There were several moments of uncomfortable silence after Glare was dragged away. As happy as they were that it was over, that wasn't a pleasant sight. Twilight suspected that it would stay with them forever. Someone needed to say something. Someone needed to make a noise. Something needed to happen to break the tension.
And luckily something did.
At that moment the doors to the throne room burst wide open. In walked, injured and exhausted, Flash Sentry and Shining Armor. Lances drawn. Prepared for a fight. "Where is he?" shouted Shining. "Where's Glare?!"
"I never really thought I'd say this," Star Swirl smiled. "But Glare is gone. Seraphim Glare is, well and truly forever, gone."
The two guards lowered their weapons. Looking happy and at the same time disappointed. "Really?" asked Flash. "Well... Don't I feel useless..."
"You were, kid," Star said frankly. "But there's always next time!"
Sombra marched swiftly up to the two stallions. "You two!" he said cheerfully. "You two did the uniform proud today. 'We're the Guard! The last thing we do is stand aside!' I've got to say, I'm glad it was left in good hands. Gentlemen, you've earned my respect." He saluted the two, then wrapped them in a tight hug.
"You're..." said Shining Armor, utterly bewildered. "Under... arrest?"
"Sorry friend," Sombra smiled. "You can't arrest a dead colt. Thank Equestria for legal loopholes."
"I was gonna say that..." Flash pointed at Sombra. "You're dead." He turned and pointed at Star Swirl. "And so are you!"
"I am too!" Clover said eagerly in the background. "Not that it matters for the moment, I just thought I'd mention..."
"I'll explain later," Twilight said, unable to keep a straight face.
"Yeah," Shining Armor said weakly. "Yeah... We're gonna go lie down..."
"No!" said Star Swirl. "You can't do that! We need witnesses! There's something very important that needs doing, but first I have some things to say to some ponies... First off," he marched right up to Celestia and Luna. "You two..."
He seemed to want to look stern, but that expression melted the moment he saw the faces of the two sisters. Both of them were obviously trying to hold back tears and failing. Trying not to look at Star Swirl directly because they couldn't take it.
"You two grew up," Star Swirl said quietly. "You did that behind my back. I remember when the two of you were still little foals... You were both so full of energy... Such trouble..."
Luna let out a sharp sniff.
"Would it be presumptive to say...," Star Swirl choked. "That I'm proud of you two? I know I'm not family, but..."
"That's not true," Celestia said quietly. Luna let out another sharp sniff. The vernier was fading.
"Come on now, don't cry," Star Swirl said defensively. "It was never fair when the two of you would cry... Oh come here!"
The three locked in a tight embrace. Each unable to hold back tears. Twilight recognized that hug. It was the same hug that she gave to her father after her coronation. She couldn't help but tear up as well.
"We'll miss you," Luna sobbed.
"We wish you could stay," Celestia added.
"I don't," Star Swirl said frankly. "You two are doing fine without me. You don't need my help anymore. Like I said, you both grew up... And Little Wings?"
Luna looked up at her mentor.
"I think there's soempony else here who wants to talk to you..." Star Swirl turned around to reveal a nervous Sombra, shifting from foot to foot.
Luna walked up to him. "Are you alright?"
"I've been in hell," Sombra laughed. "So basically not so different from the last few months of my life. Luna... I..."
"You don't have to say it," Luna said softly.
"I know. I never did," Sombra sighed. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to?" The two held each other tightly. "I love you, Luna."
"I love you, too..." Luna said softly. "But you knew that, didn't you?"
"Wow!" said Pinkie. "I did not see that one coming!"
"Really?" asked Applejack and Rarity simultaneously.
Star Swirl marched over to Discord. "And March," he said softly. "My dear friend, March..."
Discord gave Star Swirl a soft smile that turned into a wince as Star took off his hat and started beating him with it.
"IF! YOU! EVER! DO! SOMETHING! SO! INSANELY! STUPID! AS! TO! ALLY! WITH! THAT! INSANE! CENTAUR! AGAIN! I'M! COMING! BACK! TO! HAUNT! YOUR! EVERY! WAKING! MOMENT!"
"Ow!" Discord yelped. "Yes! Ow! I understand! I'm sorry! Watch the bells! Ow! Dammit that hurt!"
"Good!" Star yelled. "Kindness!"
