Mother's Day Gift
“But Princess, why do I need to go home this weekend?” Twilight Sparkle asked, pouting.
Princess Celestia smiled at the filly. “Because I have absconded with you for far too many weekends in a row, and I believe your parents would like to spend a little quality time with their daughter.”
“Absconded?” the filly asked, tilting her head to the side. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I have taken up an unfair share of your time and that isn’t fair to you or your parents,” Celestia said, stopping and resting a hoof on the filly’s withers. “Do you not want to see them again?”
Twilight frowned, biting her lip. “I just… I like spending time with you!”
Celestia chuckled. “And I do enjoy your company as well. But I cannot be the only pony in your life, my precious student.” She smirked. “And I also know that your brother will be returning home for the weekend. Don’t you want to see him again?”
Twilight pursed her lips, obviously mulling over this fresh information. “I guess so…” She then paused, looking up at Celestia. “But how do you know he’s going back?”
“I mean all of the recruits get to go home this weekend.” Celestia frowned. “You do know that it’s Mother’s Day this weekend, don’t you?”
Twilight blushed, not mentioning a word.
Celestia gasped. “Twilight Sparkle, don’t tell me that you forgot!”
“I didn’t forget,” the filly interjected. “I simply…” She rolled her hoof, “got distracted.”
Celestia smirked knowingly. “And prior to your distraction did you make your mother a gift?”
Twilight bit her lip. “That did not happen prior to the distraction, no.” She then grinned nice and wide. “See, I can’t go home because… because… mom will be mad at me for forgetting to get her a gift!”
She nodded assuredly, as if this fact would put the debate to rest.
Celestia sighed. “I don’t think your line of thinking is quite logical, dear. If anything, your mother will be mad with both of us if I hog you for what very well might be the most important weekend of the year.” She offered her pupil a soft smile. “How about this… how about I give you a very special magic lesson today?”
This got the filly’s attention, earning Celestia a pair of attentive eyes. “What kind of lesson?”
“Usually I reserve this for older students but I think you’d be more than capable of learning it. I am going to teach you the art of Temporal Illumination Spells, on the condition that you are willing to use what you learn to make your mother a gift.” Celestia smirked. “How does that sound?”
Twilight didn’t even need to think it over before she nodded quickly. The dear was always an eager student.
“Of course, Princess,” she beamed.
Celestia chuckled and took a turn, detouring away from the castle’s library and instead heading for her private study.
“I thought you might be interested in that,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Only seven years old and you’ve already come so far.”
It did Celestia’s heart good to see how her words made the filly’s self-esteem shoot straight into the sky.
For a moment, the two of them walked in relative silence, Celestia having earned a couple seconds of peace.
Though with such an inquisitive mind as her only company, that didn’t last for long.
“Why do they call it Mother’s Day?” Twilight asked.
Celestia smirked. “Well I decided long ago that Equestria’s mothers deserved a day to be celebrated. I have it on good authority that they are pretty important figures.”
“But why is it always on the same day every year?”
“Well, the Prime Minister back then was a child of mine, and she decided that it would be wise to select my firstborn’s birthday as the one we’d celebrate,” Celestia explained, letting out a contented little noise. “Honestly, I’d much rather have it in May or June but… fate was not nearly that kind.”
Twilight looked up in awe. “You’re a mom?”
Celestia frowned. “Was.”
“Was?” Twilight tilted her head to the side. “What happened to your foals?”
Celestia nearly responded but realized that she was talking to a seven-year-old. For sure, a brilliant and inquisitive seven-year-old, but still a child nonetheless. Hard lessons could be discussed further down the road.
“A thousand years is a very long time,” Celestia simply stated.
“Does that mean you don’t get Mother’s Day gifts?” Twilight asked.
Celestia shook her head. “I am afraid that my days of macaroni are well behind me.”
This seemed to trouble Twilight, her expression falling and pace lagging a little behind.
“But,” Celestia said, motioning with a wing for Twilight to hurry and catch up. “The good news is that I am now a certified expert on making hoofcrafted projects.”
They turned one final bend in the hall and came upon the royal bed chambers, where a pair of guards saluted.
“Hello Vega, hello Altair,” Twilight greeted, waving her hoof energetically.
Vega smirked, bowing his head. “Hello Miss Sparkle.”
