Life as a baby is awfully stressful, especially in times of… whatever this time is right now.
There is nothing to be seen. There is nothing to be done. There is simply nothing, and that in itself is stressful.
And cold. Right now, it is terribly cold, and cold is something that you don’t like.
You don’t like it a lot.
As such, as this cold is inescapable and your fate is becoming sealed, you cry.
==========
The world makes less and less sense everyday Princess Luna tries to learn more about it. The place she has been longing to return to for 1,000 years is less warm and familiar than it once was.
The Princess of the Night is flying around high above the city of Canterlot, inspecting. Everything is just so… different.
Even Canterlot, her home for centuries, looks completely different than it once did. It looks much bigger now. And modern.
The buildings are made of wood and steel nowadays, and are much larger. The streets are made of concrete, not individual stones and mud.
She has flown above the city every night since her return, only a few months ago, and every night she can’t believe her eyes. Her eyes frequently deceive her. She sees skyscrapers in the modern world with the huts and unstable wooden buildings that comprised Canterlot in its founding over 1,000 years ago. She can hardly tell what’s real and what’s in her head.
There’s always something new to see.
In one way, it’s exciting, not knowing what’s out there.
In another way, it’s depressing, and that is how she feels. The world has changed so much, and she missed all of it. Alone.
She spent 1,000 years looking at her land from thousands of miles away, unable to return. She watched the world advance 1,000 years, but did not witness a single thing. The world changed so much. She was close enough to see the world, but too far away to see anything happen.
It was so cold.
Life, it seems, appears to have stayed the same for her, in that regard. Sitting by the fire every night reading a book is lonelier now than it ever was. Standing in the heat of Celestia’s sun does not warm her.
Surely, she thinks, things will improve with time. But to adapt to 1,000 years will take a great deal of time. For all she knows, it may take another century or two before she even starts feeling like her old self.
Way down below, on the streets of Canterlot, ponies mingle, laughing, joking, and enjoying life.
She must inwardly confess that she is jealous. She knows the dangers of jealousy and tries, in vain, to stop the feeling, knowing the consequences of such a feeling all too well. There is no one for her to talk to, except her sister, but she’s hardly ever awake at the same time.
In truth, she doesn’t know what she’d talk with anyone anyway, even if she did have someone. Trying to hold a conversation is awkward for the old mare.
She knows no current events, no ponies, no books, and she barely understands how politics work nowadays. She doesn’t even recognize many foreign countries, as empires have risen and fallen while she was away.
But at least she has herself, and her beautiful night sky. At least that is unchanged.
She flies back towards the castle, her home, remarking on how even that has changed. It has gotten much bigger, ironically. When they were building it, Princess Luna wanted it to be a large spectacle, but Celestia insisted it remained small, or medium sized at most.
She wonders why it was, then, that her sister built such a palace.
Princess Luna approaches her own balcony, thinking of retiring for the evening to perhaps help her sister with her workload, when she hears a sharp disturbance.
She steadies her wings and listens intently… the noise appears to be coming from below her, and it sounds like… crying.
Somepony is clearly in need, and being the Guardian of the Night, Princess Luna dives down to discover the source of the noise.
The cry is high pitched and fast, implying that the noise is coming from a child, but why would a child be here at this time of night? Perhaps they are lost in the castle’s extensive garden? Princess Luna admits that she hasn’t yet figured the labyrinth out either.
The Night Princess sees two golden clad Royal Guards pulling something out of a tree. Is there a child in the tree?
Luna lands roughly behind the guards, causing them to snap to attention.
“What is going on here?” Princess Luna demands. “We heard a disturbance.”
“We heard it as well, Your Majesty,” one guard says. “We heard crying and came to investigate. We discovered a… uh… baby, we think, in this tree.”
“A baby in the tree?” Luna asks bemusedly. “What a strange occurrence. Sweep the area, make sure no one else is here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” one of the guards dashes off, calling for other guards to join.
The other guard brings Luna the baby, which is wrapped in a wool blanket, and it is still crying.
“I’m not sure what it is, Your Majesty,” the guard says.
“We are not certain either,” Luna admits, stumped by the odd looking thing held before her. She’s never seen a creature such as this, she believes. “It looks like a potato... Bring it inside and keep it warm, We will fetch our sister.”
The guard hurries inside while Luna flies up to and lands on her sister’s balcony. She knows Celestia keeps her door unlocked, so she simply walks into her bedroom.
The inside is an absolute mess, Luna thinks, disgusted. Empty pizza boxes and carryout bags lay strewn all across the floor, as if her sister has never heard of a trashcan before. The Princess of the Night cannot take a single step without crushing the remains of greasy food and styrofoam boxes. She feels disgusted to even be in the junkyard of a room.
On the bed, lying on top of the covers, is her sister who is renowned worldwide for her indescribable beauty.
Who, in this instance, looks like a fat slob. Her legs are spread eagle, not hiding her modesty in any regard. She still has a single golden shoe on her left foreleg, but the rest are bare. Her mouth hangs open, and she is drooling enough to drown a foal. She has a snot bubble which gets bigger as she exhales and smaller as she inhales. Her snoring could only be rivalled by that of a drunken troll.
And there’s half a piece of pizza on her forehead, pierced by her horn. What a ridiculous spectacle!
Luna knows that this is Celestia’s private area, and so probably feels safe in acting like the pig she always has been, but for her to have not improved her habits, and seemingly her self respect, is ludicrous!
Princess Luna nudges her sister's belly, surprised on how large and squishy it is. But, eating all this junk is bound to do that to a pony. A less informed pony may believe her elegant sister to be pregnant, but no, she’s just fat.
“Wake up, sister,” Luna demands, not rousing the white mare in any regard. “There is a situation that needs your attention... At once!” Luna smacks her cheek gently, waking her sister up with a sharp gasp and wide eyes, causing her to sit up.
“Damnit, Luna!” Celestia mumbles, groaning, wiping her mouth with the back of her foreleg. “What you want? It’s nighttime. You take care of it.”
Celestia flops back down onto the mattress and immediately resumes her snoring.
“Wake up!” Luna demands impatiently in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
“I’m awake! I’m awake!” Celestia sits up, rubbing at her eyes. “Gosh… What do you want?"
“I found a baby in the garden.”
“Neato.”
“I do not know what species it is, sister.”
“I don’t care.”
“Celestia!”
“Fine! Fine! I’ll take a look!” Not waiting any longer, Luna picks up her larger sister with her magic and sets her down on her hooves, all the while her sister groans a childlike “Noooo!” whilst floating through the air.[
Celestia is set down on her hooves before giving her sister a death glare, hating to be awoken at night. Night is meant for sleeping and assassinating, Celestia has always said. Perhaps Luna should indulge her...
That’s a joke, Luna thinks sternly to herself. It’s just meant as a joke. No assassinations on her sister, calm down.
