The Hidden Prince

Chapters

Dusk Storm
A Meeting at the Museum
The Truth Finds a Brother
A Cursed Heart
Forget to Protect
Reunion
Epilogue - A Brand New Adventure Begins?

Dusk Storm

Another day had dawned at the Light Kingdom. Summer had just started, but that didn’t prevent Star from wakening early. He liked to enjoy the day as much as he could, especially now that he had graduated from the academy.

That day was a very special one to Star, as it meant that now he could continue into more advanced studies and also help more his parents in keeping the peace in the Pony World and also the Enchanted Forest. Not only that, but he had received a student honor award for his high academic achievements, becoming part of the student honor board.

The young alicorn prince woke up, finding his pet tiberwolf Timber sleeping on his lap. Despite finding that cute and it was showing how much he loved his owner, Star still had to get up. Tapping his head slightly on his head, Star said:

“Timber, wake up, sleepyhead.”

Timber opened his eyes and yawned, licking then Star’s face.

“Okay, okay, I get it, you love me” the young prince said, while laughing. “Now let me get up. I need to get ready for the day.”

The timberwolf then got up and let Star got up as well. After washing himself, Star advanced towards his mirror, so he could comb his mane. After he did that, he made the mirror show him his friends, something he used to do at the beginning of each day (except when he was at the academy), so that he could remember all of his friendships and keep close to them. He saw Jonagold, who was his best friend, but he also saw Moonlight, who was his true love, but also Bramble, Gunter and Galena, who were his other friends. His sisters also appeared, followed by Heartbeat and also Kurama and his parents.

When Star was about to leave the mirror, something caught his attention. The image of the colt he had met during the party celebrating the release of Neverland appeared before him. Star found that very strange as that mirror only reflected his friends. How could it reflect that colt, if he only had met him once.

“How strange…” Star said. “How can this be?”

It is then that he remembered that Kurama did have warned him about the colt. How could he knew that something like what happened would actually happened.

“You know more than what you said you know” Star told to Kurama in their plane. “You know that colt, do you?”

“Just because you’re my jinchuriki and you’re free to use my energy, it doesn’t mean that I have to answer you all the questions you make” Kurama said, while laying down casually. “Remember that I’m not like your pet timberwolf.”

“And did I ever say that?” Star asked. “Come on, Kurama, you know that colt. Or else, why would you tell me to not approach him?”

But Kurama didn’t reply, keeping his sleep pretending. Star hated when he got that way. It was very annoying.

Being unable to get anything from Kurama, Star got out of his room, along with Timber, and went to the dining room, where his parents were already taking breakfast.

“Good morning, son” Blue said. “Sleep well?”

“Actually, yes” Star said, while sitting, while Timber went to eat some of logs he had on a bowl to him. “Now that school is over, I don’t have to worry about homework, exams and projects.”

“I hope you enjoy your vacations, sweetie” Twilight said, while drinking some coffee. “Believe me when I say that moments of tranquility tend to be short-lived.”

“Oh I know that” Star said, while serving himself of some cereal. “And I intend in enjoying myself. Today I’m going to the Light Museum.”

“That’s a very interesting way to spend your vacations” Blue commented, sarcastically.

“Come on, Blue, I don’t see any harm in going to the museum” Twilight replied. “I’m happy that Star likes to nurture his thirst for knowledge.”

“And also I haven’t seen the exhibition regarding the war, neither the Hall of Heroism nor the Hall of Villainy” Star said. “I’m curious about those.”

“You’ll like what was done there” Twilight said. “Despite the war was one the darkest moments of our history, it’s still part of it and we need to tell it to future generations.”

It was then that Twilight noticed her son thinking face, while he was eating. She knew something was bothering him, as she used to do the same face when something was bugging her.

“Is there something wrong, Star?” Twilight asked.

“It’s nothing special, really” he replied. “It’s just something weird appeared when I looked into my mirror, just now.”

“Weird how?” Twilight asked.

“Probably it’s nothing” Blue said. “After all, it was made by Heartbeat. And we all know she is as crazy as Pinkie Pie, if not crazier.”

“When I looked into it, the reflection of a colt appeared” Star told. “I’ve never met him… That is, until the party to celebrate Neverland. It’s strange, because I feel like I know him and yet I’ve never seen him in my life. And when I touched him… I was pushed away and my heart hurt.”

Hearing that, Twilight dropped her coffee cup that shattered on the floor and Blue almost chocked with a piece of toaster he was eating.

“What?” Star asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, son, we’re…” Twilight started, trying to find what to say.

“We’re just worried” Blue said. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine” he replied. “Thanks to Kurama’s energy, I recovered fast.”

Hearing that, Twilight and Blue became very relieved, what caused Star to become a little suspicious. After leaving the dining room with Timber, Star started to talk with his pet, saying:

“You know, Timber, I’m starting to feel like everyone is hiding something from me. First it was Kurama and now my parents. I just wanted to know what they are hiding and what does that colt has to do with it.”

In the dining room, after Star left, Twilight said to Blue, with a little panic in her voice:

“Blue, Star is starting to get suspicious. He’s going to find out.”

“Relax, Twily” Blue said. “Everything is fine.”

“Fine?” Twilight asked. “Star saw him. They got closed. If he got mad at us for hiding from him that he was a jinchuriki, then when he gets to know that… Seriously, what was he thinking about?”

“Twily, look at me” Blue told, making Twilight look at him. “Breath. Come on…”

Twilight did so and found herself getting calmer.

“What we need to do is going to Bright Shore and talk to him” Blue told.

“Yes, and you can be sure that he’ll get in so much trouble” Twilight said.

Blue made him a look that caused her to say:

“Okay, we’ll let him explain first and then we may get him in so much trouble.”

“Now that’s better” Blue said.

“Heartbeat” Twilight called.

And, in a flash, Heartbeat appeared.

“Yes, princess?” she asked.

“Can you tell Golden Paladin that Blue and I will go to Bright Shore and we want him to cover for us?” Twilight asked.

“Of course” the General of Affection replied. “I’ll tell him right away.”

After saying that, she got out using her swift nature.

The Bright Shore was located at the edge of southwestern part of the Light Kingdom, where it met the ocean. The light irradiated from the sand, combined with the transparency of the ocean, made that shore to be one of the most beautiful places of the Pony World. However, despite its beauty, the shore was avoided by many light ponies, as that place was known to be one of the vertices of an area where the ones who dared to adventure there just disappeared.

But there was one pony that lived there, in a beach house, and that pony was currently surfing. The young colt that had met Star was surfing on his white and orange surfboard. He really had a very good talent to surf and that made him very happy. When he was getting out of the ocean, while holding his surfboard with his magic, and heading towards the house so he could dry his coat and mane. But it’s then that he saw Twilight and Blue waiting for him. Seeing them, a smile appeared on the colt’s face and he called:

“Mom! Dad!”

He run towards them and hugged them who hugged him back.

“Hey there, son” Blue said.

“I thought you’d come tomorrow for my birthday.”

“We would, but…” Twilight said, while trading a look with Blue. “It came to our attention that you did something that you shouldn’t have done, Dusk.”

The colt realized what she meant and said:

“Oh, you know about that…”

“Sweetie, we’ve already talked about this” Twilight said. “You can’t come to the citadel, or else…”

“Or else I risk meeting Star and get too close to him” Dusk said. “Yeah, yeah, I know about it. You’ve told me that for all my life. But Star is my big brother and the twins are my little sisters. They don’t even know that I exist. They never heard the name Dusk Storm. I just… I just wanted to see them.”

“We understand, son, you have to understand that…” Blue said.

“Dad, please, I don’t need to hear another lecture” Dusk replied. “What’s done it’s done. It’s not like I can go back in time and prevent myself from going to the party.”

“We know that, but…” Twilight started. “Look, Dusk, we’re doing everything we can to solve this. We just need…”

“More time?” Dusk asked. “That’s what you have been saying my entire life. I’m about to make thirteen and I’m going to celebrate without my brother and sisters. You can’t possibly blame me for want to see them.”

And Dusk passed by them and headed inside the beach house. Twilight sighed and said:

“And now he’s mad at us. We can’t really blame him. We still didn’t find the cure.”

Blue placed his hoof over his wife’s shoulder and then turned her face towards his, telling her:

“But we will. You need to have hope, Twily. You’ll see. We’ll fix this mess and, once we do that, our family will be completed.”

Those words caused Twilight to smile and then hug Blue, saying then:

“I hope you’re right, Blue. I really do.”

A Meeting at the Museum

After lashing out on his parents for keeping him in the hiding, Dusk returned to the summer house, taking a towel to dry himself clean. After cleaning his mane, he tossed away the towel with frustration and headed to his room, laying down on his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Now that he was calmer, Dusk could feel some remorse for the way he had spoken to his parents. It was not their fault what happened back in the past, what caused him to get separated from his brother and sisters. However, the frustration of being put aside while his parents try to solve the problem could sometimes be so overwhelming that would cloud his love for them.

Dusk got up and walked through his room. It was decorated with posters from the things he loved: fictional characters like Daring Doo and Smash Fortune, hoofball stars, current and old, that he loved, including his great-uncle Shooting Star. But there were also framed newspaper articles referring to his siblings, like Star defeating Ten-Tails and how the twins were able to free Neverland. On his bedside table there was three framed photos: one where Dusk was with his parents, one with Star and the twins and the other where a four-year-old Star was a one-year-old Dusk.

His parents’ sermon and the image of seeing Star in pain were constantly invading his mind, preventing him from thinking in another thing. Despite knowing his parents were right, Dusk couldn’t help but trying to know his siblings, especially Star. So he decided to go to the citadel, but this time he would make sure he wouldn’t get to close.