Such a formal title made the filly giggle.
“Is the Princess allowing you to play hooky today?” Altair asked, smirking as he glanced at Celestia. “I never knew you to be such a bad influence.”
“She’s giving me a private lesson!” Twilight beamed. “We’re going to learn about Temporal Illuminations Spells.”
Vega ruffled his wings, throwing his partner a coy smile. “That sounds pretty fancy.”
“Not something I could do,” Altair quipped, poking at his horn. “All I did was learn how to hold a spear and that pretty much covers my proficiency.”
Celestia chuckled. “Twilight here has forgotten about a very special date coming up this weekend. So, I’m helping her with an arts and crafts project.”
Altair grinned knowingly, nodding towards the door. “Well I can’t honestly think of a better reason to play a little hooky then.” His horn sparked and he opened the door to Celestia’s private quarters. “Godspeed, you two.”
Vega blinked. “Wait what’s coming up this weekend?”
“Mother’s Day,” Altair responded, cocking a brow. “You didn’t forget, did you?”
Vega eyes widened. “Uh…”
“Do you need to play hooky as well, Vega?” Celestia asked, giggling as she motioned for Twilight to go inside. “I know there are several very capable florists near the palace.”
“Maybe,” Vega murmured. “Though only if Her Majesty doesn’t mind.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Celestia teased. “Though do find Altair some company. I’d hate for him to have no one around to chat with.”
“Of course!” Vega said, snapping off a salute and rushing for the barracks.
With that, Celestia stepped into her room, joining Twilight inside. As they entered, Twilight went towards a seating area near the window. It was bathed in the morning light, due to the south facing windows, which always offered either the sun’s rays or moon’s glow.
Celestia headed for a chest, opening it and pulling out the necessary supplies for today’s lesson. This was chiefly a few transparent panes of mythical crystal and a couple wooden frame that would hold them.
She held one of these panes afloat as she approached Twilight. “Do you know what this is, dear?”
Twilight shook her head. “Glass?”
“Not quite, it’s a very fine crystal known as Glassite. Which, when refined, does almost look like its namesake, doesn’t it?” Celestia asked, twirling the pane back and forth. “But unlike glass, it is much stronger, which is why its very popular with a lot of ponies in manufacturing.”
To prove her point, she flung the pane hard against the stone walls of her chamber, causing Twilight to gasp in horror. Though her shock soon turned to a note of wonder as the pane merely bounced off, only to be caught in Celestia’s magic.
“But it also has a very special property which makes it exceptionally appealing for artists,” Celestia explained.
She held the pane before the filly and sparked her horn, creating a narrow but intense bead of light. With this, she began to draw upon the pane, writing her name in a bright blue cursive. It glowed vibrantly, emitting a subtle light.
“See?” she asked, holding the pane closer, for Twilight to inspect.
Twilight looked intrigued. “Is that what the Temporal Spell is used for?”
Celestia nodded. “While the spell is only supposed to exist for a brief period of time, Glassite allows you to capture and store the message permanently. And the best part is that only the original caster has the ability to erase what has been written.”
She gave her horn a sweeping motion, erasing the text as if it were nothing but chalk on a blackboard.
Twilight’s eyes lit up. “So how did you do it?”
Celestia settled down next to her student, laying out the supplies in front of them.
“It’s a mixture of an illumination spell and a heating spell,” she explained. “I’m assuming that you’ve done your research and are adept at both.”
Twilight nodded.
“And I’m also guessing that Ms. Bellbottom has begun to teach you how to combine spells?” Celestia asked.
Another nod.
Celestia picked up one of the panes, levitating it in front of Twilight. “And do you feel comfortable combining those two spells?
Twilight bit her lip, though the filly soon nodded. She’d always been up for a challenge; a trait which Celestia greatly admired.
Soon her little horn started to glow as a mixture of two auras wove together. At first, the spell was sporadic, the fusion not settling and two spells fighting for dominance. Though Twilight creased her brow, forcing the combating cantrips to bend the knee and combine into a singular, and far more vibrant, glow.
With great care, she formed her own pinprick of light, pressing it against the Glassite. Her first attempt was sporadic and hard to control but with enough grunting and fidgeting she managed to roughly scribble her name upon the substance.
And once finished, her horn sputtered out, practically smoking as the filly sighed, seeming exhausted.
