//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20: The Nightmare Within pt.2 
// Story: Stairway to Equestria 
// by AlexUk 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 20

The Nightmare Within




Cold rain fell gently across Ponyville, the sun blocked by the endless clouds of doubt. The burst of blinding light faded away, her white coat starting to accept the chilling raindrops. She looked around the library’s front yard, and made her way to the door. 

Her royally-adorned hoof lingered inches away from the wooden entrance for a few moments before tapping against it a couple of times. The door opened a few seconds later, revealing a rather disheveled Twilight, her mane a mess and the bags heavy under her eyes.

“P-princess?” she said, her eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

“I apologize for not announcing this impromptu visit, however I had to talk to you about something important.”

“Well uhh- come in, please. I was expecting you to visit but I thought it would’ve been sooner after the . . . incident in the Everfree.”

Celestia flinched slightly at that mention, but stepped into the library, her coat matted in several spots from the rain outside. A lingering glance as she passed her student made her realise Twilight was not at all as excited as the mare used to be when she visited her in Ponyville. The princess let out a barely noticeable sigh, the turmoil inside her mind stronger than ever. 

“Any news from Spike and Midnight Blink?” the Princess asked.

A long pause. Twilight eventually turned back to her and cracked a faint smile. 

“They’re coming back. Spike just sent me a letter this morning, telling me that they’re going through the forest at the edge of the Zebra Lands, and that they should be back home within a week or so.” She paced around to the table nearby, picking up a scroll with Spike’s signature writing on it. “He didn’t tell me much more about their situation but he mentioned . . . he mentioned Blink got hurt in the Griffin capital, but that he’s going to be fine. I still can’t send messages back with that spell, but I’m getting there.”

“That is good news, Twilight. I’ll make sure there’s an escort waiting for them near Dodge Junction, to avoid the events that occurred when they passed through that town last time.”

Twilight looked at her with a weary smile, giving only a nod of appreciation as silence rolled through the otherwise empty library.

“I wanted you to know that I am sorry about everything that happened,” Celestia said after a while. “It was my fault and I should have taken better care of my subjects. I let my feelings and personal interests for you outweigh the most common of obligations a ruler has over his followers, even if said followers are not even originally from these lands.” 

Her eyes locked with Twilight’s but she couldn’t hold onto that link for too long. She averted her gaze to a nearby bookshelf, regret still heavy in her heart. “It was wrong for me to assume that my experiences with Luna when we bore your titles would be the same this time as well. I- I hope that time’s passing will help you forgive my wrong decisions.”

She stood up and walked back towards the door. For her, there was nothing more to be said, the decision taken being set in stone. Celestia stood by the door, her magic wrapped around the small handle. “The place where Luna had set those spirits free . . . was it the old castle in the Everfree, where the Elements were kept before you took them upon yourself and your friends?”

“Yes, Princess.”

The white alicorn turned to Twilight, sharing one last look before leaving. “Goodbye Twilight,” she simply said, letting herself out into the cold storm outside.

Twilight stared at the door, going through everything her mentor had just said in that rather short visit. No matter how much thought she put into it however, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something off about Celestia. That thought lingered in her mind as she returned to her studies, trying to figure out the spell that would allow her to send Spike messages. 

Outside, the rain kept falling, dark clouds adorning the skyline all around. 



***      ***      ***



An alien sound, out of place in the forest’s wild symphony. I channeled magic around me and immediately picked up an outline of a pony. 

“What is it?” asked Spike, munching on some apples near the camp fire we set up. 

A smirk painted my dirty face. “Well if it isn’t the game keeper himself,” I said to no one in particular. The pony’s presence in the distance stirred and eventually took flight, heading towards us. My horn stopped glowing and I was yet again surrounded by nothingness. 

“Hey, it’s Chaser!” uttered Spike with an almost full mouth. 

“Well I’ll be . . . how did you manage to see me there in the tree?”

I pointed a hoof at my eyes. “The official business I had in the Griffin Lands wasn’t that kind to my eyes. But I sensed you with my magic.”

“He fought a sand manticore in their Cage and won!” exclaimed Pearl, having heard the story himself across our journey on the sea. 

“So you’re-”

“-blind for now. Hopefully that will change when I get back to Equestria. So, any reasons you were watching us from afar?” I asked, taking measured steps towards the small camp fire and stopping when I felt the warmth was close enough. “You’re free to join us for grub.”

“I was waiting for you to return,” Chaser said, stepping into the tight circle around the fire. “I wanted to know if you would travel with me back to Canterlot.”

“Canterlot? Tired of living in the wild?”

My ears flickered at the sound of a distant thunder. Lone raindrops started falling, triggering an avalanche of sounds from the tiny drops impacting the leaves above us. The rain was cold, but gentle.

“I . . . I guess so,” Chaser sighed, his voice low. “I want to visit my family. Last I heard, my little sister was getting married.”

“That’s actually nice. Well, you’re free to join us. We’re stopping in Ponyville, but you can carry on towards Canterlot easily. Currently the three of us are sharing, well, three eyes in total, so we could use the extra pair.”

