/NHNB/ Celestia and Autumn


                                            >Written as a part of NHNB Autumn Fun Festival.

                                            >Go download it here:

                                            >https://nhnb.org/fim/res/12752.html

                                            >It has cute pictures and an actual carousel music box with origami ponies.


                                            Celestia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She stood motionless for a while, savoring the chilly air, full with delicate autumn fragrances.

                                            Her multicolored mane soared, completely regardless of the direction the cool gusts of wind tried to turn it to.

                                            The Princess raised her right forward leg, then her left hind one and took a step forward.

                                            Her heavy golden shoes left circles of soundless circular ripples on the surface of the lake, otherwise flurried up by the breeze. Although Celestia’s wings laid idle, folded on her back, the lake still somehow held against the sheer weight of her grand but gracious frame.

                                            She took another couple of steps, slowly walking on the water, gazing around, thinking.

                                            Oaks, the Royal Garden oaks surrounding the lake, they turned copper. Both the thick, monumental old trees and thin, sturdy young oaklings. When the wind struck again, it became evident rustling of their crowns changed its tone. Now, instead of dull voluminous grumble it became drier, ringier, lighter.

                                            A stray cloud moved away from the sun, and the leaves became red gold instead of rusty reddish like they were moments ago.

                                            Celestia cocked her head to the side, marveling at the strings of light, streaming through the tree crowns, and turned her ears around.

                                            Birds didn’t sing. They were darting through the grass, emitting short busy chirps, looking for fallen seeds.

                                            Fluffy squirrels and round, important-looking hedgehogs were keeping them company, occasionally arguing over acorns.

                                            Hearing a small splash, Celestia looked down.

                                            Through the clear water underneath her hooves she could see fish swimming between the rocks on the bottom.

                                            She unfolded her wing and brushed the water with the wingtip.

                                            “Wow! Princess Celestia!”

                                            The Princess turned her head towards the other bank of the pond.

                                            “That’s so cool!” a small unicorn filly shouted, exasperated, prancing in place on the edge of the pond. A large book laid abandoned a bit away from her in a pile of fallen leaves, the wind shuffling its pages.

                                            Celestia smiled.

                                            “What is it, my dear?”

                                            “You’re walking on the water! You didn’t tell me you can do that.”

                                            Celestia shrugged with her wings.

                                            “I didn’t think that would be important.”

                                            “B-but, b-but… What magic is that?”

                                            The alicorn snorted quietly, “A powerful one, my dear pupil.”

                                            “Will you teach me? Can I do that too?”

                                            Celestia slowly turned her head looking around. In her mind’s eye the oaks around once again were few and far between, all thin, young and springy. Birds, animals and fish around, the same, but completely different. And a unicorn filly reading the book on the bank, with a different coat and cutie mark…

                                            The Princess sighed.

                                            Everything around was the same again

                                            “You need to study hard, my dear.”

                                            The unicorn beamed and wanted to say something but Celestia stopped her with a wing gesture.

                                            “You need to grow up. Learn much about the world, about the ponies, about everything.”

                                            The filly sulked. Celestia vanished in a flash of golen light and reappeared near the filly. The Princess laid down and hugged the little unicorn with her wing.

                                            “And then, one day you will return to me… And we will go walk on the water together.”