The journey was a long and harsh one as Celestia started down the lonely road. It hadn’t been long since her banishment, yet she still felt as if it was a past life. In a strange sense, it was. Celestia continued her struggles down the road, as the sun shined harshly above her. She dragged her feet through the dirt and grass, weary from her travels. She had flown for most of it, but now her wings ached. She was tired and hungry. Celestia thought back to her last meal, desperate to remember what it was. However, with everything that had recently happened, she couldn’t even begin to fathom what the last meal she had was.
She looked down the road to see a small village straight ahead. The collaboration of buildings spoke of a successful society and the bright colors suggested friendliness. Celestia, however, wasn’t interested in the city or its ponies. She was only interested in the food that they had to offer. She picked up her pace ever so slightly in excited haste for the sights and smells of the local village, in hopes of acquiring something to eat.
As she approached the entrance to the city, which she now recognized as the small town of Ponyville, her gaze counted the ponies traveling in all such directions. Ponies of all shapes and sizes marched, trotted, or flew around to their intended destinations. They went about their business without giving her a second look, as if they didn’t even know who she was.
“How inconsiderate of them?!” Celestia thought to herself. “Don’t they know I am Canterlot royalty?”
However, despite these thoughts, the ponies did little to notice her. Then a loud rumbling sound came from the pit of Celestia’s stomach. The sharp pain in her belly almost caused her to collapse to the floor.
“I suppose food is more of a priority at this point.”
Celestia scanned the area around her, hoping to find something to eat. But there were so little shops nearby, at least as far as she could see. Her stomach rumbled in anger as a lingering reminder of her present situation.
“Apples! Get your fresh apples here! Only two bits!”
Celestia’s ears perked themselves up as the voice came from behind her. She whipped her around fast to see an orange mare with long yellow hair pushing a large cart of apples. Celestia started to eye the fruit with a yearning desire. She had noticed herself licking at her chomps as she stared at the red delicious. She had never been fond of fruits and vegetables. Not when she had all the sweets in the world to consume, but as her stomach constantly reminded her, she was hungry and food was food
Celestia made her way through the dense crowd and stopped in front of the apple cart. The orange mare turned her head and smiled towards Celestia.
“Well, hello there. Looking to buy an apple, are we?” the mare asked.
Celestia didn’t respond. She only continued to eye the wondrous fruit that only stood a few feet away. Her mind danced with images of her taking her first bites. She imagined what sensations she would feel as her teeth ripped through the skin, tasting the juicy fruit just underneath. The thoughts caused her mouth to water.
“Um… miss?”
The mare’s voice brought Celestia back to reality. When she returned, she was leaned up against the cart; her mouth was held open, perched and ready to chomp into the red delicious in front of her.
Celestia quickly removed herself from the cart and placed herself firmly on the ground, taking a couple of steps back. Her face reddened with embarrassment, but she did her best to dispel it.
“Now, Celestia, you are a princess. Try not to embarrass yourself. You need to keep calm.”
“Can I help you, miss?” the mare asked, her eyebrow raised with worry. Not that it surprised Celestia. She had acted rather unprofessionally, but that was the past.
“My dear, I have been on the road for quite some time,” Celestia started with an over dramatic voice. Her forelegs were waved high in the air, all for dramatic effect. “I have traveled far and wide and have found myself weary from the exhausting journey.”
“Uh huh,” the mare replied, tilting her head in confusion.
“And an apple would be just the thing I would need to rejuvenate my strength.” Celestia turned her gaze, once again, back to the fruit on the cart. A feeling came over her, as if the apples were begging her to take them away.
“That’ll be two bits, please.”
With that, Celestia used the tactics she mastered at the Star Light Festival. If she was to survive, she knew she would need it. “I don’t need any pony! I’m a princess of Canterlot! I’ll be just fine!
“But alas, I have no bits to my name,” Celestia continued, her foreleg across her forehead, signifying dramatic effect. “But I’m certain a generous pony such as yourself would be more than happy to help one such as I, the princess of Canterlot.” She gave a sly smile as she mentioned her title.
