It was the light of James's omnitool that woke him up that night, clearly something on his shortlist of issues was currently happening. It was an automated message from a small sensing device he had placed on the bottom of Twilight's map table to alert him of temporal disturbances. In some universes this was a common nuisance and such universes had been removed from said shortlist, but in others it was rare if it ever happened at all. This was one he was expecting to happen but didn't exactly know when.
James knew immediately that he would have to load the back ups of his V.I. and replace them once this issue was resolved. With the change that just occurred he couldn't be sure if they'd survive the changes. He figured this would be resolved in maybe a couple hours and opted to go back to sleep.
However, his alert system kept going off, often several times an hour. Now his choices were to add Equestria to the exemption list for temporal disturbances or stay up and keep an eye on thing as best he could.
Of course realizing this meant that he was very much awake now so he may as well keep an eye on things. Unfortunately the only device that seemed to still be active was the causality bug, but it still gave him information. All the data he had at the moment implied that this was a time bastard event and not shifting time lines. This made going and checking on the situation impossible, but he trusted Twilight to be able to handle the situation herself, he had seen how it's supposed to resolve and if he hasn't screwed her up too much she shouldn't have any trouble.
With a shrug James walked to the hallway and checked the door shortly after each event, there was always a chance that things would correct themselves to where they had been before. However so far there was no connection made and the door just led to a small closet.
Twilight had seen a dozen iterations of Equestria all destroyed by some new horror. How many of these would she see before this is over, how many more ways could Equestria be destroyed? Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash fell to the ground, her wing obviously broken by Starlight's blast.
Once again she was being forcefully dragged back to some horrible future that she didn't want to see. They were deposited on the table as had become normal. She didn't want to even open her eyes now.
“Twilight.” Spike said, no small measure of astonishment in his voice.
“What is it this time? What could have destroyed us now?” She moaned. It all felt so useless, every time she saw Equestria it had changed and always for the worse. She didn't even want to know this time, she had asked more in defeat than curiosity.
“It's not that, Twilight. Look.” Spike said as he pulled her hoof away from her face.
Twilight carefully opened her eyes, what she saw surprised her even more than the destruction of Equestria had. Everything looked normal, even the map looked right.
Twilight looked over Ponyville as she approached. Everything looked like it should, except that her castle was still missing, and there was a new two story building at the edge of town. She knew this wasn't the right future, but couldn't help but feel a little relieved as it looked like everything was alright for a change. Relief flooded her as she saw Pinkie Pie walking down the street as happy as ever. “Pinkie Pie!” She called out excitedly.
Pinkie looked her direction and was about to call back when she saw Twilight's wings. With a gasp she ran towards the center of town, she knew what was coming and what she had to do.
“Okay?” Twilight said as she looked on confused at Pinkie's panicked run.
“Think she's going to have another party like when you first came to town?” Spike suggested, while he didn't really believe that he had to hope.
“I don't think so, it looked like she recognized me and was about to call back. When we first met she was much more excited.” Twilight reasoned. “And I've never seen her wear a flower in her hair before.”
“Really? …” Spike asked as they walked into town. “The flower is what you focus on?”
Everything about town looked the same, it wasn't until she got to city hall that she found the next hint of what was amiss. There was a new flag flying over Ponyville, and not one she recognized. A shield with a drill at the center dominated the black starlit flag. While she knew there was something about it that should be familiar she was certain she had never seen it before.
A voice caught her off guard as she stared at the strange flag racking her mind as to how she knew it. “Hello, Princess Twilight.” Rarity said with a bow.
Twilight jumped briefly at the surprise while she was simultaneously filled with relief at hearing her friend obviously recognize her. “Rarity, you don't have to call me princess.” Twilight laughed.
“But you are an Alicorn.” Rarity countered politely.
“Don't you know me? Or do you just know who I am?” Twilight carefully asked.
Rarity took a moment to come to an answer as this wasn't exactly strait forward. “Ah, well. I know Twilight Sparkle but I also know of you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” She tired to explain.
“You say it like there's a difference.” Twilight laughed.
“Well … there is, dear.” Rarity said. “You see, Twilight Sparkle is my sister.”
