I really wished I had done something besides nod my head when she talked to me, because the next I knew we were flying high above the clouds, my arms wrapped around her neck as I practically strangled her as we flew. This was higher than before, so much higher than when I flew on that other pony’s back, Rainbow Dash. I absolutely hated it, and kept my face buried in her still flowing mane as she flew me off to… wherever we were going. Her castle in Canterlot from what she told me.
She said she wanted to speak to me, but she really only asked me about three or four questions before she decided we should leave, all of them yes or no.
“Have you always been a pony?” Head shake. “You entered Equestria on Tuesday I presume?” Nod. “Are you meant to be an adult?” Nod. “Would you be against discussing this elsewhere, in my castle in Canterlot?” Head shake.
With that, we were off, Celestia somehow levitating me off the ground and placing me on her back, explaining to Holiday and Lofty that she was taking me with her to treat me. With the words, she spread her wings and took off into the sky, causing me to gasp at the sudden speed while tears filled my eyes from a combination of the wind in my face, the horrible pounding in my head, and the extreme height we were at. I really didn’t like the height. I didn’t like any of it, from how high we were to her using magic to lift me up to how sick I was to… everything. Once again, I really, really wished I was at home again.
“What if she offers a way to go home?” I asked myself as I kept my eyes firmly in her mane to avoid seeing how high we were. “Do I say yes? Can I really do that if magic is involved? Can I do that if God wants me to be here? Oh, Lord, why is this happening? I know I keep asking, but I just really wish I knew why...”
“Ashley?” Celestia started, her voice a bit hoarse. “If you would loosen your grip just a bit? Even though you are but a filly and I, a princess, you still have earth pony strength and are beginning to choke me.”
“I- I- I don’t like heights…” was all I managed to squeak out, somehow tightening my grip around her in the process.
“I assure you, you will not be dropped,” she told me as she turned her head behind her and looked at me. “Perhaps you can wrap your arms around my waist.”
Her horn lit up with a golden glow, the glow working around my arms as she somehow forced my hands- hooves- loose, my breaths becoming deeper and faster as she gently placed them at her sides. Once she did, I immediately tightened my grip again, feeling like my hooves would shatter if I clenched any harder.
“Be at ease, my little pony,” she told me gently as I looked up for a moment into her purple eyes. “All is well. We will arrive safely.”
“I don’t like this,” I said aloud, half to her, half to myself. “I don’t like any of this. I feel like I was starting to get a little bit comfortable, and now we’re thousands of feet up flying over even the clouds. I just want to be at home. I don’t like this at all.”
“We will see what we can do, my little pony. For now, be calm. We will be in Canterlot shortly.”
Shortly in this case meant staying high in the sky on her back for another good half hour or so, the rest of the trip remaining silent. Once I felt her hooves on the ground, I quickly hopped off her back, somehow landing upright as I did so, wiping the tears out of my eyes. Then, when I opened them again, I stepped back in surprise at the sight before me.
She didn’t lie when she said we would be going to her castle, and it certainly was a castle before me. However, this wasn’t a traditional grey castle like you’d see in medieval Europe. This building was gigantic, colored white and gold and purple with multiple spires jutting into the sky. We looked like we were on a mountain, one that shot straight up into the clouds with a waterfall pouring down it somehow, the main part of the building being built on top of it. Perhaps cliff was a better word to describe it, because about half of the building was built right into the cliff face and about a third jutted off of it. Just from the outside, it looked like a crazy sequence of hallways and rooms and twists and turns, the kind of building it would be incredibly easy to get lost in. It looked like something right out of a TV show or a fairy tale.
“Come along now, Ashley,” the pony said as my mouth hung open just from the sight of it. “We’ve much to discuss now. Although, first…”
“First what?” I asked before I saw her horn light up, then watched as she pointed it towards the sun and forced it to lower, going from high in the middle of the sky to below the horizon in just a few minutes as the moon came up with it. It was a sight that literally took my breath away, and I had to look away from it after a little while, freaking myself out too much after a certain amount of time. Just like the first and second day I was here, I was starting to get filled with the overwhelming sense that this wasn’t real, that this couldn’t be happening. I had to close my eyes and sit down to calm myself down watching it.
“Is something wrong, little filly?” she asked me politely, the concern in her voice clear.
“How- how did you do that?” I stuttered out, my eyes still closed as I sat in the grass. “How did you do that? With magic?”
“I am the ruler of Equestria,” she explained with a kind smile as she looked down at me. “It is my job to make sure my little ponies are given light in the day and darkness at night.”
