//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 - Redemption // Story: Further Tales From Day Court // by Blade Star //------------------------------// Starswirl the Bearded. You mention that name within hearing range of Twilight Sparkle, and I guarantee that you’ll get a full on Ted talk, complete with power point, on one of Equestria’s most notable wizards. To describe him as the father of modern magic would be quite the understatement. From my own limited knowledge on the subject, I know that he pioneered a lot of practices used today. He was even the pony who officially crowned Celestia and Luna as princesses all those centuries ago. A lot of Equestria as we know it exists today because of him. You might even say that he fulfilled Twilight’s role back in the day. History has noted that prior to Tia and Luna coming to power, back when the three tribes and the early government of the Unicorn Council ruled what history calls Old Equestria, which was then little more than a collection of settlements and farms, he played his part in protecting it from threats. And he wasn’t alone either. If fact, he had six other allies who fought alongside him. In many ways, they were the precursor to the Elements of Harmony. They were there to stop Tirek and Scorpan, banished the Sirens to another dimension (thankfully not ours), and of course, it was Starswirl’s knowledge that helped a young Clover the Clever vanquish the Windigoes. Hell, he even taught Celestia and Luna the fundamentals of magic. As a result, while not exactly a famous figure in modern society, his name is widely known and respected in magic and academic circles. His writings are required reading at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He even has a section of the Canterlot Library of Magic named after him. And that’s forgetting the statue of him that stands in the castle gardens. So, you’d expect such an influential figure to have grown old with distinction and passed amid much mourning and sorrow. Well, actually no. The stallion, along with the other so-called Pillars of Old Equestria, had vanished not long after Celestia and Luna had their coronation and raised the sun and moon for the first time. It was believed they had gone to defeat some ancient evil known only as the Pony of Shadows. It’s a foalhood bogeyman; the classic monster under the bed. From that encounter, they had never returned, and the Pony of Shadows had passed into myth, as had the other Pillars themselves. Only Starswirl and his legacy had withstood the millennia that followed, retaining his status as a historical figure. And his disappearance had become one of the great mysteries of the ages. Think of it like the demise of Captain Oates, the Mary Celeste, or Malaysia 370. Nopony knew what had happened, and we probably never would. Well, we didn’t until a week or so ago. At that point, he was suddenly returned to us along with the other Pillars, courtesy of Twilight, Sunburst and my favourite unstable cultist, Starlight. Sunburst you see, by mere chance, had come into possession of Starswirl’s old journal; a magically charged artifact. With help from Twilight, he translated the Old Ponish (which sounds like a mixture of Klingon and Welsh from the amount of hacking required) to discover what had happened. Starswirl had indeed confronted the Pony of Shadows along with his allies. Each of them had a magical object that acted in a manner similar to the Elements, Starswirl’s being his journal. They had used these along with the ancient power of Ponehenge (an archaeological site these days, three guesses to what it looks like, who’s true purpose had been lost to history) to seal him away in Limbo; the place between realities. But in doing so, they had to seal themselves away as well. Twilight however, didn’t know that, and promptly went on a quest to rescue them all. She succeeded, but in doing so also brought back the Pillars’ ancient foe who promptly ran amok. In the end though, with the help of the Elements, along with Starlight and Sunburst, they were able to seal the creature away in Limbo again, this time staying on the right side of the portal. However, the adventure revealed another interesting facet. The Pony of Shadows was no mere villain. He was a corrupted magical construct created by one of the Pillars; a young unicorn colt named Stygian. While lacking magical power, he was a strategic genius, and often came up with the plans the Pillars used to defeat the foes they encountered. When he tried to bolster his own magic though, Starswirl turned on him, convincing the others to do the same. Like Luna, the rejection caused a corrupting effect in Stygian that created the Pony of Shadows. But in contrast to Equestria’s current policy of reformation of villains, Starswirl was more of a ‘shoot on sight’ type of chap. He had no interest in doing anything but