“What?!” Twilight couldn't understand this. How could Starlight have changed who was related to who in this time? It just wasn't possible in any event. The most obvious being that they were all born by the time that Starlight went back to. All but Spike.
Rarity laughed briefly at Twilight's reaction. “Not literally dear. But we were brought together by James who's been as much of a father to us as our own, a little more in the case of poor Applejack and her family. But he's always been there for us. Cheering us on, helping us when we stumble. Making us laugh when we're sad.”
Twilight was still dazed by the information. “He's only been around for a couple years, how can he have been like a father to us?”
“Dear, he's been around since we were fillies.” Rarity's voice became wistful as she spoke. “I remember when he used to tell me stories about the Princess of Friendship. How we helped you as much as you helped us.” Suddenly her voice went back to normal as she recalled one thing about those stories she never liked hearing. “He would say that he didn't have to be around for us. That we were strong enough with each other. I don't know if I would care for his total absence much.”
“What do you mean he used to talk about me?” Twilight asked.
“You see, he would tell us that one day you'd show up and help this world get back to where it was supposed to be. But Twilight, my sister, really didn't like hearing that. Eventually we got her to tell him how it made her feel and he's never talked about it since. I guess he didn't know just how much we care about our world.”
“So, I'm here too?” Twilight said trying to understand just how that worked.
Rarity beamed as she looked to Twilight. “Oh yes, you're one of James's star pupils. We met when you moved to Ponyville. James wanted you closer to the rest of us to continue your studies, but I think he really just wanted us all together. It's one of the rare things that makes him smile.”
“Really?” Spike asked. “That goofball smiles all the time.” Somehow in this future James had come much earlier and been much more involved, how Starlight had any effect on that she had no idea.
Rarity turned to regard the dragon riding Twilight. “Oh, and you must be Spike. I've heard about you too, and that you're a sweetheart even though you try to act tough.” Rarity rubbed Spikes cheek as she spoke, distracting Spike briefly.
When he finally realized what Rarity had said he couldn't help but be shocked. “What, I'm not here?”
“Well, no. James told us that Princess Twilight was able to hatch your egg. Unfortunately my sister couldn't. That's when James offered to privately tutor her.”
“I bet that story made her angry.” Twilight said, remembering just how excited she had been when she became Celestia's student.
“Yes, actually. I honestly don't know if she'll be happy to see you, but I know a few ponies who will be. Shining Armor would love to see you as an Alicorn.” Rarity happily said as she turned towards a nearby street.
“Shining Armor is here, I mean in Ponyville?” Twilight asked. She had no idea why he would be but seeing him would certainly help her feel better.
“Yes dear. Ever since Tirek took his magic James's been personally teaching him a new kind of magic. In fact James has set up a school for all ponies who've lost their strength to Tirek that teaches them this new magic. It's slow going, but they're getting as close to normal as they can now.”
That didn't make any sense to Twilight. If James had defeated Tirek when she couldn't that should mean that the pony's cutie marks should have come back like they did when she had defeated him. “Why didn't the ponies get their strength back when Tirek was defeated?”
Rarity turned her head away briefly as she spoke. She knew what had happened was necessary but it was still a disturbing thought to remember just what James was capable of. “Because James destroyed Tirek outright. That meant that he couldn't recover their lost strength.”
The word destroyed stuck in Twilight's mind as she began to think about everything that's happened since she came to Ponyville. “What happened to Nightmare Moon?”
“James tried having us go get the elements of harmony but Celestia was already there with them, ready to banish her sister once more. However James had shadowed us and couldn't let the two fight. He saw how it hurt Celestia to fight her sister and he wouldn't let Nightmare Moon hurt anyone else.” Rarity thought back happily at the incident. “He began playing a lovely song, he called it the Song of Healing. As it played we watched Nightmare Moon begin to cry. She slowly began to transform back into Princess Luna before our eyes. The reunion of the two Princesses was really quite touching.”
Twilight was shocked, James had a song that healed Nightmare Moon? He had come further back in time just to try to make things right? He destroyed Tirek outright? Just what was he capable of? Twilight jogged to catch up to Rarity as she needed to ask more about what had happened. “And what about Discord?”
