After the rather embarrassing incident in the bath, Twilight had quickly been escorted by the Night Guard to Canterlot Palace’s guest chambers, where she spent the remainder of the night. The room was a nice balance between fancy and simple, a round chamber with a single small bed and a few pleasant furnishings. The room looked familiar, and a quick glance at the desk showed her a music box with a white porcelain statue in the shape of a ballerina pony. She realized that she’d been there before, just not in her own body.
Of course, just because the bedroom was comfortable doesn’t mean she could sleep in it. She’d returned to Equestria, just like she’d wanted, yet she couldn’t even bring herself close to rest. Her stomach twisted itself into a knot as she flopped about in her bed, trying desperately to identify the emotions weighing heavily on her chest. Nervousness? Excitement? Something in between? Pinkie would probably have a word for it.
She wasn’t even aware of how long she’d been lying there when an unmistakable magic tickled against her horn. She turned to the window to see the sun slowly creeping above the horizon, shedding its golden light onto the countryside. If the sun was rising, then that could only mean one thing.
Twilight bolted out of the bed and scurried out the door, not even feeling the slightest bit tired from her lack of rest. Everything else she could have possibly thought about was unimportant to her in that moment. Her path led her through the familiar halls of the castle, up the stairs of its largest tower, and to a pair of double-doors that she’d seen countless times in her youth. She ignored the shouts of the guards as she nearly bowled them over, pushing past the doors, through the bedroom, and into the balcony beyond. There, standing with graceful poise, was the Diarch of the Sun herself.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight’s cry was equal parts greeting and warning, as she promptly charged towards the elder princess, forelegs wrapping across her chest in a gesture that was at once a tackle and a hug.
“Twilight!” Fortunately, Celestia herself was sturdy enough to withstand any force Twilight could have brought with her body. Unmoved by the impact, she leaned into the gesture and returned with a hug of her own, tightly wrapping her left foreleg around her former student.
Tears flowed in rivulets from Twilight’s eyes, running into Celestia’s coat as she felt her warmth seep into every crevasse of her body. There were so many things that she could say in that moment, so many things she wanted to say, but nothing could make its way far enough to reach her voice. She settled for remaining in Celestia’s embrace, letting her raw emotions speak for her.
To Twilight’s surprise, she’d begun feeling a pattering of water against her back. She pulled away from the hug to see Celestia crying as well, her face a swirling clash of joy, regret, and sadness.
“Princess?” said Twilight. “Is something wrong?”
Celestia smiled, wiping a tear from her eye with a wing. “I... No. Nothing is wrong. I’m so happy that you’re here. I was terrified that I might never see you again. I just...” Celestia let out a sigh. For a brief moment, a look of apprehension passed across her features. “While you were away, I had feared that it was my fault you had left. For as long as I’ve known you, I’d felt terrible about withholding the truth. If I had only told you of your planeswalker spark...”
“What? No! That’s not true!” Twilight hastily interjected. “It’s not your fault, Princess Celestia! I was reckless! I... I just wanted to prove you had nothing to fear! I’d wanted to show you I could handle myself, but I’d just ended up charging headfirst into danger! Please, don’t blame yourself!”
“Even still,” Celestia replied, “perhaps you would have been better prepared if you had known about your own abilities from the beginning. I am sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“It’s okay, Princess,” Twilight reassured. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I left so suddenly. I didn’t stop to think how much I must have scared you.”
Celestia said nothing, instead craning her neck downwards, a gesture that Twilight had understood from the very day she was born. She responded in kind, and the two nuzzled each other closely, sharing a bond that ran far deeper than any mere mentor and student. In moments like these, Twilight was reminded of what Celestia really was. Not just a princess or a teacher, but family.
“It seems you have both learned something important today,” a voice called from the door to the balcony. “I expect you two will write me a friendship letter by the end of the week.”
Twilight pulled away, turning towards the new voice in bewilderment. Blood rushed to her face as she saw who it belonged to. “Eep! P-Princess Luna!”
Luna tilted her head to the side slightly. “You’re not laughing. Was my joke not funny?”
