//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Master of Truth // Story: Stairway to Equestria // by AlexUk //------------------------------// Chapter 11 Master of Truth “Twilight, I’m fine. Really,” I said for the tenth time that day while walking out of Ponyville’s hospital. The faint purple aura around my hoof joints faded away, restoring my full weight onto them. It wasn’t that I couldn’t walk without the help of her magic; it was a little harder, but it sure did miracles on my self-esteem. “Jeez Twilight, we know you have a crush on him, but this is just lame,” Rainbow added to my defense, gliding around us. “Well it’s not like he didn’t recently go through something awful. The whole experience must have been simply horrid!” Rarity weighed in, giving me a look filled with condolence. All seven of us were gently strolling towards the library, everyone still bearing the shock of what happened just hours before. The Princesses seemed appalled at first but managed to regain composure right about when Owlowiscious and, to my added surprise, Raven, flew into the hospital room through the shattered window. After making sure I was fine, they insisted we visit them for an urgent matter before finally flying back to Canterlot. A mixture of fear and relief was brought by when she told us everything would be explained the following day. I knew that I had to come clean with everything or else the whole situation would turn ugly for me. I didn’t want to keep lying to the pony that gave me another chance at life. Thus, it was my turn to make things right and I wasn’t planning on screwing that up as well. “What do you think the Princess will tell us tomorrow?” Twilight asked with a low voice as she walked by my side. “I don’t really know, but I think I’ll have something to say as well.” “Blink, you don’t have to-” “Don’t have to what?” I cut her off, “tell the truth? I have to. I can’t keep holding secrets from you guys. I can’t and won’t risk hurting you because of those secrets.” The rest of the group was staring at me and I even noticed Applejack’s smile at my wish to confess the truth about myself. “Tomorrow is going to be the longest day of my life,” I thought to myself. “Are you sure you don’t want us to join you two tomorrow?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “Yes Fluttershy, Celestia was clear about who should come. Relax; Blink, Spike and I are going to be back as soon as possible and we’ll let you know what happened when we return.” Not everyone felt right about the secrecy, given that they were always together in tough times and Celestia was open to all of them as much as she was with Twilight. Whatever it was, they knew it was important. I knew it was more than that. We soon reached the library and Spike prepared us all a big feast to celebrate my return. Pinkie Pie couldn’t resist the occasion and after excusing herself for a couple of minutes, she returned with a large cake that wrote: “Welcome back, Blink!” “Pinkie, how did you pull this off?” I asked in amazement. We were celebrating in the dining room, gathered around at a large table Twilight conjured to accommodate seven ponies, a dragon and two pets. “Well Blinkie, you unicorns are not the only ones with magic powers,” she answered, giggling. My jaw hung a couple of moments before Twilight reassured me she was kidding and in fact had no powers. “I personally tested her,” the purple unicorn explained, “she has no magic field that would be uncommon to earth ponies; except for a thing she calls Pinkie Sense. It’s definitely weird, but I’ll tell you more about it later, don’t worry.” After we each had a large slice of what proved to be a delicious cake (Pinkie actually finished everything that was left over, almost half of the original thing), everyone started heading towards their homes, wishing us good luck for the next day’s trip and meet-up with the Princess. “Well that was the best meal I had since I came here! You really are an awesome cook, Spike,” I told the dragon while the two of us cleaned up the table. “No worries, dude. It’s nice to have someone appreciate what I do around here!” he said in a crescendo, making sure the purple mare would hear him all the way from the kitchen. I could actually imagine Twilight rolling her eyes at that right before she yelled back: “Very modest of you, Spike!” The mare entered the dining room and started to re-arrange the whole furniture back to how it was before the impromptu party. “Whoa there! Yeah well, I think I’m gonna go now. We’ll meet up in the morning at the train station?” I asked, dodging a levitating chair. “Okay, sure!” As I was about to leave, I couldn’t resist it: I turned around, went to Twilight, and gently nuzzled her under the neck. “Thanks for saving my life . . . again,” I softly said, somewhat afraid that Spike might hear it. I don’t know if it was from the rather flirty tone I used or because of the sudden and unexpected physical gesture, but the next thing I knew, a cacophony of furniture landing on the floor happened as a result of everything under Twilight’s spell falling to the ground. “Oops, sorry