“Celestia used the elements to stop him the first time. But at Celestia's request Fluttershy managed to make friends with him. Promising to not let James hurt him or Celestia petrify him if he toed the line.”
“King Sombra?”
“James destroyed him. He brought us along too, we were tasked with finding the Crystal Heart and restoring the happiness to the ponies. Which I must say, we did marvelously.”
“Cadence … What about the Changeling Queen?”
“You found Cadence and she helped your brother defeat the changelings. I think James was the only one to believe you when you were telling us that she wasn't Princess Cadence … Sorry about that.”
“So James did it. He kept Equestria safe when we couldn't.” Twilight said, her voice between defeat and joy that Equestria had survived in at least one future.
Rarity shook her head as she thought about that statement. “We keep telling him that, but he'll never believe it. Not since he got the Princesses magic anyway.”
“He got the Princesses Magic? I thought he said that was a bad idea.” Twilight vividly remembered James refusing to take any of their power, saying that he was just a bad choice.
“He still says it was. He tried giving them their magic back once, but it had reacted with his own magic and his Demon's Blood Talisman” Rarity shivered as she said it's name. “and grew much stronger. It broke Celestia's horn and nearly killed her when he tried to return it. If not for the magic he brought from other worlds he may not have been able to save her. He's not been willing to try again since.” She gave Twilight a patient smile as she digested the information.
There was so much more Twilight wanted to ask; What was that flag she saw flying over City Hall? Why was James so intent on taking a back seat when he clearly had the power to handle all of this himself? Where were the elements of harmony now? She hoped Shining Armor would have more for her when she talked to him. She quietly walked forward in shock trying to understand what all had happened.
They continued in an uncomfortable silence until they finally came to the new two story house at the edge of town. “Here we are. I don't know if James is in, but you should definitely speak with Shining Armor while you're here.” Rarity knocked on the door before she ran off.
“Rarity, aren't you going to stay?” Twilight called after her.
“Sorry darling, I've got some work I have to get too. I'll come by later. Ta-ta.” Rarity didn’t turn back as she trotted off.
It wasn't long after Rarity was out of sight that Shining Armor opened the door. “Twiley. What brings you here?” Shining Armor smiled as he opened the door wider for his sister to enter. “Cadence is still talking with James about getting more supplies from Seyruun until the ponies of the Crystal Empire can get up to full strength.”
“Say-rune?” Spike asked.
“Woah, is that a dragon?” As Shining Armor looked at Twilight he noticed her wings and smiled even wider. “It's good to see you!” He said, wrapping her in a tight hug.
Twilight grunted a bit as she escaped her brother's embrace. “I love you too big brother. But what's this about Say-rune?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, it's just aid from another world while we get back on our hooves.” He calmly said. “I don't know what you know about what's happened here, but it's not the world you knew.”
“I'm getting that.” Twilight said as she recalled everything Rarity had told her. As she looked to her brother she saw something that made her gasp. “Your cutie mark! I mean Rarity told me, but … I'm sorry Shining Armor.”
Shining Armor turned his flank away from Twilight for a moment. “Yeah, Tirek got my magic, but it's not all bad.” He said as he forced a smile. “Here let me show you something Twiley.” Shining Armor said as he lead his alicorn sister off. “Ever since James destroyed Tirek he's been trying to help us get back to normal. Like you he took me under his wing and he's teaching me a new magic.” The room he led Twilight to was dimly lit and had a small nook where the two sat. “Now pay attention to this Twiley.” Shining Armor held his hooves a short distance apart and began chanting. A ball of light formed between his hooves, casting a brilliant glow over the area.
“That's amazing, Shining Armor!” Twilight beamed.
“No, it isn't.” Shining Armor said as he tossed the ball through a nearby plant.
“What are you talking about?” Twilight said, nearly chastising her brother. “You lost all of your unicorn magic, and now you're learning a whole new magic. That's something I'd not have been able to do.” Briefly the thought occurred to her that here she may have been a victim of Tirek herself “…Unless I have.”
“No, you never lost your magic.” Shining Armor shook his head as he spoke. “But that's not what I wanted to show you anyway. Look and listen closely.” Shining Armor once again began to cast the light spell and once again the ball of light formed between his hooves.
