A Great Big Screwed Up Family
A GREAT BIG SCREWED UP FAMILY
“The past?”
“Yes, my time,” confirms Star Swirl as he begins to walk down the hallway.
“Wait, but then we’re in our main timeline again, aren’t we? Won’t the Elements come for us here?”
“We aren’t in our timeline, this is another parallel one. They aren’t only created by the Regalia failing to stop world-ending disasters. Nothing we do here should affect the future, which is one of the many useful properties of alternate timelines. Being outside our own should buy us at least a couple of hours.”
“What’s this one from, then?” I ask.
“I made it. I got the idea when an alternate-universe counterpart of me popped in to take my version of a sweater he had lost. So I did the same. While it isn’t technically ours, it’s practically identical.”
“You made an entire universe to replace a single sweater?”
“Well, it was that or tell Luna I’d lost a gift she gave me for Hearth’s Warming. Easy choice, from where I’m sitting.”
“So why are we here?”
“Because I need a few things. Like most importantly a nap.”
“The fundamental forces underpinning the universe are hunting us down, and you want to take a nap? How old did you get while I was away?” Star Swirl doesn’t get a chance to dignify that with an answer before he stumbles over a lump in the carpet and falls. I only just manage to catch him in my magic and put him back up on his hooves. His legs continue to tremble well past when they should have stopped. When I realize that, I quickly regret what I just said. “Hey, I’m sorry. You lost a lot of blood, and then transported us across alternate timelines twice. I guess I should cut you some slack.”
“I’m glad you at least know how clueless and insensitive you are,” he says. His knees are still wavering, so wordlessly I lean in to support him. I feel the shaking muscles along his barrel begin to relax as I do.
“Wow, you kept the halls cold back in the day. Mind if I use you for some warmth?”
He turns his head to me, the look in his eyes all the thanks I need. “Yeah, that would be fine.”
We continue on like that, until we come to ornately carved double doors in a spot I don’t remember there being any in my time. “My study and office. Nopony else besides me can even open these doors,” says Star Swirl. His horn glows and the doors creak open. Inside the study is what I recognize as an eternally-burning fireplace lighting up a fantastic office. Bookshelves line every wall all the way up to the ceiling, with just a few strips of green wallpaper so dark it might easily be mistaken for black between them. In one corner is a desk covered by haphazardly-scattered papers that cover every bit of its surface.
None of that can distract me from the young, dark blue unicorn mare standing frozen in the middle of the room, staring guiltily towards us with a hip flask in her mouth. For a long moment none of us say anything while the light of the fire dances in the mare’s mane; pitch black, but riddled with speckles of grey throughout.
“Father?” she finally asks.
“Father?” I echo more skeptically.
“Shooting Star,” says Star Swirl. “Tell me that isn’t the flask I keep in my bottom drawer.”
She hesitates. “This... isn’t the flask you keep in your bottom drawer.”
“So why does it have the initials ‘SS’ inscribed on the the side?” he asks.
She smirks. “Those are my initials, too.”
“You’re fifteen! You aren’t old enough to be drinking. And stealing out of my desk? What were you thinking?”
“But faaaathER!”
I cover my ears reflexively. The Royal Canterlot Whine: It’s a thing, and it’s horrible.
“I don’t want to hear it. You’re too young to-”
“It’s not fair! You were doing all sorts of crazy things when you were my age! Auntie Tia’s told me all about them! I want to go on an adventure, too! When does it get to be my turn?”
“When you’re ready, Starry. I promise that someday I’ll-”
“But I’m ready now! I know all kinds of spells! I can help you! So why won’t you let me come with you?” She notices that I’m there for the first time and glares at me. “And who is she?”
“Somepony who knows how to handle herself under pressure,” Star Swirl shoots back to my surprise. That might be the nicest thing he’s ever said about me.
Shooting Star narrows her eyes even further. “Well, I hate her.”
So clearly this relationship is off to a phenomenal start.
“MOTHER!” Shooting Star yells, breaking out that voice again. “FATHER’S BACK FROM THE FUTURE, AND HE BROUGHT BACK ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FLOOZIES!”
“Hey!” I protest, but it’s no good. Shooting Star begins to storm out of the room.
“Drop the flask,” says Star Swirl. Shooting Star turns to glare at us, and spits the hip flask down at his hooves before marching out of the room. “I’m sorry about that, Twilight. My daughter can be completely insufferable at times. She probably gets that from her mother.”
I hold my tongue, with great effort.
“Anyway,” he continues, “just let me do the talking. Luna can be difficult too.”
“I know that,” I say. “I’ve dealt with Luna before.”
“You’ve dealt with your Luna before.” Before I can ask him to clarify what he means by that a door on the other side of the room is slammed open, and in walks a huge, black alicorn I don’t immediately recognize.
Maybe if Nightmare Moon ditched her armor she would look like this. Rather than being a head shorter than Celestia, this pony is just as tall and well-proportioned. I have to shake my head to stop gazing into the mane that shimmers with a perfect display of the cosmos. I’m not even sure it isn’t actually a real-time display of them. “Luna?” I ask before I can think better of it.