An image of Princess Luna from just the night before, in a very private moment, came to the forefront of Twilight’s mind. “U-um, well...”
Celestia coughed. “I believe I have matters to attend to in my court soon. I’ll be heading down for breakfast.”
Luna nodded. “Of course. Fare thee well, sister. Er, fare you well.”
Celestia smiled, then turned around and stepped past Luna, through her room and into the hall beyond. Twilight’s eyes darted about as she found herself alone with Luna, too embarrassed to look her in the eye.
“Um... Sorry about last night,” was the only thing she could bring herself to say.
Luna was taken aback, looking as though she’d only just remembered what had happened. A luminescent blush crossed her muzzle. “Ah. Right. That. Well, I’ve no reason to remain angry at you, given the apparent fact that it was an accident. But might I make a recommendation?”
“Go right ahead,” said Twilight.
“I would highly recommend you learn to control where you’re planeswalking to,” Luna replied. “If you had appeared while I was with one of my guards, I doubt I would have been so quick to forgive.”
“Wait, your guards? What about them?” Gears turned in Twilight’s mind for a moment, until they suddenly and forcefully snapped into place. “Ew! Luna!”
“I-I would implore you not to read too much into my previous statement,” said Luna, the blush on her face deepening further. “Though I wouldn’t say it’s too much of a secret among the staff.”
Twilight stared slack-jawed at the Lunar Diarch. She absolutely did not need to hear that.
“D-did I say that last part out loud?” Luna stammered. “I... I must go! My people need me!”
Luna’s horn glowed, and she disappeared in a flash of light. As Twilight stood on the now-empty balcony, she wished she had some bleach to clean out her thoughts.
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Despite Twilight’s position, riding on a personal airborne chariot was still a rare privilege for her. In some sense it was unnecessary, given her own abilities, but she still enjoyed getting a chance to truly relax as she watched the scenery fly by. She’d felt bad that the pegasus guards pulling the chariot wouldn’t get the same opportunity, but for their part they didn’t seem to mind.
The chariot eventually touched down just in front of Twilight’s castle, where six familiar ponies and one familiar dragon gathered, eagerly awaiting her arrival. The moment Twilight stepped out of the vehicle, she was immediately tackled by a very large mass of pink.
“Twilight! Ohmigosh! You’re okay!”
The legs wrapping around Twilight squeezed her so hard that it forced a breath out of her chest, yet despite the sudden intrusion of her personal space she couldn’t help but smile. “Glad to see you too, Pinkie. Could you maybe not squeeze so tight?”
“Oops, sorry!” Pinkie pulled away, never once losing the bounce in her stride. Twilight turned to face the rest of her friends. Seeing the joy written on their faces was more valuable to her than all of the books in the world. That feeling turned bittersweet when she thought of how hurt they must have been when she disappeared.
“I’m sorry for abandoning you all,” said Twilight. “I hope I didn’t worry everypony too much.”
“Shucks, Twilight, you don’t need to apologize to us,” said Applejack. “So long as you’re back in one piece, Ah reckon that’s all that matters.”
“Not to mention you got to learn new things about an entirely different universe,” Spike added. “Sounds like a win-win situation if you ask me!”
“Yeah! And you must have had all kinds of awesome adventures!” said Rainbow Dash. “You’ve gotta tell us about them sometime!”
Warmth began swelling up deep within Twilight’s chest, a simple yet powerful feeling that grew stronger by the moment. Without even thinking, she reached out, and she and her friends had all joined together in a massive group hug.
“It’s good to be back,” said Twilight.
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Twilight had spent the next several hours getting some much-needed rest. The past two days, paired with her lack of sleep the previous night, had left her thoroughly exhausted. She’d lightly dozed away in her own bedroom, not deeply enough to be fully asleep, but enough to help regain her energy.
A sudden knocking on her door forced her eyes open, and she slowly sat upright in her bed.
“Come in!” Twilight said through a yawn.
The door slowly opened, and Starlight Glimmer trotted in. “Feeling well rested?” she said.
“More or less,” said Twilight. “I think I’m good for now.” She untangled herself from the sheets and climbed onto the floor. As she did, Starlight’s face twisted into a curious expression.
