//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: A Prophecy Fulfilled // Story: Rise of the Element Gang, Book 3: Heroes United // by Power of Six //------------------------------// Chapter 23: A Prophecy Fulfilled I wasn’t sure whether to feel reassured or apprehensive after I had been told that all I could see around me—all I had seen—was just a dream, the images of my subconscious mind and memories playing out as I slept. On one hoof, it meant that—essentially—nothing that I saw here was real, at least in the widely accepted sense of the term. All that happened before, with Nightfall, the destroyed Ponyville… the bones, it was all just a horrible nightmare. It was just a dream and dreams couldn’t hurt you. And yet… seeing all of that disturbed me greatly. Nightfall might be gone, but, in a way, his presence still lingered on, forever in my mind, within my memories and emotions. He would never stop tormenting me, never go away, and I knew I would never forget him. How could I, after all he had done? I had never had to deal with anything like this before in my whole life. How was I supposed to go on like this, always scared, always in guilt for everything that my darker side had done in my brief period in Equestria? It wasn’t like I hadn’t done this before. Due to my own views of myself and also because of the weighing duty that came from being a Fire Dragon, I was used to dealing with my own problems. They were mine, not anyone else’s. In all my life, all the problems I have—personal or otherwise—were ones I never wanted to weigh on anyone else’s shoulders. Even though I had friends now, I would still do my best to keep my problems to myself so they wouldn’t have to deal with them. It was what I was used to after all, why fix what isn’t broken? Still, even with the enforcing madness gone, I wasn’t sure I could even hope to endure the memories from all Nightfall had done, be able to cope, or go as I am. It would be easy to believe that it was a hopeless cause and to let those images and sounds torture me into eventual insanity as the Black Blood had done before. But I was still the symbol of peace and justice, so I would have to do my best to endure it all in order to fulfill my duty. Though despair had come to me, I would look to the princess who had saved me from my torment, who had been through a similar experience and she gave me strength. She had been infected with Black Blood and probably knew what I was going through. She could have given in to the despair, the guilt of what she had done as Nightmare Moon, and yet she was still here. She had carried on with her life, had managed to move on from what she had done. She hadn’t forgotten, but she hadn’t let it get the best of her either. I knew it wasn’t just for her sake, but for the sake of those close to her like Princess Celestia and Dragonis. If Luna could do it, so could I. Besides, I had already learned that I was stronger than I gave myself credit for, something that I wouldn’t normally admit. I’d kept Discord from my mind, resisted against the influence of Black Blood Madness, used my magic to defeat the Paraserpents, and—of course—I was the seventh Element of Harmony. If I had done all of those things, surely I could handle this by myself. Back then, I rarely ever had confidence in my own abilities, but my friends helped me learn that I should give myself the benefit of the doubt more and decided to do so with this case at least. I would be fine. I cringed a little when Nightfall’s laughter echoed in my ears again and conceded that perhaps fine was a bit of an understatement. I tried to act normal, but it hadn’t escaped Luna's notice. “Dusk? Are thou well?” “Um…yes, I’m fine.” I responded in a would-be casual voice. “Why do you ask?” She gave me a skeptical look. “Deception is not thy forte, Dusk. And thou should not think it wise to lie to thy ruler.” Though her voice was firm, I could hear the concern that she had for me. “Tell me what troubles thee.” I opened my mouth, considering either lying or trying to avoid the question. But I knew how obvious it was when I lied or felt unsure about something. I’d stammer and pause, like I did in the past and they could always tell. What would be the point? I sighed and tried my best to look up at her. “Just… coping with some… difficult memories.” “Yes, I had noticed.” she said sympathetically. “It cannot be easy for thee, living with what thou has been through.” “No… it isn’t.” I admitted quietly. She paused a moment, considering. “Dusk… I’m still adapting to this new world, as thou knows, and friendship with a subject is still relatively new to me. But,” I heard her step closer, “if thou wishes to talk about it, I can do my best to comfort thee.” I realized that I had never really thought about it. Though they had still cared dearly for their subjects, back in the old days the princesses were still higher up than other ponies and would treat them as such. Not unkindly, but still with authority. As such, friendships with those who weren't of the same status would have been a strange concept for the both of them, mingling either with each other or those of equal standing. Celestia, of course, had been more relaxed