//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Monster's Mother's Day // by drnkntst //------------------------------// The Monster’s Mother’s Day “Surprise!” I shouted as I pushed the trolley that came up to my nose into the room I was sharing with my adopted mother, Celestia. I lifted the tray off the trolley and carefully laid it on the bed in front of her. “Oh, breakfast in bed,” Celestia asked, she had just finished raising the sun, “what’s the occasion?” “It’s Mother’s Day.” Celestia raised an eyebrow in enquiry. “It’s a holiday from back home. You spend the whole day showing your mom how much she means to you. Breakfast in bed, presents, cards. It’s like Valentine’s Day, only just for moms.” “Sounds like fun. Sadly, I will be busy with court this morning and then I have my studies with Twilight.” “Oh, that’s okay, Mommy. I already talked to Twilight and her family, they want to do this too. I’m going to be spending the morning with Aunt Velvet and Uncle Night. You and me can do something afterwards.” “Hmm… that sounds delightful, Honey. And, this looks delicious.” “Yeah, the cooks made it. I can’t cook anything more complicated than cereal and bread.” She giggled, “Well it’s the thought that counts.” Celestia levitated her fork and began to enjoy her waffles. ***** “So you did this sort of thing with your parents back on Earth?” Twilight Velvet asked. We were in the gardens and I was playing with Philomena, chasing her around the neatly trimmed shrubbery. Half the fun was watching the gardeners cringe every time I got close to one of their masterpieces. “Every year. I don’t remember the date or anything, but I know we always did this in the spring and a month later was Father’s Day.” I stopped chasing the playful phoenix as the reality of the situation struck home and instead approached the seated unicorn mare and her husband. “I really miss my mom and dad.” “Oh, sweetie. Come here,” Velvet beckoned me to sit on her lap. I curled up in her soft fur and fiercely loving grip. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard this year has been on you.” “True, he’s such a tough little guy that it’s easy to forget just how much he’s lost.” Night Light patted me on my head while I sobbed into Velvet’s barrel. “And to think, he’s only Twilight’s age.” After a few minutes of crying, Velvet came up a suitable distraction for me. “How about we get something to show your new mommy just how special she is to you?” “*Sniff* M’kay.” I wiped my nose on my sleeve and climbed up off Velvet’s lap. “My old mommy always liked it when she got flowers and cards. I can probably find some nice flowers here in the gardens,” the groans from the gardeners could be heard throughout the palace, even the ones that had the day off. “Last year, I made my mom a necklace of noodles in school. But I don’t think a princess would care about something like that.” “Take it from a certified mommy, she’d love something like that.” “If we’re going to do this Father’s Day thing too, then I want a fancy quill set.” “Then you’ll just have to ask your own kids for that. Unless there’s an Uncle’s Day, then Chris doesn’t have to get you anything.” Velvet lowered herself and let me climb onto her back. “Now let’s help our nephew pick the perfect flowers for Princess Celestia.” ***** That afternoon, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor, along with Cadance, joined the three of us in the Castle Ballroom next to the gardens. Shortly after, Celestia joined us. Sadly, it was only the seven of us there. These small gatherings were becoming the norm and it seems that it would be something I’d just have to get used to. “Mommy!” I raced past the other guests and clung to Celestia’s neck. I was dangling a few inches above the ground due to her height versus my own. “Hello, Sweetheart. How was your day?” “It was good. Though I did get a little sad when I thought about my mom back home, but Aunt Velvet and Uncle Night made me feel better.” “Well that’s good then,” Celestia said as she tightened her grip a little and smiled at Twilight’s parents as a sign of gratitude. “Now, how exactly does one celebrate this ‘Mother’s Day’?” “When we did this back home, we took mommy out to a fun restaurant and gave her presents. We also made sure she didn’t have to do any work around the house. Then, we would give her presents.” “Hmm, well we have better cooks here than anywhere in Canterlot, so I think we should just enjoy our meal here. The palace has a larger cleaning staff than some countries armies, so I already don’t have to clean anything.” “But I did clean the kitchen and the living room back home,” Shining offered. “Thank you very much for that, Shiny,” Velvet said as she rubbed his head and messed up his mane. “I guess we can keep you another year.” Shining made a show of wiping his brow as if he was sweating with nervousness. “*Phew* That’s a relief.” “I don’t know, Velvet. Maybe the princess would let us borrow her son for a while instead,” Night Light teased. I was laughing at their antics when I found myself suddenly losing contact with the floor. Celestia had picked me up and was holding me close to her barrel. