Chapter 4
Princess Celestia, hearing that her sister had returned during the night, hurried down the hallway towards her sister’s quarters, her wings fluttering at her sides with anticipation. Luna had returned with a foal, or so Celestia had heard from Raven and Kibitz.
Offering a respectful nod to the lunar pegasi guards at the door of her sister’s chambers as she passed, Celestia pushed the doors opened and entered the darkened room of her sister.
Igniting her horn so that it produced a soft light, she approached a small crib that had been placed near Luna’s bed. It was empty. Heaving a disappointed sigh, Celestia looked around the room and then approached Luna’s bed. She heard Luna let out a half awake moan as she approached. Luna had fallen asleep on top of the blankets yet again, as she usually did when she was exhausted.
And then, Celestia saw the foal at her sister’s side. Soft grey in colour. She saw the small wings but failed to notice the horn peeking out from the tuft of electric blue mane. Celestia inhaled sharply.
“Oh my… you’re so precious… I’m going to steal you away and cuddle you!” Celestia said in a rather loud whisper. Sniffing, her nose crinkled. “You need a diaper change first though.”
“Steal my foal away and Nightmare Moon will be the least of your concerns. Prepare for Nightmare Mommy,” Luna growled. She lifted her head, yawned, looked at her sister, and then sniffed. “Phew,” she gasped.
“Luna… sister, we use the word ‘auntie’ for a reason-”
“Do not lecture me,” Luna hissed grumpily. “Try having a foal suckle blood from your teats and then get back to me about about proper titles.”
Lifting her head up high, Celestia looked at her sister in concern. “I will change him for you,” Celestia offered as Luna yawned once more.
“No,” Luna whispered. “I’ll do it. This is my responsibility.”
Feeling a strange new sense of concern, Celestia watched as Luna rose from the bed, lifted the foal in her magic, and then went off into the bathroom to change the soiled diaper. Celestia was aware that Luna had changed, something was certainly different about Luna, and Celestia now felt a sense of worry for her sister.
“Suckle blood?” Celestia asked.
“Lunar pegasus,” Luna said from within the bathroom.
“Oh… I see,” Celestia replied as she heard water running.
“Right now he is more unicorn though, except for his teeth,” Luna said. “But I think those are shrinking… either that or I’ve lost sensation in my teats.”
“What?” Celestia asked, now feeling very, very confused by Luna’s words.
“Give me time sister, I will explain everything once this diaper is changed,” Luna promised in reply.
Feeling very puzzled, Princess Celestia looked at her sister, feeling very befuddled by everything that Luna had just explained to her. She looked at the foal, who was awake now, and then back at her sister, who was yawning. Looking at the foal once more, Celestia noted the unusual yellow-green eyes. The stubby nub of a horn. The small stunted wings. The tufted ears which didn’t seem quite as tufted as most lunar pegasi foals.
“So he is changing into a unicorn,” Celestia stated as she continued to peer at the colt.
“Yes sister,” Luna replied as she yawned once more.
“But you believe he will change back to a lunar pegasus once more,” Celestia said as she blinked in amazement. She pulled her eyes away from the foal and looked at Luna.
Nodding, Luna blearily blinked at her sister.
“You named him Erebus,” Celestia remarked as she once more looked at the foal.
Luna did not reply. She lay her head down upon a cushion and placed one wing protectively over Erebus, who had fed while she and her sister were talking. The bedspread was now flecked with blood. At Luna’s side, the foal yawned once.
“Tourmaline is going to talk my ear off over this,” Celestia stated.
“From this point on, Tourmaline is not to call me ‘auntie’ anymore. I will be her mother. You may hold on to that notion if you wish, but I have since had a change of heart,” Luna mumbled in a sleepy voice.
“Luna… sister… please, it is easier to say that you have lost a niece or a nephew when they die of old age,” Celestia whispered in warning.
“The effect is still the same! A word is but a word… the meaning is still the same… I do not understand how you can delude yourself about the meaning of something just by changing a word,” Luna retorted angrily as she lifted her head.
“I have found that it softens the blow,” Celestia confessed in a sad voice.
