Starswirl's Return

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Sunburst's Plan
Chapter 2 - The Battle for the Crystal Empire Begins
Chapter 3 - Starlight's Foundering
Chapter 4 - Starswirl the Bearded
Chapter 5 - The Pony Afterlife
Chapter 6 - Flurry Heart's Destiny
Chapter 7 - Twilight's Ballad
Chapter 8 - Starswirl's Sacrifice
Chapter 9 - The Perfect Pair Return!
Chapter 10 - Always Remember...
Prologue

Chapter 1 - Sunburst's Plan

"Starlight and Trixie...how can I put this?"

"It's alright, Cadance," said Twilight. "I'll tell them."

"Tell us what?" Trixie queried. Starlight Glimmer was just as anxious to know. Twilight sighed.

"We just had another encounter with Stellas Spatium; he was able to break through the city's defences with aid from one of its residents. Me and my friends tried to use the elements of harmony against him—it didn't work! It turns out he was pursuing the elements to transform them into the 'Dark Elements'! Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have all become the exact opposite of what they stand for, and are now serving Spatium. In other words, I gain no pleasure saying it, but there's even less hope than there was before!"

"We can't just give up!" Trixie protested.

"I wouldn't even suggest such a ridiculous course of action for even a single moment," said Twilight.

"I think the very first one we take should be re-rendezvousing with my family and Fluttershy," Cadance offered. "Strength in numbers, you know?" The others nodded, and all departed, with Tirek, of course, being the exception to this. The sky darkened, and the air became irritatingly chilly, as if it had no concern for its ill effects on ponies. As the atmosphere became increasingly gloomy, so too did the group's moods; even Trixie, despite what she had voiced, could not help feeling utterly hopeless.

"Stellas Spatium?" The unicorn Lyra Heartstrings trotted rather hesitantly into his throne room (formerly belonging to his sisters). Spatium tightened his already-iron grip on his throne arms.

"You will address me as master only," he hissed. "Make it snappy! Or I will snap you—physically and emotionally."

"I was gonna ask whether it's true that members of the Mane Six have joined us; I mean, I just couldn't believe it when I heard...but here they are in the flesh."

"No we're not!" Applejack lied.

"Spatium, when are we gonna go after Twilight and all that again? I just can't wait!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"They'll be weeping and weeping and worse once we're all done with them!" Pinkie Pie cackled.

"Ooh, how fun this is," Spatium joined in on Pinkie's sick guffawing.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy hugged her friend, and then Discord. "We saw everything. Are you alright?"

"No," Twilight had to be honest. "None of us are. But that doesn't mean we stop fighting back."

"What do you suggest?" Shining Armour asked.

"I don't believe we can stay," Discord voiced. "No doubt Spatium and his new buddies will be back for us."

"That goes without saying," said Twilight. "But I don't think we have anywhere else to go. Spatium's taken over everywhere in Equestria, and..."

"Dimension Nameless?" Discord interrupted.

"We'd be safe," Twilight acknowledged. "But what then? Another formulation of ideas on how to bring about Spatium's downfall. We have none!"

"Begging your pardon," Starlight Glimmer said. "But we do."

"Sunburst?" Cadance inquired hopefully.

"Right first time. I think he should tell you his idea himself."

It was the very first time Twilight Sparkle had been in a home containing even more books than her own!

"They're absolutely everywhere!" She had exclaimed in awe. She was correct. You name it—in piles on the floor, on Sunburst's beside table, scattered aimlessly on shelves...

"Is this guy the dictionary definition for nerd?" Trixie had asked.

"Trixie!"

"What—he would know the dictionary definitions of most words, wouldn't he? It was worth asking." Sunburst was in his study (reading!). The group entered and Starlight Glimmer did not waste a moment:

"Sunburst? This is urgent! Please...I need you to explain your plan to these ponies!"

"Twilight Sparkle? It's been a while. I don't believe I've met the fellow that looks like he's composed of all different sorts of creatures..."

"Please! Time is something we're running worryingly short of!"

"Well...of course, I'm sorry." Sunburst grabbed an ancient-seeming book from across his shiny desk and opened it. "This book is a record of every known spell kept in the Canterlot archives."

"Me, Pinkie and Spike went there once," Twilight recalled. "We were looking for a spell to stop time! Err...please don't ask why."

"Very well, well...it's one particular spell in here that caught my eye. You won't believe me, but, allegedly it gives allicorn and unicorn ponies gifted in the mystic arts the power to communicate with the dead."

"How can this help us?"

"The late Princess Celestia and her sister are the ones who know Spatium best; if anypony can give us advice on how to put a stop to his madness, it has to be them!"

"I'm doubtful this will ever work..." Discord began, but Twilight stopped him.

"If there are fully-functioning time travel spells in that archive, I'm willing to give Sunburst the benefit of the doubt."

"There's only one thing," Starburst's face turned a little less lively. "The book says that only one conjurer has ever successfully pulled the spell off: Starswirl the Bearded."

"I think I remember reading about that now," said Twilight. "I suppose I'll be going into the Starswirl the Bearded wing for the second time, right?" Sunburst nodded. There was no more talking after that, just doing. With no time to waste, the group began the journey to the Canterlot Archives. They just hoped it would not prove too perilous once they arrived there.

Chapter 2 - The Battle for the Crystal Empire Begins

It goes without saying that there were no guards present at the Canterlot Archives when the group arrived; the archives were no longer of any concern to them—their solitary concern now was serving Stellas Spatium! Thus, it was exceptionally easy for them to break in and venture straight to their desired wing.

Spatium is becoming lazy, sloppy, weaker, Cadance was thinking. Taking over all these landscapes without even keeping a watchful eye on them! That's certainly something we could all use to our advantage.

"Sunburst, do you have any idea exactly where the communicating with the dead spell is kept?" asked Twilight.

"No," he said sadly. "I'm afraid the book does not make precise references to where in the archives the spells are."

"No harm in doing things the old-fashioned way from time to time," she smiled.

With everypony doing their utmost to locate the spell, it did not take all that long to do so.

"I've found it!" Fluttershy cheered, and gave one of her famous super-silent "Yay!" exclamations. The piece of parchment was as dusty as the interior of a vacuum-cleaner; Fluttershy blew on it to shake the particles off, causing the generation of a violent sneeze. It was the loudest anypony had ever heard Fluttershy be!

"Okay, Cadance," said Twilight. "Let's give this a whirl!" The pair uttered the odd-sounding incantations exactly as they were written in the book. Their eyes glowed a ghostly shade of silver, and their horns spurted magic of all different sorts of colours: at first pink, then green, then a calm, comforting blue. The entire process was incredibly prolonged, but when it was over, everything went back just the way it was—eyes, horns and sounds all as they should be. The two princesses certainly could not see, hear or sense any spirits of dead ponies!

"It didn't work, did it?" Discord scoffed. "What did I tell everypony?"

"Well, thanks for your help, Starburst," Twilight sighed. "It was well-worth an attempt. But I suppose without Starswirl the Bearded, successfully pulling it off is virtually impossible!"

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked worryingly.

"I honestly don't know what we can do."

"I hate to say it," said Discord. "But this was sort of our last hope at achieving redemption, wasn't it?"

"Truer words were never spoken."

Well, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie were not just about to give up. They ventured further on into the archives, where there was little chance of being disturbed by the others.

"If my theory is correct," Starlight explained. "The spell just needs to be combined with an advanced teleportation one, similar to the one Twilight used to transport us to Discord's realm."

"Why's that?"

"Well, it's a widely accepted theory that when ponies perish, their souls are reborn in another plane of existence entirely, outside of space and time altogether. In order for anypony to speak with them if they are in this unknown realm, surely they'd need a means to see it themselves, right?"

"What else is wrong with the spell?"

"I believe a few of the words in the book are spelled incorrectly. If I can just get an ancient Equestrian-language dictionary, I could easily find out their proper spellings."

