A Different Viewpoint of Equestria

by Christopher28

Chapter 16

They rejoined Twilight Sparkle, who had been looking through one of the books that had been on the Princess's night table.

"Oh, how was your talk?" The purple unicorn asked politely.

"Very interesting." Celestia told her with a small smile. "Johnathon had some questions about how I raise the sun. Apparently his people have become quite familiar with how their own sun moves... or rather, how their planet orbits their sun, as it seems to work in his universe. Most fascinating." she glanced at the archeologist. "Perhaps he will explain something about them to you, Twilight. I find the idea quite interesting myself."

Twilight blinked. "Oh. You know, that IS interesting. I never thought to ask. You don't have magic on your world, so obviously nopony moves your sun or moon...." she blinked. "You do have a moon, don't you?"

Johnathon chuckled. "We do, in fact. My home planet, which we call earth, has a large moon, which orbits our planet once every month."

Twilight blinked. "Once a month? How does that work, exactly? Does that mean you only have night once a month? Or that your nights last half a month?" she frowned. "No... you said your days are about the same length as ours...."

Johnathon grinned. "I'd have to draw you a diagram, I think, to explain the... mechanics behind how all the objects in our solar system move... it's a bit complicated. But the moon does not rise and fall with the night... you can see the moon during the daytime on my world, in fact, if it's in the right part of the sky."

Twilight blinked. "Oh. How interesting. I'd love to go into more detail about it with you at some point, Johnathon."

The archeologist smiled and nodded. "Any time you like. I can't give you exact figures, but I can tell you the basics of how it works I believe."

Princess Celestia looked pleased. "If you do draw a diagram, I'd like a copy, if that's alright? I'd love to know more about the stellar mechanics of your universe."

Johnathon beamed at her. "I'll prepare a most detailed report, Princess! You've been so generous with me, I'd love to do something useful in return, even if it's just to entertain you with some of the physics from my world."

The Princess shook her head. "You need not feel any obligation. I consider your position here as that of an Ambassador for your people. Even if we never reestablish contact with them, the possibility does remain that, for some reason or another, that we may decide to do so. Even if just for that remote possibility, your very moderate upkeep is a very small price to pay."

Johnathon blinked. "Huh. An ambassador for humanity, is that how you see me?"

Princess Celestia smiled at him. "You are a fine representative of your species, Mr. Dwire. Certainly you have impressed me with your tact and restraint thus far."

Johnathon smiled faintly, then nodded, his face becoming serious. "Well, if you ever do wish to make contact with my people, I'd be honored to act as an ambassador for you. Until then, I suppose I should keep learning all I can about your world, your cultures and people. I intended to do so anyway, but if I ever do need to serve as an ambassador, I have a very good reason to continue my studies."

Twilight spoke up. "Speaking of the possibility of contacting Johnathon's people, I've been thinking. I... I want to try that spell." she blushed. "Strangehorn's permanent transformation spell, on myself. I didn't want to try it on one of my friends, first, even if I'm now pretty sure I could reverse it... if there's any risk, I want it to be mine." she looked at Celestia. "And... it'll be easier doing if you're nearby, for me to use as a template... and if something goes wrong, there is nopony else I'd trust more to reverse the effect."

Celestia blinked, then smiled. "Well, it's convenient that I put aside this evening for our visit, then." she nodded. "I'll be happy to stand by if you need me, Twilight Sparkle. Will you need anything?"

Twilight thought about that. "Well, if anything goes wrong, Spike knows where Strangehorn's book is, but, if I'm right, the worst case scenario will be that I simply trap myself into a form that cannot use magic, and you'll have at least a day to reverse the spell before I suffer any permanent harm."

Princess Celestia looked thoughtful. "I understand. So, you intend to transform yourself into an Alicorn?"

Twilight nodded back. "If I'm right, I should retain my full ability to use my horn to cast spells, so I should be able to reverse the process myself. It's honestly the safest way I can think of testing this spell, especially with you right here, in case something else were to go wrong...." she frowned. "Until the spell is complete, it will not lock into place, so if it seems like it's going badly wrong, you can simply dispel it, like you would any harmful enchantment." she grinned at the Princess. "And obviously you're very good at that."

Princess Celestia laughed. "It is one of my better skills." she looked curious. "How will I know if the spell isn't working properly? I have to admit, I never have had the opportunity to witness this particular spell of Strangehorn's at work."

Twilight looked thoughtful. "It should be nearly very quick... but if I appear to be transforming into something other than an Alicorn, or if the transformation is drawn out, of if I seem like I'm in a great deal of pain, it might be best to dispel it then."

The Princess nodded. "I understand. Are you ready now?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes." she turned to the human. "Johnathon, you might want to stand back a ways... just in case."

The archeologist quickly did so, walking over to the far side of the room. "Good idea."

Twilight waited till he had gotten clear, then stood in front of her princess, and lowered her horn slightly. "Are you ready, Princess?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes."

Twilight took a deep breath, then nodded firmly. "Here we go!" her horn started to glow, brighter and brighter, the light enveloped Twilight's entire body, and then a beam shot out to bathe the Princess in a soft glow, much as it had Johnathon before she had transformed herself. The intensity of the light coming from her horn slowly increased to a point beyond Johnathon had seen before, and he found it difficult to stare directly into it. Suddenly the beam between Twilight and Celestia changed, growing much brighter all at once, and becoming a nearly solid beam of energy that snapped and crackled between them with incredible force. Twilight's eyes shot open wide, and they were filled with the same light, nearly too bright to see, and there was a sound like an explosion.