“A very good first attempt!” Celestia beamed, looking at the glowing yellow font. It was much like the sunlight which flooded her chamber.
Not exactly fine art, but that was the joy of making crafts, to learn something new and make it special.
Celestia nodded. “So here are a few pointers, dear. First, you can control the colour of your imprint by just thinking about it while you’re casting the spell. I find that that thinking about certain objects helps with that. You know… oranges for the colour orange, apples for red, that kind of thing.” She then held up a hoof. “And second, to erase your message you must think of a lack of colour.”
Twilight looked unsure but nodded. “I think I can do that.”
Once more, Celestia held out the Glassite, not quite trusting Twilight to have the stability to both draw upon it and hold it at the same times.
“I find that thinking about a window helps me with visualizing things,” Celestia explained. “Think about what’s on the other side of the pane and not what’s upon it.”
The filly creased her brow, channeling her spell. This time, the two auras almost instantly intertwined, forming a much more powerful beam. With this, Twilight managed to erase her haphazard signature, returning the crystal to its previous state.
She blinked, upon completion, allowing herself a proud smile.
It was a smile which Celestia happily returned, nodding towards her pupil.
Yet again, the filly’s brow creased and she very carefully drew upon the pane, forming her spell to be just as fine as a ballpoint pen. Her new signature now glowed a rich and dark purple and was drawn in a finer manner. Though it still bore the inexperience of a child.
“That is very good, Twilight,” Celestia said, turning it around and inspecting her ward’s fine work.
She held it afloat, offering it to the filly. “Would you like to keep this and put it up on your door?”
Twilight grinned nice and wide. “Yes Mom!”
Celestia blinked, her breath catching.
Had Twilight just called her mom?
While Celestia was shocked, Twilight was downright mortified, slapping a hoof over her mouth.
She went dead silent.
It took several long moments before she let the appendage slide away as she attempted to form words, her mouth moving yet no breath coming forth to join it.
“Sorry,” Twilight finally squeaked.
Celestia chuckled. “It’s completely fine, dear. You are not the first foal who has made that mistake.” She sighed. “Though maybe it’s proof that you really do need to spend a little more time with your actual mother.” She smiled softly and offered up another blank pane. “Your homework is to create another piece for Mother’s Day. Ensure that it’s something truly special, so she can hang it up in her office.”
Twilight nodded, carefully levitating the pane into her saddlebag.
When it was tucked away, Celestia then grabbed a frame, molding it around the pane with Twilight’s name on it. As it was clicked into place, a series of mythic ruins, etched around the perimeter, briefly pulsed with a blue light.
“The frames are also very important, Twilight,” Celestia explained. “While the magic inside a pane can only be erased by its caster, the actual crystal is open to the magical signatures of all unicorns. However, if you use this frame…” She now offered the finished product. “No pony can alter your design.”
Twilight nodded and took the framed pane, inspecting it closely before tucking it away in her saddlebag. She then took a second frame offered by Celestia.
“Well I think that about concludes today’s lesson,” Celestia said.
Twilight frowned. “This seems pretty short?”
Celestia chuckled softly. “That’s because you have quite a bit of homework to get done before you go back home tomorrow.”
Twilight nodded but remained silent, not immediately rising to her dismissal.
This wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory to Celestia. Students did seem to enjoy her company quite a bit.
“Is something the matter, Twilight?” Celestia asked.
Twilight bit her lip. “Could I have a second pane and frame, please?”
Celestia blinked before nodding and reaching out for her supply. “Of course, of course.” She offered them to her pupil. “May I ask why?”
“I was...” Twilight looked back and forth, instantly raising all of Celestia’s warning bells about lying foals. “I was thinking about maybe making one for Shining?”
“Is that so?” Celestia asked, cocking a brow.
Twilight nodded quickly, too quickly. “Yeah! I’m sure he’d love one for his chest in the barracks.”
“And I’m sure he will.” Celestia said before nodding towards the door. “Well…”
Twilight got to her hooves. “Yep, yep, lots of homework.” She saluted as she rushed for the door. “Have a good day, Princess Celestia.”
“You too, Twilight.”
There was a knock at Celestia’s door, causing her to mumble something crude under her breath as she shoved a bookmark into the novel she was attempting to finish. It was a thrilling adventure of a young unicorn mare and a strapping pegasus stallion from the colonies. And it totally wasn’t some trashy romance that she needed her guards to secretly buy for her.
