A Gift from the Sun

There's a line of footsteps in the flat sand that stretched for miles up the horizon before disappearing thanks to blowing winds. They belonged to you. Straight overhead the sun beamed down like a guillotine waiting to drop.

One foot dragged in front of the other. Damned sun was going to be the death of you. You've been walking for how long? How many feeble steps were left in you? Not many. Your water supply was already low before you left the site of the plane crash.

You were never supposed to stray from a landing. Stay put. Stay safe. But after two nights of trying to raise a signal on your broken radio and sending useless flares into the sky you decided that staying was as good a death sentence as leaving.

Dying on the move was preferable to dying on your ass. So you made a patchwork bundle for your laughable supplies, checked your maps for the nearest blip of civilization (which wasn't near at all) and made an arrow out of the wreckage on the ground pointed in the direction you were heading.

No shade aside from the small blanket wrapped around your head. Your eyes were red. Lips were cracked and bleeding from the arid heat and lack of water. Your tongue refused to move. Breathing felt like sandpaper was being shoved down your throat.

Your right arm was wrapped in a makeshift tourniquet. That didn't make things anymore comfortable either. Oh well. Better than a broken leg.

That's right, even out here with death trailing behind like a cloaked vulture you have to count your blessings.

Gotta stay upbeat, upbeat, upbeat.

Or you're dead meat, dead meat, dead meat.

A wheezing chuckle rolled across the dunes, drowned out by stinging winds and heard only by the burrowing things in the sand.

Step, drag, drag, step, drag...pause.

You weren't supposed to travel during the day. Smarter to go at night since it's cooler. But if you stopped to lay down now you wouldn't get back up.

Keep moving. Step. Drag. Step. Come on, you bastard. Step.

Your feet rose and fell like granite weights. You stumbled and swayed over loose sand and rock. Should've flown commercial. Never should've gotten a pilot's license in the first place. Who cared if it let you hop across the world and country free-as-you-please? Who cared if your girlfriend thought it was the most bad-ass thing she ever heard of?

Well, you cared about that a little.

The sun didn't even look like it moved. It's just hanging up there. Eternal noon in this eternal desert.

Someone must like this sort of thing. You sure don't.

You stumbled. You fell. You landed on your bad arm. A pained yell rattled out from a sore throat as you rolled over and clutched it.

The pain faded into the background like a headache. You were heading the right way, right? Can't be that much farther. If you keep moving you're bound to arrive somewhere. Either some back-alley town or the afterlife.

Stop thinking like that. Just keep moving.

Your chest heaved as you raised onto your good arm. The sand burned your palm. You crawled before shifting to your knees and shuffled across the earth.

The trail of footsteps turned into a stuttering line of shallow trenches that slowly winded off into a curve. You didn't bother to check your compass anymore. The steady monotony was almost relieving and you squeezed a good few hundred yards out of the deal.

But you fell to your hand again. Your shoulder shook and gave way under the weight. Your legs kicked the sand.

Guess you had to run out of gas eventually. You tried to laugh but your throat was so dry it splintered like tree bark. Sand blew into your mouth, but the pain blended with everything else. Nothing worth caring about.

You wrote two copies of a letter before you left. One stayed at the wreckage. The other was in your pocket. You pat absentmindedly at it. In case someone found you they'll at least know your name and maybe allow your family to have some measure of closure. The thought was a little comforting.

Your head was killing you.

Maybe.....

you shouold.

mebbe yu shld just take a...

lit-
ttle
nap.

A shadow passed overhead. The shade it cast over your body felt like wind blowing out the gates of heaven. You smiled deliriously. The fleeting light of your conscious mind saw something like a huge carriage land a ways from you. Shadows emerge from it.

Wow. You got a personal escort into the afterlife. You felt special.

The blurred shapes talked amongst themselves. You couldn't make out the words. Not like they could say anything that mattered to you, right?

One towered above all the others. It's bright, as if made of silver and rainbows. And shaped like a horse.

It struck you a little odd that Death looked like a horse. You weren't about to complain.

