There were few times where Celestia was allowed to relax and enjoy a single day without worrying about some political or economic situation. She wasn’t even allowed to relax on her birthday. However, when it came to her daughter, she wanted to be Mommy Celestia instead of Teacher Celestia.
She couldn’t even allow Sunset’s birthday to be some grand and extravagant event: just a quiet moment between the guards, servants, and professors to come together and enjoy a party for the most important filly in Celestia’s life. Everything had to be prepared in secret and done only by those within the castle walls. If any word got out about a birthday party at the castle, or any celebration for that matter, and the nobles would gather like sharks smelling blood. It wouldn’t be to wish Sunset Shimmer a happy birthday though. They would only come to brag about how they were personally invited to the castle and they were close with the princess.
It was one of many reasons why Celestia didn’t want her daughter to play in politics or interact with the nobility without her present. It would not be the first time they had tried to weasel one of her apprentices into their web. They had done so with her once sweet nephew, Prince Blueblood, and he had changed into such a prat that his own parents couldn’t deal with him. It was why she had sent Cadance to study abroad so she didn’t become ensnared in their clutches as well. However, neither he nor Cadence were as sought after as Sunset who was, despite her humble background, Celestia’s personal student.
She could still remember how so many noble unicorn families were outraged by the fact she took in an orphan with no last name as her apprentice instead of one of their “highly trained” sons or daughters. If only they knew that Sunset was more noble than all of them. She knew Sunset would eventually have to learn of her highborn status.
But that was all for another day. Today was a birthday to celebrate.
Hundreds of balloons and streamers could be seen around the throne room with tables full of food and parties games to be enjoyed. Some of her guards, or at least the ones not on duty, were playing pin the tail on the draconequus or bobbing for apples. The maids were dancing to the music of a DJ named Record Scratch, a long blue haired mare with shades. While Celestia personally preferred classical music, this new techno stuff was quite catchy. Celestia even felt her own rump shake a bit to the rhythm.
Mountains of presents were stacked on a table, all for Sunset who was busy trying to hit a piñata that was just right above her nose. Wielding the stick with her magic, she swung and managed to lay a solid hit on it, splitting it in half and making it spill all of its candy. The group that watched her clapped their hooves before a grinning Sunset started to share her candy.
“She’s grown up quite into a fine filly, Princess,” said Chainmail as he walked up behind her. “And you’ve changed as well.”
“How so?” asked Celestia, smiling at her daughter’s actions while she blew a big bubble of gum before it popped, splattering all over her face.
“I’ve never seen you smile so much.”
“I smile all the time, Captain,” said Celestia.
Chainmail chuckled as he shook his head. “That’s not smiling, Princess. What you put on most days is a mask, but when you're with...” he leaned closer and whispered, “your daughter, you smile like you mean it.”
Celestia didn’t deny nor confirm his captain’s words, she only stared at her happy daughter who was being given a piggy back ride by one the guards. “Is it wrong for me that I wish she wasn’t the chosen pony for the Element of Magic? That somepony else was instead of my little filly?”
“No, it’s not. My own filly wants to join me in the guard. I don’t want her too, I’d rather she was a gardener like her mother, but how can I deny her? I love her too much that I would do anything for her,” answered Chainmail, chuckling. “What you wish for is the wish that all parents want: their children to be safe. Nopony wants to fail the ones we love. We simply have to do our best.”
“All we can do is do our best, huh?” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I failed somepony I loved once and I swore to never do it again. Failure is something I cannot afford.”
“You are too hard on yourself, but I understand,” said Chainmail as he walked away just as Sunset was running up to her teacher.
“Princess! Thank you so much for the party!” shouted Sunset, wrapping her hooves around her teacher’s neck and nuzzling her cheek. “This is the best party ever!”
“You said that last year as well, Sunset,” teased Celestia.
“W-well, that was fun, but this year I really really mean it!” shouted Sunset, blushing.
“Well, if you really are that excited, why don’t we finally have the cake?” asked Celestia, rubbing her daughter’s head playfully.
“You’ve been waiting to say that all night, right Princess Cakebutt?” teased back Sunset, earning a snort from Celestia.
Cakebutt? That’s a new one. Still, she’s not half wrong. I’ve wanted to bite into that cake since I saw it!
The cake was just as big as Sunset with mounds of white frosting, decorations, and a giant candle made to look like her cutie mark. Sunset’s name was below the words “Happy Birthday,” along with a small flag that read the number twelve on it. Sunset sat on a stool as everypony gathered around and started singing Happy Birthday.
As she sung, Celestia looked at the smile on her daughter's face and felt her heart leap with joy. In her mind, she saw all four years they had spent together. All the laughs, lessons, struggles, and love between them. She could remember every thank you, smile, and card for every holiday from her student. Including last year’s Mother’s Day card, which she had framed in her room.