for that. Good night!” I quickly said, making my way out of the library as fast as I could. “So, does that mean that you’ll soon move out with him and I’ll get this place for myself?” Spike’s voice came moments after I swung the library’s door closed. He was standing in the kitchen’s door, a large smirk plastered all over his face. “SPIKE! What did you- what was- GO TO BED!” Twilight yelled, attempting to scold the adolescent dragon but ultimately failing miserably. The dragon showed no sign of remorse or guilt and kept on displaying the defying grin. Giving up, the mare rushed upstairs to her bedroom, slamming the door shut. Spike let out a hearty laugh while making his way into the room near the base of the stairs. He flopped onto his round bed and started searching for a comfortable position to curl in. That was the first time in weeks he felt he could enjoy a good night’s sleep. There was still the following day’s important meeting with the Princess, and he had even kept the controversial piece of paper, just for that occasion. The young dragon took a couple of slow, deep breaths to fuel the fire in his chest. The soft mattress beneath him warmed up under the radiating heat of his belly and chest. A sudden itch on his back started to annoy him but after scratching behind his shoulders a couple of times, he fell asleep in a matter of moments. *** *** *** On the outskirts of Ponyville, I was opening the door to my small house. Raven had been resting on my shoulder the whole time and I was glad to be reunited with her. Why she was still with me in the first place was a total mystery. Nevertheless, I was enjoying her company and somehow, knowing that her kind was not even present on that planet made me remember the world I had just left permanently. She must have felt as lonely as I did. “Well, seems like someone finally came back home,” one voice, a stallion, came from inside. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice the presence of another pony in my living room when I opened the door. Kazooie was smiling from across the table, apparently having waited for me for some time. “Hey there, Kazooie! Sorry that I didn’t come to-” I was cut short by the huge farm stallion grabbing me into a huge bone-crushing hug, one which rivaled even that of Pinkie Pie’s. Raven flew off my shoulder just in time, saving herself from the deadly gesture. “Been waiting for ya to come back ever since the Canterlot guards came by and arrested you,” he said with a laugh, letting me go after a few moments. “Yeah, I- I know . . . found out from the nurses that you visited me while I was- while I was out,” I sputtered out, trying to get fresh air into my almost collapsed lungs. “Well, we’ve missed ya around the farm. Left you some food my wife made for ya in the oven. Welcome back, Blink!” The brown earth pony smacked me on the shoulder, making me wobble on my hooves a little. A seemingly friendly gesture if he wasn’t so damn large. “Thanks; I really couldn’t be grateful enough for your hospitality.” “Don’t mention it, but as soon as you’re ready and fit, I’m expectin some extra work to get the wheat harvest all stored up,” he said, giving me a wink. “Sure thing. I’m going to an important trip to Canterlot tomorrow, but after that I’m pretty much free.” “Good thing! I’ll leave you to your rest. Good night!” The stallion added with a smile and started making his way towards the door. “Hey Kaz!” I called after him, suddenly remembering one of his fixations. “You know Twilight, the cute mare obsessed with studying and all that? Of course you know her. She and I are kinda dating; thought you should know.” The farmer turned around with a surprised face at first but then when he realized I wasn’t joking, he started chuckling. “Hehe, I knew you had it ya you sly colt, you!” He kept laughing all the way out of the house and I could even hear him going on outside as well, his laugh fading into the night. Nevertheless, I felt a hint of pride and satisfaction from admitting that to him. Smiling, I went straight into my bedroom, leaving the food Kazooie’s wife made for me tomorrow, already being full from the copious meal I had at the library. I crawled into the bed while Raven flew after me and took her rightful place on the writing desk. Sleep was eluding me, though. Despite still being alive and back in the world I wished so much to be in, I couldn’t forget the fact that part of me died that day. Twilight pulled me from the realm of the dead, risking her life to save mine. Why was I given another chance? Why didn’t Death come after me as soon as I was brought back to life? Why did Twilight save me, a stranger, a liar, a fake? All those questions pummeled my mind relentlessly until exhaustion finally pulled me into a deep sleep. *** *** *** A loud knock on the door woke me up. As I looked out on the window I noticed it was barely morning, the sun’s rays coyly making their way out from the horizon’s line. I let out a loud yawn, stretching my hooves across the bed. Its comfort made me ignore the continuous knocks, up until a loud one was followed by an