Your vision made out a concerned face that approached you.

With dried-blood on your lips you forced a smile. With a swollen tongue, you croaked "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Bliss and darkness overtook you.

--

Did the dead dream? If you were bad in life did you have nightmares?

You felt...floaty.

"A e ou ake? an ou hea e?"

A voice. Some lady. She sounded urgent, but had an odd calmness.

"It s mportant hat you - me know...."

Was an angel trying to talk to you? You tried focusing on the voice. It's only polite, right?

"me know that you can hear me. Can you hear me?"

You coughed. Someone held a cup to your mouth. A sliver of lukewarm water slid down your throat. It hurts. Every cell it touched tried to gobble as much as possible. The air was cooler here.

"Open your eyes, if you can."

Lifting your eyelids was like throwing back heavy floor rugs. Your eyes were bloodshot, unfocused, and sunken. You were lying, propped up on a pile of cushions. Sashes and folded curtains were everywhere. It looked like a massive canvas tent. Your eyes trailed to the right.

There was that horse again. Death appearing to you as silver and morning rays. She looked taken back. You weren't a pretty sight. The recently dead never looked good.

"Where's my dog?" you mutter.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm dead. My dog should be here. Wanna see him." Your arm pushed you into a sitting position and you tried whistling for the scruffy bastard, but only a useless wheeze blew through your teeth. "Damn." Your body gave the signal to shut down. "I'll try ag'n later."

You slumped to the side and fell to the floor. Or you would if Death didn't catch you. The side of your face was held by a spread of long white feathers. They felt like flower petals and silk against your cheek. You were lowered to the ground.

The wingtips hold your face to look at the horse. Her violet eyes were wide. She speaks low and stern.

"I need you to listen. You are not dead, do you understand?"

She had to be lying. But a voice that lovely couldn't lie, right?

"You are still alive, but not for much longer."

A small bit of reason kicked on in the failing center of your brain. "What are you?"

"Someone who can save you."

A fire set off in your mind. They were flames fanned by hope that you wouldn't end up as a piece of withered jerky in the middle of a hell pit where the only thing to bury you was the wind, the sand, and passing hungry animals.

You raised a trembling hand towards her long face. Nothing made sense now, but you didn't care. She pressed the side of her warm muzzle into your palm. Fine, smooth strands of fur brushed against your blistered and bruised hands.

"Help me," you husked. She nodded.

"Listen closely." Her voice was pleading, but serious. "I can save you, but it will not be easy. There will be a cost. Not even I can say what it will be. Nod if you understand."

You do. She whispered to herself before continuing.

"You will have to do as I say for it to work properly. Once we begin we cannot stop. There is no turning back from this, but right now at this very moment you have no other option."

Her face drew nearer and her voice echoed with death's seriousness.

"Do you understand?"

You hacked out a pained 'yes.' She blinked and her brow lowered.

"And you agree?"

"Yes," you wheezed. "help me, please."

"I will." She pressed her forehead to your own. "I will. Of course I will."

She stood up and took several deep breaths. She looked around the room to make sure no one else was present, it seemed. Satisfied, she raised her head. You heard a soft buzz and her horn glowed. She bit her lips and her back legs quivered

Out of half-slitted eyes you saw a pair of breasts gently bud and swell bellow her belly. Her chest rose and fell quickly. Her nostrils widened and pained moans slipped from her mouth despite efforts to keep it closed.

She spread her rear legs apart to make room for her teats. They jiggled gently as her thighs shifted in discomfort. You saw white teats, rounded and topped with broad, bright-pink nipples.

Their growth was slow. She lowered her head and grunted quietly. The glowing strands of her hair fell over her forehead.

She gasped and panted and stood straight again. Her graceful neck craned along her side to inspect her modified features. They hung freely, but not comically so. Their fullness looked like a sign of wealth on her body. Now that you got a good look at her, everything about her looked full. Her billowing hair and tail, her bright eyes, folded wings, and even the curve of her backside.

