Celestia and Luna trod into the castle’s ready room, the former making sure to slam the door shut behind them. The room itself was very simplistic by design: four barren walls, a long, rectangular table with eight seats around it, and a single counter with a coffee maker on it.
Luna, whose eyes were still wide with confusion, was the first to take a seat. Celestia followed suit and sat directly across from her. The elder sister could feel her muscles tensing and shaking more violently with every second that passed. She was no stranger to potentially catastrophic situations, but they never got any more comfortable to handle.
Celestia closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The steady rise and fall of her chest served to clear some of the fogginess building in her mind. It wasn’t much more than a stop-gap solution, but it helped. After one final exhale, she slowly opened her eyes and addressed her sister, who was patiently waiting for an explanation.
“Luna,” Celestia stated, leaning over the table. “I’m sure you can tell, but the situation at hoof is not a simple fantasy or coincidence, as much as I wish it were.”
Luna nodded. “Yes, you did say as much. But, sister, outside of Discord playing the occasional trick on our citizens, I’ve never heard of anything quite like this happening before. The way they had described their issues to me made it seem that the state of matter itself was changing.”
“It would appear that way,” Celestia replied. “Shifting clocks, food spoiling, mail from the future; it’s all quite difficult to grasp, I agree. But, I do have a very valid reason for believing that something serious is happening here.”
“Besides the multitude of ponies experiencing the same issue, you mean?” Luna questioned. “Frankly, I’m unsure of what to believe at this point.”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. Well, I have a compelling argument to support these stories. I experienced something of a similar nature last night.”
Luna rose an eyebrow. “Last night? Pray tell, what happened?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out, myself,” the elder sister replied, shaking her head. “All I wanted was some tea to help me sleep. I had a conversation with a lovely young maid, uh… Missy! That was her name. She was sweeping, so I made the tea myself. I leave for no more than two minutes and come back to find the tea is completely cold and stale! As if that wasn’t strange enough, I leave again and find Missy. This time, however, she claims we hadn’t even spoken that night, and I kid you not, the clock was set back by a full hour.”
Luna blinked several times before cautiously opening her mouth to speak. “I see… Are you sure you’re not simply overusing those sleeping pills the doctor prescribed? Warning labels are there for a good reason.”
Celestia shot a glare at her. “Yes, I am sure, Luna.”
Her sister shrugged. “In that case, I see your point. But, what does it mean? Was time going backward? Or forward? What do you make of it?”
“I have no idea,” Celestia replied, rubbing her forehead. “For all I know, I could’ve been sleepwalking, and maybe I am just confused.”
Luna shook her head. “No, I would’ve noticed. You were dreaming about the Saddlestreet Colts, though.”
“I thought we talked about entering my dreams,” Celestia snarled. “Ugh, never mind. We’ll deal with that later. For right now, though, we need answers. Time can’t just change on its own. We know that much. Plus, I can’t ignore the fact that so many citizens experienced similar issues. To sweep it under the rug now would be extremely negligent.”
“Yes,” Luna replied. “I agree. And as far as what we know about time, it can only be altered when acted on by an external and potent magical source. Do you think that Discord may have a hoof in this?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Celestia stated. “But if you remember, he and Fluttershy have been on some nature excursion for the past few days, and I highly doubt he’d leave her side for anything less than an emergency.” Celestia traced her hoof in circles over the table. “On top of that, we don’t even know if this is a magical time-breaking force, or if something else entirely is at play.”
Luna nodded. “Also agreed. Besides Discord, do we know anypony that possesses the ability to cast a spell of this magnitude? Assuming this is a more severe problem, that is.”
Celestia rubbed her chin for a moment. “Twilight and Starlight both know basic spells regarding time displacement, but nothing that could be this damaging and sporadic. Not to mention they can only cause tears on a localized level, much less across the kingdom. A spell this widespread would require a huge investment of magical ability.”
“As far as ponies we’re aware of, then,” Luna turned her eyes to the ceiling for a moment in thought before bringing them back toward her sister, “that leaves nopony else. It simply must be Discord up to his old tricks.”
“Either that,” Celestia tapped her hoof on the table a few times. “Or we could be looking at something much more sinister at play. I sincerely hope it’s the former, however.”
“A new enemy?”
