Author's Notes: Well, I knew last chapter would cause a fair few emotional responses, but I'm still staggered by the amount of hope and emotion being displayed. To know that so many of you care for the characters, both canon and Starfall, moves me. I do grow attached to the characters I write about, and seeing many of you readers sharing that attachment is an amazing feeling!

And another thing to not is that, as of last chapter, Magic in the Stars has become the longest story I have ever written, completed or otherwise! Until recently, I did not think my story would make this length...now it looks set to get to 175,000 words!

As always, thank you for all the reviews, and I must make a particular shout-out to "Mauritaly", who has made not one, but FOUR pieces of fan-art devoted to this fic! I can't thank him enough, and one of those pics is now my desktop wallpaper, so I ask anyone who reads this to check out his DeviantArt account (which is the same name I point out just now), they're amazing pieces of work, and really deserve some attention!

And one last thing...in Chapter 48, Starfall quotes the words; "And may the wrong turn to right, in a celestial light..." I would be interested to see if anyone knows where I have sourced that quote from. It's an obscure reference, but it anyone does know where it's from, that would be awesome to know!

And I've waffled on long enough...read on!

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Chapter 49

A Familiar Guilt

After what felt like hours, the white light faded back, the rippling, swirling magic of the Elements of Harmony calming and fading away, Twilight Sparkle feeling her hooves once more touch the ground, stumbling slightly as he regained her balance.

The young unicorn looked around, seeing all her friends also falling back to the ground, after the Elements had pulled them into the air during their spectacular magical performance, the Elements once more drawing on the power of their friendship to save Equestria from disaster, the various gemstones on their necklaces going dark, the Element's power consumed for the day.

Remembering the comet, Twilight looked back up at the sky, part of her still worried that the massive cosmic boulder was still on a crash-course with some part of Equestria. But her worries were unfounded, her gaze spotting the comet, once more high in the heavens, back on it's original course, out into the cosmos. By tomorrow, it would leave Equestria behind, never to threaten them again.

It was over, at long last...the Elements had prevailed once more, and Equestria was safe again. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, Twilight looked around at her friends. "Is everypony okay?" she called, seeing all her friends look up at her, smiling as they all gave various nods. The use of the Elements, as always, had left them dazed and weary, but they were all okay, and that was what mattered.

"Good..." she sighed softly, smiling at all her friends. Fluttershy was her usual, timid self, ducking her head and hiding much of her face behind her mane...but Twilight could still see the small smile there. Rainbow had her usual triumphant smirk on, clearly basking in the knowledge that she had saved the day...again. Pinkie Pie was her usual exuberant self, bouncing around the group and giggling, whether from joy, relief, or both Twilight couldn't say. Applejack was leaning against the nearest tree, her hooves crossed over each over, a happy smile on her face. Rarity seemed to be the only one not basking in their victory, trying to primp up her mane and tail, which had been left rather windswept by the massive maelstrom the Elements had thrown about.

After a few moments, Fluttershy finally looked up, also checking on the comet. "So...it's over?" she asked, clearly concerned that disaster was still upon them, that fate still had one last twist to throw at them before the night was over. "It's really over?"

Twilight looked around as all her friends looked up at Fluttershy's question, some concerned like her, others calm and confident. Twilight, however, gave her timid friend a small smile. "Yes, Fluttershy...it's finally over," she said, heaving a relieved, heavy sigh of her own.

That seemed to be the cue, as all five of Twilight's closest friends rushed forward at once, Twilight grinning and meeting them halfway, all six mares gathering each other up in a big, warm group hug, variously laughing and smiling, Fluttershy and Rarity looking close to bursting into tears of joy and relief, as well.

Twilight sighed as she allowed herself to bask in the close companionship of her friends...it was over, Canterlot was safe. The latest threat against Equestria was finished, and should never trouble them again. The comet was back on course, heading out into the universe once more...Nightmare Moon was gone, Princess Luna having prevailed over the darkness attempting to corrupt her...and Cosmo had similarly been dealt with by Starfall...

