A s c e n s i o n
"Now, how do you solve the problem of having too little ingredients to complete your potion?"
Nopony volunteered to answer the question, lest they be marked as incorrect before their ruler herself. This was not an average class where answering a teacher proved to have no consequence, at least in their eyes. Princess Celestia had taken one of her token days of time off to herself to personally visit her own established school for gifted unicorns, her wise eyes gently surveying the nervous class before her. She would not judge at all, but they did not know that, so the silence rang still. Her looming visage of elegant white strode around the table where various alchemic tools laid, her long mane of flowing colors leaving behind a trail of brilliance that softly faded in the air.
"Sister, let the young ones be and have their own instructor carry out the rest of the lesson. We do not need to be here." A silken, if not slightly agitated, voice spoke above the quiet.
Eyes turned to the other figure of power and royalty in the room, Princess Luna sulking in the corner with her arms crossed. One of the few days in which either were given free time to spend with one another in their conflicting schedules of nocturnal versus diurnal, and she was forced to sit in on an hours long droll about teaching the most basic of magics to amateurs. While this was partially contributive to her annoyance, among other things it was that The Goddess of the Night had been reduced to uncomfortably sit in a chair that was far too small for her frame, squirming ever so often.
Her older sibling replied with a slight smirk and chuckle, giving a small wave towards her darker sister. "Now now Luna, it's almost over. We're combining spells and potioncrafting, two highly demanding skillsets on their own, but together can be confusing to the untrained novice. We've both had thousands of years of experience, let these ponies have their chance to figure it out on their own."
"Tis but a simple answer . . ." Luna begrudgingly mumbled under her breath, but just loud enough to be heard with such a passive-aggressive tone. Celestia arched a brow, giving the expression off that she would not be tolerating any of this childishness, especially from one like her own immortal sister. The quietness grew into tension as the class fearfully gazed between the two rulers, gulping and wondering just how this would play out.
"Fine. If it is so simple, you can come up and finish the lesson." The solar deity's tone sounded almost smug.
"Fine! We will!" Luna huffed, standing up, but paused midrise. She grunted, having to squeeze out of the desk that had gotten stuck to her generously wide-proportioned hips and posterior, after a few attempted wiggles which finally came free, falling with a short thunk. A few snickers could be heard in the back of the classroom, but were immediately silenced by a glare that could run a pony's blood into ice. With a cough to dignify herself, Princess Luna strutted up to the front of the class with all of the confidence and regality with one in such a position as herself demanded.
"You there. Come up." A slender finger aimed itself at a student near the front of the class, the unicorn jumping at being called. They gave an audible gulp of fear, slowly sidling forward until they stood before the princess, hardly waist height in comparison to the alicorn's tall stature. Luna gazed down with little intrigue, but continued to give instructions as was necessary to get this over with. She wanted tea and a nice relaxing chat over the castle garden, so this would have to be rushed. Her mind raced and wandered to her culminated gathering of knowledge on the subject, from hundreds of thousands actions similar she had done before, as well as her earlier, ancient years of beginning the practices themselves. It would all have to be condensed into a simple five minute lesson, but how hard could it be?
"Where our sister last left off, put that, and that, and that into the cauldron. Do not bother mixing them or grinding them into a smaller substance. It does not matter in the end."
The student went to ask a question, but found Luna's hands roughly pushing them towards the table, in a quickened pace having them dump what ingredients they were given into the nearby pot, which the once clear water within began to hiss and fizz at the lump of solids placed into it. Celestia shook her head in disapproval at the rashness of the project, but she did not speak up, and allowed Luna to continue.
"Now, cast a level five transmorphification spell on the pot itself. Just think of any properties you want." Luna hurriedly spoke, tapping her hoof in anticipation.
"Uh . . . um . . . I don't know if I can do that yet, m-ma'm . . ." The unicorn stuttered, unsuredly looking up at her.
"This is an interval course. You're supposed to know that by now." She huffed grumpily.
"Y-yeah, but, I only passed with a C in that class and-"
"Fine. Level four or level three."
"That's not really a good idea, sister." Celestia interceded. "That would mean they would need a larger discharge for the latter portion of the-"
"Yes yes. We'll get to that." Luna interrupted her own interruption, dismissing the alabaster alicorn with a wave.
