*Skyla*
The sparkling sand, while pretty, was like the sun up above: relentless and endless. For days, maybe weeks now, I have been wandering in this wasteland, no food or water in sight. I don't know how I've survived as long as I have. There are hoofprints like mine, but they lead nowhere.
I stumbled along the desert dunes, the heat and light of the sun burning the skin under my dark pink fur to a crisp. My feathers were full of sand as well, making them itchy and heavy. After so long, I collapsed and looked up at the sun, wondering if anypony would find me.
Suddenly, I saw a familiar orange face over me. My sister had found me! Unbridled energy sprung forth from my weary body as I hugged Inova.
"Thanks for finding me, Inova" I said. "I've been lost for too long in this desert, and I'm so happy you found me!"
"Skyla" Inova said. "Class started five minutes ago. Please get out of the sandbox."
*Inova*
Mom and dad were laughing after I told them about what happened during recess yesterday. All four of us were on a train, heading somewhere called Canterlot. I've never been there before, but apparently, I have a couple of aunts there.
After we left the bubble of the Crystal Empire, I saw white stuff outside. The window also became cold to the touch. Fortunately, it was still warm inside the train. Along the whole trip, the white stuff was everywhere outside. Mom and dad called it snow.
Eventually, we stopped somewhere. Mom put a scarf around my neck and soft things on my hooves, then did the same for Skyla. Once that was done, we got off the train. There were lots of ponies out there, and nearly all of them bowed for us, at least for a bit.
"How about we get some hot chocolate?" dad suggested.
"Hot chocolate does sound nice" mom said. "We can get some while we're visiting their aunts."
"Nah. The hot chocolate there isn't as good as at Pony Joe's. Trust me."
Mom sighed. "Oh alright. It'll be an adventure for the fillies, at least."
I didn't know quite what they were talking about, but I followed mom, who was following dad. Eventually, we wound up at a small shop, and we walked inside. The inside smelled sweet. Skyla started running around, looking for the source. I stuck with dad as he went to a booth and sat in it. Mom was busy chasing Skyla, but she eventually did catch her and sat down across from dad and me.
A tan earth pony came over pretty quickly. "Shining! It's been years since I last saw you. And you have the family with you, I see."
"We're here for Hearth's Warming, Joe. It's also the first time we've taken the fillies outside the Empire."
"You came out here just to see me? I'm honored."
"Actually, we're on our way to the castle. I decided to bring us here first. We need four hot chocolates and some frosted donuts. Pink."
"You're serious? Pink icing? Do you really want to start them on that?"
"Yep."
"Your funeral, pal." Joe then went off to do stuff.
Mom leaned across the table and began talking with dad too quietly for me to hear. She didn't seem happy, but dad got her to calm down. Skyla was full of energy and was having a hard time sitting still, the only thing really keeping her from running off being mom's wing.
It wasn't long before Joe returned, a tray on his back full of good smelling stuff. He put the tray on the table and let us be. Skyla was even more energetic now, and it was only mom's wing that kept her from pouncing on the table. Dad used his magic to give each of us one pink icing and sprinkle covered donut and one drink. I picked up and quickly took a bite of mine.
It was delicious. So very, very delicious. And perfectly sweet. I quickly finished my donut, and all too soon, it was gone, though I could still taste it. Next, I looked at the drink. White wisps were coming off the open top, and I could feel a bit of heat coming off the drink. It also smelled good. I put both forehooves on it, brought the edge to my mouth, and sipped the liquid inside.
I felt the warmth of the drink flow through me as I drank it, getting rid of a chill in me I didn't realize was there. I found myself unable to stop drinking it, it tasted so good. The warmth that filled my body felt really good too. Unfortunately, I ran out of hot chocolate before I knew it.
Mom and dad were just finishing their donuts and drinks, while Skyla's appeared to have disappeared some time ago. She was asking for more as well, with mom and dad saying 'no' every time.
Eventually, we left the place and began walking again. We hadn't been walking for long when Skyla saw a warm cookie stand and ran to it, mom hot on her trail.