defeating his enemy, seeing Stygian and the Pony of Shadows as one and the same. For a time, Twilight was too blinded by her admiration of Starswirl to see this flaw. Ultimately, it would be Starlight who would step up and rescue Stygian, who was actually trapped inside the beast he had inadvertently created. The end result was that all seven Pillars were safe, the Pony of Shadows was trapped forever in Limbo, and we now had a far greater understanding of the Tree of Harmony. It was apparently planted by the Pillars a millennia ago, and had eventually grown to bear the Elements. It certainly filled in several gaps in our knowledge of it, although personally, I still had plenty of questions, which even Starswirl couldn’t answer, given how the Tree had grown and matured since he planted it. Coming back to the subject of Starlight though, I have to say I was quite impressed. This was the second time that she’d helped to protect Equestria, and there had been no further ‘incidents’ since her visit to Canterlot Castle. I consider that she may finally be settling, although I’ll probably never trust her fully. Luna certainly seemed pleased, redemption being her hobby after all. She took a near instant liking to Stygian, finding him both another pony who had had a brush with darkness, but also being another pony from a thousand years ago. She actually played a major part in helping them all acclimate to this new world. After all, in terms of time passed, it was like sending William the Conqueror to modern times; everything had changed. But where do I fit into all of this you ask? Well, I’ll admit, this particular little adventure was over and done with by the time I heard anything about it. The first thing I knew about our seven new arrivals was when I was summoned to the throne room. Buttercup, as ever, came to my office to let me know I was needed and filled me in on the walk over. While I only had a passing knowledge of Equestrian history the words ‘Starswirl the Bearded has returned’ caused me to sit up straight. As we made our way through the halls, he explained the current situation. “So the seven Pillars are pretty much stepping down now that Princess Twilight and her friends are around to protect Equestria. Starswirl is planning on going on a sort of tour around Equestria to catch up on all that he’s missed, and to learn a bit more about friendship. I knew Princess Twilight was good, being the Princess of Friendship and all, but I never thought that she’d be the one helping to teach Starswirl of all ponies about something.” “It certainly sounds like an interesting tale, Buttercup,” I agreed. “It’s certainly good to hear that she talked him around in the end. Lucky it didn’t all end up as a case of ‘never meet your heroes’.” “Starlight Glimmer helped out a lot too as well, the way I heard it,” Buttercup added as we came to the doors of the throne room. I grumbled a vague response to that. While he was right, I didn’t like giving the mare too much praise. She could solve world peace as far as I was concerned, and I would be happy for her. But it would never undo what she did to all those ponies. I will forgive, but I do not forget. And I do include myself in that. If I spent the rest of my days doing pro bono cases, it would never undo all the harm I’d done in my days fighting with the volunteer force. The guilt of my actions would stay with me forever. As the guards opened up the great double doors, I stepped inside. The throne room was looking a little sparse nowadays. The new renovated throne room was all but complete, including the two new thrones, one for each princess. The pair would be officially opening the new chamber on the day of the Friendship Festival in a couple of months. I was going to miss this place. This had been where I first met Celestia after all, and where I got my job offer. A lot of firsts in fact. There was a lot of personal history in this opulent court. And before its retirement, I would get one more first; my first meeting with the Pillars of Old Equestria. All seven of them were gathered, along with both Celestia and Luna, both of whom were happily conversing with Starswirl, their old teacher, as I walked in. As I did so, he turned around to face me. He was a moderately tall, gaunt, grey unicorn, with a noticeably long and sharp looking horn. His namesake beard (which must have taken no small amount of maintenance) went almost to the floor, while his long cape trailed behind him, the little bells occasionally letting out a chime as he moved. His eyes though, were what struck me. They were a steely blue that showed a determination that I hadn’t seen in anypony for quite some time. He regarded me coldly for a moment before speaking in a rather aristocratic, RSC sounding tone. “I take it this is the creature you were referring to Celestia?” he asked, gesturing my way. I saw Celestia’s