Just nothing. Everywhere.by koalaslinkyChaptersThe FirstPeculiaritiesAbsenceSearchThe FirstThere was nothing. Not the kind of nothing where a filly might be bored with all at a country fair. Also not the kind where an endless land stretches in every direction with no recognisable landmarks. Not even the kind where a featureless blank waste extends to the distant horizon without so much as a rock to trip over. No, this was the kind of nothing where there is darkness all around. No ground on which to rest your hooves. No background noise of wind or living creatures. Just nothing. Everywhere. It was nowhere. If there is nothing there it would stand to reason that there would be no one there. And of course that is how it was. For a long time. And then for a while more. Until a light blue creature stepped out of nowhere, into the equally void space of nothingness. It had four legs, a body and head all covered in a light coat of blue fur. It had a lilac and cobalt striped tail, and a matching mane as all good equines do. For this creature, a ‘she’ as it were, was a pony. She didn’t do anything at first; for what could she do but stand there. On the nothingness, floating in the darkness with hooves planted solidly on the æther. Somehow. And what good to the observer is a colourful cartoon creature if it cannot be seen? An ethereal glow filled the void: coming from nowhere, and lighting up nothing but the little pony. Maybe she should have a name. After all, we give all intelligent creatures names of their own don’t we? How about Oecee? That sounds simple enough, and unique. The pony sneezed. Sudden and unexpected, she blinked at what strange occurrence she had inevitably experienced. It was about now that Oecee realised that she… well, that she existed. Looking down at the hooves in front of her, she inspected the light blue colour. Curiosity sparked, she moved her head closer to inspect the appendages. She did not realise that she was moving her head; she only wanted to see the hooves from closer up. As the desire manifested, her neck moved to fulfil her wish, bringing her head down to investigate the strange fuzzy poles, without Oecee realising her influence over this new body. As her head approached the legs, the little pony began to see that the fuzz on the appendages was actually made up of countless small hairs. Eyes growing wide at her new discovery, she again moved her head closer, still having no clue what she was doing. Which, when you are in control of a body and do not realise it, can lead to some issues… “Yow!” A yelp filled the void as Oecee crashed her head into a leg. She fell backward clutching her sore snout in reflex. Pain, like everything else, was a new experience to the little blue pony. As now she had realisation that these legs were moved by her thoughts. She moved back her newly found hooves from her face to look at them in wonder once more. In addition to these two forelegs, she noticed matching hind legs. And behind them: a fluffy striped tail. This immensely pleased the little pony; she realised that she had a body of her very own to move and play with. … If the thought of playing with herself crossed your mind as an odd way to go about existing, be assured that it never crossed hers. She had yet to figure out the intricacies of movement and as such everything was still new to her and it was her task to explore all possibilities. In any case, there she was jumping and prancing from place to place. Infinitely amused by the wondrous powers these new limbs granted her. Jumping, stomping, running, bucking and rearing up like a majestic brumby with the wind billowing through her mane. The last was particularly pleasing as it made her feel powerful and important. As if being the only moving and colourful thing in the entire void wasn’t reason enough to feel special. She repeated what was now her favourite action. Striking a pose as regal and imposing as she could manage. As she had no way of seeing herself in the void, she could not tell how miserably she failed at both. Nose scrunched and eyes wide with the balance of a newborn filly she would have looked utterly ridiculous had anyone been there to see. But as she was alone, and as none would know what regal looked like in such an isolated area anyhow, Oecee was content. Her hooves touched the ground only for a moment to regain balance before she reared for the third time, face aglow as she threw back her head and laughed in joy. It was at this heart warming sound that the void decided to introduce a breeze, so that her mane and tail may be caught in the ethereal wind. Oecee noticed this sensation, touching all four hooves down once again and looking around for the source. She could see nothing different about the place, only felt a slight pressure on one side accompanied by a slightly cool sensation completely alien to her. Keeping in mind that everything those of us here in the real world take for granted would seem strange to such a character. The winds died down quickly, leaving the blue pony as confused as she had been upon noticing her new limbs. She trotted around for a few minutes trying to find this elusive feeling again. No matter where she went, forwards, left, back, left (had she gone this way already?) it was not to be found so easily. For the wind had nothing to move and made no sound. It was an entirely invisible and mysterious force. She walked for what seemed like forever. In an outsider’s eyes it may be said that this was not even ten minutes, but it definitely felt longer to Oecee, who had barely been alive for twice that time. After a long expedition of searching for the strange feeling, she had wandered quite far from where she started. Or was it the same place? Not easy to tell without a single landmark in the darkness. Suddenly without so much as a warning, the winds started again. Our little pony jumped in shock at the sudden return of the odd sensation. Soon she remembered the feeling of the wind and relaxed. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. The wind had found her again. And that made her happy. She did not know how. She did not know why, or even if it had meant to find her. But to the pony so new to this empty world, none of that mattered. She closed her eyes and let the cool pressure wash over her body, tugging at her mane and tail. Once more she reared like a great stallion. Not trying to look imposing, only blissful and content at all this world was. And all it was may have been nothing. Nothing but her, and the strange winds. But it was all she had ever known. And so she was satisfied. PeculiaritiesPeculiarities KoalaSlinky Is the beginning of time when all space began? Or when the first being was created to explore the void? Oecee stretched her jaw with a mighty yawn. She opened her heavy eyelids to observe her surroundings. The air was still. Rolling onto her back, she stretched her hooves in the air with a groan. She held the pose for a moment, reminiscent of a fluffy, long-legged turtle stuck on its back. The blue pony let out another long yawn and rolled back into a fuzzy ball of pony, tail covering her face like a lampshade. The concept could be considered peculiar or even downright strange that in a land without a Sun, no difference between night and day, ponies still developed ‘five more minutes’ syndrome. But there the little pony lay; face snuggled into her own side, hidden beneath the makeshift blanket that was her tail. However, when there was nothing to do, no responsibilities to handle and no time to waste: you couldn't really call it a problem. And there wasn't anyone around to do so. Ever so slowly, the breeze picked up. It was cool and pleasant at first. Soothing to the curled up pony as she snuggled into her hair and smiled at the bliss the world was. The breeze was the only distraction in this dark expanse. The only movement in the void aside from Oecee herself, and for all she knew, the only friend she would ever have. The breeze was good. A loving companion, never too long gone or far away. It came and went as it pleased, paying no mind to the wishes of Oecee. But she loved it. For she had lived here for her whole life and the breeze was the lone force she had encountered in the all encompassing void. She knew not how long she had spent in this world, nor could she remember if there was anything before the darkness. All she knew is that she was here, many, many sleeps since her first arrival. So many so that an outside observer used to the timely clockwork of sun, moon and stars may say she had lived here for years, decades, or maybe centuries. Who could tell? Oecee didn't mind, for she could not remember how many sleeps it had been, or how long in between her