A Gift from the Sun
DANGAR! ALART! CAUTON! This story has tf, tg, lactation, titty-feeding, licking, preening, and some heavy mlp princess MILF action and other weird shit. Why? BECAUSE!
Some dude herps around in the desert and gets rescued by the one and only bright-light-big-pony-lady, only to learn that means it's HORSE TIME, BABY!
There's a line of footsteps in the flat sand that stretches for miles up the horizon before disappearing after the wind blows them away. They belong to you. Straight overhead the sun beamed down like a guillotine waiting to drop. Damn thing was gonna be the death of you. One foot dragged in front of the other. How long have you been walking? How many more feeble steps did you have left in you? Not many. Your water ran out just before you left the sight of the plane crash. You were never supposed to stray from a landing. Stay put. Stay safe. But after two nights of trying to raise a signal on your broken radio and sending useless flares into the sky you decided that staying was as good a death sentence as leaving. Dying on the move was preferable to dying on your ass. So you made a patchwork bundle for your laughable supplies, checked your maps for the nearest blip of civilization (which wasn't near at all) and made an arrow out of the wreckage on the ground pointed in the direction you were heading. No shade aside from the small blanket you've wrapped around your head. Your eyes are red. Lips cracked and bleeding from the arid heat and lack of water. Your can't even move your tongue. Breathing feels like your shoving sandpaper down your throat. Your right arm is wrapped in a makeshift tourniquet. That doesn't make things anymore comfortable for you either. Oh well. Better than a broken leg. That's right, even out here with death trailing behind you like a cloaked vulture you got to count your blessings. Gotta stay upbeat upbeat upbeat. Or you're dead meat dead meat dead meat. A wheezing chuckle rolls across the dunes, drowned out by stinging winds and heard only by the burrowing things in the sand. Step, drag, drag, step, drag...pause. You weren't supposed to travel during the day. Smarter to go at night since it's cooler. But if you stopped to lay down now you wouldn't be getting back up. Keep moving. Step. Drag. Step. Come on, you bastard. Step. Your feet rise and fall like granite weights. You stumble and sway over loose sand and rock. Should've flown commercial. Never should've gotten a pilot's license in the first place. Who cares if it let you hop across the world and country free-as-you-please? Who cares if your girlfriend thought it was the most bad-ass thing she ever heard of? Well, you did care about that a little. The sun doesn't even look like its moving. It's just hanging up there. Eternal noon in this eternal desert. Someone must like this sort of thing. You stumble. You fall. You land on your bad arm. A pained yell rattles out from a soar throat as you roll over and clutch yourself. You sure as fuck don't like this. The pain fades into the background like a headache. You were heading the right way, right? Can't be that much farther. If you keep moving you're bound to arrive somewhere. Either some back-alley town or the afterlife. Stop thinking like that. Just keep moving. Your chest heaves as you raise yourself up onto your good arm. The sand burns against your palm. You start to crawl before moving up to your knees and shuffle across the earth. The trail of footsteps turn into a stuttering line of shallow trenches that slowly winds off into a curve. You don't even bother to check your compass anymore. The steady monotony is almost relieving and you manage to squeeze a good few hundred yards out of the deal. But you fall to you hand again. Your shoulder shakes and gives way under the weight. Your legs kick uselessly in the sand. Guess you had to run out of gas eventually. You try to laugh again but your throat is dried up to the point of cracking like tree bark. Sand blows into your mouth, but the pain just blends with everything else. You care, but not as much as you should. You wrote two copies of a letter before you left. One stayed at the plane wreckage. The other is in your pocket. You pat absentmindedly at it. In case someone finds you at least they'll know your name and maybe allow your family to have some measure of closure. The thought is a little comforting. Your head is killing you. maybe..... you shouold. mebbe yu shld just take a... lit ttle nap. A shadow pass overhead. The shade it casts over your body feels like wind blowing out the gates of heaven. You smile deliriously. The fleeting light of your conscious mind sees something like a huge carriage land away from you. Shadows come out from it. Wow. You get a personal escort into the afterlife. You feel special. The blurried shapes talk amongst themselves. You can't make out the words. Not like they can say anything that matters to you, right? One towers above all the other. It's bright, like its made of silver and rainbows. It struck you a little odd that Death looked like a horse. You weren't about to complain. Your vision makes out a concerned face that approaches you. With dried-blood on your lips you manage to smile. With a swollen tongue you croak out "I was wondering when you'd show up." Then everything went blissfully dark.