“You’re the princess of Canterlot, huh?”
Celestia made her way quickly to the side of the cart. “Oh, thank you so much. You’re generosity knows no bounds!” Celestia reached out her hoof to grab the red apple without hesitation. However, an orange hoof swatted hers away. She looked up to see the orange mare sporting a threatening look upon her face.
“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I’m running a business, not a charity,” the mare firmly stated.
Celestia’s eyebrow rose in disgust. “Do you not understand who I am? I am the princess of Canterlot!”
The orange mare leaned into Celestia’s face. “Yeah? And I’m the queen of Saddle Arabia!” Celestia took a step back as the orange pony continued her march forward. “Look, beggar, if you don’t have bits, you don’t get apples.”
The pony made her way back to her cart and continued down the road, advertising her product as she went.
Celestia was dumbfounded as she stood with her mouth hanging open. She had never been treated with such disdain before. Especially not by an earth pony. Celestia mumbled cruel words under her breath as she started in the opposite direction of the vendor.
“Do they not understand that I am a princess?! That they should be lining up to help me?!”
Celestia turned her head around hoping to catch the apple seller again, just for a chance to give her a stern glare. However, the vendor was distracted by a customer and her young filly to notice her. The young filly started leaping with joy, as if she was expecting a delicious apple in her future. Celestia started to cringe in annoyance. She couldn’t bring herself to believe that she was becoming jealous of a child. And yet, the filly was going to eat and she wasn’t.
However, the gears started to turn in her head as the vendor continued on her path. She noticed that the mare was easily distracted by customers. Celestia decided to follow her until she had met with another patron. And soon enough, she had met with another. They were exchanging pleasantries, having a laugh and smiling towards one another. It was as if they knew each other. But Celestia was hardly paying any attention to them. She just wanted her apple.
She hid herself behind a crate in an attempt to hide from the vendor. She eyed the fruit and focused her magic.
“If you won’t deliver me charity, I’ll simply take it.”
Celestia’s horn started to glow as one of the apples from the cart rose from its resting place. Celestia smiled as the apple slowly moved towards her. Her thoughts were once again consumed by her gnawing hunger. Imagining the first bite was all Celestia could think of as the apple, that seemed hundreds of miles away, seemed to call out to her.
“Stop! Thief!”
The voice called Celestia back to reality. She had stepped out of her hiding place without realizing it. And because of this, the vendor had seen her actions.
“Stop that thief!”
Panicking, Celestia reeled in the apple to her and bit down the stem with her teeth. Her feet then took over her body and she darted down the road, making her way through the crowd of ponies in her path.
“Halt in the name of the law!”
Celestia turned her head to see a group of ponies coming straight towards her. The ponies wore heavy armor and held swords at their sides. Her heart started to race, beating faster and faster. Her heavy breathing became the new sound that assaulted her ears.
She was desperate to outrun them, but she was still exhausted from her travels. She turned her head forward and made her way to an opening in the crowd. Once she arrived, she opened her wings as far as she could and took to the skies above. Within seconds, she was away from her ground pursuers.
She nearly took a sigh of relief when a voice came from behind her.
“There is no escape! Surrender!”
Celestia turned to see a trio of pegasi coming straight for her. The heavy armor they bore indicated that they were also of the city guard. Celestia’s relief turned to terror as she hastily flew forward, giving her wings every ounce of strength she could summon.
“Lord above, please let me get away. Please!”
Celestia hadn’t considered what would happen if she was caught. Prison was certainly no place for a princess like her. Still, if they caught her, that is likely where she would be. She flapped her wings even harder, but the guards were still gaining on her. Normally, she might have been able to outfly them. But she was too exhausted, her wings hurt, and she was weary from hunger.
Knowing that an air chase would end in her capture, she headed for the ground below, hoping to lose them in the crowd of ponies.
Celestia pushed her way through the crowd and dove into a nearby alleyway. There, she ducked behind several crates, hiding as best as she could. However, she was too tired to move afterwards. She found herself leaned up against the wall, helpless to move. If they were to find her, she wouldn’t even be able to put up a fight.
