//------------------------------// // She came from Space // Story: The Slumber of Gaia // by Khenlos //------------------------------// This was quite the development! We could talk at last! Well... we could talk before too. It's just that now we were able to understand each other. I looked at Celestia with my trademark smile. "I don't know what he's trying to do, but it will be futile. But I am sure that he is sorry for interrupting his elders, right?" I said towards my wing, hearing something muffled by my feathers. "I'm going to let you go, so don't make me put my hoof down again, you little rascal" I said while opening my wing. "I must admit that that was a neat trick. But you are not going to catch me again, old geezer" He said while laughing and floating away. "Discord! Show her some respect!" Celestia yelled at him, but I just smiled at that. "Oh I'm sure that I'm a old geezer alright, and I'm just going to get older!" I laughed loudly, making Celestia and Discord to stare at me. "She's not fun. Please can you play the twenty questions game outside MY room? I was kinda busy" Discord said while trying to look like he was working on something. He was just playing with some if his toys though... He was just a big child, wasn't he? "Follow me, please. We shall discuss more on my bedchambers" Celestia told me, while gesturing to the halls. "Oh joy, more walking..." I said while getting up. "See you later, Discord!" "Whatever..." he replied. Rude! This trip was way shorter than the last ones, and the guards didn't look surprised to see me. Ah, words and rumors still travel faster than light. Another universal constant! We were not so different after all! Her bedroom was a bit smaller than Discord's, but it was tastefully decorated. It had a fireplace too, so this was probably a very warm room even during rain season. I went ahead and put myself on a big cushion near the fireplace, tucking my legs underneath my barrel. Celestia followed me and closed the door before sitting in front of me. "I know that we have not been the most welcoming ponies, but I hope that we can improve that soon enough. But before that I need to bother you with some questions, Gaia. Would you be okay with that?" Celestia said, showing me a very diplomatic side I didn't see until now. "Of course you can, dear. I can't get angry at you for wanting to know more. Ask away" I replied with one of my most serene smiles. I knew this was going to be boring, but she looked so determined! I couldn't say no to her. "We can ask each other questions if you want. I really want some answers too" "Of course, I have no problem with that." Celestia replied with a small nod. "First, I would like to know the meaning of your cutie mark" "My what? Wait, let me... just a moment" I told her, closing my eyes and looking around my new lexicon for the thing she asked me for... and... There we go! "Oh! You mean this picture on my flanks! Ah, it's a picture of my world. It's always updated. Take a look for yourself" I told her, moving a bit to show her my flank. "Look! There is a storm on that continent right now, and it's a pretty sunny day on the southern one..." "I... don't know what to say. That's a very interesting mark. But... what is the meaning of it?" Celestia asked, baffled about what she was seeing. "What I really meant to say is... What do you do for a living? What is your purpose?" "I count more than one question there, but don't worry. I'm not that mean" I said to her, winking "Well... It's a bit hard to describe, but my job is to simply be myself. My world is on my flank because I am it. We are one and the same. I watch for all the living things that live on my world and in return it makes me feel alive. My purpose is to nurture my world with life, and to take care of it. I am its warden" I replied, smiling at her. She looked so lost and surprised! "How... Nevermind... It's your turn to ask, Gaia" she told me, fidgeting in place. She was getting nervous! It's a tradition to be nervous around me when they ask me things or something? "Right! How do you levitate things?" I asked simply. She raised an eyebrow at me. "You mean magic? Do you really don't know?" she asked me. I giggled a bit. "Another question again, dear." I told her and she blushed a bit, looking cute and embarrassed "And answering that... no. I mean, I don't know how to do that sparkly stuff you do with your horn, but I can 'levitate' things with my mind. Just... big things..." I explained to her, rubbing my hooves together. I admit that thinking about some of my past experiments made me a bit embarrassed. "How big are we talking about here?" She asked curious. "About... 