Johnathon closed his eyes, turning away and shielding his face with his arms, but the light was already fading. He slowly turned back, blinking to try and clear the spots from his vision. At first, he wasn't sure his vision hadn't been damaged. It was like he was looking at a picture negative. On one side of the room, where Twilight had stood, was a large dark Alicorn, looking slightly shaky on her feet. On the other was a white unicorn, lying slumped on the floor. It was like Twilight and the Princess had switched places and colors.

The doors to Celestia's bedchamber burst open even as his vision cleared, and he saw what the pair of unicorn guards must be seeing. A purple Alicorn, every bit as large as Princess Celestia had been, bearing Twilight Sparkle's cutie Mark, and looking more than a little stunned, was standing where Twilight had been a moment before. A White Unicorn with a long, flowing pink mane lay unconscious on the floor in front of her, the unmistakable sun mark on her flank the same as the Princess's.

Johnathon's mind was racing, and he was first to act, turning to the pair of unicorn guards. "There's been a magical accident. Contact Princess Luna, and no other pony, and bring her here. But tell no one else!"

One of the two guards looked at him, frowning. "You don't give us orders, human. What has happened here?"

Twilight was starting to shake. "What did I do? What did I do? What did I do?!?"

The second guard rushed over between Twilight and the white unicorn, glancing from side to side, as if uncertain who was who. "Where is the princess?!?" he shouted. "What have you done with Princess Celestia!?!"

Twilight started backing away, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to... I didn't mean... it was an accident."

"CALM DOWN!!!" Johnathon shouted at the top of his lungs, booming in what his father had called a 'command voice', and holding out his arms wide, palms facing the two guards and Twilight. "Nopony panic!" Twilight and the two guards were both staring at him now, looking rather astonished. "The one thing that will make this situation worse is if news of this gets out to the public, so the first thing everypony here needs to do is to CALM THE HECK DOWN!"

"That... is probably a good suggestion...." said a familiar voice, coming from the pink maned pony that had been laying unconscious on the floor. "Although a little less shouting might be good." she slowly forced herself to her feet, then put one hoof to her head. "My head is killing me." she glanced at the two guards. "Bright Lance, Shining Star." she turned toward the purple alicorn, raising an eyebrow. "Twilight Sparkle... please calm down."

The two guards blinked. "Princess?" the one she had addressed as Bright Lance said hesitantly. "Is that really you?"

Princess Celestia nodded. "Apparently so. I haven't been in this form for...." she looked thoughtful. "Actually, I'm not sure how long it's been. Since Discord's reign, in any case." she shrugged, then looked at the two guards. "My student, Twilight Sparkle, was performing a magical experiment, with my permission and assistance, I assure you, and... apparently there were some unforeseen side effects."

The unicorn she had called Shining Star started to protest. "This is ridiculous. Why should we believe any of this! You can't possibly be Princess Celestia!"

Bright Lance raised an eyebrow. "She looks and sounds like the Princess... well, a lot smaller, and her wings and mane are different, but..." he shrugged. "Besides, our armor is enchanted so that we all look the same, remember? How would she know which of us was which if it wasn't her?"

Princess Celestia smiled at him. "I may need to consider a promotion for you, Bright Lance. It's good to see you can think clearly in a crisis."

"But..." Shining Star protested again. "We need to tell somepony... we need to alert the castle! This...." he glanced at Twilight, and hesitated. "This traitor has obviously stolen the Princess's power... if that really is the Princess."

Celestia sighed. "I understand your concern, Shining Star, but I believe Johnathon is correct. It will not serve anypony well to panic, and this news will almost certainly cause chaos and confusion."

Johnathon spoke up. "I'd be worried about anypony learning that it's possible to do this to you, Princess. Best if as few ponies as possible learn about this, till we can reverse it, and probably best if nopony else discovers what happened even afterwords, so we can avoid it happening again."

Celestia frowned. "I don't think any of my little ponies would deliberately go so far...."

Shining Star frowned. "As much as I hate to admit it... Princess, I believe the human may be correct. If it is discovered that it is possible to... steal your power, as your student appears to have done, then somepony may decide to try it again. This SHOULD be kept as quiet as possible."

Bright Lance glanced at his fellow guard, then turned to the Princess and nodded. "It's unlikely, and certainly we all know how powerful your student is, but it's possible that at some time in the future, somepony may decide to do something like this on purpose... if we don't take care now." he frowned. "Assuming this is something that can be reversed?" he looked at Twilight with a frown. "Twilight... please tell me that you can reverse this spell?"

Twilight Sparkle hesitated. "I... I can turn back into a unicorn... I think...." she hesitated, then pointed her horn at the bed. "Let me see if..."

"Twilight, no!" Princess Celestia shouted as the purple Alicorn's horn started to glow, and there was an explosion from the head of the Princess's bed. Feathers filled the air, falling like rain from the center of the explosion, and Twilight's eyes were wide, her horn going dark once more. The Princess sighed in relief. "You seem to have detonated one of my feather pillows." she said mildly. "I'm grateful you didn't blow up the entire room."

Twilight's eyes were wide. "I... it's too much power... I can't control it." she frowned. "I... I still think I could manage the reversal spell... with a little trial and error to compensate for the extra power, but..." she looked upset. "But... I don't... I don't think that would turn the Princess back!"

The guards both looked at her with flinty eyes. "Are you saying that you can't return the Princess to normal?" Shining Star said with a low, angry voice. "Or are you just making an excuse?"

Twilight shook her head. "No! I mean, yes, I'm saying that reversing the spell won't work to give the Princess her power back... at least, I don't think it would...." she shook her head again. "I'm not making an excuse. "If I try it, and I'm right, the power might just... go away! There might be an explosion, or something... probably a big one, actually, but...." she shook her head. "The power... it wouldn't just... go back. It has to be... PUT back." she frowned. "I think?"

