//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Rise and Walk // Story: Stairway to Equestria // by AlexUk //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Rise and Walk Trapped. I raised my head, opening my teary eyes, tired from all the sobbing. Sitting in a corner, I stared at nothing, feeling weak and helpless. The recent flood of emotions and events were too much. Tears slipped through and fell down my face, as I felt completely defeated. The red light coming through the small hole in the wall fell onto the cold, damp floor of the prison cell. I tried to escape but there seemed to be no way out of that place. My hooves were bound so that I couldn’t reach the collar and pull the magic conductive pins out of my neck. Trying to use my powers only brought me painful results. Something was wrong out there and I was stuck in that cold cell, unable to do anything. I was scared. Scared for the friends I’ve made in the past weeks in that wonderful world. Scared for Raven, which was somewhere out there but most of all, I was scared for Twilight, despite the recent rejection. And then, a strange, yet familiar noise came from outside of the cell. I raised my ears in attention, turning to the gap in the wall. Sliding towards it on gentle hooves, I raised myself on my hind legs, trying to get a glimpse of the outside world. The sky was still an unsettling red. A small black figure fell right on the edge of the opening, startling me with a high pitched cry. My eyes shot wide open as I recognized the bird. “Raven, you son of a . . . I can’t believe you came back for me.” I was tearing again from the sudden joy I felt in my heart. I was not alone after all. The bird seemed offended by my welcoming, cocking her head at me and cawing something only other ravens could have understood. But I was just happy to see a friend. Raven slipped through the hole, flapping her wings to ease the landing. I leaned down in front of her and muzzled her as gently as I could, so as not to crush her unintentionally. Her response was to bite my nose and give me what seemed to be a stern look. “Well sorry for caring about you!” I let out, massaging my nose with my bound hooves. The raven cawed back at me and took flight, landing right on top of my head. She passed by my horn, making her way towards my neck. By the time she reached the collar I realized what she had in mind. “Damn, you’re smart!” She grabbed one of the needles with her beak and started tugging at it, bringing waves of pain in my neck. “For fuck’s sake, be gentler!” She ignored my plea completely and kept pulling at one of the thin rods as I clenched my teeth. The pain was somehow resonating through my whole body, sending impulses of agony through my spine. I was sure that was not the way that thing was supposed to be taken off, but I didn’t have the luxury of time by my side. The agony ended as suddenly as it started, the sound of a dropping pin filling the prison cell, echoing in my ears; and then I felt like a little part of me was alive once again. The magic coursing through my body was back in contact with my mind and horn, even if just partially. “Thanks Raven, you’re a lifesaver. I think I can manage now.” I slowed my breathing and started focusing. The collar shook gently. I was at a tenth of my potential, but it was all I needed. The world around me faded away as I concentrated on a second needle. After a few moments, it started pulling itself out, slowly but steadily. Another soft cling on the stone floor brought alongside a greater flow of energy. The third rod left my neck even faster as I felt my powers slowly restoring to their full potential. After the fourth and fifth needle, I opened my eyes, having no need to concentrate that much. In a small outburst of magic, the rest of the pins shot out, flying in all directions. The collar that held the needles into place dropped to the floor with a light thud. I massaged my aching neck, feeling the small holes left by the pins in my skin. “Let’s go, Raven,” I whispered to the bird that was looking at me all along. A blue aura engulfed the metal bars and the prison cell door broke out of its hinges, gently resting it to the ground as to not alert the potential guards. Stepping out I suddenly froze, having a dumb look on my face. “Why am I so stupid?” I looked outside the opening in the cell’s wall and focused on it. The next moment I found myself outside by a wall, blue smoke dissipating in the wind all around me. The fresh air was the biggest relief. The atmosphere was pretty much as grim as it looked from the inside, the sun still casting an unsettling red light all around. “Raven, have any idea what might have caused this?” My pet, who was perched on the top of my head, gave a loud answer, its meaning forever a mystery. “Well that’s just great,” I grunted, looking around for any way out of that place. To my surprise, the facility’s outer gates were wide open and the guards that patrolled around when I came in were nowhere to be found. So, I pretty much did the first thing that shot through my mind and that was to just trot out of there. After a while, I found myself in the middle of a wide, familiar street. Ponies were rustling all around me, visibly nervous from the unusual light. Carriages filled with guards were rushing towards the castle and I even saw a particular transport vehicle bustling with what seemed to be actual soldiers, wearing the same Greek-style helmets but having lighter armors and large, round, golden shields strapped to their backs. Long spears rested in their hooves, ready for action. Strangely, they were heading towards the city’s main gates. All of a sudden, a purple column of magic rose from somewhere near the castle, casting a huge, round bubble all around the city, most likely a massive defensive measure. Whatever was happening, it seemed the issue was not in Canterlot. Somehow, I had to escape and reach Ponyville. I headed towards the capital’s exit, hoping there would be a way out through that shield. As I reached a huge square that I recognized as being the one near the Auditorium, I noticed a large group of guards fiddling around a central point, small squads of five ponies separating from the group every now and then, heading to their designated positions throughout the city. I approached the guards, hoping to eavesdrop on what was happening with the sun and why soldiers were sent out of the city. As the group of stallions thinned out, I managed to spot what seemed to be their commander: a medium sized, white coated, blue maned stallion, armored to the teeth with a rather bizarre version of the guard’s armor. Another similar, but noticeably lighter equipped stallion stood by his side. His mane was blonde and had a brown coat, which I found quite odd for a stallion. “And the rest of you keep a standard patrol route along the main road leading to the castle!” the leader shouted to the remaining guards. He then turned to his second in command and continued, on a lighter tone, “And you, Hallem, you’ll have to take care of the troops while I’m heading out to Ponyville to investigate; Princess’s orders.” At that, the brown stallion with blonde mane widened his eyes. His commander pretended not to notice it but Hallem kept looking at him, dumbstruck. “Sir, you know very well that is a lie! Our orders are to remain here and make sure Canterlot is protected.” The unicorn shot him a glare, a very nervous look on his face. “But I have to get to Ponyville, Twilight might be in danger!” he snapped. “If something bad would to happen to her, I don’t know what I . . .” his voice faded away as he imagined the possibilities. I was taken aback at his words, my heart suddenly full of regrets. His comrade started to reassure him but I stopped listening to their conversation as my mind trailed away in deep thoughts. “So this is the real reason . . .” I mumbled to myself, my eyes widened at the unicorn in heavy armor. “She has someone. Him.” I turned away, trying not to think about it but it was too late. I couldn’t help looking back at the stallion in charge of Equestria’s capital defenses. “What does he have that I-” Another outburst of purple magic interrupted my pitiful thoughts, rising up in the sky and making the current shield glow stronger for a few moments. This time I could see its exact source: the white unicorn standing in the middle of the square. “Ohh . . . that,” I puffed, my mind instinctually trying to assess him as a potential competitor for that special someone. Unfortunately, the results came back looking a little grim for me. I shook my head, trying to focus on what was actually important: getting to Ponyville. A transport carriage pulled right by the white stallion and the remaining forces in the middle