even louder thud. Slightly alarmed that I might be arrested yet again for who knows what reasons, I swiftly got out of the bed and stormed the dining-kitchen-room, horn glowing and ready to get dirty. “Whoa there, big guy. It’s just me,” Spike said, taken by surprise. “What the hell man? It’s too early in the morning for that kind of noise!” I whined, somewhat angered, and then looked at what was laying on the floor. “And why did you mess up my door?” “Ahh, that. Yeah, I kind of went overboard with it. Sorry, let me fix it . . .” The dragon proceeded in lifting the half-shredded door and whacking it back into place. I looked at the flimsy piece of wood that used to be my door and then stared at the dragon as he sheepishly smiled back at me. “Have you gotten bigger?” I suddenly shifted the topic, noticing the slight difference is his stature. “Well, I’m still in that growth spurt, remember? It should end soon, though.” He smiled at me, revealing his rather big, sharp teeth. “Okay . . . Anyway, I assume you came to escort me to the train station where Twilight is probably waiting for us already?” I asked. “Pretty much, yeah.” “Well then, let’s get going. Don’t want to keep the Princess waiting.” Spike mimicked a disgusted face. “You’re already calling each other names like that?” “I meant Celestia-” “Sure you did,” Spike ended the conversation, winking at me. I rolled my eyes and left the house, making our way towards Ponyville’s train station. I told Raven to stay around and explore; surprisingly, she followed my orders and took flight towards the forest, lazily flapping her wings and enjoying the morning breeze. Spike and I entered the city, which was fairly busy for that time of the day; I just shrugged it off as just being a pony’s nature to be up so early in the morning. “So . . .” Spike started, rather coyly, “what really happened yesterday? Twilight saved you, right? You were really . . . dead, weren’t you?” “Uhm, I think this is what we’re going to talk about with the Princess today.” “Ohh, okay then.” He tucked his hand into his pocket, making sure he had the missing piece of paper he would confront the Princess with. Looking around, he then tried to come up with another topic. “Anyway, you and Twilight-” “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. Definitely something. Why, you gonna give me the ‘caring brother’ speech? Break me if I’m going to break her heart and all that?” Spike gave me a devilish smile and the spines across his head and back stood up, emphasizing his reptilian dragon shape. “Twilight hatched me, took care of me and loved me like family. She’s more than a sister to me. And yes, if you break her heart . . .” The dragon leaned closer to me and gently dragged a claw under my chin. I would have found that extremely awkward if it wasn’t for the sharpness of the green, translucent appendage that was running through my fur coat. That was definitely a warning. As I was about to come up with a witty remark about me not being impressed by such displays of power, Spike took his hand away from my face, inhaled deeply after which he accurately blew a thin string of fire over the tip of his claws. He then brought his hand close to my head again and I could feel the searing hotness emerging from the reddened claws. My heart rate went up a notch, an unknown flammable liquid slowly dripping from their tips inches away from my eye. I could only imagine the horrific damage a direct hit from those things could do to someone. “Okay, I get it. Not going to break anyone’s heart. I promise!” I gulped nervously, taken aback by Spike’s rather hostile display of affection for the one that took care of him since birth. His serious look turned with a large smile and he continued to walk as if nothing had happened, his claws leaving a trail of steam in the air. The rest of the journey was eventless and we reached the train station right on time. Twilight, as I expected, was waiting on the platform. We got in the train right as it was about to leave and took our seats in an empty booth in the front coach. Oddly, there wasn’t a lot of talking going on in the first minutes after we greeted each other and boarded, but there was certainly tension in the air. The train was slowly making its way through the tall mountain chains towards the capital city of Equestria. The trip was quite different from the ones I took the last couple of times with the air balloon. The stunning view of deep valleys and mountains alternated with the brief moments we passed through deep, long tunnels. Security outside the capital’s walls was a lot heavier than I would have expected, guards and scanning fields standing by the railway just before the train station. We reached Canterlot in good time and I soon found myself wandering around the bustling capital alongside Twilight and Spike. After the recent events, ponies there were quite on edge, especially when seeing a young dragon passing by them. Even if the only things that happened in Canterlot were the state of alert imposed by Shining Armor and the unusual hours of prolonged twilight, ponies there seemed