Author's Note

If anyone was curious, I have a picture of Twisted Visions. Ignore the eyes, I was young and stupid. She is missing the greaves as well, but I was poor.

https://i.imgur.com/7n37FKK.jpg

And IDK how everyone else thinks Twisted sounds, and she's been a character I have had since... Wow... The first Fallout: Equestria story. As a hint, however, I actually screamed when I heard Tempest speak for the first time...

I roleplayed her for a little, and because of the whole "Discord" thing, she was often coined as the villain so I went that route. It was actually funny, cause people made her the villain, but making people so confused when talking to her was wonderful.

Fun Facts about Twisted! Maybe I'll throw some of these up more often!

I promise, next chapter will start broadening the story. Was supposed to be this chapter, but...I got carried away...

A relationship, grows larger

Hello hello hello, people of Prince John's! I certainly hope all of you are having a wonderful day, but I have some bad news. The reports on this band of raiders on Bell Island have started to grow, and they've started taking ponies by force. No one knows what they are up too on that island, but something tells me, it's nothing good. Keep safe, and if our local Paladin is listening, I don't like to make it a habit of asking for people to do things on the radio, but something tells me ponies in these parts are in need of some faith. My offer to come down is still open, and you know, if you can help us I will be indebted to you. Until then, up next, a personal favourite of mine, and a reminder that I will never give up on you all. Spirit of the Radio!

"It sounds like he really wants to talk to you Priestess," Lilly said, as the two sat under the shade the school provided them. Books and the like were scattered all over, and the two were listening to music while Twisted was teaching her how to read and write.

"It does. I have been thinking about the initial invitation for a while, but I didn't think much of it. This time, I am considering it even more," Twisted responded, looking at the radio.

"I think you should go. You may not be able to solve everyone's problems, but maybe your perspective can help? At the very least, maybe you can offer help similar to the help you have given us here?" Lily offered as a suggestion, which Twisted took. She was a child, and often pointed out things that were obvious, but sometimes perspective made you forget the obvious options.

"I think you are right Lily. I think I will go and meet this DJ," She said with a smile. "And you, are going to come with me, Summer Breeze permitting of course," Twisted smiled, standing up. "After all, what is a Paladin, without her squire?"

Lily's jaw nearly hit the floor at the mentioning of squire. She jumped up, bristling with energy. "You! You really mean it! I can be your squire?!" She shouted, starting to hop up and down. "Does that mean you'll teach me how to be a Paladin! For real!"

"Summer Breeze allowing, yes. I will teach you to be a Warrior of Discord. You have already been learning so much already, so I may as well make it official, shouldn't I?" Twisted asked, the filly running around in excitement. The excitement had just turned whatever Lily was trying to say into excited squeals of laughter before she ran off. She had no idea where the filly went when she got like this, but it was somewhere to squee herself out. She, on the other hand, had a mare to go find.

It didn't take long for Twisted to find Summer Breeze, who was with Plank. The two were together and seemingly married. They did a good job not flaunting it in public, but Twisted had made a fool of herself once or twice, walking into their room at a bad time, completely unused to the idea of privacy from all of her previous places of living. All for various reasons. Lack of care, attempted celibacy, or, a flat-out lack of anyone else around. This time, she knocked.

"Summer Breeze, Pank? It is Twisted Visions, I was wondering if it was okay for me to come in? I would like to talk too you," She said simply, the door being opened by Summer Breeze. Her sunny yellow coat was impossible to miss even a mile away, and even now it was just as striking coupled with her red mane.

"Oh, yes? What is it you need?" The mare asked, stepping to the side. Twisted had noticed that Summer seemed more comfortable allowing Twisted into her room when she wasn't wearing her armour. Probably, because Twisted always looked ready to kill someone, or, just didn't seem like a typical pony. Whatever the reason, it was hers, and it didn't bother the priestess as she stepped inside to allow Summer to close the door.

"It is about Lily. I have come to ask you permission if I may take her with me to Prince John's," Twisted offered, and already she could see there was discomfort in Summer Breeze's eyes. There was something on her mind.

"Oh, yes, I suppose that would be alright," Summer said, nodding her head. Plank was on the other side of the room, and walked over to Summer, leaning up against her comfortingly.

Twisted paused to see if the other two had anything to say, before continuing. "I'm glad. I was also wondering, as I know this cause something of a problem between us previously if you would mind I started teaching Lily about being a warrior. How to fight, how to maintain equipment, as well as the reading, writing, and math I have been working on teaching her over this past while," She said, and she saw the discomfort grow even more.

