The S.R.G: Phantom Girlby SaphireHoytChaptersUnexpected EndCosmicWorkCake and LaughterA Slow CrawlStressUnexpected EndI walked slowly down the dimly lit city street, become engulfed in the feeling of the breeze. My mind wondered as I stared at the signs and the rapidly blinking lights. The fluorescent glow illuminated the dark street as I passed the alley ways where there was most likely a drug deal happening. It was cold. It was freezing. I had forgotten my scarf in the apartment, back where I was trying to avoid. My parents were having another argument, and I slipped out while they were. I never knew if it ever got physical or not… But I wasn’t ready to know who hit who. I smiled as I looked ahead, seeing a kitten and its mother laying in a box that was set out for them. I stroked the kitten, and the mother growled at me, but I responded by opening my coat and spritzing some whipped cream into the corner of the box. It was the perfect gift, because she purred and ate it quickly. I picked up her kitten, and smiled, putting it in my inner jacket to warm her. The mother slipped under too, and they both cuddled under the warmth. I would have to come back and visit some time. She cuddled her kitten, and I took off my coat and laid it over the box to keep them warm. I took the rest of the whipped cream, and gave it to the next homeless man on the block. I asked him if he would share with the others, and he nodded, his eyes stung with tears. I heard a shout from down the street, and he grabbed my arm, making me freak out when I looked at him. He stared into my eyes, a look of a wary soldier in them. “Be careful miss, bad men are out tonight…” I nodded, thanked him for his warning and ran. He stared at me as I ran until I was gone. I looked around, ignoring the cold biting my body. I let out a breath, and then ran through it, looking around. I saw a woman struggling with keeping her purse from a man. I charged at him and launched my body into his side, knocking him off to his side. He yelled, and I started kicking him in the legs and head. I shouted and kicked, and the woman looked at me like I was crazy. I just continued to kick him and fight and, and the more I did, the more I shouted. He was curled up to protect his head, and I was letting out all the anger I could possibly let out. The woman was covering her mouth in fear. Shock filled my body, and I was dazed by what was happening. I shook my head. “Call the police lady! Hurry!” I snatched his knife and sat on his hands, growling. As he tried to get up, and over power me, the woman pulled me up off him and ran, dragging me by my arm. The man's knife was still in my hand, and I became frantic. I threw it into a dumpster and we took off. I was freaking out, silently running behind this woman. I noticed her hair- it was dyed. It was the pastel colors of the rainbow. Was she trans? No she wasn’t. I mentally shamed myself for being rude. However, I hadn’t even been talking aloud though, so I was freaking out a little for no reason. I felt my knees weaken for a moment at the thought of my next realization, a small blush spreading across my face. She held my hands and let me go, panting. We were in front of a traffic light. She pressed the walk button and it started to count down from 15 down to one. I looked both ways before we crossed, and there were the distant lights of a bus a bit down the road. We’d be able to make it across before then. The blinking walk sign came up, and I looked at her, ready to continue walking. She was far far to winded to move quickly, so I just gently pushed her across the street, the bus seeming to slip my mind. A few moments after we had almost made it across the street, I felt a little light headed, seeing a bright light to my right. It all happened far to fast for me to recall. I was standing in one spot on the road, and the next I was meters from the spot I was in, with the girl. Like my body was still there, but something pushed my soul out. The sensation was foggy, and all I remember was a hard time breathing, and a hard time thinking clearly. The woman hunched over me, screaming something, and there was another blurry face to my right, with the lights meters away. I felt my body becoming colder, and my vision fading into black. The last thing I wanted was this. THe last thing I wanted was to fade yet. I felt something cold grab my hand, and I used my weak mind to grip it. It felt like a hand. I grunted and tried to hold on, and stay alive. It dawned on me that I was going to die here. I couldn’t hold on. I slowly moved my weak body into position to reach into my pocket. I gasped out and felt a liquid drip down my cheek. It was thicker than water, and felt strange to trickle. I felt the darkness fade in more, and when I looked up, I felt my heart ache, seeing the tears of the woman I had saved. She leaned down, and whispered something into my ear, about holding on for as long as possible. I heaved in a breath, which made the darkness go away. But it hurt. I let out a low sound of pain, panting. I couldn’t feel my heartbeat. It was getting sparse. I sucked a breath in. She kept telling me to breath, and the more she did, the more I tried. I just couldn’t do it. The blackness became the only thing I saw, and the darkness became the only focus of my vision. If I still had it. I slipped away from the cold, and into the deep blackness that expanded forever in all directions. It was time to rest, I felt. It was time to close my eyes and just relax. Sleep. Ignore the worries I felt my heart stop, and the last breath of my body. I heard the last whisper of the woman next to my head, as she whispered for me to rest well. CosmicI could feel the cold of the night on my face a I shifted uncomfortable. When I slowly sat up, I looked around. I was in the middle of the street, looking around as I saw several ambulances and a body bag. There was a woman starting at a body with a look of terror and sadness, crying as she held her hand on her face, holding as tightly as possible. She was sniffling as she looked into the white sheet of the body, and she turned away to vomit into the gutter. I was about to walk over and comfort her, but a man was over next to her in milliseconds, putting a recovery blanket over her shoulders. He guided her away and I took a step back. I saw the flashing lights, and waited in a daze. They sped off into the distance, and I was left standing in the eerie glow of the overhead street lights. The street seemed to be in a type of haze, when I turned around and found a blood spatter on the ground next to where my head was as I was laying down. That's weird, because I felt fine. No headache or anything. I didn't even feel bad. I actually felt better than I had in a long time, stretching as I smiled. I looked around and started to take a few steps, but I got a feeling of fear when I took a step out of the light, and I started seeing strange shadows moving in the area next to me. I backed up into the light and looked around, blinking as I heard a hissing sound. The sound of a trash can clattered to the ground, and I jumped when Mama Kitty came running out of the alley carrying a bag full of her kittens. I stared at her as she ran by, a look of despair in her eyes. I suddenly felt drawn to her, forced to follow. I chased her, into the darkness, and there was the feeling of intense evil washing over me. I looked around, seeing the shadows warping and hands slowly coming out of the walls of the buildings and trying to drag me down into the ground with them, and I kept running. I started hearing screaming. Moaning and crying of children, begging for me to help them. I stopped next to Mama Kitty, who set down her kittens in a plastic bin next to a porch light. I turned around and felt tears drip down my face as I tried to grab a hand and drag them up. This was met with an unexpected response, moans of hopeful desperation. I started dragging up the body from the dirt, and panicking as I dragged it upwards. mama Kitty was watching with fascination as I dragged this person over towards the light and used the ground it provided to pull straight upwards. The being I saw was dripping in tar, blackened by something I could not see. I dragged them into the light and stared at them writhing on the ground, screaming in pain. The tar on their bod was disappearing, and light was shining through underneath. Tears drifted into my eyes and I knelt down, sobbing and telling them it was going to be OK. That it was going to be over soon. Whatever this was, it was going to be over soon. They stopped writhing in pain and panted when the dark tar all over them had disappeared, and the only thing that showed through right now was the bright white light. I looked at the darkness and started shouting. "YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE LIGHT! YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE LIGHT- THE PAIN WILL END!" I charged over to the left, next to Mama Kitty when I saw the first person start to drag themselves up into the light. I hovered over the kittens protectively until there was a bright flash, and I was floating above the planet city. I was floating on a cloud. "You have shown great bravery, for such a young spirit." I ignored the voice that was speaking I was panicking when I stared over the edge of the cloud at the people drag themselves up into street lamp lights and scream silently at this height. Tears fell off the cloud, and suddenly there was a slow drizzly downpour. "You've discovered the secret so soon. But I wonder if you know what has happened to you." That sentence forced me to stop when I looked down at him and I gave a small gasp. I had been somehow so caught up in what I was doing with the person I dragged into the light, that