Hyacinth yawned tiredly as they walked back toward their room. It had been a long day, and their body felt like it was being weighed down with chains or rocks. The exhaustion was only getting worse.
Cardion, who was following closely behind, was mostly doing better than her mother. She finally spoke as they approached Hyacinth's door. "Mother?" She asked.
Hyacinth lazily turned their head to Cardion. "Yes dear?" They asked gently, voice a bit hoarse.
Cardion lowered her head a little, trembling a little at the fatigue in Hyacinth's eyes. Asking for anything felt wrong at this point, nevermind something superficial. But now that she had Hyacinth's attention, she didn't want to waste it. "This one... Does not like sleeping alone," She admitted. "Could this one cuddle with mother?" She asked.
"Hm?" Hyacinth cracked a gentle smile. "Of course, dear," They chuckled softly. "You know, there was a time where all of us slept together. Your siblings would drape themselves along myself and each other, some on each others' backs and some to the side," They recalled. "Nowadays we're so spread out we don't get to do so any more." Their smile fell.
"Well... This one would like that," Cardion expressed.
"Alright, dear," Hyacinth replied, smiling their tired smile once again.
As Hyacinth and Cardion got to Hyacinth's room, Hyacinth waved Cardion inside and trudged to their bed. They yawned again as they picked up their pills to take their medicine for the day.
"What is the medicine for, mother?" Cardion asked softly.
"Your baby sisters," Hyacinth replied, smiling gently. "I have to take these pills so they grow healthy, even though the Auroras require so much upkeep."
"Oh," Cardion blinked, her ears flattening. "This one is glad for the medicine, then," She expressed.
Hyacinth nodded, gulping down their stock of pills. "So am I, dear," They replied gently. "I hope for your sisters to arrive healthy and strong," They expressed. They crawled into bed, patting the plush mattress next to them. "Now, come get comfy, dear," They expressed softly, laying their head on a pillow.
Cardion rubbed her chin a little as she paced forward, crawling up onto the mattress and settling herself next to Hyacinth. She laid oddly on the bed, perpendicular to her mother, so her head might rest against the shoulder of Hyacinth's arms. She closed her eyes as she nestled close.
Hyacinth chuckled softly. "Are you comfy like that, dear?" They asked gently.
"This one likes how it feels to be held," Cardion admitted quietly.
Hyacinth gently draped the appropriate arm around Cardion's neck, pulling the covers up around them to avoid suffocating the young one. "Alright, dear. Have a good sleep, okay?" They cooed gently.
"This one will," Cardion replied, nestling deeper into the gentle embrace.
Hyacinth smiled gently as they dozed off, nestling into their pillows and sighing deeply. It felt nice to not be alone in their bed.
Hyacinth awoke floating in a vast sea of liquid. Everything felt strange and weightless. They tried to right themselves, and found it strangely easy to pull themselves out of the endless ocean they had awoken in, pulling theirself on top of the watery surface. It rippled beneath their hooves, but it seemed it would support their weight now. Hyacinth shook theirself off, looking around. It was a surreal landscape; faint, painted wisps of gray and white against a black backdrop. Hyacinth couldn't tell if it was or wasn't moving. They froze, however, as they saw a tall, pale figure in the distance. Though they couldn't make out any detail, their fur stood on end.
Hyacinth began shambling towards the tall figure, trying to make out any more detail. Each step made small splashes and ripples in the liquid beneath, but no noise. They had to look down, briefly, to see if they were actually moving forward. The figure did draw closer, but something felt wrong. Their eyes could see them moving, but they didn't feel like they were moving. It was as if the whole plane moved under their weight, like an unanchored area rug. Slowly, however, they kept pushing forward, trying to move faster despite the disorienting feel.
Hyacinth stopped as more of the pale figure's features came into view. A tall, slender frame and a long, scintillating rainbow mane. Hyacinth began moving faster, occasionally stumbling over their own hooves. Finally, they called out into the distance: "Celestia!"
The figure turned towards them. Its own steps began to move the field, further disorienting Hyacinth as they tried to move forward. Conflicting movements made it harder and harder to push forward, until eventually, something gave, and they tumbled forward, landing flat on their stomach.
As they looked up, they finally saw it. The familiar face of the sun princess, looking down at them with a slightly cheeky expression. "Still haven't figured out running, hm?" She teased.
Hyacinth heaved, lifting their head to meet Celestia's. The size difference between the two was almost comical: While not too much taller than Celestia, Hyacinth's bulk made it easy to meet her height, even when laying down. "Aha... I suppose not," They admitted.
Celestia sat before the large equid, gently cradling their head in her hooves. "You look so tired..." She expressed, frowning a bit.
"You're a difficult mare to replace," Hyacinth commented as they looked up at her.
"You've been trying to replace me?" Celestia asked, tilting her head.
Hyacinth sighed. "You took the sun with you when you left," They explained softly, reaching out with their hand to rub Celestia's muzzle. "We've done our best with what we have... But you are sorely missed."
