//------------------------------// // Healing the Pain // Story: My Little Celestia // by StarGuardian //------------------------------// I walked into the house with the giggling filly in my arms. I placed her on the floor as a grumble came out of her stomach. "Sounds like somebody's hungry. Let me get you something to eat." I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. What do ponies eat? I dug through the fridge and finally found a nice shiny apple. After digging out my dad's old chef's knife, I went to work about peeling the apple. After glancing around the kitchen, and seeing what little there was to work with, I pulled out an old cutting board and began to slice the apple. Getting a little desperate, I wrapped the apple slices in plastic wrap and placed them in an old bowl, as out came the meat tenderizer. A few smacks from the blunt side and some scraping later, I had a home made applesauce, or apple mash as I used to call it when I was little. "Come on little one. You need to eat." I cooed as I tried to get the tiny filly sitting on the couch to open her mouth. Defiantly she clamped her mouth shut and refused to open it. After using every trick I knew of, and I'd babysat a lot of children, I gave up. "I guess I won't have to take you to the pound after all, you'll die of starvation before then." I chuckled as I sat beside her. Almost as if she understood me, she began to cry. I nearly jumped off of the couch in surprise, but the filly's cry was enough to make me feel guilty. I gently picked her up and cradled her in my arms while desperately trying to think of something to say. "Hush now, it's okay, daddy's got you." I whispered into her ear which calmed her down a little. In response she clung to me like a little monkey, which was actually kinda enjoyable. "Don't worry . . ." Damn, I'm drawing a blank. I need a name and quick. Taking a quick glance at the various book in the room, I tried to think of a name. Ellie? Too plain. Kaitlin? Ex-girlfriend. Ruby? Not a single splotch of red on her. Spotting one of my textbooks for my elective class titled All about celestial objects. A single name popped into my head, "Luna! Do you like that name?" The only response I got was even louder crying. "Okay, okay, no Luna. How about, Celestia?" I flinched, ready for an earsplitting volume of crying, but it never came. The opposite was true, her grip loosened around me as her joyful eyes met mine. Deciding to test my luck, I tried it again. "Celestia? Are you hungry?" As if on cue her stomach growled as she looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. With a smile I set her back down on the couch, reattempting the feeding maneuver. This time she gratefully opened her mouth and greedily scarfed down the food, causing me to smile. As soon as the bowl of food was gone I gently picked her up causing her to giggle. As soon as she was in the air, her expression changed from one of pleasure to one of relief, "Awww. Celly, not on the carpet." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a bright father's day as I walked towards the restaurant my father worked at. I looked happily at the wrapped box in my hands, it contained a specialty kitchen knife that my father had been seeking for several years. Granted it took a few months paychecks to purchase, but it was going to be worth it to see his expression. "What do you mean that there might be someone still inside?!" I heard my father shout as I turned the corner. I was shocked at the sight of my father rushing back into a burning building. "DAD!" I called out as I charged at the flaming restaurant only to have his boss and a co-worker restrain me several feet from the entrance. "Let. Me. Go! He needs my help!" "We can't let you!" His boss said, refusing to let me budge. There was a scream as a girl about my age flew out of the building, bouncing a bit off the ground before stopping right in front of us. I used this distraction to break free but it was too late. The building collapsed upon itself burrying my father. The gift fell from my hands as I dropped to my knees clutching my head as I could hear the dying screams of my father. The screams grew louder and louder until they were unbearable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My eyes flew open as I began gasping for air. "It was just a dream." I noticed a squirming filly in my arms, as I loosened my grip I looked down at Celestia who was giving me a worried look. That's right, after cleaning up Celly's little 'accident', I rocked her until she fell asleep then fell asleep myself. "Don't worry Tia. I'm all right now." I said giving her a warm smile. Her look of worry persisted as though she'd seen what I'd just gone through, but my gentle words put her at ease. She visibly relaxed and curled up into a ball much like the one I'd found her in before going back to sleep. After gently shifting her off of my lap I crept to my room where after a bit of searching I found a box and my old sock rabbit. I padded the bottom of the box with some towels, just in case of another 'accident', and placed my old rabbit inside creating a makeshift crib for the filly. I gently placed her inside and snatched my wallet before leaving. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Hello dear." An elderly woman greeted me as I walked into the old store. "Hello Mrs. Miller." I returned with a wave. "It's been a while since I've seen you. How have things been going?" "Sorry, but I haven't needed groceries in a while. Also I'm going to be taking care of my niece for a while , so do you have any diapers?" I asked, albeit nervously. "Sure! Hey Sabrina! Come here!" Mrs. Miller shouted into the back, summoning a black haired girl with huge glasses. She saw me and immediately averted her gaze, "Sabrina! Be nice and show the man where the diapers are!" The harshness of her tone made Sabrina flinch but she did as she was told. "I-I'm sorry about what happened with your father." Sabrina said as she stopped in front of the diapers. It wasn't until I looked closer that I realized that this was the girl my father had saved. "Don't worry. He was just an idiot with a noble heart, he would've done it for anyone." I said as I grabbed the package and walked over to the produce. "But you lost your father! Aren't you upset?" She asked. "That was several months ago, don't worry." I calmly replied while grabbing several apples. "You sure?" She was looking at me for the first time. "It doesn't bother me anymore. I suggest you let it go too." I grinned as I headed to the checkout counter. "Did Sabrina give you any trouble? Mrs. Miller asked raising an eyebrow. "No problem at all. She was a real angel." I grinned as I passed over the items I was carrying. "Really? In that case take an extra case of diapers. On us of course." Mrs. Miller said motioning for Sabrina to get the item. "I couldn't possibly! I'm going to be fine. How much do I owe you?" I asked trying to change the subject. "If you're sure. Then it'll be $28.97." She said as I placed thirty dollars on the counter and picked up my stuff and began to leave. "But your change!" Sabrina called after me. "Can't stick around. I've gotta go and take care of Tia." I smiled as I walked away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I pulled into the driveway and immediately noticed something off. The door that had been previously locked was now ajar, causing my pulse to quicken. Little Celly immediately came to mind as I turned off the car and dashed for the door. I crept in and swiped the sharp knife from the sink, prepared to use it for self defense. My eyes widened as both a scream and laughter came from the living room. "Celly!" I shouted as I dashed into the room knife at the ready, but the sight caught even me off guard. "Put me down! Help!" A lady wearing nothing but black yelled as she floated helplessly in midair. Celestia however, was enjoying this for every time she moved her head the lady was shaken like a rag doll. I spotted a pistol on the ground and carefully picked it up. "Celestia, please put her down." I asked causing her to giggle again before putting her down. "Thank you. How can I ever rep-" The lady's sentence was cut short when she realized that the gun was pointed at her heart. "What are you going to do to me?" "That depends on what you saw today." I glared causing her to back up. "I didn't steal anything! I saw nothing! Please just let me go." She begged as I forced her to the door. "You know about the existence of Celestia and you even tried to attack her. Why shouldn't I kill you? You didn't tell anybody that you were going to rob me right? In that case, I could easily kill you and nobody would ever find the body." At this point I had a murderous look in my eyes and my finger started to squeeze the trigger. She took off running and tripped, hitting her head on the concrete which luckily knocked her out. I dragged her over a few houses over and called 911. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Don't worry Celly, the mean lady will not be coming back. I cheered as I gently tossed her up into the air before catching her. "The paramedics will think it's a bad dream, and if she ever tells anyone she can't get out of going to jail." Celestia just laughed as I continued to toss her into the air. "I was really worried when I thought that something bad might have happened to you, but I'm so glad you're okay." I admitted as I pulled her into a big hug, "For some reason it feels like you're the only one who truly understands me." After a bit of pondering I decided that Celestia could stay a little longer. Then came a knock from the door.