https://i.imgur.com/9TCKOOr.jpg [https://i.imgur.com/9TCKOOr.jpg][https://imgur.com/a/g7GQ6K0][https://imgur.com/a/g7GQ6K0][

Sonia woke up long before the sun shone its light through the crystal windows, her mind heavy with thoughts of her new life and current circumstances. Something bothered her greatly, and she couldn't sleep comfortably without giving it careful consideration.

Firstly, she wondered why she always found herself waking up on the stone king's lap. Does she sleepwalk? She's never noticed it in all of her 24 years of life, until now.

The ambient darkness of the main hall was warm and comforting, unlike it used to be, which was neglectfully ominous. The moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the hall's floor with its pale light, casting pools of moonglow upon the polished stone.

Sonia sighed and jumped down from the high stone lap of the massive marble statue of the king of the cathedral. Her landing was soft and light, when it should have been hard and painful. She was different now. Was she even human? How long had it been since she ate an actual meal? Loaves of bread wasn't necessarily your average three-course meal, but she wasn't hungry. She felt fine, and maybe a little too fine. She felt great. A perfect balance of energy and strength. Perhaps she really wasn't human anymore.

It took a while, but she had eventually regained her memories of her encounter with the guardian deity of Celestia. She remembered what she swore and was still unsure of what it meant, or rather, what exactly she would have to do. Celeste told her that what she had to do wouldn't be easy. Would she have to fight a demon? Assuming that's what she was. But did Sonia have what it takes to defeat a powerful being that was able to alter an entire reality? As perplexing as that question sounded, however, that's not even what bothered her.

The moment Sonia had stepped outside the large double doors of the cathedral, a soft, cool breeze greeted her as it swept her hair up in a light toss. Bare footed, she walked down to the river, where she sat and gazed into its shimmering current.

Images of Sara's tearful cry haunted her.

"What am I doing here? I'm messing with people's feelings. Am I really ok with the way I've come in and just took over?"

It was still a little hard to process, these past few days, but it finally sunk in when she saw the look on Sara's face.

"Whenever I'm in that reality, I am queen. Respected and worshiped. I got so caught up in how it made me feel, that I failed to consider how it made others feel. Sara has a mother. A mother that she loves, and even if the mother doesn't love her in return, I can't expect Sara to forget her."

The pale light of the moon bathed the landscape in a magical glow. Sonia's skin looked ghostly white as she sat there, taking in the atmosphere around her. She loved it here. What a wonderful place; safe and warm from the nightmary life she used to live. She's spent more time here in peaceful respite then she'd ever had in her entire life. In this place, she was truly at peace. She had to stomp through mud and rain in order to find it, but once here, she lived a somewhat sheltered life, being surrounded by an area of enchanted magic. The only thing that scared her was the thought that all good things come to an eventual end. And she wondered what kind of life lay before her, once the comfort of this life ran its course.

The wind blew with a whispery moan and crickets chirped in the distance as she contemplated her life. The trees danced and swayed like they do every day, as if in reassurance of their protection. They would know all and see all, and Sonia had nothing to worry about. She was ever safe in the arms of the forest and the cursed cathedral.

"You know what, I'm basically playing the role of stepmom." She said, propping her chin up in her hands. "But am I a good stepmom, or a bad stepmom? I can't be selfish anymore. Every action that I take from here on out should always be taken with the royal family and it's people in mind. They've been spoiling me, and it's time I considered their feelings." Sonia said, dipping her feet into the water and wincing in it's sudden cold temperature.

"I've made promises. Am I able to keep them? Can I truly free them from their curse? After all, even though Gran is able to wake up in the morning, she is still tethered to that reality at night. She isn't truly free. What would it take to truly free her? I declared the promise of freedom so thoughtlessly, without even knowing whether it was possible. Why did I do that? If I'm not careful, I could end up hurting a lot more people than just Sara, I could hurt an entire nation! And then there's the king! I'm so stupid. What am I doing?"

Sonia's anxiety grew as she thought about the King. She felt lost. She didn't have the slightest clue what she was doing. She was creating expectations for herself in the eyes of the these poor people. She thought of something, though.