“We love what you’ve done with the place,” Luna declares sarcastically. “The empty pizza boxes and trash go very well with the pizza attached to thine face.”
Celestia removes her piece of pizza from her horn before throwing it at Luna and trudging to the bathroom to refresh herself a little. Being a Princess is 90% appearances, 10% actually governing.
“Have you ever thought to clean your room yourself, sister?” Luna asks, kicking some of the trash around. “Cleansing the home cleanses one’s mind, as mother used to say.”
“That was just a trick to get us to clean so she didn’t have to,” Celestia replies, brushing her teeth. “She was excellent at getting us to do mundane activities as though they were the most important things in the world.”
“When you live a life as exciting as mother’s, I’m sure cleaning the house was the most important thing in the world.”
“Hmm,” Celestia spits. “How’d you manage to get into my room? The door’s locked. And I’m a light sleeper.”
Luna doubles over in laughter. “You jest, surely.”
“I certainly do not.”
“You are not a light sleeper! Judging one’s own talents accurately is tough to do, but what you just said could not be anymore removed from the truth. I walked through your unlocked balcony door and slapped you and you still did not awaken.”
“Well, maybe I didn’t tonight, but it’s my cheat day. I always sleep heavily with a full tummy.”
Luna looks about the room in disgusted astonishment. “You cannot seriously be implying that all of this food was consumed by you merely yesterday!”
“I’m not implying that, I’m directly stating it as fact,” Celestia says, brushing her mane out.
“There’s more food here than we have eaten in our entire childhood!”
“You, maybe. You were always a skinny, little thing.”
“And you were always a slob! No wonder your posterior has gotten so big.”
“Luna!” Celestia gasps.
“Do I speak falsely?”
Celestia groans to herself, angrily setting down her hairbrush and coming back into the room, glancing at her own backside, mentally telling herself that her butt is not big. It’s… fun sized, if anything. She is sure many stallions think of her butt as the perfect size!
“And why is it that you sleep so haphazardly? Your legs were thrown about so… sporadically! And without even a lock on your balcony door? What if a stallion snuck in here to such a display?! With your heavy snoring, they could make do with you however they so desired.”
Celestia heavily rolls her eyes. “Did you come get me for some kind of business, or did you just wake me up to call me a fatass, a slut, and a pig?”
Luna’s eyes widen in horror. “T-Tia!”
“What?”
“S-Such vulgar language! We would never call you a ‘fatass!’ What an outrageous term! We do not mean to doubt your virtue! You are not some kind of… prostitute! You are a Princess, and have always publicly held yourself to such a status! And… And… well, you are a pig.”
Celestia finally smiles, an odd sight considering the time of night, but welcoming nonetheless.
“Come, sister,” Celestia says. “Let’s do this… whatever we’re supposed to do.”
Princess Luna leads her sister down the stairs. They don’t know exactly where the baby is, but because it is still crying, they follow the noise.
“It’s awfully loud,” Celestia observes.
“We heard it while flying above the garden. It is quite a piercing sound. It was sitting in a tree when it was found, below Our balcony.”
“In a tree?” Celestia asks, and Luna nods. “How did that happen, I wonder?”
“We cannot even make a guess. There is no way this creature would have placed itself in such a scenario.”
“Have the area swept.”
“We are. We’ll see if anything was found.”
The Royal sisters walk into a large, well lit room, where several guards are, with one trying desperately to get the baby to calm down.
“We’ll take it from here,” Celestia announces, pushing her guards to the side and lifting the baby up to her face with her magic. In just a second, she knows what she’s looking at. “Good heavens!” she gasps, eyes widening.
“What is it, sister?”
“It’s a human!”
“A human?” Luna chuckles. “Sister, please, that is most impossible. Their species went extinct when we were merely foals!”
“I know, sister, but this is most definitely a human. How bizarre!”
“Surely your eyes or memory deceive you. This thing cannot be any more of a human than I. Perhaps it is some kind of sentient potato! Surely that is more plausible.”
“Luna, please, this is a human. And a boy, as it turns out.”
“How could that be possible?”
“Well sister, there are only two genders.”
“This is not a time for sarcasm! We did not mean it being a boy! We meant how could a human, whose species went extinct thousands of years ago, be found in our garden? We have said it before and say it again, this creature looks more like a red potato than a human being.”
“That is what human children looked like. It is a most strange occurrence. Hmm… I’ll leave you to it then.” Celestia pushes the baby into her sister’s chest and releases it before Luna hurriedly grabs it with her magic.
“Wh-Where do you think you are going?”
“Bed? It’s 3 in the morning, sister, I am tired. The night is your domain. I’m glad to have helped. Bye!”
“Our domain is not looking after extinct babies! What are We supposed to do with this thing? How do We make it stop crying?”
“That is entirely up to you. It would be useful to find out where it came from, if at all possible. Has the area been swept?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” a guard says. “But nothing has been found out of place, save the child. We are still searching.”
“Great. Perhaps the child was sent by the Gods.”
“Do not jest, sister!” Luna huffs, unsure of what to do. “We need instruction! Children are not Our specialty.”
“I do not jest, Luna. Stranger things have happened, especially in recent months. I will help you investigate this situation more tomorrow, but for now, I am going to bed. And I am locking my door this time!”
“Great, great, just leave Us alone with the baby!”
“I am. Goodnight.” Celestia sticks her tongue out and turns and walks off, more than ready to return to the bed she was so rudely dragged away from. Luna trots up to her for one final question.
“What should We do in the meantime? Sister… We cannot care for a child! We have no experience with children! None whatsoever!"
Celestia shrugs. “Just take the child to your chambers. Give it some milk or something. Rock it to sleep. It can’t be that hard. Just wait around for me to raise the sun and I’ll come ‘round for it. We’ll take it from there.”
Is this what I’ve been reduced to? Luna wonders, watching her sister abandon her. Babysitting? A millennia spent as a banished Princess, only to return as a babysitter.
Luna does not wish to take care of the baby. Her time should be spent doing… literally anything else!
She turns towards the guards, but they’ve all left.
“Curses,” Luna grumbles, bringing the ugly baby up to her face. “How did you get here? How is this even possible? What are your secrets?”
==========
What the fuck is that thing? You wonder. There is a giant blue face right in front of yours.
It’s no longer cold, and you are quite warm now, which helps your stress levels as a baby. Life is becoming less difficult.
And now there is much less noise. It is warm and quiet at the same time. It’s a lovely combination.
On top of all that, appearing before you is a dark blue face with vibrant blue eyes. It’s a pleasing sight. A very pleasing sight.
You like it.
You stop crying and stare.
==========
“Why did you stop?” Luna asks, astonished, knowing you can’t respond. “How did We do that?”
In response, the baby just stares at Luna, looking her right in the eyes and not looking away.