"Skyla, you've already had some sweets" mom said. "You don't need more right now."
"But, but, cookies!" Skyla replied. Her eyes were starting to water, as was her mouth.
Mom sighed. "Shining, go ahead and take Inova to her aunts. I'll take care of Skyla."
"I'll see you there, then" dad said. "Good luck, Cadence. Come on, Inova."
I walked next to dad in silence. Everything around us was getting brighter and more colorful as we went on, and I was amazed by it all. Sometimes, I'd go look at something shiny, but then dad would get me to walking again.
We stopped for a bit at some large white and dark blue doors. A white unicorn in gold armor walked up to dad and talked with him a bit before going back and having somepony else open the doors. We went inside and the doors closed behind us as we walked on. In front of us was a huge castle, even bigger than the one at home. I caught sight of a white pegasus with gold armor flying above us before landing somewhere on the castle and going inside. More doors were opened for us as we made our way inside the castle.
Dad and I stopped in a room lined with books. A fire was burning in the fireplace, and there were various cushions spread around the room. Before I went anywhere in the room, dad took my scarf and the things on my hooves off of me. I saw them float into a box the same color as my fur. There were other boxes like it in different colors, though only mine and one colored like Skyla's fur were solid. The others had various pictures on them, though I had no clue what they meant.
Dad and I were the only ones in the room, so we got comfortable on some of the cushions around the fireplace. It wasn't long before the door opened again. I looked over to it and saw a light blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail walking in. She had earmuffs on her head, and there were bits of all over her.
"Hah, it's nice to be inside" she said as she tossed the earmuffs into the box colored like her fur. "Oh, hello Shining."
"Hello, Rainbow" dad said.
"Where's the rest of the family?" Rainbow asked as she lay down next to me. She began looking me over and making silly faces.
"Probably just getting to the castle walls around now. Skyla saw a stand with warm cookies and Cadence chose to get her away and back on course to the castle."
"Why not just buy her some cookies and call it done there?" Rainbow stroked my back with one of her wings. It felt nice.
"We got donuts and hot chocolate at Pony Joe's earlier. Skyla finished her donut and cocoa before the rest of us."
"Sounds normal for a foal."
"She drank a large hot chocolate in less than a minute and was even faster on the donut. She was still hungry after that."
"Wow. I tend to rush through meals and I don't eat that fast, even when I'm in a hurry."
"She always eats fast and never seems full."
Just then, the door opened and a few ponies walked in together. I didn't hear much of what was going on before I felt dad's silencing shields fill my ears. I looked at who was coming in and saw a white pony, followed by a dark blue and a lavender pony. All three had horns and wings, and the white and blue ones were really tall. The lavender one was a bit smaller than mom, though.
Speaking of mom, she came in next, Skyla in her telekinesis and looking like she was crying rather loudly. Mom didn't look too happy as she took Skyla's scarf and the things on her hooves off and put them in the box colored like her.
Another of dad's shield appeared, this one encompassing himself, Rainbow, and me. The ones in my ears vanished as well.
"So, Shining, how about I take Inova somewhere a bit quieter?" Rainbow asked.
"Sure" dad said. "Inova, go with Rainbow Dash, okay?"
"Okay" I said. When thee shields that were in my ears came back, the bigger one vanished. I stood up and felt Rainbow's wing on my back as she led me out of the room. Shortly after the door to that room closed, the shields in my ears vanished.
"Between you and me, 'Nova, I can't stand the sound of crying foals either" Rainbow said. "So, what do you like to do?"
"I like to draw" I said.
"Then let's go draw some stuff! Once we get the stuff to draw with" Rainbow thought for a bit before laying down. "Get on my back, and we'll find somepony that can help us."
I made my way onto Rainbow's back before she stood up and started walking down the hallway. It wasn't long before we saw a pink earth pony mare with a trolley heading our way. Her mane was really curly and bouncy, her eyes were a bright blue, and she looked like a castle staff member.
"Excuse me" Rainbow said. "Could you get us some drawing supplies? Even just pencils and paper will do."