I didn't stop to ask why there was hands clawing their way out of the walls and out of the ground. "What's happening?! Where am I?! Why am I on a cloud?! What's happening?! Tell me!" I spun around sniffling nervously, and in a panic, causing a small jolt of thunder below us. The only thing there was a hazy image of something, like a star, but it held all of the universe inside it. It was an orb. A strange one. Everything was hazy around it. "Calm yourself, young soul." I felt a sense of warmth roll over me when I looked at it, and the storm got weaker below us. "I will answer one of your questions. Ask wisely." That didn't seem fair to me, considering I'm floating on a cloud. Was I dead? "What's happening?" I stared at it curiously, and felt it's curiosity mirrored back at me. "You are being selected to join what the spirits of your world call the "SRG." The, as they call it, Spiritual Reality Guide." I swear I felt my stomach drop after hearing that. I looked at it and swallowed my dryness in my mouth. "Do you accept the proposal?" I felt my world shatter below me, and my heart sank. My parents were going to be left without their daughter. I was making a decision without even saying goodbye? it was as if the orb could sense my heart change, and it grew sad. It knew this was hard on me, and I knew it was trying to decide on something. "I'll join you under two conditions." I sniffled as the rain picked up. "What are these conditions?" I'm glad it was humoring me. "I'll join you if you answer me one question... And let me leave a voicemail on my parents phone to say goodbye. if they answer the phone, then you have to let me talk for the time it takes." I felt my throat seize up. "Your question." It agreed. "Am I dead?" It remained silent and I looked at it expectantly as it began to glow a darker blue. "Yes." I sobbed out, and fell to my knees, tearing up as I felt the soft caress of the clouds vapor as the storm raged on below the cloud. "I will give you time." A phone appeared before me, and I grabbed it, holding the phone in my hands as I stared at the dial. I slowly started to dial my mothers phone number. It rang quietly, and there was the sound of it continually ringing. My mother picked up and I heard sobbing into the phone from my father. "M-mama... Mommy I'm sorry... I shouldn't have snuck out while you were arguing. It's me... it's me Cassidy... Mommy out me on speaker I don;t have much time." I sobbed and the storm surged under me. I sniffled as I tried to hold myself together. "I love you... I love you both... Promise me you won't hurt each other... Please, promise you'll get better. If I ever have a little brother or sister, tell them about me... Tell them I helped people.. Tell them that the world can be bright if you make it bright... And-" I choked on my tears. "-never forget me. I'm still doing great things, even from the beyond. I'm going to help people. To protect mommy... Like you always said I would." I doubled over forwards sobbing as I spoke. "I love you... I have to go now... Please never forget me..." I sobbed softly as I struggled to hang up the phone before they could ask questions. I laid on my side sobbing for hours, the storm raging well into the morning. I felt my eyes water. There was a warm glow and a small whisper from the orb as it slowly absorbed my body. "It's time, young soul. You must be assigned to your youth..." It was sad, and trying not to choke on itself. There was a sense of calm, and a flash of light, and I felt nothing. I heard a distant high pitched baby's scream. It was time to work. WorkI walked into the darkness, wiping tears from my eyes as I walked, hoping that I never have to deal with the crying in my new job. But considering the screaming of the baby, I was going to have to put up with the situation either way. I hated it, letting out a small grumble as I walked further into the darkness. I felt my tears start to fade and I was left alone, following the crying into the darkness. I found a strange crib, rather large. It had a big light over it, leaving it the only thing in the massive black void. The baby wasn't human. It certainly wasn't human in any form of the word, considering it looked like a foal, but super tiny. I watched the swaddled baby squirm and cry, sob and whine. It just writhed their pathetically, and I watched it, feeling my heart melt a little when I saw her. I reached down and slowly opened the blanket, and out popped a short little pink mane, and long little wings, and I saw... I saw I saw her horn. Her sweet little eyes were closed with tears pouring from them as she cried loudly and pleadingly. Her white fur seemed to shimmer in the light. I slowly lifted it up, and hummed softly as I closed my eyes and listened to her cry. Her crying died down into sniffles as she curled up. I looked at her like I was seeing a baby for the first time. I looked up and spoke almost silently to the darkness. "She's perfect..." And the darkness lightened for a moment before returning to normal. I saw the floor of a room begin to form under me, and my feet were planted on the floor. I looked up, and I saw a nursery starting to form. I saw a window, and a door, and a balcony outside. I went to the window and watched the creation of the world. It was beautiful. What I saw there, was just... Astonishing. I saw the stars blink into life like they were candle lights, and I watched the moon come into view last, thereby completing the view of the entire forested area around us. I felt my heart soar high into the sky, but my body stayed, remaining on the ground. I turned around and when I took a step, I found that I was floating. I moved though, like I was on the floor. But it was a good few feet below me. I started moving back to the crib, and I set the baby back down in the crib. I closed my eyes, and found myself curled up above her, floating happily. I smiled as I looked down, and then around the room. I smiled slightly and closed my eyes. The night seemed to pass by in less than a few seconds, because the baby was crying and sobbing and squirming around, and I felt as grumpy ash she did. She squirmed around, and I was about to grab her up to calm her when the door opened slowly and in walked a tall white horse with a horn, a flowing mane, and a beautiful pair of unpreened wings. She was smiling as she looked at me, and I smiled as I looked at her. She started to pick her up, and I looked at her. The baby sniffled and whimpered, beginning to giggle. I felt the emotion of happiness in my core. The tall horse walked to the corner and I was dragged along, looking surprised. The laid down and began to read a book about parenting. This was impressive, considering she was a horse. She hovered her wing over the little one as she set the baby on the carpet in front of her swollen... Oooohhhh. She covered her baby with her wing, as if suddenly sensing my discomfort. I floated above them, feeling a sensation of bliss growing in my core. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling as long as I could, until I felt a pain. I realized that the feelings I got were from the baby, as if we were emotionally linked. Or even the same entity. I looked at my hands, thinking for a moment. What was I called before? The only thought that came into my mind was random gibberish. The mother spoke to the foal, and I couldn't understand a single thing she was saying. It was all complete gibberish. It was weird, and I tilted my head, and so did the baby, before letting out a small belch fit of a father. She smiled at the baby, and nuzzled her. The baby giggled, and I smiled a t the display. She picked up the baby and began to carry her away. I was dragged along, unable to stick in one place far away from the baby. I looked at the big hallways, seeing everything was absolutely massive. I couldn't tell if I was getting the same perspective of the little baby, but I was enjoying it. It was a sense of wonder. I felt eyes focus on me, and I felt a little strange, like I had been spotted. I turned around, and the only thing visible was the baby. She was staring directly at me, with her tiny little eyes and glistening white fur. I smiled at her, and smiled. I opened my mouth to speak to her but the only thought that was heard was baby babbling. So I could think, but not speak? That felt strange. I tried again, and the baby began giggling, holding her little hooves towards me. I floated down and settled down on the back of the mother of the baby. The mother shivered a little, and the baby was smiling as I looked at her like she looked at me. With wondrous eyes and amazement. The mother spoke quietly, and it gained the attention of the baby, and me too, so we turned our heads in unison, tilting them while waited for her to speak again. She did, and the first instinct she had was to smile as she looked at the baby. The baby tilted her ears around as she spoke and she tried to babble along. I sensed she was trying to mimic her. I did too, smiling at the baby giggling. The mother cooed at the baby, and I felt joy. She said something, that I recognized as well as the baby. It was the name Celectia. It was easy to pick up on for some reason, like it was there on purpose. It made me smile. It was such a beautiful name for a baby. I looked at the pair and smiled. It was a beautiful family moment. And I was going to enjoy looking at it. It was time to move on. Cake and LaughterTime seemed to fly by, and every time I blink, the darkness of night disappears, and there's only sunlight. I'm guessing it had been about a year since I first arrived here, and I still don't know anything from about when I was able to feel. If I was ever able to feel. The tiny baby I had been assigned to hadn't aged a single day, and I was left in