Sunset stifled a yawn once the TV-show was over.
Looking over at the clock showed the time to be 20:00.
Time to put the little one to bed.
Of course that was the easy part. The real challenge was to get her to actually sleep instead of sneak reading under her sheets.
Not that she complained after hearing the horror stories from other moms. Besides, it warmed her heart to see that her daughter had inherited her thirst for knowledge.
Sure enough, she found her reading using her bed as a desk.
“Phoenix, it’s time for bed.”
“But I just got to the exciting part!” the little girl complained.
“That’s the great thing about books, sweetie. You can always stop and continue some other time,” she chuckled and helped her daughter put a bookmark in. Then she put the book back on the shelf. “Besides, you need to sleep so you won’t feel tired at school tomorrow.”
She helped her brush her teeth and change into her pyjamas. Phoenix begrudgingly let her under silent protests, but when her mom put the blankets over her she pouted and crossed her arms.
“But I’m not tired!” she complained, despite the signs of tiredness plain on her face.
Deciding to humour her, she sat down beside the bed. “Then, can you think of anything that would help you sleep? And don’t say anything with books,” she added before Phoenix had a chance to speak.
Phoenix sank back into the bed with another frown on her face before brightening up. “Tell me a story!” she said.
“Story, huh?” She tapped her chin a few times as she thought. “Okay. Have I ever told you about Equestria before?”
Phoenix shook her head, ready to be enraptured.
“It’s a magical place, full of wonder and excitement beyond your wildest dreams. No humans live there. Instead, the inhabitants are magical ponies!”
“Like Lady Attercop?” Phoenix asked and held up her stuffed unicorn toy. The one she’d found at the store and absolutely refused to leave without.
“Exactly!” she said and booped her on the nose. “And ruling over them all was a wise, benevolent queen named Celestia. Her coat shined like ivory, and her hair, coloured with many hues, flowed by its own accord.”
“Wooow!”
“And do you know what they said about her?”
“Ponies don’t talk, mommy,” Phoenix giggled.
“Hey, I told you they’re magical, didn’t I?” she replied and gave her another boop on the nose. “Now where was I…? Oh, right!
But she did not just rule over Equestria. She also used her great Alicorn powers to raise and lower the sun every day. Akin to a goddess, every pony loved and looked up to her. And she in turn saw every one of her subject as a mother would view her children.
But she did have a secret that she kept from them for generations. Do you know what it was?” Phoenix shook her head. “She was lonely. So very lonely…
You see, she once ruled together with her younger sister, but she… Disappeared long ago.”
“Like dad…?” Phoenix asked quietly.
“Yeah…” She replied and began stroking her hair. “Like dad…
Even though she loved her ponies, they were not immortal like she was. Eventually everyone that she knew would die, and so she kept her emotions hidden, making sure that no pony got too close to her.
However…!
Something happened that would forever change her life!”
“What was that, mommy?”
She smiled, seeing her daughter no longer so sad. She leaned in for a hug. “She found someone just as lonely as she was.
One day, when she was out on business through the streets, her ear caught the sound of something. Whisperings coming from a nearby alleyway. And in that alley she found a tiny filly, no older than you! Celestia asked her why she was all alone and the little filly replied that she had no one.”
“Really?” Phoenix asked. “Not even a mommy or daddy?”
She shook her head. “She was an orphan and never knew her parents. She lived at an orphanage in the city all her life, but ran away because the other children were mean to her.
So Celestia took pity on her. She realised how similar they were, and how they were both longing for something. She took her with her to the castle and made sure she got a hot bath and a proper meal. Living all alone on the streets had made the little filly awfully dirty, you see? And hungry!”
“What happened next?”
“Well. Since the filly was very scared to sleep alone, Celestia let her sleep in her room. They stayed up late, and talked and played until they both fell asleep from exhaustion. And that night, Celestia found out something about the little filly.”
“What?”
“That she was very gifted with magic. More gifted than any pony she had seen for hundreds of years. So she decided to make the little filly her personal student and teach her how to use her powers.
She also taught her how to act and behave around other ponies, and how to take care of herself.
For all intents and purposes, they became as close to being mother and daughter as you can be and loved each other dearly.”
“Awww! And then they lived happily ever after, right?”
“I’m afraid not, little one. As the little filly grew up, their relationship became more and more strained. Celestia became cold and unforgiving, ever criticising as she grew more distant. And the little filly, in turn became harder and more arrogant as her powers grew.”
“But why?” Phoenix cried. “You said they loved each other! What happened?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. Maybe Celestia just wasn’t cut out for raising a child. Maybe she forgot that she didn’t need to hide her true emotions around her. Maybe the filly grew up to be a really scary pony...
Whatever the reason, by the time the little filly had grown up, not a day went by without them fighting over something.
One day the fight got out of hand. It left both of them in tears, and the filly decided to leave. She found a magical mirror in a forgotten room and used her magic to open a portal to another world, where no ponies lived.”
Phoenix yawned, prompting her to tuck her in. “Why didn’t she go back? If they apologised… Didn’t they miss each other?”
“Of course they did. But the last fight they had was far too great. They said horrible things to each other that they never could take back. It would take a long time and many, many apologies to mend their relationship.
Besides, the portal closed behind her, and her magic vanished. It took many years before the portal opened again, and by that time, the filly had decided to stay there.”
“That wasn’t a happy ending…” Phoenix whined.
“I think it is,” she replied. “In its own way. The filly went through school, and with time she realised what a horrible person she had been and began to change for the better. She even had a daughter.”
“How do you know that, mommy?”
“Because, that little filly was me!” She smiled widely when she saw the shocked look on her daughter’s face. “And let me tell you. I don’t regret a thing. Because everything that happened eventually lead up to me having you!” She leaned in and hugged her as hard as she could.
“Don’t you miss your old home? And Celestia?” Phoenix asked when they separated from the hug.
“Sometimes… But right now I have more important things to think of. Like taking care of you!” She leaned in for a goodnight kiss. “I love you, bright beam.”
“I love you too, mommy.”
Sunset turned off the bedside lamp and began to walk to the door. While there, she turned back to her daughter one last time. “Think you’ll be able to sleep now?”
Phoenix nodded as she yawned. “Do you think I’ll ever get to see Equestria, mommy?”
“Maybe,” she replied. “When you’re older.”
She stayed at the door until she could see her daughter’s soft breathing and she was sure she was sound asleep. Satisfied, she closed the door so that some light could still come through incase she woke up.