“Guards!” Luna calls, wanting to get rid of this thing. She refuses to be reduced to a glorified babysitter, and this creature staring at her is unnerving. One guard comes and Luna forcibly hands the baby over to him. “Feed the child, it stopped crying.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
Luna walks off, knowing her time is more valuable than to spend it looking after a child. A princess? Taking care of strange children she found in a tree?
That’s just ludicrous!
==========
This new face is not a welcome one. It’s bright and white and there’s a strong glare and it hurts your eyes, so you decide to start crying again.
“Oh crap, it’s happening again,” the guard says trying to rock you back and forth and get you to shutup. He holds you up to his chest, but his armor is cold and hard. You don’t like it.
“How did Princess Luna make it stop?” the other guard asks, panicked.
“She didn’t say.”
“Well, give it the bottle, it’s probably hungry.”
“Stop calling him ‘it,’ he’s a boy.”
“Whatever, just put the bottle in its mouth.”
A strange, foreign object is coming towards your face, and you naturally want to put it in your mouth. Your stomach and head hurt, but nevertheless, you don’t want that object in your mouth right now.
Right now you are scared. There are two strange creatures forcing something into your face, and you don’t like it.
“It won’t drink.”
“He won’t drink.”
“That too.”
“Should we get Princess Luna?”
“Fuck no!”
“Why not? She got him to stop crying, she can probably do it again. I don’t want him to die or something!”
“He won’t die!”
“How do you know? We don’t know the last time he’s eaten.”
“There’s no way in Tartarus I’m going all the way up to Princess Luna’s chambers to ask her to do a job she told me to do! She’ll rip me to bits!”
“She’s not that bad, stop overreacting.”
“No! I heard a sergeant in F Company say Princess Luna once roasted a corporal alive and ate him for asking to use the bathroom while on duty.”
“What? Bullshit!”
“Hey, I’m just telling you what I heard! If she roasted a corporal alive, imagine what she’ll do to a private like me! She scares me, dude. That whole Nightmare Moon thing still got me messed up.”
There are many noises now, none of which are pleasing to you. You cry harder, even more upset than you were previously.
The noises grow more and more distressed, making you more and more upset. What happened to the giant blue thing from earlier? That was nice. This is not nice and you do not like it.
“He won’t eat, he’s still not eating. I don’t know what to do!”
“Stop panicking!”
“I wasn’t trained to feed a baby! I don’t have any kids! I’m 19, for shit’s sake!”
“Shutup! Look… Let’s just get Princess Luna. She’ll probably be able to make it stop, then we can at least feed it.”
“Bro, she terrifies me. Let’s not get her. Let’s get a chick guard and she can feed him.”
“A chick won’t do anything different then we are.”
“Bruh, weren’t you breastfed as a child?”
“Chicks don’t just lactate whenever they want, fucknuts.”
“Yeah they do, I saw it in a magazine!”
“Are you stupid? No they don’t, only moms can make milk.”
“Go get your mom then!”
“You better watch your fucking mouth before I kick your teeth in!”
“What’s going on down here?!” a third loud voice demands, startling you, making you cry harder. So many noises and bright, gleaming lights shining in your eyes. You don’t like it!
“Captain Armor!”
“What’s a baby doing here? It’s almost 4 in the morning.”
“It’s a human, sir!”
“What the hell is a human?”
Just a second later, a third white face comes close into your view, and you don’t like it. It looks bright and upset and that’s not a good thing.
“...I think my sister once told me about these ugly little things.”
“We found it in a tree, sir!”
“A tree?”
“It’s a long story, sir. Princess Luna made it stop crying briefly before she left. We are to watch it until told otherwise... We were wondering if we should bring the child back to the princess so she can feed it.”
“So she can feed him.”
“That too.”
“How hard can feeding a baby be?”
“Apparently, sir, it’s impossible.”
The new third pony grabs the bottle, trying to roughly force the tip of the bottle into your face. You don’t like that. You don’t like that a lot.
As such, you cry even harder, making the three strange creatures wince. You will remember their faces as a terrible memory of things you do not like. You do not like them a lot.
“Ah, screw it. I’ll take it up to Princess Luna. You two get back to your posts.”
“Yes, sir!”
You are handed over once again to the third strange creature you do not like, who carries you through wherever the hell you are for several long minutes in their magical grasp. The magic grasp is a weird, tingly feeling, and you do not like it.
The grip is rough and unsteady, so that combined with the extra light of this creature’s magic is even more upsetting. You already have a headache from being hungry, so the bright light is making it ten times worse. You will cry and scream until better conditions are met!
Captain Armor grows increasingly frustrated the louder the baby cries. What an annoying sound, he thinks. He decides right here that he will never, ever, ever, in his entire life, no matter what, no matter with who, that he will never have a child! He swears by it!
Just holding this screaming baby is making him want to put a condom on.
The entire journey is filled with screaming and crying. The constant noise is upsetting to the individual holding you, but you don’t give a shit. Who the ass even is that? Where the shit are you going?
This is bullshit. You do not like it.
==========
Princess Luna sips a cup of tea next to her fireplace, deciding not to do any work. She certainly could, but she is just… too… stunned.
She stares into the fireplace, wondering how a creature, a human no less, could be alive. And to be just lying in a tree? A tree?
A human is an odd thing to see, and a tree is a strange place for one to be. Especially as it is just by itself. Especially in her very own backyard! She remembers the humans from her childhood. The last remnants of a dying race.
She does not miss them. Not in the slightest. The world is ten times better off without their existence. Her memories of those vile creatures would be best forgotten, but they are burned into her memory along with the rest of her troubled past.
As if her return to Equestria wasn’t bizarre enough! She simply doesn’t know what to do.
One thing’s for sure, though: She doesn’t want to see that human again.
A loud series of knocks emanate from her door. With her typical scowl, not wishing to be disturbed, she sighs and announces a “Come in.”
Captain Armor enters, looking frustrated, holding the human baby in his magical grasp, making Luna inwardly groan, but her outward appearance doesn’t change. She’s very good at not outwardly showing emotions.
“How may We be of assistance, Captain?” the Princess sighs, turning her attention back to the fire with a fiercer scowl. She specifically didn’t want to be around that thing, and now it’s being brought to her? Curses!
“I was wondering if you could help with a bit of a developing situation, Princess.”
“We are listening.”
“I was told this child was found in a tree, strangely enough.”
“So it was.”
“I was also told you have some special way with it.”
“In what regard?” Luna asks with a quirked eyebrow.
“It was said that you got it to stop crying somehow. When I came across the guards trying to feed it, they said they couldn’t because it won’t stop crying.”
“Because of my sister’s guards’, and your guards’ incompetence, you need Us to feed the baby. Is that what We are hearing, Captain?”