pure concerned wonder. The paintings of the halls seemed to take on new forms of wonder. I still had never been outside, and nor had Celectia. It was a like we were forbidden from seeing a whole world of beautiful wonder. I sometimes would get the feeling of joy when she looked at me, and I would make funny faces at her. Now was one of those times, where she was staring at me and I was making faces at her while she laughed, only edging me on. I smiled back and giggled with her, and the maid watched her with a small smile as she cleaned up the toys that were strewn around the room. "What are you laughing at, little one?" The voice was of a very familiar familial figure, that I had come to enjoy the presence of. Celectia practically jumped up and down, smiling in excitement as I lost her attention. I enjoyed watching her and her mother play. However, when I tried to join one time, by rolling her a ball that had been by itself in the corner, I scared mother- her mother. I felt the confusion of Celectia, and she began to whine as she looked at me and rolled me the ball. Her mother watched in slight fear, and I rolled it back making her stare at me and Celectia. She cast some sort of spell, and she looked directly at me, I swear, and she cried out in fear. That was the first and last time I tried to have fun with them as they played. However, by ourselves, I played with her by rolling her favorite ball to her. It looked like the moon. I smiled happily as she looked at me, making faces as I did back, smiling at her. Her mother glanced back at me, and I thought for a moment she could see me, but... She looked more like she saw straight through me. Something felt wrong, as wrong as wrong could feel. I froze and stared at her, making my face twist into a look of caution. I stuck closer to Celectia and her Mother, and looked around as I settled on her Mothers back, making her wings open in concern. I looked into the same hallway we always passed, but it was darker. Darker than usual. Her Mother stopped and looked down the hall. I opened my mouth, and made a sound of wanting to keep going, but when Celectia made the sound of fear, her Mother kept going down the hall, cautiously. I felt a sense of purpose fill me as I floated up and in front of them, glaring around. Up from the ground appeared a red eyed goo monster, making Celectia start crying loudly as her Mother looked on with her eyebrows furrowed. I felt the need to fight, and I got into a battle position. I felt a burst of energy, and I felt my hand grip something that had materialized from seemingly thin air, and I looked fearful as I stood with this strange weapon in my hand. It charged at me, and the only thing I could do was clumsily swipe at it with the sword, and luckily, I sliced it in half. There was a flash of light, and a moment where the world seemed more colorful for me. I, for a brief moment, was absolutely positive her Mother had seen me, and I was sure she understood that I wasn't here to harm her or her baby. Maybe she would ignore me. Maybe she would keep Celectia closer- something I hoped for. Maybe the same room. Maybe even the same hall. Maybe right next door, because I remembered something from my world. There was a monsters under the bed faze, and I was not willing to deal with that by myself. I looked around, and found that there was a newfound scent of flowers. I smiled a little and the weapon that had appeared suddenly was gone. I found myself being dragged quickly, down the hall way to exit the corridor and heading towards the feeding room. I gained a feeling of joy suddenly, and felt the emptiness I had felt many times before. I found the door opening, and in we walked, but it was dark inside. I felt suddenly frightened, and so did Celectia, but the light flicked on and there was a lot of noise. My ears were ringing, and I did as Celectia had, and covered my eyes. I curled up in mid air as I floated. I regained my hearing to hear Celectia giggling a little at me. I looked at her and then at what she was giggling at. She was smiling at a big, gigantic, gargantuan cake. I felt my heart stop. If I remembered anything from my life, it was that I loved cake. Disappointing, because I would rather remember what I was and who my parents were. But no time to dwell on the dark huh? I smiled as I saw the symbols on the cake, unable to read the writing. I looked confused as I sat watched it, but... There was a moment of contemplation. It was obviously writing. I guess I'll learn at the same rate as Celectia does. I smiled excitedly as Celectia was given a piece of the sweet frosting covered piece of heaven, and she took a hoof full. She stopped and froze, looking at me, and she slid it over to me, and cooed softly in question. I covered my mouth, and looked at her. She smiled at me and whined until she got a second piece. I hesitated to reach for the one she had offered me, but I took it anyways, making her Mother's eyes narrow as I picked it up and took a bite, feeling it disappear into my void of a body. I could taste it. it was so good! There was buttermilk frosting on it and everything! I almost teared up. it had been so long since I ate anything for myself. Her Mother watched in shock as the cake disappeared before her eyes, and I smiled at her, licking my hand until the frosting was gone. From this moment on, she knew I was here. And I was OK with that, as long as she doesn't hate me. A Slow CrawlI watched as Celectia made short strides. She was pulling herself across the room with her front hooves. I turned my head towards her mother, who was watching Celectia absent mindedly. I waved my hands at the baby and earned a coo. She started slowly picking herself up to sit, taking a small bit of effort to sit straight. I motioned her to come towards me. I was sitting next ti her Mother so I she would go to her. She stood slowly, and carefully. Yes, come on that's it! The thought echoed in my mind as she took one step. Front left forward, plant firmly. Check back leg, then back right forward, and plant firmly. Front right forward, plant firmly, check back legs, then back right. My hopes grew more and more as the process repeated. Front left, plant, check, back right. Front right, check, back left. On and on, she made the journey from her carpet to her mom in a few minutes, almost stumbling several times when she moved to fast. Her Mother hadn't noticed this, and was busy with reading as she hummed a calming song. Only when she felt Celectia bump into her did she finally look over. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. She was crying tears of pure joy. "You... Noo... No there's no way!" She stood up and trotted to the other side of the room, and I went with her to lure Celectia over to her mother and I. She gave a little giggle and began trying to walk towards us, making me smile. She repeated tge earlier process, and squeed at how much easier it was for her. She started spewing babble as she giggled and walked, and I didn't understand what she was saying, but I knew she was excited. Everything that had been happening before stopped when Celectia reached her Mother. She bumped her tiny horn into her Mothers metal hoof plate, and giggled playfully. Getting a little fiesty huh? You can walk for two minutes and you're already challenging your Mama? I smiled when her Mother nudged her onto her back as she laid down with her in her front forelegs. Celectia's wings were flared out and wide as she giggled, giving tiny coos and growls of cuteness. She was being playful. More so than I had ever seen. Sometimes our minds would link so closely that we would be as one. I would feel everything she felt, and maybe even visversa. Right now, she was as playful as a puppy. She giggled and play booped her Mothers nose when she got close enough. She giggled and clapped her tiny hooves together. She waa feeling mischivious and rebellious. As much as a baby could. I watched and smiled, looking at the two in adoration, smiling blissfully. Her mother was chuckling at her for a moment, before her smile turned a little evil. I wondered... "Ohh is somebody feeling testy?" She giggled and Celectia gave a sqawk in response, throwing her hooves in the air. Her Mother leaned her head down and nudged Celectia's little body, making her giggle. I giggled too, sharing the bond enough to feel the sensation. Her Mother got a little more mischivious, and sme giggled. Me and Celectia froze, tilting our heads in unison as she leaned down to Celectia's little body again, and she smiled. What followed next made Celectia burst out in the most adoreably babish laugh one could muster. And I, sadly, had to suffer the same fate she was doomed to as the sensation intensified. Her Mother had began to blow on her little belly, thus causing the sensation. Celectia screeched in playful distress, before dissppearing into a ball of light and hidden in her toybox. The reason I know? I was right next to her. Her Mother was left giggling as she looked for us- her. The feeling of dread filled us both when she went silent after she disappeared. I waited, antisipating the box to open. It was suddenly engulfed in a strange mix of red and gold, not orange but not just one color. It flew open and Celectia laughed, and so did I, this having been the most fun I've had in a while with Celectia and her Mother. Celectia was levitated out of the toy box and into her mothers loving embrace. "Someone's come to see you my little dearest." She smiled and levitated the little one into a carrier on her side, and she began to walk slowly towards the door. I had barely a few moments before I was dragged by my bond to her to follow. I went up and settled myself on her Mothers back again, and she shivered, eyeing back at me. We moved