A sudden bout of shouting and clamouring made Twilight turn again, breaking out of the hug with some reluctance to see what the fuss was all about, worried that Cosmo or somepony else was trying to take advantage of their victory to get in one final piece of revenge.

But her fears were unfounded. The commotion was Shining Armor, who had finally been able to call in several Royal Guards, all of whom were working together to surround and contain Cosmo, who was lying just inside the lobby, battered, bruised, and dazed, but still conscious. Twilight could not see any sign of the dark orb that had been corrupting him and Luna, and Cosmo seemed different now...hollow, with a look of horrified awareness. Twilight was sure that the dark orb's hold on him had been broken when they had fired the Elements of Harmony, and the unicorn stallion was only now coming to terms with what he had done...and what he had very nearly destroyed.

Twilight trotted over in her brother's direction, meaning to head over and hug him in relief that he was okay, but paused when she got close, Shining looking directly at her. For a brief moment, his gaze was hard, sharp, and almost cold, complete focus and seriousness filling his entire body. This was a side of Shining Twilight saw very rarely...and it always caught her off-guard when she did see it. This was not the Shining Twilight knew as her big brother, best friend forever...this was the Shining that was the Captain of the Royal Guard...who took no nonsense, and put his hoof down on anypony caught doing the wrong thing...hard.

As he realised it was Twilight heading his way, though, his gaze softened back into the calm, caring look Twilight knew only too well, allowing her own smile to return as she finally closed the gap, pulling him into a tight hug, one that he returning with equal feeling. "Are you okay, Shining?" she asked softly, concerned that he might have been hurt, or her new sister-in-law. "What about Cadance?"

Shining pulled away from the hug, holding Twilight by the shoulders, his usual way of showing that he wanted her to look at him. Twilight did not have any reason not to, looking directly at her older brother as he replied. "I'm fine, Twilie," he said reassuringly, before looking back over into the gardens, where he had left Cadance, resting under a tree, apparently unconscious. "Cosmo's spell hit Cadance hard, but I did a quick check when I got her to safety...the spell was powerful, but nothing too savage. She just needs rest...she'll be back on her hooves in the morning."

Despite the relief in his tone, Twilight could hear the faint, almost unnoticeable quiver there...Cosmo's harsh attack on Princess Cadance had given him a nasty scare, and Twilight had to admit that they were probably lucky she was still alive. But she was alive, and had suffered no lasting injury, and that was what counted, in the end, Twilight giving a relieved nod, pulling her brother into another hug, this one more gentle than the last.

Twilight was about to ask about Cosmo, and the missing gemstone of dark magic, but was distracted before she could open her mouth by the sound of a pony trying to get to their hooves on the broken remains of the lobby floor, Twilight's eyes going wide as she remembered Princess Celestia, looking over to see the bruised and battered Princess struggling to get back up, clearly still weak, and in some pain after her ferocious battle with Nightmare Moon.

"Princess!" Twilight cried. She had not seen Celestia's defeat, having been teleported away by Cosmo before Nightmare Moon had defeated her, but the sight of her teacher and leader, so battered and weary, apparently not even having the magical strength to cast basic spells right now, stumbling over towards her crown as if to pick it up by hoof.

Twilight intervened quickly, though, her horn flaring even as she rushed after the Princess, levitating the golden crown with her magic, gently placing it back on the Princess' head, Celestia raising a hoof to make sure it was firmly in place, before turning to give a small, slightly pained smile in Twilight's direction. "Thank you, Twilight..." she said graciously, though her voice was still very quiet. She was weak, as much as she was trying to hide it.

"Princess Celestia, are you okay?" Twilight asked, concern filling her voice, and her entire being. "Starfall told us all what happened, is there anything I can..." her rushed, frantic attempt to offer the Princess any help she could was cut off a simple raised hoof, the single gesture silencing Twilight as effectively as having her throat blocked off.