“That’s Princess Luna to you, peon,” she replies. Who says you never get a second chance to botch a first impression? She turns to Star Swirl, but then does a double take back at me. “Why do we recognize you? We cannot recall meeting you.”
I frown. There’s no reason she should know me at this point. “I’m... not important. Don’t worry, I’m not here to steal Star Swirl from you, in any way.”
“As if you could compete with the divine,” says Luna. “You are correct, you are indeed unimportant.” She turns her attention back to Star Swirl. “Another adventuring companion of yours? I suppose she’s not the least attractive one you’ve ever brought back.”
“Hey, nothing like that is-” I try to protest.
“We are well aware that he is uninterested in you in that fashion. Now hush until you are spoken to,” says Luna, cutting me off. She resumes her conversation with Star Swirl. “More impudent than most of them, though. You certainly have a type.”
“Listen, Lunatic-”
“Sweet talk will not help you. Are you aware of what time you’ve returned to?”
“Not exactly,” admits Star Swirl. “The return spell I used is only accurate to within a few days.”
“Is that the reason you’re offering for SKIPPING OUR ANNIVERSARY?” she bellows. I changed my mind. I’m perfectly happy to be ignored for the duration of this conversation.
“Oh. Oh Lu, I’m so sorry. It was an accident. I’ll just use another spell to go back again and-”
“That is not the point! It is not just that you were absent, but rather that you forgot in the first place. Not everything can be mended with time travel.” Luna huffs. “I hope you at least plan to make it up to me on this night.”
“Err... actually, I can’t stay long. I just came here to grab a nap and a few supplies and then I’ll be off again. I wish I could explain, but...”
“Knowledge of the future. I grow weary of that being your excuse whenever you do not wish to tell me anything about where you keep disappearing to, or why you’re so curious about my Regalia.” says Luna. Her anger tempers away as I watch. “I just miss you, Star Swirl. We see each other too rarely these nights. Shooting Star misses you as well. She’s growing up so fast, and I have so few decades to spend with both of you. I wish to make the most of them while I can.”
I bite my lip. For all I know, neither of them are ever going to see each other again after this. When, exactly, did Star Swirl vanish anyway? I wish I’d thought to ask. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, Lunatic. Just not right now.”
“See that you do,” says Luna as she turns to go. She looks over at me again. “Forgive me for not asking your name. It does not seem worth my time to bother remembering it.” What am I supposed to say to that?
After she’s left, Star Swirl’s horn glows and a trunk emerges from a closet that was hidden away behind one of the bookshelves. From around the room assorted odds and ends glow and slide inside. Tents, sleeping bags, boxes whose labels identify their contents as food, and everything else one would need for long trip. As the trunk slams shut a nearby couch pulls out into a cot. “Do me a favor, Twilight, and wake me up in about an hour? We’ll want to get moving.”
“Sure.” I settle into a nearby chair and he pulls the covers over himself, and before long he’s out cold. There’s nothing for me to do but watch the fire dancing hypnotically in the fireplace, until my eyelids start to get heavy too.
-------------------------------
“Twilight, wake up.”
My eyes jump open. “Wha?”
“You were supposed to wake me up after an hour. It’s been two. We need to hurry before the Elements track us down, let’s go,” says Star Swirl.
I rub my cheek to rid it of the impression left by the hoof I’d been resting it on, and wipe the little traces of drool from the corner of my lips. Shaking my head to push out the last of the cobwebs, I rise to my hooves and wrap the trunk Star Swirl packed up earlier in my magic. It’s heavier than I expected, but I hoist it up and follow after him.
Luna is out in the hallway waiting for us. She’s knocking on a nearby door. “Shooting Star, come out and say goodbye to your father before he goes.” The door doesn’t open. “Young filly, I will not tolerate you sealing yourself up in your room away from other ponies just because you are upset about him leaving. Such conduct is unbecoming and pitiful.” Still nothing.
“It’s fine, Luna,” says Star Swirl stepping over to nuzzle her cheek. “I wish I could stay until she comes around, but I have to go. I’ll bring something back for her.”
“Very well. Take care, Star Swirl. And be safe. I plan to hold you to your promise to make things up to us the next time we see you,” says Luna returning the nuzzle. “Goodbye to you as well, other pony. It is unlikely we’ll meet again, but do try to keep my husband from doing anything exceptionally foalish.”
“Goodbye, Luna,” I say.
“Again, it is Princess Luna. I will overlook the slight on this occasion, but do not address me improperly again. You would not enjoy the experience of falling out of my favor.” I just nod. I can’t say she’s wrong about that.
With our goodbyes finished, Star Swirl’s horn glows and we disappear from yet another world.
------------------------
This time, we arrive in a new castle with the trunk in tow. It takes me a moment to place why it’s so familiar. I’ve been here before. “What is this place?”