Majestic. A true matriarch in every sense of the word. She looked at you and noticed your gaze, unfocused as it was. She blushed.

But that didn't last long. Her face turned all-business and she approached.

"This is where we begin."

She circled above you head. She reached down with those gentle wings and turned you onto your left side and placed a pillow under your head. Once satisfied, she laid herself beside you. Or nearly on top of you.

You were staring right into her teats. The radiating heat was almost unbearable...but somehow not unpleasant. Unlike the dry scorch of the desert, this heat was inviting and soft. It was the warmth of coming home.

She curled around your upper body, making herself comfortable as possible. What she wanted you to do was clear.

"Is th...this wh..." Even in your haze you knew this was incredibly off.

Drink." Part command, part plea. "I vow, this is the only way.”

You stared into the warm pink of her breasts. Your mouth hung open. Warm air seeped into your lungs. Desperation drives a man to do the craziest of things, but were you really about to suckle from a horse, hallucination or not?

Then the tiniest bead of milk appeared on the tip of her nipple. It was white, and it glistened in the soft light of the tent.

Hydration. Liquid. Milk. Life.

You latched on. Your mouth was dry, your lips were bleeding. Your throat was raw. Weak jaws and muscles worked inexpertly at her nipple, but found a steady rhythm that let you draw her gift into you.

Her milk was better than water. Better than gold. Better than all the riches and pleasures in the world. As soon as it touched the tip of your tongue you could feel it heal. It was rich, thick, and hot in the best of ways. You licked your tongue around your lips, spreading the milk around like a salve.

Your heard your host gasp you fed. This wasn't a regular thing for her. Her thighs shuddered and rubbed your chest. Her head pressed into a pillow and she bit her lip while taking heavy breaths.

You finished with one breast and moved to another. Your felt the bone in your arm reset. The pain ebbed. You flexed your hand and marveled at the lack of stinging. Cautiously, you stretched you arm out of the tourniquet. It fell away with ease. You felt only a dull stiffness. You stretched your healing arm around her generous upper thigh and held her flank -the better grip helped you draw in more milk.

She closed her eyes rested her head on the ground. She had a dreamy smile and pawed at her muzzle in pleasure. A hoof reached down and to stroke your back. You hardly noticed.

"As much as you need," she whispered. "Just take as much as you need..."

You felt amazing. Rejuvenated. You could walk another hundred miles in the desert if necessary. Hell, you could jog for two hundred!

It dawned on you that there was a horse's tit in your mouth. You pulled away, coughing and gagging. You wiped a thick trail of milk and saliva off your mouth.

Your hostess raised her head, looking confused. "How do you feel?"

You stared down at your hands. The blisters and cuts were gone. Your arm felt amazing. You pulled on your skin and were relieved when it bounced back instead of hanging webby and loose.. "I feel...I feel great." You looked at her and smiled, more than a little embarrassed, but too overcome with relief to feel disgusted. That could come later. You're not gonna die!

You felt better. But...

Your eyes trailed back to the shaded, curvy crevice of her thighs and breasts...

You still felt thirsty. You shook your head. No. You didn't need that anymore. You were healed. No more need to debase yourself like that. Besides, you didn't want to over exert...erm...what was her name?

But you felt so hungry. Your stomach rumbled. The horse's brows came together in worry. You stepped toward her, a look of confusion on your face.

"It's not finished, then." She said with regret.

You looked at her as you dropped to your knees. "What do you mean? I'm fine. I can stop now, right?" You looked back at her breasts. Your mouth felt bone dry. But that's not possible. "What's going on?" To all fours you fell and crawled towards her. You tried standing back up, but felt compelled to move closer and closer to her, like a magnet. A boomerang. Those bountiful cups became the center of gravity in your universe and drew you in no matter how hard you fought.

"Why can't I stop?" She laid statue-still as your head took its former position between her legs. "Tell me what's goin..." your lips kissed her refilled breast and pulled on the nipple. You didn't attack it like last time. You were steadier, but drank even deeper. Your hand dug into her flank, and alternately tried to push away and come closer.

