"What dost thou think it means sister?" Luna asked as she finished reading the most recent addition to Celestia's book.
"It means," Celestia answered almost immediately with a hint of steel in her normally gentle voice, "that Sunset Shimmer is in some sort of danger, and I mean to find a way to help her."
Luna nodded solemnly. Earlier that morning, some time after she had left Celestia to her own devices, something the Lunar Princess was opposed to doing considering the state Celestia was in at the time, Luna had been doing nothing but worry over the well-being of her sister, and not unjustly so. No matter how she may have tried to hide it, Celestia had been a wreck when Luna had departed to watch over the field of dreams. She had become even more concerned when she did not detect the familiar presence of her elder sibling's dreams, indicating that she had not yet gone to sleep. Luna wanted nothing more than to stay by Celestia's side to comfort her, but felt that she would appreciate being left alone for the time being. And Luna was willing to put up with her sister behavior, for now at least.
But when the sun did not rise at its appointed time that morning, Luna knew that was where she had to draw the line for such foalish behavior. So when she had barged in uninvited into Celestia's bedchamber she was ready to slap her sibling silly and use the Royal Canterlot Voice as much as was needed to force the Solar Princess to get over her issues of self worth and do her job. The only thing that had stayed her hoof was that when Luna found her, Celestia had been nervously pacing back and forth with a book with a sun emblem floating in front of her. Luna could only recall a few instances when Celestia had been this hysterical, and each time it was over a matter of extreme importance to her. This time proved to be no exception, for when Luna was finally able to get her sister to calm down enough to talk to her, Celestia presented her the book, indicating which passage to read.
Now the two sat in almost complete silence as Luna finished reading Sunset's latest message.
Please help me Celestia.
Everyone else is either dead or dying, and I don't know how much time I have left. Look for me in the building with the shooting star on it.
Please help me.
Sunset Shimmer.
"That much is obvious," said Luna, finally answering Celestia as she set the book down on a nearby desk. "But it does little to answer the true question at hoof."
Celestia blinked at that, not aware of what Luna was implying. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"What we mean to say," Luna replied with a hint of exasperation in her voice, "is that the nature of the danger that Sunset Shimmer is in is as of yet unclear. That is, if there is any danger to speak of. " Luna paused, noticing the look of frustration on Celestia's face. She sighed, appearing to try and choose her next words with care. "Celestia, " she began, "we remember much of what thou hast told us of Sunset Shimmer. Of how in her final days in Equestria, she had become a very spiteful and frustrated sort of mare."
Celestia narrowed her magenta eyes at her sister, wondering to what she was implying. Sunset may have indeed become a source of much guilt For Celestia, but she would not tolerate her being spoken against. "I am afraid that I still do not understand Luna," she said, her tone even and betraying little emotion. "Can you please elaborate?"
"Forgive us for saying so dear sister," Luna said, raising a hoof in a bid to calm Celestia before things escalated, "but we have taken the liberty of reading Sunset's previous notes. Namely, the very last entry she wrote to thee before her departure." Once again grasping the book in her magic, Luna levitated it over and flipped to the page containing said entry. Pointing it out with a hoof she said, "We of course know of the reason why Sunset was forbidden from entering those sections of the archives. But it is here that Sunset clearly states her desire to gain more power to surpass thee."
"Are you saying that Sunset wants to show me who is the better mare?"
"We are saying," Luna said, starting to become frustrated herself with Celestia's obliviousness, "that Sunset Shimmer may be intending to set a trap for thee."
Celestia was rendered silent by the statement. On the outside her countenance was stoic, betraying none of her feelings. But inside there was great turmoil. Every part of her being wanted nothing more than to reject her sister's claim that Sunset would do such a thing, and berate the younger alicorn for even thinking of the possibility. And yet, another part of Celestia could not help but see the painful logic behind it. But would Sunset Shimmer really go so far to enact revenge on Celestia for perceived wrongs? Would she deliberately write that message in a bid to lure Celestia for some kind of final confrontation?
Celestia deliberated for what seemed to be minutes while Luna waited for reply from her sibling.
Finally, Celestia came a conclusion.
"Your argument is not without merit Luna," she said, prompting a nod of agreement from Luna.
But then Celestia added, "but until the time comes when it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt about whether or not Sunset does indeed have an ulterior motive behind this vague plea for help, I shall continue to hold out the hope that it is just what it appears to be: a plea for help."
After Celestia finished her statement, silence settled between them like a heavy fog as they held each other's gaze.
Then, unexpectedly, Luna's expression of impassiveness slowly transformed into that of pride. "We would expect nothing less from thee Celestia."
Celestia's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by Luna's reply not expecting it in the least.