of the square. I managed to hear him order the rest of the troops to get in; that was my chance. I galloped to them, one of the guards getting himself in my way. “Sir, Canterlot is on high alert; all civilians are to remain indoors until further news.” “Please, I’m from Ponyville. I wondered if you could let me come along with them, I really need to get back there.” To my surprise, the commanding stallion heard me and approached us, dismissing the guard. “Ponyville might not be safe now, please remain here until we manage to figure out the threat,” he said, slightly grimacing at the last words. “Trust me, I know the feeling, but I have to remain here as well and make sure everyone in Canterlot is safe.” He gave his second in command an understanding look and he returned a reassuring nod. So that way back was out of the question. I nodded at him and turned away, trotting off. I wasn’t going to give up that easy. As soon as I was out of the square, I started galloping towards the city’s main gates. There was someone I could talk to . . . *** *** *** Celestia made her way out of the castle and into the royal gardens. Luna was following her close, sharing her deep concern. “Sister, I don’t understand. Why don’t we just go there and face that threat ourselves, whatever it may be?” “Luna, if this is what I think it is, we might need the Elements.” As the two princesses advanced further into the gardens, Luna seemed the most disturbed by the red light outside. “What about the sun?” “I tried to figure it out, but something has made it look like this,” Celestia answered, turning left and facing a row a statues. “We haven’t had it like that in thousands of years, since . . . Discord,” she added, frowning at a particular draconic statue. Luna took a look at the statue in front of them, puzzled. “But sister, he’s right here, trapped in the stone prison conjured by the Elements of Harmony years ago.” Celestia approached the statue, looking at it as if it was something completely alien. “No,” she whispered, her eyes widened at the realization. With a swift glow of her horn, the air in front was cut with an invisible blade of magic. The statue’s top half slid off, hitting the ground and breaking in of pieces. Luna’s eyes matched her sister’s: the statue was hollow. It was a fake. Celestia immediately disappeared in a burst of light, static electricity fading in the air around. Luna knew where her sister went so she teleported after her, leaving a dark fog dissipating behind her. When she arrived, the white alicorn had already unlocked the vault. “I’m sending the Elements to their owners. They are our only hope right now.” Celestia said, hovering the locket in front of her. “Are you sure this is the right choice?” Luna asked. “Shouldn’t we stop temporarily restoring harmony and actually do something beyond that?” Her sister shot her a stern look, having had this particular conversation numerous times before. “Luna, you know very well I am not supposed to do anything like that. I shouldn’t even be-” She stopped, taking a heavy breath. “Let me do it then,” Luna stepped up. “Let me take care of Discord once and for all.” “Dear sister, ruling this land was our choice but you know very well we are not to harm any living creature on it, no matter what. I will not allow you to break that rule, knowing very well it is beyond us to break. That’s why we’ve had the Elements restore harmony when it needed to be restored. Rest assured, I have faith in their new owners.” “I hope you are right sister. As always, I trust in your decisions.” “Thank you, Luna.” Celestia approached the princess of the night and nuzzled her gently. “Everything will turn out alright,” she assured her. Luna returned the gesture and after the close moment came to an end, Celestia veiled the small box in a bright yellow glow and sent it off to her student’s assistant. “You’ve sent that to Spike, haven’t you?” Luna asked, reading through the spell her sister had just performed. “Yes, I trust that he’s always at Twilight’s side. From here on, we can only hope for the best.” She trotted away from the vault when suddenly she recalled the contents of the small chest. “Oh no . . . the symbol’s meaning,” Celestia turned to her sister, her eyes widened, “Blink’s cutie mark!” “Yes, you told me you’ve hidden the last piece of information- don’t tell me it was in the-” “Yes. How could have I forgotten? I can’t believe I just handed it to Twilight like that!” Celestia started pacing nervously around the large room. “Calm down, dearest sister. She would have found out anyway at some point,” Luna said. “But not like this, not now.” Celestia turned to one of the large window paintings, one which depicted the moment of Discord’s defeat against the six ponies wielding the Elements of Harmony. The unnatural light of the sun shining through the glass painting gave it a grim look. *** *** *** “Come on David, I really need to get back to Ponyville!” I continued my pleading in front of the tower’s security captain. “I can’t do this, orders are orders. Not even for a friend of Twilight Sparkle.” His tone was firm but had a hint of regret. We were right at the entrance of the tower, where I found him relaying orders to the other guards. “But she might be in danger, and I think I can help. How would you feel if you found out that something ha-” “Quiet down now,” he suddenly silenced me, looking around. After a pause in which he made sure nobody was near to hear him, he continued: “Follow me and not a word to anyone about this, you hear me?” I nodded in approval and followed him up the spiral stairs of the large airport tower. We stopped near the top and stepped on one of the landing pads. The guard trotted to the end of it, where a very small, white balloon was anchored. “Here, it’s the fastest one we have. You can use your magic to boost it, can’t you?” “Yeah, sure. And thanks a lot.” He let out a smile and turned to the balloon, his horn glowing a faded yellow and engulfing the vehicle in a thin aura. “Now head west and just follow the wind. You should reach Ponyville in less than an hour. The spell I cast allows the whole thing to pass through Captain Shining Armor’s shield.” So that’s his name . . . “If my superiors find out I did this without proper authorization, they’ll have my ass sent straight to the moon; so make it count, kid.” I climbed into the basket and he unanchored the balloon. Raven followed me, taking her rightful place on top of my head. I soon started propelling the flying device forwards, right towards the edge of the protective barrier around Canterlot. “Good luck, Twilight’s friend!” he shouted behind me and then rushed back into the tower. “My name’s Blink,” I muttered to myself, slightly annoyed that he didn’t catch that when I was there last time. And so I started heading towards where Ponyville should have been, hoping I could make it there in time. The sun’s light was shining through the white balloon, giving it a soft red glow. *** *** *** Spike suddenly felt a familiar itch inside of his chest and stepped away from Twilight’s bed. “Is it a letter from Princess Celestia?” Rarity asked, noticing the dragon’s sudden reaction. Spike’s eyes bulged out a bit and he started gagging. “Not- a letter . . .” He chocked, holding his stomach. A loud belch and the dragon let out a small blast of flames, a familiar chest dropping on the library’s floor. The rest of his friends gave it a confused look yet Rarity was the first one to recognize it by the encrusted jewels on it. “That’s the box that holds the Elements of Harmony!” she gasped. Those words somehow snapped Twilight out of her unconscious state. “The Element,” she barely mustered, trying to sit up on her bed. “Whoa there sugarcube, yer still in a pretty bad shape from that hit on your head,” Applejack leaned towards the bed, holding her still. “But . . . Discord . . . returned. Need Elements. Where am I?” she stammered, trying regain focus. “Relax Twi,” Spike stepped closer, putting the box on the nightstand, “you tried to fight that Discord guy and he threw you through a house. I told you not to go alone to investigate but you wouldn’t listen. Good thing Rainbow was passing by and saw the whole thing. She flew right into him and knocked him out, then picked you up and brought you back here. When I went there to show him why it isn’t a good idea to mess with our Twilight, he was already gone,” Spike added, puffing deep, black smoke from his nostrils. “I was so worried for you. We all were.” The dragon leaned closer and hugged the mare, holding her tight to his chest. Twilight returned the gesture, her eyes slightly tearing up. “Ohh, Spike,” she let out softly. “Where is Rainbow Dash, by the way?” “She went out with Fluttershy to make sure the ponies and her animals are safe. Poor thing wouldn’t stop crying at your bedside, but I assured her you only had a minor concussion and sent her off to take her mind off it,” Rarity explained. “I have to know however, how did you manage to survive that crash against the wall? It practically shattered it in pieces!” “Guess I managed to shield myself in time,” Twilight said, rubbing a hoof against a small bump on her head. “Did you-” “Ohh yes, I haven’t forgotten about that magic first aid training you gave me last year. I managed to reduce the swelling and eliminate as much of the negative effects of the hit as I could,” the fashionista stated, proud of her work. “You did a great job, Rarity. Thank you.” Twilight started focusing, conjuring a curtain of purple magic and making it pass through her body. After a few moments the glow died out and she got out of bed. “Are ya sure you’re alright, dear?” Applejack asked. “I’m absolutely fine. All healed up and as good as new!” She smiled at her friends. “Wow, all that fancy studying sure made you, uhm . . . better?” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing around and ending up hugging the purple unicorn. “It sure did Pinkie, it is my special talent after all. Now we need to find Discord and defeat him using the Elements. Again,” she said, rather annoyed. “Twilight dear, are you sure you want to do this? You’ve seen how violent he was,” Rarity added, nervously fiddling around. “Yes, and I also think I know the reason for that but the Elements are everything we have right now, and if the Princess has sent them it means she believes the same. Now let’s go find Fluttershy and Rainbow and get this thing done before anypony gets hurt.” Twilight levitated the box and trotted out of her room, followed by the rest of her friends. They rushed as fast as they could to Fluttershy’s cottage, hoping they would find her there, safe and unharmed. When they arrived, Twilight didn’t spare any time and went right inside the house, finding Fluttershy sitting near a couch. The yellow pegasus quickly turned at the sound of her friends coming in and almost broke in a sob when seeing Twilight. She ran to her friend and embraced her tightly. “Twilight, I thought you-” “Ohh Fluttershy, I’m perfectly fine, nothing magic couldn’t fix,” the purple mare calmed the quivering pegasus, gently stroking her mane. Fluttershy suddenly remembered something. “Girls, you have to see this. I just don’t know what to do about it.” She led her friends to where she was standing before, near the red couch. On it was a small, sleeping pony. She was a very young filly with a cream coat and light blue mane. “I found her asleep in a small cave in the forest when I took the bunnies and otters there just now. I carried her here as fast as I could, and tried to wake her up but she’s been sleeping ever since. I just don’t know what to do, Twilight, please tell me if she’s alright.” The unicorn got closer and immediately recognized the filly. “I know her! She and her mother always pass by my library when they go out to play together at the park. They live two houses down the street.” After a quick scanning, Twilight concluded: “Fortunately, I can’t find anything wrong with her; she was just cast a sleeping spell.” Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief, happy that everything was fine for a change. “It’s alright dear. You heard Twilight, she’s fine; just taking a long nap.” Now Rarity was trying to calm the yellow pegasus. “Twilight, I do believe this is the filly that went missing last night. Should we not get her to her mom? Poor thing must be worried sick by now.” “One moment, let me break the spell.” The unicorn whispered the incantation of a dispelling spell, after which the young filly on the couch snapped her eyes open, a blue mist dispersing from within her. At the sight of five strangers and a dragon, she started to whimper. “Fluttershy, your turn,” Twilight said, backing off and letting the pegasus calm down the young pony. “Ok girls, now we need to get the filly to her mom. Just relax and let me take care of this, we’ll be there in no time.” Before anyone could ask anything, the purple unicorn shut her eyes in deep concentration and began casting a spell. Purple waves started flowing around the room, enveloping everyone. After a few moments of channeling magic, she snapped her head back, pointing her horn towards the ceiling and opening her eyes. No one even had the chance to see that they were slightly glowing white before they were instantly zapped into bolts of white lighting that returned to Twilight’s horn. When the last one went through a split second later, she herself evaporated in a small shower of white and purple sparks. “Damn it Twi, could have warned us about that one,” one very confused dragon let out, temporarily blinded from the powerful light. When their vision returned, everyone found themselves basking in the sun’s red rays in a small garden. Fluttershy was sitting on the ground shaking, hugging a filly that was as scared as she was due to the recent event. Rarity was helping a very upset Applejack up from the ground. “Twilight, how many times have ah been tellin ya not to do that fancy magic of yours on me without any warnings beforehoof?” The mare in question was frowning at her flank, noticing one of her cutie mark’s small stars fading from red to its usual white color. “Good thing it only activated the first one and recovered so fast,” she whispered, slightly concerned. “Twilight dear, anything wrong? Are you hurt?” Rarity asked, peering at her. “I’m fine, a bit tired from the spell. Let’s just get this filly back to her-” “Cream Puff!” a loud scream was heard from inside the house. The door burst open and a worried sick mare galloped to Fluttershy, snapping her foal from her hands in a crushing embrace. Tears started streaming down her cheek as she thanked the yellow pegasus for bringing her foal back. After making sure the filly and her mom were safely locked in their home, Twilight looked around the garden at each of her friends, feeling something was off. “Where’s Pinkie Pie? And the locket with the Elements? I thought I-” “Here I am silly smart pants!” Pinkie spontaneously appeared behind the unicorn, startling her. She was already wearing her balloon shaped necklace, carrying the box with the rest of the elements under one foreleg. Twilight scowled at her then grasped the box with her magic, opening it and distributing the rest of the necklaces. “Here Spike, hold this,” she said, handing him the box containing one last necklace. “Hey, why do I have to be Rainbow Dash again?” Everyone laughed, remembering the last time they’ve used them, having to replace Rainbow with Spike because she was nowhere to be found. The happy moment was short-lived however, as a speeding multi-colored blur traced the sky above them, followed by a larger, draconic-like figure giving it chase. “Oh no, Rainbow Dash is in trouble!” Twilight shrieked, making everyone look up at the ongoing chase. The multi-colored pegasus was quickly banking left and right, skillfully avoiding Discord. Somehow, he was managing to keep up with Dash, his draconic wing flapping in time with the other, normal one. After a steep climb, Rainbow slowed down, trying to look back at her follower. She was certain he was further behind but to her surprise, Discord was rapidly approaching her, bearing a devious grin on his face while he prepared a swing of his talons. *** *** *** A rapid succession of small fireballs shot out in front of me, spreading around in a wide cone. The basket was shaking from the force of my magic, making the balloon tilt slightly in its glide. The blue flares burned extremely hot for a few seconds, drawing an arc towards the ground. Even with my eyes shut, the fireballs’ light felt like the sun itself was only feet away from my face. As soon as I reopened my eyes, I was happy to see that my plan had succeeded, the signal flare spell having its intended effect: getting Discord’s attention just in time. He turned his head towards my direction, allowing Rainbow Dash to escape. Something was wrong enough to make the daring pegasus flee from a fight like that. That became a lesser priority as soon as the draconic monster started heading towards me, picking up speed. “Well, that might have been a bad idea,” I managed to say to myself before Discord crashed right through my balloon, tearing a big hole in it. Piercing through the other side of the envelope, he turned and shot me a cold glare, somewhat surprised that I was there to interfere with his plans. I was unaware of any of that. My heart started to race as the balloon was losing altitude fast, panic sweeping through my mind. Luckily enough for me, the