down hallways that niether of us had remembered before. Seeing things we've never seen, golden flowers bigger than my head, and massive stone pillars going up to a cieling that was so high I could never even dream of touching it. The beauty, the complexity... All lost on such a tiny infant. And I as well because of my mental connection to her. Something came into view, something large and something wide and tall. It seemed to open on it's own, making a creaking sound that made me shiver. I watched in awe as we found a room full of colorful windows and a deep red carpet heading to two thrones. One with a sun, and one with a moon. "He should be here any second now, don't worry. I do hope you won't cry." She looked back at Celectia, and I thought I caught her eye's flick to me for a moment, before she turned away and smiled nervously as she fluttered her wings. "No, no, no. You'll love him. He is your father after all. And if you do not bond now.. Well I'm sure you'll bond later, as you play." Both me and Celectia perked up at the word that she had spoken. The mere mention of it shot such joy into our bodies that she Celectia would babble. I got Celectia's attention, and started playing peek a boo to pass the time. She laughed and started copying me, and giggling as she clapped her tiny baby hooves. The large tall creaky thing flung itself open with a whoosh and a bang, making Celectia jump and teleport to me, and I was somehow able to keep her in hid air, holding her in as much shock as her. Whatever caused the big thing to creak open came barreling down the carpet and it toppled over her Mother. There was a few moments of yelping, tumbling, and then silence. And then laughter. The figure had Celectia's Mother in a tight embrace, with hooves and wings squeezing her close. He had a beautiful coat of deep navy blue, and he had her in a deep kiss. "Augh- Starlight- please you're embarrassing me!" Her face had turned red as she returned the embrace of the stranger. "Oh finally, my lovely Sunshine! It has been a year, but I have finally returned from the war of the Oxen! I may finally rule by your side again! But first what matters most- where is my daughter? Where is my little Celectia?" He stopped and looked at Celectia and I, and I backtracked my head a little in shock. I curled a little more around her, protecting her. Her wings curled around her too, to protect her. His gaze softened as he looked at us- her. He slowly approached, looking at her as she hovered in mid air in my grasp. "My my... Look at you... How much you've grown in only a year." He had tears in his eyes. "You and your-" "Come, Starlight! L-let me show you something about her!" She used her magic to forcefully lower me to the ground, surprising me beyond reason. What was he going to say? I'm not sure. How strange. Celectia was still sitting curled up in my grasp. "Come on Celectia! Come to Mommy!" She laid down, smiling as she looked at her Celectia, and celectia smiled too. I relaxed, and so did Celectia. I let her go, carefully. She folded her wings back down, sitting and tilting her head in unison with me. "Come on!" Celectia stood up and started her unsure slow process of walking. She was smiling largely as she walked, and this made me genuinely happy. She was happy. I was happy. I relaxed slowly, and so did Celectia. What a wonderful life. What a wonderful life this will be with this stranger. Maybe he'll be fun to have around. Author's Note Fuck. My computer is beinG STUPID. SO THIS IS FROM MY PHONE! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. StressI had noticed more and more now that time was slowing down for me. I was no longer spending nights in a strange black out state, but I was instead starting to detect things moving in the shadows. I sensed things during the night and during the day that weren't there before. Strange eerie shadows. I vaguely remember dealing with something like these. It was a long time ago, and I could barely recall it, but this was definitely not the first time. I started to fear sundown, feeling my chest begin to swell with fear. However, nothing made a move to harm. They just watched. Waited. Waited for an opportunity to strike. I won't let that happen. She's mine to protect, and I'm her's to... Well, I didn't know what yet, but I definitely knew that I was here to protect her. I would stand guard, holding myself high with tense shoulders, and body always ready to fill with energy, every night until sunrise. I swear once, I got the instinct to reach out and grab something from the air, but I didn't respond to the instinct. Then, I would relax after the stranger had started to come around. The shadows didn't always come around all the time. But they did, enough that I was scared of letting my guard drop. Day by day, the shadows slowly went away, but then returned on occasion, as if to spy on us. I was preoccupied with playing with Celectia right now, to much so to worry about the shadows, but when she looked at me with a look of fear and dread, I knew something was wrong. I slowly turned around and kept an eye out, watching for the darkness that seemed to twist and melt in and out of the shadows of everything in the room. Instead, I found a tall monster, standing there in the middle of the room, red eyes and tar dripping from it. I stood up and felt a burst of energy fill me. I reached out and grabbed something that materialized into being from the air around me. I launched myself into the being head first, holding the strange weapon that had materialized from thin air out before me, holding a silent snarl on my face as I worked carefully. It dodged around the room, trudging it's filthy tar all around the room, but it melted away a few moments later. I slammed my sword into the monster, trying to kick and claw it into the darkness. None of this started happening until the Stranger had arrived. The shadows had never appeared, the monsters never attacked at all, and nothing bad like this had ever happened. I punched the monster in the stomach and it started absorbing my arm into it's black tar. I got panicked, kicking it as it absorbed my arm slowly. It got hold of my foot and started to absorb there too, and I felt fear rising in my heart. Dread filled me. I'm not ready. I stabbed the monster with my sword, and it let out a silent flinch. It started to glow where I had stabbed it. I began to wildly move the sword, twisting and swirling and slicing until there was nothing but bright light. I pulled back, tears in my eyes when I dropped the sword and it disappeared. I started smelling flowers, very strong scented flowers. Celectia was sobbing loudly, her horn glowing. This had never happened before, and I watched her carefully. I felt the tar that was left on my body be blown off by the huge burst of light that came from her horn. I blinked and felt my mind link with hers, my body flooding with dozens of different emotions I never expected from someone her age. I floated down and gently hugged her, happy that I was invisible to the eye's of on lookers. She nudged gently, nuzzling my hand as I stroked her tiny cotton candy colored mane. I just laid like that, my head gently laying on top of hers. She had gotten larger, able to walk relatively well by herself, and she was even getting random spurts of magic that she liked to use to play with. She was good with her magic, but not perfect. She was able to float me up, and that's hard, considering I'm always floating. I heard the door open, and I looked up, along with Celectia. She sobbed again, and stood up. I let her go and floated back up, allowing her to run to her Mother. Her Mother made a strange face and looked around the room, making me freeze when her eyes locked on me. I wasn't covered in the black tar, but she could smell the scent of flowers, I knew. Her gaze softened when she saw me, and she slowly moved her eyes back down to the little one who was crying and nuzzling up to her. She pulled her in and leaned down, nuzzling her and telling her to calm down as she levitated her onto her back, and levitated her to her side when she went back to lay down. Celectia continued to sob, curled up in her mothers front legs. I watched, keeping my distance from her so she could have her space. I kept catching her glancing at me, watching my mood, my facial expression. I lowered to the surface of the blanket laid on the floor for Celectia to play on and sat, watching, my knees pulled close to my chest and my eyes trained on her, my arms curled tightly around my knees to watch them. My face was somewhat covered by my own actions. I felt the bond between our minds break, and I just sat, lost in my own thoughts. The more i heard Celectia cry, the more I felt tears of my own form. Is that even possible? For me to cry? First it started off quietly. Then it got slowly louder. I didn't know what exactly it was, but I quickly figured it out. It was my own sobbing. Separate from Celectia's, and it gave a small eerie echo as I tried not to let my sobbing be heard. I failed, and her Mother's eyes locked on me again, as she watched me. I was tired of sitting alone in the dark, hovering over Celectia's bed all by myself. I was tired of sitting so tensely. I was tired in general. She levitated the blanket up- and me with it, considering I couldn't float away from the blanket as it hovered closer and closer to her -and set us both down. The blanket was levitated back up. She had laid Celectia next to me, and covered us with the blanket- herself included. "Everything's going to be OK... Everything's going to be just fine. I promise." She nuzzled Celectia, and for the first time in quite a while, I was able to shut down like I had for the first few days of my time here. Peace filled my mind as Celectia fell asleep next to me. Actual rest. Actual peace.