Making sure his parents had already gone, Dusk teleported, appearing at the entrance of the citadel. After that, he headed towards the museum. Despite not being his favorite place to be, he got to know about the exposition about the Great War, what would be an opportunity to get to know Star better. But, for his surprise, when he arrived at the entrance of the museum, he found Timber sleeping peacefully at the entrance.

“Oh no…” Dusk said. “If Timber is here, then… Star must be too. Okay, Dusk, calm down. As long you two don’t meet and get close, everything will be fine.”

Taking a deep breath, Dusk advanced towards the entrance. When he was close to Timber, the timberwolf rose his head and look at the young colt. Dusk became a little uncomfortable with that, but decided to not pay that much attention. And so he got inside the museum.

Entering there, he became astonished by what he saw. The foyer was round, having halls heading to different parts of the museum and banners hanging from the ceiling announcing the new exposition about the Great War. At the center of the foyer there was also a big statue. At the first glance, Dusk thought that it was his mother, but when he got a closer look he noticed some differences and then realized that it was Princess Aurora, the Light Kingdom’s first ruler.

Dusk was left amazed by all that that he left himself be moved by his legs without his brain commanding them. Without realizing it, he was now at the Equestria exhibit. Because his parents used to live in Equestria, Dusk was very familiar with its history and recognized some of the displays, like tapestries representing special events in the history of Equestria such as: the rise of King Cosmos and Queen Galaxia, the rise of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as rulers of Equestria, the defeats of Discord and Nightmare Moon, the rise of his mother and her friends as the holders of the Elements of Harmony and her turning into an alicorn and crowning as a princes. Copies of the elements were also exposed there, along with some other precious parchments.

Not only that, but there was also tapestries of heroes from the old Equestria, along with their respective symbols. One of them was Star Swirl the Bearded, where he had a bluish gray coat, a white and arctic bluish gray mane, dark grey hooves and brilliant gold eyes, along with his cloak and pointed hat with bells. Dusk knew that he was his mother and brother’s idol and he could understand why, as Star Swirl was the greatest name when it came to magic in all Pony World. But there were also other heroes beside him.

Another was Rockhoof, a great hero that was able to save his village from a volcano by making a trench with nothing, but a shovel and his own strength. He was an earth pony of a very big size with a pale, light grayish cyan coat with a light cyanish gray muzzle and a valknut as a Cutie Mark, light opalish gray hooves, a moderate gamboge mane with a light gold highlight and grayish blue eyes.

There was also Flash Magnus, a pegasus member of the Cloudsdale Royal Legion, famous for his bravery that had led him to save some of his comrades from dragons, with nothing but his fireproof shield. He had brilliant amber coat with a blue feather and mountains as a Cutie Mark, moderate amaranth mane and brilliant turquoise. He was also wearing his armor of the Royal Legion.

Mage Meadowbrook was renowned as being one of the greatest healers of all time, being also known as the Mystical Mask because of the mask she used to wear while healing the ailing, what caused her to be part of the pony folklore. She had a light cerulean coat with her Cutie Mark covered by a greenish dress, a pink and moderate scarlet mane and brilliant turquoise eyes.

Another legendary pony was Mistmane, an exceptional unicorn sorceress who gave up her beauty for a friend and her village and dedicated her life to spread beauty throughout Equestria. She had a light mulberryish gray coat with a cloud of mist as a Cutie Mark and lighter shades on the tips of her horn and ears and hooves, a wavy mane with gradients of grayish arctic blue to turquoisish gray and grayish turquoise to malachite greenish gray and pale, light grayish cerulean eyes.

And also Somnambula, a pegasus hero full of hope and optimism that was able to save the prince of her birthplace from an evil Sphinx, being able to solve the creature’s challenges with nothing but hope, while using a blindfold. She had light scarlet coat with a gold necklace with two pearls on each other and covered by a linen dress, a dark arctic blue and moderate turquoise mane decorated with a headdress crown and grayish blue violet eyes.

Advancing, Dusk ended up entering in the Light Kingdom exhibit, where there was a scale model of the Light Castle at the center of the room. The castle, at that model, was with its form during the Light Kingdom Recovery Day. Dusk’s sigh was kept on that model for a moment, as he had never seen the castle like that and wondered how it was like seeing the light wings appear on the castle, while being filled with its immense light.

After some seconds, Dusk moved away his eyes from the model and analyzed the other displays. There was also a copy of the figure in relief of Princess Aurora and the Generals of Order and the Solar Crystal and the Jewel of Life that were inside of their respective glass case protected with defensive magic. Tapestries telling events of the Light Kingdom were also there, like its founding by Aurora, as well its fall and reawakening, where his mom and dad were pictured.

There was also a tapestry describing the destruction caused by the General of Chaos and his defeat at the hooves of Star. Looking at it, Dusk became filled with pride for having a big brother like that, capable of becoming strong enough to face such powerful foe. But then he became saddened at the thought of not being able to be near him.

It was then that he reached the Great War exhibit. The exhibit possessed many instruments that were used during the war, like the sealing cloth, the devices used for communication squad and some weapons, but also a photograph with all the five units before the war started. One of the walls was covered by a tapestry describing the battle of the Alliance against Ten-Tails, Grogar and the General of Chaos, with Star leading the Alliance in combat. But the crown jewel of that exhibit, was an obelisk at occupied the central place of the room, with it being a memorial for all the ones who lost their lives in combat.

When Dusk was about to get in, he noticed Star there, looking to the tapestry of Ten-Tails. It was a good thing Dusk stopped himself, as he didn’t want to cause a similar situation as the one that happened at the party last time.

Star was looking to the tapestry of Ten-Tails, remembering the battle that decided the fate of the world. In his mental plane with Kurama, he said to the tailed beast:

“You know, it’s hard to believe that has already passed one year ever since the war ended.”

“Where did that came from?” Kurama asked. “Uh, I hate when you get nostalgic.”

“Don’t forget that many have given their lives to protect me and this world… including Thunder Night and my great-grandfather” Star said. “That is something I’ll never forget.”

It was then that slight pain in his chest distracted him. Star wondered where that came from. But something distracted him from that, as he then found himself surrounded by young light foals. They were fans of him.

“I’m sorry for this, my prince” a light mare, who was probably their caretaker, said. “But when they saw you… Well, they got very enthusiastic.”

“It’s okay” Star said. “It’s nice to see young foals as enthusiastic as these ones.”

“Prince Star Knight, can you tell us what exhibition you like the most?” a young filly asked.

The others agree with that question and also wanted to know about it. Star smiled, touched by their innocence and admiration. He looked to their caretaker who nodded to him in agreement.

“Well, if you really want to know, there’s a place in this museum that is my favorite” Star told. “Do you want me to show you?”

“Yes!” the young foals exclaimed.

And so Star guided the foals and their caretaker throughout the museum. Dusk, steered by his own curiosity about his big brother, decided to follow them. It didn’t take long for they to arrive to a part of the museum where there was two doors, one golden and one blood red, between the doors there were two big statues, one of the Lord of Order who was beside the golden door and one of the Lord of Chaos who was beside the blood red door. The foals got a little intimidated by those statues.

“Does anypony knows who are these?” Star asked.

Despite a little hesitant, a young colt rose his hoof and Star motioned to him.

“They are… the Lords of Order and Chaos.”

“Precisely” Star said. “They’re the ones who rule over both Order and Chaos.”

“They look scary…” another filly commented.

Star gave a chuckle and said:

“Perhaps, but that may be because they are the rulers of Creation and Destruction. But they are also the reason why we have these two exhibitions: the Hall of Heroism and the Hall of Villainy, the places where are recorded all the heroes and villains in the Pony Reality. Why don’t we take a look inside?”

And he headed towards the door that led to the Hall of Vilainy. The foals, a little hesitant, followed him. Once they got inside, they became astonished for what they saw. They were in a very long hall, decorated with many statues, all representing known villains of the Pony Reality: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis and her mutants, King Sombra, Fire Punch (sided with all of his forms), Krylock, Shadow Claw in his form with the Lunar Crystal, Pandora, Oogie Boogie, the Gorgons, the Harpies, Cyclops, Acromantula, Kraken, the Trix, the Sirens (which also included Moonlight), Kurama, the Queen of Hearts, the Wraith, Flame, the Snow Queen, Perfect Scales, Rothbart, Bug-Bear, Ulysses, Grogar, Arimaspi, Kelp, Hepheus as the General of Chaos, Tirek, Scorpan, Ten-Tails, the Dark Mistress, the Smooze, the Shadow of Neverland and Captain Hook and his pirates. Some of those statues were black, while the others were white.

“So, what do you think?” Star asked.

The foals took some time to answer that question, but then one of them said:

“It’s a room filled with bad guys.”

“Yes, but is much more than that” Star said. “Each of this statues represent a certain period of our history. Dark periods that are still part of our heritage. And from some of them, new legends, new heroes were born. But there’s another reason why this exhibition is one of my favorites. Do you see how some of the statues are white and the others are black? Do you know why is like that?”

The young foals traded confused looks and then nodded negatively their heads. And so Star explained:

“The white statues represent the villains that were reformed or have found redemption. That gives her a nod that even villains can still become good. That even if we’re lost in the darkness, we can still find our way back to the light.”

The foals became awestruck with those words and then started to look around more closely, especially the white statues.

“So, may we continue?” Star asked, with the foals agreeing.

They advanced to the end of the corridor, where they found a golden door.

“The Halls of Heroism and Villainy are enchanted to not only grow in space to accommodate their statues, but also to connect each other” Star told. “No, it’s time for the Hall of Heroism.”