The unicorn student blinked and turned to look at the cauldron, frowning and trying to focus. Their horn lit up briefly before the fire underneath the cauldron grew into a furious green flame, the contents within swirling and writhing as if alive. Luna nodded sagely, but looked down in disinterest as she was unsatisfied with the work being done.
"It shall have to do. Now, to finish the concoction, thou will need a mass of magic to charge the potion with arcane properties. Afterwards once it has settled though will be able to charm it with any spell thou sees fit. Nothing too useful mind you given how quickly it was made, but still."
"Ummm . . ."
"Hurry up. Blast it with concentrated magic, it's fairly simple enough. You don't even have to think about it, even a toddler can whizz a random amount of magic from their horn."
"It's not that, your majesty, it's just . . . I don't know if I have enough magic to charge the potion. Given how we didn't use the right amount of ingredients, it's going to take a lot more than what I have to activate it . . ."
"See?" Celestia commented with a smile. "They actually paid attention while I was speaking. Good job. Now, also the brew is highly unstable. You have too many factors tossed in, and it could overboil into any number of effects."
"Nonsense." Luna retorted with a grim scowl. She would not be bested. "All we have to do if that happens is contain the spill with a bubbling spell. Simple. As for the magic, allow us to do it."
"I wouldn't-"
"Sister . . ."
"All I'm saying is that alicorn magic is more potent than your average unicorn's. What takes more for them is fractions compared to us-"
"Which means this will be easy and quick." The blue alicorn's horn became alit with her own aura of condensed midnight, sparking until it crackled with power, causing some students to look up warily and the unicorn she had called to the front to back up slightly in partial fear. With but a wave of her head the magic left in a bolt, hitting the cauldron and causing it to rise into a frenzy, the fire becoming shades of blue similar to her own visage, while the contents within began to bubble furiously, some of the processed potion beginning to spill out.
"There is no need to panic, we will handle this." Luna's horn glowed once more, this time causing a transparent bubble to enwrap around herself and the perimeter of the mad potion bouncing about as if it were alive. "See? Once it settles down we shall-"
Poof.
Luna was interrupted by a suddenly dimmed explosion within the bubble itself, causing everyone to jump from the suddenness. Celestia stood up quickly and dashed to the bubble, unable to see anything inside. "Luna? Luna! Do you hear me?!" She called, hitting against the magical barrier. Inside, everything had become obscured by a mystical mass of smoke that glittered and gleamed. No movement came from within, until eventually the bubble spell wore off a few seconds later, the smoke dissipating throughout the room, revealing that where Luna once had been, was no more. The table and all of its ingredients laid broken and splayed about, the cauldron overturned, but the liquid inside entirely gone, as if it had evaporated itself within that instance. The only significant remains of any trace of the prince were scraps of cloth, shred off of what once had been her most glorious gown.
"Luna . . . Luna where are-"
Boom.
She blinked. One moment she had been standing and containing the potion she had so hurriedly rushed, and now she stood out in the open, seemingly nowhere, feeling the chill of a slight breeze upon her naked fur. How troublesome. Where had her robes gone? Luna huffed, running hands up and down her body and limbs to try and warm herself slightly. Her favorite robes, light blue and as airy as the sky itself, made from the fading dawn itself strewn into the fabric, were now gone. While she thought of this, her mind went to a more impending question. Better yet, where was she? Emptiness as far as she could look around, the ground giving only small signifiers to variation.
It was mostly green and brown, with tiny bumps rising out of the earth hardly comparable to pebbles. Low-lying fog swirled around her, barely higher than the lowest fraction of her hooves. The ground felt soft and mossy, giving way easily. Upon closer inspection, small puddles could be found lying here and there, while off in the distance a smaller body of water like a tub could be soon. The ground seemed to curve slightly farther aways, but she would have to investigate that later.
"Hmmph. We shan't allow such scandal to go about. Ohoh we can see it now. 'Princess Luna caught with her royal goods out on display. Embarrasses herself and her sister in attempt at potionmaking. Riots ensue for new rulers.' Bah." She sighed, running fingers over the bridge of her snout. "We shall . . . have to apologize to our sister. Obviously we were in the wrong. Mayhaps we can get to that tea afterwards."
". . . And I am speaking to myself stark nude in the middle of nowhere. Very well then. Back to Canterlot for a fresh change of clothes and to try and make up with Celly."