resulting crash wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, the low altitude at which I was gliding having played a huge factor. Within moments I was on all fours, trying to get my bearings. I was definitely somewhere in Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres was stretching on a distant hill way beyond several rows of houses. Despite being aware that I survived and was pretty much safe on the ground again, my heart was still ripping from my chest. It was time for me to face what I’ve brought upon this world, and it wouldn’t be pretty. Not at all. *** *** *** Rainbow Dash landed hastily near her friends, wincing in pain when putting weight on her hind leg. “Rainbow!” Twilight almost screamed, closing the gap between her and the blue pegasus in a heartbeat. She reached her friend just in time, grabbing hold of her before she could crash to the ground. “Are you alrig-” The unicorn froze, immediately noticing a long gash in RD’s hind leg, right under her cutie mark. She laid her friend on the ground slowly while everyone else got closer to see what happened to her. Twilight was already performing an emergency healing spell on her wound, closing it and stopping the bleeding. “You’ll be fine Rainbow, I’ve almost closed it completely,” she said after a couple of tensed minutes. “But you lost a lot of blood so you’ll be grounded for a while. What happened up there?” “That mother bucker . . . got me on that last climb. Your egghead coltfriend distracted him when-” “Blink?” the purple mare winced, blushing slightly at the pegasus’s way of referencing that particular colt. Dash’s signature cocky grin was now on full display over her face despite the state she was in. Her expression changed as soon as she remembered what followed after. “You guys gotta help him. The nut job was out there in a balloon and that Discord went right at him.” “But Rainbow,” Rarity intervened, “we do need all the Elements in order to defeat him. We can’t just-” “We should make sure he’s safe first,” a shy voice came from the other pegasus, ending Rarity’s argument. “Fluttershy’s right, we need to get to him and then regroup at the library. Rainbow, you just slowly fly there and try to get some rest. We will need all the Elements to defeat Discord,” Twilight said, removing the last necklace from the box and putting it on Dash’s neck. She levitated the empty box back to Spike’s hands. “Ok, let’s go, I won’t let him surprise me this time,” the unicorn said, making her way towards the center of the town. Rainbow flew back to the library, while the rest of the mares followed Twilight. “Hey wait, what about this box thingy?” Spike asked, having been left behind holding the case. “Can I have it?” “Just leave it there!” Twilight interrupted Rarity, continuing her gallop. Spike shrugged and was about to throw the container over his shoulder when he noticed something else left inside it. He grabbed a piece of paper with his claws and unfolded it, curious of what could be so important that it was stored alongside the Elements. His eyes traced from a familiar pair of drawings to words and symbols the meaning of which he could not process at that time. He swiftly folded the paper back to its original state and then tucked it in one of his natural pockets. He would definitely have a talk with Twilight after all that was over with. “Wait for me guys, I’m coming!” he shouted after his friends. *** *** *** “So you managed to escape somehow, even from the authorities,” Discord hissed at me from the other side of the square, tensed in an aggressive stance. Looking around, the town’s center seemed empty of any life except for me and that creature. Knowing what I had in plan next, it was probably for the best. I was nervous though, sweat dripping from my already worn out body. I started regretting throwing up that last lunch two days ago after Twilight teleported me to AJ’s farm. My pulse was so high I could hear it myself. I was so afraid for my life but there I was, boldly standing in front of a centuries-old creature which has been corrupted by all the hate and anger that I brought with me from my world. I still couldn’t believe that it was all because of me. I knew for sure that because of my presence, he was free. All that agitation in Canterlot, all the worries and the ponies that probably have been hurt since he escaped. All because of me. The sun was still casting a grim, red light everywhere. The whole atmosphere seemed to mark an impending doom to everything around. I couldn’t let that happen. This was beyond me, beyond Twilight and my silly feelings for her; those didn’t even matter anymore. It was all about restoring peace to the world I was brought into. I still didn’t know why I was there in the first place but I couldn’t let anything bad happen to that beautiful world. Peace and harmony had to be restored . . . no matter what the cost. And that damn bird was nowhere to be found again! My horn was emitting a faint pulsing aura from its tip. Small trails of blue magic were forming over the ground, rising in a column around me. I would need a hell of a lot of magic for the upcoming confrontation, so I figured channeling it around me and using it directly during battle would be useful, although maintaining permanent concentration was essential. “Ughh, why so hostile?” Discord said, smirking at me. “It’s not like you actually stand a chance against-” BANG! A rock smacked right into his head, temporarily dazing him. All around the square, every object that could move was magically connected to me. Telekinesis, a powerful spell indeed. Discord let out a scream of pain, his red eyes immediately locking onto me. With amazing agility, he dashed towards me, the twenty foot gap between us getting smaller by the beat of the heart. Swinging my head, I magically pulled at a couple of stands from the edge of the square, hurling them at a calculated position. As he was merely feet away, they impacted him with a loud thud and continued their flight, crashing into a house on the other side of the market, bringing down half of the building in a cloud of dust. Well that was easy. Pieces of debris suddenly flew everywhere, a raging Discord emerging from under the wreckage, seemingly unscratched. “Two can play that game, pathetic pony,” he snarled. Discord snapped his fingers and I noticed with the corner of my eye that the statue of Celestia from the center of the square’s started to shake. Without wasting any time, I threw myself to the ground in front of me, a second before the large statue flew through the air right where I was standing a few moments before. The heavy monument crashed into the city hall, tearing a huge hole in it. Okay, this is bad. He’s well above me at this one. I immediately dropped focus on all the objects from around me and re-focused my energy. Discord was again charging at me again, at the same time throwing bricks and other pieces of debris from behind him using his own powers. The blue swirls around me immediately shaped themselves into transparent defensive plates of concentrated magic, blocking everything that came flying at me. I was a little bit rusty on my shielding spells so the makeshift protection plates soon shattered in front of my eyes. Luckily he was out of projectiles as well but was now right in front of me, his sharp talons swinging at me. Right before delivering their lethal blow, I shot him with a wide spread burst of magic, expanding the air between us and pushing it away. As a result, Discord soared through the air, landing on the ground several meters away. His rebound was faster this time and my defensive spells had only made him angrier. At one point when he was getting up, I noticed the air around was getting colder, a familiar feeling that instantly brought me chills down my spine. “Just focus… you can keep it together now, you’ve learned how,” I said to myself, clinging to good memories. Then I noticed something even stranger: somehow, a sharp burning pain was in contrast with the air around and it was coming right from my flank. Taking a look at it I noticed part of my cutie mark had gone red. “Now that’s new.” My thoughts were interrupted by Discord bashing his head against my right side, throwing me to the ground. The air was forced out of my lungs and I coughed a couple of times, a deep pain invading the area where he hit me. I started to regret not keeping my focus and being easily distracted but that was not the time for regrets. I jumped to my hooves and focused. He was superior to me in every way and something told me he wasn’t even showing the best of his moves. Discord slowly approached me to finish the job, but suddenly froze into place, my spell making its effect. The draconic figure was in the middle of a