“Where did she go?!” she heard a voice come from just outside the alleyway.
“Please, don’t find me! Oh, please. Oh, please. Oh, please.”
“She went that way!” another voice came.
Tears started to dwell in Celestia’s eyes as she feared for what came next. If the guards came down the alleyway, she would have no way to escape. She sobbed as she silently waited for the guards to come around the corner at any seconds, silently praying they would simply pass her. A moment passed and nothing came. Another moment passed, still nothing. Celestia waited several more moments with still no sign of her pursuers.
Celestia gathered her strength and looked out of the alleyway and into the city. There were ponies, yes, but they were all traveling along the road, minding their own business, mingling with one another. Not a single one had even noticed her.
She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she slunk down behind the crates.
“Thank the Lords above, I’m safe. Safe and now I can have my-, “
Celestia opened her mouth, expecting the red fruit to fall to her lap. To her disappointment, only the stem appeared before her.
“What?! How… How is that possible?! I just had it!”
Celestia’s mind jumped back to before the chase, the only point when she was certain she had the apple. She desperately tried to remember where she could have lost it. At the start of the chase, in the air, when she dove into the alleyway? She frantically looked all around her, but the fruit was nowhere to be found. It was long gone.
“This is just wonderful! I nearly get arrested for stealing a piece of fruit that I don’t even have anymore! This is the worst day of my life!”
She moaned in sorrow as her stomach growled at her in disappointment. Something she mimicked in her mind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The day slowly descended into night as Celestia dragged herself around town. She had spent most of the day hiding in her little sanctuary, which was just behind a group of crates in the middle of an alleyway. Her stomach was in unbearable pain from lack of food. She needed something to eat. Anything would do.
Celestia made her way to a different alleyway that was placed on the side of one of the restaurants. It was a fancy place and very expensive. Celestia had thought about trotting inside and announcing who she was, but quickly dismissed the idea when she thought she saw the figure of a guard closing in. Her fear of capture tricked her mind into seeing normal ponies as guards. Clearly, her mind was playing tricks on her. Regardless, she thought it best to stay out of sight.
She found herself stationed in front of the trash bin, just outside the restaurant. The stench made it easy for Celestia to keep away, but the hunger and the slight chance of food made it tempting to open the lid. Eventually, hunger won. Celestia placed her hooves on the lid of the dumpster and opened it slightly.
As she did, a combination of rotten food, sauces, spices, and other scents she couldn’t identify assaulted her nostrils in a way that caused her to gag. She had to move her head away from the entrance to inhale fresh air. She took a deep breath and stuck her head back into the dumpster. Her eyes quickly scanned through the remains, desperate to find anything that could be edible.
“Look at me! This is humiliating! Me, Princess Celestia, forced to dig through garbage! For food!”
As she continued to look, her heart continued to sink. The food that was wasn’t half-eaten, was either covered in dirty napkins or soaked in sauce and other liquids. It turned Celestia’s stomach more than once just looking at them. She couldn’t imagine smelling it too. However, her luck seemed to pay off when she found half of a cabbage. It looked like it had been cut with a knife rather than bitten into.
“Well, it looks… appetizing.” Celestia raised her eyebrows as she realized the thought that had just entered her head. [i“Please, tell me that was the hunger talking.”
Her horn started to glow as she slowly lifted the cabbage with her magic. As it approached her face, she realized the combination of smells was stained onto the cabbage, making it difficult to face. After pulling the cabbage from the dumpster, she set herself down on the far wall and continued to stare at it. She started to take heavy breaths after releasing the breath she had been holding.
“I can’t believe I’m actually considering this!”
Celestia brought the cabbage to her face. She opened her mouth slightly, slowly inching towards it. She started to pull away as the smell started to grip her nostril, but eventually her hunger lured it closer to her mouth. Her teeth eventually bit into it, tearing off a small chunk. Her tongue pulled the leaf into her mouth and she began to chew, slowly.
