1 - Celestia, Move Towards The Light

‘They say the stars tell your futures if you study them carefully. I object with the most fervent of sentiments. The stars do not dictate your path, preposterous. If they do, then I will reach up to them and pluck them from the sky with my very own hooves.’ –– Star Swirl on Fatalism and Fortunes

There is a soft sensation beneath my hooves. It is not unlike grass, for it is yielding. It is not unlike fine earth, for it is adherent and powdery. It flows like water but is firm like rock. It is a material of opposites and it surrounds me in this strange, strange land.

When I awoke, I saw the scintillating and shifting sands stretch for miles around my curled form. I scrambled to my uneasy hooves and I scanned the horizon for something, anything that was recognisable. All I could see was the gentle rise and fall of these wind-swept sand dunes.

I had been around for so very long. The lands of my beloved Equestria were as familiar to me as the ridges of my hooves. To spy upon lands that were unfamiliar to me as I were to it, were an occurrence of rarity that lay beyond even the most archaic of my memories. A trickle of concern had crept down my spine as I observed the placid peaks of fine roughage around me.

Instinctively, I reached out to my beloved star, to feel a measure of comfort, to sense a constancy that had been with me for so long. Delving deep within myself and casting it out, my link flickered and died so much as a candle in a gale. The celestial orb was, for lack of better elucidation, cold and unfeeling. I felt a horrible echo of emptiness wail through my soul. Where was my star? I stifled a pang of loneliness.

I had a sudden thought. Perhaps this star was my own and I had simply lost my own means to reach out to it? I shook my head slowly. It couldn’t be possible could it?

I tried something simple this time. Reaching for the sands around me, I felt the distinct impression of my magic guttering and dying. It was a sensation not unlike placing a hoof on a step, only to find that there was only empty space. I fell tumbling into the abyss, the disturbing experience only truncated by an effort to pull back.

I was unsettled to say the least. I almost called out for my scheduler.

Kibitz, please hold my current appointments. I would like to visit to Royal Archives to investigate my sudden lapse in my ability to work magic.

I giggled softly, a hoof to my muzzle. Ah, this situation was odd indeed, but there was no use worrying about something I couldn’t rectify at the present. I glanced around me. Perhaps I should take stock of my bearings? It would be wise to explore than lay on idle hooves.

Around me were all golden hues. The yellow-orange of the sands beneath me, the cream and flaxen of the sky above, the harsh amber glow of an indifferent star. I took a measured step forward and I drew myself up. Just as I was about to take another step, I hesitated.

Who was I?

Or perhaps better yet, was who I was something that mattered here?

My lips curled up into a humorous expression. Perhaps, but perhaps not. Here where there were none to judge, none to worship, none to expect or accept, was I now myself? I inspected my hooves. It was covered in a fine golden-brown robe. I felt the soft cloth rub against the outside of my fetlocks and it felt good. Of course it was, it was tailored from the highest quality silk, spun lovingly from the hooves of a single artisan that wished for nothing else. With nopony to see it however, was it less or was it more?

For a while I mused on these topics. I found them a return to a measure of normalcy. The star was no longer the cold or unfeeling agent I thought it to be. It moved on its own accord and it shed light that was neither harsh nor soft. The sands were not a drag on my hooves, for I did not have a place to be, my hooves were still. For once, in longer than I could remember, I was aimless. There was no agenda, there was no timetable, there was nopony to be, there was nopony to see. My lips curled into a faint smile.

For a time I’ll admit, I was lost in the novelty. A bubbly giddiness overtook me. I frolicked around, and gave myself into strange flights of fancy I had almost forgotten. I rolled in the sands and tumbled down the dunes. There was sand in my robes, there was sand in my fur, there was sand everywhere!

My breath came in short panting gasps. A vertiginous capriciousness flew into my head as I drew up hoofuls of sand and grit and flung them around with wild abandon. I felt an increasing sense of latitude and I delighted in the sensations that so eluded me for aeons long.

But just like that, in the midst of a giggling fit, I was reminded of my self. In the empty space, in this barren landscape, I paused and cast my gaze around, as if expecting somepony to catch me in this incriminating act. My tail flicked in annoyance. Why should I feel this way? I shook my head, trying to clear it, but the thought would not go away.

With a sigh, I flipped over and righted myself. The niggling conception had destroyed beyond hope any sensation––or perhaps I should say delusion––of liberty. I chuckled to myself softly. Was I having some delusions of grandeur, reaching beyond my post in creation? I reached for my magic, to carefully remove the scintilla of the earthen domain. Once again I experienced an uncomfortable preternatural stumble. My shoulders sagged. I would have address this issue later, when I had the means. For now, the sand must be removed, one way or another.

With a critical gaze I spotted the brilliant specks of quartz and mica that still clung to my fur. Only with an undignified shudder could I shake them from my body. I could feel some of them still buried in my coat, but I hadn’t a brush to free them from underneath.

I caught a glimpse of the amber starlight of this alien celestial orb. I was surprised to find that it had made its way halfway to the horizon. For now, I would have to search for a place to rest my hooves. I struggled to my hooves, flicking the last of the zealous sand from my mane, as thoroughly as I could discern. Raising a hoof, I planted it on the yielding but firm sands confidently. I took a few more steps and smiled to myself, at the time not knowing why.

I had begun something, and for some peculiar reason, I never wanted it to stop.

Author's Note:

I've always wanted to write an adventure story with just Celestia or Luna as the protagonist. For some reason, I feel like Celestia hasn't been seen as a main character in fictions outside of Celestia having her duties, Celestia being a God and/or creating a world. It's just that, I've always seen her with other ponies or people. That just makes her seem more alone for some reason, like she is defined completely by other ponies. It's probably because she doesn't get much screen-time. I just wanted Celestia to have an adventure and hopefully... maybe reveal more of her character.

For the one-thousand words that this piece was composed of, this took a surprising amount of effort. Eh, I just want to see where this goes. I'll work on this as a procrastination tool, so don't expect updates too often, sorry.

I'll neglect my usual pattern of sign offs, because this is an unusual story for me.

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