And they got in and, if the foals got impressed with the Hall of Villainy, they got even more impressed with the Hall of Heroism. The statues there were golden and represented the great heroes of Pony Reality: Princess Aurora, the Generals of Order, King Cosmos and Queen Galaxia, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Ingrid, Star Swirl, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, Mistmane, Mage Meadowbrook and Somnambula, Twilight and her friends, Shining Armor, Cadance, Blue Sword, Star Shield, Spike as the Dragon King, Gael, Shadow Claw, Thunder Night, Star and Kurama, Moonlight and, most recently, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Midnight and Sunny.

“As you can see, we have many of the heroes of the past and present” Star said.

“And you’re there too” a young colt said, pointing to his statue. “Is that why you like this place?”

Despite that question caused Star to drop a laugh because of the excitement the colt had, the caretaker said:

“Come on, now, that’s not a question that you make to someone like Prince Star Knight.”

“Oh, it’s okay” he said. “I can understand why he made that question. In part, that’s one of the reasons, but it’s not the main one. Sure it’s good having our deeds recognized, but it’s not the most important thing. It’s showing respect for the ones who sacrificed many things to keep the peace we have. That’s why I love the Hall of Heroism. It honors everyone that made our lives safe and free from Evil.”

“Wow!” the young foals exclaimed.

“So, I hope what I showed you can inspire you to be the best ponies you can be” Star said.

“Yes!” they exclaimed, while exhibiting wide smiles.

“Thank you very much, Prince Star Knight” the caretaker said. “You clearly made their day.”

“It was a pleasure” he replied.

And so he saw the caretaker and the foals moving away. After that, he looked up and saw Thunder Night’s statue. A smile appeared on Star’s face, as the words he had just said to the foals echoed in his head. Thunder Night had saved his life and his mom’s, sacrificing his own. For that, Star would always make sure that his sacrifice would never be in vain and that he was honored because of that.

It was then that he looked and saw him… the colt he had met at the party and then saw in his mirror, looking into his statue. Wanting to know who he was, Star approached him.

Dusk kept looking to Star’s statue, which was besides Kurama’s. He could’t believe how much of a hero he was. Not only he had defeated the one who had destroyed the Light Kingdom, but he also defeated the Lord of Chaos, sealing him in his own dimension and stopping Ten-Tails. He looked around and also saw his sisters’ statues, the ones they earned for helping saving Neverland: Midnight for defeating the Shadow and Sunny for saving Midnight and Tinkerbell and helping restoring Neverland for what it was. With all that, Dusk wondered if he too would be there, if he had lived with his family.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t notice Star approaching him. The older brother extended his hoof and said:

“Hey, you…”

But when he barely touched him, the same thing happened like in the party of the return of Neverland, with Star being pushed back against the ground and with a great pain on his heart. Seeing what happened, Dusk panicked and said:

“Oh no… Not again! I have to… I have to go now!”

And he ran away, getting out of the Hall of Heroism, while Star tried to get up, holding his chest. The same thing had happened. But what was going on for him to get hurt whatever he touched that colt?

Dusk was able to get out of the museum as fast as he could, but doing that caused some suspicion to Timber, but the timberwolf remained where he was, as he was obedient to his owner. Arriving to a nearby alley, Dusk stopped to take a deep breath, but seconds after doing that, he heard a voice saying:

“Hello, Prince Dusk Storm.”

He turned around and saw…

“Mirror Coat?” he asked. “How did you…”

“Little prince, I’m the General of Knowledge and, since your parents already know you very well, they told me to be attentive for the eventuality you get to the citadel” he replied. “But I honestly didn’t expect you to come soon after they went to see you at Bright Shore.”

“You’re gonna tell them, aren’t you?” Dusk asked.

“That’s a silly question” Mirror Coat said. “And the reason for that is that you know I must tell them. And they also requested me to take you to their presence.”

“Oh great…” Dusk said, sarcastically.

The Truth Finds a Brother

After Dusk left the Hall of Heroism, Star started to get up, while he recovered from what just happened. He didn’t understand how could that happen again. He had barely touched that colt and he was pushed back and with his heart hurting, just like how it happened before.

But what was causing that every time he approaches that colt? It couldn’t be something that he did, because of the way how he always looked so scared when that happened. However, he should know what was happening.

“I can see that one was really bad on you” Kurama commented, in their plane. “You’re taking more time to recover than the last time.”

“It’s nice to see that you care, Kurama” Star commented ironically. “Your words of support are really reassuring.”

The nine-tailed fox made a laugh and then told:

“Come on, don’t be like that. You’re my jinchuriki. Act like it. Just be smart and don’t approach that colt again, okay?”

“You’re still gonna tell me what you know about him” Star said.

But Kurama just limited to lay down and pretend to be asleep. Because of that, Star knew he wouldn’t say anything, just like he did that morning. He went to the entrance of the museum, where Timber got up and approached his owner, looking at him with a little worry.

“Don’t worry, pal, everything’s fine” Star told him. “But I think it’s for the best if we go home. I need to rest a little.”

And they did so, arriving to the Light Castle. When they were walking around the hall, they met Sunny and Midnight who were talking.

“That was strange, right?” Sunny asked. “That colt that was with Mirror Coat?”

“Yeah, I wonder who he is” Midnight said.

Hearing his sisters saying that, Star approached them and said.

“Hello, girls.”

“Hi, Star” the two said at the same time.

“What was that you’re talking about?” Star asked.

“Oh, we saw Mirror Coat with a colt we’ve never seen before” Midnight told.

“Yeah, he took him to the throne room” Sunny said. “Mom and dad are there too.”

“A colt?” Star asked. “What colt?”

“Well, you know, a colt like the others” Sunny replied. “He seemed older than us, but younger than you, definitely.”

“And he also had a surfboard on his Cutie Mark” Midnight told.

“Oh, yeah, he had” Sunny remembered.

That information put Star thinking. That was the colt he had just encountered. What could his parents have to do with him? He needed to know that.

“Hey, girls, why don’t you take Timber for a walk on the gardens?” Star asked. “You know how he loves playing with you.”

But that caused his sisters to give them the look.

“What?”

“Star, we’re not little fillies anymore” Sunny told.

“Yeah, we can see when you’re trying to put us out of the way” Midnight said.

Star was impressed how much his sisters had matured. Now he could see that he couldn’t trick them with his old tricks. He needed to be more inventive.

“Well, too bad you don’t want to take Timber for a while” he said. “If you made me that favor, I could, I don’t know, teach you the theory of my Spiral Sphere.”

Hearing that, the two fillies became surprised and then enthusiastic, as that spell was their brother’s first creation and one of his trademarks.

“It’s just some basics, but maybe you can figure it out and perhaps master the Spiral Sphere” Star added.

“We do it!” the twins exclaimed at the same time. “Come, Timber.”

And they moved away, with Timber going with them. Star smiled, as, despite the maturity his sisters have acquired, he could still manipulate them as a big brother would do to his little sisters.

“That was well played” Kurama commended. “But please don’t tell me you’re going to spy your own parents.”

“Kurama, why don’t you go back to sleep?” Star asked.

The tailed beast chuckled and said:

“I see… Fine, do whatever you want. Just make sure you don’t get caught. Don’t forget that at least Mirror Coat will be there.”

“Don’t worry, I have my ways to do it” Star replied.

At the throne room, Dusk was at the base of the stairs to the throne, where Twilight was sitting with Blue by his side. Mirror Coat was beside Dusk and Heartbeat was nearby, playing with blocks, making a replica of the Light Castle.

“Dusk, I know that our conversation this morning was a little… unease, but I totally didn’t expected you’d do the same mistake twice in such short time” Twilight said. “You’ve barely turn your back on us and you come to the citadel and meet Star.”

“Trust me, mom, I didn’t want to, but…” Star started.

“You know you can’t be near Star or else you hurt him” Twilight told. “I understand you want to be with your brother and sisters, but while this issue with Star still persists.”

“I know that, mom!” Dusk shouted. “And don’t forget I didn’t have a say in the matter!”

After that, there was a small silence that was only broken by the sound of Heartbeat placing the blocks one over the one.

“Wow, that is a very deep silence” she said, while playing with some blocks in the air. “I can even hear the ponies outside and the birds. I can hear the voices in my head again.”

That caused Blue and Mirror Coat look at her.

“I’m kidding” she told them, only to roll her eyes when they dodged their look.

Twilight rose up and approached her son, placing then a hoof beneath Dusk’s chin and making him look at her. Drawing a tender smile, Twilight said:

“I know that you didn’t meant to put Star is harm’s way. Being far from your family must be really painful. But you have to understand one thing: we’re also in pain because you’re not with us.”

“Your mother is right” Blue added, while approaching as well. “The simple fact our family isn’t complete and the thought of you being unhappy because of that caused us to feel bad too.”

“Right…” Dusk said, realizing now that situation has also been hard for them as well. “Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to worry, sweetie” Twilight said, hugging him. “It’s not your fault.”

“And don’t worry, everything will be just fine” Blue said. “You’ll see, Dusk, soon Heartbeat will find a way to break this curse and everything will return to normal. Right, Heartbeat?”

And everypony turned to Heartbeat, who was now painting. As if pretending she wasn’t listen, the General of Affection, she said:

“Oh, sorry about that… I was just capturing this beautiful moment. Here…”

And she handed the painting to Dusk who took it and then took a look. It was a very good representation of Dusk and Twilight hugging, with Blue by their side with his foreleg around Twilight’s shoulder. Heartbeat could always surprise him with her speed, judging how that moment had just happened and she was able to paint it so well.

“I dare to say my paintings are as good as Purple’s, if not better, but try not to tell him I said that” Heartbeat said. “It would be a good painting to hang around the castle, but… you know, with the nopony-can-know-you exist situation, I think you should be the one to have it.”

“Thanks, Heartbeat” Dusk thanked.

It is then that Mirror Coat coughed to get the attention and asked Heartbeat:

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Heartbeat?”

“Forget about what?” she asked back.

