Heart Plus - Dawn Arc

by SparkStone

Chapter 16 - Training 101

Being in Canterlot for about a few days, I already had a tough time. I easily grew homesick as no one here is like the ones back at Ponyville. Uptight ponies were everywhere. At first, they called me the strange creature, the monster of Canterlot, and even at times, "The pony mutant". Every day was a grueling day at training too. No, it's not Gold Shield I'm talking about. The training he hands me makes sense. It's that dang Discord! He apparently combined his training with Gold Shield without any of our consent, and now, every time I do pushups, a fireball gets shot if I go too high. Every time I do some sniping practice with my sling shot, he creates another me that shoots back! Parkour practice was no fun either because he would use my doppelganger to chase me around, and if I were to be caught by it, he explodes! Celestia had scolded him many times as well as Gold Shield, but the deal I made with him said otherwise. I made a deal with the devil for a reason! If all this strife for his amusement will also make me stronger, then so be it! I'll put up with his beef! Just watch!

And I'm talking to myself WAY too much…I need a breather.

I finished my training, so I did what I do every day since I came here. I first went to Luna and checked on her. I know she's…in a coma, but I feel safe when I'm around her. Next, I went to Celestia. She surprisingly had a lot of free time when things are peaceful like today.

The first few days were different. The last attack frightened the ponies and for those days, I had stood guard next to Celestia in case of any crazy pony starts to get funny ideas. About five during those days, and in the end, I accidently used my Chaos Roar, which stopped all of them cold. After all that, I ended up scaring everyone away from the castle. I apologized again and again, but apparently, Celestia was delighted to have all this time to herself so she could work on real projects like the new teleporting mail system she had been funding.

Today, we talked about our lives with a side of tea to go well with our conversation. Never have I got to know someone who had been without their family for so long. Celestia lived a life of loneliness like me, but after hearing my tale, she said that I have been through much more and too much. I laughed as I sipped my tea. A nice flavor, made by yours truly.

Celestia placed her cup on the table and asked, "Honestly, you've been through all that, and you managed to smile. I wish I had your strength Kasin."

"Are you kidding? I don't have any mental strength." I told her. "It's all because of you and my friends. If not, I would have…Died a long time ago…"

She shuttered at the thought before sipping her tea. "Thank goodness that's not the case. I'd hate to lose you now Kasin. You've been more than good company to me."

She placed her hoof onto my hand and smiled. I grinned as I couldn't help but say, "I still remember the time you pinned me down with these."

Celestia giggled and took another sip of tea. "You really are quite the charmer, aren't you?"

"Excuse me!?" I reacted quite bashfully.

"I wouldn't be surprised if those girls have feelings for you."

"Ah…Ah ha! You…you uh, are quite the jokester!"

I laughed nervously as she simply smiled and sipped her tea. After that, I went outside for a stroll, and happened to run into someone surprising.

"Oh! Kasin!"

"Fluttershy!?" I called out.

She trotted happily to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"I'm happy to see you too, but what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, it seems somepony missed you even more than we did." She said as she showed me what was behind her.

"Daggers!" I called out to my wolf, wagging his tail happily as he pounced on to me. He licked my face as I tried to get him off. "Come on boy! That's messy!"

He got off of me and stood nearby.

"He was very sad after I told him that you weren't living in Ponyville anymore. He wouldn't eat anything, so I thought that I should bring him to you since you know how to take care of him."

I patted Daggers head as I smiled saying, "Missed me that much huh? Well, I bet you're hungry if that's true. Come on, let's go back to the castle so I can fix you up something to eat."

We left the streets and headed back to the castle.

Me along with Kasin and Daggers, his wolf, entered the castle. I remember how intimidating it was going to such a place, but I eventually got used to it. Kasin brought me to the kitchen and fixed up a meal for Dagger before sitting down with me near the table.

"So Flutters, how is everyone back home?" He asked me.

"Well, it's not the same." I told him. "We all miss you, not just us, even all the ponies in town too."

"Really?"

