And They Shall Know No Fear

Hooves slowly clicking on the marble floor, the former ruler of Equestria walked forward along a long lighted corridor, inspecting the works of her many months of work. In the birthing flasks located on the sides, the warriors created by the genius of her majesty were maturing, which would surpass any army in this world with their skill and training. Anthropomorphic stallions and mares, athletic in build, with huge maternal wings, immersed in a special liquid, slept peacefully, waiting for the moment of release. Created for war alone, they must become the spear with which Equestria will pierce her enemies who dare to disturb her peace.

At least that's what it looked like on paper when planning, but now everything has turned out to be much more complicated. At first, in Celestia's eyes, they were nothing more than tools created for a single purpose, but gradually, day after day, week after week, she became more and more attached to them. The maternal instinct, formed over a thousand years of rule, gradually broke through, putting the alicorn in front of a simple fact. No matter how hard she tried to suppress her feelings for them, they were her children first and foremost. Children who were about to see this dangerous world. Children made from her blood.

Since their creation, a huge burden of responsibility has fallen on Celestia's shoulders. And this raised even more questions from the mother. How will they see this world if they come out of their capsules? How will ordinary ponies be treated? Will they always be loyal to the crown, or will they be seduced by evil? What would they call her? Mother? Mistress? Princess? But most importantly, will they love her as much as she loves them? Would this exceed acceptable limits?

From the endless whirlpool of thoughts, Celestia was snatched away by the appearance of a pony, whom she loved like her own daughter.

"Twilight!" she smiled at the lavender filly who entered the room. "Thank you for coming!"

"You know, Celestia, I always find time for my teacher!" Twilight said, hugging Celestia tightly. "And as I see it, you have made progress in your project! It's just incredible!"

"Yes, but it turned out to be much more complicated than I initially thought..." taking a step back, eldest alicorn looked at one of the flasks, inside which was one of her sons. "At first, I didn't feel any affection for them... But now... eh... Now I realize that I can't help but love them, Twilight... They are my children! My flesh and blood! And what happens when I release them into this world? How will they take it?"

"Celestia!" Sparkle took a step forward towards the teacher. "You have ruled Equestria for over a thousand years and always found a way out of the situation! Of course, there is a huge gap between ordinary ponies and your children, but I am sure that everything will be fine! You taught me, Sunset Shimmer, and many others before us to explore this world, its laws, and its nature! I'm sure you can teach them everything they need to know!"

"Thank you, Twilight!" Celestia hugged the mare again. "It's good that I have students who are ready to support me!"

"You're welcome!" Twilight winked back. "And by the way, I wanted to know about their loyalty! To whom will they be loyal? For me or for you? Don't think about it, it's not that I'm going to be jealous, it's just interesting..." Twilight smiled stupidly.

Celestia just smiled back. "That's what we're going to find out, my faithful student! For now, I think we'd better leave them... Let them gain strength! We will release them soon!"

Before Twilight could respond, the unbelievable happened. The son of the former princess, who seemed to be dozing, put his hand to the glass of his flask, looking tenderly and lovingly at his mother. Both ponies stared at the two-meter-tall alicorn in shock, as if he was waiting for something. And as the mother of this beautiful creature, Celestia knew exactly what he was waiting for. Slowly putting her hoof against the glass, as if touching her son's palm, the alicorn experienced a strange feeling, as if they were connected by a strong blood thread that could not be cut. Even Twilight, who was nearby, felt a subtle, barely noticeable golden aura emanating from Celestia.

"Mother..." flashed through the mind of the white alicorn, forcing her to sit down on the floor in surprise. "Mother..." creature repeated.

A clear tear rolled down Celestia's cheek. "He... He called me Mother..." she just couldn't believe what was happening. "But this is not possible... I haven't put any knowledge into them yet... They are as clean as a white sheet of paper... He shouldn't have woken up at all..."

"Perhaps he woke up from being next to you. It looks like your bond with him is stronger than originally thought!" With undisguised curiosity, Twilight put her hoof against the glass, receiving a similar gesture in return.

The noble, young voice of the stallion immediately sounded in his head, looking from his mother to the princess of Equestria. "Twilight... Faithful student... Princess... Sister..." he said in his mind, even more shocking both Sparkle and his mother, who heard these words.

"Sister?" Twilight couldn't believe what was happening, quickly retracting her hoof. "Celestia..."

Celestia herself continued to keep her hoof on the glass, not wanting to break the warm bond with her offspring. "If my theory is correct, then they are not sleeping dummies... They got my memories with my blood... Good and the bad... And since I loved you like my own daughter, maybe he took this love for granted and considers you his sister, that is, my own daughter..." Twilight didn't know what to say to that statement. "And if he thinks so, then so do all of them! I do not know if I can somehow erase or rebuild them in terms of this thought..."

"You know what, Celestia... Maybe it's not worth it! The young princess smiled. "Let them consider me their sister!"

"Are you sure about this?" there was doubt in Celestia's voice.

"Yes! she answered firmly. "To be honest, you were like a mother to me yourself! And not just for me! For all of Equestria, you have been and will be a mother figure! And may it be the same for them!"

"All right, Twilight! If you don't mind, then let it be that way for them..." suddenly, Celestia's horn glowed with a gentle golden glow, as the awakened son immediately began to close his eyes. "It's not time yet, honey..." as if whispering, she said. "Sleep and gain strength, because soon you will change the world..."