The cool and breezy evening often invites rest and sleep. However, some people take this time to appreciate the twinkling stars in the night sky or engage in non-stop parties that last until dawn. Meanwhile, new parents are blessed with the opportunity to attend to their crying newborn, soothing them for minutes or even hours. Such was the experience of Sunset Shimmer, a new mother.
As Sunset Shimmer slowly makes her way to her baby's room, she lets out a tired yawn. The constant sound of crying still echoes through the hallway. While she hadn't planned on becoming a mother so soon, she recognized the importance of being present in her daughter's life due to unforeseen circumstances.
Sunset opens the door to the nursery and takes a moment to wake up and stretch as she observes the room around her. The center of the room has a window that bathed the room in a blue hue courtesy of the night sky. The walls are painted navy blue with magenta faded on the bottom and painted stars formed on the top of the wall to resemble nightfall. A crib was on the right side of the room, with a wooden rocking chair on the left. On the right side of the chair was a cupboard that functioned as a diaper-changing station.
When designing the room, her friends wanted to surprise her with a fully painted and decorated nursery. However, they became uncertain when deciding what colors would be the best option. Since Sunset didn’t bother with a gender-reveal party, the girls became torn between different types of pink and blue.
Then one heated argument after another (courtesy of Rainbow Dash and Applejack), the nursery converted into a paintball war zone. Luckily, Sunset came home in time before the girls could paint her entire house and helped the girls resolve the issue with the navy blue and magenta gradient.
A screeching cry interrupts her trip to memory lane. Remembering her task, she proceeds to the crib to tend to her little one responsible for the wails. Upon seeing her daughter, Sunset's heart melts once again and she smiles gently.
“Shh, it’s okay,” she whispers. “It’s okay. I’m right here." As she gently lifts the baby out of the crib, the infant quickly settles down in Sunset's cradled arms. Only a soft whimper remains.
Huh. That’s a first. Sunset thought. Looks like she's getting attached. She smirks. Then again, I think I am too. Sunset fell in love with little Aurora the moment she was born and made a vow to protect her at any cost, holding her for the first time just seconds after her birth five months ago.
Sunset gazes down in wonder at her first child. Her child. She still couldn’t believe she was raising this bundle of joy on her own. She’s going to see Aurora take her first steps, hear her first words, see her read and write, go to school, graduate, and—Sunset stops herself. One thing at a time, Sunset. One thing at a time.
She sees Aurora yawning and remembers something. “Crap, I gotta get you to sleep.” Sunset goes to the rocking chair behind her and tries to sit comfortably, trying not to disturb Aurora.
The rocking chair had been a gift to her by Applejack. The farm girl shared that the gifted item had been in their family for generations. She and her siblings decided to renovate it and present it as a gift to the expectant mother. Sunset declined the gift due to its history, but AJ, being persistent, encouraged Sunset to utilize it rather than allow it to gather dust in the farm's attic. A long 25 minutes later, Applejack had won the argument, and Sunset accepted the rocking chair with a combination of reluctance and gratefulness.
Sunset exhales as she finally relaxes on the chair. With her feet, she gently swayed the rocking chair back and forth, holding onto Aurora firmly as she did. This practice made her more relaxed and at ease, and respected the workings of motherhood better. As previously stated, she never envisioned herself becoming a mother as she entered adulthood. At the time, she aspired to be recognized as one of the strongest unicorns in Equestria. The idea of raising a delicate human child seemed daunting and she did not view herself as qualified for such a role.
Sunset gazes down at Aurora once again. The infant yawns and blinks her pacific blue irises. After a few seconds of staring, a heart-melting gummy smile appears on the baby's face. Sunset smiles warmly and chuckles, then brings the baby up to her face and plants a gentle kiss on her little forehead.
With a hushed tone, she said, “You know, if this were any other circumstance, I would’ve immediately gone back to sleep. I’m glad you’re the exception.” She gives her another kiss, this time on her chubby cheek. Aurora responds to this well as she lets out an adorable giggle and grasps her mother’s cheeks with her tiny hands. Sunset grins from ear to ear and chuckles due to Aurora’s antics.
However, she stops herself and gets back to business. “Alright, alright,” she giggles as she puts Aurora’s arms down. “I don’t want us to be up all night.”
Aurora protests by putting on a pout.
“I know, but I don’t want you all tired in the morning. And I'd be even more tired just to take care of you.”
The infant’s pout remains. Sunset lets out a huff. Of course, she's going to be stubborn like her mom.
Sunset then recalled something. Oh, my delightful daughter, she smirks. I’ve remembered your one weakness. She hums a familiar tune and begins to rock Aurora. The infant’s pout instantly melts and turns into pure curiosity.
In the gentlest of voices, Sunset sang,
“~You are my sunshine, my only sunshine~”` She softly touched her daughter’s cheek.
“~You make me happy when skies are grey~” Aurora is now enamored with her mother’s voice, much to Sunset’s success.
“~You’ll never know, dear~”—Sunset nuzzles Aurora’s nose—“~How much I love you~”
Almost immediately, Aurora yawns, her eyelids begin drooping, and she snuggles into Sunset’s chest.
“~Please, don’t take my sunshine away~.” Along with her eyes closed, Aurora’s chest rises and falls, and she snores lightly. Sunset pulls a triumphant grin as her plan is made successful.
Sunset quietly gets off her rocking chair and heads back to the crib. She puts Aurora down gently and whispers, “Good night, baby girl.” She gives one final kiss on the infant’s forehead and heads back to her bedroom, leaving Aurora to her needed slumber.