Captain Armor takes a deep breath, embarrassed by the loaded question. Princess Luna is a straightforward mare, he is learning, and does not mince words.
“If you would be so kind, Your Majesty,” Shining Armor requests, teeth clenched to keep him from voicing his further opinion. How are any of his Guards supposed to know how to feed a baby?
“I would think that such a basic, inherent life task would be an easy feat for the world’s most elite fighting force, Captain… How embarrassing… Bring Us the child,” she sighs. She takes the baby and puts it on her large floor cushion, right in front of her chest and between her forelegs before taking the bottle. “You are dismissed, Captain.”
“Dismissed?” Shining asks, confused. “I can take the baby once it’s fed, Your Majesty.”
“Not necessary. We will look after him until Princess Celestia wakes up. Dismissed.”
“Are you quite certain, Your Majesty?”
“Quite certain. Now as We said: Dismissed.”
“Very well, Your Majesty.” Shining bows before turning and exits the room, leaving the Princess alone with the human. Shining Armor is more than happy to be rid of the company of a screaming child and a disgruntled old mare, hoping to get the Princess’ harsh words out of his head long enough to relax and fall back asleep.
Princess Luna takes a long look down at the crying red potato that lies displeased before her. Princess Luna becomes displeased, herself, looking directly at the odd appearance of a long extinct species, unhappy with their reappearance. It would’ve certainly been for the best if humans remained permanently deceased. Life has a cruel way of constantly disappointing her.
Nevertheless, with this thing’s appearance, Princess Luna wonders what the next step ought to be. Should she attempt to discover how this thing came to Equestria? Should she put it up for adoption? Should she study it as it grows older? Should she be concerned this may be the beginning of a long line of potential surprise human appearances?
Should she destroy it now while she has the chance?... It would be easy to dispose of the child. Her mind is quickly consumed with dark thoughts of how specifically to rid the world of humans once again… Surely an accidental fall from the balcony would-
Princess Luna shakes her head violently, hoping to literally throw those terrible thoughts from her troubled mind.
Princess Luna is thinking too hastily, surely. After all, it is just a baby, not doing any harm to anything at all, except for the Princess’ eardrums. What a terrible caterwauling!
“Now how did We do this earlier?” Luna asks herself, trying to get the baby’s attention. “Uhm… Everything is fine, young human. Nothing to be afraid of here.”
She puts her forelegs around the baby and slowly shifts them, trying to gently rock it back and forth, though she is a bit rougher than most women theoretically ought to be.
“As We said, everything is fine... There is no reason to cry... It is 4 o’clock in the morning, young child, a time when humans slept, so... Be still.”
Her efforts are met with you continuing to cry, but you feel a bit calmer than you just did. It’s nice and dark and warm in this room, and you are awfully tired after crying so much. But you’re still hungry.
“There, there… Uhm… There are many reasons not to cry… For example… You are alive while every other human in existence has been dead for thousands of years.”
Luna smiles, thinking that’s an excellent point. Surely the best way to calm a baby is to alert it of the reasons it shouldn’t be upset. That’s the way to happiness, surely. Temporal happiness, at least. True happiness can only come through many years of self reflection.
You, meanwhile, have no idea what the strange voice is saying. But the dark creature’s voice is a very calming sound, and that makes you happy. The slow moving back and forth is a pleasant feeling, and it’s nice and dark in here, which makes you want to sleep, and the warmth is very calming.
You look up at the source of the voice, seeing a familiar long, dark face with eyes that glow in the darkness. Feeling much more relaxed and less stressed, you stop crying.
“Good!” Luna hops a bit, excitedly. “Perhaps We have a gentler side after all. Here.”
The tip of the bottle is placed in your mouth, and you reflexively start sucking, drinking some nice, warm milk.
“Good!” she exclaims again, eyes widening, never having known she’d be good at something like this. “This is most excellent!”
You keep drinking the warm milk, looking up at this creature that is so calming to you. She must be your… what’s a good way to describe it?... your…
...God!
This creature is feeding you and you love her. You shall show your loyalty to this creature for all time.
You get most of the way through the bottle before your eyelids begin to droop. Your tummy is full, you feel warm and relaxed, it’s pleasant and dark, and you are ready for sleep.
So that is what you do.
“W-We did it!” Luna exclaims, wings flaring out in excitement. She hurriedly clears her throat, recomposing herself. “We mean, of course we did it! We are a Princess of Equestria, and We always get our way.”
Luna quietly rejoices at the fact that she was so successful at babysitting, something that her sister’s guards were unable to accomplish.
Luna hasn’t held a baby in over 1,000 years. This is one is much easier to deal with than the other ones. This one does as he’s told. What an obedient little human!
Obedience is not a common trait in humans, Luna recalls.
In spite of her success, the Princess refuses to admit she enjoyed putting you to sleep. She is not some kind of babysitter, no matter how good at it she is.
This is not something she plans on doing again… Even if it was oddly enjoyable…
In fact, Princess Luna feels a little sleepy, herself. Perhaps she will take a short nap, just until her sister is ready to help her deal with what to do with the child next…
This is as good as any a place to sleep. It wouldn’t do to disrupt the young one’s sleep, lest it recommences its screaming.
As such, the Princess of the night puts her head down on the cushion, her neck grazing against your sleeping body.
She gives a final sigh before comfortably drifting off to sleep.
Author's Note
Hope you're enjoying it so far!
I gets better! I think it gets better, at least
Chapter 2: An Earthly Prison
Princess Luna awakens less than an hour later, her troubled mind not allowing her enough peace for a proper night’s rest.
This is most bizarre, Princess Luna thinks to herself, still with the baby human sleeping between her forelegs. She looks down upon the strange creature, not knowing what to think.
The fact that the baby human is still here right now means that the strange events of last night actually did occur. There really was a human found in a tree and it really is sleeping with the old mare. The past few months have been most surreal.
She has seen things most ponies don’t even dream about, and she would know, as she can explore other’s dreams. She has been all around the world in her youth. She has been to the moon and back, literally.
And now, she is witnessing the rebirth of a long extinct race. And she is not happy about it. And she’s growing more and more displeased as the seconds go by.
Of all extinct races, why is it that a human has returned? What deity is constantly seeking to punish her? She has made many mistakes in her life, she confesses, but does she deserve to be tortured for her entire existence? Can she not have a full year of peace?
Princess Luna has several memories of the human race, and none of them are fond. She feels disgusted to have her thoughts filled with such terrible memories, and even moreso when she looks down upon the human baby sleeping before her.
She knows all too well the horrors and violence that humans had a knack for enacting on the innocent creatures of old Equestria.
And, tragically, Luna appears to have a way with this young human. She despises the human for what it is empirically, wishing this creature would have magically appeared in a land far away, to grow up and wreak havoc on the opposite end of the globe.
