"Steady now..."
Princess Luna felt the warm glow of magic envelop her horn as she positioned the moon just above the horizon. Standing in one of the highest towers in the Canterlot Castle, she was more focused on her precious moon rather than the slow dance of violet and indigo in the sky as night awakened.
“Hold,” she whispered under her breath. The moon flashed for a millisecond with a blue light and Luna allowed her magic to die down. With that simple spell, the moon would follow its usual course for about an hour. Normally, Luna wouldn’t cast the spell because if she was having a bad day, it would drain too much magic from her, but she had some investigating to do on Celestia, who was acting strange the entire day.
Tia was already strange on her own. She preferred to eat cake in private and drank several cups of tea a day. She spiced up the gala by inviting guests that could create chaos and nearly destroyed the gala. Later, she would say the gala had been spectacular.
However, the entire day, Celestia had been acting more peculiar than usual. Tia had barely been listening to the Equestrian reports one of the Royal Guards had been reading off to them in the morning. Celestia had barely eaten more than a nibble of cake the entire day. She often forgot the tasks she needed to complete and one of their assistants was constantly at Celestia’s side. Not only did she act strange, but Tia looked exhausted, as if she were worn off from thinking too much.
The princess of the night sighed, gazing at the stars as if they could tell her why Celestia wasn’t herself today. From her hazy memories of being stuck on the moon, it was usually what she had done if she wanted to concoct an act of revenge on Celestia.
She knew stargazing wouldn’t give her any answers. Whatever was bothering Celestia had to be addressed before she stopped eating cake completely. Luna had to go look for Tia.
The sky-tall tower had a long spiral staircase that ended on the fourth floor of the Canterlot Castle. The fourth floor was where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna slept and where they had their own rooms for activities such as writing, reading, sunbathing, moon bathing, and so on. For the most part, barely any rooms had been occupied by Tia today.
Luna trotted down the stairs, the echoes of her hoovesteps awakening the quiet tower. Every few feet, there was a window that let moonlight flow onto the staircase, giving Luna the light she needed to find her way through the dark.
At the bottom of the staircase, Luna headed to the east wing of the castle. The hallways were cool and silent, save for the occasional sight of a Royal Guard. When one passed by, Luna acknowledged them by nodding, the Royal Guard bowing. The lights were being turned off and candles were being lit as the castle fell asleep.
She reached the end of the hallway and knocked on the grand wooden door to her left. Luna stared at the cutie mark on the door that matched Celestia’s and waited for her to come out.
About a minute passed before Luna decided to open the door. “Tia?” she asked, poking her head inside. The room was dark, which didn’t make sense since right around this time was when Celestia usually went to bed.
“Huh.” Luna moved back and closed the door. Where else could she be at this hour?
Luna’s next guess was her office, and if not there, perhaps in the library. Yet as she headed for the southern wing of the floor, more Royal Guard appeared and less workers said goodnight. When she arrived to Celestia’s office, Luna knocked and opened the door. No light was on.
The library, then, Luna mused, hoping she was right. To save time, she spread her curled wings out and leaped out of the nearest window. A fresh breeze that swept her hair allowed Luna’s worries to disappear for a moment as she flapped her wings and flew to the library.
Even from meters above, the princess of the night could see the librarian locking the golden doors to the castle’s library. Luna sighed and returned to the fourth floor of the castle. Where could her sister possibly be at this hour? Did she leave the castle? Maybe she had a last-minute meeting that couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning?
The crying became louder as Luna moved towards the door. She noticed the door led to Celestia’s old room, the one she had slept in before deciding to move into a more spacious one.
Luna opened the door very quietly with her magic, opening a crack large enough for her to poke her head inside.
She peeked inside and nearly gasped as she watched Celestia sob into a pillow, sinking into the purple carpet, her back to Luna. Several pieces of parchment were scattered in the room. The fireplace crackled with a small blaze and beside it was an old wooden box with several golden and red etchings into it.
Sister? Luna shook her head.
Luna opened the door wide enough so she her head could squeeze inside. “Sister?” she asked.
Celestia choked before falling silent. Luna saw her sister’s forelegs move, as if she were attempting to hide any sign of tears.
Tia turned to face Luna. "Oh, Luna," Celestia said in a weak voice. "You did a rather splendid job tonight with the moon."
Luna could see the ghost marks of tears on Celestia's cheeks, her eyes carrying an inexplicable solemness. She smiled falsely, blinking quickly as her eyes reddened.
