The Next Generation

Chapter One

I just lowered the moon when Star Shifter joins me on the balcony to raise the sun. I look behind us and Celestia nods, smiling, grief in her eyes. I know she sees her sister when she sees me. Star Shifter taps my shoulder and I turn around to see a copy of me with his mane and tail and I burst out laughing. He changes back and laughs with me.
"Thank you, Star."
"No problem, Noctis." He smiles at me before leaving for Celestia's duties. She's teaching him to take over her position as Ruler of Equestria.
Tia walks over to me.
"You're doing a good job of replacing my sister."
"No one can replace Luna." I start to walk away.
"I know. You have the same burden as I do, the burden my son doesn't yet have. He can cry if he wishes to mourn her. We can't. We must appear strong in front of the people."
I turn back around to face her and she opens up her wings. Taking the invitation, I let her wrap her wings around me and feel her warmth. It's nothing compared to Luna's warmth, the warmth of the night, as it's like the sun, but it's still comforting.
I walk to my room and curl up in my bed, drifting off to sleep.

I wake up screaming, Star yelling my name. Celestia's voice is muffled. Another night terror.
"It started, this time, it started. Your Cutie Mark changed, it became inverted." Star says, looking towards Celestia. "What does it mean, mother?"
"It means Nullum Aeternum is done hiding, done waiting," Celestia responds. "She wants to take revenge on all those who ever harmed you and her. Including Luna."
"But Luna died!" I yell, the emotions threatening to consume me as I pant, my wings and limbs unable to move.
"So she'll take revenge on the closest thing to Luna. You, Noctis. She will be willing to kill you if we don't find a way to stop her." Celestia covers me with her wing, white feathers obscuring my vision. "Find a way to keep her inside, to do what Luna could not. Banish the evil inside of you."
"How?"
"Right now, you can't move. The evil has immobilised you. I'm going to try and use the light to banish the darkness temporarily."
I nod and a tingling feeling runs down my horn and through my wings, my veins, my heart and my soul. The light fills me. I scream again as the light rips something from inside me. When Celestia moves her wing, Star helps me up.
"I have an idea that involves the Crystal Empire, Golden and Sparkle," Star says to Celestia.

We walk down the corridor of the castle in the Empire.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Star Shifter?" Cadence asks. "There's a low probability you'll find your counterparts..."
Star nods. "A place with low magic. As far as we know, Nightmare Moon hadn't been spotted there, and Luna definitely didn't turn into her due to jealousy about ponies playing under mums sun and shunning her night."
"When you put it that way..." Cadence enters a room. "Twilight had us move it back here after Golden here almost walked into it."
Golden Rule giggles. "Mum always said I was a troublemaker, said I took after Pinkie Pie."
In front of us is a mirror, our reflections staring back at us. My reflection distorts, turns darker, my mane and tail turn mist like. My reflection smirks and spreads out her wings. I close my eyes and open them and my reflection is normal.
"So, all we have to do is pass through?" Sparkle asks.
"Yes." Cadence replies. "Be careful."
Sparkle is the first through the mirror, followed by Golden and Star. I follow behind them.

I groan and hold my head, my flank on the ground. My hooves feel different... Golden screams and I open my eyes. My friends look different. Their fur is the same colour and their mane is in the same style, but they look different and they have no tails. Their clothes are strange as well.
"W-what happened!!" Sparkle looks on her back but she has no wings. Her hooves look different as well.
"I read about this world in one of mums books." Golden takes a book out of the bag on her side. It has a picture of the mirror on the front and a pony silhouette putting their hoof through the mirror and the replacement for our hooves being on the other side. She opens the book. "Apparently, our hooves have turned into hands and feet."
I look down at my clothes. Blue shorts and a red top that stops above my stomach. My Cutie Mark peeks out from under my shorts. Everyone else has it stitched onto their clothes. Golden has a green dress, which seems unusually tight on her, with the mark on the hem. Star has his on his jacket and Sparkle has hers on her belt.
"This is strange." A voice the same as mine says. I look up and somepony that looks like me but with different clothes stands in front of us. She puts her hoo-hand out to me and I take it. She helps me up and I stumble a bit before gaining my balance on these strange legs.
We stare at each other.
"Mother, do you know who these people are?" My twin says.
Some pony comes up behind her and I move backwards, falling on my flank. I'm too surprised to care.
"Luna..."
Luna seems confused that I know her.
"Yes, do I know you?"
"It's me, Noctis Umbra!"
Star puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's not her, Noctis. It's not our Luna."
I nod but let the tears fall.
"Noctis Umbra... but, I'm Noctis Umbra," my twin holds out a ho-hand-to me and I take it. She pulls me into a hug and Luna reads the book Golden brought with us.
"Ah, your from Equestria. I see now, like the Twilight Sparkle I met all those years ago, back when this was Canterlot High."
Goldens eyes flash with familiarity. "Twilights my mother, is she here?"
Luna shakes her head. I'm afraid Twilight moved to Camp Everfree with Timber Spruce a long time ago."
Golden looks upset. "What about this worlds Flash Sentry?"
"His band, Flash Drive, went on to become world famous. I believe they split up and Flash joined another famous band, Everlife. He travels around with them, trying to distract himself from Twilight."
"What about Celestia?" Star asks.
Luna looks at her feet. "My sister was in an accident years ago when she was pregnant. she passed away and her child didn't survive." Luna looks up at Star. "You remind me so much of her, child. That determined look in your eye, that aura. Celestia in your world isn't dead, is she?"
Star shakes his head.
"What of the Luna in your world?"
"Luna passed away some time ago. When I saw you, I was filled with hope that maybe she didn't die and she's here somewhere but..." I bury my face into my twins neck and start to cry again. It's strange, crying in my own arms, it's a feeling you just can't describe.

I must have blacked out, because I'm sitting down on a couch, Stars arm against mine, Golden sits in a chair next to it and Sparkle sits on the arm. This worlds version of me sits on the other side of Star, him being squashed between us. I can hear someone-probably Luna-in the kitchen.
"So, your Luna's daughter?" Golden asks my twin.
This worlds Noctis nods. "Isn't-wasn't she yours?" She asks me.
"No. She-" I look at the other royal children- "trapped me in crystal for over one thousand years and took me in as her mentor."
The others look shocked.
"Your over a thousand years old...?" Star asks, slowly getting up so he can face me. I can feel the tears coming back but I push them away.
"Technically, yes but I didn't age in the crystal so I'm not biologically."
"No wonder you lived with Luna... but you said your parents were murdered." Sparkle points out, a strange look in her eyes I've never seen before. It looks more like a look I've seen in Twilights eye, a thirst for knowledge.
"They were, I never lied to you about that. They were murdered by the stallion that looked after me, Lightning Strike. I still don't know why he did it, and I never will. He died many years ago. Luna said she knew but it was a secret she took to her grave..." I bow my head, my hands between my knees.
Star takes my hands in his, kneeling before me.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
I can feel the tears come back and am unable to push them back.
"I was afraid you all would abandon me..." the tears fall, slowly. I look away, holding back the noises threatening to escape my throat.
Star lets go of my hands and they fall in my lap. His arms circle around me, pulling me into an embrace.
"I will never abandon you." He whispers in my ear.
I notice Sparkle stand up and join the hug, Golden eventually joining in.
"Thank you, every pony." I close my eyes, smiling happily as I free my arms and hug all three of them.