//------------------------------// // The Day the Neutron Star Reversed // Story: Since Before the Stars Swirled // by The Real Darkness //------------------------------// "So, what was it you heard?" "I...it did not..." "One thought at a time." "Outlast it all. That's what it said to me. I'm convinced I'm the heir and conduit for all magic that flows." "That'd be an incredibly big burden if true. What makes you assume that?" "My entire body was built for magic over the years, I'm immortal. I can use, handle, direct, and withstand amounts that nopony has heard of or seen." Sunset nodded, "but you know you also have a role you were destined for. You still serve Equestria first as the end all of magic advice and use." "That's true, but..." "But nothing. That's not something you can understandably worry about, you just keep being you," she smiled at him. "Did you...read the immortality spell?" "I did, it's impressive leaps you must have done to tie everything together to make it." "Well," the two talked as they went through the portal and met Luna on the other side who bid them a good night before they returned to his residence. And from then, Sunset bid her farewells to return back to the world on the otherside of the mirror. It was weekly that he was making visits through the mirror and still conducting research at all times of the day. Pulsar Splash adjusted nicely. Ponies were still visiting him and seeking his counsel on numerous issues regarding the morality of magic and how they can develop their abilities or what spell to use for a certain application. He was happy. Rupture and Thauma would visit him occassionally and have little catchups, even Discord considered him a friend. When the day came, the alicorn even travelled about the badlands and found the Sand Strider tribe that considered him family and went on their annual hunt to take down a sandwurm. There was a day, however, that shook the alicorn's foundations. Somepony had launched some kind of campaign to unseat him. "Immortal is unfair! Kick it out the lair!" History was as ever changing. It was a couple of years, but they decided his guilt was still there for his great sin. And they picketed in front of his home and on the bridge. "Fuck, this again?" He teleported to his home and the crowd went quiet as it usually does. "Every. Day. Everypony has been here, keeping other ponies from seeking my counsel! I understand you're upset that I live forever and you don't, but that is no need to scream at my front door!" "Lich!" A stone was thrown at him, caught in his face off guard. Their audacity was growing. "That was a name I haven't been called in so many moons," he mumbled. "Let us have the spell!" Another pony from the crowd cried. Pulsar sighed, "if I have no other way to explain why," his horn crackled with black bolts and green drops feel from it. The image of Sombra appeared above his house, dark crystals coming around the ponies that crowded it. "This is the face you ask for! My spell heralded him! I am the origin of all dark magic!" The ponies cowered now. He dispersed the crystals, his understanding and ability of dark magic had advanced over the last few years. The image of Sombra slowly faded, the ponies galloping away. And that was fine. For two days, then the ponies were back at it, in a larger crowd. Pulsar decided he needed help and sent a telepathic message to Starswirl only to receive a faint response from Canterlot. Come Pulsar cast a thick shield around his estate along with a teleportation trap before sending himself to the throne room in Canterlot, interrupting court, "oh, Pulsar Splash, it's nice to see you again," Celestia smiled at him, "you must have been incredibly busy to miss our tutorings," Luna chided. "Where is Starswirl?" "He asked us not to make too big of a deal about it and we intended to tell you when you came by, but you never made it," Celestia was still smiling, "he's in one of the royal suites that became his quarters." Pulsar knew better than to teleport around the castle without permission, so he used a spell to locate him after the princesses and guards were aware he was present. And with a teleport, he was there, seeing the unicorn awake in bed, his horn lit, "oh...you're terribly late, Pulsar." "I would have come earlier if I knew! Somepony didn't tell me!" "I've been keeping myself alive to await your visit, Pulsar. My magic was tied up." The alicorn's jaw slowly opened, "well...apologies. There have been ponies protesting outside my home, even called me a lich. I suppose that's a derogatory term for the immortal." Starswirl smiled, "I suppose you didn't seek the advice of your marefriend." Pulsar sighed, "that'd be a no." "You should be aware that her domain is empathy, not friendship, but it's a cornerstone that could prove really helpful to you." "I know...I can do that later, but you've been here waiting for me. Is it your own time?" "By the grace of Equestria, I'm passing from old age, knowing a lot of our fellow researchers met death as mages on patrol, defending the unicorn kingdom from ancient horrors," he smiled, "I wanted you to see me before I did." "You were always a pony who felt the need to give out wise words." "Oh, but you know these ones. Pulsar, you know that everypony around you will pass away...almost everypony. Celestia, Luna, Twilight, even little Flurry Heart will all one day die," the alicorn nodded, "but you hold onto your friend the same way you would even if it pains you. Don't disgrace this world we've built." "I thought you'd say something along the lines of that." "It's also okay to let...someponies use that immortality spell. You're the justiciar of magic, you know when and who." "But-." "No. That spell was the greatest gift to Equestria, nopony knew it at the time. I need to go, Pulsar Splash, but I'll be watching now with Dingy and Bullion. Be the kind of hero nopony knows." Starswirl's horn slowly faded of magic, the unicorn taking deeper breaths. Pulsar could feel the wetness well in his eyes. Celestia and Luna were behind him and the three shared a silent hug and a cry before they returned to their normal duties and called a morgue for Starswirl. Pulsar teleported away from the castle and to the front of his home, seeing the protesters in front of it. "I've said it before, I am the only pony who lives here. I am the only pony who can hear you. I am also the pony who makes these decisions final. My immortality spell is designed for only a few to use, not for everypony to use." "That's unfair!" "Why do you get to choose who can use it!" "You'll just make your marefriend immortal! What about our special someponys'?!" "I'm not making her immortal. Every alicorn has their purpose and this is mine." He cleared his throat, "I'm no ruler, but eventually I'll be the only line of defense left. I guard this spell for a reason that non immortals will not understand." The alicorn lowered his head and shot a thick beam of magic into the ground, reinforcing the shield and teleportation trap before he teleported to Twilight's castle, right to her throne room where the cutie map also sat. "Pulsar! I've hear an incredible four hundred forty-nine complaints about you keeping the immortality spell hidden away, just what is going on on Foal Mountain?!" Twilight trotted down from her platform, meeting him. His horn had still been growing longer over the years. "Twilight, it's a problem I'm handling. What have you done with the mirror?" "I packed it away in the basement, ready for you to take it back to-." He was gone, "you could have at least listened to me!" She groaned. It wasn't long before the mirror was in his library and he trotted through it. And he was in front of the school, it was morning after all and there were students walking who waved to him. Over the years he had given guest lectures to the school, so they knew him as the most frequenting Equestrian. The mark of magic he put in the sky was still there in the soccer field. Pulsar made no point to hide his features anymore in this world, his wings and horn visible with the crown atop his head. His horn filled with magic and he began teleporting, first to Sunset's home to find no one there and then to each of those six's homes, still finding no sign of them being home. He lastly teleported back in front of the school and began marching in, the students letting him in. "Good morning!" "Hey, Prince Pulsar!" "There a guest lecture today?" The students were greeting him. "No, not today, I've got my hands busy with some problems back in Equestria." He walked right to Celestia's office and entered without knocking. "I guess this is an emer-," Celestia looked up and smiled vibrantly when she saw him, "good morning, Pulsar. What brings you by?" "I'm searching for Sunset Shimmer, there's something I need her help with." She nodded, "sounds pressing. She hasn't stopped by and said hi in a while, but she said something about the girls visiting camp Everfree today." "Thank you," and he teleported far out to the camp directly, seeing students actively participating in activities. "Who..how...that's some serious magic," Timber responded to him first. "Timber, have you seen those seven girls here?" "Yeah, they said something about visiting a buried friend here, but there is no grave of anybody they know so it was weird. I guess it was a pet." "Thank you," in a flash of grey, gone again. "Who are you?!" Timber called after. He was in the crystal cave and saw the hole, jumping down it and when he saw the cavern, flapped his wings hard, holding position in the air. An illumination spell revealed the seven's position in the ruins. "Did anybody feel that draft? Suuuuuper cold," Pinkie commented. "This place gives me a really bad feeling, Sunset," Fluttershy followed. "Are you sure we should be here? That we're even allowed?" Applejack asked. "Positive, the pony buried here...or at least used to be tied to this place has seen me before." Pulsar Splash flew to them, landing right in front of Sunset Shimmer who illuminated his face. The six of them screamed while she just hugged him tight, "hey, you. I haven't seen you in two months. I was beginning to think you didn't like me anymore," he wrapped her back. "Of course not, I love you. My hands have just been incredibly full now." "Puuuulsar, what is this place?!" Applejack took to annoyance. "This is as close to ancient Equestria as you'll probably get. This is...was...related or maybe it truly is an equal to the Castle of the Twin Sisters. This was the castle I once lived in when I was a magic instructor to Princess Celestia and Luna," Sunset let go of him but the Prince still held her hand and he cast floating illumination spells all over, hightlighting the dead flowers that grew everywhere. "Then...what room are we in now?" Rainbow Dash was curious for once. The master mage created illusions around them, filling in the blanks with a bright grey to create the walls and furniture of the castle, "my room," he point to the thrones behind them, "was always hidden behind the thrones. I was a last line of defense here." "I...That's such a specific place to put you," Sunset looked around the room they were in, "and it's so small here." "Permanent alarms and scrying spells were affixed to objects and mirrors so I was ready to defend them at a moment's notice." "No wonder Luna was so informal with you," Twilight was writing away in a journal. "Did you come to visit Dingy Coat's resting place?" He put down his illusions. "I did, he saved us after all." Pulsar closed his eyes for a second before opening them, his action demanding their silence. "Sunset, I...I need your help." "What's wrong? Did something happen in Equestria?" "Yes, it's a problem that I haven't been able to handle but-." "Understand them." A voice boomed in the empty room. "What was that?!" Rarity was spinning about. "Pony. Fucking. Feathers." "Sunset, do you know much about this place?" Pinkie asked, "because I think this place knows a lot about us or him or you or someone!" "That was the voice of the Evermore," Pulsar whispered, "there's...I guess only one way to find out." "Pulsar, you're kinda scaring me," Sunset clutched him tight. Pulsar teleported the girls back up to the crystal cave, "listen, there's a problem in Equestria that only you can solve. No other pony can." And he teleported them to the statue and pulled her through. Pulsar could hear the rabble from his library and he galloped outside, seeing an older Flurry Heart and Twilight Sparkle in front of his home, magic bolts were being slung from the unicorns present at his shield. "Everypony! Settle down!" "He owes us!" The mob was still furious and from the size, there were at least a couple thousand ponies present. "Hey! Princess Twilight is speaking!" Nopony ever expected Flurry Heart, the sweet child, to grow up and be even more strong headed than her mother or father. Cadence and Shining Armor had grown older and were governing the Crystal Empire but also allowing Flurry Heart to take part as a way of teaching her. "Everpony...Prince Pulsar makes the correct calls on these matters. There is purpose behind what he does, purpose that is hard to understand because you all are biased to a perspective of hurt," Twilight was onto the right track. Pulsar trotted in front of the two alicorns. "About time you showed up, Auntie had to ask me for some help in making sure their magic was under control." "There's the bastard lich!" Magic was aimed at him, which he redirected into the air, "that's...violent." Sunset trotted out in front of Pulsar. "Sunset?! What are you-," Twilight spoke up. "Shhh, he asked for my help." "Ponies! What's going on?!" Sunset used magic to project her voice. "It's his marefriend," whispers went about. "I've been gone for months, can somepony please fill me in?" She moved closer and their faces, while angry, did not show any malevolent intent. "He's not sharing the immortality spell with Equestria!" "And why is that a problem with everypony?" "You're just going to take his side!" "I'm here to find out what the hay is going on. I'm listening to all of you, not him. He just threw me into this." "He gets to sit by while the ponies we love die preventable deaths!" "He can save whoever he chooses, but he chooses to not save anypony!" "I see. But...why does it bother you now? Ponies have always died and in his time, they died...violently. Ponies were murdered, assassinated, poisoned, mauled by creature of the Everfree and beyond. He lived through the first Hearthwarming, what him and Starswirl call the Great Freeze." "That doesn't change the fact that he's not being equal with it!" "And what do you think that would look like? Everypony is immortal? You can see the problem with that. LEt alone that he knows everypony has the potential to do bad things or act dishonestly. If Sombra wasn't immortal, do you think we would still hav esealed him in stone? Or Chrysalis?" Sunset was making points left and right. "He doesn't save anypony not because it