Into the Abyss

Celestia's sun was rising in the morning, as all the ponies of Equestria began their days as normal. However, for the past few days, things haven't been really normal lately. Recently, a massive floating building had appeared in Ponyville, startling several ponies and driving some to panic. If it wasn't for the efforts of one grey-coated unicorn, explaining that it was a Hotel that traveled beyond the veil of the universe, somepony would start a riot. Thankfully, the most that happened were a few skirmishes with the unusual staff of the Hotel, and all was peaceful. Three days had passed since the Hotel made itself known, but it wasn't the Hotel itself that concerned the rulers of the peaceful pony nation. Princess Celestia remembered the Hotel from ages ago, the massive building appearing just a few centuries before Nightmare Moon was banished, and at the time it was monitored by a cynical alien with a snarky attitude. What made her more interested in the Hotel was an encounter with the true owner of the Hotel, the Guardian of Worlds. The mysterious black Alicorn had been a rumor circulating Equestria at the time, and to see the myth before her was a surprised. She learned of the universal community from him, and even allowed her and Princess Luna a few weeks stay at the Hotel. They saw wondrous and exciting sights together, but when the time came to an end, Celestia asked that Equis be one of the worlds the Hotel frequents, specifically as a protected universe under his watchful eye. However, fate had other plans, as Guardian told Celestia that he couldn't bring Equestria into his order, lest lives be destroyed. When the Hotel returned centuries later, when the Hotel reappeared, and with three of her own little ponies given jobs at the illustrious building, she saw her chance again. It never came, as Guardian was not at the Hotel. Dejected and dismissed, Celestia and Luna returned to Canterlot Castle, waiting for the chance to enter the universal community. On the third day, the Hotel announced its departure.

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Princess Celestia, standing tall and regal, stood on her balcony and watched as the tall, golden building hovered over her city. Her little ponies had gathered outside, watching the Hotel with anticipation or some running in for last minute vacations, looks of awe and excitements on their faces. For Celestia, however, it was a moment of melancholy, as she would once again lose the chance to make the entire world safe with the aid of one of the most powerful beings in existence. And as she saw the platform roll up, rendering the Hotel inaccessible, all the Solar Princess could do was sigh.

"Waiting for lift-off, sister?" Princess Luna asked, trotting up to her sister. Celestia turned to her side, seeing her blue coated sister, running a brush through the galaxy that was her mane. She gave off a small smile, turning her attention back to the Hotel, just as a glow seemed to envelope it.

"I felt that I should witness my little ponies departure from beyond the worlds." Celestia said. "This is a truly momentous occasion for ponykind, even if we haven't earned the interest of the universal community."

"Nonsense," Luna said, nuzzling her sister. "Young Twilight has crossed the universal barrier twice now, and the Hotel will always come again. Everything will be fine." And then the Hotel exploded. Well, not really exploded, more like burst into sudden shows of light and spun about like a foal's top. With a loud roar, the Hotel zoomed into the sky faster than even a Wonderbolt could pull off, and vanished into a swirling vortex. Whilst several bystanders below were picking themselves up from the sudden blast, Celestia and Luna felt their fur disheveled and several feathers out of place. "Hopefully."

"I know, Luna," Celestia said as she brushed her slightly messy fur back. "But, sometimes I worry." She slowly trotted away, Luna following in pursuit.

"About what, Celestia? That you won't see Guardian again?" Luna teased as her elder sister's cheeks reddened. "I've seen how you get whenever you mention him."

"Not at all! Not at all!" The Solar Princess quickly retorted, waving her forehooves frantically. "He might be a handsome stallion, but he constantly appears to be in strife, no matter how hard he hides it. But I'm more concerned with the well-being of Equestria." Sadly, she sat her haunches down upon her golden throne, while her sister took the indigo throne to her side. "Equestria is plagued with more and more dangers as they come. If Twilight hadn't been able to defeat Tirek, we might have all been doomed. We need more help than to rely on the Elements and the Magic of Friendship."

"We're allies with the Zebra nations and the Buffalo tribes," Luna added. "And with a little coaxing, we can receive aid from the Minotaurs and Griffons if needed. Equestria will be safe."

"But what if they won't be enough, sister?" Celestia asked. "What if something more powerful plagues our home and we cannot do anything to stop it? We need the aid of Guardian and his organization," She drooped her head down, a pout on her face. "But he feels that Equestria doesn't need universal protection. I just want my little ponies to be safe."

"And they will be." Luna sweetly said, placing a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "And don't worry, we'll be recognized by the universal community eventually." As Luna pulled her hoof away, a huge gust of wind blew across Canterlot, violently forcing the doors open and knocking several stationary guards off the ground. Celestia and Luna could barely lift their hooves to deflect this sudden burst of wind, but through squinted eyes, they saw something standing in the doorway. Though their eyes were nearly closed, they saw something that looked like a bipedal creature wearing a wide-brimmed hat, completely obscured in shadows. Once the wind subsided, and most of the guards lay strewn about, Celestia managed to see that the figure looked like nothing more than a shadow. Slowly, the figure lifted an arm, holding a rectangular object in its shadowy hand. With a flick of its wrist, the object flew across the throne room and struck above the throne. Celestia glanced at the projectile and saw it was an envelope, sealed with a red-wax stamp. Just as she turned to address the assailant, he was gone.

"How odd." Luna stated, her mane splayed about by the violet gale. "What does that letter say?" Steadily, Celestia removed the letter from the wall, and examined the wax stamp: a mask with the letters AoA scrawled on. She opened the envelope, removed the formal looking letter within, and gave it a read-through. Slowly, a smile began to form on her face. Luna looked at Celestia with curiosity as she rolled up the letter and proceeded to write another one. "Sister, what did it say?" In a puff of magic, the second letter was sent away, the Solar Princess displaying a joyous grin.

"Looks like the time as come sooner than expected."