//------------------------------// // The worried mother // Story: Blooming Days // by Hoofprintz //------------------------------// "Tell me exactly what happened, Sunset." The Princess of the Sun looked more haggard than I'd ever seen before. Hours after Luna, Twilight, and I had returned to Canterlot, Celestia burst into my room and began interrogating me. Are you okay? Did she hurt you? How's your cutie mark? Et cetera. In all the years I'd lived with her, she'd never acted this way, though I suppose considering what'd happened, I could kind of understand her distress. I'd never been threatened in such a... deliberate way before, and witnessing it firsthoof must've really disturbed her. Honestly, her desperation scared me so much more than having my cutie mark stolen away ever could have. Now the two of us sat in my room staring at each other like a pair of dorks. She was sitting on the floor and I was on the chair at my work desk. After returning to Canterlot I'd immediately began studying up on shield spells and how I might be able to strengthen mine. If I hadn't been overcome by Starlight so easily... Twilight had done all she could to get us out of that mess. She saved both of us and all I managed to do was... "I'm sure you're already aware, Princess," I nearly growled. "But I guess I'll humor you." My mentor knew everything about the things that were important to her and the fact that she and her sister had appeared in Starlight's town when they did let me know all I needed to. Putting two and two together was easy enough. They'd been monitoring us the entire time. It had all been one big test. Twilight and I were never in any real danger. At the first sign of trouble our babysitters would swoop in and rescue us and that's exactly what ended up happening. It was so frustrating. They didn't even trust us enough to perform such an insignificant task... even if it had turned into something much worse. "Sometimes... it's... very hard for me, Sunset," she sighed, rubbing her face with a hoof. "What is, Princess?" I didn't really understand what she was trying to say, but she hardly, if ever, opened up to me, and her sudden change in demeanor disarmed me completely. If she was finally willing to try, I was game too. "I see my sister every day... I see the relationship that she shares with Twilight. I..." Seeing my mentor like this... seeing her in such a vulnerable state made me realize that maybe I didn't really want her to open up to me. Maybe my skewed vision of perfection was what I wanted to hold on to. In spite of my feelings, I understood what she was getting at. Twilight and Luna were like family, a mother and daughter best described their relationship. I can't say I wasn't a little jealous of them as well. The hugs they shared, the kisses, the love, it was all so very... enviable. Celestia and I were the complete opposite of the Night Princess and her pupil. We tended to keep things mostly professional. She was a princess and my mentor and I was her faithful student. While I wouldn't describe our relationship as particularly frigid, I wouldn't say it was anything approaching.... familial. But it wasn't like that by choice... at least not on my end. I longed for a more intimate relationship with my teacher. I loved her dearly and wanted to show, to give her that affection. Since I could remember, I'd never been very close to any of my family. My parents were back home in Baltimare and I really didn't keep in touch with them, other than the traditional Hearths Warming postcard each year. As far back as I can recall, my attention had been on my studies and growing as a unicorn and a pony. Sure my parents loved me, I suppose, but they weren't like Celestia. She was always there when I needed her. She guided me. She was the sun itself, illuminating my path forward. Since she'd taken me in as her pupil she'd treated me like I was one of the most important things in her life. Maybe not as her family per se, but as a crucial piece of her existence. We ate meals together, she taught me things personally, and we even spent recreational time together every so often. What we didn't do was submerge ourselves in each other's more... personal issues. For some reason stuff like that always seemed to elude us. I mean, I was a grown mare and we'd never once discussed love or anything of that sort. It was kind of wierd, but I'd always felt compelled to view her as just my instructor, not ever a friend. I don't think we could ever be friends. Friends were equals with each other, dependant on one another to get through thick and thin. I definitely relied on my sun. Princess Celestia wasn't just my teacher. In a sense, she was the foundation of everything I had become. When I was indecisive or unsure about something, I looked to her for strength and confidence. She'd never let me down, not a single time. She'd always been infallible, the singular manifestation of perfection that I could rely on. On the flip side, she had no real need of me. She was a goddess, an eternal perfect being that could never fail. What could I ever offer someone like her? After much deliberation, obedience and a hobby were all I could come up with. If she wished it so, she could mold me into something that was at least a little useful to her, and I was completely fine with that. She was worth it. Like I said before, I'd do anything for this perfect mare. But right now? Right now, all she looked like to me was a terrified mother. "Sunset... you're unbelievably independent. You always have been. Today when you... when I..." She hung her head low, an unsettling quiet enveloping her as well as the room itself. "Princess..." I didn't know what to say. All was well that ended well, right? I was fine. They'd saved both of us, so what was she so rattled about? "I'm sorry, Sunset. I just..." she took a deep breath before continuing. "I just can't handle the thought of losing you. I don't want you to leave me, you're far too precious to me." I got up from my chair and trotted over to