The General of Knowledge sighed and then said:

“It’s always the same thing. When a question doesn’t come handy to you, you dodge everyone’s attention to another thing, so that they can forget they made you that question. But in case you did forget, Prince Blue Sword wanted you to reinforce the idea that this curse is going to end soon, as if asking how long it will take.”

“Okay, you really need to simplify, Mirror Coat” Heartbeat said. “I hate when you go overboard with your words…”

“Heartbeat… answer the question” Twilight ordered, sensing she was indeed hiding something.

Because it was Twilight asking that, Heartbeat didn’t have the courage to disobey, so she said:

“Okay, you want to know the truth? The truth is… I’m stuck.”

“You’re what?” Blue asked.

“I’m stuck!” Heartbeat exclaimed. “What?! This curse is tricky and so it needs a tricky solution. Do you really think I would waste all these years I was supposed to find the cure stuffing my face with sweets and playing around?”

Noticing everypony was not telling the opposite and seemed agreeing with what she just said, Heartbeat said, making an offended look:

“That hurts… To think you actually believe I would do that… It’s just… too much. You know what? Just for you to see I’m a very diligent filly-like General, I will give my best to find the cure for this curse.”

And having said that, she just headed towards the exit and got out. Seconds later she did that, Twilight, Blue and Dusk started laughing.

“She’ll never change” Twilight said.

“I really hope not” Blue told. “Things would be dull without her around.”

“But, now being serious, you can believe we’ll figure this out, son” Twilight said to Dusk.

“I know that, mom” Dusk replied, with a smile. “And I can’t wait for that day to come.”

He hugged his parents together and, when the hug ended, Mirror Coat asked:

“Do you want me to take the young prince back to Bright Shore?”

“If you don’t mind, Mirror Coat” she replied. “It would be a great help.”

After saying goodbye to his parents, Dusk passed over the mirror portal Mirror Coat created and returned to Bright Shore.

After Heartbeat got out of the throne room, she walked a few steps before stopping and then saying:

“I hope you’re satisfied with what you just heard. I know it’s overwhelming, but I know you can deal with it. Now, you just need to find more about it. Good luck.”

And she used her swift nature to get out of there. As soon she got out, Star appeared, using his invisibility spell. He had used his sage mode to hear what was happening in the throne room and what he had just found out couldn’t be any less of a shock to him: he had a brother!

A Cursed Heart

Almost twelve years ago…

At the Lord of Chaos’ throne room, he was sitting on his throne, looking at the mirror, observing Twilight and Blue, who were at the royal garden with their two sons, Star and Dusk. The colts were playing with each other and the two parents were watching them with great joy.

Such image was causing the Lord of Chaos’ anger to increase exponentially. He couldn’t stand seeing Twilight Sparkle happy, surrounded by those who she loved. There was nothing he wanted more than making her paying for humiliating him… except of course controlling the Pony Reality. But he already had a plan to shatter the little princess’ happiness even more than he did by causing Star to be a jinchuriki…

“Did you call, my lord?” a voice asked.

He looked down and saw Pandora and Rothbart, kneeling before him.

“I did” he replied. “I have a mission… a very important one. One that, if succeed will cause a great deal of satisfaction to me.”

“Tell us what it is, my lord, and we shall do what you desire” Rothbart replied.

“This is mission is only for Pandora, Rothbart” the Lord of Chaos said.

“What?” Rothbart asked, caught by surprise.

“Uh… I appreciate your trust in me, my lord” Pandora replied, feeling herself honored for being chosen by her master.

“But, my lord, I’m sure I’m as qualified as Pandora to do whatever you may have planned” Rothbart said, adding then after noticing the piercing look the Lord of Chaos was giving to him. “With all due respect… my lord.”

“Pandora is the best choice, because I need someone to infiltrate the Light Kingdom and she is the only servant I have in dispose that can do that” the Lord of Chaos replied. “Even though she can’t quite get to the citadel, her target is not a place, but somepony.”

“You want me capture the jinchuriki already?” Pandora asked.

“Of course not” the Lord of Chaos replied. “It’s still too soon. But I understand your reasoning. The matter of this plan of mine is rather… personal. I just can’t stand Princess Twilight Sparkle being so happy with her almost perfect life. That’s why I’m going to break her happiness… with this.”

And he made appear on his hand a vial where there was a translucid liquid.

“What is that, my lord?” Pandora asked.

“Something that I got from Wonderland before my brother’s Generals were able to seal it” he answered. “A little of this and Twilight’s perfect family will be divided. We just need a pawn that can put in action this little devious plan of mine.”

That caused Pandora to exhibit a smile and reply:

“And you can count on me to handle that pawn, master.”

Patrolling the outskirts of the citadel was a light guard, a unicorn called Zealous Anvil who possessed a bluish purple coat with a light gray mane and bluish green eyes. He was a guard that had already served Princess Aurora before the fall of the Light Kingdom and he took great pride in that.

But after the kingdom was recovered and Princess Twilight took over as the new ruler, the things had changed and he was having a hard time in adjusting, especially after what happened with Prince Star Knight.

“You look concern…” a voice said, suddenly. “A bit for a thought?”

Zealous Anvil turned around and saw Pandora nearby. Knowing perfectly well who she was. Pointing his spear at her, he told:

“Not another step… witch.”

“Now, now, is that the way to speak to a little filly like me?” Pandora asked, making her fake innocent face.

“That won’t work with me” Zealous said, smirking. “I know who you are… Pandora.”

“Well, that’s a chame” she replied. “It would appear my favorite ruse is no longer effective.”

“What are you doing here?” Zealous asked. “Villains can’t get inside the Light Kingdom.”

“You will find that there are ways to dodge the Light Kingdom’s defenses” Pandora replied. “Despite I can’t still reach the citadel… at least, yet.”

“If you want so much to meet the citadel, I’ll be pleased to escort you… while cuffed and your magic neutralized” Zealous threatened.

“I think you shouldn’t be so mean to me…” Pandora said. “Especially when I have the solution to your problem.”

“I don’t have any problem” Zealous replied, while turning his back on Pandora and started to move away.

“Not even one with a certain nine-tailed fox?”

That caused Zealous to stop and turn to Pandora.

“How do you…” he started.

“Please… as if anypony in the Light Kingdom, besides Twilight Sparkle and her Generals, is any happy for having that stinky fox living in the same kingdom as them” Pandora told. “I bet you still remember what happened that night when Heartbeat lost control over him.”

Memories that he tried so much to burry invaded his mind, as his anger towards the tailed beast started to boil. Sensing that, Pandora prepared herself to make her final move.

“But don’t you worry, cause I have what you need to ease your pain.”

And so she summoned the vial the Lord of Chaos had given to her.

“What’s that?” Zealous asked.

“Something that can help get rid of your problem” Pandora replied.

“You mean… like hurting Prince Star Knight in order to get to Nine-Tails…?” Zealous asked. “Forget it! Do you really think I would do such monstrosity?!”

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt him… much” Pandora replied. “I bet his parents won’t do anything so that nothing bad happens to their little colt… But it would put Nine-Tails away from the citadel… That, I can guarantee.”

Zealous couldn’t believe he was actually listen to that… And what was worse… he was tempted to accept it. A way to get rid of that demonic fox… All the light ponies would be able to sleep peacefully, knowing they wouldn’t have to be worry for the Nine-Tails to appear again. But then there was the fact it meant to hurt Prince Star Knight, the son of Princess Twilight, his regent and the one he had sworn to protect. It was his honor as a guard that caused him to exclaim:

“There’s no way I’m accepting that! I don’t deal with villains. Get out of here, or I shall bring you in.”

But Pandora knew that could happen, so she decided to put the wheels in motion and hope everything would happen exactly as she expected to happen.

“Suit yourself” she said. “But, just for you to not get any regrets…”

And so she put magically the vial in Zealous’ armor and said:

“Now the choice is yours.”

And having said that, she teleported away. Once she did that, Zealous took the vial and prepared himself to throw it away. However, there was a part of him that prevented him from doing it. As much as he tried, he couldn’t do it. So he decided to keep the vial and then dispose of it later.

In Discordia, Pandora appeared before his master and told him:

“I did what you asked me, master. Now it’s up to our puppet. I’m just not sure if he’s going to do it.”

“Believe me when I say that he will do exactly what I expect” the Lord of Chaos replied. “Those centuries in Tartarus have left you rusty when it comes to pony behavior, my dear Pandora. Hate is like a parasite that devours our inner self. For much it is contained, there’s always a limit and Zealous Anvil will reach his. And once he does that, he will do exactly what we want him to do.”

And the evil lord chuckled evily.

In the present…

After finding out the shocking truth about the existence of a brother of his, a brother that his parents have concealed for years and years, Star went over his room, where he started pacing around without stopping, all while saying:

“I can’t believe it… Just when I thought there was no secrets between us… Just when I thought hiding from me that I was a jinchuriki was enough… Why, why did they do this?!”

“Can you please stop that?” Kurama asked, while lying down with his eyes closed. “I can’t sleep with you complaining so loudly.”

“It’s easy for you to say that” Star said. “It’s not you that have a secret brother that you didn’t know about and that your parents hid for years.”

“I bet if you knew the circunstances that drove your parents to do that, you would take what you just said” Kurama replied.

“What do you mean with that?” Star asked.

“What I mean is that when you discovered your parents let the Lord of Order to turn you into a jinchuriki, you forgave and understood them once you got to know their side” the tailed beast replied. “What is this any different?”

Hearing that and remembering all of Kurama’s behavior ever since Star first met Dusk, the young alicorn came to one conclusion.

“Wait a second, you knew about this, didn’t you?” Star asked. “That’s why you kept telling me to stay away from Dusk!”

“Don’t you dare raise your voice on me, boy” Kurama grunted. “I’m just doing you a favor.”