-
Do the dead dream? If you were bad in life do you have nightmares? You feel...floaty. "A e ou ake? an ou hea e?" A voice. Some lady. She sounds urgent, but oddly calming. "It s mportant hat you me know...." Is an angel trying to talk to you? You try to focus on the voice. It's only polite, right? "me know that you can hear me. Can you hear me?" You cough. Someone holds a small cup up to your mouth. A small sliver of lukewarm water slides down your throat. It hurts. Every cell it touches tries to gobble as much of it as possible. The air is cooler here. "Open your eyes, if you can." Lifting your eyelids was like throwing back curtains made out of heavy floor rugs. They were bloodshot, unfocused, and sunken. You were laying in a raised position on a pile of cushions. There were sashes and folded curtains everywhere. It looked like some sort of massive canvas tent. Your eyes trailed to your right. There was that horse again. Death appearing to you as silver and morning rays. She looked taken back. You obviously weren't a pretty sight. The recently dead never look good. "Where's my dog?" "I'm sorry?" "I'm dead. My dog should be here. Wanna see him." Your arm pushes you into a sitting position and you try to whistle for the scruffy bastard, but you just wheeze uselessly through your teeth. "Damn." Your body gives you the signal to shut down. "I'll try ag'n later." You slump to the side and fall to the floor. Or you would if someone didn't catch you. The side of your face is held by a spread of long white feathers. They feel like flower petals and silk against your cheek. You are carefully lowered to the ground. The tips of the wings hold your face to look at the horse. Her violet eyes are wide with concern. She speaks low and stern. "I need you to listen. You are not dead, do you understand?" She has to be lying. But a voice that lovely couldn't lie, right? "You are still alive, but not for much longer." A small bit of reason kicks back on in the failing center of your brain. "What are you?" "Someone who can save you." A fire sets off in your mind. They were flames fanned by hope that you wouldn't end up as a piece of withered jerky in the middle of some hell pit where the only thing to bury you would be the wind, the sand, and passing hungry animals. You raise a trembling hand towards her long face. Nothing makes sense now, but you didn't care. She presses the side of her warm muzzle into your palm. Fine, smooth strands of fur brush against your blistered and bruised hands. "Help me," you husk. She nods. "Listen closely." Her voice is pleading, but serious. "I can save you, but it will not be easy. There will be a cost. Not even I can say what it will be. Nod if you understand." You do. She whispers something quietly to herself before continuing. "You will have to do as I say for it to work properly. Once we begin we cannot stop. There is no turning back from this, but right now at this very moment you have no other option." Her face draws nearer and her voice thrums with complete seriousness. "Do you understand?" You hack out a pained 'yes.' She blinks and her brow lowers. "And you agree?" "Yes," you wheeze. "help me, please." "I will." She presses her forehead to your own for a moment. "I will. Of course I will." She stands up and takes several deep breathes. She looks around the room to make sure no one else is around, it seems. Satisfied she raises her head. You hear a soft buzz and her horn begins to glow. She bites her lips and her back legs begins to quiver. Out of half-slitted eyes you see a pair of breasts begin to gently bud and swell bellow her belly. Her chest rises and falls quickly. Her nostrils widen and pained moans still manage to slip from her mouth despite her best efforts to keep it closed. She spreads her rear legs apart to make room for her teats. They jiggle gently as her thighs shift uncomfortably. White, rounded, topped with broad and bright-pink nipples. Their growth is slow. She lowers her head and grunts quietly. The glowing strands of her hair fall over her forehead. This requires much effort on her part. She gasps and pants and stands straight again. Her graceful neck cranes along her side to inspect her modified features. They hung freely, but not comically so. Their fullness just looked like a sign of wealth on her body. Now that you got a good look at her, everything about her looked full. Her billowing hair and tail, her bright eyes, her folded wings, and even the curve of her backside. Majestic. A