"Yes sir!" said Fluttershy.
"I'm sorry, what's your name?" Star asked.
"Fluttershy, sir!"
"Fluttershy," Star growled keeping a firm grip on Discord's ear. "I am leaving him in your capable hooves! If he gets out of line you now have my permission to beat him savagely."
"Umm..."
"Alight!" Star rolled his eyes. "Deprive him of snuggles! No snuggles for him!"
"Understood!" Fluttershy smiled.
"Now!" Star said, dropping Discord. "The main event! The Elements are still split between us. The only way to reunite them is for the old generation to pass the torch to the new one. We have to 'deem our successors worhty,' meaning we each have to say that you represent the qualities of our Element. Because their fussy like that. All these rules...
"We need to say our full name and titles though," Star Swirl clarified. "So I need to ask, do I have any? Titles I mean? Star Swirl the Great? Star Swirl the Astounding? Star Swirl the-"
"Bearded," Twilight finished awkwardly.
Star Swirl nodded slowly. "The Bearded," he repeated. "Court Wizard of Canterlot for over thirty years... A member of the first rebellion against a Monarchy our land has ever seen... Father of the Aniomorphic Spell... And the first Element of Magic... And the best you could come up with was 'The Bearded'?"
"Let it go, honey," Clover said with a hint of exasperation.
"No, I get it," Star Swirl nodded. "I see. I see how it is... I should have shaved the damn thing."
"Don't do that," Clover said sweetly. "I always thought it was sexy."
"The only reason I kept it on," Star let out a sly smirk.
Twilight felt weird. This was way too close to watching her parents flirt.
"You know," said Clover softly. "You did a very bad thing to me..."
"What?" Star Swirl asked slowly. "What did I do?"
"You weren't there...," Clover started to tear up. "I couldn't enjoy Paradise."
Star gave his wife a soft smile. "I think I've payed my dues," he held her close. "I'm intending to fix that now."
He caught sight of Sombra looking down sadly at the ground.
"That includes you, by the way!" Star called to his son.
"What?" asked Sombra. "Really? After all I've done I think I should at least spend some time in the Realm Between... I mean..."
"That's exactly why you're coming with us," Star explained. "You didn't do this because you thought you'd get yourself out of a punishment. You didn't do this out of a single minded thirst for revenge. You did this simply because Glare needed to be stopped. That's good enough for Them to forgive you. And it's more than good enough for me."
Sombra couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say.
"Now," Star started. "We need to each of us form two parallel lines. Original Elements on this side, successors on the other... Soldier boys, on one end..." They all lined up accordingly. "I think we'll move in towards the center. March, you start. And remember, our full names and titles. As painful as it's going to be..."
Discord stepped forward. "I, Discord," he said quickly. "Formerly Forward March, embodiment of all Chaos and former king of Equestria, can think of no other pony than Rainbow Dash to safeguard the Element of Loyalty. I ask only that she take better care of it than I did."
There seemed to be a soft red glow between Rainbow Dash and Discord at that moment. Twilight knew that at that point, the Element of Loyalty was once again whole.
"I...," Celestia seemed to struggle getting out the next two words. "Seraphim Celestia, Princess of Equestria and Guardian of the Sun, can think of no pony better suited to safeguard the Element of Generosity than Rarity Belle. I ask only that she spread it's spirit over my country, without hesitation or doubt in her ability."
A deep violet glow passed between the Princess and the Fashionista. Rarity looked so honored that she was about to faint.
Clover stepped forward. "I, Clover the Clever," she said, obviously proud of her own title. "Can think of no pony on this plane of existence better suited to safeguard the Element of Honesty than Applejack. I ask only that she never lie to herself about her own worth, as I did."
An orange glow passed between Clover and AJ.
Luna stepped forward. "I, Seraphim Luna," Luna said, seemingly unconcerned of her family name. "Can think of no aspect in which Fluttershy is unqualified to safeguard the Element of Kindness. I ask only that she use this strength wisely, as it is not hard to lose sight of the fact that it is strength at all."
A pink glow passed between Luna and Fluttershy.
Sombra stepped up. "I, Sombra Star," he said firmly. "Can think of nopony to spread the Element of Laughter across Equestria than Pinkamina Diane Pie. I ask only-"
He was interrupted by a loud SQUEAK! and was showered in confetti. Pinkie was an inch from his face, grinning happily with a noisemaker in her mouth.
