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Magic in the Stars

by Australian Chaos

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Undying Love

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Author's Notes: Okay, I just have to come out and say this...the level of emotion being displayed in the reviews to Chapter 50 has absolutely blown me away!

I like to think that it is the ultimate goal of any writer to create stories that weave their way into the reader's minds and hearts, drawing them into the worlds we work so hard to create, so that you can see all that we see, hear all that we hear...and feel every emotion that we feel. To see the last chapter draw so much emotion is something that makes all the effort I have put into this story so far feel so worthwhile.

Not only that, but the fact that it is a non-canon, original character...entirely of my own design, that you are all showing such emotion over, only makes that feeling all the stronger. To have Starfall become a character that you all care for so much, despite him not being in the show at all, is a source of pride that I can't even begin to describe! So thank you, all of you, for making this whole venture feel so special, even before it's over.

Speaking of which, I know last chapter has left a lot of you praying for a miracle, and looking desperately for ways out of the hopeless situation I have presented. I won't spoil it for you...just read on, and finally get the answers you have been waiting for...


Chapter 51

Undying Love

Twilight had no idea how long she stood, silently crying as she watched Princess Luna cradle the dying Starfall in her hooves, the normally calm and stoic Princess reduced to a sobbing, hysterical wreck as she held the pegasus she loved, waiting for his time to come.

Finally, however, the moment was broken by a gentle, feathery touch on her back, looking over to see Princess Celestia looking at her, the alicorn's eyes puffy and blood-shot...even she had been moved by the scene before her, and Twilight did not blame her in the slightest. It was obvious that the Princess of the Sun was hurting to see her sister so grief-stricken and upset.

But for now, Celestia seemed to be trying to put that aside for now, her wing gently guiding Twilight away from the anguishing scene before her, back towards the main clearing. "Come, Twilight...you don't need to see any more." she said softly, Twilight unable to find the strength to protest or resist as she was lead away, instead just burying her head in her mentor's shoulder, giving in to another crying fit.

"I just don't understand..." she sobbed softly, her voice muffled by the snowy fur of the Princess. "Why him? He's had such a bad run of life, why does fate have to take him away like this, just when things were finally starting to look up for him? It's not fair!"

Twilight had been hoping the Princess would, as she always did, have some words of infinite wisdom to share, an insight that would make some sense of this tragic, unjust scenario. None came. Either the Princess was too lost within her own sorrow to have such wisdom available, or she simply did not have the answer this time.

"I know it's not fair, Twilight," Celestia finally replied after a moment, finally reaching the clearing, gently guiding Twilight to sit down. "I wish the world could always be fair and just, but sadly, fate does not always work that way. Sometimes, the innocent are punished for deeds that are not theirs, and good ponies suffer under a burden that is not theirs to bear. As hard as it is to hear that right now, that is the ultimate way of the world. Starfall had paid an unfair price, I agree...but there is nothing more we can do."

Twilight shook her head. For once, she could not bring herself to believe her teacher. Just this once...Celestia had to be wrong, she just had to. "But...there has to be something. Surely Cadance or another unicorn...anypony could help?!" she begged, looking back over her shoulder at where Luna was still holding Starfall.

The sight caused Twilight to sniffle softly, blinking and brushing away more tears. Luna fully intended to see through her promise to Starfall...she was not going to let him go until he finally passed on...however long it took for that to happen.

Twilight's attention was drawn back as Princess Celestia replied, shaking her head. "I have already checked, Twilight. Cadance is hurt, and will not wake for some time. Every other unicorn in the castle is a guard, with no talent for medical magic. There is nothing more that can be done, as much as I wish it was not so..."

"No..." Twilight's lone word was full of anguish, the full reality finally dawning on her, as her mind accepted that there was no alternative. Starfall was beyond any hope, all possibilities of saving him consumed. Even Rarity...likely the most magically capable pony here at the moment, was powerless to assist, her magic not tailored towards medicinal arts. There were no options left, and no miracle was forthcoming...Starfall was out of their reach, now.

