Hyacinth smiled gently as they tucked Cardion in. "Have a good sleep, won't you, dear?" They cooed gently, rubbing the Archon's mane. "I'll just be in the next room over if you need me, okay?" They asked with a soft yawn.

"Good night, mother," The equid replied softly, looking up at Hyacinth with her pupilless eyes.

Hyacinth leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Cardion's head. She was still a strange feeling to them; Cardion had a different feel to all of their other children. And yet, Hyacinth could still tell at least the broad strokes of what the young one was thinking. "I'll be okay," They promised gently, nuzzling Cardion. "Things have just been taxing, dear. That's all."

Cardion frowned a little. "This one is one of those things," She expressed.

Hyacinth sighed softly. Lying was of no use. "Perhaps," They conceded quietly. "But you are worth every bit of time and love I give you," They promised. "I don't want you to worry about me, alright dear?"

Cardion nodded a little. "Yes mother," She replied quietly. "But this one will find ways to help," She insisted.

Hyacinth gave a light chuckle. "Alright, dear," They replied, slowly standing up with a labored grunt. "Just take your time. I'm already very proud of you," They cooed gently.

Cardion nodded softly, letting her head rest back on her pillow. "Good night, mother," She replied.

Hyacinth smiled. They could already feel the new arrival's mind racing, trying to piece together ideas. "Good night, dear," They cooed gently, stepping out into the hallway.

Hyacinth breathed a soft sigh as they shut the door, starting across the hall to their own room. "To think you'd grow up so fast..." They murmured. "No different than all the others, and yet it still feels wrong to expect you to start your full duties right away," They continued as they got to their door, slipping inside.

They walked to their bed, being a simple mattress that laid on the floor; climbing into and out of anything was difficult. What Hyacinth lamented, however, was how lonely it was. Gone were the days of resting all together with their children, various puppets splayed across their back or along their side. No, they were needed elsewhere. Away from Hyacinth.

Hyacinth looked at the portion of medication that had been prescribed to them: Equestria's finest, to help with the pregnancy. It was also a block roughly the size of their hoof, broken up into four large tablets with a jug of water. It was the price they paid for everything being shared among them and their puppets.

Hyacinth took their pills, one at a time, gulping them down with large swigs of water. It was a routine they still had to get used to, but one they'd never forgive themselves for if they forgot. Lightly, they hoofed at their underbelly. "You'll be okay, dear," They murmured. "Mother will take care of you, like the others."

Hyacinth sat on their bed, the mattress sinking beneath their weight. They rubbed their head as their mind drifted. "Almost... What, fifteen years?" They questioned aloud to themselves. "It has all been the same for so long... But was it really all right?" They asked, looking down at themselves. "Did I push them all too hard?"

That question weighed on their mind, somehow equal in burden to the knowledge that it was them and them alone keeping the planet alive. Everything crashed against them: how abnormal everything was, how fast it had all come at them, the sheer weight they were carrying with them. They couldn't keep pretending for much longer. Something had to change, and it had to change quickly.

That thought sat with them as they tried to doze off. Hyacinth heaved. They needed sleep, but now their mind raced. The dull roar of all of their children now felt distant, quashed beneath the turbulence inside their own head. They stood up with a harsh grunt, walking to the balcony of their room and opening the door to head outside. A bit of fresh air would do them good; at least, that was their thought process.

The cold air nipped at Hyacinth's insides as it cycled through them. They could offset most of the worst during the day, but the moonless sky grew extremely cold when the Auroras were resting. Despite the faint light pollution from the city below, the stars were clearly visible in the sky. They resented how beautiful they found it: The stars invited awe, but only at the cost of two so beloved.

It was rare Hyacinth gave theirself time to think, and yet now that they rebelled in such a quiet manner, their mind was choked with conflicting thoughts. A haze settled over them as they settled on their stomach, resting their head on the balcony. They closed their eyes, straining slightly as they tried to pull a single topic out of the clog occupying their brain.

They knew better than to start with something unimportant, so eventually, they settled on the root of everything: The planet was too big, and they didn't have what they needed to fix it all. Not right now. They considered the idea of making the planet smaller. Not literally, of course, but reducing the amount of area they had to cover. If they could just bring everyone into Equestria... A single continent was a far more manageable area than the whole world. It would hurt to let so much land area die, but they were already fighting a losing battle on that front. This would just make it easier to preserve what was still left. They wondered, briefly, if it was fair to ask the denizens of Equus to make the choice to migrate, however. Nevermind preparing Equestria to accommodate such a massive increase in population. They would have an incredible amount of work to do no matter what they chose to do going forward, it was just a matter of what the most practical and what would provide the most benefit over such a long timespan.

Hyacinth yawned groggily, slowly dragging theirself to their hooves. They needed to sleep on any sort of megaplan like the one they were preparing. They shut the door as they walked back inside, crawling back into their otherwise empty bed. As they settled beneath the covers, various ideas rattled around in their skull. Ways to make things easier, ways to make the hard things less so. Above all, they just hoped they could find a way to take care of everyone.