My little Sirens

Chapters

Interlude 1 - It happened.
Bath Time (Non edited)
Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.1
Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.2
Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.3
Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.4
First Lesson
Smuggling.
The meeting Pt. 1 -Who did this.
The meeting Pt. 2 -Who didn't this.
The meeting part 3. Why wouldn't I do this?
Alternative Universe EG: Responsabilities
A reason to be grateful
The secret
Never be alone (Short chapter.)
Always together
Alternative Universe EG: A family fight (Special of 100 likes)
A way back trip
A parent of the past.
The past.
A taste of the present
Prologue
Desert thieves
Announcement

Interlude 1 - It happened.

An experiment is always unknown, nopony can expect which results will always be, and while leaves rooms to make mistakes, it's what the mistakes show us the right direction, and that's the way of the mages, nopony is perfect, because perfection doesn't leave room to knowledge and creativity, and that's the wisdom of the mages, wanting to create experiments while preparing their minds to fail.

While the victory celebration of defeating the evil forces may be left the citizens of Equestria with their guards down, I was still vigilant and intrigued with the eggs in front of me. I questioned why the harmony energy didn't destroy the evil forces to non-existence but left them existing... Faust... what is the meaning of this?

I ignored the celebration shouts and happiness cheer coming from the village and the heroes of Equestria... Being called like that stopped to be fun to me. I enjoyed it when I was younger, and I could be called the hero, the master sage, and the supreme mage around Equestria.

But time is not my ally, she was when I was younger, but now I'm getting older every day it passes... Little celebrations are not something I was supposed to enjoy before, and still isn't something I enjoy or I will enjoy in the future... While I could see all the heroes taking their pride, I was annoyed by how possible threatens might happen in the future while we are not taking action now...

"Hello..." Then a voice of somepony who didn't even deserve to receive my respect called me. "The other ponies want to celebrate with the hero who fought bravely with the monsters before the team comes back with the final attack to save everypony."

Stingion... I raised my eyebrow while I shook my head in disappointment.

"It's too much for me. It's pointless for me to be here now that we defeated the evil forces... I'm going to my tower." At the moment, I said that I could see the weak stallion staring at me in shock, while I glowed my horn and teleport away from him... Not leaving a second to him to call my name. I teleport away with the 3 eggs, while I was glad everypony was distracted enough not even to see me leaving, which made my trip back to my tower quietly and pleasant.

The only time I enjoy to be alone most is when I study at my tower or when I go on a trip by myself and alone, that makes me think about theories of my future magics, studies and possibilities and reviews of what I could have changed when something goes wrong... This time, I have something in mind...

"These 3 creatures showed how I was too old to be capable of defeating my enemies alone... maybe it was time to retire myself from the missions, and focus on the research and... ugh... diplomacy between tribes." I alone talked to myself while I looked at the stars above me... "They seemed okay; Luna is finally learning how to move the stars... It seems the training I gave to her is showing results... but she still needs a lot of training."

I shook my head while I teleport many times, shorting my trip until I finally got to the tower...

Now that I was finally at my tower, I finally can focus on my mission, these 3 eggs, while not being hatched yet, I saw the potential monsters they would be if they hatch again. So I decided the only way to avoid happening most harmlessly was sealing them inside the monster's book. It was the best way to imprison them while they cannot feel the time relapse effects to be still stuck in time while being inside the book.

"Just sick ponies would seal somepony inside of something while they still feel the presence of the others and the time passing by... Nopony would continue being sane after being sealed without interacting with something after a few months." I mumbled while I used my magic to bring a book hide from my shelter, a book with a dark cyan color with some rocks crusted with a magic symbol on it.

I can be many things, I'm proud of my wisdom, I'm arrogant with my magic, I'm an unfriendly pony, and many remorseful things the other ponies may say about me. Still, one thing I will never be or even allow the other says... I'm not a sick pony who makes torture or kills harmless things. And if I make a promise, I will accomplish it... The others may question why I am arrogant, but never questioned what I did to accomplish everything I did...

I have prepared the chalk circle with magic crystals on a board, and I have created the 10 stars signs around the center, and in the corner, I have created 6 circles... With each one representing the harmony over Equestria.

"For strength, I bring the power of the rocks around Equestria, representing the solid future Equestria will have even after my depart." I placed a solid rock over one circle, which was shining in orange color.

"For healing, I bring a clock; the time around the world can be many things, but can heal what was damaged inside the ponies' hearts." I placed a clock inside the circle, which changed the coloration to yellow.

"For hope, I bring sugar which even the biter tribulations around Equestria would affect the other ponies hearts, and the hope will always give a sweet taste of the best of the future." I placed the sugar inside of the circle, which turned in a pink color around it.

"For beauty, I bring the flower, representation the beauty of the nature around Equestria, which will never fade away." I placed a flower inside of another circle, which made it into a white color.

"For bravery, I bring temper, which many forms and styles can represent bravery, but the ponies must challenge themselves to bring courage inside of their hearts to try new experiences." I placed ingredients like salt, pepper, and other tempers, making the circle into a cyan color.

"As for the sorcery, I give my name as notorious mage over Equestria, Starswirll the sage, I give my blood, my mane, my soul. To seal the monster inside this circle, begone to the helm of eternal dreams and be happier to live a life you will never wake up."

I entered the circle, which I concentrated my magic to activate the circle, while the circle I was in changing the color of all the stars to purple color. And the magic energy around the circle focused on the 3 eggs, which remained still.

The power created an emblem over the shells, while I could see the dust of the eggs fading away, going in the direction of the dark cyan book which I was using my magic... Everything was going fine... Until I saw something which made me speechless...

"The eggs... they are recovering the dust? They are absorbing the harmony magic. My magic..." My eyes got wide open when I saw something that scared me; these eggs were not even hatched yet, but they can adapt even to this form? Oh no...

I observed them not just trying to absorb the power from the harmony magic but from the book itself. They will possibly weak the seal over the book and free all the monsters inside of the book...

"I must stop the link and destroy the link between the book and them, and I must use all my magic and seal them differently," I said while I bite my own tongue and spit out blood from my mouth to make a countermeasure of the first magic, and create a combination of 5 different magics.

I knew the risks and the price of using blood magic as a catalyst for the other magics. I gave up 2 years of my lifespan to make evil magic combine with harmony magic and make something it was probably nopony in Equestria would even know about it. Just me and Faust herself know this magic.

"You may have fooled this old sage once, but to think I would help you to absorb the evil magic over the seal... You are too naive and inexperienced. Nostradamus La Harmonia." I spoke an ancient language, and my eyes turned white. Did they want to take the evil energy? Then take the harmony magic the double if they want... Let them root their glutton until they destroy themselves.

I usually don't like the idea of killing my enemies, even if they are in the harmless form, but if they want to kill themselves trying to eat more than they can eat? Well, keep going then, you foolish fool.

I used so much magic that I could see the sealing emblem over the eggs shinning even stronger than before, and the eggs were shaking like they realized their mistake, but it was too late. I used even more magic, and I noticed something different, the eggs shells changed their color and became white as snow. At the same time, the seal was colorful, like never before. And then I felt something strange... The power emanating from the eggs...

"Oh... sard." Those were my last words before an explosive energy burst exploded inside my tower... And then everything went black.

"daddy... wake up... daddy... You promised us you would take us to see the land of dragons..." A pitch voice called me while I slowly opened my eyes.

I was at my bed while by my side were 3 little "fillies" or a combination of a water creature like a seadragon with a pony... I named them sirens because I couldn't find research about them and I have to do the studies by myself...

The first one was yellow with purple eyes. I named her Adagio Dazzle. While I could see her siblings by her side, one was a purple and pink mix and had purple eyes as well named Aria Blaze... And the last one was a mix of cyan and blue filly who was poking my face to wake me up, Sonata Dusk.

"Ugh... it's already sunrise?" I asked while I got out of bed while I looked at my mirror... It has been 3 years... And I can still hear her laughing... Faust, you evil mare...

That's my life as a father...

Author's Note

You may ask... why I named this chapter as Interlude?

Because I decided with path I decided to go with this fiction... When is a normal slice of life chapter. It will be named a single chapter with a random number on it, because the order will always be random, some things will happen before the chapters I will release, and the order will always be random.

But when is related to the past memory of Star Swirl, the name Interlude will appear over the title and the number giving an order of the related facts...

No... I'm not thinking in creating arcs or even villains for this fiction, because I wanted to most wholesome as possible with a father trying to deal with 3 problematic fillies, and some strange partners and stupid politicians around Equestria...

Why Star Swirl says Faust is a sard mare? Sard in the ancient times of Equestria is a cussing word, and you can guess this Easter egg. And Faust... you know who she is, and yes... she will appears on this fiction, but she is like the mother of trollestia and momlestia so you can guess how hard the punchlines will be, and how much Starswirll is angry. XD

Bath Time (Non edited)

The unknown it’s the start of a terrible fear or the possibility of a new adventure. The unknown is always a mystery for mortals and it becomes a negative or a positive reaction depending of our reactions. Accepting the unknown is the same accepting the mystery.

There are some things in life that you train for. Like, how to defeat powerful winter spirits with the power of friendship! Things like that are easy.

Assemble a team and use the elements of Harmony to banish three powerful monsters to another dimensional plane? The results weren’t what we expected but still, a piece of cake!

Create a spell to save the future of Equestria by sending the Elements of Harmony from the legendary heroes? Ha! That’s so easy it makes me laugh.

But, trying to take care of three fillies that all argue about bath time? FAUST HAVE MERCY OF ME, PLEASE! YOUR DAMMED MARE, MERCY!

Starswirl the Bearded was screaming this plea internally as he tried to deal with what were supposed to be his children. The time he tried to make the great temperature for the bath was easy enough, but how can creatures of the sea would be so much against over the bath? That's a question he kept to himself during all the time.

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His elder filly, don't like cold bath, while the youngest don't like hot bath, and the middle filly don't like the temperature between them, I had to study the possibility and control the temperature of the water all the time...

It was tiring, but wasn't something too difficult for me. Just make a few tries to see which are the perfect for them...

And now... The most problematic... make them get inside of the bathtub... How the buck they don't like to go inside of the bathtub? They are creatures of the sea for Faust flank's sake... yeah, she may have heard that, she will prank me for that for sure.

"Adagio get inside of the bathtub." I was having a headache after I had to do so much to make Aria and Sonata get inside of the bathtub. But the last one is always the most difficult.

"I don't want to..." Adagio pitched voice sounded annoyed and her pout while being cute, was being annoying for me to deal with that. Keep calm Starswirll... You have been stubborn on her age as well... Think about the reason...

"Why?" I decided to follow my mind and decided to know why by sard my eldest daughter of 3 years, is have being a pain in my flank after I had to deal with her sisters...

"I want my ornaments before going inside of the bathtub." Adagio pouted, while my mind give me a facehoof, trying to remain calm, well, another headache...

"If I take your ornaments, you will go inside of the bath? Because soon the water will get cold and you will not like to have a cold bath. And I don't want to high the temperature again." I decided to say calmly while I was pulling my beard trying to think about if that would work.

And the look at her smiling face was enough to answer that doubt...

I decided to sigh and be in the direction over the storage... to my most annoying surprise... The ornament wasn't there... It seems I was out of it after the last bath...

I grumbled annoyed, trying to think about what to do... well I think I have to buy more... Luckly I know a place which is a few steps from the tower... I will have the ornament in at least 5 minutes...

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"That mare is without doubt a stupid mare, she couldn't understand the concept of smell even if she has a great nose created by Faust herself..." I was annoyed by a single mare who couldn't understand her ornaments, so I have to test all of them... Thankfully the line was short, so it was enough to be there 5 minutes...

Sadly I have to warm the bathtub again...

I walked briskly through the corridor, trying to make peace with myself. After many attempts at trying to find a better way to make a perfect bath for my children, I finally can make the bath to make them clean again, and this time nothing will possibility destroy this moment.

I walked until I came near the door, until I heard a shout inside from it.

“SALTY IS WATER IS BETTER THAN MINERAL WATER!” The voice that I recognized as Aria must have been arguing with her sisters, they always does... Much for my displeasure.

“MINERAL WATER IS WAY BETTER, BECAUSE IT’S SWEET!” The pich voice with a little of soprano was a voice I recognized as Sonata, I decided maybe to wait a bit more to see where this will leads.

“BUT SALT WATER IS FROM THE OCEAN, WE LIVED THERE,” After the comment from Aria I couldn't help but my eyebrow. The statement was accurate, but not the entire truth.

“NO WE DIDN’T! WE LIVE HERE! AND WE WEREN’T BORN IN THE OCEAN, EITHER!” This time I could hear the same voice from the little filly who make me got out to take the ornaments, Adagio who seemed to have the same reasoning I'm still having...

“ADAGIO, NOFISHY ASKED YOUR OPINION!” Aria ignored the comments from her little sister, while I scoffed ignoring that comment.

“REALLY? THEN I’LL GO TELL THAT TO DADDY!” Adagio said in high pitch. I couldn't help but chuckle after hearing the 2 other sirens gasp in shock.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE. YOU ARE NOT A SNITCH." Aria screamed, while I heard a giggling coming from what would be Adagio who was enjoying this.

"MAYBE, OR MAYBE NOT...JUST TRY IT. AND I WILL TELL DADDY THAT YOU 2 HAVE BEEN ARGUING AGAIN..." I chuckled at the brilliant execution of Adagio’s trump card. Whenever her two sisters were becoming mean, she would always run to me to snitch on them. Of course, she would become angry when her sisters told on her, as well.

“NOOOO, DON’T TELL DADDY! ADAGIO, COME BACK HERE!” I decided to open the door, showing that I was there, but the moment I opened the door. I noticed there was a huge water wall in waiting to be released, and the moment the door was opened, it took 2 seconds for me to realize... and it was too late. A huge water wave was launched at my face...

Great... just great... Faust this is your fault... All my mane, clothes and even my hat... dear sard... my hat... all wet...
At the moment I got up, my mouth was dropped at the huge disaster which was inside of my bathroom... 5 pillars of water, 3 giant holes with sink water... A bathtub upside down, and 3 fillies who saw me in shock...

“ADAGIO! ARIA! SONATA! YOU ARE ALL IN BIG TROUBLE.” I Starswirl shouted in my most powerful, wizardly voice. Showing how irate I was at the moment.

“Awwwwwww,” The trio groaned, sitting on the floor. I looked all the water displayed over the bathroom, so I used my glowing horn to make all that water disappear from my bathroom... Where that went, I did not know, or care...but I hoping it was Princess Platinum bedroom.

I looked at the little fillies who was looking down in sadness, knowing I wasn't happy... I decided to got to the point.

“I was gone for five minutes to get the ornament! How did you fillies even managed to do that!?” I took a time to breath and calm myself down, while I tried to be more curious than angry... And by my surprise it worked...

“Well, we opened one of the books you told us to not open and there was this page about water…” At the moment Sonata who pointed at the little cyan which made my eyes wide open.

At the moment I was going to ask. I heard a terrifing sound coming from outside.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" A insane creature which I didn't want to see it again, now was making a ruckus outside of Equestria.

“YOU OPENED THE BOOK OF SEALED CREATURES AND YOU RELEASED THE WRATH OF THE WATER PERSEUS THE WATER BULL!?” Starswirl screamed in rage and terrified. How? Just how? That's beyond my compreension, how 3 little fillies found a way to unlock the seal inside of the book and release a create and insane monster who can create waves of thousand litters of water by itself.

Great now one more headache to take care.

Immediately, his fillies began to pout and started tearing up. Making my heart get heavy... I was deeply angry, but I cannot unleash my anger on them... They are fillies... even being troublemakers, they are still fillies...

My heart surrendered, and my mind calmed down... Perseus can be a problem to take care later... Now I need to take care of this...

I decided to leaned down to hug my fillies. “That’s okay, I forgive you. I’ll deal with him later. Please, listen to what I have to say with you. When I tell you not to do something, it’s because I care about you! Because I love you...” To be honest, I don't want to them to open that book again, because it could have been much worse, they could have potentially freed someone who conscious could be the destruction of Equestria... And even to hurt them in process...

After saying that, I was hugged by the little fillies, who were now in relief after I finally calmed down...

“We love you too, Daddy,” They said in unison. Making me smile... Until...

“So, we're not in trouble?” The little blue little fishy asked, her sisters seated nearby displaying puppy dog eyes.

I decided to remain in solemn face, while I looked at the giant hole and the upside down bathtub...

“No, you are all in a big trouble! You will take this bath, and then you will go to your room and stare at the wall and think in what you did! I have a monster to take down again.” I said, allowing himself a smile while the trio began to pout again.

“Awwwww.” They moaned, while I closed the door and started to prepare their bath... again...

Tuesdays... Faust must enjoys it.

Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.1

Holidays were created to make us to remember the sentiments and the history behind the essence of the day. The events of what happened, and what the people felt after so much challenges and sacrifices were made for us to enjoy our free time and even try to replicate the same sentiments at the same day every year.

Usually when mares and stallions think this day would be a day only focused on romance between two ponies, any ordinary pony and creature would think the same when it comes about Hearts and Hooves Day.

For me, this day is something different... Something more personal and even more important than just romance...

"Adagio, Aria, Sonata... It's time to visit your grandparents." I called while I finally took the preparations for our trip, while I counted down... 3...2..1...

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY." I heard a cheer which could be so loud if wasn't by the fact I made my tower soundproof outside of the tower, making all the poneis don't have a curiosity of the sounds inside my tower. But even I knew I have to redouble the spell on this day...

What can I say? They love my parents...

Then a sudden yellow blur quickly jumped at me, and I have to admit... I'm too old for reflex, because that was so quickly not even my fastest spell would protect me from a 10 pounds of pure yellow cuteness little siren, with a huge grin, like when her sister eats too much candy.

"YAY, IT'S HEARTS AND HOOVES DAY; YAY, IT'S TIME TO SEE GRANDMA." My elder filly Adagio was so attached to my mother, it seems she really spoiled her... Actually my mother spoiled all my fillies...

The next second another blur tackled me, making me get down at the floor... Maybe I should start creating barriers on the next events... Because being tackled twice? I don't know if I should feel proud of them or ashamed of myself.

Then the next second the final blur was the last thing I saw after another child of mine tackled me in my face this time... Everything went black for the next 10 minutes.

From the deep inside of my mind, something called my attention... A memory I kinda forgot a long time ago...

"The monsters have approached the near the area, it seems they are preparing to ambush us." A female concern voice made me look over my side. After taking a deep look to the voice, I could see... A big allicorn with scarlet mane and deep azure eyes, while near by her side, was a slender mare, with two edge swords and a shield behind her. Her White Mane and pink fur made me stunned, but proud from the look of such sight in front of me. "What should we do?"

"Let them come. Lady Faust, I'm sure I could kill these beasts with 10 spells or even less. They are too stupid to guess we are preparing a counter attack on this right instant." A confident voice came from a view where I was... I was being carried by an armored stallion, which confidence could make a mountain shake from one spell of his. I could see he was so experienced on the battle, it seems like a normal day to him.

His red fur, couldn't bring more fear to his enemies, because they never know if he could be injuried or not, and his white mane, could make all the mares gasp from such sight in battle...

"I don't know if that's a good idea, commander Hearts, you are taking care of your foal at this moment, general Hooves is trying to find a great position to make a good trap to them, and your interference would make the challenges a bit difficult." The allicorn dismissed the idea of the stallion who was carring me, but he just merely scoffed.

"Please Faust, Stars Swirl can handle himself... Actually he can actually take even care of you. He has my genes and his mothers intelligence. I know for sure, these monsters can try to ambush us... But they will never break us apart... She would kill me if I die by them." The stallion laughed while the alicorn giggled on her place.

"I supposed that's true... But there is a question in my mind... Why by sard has in your mind to actually propose to her in the middle of a fight against a basilisk?" The alicorn asked intrigued, while the red stallion laughed even harder.

"Oh sard. Please Faust, if you didn't know me, you actually would ask me... Why by sard has in your both minds when you actually had a marriage in the middle of a fight against a hydra?" The stallion laughed harder, while for the first time I heard the alicorn laugh so much.

"I supposed it's true... But I cannot ignore the idea, of you both has this romantic and crazy ideas in the middle of battle... I remember even you asked..."

"Faust... Don't you dare... Starty isn't ready for this talk yet." The stallion narrowed his eyes, while he did his best to make me not hear what she was going to say...

While I couldn't help hear the voice, I could read her mouth forming the words... Doing taxes...

Taxes? In my mind as that age I couldn't help trying to understand why she said that...

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"Oh Faust, now I understand what he said..." My mouth whispered after I open my eyes, and found my children looking sheepishly at me... I really wanted to ground them, but that would be really unfair... So I decided to sigh and imagine the best to use at this moment. "I will not ground you, if you behave and be more careful next time..."

They sighed in relief, and extremally happy, they nodded quickly.

I decided to get up, and looking at them, I hugged as my father did to me...

"Let's go to your grandparent's graves." I said while, they smiling took their bags, and with my magic, I used a concentrated magic to teleport in the next location... The royal graveyard of the heroes of Equestria...

Author's Note

My preparation and a special chapter I promised to you all yesterday...

I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter which will make you all happy. XD

Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.2

At the momment I casted the teleportation, I knew exaclty where me and my daughters would be... In front of the Royal Graveyard of the heroes of Equestria.

To be sure to nopony would recognize me and my daughters, we were sure to wear clovers with hoods over our heads.

I was sure at this Holiday, everypony would be on their homes made by tents and rocks enjoying their special moments with their loved ones, and while some ponies are trying to find their love mates, in a search of being luck on whenever they were... Little did they know what actually was the meaning of this day...

Me and my little fillies, crossed some tombstones about some legends who gave themselves to defeat some terrible monsters, and some died in a war against the dragons... Flash Magnus once per year comes to give his visit to his squadron who died against a Dragon Commander, that war was by far one thing Flash Magnus wanted to forget in his life, but he will never want to forget his squadron and his commander from a few years ago...

I wanted to sympathize with him, but the best advice I could say to him was... Leave to be, the death comes to everypony, you can try to be ageless, but nopony is indestructible. The best thing we could do is, live our lives to the fullest, live with the things we will never regret at the end of our lives... And if is possible, live the afterlife with the same smile on the face as we lived the world.

But maybe my words went too harsh on him because I remembered I get punched in the face... I promised myself to never give advice to ignorant ponies again.

But I know at someday he will understand the meaning of my words... Because I know what I said is true... because this is the lesson my parents gave to me.

Adagio who was jumping happily, while Sonata was walking around my steps, and Aria who was in my back mounting me to not walk anymore... Yeah, they seemed really energic on this day...

"Adagio, stop jumping. Sonata, stop walking around like that, you will make me fall and we cannot disturb the resting ponies. Aria if you want to be on my back just ask." I said using my magic and adjust the little pink filly to have a good position on my back, while my other 2 fillies stopped their tracks, and nodded their heads.

"Okay, daddy." The trio always in synchronism made me open a weak smile, and then keep going forward.

Walking a few steps in front, we finally went where we wanted to be... I found 2 hooded ponies, who seemed to be the gravediggers over the place... They seemed sorely focused on watching the grave behind them... I couldn't see their faces, because their faces were hidden with a coat, in the same way as me and my daughters.

I walked by them, while I could see their smiles on looking at me and my daughters.

"Oh, look that honey... It seems Hearts and Hooves family came to a visit." A deep and calm voice made me and my kids look at each and other in silence, while they are trying their best to hide their excitement. "Such lovely and energic family..."

"Yes, my dear... It's been so good to see these lovely children and this good looking father as well." The female elder said in a softened tone, while I could see from behind her coat a grin made by her. "I'm questioning who would be the mother of such lovely children? Isn't she with you my young stallion?"

I sighed deeply...