“I would rather have the pain. At least pain is real and is not a softly spoken lie,” Luna snarled angrily. “You keep Tourmaline distant from you. You have her looked after by nannies and caretakers. You step in and you spend time with her in carefully measured doses, thinking this will soften the blow when the time comes… I’ve seen your nightmares. You allowed yourself to get closer to Twilight than any of your previous students. But you live in fear of the pain. You keep the best parts of yourself distant from Tourmaline to spare yourself. You may continue to do so… I have no desire to withhold myself any longer. I have no desire to cheat her out of the experience of knowing me, wholly and completely.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Celestia shook her head. “I should go. You need sleep. We shall talk later. I am sorry that I woke you, but I could not resist. Rest well Luna… and pleasant dreams Erebus.”
“Have a pleasant day sister,” Luna replied as she closed her eyes.
Haunted by her sister’s words, Celestia found that she could not think, could not focus, and that her sense of distraction was too much to bear. She had allowed Twilight to come closer to her than any other foal… she had hoped that Twilight Sparkle looking at her as a mother figure would prevent the mistakes made with Sunset Shimmer.
Might Twilight have turned out even better if Celestia had not held part of herself back?
The question burned in her mind. Fearful, full of doubt, Celestia did not know who to turn to. Luna was sleeping and there was nopony else she trusted with these sorts of thoughts.
What of Tourmaline?
Celestia’s lips contorted into an uncomfortable moue as she thought of Tourmaline. A creature dependant upon love. A changeling. Yet Celestia held back her love, at least part of it anyway, guarding her heart closely. How might Tourmaline benefit if Celestia held nothing back? The white alicorn did not know.
Tourmaline’s room was well lit; sunny, and the jet black foal with soft pink mane was busy listening to her tutor, Meadow Moth, patiently explain the founding of Equestria. When Celestia entered, Tourmaline squealed, then immediately bolted away from Meadow Moth to run over to Celestia, and began rubbing up against Celestia’s legs with excited foalish affection.
“Meadow Moth, if you could give us a little time,” Celestia requested.
“Sure thing, Majesty,” the pegasus mare responded as she rose out of her seat. She smiled. “I’ll return later,” she said as she exited the room.
Moving over to a large comfortable couch, Celestia settled herself onto it and then made a gesture for Tourmaline to sit beside her. The foal, eager to spend time with Celestia, jumped up and laid down right away without hesitation.
“You are happy-sad,” Tourmaline said as she settled in beside Celestia.
“I suppose I am,” Celestia admitted to the foal.
“Is Auntie Moon Drops back from Trotter-whatever?” Tourmaline asked as she cuddled up against Celestia.
Nodding, Celestia wrapped her wing around Tourmaline and pulled her closer. “Luna is back from Trottingham. She has brought you home a baby brother.”
“What?” Tourmaline responded as she began blinking rapidly. “Can I see him?”
“Later,” Celestia promised. “I wanted to speak with you.”
“I like talking with you,” Tourmaline stated.
“I know Tourmaline… how would you feel about calling me ‘mother’ instead of ‘auntie’ and spending more time with me?” Celestia questioned, her voice becoming low and raspy from her emotions.
“It is making you sad to say this,” Tourmaline whispered.
“There is no hiding any feelings from you,” Celestia responded and then sighed.
“You’re afraid of something,” Tourmaline said as she rubbed her face against Celestia’s side. “You’re afraid of pain.”
“There is just no hiding anything from you, is there?” Celestia huffed, feeling somewhat annoyed by Tourmaline’s advantages.
“Now you feel grumpy,” Tourmaline stated.
Taking a deep breath, Celestia tried to bring her emotions under control. “Tourmaline, how do you feel about Luna and I being your parents rather than just your guardians?”
“I would like that very much,” Tourmaline replied as she peered up at Celestia through her now crooked green framed eyeglasses.
Using her magic, Celestia carefully straightened out Tourmaline’s glasses and set them straight upon the foal’s face. Stretching out her neck, she craned her head downwards and kissed Tourmaline on the tip of her nose. Lifting her head back up, Celestia looked at Tourmaline and smiled. “You are very dear to me… I love you a great deal.”
“So I can call you ‘mama’ now?” Tourmaline asked.
“Yes my little cuddlebug, you may call me that. Or any other term of affection that you might choose,” Celestia replied as she blinked away a few tears.
“Stop being sad,” Tourmaline begged as she looked up at the alicorn with teary eyes.
“Yes Tourmaline, it is time for me to finally be happy,” Celestia responded in a voice raspy with emotion. She hugged the changeling foal close and planted another kiss on Tourmaline, on the cheek this time. As her lips touched Tourmaline, Celestia noticed a bright flash of light that originated from beneath her wing.
