorn said as he held up a large boulder of snow above where had seen the boy jump. Lyric popped his head out just enough to see and quickly huddled in the snow, packing ammo as he popped back up and started throwing his arm around like a mad pitcher, smacking the ponies in the back of their heads and making them flip forward. Lyric grabbed a rather large snowball and took aim at the unicorn turning just as he was whipped around and got a face full of snow; his magic wobbling and dropping the large boulder of white torment crushing him and making him into a perfect snow-pony.
Lyric panted with his arms dangling, collapsing into the snow only to be reinvigorated by the cold as he shot right back up; starring at the slowly dwindling horde of ponies battling it out in a frenzy. "Wow!" Lyric cheered in happiness and fear at the same time as his sisters and friends watched with wide mouths at his incredible actions. "This town- ISTHEGREATEST!" He screamed as he filled his hands with snow and charged into the battlefield with arms raised high.
"PLEASE, PONIES! THERE ARE RULES!" The pony wearing a top hat screamed to the public; he was the appointed stand-in official for this time of year. The real mayor knew what they would do to the pony who say's stop when they're in the frenzy mode that always comes from the prize in the end. "They just never learn..." He admitted in defeat as he slunk back into the treeline to hide.
"Your brother is amazing..." Bloom was the first to speak following the others as their mouths closed quickly.
"I didn't know he was such a good fighter." Star said with a small blush under her eyes at the sight.
"He never said he was." Celestia said as she covered her mouth while watching Lyric tackle a pony into another and pummeled them with large snow covered fists so not to hurt the ponies. She watched him take half of them out in a few minutes as the rest ran into the tree line in complete terror, right off the grounds of battle until there was only one left; leaving Lyric to face off in the center.
"Where'd brother learn all that, Tia?" Luna spoke up as she could barely see over the edge, just enough to witness the young boy heaving and nearly toppling over; going to his knees as he almost passed out from his intense session of the snow war. The young mare was in near the same condition but was slowly making her way over to the young boy and landed right next to him, holding a puffy snowball in her wing. "She's... She's gonna take brother out." The blue filly whined.
Just as the mare pegasus was about to drop the snowball; a stray ball made a perfect arc towards the mare, landing on her head and forcing her down with her last bit of strength being stolen right from under her. Lyric collapsed, completely out of breath as he passed out with a wide grin ever showing on his face. All the fillies looked to Luna in shock as her horn slowly faded and her anger along with it. Celestia's eyes went wide as she put together what her younger sibling had just accomplished.
"Luna?! Did you just use levitation magic?!" She said in the most excited tone she had; her voice high pitched and erratic.
The blue filly fell to her haunches as her lips began to tremble and felt a small headache resonating from her tiny horn. "I-I... I-I just didn't want brother t-to lose..." She said with a small waver in her voice. She managed to stand albeit a bit trembling in her legs; looking over the edge as Lyric lifted himself over to watch the snow slowly fall onto his face and the welcoming ground. The blue filly ran to the tunnel and quickly dug it out as she went into a full gallop to rush to her brother's side; crawling onto his stomach and pushing on him a few times, "Brother! Brother!" She said slightly sadly as her eyes nearly teared up.
Lyric slowly cracked an eye open and held a finger to his lips as he smiled to her, closing his eye quickly as the other fillies ran to his side in worry. "Is he alright, Moo-" Star was cut off by a snowball colliding with her face; as were all the children, save from Celestia who saw Lyric jump up in surprise and hold his hands above her head as he got within inches of her face to smile at her, "Just remember we're family!" He said quickly and dropped the cold ball onto her head.
"WHY?!" She bellowed to the freezing wind. "EVERY. TIME." She screamed with pure annoyance in her voice. "EVERY TIME I SEE YOU ON THE GROUND, I SWEAR!"
The boy toppled over laughing to himself, "Pfffft ahahaha! I can't, I just can't!" He laughed, rolling over and over as his tiny princess sister held her hooves to her mouth to stifle her giggles.