Princess Celestia was nodding. "Yes... I agree." she shivered, then walked up toward Twilight, looking up at her now much taller student with a wry smile. "It's been a long time since I had to look up to anypony." she said, looking slightly amused. "So, Twilight, can you come up with a suggestion as to how to... properly reverse the spell?"

Twilight blinked, her mentor's calm expression and forgiving eyes doing much to settle her own nerves. "Well... theoretically, the most logical course would be to reverse the conditions... all the conditions. So... you'd have to cast the spell, Princess, and use me as a template to turn yourself into an Alicorn again." she frowned, her brilliant mind working on full cylinders again as she concentrated on the task at hand. "Yes... it should work. I actually think I know what went wrong as well!"

The princess looked interested. "Oh? Can you explain it?"

Twilight nodded. "That third weave, the one I couldn't identify, that I thought must be the key to making the transformation spell permanent? Well, I think the way it works is that it binds the magic... and draws the needed energy from whatever source is... well, most appropriate in it's surroundings. I expect that with practice I could direct it to pick the source of energy of my choosing." she nodded to herself. "Yes... when Strangehorn's assistant used it to transform herself into a pegasus, hardly any extra energy was required. A pegasi's natural energy level is, after all, no greater than a unicorns... so no extra energy was required. But.. apparently even the basic physical form of an alicorn contains a GREAT deal more energy than that of a normal unicorn... and the energy had to come from somewhere."

"So it came from me." Celestia said. "I felt the connection, and the drain... and it was mild at first, so I thought it was only trying to copy my structure, and did not block it... but of course, then the spell took full hold, and it was too late for me to stop it."

Twilight lowered her head. "I'm so, so sorry, Princess. This is all my fault."

Princess Celestia smiled at her. "I am as much to blame. I am your teacher, after all, and I did give you permission to try the spell. In any case, we will soon set all to rights, I expect."

She nodded to Shining Star. "Sergent, could you please go to my sister, and ask her to join us in my quarters at her earliest convenience?" she smiled wryly. "And, if you please, do not reveal what has happened here to anypony, at least until you have again spoken to me."

The unicorn guard banged a hoof into his armored chest-plate. "As my princess bids." he galloped from the room, pausing only to magic the door shut behind him with his horn before rushing off.

Princess Celestia looked thoughtful. "Hmm... now then, I suppose we'll need Strangehorn's spellbook so I can learn the spell myself...." she glanced at Twilight. "Perhaps I should send a message to Spike, and ask him to join us as well? He can assist my sister in retrieving it... assuming we wish this done swiftly."

"Perhaps Rainbow Dash could take him." Johnathon suggested. "She's... well, supposed to be just about the fastest pegasus around... and I expect we could trust her with a secret mission." he shrugged. "Luna's sudden arrival at the Library in Ponyville might be... a bit too interesting. Somepony will probably start asking questions."

Princess Celestia blinked, then nodded. "I believe that IS a good suggestion, Mr. Dwire, thank you. I will request that Spike bring himself and Ms. Dash here." she turned, concentrated, and an ink pen and a piece of parchment floated toward her. "She blinked. "Hmm... interesting, I can actually feel... well, a small, almost imperceptible drain from using my magic to float that quill."

Twilight blinked. "Oh no! Are you losing more of your magic, Princess?"

The Princess shook her head. "Oh no, nothing like that... it's just that normally my energy is so much stronger that I don't feel any change when doing most mundane tasks with my magic. Only moving the Sun and Moon truly fatigue my powers. It's just... a rather interesting experience to actually feel the... weight of an object with my telekinesis again."

Twilight gaped at her, then closed her mouth. "Oh... right. That actually makes sense." she quivered slightly. "I've got all that energy stored up inside ME right now..." she said softly, sounding frightened. "I could move the sun... or the moon."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "Please be very careful, Twilight. I grew into my powers, but I expect you'll find them rather overwhelming at first, and trust me, you do not want to lose control of that much power."

Twilight nodded quickly. "I'll be careful. I'll try to avoid doing any magic till this is reversed..."

Princess Celestia smiled at her. "I don't think you need to be quite that careful. You are a very talented unicorn. I think a little, careful experimentation with... perhaps, some more solid objects, may be safe enough. And we cannot be certain I will be able to reverse your spell right away." Twilight looked both excited and scared out of her mind at the same time, but didn't answer, and the Princess started to write her message to Spike. Finishing her short message, she rolled up the parchment, then concentrated, causing a flash of green fire to appear and cause the scroll to turn to smoke and fly out the open balcony doors. "There... that should arrive momentarily." she turned to Bright Lance. "Corporal, could you go to the front gates and escort Spike and a Ms. Dash directly to my quarters?"

Bright Lance glanced at Twilight, then Johnathan, then nodded. "I'd probably insist on staying to protect you... but I doubt I could even slow an Alicorn down if Twilight here really wanted to harm you." he shrugged. "I'll return quickly, princess, and I will be discreet as possible." he winked up at Twilight Sparkle. "Take good care of the princess while I'm gone, kiddo." he told her with a wry smile. "Try not to turn her into anything else in the meantime?" the grey coated unicorn guard cantered off, his horn glowing to cause the doors to open just in front of him, and close just after.

Johnathon glanced at Celestia thoughtfully. "You pick good men... er... stallions for your guards." he told her seriously. "They can think on their feet."

Celestia smiled. "I'll be sure to pass on your complement to the Captain of my guards when I see him, Johnathon." she raised an eyebrow. "You seem to think well on your feet as well."

The archeologist shrugged. "I don't panic in a crisis, usually... I generally save my breaking down and crying for after the emergency is over." he shrugged and grinned at her. "And don't think I'm joking. I do tend to fall to pieces once the pressure is off... I'll be useless for most of a day after all this gets worked out, I expect."