"Yes. Big Macintosh even said he missed having you around with work. Aloe and Lotus have customers constantly asking when you're coming back. Even Sugar Cube Corner isn't the same since you're not there cooking anymore."

"…I…didn't expect to make a whole town sad…"

"Kasin…When are you coming back?"

"Not soon. I still need to get better."

"How is it here?"

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling as he said, "Well, no one here is like the ponies back home. Everyone outside the castle have been calling me a freak, but inside I have my fellow guards to talk with. Training is brutal, especially mine. I've been going through twice the effort to keep on at it."

"…Kasin…You really don't need to go through this…Don't you miss us?"

"Very. There isn't a day where I don't think about the times we just went for a picnic or played outside. It made me who I am and it built me up."

"Then why don't you come back home? You're strong enough as it already is."

"But I'm not strong enough."

"Yes you are!" I shouted a little. I sat back down and held my mouth in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry…But you are strong Kasin. You really don't need all of this."

"Fluttershy. What happened a few days ago happened. I lost a friend because I wasn't good enough. If any worse, I could have been in a coma and Luna would have…" He paused, shuttering at the idea. He sighed and said, "I don't want to ever fail like that again. I need to get better at this, not just stronger."

"What's the difference?" I asked. "Better and stronger. You're just trying to fight…No offence."

"None taken. And it's simple. I need to get stronger, but I also need to get better at all of my skills. My evasion, my sniping, and even my brains. I need to simply get better at everything I'm doing now."

I was a bit in awe of what he was trying to do. I giggled as I said, "Well…that explains what the others are trying to do."

"What are they up to?" Kasin wondered.

"Rainbow Dash said she wasn't going to let you be better than her, so she started training too. Applejack has been taking double shifts and has been working harder. Twilight's been reading new spell books she ordered recently. Rarity's also been working hard too. She started to make special satchels and saddle bags for everypony. Pinkie's been doing…well, something too, but I can't really explain."

"She's a mystery alright." He joked. "So, they've been training too?"

"Yes…But I don't know what I should do…They've become inspired to work harder like you, even I want to get stronger, but…I just don't know how…"

He reached over to my ear and started to scratch in gently. "That depends on what you think you can help us on. You don't have to be tougher, you just need to work on something."

"But…What can I help with? I haven't been as helpful whenever you have to fight. Rainbow and Applejack join up with you whenever you're fighting revolutionaries, Twilight always thinks things through the toughest situations, and even Pinkie and Rarity know when they're needed. What can I do?"

Kasin looked at me eye to eye and said, "You can do a lot F-shy. Tell me, who saved my life when I first came to Equestria?"

"Twilight saved you with her medical skills…"

"No, you're the one who wanted to help. If it weren't for you, I don't think anyone would've helped me. There was that time you got me the bone medicine which helped me get better and beat Lightning. You cured my zoophobia. You…" Kasin sighed as he gave a warm smile and said, "Honestly, without you, I wouldn't even have been able to make it through. You're always there for me even though you don't know it. I…appreciate you a lot. I don't want you to ever go."

I didn't know this. I didn't think Kasin really thought that way about me. I smiled too and said, "…T-Thank you…I…don't want you to ever go too…"

I was readying for today's training with my team. I could only hope that blasted Discord won't bother Kasin while he does his training. Though he says he's only helping Kasin, his methods of training are to chaotic and unjustly. I'm not sure if Kasin is being nice to Discord, but he keeps allowing these distractions and dangerous events to happen to him. I worry that soon, Kasin will lose and eye or an arm because of this. I waited at the courtyard with the others, not beginning training yet without Kasin, that's for sure.

"Wonder what's taking him so long?" One of my men asked.

"Yeah, not like the kid to skip practice." Another said.

"Maybe he's just running a bit late. It happens sometimes."

"Not without a reason."

"I think I saw him with a pegasus mare."

"Ooh~! I didn't know the kid was dating somepony!"

"Really? I thought he was into the princess. I heard she kissed him."

"What!?"

