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Prelude: Falling Asleep397 words
Chapter 1: Moving in like it was Tomorrow4,343 words
Chapter 2: Food and Board2,368 words

Chapter 2: Food and Board

When Celestia awoke the next morning, she was delighted to still feel the comforting warmth of the living flame snuggled up to her. Moving carefully to avoid disturbing it, Celestia left her bed and walked to her desk where the book was still open, hoping to get a bit of early morning reading in. It was a good thing she did, too, because she found some very good information: The living flames liked to have a container to reside in, rather than being left to their own devices in the open. Celestia took note of this and thought for a moment. “A container for you…” She quietly murmured, standing up and leaving her room; she liked walking while in thought. “What sort of container should I put you in? Something moveable so you’re not stuck in place…” She quietly thought aloud, looking at the decorative suits of armor on the walls.

A suit of armor… It would be a protective container, and still permissive of mobility, no less! Celestia’s horn illuminated, removing one of the suits of armor from its stand and bringing it back to her room, using small bits of magic to carefully cut apart the welds holding it stiff. By the time she’d worked everything through, the little flame pony had fumbled itself awake, tapping her forehead a couple times.
“Oh, good morning, little one! I have a surprise for you,” Celestia said, gently taking the little flame pony from her head and setting it down. “Just hold still, okay?”
The little flame pony looked up at her expectantly as her horn began to glow warmly. It stumbled a bit as it began to grow, magic being imparted into it at a manageable, but still slightly disorienting pace. Before long, it was just large enough for the suit of armor; perhaps slightly too short, but not unworkably so.

Celestia then presented the golden-hued armor to it. “And, I found you something nice and safe to inhabit; you’d like a container, wouldn’t you?” She said, smiling.
The flame pony shook themselves off a little, but seemed excited at the prospect of wearing the armor. They excitedly waddled over, already picking up a piece of the metal armor.
“Alright, I’ll help you put it on,” Celestia said contently, her horn illuminating to help the flame pony into the suit of armor. Its fiery mane and tail billowed from slits in the top and back, but otherwise, it covered them well. Once fully clothed, the flame pony waddled over to her and hugged her.
Celestia smiled and hugged back. “There we are… All nice and geared up. Aren’t you a handsome little thing?” She asked with a smile.
The flame pony nodded a little, contently walking around, getting used to their new size and shell.

Celestia stood up, grabbing a fair-sized piece of charcoal from the stack in the trough. “Come along, little one; it’s just about time for breakfast,” She said, looking at the clock briefly as she walked to her bedroom door.
The flame pony nodded and followed after her, its metal-clad feet lightly clunking against the floor. It was practically skipping with delight at the protective shell it now had. Celestia couldn’t help but smile; it was cute to watch. It brought her a sense of fulfillment in a way even the real world had failed to provide her in the past: A feeling of motherhood. That sense of nurturing something. She was Luna’s older sister, but they were close enough in age that that sort of relationship never grew between them; it was always peer to peer.

As Celestia walked into the dining hall, she took a seat at the end of the table. The flame pony followed suit, sitting next to her. She offered the piece of charcoal to them, smiling. “Here you are, little one,” She said warmly. “Breakfast time for both of us.”
The flame pony took the charcoal, starting to eat it; it used its metal armor as a jaw to bite the carbonized wood into pieces, rather than swallowing it whole.
Celestia would start eating her own food, her gaze shifting to the handful of guards in the dining hall, whom were eyeing the flame pony curiously. After the flame pony finished its charred meal, it leaned into Celestia affectionately. She smiled and wrapped a leg around it gently. “You’re quite the little cuddler, hm?” She supposed with a small chuckle.

The flame pony nodded a little, clinging to her side like a nervous foal. Its apparent clinginess made Celestia glad she’d chosen armor for it instead of something less protective; she wanted it to feel secure. “Well, you can stay around me as much as you like, okay?” She promised. “I wouldn’t want you feeling all scared and alone, now.”
The flame pony nodded again, staying stuck to her side the whole time she ate, the armor it was wearing now radiating the same gentle warmth it did. Celestia enjoyed the company, even if it was quiet; teaching it to speak would be something she desired to do, but it could wait.