Unexpected EndI walked slowly down the dimly lit city street, become engulfed in the feeling of the breeze. My mind wondered as I stared at the signs and the rapidly blinking lights. The fluorescent glow illuminated the dark street as I passed the alley ways where there was most likely a drug deal happening. It was cold. It was freezing. I had forgotten my scarf in the apartment, back where I was trying to avoid. My parents were having another argument, and I slipped out while they were. I never knew if it ever got physical or not… But I wasn’t ready to know who hit who. I smiled as I looked ahead, seeing a kitten and its mother laying in a box that was set out for them. I stroked the kitten, and the mother growled at me, but I responded by opening my coat and spritzing some whipped cream into the corner of the box. It was the perfect gift, because she purred and ate it quickly. I picked up her kitten, and smiled, putting it in my inner jacket to warm her. The mother slipped under too, and they both cuddled under the warmth. I would have to come back and visit some time. She cuddled her kitten, and I took off my coat and laid it over the box to keep them warm. I took the rest of the whipped cream, and gave it to the next homeless man on the block. I asked him if he would share with the others, and he nodded, his eyes stung with tears. I heard a shout from down the street, and he grabbed my arm, making me freak out when I looked at him. He stared into my eyes, a look of a wary soldier in them. “Be careful miss, bad men are out tonight…” I nodded, thanked him for his warning and ran. He stared at me as I ran until I was gone. I looked around, ignoring the cold biting my body. I let out a breath, and then ran through it, looking around. I saw a woman struggling with keeping her purse from a man. I charged at him and launched my body into his side, knocking him off to his side. He yelled, and I started kicking him in the legs and head. I shouted and kicked, and the woman looked at me like I was crazy. I just continued to kick him and fight and, and the more I did, the more I shouted. He was curled up to protect his head, and I was letting out all the anger I could possibly let out. The woman was covering her mouth in fear. Shock filled my body, and I was dazed by what was happening. I shook my head. “Call the police lady! Hurry!” I snatched his knife and sat on his hands, growling. As he tried to get up, and over power me, the woman pulled me up off him and ran, dragging me by my arm. The man's knife was still in my hand, and I became frantic. I threw it into a dumpster and we took off. I was freaking out, silently running behind this woman. I noticed her hair- it was dyed. It was the pastel colors of the rainbow. Was she trans? No she wasn’t. I mentally shamed myself for being rude. However, I hadn’t even been talking aloud though, so I was freaking out a little for no reason. I felt my knees weaken for a moment at the thought of my next realization, a small blush spreading across my face. She held my hands and let me go, panting. We were in front of a traffic light. She pressed the walk button and it started to count down from 15 down to one. I looked both ways before we crossed, and there were the distant lights of a bus a bit down the road. We’d be able to make it across before then. The blinking walk sign came up, and I looked at her, ready to continue walking. She was far far to winded to move quickly, so I just gently pushed her across the street, the bus seeming to slip my mind. A few moments after we had almost made it across the street, I felt a little light headed, seeing a bright light to my right. It all happened far to fast for me to recall. I was standing in one spot on the road, and the next I was meters from the spot I was in, with the girl. Like my body was still there, but something pushed my soul out. The sensation was foggy, and all I remember was a hard time breathing, and a hard time thinking clearly. The woman hunched over me, screaming something, and there was another blurry face to my right, with the lights meters away. I felt my body becoming colder, and my vision fading into black. The last thing I wanted was this. THe last thing I wanted was to fade yet. I felt something cold grab my hand, and I used my weak mind to grip it. It felt like a hand. I grunted and tried to hold on, and stay alive. It dawned on me that I was going to die here. I couldn’t hold on. I slowly moved my weak body into position to reach into my pocket. I gasped out and felt a liquid drip down my cheek. It was thicker than water, and felt strange to trickle. I felt the darkness fade in more, and when I looked up, I felt my heart ache, seeing the tears of the woman I had saved. She leaned down, and whispered something into my ear, about holding on for as long as possible. I heaved in a breath, which made the darkness go away. But it hurt. I let out a low sound of pain, panting. I couldn’t feel my heartbeat. It was getting sparse. I sucked a breath in. She kept telling me to breath, and the more she did, the more I tried. I just couldn’t do it. The blackness became the only thing I saw, and the darkness became the only focus of my vision. If I still had it. I slipped away from the cold, and into the deep blackness that expanded forever in all directions. It was time to rest, I felt. It was time to close my eyes and just relax. Sleep. Ignore the worries I felt my heart stop, and the last breath of my body. I heard the last whisper of the woman next to my head, as she whispered for me to rest well.
CosmicI could feel the cold of the night on my face a I shifted uncomfortable. When I slowly sat up, I looked around. I was in the middle of the street, looking around as I saw several ambulances and a body bag. There was a woman starting at a body with a look of terror and sadness, crying as she held her hand on her face, holding as tightly as possible. She was sniffling as she looked into the white sheet of the body, and she turned away to vomit into the gutter. I was about to walk over and comfort her, but a man was over next to her in milliseconds, putting a recovery blanket over her shoulders. He guided her away and I took a step back. I saw the flashing lights, and waited in a daze. They sped off into the distance, and I was left standing in the eerie glow of the overhead street lights. The street seemed to be in a type of haze, when I turned around and found a blood spatter on the ground next to where my head was as I was laying down. That's weird, because I felt fine. No headache or anything. I didn't even feel bad. I actually felt better than I had in a long time, stretching as I smiled. I looked around and started to take a few steps, but I got a feeling of fear when I took a step out of the light, and I started seeing strange shadows moving in the area next to me. I backed up into the light and looked around, blinking as I heard a hissing sound. The sound of a trash can clattered to the ground, and I jumped when Mama Kitty came running out of the alley carrying a bag full of her kittens. I stared at her as she ran by, a look of despair in her eyes. I suddenly felt drawn to her, forced to follow. I chased her, into the darkness, and there was the feeling of intense evil washing over me. I looked around, seeing the shadows warping and hands slowly coming out of the walls of the buildings and trying to drag me down into the ground with them, and I kept running. I started hearing screaming. Moaning and crying of children, begging for me to help them. I stopped next to Mama Kitty, who set down her kittens in a plastic bin next to a porch light. I turned around and felt tears drip down my face as I tried to grab a hand and drag them up. This was met with an unexpected response, moans of hopeful desperation. I started dragging up the body from the dirt, and panicking as I dragged it upwards. mama Kitty was watching with fascination as I dragged this person over towards the light and used the ground it provided to pull straight upwards. The being I saw was dripping in tar, blackened by something I could not see. I dragged them into the light and stared at them writhing on the ground, screaming in pain. The tar on their bod was disappearing, and light was shining through underneath. Tears drifted into my eyes and I knelt down, sobbing and telling them it was going to be OK. That it was going to be over soon. Whatever this was, it was going to be over soon. They stopped writhing in pain and panted when the dark tar all over them had disappeared, and the only thing that showed through right now was the bright white light. I looked at the darkness and started shouting. "YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE LIGHT! YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE LIGHT- THE PAIN WILL END!" I charged over to the left, next to Mama Kitty when I saw the first person start to drag themselves up into the light. I hovered over the kittens protectively until there was a bright flash, and I was floating above the planet city. I was floating on a cloud. "You have shown great bravery, for such a young spirit." I ignored the voice that was speaking I was panicking when I stared over the edge of the cloud at the people drag themselves up into street lamp lights and scream silently at this height. Tears fell off the cloud, and suddenly there was a slow drizzly downpour. "You've discovered the secret so soon. But I wonder if you know what has happened to you." That sentence forced me to stop when I looked down at him and I gave a small gasp. I had been somehow so caught up in what I was doing with the person I dragged into the light, that I didn't stop to ask why there was hands clawing