“Who is it!” Celestia called.
Vega cleared his throat. “It’s Ms. Sparkle. She seems quite insistent on seeing you, Your Majesty.”
This at the very least made Celestia smile. “Of fantastic, let her in.”
An aura formed around the door and it opened, letting the young filly plod into Celestia’s office. She looked extremely proud of herself, her own magic tugging at the straps of her saddlebag.
“You look like a filly who got her homework done?” Celestia commented, motioning to the seat across from her and politely hiding her reading material.
Twilight nodded. “I hope you like it!”
She clambered up into the seat, requiring a bit of help from Celestia in order to make up for her deficit in height.
Once settled, she opened the saddlebag and drew forth a framed pane of Glassite.
As instructed, she had made one hell of a Mother’s Day gift.
The pane had Twilight Velvet’s name written upon it, in a slightly blocky font, with each letter being a different colour. Around the name were crude sketches of two ponies. One was obviously Twilight, and the other likely her brother, though Celestia had not had the pleasure of meeting him yet. Then any lingering free space, beyond that, was filled up with stars, hearts, and other cutesy shapes.
“That’s very adorable dear,” Celestia said, offering a warm smile. “I’m sure she’s going to love it.”
Twilight grinned, nice and wide. “You think so?”
“Of course, dear. Would you like me to have the service staff wrap it for you?”
“That’d be… useful,” Twilight said before glancing at her saddlebag. “Though I also did something else.”
Celestia looked over the desk, watching as Twilight took another item out of her bag. “And what’s that?”
Out came a second framed pane of Glassite.
Princess Celestia.
Her Majesty stared dumbfounded at the piece, appraising everything that had been done. The lettering was still very blocky but was all written in a soft pink that reminded her of her prior coat colour. There was a big yellow sun in the top left and etched in the bottom right were a pair of stick figures representing two ponies. One was a little purple unicorn filly with a proud white alicorn coddling her.
Celestia forced her mouth shut, realizing it was hanging open. It took a moment for her words to come forth, trapped behind the shock of how much this gesture had caught her off guard.
“Do you like it?” Twilight asked, sounding hopeful.
Celestia nodded, still lost in her thoughts as she swallowed a lump in her throat. “I love it, Twilight.”
This only made the filly’s smile grow. “I just remembered you saying that you don’t get gifts for Mother’s Day and well… I know you said you’re not my mom but… you kind of feel like my mom sometimes and…” Twilight rubbed her foreleg. “I guess I wanted to make sure you got something for Mother’s Day too!”
Celestia looked away, subtly wiping the tears out of her eyes. It wouldn’t do to cry in front of a filly.
“Thank you very much, Twilight,” Celestia finally said, hoping her voice didn’t sound too strained.
It did her heart good when she looked back and saw Twilight sitting there looking so proud of herself.
“This is very good, dear,” Celestia said, running her hoof over the material.
It reminded her of a dozen foals and a hundred grandfoals. All of whom were long gone and whose descendants did not visit their great-great-great-countlessly-great-grandmother anymore.
“In fact, it’s so good that…” Celestia loudly cleared her throat. “Altair!”
“Yes, Your Majesty?” the unicorn asked as he poked his head into the office.
Celestia held the framed Glassite afloat. “Look what Twilight made for me!”
Altair beamed, grinning at the little filly who was now blushing bright red. “Good work, kid.”
“Thanks Mister Altair.”
Celestia nodded towards him. “Would you mind installing a hook in my door, so I may hang it up?”
Altair saluted and stepped out of the room, probably heading for the nearest utility cupboard.
“I am really touched that you did this for me Twilight,” Celestia said. “It must’ve taken you quite some time to make two of these.”
Twilight grinned nervously. “I might’ve stayed up a little past my bedtime.”
“I see.” Celestia smirked. “Well I will pretend that I didn’t hear you say that.” She sighed, still tracing her hoof over the design. “Twilight…”
“Yes, Princess Celestia?” the filly asked.
Celestia worked her jaw, trying to figure out the best way to put this. But in the end, there was no better way than simply stating it.
“I… I love you,” she said.
Twilight grinned. “And I love you too, Princess Celestia!”