Just keep putting one hoof in front of the other, she told herself. Keep moving, keep going forward and you’ll find a better place.
Hot sand shifted under her purple hooves as she reached the crest of yet another dune. Overhead the sun blazed relentlessly, crushing the desert under an oppressive heat that seemed determined to cook the life from her body. Even raising her head felt exhausting, yet she did so anyway, hoping this time she would finally see some sign of civilisation, or trees, rocky outcrops to give some shelter, a cloud, something, anything other than sand stretching endlessly toward a shimmering horizon.
Nothing. Still no escape from this dry, dust and sand cursed hellscape. Freezing cold at night and blistering heat during the day. It just. Went. On. Her heart sank again, tears threatening to well and choke her, but she stifled them, barely. The sandy wasteland would surely see to her demise if she gave in to sheer despair, and so long as she had strength she would not yield. Too much depended on it. She didn’t know where this drive came from or why it was so important, only that she had to keep going, it was her only hope.
When she had first woken in this endless desert, she had flown during the day to cover more distance, using the position of the sun to keep her course, and by night she used her magic to condense whatever moisture she could find in the air into something drinkable. But travelling three days had inflicted a significant toll.
She’d found that kind of magic was difficult to maintain and drained her stamina, while launching without any kind of assistance or platform was likewise tiring and her wings burned with the effort. She simply couldn’t recall the natural skills and knowledge to catch thermals or glide easily. Now her wings hung limp, the feathers that were once magnificent and beautiful were now filthy and broken, her lips too dry and cracked to properly preen them. Even if she could remember how.
What else have I forgotten? She pondered, trudging down the dune to cross another plateau. What else have I lost?
The desert gave her no answer. So, she stumbled on.