over the years about the status she held and how she treated her subjects, as she showed with Twilight, but Luna… She’d been stuck in the moon for a thousand years and, even though she was probably better at it thanks to the aid of her sister and Dragonis, she still seemed to be having a little trouble adjusting and adapting to modern days. She still made references to forms of punishment that had been discontinued years ago and still used ancient pony speech dialect. Having to make friends with one of her subjects must have seemed like a strange notion to her and perhaps still was. She would get better at it still and I already liked to think of her as my friend, but I didn’t want to pressure her further. “I’ll be fine.” I said, not dishonestly. “Really, I will.” “Thou art sure?” I nodded in response, not sure if she would believe me. In the end, she relaxed and looked away. “If thou dost insist. Remember, the offer still stands should thou need it.” “I’ll bear that in mind, thank you.” I let her guide me through the dream world once more. It had been a little easier to say that the second time around. Mainly because, technically, I wasn’t really lying. Luna had, after all, saved me from my nightmare just before and she did have some degree of control over this world. Though I could still hear remnants of that horrible laughter and the vivid images in the darker parts of my mind, I knew the Princess of the Night would keep them at bay. Yes, I would be safe while I was with Luna. “Ah, here we are.” she remarked, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked, but all I could see was the shimmering surface of the dream world. “Um… where are we?” “Give it a moment.” she assured gently. “I am more attuned to this world than thee.” Slowly, the area came into focus and I recognized it from when I had briefly glimpsed it through a locked door in the Canterlot Palace. From the giant hourglass that dominated the middle of the room, the endless aisles of priceless scrolls and tomes of magic that stretched on for miles, this could only be the Starswirl the Bearded Wing of the palace. Even though it was just a dream, I still felt overwhelmed and privileged to be here, in the most secure wing of the castle, surrounded by the works of one of the most famous figures in unicorn history. I allowed myself a smile when I pictured Twilight’s reaction if he told her he'd been here and remained close to Luna, painfully aware of every patch of darkness and shadow. Dark, like my body had been… was. “Impressive, is it not?” Luna remarked casually. “Only my sister and I have access to this place, along with Twilight Sparkle and whomever we deem trustworthy. Thou should be privileged, Dusk.” “Oh, believe me, I am.” I resisted the urge to grab the nearest book and bury my head in it, staying close to her. “But what are we doing here?” “We are here for this.” She approached another aisle that was locked by another gate, crystal balls decorating plinths on either side of the door. “Can thou tell me what this might be?” If I felt honored, I was now completely in awe. “The archives of Fore Sight.” I breathed, actually reaching out to touch the gate and jumping back when it shimmered. “Oops… sorry.” “It is perfectly fine.” she assured, with a small smile. “It can be easy to forget the difference between dreams and reality, even for me sometimes.” “I know how that feels…” I shuddered when I recalled something similar Discord had said and did my best to return attention to her. “But still, I don’t fully understand why we’re here.” “We are here because this is where the story begins, with thy ancestor.” Her horn glowed and the gate shimmered away into nothingness. Luna beckoned for him to follow. “So, Dusk, what dost thou know of thy ancestor?” “Only what I could find, both from historical writing and what I could gather from my Fire Dragon predecessor at the time.” I said honestly. “Fore Sight the Uncanny, prophet of the unicorns, apprenticed to Starswirl, friend to Clover, as well a friend to Private Pansy of the Pegasi and Smart Cookie of the Earth ponies. Speaking of Pegasi, it was actually thanks to Private Pansy that he met the pegasus maiden who later become his wife. Anyway, while he was great and his visions never steered anyone wrong, it all changed when Discord came into power. Tormented by Discord, he was driven insane and went missing on some unknown quest he took until he returned home years later. He died not long after, leaving a mystery that has been debated long after as to why he left and what for.” I then smiled in remembering what I learned today. “But that was only little about him and only covers the main points, right?” “Indeed.” she replied. “Quite significant that thou should mention that Discord plagued him, as he suffered more than anypony. For thou see, he had seen the seventh Element in his visions.” “Really?” I was surprised by this. “Yes, after he had already seen the original six, he saught of where they were discovered.” “The Tree of Harmony.” “So you know of its existence.” “Of course. Every Fire Dragon knows about it. It’s one of the biggest legends amongst the Element Gang. My father told me its story when I