"I ask only," he continued, desperately trying to keep a straight face. "That she never change."
With the sky blue glow passing between the two, it was finally Star Swirl's turn.
"I, Star Swirl... the Bearded," he sighed, stroking his chin. "Can say that there is nopony living or dead who can wield the Element of Magic better than Princess Twilight Sparkle. Since she has excelled at every test put before her, and will, I believe, continue to do so, anything that I would ask of her would come off as insulting or demeaning. She's the purest example of what the world needs more of. She can and she will, use it wisely."
With a soft magenta glow between her and her idol, Twilight somehow felt more complete. As if a piece of her was missing and then suddenly returned.
"And now it's done," Star Swirl said with a note of finality. "At long last, I'm no longer needed..." He looked up for a moment, as if he could here something no one else could. "I was right... They're letting me in. Me and my son... That's... That's a good bonus..."
A soft light came down from the sky. It wasn't blinding or oppressive like anything Glare could conjure up. It was soft. Gentle. The kind of light that begun either a pleasant day, or a peaceful night.
In other words, it was twilight.
"And that's our ride!" Star said happily. "Good! We should go..."
"Wait!" Twilight said quickly. "You can't leave! What if I need advice?! What if I have questions?!"
Star Swirl thought about that for a moment. "Ask them," he said frankly. "That's usually a good tactic to take in that scenario. And with the company you keep somepony is bound to know the answer. If not, congratulations! You are one step closer to learning how the world works! Call me when you've made your first ten. We'll swap notes."
"But-" Twilight protested.
"You know just about everything that I do, Twilight," Star said softly. "You'll probably grow up to be wiser than I ever was. But if it makes you feel any better..."
There was a soft jingle as Star Swirl tossed his hat over to Twilight. "Your hat..."
"I suspect I won't be needing it where I'm going," Star laughed. "I never understood what the fuss was. I wore it to keep the sun out of my eyes, and I added bells to it because some little filly thought I had a scary face!" He shot Celestia a sly look. "You don't have as scary of a face as I do, Twilight Sparkle. But the very next Element of Magic might be entering the world very soon. You may need to make that little colt laugh." He looked over at Shining Armor. "Mazeltov, by the way, Dad."
"Thank you," Shining Armor nodded. "Wait, colt? How do you know it will be a colt?!"
"Must be off!" Star smiled.
Twilight was stunned. Only able to say one thing. "Thank you..."
"For what?" Star Swirl asked. "You did most of the heavy work, we just helped out a little at the end. I should really be thanking you. You helped me balance my ledger. Both with my enemies, and my family."
Star Swirl joined his wife and son under the beam of soft light. He held them both in a tight embrace.
"From the bottom of my heart," Star smiled. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle."
When the soft light faded from the room, so to did the family star. Once again the room fell into a stunned silence. It stayed that way until Rainbow Dash asked the question that needed to be asked.
"What happens now?" she said quietly. "What do we do next?"
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie gasped, taken aback. "How long have you known me!"
Pinkie marched over to the door, reached behind it, and pulled out a seemingly busy Vinyl Scratch.
"So do your dance, do your dance, do your dance quick maaaaaaaaa whoa," Vinyl said, slowly realizing the scenery around her had changed. "Trippy."
"How did she get here?!" asked Dash. "How does she always get here?!"
"RD, you know better than to ask that question," Vinyl said frankly, examining her surroundings. "Okay, Pinks, you called me, what's the emergency?"
Rainbow Dash seemed to catch on at that point. "Here's the deal, Vi," she began. "We just won the biggest fight of our lives."
"Mmm-hmm," Vinyl said, examining the premises.
"Found our true selves along the way," Fluttershy said sweetly.
"Go on,"
"Dispatched a truly unspeakable cad," Rarity added.
"Good on you..."
"Laid a few ghosts to rest," Applejack added. "Literally"
"A little creepy, but continue."
"Reconstituted the Elements of Harmony," Twilight chimed in.
"I'll pretend I understand what that means."
"And," Pinkie finished. "We sorted out the emotional baggage of the entire Monarchy!"
"It has been a banner freakin' day for you guys, hasn't it?"