naps. This was her life, and she was happy. The breeze continued to grow stronger, whistling around the prone ball of fuzz that was Oecee. The mare shivered, drawing her legs and tail closer to help keep warm. But the wind did not abate. It began to grow stronger still. Intrigued, Oecee finally raised her head to look towards the wind. As usual, she couldn’t see it. But she could feel it buffeting her face and making her squint. The breeze had never been this strong before, previously gentle and caressing. At the moment, however, her only friend was scaring her. What was she to do? This was certainly unusual, and while the wind itself was not yet unpleasant, it was showing no sign of relenting. The little pony stood to face the wind, her face a childish mask of attempted stoicism. As it continued to grow stronger with each passing minute, she felt it harder to stand her ground. But then again, why should she oppose it? The wind had always been good to her, there was no reason it would hurt her now. Oecee felt something in her stomach. A feeling that she had not experienced since her first few minutes in the void so long ago. The thought made her body shiver in excitement, compiling with her already violent shivers from the cold winds. The thought that there was something new to be discovered brought a smile to her lips. She turned tail, and ran with the wind. She ran as she did countless times through the darkness. Galloping across the expanse of nothingness, of eternal night. The blue pony soon realised that this time was different. With the wind at her back, she ran faster than ever. With her friend pushing her along, she could do things she never dreamed before. She jumped higher and further than she ever thought possible, being carried along and away by the strong winds. Precious seconds where she felt to be flying through the black. She ran, jumped, squealed and laughed with glee. And she fell. Misplacing a hoof, she tumbled along the ground and skidded to a halt. “UUghbleh!” she blew a raspberry in frustration as she lay still on the ground. She was uninjured, not even having a solid floor to hurt herself on. Lying still a moment, the wind only grew louder in her ears, as if encouraging her to keep moving. So she got up, and again ran with her friend. Soon she was running as fast as before. Jumping and laughing, she followed the wind. Until it stopped. Almost in an instant, the winds died down to a gentle breeze while Oecee was in the middle of one of her amazing leaps. She touched down again and slowed to a trot, swivelling her head to search for the lost wind. Then the wind started again, just as strong as before, but in a different direction. Oecee looked to where the wind was heading. Slightly to the left. Not one to care much for the reason behind such exciting occurrences, she turned and followed the breeze once more. And promptly tripped again. Tumbling end over end, she clutched her stinging forehoof. “OOOWWWWW! Ow, ow, owowow. Ouch.” Oecee lay on her back, wailing and clutching her hoof to her chest. She cried, never having felt this sort of pain before. Eyes teary, she stared up into the void as the winds dropped once more to a slight breeze. Why did that have to hurt so much? Sobbing and hugging her hoof, she rolled onto her side. Her eyes widened in shock. She realised that she wasn’t alone. A few metres away was a … Thing. The first thing that Oecee noticed about this new creature was that it was… different. Unlike the wind, this lump could be seen as clearly as her own hooves. Tears and pain forgotten, the pony lay staring at the object in awe. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Even the colour was completely new. But given that all she had ever seen was her limbs, body, tail and nose: there wasn’t much to compare it to in the first place. Slowly, with eyes locked on target, she rolled over to get all four legs underneath her. With a slight crouch, she crept forwards. Her mouth agape in wonder she walked up to the enigmatic being that had materialised in the void. Surely this rock would be her new friend? Stopping before the lump of basalt, she could see that it was nearly the size of her head, if a little flatter and more angular. After deciding that there was much to be learnt from such an odd occurrence, she attempted what any pony of scientific mind would do. Oecee poked the rock. As anyone who has had experience with rocks would know: not much happened. Her hoof clacked solidly against the stone. It wobbled a bit, and then returned to its peaceful state of rest. Quite uneventful, sure, but Oecee was ecstatic with this response. She had never had something tangible to play with before! With an enormous smile stretched across her face, she looked out towards the void, and wordlessly thanked the winds for bringing her to this new friend. Wherever the breeze may be, she hoped that they could all spend their time together. The stone didn’t appear to like moving and playing as breezes and ponies do, the little discoverer noted as she pranced about the grey lump. Oecee jumped. The stone sat. She ran. The stone stayed. She giggled. The stone remained silent. She poked the stone. It wobbled. She stood atop the stone. It wobbled violently. She slipped and fell from the stone. It hurt her knee. Oecee wailed in again pain, reminded of her first encounter with the little boulder. Tears in her eyes and cradling her knee, the stone sat still, impartial to the distress it caused her. Doubt quickly began to form in the blue pony’s mind. Maybe this one didn’t want to be friends. Maybe she should leave the stone alone. And the thought of leaving the only other solid being in existence only made her cry more. For she had spent so long without knowing that there was any others in the void, aside from the ethereal wind. The rock and herself may not have had much in common, and it may not like to play as she did, but it was in a way, closer to her than anything she had ever known. And so the pony lay next to the rock, hugging herself, sobbing, and refusing to look the offender in the eye. Which was easy because it was a rock and rocks have no eyes. At this moment, the breeze made its return, soothingly washing over the bawling equine, stinging her scraped knee, but feeling welcome just the same. The breeze was a good friend, her oldest, most trusted and only. Slowly, the tears stopped falling, a blissful smile taking their place. She closed her eyes as she felt the wind toying with her mane and tail, the only company she had had for all of her life. She trusted the breeze with everything. Her only companion had, so kindly, led her to this new rock to be friends with. She looked over at the stone, thinking of how good the breeze had been to her all these years. Maybe the rock could be fun too. In its own weird way. Maybe she should give the rock a chance. Maybe it wouldn’t be so cruel to her in the future if she learnt to treat it right. She had time to learn. She could not give up this chance just yet. After all, she had originally hurt her nose on her legs. And look how fun they turned out to be! Yes. She thought it would be good. “Yes.” She made the strange sound aloud, “Yes.” It felt comforting. And oddly positive. The first word to come to her. A new lexeme invented, inspired by this rock. It was the beginning of Oecee’s vocabulary which, so far, contained raspberries, groans and ‘ow’ and none of the more complex sounds such as ‘lexeme’ and ‘vocabulary’. Today surely was a day of new surprises. “Yes!” she yelled with a smile, springing to her hooves and moving to the stone. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Oecee wrapped her hooves around the grey lump, squeezing tightly. “Yes.” She nuzzled the rough scratchy surface on her cheek, smiling all the while. While it may appear that a particular azure pony created this word on a whim upon accepting the stone into her small circle of friendship, it was in fact at the subtle suggestion of another entity that the word ‘yes’ came to fruition in this new world. And so, that the pony had found a new compatriot and started using words (or at least a word) caused greatly satisfaction for this being. “Yes,” Oecee whispered once more, cuddling up to the stone as she drifted into another of her lovely naps. The gentle breeze drifted around them. Both rock and equine. The beginning of a new bond. A friendship that was not necessarily one sided. AbsenceThe world was still. No soothing breeze permeated the void. For all of a thousand hours or more, the air had been silent. In all of the pony’s long and uneventful life in the calm darkness, the winds had never been far away. Since when she had found the rock, the air moved fast on the odd occasion, giving the opportunity to run and jump and play in its encouraging arms. But often the air moved slowly. A gentle melodious breeze where one would enjoy falling asleep in its embrace. The wind was always there to see Oecee run and play and tumble. It was always the friend that made Oecee’s mane flow in regal ripples like that of a celebrated war horse. Always around to keep Oecee and the rock company. Although the air would calm down to no more than a slight flow on a regular basis, it seldom remained at rest for more than an hour or two. So tranquillity was nothing new, but this persisting stillness unknown to pony and rock alike. Not the overbearing kind of unknown that accompanied the first gale. Nor the quiet, strong unknown that came with the discovery of rock. The pony sat next to the rock, looking around with curious eyes. No, this was the type of new that involved absence. When something you thought should be there was suddenly gone. When you have no way of knowing where it has gone or why it has left. The loss of a friend for reasons unknown is a terrifying subject. And it is this fear that Oecee felt when the breeze did not return. She huddled closer to the boulder. A shiver passed through her body, the cold stone supplying little comfort. It may have been still and uncaring, but right now Oecee saw the stone as sturdy and strong. While she had cried for many days over the disappearance of her oldest friend, the rock had stayed by her side, dependable, stoic and most importantly, present. She hugged the stone. “It okay, Rock,” She whispered, “Wind come back soon.” Oecee herself was not sure if the words were meant for the rock’s comfort or her own reassurance. For the rock never spoke to her, she never knew what it was thinking. But she would have wanted the comfort had she a friend to hold her, and so she did for the stone what she hoped would help appease its mind. More hours passed to see the little pony hugging her rock while looking every way she could with growing concern. Tears streaked her face and darkened the rock in which she sought comfort, “All be okay, Wind come back.” Whimpering, she lay down again to sleep. Oecee awoke to the still air once more. No matter how many naps she took, the breeze never returned upon her waking. She worried for it. Maybe it was lost? The thought never had occurred to the little pony before. She had always been the one to lose her way. The wind had always been the one to lead her back to the rock. The little pony had always assumed that wind could find its way anywhere, that it knew everything. After all, the wind never tripped and fell like she did. But it could be that the wind was fallible after all. She had not done anything different that would drive the breeze away, and as far as she knew, the rock hadn’t either. So the wind must simply be lost. And just as the wind had found her and brought her back to the rock countless times when she wandered off, so she would return the favour and bring the breeze home. At first, Oecee tried to take the rock with her to find the wind, but it was too heavy to lift and carry on her back, and rolling it got too tiring after only a few steps. The blue pony sighed and petted the rock. She nuzzled it goodbye before turning around and steeling her resolve. And so, with the determination of a filly setting out on a quest for ice cream, Oecee scrunched up her face, held her head high and took her first step away from the rock. She walked in the first direction she looked, for there was no way of knowing where the breeze may be. Each step sent a shiver along her leg at the aspect of abandoning her only point of reference in the void. The pony had little experience in quests such as this. Despite the utter terror she felt as each step took her further away from her one remaining friend, she felt alive. There were not many things that could happen in such a lifeless void, each and every possible experience had been passed by and every possibility explored countless times since the pony first awoke. She looked back every half dozen steps to keep the rock in sight. Such an experience to leave the safety of her home that this was, it excited her. There was no safety net in the form of winds that should bring her back to the rock should she get lost. If she couldn’t find her way back, she would be lost. Just like the wind had disappeared, she too would lose her company and be alone for as long as she could imagine in the blank void. It was a terrifying idea. But she smiled. Oecee still turned back every few steps to keep the rock in sight, making sure to walk away from it in as straight a line as possible as her way of keeping a clear path back. With all her heart, the little pony wished for her to be able to return safely to the rock. And if all went well, with the breeze in tow. It didn’t take long before the rock disappeared into the distance and she stopped having to look back. Trusting her own hooves to take her forward in a straight line as best she could, Oecee walked. Soldiering on, mouth set in a hard line and eyes focused strongly ahead, her hooves made no sound as she trotted across the dark expanse. A thousand hoofsteps later, she kept walking. Knowing that the wind couldn’t be too far away, her spirits were high. Ten thousand steps later, she walked. She had yet to find the wind, but the wind was faster than her, so that would be expected right? One hundred thousand steps later, she glanced back, missing her gravely friend. The wind must be near. Oecee had never ventured this far from the rock, what could possibly possess the wind to go such a distance? A million steps further on, the quest was looking bleak. Oecee had yet to feel a single hair on her fur covered body to bend, signalling the presence of wind. Maybe she should have put in the extra effort and rolled the stone with her? Sure it would have been slower, but at least she would have been less lonely. Ten million steps later, the little pony sat down to cry. She fell back hard on her haunches and bawled like a foal. She missed the wind, she missed the stone, and she wished none of this had ever had to happen. Where had the wind gone? Why had it even left? They had everything they could ever want! A small, heavy, lazy, rocky friend; an omnipresent, soft, invisible, windy friend; and a medium sized, playful, colourful, pony friend. There was no reason for the breeze to leave! Didn’t it know how sad it would make the little pony? …Unless it was looking for another friend. Oecee’s head shot up as she came to this realisation and stopped crying. ”More friends?” she whispered to the void, “New friends?” She pondered this idea, it certainly had good implications. New friends were always welcome to join them if they could. And how much more fun could they all have with a fourth member? Oecee giggled as she tried to think of what a new friend could be like. Imagine if they were soft like the wind, but you could touch them like the bodies of her and the rock. What if they were bigger than her? What if they were bigger than the rock and her together? She smiled at this thought. Oh, how fun would such a friend be! She hoped the new friend liked to move as much as the wind and herself. The pony tapped a hoof to her chin, considering how she would meet this hypothetical friend. When she first met the rock, she didn’t like it. It had hurt her because she didn’t know how it liked to play. Another thought entered her head at that moment. The new friend could be big and fast like the wind, but tough and solid like the rock. Oecee shuddered to think about how a friend like that would hurt her if it tried to play. She frowned, whatever the new friend was like, if there was a new friend at all, she would have to be careful when she met it, lest she get pummelled to paste by a greeting hug. The pony shook her head to clear her thoughts. Whatever the case, she needed to keep going to find the wind and so she stood up to set off once again. Immediately, her fatigue caught up with her and she let out a yawn that would have sent a manticore to shame. Legs ached from miles of walking and she hadn’t given herself a wink of sleep since the set out all those hours ago. Oecee rubbed her eyes and looked behind her. She had come a long way. For now, she would rest, and set out again when she felt better. The pony smiled as she lay down to sleep, head pointed forwards and tail towards home, she thought more of what a new friend could be like. She drifted off quickly on account of her weary mind and sore muscles and dreamed of fun adventures with new and strange friends. SearchThe little pony did not move when she woke. Instead, she lay still, fixed in the