//------------------------------// // Under the Stars // Story: My Own Wings // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Celestia stared down at her guard, a deep frown on her face hiding the emotional turmoil within. "Let's start at the beginning," she spoke up calmly. "You were leading the group escorting my personal student, Sunset Shimmer, back to her room so she could retrieve her belongings before removing herself from palace grounds." "Yes, Your Highness," the unicorn guard confirmed, the white coloration caused by the armor's spells helping to hide just how pale he was from feeling his monarch's displeasure. "You were to escort her to Ponyville, where she would take up residence in the library where she could continue her research without access to more dangerous books, and be constantly exposed to other ponies, in the hopes she would make emotional connections - friends - to offset her desire for power," Celestia continued firmly. "That was the itinerary, Your Highness," the guard agreed, doing his best to keep from shaking. "And as you were passing this chamber-" Celestia gestured with one wing to the enclosed, heavily protected room that had been forcibly breached, and the mirror portal that sat sparking in the middle. "This completely off-limits room, she managed to overpower...how many of you?" "...four, Your Highness," the guard allowed, suddenly getting visions of the unemployment office, the dungeons, or even the headsmare's block. "She magically overpowered four guards, and made a dash for this room," Celestia continued. "And so you get the idea to...what was it again?" "Fire a stunner spell, Highness," the guard continued, certain now this would be his epitaph. "Yes, you fired a stunner spell at a mare who had already demonstrated she had more magic than four of you combined," Celestia continued. "A spell that relies on trying to weaken the magic in the one it hits to destabilize them into unconsciousness. A spell that doesn't work on casters with magical power in excess of the caster by any significant magnitude, making it only useful for apprehending standard criminals, and a waste of magic against rogue spellcasters, such as my personal student. You fired this spell into the off-limits chamber known to store dangerous, classified magical artifacts. You thought this was a good idea?" The guard swallowed convulsively, certain he was staring into the face of death as she frowned down at him. He had no idea what he could say now. Thankfully, Celestia had no interest in what he had to say at this point. "And it hit the mirror, just as she dove in with her personalized saddlebags stuffed full of spellbooks. Books that are inherently magical, mind." She lowered her head to meet the guard's gaze. "Do you have anything to say for yourself...Private?" The former Lieutenant swallowed, accepting the demotion as a grace compared to any other punishment his monarch might send his way. "No, Your Highness." "Then report to your Captain for proper disciplinary measures," she instructed firmly. She made a mental note to determine what, exactly, those measures would be when she wasn't barely hiding how overwrought she was. As soon as the guard fled, Celestia turned her attention back to the mirror. The portal it contained had been destabilized by the stunner spell, causing it to lose its anchor to the world on the opposite side. While nothing too worrisome normally - it would eventually reanchor itself somewhere before resuming its normal 30 moon cycle - for someone to be inside the portal in that state...it would spit them out somewhere unknown, space-time coordinates completely randomized...assuming they survived at all. "Oh, my shimmering sunshine..." Celestia whimpered softly, staring at the mirror and struggling to hold back tears. "Makers watch over you and keep you safe...please be alive..." The planet of Corneria was the jewel of the Lylat System. Careful planning in its development meant that sprawling cities soared in harmony with nature, keeping it a verdant world full of plant and animal life, with safe havens from any attack from outside within the holes and caverns of the porous, volcanic rock of its structure. Despite the huge population, it remained a paradise perfectly balanced between technological advancement and natural beauty. This was presently lost on the young brown fox stomping his way through the streets, a bottle in his hand as he swayed along. 15 year old Fox McCloud had just dropped out of the Academy, grabbed a bottle out of his Dad's liquor cabinet, and gone looking for someplace to be in absolute silence and contemplation. He knew his friends Falco and Slippy would be around somewhere, probably keeping an eye on him...likely at Peppy's request. Fox didn't care. He'd just learned that his Dad was...gone. Missing, presumed dead, because of Pigma's betrayal. Pigma had been James and Peppy's friend, but he'd handed them over to Andross, and James had just barely managed to get Peppy away to deliver the message. And now Fox was supposed to inherit the Great Fox - James McCloud's warship base - and the Star Fox combat team dedicated to protecting the Lylat System...but all Fox could think about was the fact he was now an orphan. "What's the point?" he grumbled irritably as he took another swig from his bottle. He didn't care that he was technically too young to drink, he didn't want to think. "Dad tried...tried everything to save the galaxy...and what good did it do him? What good did it do anyone?" Seeing an old mirror leaned up against a tree, he stared at his miserable expression. Glowering at himself, he threw his arms up dismissively. "So what if this is horrible?" he demanded angrily. "What does it matter if I don't follow in Dad's footsteps? He's gone...and I can't do anything! What is there left that's worth fighting for?" He turned to the sky. "Go on!" he shouted at the uncaring heavens. "Show me something worth fighting for!" The mirror suddenly blazed with light, and something small shot out of it. The tiny ball of red, yellow, and orange smacked Fox right in the face, sending him head over heels as he tumbled to the ground amidst a shower of books and papers. "...that settles it," he murmured unpleasantly. "The universe hates me..." At that moment, a piercing wail cut through his upset. Turning, he saw that the tiny ball that had hit him was an infant, and of a sort he'd never encountered before. Like most denizens of the Lylat system - and all residents of Corneria - she resembled a bipedal animal with a fur covered body. The shape of her muzzle and the long mane and tail suggested equinoid, a species rare but not unknown in the Lylat system. The horn in the center of her forehead, however, was something completely new. "...a unicorn?" Fox murmured as he lifted the little girl into the air. "Well, you don't see that every day..." He glanced at the mostly full bottle. "I didn't think I'd had that much..." The little foal turned to look up at him with large, scared green eyes. She let out a soft whimper, looking like she was about to burst into tears again. Fox quickly looked around for something to pacify her, and wound up stuffing a journal with a stylized sun on the front into her arms. She squealed happily as she clung to it, quieting. As she clung to the book, Fox was surprised to see the same mark on the girl's flanks, like some sort of brand. It was at that point he noticed she was also naked. Unsure what else to do, he pulled off his shirt and wrapped her up in it. "Okay...baby comes flying out of a mirror..." Turning, he moved to examine the mirror. "Please say this is normal..." Much to his frustration, the mirror appeared to be completely ordinary glass. "What to do, what to do...?" Glancing around, he saw a set of bags with a narrow strap between them. The books and papers had spilled out of them, and they bore the same mark that the journal and the filly did. Moving quickly, he gathered up the materials. "Alright, here's hoping Peppy has a clue what's going on, and doesn't shrug this all off as me being drunk..." Turning, he headed purposefully back to the family residence in Corneria City.