"Let's get to it!" Starlight and Trixie were suddenly very bubbly, and bursting with enthusiasm and a tendency to work as hard as they possibly could; they truly believed their alterations to the spell could work! Twilight, Fluttershy, Cadance and Discord, on the other hoof, were utterly lost and absent of any sort of positive energy, as if forever trapped in a confusing maze of failures and defeats. In a way, they were. For now.

"WHO HERE USED TO WORK AS A BLACKSMITH?" Stellas Spatium shouted out to all his Everfree Forest slaves. They had gathered at the very centre of the forest sometime prior to his arrival at his behest. He said he had an 'important announcement'. Apparently this was it. "I NEED A GOOD BLACKSMITH TO FASHION ME SWORDS AND SHIELDS FOR EVERYPONY HERE, AND I NEED THE JOB DONE QUICKLY!" A trio of muscular stallions raised their hoofs: they had had the job of manufacturing such weapons for Canterlot and the Crystal Empire.

"We would be happy to perform any task you request of us," they said in unison as if they had rehearsed the line.

"There are roughly seventy-thousand swords and nine-thousand shields presently available in the royal areas of Equestria," said Spatium. "I command you three to all make twice as many; everypony is to follow me to the Crystal Empire. Why do we need so many weapons, you might ask. As many ponies as possible will receive one, those who don't probably won't last very long. This is the real battle, everypony; by the end of it, mark my words, the two princesses, their family, Fluttershy and Discord will all be serving us, and my grand plan will be complete!"

"And if they refuse?" An earth pony named Coco Pommel asked (curiously enough with no inkling of hesitation).

"Then they quite bluntly no longer have a purpose in this world!"

Tirek was still sitting motionless in the exterior of the Crystal Empire! He had only moved occasionally to obtain food from ponies' abandoned homes. That aside, he had been wondering how to act with regards to Stellas Spatium. Before his meeting with Twilight and her friends, he would have pursued him with no second thoughts with the intention of beating him as ferociously as he could; however, since he had been in their presence he could not help but feel a certain admiration towards their undeniable wiseness, their tendency to plan ahead, and their wonderfully creative and efficient ways of solving problems. He had never felt that way about anypony before! I need to be patient, he decided. The time for revenge will come, but it cannot be now. Spatium would crush me in no time! No time! As he pondered on when this next move of his should materialise (for his patience still left much to be desired!), he could have sworn he could hear the distinct sound of rapid clopping in the distance. He could. The thousands, if not millions, of pony slaves to Stellas Spatium were rushing violently towards the Crystal Empire. Spatium himself flew overhead. When at last they reached the Empire, nopony appeared not to notice Lord Tirek—even if they did, very few would have dared interrupt another of Spatium's iconic speeches:

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE AND PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA!" He bellowed. "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! AND I THINK IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SURRENDER NOW, YOU'LL LATER REALISE THAT DECISION PROBABLY WASN'T WORTH YOUR WHILE!"

"They are not here!" The fury-filled voice made many of the slaves gasp out loud in shock. Then, Spatium did notice.

"LORD TIREK?!?" He began to laugh. "YOU ARE A BOLD ONE! BUT YOU SHALL ALSO BE MADE TO PAY FOR THAT LITTLE OUTBURST!"

"It'd be my pleasure," Tirek grinned. In terms of my revenge, he thought. There's no time like the presence. If I do not do this right now, I may never acquire a second chance.

"Back off, everypony!" Spatium commanded. "This one's mine." And, in what was possibly the most foolish decision of his entire life, Lord Tirek actually ran up to Spatium and began to fight! It was an odd one, too: Spatium continually blasted every defensive spell under the sun and moon out of his jet-black horn, while Tirek used his brute strength and attempted mostly in vain to suck Spatium's magic out of his body. Ultimately, Tirek was right. He was not ready. Eventually, he was knocked cold out by Spatium, who in a moment of extreme hastiness, presumed his opponent dead.

"PRINCESSES!" He roared. "YOUR TURN!"

Chapter 3 - Starlight's Foundering

"If we're gonna die," said Twilight. "I don't want it to be in here. I'd rather perish fighting than starve to death in this place!"

"I agree," Shining Armour nodded, clutching a sleeping Flurry Heart tightly in his hoofs. "Besides, it'd be very noble and patriotic of us to go out in the Crystal Empire." He said to Cadance.

"If we go back, we'll surely be killed by Spatium; but I suppose that is much better than dying as a result of starvation or boredom in here," Discord expressed. Fluttershy agreed.

"It's...I guess it's decided, then," Twilight sobbed.

"Come on, Shining Armour," Cadance put a hoof on her husband's flank, using her magic to pick Flurry Heart up. "Let's go home." Normally, such a moment would be a happy one; Cadance and Shining Armour were always overjoyed to return to their peace-filled homeland following royal business. Not this time; yes, it would be feel far great than being trapped in the archives like convicts, but no, it was not going to be easy to return at all!

"Okay," Starlight Glimmer and Trixie hurried up to the rest of the group. "I think we've done it, but don't blame me if I'm wrong!"

"Done what, Starlight?" Twilight questioned with intense agog.

"I believe the spell listed in Starburst's book was incorrectly reproduced. If my instincts aren't failing me, this new version of the spell me and Trixie have been working on will be!"

"There's no harm in trying," Twilight said, but everypony could see her face was filled with uncertainty. "Let's do it!" Her and Cadance stood hoof-in-hoof once again, and recited the duo's newly-founded versions of the incantations. Their eyes became silver once more, and the magic that spouted sporadically from their horns was as varied in colour as Rainbow Dash's mane. But then...there was nothing. Twilight and Cadance's physicality went back to just the way it had been prior to their endeavour (signs of hopelessness and all!).

"Of course, we admire you're effort and commitment," Cadance said to Starlight Glimmer and her best friend. "But this spell is either simply unfixable or simply too complicated for either one of us to successfully carry out." Flurry Heart began to cry. Cadance and her husband went to console her.

"Do you think she's hungry?" The latter asked.

"I don't think so...we gave her everything we could salvage from around here not too long ago."

"I think all of us here could conceivably cry given our current situation," Discord mourned. It was the very first time he had been completely serious since Spatium's invasion! "But I suppose Flurry Heart is far too small to even begin to comprehend the sheer harshness of our present situation." Cadance scrutinised her daughter.

"Maybe she can," she mused out loud. "There has to be a reason she was born an allicorn." There was. Nopony knew it yet.

True to their word, the group journeyed back to the Crystal Empire shortly afterwards. Every single one was convinced it was an act of suicide, but also one of nobility. What they found there was Stellas Spatium and his army, still awaiting their arrival.

"At long last!" Spatium was shocked at such an unexpected act. "Let's finish it!" He raised his head high to shoot magic at the group, while his slaves ran into the Empire equipped with their weapons.

"TEAR IT DOWN!!" Spatium bellowed. "EVERY INCH OF EVERY BUILDING IS TO RE-BUILT IN MY IMAGE!"

I'm ready, Twilight acknowledged in her mind. Whatever's going to happen I'm ready. I have no choice but to be ready. Well, Twilight Sparkle certainly was not ready for what happened next! Instead of dying nobly as she had anticipated, she and everypony else remained unscathed. How?? Tirek had regained consciousness some time ago; Spatium and his demon-like followers had failed to notice this, and Tirek—determined for it to remain that way—had patiently waited for his strength to return. Then, be it wise or foolish, he knew he had to take Spatium on a second time! His ideology was akin to everypony else's: better to die with honour than to die having not taken the chance eliminate evil.

"EVERYPONY GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS YOU CAN! I'LL CATCH YOU UP!" Tirek knew he could not simply just kill Spatium, but perhaps he could weaken him. Now, this small sample of speech spoken by the infamous Lord Tirek caught everypony off-guard. Catch up with us? Fluttershy thought. He's hardly uttered a single sentence since he joined forces with us. It was this that prompted the group to do just as he said. Narrowly escaping the many servants, they swiftly fled to the far side of the Empire.

"It'll take them ages to reach here!" Shining Armour panted.