"Really? We have to make this every year?" I asked while I ignored the giggling coming from a couple of elders and the giggling from my own daughters... Et Tu? My children?

I decided to pass by the elders and with chalk in my hoof, I went to the gravestone of my parents. It was a gravestone and behind it was a big statue of a couple, one was holding a sword with his horn, and the other was using the shield protecting his mate.

I went over the stone in front of the statute and I wrote the runes... The first step was complete... Adagio then went in front of the runes and dropped a flower bouquet... Aria went next, and with her bag in her hooves, she dropped some candy and chocolates in front of the gravestone. Sonata went next and decided to give a kiss at the gravestone in front of her...

Then I decided to recite a spell created with these runes...

"Roses are Red, violets are blue, I came here to visit my parents, the same way you must love you too." I recited while the glowing horn of my head, creating a huge magic blast, focusing at the keys of the rune to open a secret just I and my daughters know...

The statue started shaking, and a glow appeared in front of the gravestone... The runes over the statue started to move by themselves and created a form that would be similar to a wooden door. The statue itself was a passage, to a secret nopony must know behind this Holiday... I heard a giggling coming from the elders behind us...

"It seems you are still capable to visit your parents, young Star Swirl..." The elder male walked in front of the door at the statue and opened it to reveal a large corridor that would defy all the laws of the reality we lived... But the answer to this simple question of how and why... It's pure sorcery, not only magic, but ancient magic behind everything... the female elder took the little fillies near me, and with them passed through the door...

I looked around to see if there was anypony suspect... While I prayed to Faust to remain this secret as forever... And decided to ignore the future outcomes... I went through the door. I used my horn to make sure to close it, and to make the door behind me disappear at the moment it closed...

While we went throught the corridor, I finally could see an open area which revealed what would be a waiting room... Which would make me and my daughters confortable after walking inside in...

I went over the dark corridor, while I could see Aria, Adagio, and Sonata giggling and jumping while the two elders were smiling and laughing as they were holding themselves for a long time...

"Mom, dad... You can release your corpses now... But I have to ask... Mom you really need to make the same question every year?" I'm not lying when I said I'm tired to hear the same question, over and over again... While I could see my daughters giggling, I saw a glow coming from the two elders, and then 2 skeletons appeared over the floor, while 2 young transparent ponies came outside.

"My Faust, I hate to be inside of this thing for too long..." My father, who seemed to stretch his back made such a comment, while I could see my mother rolling her eyes.

"Honey, you just were there for 10 minutes... While I was there for 10 hours." Her comment made my father smile sheepishly while the giggling from my kids made my father even more embarrassed.

"I couldn't get helped, a mortal corpse wouldn't fit after being year after year getting in and out from a corpse..." I could see my father being embarrassed with the same way as an excuse...

But now It was my time for the kill...

"So maybe I shouldn't have brought you pudding, since you are getting uncomfortable to your spirit not fit through your body..." At the moment I said that I could see my mother's eyes gleam while my father's eyes and face palled in terror.

"Starty, you can threaten me with whatever you want... But never... Never use candies as blackmail... Not against your parents..." My father remained calm while I could see my mother and my children laugh from his pathetic attempt to save himself some candies...

I decided to remain in silence while savoring my sweet victory.

"Anyway, it's good to see you after another year son. I hope you didn't have used a lot of magic." The female pink spirit who was in fact my mother, went by my side and touched my face. "You have been using magic all the time, maybe you should eat something, me and Hearts are doing some lunch for someone who needs love..."

"Mom..." I rolled my eyes, while I suppressed my grin. "I'm fine, I created spells which could stop the time, just using sorcery to create a magical door inside of this plane, isn't different than making me coming back in time for 10 seconds... Trust me, at least using this sorcery don't break the line between the mortal plane and immortal plane... But I have to confess, making an entire Area under the graveyard, just for you two work it always shocks me... What did you do to make Faust use this kind of sorcery?"

Then a familiar smile coming from the spirit made me realize what she wants to say..

"Now, Now, my son... You know the rules. You cannot talk about magic theory before dinner." Her mysterious smile always makes me annoyed about her secrecy, but that's one thing I always understand about my mother... She really enjoys playing around...

Then I saw something which I was expecting too... My little daughters were in silence during so much time, after taking a glance, I could see, they are holding themselves to explode... in 3..2...1... Now.

"GRANDPA, GRANDMA." I saw my little sirens jump straight to their spirits, just to get passed by them and almost falling at the floor, my mother had used her magic to make them levitate.

"Woa, woa, woa, my ninas. I know it has been a year, but you don't need to jump on me like I'm some kind of food... That's what boys are for in the future." Her comment, made me and my father snap to her.

"MOM, HOOVES." Both of us made her cringe in her place.

"Please, they are kids yet. Refrain this talk until they have 30 years." I said while I could hear my father scoff...

"Really Starty? 30? Aren't you a bit free to much? I would say 45." At the moment he said that I raised my eyebrow... That wouldn't be a bad idea.

"HEARTS AND STARSWIRL..." We both looked at my mother who looked more outraged than angry. "I swear to Faust... If you are taking this seriously, I will make you get sleeping at the coach during a century."

She had pointed to my father while making him gulp. While then she pointed at me.

"And you... I will make sure it will be at least 1000 suiters for you until 10 years..."

Her predatory smile, while making my eyes wide open... I could understand one thing, she was talking seriously.

"Alright... 15 years old... That's maximum." I frowned like I didn't have a choice but I couldn't let my children act like a bunch of ravenous flirtatious maniacs over Equestria...

Then her predatory smile became a more sincere smile.

"Alright, deal. I'm sorry for making such a comment. Anyway, honey, we have a lot of work to do, and then we can pass our rest of the day passing with these adorable sea pegasuses." My mother carried my little daughters while I could see they enjoyed their time with their grandma...

"Let's go, son, there is a lot we can talk to catch up... And by the way... Happy Hearts and Hooves Day..." My father said while he used his magic to take of my hat, while I could see he was running to approach his grandchildren... While me I couldn't help but feel nostalgic and a bit happy again... Finally a bit of peace...

"Yeah... Happy Hearts and Hooves Day mom and dad." I whispered while I followed them until the next room.

Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.3

To all the ponies who may have read my thoughts during all these journeys of parenthood, there are things most of us could describe the difference between magic, and sorcery...

Sorcery is forgotten magic that was created a few years since I was born, I remember there were some rules about creating sorcery...

First Rule: All the sorcery must have incantations, created by an ancient language which translates in a resourceful concentration to manipulate the magic around you.

Second Rule: Runes MUST be used in the creation of sorcery. While some ponies thought the creation of runes was a bit old and inadequate. All the useless fools would try something stupid as using sorcery without runes.

Third Rule: You must have the amount of magic inside of you to be enough to change the rules of the magic around you. That may not make sense to you. But sorcery is what different magical ponies to Sorcerers.

Now having in mind that... I just have one question...

"WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?" I screamed aloud when I saw what would be the strangest military station room ever made. It was a dark room with many pegasus foals with dippers running around, at a crazy speed.

"Everypony listen up. ATTENTION!" I raised my eyebrows while I could see many pegasus foals lining up in front of a pink fur and lilac mane pegasus foal who was wearing a pink helmet with hearts covering it. The foals after looking at the pegasus of helmet saluted in front of him.

I looked at my parents who were at the corner, holding my daughters who seemed giggling from such reaction. I decided to be near them and observe more of what's going on.

"Soldiers, you will face a dangerous fight, which some will not come back..." The frown over the little pegasus showed he seemed to talk a serious subject, while I could observe some little pegasus who was looking at themselves trying to understand which fight would be. Until the pink pegasus screamed in a serious tone. "THE BATTLE OF LOVE"

"Today is the day, today is Hearts and Hooves day. Our commanders gave us a serious task to do, you will deliver the love over ALL EQUESTRIA. Because the world without love it's a world of hate. AND WE HATE THE HATE. AND WE LOVE THE LOVE." The commanding and powerful speech made a serious surprise in my face, while I saw all the little foals cheering and excited with their bows and arrows. Marching like soldiers.

I raised my eyebrows while I looked at my parents.

"You made an army focused on this day?" I couldn't say what I should feel... I think commander Hurricane would cry tears of joy from such a view, while I'm totally confused about what happened.

My mother smiled happily while she shrugged.

"Everything is fair when it comes about love and war... Why not fuse both?" From such a question, my hoof meets my face, while I could see my father chuckling.

"Well honey, it seems you already broke our son, let me talk to him while you enjoy your time showing the girls our new project of Hearts and Hooves Day."

"Alright, dear. Now, who wants some candy?" At the moment she asked that I heard my three fillies scream excitedly from such spoil she will give to her. While I felt my hoof being pulled by magic from my father.

"Starswirll... Let's walk a bit..." He smiled while he decided to float being a spirit, while I saw many foals running like crazy, and flying through the holes over the ceiling, making me wonder how much changed since last year.

While I walked behind my father. I could see he was using his magic to bring something familiar to me... He took a frame with a painting...

"Happy Heart's and Hooves day son." He then passed that frame to me... After taking a look my eyes went wide open... It was a painting of me as my teens while something which made me look even more... A female alicorn who was using her wings to mess with my hat and mane, while I gave a laugh which I don't remember laughing that way ever again...

I never asked somepony to make that painting, but it seems obvious who did it...

"Thank you, dad..." I decided to use my shrink speel and hide this painting inside of my hat.

"I will not ask you to let her go... Because you are stubborn as your mother, but she is divinity and she disappeared eons ago after her children are born she never showed again... And you are just a mortal son... and I know what you are trying to do... but if you want to do something like that, please... have something more serious as a reason than use that for try to find someone who disappeared..." The words of my father came harder than any cut of dagger who crossed over my body, but I remained in silence, not showing any feel inside of me. "You need to set up a mother model for them... Because while many ponies don't know or are afraid to know why they are here... They were giving a second choice... the same way you have to... I'm not asking you to let her go... but to try to love others' options..."

I remained in silence, I'm Star Swirl... I wanted to scream and shout to him how foolish he has been acting, and who makes me feel like I'm trapped in such silly things as romance and love... But I couldn't... by 2 facts... he is my father, he knows many secrets I have been keeping even from myself... and two... I was afraid to say hypocrisy...

I decided to give the wisest choice... silence...

I walked away from my father, leaving him trying to reach me, but I felt he gave up quickly...

I passed by the military commander who was talking to my mother, while I could see an image of 3 fillies covered with chocolate...

"Okay, I know it isn't Father's day, but I think you 3 are too sweet for this kind of holiday." I used my magic to grab my little daughters, who seemed to giggle from such talk.

"Hahahaha... Daddy is talking silly." Sonata giggled, while she was liking her tail, while Aria and Adagio giggled at her silly comment and way to eat chocolate.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see if I'm silly after make you take bath..." I said in a serious tone, which made Sonata gasp and looks at me in fear... "After you go back home."

Then Sonata sighed in relief, making her sisters giggled from her fear.

"It's not funny..." I couldn't help but chuckle from such a cute pitch voice... It's really funny at all...

"Starty, let me show you somepony." I saw the spirit of my mother, leading the little foal nearby my side. "Do you remember the little foal Mi Amore Corazon?"

I looked down at the little pink fur and lilac foal who gave the speech to all the little pegasus over the base, he was indeed familiar to me... Wait...

"Wait, you are the rookie my father and mother hired you after you 20 years ago... The foal who starved to death..." I remember the case, usually, this pegasus was the foals who couldn't live after borning, so my parents decided to take care of the pegasus since the dark era... And this little foal was indeed peculiar. He was the one who Clover the Clever Summoned with Chancellor pudding and Commander Hurricane to defeat the Windigos with the flames of friendship.

"It seems you got older Star Swirl the Bearded. But your memory still surprises me..." He showed his hoof, which I gladly hoofpoomped.

"What happened to you Corazon? I thought you disappeared in the fight against windigos a few decades..." I was surprised, Clover the clever always told me about how a little pegasus made of flames of friendship burned down the whole ice over the hearts of the windigos...

"Oh, that? Well, I gotta say, I got vacation days after that fight, ponies thought I was an urban legend, while that may be true, because of the flame of friendship? Come on, I'm always busted with love. Not just friendship."

I have to say, while many things look weirder, I don't know if was because I live with 3 siren daughters... Or it's just Sunday, but I think I got used to everything weird in my life...

Just keep nodding and smiling...

Hearts and hooves of grand(parents) Part.4

There are a few ways for a pony can get a broken heart: when the pony you care about doesn't feel a mutual feeling, when somepony you cared so much makes something it disappoints you in a hurtful way, and when somepony you really cared about dies...

As I walked with Commander Heart, at the pandemonium chaos inside of the HQ under my parent's graves... I think they didn't have anything else to do, then creating a military squad focused on Hearts and Hooves day.

I held my 3 girls behind my back, while we watched one of the most entertaining things I ever see in my life. We watched the little fool Corazon walking and giving orders to other foals.

"Squad Delta, go to Yakstan, there are 2 family issues over a single relationship. SHOT FOR LOVE, now GO. Squad Alpha, there are 3 ponies on the West Side of Coordinates 23.34.53, fly and flank them by behind, AIM FOR THEIR HEADS AND HEARTS. NOW GO." I don't know what surprises me more, the fact the little colt was having the same authority as commander Hurricane or the fact of all this war speech was focused on just making yaks and ponies in love.

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata watched the scene with her eyes sparkling, it seems they got inspired to see the little foal giving orders while leading the operations from behind. Well, Adagio can learn a thing or two about leadership... Aria can understand military strategies and Sonata can use her cuteness to make the others follow their others... maybe they will use this leadership to save Equestria after I get retired. The forces of darkness would fear the power of my next generation. That would give me hope in believe in Equestria.

I looked at my father, who was walking and giving some instructions as to some foals with dippers and bows and arrows on their backs. Really strange culture.

"Father, from what I can remember, last year it was just you and mother who walked over Equestria to use the love arcane spells and make up the ones of the couple... What did happen to make you and her change so much in just one year?" I couldn't help but ask, while I kept looking at the movement from everypony around the HQ, it was like indeed a war zone or a preparation for a full-scale war. The girls behind my back seemed to look at her grandpa as well wanting to know the answer.

My father chuckled in his place and then pointed to his horn.

"My son, if I already defeated 20 balrogs while I was riding a hydra in the middle of Tuesday night, it wouldn't be difficult to make sorcery focused on dimensional scale. The most difficult part was actually to decide which color would befit the floor with the walls." My father smiles while I looked at him unimpressed, but the girls giggled while I rolled my own eyes. But one thing I can be sure of. My mom always can give the final words on the design inside of the places. "I had to sleep at the spiritual coach during 3 days straight, just to make the floor as obsidian."

Now that's something I was impressed with.

"3 days? Wow, mom was being generous to you." I said that and my daughters started to laugh while my father looked at me in shock.

"I know right? I thought I was going to sleep on that couch for 1 month or more... But I think she knew I was right and she doesn't want me to have the final word." My father said that while we could sense my mother was looking at us. "Let's change the subject before she says something."

"What you too are whispering?" My mother asked while I could sense she was glaring with a mix of love and coldness to my father. Well, it's a mine trap to him... It's not my problem. But...

"Granpa told us he said you were generous on letting him sleep on the couch during 3 days grandma," Adagio said, while both my eyes and my father's eyes as well opened wide. While I put her hoof over her mouth, while I could see my father cringe.

My mother then grinned evilly.

"Oh, is that soo? Well, if you like to sleep on the couch so much, why not you take another week sleeping on it?" My mother asked while I could see my father sweat bullets, and while he was going to say something, my other child Aria decided to interrupt him.

"He said he rather sleep in one month." This time I saw my father get despaired.

"Aria," I said in a warning tone, which she gave me a smile, while my father was going to freak out.

"Oh? A month? Why not 2? It seems you like too much the couch." Before Aria or Adagio would say something to make something worse... I saw Sonata was going to say something.

"No, Sonata, you cannot ask to make it 3," I said while Sonata started pouting and I could see mother glancing at me. "Okay mom, while you have your fun with the girls, I would like to talk to you,"

I said while I glance at my father who seemed to be so relieved I could prevent making it worse. Then I give a sard grin. "Make 4 months and then we can start talking."

"STAR SWIRL." My father shouted in disbelief and fear. While I could see my little sirens giggling and my mother as well. "Sorry father, but cannot let it go, you went off too easily, and that's not the rules."

My father then looked down defeated, there is a game when it comes about children, when they start something, they wouldn't stop until that was over.

I passed by my mother went ahead while I left my dad dealing with the consequences of his actions... What can I say, I got used to the chaos my children starts. My mother flew passing us, and we went over what would be in a place where we could see the view of many places of Equestria forming, other countries as Yakstan, Griffon Empire, and even Dragon Empire as well.

"So what do you want to talk Starty?" My mother passed her spiritual hoof over my face while I glanced at the screen.

I sighed while I look at my kids. They seemed so happy and enjoying our time with their grandparents.

"I was assigned to teach Faust's daughters to be their teacher and mentor," I said which my mother who passed through me stopped floating and then let out a sigh...

"So... you are going to be their teacher..." She said while I nodded my head. "I understand Starty, Faust was your mentor and you wanted to give the same lessons she gave to you to them... Is there something you want?"

"Do you know the rune formation to clone sorcery?" My question made my mother froze in her place and look at me confused.

"Excuse me? Do you want to know the clone sorcery?" She asked like I asked something which I wouldn't ask usually, which I nodded. "Oh... well that's different from what I was expecting you to ask."

I raised my eyebrow looking at her for some answers.

She then started giggling.

"I should have expected you would try something different Starty. I thought you were going to ask me and your father to take care of the girls while you would be training Faust's daughters." She then said that while I could see my daughters looking at me surprised.

"Sard No," I replied which made my little daughters giggle on my back. "They just have 3 years old, and I couldn't let them out without my supervision. I prefer to clone myself and take care of them while being in 2 places at the same time instead of letting someone else take care of them... especially my grandparents which influence could affect so much on them."

"Oh, you mean... You tease me." I heard my mother giggle while she made me follow her. We looked at the sunset was settling down over the screen. "Wow, it's already late, it seems time passes quickly when it comes about enjoying your time with family.

I couldn't help but admit, I followed her over the room, and inside of it, there were thousand of books of sorcery writing over them. And my mother passed through them and took some books for me.

"This is the knowledge of duplication sorcery, but I must warn you Star Swirl, you must reserve a good amount of time and magic to make you accomplish this spell because it could take from minutes to hours if you don't do that perfectly. But knowing you. Just you would decide to trust yourself to take care of your daughters..." She said while I used the magic and added them inside of my saddlebags. "Usually I would have the choice to meet a mother for this girl..."

"Yeah, yeah, like every year mom," I said while both her and my daughters started to giggle. "Well, soon it will be nighttime. I think it's time for we go."

At the moment I said that my daughters looked said.

"Awwww."

"Sorry girls, but you know the rules. Mom, thank you so much for taking care of us. We enjoyed our time together today." I said after hugging her for the last time of the year.

"The pleasure is mine son... I love you." She hugged me, and her arms were warm and her voice tender, like a feeling I missed a long time.

"I love you too," I replied while my children went to hug her like a group.

"Bye Grandma, we love you." It was a magical feeling, three sirens hugging a spirit of love. And my mother loved them the same way she loves me, or even more... What can I say, she loves to spoil them.

We walked over the path to lead us outside, which my father's spirit was waiting for us.

"Well, time to go Starty." He said while I hugged him for the last time of the year. "Please take in your heart the advice I gave you."

"I will try... love you," I said short words, but the meaning behind them was true. I love my father the same way as my mother, and my children went running just to hug their grandpa again.

"Oh my little betrayers and killers, what am I going to do with you?" My father chuckled while he hugged them, while they giggle. "Love you girls, be kind to your father, and be happy as you can always be."

"OKAY." The three girls said in unison while they hugged him for a minute. And then using his magic as the same as me, the path to the outside was opened. I and my children were the only ones to pass over the path, and we left the tombstone of the lovers with all the rituals cleaned and ready to go home.

"Well girls, let's go home. You have a bath to take off all your chocolate." I said while I could see my girls winning at me.

"Awwwwww."

After what passed today, I couldn't help but take all of them in my back...

"I love you girls." I said while I received a hug from all of them."

"We love you too daddy."All they said in unison again, that was getting weird, someday I will try to find a spell to make them talk not too much in unison, it will be a problem in the future, but that wouldn't be my problem.

Happy Hearths and Hooves Day Everypony.

Author's Note

Finally, an arc finished, I hope you all have enjoyed this arc the same way I did, soon or later I will create more slice-of-life chapters, before starting another arc, enjoy the reading and be awesome everyone. XD

First Lesson

From the past until the future, everypony has lessons they must learn from time to time. A lesson I must teach to all generations, to my students, even to my own children.

In the darkest room inside of the tower, the floor was filled with rune marks and hourglasses symbols around the room.

I opened my eyes and looked in front of me at what would be one of the most convenient spells ever made. However, this spell is taboo as well... Ponies who used this spell usually would suffer terrible catastrophes because of one simple and stupid mistake.

I looked at my own clone in front of me. He examined himself as he looked the same way as me, having my mind and my magic as well...

"I have to take care of my children, and I have to take care of my new students... I'm not creating you to obey me and fulfill my tasks and schedule. I give you the choice to help me to raise my children and to teach my own students." I said while I gave him a scroll, which he examined himself.

He took a read and then looked at me.

"I take care of the students, you take care of Aria, Sonata, and Adagio." He finally answered, and then I just nodded and then he teleports away, leaving me in the darkroom...

The spell was a complete success...

There is a reason why clone spells usually would try to be the dominant one among the clones and the original... Lack of leadership and boaster of the casters...

The creator of this spell used this spell to create multiple clones just to fulfill all his desires while he could enjoy himself. That was the most stupid way to use the spell because of one single reason... Numbers would mean rebellion and lack of leadership would be the cause.

There is a difference between a leader and a boss... A boss would demand, would complain, and would take orders and the other would just follow his orders... And that would be the destruction of the objective they would want...

The leader in the other hoof... he is the one who leads, the one who offers the choice, the decisions of all together as one, the one who would work the same weight as all the clones... To make half and half, and two or three workings together with their own responsibilities.

Changing the sides and offer new experiences would make not you acquire leadership experience, but make all the others learn more from another perspective...

Even if I wanted to give the lessons to my new students... I have no reason now that he decided to be their teacher. Later I will use the share memory spell and we can move on.

That's the perfect way to create a clone spell. Using on both sides and becoming more experienced in both fields, while you get tired from using much magic and working all day long. In the end, the results would worth it.

I walked outside from the darkroom, and I was surprised by an interesting image in my front... Aria was over the sit, concentrated looking at a book. Her frown showed she was taking much effort in doing something. Which I decided to approach her.

"Aria, where are your sisters?" I decided to look around and found no residues of their presence, while Aria was concentrated at the book and didn't even take the eyes out of it.

"They are playing in the bedroom," Aria said while she remained looking at the book, this raised my eyebrow.

"Why are you staring this book so much?" I asked while I could see the title of the book and that title intrigues me more than the fact Aria was staring at it.

"Because I'm trying to read it," Aria said while she was still looking at the words inside of the table.

Just somepony stupid would laugh about the desire of learning books, but there is an obvious fact that I must teach Aria...

"Aria you can't read, you don't know how to read. You have 3 years old..." I said while Aria looked at the book angrily. "Are you trying to use the force inside of your mind, to force the book to speak with you?"

"Yeah. But that wasn't working." Aria said while I took the book from her hooves. "HEY!"

"Aria... This is a book focused on how to clean the toilet..." I said while Aria looked at the book in disbelief.

I could see a little tint of deep purple color on her cheeks while she pouted angrily.

"I can't believe I was looking at that." She grumbled angrily, while I took her with magic and placed it on my back.

"Aria, why are you trying so hard to read?" I asked while Aria looked a bit annoyed.

