The sun had already set when Starlight, Sunset, Phinix, and Scold finally liberated Twilight as well. Everyone was exhausted and longed for nothing but rest. However, they dared not fall asleep because their friends were not yet well. The sun slowly descended behind the trees, and darkness began to envelop the entire city. The city, with its beautiful ancient but crumbling brick houses with thatched roofs, slowly faded from view. However, the flag still shimmered beautifully in the moonlight.
Ferkó began to wake up slowly when the moon was almost halfway across the night sky. The feeling in his head was very unpleasant; he couldn't decide what hurt and what didn't. He only knew that something hurt everywhere, and he felt dizzy. However, this didn't last long. Suddenly, everything came back to him, and immediately all his troubles disappeared.
"Where is Sweetie Belle? Did it work? What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked frantically, shaking her head from side to side.
Ferkó nervously ran out of the house, where he found Starlight and Ocellus with tired faces. His anger quickly diminished to a gentle bunny level, and he slowly went back into the little house. When he entered, he found Sweetie Belle deeply asleep, just like he felt, still very tired and only awakened by sudden fear. He walked back to the bed made of books and grass, lay down, and tried to doze a little longer.
As he lay there with his eyes closed, he felt something wrap around him from behind and squeeze, as if a soft plush figure was hugging Sweetie Belle. Although his eyes were closed, his mind was very awake, and he thought about why he cared so much about this young pony. Slowly but surely, he got closer and closer to a word that raised serious questions within him: Love.
Ocellus was very hungry, but only bitter emotions gathered in the exhausted group. The young changeling finally went to where Ferkó and Sweetie Belle were sleeping and suddenly felt something she hadn't felt in a long time—genuine, heartfelt love. Interestingly, it wasn't just that in the air; there was also a longing for gratitude, which most resembled when a sick patient falls in love with the doctor, at least according to Ocellus. Ferkó half-opened his eyes, and when he saw the young changeling, he suddenly thought about how hungry she might be. He started thinking intensely about the young mare next to him while watching Ocellus.
Ocellus didn't notice anything and delicately enjoyed the room filled with love. The taste was almost too good to just leave it there. Soon, she felt her hunger diminishing. In between bites, she glanced at Ferkó, and when she noticed his eyes were open, she suddenly stopped and froze.
Seeing this, Ferkó realized that he had been caught, or rather, he had caught someone. After the world's longest and strangest wolf-eyeing contest, Ocellus was the first to speak.
"I-I'm so sorry; I thought you were asleep, and, you know, I haven't eaten anything for days, and, uh..." Ocellus tried to justify herself, but Ferkó interrupted her, whispering softly.
"It's okay; at least now I know for sure." He said quietly and relieved.
Ocellus turned as red as a pepper and quickly left. She decided to keep it a secret from the others. Soon, she no longer felt the bitter anxiety she had felt earlier. Pure happiness filled the entire city. She quickly joined the others, but when she got there, she noticed a change—most of them had moved away or were preparing to sleep, and only three ponies remained together.
"Thank you, my friends," a voice echoed that Ocellus hadn't heard in a long time and had longed for.
"Princess Twilight!" Ocellus exclaimed happily as she ran towards the alicorn.
"Oh, you're here too? I'm glad my most loyal student wasn't Sombra's prey," Twilight said as she embraced her faithful student.
"I'm glad you're so happy, but Twilight needs to rest, and you should get some sleep too, Ocellus," Starlight advised.
"Oh well, of course, I'll let her rest," Ocellus replied and walked away.
Twilight and Starlight continued to chat for a while, but the setting sun eventually dampened their spirits, and they slowly prepared for rest.
Meanwhile, Ferkó was contemplating what to do with the fact that he fell in love with a slightly younger foal. On one side, the decisive argument was that love was more important than anything, and it was right for him to stay in Equestria. On the other side, the fact that he had responsibilities, plans, goals, and a family in the other world stood out. Ferkó had read a lot about this world, but he had never come across such a story. The quiet chirping of crickets slowly led him to the land of dreams, and suddenly, he found himself in a consciously manipulated dream.