"What in Equestria is Tirek doing?!" Trixie was dumbfounded.

"I genuinely wish I knew!" Starlight replied. "Taking on Stellas Spatium just like that?! Being nice to us?!He's acting more crazy than the Apple family during apple buck season!" It was not too long before Tirek caught up with everypony. He was badly hurt—barriers separating good skin from bad were present on his face in the form of several scars. A single drop of blood was trickling from underneath his eye like a tear.

"Tirek, I was made aware by our last encounter that you are not the most trustworthy or intelligent of beings, but to actually take on Stellas Spatium himself in hand-to-hand combat..." Discord began, but then he caught the centaur's eye.

"Everypony please listen, and do not interrupt me under any circumstances! I am sorry for being so ungrateful to you all. Now, I cannot say that I agree with your peaceful methods and tactics, but I must say that over the past several days I have come to admire your determination, your skills, and perhaps most importantly, your patience and undeniably witty plans. I have never had the fortune of possessing any of those traits, and maybe that's why I never win in the end!" There was a pause.

"What are you saying?" Shining Armour asked.

"You have all helped me escape enslavement and potential death," Tirek said mawkishly. "I...I suppose it is only fair I return the favour." Everypony else in the group became instantly intrigued. What in Equestria did he mean? "Well...I'll tell you. The pony who can help you all, Starswirl the Bearded, he's not dead!"

Chapter 4 - Starswirl the Bearded

"Is that really possible?" Twilight and the others were absolutely flabbergasted at such a revelation! "I thought only allicorn ponies could live for thousands of years."

"You have said it yourself on several occasions, princess," Tirek continued. "Starswirl The Bearded was the 'the most important conjurer of the pre-classical era'."

"I did say that, although..."

"...then I feel we can both agree that Starswirl is powerful enough to perform such a feat as extending his lifespan to match that of Celestia and Luna's."

"I was going to ask why this isn't discussed in any of the books I own on him?" Tirek's face grew even more stern and serious.

"A cover-up."

"A what now?!" Starlight questioned, astonished.

"There are certain individuals...individuals just like me—including me, actually...formerly—who would stop at nothing to capture him. Their reasons vary from simply desiring to plagiarize his magic, to more...sinister motivations, as was the case with me a thousand years ago, when he became friends with my brother Scorpan, preventing me from taking over Equestria. I have to admit..." Tirek suddenly looked startlingly sombre. "When Queen Chrysalis helped me break free from Tartarus a second time, I planned to finish what Scorpan and I started all those years ago. But now, I have seen how truly cruel and wicked those who invade really are, and I no longer wish to harm Starswirl. My brother had the correct ideology all along...and it has taken me a thousand years to realise it! That's why I've been sitting motionless all these days: I've been thinking things through. Indignant, revenge-thirsty, and self-centred—these are the emotions that filled me before I joined forces with all of you. But after seeing how efficient this group is, and after witnessing Stellas Spatium's loathsome actions, I can honestly say I am now all of those emotions...but towards Stellas Spatium alone, and nopony else...that is a promise."

"Do you know where we can find Starswirl?" Discord inquired rather bluntly. He wanted to get straight to the point!

"After Luna and Celestia sent me to Tartarus, I heard nothing of him nor my brother," Tirek confessed. "But he has to be hiding somewhere in the more desolate areas of Equestria, somewhere barely populated."

"What makes you so sure he's still alive?" Trixie asked, narrowing her eyes somewhat as she spoke.

"Before I was imprisoned, he was talking to Scorpan about making some sort of spell that would give him as many years as the two princesses themselves. And if I know, Starswirl..."

"Then he's succeeded!" Twilight said confidently. Tirek nodded.

" We should search within the rocky mountains located just outside Canterlot first," he said. "That is his most likely hiding spot; him and Scorpan often visited them when they were in need of peace and prosperity." Twilight Sparkle was overjoyed this secret was now an open secret—she considered Starswirl The Bearded to be one of her personal heroes, and had enjoyed learning as much as she possibly could regarding his adventures for as long as she could remember.

"I...think I have enough strength to perform another teleportation spell," she stuttered, and Cadance clearly concurred. "Hold hoofs, everypony." They did, and in the twinkle of a star in the evening sky the group were in the very same landscapes Tirek had mentioned.

"Excellent!" The purple pony patted Cadance on her neck gently with her hoof. Cadance began to laugh quietly.

"I can tell you're over-the-moon about getting to meet Starswirl," she said. "I know it's for literally the most important cause in all of Equestria, but that doesn't mean you can't be who you are. It's vital for ponies to remain as upbeat as possible in times of desperation."

"Of course, you're right," Twilight sighed. Ordinarily, she would have possessed a similar attitude to the one her former babysitter had just outlined, but this whole ordeal with Stellas Spatium had simply affected her far too much for that sort of idealism. It'll soon be over, Twilight thought. The statement may not have been verifiable, but it was certainly comforting.

"Now, we have a thought-dead wizard to locate!" Fluttershy announced. "Yeah...that sounds a little weird," she giggled. "I really have to work on those major announcements of mine, huh?"

They trotted through the mountains for what felt like several hours—their manes became untidy at best in the humid wind, they travelled in constant fear of having sand blown into their eyes, and perhaps worst of all: the heat that scorched endlessly from the noon sun was absolutely unbearable and unlike anything any of them had ever experienced.

"Man, is it hot out here!" Starlight cried.

"If my knowledge of Equestrian geography serves me correctly," said Discord, pulling a complicated-looking map out of seemingly nowhere. "We're actually rather close to the equator."

"Indeed! Only several dozen kilometres away; if we went any closer, we'd soon boil to death," said Twilight. She was utterly adorkable!

"There seems to be a cave in the interior of this mountain," Starlight pointed out.

"Good work, former pupil," said Twilight. "Come on, everypony! Let's see what it'll bring us."

The interior of the cave-like dwelling was as dark and silent as a small village when the tranquil blanket of nightfall is bestowed. Trixie and Shining Armour illuminated it through the use of their horns, which lit up like a night-light at their behest.

"I don't think he's in here," said Trixie. "I don't believe anything is."

"Quiet!" Cadance scolded. "The last thing we want to do to the one of the greatest magicians to have ever lived is startle him."

"Too late," The voice that spoke these two simple adverbs could hardly be called a voice; its vocals were raspy and ancient-sounding, and it could have very easily been missed were anypony talking at the exact instant it were uttered.

"Who's there?!" Shining Armour hastily darted his horn all around the interior of the cave. "I'd show yourself if I were you!"

"I know...I know," the voice carried on. And then the owner of the voice did show his face! It was, as expected, none other than the famed Starswirl The Bearded himself!

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Twilight took out an asthma inhaler and inhaled some beta2-agonist. "Sorry," her voice was now far more relaxed. "Just doing my best impression of my friend Rainbow Dash. But now I've finished. So..." She coughed. "I just want to say...calmly...THAT OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M REALLY GETTING TO MEET YOU IN THE FLESH STARSWIRL THE BEARDED...I...I...I'M ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST FANS EVER...WITH...WITH...AND I HAVE SO MANY BOOKS ON YOU...AND..." Everypony else shot Twilight a warning look. "Sorry," she giggled nervously. Starswirl looked just like he did in all the artwork depicting him, albeit with many exceptions: his hat and cloak were torn, his once-gorgeous grey coat was now flaky and much darker, his eyes were bloodshot and his unicorn horn slightly chipped at its very tip.

"Why?" He wailed childishly. "Why have you all come for me? I've finally been found, have I? Yes! You've all come to plagarize my magic and..." He noticed Tirek. "It may have been...well, I have no way of knowing exactly how long it's really..."

"One thousand years!" Tirek exclaimed. Starswirl suddenly appeared even more dazed than he had been when the group had located him.

"Well...I never forget a face. You are Tirek, brother of Scorpan, and at long last you have come to exact your revenge on me." Starswirl began to laugh like a lunatic. Twilight Sparkle quickly stepped directly in front of Lord Tirek.

