The Cutie Alchemist's Daughter

by Visharo

‎ ‎ ‎ Capper

It's been several sunrises since Celestia woke up. Today felt just a miserable as yesterday. The first thing she did when she got back from her chat with Granny was thank Nurse Redheart. The white mare smiled warmly and said it was her pleasure. It didn't help matters.

Now, she found herself in a routine she is content with. Sitting on a hill, overlooking the terrain. Looking in the direction of the shadows. Maybe a small part of her hoped and wished that they were still...them. Still the ponies she knew and loved. So she waited, day by day, hoping to catch a glimpse of them against the permanently darkened horizon. The more she thought about it, the more she compared it to a blight, a sickness. Something that should be purged from this world, from what should have been a beautiful view.

Instead of swathes of trees, adorned with leaves of all sorts of colors, a glistening lake behind the forest, and mighty mountains in the background, complete with fluffy little clouds crowning the summits. But no. Instead, a crippling depression, made from black and purple shade and void, was cast upon the distance.

It just happened to be that day, a memory hit her between the eyes. It was an old one, from many moons ago. It was almost vivid, scarily so. It was the three of them, back when they were starting to learn what a family meant. Starswirl the Bearded was sitting on a padded rock, looking down on the smiling Celestia and Luna. The unexpected fresh memory made her heart hurt.

"Harmony is the driving force behind this world. It creates and it destroys, it purifies and it corrupts."

'Purifies.'

Celestia heaved herself back to her hooves and made her way back down the hill. If harmony had that power, then wouldn't it be safe to assume that the Chalice of Life, a literal object that creates, can purify too? The thought made her giddy.

As she was walking down, she took at the state of the camp for the first time since she returned. It looked normal. It didn't feel normal, it felt empty. Celestia grimaced, she knew why it felt empty. But her eyes were telling a different story. The house was built well and has withstood the heavy snow and lightning, the orchard was still standing, no doubt from Golden Harvest and Granny Smith, speaking of which, they were in the orchard knocking on wood. Not so far by, Fluttershy was talking with some critters and had a small smile. Sunset Shimmer hadn't left Cadance's side the entire time, and neither did Shining Armor. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash were still doing races, but at some point, somepony had told her that they were on lookout duty. As for Muffins, she was relaxing on a padded rock with Nurse Redheart fussing over her. The gray pegasus looked pleased with what was happening.

Although, everything seemed normal. It most definitely was not normal. Nothing was normal now.

Celestia kept her head down as she skirted the camp to get to the house. She made it with no trouble, and slipped inside with none the wiser. With a quick glance around, she quickly spotted the glass cup resting on a pedestal. The object was something else. With vague memories, she knew it didn't use to look like this, all cracked, but it worked completely fine, evident with Nurse Redheart. Celestia frowned, suddenly doubting herself. Would it work for her? Could this cup really purify her family?

She shook her head, banishing those thoughts. It wasn't the time for that. She made her way to the door and poked her head out, wondering if anypony was looking in her direction. She instead face planted into green fur.

"Howdy Celestia."

"Granny, heh, hi. How is the orchard?" Celestia shuffled in a way that she hoped seemed natural while simultaneously moving the cup behind her back.

Granny's eyes narrowed and the white mare swallowed. "The orchard's fine. That Golden is a peach. Nah, ah'm more worried 'bout ya."

"I'm fine." Celestia gave another awkward chuckle. "I'm just...I'm just coping, you know? Trying to find my place in all of this..." Her heart fell slightly. That last sentence wasn't a lie.

"Sugar, yer fine. There is no need for ya to worry yer pretty little head over somethin' so simple as that." Granny scoffed before turning around and moseying off to who knows where. "Do me a favor, Celestia. Ol' Starswirl ain't returnin' anytime soon, so git yerself somethin' to eat. Yer wasting away."

"...okay." Celestia said after a while. She stood there, looking out to see where the other ponies were at. Instead of joining them, she instead trudged back up her hill and sat back in her spot, ever vigilant.

It was then did she noticed the glass cup still in her hand. She held it up to the light and then blinked in surprise when she noticed it was glowing. A process that Celestia was familiar with, by now, happened before her eyes. It's been a while since she was directly in front of the glass and it was still awe-inspiring.

"My oh my, if it isn't a little pony." A furry creature, with a mischievous grin, complete with a top hat and a red coat. "You seem a bit lost, maybe let Uncle Capper help ya out."

"...Uncle Capper? What...are you?"

"Sweet child, I am an Abyssinian. Now whatever can I do to help ease your dire situation, you simply ooze misfortune." Capper sat down and plopped his hat down next to him.

"I...I don't know what to do. The world, my family, it doesn't look the same anymore. It's been flipped on it's head." Celestia buried her head into her arms, trying to suppress the inevitable bawling.

"Hmm...what you are experiencing is what everycreature experiences at least once in their life." His mood seemed to shift to more melancholic, more mature. The sudden change had Celestia rise out of her self-embrace and looked, wide eyed, at the abyssinian. "In moments like these, there aren't any easy solutions. You just have to put one hoof in front of the other and hope it gets better." He reached out with a furry paw and ruffled her mane. His soft smile made him seem more genuine. "Come, let us see where the wind takes us, lest you dwell upon tragedy that cannot be reverted."

Numb, Celestia nodded and took his paw. He pulled her up before marching off into a direction. Unsure, she followed him. But with every step away from the valley, the more certain she became. Her answers don't lie in that valley, where painful memories lie, where worried friends and family watch, where natural formations protect. Her answers are out there, where the wind is.