Light chuckles erupted around the fire and we all carried on with our dinner. Chaser even opened up his premium food stash, scented soy beans and a few cans of marinated peach. With our bellies full and tired from the last days’ journey, we decided to make camp right there for the night, and with Chaser’s help, we all slept under the protection of a skillfully raised natural tent. In just days we would be in Dodge, after crossing the empty Flatlands ahead. Excitement blended with fatigue and my dreams were weird but colorful. He wasn’t there anymore, probably he decided I deserved a break. Or maybe, just maybe, we both started to realise that we were one and the same after all.  



***      ***      ***



Days passed and the tedious journey through the massive Flatlands began to show its toll. The little food we had was drastically rationed between us and I could feel getting weaker and weaker by the day. 

My whole body was a beacon of suffering, all the accumulated broken ribs, cuts and burns starting to affect my grip on reality. I could only fix so many things with my limited knowledge of magical first aid. 

I would manage to weld my ribs with a bone healing spell, only to have them crack again in my sleep or at the end of a long day of walking. The skin on my back and face was still sore from the manticore’s venom burn but it was only one source of pain in the sea of hurt. 

Each cold night would throw me into a restless sleep where I would dream myself into the Cage back in the Griffin capital, every time facing a new enemy. My Nightmare would appear every now and then but only to silently watch me from the empty stands. 

The others became concerned as the days passed and my physical and mental state was getting worse. They always tried to give me more food and water from their share but I couldn’t accept it. Even if they looked better, they were still doing not that well. 

Spike seemed surprisingly well, considering he got almost the same portions we did and that he had been through almost everything I did since we started the journey. I would often use my magic briefly and see him gaze into the distance and I knew his mind was filled with dark thoughts and turmoil. Every now and then he would hold a claw to his chest, near the scar made by Ruby’s fire when she healed his infected wound. He might have not been vocal about it, but he was in pain as well.  

In one such night, the four of us were huddled around a small fire, silently eating our meal for the day. I was facing the fire, unable to see its light but finding refuge in the gentle warmth it offered as I munched on a dried-out piece of bread. The evening had been quiet, none of us finding the power to spark a conversation after the long day of walking. I ground the bread stick with my hoof, waiting patiently for Raven to eat a few crumbs. The bird found out quickly that I wouldn’t continue eating if she didn’t had a few bites herself, no matter how much she didn’t want me to share my food with her.    

“At least the moon and stars are beautiful tonight,” said Chaser, breaking the long-installed silence. 

“No more rain clouds?” I asked, curious. 

“Not anymore. The nights are almost always clear in the Flatlands. I like to think that Princess Luna raises the moon after her sister’s sun, then paints the stars with her magic one by one, every night,” Chaser continued. 

“If ya like dem stars so much, why do ya have a bow on yer ass?” Pearl asked, breaking the pegasus’ quiet moment.

“Because that’s my talent, apparently. But I always loved the stars; did so ever since I was a foal. My mum named me Star Chaser for a reason. Dunno how she knew I would like them so much, but she knew.”

Silence settled again over our camp, until Chaser spoke again. “You two said you know the Princess. How is she?”

“Who, Luna? Well, I guess she’s nicer than ponies usually think of her,” Spike started. “She doesn’t actually raise the moon, if that’s what you want to know.”

“I know that!” Chaser intervened immediately. “I just wanted to meet her one day, ever since I found out she returned a few years ago.”

“I think I could have that arranged once we get back,” I said.

“You could do that?”

“Yep; if not me, Spike here could certainly pull it off. He spent his first years of life growing up there.”

“I’ll tell you, nothing is as good as the desserts made by the castle’s staff,” he recalled with a pang of melancholy. 

“There’s nothing as good as my simple bed back in Ponyville,” I said, scratching the back of my head with a hoof. “Why does it itch so badly?”

“Uhh dude, you got fleas.”

“I got what?”

The other two stallions broke into a laugh, which didn’t help at all. “What, were you born yesterday? You’ll get used to it, boy. Happens a lot when livin’ under the clear skies.”

I wanted to contradict him and explain why I never had fleas in my life, but decided it would be better if I kept that story to myself for now. 

After a while we started falling to sleep, one by one. I shuffled around, trying to cover myself as best as possible with the worn-out cloak. The night was colder than any I had been through, my teeth chattering wildly as all my muscles shook to keep my body warm. I then heard a noise to my left and after a few moments I felt Spike’s hard scales brush against my fur as he settled next to me. 

“I can hear you shaking from a mile. My flame keeps my blood warm when I want to,” he simply said, and I immediately felt warmth radiating from him. I shuffled closer to him, resting my head over his shoulder. 

“Thanks, Spike.”

“Don’t mention it. I mean it, this doesn’t leave this camp, ever."

I smiled, making myself comfortable against his warm scales.