“Perhaps. Or it may also be some magical force we’re not familiar with, yet.” Celestia leaned back in her chair, relaxing her muscles ever so slightly. “There are always new phenomena making their presence felt in our land, and I doubt we know everything there is to know about the world in which we live. This may be a simple act of nature, somehow.”
“That’s a possibility,” Luna agreed. “But there’s no way to be sure. What if the situation worsens? If a new enemy is to blame for this, then it won’t be long before our citizens start becoming victims of this phenomena. I do believe we need to bring Discord in and at least confront him about it. He is the most likely suspect in this.”
Celestia sighed. “It would appear that way.”
Silence took over the room for just a moment between them. Celestia always hated these war room meetings. Often, idle speculation and hopeful strategy were the norms. But this situation, this seemed far more dangerous than a prototypical bug bear attack, or a villain resurfacing for an ill-fated attempt at revenge.. Perhaps it was only because this wasn’t something Celestia had personally experienced before, but something felt exceptionally off about it.
She needed answers and needed them fast.
“You know what?” Celestia asked, rising to her hooves. “I’m not ready to bring Discord in, right now. If this is a magical issue, then we need an expert on the subject, not somepony who will talk in riddles and avoid the subject.”
Luna grinned. “Personally, I find his riddles quite amusing.”
Her sister nodded her agreement. “At times, I do too. But unfortunately, we simply don’t have the time for it.”
“So, what’s our plan of action, then?” Luna asked, rising to her hooves as well.
“Starswirl. He’s still in town, is he not?”
Luna bobbed her head. “Yes. I believe he’s staying at the Sunrise Motel while refining one of his latest theories.He’s preparing for his seminar this weekend.”
Celestia rolled her eyes and emitted a small chuckle. “That stallion never changes. Magic this, magic that. Anyhow, if there’s anything magical going on, he’ll be able to provide information about it. I’m going to send one of the guards for him, and we’ll get his opinion on the matter. Perhaps he can see something we can’t.”
Luna nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”
“And Luna?” Celestia asked, her magic aura enveloping the door handle.
“Yes, sister?”
Celestia pointed a hoof at the coffee maker. “Please grab some hot water and get some coffee going. This is going to be a long day.”
“Yes, yes, yes, I’m moving as fast as I can.” Starswirl entered the meeting room with one of the guard ponies. He let out a huff. “I’m old. I can only keep up with you guards for so long.”
“My apologies, sir,” the guard said, pointing towards a seat in the room next to Luna. “But the matter is quite urgent, or so I was told.”
He nodded. “Very well, then. Thank you for at least guiding me through the copious amount of ponies outside. It’s like a war zone out there.”
The guard briefly bowed before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. Starswirl, for his part, took his seat next to Luna and glanced back and forth between the two.
“Celestia, Luna. It is a pleasure to see you, as always. I take it you are doing well?”
Celestia shook her head. “If only that were the case.”
“Oh?”
Luna spoke up this time. “We shan’t beat around the bush. There appears to be a Magical disturbance of some kind overtaking the kingdom, Starswirl. We’re not sure what to do, to be perfectly honest.”
“We’re not even sure what it is, even,” Celestia stated, widening her eyes. “But, we’re hoping you might. You’ve studied magic more than anypony in existence, so we wanted your opinion, first.”
“I see,” he replied. “I’ll certainly do what I can to help, of course.”
“Thank you very much.” Celestia let out a sigh. “We have what we think is a magic-based phenomenon. However, we can’t be sure.”
Starswirl chuckled. “Considering all the terrors that you seem to run into in Equestria, I suppose it could be any number of things. But, tell me what you know about the phenomena, and I’ll see if I can make any sense of it.”
“What do you know about time magic?” Celestia leaned forward on the table.
“Time magic?” The elderly stallion raised an eyebrow. “I know that it’s nothing but trouble. I can tell you that much.”
“Please,” Luna interjected. “Any information you have could be crucial. How many ponies can use it? How powerful is it? My sister and I, unfortunately, are not trained or learned in it beyond the most basic of principals.”
“This is serious, I take it.” He stroked his famed beard a few times, casting a glance toward the ceiling. “Well, I know that it can be hazardous. Its effects range from cooking your food a tad faster to destroying the world itself, bit by bit.”