"Celestia, take off that fake smile," Luna said curtly, walking towards her sister. "What are you doing up, Tia?"
Celestia laughed half-heartedly and said, "Nothing. I was merely reading some of Twilight Sparkle's old lessons of friendship." She beckoned her head towards the chest. "A year has certainly passed quicker than I would have imagined."
"Celeste, that's enough," Luna said sternly. "You obviously haven’t been well all day, and you’re making such weak excuses as to why everything is alright."
"And everything is alright," Celestia said calmly, shaking her head. "I'll go to bed in a moment, little sister. It’s best if you return to the tower before the moon goes haywire."
"Celestia, I am not going to leave this room until you tell me what you are so upset about!" Luna said, her eyes narrowing.
Yet Celestia persisted. "Luna, I am fine. Don't worry about me," Celestia said, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"You're crying!" Luna said. "Stop lying, Tia. Please tell me what’s wrong. I don’t want you to keep suffering."
“I’m not suffering,” Celestia insisted.
“If that were true, then there is no reason for you to be crying, sister.”
“Oh, you know how emotional I can get at times.”
“What in Equestria makes you believe I’ll be fooled by this act?”
"Please, Luna, just go to bed."
The younger princess sighed in exasperation. "I hope you haven’t forgotten that I'm your sister," she said. "You have never been the mare to keep secrets from me, and I cannot pretend you are fine. Knowing I didn’t try enough to help you in any way that I can will make me believe I failed you as a sister.”
Planting her hooves down, Luna and Celestia stared at each other, daring the other to back down. As the minutes passed, the princess of the night watched as cracks appeared in the invisible shield her sister had put up.
Finally, Tia sighed, her gaze faltering and moving to her hooves. “Close the door,” she asked.
Luna did as her sister asked, while the elder princess’s horn glowed with a blinding golden aura. The same aura surrounded the room, sinking into the walls and floors until it disappeared completely.
Luna made herself at home, sitting beside her sister. She glanced at one of the papers and saw it was yellowing, curling inwards. The black ink was terribly dry and cracks were growing from the edges of the parchment. Examining the faded writing, Luna realized the hoofwriting didn’t belong to Twilight Sparkle.
“Dear sister,” Tia said, swallowing hard. “Did I ever tell you about how I know Sunset Shimmer?”
“You’ve told me little,” Luna admitted. “Sunset was your pupil, wasn’t she?”
“Yes,” Celestia replied. “She attended my school a few years before Twilight Sparkle was enrolled. She was an excellent student, curious about magic and always eager to learn more. Why, when I think about it, Twilight and Sunset were on par with each other!” The shadow of a smile disappeared with a downturned mouth and furrowed eyebrows. “However, Sunset foolishly believed she was destined to be great, selfishly looking for magic she was not ready to learn. er obsession began after I showed her the mirror to the other world. At such a young age, she believed she deserve to be a princess, to rule over Equestria. After discovering she was reading about the portal, I was forced to expel her. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from attacking the guards and escaping to the other world."
The elder sister raised her hoof and gestured to the parchment laying on the ground. “Those were all the lessons Sunset had written to me, and though most of it is filled with boasting her magical talent, I’m thankful I still have them.”
Luna stayed silent, unsure of what to say about this.
Celestia sighed, lifting a journal Luna hadn’t noticed. Her sister’s cutie mark was embedded on the cover. "Yesterday, Twilight Sparkle sent me my journal. I had gifted it to Sunset when she was my pupil. As it would turn out, she wanted to write to me. We wrote to each other the night before, and it was wonderful to get the chance to talk with her." She inhaled slowly, tears dropping onto the carpet. "Before we finished writing, Sunset admitted that I was always like a mother to her."
The younger sister nodded but her eyebrows furrowed. "Is that a bad thing, sister?" she asked.
Tia fiddled with her hooves as she pursed her lips. “Luna, I need you to swear to secrecy about something I’m about to tell you.”
"Of course, sister," Luna said, feeling her heart begin to race. "There is no reason for you to not to trust family.”
Celestia laughed half-heartedly. “Sunset Shimmer is my daughter,” she said.
Resting her hoof on her stomach, Celestia could only ask herself, Why would you make such a foolish mistake?
“Your Majesty?” Raven Inkwell’s voice snapped the princess to attention.
“Ah, yes, Raven,” Celestia asked slowly, turning to her aide. “What is it that needs my attention today?”
