My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition

by SuperPinkBrony12

Chapter 169: Apologies

It took a while for the ponies to emerge from the Well of Shade. Fancy Pants was the first one to speak up. "Whoa! That was some lights show just there."

"Is everyone alright?" Shining asked as he looked around.

"Yeah, I think so," Starlight nodded. "And look!"

The pillars were emerging from the Well of Shade as well, and Starswirl was pulling Stygian up by himself. For a moment there was silence as the two unicorns stared at each other, as if daring the other to speak first. At last, Starswirl broke the silence as he somberly began. "Long ago you needed our help, Stygian. And instead of offering it we betrayed you, cast you out, and basically rewrote your history to make you the bad guy. Pride especially clouded my judgement. Maybe if I had not been so vain, I might have been able to help you perfect that duplication spell and allowed you to join us in battle as a worthy ally. You deserve all the credit for your excellent strategies, without you we'd be lost. And for that, I owe you an apology."

"For what it's worth, Starswirl, I owe all of you an apology as well," Stygian responded. "I never should've tried to take away that which you held dear, and I most certainly should've known better than to trust a voice that promised me great power and a chance to get even. I should've made my case from the start, rather than leave you all to figure it out. I very nearly cost you all everything."

Starswirl shook his head. "Your mistakes were our mistakes as well. I had no idea you resented me so for appearing to take over, it was never my intention to be a leader. But it always came so naturally, and I was delighted by all the knowledge I could obtain. Because you came to me last, I knew you the least and it became all too easy to tune you out."

"Yet I allowed myself to believe I was a scholar and not a hero. I see now that I could've been both had I so chosen," Stygian declared. "In fact, I might say the most heroic thing I ever did was leave my village to find you and the other pillars."

"We both made mistakes, Stygian," Starswirl concluded as he reached out a hoof. "But thankfully for the both of us, it's not too late to wipe the slate clean and start anew. Clearly I was wrong to have ever assumed good and evil were so black and white. I'd be honored to have you as my newest student."

"Thank you for the offer, Starswirl, and perhaps I'll take you up on it someday," Stygian replied as he shook the wizard's hoof. "But for right now I'd like to get out of this creepy place if you don't mind. I have a lot to think about now that I'm free to be my own pony again."

Starswirl nodded. "Well if ever you should consider my offer, just notify me," Then he turned to Shining and the others. "Thank you all for helping me and my fellow pillars to see the error of our ways. It seems that I never accounted for the greatest magic of all, the magic of friendship."

"It was my pleasure Swirlstar, er I mean Starswirl." Shining corrected. Just then, the cutie marks of him and his friends began to glow. That meant the mission for which the map had called them was complete.

Meanwhile, Braeburn noticed something. "Hey, not that I mean to interrupt the mood but, ya'll notice that the Elements of Harmony are still with us? I thought they were supposed to disappear with the banishin' spell."

The stallions all looked at themselves. Sure enough, the Elements of Harmony remained on them.

"Well what do you know about that?" Spike commented.

"Do you suppose there's a reason they're still here?" Sunburst pondered.

"Maybe because we used them for healing instead of banishing," Thunderlane concluded. "The Elements were used for a selfless and not a selfish purpose."

Somnambula smiled. "A most excellent conclusion, Thunderlane. One that I am quite happy with. This worked out even better than I could have hoped for, and certainly better than when I was stuck babysitting that sphinx. It's an experience I would not wish on my worst enemies."

"Oh, that's nothing, Somnambula!" Meadowbrook teased. "You wouldn't believe the kind of crazy stuff that happens in the bayou! Did I ever tell you about the time all the cute and cuddly animals went on a rampage?"

"Stories for another time and place, I'm sure," Sunburst declared. "But for now I think we need to get out of here, just in case there's any lingering darkness hanging around."

But before the group did so, Starlight arched an eyebrow in Starswirl's direction and said to the wizard. "So, I guess maybe a conversation can make a difference after all? Right, Starswirl?"

Starswirl tried his hardest not to blush. "Well, let it be said that you're never too old to make mistakes. And it seems I will be making a lot of apologies over the next few weeks."

"Before you do that, Starswirl," Shining spoke up. "I know two ponies who would very much like to see you again. I kind of promised I'd help reunite you with them if possible."

---

A short time later, Starswirl and the other pillars were brought before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. The two alicorn sisters were quite thrilled to see their old teacher again.

"My my, I simply cannot believe how tall you've gotten. Seems like only yesterday you barely came up to my ankles." Starswirl commented in amazement, as he beheld the sisters' noticeably taller bodies (he'd left when they were only teenagers).

"Well, it has been over a thousand years, Starswirl," Celestia told the old wizard. "It's quite a treat to see you again after all this time," Then she asked. "Would you be willing to come back and teach here in Canterlot again? Luna and I have fond memories of your lessons and it'd be great to have you teaching once more."

"As long as you don't ask for those essays we owed you before your disappearance," Luna admitted with a blush. "It's not that we forgot about them, they just sort of... got pushed back indefinitely. You know how it is."

