A Dubious Welcome

by Maonyman

CH9: The Portal

"SPIKE. STARLIGHT GLIMMER. COME, NOW."

Starlight jumped with a startled yelp as the Royal Canterlot Voice reverberated throughout the castle. She immediately teleported to Spike's room, seized him unceremoniously in her magic, and teleported them both into the wide castle foyer. Seeing both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looking so serious was concerning enough already, but then she noticed Spike was crying uncontrollably and felt a cold pit of fear settle in her barrel.

"Yes! Uh, Princesses, w-what--"

Celestia interrupted her, "Has Twilight torn a dimension gate?"

Starlight's eyes widened in horror and a chill ran down her spine, "What!? No! I mean, buck, I would hope not! S-She doesn't always--"

Luna cut her off and said, "Spike, control thyself, you must help Us."

When his pathetic sobbing continued unabated, she reared up and slammed both hooves down before him.

"CEASE THY WEEPING."

The little dragon jerked his head up at her in shock, hiccuped once, then fell utterly still and silent.

"Thank you, and We apologize little one, but We must have thy help this instant. Where did Twilight create the blue circle you mentioned in the letter?"

Spike pointed silently to a nearby door and Starlight gasped.

"S-She couldn't have..."

Even as she whispered those words, both Princesses teleported into the room, not even wasting the time it would take to walk the short distance. Starlight immediately teleported in behind them and started to ask what was going on, but Celestia shushed her and she and Luna both closed their eyes, horns glowing faintly.

They must have been trying to detect the portal, because Celestia abruptly opened her eyes and said, "Here, sister," as she faced toward the far wall. Now that they knew where it was, it was obvious the little cleared out space was just the right size for such a portal.

"Then that must mean--" Luna broke off, choking on a little sob.

"Yes..." Celestia murmured sadly, "I, too, had hoped we would not find it."

Starlight had no doubt now. Twilight had summoned the ancient magic to tear a hole in the material plane and stepped through the unpredictable void into another world. How could she without even warning her? Where had she even gone!?

Celestia let out a little sigh and turned to Luna, "Help me search for her, sister. Together we may penetrate the veil more easily."

At this the little unicorn could not help but cry out, "No, wait! You can't both follow--"

Luna cut her off with a flick of a wing and Celestia gave her a tight smile. "Be calm, little one. We are simply casting a spell to detect if... well, if there is even any point in attempting a rescue."

She frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"If she's dead, Starlight," Luna said bluntly.

"O-Oh, right..."

"Indeed," Celestia added, "In some dimensions, a pony may perish even before their first breath. Now please, no more interruptions for time is short."

Even Starlight Glimmer knew better than to ignore a direct order from Princess Celestia, and she backed away with her ears folded meekly against her skull.

Luna brought the tip of her horn up until it almost touched the tip of Celestia's horn, and both sisters closed their eyes in concentration as their horns began to glow. Their two auras mixed into a blinding white in the center of the point between their two horn tips. It was mere seconds before they broke the spell and Luna's expression had shifted into one of utter horror while Celestia simply stared, a grim set to her muzzle.

Starlight felt her body go cold as she realized that could only mean something terrible had happened and tears began to prick her eyes.

Then Princess Celestia spoke in a low and sorrowful voice, "You know what I must do."

Princess Luna stepped back as if struck, shaking her head in denial.

"No..." she whispered, then again with more force, "No! Sister, y-you can't... We can't! Please, We'll go instead! Let Us go! Tia, please!"

Princess Celestia merely stared at her with old and weary eyes.

"She is my pupil, Luna. I must go."

At those gentle words, Luna abruptly sat down, her voice dropping to a pitiful whisper, "Please don't leave me..."

Princess Celestia's own voice began to quaver with emotion, "Sister, I beg you, do not make this more difficult than it already is. You know what must be done and time may be critical!"

Princess Luna just stared for a moment, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, then her features hardened and both Princesses stood facing each other with an air of ritual, formally spreading their wings as if they were before a crowd. Princess Celestia took one breath to steady her trembling, then spoke with an authority both awesome and terrible, her voice echoing with an eerie reverberation that was felt as much as it was heard.

"Alicorn Luna, Princess of the Night, Defender of Dreams, Mare in the Moon: by the ancient power of the Sun and Moon, I name thee Princess of Equestria. Do thou accept?"