“Okay, did you want me to learn the spell?” Twilight awkwardly asked.
Shining Armor shook his head as he held the light up. “No. What spell did I just cast, Twiley?”
“The light spell you just showed me a second ago.” She nervously answered.
Shining Armor raised an eye brow as he looked to his sister. “Are you certain?”
Twilight let out a little laugh. “Well yeah, you did the same thing and said all the same stuff.”
“Absolutely sure?” He pressed.
“Yes. It's the same spell.” Twilight insisted, a little irritated and quite confused.
“Okay.” Shining Armor then tossed the ball of light towards the plant and it immediately burst into flames. “Still sure?”
The spectacle surprised Twilight. She had watched Shining Armor cast the same spell twice, tossed it through the same plant. How was it that it now burned the plant instead of passing through it? “What … what was different?” Twilight asked as she watched the burning plant.
“You said it yourself, I did the same thing and said all the same stuff.” Shining Armor explained. “James's been drilling this lesson into me, no matter how I progress we keep coming back to it.”
“You haven't figured it out?” Twilight asked.
Shining Armor laughed at the question. “No, I got it. I set up all those scavenger hunts for you, I know a riddle when I see one.” Shining Armor said with a grin. “You see, everything that needs to happen can happen. But if it starts wrong, instead of light you get fire.”
“So why has he been drilling it into you if you've got it.” Twilight asked.
“That's the thing. I only thought I had it, it wasn't until I saw you just now that I really got it. I knew what he was saying but I never got it. He's told me everything about how we got to this point, how he's saved Equestria time and again. And this lesson. Twilight … He's saying this is the fireball. Everything is in it's right place, but it didn't start right. You need to go back and fix things.” His voice growing more urgent as he spoke.
Twilight was dumbfounded by the statement. She was already planning on going back, she knew that the harmony of Equestria had been destroyed here. But seeing the resolve in her brother's eyes at his request for her to destroy the Equestria he knew was the last thing she expected.
A familiar voice called down the stairs. “Shining Armor? Is that you.” The voice was excited and childish, but obviously Starlight Glimmer.
Twilight's face froze in horror as she heard the voice. Her horn began to glow, ready for a fight.
Shining Armor only had a brief understanding of what the animosity between them was, but Twilight didn't know the situation. “Twiley please, calm down.” Shining Armor pleaded.
The sounds of tiny hooves came running down the stairs as Shining Armor got between her and the door. “Please, you don't know what's happened!”
The door flew open and a tiny lilac unicorn ran in. “I'm so happy to see you brother!” She said hugging Shining Armor's leg.
Twilight's mouth dropped, she didn't know whether to be astonished or furious. Starlight was here as if everything was alright, but she was just a filly. Could she have gotten younger as a result of the spell or was it something else? Was this just some trick of hers?
Starlight couldn't help but see Twilight's expression and quickly got behind Shining Armor. “Why is big sister mad at me?” Starlight asked, cowering behind Shining Armor.
“Twiley's not mad at you, Starlight. Go find your daddy, he'd really like to talk to her right now.” Shining Armor calmly said.
In that moment of fear, Twilight knew she couldn't be angry at this filly no matter what may have happened in the past. “I'm sorry Starlight. I'm not mad.” Twilight's expression softened as she smiled down at her.
Starlight slowly got out from behind Shining Armor and smiled at Twilight. “Big sister, you're beautiful. Just like a princess.” She said as she marveled at Twilight's wings.
“Starlight.” Shining Armor said calmly. “Please go get your daddy.”
“Okay!” Starlight announced as she ran out of the room.
“What happened to her?” Twilight asked once she was sure Starlight was gone.
“There were a lot of things going on and he blamed Starlight for them. He went to her town and with his and all of the princesses magic he ripped away her mind. I think he was planning to destroy her too, but once she got scared and started crying for her mom and dad he stopped. He dropped to his knees and started crying as hard as she was. He couldn't hurt her now that he had destroyed everything she was. She was innocent. It was a little strange coming back with a full grown mare calling him daddy, but he had used magic to make her look younger and started raising her along with Sara and Amber. No matter what she did in your time here she's just a little filly learning all about life and how to be friends. But I don't think she'll ever truly be able to grow up again.”