their way out of the walls and out of the ground. "What's happening?! Where am I?! Why am I on a cloud?! What's happening?! Tell me!" I spun around sniffling nervously, and in a panic, causing a small jolt of thunder below us. The only thing there was a hazy image of something, like a star, but it held all of the universe inside it. It was an orb. A strange one. Everything was hazy around it. "Calm yourself, young soul." I felt a sense of warmth roll over me when I looked at it, and the storm got weaker below us. "I will answer one of your questions. Ask wisely." That didn't seem fair to me, considering I'm floating on a cloud. Was I dead? "What's happening?" I stared at it curiously, and felt it's curiosity mirrored back at me. "You are being selected to join what the spirits of your world call the "SRG." The, as they call it, Spiritual Reality Guide." I swear I felt my stomach drop after hearing that. I looked at it and swallowed my dryness in my mouth. "Do you accept the proposal?" I felt my world shatter below me, and my heart sank. My parents were going to be left without their daughter. I was making a decision without even saying goodbye? it was as if the orb could sense my heart change, and it grew sad. It knew this was hard on me, and I knew it was trying to decide on something. "I'll join you under two conditions." I sniffled as the rain picked up. "What are these conditions?" I'm glad it was humoring me. "I'll join you if you answer me one question... And let me leave a voicemail on my parents phone to say goodbye. if they answer the phone, then you have to let me talk for the time it takes." I felt my throat seize up. "Your question." It agreed. "Am I dead?" It remained silent and I looked at it expectantly as it began to glow a darker blue. "Yes." I sobbed out, and fell to my knees, tearing up as I felt the soft caress of the clouds vapor as the storm raged on below the cloud. "I will give you time." A phone appeared before me, and I grabbed it, holding the phone in my hands as I stared at the dial. I slowly started to dial my mothers phone number. It rang quietly, and there was the sound of it continually ringing. My mother picked up and I heard sobbing into the phone from my father. "M-mama... Mommy I'm sorry... I shouldn't have snuck out while you were arguing. It's me... it's me Cassidy... Mommy out me on speaker I don;t have much time." I sobbed and the storm surged under me. I sniffled as I tried to hold myself together. "I love you... I love you both... Promise me you won't hurt each other... Please, promise you'll get better. If I ever have a little brother or sister, tell them about me... Tell them I helped people.. Tell them that the world can be bright if you make it bright... And-" I choked on my tears. "-never forget me. I'm still doing great things, even from the beyond. I'm going to help people. To protect mommy... Like you always said I would." I doubled over forwards sobbing as I spoke. "I love you... I have to go now... Please never forget me..." I sobbed softly as I struggled to hang up the phone before they could ask questions. I laid on my side sobbing for hours, the storm raging well into the morning. I felt my eyes water. There was a warm glow and a small whisper from the orb as it slowly absorbed my body. "It's time, young soul. You must be assigned to your youth..." It was sad, and trying not to choke on itself. There was a sense of calm, and a flash of light, and I felt nothing. I heard a distant high pitched baby's scream. It was time to work.
WorkI walked into the darkness, wiping tears from my eyes as I walked, hoping that I never have to deal with the crying in my new job. But considering the screaming of the baby, I was going to have to put up with the situation either way. I hated it, letting out a small grumble as I walked further into the darkness. I felt my tears start to fade and I was left alone, following the crying into the darkness. I found a strange crib, rather large. It had a big light over it, leaving it the only thing in the massive black void. The baby wasn't human. It certainly wasn't human in any form of the word, considering it looked like a foal, but super tiny. I watched the swaddled baby squirm and cry, sob and whine. It just writhed their pathetically, and I watched it, feeling my heart melt a little when I saw her. I reached down and slowly opened the blanket, and out popped a short little pink mane, and long little wings, and I saw... I saw I saw her horn. Her sweet little eyes were closed with tears pouring from them as she cried loudly and pleadingly. Her white fur seemed to shimmer in the light. I slowly lifted it up, and hummed softly as I closed my eyes and listened to her cry. Her crying died down into sniffles as she curled up. I looked at her like I was seeing a baby for the first time. I looked up and spoke almost silently to the darkness. "She's perfect..." And the darkness lightened for a moment before returning to normal. I saw the floor of a room begin to form under me, and my feet were planted on the floor. I looked up, and I saw a nursery starting to form. I saw a window, and a door, and a balcony outside. I went to the window and watched the creation of the world. It was beautiful. What I saw there, was just... Astonishing. I saw the stars blink into life like they were candle lights, and I watched the moon come into view last, thereby completing the view of the entire forested area around us. I felt my heart soar high into the sky, but my body stayed, remaining on the ground. I turned around and when I took a step, I found that I was floating. I moved though, like I was on the floor. But it was a good few feet below me. I started moving back to the crib, and I set the baby back down in the crib. I closed my eyes, and found myself curled up above her, floating happily. I smiled as I looked down, and then around the room. I smiled slightly and closed my eyes. The night seemed to pass by in less than a few seconds, because the baby was crying and sobbing and squirming around, and I felt as grumpy ash she did. She squirmed around, and I was about to grab her up to calm her when the door opened slowly and in walked a tall white horse with a horn, a flowing mane, and a beautiful pair of unpreened wings. She was smiling as she looked at me, and I smiled as I looked at her. She started to pick her up, and I looked at her. The baby sniffled and whimpered, beginning to giggle. I felt the emotion of happiness in my core. The tall horse walked to the corner and I was dragged along, looking surprised. The laid down and began to read a book about parenting. This was impressive, considering she was a horse. She hovered her wing over the little one as she set the baby on the carpet in front of her swollen... Oooohhhh. She covered her baby with her wing, as if suddenly sensing my discomfort. I floated above them, feeling a sensation of bliss growing in my core. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling as long as I could, until I felt a pain. I realized that the feelings I got were from the baby, as if we were emotionally linked. Or even the same entity. I looked at my hands, thinking for a moment. What was I called before? The only thought that came into my mind was random gibberish. The mother spoke to the foal, and I couldn't understand a single thing she was saying. It was all complete gibberish. It was weird, and I tilted my head, and so did the baby, before letting out a small belch fit of a father. She smiled at the baby, and nuzzled her. The baby giggled, and I smiled a t the display. She picked up the baby and began to carry her away. I was dragged along, unable to stick in one place far away from the baby. I looked at the big hallways, seeing everything was absolutely massive. I couldn't tell if I was getting the same perspective of the little baby, but I was enjoying it. It was a sense of wonder. I felt eyes focus on me, and I felt a little strange, like I had been spotted. I turned around, and the only thing visible was the baby. She was staring directly at me, with her tiny little eyes and glistening white fur. I smiled at her, and smiled. I opened my mouth to speak to her but the only thought that was heard was baby babbling. So I could think, but not speak? That felt strange. I tried again, and the baby began giggling, holding her little hooves towards me. I floated down and settled down on the back of the mother of the baby. The mother shivered a little, and the baby was smiling as I looked at her like she looked at me. With wondrous eyes and amazement. The mother spoke quietly, and it gained the attention of the baby, and me too, so we turned our heads in unison, tilting them while waited for her to speak again. She did, and the first instinct she had was to smile as she looked at the baby. The baby tilted her ears around as she spoke and she tried to babble along. I sensed she was trying to mimic her. I did too, smiling at the baby giggling. The mother cooed at the baby, and I felt joy. She said something, that I recognized as well as the baby. It was the name Celectia. It was easy to pick up on for some reason, like it was there on purpose. It made me smile. It was such a beautiful name for a baby. I looked at the pair and smiled. It was a beautiful family moment. And I was going to enjoy looking at it. It was time to move on.