"I heard you are going to have students, someone to learn from you... I wanted to show you I can learn too..." The voice and the determination coming from her voice were funny to many but to me...

I slowly took her from my back and then I gave her a hug.

"Oh, Aria... you don't understand how proud you made me at this moment..." Aria tried to take off from my embrace, but then she got more comfortable and looked at me sheepishly. "Well, if you insist. I will teach you then, but I want you to take all my lessons into your heart."

Aria's face brightened with the idea, and then she nodded excitedly. Then I chuckled from her change of mod, and I took one little seed, a bit of water, a feather, and a scroll, I placed Aria down, while I decided to walk.

Aria followed me to a place at the tower where showed a good amount of sunlight.

"Aria, this will be the first lesson I will teach you. And I want you to take this from the deep of your own heart. If you have this lesson inside your mind and heart, you can learn anything in all Equestria." I said while Aria looked at me with her eyes wide open and slowly nodding to me.

I placed the little seed inside of a vase with a dirty and hearth inside. While Aria was near the vase and looked attentively.

"Aria, learn is like a little seed inside of a vase. While little in front of you, in the future what you learn can improve your abilities and make you want to be whatever you want." I said while I placed water and with a little magic and sorcery, I made the seed start growing up, from centimeters to becoming a flower, and from a flower, it became a fruit, and from a fruit a tiny tree. Which Aria looked at it in awe and amazed. "However, from understand the true potential of time. You must know, sometimes the best way to learn time. It's from the tiny things and the slow process you do and make."

Then I used my magic and transformed the plant again into a seed and I planted inside of the vase and I took the vase and let it out in the sunlight.

Leaving my daughter remaining looking at the vase.

Then I grabbed a feather with ink and then I make a risk (/) then I made another risk () and in the end I made another risk (-) creating the letter A. And I showed it to my daughter and I made her repeat the same risks I did. Which she started using the feather while I said.

"Shortcuts are created after ponies learn the long way of the trip too many times. And time is a thing you need to learn the slow process, understand the full process, then you construct and deconstruct the ways of time with your own rules. That's how I created my sorcery, based on the rules of the full knowledge of the full process. And my first lesson to you is... don't be afraid to take a long way. Because time is your ally and will teach anything you want if you understand the full process..."

Both Starswirll said at the same time, while left 2 alicorns and one siren admiring the words of wisdom coming from both of them... The first lesson was taught...

After 1015 years in the future Equestria.

The moonshine with the glance of shadows of a mare over the moon, while a white mare with a colorful mane looked sadly over the moon, while she sighed sadly, while she counted the days until the Summer Sun Celebration. While deep inside of her heart the words of her teacher remained.

While she glanced at a photograph of her little student with her with a prideful smile on her face.

"Thank you for your lesson teacher... Foal steps until I save her." The white mare smiled while she looked at the moon once again, before using her magic and raised the sun again.

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................
After 1415 Earth years in the future of the Earth.

The gloomy night replaced its charms while a girl looked from the garden of a house. The window with the light in the bedroom showed a girl who was getting ready to sleep. Her orange skin and red hair and yellow strips showed her unique style and beauty... Her smile on her face showed she had enjoyed her day... And after getting the sleep she didn't know outside of her house, there was a girl who has purple ponytails and cyan strips, and a serious face of someone wanting nothing more than justice on her part. She looked at her cellphone witch had a single thing she was focusing it.

Date: May 21th 11:57:23 p.m.

She kicked and destroyed the daisies over the garden while she focused on drawing a line over the floor.

She marked a line on the floor with chalk, and using her blade she cut the tip of her finger to get blood drops...

She then focused the drop over the floor, until one of the bloodstains touched the chalk, and from the touch of it, the line of chalk started glowing a light green which not just the line of chalk was drawn in front of the girl, but there was all around the house, a glowing green mark showed thousands of hourglasses glowing in such deep green color, but it was so quick that nobody could even feel the light has hit their eyes. From the time the girl made such a show, she then looked at her cellphone again.

Date: May 21th 12:00:05 p.m.

She looked on her side, and then she grinned satisfied with the results... The daisies she had destroyed while creating such runes, was intact and as it wasn't even touched minutes ago.

The girl who took such time and effort to do those runes, then grabbed a bag of dirty earth, while she took her motorcycle and went directly to her house.

The moment the girl got inside of her own house, she watched both her sisters using a punching bag and training such punches and kicks while they vent their anger.

"These girls, it's all their fault, and they still want to make our day worse on the breakfast. They took all the time and effort from us." The yellow girl with a purple sports bra with the huge orange hair was punching in such anger that it would have been launched away, but it was very firm over the roof. "1200 years, we have been taking the negative energy from this world without magic... we were so close to using the magic to create the perfect liberation seal rune... just to be in vain and wasted half of the magic of the runes..."

The blue girl was in silence while she kicked the punch bag while she didn't want to express her voice because she would cry at any moment.

The cough as heard from the purple-haired girl made both girls look at her.

"Oh, Aria... You're back." The elder girl was concentrating on her punch while she complained about all the problems deep inside of their hearts. With a sigh, the girl then stopped punching and then looked at the other girl. "How many years would it take for us to recover half the negative energy remaining for we free the seal?"

Aria, took her bag of dirty while she then looks up like she was having a thought process, which in response she gave a sad sigh.

"At least 7 hundred years." At the moment she said that a huge impact sound was made by the blue girl who was now on verge of tears...

"We were so close... 2 more cities and we could have free them... Faust why do you hate daddy and mommy so much?"The blue girl started breaking down on the floor, and the elder sister then approached her and in a tender action, she gave a hug.

"It's alright Sonata, it's alright, we still have half of the negative energy on the emergency runes, we can create more catalyst of voice to attract more negative energy... It will be a slow and boring process again? It will, but this time we will be more prepared and we will save our daddy." The elder girl whispered while the blue girl hugged her sister crying.

Aria's tight fist held the bag of dirt while she walked into her backyard garden... While she then proceeds to drop the dirty on the earth, then she grabbed the watering can, and started wetting the earth...

She remembered the moment she took the smallest of the seeds and from the longest, boring and cruelest process she made that little seed of mustard, after 1400 years, she made the biggest tree of mustard she ever saw... She planted with all the effort and from all the lessons she learned...

She looked at the tree and then smiled determinedly.

"I don't care if will be 1 week or more 700 years, I can wait, but dad, mom... I will rescue you both... That's what I promised. I can wait for anything, but others can't. That's why time loves me and my sisters."

Aria looked at the moon over the sky, while she looked at her own hourglass, time is by her side.

Author's Note

Tchan Tchan Tchan.

Look at that, another chapter, and this one is created about the future? OH MY FAUST. What happened? What kind of repercussions happened after what Aria did? What did she do?

Guys I want to ask you about if I should write the future arc on this fiction or I should create the future arc in another fiction as a side story... But the condition of that sequel side story, I would like to at least 10 or more people asking for that... If not you can tell if you want I create the arc inside of this fiction.

I want to know your opinions and theories about what happened and what will happen... XD

Smuggling.

Life some times is a box full of surprises, you never could expect what will come out from inside of it. Even the wisest of ponies were fooled from a such misconception on underestimate what will happens next...

In the middle of night, the cold were a signal of the winter coming from the northwest of the nation, the mist around the air gave the air of mystery, which is perfect from what I'm about to do...

I approached the corner of the embassy of Earth Pony district. And I waited until a hoodie pony approached from the mist...

"Were you followed?" The voice I could recognize it was a female mare, while I nodded and I looked left and right, trying to find if there was signal of somepony around us.

"No, and what about you?" I asked while the mare covered in her hoodie, looked from her behind and then shook her head.

"Let's end this quickly and get our lives done." The mare went on the behind the wall beside us, and took what would be a pony size box. While me I took from my saddlebag one kind of a liquid potion. "How can I be sure this potion will work?"

I snorted in disbelief in her ignorance.

"You act like you don't know me. But one thing I can swear in my name... This potion will be perfect, and she will not even know what will hit her." I smiled while the mare in my front started giggle.

"Oh, and you said you don't like her. I've could sworn she is your sister." The mare approached me with her hoodie covering her face. But then using her hoof she revealed her palled fur, and her short red and pale green mane...

I scoffed to her while I used my magic to grab the box she brought.

"If you wasn't somepony I know Smart Cookie, I would have make you wake up in the ice of Yakstan. So it would be wise to never say such words again." I narrowed my eyes while I could hear Smart Cookie giggling from her place. But then she stopped and walked beside me and smiled at me.

"You know Star Swirl, you've changed." Her comment made me look at her with my eyebrow raised.

"Please elaborate." While I remained solid as a mountain, I don't know what she was referring too.

"Your attitude, and the way you talk." She pointed it out making me look at her confuse. "When I first meet you, you acted like egocentric, narcissist, cold, stupid, somepony who deserves to be beat up, a princess platinum magician version and..."

I raised my hoof, interrupting her.

"Okay, I think I understand what are you implying, but..." I interrupted because I wasn't going to receive a better insult than being a princess platinum magician wannabe. And then I received a smile from the mare in my front.

"But I don't know what happened... It's so strange, some times you smile more, other times you have more patience with the others, and even once or twice acted real nice with other ponies." Smart Cookie smiled while she looked at my potion in her hooves. "I don't know what happened to you, but you should keep this way Star Swirl, you look handsome when you smile."

Noticing such words, I couldn't help but ignore her comment but have a slight blush in my cheeks, stupid mortal body. Then I calmed down, while I looked at the box.

"I thank you for the compliment Smart Cookie. And I have to confess the view of my changes seemed true apparent... Well once my mother said... the changes in you can be made by the ponies around you. So I think I may have changed too." I had to confess and with my magic I finally tied the box over my back, while the mare in my front smiled, while the mist around us dissipated and from around us we could see the light of little lamps and stars over the sky. It was a good philosophic environment.

"Well I as represent of earth ponies and secretary of Chancellor Puddinghead, I give you our deeply gratitude for your help to our revenge of our narcissist rival. This will be marked on history as the most devious prank ever made." Smart Cookie smiled deviously while I just waved to her and turned my back.

"Yeah, yeah, leave it be, I appreciate this as a signal of deal between to races as one. Yeah, now I have important tasks to fulfill, and I will see you and the representatives on the next meeting...But after this... it will be tomorrow then?" I gave a slightly devious smile, which Smart Cookie nodded her head satisfied. "Okay then. I will meet you all tomorrow."

Inside of my tower, I walked over the main room, which was fulfilled with papers and 3 sirens laying at the table sleeping, while in their hooves remained some feathers and ink leaking from the table...

I looked at the papers over the floor, and I could see that Sonata and Adagio finally finished the alphabet, while Aria finally wrote one word by her own hooves.

The joy fulfilled my heart, while with a little paper and ink I used the feather to write a single message on box. While I used a shrink spell to make it in the height to fit inside the fridge.

I then used my horn to levitate them on their respective beds, while I gave a good kiss on their foreheads. And covered them on their own blankets.

I then went to my own bed, and I was awaiting awake for something while I couldn't help but wait anxiously...

Until a shriek coming from far away was enough to make even my tower hear to outburst of somepony who just received my potion... This made me chuckle while I finally let the darkness take me in the path of the good dreams.

While I smiled from the message I wrote over the box.

"This pudding is the results of your hard-work the same way words cannot be enough to describe how proud you made me fell my children. Love... Star Swirl your father."

The meeting Pt. 1 -Who did this.

Never reveals yourself after making a huge impact in destroying society... just that, nothing more. Nopony would be stupid to admit guilty if they are capable to be not accused of a crime.

I sat beside the table looking around many other ponies who seemed deeply annoyed and tired after waking so early in the morning. The emergency meeting was called from the barracks of the unicorn monarchy while the pegasus and earth ponies representatives were talking among themselves what our unicorn representative did this time to make such fuss around our civilization.

I looked the other side of the room, which I could see my comrades who were separated from each side. After the events of the last year, I came to a conclusion the relationship between our races has developed greatly since we fought together against monsters made of ice and spirits of cold hearts... I didn't actually care about how they defeated the windigos, but now I can have peace and less headache when it comes to the meetings...

"Star Swirl." A voice came behind me which I turn around and while I showed good empathy and a bit of lack of empathy at the same time...

"Ah, Clover and Stygian... How are you two today?" I said while I caressed my beard while Stygian flinched on his place, making me sigh in displeasure.

Clover as my former student and a good rival in magic showed her smile while she took Stygian on her side and ignored my sigh.

"Wow, you seemed to be in a great mood today. Usually, you would shout angrily at how annoying Princess Platinum was being to be a spoiled brat to call all the representatives of the nation just for one meeting." Clover as a smart mare she is, of course, she would find the difference between me from last year. Well, my daughters made 3 years old, and for me, it has to be a great year so far.

"Well, I have to say, this year has been a wonderful experience for me," I answered her while giving my annoying glare.

"Well, we should expect Princess Platinum would call us. The last time she calls the meeting she wanted to have my head behaved because I said that even if the sun and moon should be turn around her, that doesn't mean she wasn't growing fat on that dress." Stygian mumbled while I and Clover looked at him in disbelief.

"She did what?" I asked in surprise, where was I when I lost something so interesting. "I have to say Stygian, you got one step higher in my category for such insult... if you don't mind I would love to take it to use it in the next opportunity."

The look on his face, showing happiness while being clumsy from his shyness it was made my eyes roll in ignorance.
He is a smart stallion and has a good future, but his character and lack of boldness are what make me feel annoyed. He needs to be strong and bold because he wouldn't survive a week in the dark era. And ponies with such potential wasted like that is what makes me furious.

I grumbled and turned my back to them.

"Star Swirl, wait up." Clover called but I ignored her and went to other side of the field. To find 3 pillars talking with each and other.

One of them is the bulkiest earth pony I ever looked in my whole life, while he may looks immense and some who could intimidate you any time, he is actually somepony who wants a comrade to talk and share stories about. His size and his attitude is usually great in battles and wars in big scale, but I can imagine he will be having problems in adapting in days of peace.

"Ah, Star Swirl." The warrior earthpony called me, while I walked slowly in their direction. From my view I could see the other two ponies near him, two comrades as well, two mares, one in a cyan tone with an unique shade of red mane and wearing a green dress from a distant swamp village. An on the other side of him was a pegasus mare, with peach tone color fur, her mane with shades of blue and dark blue was covered into a white sheet from a different culture. "We were talking about you."

"Rockhoof, Somnambula, Meadowbrook." I replied while I approached in their circle, while I touched my beard while awaited their conversation. "Please en-light me."

Somnambula who was in my front, noticed something from the air around me and couldn't help but raise her eyebrow.

"You seemed different Star Swirl, usually when it comes about these meetings you would just appear and shouting out many awful names from these emergence meetings from Princess Platinum." She told me while I could help but sigh in disappointment with myself.

Faust, why everypony is noticing this changes about me?

I cough while I approached her with my most solemn face while I decided to tell the truth.

"I have been in an wonderful week Somnambula, there is no way that Princess Platinum would ruin it to me without further consequences." I quote while I gave a gaze in which way that all the three ponies understood me.

"Oh, so your experiments has been successful." Meadowbrook said while she seemed interested in my projects.

Which I nodded my head while I touched my beard while I replied.

"Yes, I found a perfect way to create 2 separates water environments which one contain mineral water and other containing salty water." I said looking really proud of myself. While I could see their faces looking conflicted. I sighed in displeasure. "Nopony knows how difficult was to do that until they do that themselves. You have no idea about how many times my bathroom was destroyed from such experiment."

The trio tried to look happy but I can see they don't understand such effort.

"Well it looks amazing feet Star Swirl, but I really want to know what kind of purpose you wanted to use this spell." Meadowbrook asked while I just scoffed from her disbelief.

"Oh, you think I couldn't make a good reason on doing that? Well, you remember our neighbors as ponygriffins. If we have future encounters with them we have to be sure if they would be comfortable in the encounter with us and many creatures of this nation has a desirable distinction of which water they wanted to stay. Some prefer salty water, and others the mineral water. Try to imagine if we have future resolutions and treatments between our nations. It would to be the best if we treat them as comfortable as we desire them to be." I gave then the most logical reason for why this spell could be useful to us, and from the look on their faces showed how right I was, meaning in their minds I'm still the wisest pony on their minds... I would never confess to them I created this spell specifically just to bath my children. Not even in my deathbed moment.

"Star Swirl, from the way you think it seems you have been thinking on this during years. You indeed is what the other ponies call you the sage and the sorcerer." Somnambula said while I smiled proudly, even ponies in my standards like some recognition.

"I have been thinking on this during 2 years actually. " I said while I looked around and saw the approach of two familiar faces. "Smart Cookie, and Chancellor Puddinghead, what a pleasure."

"Star Swirl the bearded." Both of them said in solemn voices, while I can see behind their masks... They are forcing themselves to not laugh. "We couldn't help but hear the logical sigh from your discovery and we congratulate you from such feet."

"You have my gratitude." I said while I felt the huge bulky arm cross around my neck and I was pulled near to Rockroof.

"You seemed to have been working too much onto your tower. Maybe you should take a little life outside the tower, meet a mare and have some foals..." Rockhoof who seemed so concern but happy about myself... let it out the last thing I could ever imagine to hear in my entire life...

"HAHAHAHAAHOOHOHO" I let it out a loud laugh which echoed the ears not just for my conversation, but from the other side of the room as well... Me the most serious, notorious and coldest pony over inside of the room. Was having difficulty to control my own laugh. "HAHAHAHAHA. Oh, HAHAH. PLEASE... AHAHA, APOLOGISES. AHAHAHA."

I laughed during a whole minute trying to contain my own laugh, but it was difficult... Hahaha, he saying to a father to have foals, hahaha, how ironic that is.

I took a few more minutes to contain my own laugh, while I could see the shock over their faces. From everypony faces.

"Ah, thank you Rockhoof, I never laughed so much in my entire life." I sighed happily, while I could see the confusion on his face.

"What did I tell you which made you laugh so much?" He asked while some mares around me looked slightly offended and disturbed.

"Oh, simple. It's because I was going to say the same thing to you." I said which made not just him but everypony around me with their eyes wide open. "Yeah Rockhoof, the times of wars and exploration for us was over... I think it's time for us to retire..."

The moment I said that all the group's mouth dropped widely.

"You mean..." Chancellor Puddinghead approached me while looking at me in disbelief, while I smiled happily.

"Yes, I'm officially retired from fighting the monsters outside of this nation. I'm focused on taking care of my studies and for retire and live peacefully on here, I'm teaching Faust's daughters to lead the nation of our next generation." I said happily while I could see their faces smiling the same way as me.

"That's great to hear Star Swirl." Two of the pillars beside me smiled happily while Rookhoof once again with his huge arm approached me and gave me a good hug and started to laugh.

"Oh, now I know why you are so happy about. Let's commemorate with a party." Rockhoof cheered while I just shook my head.

"Apologies, but I cannot accept. I'm not taking cider anymore." I said while I could see the confusion on his face.

"What why?" Rockhoof looked at me shocked while I decided to give the most wise answer I ever made in my whole life.

"I'm too old to take that. So I stopped drinking it." I could see the frown on his face, but then he nodded accepting.

"Alright old stallion, I will make sure to have some good drinks without cider on it, just for you. But I want you there." He indeed was insistent, while I cannot help but accept I decided to make a good acting.

"I have many things to do Rockhoof, I cannot go myself to a party. But I will tell you that. The day Princess Platinum show herself as having a fur and mane in yellow color, then I will go to your party." I said in stern voice, while I decided to walk away and go to my place to await for Princess slowpoke platinum to start our meeting.

But then I received a paper ball in my face, while I looked who launched that, it was Smart Cookie who was smiling at me while I looked at the paper. Which was write...

"You didn't say no."

I smiled at the paper, until I saw Princess Platinum bursting inside the room, with all her guards, while looking extremely furious at all the ponies over the room. Which all the ponies over the room opened their eyes wide and shut their mouths strongly. Because of one simple reason... I took the opportunity of everypony looking at the door. I decided to cast a simple spell in me...

I looked at the door, with completely delight, but I gave my deepest frown and snarl...

Princess Platinum was all messy, all her white fur and white mane were colorized to a strong yellow color. While she was breathing heavily. And with bloodshot eyes.

"Who... did... this." Princess Platinum asked while her voice filled with unaltered rage and desire to kill...

The entertainment can begin...

"OH SARD. PRINCESS PLATINUM. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" I shouted angrily, which made all the ponies look at me surprised. "NOW I HAVE TO ACCEPT THE INVITATION TO ROCKHOOF'S PARTY. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT TO MAKE MY DAY WORSE?"

If I could see their mouths trying to hold their laugh before. I cold see some of their faces changing their color trying to not laugh. But the anger twitching coming from Princess Platinum's eyes was what myself almost laugh...

If I could read the mind of Chancellor Pudding and Smart Cookie, their only question would be...

How could I say such thing without laughing...

The meeting Pt. 2 -Who didn't this.

The sound of my shout was enought to make everypony around the room look at me, while my message was clear... I was blamming Princess Platinum for something like I always do, but this time I could see something different. Many ponies were struggling trying not to laugh.

Princess yellow Platinum teeth gritted, while she was ready to make an outburst, but she let it out a sigh like a predator ready to attack.

"Excuse you Star Swirl? What did you say?" She wanted to attack me, and the feeling was mutual, however there is one thing I always have that she never will...

I frowned deeply while I walked on her direction.

"I was focused tirelessly at night, and when I was finally going to take a few hours of sleep, the alarm sound echoed from all the regions, disturbing my sleep. Then I have to be part of this excuse of meeting like every time it happens to be because of your own cause... and when I wanted to avoid to go to a party, I said I just would if you could come over here making an scene, and look at that... you just did." I have to say, some times when I'm angry even I can create the perfect story behind my lies. That's something I learned from the experts... Thank Faust by my mother who taught me that.

I saw Princess Platinum face getting darker and ready to explode in anger.

"I'M BECAME YELLOW, IT'S A GREAT REASON TO CALL THIS MEETING." She shouted angrily, while I took a look from her hoof until her mane, looked up down to her.

"Just that? You are creating a scene because you changed your fur's color? It's a signal of aging. SARD, you just call us because you are getting old? Is that it?" I said while I stomped angrily at the floor.

"Old? OLD?" Princess Platinum shouted in disbelief and in anger at me while she walked at the unicorns who represented the unicorn faction. "Hmph... if you would be another unicorn I would..."

"You wouldn't and you couldn't. Because by Faust as my witness, you have not the high rank monarchy as our represent Princess Platinum." I said while I walked at the table were there was 4 factions, the unicorns, the earth ponies, the Pegasus and the pillars of judges... I sit with the other judges, which was 6 of us who represented part of the faction over the nation. "If wasn't for her children and me as her royal apprentice, your family could have create a lot of more problems than what I allowed you do."

Princess Platinum remained glaring at me and looked down with a pout.

"I don't understand you gave up the monarchy rule if you still make difficult for my family to rule." Princess Platinum said annoyed but as murmur.

"Oh trust me, being a king instead of a sorcerer is not what I wanted in my life, and it will never will. But I have lived from the Darkest Era long enough when I see stupid unicorns wanting to rule the unicorn faction... So I will not allow you do that, not me and the other pillars as judges. You are too immature to rule Platinum, but you acts like you are an alicorn like Faust herself." I said while I grabbed the papers and then looked at Stygian and the other pillars, I moved my head indicating to them to sit next to me. "Now, let's sit and take care of this meeting quickly."

I could see the anger on her eyes, but a pout of a little teenage filly, this girl is a spoiled brat. I know from the deep of my own heart, so I have to give restrictions and show, how we are supposed to act... to the other factions and to the other species.