very large but thin bubble that sealed everything inside of it. It was strong enough to be airtight, and that was all I needed. With a small incantation, the air from within was sucked out, leaving Discord to choke to his death. The evil bastard realized what I was doing but it was already too late for him. Or so I thought. Right as he was about to crash to the ground, he managed to disappear, teleporting himself out. I quickly looked around, trying to locate him, when I heard a noise from behind me; and then I froze. I turned around a split of a second later, conjuring the defensive plates again in front of me but he was too close for them to help. Discord grabbed me, his larger talon hand gripping me tightly around the face. The back of his palm was covering my eyes and I could feel the tip of his fingers around my horn, digging into the skin. Panicked, I started shooting fireballs but it was to no avail, as I was only burning up my energy faster. He was bigger and physically stronger than me, his grip around my head getting stronger by the moment. I then felt myself raising from the ground, the monster pulling me up into the air. Struggling around frantically only made him dig his claws deeper and blood started dripping from the punctured wounds. Moments later, I was free-falling. In reality, he was swinging me towards the ground as fast as his wings could. A small peek between his fingers showed me the skies and red lighted clouds for one last time. A distant voice was screaming my name. It was probably her, I don’t remember exactly. And then pain . . . The worst, most intense pain I felt in my life lasted but a second. Everything went dark, the world around me silent. I was about to meet that dark silhouette again and this time there was no place else to go except for the afterlife. But at least I tried. I tried and failed miserably. Hopefully she had managed to strike him using the power of the Elements while he was letting go of my lifeless body. Minutes passed like seconds, an empty blackness being my whole world. *** *** *** Noise. My surroundings suddenly came back to life. Everything was muffled and seemed distant, but I definitely recognized sounds. I opened my eyes, the outside light making them hurt more than ever. Miraculously, I was still alive. My heart started pounding in my chest, blood fueling my almost dead organs. Fresh oxygen was getting to my brain, making me regain conscience. The world around was an amalgam of yelling, lights and dust. I turned my head sideways in the dirt and saw movement. Everything was a blur. Ponies wearing armor were getting off from chariots like the ones I saw in Canterlot. A large figure was quickly moving around, striking at the smaller ones. Purple beams of light were tracing above me, hitting or missing their target. The sounds of the ongoing chaos were muffled and dull. The pain was settling in. I started feeling the damage of that crash to its full extent. I turned my head the other way and froze at the sight, as much as an already paralyzed colt could freeze. A heavily armored pony was slowly approaching me. Its protective suit was of a pure gold and as it got closer, I immediately noticed I could see the distant Everfree forest right through him. He was a ghost. “So I really am dead . . . you came here for me didn’t you?” I asked in an inaudible voice. The pony stopped at my side, staring at me, completely oblivious of the surrounding battle. It was then when I realized he was actually a beautiful unicorn mare with long, straight mane and the bluest eyes I have ever seen in my life. Her armor was covered in white sheets of fabric, going along the protective gear like a robe. “The angel of death,” I whispered, amazed by the sight. “Non,” her gentle voice echoed in my ears. She took a step closer and leaned her head over my chest, kneeling near my limp body. Why that beautiful ghost of a battle unicorn was nuzzling my chest was beyond me but somehow it made the pain fade away. The cold air around me got warmer, the noises coming from everywhere were no longer faded, I had regained my vision and could see everything clear again. That included the mare close to me. She raised her head and continued to look into my eyes, now with a hint of a smile on her face. “Ascende et ambule, Blink. Pugnare pro te amicis . . .” (Rise and walk, Blink. Fight for your friends . . .) With those words she gestured towards the battle taking place behind me. And then the mare started backing away, fading in the distance as if everything was just a dream. I raised a hoof towards the place she was standing moments before, pain now seeping into my heart. Her words kept ringing into my ears, having immediately translated their meaning. It was after several moments that I realized she had spoken in Latin. Was it all a figment of my imagination or did the actual spirit of Bellona the Wise talk to me in that dark moment of my life? Whatever the answer, I knew one thing was sure: I was back in the game and it was time to follow up on her words. I got up, stretching my aching muscles. Failure was not an option this time. Gathering strength, I focused, unaware of the persistent, sharp pain in my flank. I didn’t even know that a second part from the right half of my cutie mark was now red as well. All I was focusing on was remembering the personal notes from my notepad. In front of me, outside the square, soldiers were retreating under the cover of a constant barrage of spells from Twilight. She was wearing her golden tiara, the Element of Magic. Purple shields were sporadically appearing around Discord, holding him away from the injured or from her friends. Rarity was behind, using her own magic to levitate the wounded ponies away from danger. Right by her side, Fluttershy was tending to a soldier, wrapping up his hoof in rows of bandages. Her experience with helping animals was being put to great use. Applejack and Pinkie were also helping the other ponies retreat to safety. Rainbow Dash was up in the sky alongside four or five pegasus fighters, executing dives in an attempt to down the raging Discord. Right in front of him stood a handful of brave soldiers, their shields up in defensive positions, constantly trying to land blows with their long spears. Twilight was coordinating everything, bringing up shields that doubled the ones the soldiers had, buffering Discord’s powerful blows. To my surprise, Spike was right between her and the soldiers, spitting fire towards him whenever he had a clear shot and making sure nothing would happen to Twilight again. That moment was when I realized they were no longer a bunch of young fillies and a baby dragon. They were the rightful owners of the Elements of Harmony, protectors of Equestria in times of need. They were brave, big hearted ponies (and dragon) that would do anything they could to protect the place they called home. Suddenly, one of the soldier’s spears cut at Discord’s leg, making him crash to all fours. “Girls, NOW!” Twilight shouted and all five of her friends rushed to her side. The unicorn’s eyes lighted up, powerful magic surging from her horn to the other five mares. Their necklaces started shining brightly, forming a pillar of light around the six of them. They slowly started levitating and the light grew brighter. Spike sprawled in a defensive stance in front of the pillar of light, prepared to witness the powers of the Elements. Discord immediately realized what was happening but this time he no longer stood cocky in front of his imminent imprisonment. He raised his hand at the clouds, bringing it down after calling upon the chaos from the nature. My heart stopped as a blinding white lightning bolt hit the dragon nearby, deafening everyone around. His seemingly lifeless body crashed to the ground, smoke coming out of his green scale tips. The soldiers were on the ground, dazed by the light and booming sound. Discord then teleported in front of the column of light right when a rainbow started to emerge from it. He quickly grabbed the hovering Twilight by her tail and mustering all his force, swung her at the ground, pummeling her into the dirt. Ohh no . . . I instantly cast the spell I’ve been charging all along, then galloped towards a pair of buildings around the market. While running, I lifted a couple of spears in the air, hurling them away in different directions. The column of magic dissipated, the other bearers of the Elements gently coming down, shocked by what had just happened. Rarity immediately conjured the best shield she could make between Discord and Twilight’s body, as the others bravely went to her rescue. Discord’s evil laugh echoed in the market and the creature was just about to strike at the rest of the mares when- “Blink!” Rarity