Hello. You can call me Sun Seeker. A pegasus who can't fly, sounds like a joke. Not to the ponies of my village, they've always considered it a blessing. Not able to fly over the walls that protect us so. I never gave it any thought. Then I heard...her.
***
I was walking down a well-traveled path towards the house I share with my family.
Not only immediate family, mind you.
I reached the large building, housing at least 20 of us. I knocked on the door and my second cousin let me in.
"Hey cuz. How's the patch this morn?" Pale Light asked, leaning his back on the wall, his pale gray arms crossed over his chest. Everypony in the outpost has a job; mine was to care for Vegetable Patch #36.
"Doing alright. The cabbages seem a little weaker this year, however." I frowned, remembering the yellow leaves.
"I'm sure yer trying your best." Pale smiled sympathetically. "Gramps wants to talk to you, not sure why."
"Alright, thanks for letting me know." I called back as I weaved through the various beds and bags, that belonged to aunts and uncles, first cousins and second cousins. I expertly passed Elder Bush without waking him and finally made it to the stairs. Taking a deep breath, I walked up and knocked on a piece of wood to announce myself.
"Come in." I trotted in, my head slightly lowered. I shook my head when he asked me if I knew why I was here. "Look at me, child. I am your Foalfather, if I talk, you look me in the eye, and listen."
I nodded, raising my head to look at the stallion. A wrinkly earth pony stallion, a coat so gray, it looked like he was made out of rocks, and a thinning white mane. Despite his age and looks, he could easily take down the strongest of ponies. His golden eyes held much life and wisdom.
"My time is coming and I'm ready for it. I've lived a long life, serving the ponies of this camp. I hope that you will continue the family's legacy and serve your ponies. Family comes first and don't you ever forget that. Now leave me, I need to think." Gramps turned away and looked outside the window, tilting his head so he could look at the gigantic mountain range that surrounds the camp.
I told him farewell and turned to take my leave. Right before I crossed the doorway, I heard a whisper behind me, "Aurora, where are you?" That question roiled around in my head for many months, until I heard her for myself.
***
It's been six months since my last talk with Gramps. Family meetings don't count. I was walking to my patch, watering can in hand, when I heard a faint whisper. I flicked my ears, but other than that, I paid no attention. After the watering of the third cabbage, I heard the whisper, much louder than last time.
"Greetings my little pony."
"THE BUCK!" I whirled around in a panic, accidentally letting go of my watering can, sending it into a neighboring vegetable patch.
"Hey, watch it! I'm gardening here!" A blueish stallion whinnied angrily at me. I just smiled sheepishly and picked up my watering can and went to the well to fill it up again.
"I apologize if I came too strong. It's been a while since I've talked to a pony." There it was again. That soft spoken voice, filled with wisdom and sorrow, was directly in my ears.
"Who's there? Who are you!?" I asked fearfully, keeping my head down and glancing around, trying to find the perpetrator. There was nopony nearby.
"There are those who call me Aurora. Do not worry, my child. You have called and I have arrived." The soft voice made me feel loved. I wilted with a content sigh. Then my head snapped back up; something didn't make sense.
"Called? I did no such thing!" I whirled my hands in the air, trying to wave away the mysterious voice. I picked up the now full watering can and walked back to my designated vegetable patch. "Leave, I do not need your wisdom. What I need to do, is to water those cabbages."
"If you wish, but I question. Do you ever wonder what's outside?" The voice's question took me off guard, resulting in me standing there with a flabbergasted face. I felt a warm presence, that I didn't realize was there, disappear. I couldn't help but feel disappointed, like I failed a family member. I had no idea how right I was.
***
I groaned in anguish, putting my hands on my face. The night before came a great storm, resulting in many of the vegetable patches getting ruined. #36 was beyond ruined. All of my hard work and care, resulted in absolute disaster. Not a single cabbage was spared from the desolation. Looking back, I am quite grateful for this storm.
"A tragedy, to be sure." Aurora's voice blew into my ear. I flicked it, annoyed. Tears blurred my vision, yet I did nothing about it.
"What do you want? Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?" I knelt down and picked up a torn cabbage leaf and stared at it mournfully.
"I don't think this is a moment for isolation. I speak from experience." The voice became suddenly less warm. Something in her voice made me pause. "Little things may not seem like big deals, yet when somepony let it festers, that little thing can become big things. And with that, I shall take my leave."
I stood there for another hour, until Pale finally found me and took me back to the house. For the first time in years since I became a full fledged adult, I looked over camp walls. I looked at the mountains that stood still, giving protection to the hundred or so ponies living beneath its shade. A sudden itch manifested in my feathers, almost making me ruffle them. I was told at a very young age, that flying is bad. If I were to get such an itch, I was to tell an adult.
My discomfort attracted someone's attention. "Ya alright Setter? Ya seem a bit pale."
"Of course I'm not okay! I just witnessed my patch get obliterated and nopony even cares!" I let my head drop, my hands hanging by my side, and my hooves shuffling forwards.
"Ah care. Ah'm pretty sure Gramps does too. We're ya's family, we ain't gonna leave ya." Pale Light smiled encouragingly and put an arm over my shoulders, then pulled me in for a hug. I half-sobbed and half-laughed, as he started rubbing his knuckled over my head.
"Stop! Stooop! Get off me, you big galoot!" I grinned as I pushed him away, then shrieked as he started to chase after me. I hurtled down the path, dodging debris and ponies, trying to clean it up. Yelling apologies, I kept on running. I reached the house before Pale tackled me. We both fell to the floor laughing. Everypony has that time they wished they could go back to. That time, was mine.
***
I stayed up the entire night, thinking about everything. What my life meant to me, what it meant to others. How I could improve my lifestyle, become happier, and be more like myself. All these thoughts rolled around in my brain, until I finally came up with a solution. Even after all these years, I never once regretted my decision.
In the morning, I trotted up to Gramps' room. I kneeled down beside him and whispered, "thanks Gramps. It's time for me to go." I got a backpack and stuffed it with essentials and headed out before anypony else could wake up.
My trot turned into a gallop, the houses breezing past me, till I reached the giant wall that separated the camp and the outside. The sun broke over the horizon, basking in its radiant glow over the camp. I looked back with a wistful smile.
"It's not too late to head back." Aurora's voice whispered, giving me comfort to know that I wasn't alone.
"I've made my decision. It's time for me to leave." With some difficulty, I made my way onto the roof of a house. I took a deep breath, and spread my wings. I had never flown before, so I had no idea if it would work. With some encouragement from Aurora, I took a flying leap and glided, quite clumsily. But it didn't matter, because I cleared the wall, and for the first time in many decades, I was the first pony out of camp.
With a great big smile, I took my first step on my adventure.
***
I stumbled along, my hooves hurting from walking all day. Regrets started to fill my brain, alright, I had some regrets, as my bag snagged on a tree branch. The sun was dipping beyond the horizon, leaving me in darkness, trying to free my bag. With some fiddling, I finally managed to hook a finger underneath the strap and free it.
Then I gasped. The sky was filled with tiny lights and a giant circle, not unlike the sun. I heard some noise nearby and I ducked behind a tree. In the distance, I could make out another pony also looking up at the lights in the sky in awe.
Author's Note
Got this idea for a sequel while painting wood. Strange places to get these ideas. Kudos to wood! WOOO.
Just felt it was right to have a Celestia story in the same world. It was only right. After this, I think it'll be a huge story about the two of them traveling. How does that sound? Any ideas and criticisms are welcome.
Have you heard of Forest Rain's 'Great to be Different'? The 10th anniversary popped up, and it's a beautiful song. I highly recommend it.