true matriarch in every sense of the word. She looked at you and must've noticed your gaze, unfocused as it was. She blushed. But that didn't last long. Her face turned all-business and she approached you again. "This is where we begin." She circled above you head. She reached down with those gentle wings and turned you onto your left side and placed a pillow under your head. Once she was satisfied with your position she laid herself down beside you. Or nearly on top of you. You were staring right into her teats. The heat radiating off them is almost unbearable...but somehow not unpleasant. Unlike the dry scorch of the desert, this heat was inviting and soft. It was the warmth of coming home. She curls around your upper body making herself as comfortable as she can. It was clear what she wanted you to do. "Is th...this wh..." Even in your haze you knew this was incredibly off. "Drink." Part command, part plea. "This is the only way, I vow." You stared into the warm pink of her breasts. Your mouth hung open. Warm air seeped into your lungs. Desperation drives a man to do the craziest of things, but were you really about suckle from a horse, hallucination or not? That's when the tiniest bead of milk appeared on the tip of her nipple. It was white, and it glistened in the warm light of the tent. Hydration. Liquid. Milk. Life. You latched on. Your mouth was dry, your lips were bleeding. Your throat was raw. Weak jaws and muscles worked inexpertly at her nipple, but eventually you managed to find a steady rhythm that let you draw her gift into you. Her milk was better than water. Better than gold. Better than all the riches and pleasures in the world. As soon as it touched the tip of your tongue you could feel it healing. It was rich, thick, and hot in the best of ways. You licked your tongue around your lips, spreading the milk around like a salve. It was like a breath of clean air. Your could hear your host gasp as she fed you. This was not a regular thing for her. Her thighs shuddered and raised into your chest. Her head pressed into a pillow and she bit her lip while taking heavy breaths. You finished with one breast and moved to her other one. Your felt the bone in your arm reset. The pain was ebbing. You flexed your hand and marveled that there was no stinging. Cautiously you stretched you arm out of the tourniquet. It fell away easily. All you felt was a dull stiffness. You reached your healing arm around her generous upper thigh and held onto her flank to improve your grasp on her wondrous milk. She closed her eyes as her head rested on the ground. She had a dreamy smile on her face and pawed pleasurably at her face. A hoof reached down and began to stroke your back. You hardly noticed. "As much as you need," she whispered. "Just take as much as you need..." You felt amazing. Rejuvenated. You could walk another hundred miles in the desert if you needed too. Hell, you could jog for two hundred! Then it dawns on you that you have a horses tit in your mouth. You pull away quickly coughing and gagging. You wipe a thick trail of milk and saliva away from your mouth, and try to center yourself. Your hostess raises her head, looking confused. "How do you feel?" You stare down at your hands. The blisters and cuts are gone. Your arm feels amazing. You pull on your skin and are relieved when it bounces back instead of hanging stiffly. "I feel...I feel great." You look at her face and smile, more than a little embarrassed, but too overcome with relief to feel disgusted. That can come later. You're not gonna die! You truly felt better. But... Your eyes trailed back to the shaded, curvy crevice of her thighs and breasts... You still felt thirsty. You shake your head. No. You didn't need that anymore. All of you was healed. No more need to debase yourself like that. Besides, you didn't want to over exert...erm...what was her name? But you felt so hungry. You stomach rumbled. The horses brows came together in worry. You took a step toward her, a look of confusion on your face. "It's not finished, then." She said sadly. You looked at her as you dropped to your knees. "What do you mean? I'm fine. I can stop now, right?" You looked back at her breasts. You mouth felt bone dry. But that's not possible. "What's going on?" You fell down to all fours and started to crawl towards her. You tried to stand back up, but felt compelled to move closer and closer to her. You were like a magnet. A boomerang. Those bountiful cups became the center of gravity in your universe and pulled you close no matter how hard you fought. "Why can't I stop?" She laid perfectly still as your head took its former position between her legs. "Tell me what's goin..." your lips kissed her refilled breast and began to pull on the nipple." You didn't attack it like last time. You were more steady, but drank even deeper. Your hand dug into her flank, and alternately tried to push