She was a fountain. You found the land of milk and honey and would drown at this rate. The flow went down to a trickle. You pulled away and took a breath for the first time in minutes. "I can't -I can't-" and you took to the other one. You eyes looked around. Panic set in.

She felt your anxiety and curled closer around you. Her slender head leaned in and she placed a hoof on your back.

"I know. You can't stop. It's alright." She sounded sad, but assuring. "I promise, it will be okay.” You felt a wing slide up and down your shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'll take care of you."

What did that mean? The teat dried up, but the other one had refilled itself by then. You switched and suckled again before you could say anything. You began to feel strange.

It started from the pit of your stomach. You drank so much milk. Of course it was going to do something to you. How could it not?

You groaned and tucked your legs into your stomach as it cramped. You continued to drink.
Your bones began to buzz. You could feel it in your inner ear. Warmth spread up your arms and legs. The arm you gripped around her leg turned into a loose grope. The fingers turned numb. Your fist squeezed tight and refused to flex.

You pulled back your hand and saw it out of the corner of your eyes.. It turned into a rounded stump that swiveled at the wrist. No longer a hand, but a hoof.

Your eyes widened in panic as you slapped it against her leg, trying desperately to pull away from the cursed breasts that was responsible for the change. You attempted to pull the other hand away. It had turned shrunken and rounded as well. Vestiges of fingers twitched uselessly as they melted into the smooth mass.

For a split second you broke free "What the hell is happening to me?" It felt good to yell out that much, but you're drawn right back to her fountain, and could do nothing but drink.

"It's only trying to heal you. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do,” she said with genuine remorse in her voice. Your forearms press uselessly against her legs and stomach as you whimpered. Fighting against this urge inside you was impossible.

You legs twisted and kicked off your shoes as your feet began to match your hands. Your thighs grow thicker with new strands of re-purposed muscle. Your bones shift and shuffle. It doesn't hurt exactly, but the sensation is wild and unfamiliar.

And your taut stomach. It felt full to bursting. Why can't you stop drinking? The teat runs dry. You pull away for a small moment.

"Please, stop this! Please, I changed my mind, you can throw me back back onto the sand, I-"
Your lips brushed against her thick nipple once more. "I-" Your crotch burned. Your waist wiggled and jerked. The hell was going on down there?

With poor dexterity, your fore hooves prod at your groin. You couldn't feel anything. Well, you felt something, but it's not what you expected. You moaned in horror and worked a hoof into your pants to make absolutely sure.

The edge of your hoof brushes over the vanishing remains of your member. You fondle around in shock, trying to find out where your dick went, only to discover it turned into something else.

You brushed the budding texture of a small new womanhood take its place. You gasped and traced your hoof gently around its curves and folds. Oh no. You pulled your arm out of your pants in terror, but not before feeling the sensitive tips of newly growing nipples above your flowering vagina. You poke around your new genitalia before it shocked you with unfamiliar delicacy.

Your whimpering turned into crying. Already your voice sounded higher and lighter. Drenched in feminine sadness.

What's happening to you? You were turning into something like her. A horse. A girl! The thought broke you. You couldn't go home like this. If you showed up at your job, they'd call animal control and throw you in a warehouse. Could you go back to your girlfriend? What would she say? She would laugh at you. Turn away because you didn't have balls enough to die in the desert like a man, and instead tried to crawl back like an animal that was biologically useless to her.

Your body was flushed with new hormones and alien energies that messed with your thoughts. You couldn't take it.

She turned dry. Move to the next one.

"You said you'd help me!" Your voice surprised you. It sounded girlish and scared. You twisted your head as it pressed into her full nipple again, poking your cheek instead of your mouth. You panted and sobbed, trying to catch your breath even as your neck fought to plant your mouth over her once more. "Please, make it stop. I'll do anything! I don't want to be like this. Not like you." Her wing lowered over you. She caressed your cheek tenderly and wiped away a few of your tears. You closed your eyes and failed to suppress a shudder.

