Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. It all made sense, but it simply couldn't be true.
The Alicorn filly slowly sobbing was Luna, obviously at a much younger age, the teenager taken aback at the cruelty she had witnessed was Celestia, and Seraphim Glare, a pony whose name had become synonymous with fear, was their father.
But who were the other two? The unicorn in the pointy hat seemed ready to kill someone. Literally biting his lip not to scream. Twilight felt like she had seen him before, on a tapestry or the cover of a book. The beige unicorn seemed strangely familiar, too. Not in his appearance, but the way he carried himself. Twilight almost felt that he had met this pony before. Though she couldn't think of where.
"The 'night'...," Seraphim Glare continued, his voice dripping acid. "I thank you, Luna. You have given a name to my eternal torment. A realm of darkness and dying light. It is utterly sickening."
Glare closed his pure white eyes and magic ran up and down his horn. At that moment the night seemed to burn out of the sky, leaving only a pure white dome above the castle. The sky itself was a floodlight. The brightness was oppressive.
Searphim Glare opened his eyes and then took on a much softer, almost fatherly tone. "Luna," he began, "only the evil dwell and deal in darkness. Darkness is a foul and evil thing that must be stamped out whenever it is discovered. You are my daughter, Luna, born of my light. Are you evil? Are you a creature of darkness?"
Luna stammered to find the words. "I-" she choked, "I don't-"
"Of course you're not," Glare answered for her. "You're my daughter. You couldn't be." He approached his daughter and bent down, seemingly to comfort her. "Why would you want to shield our subjects from the light I bring? Why hurt me in this way? Why hurt them?" Glare had an almost pleading tone in his voice now.
Celestia stared at her father with a mixture of hate and fear. Every inch of her shaking.
"I'm sorry, Father," Luna said desperately. "I didn't mean..."
"I know," Glare said softly, "I know you are, daughter. There is no need for tears.We will simply never speak of what happened here again." He wrapped his wings around his daughter and brought her in for a tight embrace. "I love you, Luna."
Twilight couldn't decide what disgusted her more. The fact that he could even say that after what he had just done to her, or the fact that some sick part of him meant it.
Glare released his daughter and turned to the beige unicorn. "Forward March, please make sure my daughter's cheek is attended to."
"Yes, King Seraphim." Forward March said.
Glare let out a sharp laugh. "As ever-formal as ever. We have known each other for over fifty years March. We're friends. I know I am King. There's no need for you to remind me."
At the word "friends" Forward March seemed like he was about to leap at Glare, but he caught himself and calmed down.
"Oh, and Celestia," Glare turned to his eldest daughter, "Don't forget, we have another magic lesson today."
It took Celestia a moment to respond. "I... I won't.
"Good," Glare gave a soft grin and then turned back to his younger daughter. "You're lesson's begin next month, Luna. We'll get you a mark very soon!" Glare then turned and left the room.
Twilight hadn't noticed until now, but Luna was a blank flank. She hadn't realized by this time that it was her destiny to bring the night. How could she with a father who held her back so aggressively. She was sobbing uncontrollably into her sister's wing. Twilight wanted more than anything to comfort her. She couldn't of course, she wasn't really there.
Then the unicorn in the pointy hat finally lost control. He threw his hat to the floor and paced swiftly toward the door.
"Worthless," The unicorn said through gritted teeth, "evil, SON OF A-" a burst of energy fired from his horn and burned a large black scorch in the door.
"Calm down, Star Swirl," Forward March said firmly.
Wait? Twilight thought. Star Swirl? Star Swirl the BEARDED? This guy? He barely has a beard to speak of!
"Calm down?!" Star Swirl protested. "You want me to calm down? After what I've seen that monster do to his own daughter? No, March, this isn't the time to keep calm. This is a time to get angry."