slightly pained expression. Evidently, like most geniuses, social graces were not one of Starswirl’s strong points. “Erm...yes, Starswirl,” she said. “This is Roger. He’s been my legal advisor for several years now. He and his family arrived in Equestria through some sort of portal. We’ve never been able to identify what it was, or how it brought them all here, much less help get them back.” “Certainly an odd looking creature,” he commented, examining me a little more closely. I felt my hackles rise a bit at that. “I could say the same about you, friend,” I replied, doing my best to keep my tone neutral. He was however, quite unphased. Stepping closer, he examined me more closely. “Hmm,” he said. “Bipedal, omnivorous, and seemingly magically inert. Quite the mystery. I’d personally be more concerned about the harm his magically neutral state could do to ponies around him.” Now both sisters grimaced. Luckily, his friends stepped in. “Now, Starswirl,” an elderly unicorn mare said. I later learned that she was Mistmane; a mare who had sacrificed her beauty to help others. “Celestia asked you to help see if you could find them a way home, not catalogue them like one of your little projects.” That brought him to his senses. “Oh...erm...yes...quite,” he said, coughing and clearing his throat. “My apologies. I do tend to get fascinated by unusual magical phenomena.” “No worries,” I said, deciding to take the high road. “I’ve been put through far worse.” My thoughts quickly turned to Lyra and her...’interest’ in humans. After that, Tia properly introduced me to our seven new arrivals. She’d explained the odd situation my family and I had found ourselves in here in Equestria. At this point, we had all given up any hope of finding a way back to Earth. And in all honest,y even if we did, I’m not sure I would take it, unless it was two way. We’ve all built lives, in fact, better lives here in Equestria. Margaret and I both have good jobs, and are looking forward to retirement in a few years or so. My son has a steady job, has greatly improved himself physically and mentally, and is in a stable long term relationship. And even my daughter has moved out of the house and is now living with her boyfriend. We’ve all put down roots here. And we’d been gone for so long that it would be difficult if not impossible to re-enter our old lives. But anyway, Starswirl did indeed promise that, while on his journey around this new Equestria, he would endeavour to look into our situation. If nothing else, I wouldn’t mind knowing why Bones got turned into a unicorn, while the rest of us stayed human when we first arrived. Once you got past the initial grouchiness, he was a nice enough guy. He actually reminded me of my old primary school headmaster; a stern father figure I had grown to respect and admire. He could be gruff and short, and had no tolerance for ignorance, but he was also always willing to teach and pass on his knowledge to the next generation. I even suggested that, upon his return, he might consider teaching at Celestia’s school. After all, half the books on magic were either written by Starswirl himself, or based on his work. The other pillars too were all very friendly. Mistmane, as I said, was a calm, serene, and despite her age, a deeply beautiful unicorn. Meadowbrook was a healer that could probably teach even Zecora a thing or two about lotions and potions. Rockhoof was pretty much a one stallion army, but like Big Mac, was a gentle giant. Sonambula had that same wonderful never give up spirit that saw England through two world wars. And Flash Magnus, well, he was exactly what the Royal Guard needed in terms of soldiers. In fact, I later heard from Duck and Cover, two stallions that guarded that castle drawbridge, that when Mareclellan asked a junior officer what he needed to make the Royal Guard more effective, he replied ‘Give me a squadron of Cloudsdale Legionnaires’, much to the captain’s annoyance. But there was one pony who hung back somewhat, and that was Stygian. He was the smallest of the group. Neither impressive to look at, nor particularly talented in magic or other abilities. But as I said before, he was the brains of their operation. And without his help, they had had to improvise when they all sealed themselves away in Limbo with the Pony of Shadows. I could guess how the poor lad was feeling; the same way Luna felt on her first night back in Equestria as her old self. He was not evil, and he personally had done no wrong. In fact, you could arguably lay a good portion of the blame on Starswirl. But the guilt on his conscience was plain to see. He didn’t feel like some returning hero. In fact, he didn’t say a word to me until I was leaving. Having met all the pillars and had the situation explained to me. I thanked the princesses and prepared to take my leave. I had a fair bit of work to do for an