was little.” Luna smiled warmly at this. “I am glad thou knows of it and hope the knowledge can prove useful within the future. Now then,” she then returned to her explanation, “from gazing upon the very Tree, he received a vision of the seventh Element, an Element that had been broken into many pieces and had been scattered far and wide, the name being of it being Unity.” “And I’m guessing he also saw that Unity came from a different tree, one that was as unique as the one he gazed upon?” “Yes. How does thou know of this?” “Because I had a hunch that Unity came from it. The tree he saw was no doubt the Tree of Life, an ancient tree which holds great and mysterious power, power of which flows through the light, the force for good. Apparently, its power comes from unity as well.” “That is quite the deduction you have, young Dusk.” Luna seemed to be impressed by this. “It’s kind of my thing.” Realizing I had interrupted her, I cleared my throat and allowed her to continue. “Sorry, you were saying?” “From learning of this mysterious Element, Discord knew his reign was already threatened, so he tried to ensure that Fore Sight’s discovery would never be widely known and secure himself in his seat of power.” “By showing him visions of his loved ones being hurt and leaving him questioning which were real and which weren’t.” I recalled grimly, knowing I’d had nearly a similar experience with the Lord of Chaos. “Not a pleasant fate…” “Indeed.” Luna had a dark look for a few seconds and returned to her explanation. “Well, as thou knows, the Elements worked on Discord and sealed him away. But Fore Sight was not convinced. Though he was mocked and ridiculed for taking his stance, he truly believed the seventh did exist and was determined to find it for he feared that Discord would break free of his prison and wreak chaos once again. So, without telling anypony else, he packed himself some supplies and set off in search of the fragments of this Element.” “But he couldn’t find those fragments, did he?” “Actually, he succeeded. Though it took him many long years of traveling and seeking in the darkest places and the highest peaks to locate them all, a total of seven. Once he had them all and he was returning home to Canterlot, he tried to assemble the Element himself with his own magic.” Her expression saddened. “Unfortunately, he failed and the pieces scattered once again, though not as far as they had been previously. He would have gone looking again, but he knew that his time was short and so returned to his home where, as thou knows, he passed on shortly after.” She bowed her head and her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, looking away so that I couldn't see her face. Pity for her welled up again in that instant. A thousand years locked away and awakened to find that all she had known, ponies, places, values, had all changed so much…I couldn't begin to imagine what that was like. Immortality is a curse, not a blessing. I mused grimly. “You miss him, don’t you?” I whispered. “Yes… I do…” I allowed her a short moment to lament before speaking again. “Well I know why he failed to put it together.” She recovered herself and wiped her eyes. “Really? Care to explain?” “Of course.” I then went on to explain. “The reason he failed was that what he was doing was not to bring out the Element’s power. While his intentions were for the greater good, he did not realize that it didn’t fall according to the nature of the Elements of Harmony. Unity isn’t something that can be found as easily as the others, it has to be earned.” “Earned? How so?” “Well, it goes to the same account as Twilight and the girls. They all had to learn about the true nature of the Elements before they revealed themselves as they truly were. Only by realizing the power of friendship did they earned the very six Elements they searched for. Doing so, each proved themselves worthyby embracing the true parts of themselves, their strengths of which are represented by the Elements they wield. Unity’s no different. Finding the pieces and trying to make them come together isn’t the way to do it. While he was on track that following the light would bring them together, but it was actually a specific light, one which no one can find or even follow alone. By trying to do this on his own, Fore Sight lost, well, sight of what he had before, of what he experienced. While following the light of good is not a bad thing, it was not what was needed to bring the Element together. The light that was needed is the same light of which Twilight and the girls experienced when they earned the Elements. What brings forth this particular Element is the light of friendship.” “Each fragment represents a different light that makes up and comes from friendship, each resonating to the very six Elements that represents them: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. The reason I found these fragments was not by seeking them out, but proving myself worthy to them by following the light, the one of which my friends helped me find. And, when these six lights are brought together, they form the light of which creates the seventh Element: Unity. Its final piece I earned by being true