=Familia 14=

>”Cream and sugar?”
“Please, Anonymous.” You say with a giggle.
>The old human paws around at his end table next to his teacup. “Sorry Twilight, can’t seem to find-“
>”Tis right here, papa!”
>Princess Luna sticks her snout out from the kitchen and floats a pair of sugar packets and cream cups over to the two of you.
>”Ah, thank you, Woona.”
>”Father!” she exclaims, turning slightly more scarlet. “Not in front of my subjects…”
>”The day I’m a subject of yours is the day I go back and get my medical degree “woona”.” Teases a draconequus from the couch.
>The princess snorts. “Do not test my patience brothe-“
>Anonymous clears his throat and cuts the argument off in a heartbeat. “Luna, settle yourself. Discord, don’t tease your sister.”
>”Yes papa.” Luna says obediently.
>Discord is less polite. “Uhg, fine. When did you turn into Celestia?”
>”When I came back.” She answers.

>Anonymous smiles and places the cream and sugar for your coffee on the arm of the chair you were in. “Sorry if it’s a bit busy today, I’m afraid I accidentally scheduled my day with you at the same time as my day with them!”
>You wave a hoof. 
“It’s no worry, Anonymous, I could have rescheduled if you want.”
>”At my age a regimented schedule is all that helps me remember what day it is. Now, tell me! How are things back in Ponyville?”
“Well,” you stroke your chin. “Rainbow Dash found out something about her favorite author, the girls and I helped spruce up the old Castle of the Two sisters-“
>”We remember the castle!” Luna says from the kitchen “A bit muggy in the summer.”
>You chuckle.
“And we just recently met Pinkie’s big sister Maud!”
>Anonymous chuckles again. “It sounds like an enjoyable time to be certain, but I can’t imagine any family meetup of Pinkie Pie’s was one of peace and quiet.”
“Heh, not exactly, no. Not like here at least.” 
>You close your eyes a moment and take in the peaceful sounds of nature outside.
“I’m curious, Anon, you’ve been in Equestria for eons it seems, but how did you do that?”
>Anonymous sips his tea and glances over to Discord. “Quietly…save a few instances.”

-The past-
>Nothing around you made anything close to sense.
>Everything about Equestria, the land Celestia and Luna had helped found, made it sound an ideal paradise with babbling brooks and green trees, kind people and clean living. 
>This was not that. This was haphazard checkered hills and floating segments of land, disproportioned rabbits galloping like elk and houses made of cards in the place of the homes of families.
>Beyond that was worse, beyond that was a battle. They flew around a throne on the highest hill in the area, surrounded by the floating bits of land and home you’d passed and firing blasts of magic at one another. Ponyfolk floating in a prison of gelatin stared from behind your warring children in fear at the power they brandished against one another. Mothers covered the eyes of their foals, so they would no longer have to see their benevolent rulers with such rage in their hearts.
>It pulled on you more than you could bear, and you could remain silent no longer.
“Stop.”
>The war of the three siblings ended just that quickly as the three turned to you. Discord snarled and snapped his fingers, sending Celestia and Luna hurtling backwards as he slithered up to you before your next heartbeat.
>”Well, look who finally decided to show up. Nice to see you, “pops”.” He spits.
>You look him over and try to gather up everything you wanted to say.
“…Son-“
>”DON’T CALL ME THAT!” he roars.

>You stand your ground and let him coil himself in anger.
>”Every SINGLE day you called us those pet names, but you didn’t mean any of it, did you? Not to me, anyway.”
>He continues to float around angry at everything he saw. “You spent all that time with the two of them. The lessons, the pet names, the late nights and making their favorite foods. I was just an unwanted addition, wasn’t I? The fly in your soup, the boil on your toe, the Jan to your Brady’s!”
>Discord throws his hands up in frustration. “I don’t even know what that last one IS but I know I know about it!” 
“I’m sorry you feel that way, I can’t say it enough.”
>”Ooooohhhh well I guess that makes it all better! Years and years of watching you eat up those two but it’s alright now because the old man is SORRY!”
>”Even now I can’t get ANYTHING but that half eyed sarcasm from you! I go through all this work-“ Discord gestures at the pandemonium around the two of you then shoves his face up to yours “-and you don’t even have the consideration to be MAD!”
>That was where he tripped over something that made you speak.
“I can’t be mad at you, Discord.”
>Your son retracts his head and blinks.
“I just…don’t have it in me, I guess, hehe…”
>You rub your hands together.

“You were always so independent even from the first day you came to our home. If you had been first, I’m sure I would have doted on you like I did your sisters, but by the time you got there I’d learned so much, I knew you could be trusted on your own. I suppose I was wrong there.”
>You easily open your floodgates and let it come spilling out. 
“I suppose now it makes some sense. You could do -so much- for yourself, why wouldn’t you want to show it off? But you always seemed like we were bringing you down, so we tried to give you your space…”
>You look around at the disharmony he’d made.
“To see you use your gifts like this…I-“
>You sigh and lock eyes with your son.
“I’m not mad at you, Discord, I could never be…but I am -so- disappointed in you.”
>Discord recoils as if struck and opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it just the same before he can even form the words.
>Then he catches you glancing behind him and turns to see what has your interest, coming face to face with his sisters floating six magical amulets around them.
>The flash that follows freezes Discord in place, and for the next millennium you try to figure out if the look in his eye was from shock or regret.

