Celestia and Luna weren't born fully grown, let alone as princesses. What about the early days? The days of foalhood and freedom?
Celestia, princess of the glowing day and shining sun. Luna, princess of the serene night and brilliant moon. Today, they stand as the eldest monarchs of Equestria and are considered the picture of propriety and regality. But they weren't born that way. What were the royal sisters' lives before they took on their role as rulers? Before they were adults? Everypony has a childhood story, and near-immortals are no exception.
Author's Note: The Journal of the Two Sisters implies Celestia and Luna were alicorns during childhood, and raised by alicorns, so that's what are in my story. The show likens "alicorn" to be equivalent to "princess" (Why else would Flurry Heart, already a princess by virtue of being one's daughter, need to be an alicorn?), but the book has them earning the title of princess by vote, not birthright. Thus, for this fic, they are alicorns, but not princesses, nor is their family royalty. And yes, the book also confirms Canterlot existed before Equestria. I'm aware there is a comic that conflicts with the journal, but I began this story before I read that comic and, really, making them princesses won't add much of anything, so I'm not going to change it.
Being the hottest season, summer's immense heat was no surprise to anypony. But even this day seemed unnatural for summertime. The heat wave had continued for nearly a week and finally reached its peak today. Ponies continued their daily routine as they always did, struggling to avoid falling to the intense sun. Some drank directly from the river to stay hydrated while others prayed for rainfall for themselves and their crops. Other simply cursed the sun beneath their breath and did their best to ignore it.
However, for one pony, it would be remembered as one of the best days of her life.
Lying in a modest cot, surrounded by her husband and a team of midwives, was a very tired alicorn mare. And she was about to give birth.
The pregnancy had been planned, though it still occurred earlier than expected. She was fortunate that it'd been a mostly normal one, with the typical sickness, aches, and strange cravings. However, in the final month, it'd become more difficult on her, to the point she couldn't get adequate sleep due to the pain, which became continuous. She was relieved the pregnancy was soon to be over, and excited to meet her foal, but also scared. Her husband held her hoof, offering silent support while trying to put on a brave face for her. Neither knew what the gender of their foal would be nor did they have any particular hope. They did know this foal would be their only one. They were happy they'd finally be parents, but they had no intention of having a second foal. Mostly because just an ordinary pregnancy was awful.
She felt another strong contraction and instinctively held her husband's hoof tighter. At the command of one of the midwives, she began to push, pacing herself as best she could. Unpleasant would be a minor word to describe it, but the upside was the birth was proving to be fairly simple. A few strong pushes at a time, one final one with all her strength, and their foal slipped out in a few minutes. Her cry almost immediately filled the room, and the midwives dried and wrapped the newborn in a blanket. The new mother rested her head on her pillow, but she didn't sleep just yet. She wanted to hold her baby first.
Carefully, the midwife who'd taken the foal passed her to her mother. As if she knew she was in her mother's hooves, the foal quieted. Like her parents, she was also an alicorn. Her coat was a bright white color, matching her mother's shade, but her mane and tail were a bright pink shade rather than her mother's scarlet red. She opened her eyes halfway for a second, but it was long enough for her parents to see they were a deeper pink shade, again in contrast to her mother's red irises that matched her own mane and tail. Of course, her appearance didn't matter. The couple loved their new child instantly and without thought.
The baby wailed for the third time that night. Like most new parents, the couple was exhausted, though Astraios did most of the caretaking for the first few days to let his wife rest and recover from the birth. Now, they took turns looking after Celestia, particularly when she woke them at night. This time, it was Eos's turn.
Groggily, she sat up and picked Celestia up from her bassinet next to their bed. At first, she tried soothing her with rocking and a lullaby, but when that failed, she trotted off to the kitchen, hoping a nighttime meal would calm her. She set her daughter down on a counter to prepare a bottle, which took only two minutes. She picked her daughter up again and fed the bottle to her. Celestia took it and almost immediately began to relax. She drank only a small amount before she fussed for the bottle to be removed from her mouth. Eos set it on the counter and wiped Celestia's mouth with her hoof. She tried lulling her again, and it seemed to soothe her now that she wasn't hungry. Celestia yawned, but her eyes didn't fully close.
Sleep, my little foal Feel peace throughout the night I'll be by your side No need for worry or fright Over you, the drowsiness creeps Let it carry you to sleep A watch over you, I'll keep All through the night
Her pink eyes softly closed and soon, Celestia uttered no sound beyond her light breathing. Eos cuddled her and enjoyed a few extra moments of silence with her and the baby. She felt so exhausted, yet merely holding her daughter seemed to make it vanish for that small amount of time. Celestia was only ten days old, but she grabbed her mother's heart and it was hers now. Eos hadn't admitted it to her husband, but she did worry she wouldn't feel that bond she knew many mothers did. Now, she felt silly she had ever worried about it.
Trotting softly to avoid waking Celestia, Eos returned to her and her husband's bedroom. She placed Celestia back in her bassinet and covered her with a small blanket. Astraios was still waiting for her and as soon as she was back in bed, they snuggled together. They didn't have long to appreciate their embrace, as exhaustion quickly took over and they were fast asleep before they knew it, as soundless as their daughter.
Astraios awoke minutes before sunrise. His first sight was his sleeping wife, who he gave a light kiss on her lips. Then, he carefully reached over her to look at their daughter. Celestia hadn't cried for the rest of the night, but she was stretching and making small, sputtered cries. Though Eos healed without trouble from the birth, Astraios still wanted her to get as much rest as she could, so he took Celestia from her bassinet and carried her to the washroom. With his horn's magic, he laid out a towel and placed Celestia down on her back. She was now fully awake and fussing, so Astraios caressed her cheek with his hoof. She quieted and reached out for him. He gave her his hoof to hold to keep her calm while he changed her diaper. Even with magic, it was a bit hard to do with her wiggling around, but he finished quickly without having her fuss.
When he moved his hoof from her, she fussed again, so he picked up her up. He carried her up to the small balcony he and his wife had. The sun had just peaked over the horizon and was beginning to rise. Cradling his daughter tightly, he watched the sunrise, something he and Eos did together whenever they happened to wake up before dawn. The sun did not rise and set on its own. Rather, several unicorns grouped together to take on the duty until they couldn't anymore. At least, that's what Astraios had always been told.
As the sun rose higher, Astraios glanced at his daughter to see if she was also watching. She was. In fact, she seemed fixated on it. She was perfectly quiet, almost like the scene of the sunrise brought a trance over her. She reached out one of her hooves, as if she was being touched by the sun's light itself. He held her hoof down, but let go when she fussed briefly. Only when the sun was completely set in the sky did Celestia take her attention from it, snuggling into her father and sucking on her hoof.
"Just like your mother," Astraios whispered. Though he enjoyed the sunrise just as much, he always noticed it gave Eos a particular feeling of peace. Even when she felt stressed about the day ahead, the sunrise could soothe her mind for a while and give her the energy to take it on strongly. Astraios brought Celestia back inside and took a moment to check on his wife. Eos was still asleep, so he remained in the kitchen, rocking Celestia gently until she either fell asleep or became hungry. Subconsciously, he was hoping for the latter because he did not want to put her down. He hadn't carried her inside him like her mother had, but there was no doubt she was his.
Alicorns aged much differently than ordinary ponies, yet Celestia's baby years still seemed to fly by for her parents. Before their eyes, their filly was growing up. She was talking, walking, running, flying, feeding herself, and even using basic magic. That last one in particular proved to be a challenge, as she figured out how to play "hide-and-seek" and "catch me if you can" by teleporting. Nevertheless, it brought some excitement to their home. They could remember the years before she was born and while they wouldn't say they were unhappy, having their daughter brought them a joy they hadn't known existed.
Naturally, there weren't always happy days. Celestia kept them on their toes and certainly tested their patience. Sometimes, they swore they got less sleep as she grew instead of more. And the temper tantrums. Sweet heavens, the temper tantrums! A newborn fussing was nothing compared to a filly screaming because she couldn't have another cookie. Their daughter certainly knew how to use her lungs! Taking turns wasn't enough. They had to both be on top of her or she'd be a loose cannon, sometimes in a near literal sense.
Yet, no bad day was enough to make them wish she wasn't there. No bad day changed their love for her or made them want the old days without her. Maybe some extra sleep and quiet would be nice---okay, it would absolutely be great---but they didn't mind giving it up in exchange for the delight their daughter brought to them. At the same time, they still agreed she was to be their only one. They loved their one foal, but one was enough. To them, there was no question they couldn't handle another one, especially not if any foal they had would be an alicorn.
So, when Eos began feeling sick, she became scared.
The joyful squeal erupted from the pink-haired filly as she slid herself down the roof of her home for what had to be the fiftieth time. Celestia knew she wasn't supposed to do this, but it was too much fun to resist. She would slide down, jump off at the bottom, and flip herself upwards before she hit the ground. Then, she'd fly up and do it all over again.
Just as she finished her fifty-first slide, she felt something grab her before she could jump off. Or rather, somepony. She looked up to see her mother's stern face and she frowned as Eos brought her to the ground next to her father.
"Come inside, Celestia," Eos ordered. "We need to talk."
"Yes, Mother." Celestia followed her parents inside, hiding a pout about her fun being spoiled. They took her to her room and all three sat on her bed, Celestia seating herself between them. Instead of punishment, Eos gave her a small cup of some tea, and her parents watched with what she couldn't help but feel weren't the most genuine of smiles as she took a small sip.
"Am I in trouble?"