“Luna and Celestia’s summer palace, I think,” says Star Swirl. “I didn’t have a lot of choices. We’ve got a pretty tight window to work with between when Celestia’s attempt to banish Nightmare Moon with the Elements fails, and they destroy the timeline. We should hurry.”
Despite the urgency, I hesitate. Now I remember. This is the ruined castle where my friends and I confronted Nightmare Moon, only now it’s a thousand years earlier. The memory brings along with it all the associated baggage of that night, and just how many times we came close to dying. And now I have to do it all again, just without the Elements’ support.
“Star Swirl, hold on. I don’t... I don’t know if I can really do this,” I say. Now that I’ve actually said so the doubt boils over in my mind.
“You waited until now to decide that?” asks Star Swirl. “Get over it, we’re in a hurry.”
“But maybe there’s another way to settle things with the Elements. Maybe we could just talk to them? Come to some kind of a settlement or compromise? Even if they’re bad news, we should at least try.”
“Are you just scared? Or did the Elements finally get to your mind too?” asks Star Swirl.
“Come on, Star Swirl, that’s ridiculous. I’m just saying that we should consider other possibilities. Maybe there’s a way that’s less dangerous.”
“Everything we’re doing is dangerous. Going back to see Queen Sparkle was dangerous, but we got through that. I have my amulet, I’m sure I’ll be fine and I’ll help keep you safe too.”
“No you won’t be fine!” All that guilt I felt watching Star Swirl and Luna talk about their future while I stayed silent is rushing in at once. “This isn’t like when we went into the other timeline and you knew you would get back to the past because it already happened that way,” I shout at him. I really shouldn’t say what I’m about to. “This time I already know that you never came back!”
Star Swirl’s jaw drops. “What?” he says.
“WHAT?!?” shouts the trunk.
Star Swirl and I pause, our disagreement from a moment ago replaced by mutual confusion. “...Star Swirl, is this some kind of magical talking trunk?” I ask.
“No. No it isn’t.” His horn glows and he frowns as the lid of the trunk lifts up.
“Umm... hello again, father,” says Shooting Star. Most of the supplies we brought along are still there, but there’s a hollow pocket in the middle of them where she’s curled herself up and smuggled herself in with us.
“Shooting Star,” says Star Swirl, barely keeping his anger out of his voice. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
“I’m coming with you this time. I’m older than you were when you time traveled, and I want to come.”
“You are going to march yourself right back to your original time and wait there for me. This is not up for discussion.”
“But she just said you don’t come back!”
“I’ll... I’ll...” he can’t think up a good response for that.
“I’m not going back without you, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” she says. She crawls out of the trunk and plants four defiant hooves on the stone floor.
“She’s wrong, isn’t she? I mean, we can take her back to where she should be and then pop right back over here, right?” I suggest.
Star Swirl groans as he weighs his available options. “I don’t think so. The period of time I was aiming for was already a pretty small target. If I try to get back here without us crossing our own path I might miss it entirely.”
“Ha! Then you have to let me stay!” says Shooting Star with a triumphant laugh. Her smug grin disappears when she sees the look Star Swirl is glaring at her with. “Maybe I could just hide in a broom closet or something though.”
“And risk leaving you stranded here when the Elements explode? I don’t think so. You are not to step hoof out of my sight, do I make myself clear?”
“Oh father, thank you thank you thank you! You’re the best!” shouts Shooting Star as she rushes over to hug him.
He sighs. “This is a side of your mother I was hoping you would never have to see.”
“Mother came too? But I heard you saying goodbye to her before we left.”
“Uh...” I interject. “Should we really be telling her this?”
“Might as well at this point. If she insists on being treated like an adult, I see no reason to protect her from it anymore,” replies Star Swirl. He hugs Shooting Star back, and after a long squeeze lowers her to the ground and sets a hoof on her shoulder as his face grows somber. “Shooting Star... a long time after we were both gone, Luna became a very unhappy pony. She did something really terrible, something that once you return home you can never, ever tell her about. Are you absolutely certain you want to know about it?”
“Yeah, I wanna know,” says Shooting Star. She tries to steel herself and say it forcefully, but the tiny waver in her voice makes how scared she is perfectly clear.
“Very well. She tried to kill Aunt Tia, and make the nighttime eternal. We’re in the timeline where Celestia couldn’t stop her.”
Shooting Star takes a shaken step back and sinks down to her knees at the revelation, shock painted all across her face. “No... You’re lying to me so I’ll agree to go back with you. Mommy wouldn’t ever...” her voice trails off when she sees the absolutely serious way Star Swirl is watching her.
From down at the end of the hall, there’s a loud crash behind the throne room doors. The hallway trembles, and a vase on a nearby pedestal topples over and smashes itself to pieces against the ground. Star Swirl nods towards the door. “Come see for yourself.” He begins to walk away, but Shooting Star stays frozen to the spot.
“I don’t... I think I want you to take me home now,” says Shooting Star. She’s trembling.