same position in which she had laid down to rest hours before. Her head rose as she stared out at the vast nothingness that lay before her. Anywhere out there her friend may be waiting. Searching for the pony, trying to find its way back to the colourful little being. Turning her head, she watched for any sign of movement that may indicate the arrival of something new, or something once lost. Nothing catching her eye—and there was indeed a lot of nothing—she craned her neck to look back at her own rump and tail. The vibrant purple and blue hairs trailing behind, to point the way she had come. The direction that was her home, where the rock waited patiently for little Oecee’s return. Tears gathered around her deep purple irises and threatened to spill out onto her pouting cheeks. She had left the rock all alone back there! It was for a good cause, to find their mutual missing friend, but the little pony couldn’t help but feel sorry for it. She herself was quickly becoming distraught without any other friends with which to play and converse. She missed snuggling up to the rock. “Ah… alone.” she sobbed, no one but the void to hear her pine, “all alone.” She thought to herself of what she had lost. The rock, the wind. Her friends. Her family. Oecee wailed and covered her face with her hooves. Why had she done this? The wind had always found its own way back to them; she should have just given it a bit more time! And how would she get home if the wind had not seen her go? How would it know where to look? It could take forever to find her with how far she had gone! She sniffled and shook out her mane. No. She had to find the winds. It was too late to turn back now. Imagine if she went back to face the rock, only to tell that she had given up after one sleep? How disappointed he would be! She wouldn’t be surprised if she got the cold shoulder for as long as she lived. Rocks could hold grudges like that. And so the only option was to plough forward. She would find the breeze and bring it back! “Find Wind!” Oecee cried to the heavens as she stood. Determination set upon her tear stained face as she reared on her hooves and whinnied as if she were the greatest stead that ever lived. “Bring Wind home!” The little blue pony galloped off like a stray hair taken in a gale. She ran as fast as she could, determined to find the one friend that had been with her since her birth. She ran for ten thousand steps. She ran for ten thousand more. Her aching muscles eventually slowed her down to a brisk trot, but she did not stop. Each hoof fall silent as ever as she journeyed out across the abyss. She ran a hundred thousand more. Even when she was utterly exhausted and could not move faster than a walk, she kept going. For ten million steps she walked. She ran when she could, slowing down only to regain her breath and give her aching joints a rest. She did not stop. She did not sleep. Fatigue pulled at her mind. Her eyelids threatened to fall shut on many an occasion. But she did not give in. Finding that which was lost was more important to the little pony than her own menial pain. She turned back once. Only to look over her shoulder at where she had come from. There was no way of knowing how far away the rock was. She could only imagine how long it would take to get back. Countless millions of steps. She faced forward once more, shook the thoughts from her head and took the next step. Intent on finding the wind once more, Oecee trotted further into the unknown, into the abyss that stretched for an eternity out before her. After many steps, she could barely even walk, but still she tried to drag herself on. Her bones were tired. Her legs ached from the unrelenting exertion, her lungs and heart sore from working at maximum potential for so long. The little pony was tired beyond belief, but still she stumbled on, barely in a straight line. The only thought in her head was to be with the wind once more. She wanted to be there for the breezes and comfort it just as had been done for her. So, on she walked, farther and farther away from the rock, until she could no longer support her own weight. In the middle of nowhere, amidst the blackness of the eternal void, a pony collapsed in overwhelming fatigue. Her chest shuddered with each breath in and out. Panting, the blue mare rolled on to her back and stopped. She lay splayed on the invisible ground, too tired to bother keeping her eyes open, she just lay and breathed. Her bones were made of lead. Muscles bathed in acid. Each gasping inhalation felt obstructed by a torrent of water. Oecee lay back and rested. The burning took a long time to subside, and even then, her body was too sore to move. She wanted to keep going, but any movement was met with resistance, as if her limbs were all glued to the ground. She wanted to find her friend, but it was too much. She had to rest. It felt as if every hair on her body had been coated in stone, weighing her down and forcing all of her limbs to remain rigid like the rock. But even if she could move, the pony didn’t want to. She had been through so much. Her mind was as exhausted as her body, each primitive thought dragging through tar as she breathed in and out, wanting to find the winds so badly, but also finding a great appeal in rest. And so, it was with great pains, but also unbridled relief, that the little equine succumbed to the longest and deepest nap in the history of the entire void. Oecee dreamt of many things as her body recovered. Flying through the air, she swept across the void. The passing air tickled her face. It blew through her intangible mane and left her blissfully in tune with the natural monotony of space. She flew across the world in mere minutes. The distance a pony may walk in a year or more flew by without a second thought. Impeded by no obstacle, she flew on through the endless night. Riding the wind, she was the gusts themselves. Sailing through the air, her body stretched for miles. Equally wide arms glided across the expanse, feeling out every inch of the world in which she lived. There was not much there. But not all of the space was empty. For the wind can feel much more than a pony could with her hooves. And throughout the void, there was not nothing. There was always something. Some resistance to the movement of her vaporous body. For air was not nothing, as one who has a body just as light and fickle as the air itself may attest. The winds are made of air, or rather the ripple through the air. The movement itself. As the mortal body replaces each of its cells over time with different atoms, it still remains the same consciousness throughout numerous copies of the same structured bodies. So too does the wind change its composition on a highly regular basis. Some molecules of gaseous nitrogen, oxygen and argon enter through the front of the wave at the beginning of a ripple, and others are shot out the end, no longer to be part of the wave passing through. And yet the wind lives on, as a preserved structure of particles that aren’t alive themselves. Oecee decided that being the wind made her feel no more alive or dead than she did as a pony. It was almost identical, if completely different. She was still moving through the void all the same, retaining her given form almost effortlessly. Her body grew at times, and other times it shrank. She turned into all different indistinguishable shapes of many different sizes, but she was still herself. She still held together and acted the same, no matter her outer manifestation. As the wind, she could feel much more than her skin, or even her tongue (which she had found to be much more sensitive), could feel in the body of a pony. She felt the push of the air against her as she moved. It felt similar to the wind in her face as she galloped, but it could not be the wind, as that is what she was. Furthermore, the entire void was not only full of air, it contained tiny, tiny granules of matter. Like rocks, but smaller. So small that she would never have realised existed as a flesh and blood pony. This dust was everywhere. Wherever in the void she soared, there were these minuscule motes fluttering against her amorphous body as a lady beetle might buzz against a coat. Little things were everywhere. Things that Oecee could never have realised existed with her own rugged, insensitive hooves and unexercised eyesight. It was… comforting. To know that all of these particulates floated in the air around her was a new sensation. Wherever she went, even if the winds were not there to caress her coat and mane, there were these tiny little friends everywhere in the void. She would have to look for them when she woke up. Let them know that she cared about them too. And so, the little pony made some new friends.