"Hush! don't go making rumors! What if Princess Celestia heard you!?"

I turned to them and yelled, "Attention!"

They all stood firm while I walked near them and eyed each one. "You all think you're in the clear to talk when we're about to train!? What is our vow in this squad?"

"Nopony left behind, nopony left out, sir!" They all said in unison.

"And what are we gonna do since Kasin isn't here right now?"

"We all go look for him! Sir!"

"Then get to it you little colts!"

Before we could however, Kasin ran in with a yellow pegasus. "Sorry I'm late commander! I was irresponsible with the time!"

I ordered the others to go back to their spots and turned to Kasin. "Well then, apparently you had enough time to go on your tea party Kasin."

"O-Oh! It's my fault!" The yellow one spoke. "I was distracting him and-"

"Sorry missy! But Kasin here needs to remember responsibility!" I yelled to the both of them.

"Sir, yes sir!" Kasin saluted.

"Well then, even though I try to think up a good punishment for you, I can't really do it, can I?" I questioned Kasin. "Picking up others slack, volunteering extra training, dealing with Discord, and even having your talk time with Princess Celestia, how can I punish you?"

"Sir! That's up to you, sir!"

"Well then, I'll remember times like these, and maybe I'll ask for something in return! For now, let's do our usual men!"

They all yelled in unison, "Sir, yes sir!"

The training was the same as usual. For as long as I can remember, we've been running through the course of speed drills, crawling through three miles of mud under barbed wire, hurdles, wall climbing, rope swinging, and close combat. everything it takes to get tougher for later, we never done anything less, only the same or more. Kasin is so far becoming a climbing underdog. Training was simple for him. He's been getting tougher every day, and we're all proud of it. We know that he'll reach that level soon. We're all rooting for him.

"Oh my…" The yellow pegasus spoke. "Is all this really necessary?"

"Everything it takes to get them better." I told her, just when a fireball came out of nowhere and headed towards Kasin. "Except that! Kasin!"

"Huh?"

Kasin turned and saw the incoming projectile. He started to run faster and went through the course past the others. He even pushed some out of the way of the fireball while he finished the course and jumped into a pond, stopping the fireball when it followed him in. Kasin went out and gasped for air while we heard an annoying laughter.

"Hohoho! That was hilarious!" Discord stated. "Well, it seems you have your work cut out for you."

"Another fireball huh? Geez, it scares me to think what you'll come up next." Kasin said.

"KASIN!" The yellow one yelled as she went to the boy. "Are you alright!?"

"I'm fine Fluttershy."

She turned to me and began to complain. "How dare you put him through this! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Hey! I don't even put my men through that! Blame the freak over there!" I pointed to Discord.

He turned to us with a halo over his head and said, "What? Little old me? Cause trouble? Why, I would never…stop doing it! Hahaha!" He said as he laughed and the halo over him burned up to dust.

The yellow one I think Kasin called Fluttershy flew up to Discord and said, "Discord! How can you do this to Kasin!? You know better than to do something like that!"

"Fluttershy, wait-!" Before Kasin could finish, I stopped him.

"Hold on Kasin." I told him. "This is getting good."

"It comes with a simple explanation." Discord stated.

"It doesn't matter!" Fluttershy yelled even more. "You better stop doing that to Kasin, or else…I'll-!"

"Hold on!" Kasin yelled, gathering our attention. "I asked him to help me with training! Okay!?"

I was taken back by this. "You…went through all Discord has out you through…for training!?"

"Yeah." He said. "He's been helping me with controlling my strength and mind. I even could do more stuff I didn't know I could do too!"

"Kasin…but that was…just…" Fluttershy trailed off before she started to cry. "This is too much! You…shouldn’t go through all of this! You…You…"

She was about to fly away before Discord stopped her.

"Fluttershy, I was just having a little-"

"Don't talk to me! I'm still not happy about you either!"

The shy pegasus flew away. I had no idea what happened, but it did hurt those two pretty badly. I could tell, this day won't pass lightly.