“Tough. You should have thought of that before you snuck along. Maybe seeing this will make you realize that actions have consequences,” says Star Swirl without turning back.
“Star Swirl, she’s terrified,” I say.
“She should be. If I could get her back home and come back here reliably I would have done it no matter what she wanted. You wanted to go on an adventure so badly? Well this is what they’re like sometimes.”
“Can’t you... I don’t know, go back to a couple years ago and help her not be evil?” asks Shooting Star.
“No. I told you, actions have consequences even with time travel. Now come on, we’ve wasted enough time already because of you.” He stands still with his back to both of us, waiting. I lay a comforting hoof on her shoulder and nod to her with an encouraging little smile. With a gulp, she takes a hesitant little step, then another and soon she’s following along behind him and Star Swirl starts to trot down the hallway again, still not looking back at his daughter. I scowl and canter a few steps to pass him with the intent of quietly reading him the riot act, but when I actually get there my plans change in a heartbeat.
The look on Star Swirl’s face is one of unbridled pain and fear. He’s staring desperately forward and taking slow, measured breaths through his open mouth. I know the early stages of a panic attack when I see one. When I pass by him, he casts a pleading look at me. Of my two companions, Shooting Star is the less terrified of what might happen on this trip. I set my face as neutrally as I can and give him a small nod. If something happens, I’ll bring her back, I mouth to him. For a moment I’m not sure he caught my meaning, but when he smiles at me I know he got the message.
We come to a stop in front of the doors. I hear Princess Celestia’s voice cry out in pain. Star Swirl takes a deep breath and composes himself before turning to the two of us. “Alright, let me lay down some ground rules. I don’t know to just what extent she’s going to remember Shooting Star or I, or if she does remember much whether she’ll even care. Twilight, if I tell you to run you take Shooting Star and book it back down the way we just came. If you get to where we came in the trail from our entry into this timeline should be fresh enough for you to trace it back to that alternate past we just left.”
I nod, but Shooting Star has to ask the question I already know the implicit answer to. “What about you Father?”
“I’ll stay and hold off Nightmare Moon as long as I can.”
“What? You can’t expect me to-”
“I can and I do expect you to.” He pulls his daughter into a hug and squeezes her tight. “Besides, If I came back without you your mother would kill me anyway. But I don’t think it’s going to come to that.” He can’t possibly know that. The three of us stare at the door until we can’t put off opening any longer. Here comes the moment of truth.
We open the door to find a half-destroyed throne room, a pitch black alicorn as dark as the night itself towering over the battered body of another one. Off to one side, a badly wounded pegasus guard is fighting to stay conscious in a pool of his own blood through the trauma of the terrible cuts and wounds that cover his side, his white coat and feathers stained red. “You arrogant little foal,” sneers Nightmare Moon. “Did you truly believe that the Regalia would work on me? They are my own creation!” Sure enough, the five necklaces are scattered over the floor around her, flashing and sparking angrily. I’m not sure if that’s because they just failed or because they’re about to blow. This is an awfully disharmonious situation.
“Sister, I beg of you, consider-”
“I have considered. For years I have been patient, hoping that each next generation would be the one to understand. To appreciate. But you’ve had them under your sway the entire time. No longer!” She stomps a hoof inches from Celestia’s face. Celestia tries to rear up and away, but she cries out in pain when she puts weight on a broken leg and falls back to her knees. As she does so the guard tries to pull his broken body across the floor towards her, as if he’ll be able to rescue her through sheer determination. When Celestia sees the signs of life in him, her eyes fill with fear and pain.
“Okay Luna, you win. You can keep your night going, maybe we can discuss this later. Just let me and Glowie go.”
Glowie? The story Celestia told me once about her son being killed in Nightmare Moon’s uprising comes rushing back to me. It looks like we might be too late to save either one of them. “Give you a chance to recuperate so you can try to murder me again? I don’t think so. Don’t worry, though, if Morning Glow survives I’ll take very, very, good care of him. By the time I’m done with him, he’ll spit on your name and acknowledge me as the one true Queen of Equestria. But I’ll spare you from having to see it.” A jagged, obsidian spear floats in her magic, and Celestia’s eyes go wide. “Now it’s time for your sun to set for the final time.”
“Mother! No!” screams Shooting Star. The three ponies all turn to look at us at the same time.
“Well, this is interesting,” says Nightmare Moon. She pauses a moment longer, then thrusts the spear deep into Celestia’s chest and leaves it there, blood welling up around the mortal wound as she turns back to us. “Come back to rejoin me in my new and improved Equestria? You even brought Shooting Star, I remember when she was that age. And who is this?”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” I say. Nightmare Moon frowns and ponders that.
“Odd, you seem familiar somehow. Are you a disciple of mine in some fashion?”
“I’m Princess Celestia’s student, not yours.”
