//------------------------------// // Celebrity Princess // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Inside a Strange Castle. Day. Entering the small castle that another Twilight came in, Celestia, Luna and Chrysalis found themselves staring at what was behind it. By opening another door, another Canterlot had been revealed. It was not their Canterlot as Celestia was the only one who felt something off about this place. "This isn't our Canterlot," said Celestia, walking out of the castle. "For starters, there isn't a sign of anything from the Pokemon Festival here. None of the attractions and decorations are anywhere to be seen." "You're right. But it feels like our Canterlot." Luna soon noticed the lack of a Pokemon Festival, confirming that this was not the Canterlot they knew and loved. Taking a step out of the castle and feeling the grass wasn't different. But what truly caught Celestia's eye was the presence of a massive billboard that had a stylized artwork of what appeared to be her. But it looked like a younger version of her, lacking the multiple colours on her mane only possessing two colours. Pink and Blue. They noticed that the streets were rather silent at the moment. Nopony seemed to be indoors. Present here as always was Canterlot Castle, standing under the Golden Sun. It looked mostly the same as always to Celestia and Luna but with one noticeable change. There was something rather bombastic about it. For starters, lights were all around it, akin to that of Christmas lights. These lights consisted of three colours. Pink and Blue yet again with the addition of a golden yellow, representing the Sun. These lights wrapped around the top of the castle like a wreath while also going all the way down to the bottom, forming pigtails. Canterlot Castle had never looked more stylish. It looked like it was ready for a party more than anything. The buildings looked the same for the most part but another building that was almost as big as the castle was a stadium. "It's awfully quiet though," Chrysalis observed. "Why is that? Where is everypony?" "Hmm..." Listening closely, Celestia could hear some sounds. But it wasn't coming from any of the buildings. Instead, it was coming from that arena that resembled a Pokemon Stadium. Civilization was here but they all seemed to be over at that stadium with cheers roaring out. Luna and Chrysalis soon heard it as the trio advanced towards the stadium since no one else was here. And by advancing, they would take flight, deciding to view it from above instead of just trotting there. With an open roof, it was better to view it from above. By doing so, they got to witness what was keeping everypony occupied. A Pokemon Battle. All the ponies could be seen watching a Pokemon Battle that took place in this world which seemed to already be aware and accustomed to the Strange and Wonderful Creatures. It has already reached a point where they were comfortable with Pokemon Battles. As for the stadium, it also had some flair to it, appearing a lot more like a disco stage with those same three colours around. "Duraludon, use Flash Cannon!" A pony trainer exclaimed. "Dura!" From its face, a bright flash of light energy was constructed and soon unleashed by Duraludon. As for the Pokemon taking on the Alloy Pokemon, it was one that was all too familiar to Celestia's eyes. And the pony behind this Pokemon was just as familiar. It was herself. Her younger self, but different. "Sister is that you?!" Luna gasped, soon recognizing the younger version of her older sister. "I think so...With an extra hair colour strand." Celestia slowly nodded. The only difference here was the fact that she never had that extra strand when she was that young. "Okay, Light! Block it with Dazzling Gleam!" The Young Celestia raised her hoof as the Pokemon she was battling with was a Kirlia. "Kirlia!" By putting her hands together, Kirlia generated a beautiful flash of magical energy that immediately expanded. This expansion of light energy met with the incoming silver beam, stopping it in place. "Now, push it back!" "Lia!" By using the sheer force of Dazzling Gleam, she managed to reflect the Flash Cannon. Duraldon and its trainer gasped as the attack was sent back, connecting against the Alloy Pokemon instead. "D-Dura!" The impact was mighty thanks to the boost that Dazzling Gleam gave the attack, prompting Duraludon to fall over, but it did not faint. After being hit by its own attack, the young Celestia waved her hooves around, receiving outstanding praise from the crowd watching her. "Our Princess knocks down Duraludon even with its defence raised through the roof!" There was an announcer here as always, commentating over this Pokemon Battle. Above the Pokemon Battle appeared to a blimp which had something similar to the billboard on it. The image on the blimp showed what appeared to be an advertisement, having Young Celestia's face next to some food and a drink, informing others to purchase them. "What is all of this?" Luna was stunned by this. "A younger you in a Pokemon Battle? And merchandising on blimps? Have we even done that before?" "I don't see any humans around. Not a single one." Celestia noticed a lack of humans. Only ponies and Pokemon. She would at least expect one or two around. Noticeably, these two species were