The Princess once more put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, the young unicorn hanging her head, another sobbing fit threatening to take over. "I am so sorry, Twilight. I wish you did not have to endure this. The unfortunate price of friendship is that, someday, our friends have to leave us...forever." The Princess' words were heavy in their tragic wisdom, likely from personal experience losing ponies she had known and grown to care about over her long, immortal lifespan.

"But remember this, Twilight Sparkle...our friends always live on in us, through us...that is the ultimate joy of friendship...even in moments like these, Starfall will never abandon you, or Luna...or any of you," she added, noticing the rest of Twilight's friends approaching, Twilight looking up, a small twinge of gratitude going through her as she realised they were coming over to check on her, to support her as much as they supported each other during this difficult night.

As the five mares reached Twilight, she felt Celestia's hoof leave her shoulder, the Princess obviously giving them some space as Twilight stepped forward, needing no invitation as she wrapped her hooves around the two closest ponies, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the rest soon joining in the much-needed group hug, sniffles and sobs still rippling through the group occasionally.

"We're so sorry, Twi..." Applejack was the first to speak, her voice low, sombre...fully aware of the gravity of the situation. "I know ya knew him better than the rest of us, and how hard this must be because of that..."

Twilight gave a shaky nod, holding on to her friends just a little bit tighter, needing all the support and comfort they could provide right now. "It's just not right, girls...Starfall doesn't deserve this. He deserves a good life...with Luna by his side. Not this...not being taken so soon, just when his life was starting to look up. He's such a good stallion...I'm going to miss him..."

"We all are, Twilight..." Twilight needed a moment to recognise Rainbow Dash's voice. Without her brash, self-obsessed and over-confident tone, she sounded nothing like herself. Her sorrow was just as profound as anypony else's...her race against Starfall having seen the young stallion earn the brash pegasus mare's respect...and friendship.

"If any of us could do something to save him, I'm sure we would all do it in a heartbeat," Rarity chimed in, streaks of spoiled, tear-stained make-up marring her face, though the blemishes were unable to hide the sorrow...and the brief burst of pride she felt as she saw everypony else...including Twilight...nod at her assertion, clearly agreeing with her.

Twilight held the hug with her friends for a little longer, before finally breaking it off, wiping her eyes once more as she moved to the middle of the clearing, sitting down heavily. It was just so unfair...why did Starfall have to die? He had done no wrong...by Celestia, he had even turned around and saved the whole of Equestria with a single, brave act. He deserved all kinds of praise, fame and fortune to come his way...not the slow, agonising death he was suffering, even if he was in Luna's hooves now.

With a pained expression, Twilight turned her gaze skyward, looking up at the night sky. The inky darkness, dotted with the faint, dim light of the diminished stars. The night sky was always going to remind her...make her remember the young stallion with such an intense passion for Luna's gift to all of Equestria.

Twilight could not help but let her mind drift through all the letters she and Starfall had exchanged during his early months under Luna's watch, how he excitedly relayed to her all the wonders he was discovering of the night sky. Secrets he had already known since he was a little colt, and mysteries of the cosmos he was only then beginning to understand, thanks to Luna's careful guidance.

Her breath hitched at all the memories, remembering the way he had been so furiously rejected by Luna when his crush had first come out, the thought leaving Twilight once more cursing the unfairness of Starfall's life. Why was he being taken from the world now, when the mare and Princess his heart longed for finally found her own heart longing for him, as well? She knew that they had been given the chance to confess their feelings to each other in these last moments, but at the same time, she could not help but wonder what might have become of them. Starfall was the only pony she knew that had broken through Luna's hard shell, that could bring out her softer side so easily...she knew that, despite all their differences, all their own flaws and insecurities...she was sure their relationship could have worked, could have become something truly special and magical.

Instead, their relationship was broken, cut short before it could even begin. Trying desperately to find something less depressing to focus on, Twilight focused her thoughts on the sky above once more, spotting the streak of light high above them, fleeing Equestria at a rapid pace...the comet.