“Wait, what happened to your tail?”
“Huh?” said Twilight. She turned back and saw the uncomfortably naked appendage extending from the base of her spine. “Oh, shoot! The illusion must have worn off. Here, let me fix that.” A simple spell, and her tail appeared just as new.
“Wow,” said Starlight. “That’s a pretty convincing illusion. Where’d you learn that?”
Twilight grinned. “You could say a friend helped me out.”
“New friend, huh?” said Starlight. “You’ll have to tell me more after we head downstairs. Spike says dinner’s just about ready.”
“Dinner sounds good, thanks,” said Twilight. “Spike didn’t burn anything this time, did he?”
“What? Oh, no, no, no! It’s totally fine!” Starlight hastily replied. “He’s, um... gotten better at cooking, I promise. Just come down and see for yourself.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. There was something slightly off about Starlight’s response. Whatever it was, she decided it wasn’t important, and followed Starlight down to the first floor. As she walked along, Twilight noticed that the path they were taking wasn’t quite right.
“Starlight, where are you going? This isn’t the way to the dining room.”
Starlight paused in her tracks. She turned around, a bead of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. “Oh, um... We’ll be eating in the ballroom, actually.”
“The ballroom?” said Twilight. “Why?”
Starlight laughed nervously. “Just... for a change of pace, you know? Come on then, we don’t want to keep Spike waiting!”
Twilight made a shrugging gesture with her wings, and then followed Starlight further into the crystalline halls. As they approached the massive double-doors, Starlight stood by the door and gestured to Twilight.
“After you,” said Starlight.
Twilight gripped the left door handle in her telekinetic grasp, and pushed the door open. “Thanks Starlight, but you really don’t have to—”
“SURPRISE! Welcome back, Princess Twilight!”
Twilight jumped back at the cacophony of voices shouting in unison. Before her, the ballroom was filled to the brim with vast multitudes of ponies, enough that she could imagine the entire population of Ponyville being there. Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres were lined up among rows of tables, and dozens upon dozens multicolored balloons floated above the room. Hanging across the ceiling was a large white banner, with ‘Welcome Home, Twilight!’ written in bright, bold purple letters.
In hindsight, Twilight realized that she probably should have seen this coming.
Pinkie Pie hurried up to Twilight with her trademark bounce, sporting her even-more-trademark grin. “Well, what do you think? Isn’t it just amazing? It was really, really, super hard getting this all set up on such short notice, but I did it just in time!”
Twilight chuckled inwardly, and shook her head. “Pinkie, you really didn’t have to do this all just for me.”
Pinkie giggle-snorted. “Of course I did, silly! Now how about you go up on stage and give your speech?”
Twilight blinked. “Wait, speech?”
“Well yeah,” said Pinkie. “You can’t just disappear off the face of this whole plane of existence for two days and not give any explanation, right? And don’t worry about telling them about all the planeswalker stuff. Just come up with a cover story! It’ll be easy!” She gave Twilight what was probably supposed to be a reassuring nudge on the shoulder, but hit just a little bit too hard for comfort. Pinkie didn’t always seem to be entirely aware of her own strength.
“R-right. Speech. Of course.” As Pinkie bounced away, Twilight looked around the room. With so many ponies gathered, there was no way she could feasibly escape from the situation. She was a princess, after all, and the role came with plenty of social expectations.
Twilight let out a sigh. She supposed she would have to explain her absence, sooner or later. A simple flap of her wings, and she flew over to the stage, standing before the gathered crowd. Her eyes darted around the room, and she grabbed a glass and fork from distant table, levitating them both towards her.
Clearing her throat, Twilight gently tapped the fork against the glass. “If I could have everypony’s attention please!” All at once, the room went quiet, and all other eyes fell on her. “Now, you all may be wondering where I’ve been for the past two days...”
Her words trailed off when she noticed something unusual standing amid the crowd. Both of the Royal Sisters were present, something which was itself mildly unconventional, as they normally only appeared at her castle for extra-special occasions. But they weren’t the ones her attention was focused on. Her attention was focused on another group that stood near the back of the ballroom, away from the others. Five hooved, quadrupedal figures, entirely unfamiliar in their forms, yet all of which held an unmistakable appearance.
