Her arrival was an explosion. Not an explosion of fire or wind or light.
An explosion of Magic.
She could sense the world. Within half a second, She knew so many things about Her surroundings: the frigid cold, the biting wind, the gentle illumination. The latent energies, quiet and smooth and pleasant, flowed beneath the planet’s surface like an ocean. The cold waters of Magic reached out, feeling at this interloper, gauging Her presence, trying to understand Her arrival. She nearly lashed out, afraid of how it might react to this, their first encounter.
Yet there was no anger. No territorial aggression. Only curiosity and, after the Magic got a good feel for Her, invitation. It was so pleasant, so kind, and yet She couldn’t go in just yet. After all, it would be Her first time, and She wanted to get a better idea of who this new – friend? – really was.
And so She brought about the changes She needed. Hooves with which to feel the ground beneath Her, soft but with a hardness lying just underneath. Skin with which to properly detect the chill winds, driving shivers through a body even as the physical nerves completed their passages to a fast-developing brain. A mouth opened, accepting a breath of air for the first time. Not normal air with its precise oxygen and nitrogen levels, but something more alien, something a pony’s system shouldn’t be able to accept. The air was moist and added an extra chill to Her form, with a taste not unlike spearmint. Ears came to be, allowing Her to hear a wind that seemed more to slosh howl, like a wave of water heard through a hollow tube.
And then, at last, the eyes. She stared upon a mountainous white land of ice. The air shook in a constant churning motion like the inside of a storm… if the air were visible, that is. High above, a lone sun shined a dark blue, its light twisting and turning at sharp angles through the wild world. She could now detect a heavy weight, but knew it was only this odd planet’s stronger gravity and heavier atmosphere attempting to crush a creature that, under any normal circumstances, would have already been reduced to a mass of lifeless flesh by now.
For the first time ever, She was glad She wasn’t a normal equine. If She were, She’d have never seen the sight which Her dear friends wanted Her to find. She’d already detected it, and so turned about to see properly.
Blue. Glimmering and decadent. Blue like the purest of eyes that could look into Her soul and see the beauty within. Blue like the Magic swimming deep within this world. It towered over Her like a trio of colossi, the jagged surfaces dusted with what the average pony might mistake for snow. As the blue sun shone its rays down through the twisting, shifting air, the light cascaded through a thousand-million facets, and the diamond mountain glowed like a brilliant beacon.
She had no words for the glorious image before Her. It was, as promised, perfect. She should have known better than to doubt. Already, She knew what to do.
But first…
Her physical form burst into lavender clouds, which in turn dissolved into a shimmering light. Accepting the invitation presented, She dove into the world. Deep, deep, deeper, letting the planet’s natural essence engulf Her very being. She swam in its eddies and flows which, to Her pleasure, were surprisingly organized and smooth. Every motion seemed planned and prearranged, as though a supreme mind had devoted all its energies to giving Her the most pleasant ride it could manage. It was welcoming, soothing. It called to Her, invited Her to play in its carefully conducted maelstrom.
She indulged, Her soul swimming with the currents like a cat lazing upon a carriage and rocked by the pleasant crisscrossing magical breezes. She’d always known that magic had its own ebb and flow, but this? This felt so alive and caring. She knew, without even having to question it, that this sensation was a gift, given freely and without any expectation of something in return.
Her mentor was right; this planet was perfect.
There was no language that could be described between two inherently Magical entities. She simply made Her request, Her aura splaying out amongst the cool essence that surrounded Her total awareness. The Magic answered, with no hesitation or trepidation, in the affirmative. Her heart, or that which passed as a heart when one has no physical form, burst with joy, and She set straight to work.
The Magic held Her back. That was not the way. This place had its own rules, rules that She must abide. The world’s essence flowed about, guided, showed Her the precise touch needed, gave Her the care and grace and patience of a master artist at work. For the first time, She knew what it meant to create something beautiful.
It was nothing short of glorious, a warmth that pervaded Her entire being. The Magic found this reaction curious, but not unwelcome. It prodded Her, querying, contemplative. She indulged its request, sending a touch of that warmth through it.
It danced. It swooned. It delighted in a fresh, new sensation the likes of which it had never imagined could exist. And even then, it continued to guide Her work, altering the very fabric of reality until, with a giddy parting shove, it tossed Her out of its clutches and hurtling through the shifting, physical air. She laughed at its playfulness, only to pause. The work was done. She knew it to be true.
She gave herself eyes so as to see Her monument. The mountain of blue remained, but was so very different. The colossi were now three beautiful diamonds, their facets glimmering beneath the pale blue sun. She saw the fruit of Her work, the gift, the creation.
She created for Herself a voice, just so that She could laugh. It sounded thick and deep in this odd air. That only made Her laugh all the more.
Then She dove back into the world, eager to play with Her new friend.