It was Starfall that had first discovered the comet, Twilight remembering the edition of the astronomy magazine she subscribed to that had announced it's discovery. Starfall would never have wanted the attention, so Twilight was certain that Luna had said some words to the editor, since that article had made a point to credit the young pegasus stallion tutoring under the Princess of the Night as the one to first find the phenomenon, even getting his name in there.

She doubted that Starfall had seen the magazine, part of her wishing she had taken the time to show it to him, now...to let him know that, even if nopony knew about the true extent of his heroics today, that he had left his mark upon Equestria in another way...one much closer to his own heart. At least he could die proud of that much.

Her mind now fixated on the comet, Twilight remembered his letters to her in the wake of the discovery...about how he and Luna would be studying the rare cosmic object intensely while it was within their reach, learning all they could about it's physical properties, possible origins, predicted flight path, and the strange, mysterious magic he had sensed within it, something so alien and foreign to Equestria, but seemingly surging with a potent power that Starfall, by some miracle of fate, could sense within the cosmos above...

Twilight blinked, her mind suddenly piecing together a few things, going over her memories of his letters more intently. Yes...she was sure he had gone on for a few paragraphs one time about the mysterious, powerful, and potentially dangerous magic within the comet, one so alien and different to their own...

"The comet..." she whispered, trying to throw her memory back towards something else...the moment Nightmare Moon was called upon the magic held within the stars, to summon the massive comet towards them. Suddenly, it all clicked into place, her eyes going impossibly wide as she felt a spark of hope light within her. "The comet! The comet, that's it!" she cried, leaping to her hooves.

She vaguely noticed her friends all giving her odd, confused looks, clearly not following her, but right now Twilight could not offer up an explanation. There was simply no time...every nanosecond she delayed now could be the difference between Starfall's life and death, and there was no way she was going to let this chance slip by. She would do it herself...but knew she was too magically exhausted. Aside from the unconscious Princess Cadance, only one pony was left with any sort of magic reserves left, and with a potential great enough to have a chance of saving Starfall.

Racing out of the clearing, galloping past a stunned and bewildered Princess Celestia, Twilight started calling the moment she could see Luna, still sitting in the gardens, cradling a hidden Starfall. "Luna! Luna, the comet!" she yelled, seeing Luna's ears twitch as she obviously heard, twisting her neck to look over at Twilight...never once letting go of the young stallion wrapped in her hooves and wings.

She was obviously not following Twilight, however, and her teary frown showed that she was not happy with the interruption. "Leave us be, Twilight...now is not the time..."

"No, Princess, listen to me!" Twilight rapidly interrupted, her desperation and hope at least keeping the Princess quiet, allowing her to explain. "The comet...it's our only chance! Starfall told me about how it holds a strange, ancient magic...a magic you never used as Nightmare Moon. It's not much, but it's the only thing we've got! It might be Starfall's only hope..."

"But...we..." Luna said, clearly about to cast aside Twilight's hope with some fact or another, before she froze, the meaning of Twilight's words finally sinking in. The Princess' eyes went as wide as Twilight's had, her gaze snapping upwards, fixating on the comet above, still well within sight. "The comet...YES!"

Luna's amplified voice made Twilight jump, but there was no mistaking the look in the Princess' eyes...they sparked for the first time that night with hope...along with a fierce, fiery determination. "We cannot thank thee enough, Twilight Sparkle!" she cried, her wings unwrapping from around Starfall, her hooves clutching him more tightly as she flapped her wide, midnight wings, lifting both of them off the ground, allowing Twilight to see Starfall once more.

He was in very bad shape...he appeared to have once more lost consciousness, though the fact that Luna was so full of hope suggested he was still alive, just barely clinging on to life now...they needed to hurry, or Twilight's last, desperate idea might all be in vain.

Luna seemed to be aware of the urgency, flying as fast as the extra weight would allow, setting Starfall down as gently as possible in the middle of the clearing, looking back over at Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle, if this works...anything thou could ever wish for...is yours," she said, her voice full of sincerity.

