//------------------------------// // Celestia // Story: The Cutie Alchemist // by Visharo //------------------------------// Celestial: of, relating to, or suggesting heaven or divinity. ------------------------------------------------------ Language. The ability to converse with another of the same species. Starswirl pondered on this notion. He has spoken before, way back when, but gradually stopped using it. There simply was no purpose to it. However when this new being, this...pony, appeared, speech now seemed important. Over the next few days, he tried to come to terms with what had happened and then, somehow regain his ability to talk. For the time being, he would watch and care for Celestia. The...filly, yes that was the word, had a never ending amount of energy, exploring every nook and cranny of the house the moment Starswirl opened the door. By the third day, Celestia had settled in quite nicely, which was beneficial to Starswirl, because he still had no idea how to speak with the filly. He just hoped he didn't seem too distant due to his avoidance of her. Every morning, he went down and made his morning meal and made some extra for his guest. Guest, an interesting word. And when Celestia would wake up, she would come down and gobble up the plants and smile. This day was going to be different, Starswirl decided. Today, he was going to return to the wild, which he hasn't treaded since the surprise of Celestia. However, the difference was, that he was going to bring the filly. A peculiar notion arrived in his head that morning that a growing pony needs their exercise. So, he packed the gear that they potentially needed in his pack, and waved for the filly's attention. Celestia was a biped, like himself, as well as a horn, although much smaller. Her whole form was smaller overall. Her hair was a nice shade of pink while her magenta eyes held mirth that youth can only have. This, Starswirl remembered vaguely from his first walk on this world. "Where are we going?" Celestia asked after he gestured for her to follow. Still unable to answer, Starswirl couldn't do much more than shrug. That seemed enough for the hyper filly, so she slid off a cushioned log and hopped behind the homeowner. Together, they headed off. For the path today, Starswirl chose one that was hidden by bushes. He chose this particular one because he wanted to show Celestia a location that was very dear to him. The duo hiked for a while and after the sun had moved a considerable length across the sky, Starswirl stopped to take a breath. The filly behind him whimpered slightly and collapsed on the grass, her chest heaving. "Mister...are we...there...yet?" Celestia gasped with each breath. It was way past high sun, so Starswirl sat down beside the filly and took out two meals, one smaller than the other. He handed the smaller one to Celestia who took it gratefully. He munched on the other and stared off in the distance. "So, are you going to answer my question?" Question, another peculiar word. "Almost there." What followed was stunned silence, by both Starswirl and Celestia. The former was frozen stiff by shock while the latter was leaping around in joy. "You finally spoke!" Celestia leaned in with her big magenta eyes. "Does this mean you'll tell me your name?" "I am Starswirl the Bearded." He spoke again, once again surprised. His voice, he had forgotten what it sounded like. "That is my name." "I like it!" Celestia made a noise that caught Starswirl off guard. He had no words to describe it and contemplated on what it was as the duo finished up their midday meal. "I apologize for not answering your questions previously. I was...incapable." Starswirl said, brushing off scraps that had fallen into his lap. "Aw, that's alright! I forgive you!" Celestia perked up and bounced back to her feet. "So where are we going?" "A special place." Starswirl got up, although a bit slower than the filly. "Let us go." Celestia made that peculiar noise again and set off, bouncing around trees and boulders with a big smile. Starswirl felt his mouth twitch at the sight, then frowned wondering what that was. He shook his head, thinking it was nothing to worry about and followed the hyper filly. They crested over a hill and Celestia gasped in awe. The duo stood upon a cliffside that overlooked the faraway lake and the trees of many colors. They arrived just at the perfect moment when the sun's rays glanced off of the water, creating a glorious spectrum. Perfect, glorious. Starswirl tilted his head, contemplating on those words, words he had never used before. "Swirly! It looks so beautiful!" Celestia's big smile was interrupted by a huge yawn. "How are we gonna get back in the dark?" "We are not." Starswirl looked through his pack, bringing out more food, Shimmer Redleaf Salad for the night meal. "We are staying here for the night. Gather fallen leaves, they will be our comfort." Celestia nodded and hopped around through the forest, collecting the various leaves and held them using her arms. After they had gathered enough leaves to create two reasonably sized sleeping areas, Starswirl passed some of the salad to Celestia. It was quite filling and soon the duo were relaxing, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. "What's that?" Starswirl looked to see what the filly was pointing at. "That is the moon." "What does it do?" "I do not know, maybe I will find out one day. Until that day, it remains a mystery." "Oh." *** A rustling noise awoke Starswirl from his peaceful slumber. His eyes slowly opened, revealing that it was still night. Groaning, he slowly got up and looked around, wondering what the noise was. There, a figure atop a large boulder. As Starswirl looked closer, he saw a familiar glint, a glint he'd only seen once before. Glass. He started walking towards the figure, his gait uneven as he battled himself. His fear and curiosity. However, from this distance, he was able to make out the glass glowing once again. Then the figure got off of the rock and came closer to Starswirl, still holding the glowing cup. As the figure neared, he could make out Celestia coming out of the shadows, her face illuminated by the glow. Starswirl looked down at the cup and saw it was glowing a dark blue with a picture of a cut moon. Just as before, the glow started getting brighter and brighter, forcing Starswirl to look away. As he looked away, he heard a whisper, "I just want a sister."