I looked around and I found all the factions were in silence , I raised my eyebrow and with a deep frown I discovered what happened... From the Pegasus faction. Commander Hurricane was with a serious face, but his body was shaking while he was trying to hold something, he didn't made a remark or a comment, which usually wouldn't just me, but he would retaliate Princess Platinum with his remarks as well... His Private Pansy, was tearing while she tried so much to not open her mouth, I could see the remarks of her smile. While their body guards were shaking trying to smile or open their mouths. They seemed they are loosing breath.

While I looked on the Earth Ponies faction. Which I could see Smart Cookie trying to compose herself, but her face was betraying that she was losing a fight against herself... Chancellor Pudding, his pink face was becoming deep red from all the air he was holding up, and all the earth ponies behind them are holding their mouths with their hooves.

I looked at the unicorns faction, Clover was with her hoodie covering her face, but she couldn't hid the mouth of her was forming large air cheeks while she tried to hid it from the mare in front of her. And if I could read the minds of all them, I know there was one thing all the want to say... I can hear they screaming inside of themselves... While they are trying to hid their deep smile and their giggle from Platinum's back.

The pillars sat next to me, while I could see Stygian's head changing his color, Somnambula getting palled from losing her breath, Mage Meadowbrook was using her mane on her mouth to not make a sound, Rockhoof was holding his belly trying to not make a sound... I finally could see Flash Magnus and Mistmane from the group, and even them couldn't help but hold themselves up... Flash Magmus crying while he gritted his teeth while Mistmane was biting her hoof trying to not make a sound.

It seems that everypony wanted to do that...

I sighed while I grabbed an ink and a pen... And then I used a paper and I wrote a rune...

"Alright Platinum, I know a spell to make you go back to your state of 2 days ago. Since I wanted this meeting to finish soon, I will want you to read this and focus in your horn, and this way your body will turn back two days before... Since you made the alarm ring today, the problem would have started yesterday." I was indeed feeling generous, usually I wouldn't be so kind with everypony... But it seems everypony over this meeting wanted to be treated as kid? Well, I will treat them the same way I treat my daughters...

I saw the glimpse of hope over Platinum's eyes, and using her magic she took the paper from my own hooves and started casting the magic herself.

.
.
.

Poor little mare... So naive, even Sonata knows the rules, read carefully the runes before casting it. The ponies over the room saw a glimpse of Platinum's horn glow, and suddenly all her body become static, and frozen on her place.

"Ah... why every pony always fall on the false hope trick? I will never know." I said while I could see their eyes while losing sparkle. "Release for once Sard, she is frozen in time."

As a little ember who was launched in the middle of flammable forest... In the end would cause an explosive reaction...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

If this nation would be named and united in the future, I know the future generations will know this as the time that the nations were in silence for the entire 10 minutes before 20 minutes of laughing in a prank. Yeah, I think this will be a great night story for my kids.

I saw all the ponies laugh and even point at Princess Platinum as victim but still laughing at her face. While me I didn't let it out a laugh.

"By Faust Star Swirl. Laugh you crazy stallion. How did you managed to say everything without laughing?" I saw Rockhoof laughing while he was punching the floor strongly and making the crack around us. While many others are laughing and losing their breaths.

I smiled at him and at the others, while I took something from my hat... A slice of pudding and a cookie which I took with me...

"If I tell you that I'm using a spell creating of mine, which would make me not laugh until the end of the day, would you believe it?" I took a spoon and while I cracked the cookie over the pudding, I decided to eat it while many other ponies were recovering their breath.

While the pillars looked at me in shock.

"So, you are holding yourself with magic?" Stygian asked while I nodded unsurprising.

"So in the end of the day." Mistmane commented, and I nodded while I gave the affirmation.

"I will laughing like a crazy stallion? Of course? You know that Platinum's misfortune is my favorite subject to laugh a lot. Even if I have to do it personally." I was enjoying the sweet pudding over my mouth, it was a time for to celebrate for my daughters who gave such effort on writing on their 3 years old. And watching every pony laugh while taking this dessert on the breakfast? Well it was a good entertainment.

"So that's how you managed in doing that. Oh you sarding stallion. Wow, if that's how to be retired... I'm really thinking in following your advice Star Swirl." Rookhoof said while he grinned madly, and then he smiled widely. "So now you don't have excuses, now you have to come to my party."

I smiled while I sighed in acceptance.

"Well, I got no choice." I said while I looked at all the representatives smiling at me after recovering from their comedy show. Which I gladly provided them. "Well, now let's talk about serious issues everypony. I want to talk about the unification of the nations and possibles outcomes about our future as one country. And from my own experience... I declare I'm officially retired from being the warrior of this nation."

My authoritative declaration made everypony look at me surprised, while Rookhoof, Somanmbula and Meadowbrook seemed to nod to my statement.

"I still be the representation of the unicorns over this nation and judge the possible outcomes and the laws over our nation which we will decide in the future. But now, I want to declare that as a warrior I don't want to fight for this anymore, since I want to focus my knowledge and my energy in more important things..." I said while everypony was looking at me expecting on what I'm going to say. "I'm training the daughters of Faust to become the future of our nation and the representatives as future princess, following the steps of their mother."

The surprise whispers from all the nations and the looks of the leaders and the representatives of pony kind... I did make my own choice... I want to live my life as a father, as a judge and as a teacher than fighting monsters... Now I have too much to lose. And I prefer to enjoy what I still have.

And from the look on their faces, they seemed to understand my point and accept the future of what we will have... If I can see the future... I wouldn't do it, because I know that our nation will be in better hooves in the futures... Possible disasters, of course, but lessons to be taught, and to be learn for all generations... It will be better than my past... but with my children walking on this nation following my steps, I know this nation will be safe and with a bright light in the future.

That's what I always pray to Faust, whenever she went...

The meeting part 3. Why wouldn't I do this?

Being the representation of the unicorn faction is not anypony would want to be part of, it's a tiring job of constantly 3 parts, one of them is leading the futures agreement and laws the new nation should have after so many decades avoiding each other faction, but after so many fights, and many monsters, and many losses... We finally got together with one common objective, survive the dark era...

Thank Faust that after the windigos defeat, our factions knew that together we could do more to our nation than when we were separate... As a pillar, I remember the difficulty of working together with earth ponies and pegasus, and even in moments as a team, we suffered the stigma of the factions...

But sometimes I can see a pattern which always leads to one thing... It was a feeling in my gut and even in my beard, but I had a feeling that we could finally work together as one nation. Named Equestria.

I remember how much Faust had to sacrifice to make sure to protect all the nations, even when my mother and father had to argue with the other factions. It was something I always remembered as a kid... was it too much to ask that we could live together in peace without making fights against each other for years?

Thankfully, this major stigma was over, and finally, we as comrades can focus on the survival of one new era... The era of light, the new generation... The era I will be proud to see my fillies grow up and become sorcerers just like me.

I can't help but imagine: Which kind of sorcerers would they be?

Just imagining at the age of 3 years, they have a focused mind to try to learn just like Celestia and Luna fills my heart with pride and joy, I know that one day they would become the greatest advisors of this nation when Celestia and Luna would need them most.

Oh Faust... thank you for blessing me with my children...

I sighed happily, after finishing signing the new treatment over the factions. Which made not just commander Hurricane happy with the possibility of them becoming the new military cooperation over the nation. This will make not just the pegasis to have a military place, but it will make a good fusion between our military forces. Another problem was solved without interference.

"By Faust Starswirl, can't you freeze Princess Platinum more often? Because without her we finally finished signing one treat without taking 5 hours of the day. And this is just the first one, and it just took 1 hour." Commander Hurricane laughed as the other pegasus over the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"Tempting, Commander Hurricane, but I cannot do that too much, or she will start to get suspicious of that and she will try to prevent all my moves. So I cannot promise that...But I will keep that in mind." I grinned at him, as all the unicorns over the faction laughed and nodded in agreement.

The second part of being the representative is... had to deal with the nobles like Princess Platinum, part of me curses the day that her father went to fight a hydra and had to sacrifice himself to protect the rest of the unicorns, from the report I received, his body has disappeared and we couldn't find him... Sometimes ponies make some legends that her father disappeared and went to another plane to train himself and save the unicorns when we would be in extreme danger... A rumor that even I desire to be true... Since his daughter would the doom of our nation... Sometimes I just wish her father would appear here and just put this brat filly on grounding during 3 decades...

But this is something I cannot help but sigh in displeasure...

"Alright, let's see the other treaty..." I said looking to everypony over the room, all the founders, from the earth pony faction to the unicorn faction behind me, all of them have expectations that today this meeting will end quickly since one of the representatives is finally shut... "Oh, this is interesting... Listen up everypony. The earth pony faction proposes the change of our currency to a new one, one simple golden coin as our principal currency. The materials will be provided by the earth ponies. The energy and transportation of materials will be offered by the pegasus, and the unicorns will use their magic to mold and create the new currency named... Bits... Okay, I like this name, simple and has an interesting concept. All in favor."

"Aye." Everypony including me said in unison, proving this would be one of the best changes in our nation.

"Is there anypony against?" I asked while everypony looked at the statue of the yellow mare who seemed to be losing the yellow and finally is recovering her white mane and fur... But still, the mare who was frozen in time couldn't say anything. "Alright, motion approved. This is the last treat we will be doing on this meeting, since we don't have anything more to discuss, I declare a motion to end this meeting."

"I second this motion." Commander Hurricane who seemed so happy and excited to get the first meeting to finish early couldn't help but smile wide and grin like crazy.

"Then I declare this motion approved." Chancellor Pudinghead said aloud, which made all the ponies look at him excited. "This meeting is officially concluded since all the 3 representatives of the nations declared a mutual agreement, everypony dismissed."

"YAY." Everypony cheered aloud as I finally finished what would go home and have a go back to their mundane events, which would be impossible if Princess Platinum would still be moving and talking. And since she couldn't do that, we finally got a good meeting, without interference from her.

As the moment everypony was starting to go away. I finally got a bit of time to spend with some of my old coworkers...

"Well, well, well. It seems the old stallion has new tricks on the sleeve." Flash Magnus said as I approached him with a prideful face. "You made a great show Swirls, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually laugh the entire night because what you did is evil beyond reason... You made everypony almost died without letting them laugh."

I caressed my beard as I nodded to him, ignoring his sarcasm but I can sense good intentions behind it as well, he seemed overjoyed after watching the show I've made Princess Platinum display.

I looked at the pillars, who knew 3 years ago they would be strangers for me, but after passing through such troubles, I can tell that they are good acquaintances, despite their flaws, still a good group of ponies.

Rockhoof came by my side and slapped my back with the strength which almost made my body fall to the floor, but I remained in my position as I looked at the bulk stallion laughing cheerfully.

"The look on her face, oh Faust, Starswirl, you indeed showed a new way to mess with Princess Platinum. I thought you were avoiding on trying to be at the party like you usually do, but this time you set me up and I fall like a bird ready to be hunted." The bulk and strong Rockhoof as the pony who always invited me at the parties they celebrate, I couldn't give a reason of why I should always be part of their parties, since I have so many projects, studies, and reasons... I hated the actual social interaction I would be with all the ponies who wanted to drink the entire night... "Now that you made your show, there is no escape now."

"Yes, yes. I already know that... But that would lead to my next question Rockhoof. When you are planning to make the party?" In three years, I couldn't attend the party since there wasn't a reason why I should celebrate with the pillars... However... Now that I annunciated my retirement... some changes will happen over this decision...

Firstly: The reason why I always became who I was... I became a sorcerer to protect queen Faust and follow the examples of my parents, by killing the monsters and protecting the unicorns at all cost... However, with this new assignment, the military force will protect everypony Equally, making my life as a royal defensor easier to deal...

Second: By acting as royal advisor and master of the 2 princesses Celestia and Luna, I can stay over this country for a long time, making a good reason of staying with my daughters without worrying about the monsters who could attack us during every circumstance.

And third: I could bring some hide some aliments from the party and give to my daughters on the same night... It would be a win,win and win...

"Now that you told me about it, I need to get the supplies as the food and drinks, especially for you old stallion... Thinking about the time, maybe next month? We could celebrate your time as retirement on the same day of we being together for 4 years?" At the cheerful stallion who just said the question surprising and receiving a smile and approval from everypony, my face turned into a frown. "What's the matter?"

"Out of the question," I said as I narrowed my eyes. "From all the days of the year, next month I could not celebrate in any occasion."

"What? Why?" Not just Rockhoof, but Somnambula and the other pillars asked surprised by the change of my tone.

"Because I will be out of this nation next month. I have an important meeting on the hipogrifing kingdom next month, and I will not stay here until the end of 2 months." I said as my voice turned stoic and solemn, as the ponies around me gave a strange glance trying to understand what I said... "Couldn't we just make a party of my retirement next week? If I help you to find the supplies, wouldn't that make it quicker and enjoyable for everypony?"

"Wow... I must be dreaming, Star Swirl wants to make the party earlier than planned." Flash Magnus who was looking at the situation strangely said before receiving a kick from Mage Meadowbrook. "Ouch... I apologize Swirls."

I caressed my beard as I scoffed.

"Why should I be offended? It's my retirement. I too have fewer responsibilities, and after working and studying without resting for 40 years of my life... I need something to celebrate..." At the moment I said that all the pillars looked at me strangely and with their mouths dropped. I looked at them bored. "Yes. I have 48 years old... NO I'M NOT THAT OLD. AND YES. I KNOW MY MANE IS WHITE AND BEARD TOO... BUT THAT'S MY CHARM."

After every time I gave one of the responses, they became even tenser and they dropped their mouths even lower as they hit the floor.

I sighed into displeasure, usually, ponies like that are what makes me not want to get out of my tower. But since they are going to be in shock like that for some time, I decided to leave... I gave them a shrugged and turned my back to them. Pillars, what great heroes they were... The only thing great they did was helping me to seal my children, out of that, they are always making my day difficult...

Talking about difficult... I turned my head to see the frozen mare with white fur... And as a signal, I have good intentions in my heart... I decided to use my magic and focus on Princess Platinum... better she gets frozen in time above her bed, that way when she gets out from the sorcery she will think everything was just a dream of 3 days... Leaving a good time for us to make her believe she was getting crazy... Well, a stallion could dream.

I could see a glance over the door after leaving the pillars behind, it was for the best if I go home.

But at the moment I was outside the door, I was surprised by nopony less than Chancellor Puddinghead waiting for me...

"Chancellor what a surprise," I said as I raised my eyebrow, my curiosity picked me as I could see the phuxia stallion smile at me happily.

"Starswirl, I applaud the show you demonstrated to not just me, but to everypony was so hilarious, that I couldn't help to admire your tenacity, as the earth pony representative. I thank you for your collaboration into the evilest and cruelest royal prank ever made." Chancellor Puddinghead smiled as even the guards behind him started to saluting to me as a great honor for their soldiers meeting the one who made the brat of a royal loses her face.

"Well, that was the little I could do for someone who made the pudding I was needing to... Which makes me say that we are even..." I nodded to Chancellor again, but this time his smile became a frown.

"Oh no Starswirl, the pudding, even if it is my special recipe creation, I have to admit you paid more than we agreed to... So I will own you a favor... Whatever you need me to do it. I will not say a no. You have my word." This time the Chancellor himself put into a high ground, which even surprised me, and thinking about it... I'm just glad about the offer I received.

"Actually, I'm thankful to know that, because I want to use this favor already... In 35 days... I will need a cake, but I want the best cake you could ever create... With a size from my hooves to my forelegs." I decided to use this as an opportunity to use the favor already.

"A cake? what a surprise, in 35 days? Why the date is so important?" Puddinghead couldn't help but ask, and I don't blame him, since I never would ask a cake for him and suddenly I asked about it.

"Next month will be one of the most important days of my life, and I will not be attending Equestria, I will depart to another kingdom, so I will need a cake for the day I will be out." I decided to saw half-truths and lies, but knowing Puddinghead, he would just forget about it and focus on what is important to him.

"Understood, since is that what you want. I will make a new recipe of cake just for you." The Chancellor of the earth ponies nodded to me, which I raised my hat and decided to leave him with his thoughts.

I'm just glad that the preparations for the cake were already made... Now, which is time to focus on my main problem...

What should I give my little girls as a present for their birthday?

Alternative Universe EG: Responsabilities

As we make a good entrance and make the perfect song, and the movements and the execution were flawless. The students were starting to fight with each and other and we could use the evil energy to make a few projects for later. It's so good to pass by this town.

"Well sisters, it seems that our job is done. Let's get back." As I smiled at my sisters who grinned as well, I then looked at a group of girls who were approaching us. Well from the look on their faces, it seems they weren't affected by our spell, which is surprising.

"What did you do?" The orange girl who seemed to have bacon hair narrowed her eyes to us. It seems to be like a leader or someone who was ruling the school before us. Which I scoffed.

"I don't know what you are talking about, we just came here to sing a song. And now we are leaving. We have another school to go to." I just said, while then I felt something touching my wrist, the purple girl looked in panic as she looked over the school. But the way my youngest sister giggled, I can see the awful faces of the girls in front of me get ugly, much to my own desire.

"No, the school, what you did is something really dangerous, and you shouldn't make friends fight. I know you did something to them, and I want you to fix it." For a girl who seemed to don't understand the things around her, I'm surprised that she had the guts to say something like that.

"Who gave the permission to touch her?" My sister took the hand of the girl who was touching me and narrowed her eyes as she was cracking her right hand by tightening her fist.

"OY, DON'T YOU DARE TO TOUCH TWILIGHT." The blue girl with rainbow hair decided to be in the middle of us, and she was ready to start a fight. And I must confess that I'm enjoying it, the more negative energy the better.

"Oh? Make me." Aria always loved to start a fight, and know-how well things will go from here. There is no way that something wrong could happen.

Until the lights turn off, and the sound of the fighting around us stopped.

"Hu?" I asked as I saw the glimpse of... Oh no... The group of the students... they stopped moving. And the lights around the cafeteria were in a deep grey tone.

Aria who was ready to fight suddenly stopped her track and turned around, feeling her forehead start sweating. Sonata our baby sister, who was enjoying giggling suddenly stopped as her eyes went wide open.

"What in Tartarus?" What surprises me more was the fact the group in front of us who doesn't seem to know not even I know how they managed that. Looked around. The girl in orange looked around and then looked at me. "What did you do this time?"

"That's not possible," I said as I looked at the group who approached us directly. "How are you doing this?"

"Doing what? You are the one who did this." The girl in orange narrowed her eyes to me, but this time I raised my hand.

"No, I'm not talking about the spell. I mean, it wasn't us, but I mean, it was supposed to be just us to not be affected by this." I said as I looked surprised, and managed to take a look at the group she was in. From the pink girl who seemed to be walking around trying to make anyone move, the yellow girl with pink her who seemed to be frightened about what is happening... AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ME WHO SHOULD BE LIKE THAT. The orange girl who had cowboy hair was looking around and holding the blue girl who seemed to be really peeved with Aria who was provoking her. And the white girl who seemed to not care at all was using the time to make up herself. I forgot the purple girl who seemed to look around but her eyes were sparkling.

"Fascinating, it seems that all of us are in an area which all the others are frozen in time." The girl said as she grabbed a paper and make some notes.

"Twilight, it's not time for that." The orange girl said that, but then I raised my eyebrow...

"Actually it is... She got that right, we are frozen in time." I said as I received the glance of everyone around us. "Trust me, this is will only stop working by the one who cast it, and it wasn't... "

At the moment I was going to justify we just heard a step from outside of the cafeteria, a step which was so loud that not just me, but all the girls jumped in surprise by that sound... My blood became ice, and my face started to show panic.

"No, no, no... Something is wrong. Girls, Analisis." I said as I looked to Sonata first.

"I cut the lawn, made our beds, and made the breakfast," Sonata said quickly as we heard once again the step from outside. "ARIA?"

The panic in her voice made not just me but the girls behind me notice that she was indeed innocent, Aria who was sweating a lot managed to take off her glove and read the list on her hand.

"Okay, Clean the bathroom check, wash the dishes check, fulfill the water bottles check. Adagio what did you do?" Aria looked at me who seemed I was the one who blame? ME?

"It shouldn't be me, I went to the grocery store, I organized the clothes... I even..." Then something happened... My face started pale... I forgot one of the most important tasks and one which is the most sinful... "I forgot to take out the trash."

"WHAT?" Both Sonata and Aria shouted in panic.

"I FORGOT," I screamed in panic, as we heard once again the step was getting louder and louder by every second we are talking.

"Adagio you are dead... YOU ARE DEAD. If we survive this. I'm going to kill you." Aria was furious and I couldn't blame her, I messed up real bad.

"Adagio, how could you. We needed the trash to be out, you know how angry he will be after finding out..." Sonata said as she started weeping her tears. "It's over, we are doomed."

"Girls that's okay, it's just the trash, we actually didn't make something worse than forgetting one task..." I said as I tried to reassure the girls, but then we stopped and looked to our sides looking at the group of teenagers who were like statues but they are having angry looks on their faces. "Oh, Sard me."

"He will find out. Take the amulets out now." Sonata said in a panic as she took her necklace over her neck and decided to hide on her socks.

Aria decided to follow her example by hiding her necklace in her back pocket.

But I sighed as my hand knew it was the end... How did this escalate this way? One day I forgot the trash and now we are doomed.

"Girls." Then I heard a shout from behind me, making me and my sisters look at the group of girls who seemed to be ready to fight us, was actually staring at us weirdly. "What's going on?"

I gave a nervous laugh, trying my best to not cry... As then it happened.

The door from the cafeteria exploded with a huge kick, making both my sisters and eye flinch as we saw in fear... but then our fears were turned into confusion, as we saw a tiny girl who have peach color skin and magenta hair and an indigo dress over her body.

"Hiiiiii." The little girl waved happily to us which my heart was beating faster than a marching band, but looking at her, I couldn't help but sigh in relief but at the same time angrily.

"OPERA." I, Aria, and Sonata shouted angrily at her, while I went further. "You almost gave us a heart attack, you shouldn't scare your sisters like that."

I scolded the girl who seemed smiling happily and innocent. But I was so in relief but angry that I couldn't help but scold the girl even more.

I felt a finger touching my shoulder.

"Not now." I didn't look at the touching finger, I was focused on the girl at the door. "Using time spell like that is irresponsible, you know the rules, we cannot use time runes like that to prank your sisters."

"Dagi." I once again felt the touching finger and the scary voice of Sonata.

"Not now. You don't know how much magic this could do to you, and if you get tired by using this spell, it's a signal that you are not ready. What daddy will say if he finds out that you are using time magic like that." I scolded once more, but before I could reply more, the smiling face of Opera and her innocent voice made the environment become even colder.

"Oh, but daddy is here, he was the one who used the spell..." My heart stopped... hearing such words, I didn't even move my body, I cornered my eyes, and I looked Aria was ready to have a heart attack, and Sonata was smiling nervously.

I looked at the girls who were looking at me paled...

"He is behind me isn't he?" I asked weakly, and I sighed in sadness after I see the group of girls all nodding to me...

I turned my head, and I looked in front of me... I have many years of experience. I witness the story of mankind of this era in many ways... I went to Rome to meet the emperor, went to wars to witness how chaotic the humans can be, and no other being in this entire world would make me tremble in fear... in comparison to the unamused eyes of my daddy in front of me.

"Please, go on...keep going..." The face of the white long-haired and long beard of someone who used a blue night suit with a good white shirt and stars in the tie over his neck was looking unsurprised by the way I scolded Opera, as he was looking at me like I was doing a task I should have been doing. Then he nodded to me. "I commend you for being responsible for knowing the consequences of such youngling as your sister to use that kind of runes spell Adagio, however... do as I say and not as I do, ring the bell for you? Adagio, Aria, Sonata... You are in deep trouble."

I cringed so hard as I could see he was looking around the cafeteria, he then looked at the necklace on my neck.