Her own lit up, faintly glowing with her shimmer of magic, ready to cast a teleportation spell to get her home as quick as possible. She had her own personal quarters in mind so that nopony would see her shamefully, lest she would have to execute any wandering eyes, but as soon as she cast the spell, nothing happened. The nite mare frowned, casting the spell once again, yet she did move from where she stood. And again. And again. And again.
The sudden impact had rattled the very earth itself, a quake never felt before in ponykind's history shaking the ground with cataclysmic intention. Eventually it died down nearly minutes later, leaving the classroom disheveled and the students cowering under their desk. Celestia stood strong in the aftermath, looking around stoically.
"Is everypony okay? No one harmed?"
Nopony spoke up, but replied with nods and whimpers that they were fine aside from the sudden jolt of being in a natural disaster. "Good. I am sorry, but I must go and see how this has affected Canterlot as well as the rest of Equestria. You are all dismissed from class for the week, go home to your friends and families and see if they are okay. There will be guards stationed to help see you safe passage."
With that proclamation made she strode out of the room, looking for the nearest post of her own personal solar guard to get an assessment on the situation. She would not have to look hard or far, for one was rushing up to her rather quickly, armor clanking rapidly, the guard gasping for breath as they came up to her, saluting and bowing both at the same frantically.
"Report." Celestia nodded.
"I-I-I can't right now, your majesty. We're still taking stock of the damage. Some buildings have collapsed in the upper districts, b-but there's something else. T-this was not an earthquake, your highness."
"Not an earthquake?" She asked grimly, wondering just what else could have caused such a catastrophe. "Then tell me what it is."
"You'll . . . you'll just have to see for yourself, P-Princess. I-it's-"
"HMMPH. WE SHAN'T ALLOW SUCH A SCANDAL TO GO ABOUT. OHOH WE CAN SEE IT NOW-"
A thunderous roar erupted, completely blasting through the guard's words, causing both to cringe at the deafening blast that could hardly be compared to words being spoken. Such loudness seemed to crack the very foundation of the building itself, and left a ringing once it had ended. However, amidst the torrent of booms, Celestia could pick up familiarity in the godly voice speaking from high above. With determination she headed to the nearest exit outside, the guard scurrying behind her as if she were the last living thing that could protect them from this disaster that had befallen.
The moment she stepped outside, Celestia looked up to a sky of blue, except this blue was something different. A dark blue, with a consistency that swayed with the wind, a looming wall of something physical that dominated the view of everything for miles with its sheer enormity. For the first time in her life, Princess Celestia felt small as she gazed up, and up, and up and up and up, forcing her neck to crane back until it was painful. With a slight awestruck gawk, she could hardly believe what she was looking up at. A single hoof that attached to a shapely leg that went higher than most pegasi could fly, leading up so high it began to blur into the upper portions of the atmosphere. Beyond that vastness, nothing, blotted out by a bust comparable to small countries in scale, the being before her casting a shadow across her entire kingdom.
Princess Celestia had always felt like a goddess. She knew she was, for she had the immortality and the power. Never before had she felt more mortal than ever as she beheld the goddess her own sister had become.
"This . . . this is starting to bother us." She grumbled aloud, looking up at her own horn as if it had betrayed her. After multiple failed attempts, it was obvious that the teleport spell would not be taking her home any time soon. She wracked her brain for what could be the cause root of her problems, for magic such as hers simply does not stop working for no reason. "Well, teleport spells do not work if thou is already in the exact place in which you wish to be . . ."
". . . That can't be it." Luna sighed, looking round, knowing most definitely that this was not her bedroom. "Perhaps . . . Canterlot Castle then?" She went for a spot generally, imagining being at the castle and casting the spell, forgoing the thought that she would have to the bear the brunt of embarrassment for rushing through the halls with nary but her own wings and mane to cover herself. When she had opened her eyes, still nothing.
"Very . . . well . . . then Canterlot. I want to go to just Canterlot." Flying above the streets, praying that it would be a cloudy day. No such luck, for she was still in the same spot.
"Canterlot Mountain. I want to go to Canterlot Mountain." Getting as broad and as general as she could possibly imagine, something did happen. Poof. Teleported a mere few inches to the right. Barely containing her frustration, her wide eyes of rage looked up, accusing her horn and her magic for being wrong. "Where is it?! Where is Canterlot Mountain, HMMMM?!! Nothing that way, nothing this way!" Looking down, she scowled at the smallest of pebbles between her hooves. "Hmmm? Oh is this it?" Her tone sounded mocking. "This little, insignificant pinch of dirt that I can grind between fingers?!"
