Since Before the Stars Swirled

by The Real Darkness

The End

Despite his efforts, somepony caused this disinformation to continue and break the pony races apart again. Twilight had something to say about that.

Twilight had created some kind of crystal to lock pony magic in and prevent anypony from trying to say their magic was better or further warring and that caused them to stick together. Discord didn't agree, but he still had his magic, as did Pulsar. Starlight's was gone as consequence and all of them had disagreed with her actions, but nopony disagreed more than Pulsar.

"Twilight fucking Sparkle!" His horn was already crackling as he interrupted her counsel, "where are those goddamn crystals?!"

Discord could feel the magic and teleported to the throne room himself, "now now, w-w-wait, Pulsar Splash!" He himself was terrified of what the alicorn was capable of. Pulsar's horn turned to a green, black mist rising from it, "ooooh no nono nononono, don't do it."

It has been a long time since he used dark magic, the ponies there were in awe and not a single other species was to be found, they all went home after they smelled the blood in the water at Equestria.

"Pulsar Splash! This was a decision I had to make!"

"Griffon. Shit."

The mirror teleported to the throne roome and Discord was levitated up in Pulsar's magic. The avatar of chaos was snapping his fingers in an attempt to teleport but the alicorn refused his escape.

"Hoooold on, don't hurt me."

He sent him toward the mirror slowly, trying to pass him through the portal to the human world and he couldn't. He was just pressed uncomfortablely close multiple times before flinging Discord across the throne room in a rage, "look. This is what you have done."

Twilight looked at him and she could feel his pain from where she sat, "I know how-."

"Quiet! You...you lost your empathy a long time ago when you refused to listen to me about the situation in Equestria. When you could no longer hold your head high enough to fix our nation. The nation I silently dedicated most of my life to!"

"Pulsar!" Discord ran over and Starlight finally entered the throne room, "this isn't the best resolution! Killing was done away with when the unicorn kingdom dissolved!" Discord plead.

"She took my magic away, Pulsar. Imagine how everypony else feels about this. Just because you still have the power to harm her doesn't mean you should."

"My wife is on the other side of that portal and I can't reach her!" His voice shook the throne room, a royal Canterlot shout.

Discord gripped the alicorn by his front hooves and hugged him tight, "Pulsar, my oldest friend. We've lost countless ponies, friends, loved ones. We shouldn't lose another this day. We love you, don't do this."

The biggest, realest act of compassion the draconequiss managed.

Pulsar's horn powered down, "she...the only pony who truly understood that mirror is in a place where I can't ask her about it," he glared at the Princess of Friendship, "I have my role to play in Equestria, but you..."

"Yours is coming to an end."

Starlight's jaw opened in shock at the threat or promise, perhaps both, "Pulsar!"

Discord let go of him and he teleported the mirror back to his home, trotting to the entrance of the throne room.

"Prince Pulsar!" Twilight stood and began coming down, "I'm sor-," her lips were sealed by his magic and he glared behind him at her.

Vitriol dripped from his mouth the moment he opened it, "save it. Back in the days where Starswirl and Dingy Coat lived, we apologized with our actions."

He began trotting out again, "so show how you're going to apologize to Equestria, too."

And he left the throne room, slamming the doors. Discord looked around frantically before he quietly opened the door and slipped out, chasing the alicorn.

---

It was only two hundred or so years later that Twilight Sparkle then passed and everypony united for her funeral, she did apologize to Equestria by working day and night to try and keep everypony together in Canterlot, but something was still working in the shadows and the ponies broke apart, even with Starlight trying to hold things together. A measly hundred years later, Starlight then died. Twilight had been pouring magic to sustain the immortality incantation that was wearing off of her due to the removal of unicorn magic, a testament to her magical ability.

Pulsar was meeting with friends sparsely, very sparsely. He was still moving the sun and the moon on his own, he closed his counsel just after Starlight died, nopony came to him to consult magic. Discord was still visiting and chatting with him and would have conversations on magic theory with him, which Pulsar knew he was doing for his sake as a selfless action, the chaotic embodiment had never shown interest in pony magic research before. Rupture and Thauma would visit, but his changeling friends were long dead, he didn't even know where the reformed hive lived now, not that he didn't care, but he wasn't very motivated anymore.

"Ahhhhh!" His axe sank into the sandwurm's head again and again, the minotaurs roaring as they held on for their life, attacking the giant beast as it soared through the air.

He dug his axe in deep again, striking brain, the beast fell, thrashing before the minotaurs finished it off and bellowed with the alicorn. It was their annual hunt that he still participated in.

The Sand Strider tribe's ideals outlasted all of Equestria's.

"Pulsar Splash, we thank you for joining our annual hunt again, as always it is a pleasure to celebrate with you," the alicorn was huffing, covered in bruises. He didn't use magic for this ritual.

"Of course...it's always a fun time, Onyx Gate," he spoke to the descendant of the chieftains.

"Tell me, friend," Pulsar but the axe on the holster he had on a saddle bag, blood dripping from it, "why have you looked so...destroyed over the last hunts? I can see a great battle is raging inside you."

"I'll," the mage transmuted some water, drinking deep. He sighed, "you got time, Onyx Wall?"

"All the time in the world for the most famous warrior."

