//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Mom // Story: Mother Celestia // by jl7895 //------------------------------// After that I defeated the darkness in my dreams, I never had a nightmare again. I stopped thrashing about and calling for my mom. I even stopped being afraid of the darkness in my room. There was one thing the made me a little sad. Because I wasn’t screaming in my sleep, Celestia stopped coming in my room at night. She doesn't sing me lullabies until I fall asleep. I don’t wake up to her holding onto me in her sleep. I miss that last one the most. For that moment that I’m awake and she’s just there sleeping and holding me, I felt the loving embrace only a mother could give. Sure, I don’t have a real point of reference, but it was just something that you know deep down. It might be for the best thought. I’m six now and I don’t think I should be this attached to her. Especially now that I’m about to enter school. In Equestria, if you are six by the time the school year starts, you go into first grade. You go until twelfth grade and then that’s it. Now that Cadence and I are six, we’ll be attending Canterlot Elementary School. It’s where all the foals go if they didn't get accepted into Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Cadence and I tried to have fun on our last day before school. Our favorite thing to do was to play outside, so that’s what we decided to do. We played all of our favorite games and ended the day under a tree. “What do you think school’s going to be like?” Cadence asked me as we sat down. “I’m not really sure. I just hope that we can still make friends.” “Why wouldn't we be able to?” “Because we live in a giant castle with the ruler of all of Equestria. Plus, you’re already a princess. Ponies might look at you different. Well there’s that and…” I looked at Cadence’s neck and how there was nothing there. Cadence figured out what I was looking at and she covered up the right part of neck with her hand. “I didn't think of that, but I’m sure that they won’t ignore us because we live with Auntie Celestia and don’t have our cutie marks. Either way, I bet school is going to be fun.” “Yeah, we finally get a chance to get out of the castle without the guards.” Cadence and I didn't have any friends, only each other. When we go into Canterlot, Celestia or a royal guard is usually with us. You don’t know how young ponies react when they see you coming towards them with the ruler of the Equestria. The only real time we even met any other pony was at dinner. Most of the time, parents would hire a foal-sitter while they have dinner in the castle. Every so often, Cadence and I would have a guest at the foal table. It was never really more than one filly or colt, and it was always somepony different, sometimes older and sometimes younger. Cadence and I tried to make them feel welcome and always tried to include them in our conversations. We accidently fell asleep under the tree while we were talking. I think she asked me a question and fell asleep before I could answer, and I fell asleep shortly after. Celestia woke us up and told us to wash up for dinner. When we entered the massive dining room, I noticed something, or should I say somepony. There was a white unicorn colt with a blue mane. He didn't look like he was having much fun, so Cadence and I wanted to change that. “Hi, I’m Golden Shield,” I said as I took my seat. He didn't respond. All he did was look down at his empty plate. He didn't look up until he heard her voice. “And, I’m Cadence.” He looked up and stared straight into her eyes. He probably felt the same thing I did when I first met her. It was a feeling of warmth and acceptance, kindness and comfort. It came from a loving place that only she and Celestia could come from. It made you feel accepted, no matter how alone you've been. It’s something that I've come to love about Cadence, and it’s something that I would always love. “I’m Shining Armor,” he said as he shook our hands. He had a very firm and strong grip. After that we again talked for most of the night. We learned that he too was going start attending the same school we did. It made us happy and almost excited to start school. We quickly became friends as we continued to talk for the rest of the night. As the night ended, for the first time in a long time, Cadence and I made a new friend. Like I said, Cadence is my only friend and I’m her’s. We tried making friends, but there was always something that caused people to avoid us as if we were sick. For the first time, in a very long time, we made a new friend. I would say that it’s a great feeling, but that would be an understatement. Both of us are glad that we found Shining Armor and out of every other pony that we met, he is the only one that stayed. Princess Celestia took us to bed a bit earlier than normal. She wanted we wanted to make sure that we were well rested for tomorrow. She took Cadence to her room first, tucked her in and kissed her good night. When she finished, she carried me to my room, and tucked me in. “Good Night my little pony. Sleep well,” She said before leaving my room. “Princess Celestia, can I ask you something?” She was still standing at the door with her hand on the door knob. “Can it wait for tomorrow?” “No, I don’t think so. Please, I promise it’s important.” “Alright, one question, but then I want you asleep.” She walked to my bedside and sat down. She was still in her beautiful white dress that she wore to dinner and in full make-up. “Princess Celestia, will you be my mom?” There was a look of complete shock and disbelief on her face. There was a silence that neither of us wanted to break, but I knew one of us had to. She finally broke it. “What about your real mother? She’s still out there. What happens when we find her?” “Why can’t I have two moms?” “You would be the only colt in your school with two moms, you know that right?” “Yes, but you've taken care of me for two years now. I don’t know what it’s like to have a mother, so I had to make a guess. Everything you've done for me, from being there when I was crying to taking me out into the city, has been out of love and compassion. I've never told you this, but I always loved it when you slept in my bed with me. I loved waking up to you holding me close. Your hugs always made me feel warm and safe. It’s exactly what I thought a mom’s hug would feel like. I know this is a lot to ask from you, but I've thought this out and I feel like you've been a mom. Please Princess Celestia, you don’t have to call me your son, but please just let me call you my mom.” Her eyes started to water, as did mine. Everything I said was from my heart and I think she knew it. There was a long silence again, but this one did not last as long. She again broke the silence, this time by kissing me on the forehead. She stood up and walked towards the door. “Good night, my little son,” she said as she opened the door. “Good night, mom.” I went to sleep with a giant smile on my face. I think it was the first time in a long time that I was able to sleep knowing that everything was going to be okay. Princess Celestia woke me and Cadence up early the next morning and told us to wash up. She again called me her son, which made smile. When I got back from by bath I found that she had laid out my clothes for the day. A simple red V-neck shirt and tan pants. A maid escorted me and Cadence to a more personal dining room. Cadence was wearing a white dress, similar to the one she was wearing when we met, but tailored to accommodate for how much she grew. We were served wheat pancakes and scrambled eggs. After, Princess Celestia brought us our backpacks with our lunches in them. While Cadence and I wanted to walk there ourselves, Celestia insisted on walking us there herself. Of course, we didn’t want her to, but she promised that it was going to be the only time all year she would. We still didn't want her to go, but we realized that if we let her do it just this once, we don’t have to deal with it again. Canterlot Elementary School was only about two blocks away, so it wasn't that bad of a walk. Cadence and I were so excited that we would run ahead, but Princess Celestia would tell us to wait for her. When we finally reached school, Cadence and I stopped in our tracks. The place looked so big and there were so many other foals there. Although we faced a large crowd every night, they are usually older and we never really talked to them. Now, we didn't really have a choice. When Celestia caught up to us, she put her hands on our shoulders. We turned around to find her smiling. She leaned down so she could talk to us at our level. She gave us a hug at the same time and we hugged her back. “Have a good day at school,” she said while hugging us. “Try to make some friends. I’ll let you two walk home by yourselves, but be careful.” “We will,” we said at the same time. “Have a good day and remember that I love you both.” “I love you too, auntie Celestia.” “I love you too, mom.”