is his choice or that he his selfish. He does it because he must, he has to maintain a balance of magic power in Equestria. He is our flame of magic that will burn brightly, forever heralding an Equestria and forever remembering an Equestria." The mob's faces were changing slowly. "Starswirl died today," Pulsar breathed out, tears were evoked again from his eyes, "he died today and I did nothing to stop it. He reached a ripe old age and I could have made him immortal." "Pulsar does not choose favorites for magic, he simply does what he enjoys and serves Equestria as best he can." Twilight sat on her haunches next to Pulsar, the two of them having a quiet, tearful moment. "It's not our place to judge others for what they do, but to empathize with their choices and understand them. That is how we become friends and how we grow together." Sunset's eyes cast a white glow over the crowd and her body flashed before she was gone. Pulsar sniffled before gathering himself. Before she was gone, the ponies had changed, they weren't angry anymore. "I...I knew it. There's so much more research to be done." The flower seeds around the estate began to rapidly grow and bloom. Cosmos' Lost Children were springing all around his home. "What's going on?!" Flurry Heart was looking about rapidly. "I remember seeing this when it happened to you, Twilight." "This is how an alicorn ascends, Flurry Heart. You were an alicorn from birth." Pulsar Splash's horn lit as did Twilight's, they were sending out the unique spell to the other alicorns and the magic could auidlby be heard from canterlot. "What...who is..." "Princess Twilight!" Five familiar voices called. "Princess?" "I see...they followed us," Pulsar smiled. "Wait, these six are from the other world?!" "Well, when he took Sunset in such a hurry we were thinking something awful was happening!" Rarity exclaimed, "speaking of, where is she?" "That's...Pulsar? His horn is huge. He wasn't lying I guess," Rainbow commented. "Quiet." "Girls, as much as I would love to talk with you all, I have to participate in this ceremony. Pulsar, traditionally, you are the new-." "I know. Get in motion everypony!" He shouted and they began moving about rapidly. Pulsar Splash lifted the communicator stone off the ground and compressed it further, transmuting gold from grass and socketing it in and teleporting it off to Canterlot for later use. The estate was empty in a matter of seconds and Flurry Heart and Twilight were gone with a teleport. Shortly after, she appeared, eyes still filled with white light and looking at Pulsar. The Prince of Magic bowed. "We will see you at Canterlot," Pulsar teleported himself and her friends there, sitting them in the crowd. He awaited in the throne room, Celestia and Twilight on either side of him with Luna, Cadence, and Flurry Heart behind him. It was only a minute or two before the doors flew open in a vermillion glow and she trotted forward, trumpets sounding. That same drum beating began. "My old student comes, ascended at last," Celestia began. "Grown from a world different to Equestria, but called to ascend," Twilight spoke. "This alicorn has protected Equestria in a way nopony has, by protecting our neighboring world," Pulsar was next, "as the recently ascended alicorn. It is my honor to welcome her to Canterlot today." "She has shown incredible amounts of love and understanding for all who live, no matter their past actions," Cadence spoke up. "And it is also my pleasure to present her with her crown," he levitated the crown down from the incredibly high ceiling, sitting it atop her head, the gold exploded out with her cutiemark in the center, the red and orange swirl hugging against the malachite communicator stone, "and declare her ascendance and coronation day." Sunset's horn lit up, she cast a voice projecting spell same as years before in the room, "Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Empathy." "Hail, Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Empathy! Hail!" The throne room boomed in response. Starlight Glimmer approached the platform, looking to Sunset, "Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Empathy," she smiled, "what shall be your sole special duty? Your responsibility? Your contribution as an alicorn and prince?" A pause. "I will stand for the ponies and creatures who go misunderstood! I will foster a foundation of care and compassion for every creature. I will be a cornerstone of friendship between Equestria and the lands and worlds beyond, an ambassador." A long moment of tension went through the air before somepony broke it, "so it shall be!" Flurry Heart was the first to agree. "So it shall be!" Pulsar Splash followed. The twin sister spoke together, "so it shall be!" "So it shall be!" Cadence and then Twilight. "With all alicorns in agreeance that these charges are fitting of your stature and satisfies them, so they remain as your duty in your new role to Equestria!" Starlight announced, "and to worlds beyond our borders!"