“Are you certain of that?” asks Nightmare Moon. She gestures down at the gasping Princess who’s trying to slowly pull herself over to Morning Glow, idly watching her struggle. “I think you’ll find that class has been dismissed permanently. And you Star Swirl, don’t tell me you’ve come to try to stop me too. I’ve been your widow before, and I will not hesitate to become so again.”
“No, I don’t intend to fight you. In fact we need your help. Your Regalia is endangering all of Equestria across all sorts of timelines, including ours. In fact, this timeline only exists because Celestia banished you to the moon successfully a moment ago in ours.”
“Is that what you intended for me, sister? Eliminate the competition without compromising your own self-righteousness? Perhaps we are less different than I believed.” Nightmare Moon lashes out with a kick that catches Celestia in her side, knocking the breath from her. She hacks and coughs, bloody sputum landing on the floor in front of her. But she ignores Nightmare Moon and continues to push herself ahead bit by bit as Shooting Star looks on frozen in horror. “Well, I see no reason to care about your timeline. I suppose I should thank my Regalia for giving me this one to rule over instead.”
“You might want to hold off on that. Look at what they’re doing now.”
All eyes in the room turn to the Regalia laid out on the floor, which has started to grow worse. The stone floor is beginning to warp and crack as power leeches into it. Nightmare Moon frowns and reaches out to touch them, only to pull her hoof back when a bolt of angry magic stings her. “What is happening? Stop this display at once,” she commands to no avail.
“We can’t stop it, not here. You can either die the ruler of a doomed Equestria or come with us to help save an alternate one,” says Star Swirl.
Nightmare looks back and forth between the Regalia and her mortally wounded sister before she lets out a scream of rage at having her conquest snatched away from her at the last moment. A blast of dark magic from her horn destroys the throne she’d been hoping to claim as her own. After a moment’s venting she stands down again, and her voice changes in an instant to an icy calm tone. “Then I suppose I have little choice. Very well, I take at least some satisfaction in knowing that if I cannot have it, Equestria will be wreathed in flame and darkness.” She looks over to me again, and all of a sudden recognition flashes over her face. “Wait, you said Twilight Sparkle?”
This is driving me nuts. How do Luna and Nightmare Moon seem to know me hundreds upon hundreds of years before I was even born? “Yes, why?”
She turns to Star Swirl. “The Twilight Sparkle you had nightmares about?”
I turn to him too, confused. Why would he have nightmares about me after he got back from my present? The only thing I could see him having them from would be the other timeline where that other me was... holding Luna... so she could...
Oh, buck my life.
“I think there may be a, uh, a slight misunderstanding. That wasn’t me, exactly. I mean it kind of was, but I’ve never done that to you in any time. All the times we had sex were totally consensual, I swear."
“You slept with my mother!?” cries Shooting Star.
“No! Well, yes, but it’s okay. You and your father were both dead.”
“How is that at all better?”
“Come now, Shooting Star, don’t be so squeamish about such things,” says Nightmare Moon, “obviously this is a mare with potential for great darkness and power. Why would I not take such a lover? What a shame you became Celestia’s student rather than mine. I could have made you something great.” I grimace. I think I would have prefered her to hate me.
“Glowie?” Celestia’s voice pulls our focus back to more important things. She’s reached Morning Glow and is cradling him against herself, a long bloody trail marking the path she took across the room.
Morning Glow’s eyes flutter open. “Mom? I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you from her.”
“Don’t speak of her that way, Morning Glow. She is still my sister, and I still love her just as much as I love you,” says Celestia. Nightmare Moon sneers.
“I guess it’s not going to matter in a few minutes,” says Morning Glow, bitterly aware of the severity of his injuries.
“It will matter a great deal,” insists Celestia. “You’re going with them.”
“What?” asks Morning Glow, Nightmare Moon, and Star Swirl all at the same time.
“Please sister, you just said you would look after him. This isn’t a plan, or a trick. I just want him to be okay. He’s your nephew.”
“He is dead. His body simply has not realized it yet,” says Nightmare Moon.
Celestia smiles, radiant even as she’s fading away. “I’ve survived eight of my children. A trend I’m happy to bring to an end. Goodbye sister. I forgive you. Morning Glow, I love you so very, very much and I always will. I have one last thing to give to you.” Celestia’s horn sparkles and a light begins to glow in her chest. The light builds until it swallows up the ugly blackness of the spear, and bright little pinpricks appear all over Morning Glow. They dance between his wounds, sealing them back up.
“Mom, what are you doing? Stop it,” says Morning Glow with strength returning to his voice.
If Celestia hears him, she gives no sign of it. Her smile hasn’t faded in the least even as the life leaves her eyes. “I love you,” is the last thing she whispers before the light grows to be too much to see through and I have to shield my eyes. When it fades again, Morning Glow is standing and looking down at the corpse of his mother, still covered in blood and wearing ruined armor but his body made whole once more.
He looks up at Nightmare Moon and lets out a scream of rage every bit a match for one of her own. Yanking the spear out of Celestia’s chest, he charges at Nightmare Moon. She moves to meet him, but I’m quicker at wrapping him up in my magic and holding him in place. “Stop it, Morning Glow! We need her!” I command.