"Oh, this wasn't the first time he's struck her," there was a familiar countenance to Forward March's voice. Twilight had heard it before she was sure. "And I am angry, Star. Incensed, in fact. Never before has Seraphim's madness come so clearly into view. And the fact that he called me 'friend' still sickens me. But I know one thing. The most important thing is to keep control. The moment we lose that, we lose ourselves."
Star Swirl took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm pretty good at what I do but I can't stand up to Seraphim Glare. Not even with YOUR help. This is something we can't do alone."
"You won't be alone," Celestia's voice was breaking. Her sudden input into the conversation surprised the two unicorns.
"Celestia?" Forward asked.
"This was his last chance," Celestia was holding back tears with everything within her. Her body was quaking with hate and rage, "I've seen him burn cities to the ground for 'bringing down evil shadows,' I've seen him torture and kill our subjects for being 'creatures of darkness.' This was wrong and I said nothing. I thought-" She embraced her weeping sister more tightly, "I thought if he could just accept Luna's night. If he could just dim his light for a few hours-" Celestia was about to break down. "I was kidding myself. He has always been pure evil. And gentlemen," she turned with regal authority to her companions, "you have my full support. Whatever you need me to do."
Forward March seemed stunned by what he was hearing. Star Swirl however, let out a wide grin.
"Well then," he said as he put his hat on his head, "Where do we talk this over? My place?"
At that moment the room began to warp and shift around Twilight.
The image was that of a home. Each wall strewn with shelves filled with magical knickknacks. A few of them were scattered around the desk. Some faces from the last scene were there, and two new ones. Forward March was standing by the door, constantly checking the clock. Star Swirl was in the kitchen talking to a female unicorn. Luna was on the floor, her cheek bandaged, playing building blocks with an excitable dark grey colt.
Star Swirl walked into the main room carrying a small bottle. "Alright, Little Wings. It's been a week, time for the very last wash and then the bandage comes off."
Luna let out a whimper. "It stings."
"I know sweetie," the female unicorn said softly from the kitchen. "But it's just one more time and you never have to do it again."
Star Swirl picked Luna up and put her on the couch. He removed the bandage to reveal a small red mark on her cheek. Out of the bottle he scooped a small amount of green paste and rubbed it on the sore spot. Luna sniffed sharply and began to tear up, but she managed to keep it in. The colt seemed concerned for his new friend.
Forward March checked the clock again. "Where could that mare be? She's over half an hour late."
"She'll be here March," Star Swirl reassured Forward March, most of his attention drawn to the task of fixing up the injured filly.
"What if Seraphim found out what we're planning?" March asked.
"We'd already be dead," Star Swirl finished working on Luna. "There we go, Little Wings. It's over. That wasn't so bad was it?"
Luna was still teary, but she managed to smile and shake her head.
"I've been calling you 'Little Wings' for about a week now," Star Swirl continued. "You don't find it... annoying do you?"
Luna shook her head.
"Good," Star Swirl smiled. "Just making sure." Luna smiled and then went back to playing with the young colt.
"I'm glad you can be so calm, Star," March said in a sarcastic tone. "It's like you've completely forgotten that we had plans this afternoon."
"You mean the one about the suicide mission? Facing up to an Alicorn with the power of a god, who's been known to burn people with a glance, in the vain hope that we may bring some sense of freedom to the people he's subjugated?" Star Swirl shot back. "Yeah March, I remember that's today."
Forward March growled and looked at the clock.
"Look, I agree with you. It's getting late. If she's not here in five minutes-" just then a strange rapping at the door. Three knocks, pause, two knocks, pause, one knock. A wave of relief swept over Star Swirl and March. "Never mind."
Forward opened the door and Celestia came running in the room. "We're ready."
"You set them up?" Star Swirl asked.
Celestia nodded. "All around the throne room."
"Good," Star Swirl clapped his hooves together. "Once I activate them, they should neutralize the Incinerate Stare for a time."
"How long is 'a time'" Forward asked nervously.
"Oooh... Can't be longer than five minutes? Maybe less?"