Celestia smiled gently and nodded. "Perfectly understandable. I am impressed. You seemed to grasp the most important detail of the situation quite quickly. How is that?"

Johnathon frowned. "Well... I had longer to think then your guards or you did, and it didn't take me long to figure out what must have happened. And, you're the ruler of your country... more than that, you're what most ponies put their faith into. Seeing you weakened... it would be devastating to most of them, I'd expect... and, well, I don't like the idea of somepony being able to steal your powers. We're just lucky it was Twilight, and not somepony more power hungry, or we might be finding ourselves in the middle of a palace coup right now."

Celestia's eyes widened. "I don't think that any of my little ponies would do something like that, Johnathon... not so easily."

Johnathon frowned. "Well, perhaps it's because my world sees such things more often that the possibility occurred to me quicker. In any case, I think we should take more precautions." he nodded at Celestia's doors. "Do those doors lock?"

The white unicorn blinked. "In fact they do, although I have almost never felt the need to so secure them." She frowned. "Do you think it necessary?"

Johnathon shrugged. "Some more ponies might come to investigate... and see something that they should not. Can't hurt to lock the doors till Shining Star and Bright Lance return, can it?"

Celestia considered that. "It can't hurt to be cautious, I suppose." she agreed, and focused her horn on the doorway. The doors glowed momentarily, then there was a click of a lock. "There. That should do, unless some pegasus flies up to my balcony, which hasn't happened in quite some time..." she smiled. "The pegasus guards are quite jealous of the skies above the castle, I'm afraid."

Johnathon nodded. "Well, that's probably alright then. I doubt Rainbow Dash would try to...." he trailed off at the faint sounds of shouting coming from outside, and paled. "Oh... no..." He put a hand, palm out toward the Princess and Twilight. "Let me handle this one." he told them quickly. "You shouldn't be seen." he raced for the balcony doors, throwing himself through them and pulling them shut behind him even as he saw the cyan pegasus flying into sight, carrying a baby dragon and being chased by a pair of white pegasus guards in golden armor.

Rainbow Dash landed just in front of him, then whirled to face the guards. "Hey! Stop chasing me! I told you I'm here to see the Princess, alright?" I'm Rainbow Dash! Haven't you ever heard of me!"

The guards swooped down to hover just in front of her, their eyes narrowed. "We know who you are." one of the two told her curtly. "But the airspace above the palace is restricted. If you wish entry to the palace, you must enter by the main gate." the other pegasus guard eyed Johnathon warily, but didn't speak.

Rainbow Dash turned to Johnathon. "Hey! Tell these guys that the Princess sent for me!" she flipped her head back at Spike, who was holding on to her mane for dear life, his eyes closed. "Spike just got the message, and told me that the Princess wanted to see both of us, right?"

Johnathon smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash, I'm sure you're right, but the Princess is downstairs anyway. I think you should go down to the gate like she said. There's a guard there who's waiting to escort you to the Princess and Twilight, alright?"

He glanced up at the two hovering guards. "This is all just a misunderstanding I'm sure. Rainbow Dash is a personal friend of the Princess's personal student, and that's Twilight's dragon. Why don't you gents just escort her down to the front gate, and I'm sure they'll be waiting for her there, alright?"

Spike was looking a bit greener than usual. "Er... couldn't I just... wait here?"

Johnathon raised an eyebrow at the guards. "It's your call, gentlemen. Certainly I wouldn't ask you to violate any procedures, but Spike isn't any trouble, are you Spike?"

The young dragon shook his head. "Not me! I'm harmless, really! Ask anypony!"

The guards looked dubious. "All visitors are supposed to enter through the main gate. No exceptions."

Johnathon shrugged. "Well, no exceptions, sorry Spike. Rainbow, you might want to fly a bit slower on the way down, I think Spike is a little airsick."

Rainbow Dash looked annoyed. "But... this is the Princess's balcony, right here, isn't it? Why do I have to go all the way around?"

Johnathon patted her shoulder. "Just let the guards do their job, Rainbow Dash. It's faster than them throwing you in a dungeon and waiting for the Princess to tell them to let you out, right?"

The cyan pegasus frowned slightly. "Well... I guess." she started to fly, hovering straight upwards effortlessly, then quirked her neck to point at the front of the palace. "You guys want to race?"

Johnathon waved goodbye as Rainbow Dash flew away, flying nice and easily, and looking slightly bored, flanked by the two disgruntled looking pegasi, then opened the balcony doors and stepped back inside. "Whew." he wiped his brow. "Dang... I can't believe that worked."

Twilight was hiding behind the princess's bed, poorly, peeking out from behind a hanging curtain. "I'm really glad it did!" she said. "I'm afraid somepony is going to accuse me of... trying to take the throne, and... and... doing something bad to the princess! If those guards had followed Rainbow Dash in here... I don't know what I would have done!"

Johnathon walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, which was now about the same height as his own. "All you need to do right now is stay calm, and things will work out. Nopony is going to do anything drastic. Even if somepony else finds out what's happened, all we have to do is explain everything. Somepony might overreact, but as long as WE keep our cool, we'll be able to handle it, alright?" he grinned. "Although it certainly would have complicated things. I should have guessed Rainbow Dash would try to fly straight here."

Twilight sighed. "You'd think she'd know better! We always come in through the main entrance!"

Princess Celestia smiled lightly. "She comes in with you and your other friends when she does come, so she takes the ground entrance. Still, for a flier like Rainbow Dash, I can understand why my balcony seems like a quicker choice... and my message must have seemed rather urgent."