holding up fan items such as flags, banners and even wearing clothing that had the young princess on them. Clearly, they were huge fans of Princess Celestia, which wasn't anything new. But the way it was presented was very much different from what resides in Universe 1. "Sorry! But I already won the second we started!" The princess giggled. "All four Pokemon down and Light has taken care of all of them!" "Kirlia!" Kirlia winked as this battle has been going on for a while. And Kirlia has already managed to defeat all of the opposing Pokemon by herself without any help whatsoever, making this showcase of strength rather grand. "Oooh...!" The opposing Trainer groaned before shaking his head. "One last try, Duraludon! Use Steel Beam!" "Duralu!" An even stronger beam was inbound. Still going for super-effective damage as a gigantic silver beam with metal shards in it came crashing out. "Oh, that's a bit stronger. But not strong enough. Use Mystical Fire!" "Kir!" Flipping over the beam of steel, Kirlia generated mystical flames around her arms while also approaching the Alloy Pokemon. The Steel Beam completely missed, unable to hit its mark. But Kirlia certainly didn't miss. Raising her arms, she would unleash Mystical Fire up close, enveloping the Steel-Dragon-Type in them. Even with Duraludon's resistance, the might of these flames were nothing to scoff at. A fierce paroxysm occurred around Duraludon's body, resulting in a blazing explosion. Kirlia would then backflip away, landing perfectly on the ground. "Duraludon..." It obviously accumulated plenty of damage during this battle and that Mystical Fire was the finishing touch. The battle was over. "Duraludon is unable to battle! Kirlia wins! Which means the winner is our own Princess Celestia!" "Another victory for yours truly!" The other Celestia wooed, prompting the entire crowd to cheer for their princess. She waved at them all, taking in the adoration and love. "Thank you! Thank you! Remember to buy my posters that come with a free meal." "Did this world already experience Pokemon before we knew about it?" Chrysalis gawked. "She seems so young." "Perhaps the Twilight we met does come from here." said Luna. "And she seems to be quite the celebrity here." "I have to see this for myself." Fully invested, Celestia would descend to the ground, wanting to explore what this world had to offer, starting with her younger self. After the battle was over, the trainer and his Duraludon were about to depart. "I had to come to Equestria of all places...What was I expecting?" He sighed. "Don't feel too bad~" The young Celestia shrugged. "You did your best. But against me, even the best isn't enough, because I'm always thinking about my fans! But try again some other time and thanks for coming. Take this as a gift." To reward him for this battle, Celestia used her magic to bring over a gift box with her face on it. He could at least leave with something, even if he had no idea what was in it. Heading back down to the streets of this world's Canterlot, Luna and Chrysalis would gaze upon another building that stuck out, reflecting this entire place perfectly. A restaurant. And that restaurant also had young Celestia's face on it. Apparently, it was selling a popular food here which appeared to be a hayburger. This type of food still exists in this universe. "Nationwide Celebrity Princess Celestia's endorsed restaurant." Luna read. As if she and the others needed any more confirmation that this world's Celestia was a full-on celebrity. Luna tried to speak with her older sister, only for her to be gone. She was already off to the arena. "I wonder if the romance books here are any different?" And so was Chrysalis who would also go her own way. Curiosity was truly a powerful guest that was nigh-impossible to refuse. "That wasn't my best battle. I feel like I could do better, without a doubt." Back at the arena, the young Celestia was speaking to a crowd, essentially giving an interview to them with her Kirlia by her side. "I do feel bad not giving my other Pokemon a chance in this battle so next time will be their time to shine. But my great partner Light will always have the chance to shine. Just like me" "Ahem." Clearing her throat and making herself known was the older Celestia, who made an appearance behind everyone else. She was the tallest here, standing behind the crowd of ponies and Pokemon, alerting them. They all swivelled to the see alicorn standing tall. Upon seeing her, they were absolutely perplexed and taken aback. It was as if this was their first time seeing such a pony. "Woah..." The Young Celestia's mouth opened wide at a slow pace before speeding as her eyes would also widen. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It looked like herself. But much taller and with a larger mane too. "What's up with this?! Who are you?!" "Is she also an alicorn? I've never seen one as tall as her in a while." One of the ponies commented as immediate chatter would ensue, surrounding the taller alicorn. "Celestia? " The Sun Princess from Universe said before tapping on her regalia. The younger Sun Princess would also tap on her regalia which had a different design. This Celestia also lacked a crown on her head but for the most part, she looked identical to her older self with a younger splash all over her. "Uh, excuse me for a second." She would take the time to halt her interview. The young princess fluttered over the crowd, meeting with her older self. "What's this all about? It's like looking into a mirror." "I believe you and I are the same." said the older Celestia. "No kidding...Is this a prophecy or something like that?" She would observe her older self. "No, no. I'm simply just another you from somewhere else. It's simple to explain, trust me." "Do I really look this tall? And do I have two extra colours on my mane? Pretty! I have to know more." She grabbed onto the older Celestia's mane, fascinated by it. The crowd wanted to know more about this but the guards of the Young Celestia would ask them to stand back. This interview was practically over as the princess found interest in something else. They would have to go home without any further questions asked. "I'm also Princess Celestia except...I'm the richest, most famous pony in the world!" She said with great joy in her voice. "Well, I'm rich and famous too. Perhaps not with this style. It seems like you're more of a celebrity from what I've seen. You have your own billboard?" Celestia replied, looking at the walls which had banners of her other self. "Not just that! Posters, shirts, necklaces, toys and stylized Poke Balls!" She would soon show off all of the apparel, bringing it over here with her magic. Her name and face were on everything it seems. "I'm on top of the world! And I live for it!" "Kirlia!" Kirlia cried out as well. "I see. And you're already well-adjusted to the Pokemon despite being so young. This is quite the universe." "What's up with yours then? I mean, if you're an older me, you have to be even better than the best, right? You probably have more than just a kingdom and a nation, I bet! Are empires bigger? I heard they are. You have an empire, right?!" She leaned in, asking continuous questions. She was fully intrigued with her older self from another universe. "Well, mine is Universe 1. The first of them all. I'm not sure which one this is and how it already has Pokemon in it." "It's always had Pokemon. From the very beginning. Doesn't sound like your home's the first of them all." She snickered. "Guess I'm ahead. I bet you don't have that many Pokemon with you" "Actually..." The older Celestia would soon prove her wrong, holding out one of her Poke Balls. And from it emerged her trusted partner. Gardevoir AKA Passion. "Gardevoir!" "Huh?!" The Young Celestia and Kirlia both pulled back, startled by Gardevoir's appearance. "You've seen the final evolution of Kirlia, haven't you? Or at least, one of the two final evolutions. This is my great friend, Passion, who has always been by my side." Celestia introduced. "And back where I come from, it might have only been 4 years since the Pokemon have been around, but our bonds are stellar." "Wow! My Light becomes that?!" It seems that the Young Celestia has never seen Gardevoir or even Gallade. "Lucky! You really are an older me!" "And you're still the ruler of Equestria? At such a young age?" "Well, yeah. Being the best means ruling too." She winked. "I'm the youngest ruler in history and I'm proud of it." "I suppose I'm in the same boat too. I became ruler of Equestria at a young age." That was another similarity between the two. "But it was never to this extent. And the Pokemon haven't been with us since the very beginning. You truly love this position of yours and I assume you see no problems with it?" "Well, the only downside is that I have to promote Hayburgers. I mean they're alright. I'm not a huge fan of them. But everypony else loves them so I promote them either way. I'm a bigger fan of cake and wish that would take off too." "Oooh I do love a good cake myself. Vanilla is my favourite." "Vanilla? Gross!" One difference was that this Celestia was not a big fan of vanilla cake at all. "Kirlia? Kirlia!" Meanwhile, Kirlia was too busy focused on her evolved self, moving around Gardevoir. "Gardevoir?" Passion tried following the Emotion Pokemon who was zipping from place to place. She was rather swift for a Kirlia, Swifter than what Passion once was when she was a Kirlia. However, instead of being called Passion, this Kirlia was known as Light. It was unclear if they were the same Pokemon. "What have you even dealt with? Even with such a lively lifestyle, you have had to have run into troublesome threats. The power of Pokemon is something that can be utilized for both sides." "Mhm. I know that. Duh. Sometimes someone wants to cause a bunch of trouble in Equestria, so I always swoop in to stop them. Me and my Pokemon take care of them in no time flat, that's for sure. The list of troublemakers I've taken down are plentiful, trust me! And it always makes me look good and boosts my fame. I mean, I'm already famous, but still." "Well, it's good to know you're still protecting Equestria, even at such a young age. Everypony here in Canterlot looks well. But what about beyond Canterlot? How is it everywhere else? And the other regions with Humans around?" "Humans? What are those?" Lo and behold, this was a Pokemon World without Humans according to Young Celestia. "Anyway, forget about that. You should see how I live! Even though I'm a princess, I live like a Queen!" She quickly changed the subject, bringing it back to