Every glance at this tiny creature brings a terrible memory to the forefront of the old mare’s mind. The sooner she is rid of this thing, the better.
She is aware that she cannot blame a baby for the terrible acts of adults from thousands of years ago, but this baby’s appearance has brought many repressed memories to the forefront of the old mare’s mind.
A baby in itself is essentially harmless, but what this child represents is terrible and unwanted to Princess Luna. The question now is: What to do with it?
Princess Luna waits impatiently for her sister to wake up and raise the sun so she can be rid of this child for good. The sooner her sister wakes up, the sooner she can pass the human off on her.
Princess Celestia is a smart woman and she will know what to do when the time comes. Princess Luna cannot think to do anything with the baby than appease it. It’s a loud creature that she doesn’t wish to be around, but she is helpless.
She hasn’t spent this much time with anyone except her sister since her return to Equestria. For a human to be occupying this much of her time when she’d rather be alone frustrates the mare.
Princess Luna looks at the baby as it sleeps, its tiny form slightly illuminated by the fire still burning before them. Princess Luna only had memories of humans from when she was just a foal, so to her they were giants. How large this tiny creature will grow remains a mystery.
Princess Luna knows better than to look at the baby human and think it generally cute and innocent, as babies often appear. She knows this creature for what it is: a human.
And she knows humans to be vile and petty and cruel and have no regard for life inside and outside of their own race.
Humans killed humans. Humans killed ponies. Humans killed gryphons. Humans killed zebras. Humans killed everything, and Princess Luna knows this tiny creature will grow and do as the humans did.
She feels dirty for having such a creature in her home, and in her bedroom no less! If her childhood self could see her actions now, she would die of shock.
Alas, until she and her sister can determine what to do with the human, it appears that it will remain here. Her guards do not seem to possess this kind of maternal instinct Princess Luna has.
In all honesty, Princess Luna is stunned that she seems to have such a quality.
She knows herself to be… less warm, she thinks, than say, her sister Celestia. Princess Luna has scarcely been accused of being kind or good with children, if ever. She knows she isn’t an open, loveable mare, such as her sister. She knows the public opinion of her has always been that she is closed off, straightforward, and cold. She is aware of who she is.
Which makes it all the more surprising that this human seems to have temporarily attached itself to her. Perhaps it is because she carries similar characteristics in her personality to that of humans.
Perhaps this creature knows who she is at heart, and finds that appealing. She cannot say for certain what this evil creature thinks of her. She gazes down upon the baby, wondering what terrible thoughts are certainly coursing through its small mind.
==========
You open your eyes after a bomb ass nap, feeling rested as hell. This current surface and room you're in are much more comfortable than wherever the hell you were last night. It’s warm and soft and nice.
The dark face of God is before you, and that makes you happy. The blue orbs that are its eyes are staring into your soul, and that makes you happy too!
You are happy.
==========
“What art thou thinking, vile human?” Princess Luna whispers, glaring down upon you with a look that could kill, moving her face towards yours in an attempt to intimidate the inherently evil creature.
==========
The face of God is approaching! You must touch it!
==========
The Princess of the Night sees the hand of the human fast approaching her face, attempting to strike, but Princess Luna skillfully retreats out of range of the human’s attack, having expected it.
“Good attempt, foolish human,” Princess Luna boasts. “But We are much too clever for thee. And you - Stop smiling at once! - And you are but a simple fool, but that is to be expected from your kind.”
==========
The large face is making noises, but none of them are comprehensible. But, the face does look very pleased, and that makes you happy.
You feel attached to the large face, as your feelings of happiness and warmth have often coincided with the face being with you. The large creature is even better than you thought! You feel very safe to be with this loveable creature.
And as such, feeling exhausted after being awake for a few seconds, you drift back to sleep.
==========
“Even after thousands of years, ponies still remain the more clever species. That is, of course, to be expected. We ponies are more self aware than humans ever have been, praise the Gods. We-”
Princess Luna glances down upon the human child, noticing that it has, once again, fallen asleep.
“Wha- How dare you fall asleep while We are speaking, peasant!” Princess Luna gasps angrily, displeased with the human’s disobedience. “Such arrogance! We - You - We…! Ugh! We have not felt so disrespected in well over a millenia! How dare you come into Our room, take advantage of Our hospitality, and disrespect Us so handily!”
The human still shows his true nature by refusing to wake up and listen. This behavior would never be tolerable in her old kingdom! The fact her sister suggested that this human should remain in her home for any period of time is an insult!
“If We felt We could place you in the care of Captain Armor’s Royal Guard without them giving you right back to Us, We would! Remember that you are only here because of the incompetence of others, child, nothing more! You are quickly wearing out your welcome!”
The human continues to not care, fast asleep.
Princess Luna steams in silence, furious with the human, having confirmed her prior thoughts of the race being selfish and disrespectful. The sooner her sister awakens and figures out where to ship the human off to, the better.
The Princess considers marching to her sister’s room now, waking her, and passing the child off on her. Princess Luna is not accustomed to such deplorable behavior, and does not wish to deal with this disobedient peasant anymore.
Princess Luna gazes angrily down at the little human, sleeping smugly and happily with the knowledge he temporarily defeated Princess Luna. Her hatred for the human grows more with each passing second. If she believed it wouldn’t start screaming again, she would move from her current position in order to break physical contact with it.
Perhaps that would be a good idea, actually. It wouldn’t do to sit here with the human and slowly become angrier and angrier.
Because Princess Luna feels so dirty by simply being in the presence of this human, Princess Luna feels a strong urge to bathe and physically cleanse herself from the dirt and grime this human has surely rubbed off on her. So that is precisely what she shall do.
“Now, unnamed tiny human,” Princess Luna begins, attempting to reason with the human before it has a chance to scream as it was last night. “We will be excusing ourselves for several moments in order to bathe in the waterfall machine Our sister calls a ‘shower.’ In Our absence, We expect you to be on your best behavior, and nothing less will suffice if you wish to remain in Our company. Understood?”
Meanwhile, the baby before her remains fast asleep, unaware the giant dark creature is even saying anything. The room seems to darken as Princess Luna’s tone deepens, growing more serious.
“Your silence will be taken as an agreement, sir. We are aware humans rarely honored their word, but We expect obedience, henceforth! Any attempt at insurrection will be dealt with swiftly, and believe Us when we say, mercilessly… Understood?”
The baby does not make a move, still happily asleep.
“Very well… Now do not make any movements and do not make any sounds. We shall return when We are prepared.”
With that, Princess Luna eases you down from the sides of her forelegs onto her floor cushion before steadily standing up, making sure you don’t wake up and start screaming. It is a most terrible noise.
Having risen and fully removed herself from the floor cushion, she looks the human up and down one final time, making sure it hasn’t moved and hoping it doesn’t for a while. If it cries, it will cry alone, because now Princess Luna is removing herself to the bathroom.
