Chapter 4: Promises

~*~

Present Day - Evening

A few minutes after her daughter exited the bedroom, Celestia silently trotted up to the door and laid her ear against the cold oak, listening intently to the noises emanating from outside. She waited for a few moments, listening to the sound of hoofsteps dissipating into nothing, before opening her door and trotting out into the winding stairwell. The Princess descended the stairs to the ground level, unsurprisingly startling the Solar Guards standing at the entrance, and began to trot down the hall. A little later, the hall changed to the outside... then back to another hall... and back outside. On any other day, Celestia would be precise in where she was going. However, this wasn’t any other day.

The trotting continued, sending the Princess through some well used areas, as well as some that had not been used in quite some time. Her hooves connected to the marble floors and concrete in the same monotonous beat, never changing, never stopping. A few ponies that she passed did bow in respect, but she didn’t say anything in return. Not even a warm smile appeared on her face as she passed by. It continued for a while, always moving, never speaking. That was, until her hooves came to a sudden stop.

Celestia breathed deeply, though not from physical exhaustion, but from heavy meditation. She opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings with a clear mind, only to quickly close them again. The Princess cringed slightly as thoughts clambered back into her head, though this time most were filled with criticism and disappointment from the rational part of her mentality. After settling her thoughts again, she opened her eyes and gazed upon the cause of her grief standing before her.

The gate that led into the Royal Gardens.

Celestia began to wonder why she was standing there as reminiscent memories slowly began to surface into her conscious. She fidgeted, contemplating on whether to enter or just to get away and put as much distance between herself and the daunting place. The alicorn, though still thinking it was idiotic of herself, made her decision and finally opened the gates with her magic. The cool evening breeze greeted her, enticing her with its cool touch, tempting her to travel through the gates. She shivered slightly as she entered the seemingly peaceful forest, only for her body to suddenly go off the path into the trees. She trotted through them, taking wild turns to avoid the places where she couldn't get past. Celestia soon realized where she was going, but she didn't try to stop herself. Instead, she had a small feeling of nostalgia building up inside her chest as she continued to cut through the forest. When a break in the trees became visible, her body responded and quickened its pace, continuing towards the clearing.

Though it was nice to finally be out of the forest, where she stood now made her come to a complete standstill, making her feel like she had faced a cockatrice that turned her into stone. She hadn't been to the particular area for years, but it was in the same condition as it had been then. Celestia made a mental note to thank the gardeners for keeping the place well kept after all these years. The place was as colorful as it had always been, though maybe a little more colorful than before, especially the valley that spanned out from the edge. The forest and grasslands down below made the valley have a nice green color, while other prominent colors reflected off of other entities, making the view even more bedazzling.

A bench was conveniently placed close to the edge, letting the viewers observe the beauty down below in comfort. Memories clambered into Celestia's mind while looking at the bench, but she pushed them to the side and trotted towards it. She turned and slowly sat down, making sure that she was comfortable before relaxing under the warmth of the setting sun. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, making herself even more content. The alicorn, though indulged in the bench, felt that there was something missing. Unfortunately, the missing piece can't be replaced, nor is it even possible, but it didn't bother her enough to be worried about it. She slightly cracked open her eyelids and looked out over the edge, gazing at the masterpiece laid before her. The sunset made the valley even more mystical, turning every color into more luscious, solid colors. It was beautiful.

"You were right," Celestia whispered to herself.

She continued to gaze out in the distance as the sun slowly sank down behind the mountain, turning the sky into darker shades of pink and purple. She had always loved watching the sunset. It made everything seem calm, almost as if the world was, for a moment, at peace.

Yet, it was painful at the same time.

A tear rolled down the Princess' cheek as she continued to watch the sky turn into a beautiful twilight. The sun soon began to tug at her, letting her know that it was time for her to let it set. But she just sat there, unfazed by the sun's actions. Now a little irritated from the ignorance, the sun pulled harder. Still, Celestia did nothing. The sun, now realizing that its efforts were going to be futile, gave up and silently waited for the Princess to come back to reality.