They didn't have to wait much longer before somepony tried to open the door, and then knocked politely. "Princess Celestia, it's Bright Lance, with a Ms. Dash and the dragon, Spike. May we enter?"

The white unicorn turned to the door, her horn glowing. "Of course Corporal. Please do."

The doors opened with a click, and the guard unicorn came in, followed by an irritated looking cyan pegasus carrying a baby dragon. "What's going on?" Rainbow Dash complained. "I thought the Princess was downstairs?" she glanced around, taking in the room, her eyes passing over the white unicorn with the pink mane automatically before settling on Twilight, then widening. "Oh! Your majesty." she prostrated herself on the floor automatically. Spike had hopped off her back and was kneeling as well, his eyes lowered. "I thought Princess Celestia would be here..." she began nervously, glancing up from her prone position, her mild confusion growing exponentially as she took in the sight of the purple alicorn in front of her. "Who...? You're not princess Luna..."

Twilight took a hesitant step forward. "You don't have to bow to me, Rainbow Dash. You never have to do that."

The cyan pegasus's face started to show understanding. "Oh... wow!" she rose to her feet, walking over to get a better look. "Twilight, is that really you? Wow!"

Spike had looked up as well, his face showing his shock. "Twilight? No way!" he looked stunned. "When did you become a Princess, Twilight? Is that why you wanted to talk to Princess Celestia tonight, because you're becoming a princess?" He looked worried. "Are we going to have to come back to Canterlot so you can do princess stuff? I'd really miss Ponyville if we have to leave..."

Twilight nodded to Rainbow Dash. "Yes, it's really me. I tried that spell we were talking about in the train... the one to turn me into an alicorn, remember?" she glanced at Spike. "And I'm not a princess, this is just temporary, till I can get it reversed. We're not moving to Canterlot."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Well, you look awesome as a princess... I mean, an alicorn." she raised an eyebrow. "Hey, do you think you could actually fly like that? I mean... I know you said you'd have to cast a bunch of other spells to be able to do all the stuff the Princess can do, but... it'd be kind of cool to race an alicorn... not that you'd have a chance of beating me or anything, but maybe I could show you how to fly and all... and we could have a little race? You know, just for fun..."

Twilight hesitated. "Er... actually, I probably can fly... but... that's probably not a great idea right now, Rainbow Dash... you see... I kind of... accidentally, turned Princess Celestia into a normal unicorn at the same time I turned myself into an alicorn."

"YOU DID WHAT?!?!?!" the roar of outrage from Princess Luna was given in the full Canterlot royal voice, and Johnathon Dwire winced as she continued. "WHAT EXACTLY HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER, PRAY TELL?" Luna shouted with impressive volume, glaring at the purple alicorn from the entrance to her sister's bedchambers. Johnathon considered intervening, but his body was frozen. He couldn't seem to move.

"Luna." Princess Celestia said calmly. "Inside voice, please. We do not want this particular magical accident becoming public knowledge, but it's hardly possible to keep it from getting out if you insist on shouting loud enough to wake the entire capital." her voice got slightly irritated near the end, and then her face softened. "Now please, speak quietly."

The dark blue alicorn gaped at her now much smaller sister in shock. "Tia? Is... is that really you?"

Princess Celestia nodded calmly. "Yes, apparently Twilight's attempt to transform herself, with my help, did not go quite as planned."

Luna rushed forward and scooped her older sister up in her forehooves, hugging her to her chest. "Oh! You're so cute like this, Tia!" she set the white unicorn down and blushed. "Tia... how did this happen?" she turned to Twilight, frowning. "And how has your favorite student gained your powers?" she looked Twilight up and down. "Tis, thou, Twilight Sparkle, is it not? The bearer of the Element of Magic?" she frowned slightly. "This does not please me."

Twilight bowed low. "I'm so sorry, Princess Luna. It was an accident. I was trying a transformation spell... with Princess Celestia's help, and... well, it went wrong. The spell ended up draining the energy to turn me into an alicorn from the Princess, rather than allowing me to mimic her physical form, as I intended."

Princess Celestia sighed. "I have to accept some of the blame here as well, little sister. I approved Twilight's attempt, and neither of us anticipated this particular result."

Luna raised an eyebrow, and chuckled softly. "We are not sure if 'little' sister truly applies at the moment, Tia, but tis a rather amusing development." she gazed up at Twilight Sparkle for a moment, then shook her head. "It seems that your student has gained your full size as well, older sister." she looked curious. "Have you determined how to set this right?"

Twilight and Princess Celestia exchanged glances. "Well." Twilight began. "I believe that the spell I cast drew upon the Princess's energy to work... pulling her energy into me. I think, to reverse it, Princess Celestia would simply have to cast the same spell on me."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "I take it this is not a commonly known spell?"

Twilight nodded. "It's a prototype permanent transformation spell created by Strangehorn the Mad. I have the spell in a book at my Library at the moment." she turned to Rainbow Dash. "Which is why I asked you to come, Rainbow Dash. I need somepony to go get it... quick."

Princess Celestia spoke up. "I'd ask you to go, Luna, but we're trying to keep this little accident quiet for now... and I expect that your arrival at the Ponyville Library would not go unnoticed."

Luna smiled slightly. "I believe I could manage to enter and leave Twilight's home without notice, if I so desired." she grinned. "If you were experimenting with transformation spell, thou should have come to me first, Twilight Sparkle. They happen to be a particular specialty of mine."

Twilight blinked. "Oh." she put a hoof to her face. "Of course! I've seen some of your transformations. They were quite good...."

Luna nodded. "I can go and retrieve the book in but a moment, if it's truly urgent."

Twilight nodded to her baby dragon. "If you take Spike along with you, he can show you right where it is."