Twilight gave a small, hopeful smile. "Just bring Starfall back to us, Luna...that's all any of us want right now," she pleaded, her friends all coming up beside her, nodding their own agreement to her plea. Seeing Starfall brought back from the brink of death would be more than reward enough. Twilight just hoped this would even work.

But even as Luna turned around, facing the comet, Twilight saw her freeze...and saw the yellow hoof that had caused it, clutching weakly at her tail. "Wait..." Starfall, somehow still conscious and aware of his surroundings, possibly woken by the jostling of being moved, was trying to stop Luna?

Luna turned around, looking back at Starfall with one of softest, kindest expressions Twilight ever seen on the fact of the Princess of the Night. "Starfall...we found a way to save you. The comet...it's magic is powerful. I can heal you with it, I know it," she said, nopony able to miss the desperate hope in her voice. She wanted to save Starfall so badly, it was almost painful to listen to.

But despite being given this apparent chance at life again, Starfall still seemed to be trying to stop her, his hoof never leaving her tail. "Luna...no..." he breathed, Twilight barely able to hear him, he was so weak. "Please...too...dangerous..."

Twilight rapidly caught on, suddenly remembering how, in one of his letters, Starfall had described an incident where Luna had attempted to scan the magic of the comet with her own arcane power, resulting in some kind of unpleasant feedback, the backlash hurting Luna and giving her a nasty headache for some time afterwards.

The memory made Twilight pause...if merely reaching out for the comet's magic could cause such a reaction, attempting to use that magic would certainly risk a much more severe reaction...possibly even lethal, even to the younger alicorn princess. Twilight suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for even bringing up the idea now, knowing she had just put Luna in danger. With her stubborn attitude, it was unlikely she was going to let the danger slow her down.

Sure enough, when Luna smiled back at Starfall, there was a hard edge to her tender expression...a determination that would not fade. "I know, Starfall...I understand the peril. But if I do not do this, you will die. I cannot stand by and let that happen, not now...not when I have a chance to save you." The Princess gave Starfall one last, determined smile, before gently turning away from him, her gaze instead settling on Princess Celestia, who Twilight noted seemed unnaturally still.

"Luna..." Celestia's voice was soft, but that could not mask the fear there...the elder Princess was scared...scared of losing her little sister. "Luna, you don't have to do this...it's too risky..." It was painfully obvious that, for all the tragedy of Starfall's fate, and all the hope that there might be a chance to bring him back, that Celestia did not want to risk Luna's safety over Starfall's life. Luna was her sister, and alicorn, and a Princess...Starfall, while Luna's student, closest friend, and possible love, was still a pegasus with little importance in the affairs at the heart of Equestria...and of no relation to the Princess of the Sun. For Celestia, is was a simple matter; she had to put her family first.

"Celestia..." Luna sighed, though her determination never faded. She seemed to have anticipated Celestia's protest against what she was about to do. "Remember, when I was little, I once asked what it was like to love somepony?" she asked, the question catching Celestia, and everypony else, off-guard. "You told me that I would learn of that by myself, in time. Well...now I know, and I know that, because of how I feel for Starfall, I would do anything for him...anything," she said, looking up at her sister with pleading eyes. "I know how dangerous this is, sister...you know I do. But there is no other way, and I cannot stand by and let him die. You know that, were it you that was in mortal peril, that I would not hesitate then...do not make me hesitate now."

For several moments, Princess Celestia was silent, clearly torn. She seemed to know that this was ultimately Luna's decision to make, but at the same time, wanted to protect her sister, and stop her throwing her own life in danger. Finally, though, she released a heavy sigh, before stepping forward, Twilight taking a step back to give the sisters some space as Celestia wrapped Luna in a soft hug, whispering something into her ear Twilight could not hear.

When the two Princesses parted, Twilight moved forward again, Luna giving the young unicorn a pointed look as she approached...whatever she wanted to say, she had to make it quick, they were running out of time. "Luna, I...be careful, please," Twilight begged, giving the Princess of the Night a small bow. "Just take care, and come back to us."