away and just bring you closer. She was like a fountain. You found the land of milk and honey and would drown in it at this rate. The flow went down to a trickle and you were able to pull away and took a breath for what seemed like the first time in minutes. "I can't -I can't-" and you took to the other one. You eyes looked around. Panic began to set in. She felt your anxiety and curled closer around you. Her slender head leaned in and she placed a hoof on your back again. "I know. You can't stop. It's okay." She sounded sad, but assuring. "I promise, it will be okay. You felt a wing stroke slowly up and down your shoulder. "Whatever happens I'll take care of you." What did that mean? Another one dried up, but the other one had refilled itself by now. You pulled away, but began sucking again before you could say anything. That's when you began to feel strange. It started from the pit of your stomach. You drank so much milk. Of course it was going to do something to you. How could it not? You groaned and tucked your legs into your stomach as it began to cramp up. You still drank deeply. Your bones began to buzz. You could feel it in your inner ear. Your arms and legs felt warm. The arm you had wrapped around her leg turned from a grip into a loose grope. The fingers began to turn numb. Your fist squeezed together and refused to flex. Out of the corner of your eyes you saw your hand as you pulled it back. It turned into a rounded stump that swiveled at the wrist. No longer a hand, but a hoof. Your eyes widened in panic as you slapped it against her leg, trying desperately to pull away from the cursed breasts that was responsible for the change. You saw your other hand as you attempted to pull away. It had turned shrunken and rounded as well. Vestiges of fingers twitched uselessly as they melted into the smooth mass. For a split second you broke free "What the hell is happening to me?" It feels good to yell out that much, but you're drawn right back to the fountain, and pull helplessly from it. "It's just trying to heal you. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it." She sounds genuinely remorseful. Your forearms press uselessly against her legs and stomach as you begin to whimper. Trying to fight against this urge inside you is nearly impossible. You legs begin to twist and you kick off your shoes as your feet begin to match your hands. Your thighs grow thicker with new strands of re-purposed muscle. Your bones shift continuously. It doesn't hurt exactly, but the sensation is wild and uncomfortable at any rate. And your stomach. It feels full to bursting. Why can't you stop drinking? The teat runs dry. You pull away for a small moment. "Please, stop this! Please, I changed my mind, you can throw me back back onto the sand, I-" Your lips brush against her nipple once more. "I-" Your feel a burning at your crotch. Your waist wiggles and jerks. What the hell is going on down there? With poor dexterity, your forehooves prod and paw at your groin. You can't feel anything. Well, you feel something, but it's not what you expect. You moan in horror and try to work a hoof into your pants to make absolutely sure. The edge of your hoof brushes over the vanishing remains of your member. You shift it around wildly, trying to find out where it went, only to discover it turned into something else. You feel the budding texture of a small new womanhood take its place. You gasp as you trace your hoof gently around its curves and folds. Oh no. You pull your arm out of your pants in terror, but not before you feel the sensitive tips of newly growing nipples above your flowering crotch. You poke experimentally around your new genitalia before gasping at the unfamiliar shock of its delicacy. Your whimpering turns into crying. Already your voice sounded higher and lighter. Drenched in feminine sadness. What's happening to you? You were turning into something like her. A horse. A girl! The thought broke you. You can't go home if you were like this. If you tried to show up at your job, they'd call animal control and throw you in some warehouse. Could you go back to your girlfriend? What would she say? She would laugh at you. Turn away because you didn't have balls enough to die in the desert like a man, and instead tried to crawl back like an animal that was now biologically useless to her. Why are you thinking like this? Your body was being flushed with new hormones and alien energies. You couldn't take it. She turned dry. Move over to the next one. "You said you'd help me!" Your voice shocked you. It sounded girlish and scared. You twisted your head as it pressed into her full nipple again so it poked into your cheek instead of your mouth. You panted and sobbed and tried to catch your breath even as your neck fought to plant your mouth over her again. "Please, make it stop. I'll do anything! I don't want to be like this. Not like you." You saw