"I'm fine, Twilight...really," the Princess assured her, Twilight wanting so desperately to protest, but at the same time not wanting to argue the word of her Princess and mentor. "I'll be fine. Please, if you must do something, Twilight, go find Luna. My sister will need your help more than I do," she added softly, the Princess' voice becoming infused with worry as well.

Twilight rapidly figured out what Princess Celestia was alluding to. Princess Luna may not have been hurt as badly as Celestia...but it was not her physical wounds that would be troubling her. Twilight knew better than most ponies the tale of how Luna had first transformed into Nightmare Moon, and how she had spent a thousand years imprisoned on the moon, with nopony and nothing around her, except for her bitterness, jealousy, loneliness...and hunger for revenge.

Tonight, even if only for a short time, Luna had once more been exposed to those feelings...been forced to have them consume and control her mind, turning her back into the feared mare of darkness that fuelled so many foal's horror tales. Princess Celestia was obviously worried about how her little sister was coping with that...and with the fact that her inability to overcome the darkness had seen her attack and severely hurt her older sister, very nearly destroy Canterlot, and almost plunge Equestria into an age of darkness that could not even be imagined.

Sighing softly, giving in to Celestia's request, Twilight gave a reluctant nod, before hurrying back out into the gardens, quickly seeking out Luna, who was lying near the clearing where she and her friends had activated the Elements. The Princess was lying on the grass, obviously having been knocked off her hooves by the magical blast of energy the Elements had unleashed, and even as Twilight approached, she heard the Princess of the Night groan, dazed and hurt, but conscious.

The sound made Twilight trot over a little faster, lowering her head as she reached the Princess, not sure how to help. "Princess Luna? Are you okay? Do you need help?" she asked, standing close by in case she needed to help Luna up.

But the Princess of the Night shook her head, stubbornly trying to shoo Twilight back. "We are fine, Twilight Sparkle. Do not concern thyself with our condition," she said, possibly a little more sharply than the Princess had intended, Twilight backing off a half-step.

Luna seemed to catch Twilight's surprised, slightly hurt look, her own expression falling slightly as she finally pulled herself shakily up to her hooves. "We apologise, Twilight Sparkle...we did not mean to speak so harshly," she said, a slightly sheepish tone how she felt a little guilty.

Twilight, however, just shook her head, offering the younger alicorn a small smile. "It's alright, Princess...we've all had a rough night. But it's over now, we did it," she added, giving Luna another small smile, hoping the confirmation that the madness of the night was over would help cheer her up a little bit.

Luna, however, seemed relieved, but in no way happy, the alicorn looking up at the comet. "That is good...you have done well, as always, Twilight Sparkle," she said softly. "Canterlot is safe once again." The Princess' gaze drifted to the moon, Twilight catching a flicker of what appeared to be guilt on the alicorn's face.

It become clear for Twilight in that moment. Princess Celestia's concerns had been justified...Luna was trouble by the fact that she had been the cause of everything, the one that had nearly brought Equestria to it's knees. At least, that's what Luna obviously thought...and it was a train of thought Twilight wanted to derail, and quickly.

"Princess...this isn't your fault..." she started gently, trying to show a calm, supportive air for the Princess. But Luna's snort showed how well she was taking that, clearly not believing Twilight.

"Do not lie to us, Twilight. This is our fault," she said sadly, hanging her head, finally tearing her gaze away from the moon. "We have felt the darkness before, known it for a thousand years...we know it better than anypony who has ever lived, we believe." The Princess paused, heaving a sigh, before turning back to Twilight. "And yet, despite all our experience and knowledge, we were still bested by it...still consumed by it's power. We did not possess the strength or will to repel it. We failed...and because of that failure, Equestria was nearly plunged into an age of darkness nopony can even begin to fathom."

Twilight gazed sadly at the Princess of the Night, the alicorn's forlorn gaze once more returning to the moon above them...likely remembering her time imprisoned there. But Twilight needed to end Luna's guilt-trip...and she knew how to prove it to the Princess. "But Luna, in the end, you weren't consumed by it. You fought back, and you drove the darkness back, without resorting to the power of our Elements. You won, Luna!"