Lifting her wing, Celestia stared in wonder at what she saw beneath.
“I have a cutie mark,” Tourmaline gasped as she stared around at her own backside, trying to investigate the source of the flash herself. She blinked through her glasses at what she saw. “I don’t understand what it means.”
Looking down at the winged staff covered in twining ivy vines, Celestia studied it for a moment. “This is a caduceus. It is a healer’s symbol from ancient times. I haven’t seen one of these in centuries,” she said in a low voice.
“Hmmph, I already knew I was a healer,” Tourmaline stated as she continued to stare.
Lowering her wing, Celestia silently contemplated the foal that she had grown to love. As far as Celestia knew, changelings didn’t get cutie marks, but Tourmaline was not the common changeling. She was exceptional, different, did not have holes riddling her body, Tourmaline was her own individual with her own mind, not connected to Chrysalis’ hive mind collective.
It was further evidence that changelings, at least in their unaltered form, were ponies.
Smiling serenely at Tourmaline, Luna waited for the foal to approach her. She watched as Tourmaline took tiny, almost dainty, little steps towards the bed, peering through her thick lenses that almost made the foal look owlish.
“Your cutie mark suits you,” Luna said in a soft voice.
“Thank you,” Tourmaline whispered in reply as she drew near.
“This is Erebus… your brother,” Luna said, introducing Tourmaline to her sibling.
Standing at the edge of the bed, Tourmaline rest her chin upon the comforter and peered at the foal at Luna’s side. “Hi Erebus,” she chirped in a happy voice.
“Come up here Tourmaline,” Luna invited in a soft voice. “Come and sit with your mother and your brother for a while.”
Leaping up, Tourmaline got her front hooves up on the bed and then crawled up the rest of the way. She lay down near Luna, stretched out her neck, and then nosed Erebus, who gurgled at the touch. She watched as Erebus yawned and then she looked at Luna. “He’s cute.”
“I am glad that you think so,” Luna said as she pressed her cheek against Tourmaline’s cheek and rubbed softly.
“You're hurt… I can heal that,” Tourmaline offered.
“In a while,” Luna responded. “I believe I am already healing from past wounds.”
“I don’t understand,” Tourmaline replied.
“It doesn’t matter. One day I will explain,” Luna promised.
“Okay,” Tourmaline answered as she snuggled a little closer to Luna.
“Is there room for me?” Celestia asked as she stood near the bed.
“We can make room,” Luna replied as she smiled at her sister. “Come sister. Let us spend time with one another before I must begin my duties for the evening.”
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ears
Take all of my "YESSSS"!
i love Luna even more now... Nightmare Mommy...
You're
I totally called Tourmaline being a feel-better cuddlebug. Let the healing continue in the Chase!
Extra "going to"
Very nice chapter. Good to see Luna's motherly instincts in full bloom.
Awwwwwwwww..!
UGOO!
I dont like stories that paint changelings as corrupted, warped, or tainted and that they can be cured and made less changeling like.
I feel like its a cop out, it takes away things and traits that make changelings interesting, in exchange for homogenization. I enjoy their blue and orange morality.
5451164
I do not know if you have read The Chase or not, but it explains more about why Tourmaline is the way she is and makes her nature a little clearer.
5451047
It works as it is in this context too. "Your (posessive) hurt... I can heal that." In other words, Tourmaline can heal the hurt that Luna posesses. I see that Kudzu has changed it to what you put up... but either works, truthfully.
5451322 I think it´s more related to the fact that kudzu like to write his dialogs with erros, errors that a foal would make while talking...
you can never finish the other one so... (teasing)
Does Tourmaline can feel/read Erebus's emotions too right? Thats sounds like a great asset to figuring out why the newborn crying, sparing a lot of time.
Also Calestia's kiss bring the cutie mark out of you
5460460
Other way around... Tourmaline provided a moment of healing for Celestia.
5465206
Right, I remember now. Thanks.
In any case, thank you for this. Now to tackle my Chase backlog...
A nice bit of development for the both of them here.
5487519
For some reason the way you said that made me think of Elcor from Mass Effect.
I'm glad to finally find this little side story, I must have missed the prompt to read this at some point. Always wondered where & why Erebus suddenly appeared from.
anyone mention rod of hermes is for merchants and rod of Asclepius is proper medical symbol