“… Oh, so good,” a voice in her head moaned in satisfaction as she continued to chew.
“Good?! Look at yourself! You are eating garbage!” Another voice in her head shouted in shock and horror. “You, the princess of Canterlot, are reduced to eating garbage to survive!”
She took another look at the cabbage as she swallowed her first bite. It was the first meal she had had all day. And she wasn’t sure when she would have another. She took another huge bite out of the side as she grabbed it in her hooves. “I’m so hungry I don’t care!”
As she started to chew her latest bite, she heard the sound of a door opened nearby. Her eyes diverted themselves to a large stallion with a huge bag of garbage in his hooves. His eyes finally found Celestia. They scowled at her as he noted the vegetable in Celestia’s hooves.
“What do you think you’re doing?! Stay away from my garbage!”
Celestia slowly made her way to her feet, wrapping the cabbage tightly close to her body in her forelegs. Her frightened scampering turned into a dash for safety as the stallion slowly approached her.
“If I catch you again, I’ll call the guards! They’ll lock you up, beggar!” His voice followed her as she darted down the dark alleyway, holding tightly onto what was more precious to her than gold.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The night was no less miserable than the day. Celestia had managed her way back to her sanctuary, but was tired. She collapsed behind the crates, hoping that sleep would take her in its gentle embrace. However, her constant fear of being discovered, the hunger than had yet to be quelled and the frigid cold of the night made it nearly impossible for her to get a wink of sleep. She wrapped herself in her wings as best she could, but even they were only so effective against the chilling winds that assaulted her body.
When the sun finally rose over the rooftops, it assaulted Celestia’s already sensitive eyes. She moaned in agony as she attempted to move her aching body. The morning had barely come and her stomach was already giving her signs of irritation. The cabbage from last night had not satisfied her last night and had long since lost its potency this morning. She had not remembered falling to sleep the night before, but she was no less tired than yesterday.
Celestia gathered all her strength and slowly stood herself up. She knew she had a long day ahead of her. She needed to start her search for Luna and she needed to find some more food.
The day dragged on with Celestia approaching ponies that she could, asking them if they had seen her sister. She would present to them a picture of her sister, in the hopes that some pony would recognize her. However, nopony had even seen her before. They hadn’t even seen an alicorn until Celestia approached them.
When she wasn’t trying to find leads on Luna, she was avoiding the guards or digging through dumpsters for food. Neither of which she was particularly fond of. Eventually, Celestia became tired of the town of Ponyville. There was nothing left for her there, just like Canterlot.
With those thoughts continuing to haunt her, she made her way down the road, praying for the next city to have more to offer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celestia’s journey dragged on as she traveled from town to town. After awhile, they began to look the same to her. The same roads that all intertwined at the city’s center. The same shops along them, with each vendor practically begging patrons to try their product. The same alleyways she would hide in to avoid the seemingly same guards that would chase her. And the same responses to her questions.
“Never seen her before,” they would say.
“Can’t say I’ve seen her.”
“Nope. Haven’t seen her.”
“Never seen a pony like that before.”
“Haven’t seen her.”
“Nope. Not around here.”
As each pony was questioned, Celestia’s heart sank even deeper into depression. Her hopes of finding Luna was beginning to dwindle.
She continued down the road, passing pony after pony, who didn’t even give her a second look. After all, why would they? Her once beautiful pink mane was mangled, twisted and coated in dirt, as if it had never been combed or washed a day in her life. Her body was coated in either mud, dirt or perspiration. Her eyes were red and puffy, due to her inconsistent sleep patterns. And she smelled terrible, like the dumpsters she constantly stuck her head into just to survive.
The only good thing she could look at was the giant flab that was once her belly was reduced to nothing, but her rib cage looked as if it was threatening to split open her skin and escape the confines of her body.
She would look at herself in the glass of windows and wonder how a radiant goddess could have fallen into the depths she found herself in now. She closed her eyes and found herself thinking about her castle, her room, her home. She had always been taken care of. Food was aplenty and it was always at her beck and call. She was always able to bathe her body in a nice warm bath. She shivered at the thought of simply experiencing a bath once more.