easily frightened for some reason. “Hey Twilight, how come everyone around here is so jumpy?” I asked as we walked through a busy sidewalk, noticing that Spike acted like a pony repellent, making a clear way for us. “Well, usually it’s because of Spike,” she started, drawing a stern gaze from the aforementioned, “but taking into the light the recent events, I wouldn’t blame them. Canterlot residents live in a routine and most of them are reluctant to change. Most city ponies are, for that matter. Thought you would at least remember that from before your accident the night Kazooie found you.” “Yeah, I guess . . .” My awkward smile proved enough to end that particularly inconvenient conversation, adding to the fact that we were about to enter the castle’s premises. As soon as they spotted us, the guards hastily got out of our way, a clear sign that we were expected. “Miss Twilight, the Princesses are waiting for you in the Nighttime living room,” one of the guards stated as we passed by them. “That’s weird. The Nighttime living room is in Luna’s private quarter,” Twilight said, slightly bemused. I shrugged at her while Spike started casually walking towards the mentioned meet-up place. Twilight and I followed him suit, throwing each other occasional glances. The Princess of the Moon’s quarters were on the other side of the castle, facing the sunset and I figured we were on the right track as soon as I saw guards wearing deep blue armor instead of the usual golden one. “Spike, how do you know this part of the castle so well?” Twilight suddenly asked, realizing she didn’t recognize the dark hallways lit with a cold, dim, white light. “Uhh, well you know how I used to roam around the castle when we were still here? You know, before we moved to Ponyville?” the young dragon responded on a whim. Twilight seemed to accept his response without any doubt, but I on the other hoof noticed the blunt signs of a lie: his tone was slightly tensed, the way his pupils reacted at the question and his general body language told me he wasn’t as truthful as you would expect from a number one assistant. We reached the Nighttime chamber and Twilight was the first to step in after knocking a couple of times on the large, thick, wooden doors. The first thing that struck me was that the entire room was very dark. It wasn’t that you couldn’t see, but everything was perfectly blended together to match an astral style. The usual feeling of confinement someone might get in such dark rooms was absent, mostly due to the fact that there seemed to be no ceiling at all. Instead, a perfectly clear night sky displayed its sea of stars above our heads. I immediately noticed a bright disk situated right about in the middle of the sky and I realized that was actually the sun. It wasn’t an illusion spell or a projection. It was the actual sky above the castle, the ceiling somehow enchanted so that you could see through it. Not only that, but also the sun’s contrast with the rest of the atmosphere was eliminated so that the stars would be visible in broad daylight. “I take it that you are impressed by my chamber,” one voice said, a mare. I picked up my jaw and looked after the pony who had just spoken. Luna was walking towards us, and if it weren’t for her talking moments before, I would have never noticed the Princess. As soon as I saw her, I also noticed the more striking white Celestia standing by her side. The three of us bowed down in front of the two monarchs, after which we quickly resumed our posture. “I’m happy to see you have recovered almost completely, Midnight Blink,” Luna stated. “Yea, I’m pretty much alright. You know, for someone that died and was brought back to life,” I said with a titter. “A series of activities you are accustomed to by now, no doubt,” Celestia intervened with a tone that, for some reason, could have frozen the air around. My heart started beating rapidly but I knew that coming out with everything had to be done and she was just speeding things along. “Let us not be so serious about this, sister. It’s not like it’s their fault for what happened. It happened for a reason and we will have to live by it.” “What about this?” Spike suddenly asked, almost cutting off Luna. He was waving an old page Celestia immediately recognized to be the one she had hidden in the box containing the Elements of Harmony. Twilight was darting her eyes from Celestia to Spike and then to Luna, having no clue about what her assistant was holding in his claws. I shared Twilight’s confusion about that piece of paper but I had the feeling that a lot of cats were going to be let out of their bags soon. My intention, as usual, was for me to be the last one to do it and just let the whole situation unfold in front of me before that. “Oh yes, about that, I would like you to join me for a walk, Spike,” the Princess of the Moon almost demanded, while levitating the missing page out of the dragon’s claws and placing it on a table. “No,” he simply retorted. “All this secrecy has to end now. And I’m not going to-” “We shall explain everything to you in private, Spike!” Luna cut him off