***      ***      ***



Days later, the first snowflakes started falling just as we entered the famous Dodge Junction town, our bodies -save for Chaser’s- tired from the exhaustive journey and wet from the previous downpours that brazed the large Flatlands.

“We’re almost there, dude,” said Spike, patting me on the back. “I know, Peewee, I miss the library too,” he added with a sigh as he comforted his pet Phoenix. She probably wasn't a fan of that kind of weather.

I focused some magic and located Raven’s strange signature above us, scouring the surroundings. Looking straight ahead, I could notice the shapes of many ponyfolk going by their normal day in the busy town. My special vision didn’t allow me to see any buildings or even the snow that was falling gently across the bustling town, but hopefully it would all be a temporary condition. 

“Midnight Blink?” Came a strict voice from my side. 

What is it this time?

I took a deep breath, but didn’t turn. Having a black cloth wrapped around my eyes should have been a clear sign that I couldn’t use them. I appreciated Chaser’s ‘gift’ and even believed all of them when they told me I looked kinda menacing with it on. 

“It’s fine, they’re guards,” muttered Spike to my ear. If I could’ve given him a deadpan look, I would have. Instead, I was satisfied with conveying my reluctance towards the official members of the Royal Guard with a snort.

“We’re here on Princess Celestia’s orders to escort you safely back to Ponyville. Welcome back to Equestria.”

An eerie weight lifted off my chest. “Hah! For a moment there I thought you were here to throw me in jail . . . again,” I said, cracking a smile, my horn glowing gently as I glanced at the guards briefly. One of them gulped, almost taking a step back.

“Dude, your eyes just glowed under the blindfold when you did that. Told you you’ll look bad-ass with that.”

“Whatever, let’s just go.”

“An express train is leaving in thirty minutes from the station, we can have a carriage reserved for us,” one of the guards informed me. 

“Perfect, about time we got a break. All these stallions and Spike here are with me though, the darker one gets a free ticket to Canterlot too,” I stated as I brushed past them.



***      ***      ***



Several hours later we were sound asleep in the fast train, the gentle sways of the carriage rocking us in deep sleep.

The dream I had however changed to a dark, familiar forest. The shape of a unicorn walked towards me, and I instantly recognized those black, depthless eyes. He looked weak and skinny however, his ribs showing across his back and sides. 

“What happened to you?” I asked with little pity. 

“You mean what happened to you? We’ve been on the road for weeks now. Low rations do that to living creatures, you know. You should see Spike and the captain, they’re not in that good of a shape either.”

He was right; we didn’t have the best of meals ever since I returned from the Griffin Lands, but the hunger was somewhat manageable. 

“That’s not the issue, soon we’ll stuff our faces with god-knows what Pinkie and the others will make for us,” he said, and I could see a nostalgic smile sweeping across his face. “But you have to wake up. That blade. That unicorn. She’s here!”

I flinched hard and stood up in the small sleeping cabin, sweat pouring down my face. He was right. The strange feeling I had in Issac’s Port when I was ambushed by that mysterious unicorn was back. I got out of the cabin, landing with a thud on the narrow hallway’s floor. I tried focusing my magic and immediately picked up the shape of the two stallion guards, lying on the floor at the entrance of the carriage. They were still alive, but not moving. 

“Guys we’re under atta-”

A powerful blast sent me flying across the wagon, smashing against something hard. My head was spinning, and the magical outlines that served as a replacement for my vision became blurry and distorted. 

Something was approaching fast, the sound of hooves clopping across the wooden floor getting louder and louder. The energy signature of that ridiculous weapon was almost blinding. I raised a shield in front of me.

“A bit of help here!”

“Cry all you want, they won’t hear you!” came a mare’s voice in front of me. 

An agile, fast moving shape came into view, smashing against the side of the unicorn assassin. His wings skillfully wrapped around a pair of small blades from his satchel and hurled them at the attacker. 

“Chaser, kill that bitch,” I grunted, getting up.

A powerful blast of colorful pink filled my vision, and Chaser’s outline was thrown across the air. The sound of smashing glass and his disappearing presence made my heart stop.

“Why you-”

I summoned tendrils of magic that lunged forward to wrap around her legs. Two of them missed her completely, my depth perception not very good with that kind of vision, but one managed to wrap around her hind leg. I raised her into the air but before I could do anything else, she levitated the blade around, slicing the tendril and sending a jolt of pain into my horn. 

Focusing, I started feeling the same sensation of great power and energy. My Nightmare was there with me again. A pair of blue wisps jumped from my horn in front of me, two shadow clones forming from them. They didn’t waste any time, the first of them charging at the mare while the second attempted to flank her in the narrow space. The first clone smashed into her, but was immediately stabbed by her blade and puffed into a blue smoke cloud. The second one was unlucky as well, attempting a buck that grazed her jaw, the two hooves ending up smashing a wooden rail before the attacker managing to stab the clone in the chest, sending another wave of pain while the spell dissipated. 

Before I could react with another attack, I saw the blade flying towards me, missing my head by less than an inch as I ducked. The sound it made as the blade impaled itself in the wood door behind me rang loudly in my ears, distorting my senses. 