"Not this time," Astraios replied with less strictness than Celestia expected. "Your mother and I have some exciting news to tell you."
Celestia shifted her eyes from her father to her mother and back and forth for a few seconds. She said nothing, only taking another sip of her tea, but she relaxed herself, so her parents assumed they had her full attention.
"Celestia, do you ever feel lonely?" Eos asked.
"No..." Celestia quietly questioned the sincerity of the question.
"Your father and I aren't here as much as we'd like to be and we can't take you with us all the time. We know you love your nanny, but what if you had somepony closer to your age?"
"Like who?"
"Like..." Her parents spoke in unison and smiled dramatically. "...a sibling!"
"A... sibling?" Celestia muttered. "Like a brother or sister?"
They nodded, but Celestia only looked confused rather than excited. "Where do we get those? Do we farm them?"
"No," Eos answered, giving a light chuckle. "It'll take several months, but by next year, you'll have a new sibling."
"Wait, what?!" Celestia almost spilled her cup of tea. "I didn't say I wanted one!"
"Cele---" But she cut her mother off.
"No, I don't want a brother or sister! No, no, no!"
"Celestia, stop that!" Eos sternly ordered her, taking away the cup.
"No, I don't want to be a big sister and you can't make me! No!" She furiously stamped her hooves on her bed and began screaming. "I said no! No! Nooooooo!"
Her tantrum came to an end when her father smacked her rump, enough to snap her out of it, but not to knock her over or leave a print. She instantly quieted and looked at him with tearful eyes and pouting lips, letting out a small whine.
"Young lady, behave yourself!" he scolded her. "You know better than that!"
Celestia tried to run off before either of her parents could say more, but Eos froze her in place with levitation and brought her back over to them. Eos held her in her hooves, and Celestia looked up to see her two very angry parents glaring at her. They needed no words to inform her she best not make even the tiniest wail. She poked in her lips and stopped struggling. Her mother let her down and she obediently sat between them again.
"You have earned yourself seven moons in your bedroom!" Eos told her. "Which means we won't take you to Snowfall Hills."
"But---!" A narrowed glare from her mother reminded her it was a bad idea to speak right now.
"Celestia, we know having a new sibling is shocking," her father said, his stern tone not faltering once. "It takes some getting used to. But what you did is inappropriate! You can't scream every time you don't get what you want!"
Her parents climbed off her bed, but Eos magically halted her again when she tried to follow. "You need a lot of time to think and you will have all week. For today, you can come out when you're ready to apologize!"
With that, her parents trotted out, leaving Celestia alone on her bed. Barely a moment after the door closed, Celestia bawled again. Her frustrated parents could sigh heavily in response. Astraios placed a lock spell on the door to ensure Celestia wouldn't leave, and the couple went to their own bedroom.
To say that could've gone better would be an understatement.
An hour passed before their home fell silent. Eos and Astraios uttered no sound, wanting to be certain their ears weren't deceiving them. When they heard nothing after a full minute, they assumed their daughter had finally worn herself out.
"If this foal has Celestia's lungs, I don't know what we'll do," Eos moaned.
"She's only a filly. We have to expect her to act like that," Astraios said. "That said, maybe we've spoiled her too much?"
"Or not been there enough?" Eos questioned. "Maybe she needs more of our attention. I'm already scared about this new foal and... that didn't help." Astraios wiped away a single tear that rolled down her cheek. "What are we going to do?"
Normally, Astraios tried to be the one with the brave face when his wife couldn't, but even he was at a loss right now. "I wish I knew what to say, my love. We always planned for Celestia to be our only one, yet it seems fate has other plans for us."
"We could... we could..." Eos felt her voice was betraying her as she spoke. "We could offer this foal to a childless family. But I'm unsure I could forgive myself. I was praying so much the sickness was only passing. Maybe it was something I ate or maybe I went out into the rainstorm. But..."
"You knew it," Astraios finished for her. "And so did I. It was just like when you were carrying Celestia."
She looked at her husband with a pleading gaze, the sorrow her eyes expressed slowly breaking his break. "Am I a bad mother to feel like this? Are we bad parents?"
Her husband's silence answered the question for her, and the two sat together without speaking further.
The last of Celestia's tears fell and she lacked any energy to continue her sobbing. Her throat ached now and, were she to speak, her voice would've been raspy. But she was still upset, both at her parents and this supposed sibling she was supposed to be getting. This sibling wasn't here yet and was already ruining her life. Her parents just didn't get it. Parents were like that, she figured.
Too angry to be still, she hopped off her bed and began pacing around in a circle. Several angry thoughts flew through her mind, though anger may not have been the only emotion behind them.
"Why do they want another baby? What's wrong with me? Aren't I enough? Why don't love just me? What can a baby do that I can't?" Unknowingly, her face began to melt into an expression that was more sad than angry. "Maybe I'm not cute enough anymore? Have I been a bad filly? A really bad filly? Were they really, really mad I went on the roof? Did I make them angry too much? Is it because I forgot to clean my room? Or I snuck more cookies?"
She unconsciously halted her pacing as she felt tears began to well up again. She plopped herself on her bottom and stared at the floor as her mind continued racing with similar thoughts.
"Maybe Mother and Father can't love me anymore. Maybe they want a new filly who's better. A good filly. Maybe she'll be cuter. And she won't take cookies." She let herself fall over on the floor as she covered her eyes with her hooves. "She won't be me."
She suddenly found some new energy and began crying again, but this time, her sobs were light and quiet. In contrast to her loud tantrums, she was always quiet when she was genuinely sad.
"They're replacing me."
After a half hour of silence passed, and Astraios and Eos decided it was best to check on Celestia now. She'd usually knock on the door when she calmed down, so they assumed she fell asleep, but of course, it was best to make sure she was alright. They stood in front of her bedroom door, and Eos pressed her ear against it. Silence. Astraios undid the lock spell and they slowly entered, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep.
Sure enough, lying in the center of the floor was their angelic-looking daughter, passed out from tiredness. The time apart had done them some good too, as their earlier anger at her behavior had faded entirely. Astraios tried to carefully pick her up, but she'd been sleeping lightly, so the motion woke her up anyway. She moaned a bit and rubbed her eyes. Astraios noticed the dry tears on her cheeks and rubbed them away. She didn't open her eyes, not because she was playing possum, but because she really just wanted to sleep. Her parents chose to give her some leeway and take the hint, so Astraios still carried her to her bed and they tucked her in. They kissed her and reminded her they loved her, and they'd talk about it later. When she didn't move again, they exited as quietly as they entered, closing her door behind them, but not locking it again.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Eos asked, speaking softly out of habit when Celestia slept.
"We should let her sleep," Astraios suggested. "A nap always mellows her out for a while."
Eos agreed. The couple walked outside and sat beneath a shady tree next to their home. It was the early days of winter, so the temperature was chilly and though the sun shined, it didn't bring much heat. Still, the fresh air soothed them and they let the cold wind carry away all of the day's stresses. Shade certainly wasn't needed in winter, but it was simply a nice spot to relax when they couldn't take a walk.
"Eos, I haven't told you this before," Astraios began, "but when Celestia was still a newborn, I carried her out to see the sunrise once. She was hypnotized by it."
"Was she?" Eos asked teasingly.
"I took her out there because she was fussy. It calmed her down and she stared at it until it was fully risen. She reminded me so much of you when I was watching it with her."
"I always felt there was something symbolic about her being born on the hottest day of that year," Eos admitted. "When I think about it, the birth was easy. I feel like fate was teasing us." She then let out a somber sigh. "I want to be excited about this new foal like we were about Celestia, but I just can't feel it."
Astraios looked downward for a moment before he spoke again. "Do you think Celestia can sense how we feel?"
"What do you mean?"
"If we're being honest with ourselves, we aren't excited about this foal. Is it really impossible Celestia saw through us?"
Eos pondered the question for several moments before she found an answer to give. "I guess not. I don't think it's abnormal she wasn't excited, but maybe she's more perceptive than we give her credit for. Do you think we told her too early? We still don't know what we're going to do. It scares me so much. We have a foal coming and we have no idea."
"I admit it. I'm scared too, and I hate that. But I am certain of one thing."
"What's that, Astraios?"
"We will love this foal." His voice rose in confidence as he spoke. "I feared how you would react, but before Celestia was born, I thought I wouldn't love her. I was wrong. You became pregnant earlier than we expected, she was born on the most sweltering day of summer, and we hit a level of exhaustion we hadn't previously known existed. But I was wrong. I loved her as soon as I saw her in your hooves."
Eos was surprised for a moment, but quickly smiled warmly. "I guess I should confess. I didn't feel any bond with her at first. I loved her, but that magic moment expected of mothers didn't happen the first time I held her. I was worried I was already doing something wrong. It didn't really happen until after I recovered. Of course, I feel silly I ever worried about it now, but at the time, I was so scared when it didn't happen right away."
She rolled onto her side and they looked at her belly, which hadn't yet begun to look as one would expect a pregnant mare's to. "Maybe we were expecting too much," Eos continued. "Before we had Celestia, we pictured a quiet, clingy filly who had few tantrums because we would be strict, firm, and fair. Look at how that turned out."
"I'd lie if I said I don't wish we could slap our past selves," Astraios admitted, now laughing as he remembered. "We were, well..."
"Fools!" Eos laughed. "Some laughs, some discipline here and there, and it would all be okay. Maybe a tough day once in a while. Sweet heavens! Why did we think that?"