screamed, noticing a stallion galloping head-on towards the monster. “NO, DON’T DO IT!” Discord looked to his left and agilely swung his claws at the approaching threat. Blood flew through the air, a precise killing blow landing on target: the stallion’s jugular. Everypony gasped in horror but the monster’s eyes soon widened when the shadow clone dissipated into a blue mist. My advanced illusion spell fulfilled its purpose and now I was clinging to the beast’s back, having made my way behind him while he was distracted with my clone. I wrapped solid tendrils around his wrists and legs, binding them to my own body. He wasn’t going anywhere soon. My horn was starting to ache badly as I desperately tried to maintain both spells. “Time to leave this world, you bastard,” I said to him, still clinging to his back, my front hooves wrapped tightly around his neck. His scales were hot, almost burning, and he was thrashing his head in a wild rage, trying to get rid of me. The spears approached fast having traced a wide arc around the square, gaining speed. They were now closing in on Discord and I cast one more spell: a protective plate right between my chest and his back. The sharp weapons were going to go right through him, but not through me. A tenth of a second before they hit, Discord disappeared yet again right in front of my eyes, leaving a red mist in the wind. I didn’t even have the time to curse him. I diverged one of the spears from its path, landing and digging itself deep into the ground behind me. But right when I was about to do the same with the second one, the monster reappeared right in front of me, somehow managing to wrap his hands around the approaching weapon. “Ohh, fuck me!” With a devilish grin on his face, he thrust the spear into me. The plate meant to protect my chest shattered at the force of his attack. A new meaning of pain presented itself to me, as the spear dug deep into my torso. “Who’s leaving this world now, pathetic pony?” he snarled, his eyes made of pure chaos. He did have a point there. As much as I tried, my magic wasn’t strong enough to push the spear out. Everything had happened so fast, I didn’t even know what to do anymore. I failed, yet again. A rogue thought came through my mind. Hope wasn’t lost yet. “We both are,” I whimpered my response in pain. Gathering the remaining physical and magical energy I could muster, I grabbed the spear with my hooves and plunged it deeper into me, closing the gap between us. His smirk faded away when I grabbed his arm with my foreleg. The pain was now so strong I wasn’t even feeling it anymore. I shut my eyes and cast one last spell, surrounding both of us in magic. It was so much easier to teleport when you had no quantum shielding . . . *** *** *** Darkness, again. Frankly, I was tired of all this. I was, yet again, drifting away between worlds, a direct result of not using any shielding before teleporting. My hind leg twitched, bucking at the cold air. I raised a hoof to my chest, where a dull pain lingered. All of a sudden, a hand gripped my neck, squeezing tight. In the darkness around I could distinguish Discord’s shape as I felt his hot breath against my face. “Enough,” a voice boomed around us. Discord’s eyes went still and he slowly released the grip around my neck. Dark shadows grabbed him, softly wrapping around his body. He drifted away in the blackness, never to be seen again. Black tendrils were now crawling down my own skin. “Heh, sorry I brought guests, but-” “Silence! This was the last time you-” The dark voice that interrupted me had stopped for some reason. A warm feeling filled me up again. It wasn’t the same one I felt from Bellona, but it was certainly good. A light blue mist of magic started to hover all around me, the tendrils retreating from me. “Be it as it may,” the ominous voice resumed, “but I will see you again very soon, young one . . .” A white flash blinded me, the whole process well too familiar by now. *** *** *** I barely opened an eyelid before feeling the piercing pain from my chest. I noticed however the sun’s usual, white light. Everything had seemingly returned to normal. “Hey there, hotshot. Stay still, will you?” The multi-colored blur hanging over me was most likely Rainbow Dash, the other white one being Rarity. I recognized her magic aura around her horn. I was so glad Twilight had given her that first magic aid training. “Twilight, Spike . . .” I mumbled the names, dreading the thought that something bad had happened to them. “At the hospital, they’ll be fine. Stop talking, dear; you need your strength,” the white unicorn told me. And then I was gently levitated off the ground, blacking out moments after. When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a soft hospital bed. The sight of Spike standing by my bed filled my heart with joy, even though he was facing the other way. My eyes then fell on the bed in front of him, recognizing those purple locks of hair from a million. “Yo, Spike . . .” I nickered in a weak voice. He jumped in place, immediately turning around and looking straight at me for a couple of seconds before leaning forward and giving me a tight hug. “Spike, my wound!” I yelped. “Sorry, sorry! I’m- I’m glad you’re alright, big guy. Been two days since you got here, doctors told me you should have been out for another day or two.” The widest of smiles was on his face as he seemed perfectly fine, despite of what had happened to him days ago. “Dude, the lightning, how did-” “Ah, that. Well you know, us dragons are fire-proof,” he smirked, tracing a claw over his scales. “When a high voltage current passes through your body, it tries to escape, burning your extremities,” he somewhat recited from memory. Seeing the look on my face, he further explained: “I’ve read it in one of Twi’s books. It was still a shocker you know,” he added, managing a laugh. The mention of Twilight’s name made me gulp and my looks shifted from the dragon to the mare lying in the bed next to mine. I threw the sheets from me and stood on the edge of the bed, looking at her. “Where are we? How is she?” I asked, half-hearted. “Ponyville Hospital, one of the best in Equestria. As for Twi’, doctors said the damage was big, but nothing they couldn’t fix. Celestia came as soon as she found out and insisted on performing the healing procedure herself. There won’t be any scars for either of you but Twilight will take a while until she wakes up. Celestia had to put her into a deep sleep or something like that so that nothing bad would happen to her memories and all.” Spike took another look at his adoptive mother, letting out a sigh. “Well, at least she’ll be fine. You’re also very lucky; doctors said that spear went right between your heart and lungs, missing them by an inch. Have to ask you something, dude: what happened to Discord? As soon as you two disappeared, the sun was normal. We found you several minutes right near where you were before you teleported.” I closed my eyes, remembering the whole thing. For all I knew, Death had taken him as he wasn’t allowed to be there. But I couldn’t explain that to Spike, not yet. “All I can say for now,” I began, taking a deep breath, “is that he won’t be a trouble for us anymore.” Spike looked at me and I was unable to determine if he was happy or disturbed about the news. He then looked at my flank, namely my cutie mark, which was now normal again, the whole symbol being black as it always was. “Blink, I wanted to talk to Twilight about something I found but now that you are awake . . .” He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and started to open it with his dexterous claws when the door of the large hospital room swung open, a white stallion coming through. The dragon turned around and when he recognized the pony, he wrapped the paper back and tucked it into his pocket. “I guess it can wait.” “Hey Spike!” The somewhat familiar unicorn stallion greeted. He went straight to Twilight’s bed, leaning over and grabbing her hoof. At that particular sight, my blood raised a few degrees in temperature. It was him, the one I saw in Canterlot with his fancy metropolitan wide shield . . . Twilight’s coltfriend. My teeth started to involuntarily grind against each other. No, I’m not like that. If she’s happy, I’m happy and that’s that. “Still the same?” the stallion asked, his eyes still on the mare. “Yeah, pretty much. Blink woke up though,” Spike stated, nodding at me. The white pony raised his head, blushing from embarrassment. He got up and quickly approached me, grabbing my hoof and shaking it hard. Physical contact . . . ohh, dear. “A thousand apologies. I’m Shining Armor; you must be Blink. Thank you so much for saving Twilight, she means so much for me.” Ohh you don’t say? Lucky