Starlight's hoof flew to her muzzle to suppress a gasp as Luna tried to respond.

"By th--"

She swallowed hard and tried again, her voice no more than a whisper.

"By the ancient power of the Sun and Moon... I accept."

Both mares solemnly bowed their heads and delicately touched their horns together. Starlight's fur abruptly stood on end and her horn began to spark of its own accord.

Then Celestia dimmed.

It was as if she had been standing in sunlight but had just passed into shadow, her brilliant iridescent coat fading into an ordinary, pale pink color. Perhaps even more tragically, the ghostly breeze billowing in her long, flowing mane and tail grew steadily weaker until finally her mane simply sat across her neck like... just ordinary hair, now.

And Luna glowed.

Her navy blue coat began to shine with an almost metallic luster of deepest indigo, breathtakingly beautiful as it shimmered with infinite scintillations, yet it was almost dull when compared to the resplendence of her magnificent mane, which now blazed from within with an unseeable light of purest majesty.

It made no sense, but that was the closest Starlight could ever come to describing what she saw in that ethereal mane. Then she realized Princess Luna wasn't merely shining--she was being shone on. The sun now bathed her in its heavenly light no matter the time or place, giving her coat a subtle radiance through any roof or shadow... Just as it used to do for Celestia.

Only then did Starlight Glimmer realize the full significance of their little ceremony. No longer was the throne split in two; Princess Luna now wielded all the power of both the Sun and the Moon combined.

Both mares folded their wings and Celestia let out a wistful sigh, flicking her inert mane with a hoof and saying, "Well sister, it seems you have well and truly bested me now."

Princess Luna's breath caught in her throat, then she tried again, her voice thick and husky, "Yet all I can think is... once again I am truly the little sister."

"Yes, it is strange to think I am aging again after so long."

Then Celestia shook herself and cast a few spells in quick succession. Most of her mane and tail sloughed away and fizzled into nothing, leaving her with a normal and manageable length of hair, then her coat flickered with what Starlight recognized as multiple magical wards.

Finally, and with such a casual flick that Starlight was awed by the power and skill in that horn, Celestia tore into the void and that accursed blue circle appeared upon the wall.

The two sisters exchanged a quick hug and Princess Luna said, "I love you, Tia."

Celestia took a step back and smiled in her kind and motherly way, "I'll see you soon, Lulu."

Then she was gone.

Starlight Glimmer choked with sudden emotion and marveled that Princess Luna could stand there so stoic and calm. There was a heavy silence until she found her voice.

"S-So Twilight's still alive?"

Princess Luna nodded silently and Starlight swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Will Prin... W-Will Celestia be okay?"

"Our life force is bonded from long ago. I will know if something happens to her."

For a moment she thought that was all Princess Luna would say, then she sighed and admitted, "I do not know, Starlight Glimmer. I know she is in the same world as Twilight and I know she has not immediately suffered any harm. I do not know how dangerous that world is, but there must be some threat as the spell to return to your natural world is much easier than the spell to leave it."

"So... Twilight should've been able to return at the first sign of trouble."

"Indeed. Something on that world has prevented Twilight Sparkle from returning and, although she does not yet equal myself or my sister in magical prowess... she is close. Whatever has restrained Twilight may well be capable of restraining my sister as well."

Starlight was silent for a long moment, then she asked in a very quiet voice, "What if you feel Celestia... feel something happen? What will you do?"

Princess Luna took a deep breath and tilted her head toward the ceiling.

"I do not know, my little pony."

Comments

[Solver]

You've written yet another great chapter, and I can't wait for more.

[Ryebuck Coppercap]

Oh snap! I hope Celly doesn't get into trouble either by being captured or going berserk on Anon

[BleuBlooms]

This gives me a idea for my next flash fiction!

[rikithemonk]

"SPIKE. STARLIGHT GLIMMER. COME, NOW."

Starlight Glimmer is more powerful than Alicorn Twilight. Not only can she fly, but she did what no other Alicorn in the history of the show could do. She BANISHED Discord and left a freaking trench. No bonuses, no buffs, just her own raw power.

God I love that mare. If only there was a rule 63 version of her.......

Monk
“You’re right. Violence is never the answer.” “Violence is the question.” “And the Answer is YES.” -Illua