The morning she found out had started just like any other.

Her godmother's sun glowed warmly through the kitchen window as it rose into the sky while her family had sat at the breakfast table eating leftover hayburgers from the previous night. Maybe it wasn't the most extravagant morning routine for royalty, but it was comfortable and familiar. To Panacea, it may have been her last normal morning for a very long time.

Reaction number one had been to burn the journal she found hidden in her mother's study, as if by incinerating it she could make the contents untrue. Panacea had withheld from that, knowing despite how the sickening words scrawled within made her feel that if she destroyed the journal then she would be able to push it far back enough to recall it as a particularly unpleasant dream.

She wanted to forget, goddesses she did. It would make everything so much easier and tidy. Another part of the young alicorn, hesitantly stronger, needed closure to what she had discovered about herself.

That was her resolve, but every time she went through the mental gymnastics of exactly how she could bring up such a thing with her mother...well. It was like her brain shook the etch-a-sketch for its own wellbeing before she could reach the end of the thought.

Panacea, daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle, had been standing frozen in her mother's office with a journal clutched shakily in her soft pink magic when her father found her. Or was he even her father?

All her life she'd been raised and loved by the thestral stallion called Blue Moon. Her younger brother was definitely of his blood, showing classic thestricorn traits with his tufted ears and elongated noseleaf that acted similarly to a unicorn's horn. But Morning Star was also of their mother as well, taking many of his mane and coat tones from the mare.

She'd always seen the blue of her father's mane in her own multi-toned locks, the streaks of azure alongside the light and dark plum that made up the rest of it. Panacea's coat with a paler lavender than her mother but her grandmare Twilight Velvet was the lightest of silvers. It was explainable.

It was explainable. She really did take her blue mane from her sire.

That final thought made the last of her magic fizzle out and the journal fell to the ground like a dead bird. Tears pearled in the corners of her violet eyes as she looked to Blue Moon for answers.

Her father had walked up to her calmly, wiping away her tears with the soft frog of his hoof and putting the journal back where she had found it. He knew what was written on those pages, had a part in covering everything up so the pure and kindly Princess of Friendship could continue on with her duties unsullied by her rash actions.

Panacea knew that she could be angry and hurt at Blue Moon, but at the time all she wanted was to curl against the dark furred thestral and weep. And that was what she did. Letting her bitter and confused tears run down to her chin and drip to the floor while Blue Moon laid a comforting wing across her shoulders.

"Let's take a walk," He broke the silence once her muffled sobs had turned to sniffles, applying a gentle pressure to her back with his wing to stir her. "You have some questions, I imagine."

That was putting it lightly, but Panacea nodded weakly and swallowed down the thickness in her throat. It was with shaky hooves that she stood and followed him from the study, her gaze drawn to the ornate wooden floor with the black and blue tip of Blue Moon's tail being her only guide in following him.

"So what's in that book is..." She found her voice, a quiet and pitiful thing in its current state. Before anything more could be said, Blue Moon chittered at her for silence.

"Not here," He spoke gently but firmly, swiveling one of his ears as if to remind her where they were. It made sense that what they were going to discuss was not something for a castle stroll, but his insistence on it only made everything more real.

They trotted on in silence with Panacea performing a small refreshment spell on her eyes and cheeks, shrinking back the dilation of vessels and blood flow to a more normal state while drying her tears. It was a spell her mother had taught her, one Twilight had used during many a study induced breakdown. That thought alone almost brought fresh tears.

She and Blue Moon left the castle and continued walking until they were near the edge of town, past the vibrant orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. There, they stood on the sloping hill that led down into the Everfree.

A warm wind blew over the two, ruffling their manes and sending up the scent of morning new and wildflowers. Panacea closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, filling her chest with the aroma of the life around her and letting the thrum of cicada song fill her ears. If she could just hold onto this moment for a little longer, maybe she could make it feel like an eternity.

"Was I just an experiment to mom?" The words tumbled from her mouth as she exhaled, surprising her. Panacea gulped and continued, "She...why would she…" The wisteria coated alicorn stomped a hoof, biting her lip through a frustrated growl. "Why would she create a life just to test a theory? And in such a way? Didn't she think about me!?"

Blue Moon watched her through gentle orange eyes, letting her finish her rant before responding. "I don't think your mother was in a place at the time where she could think things through." He rubbed his chin with a wing thumb as he considered his words. "Twilight has always had a knack for getting too far into her own head when she works on experiments, so far that she gets lost. But...I do know that regardless of your origin, your mother does love you."