her wing lower over you. She caressed your cheek tenderly and wiped away a few of your tears. "There's nothing you or I can do now. I am truly sorry. If there was any other way to save you, I would take it. Walking down this path may be strange and frightening, but it is filled with life." Her voice began to choke. She wishes she didn't need to do this to you. "Oh, I hope you can forgive me for this one day." Her wing nudged your face back towards her nipple. "No!" you protested "Wait, please. No! Wait, no!" And you were chained to her flow once more. You covered your eyes and cried freely now as you felt your body change even more. Your neck grew longer. Your hips swiveled and your chest turned round. Your body more cylindrical. Then your face turned warm. Oh no. Here it comes. You felt your nose and mouth push out. You mouth loosened for a moment as your jaws extended and your mouth turned long, but slim. You let out tiny "ah-ah's" as you felt the vocal chords in your throat change even more. Your ears burned as they stretched out, flicking and turning as new muscles twitched themselves to life. The eyes were the last thing to change. You pressed your hooves against your face as you felt them grow bigger, rounder. You blinked rapidly as your eyelashes grew long and thick. The light in the room seemed to intensify and dim back and forth as your rises morphed. New lines of color webbed around your pupil and wiped away the old ones. You vision went back into focus and you saw your new muzzle obstructing part of your view. "How...is...this..." you weep before drinking again. "Shhh, shh," She began to brush you with her wing once more. "You're doing good, you're doing so good." You fall into a steady rhythm again, barely trying to fight against it. There was no stopping this change upon you, you realize that with resigned sadness. Your back began to twitch and itch, but you tried your best to ignore it. You felt a prickly sensation on your body. You opened your large new eyes again and saw bristles of white, creamy fur flowing up your arms. You felt it rush up your legs, around your vagina, up your stomach. Your shoulders fluffed out. It creeped up your neck and over your jaw, closing around your muzzle. You rubbed against yourself. It felt incredibly alien to have such soft and clean looking fur over every inch of your body. Like being constantly caressed by a warm blanket or towel. This was to much all at once. You moaned in between the shadows of her legs. Something poked out of the back of your pants. It was tail, it had to be. You could feel it flick without your ordering it. You had a tail now. You cried softly as your face became wreathed in heavy, golden curls that fell over your forehead. "It's alright," she cooed, "You're almost there. Almost done." Hot tears mixed with warm milk. You began to shrink. Your clothes felt baggy and loose. You kicked as you legs disappeared into your pant legs and you arms began to tuck into the sleeves of your shirt. Her body became so much bigger, and her breasts took up even more room in your mouth, almost choking you. You shook your head plaintively, begging wordlessly to be pulled away from this endless stream of senseless change. Judging by how much larger she seemed and how loose your clothes became you lost more than half your body mass. You were afraid to look at your body now. Ashamed. And that's when you let go of her because she ran dry. You didn't need to go back for more. You panted open mouthed and quivering. Eyes red from crying, mouth dripping with milk. You looked at the white horse again. Some tears fell from her face as well. She looked sad, but happy as well. Her whole body was glowering with femininity. Fertility. Motherhood. She smiled gently at you. "Do you feel better, little one?" You look down at your small hooves. You rubbed one against the carpeted floor. Your voice cracked and you cried "Why?" That's all you could manage. You look at her again. "Why?" She shook her head and raised herself off the ground. "Your body couldn't make it as it was. That's all I know." She stood over you. She towered over you. You felt afraid of her. Look at what she did to you. What else was she capable of? But her smile was gentle. Her eyes bright, and her face warm. She was so beautiful. There was no way she would ever hurt you. "Come, little one. Let's get a good look at you." "Huh? What are you-?" Her mouth tugged at your pants and pulled them away easily. Your underwear caught around your leg, which she grasped and tossed away. You pulled your legs in, scared to look at your new femaleness, but it was obvious from the slender curve of your legs and youthful roundness of your hips that you were incredibly female. "Um." She laughed like a wind chime as she grabbed your shirt from your back and pulled it over your head. You fell to the ground, covering your chest with your forelegs, embarrassed