==========
Life seems to get harder and harder as every second ticks by, Luna thinks, exhausted. After spending 1,000 years isolated on the moon, every tiny task of the average day takes 100% of her effort to accomplish.
When was it that life went wrong? When was it that life took a turn against her?
Princess Luna enters the bathroom, closing the door behind her, before approaching her long mirror. She hardly recognizes herself in so many ways. When she sees herself, she does not see Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria. She sees something else every time she looks up.
She sees Nightmare Moon, Destroyer of Harmony and all things good. When she smiles her teeth are razor sharp and covered in blood. Her pupils are long and thin like a snake. Her fur is not blue, but a deep black. Her cutie mark is purple instead of black. She does not find herself wearing her necklace, but battle armor.
If she does not see Nightmare Moon, then she sees an embarrassment. How a ruler like her could be so easily manipulated by petty jealousy now seems a mystery. How a strong warrior like her was so easily manipulated by evil forces now seems a mystery. How she spent 1,000 years on the moon, in the cold, with an evil spirit now seems a mystery. How she returned to Equestria and attempted to overthrow her dear sister once again now seems a mystery.
The mere fact this all occurred is a constant reminder that she is an embarrassment. She feels unfit to be Princess. She feels her subjects hate her. How can a pony openly commit treason and still be allowed to rule, they must wonder. She’s not fit to be our Princess! Send her back to the moon, the voices call in her head.
And she cannot find it within herself to truly fight back. She has nopony on her side, apart from her sister. She has only a fraction of the confidence she once had as a ruler. She defeated Discord! She ruled a small band of ponies that ultimately became the great empire of Equestria!
And now look at her...
She sees a weak, worthless, pathetic excuse for a Princess. She was once young and full of ambition. Now she feels old and worthless. Her subconscious is constantly wrestling over how she's supposed to view herself.
She does not see herself, and thus, cannot bear to look in the mirror any longer. She turns away from the glass and steps into her shower, running the hot water, alone with her thoughts.
This human appearing has done nothing to ease her burden of existing. If anything, it has added more stress unto her already torn apart life.
Princess Luna is going through a very difficult time. A lot has happened in the past few months for her, and she is having a great deal of trouble adjusting. Her life was turned upside down and then righted back up again. She isn’t sure what to think now, especially with this human having appeared.
Life is changing too quickly for the old mare to adapt. What can she do?
She feels as if she can do nothing. She does not feel in control of her own life. She’s a puppet, but she cannot tell who’s holding the strings.
She hopes to find a purpose in life very soon. Life is becoming a tremendous hassle in itself.
Princess Luna sticks her face under the showerhead, trying to forget about life for a while.
==========
For whatever reason, the face from earlier has disappeared, leaving you alone, but for now that’s just fine. You are comfy and content.
The room you’re in is pretty nice. It’s dark. That’s all you can really tell about it. There are some objects here but none of which are known to you.
None of them are moving, so that’s… good? You don’t know, you’re a baby. Nothing is really good or bad in life quite yet.
There’s an immense pressure in your belly, so you decide to squeeze it out. It’s the best choice you got.
After a few moments your belly feels much better, but now your bottom feels wet and heavy. It’s not a pleasing feeling. Now matter how much you wiggle, the feeling remains, and you feel helpless. You don’t like it.
You don’t like it a lot.
As such, you cry.
==========
Princess Luna’s thoughts of a faraway land are promptly disrupted by a sharp noise from outside her bathroom door.
“Waa! Waa! Waa!”
“What is that?” she asks herself, already knowing the answer but not wanting to admit it. How she hates that child. “It better not be that human! So help Us, if the human is-”
“Waa! Waa! Waa!”
“Cursed child,” she mumbles, shutting the water off. She steps out of the shower and dries herself off with a towel, glaring furiously at the wall as she does so. “We are not the child’s mother. We should not have to care for it. If We wanted a child, We’d have one. This thing is nothing more than a burden unto Us.”
She lights her towel on fire with her magic before throwing it into the toilet, frustrated with this child’s burdensome qualities.
She exits the bathroom, fuming, hearing the baby scream much louder now.
“Silence thy incessant crying, tiny potato!” Princess Luna bursts, greatly annoyed by the mere presence of a human, and even more annoyed by its frequent noise making. “Cease your terrible caterwauling at once!”
The baby refuses the listen and continues crying. Princess Luna is not used to dealing with such insubordination, so she isn’t too sure of what to do. She cannot allow this reckless behavior, but she cannot imprison a child.
“You dare disobey an order?” she asks in astonishment. “How dare you, sir! And what is that horrid stench?!”
==========
The face of God has reemerged, but now it’s incredibly angry. That makes you sad because you don’t like that. You don’t like that at all.
==========
Princess Luna magically grips the baby and picks it up, bringing it up to her face so she can reprimand it from a more threatening distance.
The baby continues to scream, never willing to listen to reason.
“You have officially worn out your welcome! For you to disturb a Princess of Equestria as you have is unforgivable! You are nothing- *sniff* Ew! Ew!”
The old mare moves the baby several feet away from her face.
“Have you defecated?” the Princess asks, getting a scream in response. “Surely you are upset, but to show your discontent in such a brazenly manner as defecating in Our chambers is unprecedented!”
The entire room has gone from smelling of lavender to feces! What an awful day this is continuing to become!
Princess Luna unwraps the blanket from around you, seeing the large brown stain on it.
“You have ruined a fine blanket!” the princess announces. “Surely you alone couldn’t have caused all this mess! There is so much!”
In disgust, the princess vanishes the ruined blanket directly to the dumpster downstairs while opening her windows, hoping to be rid of the smell.
In anger, the princess carries the baby into the bathroom, washing and drying its behind before wrapping it in a fresh towel.
“There are no diapers readily available in this bedroom,” she says, looking at the crying baby. “A towel will suffice for now, in case you decide to continue your treason. Hopefully you will be away from Us the next time this happens.”
The baby continues to cry in Luna’s grasp, making the old mare even more upset.
"This will be the last time We clean up after you, human," Luna swears.
With an angry sigh, she brings the baby back to the floor cushion before lying him down and sitting before him, rocking back and forth in the hopes the baby will shut up.
After several long minutes of the princess grumbling to herself about how she’s royalty and shouldn’t even be in this situation, the baby calms down enough to fall asleep again.
“This thing was sent from Tartarus,” the princess reasons, glaring down at its sleeping form. “How a creature can be so unreasonable and rude is beyond Us. Only a human could be so disagreeable!”
Princess Luna yawns, feeling properly exhausted; not because she’s been working, but just because she’s in the presence of one she dislikes. That is exhausting in itself.
Only a couple more hours to go until the sun is raised and she can find a way to get away from this baby.
