Pluto

by Sailor_Pluto

Chapter 2

Pluto slammed the door to Golden Oaks Library shut. She stood at the entrance for a moment, staring off into space. As she turned and walked away, another sigh escaped her.

"I did it again." She whispered. "I always do that. I always make everypony mad at me." She laughed weakly. "Granted, this time it was just a princess and a dragon..." Looking through the inky blackness, a mixture of rain and night, Pluto checked to see if anyone was watching. Who would be? She said to herself.

Sighing again, she lifted her hood back up. She took the tail end of the cloak and wrapped it gently around her neck. She spent a moment stretching her wings, then took off for Canterlot, the way illuminated by her white magic aura.

---

"Woah. Weird." Rainbow Dash said after Twilight had told her and the rest of their friends of the strange ordeals she had encountered the night before. The Mane Six was hanging out at Sugar Cube Corner, drinking milkshakes.

"And...you're ABSOLUTELY sure you've never seen her before?" Rarity asked.

"Yes." Twilight nodded as she slurped on her vanilla shake. "I'm certain I would have remembered her if I had seen her before." She nudged her glass away from the table's edge. "She had a long, sparkly purple mane, pale green eyes, and a face that seemed like it could either be friendly or really, REALLY mean." Twilight paused before adding, "And she had a really long horn, too. Like Cadance's."

"Maybe she came from Canterlot?" Rarity asked. "I have a good friend there named Fleur Dis Lee, who has the same stature as Princess Cadance. So maybe she's not the only unicorn there who has that?" Rarity shrugged. "That's all I've got, darling." She sipped her milkshake.

Rainbow coughed. "Um...hey Rarity, what kind of milkshake is that?"

"Oh, it's marshmallow." She said, picking the glass up in her magic and looking at the beverage. "It's quite delicious, actually..." She stopped when she realized Rainbow was laughing. "...What ever is so funny, darling?"

"It's just..." Rainbow wheezed. "A marshmallow...drinking a marshmallow!" She collapsed in another fit of hysterical laughter.

"Rainbow, that's not funny in the least." Twilight said.

"I don't get it." Rarity said. Everypony looked at her.

Rainbow's laughter died down. "Because...you're white...like a marshmallow..."

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Oh. I see."

"Twilight! Twilight!" Spike came running into Sugar Cube Corner. "Twilight! I think I'm about to get a letter from Princess Celesti-" With a belch of green fire, a srcoll appeared. Twilight sighed and seized it in her magic, then opened it and read it. "Oh...oh my. Hm."

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked softly.

Twilight shook her head. "Take a look for yourselves."

Dear Twilight,
A strange mare came to visit me and Luna this morning. Your prescence, as well as your friends', is required in Canterlot at once.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia

"Now whut the hay is all that about?" Applejack asked.

"I have no idea," twilight said, rolling the scroll back up. "But I guess we'd better get over to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"Ah got work t' do today!" Applejack complained. "Ah can't be takin' no unscheduled trip t' Canterlot!"

"It's the princess's orders." Twilight said as she slid out of the booth. "Are we really in a position to disobey?"

Applejack sighed. "Ah'll...Ah'll go git mah things."

"Yeah, same here." Pinkie gathered up her friends' empty glasses. "I'm gonna take these to the sink, then I'll go pack. See you guys at the train station later?"

"Sounds good." Twilight said. "Just...be fast, you guys. Her note said 'at once.' That kinda means we have to get there soon."

Pinkie saluted. "Will do!" She hopped off to the kitchen, chanting, "Party in Canterlot! Party in Canterlot!"

Ten minutes later, the Mane Six had packed up a few things (except Rarity, who had brought a mountain of useless items. As usual.), and were waiting in line for the train to Canterlot.

The trip up the mountain was uneventful, for the Mane Six were all deep in their own thoughts about what Princess Celestia wanted with them.

Princess Luna met them outside of the castle. "Welcome, Twilight Sparkle." She greeted warmly. Well, as warm as Luna got. "Sister is with the visitor right now. Come along." She led the princess and her friends inside.

In the throne room, Celestia was standing just in front of the throne, chatting lightly with a tall mare in a light brown cloak. Celestia glanced upward ans smiled. "Twilight! Welcome back." She stepped away from the visitor and up onto her throne, motioning for the mare to stand beside her.

"Hello, princess." Twilight bowed.

"Honestly, you've got to stop doing that." Celestia said. "You're a princess yourself now, you realize."

Twilight laughed. "Force of habit, sorry."

Luna cleared her throat. Celestia sighed. "Right. Down to business." She turned to the visitor. "Where...should I begin?"

"Tell them everything I told you, starting from when I bursted in here." the mare said, flipping her hood back to reveal her face. "Everything."

Pluto! Twilight thought.

"Alright." Celestia said. "Here's what happened..."

---

Celestia was sitting on her throne, completing the usual boring stack of papers. It never ends, does it? She thought bitterly. Gek.

"Your Highness," a member of the royal guard said, entering the throne room. "There is somepony who wishes to speak with you."

"Ah, good." Celestia said, gently freeing the papers from her magic's aura. "A break from these papers! Bring them in."

The guard walked out of the room, and returned a few seconds later with a tall mare in a light brown cloak, which concealed her face and just about everything about her. The guard bowed and left the room.

"Your Majesty," the mare said, bowing. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well." Celestia said. "So, what do you wish to discuss with me?"

"Well...that is a delicate matter, Your Majesty." The mare said, nodding her head back so the hood of the cloak fell away and no longer shrouded her face. "My name is Pluto, by the way."

That head nod...I've only ever seen Luna do that. Celestia said to herself. Strange. "Well, go on, Pluto."

"There is a fifth alicorn." Pluto said.

Celestia blinked. "...what? A fifth...what?"

"Alicorn, Your Majesty." Pluto stated. "There is a fifth alicorn."

"A born one?"

"Yes, a born one."

"Oh my. That is..." Celestia laughed. "Wow. That's...wow. Younger than me, I presume?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Younger than you."

"Please, call me Celestia." The sun princess said.

"Alright. Celestia." Pluto said, speaking in the same, monotone voice.

"And...how did you come across this alicorn?"

Pluto's eyes widened briefly, then snapped shut as she sighed. "I...used to travel around quite a bit. I...encountered the alicorn that way."

"I see." Celestia nodded. "How long have been in Equestria for, Pluto?"

"I just got here last night." Pluto replied. "From the Everfree Forest."

"Hm..." Celestia thought for a moment. "Would you happen to know where this alicorn is?"

"Yes." Pluto said. "But...well...this may come as a shock to you..." Pluto carefully removed her cloak with her magic, revealing beautiful purple wings.

Celestia's eyes widened. "Oh...my..."

"There's more." Pluto said. "I'm not just an alicorn. I am also your youngest sister, Princess Pluto." Pluto bowed again. "The Princess of Time."

Celestia opened her mouth, but words refused to come out.

Pluto laughed. "Of course, I've never actually had anypony call me princess before. I'm not exactly used to it yet."

"You...how...what?"

"I will explain everything, sister. But there are a few ponies I would like you to invite over before doing so." Pluto lifted her head a bit. "They do not care for me, so I would like them to see this."

"I...alright." Celestia said. "Who would you like for me to contact?"

"Princess Twilight and her friends." Pluto replied.

"Why?" Celestia asked. "They don't...like you?"

"I've only actually met Twilight." Pluto admitted. "But she has told her friends about me bitterly, so now they think about me negatively, no doubt."

"I...don't..." Celestia sighed. "I'll send a letter."

"Thank you."

---

"And that's what happened." Celestia finished.

To prove to the Mane Six what she had told Celestia was true, Pluto carefully removed her cloak with her magic, revealing broad purple wings, much like Twilight's. A clock Cutie Mark was apparent on her flank.

"The Princess of Time?" Twilight asked.

"Yes." Pluto responded.

"Who is also the little sister of Celestia?"

"And Luna." Pluto titled her head. "Shall I tell my story?"

"Please do." Luna replied, taking a seat on her throne. "I would love to hear this."

"Very well." Pluto cleared her throat. "My mother is...was Queen Galaxia, and my father was King Cosmos, same as Luna and Celestia's parents. I was born five years after Luna. Or so I was told. I don't actually know if it's true or not. Anyway, after the battle between the changelings, where Luna and Celestia were, supposedly, the only ones who survived, my parents barely made it away alive. They spent five years searching for their daughters. That was when I was born. My birth killed my mother, and left my father so depressed that he died when I was three.

"I had no family around me. Part of me felt like giving up, like dying and joining mother and father in the afterlife. But there were so many things I wanted to do, to see—I just couldn't.

"I remembered that father had told me of his two other daughters, the ones born before the changeling war. He told me that we had to search for them. So that's what I decided to do." Pluto sighed. "I spent a few years in Hoofrica, Saddle Arabia, and Neighpon." She laughed a bit. "Actually...I spent about a hundred years in Neighpon. I love that place. Now I'm fluent in Neighponese." She waved to Pinkie Pie. "Konnichiwa! Watashi wa Puruto desu!"

Pinkie waved back. "Hajimemashite! Watashi wa Pie Pinkie desu!"

The rest of the Mane Six just stared. "...what?"

Pluto waved her hoof around. "Anyway. I had figured that a few years in foreign countries couldn't hurt. Why would it? ...Then, Neighpon gets attacked by these super creepy, weird...misshapen...THINGS called witches." Pluto sighs. "Terrifying." She looked back up. "Oh! And after I cleared Neighpon of witches and left, I spent some time in the human world."

"The human world?" Celestia asked. "How did you get there? The Crystal Empire wasn't-"

"The portal in the Crystal Empire is not the only portal there is," Pluto interrupted. "Let's leave it at that." Pluto sighed. "About 'round that time, I decided I was done screwing around. A year later-" she shrugged a bit. "I found the Everfree Forest and traveled into Ponyville."

"..."

"..."

"Wow." Twilight broke the silence. "You're a brave pony, you know that?"

Pluto shrugged again. "Being abandoned at the age of three and traveling ever since will do that to a mare."

"Let's..." Celestia shook her head. "I don't even know where to begin. You're certain you're our little sister?"

"Yes." Pluto nodded. "But I am not the only other sibling you and Luna have."

Celestia tilted her head to the side a bit. "What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of a Queen Chrysalis?" Pluto asked calmly.

Luna and Celestia nodded slowly, not quite sure if they liked where their conversation was heading.

"She's our eldest sister."