The couple laughed as they remembered and spent the next few minutes recalling how Celestia had blown all their ideas and expectations to smithereens. They remembered when they chased Celestia around for an entire day because they couldn't keep up with her teleporting. They remembered when she went through a phase of trying to eat her own hair. They remembered when first learned to talk and played "500 questions" every day for a week, with 490 being "Why?". They remembered when she ran all around the neighborhood without a diaper and covered from head to toe in sand and dirt because she didn't want a bath. At the time, all of the those things were awful to deal with, but here they were, laughing about them like they'd been pleasant memories.
But they also remembered when she would fall asleep in their hooves. They remembered the times she crawled into their bed when she didn't sleep well. They remembered rocking her to sleep, when she first told them she loves them, the times she cried because she wanted only them, and the times she snuggled up with them just because. She had a way of making their worst feelings vanish temporarily when she was loving.
They slipped out of the memories and came back to reality, still holding warm smiles on their faces. Eos rubbed her belly as they gazed at it again, now envisioning the foal that'd grow inside for several more months.
Astraios spoke slowly. "I think... we'll be okay."
Eos nodded. "You're right. But I do worry Celestia won't come around."
"Maybe if we give her more time than an afternoon," Astraios said half-jokingly. "We can't expect her to behave like she's an adult, after all. But maybe we should be more careful from now on."
"Agreed. Let's keep our word this time. No more foals!"
Celestia woke up, admittedly feeling better than she had before she fell asleep. She pushed her now tangled hair out of her face and rubbed away her eyes' sleepiness. It was evening now. She had a long nap. She climbed off her bed, not at all wondering how she'd gotten there, and walked out of her room. Or she would've if she opened the door before walking into it. She rubbed her head for a moment to soothe the small pain and opened the door before walking through.
She didn't at all notice her parents nearby, who were preparing dinner for the three of them. They noticed her, however, when they heard her little footsteps trot behind them. Her mother stepped in her path, and she met her glance with drowsy eyes.
"Good evening. You slept well, I see," Eos laughed as she ran her hoof through Celestia's messy mane. In her not-quite-awake-yet state, Celestia didn't laugh. Her parents would've never believed a cute filly could look like a grumpy old mare if they hadn't seen her face so many times right after she woke up.
"Drink this." Astraios poured her some of the tea he and Eos had made to go with their dinner. She sat where she was and took the small cup from her father's magical hold into her own hooves. The tea was steaming hot, with light smoke billowing from the cup, so she blew on the drink a few times before taking a sip. Eos did her best to straighten out Celestia's mane a little with her hoof, but the tangles proved uncooperative.
The tea cooled enough for Celestia to drink it all in almost one go. Besides her mane, all signs of grogginess were gone and her eyes revealed their usual brightness. Deciding now was a time as good as any, her parents nudged her toward their small table and they sat together again. Her parents didn't bother with pseudo-cheery questions and fake excitement this time. Rather, they felt tense, but they hoped they hid it well enough for Celestia not to notice. At the same time, they pondered if she felt tense as they did. Eos cleared her throat and started off the discussion, mentally praying however it ended, the result wouldn't be another tantrum.
"Celestia, we know you're not excited, but we're going to have another foal in several months," she said gingerly, watching for her daughter's reaction. When Celestia stayed quietly focused, she continued speaking. "We don't know if we'll have a colt or a filly, but there will be a new baby around. That means a lot of things will be different."
Celestia's only response was a blink of her eyes. Eos exchanged a quick, inconspicuous glance of worry with Astraios, neither able to read her expression. But she was listening, so they took advantage of it.
"We're going to be very tired for a while and we might have less time to spend with you while the baby is very young," Astraios continued, his voice drawing his daughter's attention. "The baby's going to cry a lot and need us much of the time, and you might not sleep much either. But you'll still have your room to yourself, so you can sleep in peace."
Again, no response besides blinking her eyes. They wished they could read her mind. Was she taking it in or was she still upset? For once, those pink eyes gave them tension instead of peace. Though they said no words to each other, they shared the same thought: wondering if they underestimated her perception. Maybe she picked up on their tension after all, or maybe they weren't making as much as sense they thought. Eos sighed lightly and decided to quit skipping around the bush. Her husband's minor look of defeat hinted to her whatever she was about to say, he agreed.
"Celestia," Eos said, speaking in the same ginger tone, "things will change and it's going to be hard. You might not love the new baby at first." Eos had to pause after she said that, but she quickly resumed. "And that's okay. You can't be mean to the baby. You can't scream and stomp. You've learned better than that. But it's okay not to be excited. You can be upset. Things will change and it's not going to be fun, and you might hate being a sister. But it'll be well in the end and we'll always be here for you."
Right then, Eos saw a glint in Celestia's eyes, and the little pony inched her body over a small amount. Eos quietly, but pleasantly, gasped. She got it! She looked to her husband, wordlessly telling him to speak so Celestia could hear the assurance she needed from both of them.
"Your mother and I love you, Celestia." Her attention immediately turned back to him, and she turned her full body. "That's one thing that won't change. This new foal is going to make our family bigger. We are adding, not replacing. Do you---?"
He didn't have a chance to finish the question because Celestia thrust herself right into him. He caught her and quickly consoled her as she buried her face into his coat. Eos joined their side, gently patting their daughter's head. Just like that, it became one of those "we should've known" moments. Eos tilted Celestia's head up for her to look at both of them.
"Nothing and nopony takes your place," Eos promised her. "You're our daughter. You can't be replaced."
"We wouldn't dare think of it," Astraios assured her. "We'd never try."
That gut-punching frown slowly transformed into a sweet, familiar smile. Celestia curled up, like she were still a baby herself, and nestled into her father's embrace as deeply as she could. Astraios and Eos felt relieved, not only that they solved this problem in one day, but simply that they could be honest with their daughter, something they realized they should've done from the beginning.
By the next day, the whole matter was left behind. Celestia was still unhappy at the news, but with the start of the new day, she returned to her usual boisterous self. Eos and Astraios still worried about their incoming addition, but a little less so than they used to since first learning Eos was pregnant.
Over the next months, the couple did their best to spend extra time with Celestia. When they could reign her in from her typical mischievous antics, she would help them around their home, make food with them, watch the sunrise and stroll with them during the early morning, nap with them (though she always slept in her own bed at night), and whatever else they could think. Occasionally, they'd indulge her a little by joining her in her antics, so long as she wouldn't hurt them or herself. Her favorite game with them became "Tumble", which involved her charging headfirst into one of her parents, and the two of them tumbling about in laughter.
As Eos's belly grew heavier, Celestia did have questions and her parents would answer them honestly. They did so not only for honesty's sake, but in the hopes answering Celestia's questions would begin to ease her about becoming a sister.
"So," Celestia said one cloudy afternoon as she laid in bed with her parents and patted her mother's belly, "was I in here too?"
Eos nodded. "You got bigger and bigger too until you were ready to come out."
"And where does it come out? Do they cut you open?"
The couple exchanged an awkward glance before Eos quietly directed Celestia's attention to a private region on her small body.
"Yuck! That's nasty!" Celestia made a faux nauseous face. "I'll never do that when I get big!"
Her parents chuckled for a moment before Astraios asked, "Any more you want to know?"
"Ummm..." Celestia pondered for a few moments. "How does the baby get in there?"
"Well, your father does that," Eos answered, she and her husband blushing immensely.
"But how?"
"You're too young to know to know how, Celestia," Astraios told her, "but let's just say your mother and I play games after you go to bed. Adult games."
"Uh, okay." She would've asked further, but she was still currently scarred by the answer to her previous question. She moved on to the next one. "Mother, why do you get sick a lot? You don't play with us lots anymore." Her tone became a sad one.
"Because I am getting heavier all the time and I can't move so easily," Eos answered. "Lots of changes are happening inside me to keep the baby healthy, and it means I feel sick sometimes."
"But you're getting sick all the time," Celestia pointed out.
"I know and I don't like it either, Celestia," Eos told her. "But you can always snuggle up with me, and we can tell stories or nap together. When the baby is born, my belly will be small again."
"Why don't I have a baby in my belly? My belly is big and round too!" Celestia sat upright and poked out her belly, giving a silly smile.
As the new foal's arrival crept closer and closer, Eos's pregnancy sickness worsened. It had become more than feeling a bit sick and having to spend more time in bed. Unlike her pregnancy with Celestia, which was relatively average, she often became feverish and lacked an appetite. On occasion, she'd sleep through the night and through most of the day, too lethargic to do much more than walk from room to room. Soreness was to be expected, but at times, she felt she couldn't move at all. Even as the season fell deep into a breezy, cool autumn, Eos would express she felt overheated.
Celestia spent more of her time snuggling up in bed with her mother than much else, contrary to her wild spirit. Eos would try to assure Celestia she was okay, but the young filly wasn't young enough to be fooled with that. Her father attempted to hold a brave face, but he only succeeded in convincing Celestia he wasn't worried instead of she shouldn't be. It was becoming too obvious the pregnancy wasn't a normal one.
A medical visit near autumn's end confirmed the pregnancy was not only abnormal, but had become life-threatening. Were Eos to carry the foal to full-term, if she could, there was a chance neither she nor the foal would survive. With magic, a team of medically trained unicorns could induce an early birth, but there was no guarantee this would permit the foal to live. Eos refused to risk it. If the pregnancy was already dangerous, she would not take higher risk.