"Actually, Tirek doesn't really care about you, specifically, anymore. We've come because you're our only hope of defeating the one is angry with."

"Oh...why should I help all of you slaughter some poor innocent soul?"

"Poor? Innocent?! Tell him, Twilight!" Discord demanded. And she did. She told Starswirl everything that had happened during the past few weeks, right from the very, very beginning, when Scootaloo went to meet Rainbow Dash for a flying lesson, with the others occasionally dipping in to support her claims. When she had finished, Starswirl looked more dumbfounded than ever before! After a lengthy pause, he said:

"I do believe you. It's not the first time a menacing foe has attempted to seize the land. But, can I really help you all?"

"That's what I said, when the Crystal Heart was destroyed," Sunburst pointed out. "But I found out that if you truly believe in yourself, you can achieve almost any conceivable feat. Any!" Starswirl thought things through.

"Well..." He began to pace (him and Twilight were alike in many different ways). "I'll try. But I cannot guarantee anything.

"We can't ask you to do anymore than that," said Twilight.

Chapter 5 - The Pony Afterlife

"Do you know how I became the princess of friendship?" It was a concept Starlight Glimmer had surprisingly never pondered on.

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Four years ago—almost to the day," Twilight Sparkle revealed. "My friend's cutie marks were switched—Applejack had Rarity's, Rarity had Rainbow Dash's, and so on and so forth; this all transpired as a result of me reading aloud one of Starswirl The Bearded's unfinished spells that Princess Celestia had sent to me. I realised I had to create my very own sorcery through finishing the spell and restoring my friends to their former and true selves. That's how I earned the rank. That's how you eventually became my student. That's how I...actually became an allicorn."

"Very interesting," Starlight responded. "But...why exactly are you telling me this?" Twilight's glance directly into Starlight Glimmer's eyes looked as if she was about to say the most important thing she would every say to her former pupil. Maybe it was.

"Starlight, I know this is going to sound like a lot of responsibility...and maybe even downright mad, but I believe you're the only pony who can help Starswirl fix the afterlife spell." It certainly was a very mad statement to the pink pony. "But...T-Twilight, you did it before, you said, so you can do the same thing again, surely...you...you're more qualified, and..." Twilight would not hear any of it at all!

"I've done my bit in that department," she said. "Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place. I can't do this for you, Starlight." Twilight could tell her former pupil was becoming increasingly agitated, so she put a hoof on her flank to comfort her. "Starlight, Princess Celestia and I were very strong believers in a little concept known as fate. Everything happens for a reason. Everything. You didn't become my pupil by accident. The Cutie Map didn't call me and my friends to Our Town that day for the benefit of its health. Can you understand?" Starlight Glimmer, tearing up slightly by this point, raised her face so it was directed straight at the princess', and said bravely: "Yes. Yes, Twilight. I think I do. I need to do this...don't I?"

"You're going to help me restore the spell to its fully glory?" Starswirl The Bearded appeared sceptical.

"Yes. Is that alright?"

"Sure, sure, sure," Starswirl persisted. "I don't really mind which pony helps me. You...err...you said something about attempting to do so before you found me?"

"That's right. I discovered that many of the incantations are misspelled, and figured that we'd need to combine the spell with an advanced teleportation one in order to reach the deceased ponies' realm." Starswirl (who was very appropriately named!) stroked his beard.

"Well," he said. "You got the misspelling bit correct. There are still a couple in there that aren't quite right. But it is not necessary to combine the spell with a teleportation one; not that I'm aware of, anyway. We're...we're not actually going to the afterlife realm...eh...what was your name again?"

Starlight could not help but let out a loud groan—being in solitude for so long had clearly had a huge impact on Starswirl's mentality. "Starlight Glimmer!"

"E...oh, yes! Yes, that's the one!" Starlight face palmed.

"Let's get those translations correct, first and foremost," Starlight said in her regular tone. When that task was finished, the pair opted to proceed in combining the spell with the correct other piece of sorcery: a piece of magic used to do the opposite—bringing the deceased ponies to the realm of the living!

"A simple mistake," Starswirl said kindly to his new partner. "I see...see true potential in you, you know, Starlight."

"Thank you," she replied timidly. Very soon after that, the spell was:

"Ready to be tested!" Starswirl proudly proclaimed. Starlight looked excitedly nervous. It was time for the big revelation; if she could not pull this off, nopony ever would...simple as.

"WAIT!"

"Wh--Whatever's the matter?" Starswirl was confused. He was certain they had scored victory this time around.

"One more thing needs to be added in order for the spell to function. Trust me on this one!"

"Eh...well, if you say so," said Starswirl, stepping aside. Starlight utilised her unicorn magic to pick up the nearest quill and trot over to the piece of parchment on which the spell was contained.

"Everypony, come in here, quickly!" The remaining members of the group naturally came rushing in a mere instant later; in an even swifter amount of time, Starlight began to frantically scribble something on the parchment, and as she did so she spoke what she was writing aloud briskly and noisily:

"From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!" She stabbed the parchment viciously with the quill. Simultaneously, Twilight Sparkle and Cadance's eyes began to glow a bright yellowish-white, their bodies lifting off the ground slightly. Their allicorn wings spread wide open as if they were attending a prestigious event in Canterlot, and everything in the cave became suddenly very gloomy. Their eyes were focused not on said gloominess, but on the bright and brilliant jet of light that had appeared out of nowhere at Starlight's cue. The light grew brighter still, until it covered virtually the entirety of the cave. Only the corners of the ceiling were unaffected.

"Can..." Twilight spoke softly; both she and Princess Cadance could hardly believe their eyes! "Can...can you hear voices?" Cadance responded with a simple nod: she could hear the voices. Millions and millions of them, all coming from the realm where deceased ponies roam. The pair could recognise some—Mayor Mare, their grandparents, various members of the Pie and Apple families that had passed long ago, and...Princess Celestia and Luna!!

"No..."

"...way!" Out of the light, those two very same former princesses of Equestria stepped forward. They were not flesh and blood, but transparent and somewhat smaller than they had been during life. Twilight and Cadance ran to embrace them, but it was no good. Their solid bodies went straight through the ghost-like entities.

"Congratulations on successfully unlocking the key to communicate with ponies who have passed on," Princess Celestia smiled and spoke in her iconic and much-adored mellow tone.

"We're so proud of all of you," said Luna.

"Princesses, I'm so sorry," Twilight wept. "I failed you."

"It's true," Tears flooded out of Cadance's eyes. "We weren't able to prevent Spatium killing you."

"Dear friends," said Luna. "You must understand that nopony is powerful enough to defeat our brother single-hoofedly."

"Believe it or not," Celestia was still smiling and totally calm. "It was always the plan that Spatium kill us."

"What?!"

"You're just saying..."

"No," Luna enforced. "It couldn't be more true."

"You see," Celestia explained. "If we hadn't perished, Sunburst would never have proposed accessing this afterlife and asking us what to do. And only by bringing us here can Spatium's actions be stopped." Twilight and Cadance had never experienced such a bizarre mix of so many emotions (nearly all of them at once).

"W...what do we do?" Twilight asked. Princess Celestia leaned into her former student.

"Who was it who allowed you both to speak to us?" She inquired.

"Starlight Glimmer," Twilight said. "She and Starswirl were the ones who completed the spell."

"And do you remember what happened when you did exactly that four years ago?" Twilight Sparkle gasped!

"There will be time for all that later," Luna smiled. "But in terms of defeating Stellas Spatium..." She trailed off.

"How?" Cadance asked. "How? How?! We simply have no idea!"

"Your daughter," said Celestia. "There's a reason she was born an allicorn. Let's just say Twilight is right to believe in fate. It does exist." It was Cadance's turn to gasp and gape. "Her whole existence has been leading up to this moment, and let me tell you she will perform many more amazing feats."

"So...so Flurry is definitely going to bring about Spatium's downfall? That future is certain?"

"Nothing is certain," Luna admitted. "But Flurry Heart is destined to be the one who faces Spatium."

