Stay With Me

The doors of Celestia's chambers creaked a little as it opened to rather dark room. Luna peaked her head in and and saw her sisters back facing her as she sat upon her floor bed dressed in her night gown. She stared through the large window that featured her moon in all its glory. Casting a soft and gentle glow upon the solar princess.

Luna trotted slowly in and gulped. Unsure of how to state her presence but a sudden close of the doors not by her own magic signified that Celestia knew of her presence.

Luna gave a sigh. "So you know I am here."

"Why wouldn't I Luna?" Celestia did not turn her gaze away from the outside. "I figured you'll come and check on me after the nurse was through. Well, at least I thought after you were done with your nightly duties. I am surprised to see you have returned so soon."

"Yes I-I know. But I could not stop worrying about you. You and your...health." Luna stammered a bit.

Celestia slowly, and carefully got up from her floor bed and without a soft groan, made it over to a small coffee table and plopped down on one of the cushions. She hovered over a small tea set and begun pouring some of the slightly cool liquid into her cup and beckoned her sister to join.

"Come, sit sister. Have some tea."

Luna noticed her tone and took note of the bags present under her sisters eyes. It had increased from when she first told her of her pregnancy and her personality had shifted from some pony always on duty to that of a lethargic and torpid self. She seemed even slower in her movements and her drowsiness seemed never ending.

Luna trotted over and sat down in front of her sister. Celestia hovered her cup of tea in front of her too which Luna took with her magic. They both sat still for a moment as Celestia sipped her cup.  Luna however merely kept hovering it in front of her face as she stared down at the table in a posture all to familiar to the elder sister.

Celestia took note of this. "Luna, is there something wrong?" Celestia blinked rather tiredly.

Luna was taken aback for a moment, having snapped out of her trance. "N-no..just..." She sighed and sat down her cup of tea. She looked into the liquid and without picking her head up, spoke.

"Celestia...sister, It-it-" Luna could not keep the words from tangling up upon her tongue. She cursed underneath her breath from her inability to speak what she wanted to say.

"Luna what is it that you are trying to convey dear?"

Luna scrunched up her eyes bitterly. "The foal...I want to talk about...the foal."

Celestia sighed and placed down her tea and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at her sister again. "I suppose Nurse Redheart has discussed with you?"

"Yes. Like she has been doing."

"Nurse Redheart said that my blood pressure and heart rate levels have remained steady."

"But.." Luna intruded. "She has also stated that your physical health is greatly declining. Look at yourself Celestia, have you not looked in a mirror as of late? Your growing weaker and weaker and your magical abilities have fainted."

Celestia finished her cup and sat it down in front of herself. "Pregnancy does not come without it's troubles Luna. That much is for certain. Morning sickness, cramps, back pain, cravings that to is natural and apart of it. Me...growing a little weak at magic is no different."

The dark alicorn frowned. "A little? Celestia, You are beginning to struggle to raise the sun alone. A job you have been doing well for over a thousand years."

"Its a bit of a struggle but I reassure you Luna that it all will come to pass once the foal is born."

Luna looked with worried eyes to her sister. "Will you even survive til then?"

The remark caught Celestia by small surprise. "I have survived the first few months perfectly fine I am sure I can survive once the foal is born as well."

"Not if your health continues down this path Celestia! She has noted how not only is your magical energy being sapped but your physical strength as well. It takes you forever to get out of bed and walking alone is a hassle without you having to take breaks in between your strolls."

"I will be fine Luna. I-I'll... I'll hold on. I have held on this long I can continue."

Luna took a deep breath and straightened her stance. “Sister, whatever this foal is, it is clear that it is injurious to your health. It is true that complications arises from being pregnant as to be expected but this is of serious matter sister. We are not even sure if you are pregnant with one foal or another as you have also refused to have an ultrasound done. You won't even tell me who or what the father is!"

Celestia stood quiet, daring not to utter a word. Only the furrowing of her eyebrows and turned eyes to the gorund gave anything away of how she felt.

Luna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Celesita, your health and duty as princess is of the utmost importance."

"I am very much aware of that."

"And so I believe that it should be taken into consideration..." Luna looked into her elder sisters eyes. Celestia stared back with a mixture of anxiety and frustration.

"I believe it should be taken into consideration a termination."

She had finally said it and now she waited for the response. Luna continued to look down at the table, refusing to lift her head for any reason. She couldn't bear to look into her sister's eyes.

“It is my foal Luna..." Celestia spoke. "And your future niece or nephew. How could you-"

"Look at yourself Celestia! Just take a moment and look! If this continues you may not even live long enough to see your foal! And if you pass before delivery it would have all been for naught!"

"Do you know how long I have desired offspring? Something to call my own. For a thousand years I have tried Luna and finally, finally, I have managed but now you come to me wanting to get rid of it?”

Luna bit her tongue.

The conversation in which she was holding now reminded Luna too much of when Celestia first spilled the information of her pregnancy to the lunar princess.

When the solar princess begun to keep to herself, always felt sick, and gossips and rumors begun to spread, It would only be a matter of time before the moon princess herself would be aroused with curiosity. Celestia had given her with anxiety and reluctance the truth behind all of those noble sayings but would tell her nothing else.

