The Best She Can, or, The Rising of a New Dawn

by King of Kings

Healing Rifts

Months later, Canterlot Castle

Inner Light woke up to the sounds of an intense debate.

“No. I won’t. I’ll be keeping him here, so I can keep an eye on his power level. He nearly killed Luna and Twilight, Sunset.” Said a voice that he didn’t know. He also didn’t know what a power level was, or who Twilight was, but he did know who Luna and Sunset were.

“Yes. You will. That’s just it, Celestia. Thanks to my training, not to mention my assistance these past few months, he only almost killed Princess Luna and Twilight. Trust me, I don’t want Princess Luna dead any more than you do. After all, there’s something seriously wrong with my son’s mental state, and when she’s regained the ability to dream walk, I need to ask her what it is. I did find him with no memories, after all.”

“Mo…Mommy?” Inner Light said weakly from the operating table.

“Son!” Sunset said, moving to his side. “It’s all right son, I’m here.”

“I’m cold, mommy” Inner Light said, shivering.

Sunset glared at Celestia upon hearing this. “See, I told you he would be, but you were all like ‘no, let’s save the blankets for those who need them more like the immortal alicorn’” Sunset shouted, causing Inner Light to cringe at the loud noise.

“Nice going, daughter. Are you sure that you’re mature enough to have a foal of your own?” Celestia asked, chuckling maliciously, upon seeing a horror-stricken look on Sunset’s face as she realized the pain she had inadvertently caused her son.

“Wait, your mommy’s mommy?” Inner Light asked with a wide-eyed look on his face. “Then does that make you my grandmother?” Then a horrified look spread across his own face “and does that mean that I almost killed my other grandma? I’m so sorry mommy!” He said, tearing up.

Celestia felt something in her that she hadn’t felt since Luna became Nightmare Moon a thousand years ago – pure unadulterated love for something beyond that which one might feel for an exceptionally well-crafted tool.

“It’s all right, Inner Light. I’m sure that Sunset/Celestia wouldn’t be too horribly put out by your staying here/leaving and not coming back right daughter/mother?” Celestia and Sunset said at the same time.

“Aww…but I wanna stay here and get to know grandma and grandma, mommy!” Inner Light said, pleading with Sunset.

“While I can’t speak for Luna’s personality, you actually don’t want to get to know Celestia, trust me. I already know her, and wish that I didn’t.” Sunset said, casting a dirty look in Celestia's direction. “Besides, I made that pink pony a promise, and I always keep my promises, remember sparkie?” She said, smiling at her son.

In truth, she kept only those promises that it suited her to keep, and all others she let fall by the wayside. However, she had been trying to be a good role model for her son, so she had limited the amount of promises that she had made in front of him to things that she could ostensibly do later on.

“So you met Pinkie then?” Princess Celestia asked, as she realized that the moment was clearly over, and she didn't want to push the issue. “Great! I think that your plan of meeting with Luna and working through whatever’s wrong with your son is the best step then!” She said, smiling benevolently. 'And then Luna can tell me what's wrong with your son, and I can find a way to use that to my advantage in getting back intoyour good graces, dear daughter.' Celestia thought, already planning on how to get back into Sunset's life.

Author's Note:

Well, hopefully that works out for you, Celestia. Because, to be fair, it's not your fault that I don't know how to proceed with the other path...