"She's only young," Twilight began, but Luna beckoned her to stop.

"It is the only way. The only way." The two princesses began to move back into the light.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Twilight shouted. They turned back. "How do we free the slaves of Spatium? Practically the whole of Equestria has become as evil as he himself, with several killed for disobeying him...including Mayor Mare," she added sombrely.

"That," said Celestia. "Is one for both of you to puzzle out for yourselves. Just remember, Princesses, everything happens for a reason; consider all the members of your group."

Both Twilight and Cadance gaped and gasped and shrieked simultaneously:

"LORD TIREK!!!"

Chapter 6 - Flurry Heart's Destiny

The snowy-white light diminished into oblivion. Everything regular, usual and commonplace filled Twilight and Cadance's vision.

"What did you see?" Trixie asked.

"Did it work?" said Fluttershy.

"Yes...yes, it worked perfectly." Twilight Sparkle was still in a state of sheer shock.

"We...saw them!" Everypony gave the one standing next to them a glance. "We saw the two princesses!" Cadance added. Starlight Glimmer shot Starswirl The Bearded a glance from across the room; however, unlike everypony else's, it was not one of total disbelief, but of pleasant surprise—somehow, she and the famous conjurer had done it!

"Whatever did the pair say to you both?" Discord asked. There were so many questions! Cadance and Twilight told Trixie, Tirek, Starlight, Starswirl, Fluttershy, Shining Armour, Discord and Sunburst all Luna and Celestia had told them; when they had finished, Shining Armour was the most affected of all of them!

"Flurry Heart?! Honey, you can't seriously..."

"Celestia would not have said what she did for nothing. If our daughter was not born an allicorn for this reason, then why?" The rhetorical nature of the question was startlingly evident: Shining Armour could not fathom a response.

"We have to go with her."

"Fine, but we have to stay out of sight, and not interfere under any circumstances!"

"Easier said than done."

"I know," Cadance replied, half-sombre, half-understanding. She embraced Shining Armour as she never had before (not even on their eventful wedding day), and then turned to Twilight. "When do we start?"

The baby pony's parents waited until the next morning, and then flew to the Crystal Empire. Spatium's slaves were still tearing every structure in sight down like wrappers off of ice-lollies!

"This can be handled with such ease," Discord assured everypony. "Just leave it to me." Using his magic, he morphed his tall, insane-looking body into a structure identical to others in the ponies' path; that would buy the group an hour or so.

"Let's go, everypony," Shining Armour said sadly. Stellas Spatium was perched on a nearby balcony.

"KEEP GOING!" He roared to his many associates. "DON'T STOP...EVEN FOR ONE INSTANT! I NEED THIS EMPIRE COMPLETELY TORN APART AS SOON AS IS PONILY POSSIBLE!"

Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armour and Cadance were hiding behind a rather sizable piece of debris. The former clutched her niece in her hoofs tightly.

"You'll do great," she said, and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Her mother and father did the same before releasing her, after which they wept violently. Twilight was the only pony who could bear to witness what was about to happen!

"Why can't we go and wreck havoc on the Crystal Empire?!" Pinkie Pie wailed.

"Well, we need to remain here, don't we, and ensure nopony raids the oh-great-one's new throne room. Besides, the Empire is miles away from Canterlot," said Rarity.

"I don't think any of the trains are running anymore," Pinkie acknowledged.

"Even if they were, I wouldn't be giving them any of my precious money! NOPONY gets money from me!" Rarity shouted.

"I definitely wouldn't beat the train driver up and then take me self there," Applejack lied.

"So...we going?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Let's give it another hour or so," said Rarity.

Flurry Heart approached Stellas Spatium. Oddly enough, she was moving more slowly and serenely than she had ever done before in the whole of her existence. Fate! Twilight thought. Just like Princess Celestia was telling me and Cadance: it's a classic case of fate and destiny! Spatium turned and saw her. Twilight's mouth was as wide-open as one belonging to a shark about to devour their pray. A very appropriate allegory! Twilight thought to herself. Stellas Spatium's the shark, and Flurry the prey.

"Hmm..." Stellas Spatium growled, slowly inching towards the helpless child. "Twilight and your parents finally given up on you? Don't give a flying dudder about you, do you, my sweet?!" Twilight struggled to fight back the urge to come out from her hiding spot and attempt to beat Spatium half-to-death. "No matter! I'm not going to kill you. I have my own uses for you." He then resorted to one of his manic laughter sessions. Meanwhile, Flurry Heart, still appearing to be totally placid in her situation, began to sporadically shoot spouts of defensive magic from her horn (and flying more swiftly!!). "SO!" Spatium boomed. "They've assigned to be their personal assassin, have they?" He chuckled. "Then I suppose a change of plan is called for..." Twilight rose up slightly, and then down again as quick as a flash.

"No," she said to herself very, very quietly. "I can't! Celestia and Luna wouldn't want me to."

Flurry swept—now somewhat fiercely—towards the dark allicorn composed entirely of hatred and evil; her wings flapping in the drizzly midday wind, her eyes glowing with what can only be described as an unbeatable kind of determination, her tiny heart pounding as if she were being chased by a blood-thirsty lion or tiger; Stellas Spatium was taken aback by what he saw, and his face now grew more and more helpless—he tried in vain to fight back by releasing jets of his own powerful magic, he tried in vain to dodge Flurry, but she was simply too speedy; he tried in vain—Flurry's eyes now narrowed and she strained: a solitary bolt of defensive magic spurted from her horn and showered Stellas Spatium along with so many others; he shrieked and screamed in agony, but it was no good whatsoever: he gradually began to literally melt; first his wings, then his horn, and then the despicable rest—the last thing that was disintegrated onto the bloody ground he had now claimed as his own was his heart: his shrivelled, festering, rotten heart. And then there was nothing. Not even ashes or bones. There was nothing left in Equestria or anywhere in the multi-verse of Stellas Spatium. His doings? That was another story altogether!

Chapter 7 - Twilight's Ballad

Spatium's slaves had very nearly finished tearing down the final place in Equestria not governed by Stellas Spatium (I don't know how much longer I can do this. Discord thought). They were all thoroughly unaware of his death, and despite the fact that Spatium himself was no more, his effects on Equestria and its population were still very much evident, as was Shining Armour and Cadance's fear for their daughter.

"She...somehow..." Twilight stammered. "She did it!" She sounded overjoyed for the first time in what seemed like several eternities. "Spatium is no more. I don't quite know how, but your daughter achieved what Celestia and Luna promised she would!" The married couple unshielded their eyes. Flurry Heart caught them with her own and soared into Cadance's arms, causing the pair to cry more still.

"She's destined for greatness," Twilight Sparkle promised them. "Princess Celestia vowed she would go on to achieve several tremendous feats following this one!" Shining Armour turned to his younger sister.

"I think we need to stop referring to her by her title," he said. "I mean...of course we'll remember her for being a terrific princess of the sun and moon, but she's gone, Twily. I think the first thing we need to re-build Equestria—aside from them of course..." He gestured towards the rampaging residents. "—is re-structuring its royal system."

"I concur," Cadance said. "A sense of cohesion is essential at this time."

"As her former pupil," Twilight grinned. "I think I know what Celestia would have wanted us to do."

Starlight Glimmer and Trixie were slumped down against Discord (still masquerading as a tall structure!), restless, drained, disorientated.

"I'm worried about Flurry Heart," Starlight spluttered.

"You needn't be!" Twilight exclaimed as she entered the scene. She frowned at the seemingly-inanimate object in front of her. "Discord, I'd turn back before anypony sees you and attempts to destroy you." He turned back to his former, outlandish self.

"I was going to do that soon anyway!" He scoffed. Twilight, Trixie and Starlight laughed.

"Starlight, I need a word with you, please," said Twilight.

"Um...okay," Starlight laughed awkwardly, as she often did. "What's..." But before she could utter the simple, two-letter word to accompany the determiner, she found her body engulfed in a colossal ball of whiteness, and in a flash, just like that, she was gone!