"There's nothing you or I can do now. I am truly sorry. If there was any other way to save you, I would take it. Walking down this path may be strange and frightening, but still, it is a path of life." Her voice choked. She wished this didn't need to happen. "Oh, I pray you will forgive me for this one day."

Her wing nudged your face towards her nipple. "No!" you protested "Wait, please. No! Wait, not this!" And you were chained to her flow once more. You closed your eyes and cried freely now as the changes to your body grew more radical. Your neck grew longer. Your hips swiveled and your chest turned round. Your body more cylindrical.

Then your face turned warm. Oh no. Here it comes.

You felt your nose and mouth push out. You lips loosened for a moment as your jaws extended and your mouth turned into a slim muzzle. You let out tiny "ah-ah's" as the vocal chords in your throat re tuned themselves. Your ears burned as they stretched, flicking and turning as new muscles twitched themselves to life.

The eyes were the last thing to change. You pressed your hooves against your face as they grew bigger, rounder. You blinked rapidly when your eyelashes lengthened. The light in the room intensified and dimmed back and forth as your irises morphed. New lines of color webbed around your pupil and wiped away the old ones.

You vision focused and saw a new muzzle obstructing part of your view. "How...is...this..." you wept before drinking again.

"Shhh, shh," She brushed you with her wing once more. "You're doing good, you're doing so good."

You fell into a steady rhythm again, no longer bothering to fight. There was no stopping this change, you realized with resigned sadness. Your back twitched and itched, but you did your best to ignore it.

You felt a prickly sensation on your body. You opened your large new eyes and saw bristles of white, fur flowing up your arms. It rushed up your legs, tickling your groin, and along your stomach. Your shoulders fluffed out. It crept up your neck and over your jaw, closing around your muzzle. You rubbed yourself. It felt incredibly alien to have such soft and clean fur over every inch of your body. It was like being caressed by a warm blanket or towel. This was far too much.

You moaned in between the shadows of her legs. Something poked out of the back of your pants. It was tail, it had to be. You felt it flick without ordering it.

You cried softly as your face became wreathed in heavy, golden curls that fell over your forehead.
"It's alright," she cooed, "You're almost there. Almost done." She brushed a protective wing along your side.

Hot tears mixed with warm milk. You began to shrink. Your clothes felt baggy and loose. You kicked as your legs disappeared into your jeans and you arms tucked into the sleeves of your shirt. Her body became so much bigger. Her breasts took up even more room in your mouth and almost chocked you. You shook your head plaintively, begging without words to be pulled away from the endless stream of change.

Judging by how much larger she seemed and how loose your clothes became, you lost more than half of your body mass. You were afraid to look at your body now.

You let go of her because she ran dry. You felt no need to drink, either. You panted open mouthed and quivered. Eyes were red from crying, and your mouth dripped with milk.

You looked at the white horse. Her face was wet from a few tears as well. She looked sad, but somehow happy as well. Her whole body glowered with femininity. Fertility. Motherhood. She gave a gentle smile.

"Do you feel better, little one?"

You looked down at your small hooves. You rubbed one against the carpeted floor. Your voice cracked and you cried "Why?" That's all you could say. You looked at her again. "Why?" She shook her head and raised off the ground.

"Your body couldn't make it as it was. That's all I know." She stood over you. She towered over you. You felt afraid of her. Look at what she did to you. What else was she capable of? But her smile was gentle. Her eyes bright, and her face warm. She was so beautiful. There was no way she would ever hurt you.

"Come, little one. Let's get a good look at you."

"Huh? What are you-?" Her mouth tugged at your pants and pulled them away easily. Your underwear caught around your leg, which she grasped and tossed away. You pulled your legs in, scared to look at your new femaleness, but it was obvious from the slender curve of your legs and youthful roundness of your hips that you were incredibly female. "Um." She laughed like a wind chime as she grabbed your shirt from the back and pulled it over your head. You fell to the ground, covering your chest with your forelegs, embarrassed to stand.

"Go ahead."