Astraios looked after his wife around the clock, doing anything he could to make her comfortable. To Celestia's relief, her parents had given up trying to pretend everything was okay, though they did not tell her the full truth of the situation. She was only told her mother needed "extra care". To Celestia, that meant continuing to keep her mother company. She would make up adventurous tales to make Eos smile, and even sing lullabies like Eos did when she didn't feel well. Of course, Celestia's "care" didn't do much beyond making her smile, but those smiles were still her small hope against her fear. The thought of leaving her husband and possibly two children behind terrified her like nothing else, but so long as the foal she carried lived, and so long as her children would be in good hooves, she would continue this pregnancy to its end, whatever fate decided its end would be.
Finally, in the early days of winter, Eos went into labor. The team of midwives that assisted her during Celestia's birth were there again to see her through this one. However, because of the danger, she was taken to a special facility to be looked after by not only the midwives, but the staff of unicorns who had suggested early induction. Should any complications arise with the birth, they could hopefully interfere and aid in the chances of her and the foal's survival. Eos was more afraid now than she could recall at any time in her life. But the sight of her husband next to her, holding her hoof, and the sight of Celestia's favorite toy, which Celestia had given her "so she won't be scared" gave her the fire she needed.
Celestia was kept in a room downstairs under the watch of one of the staff. She anxiously paced back and forth while the babysitter's attempts to calm her were continually unsuccessful. She kept asking questions, but she didn't pause long enough for them to be answered. On her own, she decided she wanted her mother more than a sibling. She would never love this sibling if she didn't get her mother back. Were it not for her anxious pacing, she'd pitch a fit over not being allowed in the room upstairs with her parents. The only explanation she got was her father's claim it was "safer" to wait downstairs with a sitter. Celestia did not like this at all. She wanted to go home. She wanted her mother to never become sick, to never have gotten that baby in her tummy, to have everything go back to how it once was.
Recognizing she was stressing far too much for a child to ever stress, the pony keeping an eye on her coaxed her into her hooves and held her close. Celestia didn't mind the sitter, but that hug failed to be reassuring. It did not fail to be comfortable, however, and Celestia let her head rest beneath the older pony's in silence.
The evening began to fade into night. Eos seemed to only fare worse. Even with the midwives' guidance, she hadn't been able to push the foal down. The unicorns began a spell for induction, certain it was the only way to have a chance at saving at least one of the two. Still not wanting to risk her foal's life, Eos pleaded with the unicorns to focus on saving her child if they truly felt this would be necessary. The unicorns felt uncertain about this, as they couldn't in good conscience disregard the mother's life, but if it was Eos's wish, they would abide by it.
Nighttime fully fell and the moon peaked over the horizon to begin its uprising, though its shine remained unnoticed by the frantic staff and critical patient. However, it was at this time, Eos released a sudden scream. She began breathing rapidly, moaning in pain in between her quick breaths. Astraios held her hoof close to his chest, utterly refusing to loosen his hold for so much as a second. Before the unicorns could finish their induction spell to perform on Eos, she paused them.
"No!" she cried, gasping for air. "No! The baby! The baby is coming!" A painful contraction and a sputtered shout was all it took to convince them. The midwives helped her settle down and try to pace herself, but the unicorns still held the spell for precaution.
The foal still did not slide down smoothly, and the birth was becoming increasingly difficult. Eos was truly fearing she may not survive. She held tightly to Astraios's hoof, and thought of her family. She'd been willing to endure any pain for the sake of this foal's survival, yet when she now felt she may be in the midst of it, she did not feel she could leave Astraios and Celestia behind. She was torn. If only one could survive, if matters really had to come down to life and death between her and her foal, was she really so selfish if she would prefer to stay here for her husband and the child she already had? But wasn't she also selfish if she willingly sacrificed a chance for her other foal's life? Would fate really force her to make this choice?
It was then she laid back, in immense pain, but letting her body act on its own. She wasn't sure she could do this. She wasn't sure she wanted to. Astraios let go of her hoof, only to hold her torso in a tight embrace, the only thing he could do. Eos returned the gesture, and for a split second, she felt only his warmth. However, that split second turned into several seconds, and she realized Astraios was dulling the pain with his own magic. That warmth. It was the same warmth she felt from him since they married. He was scared too, but he was going to see her through this to its end. When she remembered that, some of the fear faded out.
"Mama!" The shout caught everypony's attention. All eyes were on the pink-haired filly who rushed in, followed by the panicked staff pony who'd been looking after her, and jumped onto Eos's bed. "Mama!" Her eyes were full of tears.
"Celestia?" Eos's voice was unnaturally soft. Celestia grabbed her mother, clinging herself around her neck and cried.
"I apologize," the pony said. "She became impatient, she was worried, and I couldn't keep her calm. She dashed away from me before I could catch her."
Eos and Astraios heard the explanation, but didn't respond, their attention fully on their crying child. They pushed her into their embrace and the family stayed that way. The warmth of the stallion she married and the warmth of the first child she bore who brought a new joy into their lives re-lit that fire of strength she had. She soothed Celestia and let her hold her hoof while Astraios held the other again. She put her focus into the birth again and, with the guidance of the midwives and the watch of the unicorns, she pushed.
She pushed hard. She groaned, she gasped for breath, and she sweated. But she still pushed. She didn't know how long she did. But her foal slid down more and more until, finally, it took only one final push to end this struggle. She mustered up all the strength she had and used all of it for that last push until she fell back in exhaustion. At the same time, the moon had risen to its set place in the night sky.
Eos wearily opened her eyes to face her family. She did it. And as far as she could tell, she was still here. But was her baby?
After several minutes that felt like hours, a midwife finally presented an exhausted Eos with her family's newest addition. Wrapped carefully, the midwife slowly passed the bundle into Eos's hooves. Even Celestia was a little in awe, and eager to unwrap her new sibling.
"Mother, she looks tiny."
"She does look smaller than usual," Astraios agreed. Eos gently unwrapped the blanket, fully revealing the tiny foal. Her eyes were shut tight and her body was slightly curled. Her coat was a deep shade of blue while her mane and tail were a lighter shade. At the top of her hind legs, she showed a few black marks.
"Is she okay?" Eos asked the midwife.
"I apologize, but we are uncertain."
The family's hearts sank, and the midwife looked close to tears about having to give such news. She continued.
"Most foals cry upon birth, and open their eyes shortly after. She hasn't. The unicorns examined her to the extent they could. She is alive, but they couldn't determine if she is healthy."
Were Celestia not in the room, Eos would've cursed fate at that moment. All of that pain, all of that struggle, only to hear her foal may still not survive.
"We would like to ask," the midwife continued, "if you'd be willing to remain here tonight, under the watch of the unicorns. They would like to keep a close eye on your foal for any signs of illness or defect."
Eos agreed, but only with the condition Astraios and Celestia be permitted to spend the night as well. This was a time when they needed to be together. The midwife agreed and escorted the others out to give the family privacy.
Thankfully, Celestia lifted the mood a little by asking, "What's her name?"
"Her?" Astraios questioned.
"Umm, him?"
"No, the baby is a filly," Eos corrected her. "But when did you figure out she'd be a filly?"
"Oh, umm..." Celestia blushed slightly. "I guessed?"
Celestia's parents decided to humor her. "Well, you made a lucky guess," Eos told her. She turned to Astraios. "Did we agree on a name?"
"I don't recall," Astraios answered. "But I was thinking about Aria."
"Is that because you want her name to start with "A" like yours?" Eos teased, getting a light-hearted chuckle from her husband. "It is a sweet name, but so short."
"Your name is short too, dear, and it's still beautiful," Astraios reminded her, giving a tender gaze and kiss.
"Yuck! No lovey-dovey!" Celestia exclaimed, to her parents' amusement.
"What about Athena?" Eos suggested.
"Name her after wisdom? I do like it," Astraios admitted. "But what about Harmonious? Since you want a long name."
"It doesn't have to be that long! That sounds a little silly. What about a name that means something like Celestia's? Like Sunlight? Sunlit Skies?"
While her parents continued discussing and debating names, Celestia gazed at the tiny foal. She kept staring, as if observing every detail of her. She looked at the moon, shining among the vast stars. It was small from this distance, of course, but it could shine because of the dark. The moon shines. In the dark.
"Can we name her Luna?" Celestia finally asked.
"Luna?" her parents questioned.
"You want to name her after the moon?" Eos asked.
"Th-the moon was moving and it stopped when she came out!" Celestia explained.
Eos and Astraios couldn't decide which was more shocking: that Celestia was able observe something like that, or that she noticed to begin with. Of course, it was likely no more than pure coincidence, but they did like the idea of it being more than such. They glanced at each other briefly and nodded.
"You win," Astraios declared. "Celestia, your new sister's name is Luna."
"Are you sure you don't want to be a big sister?" Eos teased. "Seems it suits you."
Celestia only blushed slightly and gazed at her newly named sister. She was cute.
Hours deep into the night, the family had easily fallen asleep, particularly Eos. Luna slept next to her in a small basket while Astraios slept near Celestia in a nearby bed. Not even a lullaby had been needed to get Celestia to sleep. After the events of the day, sleep was nothing short of welcome.
Continuous sleep was preferred, however. It was still a long way from dawn when Celestia found herself shaken awake by an unpleasant dream. She snuggled herself closer to her father and tried to return to sleep, but she woke up awake merely thirty minutes later. Usually, sleeping with her parents warded off any night troubles, but perhaps staying overnight in a place that wasn't home made remaining asleep difficult.
