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