You looked at her encouraging face. You lifted one hoof, then the other and pushed. The air in the room was strange. You could feel every strand of fur on your new body. Just existing felt so....different. So novel. Your tiny chest fluttered. You didn't know what to say, standing naked before her like this. Should you be angry?

"Oh my". She walked towards your back. "Aren't these lovely."

"What are? What's love-" You turned your head around and saw. "Oh." A pair of creamy wings pressed against your back. "I have wings?"

"Spread them out!"

You closed your eyes and pushed and pulled at the new musculature. They spread and rose with a shake, making you stumble to the side and yelp

"Steady now, steady!"

She caught you and helped to regain your balance. You unfurled your wings in sheepish measures and rose them as high and wide into the air as you could. They waved as if they were unsure of what they were, or what they were for.

You snapped them shut and to drew into yourself, nervous about your new form and still reeling from all these new elements and forces coursing through your system. She sensed your anxiety and chided herself.

"Forgive me. Here, this should help you understand a little better."

Her horn lit up once again and a mirror floated into view. She set it gently above the thick rugs, right before you. Your reflection elicited a piping gasp from the delicate looking thing in the reflection. Your wings jutted out in surprise. They were long and graceful. White with a hint of creamy-red coloring along the tips. But your face...

Your hoof hovered over the edge of your nose and forehead, afraid to touch it and totally confirm your reality. Your eyes were enormous and studded with water-clear gems for irises. They nearly glowed. Heavy, dark eyelashes fluttered at their edges. You'd say something about the stupid look of astonishment on your face if it wasn't for how astonished you were.

"I-I'm -I'm" She looked down over your shoulder and into the mirror with you.

"You're beautiful."

"I'm a horse!" You stamped your hoof down and your wings stood up again. She had to cover her mouth with her wings and look away as she laughed. You glared at her, eyebrows knitted together in anger and frowned. "Don't laugh at me! This isn't funny! Look at me!" You stared into the reflection again. You were the very picture of girlishness. Curly hair and tail, big blue eyes, and a slim mouth. And your legs... "What did you -do- to me?" Were you even "you" anymore? "I'm a horse." Tears welled up in your eyes again, unbidden. She knelt down and nuzzled into your ear.

"You're not a horse, little one. You're a pony." She giggled. "A pegasus pony at that." She motioned to your wings. They pulled in tightly around your body. "No need to be shy about them. You'll learn to love them soon enough when you get them to work."

“Wait, you're saying they're...functional? I could actually fly with these things?" You asked. She nodded

"Given time." Her gaze held onto you for a bit. "One moment, you seem to have a bit of..."
She licked the side of your chin, and wiped away a dried speck of milk. A moment passed. She licked again. And again. Her long, wide tongue slid across your muzzle, cleaning away the remains of your insatiable guzzling. "Uh..." you muttered as she licked across your brow. Your ears flattened as she continued, making her way in slow circles around your head. Her breath was warm and pleasant. As strange as it sounded, you didn't feel dirtier for it. Her saliva dried quickly, leaving you feeling clean and refreshed instead of sticky and smelly.

Her ministrations continued down your neck. "Um..." You can't think of anything to say as she made went down to the front of your chest. Her tongue was strong and dextrous. It's like receiving a slow massage. You can't help but notice she looked a little confused herself.
"Forgive me..." she said. "I can't seem to..." She moves onto your shoulders. "Well..."

She blushed. A small act of kindness turned into an instinctual impulse. She was cleaning you in the same way a mother would cleanse a newborn foal. You had to laugh. Now she'd know how it felt.

She turned you onto your back and laid you down, her tongue moving over your stomach, still full and sensitive after being the main reactor for your transformation. It felt pretty good, to be honest. Her tongue worked diligently through your fur and against your skin, wiping away the dirt and sand and tiny bits of rock that stuck to your irritated skin and clothes. Your whole body breathed easy again.