She looked over to her mother, who still looked worn out from her point of view, despite having been asleep for hours now. Slowly, she moved herself from beneath her father's hoof and crept off the bed, being cautious not to make even the slightest sound. One good thing about being normally wild and hyper was the ease of fooling her parents when she wanted to be stealthy. She learned long ago stealth had its usefulness. Once she was sure her steps on the floor hadn't stirred either of her parents, she walked to her mother's bed. again being cautious not to make a sound as she climbed into it.
Her parents would probably be upset if they knew what she was doing, but since she couldn't get back to sleep and they were practically passed out, it was an opportunity hard to pass up. She peeked into the basket. Despite the room was dark, she could see her newborn sister somewhat well. The baby was still asleep, eyes tightly shut, and curled up. She had barely moved since she was born just those hours ago. Celestia again glanced between her mother and father. She felt a twinge of anxiety, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She slowly slipped her hooves into the basket and beneath the foal's body. When she didn't move, Celestia picked her up and cradled her in her own hooves. She climbed off her mother's bed and used her wings to hover just an inch off the floor. Teleporting or flying quickly would make noise, and she didn't want to risk waking her parents. Instead, she hovered out of the room and downstairs. Only when she was outside of the door, and the building, did she drop her stealth and fly upwards.
She seated herself on the facility's roof, as she would do on the roof of her home when she was using it as a slide. But she wasn't sliding tonight. The roof was flat, so it wasn't usable as a slide anyway, or the idea would've come to her mind if she came alone. Certain she'd made a quiet getaway, she returned her attention to the merely-hours-old being she brought along for the ride. At first, she simply gazed at her in silence, admiring her as she was when her parents were trying to select a name. Celestia knew what babies looked like, so why did she keep staring like she'd never seen one before?
"Luna?" she whispered. She paused, as if subconsciously hoping for a response. "I'm Celestia. I'm your... your big sister."
It felt silly to do. She knew Luna couldn't hear her, and even if Luna could hear, she couldn't understand. Yet, she felt the need to continue.
"You're, uh, really little. Littler than lots of babies. But you're kind of cute. I think your spots are pretty." She poked gently at Luna's black marks.
A small wave of sadness washed over her and she held Luna closer without meaning to.
"You're really scaring us. That pony told Mother they didn't know if you were okay. Mother was sick for a long time with you in her belly. And she's really happy to have you. And Father is too. And I don't think you're so bad. So, maybe you can stay with us? Please?"
She looked up to the moon and down at Luna again. This wasn't making her feel better, Luna couldn't hear her, and she was struggling to find more to say. Yet, something seemed to compel her to go on with it.
"The moon is small and pretty. Like you. If you stay with us, I'll... I'll... I'll watch the moon with you every night. I'll do... whatever big sisters do. Like... I'll show you how slide on the roof! I'll teach you how sneak dessert! I'll tell you secrets! We... we really love you, Luna. So, pretty please stay with us?"
She began singing a lullaby, one her mother often sang to her to put her to sleep, while changing the words a little.
Sleep, my tiny sister Feel peace throughout the night I'll be by your side No need for worry or fright
Celestia felt her hoof bump. Did Luna move? She looked as still as she had been, so Celestia didn't think much of it and continued singing.
Over you, the drowsiness creeps Let it carry you to sleep A watch over you, I'll keep Here by the moonlight
The end of her song was met with light whimpering and wiggling. Luna was moving! Soon, a full-fledged cry erupted from the newborn. Panicking, Celestia tried to calm her. She hadn't meant to upset Luna.
"Celestia, what are you doing?!"
A look of dread came over her face as she turned to face her angry parents, who were running over. Before either could say more, they paused in shock at seeing their newborn foal crying in Celestia's arms.
"I-I'm sorry!" Celestia cried, nearing tears herself. "I just wanted to hold her for a while! I-I was singing and... I didn't know she'd wake up!"
"You... you woke your sister?" Astraios asked.
Luna began to quiet down, her wail lowering to small, sputtered ones. She was still again, but her eyes were open as she continued making her existence heard. She was very much alive.
Celestia passed Luna to their mother, who cradled her. Their parents were fighting back their own tears. Luna would survive. She was okay.
"Are you m-mad?" Celestia asked.
"No," Eos assured her. "We are happy. Celestia, whatever you did, it let us know your sister is okay. She's coming home with us. All will be okay."
Eos placed Luna in Celestia's hooves again. Celestia was surprised, but happily held the tiny foal again. Luna's wails were now reduced to a bit of whimpering. Celestia held her tightly with one hoof and gently caressed her face with the other. When she put it close enough to Luna's mouth, Luna quieted completely and sucked on it.
"Looks like she's hungry," Eos said. But when Celestia tried to return her to their mother, Luna whimpered again. Eos gently pushed Celestia's hooves back toward her and held one of Celestia's hooves next to Luna's face. Luna held it with her own tiny hooves, yawned, and fell asleep again.
"Would you look at that?" Astraios joked. "Dear, I think our Luna has a favorite."
"I agree," Eos teased. "Oh, but Celestia, if you don't want her, we could still take her out of your hooves."
Celestia only blushed and returned her attention to Luna. "I guess she's not so bad."
"Sure. Not so bad," Astraios repeated softly to his wife, both laughing quietly. But they decided they wouldn't keep teasing her about it. They certainly couldn't complain she came around, nor could they be prouder.
By morning, Luna was a complete contrast to the infant she was upon birth. She was alive, animated, and, as her cry couldn't make more obvious, loud. The medical team deemed her a healthy foal, and the family was permitted to return home. At Astraios's insistence, Eos rested for the following week to fully recover from the birth while he took charge of caring for Luna. Celestia "took charge" of caring for her mother, snuggling at her side to take naps and tell stories like she did before her mother gave birth. Eos, of course, didn't enjoy feeling unwell, but she was happy for the one-on-one time with Celestia, hoping it would sway any potential feelings of jealousy about the baby getting more attention. That, and it made things easier on Astraios since he didn't have to look after a newborn and chase a free-spirited filly.
"Mother," Celestia said one evening after telling Eos another daring tale she spun up with her own imagination.
"Yes?"
"I like Luna, but... can I not have any more siblings?"
Eos had to hide a laugh. "What makes you ask?"
"She's too loud."
"That's what all babies are like. Luna isn't old enough to talk like you can." Eos smirked at her. "And I don't think learning to talk swayed you from crying."
Celestia was too embarrassed to respond to that, so she abandoned the subject for another. "When will you be all better?"
"I'm just fine, dear, but your father would prefer me to rest for a while. He likes to make sure we're all taken care of. Besides, I hear you've been his little helper too."
"Sometimes," Celestia said with a shy smile.
Rather than tease, Eos spoke seriously. "Celestia, it's okay to change your mind. Not loving her at first doesn't mean you can't love her now."
"Do you and Father ever change your mind?" Celestia asked.
"About a lot of things," Eos answered honestly. "But not everything."
"What don't you change your mind about?"
Eos pulled her in closer. "How much we love each other, and how much we love you, our firstborn."
"Do you love me more than Luna?"
"We love you as much as Luna," Eos corrected. "No more, no less. And don't you ever think otherwise."
Astraios was giving Luna a bath. Or trying to. He quickly figured out his one-week-old daughter didn't like baths. She wiggled and kicked all around, whimpering and splashing water on everything within reach. Just lathering her small body with soap was work in itself, let alone giving her a whole bath. No matter how gentle he was, Luna was having none of it.
Only when Astraios finished her bath was he able to soothe her. He wrapped her in a towel and she was almost instantly quiet, like she'd never been fussing in the first place. He dried her off and diapered her without her making so much as a whimper. Astraios shook his head. "All that fussing for nothing," he muttered softly, amused. "Taking after your big sister already, are you, Luna?"
Luna yawned and stretched herself out. Her big, blue eyes began to close, but remained fluttering instead of fully closing. Astraios smiled to himself as it dawned on him why she'd been so fussy during the bath. He was preventing her from sleeping. Celestia would simply fall asleep during a bath if she was so tired, but it seemed Luna wasn't such a heavy sleeper. He carried her back to his and his wife's bedroom, where they kept her bassinet next to their bed as they'd done when Celestia was an infant. Since they hadn't expected another foal, they discarded the one they used for Celestia after she outgrew it, so they had to get another for Luna. Astraios gently laid her down and her eyes stopped fluttering the moment her body made contact with the bassinet's cot. Her last sight before her eyes fully closed was Astraios covering her with a small blanket.
"Where's Celestia?" Astraios whispered as he climbed in bed next to Eos.
"Sleeping in her room," Eos replied. "Would you believe it? All these of years of fighting with her about going to bed and it's Luna who gets her to bed when she needs to."
"Oh?"
"In her words, Luna's too loud," Eos explained.
"Our dear Celestia complains her sister is too loud? Should we tell her?"
"I'm not sure she's old enough to make the connection. Or it would stop her anyway."
It shouldn't have been as funny to them as it was, but for that moment, they were grateful Celestia wasn't in the room and they could laugh in secret over the irony. As soon as Eos was well again and out of bed regularly, they were expecting Celestia to go back to her usual hyper self. They'd always been grateful Celestia learned early on how to entertain herself, but it would be no surprise if she suddenly lost that skill. Sure, she warmed up to Luna, but she was still a child herself. They knew they weren't getting off that easy.
And they weren't surprised to discover they were right.
After Eos recovered, Celestia returned to her usual antics of hyperactivity and mischief. And it was easier to get away with it. Having kept her parents on her toes when she was the only child, having a newborn around seemed to make it a cinch. She set a new record with sliding on the roof at sixty-four slides in a row without getting caught. She'd definitely show Luna how to do this when she got older.