"Gran and the others have, and continue to refer to me as the Silver Queen. Who is that? And what does that mean to me? I need to learn more about this title. I recall Celeste mentioning that I could spirit travel to Celestia. I wonder, if I traveled there, if I could learn more about this queen. If I could, maybe It might give me some sense of direction, mentally speaking."

Sonia pushed herself onto her feet and made her way back into the cathedral. The ambient lighting of the moon illuminated the the way before her, as if the building itself could sense her intention. She stood before the empty throne. Celeste had said that she could spirit travel in her sleep. Sonia wasn't sure how it worked, but knew that it would be possible as long as she sat on the empty throne. She had a strange connection to it. She didn't understand, but maybe, just maybe if she visited Celestia, she could learn of her role and what is expected of her.

She leapt high in the air, the rushing feeling she received as she descended lightly on the throne was pure exhilaration. She turned to face the great massive hall, and smiled in excitement.

"Yeah, I'm definitely not human, there's just no way. I can't wait to experiment more with my new strength when I get a chance. Maybe go for a run, or something?"

She sat down on the throne and looked up at the silent king.

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"I want to be the kind of queen that your people deserve. Though, I don't know if I can. And, what kind of wife could I be? I have strong anxieties when it comes to men. You'll see. I am not easy to be with. I'm so scared that you'll be disappointed. But I'll do my best. You and your people have been so wonderful."

Closing her eyes, Sonia took a deep breath and filled her mind with the thoughts of her desired destination. Though she has never been there, her heart longed to see it, and before she knew what was happening, she was already there.

————————————/

When Sonia opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by a dense forest. It was night, so she couldn't quite make it out, but something wasn't right about the trees.

She stepped down from what seemed like some kind of ancient stone platform and approached the nearest tree, laying her hands on its black colored bark, she immediately knew what it was. Her hand, as she pulled it away, was covered in a thick layer of black ash. Looking around her, she realized that the entirety of the forest was a graveyard, a scene of death and ruin, having been burnt to the ground. All that was left were bare skeletal trees reaching to the sky, as if begging the gods for salvation. The terrifying forest went on for miles.

Sonia's hand, black with soot, was a stark contrast compared to the rest of her body. She was surprised to see that her body was ghostly white and even seemed to glow in the darkness. She wondered if she could be seen by others, or if she was literally a ghost. The tree seemed solid enough. So there was no doubt that she could interact with the world around her. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to continue on. Though, she had no idea where she was.

"Why couldn't I wake up in a town or something?"

Without any sense of direction in her new environment, it was hard to tell where she should start walking.

"I think it's time to put my strength to the test. A real test." She said. Kneeling down, she sprang upwards, leaping high into the air as hard as she could. She shot up in the air with such force that the ground beneath her quickly became a distant speck. The wind whipped at her face and hair as she soared. It happened so quickly that she didn't realize how high she had gone until she broke through a layer of thick white fog. One minute she was on the ground, the next, surrounded by massive blankets of clouds.

"Oh my god!" She shouted as the realization of her ascent became shockingly clear. Her intention was to jump just high enough to see the surrounding area, but had instead soared thousands of feet above. Not only did she see the direction of the nearest city, but could also see multiple cities scattered around the continent. She could see hundreds of miles in every direction.

For a moment, she felt as if she were floating as she came to the peak of her accession atop the clouds, the cool night air whirled around her, and the stars bathed her in celestial light. A soothing voice called to her, which she could feel rather then hear.

"Welcome to my world, my dear friend." It was Celeste.

With that, she began her decent toward the world below, screaming in pure terror as she fell. And who could blame her, plummeting helplessly to a seemingly painful death.

"Would it be painful, though?" She thought. "I'd probably die of a heart attack before hitting the ground, and even then, due to the increasing velocity of the fall, I'd die on impact without feeling a thing."

Sonia tried to clear her head and relax through the frightening ordeal. Her clothes rippled violently as she flailed uncontrollably through the air. She reasoned with herself that if she got herself into this, with her non-human ability to practically jump off a planet, shouldn't she be able to withstand an impactful landing? She was no longer human, so she should be fine, right?