==========
“It is finally time,” the princess announces, feeling happy for the first time all night. “Our sister is going to awaken any moment now, and We can be rid of you!”
She looks down at the baby, still sleeping as peacefully as he has since he was brought to Luna several hours beforehand.
“Now, We are going to go downstairs and wait for Celestia to awaken for breakfast. We will then discuss how to be rid of you. For that duration, you will be placed back in the care of Captain Armor’s guards, and you will be on your best behavior this time. Is that clear?”
==========
What a pleasant voice your God has. It makes you happy. You sure hope you get to spend the rest of forever in her company. Surely if she leaves you with those white creatures from yesterday you’ll lose your shit.
==========
“Very good,” the princess says. “Your disobedience will not be tolerated in public. We may allow you to act poorly in private, but those days are coming to an end. When we are seen in public, you will be quiet as the grave.”
The baby looks at the mare, having no idea what’s going on, but Princess Luna assumes it is accepting what she said and will obey.
“Let us be off, then."
==========
“Sister,” Luna begins, astonished. “Surely… Surely you are not suggesting for Us to raise and care for this human child!”
“It’s more of an order than a suggestion,” Celestia says, sipping at her tea while reading the morning’s newspaper, not paying too much mind to her sister.
“That is a ludicrous decision! Have you lost your senses after this long millenia? Surely that is the only explanation as to your poor judgment!”
How Celestia has missed her sister’s kind words of support.
“The child has nowhere to go,” Celestia explains calmly. “There is nopony else I trust to care for such a being, especially in these… unique circumstances.”
“And We are to be punished for this child’s appearance? We did not wish for the child to appear in Our garden! We do not have fond memories of humans, sister.”
“The last humans we met died thousands of years ago. There is no reason to expect this child will be anything like the extinct race we briefly knew.”
“There is no reason to expect this child will not be anything like those humans of old!”
“Really, Luna, do not be so narrow minded.”
“Narrow minded, you say? Forgive Us for wanting to protecting Ourselves and Our empire from a hateful race.”
“Those humans of old we briefly knew were of a dying breed. Their actions were committed in a desperate attempt to preserve their species.”
“At the expense of ours?!” Luna gasps, not believe her sister of all ponies could possibly be defending the actions of the evil creatures she was happy to watch die off and become extinct. If anypony in the world should despise the human race, as she does, it should be her sister! They are the only ponies still alive who have witnessed their cruelty!
“I am not defending them, sister,” Celestia says, turning the page in the newspaper. “I am merely offering an explanation as to their… rash actions of the distant past.”
“Rash actions is certainly one way to describe it! That vile race nearly cost us our lives, sister! In case you cannot recall! And now you wish for Us to care for the child alone? Unbelievable! We will not do it!”
Celestia sighs calmly, expecting this reaction from her sister. She takes one final sip of her tea before putting the cup and her paper down, ready to give her younger sister a talk, reminding her that she is the wiser of the two sisters.
“It does not matter what you say,” Luna quickly defends, trying to stop Celestia from talking to her as the big sister she has always been. How she dreads be lectured to by her older sister! “We have refused your order and will continue to do so.”
“You are looking at this all wrong, dear,” Celestia coos, trying to calm her overwhelmed sister. “Since-”
“We most certainly are not!” Luna exclaims in frustrated anger. “We-”
“I am speaking!” Celestia glares, eyes narrowed, silencing her younger sister. She may be a princess, but she is the younger sister, and she will listen.
“Apologies…” Luna grumbles, not truly feeling sorry. She feels more annoyed than anything else. She’s thousands of years old, and is still treated as the little sister who doesn’t know anything.
Celestia recomposes herself before continuing. “Since you have returned to me, I have been trying to give you time to readjust to this new era. I have no idea the trauma you faced, I have no idea what you’ve been through, but I want to help.”
Celestia places a caring hoof on her sister’s. Luna glances at the hoof, frustrated with how sincere her sister is trying to be. She is tired and angry and wants to be alone.
“I have seen you moping about, not doing anything, spending too much time on your own. That is not healthy, especially given you have just returned from a very long and lonely exile. You should spend time with someone.”
“Our time does not need to be occupied with children,” Luna grumbles, moving her hoof away from her sister’s. “We cannot stand children. We detest humans. Thus, We will surely despise human children.”
“You judge him too quickly. He has not been with us for more than 12 hours. Has he done something to offend you? From what I can tell, he doesn’t move about very often. Has he insulted you? He doesn’t appear much for conversation,” Celestia teases.
“He…” Luna starts, but is unable to come up with a concrete example of an offense the human has given, making her even more frustrated. “We find him loud, obnoxious, and disobedient.”
“You will find that of most children,” Celestia smirks.
“Then perhaps Our company is best spent with a more mature individual. Preferably a pony.”
“No offense, Luna, but you’re not the most agreeable of ponies,” Celestia observes. “Whoever is theoretically sent to be your confidant, you will grow tired of or, more likely, they will grow tired of you within a month.”
Luna pouts, even more offended than she was when this conversation started! She feels helpless arguing against her sister, knowing she will lose, but she fights anyway. It is her nature.
“Care to tell me I’m wrong?” Celestia asks, knowing Luna will do no such thing.
“We do not,” Luna mutters.
“This child will listen to whatever you care to talk about. This child will grow to love you and be obedient to you. This child will offer you companionship and friendship, as you will soon discover, if you give it the chance. Without the child you will continue to mope and sink further and further into depression, and I will not allow that!”
Celestia scoots closer to her pouting sister, wrapping her up in a hug with her giant white wing, bringing her in close. Luna pays her sister no mind, feeling helpless and seething with quiet anger.
“I care for you Luna,” Celestia whispers, nuzzling her sister with her soft, furry cheek against hers. “I care for you more than you will probably ever realize. I’m sure that’s hard for you to believe… I don’t want you to be sad. I don’t want you to look at your own past and feel anger or disappointment. I want my sister back…”
“Give Us more responsibilities then,” Luna reasons out loud. “We will return to Our old selves after resuming Our work ethic.”
“Drowning yourself in work will not assuage your depression. Giving you more tasks to accomplish before becoming accustomed to these modern times would be foolish of me, anyway. Being surrounded by friends and loved ones will make you happy, I promise it.”
“Surely you do not mean that. You cannot mean to imply that happiness is merely the pleasing of the senses. Philosophically, sister, happiness-”
“Yes, yes, in the long term, perhaps,” Celestia cuts off, stopping her sister from dragging her into another argument. “Feel free to chase long term happiness from however you believe it to be attainable. But for now, you will do as I say.”
As always, Luna mopes internally.
“I promise you, sister, if this child does not improve your life, I will find another to care for him. But I know that won’t happen. I know I am right. I know you will find a life long friend in that child, and together, you will be happy in this modern world.”