Luna gave Twilight a small smile, nodding in acknowledgement of her words. "I will, Twilight Sparkle...thank you," she said softly, before turning around, Twilight trotting back to join her friends as the Princess once more faced the comet, taking several deep breaths, Twilight able to do nothing more than watch nervously as the younger Princess composed herself, before finally closing her eyes, obviously about to begin.

For a few moments, nothing happened, though Twilight was not entirely surprised by this...Luna was just as magically drained as all of them were...it was going to take all the magic she had left to merely call upon the comet's magic, let alone actually use it. But finally, her horn slowly lit up, the pale blue aura surrounding it, her face screwing up with the focus and effort she was putting into what she was doing.

The glow around Luna's horn slowly intensified, even as it seemed to flicker slightly. Twilight glanced up at the comet, trying to determine if there was any reaction. Sure enough, the comet was starting to attain a pale blue aura as well, Luna's magic reaching out to the cosmic object, calling for the magic within it.

Twilight looked back at Luna, knowing this was the first key stage. From Starfall's descriptions, this had been the point at which the comet's magic had backfired on her. But Luna was clearly fighting the ancient magic's incompatibility with her, biting her lip hard as she kept pushing her magic into calling upon the comet, sparks of wild, uncontrolled magic arcing across her horn occasionally. Twilight recognised it as a sign that Luna was attempting some very unstable...and therefore dangerous magic. Even alicorns had their limits, and if the comet's magic should backfire on her now, the results could be disastrous.

A sharp cry from Luna made everypony gasp in fear, Celestia even taking a step forward, though pausing as Luna regained her composure, her horn flickering briefly, before stabilising once more, though the sparks never ceased. The midnight alicorn's face was contorted even further now...pain becoming evident. The process was hurting Luna, and by the looks of it, was only getting worse. But she pushed on, spreading her wings, and blindly pushing herself into the air, rising up towards the comet, as if closing the distance slightly might help stabilise her attempt to connect with the comet's magic.

But Twilight could not tell if it was making any difference, as the glow around both Luna's horn and the comet intensified further, the sparks of wild magic becoming more frequent and more potent, and her cries of pain coming faster and louder. She had to be in pure agony by now, Twilight left amazed that she could still focus on the magic through the torture she was surely enduring. Her magic did seem to flicker and falter a few more times, teetering on the brink of losing control, but every time it happened, Luna appeared to give a cry of desperation, before managing to regain her focus.

Below Luna, Starfall was lying limply on the ground, Twilight unable to tell if he was conscious...or even alive. But she knew that it was the dying stallion that was driving Luna's determination and focus through the struggle and pain...her love that was seeing her fight for control of the comet's magic with every last bit of strength and energy she had.

But as Luna hovered there, above the castle gardens, her horn sparking and flaring wildly, Twilight could tell this was taking far too long. Luna's strength had to be faltering, and if she did not figure out what to do soon, the comet's magic would backfire horrifically, Twilight having no doubts that the magical backlash would be powerful enough to seriously injure Luna, if not kill her outright, thanks to the powerful, complex magic she was trying to perform.

"Wait...what's that?" Applejack called, drawing everypony's attention. Her gaze, and her ears, were focused on Luna, as if she was straining to hear something through the swirling whirlwind of energy Luna's magic was starting to throw around. Twilight heeded her friends' words, also swivelling her ears more intently towards Luna, who now appeared to be mumbling something through the magic, and the occasional, agonised cried.

"No...can't...must...focus...Starfall..." her words were broken and disjointed, but the meaning was still clear. She was thinking of Starfall, using him as an anchor, to keep her focused, keep her fighting. Twilight reasoned that it was likely she was remembering all the moments she had shared with Starfall: All their lessons together, their time spent studying Luna's night, getting to know it, and getting to know each other. All the private moments they had shared, the highs, low, joys and sorrows.

But before Twilight could think any further on it, she saw Luna's body language shift, the agonised tension seeming to dissipate slightly, Luna seeming to almost relax. "I'm sorry, Starfall..." her words were full of anguish, sorrow and regret, Twilight left wondering what she meant by that...