I was at Ponyville doing the usual rounds of weather patrol. Today is supposed to be a clear day, so I went ahead and got rid of all the clouds. Didn't take long at all, which was good because I needed this time to get to Applejack. We've been working out our skills for the future, like Kasin. After that day in Canterlot, we lost a pretty big number. Since Princess Luna is out for a while, Princess Celestia has to take on the responsibility of the sun and moon again. And because Kasin saw it all go down, he decided to stay in Canterlot so he can make sure it never happens ever again. Don't get me wrong when I say this, but I don't think Kasin can do it by himself. Which is why we all need to get better too. I need to get better. The kid needs more help than ever, and if he's gonna give it his all, then I have to too! I flew to Applejack's and saw her waiting for me as usual.

"Ah, there you are Rainbow." She said to me. "I had a feeling you'd come soon."

"Yeah, weather patrol's been a hassle lately, but enough of that. Let's get going!" I replied.

"Alright then, get ready!"

We looked up at what we were hitting every day. Just a big pile of rocks. I usually hit it head on while Applejack breaks the thing down by bucking it. I remember the first time we did this, I got kinda nervous cause it reminded me of that tower of boulders Spike put up a long time ago. Now, I feel like I can take that challenge again. My flying has gotten better and it's even harder to push me off course. Crashing? No problem. I don't change my target once I have it in my sights. For Applejack, she's been hitting them hard. Breaking them to bits as fast as I can fly. We've been working hard on getting tougher, knowing someday, we'll be going against something big. After clearing this rock pile up like we do every day, we head to the quarry to get some more for tomorrow. Along the way, we happen to meet up with Rarity.

"Ah! Applejack! Rainbow! What a pleasant surprise!" she greeted us. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're just here to get some rocks. Simple stuff."

"Rocks?" She repeated. "Why in Equestria would you need rocks for?"

"We use them to work out." I answered.

"Work out?" Rarity repeated.

"Yeah, it's what we've been doing to get stronger." Applejack explained.

"Ah, I see that Kasin's devotion has too inspired you as well?"

"Wait, you've been training too?" I questioned.

"Not exactly, but I did find a few ways to get better. I've made myself a nice umbrella just in case the time comes."

I couldn't help but snicker at that. Applejack even chuckled a bit too as she said, "In case of what? A rainy day or too much sun?"

"It's useful for any situation. Whether its weather or for self defense." She stated. "As much as I want to find my prince in shining armor, I can't let myself be the damsel in distress."

"Well good for you Rarity." Applejack commended her. "At least we're working to get better at something."

"Well, I best be going. I have a few ideas I've been holding, and I'll be needing these gems with me." She said while showing us the stuff she just said. "Good luck with your training. Until next time!"

"See ya Rarity!" Applejack told her.

"Bye!" I called out.

After that, we went to the rough side of the place. Bunch of rocks everywhere. From there, we did the same routine. We lugged a bunch of boulders to a pile than move it to the same place for tomorrow. I know, a waste of time, right? Well, if Kasin is gonna go away just because we failed to protect the princesses, then I want to make sure we won't fail ever again. I hated losing, and losing Kasin along with Princess Luna stung. I don't want the kid to go…ever…

"Something wrong Rainbow?" Applejack asked.

I noticed I was getting bit teary eyed thinking about it. I rubbed them off and smiled. "Ah, just thinking of something. It's no big deal."

"I'm pretty sure it is." She stated. "Why don't you talk about it? We've got a lot of time while we haul this stuff over."

"Well…I guess I've been thinking about Kasin…you know?"

"Oh, I get it." Applejack responded. "You miss him, don't you?"

"We all do. Isn't that why we've been working on other stuff? Why we don't spend a lot of time just hanging out?"

"It's a common goal we've been working on." Applejack answered. "We just want to back each other up. When we almost lost everything back at Canterlot, Kasin realized that we're not cut out for anything like that. Even I think so too."

"I just hate the fact that he's all the way at Canterlot."

"I know, but it's for all of us. We're doing the same for him too. So the sooner we get better at all this…fighting…then the sooner we can all be together again."

