Raising Twilight

Chapters

Part One: Carried Away
Part Two: Unofficial Caretakers
Part Three: Celestia's Decree
Part Four: Twilight's True Wrath

Part One: Carried Away

The soft lights of the sun had already touched most of Ponyville. The Castle of Friendship still stood tall, and remained a part of the nearby city. It had only weathered a few strands of ivy since being mostly abandoned. Originally, Twilight had asked Rarity to take care of the place. She was mostly tasked with checking on the map, but soon enough, that task fell to Applejack, and then to Rainbow Dash, and so on.

Fluttershy was the last pony to visit, and seeing as how it had been over a year since last it had them perform a friendship quest, she didn't see much point in constantly visiting any longer. In time, she would choose to only visiting once every other month, and that was only to make sure that none of the animals happened to somehow get in.

Thus, the castle soon became vacant as the days passed, and as isolation also overtook its inner walls, it soon felt a little less inviting towards anypony that did happen to visit. Everyone except for Starlight Glimmer and her newest friend, Sunset Shimmer, however. The doors opened loudly, and in came the two friends, both wearing fair and innocent smiles. "You sure Twilight won't mind?" Sunset asked timidly, walking into the establishment for her very first time.

Coyly, Starlight replied, "I doubt it... The place hasn't seen its previous owner in forever. Twilight's been so busy, y'see... I heard a rumor that her old friends here in Ponyville were taking good care of the place, but by the looks of it..."

"They've stopped," Sunset commented boldly.

Starlight merely nodded, and resumed entering into the clearing. "Last I was here, I think I was getting my things. It's been awhile."

Starlight followed along, but the two of them would only ever get as far as the entryway. It was here that Starlight decided, "You know what? I've got a really cool idea. Why don't we practice our magic... right here?" Starlight looked around, and almost disagreed.

"I'm not sure..."

"Oh," Sunset voiced with determination. "C'mon! Think about it... It's actually the only choice we've got. All the other rooms have stuff and things that we might break, but this place... is pretty wide and clear."

Starlight had another look around, and began to agree, "Actually... I kind of get what you're saying... and, also, if we need to get out quickly because of some kind of freak emergency, the door's right over there." She pointed with her hoof, and then she smiled while shrugging, and said, "I just figured we'd go to my room where' it's a little bit more private, but now that you mention it, I have a lot of valuables in there that I'd like to keep unscathed."

Sunset chuckled while setting down her saddlebag, and said, "Figured as much, and besides, we're just doing magic, right?"

Starlight timidly giggled, and tried not to allow Sunset to see her suddenly blushing cheeks.

Together, their horns glowed, and in unison, the two unicorns began casting a wide variety of spells at their leisure. In very little time at all, they were completely distracted by their magical practices. Even though Sunset wasn't as skilled as Starlight was, she managed to keep up to a point. Everything was going perfectly for the two. Right up until the wrong combination of both their spells accidentally fused. Had Twilight not walked through the door that day, she might've been spared her fate, but as chance would have it, she had startled the two just by entering, and immediately, was struck down before she even had a chance to think.

The dense smoke within the room started to clear, and standing in the middle of the entryway, right where she had been caught by the dual combination of Starlight and Sunset's radiant magic was the princess. Although, something was definitely different about her.

Starlight gasped sharply.

Sunset seemed paralyzed.

Twilight, however, was soundly asleep. She was also a very young filly, which at first made Sunset and Starlight feel a bit uneasy to their cores, and brought butterflies to their stomachs, but as soon as Twilight started to soundly snore, the two mares within the room completely lost their minds. Together, they sighed deeply at what they were seeing. Nopony inside of the Castle of Friendship was quite prepared for what had happened that day.

Starlight in time decided to be the one to pick up their soundly sleeping infant, and said, "She's... just so cute! Isn't she cute?"

"I know!" Sunset replied, "She's the cutest little foal that I think I've ever seen! This makes Twilight two hundred percent more adorable!"

Starlight nodded, saying, "It sure does! But..." Her frown faded. "Wh-What... are we going to do about this?"

Sunset blinked, and said, "I, uh... We'll just..."

Starlight then said, "We've just created a unique spell by fusing to random ones together. I hate to say it, but I doubt we'll be figuring out the solution to this anytime soon..."

Sunset gulped, and asked, "Do you suppose that you could remember what spells we were doing?"

Starlight carefully hoofed her chin in thought, and said, "I was trying to turn a pumpkin into an orange crayon, and I believe you were tending to your illumination spells, right?"

"Right," Sunset agreed. "And then the door opened without any warning, and I panicked, and shot a laser at the door... Good thing you were able to cast something in time, too, right?"