Another blast of magic, that time across my face, almost knocked me out. I felt the attacker inches from me, her telekinesis spell pulling the blade from the door. I picked up the faded sound of a door bursting open on the other side of the wagon, but the assassin next to me was already swinging her blade at me. 

“Just give up already!” she hissed.

I ducked, avoiding the first attack. I flailed my hooves at her outline, grabbing onto her cloak. I pulled hard and smashed her against the wall, while summoning another tendril that wrapped around her waist.

“Not today!”

I pulled that tendril away, sending her crashing through what I supposed was a sleeping compartment. She returned in a matter of seconds, charging at me with the blade by her side. 

My ears picked up the sound of a flying object and then a powerful metal clang as her blade was apparently hit and knocked out of her magic grip. Startled, the mare turned her head and I saw Chaser’s pegasus outline smashing into her, that time more powerfully. She flew across the air and into the door behind me, bursting it open. 

I heard the loud sound of wheels against railway tracks, and figured we were on the last compartment of the train. The mare got up atop of me and with the corner of my magic vision I saw the blade floating up again, pointed at the approaching pegasus. I hurled my hoof into her stomach, sending her dangerously near the edge of the wagon and with a final, pained half buck to her face, she fell over out of the train, the blade following in her magic grip. Her shape quickly faded as the train kept going and soon I lost any track of her. 

“Ya’ll right?” asked Chaser, helping me up from the floor. 

“She just won’t give up, damn it!”

“She’s the one you said attacked you guys in Issac?”

“Also the one that followed us and almost got me and Spike killed twice.” I let out a groan, a throbbing pain emanating from my side. “Ahh, my ribs again. This just won’t fucking end. Ohh shit, the others!”

I rushed to the middle of the carriage, bumping into rails and debris as I tried to feel with my hooves the drapes of the sleeping compartments. 

“Blink!” 

“Spike?”

“I’m here, what the hell happened?” I heard from a compartment behind me. “My- my head hurts so much.”

“We got attacked by that unicorn again. Managed to barely survive, thanks to Chaser here.”

“The guards are coming to!” I heard him yell from across the train carriage. 

“Must have been a sleep spell or something like that,” Spike assumed, his voice however tainted with fear. 

I heard the crisp, burning sound around me, accompanied by Peewee’s loud caws. 

“Whoa relax there; we’re okay now,” I heard Spike trying to comfort the bird. 

“My bloody head!” came Pearl’s voice followed by a loud thud. “I’m all right lads, I’m all right,” he groaned, getting up from the floor he had just crashed against.

“Everyone seems fine now,” said Chaser. “You’re lucky I was stretching my wings outside along the train and came back when I noticed some weird pink flashes inside.”

“Thanks for that,” I said between deep breaths, trying to put some order in my thoughts. “But this shit just won’t fucking end. Why the hell is everyone trying to kill me?” I shouted, smashing a hoof against the floor beneath me, causing more pain.

The settling silence spoke for itself. It was that moment when I felt the most vulnerable that I have been in my life. Depending on sheer luck and other ponies’ help just to make it through the day was the most demoralizing thing I could experience. That night I didn’t sleep, staying awake just because I knew that if someone was going to attack me again, it would put in danger my friends as well, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen. 

The morning came late and with it, we had finally arrived in Ponyville. I thanked Chaser for all the help and for saving my flank that night and parted our ways as he took another train to Canterlot. He promised he would visit one day and I could only hope he would keep to that promise. 

As the three of us walked towards the town, I started forgetting about everything that had been grinding me into depression. The general state of illness was no longer something that I felt, the pain from my injuries, even the fact that I couldn’t see; all of them paled in comparison to the burning flame in my heart. 

I was back home.      

Outside was cold. It was the first winter I would be going through as a pony. Rarity’s cloak had worn out and I couldn’t even see if it still camouflaged me. My exposed fur tingled from the gentle touch of the rapidly falling snowflakes. The short trip was drenched in silence, and I knew each and every one of us had a reason to be nervous and happy at the same time. 

“We’re at the square. The library’s close,” said Spike, his voice on the edge or breaking. 

I shut my eyes behind my blindfold, trying to keep the tears inside. 

Deathbearers shouldn’t cry, muttered a voice deep inside. Yet I ignored it. 

“Kazooie’s farm is that a’ way, right?” asked Pearl, and we stopped for a short moment. 

“Yeah. Thanks for all the help,” I heard Spike say.

“No problem lads. I’m sorry for that first trip at sea; sorry that I drove you into that storm.”

“It’s all right. See you soon?”

“Aye. Take care of yerselves lads.”

And so, Pearl departed from us, his hoofsteps across the settling snow fading out as he made his way towards the farm near the forest. 

“Are you ready?” I asked Spike. 

“Let’s go.”

He grabbed my mane and guided me through the front gate. Voices from within the library sent my heart racing. Spike stopped. A couple of knocks across the wooden door brought silence in the tree house. I heard Spike opening the door and I felt a wave of warmth from within. We stepped inside. My hooves were shaky. 

