The Slumber of Gaia

by Khenlos

South towards the Sun

I don’t think I’ve ever flown so much without using my wings before.

I suppose that going closer to the tropics again was the appropriate move after all. I didn’t see any intelligent life past the tundra surrounding the yaks, so I guess I can’t really complain. I don’t really like the cold either.

Cold means there is no energy, and without energy there is no life.

Oh, I think I’m rambling again. I suppose that being with so much time for myself makes me think more than usual, but at least the ponies try to keep me busy with many things. I’ve been taking a liking to learn magic lately, and I can’t wait to show Prometheus what I can do with it!

Luna has been very patient with me and I can’t thank her enough since she makes it easier with the practical parts than it really sounds… because holy stars is she wordy when explaining things. I mean I get what she’s talking but does she really need to use that many words for it?

I suppose that since cultures spend a lot of time creating their own languages they just need to use it for everything… and I’m rambling again… When did little Twilight start talking to me?

“I’m sorry for interrupting you dear, but I’m afraid my mind was elsewhere. What were you saying?” I politely requested, making Twilight blush in embarrassment.

“I’m the one that needs to apologize Gaia. I’m afraid that I’ve got too excited!” she said almost vibrating in place. Good grief girl, what happened during the night?

“So, what is it?”

“I used the knowledge you lent me for managing the planet and I gave it a little spark to push the little cells on its oceans… and now there are some simple creatures living on it!” she said while jumping in place.

“Ah, so you gave life a little push? Good move! And it seems that the planet was just ready for it if they didn’t die soon after. Keep an eye on their evolution, and the landmasses if it has some. It’s time for plants to appear alongside other multicellular life” I explained, making her squee in excitement. That’s just plain cute.

“Really? I will document the different plants as soon as they appear. Who knows? Maybe we can discover useful species that can help Equestria if we replicate them!” she deduced, nodding to herself. I suppose that the experiment can have some positive outcomes outside leaning about evolution… How come Prometheus never tried to use them for that?

“Remember to not work yourself too hard thinking it. I’m happy that you decided to work directly and help a bit, but I need to remind you that there are many more planets without life out there. It just doesn’t work most of the time,” I told her, draping my wing over her and squeezing her against me to show her how proud I was, “I’ve even heard some really strange creatures that live and thrive on extreme planets that would be deathly for most of the known life forms!”

“I’m having a really hard time imagining creatures that are so different from us that we can’t live in the same space…” Twilight stated while frowning, making me want to hug her even more.

“That’s usually how it is, dear. We understand the world in one way and we find it very hard to comprehend things outside our worldview. I’ve seen many things during my long life and I can’t take a different, more open view of the universe,” I told her, looking at some passing clouds, “but I also know that with a bit of imagination others can understand, if in a limited way, how I see the universe.”

“It makes me feel really small… and that’s a funny feeling having a planet the size of my hoof with creatures inside it… to think the universe is so big that I’m just the same for some eldritch creature several times the size of our planet…” she said, trembling a bit. Oh my… I didn’t want to cause her to have an existential crisis!

“Don’t worry too much about things out of your control. Even I am susceptible to things that I can’t influence in any way, and while I can worry about them, I’ll do when it’s time to do so. In the meantime, our only option is to just enjoy life. Learn, play, whatever you find to be your calling… Work on the now and the near future. Leave the distant future for when it comes and learn from the past so you can improve yourself and others.” I told her, giving her a last squeeze before letting her go. Thankfully it seemed that it worked and Twilight was now way more relaxed and even had a tiny smile.

“Thanks, and sorry. I overthink things all the time and fall in bouts of anxiety when I want to find a solution and I’m unable to do so… and lately I’m learning so much of things I’ve never thought before your arrival and I find that ponykind could learn so much…” she explained with a strange shine to her eyes, talking from her heart and pouring her feelings out. I guess that even being a small genius she tempers her mind with a heart of gold. Ah… if more creatures were like her…

“We learn something every day, dear. And I think you will be very busy learning about your small charge these days. Just remember that every experiment, as everything in life, must come to and end sooner or later,” I reminded her. As involved as she was with the little planet, I didn’t want her to be sad from something that was out of her control. Probably a futile effort on my part but no one can be as clinical as Prometheus when it comes to experiments.

Twilight got a sad look on her face but she nodded to me before exchanging a couple more pleasantries before returning to the little planet, leaving me with my thoughts as the airship flew swiftly towards the lands of the avian-mammal peoples. It seemed that we are riding a southward current and we were flying far faster than expected.

I exhaled in contentment as I decided right there to take a small nap. With the incredible feel of the sun over my coat it was hard to not to, so why fighting the urge?

And with a yawn, this mare is going to curl and enjoy the sun. This wooden floor surely beats to nap on hard rocks!

---

Most of the time the best laid plans tend to find a snag that derails them. It was just the nature of things, and ponies usually prepared for such eventualities.

The calmness that permeated the ship was almost alien for them, as they expected some monster to attack at any second. By per their own calculations they should’ve encountered something by now! But everything was quiet and peaceful.

Princess Luna knew that it was all because of Gaia. The big alicorn was just a natural shield against oddities and animals since her natural aura covered the entire airship, letting the animals know that she was aboard and that they should take care of not disturb them.

As the night princess walked around the airship she pondered about these things. So far it seemed that both other sapients and animals had some kind of stronger connection to nature than ponies, and that let them to recognize Gaia as the very embodiment of nature itself.

She suspected that magic was involved in any way since ponies are the most magically-attuned creatures on the planet. Something regarding magic blocked this connection and made very hard to reconnect to the natural world in any way.