"Thou did say there could only be one winner, Star." She said with a smirk. As she said this, her eyes went wide and came to the realization, stumbling back in fear as she covered her eyes with her hooves welcoming his fury; but nothing happened. She dropped her hooves slowly and opened her eyes to Lyric holding her shoulders gently. He leaned in and kissed her forehead just above her small ivory horn, making her blush and smile up at him like only a sister truly could.
"Nobody tries to hurt my little princess on my watch." He told her as he picked her up and placed the giggling filly onto his head, only causing her giggles to become more prominent.
"Hehe; you called me your princess..." She said as she stuffed her face into his hair to hide her blush.
"Awwwwe!" The group of fillies all had the cutest expression on their faces as they all daw'ed at his little actions.
"What?" Lyric said with his own cheeks burning away.
"I never see Luna happier than when she's with you, you know that?" Celestia and Star both nodded with friendly smiles.
"Really? I barely even try." He stated with a goofy smile upwards to the future raiser of the moon with pure love, "Just flooooooows ." He said, only making the girls d'aw even more and grow a faint redness under their noses. Lyric happily blushed as the tiny princess nibbled away at his hair just as happily. "Wait; what's the point of the snowball war?" Lyric thought for a moment.
"The winner gets to pick any present they want from Ponyville!" Blossom said with glee. "You can get anything you want!" She informed him.
"Hmmmm... Anything, huh?" He said as he looked to his sister messing with his hair.
"Is it over yet..?" A random voice asked from the coverage of the trees. The children all looked back at the unicorn huddled behind a tree; his top hat having a hole through the center where one of Lyric's stray snowballs fired right through.
"Is that you, Admin State?" Star asked as she got a better look. "Oh my gosh! That means Lyric actually DOES win!" She said with untold excitement.
"The boy really won?" He asked in shock. "I watched him jump down from the fortress over there but I didn't think he'd really win... Well-" He began as he straightened his small suit-coat. "-What is it you wish for Hearths Warming, prince Lyric?" He asked with a small smile; he really didn't think the boy had it in him.
"I know JUST what I want." He grinned.
"Well my boy, what is it you desire?" Admin asked the boy yet again as he was deep in thought looking to his little sister.
"Hm..." The boy mumbled as he began to think incredibly deep. "Can I come back to you on that?" He said with a strange wonder in his tone. Admin State blinked once and cocked his head.
"Well I must say, that is quite a shock. Near every time a child had won, they screamed out their favorite toy!" He chuckled, "But yes of course, come back to the office later in the day or whenever you'd like and I'll be there." He said with a kind smile as it faded rapidly, "Most likely hiding out..." He told them in sadness as he worriedly looked around, trotting slowly through the field and over the hills to his office sanctuary.
"So-so-so-so-so!?" Celestia asked vigorously. "What are you gonna get?" She asked with brightening and sparkling eyes.
Lyric smiled with his arms behind his back, reaching up and pulling the blue filly from her obsession and held her in front of himself. "What's your biggest wish, Luna?" He asked as her face went nearly eye popping and she grinned.
"Eeeeeeeee! Oh my goodness brother, really?!" She asked as she jumped into his chest through his grip and hugged him tightly. "Really-really-really?" She asked in pure joy. "Can I, uhm..." She leaned into his ear and whispered lightly, "My biggest wish is to spend the entire day with you..." She said with the smallest of blushes as she tapped her hooves together and was rewarded with Lyric spinning, causing her to giggle as he held her higher in the air.
"You could have that anytime, sis! I'm talking about the biggest, most amazing, mind blowing, incredible gift you could ever imagine!" He said as he placed her down and she closed her eyes in deep thought.
The lunar princess had to think deeply; there was very little that her parents hadn't already gotten her and her sister due to the great wealth and land they owned... But there was something that the little blue filly had truly always wanted.
"Awwwe, Lulu, you're the greatest sister; you could have asked for anything at all." Celestia said as she chuckled lovingly at her small sister's antics and walked over to the hugging siblings to join them in a group hug.
"Ugh, bleh!" Star finally had had enough of it, "I can't take this much mushy, lovey-dovey stuff! Lets just go to the shop and get something to eat; I'm soooo hungry from all this." She said with a small grumble in her tummy.
"I'm with Star, lets go already. It's getting colder." Blossom told them with a small shiver up her spine.
"We... We could go and get some more hot coco and even a tart?" Bloom asked her sister timidly.
"Great idea, sis. We can be nice and warm then!" Blossom said with a friendly smile. "Now stop hugging and lets go already, you weirdos." She ordered as the group was clearly done with the royals.
Lyric detached himself from the huggle-fest and picked Luna up to pop her onto her all too well-known spot and walked just behind his friends.
He began thinking about what his present could be for Hearths Warming... Something that shows love and meaning to the ones closest around him. He thought back to all the places he had been and the various booths that set up shop in the marketplace, when the perfect idea suddenly came to him. He picked Luna off of his head as she was JUST about to snuggle into his hair, placing her gently on the snow as the girls stopped and looked at him, "Sorry I gotta go; I know what my wish is!" He said as he began running towards the town's mayoral offices. "Get me another one of those chocolate things!" He yelled back to them in a hurry.
"He doesn't understand the term, 'Hot chocolate', does he?" Star said as they continued walking to Coco's booth of pure creamy goodness.
"I don't think he get's much of anything." Blossom said with a friendly smile at the princesses, "But he is an absolute treasure." She said with a happy smile thinking of the past fun they all had together.
'Oh I really hope they like them, I know Luna will! ' Lyric told himself as he gently jogged through the snowy streets of ponyvile. The cheer-filled ponies rushing with gifts and the like around the many stores, no pony was alone at this time of year and with them they all carried hopeful glee ridden smiles; Lyric absolutely loved the idea of Hearths Warming if this is what's it like for the whole town.
He made his way to Admin's offices at town hall, (or as Lyric called it, "The tiny clock tower- tower") and strode his happy self through the halls til he reached the mayor's office, knocking as he entered,
"Aaaaaadminnn!!" He called out as his small hands pushed the doors open with his body running straight into a pile of paperwork. His face scrunched as his nose blew the dusty stack of papers halfway down, exposing him to the terrified pony behind the desk. "This is your office??" Lyric asked strangely as he checked the surroundings.
"I'm afraid so my young Prince ," Admin huffed as he slowly hopped over and shuffled the papers back into a stack, "Welcoming isn't it?" He sadly chuckled, "But my boy, I'm guessing you happened to find something for your wish ?"
"Hmm, there WAS something but I forget?" Lyric scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling as he jumped to sit down cross-legged; 'hmmm, something that means you care about somepony?' He thought to himself while thinking about his sister's words on the matter
Lyrics face drastically changed into a bright grin again. "Absolutely! I know just what I want now Mr!" The boy reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a pencil he kept, scrambling for a piece of empty parchment
Admin chuckled and gave a questioning gaze at Lyrics fast-paced scribbling on his desk. "Prince Lyric, wouldn't it be easier to just tell me?" He pried
Lyric's tongue was out to the side as he glanced up to Admin but continued to draw, "Not really, I suck at explaining stuff," He informed the older pony.
"Prince Lyric, you're teaching Equestrian History at the school and you're a child." Admin deadpanned.
"History already happened though, THIS hasn't," He said, holding the blueprints to a Hearths Warming gift the girls would never forget.
Author's Note
This is for everyone that's commented, messaged and emailed me about this story.
This was my first fic over 8 years ago when I wasn't sure what to do with myself until I saw a random picture (The cover art for this fic) and had a random jolt of inspiration.
Somehow it blew it up over time and I was shocked, I never thought a random tale of what I created would get so many peoples attention, even for one chapter. I know I'm not a fantastic writer, but for those who've asked, I'll randomly post on this story again. Hopefully it's a nice gift to some for the next few days.
But I can give you all at least this. With that, please enjoy my ramblings!
A Dash of Elemental Love
"Prince Lyric-" Admin was cut off by the young boys attention to detail, tongue gouging at his own cheek.