A light squee, the sound of wings stop beating, a few gasps. I burned with the desire to light up my magic and see them. See her. 

But I didn’t need to; her presence was almost tangible. The sound of rapidly approaching hoofsteps stopped my heart. I raised my hoof, barely containing its tremble. The initial wave of heat from inside the warm library was nothing compared to what I felt next. Twilight’s hooves wrapped around my neck and my hind legs gave in as I fell into her embrace. 

Her scent flooded my nostrils, the most wonderful smell in the world I had ever taken into my lungs. The greetings and voices of the others around us went unnoticed. There was nothing I cared more about at that point than the warm presence of the mare holding me. I buried my muzzle in her mane, taking in her beautiful smell, the odd, unexplainable perfume of sunflowers with a hint of lavender. 

“Ohh Blink,” she said in a whimper, her voice completely lost.

“Twilight . . .”

Moments turned into days for me as I just sat there limply, enjoying the warmth of her embrace. She then let go and my heart sunk, but I soon realised there was someone else that needed that welcoming warmth and comfort as well. As she hugged Spike, the other mares showed their welcoming affection in their own way. My emotions were too high however to tell apart the hugs and the taps on the shoulder, but all those gestures were sincere and brought back little by little the joy I had missed in the past almost two months.  

“Blink . . . what happened to you?” Twilight asked between sobs, emotions getting the best of her.

“It’s . . . quite a long story.”

“Your eyes, are they all right? Can't you see me?”

“No, I can’t. And I would really like to fix that right now.”

The blindfold around my eyes was damp with tears, but I didn’t care anymore. 

Twilight wasted no more time and almost dragged us to Ponyville’s hospital. Both me and Spike got checked in and went through numerous tests, x-rays and all sorts of different scans. The events unfolded so fast I could barely keep up with them. Internally, I felt pure happiness. Twilight was by my side the whole time, trying her best to relax me. I got admitted on the spot and was rushed into surgery, an entire staff of unicorn doctors taking care of me.

While I was under anesthesia, I dreamed myself at the edge of the small lake near my house, Raven keeping me company as we gazed at the unreal sky above us. When everything around faded to black once again, I started hearing voices, some familiar, others not. A throbbing pain made itself noticeable but I quickly tossed it aside when Twilight’s voice rang in my ears.

“Blink, you’re awake. The doctor’s going to remove the bandage now, they said you should see again.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” I asked nervously. The words came out of my mouth harder than they should have, the effects of the anesthesia still lingering in my system.

Scissors went through the dressing around my head, tingling and itching my fur underneath the band aids. When it finally came off, I had to immediately shut my eyes from the powerful explosion of light that went off in my head. 

“Too bright!”

“It’s okay, just take it easy,” advised the doctor.

Eventually I managed to pry them open, millimeter by millimeter, while keeping a shaky balance between pain and the act of actually opening my eyes and revealing the world around. 

The first predominant color that stood up in the otherwise bland hospital room was purple. The beautiful smile adorning her face was the best thing I could have seen for the first time in weeks. We hugged each other again, losing myself in the sea of purple hues of her mane.

“Sorry, but I need to check his eyes,” said the doctor after the hug ended. 

He leaned over and started examining my eyes. 

“Ahh, too bright!” I complained when he struck the small flashlight thing in my eye. 

“Sorry about that but-”

He fiddled around with the light but decided to put it away. He leaned back over me. “Please look straight at the tip of my horn.” 

A small point of white light formed at its tip, getting progressively stronger. After a few seconds, my eyes started watering, and eventually I shut my eyelids. I heard him sigh. 

“Severe irritability at measured seven hundred lux light intensity,” he murmured, taking notes on his pad.

“But that’s not too bright,” added Twilight from the other side of the bed. 

“I know. Blink, we managed to operate on your eyes and restore functionality on both of them. Your irises and corneas were heavily burned by the manticore’s poison, but it seems it went deeper than that and might have affected you at a neurological level.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“I am relatively sure that as a result of those side effects, you’ve developed photophobia. It means that your eyes are now oversensitive to bright light. We’ll monitor your status a little bit more but I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done to a case like this. I’m sorry.”

Silence fell in the little hospital room, the doctor apologizing again and leaving the two of us alone. 

“I- I’m sure there is something that can be done to fix it. We can go to Canterlot and see some other doctors, I could try and find a spell that would-”

“It’s all right Twilight,” I said under my breath. “It’s good that I can still see. That’s all that matters,” I said, looking into her tearing eyes. “Hey, don’t you cry now, you hear me? I’ve always wanted a reason to wear sunglasses anyway.” She managed a smile at that and leaned forward again, holding me in a tight hug. 

“How’s Spike by the way?” I suddenly remembered.

“He’s relatively fine, compared to you. Minor injuries, a scale infection and a scar on his chest. He’ll be out in a couple of days.”

“If it wasn’t for that heartbroken assistant of yours, I wouldn’t had made it through all this.”

