Chapter 6 - Chapter 5: We Can Understand

Chapter 5.1. Clear Night

A tale as old as time...

Night reigned over Equestria; bright stars resembled a scattering of precious stones dropped on expensive silk. The capital slept the sleep of a worker whose day was filled with chores. Occasional patrols of the city guard roamed the quiet streets, more a tradition that everyone scrupulously followed. Every house looked out with the blind voids of curtained windows onto the deserted streets, and only on Princess Luna's balcony did a solitary candle burn, invisible from the city.

"Forgive us..." Both alicorns clung to my sides, covering us with their wings. "I understand... We acted as if we didn't want to approach you, and in any other herd, a stallion would have long ago made it clear that such behavior was unacceptable."

"I'd like to see that suicide," I said, looking thoughtfully at the stars as both fillies sighed. "That's why we had no one before you. Great diarchs, a young prodigy... And no one to hold us at home and shelter us from everything. And I... we've clearly started acting like..."

"Okay, enough," I said, placing my finger on Twilight's lips as she defended herself. "But maybe, for the love of all things, you could just someday honestly tell me if you truly love me?"

Seconds that seemed to last an eternity. Two strange creatures next to me. And that glint in their eyes as they raised their heads, looking at me.

"We can answer now. We love you," they said simultaneously, hugging me and burying their faces in my chest. Their quiet cries and incoherent words made me hug them tighter and kiss first one, then the other pony.

"You'll be the death of me, my loves." And stop crying. Imagine what your subjects would say about you, two grown, sweet fillies, but you act like foals when it comes to love. Oh, oh, oh," I stroked the fillies' manes, now smiling faintly. "Even worse than foals. For my part, I promise to be a little more tolerant of ponies and not threaten idiots. Probably."

* * *

"She's sleeping." The voice behind me would have seemed unusually gentle for subjects, but I was more accustomed to it than the Royal Voice. After all, the night is pleasant in its silence, isn't it? Without turning to face Luna, I picked up a glass from the nearby table and thoughtfully sipped the wine.

"It's strange that ponies prefer cider. And that you get drunk faster."

Looking at the celestial body through the glass, I took another sip. Luna approached, sat down next to me, and rested her head on my shoulder.

"It's funny, when you sit, you seem much smaller than you normally do," she added after a pause, then quietly, "Darling..."

I set my glass aside and, turning to Luna, kissed her on the lips. I couldn't describe the sensation in words, so I pushed the thought aside and simply savored the tenderness with which the princess responded, pressing herself against me. Feeling her heart pounding wildly, I pulled away, breaking the kiss to turn to face her and gently run my finger from her horn to the tip of her nose. The alicorn snorted playfully and slowly moved closer, forcing me to lean back against the balcony railing. Then she brought her muzzle to my ear and quietly whispered,

"I love you."

Her warm breath pleasantly tickled my ear as she said it. Luna lowered herself onto my outstretched legs, landing level with me. She took advantage of this, exploring my mouth with her tongue again. Teasing her, I began stroking the alicorn between her wings, causing them to slowly part in pleasure. Visibly reluctantly, she pulled away from me and looked at me, catching her breath.

"Let's go inside. It's chilly in here, and you might catch a cold."

"Twilight's in there," I smiled slyly.

Returning her sly smile, Luna stood and headed for the door, her rump swaying.

"She's sleeping in her princess chambers. And you should be here tonight as the royal night guard, just like you said in the throne room." The shy alicorn shifted hesitantly from foot to foot. "Perhaps... you'll sleep with me tonight?"

5.1.2 Clear Night (18+)

Running quickly to the bed, Luna dove under the covers, looking at me with interest. Unfastening my cloak, I carefully hung it on a chair, along with my jacket, pants, and boots. Remaining in my underwear, I glanced at the closet mirror.

Six feet tall, dark hair that had grown even longer, bright sea-green eyes (probably the only thing that made me stand out from the crowd), an ordinary body, maybe slightly less rough hands than one might expect from my work... "If Luna had seen me next to another person, she probably wouldn't have even looked at me."

"You look more balanced this way," came from the alicorn, who had buried herself under the covers and was now looking at me shyly. Smiling, I lay down on the bed and pulled the covers off the blushing filly. "It's not fair that I can't look at you," I said, running my hand down her side, touching her wings, before gently stroking her thigh.

The filly carefully moved my hand aside, then took my share of the blanket, her gaze slowly sweeping over me. Having decided what was clearly written on her face, she moved closer to me and began slowly exploring my body with her lips. It felt like the touch of silk. Lying on my side, I supported myself on the elbow of my left arm, while my right slowly slid down her body, touching the sensitive area of ​​her back between her wings. After she lifted her wings, I wrapped both my arms around Luna and began stroking the soft underside of her wings, earning a long kiss and a contented sigh from the princess as a reward. Lifting her so she was lying completely on top of me, I ran my hand down her body, teasing her and slowly stroking my heavily breathing partner.