Luna, however, merely sighed. "That is irrelevant, Twilight. By the time we pushed the darkness back, we had already attacked our own sister, and summoned calamity upon Canterlot. We may have banished the darkness within us, but we were too weak to stop what we had already caused while under it's corruption...we still are."

Once more pulling her gaze away from the moon, Twilight noticed that Luna's expression suddenly took on a different look...like the guilt was intensified, but at the same time, some part of her latest thought was giving her some, small comfort. "Besides, it was not our own will that allowed us to banish the darkness," she added, making Twilight pause. "Even in our darkest hour, Starfall came to us...never stopped believing in us, and never once let go of the friendship we share. It was his belief that gave us the strength to banish Nightmare Moon...nothing else."

Twilight smiled...now Luna was right where Twilight wanted her to be. "Actually, that reminds me...remember how Starfall blamed himself for a disaster that was not his guilt to bear, Luna?" she asked, making the Princess blink. Clearly, Luna had not expected this argument. "Remember how he was destroying himself with a burden that was not his to bear? And do you remember how it was you, Luna, who showed him that he needed to let go, to move on?"

Twilight's words finally seemed to be having an effect, even if Luna's stubborn streak was not quite ready to give up just yet. "Twilight Sparkle, this situation is not the same as Starfall's..." she tried to argue, but Twilight boldly cut her off, something she would normally never do to the Princesses. If it was Celestia she was talking to, Twilight probably would have kept her mouth shut.

"I mean no disrespect Luna, but it is the same! Starfall did not cause the meteor shower at Stratos Crossing, but he did see it coming! You, Luna, may have done those awful things, but you were not yourself...the darkness was controlling you, forcing you to do it! Just as it has controlled Cosmo. You and Nightmare Moon may be two sides of the same pony, but that does not make you responsible for the action of Nightmare Moon...especially if the darkness was forced upon you against your will."

Twilight sighed, giving herself a moment calm down, before continuing in a calmer, gentler tone. "Luna, please...you could not have foreseen that this would happen, nopony could. There was no way you could have prepared for this, to stop the darkness from overtaking you. You were caught by surprise, but you found a way to fight back and stop the darkness within you eventually, even if you needed to help of somepony else. What's important is that you fought back, you didn't give in, and you didn't let the darkness win. If you wanted this to happen, why would you work so hard to get rid of it? So please, Luna, stop blaming yourself. We made it, we survived, and we're all okay."

For several long, tense moments, Luna was silent, seeming to weigh up Twilight's words. Eventually, though, she heaved a long, heavy sigh, before giving Twilight a strained smile. "As always, thou art correct, Twilight Sparkle. We should have learned from Starfall's past. We thank thee, Twilight," she said, making Twilight smile and duck her head slightly. Before she could reply, though, Luna suddenly had another thought, her face once more showing a confused expression as she looked around, apparently looking for something. "Speaking of Starfall, where is he? Was he not here when you used the Elements of Harmony?"

"He..." Twilight paused, looking around...a sinking feeling starting to settle in her stomach. "He was here...he was right there, I saw him, just before the Elements activated..." she said, pointing to the trees near the path back towards the lobby, the last place she had seen Starfall. But he was not there, and Twilight could not see any sign of him.

Luna also frowned in confusion. "We can not make any sense of this...why would he disappear?" she asked, though seemed to be talking to herself as much as she was addressing Twilight. "He would not leave...not after what he said...would he?"

Twilight frowned, not entirely sure what Luna was alluding to, but even as she began to ask the Princess about it, she paused, seeing Luna's face take on a look of total horror, the skin beneath her fur paling noticeably as she recalled some terrible memory. "Luna...what is it?" she asked hesitantly, a little worried about what Luna had remembered.