Noticing the incredulous look on her elder sister's face, Luna flashed her a grin and said. "Dost thou really believe that we would keep thee from tending to such a matter as this simply because of our own reservations? Nay! We applaud thee for thy stance on this dilemma, and wish thee the best of luck."
Almost unwillingly Celestia found herself smiling along with her sister, happy to have her support.
"Of course, " Luna added as her face became more somber, "we do expect thee to be cautious never-the-less."
Celestia nodded her agreement. "Of course Luna," she said. "Well then, that still leaves the issue of what exactly we we will do when the portal opens. Remind me, how much time do we have until then?"
Luna put a hoof to her chin and pondered the question for a brief moment. "By our reasoning, there is roughly two days between now and when the other world can be accessed. We can retrieve thy former student then. We have plenty of time to prepare."
"Too much time I am afraid, " said Celestia morosely. Taking the book from Luna she once again read the hastily written message. "Whenever Sunset wrote this, she neglected to specify at what time she had done so. This presents a problem that could prove to be troublesome. For all we know it could have been days, maybe even weeks since then. And as much as I want to rush to her aid the very minute the gateway opens, I fear that. . . when I arrive. . ." Celestia faltered, unable to finish that dreaded thought out loud.
"Thou fears thou wouldst be too late." It was not a question.
Celestia closed her eyes and nodded weakly, the only response she was able to give to her sister. A long minute passed as Celestia simply stood there, mired in the anxiety of what she might discover upon finding Sunset. There was a chance Celestia would find her alive and well, or at least as well as Sunset could be given the apparent nature of the message. But what if that was not the case? What if Celestia arrived too late to save her student? What if all she found that was left was a pile of bones?
Or, even worse, a fresh corpse?
Celestia simply did not know what she expected to find, and she would not know until she went through the mirror. She had almost no control over the situation she found herself in, and it was tearing her apart on the inside just thinking about it.
Unexpectedly Celestia felt the weight of a hoof resting on her right shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes to see that Luna was looking up at her with a mix of sadness and sympathy before she finally embraced the taller pony. And all at once Celestia began to feel to the tension in her chest start to fade and the worry be banished from her thoughts. It did not disappear completely, but enough of it went away that Celestia was finally able to take a moment to gather her thoughts and focus on the task at hoof.
"Thank you Luna," she said quietly, and Luna took that as her cue to let go from the embrace. Taking a breath to clear away some more of the anxiety and organize her feelings, Celestia then said, "Now then, as I was about to say, there is still the matter of what course of action I should take when the gateway opens. From what the message implies, Sunset is unable to reach the portal due whatever danger she is in. Thankfully she had enough forethought to mention where to look for her. That helps to narrow things down tremendously, but from the sound of it, it would seem that it is likely going to require more than a few hours to find her and bring her back."
"Meaning that our quest is likely to be long in completion," Luna stated.
Celestia nodded in agreement. "I am afraid that may indeed be the case. This means that I am going to have to bring other ponies along to assist me, as much as I would prefer not to. Earth ponies to be exact. They would be able to carry any additional supplies in the event that we are there for the duration that the portal is open."
Luna tilted her head quizzically at her sister. "Why only earth ponies?" she asked. "Would it not be wiser to have unicorn spell-casters and pegasi as well to aid us?"
"Normally, yes," Celestia answered, "but not where I am going. While magic does exist in the world Sunset now resides in, it is infinitesimal compared to the amounts that exist in Equestria. And any unicorns that venture there would be unable to access it anyway."
"How so?" Luna asked.
Celestia blinked, almost disbelieving that her younger sister, who was supposed to have a somewhat fresher memory than her, could have forgotten so much about the mirror. "Do you not recall Luna?" she asked, feeling her frustration rise again and begin to get the better of her. "When a pony steps through the mirror they lose all of their magical ability, on account of the fact that they change into a different form on the other side." At this Luna's eyebrows rose slightly as she at last recalled what she and Celestia had learned of the mirror. "That's right," Celestia added when she saw her sister's expression. "On the other side unicorns would be unable to access the magic that many of us take for granted, and would not be able to cast spells of any kind. This will apply to ponies of all kinds, so pegasi would be grounded, and earth ponies would lose much of their strength. Even I myself would be rendered all but powerless in this alternate world.
In this case I believe that earth ponies would be the best choice for the task at hoof, as they would be able to adapt to the change more readily than a unicorn or a pegasus."
For a moment Luna considered Celestia's reasoning. As much as she might have wanted to argue otherwise she knew her sister made a valid point.
"Very well then," she agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "But whom will we bring? That is to say, which kinds of ponies occupationally speaking, must be included as well? Royal guard's of course are a given."
"Of course," Celestia replied. "But as much as I would like to bring an army behind me to find her, I believe it would be wiser to limit the number of ponies to just a few stallions and mares."