Ferkó loved doing this; he could dream whatever he wanted, and the best part was that this pleasant memory remained. However, this time was different; he felt something he didn't want to believe. It felt like he wasn't the only one influencing the dream. The world slowly began to blur, and an alicorn figure took shape in the converging world.
"Good evening, Luna," he said confidently and loudly.
"Good evening, Ferkó. How did you know what was happening?" Luna asked a bit puzzled.
"It was quite obvious what was happening when I lost control over my dream," Ferkó replied a bit grumpily.
"I understand, but you know why I'm here, right?" Luna asked in a reproachful tone.
"If you came to help with Sweetie Belle's question, you came in vain. In my experience, forced help in such matters is like pouring oil on the fire and a lunar eclipse for common sense," Ferkó declared, turning away from Luna.
I know this well, but perhaps my story can help you find the real answer," Luna said.
Ferkó suddenly found himself in a snowy mountain forest that was very familiar to him. The trees were bare, a concrete road ran through it, and a thin railing separated it from a huge slope.
"Seriously, you brought us to the Kőszeg Forest?" Ferkó asked a bit dejectedly.
"Yes, but it's more than that; look who's there," Luna pointed to a little boy pulling a wooden sled with a red-painted bottom. He wore a red beanie with a blue pompom on top, a thick gray and red-striped knitted sweater, and a gray scarf. A black velvet pants completed the outfit, tucked into small black shoes.
"This is not me. I've never had clothes like these, and I've never been here alone," Ferkó declared grumpily.
"Hehehe, indeed, this is not you, but do you know this person?" Luna asked.
While observing the events, Ferkó fell into deep thought. Suddenly, he couldn't remember who this person might be, but one thing came to mind that he wanted to know.
"Tell me, Luna, is there a portal in the Kőszeg Forest that leads to Equestria?" Ferkó asked with interest.
"Yes, but how did you know?" Luna asked in astonishment.
"I just guessed," Ferkó said, feeling a bit down.
"Well, considering how young you are, you can deduce quite well," Luna said approvingly.
"Look, I appreciate your willingness to help, but I've figured out who this is, and I don't want to experience another phase of this monster's life. I want to keep it a secret," Ferkó said and wanted to leave.
"Yes, and tell your father how you can be a monster?" Luna asked humorously.
"You'll see soon enough, and then you won't be laughing here," Ferkó said angrily, and he began to shape Luna's world into his own.
Soon, they were in a small wooden house. Inside, there was a large metal stove crackling quietly, the house had one room, and only furniture separated the living room from the kitchen. At the dining room-like place, an old man and a young child with lively blonde hair and a beautiful red face were playing. The child suddenly stood up and headed for the dresser. There was a fixed shelf with a small stool, and on the dresser, a laptop sat quietly. The child tried to turn it on.
"I don't understand why you brought us here; everything is normal," Luna said a bit puzzled.
"Well, compared to how big an expert you are, you judge quite easily," Ferkó retorted.
In the meantime, the child tried to put something in, but the old man went over and pulled him off the stool.
"Hmm, what raw power, I like it," Luna thought to herself, unaware that Ferkó could hear her.
"I thought this was Sombra," Ferkó revealed.
Luna turned around.
"Not this, how did you—" she was puzzled.
"You forgot the first rule of dreams: you can do whatever you want," Ferkó declared confidently.
"I should have known that you would try to exploit even dreams to find us, but you completely misunderstood. Unlike you, I have complete control over my emotions; I've known it was you all along," Luna said.
"Don't think I'll leave the battle at this; maybe you won, but this wretched horn of yours will break in the war," Sombra said, arrogant.
Ferkó broke the dream and pushed Sombra out of his mind. When he recreated the dream, he erected a shield around him, which signaled with a loud clatter that Sombra did not give up his intrusion attempts. Ferkó then finally crushed the dream and opened his eyes. The moon was setting, and the sun was slowly rising, but what surprised him was the pose he woke up in.
Anyway, he tossed and turned a lot in his dream, but now he was lying towards Sweetie Belle, and one of his hooves was wrapped around the young filly, who was slowly yawning and trying to wake up with more or less success. to be continued