And there would be more celebrations, more moments where they could be proud. She knew one day she would have to tell Sunet the truth of her birth, and it would not be an easy thing to go through. But she was confident that everything, for the first time in her life, would go smoothly.
When the song ended, Sunset took a deep breath and closed her eyes for her wish.
Just as she was about to blow, there was a bright light from the table of presents. For a nanosecond there was no sound, then a giant bang. Celestia felt her eyes close as she was thrown off her hooves and the sounds of screaming and pain erupted from all directions. Celestia’s brain barely had time to register an explosion had gone off before she slammed into the floor, slicing her forehead. The sounds of shattered glass echoed as she felt bits and pieces cut her side.
A second later all she heard was ringing, a horrible ringing that made her brain scream. She held her hooves to her ears as she struggled to open her eyes. Blury as her vision was, she saw the pale face of the DJ looking at her with dead eyes. A shard of glass had gone right through her neck and was lodged inside.
Her blood was now a pool that started to enter Celestia’s mouth.
Shaking her head, she got up, centuries old battle instincts coming into play as she heard less of the ringing and more of the sounds of crying and battle. The smoke from the explosion started to clear as she saw her guards, the ones not wounded, poured in with their spears and swords charging at each other. They were fighting one another, and she didn’t know why.
Sunset... where is my Little Sun!
Now mother instincts were at play as Celestia screamed, “Sunset! Where are you?!”
“Die, false princess!”
She turned around, knowing that phrase. It was the one the Nightmare Cult used so often. A guard was charging at her with his spear, screaming his war cry. The cult tried to kill her daughter.
They tried to murder my daughter...
Before the guard knew it, his spear was broken upon meeting Celestia’s hoof as she took the pointed end and jammed it straight into his face. Two more infiltrators tried to take her down, but Celestia teleported a sword. Not just any sword. It was a pure white diamond blade that shined even in shadows. A golden crossguard with the rubies in the center and actual living phoenix wings thanks to an advance forging spell on the side. Inscribed on the blade was the language of dragons: “Shio Malsvir Valignatic Ini Nomeno Cayosin”.
“All Evil Burns By This Blade.”
The blade’s name was Lightbringer. And it was the same sword that slayed the Dark Dragon Lord Mesong over a thousand years ago.
And it was about to taste blood for the first time since that day.
With a simple activated spell known only to Celestia, the blade of the sword glowed with the heat of the sun and cut through the two guards. They were barely able to choke out a grunt before their bodies turned to ash. More of the cults followed them, but with wraith and grace combined they were nothing more then ashes.
As she swung her blade, Celestia cried out the name of the one most precious to her. The one she prayed to every god of the past, present, and future, would not be in a pool of her own blood and limbs like so many caught up in the blast.
“Princess!” cried Sunset’s voice. Celestia turned around, blade ready, only to nearly drop it upon seeing who it was that held her daughter, covered in cuts and a black eye, with a sword against her throat. Chainmail looked at his princess with regret in his eyes as he drew blood from Sunset’s neck. Sunset whimpered as she whispered, tears dripping down her face, “Help me.”
“I’m sorry,” whispered Chainmail, loud enough so that Celestia could hear him. “They got my wife and daughter. I had to help them. I’m so sorry.”
“Chainmail... don’t do this... please...” begged Celestia, fighting down her emotions that urged her to just charge in. She was losing. “Don’t kill her. You don’t have to do this!”
“I have to... if I don’t kill her then they’ll kill my family,” whispered Chainmail, a tear dropping from his eye. He looked around as did Celestia, her remaining guards had either subdued or killed the infiltrators. “So many of my comrades dead... so many lives lost... the very people who trusted me.”
“You can make it right! Just give up! We can talk about this, and save your family!” shouted Celestia.
Chainmail shook his head. “I can’t be forgiven for this. Not by you, my family, or anypony.” He glared at the princess with cold eyes. “It’s either my daughter or yours, Celestia. We are both parents and we do what we must for our children. You do what you can to save your daughter... but I need to do what I can to save mine!”
“NOOO!” shouted Celestia as she fired a beam her horn.
Just as she did, Sunset lit her horn and teleported herself out of Chainmail’s embrace, much to his shock. He looked up just as the beam went straight through his forehead, leaving a perfect hole in place. He fell down in an instant just as Sunset reappeared across the room by a pile of dead bodies where she fell on her haunches.
Celestia sighed in relief upon seeing her daughter safe and sound, but a cry of horror erupted when one of the dead guard bodies reached out with the last of his magic. The cutting knife from the cake lifted up and made its way deep into Sunset’s side.
Celestia didn’t hear her daughter’s cry nor the thud of her daughter falling onto her side with a five inch blade in her ribs. She didn’t hear her own cries for a doctor as she poured all of her healing magic into Sunset’s body, fighting to keep dying daughter alive. All she could hear was the dying cultist shout out his final words before the real guards shot arrows into his face.
“Glory to Nightmare Moon! Death be to the Sun and her ill-conceived daughter!”