Celestia let out a long, sorrowful sigh and slowly got up unto her hooves. She then turned her focus to the eager sun and lowered it, making the last of its light disappear. The moon then raised up in the opposite horizon soon and replaced the sun's light with its own, making things seem much more serene under its soft glow. The valley, though now that it had lost its colors, was still beautiful to look at. Reluctantly, the Princess turned and trotted out of the area from where she entered and, soon after, out of the Garden. It didn't take as long to get to her bedroom as it did to get down to the Garden, but part of that was due to her being lost in thought and wandering around the castle.

She went into her room and towards her bed, intending to go to sleep, until a knock stopped her in her tracks. She turned her head towards the door, slightly irritated, and asked, "Who is it?"

A cheerful voice sang through the door in response, "It's meee. Are you ready for our little get-together?"

Celestia smacked a hoof to her face. 'And I was about to go to bed...' She brought her hoof down and replied, "Just a moment. I'll be out shortly."

"Okay. Don't take too long!" the voice quickly replied before falling silent.

The alicorn then went into her bathroom, made some last minute check-ups, and exited. She opened her bedroom door to a beaming Twilight. "There you are! Good to go?"

Celestia smiled down to the ecstatic unicorn. "Of course. Did you let Luna know about our plans?"

“Yep! She's waiting in the Observatory," Twilight's smile then faltered a little as she continued, "Though she explicitly told me at how long she's been waiting to do this..."

The Princess rolled her eyes at the comment. That was what Luna would do, including to the people close to her. "I'm certain that she was only teasing you. She always would exaggerate about how we will punish her with the smallest things." Her daughter gave her dubious look. Apparently, this was the first time she had learned about the other part of Luna, at least the side that is kept well hidden. Celestia caught the look, and with a heartwarming smile said, "Trust me I've lived with her for countless years."

Apparently taking comfort in the reassurance, Twilight's smile once again covered her muzzle. "Thanks for letting me know she does that. I seriously thought that she was irritated at how long it took me to plan on coming up here."

The alicorn gave a chuckle. "She is exceptionally good at keeping a serious face." She then turned her head towards the door and continued, "Though I don't wish to keep her waiting any longer than necessary."

Twilight, taking the hint, jumped into the air with a grin. "Okay!"

The two trotted down the spiral staircase, Twilight in front with Celestia in tow. Celestia slowed her pace when the pair got to the bottom, letting her have some time to think. She was smiling as she watched Twilight trot happily down the corridor, noticing that she was trying her best not to gallop at full speed to their destination. The unicorn, however, wasn't paying heed to where she was going and crashed into a suit of armor, causing it crumble down on top of her. Twilight poked her head out of the mess and gazed dazedly around the room, only to stop when she saw that Celestia was watching her. She gave a sheepish smile when Celestia rolled her eyes and heaved herself out of the armor. The unicorn quickly reassembled the armor back to its former form and continued with her excited trotting, acting like nothing had happened.

The alicorn shook her head at her daughter, though a smile showed on her face. About ten minutes later, the pair reached the door of the Castle's observatory. Twilight turned her head back to her mother with a look of a child that was about to enter a candy store. Celestia, with the usual warm smile, nodded back in response. Seeming that she couldn't even be happier, Twilight turned her head towards the door and pushed it open with all of her strength. The door slammed against the wall, making the waiting Princess of the Night inside jump in surprise with a "gah!"

Celestia chuckled and trotted in after Twilight, addressing her sister, "Hello Luna. Did you sleep well?"

Recovering from the unexpected surprise, Luna looked over at her sister with a smile and replied, "I did. In fact, I believe that it was the best sleep I had in awhile."

The Princess of the Day then gave a simple nod and said, "I take it that you're ready for the evening?"

Luna gave a nod in return. "I believe I am."

Celestia looked towards Twilight, slightly cocking her head to the side and raising her eyebrow. Her staring continued for a few short minutes before the purple unicorn shifted uncomfortably, as if she was caught doing something that she knew she shouldn't have done. Finally, Twilight decided to ask, "Um... Did I do something wrong?"

The white alicorn continued with her somewhat vacant stare while asking in return, "How are you supposed to fly without wings?"

Luna snickered as Twilight's cheeks turned into a deep red. "Oh! Right." She then stood up straight and focused on her magic. "Hold on a sec."