Her thoughts then turned to the tall towers that stood high above the city. She thought about how she would look down from those towers, glancing at the tiny cities below. How she saw herself at the highest point of Olympus. Now, like a god fallen from the mountain, she was trapped and force to live like a mortal. It would make her cry every night she was force to look upon her reflection. Every time she was reminded of what she had become.
An aroma in the air distracted her from her thoughts. It was a pleasant smell, like warm dough being taken from the oven. Celestia opened her eyes and scouted the area around her, hoping to find the source of the delightful smell. Her eyes finally spotted her target when she saw a large, obese stallion trotting down the road with a large cart of fresh bread came her way.
The wagon must have been a hundred feet away, but Celestia could smell the brilliance of the bread coming off it.
The smells caused Celestia to recall her days at the castle when she was just a filly. Mr. Cake was always cooking up something good and most of the time it was treats for the two princesses of Canterlot. Celestia was the one who would always beg Mr. Cake to make more treats. Cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pie. It didn’t matter to her. She just wanted something good to snack on. But no matter what Mr. Cake would make, she would always make sure that there was enough to share with Luna. They shared everything with each other. Secrets, desserts, happy times, sad times, laughs, everything.
Tears started to develop in Celestia’s eyes as her memories played out in front of her. She wished with all her heart she could go back to those simple days. Her memories evaporated from her sight when her stomach roared in anger. She realized that food was priority at this time. She started to glance around her surroundings, carefully taking note of everything around her.
“If I’m going to do this the rest of my life, I’d better make sure I can do it right.”
Celestia recalled the first day at Ponyville, when she was nearly captured by the guards because of her carelessness. She hadn’t made much progress in the art of stealing in any of the other cities she found herself in. She was a master in the art of escaping by the skin of her teeth or dumb luck, with little or nothing to show for it. She needed to get better if she wanted to survive on the streets.
She scanned the area closely and noticed a guard directly ahead of her. He wasn’t focused on her, but any motion towards the bread cart and he would notice if she wasn’t careful. She continued her scan around her, noticing a guard off to her right. He was much further from the bread cart than the first one was and wouldn’t likely notice anything going on if she decided to take a piece of bread.
As she continued her probe of the area, she noticed that the only guards around were the ones she spotted. “Okay, there are only two of them. A good head start and I should be able to outrun them.”
Just as she finished that thought, another popped into her head. She was an alicorn and alicorns were not commonplace in Equestria. She surmised that she would be the only alicorn within hundreds of miles, leaving her very little room to hide if she got caught. She looked towards an alleyway to her left and noticed a long brown sheet fluttering in the wind. She made her way towards it as it hung precariously over her.
“That should make a pretty good cloak,” she thought to herself as she smiled. She quickly gave a glance around her to make sure nopony was paying any attention to her. As expected, they continued on their way without noticing her. Her horn glowed as it engulfed the sheet in its magic, slowly dragging it down the earth below. Celestia started to wrap it around her body, but it was much smaller than she thought it was. The sheet was only large enough to cover her wings. She had secretly hoped it would include her head in the concealment, but she knew it would have to suffice.
She made her way back to the main path, where she noticed the bread vendor had stopped at one of the buildings. He was conversing with a young mare. The way his eyes were on her, Celestia assumed he was flirting with her. She smiled at the convenience. She made her way to a stack of crates just a couple dozen feet from the bread cart. The fumes of the bread still assaulted her nose as vigorously as the moments she first caught wind of it. And was still as enticing.
She quickly gave a glance to her left and then to her right, to make sure nopony was watching. As she hoped, the ponies were minding their own business. Even the guards seemed distracted. She slowly lifted a loaf of bread off the cart with her magic and like a fish on a hook, started to reel it in slowly, trying not to make it noticeable. But as the loaf slowly glided towards her, her mind began to wander.
She thought about Luna and how they would always share the finest bread in all Equestria baked especially for them by Mr. Cake. She would always make sure Luna got the larger portions, even when they were little. It only seemed fair.