"So this calls for a party," Pinkie said, now pacing around the room with Vinyl. Both of them looked like they were drawing schematics in their heads. "But not just a normal everyday party..."
"Oh no," Vinyl said frankly. "A win this big, you need a blowout..."
"A catastrophe," Pinkie clarified.
"This party needs to be nothing short of a natural disaster..."
"We need to blow the roof of the place!" Pinkie shouted. "Well... It's kind of already gone... But you get my point!"
"And the end of this night you should not remember how to spell the word roof," Vinyl nodded. "Let alone what it means..."
"Ponies waking up in trees the next morning!"
" Saddle Arabians telling us to turn down the damn noise."
"The ultimate victory bash!"
"The kind of party that says 'We are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Look upon our works, ye mighty and despair.'"
There was a short pause before Twilight spoke up. "Well," she asked Pinkie and Vinyl. "Can you do it?"
They both took a moment to consider before grinning madly. "Give us ten minutes," Pinkie smiled.
They delivered ahead of schedule.
With in minutes the celebration had spread from the Crystal Palace throne room throughout the entire city. Ponies were drinking more than they should. There was music blaring from a sound system in the parlor that Twilight suspected could be audible on the moon. Everypony was having a good time...
Except for Twilight.
Something had been nagging at her since Star Swirl had left. She couldn't stop thinking about it. A few minutes into the party she took a candle into the empty Palace Library. She sat there for quite some time simply staring at Star's hat.
She heard the door open behind her. "Princess?"
She looked behind her. "Hello, Flash."
"I'd give you the whole, 'you're missing a classic party' line," Flash Sentry began. "But I'm guessing you know that. Also, classic can't describe this particular party. I don't think there are words that can. Shots got involved. Your brother just spent the last half an hour explaining how nervous he was at becoming a father to a castle pillar. It would have gone on longer, but I didn't have the equipment to film it."
Twilight let out a little laugh.
"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Flash said. "Not sure I can make you feel better, but I can at least act like a clown until you throw me out!"
"It's nothing... It's just...," she began. "Star Swirl spent the second half of his life as a recluse. It got so bad that he didn't even know what friendship was anymore. Other ponies would simply get in his way... It wasn't all that long ago that I was like that. I thought friends were a waste of time. It was only when I came here and met the others that everything changed...
"But now I'm wondering, what if it changes again? What if something awful happens? What if my friends forget themselves and their Elements, so in the end, old and bitter, I forget mine?
"Star Swirl said that when it comes an Eternal's time to die," Twilight gulped. "Depending on their actions in life, they can either walk out, or be dragged. So now I'm sitting here wondering how I'm going to leave when my time comes."
Flash sat down and thought for a moment. "As I understand it," he began. "And details are hazy, I'll admit. It was Glare who turned the original Elements against themselves. Even then it took him decades. They had an incredibly strong bond between them. A bond that almost nothing could break. The one thing that could was Seraphim Glare. Even then, he didn't really manage to do it. Sure, it took dying for them to remember, but they did.
"Twilight, I don't know if you realize this... But you just beat Seraphim Glare. In one night, the one thing that ever did any lasting damage to the Elements is gone. You proved tonight what you keep proving time and time again. You deserve your Element. You deserve your title. And most importantly the only way that the friendships you've made end is with an evil far stronger than Glare ever was. And if that happens we've got bigger problems than you becoming a recluse.
"And when your time comes... And you walk out... You can take one last look back and smile."
Twilight shot Flash a soft smile. "That was pretty good."
"Good," Flash nodded. "Because I kinda came up with it on the fly and I'm not sure it made much sense. I can tell the others you'll be out in a minute?"
Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "Yes Flash," she nodded.
Flash smiled and left the room.
Twilight was feeling much better now. Flash was right. She was being silly. As soon as Blinding Light showed her that ridiculous possible reality she knew nothing like that could ever happen. Why would she doubt herself and her friends now? After all, this was the mare that the great Star Swirl the Bearded had said was worthy of safeguarding the Element of Magic. No villain would stand in the way of her and her friends.
So tonight she would celebrate. She would drink a little too much, laugh at a few things that weren't all that funny, dance in such a way that made her look like she had some sort of disorder, and most importantly, enjoy good company. But before she did any of that...
She blew out the candle, leaving the library dark.