The sun princess merely wanted at least some pony to know and who could she better trust then her very own sister? Still, she had begged Luna to keep from telling others and Luna had largely kept her word but even her vows and secretes come to a limit and seeing her sister double over in pain and tiredness was enough for her to break that vow and  forcibly assign a nurse to her displeasure. Even if Celestia had tried her best to hide it.

“Celestia, you must think about your future. Our Future, Equestria's future. What would we do without you?”

“Equestria will fare just as well with one princess as it did with you gone. Equestria will be fine.”

The words stung at Luna.

“As I did not need you to raise the moon so you, if it shall be so, do not need me in time to raise the sun.”

“Do you not hear yourself? Even I can only do so much!"

Celestia turned her head away. "You have Twilight and Cadance. They too can serve as your help."

Your doing all of this to keep t-that thing alive?"

“That thing is my foal and your niece or nephew!” Celestia raised her voice. “It is just a foal! You are making it out as though it is some, some creature! Some monster!”

“It is killing my sister! How long will you be able to bear it until you cannot no longer!”

“It is a foal Luna! A living, breathing foal!”

“Indeed it is but it is also a leech! Preying upon the life and abilities of my dear sister! I have borne long with you sister! I have not bugged you with trivialities regarding your pregnancy and have kept my word on not disclosing it to the public, allowing others to speculate as they please but even I  extend my reach so far!”

Celestia let loose a vicious growl from her throat. She restrained her temper but it was reaching the tipping point. The atmosphere bearing down on them both. “I will not sit here and tolerate this.”

“How long are you going to hide it? It won't be long before it is born. You don't even know how it will turn out. How it will look. Will it even survive. What if you die and and the foal does as well? Your suffering will be for naught. I have just regained my sister, I am not prepared to lose her!”

Celestia's back faced Luna as her horn glowed a rather dim gold color. The doors of her chambers opened behind the moon princess.

“My verdict is final Luna. The foal is here to stay. At least I ask that you respect my decision but if you do not then that is your choice. As for me...” the solar princess sighed. “I have made up my mind.” she stated strongly.

“Is that how it is? Your prepared to sacrifice everything?”

Celestia did not face her sister. “Leave...now.”

Luna merely narrowed her eyes at her sister before finally turning to leave out the same doors that she came through.

The sun princess, for over a thousand years had a single wish: To be a mother and she was not about to forfeit it under any circumstances.

For over a thousand years, she had accepted the fact that perhaps, it was something that was not meant to be. Perhaps it was for the best. Seeing as how she was to be a mother not to her own but instead, to her precious subjects who needed her the most. Still, she felt a weight in her chest anytime she watched or saw her subjects grow from colts and fillies to mares and stallions that had begotten a family. Watching as miniature versions of themselves playfully laughed and giggled their ways through life.

As always, Celestia had put up a mask but she was not immune to the onset of emotions that all sapient beings was endowed with. A twinge of jealousy would set in and there were times where she secretly imagined the family she gazed upon to be of her own. Despite her many lovers, griffons, ibexes, ponies, and even kirin, none was she able to endow on them the gift of life.

She felt almost broken in her inability to conceive. She felt as though a part of her, special to any mare had been stripped from her. As much as she tried to accept it, it pulled at her heart in the worse way possible. Still the closest thing she had to having any foal of her own was that of her faithful student. She felt almost guilty taking Twilight away from her parents during her late elementary years to live with in Canterlot to continue her studies under her wing.

Even though her family, and even Twilight herself with unconstrained excitement, was elated at the offer, Celestia knew it was mostly to fill the empty hole in her chest. Still, even though she could easily have just forced Twilight to continue her studies under her, it was real love that beckoned to ask. Even if she knew Twilight would more than say yes. Still every time break came and the weekend rolled where her faithful student had to leave, she once again felt tempted to shed at least a tear. But always composed she waved her off with a smile.

She had adopted before no doubt with Sunset Shimmer being one before running off into another dimension but despite that, with the others she was content. Taking them in when she could as her own as both a student and foal.

But now she no longer had to wait for that prayer to be answered. She was filled with worry, a combination of anxiety and yet utmost happiness when she realized that she was with foal. She couldn't help but break down in tears of happiness when she realized the stiff stomach, increasing weight and abnormal cravings for cake in the middle of the night.

The thought of termination was something far removed from the sun princess's mind and she had hoped it would be far removed from the thought of her sister's.

As she laid down upon her floor bed she covered her face in her bare hooves. The pillows she laid on top of becoming wet with the tears of the solar princess's dilemma. She could not help but break out in silent hiccups.

As the doors shut behind the lunar princess, tears begun to stream her face. A physical manifestation of her anger, sadness and frustration. Luna could not contain herself. As she walked a nightly guard who was monitoring halls couldn't help but notice his princess and smiled.

“Good evening princess.”

Luna did not respond.

“Princess?” th guard asked asked again as she sped walked passed him. He looked on with wide eyes wondering what had eaten at the princess before calling out.

“Princess, what is the matter?”

“Nothing is the matter!”

Luna continued along to her chambers. Ignoring the presence of her bewildered soldiers and guards. She didn't know what to do but move on from here. As she the night princess fled into the seclusion of her room it was clear that her duties as princess of the night would not be completed today.

All she needed as of right now was time to process her sisters decision and solace under her night's moon.

She too would cry herself to sleep.