All of a sudden, everything happened at once. Luna gave a high, piercing shriek, sounding nothing like anything Twilight had ever heard before. She threw her head back, her eyes snapping open, though the cyan orbs were completely consumed by a brilliant white glow. Her whole body went rigid, even her wings freezing, spread open at her sides, apparently being held in the air by some kind of magic now.

Then Twilight saw it...the glow around the comet grew intensely bright, Twilight forced to shield her eyes with a hoof, before a brilliant, spiralling trail of pure white energy shot down from the comet, aiming straight for Canterlot. The beam crashed straight into Luna's horn, the massive energy appearing to settle there for a brief moment, the alicorn's horn glowing so brightly Luna herself was almost lost within the sheer brilliance of the light.

After a moment, the magic continued it's amazing display, a narrower, more focused beam of energy blasting out from Luna's horn, even as more magic continued to pour in from the comet above. The second beam shot straight down, slamming into the limp Starfall, consuming him in the same brilliant white light, making it impossible for Twilight to see what was happening.

Could it be possible? Could Luna really do it? For several long, intense moments that felt like years to Twilight, the brilliant light display continued, with no sign of any change, or even stopping. The comet continued to pour its energy down, Luna acting almost like some kind of focusing instrument, her horn focusing and directing that energy to Starfall, the glow around him seeming to rise, likely lifting the injured pegasus into the air below Luna, as well.

Finally, as it had to, the dramatic light show came to an end, the magical beam between the comet and Luna narrowing and fading, eventually slipping out of existence. Luna's own beam towards Starfall lasted a few more moments, before that too faded out, Starfall lowering slowly back to the ground, landing gently in the middle of the clearing on his right side, exactly as he had been before the magical display had started.

Luna's return to the ground was much less gentle and dignified, the Princess remaining in the air for a couple of moments, before she appeared to simply collapse, falling like a stone out of the air. Princess Celestia only figured out what was happening just in time, leaping forward and managing to catch her younger sister just before she reached the ground. "Luna! Luna, no..."

Fearing the worst as well, Twilight immediately rushed forward, coming up beside the Princess, trying to look for any sign of life from Luna. "Luna! Princess, is she okay?" she asked Celestia desperately. They could not lose Luna now, Twilight did not think she could take any more grief tonight.

Celestia never answered Twilight, however, sitting down, her forehooves still holding the still and silent Luna, desperately trying to find some form of life. "Come on, little sister, don't leave me now..." she softly begged, leaning her head in, resting an ear against Luna's chest, clearly searching for a heartbeat.

Twilight continued watching on anxiously, waiting for Celestia's reaction...and could practically feel her own heart soar as the Princess of the Sun gave a gusty sigh, full of mind-numbing relief. "She's alive..." Those two, relieved words seemed to send a surge of relief and joy through the clearing. Luna was alive...she was going to be okay.

As if on cue, Luna's eyelids flickered, a low groan sounding. Not only was she alive, she was still conscious, though clearly very weak, and probably hurt by the massive magical overload she had just endured. This did not stop her from trying to speak up, however. "Starfall...Starfall..."

She did not seem to be able to manage anything more coherent than that, but it was still enough to make Twilight freeze, almost dreading what she was about to investigate. Luna was alive...but had her desperate attempt to save the young pegasus that had captured her heart even worked?

Seeing that Princess Celestia was too preoccupied trying to determine the exact nature of Luna's condition, and that nopony else seemed willing to move, Twilight knew it would be down to her to check on Starfall. Swallowing nervously, she looked up at the comet, dimly spotting that it's natural glow was diminished, the pale streak of light trailing behind it also dim, and shorter than it had been before. Whatever Luna had done, the comet's magic was consumed.

Focusing once back on matters closer to home, Twilight hesitantly walked around the two princesses, still unsure she wanted to see what had become of Starfall. His condition had been so bad, and the magic had taken so long, it was still difficult to comprehend how he could still be alive...the sheer power of the magic might have killed him, regardless. But nevertheless, somepony had to find out for sure, and with a deep breath, Twilight finally stepped around the princesses, finally laying eyes on Starfall.

