“Celestia, I have been your student for over ten years now. I think if I am to go further then simply learning magic that I need to start coming to political meetings such as this!”
The princess sighed. She had never confirmed or denied to Sunset on whether or not she would become an advisor to her one day, and if she were honest, she didn’t know either. Celestia had recently been trying to let her have more access to the resources for these goals as a sign of hope, but it still hadn’t been enough for Sunset. Last summer had been a prime example of that. She shook her head clear of thoughts of the mirror and turned to Sunset. “As much as I would like your company for this, I simply cannot have you meeting these guests. The dangers are simply too great.”
Sunset stomped her hooves down in front of her teacher. “Tell me what dangers then! I promise you, I can take it.”
Celestia spent a moment looking into the determined unicorn’s eyes before she sighed and bent her head low to allow her horn to touch Sunset’s. In a small flash of light, she sent an image of the first time she had ever seen the most important of the guests, a creature no one could match. She watched as her student stepped back, swallowed, and then tucked her tail in between her legs and slowly started to lie down. “See Sunset?”
Sunset swallowed hard. “Y-yeah, I get it.” She then turned her eyes away from Celestia and nuzzled into her forehooves. She only looked at her teacher once when one of Celestia’s hooves was brushing against her back.
“I’m sorry Sunset, but I needed you to understand.” She wrapped a wing over her and nuzzled against Sunset. “How about this? Tomorrow I’ll set aside enough time so we can have dinner for just the two of us, and I’ll even make something special myself to make up for you missing out on today. Okay?”
Sunset bit into her cheek and nodded, nuzzling against Celestia’s chest for comfort like she had so many times before. The image of tentacles and uncaring eyes appeared in her mind again and she stiffened. “D-do you think I might be able to sleep in your bed too?”
“Like old times? It would be my pleasure.” The two mares hugged each other tight, and then Celestia found herself alone, with the only distraction her growing annoyance at her immortality.
The four occupants of the meeting room all looked over as its doors opened and Celestia walked in. The purple humanoid cat rolled his eyes and turned back to the cards in his hand. He had far more important things to focus on, like destroying the other purple thing in the room that kept acting like it wanted to be a cat. The tall, blue humanoid alien next to him waved, his white hair staying stiff, even as he did an informal bow from his chair. Twilight waved from on top of the massive, green creature in the room who then waved to Celestia and mumbled a greeting in it’s own ancient tongue.
Celestia nodded to each in turn as she said, “It is nice to see you Beerus, Whis, and Cthulu. I hope you have all been well and…“ she paused and sighed. “May I know how you got my new friend to join you?”
Beerus hissed slightly as Twilight put down her hand, once more beating him for the pot. “We needed a fourth player and Whis had heard of a popsicle maker within the castle, but no amount of tasty popsicles is going to end my fury if you do not lose this instant!”
Celestia shook her head and gave a brief greeting to the massive presence in the room while inquiring about why it had Twilight curled up like a cat on his head. He merely responded that she was soft, and he rarely got to pet and be with soft things. She then turned to Whis, who was currently licking his fourth orange creamsicle. “I take it bids are as they normally are?”
Whis nodded, but then put a finger to his chin. “At least, as normal as you can when when you can’t ever decide what exactly it is one of your players is betting with.” He flashed a brief smile at Cthulu. “Not that we mind of course sir.”
Beerus slammed the table with his paws and screamed in frustration. Celestia glanced back and chuckled. “Please tell me Twilight is giving Equestria more years like I normally would.”
Whis nodded. “She is indeed, and doing a rather good job for having been reading a book on poker for the first few hands to learn. Of course, I believe one more hand and Beerus may play his trump card against her.”
The cat’s ears twitched and he smiled at Twilight. “That’s right, I know something you don’t know. Something about your fate that may change the very course of this whole planet.”
Cthulu gurgled a retort and Whis and Celestia chuckled together. “Come now Cthulu, at least humor him, even if he is always wrong.”
Beerus started to glow with a purple aura as he glared at them. The only thing that stopped him from attacking was the fact that Celestia had long ago become one of the few people he could call acquaintance, though that was mainly because Equestria had some of the best pastries in the universe. “Oh yeah? What if I told you that in less then a year, a long lost enemy would come, and with their rising, her,” he pointed one finger straight at Twilight, “life would be put at risk as they tried to take not only her power, but her sanity as well, just as the power had done to them? Would you listen then?”
Twilight nodded to the sighing Cthulu, and a few lines of Eldritch later, Beerus’ mouth was gone. The god charged at the two of them, letting his rage out against the indestructible hide of the great eldritch horror who simply chuckled from the punches.
Celestia on the other hoof, had paled. She turned to Whis. “Please, please tell me he is wrong.”
The blue man looked at her for a few moments before the popsicle in his hand started throwing curses at him and forced him to bite into it. Once the cold treat had turned back to juice, he spoke. “I wish I could, but as we both know, Beerus can be right.” He paused for a moment and put a hand on Celestia’s shoulder and smiled. “I assure you though, that that is a long shot.”
Celestia nodded, though the reassurance didn’t stop her mind. She looked back at Twaith who was curling up and yawning in Cthulhu’s lap now, causing the Eldritch to gurgle with joy from the displays of cuteness. Celestia couldn’t see her as that for the moment though. All she could see was the same power that had corrupted the one closest to her into a monster, and for but a moment she saw Twilight as she had expected her to look when they had first met. Skeleton showing, her cloak in rags, and blazing red pupils, instead of her nice green. The creature that had caused her to have to bring Sunset just so she had someone to fear for outside of herself.
She shut her eyes and breathed a sigh. “I hope you’re right Whis. I really do.”