“A favor?” Star asked. “Keeping from me the fact I have a brother?!”

Kurama started to get up, something that worried Star a little. He hated when his tailed beast got mad at him. However, for his surprise, that was not what happened. He extended his fist to Star and he told him:

“If you want to know the truth, you know what to do.”

“Wait, you’re really going to tell me?” Star asked, astonished. “I thought you would come up and excuse or just ignore me.”

“Believe me, that’s what I wanted to do, but then I realized it wouldn’t prevent you from keeping bugging me about it and not allow me to have my sleep” Kurama replied.

Despite what the tailed beast just said, Star knew the real reason he was doing that was because he really wanted to tell him, but wouldn’t admit it, like he normally did. Smiling, he said:

“Thank you, Kurama.”

“Yeah, yeah, what are you waiting for?” he replied. “I have much more important things to do.”

And so, willing to know the truth, whatever it was, Star bumped his hoof with Kurama’s fist. When he did that, the young alicorn was invaded by memories of Kurama… that were also his.

Almost twelve years ago…

Twilight and Blue were enjoying their moment with their two sons at the gardens. While watching the two colts, the two parents smiled and Blue said:

“It’s so good seeing those two playing. They really get along.”

“I know” Twilight told. “They remind me of me and Shining.”

“Better they remind you and Shining, than me and my sister” Blue said. “You can’t imagine how my parents went crazy dealing with our arguments.”

“Knowing you as I know, I can imagine you made your sister go crazy” Twilight joked.

That caused to Blue playfully elbow Twilight and then the two traded a kiss, only for then continue to watch their sons playing. It was then that Golden appeared and said to them:

“Your Highnesses, don’t forget about the appointment you have now.”

“Ah, yeah, I almost forgot about that” Twilight said. “What a pity… I wanted to stay here.”

“Don’t worry, Twily” Blue told her. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to our two marvelous kids.”

“Yes, but… we need to get somepony to watch them” Twilight said. “The nanny has taken the day off and Leaf Mane, Melody and Heartbeat are not here. And Mirror Coat has so much work to do…”

“We can still let them with Purple Smoke” Blue suggested, only to receive a look from Twilight. “Yeah, I guess he’s not babysitting material. What’s ironic as he can mimic every talent. What about one of the guards?”

“I guess so…” Twilight said. “But I don’t feel very comfortable in asking them to babysit.”

“Don’t worry, about that” Blue said. “It’s just for a moment, while we’re not here.”

He looked around and then saw Zealous Anvil coming nearby.

“Zealous, can you come here?” he asked.

The royal guard approached and asked:

“What is it, my prince?”

“I’m sorry to ask you this, but… we don’t have anypony else to do it” Blue said. “Me and my wife have an important errand to do, so can you look after Star and Dusk?”

“You want me to… look after the little princes?” he asked, while looking to the two little colts playing.

“We know that’s not part of your duties, but we would appreciate if you could do it” Twilight said.

Babysitting was the lowest job a royal guard could ever get, in Zealous Anvil’s opinion, but he couldn’t refuse a request from his superiors, especially when they were the ruling Princess and Prince of the Light Kingdom.

“But of course, Your Highnesses” he replied, while making a bow. “I’d be glad to take care of the little princes.”

“Thank you very much, Zealous” Twilight thanked.

“I promise you I will recompense you after this” Blue replied.

The couple went to their sons and they kissed their respective foreheads.

“Goodbye, my dears. Mommy and daddy have something to do, so be nice to Zealous, okay?”

“See you later, champs” Blue said, ruffling the two colts’ manes, something they liked very much.

And the two parents went with Golden Paladin to do their errand, leaving the two colts playing with Zealous Anvil. The guard watched the two colts playing, but he couldn’t dodge his eyes from Star. Despite all the innocence he possessed, Zealous could only see the nine-tailed fox inside of him.

Once his thoughts went to the tailed beasts, Zealous started to remember that moment when the fox was freed from his prison inside Heartbeat, all the pain he had felt, all he had lost. Hate started boil inside of him. He tried to contain it for Prince Star Knight’s sake, but that was an impossible task for him to do. All he could think of was how much pain the thing inside him had caused.

It was then that the vial Pandora gave him earlier came to his head. Using his magic, he took the vial from his armor and looked at it. The temptation of using it was great, but Zealous’ honor as a guard was the one thing that was preventing him from doing it.

“What’s that?” a squeaky voice asked.

Zealous looked down and saw Star looking at him with his curious look. Seeing the little colt looking at him, the royal guard couldn’t help but being even more certain of his decision to not do what Pandora wanted him to do. However, the longer he looked to Star’s eyes, the deeper he went in them and it didn’t take long for him to see Nine-Tails’. With that, his anger and hate were reignited, fueling in him the desire to get rid of the tailed beast no matter what.

“This is a special juice, young prince” he replied. “I was thinking in drinking it, but… I think I’ll give it to you.”

“Yeah!” the young colt innocently cheered. “Juice!”

Opening the vial, Zealous handed it to Star who grabbed it with his little hooves and then take a sip. As soon he tasted what was in the vial, the colt threw the vial away while saying:

“Uh… It’s bwaac!”

“Yeah, I know” Zealous replied. “Grown up juices are not very pleasant for little guys like you. Why don’t you go play with your brother?”

And so Star headed towards Dusk. The two brothers got close to each other, but once they reach one another, Star was pulled away, against the ground, while having a big pain on his chest, causing him to moan and cry. Seeing that, Zealous became worried with Star, but at the thought that his pain was also Nine-Tails’, he felt a wave of satisfaction going through his body.

“Star…?” Dusk asked, worried, as he proceeded to approach his brother.

But before he could do that, Heartbeat arrived, holding the little colt.

“Hold on, little guy” he said. “Sorry, but you can’t go to your brother.”

“Star…” Dusk called, while trying to get rid of Heartbeat.

Heartbeat looked around and saw the vial containing the liquid Star had taken and then looked at Zealous. Knowing full well how Heartbeat’s empathy worked, he realized she knew it was him, as he couldn’t hide his guilt from her, and so he started to run away.

“You can run, but you can’t actually run” Heartbeat replied.

Zealous had only run for a few hooves of distance, when steel chains erupted from the ground and placed themselves around Zealous, imobilizing him. Golden Paladin appeared nearby.

“Let me go, Paladin” Zealous demanded.

“I don’t think so” Golden Paladin replied.

Twilight and Blue appeared soon after and started heading towards Star.

“Star!” they called.

Heartbeat appeared before them, while holding Dusk, and told them:

“Please, don’t get any closer.”

“What?!” Blue asked. “Heartbeat, that’s our son, there… in pain.”

“You have to let us go see him!” Twilight replied. “He’s in so much pain!”

“If it’s what I’m thinking, the best thing you can do is stay away” Heartbeart replied, while handing Dusk to them. “Please, trust me.”

There was a silence, but both Twilight and Blue trusted Heartbeat and nodded to her, while Twilight took Dusk. After that, Heartbeat headed towards Star and observed him. Using her magic, she made the vial come to her and smelled the remains of what was inside. Golden approached her and asked:

“Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.”

“I could be myself and tell you what you want to hear, but there’s nothing funny on this” Heartbeat replied.

“So, it is it” Golden said. “The Curse of the Poisoned Heart…”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, having heard what they said. “What curse is that?”

“A terrible one” Golden replied, while Heartbeat went to Star and started applying healing magic on him. “A curse that is very tricky to break.”

“It has origins on Wonderland, from its poison mushrooms, and it poisons the heart of the victim whenever they are in contact with the ones they love” Heartbeat replied. “That’s what happened. The fraternal love between Star and Dusk is what caused this.”

“You mean…” Twilight started. “You mean that our mere presence near Star… is causing him pain?”

“Not just that” Heartbeat replied, finishing healing Star. “The curse doesn’t only causes pain, it actually physically hurts the heart. The much it is afflicted, well… I think you can guess the rest.”

“But… how did this happened?” Blue asked.

“The answer is quite simple” Golden Paladin said, turning to Zealous. “Only one pony tried to run away.”

Zealous saw everypony look at him and Blue, being invaded by an immense rage, started to approach him, while saying:

“You… You did this?!”

“I have nothing to say” he replied, firmly.

But Blue reached him and punched him.

“Blue, no!” Twilight shouted.

But he ignored her and grabbed Zealous and exclaimed:

“How could you do this! I thought I could trust you! Star’s just a little colt and you poisoned his heart! Why?!”

“Are you really making that question?” Zealous asked. “You don’t know anything. You don’t know how I and all the other light ponies feel!”

“What are you talking about, Zealous?” Twilight asked. “I don’t understand…”

“He’s talking about Nine-Tails” Heartbeat replied. “This is all because of Nine-Tails.”

“I see…” Golden Paladin said. “So that’s why…”

“What do you mean with that?” Twilight asked.

“Zealous’ father was killed by Nine-Tails when he broke free from Heartbeat” Golden Paladin said.

“It was not only my father who died that day, while trying to contain that monster” Zealous said. “There are many like me who don’t approve what you did. Sealing Nine-Tails again in a jinchuriki… Let him get in the citadel again… It will only cause a lot more deaths and pain.”

“And because of that, you decided to poison Prince Star Knight’s heart” Golden Paladin replied. “Because Princess Twilight and Prince Blue Sword would do anything for their son, they would have him away of the citadel.”

“It wasn’t even my idea” Zealous said. “But when she gave me that vial, the idea of doing it came to me. I tried to fight against it, but… seing Prince Star Knight having so much fun, how he is so happy, despite having that monster inside him… I just couldn’t take it any longer.”

“She?” Blue asked. “Who is she?!”

“Pandora…” Zealous replied.

That revelation caused some shock on the present.