Cake and LaughterTime seemed to fly by, and every time I blink, the darkness of night disappears, and there's only sunlight. I'm guessing it had been about a year since I first arrived here, and I still don't know anything from about when I was able to feel. If I was ever able to feel. The tiny baby I had been assigned to hadn't aged a single day, and I was left in pure concerned wonder. The paintings of the halls seemed to take on new forms of wonder. I still had never been outside, and nor had Celectia. It was a like we were forbidden from seeing a whole world of beautiful wonder. I sometimes would get the feeling of joy when she looked at me, and I would make funny faces at her. Now was one of those times, where she was staring at me and I was making faces at her while she laughed, only edging me on. I smiled back and giggled with her, and the maid watched her with a small smile as she cleaned up the toys that were strewn around the room. "What are you laughing at, little one?" The voice was of a very familiar familial figure, that I had come to enjoy the presence of. Celectia practically jumped up and down, smiling in excitement as I lost her attention. I enjoyed watching her and her mother play. However, when I tried to join one time, by rolling her a ball that had been by itself in the corner, I scared mother- her mother. I felt the confusion of Celectia, and she began to whine as she looked at me and rolled me the ball. Her mother watched in slight fear, and I rolled it back making her stare at me and Celectia. She cast some sort of spell, and she looked directly at me, I swear, and she cried out in fear. That was the first and last time I tried to have fun with them as they played. However, by ourselves, I played with her by rolling her favorite ball to her. It looked like the moon. I smiled happily as she looked at me, making faces as I did back, smiling at her. Her mother glanced back at me, and I thought for a moment she could see me, but... She looked more like she saw straight through me. Something felt wrong, as wrong as wrong could feel. I froze and stared at her, making my face twist into a look of caution. I stuck closer to Celectia and her Mother, and looked around as I settled on her Mothers back, making her wings open in concern. I looked into the same hallway we always passed, but it was darker. Darker than usual. Her Mother stopped and looked down the hall. I opened my mouth, and made a sound of wanting to keep going, but when Celectia made the sound of fear, her Mother kept going down the hall, cautiously. I felt a sense of purpose fill me as I floated up and in front of them, glaring around. Up from the ground appeared a red eyed goo monster, making Celectia start crying loudly as her Mother looked on with her eyebrows furrowed. I felt the need to fight, and I got into a battle position. I felt a burst of energy, and I felt my hand grip something that had materialized from seemingly thin air, and I looked fearful as I stood with this strange weapon in my hand. It charged at me, and the only thing I could do was clumsily swipe at it with the sword, and luckily, I sliced it in half. There was a flash of light, and a moment where the world seemed more colorful for me. I, for a brief moment, was absolutely positive her Mother had seen me, and I was sure she understood that I wasn't here to harm her or her baby. Maybe she would ignore me. Maybe she would keep Celectia closer- something I hoped for. Maybe the same room. Maybe even the same hall. Maybe right next door, because I remembered something from my world. There was a monsters under the bed faze, and I was not willing to deal with that by myself. I looked around, and found that there was a newfound scent of flowers. I smiled a little and the weapon that had appeared suddenly was gone. I found myself being dragged quickly, down the hall way to exit the corridor and heading towards the feeding room. I gained a feeling of joy suddenly, and felt the emptiness I had felt many times before. I found the door opening, and in we walked, but it was dark inside. I felt suddenly frightened, and so did Celectia, but the light flicked on and there was a lot of noise. My ears were ringing, and I did as Celectia had, and covered my eyes. I curled up in mid air as I floated. I regained my hearing to hear Celectia giggling a little at me. I looked at her and then at what she was giggling at. She was smiling at a big, gigantic, gargantuan cake. I felt my heart stop. If I remembered anything from my life, it was that I loved cake. Disappointing, because I would rather remember what I was and who my parents were. But no time to dwell on the dark huh? I smiled as I saw the symbols on the cake, unable to read the writing. I looked confused as I sat watched it, but... There was a moment of contemplation. It was obviously writing. I guess I'll learn at the same rate as Celectia does. I smiled excitedly as Celectia was given a piece of the sweet frosting covered piece of heaven, and she took a hoof full. She stopped and froze, looking at me, and she slid it over to me, and cooed softly in question. I covered my mouth, and looked at her. She smiled at me and whined until she got a second piece. I hesitated to reach for the one she had offered me, but I took it anyways, making her Mother's eyes narrow as I picked it up and took a bite, feeling it disappear into my void of a body. I could taste it. it was so good! There was buttermilk frosting on it and everything! I almost teared up. it had been so long since I ate anything for myself. Her Mother watched in shock as the cake disappeared before her eyes, and I smiled at her, licking my hand until the frosting was gone. From this moment on, she knew I was here. And I was OK with that, as long as she doesn't hate me.
A Slow CrawlI watched as Celectia made short strides. She was pulling herself across the room with her front hooves. I turned my head towards her mother, who was watching Celectia absent mindedly. I waved my hands at the baby and earned a coo. She started slowly picking herself up to sit, taking a small bit of effort to sit straight. I motioned her to come towards me. I was sitting next ti her Mother so I she would go to her. She stood slowly, and carefully. Yes, come on that's it! The thought echoed in my mind as she took one step. Front left forward, plant firmly. Check back leg, then back right forward, and plant firmly. Front right forward, plant firmly, check back legs, then back right. My hopes grew more and more as the process repeated. Front left, plant, check, back right. Front right, check, back left. On and on, she made the journey from her carpet to her mom in a few minutes, almost stumbling several times when she moved to fast. Her Mother hadn't noticed this, and was busy with reading as she hummed a calming song. Only when she felt Celectia bump into her did she finally look over. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. She was crying tears of pure joy. "You... Noo... No there's no way!" She stood up and trotted to the other side of the room, and I went with her to lure Celectia over to her mother and I. She gave a little giggle and began trying to walk towards us, making me smile. She repeated tge earlier process, and squeed at how much easier it was for her. She started spewing babble as she giggled and walked, and I didn't understand what she was saying, but I knew she was excited. Everything that had been happening before stopped when Celectia reached her Mother. She bumped her tiny horn into her Mothers metal hoof plate, and giggled playfully. Getting a little fiesty huh? You can walk for two minutes and you're already challenging your Mama? I smiled when her Mother nudged her onto her back as she laid down with her in her front forelegs. Celectia's wings were flared out and wide as she giggled, giving tiny coos and growls of cuteness. She was being playful. More so than I had ever seen. Sometimes our minds would link so closely that we would be as one. I would feel everything she felt, and maybe even visversa. Right now, she was as playful as a puppy. She giggled and play booped her Mothers nose when she got close enough. She giggled and clapped her tiny hooves together. She waa feeling mischivious and rebellious. As much as a baby could. I watched and smiled, looking at the two in adoration, smiling blissfully. Her mother was chuckling at her for a moment, before her smile turned a little evil. I wondered... "Ohh is somebody feeling testy?" She giggled and Celectia gave a sqawk in response, throwing her hooves in the air. Her Mother leaned her head down and nudged Celectia's little body, making her giggle. I giggled too, sharing the bond enough to feel the sensation. Her Mother got a little more mischivious, and sme giggled. Me and Celectia froze, tilting our heads in unison as she leaned down to Celectia's little body again, and she smiled. What followed next made Celectia burst out in the most adoreably babish laugh one could muster. And I, sadly, had to suffer the same fate she was doomed to as the sensation intensified. Her Mother had began to blow on her little belly, thus causing the sensation. Celectia screeched in playful distress, before dissppearing into a ball of light and hidden in her toybox. The reason I know? I was right next to her. Her Mother was left giggling as she looked for us- her. The feeling of dread filled us both when she went silent after she disappeared. I waited, antisipating the box to open. It was suddenly engulfed in a strange mix of red and gold, not orange but not just one color. It flew open and Celectia laughed, and so did I, this having been the most fun I've had in a while with Celectia and her Mother. Celectia was levitated out of the toy box and into her mothers loving embrace. "Someone's come to see you my little dearest." She smiled and levitated the little one into a carrier on her side, and she began to walk slowly towards the door. I had barely a few moments before I was dragged by my bond to her to follow. I went up and settled myself on her Mothers back again, and she shivered, eyeing back at me. We moved down hallways that niether of us had remembered