Celestia sighed as she trotted through the palace corridors, a tired expression on her face. Around her, guardsponies snapped crisp salutes and maids curtsied quickly, offering a token acknowledgement of her presence. She closed her eyes—the lids weighing down with an unusual amount of sleepiness—before forcing them open again.
She followed a few more hallways before she found herself smiling at her golden chamber doors. Outside stood the same two guards she had assigned to protect Dawn, each one remaining stoic as false eyelashes and messy makeup adorned their faces. Celestia had to suppress a chuckle as they saluted, but she offered them a warm smile.
“How was Princess Dawn today?” she asked.
“Your Highness, her schedule was followed down to the minute,” the nearest one said. “Princess Twilight arrived several minutes late, but her lessons still followed as planned.”
“Good, good,” Celestia replied. “I must admit I am a bit surprised to see the two of you like this, but it’s reassuring to know that you two will subject yourselves to a filly’s whims for her amusement.”
“Permission to speak freely, Your Highness?” the other one asked.
“Granted.”
“I have a daughter of my own,” he said smoothly. “I couldn’t stand to think of disappointing Princess Dawn and not my own filly.”
Celestia smiled wider as a warm feeling flooded her chest. “I believe a raise is in order for the two of you,” she said as she trotted past them.
The doors swung open gently as she walked in, glancing about the room. She half-expected Dawn to have made a mess of the room with her dolls and craft projects, but she raised her eyebrows as she saw her laying on her belly, gently flipping the pages of a rather large book as a fire crackled in the background. Twilight sat on a pillow next to her, scanning through a tome like her life depended on it.
“Dawn?”
Dawn’s ears immediately shot up and she spun to face Celestia, a grin larger than her face gracing her.
“Mommy!” she squealed as she ran to Celestia.
Bracing herself, Celestia opened her foreleg as Dawn crashed into her, squeezing her with all her might. Celestia returned the hug, and the two of them cooed in contentment.
“Did you have fun today?” Celestia asked.
“Uh huh! Twi-lee and I read lots of books and she helped me learn to pick stuff up with my magic!” Dawn said, releasing her mother.
Celestia raised her eyebrows again, glancing over to Twilight before smiling. “She did? What did you pick up?”
“Watch me, Mommy!” Dawn shouted as she ran to the small table where a teacup sat.
Planting her rump into a pillow, Dawn stuck her tongue out as she concentrated on the cup, a cyan aura materializing around her horn and the cup. She gave a few grunts and nodded her head, but the cup shook a few times before levitating from the table. Dawn immediately sat up as straight as she could and brought the shaky cup to her lips. A loud slurping filled the room and Dawn smiled widely as her cup floated back to the table.
“Oh my,” Celestia said, trotting up to the table. “That was fancy!”
“We still need to work on it, but she’s a natural,” Twilight said, walking over to the table.
“Just like you, Mommy!” Dawn squealed again.
Celestia sat down at the table, smiling as widely as Dawn when another teacup and a pot appeared on the table. Lighting her horn, Celestia watched as the pot lifted and poured a perfect stream of tea into her cup before setting the pot down.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked in a fancy tone.
“Wow!” Dawn gasped.
Together, they both levitated their cups and sipped on their tea, Dawn filling the room with her slurping again. Once they had set down the cups, Dawn stared into it as Celestia tilted her head.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” she asked.
Dawn looked back up, a confused look on her face.
“Mommy, can you please tell me about Sunset?” she said.
Celestia’s pupils shrank to pinpricks as Dawn looked down into the cup again. Looking down at her own cup, she said, “I guess it is unavoidable that you would ask.”
She glanced over to Twilight, watching as she gained an interest in the table. Sighing, she returned her gaze and stared into Dawn’s eyes. “She was a former student of mine, like Twilight. I made a terrible mistake while she was with me and she became very angry at me.”
“Did the mirror make her mean?” Dawn asked.
Celestia shook her head. “No, she made herself mean. She was very greedy and thought I had lied to her, making her run away.”
Dawn looked down in confusion, studying her hooves.
“But that means she was lying to me,” she said slowly.
“Dawn,” Celestia said as she placed her unslippered hoof on Dawn’s. “Sunset was a very mean pony. She tried to hurt me, Twilight and Cadance when she was talking to you, but you’re better than her. You’re sweet and loving, things Sunset didn’t understand.”
Dawn looked up at Celestia, her eyes glossy.
“She said I was hurting her when you told me I was a princess,” Dawn whispered, her tone one of shame. “She said I was supposed to be like her and hurt you.”
“Dawn, you are you, no matter what Sunset told you,” Celestia stressed. “You didn’t hurt her more than she already hurt herself, so don’t think you’re a meanie. Sunset chose to be mean and use others, so you being happy and loving me, Twilight and Cadance made her go away, not you hurting her.”
Dawn looked down again, her golden mane falling over her eyes. Celestia leaned in and hugged Dawn again, holding her like she meant it. She felt Dawn shift before a small kiss was placed on her jaw.
“I love you, Mommy,” she whispered. “I don’t ever want to hurt you like Sunset.”
A small gasp came from Twilight as Celestia squeezed her eyes shut, her chest tightening.
“I love you too, sweetie,” she replied. “My little Solisia Specia.”