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// Past Love 
// Story: Oh no, they're Goddesses now! 
// by James Pwyll 
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Few things brought Celestia as much peace of mind than to look down upon the mortal realm with the knowledge that all was well there. No monsters were causing havoc for some random village, no wars were being fought, and not even her fellow deities were up to any kind of shenanigans today. Truly, she was having a good and quiet day, and so she contented herself for the time being with simply sipping some delicious ambrosia in one of her favourite cups. But though all gods and goddesses knew to give her some space on her days off, there was one who was always welcome to approach her, and though the High Goddess did not turn to face her, a smile still crept onto her lips when she felt her nearby presence. "I saw your sunrise today, Sunset. You're getting better and better at it."

Her daughter, taking a spot on the cloud beside her, blushed slightly with the compliment. "Thanks. I know I'll never be as good as you, but..."

Celestia, looking to her finally, gently placed her hand upon her shoulder. "Never say never, my dear." After a quiet but pleasant moment of calm between them, the supreme deity again regarded her lone child. "How fare the rest of our kind?"

Sunset, folding her arms, chuckled. "Oh, all the usual things. Twilight's still trying to find someone who'll play some chess with her. Well, someone who won't flip the board as soon as they lose anyway. Pinkie's still trying to get into Flash Sentry's pants, with Cadance doing everything in her power to keep her at bay. Shining's recovering from his, er, incident the other week. And everything's pretty routine everywhere else."

Celestia nodded. "That is good to know. There was a time, Sunset, where you couldn't go a day without one of us causing mischief down below. These days? Things may not be perfect, but at least we have a touch more restraint."

Turning to look to her mother, Sunset smirked slightly. "Aside from the days when we need to intervene to set up mortals?"

Sipping her drink again, Celestia maintained her faux innocence on that matter. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." After a long pause, she matched her daughter's expression. "Even if they did wind up as an adorable couple." The two shared a laugh together, with Celestia's gaze looking down to the mortal realm, and the young couple in question, alongside their new child. "Happiness like theirs is rare, and I'm sure that girl will grow up well in the care of parents such as those."

Sunset did not disagree, but her parent's words began to stir something in her. Curiosity and doubt and concern fought for control in her mind, and it wasn't long before Celestia herself picked up on it, seeing the struggle her child seemed to be going through. As though there were some important matter she needed to say, but was worried about saying it. In the end, she gave her all the time she needed to get her confidence up, then watched as Sunset looked her straight in the eye before breaking the silence. "Mother...what was he like?"

Celestia did not seem surprised or taken aback by the question. Indeed, she actually seemed like she'd been expecting it, though not without a small measure of curiosity of her own. "I wonder, Sunset. Why have you refrained from asking until now?"

Sunset sighed, looking down to the world beneath them. "I guess...I was worried about what I might learn about him. All my life the only thing I knew was that he was mortal, and that he passed away before I was born."

Looking away again, Celestia nodded. "There was much I wished to tell you about him, but I wanted to wait until you were ready to hear."

As before, Sunset gave her mother her full attention. "I'm ready."

So, setting her drink aside, Celestia turned to face her fully. "Very well. It was several centuries ago, and on a particularly lovely day..." She gestured to the beautiful skies above them. "Not unlike this one, in fact. I deigned to visit the mortal world and walk among them. I disguised myself, appearing to all as a mortal woman. Through villages, temples and cities I went, never once being suspected of who I really was." Stretching out her hand, she pointed to an especially nice-looking area of the earth, with a sparkling lake at its centre. "After that day was done, I went to the lakeside to relax for a time before my return to the heavens. And during my rest..." A smile came to her. "Well, that was when your father made his grand entrance."

Sunset's interest was growing with every moment of the story. "So...how'd you meet?"