“Oh, this is too- I don't like this at all... God, why is this happening?”
I debated to myself whether or not I should ask the next question, knowing it was a completely ridiculous question to ask. Even so, I still knew I had to ask just based on what I had seen from her and heard from other ponies, and was afraid of what the answer might be. I almost didn’t want to ask as a result, and really had to gather myself to even consider the fact that there might be even a one percent chance of her answering yes to what I was planning on asking. Despite this, I took a breath and mustered up the strength to ask what I knew I needed to.
“You, um… are you, uh- you’re not…" I paused to close my eyes and take another breath before continuing, "You're not God, are you? I mean, I don’t think you are, but, um…” I couldn’t help but cringe at my question, knowing it was completely ridiculous. If she were, she wouldn’t have needed to ask my name or tell me to loosen my grip. Still, I wanted to ask to get it out of the way right then and there. Besides, even if she answered yes, I had a list of follow-up questions I planned to ask her to prove it.
I watched her chuckle at my words and nervously laughed back as she answered, “You’re not the first to ask that question. Many of my own ponies seem to believe so. But no, I am no deity, even if it seems to others that I am. Although I will admit that I have such aspects in many respects.”
“Oh, good,” I sighed in relief, still cringing a bit. Even if she wasn’t God, I did have a problem that she was comparing herself to Him, even a little bit. It made me incredibly anxious to hear, although I put that to the side right then, relieved that she said no.
“Okay, so then…” I continued, “how did you do that? You just… move the sun? Every day? Have you always done that? Does it not move on its own?”
She let out a genuine laugh at that, explaining, “Despite my age, I cannot claim to have always moved the sun. Before I came about, it took six ponies to move the sun and the moon across the sky each day.”
More relief came from that. She wasn’t all powerful, which was good, I thought.
“Okay, so then why are you saying you have aspects of a- achoo! Ow...”
“Please, my little pony, we’ll have plenty of time to answer your questions. But let us head inside first if we can, before it begins to get cold.”
“She asked if I was a deity?” Celestia thought to herself as the two entered her castle, still able to catch nervous glances coming from Asher’s direction. “Does she think I brought her here?”
The two of them walked through the castle, past the throne room and into the hallway, entering the first room they saw, one with a great view of the mountainside. Asher shuddered at the sight, a sheer dropoff, one that extended what looked to be thousands of feet off the cliff face. Even at night, it was a terrifying view to her.
“This is where you will be staying for the evening, and perhaps tomorrow as well,” Celestia explained as she and the filly walked up to the window to look down the mountain. “I do hope it’s comfortable enough for you.”
“I- achoo!- I don’t like the view… I liked it better with- I mean, I’d rather be staying with Miss Lofty and Holiday…” She couldn't help but blush at the idea that the two of them had grown on her, especially considering her initial reaction to them.
“Hmmm… we can equip you with a better room,” the mare commented, “but that will be a task for later. As well, we shall take you back to Ponyville in due time. For now, however, I would like to inquire about your status.”
“My- my what?”
“Actually, before that, we should have supper served,” she said. “I’ve heard you have been out all day. You must be quite hungry. Is there anything in particular you wish to have?”
“I’m not hungry,” she got out tearfully, unable to stop thinking about how much her head hurt. “I just want to take a nap right now. My nose is still burning and my whole body is aching and… I just want to go to sleep.”
“I see… well then, I shall be back in an hour's time with something prepared for you,” Celestia told her as Asher climbed into bed. “Do rest easily, please.”
“I hope I’m not being too formal…” the princess thought as she watched the filly lay down and almost immediately fall asleep, looking peaceful as she did so. “Where is she from that she knows Ponish? Would she eat pony food? She has to have eaten some before to not be malnourished, but still… she did have canines… hmmm…”
With that, she stepped into the kitchen and decided to have her chefs cook something more akin to what griffons and, in some colder regions, pegasi might eat, fish and leafy greens, as well as a side of flowers, chamomile. She thought it would be a nice enough meal, and figured she should like something on the plate. She even remembered seeing some Canterlot elites eating the very same thing, although it wouldn't be something she would partake in.
With that out of the way, she went to grab a notebook and pen to keep track of the conversation they would have. She knew she really should have told Twilight Sparkle. She would’ve been ecstatic to learn about the filly. However, she had other, more important things to attend to, namely, the Summer Sun Celebration and her sister’s looming return.
Perhaps I should keep her in Ponyville and have her stay with Twilight… it might do each of them good, especially if Twilight can keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn’t interfere with what I’m planning…”