Then something seemed to have occurred to her in that moment. "But tell us sister. Whom dost thou plan on having fulfill our roles as Princesses during our absence?"
Celestia blinked when Luna asked the question. "Our absence?"
"Of course. Surely thou does not intend to simply leave us behind whilst thou goes on this venture, correct?"
It was then that Celestia realized that in the entire time she had been talking to Luna, her younger sister had genuinely been referring to the both of them, rather than simply refusing to modify her speech to modern Equestrian dialect.
Noticing Celestia's silence on the matter Luna's eyes widened slightly when it dawned on her that Celestia did not intend to bring her along. "Oh. . . we see." she said as she looked down at the floor with an odd expression crossed her face. It was one that Celestia was all too familiar with. Before she could say anything she was cut off when Luna looked up at her and said, "Thou art adamant to follow through with this? To go and rescue thy student?"
Already suspecting what Luna was leading up to Celestia hesitantly replied, "I am."
"Then what of us sister?" questioned Luna. "What are we to do while thou goes on this crusade? Are we to be left behind?"
For a moment Celestia was taken aback by these words. It became obvious that Luna was expecting to accompany her, until Celestia all but said otherwise. And now it seemed that she was feeling neglected because of it.
"Oh Luna," Celestia said as she went up to the smaller alicorn. "You know that there is nothing that I would like more than for you to stand by my side. But you also know what would become of Equestria if both of us were absent for so long. And I am afraid that there is simply not enough time to implement a spell that would raise both the sun and moon for us, not in only two days."
Luna's frustration seemed to lessen as Celestia spoke, and her expression softened to one of understanding.
"Also," Celestia added after a brief pause, "You know as well as I that this is something have to do. Not only for Sunset's sake but for my own as well."
This earned Celestia a confused from Luna, who then asked, "What dost thou mean for thy own sake?"
Celestia considered her next words, wondering how best to voice her thoughts, until finally she said vaguely, "Three years." Celestia took a breath before continuing. "For nearly three years now I have been living with the knowledge that Sunset blames me for many of the perceived wrongs against her. And unfortunately I cannot say that I am completely without blame. We were both at fault. My hope is that I can somehow make amends with her if. . . when, I find her. And my mind is made up Luna. You will not dissuade me from my decision."
Luna's mouth set in a grim line when Celestia finished her statement, and she regarded her elder sister with an odd expression that Celestia could not quite place. Before she could question it Luna replied, "Very well sister. We will do as thou wishes of us."
Celestia stepped over to her sister before embracing her in a hug similar to the one she had just received, pouring as much love and affection into it as she could. Luna reciprocated the action, and the two simply stood in silence.
"Thank you Luna," Celestia said quietly. Eventually the time came for them to separate.
"Very well then," Luna said suddenly. "We have two days to prepare thee for thy venture. Let us not waste them."
Two days.
Two long days that seemed to stretch on indefinitely, giving Celestia more than enough time for her anxiety and fear to grow tenfold at the prospect of finally meeting Sunset Shimmer again after almost three years of separation from her former student. Enough time to think of all the things that could go wrong. Briefly Celestia wondered just how much the world beyond the mirror might have changed since her last visit so long ago, and how it would affect their mission.
She also wondered if they were still around after all this time. For all she knew they were the cause of Sunset's distress. But those three had been banished there since before Luna's fall into Nightmare Moon, so it was also not beyond the realm of possibility that they had passed away and would not be a factor for her to consider. Celestia found herself sincerely hoping so. But if she and the ponies that were coming with her did encounter them, then hopefully they would be able to counter any sort of trickery those three might have planned.
And then there was the issue of which of her guards would accompanying her, and how many. Luna was insistent that at least ten ponies go with her, while Celestia wanted a smaller number so as to keep a lower profile and prevent more ponies from potentially being injured. After some debate on the matter they compromised by agreeing on six. However Luna was adamant on having each and every single one of them be highly trained veteran guards. And she left Celestia no compromise on it either, which the Solar Princess was not sure if she should flattered or frustrated about.
Of course, for Celestia, preparing was the easy part. The hard part was waiting for those two days to pass. And despite what some ponies might think, the fact that she raises the sun in the morning means absolutely nothing pertaining to things influenced by certain celestial events. Even if she had felt compelled to make the sun set early, it would do nothing to make the portal open before the predetermined time. So for two agonizingly long days that seemed to drag on for far too long, Celestia waited, having nothing better to do than twiddle her hooves nervously. She did not even hold Day Court, as she had temporarily put a hold on it until she returned, with Sunset in tow.
Celestia doubted that she would have been very pleasant to the nobles anyway.
