Dream Life

by Crescent Pulsar

Chapter 2: Feeling Things Out

Celestia joined Empyrean at the door and said, "Allow me," as she stopped by her side and opened the door for her.

"Thanks," Empyrean acknowledged.

"One moment," Celestia spoke up, causing Empyrean to pause with one leg raised. "Did my sister not give you time to learn about your body?"

Empyrean shook her head. "Not really. She said that you could help me with that, to add to the things that we could bond over."

"Oh?" Celestia voiced, a little amused by Empyrean's candidness. "That wasn't part of a secret plan?"

With a shrug of the shoulders, Empyrean unconcernedly revealed, "I never indicated that I was on board with that either way: just that I understood what she wanted for you and that I was willing to help." She cocked her head a bit and added, "I mean, it wouldn't feel right to be someone I'm not in order to help someone else be themselves."

Celestia hummed her agreement. "And I appreciate the transparency." She offered a slight smile. "The least I could do is offer to be your tour guide."

With a cocked eyebrow, Empyrean quipped, "Is that your dream job?"

"Truthfully," Celestia levelly started, as she turned her gaze toward the open doorway, "I would rather be the one being guided on the tour."

Empyrean was silent for a moment, placidly regarding Celestia, before offering, "I could show you some places from my world, if you're interested. Your sister said that I can project my own environment with your permission."

"I'll consider it," Celestia granted, giving Empyrean points for not persuing personal information with her bait. She then proposed, "Perhaps while I show you the castle?"

"Sure," Empyrean accepted, who brightened a little. "I've never thought about touring a castle before, but — then again — they weren't the kind found in a fantasy setting, either."

As Celestia began to lead them out of the throne room, she inquired, "What makes this a fantasy setting for you?"

"The magic," Empyrean immediately replied. A few steps later, she looked over at Celestia and lightheartedly added, "And intelligent, talking horses, I suppose."

"We're ponies, actually," Celestia gently corrected. "Though we are closely related to horses."

"Speaking of differences," she continued, as she glanced down at Empyrean's legs, "your gait looks very natural. Were you able to practice?"

Empyrean kept her eyes on Celestia as she responded. "A little. Your sister recommended that I not think about how my legs operated, and it worked out after a bit. If I wanted to do more than walk, I'd have to learn from you."

Nodding her head in understanding, Celestia said, "Well, you're welcome to assume your human form if that is more comfortable for you. To be honest, I'm curious to see what you look like."

"I agreed to use this form exclusively for the duration of this arrangement," Empyrean evenly informed Celestia. "But don't worry: I consider this an interesting opportunity, and I'm sure I can get accustomed to this body if given enough time."

Celestia wasn't sure if the unspoken question was intentional, but had to put the thought aside when Empyrean continue to speak, saying, "Of course, your sister cast a spell to ensure I maintained this form, so I can't be human even if I wanted to be."

Stopping in her tracks, Celestia regarded Empyrean with a questioning look as she came to a stop as well. "That seems a bit excessive."

"Nah," Empyrean replied, with a light shake of her head. "Like I said: your sister wanted a peer. Without proper attention, though, I would revert to what my self-image was, and she wanted all of my concentration on you."

Celestia studied Empyrean with a measured stare before observing, "You seem rather easygoing."

"Not usually," Empyrean sheepishly admitted. "Life and all that."

"Oh?" Celestial casually encouraged Empyrean to elaborate, even as she motioned for them to continue walking.

Having stopped ahead of Celestia, Empyrean waited until they were abreast before moving forward and answering, "Yeah. Just the usual stresses of trying to make ends meet, trouble finding time for myself, and other people making things more problematic and complicated than they need to be."

"I see," Celestia responded, not knowing what else to say.

"How about you?" Empyrean ventured, with an expression of curiosity on her face. "Is the grass any greener for a princess?"

"Don't you know?" Celestia said with a slight, playful smile, who wished to evade the subject concerning the problems that her sister thought existed. "You're a princess, too, after all."

Empyrean stopped walking and blinked her eyes in befuddlement. "Huh?"

Amused by her reaction, Celestia paused and explained, "Alicorns, who possess the traits of pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies, are princesses."

"There are different kinds of ponies?" Empyrean inquired. Upon receiving confirmation, she said, "Huh. I was under the impression that there were only alicorns, although my name for them had been 'pegacorn.'"

Catching the portmanteau, Celestia asked, "You are familiar with pegasi and unicorns?"

Empyrean nodded her head. "From mythology and fiction, yeah."

"Interesting," Celestia opined, as she began to walk again. "Is that why you're comfortable in an alien body? It's familiar?"

"Partly," Empyrean acknowledged, as she clumsily caught up with Celestia. "Mostly, though, I'm just really open to new things right now."

Celestia thought on that in silence, not willing to ask anything too personal just yet. It did give her an idea, though, so she eventually suggested, "Let's take a little detour."

She led the amenable Empyrean to a nearby balcony, one that she had made more use out of in the past few years. The doors to the balcony were already open, and the curtains drawn, so they were unimpeded as they stepped out into the sunlight. Stopping at the railing, they were afforded a view of the countryside, and in the distance was the river valley where Ponyville resided.

Empyrean closed her eyes as she inhaled through her nose, held her breath for a second, then exhaled with a contented sigh. "I can't remember the last time I got to enjoy something like this. The view is really picturesque, and the air is so crisp." Turning her head to regard Celestia, she queried, "Is this how it really is? I'm not used to dreams feeling so real."

"Mm," Celestia hummed in the positive. "When my sister creates a domain, you're not strictly in a dream state anymore. I've lived in this castle for hundreds of years, so the details and sensations are particularly strong."

Empyrean's eyes widened as she blurted out, "Ponies can live for hundreds of years?"

"That's right," Celestia replied, before tilting her head and venturing, "I take it that humans don't live that long?"

With a shake of her head, Empyrean said, "We're lucky to reach a hundred."

Celestia saw an opportunity to get a better understanding of Empyrean's character and decided to do a bit of probing. "Would you like to have the lifespan of a pony?"

Empyrean blinked her eyes, caught off guard by the question, then pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in thought. When she was ready to answer, she deliberately said, "Probably not." Turning her gaze back to the countryside, she continued in a more casual manner. "I'd prefer a shorter lifespan if the overall quality of life continues to suck for whatever reason. And I can only assume that I'd be decrepit and dependent even longer in old age, which I wasn't looking forward to as-is."

Celestia considered Empyrean in silence, wondering if she was simply being candid or trying to make a play on her emotions. With so little interaction and time to observe her, she couldn't tell one way or the other. For all that she knew, her sister could have specifically picked Empyrean to play upon her heartstrings, so she wouldn't turn her away outright.

She didn't want to jump to any conclusions about anyone, particularly any that cast someone in a bad light, so she decided that she would confront her sister and find out what she could about the situation. Regardless of what she learned, though, she was sure that her sister wouldn't care for either of the two choices that she would make.

With her decision made, she turned to Empyrean and asked, "Are you ready to continue the tour?"

"Sure," Empyrean replied, seemingly unbothered by the spell of silence that had followed after her last statement.

Comments

[NAH223445566]

Mi bisabuela vivió hasta los 105 años y posiblemente era mas vieja por la falta de rigurosidad en sus documentos.