with a harsh, demanding tone. The rare use of the royal “we” quieted the dragon, and he immediately accepted the invitation, leaving the room, followed closely by Luna. “My dear student, forgive me for my small outburst earlier. The same with you, Midnight Blink,” Celestia said immediately after the heavy doors swung closed. “It’s just that we’ve all been under a lot of pressure lately, and not only from local sources and events like the ones witnessed mere days ago. But that is not for you to worry about. We have more important things to discuss now.” “About that, I-” “Blink, before I further explain anything else, I must ask you this: who are your Princesses?” Celestia asked, looking straight into my eyes and further ignoring Twilight’s dumbstruck reaction to everything. “What do you mean by-” “The ones that are for you what my sister and I are for Equestria, the ones or the one who is in your prayers when things look grim, the one you look up to for guidance when you seem lost. Do you even know him or her?” A long moment of silence fell as I processed what I had been asked. Celestia had let it be known that she was aware of my origins and she also established the fact that she was like a god to Equestria, a general notion I was having strong feelings about. “I do not believe in our version of you, I’m afraid.” Celestia stared at me for a while, after which she dropped her gaze into the floor, thoughtfully. “Princess, what’s going on?” Twilight’s expected question came, breaking the silence that fell in the Nighttime room. “My faithful student, there is something very important that I need to tell you two; something that must stay between us. That is why I had Luna take Spike away.” Celestia walked to the table where the old piece of paper was resting on. She levitated it in front of her, recalling old memories. She then turned to us. “I wrote this a very long time ago. You must have noticed its absence from one of the books you burrowed a while back from the castle’s library. I will try to be straightforward with you, but I won’t be able to explain everything, not yet. The rest will be for you two and you two alone to discover.” The Princess took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts. Twilight and I looked at her with great anticipation, each of us having our own reasons to be nervous of what was to follow. “You and Blink are two very special ponies . . .” Celestia started. *** *** *** Spike walked nervously across the dark hallways with Luna by his side. Every now and then, he would glance at the Princess, wondering what they would talk about that time. “I’m sorry for my outburst earlier, but you must understand there are certain things they must talk about in private,” Luna said, breaking the cold silence. “But what’s so secret that they can’t tell me? And why can Blink stay there, why is he so special?” Spike puffed out, annoyed. “It’s not really their choice, I’m afraid. It’s something you will have to go along with. They might choose to tell you what they’ve been told today but it’s up to them. Promise me you won’t insist on this, Spike.” The Princess looked at the young dragon with a kindness and understanding towards his situation, which quickly paid off. “Alright, I promise . . .” Luna rewarded him with a kind smile, a rare thing from the goddess of the moon. They reached a large dome-shaped room and the Princess was the first to enter, followed closely by Spike. The dome ceiling was enchanted with the same spell the Nighttime room was and the endless blanket of stars stretched over the two of them. Spike didn’t seem too impressed by that, given the fact that it wasn’t the first time he was there. “So how have things been lately, Princess?” He asked more out of politeness, still having a downed tone. “Quite fine, thank you for asking.” She wandered around the small observation room, glancing at a bright group of stars. “Ahh, here it is . . .” she whispered to herself. “So, anything new and interesting on the sky?” Spike asked, noticing Luna’s interest. As a response, the Princess’s horn started glowing and the whole room felt like it was pulled into the deep, dark sky itself. The small dots across the round dome that represented the stars started to spin, turn and move. Luna’s eyes were shut in concentration and it was quite obvious that she was mustering all of her powers to maintain the spell. This time Spike really seemed fascinated by the spectacle happening all around him. “So, where are we going this time?” he asked warily, remembering the first and only time Luna performed that spell in his presence. He was much younger back then, just after Twilight and the rest of the Elements had freed the Princess from her evil side. He almost kept as a secret his past talks with Luna, talks that occurred every time Twilight was invited to the castle by Celestia. In his youthful innocence, he had once asked Luna how the Draco constellation would look like up close. He was unsatisfied by the quality of the images Twilight’s telescopes provided and had hoped the Princess of the night might have something better. He believed