"BRACE YOURSELVES!!!" Celestia shouted with the royal canterlot voice, trying to be heard over the explosiveness of Luna's syllables for the safety of her ponies. Her own horn sparked with the intensity of the sun itself, creating a magical barrier of gold around the tip of the mountain where the city rested.
High, high above, but drawing ever close, the angry gaze of Princess Luna stared down at the subject of her wrath, her miles wide grimace of bared teeth signifying doom.
"THIS! THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD FIND STUCK UNDER ONE OF OUR FINGERNAILS! THIS IS NOT CANTERLOT!!!"
Luna bent down low, getting on her hands and knees, fingers slamming down into the earth and displacing tons of land, some entire settlements shaken and lost. Her single eye loomed over the miniature in comparison mountain as if it were judging it, squinted angrily just to look at it. Her snout pressed low to the ground huffed out and misplaced dirt and earth, acres of forests ripped up from the ensuing windstorm.
It was chaos all around, for those near the big blue body as well as for those farther away. The quakes were diminished, but they could still be felt miles out, and her words echoed around the globe for every living soul to hear. Fillydelphia and Manehattan, the two metropolis's and bustling cities of Equestria, found themselves both under the ominous loom of two rather large low-hanging threats, Princess Luna's own rack bobbing and swaying in replacement of the sky, threatening to smush into both at any time. Dangerously enough the tallest buildings in the cities were in danger, for despite their height it would bothersome for a passing stray landmass-like nipple of lighter blue flesh slammed into the statuesque skyscraper, toppling it over easily. Higher up, the cloud cities of the pegasus pony race fared no better. Before an entire city a wiggling round cheek of her bent over bum they were on course for impact with. Thousands panicked, for if they could not steer away with the force of their generated wind, the cloud would slam into the lower fractions of the princess's rear.
Celestia was doing everything she could to simply stop this doomsday brought on by her sister throwing a tantrum. For what could she do now though? Such a titanic being could not see them through her anger, and obviously calming down would take Luna some time. She always found it funny, but now she was not laughing. Celestia had control over the sun and heat, while Luna was the fiery one with her short temper at times. Now it could cost them all.
Luna lifted a finger, hovering it over the tiny upreaching bit of ground. While crushing it wouldn't help it the long run, it would make her feel better. She hovered her blue fingertip over it slightly, noting at how much it was greatly outsized, then brought it down deftly. Surprisingly it did not give way, for the tip of it seemed hardened to the point that it offered resistance.
"Hmmph. Stubborn thing. Submit to your princess! We have divinity over equestrian soil!" She did admit to herself this felt silly and unnecessary, she had to calm down, especially considering the thought that anypony could stumble upon her and see in such a ridiculous display, but nevertheless she persisted.
The all-flattening fingertip smashed against Celestia's barrier, causing even the alicorn with all of her power and near-omnipotence to buckle under such a mighty pressure. She grunted, painfully still holding the bubble around Canterlot in efforts to protect it, but her oblivious sister continued. A twist of the appendage caused cracks to begin to run along the golden wall, while multiple taps began to take a heavy toll on the solar goddess, feeling as if she were about to pass out, their only protection close to shattering at any instant.
"HMMMM . . ."
"Hmmmm . . ." Luna removed her finger to better inspect the little thing. It appeared quite solid, and seemed to naturally stand up. The top of it appeared to be . . . glowing partially. "Peculiar . . ." With her interest piqued, Luna examined the glow, noting the golden sheen. Alicorns had naturally and magically impressive senses, so she could make out many details of the tininess below. Beneath the glow, something rested. Curiously she flicked away the glow, watching it dissipate so she would have a better look at what it guarded.
"Ooh that's precious. A miniature model!" So that was what she was looking at. She had recognized it almost instantly, Canterlot, albeit dwarfed absolutely in size by herself. She had seen it many times from so high up, so the crafter must've been a pegasus to capture such detail. Every street, even the castle itself was made out in impossible accuracy, as if . . . it were the real thing. Squinting and focusing even more, Luna blinked, and watched as the resulting gust of wind ripped some infinitesimal roofs off. Small, near-unseeable mites ran about the streets and skies. Even light from the castle windows shone the lights of panic and distress, one the kingdom sends out only in dire times of crisis.
". . . Oh."