"Yeah, the sooner you and Kasin can be together." I grumbled.

Applejack was a bit annoyed on how I said that. "Now what is that supposed to mean!?"

"Oh, don't act like you haven't said it. We all know how you're in love with him."

"So?! What do you care?! Besides, it's not like he knows or anything."

"I care because-!"

I messed up and held my mouth shut, but AJ figured it out.

"You…You're…WHAT!?"

"H-Hold on! That's not what I meant!"

"You like Kasin!? But…How…I did not expect you to like him too! But still, why? You two are uh…really different."

"I know! I know!" I admitted. "It's just…He's the only one who believed in me…the only one who said to everypony else that I'll be a Wonderbolt…and because he did all that, I…well, fell in love…"

I didn't know how this was gonna go. Is she gonna get angry? I don't know, I've never been in this situation before and even flinched. When I thought something bad might happen, she just patted me on the shoulder. I opened my eyes and just saw Applejack smile.

"Well, it's not the end of the world." She stated. "We'll just have to see what happens."

"We're not gonna fight over him, are we?"

"No way. I may have feelings for him, but even he's not worth losing a friend."

I gave a grin and said, "Yeah. Kasin's cool, but I'm not letting him get in the way of what matters."

We continued moving the boulders to the training spot like we do every day.

I was running around the castle looking for Fluttershy. I couldn't let her be alone crying with what she just saw. As I searched for her, I slipped on a banana peel and headed face first to a wall. I looked up to see Discord had pulled a fast one on me, but he didn't seem to jovial.

"Oh, woe is me…" He said. "I managed to hurt poor little Fluttershy, oh woe is me!"

"It's not your fault." I told him. "I made it upon myself to go through all this. I'm the one at fault here."

Discord looked at me and said, "But even if we try to ask for forgiveness, she'll never agree to any of what we're doing now. And I don't want to lose my friend…"

"You two…are friends?"

"Surprising, right?" Discord said as he popped up a story book and told me the whole thing. How they first defeated him, how they resurrected him and how he became good. (Mostly…)

"I…Wow…Way to go F-shy…"

"Yes…but what can I do to make her feel better? What can we…!"

He grinned as he had a mischievous idea in his mind. The expression was enough for me to immediately object to. "NO WAY! Whatever you're thinking cannot be good!"

"You haven't even heard it."

"I don't need to hear this one! I-"

He transformed my mouth to a zipper and zipped it shut as he said his simple plan. "You have to ask out Fluttershy."

I screamed in my shut mouth, then unzipped it to pronounce it correctly. "WHAT!? I can't…I mean…wh-"

He covered my mouth with his paw and said, "Only for a while. She really likes you, I think. And I have a feeling you feel the same way about her."

I slapped away his paw and yelled, "Cut that out!" After that, he turned my mouth to normal for me to continue. "I…I'm not trying to focus on a relationship right now! I don't need any of that business either! Okay!?"

"Why not?"

"B-Because…uh…Well, I'm just a bit frazzled is all…" I explained. "I'm not sure about any of this, and it's not something I want to get into at the moment. There's a lot of stuff going on at the moment, and I need to focus on what's happening right now."

Suddenly, a crashing noise followed by an entity of power surged through the hallways. I looked up to see the Element of Loyalty flying out of the castle.

"LIKE THAT!"

Fluttershy happened to be nearby and too saw what happened. She went over to us and asked, "W-What happened?"

"The Element just flew out of here!" I answered. "Fluttershy! We need to follow that thing! I'll assemble the guards, you try and find out where it's headed!"

"A-Alright!"

I went to the barracks and found Gold Shield already aware of the noise.

"What was that!?" He questioned.

"One of the Elements just flew out of the castle!"

"What!? Where is it headed!?"

"Fluttershy's getting the info, get some guards!"

"No time for that! I'm sure the two of us will be enough, just show me where it went!"

I lead Gold Shield outside of the castle and saw Fluttershy eyeing out to the distance.