Panacea huffed spitefully, wiping her cheek where a tear was threatening to fall. Loved her as a daughter or a successful test? "Was fucking her brother just a bonus?"

"Language."

They shared a blank look as both figured the situation was beyond him chiding a practically grown mare on her choice of words.

"I can't tell you what your mother was thinking, or Shining Armor. All I know is that their relationship started long before your birth, and that it ended the moment the princesses realized what had happened." Blue Moon squinted as a shaft of sunlight fell over his face and lifted a wing to shield himself. "No one could have guessed that your cousin's birth would cause such a reaction from her, or that she would go so far to prove her theory."

Her heart dropped at his words, face flushing in shame. There was so much wrong here, so much that she couldn't understand. Twilight was always such a calm and collected mare, the ideal princess.

And yet, she'd bred with her brother on a hunch that he had something in his genes that when mixed with alicorn blood would allow the potential for another alicorn to be born.

And her father…Blue Moon.

"What about you?" Panacea spoke barely above a whisper, but she saw his ears twitch. "You were part of the cover-up, you've acted as my father this whole time...is...is Morning Star also-"

"No, you were the only foal from Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor. But you're no less a child of mine than your brother, you are both my children and I love you however you came into this world." Blue Moon had already guessed where she'd been going with her line of questioning, and his answer left her only partially relieved.

"And what about mom? Is our entire family a lie?" She had done nothing but bombard the more stallion with questions since they'd gotten there, but he had answered them all without holding anything back or tiring of her grilling him. Panacea almost felt bad but there was just too much she had to know.

"That one is a bit more complicated, " Blue Moon hummed, "At first it was business, I acted as your mother's lover and proposed to her publicly on the order of Princess Celestia. It was to save a number of reputations and avoid a public scandal worse than the princess of friendship having a foal out of wedlock. It was business for another year before we truly fell into our roles and I realized despite how your mother was flawed, she was a beautiful pony at heart."

Panacea blinked at him, brow furrowed as she silently begged him to lay it out simply.

"I came to love your mother, but also have my duty to keep something like the circumstances of your birth from happening again."

So that's what it was, he was watching Twilight for the princesses. It made sense, but didn't make her heart hurt any less despite his declaration that she and Morning Star were loved. Her brother at least had the benefit of being born loved, Blue Moon had to learn to love her.

Did he really mean it when he said they were equal in his eyes? Just a few hours before they had been a normal family, everyone settled and certain of their roles in each other's lives. But now Panacea wasn't so sure.

"What happens now?" She doubted it would be anything pleasant like waking up to find out everything was a dream, her reality felt like pain flaking off a wall. Like crisp, orderly white paint chipping away to reveal rotten wood beneath.

"I think," Blue Moon, her father, began. "That you should speak with your mother, perhaps not now, but soon. I know you, and I know you won't be able to settle your head until you confront her on this. But until then, why don't you stay at a friend's house?"

For a brief moment she worried he was discreetly hinting that she leave their home permanently, but despite their conversation she knew that her father wasn't cruel like that. He'd meant it as a temporary measure to give her space that she desperately needed, she wasn't sure she could just go home and speak to her mother face to face at the dinner table in the evening.

Panacea nodded in assent, turning the peek over her shoulder at Sweet Apple Acres. "Maybe the Apples could use some help for a few days...it's a bit short notice but..."

"But your room is undergoing sudden renovations and you wanted to spend some time with your friend, you think they'll need anything more than that?" Blue Moon gave his daughter a playful nudge, "The Apples are good ponies, they won't pry if you need a place to rest. I'll smooth it over with your mom later."

He was right, if anyone was going to welcome a sudden visitor with open hooves it would be the apples. Besides, it had been awhile since she and Fuji Butter had a sleepover. Not since they were foals, now that she thought of it.

"That works for me," Panacea stood, "We should talk out me staying with them as early as possible, I'd hate to ruin any plans or spring it on them later in the day."

Blue Moon snorted and shook his head, but joined her in standing and stretched out his limbs. "Alright, let's go make a house call then."

It was a short walk to the farm, and as the road went from sparse and overrun to well maintained Panacea and Blue Moon walked on in surprisingly companionable silence. Still, despite her heart telling her that he was still her dad, her head was working to convince her that she was relearning just who this pony was.

And maybe, that was okay.

Author's Note

And we meet Panacea! She's not having the best day.

This will be updated sporadically, as it's mostly just me doing writing exercises and getting out ideas for this AU.