Chapter 1: Instructions
***
A sphere of golden light, emanated forty feet outward from her horn. The dense forest around her became bathed in a brilliant glow.
My light spell is a lot more powerful than I remember.
How did I survive that fall? It must have been close to 400 barrels, Twilight thought, observing the large hole in the forest canopy. It was perfectly clear where she had thrashed and flailed her way through branches and tree cover. There was also a pony shaped depression in the soft soil at her golden clad hooves.
Wait, why am I wearing Celestia’s shoes?
Her eyes slowly tracked up her wrongfully perfect white legs until...
“In the name of Celestia, why... why am I Celestia!?”
To a normal pony, this would have set off a dozen alarm bells, but Twilight Sparkle is anything but normal. A thousand and one alarm bells was more like it, as she mindlessly paced the woods.
“Did I just take the body of the ruler of Equestria?”
"Any second now, will The Princess scream furiously at me for my grave mistake? Will she have to live in her mind, my mind, for all eternity!?" Twilight's pacing quickened and turned into a perfect figure eight. The critters of the night, scattered even further away from the giant, white, panicking creature, rambling to itself.
"Hmm, whose mind is it if I'm in her body? Is it mine now, because I'm in control, or is a pony's mind a space designated to that specific pony upon birth? The fact that my mind was able to separate from my body to achieve this state in the first place, suggests that the answer to the latter question is no! What is undeniable is that this is Princess Celestia's body."
Twilight Sparkle slapped her hoof across her face. "Come on Twilight. The unprecedented proof that mind and body are separate entities, and the implications this has on Equestria's definitions of body and soul, are not important right now!"
She stopped dead in her pacing track. Neither is the fact that you just assaulted her Royal Highness. No, the important question is whether The Princess is still in here somewhere, waiting to unleash her unbridled rage on me?
“Princess Celestia? Are you in there?”
Twilight listened closely for a good five minutes.
No answer.
It's really hard to say how long is an appropriate time to wait for a would be prisoner of their own mind. She let out a sigh, but the stress was still getting to her. It was building up like an active volcano ready to reign panic and irrational actions upon all of Equestria.
“It’s okay Twilight. You either murdered her, she can't communicate from the recesses of the mind—scape, or she's inside your body right now plotting your punishment. You’re probably the biggest criminal in all Equestria, but it's fine.” The crazed look from earlier that day crept back onto her face.
“No, it was an accident. All I have to do is contact... me or Celestia me, and switch back. If she could forgive me for hypnotizing an entire town, then The Princess could forgive me for taking her body, right?”
The owl she was lamenting to just turned its head around and back. The bird continued to stare blankly.
“Oh what do you know? Ah!” A crinkling sound beneath her hoof caused her to jump. She had apparently stepped on a scroll that had materialized sometime during her freak out.
Princess Celestia,
Today I learned...
Twilight skipped ahead in hopes for something useful. She mumbled the words of the letter aloud
...“Into an enormously huge, entire town in total chaos, Princess has to save the day problem!”
She snorted. “More craziness, that is just what I needed right now, Pinkie.” Twilight was reading a PS about Spike and modesty when a second letter sailed in on her assistant's familiar emerald flame.
This isn’t Spike’s claw writing. It looks like... “Celestia’s!” Twilight began to read with eagerness and fear.
Twilight Sparkle,
Sometimes we can get caught up in the fear of current events and lose a chance to learn something. It is important to step back and take deep breaths.
“Today I learned, not to touch Celestia’s flank, while she's accessing the interstitial void!” The alicorn started to breathe easier, as it didn’t look like Celestia would be sending her to the moon. I guess she can’t right now anyway, she thought letting out a short, hysterical giggle. The letter reading resumed.
Calmly understand the scope of things. Panic will only lead to more problems for both of us. I believe that you can raise the sun in my absence, and everything will be fine.
The next part of the letter contained diagrams, graphs and equations about the sun. It appeared to be instructions for positioning the large ball of plasma.
“Wait, she... I... want... raise... sun?” Complete thoughts had become impossible to form. Twilight only became aware of the spike of magic she had subconsciously been forming a few moments too late. The simple light spell she had been casting suddenly surged with a considerable fraction of Celestia’s power.
A castle guard posted on a balcony overlooking the forest spotted a golden globe of light expand out like a blinding explosion. The light rapidly shrunk below the tree line and disappeared.
Remember what I just told you. Just take deep breaths. I have the utmost faith in you.
The words, and the realization that Celestia knew something like that would happen, was a slight comfort.
The specifics on how Alicorn magic can be used to control the sun and moon are in the Great Historical Magics wing of the Canterlot Archives. I will be back before Nightmare Night. Do your best to fulfill my duties while I find a way to Canterlot
I am excited to share what we learn from this, once we meet again. For the time being, you may address letters to me as Twilight Sparkle.