"Fluttershy! Where did it go?"

"It went to Ponyville…" She answered.

Me and Applejack finished up setting the training for tomorrow. The pile was set and I was ready to hit the hay. Just when I was about to though, we saw something flying nearby.

"What in the world…?" Applejack spoke.

It started rocketing towards us and didn't look like it wasn't gonna stop anytime soon. we hit the deck and looked out to see what it was. I didn't expect to see my element floating towards us though.

"Rainbow…ain't that your element?" Applejack thought.

"It is! But what's it doing here?" I wondered.

Just then, it snapped onto my neck and suddenly, all this glowing happened. before I knew it, I found myself with a pink scarf with my element on it and a bag along the scarf. On my head was a golden circlet or something, and it had a little orb jewel on it. My wings had the coolest armor ever though! Reminds me of that Wing Gar guy, except mine had little gems and they felt super light! I have no idea what's going on, but this was awesome!

"Rainbow!" Twilight called with Rarity and Pinkie behind her. "What's going on!?"

"I don't know! My element flew out of nowhere and gave me this sweet looking gear! Pretty cool, huh?" I replied.

"This is the same thing that happened to Applejack…" Twilight thought. "Rainbow, what did you do before this happened?"

"Hm? I was just talking with Applejack and stuff." I answered.

"Anything important specifically?"

"Uh…kinda?"

"Hmm…"

Pinkie looked up and said, "Hey look! Fluttershy and Kasin is riding in a chariot!"

We all turned and saw Kasin and Fluttershy coming by, and so was a guy pulling the chariot. He landed it next to us and out came all of them.

"Whoa…" Kasin said in awe. "Rainbow, you look amazing!"

"Eh heh, uh, thanks!" I replied. (Blushing, but don't you dare tell anypony!!)

"Would you mind explaining to me why your element broke out of the castle so unexpectedly?" the pegasus who pulled the chariot asked.

"Uh…I have no idea…" I told him.

"I think…The elements are growing…" Twilight deduced.

"Growing? So wait…The elements of harmony are going to a brand new level?" Kasin questioned.

"That must be what happened to Applejack back then when her element glowed like that." Rarity added.

"Oh my gosh! We're evolving!!" Pinkie commented.

"Was that a Pokemon reference?" Kasin muttered. "Uh, never mind. But what's this about Applejack? Her element grew too?"

Just then, my element turned back to normal. That was a bit of a downer.

"That's right. You were unconscious while Applejack defeated the cloud monster." Fluttershy remembered.

"Is that so? That means all of you…" Kasin started. "Are on a brand new level soon."

"I better ask the Princess if I could investigate more on the Elements." Twilight suggested.

"I'll send the message. Kasin and I have to head back to Canterlot anyways." The pegasus dude said. "Kasin, why don't you spend more time with your friends. I'm sure you have some things to catch up on."

"Alright, thanks Commander Gold!" Kasin said in gratitude.

The guy I think called Gold left to the chariot while Kasin went to us.

"Well, it certainly has been a while."

"Nice to see you too Kasin." Applejack said.

"Oh my gosh! Are you finally coming back!?" Pinkie asked.

"What do you mean by 'finally'? It's only been a few days." Kasin stated.

"Yeah, but for me, it's been like FOREVER!" Pinkie groaned.

"Indeed, even if it's only been a while, it's simply dreadful knowing you're not here." Rarity stated.

"Look, I know you all miss me, and in honesty, I miss you and the things we do together. But I need to finish my training. It'll be for a while, but I'm sure it won't be forever." Kasin declared.

"Pinkie Promise?" Pinkie asked.

"Pinkie Promise."

I thought everything was cleared up by then, but Fluttershy was surprisingly protesting to all of this.

"Wait! Kasin! I'm not letting you go back to Canterlot!" She declared.

"Fluttershy, please-"

"No! After seeing everything you're going through, I…I can't stand it! I'm not strong enough to…to lose you to all of that…please…!"

"What's she talking about?" I asked.

