You hold her close and gently stroke her mane. "We have all of tomorrow to figure this out. And the day after that, and every day after that. I'm not going anywhere."
You spy a grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Dinner will be soon—
"Who's in there? Miss Fright, is that you?" A stern, dark voice calls into the study, followed by a horn, followed by the imposing figure of Lord Travis standing in the doorway with his briefcases.
Lyra's just about frozen in your lap, and you hope her tears have dried as you try to discern the stoic expression on the old stallion's face.
Lyra nods weakly and slinks away from you and the chair. You work up a response, "She was telling me about the family's history, got a little emotional, is all."
"I see." He telekinetically snatches the photo of his parents out of your hands before putting down his briefcases by his desk. It's almost eerie, how unmoved he is; even when Lyra throws herself on him, he affords her just a peck on the forehead while straightening out his belongings. "Did I miss dinner?"
"No. I think you're just in time."
"Get cleaned up. Tears don't become you." He nods at Lyra, and she dutifully turns to leave. He stops her from beckoning you to follow. "I hadn't had a chance to talk much with your friend, if you don't mind."
"Oh. S-sure." She waves goodbye to you, leaving you alone with Lord Travis. He looms over you with a bottle of cider and two shot glasses.
"A true gentleman graciously accepts his host's hospitality." He gives you a glass of cider and pulls up a chair for himself. Even this close, you can't make out any actual emotion in his gaze, almost like he's bored or displeased with existence itself. Whatever it is, he's a stark contrast to the bubbly personality of his wife and daughter. "She is… easy to make friends with, yes?"
>>20679 'Almost to a fault, though not nearly as much as some others I know. I've met some back in ponyville that literally throw themselves at newcomers. It's quite a sight to see when someone new moves into town.'
"Almost to a fault, but she doesn't throw herself at strangers like some ponies I've met."
"Yes, she's told me about this… Pinkamena Diane. But this conversation isn't about her." He summons a pipe and begins to blow bubbles as he maintains a withering gaze on you. "I take it you get along quite easily with ponies."
>>20687 >"This conversation isn't about them." God damnit, reminds me of my own dad. Guy's gonna pick apart anything we say the moment we say it. We'll drown in spaghetti in under six lines.
>>20688 Pretty much. Might as well get to the point. And hope that we can get more than one drink. I have a feeling we're going to need it. If he doesn't vaporize us first.
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have lasted a minute in Equestria." You laugh it off. He hmms nonchalantly.
"Forgive me for prying. After a day Downtown one can't help but be… curious." He pours out another glass for himself. "What do you really think of the situation downtown? Can our kinds commingle?"
>>20695 "There have always been humans that love nothing more than causing trouble. Most of them will move onto something else after a few months or years. Lots of people still aren't used to the fact that there are other sapient species out there."
>>20695 'I should hope so. We still have these issues within our own kind back on Earth. It's still very violent in some places. From what I've seen, it's almost the same exact story. I simply hope things come to a speedier conclusion than they will back home.'
>>20695 "Well, only time will tell, however I am hopeful. These types of situations are very tricky, as I'm sure you are well aware. The loudest voices tend to drown out the rational discussion."
"Time will tell, but I'm hopeful. It's a tricky situation, but it's one we've seen a lot of within our own kind—it's still an issue in many places, even violent."
"That is nice to hear, but I meant biologically." He looks you over. Thankfully, your fear and nervousness haven't revealed themselves, but it's still no easier to discern what he's thinking. "It is a sticking point of the arguments downtown."
"Don't ponies ever get involved with… I dunno, griffons and zebras?"
"Equinoids maybe, but alien species are right out. It really makes me wonder what's going on that's got the idea stuck in people's heads. Sadly, I've only rumors to go on." He turns away and starts rifling through his files. "I realize you must have been asked this many times already, but do you intend on finding a wife? Moving to Ponyville seems an hermitage on your part."
He continues, "Unless you were open to interspecies relationships. In which case, perhaps you'd find out what's going on in the AEIOU that's got people in a tiff."
>>20706 This. However aren't we going to AEIOU with Lyra tomorrow anyway under the cover story of the MMO meetup or whatever? Just be careful not to spin too many stories here, or we could lose track.
"While I'm here, I might do some sleuthing for you."
"I don't need you to do anything for me, except stay away from Lyra." With a single gesture, he enchants his files to arrange and stow themselves, then he turns to leave. "If you want to test your theory, I suggest you pursue Miss Keen."
He doesn't wait for your response, and in the distance you can hear a bell calling you to dinner.
>>20713 After this and what happened last week, I think /q/ might be a healthier base of operations. I'm not sure what the policy on NSFW material is for this site, though.
NSFW material is A-ok here, just spoiler such images and as for text a small warning that the quest/post may contain something questionable should be fine. We are all big boys & girls here, if someone doesn't like what they are reading they can stop.
>>90532 I started writing it the week after Lyraquest concluded but haven't finished it. I haven't gotten back to it recently, as I'm still intimidated by the… emotional challenge of such a situation.
>>91100 What, you want to make a quest of winning Bonbon's affection in the midst of a nontraditional family structure and a hectic life with a hybrid mutant baby and all the attention that draws?
>>91161 >Romance Bonbon >Learn more about her and Lyra along with taking care of the kid >Complete the triangle romance >Family becomes a lesbian pony, lesbian pony, and human.