Twilight was astonished at the story, she really knew less about James than she thought, or maybe it was the circumstances of Equestria that brought this change in him. One thing stuck out to her more as she thought about it. “Wait, you were there with James when he did that?” Twilight asked.
“Yes Twilight, Big Mac and I both were there and we couldn't stop him.” Shining Armor said, his voice a mix of anger and shame. “As angry as he was, only her crying could stop him. … If there's a chance, you can't let Starlight Glimmer do whatever it was that caused this future.”
As he spoke Starlight ran back in. “Daddy's coming! Are you and Cadence staying over again?”
“No I don't think so but I've got an idea, let's meet up with Cadence and go to Sugar Cube Corner for some cupcakes, huh Starlight?” He said, his voice once again upbeat as he spoke to the child.
Starlight bounced and giggled as she followed Shining Armor out of the building. “Bye big sister. I'll see you soon.”
Twilight shivered as she thought about what James had done to Starlight in his anger. Was his taking care of her enough to make up for that? Was she better off like this, where she could get a second chance?
Outside she heard Rainbow Dash speak. “Don't worry Pops, I'll go make sure Applejack is ready to help us get the food out to the Crystal Empire. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone.”
“Thanks sweetheart, but you know me better than that.” James's voice came. He sounded exhausted and his was a shuffling gate as he came down the hall. The doorknob was covered in James's distinctive gold fringed darkness as the door opened.
James looked as haggard as he sounded, his eyes didn't fully open anymore and looked almost devoid of life. His mane was not the glossy and fluffy thing it had been before, but laid flat and dull. All of his body told of emotional exhaustion. He turned his eyes to Twilight and seemed to get a glimmer of life once again.
“James, you look terrible.” Spike said.
“And you look like the southern end of a northbound yak.” He quipped giving the dragon a half smile.
“James, what's happened to you?” Twilight asked.
“Guilt and Alicorn magic. Specifically Cadence's magic.” James sighed, he knew what was going on right now. He had to make his decision quickly. “The Demon's Blood Talisman I have embedded in my head is a powerful magical amplifier. In my hands Cadence's magic is the real danger. If I use it even once I'll never be able to stop, it will make things too easy to not use. I'll become the worst monster this world has ever faced and I'll be hailed with thunderous applause. I've already made things so much worse by trying to fix what Starlight broke. And my poor girls” James paused as he thought about it. There was so much here that was good. But so much more that was just a reminder of his mistakes. He knew what he had to do. “… even now they're working against you. They want to protect their Equestria and I can't blame them. But this is a false future and needs to be purged. Right now they're trying to destroy the table, but you have to get to it before they do.”
Twilight's eyes went wide as she listened to James speak. “That can't be true.”
“It is, and even worse I don't really know if I want this future gone, but it has to end. Come on, let's get you out before I change my mind.” James said turning back towards the front door. All the sapped vitality seemed to return to him as he charged through the wooden door, splintering it.
Twilight ran close behind not knowing what to expect, but confident in what she had to do. They could tell the attack on the table had begun as they could hear pounding coming from the distance.
As they got close Twilight could see Big Mac and Applejack rearing up to kick the table again. James however was faster and no longer concerned with what happened to this world or himself. A pale blue flash erupted from his horn and struck Applejack. Her eyes opened suddenly and she leaped onto the table before charging Big Mac and knocking him over.
“A.J. What're you doing?” Big Mac shouted as he tried to get his sister off of him.
“Twilight!” Applejack shouted. “Hurry up and get to the table!”
“I told you not to do anything stupid, pops!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she dive bombed James. Another pale blue flash and she stopped in her tracks.
Several large explosions rocked the ground and filled the air with Streamers and Confetti, blinding James Twilight and Spike.
“Spike clear this!” Twilight shouted.
“How?” He asked, panicked.
“It's paper, use your fire!” James shouted.
“Oh, right.” Spike took a deep breath before exhaling a massive plume of green flame, incinerating everything obscuring their vision.