As the world rushed toward her in an increasing speed, she braced herself by tucking into a fetal position. Soon, she crashed to the ground, smashing through dead, burnt trees and branches as she went, leaving a large black crater in her wake.

Black dust permeated the dead forest around the crater she had made. She laid in the center, wide-eyed and panting.

—————————————/

Gran and Sara stood side by side, staring curiously at the sleeping Sonia, who sat silently on her throne. Her head lay to the side.

She wore her new favorite dress, a comfortable sun dress of light baby blue. She still wasn't used to wearing dresses, so she wore a pair of blue leggings of the same shade and a small white jacket to cover her shoulders.

The site of her made the two goddess curious, because there was something peculiar about the way she was sleeping. For one, she wasn't breathing, but she had a heartbeat that they could both hear from where they stood. Ordinarily at this hour, Sonia would be awake and eagerly ready to greet them.

"Is she dead?" Sara Asked.

Gran inched closer for a better look at her.

"I don't think so." She answered,

"Shame".

"Oh hush, you."

Gran's form expanded and grew to the size of the massive throne, as she bent down to examine the sleeping woman. She laid a hand over her forehead and gasped in surprise.

"What is it, Gran?" Sara asked

"Her soul, it's missing!"

"What in the bloody hell does that mean?"

"Her body is here, but her spirit is elsewhere. I'm afraid our friend has wondered off. What a Rebel." Gran chucked.

"Gran, is Sonia a demi goddess?"

"Hmmmm." Gran thought for a moment. "In a manner of speaking, yes. But she is more than that as well."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, tilting her head to the side In curiosity.

"I know things have been a bit confusing. I'm sorry about that, my dear. Let's just say that I'm the one responsible for imbuing her with the family crest, as a result of this, she is no longer mortal. I did this to save her life."

Sara's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?! How could you!"

"Sara, I know you're smart enough to understand why I did it. We need her. And she needs us. You'll understand this in time. For now, let's not stress over this matter." Gran turned her attention back to the sleeping figure. "I'm more concerned about where she's wondered off to."

"Is she in danger?"

"Oh, hells no. In this moment, she is in her truest form. You see, she is no longer limited by the confines of her physical flesh. She is uncaged and unhindered by mortality. I imagine, wherever she is, she is the most powerful being around. Oh, how I would have loved to have witnessed such an introduction to godhood."

———————————/

Sonia stared into the sky from where she lay, breathless and shaky. The night was silent and still, save for the wind. The dead forest was void of life, where no creature stirred. It smelled of charred wood and soil, but even Sonia, an uneducated earth girl, knew that it was an unnatural fire that burned the forest. It was cursed. The aftermath of a natural forest fire would eventually result in new life that would sprout from the ashes, which would act like a natural fertilizer. But this, this was cruel, wrathful devastation.

The superhero jump that she performed should have been something that she would've enjoyed, in theory. But unfortunately, it was the scariest thing she had ever done. Like riding a terrifying rollercoaster, but worse. If she still had a heart, it should have exploded from fright.

"I think I'll keep myself on the ground for now on, if I can help it. One superhero antic is enough for me. I imagine I'll look back on this and smile, maybe."

Slowly, she climbed out of the small crater and leaned herself against a tree for support. She breathed.

Wow, just wow. To think, I am truly immortal. I just fell from sky like a shooting star. From as high as the clouds. I'm a goddess. Really! How wild!

She looked down at her hands, feet, and her baby blue dress that refused to stain, and smiled at her own divine glow. She remembered how Celeste had looked, and how she radiated divine light. Sonia hadn't realized it until now, but she was radiating the same kind of light. Celeste was beautiful, with silvery white hair and silvery blue eyes. Sonia probably looked similar to that, in her current form.

"I just crashed into the ground like a meteor. Just look at that crater! And the only thing even close to pain I feel, is extreme fear. That's all! No actual pain! I have to try this again when I get back to my world. Well, maybe not to the same degree, but I have to try something.

As confidence and excitement flooded into her like a rising tide, she raised her head and breathed. In all of her life, She has experienced so many different kinds of pain, from so many people. Whether it was the violent pain of abuse, whether it was loneliness, or starvation. She would never feel those things again. At this moment, she felt invincible.

"No one will ever hurt me again.