to myself and helping those in need, the moment I helped the girls find each other again. Much like unity amongst others, it can’t be forced upon and would only lead them to being divided once more, much like what happened to the fragments when Fore Sight tried to force them together. True unity can only be achieved when one helps others understand one another, find the common ground of which brings them together.” “That is correct.” Luna nodded. “As thou have done with so many in the past and even now, thou have managed to create true unity amongst others. And the unity, in cause, feeling and knowledge of thou and from those around you are what allowed the Element to form and prove yourself worthy as the one to wield it. Thou succeeded where he did not.” “Well, I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t have done it without my friends and the faith they put in me, the same faith of which I had in them. You especially helped, Luna. You knew that Unity was real, even if the others didn’t. You kept your faith in me.” “I was one of the few who believed him, yes. My sister and Dragonis weren’t so sure. Celestia didn’t want to accept the idea that the Elements were incomplete and Dragonis didn’t want to believe that Equestria might be threatened again from the fiends that had been stopped with them. I, however, was more concerned and as such believed our prophet when he wrote down his final prophecy.” She stopped at the very end of the aisle and reached down to the bottom-most shelf with her magic. She levitated out an ancient, crumbling scroll and passed it over to me, as carefully as it were a precious stone or priceless gem. In my eyes, it was far more valuable than either of those latter two put together, taking it carefully. “Read it.” she prompted. “He intended to pass on his quest to another after he had failed in the hopes that they would succeed, no matter how small the chance.” “I suppose blind faith is another thing he and I share.” I noted lightly. Noting how my eyesight had returned to its former status here, I unrolled the scroll and traced my eyes over the faded ink that had been worked into the parchment with an elaborate horn: Heritor of night, A son born soon, With a sliver’s power, Of the moon. His greatest weapon being his mind, And takes in stride, Though, through discord, Shows a dark side. Against this evil, Most unhallowed, He is light, opposed, To the madness shadowed. Though, to keep at bay, This darkness made, The stars and their light, Must come to his aid. Though modesty forbids, Great deeds, he did. Guided by light, Unlocks power once hid. Gathers the seven, Through the mists of time. When chaos is at prime, He enacts justice to its crime. And when six, Do cease their fight, By his light, They unite. Six united as one, With a hero’s climb, Restore harmony, Enact justice to chaos’ crime. Though Elements of Six, They appear to be, Cannot be without another, They must have Unity. For only united seven, The most magic number, Shall harmony prevail, Lord of Chaos returned to his slumber. Element long-lost, Unknown to the great sages, Scattered and broken, Lost to the ages, Its power, he will use, This humble son. Only discovering who he is, Will seven truly become one. I read and re-read the words several times and even then I wasn’t sure I understood entirely. Fore Sight’s writings were rather eccentric, to say the least, and I liked to work in the mystery into my words. I raised my head up to look at Luna. “I think I see. But… ‘Heritor of night’?” “Ah, I believe that may refer to thy fur hue and its similarity to mine own, as well as our sharing this power as the ‘sliver’s power’ verse pertains.” she explained. “If thou think it, I assure you that it does not mean I am actually thy mother.” “Glad we cleared that up.” We laughed a little from the humor of that. “It also seems to describe aspects of my personality too.” “Dost thou remember our first meeting?” I nodded happily. “That was one of the reasons we summoned thee, to see if thy personality truly matched what was written here. I had already begun to suspect after I had seen thee perform in the Magic Contest and this confirmed my suspicions once we met thee.” “That makes sense.” I looked down again and suddenly remembered my meeting with Dialga in the forest, at the ancient castle. “Hold on… did you know Dialga was there? Was that why you sent me there?” “Sharp as a flint, as always.” she commented, smiling at my blush. “That verse was a little difficult to decipher, I shall admit, but that seemed to be the only possible answer: a literal one. When I returned as Nightmare Moon, I actually intended to find the pieces of Unity myself for it would give me an additional advantage to have the long-lost seventh. I had already found one of the fragments, tracking it with my own magic until Twilight’s search for the six made me refocus my efforts. When I was returned to normal, the fragment I had found had gone.” “Because Darkrai gave it to me.” I remembered that seventh stone hitting me back in the past. “It must have become dislodged when you tried to destroy the Elements.” “Yes, I thought as much too.” she agreed. “I had intended to find