The FirstThere was nothing. Not the kind of nothing where a filly might be bored with all at a country fair. Also not the kind where an endless land stretches in every direction with no recognisable landmarks. Not even the kind where a featureless blank waste extends to the distant horizon without so much as a rock to trip over. No, this was the kind of nothing where there is darkness all around. No ground on which to rest your hooves. No background noise of wind or living creatures. Just nothing. Everywhere. It was nowhere. If there is nothing there it would stand to reason that there would be no one there. And of course that is how it was. For a long time. And then for a while more. Until a light blue creature stepped out of nowhere, into the equally void space of nothingness. It had four legs, a body and head all covered in a light coat of blue fur. It had a lilac and cobalt striped tail, and a matching mane as all good equines do. For this creature, a ‘she’ as it were, was a pony. She didn’t do anything at first; for what could she do but stand there. On the nothingness, floating in the darkness with hooves planted solidly on the æther. Somehow. And what good to the observer is a colourful cartoon creature if it cannot be seen? An ethereal glow filled the void: coming from nowhere, and lighting up nothing but the little pony. Maybe she should have a name. After all, we give all intelligent creatures names of their own don’t we? How about Oecee? That sounds simple enough, and unique. The pony sneezed. Sudden and unexpected, she blinked at what strange occurrence she had inevitably experienced. It was about now that Oecee realised that she… well, that she existed. Looking down at the hooves in front of her, she inspected the light blue colour. Curiosity sparked, she moved her head closer to inspect the appendages. She did not realise that she was moving her head; she only wanted to see the hooves from closer up. As the desire manifested, her neck moved to fulfil her wish, bringing her head down to investigate the strange fuzzy poles, without Oecee realising her influence over this new body. As her head approached the legs, the little pony began to see that the fuzz on the appendages was actually made up of countless small hairs. Eyes growing wide at her new discovery, she again moved her head closer, still having no clue what she was doing. Which, when you are in control of a body and do not realise it, can lead to some issues… “Yow!” A yelp filled the void as Oecee crashed her head into a leg. She fell backward clutching her sore snout in reflex. Pain, like everything else, was a new experience to the little blue pony. As now she had realisation that these legs were moved by her thoughts. She moved back her newly found hooves from her face to look at them in wonder once more. In addition to these two forelegs, she noticed matching hind legs. And behind them: a fluffy striped tail. This immensely pleased the little pony; she realised that she had a body of her very own to move and play with. … If the thought of playing with herself crossed your mind as an odd way to go about existing, be assured that it never crossed hers. She had yet to figure out the intricacies of movement and as such everything was still new to her and it was her task to explore all possibilities. In any case, there she was jumping and prancing from place to place. Infinitely amused by the wondrous powers these new limbs granted her. Jumping, stomping, running, bucking and rearing up like a majestic brumby with the wind billowing through her mane. The last was particularly pleasing as it made her feel powerful and important. As if being the only moving and colourful thing in the entire void wasn’t reason enough to feel special. She repeated what was now her favourite action. Striking a pose as regal and imposing as she could manage. As she had no way of seeing herself in the void, she could not tell how miserably she failed at both. Nose scrunched and eyes wide with the balance of a newborn filly she would have looked utterly ridiculous had anyone been there to see. But as she was alone, and as none would know what regal looked like in such an isolated area anyhow, Oecee was content. Her hooves touched the ground only for a moment to regain balance before she reared for the third time, face aglow as she threw back her head and laughed in joy. It was at this heart warming sound that the void decided to introduce a breeze, so that her mane and tail may be caught in the ethereal wind. Oecee noticed this sensation, touching all four hooves down once again and looking around for the source. She could see nothing different about the place, only felt a slight pressure on one side accompanied by a slightly cool sensation completely alien to her. Keeping in mind that everything those of us here in the real world take for granted would seem strange to such a character. The winds died down quickly, leaving the blue pony as confused as she had been upon noticing her new limbs. She trotted around for a few minutes trying to find this elusive feeling again. No matter where she went, forwards, left, back, left (had she gone this way already?) it was not to be found so easily. For the wind had nothing to move and made no sound. It was an entirely invisible and mysterious force. She walked for what seemed like forever. In an outsider’s eyes it may be said that this was not even ten minutes, but it definitely felt longer to Oecee, who had barely been alive for twice that time. After a long expedition of searching for the strange feeling, she had wandered quite far from where she started. Or was it the same place? Not easy to tell without a single landmark in the darkness. Suddenly without so much as a warning, the winds started again. Our little pony jumped in shock at the sudden return of the odd sensation. Soon she remembered the feeling of the wind and relaxed. She smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. The wind had found her again. And that made her happy. She did not know how. She did not know why, or even if it had meant to find her. But to the pony so new to this empty world, none of that mattered. She closed her eyes and let the cool pressure wash over her body, tugging at her mane and tail. Once more she reared like a great stallion. Not trying to look imposing, only blissful and content at all this world was. And all it was may have been nothing. Nothing but her, and the strange winds. But it was all she had ever known. And so she was satisfied.
PeculiaritiesPeculiarities KoalaSlinky Is the beginning of time when all space began? Or when the first being was created to explore the void? Oecee stretched her jaw with a mighty yawn. She opened her heavy eyelids to observe her surroundings. The air was still. Rolling onto her back, she stretched her hooves in the air with a groan. She held the pose for a moment, reminiscent of a fluffy, long-legged turtle stuck on its back. The blue pony let out another long yawn and rolled back into a fuzzy ball of pony, tail covering her face like a lampshade. The concept could be considered peculiar or even downright strange that in a land without a Sun, no difference between night and day, ponies still developed ‘five more minutes’ syndrome. But there the little pony lay; face snuggled into her own side, hidden beneath the makeshift blanket that was her tail. However, when there was nothing to do, no responsibilities to handle and no time to waste: you couldn't really call it a problem. And there wasn't anyone around to do so. Ever so slowly, the breeze picked up. It was cool and pleasant at first. Soothing to the curled up pony as she snuggled into her hair and smiled at the bliss the world was. The breeze was the only distraction in this dark expanse. The only movement in the void aside from Oecee herself, and for all she knew, the only friend she would ever have. The breeze was good. A loving companion, never too long gone or far away. It came and went as it pleased, paying no mind to the wishes of Oecee. But she loved it. For she had lived here for her whole life and the breeze was the lone force she had encountered in the all encompassing void. She knew not how long she had spent in this world, nor could she remember if there was anything before the darkness. All she knew is that she was here, many, many sleeps since her first arrival. So many so that an outside observer used to the timely clockwork of sun, moon and stars may say she had lived here for years, decades, or maybe centuries. Who could tell? Oecee didn't mind, for she could not remember how many sleeps it had been, or how long in between her naps. This was her life, and she was