Celestia broke from her staring with a small smirk and trotted up to Luna, standing by her side, as Twilight began to cast a spell upon herself. A small pop filled the room along with a flash, leaving Twilight standing there in her original regal form. "Okay, now I'm ready."

The Princesses simultaneously nodded in response and the three alicorns trotted out onto the balcony. Luna looked up to the sky and smiled, apparently taking comfort in her moonlight's embrace. Twilight trotted up to the edge and peered over the railing, which emanated a gulp of fear. Celestia heard the noise and trotted up to her daughter, asking, "Are you alright?"

The purple alicorn's fur was noticeably lighter in color and she was apparently having a hard time keeping her balance. Taking a breath, Twilight slowly nodded, "Yeah..." She then took her eyes of the ground below and looked up to her mother, attempting to give a reassuring smile as she said, "It's been a while, though."

"Indeed, it has been too long," Luna concurred, stretching her wings to prove her point.

Celestia shook her head at her sister and looked back to her daughter with a concerned expression. "You don't have to do this tonight. We can try for another evening," she said in a comforting tone.

Twilight looked between her mother and aunt, taking in her mom's expression of concern and her aunt's expression of slight annoyance. Finally, she shook her head at the offer and sighed, "No. I want to do this."

Luna smiled brightly at the answer. "Then I shall see you two in the sky."

The dark alicorn then leaped into the air and plummeted towards the earth in a nosedive, smiling from the adrenaline coursing through her body. She kept her wings to her sides for longer than what was considered safe and kept falling. When it seemed certain that she was intending to kill herself, she gave a powerful flap with her wings and pulled up sharply, brushing her stomach against the grass. Twilight gave a small scream while Celestia rolled her eyes. The white alicorn had learned that Luna would always find ways to show off, no matter who her audience was.

Celestia looked over to Twilight and gave a reassuring smile. "Go on. You'll do fine. I promise." Then she added, "just don't follow my sister's lead."

The purple alicorn turned her gaze to her mother with fear. The fear on her face slowly melted away as she took comfort in the white alicorn's smile. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and finally gave a hard nod. Twilight then opened her eyes and jumped over the railing, falling in the same form as Luna. She opened her wings when she was halfway down the mountain and soared after her waiting aunt, who was hovering in the air.

Celestia watched as her sister and daughter soared through the air in a grace that would have put any pegasus to shame. She smiled to herself as a thought came across her mind. 'Well Phoenix, I've kept my promise,' she thought, before leaping after the two alicorns that were waiting for her to join them in the night of flight.

~*~

Twenty-Four Years Prior

"Phoenix?"

Celestia was standing in a dark void that expanded endlessly all around her. She couldn't even tell what she was standing on since the ground seemed to be nonexistent, but it was solid at the same time. BesidesCelestia's coat, mane, and tail, there wasn't any kind of color present in the place, onlya pure black that was neither comforting nor daunting. It was just there. But the odd feeling of familiarity emanated from beyond the darkness. The alicorn knew that this was usually how her memory of the Everfree castle started, but that was when she had nopony to be there for her. At least, before she met Phoenix. But she hadn't had the nightmare during the time that they had been friends. So, all Celestia could think was, ‘Why?’

As if on cue, the darkness quickly crept away from where Celestia was staring at, making a large hallway in front of her. Though slightly startled, the Princess began to trot down the newly formed hallway and, to her dismay, heard whispering. She stopped for a moment to try to decipher what was being said, but couldn't make out the individual words. With a small, deep breath, she continued on with her trotting. As she continued, the voices grew louder with each step, and she identified that both of the speakers were mares. One mare then began to produce a laugh that sent the alicorn into a full stop. A shiver ran down her spine as the laugh resonated down the dark hall, making it louder with each passing second. The laugh was dark, heartless.

A laugh that the alicorn knew all too well.

Shaking her head, Celestia slowly trotted down the hall, though trying not to make any noise from her hooves hitting the floor. The darkness around her, as expected, turned into a foreboding entity after the laugh receded, as if something was toying with its prey before it made the final attack. The end of the hallway came into view and the voices were perfectly audible to the Princess. Celestia approached the wall of the ethereal darkness. Then, a familiar sensation shot through her body, just like the feeling from nearly a thousand years ago. The alicorn felt her hooves shaking and her body weaken as she continued to approach the wall. When she finally arrived at her destination, the hallway and the walls surrounding her dissipated, leaving the trembling alicorn at a terribly familiar place.