"I've lived thousands of years, I've seen the rise and fall of Equestria. I've seen my first students live, rise, rule, and die. I've seen so many alicorns come and go, so many friends live, burst with life, and die. My wife is stuck on the other side of a portal in a world I can not reach. There...are so many tragedies I have lived through and so many things I have attempted to prevent."

"Sometimes, all a warrior can do is brace for the blade that is falling onto him."

"Yeah, but this blade continues to cut."

"Then that is not a blade of someone else. You put that sword there, you can take it out," the nomads were greatly known for their wisdom and they gave freely to any who would ask.

"You're right. You're absolutely right."

"Let go of the metal and the weapon will come out on its own. What battle have you been fighting?"

"Princess Twilight, she stripped ponies of their magic and I could reinstate it, but...I don't know if I should."

"She had her reasons. All creatures have purpose in their actions. The crow flies over people hoping for a meal just as the meal travels hoping for water. We need to only see the hope she had when she acted."

"I see. What hope do you think that is?"

The minotaur laughed, "you ask me? You taught us that in friendship there is honor over the centuries," the large minotaur brandished his giant swordspear, "Princess Twilight Sparkle took all the magic away from everypony. I believe, just how you rose to so many challenges, that she has the firm belief and hope that another will rise," he smiled, looking at his swordspear, "Pulsar Splash, you mention your research of the stars. I've known you for two decades now. It's time you go there."

The thought had never occured to him and he looked to the minotaur, "we never stop seeking our next triumph. Why have you? Why go back to being a recluse?" He began walking away.

"Th-thanks, Onyx Gate."

He grunted and the alicorn teleported bakc to his home, wiping the axe clean before hanging it in his tea room above the fireplace again. He teleported to Canterlot, appearing atop a tall spiral and staring down at the ruined city. He breathed in deep, the empty air of the abandoned city filled his nostrils. He visited the new places ponies settled. Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights, and Bridlewood. The non-unicorns looked at him in fear and disgust, even spitting his way as he had hidden his wings and cast an illusion to make himself look like he did when he was still teaching the twin sisters.

"Equestria needs help and I don't...I can't save it," he was in a depression from seeing it all, but Onyx's words had a notable change on him, "next triumph," he mumbled.

"Hey...what's up? Something wrong?" A unicorn approached him with a deep blue main and soft purple coat.

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah, you. Something bugging you?" Other's were whispering around.

His horn flickered for a second as he was about to teleport and then he remembered the absence of magic for all of them. The unicorn's face lit in awe and then excitement, "You can-!" Pulsar shoved his hoof to her mouth.

"You didn't see anypony here," and then he galloped away quickly, going down a hill.

"Wait! Who are you?!" She gave chase, but he had already teleported back to his home where he had an illusion up to conceal it again. He futilely pressed his hoof to the mirror's surface.

---

Days past.

"I'm gonna get there, I'll link it myself," the alicorn trotted outside his home and he breathed deeply in the magic around him, seeing the Cosmos' Lost Children blooming again.

"Wait...WAIT!"

He sprinted out and felt something on the air, a tingle he hasn't felt in a long time, he searched for it, locating it with a signature spell before he teleported and could vaguely hear cheers around Equestria.

He landed in front of hooffull of ponies; two pegasi, a familiar unicorn, an earth pony, and something Equestria had not seen for a long time.

"You! I know you! You were the unicorn who did magic before we returned it!" He ignored her, staring at an earth pony with magically formed wings and horns.

"Equestria has a long way to recover, but if...if magic is back then you all solved it and rose to the occassion," he bowed to the newly ascended alicorn and his illusion dropped.

The alicorn spoke, "you...you're the alicorn who disappeared," she breathed out.

"I can not stay, but if you have need of something magical, you are welcome to consult me at my home. I will hold counsel just for you," his horn lit and fired a beam, dispelling his illusion from a far off distance, "over there. You can't miss it."

"Who is he, Sunny?"

"Pulsar Splash, one of...oh, I'm sorry!" She bowed, "Prince! Prince Pulsar Splash, Prince of Magic. He was one of Princess Twilight's friends."

"I wish I left her on better terms before she passed. I thank you all for your efforts in bringing friendship and thus magic back to Equestria. I have a task to complete myself now," he bowed again, "your name?"

"Sunny...Sunny Starscout."

He cleared his throat, borrowing from ancient tradition, "hail, Sunny Starscout! Hail!" Before he teleported away.

"Teleportation?!" All five of them shouted after his absence.

---

He was back at his home and pressed a hoof to the mirror, finding the spell now working again, he crossed over and stood in front of a vastly changed school.

"Good morning, students! Another school year!" He heard such a familiar voice and wlaked up to the front doors.

"Oh, another new student, welcome to your first day of-," she stopped as she extended her hand to him.

"H-Hey, still got time for a date?"

She hugged him tight, kissing his cheek, "I always will," her tears met his shoulder.

And Pulsar had the same exchange.

"I told you, my child, all would be fine and to trust my plan."

Author's Note:

And we've concluded Pulsar's story. It was always my intention to have a pony live through everything, even if they didn't truly impact things as much as they could have, but to stand and be the stone that history weathers. This rewrite went wonderfully.

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[The Real Darkness]

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Thanks! It was a while until I found some inspiration to write again, properly. Glad you enjoyed!