happy. The breeze continued to grow stronger, whistling around the prone ball of fuzz that was Oecee. The mare shivered, drawing her legs and tail closer to help keep warm. But the wind did not abate. It began to grow stronger still. Intrigued, Oecee finally raised her head to look towards the wind. As usual, she couldn’t see it. But she could feel it buffeting her face and making her squint. The breeze had never been this strong before, previously gentle and caressing. At the moment, however, her only friend was scaring her. What was she to do? This was certainly unusual, and while the wind itself was not yet unpleasant, it was showing no sign of relenting. The little pony stood to face the wind, her face a childish mask of attempted stoicism. As it continued to grow stronger with each passing minute, she felt it harder to stand her ground. But then again, why should she oppose it? The wind had always been good to her, there was no reason it would hurt her now. Oecee felt something in her stomach. A feeling that she had not experienced since her first few minutes in the void so long ago. The thought made her body shiver in excitement, compiling with her already violent shivers from the cold winds. The thought that there was something new to be discovered brought a smile to her lips. She turned tail, and ran with the wind. She ran as she did countless times through the darkness. Galloping across the expanse of nothingness, of eternal night. The blue pony soon realised that this time was different. With the wind at her back, she ran faster than ever. With her friend pushing her along, she could do things she never dreamed before. She jumped higher and further than she ever thought possible, being carried along and away by the strong winds. Precious seconds where she felt to be flying through the black. She ran, jumped, squealed and laughed with glee. And she fell. Misplacing a hoof, she tumbled along the ground and skidded to a halt. “UUghbleh!” she blew a raspberry in frustration as she lay still on the ground. She was uninjured, not even having a solid floor to hurt herself on. Lying still a moment, the wind only grew louder in her ears, as if encouraging her to keep moving. So she got up, and again ran with her friend. Soon she was running as fast as before. Jumping and laughing, she followed the wind. Until it stopped. Almost in an instant, the winds died down to a gentle breeze while Oecee was in the middle of one of her amazing leaps. She touched down again and slowed to a trot, swivelling her head to search for the lost wind. Then the wind started again, just as strong as before, but in a different direction. Oecee looked to where the wind was heading. Slightly to the left. Not one to care much for the reason behind such exciting occurrences, she turned and followed the breeze once more. And promptly tripped again. Tumbling end over end, she clutched her stinging forehoof. “OOOWWWWW! Ow, ow, owowow. Ouch.” Oecee lay on her back, wailing and clutching her hoof to her chest. She cried, never having felt this sort of pain before. Eyes teary, she stared up into the void as the winds dropped once more to a slight breeze. Why did that have to hurt so much? Sobbing and hugging her hoof, she rolled onto her side. Her eyes widened in shock. She realised that she wasn’t alone. A few metres away was a … Thing. The first thing that Oecee noticed about this new creature was that it was… different. Unlike the wind, this lump could be seen as clearly as her own hooves. Tears and pain forgotten, the pony lay staring at the object in awe. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Even the colour was completely new. But given that all she had ever seen was her limbs, body, tail and nose: there wasn’t much to compare it to in the first place. Slowly, with eyes locked on target, she rolled over to get all four legs underneath her. With a slight crouch, she crept forwards. Her mouth agape in wonder she walked up to the enigmatic being that had materialised in the void. Surely this rock would be her new friend? Stopping before the lump of basalt, she could see that it was nearly the size of her head, if a little flatter and more angular. After deciding that there was much to be learnt from such an odd occurrence, she attempted what any pony of scientific mind would do. Oecee poked the rock. As anyone who has had experience with rocks would know: not much happened. Her hoof clacked solidly against the stone. It wobbled a bit, and then returned to its peaceful state of rest. Quite uneventful, sure, but Oecee was ecstatic with this response. She had never had something tangible to play with before! With an enormous smile stretched across her face, she looked out towards the void, and wordlessly thanked the winds for bringing her to this new friend. Wherever the breeze may be, she hoped that they could all spend their time together. The stone didn’t appear to like moving and playing as breezes and ponies do, the little discoverer noted as she pranced about the grey lump. Oecee jumped. The stone sat. She ran. The stone stayed. She giggled. The stone remained silent. She poked the stone. It wobbled. She stood atop the stone. It wobbled violently. She slipped and fell from the stone. It hurt her knee. Oecee wailed in again pain, reminded of her first encounter with the little boulder. Tears in her eyes and cradling her knee, the stone sat still, impartial to the distress it caused her. Doubt quickly began to form in the blue pony’s mind. Maybe this one didn’t want to be friends. Maybe she should leave the stone alone. And the thought of leaving the only other solid being in existence only made her cry more. For she had spent so long without knowing that there was any others in the void, aside from the ethereal wind. The rock and herself may not have had much in common, and it may not like to play as she did, but it was in a way, closer to her than anything she had ever known. And so the pony lay next to the rock, hugging herself, sobbing, and refusing to look the offender in the eye. Which was easy because it was a rock and rocks have no eyes. At this moment, the breeze made its return, soothingly washing over the bawling equine, stinging her scraped knee, but feeling welcome just the same. The breeze was a good friend, her oldest, most trusted and only. Slowly, the tears stopped falling, a blissful smile taking their place. She closed her eyes as she felt the wind toying with her mane and tail, the only company she had had for all of her life. She trusted the breeze with everything. Her only companion had, so kindly, led her to this new rock to be friends with. She looked over at the stone, thinking of how good the breeze had been to her all these years. Maybe the rock could be fun too. In its own weird way. Maybe she should give the rock a chance. Maybe it wouldn’t be so cruel to her in the future if she learnt to treat it right. She had time to learn. She could not give up this chance just yet. After all, she had originally hurt her nose on her legs. And look how fun they turned out to be! Yes. She thought it would be good. “Yes.” She made the strange sound aloud, “Yes.” It felt comforting. And oddly positive. The first word to come to her. A new lexeme invented, inspired by this rock. It was the beginning of Oecee’s vocabulary which, so far, contained raspberries, groans and ‘ow’ and none of the more complex sounds such as ‘lexeme’ and ‘vocabulary’. Today surely was a day of new surprises. “Yes!” she yelled with a smile, springing to her hooves and moving to the stone. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Oecee wrapped her hooves around the grey lump, squeezing tightly. “Yes.” She nuzzled the rough scratchy surface on her cheek, smiling all the while. While it may appear that a particular azure pony created this word on a whim upon accepting the stone into her small circle of friendship, it was in fact at the subtle suggestion of another entity that the word ‘yes’ came to fruition in this new world. And so, that the pony had found a new compatriot and started using words (or at least a word) caused greatly satisfaction for this being. “Yes,” Oecee whispered once more, cuddling up to the stone as she drifted into another of her lovely naps. The gentle breeze drifted around them. Both rock and equine. The beginning of a new bond. A friendship that was not necessarily one sided.