Celestia pondered that. Her expression flickered. "Thank you for taking care of everyone in our absence," She expressed.
Hyacinth managed a bare smile. "Someone had to," They replied. "We were... Very quickly running out of light and heat," They sighed softly.
Celestia shifted forward, pulling the large equine into a hug. "Did you have anything else to tell me?" She asked.
Hyacinth paused, then their eyes widened. "We're going to have twins soon," They expressed as they laid their muzzle over Celestia's shoulder in lieu of being able to hug with their front legs.
"Twins?" Celestia asked, before chuckling. "I suppose you of all ponies wouldn't be satisfied with just one child," She commented.
"I suppose not," Hyacinth managed a soft chuckle. "It is good news, though... Knowing I'll always have a piece of you with me," They expressed, squeezing Celestia gently.
Celestia was quiet for a long moment. "You don't have to live in a world without me, you know," She replied. "You could come join us. Leave everything else behind," She added.
Hyacinth blinked, pulling away from their lover. "What?" They asked.
"We all saw it, you know. How they treated you. How ungrateful they were, how much they wanted to find some solution they could exclude you from," Celestia expressed. There was something wrong about her appearance, now: The normal vibrant purple of her irises was now a muted dark gray.
"I don't... I can't," Hyacinth expressed. "There are so many people who rely on me-"
"People who don't deserve you," Celestia tutted. "Just like they didn't deserve us. It's why we left, you know."
Hyacinth stared for a long moment. "No... No, that can't be right," They expressed. "Why would you give up on everyone?" They asked.
Celestia sighed. "You are too kind for your own good," She lamented. "They haven't worn you down, yet."
Hyacinth stared, unable to believe what they were hearing. "I know they can be taxing at times, but they are still lives worth protecting," They expressed, staring at Celestia.
"But why struggle so much to worry about every single one of them?" Celestia asked, gently tracing a hoof down Hyacinth's neck. "You can always let go. Give up. Discard everything that's been piled onto you..." She trailed off, brushing a hoof against one of Hyacinth's humps. The base of the lump of tissue began to bubble and melt, slowly sliding off of their back and falling into the depths below.
Hyacinth's eyes widened, and they attempted to back away, clumsily drawing theirself to their hooves. "What are you doing?" They asked.
"I'm helping you let go," Celestia expressed, wings flaring. "I can fix everything, Hyacinth. You just have to let go," She said, lunging forward and nicking Hyacinth's aberrant leg with a hoof.
Hyacinth watched as the limb melted off, sinking into the vast ocean below. "Stop!" They protested. "This isn't you!" They pled, tears welling in their eyes.
"And that isn't you," Celestia grunted. "You have let them pervert you. Subjugate you. So now, I'm showing you how to let go," She expressed, darting quickly alongside Hyacinth's side, tagging both their side head and one of their arms, sending both features into the liquid below.
Hyacinth tried to reposition, but found it increasingly difficult as they had to balance their weight on just four legs. Not to mention the trouble breathing from the loss of a head. "C-Celestia, please!-" They attempted.
Celestia didn't heed them. She continued her lap around them, leaping over their back to remove their two remaining arms and another hump.
All the movement was beginning to confound Hyacinth, with them failing to reorient as their body was disassembled piece by piece.
At last, Celestia circled around. Hyacinth had dropped to the ground at this point, gasping and wheezing. Celestia looked down at them. "You tried so hard to be someone they'd love," She remarked. "But even with everything you had, you were still just an unsightly mass of flesh," She puffed, reaching out to tag their horn.
Hyacinth awoke with a start, their horn blazing a bright white-gold. "No!!!" They screamed, their room lit as if it were broad daylight.
Cardion yelped awake. "M-mother!?" She yipped.
The sound of their panicked daughter finally brought some sense back to Hyacinth. They gasped and panted, their horn finally dimming to a lower light register. "Ah... Hff... I'm sorry, dear... It was just a nightmare," They managed, letting their head collapse back to the pillow once more.
Cardion adjusted herself, now laying her head next to Hyacinth's. "Does mother want to talk about it?" She asked softly.
Hyacinth considered that for a moment. "...It was just a bad dream from all the stress," They expressed, shifting their weight onto their side to hug Cardion. It made it harder to breathe, but they could manage with just two exposed mouths.
"What happened to mother in the dream?" Cardion asked.
Hyacinth rubbed their head. "It's a little hazy... I met your late mother again. There was something wrong with her, though. She reflected all of the derogatory remarks I've gotten from the council, not the personality I remember her for," They expressed, sighing. "It was the one I loved most, telling me she hated me."
Cardion frowned, hugging Hyacinth back tightly. "This one is glad it was just a dream," She expressed, nuzzling them.
Hyacinth gently nestled Cardion's head into the crook of their neck and nuzzled them, closing their eyes. "So am I, dear. So am I..." They trailed off.