Update: Bio information added! Reference sheet is now complete.

I’m really excited to introduce you all to Celestia and Luna’s mother: Solstice! 

She is the first god that I have designed in my Nightmare Moon AU (that I should probably name it something else?) and I really love how she turned out. However, she was also the worst to design particularly because I had no true conception of what I wanted her to look like from both a sketching and coloring standpoint. This led to an immense amount of frustration and I decided to do lots of trial and error by coming up with over 12 different color gradients for her mane and 6 different colors for her coat color. It was then a matter of seeing what worked and what really stuck out to me. I would say that since i started working on her shortly after the completion of Celestia, 50% of that time was me slaving through that trial and error process.

I had a few things that I definitely guided me in this direction:

She needed to cover a wide range of colors on the spectrum

The ends of her limbs needed to glow with power

Her hairstyle needed to look very elegant

No armor

Jewelry

A resemblance to the design of Celestia’s halo crown

I will eventually turn this deviation into her ref sheet, by the way. I just wanted to get her initial look out there because I’ll likely be very busy with university next weekend (which those are typically the times I can work a lot on artwork). When I do that, I will include a proper bio like Celestia’s.

For now enjoy her look

Also a shoutout to DragonaDeMetal for helping me get some ideas like her two immensely long tailfeathers and being a vent buddy while I worked on Solstice xD

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Name: Solstice

Other names: The Forgotten One, Life-Weaver

Race: Alicorn

Deity Level: God

Gender: Female

Parents: None

Siblings: None

Children: Celestia, Nightmare Moon (formerly Luna)

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Relationships: Equinox

Roles: Maintain balance of order and chaos within the universe

Current Status: Unknown

Magic Affiliations: Divine

Backstory: 

After the Battle of the Cosmos, the Dark One vanished into the darkest reaches of the universe. Unbeknownst to him, the shear power when his power collided with Zenith’s would take form. In so doing, it created the essences of mighty beings that were infused with the divine magic of the Light and Void. These essences were those that would eventually be god-like in every meaning of the word. Among the many that were created, was Solstice. She was the most beautiful of them all and found her strengths in creation. She would eventually discover Equinox: another equine god who had a fondness for her. The two became inseparable as they ventured through the young universe with a mission to fill the emptiness of space with extravagant things of their design.

The two learned much from each other as they seemed to complete the other in more ways than meets the eye. While Solstice was set on using her powers to create planets and stars and galaxies, Equinox was very much the opposite. Equinox understood that everything must eventually come to an end and used his own powers to destroy when the time called for it to be so. In the earliest parts of their relationship, they would fight because both Solstice and Equinox did not understand the importance of the other. The one thing that kept them together was the love they had for each other. Solstice and Equinox would realize that a balance between life and death creates the cycle of order. With this understanding, their bond strengthened and they set out to order the universe in the wake of the battlefield for their own creators.

Millenniums of millenniums would pass as stars and planets were formed by Solstice. Equinox weaved his magic that gave stars a lifespan. The stars would eventually burn out and collapse, triggering the many fundamental ways a star can die and snuff out the life of other planets in their solar system. Equinox would also be responsible for the creation of black holes that would virtually suck in everything in existence when it became close to their proximity. The combination of both of their powers into the stars would give them the ability to create entire galaxies and would only reaffirm the need for each other.

Eons later, Solstice created the planet of Equus and wanted it to be a gem among other planets. It was extremely special to her and Equinox let her have her way, but still giving some restraint to the dream she had. One of their partners whom they had discovered along their adventures was Ra’Tsuu: another god of their stature. Ra’Tsuu withheld his own abilities but believed that Solstice and Equinox could find an opportunity to let his magic be of good use. Solstice’s dream was to create living beings on the planet of Equus, but even she lacked the capability to do so. While her powers were that of creation, she was missing the key element: mortality. She could make creatures, but they were soulless beings with no free will. It was Ra’Tsuu that was able to imbue the husks with what was missing. With all three of their powers, mortal life was finally conceived on Equus in the form of Nuada.

Thousands of the first Nuada were made and had a special place as their domain on Equus: Nuadar. Ra’Tsuu, Solstice, and Equinox agreed it was in their best interest that the Nuada micromanaged the growth of the planet. The three of them oversaw what the Nuada would do in allowing life to flourish on Equus. Plants would take root and overwhelm every landmass along with the creation of animals which followed a specific food chain thanks to Equinox. 

For ten thousand years, the Nuada would serve the gods by watching over the living creatures and foliage. It was a splendid sight for all to bear witness to it, but Solstice felt more could still be done. They decided to found an island where they could have their own council along with the Nuada on the Isle of Zenith. They helped construct their domain: the Cathedral of Creation. This enormous cathedral was also a place of worship for the early Nuada as well. Many days the three gods would convene at the cathedral and discuss about Equus. However, they would realize that Equus was catching the eyes of others as well.

Upon the Isle of Zenith, the cathedral served as a beacon to other gods that would eventually find their way to Equus in the dark beyond of space. Several other gods would arrive and join the others’ council. Their mission was still the same: allow Equus to thrive.

Many other kinds of species were conceived. Earth ponies were the first ‘mortal’ race. Mortal in the sense that their lifespan was heavily limited, unlike that of Nuada who still could live for centuries. Over time, other mortal races would eventually come to Equus like that of avians, dragons, griffons, draconequus, minotaurs, and changelings to name a few. The mortal races were also capable of evolution and cross-breeding to some extent and would help expand more variety to the many different races that would call Equus home.

Some time later on a fateful night, Solstice gave birth to two fillies whom Equinox and herself would name Celestia and Luna respectively. For 100 years they would nurture their children on the Isle of Zenith. Afterwards, Equinox realized that with their children to eventually become powerful like them, he and Solstice could continue their duty to maintain the rest of the universe wherever it led them. It was a painful thing to bring to Solstice, because it would mean she would have to never see her beloved daughters as they grew. However, she agreed that Equinox was right.

At this point, civilizations were scattered all across Equus and their home of the Isle of Zenith was concealed by the mortal races in a thick magical mist known as the Veil. Their personal involvement with the affairs of Equus became an extremely rare occurrence, believing that the mortals would be able to take care of the planet on their own. Even if something goes awry, the Nuada were still safeguarding the well-being of the planet by orders of Ra’Tsuu. It was time to take their daughters to someone who would love them as much as Solstice did.

They flew to the city atop a mountain in Equestria known as Canterlot. The ponies of Canterlot were awestruck by the presence of Solstice and Equinox. She pleaded to them to take care of Celestia and Luna as she knew they had a great and magnificent destiny ahead of them. Before they left, Equinox and Solstice imbued their daughters with the faintest part of their own essences. Doing so was their way of being able to be with their children and help influence some of their natural instincts. The worst thing that Solstice had to experience was saying goodbye to her beloved daughters. Equinox took wing with Solstice at her side and they set a course for the unknown many, many worlds beyond Equus.

To this day, some 2000 years later, Solstice and Equinox have not returned. The memories of them wiped away by the sands of time. They were two of the three gods that were responsible for the creation of the world and not a single mortal knew of their existence. The essences that still were a part of Celestia and Luna would call out to them in dreams. They would see Solstice and Equinox, not know their names outside of mother and father. Solstice’s essence within Celestia was also responsible for giving her the inspiration of her halo-crown’s design, which is simply her mother’s cutie mark upside down.