I am met by Little Pip in the nearby saloon in New Apploosa, and she seems to be dead set on something.

“Prince, we need to talk, now.” She tells me. I blink before using my magic to hold the doors open for her.

“We’ll be fine in here, so come on.” I answer. She nods before entering the saloon. I look up to the New Cloudsdale, and cast a quick anchor spell on it so that the general wouldn’t be able to leave without my permission.

I enter the saloon and a small smirk plays on my lips from the recognizable scene from what most would expect from a saloon. There was a large radio somewhere playing what one would consider ‘country’ music. There were a few ponies at the bar downing hard drinks, and there is a bartender who is using a rag and magic to clean cups, and mugs.

“Welcome to the Glimmering Spout, I’m Radsberry Sasperilla, and this is my saloon. What can I get for ya?” Asks the rather tall slender mare behind the bar.

“A place where my friend and I can talk in private.” I tell her. She looks between me and Little Pip before looking back to me.

“It’s 50 caps, or 10 bits, for a room if that’s what ya want.” She tells me. I roll my eyes before pulling my royal coin pouch to bear pulling out ten bits, and placing them on the counter. Ms. Sasperilla takes the bits, and puts a key in their place.

“The room is yours for the night.” She tells me. I nod before taking the key, and reading the number on it rather easily.

“Prince?” I shake my head as we enter the room I had rented for the night. She tilts her head before I light my horn, and cast privacy spells over the rather nice room.

“There, now nopony can hear or see us while we are in here.” I say to explain what I did. Her eyes glimmer at how I made this room rather unknown to those that would eavesdrop on our talk.

“How many spells do you know?” She asks me. I chuckle at her curiosity before laying on the bed in the room, and removing my chest plate to repair it.

“The last time I counted I came up to around 2500 spells for everyday use, and about 400 combat spells, 500 medical spells, and 120 forbidden spells.” I tell her as I look over my armor to see if I could repair it.

“3520 spells?!” She asks in shock. I look to her before shaking my head.

“Those are spells that a unicorn could use if there talent was magic itself. Counting the alicorn and other spells that any other beings could use boosts that number to about 250000 spells that I could perform just on a regular day, and there are some spells that would knock me out for a few hours to a few hundred years should I use them. So in total I know, and can use, about 500000 spells.” I teach the young mare.

“So, you are an actual alicorn?” She asks in a high squeaky voice. I sigh before looking up from my armor, and into her eyes.

“If you are still doubting what I claim to be then come here so I can share my memories with you.” I say before looking back down to my armor, and closing my eyes. I can’t fix it without more moon crystals to replace what was incinerated by the magic plasma.

“Are you sure you want to share your memories with me?” She asks me. I could hear her curiosity, but could tell she didn’t want to invade my privacy out of respect.

“I could show you everything I know, or only the day of my birth if I so choose, but I leave the choice to you if you want to see my memories.” I tell her with sadness in my eyes.

“I…” She hesitates before answering with, “I want to see them, but only what would show me who you are.” She tells me before climbing up onto the bed next to me.

“Very well then, I’m warning you now. What I am going to show you is going to either scar you for life, or give you a reason to help me fix this dying world of ours.” I tell her.

She looks into my eyes before I started the spell that would show her my past, and see that she was prepared as she could be.

“We’ll be in her until dawn, so get comfortable.” I say to her as I lie down all the way.

She does so as well, but is too far away from me for the spell to work.

“HEY!” She shouts as I pull her into my chest.

“It’s the only way the spell I’m going to use can work. I know you don’t prefer stallions, but if you wish to see my memories this is the only way I will allow it.” I tell her. My coat hid my blush from her eyes, but she wasn’t as lucky as I. She was blushing up a storm, and was looking into my eyes with slight anger and embarrassment.

“You could have told me before you startled me.” She complains. I roll my eyes before lighting my horn, and touching the tip to her own to connect my mind with hers.

We fell asleep to those that would have been watching had I not cast the privacy spells.

My spell places us in my currently empty mind.

“Where are we?” Little Pip asks aloud. I look to her before chuckling.

“We are in my mind, or more specifically you are in mine.” I answer without speaking to her. She blinks a few times before trying to spot something.