She was at the castle ruins in the Everfree Forest.

She stood motionless for a couple of minutes as the shock from the revelation receded from her body. "I should have expected this. Especially with how many times I went through this," Celestia groaned to herself, shaking her head.

Celestia then trotted up to the castle and pushed herself towards the entrance. Right when she entered, the shadow of Luna, or Nightmare Moon, in this case, was galloping towards the opposite end of the hall where the shadow of Celestia herself was standing with the Elements of Harmony. The alicorn felt a tear run down her cheek as she watched the rainbow crash down onto Nightmare Moon and heard the screaming coming from where she once stood. The screaming... oh how she wished that she could stop the pain tormenting her former sister. But Celestia stood her ground, knowing that no matter what she did, she couldn't change the outcome. She had tried many times before.

She followed her shadow out into the open and watched as she looked up into the sky. Celestia knew all too well of what would happen next. She would cry for what she just did and from the realization that she had banished the one pony that cared for her. 'I don't understand. I found somepony that cares for me. Why am I still having this nightmare?' Celestia thought as she watched her shadow weep in the grass. Normally this was where the dream ended and she would wake up in her warm bed, but this one was different.

The dream world collapsed into billions of pieces, making the Princess fall into the dark void.

Celestia panicked and flailed her hooves in all kinds of directions while screaming and twirling into the emptiness that was waiting to consume her, but never did. While falling, the alicorn remembered the lessons she learned from her flying instructor about what to do if she was in a situation like this. So, while going through the steps, she turned over until she was upright and quickly stretched out her wings. The effects were instantaneous and she was now soaring through the dark void, with the pieces of the dream world still surrounding her. It only lasted for a few moments before the pieces of the dream world surrounding her swirled into a chaotic tornado of colors. The colors in the tornado began to shift into brighter, luscious colors that, to Celestia, were extremely familiar. Then, as the tornado spun faster, a force began to pull on the flying alicorn, making her go into a standstill in the air. The colors began to blur into each other, making the tornado look like it was forming solid walls. The bottom of the swirling mass began to close into the center and, unexpectedly, raise up to the seemingly floating Princess. Then everything instantly stopped spinning. She was back at the Canterlot Castle.

Except it didn't look like it once used to.

Instead of having just the one throne standing at the end of the room, there were three. One was a dark blue and Celestia recognized it as Luna's throne. The third one, however, had many colors that were constantly swirling around, as if the throne had captured the colors of the rainbow and was storing it inside itself. It was beautiful, but at the same time it made Celestia confused. She knew that there were only three alicorns in existence, which were Luna, Cadence, and herself. Cadence had no intentions of being a Princess at the moment, so the extra throne just made the Princess of the Sun even more confused.

When she remembered that it's just a dream, Celestia sighed, turned, and trotted out of the Hall. Before she knew what was happening, the dream world sped into a blur and instantly stopped, leaving the alicorn outside her room. She stumbled from the sudden change of environment, but quickly recovered. She looked around to see if anything was different, but everything but her bedroom door had disappeared into the unearthly darkness. The Princess then turned her gaze back to the door and, to her surprise, it opened on its own, as if it was inviting her to come inside. Celestia cautiously trotted through the door, expecting something bad to happen due to the ominous feeling coming from inside her room. When she observed the bedroom, she took account of every detail, only to come across something that was completely unexpected. Her bedroom was almost exactly the same as the real one. The books and scrolls on the desk were in the same chaotic mess, her bed was properly made, the books on the shelves were still standing upright and dusted, and everything else was still left untouched. Everything. Except for one thing that wasn't there before, or ever was going to be there.

The multicolored cradle beside the bed.

Celestia shot out of her dream and, embarrassingly, out of her bed.

"What the ha- Celestia! What's wrong?! Where are you?!" Phoenix sleepily exclaimed when he felt that Celestia was no longer beside him.

Phoenix heard a groan emanating from the side of the bed where his lover once was. He quickly crawled to the edge and poked his head over, to which he then asked, "What happened? Are you okay?"