Starswirl chuckled. "Oh there's no need for those essays, I already had a feeling I wouldn't be getting them back anyway," Then he put a hoof to his chin. "But to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to settle down just yet. The realm has changed considerably in my absence, so much to see and to document. I reckon I'll probably have a look around and try to make amends with those I wronged, before I decide where to make my home. Perhaps I'll even consider starting a family to carry on my legacy."

"And I for one long to see what has become of my home," Meadowbrook declared. "I know Mother ain't gonna be around anymore, but I know her spirit won't be able to rest 'til she knows what became of her only daughter."

"I too think I want to see what has happened to my village," Somnmabula added. "I can only hope Prince Hisan's descendants or whoever is currently in charge don't hold it against me for not being able to properly say farewell to Hisan. If not for the whole limbo business, perhaps we could've had something together."

"I believe we all will want to see how the world has changed since we left it," Mistmane commented. "And for that we shall be away for quite a while."

"But if ever you be needing our help, just give a holler and we'll come a running!" Rockhoof vowed.

"Of that you can be sure!" Flash Magnus boasted! "I've still got a lot left in the tank!"

Celestia smiled. "And what of you, Stygian? What will you be doing?"

Stygian simply replied. "I shall return to my first interest, knowledge. But my experiences have given me new insight, insight with which I shall write a book. My history must be known, the good alongside the bad, so that I may be judged accordingly. Besides, someone needs to have a way to contact all the pillars on short notice, so it might as well be me."

"Excellent!" Luna declared! "And Stygian, I have a feeling you and I will have much to talk about over the next few nights."

Celestia then warmly declared. "You're all free to go. And thank you for your services. Equestria owes you a great debt of thanks. And Starswirl, you were an excellent teacher. Luna and I just wanted to say that while we had the chance."

Starswirl smiled back. "Oh how I've longed to hear you say that. But if anything, you should be directing your thanks to a former pupil of yours and his student. For it is they who not only freed me and the other pillars, but also taught me a valuable lesson. That friendship is a great force indeed, and in turning away from it you harm both yourself and others."

---

From afar, Shining watched the reunion as he commented to Starlight. "Starlight, this was very much your victory too. You were the one who had the courage and sense to ask the tough questions."

Starlight simply replied. "Yeah, but at the same time I was kind of pushy. It's who I am, I guess."

"Well in this case, it was a push for the better," The prince acknowledged his former student. "You've certainly come a long way since I first took you under my wing. I daresay you might be ready for alicornhood."

Starlight laughed, and her former teacher shared in the laugh. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves!" She chuckled. "I happen to quite like being a unicorn, thank you very much. Besides, what would I even be princess of?"

Author's Note:

Comickook suggested the dialogue of Stygian apologizing for his actions, which I definitely wanted to include here.

The bit between Stygian and Luna is a subtle nod to the currently ongoing IDW comic miniseries Nightmare Knights, which involves Luna and Stygian assembling a team of former villains to travel to a parallel universe to defeat an evil called Eris.

I know that I've already covered the movie, and that means I'll have to explain why the map hasn't expanded yet. Rest assured that in 2019 when we tackle the Season 8 premiere in this universe, that will be the first thing to be addressed.

Speaking of which, this marks not only the end of the "Shadow Play" arc for this fic but also the end of the updates for 2018. I know that in the past two years I did December chapters, but in both cases it was because I wanted to more or less catch up to the show and contribute to monthly updates throughout 2017 and into 2018. I have done this once before, in 2015, when I did not update in December and then in January I did the next arc. The same will happen this time around. So I wish you all an (early) happy Thanksgiving.

And don't worry, there's still one last fic I have planned for this year. If all goes well it should be released in either the first or second weekend of December. As for what it involves, you'll just have to wait and see.

Comments

[Comickook]

Hey there. Thanks greatly for getting this final chapter for this arc (and this year) up. I really appreciate you going to the effort. The exchanges and characterizations were quite well done and I LOVED the work that went into Stygian and Starswirl's mutual apologies as well as the set up to a possible story from the comics . You make some really good points in the authors' notes as well.

And I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you have in store for December.

[Comickook]

Hey, in case you are interested, Hopeful Ink Hoof has just started a new "Rainbow Unicorns" story. Perhaps you can give it a look after you get back from your Thanksgiving dinner. :-D

[SuperPinkBrony12]

9314219 For what it's worth I take some creative liberties in later arcs and chapters.

[Yoshifan30]

But before the group did so, Starlight arched an eyebrow in Starswirl's direction and said to the wizard. "So, I guess maybe a conversation can make a difference after all? Right, Starswirl?"

Ohhh how you like them apples lol

[Yoshifan30]

Stygian simply replied. "I shall return to my first interest, knowledge. But my experiences have given me new insight, insight with which I shall write a book. My history must be known, the good alongside the bad, so that I may be judged accordingly. Besides, someone needs to have a way to contact all the pillars on short notice, so it might as well be me."

That's right I forgot he's going to be a writer of his own book

[Yoshifan30]

"Excellent!" Luna declared! "And Stygian, I have a feeling you and I will have much to talk about over the next few nights."

I'm sure those two are going to get along just well especially that comic book I read nightmare Knights