“This year’s Hearth's Warming Eve was a success,” Raven presented, adjusting her glasses. Flipping through her clipboard, she continued with her report. “For the New Year’s Eve celebration, we only have a few dozen RSVPs left to receive. The tailor wants one last fitting with you to make sure the dress is fine---” Noticing Princess Celestia was yet again gazing at the doors at the end of the throne room, Raven paused. “Your Highness?”
Celestia blinked. “I’m sorry, Raven,” she apologized with a sigh. “Do you mind returning in a few minutes? I have some thinking to do.”
“Of course, Princess.” With a simple bow, Raven left the room.
The princess of Equestria let out a shaky exhale, her shoulders slumping. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked, staring at the mosaic of her younger sister.
“Wha---Sister---” Luna’s head began swimming in questions. How long ago? Who is the father? Why didn’t you tell me?
“I was planning on telling you,” Celestia admitted. “I understand you might be upset, and you have every right to be. But please, let me explain all of it.”
Luna shut her eyes tightly. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I love you, sister, so tell me how this happened.”
Celestia exhaled slowly. "Several years ago, I was practicing the shape-shifting spell on myself. I just wanted to be a common mare for a day. I had been feeling particularly lonely that day. I wanted to be carefree and have fun like we had when we were little fillies.”
“Excuse me, is this your bag?"
Celestia glanced over her shoulder to find a rather charming stallion holding a pastel pink glossy bag with silver letters that spelt out “Delighted Pastries” in his hoof.
She gasped. “Oh, it is!” she exclaimed, using her magic to take it from him. “I have no idea I didn’t have it with me. Thank you very much, uh…?”
“Sol,” the stallion replied. “Sol Streak.”
Now that they were face to face, Celestia took the moment to notice his strawberry blond hair streaked with pastel red, complimenting his snow colored coat. His cutie mark was of a bow and arrow and the tip of it had a bright yellow streak.
“And you are…?”
“Oh! I’m, uh, Sundancer,” Celestia lied. “Again, thank you for finding my bag. But how did you manage to track me down?”
Sol’s rich green eyes darted to the floor as a soft blush grew on his cheeks. “I might’ve noticed you in the Canterlot Candle Shop,” he admitted. “Your golden hair is pretty noticeable. And you didn’t realize you’d forgotten your bag, so I thought I could catch up with you to return it.”
“Oh.” Celestia’s ears flopped down. “Well, that was very thoughtful of you, Sol,” she said.
“Of course,” Sol replied. “Listen, I know this may seem a bit forward, but perhaps you’d like to get some coffee sometime?”
“Sounds great!” What are you doing, Celestia? Why do you sound like a schoolgirl? “When would be good?”
“Well, after all the trouble I’ve gone through to find you and return your pastries, right now would be a good time to get my energy back.” To emphasize his point, Sol wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead.
Celestia couldn’t hold back an eager grin. “My treat for my knight in shining armor,” she joked.
“Not at all, milady,” Sol said, bowing elegantly. “Allow me the honor of satisfying your appetite with my own coin.”
With a giggle and a warm blush spreading across her cheeks, Tia replied, “If you insist, Sol.”
“Sol Streak,” Luna repeated slowly. “And you two…?”
Celestia nodded. “It seemed like love at first sight. And now, I can’t believe how silly I was to imagine everything would be alright.” Neither of them had to say everything had turned out the opposite.
"I returned to the throne the next morning as if nothing were wrong." Celestia swallowed. "But after a few days, I didn't feel quite well. I was vomiting and sometimes I had the sudden desire to eat more than I would usually eat in a day. I knew something was wrong.”
No.
There had to be some mistake. The vision had to be wrong. They’d been careful…hadn’t they?
This can’t be.
Celestia felt her knees buckle and suddenly she was sprawled across the floor, tears flooding down her cheeks. This isn’t happening. This isn’t possible. This isn’t real.
Yet her magic never failed her. And the wooden cradle that kept flashing in Celestia’s mind was carrying a crying newborn foal.
What am I going to do?
“When the bump became noticeable, I had to use a cloaking spell to hide it. I was careful in sneaking in as much food as I could without raising suspicion. It was the winter solstice, one year after my encounter with Sol Steak that I went into labor. I didn’t want to call anyone, but I was terrified. I sent a message to the only mare I could trust at the time, Twilight Velvet."
Luna's eyes widened. "Twilight Velvet?" she repeated. "The mother of Twilight Sparkle?"