AbsenceThe world was still. No soothing breeze permeated the void. For all of a thousand hours or more, the air had been silent. In all of the pony’s long and uneventful life in the calm darkness, the winds had never been far away. Since when she had found the rock, the air moved fast on the odd occasion, giving the opportunity to run and jump and play in its encouraging arms. But often the air moved slowly. A gentle melodious breeze where one would enjoy falling asleep in its embrace. The wind was always there to see Oecee run and play and tumble. It was always the friend that made Oecee’s mane flow in regal ripples like that of a celebrated war horse. Always around to keep Oecee and the rock company. Although the air would calm down to no more than a slight flow on a regular basis, it seldom remained at rest for more than an hour or two. So tranquillity was nothing new, but this persisting stillness unknown to pony and rock alike. Not the overbearing kind of unknown that accompanied the first gale. Nor the quiet, strong unknown that came with the discovery of rock. The pony sat next to the rock, looking around with curious eyes. No, this was the type of new that involved absence. When something you thought should be there was suddenly gone. When you have no way of knowing where it has gone or why it has left. The loss of a friend for reasons unknown is a terrifying subject. And it is this fear that Oecee felt when the breeze did not return. She huddled closer to the boulder. A shiver passed through her body, the cold stone supplying little comfort. It may have been still and uncaring, but right now Oecee saw the stone as sturdy and strong. While she had cried for many days over the disappearance of her oldest friend, the rock had stayed by her side, dependable, stoic and most importantly, present. She hugged the stone. “It okay, Rock,” She whispered, “Wind come back soon.” Oecee herself was not sure if the words were meant for the rock’s comfort or her own reassurance. For the rock never spoke to her, she never knew what it was thinking. But she would have wanted the comfort had she a friend to hold her, and so she did for the stone what she hoped would help appease its mind. More hours passed to see the little pony hugging her rock while looking every way she could with growing concern. Tears streaked her face and darkened the rock in which she sought comfort, “All be okay, Wind come back.” Whimpering, she lay down again to sleep. Oecee awoke to the still air once more. No matter how many naps she took, the breeze never returned upon her waking. She worried for it. Maybe it was lost? The thought never had occurred to the little pony before. She had always been the one to lose her way. The wind had always been the one to lead her back to the rock. The little pony had always assumed that wind could find its way anywhere, that it knew everything. After all, the wind never tripped and fell like she did. But it could be that the wind was fallible after all. She had not done anything different that would drive the breeze away, and as far as she knew, the rock hadn’t either. So the wind must simply be lost. And just as the wind had found her and brought her back to the rock countless times when she wandered off, so she would return the favour and bring the breeze home. At first, Oecee tried to take the rock with her to find the wind, but it was too heavy to lift and carry on her back, and rolling it got too tiring after only a few steps. The blue pony sighed and petted the rock. She nuzzled it goodbye before turning around and steeling her resolve. And so, with the determination of a filly setting out on a quest for ice cream, Oecee scrunched up her face, held her head high and took her first step away from the rock. She walked in the first direction she looked, for there was no way of knowing where the breeze may be. Each step sent a shiver along her leg at the aspect of abandoning her only point of reference in the void. The pony had little experience in quests such as this. Despite the utter terror she felt as each step took her further away from her one remaining friend, she felt alive. There were not many things that could happen in such a lifeless void, each and every possible experience had been passed by and every possibility explored countless times since the pony first awoke. She looked back every half dozen steps to keep the rock in sight. Such an experience to leave the safety of her home that this was, it excited her. There was no safety net in the form of winds that should bring her back to the rock should she get lost. If she couldn’t find her way back, she would be lost. Just like the wind had disappeared, she too would lose her company and be alone for as long as she could imagine in the blank void. It was a terrifying idea. But she smiled. Oecee still turned back every few steps to keep the rock in sight, making sure to walk away from it in as straight a line as possible as her way of keeping a clear path back. With all her heart, the little pony wished for her to be able to return safely to the rock. And if all went well, with the breeze in tow. It didn’t take long before the rock disappeared into the distance and she stopped having to look back. Trusting her own hooves to take her forward in a straight line as best she could, Oecee walked. Soldiering on, mouth set in a hard line and eyes focused strongly ahead, her hooves made no sound as she trotted across the dark expanse. A thousand hoofsteps later, she kept walking. Knowing that the wind couldn’t be too far away, her spirits were high. Ten thousand steps later, she walked. She had yet to find the wind, but the wind was faster than her, so that would be expected right? One hundred thousand steps later, she glanced back, missing her gravely friend. The wind must be near. Oecee had never ventured this far from the rock, what could possibly possess the wind to go such a distance? A million steps further on, the quest was looking bleak. Oecee had yet to feel a single hair on her fur covered body to bend, signalling the presence of wind. Maybe she should have put in the extra effort and rolled the stone with her? Sure it would have been slower, but at least she would have been less lonely. Ten million steps later, the little pony sat down to cry. She fell back hard on her haunches and bawled like a foal. She missed the wind, she missed the stone, and she wished none of this had ever had to happen. Where had the wind gone? Why had it even left? They had everything they could ever want! A small, heavy, lazy, rocky friend; an omnipresent, soft, invisible, windy friend; and a medium sized, playful, colourful, pony friend. There was no reason for the breeze to leave! Didn’t it know how sad it would make the little pony? …Unless it was looking for another friend. Oecee’s head shot up as she came to this realisation and stopped crying. ”More friends?” she whispered to the void, “New friends?” She pondered this idea, it certainly had good implications. New friends were always welcome to join them if they could. And how much more fun could they all have with a fourth member? Oecee giggled as she tried to think of what a new friend could be like. Imagine if they were soft like the wind, but you could touch them like the bodies of her and the rock. What if they were bigger than her? What if they were bigger than the rock and her together? She smiled at this thought. Oh, how fun would such a friend be! She hoped the new friend liked to move as much as the wind and herself. The pony tapped a hoof to her chin, considering how she would meet this hypothetical friend. When she first met the rock, she didn’t like it. It had hurt her because she didn’t know how it liked to play. Another thought entered her head at that moment. The new friend could be big and fast like the wind, but tough and solid like the rock. Oecee shuddered to think about how a friend like that would hurt her if it tried to play. She frowned, whatever the new friend was like, if there was a new friend at all, she would have to be careful when she met it, lest she get pummelled to paste by a greeting hug. The pony shook her head to clear her thoughts. Whatever the case, she needed to keep going to find the wind and so she stood up to set off once again. Immediately, her fatigue caught up with her and she let out a yawn that would have sent a manticore to shame. Legs ached from miles of walking and she hadn’t given herself a wink of sleep since the set out all those hours ago. Oecee rubbed her eyes and looked behind her. She had come a long way. For now, she would rest, and set out again when she felt better. The pony smiled as she lay down to sleep, head pointed forwards and tail towards home, she thought more of what a new friend could be like. She drifted off quickly on account of her weary mind and sore muscles and dreamed of fun adventures with new and strange friends.