them again, but Celestia insisted I forget the notion and return to my duties as Princess of the Night. Luckily, I had managed to convince Dragonis to help me return to the castle and search for the piece I had lost. It was then that we encountered the Legendary Pokémon.” “You mean, Dragonis knew about this?” “No. Dialga had only wanted a conference with me as it told me what I needed to do.” “So Dialga gave you a plan and you gave it your Darkrai to help for when the time came I would go to the castle and be sent back to the moment you last saw the seventh stone.” I figured it out. “Exactly!" “Quite a bit of luck how it bounced over to me.” “Yes… or maybe it knew that its wielder had come for it and sought him out as he had its fellows.” she mused. Dusk blinked in surprise. “You make it sound as if the Elements have minds of their own.” “Thou hast felt how strong their power is, Dusk. Is that such a far-fetched concept?" “I suppose not, considering it comes from the Tree of Life.” I shrugged, accepting the idea a little and returning to the subject. “I do see how important it is. Without it, the girls wouldn’t have freed you from your Kishin side, much like it had saved me from my own.” “Indeed. I would say that perhaps, speaking in scientific terms, that Unity acts as a focusing component for the other six." “Well, Unity is formed from them. As it would give them strength, they strengthen Unity in return.” “Well said, Dusk.” “Thank you, though it seems Unity does more than bring the powers of the other Elements together. Much like what I felt when I used it, the power comes from those united within the light of friendship. It’s with that I’ve come to realize the reason the Tree of Life had in creating my Element.” “And what is the reason?” “It wasn’t just to strengthen the Elements of Harmony in order to protect Equestria, but also remind people how strong we can be when united in friendship, of what can be possible when beings of all kinds work together. The Element Gang does the same. It is one of our virtues after all.” “Indeed it is. You truly are a stallion of words.” “Much appreciated. So I’m guessing Discord won’t break out of stone again any time soon, right?” I was feeling fear with that question. “Fear not, mine little pony.” Luna said. “I do not think that the Lord of Chaos will be escaping his confinement for a second time. Unless we were to break him out of our own free will, which is highly unlikely.” “That’s good to hear.” From my relief, another thing occurred to me. “You know there’s still one thing I don’t get.” “What is that?” “In my time in the past, while I understand how my faith in the girls allowed my Element to respond and resonate with the others, I still don’t know how Unity was able to strengthen it like that. It wasn’t at full power then.” “That doesn’t mean the spark was not present.” I felt a spike of pride from the smile she bestowed. “I think it is fair to say that thy influence was not entirely absent in that process.” I remembered the fatigue and headache that I received from when he had first witnessed the use of the Elements and decided that she definitely wasn’t far off from that. That little spike of pride that I rarely felt from my own actions increased ever so slightly from what I had done, even back then. Quite fitting how, in our own ways, we had both saved each other from our respective darker sides. Which brought me to the final thing I wanted to know, what I had been avoiding because of how I had felt when I’d first read those words and holding a weak stance that there was no way she could have known that and not done anything. “Luna… the verse where it says about… darkness residing in my mind…” Her demeanor immediately became fearful and she diverted her eyes elsewhere. “Ah, yes… that.” “Does that mean… what I think it means?” I didn’t like the way she was acting, but I still had to ask. Luna shifted in her hooves, opening and closing her mouth, apparently having trouble finding the right words. The dread that had started to form in the pit of my stomach had now festered into fear along with something else. Something that I very rarely felt and that had been prevalent when Nightfall had taken over, but I still knew what it was. It was anger, very small, but still a spark. Because if what I thought about this was true, then anger was the only thing that I could even hope to feel. I could practically hear my darker side egging me on and telling me to embrace it. And for once, I didn't feel like disagreeing with me. “Well… thou see… it is… difficult to explain…” she stammered. “Why is that?” I asked, controlling the tone in my voice. “It’s just a question which needs an answer.” “Yes, but… it is merely the manner the answer must take that I find… difficult to say.” She mumbled. “Then just answer yes or no.” I made sure that my voice sounded firm. “Does this refer to Nightfall in my mind?” “Dusk, I’m just…” “Please, just answer me… does it?” Silence fell between the two, heavy and oppressive like a thick blanket that had been soaked in tar. My eyes never left Luna, until she eventually looked right back at me. The words she spoke next were spoken quietly and softly, yet they were as