Luna nodded in agreement, turning to Spike. "Will thou accompany us on our quest, young dragon?"

Spike nodded hesitantly. "Um... sure, I guess?"

Luna concentrated for a moment, then started to shrink, her wings vanishing, and her coat changing color to purple. After a moment, she looked like an exact replica of Twilight, at least, the Twilight before she had transformed herself.

"We assume, if we...." Luna paused, altering her voice slightly to be closer to Twilight's own. "That is, if I, Twilight Sparkle, teleport into the center of Ponyville, no pony will suspect anything is amiss?"

Twilight blinked in astonishment. "Wow! That's really great, Princess! I had no idea you were so good at disguise magic!"

Luna shrugged, looking a bit smug. "I'm a bit out of practice with the voices..." she said with a touch more deliberation and volume than Twilight usually did. "But this sort of thing is... how do you say it? Child's play for the Princess of the Night."

Twilight sighed. "Wow... so, are you familiar with Strangehorn's transformation spell, by any chance?"

Luna shook her head regretfully. "It is more of a natural talent, I'm afraid. I have not studied the Mad one's spellwork in much depth, I'm sorry to say." she turned to Spike. "Shall we go then, little one?"

Spike nodded, and walked over next to Luna. "Can you really teleport us all the way back to Ponyville?" he asked in mild amazement.

"Certainly." Luna said with a small smile. "It is but a minor feat compared to raising the moon." she nodded briskly to Celestia. "I will return shortly... little sister." she giggled, and with a flash of blue light, she and Spike had vanished.

Rainbow Dash shivered. "Wow... that was creepy. She looked just like you!" she said, turning to Twilight, and then looking up, and then up higher, at her librarian friend. "Er... the regular you." she said, shaking her head. "Man, Twilight, you're huge! I think you're taller than Princess Celestia was!"

Twilight blinked. "No... it's probably just I... look bigger, because of my purple coat... or something."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Well, too bad you're not staying like this. You make a cool alicorn."

Princess Celestia nodded agreeably. "You are quite stunning, my student." she strode over to her bed and hopped up on it, stretching out on the huge mattress. "If I did not have to raise the sun in the morning, I'd be tempted to extend this a bit longer, but I'm afraid that would be slightly irresponsible of me." she sighed. "I've never had Luna's knack for transformation spells. I'd love to be able to walk among the populace once in a while without having to be... Princess Celestia all the time."

Bright Lance and Shining Star glanced at each other, then they both bowed low. "You seem to have matters well in hand, your majesty, so we'll be just outside, guarding the door, if you need us, Princess." Bright Lance said as they exited.

As the doors closed behind the guards, Rainbow Dash went over and jumped up on the bed next to the Princess. "Man, that must suck, always having to be on duty, Princess." she said sympathetically. "Maybe you could go out tonight? I mean, it's Hearth Warming Eve and all... I bet a bunch of ponies are out caroling and stuff right now. You could totally go!"

Princess Celestia blinked. "Oh..." she chewed on her lip. "That would be interesting, but..." she looked at her door. "I really don't know. It would be so irresponsible!" she giggled lightly. "But it would be a lot of fun."

Rainbow Dash followed the Celestia's gaze. "Well, you are the Princess. If you can't have fun when you want too, who can?"

The princess hesitated. "It is... quite tempting, Rainbow Dash. But Luna will be back soon, and it would upset her to find me gone. Besides, I really must be able to return to normal before morning if I possibly can. Luna has never raised the sun on her own, and now is probably not the best time for her to start, without me there to take over if something was to go wrong."

Twilight knelt next to the Princess's bed, putting her head on the same level as her mentor and Rainbow Dash. "Princess... maybe I can research a disguise spell for you? I don't know any really good ones that would work on an alicorn, but I might be able to figure one out if I worked at it."

Celestia sighed. "It's not quite that simple. Luna's nature is to be changeable, like the moon, while mine is to be constant, like the sun. Most magics that change one's form simply do not work on me." she grinned at Twilight. "You are the first in a long time to achieve a major transformation to my form... quite the notable feat."

Twilight sighed. "Too bad nopony will ever know about it." she chuckled. "On second thought, I don't think I want to be known for this... I could live without anypony knowing how badly I managed to mess this up tonight."

Celestia chuckled. "Everypony makes mistakes, Twilight. Especially gifted ponies make especially large mistakes, sometimes. It's part of who you are. Do you remember making Spike grow till his head broke the ceiling of the magical academy? And turning your parents into house plants? Only a truly talented unicorn could make such enormous errors... but only a truly talented unicorn could do such amazing, wonderful things as you have. I have great faith in your abilities, Twilight Sparkle, and tonight has not changed my opinion on that."

Johnathon strode quietly over to the balcony doors, and was looking outside. "Remind me never to doubt your magic, Twilight." he told her with a glance over his shoulder. "Ever time I think I've seen the limit of your powers, I am surprised again. I really think you will manage to get me home one day." he told her. "I agree with Celestia. Just because you make the occasional mistake, doesn't mean you aren't capable of great things." he glanced back at Celestia curiously. "Is Twilight a real alicorn right now? I mean... the whole nine yards? Flight, strength, magical ability to raise the sun and moon?"

Celestia looked thoughtful. "I'd say, yes, probably. It's not like I'm an expert on the subject. But... I certainly have lost all of that. I am no judge, but I would guess I am currently no more powerful than Twilight was before she cast the spell." she shrugged. "Although there is only one way of finding out."