As Twilight opened her eyes she saw her unicorn duplicate and Rarity trying to lift the table as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash now charged them. Applejack still wrestled with her brother on the ground.
A roar sounded in the distance. Twilight looked back in time to see Fluttershy's bear coming up quickly behind her. She ran towards the now levitating table as fast as she could. Another flash of light and half of the table dropped to the ground. “Spike, get the spell!” Twilight shouted.
Rarity now turned her attention to Fluttershy who was approaching behind her wild army.
The duplicate Twilight glared at her Alicorn counterpart with nothing but hatred in her eyes. “You may have gotten every lucky break I didn't. But I've got my home, my sisters and my BBBFF. What right do you have to destroy my Equestria and replace it with yours?”
Twilight paused for a moment as Spike pulled the parchment from her saddlebag. “I've got it Twilight!” He shouted.
“I, I don't …”
“Come on Twilight, hurry.” Spike urged.
“Do it!” James shouted, the now terrifying pale blue light leaping from his horn every other moment, forcefully turning another opponent to an ally.
“Oh come on Princess.” A familiar voice said. Discord stood up behind Twilight's duplicate and held her aloft. “Use the spell. Surely you can see as clearly as I do that this world is all wrong. And not just in the boring way.”
“Discord!” Fluttershy gasped. “How could you?”
“Because James's argument made sense.” Discord calmly answered. “Or maybe he used that blue magic on me, it certainly seems to be working on all of your other friends. Or just maybe he told me there was a timeline where I still had my magic.”
“I thought we were friends!” She accused with as much wrath as her gentle voice could muster before turning to flee.
“And hopefully we will be again soon. I really did enjoy our tea parties.” Discord quietly answered.
“Twiley. Please, you have to do this.” Shining Armor said as he ran towards the table, Cadence in tow. In the distance she could hear Starlight crying and begging for her daddy, wanting desperately to not be left alone.
James shouted as another flash of blue light struck the Twilight held by Discord. “Save this world, Twilight Sparkle! Save it from me!” Twilight tore her eyes away from her family and saw the fight had ended. James slowly walked towards the table, blue radiance slowly rising from his horn. “I said go!” He growled, his sad eyes told her in no uncertain terms that if she didn't she soon wouldn't have a choice.
“Oh dear.” Discord said as he backed into the table. “Princess, I recommend that you use that spell now. Shining Armor and I can only stall him for a second or two before we both become another victim.”
“Twilight!” Spike shouted.
Twilight closed her eyes and cast the spell, once again the vortex opened up as she and Spike were carried back to the past.
“Thank you.” Shining Armor whispered as he looked to the ground.
“Good luck Princess. I do so want to have tea with Fluttershy again.” Discord said as the false future dissolved around him.
James smiled as even he began to vanish. “Time Bastard.” He muttered.
Twilight came to the past with renewed determination. Her brother's words fresh in her memory. Her former despair now turned to resolve. She needed to make Starlight Glimmer stop this madness.
James waited by the door, it had been nearly a day but something finally gave him a bit of relief. A connection had been reestablished between his V.I.s and the New Guardia Grand Archives. Information was coming back in and he didn't need to replace them. He opened his door and saw the familiar hallway out into Twilight's castle.
After changing his form he met with the others as they went for the throne room, hoping for answers.
“What in Equestria was that?” Rarity asked as the throne room door opened.
“Time Travel shenanigans.” James answered with a smile.
“Is everypony okay?” Fluttershy asked.
Pinkie Pie squealed for a second before she asked. “Can you do it again?”
Spike smiled as he looked to the group. “One group of amazing friends, check.”
Twilight laughed. “Yeah Spike. It looks like we're home.”
Applejack couldn't stay silent any longer about Starlight's presence. “Uh, what's she doin' here?”
Twilight smiled and put her hoof on Starlight's shoulder. “Actually, it's kind of a long story. Starlight, will you please wait outside? I need to talk to my friends for a minute.”
Nervously Starlight nodded as she walked to the door.
“I'll keep her company.” James offered as the rest walked past Starlight into the throne room.
“Come on James!” Rainbow Dash said exasperated. “What will it take for you to finally believe you're our friend?”