Starlight mumbled while rocking the baby back and forth for a bit, "I... don't really know what I used, but come to think of it... I don't necessarily think it was a spell that I meant to cast... I'm honestly not sure what spell I used, either."

Sunset just stared into the eyes of Starlight, and said, "I... think that we should go into hiding... What do you think?"

Starlight shook her head, and asked, "Are you crazy? They'll understand our story if we just come clean about it. Besides, where do you think we'd go?" Sunset's mouth opened, but it appeared that she couldn't think of a proper answer, so Starlight simply said, "I don't think that we should run, but at the same time... we just turned the new princess of Equestria into a foal, so I get where you're coming from... Still...."

They both just kept glaring at one another in disbelief of what they had just done. In time, they'd come to the right decision. They travelled as hastily as they could via train in order to reach Canterlot, but it would unfortunately be another day before Princess Celestia would arrive in order to figure out what to do about this strange situation.

Knowing their luck, though, they'll probably end up being stuck with caring for Twilight until something can be done turn her back to normal.

Part Two: Unofficial Caretakers

Starlight and Sunset walked along the path leading to Canterlot's entrance. Starlight held onto Twilight like last time, and Sunset asked, "Do you think anypony noticed while we were on the train... that this is actually Princess Twilight?"

Starlight merely rolled her eyes, and then checked on Twilight once more from within the snug blanket. "She seems alright," Starlight said, completely ignoring her friend's paranoia. "You on the other hoof... Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sunset slowed her trot, and again, she tried to offer Starlight her proposal of running away. "We have to turn around," she said while she stopped walking. "Starlight, I don't think... that I can face Celestia about what we've done."

Starlight looked into Sunset's nervous eyes, and asked, "What's gotten into you? I thought that Princess Celestia has forgiven your past."

Sunset gulped, and pointed out, "Yeah, but don't you get it? That just puts me on thin ice. One look at Twilight in this condition, and I'm through as far as Princess Celestia's concerned." She looked down at Twilight who yawned adorably, and said, "We could try and fix this ourselves!"

"What?" Starlight asked, raising an eyebrow. "You can't be serious."

"After we run away, we'll find out what the spells were that we used."

Starlight pointed out, "Uh, Sunset, even if we tried that, it's only a matter of time until somepony notices that Twilight's missing."

Sunset glared at Starlight with sudden realization, and said, "Then... I probably won't be visiting Equestria anymore."

There was an odd pause. On one hoof, Starlight couldn't believe how paranoid Sunset was behaving, but on the other hoof, she sort of understood Sunset's dilemma. "You won't be banished," Starlight said forwardly. "We'll be fine... probably..."

Starlight wandered forth, and Sunset just followed along behind her, saying, "We'll probably be fine?"

The two walked through the town slowly, and steadily. Even though the day was winding down, it didn't seem as though anypony noticed that the sun had yet to shift in the slightest. Starlight hurried her trot as she rounded a corner, and as Sunset struggled to keep up, she said, "W-wait up!"

"Err... sorry, Sunset Shimmer," Starlight said as she slowed down along a narrow alley. "It's just... Now that I think of it, we don't even know what the castle ponies are going to do about this at first, but that doesn't change anything... It just means that we'll have to explain ourselves that much more until Celestia arrives."

Sunset and Starlight walked closely by one another thanks to what little room they had. "Is this... some sort of shortcut?"

Starlight nodded, and said, "Yep... Takes us right where we need to be... We'll be right in front of the palace gates." It went quiet for a ways, and as the passage seemed to go on and on, Sunset began talking to her friend more and more.

"Y'know...seems like these days, all we do is practice our magic. I guess... what I'm asking is... why did Twilight have you leave Ponyville, Starlight, and be with her to help her rule Equestria if she didn't really need you?"

Starlight didn't answer at first. She just sighed, and said, "I think... I was just there for moral support. After we relocated the mirror back to Canterlot, that's when Twilight asked me to start helping you out with your magic."

Sunset stuttered, "N-n-not that I, uh... needed all that much help. It was a little bit like riding a bicycle, but once I remembered, I could use my magic again in no time."

Starlight nodded, and said, "I think that... you were mostly there at times, too... for moral support."

She looked down at the small, and completely innocent alicorn Twily, and that's when Sunset asked her, "Do you still see Sunburst?"

Starlight nodded happily, saying, "He's done a great job taking over the school, and he's even somehow managed to hire the right teachers. It's amazing that all of the teachers are also different creatures, too." Sunset smiled at her friend, and Starlight continued, "It's working out awesomely, though, and Sunburst always seems really glad to see me whenever I come over."