upcoming case involving a scuffle between ponies and diamond dogs. Celestia wasn’t too sure if the pony in question, who had apparently knocked six bells out of one poor mutt, should be charged with assault or animal cruelty. You see, you don’t get that back on Earth. As I was leaving though, Stygian broke off and approached me. I barely heard the lad clearing his throat as he tried to get my attention. Being small for a pony, he was even smaller compared to me. At best, I’d say he was no more than 3’9; not that much taller than Spike or the CMCs. Eventually though, I realised that he was standing just behind me as I went to open one of the double doors. Putting on my best friendly face, I asked him what I could for him. “Oh,er, Stygian, right?” I said. He nodded. “What can I do for you?” The young pony looked about him uneasily, keeping one eye on his friends. “Is there somewhere we could talk?” he asked, sounding a little nervous. I gestured through the open door. “Sure,” I replied. “What about?” Stygian continued to fidget nervously. “You’re like a barrister, right?” I nodded. “That’s correct. I advise both the princesses, and anypony wishing to see me. And before that I was a legal advocate specialising in criminal law. I defended those accused of crimes.” Stygian nodded in understanding, but said nothing. “Do you need advise on a legal matter?” I prompted. “I want to turn myself in,” Stygian replied simply. Ah, now I saw how the land lay. “Follow me to my office,” I said. “We can talk in private there.” And so, two of us left the throne room and retraced my journey back to my office. Stygian was fascinated by the castle. After all, when he vanished, the two sisters were still living in their old castle in the Everfree Forest, now a ruin in the wake of Luna’s banishment, Canterlot was just a small settlement; prominent, but not yet the capital. In fact back then, it’s main industry was mining. He even asked about the crystal caverns that lay below the castle. “The city sure has changed a lot since we’ve been gone,” he said as we turned a corner. “It certainly has,” I replied. “Canterlot is now the capital of the entire Realm of Equestria. It’s the seat of the royal government, home of the two sisters and also to a good chunk of the nobility. Even on my salary, I couldn’t afford to live here full time. Not bad for a little mining town, is it?” A short while later, we arrived back at my office. Unlocking the door with the old brass key, I ushered Stygian inside, closing the door behind him. I gestured for to take one of the seats opposite, while I sat down opposite. In the spirit of friendly relations, I offered him a cup of tea, which he politely took. I then turned to business. “Right,” I said, clasping my hands together on my desk. “First things first, a few basics. Everything you say to me in this room is confidential. Unless I have reason to believe you’re going to hurt somepony, or yourself, I won’t reveal anything that is said without your consent. I can advise you on any legal matters, including criminal law, however, if you are charged and inform me that you’ve committed a crime, I cannot advise you to lie, nor can I lie for you. Finally, the advice I give is purely that, advice. You are not under any obligation to follow it and you can terminate my services at any time. All fair enough?” Stygian nodded. “Okay then,” I went on. “You said in the throne room that you wanted to turn yourself in. You have committed a crime?” Stygian looked at me as if I had two heads. “Er, yes?” he said, sounding a little confused. “I tried to destroy Equestria, kill Starswirl and the others, and nearly dragged them and all our new friends into Limbo!” “Really?” I asked, tilting my head curiously. “I understood that those actions were perpetrated by the Pony of Shadows.” “Precisely. Me.” I shook my head. “Actually, no, Stygian. As I understand it, that creature was a magical construct, and entirely independent of you, to the point where it had trapped you inside itself. You were not responsible for the crimes of another.” Stygian however, persisted. “But I created it!” he said sorrowfully. “It might have grown into something more, but it was built on my magic and my negative emotions.” “So was Nightmare Moon in the case of Luna,” I countered. “But I’m happy to say that Princess Luna has never been charged with a crime. Like you own Pony of Shadows, the creature that called itself Nightmare Moon was separate from Luna in legal terms.” “So, what, you’re saying I didn’t do it?” he asked, now quite perplexed. Remember, he came from a millennia ago, long before multiple identity disorder was identified. “I’m saying that you were not in control of your actions at the time,” I replied. “But I, as the Pony of Shadows, hurt a lot of ponies, and nearly destroyed Equestria,” he persisted. "Even if it was a magical construct, I still played a part, I listened to the darkness. I need to be punished!” At this, I got up from my desk and walked around to sit in the chair next to him, giving our meeting a more informal feel. “And what, tell me, would that achieve?” I asked as I sat back down. He didn’t have an answer. I went on. “You made a mistake, Stygian,” I said. “There isn’t a pony, or human, in this castle that hasn’t at some point in their lives. But there came a point after Starswirl and the others turned on you, that it ceased to be you who was choosing a course of action. I’ve heard the way you spoke about how the Pony of Shadows almost did great harm to our homes. You were appalled by it, and no matter how mad you might have been at Starswirl, you would never have acted as it did. The Pony of Shadows had no such moral quandaries. And that is why he is now in Limbo, and you are here. You aren’t a criminal, Stygian; you’re a victim, who was taken advantage of by another when he was at his most vulnerable. And whatever crimes you may have committed, I think have been more than punished by what you’ve undergone. Besides, Celestia would never consider charging you, and there isn’t a court in the land that would convict you.” “So, what, I just get let off, with a slap on the wrist?” he asked. “That doesn’t seem fair. You can argue your legal rules as much as you want. I still set the chain of events in motion, and for that I should pay.” I frowned at that. Stygian’s attitude reminded me of how Luna had been over her own fall to darkness. Like Stygian, she had sought to punish herself through the Tantabus, giving herself horrid nightmares of her actions every night to remind her of her past failings. Hardly a healthy attitude. And like Stygian, I see Luna just as much a victim of Nightmare Moon, just as Stygian was of his own dark counterpart. And I know for a fact that Bones will go postal on you if you even suggest the idea of Luna being to blame for what happened. Like her though, Stygian wanted to punish himself, to somehow make restitution with the universe. But like Luna, he had committed no great crime. Like her, he had allowed his jealousy and anger take over. I’d tried to make him see reason, but I wasn’t getting through to him. There was only one thing for it. “Tell you what, Stygian,” I said, getting up again. “Come with me for a moment. There’s somepony I think you should meet.” So Stygian followed me out. I led him up to Luna’s tower. Like I said before, if there was anypony in Equestria that could understand Stygian’s position, it was her. I just hoped that she wouldn’t be either sleeping or busy with her work. Luna can be quite the introvert at times, and cloisters herself off to work on her occasional projects, preferring not to be disturbed. And of course, she is somewhat nocturnal due to her nightly duties. She’d been up enough as it was, preparing potential contingencies against the Pony of Shadows, had Twilight and the others been unsuccessful. Heading up the spiral staircase the led to both her personal apartments and her observatory, I found myself wheezing a bit. I really needed to get back into shape. The same could be said for Stygian, who also found the going pretty rough. Eventually though, we reached the top, where two guards were waiting for us. After a brief security check we were allowed admittance. Unlike Celestia, Luna still firmly believes in strict security and had resorted to having her own Lunar Guard protect her chambers in the aftermath of the Royal Guard’s failure to protect her from changeling abduction. One stallion firmly told us to wait where we were, while the other, after knocking on the door with a hoof, briefly stepped inside to the speak with the princess. I heard Luna’s voice briefly, followed by the guard’s. A moment later, he reappeared and we were ushered inside. Luna’s chambers are what you might expect. While opulent, like those of her elder sister, they were much more subdued and utilitarian. The colour scheme also reflected Luna’s darker colours, with a beautiful mural of the night sky painted on the ceiling. Much of the furniture was antique and wooden, and many pieces of classical artwork lined the walls, as did dozens of ancient texts. At the moment, Luna was sitting at her desk, a quill hovering in her magic as she jotted something down. As we stepped in though, she set this to one side and turned to face us. “Roger, welcome,” she said kindly. “And Stygian too. My dear friend, it has been far too long.” Getting up, she walked over to join us. I was struck by the size difference between the two ponies. Like I said, Stygian was quite small, and while Luna is nowhere near as big as her sister, she positively towered over the little stallion. After some pleasantries, I explained the reason for our visit. “Stygian here wishes to be thrown in jail,” I explained. “I thought you