“Hey, she’s stealing your bread!”
The mare’s voice broke Celestia out of her trance and noticed the two ponies staring straight at her. She quickly summoned the loaf and held it closely to her.
“Stop, thief!” she heard one of the guards shout.
Her feet quickly took over, but she quickly found path barred by the second soldier. She had completely forgotten he was there, and she hadn’t planned out an escape route if she got caught. She quickly darted back towards the alleyway with the two guards close behind her.
She panicked as it seemed another guard was coming up on her trail. She brushed past several ponies as she ran out of the alleyway and back onto the main path. As soon as she could, she turned down another path, but she knew they would be on top of her soon. With that thought, she quickly ripped off the cloak and spread out her wings. Her wings then carried her to the rooftops, where she dove for their cover.
She simply laid on the warm rooftop, taking in heavy breaths. A few moments passed before she decided to take a quick glance over the edge of the roof. She looked down to the group of ponies below, who were scouting the area for their missing criminal. They had found her cloak, but they were oblivious to what was above them. She quickly withdrew her neck into hiding before they spotted her. She glanced down at her hoof and saw the loaf of bread, still warm, still alluring. It took every ounce of restraint Celestia had not to scarf it down in an instant. However, knowing that they would soon search the area for her, she took to the sky and flew off to find a place to enjoy her meal in peace.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a few moments, Celestia had finally settled on a rooftop to enjoy herself. Perching herself proudly on the edge of the roof, she was all smiles. She couldn’t believe the luck she had finally had. Things were finally looking up for her. She set herself on the ground with a sigh of relief and directed the loaf of bread to her face.
“And now, to enjoy my meal free of worry,” she thought to herself as she licked her chops. She opened her mouth to take her first bite when something caught her eye. She stopped and looked down at the alleyway below her. She saw a dark blue figure with its head in the dumpster. Normally, she wouldn’t have given her a second thought, but her blue coat looked eerily familiar. The wings at her back were familiar too. Celestia gasped in shock as she stared at the figure.
“Luna!” she wondered as she continued to eye the figure. A bright smile started to shine across her face. She thought of how her search was finally over. Of how she would finally find the one pony in all the world that would accept her.
However, as the pony pulled her head out of the dumpster, Celestia started to frown in disappointment. Sure, the pony’s coat was the same color as Luna’s and she had wings, but there was no horn on the top of her head. As Celestia continued to scan the pony, she noticed the cutie mark was different and she discovered that she was far too small to be Luna. The pony was only a filly.
Still, she could’ve passed for Luna in an instant. The filly slunk down to her rump as her bottom lip began to tremble. Finally, she unleashed a series of sobs, followed by tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. Celestia’s heart felt as if it has been stabbed. She looked down at the little filly and noticed similarities between her and the child. They were both starving. They were both hurting. And they were both alone.
“Lords above, she’s just a child. Why does she have to go through this?”
As her eyes slowly began to divert themselves, another figure approaching the tiny filly brought her gaze back to the alleyway. The figure was a unicorn, slightly bigger than the smaller filly. She wrapped her hooves around the little one, embracing her with a sad look gripping her face. Celestia’s eyes widened as she looked upon the newcomer. She was a mirror image of herself. The unicorn didn’t have wings and the cutie mark was different from hers, but she was almost the exact same. Same white coat, same pink mane, same horn atop her head.
As she watched the two children hold each other tightly, her mind wandered back to her childhood. Shortly after her father died, Celestia was more determined than ever to figure out how to fly. She would travel to the garden and practice until she could lift herself off the ground. Pretty soon, she became a natural flyer. Luna, however, found it hard to fly. While Celestia didn’t know it at the time, Luna was secretly jealous at how easily Celestia picked up on flying. She flap her wings with all her might, but she couldn’t even get off the ground. She didn’t realize that Celestia was able to fly much sooner than Luna was simply because Celestia was older. Her wings were stronger and more developed. But Luna was tired of watch her sister fly while she was stuck on the ground.