“She killed her! She killed Celestia! She killed my mother! I’m going to kill her, I swear on my mother’s memory that I am going to kill you, Aunt Luna.”
She leans down so she’s right in his face. “You’re welcome to try, if you value my sister’s gift so little you would throw it away in such a hopeless attempt.”
“Both of you, stop it! Look at the Regalia!” Indeed, the display they’re putting on is growing worse. Power crackles in the air, and one rogue arc strikes a curtain which bursts into purple flames.
“We need to leave,” says Star Swirl. “Hurry!”
The five of us all make a run for it. Well, four of us run and Morning Glow is dragged along in my magic kicking and screaming. I can see the sharp shadows cast in front of us by an intense brightness behind, but I don’t look back. Finally we get close enough to where we came in that Star Swirl’s horn starts to glow and we’re whisked away just as another Wall of Horrible Shiny Death consumes the castle behind us.
------------------------
We reappear, panting, back in the cavern I found Star Swirl in originally. “Don’t let the sunlight touch you,” he reminds me and our three new companions.
“Bah. What sunlight?” asks Nightmare Moon. Her horn glows and with a little strain the light outside the cave fades into night, though the heat from the sun beating down on the scorched ground all day means it’s still uncomfortable. “What timeline is this, anyway?”
“Remember when we used the Regalia against Fenrir? This is a timeline where they didn’t work.”
“Ah, yes, I do remember that. That was an enjoyable weekend, particularly the look on my sister’s face when we carved her out of the wolf’s stomach." She smiles, a genuinely happy, nostalgic smile instead of the predatory one I’m used to.
Then without turning around she snaps a foreleg around her, backhoofing the pony trying to sneak up on her with a knife into the cave wall. Morning Glow shakes off the impact as Nightmare Moon walks over to him. “And what shall be done about you? Your attempts to murder me are amusing, but could prove distracting at an inopportune moment. I think I should probably just kill you.”
“Mother, you can’t,” says Shooting Star as she steps in between them. “I won’t let you.”
“Why do you care? You don’t even know him.”
“...I think that maybe having a cousin for once would be kinda cool,” she says.
“Hmph, very well. I need to speak with your father anyway. You live for now, Morning Glow, but do not test the limits of my mercy.”
Morning Glow grumbles as Nightmare Moon walks away, but I hang back to do a little eavesdropping. “Thanks, I guess. Shooting Star, right?” Morning Glow starts to take off his armor, and as he removes his helmet I get my first look at his mane, which is the same hue as the green band of Princess Celestia’s.
Instead of answering, Shooting Star slaps him across the face. “That’s for trying to kill my mother, jerk,” she says.
“Your mother? What about mine?” asks Morning Glow. He peels off the rest of the useless, twisted royal guard armor to reveal a cutie mark of a rising sun. “I joined the guard back when I was your age, that means I was supposed to protect her. But I failed her, and now she’s...” he starts to tear up. “I was always so busy with training, and guard stuff, and she always had all of her responsibilities. I don’t think I talked to her for the entire last week. Now I’ll never get to again.”
Shooting Star settles herself beside him and pats him on the back. “Tell me about it. I go weeks without talking to either of my parents sometimes, and then when I do see them it’s because they want me to show up with them to some big event so they can talk to everypony but me while I’m bored out of my mind.”
Morning Glow chortles through his tears. “I remember the first time Mom dragged me to the Gala. I hated it!”
“You too? I just started going last year. I can’t believe it’s still awful by your time. Everypony tells me how lucky I am to get to go to all those parties, but I’m like, everypony’s at least twice my age...”
“...the food’s horrible...”
“...they all just want to talk about politics or gossip about ponies I don’t know...”
“...and the clothes are always uncomfortable!” they both finish at the same time before laughing together. “Finally, another pony that gets it,” says Shooting Star. They both look over at where Nightmare Moon and Star Swirl are discussing the time loops. “So I’m sure you haven’t thought about this yet, but what are you going to do once this is over? Your world just kind of blew up.”
“Yeah,” he answers, then falls quiet for a long time. “I guess find another one to live in. Get out of Canterlot, that’s for sure. Maybe strike out my own. I don’t care what Luna says, I’m not sticking around with her, after what she did.”
“You could come back to my time,” suggests Shooting Star. “You’d even be able to see Auntie Tia again.”
“That isn’t a very good idea,” I say, jumping into the conversation. “First of all, you’d be sending back a ton of information about your future along with you, so you risk changing a lot. Bad enough when Star Swirl went back with a couple weeks worth of knowledge about my time, and he knew exactly how to avoid letting it influence things. Plus, even though you would remember Celestia as your mom, she wouldn’t know you.”
“Nopony cares what you think, Twilight Buzzkill,” says Shooting Star. They’re both glaring at me, obviously Morning Glow isn’t quite ready to forgive my grabbing him in my magic a few minutes ago. I don’t seem to be making many friends on this trip. The awkward moment that descends over us is broken by the last thing I expected to ever hear coming from Nightmare Moon. Namely, high-pitched giggling.
