Twilight's gone. In her battle through time, she died, a victim of an alternate timeline. Starlight is defeated, but at what cost?

Spike's lost the pony that's always loved him, the one who acted as a mother, sister, teacher, and best friend. Now he's in pain... but he's not alone. Because Twilight's friends have vowed not to let him become an orphan. In place of one mother, five will now raise him.

AU in regards to The Cutie Re-Mark and Crusaders of the Lost Mark

Basic idea by Rated Ponystar

This is the moment that she has been waiting years for.

After all this time, Equestria's new ruler pays a visit to her most valuable prisoner to fully map out her failure. Years of deception, manipulation, and betrayals have led to this one moment, and she intends to savor every look that crosses the Princess of Friendship's face.

And after, when the alicorn truly understands how perfectly she was played, there will still be one final bit of business that needs to be settled...

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My first new story since October 2017, and Day One of the Seventh Anniversary Story Bomb.

All rulers eventually reach a point where they must take a life to save the realm. If a ruler is just, they will never know when it will happen, and will never do it lightly. Still, such actions are necessary. Princess Celestia knows this, and has given this lesson many times.

You can find a YouTube reading of this story here!

This story takes place during the Season Five finale, "The Cutie Re-Mark". As such, there are spoilers ahead.

Starlight Glimmer's plan is working. All she has to do is upset Rainbow Dash's rainboom-creating race in the past, and Twilight Sparkle's connection with her friends will be severed. And she's done it. Repeatedly. Sure, Twilight can go back in time to try and stop her, but Starlight will always be brought back as well. No matter what Twilight tries, no matter how many times she returns, she can't stop Starlight. They're evenly-matched, and it's much easier to disrupt events than it is to preserve them.

That means Starlight wins, right?

This story is a sequel to Starless Sunlight

Starlight Glimmer could not let herself die. She could not let herself disappear from the world. She could not give up when she still had so much to do. So instead of burning, she writhed. She writhed to keep herself alive, she writhed to escape one day from this fiery hell Twilight had banished her to.
And she waited for the day when Twilight would realize she was still alive.

We all know how the end of the story went. Starlight was shown the disastrous consequences of her time travel spell, she revealed her past, Twilight took her under her wing as her own student and she mends her ways.

But what if that wasn't the case?

Even when the results of Starlight's meddling of the past is shown to her, she rejects the offer of friendship and still vows to never stop her attempts to exact revenge on the Mane Six and ruin their connection. Thus Twilight is faced with only one final option...

Starlight Glimmer vector by Godoffury

FEATURED: 28th October 2016! Thanks a bunch, y'all!

Now with a TVTropes page!

Reading by DragonFirePrincess7

Starlight never accepted Twilight's offer of help. Many iterations of worlds and pasts have passed since. So Twilight gives up on mercy and tries something else. Something that she'll regret for the rest of her life.
Edit 6/27/23: This fic was mentioned by Rainbott on Youtube (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

(Contains some S5 finale spoilers, just in case)

With their battles across time itself drawing to a close, Twilight finally seems to be getting through to her nemesis, Starlight Glimmer. But is it possible to reason with a pony so deeply convinced of their own philosophy that they cannot see true friendship? And if not, what must she do to make sure that such a danger never threatens Equestria again?

So, that season finale eh? I'll be honest, it probably would have worked better if the pace in part 2 hadn't been rushed so hard it went full blitzkrieg. This is just my own short idea of what could have gone down, while also tying it in to the events of the Quickverse. Hope you don't mind it!

Update: And then it had two stints in the popular stories? Wow, I've no idea what I did right but I'm glad you all generally like it. Thank you!
Rated Teen for psychotic pony murder attempts.

Twilight's battle against Starlight seems endless. No matter how hard she tries, she can't get the edge on her foe unless she ramps up her power output. But that could seriously hurt Starlight. And Twilight won't hurt Starlight, there must be good in her somewhere that can be redeemed! A look into a certain future changes that opinion.