The alicorn mumbled, but the unicorn couldn't tell as to what she said. "What was that?"

"I'm fine," Celestia said in a louder tone, making sure that she didn't have to repeat herself.

Phoenix climbed off the bed and helped her up to her hooves. "What happened?"

Celestia sighed at the question, remembering why she fell off the bed in the first place. She kept quiet for half a minute until she finally replied, "I had a nightmare."

Phoenix furrowed his eyebrows together. "Must've been a pretty bad nightmare. Do you mind sharing what happened?" Celestia looked up at Phoenix in confusion until he continued with a shrug, "I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard that sharing your nightmares helps you feel better for the rest of the day."

Celestia nodded in slight understanding before looking away, contemplating at how she should share her dream. She turned her gaze back to the crimson unicorn, beginning her memory recall. "Well, it started off as a nightmare, but it then turned into something that... really surprised me. When it began..."

The alicorn told Phoenix about her dream, not leaving out any details, including the part of the extra throne and the cradle. He listened intently, nodding as he soaked in the spoken words. When she finished, Phoenix sat quietly on the floor, thinking over the details of the dream. After a few minutes, he looked over to the Princess, saying, "That's... interesting. But why would you wake up so abruptly for that?"

Celestia sighed in response. "I'm not as educated about the nature of dreams as my sister, but there was one thing that she always told me, which was 'Dreams don't occur for no reason. They always have a purpose, whether it be about your life or what will happen to you later on. It may be vague, but it actually contains a lot of information. It's just that we need to decipher its meaning.’"

"So... you're telling me that dreams happen for a reason?" Phoenix asked.

The alicorn nodded. "Yes, at least that's what my sister told me on countless occasions."

"And you woke up just because of the cradle?"

Again she nodded. "Yes, but it could be a symbol for a lot of things."

Phoenix thought for a moment, then asked, "Well, can you think of what your dream was trying to tell you?"

The Princess thought about the cradle and what it could possibly mean. But, just like the dark void in her dreams, her conclusions were empty. Celestia shook her head and said, "I can't think of what it could mean."

Phoenix let out a low hum as he, once again, went into deep thought. He thought over the analogy of dreams and tried to make connections with Celestia's dream, but he always came to one realization. The realization, as anypony would have stated, would be impossible. Or was it? He shook his head and sighed, "I can't think of one, either."

The alicorn gave another small smile, though slightly disappointed that neither of them could come up with something. "We'll figure this out when we have the time. For now, I must get ready for the day. It's going to be really busy for a while."

Phoenix cocked his eyebrow up in question. "Why's that?"

"Hmm... Well, we have to warn everypony in the castle about the upcoming attack. Also, while we're at it, we're going to arrange a meeting with the griffon leaders."

The unicorn brought a hoof to his face. "Oh! How could I forget?"

Celestia chuckled, "Don't worry about it." A couple of tugs came from the horizons, which made the Princess groan. To her, it was a reminder that she still had responsibilities as a Princess. She actually wanted to spend the day trying to analyzing the meaning of her dream with Phoenix, but she couldn't while there was a threat against her people. She sullenly got up and turned to the door of the balcony and, directing it to her lover, said, "Now if you'll excuse me."

Phoenix nodded in response as the alicorn went out unto the balcony and focused on her magic. He watched the dark mountains beginning to be more prominent as the sky began to have a tinge of orange. Finally, the sun appeared and bathed everything in it's bright, warm light. He gasped in awe. Though the land was beautiful, it wasn't what he was actually gasping at. Who knew that she glowed brightly when she was raising the sun?

When she finished, Celestia opened her eyes and turned to face her bed, only to find herself laughing. Phoenix had a look that was both dumbfounded and astonished at the same time. Not only that, but he was looking directly at her. The unicorn quickly closed his mouth and looked up to the ceiling, whistling a random tune. Celestia stifled her laughter, though wanting to laugh even harder, and said, "Phoenix, you don't have to do that."

Phoenix gazed back with a look of fake confusion. "Don't have to do what?"

The Princess rolled her eyes as she responded, "You don't have to be embarrassed for looking."

The unicorn gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm not used to being in a real relationship."

Celestia cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not your first marefriend?"