There was silence as the three ponies stood, Summer, having chosen to avoid eye contact with Twisted, and Plank seeking to comfort her, before looking at the patient mare. "I don't know how to say this Twisted, but we have something... Pretty big we wanted to ask you." Plank said simply, taking a breath.

"We... We want you to adopt Lily..." Summer whispered, seeming to flinch as if Twisted was going to hit her. The Mare made no such movement. She stood, looking at the two, and her mouth was open as she tried to formulate a coherent response to the sudden question. All she managed to get out was a weak, "I'm sorry?"

Plank stepped up. "Me and Summer have wanted a foal of our own for a very long time, but taking care of Lily... We never really felt confident we would have the time to give Lily the attention she deserved, as well as take care of a newborn of our own. We figured, Lily spends so much time with you, and you seemed so keen on teaching her, that you could maybe take over her guardianship. We would really appreciate it if you did," Plank said with a sigh. "I know we haven't given you much, and you've actually helped us and the town so much... I promise, after this, we would never ask you for anything else again. We just want to start a family of our own..." He finished.

Twisted pursed her lips, frowning. It was a difficult question to be asked. Was she even capable of taking care of children? Was she capable of taking care of a child, as a parent should, as well as a protector? She took a deep breath, adjusting herself a little. "That is not my decision to make. While Lily and I are on our way to Prince John's, I will ask her what she thinks of the idea of me adopting her. If she says no, so will I. I will not force a child into a situation she does not want." Twisted said, firmly. She wanted to be clear and concise with this conversation, to make sure there was no confusion.

Plank went to say something when Twisted silenced him with a raise of her hoof. "However, if she says she is okay with that, then we won't come back. I have stayed here, for as long as I have, largely due to her. If I am her guardian, then you will no longer have anything to do with what she does, and her life will be solely my responsibility. You give her up completely because I will not have backseat guardians interfering with what I think is best for the child, should they be mine to raise," She finished. Hypocritical of her, given how the conversation with Lily's grandfather went when Twisted first arrived, but this was a completely different situation. This was a situation where as of now, there was only one outcome that would be best for the parties that mattered.

Twisted prayed to Discord, the Wake, she even threw a request to the sisters for safe measure, that Lily Grove said yes. She wasn't going to lie, she had grown fond of Lily Grove, and while Twisted was worried that she may not understand how to be a parent properly, there wasn't a filly she could think of in Equestria, she would rather find out if she could than Lily.

Summer Breeze nodded. "You have our word. Lily looks up to you more than she ever did me, and I already know I wasn't the best parent to her. I want her to be happy, and if anyone has a chance to do that, it's clearly you Priestess Visions," Summer Breeze said, hanging her head.

Twisted nodded. "Well, then I suppose that is the end of this conversation, isn't it?" She asked, turning to the door. "If it's any consolation, I hope she says yes," She added, turning and leaving the two alone. Now she had one other stop to make, purely to pay respects. Part of her hoped Lily would be there and this could be made so much easier.

Part of Twisted was still wondering if she would be a capable guardian for a child. By definition, a warrior priestess often got into trouble. Even the Lord permitting, his wake could end her life in a snap, leaving Lily alone in the wasteland to fend for herself. Worse yet, this option could open Lily up to the wake ending her life far to soon to be reasonably fair.

But that was the nature of the wake, and of chaos. It did not worry about things such as fair or unfair. Good or evil. The wake simply was, and all were caught in it, left to play the hand they were dealt. One could not reasonably be angry at it, and even if they were, what good would it do?

All one could do, was making the decisions they thought were right, and as of the moment, Lily agreeing to have Twisted as her guardian was by far the best course of action, for most parties. Now was the simple act of speaking with her grandfather. The man was old, and while she had told Summer that she would be asking Lily on the way to Prince John's, she was not cruel enough to do such a thing to the old man who clearly cared for the filly so much. No. He had to know. The wake did not care for fair or unfair, but Twisted did, when she could afford it.

So, she eventually found him, and Lily. The filly was speaking to the man rapidly, barraging him with the information she had received. This must have been what Lily did when she ran off in excitement. How Twisted didn't realize this sooner was beyond her, and made her feel a tad dull in her age.

It only took the pair a moment to notice Twisted standing there. She had made a detour to don her armour, and gather up enough supplies for the both of them, as well as a saddle bag for the filly.

The way Ink Well looked at her spoke volumes. It was a look that only age or experience could muster. Acceptance. Twisted stepped closer, Lily having gone quiet as she looked at the two.

"I suppose Summer and Plank already spoke to you?" The mare asked.

"Who do you think gave the suggestion?" He asked in return, giving a smile. "It's been hard on them all, and I've just grown too old to help much anymore. I couldn't have hoped for a better pony to take it on."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, looking between the two. Couldn't be a better time.

Twisted kneeled down, looking at Lily. "Little one, I have a very large question to ask you, and I need you to think very hard about it. More than you have thought about anything before. Do you understand?"

Lily nodded slowly. Twisted thought about how asking a filly, no more than 8 years old, to make such a decision, was cruel in its own way. A child often didn't know what was best for them, that was the job of the guardian, to a degree. Just such a degree was valid in this situation, and yet Twisted was still providing the option.

"I was wondering," Twisted started, taking the route that allowed Lily to focus on her, rather than all the other variables that could potentially cause upset. "If you would like me to become your guardian. I have spoken with Summer Breeze and Plank, and your Grandfather, but I didn't know when to ask you." Twisted said, keeping her tone level.

Lily tilted her head. "You... Want to be my parent?" She asked, her voice unsure. Twisted just nodded, staying silent. Lily furrowed her brow in thought. "Do Summer Breeze and Plank not want me anymore?" She asked. Twisted's plan clearly didn't work.

"It's not that sweetheart. They just want what makes you happy, we all do," Ink Well stepped in, looking down at Lily. "We see you around Twisted every waking hour, and you've been so much happier and alive spending time with her than we have seen you in a long time," He added, kneeling down next to the filly in turn.

"Though, the question is bigger than that. As I told your family, much of the reason I have stayed around so long is because of you, but I can't stay here forever. Even now, I am being asked to go to Prince John's, and from there who knows where. The wasteland is a big place, and it is by no means glamorous, but after being alone so long, I would love the company if you were willing, and I could even teach you how to be a Paladin even better than I could here," The mare added. Unfair. Twisted felt terrible how unfair she was being, using the filly's hopes and dreams to push her into joining her.

"You do want to be a Paladin, don't you?" Ink Well piped in, catching Twisted by surprise. It seemed she wasn't alone in her thoughts because she could see how fake the smile was. The two of them wanted what was best for Lily, and Lily's supposed guardians wanted their own life. No one could be blamed, as this was the hand everyone was dealt, but there had to be harm in trading cards in just such a way.

Lily frowned, rubbing her hoof into the dirt. It was a slow action as she drew imaginary circles. Then she looked up. "Could I call you Mom?" She asked. It was such a simple question, but it hit Twisted like a rifle shot to the chest. She never had a foal of her own. No lack of trying, but it turned out she simply couldn't. A side effect of her life before the Followers.

"Lily, I..." Twisted started. This moment seemed a little too... Perfect. Too picturesque. It was strange. "Why?" Twisted didn't want this to be a hollow question, for both of their sake.

"Well... Mom's are supposed to teach you things and take care of you. They make the world a better place, and, well... They love you..." The filly said, looking away at this point.

Twisted was speechless, jaw working, but sound failing to exit. How? She didn't understand, how a child, could say what was quite possibly the most perfect thing to say, to such a difficult question. Ink Well came to her rescue, once again, as she rubbed at her eye.

"I think, Twisted liked your answer Lily," Ink Well said, a real smile taking his features as Twisted just nodded.

"So... I can?" Lily asked, looking at Twisted now.

Twisted nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes, my dear, I could not, and would not dare, come up with a reason as to why that would ever be a problem," She said, pulling the filly close. "Especially if that would make you happy," Twisted added, placing a meaningful, but slightly hesitant kiss on her head. Not out of not wanting to do it, but out of a confused fear. Twisted found herself lacking knowledge of what to do. New territory. She was not unaccustomed to children, but she had never really taken this much time with them. Sure, she could teach them how to fight, or, as she said before, teach them how to take care of their equipment and the like, but those were hardly children, and required a basic understanding that you do not hand dangerous objects willy-nilly to people who lack experience. She barely skirted the line there with Lily's dagger, but... It didn't matter now.

"Thank you, mom..." Lily whispered, hugging Twisted.

"Right, I think I will leave you two alone now," Ink Well chuckled, starting for the door, before Twisted stopped him.

"Wait. I think I should leave you and Lily alone. Her and I will have plenty of alone time once we leave." Twisted said simply. "It may be some time before we come back around here. Perhaps even years, but I promise we will return the Wake allowing," She said, standing up and smiling at the two. "I have more things I need to do, and honestly I wasn't quite expecting well... Exactly how this conversation went. I will be outside waiting," She said, leaving the two along. She didn't want to intrude on the two for this, as while that moment was quite special, Twisted had a long way before she felt she deserved.