Kasin sighed and explained. "She saw my usual training with Commander Gold and…Discord…"

"Wait a minute! You're training with Discord!?" Twilight questioned.

"No way! You cannot trust that guy Kasin!" Applejack said.

"He's not somepony you should be around." Rarity added.

I even said, "That guy is a pain in the flank!"

Kasin got annoyed and said, "Knock it off!"

We all went quiet and Kasin continued. "Listen…I'm doing this just to ensure the future! A future where I can really make sure that all of you are there alive! I future that won't be disturbed by revolutionaries or whatever! Because if any of you die, then I swear to god! Life isn't worth living anymore!!!"

We all went silent. Pretty hard to swallow that down. Kasin was breathing hard and looked tired saying all that. I couldn't help but say, "Kasin…just…stop…"

"Huh?"

"I know we all mean a lot to you, but there's a limit! I mean, if I died, I would want our friends to live on! So just…stop that! It's scary, you know? I…I don't want to keep living knowing if any of us gone, you'd…"

Kasin looked down and apologized. "I'm sorry…I guess I'm too scared of losing you…any of you…but all I ask of you now is to let me do this! I already made a vow that I will come back! Come back so we could all spend time together like we always do…just bear with me…"

One by one, we all nodded, from Twilight to Applejack, all the way to me. Fluttershy was the last one, and after a few seconds, she nodded too. Kasin smiled while Gold said, "Kasin! I think we should head back now! You girls keep that element for now! We'll deliver the rest soon!"

Kasin got on and waved goodbye to us again. We can only wait for his return.

If he doesn't, Pinkie's gonna get him for breaking the promise.

After a visit to Ponyville, Gold Shield rode us back home. He went back to the barracks to do some late check up letting me go back to the castle. I went to my room to find Daggers sitting on my bed.

"Hey boy! What's up?" I asked him.

He gave a few barks as I patted his head. He gave me a few licks while I went to give him a little snack. Fried eggs for dinner? Strange, I know, but Dagger loves this stuff. He ate it real fast while I smiled and looked out to the moon.

"Hey Daggers. Want me to show you someone cool?"

He nodded 'yes', allowing me to bring him to the hospital. There, I showed him Princess Luna's room. She was…asleep…Though I am usually fond of those who rest, I feel scarred every time I see her like this. A memory of failure replaying, but I must stand tall. I went beside Luna while Daggers rested up next to my leg. For days, it's been hard for me to sleep. Every night, I just keep wishing Luna was alright, awake, and alive. I don't remember the last time I had a good night's rest. I don't even know if I rested yet. I find myself however falling asleep, as if something was making me drowsy. I fell prey to slumber and fell into my dream. This however was the first dream I could recall.

"Oh my…" A voice said. "Kasin…I'm so proud of you…"

"Who's there?" I questioned.

I looked up to see Princess Luna herself! I gave the biggest smile I could as I ran to her and yelled, "LUNA!!!"

Hugging her tightly, I was smiling in pure joy. She patted my head as she said, "I'm not dead you know. As the princess of dreams as well, I've been living in my conscious, allowing me to do my job when it comes to watching over ponies during the night."

"I'm just so happy to see you again…" I told her.

"Kasin…I am truly proud of you." She said to me.

"Proud? For what?"

"This…"

I looked at the dream and saw a night valley of cool blue breeze brushing by connected to the land of sunshine, but the memories of torture were no longer there except for the skirmish on Canterlot a few days ago. But even that began to disappear.

"What…happened?" I wondered.

"You're growing up Kasin." Luna told me. "You're now free of you personality disorder, as now both sides of you coexist. You're a new person Kasin, and this world is proof of it."

"Wait, Luna…can we…spend more time together? I…I don't want to leave you yet…"

She pulled me close with her wing and said, "I'd be delighted to Kasin. I want to see you grow up, so I'll be here every time you need to rest with somepony close by."

I huddled next to her as we rested in night valley. Even though it was a simple dream, it was one that made me truly happy. I felt the burden lift away.

Maybe I am growing up…just like how the elements are growing.