It sometimes takes one small gesture to make a difference in anypony. For Celestia, that has been part of her philosophy for thousands of years since her ascension. All that is what led to the denizens of Equestria to endearingly refer to her as mother. For her, it was title that she held with great pride and joy. Unbeknownst to them, it was one that brought her great sorrow.
Being an immortal alicorn of great power, one would that Celestia is without want. That was only half the truth. She was an altruistic ruler that even then has desires of a personal nature, just like everypony. One such desire was motherhood.
Throughout her long life, she longed to be a parent. She wanted to experience the joys bringing a foal into the world and raising it as her child. Knowing her immortality, the fear of outliving her mate, more so her offspring, frightened her to where she reluctantly chose to abstain from such desires, least she experiences perpetual heartbreak. As much as she tried to bury herself in her work, those thoughts never had and never will leave her.
Even then, she would one day surrender to her wish; Such as the day when she visited an orphanage. In what was intended to be a day of helping out her subjects turned into a day that she knew would eventually come to pass. A pegasus colt named Azure Glide caught the attention of the princess for his display of his dreams. The sight of which amused her greatly but there was an even bigger desire of his that saw all too well; The desire to be with a family, the longing for a dream. More importantly to Celestia, her desires had outweighed her fears of the outcome.
When she made the decision to adopt the young colt, she swore she never saw a smile more joyful than his. It meant the world to him that at long last, he’ll have a place to belong. For Celestia, her desire had at long last been fulfilled. Though his existence was readily known, he didn’t become the crown prince until his tenth birthday. But even then, Celestia never wished for him to be deified on the same level as she. She wanted him to have friends and chase his dreams, not being bogged down by special treatment.
On his eighteenth birthday, Celestia saw him old enough to Royal Guard Academy. As soon as Azure got the news, he nearly fainted with excitement. Seeing his eyes light up nearly as bright as the sun she raises brought a tear to her eye. His dream had become real and Celestia took great joy in seeing him happy.
On the first day of training, Azure knew that the road was long and difficult. He never expected it to be. There were times that he was tempted to quit but his will to see his journey through held him together. No matter how many times he got knocked flat on his flank, he always picked himself with determination that even made his instructors bat an eye. Though they knew full well that he was the crown prince, Azure, like all the other recruits, was just a bag of meat to them, though one with potential.
Soon enough, after a grueling five years of intense training, graduation came. Presiding over the ceremony was Celestia herself. One by one, the princess gave each and every graduate a medal to signify both their status and their brotherhood. When it was Azure’s turn to receive one, she briefly pause for a moment to look upon his face. There he was, face to face with his matriarch; nay, his mother. To him, her smile spoke a volume of pride, something he’ll always remember. Upon receiving his medal, Celestia followed it up with a kiss on his forehead. As much as he tried, he couldn’t hold back a swell of tears. It was the proudest moment of his life. At long last, his dream had finally been realized.
10 Years Later
Over the years that followed, Azure Glide grew more seasoned in his career. Since the ascension of Shining Armor to prince of the Crystal Empire following his marriage, the mantle of captain of the guard had been passed down to him. With that, he’s held the responsibility of Celestia’s security detail. Keeping an ever vigilant eye open, no threat escaped his sight. Soon however, he would come face to face with his greatest challenge.
While out on a routine night patrol with two of his best, he came across another guard, wounded and exhausted. Though his speech was frantic, one of the words that could be made out was ‘changelings’. Then, the eerie silence was broken by the faint sounds of buzzing off in the distance. There, Azure beheld an incoming swarm of changelings, all armed to the teeth. Aware of the approaching danger, he immediately starts rallying the guards for the defense. The bells rang and the battle began in earnest.
All throughout the castle grounds, fighting broke out sporadically. While the changelings had numbers on their side, the Royal Guard of Canterlot are amongst the finest warriors Equestria has to offer. Through rigorous training, the Royal Guard mounted a considerable defense, stalling the changelings at middle cloister.
Barking orders at his troops, Azure fought alongside them as the battle waged on. But then, his equine eyes caught the sight of a group of them buzzing towards the throne room. Not the one to doubt his mother’s might, Azure still feared the worst. He didn’t want to lose his mother and Equestria certainly can’t afford to lose her either. Putting his lieutenants, Sleepless and Mango, in charge, Azure dashed with great haste to the throne room, hoping his mother was safe and sound.
Nearing his goal, he heard a chaotic symphony of hisses and blasts of magic going off. The closer he got, the more hectic it became. As he arrived, he witnessed a lone changeling, a warlock, knock out the sun goddess with a blast of its own. The sight of harm being brought to his mother flooded his mind with shock and rage. No one hurts his mother and gets away with it.
Without a moment’s delay, he threw his spear with righteous fury at the aggressor, knocking aside any bug that got in his way. Just as he turned to face his foe, the warlock was struck down by the spear, piercing his dark heart. Stopping briefly to retrieve his weapon, Azure turned to face the group of insectoid assassins only to be struck in the shoulder by an arrow. Breathing deep and bracing for the pain, he yanked it out. But yet, something was amiss.
His body started to feel a bit weak as his wound began to sting. Upon closer inspection of the arrowhead, he saw a thin coating of a green substance. It didn’t take Azure too long to put two and two together and know what it was and the danger it posed to his mother. With his resolve strengthened and staring down the menacing eyes of his enemies, Azure let out a loud roar of defiance, charging towards their ranks and knocking them down.
The battle was intense as the crown prince took on a changeling swarm alone. The adrenaline was intoxicating, he couldn’t get enough of the thrill. But, as much as he enjoyed the battle, he had a responsibility to protect his mother, even with his very life. Anytime he saw any of them about to shoot an arrow, he would always block it with his body. The pain was immense and he grew ever so weak. Still, he fought through the pain and carried on. As far as he was concerned, Celestia’s safety was more important than his.