a huge mighty dragon resided in the center of that constellation, his imagination roaming free after listening to bedtime stories Twilight would read to him every now and then. The magically enchanted room acted like an observing eye under Luna’s spell, traveling across stars and galaxies. It was one of the most powerful abilities she possessed and came as her second signature spell, after the moon manipulation one. “We are . . . further down the Orion Cygnus arm,” she finally responded, looking around on the ceiling to get her bearings, “and that is Sol.” “Sol? What is that?” Spike asked eyeing the general direction at which Luna was looking. “Sol is the name of a solar system. It’s rather close to ours but my sister’s sun light would still take tens of years to get there.” “Still, there are millions of solar systems in our galaxy. What makes this one so special?” “I see Twilight’s obsession for studying is not a bad influence on you,” the blue alicorn said with a light giggle. “Well mostly she just keeps me up at night. That pony has no idea how annoying talking to herself is, especially when someone needs to get some rest, but at least now I have my own room. Anyway, what’s the deal with this . . . Sol?” Spike asked, still unaware of the source of Luna’s excitement. Instead of replying, the Princess reactivated her spell again and the room picked up speed, getting closer and closer to a shining star nearby. They dodged past a vast barrier of meteorites, three very small blue planets, a large sand-like one with rings around it and finally a red planet. Spike was still looking behind his shoulder at the last celestial object they flew by and was unaware that they had stopped; that is, until he turned back to the Princess. “Here we are . . .” Luna announced with a hint of pride in her tone. Right above them in the center of the ceiling was a blue planet with large portions of land. Near that odd looking planet, Spike noticed a very familiar object. It was a moon, just like the one he could see at night. “What planet is this?” he asked, his voice tinted with emotion. “I believe it is called . . . Terra. It’s quite a fascinating planet that shares a lot of resemblances with our own. It’s very hard to see it directly from here in Equestria, but my magic allowed us to go around the cluster of stars between us that blocked the view.” “How did you know it was here? Does it have ponies on it too, or dragons?" Spike asked, rather excited. The room suddenly got pulled back in a dizzying rush between the stars. They were ‘home’ again. The ceiling then turned dark and candles lit up around the room to compensate the lack of light. “I had a certain inspiration that hinted me towards that planet. And no, there are no dragons or ponies there, I’m afraid.” “They why did you show it to me?” the dragon asked, half still impressed by what he had witnessed and the other half confused by Luna’s odd behavior. “One day you will probably find out. I hope that day comes soon, though,” she finished, heading out of the room. Spike remained behind for a couple of moments staring at the ceiling, thinking about what he had witnessed and the implications of Luna’s words. Coming out blank, he shrugged it off as one of her weird moods and went off after her. “So, have you decided upon your future plans?” the Princess asked when Spike caught up with her. They were walking along a corridor that was leading to the throne room. “What future plans?” the young dragon asked, feigning not knowing exactly what the Princess was talking about. “Have you forgotten our last discussion already?” Luna took a deep breath before continuing, knowing Spike was avoiding the subject much like he did when she had brought it up the first time. “A dragon’s lifespan spreads across centuries, if not more, my beloved subject. Your lifestyle and choices are dictated by you and you alone. Some live for many years in the wild parts of Equestria, alone and in content. Others choose to return to their homeland and dedicate their life to the service of the Master Dragon, or the Old One as he is named by his own. Wherever your choices may lead you, Spike, you will bear witness to great events and watch the world around you change as you grow old alongside it.” Spike was shuddering at the thought and at what Luna was about to say. His claws were clenched tightly and he was making great efforts not to let tears flow. He had cried himself to sleep the night after the first serious talk with Luna. Hearing about his life expectancy and place in that world had brought him into a state of depression, and he wished that the subject would never be brought up again. “But as you may know already, life is not that generous with ordinary ponies, I’m afraid-” “Enough,” Spike interrupted her. “I know about all that, and I just don’t want to think about it. Not now, not ever!” He eyed Luna, his harsh expression bringing on a combination of anger and deep sadness. The dragon then rushed pass the Princess, trying to get as far away from her as possible. She watched him leave with stern eyes, although wondering if she had