Steadily, Starlight Glimmer became aware of her surroundings. She was somewhere she had certainly never been before: it was as deadly silent as an uninhabited planet; stars glittered against a backdrop of a curious, smoke-like—although mostly white, Starlight could make out faint drops of yellow, red and green.

"What...is this place?" She spoke softly; she was wary if she spoke too shrilly some kind of evil-hearted entity would jump out at her. A highly natural reaction for a nervous pony being forced to venture into the unknown, but not an accurate one, for no sooner had she finished her question than she caught sight of a pony stepping out of the brightness. It was Twilight Sparkle.

"Congratulations, Starlight Glimmer," she said sweetly.

"Oh what? Where am I? Twilight!"

"It doesn't matter where," Twilight explained. "The real question is what." Starlight looked puzzled. "You're here because of what you and Starswirl The Bearded did."

"Oh, that," Starlight chuckled. "That was nothing, I just figured he had done something..." But she was cut off.

"There's no point being modest," Twilight beamed. "You did what one of the greatest and most famed conjurers of the pre-classical era couldn't in literally a thousand years!" Starlight gasped and gaped. Now she knew what was going on!

"Goodness! That means I'm going to..." Twilight nodded.

"You did something that's never been done before. Because, like me before you, Starlight, you understand the true values of friendship." Starlight looked again at her surroundings. Twilight was right. All the evidence to her claim was being recited on across the landscape—her accepting the reformed changeling Thorax as her friend before anypony else did; her attempting to convince Queen Chrysalis to choose love over hatred in the Changeling Kingdom; and kindly aiding Fluttershy in constructing an animal sanctuary.

"You're ready," said Twilight. Her and her friends had sung many, many songs in times of both desperation and delight in the years since she had first arrived in Ponyville. This song, however, was by far her favourite of all, and one she would never forget even if she was able to live as long as the generous and hugely-inspirational Princess Celestia herself:
You've come such a long, long way

And I've watched you from that very first day

To see how you might grow

To see what you might do

To see what you've been through

And all the ways you've made me proud of you

It's time now for a new change to come

You've grown up and your new life has begun

To go where you will go

To see what you will see

To find what you will be

For it's time for you to fulfill your destiny

Chapter 8 - Starswirl's Sacrifice

Discord, Fluttershy, Princess Cadance, Shining Armour, Flurry Heart, Tirek and Trixie were huddled together in the exterior of the Crystal Empire, just waiting. It was not long before Starlight Glimmer re-appeared; a shield of white engulfed her, rendering her almost invisible.

"Starlight?" Trixie asked. "Are you...?" The shield vanished. Starlight opened her eyes, and simultaneously, spread her wings wide.

"Wings?!" Discord exclaimed. "That can only mean one thing, surely..."

"It's true," said Twilight, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "Starlight has proven that she's worthy of becoming the..."

"AN ALLICORN!" Trixie bawled, and fainted on the spot! Twilight sighed.

"No," she responded to the now-decidedly unresponsive unicorn pony. "I was going to say that, and I'm sure you've all figured it out by now, virtually everypony who has been transformed into an allicorn in the history of this land of ours has been promoted to a position of nobility at the same time. Now, I can't speak for you ponies, but I personally firmly believe that since I've come to know her, Starlight Glimmer has showcased all the qualities a true friend who genuinely understands the values of the state. And as Princess Celestia and Luna are no longer with us," her face turned sorrowful for a split second. "I think they would have liked Cadance and myself to take up new positions in royalty ourselves."

"YOU DON'T M--" Starlight could not believe her ears! They were being deceitful! It was the only explanation.

"I couldn't be more meaningful," Twilight verified. "But there'll be time for all of that later." She began to trot back towards what was left of the Empire."

"But Spatium's been vanquished, hasn't he?" Trixie hastily demanded.

"I believe Twilight is referring to the ponies who are still under his influence," said Discord. "The ponies who appear to be under the impression that the Crystal Empire is some kind of giant-sized piñata," he frowned.

"I am indeed referring to them," Twilight sighed. "Ordinarily, when faced with a rampaging army composed entirely of hatred, me and my friends would simply go in and start fighting. But not this time. This time we require a plan. Come on, everypony, we need time to formulate what it's going to be." She and the others began to make their way back to the throne room, which by some miracle was still standing. Trixie was less than content.

"When are we gonna get to kick some flank?!" She shouted.

"Soon enough," Starlight told her. "Good things come to ponies who wait."

"Are you looking forward to getting back to the more desolate areas of Equestria?" Fluttershy asked Starswirl The Bearded once they were inside. "Or are you going to expose yourself?"

"There's no way I can do that—there's simply too many ponies who would desire to plagiarize my work...or worse, of course." Fluttershy's facial features turned dismal.

"I understand."

"Are you really going to remain in solitude for the rest of your days?" Discord also looked concerned.

"I don't want to!" Starswirl's vocals were now purely sombre; his face scrunched itself up as tears began to form in his eyes. "I'm tired. Tired of living alone. Tired of living in constant fear of being discovered. Tired of...this tiredness. I'm just tired." Discord and Fluttershy shot each other a look of grief. "But I do know how we can reimpose everypony's former personalities."

"I'm sorry, Starswirl." Twilight spoke slowly; her throat felt as if it were made of stone. "We could never do that to you. It's...it's no different than killing you." The magician nodded falteringly.

"I am aware," he said. "But I know you'd all much rather have all of your friends back than Equestria be home to so many ill intentions any longer. And that's what I want. I don't want to continue living like this...but I...I can't re-surface..."

"I know. If all the dozens of books I've read on you taught me anything, it's that the ramifications of such a decision would be far too great."

"Please," Starswirl pleaded. "It's my life against everypony in the land!" Nopony in the group said a word. They simply huddled together; Starswirl used a basic teleportation spell to go so he was just in front of Cadance and Shining Armour's thrones. Lord Tirek walked ahead of everypony else until he reached the bottom of the steps. He gradually took a very deep breath—a string of blue magic shot out of the conjurer's body, transporting directly into the centaur's body in the process. Tirek grew significantly larger, while Starswirl The Bearded became a large pile of whimpering grey fur on the ground. Twilight sped over to him.

"You're the most inspirational pony I've ever met," she told him. "I wouldn't be what I am today if it weren't for you." Starswirl was almost incapable of replying, but by using every last ounce of his remaining strength, he managed to respond with:

"You inspired me too."

Chapter 9 - The Perfect Pair Return!

"We must hurry!" Twilight urged the group. "Spatium's slaves will reach us soon!" Discord was not among the ponies: he had exited onto the balcony overlooking the city and was addressing all the ponies still acting as they did when Spatium ruled Equestria.

"I mean it! Let this be a last warning for each and every one of you! If you don't take up the magic of friendship this very instant, a very scary-looking centaur will come down and give you all the ability of communicating with your dead relatives who all dwell in the spirit realm. Now, that is something the pony mind is will not be able to deal with! Surrender now, or I'm afraid your mentalities won't be the same again." Of course, this did virtually nothing, and the ponies went back to their despicable rioting. Starlight and Trixie trotted out onto the balcony.

"Well, I did try to warn them!" Discord protested.

"I cannot say whether or not this will actually work," Tirek confessed. "Like I said, the last time I attempted such a feat was hundreds of years ago. To steal magic from a pony is a snap, but to transfer another's magical abilities into them?" He sighed.

"We believe in you!" Twilight encouraged.

"If my future self had informed me I'd actually been agreeing with Twilight in this instance, I would have admitted him to a psychologist," Discord laughed. "But despite what you did to me, Lord Tirek, I too believe you are the one who will bring lightness and joy back to Equestria."