to stand. "Go ahead." You looked at her encouraging face. You lifted one hoof, then the other and pushed. The air in the room was strange. You could feel every strand of fur on your new body. Just existing felt so....different. So novel. Your tiny chest rose and fell. You didn't know what to say, standing naked before her like this. Should you be angry? "Oh my" She walked towards your back. "Aren't these lovely." "What are? What's love-" You turned your head around and saw. "Oh." A pair of creamy wings were pressed against your back. "I have wings?" "Spread them out!" You closed your eyes and pushed and pulled at the new musculature system. They spread and rose unevenly, making you stumble to your side with a yelp. "Steady now, steady!" She caught you and helped to regain your balance. You stood sheepishly as you slowly unfurled your wings and rose them as high and wide into the air as you could. They waved carefully as if they were unsure what they are, or what they were for. You snapped them shut and began to draw into yourself, nervous about your new form and still reeling from all these new elements and forces coursing through your system. She picked up on your anxiety and seemed to chide herself. "Forgive me. Here, this should help you understand a little better." Her horn lit up once again and a mirror floated into view. She set it gently above the thick rugs, right before you. Your reflection elicited a piping gasp from the delicate looking thing in the reflection. Your wings jutted out in surprise. They were long, graceful. White with a hint of creamy-red coloring along the tips. But your face... Your hoof hovered over the edge of your nose and forehead, afraid to touch it and totally confirm your reality. Your eyes were enormous and studded with water-clear gems for irises. They nearly glowed. Heavy, dark eyelashes fluttered at their edges. You'd say something about the stupid look of astonishment on your face if it wasn't for how astonished you were. "I-I'm -I'm" She looks down over your shoulder and into the mirror with you. "You're beautiful." "I'm a horse!" You stamp your hoof down and your wings stand up again. She has to cover her mouth with her wings and looks away as she laughs. You look at her, eyebrows knitted together in anger and frowning. "Don't laugh at me! This isn't funny! Look at me!" You stared into the reflection again. You were the very picture of girlishness. Curly hair and tail, big blue eyes, and a slim mouth. And your legs... "What did you -do- to me?" Are you even "you" anymore? "I'm a horse." Tears welled up in your eyes again, completely unbidden. She knelt down and nuzzled into the side of your ear. "You're not a horse, little one. You're a pony." She laughed lightly again. "A pegasus pony at that." She motions to your wings. They pull in tightly around your body. "No need to be shy about them. You'll learn to love them soon enough." "I could actually fly with these....things?" She nods. "Given time." Her gaze holds onto you for a moment. "One moment, you seem to have a bit of..." She licks the side of your chin, and wipes away a dried speck of milk. A moment passes. She licks again. And again. Her long, wide tongue presses up and across your muzzle, cleaning away the remains of your insatiable guzzling. "Uh..." you whisper as she licks across your brow. Your ears flatten as she continues, making her way in slow circles across your head. Her breath is warm and pleasant. As strange as it sounds, you don't feel the dirtier for it. Her saliva dries quickly, leaving you feeling clean and refreshed instead of sticky and smelly. Her ministrations continue down your neck. "Um..." You can't think of anything else to say as she makes her way down to the front of your chest. Her tongue is strong and dextrous. It's like receiving a slow and steady massage all over. You can't help but notice she looks a little confused herself. "Forgive me..." she says "I can't seem to..." She moves onto your shoulders. "Well..." She blushes for a moment. A small act of kindness turned into an instinctual impulse. She was cleaning you in the same way a mother would cleanse a newborn foal. You had to laugh a little. Now she would get to know how it felt. She turned you onto your back and laid you down, her tongue moving over your stomach, still full and sensitive after being the main reactor for your transformation. It felt pretty good to be honest. Her tongue worked diligently through your fur and against your skin, wiping away the dirt and sand and tiny bits of rock that stuck to your irritated skin and clothes. It was like your whole body could finally breathe. Your sighed under the almost hypnotic rhythm of her cleaning. You could fall asleep like this... If her tongue didn't run across the delicate tips of your nipples. Your body jerked and your eyes shot wide open. Your looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a