Finally, the two days were up. Celestia now waited with as much patience as she could muster for her sister to raise the moon, marking when it was time to go through the mirror. Standing before the tall construct in a secluded room in the palace, Celestia now gazed at the otherwise ordinary looking mirror as though she were sizing up an opponent. Luna stood beside her, looking at it with much the same expression. Behind them, waiting obediently, were the six guards that Luna had pressed into service. Despite the term, Celestia knew they were all volunteers that had been briefed by her personally about the nature of their mission, and what would happen to them. She had a feeling that some of them were rather skeptical of the notion of another world existing as a sort of parallel to Equestria, but she knew they were likely going to change their opinions rather soon. Aside from that each of the ponies, four stallions and two mares to be exact, bore heavy looking saddle bags filled to capacity with supplies, and all of them wore regal golden armor.
To distract herself from the time Celestia made a mental note to commission for the armory's to make some modifications to their current attire. The traditional armor may have served them well in the pat, but even a blind pony would agree that it was rather outdated.
Interrupting her own thoughts Celestia let her gaze drift to a nearby window to see the sun setting in the distance, per her instruction. Her musings had probably taken up a good ten minutes or so, but the portal seemed no closer to opening than it was then. She sighed heavily through her nostrils, before she felt Luna's feathery wing drape across her withers, reassuring her.
While the sun continued to descend Celestia heard the sound of the captain clear his throat, followed by, "Excuse me, your highness?"
Celestia turned to look at the pony that had spoken; a deep blue stallion with red plumage on his helm, indicating his rank.
"Yes Stalwart?" she said, giving him permission to continue. To his credit, the stallion only seemed slightly trepidatious when she looked at him.
"Your highness," Stalwart began, "we recall what you have told us about this. . . other world, and what to expect when go there. But me and the others are still wondering what exactly is going to happen to us on the other side."
Celestia glanced at the other ponies, and they all seemed to share the same expression of nervousness, despite their attempts to put on a brave face.
"As I have already informed you," Celestia replied to the captain, though not harshly, "each of us will undergo a change into something that none of you are familiar with. You will not be ponies in the other world. . . . But if your question is what I expect to find in our search, then I honestly cannot say."
Captain Stalwart seemed to want to press her further, but after receiving a strange look from Luna he decided against it and rejoined his comrades. That settled, Celestia returned her gaze to the setting sun, and was almost relieved that it was now beginning to disappear over the horizon. When the last traces of sunlight had faded away to night she became aware of Luna's horn glowing a soft blue for a moment as the moon began to rise on the opposite horizon, until it was high over the city of Canterlot.
Finally, it was time, and Celestia glanced at the tall mirror, noticing how its reflective surface seemed to almost shimmer and ripple slightly as ancient magic took root. Yes, the time had come at last, and yet Celestia found it extremely difficult to take that first step towards the mirror, as a thousand different thoughts raced through her head, and Celestia found herself wondering if she was really ready for this.
The others seemed to have picked up on her hesitation, as Stalwart once again cleared his throat to speak. "Your majesty? Maybe it would be best for us to go first. To make sure that there is nothing amiss on the other side."
Celestia knew the real reason for his suggestion but decided not to comment on it. Either way, Stalwart was acting with the best interest of his Princess in mind. She couldn't fault him for that, as Celestia dipped her head in silent agreement.
Stalwart motioned with his hoof for two of the other guards to follow him as he stepped towards the mirror. They obeyed with a quick salute before joining him. Standing in front of the mirror, Stalwart hesitantly raised his left foreleg and cautiously moved to touch it. And when his hoof made contact with the it simply phased through the surface o the mirror, and the area around his appendage rippled as though he were standing in water. Surprised by the reaction, Stalwart withdrew his hoof.
"Oh get on with it!" Luna exclaimed suddenly and very loudly, startling everypony in the room. It seemed that she was growing impatient with how slowly things were proceeding.
After recovering from the shock incited by the Lunar Princess' outburst, Stalwart again thrust his hoof into the mirror. This time he continued onward until he had completely disappeared behind the shimmering surface. The other two guards glanced at each other before one of them shrugged and stepped in after his captain, quickly followed by his companion.
After seeing the three ponies enter the mirror, Celestia finally felt she was ready to take the plunge herself. Slowly and deliberately she trotted towards it, before coming to a stop in front of her reflection, seeing it stare back at her with an unmistakable look of worry and fear. Off to the side Celestia saw the image of her sister step out from behind her.
"Sister," both she and the reflection said. "What if thou dost not return with Sunset? What if thou dost not return at all? How are we to be expected to lead if thy absence becomes permanent?"
Celestia looked more closely at the amalgam of her sister, noticing the look of genuine worry and concern on her features. Celestia only had to ponder the question for a second before she replied, "In that event, I have every confidence that you would lead our ponies well Luna."
Celestia said no more, as she finally found enough courage to take that last hoofstep between her herself and the mirror separating her from Sunset Shimmer, Before her everything became white.