“So where are your memories?” She asks me. Instead of answering I used my dream walking abilities to open up my memory of a talk between me and the king of Equis, my eldest brother.

I kept the memory from playing to let Pip see what had changed.

“Who is that?” She asks me referring to King Shadow.

“That is Celestia and Luna’s father, King Shadow.” I answer, “He is the one that created the foundation of the universe.” I let the memory play after saying this.

“Artermis, it is great to see thee again.” Shadow says to the younger version of me.

“Tis good to see thee brother, but thou hath summoned me hither for what?” I asked my bother. I winced at my tone of voice in this memory before smiling lightly at the chuckle Shadow gave in return.

“I wished to tell thee some rather amazing information of mine and Aurora’s.” King Shadow says before waving for the young me to follow. Pip and I are pulled along by my spell’s power, keeping us nearby the images that are being shown in my head.

“What is it thou wish to tell me?” I asked the king.

“Aurora is expecting our children; the royal doctors confirmed her pregnancy just last night to me.” Shadow said to me. The young me pauses in his steps with his jaw on the floor of the Everfree Castle.

“Thou must be jesting!” I had answered to the smiling king.

“Nay, the child will be born within the year.” The king replies with a grand smile. I stopped the memory before my reaction was given, and change to the next memory that was a few months after.

“Hello Aurora, how is thy child?” The young me asks the rather gorgeous mare that was resting on her bed. This mare was the embodiment of the stars themselves.

“That is Celestia and Luna’s mother, Queen Aurora. She is also my eldest sister.” I say before letting the memory continue. Little Pip surprises me by pausing the memory herself.

“Why are you showing me this?” She asks me with a raised brow.

“I assumed you wished to know more about Celestia and Luna. If you want to know about me only I can show you my most important memories that I am willing to share.” I answer in slight confusion.

“It’s not that, I was just wondering why.” She replies. I smile gently.

“I’m showing you this so that you understand why I came back, but I guess I could show you more of the why instead of what built my current mindset.” I tell her.

“Could you show me Celestia and Luna?” She asks me. I chuckle at her eager smile. I stop the current memory before moving on to the first time I was asked to watch over my dear nieces.

“Uncle Artermis! Uncle Artermis!” The slightly older me hears two young fillies shout. The other me turns to see the young alicorns galloping to me.

“Hm? Who was that we heard?” I asked playfully.

“It was us Uncle!” The filly with a white pink coat, and a sparkling pink mane and tail says with a giggle. This filly was joined by her younger sister who had a deep blue coat with a bright sky blue mane and tail.

“Oh! It was you my little nieces!” I said to the young fillies before using my magic to place them on my back.

“So what is the occasion?” I asked them.

“Mother wants you to watch us while she and Father go to see Aunty Flair.” The deep night blue filly answers.

“Oh? And when is this?” I asked them as we entered the throne room.

“We were hoping you would do so tonight Brother.” Aurora says as she and Shadow walk towards me to say farewell.

“You know that I enjoy watching over these two. Tell cousin Flair hello for me?” I ask my brother and sister as we embraced for what I now knew as the last time.

Celestia and Luna had mourned for three decades before they recovered from the loss of their parents. My memory ended before it could show what the after math was.

“They never returned from that trip. A grand Ursa Major attacked their chariot on their return trip, and were slain. Celestia and Luna were devastated for years, and I sought revenge on the beast that took my brother and sister from their family.” I said before pulling another memory into view.

“This is my first battle with the evil lord of chaos, Discord.” I say before letting the battle memory between me and the chimera continue.

“Discord, you crossed the line this time!” I shouted to the demon that was sitting on a throne of alicorn bones.

“Oh hello Artermis, and here I thought you were in hiding on the moon with the two little princesses, or is it three now?” Discord asked with a devious smirk.

“You leave Terra out of this Discord! You’ve slaughtered too many, and shattered the greatest kingdom just so you can laugh at our dying people. It is high time you are dealt with, and I am here to be sure you die.” I curse at the demon.

“Oh if only you knew Artermis. I’m going to tell you something so listen, and listen well.” Discord says before he teleports next to me.

