Since Before the Stars Swirled

by The Real Darkness

Last Line

Pulsar Splash awoke at the time he intended to, he ensured his circadian rhythm was perfected at this point. So he stood from the bland room and used his rune to clean and freshen both his body and clothes before gently opening the door, using the moonlight form the window to guide him.

As quietly as he could he went down the stairs of the sister's home. He went out of the front door and gently closed it.

"Hello, Shadow Aura."

He nearly jumped at Luna's words, "you weren't lying, you do get up quite early."

"Why are you awake then?"

"The night is my time. During the day I deal with students, paperwork, and more while my sister organizes events, I work in the background. At this time, there is nobody to disturb my peace."

"Apologies, I'll be going then. Give Celestia my regards," Pulsar began down the steps and off their porch.

"Hold on, Shadow Aura. I did not specify that you were intruding, it's clear you enjoy the night as well."

"Is there something amiss? I should be going," Pulsar knew this gaze she was giving him, it was the look of a powerful pony who wanted to unnerve you or toy with you. Pulsar doubted it, but it could also be the look of somepony who knew a secret of yours.

"Shadow Aura, the way you carry yourself, the voice you silently put into a space. You're lying about something, I'm sure of it," Pulsar fully turned and gave her his attention at these words, "to be precise. You're lying about who you are to many a person. Definitely here and maybe back home."

"You would have gone far in Unicorn Court, Luna."

"I appreciate the compliment, Shadow Aura. I know that is not your name, you don't perk up the same way as someone would, but I will use this moniker anyway. I had a thought tonight after you spoke with my sister and I," Luna walked down from the porch, meeting him eye to eye.

"If the Luna of your world can traverse dreams, then she has traversed yours and knows precisely who you are. You should make your moves carefully when you go back to integrate into your world."

"So...I wasn't here to learn about friendship?"

"Ooooh, the mighty mage of Equestria is brought to the level of a Vice Principal's," Luna smiled, "you were, but I imagine Sunset Shimmer asked you to stay for a week as a trial run of that integration."

Pulsar took on a very conflicted face, "I..."

"I'm positive that she had some ulterior motives as well. The same way I'm positive you must know those motives by now," Luna smiled, "I wanted to give you some advice."

"Now is the time to be honest."

She didn't use the royal canterlot voice that the Equestrian Luna used, but rather...something else just authoritative, a voice Pulsar Splash had not heard or used himself in a long while.

"You can go," Luna was still smiling.

"Luna, you are just as wise as your counterpart," Pulsar nodded as a kind of psuedo bow.

"My mind is always clearest at this time. Take care, Pulsar Splash," Pulsar turned around and had stopped at the mention of his real name.

It itched at him.

But he knew asking her how she knew would not get him any answers. That was the thing of Unicorn Court, nopony revealed how they did anything. One just knew who the dangerous players were and made sure to never get caught in their webs. He looked back at her and she stood with just a smile on her face, "judging by your conversation with the Equestrian Cadenza...you have a girlfriend to get, right? Stop standing around."

So, Pulsar Splash was then off, leaving the sisters home behind. He had six more days here per his agreement. Pulsar watched the night sky as he traveled. The stars were still exactly the same, at least from the last time he remembered them and he began to wonder if Luna's night sky canvas was carried to here or not. If there was some natural law governing the weather and star alignment here or if Luna held much more control here than she thought.

It took him an hour of walking that was spent finding resolve and confirming his own findings of his emotions before he arrived at the tall apartment building that Sunset called her home and he looked up to see the desired window too. So inside he went and he used his rune to prevent any kind of noise. He made it up to the assumed apartment and after unlocking and entering the room with his magic, the decor confirmed so. He could hear light snoring as he crept in, quietly closing the door and locking it once more.

As he entered, he noticed a gathering kind of area, with seats, cushions, a table, accent tables, and more and then stairs leading up to some kind of loft where the snoring was coming from. The mage levitated his body up and ensured it was Sunset Shimmer lightly snoring. He put himself back down near the table, where a couch had been pulled out into a bed complete with pillows and a mattress...an obscene amount of folded blankets near by.

A lone book sat on the table, glowing with purple magic, the unicorn lifted it up and cracked it open to see an entry appear in what was most certainly a magic diary, mean to send messages.

It was a request from Princess Twilight...she wanted Shadow Aura back in Equestria immediately. Pulsar began to write his own response, affirming that he would not be returning as he had a promise to keep and the Princess must solve her own problems. Signed with his real name before he cast a spell of the book to prevent the magical light and alarm from occuring for the six days of his stay remaining.

Pulsar made the bed next, the pullout couch bed, adjusting pillows with his magic and moving blankets into just the right position, once all was done, he walked to the window, seeing the time displayed on a digital clock. Even if Twilight had said that 'only Shadow Aura can stop this returning threat in Equestria, no pony else has the magical prowess,' he was certain the Princess of Friendship had it handled, Equestria had always handled threats without him.

3:41AM

A peaceful time. Pulsar was a master at cosmic magic and even confirmed that he was able to alter the celestial canvas here, moving some stars around erroneously. His cutiemark was for his mastery in magic, to him there was no magical feat he could not accomplish, no mountain high enough. It was only after another two hours that he decided to retire again for a short rest so that he could prepare for the inevitably busy next day.

---

It was 6 AM. Pulsar was already awake, his night was not used for research at all, of course the same lunar magic could not be reached here, but his dreams were still walked about in nonetheless. His nightly mind reminding him of days gone past with friends long gone.

He could recognize the signs of when Princess Luna trapsed through his dreams and he eventually got to the point where he could physically feel her enter and exit them and wondered if she knew this.