Luna, one day, decided to climb the tree in the garden. Her idea was to get as high as she could and then leap off to fly as high as her sister. In the child’s mind, it all seemed so simple. However, as she climbed the tree, she slipped off one of the branches and fell, hitting the ground hard. Celestia only realized this when Luna cried out in pain. Like a thunderbolt, Celestia rushed over to her sister’s side, embracing her in her forelegs. She would whisper calming thoughts into her ears, saying whatever it took to help Luna.
A few moments later, the maids would come with a bandage for Luna, but Celestia insisted that she be the one to treat her. And as carefully as she could, she placed the bandage on Luna’s knee, which had been scraped as a result of the fall. Celestia then made her first ‘Celestia Promise’. She promised Luna that she wouldn’t fly again until Luna could fly too. She remembered seeing the joyous face on her sister as she made the nursery rhyme to her promise. It made her so happy to see her sister care about her so much. Celestia loved to see Luna smile and made it her mission to make her smile every chance she could.
After that day, Celestia worked with Luna to make sure they could both fly together. It was a long several months, but Celestia never broke her promise. She promised herself she wouldn’t until they could fly together. She remembered the joy on Luna’s face when she was finally able to get off the ground, even if it was only a few inches. Luna felt proud of herself that day and Celestia was happy to see her beaming with joy. A few weeks later, they were both soaring the skies of Canterlot.
Her memories replayed themselves in her mind like a living tapestry. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes as she looked down upon the two children below. They looked so much like her and Luna.
Her stomach roared in impatience, waiting for the loaf of bread she had stolen. She gave it a glance, but that was all she could do. She could only stare at it and argue with herself.
“Those are just children! They don’t deserve to live this life!” one voice would state.
“And I do? I’ve been through worse than they have! I deserve this bread more! I stole it fair and square!” another voice would say.
“But is it right for me to be so selfish?”
She looked down at the children once more, a pain shooting into her heart as she heard the soft cries of the younger one. Their sobs echoed within her as her next thought entered her mind. “What would Luna do?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunshine held her sister, Moonglow, tightly as she continued to weep. She silently prayed to the Lords Above for some sign of salvation. She looked up to the sky, hoping just to see the heavens, but her eyes beheld something else. Something that caused her to smile. As she beheld the beautiful sight, she shrugged to Moonglow, pleading to her to look.
Moonglow was slow to turn her gaze, but as she came across the sight, her eyes widened with awe, her mouth grinned with joy. Hovering just above their heads was a large loaf of bread, its aroma filling the alleyway with its warm scent.
Sunshine was at first hesitant as she slowly reached her hooves up to grab it. However, as the moments passed, she gained the courage to swipe it from the air. As the bread touched her hooves, its warmth tingled her body. Moonglow had wiped her tears from her face as she impatiently waited to sink her teeth into the pastry.
Sunshine split the loaf into two pieces. She placed the smaller half at her side, leaving the much larger portion to Moonglow. The filly excitedly took the bread and bit into it as quickly as possible. She moaned in satisfaction as the warm dough tickled her mouth.
Sunshine smiled as she gazed upon her sister, who was still chomping down on her delicious meal. She then turned her gaze to the sky above, looking for any sign of where the mysterious gift had come from. But when she looked up, there was nothing, but the sun. Regardless, she silently thanked the deliverer of such a generous gift.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celestia had only stayed long enough to see the children claim their gift. She wondered if they realized she was there. She quickly dismissed it however. Knowing children, they were probably just happy to have something to eat. Regardless, she felt a sense of completion. She wasn’t sure why she felt the way she did, but she was happy. Happier than she had in a long time. Since, the day she took Luna to the Star Light Festival. Performing deeds for her sister always made her happy and now, for the first time in years, she was once more. At least, until her stomach roared in disgust, as if to ridicule her decision.
The day quickly turned from bad to worse as a rainstorm had been summoned to the city. Celestia attempted to find cover anywhere she could, but she found that the city was practically against her. Nopony would let her stay inside their shelter and no tent would have her. She was forced to seek what little refuge she could. She would hide under canopies, which provided little protection against the weather, only to be driven off by the city guard.