Once she was done eating, Celestia stood up and walked to the balcony, the flame pony following by her side closely like a duckling following its mother. Celestia smiled. “Look at you; you get to watch me raise the sun this morning,” She said with a smile, her horn lighting.
The flame pony watched on in silent awe as the moon was tucked beneath the horizon, the brilliant sun rising in its place, banishing the darkness of the night to the furthest reaches of the sky and the dankest depths of the land. It was an amazing sight to the practically newborn pony.
Celestia gently stroked their mane as she reopened her eyes. “Perhaps, one day, I’ll share more of my magic with you, and you could try raising the sun all on your own,” Celestia said.
The flame pony seemed dumbstruck by even the idea of wielding such power, and shook its head.
“Don’t worry. If that does happen, you’ll have plenty of time to get used to it,” She promised, stroking its head.

Following through with her other daily task, Celestia went down to deal with addressals, finding nothing interesting; just another report from the outskirts. Celestia figured she should pay some of the forts a visit; she hadn’t done that yet, and wasn’t sure how long it had been since her pre-simulation self had done so. She looked at the flame pony, thinking for a moment. “Alright, I’d like to fly over and check on the outskirts,” She said softly, laying down. “Climb on my back, and I can carry you, okay?”
The flame pony seemed hesitant, pacing towards her only a bit.
“You won’t hurt me,” Celestia promised. “I’m tougher than my lean frame would have you believe.” She chuckled good-naturedly.
The flame pony trepidatiously crawled on Celestia’s back, wrapping their front legs around her chest.
She smiled. “Hold on just like that,” Celestia said as she walked out to the courtyard. “Don’t worry, the outskirts aren’t too far.”

With a brief run-up to account for the extra weight, Celestia took off into the sky, her graceful ivory wings beating near-silently in the daylight sky. The flame pony looked around with awe as the land fell away from them, taking in the sights.
“It’s quite a different world from up here,” Celestia chuckled. “Everything feels so much more manageable from a bird’s eye view. One day, I’d like a room as high as a castle could support, so I can look out over everything,” She said wistfully. She’d compromised in the real world, not wanting to be overly gaudy, but here, in a simulation? She didn’t mind pushing a bit. Who knows, it might even be fun.

Celestia continued to fly, nearly missing her stop; it was an even shorter distance than she would’ve thought. She’d forgotten how truly tiny early Equestria was. As she came to a slightly rough landing, she found herself quickly surrounded by soldiers. She smiled as they bowed to greet her, carefully letting the flame pony down from her back so it could look around a bit.
“Hello, everyone,” She greeted kindly. “How is the border patrol going?”
One of the soldiers would stand up. “Business as usual, your highness; wish we had something more interesting for you out all this way,” They admitted.
Celestia smiled and shook her head. “It’s not a problem at all,” She promised. “I just wanted to get out, stretch my wings… And show my little friend here some more of Equestria.” She gently patted the flame pony’s back.
The soldier nodded. “Well, we appreciate the visit; you’re a real taste of home, your highness,” They expressed.
Celestia smiled and nodded. “Of course; you’re quite a ways from the capital,” She said.

The soldier looked at the flame pony. “So… Who’s your new understudy, your highness?” They asked.
“Oh, this is!...” Celestia trailed off. “Well, I haven’t thought of a name for them yet,” She admitted. “They’re a living flame. Aren’t they just a handsome little charmer?” She smiled.
The flame pony gave a small wave, still standing close to Celestia.
The soldier smiled and waved back. “Quite the sight to see a suit of armor moving on its own; nevermind with such a blaze poking out,” They said.
“The flames like being enclosed,” Celestia said, gently stroking the flame pony’s fiery mane. “I suppose it’s like having a security blanket.”
“I’m not sure what it has to worry about with the Princess of the sun watching over it, but I suppose a few dozen pounds of plate mail does wonders for one’s sense of safety,” The soldier replied.
“Well, of course. I share magic with them; an attack on them would practically be an attack on me, and the punishment for attempted regicide isn’t exactly light!” Celestia laughed.
The soldier chuckled nervously. Discussing the death penalty did that to ponies. “Heh… Of course, your highness,” They replied.