"Bleh! please stop calling me that.. My sister gave me the name before I became a prince, ya know." He said, slightly exhausted at the idea of being held above others.
"Yes, yes I'm well aware Lyric, as is the entire town." The brown stallion rolled his eyes. "But just what is it that you're drawing..? You've been here for hours now?"
Admin could see various versions of what seemed to be... Jewelry? Different sizes and shapes littered the scraps of parchment, etchings of designs for the centers all seemed so specific, yet had a sense of commonality with each other.
Lyric was quickly approaching the end of his work as the large clocktower bellowed out, shaking him from his most recent of hobbies; jewelry designer.
The bell tower rang out six deafening rings, causing Lyric to realize just how long he'd been creating these gifts, as Admin haphazardly watched on in pure fascination above his shoulders.
"Wait is REALLY already evening?!" Lyric frighteningly peeped up, positive he'd be hearing it from his family later. Luna was always upset when she'd lost any time from his graps.
"My boy, you've sat here scribbling drawings for quite some time! I tried to question you earlier in the hour but you were nearly in a trance!" Admin chuckled to himself, "You kept mumbling 'Something to show you care' and I must say, this might be the most effort I've seen a child put into a hearths warming gift since I myself was a boy." He ended in a happy tone.
Lyric smiled with all his teeth showing, tossing his arms behind his head as he often would. "You don't get a wish for your loved ones every day ya know!"
Admin smirked playfully. "Says the prince of a kingdom.."
The young boy shook the tired dread from his eyes and slapped his cheeks lightly, "That's like saying you can't miss your family when you leave the house!" He suddenly began running full sprint up to the doorway as he slapped his drawings on the overworked mayoral pony's desk.
As he was about to leave, Admin stuck a hoof in the air to inquire but got his answer in a rapid exlamation.
"Just do your best, Mr! I know its a lot to ask of you, but I'd love for these to be done as soon as pony-possible!" And with that, the shaggy haired boy ran through the door and out into the rushing streets of Ponyville...
Smiling to himself as he shook his head, the old stallion sauntered towards his waiting desk with brimming enthusiasm for what the loving prince had devised for his family and friends.
He rustled the papers, stacking them together as he begun to sort through each one carefully as possible, reviewing what he was sure was to be the most eventful hearths warming gift this side of Equis.
"My oh my.." Admin stated aloud for no one but the mice rustling in his walls. "It seems the young man fancies them all!" He exclaimed and smirked at the parchment he held. "I promise thee, Prince Lyric..." He paused and corrected himself swiftly, "I promise thee Lyric, I shall do my utmost for you this year."
The emboldened yet overloaded stallion hurriedly tossed together specific instructions for the gem stone dealers, iron workers and others he was going to be needing the assistance of for this fantastical concept of a gift. Its not as if they'd said no to helping out the boy who gave them all such joys recently.. But this was going to be a LOT of work.
"The king and queen knew just who to pick.."
It had been three days since the young man placed his designs in the care of the townspony's old mayor, and as per his wishes, Admin had truly went above and beyond for that young noble, forcing the overworked and tiring townsponies to do everything they can to not only give that young boy the best possible gifts, but the princesses, their friends, and the very town itself; the single greatest jewelry adornment anypony had seen since the royal families crowns were crafted in the pits of the first lights.
Admin was on his only vacation in his entire life, taking any and all days off he had racked up in the last 20 years to make sure this hearths warming dream would come true. He'd spent the last 72 hours traveling to the depths and farthest reaches of Equis, finding the blacksmiths deep in the tunnels of the Centauran Mines. He trotted to the isles of Forgotten Mermrays to collect the rarest gems the world had seen.
Nothing kept him from his goal, nothing except the comfort of his deepest darkest desires... Paperwork. He happily endorsed being sent daily enchanted scrolls to continue his endevours for the townsfolk. He sent back every scroll, along with small updates of his ventures, to embolden the young man with fruitful dreams and thoughts of what was going to be placed under the hearth the coming mornings.