Besides, the fact that she was wet and cold, she was still very hungry. She wandered the city for any food, that she could steal or obtain, but alas the shops were closed tight due to the rain storm. Dumpsters were left bare from garbage ponies earlier that day. Finally, as fatigue reared its ugly head, Celestia collapsed on the side of the road. Her tears started to mix with the rain that swam down her face. She was in pain, alone and forgotten.
“I’m going to die,” she had convinced herself. “I’m going to die. And nopony is going to notice… or care.”
She closed her eyes. Her sobs overpowered the sound of the rain pummeling the ground. “Lords Above, if you can hear me, please… I need some help.”
She didn’t know why she was begging. She didn’t know why she was trying. Everypony else had abandoned her, why would the Lords Above be any different? Her depression continued to grow inside her, threatening to consume her very thoughts with death.
She silently waited. Waiting for the rain to drown her. However, as she expected the rain to crash upon her, she felt dry. Completely dry, as if the rain hadn’t even touched her body. Not only was she dry, she was warm. She opened her eyes, expecting to see a nightly thunderstorm, but what was around her was a clear night sky. She looked up to see a figure standing above her. At first, she started to back in fear. Fear of it being one of the city guards. One that had recognized her.
The figure’s horn started to glow as something in his pack, that hung on his side, started to move. At first, Celestia’s instinct was to run, but she couldn’t find the strength. She was still too hungry, too weak for that. However, her fears were quelled when she saw the item float out of the stranger’s bag. It was a loaf of bread. It looked like the one that she had stolen earlier. It smelled like it too. She motioned her hooves towards it, but paused. She looked up to the unicorn and noticed a slight smile. With that sight in her mind, she grabbed the bread and started to rip into it like a wild animal. Her jaw bit into it with a soothing groan of pleasure.
“Princess Celestia,” the figure spoke.
Celestia’s ears perked straight up and her eyes directed themselves straight at the figure standing above her. She stopped chewing out of fear. This was the only pony in all of her travels that knew her name and it frightened her.
She slowly swallowed the piece of food in her mouth and took a deep breath. “How do you know my name? Who are you?” she asked, as she slid back in fright.
“I am Starswirl, and I know a great deal about you.” The figure held out his hoof, signifying that he meant no harm. “I know who you are. I know what you have been through. I know who you are searching for.”
Celestia’s mind boggled with questions as Starswirl spoke. “Who is this pony? How does he know so much about me? I’ve never met him before.”
Celestia’s thoughts were broken as Starswirl continued, “And I know where to find her.”
Celestia rose to her feet and approached the unicorn; her eyes wide open with shock and amazement. Nopony had even had a clue or a trace of Luna’s location and this pony had, supposedly, information on her whereabouts.
“Luna? You know where she is? Where? Tell me!” Celestia demanded.
“Atop the Lhorse Mountain,”
Celestia raised her eyebrow. “Atop the Lhorse Mountain? What in Tartarus is she doing there?”
“All will be explained when you arrive.” Starswirl’s horn glowed once more, as a scrap of paper emerge from his travel sack. “And this will be your guide.”
Celestia’s magic took the paper from the air and opened it, revealing a map. It revealed a trail on the Lhorse Mountain to a mysterious ‘X’. There were other keys such as a compass, landmarks and other such markings. Celestia started to study the map carefully.
“Why are you helping me?” she asked, waiting for Starswirl’s response. However, when she looked up to see the unicorn, he was gone. Gone, as if he was never there in the first place.
Celestia looked to where the unicorn stood and noticed the travel sack he was carrying. Filled with curiosity, she used her magic to bring the bag before her. Inside was a rather large coat, a container for water, and some food, mostly bread. As she counted it, she noticed she could feed herself for at least a week. However, another thought entered her mind. She still needed to find Luna and if there was any truth to what Starswirl was telling, she would find her at the Lhorse Mountain.
She tied the bag to her back and steadily made her way to the mountains beyond the city.