“Pandora, here?” Twilight asked. “But I thought the defenses of the Light Kingdom prevented her from…”

“Unlike the regular villains, she can penetrate more in our defenses” Golden Paladin replied. “Not in the citadel, but apparently enough.”

“How could you ever trust in her?” Blue said. “You know that the only think she and her master want is to get Nine-Tails and take over the Pony Reality.”

“Just for taking Nine-Tails away, they already have my support” Zealous replied.

That caused Blue to grind his teeth in anger, while his magic aura became stronger and his eyes glowing. Noticing Blue could get out of control and do something he would later regret, she said:

“No, Blue, don’t do it!”

Hearing her, Blue was able to calm down and his magic aura ceased.

“You’re right, Twily” Blue said. “He’s not worth it.”

“I think it’s for the best if I take him to another place” Golden Paladin said, approaching. “Heartbeat, you need to deal with the curse.”

“I’ll do my best” she replied.

And with a burst of light, Golden Paladin disappeared with Zealous Anvil. After he was gone, Twilight asked Heartbeat:

“Heartbeat, please, you need to help Star.”

“And I’ll do my best” she said, while observing Star. “But this curse is rather tricky. True love may be able to break, but this curse was designed specifically to separate the victim from the ones they love.”

“Then that’s it?” Twilight asked. “There’s nothing we can do?”

“No, Twily, there has to be a way” Blue said, comforting both his wife and son.

“And there is” Heartbeat said, catching their attention. “It’s not a cure, but it can hold a break on this curse.”

“And how do we do that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, you don’t” Heartbeat replied. “I do. And it’s actually pretty simple. I use a sealing spell on the mark of the ones who had activated the curse and in that way the curse will be contained.”

Twilight and Blue traded a look and the latter asked:

“What mark?”

Heartbeat, getting closer, pointed to Dusk’s left foreleg where there was a circular mark.

“This mark appears when someone touches a person with whom they can’t be together” the General of Affection explained.

“If what you’ll do with help Star, then do it” Twilight said, with Blue nodding with his head.

“Very well…” Heartbeat said.

She headed towards Star and then placed her hoof over his chest, starting to channel her magic to her hoof. Heartbeat then pointed the hoof towards Dusk. His mark started to glow as well and a thin line connecting the mark and Star’s chest appeared for a few seconds, only to disappear afterwards.

“Done” Heartbeat said.

“Oh, thank goodness…” Twilight said, relief, as she and Blue started to head towards Star, only to be blocked by Heartbeat.

“Oh, oh, not so fast” she said.

“You just said that it’s done” Blue said.

“I did and it is, but I can’t let you get close to Star with Dusk with you” Heartbeat said. “When I said that I would seal the curse on his mark, I really meant it. The curse has been contained and you can get close to Star. But…”

Blue understood what she meant and got close to Star, holding him, with the colt still suffering from what happened and getting as close as possible of his father. The General of Balance said:

“Star and Dusk can’t be close to each other because the curse still works with him, right?”

“No, it can’t be…” Twilight said. “Heartbeat, please tell me this is not true.”

“I wish I could, Twilight, but…” she replied. “I can’t do it because it’s the reality. I wish I could alter reality. Believe me, I would love to change a lot of things… like bread getting harder when in too much contact with air.”

“So, this mean my two sons… I can’t be close to one another?” Twilight asked. “But… how are we going to live like these?”

In the present…

The memory ended and Star came back to himself. Now that he got know the reason why Dusk was away, Star had conflicting feelings regarding it: he still was upset with his parents for hiding Dusk from him, but now he had seen what caused everything he knew that, just like when he discovered he was a jinchuriki, his parents did what they did in order to protect both his children.

“I can’t believe this actually happened…” Star said, remembering then something. “Wait, so everypony lied to me? I mean, Dusk was only one when everything happened, so all the kingdom and my family had to know his existence.”

“I think that question is for your parents, not me, don’t you think?” Kurama asked.

Star realized Kurama was right and so, having taking his decision, the young alicorn got out of his room, decided to confront his parents about Dusk.

Forget to Protect

Twilight and Blue were at the throne room, with the former sitting on his throne and the latter by her side. They were alone and now having some tranquility.

“Finally this was solved” Twilight said. “I can finally take a deep breath.”

“Twily, you do know we can’t keep this a secret for too long” Blue said. “It’s cruel to keep Dusk away from Star and the twins.”

“I know that, but we don’t any other choice” she replied. “Until we find a way to undo that curse, we need to keep Star and Dusk apart.”

“And that includes lying to me and the twins about everything?” a voice asked.

The two parents got caught by surprise when they heard Star’s voice, turning and seeing him entering in the throne room and approaching.

“Star…” Twilight said, trying to appear herself as if the conversation between her and Blue didn’t happen. “We didn’t know you were there. But what are you saying?”

“Mom, you don’t have to pretend anymore” Star said. “I know about Dusk. I know that he is my brother. I also know about the curse and that’s why we’re not together.”

That revelation shocked both parents.

“What are you saying, Star?” Blue asked.

“I’m saying that I know the truth” Star replied. “Don’t try to deny it.”

“But we don’t know…” Twilight started, before Blue putting his hoof on her shoulder.

“Twily, no…” he said, while shaking his head.

Realizing they couldn’t deceive Star any longer, Twilight sighed and then asked:

“Who told you? Heartbeat? Golden?”

“Actually, I heard you talking with Dusk earlier” Star replied. “I’m not gonna lie… I got pretty upset. But then Kurama showed me why you did it.”

“Wait, Kurama showed you?” Blue asked.

“But… that’s not possible” Twilight said.

“Why not? He is inside of me. Although I don’t know why I don’t remember Dusk. When my heart was cursed I was four, so I should remember him.”

“That’s the reason why Kurama shouldn’t remember” Twilight said. “We made sure you wouldn’t find out about Dusk, even more than with you being a jinchuriki.”

“How so?” Star asked.

“I guess that… we should show him” Blue said to Twilight.

She nodded in agreement and then got up, approaching his son with her husband and starting to charge her horn.

“I hope you don’t come to hate us for this, Star” she said. “We just did… what we thought it was right for you two.”

Using her magic the room around them to change. The throne room was now like it was years ago. There, another Twilight was passing around, with Blue observing her, worried. Golden Paladin, Heartbeat and Mirror Coat were also there.

“Is this…” Star started.

“Yes, it’s what happened after your heart was cursed” Twilight said.

As she was passing, past Twilight kept saying:

“We have to do something. We can’t just let Star being cursed for the rest of his life. He already has a terrible burden for having Nine-Tails inside him. Star and Dusk are brothers who love each other. Keeping them apart is going to be so cruel. What are we going to do?! What are we going to do?!”

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but I find rather entertaining seeing Twilight twilighting” Heartbeat said to his two brothers.

“You made the princess a verb?” Golden Paladin asked her.

“As if I would do something like that” Heartbeat replied. “I have limits. Pinkie Pie was the one to come up with that.”

“And she holds the record for creating new words” Mirror Coat added, while paying attention to Twilight.

“Twilight, you need to calm down” past Blue said to past Twilight, approaching her and holding her hoof. “Come on, breath with me.”

With Blue’s help, Twilight was able to calm down.

“Okay, I’m calm now” she said, turning then to her Generals. “Do any of you know how to handle this? How can we break this curse?”

“I think I already told you this curse can’t be broken in the traditional way” Heartbeat said.

“But there’s always a way to break a curse” Twilight said. “You three are the ones who may know how to solve this. I beg you, there has to be a way.”

“Well… the most obvious way is to get a heart to replace the cursed one” Mirror Coat said. “But of course for that we need to sacrifice some one.”

“Well, maybe we can get someone that is willing to…” Twilight started saying, but then stopped what she was saying. “What am I saying? I couldn’t ask anypony to sacrifice themselves… or even take a heart.”

“That’s good, Twily” Blue said, holding his wife. “It only means your heart is good.”

After a few seconds, Twilight had an idea and she asked to Golden Paladin, Mirror Coat and Heartbeat:

“What about a seal? Like the one Heartbeat used.”

“Well, don’t look at me” Heartbeat replied. “That was the only one I knew it would work.”

“My seal can seal anything” Golden Paladin told. “It can even seal curses… in a much more efficient way than Heartbeat’s.”

The General of Affection seemed a little offended by that statement and said to Golden:

“Your seal maybe be better in efficiency, but mine is better in longevity.”

“Golden, that’s the best thing you could have tell me” Twilight said. “Please, you have to do it.”

“Sorry, Your Highness, but I can’t” Golden replied. “In order for me to do it, I would need to open the seal so that I could close it again with the curse on the other side. And we all know what would happen if I did that.”

“Nine-Tails would immediately take over Star and get free” Blue said.

Golden Paladin nodded, what caused even more desperation to Twilight.

“Even if I could do it, it wouldn’t be a permanent solution” Golden Paladin said. “Like Heartbeat said, my seals don’t last, unlike hers.”

“I can’t believe this!” she exclaimed. “There’s no solution to this…”

“Princess, I know how this looks like” Golden Paladin said. “I know this may look as there’s no exit to this nightmare. But I can guarantee that for every problem there’s a solution. We will find a way to end this. But until then, we just have to handle the situation the best way we can and I know… we all know you’ll take the best decision.”

Heartbeat and Mirror Coat nodded, agreeing with Golden Paladin’s words. Even Blue nodded to Twilight, showing her the faith he had on her. That gave Twilight the courage she needed to think on the best solution.

“Thank you all” Twilight said. “That really meant a lot.”

“So, Twily, what are we going to do?” Blue asked.

The Princess of the Light Kingdom thought about that carefully. Now that her mind was calm, she could think clearly of what she needed to do. After much consideration, she came up with only one solution.

“We need to take Dusk to another place” she said. “We need to take him out of the citadel.”