SearchThe little pony did not move when she woke. Instead, she lay still, fixed in the same position in which she had laid down to rest hours before. Her head rose as she stared out at the vast nothingness that lay before her. Anywhere out there her friend may be waiting. Searching for the pony, trying to find its way back to the colourful little being. Turning her head, she watched for any sign of movement that may indicate the arrival of something new, or something once lost. Nothing catching her eye—and there was indeed a lot of nothing—she craned her neck to look back at her own rump and tail. The vibrant purple and blue hairs trailing behind, to point the way she had come. The direction that was her home, where the rock waited patiently for little Oecee’s return. Tears gathered around her deep purple irises and threatened to spill out onto her pouting cheeks. She had left the rock all alone back there! It was for a good cause, to find their mutual missing friend, but the little pony couldn’t help but feel sorry for it. She herself was quickly becoming distraught without any other friends with which to play and converse. She missed snuggling up to the rock. “Ah… alone.” she sobbed, no one but the void to hear her pine, “all alone.” She thought to herself of what she had lost. The rock, the wind. Her friends. Her family. Oecee wailed and covered her face with her hooves. Why had she done this? The wind had always found its own way back to them; she should have just given it a bit more time! And how would she get home if the wind had not seen her go? How would it know where to look? It could take forever to find her with how far she had gone! She sniffled and shook out her mane. No. She had to find the winds. It was too late to turn back now. Imagine if she went back to face the rock, only to tell that she had given up after one sleep? How disappointed he would be! She wouldn’t be surprised if she got the cold shoulder for as long as she lived. Rocks could hold grudges like that. And so the only option was to plough forward. She would find the breeze and bring it back! “Find Wind!” Oecee cried to the heavens as she stood. Determination set upon her tear stained face as she reared on her hooves and whinnied as if she were the greatest stead that ever lived. “Bring Wind home!” The little blue pony galloped off like a stray hair taken in a gale. She ran as fast as she could, determined to find the one friend that had been with her since her birth. She ran for ten thousand steps. She ran for ten thousand more. Her aching muscles eventually slowed her down to a brisk trot, but she did not stop. Each hoof fall silent as ever as she journeyed out across the abyss. She ran a hundred thousand more. Even when she was utterly exhausted and could not move faster than a walk, she kept going. For ten million steps she walked. She ran when she could, slowing down only to regain her breath and give her aching joints a rest. She did not stop. She did not sleep. Fatigue pulled at her mind. Her eyelids threatened to fall shut on many an occasion. But she did not give in. Finding that which was lost was more important to the little pony than her own menial pain. She turned back once. Only to look over her shoulder at where she had come from. There was no way of knowing how far away the rock was. She could only imagine how long it would take to get back. Countless millions of steps. She faced forward once more, shook the thoughts from her head and took the next step. Intent on finding the wind once more, Oecee trotted further into the unknown, into the abyss that stretched for an eternity out before her. After many steps, she could barely even walk, but still she tried to drag herself on. Her bones were tired. Her legs ached from the unrelenting exertion, her lungs and heart sore from working at maximum potential for so long. The little pony was tired beyond belief, but still she stumbled on, barely in a straight line. The only thought in her head was to be with the wind once more. She wanted to be there for the breezes and comfort it just as had been done for her. So, on she walked, farther and farther away from the rock, until she could no longer support her own weight. In the middle of nowhere, amidst the blackness of the eternal void, a pony collapsed in overwhelming fatigue. Her chest shuddered with each breath in and out. Panting, the blue mare rolled on to her back and stopped. She lay splayed on the invisible ground, too tired to bother keeping her eyes open, she just lay and breathed. Her bones were made of lead. Muscles bathed in acid. Each gasping inhalation felt obstructed by a torrent of water. Oecee lay back and rested. The burning took a long time to subside, and even then, her body was too sore to move. She wanted to keep going, but any movement was met with resistance, as if her limbs were all glued to the ground. She wanted to find her friend, but it was too much. She had to rest. It felt as if every hair on her body had been coated in stone, weighing her down and forcing all of her limbs to remain rigid like the rock. But even if she could move, the pony didn’t want to. She had been through so much. Her mind was as exhausted as her body, each primitive thought dragging through tar as she breathed in and out, wanting to find the winds so badly, but also finding a great appeal in rest. And so, it was with great pains, but also unbridled relief, that the little equine succumbed to the longest and deepest nap in the history of the entire void. Oecee dreamt of many things as her body recovered. Flying through the air, she swept across the void. The passing air tickled her face. It blew through her intangible mane and left her blissfully in tune with the natural monotony of space. She flew across the world in mere minutes. The distance a pony may walk in a year or more flew by without a second thought. Impeded by no obstacle, she flew on through the endless night. Riding the wind, she was the gusts themselves. Sailing through the air, her body stretched for miles. Equally wide arms glided across the expanse, feeling out every inch of the world in which she lived. There was not much there. But not all of the space was empty. For the wind can feel much more than a pony could with her hooves. And throughout the void, there was not nothing. There was always something. Some resistance to the movement of her vaporous body. For air was not nothing, as one who has a body just as light and fickle as the air itself may attest. The winds are made of air, or rather the ripple through the air. The movement itself. As the mortal body replaces each of its cells over time with different atoms, it still remains the same consciousness throughout numerous copies of the same structured bodies. So too does the wind change its composition on a highly regular basis. Some molecules of gaseous nitrogen, oxygen and argon enter through the front of the wave at the beginning of a ripple, and others are shot out the end, no longer to be part of the wave passing through. And yet the wind lives on, as a preserved structure of particles that aren’t alive themselves. Oecee decided that being the wind made her feel no more alive or dead than she did as a pony. It was almost identical, if completely different. She was still moving through the void all the same, retaining her given form almost effortlessly. Her body grew at times, and other times it shrank. She turned into all different indistinguishable shapes of many different sizes, but she was still herself. She still held together and acted the same, no matter her outer manifestation. As the wind, she could feel much more than her skin, or even her tongue (which she had found to be much more sensitive), could feel in the body of a pony. She felt the push of the air against her as she moved. It felt similar to the wind in her face as she galloped, but it could not be the wind, as that is what she was. Furthermore, the entire void was not only full of air, it contained tiny, tiny granules of matter. Like rocks, but smaller. So small that she would never have realised existed as a flesh and blood pony. This dust was everywhere. Wherever in the void she soared, there were these minuscule motes fluttering against her amorphous body as a lady beetle might buzz against a coat. Little things were everywhere. Things that Oecee could never have realised existed with her own rugged, insensitive hooves and unexercised eyesight. It was… comforting. To know that all of these particulates floated in the air around her was a new sensation. Wherever she went, even if the winds were not there to caress her coat and mane, there were these tiny little friends everywhere in the void. She would have to look for them when she woke up. Let them know that she cared about them too. And so, the little pony made some new friends.