Twilight couldn’t believe her eyes. Somehow, the Gatewatch had followed her back to Equestria.
First among them was Jace, a pegasus with a sky-blue coat and ruffled black mane, his face and body etched with the same glowing lines they had before. Draped over the front half of his body was the same blue robe with the hood pulled back, though an extra pair of holes had seemingly been placed in the back to accommodate his new wings. The robe had stopped just short enough of his abdomen to reveal his cutie mark, a drop of water with a single band of mysterious white glyphs encircling it.
Chandra had been turned into a pegasus as well, her eggshell-white coat matching her long red mane surprisingly well. She wore the same goggles as always, as well as the same red armor on her chest, though it too had been modified to accommodate her wings. Her cutie mark was a single upraised human fist, with a deep crimson fireball circling around it in a clockwise direction.
Gideon was a massive earth pony, even larger than Big Macintosh, so large that he looked like he could pull a mile-long freight train all by himself. His coat was a sandy tan that complemented his greasy chocolate-brown mane and shaggy fetlocks, and his torso was covered in the same shining chestplate that he wore as a human. His cutie mark was a large, gleaming silver shield with a stylized orange-and-yellow sun on the front. To Twilight’s utter disbelief, it was the exact same sun that adorned Princess Celestia’s flank.
Nissa, oddly, didn’t look to be a pony at all, but had instead transformed into a deer with pine green fur. Her body was small, thin, and wiry; it appeared almost fragile. Yet Twilight could tell even at first glance that this appearance was deceptive, as her eyes remained bright chartreuse and pupilless, glowing with an inner strength that seemed truly insurmountable. Unusually for a deer, she had a cutie mark, a sturdy-looking tree with vines creeping up the trunk and multicolored flowers adorning its leaves. While all the other members of the Gatewatch wore some kind of clothing in their new forms, Nissa’s body was completely bare.
Lastly, there was Liliana, the only unicorn of the group. Her body was taller and more slender than most ponies, her elongated legs giving her the appearance of a graceful stride even as she stood still. Yet even despite her elegant look, there was an undeniable air of danger to her, made all the more clear by an unusually long and curved horn that looked like it could have been used to impale someone. Her coat was ash-grey and her mane so black that it seemed to suck the light out of the room, the only hint of color to it being her usual golden headgear that curved like a demon’s horns. Her body was covered in a fancy purple dress made of silk, paired with knee-high black boots on all four of her legs. Though Twilight couldn’t see the cutie mark behind the dress, she couldn’t help but shudder internally at the thought of what it could be. Probably something like a human skull wrapped in a tendril of pure darkness.
In her stunned silence, Twilight hadn’t noticed that the rest of the crowd was growing ever more restless. Their eyes pierced straight through her, awaiting her to continue her statement. “Oh, right! Sorry! As I was saying, you may have all been wondering where I’ve been for the past two days. The truth is...”
Twilight paused. She hadn’t even bothered to think of a cover story yet. But what could she say? What excuse could she give? What explanation could she offer that wouldn’t immediately raise suspicion? All important questions, but there was one that loomed tall above all of the others, so much that it totally eclipsed them in importance.
Did she want to give a cover story?
If Twilight had known about planeswalkers before, she could have been so much better prepared. She was thrust into a wider multiverse with barely any idea of what to expect, or of what to do. And though planeswalkers were extraordinarily uncommon, there would no doubt come a day when another planeswalker in Equestria ascended, and they would be left even more poorly prepared than her. She couldn’t let that happen to another pony. She couldn’t let them face a potentially hostile world completely alone.
“...The truth is, I’m not like most ponies,” said Twilight. Dozens upon dozens of strange looks were levied at her, but she abruptly cut them off with a raised hoof. “And I don’t mean that I’m an alicorn. I was different from other ponies before I’d ever earned my wings. The truth is... I’m a planeswalker.”
The crowd broke out into a cacophony of confused murmurs and bewildered mutterings. Those of them that already knew of Twilight’s true nature, meanwhile, looked utterly shocked that she’d divulge such a secret.