“I know . . . he told me almost everything. You’ve been hiding so much in your letters.”

“I didn’t want you to be concerned, that’s all. What about me?” I asked, taking a look under my bed sheets. “I’m half covered in bandages and ughh- everything hurts.”

“Your condition was more serious. The doctors found four broken ribs, a fissured shoulder bone, cuts, bruises and a really bad case of fleas.”

“Hah, damn those fleas, itched like hell,” I said with a laugh.

“Everything is healing now, save for your general hygiene,” she added, comically scrunching her nose, waving a hoof in front of it.

I took a tentative sniff and realised that gesture was more sincere that it seemed. I was reeking. “Well that’s what I get for not traveling first class.”

We shared another laugh before Twilight’s eyes widened as she remembered something. “Blink, there’s something else. Does the name Bellona the Wise sound familiar?”

Her look was serious and I thought she might have stumbled onto my findings of her. “Yes. I’ve learned some spells from that book, those that were perfected by her. She- I think I even saw her once, never told you about it though. I didn’t know how to explain it.”

Twilight nodded her head understandingly. “I met her, in the Everfree. She’s waiting to speak with you at an old, ruined castle. I don’t know why, but she needs to do this before moving on.”

“Ohh, okay then. I’ll go there as soon as I’m out of here. I bet there’s a whole story behind that, isn’t it?”

“You wouldn’t even believe it,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. “I was in library when I looked out the window. Something caught my eye in the woods near your house so I went there to see what was happening . . .”



***      ***      ***



The door to the hospital room opened slowly, waking up the tired dragon from his sleep and his pet phoenix standing guard on his nightstand. Spike turned around with a smile on his face, expecting to see his travelling companion or even Twilight again. Instead, a white unicorn mare made her way into the room, her steps echoing in the silent room.

His heart began racing and his smile faded slightly, the crush of his life once again in front of him, and him alone for the first time after he had expressed his feelings for her.

“Hello, Spike,” she greeted simply, a slight tremor hanging in her voice.

“Hi . . . Rarity.”

“Can we talk?” she asked more out of formality, determined to have that conversation no matter what.

“Of- of course.”

Rarity stepped towards him, coming to a stop near the edge of his bed. She sat down, her eyes almost at level with his.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m glad you’re back,” she stated, her mind working out a way to approach the elephant in the room. “And I’m sorry that you had to go through all this because of me.”

“It’s all right, Rarity. I don’t blame you for it,” he said, actually meaning it.

“But I am. I should be blamed. I hurt you and I didn’t want to do that, I never wanted to. I just- when you talked to me on that day before you left, I told you such mean things, I broke your-”

“No. You told me the truth, Rarity, you should never feel bad for that. Please; I understand, I really do.”

A tear dropped down the mare’s cheek, dampening her soft fur. “You almost died because of what I said, how can you not be mad with me for that? How can you still want to be friends with such a nasty pony like me?”

“Because I wanted to do it. I wanted to leave, it was my own decision. I had to . . . think, I had to clear my head and understand the situation. Rarity, look; you don’t have to feel bad. You’re still my friend, you’ll always be. And now I feel that I am completely fine with that.”

Rarity opened her mouth to say something, yet words simply failed her. She struggled to control her tears, not knowing what to say to the dragon before her. Spike opened his hand to hold Rarity’s hoof, and she slowly reached for it, managing a bittersweet smile as she clenched her hoof around his arm, tears streaming down her face.

They remained like that in complete silence, staring at each other and exchanging more words that way than it would have been possible through a thousand spoken words.

Deep inside, Spike felt his heart swell with pain again. But it was a new pain; it was the pain of letting go while holding on, the pain of never being able to see something despite staring straight at it. 

It was the worst kind of pain, the soul-healing sensation he had sought after for so long. It was the pain of knowing that as a dragon, he could have all the diamonds in the world but at the same time, those three diamonds would never be his.

It was the painful realization that he was finally at peace with that.



***      ***      ***



Snow fell gently in the cold, moonless night. I wrapped the winter cloak around me tighter, adjusting it. Twilight was walking by my side, taking me to the place she had described to me in hospital a couple of weeks before.

“Here it is,” she stopped, pointing her hoof at a stone formation ahead of us. “I’m going to wait here, all right?”

“Thanks. I hope she’s still here.”

I walked towards the snow-covered ruins, taking careful steps as I entered the castle’s remains. The formed great hall still offered some protection from the weather, but wind had managed to bring snow in anyway. I looked around the empty place, trying to spot anything similar to a spirit. 

A distant sob caught my attention and when I turned my head towards the source, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A translucent armored pony was standing near a taller, whiter one, as if comforting her as she wept. The larger, living pony was without doubt Celestia herself, her wings and horn confirming it right away. She turned towards me when I approached, then looked back at spirit that murmured something to her and then gave a nod.

