A Star Among Wizards

by Universal Librarian

Chapter 4 - Enter Equestria

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Princess Twilight couldn't help but fret as she walked slowly back towards the Silver Door's room. Starswirl still hadn't arrived yet, and Spike had the preparations for the exhibition thoroughly under control, so she had decided to wait around just in case Sunset or Starlight wanted her help with something.

At least, that was how she justified it to Spike. Truth be told, Twilight was just desperate for any scraps of information about the new human world she could get her hooves on, and was willing to sit with her nose pressed against the Door for as long as physically possible if it meant learning something new just a fraction of a second sooner.

What Twilight wasn't expecting was to enter the room just in time to see Starlight get launched out of the Silver Door like a lavender cannonball. She caught the mare in her magic on pure reflex, setting her down gently.

"Thanks, Twilight!" Starlight grinned at her.

"Why are you back already?" Twilight asked. She glanced around as Sunset stepped out of the Silver Door on her rear hooves, but the unicorn just shook her head and dropped to all fours and stepped away from the door.

"This is Starlight's idea," Sunset said ominously.

Twilight slowly turned her gaze back to Starlight, whose grin widened, a little too wide for it to be natural. "What's going on?"

The three ignored the arrival of Trixie, who rolled out of the Door like a bowling ball and barrelled into a bookcase. "So, you know how you were saying that you'd arrange a proper diplomatic meeting if the humans wanted it?" Starlight's eyes flicked to the Silver Door. "Well, we've kinda done that for you. It's happening now. Right now."

"What?!" Twilight opened her mouth to stammer out a refusal, or maybe just yell at her, but she was interrupted by the Silver Door firing someone else into the air.

Twilight caught the new arrival in her magic just before they could crash into another bookshelf. The unexpected visitor was a unicorn, with a grey coat, a very long silver mane with a matching beard, and a set of flowing red robes and a long purple cloak. He looked around with an air of amusement and curiosity, his half-moon spectacles twinkling as he took in the room and its occupants.

The unicorn noticed the purple aura surrounding Twilight's horn, glanced at the same aura surrounding his body, and inclined his head to her. "Good morning! Thank you for preventing me from interacting with a bookshelf at a less than pleasant velocity. If, as I presume, the Silver Door has a habit of ejecting people at such a pace, would you be so kind as to catch the people following after me?"

"O-of course," Twilight spluttered in reply, setting the unicorn down carefully. Just in time, too, as another unicorn was catapulted out of the Silver Door a heartbeat later.

This one had bottle-green fur, a grey mane and tail, was wearing a distinctive pinstriped cloak with a lime-green bowler hat, and squawked as he shot through the air. He let out a loud 'oof' as Twilight deftly caught him. She set him down gently, but he immediately tried to stand on his back legs and flubbed it, ending up sprawled on the floor in a blustering heap.

"There's still one more." Starlight ignited her horn just as the Silver Door flashed and spat out yet another pony. This one was an earth pony mare with soft green fur, a white mane and tail, and a set of wide-rimmed glasses. Her cutie mark was an elaborate red knotwork. "Got her. I think that's everyone."

The Silver Door apparently thought so, too, as the shimmering portal rippled and faded out of existence.

Plonking the earth pony on the floor, Starlight smiled innocently at Twilight. "Okay, here we are! One diplomatic meeting all ready and waiting for you."

Twilight glared at her, but was distracted by the green unicorn huffing loudly as he finally managed to get to his hooves. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?! What have you done to us?!"

"I imagine that Miss Gwynedd and these charming young ladies were telling the truth about the portal," the old unicorn said cheerily. He smiled and dipped his head towards Twilight. "Good morning. I apologise for dropping in on you unannounced like this but, as you may have deduced, there was some misplaced doubt as to whether our new friends were telling the truth about the Gate-Tree, and Miss Lulamoon had the most excellent idea for proving her sincerity."

"That's, er, that's alright," Twilight replied, a little taken back by hearing 'Trixie' and 'excellent idea' in the same sentence. Gathering her wits, Twilight drew herself up and placed a hoof on her chest. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. Please allow me to formally welcome you to Equestria."

The unicorn nodded deferentially. "It is an honour and a pleasure, your Highness. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. It is my very great privilege to call myself the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He gestured to the green unicorn, who was torn between inspecting himself and listening to the discussion. "Please allow me to introduce Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, and elected leader of the British Ministry of Magic."

Fudge glanced from Dumbledore to Twilight. "Yes, of course, er… how do you do?"

"And this is Rhiannon ferch Gwynedd, the keeper of the portal the Silver Door connects to," Dumbledore said as he indicated the earth pony.

"We've met." Twilight smiled and nodded at Rhiannon, who blinked in surprise and gave her a little wave in return.

"Now, wait just a moment," Fudge said loudly. "This .. this really isn't a prank, is it?"

"No, Minister, it isn't," Starlight replied with a roll of her eyes.

Dumbledore turned his gaze on Fudge. "It seems, Cornelius, that we are being given the incredibly rare and wonderful opportunity to greet an entirely new race, and indeed an entirely new world that our community has never had contact with before. Let's try and start off on the right foot, or in this case hoof, shall we?"

"Right, yes, er…" Fudge dithered for a moment, clearly out of his element. He seemed more than a little scatter-brained to Twilight, though given the circumstances she could hardly blame him, especially when she was all too aware of her own neuroses.

Deciding to make things a little easier for the new arrivals, Twilight opened the library door with her magic. "Why don't we all sit down somewhere more suitable and have some refreshments?"

"A marvelous idea," Dumbledore said brightly.

"Perfect. Please, follow me." Twilight made to lead the way out of the room, then paused as she remembered something. "Er, will you be alright walking on four legs?"

Dumbledore hummed and inspected his hooves. "Let's find out." He promptly stood on all fours and took a few measured steps. "It seems simple enough. Not quite like crawling, but not entirely unlike it either. It's certainly comforting having four limbs for balance, though."

"Yeah, it's not so bad," Rhiannon said, walking up to stand alongside him.

Fudge examined his forehooves with distaste, then sighed and stood up. "Very well. Please, lead on, Miss, er, Princess."

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