might be able to share with him some of your own experiences on redemption.” Luna beamed at that. Reaching out with a wing, the alicorn embraced Stygian, which made him start for a moment before blushing a little. And so, Luna spent some time chatting with Stygian, with me occasionally chipping in now and then. I’d told him about Nightmare Moon, which had of course, happened many years after his own fall to darkness. But Luna gave him a much more personal story. She used a phrase that has stuck with me ever since, and given me some insight into just how truly terrifying her ordeal was. She said ‘I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind’. Nightmare Moon was gone, yes; destroyed by the Elements of Harmony. But the idea, that dark facet of her personality, still existed within Luna. It was quite possible for it to re-emerge, given the proper circumstances. It certainly explained why she had constantly kept reminding herself of her past misdeeds. The same fear could be applied to Stygian. The Pony of Shadows was very much a part of him. While it’s physical form had been separated from him, it was still there, in the recesses of his mind; anger, frustration, jealously, greed, fear, a seed of darkness that had grown into a monster. All those emotions had allowed the creature to flourish and grow beyond his control. And it was perfectly possible for a repeat of the experience to happen. Now, I cannot begin to imagine what either of them went through. Luna once told me that she was fully aware of everything Nightmare Moon was doing, but unable to stop her. And Bones tells me how, to this day, he is haunted by the look of fear on Luna’s face as the darkness overwhelmed her. Stygian too had suffered in the same way, unable to control anything, but still aware and conscious and terrified. Frankly, I’m amazed either of them came back sane. Their conversation helped the two reformed heroes to bond with each other. A small part of me even wondered if there might be something more than friendship growing between the two. Until now, they had met nopony else who could understand what they had been through. They were like...kindred spirits. Seeing how the pair were getting along, I felt a bit of a third wheel and prepared to take my leave. Stygian however, now no longer believing that he should be thrown in jail, asked me to stay, as he wanted to ask me something. “Oh, what’s that then?” I asked curiously. “You said earlier that there wasn’t a pony or human in this castle that hadn’t made a mistake. If you don’t mind me asking, what was yours?” For a moment, I considered giving something of an evasive answer. But this little stallion had just sat here and poured his heart out to me and Luna. She already knew anyway. So I saw no harm in telling him. We’d already agreed not to discuss anything that was said after all. “I was a terrorist, Stygian,” I replied sadly. “Back on my own world, I hurt people, stole from people, and killed people, in the name of a cause I now know to be folly. Sure, I changed, I reformed, and started a new life. And while the man you see now is nothing like the one I was, I will always carry my guilt with me. Like I said before, that’s our punishment. We have to live with what we did, and try our best to make up for it.” At that, my thoughts again turned to Starlight. My opinion on her had softened of late. After all, were it not for her, I wouldn’t be chatting with Stygian right now. He’d still be in Limbo, trapped in his own personal Hell. I can never forgive her for what she did. It was wrong, it was sick and it was twisted. And I still maintain that she got off with it too easily. But she’d drawn on that experience, her own guilt over her past actions, and her own reformation, in order to help save Stygian. That was twice now she’d helped save the day. While I don’t believe that it would ever be possible for either her or myself to ‘balance the books’ as it were, I couldn’t help but see her now as being less of a former nemesis, and a little more like Luna or Stygian here. I shook my head. Now was not the time for contemplating Ponyville’s most dangerous unicorn. I stayed with Luna and Stygian for a little while longer, slowly bringing him around. The healing process would take time, and it would probably be even longer before he could rejoin his old group of friends. But it was a start. And as a wise man once said, each journey begins with a single step. I didn’t hear too much from Stygian after that. The Pillars as a group, given that Twilight and the Elements of Harmony were now around to protect Equestria, along with the Tree of Harmony itself and the princesses, chose to retire from their old job of saving the world, or ‘defending the realm’ as Starswirl put it. They were ponies out of time, and quite keen to integrate into this new world they had travelled to. Luna was key