"W-what!? No! I mean, yes! Yes you are! I've never been with another mare!" Phoenix stammered, blushing deeply.

To his confusion, the alicorn was laying on the floor in hysterics. The stallion, now a little irritated, asked, "What's so funny?"

It took a few minutes for Celestia to calm herself down and respond with, "You're fun, Phoenix."

Phoenix gave a scowl in return and turned his attention to something else, though it was blatant that a small smile was playing at his lips. The alicorn shook her head and trotted into the bathroom. Before closing the door, Celestia turned to the stallion and stated, "I'll be in here for a few minutes."

Phoenix turned his gaze to the Princess and gave a nod. When the door closed, the unicorn got up from the bed and walked around the room, looking at the fine detail on the desk and going over the books in the book case. While inspecting one of the books, he heard a low humming coming from the bathroom door. Phoenix placed the book back in its original place and silently trotted to the door, placing his ear against the cool oak. Celestia was humming a tune that was beautiful, but had a hit of sadness intertwined within the notes. She then began to sing. He leaned in closer to listen to the lovely yet melancholy song and, to his surprise, heard what she was singing.

"...But into the stillness I'll bring you a song

And I will your company keep

Till your tired eyes and my lullabies

Have carried you softly to sleep

Once did a pony who shone like the sun

Look out on her kingdom and sigh

She smiled and said, "Surely, there is no pony

So lovely and so well beloved as I"

So great was her reign and so brilliant her glory

That long was the shadow she cast

Which fell dark upon the young sister she loved

And grew only darker as days and nights passed

Lullay moon princess, goodnight sister mine

And rest now in moonlight's embrace

Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth
Through cloud, and through sky, and through space

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Luna, you're loved so much more than you know

Forgive me for being so blind

Soon did that pony take notice that others

Did not give her sister her due

And neither had she loved her as she deserved

She watched as her sister's unhappiness grew..."

When Celestia fell silent, Phoenix felt a pang of sorrow in his chest as a tear rolled down his cheek. Part of him wanted her to keep singing, but he was already saddened by what he heard. "Celestia..." Phoenix sighed, lowering his head.

After a few moments, the alicorn exited the bathroom, wearing her regal vestments, and noticed that the stallion was standing a few feet before her. He had a glum look on his face as he stared at the floor. Also, to add to her shock, she noticed the streaks of wet marks on his cheeks. Worried, Celestia asked, "Phoenix?"

Phoenix shook his head sorrowfully. "I should have known..."

"Known? Known what?"

The unicorn swallowed and continued, "I should have known how... how much pain you were really in. You weren't just lonely, but saddened with how your life currently is, or was. I don't know how I missed it..." He fell silent.

Celestia went up to Phoenix and nuzzled his neck, trying to comfort him. "Shh... It's not your fault. I've been hiding it for years, so it doesn't surprise me that you just barely found out..." An idea came to her and she stepped back, asking, "How did you find out?"

The stallion looked up and replied, "I heard you singing."

The alicorn sighed and said, "I started to compose that song a long time ago. I was in so much pain back then that I didn't know what I'd do. It was so much that I wasn't a capable ruler." Celestia grimaced at the memory, but continued, "But when I started to write music, I began to feel... relieved. It felt like I was passing my sorrow to another object, hence how the song came into existence." She paused for a moment before saying, "It's actually still a work in progress."

"I still should have known," Phoenix countered.

Celestia shook her head and pulled Phoenix into a comforting hug. "It's okay, Phoenix. You've helped me in many ways more than just making sure that I wasn't feeling alone." She pulled him back so she could look at his face and smiled. "You helped remind me that I can find happiness again."

Phoenix smiled and, in return, gave her another hug, but in a more heartwarming way. "I'm glad that I can be of assistance."

This made the Princess laugh. "You are more than just a subject." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Phoenix."

He leaned in and pecked her on the lips. "I love you too."

~*~

Two Weeks Later

Celestia and Phoenix had arranged a meeting with the leaders of the Griffon Empire in a month. Also during the past two weeks, the Princess and her lover agreed to find ways to try to resolve the issues that spawned between the two nations with help from her ponies in the peace department. The weeks were going great since they had found a lot of solutions to most of the problems, but there was a drawback; Celestia was sick. And it wasn't just for a few days, either. Oddly, she would only get sick in the mornings and be fine for the rest of the day.