"If not you, then who else?" Fluttershy mused aloud. Tirek brought his head down slightly at each member of the benevolent trio, and then gazed down upon the rioting, rampaging ponies. Oh, how ever had Stellas Spatium managed to alter their personalities so drastically? Even the most powerful allicorn pony to have ever lived should not logically have possessed that capability! Tirek sighed, strode an immense step forward to the very edge of the balcony, and took several deep breaths, until he was finally ready. With many, many more heavy breaths, he was eventually to pass one monumental jet of ocean-blue magic into the surrounding ponies—into the unicorns' horns, into the pegasus' wings, into the earth ponies' strength-heavy bodies. After that, he collapsed loudly onto the ground, continually coughing and continually wheezing. His face was as pale as a corpse.

"Twilight, is he...?"

"I don't know, but we don't have time to worry about that right now. We must restore everypony's goodness as quickly as possible!" Starlight Glimmer and Trixie looked out into the landscape.

"The ponies have calmed down quite a bit," said Trixie. "What do we need to do?"

"Tirek was transferring Starswirl The Bearded's ability to communicate with the dead into everypony, wasn't he?" Starlight asked.

"Yes," Twilight replied. "Do you think they're seeing all their long-gone relatives at the moment?"

"That would explain their looks of sheer bewilderment," said Trixie. Just then, something simply remarkable transpired! The group had, of course, witnessed dozens of astounding occurrences since the arrival of Celestia and Luna's brother, but none quite as phenomenal as this one was! Everypony in the Empire who Tirek had affected now wore a face of both terror and serenity. But that wasn't the end of it...

"Wanna see something really cool?" Tirek managed to splutter, and he leaned towards the group.

"TIREK, NO!" Fluttershy bawled. "You're not strong en--" The bloody-red centaur would not hear a syllable of it! He transferred the last remaining bits of Starswirl's magic and breathed them like a dragon would fire into Twilight Sparkle, Flurry Heart, Cadance, Fluttershy, Discord, Shining Armour, Trixie and Starlight Glimmer. What they saw was indescribable! Millions and millions of ghost ponies who looked just like Celestia and Luna. The strange thing was they were deadly silent; there was no sound at all. There did not need to be. The looks on the slaves' faces were sound enough. Starswirl The Bearded could now be proclaimed not the "greatest conjurer of the pre-classical era" but the greatest one of all time! Somehow, someway, he had cracked the secret to defeating the most disgustingly vile, wicked and evil pony to have ever existed wide open!

"What...happened?" Lyra Heartstrings was one of the first to awake following everypony's encounter with the undead. Shining Armour consoled her.

"It's alright," he said. "I can't explain it now. The best thing for everypony is to just rest."

"You know, I hear that term thrown around more times than I dare count," Lyra responded. "But this time, I agree with you." And she fell asleep upon the instant.

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy felt it only fitting that they be the ones to confront the remaining members of the Mane Six (also still under Spatium's influence!).

"Oh, what are these ponies doing here?!" Pinkie roared.

"Go to Tartarus!" Rarity hollered aggressively.

"Go to sleep, just like all the mighty leader's slaves are doing," Rainbow Dash bellowed angrily. "But don't wake up. Go to sleep forever."

"IN OTHER WORDS!" Applejack shrieked, edging closer to the pair. "GO AND D--" The cowpony was not able to finish her detestable remark. The magic Tirek unleashed on the slave ponies was swiftly unleashed on her and the others also, and they were suddenly all as stationary as pony figurine. What Applejack saw was very much reminiscent of what Twilight and Princess Cadance witnessed during their meeting with Luna and Celestia: the farm pony's surroundings turned bright white as if she were within the interior of a lamp that had just been switched on. It was as if she had, at long last, reached the end of a very, very lengthy tunnel that was illuminated by thousands of lights. In a way, she had. Only, the tunnel she had reached the end of had been as dark as a winter night; now at last, it was—quite literally—brightening up! For who should step out of the sheer illumination but her long-dead parents, Pear Butter and Bright McIntosh! Now, unlike as was the case with most ponies meeting those sadly gone but certainly never forgotten, Applejack's wickedness faded the split second she lay eyes on the pair: the first time she had seen either of them for over a whole decade!

"Mum? D-D..." The star-crossed lovers merely nodded in confirmation. "I don't understand, aren't you...?"

"Dead?" Applejack's father asked his daughter.

"Well, y...what I mean...is...y--"

"My darling," Pear Butter trotted over to Applejack, attempting to place her hoof graciously on her chin, but ultimately failing as a result of no longer owning a physical form. "Do not endeavour to analyze or explain the situation. Most ponies would die themselves for a chance to speak to ponies they deeply cared about who have passed on." Applejack thought it through.

"But...is...isn't that what's happening now, all 'cross Equestria? Everypony's bein' freed of Spatium's cruelness, right?"

"Everypony? Are you sure?" Bright McIntosh pondered. Applejack began to cry. So many ponies that she cared about had perished while under the rule of that demon; Mayor Mare, Zecora and her childhood friend Coloratura had all died just because they were not scared to stand up for what they believed in. And they selflessly believed in goodness for everypony.

"I'm sorry," Applejack sobbed loudly. "I'm sorry I became a part of this horrible, horrible plot!"

"It could not be helped," Pear Butter spoke in a mellow tone. "So few were unable to resist Spatium. We would have become wrong-doers, too if we were still here," she smiled a gorgeous, warmth-inducing smile. "You know that, A.J." Applejack tried to embrace her parents, but went fell to the floor in trying to do so.

"You...will..." She was barely able to speak. "You will...finally get to meet Apple Bloom?"

"Of course," Pear Butter smiled. "We may not have been with you physically in Equestria, Applejack, but we have been watching over your little sister's doings."

"We couldn't be more proud of her," Bright McIntosh said kindly. The perfect pair began to make their way back into the light.

"I LOVE YOU!" Applejack cried, tears running down her cheeks. "I love both of you more than anypony could ever, ever know."

Chapter 10 - Always Remember...

Twilight Sparkle could not believe it had already been one whole week since the destruction of Spatium and, of course, his influences on the population of Equestria; during that time, ponies had begun work on re-building Equestria. It was by no means going to be an easy task, but things were already slowly falling into place. Granny Smith and Big McIntosh calculated that the buildings located within Sweet Apple Acres would only take a few months. Much of the Crystal Empire was not destroyed by Stellas Spatium's rampaging slaves, so many residents from other towns stayed there while their homes were being re-constructed. But what was even more important than the structures was the ponies; most ponies were able to re-unite with their loved ones. Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had all located the Cutie Mark Crusaders just one day after the latter's meeting with her deceased parentage. Each member of the Mane Six had scooped up their beloved member of the C.M.C. with considerable force and exclaimed how overwhelmed they were to be in their presence once again. But what provoked perhaps an even more astonished reaction was when everypony discovered Spike's fate.

"NO!" Pinkie Pie had screeched. "HE CAN'T BE! SPIKE'S TOO CUTE!"

"Calm, down, Pinkie," said Twilight, trying her utmost not to burst into fits of hysterical laughter. "Spike isn't hurt at all. He's right here." And so he was. "Nice to see you all again!" He bowed to each of the Mane Six and Cutie Mark Crusaders. "How can I be of service? I want to help!"

"That's definitely Spike," Scootaloo scorned. Twilight had failed. She laughed harder than anypony there had ever heard her laugh before!

"Did she say something funny?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"N...No," Twilight giggled. "Tell them, Spike."

"I missed all of it!" He confessed angrily. "Flurry Heart defeating Spatium, the battle of the Empire, all of it! Because I was stuck in the library reading a comic-book."

"That must have been a very absorbing narrative you were consuming," Rarity remarked.

"Comics have always been his favourite medium," Twilight said.

"PRINCESS! PRINCESS!" Sprinkle Medley, a resident of the Crystal Empire, was rushing up to the purple allicorn and her companions. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"You...haven't heard the news!"

"What news?" Applejack demanded.

"You...you haven't heard the news!"

"What news already?!" Rainbow Dash hollered.

"Lord Tirek is still alive! He's in the Crystal Empire hospital."

"You haven't told anypony about his involvement with everything that's gone on, have you?" Sweetie Belle asked her worryingly.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "Only doctors and nurses are permitted to that information. I'm a member of the latter."