Celestia spent a bit more time showing the flame pony around the fort, introducing it to soldiers, and generally trying to familiarize it with the world. Having something in particular to attach emotions to made the simulation feel more personable. She found it more fulfilling to show something so unfamiliar with life around a place she’d become so familiar with. Celestia pondered the thoughts she’d had… Did she want to be a mother? Was this feeling why she’d become a teacher? Why she’d attached herself to Twilight Sparkle? Twilight was very bright, but she had much to learn outside the realm of studying; practical skills, wisdom. She reflected on the times she’d nearly referred to Twilight as her daughter in the odd hastily-written response, keeping a careful watch over the curious flame pony all the while. It was extremely charming to see something so unabashedly excited to see the world.

Then it stumbled into the lake, tumbling forward into the water. Celestia almost didn’t give it a second thought, until she heard it. The sounds of flames being quenched, of a material being enervated.
HISSSSSSSS!!!
Celestia nearly screamed, her horn immediately illuminating to pull the drowning flame pony from the water, tearing the armor off to let the fluid drain out. The once healthy blue glow of the flame pony was quelled to a sickly pale yellow, and its once beautiful cascades of fiery mane of tail were barely red flecks extending from its head and back. It let out a weak hiss as Celestia pulled its close, burning at a temperature Celestia could only assume was too low to be healthy.

“Shhh, sh sh sh…” Celestia cooed, feeding the flame a bit more of her magic to stabilize it. “I’m right here… You’ll be okay,” She promised, pressing her muzzle against its own.
The flame pony let out an oddly ponylike whine, pressing close to her warm body and squirming a bit in her grasp.
“Just warm up, okay little one?” Celestia cooed, nuzzling it. “There’s no rush…”
“I feel c-cold…” It admitted in a small, weak voice, like a sick child.
Celestia hardly even processed that it had spoken to her at first, wrapping her wings around it to further impart warmth and dryness. “I’ll warm you up,” Celestia promised.

Between the magic and warmth the sun princess’ body exerted, the flame pony did begin to recover, slowly but surely. Its body reheated into a translucent blue, and its once-billowing mane and tail began to swell again. As this happened, Celestia finally realized.
“Oh, you… You spoke,” Celestia expressed, surprised.
The flame pony looked up at her and nodded. “You gave me a voice,” It said.
Celestia gave it a gentle smile. “Of course, the extra magic… Well, I wouldn’t want to take your voice away,” She expressed, stroking its mane.
“Thank you…” The flame pony said quietly, snuggling into her.

Celestia looked up and sighed a bit. It was starting to get late; she needed to lower the sun. She more thoroughly wrapped the flame pony in her wings and sighed gently. “I need to make it night, little one… Just let me hold you close, and I’ll keep you warm through the night,” Celestia expressed.
The flame pony nodded. “Okay,” It said quietly, not hesitating at all in snuggling as close as possible.
Celestia smiled gently, her horn lighting to lower the sun and raise the moon.
The flame pony looked up to watch the sky change. “So many stars…” It murmured softly.
“Yes… They only come out at night, when most ponies have gone to sleep,” Celestia said, smiling gently. “To see them is special, in a way.”
“Are the stars scared?” The flame pony asked.
“Scared of what?” Celestia asked.
“Us,” The flame pony said.
Celestia smiled. “In a way, perhaps. You know how you hid behind me from the guards at first? That’s what the stars do. They hide behind the day,” She explained.
The flame pony nodded, going quiet as it watched the stars.
Celestia yawned. She’d return to the castle tomorrow. It had been too long since she indulged in sleeping beneath the stars directly.