“What?” Blue asked. “You want to send our son away?”

“Star can’t be near Dusk, Blue” Twilight said. “If we have them here, together, they would eventually come in contact, even if by accident. We can’t let that happen… for the sake of both.”

“Ok, I understand that” Blue said. “But those two have a close bond. It will be difficult to keep them apart, especially Star.”

“I’ve thought of that and I got a solution” Twilight said. “It’s not ideal and it can be very cruel… but it’s our only solution. And Mirror Coat is the one who is going to put it in practice.”

“I am?” he asked.

“Yes, you are” Twilight told. “I need the seal that you use to seal information at your library. It also works with memories, right?”

Hearing her asking that, Blue realized what she was asking.

“You want to seal Star’s memories of Dusk, right?”

“Not just Star” she replied. “Everyone’s. We can’t take any risk. We need to hide Dusk completely. Only a few will know about this, only us and the other Generals. Once everything is solved, we undo the seal.”

“Twily…” Blue started.

“I know what you’re going to say, Blue, but this is the only option I see we have” Twilight replied. “You may not agree, but…”

“Twily, I was going to say that I’m with you” Blue told, holding her. “I may not agree entirely with this plan of yours, but I trust you. I know you want the best for our sons, so it will be as you want.”

Hearing her husband saying those words made Twilight feel her love for him to grow even more. She then kissed him, as a way to transmit all that love.

“Aww, that’s so cute” Heartbeat said, who was able to sense all the feelings involved in that kiss, but adding a few seconds later. “Okay, guys, now it’s just awkward. Remember you’re not alone here.”

Twilight and Blue stopped the kiss and the former said:

“Thank you for your support, Blue. It really means a lot to me.”

“We’re in this together, Twily” Blue replied. “Never forget that. We’re a team and we have the same goal: to give Star and Dusk their best chance… even if that involves keeping them apart until we find a way to cure Star.”

After sharing another passionate look and smile with Blue, Twilight turned to Mirror Coat and said:

“You can do it, Mirror Coat.”

“Very well” he said. “I just need the signature energy of the ones who won’t be affected by the seal and I can do it right away.”

After that, the projected memory ended…

Reunion

After the end of the memory shown by Twilight, Star said:

“That explains everything. The reason why I always felt I knew Dusk… You had Mirror Coat to seal the information.”

“I know what we did… what I did… was an injustice for you and your sisters” Twilight said. “Not just for you three, but also to all the others. Sealing memories is something… awful to do.”

Blue placed his hoof over Twilight’s shoulder and said:

“I’m also part of this. I allowed it to happen and, despite my opinion on the subject, I trusted on your mother’s decision. It seemed the right one to do and I don’t regret of anything if that meant keeping you safe.”

“Oh, Blue…” Twilight said, moved by Blue’s words full of love and dedication.

“So, son, if you want to get mad on somepony, then you can be with me too” Blue said.

“What are you talking about?” Star asked. “I’m not upset. I understand why you did it. I mean, what you did was not… let’s just say, very nice, but it’s understandable and… I guess I would have done the same thing.”

“Oh, Star…” Twilight said, with some tears on her eyes. “What have we done to deserve a son like you?”

“But what you told us about Kurama knowing everything… it still puzzles me” Blue said.

“Yes, after all, Mirror Coat’s seal should have sealed everything about Dusk from everypony that was not excluded, including him” Twilight said.

“I agree with them” Kurama said to Star in their place. “I should have forgotten. Not even tailed beasts escape the magic of the General of Knowledge when it comes erasing or sealing information. However, for some reason, it didn’t work on me.”

“Kurama says he doesn’t know how that happened neither” Star said, remembering something. “Wait, for what Mirror Coat told you, the seal doesn’t work on those who give their signature energies to it. Is there any chance Kurama’s went to it?”

“Of course not” Twilight replied. “We put this plan into motion carefully to avoid any mistakes that could get things worse. Besides, the only places where Kurama’s energy existed at that time was inside of you and the tree where Golden and Leaf Mane sealed most of his energy.”

“Not exactly” Kurama said to Star. “There’s one pony that still possesses a little of my energy… despite I’m not inside her anymore.”

“Of course…” Star said. “That’s the only explanation.”

“What, son?” Blue asked.

“I think I know who to ask” he said.

It didn’t take long for Heartbeat to come in and approaching Twilight, Blue and Star.

“Okay, I hope this is important” she said. “I was playing a prank on Purple Smoke. One of the best I have played on him. By the way, if he asks anything, I want you to be my alibi, okay?”

But they didn’t reply her, keeping staring at her.

“You know, this is the time where you give me a sermon for pranking, because you know my pranks are quite funny and my idea of fun doesn’t match yours” Heartbeat said.

“Heartbeat, tell us something” Twilight said. “Did you put some of Kurama’s energy on Mirror Coat’s seal on the information and memories regarding Dusk?”

“Ah, you guys know that Star is standing right there, don’t you?” Heartbeat asked.

“I know everything, Heartbeat” Star said. “But you would know that, wouldn’t you? After all, besides me, you’re the one to possess Kurama’s energy from the time you were his jinchuriki. You put some of his energy on the seal so that you could remember and then tell me about it.”

There was a pause and then Heartbeat, seeing that her cover was blown, said:

“That’s very clever of you.”

“Why, Heartbeat?” Blue asked. “Why did you do it?”

“I was only trying to help you all” Heartbeat said. “I knew you would try to hold this lie for as long as you could.”

“We would hold this lie until a solution was found for Star’s cursed heart” Twilight said. “One that doesn’t involve sacrificing somepony else’s heart.”

“But that can take forever” Heartbeat said. “Besides, this plan of mine may give you the solution you need… for the time being, at least.”

“What plan?” Star asked. “Knowing you, I don’t know if what to know.”

“Let’s just say it was a mix of a prevision and assumption” Heartbeat said. “I knew Dusk eventually would get tired of waiting for a solution. He’s just like Blue: impulsive and impatient, incapable of waiting for anything, even if his life depended on it.”

“Hey!” Blue exclaimed, while Twilight hid a chuckle.

“It was only a matter of time for him to go after Star” Heartbeat continued. “Even if that didn’t happened, they could just meet by accident. And if they met, Star would go obsessed in knowing who he was… just like when Twilight twilights about any little problem that crosses her path.”

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed, with Blue being the one hiding the chuckle this time.

“Any who, I knew I had to do something to mitigate all this… situation” Heartbeat said. “And the answer couldn’t be more clear: Goldy’s sealing spell.”

That confused Twilight, Blue and Star.

“You mean the one he used to seal Kurama in me?” Star asked. “But I thought that wouldn't work.”

“Yeah, he did say that when we asked him for a way to prevent the curse” Blue said. “You were there.”

“Actually, what he said was that, because of the risk of Kurama taking over Star, it couldn’t be done” Heartbeat corrected. “But now, Kurama is besties with Star, right?”

“Wait…” Star said, while processing what Heartbeat had just said. “Are telling us that you knew Kurama and I would get along eventually? No, I don’t buy it. You hated Kurama. You used to tell he was the most annoying being in all Creation. Even more than Purple Smoke bragging about his skills and constant shapeshifting.”

“Great, now you’re the one roasting” Kurama told Star. “As if hearing Heartbeat doing it wasn’t bad enough.”

“Yes, but my belief in you was bigger” Heartbeat replied the alicorn prince. “If there was some somepony capable of getting through that grumpy fox was you.”

There was a pause and then Twilight said:

“Let me get this straight. You allowed Kurama to remember Dusk so that he could tell Star about him by the time they were friends? You do realize he could have used that to manipulate Star and make him lose control, right?”

An awkward silence and then Heartbeat replied:

“Okay, I clearly didn’t think of that.”

“Neither did I” Kurama said. “How did that escape me? Now I feel stupid.”

“Really?” Star asked his tailed beast friend.

“Okay, let’s focus on the big and better picture here” Heartbeat said.

“Which is…” Blue asked.

“That now Star and Kurama are friends and the seal is now open completely, he can use it to seal the curse” Heartbeat replied. “At least for the time it can hold it.”

“Heartbeat’s right” Blue said to his wife. “This is the solution we needed.”

“Yes” Twilight agreeded, starting to smile. “It’s not a permanent solution, but it can reunite our family at last. Dusk will be able to be with us again and we can undo the seal that holds everything about him.”

“Wait… no!” Star exclaimed, making everyone turn to him.

“Star, what are you saying?” Twilight said. “This is what our family needs.”

“I know that, but…” he said. “For me to do that, I need to seal Kurama again. Opening the seal completely was a sign of our mutual trust on each other. I can’t just put him in a cage just so I can be reunited with my brother.”

“Don’t worry, kid” Kurama told his jinchuriki. “Just do it already.”

“But that would put you in your cage again” Star said. “I can’t do that. Not when I was the one to set you free.”

“Please, stop that” Kurama said. “You know I hate sentimentalities. Besides, I’ve already been caged for centuries: first inside Heartbeat, then in a cell in Tartarus, then a book and then you. Not to mention Ten-Tails, Hepheus and the Lord of Chaos. Believe me, spending more time in a cage is nothing. It most certainly beats hearing you mourning for not being with your brother.”

“Oh, Kurama… I don’t know what to say” Star said.

“You could stop with that” Kurama said. “And also say thanks.”

“Well then, thanks” Star said. “This means a lot for me.”

Returning to the real world, Star said to his parents:

“I talked with Kurama and he said I can do it.”

“Really?!” Heartbeat asked, surprised. “Wow, he really has changed.”

“That’s great!” Twilight said.

“So how do we do this?” Blue asked. “Do we ask Golden Paladin for this?”