“Eeeeeee! Stop that Star Swirl, I forbid you to hee hee hee hee!”
“Hmm... so you’re definitely still ticklish in the same spots despite the transformation,” he says. We look over to them. Star Swirl’s horn glows and he’s grinning as a cloud of magic darts around Nightmare Moon’s underbelly. As we watch she leans too far back and falls over onto her back, rolling and squirming helplessly against the assault.
Shooting Star buries her face in her hooves and shakes her head. “Ugh! My parents are both such dorks.”
Nightmare Moon doubles over clutching her sides. “You stop that right this second! Ha! This isn’t funny! Ha ha ha!”
“Really? Then why are you laughing?”
“I’m- EEP! I’m serious Star Swirl!”
“What’cha gonna do about it?” Star Swirl’s amulet flashes, and the amusement on his face changes into shock as his magic disappears. “Okay. I’ll stop.”
While we wait for the amulet to recharge, we break out some of the rations Star Swirl packed and discuss strategy. Although she won the battle, Nightmare Moon is still a little worse for the wear from fighting Celestia. She’ll need some time to recover, so we all agree she should sit out the encounter with Discord and save her strength for Canterlot.
“Besides, that way Mother can stay back here with me and Morning Glow while you two go to this other time.”
“Oh no. You are going home, Starry.”
“What, and leave Mother and Morning Glow alone with one another? You really think that’s a good idea? I’m not going back so you can just vanish forever. We’ll wait here where it’s safe, and if you don’t come back by a certain time Nightmare Moon can send me back home,” says Shooting Star.
“That is within my capabilities,” agrees Nightmare Moon.
“I guess it isn’t the worst compromise,” I point out.
Morning Glow looks around at the three mares arrayed against Star Swirl, takes a big bite of an energy bar, and shrugs.
With a sigh, Star Swirl relents. “Fine, twenty-four hours and not one minute more. And don’t try to stick around the timeline after you drop her off, we already have a Luna.”
“An obnoxious jerk of a Luna,” I mutter under my breath.
Nightmare Moon’s smokey black mane reaches over and strokes the underside of Star Swirl’s chin. “Oh? And is there nothing you can think to do with two of me?”
Shooting Star blushes and chokes on her food. “Ew! You guys! I’m eating, stop being gross!” Her parents share a laugh at her discomfort.
Soon, Star Swirl pronounces his amulet fully recharged and we pack up our things. “So, I assume you’re going to do the talking this next time. I’ve never met Discord,” says Star Swirl.
I don’t have a plan, beyond an appeal to his self-interest. It feels weird to say that, but plans have a way of disintegrating around the physical embodiment of chaos. “Just be ready for anything,” I say.
I’m not. Not even close. But my horn glows and we’re off again in a flash.
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So I slapped a dark tag on this, since some of the stuff with Celestia was giving off that vibe.
Don't worry! Discord is much worse!
Of all the time-travel fics I've read... this is the most confusing.
Awesome! Really cool to see everything starting to take shape. It's interesting that Morning Glow and Shooting Star are coming with, both being children of the goddesses. I can't remember if that was a part of the original plan or not, it's been a while since I read the last chapter, ha.
PREPARE FOR CHAOS!!!!
I imagine that Discord makes them explain it all and then shrugs and go with, claiming he knew all along (which he may well have)
Bwhahahahahha!
Well definitely not your name.
Oh great, an angsty teenager stowaway. And wow did she get slapped in the face with Reality in a big hurry.
Yes, yes! Oh my god yes. If we get out of this story with a living Morning Glow reunited with primary timeline Celestia...
On the other hand, I wonder if there's a deeper purpose behind us having just collected a child of both Celestia and Luna.
I... I don't even know what to think anymore...
Not sure if I've said the same thing in another chapter of the series, but I'll say it now. Paradoxes make my head hurt. Seriously... I'm not sure if I want to keep reading if every chapter gives me a headache like this 
On the other hoof.. Buck headaches. This is awesome! 
I'm not completely sure if I'm still 100% on the track, but at least I'm still somewhat following 
Keep up the good work!
Soooooo much win.
Well well well. That was a lot of dark humor in this chapter. I especially loved the bit where Star Swirl is tickling NMM. That was great, especially how it ended with her killing him after five minutes of it.
And, um . . . moar.
'nough said
Discord babies
lol ... last chapter they said they WEREN'T going to get help from Celestia Luna or Discord ... and in this chapter that's precisely what they're doing
2850041
Celestia, Luna, or reformed Discord. Princess Sparkle specifically said to go collect the versions of them that were uncorrected by the regalia.
oooh interesting... I can't believe Twi hasn't made the crack that she is actually related to all of them yet. xD
Oh ho ho I do so hope Morning Glow sticks around to the very end.