-The present-
>”And that’s how Equestria was made.” Anonymous says with a smile.
>Wow that joke was as funny the ten thousandth time as it was the first.
>You humor Anonymous with a smile and glance to Discord who’s looking at his lion claws.
“I don’t suppose you’d ever tell me if that incident changed you in any way, will you?”
>To your surprise, he answers immediately. “No, it did.”
>You’re so taken aback that you can’t even respond to his answer, but Discord covers for you and keeps talking anyway. “I’m sure a history buff like you knows how long I was trapped in that statue, Sparkle. I had a lot of time to think about the last words I’d hear for a thousand years. Around year seven-hundred or so, I decided that the old fart had a point.”
>Anonymous grins a big grin and points to Discord with both hands. “Luna! Luna he said it! After all this time he finally said it!”
>”Oh haaaaa ha.” Discord rolls his eyes. “You know, behavior like this is why I had that episode in the first place.”
>”You had an episode because you were a spoiled little brat your entire life and being in a world that wouldn’t fluff your bottom or put up with you like we did made you think you had something to prove.”
>”At least my beard doesn’t look like roadkill.” Discord snipes back.
>Anonymous looks an eternity younger as he and Discord chuckle at one another and lightly jab their elbows into their ribs like a pair of teenagers.
>”They are dooooone~” comes a singsong from the kitchen. Princess Luna trots over happily with a tray of steaming cookies on a plate. Anonymous takes one and pops it into his mouth.
>”Mm. These are out of this world, Woona.”
>”Daaaaaaddy, you said you’d stop making puns.”
>”I would never promise such a thing.”
>Anonymous glances over to you while you chuckle. “But it’s good you’re here, Lulu. It reminds me of another tale Twilight wanted to know of…”

-The past-
>Celestia had sent for you at the house recently.
>Her letter was urgent, to come to the palace at once for something you could only see there.
>You’d packed quickly and hurried out without thinking, just hoping that it wasn’t another sealing of the Crystal Kingdom.
>It wasn’t. But that didn’t mean you haven’t been both hoping for and dreading this day for the last thousand years.
>She was asleep on her bed, a grandiose thing with thick curtains drawn around it to keep the sunlight out while she slept. Your experienced eye caught sight of her nebulous hair, lighter and frostier than in her murals around the castle depicted. Perhaps all that time locked away had regressed her somewhat?
>It didn’t really matter now. She lay there still as a stone just as she was when Celestia ushered you in.
>She had told you the fantastical tale, about how Nightmare Moon had escaped from her lunar prison and was eventually purified by the new bearers for the Elements of Harmony, how she herself escaped being trapped in the sun shortly after that and tearfully reunited with Luna, and how her sister had privately told her just how exhausted she was through the whole ordeal right after she’d sent for you.
>That had been days ago, and you’d been sat here the entire time. Celestia stopped by sometimes, even brought you food or a pillow to rest on, but you hadn’t left and didn’t plan to until your little girl opened her eyes again.
>So imagine your surprise when you were sat there, dumb as a post and twiddling your thumbs, almost bowling over when she stirred. 

>”Wh-who is there?” she asks as she pushes herself up. “I am still so groggy…”
“Hi, Still-so-groggy.”
>Luna gasps in her bed despite the idiocy tumbling from your mouth.
“I’m dad.”
>”Daddy! Come here, come here1 I don’t want to fall off the bed!”
>It hurts inside to do it, but you hurry over and put your hand through the curtains on her bed, feeling a slightly damp snout press into it in moments.
>”Daddy…” you hear her say between sniffles. “I-I’m so glad to see you all again…”
“I am too, sweetie…”
>Your face grows hotter and your eyes sting for a moment, then Luna pulls her snout back.
“Daddy…why do you cry?”
>You reach in and cup her face with both hands. “Because ever since one of my little girls came to my door in tears with news that her sister had been locked away in the moon, I’ve been waiting for the day I’d get to see her again.”
>You wipe your wrist on your eye.
“And now that it’s here I just…can’t keep it all in…”
>Luna buries her snout through the curtains and into your stomach. “Daddy…”
>You pet her mane as you try to work up the courage to say what’s on your mind.

“Woona…”
>”Mm?”
“I’m sorry about this…it’s my fault.”
>”What?! Poppa no!”
>Gentle pats to the head shush her “
“You weren’t like Discord, sweety…I could see how much you wanted to play, to be with the rest of us. I tried to give you that every day but whenever I couldn’t…I just said I’d make it up to you later…”
>She remains silent as you continue to pet her mane. 
“It wasn’t enough, clearly…and I’m so sorry…”
>A blue marshmellow hoof comes up and bops your lips. “You hush, daddy.”
>You hush, but tilt your head to the side.
>”I…did want to be with all of your more, that much is true.” She says with her head out of the curtains like a worm. “But at the end of the day, I did not.”
>”You pointed us where to go, but we walked our own paths. My actions in the past…they are mine.”
“Lulu…”
>You pet Luna’s head again and let her settle into your hand.
>The tears stop flowing and Luna picks her head up, looking lighter and with a smile up at you. “Now then! Please tell me all that has transpired in the last thousand years.”
>You laugh and pull your chair up.
“Alright…now where do I start?”

-The present-
>You rub your chin.
“Oh yeah, I remember Princess Luna having a lighter mane…what happened to that?”
>Luna smirks and flourishes her starfield hair. “One may never overstate the effect proper shampoo and conditioner has.”
>Anonymous chuckles to himself, even Discord.
>The house seems to glow with a tranqulity and calmness you hadn’t experienced anywhere else in Equestria, you jot that down in your notepad.
“Anonymous, I have to say, I’m truly impressed. All of your “children” seem happy and healthy…eventually.”
>Anonymous chuckles dryly, Discord and Luna both look away awkwardly.
>”Not all of them…” Anonymous says.
>You follow Anonymous’s gaze to a jagged chunk of black rock on his mantel.
>Wait is that-