Princess Amity

Minutes after ordering Amity to meet her in the throne room, Celestia lands on the balcony outside of her bedroom and storms through the balcony doors into her room. She takes her crown, necklace, and shoes off and places them on top of the drawer next to her bed. Then, she calmly walks to her larger drawer across her bed and observes a picture which shows her smiling and lying on grass beside a muscular, maroon, male alicorn with his front hooves in the air holding happy foal Amity.

Using her magic, she lifts the picture up and says "If only you were here, my love... You have no idea how hard it has been raising Amity for these past fourteen years. We need you. Better yet, it's probably best you not being here. I broke our promise made before Amity was born: I yelled at her." A tear from her left eye streaks down her cheek. She continues, "Please forgive me, Amyas." She hugs the picture and says, "Amyas, please be careful at the Ancient City and never forget us."

Five minutes later, Amity with dried tear streaks on her cheeks approaches the throne room entrance doors thinks to herself, "What is Mom going to do? Is she going to order me to take over my maid's position for a month? That would suck! Wait, is she going to banish me like she did with Aunt Luna? No, she turned into Nightmare Moon. What I did wasn't as bad, or was it? Mom..."

Amity then breathes in slowly and opens the doors, and steps in to see an empty throne room with no ponies in sight expect for Celestia sitting in front of a colorful picture glass window. The window shows a maroon male alicorn and a white female alicorn with the tips of their horns together, eyes closed, and smiling, and over their heads is a pink alicorn baby curled up with a white star around the infant. Amity walks beside Celestia, sits next to her, and looks at her with a guilt expression.

Celestia turns her head to stare her daughter and says, "Amity, I am very disappointed in you. What were you thinking? You would have killed that pony." Amity looks away but does not respond. Celestia continues now in a calm tone, "Now, tell me what happened."

Amity says in a nervous tone, "Vanilla, Evening, and I were walking back home after the game, and she came up to us and started insulting us, especially me. I stood up for myself by talking back at her, and it was working. Then..."

"What?" Celestia asks.

"She insulted you by called you 'a hag'," Amity answers. Celestia raises her left eyebrow, and Amity continues, "I got frustrated and tried to control myself, but thoughts of hurting her went through my mind. I gave in and then...I don't remember anything after that, until you yelled at me when she and I were in the sky."

Celestia then responds calmly, "So, she was being a bully. Amity, tell me, is this the first time she or any pony bullied you?"

Amity shakes her head and replies, "She's been like that towards my friends and me since we were freshmen."

Celestia says back, "Why haven't you told me about this? If you're in that situation, you always come to me immediately. Why didn't you tell?"

Amity looks at her mother with tears about to run down her face and answers, "I...I did it for you." Celestia lowers her eyebrow and listens to her daughter, "Since Dad is not here, I thought keeping it a secret and taking care of it myself would give you less stress. I didn't care what could have happened to me if she took it too far. I didn't want you to worry. There are more important things you have to deal with."

Celestia makes an expression of shock and says, "Amity..." With her right hoof, she brings Amity close to her and hugs her daughter tightly. "You are the most important thing in my life. You should never ever think like that. I love you more than thing or anyone in this world."

Amity asks, "Even Dad?"

Celestia hesitantly answers, "Y...Yes. I love Amyas so much, but no one is more important than you." She breaks the hug and asks, "But there is something you need to understand outside of the castle. You need to maintain your role as a princess and never act like that."

"I know," Amity replies, "But I just couldn't take it anymore and insulting you was too much!"

"'Too much?' What else did she say tonight?" Celestia with her eyebrow raised again asks

"Well..." Amity responds and looks at her blank flank.  Celestia leans to look at what her daughter is staring at and immediately knows Amity is referring to her lack of a cutie mark. Before Celestia could respond, Amity says, "She says that I should be embarrassed being your daughter, and I am a 'nobody' and having a blank flank shows it. I know. I shouldn't think about it, but whenever Jiggy brings it up, I can't help but think that she's right. I don't show that it bothers me in front of her, but when she's not around, it her insults come back and can't get them out!"

"Amity..." Celestia interrupts in a calm voice.

"No, Mom!" Amity shouts, "You know she's right, and if she doesn't respect me for being a princess with no cutie mark and doing nothing, why should all of the other ponies in Equestria? They all think that! I know they do! There is no pony out there who respects me, including you, Aunt Luna, and Father! All of you think that don't you!"

"Stop it right now!" Celestia shouts back in her royal voice. Then, she calmly continues, "Just stop it. I know you're thinking I'm going to repeat what I said earlier today, but I'm not. Instead, I'm going to tell you something I should have told you long ago. No matter who you are, there will always be those who will hate you." Amity looks at her mother with a confused expression with her left eyebrow lowered down and her right raised high.

Celestia continues, "Not all ponies or any other individuals living in Equestria respect or like me. I've heard and read criticisms towards me, and many call me a hypocrite, a tyrant, a liar, and even a bum who makes others carry out my tasks instead of me doing them myself. They have their right to their opinions upon me, but there is one thing I always do no matter how many critics are out there, I make decisions for all of the residents of Equestria. I have never made decisions that benefit me. I protect them and as a princess, everything I do as a leader centers around them. If I attack any of the critics, I will appear to be selfish and many would turn against me. I have to do what is best for them. Amity," Celestia places her front hooves on her daughter's shoulders and continues, "no matter what they say, you need to protect them your own way. Even with the ponies criticizing you, many will follow you and respect you with or without your cutie mark. Heck, I bet you would make a great role model for those who don't have one. You could show them that you don't need one to accomplish wonder things. Amity, promise me, you will always protect all of the citizens of Equestria."

Amity with a smile and tears running down her cheeks hugs her mother and says, "I promise. I will protect all of them with my life. I'm sorry, Mom. I love you."

Celestia hugs Amity back and replies, "You are forgiven, and I love you too." Celestia breaks the hug and says, "It's late. Let's go to bed." Amity nods and walks along with Celestia to the hall containing their bedrooms.

A couple minutes later, they come across Amity's bedroom door, and Amity opens it and walks inside the bedroom. Before Amity closes the door, she smiles at her mother. Celestia smiles and says, "Goodnight." Celestia turns to her left but stops and says to Amity, "Oh, by the way, you're grounded." Amity's jaw drops and her eyebrows raise high in shock. Celestia smirks and walks to her bedroom just ten feet away from her daughter's room.