Twilight spoke up. "I don't know for sure either... but... I feel... strong. Incredibly strong." she spread her wings, and looked at one of them closely, stretching and flexing it several times. "I feel like I could walk through a wall and not feel it... like I could pull the entire castle off the side of the mountain and float it in mid air..." she shivered. "It's a lot of power. I'm not sure exactly why the spell worked as it did. Perhaps being an alicorn is more complex than we thought. Perhaps an alicorn's power is as much in their body as it is in their horn... I don't know. I'm certainly not going to experiment with transforming into one again, after this."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Twilight?" I can... well, I can imagine that a great deal of good might come out of such a spell, if you fully understood it. Perhaps in time you could actually join my sister and I as a full fledged alicorn. I'm not saying you'd have to become a princess, although I also wouldn't say that would never happen, but... it would be nice if I could have my favorite student around a bit longer than the century I've been hoping for." she suddenly looked away, muffling her head in a pillow.

Twilight sighed, looking sad. "I... I'm not sure, Princess. I don't know if it's something I'll ever manage, and even if I did, I'm not sure how I'd feel about outliving all my friends...." she looked immediately apologetic. "I'm sorry... of course you understand, but... I shouldn't...."

Celestia shook her head quickly, interrupting. "Please. I shouldn't have brought the subject up. It is an entirely selfish hope, Twilight. I could not ask it of you. I should not."

Twilight shook her head slowly. "I'd do it for you, Princess, if you really want me to. I'll keep studying. Maybe I can really figure it out."

Celestia shook her head. "No... no, forget I brought it up, Twilight. It was selfish of me. I am acting like a foal tonight."

Everypony went silent for a long time. The silence was interrupted by a flash from outside the balcony. Johnathon hurried to open the door for Princess Luna, who was returned to her normal form, and hovering several dozen yards from the now open doors, a large book suspended by magic beside her.

"We have retrieved the tome!" the Lunar Princess announced triumphantly, gliding into the room and landing with a light thud in the middle of Celestia's bed chamber.

"Thank you Luna." Celestia said with a genuine smile, jumping off of her bed and walking smoothly over to her currently larger sister. "I might as well get started." she took the book from Luna with her own telekinesis, and started flipping through the pages. "Now... where is that spell, Twilight?"

"Page three hundred and sixty four." Twilight told her automatically. "I've read that section so many times, I've practically got it memorized."

Celestia flipped the book open to the proper page, and started to read. As she continued, her brow narrowed in concentration. "Oh dear...." she said, looking worried. "This... is... rather more complex than I expected."

She continued to read, frowning deeply. "I... have not had occasion to use such complex magic in... a very long while." she admitted. "I tend to rely on my powers to streamline things a bit...." the white unicorn hesitated. "I am actually not sure if I can manage this spell, Twilight."

Luna moved over to read over her older, currently smaller, sister's shoulder. "Mayhaps I can be of some assistance! After all, transformation is...." she trailed off, staring at the spell inscribed with some surprise. "A triple weave? How foalishly complex! Surely the same result could have been obtained with at most a double weave." she wrinkled her nose, then glanced at Twilight Sparkle. "And... this tis the spell you cast to transform thyself with our sister's powers?" she looked faintly impressed. "We are not surprised thee has been having difficulty with this spell, Twilight Sparkle. This is most complex casting indeed!"

Twilight sighed. "Well, honestly, I think I'm starting to get the idea... you see, that third weave is the difficult one. It's what sustains the magic... in theory. In practice, it seems to find the energy needed, and bind it to sustain the transformation. It's really incredibly sophisticated. I'm surprised Strangehorn hasn't put it into more spells!" she frowned. "Of course, since he died, he wasn't able to continue his research, but he really was a genius pony. A bit mad... but certainly a genius."

Princess Celestia sighed. "Well... this may be a problem. I think I might be able to figure out the spell, given time, but... I'm not going to manage it in a single night, I'm afraid."

Twilight froze. "Princess... you don't mean."

Princess Luna was starting to look apprehensive as well. "Sister, thou does not mean for us to...."

The white unicorn nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so, Luna. It's about time in any case. You're going to have to raise the Sun."

Comments

[RazgrizS57]

*DUN DUN DUNNNN*

Don't screw this up, Luna.

[WorldWalker128]

384580
Then there's also to take into account their years vs our years and their time flow rate vs our time flow rate. We have (as I'm sure everybody knows) 365 days in a year. But every episode or ever other episode we watch seems to jump ahead at least a month or two, whereas only a week or two passes for us. While that is probably just because too many 'slice of life' episodes might get dull after awhile, time still seems to jump forward quite a bit. It could be that a year for them may only be a hundred days or so here or less.
If we theorize that the royal sisters are in fact from another reality in which time there flows much slower than in Equestria (and that jumping to a new world will not separate them from that time flow rate), it could account for Luna at one time being a filly according to Equestrian history; they're still aging, but at an incredibly slow rate, thus making them appear to be immortal to the faster-aging ponies and to ourselves. I have no explanation as to how Luna appeared to be young in the first season, and then became a late teen or adult in the second, however.
Magic?
Back to the 'shorter year' theory, if a year for them was only a handful of months, that could easily explain how Granny Smith is still alive, assuming their life-expectancy there is the same as here. What would be forty years for us could be eighty, or ninety for them, or more (or less) for them.
Or we could just throw this all our the door and smile and say: "They live as long as we do, same time flow, same years. It's a magical world of talking, pastel ponies. Who needs scientific explanations? I'm for it if you are.

[Stormhawk60]

tortadisogno.edublogs.org/files/2011/05/woah128624170833122164-239yww5.jpg Did not see any of this coming. good job

[Doctor Whooves]

I was just wondering: why doesn't Twilight cast the transformation spell on Celestia? She would turn back into an alicorn, taking the energy nessessary from the only available source, Twilight herself, turning Twilight back into a unicorn.