The further and further down they got, the less and less they became aware of the approaching light at the end of Starlight's shortcut. Sunset said, "That first time coming back into the Canterlot library of all places was beyond bewildering, but I think I get why Twilight decided to move it there. She just wanted me to spend more time with Celestia. Do you think... she's going to be mad?"

They reached then end, and entered the brilliant light together. Starlight stopped trotting, and standing there in a secluded pavilion filled with empty shacks and wooden market booths, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Some leaves were picked up by the winds near their hooves, and Sunset stated, "When I first saw her after so much time had passed, she looked just about ready to kick me out of the castle without even hearing me out. All I'm saying is... she can be just a little bit... intimidating to me."

Starlight breathed, and could see the seriousness within Sunset's glistening eyes. "Did she, though?"

Sunset looked away at first, but then, looking back, she admitted, "No... N-no, she didn't. In fact, she gave me a hug... and I, uh..." She sniffled, and fought back her salty tears. "I felt so relieved when she did."

A smile at least broke through that tough exterior which was good enough for Starlight, and she said, "I promise that Celestia won't have a heart attack. For all we know, she might be able to fix this right on the spot!"

Sunset giggled hopefully, saying, "That would be a miracle."

They began walking again, and in very little time at all, they'd reach the guard on duty that day. His face when they showed him whet they were carrying was just as they had imagined it. First, he made them wait while he told his superior about this, and after the commanding officer of the guard had seen Twilight with his own eyes, he'd leave them at the gate once again in order to inform his superior as well.

Finally, after a painfully long wait, the mares at the gate would be greeted by one of Twilight's very own personal secretaries. She was just as shocked to see Twilight of course, and had many questions, but as she brought them in, Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer would be at the very least grateful to hear from her that Celestia was being contacted right away.

She still wouldn't show up until tomorrow, so until then, Twilight remained within the custody of Sunset and Starlight. After being given quarters while they wait, something was beginning to tell them that for quite some time still to come, they'd be the official guardians of their young filly friend until a solution was one day found.

Part Three: Celestia's Decree

By the time Celestia had flown all the way to Canterlot, it was clear to her as she soared high above through the clouds that the time of day hadn't changed one bit. Meanwhile, Starlight, Sunset, and the young Princess Twilight all laid on the bed together, waiting.

From the balcony, they saw the stars come out suddenly, and gasping, Sunset Shimmer got out of bed while awakening Starlight Glimmer as she did. "Look," she said.

Starlight came out, and as her jaw dropped, she asked, "Is that... Celestia's doing?"

"Yep..."

The evening sky was luminous with the lines of stars as the day was vastly, and hastily corrected to night directly in front of them. Soon, they saw the moon crossing the horizon as well, and as all of it slowly came to a stop, they heard the front door to their room open. The guard brought them along, and down a wide hallway that eventually brought them to an empty ballroom. He stopped before the door, sighed, and just opened it for them.

He then stood aside, and as Starlight and Sunset wandered in loosely, he closed the door behind them. They stared at Celestia nervously. The whole room had gone silent save for a few scarce murmurs made by Twilight. Celestia soon began coming closer, saying, "I'm... just a little bit confused as to why Twilight didn't take care of the cycle of the sun and moon today."

Starlight, who still remained responsible for holding onto Twilight, asked, "W-wait... What? They didn't tell you?"

She accidentally stammered for just a brief moment, but that's all it took for Twilight to break free. Through the air, the filly floated up, and down, and at one point, she was sideways. Nevertheless, Twilight made a beeline, and headed right into the hooves of her former mentor, Princess Celestia. The mare standing across from the two unicorns just sighed, and despite how shocked she might've appeared to be, it was nothing when compared to how devastated Sunset Shimmer looked during all of this.

"Oh, my..." Celestia slowly started smiling down at Twilight, and complimented her, "Aren't you just the worst possible thing to have plagued this land...? What ever will I do with such an adorable alicorn such as you?" She playfully looked up at Starlight, and asked, "Dear Starlight... Where ever did you find this irresistible foal? She looks... so familiar somehow." She gave Sunset a look, and sarcastically asked, "Sunset Shimmer? Doesn't she look like somepony we all know and love dearly...?"

Tapping her hooves together, Sunset simply mumbled, "Uhm... W-w-well, y-you see, Princess Celestia... W-we, uhm..."

Her throat became far too dry for her to continue, and so Starlight intervened. "Y-your Highness?"

Celestia looked from Sunset to Starlight, and asked, "Yes?"

"Actually," she began while giving a quick glance to Sunset, and then back to her Highness, "It's Twilight." She waited for a second to see if Celestia was going to say anything, and when she didn't, she tried to continue talking, but Sunset managed to cut her off.