done the right thing by talking with him about such things at his young age. “Time never forgets, my dear Spike. But neither do we,” she said more to herself, the dragon being far out of hearing range. *** *** *** “Nice . . .” “That’s NOT nice, Blink!” Twilight protested at the end of Celestia’s explanation about our source of magic. She hadn’t told us much and most of the time very ambiguous terms were used to describe the mystery behind our cutie mark’s weird changes when using magic. Twilight’s powers were apparently centered on the notion of life and its protection, a reason for which she was very good with shielding and healing spells. Celestia used as an ultimate example the fact that the unicorn was able to bring me back to life, something that the Princess described as “impossible even for my sister and I”. In my case on the other hand, Celestia had used a rather dismal tone, as if she was unhappy with my presence in her kingdom; and she had every reason to be, since the title my cutie mark brought to the pony that wore was the “Deathbearer”. I was in fact the first to ever wear that symbol in Equestria’s history. As far as Twilight’s cutie mark goes, she herself had asked her mentor how the stars on her flank could represent “life”. Celestia’s retort was as vague as the whole topic leading to it: “Count all the stars’ points,” was all she said. Both my and Twilight’s cutie marks were roughly sketched on the page which the Princess made sure no one would ever read again. She had supposedly written that book centuries ago but refused to tell us what had inspired her to do so. “Princess, but . . . why didn’t you tell me about this sooner? It’s been over a decade since you asked me to be your personal student.” “I’m sorry, but you were just a young filly back then-” “What about the time I saved your sister from Nightmare Moon and became one of the Elements? Or when we defeated Discord the first time almost two years ago?” “You were still too young for this! I also never would have known Blink would come here. This was not how you should have found out about your talents,” Celestia confessed. She then turned to me and continued: “I’m afraid it’s time you tell her where you really came from, Midnight Blink.” Twilight turned to me, an innocent look of curiosity on her face. That was it. It was time for me to come out with everything, admit that I lied to her and hope that she would understand and even forget my dishonesty. I took a deep breath and hoped for the best. “Twilight, I’m sorry to tell you this but I . . . I lied about the night Kazooie found me. There was never a memory loss trauma or anything like that. I lied to you about my origins because I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.” Twilight’s eyes locked with mine and I actually felt her look of disappointment tearing a hole in my heart. I hated doing that to her, but I had to. It was all my entire fault for lying in the first place. “Where are you from, then?” she asked. “I’m not even a pony, not until I came here. I’m not from this . . . world. I think we should sit down and talk about this when we get back-” “You lied to me,” she said with a gentle tremble in her lips. “I actually cared for you and helped you get better, and all that while you were lying to me about everything? Is that even your real name, Blink? Is it?” She almost yelled out the last part, holding back tears. She felt so embarrassed to be seen like that by her mentor, so she did the only thing she could come up with. Her horn suddenly glowed a blinding white and the next second, purple sparks were gently falling down on the floor where she stood moments before. I let out a deep sigh, gaping at the spot from where the lavender mare teleported. “That didn’t go too well,” I said to myself. “The truth is painful to hear sometimes, but it’s the right thing to do,” Celestia stated, approaching me. “All I offered you two was the truth, nothing more. The rest is for you to discover. Now, I believe there is a certain mare outside in the castle’s garden that needs a proper apology.” “Okay, I’ll go and talk to her, but I might have screwed things up too badly this time. I hope I’ll get to earn your trust back, soon.” “It’s not my trust that is important, Midnight Blink,” the Princess said, after which she started casting a spell, engulfing me in a sphere of light. “Also, welcome to Equestria, Alex . . .” The light around me intensified and before I could say or do anything, I found myself under the bright sky outside, having soft grass under my hooves. Looking around, I recognized the royal garden in its entire splendor. My ears picked up a faint whimpering coming from behind a tall bush wall. I immediately recognized the cry to be Twilight’s. Picking up the courage, I went after the source of the sound to confront the purple unicorn. When I went around the natural wall, I found her standing on the ground near a small fountain, looking at her own reflection in the water. Occasionally, she would let out a stifle and a tear would fall down, small ripples in the water distorting her reflection. I waited