Page 73 of Celestia, Year Four

"I guess your parents have arrived. Wouldn't it be nice to see their reactions to your current predicament?"

I whimpered and choked on the blood in my mouth as threads began to pierce through me at a rapid rate, so quickly I had no voice to scream with.

By the time the threads stopped, my body had been struck so many times, I didn't know if I was alive anymore. My senses were consumed with pain and my vision was plagued with darkness. I gave up trying to fight, my body going slack as mymind began to wander, and my ears picked up Martz’s sinister laugh that would have made my skin crawl and blood boil in pure rage if I could feel my skin or had blood within me.

Is this how it's supposed to end? Did Mother Nature really reincarnate me to endure all this pain, these challenges, and heartache to die? Would… would I really lose the privilege to bear a child?

I desperately wanted to be positive, to try and fight the darkness that was consuming me inch by inch as I moved closer to death, but the longer I thought about it, the more accepting it was.

Maybe I wasn't fit to be Queen...

Celestia…

Sweetheart…

Mistress...

Cutie Pie...

Dearest...

Blessed Love...

My Queen...

BiBo...

I openedmy eyes to see I was standing in a pool of blood. I already knew it was mine but staring at it… acknowledging it was from the wounded body filled with tiny holes made it that more surreal.

"BiBo."

I lifted myeyes to see Momo waddling towards me. She reached myfeet, not caring about the blood that began to soak her legs.

"BiBo?" She raised her arms up at me with a smile.

Mommy.

"I'm not fit tobe your mom… or Queen… or anything," I whispered.

"Bi..."

Why?

"Because I failed you all. I lost. You all had hope in me… and I couldn't even fight against a being who cares about no one but himself. How can I be a good Queen… or lover… or even protect a child of my own if I can't even win a battle that risks the lives of my people?" I sobbed.

I wept, wishing it would just be over and I could die. Someone else would be better at this than me. Mother would have been a better candidate. I didn't have enough experience, power, and strength to rule. I wouldn't be able to give them the justice and peace they deserved.

I'm too kind. To forgiving. A Queen like me would only fail… just like I have now.

Something touched my cheek, and I lifted my head to see a beautiful woman. Her skin was pale, almost like a light grey, and her dark plum hair was long and curled.

Her eyes spiraled, and her lips were lined with purple lipstick. She wore a long dress that flowed back like the wind was passing us, and a black veil was pinned to the crown of her head.

"Mo...mo?"

"A Queen is one who wants the best for her kingdom. A leader is one who can help change the direction in which a group of people is headed for the better of all. A lover is one who does their best to please the person in their life and help them become the best they can be. A mother is a woman who will love and cherish her children no matter what wrongs they commit. You have all those qualities and more, Celestia. All you have to do is believe in the power locked away."

"But..."

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