before. Seeing things we've never seen, golden flowers bigger than my head, and massive stone pillars going up to a cieling that was so high I could never even dream of touching it. The beauty, the complexity... All lost on such a tiny infant. And I as well because of my mental connection to her. Something came into view, something large and something wide and tall. It seemed to open on it's own, making a creaking sound that made me shiver. I watched in awe as we found a room full of colorful windows and a deep red carpet heading to two thrones. One with a sun, and one with a moon. "He should be here any second now, don't worry. I do hope you won't cry." She looked back at Celectia, and I thought I caught her eye's flick to me for a moment, before she turned away and smiled nervously as she fluttered her wings. "No, no, no. You'll love him. He is your father after all. And if you do not bond now.. Well I'm sure you'll bond later, as you play." Both me and Celectia perked up at the word that she had spoken. The mere mention of it shot such joy into our bodies that she Celectia would babble. I got Celectia's attention, and started playing peek a boo to pass the time. She laughed and started copying me, and giggling as she clapped her tiny baby hooves. The large tall creaky thing flung itself open with a whoosh and a bang, making Celectia jump and teleport to me, and I was somehow able to keep her in hid air, holding her in as much shock as her. Whatever caused the big thing to creak open came barreling down the carpet and it toppled over her Mother. There was a few moments of yelping, tumbling, and then silence. And then laughter. The figure had Celectia's Mother in a tight embrace, with hooves and wings squeezing her close. He had a beautiful coat of deep navy blue, and he had her in a deep kiss. "Augh- Starlight- please you're embarrassing me!" Her face had turned red as she returned the embrace of the stranger. "Oh finally, my lovely Sunshine! It has been a year, but I have finally returned from the war of the Oxen! I may finally rule by your side again! But first what matters most- where is my daughter? Where is my little Celectia?" He stopped and looked at Celectia and I, and I backtracked my head a little in shock. I curled a little more around her, protecting her. Her wings curled around her too, to protect her. His gaze softened as he looked at us- her. He slowly approached, looking at her as she hovered in mid air in my grasp. "My my... Look at you... How much you've grown in only a year." He had tears in his eyes. "You and your-" "Come, Starlight! L-let me show you something about her!" She used her magic to forcefully lower me to the ground, surprising me beyond reason. What was he going to say? I'm not sure. How strange. Celectia was still sitting curled up in my grasp. "Come on Celectia! Come to Mommy!" She laid down, smiling as she looked at her Celectia, and celectia smiled too. I relaxed, and so did Celectia. I let her go, carefully. She folded her wings back down, sitting and tilting her head in unison with me. "Come on!" Celectia stood up and started her unsure slow process of walking. She was smiling largely as she walked, and this made me genuinely happy. She was happy. I was happy. I relaxed slowly, and so did Celectia. What a wonderful life. What a wonderful life this will be with this stranger. Maybe he'll be fun to have around. Author's Note Fuck. My computer is beinG STUPID. SO THIS IS FROM MY PHONE! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
StressI had noticed more and more now that time was slowing down for me. I was no longer spending nights in a strange black out state, but I was instead starting to detect things moving in the shadows. I sensed things during the night and during the day that weren't there before. Strange eerie shadows. I vaguely remember dealing with something like these. It was a long time ago, and I could barely recall it, but this was definitely not the first time. I started to fear sundown, feeling my chest begin to swell with fear. However, nothing made a move to harm. They just watched. Waited. Waited for an opportunity to strike. I won't let that happen. She's mine to protect, and I'm her's to... Well, I didn't know what yet, but I definitely knew that I was here to protect her. I would stand guard, holding myself high with tense shoulders, and body always ready to fill with energy, every night until sunrise. I swear once, I got the instinct to reach out and grab something from the air, but I didn't respond to the instinct. Then, I would relax after the stranger had started to come around. The shadows didn't always come around all the time. But they did, enough that I was scared of letting my guard drop. Day by day, the shadows slowly went away, but then returned on occasion, as if to spy on us. I was preoccupied with playing with Celectia right now, to much so to worry about the shadows, but when she looked at me with a look of fear and dread, I knew something was wrong. I slowly turned around and kept an eye out, watching for the darkness that seemed to twist and melt in and out of the shadows of everything in the room. Instead, I found a tall monster, standing there in the middle of the room, red eyes and tar dripping from it. I stood up and felt a burst of energy fill me. I reached out and grabbed something that materialized into being from the air around me. I launched myself into the being head first, holding the strange weapon that had materialized from thin air out before me, holding a silent snarl on my face as I worked carefully. It dodged around the room, trudging it's filthy tar all around the room, but it melted away a few moments later. I slammed my sword into the monster, trying to kick and claw it into the darkness. None of this started happening until the Stranger had arrived. The shadows had never appeared, the monsters never attacked at all, and nothing bad like this had ever happened. I punched the monster in the stomach and it started absorbing my arm into it's black tar. I got panicked, kicking it as it absorbed my arm slowly. It got hold of my foot and started to absorb there too, and I felt fear rising in my heart. Dread filled me. I'm not ready. I stabbed the monster with my sword, and it let out a silent flinch. It started to glow where I had stabbed it. I began to wildly move the sword, twisting and swirling and slicing until there was nothing but bright light. I pulled back, tears in my eyes when I dropped the sword and it disappeared. I started smelling flowers, very strong scented flowers. Celectia was sobbing loudly, her horn glowing. This had never happened before, and I watched her carefully. I felt the tar that was left on my body be blown off by the huge burst of light that came from her horn. I blinked and felt my mind link with hers, my body flooding with dozens of different emotions I never expected from someone her age. I floated down and gently hugged her, happy that I was invisible to the eye's of on lookers. She nudged gently, nuzzling my hand as I stroked her tiny cotton candy colored mane. I just laid like that, my head gently laying on top of hers. She had gotten larger, able to walk relatively well by herself, and she was even getting random spurts of magic that she liked to use to play with. She was good with her magic, but not perfect. She was able to float me up, and that's hard, considering I'm always floating. I heard the door open, and I looked up, along with Celectia. She sobbed again, and stood up. I let her go and floated back up, allowing her to run to her Mother. Her Mother made a strange face and looked around the room, making me freeze when her eyes locked on me. I wasn't covered in the black tar, but she could smell the scent of flowers, I knew. Her gaze softened when she saw me, and she slowly moved her eyes back down to the little one who was crying and nuzzling up to her. She pulled her in and leaned down, nuzzling her and telling her to calm down as she levitated her onto her back, and levitated her to her side when she went back to lay down. Celectia continued to sob, curled up in her mothers front legs. I watched, keeping my distance from her so she could have her space. I kept catching her glancing at me, watching my mood, my facial expression. I lowered to the surface of the blanket laid on the floor for Celectia to play on and sat, watching, my knees pulled close to my chest and my eyes trained on her, my arms curled tightly around my knees to watch them. My face was somewhat covered by my own actions. I felt the bond between our minds break, and I just sat, lost in my own thoughts. The more i heard Celectia cry, the more I felt tears of my own form. Is that even possible? For me to cry? First it started off quietly. Then it got slowly louder. I didn't know what exactly it was, but I quickly figured it out. It was my own sobbing. Separate from Celectia's, and it gave a small eerie echo as I tried not to let my sobbing be heard. I failed, and her Mother's eyes locked on me again, as she watched me. I was tired of sitting alone in the dark, hovering over Celectia's bed all by myself. I was tired of sitting so tensely. I was tired in general. She levitated the blanket up- and me with it, considering I couldn't float away from the blanket as it hovered closer and closer to her -and set us both down. The blanket was levitated back up. She had laid Celectia next to me, and covered us with the blanket- herself included. "Everything's going to be OK... Everything's going to be just fine. I promise." She nuzzled Celectia, and for the first time in quite a while, I was able to shut down like I had for the first few days of my time here. Peace filled my mind as Celectia fell asleep next to me. Actual rest. Actual peace.