"Sure thing!" The pink pony reached into the trolley and pulled out pencils and paper for us. "Here you go, Dashie."
"Thanks, Pinks" Rainbow said, letting me hold on to the paper and pencils. She hadn't gone far before she turned around really fast, the only thing keeping me from falling off her back being her wings. "Wait, Pinkie? Why are you dressed like the castle staff here?"
The pink pony was quick to reply. "They had an extra outfit, and I talked them into letting me bring the snacks to our little meeting. Oh, is that little Inova i see on your back?"
"Yep. We're just heading somewhere quiet for Inova to draw at. Things got a bit loud in there for her."
"Next door on the left. Nothing's going on in that room."
"Thanks, Pinkie" Rainbow went down the hall and went in the door Pinkie indicated. The room beyond the door was very simple, consisting of a low table and cushions. A small fireplace warmed the room and glowing crystals lit it up. I climbed off Rainbow's back and went to sit at the table. She caught up with me and put the pencils and paper on the table before sitting next to me.
"So, what do you like to draw?" Rainbow asked me.
"I don't know" I said as I picked up a pencil with my mouth and began drawing one of my usual things.
"Really? It looks like you know what you're drawing."
"Ah dunno wah ih is" I said, without letting go of the pencil.
"Oh. Well, it looks like you're drawing a sword."
"Is that what it's called?" I dropped the pencil and looked back at my drawing. The word 'sword' seemed to fit it very well.
"Yep. Although I've never seen a sword with a curved blade like that."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No. I think it actually looks pretty cool. Maybe you can be the princess of blades when you grow up."
I thought about that for a bit. The title did sound cool, but I didn't really care for it that much.
I kept drawing swords for a while, with Rainbow drawing some of her own and commenting on some of mine. She even drew her own versions of some of mine. For a few minutes, we had a game of sorts going, where one of us would draw part of a sword, then hoof the drawing over, and the other would draw another part of it. Whoever drew the last part got a point.
After the sixth game drawing (the score was 3-3), the door to the room opened. I looked over and saw a light yellow pegasus with a long, flowing pink mane and tail enter, a small basket filled with red things being carried in her mouth.
"Hey, Fluttershy" Rainbow said. "How are you doing?"
Fluttershy came over to the table and set the basket down on an empty area. "I'm doing fine, Rainbow" she said. Her voice was very soft. "I heard you were over here with Inova, so I came to visit. I brought strawberries."
"Cool" Rainbow bit on the green part of a strawberry, tossed the whole thing up in the air, and caught it back in her mouth, chewing on it. "I've been drawing with Inova."
"Really? What have you been drawing?"
I moved one of the cooler pictures over with a hoof and showed it to Fluttershy. "We've been drawing swords" I said. "What do you think?"
Fluttershy's face seemed to pale as she leaned back, her eyes wide and body trembling a bit. I put the drawing back down and Fluttershy stopped shaking. A moment later, a slightly dark feeling came over the room.
"Rainbow Dash" Fluttershy said. Her voice was the same, but she didn't sound happy. "Why did you teach Inova what a sword is?"
"I didn't teach her that, Flutters" Rainbow's voice was kind of shaky. "But I kind of did teach her that, too."
"Explain yourself" Fluttershy said. I reached for one of the strawberries in the basket with my mouth. Something told me to move slowly, so I did.
"I asked her what she liked to draw, and it turned out she liked to draw swords, but she didn't know what they were called, so I told her."
The dark feeling lifted as I bit into the strawberry. It was juicy and delicious. "Really?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah. I know, it sounds strange, but why would I make that up? How could I make that up?"
"Oh. I see. Inova, did you enjoy the strawberry?"
I paused in my reach for another of the fruits. "Yes. It was good."
"That's nice to hear. I grew them myself. They're not the best, but I hope you like them."
"Fluttershy, I don't know how many times I've told you this," -Rainbow picked up a strawberry with her hoof- "but your strawberries are always good. There's no reason to be concerned about ponies not liking them." She then tossed the berry up, bounced it off one wing, bounced it off the other, and caught it in her mouth.