"Starfall...we saw him," Luna said softly, her voice sounding faint...and about as scared as Twilight had ever heard the Princess. "When you were unleashing the power of the Elements...Cosmo made one last attempt to stop you. But...we saw Starfall leap in the way, and..." Luna trailed off, her throat apparently choking up too much to continue speaking.

Twilight also felt her blood run cold as she realised what Luna was alluding to. "No...no, it can't be! We have to find him!" she cried, her mind refusing point blank to believe what Luna was suggesting. "He's here, he has to be!"

The shouting had apparently drawn a crowd, Twilight looking over as her friends approached, Applejack speaking up. "What's wrong, sugarcube? What happened?" she asked, her friends all sporting curious, worried looks...clearly wanting to hear the answer and help Twilight out as much as the country Earth Pony did.

"It's Starfall," Twilight responded, watching as the situation started to dawn on all her friends as she explained. "None of us have seen him since we stopped the comet, and..." she paused, trying to push away the mental images, forcing herself to believe that he was okay. "...and Luna thinks she saw him stop a spell Cosmo tried to attack us with. We have to find him, he could be hurt!" she cried, seeing that all her friends were getting the message, various looks of worry and horror appearing across their faces.

Rainbow Dash was the first to spring into action, as always. "Split up, girls! He can't have gone far. We'll find him!" she cried, before taking off, flying up above the gardens, obviously trying to spot him from below. The rest of the group gave shaky nods, before hurrying off in separate directions, scouring the gardens for any sign of the pegasus stallion.

Twilight rapidly joined in the search, galloping across towards the lobby, looking all around her and trying to find any sign of the pegasus. But everywhere she looked, there was no sign of his distinctive yellow coat, or his striped, monochromatic mane and tail. She quickly ducked into the lobby to ask Shining Armor if he had seen Starfall, getting a small shake of the head, before turning his attention back to guarded Cosmo, who Twilight briefly noted seemed to be restrained, a ring placed on his horn, a device to suppress his magic, like a set of arcane hoofcuffs.

A quick look around confirming to Twilight that Starfall had not ended up in the lobby, Twilight returned outside, spotting the girls galloping frantically this way and that, even Princess Luna joining in the search, just more frantic and panicky than anypony else there. As Starfall's teacher, and closest friend, she was naturally the most worried for him.

But that did not help Twilight's thoughts in the slightest. Even if they did find him, what if he was hurt? Or worse... No! Twilight shook herself off, trying to get rid of the morbid thoughts. He's alive...he has to be alive...for Luna's sake, she thought stubbornly, continuing her desperate search, still finding no sign of him. He couldn't be gone...not after everything they'd all done, they couldn't lose somepony now...

"Oh, no...oh, dear Celestia..." Rainbow Dash's voice, barely audible to Twilight, even though it was coming from close by, made Twilight's whole body go painfully cold. The normally unflappable pegasus's voice was shaking, and full of horrified despair. Coming from Rainbow Dash, that could only mean it was really, really bad...

Knowing she was not going to like what she saw, Twilight hurried in the direction of the voice, though a glance around told her she seemed to be the only one that had heard it. She soon found Rainbow Dash, in the bushes a little way off the path between the central clearing and the lobby, hidden from sight behind several trees and shrubs.

Pushing through the foliage, Twilight finally found Dash, hovering above something Twilight had trouble making out in the gloom. The pegasus was clearly stunned, wings flapping unevenly, only just barely holding her in the air, as by nothing more than instinct and reflex. The pegasus looked terrified, despair etched on her features, and even though she was flying, Twilight could see that the brash mare was shaking...badly.

Looking back down, Twilight cast a quick, simple spell, lighting up her horn like a flash-light, which finally allowed her to see what Rainbow Dash was looking at. "Oh, no...no..." she barely registered her own voice, breathing out all her disbelief, horror and despair, even as she struggled to take in the broken, horrific sight before her. It was a slim, tall figure she would recognise anywhere, even in the current, horrific state he was in now.

It was Starfall, lying in the bushes, his back to Twilight...and he was not moving.