“If We do not grow to care for the human,” Luna reasons, “how long until his care is forced upon some other unfortunate soul?”
“That will be for me to decide,” Celestia determines, knowing her sister is trying to get out of this situation. “You will at least try to be friendly with the child, Luna, or I will know the reason why… Please trust me, sister. I know I only made this decision this morning, but I truly feel it to be correct. Do you think I would do something against your best wishes?”
“It has been done before,” Luna grumbles without thinking.
Celestia’s wing loosens around her sister’s back, with Celestia feeling properly embarrassed and Luna regretting her quick, sarcastic comment the moment it left her mouth.
“We did not mean it, sister,” Luna bows her head in shame.
“I can apologize from now to the day I die,” Celestia says, “and I know that still won’t be enough… I reacted quickly and harshly to an unknown situation, and it cost you 1,000 years.”
“Please forget we said anything,” Luna begs, remembering the night she returned to Equestria. She and her sister spent nearly 48 consecutive hours together in Celestia’s chambers, crying and apologizing and forgiving each other for events that occurred a millenia ago. She wants those events to be behind her. “We did not mean it. We are… frustrated. Very frustrated and upset at the return of a species that caused us so much pain.”
“They did,” Celestia agrees, wrapping her sister back up again in her wing, but this time, Luna happily accepts it, leaning into the larger white body. “But they are gone. This child is not them. This child will be with you. He will be with ponies. He will grow to love and be loved, as ponies do. He will be nothing like the humans of old because he is not the humans of old. He will be a good man. And he will be so by your side.”
“...Yes, sister,” Luna mumbles, resigning herself to her fate. Luna knows her big sister brought up some excellent points, and knows her own frustration and anger only further prove her sister to be right, for if she was truly correct, she would not become frustrated for there would be no need. “As you wish…”
“And you won’t be alone with this task. I will be by your side the whole time. This will be fun, sister, if you allow it to be. It will be hard, of course, but it won’t be the hardest thing you’ve done. You’ve defeated Discord! You’ve fought wars! You built an empire that has stood for thousands of years!”
Celestia says these things in order to boost her younger sister’s confidence, which she desperately needs. And, judging by the slight smirk on Luna’s face that she is unsuccessfully hiding, she knows her strategy is working.
“How hard could dealing with a human baby be?” Celestia ask sarcastically. “You are a conquerer. You are a leader. You can do anything you want to, sister.”
Luna says nothing, simply silently agreeing with her sister’s words of encouragement, knowing them to be true. Luna has never backed down from any challenge, and if this is the challenge she faces, she will tackle it with the ferocity and determination she has wielded in every other facet of her life.
“So, please, give this a try… For me, if nothing else.”
“Very well,” Luna breathes, feeling a true confidence she hasn’t felt in a millenia. However, she still doesn’t wish to appear pleased in any way whatsoever, lest her sister starts feeling more confident in bossing Luna around as she pleases. Thus, she tries to keep a straight face.
Celestia beams, looking down upon her sister and feeling happier than she has in quite some time. It’s much harder to convince Luna to do something she doesn’t want to than most probably think. If it wasn’t for Celestia being the older sister, she doubts she would’ve even gotten Luna to listen to her in the first place.
Celestia reaches down and kisses her sister’s cheek, appreciating her for keeping an open mind, even if she doesn’t appear especially pleased by the decision.
“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia says, kissing her sister again. “Thank you. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”
“We must confess,” Luna admits, embarrassed by the affection her sister is showing, “We do not… know how to care for a… child.”
“Surely knowledge of everything comes naturally,” Celestia muses. “The only way to learn anything is through experience. I will have somepony care for the child while you get some rest, dear.”
“I thought we were to care for the child together, sister?”
“Hmm? Yes, yes, of course, I’ll personally watch the child whilst you rest. That’s what I said.”
“You said-”
“Sleep well, sweet sister!” Celestia exclaims, ushering her sister off to bed. “We shall see you when you awaken. Sleep well!”
Princess Luna walks out of the Dining Room, more than ready to rest her weary mind for a while, and attempt to mentally prepare for the future while she can. She feels defeated as she didn’t get her way, but motivated at the same time, feeling less anxious about the uncertain future.
Perhaps everything, like her sister said, will work out just fine.
Even though she found encouragement in her sister’s words, she is not thrilled with the idea of dealing with a human. She is unsure if a soul determines its personality and values from nature or nurture.
Does her raising the child determine its character and values? If she brings this child under her wing, will it be like her?
Or is the child fundamentally human, and will it act as the humans did?
She hopes, for Equestria’s sake, the former is true. If she can raise the child the way she wants to, it may just have a chance at becoming as normal and as caring as a pony.
Princess Luna is nervous about the future, but is determined to make it work. It has to work.
==========
“Phew!” Celestia breathes, now that her sister is gone. That could’ve gone much worse. Dealing with her sister is tough, as it always has been, so she’s thankful she got that out of the way.
Celestia knows this to be the right thing. It’s just a gut feeling she’s got. And really, what else is there realistically to do with a human child? Give it to someone else? That’s preposterous.
Just in case her sister’s fears are realized and the human does grow old to be evil, it’ll be best to keep a close eye on it.
If her sister is wrong and the baby grows to be a loving human, as she assumes it will, it will give her sister a friend for a lifetime, which is something she desperately needs at this point in life.
She knows her sister can raise that child and is certain it will grow to love her and be a loyal friend to her for its lifetime. Nobody who is already grown could possibly deal with her sister and her problems. But a newborn baby growing up in her care? No problem.
Princess Celestia smiles and mentally pats herself on the back for another great idea.
Princess Celestia half raised Twilight Sparkle, and just look at that young mare! She is growing into an upstanding, respectable, phenomenal woman. She is kind and smart and has saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia is proud of the mare she has taken under her wing.
She knows her younger sister can turn that human into just as respectable of a being. With Celestia’s help, Luna will succeed. She knows she will.
Celestia cannot explain it, but she knows Luna and the human will become great friends in time. Her sister may hate the child for what it is, but she has the opportunity to shape who he becomes, and that is far more important.
Perhaps rearing this child will teach her sister some patience. Celestia certainly hopes that’s a quality she learns, as she’s never had it.
It will be interesting to see what this child becomes, but even more interesting to see how this experience changes her sister over the next several decades. Motherhood, Celestia knows, has a habit of changing mares.
Princess Luna could be an excellent mother if she’s given the time to devote to the child, and Celestia intends to give her all the time in the world.
Princess Celestia knows she’s been victorious over her stubborn sister, and feels great in having done so.
Celestia takes another sip of her tea, flapping out her newspaper, feeling like a boss. If only she had some shades to put on to further demonstrate her pure swagger. She smiles to herself.
“Still got it.”
Author's Note
Chapter 3 hopefully to come soon, I've written about half of it already