“There will come a time where the world burns, and you will lose more than you can ever imagine to something that even I cannot predict. I’ll leave this world for three centuries if you agree to see what I have. I know you know what I have seen before, but this even I couldn’t have foretold.” Discord said before returning to his throne of bones.

“You promise to leave this world for three centuries? No, that is too short. Fifteen centuries is the least amount of time away from this star system that I will agree to before even glimpsing at what you know.” I reply in anger.

“Fifteen it is then and I will leave the star system only after you agree to see what I have to show you.” Discord says with a shark grin.

“Fine, but if you don’t leave without harm to anything or one, I will kill you.” I tell the mixed being. Discord gives a snagle tooth grin before I am knocked unconscious.

“What happened after that?” Little Pip asks me.

Discord planted what he had seen into my mind, and left just as he said he would, and life returned to normal until he returned.

“Terra and I had a daughter, Princess Mi Amoré Cadenza, and Celestia and Luna took their Parent’s spots atop the thrones. During this time Equestria was founded, and the tree of harmony was planted by Terra and I.” I say before my spell starts to fade, but I renew its strength enough for us to finish speaking.

“And when Discord returned?” She asks me.

“Terra and I fought him. He was stronger than we both anticipated, and my inability to cast spells fast enough cost Terra, my wife, her life. I was enraged at him, and cast the first forbidden spell, causing him to be turned to stone, and in turn sealing myself on the moon. I spent five thousand years on my own moon, waiting for something to have enough of an effect on Equis to weaken my bonds enough.” I continued.

“What finally did it, what weakened your prison enough to come back?” Little Pip asks me with childlike enthusiasm.

“It was the Maripony Balefire Mega spell that your enemy Red Eye detonated under Maripony.” I answer with a grimace, “The damage to the planet itself was the last straw for my prison to be weak enough. I launched from my moon, and returned here. I found Ditzy Doo had saved you, and I believe you know the rest.”

“So, why are you here?” She asks me. I look Little Pip in the eye.

“I want to find my daughter after Equestria is healed.” I say right before my mind melding spell ends, and separated our minds into our bodies.

My eyes open, and I let go of Little Pip, but she pulls me closer. I look down to the mare, and see that she had cried during the spell.

“Little Pip, it is time to wake up.” I say softly.

“I’m up, but I want to be here with you for a little bit longer. You deserve the most out of us all for some comfort.” Little Pip says before looking up to me. I smile, and embrace her for a few seconds.

“Thank you Little Pip.” I say as she held onto me for a few more minutes. We let go of each other after this, and I got off of the bed, and put my burnt armor back on before looking to Little Pip with a small grin.

“I think it is time for the sun to rise on time again.” I say before she hops down from the bed, and follows me out into the saloon.

“How was it you two?” Radsberry asks with a wink to me.

“It was nice, thank you for renting the room to us.” I say as I return the key to the slender mare. She nods as she takes the key back.

“Come again.” The slender mare says as we leave the saloon.

I waved before exiting the saloon, and looking up to the night sky. My internal clock told me it was time for the sun to rise, but the moon was still in the sky.

“Ready to see the sun be properly risen into the sky?” I ask Little Pip. She smiles before nodding.

“Then head to the top of the wall with your friends, and wait for a little bit.” I tell her before taking to the sky, and stop inside the clouds.

“Time for the skies to be clear over Equestria.” I say to myself before moving magic into my wings, and compacting it there as Pegasus magic.

I look down through the clouds, and see that Little Pip had gathered her friends atop the wall along with quite a few of the town’s ponies.

I grin, and force more magic into my wings, causing them to glow brightly.

I hold my wings straight up above my back. I release my compressed Pegasus magic with one mighty flap of my wings, causing the clouds to be ripped apart by the shockwave. I flap my wings a few more times, causing more bursts of Pegasus magic to push the clouds over the horizon, giving a clear view of the night sky, and the full moon.

“CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA, IT IS TIME FOR THE SUN TO RISE, AND I ARTERMIS ECLIPSE SHALL RAISE IT FOR YOU!” I announce to all the ponies within a fifty mile radius using the royal voice.

Before any of them could refute this I light my horn in a brilliant white light. I look up to the moon, and see it start to descend to the west, and down below the horizon. I then change my magic to that of the sun, turning it from the bright white to a brilliant golden yellow.

