"Do not fear my dears. You will be safe in this land."

The three infants were set down on the grassy plain. The eldest of the three looked up at her mother. A warm smile graced her mother's lips. "Dear Celestia, my firstborn. You will be a great ruler. You are full of love and kindness." She touched her horn to Celestia's head and released her magic. Celestia seemed unchanged except for the fact that her mane and tail now flowed as if a breeze were blowing through them.

"Draconequus. You were born to be your twin's equal. But you will face a hard path before that shall become true. One day you and Celestia will be together again." She lowered her head to her only son and touched her horn to his chest. The small creature watched in awe as his mother's magic flowed into him. A cocoon of magic began to envelop the colt. He yawned and drifted off to sleep as his mother's spell took hold. The cocoon sealed and, in a brilliant flash of light, was gone.

The last of the infants crawled up to her mother and hugged her leg. The mother picked her up. "Chrysalis. You have always needed to be loved. I have seen you when you are neglected and I fear for you because of it. Do your best to find love and to be loved and you will be with your siblings too." She set Chrysalis down and her horn lit up again. Chrysalis seemed to glow with magic. Chrysalis looked up to her mother only to find that she had turned towards her sister. Sadness overtook her and her coat dulled in color. A small hole appeared in her horn like the empty hole she felt in her heart. With a flash, Chrysalis was gone.

Celestia looked around for her siblings, but could not see them. She looked up to her mother in confusion. Her mother smiled. "Do not fear my daughter. You will see them again. And you will know them when you see them. I give you a single gift as you start life in this world. You will keep your memory of this day. You will know the truth. But do not fear. You will not walk alone. Soon you will have another sister who will be at your side. She will always be there for you." She stepped back and her horn lit up once more. A single tear fell from her cheek. "Goodbye my dear. I will always be watching over you. I love you." With one final flash of light, Celestia was left alone.

Celestia looked around again. She was in a meadow. The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky. She smiled at its beauty. And that's when the pain hit her. She cried out as she doubled over. The pain lasted for several minutes. When the pain began to subside, Celestia still had her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and stood up. Wait...she was standing! And her view wasn't at ground level. It was far above that. Celestia tried to look at herself, but couldn't see past her long, flowing mane.

She spotted a pond not far from her spot in the meadow and walked over to it. She looked down at the water and gasped as she looked at the reflection staring back at her. She was grown up! How? She had been a small filly only minutes before. And then she remembered the pain. And her mother's horn. Had her mother done this somehow? She looked down at her reflection again. She felt the tears coming to her eyes. "I look just like you mother." She barely registered that she could talk now. All she could do was look at her reflection and cry.

-----------------------------------------------

Celestia blinked back the tears as she turned away from her balcony. A day didn't pass when she didn't think about her mother or her other siblings. And that was a lot of days considering how long she had lived. Why had her mother taken away the memories of her brother and sister? Why leave them to become what they were now? She glanced over her shoulder and up at the sky. "Mother, I hope you knew what you were doing." She said this almost every day. And never had she gotten any closer to understanding her mother's motives.

She left her chambers and walked down the hall. As she came to the stairs, the sound of an opening door came from behind her. "Sister." Celestia turned to look at Luna. Luna smiled and followed her down the stairs. For some reason their mother had decided that Luna didn't need to know about the others. Celestia thought back to the day she had discovered Luna in the very same meadow that her mother had left her in. It always brought a smile to her face as she remembered the young mare prancing around the field as she got used to her new body.

------------------------------------------------

Luna looked at Celestia as they descended the stairs. Her eyes seemed focused on something else. A slight smile formed on her lips and she leaned against Celestia. "You're thinking about Mother again, aren't you?" Celestia looked at her and nodded. Luna thought about all the times that her sister had told her about their mother. Luna couldn't remember a thing about her. It had worried her at times, but Celestia always comforted her.

She focused her thoughts, trying to pull out some fragment of memory. She had to remember her mother. But as always, there was only a fuzzy image and a soft voice. The only thing left.

Remember Luna, you will not be alone. Your sister will be there to guide you always.

Luna smiled. Her mother had always planned for her and Celestia to be together. And for that she was grateful. It was far better to go through life with a sister and a friend. Though she wished at times that she had other siblings too.

Next Chapter: What Am I? Estimated time remaining: 16 Minutes