After another hour of fighting, the changelings resolve was broken and a retreat was ordered. Shortly after, the remaining invaders left and all was silent at the castle. Many were wounded and a few were not so fortunate. As Celestia regained consciousness, her eyes beheld a ruined throne room, littered with a few pieces of rubble and still bodies of the enemy. The only thing that stood out was her son, clad in armor, exhausted, and hooves trembling.
Just before he collapsed, she rushed to his side and cradled him in her hooves. To her horror, she saw him bloodied with arrows embedded in him. She gasped, shocked to see her son so gravely wounded. She couldn’t bear to see such a heartrending sight.
“Mother,” Her gaze was snapped to him as she heard Azure struggling to breathe. “Y-you’re s-safe.” In a haste, she used her magic to remove the arrows from his body and heal his wounds. Try as she might, her healing magics couldn’t close the wounds.
“No!” Gasped Celestia as her efforts were proven fruitless. “Why is this happening?!” Then, she felt the weak hoof of Azure gripping hers. His eyes locked on hers and they spelled fear and pain.
“Green Spider Venom.” Azure weakly answered. Upon the utterance of those words, Celestia knew what he was talking about. Green Spider Venom was magical in nature. As rare as it was, even the most potent of healing magics couldn’t cure it or mend any wound contaminated with it. With that knowledge, she knew that she was the intended target. Then and there, she knew her son was doomed.
“Why?” She sorrowfully asked as tears developed. “Why, my son?!”
“Because…” Azure spoke, wincing from the burning sensation of his lungs “a son would do anything for his mother. You gave me life all those years ago when you brought me in, treating me as if we were kin.” Coughing and wheezing, his body grew weaker and weaker. “Does it truly matter whether or not we're related by blood? You're my mother and I'll do anything to protect you, the mare that gave me hope.”
In that moment, Celestia experienced a flashback from dozens of years ago. It was of a young Azure when she first met him. Doing his mock drill and ceremony with a broom, it was the first time he displayed his courage. Here, he displayed it in full, not just for the princess he was sworn to protect but for the one he considers family. For the first time in millennia, there wasn’t anything Celestia could do. The best she could do is comfort him while he still drew breath. Holding him tight, Celestia rocked him back and forth.
“Mom,” Gasped Azure, placing a hoof on her cheek. “Can you… sing for me? That lullaby from when I was young?”
It didn’t take the sun goddess long to know what he meant. She remembered first singing it to him when she brought him to the palace. Hearing it always lulled him into a peaceful sleep. Knowing how it always brought him peace as a colt, it was the most she could do to bring him peace with what little time they had left. Emotionally bracing herself, she began to sing the tune.
Rest now
It’s time to go to sleep
Let those heavy eyes relax
And let yourself drift off to slumberland
Wind down
When the sun brings forth the morn
And the birds chirp their song away
Then come the time to run and laugh and play.
Breathing deep, all was silent. Azure laid in his mother’s hooves, silent, calm, and clinging onto life. His face drew a smile and did she in return.
“Did I… do… good…”
His legs went limp and his body grew cold. The beating of his heart slowed down to nothing as he drew his last breath. All was silent and all was still. Azure Glide, Guard and adoptive son of the princess, was no more. Celestia could only but silently weep. Unbeknownst to her, a duo of guards observed the scene in shock of seeing their normally stoic matriarch grieve. Throughout her long life, Celestia yearned for the joys of motherhood. But, the fear of outliving her offspring turned her away from those aspirations. After finally seeing her wish granted, it was taken away from her after two decades. Such is the price of immortality.
A couple weeks after the siege, a funeral was held for Azure. Though it was a private affair, news of the prince's death was known throughout Equestria. In attendance were the royal cabinet, some of Azure’s fellow guards, Cadence, Shining, and Twilight and her friends. It was quiet and somber as ponies close to him bid their farewells.
For Celestia, apart from a heartfelt eulogy, said hardly anything. As the casket was lowered, she hung her head and walked away. As much as the various ponies wanted to console their grieving leader, Luna made sure her sister had room to herself. Everypony understood and respected her wishes as she retired to her quarters earlier than normal, stepping out only to raise the sun.
She had trouble falling to sleep that night. Her mind was overwhelmed by a flurry of emotions. All throughout the night, she sobbed sporadically, yearning for her son to come back. Alas, such pleas were futile. Soon, her eyes grew heavy and her mind relaxed as she began to fall into slumber. But then, she didn’t. Strangely enough, she still felt relaxed. With a momentary blink of her eyes, she beheld a sight that instilled a momentary pause.
“Mommy, did I do good?”
She couldn’t believe her immortal eyes. Standing before her was her son, Azure Glide, albeit the same age as when she first met him. He died in her hooves and yet stands before her as if time had gone backwards. Whatever the cause might be was irrelevant to her. All that mattered for Celestia was the joy of seeing him again, even if it’s for one last time.
Nodding her head, Celestia beckons Azure onto the bed and wraps him in her signature embrace; hooves, wings, and all. The comfort had at last put her mind at ease. Even then, she remembered his question and already knew the answer as they fell asleep.
“Yes, my son. You did good.”
Author's Note
Well, all good things must come to an end. So it must be said for my little Momlestia Trilogy. I've had a blast writing these stories and I hope to write more later on down the line. TBH, I've never expected such good reception to the last two Momlestia stories I've written. But, the world has a way of surprising us. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story, whether or not you've cried while reading it.
Oh, be sure to listen to this ditty:
