Raising Twilight

by Art Inspired

Part Three: Celestia's Decree

By the time Celestia had flown all the way to Canterlot, it was clear to her as she soared high above through the clouds that the time of day hadn't changed one bit. Meanwhile, Starlight, Sunset, and the young Princess Twilight all laid on the bed together, waiting.

From the balcony, they saw the stars come out suddenly, and gasping, Sunset Shimmer got out of bed while awakening Starlight Glimmer as she did. "Look," she said.

Starlight came out, and as her jaw dropped, she asked, "Is that... Celestia's doing?"

"Yep..."

The evening sky was luminous with the lines of stars as the day was vastly, and hastily corrected to night directly in front of them. Soon, they saw the moon crossing the horizon as well, and as all of it slowly came to a stop, they heard the front door to their room open. The guard brought them along, and down a wide hallway that eventually brought them to an empty ballroom. He stopped before the door, sighed, and just opened it for them.

He then stood aside, and as Starlight and Sunset wandered in loosely, he closed the door behind them. They stared at Celestia nervously. The whole room had gone silent save for a few scarce murmurs made by Twilight. Celestia soon began coming closer, saying, "I'm... just a little bit confused as to why Twilight didn't take care of the cycle of the sun and moon today."

Starlight, who still remained responsible for holding onto Twilight, asked, "W-wait... What? They didn't tell you?"

She accidentally stammered for just a brief moment, but that's all it took for Twilight to break free. Through the air, the filly floated up, and down, and at one point, she was sideways. Nevertheless, Twilight made a beeline, and headed right into the hooves of her former mentor, Princess Celestia. The mare standing across from the two unicorns just sighed, and despite how shocked she might've appeared to be, it was nothing when compared to how devastated Sunset Shimmer looked during all of this.

"Oh, my..." Celestia slowly started smiling down at Twilight, and complimented her, "Aren't you just the worst possible thing to have plagued this land...? What ever will I do with such an adorable alicorn such as you?" She playfully looked up at Starlight, and asked, "Dear Starlight... Where ever did you find this irresistible foal? She looks... so familiar somehow." She gave Sunset a look, and sarcastically asked, "Sunset Shimmer? Doesn't she look like somepony we all know and love dearly...?"

Tapping her hooves together, Sunset simply mumbled, "Uhm... W-w-well, y-you see, Princess Celestia... W-we, uhm..."

Her throat became far too dry for her to continue, and so Starlight intervened. "Y-your Highness?"

Celestia looked from Sunset to Starlight, and asked, "Yes?"

"Actually," she began while giving a quick glance to Sunset, and then back to her Highness, "It's Twilight." She waited for a second to see if Celestia was going to say anything, and when she didn't, she tried to continue talking, but Sunset managed to cut her off.

"Y'see, y-your Highness," she said audibly. "It was all my fault..." Starlight gave her friend a look of disbelief.

"Your fault?" Celestia asked.

"N-no," Starlight exclaimed. "It's not totally her fault! Twilight came walking through the front door of the Castle of Friendship, and she startled both of us. Princess Celestia, listen to me..."

Sunset Shimmer then spoke up, "That may be, but Starlight... I-it was my idea to use that room in the first place." This announcement caught Celestia's attention. "Had we just ended up using your room... this wouldn't have happened." Sunset then directed her gaze back to Celestia, saying, "Twilight's been turned into a filly because of our magic, and unfortunately, we don't remember the spells we were using, so in short... we don't know how to fix this, and we were just hoping that..."

Celestia finished the sentence, "You were hoping that I might simply be able to make this problem of yours go away." She closed her eyes, and bowed her head while grasping Twilight that much closer within her forehoof. Following a heavy sigh, she said solemnly, "I cannot... This is something that will... take quite some time, probably, until I can create a brand new counter spell."

Starlight appeared full of gloom, but Sunset seemed downright afraid of that statement. She backed away, and glanced at the floor. Taking a deep breath, she said to Celestia, "I'm... so sorry. I... never should've gone through the mirror, and returned... I..."

"Sunset?" Celestia asked serenely, and with a hoof, she felt Sunset's chin which made Sunset look back at Princess Celestia. "It's alright," she assured the troubled mare. "You've committed no such crimes, so while I work on a fix for Twilight, and continue taking care of Equestria with Luna in the meantime, Twilight's going to need both Starlight and you while she stays an infant. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Starlight's mouth quivered with anticipation, but no words left her lips.

"I don't blame either of you for a second... What's happened today... happened, and immediately, there's really nothing that can be done. Just... assure me that you two will be able to take good care of her. She..." Celestia glanced away, stating, "She probably has just as much magic built up inside of her as when she was normal."

Hearing this nearly made Starlight and Sunset faint. "You mean... Twilight is..."

"A lot like Flurry heart?" Celestia asked with a frighteningly peaceful smile. "Yes, so you'll want to be extremely careful around her."

Celestia hoofed the filly back to Sunset Shimmer rather than Starlight, and her Highness then said, "The least I can do for the three of you is teleport you back to the Castle of Friendship where you'll be safe and sound."

Her horn glistened, and following her offer, Starlight nodded thankfully, saying, "That sounds... phenomenal, actually!"
Directly following that plead, Celestia didn't waste time in sending her subjects along their way, and once they were gone, she voiced to herself, "Looks like our retirement... will have to wait just a little bit longer. I'll have to let Luna know of what's happened..."

Comments

[MLPMekarm]

tia jest can't get a brake these days.