"A partner in crime," Celestia thought as she was dragged inside by her exhausted father. She'd be unstoppable! Without thinking, she rushed off to her room, leaving Astraios no time to scold her as he was distracted by the sight of his wife fast asleep with her head in a wash tub. Astraios nudged her awake and walked her to bed, but they both fell out as soon as they made contact with the comfortable piece of furniture. Thankfully, their flop on the bed hadn't awoken Luna, who fell asleep mere minutes ago.
However, as weeks passed, nighttime was proving to be a different story. Celestia could keep herself occupied during most of the day with no problem, but nighttime was when she wanted her parents' attention, and Luna was her competition in that. At first, she just tried to sleep to avoid Luna's crying, but she soon became fed up of her baby sister getting all the attention, and for what? Crying. She hated having to wait until Luna was quiet for her parents to read her a story or sing her a lullaby. Besides, if she let Luna have their attention all day, why couldn't she have her parents all night? Luna was a cute baby, but Celestia was the big kid in this house. She was going to show Luna!
If Luna cried at night, Celestia threw a tantrum. She cried as long as Luna did. If Luna got an extra feeding, Celestia wanted more food too. Luna was fussy during a bath? Celestia refused to take one at all. Celestia drew the line at diapers, though she almost gave in to the thought of wearing one when she saw how her parents fussed to clean Luna up. Why didn't they fuss like that to clean her up?
One thing often said about parenting was it forced one, especially a mother, to learn patience they never thought they'd have. Celestia's parents hadn't been an exemption to this unwritten rule, but that learned patience was a far distance from infinity.
Finally, one night, that fuse blew.
Luna was inconsolable, crying endlessly for a reason her parents could not find. While they scrambled to calm her, Celestia eventually joined in, impatient for her parents to read and sing her to sleep, wailing as loudly over Luna as she could. With two children wailing their small hearts out, the stress finally erupted, and Eos's and Astraio's target was a mere few feet in front of them.
"Celestia, that's enough!!"
Shocked out of her tantrum, Celestia quieted instantly. Astraios took Luna off of Eos's hooves while the latter silently, but furiously, ordered Celestia to her room. Celestia needed to no words to know she was in deep mud as her mother followed behind. She would've been genuinely tearful if she hadn't tired herself from her fake tantrum. Eos closed the door behind them, unintentionally slamming it, but that was just another sign to Celestia she best not so much as breathe in the wrong direction, or else, not that she wanted to know what the "or else" was.
"In your bed! Now!"
Celestia scurried into her bed and under her cover, though Eos quickly yanked it from over her head. Celestia held it wrapped around her as she looked into her mother's furious eyes, mouth clamped shut.
"Celestia, you are not a baby!" Eos scolded her. "You are too old to behave like that!"
Celestia wanted to mutter something about how things were unfair, but she thought better of it.
"Sometimes, Luna needs both of us just like you! When we calm Luna down, we will pay attention to you! You are not to leave your room any more tonight, young lady!"
Eos trotted out without a word more, leaving a disheartened Celestia wrapped like a bundle alone to reflect. Though all Celestia really did was pull the cover back over her head and sniffle softly.
After what felt like an eternity, Luna finally cried herself to sleep. Her exhausted parents set her down in her bassinet before passing out in their own bed. They hadn't even been able to stay awake long enough to pull themselves up onto the bed.
Three of the home's four residents were now deep in slumber.
The one who remained awake was packing a small saddlebag, not caring for any noise she made because she doubted she could be heard. She threw in a blanket and one of her stuffed toys. She peeked outside of her room, looked both ways, and walked out across the short distance toward her parents' room. Quietly, she popped her head in. The sight failed to surprise her. She'd waited and waited, and took the hint when the wait proved for naught.
She turned away, grabbed a piece of fruit from the kitchen, and walked out the door, opening and closing it as quietly as possible.
The night was a cool one, but not cold beyond an occasional breeze. Celestia looked up and down the pathway. Not a single pony besides herself was out and about. Spirited as she was, Celestia was still a filly, and like most young ponies, she feared going about in the dark by herself. Trying to put her fear aside, she showed a brave face and went on her way, wherever that way would lead her. She couldn't be scared now. She was on her own.
At least, that's what she thought.
Celestia was unsure how long or how far she walked when she finally paused to rest near a grove of trees. She could no longer see her home in the distance, so she thought she had to have walked far. Were it daytime, some things may have looked familiar from the occasions she'd gone on walks or errands with her parents, but it was too hard to see at night if any of her surroundings matched her memory. Still, nothing seemed unsafe or scary, so she lied at the base of one of the trees and munched on the fruit she bought from home.
The full moon was out just like the night Luna was born. Celestia stared at it for a few moments before sticking her tongue out at it. "I hate you, Luna!" she muttered quietly, though it wasn't as angry as she wanted it to sound. "I wish I never had a sister!"
She finished her piece of fruit and walked into the grove of trees, still scared, but thinking she couldn't turn around now. She was startled for a moment when she heard a small noise, but it turned out to only be a rabbit hopping about. She chastised herself briefly for being a "baby". She continued deeper into the grove until she was in so deeply, she could see nothing around her beyond trees, bushes, and rocks. She was getting tired and her hooves were starting to ache. Eventually, she came to a dead end, unable to pass because the space between the trees was too tight and she was too tired to fly over. She looked around until she spotted something suitable: an open hole at the base of one tree.
Eyes drooping, she made a beeline for the hollow trunk. She pulled out her blanket from her saddlebag, which was large enough for her to use as a bed and a cover. She tucked herself in as much as she could and pulled out the stuffed toy she brought along. The temperature hadn't dropped, but she shivered a bit anyway as she hugged the toy close. She looked up at the sky one last time, but the view of the trees blocked the moon. With a small "hmph", she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
"Wh... where am I?" Celestia muttered sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. It didn't seem like she slept for long. Maybe she didn't. As she slowly became more conscious, she realized she was no longer in the grove of trees. Instead, all that surrounded her were stars. What kind of place was this? She looked around curiously, but there was nowhere to go. It seemed like it was an unending void.
Up ahead, she spotted something in the distance and squinted. Something was standing far ahead of her, not moving or speaking.
"Mother? Father?" She walked closer and closer until she could clearly see those figures were indeed her parents, and the moment she did, she desperately ran as fast as her hooves could let her. But as soon as got close enough to jump into their hooves, they vanished before her eyes in an upward torrent of stars. Celestia froze, her heart crushed, as she screamed out for her parents.
"Come back! Don't leave me!"
She heard a haunting, high-pitched laughter and images of Luna began to flash around her.
"It's... it's all her fault. It's all her fault!" she screamed in her mind. "I hate you, Luna!" she screamed out loud.
The strange, starry environment faded and revealed a giant moon high above Celestia, brilliantly shining a spotlight upon her. On its surface was a shadow of a baby, seemingly playing about happily.
"Go away, Luna!" Celestia snapped. The shadow paused and seemed to gaze at her for a few seconds before finally stepping onto the trail of the spotlight. Instead of Luna, the baby was Celestia and she ran down toward the older Celestia at full speed, tackling her when she was close enough.
"Hiiiiiii, 'Lestia! Hiiiiiiiiii!"
The baby Celestia bounced on her belly, much to her annoyance, though she was a bit too stunned to say anything.
"Play with me! Play with meeeeee!"
Baby Celestia disappeared and reappeared a few feet away. "Play with me!" She disappeared and reappeared again in a different spot. "Play with me!" She continued incessantly, squealing "Play with me" every time she reappeared, all very much to older Celestia's quickly growing irritation. Finally, she vanished and reappeared one final time, perching herself on top of older Celestia's back.
"Play with meeeeeeee!"
"Go away!" older Celestia shouted as she shook her infant self off of her back. "Stop it! Go away!"
Baby Celestia matched her angry glare with a sorrowful one, seconds away from wailing. "Play?"
"No! I don't want to play with you!"
Baby Celestia's lower lip trembled. "Why not play?"
"Because you're... you're annoying!"
"You do it."
"No, I don't! I'm bigger than you!"
"You were baby."
"So? So...? I'm not a baby now!"
"Baby."
"No!"
"Baby!"
"NO!"
"Baaaaaby!"
"I am not a baby!"
Celestia jolted awake with a light shout. She darted up on her feet and looked around, but everything seemed okay. She rubbed her eyes and a little bit and opened them again. Now was when she noticed things were looked different. She wasn't in the hollow tree trunk anymore. She wasn't even in the grove. Instead, she was... she had no idea where she was.
Wherever she was, it was warmer than outside. A quick glance behind her revealed the source of the heat: a fireplace. But that was the only normal part of her surroundings. Around her were eerie masks, feathers scattered about, cobwebs, dried red stains all along the walls, and what she was certain were two dead bats, but hoped she was mistaken about. She felt as nauseous as she felt scared, and hid beneath her blanket, clutching her stuffed toy.
"It's just another bad dream. Just another bad dream. This isn't real. This isn't real."
She repeated herself several times, but when she finally dared peek from beneath her blanket, nothing changed. She was still in the creepy room.
"Ah. You have awoken."
Startled, she pulled her blanket over her again, only for it to be hovered above her in the air. Tears in her eyes out of fear, she turned toward whoever addressed her. Standing some distance in front of her was a unicorn she wasn't at all familiar with.
"Hush now. Don't cry, young one."