herself as she would drag Celestia along. Canterlot Castle. Canterlot Castle was very much different on the inside. Some of it changed from the outside but the most drastic ones were indoors. When entering Canterlot Castle, Celestia's eyes were smacked in the face with an array of bombastic and fancy furniture, decorations and more. This entire room was one big living room. A massive couch slathered in gold was spotted, available for the Young Celestia and Kirlia to rest on. Studded gems on the walls along with paintings of herself. Some of them were also pictures that showed her doing various poses. The scent of freshly bloomed roses permeates the air, as though the entire castle has been transformed into a magnificent garden. A grand staircase curves up towards a massive stained glass window depicting Princess Celestia. An enormous chandelier, adorned with crystal prisms, bathes the opulent ballroom in a soft and pristine light. Luxurious furniture with sponsorships plastered over some of them as well as a plethora of drinks. But these weren't fancy drinks. These were drinks that someone of Celestia's age would most definitely drink. Orange juice was present here, being a great contrast to everything else. There were even snacks on the table. "This is where I can sit back, relax with nothing to worry about in the world!" She leapt through the air, perfectly landing on the couch. "This is a great throne room, isn't it?" "I'm sorry...This is the throne room?" Nothing about this screamed 'Throne Room'. "Well, it wasn't before. The one before was the real deal but I wanted to change it. So I made the first room here the throne room. Neat, right?" "Lia! Kirlia!" "When I'm not being amazing and winning Pokemon Battles, I'm eating and drinking whatever I want!" "Without any supervision? You've made it this far on your own despite your age?" "Pssh. I don't need supervision. The most I have are my guards, but they leave me alone and let me do my own thing. Cause I'm in charge!" She exclaimed, looking over at the guards. The older Celestia would do the same as the Canterlot Guards shrugged. They really didn't do much at all. "Well, surely your parents have to be around due to your age. Perhaps they passed this down onto you. And they are rather bold to do so at such a young age." "Mom and dad?" She closed her eyes. "i haven't thought about them in a while...They're somewhere else. They don't show up to my castle all that often and I don't pay them a visit all that much, so..." She shifted her eyes, taking a sip of her orange juice. "Whatever. It doesn't bother me that much since I have all of this around me." "I see. Not the best relationship then." Celestia observed. It seems that the fame she's accumulated has distanced herself from her parents, unfortunately. "Well, I'm sure Luna is somewhere around." "Big sister, Luna?" Just then, she stopped sipping on her orange juice as the tone of her voice greatly shifted. That was not the response the older Celestia was expecting. It sounded like Luna was the big sister here. "Wait, big sister? She's older here?" Celestia gawked. "This really is a different universe in many ways...If she's older than you, where is she? Shouldn't she be the current ruler?" "Luna's..Not here anymore. And she's not coming back." The drink was placed down, followed by the young princess lowering her head. "It's just me and my Pokemon. I haven't seen Luna in ages and I don't think I ever will." "Don't tell me..." Based on what the Young Princess was saying, something horrible must've happened to Luna. And the outcome was something rather dreadful. Looking at her younger self and how down she appeared, this universe, with all of its positives, came with its negatives. One was the distance between parent and child and the other seemed to be the loss of a sibling. "It doesn't matter, okay!" She would soon break the silence, restarting her most common personality. "Let's talk about the rest of your Pokemon! I want to see them!" "Your majesty! Big news!" Bursting through the doors was one of the guards as he rushed in as soon as possible. "Is my new jacuzzi here?!" She regained her smile. Something expensive managed to rekindle that smile of hers "No, no! There seems to be a Changeling in the streets! They're back!" "What?! Nuh-uh!" She would hop off her couch. "I totally beat them all. No way they'd show up a second time! Come on, Light!" "Changeling? Wait, that must be Chrysalis?!" Celestia could only think of one Changeling here who she came with. "Nah, it can't be Chrysalis! I beat her and her mom years ago!" The Young Celestia winked back at her older self before using magic to teleport out of the castle. Soon, Kirlia would do the same. "Excuse me!" Galloping past the guard, Celestia would try to find where her other self went, with Passion trailing behind her. She would try and prevent Chrysalis from being targeted since it sounds like Changelings still have a bad reputation here. But another came across Celestia's mind. What would happen if this young Celestia encounters Luna after losing her own? Now she really had to outpace her otherwise the outcome could go in a few different ways. One that could lead to conflict and the other that could result in shock and eventually, disappointment. As the journey continues. Chapter 281 End.