“Oh, I believe that. I just have a good idea what's happened and think it would be better if I were out here talking to her.” James said, gesturing to Starlight.
“It's alright James. I'll talk to you later.” Twilight said as she nodded to him. She knew now that James was far more aware of what was going on than it seemed until now. And that most of what he did was with good reason, even if nobody understood that reason.
The door closed as James looked to Starlight. “How are you feeling?”
Starlight couldn't even begin to put into words how she felt. In the course of a few minutes she'd gone from angry to remorseful to scared to depressed to hopeful and now back to scared. She had no idea who this stallion was but his friendly demeanor was just confusing.
James smiled at her as he waited. “If you don't want to talk, that's fine. I just thought you might need someone to listen to you.”
Starlight nodded, as much as she wanted to talk right now all she could think about was what was going on inside that room. As she waited she began to pace back and forth, looking back to the door every few seconds.
James watched her pace, he knew what was going on in the room and if she asked him he'd tell her. But she continued to pace, regardless of his presence. After several minutes the doors opened and Spike gestured for her to come in. “You too James.” He added as he saw James just staring at the door.
With a shrug James entered the throne room. Twilight gestured to him and he stood beside the table not saying anything.
Starlight apologized, ready for whatever punishment she faced. Twilight didn't offer a punishment, instead she offered to teach her.
“But, how do I start?” Starlight timidly asked.
“Starting is easy, all you have to do is make a friend, and you've got eight of them right here.”
James's was genuinely speechless as he listened to Twilight. He knew they were making efforts to include him, and even insisted that they were his friends. But he never expected to be involved to this degree, he thought that they just felt he needed a friend.
The surprise hit him almost as hard as it hit Starlight. He even got caught up in the bardic magic that seemed to permeate everything in Equestria as he summoned illusory instruments to play along.
Back at Twilight's castle James walked back to the door to New Guardia, pleasantly surprised to find Twilgiht waiting for him. It was just about dawn in New Guardia as they quietly waked through the door.
“I wanted to tell you something important.” Twilight said as they walked to James's study. “Among the alternate time lines I saw there was one that was actually pretty good until I got there. It was also the only one with you in it. I know you try to stay out of things, but that version of the present showed me that you're important to Equestria as well. No matter how you try to hide yourself.”
“I'm really not.” James calmly said as he offered his usual seat to Twilight.
Twilight sighed as she began to tell James all about what she saw in the time line where he had done everything to make things right. Telling how he had kept them all together, acting as a second father to them to guide them to where they needed to be. How he broke Starlight but insisted on caring for her, helping her get back to the table so she could put things right. Even how in the end he had broken his own rule to make sure she could get out.
James's face fell as he listened to her story. There was a lot she had misinterpreted from it.
“You told me that each Equestria had been destroyed. The same goes for that Equestria. That flag you saw was a New Guardia Province Flag. This Space Station isn't New Guardia in it’s entirety, just the capitol world. There are small provinces in other worlds. All self governed, but under my rule nonetheless as that Ponyville at least clearly was.”
James shook his head as he began to explain that every problem in that iteration of the present was because of his meddling.
Twilight listened to him, but she still couldn't see his meaning. Even taking everything he said as true he still saved that Equestria, and kept her and her friends all together.
“I'm sorry you had to see that.” James said, turning away from her.
“You'd become so important to everypony, and were always trying to make things right. You had tutored all of us, made sure we knew that we were special. We were more than friends we were a family, even Starlight Glimmer. I think the worst part about that future was that none of us really wanted it to go. But to save this future you did the one thing you feared doing most. You used Cadence's magic and became the monster you feared to save us all.”
“To save you all from me.” James corrected. “Believe me, that was only the beginning.” James couldn't face her as he imagined what would have happened if she hadn't intervened or if that world had continued.
Twilight walked over and hugged him. “It took a lot of strength to do what you did. Both to hold us together, then to stand against us to ensure the right future would arise.”
James smiled as he returned her hug. “Everything can be in place but if it starts wrong, instead of light you get fire.”
Twilight let him go and held him at leg's length. “A wise man taught that to my brother once so he could teach me.”
“Couldn't have been me then.” James said with a smile.