harsh and damning as a death sentence. “Yes, it does.” It did… it did… those words echoed over and over in my head, further giving fuel to the anger that had started as a spark and now boiled over into rage. With this revelation in mind, I spoke again and I could definitely hear the emotions lacing my words. "So, if it was in the prophecy…that means that you knew." “Dusk, please understand, I made a mistake," she said quickly, but I was having none of it. “Oh, yes, you made a mistake. You knew, this whole time what was going to happen as a result of this and yet you did nothing to stop it, nothing to prevent him from emerging into the world." “It isn’t like that…” “Really? Because that's what it seems like to me." I found myself taking a step closer to her. "You mean to tell me that all of what he's done, all of the things I see playing over and over again in my mind, which could have all been prevented and you're telling me that it isn't like that?!" “Dusk, listen to me…” “NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME!’” I was shocked at my own actions and so was Luna, but I pressed on. “I can see everything and I mean everything he did when I was him! I can hear their screams, their cries of torment, as he tortures them! Worse still, I can feel him revel in it, enjoy every minute of it, and it mingles with me like a poison! You knew about that and you could have stopped it, but you did NOTHING!” “Dusk, cease this…” “I won’t, because that’s not all!” I was now right in her face, glaring at her. “Not only do I have to put up with all of that, but I have also been beaten, constricted, pushed to the brink of death, deceived, and twisted, all at the hands of him, pf Discord! And what did you do to stop him when you knew what would happen? NOTHING! What kind of princess are you that would willingly allow one of her subjects to suffer? Do you know what I have been through, what I’m still going through after all this?! You can’t even begin to imagine what I’ve…” “SILENCE!” Luna’s booming Canterlot voice cut me off and suddenly reminded me who I was talking to. “We may be friends, young Dusk, but there is a limit to what that means and thou hast just crossed it!” My rage dissipated in that second and shame flooded through me, along with fear, but this time of the princess herself. I had just done all of that, said all of those things to the Princess of the Night, insulted and shouted at her. Though I had felt I had every right to do so, I also knew that I had gone too far. “Princess… I… I didn’t…” When she spoke, her voice was low and dangerous. “Now, listen and listen well, Dusk. None feels more regret for what thou hast been through than I, but understand me when I say that I did not know. When I read that passage, I took it to mean darkness taking the form of doubt or despair, not a literal darker side. I was just as ignorant to what Discord would do as thee.” “So… so you didn’t…” “No.” Her firm voice didn’t soften and she stood taller than me, glaring down at me. “And just remember, Dusk, that thou is not the only one who has suffered from Discord’s influences and don’t thy dare to tell me otherwise. Do I make myself clear?” That shame increased exponentially in that instant. In my anger at her, I’d forgotten I wasn't the only who had to suffer with a dark side. All things considered, I’d gotten off lightly with what had happened to me. At least I was still here and not in the moon like what had happened to her and nopony knew the connection between Nightfall and me, apart from the guys, Twilight, and Pinkie, of course. But Luna… everypony knew about her and she was a princess. That just made it all the more worse and made my feel even guiltier. Lowering my head out of shame, I genuflected down on my knees, my head so low it was almost touching the floor. “Luna… Princess…” I corrected, not feeling deserving to call her by her name. “I… I forgot myself, along with many other things, but doesn’t excuse what I did and what I said to you. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but, believe me when I say… I’m so sorry and… it won’t happen again.” The silence hung in the air once again before I felt her silver shoes gently lift my head back up to look up at her, her anger faded and her compassionate expression had returned which I felt I certainly didn’t deserve. “Dusk, please stand. That isn't necessary.” Very gently, she raised me back onto my hooves and claws. “Thou… you are forgiven.” “R…really?” “Yes. While thou… your anger was out of line, it was not entirely unfounded. You have been through more in one day than most ponies go through in their whole lives. As I have said, I wish you didn’t have to suffer all of that and believe me when I say that I wish I could have done something, that I’d figured it out sooner. So for that, I say that I too am…sorry, for that failure on my part.” I was shocked and just didn’t know what to say in response to that. My mind was a blur, as were my eyes from the tears that were welling up in them. I had spent my whole life hearing how wonderful Celestia was, yet everypony seemed to forget that she wasn't the only princess, something I was always disappointed about. No wonder