in helping them all adjust in those early day. They all ended up settling quite well. Starswirl, as I said before, went off travelling around Equestria to learn the art of friendship that, if Celestia is to be believed, cost him his chance at ever having wings. Sonambula returned to her native Saddle Arabia a hero. Rockhoof sought to return to his old Coltic village to help with the excavation efforts. Flash Magnus did stay in Canterlot, and took up old Strong Shield’s job of training the rookies in the Royal Guard. Mistmane travelled to the Crystal Empire, where she used to her skills to work as a landscape artist for the royal family. And Meadowbrook had returned to the Hayseed Swamp and opened a sort of pharmacy and clinic for the folks living in the bayou country. Of Stygian however, I heard very little. Like I said, he was going through a lengthy recovery process. I’d assumed that meant many months of therapy and counselling. However, with prompting from Luna, he took quite a different approach, and turned a good bit as well. Luna recommended he try a form of writing therapy to lay out all his thoughts and concerns plainly. Not only did this help him immensely, but it also made quite the interesting read. Stygian wrote about how he had felt betrayed by his friends when they cast him out. After all, he didn’t really do anything wrong. He was always quite magically weak, and while a skilled planner, he was a poor fighter. He sought to rectify that. But when he tried to augment his own magic, Starswirl flew off the handle. If you want to blame anypony, I’d lay a fair portion with him, given the way he just turned on Stygian. Bones always did say that Starswirl was closed minded. Kicked out of his friends’ group, he was left alone and vulnerable. Finding his way to Hollow Shades, the long abandoned home of the thestrals, he came into contact with the shadow, the same force that had corrupted Luna. It took his existing emotions and began to amplify them. Sadness and loss were, through its clever manipulation, turned to anger and rage. That eventually resulted in the Pony of Shadows taking form, with Stygian’s mind being warped to spread the same darkness across all Equestria. He even chronicled what he remembered from his time as that dark creature. It was him, you understand, but at the same time, it was a separate entity; the darkness using him as a conduit if nothing else. He certainly had a gripping writing style. I actually felt as if I were there in that terrible place. Finally, he covered his rescue and redemption and the process of recovery that brought him to put quill to paper. It was a riveting read, with a style reminiscent of T. E Lawrence, and I would certainly rate his work as one of the best I’d ever come across. Well, other ponies in Equestria seemed to think so too. As he recovered and began to resettle into a new life, at Luna’s suggestion, he submitted it to publishers. It was an overnight sensation. Part autobiography, part history, part psychological thriller and horror, it made for excellent reading and quickly punted Twilight’s friendship journal out of the number one spot, something everypony was glad about. Stygian quickly found himself no longer seen as the pony who used to be the Pony of Shadows; a story book villain used to frighten little foals. Instead, he became a bestselling author of no small renown. Last I heard, he even considered taking up writing as a career. Like all the Pillars, he was a goldmine as far as history was concerned, able to give accurate accounts of his adventures with the Pillars, from defeating the Sirens to stopping Tirek and redeeming Scorpan. Plus, his knowledge about everyday Old Equestria put him in a prime position to write fiction set in the period as well. I even heard rumours that he was working on some sort of romance novel series co-authored by Luna herself. And speaking of Luna, I still maintain that the two were into each other. Both ponies out of time, they really bonded over their experiences, and had spent a great deal of time together finalising his book. They’d even been seen together a few times in public. At first I found it a little comical, the little stallion and the much taller night princess, but I guess height prejudice isn’t as much of an issue in Equestria. It certainly hasn’t put every stallion in the world off trying to court Celestia. But with time, given how they clearly had connected as more than just friends, I changed my tune, just glad that they’d each found somepony. Luna needed a friend beside her sister; somepony who didn’t see her as a princess. Things seemed to be brightening up. The Pony of Shadows was defeated, we had another team of heroes on standby to defend Equestria, and Twilight’s new Friendship Festival was right around the corner. If only I’d known the hardship we’d all experience in the next few days.