The eastern horizon began to change colors, and after a few moments the sun slowly soars into the morning skies.

I smile at the bright golden hues the sun cast over the wasteland, and drop from the skies, before hovering in front of the towns ponies and giving a midair bow.

When I look back up to them I see that they are all bowing to me in respect, even Steel Hooves was bowing to me.

“Who are you?” Asks a well-built rust coated unicorn stallion.

“I am Prince Artermis Eclipse, and I have returned to Equestria to lead you all into a new bright future.” I answer, loud enough for them all to hear me.

“Where are the Princesses though?” I hear one of the other ponies ask.

“I do not know.” I tell them, “But if they live, then I will find them, and bring them back to you all.”

Before anypony else could ask something a few pegasi from above the remaining clouds started to descend to see what was happening.

“There are ponies living down here?”

“I thought the surface was still too poisoned to live.”

“Look, that’s the New Cloudsdale, what’s it doing here?”

These were what I could hear the few pegasi that were closer asking. I look up to the descending pegasi, and take in a deep breath.

“Pegasi! The world you see below you has been alive for many years now! The enclave has lied to you all! This is the town New Apploosa, and they are living just fine down below the clouds!” I call to the ponies that were descending to the town below them.

I notice the New Cloudsdale release its harpoon anchor, and try to leave, but my spell was still active on it.

“Prince, why is the thunderhead still here?” Steel Hooves asks me. I look to him and smirk.

“You mean my new ship? I have a spell keeping it in place is all.” I answer him before landing on the wall of train cars near the ponies of N.A.

“Looks like you have company.” He replies as the hangar doors open on the New Cloudsdale, and three armored chariots pull out of it. I also see one Pegasus wearing the enclave armor, but it was a bright white with blue accents.

“Ponies of New Apploosa, I suggest going to your homes while I take care of this.” I tell the amassed ponies around me. I then look up to the now hovering group of pegasi, and quickly fly up to them.

“Go back to your homes before they banish you from them. Claim you saw exactly what they have been telling you, but tell your friends the truth. Tell them Prince Artermis is here to heal Equestria back into the land of peace and happiness that it once was.” I tell the group of about twenty pegasi.

“What happens if they find out we’re lying to them?” A purple coated, and black maned mare asks me.

“Then go to the town below, and wait for me there. When I return here it will be for those that wish to be a citizen of Equestria once again.” I tell them before flapping my large wings, and heading for the armored chariots.

The pilots of the chariots slow to a hover before me, and I do the same.

“Return to the thunderhead now.” I tell the three chariots.

“I’m sorry Prince, but the general has ordered us to detain you at all costs.” The center pilot answers me.

“If your general thinks he has power over me he is fatally mistaken. I just restored the sun and moon to their proper cycle, so if you wish to oppose me then feel free, but if you stand down, and join me I will reward you with the honor of being the first ponies in the new royal guard.” I counter as I slowly light my horn, having my magic at the ready.

The side chariots and all the pegasi within agreed to return to the thunderhead, and left the center chariot behind.

“I won’t abandon the Enclave, but I will follow what you say for now.” The pilot says before returning to the New Cloudsdale with the other two chariots.

I waited in the air for the white armored Pegasus to reach me, and smile to her.

“Welcome back Ms. Feather.” I say before we descend to the ground in the center of town.

“Good to be back, Prince.” She answers as we land. I look up to the thunderhead, and see the main siege batteries charging.

“Go find Little Pip, and keep her safe for now. I may have angered the General a bit more than I anticipated.” I tell the mare that was looking up to the New Cloudsdale in shock.

“If they fire, this town is gone.” She says in horror. My eyes widen at the probability of losing another town to war, and my horn explodes in over glow upon over glow as I grasp the entire thunderhead in my magic before siphoning the magic out of its giant spell matrix.

I watch as my coat slowly turns pitch black, and cry out as my horn lengthens even more. My mane starts flickering like a fire rather than billowing in an unfelt wind.

“Prince?!” Feather asks as my appearance changes. I could tell my eyes are glowing white, and the last thing I remember it seeing a pure rainbow shooting up from me into the sky.