Celestia’s eyes widened to the size of a dinner plate. “But, nopony has the power to use magic that powerful, do they?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” he replied. “The only creature I can think of that would have magic remotely powerful enough to do such a thing would be Discord. But even he would know better than to unleash a power like that. And frankly, his magic is more chaotic than destructive.”
Celestia bobbed her head. “I can agree with you, there.”
Starswirl cocked his head to the side. “Something tells me you needed me here for more than just a magic lesson and idle speculation. What’s this phenomenon you mentioned? Do you have any specific details you could share?”
“Time distortions.” Celestia’s face was set in stone, a grave stillness in her eyes. “Time moving backward in some places, forward in others. They’re happening everywhere from what I can tell.”
The stallion sat back in his chair, his eyes remaining focused on Celestia’s. “So, that large group of ponies out there…”
“Are all here to express their concern about what appears to be the same issue,” Luna chimed in. “This is no small ordeal. Even my sister claims to have experienced something out of the ordinary. Isn’t that right, Celestia?”
Celestia nodded. “That is correct. Just last night I witnessed time seem to go backward, and at the same time, my tea grew cold in a matter of two minutes. Frankly, there’s something bizarre going on, and I don’t know what to make of it.”
“Hmm,” Starswirl leaned back in his seat. “This sounds like an odd case, indeed. If it were just the citizens claiming to have seen things, I’d chalk it up to simple nightmares. But since you’ve seen this alleged time distortion as well…”
“Do you think there’s any way you can help us resolve this issue?” Luna asked. “I know not of what other effects it could have on the kingdom should these events worsen.”
“I’m honestly not sure,” Starswirl replied. “Without having a direct subject to study, such as an item under the effect of the disturbance, my ability to resolve it is limited. However, I do know a few things based on what you’ve told me.”
Celestia and Luna both looked at him intently.
“Here’s what I know.” He leaned forward and darted his eyes between the two sisters. “Magic is the only known means of altering time and causing disturbances like this. However, very few ponies have ever been able to wield time-altering magic, and those who did could only cast it on local, specific areas. From what you two have told me, this is happening on a much grander scale. That’s what frightens me.”
Luna raised a hoof. “Could it possibly be a team of ponies or other creatures doing this?”
Starswirl shook his head. “Highly unlikely. Even the weakest time spell takes years of mental discipline to perfect, and they all take an immense mental toll on whoever uses them. If it were a group, you more than likely would have found them quite easily by now.”
Celestia crashed her hoof down on the table. “Then what could it be? What’s causing it?”
“I’m unsure.” He took a deep breath. “Even despite my interest in the subject, I was only ever able to learn the most basic of time-altering spells, none of which I could ever properly use on a larger scale.”
“So, you won’t be able to help us, will you?” Luna asked with a slight frown.
“I’ll tell you what,” Starswirl said. “I’ll look through my old tomes and see if I can’t learn anything about this particular kind of magic. I may be able to turn up some form of clue as to where this spell originated from or who may have the power to cast it. I can’t promise anything, but I shall return by nightfall with any findings.”
Celestia nodded. “Thank you. Hopefully, a few strange incidents here and there are all we’ll have to worry about in the meantime.”
“Indeed.” Starswirl stood from his chair and cautiously looked around the room. “It wouldn’t take much for a spell this powerful in nature to do serious harm if it hasn’t already.”
Celestia and Luna exchanged a worried glance with each other.
“But fear not,” he continued. “We’ve all faced our fair share of trouble and came out triumphant on the other side. This dilemma shall be no different. I bid you good day and will return post-haste.”
With that, he left the room, leaving the two worried sisters on their own.
Celestia shook her head. “The other evils we’ve faced were at least visible. Tangible. But this… This isn’t something we can see, hear, or do anything about!” Her eyes fell to the table.
“Calm down, sister,” Luna said, reaching over the table to gently hold her sister’s hoof. “As you heard, Starswirl is bringing us more information. In the meantime, I do think it’d be wise to contact Discord. If not the cause of this incident, something tells me he’ll be able to narrow down our efforts a good amount.”
Celestia brought her eyes back up to meet Luna’s. “Agreed. Let’s get him over here.”
Luna smiled. “I’ll contact him immediately.”
Celestia leaned back in her chair, relaxing her muscles. “Something tells me he won’t be happy having to cut his vacation with Fluttershy short.”