Twilight tapped the glass and fork together, more loudly this time, and the room once again fell silent. “Now, most of you probably don’t know what a planeswalker is. To put it simply, it means that from a very young age I possessed a rare gift: the ability to travel between planes of existence. For most of my life I hadn’t known of such an ability, until I’d learned of it two days ago.”
The crowd began chattering to themselves even louder, threatening to drown out any other noise that could be heard. A slight bubble of annoyance began to form in Twilght’s chest, yet she restrained herself enough to not chastise the entire town of Ponyville at once. A simple ‘a-hem’ was enough to return their attention to her.
“...As you can imagine, when I learned I had such a power, I ended up in a plane beyond my understanding. I was lost, frightened, and left all alone to fend for myself in a seemingly hostile world. But I learned that, even when it seems like there’s not a soul alive that can help you, you’ll always be able to find friends who are willing to look after you. Everypony, I’d like to introduce you to my friends, the Gatewatch.” Twilight gestured to the back of the room, and all at once the crowd turned their eyes towards the strange new visitors from outside the plane.
“Gah!” Chandra cried out. “Twilight, what do you think you’re doing!? We were trying to be inconspicuous! Jace threw up a perception thingy and everything!”
Despite the range of confused and horrified looks crossing his companions’ faces, Gideon let out a laugh. It was a deep, reverberating belly-laugh, filled with so much mirth that it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
“Well! So much for that, then!” said Gideon. “Might as well make the best of our new situation, wouldn’t you agree?”
Nissa shifted uncomfortably. “Um, Gideon?”
“Yes?” said Gideon. “What is it?”
Nissa looked ahead, pointing with a cloven hoof. “That.”
Right in the space where Nissa was pointing, Princess Celestia had approached, staring down at the five planeswalkers with narrowed eyes. Her normally relaxed posture had snapped into a rigid straightness, towering above everything else, like an obelisk of raw power piercing the sky.
“So you would all be planeswalkers, then?” Celestia’s voice was quiet, yet it the words it carried were loud enough to drown out all other sound. “And you had taken Twilight under your care?”
Jace and Nissa both looked apprehensive, while Chandra was almost trembling in place, despite her obvious efforts to look unafraid. Liliana stared back defiantly, her lips twisted into a sneer.
Gideon, however, did not seem perturbed in the slightest. Rather, he almost immediately dropped into a bow, a universal gesture of reverence. “Indeed we are. I am honored to be in your presence, Celestia.”
Celestia’s imposing demeanor faltered, if only for a moment. “You know my name?”
Gideon lifted his head, just enough to meet Celestia’s eyes. “Of course. Twilight had mentioned you in passing before. From the way she spoke your name, I knew who you were the moment you approached us.”
Celestia’s face remained unreadable. “I see. In that case, I would like to know the names of you and your companions.”
“I am Gideon Jura. The others you see here are Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, Nissa Revane, and Liliana Vess.” He gestured to each of the other members of the Gatewatch as he introduced them. “We are known as the Gatewatch, and it is our sworn duty to protect the multiverse.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Very well, Gatewatch. Now that you are in my domain, there is something that I must tell you. For many centuries, I have watched over this plane, remaining vigilant against any outsiders that may threaten it. I have dedicated nearly all of my power to protecting my little ponies, and I am willing to make any sacrifice I have to in order to preserve their safety. That being said, however...”
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Celestia immediately dropped down, returning Gideon’s gesture with a deep bow of her own. “...you all have my deepest gratitude. For looking after Twilight, and for ensuring her safe return.” As she stood herself back up to her full height, she shot the astonished Gatewatch a mischievous smirk. “Well, what are you waiting for? This is a celebration, isn’t it? Have fun!”
As Celestia walked away, Gideon turned towards his companions, meeting their baffled faces with a grin. “You heard her. Let’s go out there and enjoy ourselves!”
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Concord Celebration 3W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land is tapped for mana, its controller creates a 1/1 white Horse creature token.
In times of peace, the ponies of Equestria flock to celebrations of harmony and friendship.