This morning, Celestia laid on her bed, not moving due to fear of having to rush to the bathroom. She was curled up in a ball, holding onto her stomach as it kept wrenching in anger. Phoenix sat beside her bed, looking at his beloved in concern and worry. He knew that he should keep quiet unless he wanted to experience the full wrath of the Royal Canterlot Voice for making inconvenient noises. It didn't help that her head was pounding to a constant beat, making her wince to every note. Finally, after a few minutes, the fire inside of her subsided as quickly as it had started. Celestia took in deep breaths, thankful that the few minutes of torment had passed. When she got up, Phoenix stated, "This has been happening each morning for the past two weeks." His tone then got stern, "You need to see a doctor."

Celestia went over to the bathroom and checked herself in the standing mirror, saying, "I agree. This sickness is getting tedious."

"Not only that, but I'm worried about you."

Phoenix trotted up beside Celestia and looked into the mirror with her. It was strange, really, to see a couple of the sort. Especially when one is taller and is the ruler of the sun and Equestria while the other is just some stallion. Phoenix smiled at the thought. 'Who knew?'

Celestia saw the smile and returned it with her own, before saying, "I'll arrange a check-up with the medical team in the castle."

The stallion was about to ask a question, but stopped himself before the words left his mouth, so he just gave a simple nod in approval.

The Princess then went back to go about her morning routine and got prepared for the day. Phoenix, on the other hand, just sat in a corner of the room, blatantly lost in his own thoughts. When she was ready, Celestia went up to the unicorn and asked, "What are you thinking about now?"

Phoenix shook his head and brought his mind back to reality while responding, "Oh you know, stuff."

The alicorn chuckled and said, "Well, I have to go to Day Court now, so I'll see you later on in the day when I'm finished. And I promise to see the doctors tonight."

"Alright then," Phoenix said, trotting up to Celestia and hugged her. "I love you. And I want to be sure that you're okay."

The Princess returned the hug and responded, "I love you too. And don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine."

~*~

Later That Evening

Doctors were lined up in Celestia's room, where all of them were standing before Celestia with straight and confused faces. Phoenix was standing by the bed while the Princess was laying down, not moving, not even blinking, as she stared at the ceiling. Even though he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, Phoenix settled on the one that mattered the most, and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Celestia didn't move. She couldn't move. She stayed in that position for a few long moments before whispering, "How is this possible?"

One of the doctors coughed. "That’s a good question. Nopony, not even us doctors, knew that this was possible. How it has occurred, though, will remain a mystery."

"I can think of a few reasons," Phoenix whispered to himself.

The alicorn finally turned and looked over all of the doctors. There were seven in total, but they are capable of working the same amount of time as twenty doctors, which is why they were chosen to be a part of the castle's medical team. Not to mention that they are brilliant in the field of medical study, which comforted the Princess to know that their diagnostics are very accurate. But this time, she hoped that they had a slight chance of being wrong. Only time would tell. She looked at all of them before saying, "I don't want anypony to know about this."

The doctors gave each other a confused look as some shot a glance over towards Phoenix. Celestia saw this and continued, "Don't worry. He won't tell anypony."

A few doctors gave a sigh of relief while others still gave worried glances over at the stallion, but they all soon nodded in understanding. Celestia smiled and told them all that they may leave. When they all left, the alicorn turned her attention to Phoenix, who was still staring at her with a worried expression. He then got up, climbed into the bed, and laid down on it, facing up, and gave a deep sigh. He then chuckled and said, "Well, that's unexpected."

He looked over to his lover, who was staring at him, but was thinking of something else. Phoenix propped himself up onto his side and rested his head on his hoof, watching her think. When she blinked back to reality, he once again asked, "Are you okay?"

Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, saying, "I'm okay. But I still don't understand how or why this happened."

Phoenix gave a frown and asked, "Could I have caused it?"

The alicorn gave a small laugh and answered, "Probably." She looked back up to the ceiling. "All we know at the moment is that I'm going to be a mother."