"I was going to take a day off today after hours of visiting schools to examine their rules and make sure that it was a good environment for the children... Until I felt the uncomfortable smell of trash in our house, I thought you still have time to take of the trash if you were home, so I didn't mind... Unfortunately, I felt the magic runes from our house reacting to the sudden spell which was cast today..."

This is getting worse and worse. I looked at Sonata who seemed to look down in shame, and Aria was looking away trying to hide her shame, damn you... Why did we do this? Then I saw a hand in front of me and the iced voice in my ears.

"The necklaces..." He said once, making me pout and Sonata who sighed in depression was the first who took her socks off and gave the necklace on his hand.

Aria who tried to be courageous knew it was impossible, she then admitted defeat as she gave her necklace to him...

I knew that it was a suicide attempt to disobey him at this moment, so I took this damn necklace without thinking twice.

"You all were supposed to be protecting the mortals, not playing mind games with them. You all are so grounded at this moment." His voice tone was harsh but I felt the worse part was over, he didn't shout, he was just staring angrily at us while releasing such magic presence on the cafeteria...

"Awwww..." I, Sonata, and Aria said in unison as he glanced around all the problems we did today.

"You know that you have more than 900 years, and you are finally ready to have a responsibility, your mother has bugged me for 200 years to make you have a responsibility to deal with all the way you should live your life. But how I can feel sure if you are not ready to take such a burden? Adagio you are the eldest, you are supposed to be the example, the one who could lead the nations. Firstly you forgot the simple task of taking the trash, and now you were trying to take all the negative energy from the school that was near to a portal of Equestria." He said in so disappointment, but his last reveal made me and my sisters jump in surprise.

"WHAT? Equestria is near here?" We asked in unison... Then something stuck in my mind..."Oh Sard."

"You are right Adagio, such bad use of magic could attract not magic from Equestria but that would lead to creating many monsters. Nobody wants to Equestrian magic appear on this plane, that would make an unbalance of harmony between worlds..." The words of him while being grumpy, carried a lot of concern on his words, my tears were following from such sincerity. I sarded up, hardly.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry, I should have researched all the area to find the magic around here. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, daddy. I was the one who was responsible to lead the magic research, I didn't know about this either. I make such a failure. It's my fault." Aria surprised me as she approached me with a true apologetic face, I could see that she was indeed thinking the same as me.

"Me too daddy. We didn't know that we could have sard it up. Please don't be angry. We can fix it." Sonata used her both hands and begged daddy to make him sigh in disappointment.

"Sigh... I'm not angry with you girls, but I'm seriously disappointed."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. NOT THIS. PLEASE KILL ME BUT NOT THIS.

I recoiled at such awful words. as I saw my sisters look at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'm disappointed with myself." From his words, made both me and my sisters look at him in disbelief. "I know that you all are in your phase to enjoy your own adventures and make your own mistakes... I know that some of you even want to rebel against my teachings and explore the limits of your own life. And I've been keeping you away from such problems. But I wanted you all to know that actions have consequences, and you all need to know responsibility. I wanted you to learn that the mortal world doesn't have shortcuts, and mostly you need effort, blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish such challenges in life..."

I and my sisters noticed him take a piece of paper which was ripped apart, and that moment, the ball of light exploded around the area, making all the environment we were changed back... Like it changed to 10 minutes prior we appeared in school... The students were all eating happily and talking normally, as the girls who were behind us, looked at him in disbelief.

"What the hell?" The blue girl said as she looked around and everything was back to normal. But she was shushed by all the girls who kept her away from us.

"Rainbow be quiet." One of the girls whispered loudly which makes my eyes twitch. But looking at my father who seemed so solemn and sad, this must be more painful to him than to us...

"I will give you all your grounding time... since you enjoyed so much being in this school... Then you will be studying here as well." He finished telling the punishment, I and my sister's eye went wide open.

"WHAT?" Not just me and my sisters, but the girls who were beside us shouted in disbelief and in anger.

IT WASN'T PAINFUL TO HIM AT ALL.

"But dad. I'm 5 times graduated. I have 5 diplomas from 5 colleges over the country." I said in disbelief, while I could see the glimpse of his grinning face.

"And yet you act a troubled teenager... Since you girls are acting like rebellious teenagers, why not make you be in the same environment as them? 6 years of grounding. You will go to school, do their homework, take great grates and you will have to stay at home at 8 p.m all the nights, if you accomplish this simple task, then you will be ready to be independent life." Now I can see it... The look in the faces of Sonata and Aria, their angry looks of wanting to strangle me... I can feel it really well... "Now, I will have a talk with the principals, maybe Tia and Lulu will enjoy the idea of me having my trouble kids being in one of the schools I work as superintendent."

My mouth dropped hard, Sonata was ready to attack me, but Aria was doing her best to hold her to attack me. I swallowed hard after I saw the skulls on their eyes to me...

"Yay?" I tried to cheer up, which made daddy look at me with his eyebrow raised.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed the idea of punishment, this will make you more mature in the future. I'm doing this to you all because this will make you understand that every action has consequences. Now. I will be in my way." After he started walking slowly, I saw him look at the girls who seemed to look at him afraid. And the tiny dog who seemed to be trying to be brave but he was recoiling himself.

"Oh... 2 equestrians visiting this school. A pony and a dragon, interesting... and a student who is also an equestrian. That's something I don't see every day." Daddy simply looked at them and walked away, leaving both the purple girl and the orange girl shocked. "Opera, let's go to the principal office."

"Kay. By sis." Opera once again waved happily at us, which we waved to her weakly...

After minutes of being like a statue, and all the students looking at us... I felt one of the girls touch my shoulder and look at me in anticipation.

"Sorry to ask, but this has been bugging me a lot. Is that man Star Swirl the bearded? Please tell me it's him." The purple girl who looked like she had stars in her eyes, knew the name of the only person who could make me feel intimidated and happy at the same time.

"What is your name again?" I asked weakly. Which she gave a good smile.

"Twilight Sparkle." She smiled at me.

"Twilight... shut up..." I said as I see my life as grounding start right now. And the defeat looks like my sisters as well... I said the only thing when I know that something bad happens is because of grounding. "Awwww..."

Author's Note

For those who wanted to know. Here is a good example of one of Dazzling sisters.

There is more 5 sisters, and with the Dazzlings, there is a total of 9 daughters. That I didn't tell about the boys. LOL. Who will appear next?

A reason to be grateful

Some times, ponies may think that their effort will always be the reason for their success... and sometimes they forgot what is the most important in their lives, the little things they forgot about being grateful... We take the air from Equestria every minute, we drink the water to satisfy our thirst, we take whatever food from the entire nation without thinking... I'm alive because of this, I should cherish my life and not forget how this is important, without this, I could die... Sometimes other things are the reason for our gratitude... Our progenitors who gave us birth, without them we couldn't be alive... And sometimes... the next generation...

Like the time I left the meeting, I couldn't help but explore around the hall ... As I could see the marble over the walls, the carpet over the floor, and every single detail over the hall. I scoffed in my mind imagining how many ponies must have worked their flanks off trying to impress the founders of Equestria.

I left the hall with good taste, thankfully Chancellor Pudding dessert was enough for me to enjoy my time witnessing something so fun and hilarious in my perspective.

As I walked outside of the hall, I saw the glimpse of the tents from the camps of the unicorn faction on the left, the earth ponies faction on the right, and the pegasus faction in the middle, it was like something we still could take a few more months to finally adapt ourselves to develop and live as a great nation.

My hooves directed me as a direction of reflection of my own thoughts, ignoring my own sense of direction and deciding to explore around to see what this city has been around after so many years of sacrifice.

A good camp that was 10 minutes of walk from the hall was enough for me to give a pause into my own walking, and lay at the area and appreciate the nature around me. I observed that I wasn't alone at the time I was there, since I could see what would be 5 foals running over the camp. Thank Faust that all of them are from all the factions and neither of them is excluded. It's wonderful to witness such younglings running around, whatever they are doing at the camp to my own confusion.

Sounds of foals laughing and running, indeed made me reflect on my time with my own daughters, who seemed to be doing something at the tower. Later my own clone will give me an update about what they did at the time.

I closed my eyes and appreciated the wind breeze cross in my face. Until I felt a touch on my back. Sard... I cannot even have 5 minutes of peace?

I opened my eyes slowly, and to my surprise, there were 2 ponies who seemed that I wouldn't expect to actually find them here.

"Commander Hurricane, Chancellor Pudding," I said with my usual tone, which made them nod to me.

"Star Swirl." Both of them said in unison, before moving to my said and laying down as the same way as I did.

"Can I do something for you?" I raised my eyebrow as I could see neither of them answering my question, but remained watching the foals running over the camp.

Feeling ignored would have made me angry for obvious reasons, but from the way they were watching the foals, it seems that they actually weren't with the intention to actually talk to me, but to do what I'm doing as well.

I launched my thoughts away, and watched the foals during what would be for 5 minutes, the foals were chasing each and other as me and the two other leaders of the factions watched them in amusement. It was a comfortable silence.

"This..." Hurricane said, making me and Pudding look at him with our eyebrows raised. "This is what we fought for... Faust... I wish I could go back in time to tell myself as a foal, that everything we did was worth it."

I remained in silence, but I agreed with him, as the same way the Chancellor looked at me and Hurricane.

"I agree... how much do you think these foals have? 7 or maybe 9? He, I remember when I had 9 years I had to dig barricades to protect the tents of my family so don't let the bugCrocodiles appear and devour my siblings. " Chancellor Pudding said with nostalgia as he looked at the smile on their faces.

"When I had 8 I had to hold my spear and don't let any rockwolf penetrate into the defenses of my own sick mother. I stayed awake for 8 days straight to not let any kind of danger appear to my mother." Commander Hurricane sounded melancolic as he watched with a small smile as he looked at the pegasus fly straight and the other ponies start shouting he was cheating.

I looked at where this conversation was going... They were appreciating all the sacrifices they did to make all this new generation to be happy...

"With 10 years, I had to survive against creatures of the shadows and protect the queen who lost her powers during 2 weeks," I remember how hard was my foalhood, the sacrifices I did to make sure that the new generation would live the time of the light, and it was indeed the truth, it seems that most of the ponies who lived the time of the shadows had to sacrifice their foalhood to protects the ponies they love, to make the new generation has the life of peace.

Leaving at the time of this a comfortable silence as we started. It seems that this talk was just the start of the decisions of our lives.

"Swirls... I'm thinking I'm getting old too." Both Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Pudding said at the same time, making me look at both of them.

"Sard, you both need to stop this. It seems you have been practicing this for some time." I caressed my own beard as I looked at both of them narrowing their eyes to each and the other. But rolling their eyes afterward. Commander Hurricane scoffed as he looked like he was going to be first.

"You proved your own point after the meeting today. From the way, you wanted to retire from the activities as the major magician to fight as our first line of defense. You have made me realize that... we fought too much on both these eras. And some of the fights were even against ourselves..." Hurricane narrowed his eyes as he looked at the horizon and looked down in shame for some guilt.

"Hurricane, if that's the case of..." Chancellor Pudding wanted to the middle of what would be a kind of comfort but was interrupted immediately by the pegasus commander.

"Don't even say it his name. He was a disgrace to all the generations we fought for... His betrayal should be marked at the pegasus story as the most stupid and cold-blooded genocide attempt ever made... It was a miracle that nopony died... But I could have seen it much sooner. That was the only time I could give the satisfaction of Princess Platinum the pleasure to humiliate me in front of all the generations of ponies... Because she was right..."

I opened my eyes wide open surprised... never in my life, I could have seen such a thing, somepony who hated Princess Platinum with all his heart, actually admitted that she was right. She would make a party and even a holiday of such event. That's a pity that she is frozen for a day and she will never receive such a point on this case.

"That's admirable from you Hurricane." I had to admit it. He did something that not even in my deathbed I would say it aloud that Princess Platinum was right.

"From what I understand, my wisdom has grown a lot, but my guts on who I should trust are being fallen after the last attempt. If I spar with more stallions every day, there is one day that a rookie will be capable to have a lucky shot and defeat me into sparring, and this will break the morale of my own soldiers... And the pressure of the pegasus soldiers it's almost trice the quantity of the soldiers of both unicorns and earth ponies... So I decided to make a secret project to shut down the military soldiers and make them look like another squad of flying. To ensure protection but... joy wherever they appear." Commander Hurricane said as he looked at the pegasus foal who was flipping around as both unicorns and earth ponies are working together to catch the pegasus. And after succeeding, all of them laughed peacefully at the ground.

"That's admirable of you to say Hurricane... I know that you love the military force more than everything, but this change of view you are doing, will actually bring more peace and respect from the ponies than the fear and intimidation to the others. Like a WonderBolt." Chancellor Pudding smiled at the way the pegasus leader view the future projects but added a sard grin as he gave the last name, making me crack a grin and Hurricane groan in displeasure.

"Sard, this stupid nickname again? I don't know why Queen Faust thought my name was Wonder Bolt in the first place and made all my friends and you call me that during 3 years straight." Hurricane deadpanned as me and Pudding chuckled from his own suffering.

"Well, take this name into consideration for your future project Hurricane. Maybe in the future, they will love this name." Chancellor gave him a comforting smile however from the way Hurricane snorted he disdained the idea in the first place.

"I highly doubt. If somepony would actually chant this name as pride and be somepony who would be recognized into the entire nation and the other nations. Then maybe... just maybe... I will find a way to get out from my grave and go to the next princess and ask her to kiss me." Hurricane looked so confident that made me and even Chancellor Pudding raise our eyebrows... He looked really serious on this. "But ignoring such stupid discussion, now that you decided to retire and take care of the future princesses... I decided to do something similar and enjoy a time for myself and somepony to fight for."

"You have a point Hurricane, now Chancellor. Why do you think you are getting old?" As I admired the courage and the reasoning behind his actions, now I looked at the fuchsia stallion who seemed to be watching the little earth ponies with a prideful smile.

"Well gentle colts, some of the foals we have been watching all the time actually were my grandsons and granddaughters." My eyes went wide open after I see what would be the earth ponies who seemed to enjoy chasing each other, one with the red coat and the other with a soft brown coat. "They are named Apple Pudding and Meshen Pie. My pride and my joy, and since I saw you staring at them during some time. I think it was time for me to stop taking a lot of stressful decisions every time, and give myself time to rest and enjoy the simple things... I work as a founder of earth ponies and as their leader, I have to check all the investments of how the food, the materials, and all the lands should be shared among my kind, and there are always stupid discussions that I wish I wasn't even there... So maybe if I place an advisor to take care of a while and wait until the princesses are ready, that would be enough for me to retire."

"It's fair reasoning," Hurricane said, while I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"It seems that it finally came to our minds that the prime of our lives was over a time ago. But to be honest... I don't regret the decisions I have made today... I think that today we should appreciate at the camp and be grateful... for all the sacrifices we did decades ago, the deaths of our fallen comrades, families, and be grateful to be alive in this era of peace, with a view we thought we never would have guessed to see." I raised from the floor and talked in a solemn tone, which made both stallions look at me in agreement and follow my example.

"I agree, be grateful to never be vigilant through monsters trying to eat you alive or take your food and make you and your family starve in the middle of the cold night." Hurricane looked at the horizon.

"The feeling is mutual. Be grateful to see the next generation of your family and loved ones grow up in the era of peace and life." Pudding nodded his head as he smiled terminated and showed his hoof to us. "For the ponies."

"For the nation." Hurricane placed his hoof above the Pudding and smiled determinedly as well.

I didn't stop thinking about my own daughters as the way both of them showed such determination that I couldn't help but smile the same way as them.

"For the future of the next generation." I placed my own hoove. And like a kind of power between us made us chant in unison.

"For the QUEEN EQUESTRIA, AND FOR THE ERA OF LIGHT. We are grateful Faust, for us to remain alive to see the future in our hooves." We said in unison as the breeze around us turned warm and comfy, but our determination didn't mind the change, as we together took of our hooves.

As we 3 looked at each other one more time before deciding to make a simple thing.

"Let's see what the colts are doing and let's help them." Chancellor Pudding said as I and Hurricane nodded our heads and followed him to the group of kids.

Faust... Thank you for your mercy...

The secret

After hours expending with the founders of Equestria, made me realize how much fortunate we were after finally managing to be a foal again, never had such fun as we three learned the rules of a new game created by the infants, tag, this was indeed one of a great invention for the foals, and I know that Sonata, Aria and Adagio will love this game.

"Girls, I'm home." I said as I cleaned my coat, and was ready to place my hat over the door. Until I heard a quick sound of hushed hoovesteps.

"DADDY, DADDY, HURRY, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ADAGIO."

I never felt so much panic in my entire life.

Galloping upstairs over the tower, I found what would be Adagio laying over the floor, trying so much to breathe... My heart stopped, and my world is crumbling.

I tried to use my usual healing spell. As I saw the glow appearing over her, I felt relieved... until the glow diminished as it was being absorbed by her.

"SARD." I cursed as I tried another kind of spell, something that would try to fix any kind of sickness... And still, she couldn't manage to cure. "SARD, SARD, SARD. WHAT I'M GONNA DO... "ARIA, TAKE THE BLUE BOOK ON THE BOOKSHELVES. SONATA HOLD ADAGIO."

I galloped to my room of spells and sorceries. I went over the circles of the runes as I cast on myself the same spell which I would use in my teachings.
I saw the clone's eyes go into a serious frown.

"We don't have time, take care of Sonata and Aria. I will go away and I find somepony who can cure her." I didn't like to command the clone, but he having my memories he could understand deeply inside my thoughts and how serious this is about.

"You don't have time, she can't breathe, you cannot teleport here if that would take minutes to find somepony to cure her." My clone as using a rational part of our mind told me, but now I'm not feeling any kind of rational, my daughter is dying.

"I WILL CREATE TIME IF I HAD TO, I WILL DO ANYTHING TO SAVE HER. NOW WATCH ME." I shouted as I went back to the girls who were crying as they hold Adagio's palled fur. "Oh, no, no no."

I lighted my horn and with all my heart, and all my magic. I CAST YOU.

"STOPZA." I shouted as I used all my magic to save her.

As the constant knocks over my door, I knew it was a sense of urgency that happened since nopony in the right mind would be outside with this rain. I couldn't guess what time was it since all the clouds covered the sky, but at the moment I opened the door, my eyes went wide open as I was both surprised and concerned to see who was the pony in my door.

"Starswirll?" I asked surprised, but that surprise turned into concern after I take a look at the stallion in front of me. The sorcerer over Equestria, the one who could use magic to heal himself, who seemed calm and collect all the time... Was bleeding on his foreleg, bag eyes, breathing tirelessly, and what would be tiny foal covered into a cloak on his hooves.

"Please... save her." My eyes opened in horror, after hearing his voice, he despaired...

Since when the pony whose all Equestria respect... the one who represents the magic of the entire nation representatives, could show such emotion which I never thought it would ever see... The situation must be really grave to come here on this tempest...

I shook my head, and I opened my door wide.

"Come in." I didn't let my thought take much time, the filly on his hooves must be into an emergency state and he must really care that filly since he didn't show any of his authority as the leader... but the same despair I had when my mother was sick... "Tell me what happened."

I knew Starswirl would be blunt and directly at the point, he wouldn't lose time, and neither should I, he has despaired... It must be a true emergency.

The first thing I did was to make flames at the cauldron this way I made sure the cauldron would get warm for starting to prepare a potion.

I saw the tiredness over Starswirl's body, but the one thing that caught most parts of my attention which I didn't notice until now was the fact he was still glowing his horn like he remained to cast a spell. And the glow at the filly on his hooves.

"She was just walking around and playing then I didn't know what happened, but her body suddenly collapsed as she fainted in front of me, I tried to cast a magic heal over her, but her body absorbed the casting and didn't show any signs of interior healing, just exterior. I examined her body and she was coughing and having a fever... So I froze the time around her to maintain the symptoms in check until I come here." Starswirl remained to cast his spell as he weakly replied to me.

"DID YOU CAST A SPELL AND MAINTAINED IT UNTIL NOW?" I shouted in surprise and concern. Casting a spell constantly would just take the energy of the pony who cast, but who knows how much time he cast the spell? That would make him get into a slumber of a week just to recover his magic.

"Please... Help her, I've been holding this magic for 2 days..."

"2 DAYS? ARE YOU CRAZY?" I shouted in disbelief, but from the tone of his voice, I decided to carry the foal in my hooves, the blanket around her was hot as a flame lamp. It was difficult to imagine... no... it was impossible to imagine the stallion on my side released the filly during a second... "Release the spell, I will take care from now on."

"Thank you..." Starswirl's gratitude was something just a few know, it was strange, but when it comes to his true sincerity, it means a lot... I ignored that, I took off the blanket...And it was a surprise to me to see it wasn't a simple filly, it wasn't a unicorn, or neither a pegasus nor an earth pony... It was a filly that has a fishtail... why this filly looks so familiar to me?

I decided to open the little filly's mouth and I examined it close, her throat was closing, she was having difficulty to breathe, she was sweating as the fever was taking so much from her...
She was having an allergic reaction, that must be the reason why Starswirl spell couldn't work on her.

I grabbed a potion that I made not long ago, and I released a few drops on her, making part of her throat not too close, and making her breath easier than before.

After taking a look over the little girl over my hooves, I decided to give back to Starswirl.

"She was having an Anaphylactic Shock from an allergic reaction, that must have been the cause of why your spell didn't work... You acted quick but took 2 days to use the time spell... wait... you couldn't teleport..." I was explaining logically the reason of the reason of the little filly would be sick, but then a sudden thought came to my mind... "You came from your tower to here without using teleport? YOU WALKED 2 DAYS BY YOURSELF?"

I shouted in surprise, I was angry at how careless he would be of using a continuous spell for 2 days, but imagining him crossing 2 days just to appear into my shelter. It was absurd.

From the way I could see Starswirl, I always thought he would be a crazy stallion, but to cross over the regions by 2 days, holding his magic and carrying a sick filly? Are you sure you aren't a fairy tale hero of some kind?

"Please..." Starswirl said weakly as he remained still trying to sit up, "Don't... underestimate me... I'm Starswirl the beared..."

From the way he looked at the little filly, it was sure he didn't treat the little filly as a kind of mere pony or even one of his students. It was far superior to that, it was his personal treasure.

"She's your daughter..." My logic whispered as his ear twitched before nodding his head.

"She is my eldest daughter... Adagio Dazzle." He admitted, leaving me a few doubts in my mind.

"Eldest? Do you have more than one? What about the others?" I asked surprised and in concern about what the other children must be while Starswirl was in front of me.

"A clone of mine is taking care of them, don't worry about it... I would never leave my daughters without supervision... not better than me to take care of them..." He assumed I may have thought about the worse but he assured me in time, making me sigh in relief.

I took a few ingredients and started to make sure to prepare as the cauldron was warming enough to prepare the potion. I went over my shelf and took one stamina potion and gave it to the most tired pony I ever saw in my life. He was fighting himself to remain awake after expending so much magic during days.

"This potion will recover your energy for a while, but I cannot guarantee about your magic recovery, you spent 2 whole days using the same spell. I don't know if I have something to help you with that." I said waiting for a kind of rebuttal from somepony who always finds mistakes from the other ponies or even wants to argue about his superiority on the ways of magic. But after taking a deep look at him he remained in silence as he nodded to me.

"I don't care about me, just focus on her, please." As his response not just made me in shock, but that made me look at the little filly even more, as I waited for him to drink the potion I made.

I went to the little filly, it wasn't for the fact she looked weak and sweating a lot, I can admit that she looks like a cute foal who was ready to make troubles in the nations, but has the good heart into doing the right things...

"Do you know the source of her allergy?" I asked looking at the bearded pony, who slowly shook his head. He indeed looked so different from the pony who wents on the missions, and he acted more resolute, like on the reunions he appeared last time. "It's not your fault."