Celestia nodded. “The moment I discovered I was pregnant, I knew I couldn’t keep her. What would ponies say if I suddenly announced I had a foal without the father with me? What if they’d start looking for him? What would they say to my daughter once she was old enough to understand what they were saying?”
The Royal Guards exchanged uneasy glances. “Are you sure, Your Highness?” the one to Celestia’s right asked.
“The sooner the better,” Celestia assured him. She gently stroked the mane of the filly resting peacefully in the golden basket with warm pink blankets. “One so young needs to grow up with her family.”
She took a shaky exhale and looked at the guards. “His name is Sol Streak. Report back to me as soon as you return,” Tia commanded.
Celestia knelt down and placed an envelope with a seal fashioned to look like her cutie mark in the basket. “Goodbye, little one,” she whispered.
As soon as the guards left, Tia teleported to her room and began weeping onto her bed.
“What did you write in it?” Luna couldn’t help but ask.
“I wrote how I found somepony named Sundancer asked me to send his daughter to him,” Tia explained. “I might’ve been too vague. Regardless, I wrote that she never told me the reason why she had to leave her behind.”
“You never believed you’d see her again, did you?”
The elder sister laughed dryly. “You couldn’t imagine the shock I was in when Sunset was enrolled into my school. When she arrived, I was tempted to tell her the truth, to tell her that her mother never wanted to abandon her. She never mentioned her mother and instead talked about how her father had allowed her to prosper and learn more about magic. Oh, it stung. But it didn’t hurt as much as it did when I had to expel her. The look of hatred in her eyes when I told her…” Celestia shook her head, another cascade of tears falling. “And when she left to the other world, I felt broken. Not only did my daughter hate me, but she left to a world where I couldn’t protect her.”
Tia’s shoulders relaxed as she exhaled slowly. “That’s my story, little sister,” she said with a tired tone.
“I’m so sorry, sister.” Luna wrapped a wing around Celestia. “If only I had been there to help you and give you comfort when you needed it most.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Tia turned to face Luna. “I was the one who put you on the moon in the first place, wasn’t I?”
The younger sister laughed half-heartedly. “It was my own mistakes that forced your hoof,” she said. “But now that I’m here, I won’t let you go through these struggles alone again, Tia.”
“Thank you, Luna.” Celestia managed to smile.
“You’ve had me thinking, sister.” Luna tapped the ground with her hoof. “Sunset Shimmer and you seem to have made amends now. Would there be any harm in telling her that you’re her mother?”
"I don't know," Celestia confessed. "Sunset has made some very close friends in the other world. I think she’s just about moved on from the magic in our world. And I don’t want her to get hurt when she’s done with her life here, as lovely as it would be to get to truly know my daughter and be able to be a family of sorts."
"But she's your daughter," Luna said with a frown. "She has the right to know you’ve never stopped loving her, even when you were forced to leave her."
“She does,” Tia agreed. “But it would kill me to hurt my daughter like that. Sunset refusing to forgive me for keeping it a secret is a hundred times worse than knowing she hated me.”
“But then you will always be in pain, sister,” Luna insisted. “And so will Sunset. You’ll be left daughterless and Sunset will stay motherless.”
“I’ve always been daughterless,” Celestia said with a sigh. “I’ve missed the first sixteen years of her life. I’ve never had the chance to watch her grow up. It isn’t much of a difference than if I have an estranged daughter.”
“But she will know,” Luna said, a glare forming on her face. “I’d rather hate someone I love for telling me the truth than live blindly.”
“Even if I managed to get the chance to tell her, there are a number of things that will hold me back,” Tia said with exasperation in her voice, as if she’d argued with herself about this numerous times.
Luna glared silently down at her hooves. It wasn't fair. Celestia had believed the best thing to do would be to send Sunset Shimmer to her father, and when she never believed she'd see her daughter again, Sunset appeared at Celestia's school. But Celestia couldn't get close to her daughter, and any attempt was thrown out the window once Sunset was expelled and she escaped to the other world. Sunset didn't know Celestia had her best interests in mind, and was only trying to protect her daughter. Sunset running away caused Celestia more pain than the mare could possible imagine. And Sol Streak had no idea what had happened to Sunset Shimmer.
That's enough. Luna shook her head and removed her wing from her sister's back. Standing up, she looked down at Tia and said with conviction in her voice, "You must tell Sunset."