bastard. “If something worse had happened to my dear sister, I would have never forgiven myself for not leaving Canterlot that day . . .” Uhh, say what? My blood instantly cooled down and the obvious look of murder from my eyes faded away. “Your sister . . .” I mumbled. “Yes, I’m her brother. Hasn’t she told you of me? I for one have heard a lot of things about you from her letters.” “Your sister. Heh,” I said again louder and then broke into a laugh. I pulled his hoof, trapping him into a tight embrace. Somehow that particular information made me the happiest colt alive. Heck, I would have even kissed that white unicorn but I had my limits. “Your sis- I’m so happy she has a brother . . . like you, I mean; a brother like you!” “Hehe, well ugh- thanks. And thanks again for what you have done. I regret with all my heart that I haven’t helped you get to Ponyville faster when I saw you in Canterlot, but I didn’t know who you were then.” “Tiss’ alright, don’t you worry, as long as you’re her brother.” I am certainly getting creepy. Bah! I could blame it on the medicine! “I’ll go now, will be checking back at you guys later today. I have my hooves full with all the aftermath of the alert state which was imposed in Canterlot. See you soon, and keep an eye on my sister,” he added with a wink, before trotting out of the room. The obvious, goofy smile on my face persisted even after he left. It quickly faded away once I remembered something important to me. “Spike, have you seen Raven? I think I lost her when my balloon crashed that day.” “Ohh don’t worry, she’s at Fluttershy’s, healing up. When you were first hit by Discord she appeared out of nowhere and went right at his face! Should have seen it, it was crazy. She was hit though by that bastard and Fluttershy took her in her care. She should- wow” A sudden sharp bird call rang inside the room and as I turned my head towards the window, a black thing flew right towards me, nudging itself in my neck. I quickly grabbed it and hold it in front of me with my hooves. “Raven, you bastard!” I almost yelled, recognizing the creature. I nuzzled it until she started beating her wings and pinching my face. “Okay, okay, too much love, I get it.” I put the bird on my nightstand and noticed part of her left wing was still bandaged. “Someone hasn’t been listening to their doctor,” I scolded her, although my tone betrayed happiness. “You stay here until Fluttershy says otherwise, alright?” To my surprise, the bird cawed what seemed to be an approval, which was quite unusual for the stubborn one. The door opened again, and five very familiar mares trotted in. “BLINKY!” Pinkie jumped at the sight of me being awake. “What did you just- AAAAhhhh bandage!” I cried at the pink pony holding onto me for dear life. “Ohh sorry, Blinky winky! I’m just so happy you’re alright and awake again!” I could swear she was a unicorn in disguise or something because before I could protest at the new nickname that was bestowed upon me, balloons were floating from all the beds and everyone had a party hat strapped on. My jaw dropped when I saw Raven scratching with her claws at the tiny colored hat on her head, obviously annoyed by her new clothing accessory. “How the-” “Pinkie Pie . . .” Rarity interjected, trying to keep a serious tone, “It’s impolite to act like this in a hospital. Blink might be fine but Twilight still needs her rest- ohh dear Celestia.” Rarity facehoofed as Applejack was already removing the party hat from Twilight, which was sleeping like a log in her magically induced coma. Spike chuckled at the sight and removed his own hat. “She’s right Pinkie, Twi needs to recover.” “Well, we’re glad you’re fine but ah reckon we can’t stay here for long, doctor said all this commotion could stress our Twilight here.” “Here you were, little rascal,” Fluttershy said, seeing the bird on my nightstand. “I thought I left you with Angel back at my home.” “Yeah well, she’s kinda’ stubborn, sorry for that. Is her wing alright though?” I asked. “Oh, yes. She just needs to not use it for a while and get a lot of rest. I guess she’ll be staying here with you now. I’ll bring some seeds for her later.” “Thanks Fluttershy; means a lot for me.” “You’re welcome. And I’m happy as well that you’re alright,” she added in a low voice. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, nice moves there, hotshot,” Rainbow’s voice came from the middle of the room, where she was hovering impatiently. “Would love to talk to you more and all but I gotta go, hospital rooms make me nervous. See ya later!” With that, the cyan pegasus flew right through the window, making the rest of the grounded mares frown. “Such a ruffian. Anyway dear, we’ll be visiting later. Do try and get some rest, both of you,” Rarity said sternly, looking at both me and the green and purple dragon. Spike immediately complied, jumping into his bed on the other side of the room. I smiled at the ponies as they left then laid into my own bed, still looking at the sleeping mare from the bed next to me. Spike was perfectly fine but the doctors wanted to keep him in hospital for a few more days, just to be sure. He was actually happy with that, as he had the chance to watch over Twilight. As for me, I could stay a couple more days as well. My wound was pretty severe but because no internal organs were harmed, the tissue had healed right when the magical operation took place the day I was brought in. *** *** *** Days passed and my recovery was going better than planned. Doctors visited regularly to check up on us, but most of all, on Twilight. During her magic-induced coma, she had healed perfectly as well. There was the option to wake her up using another spell but the doctors preferred to let the magic dissipate on its own to avoid any side effects. Every day I would take a short walk outside with Spike before returning to the hospital room. I even managed to use magic again, without notable pain from my horn. Although physically healed, my magic had suffered quite a bit, up the point of what doctors said was a ‘burnout’. Also, there seemed to be certain anomalies showing up both on me and Twilight but they didn’t have the necessary expertise to clearly state what it was. Instead, they would have us sent to Canterlot’s special magical hospital for an advanced checkup, once both of us were out. As days went by, I stood by Twilight’s bed, wanting to be the first pony she saw after waking up. Spike also wanted to spend as much time as possible by her side, so we did it in turns. The waiting was painfully boring but the doctor ponies had told us she should come by very soon. Worst part of it was the food from the hospital canteen. Luckily for us, AJ and Pinkie brought us some treats regularly and Rarity even snuck some gems into the pies and cakes for Spike, so that the hospital staff wouldn't find out. It was something about a stupid rule that banned them because of how they might interfere with some of the equipment. The only drawback was that I sometimes found the gems in the hard way. The very hard way. Almost ten days after the battle in Ponyville, Twilight woke up. I wasn’t exactly a witness to that happy moment but I was close enough. Due to the fact that I’ve been pushing myself to stay awake for the last day, knowing she would wake up anytime, I had fallen asleep at her bedside, my head resting near her foreleg. A warm feeling pulled me from the realm of dreams as I felt two hooves wrapped around my neck. Opening my eyes, I could see purple hair, my muzzle deep in Twilight’s mane. Sweet Celestia, if I could only record memories like those . . . I pulled back and looked at her. She was happy and her eyes were red, tears having recently flown down her cheeks. “Umm, sorry. Spike told me what happened when I woke up. He also told me why you had fallen asleep by my side so I- I couldn’t resist not giving you a hug. Thanks Blink, for everything,” the purple mare said, a warm smile on her face. I stood up and cleared my throat, my eyes darting from Twilight to Spike, which gave me a wink, smirking. “Well umm, I’m glad you’re now fine and uhm, doctors said we can all leave the hospital once you wake up. So . . . yeah,” I stammered, a little embarrassed by her recent affectionate gesture. The main doctor, a gray pegasus with dark mane, came for a last checkup. Everything seemed fine so he signed our discharges and wished us the best of luck, thanking us for saving Ponyville. The weather outside was wonderful, the sun was shining bright and the songs of the birds were filling the air around us. We were so happy to get out of that hospital, especially me and Spike. Raven was flying above us, basking in the sun’s warm rays, happy to be using her wings again. Making our way towards the