"Thank you," said Twilight, and the group immediately hurried off to see him.

"Tirek was real scary and menacing-like when he tried to take over Equestria before Stellas Spatium," Apple Bloom remarked as she and her friends trotted up the stairs to the centaur's room.

"Fillies, you've got to trust me," Twilight told them, dead-serious now. "He might not want to admit it, but he's changed." The fillies and older ponies entered Tirek's room—he was laying in bed, and appeared to be asleep. Cadance entered seconds after Twilight's group.

"I came as soon as I heard," she said softly.

"Come on," Fluttershy whispered. "We'd best not to disturb him." Cadance and Twilight were at the back of the long queue of ponies, nearest to Tirek's extraordinarily-large bed. Without warning, the centaur awoke (assuming he was asleep in the first place, which is doubtful) and grabbed the two by the hoofs. Princess Cadance screamed.

"What the--" Twilight yelled.

"I'm sorry," Tirek said menacingly, and, following a heavy breath, showered the allicorns with two bolts of magic: lightless-purple and bright yellow. Several moments later, after everypony had recovered from the shock, Scootaloo noticed something rather startling about the ponies' cutie marks.

"Princess Cadance! Where's your crystal heart cutie mark?!"

"Why, Twilight!" Rarity blurted out. "Since when has your cutie mark been a picture of the moon?!" It was true. Cadance and Twilight Sparkle's cutie marks were now that of Celestia and Luna's.

"Tirek must have made contact with them in the spirit world too, at some point," said Twilight. "Remember, he transferred all that magic into Spatium's slaves. It's inevitable that he was able to see the spirits, too." She sighed. "I suppose this was all part of the two sister's magnificent plan, too."

"Twilight!" Cadance said loudly. "Is he...?"

"Dead?" Twilight leaned in and checked the centaur's pulse. Tears formed in his eyes, and everypony, knowing the truth before she opened her mouth, felt a dense lump form in their throats. "Yes."

As the greatest mark of respect such a noble villain could ever have earned, the new princesses of the sun and moon felt it was finally time to tell everypony in Equestria how a figure that had once tried to enslave the land had become their saviour. His burial lasted several more hours than most—Cadance, Shining Armour, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Discord each spoke of his courage and dedication, and how if a being that was once so evil and wrong could become so valiant, so could everypony. When it had finished, Discord met with Fluttershy for evening tea at her cottage.

"Err...Discord?" She asked shyly.

"What is it, dear Fluttershy?"

"Well, um...I was just thinking...as your realm between dimensions is all but destroyed and all, and it will take most dimensions longer to recover from Spatium's rule than us..."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to stay here with me?" Discord, obviously, could not say no to such a suggestion. And the yellow pegasus was glad.

A month later, the general tone in Equestria was beginning to get back to its standard joyfulness. Just in time for Starlight Glimmer's coronation as the new princess of friendship!

"I...this is gonna sound generic, but I am so honoured to be standing here in front of you all today!" Starlight thought it best not to mention Spatium's takeover of Equestria. She wanted this day to be a carefree one (well, as carefree as one can get when they have just been promoted to a position nobility!). Starlight made her coronation speech, which The Mane Six could tell instantly was inspired by the one Twilight Sparkle had made when she was promoted to the role years earlier. But they did not mind. In fact, they could not have been happier with what she had written in a thousand years!

"So, Twilight?" Starlight asked when the ceremony had completed and she was finally able to reunite with the ponies she adored more than anything else. "Do you have any advice for being the princess of friendship?"

"Actually, I do," Twilight said without a moment's hesitation. "At first, you will be overwhelmed. You will feel like the role is not meant for you, even though it is. Most importantly, you will feel like you don't play a significant enough role, and that you're not making much of a contribution to Equestrian society. Trust me, that feeling will pass in time. That's a promise." Starlight Glimmer swept closer to her former mentor and engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Twilight! Good luck to you with governing ponies' dreams and all that. And good luck to all of you with whatever you all go on to do," she beckoned to Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "You all mean a lot to me!"

"Err...Twilight?" Rainbow Dash was looking concerned, rather than joy-filled, which everypony find very odd. "If you're going to replace Princess Luna as the pony who raises the moon every night, does that mean...you need to...?" Twilight's face fell. She had not intended on telling her friends so soon.

"Yes," she said after a long pause. "I'm sorry, everypony. I've been chosen to carry out this role, and I can't do it in Ponyville. I am required to stay in Canterlot Castle with Princess Cadance."

"But..." Rainbow Dash's eyes were becoming wet with tears, which was very rare indeed. "You could raise the moon from your castle back in Pon--"

"I'm sorry," Twilight was crying now also. "I just know Celestia and Luna wanted me and Cadance to take their places as both princesses of the sun and moon and governors of Canterlot. We were meant to carry out this task together. I know now why she just happened to be my babysitter when I was a filly. It wasn't by accident, and neither is the Canterlot Castle being empty as we speak."

"Twilight," Applejack bawled. "You can't go. Our lives weren't the same without you. You were the pony who united all of us in the first place...we're...we're meant to be friends, remember; the rainbow, the..."

"I know. The two sisters always intended for us to be friends, and it's..." Twilight broke off in a series of powerful sobs. "It's true, what Ra Ra said about true friendship being unbreakable. We will always be friends...we just...can't always be together." All members of the Mane Six were now in tears. It was painful enough for Twilight when one of them was dejected, but for them all to feel this way was simply too much for her! She embraced each of them in turn one final time, but she could not bring herself to turn away just yet.

"I'm going to miss you, Twilight," Fluttershy said softly. "Thanks for being such an awesome friend."

"Farwell," Rarity said sombrely. "I do hope you're content in your new role."

"I wouldn't be quite as happy and energy-filled a pony as I am if it weren't for you bestowing joy on me when you first arrived in Ponyville," Pinkie Pie denounced drearily.

"You are awesome!" Rainbow Dash added. "And I'm gonna miss you."

"Honestly," said Applejack. "From when I nearly shook your hoof clean off on your first day in Ponyville up until now...these have been far and away the greatest years of my life." Twilight's eyes were as wet as broken dam. She was finally as ready as she possibly could be to turn away from the five.

"I love you, girls." And she walked away, into the bright sunshine. Into her new life. She was uncertain, as was everypony, about what the rest of her days would bring her. Whatever it was, Twilight Sparkle would be certain to apply the friendship lessons and morals of her best friends to each and every new situation she found herself in. She heard what sounded like Princess Celestia's voice; she was unsure if it was all in her head, or if she truly was communicating from beyond the grave. The voice said:

Always remember, my faithful student: friendship is magic.

Prologue

Spike sat utterly motionless in the Crystal Empire Library, utterly absorbed in his utterly exciting and action-packed issue of Power Ponies. The baby turnip-purple dragon was entirely aware of the fact that Princess Celestia and Luna were dead—murdered in cold blood by their revenge-hungry allicorn brother Stellas Spatium, shortly after his return from banishment. He was aware that everypony in Equestria (and beyond!) was now a slave to Spatium, their mentalities altered, forcing them to obey his each and every command. The exceptions to this rule were, of course, The Mane Six, the second of the two remaining princess, Cadance, Discord, Starlight Glimmer and her best friend Trixie, Lord Tirek, Shining Armour and his daughter Flurry Heart (as a result of the Crystal Empire being shielded from Spatium through a powerful forcefield). The assistant to the princess of friendship sat more serene still. Despite being thoroughly aware of all this, he was unknowledgeable about a number of things: Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack being turned evil by Spatium's dark elements of harmony, for instance. And of course, Spike, as was the case with everypony—even Spatium—was unaware of the things that had not yet come to pass. For whether or not Spatium was defeated did not matter; his effect on Equestria and the mulit-verse as a whole would undoubtedly live on forever...

Author's Note

This story is a sequel to "The Coming of Stellas Spatium" and "Tirek's Reform". In order to be understood and enjoyed as much as possible, reading the aforementioned first is recommended :D