"Oh, wonderful."
The female unicorn (who Twilight had almost forgotten about) seemed like she couldn't take listening to this anymore. "I'm coming with you," she finally said.
"What?!" Star Swirl said. "Clo, you can't-"
"I can and I am, we've always done this kind of thing together Star," She was advancing on Star Swirl now. Her voice was desperate. "I won't let you go through this fight without me-"
Star Swirl's face was soft. "Clover."
"It's a suicide mission Star! You need all the help you can get! You can't take on Seraphim Glare with only three ponies-"
"Clover."
"With my magic added to yours I could increase the power of the spell, I could give you a little more time, I could-"
Star Swirl put his hoof on Clover's shoulder. "Clover!" he said.
Clover fell silent and stared at Star Swirl.
"This isn't one of those husband/wife arguments, where the wife is just right and the husband has to accept that, despite all logic to the contrary," Star said quietly. "This is a mage giving his apprentice an order." Star Swirl looked behind his wife at the small gray colt, and lowered his voice to a whisper "and a father begging a mother to make sure that their son stays safe."
Twilight's jaw was on the floor. Star Swirl the bearded was married to Clover the Clever? They had a son? Oh, what Twilight wouldn't have given for a notepad right then.
There was a sudden pull at the back of Twilight's heart. She knew the ending to Clover's story. It wasn't a happy one.
Clover took a moment, and then embraced her husband, tears streaming down her face. "You better come back home Star, I mean it."
"Hey, I know better than to mess with that tone by now." Star laughed. He kissed his wife on the cheek. "Take care of Little Wings too, okay?"
Clover nodded. Forward March interrupted. "Yes, well that was very touching, but could we please get moving."
"Probably the best idea, let's go!" Star Swirl gave his wife one final kiss and then ran out the door into the brightness, followed swiftly by March.
Celestia turned to her sister "Luna, I-"
"Celestia, there's no time!" called March. Celestia took a moment and followed her comrades out the door.
Twilight ran out the door to follow them, but the light overtook her. When she could see again she was in the middle of the throne room.
Twilight took a moment to examine the room. She finally recognized it as the Canterlot throne room, except it had almost no decoration. No banners, no carpet. The entire room was pure white.
On the throne sat Seraphim Glare. He was looking across the room at Forward March.
"You wanted to see me, March?" Glare seemed almost bored by the day.
"Get off the throne, Seraphim," March demanded.
Glare raised one eyebrow. "And... Why would I do that?"
"Your reign is over" March said with a righteous fury. "You've tortured your subjects long enough. Your light is too bright for us, Glare, and I'm here to snuff it out."
There was a short pause. Then Glare through his head back and a cold, cruel laughter filled the throne room. A laugh that turned Twilight's blood to ice. "Ah, March," Glare finally said. "You never cease to amaze me."
Glare stepped off the throne and advanced on March. "You're dead serious aren't you?" There was a mocking amazement in Glare's voice. "You come in here, alone, with no plan to speak of, with a sudden impulse to usurp your king?" The cold laughter filled the room again. "I've had a theory about you for a long time, Forward. You say that the most important thing to you is the preservation of order. To keep control above all else. But I've seen you in battle March. You've never manged to stay in formation. You charge in like a wild stallion. And now this?" He was now standing directly in front of March. "You speak so often of preserving order, but the truth is March, your heart has always belonged to chaos."
Forward March kept eye contact with Glare. After a moment, Glare looked confused. As if something wasn't working properly.
"Hey now, who said he was alone?' came a voice from behind them. Star Swirl stepped out from behind a pillar. "And who said he had no plan?" He knocked on the pillar twice. A large blue glyph began to glow upon it, and then one on every pillar in the room. "We've got five minutes, March. Let's make it count.
Twilight believed it now. This was Star Swirl. To create a focused magic dampening array so intense it could weaken Alicorn magic, even for five minutes, was nothing short of a miracle.
"So," Glare was still smiling, but he was shaking with rage. "The mage betrays me as well.." There was a crack through the air and Glare was across the throne room, and Star Swirl was thrown into a wall. A burn mark on his neck.
Glare outstretched his wings. "The audacity...."
Forward was about to fire a bolt from his horn when another loud crack ripped through the throne room. Glare's wings were now crossed in front of him, and an unseen force had hurled March ten feet across the room. "The insolence..."
With another crack Glare was standing over March. "The sheer, galloping STUPIDITY! Do you honestly believe that, even with my magic dampened as it is, the two of you alone could hope to withstand the brilliance of my light for even a moment?"
A hacking laugh came from behind them. "That's 0 for two," said Star Swirl. "You really have to learn to pay better attention Glare."
Before Glare could retort, a burst of pure magical energy hit him broadside. He skidded on his hooves halfway across the room. "What?!"
The window had been flung open. Celestia was standing in its frame, horn glowing with a strong yellow aura. "You will never," Celestia said through gritted teeth, "hurt anyone again."
The expression on Glare's face at that moment... Twilight thought for a long time for what to call it. It wasn't fear or anger. It wasn't even surprise for the most part.
Seraphim Glare was.... heartbroken.
"My daughter...," he said with a catch in his voice. "My own daughter..."
The momentary surprise was all the mutineers needed. "NOW!" screamed Star Swirl. He and Forward March had picked themselves up and were firing all that they had through their horns to hold Glare to one spot.
"We can't hold him like this forever Celestia!" March yelled over the roar of the crackling magic. "It's now or never!"
Celestia took to the air. When she was thirty feet above her struggling father, she put everything that she was into one final shot.
Twilight covered her eyes instinctively. All she heard was a loud whoosh, and the bellowing scream of the Alicorn King.
When she opened her eyes there was a crater in the middle of the room. Sprawled around it were Star Swirl and Forward March, knocked back by the blast.
Celestia quickly landed. "Are you alright?" she asked the two unicorns.
Forward March struggled to his feet. "I'll be fine."
Star Swirl was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. "It feels like my body has been passed through a hydra and then savagely beaten with big rocks," he said weakly, "but otherwise good."
March helped Star Swirl to his feet. "Was that it?" March asked. "Was that the end of him."
A cold laughter filled the room. "No," the king's voice seemed to be coming from all around them, "not even close."
There was another crack and Seraphim Glare was in front of the throne.
"This is truly astounding, March." Seraphim continued, his tone was almost manic. "You go through such lengths to make sure you get your way. You even poison my own daughter against me, and you have the gall to call me a tyrant." The ice cold laughter filled the room once again. "No. You're the dark one here. I have seen your destiny, Forward March. One day you will become just as hated as you think I am, and surely I cannot withstand such evil."
Glare gave forward a deep bow. "I concede the throne."
A wave of shock passed over the three. "What?!" March was stunned.
"It's quite simple," Glare said smugly. "You have bested me, for the time being. I've grown weary of this throne. It's to cramped for me. I'm going to go to a place where my light can spread." Glare stepped toward the window. "But before I leave March.... A little parting gift."
Seraphim Glare whipped around and hit Forward March with a blast of strange magic. Before the other two could react, the spell was over....
and March had a brand new pair of wings.
"That was just a fraction of my power, March." Glare stepped into the window frame. "I wonder if it will eat you up from the inside, or simply drive you mad." Glare let loose an evil grin. "Long live the king."
With a final crack Seraphim Glare was gone, and the sky began to dim to from a blinding white, to a deep blue.
There was a long silence. It was so quiet Twilight could hear everypony's heartbeat.
"He's gone...," Celestia said breathlessly.
"He'll be back," Star Swirl said frankly. "He's toying with us. For now we've won, but keep a watch. He will show up again."
Forward March was gazing at his new wings. Trying to get used to them being on his body. Twilight could sympathize.
"Why did he give you all of that power?" Celestia asked. "Why turn you into an Alicorn?"
"He thinks I can't handle it," March reasoned. "I'm determined to prove him wrong."
The door to the throne room burst open to reveal Clover ready for battle, with a look of sheer determination on her face. She was about to speak when two foals burst into the room.
"Papa!" cried Star Swirl's son.
"Celestia!" Luna galloped over and hugged her sister.
Star Swirl was nearly knocked over by his colt. He looked at his wife with horror. "You brought the kids?"
"No!" Clover protested. "I left them with Cookie! They must have snuck out!"
Star Swirl looked at his son, "Okay, Smart Cookie doesn't get to foalsit anymore."
"It was my idea, sister!" Luna stepped up to defend her friend. "We needed to come! We couldn't let you stand up to Father alone!"
"Yeah!" the gray colt took up a battle stance, horn glowing with a red aura. "Where is he! I'll pulverize him!"
Star Swirl rubbed his son's mane. "Hold on there, general," he said with a chuckle. "You're a little late."
"The battle is over, Sister," Celestia said softly. "We won!"
"For the time being..." Star Swirl added.
"For the time being," Celestia agreed. Clover and the foals looked confused. "I'll explain later. In the meantime however, I think our new king has a first decree to make." She turned to Forward March.
"Me?" March said. "But we'd be playing right into his hands! Celestia it really should be you."
Celestia shook her head slowly. "I think Seraphim Glare's light-bringer daughter is the last thing your subjects would want to see on the throne. Besides, March, I trust you with the power he's given you. I know you can keep it under control."
"I'm with her," Star Swirl added, smiling. "So come on, 'your majesty.' What's your first order of business?"
Forward March looked around him, and then solemnly sat on the throne. "I believe that Equestria needs some respite from the brightness of Glare," He said in a clear voice. He turned his eyes to Luna. "Henceforth, every day shall end in the night."
Luna looked all around her, very confused. Star Swirl nudged her. "I think that was your cue, Little Wings," he whispered.
An expression of joy washed over Luna's face. She rushed toward the open window. She stood up on the frame and created one of the most beautiful night skies Twilight had ever seen. Everyone gave her a soft smile. Star Swirl's son stood in amazement of Equestria's first night.
And on Luna's flank appeared the image of a crescent moon.
The room began to shift again. As it did, she thought she saw something shimmer next to Clover, but she quickly dismissed it as her imagination
She appeared back in Star Swirl's house.
Twilight was confused. Wasn't it over? She had seen glare get defeated.... kind of. Shouldn't she be back trying to deal with the mirror?
The mirror. That's what was missing. She hadn't seen it anywhere. She hadn't seen Seraphim Glare get locked inside. The story was only half over.
Star Swirl walked out of a back room. Obviously a few years had passed. He had earned the name "bearded" now, his mane and his famous beard were beginning to grey.
Through the front door, Luna walked in. "Hello, Star!" she said cheerfully.
"Oh," Star Swirl said with pleasant surprise. "How are you, Little Wings?" Star Swirl looked out his window at the night sky. "Excellent job as usual!"
"Thank you," Luna's chest puffed up at that. "Anyway, I'm just here to see my favorite wizard."
"Which one of us are you talking about?" Star said slyly.
Luna blushed at that, "Alright, Star, where is he?"
"Upstairs, doing his best to drive me mad," Star said. He grabbed Luna's shoulder's. "For the love of all things good, get him out of my house. He's been spending too much of his time here, and he needs to get out more."
"Otherwise I may turn into an old mare?" came a deep voice from the stairs. "Hi, Luna."
Twilight looked at Star Swirl the Bearded's son with horror. This couldn't be right. It just couldn't be. That little foal had seemed so nice.
Twilight needed to know more. The story was only half over.
"Sombra, for pity's sake," Star Swirl said, "Take this young filly out for a walk and leave your old man to his work."