He heard a knock at the apartment door and used his rune to scry past it, seeing those six, the famous six. Pulsar breathed in and then exhaled out smoothly. He had already put the bed completely up and back into the couch after learning how it worked, he moved back to the window, looking out at the street and watching vehicles go by in the light rain. Weather, to normal ponies, was a good trap to keep them inside and talk through things. That's what Unicorn Court taught him 'least when an interested mare followed him back to his tower without his knowledge or consent.

That's when he first made a 50ft alarm spell around him and tailored it to alert him when it was a new pony who hadn't yet crossed it within the last hour.

"She's probably still asleep," Pulsar heard Fluttershy's voice, "we should leave her be."

"We all know that she told him where she lived, he could be in there right now!" Applejack retorted, always the caring and concerned.

"He's not at all what all of you make him out to be," Rarity wanted to speak up for him, "you girls might just be assuming a little bit."

Pulsar was forming a plan of action in his head while the girls outside the door had there moment of debate.

"Right, but what if you're wrong, Rarity? Sunset could be in trouble!" Rainbow Dash spoke.

"We don't even know what he's capable of or how strong his magic is! We might need to send him back to Equestria so our world stays intact," this world's Twilight was still wary of Equestrian magic, which was reasonable.

"Whatever it is, we need to be prepared! He could look like anything or anyone!" Pinkie made light, but her suscipicions were valid.

In his days, camouflage, invisibility, those spells that almost nopony could learn were the ultimate tools to get information to overthrow your enemies or defend your position.

A key slid into the door while Pulsar stared out the window, he opened it and carefully moved anything in danger of getting wet. The mage smelled the wet air, it was his second favorite weather for casting spells.

The door creaked open and Sunset's snoring was still ongoing while the girls walked in, looking at the loft, "she's still...asleep," Applejack breathed out, "there!" She shouted and Sunset groaned, stirring at the loud voice.

Applejack pointed out Pulsar Splash to the other five of them and she quickly moved closer to him, hand raised to accost him. The mage simpyl put up a shield with a light coming off and a gray sheen around him. The farm girl stopped in her tracks.

"Sorry, Shadow Aura, I couldn't persuade them over. I know you're not bad, but they refuse to believe me," Rarity explained.

"It can't be helped. Listen, girls," Pulsar kept his voice low, "I'm not one for plentiful company, so please be patient. I would return to my world by now, but I gave my word to be here for a week and a unicorn doesn't swear by his horn erroneously."

"Oh...he does seem very civil, Rarity. Reminds me a little of the Mayor," Fluttershy chimed in.

"Could be a ploy," Rainbow squinted her eyes at him.

"He looks...funny," Pinkie stifled a giggle, "his lab coat and hair."

"I typically stay too busy to focus on my appearance. I actually don't talk to anypony for the most part."

"He still uses those weird Equestrian terms," Applejack noted, "if he was trying something he would have started copying us really quick."

"He's not a bad guy," Sunset walked down from her loft, rubbing her eyes and approached the mage, "I see you let yourself in last night, gonna have to use that rune sometime, must be really convenient."

"Good morning, Sunset. I wasn't here all night, Only arrived about four hours ago."

"He stays up that late?!" Rarity shouted, "no wonder your appearance is so...ragged."

"I went to be early, Rarity. I have no intention of interrupting my circadian rhythm. I was invited somewhere else more...appropriate to sleep than here."

"Oh yeah?!" Rainbow Dash pointed at him as he dropped his shield, "then where did you go off to when I cornered you, huh?!"

"To the twin sis-. To Celestia's and Luna's home. Luna invited me to use their guest room so I would have a comfortable place to sleep," Sunset was creeping up closer to him while he was staring at the accusatory athlete.

"Wh-what?!" All six of them spoke.

"How did..."

"But Vice Principal Luna is crazy scary!" Pinkie exploded.

"She commanded herself with authority, not unlike how I was raised."

"Gotcha!" Sunset snuck the rune out of his lab coat in a swift manuever, brushing his hand.

Pulsar gasped out and went to snatch it back, almost stumbling over while Sunset leapt back, "I-I need that! That contains too much mag-."

"For me to handle?"

_{"They're already finishing each other's sentences? Rarity's right, this is serious."} Applejack whispered.

"I admit, this is an insane amount of magic in this stone, how much did you put into it?" Sunset asked.

"A year's worth," her mouth fell open.

"I need it back."

"I'm going to hold onto it, make sure you don't teleport away again," Sunset smirked, her face warm.

Pulsar Splash closed his eyes and began searching side him, he doubted it was there, but if the rune truly allowed magic to flow through him it was possible.

"What's he doing?" Fluttershy gently steeped closer.

Pulsar found what he was looking for and opened his eyes, looking at Sunset.

"Wait...his eyes! They're so bright! He's transforming from the magic!" Twilight shouted.

Pulsar Splash began to manipulate and use the small magic pool he found to still be in him. Sunset Shimmer levitated up a bit and he walked to her, maintaining an incredible focus to keep the magic in check. He did not have any research notes on this so caution was required, but so was possession of his rune.

"Pu-Pulsar Splash! Put me down!" Sunset yelled, attempting to flail against the magical bonds. Pulsar forced her hand out and he held his out before putting Sunset down onto the floor.

"My...vision," Pulsar lost his sight and balance, taking a wider stance.

"In the name of Equestria!" Sunset grabbed him and sat him down on the couch.

"My head is pounding," Pulsar swung his head to try and look around, his vision gone. The motion only overstimulated his brain and he swiftly passed out, Sunset preventing him from falling off the couch.