Supernova

by Incredible_E

90

". . . The sun is Princess Celestia's domain. Maybe she is in trouble and needs help."

Starlight exhaled with great relief, "Oh, thank Celestia. I really thought you were just going to ignore it all day."

"I thought it was nothing, but by the looks of it, this is very real and very bad. There's obviously something wrong. I need to speak to the princess at once. I can't believe I've waited this long." Twilight activated her horn to teleport to Canterlot.

"Wait!—" Starlight tapped the top of Twilight's horn, disrupting the spell. "You weren't really about to teleport in this heat, were you? Do you know how dangerous that is?"

On the border of concern and confusion, Twilight asked, "What is it?"

"If you teleport in anything above 110, you risk disfigurement, missing parts, and/or death. You should know this, Twilight! It's the main reason why Celestia locked the sun's distance in the first place."

Twilight facepalmed, "Oh, right. Well then, I need to leave now! Goodbye, Starlight."

"Good luck."

"Thank you." Twilight darted by Starlight, swung the front doors open, and bolted off en route to Canterlot.

---

The instant she left the shaded confines of her castle, she felt the scorching heat of the hostile sun violently bombarding her. When Twilight took flight, she was instantly out of breath, as if she were a newbie flyer once again. As she flew, fatigue quickly grew from ache to pain. The feeling of her wings disappeared before she even left the boundaries of Ponyvile, the same feeling she got when working out her wings with wing-ups. For the entire duration of the trip, she had to pant heavily for air, as it was hard to breathe in the blazing heat of the day. It was rough and demanding, but she had to make it to Canterlot.

Shortly before arriving in Canterlot, she compared her surroundings since starting. The sun was redder and had become even more intense, baking the world in its ever-worsening heat. This could be fatigue from flying or sight alterations from the baking atmosphere, but the sun looked larger as well.

The spires of Canterlot castle overcame the horizon and elegantly presented themselves to Twilight, swaying through the cooking air. These tall and proud towers of regality were surrounded by a transparent red bubble, the same way Shining Armor protected Canterlot on his wedding day. Twilight's mind sped through many different realities, speculating why the sun had become active in this way. Has the star reached the end of its life? Had Celestia turned into Daybreaker?! Twilight increased her pacing, trying to visit Celestia as fast as possible while frantically mauling over every possible situation.

She passed through the borders of the shield and instantly knew what type of protection it was: temperature. The evidence was clear when she entered its barrier, it was a vastly cooler environment compared to the outside. This added to the reality unfolding every second, that her vision of the sun was the dawn of a very real crisis.

Twilight flew onto the announcement balcony above the plaza. She didn't even spare time to land and instead slid on the smooth marble, transitioning from flying right to a galloping stride. Once in a steady run, she immediately called for Celestia.

"Princess Celestia! Where are you? I need to talk to you!" she shouted while swinging her head in the direction of every doorway.

Her calls echoed around the empty halls, but a reply was never given. The throne room was empty, and so were the meeting room, dining room, and ballroom. Not a single royal guard or cleaning pony in sight, it was desolate. Finally, she caught a glimpse of Princess Celestia in the gardens with her horn activated. "Phew, not Daybreaker," Twilight internally confirmed with a pleased sigh.

"Celestia!" Twilight blurted out with a tone of celebration upon finding her.

Princess Celestia was facing the horizon to the south, and in front of her was Luna, comforting Celestia and ensuring she remained strong preserving Canterlot's heat protection. "Luna! You're here too, good."

Celestia turned around with a look of relief, "Twilight! Thank Me, I am delighted you decided to come. You decided not to teleport either, that was very wise. Though, I'm sure the flight was difficult."

. . .

Author's Note:

Your Choices:
Freak out at Celestia for not informing you this would happen.

Make a plan for how to fix the solar crisis.

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