"Of course, it isn't..." The stallion snapped out, he looked angry but yet too tired to do anything. "But at least I should have known what she was allergic to... That way I could prevent it from happening next time... But I feel so powerless..."

The gray mane stallion, sat down as he slowly approached the little foal... Making my move to the cauldron and start preparing the potion...

The silence over the shelter was awkward as I couldn't find a way to comfort him from what happened... Sickness happens to everypony, sometimes even magic couldn't fix it, but a good remedy potion could.

The preparation of the potion would take a bit longer since we couldn't find the source of the allergy, but leaving on this silence... it would be awful to spend an hour like this.

"Starswirl, if I remember correctly, you created the potion which transformed the white mane of Princess Platinum to yellow... Can I ask you how did you make such a potion?" I decided to use another approach over him, and I can say that discussing something bad about Princess Platinum always seems to cheer him up since I could see a smile forming on his face.

"It wasn't something difficult, I just formed a few runes, and using the magic of transformation I could condense the magic into a liquid form which wouldn't need me to constantly use the magic... It was something most unicorns could do if they learned sorcery..." Starswirl chuckled proudly of his work, however, a few seconds later his face dropped showing a sign of disappointment. "But sometimes the earth ponies can surpass the unicorns by using the natural resources to create potion... knowing that not always their magic could cure a simple allergy."

"Starswirl, stop," I said as I couldn't take anymore. "Stop blaming yourself, sickness happens to everypony, even allergies happen in times we are distracted. But you did nothing wrong, in fact, you did what would be impossible to many ponies... FAUST, you came here using 2 days spell, you didn't let your pride take the life of your daughter... You are a good father."

I stomped at the floor, as I could see the shock on his face, waiting for a kind of rebuttal and start a discussion, I couldn't care less... Sard, I know how it was the feel of feeling powerless to see somepony we care being sick, I worked my flank off to find a way to cure my mother, and watching somepony proud of Starswirl, to come here all by himself, using a spell to make his daughter protected to not let the allergy kill her? Is that what my mother said about parents would demonstrate the most impossible things because of their children?

I could see the stallion in front of me in silence, thinking about the recent outburst I did, but deep inside I could see something I'm unfamiliar with him... Gratitude...

"Thank you Meadowbrook, your words calmed my heart and cleared my doubts... I was needing to hear this." Starswirl tried to move his body, but the exhaustion took part of his body as he crumbled over the floor. "Sard."

"What did you expect? My potion could recover you to not to sleep, but your magic exhaustion would take days of sleep to recover perfectly." I said as I almost finished adding the ingredients over the cauldron. I couldn't take care of the stallion on my floor before I finish the potion. "You will need to stay like that until I finish the potion."

"Just focus on finishing the potion." Hearing Starswirl mumbling over the floor was fun to watch.

I giggled as I was still mixing the potion... well, the tension seemed to be over, now it looks like a perfect time to keep talking.

"Starswirl if you don't mind, why not tell me about your daughters? I'm curious about how 3 little fillies like them could change a stallion like you." I smiled as I stirred the cauldron, as I heard a sigh from the pony laying down.

"To be honest with you... they are the meaning of my life." As he said that I opened my eyes, as I heard him mumbling. "For many years I have sought knowledge... But I discovered that knowledge itself wouldn't make me live forever... Everypony I cared as my parents died... And the only pony who I could give my life to protect and save disappeared in thin air, making my life as walking into unknown... My life became pointless as the age was fighting against me... I was the sorcerer who defeated one entire army with just one spell. I was powerful, I was fearless and every time I went to kill a monster, I knew I would survive."

The thunder soared as the tempest remained around us. But that time I felt that I couldn't hear anything more than just him venting.

"Almost 4 years ago. When Stygian went to me and pleaded to me to help him to defeat the monsters over his village, I was angry. From how wasted potential he had, for being such a coward... It's wise for him to run away, but he never felt that he had the potential to help. I hate him, not because of who he is... but how he views himself. Because... that fool was the same kind of fool I was when I was lost on this world, alone... in the era of monsters... without my parents... without the only pony I respect... and call a friend...somepony more than a friend." I remained in silence, as I never imagined to live the day as I could hear the deep thoughts of the most respected unicorn over Equestria, never imagined how to hurt he has been during that time. "The sirens we fought over that village... showed me how I was a prideful fool, and how time wasn't helping me anymore. Stronger monsters lurked around Equestria, as for me... every day I was feeling I was losing magic and strength... I was feeling helpless...useless... I wanted so much to banish the 3 monsters to another dimension and call that my victory... But I have nightmares on how that was so foolish and how I could have hurt my babies if I did that."

My eyes went wide open, as I remembered that day, we used our powers combined to transform the giant sirens into 3 eggs... I looked at the little filly laying on the blanket, and I finally understood.

"They were..."I didn't even finish, Starswirl interrupted me.

"Adagio, she usually tends to make my day a headache, she acts as the elder but sometimes I know she likes trouble, she likes to be in charge of everything, but does everything she could to make me happy, even on my worst days... when I was having insomnia, Adagio appeared beside my bed and brought me a glass of water, as she decided to sleep by my side... Sometimes I felt that she knows when I wanted somepony to stay by my side. She is responsible, and I swear to Faust... 2 days would be nothing compared to how much magic I would use just to make her safe until she is cured. I would rather lose a foreleg than let her hurt. " As I could hear his voice, I knew Starswirl was speaking with all his heart, my tears were appearing on my face, and I didn't even know what else he can say.

"Aria, hehehe..." Starswirl chuckled weekly. "My precious smart daughter, she is the one I know she can take my legacy and leave in the future, she is my pride, she is my determination... She is the one who pursues self-improvement to show she is capable, she is smart, from a lesson I gave to princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they were 8 or 10 years old, Aria asked me to teach her how to read with 3 years old. I gave her the most important lesson to her at the same level as the princesses... And she is learning from it... She will be the queen of sorcery, everytime I dream, I see her on the biggest pillar of the entire world, she would never lose her pride, she would never lose her knowledge... I see my desire of knowledge on her..."

As he talked, my tears didn't stop falling, as he chuckled again, this time I couldn't help but feel happy for him.

"And my youngest but nopony less important, Sonata, what is happiness? To achieve an empire, show to everypony you are the strongest of all the nations, the prideful stallion, with all the currency, all the mares, all the treasures? Or would be a little filly who would stay by your side, smiling as like nothing matters, be by your side as her sisters would try to steal your desserts, and become the distraction because she wanted to be by your side? I discovered the meaning of life with her... Life is not about the end... it's about the journey, the ponies you care about, the ponies you lost, the fear, the pain, the hurt, but the laugh, the smile, the joy, the dance, the song, something simple... Something nopony even care..."

"I thought time would be my enemy since I was losing strength before fighting them... But today... Hehehehe... I killed a clan of basiliscs lions, by my own hooves, without magic... By myself. I discovered that since I became a father... I didn't become weak, no... it was the opposite, they are the reason I became even stronger. They are the meaning of my life. I would sacrifice everything to make them protect. Isn't that what the desire of all parents?"

I couldn't control the tears that were falling from my face, I started sobbing uncontrollably. After a few years ago, I thought Starswirl wasn't somepony who needed help, because he was bitter on the inside... But today I learned... he was hurt beyond repair, and after having his children, he was in process of healing. I started to remember when he was walking inside of the reunions.

He complimented ponies when it was a good time, he made some snarky jokes which surprised everypony, he pranked the pony he hated a few times, taking us to laugh with him... He wasn't him anymore... He was somepony better... Somepony who smiled more, who laughed more, who have hope in the nation... Somepony who wanted to see the future by staying away from the battlefield... He wanted to see his children grow up, he wanted to see the expectations of their dreams...

It was beautiful to know this secret... And he was giving his only hope to me... I couldn't let him down...

I was decided to make the potion the best potion that could take the allergy of this little filly. If Starswirl's child is the meaning of his life and the responsibility of the good changes... Who am I to disappoint him...

My eyes looked at the cauldron as I proceed to uses all the ingredients I was sure that the effect would make the quickest as possible, I was sweating from the fire being even stronger than before, I didn't stop mixing the ingredients, as the smoke raised from the cauldron into a deep green color, I went to the kitchen and with a bowl, I took the liquid and carefully went in the direction of the little filly.

She was still burning in fever, but still, she was breathing. It was enough for me.

I carefully made the little filly drink sip by sip, without making her choke, I know how serious was the state of the little foal, I finally could see the little fishtail she has inside the blanket, I decided to focus on the little beauty in front of me, she was indeed one of the monsters whose Stygian was afraid asking for help, but still, she was so different, like a rebirth, a new beginning, a filly...

I understand the feeling Starswirl had from this little filly, when my mother was sick I risked everything I could to find the cure. I wouldn't give up until I find the cure, even if I had to sacrifice my nights without sleep, and the pressure of her on that state for a long time was enough to launch me to the edge... Knowing this prideful stallion, he would indeed desire to lose a limb or two instead of the stop his magic and risking the health of this little filly.

Maybe we aren't that different at all.

Author's Note

I have to confess that it has been months since I wrote this chapter. And I just read it today... I cried... I never felt so proud on how I imagined the scene of how another pony POV could meant so much after hearing what the main character of this fiction passed since the beggining.

Never be alone (Short chapter.)

What is the strongest creature in Equestria? Dragons? Basilisks? Timber Wolves? Pony eater fishes? No, they can be, but the answer is more abstract and yet symbolic...It's Ursas... Why? Because there is something that makes us stronger than any other creature from the Entire Equestria, a creature inside of many stallions and mares that can make them become fiercer than any soldier, angrier than an Ursa Major, and crueler than any pony in Tartarus itself... It's parenthood... a parent inside of each of us that could make the foolest of the fathers and mothers become wiser on how to take care of their kin, become instinctively more dangerous than any creature of Everfree Forest just to protect their children... it's a basic instinct that can transform anypony into an Ursa Major, that's why Ursas were almost the representation of parenthood... Nobody would be stupid to touch the kin of an Ursa, and that's why every parent has an Ursa inside of them... True Parents never let something happen to their kin, and they would kill and die to save and protect their children... That's our instinct, and that's what makes us stronger than ever.

Can't breath... weak...dark...hot...too hot...daddy... save...me...

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, NO, NO HAHAHAHAHA, THE SPELL'S DEACTIVATED, I CAN'T HAHAHA STOP HAHAHAHAH LAUGHING HAHAHAHA... I MUST HAHAHAHA, SAVE HAHAHAHA, ADAGIO HAHAHAHAHA."

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Weak...hot...pain...cannot breathe... daddy...

"It's just a mountain Star Swirl, you don't have time to stop. You must go... for her...FOR HER. SARD WHY A BASILISK LION IS DOING HERE?"

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Hot, everything is so hot... can't breathe... daddy... help...

"Hold still Adagio. I'm almost there...You SARDING CREATURES DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
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Hot, daddy...can't...breath...daddy.

"Please...save...her."
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Breath...relief...hot...wet...can't...open...eyes... daddy...
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Relief...warm...daddy, I'm okay.

I remained on the floor, but I used all my strength to keep watching Adagio being treated slowly in my front. Meadowbrook repeated the slow process, and I'm grateful that she was keeping all her focus on her. I will care about myself after Adagio is fine.

My clone must have received my signal after I released the magic... So this means that sooner or later he will teleport the girls here... Finally I can breathe in relief... Faust, thank you for giving me strength.

"Starswirl." Meadowbrook finally broke the silence as I made sure my eyes look at her. The potion she made was finally empty as Adagio was on her forelegs, carrying her over my body. "It seems that you can finally breathe now... your daughter is finally recovering. Her throat isn't closing anymore, and her temperature is getting more balanced and stable... she just needs a few more hours of sleep, and then she can wake up."

"Faust bless you Meadowbrook." I expressed my most sincere gratitude as I finally could see the semblance of my little sire in front of me, my forelegs embraced her as much gentle I could do, and finally...I felt my eyes getting heavy and meet the black view of the slumber I avoided so much.

The final touches of the runes are almost ready, I'm exhausted as I passed hours developing the teleportation runes to the original source. As days passed I did my best to work in limited magic until I receive the confirmation of my other body is safe.

"DADDY." A voice screamed as broke from my concentration and managed to get away from my lab the quickest as possible, I went directly to the room of the girls the fast as I could, and at the time I went there. I saw Sonata crying over her bed. "I had a bad dream again."

I felt the pain in my chest, never in my life have I felt so useless as I'm at this moment... I as a clone was supposed to help them, but I felt powerless on how life is so unfair and unkind in a terrible way... Faust why this has happened to Adagio? Why not me and the original? They are just fillies.

"It's okay Sonata, I'm here. Everything is fine." I held my youngest in my hooves. "Your father is here. I will never let anything happen to you all."

"Daddy... where is Dagi? I miss her." Sonata sniffed her tears, as I carefully cleaned them for her.

"She is safe. I'm doing my best to protect her. I know somepony who can cure her. And we will visit her once she gets there." I assured her as she hugged me. I did my best to remain strong, but deep inside of me, I never prayed so much for Faust to make sure nothing happened to her. I don't know how my other half is doing it. But I felt my magic getting weaker and weaker hour after hour. "Do you want me to be at your side until you go to sleep?"

"Yes, daddy..." Sonata mumbled as her face was deep into my chest, as I felt the cold tears forming on her face again...

I did my best to make sure that Sonata can go back to sleep. And I noticed that Aria didn't move even an inch from her bed. This leads me to sigh once again...

"Aria... I know you are awake." I said as I approached her bed, I hear the sniffs coming from her, Faust please give me strength. "It's fine."

"No... it isn't... daddy... Adagio is hurt." Aria whimpered as I managed to seat on her bed. And I inclined my head to her, her eyes were sore and red for crying so much.

"Yes, she is..." I didn't sugarcoat her, not my daughter. "But I know she will be fine in no time."

"How can you be sure?" Aria turned her head to me. As I gently patted her mane.

"Because I know somepony who gave her best to cure her own mother, and I'm sure that if she sees Adagio, she wouldn't refuse to help me... Especially if I've really despaired for her help." I know the stories of all the pillars, and for me, Meadowbrook is my only hope to save her. I prayed to Faust for being the case.

"Adagio is going to be fine?" Aria mumbled trying to have hope once again.

"You know me Aria, I would never let anything happen to you all. I'm sure soon we will visit her." I assured Aria who seemed to be so down and trying to hide her tears from me, but I know her... So I know how to cheer her up. "I'm doing a circle of teleportation... at the moment I know Adagio is fine I will use it to teleport us to her... Do you want to see me doing it?"

Seeing her eyes go wide open as my suggestion made me smile at the moment she nodded slowly to me.

"Yes, daddy."

Faust please... save my daughter...

Always together

A new day passed over the world, as the heavy clouds of the village were finally away from such a heavy storm the day before. The graceful Faust finally showed her mercy as she made the new day over Equestria as beautiful as ever. As the sky is surrounded by clear blue and white clouds. The yellow sunshine finally was around the village and passing through the windows.

A Yawn escaped from the mouth of a mare as she looked over her supplies, noticing that most of her ingredients had been used for 3 days straight. She had a reserve which she used from the last 2 potions on the last day.

As she hummed looking over her balcony, the alchemist mare realized that soon she would need to go to the founders' capital to stock more ingredients for her potions. Clicking her tongue, she wasn't excited to go back after just passing 3 days after the last time she was there. But as she turned back to her main room, she noticed some snoring around.

"Hmmm?" The cyan mare looked around as she tried to see who would be snoring at that moment, and as she was investigating she noticed something really interesting... It was supposed to be one stallion and a little siren on his back... But she couldn't help but smile and shake her head as she wave her thoughts away. As she turned her back to a stallion who was surrounded by 3 little sirens over his forelegs... the groups snoring lowly, each in a peaceful rhythm of their sleep.

"3 hours before the sunrise. I think the runes are ready." The deep and tired voice of the old stallion said as a little magenta siren walked around with chalk on her hooves.

"Do you need anything more daddy?" The pitchy voice as she yawned exhausted at the stallion in front of her.

"Not anymore Aria. I think it's time for us to take a trip quickly and check Adagio. I'm worried as well. And I don't know if Meadowbrook is awake now, but I'm at my limit, and I need to combine myself with my other half." The old stallion said as he prepared a little bag of dust ingredients and passed around the runes. "Awake Sonata, because I cannot..."

"I didn't sleep, daddy." Suddenly a tired voice came from behind of him, which made his heart almost stop.

"Oh, Sard... Faust why you are making this even more tiring to me?" The clone's face hoofed himself as he pulled his beard annoyed by both his lack of sleep and his incapability to help his own children. "Sonata come with me... We are going to see Adagio."

The duo who usually would be excited to explore outside of the castle, this time don't share any kind of emotion, all of them are tired, worried, and stressed after that 2 days of pure waiting. And finally, came the answer to their prayers. It was finally time to see Adagio.

As the trio got inside of the circle, the spark over the horn of the own sorcerer finally glowed into his all force.

"Aeros, retrivus, lakus vitales. To find my daughter and bring me to her. Take me to her, teleportation." The eyes of the sorcerer glowed to white as the circle itself became glow with the sparkles of the own nature of the magic as the runes started to dance around the trio and the light was enough to glow the entire tower before leaving nopony over the room.

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The glow stopped, as all the dark over the room was enough to show the trio noticed the darkness around the place, as the bonfire over the tent extinguished for a few hours, leaving still the place in the deep silence.

In the moment of truth, the girls tried to look everywhere as they are new over the place, and at the moment any of the girls were going to raise their voices, they felt their backs being touched by their father, who glared to indicate to remain in silence.

Noticing how tired they were, and how stressful these days have been to them. They just want to find peace after knowing how Adagio was.

As they walked a few steps, they noticed somepony over the floor, with nopony less with the pony they felt such relief to see snoring again.

The stallion walked beside her and touched her forehead... Warm but stable temperature, the sweat wasn't there... She seemed fine...She was fine.

"Dagi..." Sonata whispered as she came quickly went beside her and gave a hug, she was so scared that she had nightmares and couldn't manage to take a blink for hours. She felt so relieved that she didn't know what happened, but her consciousness was finally fading away.

Noticing that her youngest sibling was finally having in, Aria remained standing, but suddenly she finally let out her breath of relief which had been inside of herself for so long.

"You stupid fish, Adagio. Never scare me like that a...ga...in..." Aria walked beside the body of the sorcerer laying on the ground, as she felt comfortable with their sounds of snoring. And quickly she fell like a rock and started to snore as well.

Left the clone standing there, but finally could let it out his own relief.

"It was the overexertion of the mana pool we have inside of ourselves. It was reckless, stupid...and yet... something our parents would do...If wasn't for the fact that I'm your clone, I would have done the same thing and you would be the one cursing me. I'm so glad that nopony is here to see you in that state... with the exception of Meadowbrook, I'm just glad that we can finally have a night of rest..." The soon as he started to talk, the sparkles around his body started to fade, as soon little balls of mana remained in the air, as the air shifted and the smooth light came back directly at the old stallion on the floor.

Finally a night of peace and rest for them.

"Good afternoon Meadowbrook." A pony wearing leaves as his clothes greeted as the mare arrived on his stand over the streets.

"Good afternoon Leaf Juice, how is your mother's back doing?" The kind mare asked as the green pony smiled even wider and brought some herbs for tea with him.

"Oh, she danced all night from the potion you gave to us, thank you so much to fix her broken bones." Leaf Juice said as Meadowbrook rolled her eyes while she giggle.

"Oh Faust, I told her to not force her back like that, she still needs 1 month of treatments, but she is a stubborn mare so I shouldn't be surprised." Meadowbrook took the herbs off the stand as she gave 2 pieces of gems and left the stand with the stallion waving to her.

As she walked over the street, Meadowbrook managed to go back to her tent, but surprisingly as she got inside the room, she was stunned by the fact that the family from the capital was still sleeping on the floor.

"Faust... I never thought I could see somepony so tired in my life, it's been 16 hours already. Should I be worried?" Meadowbrook walked around the group who seemed to be in such peace that she approached carefully at the group on her tent.

As she was almost touching them she then heard a voice.

"Please...more 30 minutes." That was the voice of the wisest stallion of the founders of Equestria, as she was going to say something she then shook her head and turned her back to them. As she finally heard the same voice... "Thank you, Meadowbrook."

"Thank you, Miss." Suddenly the voice of the trio sounded in unison like a whisper, leaving the cyan pony to look at them quickly, before smiling and shaking her head. As she took a blanket with her and brought them together.

"You have more than 2 hours." Meadowbrook smiled as their bodies shifted comfortably with the blankets and together they seemed to be even happier in their sleep. "The wisest and the strongest sorcerer pony over the world... being a lazy father sleeping with his daughters... It's a memory that I will never forget. Well since I'm the one who is treating them, it's best for them to have their rest... good night Starswirl, good night Adagio... err... Aria and Sonata."

"Good night." The whispers once again coming from the snoring ponies, made Meadowbrook smile warmly and walk away with her cauldron to prepare herself a good cup of tea... enjoying the simplest moments in life. Something small and yet so perfect.

"Thank you Faust for the wonderful day." Meadowbrook gave her thanks as she enjoyed admiring a nice family resting after such a scare in their lives.

Alternative Universe EG: A family fight (Special of 100 likes)

Lunch break was always a good time for the students to enjoy their time together as they talk about their studies and enjoy a good meal together. It was a good time for people to cherish their time with their friends.

The talk over the hall was enough to make sure that everyone was happy as they enjoyed their meeting together.

And a quiet group of 6 friends at one table as they stare at each other confused. Needless to say, the group was nobody less than the group of Sunset and her friends, who seemed so lost in the discussion on was happening at the table next to them.

"Come on Sonata, it's just for a few days." Adagio who was the eldest of the group actually begged as her sibling was glaring coldly at her.

"Not a chance Adagio. You know really well that Mr. Sparkingsaring is having his marriage 1200th anniversary with his wife and they want to make sure that they wouldn't be interrupted. You know well how special it's to him." Sonata said as the group looked over the table was a kind of purple Ursa plushie with a star on its head and with a black bowtie.

"I know, I know... But Mr. CutieSpring found that his wife was cheating on him, and he had no place to go." Adagio said as she brought over the table what would be a plushie of a mix of a fish and a big bear. As it had a tiny hat over the plushie.

"We told you both that he was into a toxic relationship." Sonata stomped her feet as she glanced at the flinching dazzling who seemed to be a tyrant a week ago, but watching this side of her made their brains have a blue screen.

"Come on Sonata, please, it wasn't his fault. Don't you remember when Mr. Sparkingsaring lost his job and had to find a job quickly before his wife find out? Sard, even Mr. CutieSpring went over his company under Atlantis to find a temporary job for him just for the sake of their friendship." Adagio as she pleaded over her teddy bear, Sonata remained quiet... as she glanced around at her own teddy bear... Mr. Sparkingsaring inclined its head to the right and fell over the table. "See? Even he agreed with me."

Sonata let out a sigh, as she nodded her head to her.

"Alright, for the sake of their friendship. But..." At that moment Sonata sighed in dismay, she then raised her finger before Adagio would shout in happiness. "You have to talk with Miss Mamabear herself."

As suddenly the shrive from her spine came from the back of Adagio, she felt a lump on her throat and gave a gulp as she started sweating.

"Err... Are you sure Sonata? I mean, she can understand better if you talk to her in my behave, I mean Mr. CutieSpring knows well since their childhood." Adagio tried to act optimistic, but the cold glance of her silly sister made something inside her mind click, and then felt nervous. "Is she still angry about that day they had a fiasco in Tokyo?"

"What do you think?" Sonata turned her back as Adagio flinched, as she touched the backs of her own sister.

"Please Sonata don't let me talk to her, she is going to kill me. It was an accident. Mr. Sparkingsaring forgave him already." Adagio went to her knees, but Sonata didn't even look at her back.