Your sighed under the almost hypnotic rhythm of her cleaning. You could fall asleep like this...
If her tongue didn't run across the delicate tips of your nipples. Your body jerked and your eyes shot wide open. Your looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a dreamy look on her face, lost in her task. Her warm tongue brushed over the tiny buds of your breasts. Your pressed your hooves against your face and squirmed under the hot pleasure that started to grow in your nether regions. A low whinny built up in your mouth as she licked across your womanhood. You sighed and moaned as she touched and nuzzled your delicate, bucking thighs.

She traveled up your legs. She licked the soles of your hooves -it tickled. Then she turned you onto your stomach and went up your flanks and along your spine. Steady and with even pressure. You bit your lip and rubbed your head against the carpet like a dog being well-petted. You smiled dopily.

She nuzzled the center joint of your wings and nosed her way up the stem. Poking and biting lightly at your feathers. She held them out and nibbled. Preening you, straightening out your plumage and inspecting them for any irregularities. It felt glorious to have such a caring and knowing touch weave through your new appendages. You didn't know what to think of your wings, but if they could make you feel this lovely then they couldn't be all bad. Your entire body hummed, no longer sore or dehydrated, but well-tended to and fulfilled. Soft sighs rolled over the room.

She pulled away after a while that seemed all-to short, leaving you blinking your way back to reality on the floor, wondering why she stopped.

"All done. You're perfectly fine. Exquisitely healthy."

She cleared her throat. An oddly common gesture from a creature that exuded nothing but confidence and regality.

"I hope you forgive me for any liberties I may have taken."

You lay on the floor before her expansive and glowing figure. You looked across your body once more. Your tail. Your wings. You touched the tip of your face again. "You found me out there in the desert, right?" Your sing-songy voice sounded strange in your ears. It was going to take forever to get used to that. She nodded.

"Yes. A scout saw strange lights in the sky. It took a while for the report to reach us, but we decided to investigate. There have been odd weather incidences in the area recently."

They saw the flares. "So you found my wreck, then."

"Quite a puzzling machine. It was half-buried under a dune by the time we reached it, and it looked like one of the bigger animals that wonder around out here had its way with it -If it means anything, I think it was fortunate you moved on when you did. We were going to write it off as a simple mystery to be unsolved when I saw your arrow and found a letter tucked away into the metal."

"I ordered a search immediately. Nothing that knows how to write deserves to die out here. It took a long time, but my scouts found your trail. I must say, you traveled quite an impressive ways."

You looked puzzled. "How far did I walk?" She told you how far. You were pleased with yourself.

"I found you crawling into death's embrace in the sand and knew you deserved to live,” she said.

"Just like that? Out of the goodness of your heart you decided to save me?"

She smiled like it was the easiest choice to make. "Of course. You pushed hard for as long as possible. That alone shows you have an inner strength and fortitude that's earned the right to see another dawn, and I was the only one who could give it."

She looked away.

"I only hope that you can forgive me for what I've taken away. Tell me, are you angry? I would understand if you are."

Were you angry? You looked in the mirror. You looked healthy and bright. Your lips weren't bleeding and your arm was no longer broken. But you were...so...different now.

"Can you change me back?" She shook her head. No, of course not. That would be too easy. You looked down once more. "I'm just...I don't know. Maybe I'll be good and mad later, but right now...thank-you."

You were alive. You felt like a stranger to yourself, but you were alive. That's what mattered right now. "You said you found my letter?"

"Yes, but I can't -quite- make out what it says. Your written language is mostly similar to ours, however. I am very interested in finding out what it says. I have a certain fondness for letters." She winked. "But we will address that later."

"Um. I never asked for you name." She helped you stand to your legs and walked you back to the bed.
"Celestia. Princess Celestia."

Princess. That shouldn't surprise you. She looked every inch a princess. She hoisted you onto the bed like you were the lightest thing in the world and tucked the blankets around you. "Thank you, Princess."

"Think nothing of it, little one. Just rest for now. I'll be here when you wake up -I have so much to show you.” She smiled with warmth and grace and kissed your cheek. The world blurred away, but one thought held at the forefront of your mind: You were alive.

You still wanted to see your dog, though.