The royal castle shook violently, the very uneasy feeling of what was coursing through those castle walls haunting their way out the open windows to the landscape below.
"I will make the very earth rumble at my presence!!" The young alicorn screamed to the very heavens.
The fearful siblings shook, cowered even, beneath their small sister's true power. The darkness, twists of shadow-like tendrils began to envelope their tiny legs and arms, piercing their very minds as they started to imagine their worst nightmares becoming reality...
She... Was having a tantrum.
"P-please s-s-stop.. Luna!!" Lyric managed to squeeze out as Lunas powerful magic circled around him tauntingly, gripping his chest tightly.
Celestia in all her might, no matter how she struggled, couldn't break free from the smaller siblings unfolding and untapped magic. She could barely lift a hoof above the tiles. As she raised her head to stare directly at her sister in vain... Mock pain meeting her gaze.
The blue alicorn took one large step towards her siblings and cackled, "Hehehehahaha!!! You DARE plead to the all powerful QUEEEEEN of your realms?!" Taking a few more steps toward her brother, she smiled mercilessly, prying her eyes open to their limits, gawking into his very soul.
"You... You can't do this Luna.. You.. You know I can't let this happen!!" Lyric proclaimed to the future ruler of the night. "I. Will. Stop. Youuu!!" He screamed to any that would hear; Hopefully their parents... because this had clearly gone too far. Even by their owns means, this had gotten absurd.
As we all know, Lyric had stopped a mugging, released multiple wild animals to attack his own mother unwillingly, watched his new father send a pony to literal hell, beat half the town to exhaustion via snowball fight and... Sadly... Stole candy from an actual baby (It was warranted! The child was clearly mocking the young prince and even he isn't above small vengeance).
If it wasn't for the unsurmountable sheer power of the young ruler of the night, Lyric and Celestia would be bounding for the doors and readying themselves for the anger of their parents. They knew what would happen... They knew the shinning glory they would unleash if they allowed themselves to open the floodgates of Lunas true bounty...
"You will bow before your ruler!" The small starry maned filly bellowed, letting her siblings quake as she stood before them. "I ask for one thing my subjects!"
The two shivered with fear and glanced at each other, dormant fear etched into their very eyes. What was it now... Would she ask them to shower her in affection? Was it... About what they'd done? Sweet baby Luna if she found out, everypony was destined for days and endless nights of torture.
"Please Luna.. Please just tell us what you need!!" The older sister begged to her smaller sister. "End this unspeakable torture!"
The tiny blue filly menacingly rubbed her hooflets together and grinned, "Oh... Does somepony wish to tell their Queen what they've done, than?" She cackled and pretended to faint, "Finally you're to be honest." Little timid Luna was upset. She'd never forgive them for what they'd done to her.
Lyric panted and pushed his two strong arms from in front of him to stare at Luna whilest struggling. "Luna... I know you're mad." He began his speech, "When somepony wrongs us-"
"BROTHER NOOO!" Celestia hopelessly screamed to interrupt.
"-When somepony wrongs us... We work hard to fix the mistake... Then all we can do is move on!" He spoke from the heart, true to his words as a noble should! Then got an idea... He knew what she asks for every day in a huff. Jealousy is more than a companion when Celestia is around.
Lyric smirked and slowly but surely began to stand, reading himself as he flicked away her mighty alicorn magic and clapped his hands loudly; all but celestia's small prison of magic whisping away through the ether, "Hahahahaha Luna, can you believe you really did all this!? I'm proud of ya sis!" He tapped his shoes together childishly.
Celestia, still struggling under the black tendrils, crawled her way towards the now smiling pair, "Brother... Don't leave me! You're the only one that can save me!" The timid pink maned filly reached for her brother but was met with a quivering hand and a reluctant fingertip booping her small hoof in the exchange.
"There's only so much the Progenitors will take upon themselves, Sis." He smirked and picked Luna up to her all but obvious perch. "Wouldn't wanna exhaust myself too much ya know, stawberry?"