"I know. Um, can we change topics?"
"Sure. Go ahead and give Inova one of your hugs, Fluttershy."
I looked over at Fluttershy, who was moving behind me. I then felt her forelegs wrap around my body, and pull me in for a hug.
Being hugged by Fluttershy felt very nice. Her fur was thick and soft, and she felt warm. It was like she was a plush with a small fire inside her. She also nuzzled me, and it felt good. I practically melted right there. Even mom's hugs weren't this nice. She even smelled like the strawberries she brought. I saw Rainbow walk next to us, sit down, pick up a berry with one forehoof, open my mouth with the other, and put the strawberry in my mouth. Like the first one, it was juicy and delicious.
I could get used to this. Fluttershy hugging me, Rainbow feeding me strawberries occasionally, and a warm fire providing comfortable heat. Unfortunately, it did not last, as the strawberries ran out. I didn't eat all of them, as I'm sure Skyla would have tried to do.
A few minutes after the strawberries were finished, Rainbow spoke up. "I'm going to go see if things have calmed down in the other room. I'll be right back."
"Okay" Fluttershy said as Rainbow left the room. She then looked to me. "How about we get your drawings gathered up, Inova?"
"No" I said. "I like being here."
"So do I, Inova, but we have to get up at some point. Everypony else is waiting for us."
"But I want to stay here."
Fluttershy went quiet for a bit before speaking again. "Inova, go ahead and feel my feathers." Fluttershy extended a wing, and I felt the inside of it. It was really soft. "If you come back, I'll let you lay down under my wing."
I considered her offer. It sounded really tempting. I relented and made my way out of the hug. Fluttershy went over to the drawings and used her wings to sweep them together and straighten them up. She just finished gathering the pencils when Rainbow Dash came back in, informing us that things were calmer.
Fluttershy gave the drawings to Rainbow before collecting the pencils and her basket before leading me out and to the other room. Inside, there were a couple more ponies in there. One was orange with no horn or wings, her golden mane and tail tied with red bands. The other was a white unicorn with a curled purple mane and tail. Both were mares. My dad was the only stallion in the room.
"Oh, there's Inova" the white pony with a horn and wings said as I came in. "She's adorable, just like her sister."
"Inova, I'll be near the fireplace" Fluttershy said. "You should meet those ponies first. They are very important." With that, she went over towards the fireplace and lay down.
"Come along, Inova" mom guided me with a wing towards the tall white pony. Her mane and tail were multicolored and waving about. I didn't feel any wind though. Next to her was a tall dark blue pony. Her mane and tail waved about and looked like the night sky. "These are your aunts Celestia and Luna. They move the sun and moon and are the princesses of Equestria."
Mom moved back a bit as they lowered themselves to get a closer look at me. "Hello, Inova" the white one said. "I'm your aunt Celestia. Can you say my name?"
"Celestia" I said. It wasn't too difficult.
"That's right" aunt Celestia said. "Your sister called me Celery for some reason." I gave a soft laugh at that.
The blue one spoke next. "I'm Luna. You can call me 'aunt Luna' if you want."
"Luna?" I said.
"Yes, Inova?" Luna asked as she moved her face closer to me.
"Boop!" I said as I put a forehoof on her muzzle, just like dad sometimes did to me. Luna's muzzle scrunched up and her eyes crossed as my hoof made contact with it. I could hear some laughter in the room, and Luna's face was starting to get a bit red.
"I didn't know your face could do something that cute, Luna" Celestia said.
"I'll have to paint this when I get home" mom said. "It's just so cute!"
"Can you send me a copy, Ms. Credenza?" aunt Celestia's voice had become kind of playful.
"Certainly, Ms. Sunny Skies. Of course, we will have to discuss payment."
I left mom and aunt Celestia to talk and found Fluttershy laying down by the fireplace. When she noticed me, she opened up a wing, which I crawled under. Once I was against her body, she closed her wing a bit, putting some comfortable pressure on my body. The softness of her wing and body, combined with the heat of the fire, made me sleepy. I felt Fluttershy nuzzling me as I dozed off.