Heh I also want to say I see an Immortal Princess Twilight in our future here. xD
I hope your Discord is more of the "Just doesn't take anything seriously"-Discord than the "Just wants to see the world burn sociopath"-Discord. I mean, deep down, we all know he's just a misunderstood person with some problems realizing he's gone too far
This story continues to get better! Looks like we'll have an interesting crew to go up against the Elements themselves, though I think we need an Earth pony to even things out a bit.
This is being appropriated for the furtherance of my story. I know exactly where to use it...
Wonder if Twilight is ever going to let slip she is Starswirl's descendant
Can't wait to see an AU Twilight.
2850113
This is Twilight. She's going to get angry, and say something she shouldn't have - oh, no. Eakin you wouldn't make Twilight a descendant of both Luna and Celestia - oh, hell, yes you would.
I need to turn off my brain for a while...
After all that, and a little thinking ... Damn you, Eakin!
Note to self: don't tickle Nightmare Moon.
I have to wonder if poor Star Swirl has gotten use to dying often. So far he's 2 for 2 in the chapter's he's been in.
2850302
No, there's no Arrested Development type cousin love in the cards. She's already related to Luna, who is Celestia's sister. And it's always possible she has Celestia in her family tree along some other distant branch.
Once again, Star Swirl succeeds in being the best husband, father, and an ass at the same time. Brilliant
When does Shooting Star dies ? Please make it soon.
2850329 Okay, but that damn you still stands. For all the rest.
So, now they have Star Swirl's daughter, NMM, and NMM's nephew along for the ride.
All we need now is Discord and a his heir and you've got a family dinner that's more awkward than anything.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Oh next chapter is gonna be so gooood. I imagine them walking in on this scene: images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/31800000/Next-Stop-Chaosville-Home-of-Sexiness-discord-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-31816831-1200-898.jpg No context required.
Missing word.
In any case... "a great big screwed up family" indeed.
Looking forward to what occurs with Discord.
2850476
Fixed, good catch
Great!!
For a moment, I thought you'd gone and ruined Nightmare Moon for me. Then the amulet thing happened, and an evil little part of me rejoiced.
And now, Discord. More specifically, Discord written by you in a story with a dark tag.
I'm going to need a lot of popcorn for this one.
Damnation. Eakin, I love all this. All of it.
Old-age Luna...is kind of a moron. Not sure if I like her or not, honestly. Anways, I do like how the story is developping. And again, I love those small pearls of humor you always give us, even in something as dark as the Reight of Queen Sparkle. Star Swirl getting killed by Nightmare Moon...that is pure gold
It's just me, or this just got the tag 'Gore'? I don't think it was there before...oh, well. Fits, seeing what happened to Celestia.
And what are you planning for Glow, hummm? DON'T TELL ME.
Aunt Tia. The spanish word for 'Aunt' is 'Tia'. Tia Tia? I will have to change that the slightiest.
*Bounces on chair* OhmygoshOhmygosh! Discord!
Morning Glow IS TWILIGHTS GREAT GRANDFATHER!!!!... X20 or so... All this timey wimey stuff boggles my head sometimes.
2849731 Oh boy, oh boy. Best draconequus is gonna kick arse.
2850127 Wow. Are you the element of kindness? I disagree with your interpretation of Discords while I agree he's not a watch the world burn psychopath he isn't just a misguided prankster either. Discord is only out for his own personal amusement.
Hmm, I am getting the feeling that Morning Glow and Starswirl will end up in Twi's timeline permanently by the end of this.
2850674
How? She is descended from Starswirl and Luna, not Celestia. Unless there is some incest involved, which I highly doubt, Twilight is not a direct descendant of Morning Glow.
2850706 Discord is definitely chaotic neutral when it comes to alignment. He does what he wants when he wants with no regards towards repercussions... Then comes Fluttershy who turns him into chaotic good with a little
action... Maybe even neutral good...
2850845 Yeah Fluttershy really did a number on ole Discord. He's got no more bite.
I wonder what happens if Queen Twilight miscalculated (after all she is still giving out variations of the spell) and NMM and Untamed Discord remain in Twilight's timeline.
Now you're just experimenting. You so silly.
2850766
I think you just called it.
Also, can we have a like, diagram of the different timelines they visit and where they split off and stuff? It's not that confusing yet, but...
2850442
Throw in Cadance and Shining.
Recipe for good times there.
2851138
Oh boy. THAT... I don't even wanna think on that.
Thanksgiving must be one helluva day with all of them.
~Skeeter The Lurker
So Discord is next huh?
I can imagine Twilight trying a very poor attempt at Fluttershying him before the gang starts running for their lives again.
2849731
oh good. with all the madness you've pulled up without Discord, I can't wait to see where this goes from here
And speaking of all the other madness, is Discord going to get a moment in Queen Sparkle?
2849838
SACRIFICE!!!
2851146
Hearth's Warming.
That is all.
Some things never change.
2851450
I'm going to run now.
~Skeeter The Lurker