Your dedicated teacher and mentor,
Celestia
PS: It is of the utmost importance that my sister knows nothing of this. In addition, the guards will probably be there soon; you should come up with a good excuse.
Twilight dazedly rolled the scroll back up and tucked it under a wing. After shivering at the sensation of the paper under the unfamiliar appendage, she still pondered Celestia's last words.
A good excuse for what?
“Who’s out here? Show yourself.” The voice of a familiar sounding stallion, echoed through the clearing.
Oh, that’s what she meant. Think, think... Twilight racked her thoughts for waht to do, but she couldn’t get her mind over the familiarity of that voice.
There was a rustling of foliage from many different directions. The rustling sounds seemed to be getting closer by the second.
“I found some... Princess Celestia?” One of the royal guards had found her. His voice trailed off at the mention of her name.
He froze at the sight of the Sun Goddess, covered in dirt, with twigs and branches tucked in her normally perfect mane.
“What did you find, soldier...” The nearby shrub line was lit by another illumination spell, before a guard in much fancier armor wandered into the clearing. He halted at the sight of the nervous disheveled form of his Princess as well. Though if he was surprised, he sure didn’t show it.
“Bro... Shining Armor, you’re blinding me with your magic.” That was close.
“Sincerest apologies, your highness, I just wasn’t expecting... this.” The captain of the guard gave a bow, jabbing his stupefied companion to do the same.
“What has happened here, your highness... if you don’t mind me asking of course?”
If I don’t tell them something they might suspect me, but he’s my brother. Could he tell if I lied? I got it! I’ll have to time it just right...
A dozen more guards filled the small clearing in the woods. Twilight now had a full audience to explain to.
“I was flying back to the castle from Ponyville, when one of my shoes fell off into the woods.” Celestia’s form stomped at the ground with ferocity. The magically enhanced stomp caused all the guards to flinch. It was just enough time to pull of the teleportation of a small gold object from one of her hooves.
“I have been growing more frustrated by the minute in my search... oh, there it is.” She levitated the gold accessory from a bush nearby, slipping it on her back hoof.
Please don’t notice I started with four horseshoes.
“That would explain why you were out here, but why are you so... um... covered in nature?” Shining asked.
“Yes, well... I dived after it, the shoe you see, and accidentally slammed into those tree branches over there, and then I crash landed right there. ”
“And the flash of magic was...?” he queried.
“It was an expression of my utter rage and frustration at my own foalishness and inability to simply locate my lost shoe,” Twilight replied almost too casually. “My clumsy flying only made things worse as you can imagine.”
“Right... well, do you require an escort to the castle, your Highness?”
“No, that is not necessary. I have business within the Canterlot archives. You may return to your posts.”
Shining Armor saluted, and then departed with the rest of the guards.
Way to go, Twilight. That was the best you could come up with? She restrained herself from a face-hoof, settling with a mental one instead. If only my brother knew he was taking orders from his sister.
***
With a flash, Twilight was at her old study with the scrolls and books she had picked up from the archives. Being a princess made it easy to gain access to the restricted collections. By the look of the librarian, her utter filthiness within the archives was not appreciated, but being a princess helped with that too. The large hourglass, the shelves of her book collection, and the large glass window facing the inner castle were a comforting sight.
No time for nostalgia! I must start studying!
Twilight set down the two letters from earlier, on the end of the large desk.
In case somepony came looking for Celestia, 'Twilight's' study would be the last place anypony should look.
“Good evening, sister.”
Or so she thought.
“Eeep!” Twilight yelped. “I’m so sorry, Princess Luna.” This is bad, this is bad, this is bad. Luna has been around more than one-thousand years. I have no hope of pretending to be her sibling!
The moon princess levitated the book off of her muzzle, that Twilight had flung at the Night Princess in her fright.
“We are sorry as well.” Luna made her way to Twilight’s side and nibbled her ear. “‘Princess Luna’ is such a formal greeting for us. Is it not, Tia?”
“Yes, well um... I suppose it is. How did you know I was here?” Twilight scooted slightly away and shoved her blushing face into the nearest book.
“We know we can always find our sister here, when thou are... how you say, stressed out. Judging by thy trick thou pulled on the guards this evening, thou must be most upset. This hypothesis is supported by thy looks.” Luna lightly jabbed a hoof at Twilight. Luna was too focused on reading the book that had been flung in her face to see Twilight wince.
“What do you mean, ‘trick?’ I lost...”
“Thou lost thy shoe; we heard. Is that really the best excuse you could compose, for one of thy private tantrums?”
Celestia has tantrums? How do I respond to this kind of claim? Twilight was more confused than ever.
“It matters not; the guard could use the experience. What matters is our sister’s feelings. Dost thou already miss thy most faithful student, and why dost thou read a book written by thyself?”
I don’t know Celestia’s inner feelings, her psychology. Wait, The Princess misses me... and let me see that book.
Twilight jerked the tome away from Luna’s grasp, and sure enough, the inside cover of Magic Manipulation of Solar Celestial Bodies, had the princess’ name in gold lettering printed on it. How did I miss that?