Celestia stood up slowly, her eyes still lingering on Bellona. I stood there and watched the entire scene, and eventually Celestia parted from the spirit. The royal figure kept her head hung low as she walked towards the entrance of the hall. When she was near me, she stopped for a moment, her eyes uncertain under their tears.

“I’m sorry; for everything,” she simply said before walking away.

I darted my eyes from her to Bellona until Celestia was out of sight. 

“Midnight Blink,” she spoke. “We finally meet.”

I stepped closer, and my eyes fell onto a golden crown near the spirit’s feet. I stared at it uncertain, then back at Bellona, as if pleading for an explanation to what was happening. The mare simply smiled, running her hoof through the crown, unable to touch it. 

“Great leaders can make mistakes too,” she continued, still focused on the crown laying on the floor. 

“What- does that mean?”  

“It means nothing . . . and everything, all at the same time.”

I stared at her in confusion yet her smile never faded. “You helped me when Discord attacked. I remember you clearly. Your armor, your robe . . . your personal notes. No one ever managed to translate them. Do you . . . still miss the stars from Rome’s night sky?”

She looked up through a hole in the ruined rooftop, as if to see the covered stars of that cold night. “So you know of my origins.”

“I do. How did you get here? Did Death sent you here as well? Were you a Deathbearer?” the questions left my mouth, the burning sensation of finding out the truth becoming harder and harder to resist. 

“You could say that I’ve met Him. But He didn’t make me like you. I was a spy for the Roman Empire when I died. He said I couldn’t leave this world yet, as my destiny had not been fulfilled yet.”

“Your destiny?” 

“Yes. When I arrived here I was . . . frightened; and alone. I managed to survive in the village Trotingham and made my way into the Royal Guard, all while trying to fit in as a pony intro this world. There is where I met Starswirl and he took me under his tutelage. Years passing, I became the captain of the Royal Guard. I met Celestia personally and she was the first to know of my true origin.”

She paused for a while, stepping to the empty hole in a wall that once held a large window. I kept listening to her with rapt attention. “And then the Nightmare emerged from within her sister. That was the night I died, protecting Celestia, protecting Equestria.”

“So your destiny . . . was to save the land from eternal darkness?”

She smiled again at that, her eyes however empty and reminiscent.

“I do not know what my destiny truly was. But once the returned Princes of the Moon released us from the nightmarish curse that was cast upon us, I found peace. I waited here to talk to you. Deep inside I also wished to talk with my beloved Sun Princess one last time. Tonight, the gods honored both of my wishes.”

“You’re gonna . . . go now?”

Bellona just nodded. 

“But you can’t go. I still have so many things to ask you. I mean, what am I supposed to do here? Why was I sent here like you? What was supposed to happen that didn’t in my old world?”

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you what your own destiny is, Midnight Blink; that is because I do not know such things. You and only you alone can live your life. This world is strange and filled with wonders, and it will be hard to find your own place in it. Something tells me however that you already took the first steps. You have friends, friends that care for you already. Cherish thy bonds, for they will last a lifetime.”

I wanted to speak out, to ask her more questions, but what she said seemed to have calmed my deepest desires for knowing the truth. I found myself strangely content with what I knew and horribly excited about the prospect of tomorrow. I gave her a silent, understanding nod.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, young man. Learn to be yourself in this new world, the challenges will not stop here.”

With that, she turned away and walked slowly towards the center of the hall, her shape fading away little by little. 

And then I was alone amidst the cold ruins. 

A snowflake fell gently in front of me, brought by the winter’s daring wind. I raised my hoof and caught it, watching it slowly melt. The world around was drenched in its white siblings, visible even in the night’s deepest darkness.  

It was cold outside, but Twilight was waiting for me.



***      ***      ***



My stomach churned and my throat was dry. I hadn’t felt this nervous in a long time. My world lit up as Twilight pressed her lips against mine, her warm touch reassuring me. Her magic worked on the straps and belts of my backpack and satchels. I took a deep breath. 

Outside my small house, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining bright again. It had been over three months since I returned from my long journey in the Griffin Kingdom. Three long, winter months, spent in the comfort of a warm house and in the almost daily presence of the mare I loved so much. Three months of joyful holidays and heartwarming moments with all my friends, new and old. 

Three months ago I last saw Celestia at those ruins in the Everfree, her crown abandoned on the stone floor, its shadow casting disappointment and failure of herself and her subjects. Three months had passed since Equestria saw, for the first time in over thirty three centuries, a new ruler sitting on the Great Throne. Ninety days ago, Twilight received a last letter from her mentor, a letter damped with dried tears and one last apology. Luna had taken the throne in the most official of ceremonies, Celestia addressing Canterlot and all her subjects one last time, reassuring every pony that her sister’s dedication to her duties will outmatch hers in the least.

Princess Luna had visited us and spoke of her sister’s internal downfall ever since she had found out about the spirits residing in the Everfree ruins, her former subjects that had died for her, cursed to remain on this realm for over a thousand years more than they should have. She also told us that Celestia was still living at the Castle, managing the transition and making sure it would be as smooth as possible. Luna did not confront her about what had to be the most shocking decision in history, as she saw it as a chance for her sister to find herself again after over three millennia of continuous ruling over Equestria. 