'a city of one million people on it and its surroundings' big?" I told her with a small smile. She looked surprised... bad type of surprised... She managed to get a grip of herself quickly enough though. "I didn't expect that... but then again, you are not what I expected, Gaia" she told me, her face a neutral mask. That was cold of her. "I hear that all the time, dear" I told her, laughing a bit. "I don't know why, though... So! It's my turn again! You asked more questions after all, right?" I told her with a smirk "So... Are you the warden of this planet?" I asked her. Time to get some real, important answers! "Warden? You mean...?" Celestia asked, unsure of what to say. "Yes!, A warden like me, dear. A being that takes care of the planet and its inhabitants. You look like me, and you are the tallest being I've seen around, not counting that Discord fellow... so I thought that you were the one. Am I wrong?" Gaia asked with a light tone. "As a princess I watch over my little ponies, but other species are capable of taking care of themselves. I once had the title of Guardian of the Sun, if it helps you" Celestia said as her mind working overtime, trying to figure the puzzle that Gaia was. The green alicorn laughed a bit. "Why would you watch over a ball of burning plasma? Sorry if I find that quite silly, Celestia. It's just too funny!" Gaia said while giggling. Celestia frowned a bit at that. "I still watch over the sun, there wouldn't be a day and night cycle without the work that my sister and I do. The sun and the moon can't move by themselves now, can they?" Celestia said with a smug face... that quickly vanished under the loud laugh of Gaia, who was on the floor laughing like a maniac. "I do not know why do you find that so funny. It's the truth!" "Oh my.. that was funny... Wait.. Are you serious?" Gaia asked, almost choking with her laughs "I don't know what a moon is right now, but as far as I know it's the planet the one that moves, not the sun!" Gaia said with a smile. "W-what?" Celestia said, perplexed with the vehemence of the green mare. "Yeah! It's like this... the planet it's like falling into the sun, right? Because it's this humongous ball of plasma with so much gravity... But! The planet goes in a orbit because it's like moving really really fast that it doesn't fall. It also spins so while it's doing this orbit thing, giving the illusion that it's the sun the one it's moving... but it's not!" Gaia explained while moving her hooves in a awkward way. "But that is not possible, Gaia. Our sun is a magical construct that orbits our planet. There was a unicorn council before my time that did my work and moved both the sun and the moon around the world. What you say it's just too unbelievable" Celestia replied, trying to get a grip on the conversation. "Honey, you already know that I am from another planet. It's really that hard to grasp that maybe you are in the wrong?" Gaia asked her with a playful smile on her face. "What if we are both wrong? For what I know maybe our worlds are just different. Maybe others work different from ours as well" Celestia said with conviction. "Sorry to burst your bubble Celestia, but if that was the case yours would be the 'unique' one. Before I arrived here I passed through other star systems, and all of them worked the same way as mine. So it seems that we are both right, in our own way" Gaia said with finality. "That... is amazing and terrifying and the same time" Celestia replied with a shudder. "How so?" Gaia asked, curious. "The fact that your world is always falling into the sun it's not enough to worry you?" Celestia asked her, incredulous. "Why should I worry about that? It never happened in billions of years. It's not going to happen anytime soon" Gaia replied with a smile. Celestia sighed, a bit stressed. "Aw, don't be like that! You just worry too much. Don't fill your little head with those things" Gaia said while patting Celestia on the head, Celestia chuckled, amused. "Are you always so... motherly to anypony you meet?" Celestia asked, a smile growing on her face. "They don't call me Mother Nature for nothing, dear. All creatures and plants are my children" Gaia replied with a serene smile. Celestia looked at her window with a knowing smile. "I think I understand, if just a bit. For me, all the ponies in Equestria are like my little foals. They are quite silly from time to time too" Celestia said while giggling a bit. "Really? Please, do tell" Gaia asked while resting completely on the cushion. "I'm afraid that we need to put off those pleasantries for later, Gaia. I think that I have enough to think about. I need to contact somepony to sort these out" Celestia said with a polite smile. "Oh, if you say so... It's been kinda fun I suppose. I'll be going then. Nice to meet you, Celestia" Gaia said with a smile before getting up. Celestia ran towards the door and tried to block her way with her wings. "...Is there a problem, dear? Do you need anything else?" Gaia asked with curiosity. "You see... it would be a great honor to house you for the time being, Gaia. It would make me... most happy if you accept" Celestia asked, carefully choosing her words. "Aw, you are so sweet! I accept of course! I can spend a few days around you... ponies you say? Around ponies! Thank you!" Gaia said while giving Celestia a crushing hug. "I'm glad... that you... accepted..." Celestia replied with difficulty, crushed by Gaia's legs. The tender moment between alicorns was short lived as the door was suddenly opened, showing a triumphant-looking Luna with a scroll on her magical aura. "Sister! I found the spell! It was very well hidden within the Starswirl... What is going on here, Celestia?" Luna said, looking at her sister being hugged by the green alicorn. "Hi!" Said the green alicorn to her in a cheery but mature voice. Suddenly they heard the sound of something breaking apart. "Are you... moon-damned serious?!" Luna yelled, absolutely livid. "No, I'm not Moon-Damned Serious. I'm Gaia. Nice to meet you!" The green mare said with a wide smile. From Canterlot to Las Pegasus, every pony heard the frustrated scream of the moon princess.