"20 years in jail," Sonata said those words slowly, as Adagio sighed in sadness.

"I know, but come on, Seranade's influence was the reason everything went downhill in Tokyo." Adagio now felt outraged.

"Yeah, but It was sponsored by who?" Sonata gave a glance at the fish/bear who just moved to the side in silence. "Don't try to change the subject. You are the one who made the mistakes, you shouldn't have involved Mr. Sparkingsaring in the first place."

The silent toy remained quiet, as both girls gasped in shock.

"CutieSpring," Adagio said in a warning tone, as Sonata took her teddy bear and glared at him. "Have some politeness, she is my sister. And even if she is naive, I don't need you to remind her that we have been helping your family for generations. Now, apologize..."

"..."

"Now that's better. Apology accepted." Sonata nodded her head as she with her teddy bear sat and looked over Adagio. "Okay Adagio, I think we can have a way to convince Miss Mamabear to let him stay for a few days while they take a trip for their anniversary... But you must make sure that everything is intact when they come back."

Needless to say that Adagio was delighted.

"Oh, thanks Faust, I'm so glad. Thank you so much Mr. Sparksaring." Adagio said as she smiled at her own teddy bear who seemed quiet. And she smiled deeply.

"That's everything I ask CutieSpring. I just hope you fulfill your promise." Sonata sighed in defeat, as she went back to her tacos. "Don't make me regret this decision, please."

As the group watched the scene, they couldn't help but talk about what they saw.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?" Rainbow Dash who seemed to be glaring at first, couldn't help but feel more confused than ever, and before Pinkie Pie happily explain what happened. The last person who they thought would understand finally talked.

"It seems that Adagio's teddy bear was cheated by his wife and they are in case of divorce, so he must have to pass a few days out, and he wanted to stay at the house of what would be his best friend who is Sonata's teddy bear... But the thing is, it's the anniversary with maybe another teddy bear but she sounds so intimidating, maybe an angry woman. So it went into an argument since they probably did a terrible mistake in Tokyo which lead them to prison for 20 years. And now the duo must find a way to let the wife allow Adagio's teddy bear to stay at their home while they are on a romantic trip for their anniversary..." Rarity mused as she tried to make some notes about what happened, which sounded a lovely gossip to share with some of the girls at the saloon, usually, stories like that were bombs on saloons, and she had one interesting story to share. As Rarity seemed to be so overwhelmed by the notes she was doing, she took 2 minutes to realize that all the group was staring at her. "What? This is like a radio novel over and a good drama movie to watch. I have my hobbies."

"I don't know which is weird, the fact you went faster than Pinkie Pie... or the fact you actually understood all of that." Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but look weird at her friend who just pouted and turned her head to the side, ignoring the snickering of her friends.

"Well, how do you think this will ends?" Pinkie Pie said as she was eating popcorn and was excited to see how it would end. "Maybe Miss Mamabear will try to strangle both Sonata and Adagio, or she would use a noddle roll to beat up both teddy bears?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind knowing all about this gossip later on the next day." Rarity was kinda excited as she had many theories on what could happen later, but she wanted to be surprised later.

"I just hope Mr. Sparksaring and Mr. CutieSpring would be fine, and everything would just be a misunderstanding." Fluttershy as she feared the worse happening with the two ursas teddy bears, she feared the same way Adagio and Sonata would fight when it comes to such problems like that. "I know it must be really bothersome for them to have Mr. CutieSpring at home. I just hope he isn't like my brother who is a leach and a parasite who made the lives of my parents a hell."

"What was that Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie noticed that Fluttershy muttered the last sentence and asked which made the shy girl meep and then smile nervously.

"Oh, nothing."

"Girls, I don't know you are so phased by that... It's just a teddy bear. Nothing of these are real." Rainbow Dash facepalmed and pulled part of her face as it looked gelatinous and sighed in annoyance. Until a few seconds later he couldn't help but snicker..."I bet 10 bucks, that at the moment the female teddy bear hears the story she would freak out and try to kill both of them... I remember my mom went nuts when my dad and Scots dad went into a bar and they got themselves in India for 2 months."

"Ohhhhh. Do tell." Rarity who was making notes about the events suddenly turned her back to her Rainbow haired friend, who seemed to start telling the story.

Applejack who seemed so unphased by everything looked at her friend Sunset Shimmer and sighed in disbelief.

"Why does everything about these 2 always makes our group go nuts?"

"I know right? I mean, for the trio I'm sure that Aria is the normal one, she is rude and fearsome, but still, she talks about normal issues like economics and money. Like, look over here."

Sunset pointed her finger at the middle sister who seemed to talk aloud on her cellphone.

"Yeah, that's why we must be careful, I know you find Mr. K's joke about the black Thursday was the birth of the divine's foreskin, but we must focus now. One wrong move and the divine will come after us... Stop laughing, I take that Brazillian joke really seriously." Aria said as she was holding her cellphone, and glancing at a bunch of papers in her hands. "Yeah, we can listen to their podcast later, can we just go back to our investment? Perfect, now let's follow the plan."

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"Alright, now invest 20 million on StaticOpVoltor... No, I mean, don't sell my assets on WhiteCardBird, they still have future income. I believe in them... Wait... WHAT DID YOU SAY? NO, THAT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA... NO, TAKE BACK... WHY YOU. WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I..."Aria who was speaking on her cellphone, was on a rollercoaster of emotions since her busy partner was doing her assets and she even got mad for not obeying her... She lived until the next second she was in silence. "Wait... seriously? Okay, I'm sorry... you are right... you are always right... I should trust you more..."

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"You are right, sorry about that again... Okay, you can invest 30 million on that... Thank you. You are the best partner I ever had in centuries... Thank you Mr. Money Bags." In a room full of books, chains, video games, and instruments, there was a teddy bear which sembled itself with a Timberwolf, who was doing exactly nothing than just laying near to a cellphone...

Just another day of work...

A way back trip

A good leader would instruct his subjects into doing the right thing and create good habits for each of his followers. A great leader would actually develop the said habits and make an example to his subjects to follow his steps… A perfect leader would not just be an example but would help each of his subjects to follow his steps and develop great leadership with his followers. – Faust, 10 years before her disappearing.

“Adagio get down on this second. Aria, don't run around the wagon too much, you trip and fall over the edge, Sonata don't you dare to touch the bags of ingredients without the permission of the owner of this wagon." The stern voice came from a father who seemed to be having an eye twitch, but he seemed satisfied as he was recovering from exhaustion after 2 days of using his spell without rest and having his 3 daughters excited to look around the wagon on the way trip for the union of the 3 ponies.

"Okay, sorry daddy." The trio of little troublemakers said in unison, leaving the grey stallion still weak in his state to even try to move, and roll his eyes.

"Sorry for the trouble, as I was saying at the moment I just got from the grocery store, they just freed Perseus the water Bull. Making the chaos of water around the bathroom and mostly part of the region." As he weakly look at his companion who was using the help of 3 buffalos to help her to carry the wagon with him and his daughters. A fellow comrade was using the ropes to guide the buffalos in the direction of the way.

"IT WAS THEM?" Meadowbrook shouted in surprise before letting out a laugh from such a scene. "Okay now I can imagine your eyes twitching from that. You passed 10 days to capture him for the first time, and they managed to free him in a few hours. I'm just surprised that they bought the lie of you saying that somepony must have interfered with an accidental spell which by coincidence somepony was testing a new spell."

"You don't have to tell me that." Starswirl rolled his eyes, and he couldn't help but have a bit of blush on his face. "I compensated him for giving further ideas and reconstructions and actually supervise him by staying with him a few hours until he managed to use the spell correctly."

"Now I understand your act of "Kindness" the wisest pony of all the nations... Which was defeated by three sirens who wanted to take a bath." Meadowbrook teased, as the sorcerer master rolled his eyes. Still with a deep shame blush on his face.

"Silence," Starswirl commanded as he looked at his side, while his head could move freely, it was the only part of his body that he had control of. It seemed that most parts of his body were like a statue. And for preventing him from using magic there was a special ring that sealed his cast on his horn. "You are just lucky that I cannot move my body. Or I would teach you some manners."

"Oh? Starswirl wanting to give me lessons? What honor." Meadowbrook didn't waste the opportunity to tease him, it was a chance in one in one million, who would have the right to brag against the leader of the unicorn faction? "Anyway, I don't understand why you decided to use the potion to paralyze your body and use the ring to seal your casting."

"Of course, you wouldn't." Starswirl scoffed, looking around and having to keep his eyes on his daughters. "For a better recovery from magic exhaustion, it would be best if the caster like me have my magic sealed, that way my body would accumulate enough magic while sustaining this body. That way I would recover enough magic in emergency cases."

"Such as?" Meadowbrook admitted inside her mind that the logic from the sage on her side was indeed a good point. But she never thought why such paranoia over the stubborn stallion.

"Take a look on 65 degrees on the east." The sage pony said as his own glance was enough to give the direction.

At the moment the potion mistress looked in the direction of her East, her mouth opened in shock, which wasn't something so difficult to do, but from her eyes, it was unbelievable. A stake of a tree, filled with beasts over the branches. Bodies of beasts which she could guess which they were, she looked at Starswirl as if he was a kind of monster. It didn't take 10 seconds to line the points.

"There must have been 30 of them," Meadowbrook whispered as Starswirl closed his eyes.

"32, I gave them a choice. Leave or die." Starswirl whispered, as he checked the girls and did his best to distract them from such a view. Who them never could even imagine such a scene.

"Bare hoof?" Meadowbrook asked the obvious but still was unbelievable to imagine, something like that made by a unicorn was awestruck, but without using magic. That was something that nopony would ever believe. "Flash Magnus would eat his entire helm if he discover this."

"That's would be interesting to watch, however, I think is far safer if the nopony knows about this." Starswirl as he sounded like his usual self, the between lines said from that was clear. It was a threat to her.

"If you think I would break my protocols of patients. I have to say that your view of me is lower than your view of Princess Platinum." Meadowbrook didn't enjoy being second-guessed by anypony, especially for someone who begged help for her.

The scoff from the old pony made her grin at him.

"Now you are lying, nopony is lower in my view than Princess Platinum." Starswirl replied which made both ponies grin before letting out a laugh between them.

"Okay, now talking about her. I want to know, that you were the one who made her fur yellow. That's for sure, but come on I want the details. You wouldn't be doing that alone, you need a reason for that. Who were the ones who dropped the spell on her?" Meadowbrook glanced at the stallion who seemed to have a good laugh just for imagining the scene over and over again.

"Well, I have to confess that I have helped a chancellor." That was the only thing Starswirl said, and it was enough to make the potion master has her eyes wide open in surprise.

"Chancellor Pudding? Why would he do that...well forget it, it was Princess Platinum. But what did he give you for you to betray the princess of unicorns like that?" Meadowbrook asked as she could guess that maybe the earth ponies must have sworn loyalty to the sage, which they would be their supplier of materials for his studies...

"A well-made pudding." Starswirl immediately said, which made the blue mare almost fall from the wagon. "Oh, careful, you almost dropped yourself on the floor.

"A pudding? Did you betray the leader of the unicorn faction for a sarding pudding? Please tell me you are joking." Meadowbrook never thought that in one million years, and from all ponies of the entire nations, the wisest pony she ever met would betray his leader... for pudding...

"You sounded like it wasn't a special pudding. I asked about the well-made pudding, made by the Chancellor himself, which is his family secret. Something that my daughters love so much." Starswirl just gave his monotonous reply which made Meadowbrook's eyes twitch like that.

"So you are telling me, that you would betray the nations and mess with Princess Platinum just for a sarding pudding?"

"No Meadowbrook, I would pay to mess with that spoiled princess. I just did help them because they offered their pudding, and my daughters love his recipe. I'm not stupid to refuse a well-made dessert which my daughters love so much." As Starswirl replied something unusual happened as they both noticed behind their backs.

Stomps sound on the wagon in rhythm, a duo of purple siren and the blue siren was making sounds with their mouths in perfect synchrony as instruments, and the yellow siren was smiling as she was finally healthy, and her excitement was enough to make her share an inspiration over the trip.

"I set fire to the rain, Watched it pour as I touched your face, Well, it burned while I cried, 'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, Your name" The pitchy voice coming from the little siren was enough to make Meadowbrook's mouth drop, while Starswirl rolls his eyes, but almost raise a smile.

"Well, a trip song now. It took a while. I was questioning myself when they were going to start." As a father who explored the nations, carrying his 3 daughters, there were occasions that they would love to sing over the trip, which was a good way for him to distract from his bad thoughts at the time.

Meadowbrook looked at her companion in disbelief. He seemed to close his eyes and appreciate the trip back on the wagon.

The potion mistress remained with her face shocked, and the most unusual was, that the grumpiest pony she knew actually was being relaxed from such revelation, a trio of little sirens singing while they appreciate the wagon trip.

Not having any way to argue with what happened. Meadowbrook learned one important lesson that day, which she learned after meeting the true Starswirl on the last day, everything in his life is out of the ordinary, she should just accept and never question it. It would be for the best if she remains with her sanity intact, maybe that's the reason why Starswirl remains the wisest. Because sometimes the wisest ponies are the craziest who accepted to remain silent and never bother to try to understand everything around. Shrugging off, she guided the wagon in silence and appreciate the trip with the father and his trio who seemed to enjoy themselves as they sing.

Hours passed over the way, as they passed through rocks, forests, fields, until a familiar tower was enough to make the group happy to see.

The tower was constructed by the sorcery pony himself, proud of his works and studies and lair of him and his 3 daughters.

"Thank you for dropping us Meadowbrook, you have my eternal gratitude," Starswirl said as his body finally got recovered from the paralyzing potion, as he stretched his forelegs, as watched the trio jumping happily away from the wagon.

"WOWEEEE, that was an awesome trip," Sonata said as she jumped in the head of her father, which made Starswirl uses his hooves to take her from his mane.

"Careful with the hat Sonata, anyway. It's time to go back home, say your thanks to the mare who helped Adagio." Starswirl said as he made the little blue siren smile sweetly and give a good hug to the mare who was surprised and accepted the hug.

"Thank you, aunty." Sonata quickly said which made both Starswirl and Meadowbrook look surprised by that statement.

"What?" Meadowbrook was going to ask, and suddenly the blue siren was already gone as she galloped happily and giggled like crazy. "What was that?"

Starswirl remained quiet but caressed his beard as something passed on his mind.

"Aria, it's time to go, say goodbye to Meadowbrook."

"I'm coming." In the middle, the lilac mixed with pink siren walked off the wagon and gave a hug to the potion mistress. "Thank you, aunty, for saving my dear sister, she was important to all of us."

"You too?" Meadowbrook looked palled, one was strange, and two times was a coincidence. But she looked at Starswirl something made sense to him while for her nothing make sense. And before she could say something, the middle sister ran away from her.

"Adagio, say goodbyes to your aunt and go back to the tower." Starswirl smiled which he called but still made Meadowbrook look strangely at him.

"WHAT THE SARD?"

"Thank you for saving my life aunty." A whisper came under her, which made the mare look surprised at the yellow siren who seemed to be hugging her forelegs. "I thought I was going to die, and I was scared... thank you for making me be with my family again."

Meadowbrook looked in silence, and watched the last siren leave not in hurry this time, but slowly.

"Why?" That was the only question remaining in her mouth, as Starswirl shrugged his hooves.

"Who knows? But what they said makes sense... While many favors would be enough to make even from what you did to me and my daughter... I don't think an any better reward." Starswirl said which made the potion master look at him surprised.

"Reward?" Meadowbrook then noticed something on his hoof. Which made her eyes wide open. "Starswirl this..."

"Take it..." Starswirl said as he offered his cape to her. "Most believe making friendships would be good for everypony... I don't think so... Friendship is a stupid way to create insecure ponies to stay around you as a company... It's easy to betray a friend... It's stupid for people to believe that friends were enough to create something that a group of ponies would fight against it with all their hearts... I never believed in friendship and I will never will..."

"But..." Meadowbrook knew there was something Starswirl always had something behind his secrets.

"But what is a friend in comparison to a brother and a sister?" His question was enough to make Meadowbrook look at him surprised by such a question. "I believe in brotherhood... And this is proof, that I trust the lives of my daughters in your hooves Meadowbrook. Please, take care of us."

And from that day... Meadowbrook discovered a layer of a fellow pony whose only 3 ponies saw him do it... A signal of brotherhood. Something which was blessed by Faust herself...
Faust blesses her day...

A parent of the past.

The darkness can mean many things, the beginning and the end... When the darkness is the beginning, just a little sparkle was enough to create the light, and when the light dies, the meaning of the darkness would be the end of things.

That's how I Starswirll always viewed every one of my dreams. Something I learned as a way to learn my spells, it always starts with something, and it always ends up with something. Dreams of the imagination over my experience are always the reason of why I kept studying and developing my spells for the future.

And that's how I see my dreamscape right now. Nothing like forms, colors, or feelings... Just darkness...

"And yet, you still try to find the reason for being guilty." A sound echoed in my back, making me turn my head and see the pony who I've always respected, loved, and idolized... The same red fur that I've seen even in my past, but more solid than the actual holiday. "I'm glad your mind is at peace enough for me to appear."

"Father." That was the only reply I could give to him, making him nod at me with a knowing smile and walk over the darkness like it was an easy path.

"Starswirll, it's strange to know that this is the second time you summoned me into your dreams." Commander Hearts of the Dreams, plane walker, and the stallion who taught me the basics of how to be a warrior before his demise, and yet even after death he has been someone when I needed most in some kind of situations. "What happened to you for you make a such despaired call?"

"Adagio had an Anaphylactic Shock." My words were sharp like knives, and from the smiling face freezing at the face of the powerful commander, he knew how serious it was.

"Tell from the beginning." The commander who always was known for his bravery didn't show any kind of emotion than concern for them. And I needed someone who I really could trust.

.
.
.

After all the story I have explained to him, father remained quiet and listened to every single word I have to say about that...

"I kept repeating the same events over and over again, it was supposed to be one satisfying afternoon, after such a perfect morning, and with just a minute, everything seemed to be upside down, I remember that there were times that even if I was scared of losing comrades at the biggest ambush of Neighboorsvillage... I didn't have nightmares over the event... But seeing Adagio so helpless... That moment kept playing, over, and over, and over again... Like mocking me the inability of being a father who couldn't protect their children." I confessed not just a second later taking off my hat and examining the dreams... The same feeling of despair happened in my mind, it was a shown of my own failures.

"Because it doesn't matter how much we can try to change our minds, there is always a part inside of us saying the worst things inside of our minds." Father confirmed my inner thoughts, but seeing him distressed enough to sigh, he must know the perfect way to erase such feelings. "No Starswirll, there isn't a good spell or sorcery capable to erase our memories to prevent the lesson we learned..."

"Sard..." He confirmed the worst outcome, and I couldn't help but curse...

"I didn't finish Starty..." My father said as he walked near my side and looked deep into my eyes. "From the day you were born, I always thought I was going to be able to protect you from anything over the world, from the little creatures until the monstrous horrors of the dark era... I thought I was capable of doing it...But in the end, I couldn't manage to give you the childhood that I always wished you to have... We were soldiers, we were Faust's knights... And still, I failed into protecting you from the terrors of what you passed through."

I remained quiet, and I could see from the deep of my mind, the darkness showing a moment of my past... The shadows of my own past... A little colt with a book on his hooves, mud on his face, tears on his eyes, and 2 unicorns with determined gazes but with tears to turn their backs to him and go ahead to a fight for the survival of their tribe...

"Being a father is one of the most difficult jobs you will ever have... You must know what is best for your foals, even accepting that they want to learn that by themselves, we must use our experience to create a path for them, to make them not follow the same mistakes we did in the past." Father said as he raised his hoove and pointed at the memory of myself holding Adagio in my arms, the crying faces of Sonata, and Aria who struggled to remain strong. "We stallions, we aren't invincible, we aren't supreme beings... we are just ponies, we commit mistakes... But to be a dad is to recognize that we fail, but we will hold the mistakes of what we did in the past, and become wiser about what to do in the future... You said that this happened a week ago... Now tell me... how are you treating the lads right now?"

"With ultimate care and vigil... I cannot make the same mistake again... I have asked potions from Meadowbrook just in case of the same problems happen with them..." I replied as I showed determination over my resolution of my own problems.

"Yet... you still think you are a failure of a father." Commander Hearts shook his head, as he sighed in disappointment. "Starty... you must know that, it's not your fault, it happens to all of us, and yet, you showed amazing decisions and showed that you have both my and your mother's genes... You fought a clan of basilisks lions, barehooved... With a foal in your back, it's the same thing I did on the day of your birth... an Ursa was attacking your mother in her process of you giving you birth... I wouldn't accept that neither she nor you would be hurt by the freaking monster... So I did what a father would do at that moment... I chopped its head off..."

"I know that story." I said as I could imagine how terrifying he must have been while he had to fight an Ursa to protect me.

"Yet... you still blame yourself for a sickness... No father is that good Starty, not even Fausty was that good..."

"BLASPHEMY." I shouted as I glared to my father.

"Pfff... you still have feelings for her." Father rolled his eyes, already knowing the fact. "Yet my proof still stands... instead of worrying about the possible dangers over the future, why not focus on what is important to you, them... Your daughters, my granddaughters are your treasure, and yet you are not treasuring them. You are still too worried about the fact that they would break and you would lose them. But you need to accept Starswirl, what doesn't kill you... it makes you stronger. And I know that Adagio even after being in such a terrible state... She will overcome and make you proud... The same way you did to me."

"So that's it? Are you going to leave?" I asked knowing full well that my magic wasn't as powerful as it should, and with him giving me a good chuckle. I knew the time was neigh. So I took something inside my hat. "Here."

"A gift for me?" Father asked as he looked surprised by a single bag on his hooves... And his eyes sparkled after knowing such an item was inside... "He... obsidian stones. It seems Faust told you about them."

"It was hard to find them around, but I think that was the great appreciation of how much you helped me in my times of weakness... Thank you, father... for making me born." I said, not the exact words I wish I could have said, but seeing the sparkle over his eyes, I knew he got the message.

"Well, I think it's the time... Good night son." That were the only words he said before the darkness lit up in such a quick turn.

GASP.

My breath was unstable, my headache was killing me, the pressure over my head was too much for me... Forcing myself to sleep using magic was something terrifying and unpleasing to do... I hated to use such extremes to rest after a week of nightmares related to my children.

"Daddy?" Suddenly a voice came beside my bed, which made my eyes go wide open, and see the same comforting smile from my little yellow bless, who seemed to carry a glass of water with her. "I thought you were thirsty, so I decided to bring a glass to you."

"Daddy, I'm with a nightmare can I sleep with you?" Another voice came from the corridor, and from the door, a little purple siren walked inside and looked with black circles on her eye...

I was almost going to reply until I felt on my other side... a touch of a hoof which brought me to my attention... My little blue siren was looking at me holding in her mouth a little draw... a draw of her family, me, Sonata, Aria, and Adagio...

Faust...

My fur gets wet... From all the tears that fell down over my face... Faust, thank you... Thank you so much...

Even with the worried look on their faces, I gave them a simple smile, and using my horn I brought the trio around me... And by drinking a good glass of water, I laid down on the bed once again, with my daughters by my side... I will never let them down again... And for the first time in a week, I found out why my father told me he wished for the childhood I never had... Because being simple and pure like them, is what I wish for the rest of their lives... I think I may be overreacting... But I don't care... I finally can have a good night of sleep.

Faust... please bless all the fathers over the world.

Author's Note

Okay, as I promised... I wish to all fathers of the world. A happy Brazillian father's day. I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. As I created such a touching scene for both father and son... Now I'm feeling fine to be free from the schedule. XD

See yah later.

The past.

Equestria Dark Era, year 133.