dreamy look on her face, completely lost in her task. Her warm tongue brushed over the tiny buds of your breasts. Your pressed your hooves against your face and squirmed under the hot pleasure that started to grow in your nether regions. A low whinny built up in your mouth as she licked across your womanhood. Sighs and soft moans as she touched and nuzzled your delicate thighs that bucked lightly under new reflexes. She traveled up your legs. It tickled when she licked the soles of your hooves. Then she turned you onto your stomach and went up your back. Up your flanks and along your spine. Steady and with even pressure. You bit your lip and rubbed your head against the carpet like a dog being well-petted. You smiled dopily. She nuzzled into the center joint of your wings and nosed her way into the steam. Poking and biting lightly at your feathers. She held them out and nibbled across them. Preening you, straightening out your plumage and inspecting them for any irregularities. It felt glorious to have such a caring and knowing touch weave through your knew appendages. You didn't know what to think of your wings, but if they could make you feel this lovely then they couldn't be all bad. Your entire body thrummed warmly, no longer sore or dehydrated, but well-tended to and fulfilled. Soft "ah-ah's" rolled over the room. She pulled away after a while that seemed all-to short, leaving you blinking your way back to reality on the floor, wondering why she stopped. "All done. You're perfectly fine. Exquisitely healthy." She cleared her throat. An oddly common gesture from a creature that exuded nothing but confidence and regality. "I hope you forgive me for any liberties I may have taken." You lay on the floor before her expansive and glowing figure. You looked across your body once more. Your tail. Your wings. You touched the tip of your face again. "You found me out there in the desert, right?" Your sing-songy voice sounded strange in your ears. It was going to take forever to get used to that. She nodded. "Yes. A scout saw strange lights in the sky. It took a while for the report to reach us, but we decided to investigate. There have been odd weather incidences in the area recently." They saw the flares. "So you found my wreck, then." "Quite a puzzling machine. It was half-buried under a dune by the time we reached it, and it looked like one of the bigger animals that wonder around out here had its way with it. We were going to write it off as a simple mystery to be unsolved when I saw your arrow and found a letter tucked away into the metal." "I ordered a search immediately. Nothing that knows how to write deserves to die out here. It took a long time, but my scouts managed to find your trail. I must say, you managed to walk quite an impressive ways." You looked puzzled. "How far did I walk?" She told you how far. You were pleased with yourself. "I found you crawling, into death's embrace in the sand and knew you deserved to live." "Just like that? Out of the goodness of your heart you decided to save me?" She smiled like it was the easiest choice to make. "Of course. You pushed yourself as hard and as long as possible. That alone shows that you have an inner strength and fortitude that's earned the right to see another dawn, and I was the only one who could give it to you." She looks away. "I only hope that you can forgive me for what I've taken away. Tell me, are you angry? I would understand if you are." Were you angry? You looked in the mirror again. You looked healthy and bright. Your body hummed with life. Your lips weren't bleeding and your arm was not broken any more. But you were...so...different now. "Can you change me back?" She shook her head. No, of course not. That would be too easy. You looked down once more. "I'm just...I don't know. Maybe I'll be good and mad later, but right now...thank-you." You were alive. You were a stranger in a strange land, but you were alive. That's what mattered right now. "You said you found my letter?" "Yes, but I can't -quite- make out what it says. Your written language is mostly similar to ours, however. I am very interested in finding out what it says. I have a certain fondness for letters." She winks. "But we will address that later." "Um. I never asked for you name." She helped you stand to your legs and walked you back to the bed. "Celestia. Princess Celestia." Princess. That shouldn't surprise you. She looked every inch a Princess. She hoisted you onto the bed like you were the lightest thing in the world and tucked blankets around you. "Thank you, Princess." "Think nothing of it, little one. Just rest for now. I'll be here when you wake up -I have so much to show you." She smiled with warm affection and grace and kissed you on the cheek. The world blurred away, but one thought held at the forefront of your mind: You were alive. You still wanted to see your dog, though.