her, knowing exactly what I should... what I wanted to do. I was tired of keeping her at arms length. I moved right into her personal space, wrapping my forelegs around her midsection and snuggling deep inside the comfort of her body. It was heavenly. The warmth, the scent, the steady movement of her chest as she breathed in and out... I wanted to stay in that spot forever. "That's not ever gonna happen, Princess," I sighed contentedly. "I promise. You mean the world to me." She slowly wrapped her forelegs around me, her wings following shortly thereafter. We'd never done anything like this before and now, finally experiencing it, I could not fathom why. It was wonderful. In a very strange way, I was endlessly grateful to Starlight Glimmer. "I was scared," she whispered. I remained quiet, allowing her to vent her thoughts. "My sister convinced me to... keep an eye on you two for this task." So it was Luna who'd put the training wheels on us. "I was satisfied letting you two go off on your own, completely alone, I-" "Princess," I interrupted her. "I really appreciate that." She had to know, I had to make her understand I wasn't a foal anymore... even if that put me in real danger sometimes. "Your trust... the fact that you had faith in us, in me... it means a lot to me." "But what if I'd gotten my way, Sunset? What if we hadn't been watching? What if we hadn't come when we did? What if Starlight had been more dangerous? What if she'd..." She'd grown more and more frantic as she went on. I held her tight, assuring her I was there and I understood. "Ce-Celestia..." I paused. It was the first time I'd addressed her aloud without a formal title. It felt strange, but if we were going to become closer it would probably get a little wierd at first, until we got used to it. "You can't think like that," I sighed. "Life is difficult. There'll be times when I... when I get into... sticky situations." She chuckled at my choice of vernacular, but let me go on. "You'll have to trust me... to trust that I can handle my own problems." "I know, Sunset... I know," she let out a tired breath, the little mirth she had already dissipated. "I hope this shameful display doesn't push you away from me." It was my turn to laugh. "It's not shameful to love someone, Celestia," I squeezed her tightly. "And you don't have to worry about pushing me away, I don't think that'll ever happen, " I squeezed her so hard she groaned. "I love you, Princess. I'm not going anywhere." "I love you too, my most faithful student." My beloved teacher looked truly sad for only a moment longer before she smiled brilliantly. Everything was gonna be just fine. ++++++++++++++++++++++++ "YOU WHAT!?!" I nearly fell off my chair, barely catching my hooves on the desk in front of me. I knew something had to be off when my teacher entered the archives. We'd parted earlier on the best of terms, but as soon as I saw her again I knew she had a bombshell to drop on me. I'd moved my studies to the archives, delving deeper into barriers and was quickly learning that they were much more effective than simple conjured shields. Now, due to the news she bore, I was doing my best not to scream in her face. "Luna and I have permitted Starlight Glimmer to remain in Canterlot," she looked at the books strewn about the table. "She will be your peer and will also receive instruction from my sister along with Twilight." "Princess I..." I rubbed my head, my horn suddenly feeling numb. It's not like I had some sort of authority to object, but I wasn't about to sit here and act like I was fine with it. "Can she be trusted?" I certainly didn't think so. The exuberant laughter that came from her answered me before she said a word. "No, not in the slightest," she pointed a hoof at one of the open books pages. "I suggest you look into this spell, I think it would suit you well, Sunset." I read the text. It was one of the more difficult barriers, but could protect from virtually any other magic. She must've had a great degree of faith in me. "Very well, Your Highness," I lifted a sticky note and placed it on the page for easy reference. She turned to walk away, but I wasn't ready to let her go just yet. "Celestia?" As her student I had nothing left to say, but as a friend... "Yes, Sunset?" she turned back my way. "Is this really a good idea?" I closed the book in front of me. "Starlight is... insane." I'd seen firsthoof just how crazy the unicorn was. Bringing her to Canterlot could be bad. "You may be right, Sunset," she sighed, but continued. "But She overcame you and Twilight at the same time. Luna thinks she may be gifted beyond comprehension. I..." she trailed off. I wanted to make excuses. She caught us off guard. She'd cheated. I had been really tired. That's all they were though, excuses, so I kept my mouth shut instead. "Luna and I will make sure she behaves and I truly believe more competition will push you to exceed your limitations." "Princess?" "You're better than they are, Sunset." The look she gave me filled me with a renewed sense of determination. "I chose you personally because I know what you are truly capable of. I will help you reach your true potential, Sunset, I swear it." "Thank you, Princess." I blushed, her words flattering me. "I'm going to have to skip dinner tonight," she rubbed her face with a wing. "This whole 'enslaved town' event is going to take a heck of a lot more work to resolve." "Your Highness, I could-" "Fret not, my most faithful student, I will handle it," she smiled sweetly at me. "And don't forget to get some food in you. I know you'll forego your meals to keep studying," she ruffled my mane with a hoof. "Okay, Princess." I giggled, pushing her foreleg away with a grin. As she turned to leave, her own smile vibrant, she spoke one more time. "Don't push yourself too hard tonight, Sunset. You need to catch up on your sleep, you're still looking pretty rough." "Okay, Your Highness, have a good night," I said before returning to the books in front of me. "You as well, my most faithful student."