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to be selfish with this one.” “Yeah, I’m special and that makes me valuable!” I cheered. “That’s right,” Celestia agreed. “You’re far too valuable to share.” “See.” We all laughed. Twilight was being quiet. She was still being shy around me. She was also sticking very close to her big brother. However, in the middle of our laughing fit, Twilight trotted over to one of the tables we had set up to hold the gifts and a centerpiece of roses and tulips. She grunted a little as she levitated a wrapped gift the size of a horseshoe box. “Here you go, Mom. I made this for you.” “Ahem.” “Shiny and I made this for you.” Velvet delicately plucked the box from her daughter’s magic with her own. “That’s so sweet of you, my little sparkler.” Velvet carefully unwrapped the box and lifted the lid away. Inside was a picture frame made from oak wood stained a rich red, not unlike cherry. The frame was decorated with amethyst and quartz crystals. The colors matched those of the coats of the two foals in the picture within the frame. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Thank you both, so very much.” I watched the family embrace and share the love they hold for one another. I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from them. A father and his son. A mother and her daughter. A brother and sister, and a husband and wife. All things I may never have for myself ever again. At least I had Celestia. I ran over to the table and pulled out a package the size of a textbook. “Here ya go, Mommy. It’s not as nice as Twilight’s, but I still made it for you all by myself.” “Then I’m sure it will be perfect.” Celestia nuzzled my cheek and slowly pulled back the paper. She lifted out a string of penne and rotelle noodles that was painted gold and still a bit tacky in spots. “Oh, thank you, Sweetie.” “I know it’s not as nice as your normal jewelry, or even regular cheap jewelry, but my other mom always liked it when I made stuff like this for her.” “That’s because you made it for her. Nothing could mean more to a mother than a sign of how much her child loves her.” Celestia removed her tiara and placed the string of noodles on top of her head. She then scooped me up in her hooves again and hugged me tight. “And it’s the most valuable thing I own.” “I love you, Mommy,” I said as I hugged her back. “And I love you, too. Ooh, are those flowers for me?” she asked as she released me and walked back to the table. “Yeah. I had to go a little outside the wall to get them, but nobody saw me! I swear!” “I believe you, Chris. And remember, it’s ‘nopony’ while you’re here.” She picked the flowers up off the table and took a deep sniff. Everypony present was forced to swear never to tell about some snorting sound that never happened. “Are these morning glory?” “Uh-huh. I thought they would be perfect for you, because, you know, you raise the sun and everything.” “Mmm… ” and then she ate them. She devoured them all in just a few bites. “Wha- wha-” Tears started streaming down my face and I once again found myself clinging to Velvet and matting her fur with said tears. “Oh, Honey. What’s wrong?” Velvet asked. “Mommy doesn’t love me anym-o-o-ore,” I wailed. “WHAT?!” came the thunderous response from everypony in the room. “Chris, the princess loves you more than anything in Equestria. Why in the world would you think she didn’t love you?” Night Light asked. “She di-didn’t keep my flower-er-ers.” “But, Chris, ponies eat flowers as a treat. That means she liked them,” Shining told me. I looked at him with one eye, the other was still buried in his mother’s fur. “Humans don’t do that do they?” he asked as a small revelation was made. I sniffed hard and wiped some tears off on my shirt. “No.” I again felt myself being plucked up by Celestia and held tight. The difference this time was that she was gently crying. “Oh, my darling baby. I had no idea. I’m so sorry. Of course I love you. I would give up the very sun itself if it’d make you happy.” I released my grip on Velvet and walked over to Celestia. “Really?” “Yes. I would happily give over control of the skies above if you asked me to.” I threw my arms around her and held on for dear life. “You can’t do that. People would be sad if you did that. If you still love me, then I’m happy.” I again buried my face into her fur, drying my tears on her barrel. “Alright, dear. I’ll keep my control of the sun.” “Mm’kay.” After I calmed down from my childish outburst, we got back to enjoying our time together. Cushions had been placed around and we were all just laying around and enjoying light conversation. Well, the adults were. Twilight was reading, Shining was eating, and I was playing with Celestia’s fur. I couldn’t help myself, her fur is super soft and my hands are very sensitive. “So, Princess, what do you think of this whole Mother’s Day gimmick that Chris brought to us?” Night Light asked as the sunset was nearing. “It’s wonderful. Mares everywhere work very hard to provide for and protect their foals, as do stallions. I think it’s high time that we there is a way to show that said hard work is appreciated. I’m going to make it an official holiday first thing tomorrow. For now though,” Celestia rolled onto her side, “I’m going to simply ask my son to scratch a little higher. No, no, just under the wing… there you go.” True to her word, Celestia made a press release proclaiming that there would be holiday specifically intended to allow foals, and even adults, show how special their mothers truly are. And she proclaimed that there would be a similar day for fathers one month later. This announcement was welcomed with great excitement. Every year, Equestria celebrated Mother’s Day as we used to on Earth, while inside the palace, a far more personal and familiar celebration took place. My family would all gather in the Castle Ballroom and just spend the day together. I also made sure to always bring a bouquet of morning glory flowers for Celestia and she would wear that same noodle crown I made for her. It all just went to prove, no matter where you are or what you are, you can still appreciate your mommy and all that she does for you. Make sure you tell her.