That should work, unless I've missed something big.

384782

I've always believed (although I am certainly no expert) that it was a temporary effect caused by the Elements of Harmony. Perhaps the spell required some of Luna's energy to complete it? Or she needed time to recover from being trapped on the moon for a thousand years?

In either case, it seems that Luna isn't usually smaller than Celestia- just look at the Equestrian flag, for example. Even as long ago as the original Hearth's Warming Eve, she was as large as her sister. Similarly, when the story of Luna attempting to create eternal night was being told, the images were again of two alicorns identical in size.

This theory would also explain why Luna seemed to age so quickly; in that she would regain her true stature as she regained energy.

[Blik]

Typo alert! Bright Lance wants to be "discreet", not "discrete." I rather think the guard would prefer to be continuous instead of made up of disparate points.
Twilight is the "bearer" of the element of Magic.
Tia wants to walk among the "populace".
On to the next chapter!

[Christopher28]

431648 Thanks for the editing. Fixed.

[Menoshe]

"Johnathon closed his eyes, turning away and shielding his face with his arms, but the light was already fading. He slowly turned back, blinking to try and clear the spots from his vision. At first, he wasn't sure his vision hadn't been damaged. It was like he was looking at a picture negative. On one side of the room, where Twilight had stood, was a large dark Alicorn, looking slightly shaky on her feet. On the other was a white unicorn, lying slumped on the floor. It was like Twilight and the Princess had switched places and colors."

Eeyup. I knew something would screw up horribly.

EDIT: Yeah, the following is going to be needed.

distintiepopolari.myblog.it/media/00/01/1477266320.jpg

[nemryn]

Ooh, this is an interesting twist on the 'Twilight becomes an alicorn' cliche.

[Firedon]

384782 I think my head-canon dictates that it is their magical power that grants them longevity, the mane, the build, etc. and since Luna was stripped from NMM's power, it is likely that she temporarily lost part of her power as well, making her appear as a more normal pony.

[milk experiment]

Just started reading this, and I'm skipping the comments to avoid spoilers. I'm sorry if five people have already mentioned it, but I noticed a continuity problem:

a beam shot out to bathe the Princess in a soft glow, much as it had Johnathon before she had transformed Cheerilee

Twilight hasn't transformed Cheerilee into anything, at least not yet. She "scanned" Johnathon before transforming herself temporarily into a human.

[Christopher28]

1023739 Good catch. Fixed.

[Boss_Hoss1]

(falls over) Oh.... Wow!

[LightRay]

But the moon does not rise and fall with the night... you can see the moon during the daytime on my world, in fact, if it's in the right part of the sky."

ooops it looks like i got ahead of myself again
well no need to talk to the celestia about it now

btw any reader wont know what i'm talking about anyway only chistopher unless my last message was in comments...

[LightRay]

But the moon does not rise and fall with the night... you can see the moon during the daytime on my world, in fact, if it's in the right part of the sky."

ooops it looks like i got ahead of myself again
well no need to talk to the celestia about it now

~also~

"I've never had Luna's knack for transformation spells. I'd love to be able to walk among the populace once in a while without having to be... Princess Celestia all the time."
I smell Another story coming along oh wait it already has

[BenRG]

Whoops! What else can I say? That said, I'm really wondering if Celestia did anticipate this outcome and she's just playing chess with Twilight again.

[WorldWalker128]

You know, now that I'm going back after having read the rest of the fic, I have a theory as to how it is that Celestia and Luna are so powerful.
If we assume that Luna and Celestia were Alicorns before they fought Discord, and that their power was inherited from their parents, and only grew to maturity after they reached puberty, then it is possible that their mother and father performed that spell Twilight used on at least one large Earth Pony and Pegasus (or altered versions of them), and multiple Unicorns, draining and combining their abilities and granting it to themselves so that, rather than needing many Unicorns each day to raise and lower the sun and moon, it could be managed by one being, like using one larger battery instead of multiple smaller to power a light bulb. Either one will power the bulb, but you're using less bodies to do it.

[General Ascudas]

i enjoy how you keep this story well within the generaly accepted laws of MLP while using science to justify new things

[Lucky424]

I'm not going to manage it in a single night, I'm afraid.

In the words of Jamie Hynemen, "Well, there's your problem"!

Also, halfway so far!!!

[Gyro Steambass]

I'm confused about when they speak English and when they speak Equestrian.

[JBL]

Things are heating up!

[Pegos 1-1]

A few pictures come to mind, most notably these two. I'm actually surprised they haven't been posted yet.fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/11275_r.jpg stuffpoint.com/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/image/209145-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-the-alicorn-princess-twilight-sparkle-2nd-version.png

[Flibbertigibbet]

Well, that was entertaining! Celestia as a unicorn and a reasonable explanation for Twilight's transformation into an Alicorn? You've clearly put a lot of thought into this story, and I'm really enjoying it! That isn't the only impressive thing so far though. The mechanics behind the magic are clearly and coherently explained in a concise and understandable manner; an uncommon feat in this fandom. I really appreciate the effort you put in to your work. It's a very engaging and intelligent story, and I can't wait to read the rest!

[Regreme]

Nice thusfar. Well, from what I've seen of the show, it seems that alicorns come to be when ponies reach a level of enlightenment in regards to their special talent, case in point with the magic that transformed her coming from Twilight's chest, instead of the empowering spell of Star Swirl's that she completed.

[Officer Hotpants]

... ... whoa. You're, like, some kind of My Little Prophet or something.

[kotor511]

The white unicorn nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so, Luna. It's about time in any case. You're going to have to raise the Sun."

[kotor511]

5457505 And the Lord Christoph said, thou shall be an alicorn Twilight sparkle, and thus it was done.