Over the darkest night, surrounded by shadows over a red forest, creatures feared by ponies lurk around to approach and destroy the last barricades made by the ponies who fought for years. Wood and Stone smashed to ash, magic replicating the destruction to rebuild the same protection. The three camps didn't do the only thing they could to protect themselves and ignore the other camps.

That was the view of the three tribes, all of them having to deal with their own personal problem instead to be together and resolving such problems. Each tribe has its own leader to report to the only being who is using all her power to protect the three tribes. A beautiful alicorn with a scarlet mane and white fur.

"Queen, the bugbears are attacking from the east, and the lavengers are creating a colony again to make another wave. We are barely managing to rebuild our forces."

"Pff, that's what you are dealing with? We are having three leviathan serpents over the sky and they are producing more to launch poison over the pegasus tribe. If we inhale the gas it will kill countless pegasus in a few days."

"That's not all my queen. The earth ponies tribe is almost losing supplies from the constant attack of shadow moles who approaches underground, it's been difficult to try to find them and they are almost taking everything we prepared as food. Sooner or later we will have nothing to eat."

The constant report from each tribe around the singular tent in the middle of the forest, a tent with a princess sitting on a wooden throne, with her eyes closed, listening to all the problems around the three tribes. As she opened her eyes, a glow of white appeared on her own pupils, as she made the trio of ponies in silence. As her horn sparkled, she then gave a tired breath and suddenly she took a blank scroll and started writing it.

"I saw the future, each of the tribes has its own unique solution to deal with each problem. Moon Stone, I want you to go to find a representation of the six nature elements, water, fire, earth, wind, light, and shadows. And taking them to each barrier of the tribe, and then cast a spell using 10 unicorns for each element. The name of the spell is Element of Nature, and you must use all the magic, this way you will be able to create a barrier protecting the unicorn tribe."

"Wind Breeze, I want you all your quickest pegasus, to fly at an extreme speed of 150 kilometers in a constant circle, all of them must be in synchrony, that way you will be able to create a hurricane not just enough to take off the poison gas, but using the hurricanes to intimidate the Snake Leviathans because they fear the wind."

"Hoof Wood, there is one artifact being made from one of your fellow earth ponies, he is doing his best to manage in time, so I need you to take all material possible for him to develop his artifact which will be revolutionary into food supplies. That way you all will be able to get a sigh of relief and not be worried about being starved."

Queen Faust instructed every single representative and using her magic, she managed to create copies and pass them to each of them. And smiling motherly as each single of them shred a tear and bowed in gratitude before leaving the tent. With an exhaustive sigh, she then noticed a cup of tea beside her, with flowers to recover her stamina, a little book of single tales, and eyepatches to make her eyes not sore after using her magic.

Smiling she turned her head to see a group of four stallions looking at her with absolute devotion and respect over her. Two are unicorns while the others are a unicorn and a pegasus. Three of them wear armor while the other wears a simple cape.

"Thank you, my knights." The kind Queen, smiled as she used her magic to drink the tea, and used her hooves to start reading the little book to ease her mind.

"My queen." The cape pony walked at her with a deep worry on her face. "The future vision magic is draining and it's affecting you every time you use it. I beg you to stop using it."

"As much, as I hate to say your majesty, Starswirl is right, dealing with this magic is risky and it can potentially destroy your vision and your magic, so we advise you to not uses it." The unicorn wearing armor, his cyan mane and fur, like an elegant pony who would use all kinds of magic to trick his opponents, showed the same concern as his comrade.

"There is nothing else she can do Loolamoon. The brigades around the tribes are pathetic, and each single of us is doing our best to make them protect for years." The pegasus stallion wearing armor approached his deep red fur and brown eyes. His narrowing eyes showed nothing more than frustration to be unable to protect the tribes forever.

"But it must be something we can do." A caramel fur and white mane stallion approached the trio, as he was looking at the Queen with hope, as he felt his mustache twitch on his face. The sadness in his voice was enough to make the trio stop their talk and look at him.

And as the silence reigned over the tent, suddenly a voice came.

"And there is." The queen spoke, making the four ponies stare at her in surprise. "I already used that magic before, and I was waiting for this exact moment. My little ponies, now it's time to stop the dark era once and for all. But this will be the hardest journey of your whole life..."

The group of stallions stared at the queen with their mouths agape. And hope being ignited in every single one of them.

"For your journey, you must cross the darkest path of the forest, surrounded by the monsters you already defeated before. But be not too cocky, they are in colonies, and dealing with their own territory is far more dangerous than killing them in the waves. And crossing the other side of the river under the darkest hole. There is a single flower. A flower with scarlet leaves and black petals, that flower must be used as the caster material to ignite and that way destroy all the darkness around the tribes. This way we will have more chance since most of the creatures would take thousands of years to reproduce the next generations of monsters. So this would be the end of the Dark Era." The queen instructed as every single pony remained quiet, and by nodding to her the trio of armored stallions left the tent to prepare themselves for their journey.

The caped stallion using his hat, remained quiet as he seemed to be unfazed by the quest the trio must do. But the queen has other plans.

"You must go with them Starswirll." The voice of the queen was enough to make the sorcerer pony turn his head to her and look at her in disbelief.

"What? No." The stallion refused, he shook his head and stubbornly stomped his floor. "I won't leave your side."

"But you must do Starswirll, because magic is essential for the flower to ignite, and you are the strongest magic caster of the unicorn tribe, even as in foalhood you swore to never leave my side, for the sake of all the tribes, you must go with them." The queen smiled sadly at the stubborn unicorn who suddenly felt so conflicted.

"But what about you? The shadowborgs, the leviathan serpents, and oh sard help me if an Ursa attacks you." The sorcerer looked at his queen in despair and in such worried, that all his points of proving to be on her side were the only reason to protect her from all the dangers.

"Starswirl." Then the Queen said his name, making him stop. "Don't you have faith in me?"

The unicorn, remained quiet, as he looked at the goodness in front of him, the motherly mare who took care of all the tribes, even though most of them hates each other, she was there to make them believe in themselves and even try to work together as a whole.

"I would rather die than lose my faith in you, my Queen." Starswirl bowed as he closed his eyes, and even if he hated so much to follow this order, it was a must. "I will prepare myself, but if I don't manage to come back... I...I..I."

Starswirl remained with his head looking at the floor, unable to say such words that he've always wanted to say, but then he felt a hoove over his head, which made him raise his head to her, the motherly smile, as she looked deep in his own eyes.

"I know, just go with them, your journey will save their own lives, and you all will learn a valuable lesson through this journey." Faust, the queen smiled as she used her own magic and opened the tent for the unicorn who seemed so conflicted about leaving, but after hearing the voice of his queen again, he got up and went outside to prepare himself for the journey. Leaving the smiling alicorn shredding tears on her face. "And I'm sorry, for the future I won't be there for you."

A taste of the present

As the sun rose over the vast and diverse land, its golden rays stretched across a scene of bustling activity and anticipation. This land was home to three factions, each with their distinct characteristics. The morning brought a sense of fresh possibilities and the promise of a new day. Since the retirement of one leader of the Unicorn faction was heard by the same public who has been lead by him.

And from another perspective, it was also the return of one veteran of the same faction after a long trip around the lands of the unknown.

"I have to confess." A silver mane stallion with a dark blue fur commented as he took his top hat and a sandle bags behind his back. Staring at the duo of familiar veterans and yet the leaders of the 2 factions of the same nation as him. " Never felt so much alive after crossing the deserts of Zebrica. It's an experience of another world."

"I can imagine that, Stardust Lulamoon." Commander Hurricane scoffed, but remained with his grin over his head. "Nice to see your flank back here. You wouldn't believe what happened during your ausence."

"Please... if it is something related to Platinum, I would like to have a drink first, if it is not related to Swirls having courted a mare then you lost me." Stardust joked, giving some knots on his baggage before leading to the unicorn hall.

"Well, Starswirll made a prank on Platinum." Chancellor Pudding replied which made the dark blue unicorn stop his walk for a second, just for the next second continue walking. "You know that since we started the era of Light, Starswirll was never interested to somepony."

"Of course, he wasn't." The stallion replied as he felt displeased. "Swilrs loved Queen Faust, that was obvious. And since her departure, was enough to make that stubborn sorcerer be bitter and prick as a lemon."

Commander Hurricane and Chancelor Pudding remained quiet. Knowing that it was true that since their queen disappeared, the bearded pony wasn't the same, from the perspective of the trio... at first, but they grew together with that stubborn fool, and still they remain what they are now... veterans with the ideals to lead the tribes to a new era in hope to achieve a good future for their nation.

"Well, you may have heard about him retiring from the battle field from now on. And focusing on the politics as he would try to help the way he can." Hurricane followed the duo who seemed to be debating among themselves.

"Well that's great to see... I remember the time my body was betraying me in the most difficult ways. I'm not agile I was decades ago. I remember when I was 7 I created a lot of smoke to try to bait the croamonguls from the unicorn tribe and make them starve into a hole of 60 hoof height." Stardust commented as he was taking from his cape covered in stars a deck to shuffle with his hooves. "I'm just glad I'm in time to see my sweet daughter and my grandchildren. They are going to love the few tricks I learned by the time I went to Saddle Arabia."

"I thought you went to Zebrica." Pudding asked as Stardust nodded his head towards the chancellor.

"I went, but that doesn't mean I didn't go to Saddle Arabia as well. I took my caravan and I did a good trip around learning about the cultures." Stardust commented, as he showed a new made map and gave to both of them. "Here is the map I drew from scratch, maybe this will be enough to guide the new ponies when they want to travel across the world."

"Hehe... of course you would do that... Well, maybe after I stop the politics, I'm going on a trip following you. I heard Yakstan was cold and they were loud but brash yaks... I want to see if they are what they say." Hurricane commented which made the blue unicorn smile.

"I would like to see that. Hey Pudding, would want to go there too?" The unicorn asked which made the Chancelor of the earth ponies faction become in silence, and start to think for a while.

"Well, I wouldn't mind, since I can ask for Smart Cookie to take care of my paperwork while I can go on a diplomatic trip for a while. So why not?" The fucsia earth pony shrugged as he couldn't say no to a good trip towards the unknown like the old times. At times like that, he missed the adventure he had with his brothers in war.

"Thank Faust, I thought you were thinking to refuse. But now it's two down, let's go for the final member." Stardust smiled at the duo who raised their eyebrows to him.

"Do you really think Swirls is going to accept that?" Commander Hurricane may not be the wisest of the ponies, but he can see a terrible attempt from 10 miles away. "Because you think we are friends with him?"

"Wonderbolt are you stupid?" Stardust gave a mocked gasp which Hurricane growled at him for using the nickname he hates. " Starswirl never have friends... he despises friendship. You Underestimate yourself."

"What doesn't even that mean?" Hurricane rolled his eyes, but at the wave of the cape from the unicorn, his eyes widened as he remembered the meaning. "Oh yes... the brotherhood."

"Exactly, we may never be friends with him because we are brothers in war... We fought together protecting each other, as the same way we could die together giving our lives for each other..."Chancelor Pudding got in the middle as he understood the meaning of the cape, since each of them had one as well... "So maybe that will be the reason for him to considerate into going?"

"Yep, that's the advantage we have with the cape, since Starswirl would never give his cape to nopony less than he think is worth it, like that mare who is getting out from the tower right now." Stardust Lulamoon was happily giving an example until suddenly his entire body stopped and his eyes went wide open in surprise. "Oh Sard me, that's Bugbear Crap."

Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Pudding were also staring in surprise to see a familiar pony walking outside of the tower was nopony less than Meadowbrook one of the pillars who worked with Starswirll.

The cyan mare walked towards what would be the invisible barrier by using her cape as a key to making her have a good walk towards over the tribe, enjoying a good time babysitting the fillies for Starswirl to have a good time walking to take the groceries. Sometimes she couldn't understand why the stubborn would keep doing his clone sorcery since it would give him even more stress in taking care of his personal studies.

But Meadowbrook didn't give up, she was enjoying the time acting like a good aunt for the little fillies, and it was good enough to discover the culprit of Adagio having an anaphylactic shock, Adagio never meet a bee before, and just having one stung by it was enough to make her discover that she was allergic to those. She already leave some notes for the worried father to be aware of his eldest daughter in the case into seeing bees again. In the future, she was planning to see if the other two have some similar allergies and make a paranoid fool like Starswirl have a mind more tranquil.

"I have to confess, he is an overprotective father, but even I find what he does absurd. He must need to calm himself sometimes, maybe find a mare to take care of his ass to not do some stupid things. For the wisest unicorn, he is silly sometimes. Now... who would be the perfect mare to help this fool?" Meadowbrook was enjoying her walk when she felt something holding her cape... it was a telekinesis spell that made her stare at the trio who she immediately recognize. "Oh, hello Commander Hurricane, Chancelor Pudding. Stardust Lulamoon, I didn't know you came from the trip, how was it?"

...

The silence between themselves was enough to make the mare uncomfortable.

"Well, I better go now... It was a nice talk, have a good afternoon." The mare decided to pass by them which made the trio give some space for her. But at the time she was walking away, she heard one of them talking to her.

"This cape means you did something impossible and got not just the respect of Swirls, but you made yourself part of his family... We don't know what you did, and we don't care... But know that you are part of this brotherhood, and if you ever need help or a favor from us... you can call us. But know that this cape has the responsibilities and burdens that you never imagine you would have."

Meadowbrook remained quiet, and she didn't look behind, but after closing her eyes, and seeing how in 2 weeks after taking care of one of the sirens, she knew what she did and why the cape was so important to her now... It was the key to seeing the tower and seeing the girls... This means Starswirl trusted the care of his legacy and children to her as a brother did to a sister.

"I KNOW THE BURDENS." Meadowbrook shouted loudly enough, and without skipping a beat, she walked away from the trio.

The trio remained in silence until Stardust decided to speak his mind.

"Well, we have to convince just 2 more ponies now. Let's see tomorrow if they are interested to go into Yakistan in a few months." Stardust smiled, as he raised his head towards the tower. "Let's talk to him tomorrow, let's let him have this night, we can ask about this in the future."

And in this way, the veterans of the Dark Era once again would be reunited, but this time enjoying the peace instead of dealing with the despair of the shadows... Thanks, Faust for that day.

Prologue

After countless battles by generations and pastimes of history, I Starswirl never relied on and believed in the power of friendship. I know thousands of spells and countless tricks I learned during all my life. But to believe in that dark gray stallion who came in my direction looking for help not just on me but also to another ponies I didn’t even meet to take care of three simple monsters who control the other ponies by singing?

I think that was a stupid idea, coming from nopony less than a helpless scholar stallion named Stygian who wanted to create a team of heroes in Equestria named the pillars of harmony, using his prominent idea about trying to held forces with 6 powerful ponies. Explaining with my Sorcery with the other virtues like healing, hope, strength, bravery, and beauty, we could create a powerful force with his strategy to ambush those three monsters who were terrifying his village.

His logic seems it doesn’t have flaws; however, my pride won't let anypony take my decisions from me. So I decided to try on his plan if… just if I cannot deal with these monsters 5 minutes by myself.

His shocked face and hesitation to accept my counter offer demonstrated how poorly this stallion is on negotiations or charisma, making me look down at him for the rest of my life or just until prove to myself he can be better than me. This is what I had determined myself from now on. And If I cannot deal with those 3, I will promise to myself I will not let my pride take over me anymore, and I’m too old to deal with things alone. That’s a promise I cannot forget.

After passing a week, it was time to meet the other pillars as Stygian told me to appear.

I met everypony in the room, and while some were interested in the confrontation, others wanted to make a better way not to have any victims or casualties in the battle. It was that moment I suggested to deal with the monsters by myself the first minutes, and while I sounded arrogant, actually, I was trying to prove to myself I still can do that missions without any help. Even my students knew I could do everything by myself.

While the pillars reacted grimly, I made up my mind, and I was stubborn as a mule too. I learned by my experience with the founders of Equestria as Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Pudding strategies to defeat armies and with my former assistant Clover the Clever and her friends to share her experience dealing with Windigos. I managed to defeat many monsters during my time alive, and I’m not young. When it comes to the time when more time passes, more experience you get, and I’m living proof; I can do that.

I used all the information I received from Stygian and went directly to the village while the pillars were following me. While we interacted some moments, I focused on dealing with the battle with those who captured the village.

It took 2 days walking until we found the village and from the 3 big blurs showing in the distance.
In my mind, I chronometer the time to 5 minutes, and I galloped in the direction of the town. I still remember their arrogant faces. After trying to lure me, their faces became ugly when I showed I was prepared for them. So it started the battle, I have to say they have the guts to use some physical attacks, but usually, monsters like them were always the same. Find a pattern, and they use your best attack.

I decided to freeze one in time while I could deal with 2 alone. One was already down, so I need to make a surprise trap against the others. I knew I could deal with them by myself. I couldn’t expect it if they could create magic immunity after two minutes they were affected by the spell. I could have a deal with the other two. I did a powerful spell making the two monsters fighting themselves.

At the moment I let my guard down, a blue giant tail hit me. Launching me in the direction of a building. My body wasn’t the same for decades, and having pain usually makes you lose your concentration while using spells. I shouldn’t let them attack me; it just made them take time to recover themselves. I finally could see their true forms, it was a giant combination between a fish and a pony, but her body was almost 6 times bigger than mine. Three of them with distinctive colors, one as blue, the other as pink and purple, and yellow and orange.

The same blue monster motioned her voice, singing a sonnet while it brought a lot of ponies in my direction. They were in control of these monsters. I decided to use my spell to freeze them in time, but that took me a lot of magic. I discovered the minutes I had almost ended, and the monsters were ready to come in my direction. I had time to just one more spell. And I know I can use it to save the whole of Equestria and the village. I will send them to another dimension.

I used my horn to sparkle runes around the floor, and I could see the countdown of my minutes in just 11 seconds. I can make the spell in 9. I grinned while I used my concentration to that attack; the banishment would be my victory… But then one of them launched a pony with their tail in my direction. I couldn’t banish a pony with those monsters… They… just read me… Me, the strongest sorcerer of Equestria, Starswirl the bearded, was fooled by 3 monsters who look like teenagers, using an innocent pony to cancel my magic.

I changed the magic to teleport the pony who was launched to me and me.

I Starswirl was too old to deal with Equestria's threat by myself for that time.

I saw the ponies' surprise looks who saw my face with not good news, but their surprise was because I could deal with them without much damage either. I had everything in control. But it seems I need to find a new way to deal with my life now. Maybe retire my life for doing such risks by myself. Maybe have 1 or 3 fools to take care of my legacy.

I saw the monsters away again; who could know that monsters would be my daughters from that day?

Desert thieves

In a world of ancient era, the ponies always should be ready for any kind of unexpected events, protect your mind, protect your heart, protect your soul, and protect everything you cares. The lessons of the ancient era always should be followed for the future generations because you never know what would happen in the future. And ponies who doesn't learn history has tendency to repeat it again.

One thing I always learned in my teenies days was... Monsters always lurks around Equestria, and you always should protect the others during all the time. I remember the harsh times of I became restless trying to protect my teacher who became unconscious after a terrible battle. It was 10 days of agonizing paranoia about if monsters would appear to eat the pony kind and all the energy I used to stay vigilant and concentrated to kept my magic ready.

And a veteran never forgets his preparations... I always stay alert if a monster would be approaching my tower, if someone got freed from the seal book... or if 3 little thieves were trying to eat desert before dinner.

I was cutting the vegetables and keeping the cauldron ready for the soup, when I heard the sound of sneak tiny hoof steps... I was keeping my concentration on the cut, so I ignored the sound... Then I felt something tapping my foreleg...

Was Sonata who was smiling at me, I know she wasn't alone at the kitchen, but don't know why I could see only her near me.

"Hi daddy, what'you doing?" She asked me sweetly, I would suspect her she was planning something, but she always talks sweet like that, so it was difficult to read if she really is trying to plan something.

"I'm almost getting dinner ready." I ignored the feeling of her being a suspect, until I saw something which made my eyebrow rise, I saw two little different forelegs trying to climb up the counter. Then I saw Sonata jumping on me.

"Do you need some help on something? I can give you the utensils, and make the table." Sonata's sweat showed me she was indeed nervous... Something was up, well... I will let it go... for now...

"Alright, got to the fridge and take some milk, and you can help me with adding these ingredients on the cauldron." I could see the relief and glee on her eyes, making sure she was indeed trying something... But at least she is helping me to make the dinner.

"Okay daddy." I could see Sonata run fast as she could, and the moment I could see her away, I looked at the counter, where Adagio and Aria were capturing the cookie jar and jumping quickly from the counter without looking at me.

Little thieves... I shook my head, while I felt the milk jar near me, and Sonata smiling sweetly.

I used my magic to grab Sonata who was giggling and holding the milk jar, for her to add at the cauldron where I was adding the vegetables.
Sonata did her best to be careful to not hurt herself, and I was using my magic to not make her even near too much from the cauldron, it would be totally irresponsible if an adult would let a kid near the fire without strict supervision.

But seeing her enjoying made me smile a little.

After that, I decided to talk to her.

"So... you were a distraction?" I knew Sonata was the bait at the first moment she tried to took of my attention. And Sonata knowing she was caught still smiled. "You were the one who wanted to be the bait?"

"Yep, it was fun. Aria and Adagio said they would save some cookies for me at the end of the day, but cooking with you is really fun, so I offered myself to be the distraction." Sonata is the only pony or creature in the entire Equestria I met who wants to be the bait because it was fun to be the bait. Usually many ponies hated to be the bait for obvious reasons... and none of them is because it was fun.

"So you knew their plan of taking the cookie jar?" I raised my eyebrows while she nodded at me happily. "You know, you and your sisters are going to be grounded right?"

The moment I said that, Sonata inclined her head like she knew it would end like this.

"Yeah, I know..." While knowing the consequences of their actions, they still did. Well, knowing the risks and consequences is always a good way to show you can improve and grow up everyday. They are indeed my daughters.

So I decided to smile, and then I used my magic to took of my hat.

Sonata looked what I was doing, so I used my magic to take from inside, a little tiny of a hoof a cookie jar. And using my magic, I make it grow up like it was a full size of cookie jar. Making Sonata's mouth drop.

I took the lid and from inside I took of a cookie.

"Here..." I gave to Sonata who gasped in happiness. "This will be the only cookie you will have from the entire week. No cookies for you during a whole week."

"Awww... But how you managed to have a cookie jar inside of your hat?" I heard Sonata pouting while at the same time I heard a scream of two fillies from above and a puff. I chuckled while Sonata's eye went wide open.

"Sonata my dear, an old dog cannot learn new tricks, but never underestimate the wisdom and the old tricks the old dog still has." I could see Sonata in awe from my lesson to her. Then I chuckled and went over the table. "Your sisters are grounded with a spell to make them unable to taste deserts during a week. While I knew you were the bait, at least you helped me to make the table. So for the desert tonight we will not have cookies. We will have pudding."

"Pud...PUDDING?" Sonata eyes went wide open and her mouth grinned like a crazy kid who loved to hear this news. "YAY."

"Yeah, I have a friend who make some for me, so I was going to share with you girls, but it seems your sisters are going to be unable to eat it. ARIA, ADAGIO, DINNER'S READY. GET DOWN TO EAT." I screamed while I could hear a groaning like I heard almost every time they are in trouble.

"Awwwwwww."

"Pudding, pudding, pudding." I could hear Sonata singing happily the desert she and I will have after eating dinner, so at least it's a good lesson and a good reward for me and Sonata.

Well Faust... Thank you for today.

Announcement

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Author's Note

While many people got confused on the yesterday chapter. I'm proudly to announce that yes, that chapter was made by purpose to make other people confuse, because today I deleted the chapter and I want to announce the sequel is being made to be published on the next chapter. I hope you all understand, and enjoy the chapter I wrote today. Still be awesome guys. XD