"Y'see, y-your Highness," she said audibly. "It was all my fault..." Starlight gave her friend a look of disbelief.

"Your fault?" Celestia asked.

"N-no," Starlight exclaimed. "It's not totally her fault! Twilight came walking through the front door of the Castle of Friendship, and she startled both of us. Princess Celestia, listen to me..."

Sunset Shimmer then spoke up, "That may be, but Starlight... I-it was my idea to use that room in the first place." This announcement caught Celestia's attention. "Had we just ended up using your room... this wouldn't have happened." Sunset then directed her gaze back to Celestia, saying, "Twilight's been turned into a filly because of our magic, and unfortunately, we don't remember the spells we were using, so in short... we don't know how to fix this, and we were just hoping that..."

Celestia finished the sentence, "You were hoping that I might simply be able to make this problem of yours go away." She closed her eyes, and bowed her head while grasping Twilight that much closer within her forehoof. Following a heavy sigh, she said solemnly, "I cannot... This is something that will... take quite some time, probably, until I can create a brand new counter spell."

Starlight appeared full of gloom, but Sunset seemed downright afraid of that statement. She backed away, and glanced at the floor. Taking a deep breath, she said to Celestia, "I'm... so sorry. I... never should've gone through the mirror, and returned... I..."

"Sunset?" Celestia asked serenely, and with a hoof, she felt Sunset's chin which made Sunset look back at Princess Celestia. "It's alright," she assured the troubled mare. "You've committed no such crimes, so while I work on a fix for Twilight, and continue taking care of Equestria with Luna in the meantime, Twilight's going to need both Starlight and you while she stays an infant. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

Starlight's mouth quivered with anticipation, but no words left her lips.

"I don't blame either of you for a second... What's happened today... happened, and immediately, there's really nothing that can be done. Just... assure me that you two will be able to take good care of her. She..." Celestia glanced away, stating, "She probably has just as much magic built up inside of her as when she was normal."

Hearing this nearly made Starlight and Sunset faint. "You mean... Twilight is..."

"A lot like Flurry heart?" Celestia asked with a frighteningly peaceful smile. "Yes, so you'll want to be extremely careful around her."

Celestia hoofed the filly back to Sunset Shimmer rather than Starlight, and her Highness then said, "The least I can do for the three of you is teleport you back to the Castle of Friendship where you'll be safe and sound."

Her horn glistened, and following her offer, Starlight nodded thankfully, saying, "That sounds... phenomenal, actually!"
Directly following that plead, Celestia didn't waste time in sending her subjects along their way, and once they were gone, she voiced to herself, "Looks like our retirement... will have to wait just a little bit longer. I'll have to let Luna know of what's happened..."

Part Four: Twilight's True Wrath

Things for the two unicorns seemed simple enough at first. All they had to do was take care of Princess Twilight. What could go wrong?

Sunset and Starlight very quickly found out that the answer was pretty much everything.

Upon arriving, the first thing the two of them got to work on was feeding Twilight. That was an issue because the castle had no such fresh groceries for them to use, so right away, Sunset had to run out and go shopping. Once she got back, they'd get to work on making Twilight something to eat without hesitation, and shortly after that, they'd take the young princess to her room only to find out that they didn't have a crib for her to sleep in.

This routine actually went on longer than Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer would've liked. Once they got back, they realized that Twilight needed toys, and after retrieving a few, they'd realize that Twilight also needed diapers. After getting back to the Castle of Friendship for what must've been the sixth time that evening, Starlight had finally reached her limit, and shouted, "How could we forget that she needed diapers?!"

Sunset tried her best to settle her friend down as she boldly took care of Twilight. She hoofed to Starlight, and said, "You'll upset the baby!"

It was too late, though. Twilight had stirred, and started whining. Tears ran down her puffy, red cheeks, and as she wept, Sunset gasped. She then tried to settle her down, saying, "I didn't mean to shout... Please, settle down... We'll read you, uh... a bed time story!"

Twilight shook her head, and cried even worse than before which prompted Starlight to say to her friend, "I doubt that's going to calm her down. It looks like she's just getting even more upset. Here..."

She leaned in, and tried stroking a few strands of Twilight's mane as she gently hummed. This almost seemed to work, but just as Starlight sighed with gratitude, Twilight hiccuped. As soon as she did, her horn flickered on, and then off again like a light switch. Looking around, the two unicorns within the room quickly realized that the walls, floor and ceiling had been made completely lavender.

Everything inside of Twilight's room had also been changed to the exact same color as well. Her bed was purple, and so was her dresser. Not even her books were spared.