~*~

One Month Later

The change of seasons started about a week ago. Though the signs were miniscule, it soon became apparent as yellow, orange, and red spots appeared in the valley and grew, making the usual green disappear. Now the changes were becoming dominant, making the green seem like it was surrounded by a vast multi-colored ocean. The usual green was nice, but there was something about the different colors that appealed to Celestia, hence why Fall was her favorite time of the year.

The doctors have kept to their promise and kept quiet about the, well, 'unexpected occurrence', as they have come to call it. Nopony has come barging in, trying to ask questions about how she became pregnant or wanting to know who the father of the child was. At least the newspapers haven't found out about the truth.

The Princess and her lover were sitting on a bench at the edge of the Royal Garden, looking over the valley that was laid out before them. On occasion, the two would come to this particular area and relax, taking comfort in each others' presence. Phoenix was sitting in a peculiar fashion, letting his back hooves hang over the edge of the bench while he rested his forehooves on the back. Celestia was laying down beside him, resting her head on Phoenix's back legs, while watching the sunset. Phoenix brought down a hoof and stroked his lover's underside while watching the sun go behind the mountains.

Celestia closed her eyes and took comfort in the sensation. It was rare, but Celestia wondered what it would be like to be a mother. Her thoughts wandered to what it would be like to raise a foal and help it grow into a stallion or mare. It was a comforting thought, really, since now she had a chance to actually be a mother. A thought occurred and she couldn't keep herself from smiling. 'Cadence is going to love this.'

Phoenix stopped with the motion he was performing. "It's beautiful."

Celestia simply nodded in agreement, taking note that he was referring to the sunset. "I agree."

He turned his gaze to the alicorn laying beside him. "You know, I've always loved watching the sunset for one particular reason."

"Oh? And what is that one reason?"

"It's a reminder that opposite things can work together." He raised his hoof and pointed at the setting sun. "The sun brings light and warmth during the day," he then pointed at the opposite horizon while continuing, "and the moon brings its own light, but it doesn't warm us. It brings comfort so that we can sleep in peace." He lowered his hoof and looked down to his lover. "When the opposites work together," he raised his hooves and pointed in all directions, "something beautiful is created."

Celestia thought for a moment, thinking over the little analogy, and finally nodded. "That's an interesting way to put it."

Phoenix chuckled, "Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but it's how I think about the sun and moon working together."

The alicorn chuckled in return, "To each their own."

The stallion smiled down at his lover and asked, "Will you keep a promise?"

Celestia lifted her head and gazed up to the unicorn with a slightly confused look. After a moment, she answered, "Well, yes. What is it?"

Without missing a beat, he responded, "Will you promise to keep yourself happy?"

After a few long moments of thinking, Celestia broke the silence with, "I promise, but why do you ask such a question?"

Phoenix closed his eyes and sighed. He then looked back up towards the distance and said in a melancholy tone, "You and I both know that I'm not immortal." He looked down to the Princess and continued before she could interrupt, "So I don't want you to be depressed with your life when I'm gone. At least, try to keep it to a minimum. You see, I don't want you to go back into the depression that you've lived in for oh-so many years." He sighed and lowered his head. “Even one year is too much.”

Celestia locked gazes with her stallion, thinking over the promise. After a while, she finally said, "I promise."

Phoenix nodded and continued, "Also, be grateful for what you have lived for. Don't wallow in despair for what has come to pass, but be happy that you were able to experience it. It would've been meaningless if I even came up to you on the first day we met."

The alicorn kept quiet, thinking over the proposal, and finally nodded while, once again, saying, "I promise."

"And one last thing." Phoenix laid a hoof on Celestia's stomach as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Be there for our child, and I'll do the same until my time has come. I promise that I'll love him or her, no matter what. All I ask is for you to do the same."

Celestia felt her eyes tearing up as she repeated for the last time, "I promise." She then kissed Phoenix on the lips and said, "I love you."

The stallion returned her kiss and nuzzled her neck, whispering, "I love you too."

~*~

Author's Note

I've decided to make a few changes in the formatting, but other than that it's pretty much the same. It will be like this for the rest of the chapters.

Also, thank you Midnight Spark for taking your time to edit this chapter. You were a great help!

Also, don't be afraid to point out any errors, something that could be better, etc. I'll be sure to fix the errors and try to incorporate any suggestions.