“Even Tia needs some rest every few eons or so,” Luna joked to us in one of her visits. “And I need to finally take responsibility for this kingdom. My sister will be gone once all the matters are taken care of, she did not tell me where. Rest assured however that she will return; she just needs some time alone.”

Those were the words of Princess Luna over three months ago. And there I was, standing in the middle of my house, with Twilight checking all my straps and satchels, making jokes of my short, freshly cut mane. A strange sense of déjà vu overtook me. 

“You’re going to write every week?” came more of a command than a question.

“I will, and every two weeks I’ll have leave so we’ll see each other,” I reassured her with a peck on her cheek. 

“The library will feel so empty again without you and Spike.”

“He’ll write to you too. Plus, he won’t stay too long in the Dragon Lands anyway, don’t think he’ll risk bumping into the Old One again.”

“Ruby seems nice, from what you’ve told me. And Spike seems to like her,” Twilight said after a short pause.

“Told ya, melted his heart. Literally.”

She smiled, a smile mixed with the uncomfortable feeling of recalling that part of our story.

“Do you really have to do this?” she asked, putting up a slight pout. 

“It’s only a year or so. It sounds like a long time but we’ll see each other regularly.”

“You really want to become a soldier?” she asked for what must have been the tenth time since I brought it up a while ago.

I let out a sigh. “Yes, I think this is what I’m supposed to do. I don’t call it destiny, but deep inside I want this. Luna advised it as well, she told me I’ll have a drill sergeant appointed by her personally to help me in my training. I need to learn how to control my powers; books and studying sessions can only get me this far.”

“All right . . . I’ll miss you, Blink. And our studying sessions.”

“I’ll miss you too, Twi’.”

“I-” she started, her cheeks burning a bright red as she gathered the courage. “I . . . love you.”

My heart skipped a beat. Or several. It could have actually stopped entirely for all I knew.

“I love you too . . .” I said to her for the first time as well.

We joined in one last kiss before the shrieking caw of a certain pet raven interrupted the moment.  

Damn bird.

We laughed it off, and headed outside. I floated my sun-glasses on to protect my eyes. The slick pair was an amazing Hearth’s Warming gift from a certain rainbow-maned pegasus. It was a good thing that, as the bearer of death, I was mostly fond of the night-time and took solace in dark shadows, so my condition wasn’t that big of an issue.

We made our way towards the train station, Raven flying up ahead. Twilight walked close to me, our steps and hearts in perfect sync. Our tails had wrapped around each other, the comforting feeling of our closeness warming our souls. 

The entire universe would have probably stood still if it knew of the scene unfolding near the outskirts of Ponyville, in which a bearer of Death and bringer of Life stood side by side, united in the most magical bonds of love. Out in the distance, five of my other friends waited for us, to bid me a farewell goodbye and wish me luck on starting my new career. I smiled, and felt happier than I ever was in a long time. 

As a wise unicorn mare said to me, one must live through his fears and challenges to discover his own destiny. Although I do not believe in such things as predetermined events or fate, all the coincidences life throws at your gets you thinking. 

For one day you’re lying injured on the ground in a dark alley in London, and the next one you find yourself in a totally different world, filled with wonders and magic. Although questions linger, the chain of events that form up one’s life goes on until its last link lies bare.       

I am the master of my own destiny. I refuse to believe that there’s a mould that shapes each link of our life. Our choices, our actions, each new person or creature we met suggest a new potential direction, a dent in the chain, a rebellion against fate. The friendships I made in this world are already inscribed deep into my heart. Every passing day is a new step in a journey that is sure to bring many hardships, yet even more beautiful moments. 

Yesterday, I believed I would never have done what I did today. Yet here I am, looking up the stairway I started climbing not so long ago. 

I’m nearly there.  



***      ***      ***



The large room was silent and the air was stale. The gryphon’s eyes were pinned on the map laid out in front of him on the large table. He reached out with a claw, going by several chess-like pieces of ponies laid all around the territory of Equestria, stopping near a large mountain formation, right on top of Canterlot. 

Arnost picked up the slightly larger marble figure that showed a white alicorn standing on her hind legs and brought it close to his face. He stared at it, then glanced at one of his last reports from Equestria.  

He let go of the piece, and it fell to the ground, shattering in tiny pieces.  

“General?” he demanded, and a large gryphon stepped behind him.

“Sire?”

“Order the worker nests to start the crop rotation and begin special training in all barracks across the kingdom. Scout all nest cities and villages and begin recruitment immediately. Also, prepare our ambassadors for journey.”

“Journey to where, sire?” inquired the general, the strict discipline heavy in his tone.

“Malas, the minotaur capital city and the Changeling Hive up in the North,” said the king, his voice dripping anticipation.

“How long until you want the troops ready, sire?”

“Two years. In two years, Equestria shall fall.”





End of Chapter 20

End of Part II