library, we shared each of our stories about what happened that day. I found out that the filly I had supposedly foalnapped was alright and safe with her mother. Twilight told me the sleeping spell that was cast on the little pony had traces of my magic and I immediately made the connection between that and the strange dream I had a night before I was arrested. Apparently, Discord’s magic was powerful enough to allow him to infest the dream world of sleeping ponies, letting him manipulate them like puppets on a string. The soldiers dispatched from Canterlot that were injured that day were all fine as well, having made a speedy recovery in the capital’s military hospital. As we reached the library, Spike hurried inside, mumbling something about his room and his round, comfortable bed. He gave me one last wink before closing the door after him, leaving me and Twilight outside in privacy. “Well, I think I might go and see the rest of the girls, they probably don’t know we were discharged today. Also I think my brother might be visiting me soon as well.” “Yeah, I got to get back to my place and pay Kazooie a visit, kinda skipped work for a long time and one of the nurses told me a farmer pony with his wife and daughter visited me when I was out during those two days, so I owe them that. Guess I’ll be seeing you later . . .” As I turned around to head to my house near the lake, Twilight spoke: “Blink, wait. Look, I wanted to tell you that uhm- I kinda made a mistake when I uhh . . . declined your invitation that day.” I quickly turned to face the beautiful mare that was stammering more than Fluttershy would on a normal day for some reason. “I wasn’t completely honest with you; I thought that I couldn’t trust you. Some things don’t quite add up, Midnight Blink, but I guess that in order for me to find out more about you, we would have to spend more time together, which kind of makes sense actually,” Twilight nervously went on. “Does that mean that,” I slowly said, my heart leaping out of my chest in excitement. “Well I guess we could . . . you know, go out someday?” she timidly asked, looking everywhere but at me. “That would be nice, Twilight. How about tomorrow at sundown?” Damn that was cheesy as hell. “By the lake near my place?” Past romantic and way into inappropriateville! “Okay!” Twilight answered, probably faster that she would have wanted. Her eyes stared into the ground, her cheeks so red I started to feel concerned that her heart might not be getting blood anymore, all of it being in her face. “Aww, and I guess I never had the chance to properly thank you for what you’ve done,” she spoke softly, her big, beautiful, purple eyes now looking straight into mine. And then it happened. It barely registered on the social scale of physical interactions but boy did it rock my world; both of them, in fact. Right after she leaned forward and gently gave me a kiss on my cheek, she hurried inside, muttering something on the lines of ‘see you tomorrow’, leaving me dumbstruck in front of her tree house. It was my face’s time to fill up with blood, even competing with Celestia’s sun for the hottest thing in the solar system. I rubbed a hoof over it, a wide smile creeping on my face. Well that was definitely something . . . I went back to my home, the smile never leaving from my face during the whole time. I threw myself into bed and I think I pretty much smiled during that long half-a-day sleep as well. Things had turned quite nice, it seemed. *** *** *** The presence of Bellona’s spirit that saved me when fighting Discord, the unusual change of my cutie mark after using a lot of magic, even the important thing Spike wanted to tell me about at the hospital. All of those didn’t matter for me the next day, because that day was supposed to be special. I was standing near the lake, having groomed my mane as best as I could, making sure it looked perfect. The sun was preparing its slow descent into the horizon, the lake in front of me reflecting its light, creating a beautifully romantic setup. I practiced a spell the whole day and as a result, a now invisible red rose was floating near me while I waited for my date to arrive. As soon as she would be there, I would surprise her with it. Truth be told, I wasn’t actually sure if she would eat it or not, the whole meaning of flowers still being awkward for me. They were pretty, but you could also eat them . . . All of a sudden Raven approached, landing in front of me on the soft, green grass. “Hey there; your wing feeling better?” The bird on the other hand seemed quite agitated, cawing at me in an unusual, painful tone. “What is it, what happe-” Before I could get closer to her and finish my question, she let out one last loud cry and then took flight, heading towards the sunset, flying high and fast. Soon, she was just a dot in the sky. “Where the hell are you going?” I asked, intrigued. My eyes then widened, a sudden pain filling my chest. My cutie mark was burning on my skin and I felt my heart literally stop as I crashed to the ground, bucking my hind legs in a panic. The world around me went dark once again and I let out one last breath. *** *** *** A very, very far place away A dark silhouette made its way on the white grass, a forest of unusually tall trees behind it. He raised his hooded head at the two moons in the sky, one of which was breaking apart, huge white chunks slowly entering the atmosphere, catching fire. “Punctual as always I see . . .” The black figure turned towards the one that addressed him. It looked the same as he did, the big difference being the pure white cloak he was wearing. “Haven’t been here in a long time now,” the white one continued. He gazed at the apocalyptic sight of falling moon pieces. “But I guess you’re going to be busy here. How many?” “Four billion. Not a bad day, if I am to be honest,” the first answered after a pause, now looking at the display in front of them as well. “They actually drilled into one of their moons for its riches, the fools.” “Such a waste,” the second one sighed. “Anyway, I know that’s not why you called me. This here is your job and I don’t think a lot of new souls are to be born around this place anymore. So, what’s the matter?” “You probably already know why I summoned you, brother. It’s about those two; they . . . manifested again. Mine even brought a demon in the Antechamber. I thought you might want to know.” The white figure turned towards the black one, staring at him from under his cloak. “The reason for which you Touched that one is still beyond me . . . at least mine lives a rather peaceful existence. That is, until yours came along into her life. Do they even know?” “No,” the black one quickly responded. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. One of that planet’s Watcher made sure they wouldn’t find out. Also, the one I Touched is probably dead by now in that form. Too many times has he broken the rules beyond the living.” “So be it then. Just make sure you guide his soul in the right direction this time.” “I will, but first, there’s somewhere he needs to be. The Ever won’t accept him otherwise.” “As you wish, brother. In that case, I wish you farewell, for now,” the white one said, disappearing in thin air. Death kept looking at the sight in front of him, a tall wave of fire sweeping the horizon from the impact of a huge chunk of moon. The ground was shaking, mile-high mountains succumbing to the blast wave. Usually conversations were more . . . informal when his brother visited him at his workplace. *** *** *** I regained conscience, the slow beeping of hospital monitors waking me up. My head was pounding hard and each beep came like a crushing boulder. Opening my eyes wasn’t that good of an idea, because a white light blinding me immediately. I fiddled around in the soft bed, feeling extremely weird for some reason. What the hell had happened to me this time? The last thing I remembered was the sight of the sunset near my house and then everything went black. My muzzle itched badly. I brought up a hoof from under the sheets, every muscle throbbing with pain. The beeping of the heart monitor stopped for a few moments, reflecting the shock I had at the sight in front of me. Instead of a blue hoof, I saw five white fingers, one of which was connected by a clamp to the machines. The beeps resumed, now at an extremely fast pace. My heart was pounding relentless and I was already hyperventilating. “Ow fuck no . . . Twilight? Spike? No, no, no; this can’t be!” But there was no one there. A TV hanging on the wall in the back of the empty saloon was presenting BBC’s news segment. I was back in my world . . . “Noooo!” I let out in a loud, piercing scream, tears gushing down my human cheeks. End of Chapter 9 End of Part I