Celestia brushed the tears away, but more quickly formed. The unicorn released her hold on the blanket, letting it drop over Celestia. She poked out her head and stared at the pony in front of her, but held her blanket and her toy tightly to her body. The unicorn approached her and she squeezed her eyes shut, shivering and a few tears falling. At first, the unicorn circled her for a brief time, as if examining her in some way. When she stopped, she stood directly in front of Celestia, but the filly didn't dare look up.
"Yes. You'll do nicely. Come along."
The unicorn didn't give her a chance to refuse because she magically grabbed her and dragged her forward. Celestia clung to her blanket and toy for dear life. She brought Celestia to another room and set her down on a small table. She hovered the blanket in the air again to move it away from Celestia, who let out a frightened yelp as she again lost grip of her blanket. She squeezed her stuffed toy tightly, not wanting to lose that too.
Silently and slowly, the unicorn glided her hooves across Celestia's back. Celestia shivered at the touch, but only made a small whine. The unicorn repeated this twice more before moving her hooves to Celestia's sides. She repeated the same action, slowly gliding her hooves back and forth. Normally, this was something that would relax Celestia. Her parents had done it several times before Luna was born when she couldn't settle down to sleep at night. But being frightened and not knowing this unicorn, it didn't feel good at all. However, she was too afraid of what this unicorn may do to her if she resisted, so she kept her eyes closed and stayed still.
Celestia felt the unicorn's hooves move from her sides to her rump. She gasped inaudibly and blushed, but again, didn't resist as she felt those hooves gliding over her rump more than once. The unicorn even squeezed her rump twice. "Chubby, but doable," Celestia heard her mumble.
Much to her Celestia's relief, the unicorn stopped touching her and released her blanket. The next thing she did was place Celestia on the floor again and pull over a basket of food. She shoved a few stalks of celery in Celestia's mouth and walked away. Celestia spit them out as soon as the unicorn was out of view and desperately tried to rub the taste off of her tongue.
Luna began to slowly wake from her sleep and whine. She made soft whimpers that quickly grew into sputtered wails before becoming full-fledged crying. Almost immediately, her parents were yanked out of their sleep, still lying over the edge of their bed.
"I'll tend to her," Astraios mumbled as he dragged himself to his hooves. With his eyes squinting from exhaustion, Astraios walked over to Luna's bassinet, but the moment he set his eyes on Luna, his eyes widened like all drowsiness vanished. "Eos, look!"
Eos only mumbled, but dragged herself upright to stand next to her husband. When she saw what he wanted her to, she gasped and her eyes also went wide.
"Her... her horn. The tip is glowing!"
Astraios nodded. "But why?" he wondered as he picked Luna up. "Is she casting a spell?"
Luna's crying reduced to sputtered wails, but she squirmed and kicked her body all around, enough that Astraios was having some trouble holding her. The light at the tip of her horn began to blink.
"Something must be wrong!" Eos exclaimed. "Maybe she needs---"
The light from the tip of her horn shone upwards and flashed an image. It was fuzzy, but Eos and Astraios watched it as close as they could for the few moments it blinked before vanishing for good. The tip from Luna's horn still glowed and she still fussed, as if trying to fight her way out of her father's hooves.
"Do you think she's trying to communicate?" Eos asked Astraios. "Maybe she's trying to show what's wrong since she can't say it."
"But what is wrong?" Astraios wondered. "That image. It was fuzzy, but it look like... like a pony, I think. Like a white pony."
"A white pony..." Eos mumbled. "A white pony! Celestia!"
Astraios and Eos raced to their older daughter's room, only to discover she was gone. They searched everywhere. Under her bed, among her toys, but she was nowhere to be seen. However, Eos did notice their daughter wasn't all that was missing.
"Astraios, look! Her blanket is gone. The one she always keeps on her bed."
"Her favorite stuffed toy is gone too! But how?! When?! How could we have slept through our little filly being kidnapped?!"
"Astraios, I..." Eos became teary-eyed as she spoke. "I don't think she was taken."
"But... what are you... what other reason is there?!"
"Look behind the door!" Eos pointed out. "There's one more thing missing!"
Astraios did as Eos said and glanced behind the door, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Celestia's jacket was hanging from it, as usual, and he pulled it off. However, the moment he did that, he realized what Eos was trying to say. Celestia also kept her saddlebag hung from her bedroom's door. If her saddlebag was missing, that meant Celestia...
"She ran away!" Astraios finally concluded. "She ran away from us!"
Eos swallowed a knot in her in throat and nodded, her tears streaming down her view in plain sight. "Even if the bag was there... just... just look at her room. Does it really look like another pony was in here? She would've screamed. She would've ran. We would've known. Our... our baby is gone."
Astraios set Luna, who had stopped crying for now, on Celestia's bed and gave his wife comfort. For a while, they did nothing besides hold each other and cry, both over their missing daughter and the thought of every awful thing that could be happening to her. Every fear and blame consumed them for the moment, but they did not point a hoof of blame at each other. There was only comfort between them.
Eventually, those tears stopped and they pulled themselves together. There was no more time for grief. They needed to find Celestia now!
"Luna showed us that image of Celestia," Astraios said. "Maybe she knows where Celestia is."
"I don't think Luna showed us that image on purpose," Eos disagreed, taking Luna from the bed. "I think it's more of a sense. She knows her sister is in trouble, but we have to find her ourselves."
"We'll have to retrace her footprints. You wouldn't know a spell, would you?" Astraios asked.
"I know one that can reveal her hoof prints, but only within a certain time frame."
"That's better than nothing! Cast it."
Eos hoisted Luna onto her back and quietly flared her horn. Light mist spread all over the floor and poured out of the room. When it cleared, it revealed a path of small hoof prints, exactly Celestia's size. Eos took Luna into her hooves again, and the couple flew off, staying low to follow the trail clearly.
All the while, the tip of Luna's horn continued to glow.
The trail of hoof prints the mist revealed ended in the grove of trees, right at the tree with the hollow trunk where Celestia had laid down the sleep. But they didn't see her anywhere.
"If the hoof prints end here, where is she?" Astraios asked Eos. "She couldn't have just disappeared."
"She can teleport," Eos reminded him. "Maybe something scared her and she teleported away."
"I'm not sure about that," Astraios replied, a sudden shakiness in his voice. "I found something."
Eos joined him at the tree and watched as he pulled out what was unmistakably Celestia's saddlebag. It was empty.
"She had to be here," Astraios decided, "but where are her blanket and stuffed toy? Maybe you're right about something scaring her."
"But she leaves her saddlebag behind?" Eos questioned. "Maybe I'm looking at this with too much reason for a foal, but why would she take her blanket and toy without her bag? If she was scared out of her sleep, wouldn't she teleport just herself away?"
While they pondered over the possibilities and searched the grove for more signs, Luna began to fuss again. Desperately hoping for any sign of Celestia, neither of her parents noticed at first. But the light on her horn's tip began to blink again and Luna began to struggle to get out of her mother's hooves. Eos held her back, but Luna wouldn't calm down.
"Eos, stop! Don't restrain her!"
"Astraios, we don't need two missing foals!"
Astraios patted his wife's back for a moment. "No, look at her horn. The tip is blinking again. She could be trying to tell us something. You said it's a sense, didn't you?"
"I think it is."
"Turn around for a moment." Eos did so, and Luna continued to struggle, reaching toward what was now behind Eos. "I know what it is!"
Eos turned around again. "What? What does she want?"
"Us to follow her. See? She keeps reaching ahead. Luna wants us to go that way."
"We can't," Eos pointed out. "The space between the trees is too tight. Celestia couldn't have walked through there." Eos then looked up. "But she could've flown over!"
They didn't waste another minute. Astraios carried Celestia's bag on his back and the couple hurriedly flew upwards, hovering above the trees. They didn't spot anything unusual from their overhead view. They flew forward at a regular pace for Eos to keep an eye on Luna while Astraios watched the ground. Nothing seemed unusual until Luna began to reach downwards. The couple flew downward, but didn't set themselves on the ground, and that was when they both spotted something up ahead.
"Is that a house?" Eos asked in a whisper.
"I'm not sure, but look at what Luna's doing."
Luna's horn was flashing the same image it showed them earlier, and this time, it was clearer. It was undoubtedly Celestia. The light stopped blinking, but did not fade out.
"If you're right about Luna sensing Celestia, she might be in there!" Astraios exclaimed. "Do you want to wait to find out?"
"Not a chance!"
The couple hurried in the direction of the house, flying as fast as they could while Eos held Luna tightly. The house was small and just from the outside, it was obvious it'd been deteriorating over some years. Mud surrounded it and the exterior was covered in rust, dirt, and claw marks. There were no windows. Only a single door that led inside. As much as they wanted to break in, they knew Celestia's safety was more important than getting their hooves on whoever took her. They set themselves on their hooves and folded their wings. Astraios stepped ahead, slowly pushing in the door and peering in. When the room seemed empty, he stepped in, quickly and quietly followed by Eos. Luna was, thankfully, silent. The light on the tip of her horn faded, though she was still awake.
The room sent shivers down their spines. They had never seen such a place. Instinctively, Astraios pulled Eos close to him as she felt herself getting sick to her stomach. He spotted another room and they softly trotted over to the wall, getting as close to it as they could without touching it. Astraios peeked into the other room. He had to cover his mouth to avoid letting out a sound before he turned back to Eos.
"Is she there?" Eos whispered.
"Yes. I think she's okay," he replied with the same low tone. "She's been eating."
"Eating?" Eos questioned.