Sunset glared at Starlight with an unamused expression, and said, "Did Twilight just... paint the room purple?"

Starlight sighed, simply saying, "Yes... she did, and there's nothing that we're going to do about that. Right?"

Sunset merely nodded, and agreed, "Right..."

Redirecting their attention to Twilight, they asked themselves if there was anything else that Twilight might've needed. "She's got plenty of baby formula," Starlight pointed out.

"Toys," Sunset mentioned.

"We just got her plenty of diapers... and her crib should keep her nice and cozy while she sleeps. She'll be right next to us the whole time..."

Sunset groaned, and recommended, "Can't we just sleep in our own rooms, and take shifts or something? She could sleep in your room every other night. I just don't get why you're insisting on this."

Starlight shook her head, and explained, "It would be dangerous, and irresponsible for even one of us to leave Twilight's side. We can't risk doing that... Not even for a moment... The way she is right now, we really don't know what Twilight's truly capable of yet, so as much as I would absolutely love to sleep in my own bed tonight, too, we just can't. Also, on top of being well guarded and pampered by two of her best friends in the whole wide world, Twilight might sleep a whole lot better if she stays here, inside of her very own... purple room."

Starlight just looked from Sunset to the bed, and heard Sunset ask her, "We're gonna... share the bed, too?"

Starlight nodded while yanking at the blanket, and said, "Yep... There's not enough room in here for another one, so unless you plan on sleeping on the floor... Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with us sharing Twilight's bed?"

"Uh," Sunset voiced with a nervous tone. "N-no! Nothing's wrong... I just, uhh..."

"What is it?" Starlight asked impatiently.

Sunset winced a little while she revealed, "I found out... thanks to quite a few slumber parties that I've had in the other world... that whenever I'm slumbering with somepony, apparently I'm a bit of a snuggler."

Starlight at first seemed a bit startled to hear this, but soon enough, she smiled, and calmly said back to Sunset Shimmer, "Me too." Turning around, and freely getting into Twilight's bed, Starlight held the covers open with a hoof for her companion, and invited Sunset to join her by saying, "Promise me that you won't stay on your own side."

Sunset was beyond happy that the lights were dimly lit. Even as she tried not to let it show, her cheeks kept blushing more and more as she slowly joined her friend. They covered themselves up thoroughly within the sheets, and the covers, and giggling slightly to one another, they bundled up closely within each others tender embrace.

As time went on, they began hearing less and less of Twilight's sleepy snores, and heard the rain more as it picked up just outside the bedroom window. Sunset and Starlight could just faintly see one another's smiling lips from underneath the sheets, but just before they both fell asleep, Starlight suddenly gasped while a startling realization crossed her mind.

"What is it?" Sunset asked, concerned with what the problem might've been. She then suddenly breathed in deeply as well, and said, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get so close to you! You were just... hugging me back, so I just thought-"

Starlight interrupted Sunset by saying to her, "I completely forgot! We have to tell Twilight's friends about what happened to her tomorrow."

Sunset leaned up a little, and blinked at Starlight a few times before quietly complaining to her, "B-but... I don't want to tell Twilight's friends that we've accidentally turned her into a foal. It was hard enough telling Celestia about what we've done."

Needless to say, Starlight's response was cynical, and as they laid back down in order to go to bed, she told Sunset Shimmer, "Whether we want to do this or not is irrelevant. Her friends need to know what's happened to her."

"I know," Sunset replied sheepishly while tugging at the blankets in order to get comfortable again. "Do you think any of them will be angry with us?"

Starlight shook her head from underneath the clovers, saying, "I doubt it. They'll be too preoccupied giving Twilight their love and attention to stay mad at us. Now... let's get some sleep."

Nodding her head, Sunset did her best to settle her nerves, and nestled herself closer towards Starlight before falling asleep at last.

The following morning, Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer would receive a rude awakening from Twilight's friends. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and all the others came trotting into Twilight's room that morning wanting to know why all of Ponyville had been painted purple.

Meanwhile, back inside the Canterlot palace, Celestia was busy within her lavish kitchen getting herself something to eat. Spike surprised her by rounding the corner presumably also headed for the kitchen in order to retrieve something to eat for himself as well. They both just sort of stared at one another, and then Spike said, "Oh, your Highness... I wasn't expecting to see you back from your retirement already!"

Celestia just looked down at the small, and innocent dragon, and started to sigh sympathetically. "Ohhh, poor Spike... It appears that you've been forgotten yet again." Spike just gave her an utterly bewildered face, so Celestia then assured him, "I'll explain everything while I make us some breakfast. Do you like pancakes?"