she lost to the madness and had become Nightmare Moon, all of those years ago, for none had given her the respect and admiration that she deserved just as much as her sister did. Now it was time for that to be made up for. Beating back my reservations about the fact she was royalty and the blush that she was a mare, I embraced her in a way that I conveyed all of my gratitude for her. She felt tense with surprise, but she soon relaxed into it and returned it, her soft mane flowing over his shoulder. “Celestia isn’t the only one that brings light to our lives.” I whispered to her. “Just remember that she only has one star to rise, but you bring us the beauty of thousands, as well as the light of the moon.” I stepped back and gave her another respectful bow. “And for that, I thank you, Princess of the Night.” When I looked back up, I saw that Luna was just as dumbstruck as I had been. Clearly, she hadn’t been expecting this kind of adoration after receiving so much fear since her return. Slowly though, a smile grew on her face and her eyes twinkled with joy like the stars she painted across the night sky. “Thank you, Dusk Noir, Hero of Light.” She tipped her head to me again. “Are you still sure you would not wish to speak of what has happened to you?” I shook my head. “I’m not sure that… I’m ready to. But…I’ll be fine, I’m sure.” I added as an afterthought. “If that is your wish.” she said. “Never forget that you have friends, Dusk. Don’t shun them, but speak to them too when you feel ready.” The fear came back again at that. "But… all the things I… he did to them…” “You cannot hide from it forever, Dusk. You will soon have to face up to that sometime.” Her voice lightened a little. “Besides, you might be surprised at the result.” Though I had those feelings of guilt from what had happened to them, I still felt that wonderful feeling of acceptance and love from them whenever I saw them. Those feelings that blossomed whenever my eyes were graced with Twilight’s presence, my heart beating and my mind going fuzzy. No, I wasn’t going to abandon them, not again. “I’ll… I’ll try, when I can.” “Good, but take your time." She let me feel the warmth of that smile for a few more minutes, before she made a sound of realization. “Ah, I had almost forgotten. Another change has come over thee, has it not?” I noted her return to the form of ancient dialect and nodded. “Yes, my cutie mark.” I glanced back at the seven swirls now on his flank. “I’m still trying to get used to that.” “Tis a rare thing that a pony’s special talent should change like that, but I think it is more fitting for thee.” she noted. “Would thou agree?” “I’ll miss my former one, but… I think I agree with you about the new one.” I said. “It seems more… honest than before. Like this is my true special talent and, for once, I’m proud of that.” “Glad to hear it.” “Speaking of my talent, I now know that there is much I have to learn about it.” I then went on to tell her what I found out about my magic. “I definitely inherited Fore Sight’s ability to see into the future, though it’s not exactly much. I’ve got to see a glimpse of some events that might or will happen, but I can’t exactly make it out.” “Well…” Luna tried to speak to me, but I ignored her and spoke out my concerns. “And it’s not just the future I can see, I can look into the past too. Right now, I can only look back at my own past and have a long way before I can look beyond that.” “Really? That’s a surprise…” “And, to top it all off, it seems my magic can extract memories, not just mine, but from others. Of course, I only got memories that seemed to be contained within certain items, but there might be the possibility it can get stuff like that from so much more.” “For that, I…” “I mean, seeing all this, maybe my magic is capable of more than I realized. The possibilities could be endless.” “Dusk…” “Could this be like a whole new assortment of magical power? Is there a possibility I’ll end up creating my own spells? More importantly, how am I gonna know if I’m making progress?” “Dusk!” Luna said, grabbing my shoulders firmly, stopping me. “Please, at ease, my little pony. Thee should not fret so much, especially if it leads to such rambling.” “Oh, sorry, Luna.” I said, scratching my head nervously. “Kind of a habit.” “That is quite alright.” She smiled at me. “And I do realize you have many questions and wonder how to grow with your talent.” She then glanced over at my cutie mark. “Now it has been brought to the front, then this should be much simpler.” “Make what much simpler?" I asked. “Thou already know that you and I share a similarity where our magic is concerned.” she reminded me. "However, I believe that thine own is still in the early stages of its potential and I would like to help thee find that potential, to develop it, and show its true worth. Especially now that I see thine talent has even more to it than meets the eye. With my guidance, I am sure it will be great.” “Wait… what exactly are you saying?” Was she really asking me what I thought she was? Luna’s smile grew in that moment. “Dusk, as Celestia had taken Twilight under her wing, I would like to take thee under mine as my student in magic.”