As if answering his question, Star charged his horn with magic and golden chains appeared around his torso. Inside their shared mental plane, the watered surface beneath Star and Kurama started to undulate, as a green liquid started to be pulled to where Kurama was, as the cage started to be formed again around him. The doors of the cage appeared and closed in front of Kurama and the green liquid that was the curse, with it being then locked by golden chains.

“It’s done” Star said. “Don’t worry, Kurama. As soon we find a solution for my heart, I will set you free.”

“Don’t rush, or else things may get worse” Kurama replied, while lying down. “I just hope you don’t get in trouble. You won’t be able to use my energy.”

“Oh, Kurama, I love when you show your concern for me” Star told, playfully.

“Don’t be cocky” Kurama replied. “I just don’t want my fun of observing you to be over so fast.”

Star chuckled and then returned his attention to the real world.

“It’s done. I sealed the curse with Golden’s seal.”

“So… does that mean everything is okay now?” Blue asked.

“There’s only one way to know” Heartbeat replied, while playing her teddy bear, which she made appear.

“She’s right” Twilight said, understanding what she meant. “It’s time for us to make a family reunion.”

At Bright Shore, Dusk was at his room, lying on his bed. He sighed, not believing the day he just had. And all because he wanted to be close to his family at the citadel. He then looked at his foreleg where he saw a faded mark, the same one he got for activating Star’s curse for the first time all those years ago. That mark was the one thing that was preventing Dusk from being with his family. He only hoped he could be together with his brother and sister pretty soon.

It was then that he heard movement outside of his room, what caused him to get suspicious. But then his mother’s voice called him:

“Dusk, dear, can you come here? It’s us, mom and dad.”

Dusk got a little confused, as he didn’t understand why his parents were there. Did something happen and he didn’t know about it? He got out of his room and saw his parents and the living room, both with a cheerful look.

“Mom? Dad? But why are you here? I already told you I’m not going to get close to Star.”

“Don’t worry about, my dear” Twilight said. “We’re not here for anything bad you may have made.”

“It’s something good” Blue added.

By the look on their faces, it really seemed that way, so Dusk said:

“I can’t wait to know it. What it is?”

“Why tell, when we can show you?” Twilight replied. “Go outside and you’ll see.”

A little confused, Dusk did what she said and, when he barely step outside, he saw what that surprise was. He couldn’t believe in what he was seeing. Before him was Star, Midnight and Sunny, his three siblings there, with him, smiling at him. He didn’t know what feel at that moment, as he could feel a great amount of joy, but the shock of the surprise causing him to have trouble in expressing it.

“But… what is this?” Dusk asked.

“What it looks like” Twilight said, as she and Blue appeared by his side. “It’s your brother and sisters.”

The twins, not wanting to wait any longer, advanced and knocked down Dusk, all while tickling him in an affective way, just like they used to do with Star.

“We can’t believe we have another big brother” Midnight said.

“This is the best day ever!” Sunny exclaimed.

“You told them” Dusk said to his parents, happily.

“Well, someday it had to be” Blue said. “And I think this one was it.”

After getting up, Dusk looked at Star, who remained where he was.

“Hey” the older brother said.

“Hey” Dusk replied. “So… it’s good that you finally get to know.”

“Yes…” Star said. “I have to say it was a nice surprise to know I had another younger sibling.”

“Yeah… I can imagine that” Dusk said.

It was then that Star started to head towards Dusk. Seeing that, the latter started to say:

“Oh no… You may not want to come any closer.”

“It’s okay, Dusk” Star said, while keeping moving forward.

“But… but the curse…” Dusk said, trying to retreat. “We can’t be near each other.”

But he ended up bumping against his parents and Twilight said:

“It’s okay, son. Don’t worry.”

Star got near Dusk and then extended his hoof, all while smiling. Despite hesitating, Dusk extended his and, preparing himself for what was coming next, he hoof bumped Star and got surprised when he saw that nothing happened to him. That caused a big smile to appear on him.

“I can’t believe it!” Dusk exclaimed. “You’re not getting hurt! Does this mean you’re cured?”

“Well… not exactly” Star said. “But close enough.”

“That’s… great!” Dusk exclaimed. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yes, Dusk” Twilight said. “We can be a family again.”

A great deal of happiness took over Dusk and then he hugged Star who hugged him back. The rest of the family joined the hug.

Seeing that scene was the Lord of Chaos. Despite the image was failing for not having enough influence, despite the Bright Shore being located at the Light Kingdom’s marine bonder, because of his binds, he saw how Twilight’s family was reunited at last, what really caused him to get very mad.

“I can’t believe this!” he exclaimed. “After all that work to keep that family apart, they just happily reunite?! Is it too much to ask just a little of unhappiness to Twilight Sparkle and Star Knight?! But if there’s something they should know is to not get too much comfortable with the tranquility they have. As long as they and their descendants exist, as long as I exist, I will stop at nothing to keep them as unhappy as they can get. And there’s so many ways to do it…”

And he chuckled evily.

Epilogue - A Brand New Adventure Begins?

With Dusk reuniting with his family, Twilight and Blue saw no meaning in keeping Mirror Coat’s sealing, so they had him to release it, retrieving all the information and memories of Dusk to everypony who knew him, including the rest of the family.

On the next day, a party was being held at the Bright Shore, celebrating Dusk’s birthday. There, besides his parents and siblings, were also his grandparents, both maternal and paternal, along with his uncle Shining Armor, her aunts Cadance and Dahli and his cousins, his great-uncle Shooting Star and his family. Twilight’s friends were also there, along with her husbands and children, along with Big Mac, Cherry, Jonagold and Apple Flower. Star also had the idea of inviting Gunter, Gallus, Bramble and Galena, so that they could meet his brother.

While Midnight and Sunny were talking with Gust, Gallus, Silver Wind, Apple Storm, Winesap Apple and Topaz and the younger foals were playing around, Dusk was with Star and his friends (along with Gleaming).

“I can’t believe you have a little brother, Star” Gunter said. “Wow… Is there something about you we don’t know yet?”

“Ya forgot ‘bout dah curse on his heart” Jonagold said.

“Oh yea…” Gunter said.

“Guys, please, don’t say things like that!” Moonlight admonished, while holding Star’s hoof.

“Moonlight is right” Galena said. “What kind of friends are you?”

“It’s okay, Galena” Star said. “I don’t mind it at all.”

“I’ve heard about this curse” Bramble said. “But I’ve always thought it was a legend… But maybe it was because of being a curse native of Wonderland.”

“Even if it is a powerful curse” Gleaming said. “Maybe I can find a way to break it. To me, it seems it is no different of an illness.”

“Okay, guys, let’s stop talking about me and my curse” Star said. “Today is Dusk’s birthday, so this day must be about him.”

“Well, I have to confess that I’m not used in being around too many ponies” Dusk said, while scratching the back of his head.

“Well, then I suggest you get used to it” Gunter said. “Believe me, with your brother around, things never get bored.”

“Well, that’s one way to put it” a voice said.

They all turned around and saw Heartbeat.

“What are you doing here?” Star asked, surprised. “I thought Golden grounded you for hiding from him and the others that you put some of Kurama’s energy in Mirror Coat’s seal … and also because of that prank you pulled on Purple Smoke.”

“Yeah, I guess this will have to be our little secret” Heartbeat replied, while making a hushing sound. “Any who, I just couldn’t help but coming and giving a gift to Dusk. It’s not everyday you become thirteen.”

And she handled him a small box, which Dusk took:

“Thanks, Heartbeat.”

He then opened and inside there was a necklace whose pendant was a blue pearl-like stone with a symbol that looked like a wave.

“Wow!” Dusk said, while putting the necklace on. “This is so cool!”

“Yeah, it is…” Star said. “What makes me wonder the reasons why you gave it to Dusk, Heartbeat.”

“Come on now, Star, can’t I give somepony a present without having any big secret motive?” she asked.

“Well, it’s not your style to just give something without a motive” Star replied.

“Oh, yeah, name one example of that” Heartbeat said.

“My mirror, which reflects my friendships to remind me my friends will always be with me” Star told. “Something that helped me to endure the light ponies’ sidelining as I grew up. Midnight’s mane clip which summoned her ponies to help her in times of great need… And I still don’t know the reasons behind Leaf Mane’s bracelet, but there must be one.”

Heartbeat tried to refute Star’s claims, but she couldn’t find any objection.

“Well… I only asked for one example” she replied. “Okay, bye, bye.”

And having said that, she just went away with her speed.

“I don’t know if I have to like her or not” Gunter commented.

At the Light Castle, Heartbeat was returning to her room, trotting, when Golden Paladin appeared before her.

“Do you mind?” Heartbeat asked him. “I have to get to my room.”

“You were at the Bright Shore, weren’t you?” Golden asked.

“What…?” Heartbeat asked, while trying to be as innocent as possible. “I was not! I can’t believe you would think…”

“I saw you there” Golden told.

“Okay, I was not expecting that… despite it was quite predictable” Heartbeat said. “And also… don’t you know spying is wrong?”

Ignoring that last remark of hers, Golden Paladin asked:

“Do you mind telling me what you were doing there?”

“I was just giving my gift to Dusk” Heartbeat replied.

“Which was what?” Golden Paladin asked. “Knowing you, it was quite a gift.”

“Now I see where Star got his suspicious side” Heartbeat said. “You two are quite alike, you know. Just for you to know, not everything I do is for any bigger plan of mine.”

After she passed by Golden to reach the door to her room, the General of Peace told her:

“If you know I saw you there, then you must know I know what your gift really was. Don’t you know the danger of giving Dusk that, having in count where he lives currently?”

Heartbeat opened the door of her room and, preparing to get in, she replied:

“Well, then, I would just give the young prince exactly what he wants and needs: the adventure of a life.”

Having said that, she got in and closed the door to Golden Paladin.

The End