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A cry shattered the silence of the afternoon. It shook Luna out of her sleep, and she let out a sigh as she shifted in bed. However, Twilight yawned and placed a hoof on her shoulder, urging her wife to lie back down and get some rest.
“I’ll get her,” Twilight muttered. “You need the sleep more than I do.”
Luna opened her mouth to protest, but it was useless. The minute her head hit the pillow, she was back in the comfortable spell of slumber. Twilight let out a soft chuckle, and took a minute to marvel over her beloved. Goddess was the only description to fit such a beautiful mare.
...however, Twilight was snapped out of her trance, when another wail was heard.
Releasing a groan, Twilight shuffled out of bed and across the bedroom. A small navy blue bassinet decorated with white stars and moons was in the corner, and inside of the crib was a tiny little filly -- yet another Princess.
“Hey there,” Twilight said softly. “What is it?”
Her daughter continued her shrieking, and Twilight hesitantly picked the little one up.
She cradled the baby, trying to quiet its piercing wails. “Astra, please,” she muttered. “Don’t wake your mother.”
Astra was the only name fitting enough for the daughter of the Princess of the Night and the Princess of Friendship. How Luna had remembered it was beyond Twilight’s thoughts, but it was still perfect for their child.
Unfortunately, their daughter’s behavior was anything but perfect right now.
“Why can’t you talk yet?” Twilight groaned.
The three-month-old screamed loud enough for all of Equestria to hear, and Twilight could’ve sworn she was deaf for a solid minute. She blinked rapidly from the impact, and released a sigh. She kept rocking her daughter, but was getting nowhere. Little Astra kept whining and wailing. As far as Twilight could see, nothing was wrong with her child, so what was it with the constant crying?
“Is she alright?” Luna spoke up.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Twilight replied.
But the howl Astra let out said otherwise.
Luna got up from underneath the covers and trudged across the floor. “Come now, give her to me,” she muttered. “She’s most likely just cranky. Something must have woken her up.” She levitated Astra up, and smiled at the sniffling baby. “Hello, little star. Aren’t you tired?”
Letting out a soft whine, Astra waved her hooves.
“Are you sure that holding her up like that is healthy?” Twilight asked in concern.
“She was created by magic,” Luna pointed out, with a tired grin. “She’ll be fine.”
Twilight gave a halfhearted shrug, and let out a soft chuckle. “I guess you’re right,” she said softly, just as their daughter began to calm down. The baby cooed and babbled, doing cartwheels in midair while Luna’s magic kept her safe and secure.
Still, that didn’t prevent Twilight from grabbing their daughter and holding her close.
“No, none of that,” she said sternly to the little one. “You’ll get hurt.”
“Every foal has been dropped at least once,” Luna pointed out, with a half smirk. “ Foals are built to survive more than we give them credit for. This one is made out of especially tough stuff.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’m not taking any chances,” she declared.
But she was quite surprised when she suddenly saw her daughter escape out of her arms and float in midair, with no magic required. With her little wings buzzing, Astra burst into a fit of adorable laughter, waving her hooves victoriously. The reaction from her mothers was mixed -- Luna’s expression radiated pride, and so did Twilight’s, but at the same time, her jaw nearly fell to the floor.
So much chaos over the past few months -- what with false alarms, and then the birth, and now taking care of an infant… the shock finally wore in.
The code of the Alicorn.
“I… need some fresh air,” Twilight muttered, as she brushed past her wife and made her way onto the balcony. “Make sure she’s alright.”
Luna instantly caught Astra in her magic and watched as Twilight slowly walked out.
The foal babbled, and cocked her head to the side.
“Your mother worries a lot,” Luna said softly, as she kissed her daughter’s forehead. “More than she should.” She placed the filly back into the crib, and tucked the child in between the covers. “Hush now, quiet now.” With a quick flash of magic, she cast a temporary slumber spell on Astra and the baby was out like a light.
Releasing a tired sigh, Luna walked outside, wincing at the sunlight.
There was Twilight - standing alone, staring up at the sky and deep in thought.
“Something troubles you,” Luna declared.
“Take a guess,” Twilight sighed, as she drifted her gaze downwards.
“I just woke up, love,” Luna muttered. “No offense, but now isn’t the time for me to do any thinking.”
“It’s… Astra,” Twilight admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her to bits, but I’m upset now. I mean, the first time I held her, I was ecstatic and I still am -- she’s our daughter. But,” She frowned. “She’s an alicorn. She got the blessing. So now, I’m just wondering, what’s next? You and her--” She swallowed. “You’ll live on for centuries. Millennia, even. And I’ll be missing so many things.”
Luna hesitated. “Twilight, we’ve discussed this--”
“--for you and me, yes, but the unexpected happened, and now what?” Twilight replied.
“As I told you a little over a year ago,” Luna declared. “We cherish the time we have. ‘Tis only natural for children to outlive their parents anyhow.”
“But--” Twilight was at a loss for words. Instead, she just hung her head.
Wrapping a wing around her beloved, Luna let out a sigh.
“Twilight Sparkle, how old do you think you are?”
“How… what?” Twilight stared in confusion at Luna.
“You’re still young, even by mortal standards. You have years yet with Astra, and because she is immortal, she will mature quickly. You’ll be able to see her grow into a beautiful mare, Twilight. You’ll get to raise her. There is no doubt of you missing out on the important stages of her growth.”
“Her growth, maybe, but what about her life? I might not get to see her first coltfriend, or marefriend. I won’t get to see her wedding, or her first heartbreak, or any of the things she’ll need us both for!”
“And how do you think Shining Armor and Cadence feel? They are both mortal, but you don’t see them dwelling on the inevitable! They are focusing on doing what is best for Skyla while they can, not on what will happen to her when they are gone. I will not discuss this anymore. I will see you tonight, Twilight, but I am going back to bed.” Luna left Twilight standing alone.
The Princess stared at the clear blue of the sky, contemplating. It was easier for her to think during the day, despite her switch into nocturnal hours to spend more time with Luna.
A few years back, Twilight knew the risks of falling in love with an immortal Goddess.
She just didn’t think that it would hurt this much to realize the truth.
And what in the world did Luna mean by “how old do you think you are” -- Twilight wondered. What did thought have to do with reality? By some standards, Twilight was still young, pushing thirty, but years had flown by. It seemed like just yesterday, she had become a Princess. Now, here she was, a ruler of a nation, married and now a parent.
Deep down inside, though… Twilight almost longed to be worry-free again. Almost.
This life was beyond wonderful. She couldn’t dream of anything better.
“I need to sleep on this,” she muttered to herself.
Releasing a sigh, Twilight shuffled back into the Castle, and headed over to the bed. However, the sight she saw there was completely heartwarming. Luna was fast asleep, curled up on the covers, with little Astra snuggling next to her. The sight was adorable, sweet and just plain perfect. Utterly irreplaceable.
Just looking at this simple view, it kicked Twilight’s thoughts into motion.
Luna never told her exact age, but it was known that she was at least two thousand years old. Yet, everyday, she acted like an optimistic shining star, with a hint of sincerity and a bucket full of mature wisdom thrown in there. Her personality didn’t match up with her age at all, it was like… somepony who was roughly in their late thirties. Still stuck in the whole faze of feeling invincible, but knowing the facts of life nonetheless.
Was that what she had meant?
If one were to believe something, is that what they felt?
Twilight sat down next to her wife and child, marveling at the moment. This really was all that mattered. The future was worrisome, but right here, right now… that was the more important issue.
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