The elder princess shook her head. "It's better if I let Sunset Shimmer live her life, Luna," she said.
"That would mean I would have to watch you suffer for the rest of yours, sister," Luna said. "No mother should have to go through that kind of pain. If you told her, there's a chance everything will be alright. You'll get to have your daughter in you life again and Sunset will have a mother to look up to. I'll have a niece to get to know, as well."
Again, Tia shook her head. "This is for the best, dear sister."
"You have to! It isn't fair that Sunset is old enough to know the truth and can process the truth better, yet you refuse to tell her! If you tell her, she can have her mother after all these years."
"I can't."
"It isn't that you cannot, sister. You just can't bring yourself to tell her. But why?"
"Because what if she does hate me for the rest of her life?" Celestia suddenly shot her head up and stared at Luna with eyes of broken glass. "Sunset will hate me for giving her up! She'll hate me for not telling her! She'll hate me for never being the mother she needed! And she has every right to hate me! What kind of mother does that to a newborn baby and expects her daughter to walk right back into her life as if everything were alright?"
The look in Celestia's eyes just about broke Luna herself. She couldn't bear to watch Celestia struggling with the possibilities of telling Sunset that led to more heartbreak.
The younger princess was silent for a few moments as Celestia sobbed into her pillow. What kind of mother would do what Celestia had done? But then again, no other mother was a princess of Equestria. The weight from the responsibilities of ruling Equestria had rested squarely on her sister's shoulders for a thousand years until Luna had returned to help carry the burden. How could she have time to think about the life of her daughter and possibly watch the ponies of Equestria tear it to shreds while taking care of Equestria alone?
That's when the idea came to Luna. She quietly sat back down beside Tia and wrapped her wing onto her. "You didn't want her to carry a heavy burden when she was just a filly," she said softly. "But she's a grown mare now, sister. She is old enough to protect herself and know the truth."
Celestia sniffled, using her magic to grab a few tissues and wipe the tears from her cheeks. "You're right, sister," she said quietly. "But if I do tell Sunset, I don't want to write the whole story to her through the journal. I want to tell her face to face."
"And you will," Luna assured her. "You can ask Sunset through the book to visit Equestria for a few weeks. In one of those weeks, you can get together with Sunset and finally tell her that you're her mother."
"What if she doesn't have any time to visit Equestria?" Celestia asked doubtfully.
"That's enough negativity for tonight, sister," Luna said. "She'll want to finally reconcile with you after years of living in the other world without apologizing."
"She wrote to me, apologizing," Tia pointed out with a sniffle.
Luna shook her head. "I think she'd want to apologize to you properly, sister," she said.
The elder princess sighed in defeat. "Why do you want me to tell Sunset the truth so badly?" she wondered.
"Family is supposed to stay together," Luna began, "and Sunset being away from her mother, and you being away from your daughter, will only make you both stay in pain. It's about time you make amends for real this time. And knowing I have a niece, I'd really enjoy getting to know her. We could be the family you always wanted for years."
Celestia let out a small smile. "You care too much, little sister," she whispered.
Luna smiled, using her magic to pick up a few tissues and wipe Celestia's tears away. "I always will, big sister," she said softly.
"Thank you for hearing me out, Luna," Tia said. "And for your words that give me the courage to reach out to my daughter."
"Of course, sister," Luna said, putting the tissues into a trash can on the other side of the room. "It's the least I can do to help you and Sunset Shimmer."
A snapping sound rang in Luna's ears. "The spell," she muttered. "I wish I could stay with you, sister."
The elder sister shook her head. "You have your responsibilities to attend to," she said. "I'll be alright, Luna."
"And everything will be alright, Tia," Luna reassured her, removing her wing from Celestia and rising. "Think of tonight as one less night without your daughter."
Celestia couldn't help but grin. "That's a nice way of thinking about it," she said.
The younger princess walked to the door. She did believe everything was going to be alright; maybe Sunset wouldn't forgive Celestia immediately or would need time to accept the truth and pain. But in Luna's heart, there was no doubt that her sister would have her daughter by her side after all these years.
"Goodnight, big sister," Luna said in the doorway, taking one last look at the pages from the journal on the floor and the dying fire in the fireplace.
"Goodnight, little sister," Celestia said, looking up at Luna with a different, lighter look in her eyes.
With that, Luna closed the door to the room softly, and once outside, she took a deep breath. Everything will be alright, she mused, and began trotting happily back to her post.