At first, nothing seemed different. He was laying, still and silent, with no signs of life, on the grass of the gardens. Twilight had hoped the magic might have miraculously repaired his lost wing, but that was not to be, his right wing still conspicuous in it's absence, making Twilight cringe slightly. It was not looking good...

But then she spotted some details that did not match up to Starfall's earlier condition. His position on the ground seemed much more natural and gentle, almost like he was simply sleeping, instead of having been thrown there by some powerful magical strike. His twisted, mangled mane and tail were once again in that neat, if wild style that was uniquely his, showing no signs of the stress of the night. But his left side showed the greatest signs. The burned, scorched fur was gone, miraculously healed and regrown, leaving his yellow fur almost entirely unblemished...almost.

The only imperfection marring his left side now was where his wing joint used to be. The seared, violent wound had been healed over astoundingly well...the only sign that there had even been a wing there at all was the faintest lump in his side, likely the healed remains of the wing joint itself. Tracing across the lump was also a small, but very visible scar, a pink gap in the yellow fur, still rather raw and tender-looking...a reminder of what had once been there, and what Starfall had lost.

But Twilight was still unable to tell if Starfall was alive, and knew that there was only one way to tell for sure. Swallowing, giving off a grimace in fear of what she was about to learn, she called upon her magic once more. This time, her horn struggled to respond, her magic having had little time to recover, and being so drained, even the relatively simple diagnostic scan was almost beyond her drained reserves.

But after a few moments, the spell flared to life, a magenta glow surrounding Starfall's body, as Twilight's magic sent her basic feelings of Starfall's condition. Sensing a crowd gathering around her, knowing that all her friends, including the Princesses, were waiting to hear the word, Twilight focused, drawing the spell in on his injured left side, trying to figure out whether the miraculous healing was internal as well.

Sure enough, there is was, the internal damage that had been spreading so rapidly before was gone, the loss of his left wing the only problem in Starfall's left torso now. But that just confirmed he was back in good condition...not whether he had survived or not. Dreading what she might find, Twilight slowly, fearfully trained the scan on the centre of Starfall's torso, looking for any signs of life from his heart and lungs. For several moments, there was no response, making Twilight start to go pale...

Thump-thump...thump-thump...thump-thump...

The spell broke, Twilight collapsing to the ground as her focus disappeared, feeling her tears well up rapidly...that simple, rhythmic sound unleashed more emotion in her than she ever thought she was capable of feeling. Knowing everypony, especially the weak, barely-conscious Luna, were waiting on her response, and likely on the verge of freaking out thanks to her apparently being on the verge of breaking down again, Twilight managed to speak up.

"He's...he's alive...Starfall's going to make it!" she finally croaked out, before finally losing control of her emotions, bursting into tears of unrestrained, pure joy. The scan was conclusive, his heart was beating a slow, but steady rhythm, his lungs steadily providing him with precious oxygen. He likely still needed medical attention, but now, he was certain to at least live long enough for Shining Armor to return with help.

From that point on, Twilight lost awareness of the majority of what was happening around. She faintly heart a cheer go up, all her friends clearly expressing their relief and joy at Starfall making his miraculous, seemingly impossible recovery. She also barely registered several sets of hooves pulling her back up onto her own, before wrapping her up in a tight, emotional group hug.

But Twilight's focus was not on any of that. All she could focus on was Princess Celestia, as she gently carried her little sister over to the unconscious Starfall, a small, watery smile forcing it's way onto Twilight face as she saw the regal princess gently lay her sister down next to Starfall. A strangled, but happy sob escaped Twilight's lips as Luna, even in her weakened state, managed to somehow find the strength to extend a wing, draping it gently, almost protectively, over Starfall. She obviously had no intention of leaving Starfall's side again, not until he was safe in the capable hooves of Equestria's finest doctors.

Twilight finally turned back to her friends, joining in the group hug, crying herself out at the joy she was feeling. It was, at long last, finally over...Equestria was saved, and everypony was going to make it through alive and okay. Nopony could ask for any more than that.

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