Celestia frowned and gritted her teeth in frustration at her new nomenclature. "I... You..." She paused and breathed a heavy sigh as the magic enclosing her flattened her softly to the ground, her huffed cheeks squishing against the tiles. "I know where you sleep Lyric." The unfortunate sister informed her brother.
"Well ya, we all sleep in the same house!" He chuckled and hopped away with Luna sticking her pink tongue out at their eye twitching sister.
The blue alicorn bounced lightly atop his shoulders as she bopped his head with her tiny hooves, now having had quickly strolled away from their sibling. "You promise I'm not gonna get in trouble right.." She asked, finally calmed down and timid once more at the thought of what she'd just done, how many guards had been ordered to leave them be... And goodness did they rush far away. All for eating the last few moonpies. Truly the future will be fearful of her pastries.
Chewing his lip a tad, the young man explained, "How about we focus on the positive, Luna?" Her ears fell slightly as he felt a slump on his back. "Oh come on, sis! There's no taking it back now.." He said, trying to help her cause. She mildly slopped her legs and began sliding down his back so he quickly gripped her legs and tossed his body forward to spring her back into position.
The small filly squeaked and giggled at her brothers antics, the result of which, flung them straight down the staircase and out into the yards. Small snowflakes cascaded their delicate beauty down from the sky, the pegasaii creating a lovely blanket of fresh snow clouds to welcome in a flurry of snow for a Hearths Warming of the ages.
Castle gates were creaking in the small breeze adorned with piles of fresh snow, the young rulers rose their heads from the ground/bundle of brotherly hair, smiling wide and tapping their shoes upon the stonework of the courtyards frozen tapestries.
"Hahahahaha!! Look at ya go, Luna!" Lyric happily swung her around in the falling snow, lifting her up and tossing her above them. She snapped her small wings into the wind and delighted in the freeing feeling once more, gliding through the air as her lovely brother chased after her with a pep in his step only she could award him with.
"Brother, brother!" She screamed. "Have you ever tried to fly before?" She excitedly landed in his arms and gripped his shoulders. "It's even better in the snow, hehe!"
Lyric hugged her closely, holding her above his head, watching the wind blow her mane around, resulting and a warm smile from her. "I mean I've never literally flown!" He mocked fanning his arms like wings and chuckled, "But I did fall off the old mountains once.." His demeaner changed visibly for a moment, deep in thought while his hand griped Luna tighter. "I fell for more than a whole minute! ahahaha... I hit a mountain bird and they were very... VERY judgey. I swear if they didn't all soften the blow, I wouldn't be here in the snow today." Lyric patted her head and tossed her in the air once more.
"You mean the birds, right?" Luna giggled and came to a direct stop in front of him as a landing.
Lyric chuckled and threw his hand behind his head. "Yep! Can't imagine what would have happen without those judgey peckers!" And took a sudden dead drop into the snowy ground, tossing his body in all directions to create the "perfect" snow angel.
"You're so silly Lyric!" Luna smirked and mimicked his movements, creating a happy little snow pony herself.
"I'm not silly, I'm just enjoying everything I can! You never know~!" He spoke with a joyful tone, but Luna felt like he was hiding something. Lyric never spoke in such random riddles, just engaging and humorous ones! "I do wish the mountains got spared though.."
She tossed the thought of him hiding something, and instead was wrought with another. "Wait brother." He grinned as she caught on. "What happened to the mountains?!" she bellowed.
"Does a worldy little scholar like my sister, ever remember reading of the Cliffs of Castar?"
Her eyes went wide and all but snorted in his direction now, "You made more craters there than Daddy!" Now giggling to her hearts content she continued, "If I ever have a student brother, I'll tell 'em all about you!" She breathed out a deep and witty sigh and simply enjoyed the cold and calm moment with her brother that unfolded.
They laid there in the snow for quite some time. Getting close enough to grasp each others hand and hoof respectfully as they watched the snowflakes fall, melting at the touch of Lunas tiny but welcomed magical barrier. They were cold, but they had each other; It truly was a hearths warming.