for another of her tears to fall and got closer to her. When the fountain’s reflection cleared up again she noticed me by her side. She turned and I saw her soggy eyes and sad face. It’s wasn’t actually sadness as much as it was disappointment and that made me feel awful. “Hey . . . look, I can’t describe in words how much I’m sorry for what I’ve done. You’re right, you took care of me when I was sick, fed me and gave me a roof over my head until I could fend for myself. But most important of all, you saved my life and I will be forever in your debt.” The look on her face seemed to brighten up a little and she had finally stopped crying. She opened her mouth to say something but I continued: “I hope you will forgive me for everything. But if you don’t want to talk to me ever again, I understand. I’ll . . . just leave,” I said in a low voice, after which I made an important decision; the beautiful dream had ended, it was never meant to be. “I’ll leave Ponyville.” I felt a jab in my heart as I said those words but was unaware however that the beautiful mare in front of me had felt a similar feeling when she heard my decision. As I turned to leave, planning to never return, I heard her getting up, after which her voice stopped me in my tracks. “Wait . . . don’t go.” My hooves almost quivered at those words and hope blossomed in my heart again. I turned to her only to notice she didn’t seem angry or disappointed on me anymore. “I forgive you,” she continued, causing a huge wave or relief to fall down on me, “and I don’t want you to go. I li- . . . just no more lies from now on, please?” I nodded my head and got closer to the unicorn mare. “I promise, no more lies from now on. Thanks for giving me another chance, Twilight.” To my huge surprise, she leaned her head onto my shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief. “You have a lot of explaining to do when we get back to Ponyville,” she said, ending the hug. Suddenly, I remembered something I never had the chance to do, so I focused my magic and looked around the garden. “This whole life and death thing, our magic; what are we going to do? The Princess has never been so vague about anything since I became her student. It’s so unlike her,” Twilight said, looking at the fountain’s statue of Celestia and her sister, unaware of what I was doing. “We’ll figure it out somehow Twilight, don’t worry. Meanwhile, there’s something I never had the chance to give you. It should have been on our first date, but you know, the whole sudden death and bringing back to life thing happened.” She turned to me and noticed a beautiful red rose, slowly levitating between us. She stared at the flower for a moment then back at me, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. “It’s . . . beautiful. Thank you, Blink. I never had a flower give me colts before, ugh- I mean never had a colt give me flowers,” she stammered, turning even redder. “It’s alright, I just-” I didn’t even have the chance to finish my sentence, because Twilight actually took the initiative and leaned forward, pressing her lips against mine. I found the sudden invasion of personal space and the intimacy of the contact rather surprising but amazing none the less. The sensation of her being so close to me, the feeling of her warm lips timidly moving across mine, it all made the world around me melt in a blend of colors, sounds and sensations. I closed my eyes and relished in the wonderful sensation that was our first kiss. Unfortunately, good things come to end all too soon, and the kiss was over as fast as it had started, leaving me in a daze, my heart pumping like mad from the rush of emotions. “-or you could do that . . .” I said softly, loosing myself in her beautiful, purple eyes. *** *** *** From across the garden up in one of the castle’s balconies, Spike was leaning on the rail, watching the sight of the two ponies and their display of affection. “You know, their life may be short in comparison to ours, but the memories we get with them last forever,” Luna’s voice came from behind him. Spike glanced back at the Princess as she approached him, taking her place by his side. “You still have a pony’s lifetime to spend with them, so why waste it thinking about the future when you can go and make those memories you will cherish for the rest of your life?” Spike smiled for the first time after their talk and nodded his head. Turning towards the balcony’s entrance, he added: “I’ll stay.” “Pardon?” Luna asked. “My plans for the future. I’ll stay with them, with my friends; no matter what.” The dragon then left the balcony content with his decision, a decision he would respect for the rest of his life. Luna watched as he left, then turned to the garden, glancing at what had to be the most unusual couple she had ever seen in her long life. “The Lifebringer and Deathbearer linked together by love. What say you, sister?” Luna asked, sensing Celestia behind her. “I can only wish they will never have to rise to their titles,” she answered, joining her sibling. “One can only hope, dear sister . . . one can only hope.” End of chapter 11