//------------------------------// // 5 - Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, Part 2 // Story: The Conversion Bureau: The Last Week // by Cloudhammer //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Celestia and Twilight February 27th, 2053 The Day of Rejection Everything was fire. Wait, no, that was wrong. Wherever she was, there was no air for fire to burn. But all the same, Twilight Sparkle burned. Nothing so mundane as her physical flesh and bone, she dimly realized. That had been disintegrated in the last seconds of the spell— She doubled over as another jolt of power thundered through and around her, the maelstrom stripping pieces of her essence free as she tumbled head over hooves. She flailed about in an attempt to right herself, and only succeeded in tearing off one of her… forelegs? Watching it blankly, she felt that it should hurt for some reason, but it didn’t. Her mind felt hazy, the roaring in her ears worsening with every second. Or was it hours? ”Twilight!” Celestia’s scream suddenly echoed in her mind, and it was like a door slamming open. Logic began working overtime to impose itself on the illogical that she drifted in, and with a straining whinny she began to exert her will on her detached limb. She was Twilight Sparkle, and she’d walk into Tartarus to kick Cerberus in all three faces before she let any spell beat her! Gradually, the leg wriggled back towards its owner, tendrils of purple light emerging from her stump to reattach it in place. She checked her other three legs and fought back panic as she felt that pieces of them were fading from her existence as well. She gritted her teeth and fixed the image of what she was supposed to look like at her core, even as another burst of impossibility washed over her. This time it was ants, jaws snapping at her memories. Celestia paced anxiously, ethereal mane whipping wildly as she tried to think of what to do. It was a decidedly unpleasant feeling for her, given the breadth of her experience. At the far end of the hall, Twilight’s friends and family were huddled in shared grief. Luna was with them, but after she met Celestia’s gaze she excused herself and trotted over. “It shouldn’t have been her, Luna,” Celestia whispered once her sister was close enough. “It should have been—“ “Celestia, sister, I know you are speaking from grief, but I will not have you dishonor Twilight’s sacrifice by completing that sentence.” Celestia bristled, her mane starting to smolder with sullen heat. “It was not Twilight’s time, she had such potential…” Luna stood her ground, expression cool. “Twilight chose this, Celestia. She knew the risks of the spell, but she also knew what was at stake. It pains me to say it, but I daresay I knew more of the potential she carried than even you did. When the Elements cleansed me of the Nightmare’s poison, I felt that, given the right circumstances, she might even be capable of ascension.” She blinked. “Sister… did you…?” Abruptly, Celestia’s mane calmed, and her knees felt weak. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, voice weak. Luna opened her mouth, though whether to console or berate her sister would remain unknown as all three alicorns felt a brief tingle of magic. Not even enough to warrant an afterthought, yet there all the same. “Twilight?” Celestia asked, not daring to acknowledge the spark of hope that ignited in her heart. Across the hall, Cadance spoke quickly with Shining Armor, Spike and the Element bearers. Everypony froze for a moment, then the entire group was stampeding across the room. “What happened?” “What do you mean Twilight’s here?” Where is she?” “She better be okay!” The shouts came one right after the other, the worry plain as day on all their faces. “ENOUGH!” Celestia’s voice boomed, cutting short the deluge of questions. “I'm sorry. I know that you are as worried for Twilight’s well-being as we are. But time is extremely short and we must act quickly if she is to be saved.” “My sister is correct, even if she needs to practice her royal voice.” Luna flicked her ears. “Sister, will you go?” Celestia’s body was already glowing a soft white, her eyes somber. “Of course… If I can, I’ll bring her back to us…” In a pulse of light, she dissolved into a cloud of glowing dust which quickly dissipated. Applejack was the first to get her jaw off the floor. “What in tarnation does she mean ‘if’?” Luna opened her mouth, but Cadance spoke first. “She means that where Twilight is… is the place ponies go when they… pass on. It’s… difficult to explain, but the very nature of that place is to ease ponies into the Great Herd, and it would take an unbelievably powerful will to be able to resist it for even a short time.” “So how come the Princess can go?” Rainbow demanded. Luna frowned at the spot her sister had occupied. “My sister, Cadance and myself are not normal ponies… Even more than what we show through our existence here in this world. Due to the nature of our powers, the majority of our essence must actually exist outside of the world, or… like my sister and I, otherwise be separated.” “That just don’t make a lick of sense!” Applejack protested. “Then where is the rest of you and Celestia at?” Luna didn’t reply and simply looked up. Applejack followed her gaze, squinting as the sun emerged from behind some clouds. “Oh.” Celestia shuddered as she materialized, the rest of her self pouring into her. Her awareness spread through the space she floated in, soothing and calming the maelstrom into her usual meditation platform… Only to encounter a wall. She frowned, bringing her senses to bear on the object. It wasn’t a wall, she realized, but a sphere, formed of adamant and hope, of friendship and sheer power. She extended a hoof toward it, only for a violent surge of magic to knock her back. A voice echoed from within the sphere, overlapping with itself, but unmistakable all the same. ”STAY AWAY!” “Twilight, it’s me, Celestia!” Her wonder at her student’s survival quickly turned to fear as she gingerly probed the sphere. “That sphere is killing you!” ”NO, IT’S SAVING ME!” Twilight’s voice boomed back. “It’s draining your soul to keep itself intact, but before long it’ll consume you to nothingness! You won’t even enter the Great Herd!” Celestia pressed closer, her power clashing with the sphere. ”WHAT DO I DO? iT HURtS So BadLY MaKe it STOP!” Twilight’s presence wavered, and for a moment Celestia feared it would collapse, but it stabilized a heartbeat later. What should she tell her? There was no magic that Twilight could cast that would work, and without a physical shell on hand, Celestia couldn’t transfer her soul into it. Even if there were, the amount of raw power still clinging to Twilight from Rejection would vaporize a good deal of the surrounding area… “Twilight, I have an idea. I cannot promise it will work, only that it gives you a chance.” She took a deep breath. “You must let it in, the power you wielded while connected to the Rejection spell array.” ”wHAt? hoW hOw WiLL thAt help HELP?” Twilight asked, the sphere’s surface rippling as the etheric storm began to intensify. Celestia struggled to keep her footing. “Twilight, if it works, you may ascend… you’d become like myself, like Luna and Cadance.” ”But BUT I I I…” Twilight’s voice was lost as the howl of energy grew to ear-shattering levels. ”TWILIGHT! YOU MUST CHOOSE! DO NOT BE AFRAID!” Celestia shouted as the storm knocked her backward. As she tumbled, she saw the sphere condensing further, starting to take the vaguest equine form. ’That’s it, Twilight. I have faith in you.’ In a flash of light, Celestia emerged into the material world, shedding fire and magic as the bulk of herself remained behind. With a crash she struck the wall of the throne room, melting a half-circle into it. “Sister!” Luna shouted, moving at once to her side. “What happened? Is Twilight Sparkle still with us?” The others waited anxiously for her response. “I… I told her all I could in the time I had. Whether she survives now is up to her…” It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts so bad make it stop… Round and round her head, or at least what she thought was her head, Twilight’s slowly degrading mind tried to keep itself together. Despite her best efforts, pieces of herself were sloughing off into the void, and she couldn’t contain it all while maintaining her core. What was it Celestia had said? It felt like an eon had passed in the seconds since her mentor had been blown out of the space. She could still feel traces of Celestia’s power, her mantle, fading into the wind. “To live, I must choose.” The words rang clear as a bell in her head, and briefly, the storm subsided. Twilight seized on it, feeling energy welling up not only inside her, but from the area around her. Celestia had said that she might ascend, become like her… Realization struck: When Celestia had entered the void-space, her presence had ballooned in strength, almost as if that extra self was held outside of the material world. Given her connection to the sun, it made sense. Luna and Cadance would therefore operate under similar conditions, and if that were the case, the by logical extension… As Twilight’s mind raced through her thought processes, she didn’t notice the storm of power around her calming, transforming. Gradually, it became a whirlpool, centering around her nugget of consciousness. She felt her limbs and horn reforming, surprised that she’d not even noticed their loss. Next came organs and bones and flesh, her body filling out again as she slowly put herself back together… The throne room was as silent as a tomb, Spike and the Element Bearers sleeping on cots that had been brought in. Cadance and Shining Armor had retired to their own chambers for the night. Celestia and Luna had maintained their vigil over the star mark burned into the floor, leaving only to ensure the sun and moon traded places successfully. It was a novel experience for the two of them, having a spherical world to move their respective celestial bodies around. “I still say sooner rather than later,” Luna argued. “It’d only take a minor adjusting of physics, maybe some minor tidal disruptions, but it solves the problems a spherical world presents.” Celestia couldn’t help the small smile. “Or we could just be less lazy and keep the sun and moon present at all times and keep them in rotation. Honestly, I’d not have expected you to give up having a moon that wasn’t a physiothaumatic object.” Luna grumbled, but smiled too. “I suppose I shall weigh its merits. It admittedly would come in handy to have a vacation castle away from any beggars and supplicants.” “Don’t call our subjects that!” Celestia snorted in amusement. She sighed. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it?” Luna nodded, her expression downcast. “I am afraid so. From what you told me, Twilight came closer than any mortal could be expected...” she trailed off as the wind began to pick up. “Do you feel that?” Celestia’s ears pricked up, an inaudible ringing pressing in on her skull. “Could it be…?” Realizing the Element Bearers were still present, she quickly cast a shielding spell around them. The ringing continued to build in intensity, and before long the floor and walls were vibrating. Spike was the first to feel it, instantly bounding to his feet. “What’s happening?” He raised his snout, sniffing at the air as the wind began to blow harder. “Twilight?” The Element Bearers were not far behind him, their exhaustion quickly leaving them as the air began to crackle with static electricity. The shield kept it from affecting their fur, much to Rarity’s relief, but the wind soon had their manes whipping violently. In the center of the throne room, a point of light appeared. Tinged with purple and dark pink flecks, it pulsed like a heart, slowly growing brighter and brighter with each beat. “Is… is that…?” Rarity whispered, captivated by the glow. Suddenly, the light thud-thudded before it exploded into a six-pointed star, casting the entire room in deep purple light. Everypony except for Celestia and Luna had to shield their eyes, while the alicorns stared intently as a curled form became visible within. Celestia held her breath as the light began to fade, the equine shape inside falling softly to its hooves. As the braziers replaced the purple glow with their normal light, Twilight shakily rose to her hooves. “T-Twilight? Is it truly you?” The question was, for the most part, rhetorical. It was definitely Twilight Sparkle standing in front of her, but the differences quickly presented themselves. Her coat was more lustrous, not quite like the crystal ponies of old, but there was a definite ripple of magic running through it. Her mane was much the same, but it did not wave in etheric wind like Celestia’s or Luna’s. The biggest change was in her presence: She simply oozed magic, almost the equivalent of a leyline well. Twilight blinked, long and slow, almost a test that her eyes in fact worked. She similarly stretched out her legs, her neck, her wings— She froze simultaneously with everypony else present, staring incredulously at her new appendages. “Wait, I have wings?” And thus were spoken the first words of a newborn goddess.