‘Probably why Equestria need to micromanage climate at local level while the rest of the world works on its own’ she thought, looking at the sky as she passed by a window. ‘What happened to the ponies in the past? What event could’ve caused ponykind to be so magically gifted but so naturally deaf at the same time?’

After checking on the below decks to see that everything was up and running Luna continued to wander both physically and mentally.

At first, she thought that her late bouts of introspection were caused by her for now changed sleep schedule. After some inquiry with the crew she found that she was in fact more social than usual and even more upbeat and lively. Unlike during her usual nights, where she spent all the time by herself, the dark alicorn found herself talking frequently with the ponies on the airship, often just getting to know each other as normal ponies. As she found herself back to the top deck the captain of the vessel approached her at a sedate pace.

“Is everything up to your standards, your majesty?” he asked with a small smirk on his face, making the wrinkles on the old pegasus’ face all more noticeable on his pale brown coat, “I’ve been talking to your lunar guards on board and they told the crew that you seemed to be inspecting the airship, just in case that anyone got alarmed by your presence,” he told to the princess as his amber tail moved with the wind that blew over the deck.

“Ah, captain! Don’t worry about your vessel. I was just making myself busy. Unlike our extraquestrian guest I’m unable to take a nap once I’m up, and while coffee does wonders to wake up, I don’t really like the vile liquid and evade the substance if possible,” she explained as she turned towards the aged pegasus.

“Still, I’m glad that everything was working as it should and that the crew wasn’t bothering you too much.”

“Not at all, captain. In fact, I’ve found myself chatting with several crew members and I’ve found the experience quite refreshing. Usually I’m on my own during my nightly duties, barring the silent presence of my night guards,” the night princess said as the captain got her full attention, “ While a bit tiring since I’m used to sleep during the day, I’ve been finding myself enjoying the company of other ponies lately, and that’s a luxury I’m not used to have since I try to keep my dream incursions quick and non-intrusive.”

“I understand, princess. I’ve heard from the crew that they’ve found you more approachable than they thought. If you forgive my boldness, you’ve got quite the reputation at the castle for being very hard to talk to when you wake up, and many are wondering if the new alicorns are to ‘blame’ for this slight change,” he told her, making Luna blush a bit while looking away, but despite that a smile slowly appeared on her face.

“…I was stuck in a downward spiral of my own making, and I admit that it was Gaia’s words that made me realize that I was being… unkind to my sister and other ponies without realizing it. While my duties are capital to the survival of our society, they don’t need to be my whole existence and I’m afraid that I was getting bitter because of them once again,” she said, looking back at the captain with a new light in her eyes, “but these past few days I’ve seen that there is a whole world that I was missing, filled with ponies and wonders unknown… and that if I don’t enjoy them when I can they will not wait for me or anypony else and may be forever lost to the sands of time… ” she said, her voice low and her attention back to the horizon as the coast was already visible from the airship.

“… those are some heavy revelations, princess, but the saying of ‘live the moment’ its still applicable to this day I suppose,” the old captain simply said, contemplating the horizon besides the lunar princess.

“That is true, captain,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I just wished that I didn’t need somepony else to remind me these things. I used to be the happy and joyful sister, and now I’m known as the brooding one…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, princess. Time changes us, for better or worse, but it also helps us heal and re-learn forgotten lessons. I, for one, think that the ponies aboard are happy to have the opportunity of knowing you, or at least the new and improved you,” he stated before looking away from the princess, “Just as the dawn it’s a prelude of a new day, it’s also a promise for a new starry night,” he said, smiling at the lunar princess.

“You have a way with words too, captain?” she asked, amused at the old pegasus. He just chuckled and shook his head.

“It comes with the job, princess. Hard to give a rousing speech if one doesn’t have the skill to deliver them,” he stated before starting to walk away, “but I’m afraid that words don’t keep the ship moving. If you need anything please let anyone from the crew know. Farewell, princess.”

The lunar princess just nodded at him and watched him trot below deck. The salty air of the coast already permeated the airship, energizing her. It was still noon and she was becoming a bit twitchy, so she decided to take flight and just relax while taking the sights of the northern coasts of Equestria.

For some of the ponies of the many small settlements that dotted the eastern lands they were able to see one the most advanced airships in Equestria being escorted by the trailing and sparking princess of the Night, an spectacle that would be imprinted on their memories for the rest of their lives.

Comments

[Ozymandias42]

boy, you're GOOD at writing atmospheric.
As always, reading this masterpiece is a joy and kudos for gently introducing a possible future plot-line for why the ponies are so reliant on their magic to keep the "natural" order.

[Twilight_Shimmer]

loved the update!

[Booster Spice]

Keep forgetting with the scale, just how big a Sir John Gielgood Prod is to the lifeforms on that planet model.

I wonder, if theyre showing Gaia as much of the world as possible and she likes seeing entities happy, what would be the chances of her doing things like trying to match Dragon Torch, with The Sphinx etc? (YMMV)

Wonder if Luna is going to get intrested enough in night sailing to eventually try soloing?

[Viper Pit]

These feels I don't know how to deal with them

[Fireeaters]

Nice.

[karnazom]

Where's da human when they called on Uncle Evolution

[Zapper Frost]

9477077
You post memes about them
i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/557/213/f7f.jpeg

[Greenhorn]

Ah… if more creatures were like her…

Then the word 'party' and might never been invented. Since most ponies would spend their time studying within their home.

[Vaguely Demented]

I wonder if the Equestrian Gaia is responsible for the magic. Or if it’s just blind chance. Or a meddler. Looking at you Discord.

[link4]

9478047
i think the last paragraph is important.