"Remember when she got a bellyache because she snuck a big basket of sweets from a festival we took her to?"
"Before Luna was born! I remember." Eos chuckled a small bit at the memory, recalling it fondly.
"She's on top of a table," Astraios explained. "Sleeping on her back and holding her belly. There's a bunch of food around her."
"Is she the only pony there?" Eos asked.
Astraios peeked in again. This time, he saw the unicorn walk in from a doorway on the side of the room. He threw his hoof to his mouth again to keep himself quiet as he watched in fearful curiosity as the unicorn approach Celestia. The unicorn fastened Celestia to the table with wooden straps and a shot of magic. She then took what seemed to be stones and used one to drag it across Celestia's body as if making an invisible line. "Horrified" was not a word strong enough to describe the feeling Astraios felt creeping up on him.
"Astraios, what's happening?" Eos whispered.
He didn't answer her question with words, but the next thing Eos heard was a scream and a crash as her husband rushed into the room. She hurried after him, but paused in her tracks at what she saw.
"Astraios, what---!"
"Mama! Papa!" Celestia cried, scared out of her sleep.
"Eos, that unicorn was going to eat her!" Astraios yelled. With his magic, he yanked Celestia out of the straps and right into his hooves! She clung to her parents tightly, crying hard.
"It's okay, it's okay," Eos soothed her. "We're here now. You'll be okay."
The unicorn began to struggle to her hooves. The second they heard her move, Eos and Astraios began to advance toward her, eyes glowing white, horns glowing red, and wings fully stretched out. Eos quickly placed Luna in Celestia's hooves, and Celestia stayed back. Not once had she seen her parents in this state, not even when they were furious with her. They blasted the table to smithereens and finally stood face-to-face with the unicorn.
"WHY DOTH THOU KIDNAP OUR CHILD?!?!"
The unicorn fled, but she didn't get far before the couple snatched her right back and hoisted her in mid-air. Despite they were protecting her, Celestia felt fear stronger than she'd felt at any time before this. She ran out, back into the first room, and curled up with Luna, holding her sister close as violent sounds erupted from where she was previously being held hostage. She didn't dare look until the sounds of thrashing and powerful blasts ceased.
After many seconds that felt like an eternity, Celestia's parents came rushing out of the room. They wasted no time, grabbing their daughters in their magic's grasps and racing out of the small house as their surroundings caught fire. They raced into the sky, only stopping to fire one last flare together at the house, exploding it, but almost instantly extinguishing the flames to avoid setting fire to the greenery. Then, they flew off, neither them nor Celestia looking back.
They settled down in the grove for rest. Luna had fallen soundly asleep like nothing happened. For a moment, the rest of the family envied that. Miraculously, Celestia still had her blanket and stuffed toy. Astraios had grabbed them before they fled and stuffed them into Celestia's saddlebag. He gently placed the bag on her back, but she let it fall off and stared at the ground. The adrenaline that wore off was replaced by tension. Eos held her head up and the moment she did, Celestia cried again, quietly, but without control. Her parents hugged her again.
"Shhhh. Shhhh," Eos whispered. "You're okay now."
"We'll talk about it later," Astraios told her softly. "We'll talk all of this out. Let's go home."
Eos rocked her and started singing in her ear.
Sleep, my little foal Feel peace throughout the night I'll be by your side No need for worry or fright
Celestia held Eos more tightly, but began to calm down at the sound of the familiar lullaby.
Over you, the drowsiness creeps Let it carry you to sleep A watch over you, I'll keep All through the night
Celestia didn't fall asleep, but she did fully quiet down and wipe her tears away.
"Celestia, your father and I love you," Eos whispered. "We were so worried about you tonight."
Celestia only gave a small hiccup in response. Astraios patted her back while Eos still held her. "We thought we lost you," he told her gently. "We were scared. We can't replace you. Even if we could, we don't want to."
Astraios placed her saddlebag on his back once more. The couple took flight again, each of them holding one of their daughters, and headed for home.
The flight home seemed longer than the flight away, but Eos and Astraios attributed that feeling to their exhaustion. Adrenaline and anxiety temporarily put their tiredness to the side, but since the whole ordeal was now over, the exhaustion crashed into them like they slammed into a wall.
Eos put Luna back to bed and gave her a soft kiss. "Good night, our little hero."
Astraios was tucking Celestia into bed, but despite the night's earlier events, Celestia was having a hard time sleeping. A genius wasn't needed to know why. Eos joined them, sitting herself near the opposite side of the bed, across from Astraios.
"What would our dear Celestia like before she goes to bed?" Eos asked gently before nuzzling her a bit.
A story, a lullaby, snuggles, or a snack were the answers they expected to hear. Instead, Celestia replied:
"I'm sorry."
Astraios caressed her cheek as Eos nuzzled her again. "Sweetie, it's alright now," Eos assured her. "You're home again. You're safe."
"You're not mad?" Celestia asked timidly.
"We know what happened," Astraios answered. "You ran away because you were jealous of your baby sister. Weren't you?"
"Y-yes..."
"Celestia," Eos said as she turned her daughter's head to face her, "I told you before you went to bed. Sometimes, Luna needs both of us just like you do. It doesn't mean we love her more than you."
"But you're always tired," Celestia said.
They nodded. "That's true. We are," Astraios agreed. "But you were the same when you were Luna's age. We were tired all the time. That's what babies do. What all foals do." He hid a small chuckle from Celestia.
"But guess who's the reason we found you?" Eos asked.
"Lu... Luna?"
Again, her parents nodded. "That's right," Eos confirmed. "Luna woke us up. She knew something happened to you. We don't know how she knew or how she was able to do it, but she led us right to you."
"But you said Luna is too young to use magic!"
"That's what we thought," Astraios told her. "You didn't use your magic that young, so we thought it wasn't possible. We wouldn't have known you were gone until morning."
"We cried when we realized you were missing," Eos continued. "We cried because we were scared about what could be happening to you. We searched where Luna led us. We didn't stop until we found you. We were furious with that pony for taking you and trying to hurt you. We flew away with you and Luna as fast as we could. We did all of that because we love you. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, Mother." Celestia was getting tearful again.
"Shhhh," Eos soothed. "There now. It's all over. We'll always love you. Nothing can change that."
"And Luna loves you too," Astraios added. "She's a baby. She doesn't know much, but she knew her big sister was in trouble."
"I love Luna too," Celestia mumbled.
"We're glad to hear that." Astraios sat on the bed and held Celestia close with one hoof. "Don't ever run away from us again. We can always fix what's wrong."
"Except if we lose you," Eos added. "If we lose you, there is no fix for that." Her parents kissed her and, finally, she smiled. "Luna's asleep. When we leave your room, we're going to sleep. If you want something, tell us now."
"Can I have... can I have a bedtime story?" Celestia asked softly.
"Of course," Eos replied. "Any special ones on your mind?" Celestia shook her head. "Hmm. I think I have one." She stared playfully at Astraios, who shared the idea and winked. "How about a tale of two sisters?"
"What are the two sisters' names?" Celestia asked.
"There's a little sister named Selena," Eos answered.
The rest of the night passed blissfully. The whole family slept in peace, not one of them disturbed. Not even the baby uttered so much as the tiniest sound throughout the night. None of them knew it at the time, but it'd been a long time since they truly fell asleep with smiles. Of course, no one wanted a repeat of the events that indirectly caused it, but it would serve as a reminder of what can happen when one feels neglected. At the same time, it'd also be a reminder of the danger one could bring upon themselves through jealousy.
Just before sunrise, one pony of the family awoke. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and stretched herself out. She knew it was too early to be awake, but she didn't want to try to fall asleep again. Not just yet. Instead, she climbed from her bed and peeked out of her room. When she saw all was clear and quiet, she trotted out, across the empty room, and into the next one she knew was full. She peeked in again. Sleep and silence.
Her goal was nearby. She trotted slowly over the short distance from the doorway to the bassinet. She paused, but when she heard no sound, she stood on her hind legs to peek inside. Her face melted into a small smile upon the sight. Gently, she slid her hooves under the infant pony and lifted her. The older of the two then landed quietly on one hoof, holding the younger one with the other. She trotted out of the room as quietly as she entered, and once she was out, spread out her wings and flew outside to the reach the roof.
She perched herself perfectly on top, holding the infant pony tightly, but cautiously. At first, she didn't speak a word. She was waiting. For now, she only softly rocked the baby in her hooves, lovingly remembering the first time she did this with the small one in tow. But this time, it wasn't out of curiosity or worry.
A ray of light touched her face and she gazed ahead as the sun peaked over the horizon, slowly coloring the sky as it ascended. She couldn't remember when she last saw the sun rise. Maybe she'd been as small as the pony she was holding.
"Sister," she spoke softly, looking down, "thank you. You saved me."
The baby began to wake up, bothered by the dawn's light, but she fussed for only a moment before calming down at the sight of the tender gaze meeting her eyes.
"I really love you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been a bad big sister."
She held her hoof to the tiny foal's face, letting the baby suck on it contently and giggle a little.
"I'll be good from now on. I'll protect you. I promise. I'm the big sister. I'll never let you get hurt. Do you forgive me?"
She gently pulled her hoof away, but instead of crying, the baby laughed more and reached upwards. She hovered in the air and hugged her, softly rocking her again. She felt a small smack on her cheek and was surprised for only a split second before realizing it was a kiss. The sun was still rising to its place in the sky, and the older pony cradled the younger one again to allow both of them view as it did so.
Less than two feet behind, their parents watched quietly with nothing short of pride.