Celestia giggled slightly before answering. "I met him...when he fell from a cliff on the lake's edge, plunging straight into the water." Seeing that Sunset was utterly shocked by that, she continued quickly. "He lived of course. A mistake it may have been, but he emerged from the water without injury. And it was there that he caught sight of me." A nostalgic look came to the goddess as she dwelt on that memory. "And as soon as he realised I was there...he asked me what I thought his score was."

Hearing that, Sunset blinked a couple of times. "Um...what?"

Sighing, Celestia shook her head, making it clear that she too understood the absurdity of it. "He was referring to his aforementioned tumble into the water. Once he saw that he'd had an unexpected audience with me, he asked, most likely in jest, whether he was a seven or eight out of ten for it."

After looking completely nonplussed about that revelation, Sunset gave herself a facepalm. "Really, Dad? Really?!"

Another quick laugh from Celestia. "I know, I know. His sense of humour was indeed an acquired taste. But, if I'm being embarrassingly honest, I actually laughed at the remark. As did he. After that, we got to talking. I realise my duties required me elsewhere, but I found myself going back down to the world more often just to find and speak with him. He was always going far afield, always wanting to see more of the world. Most mortals were content to live their whole lives in one small part of the realm, but not him. He wanted to see all of it, and wherever he went, he'd find me there, waiting to greet him and welcome him to whatever new place he'd come across."

Sunset smiled to her mother. "Sounds romantic."

Celestia nodded. "Most certainly a surprise on my part. What had begun as a simple intrigue towards the man, wanting to see what bizarre things he'd gotten himself into, eventually...it became more. I enjoyed his company, wished to spend my time with him more than any other mortal I had encountered, even choosing to reveal my true nature to him. And somewhere along the way...something more began." She began to walk along the cloud's edge, her daughter following behind her. "I had witnessed many fall in love in my time, but never once had I experienced it myself. He and I...it was a wondrous thing." Stopping, she turned to look to Sunset. "And that love, as you no doubt know...led to you, my daughter."

Though still enamoured with the story, eventually Sunset knew she had to ask the unhappy question. "How...did he die?"

Celestia knew that one had been coming, and though she hid it well she still seemed like this was the last thing in the world she wanted to talk about or even consider. Yet, to her credit, she maintained her regal composure and answered. "One day...one of his bold stunts was a boldness too far. I was engaged with other parts of my responsibilities, and thus was not beside him when it happened. His departure was immediate, and I was able to get to his side only in enough time for him to speak his final words." When she saw that Sunset's curiosity had returned even fiercer than before, Celestia pre-emptively answered the question she knew was on her child's mind. "He said...name her Sunset...and love her as much as he had been loved."

Sunset didn't know how to feel about this. Sadness at finally hearing of her unknown second parent's passing. But also a softness with what had been his final sentiment in this world. But there was something else too. A confusion that, once again, she had to ask about. "You...had the power...?"

But Celestia raised her hand, halting her from finishing. "It was something we had discussed at length a long time before. He was mortal, and he had no wish to live forever. So, whatever form his end came in, he had no desire to cheat it. That was...the kind of man he was. Whatever destination the path of his life brought him to, he accepted it, the good and the bad together." She shut her eyes tightly. "I do not violate such wishes...though in that one instance, I was tempted beyond words to break that promise."

Holding herself, Sunset took a long time of silence to process all of this. Celestia, as before, gave her all the time she needed, and when the time came for the younger goddess to finally speak, she did so with a smile. "Mother...would he and I...would we have loved one another?"

Stepping forward, Celestia again placed her hand upon Sunset's shoulder. "My sweet Sunset...you would have thought of your father as a complete and total dork." After seeing her daughter look to her with the most flabbergasted expression possible, she continued. "But yes...you would have loved one another."

Though slightly irritated that her mother had described the potential relationship in that manner, Sunset still smiled at having learn the answer that mattered most. "Well then...wherever he is...I'm glad he met you."

Moving forward, Celestia embraced her daughter. "As am I, my girl...as am I."