“Are those letters from Twilight Sparkle? We love reading about thy student's friendship.”
“Wait, no! Don’t read those!” Twilight jumped out of her chair.
“Tia, what are thee... We accept thy challenge!” Twilight had surrounded Luna in a gold aura in pure panic. A darker blue magic promptly covered the white alicorn.
The sisters were both levitated above the ground, having a sort of zero gravity struggle. Neither really had the advantage while floating high above the floor. Repelling magic just sent them swirling around the room. Each thrown book or teleportation was countered with a shield spell or another teleportation.
This is madness! Twilight screamed in her head.
At some point, the pair was thrown against one of the walls while they grappled one and other. “Ha, we are on top! This is the advantageous position. Submit to us Tia. Thou know’st what is coming is inevitable.”
“Never! I won’t let you. It’s a violation of privacy!” Twilight struggled to keep hold of the letters in her magic.
“Thou hast lost; do not deny us our spoils!” Luna shouted in triumph.
“I can still do, this!” Despite the announcement of the attack, a large text connected with the side of Luna’s head. The strike was enough to disrupt Luna's magical grip on her opponent. This gave Twilight the chance to get out from under the Lunar Goddess and run for the tower doors. Luna tried to teleport in front of her sister, but her head was still spinning.
With magic basically useless, the fight for the letters degraded into a physical wrestling match. Twilight clutched the letters with her gold magic, with all her might.
“Ha, now I’m on top!” Twilight declared with triumph.
Luna was quiet and had her eyes closed. Oh no, I hurt her, Celestia is going to... “Ahh haha ha! Stop I... I can’t take it anymore!”
I’m sorry Celestia... I failed you.
Celestia’s body lay panting from the massive tickling she received from Luna's unrelenting wings. Luna began reading the letters nearby, swaying to and fro in jovial victory.
“This is most amusing.” The Moon Princess laughed, in a tone reminiscent of Nightmare Moon.
That’s it. I’m going to be banished. I hope it’s somewhere with books.
“Come, Sister. Let us partake in a warm bath of bubbles together. We are most... unclean. Thou must be going to bed soon and We must return to our duties.”
I should just run away. I can... She called me ‘Sister.’ She hasn’t figured it out? Twilight's eyes reduced to pinpricks. Wait... a bath with the princess? What in the hay is happening?
On her way out the door, Luna noticed her sister was still gawking out the window of Twilight's study. The Princess of the Night, decided the best remedy for this, was with forceful nuzzles to her sister's side towards the royal baths. Perhaps some public embarrassment would break Tia away from her statue impersonation?
Twilight might have wondered why the guards were not so shocked by the sight of the two unkempt Princesses, one of which was being dragged and pushed down the hall upon her Royal Rump. That is, if she wasn't so mortified by the though of bubble baths. Oddly the castle staff only made quiet murmurs when they thought the sisters were out of earshot. A few servants smiled at seeing the obvious display of love between siblings.
At some point along the way, Luna hoofed back the letters, hoping to un-petrify her dearest sister. Luna giggled once Twilight greedily unfurled the letters in her magic and started walking on her own. She read the letters over again as they made their way to the royal chambers.
The first letter was the same as before, but the second had changed. It was no longer addressed to Twilight.
This looks like... my horn-writing?
Dear Princess Celestia,
Sometimes we can get caught up in thinking current events are more dire than they actually are. It is important to step back and take a deep breath. This allows one to gain a realistic and healthy scope of things. Panic only leads to more problems for everypony. Just believe that the sun will rise the next day and everything will be fine.
Speaking of the sun, I was wondering if the specifics on how the sun and moon are moved by alicorn magic could be found in the Great Historical Magics wing of the Canterlot Archives?
Your most faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
PS: How is Princess Luna doing? I hope she does not think I am mad at her for the Nightmare Moon incident. A lot of ponies are still afraid of her. I can’t say I blame them. Don’t tell her I said that.
Twilight winced at the letter’s contents. Both because of what it said, and what it included at the end.
Instead of diagrams, graphs, and equations about the sun, there was a sketch of a pile of ponies fighting over a doll, with Big Macintosh at the top. It was exquisitely detailed. Celestia must have used her best quill.
“Oh Sister, if what Twilight says is true, we must go and clear our name. Perhaps during this Nightmare Night, thou speaketh of dear Tia? Oh, who knew thy student was such an artist as well!”
If Luna had expected an answer, she didn’t wait for one. “It is so responsible of thee to read through thy books, before sending dangerous information to thy student.”
Twilight was barely listening. She was still reviewing the events of the past few hours. Wait... I still have to raise the sun.
"Tia..? Sister?" Luna waved a hoof in front of Twilight's staring visage. "Oh, it appears we must take rash measures! I'll get our favorite luffa to wash thy misgivings away post haste!
***
To be continued.