"Stop it..." Luna moaned, shifting impatiently on top of me.

"Are you really getting turned on by such innocent pranks?"

She nuzzled my neck and muttered something about innocence before sinking her lips into it. "This is going to be a hickey," I thought absently, lowering my hands to her now impatiently thrashing tail. My fingers then traced the princess's already wet lips, eliciting another moan as my finger slid inside. Pulling away from my neck, Luna lifted herself slightly to look me in the eyes. Her gaze, a mixture of love, joy, embarrassment, and lust, suggested it clearly wasn't enough, so I used my free hand to force her to lean down for another kiss and continued stroking and exploring her wet, clenching cunt.

"It's getting uncomfortable lying here. Something's clearly pressing into my stomach!" the filly gasped, then leaned forward, disengaging herself from my fingers and deftly turning her rump toward me. Her tail, pulled aside, seemed to invite me to admire the view, while she pulled my panties down.

"Well, now I can finally get a full look at you. And how..." I could tell from her voice that she was blushing again, "and how do you usually do it?.."

Lifting myself up, I gently ran my tongue over her lips, causing her wings to spread to their full length.

"It varies. But let me warm you up first."

Pressing against her slit, I slowly ran my tongue over her lips again, increasing the pressure each time and holding her rump with my hands. As my tongue slid in, the alicorn's front legs buckled, after which it was my turn to catch my breath when she decided to return my affection, plunging my cock into her mouth.

"Yes, and a long tongue is cooool." I felt a nub with the tip of my tongue and began to pay more attention to it, eliciting muffled moans when suddenly a shudder ran through the filly's body, and her vagina contracted, forcing me to taste her juices, seemingly doubly intense. Releasing my cock from her mouth, she let out a loud (for a normal voice) scream, and her wings snapped shut.

Her legs gave way completely, and Luna, breathing heavily, sank wearily onto me.

"Thank the Highest One, you sent the guards away from the door... and forgot about the Royal Voice."

"I hope you enjoyed it at least a little," the embarrassed filly slowly rolled over so that her muzzle was next to mine.

"Hm, I'm surprised I held back at all." Someone was clearly interested in theory," I said, slowly stroking her mane, which was no longer fluttering in the air but rather draped like a wondrous blanket over her back. I could feel her heartbeat as she pressed herself against me.

"Well... Yes, and I've also studied some tomes..."

Interrupting her mid-sentence with a kiss, I lowered my hand again, stroking her lips and feeling the filly begin to fidget impatiently again, hesitating to ask me for anything.

"Then let's learn the most important lesson. I'm not a stallion, and in bed there's no such thing as a major thing. Just like there are no secrets, okay, my love?"

A nod and a joyful look she gave me was my answer, after which the shy alicorn rose, adjusting herself so that her lips could glide over my manhood.

"And yet, how do you humans do it?"

"Well, you could do it the way you're sitting, or the other way around."

With these words, I rolled over so that Luna was lying beneath me. Shifting my weight onto my elbows, I tried not to touch her outstretched wings and pulled back, enjoying the sight of the princess lying beneath me. Then, slowly, I entered her, looking into her eyes.

The ponies of this world were smaller than the creatures of Earth, so they were also slightly smaller, which dispelled my fears of being useless in bed. The main proof was the loud moan and the sensation of her vagina squeezing me and not letting go. Wrapping her front hooves around me and holding me close, Luna whispered,

"Des, my love..."

Shifting my arms so I could hug her back, I embraced her and began to move slowly, feeling the princess shudder from the new sensations and gradually begin to move towards me. With each movement, I lost control of myself, losing my head and trying to penetrate her as deeply as possible, encouraged by incoherent moans and cries. Feeling her squeeze me inside, I sped up, and after a few powerful, rough thrusts, I released my seed inside her, simultaneously, to my surprise, lightly biting her neck. With a low, surprised cry, the filly convulsed in orgasm, her wings closing again, embracing us both.

When we finally came to our senses, I pulled away from Luna and ran my hand down her neck. Thank God I hadn't harmed her.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, stroking her neck and trying to catch her eye. "Sorry, I don't know why I did this."

"It was... indescribable. And the feeling of your teeth is very stimulating."

The alicorn looked drunk with pleasure and looked lovingly into my eyes, stretching her front hooves out in front of her. We laughed and hugged, and I lay on my back while Luna adjusted herself so that her upper body rested on my chest, covering us with her wings.

Soon, only the quiet breathing of two beings could be heard in the diarch's room.

Chapter 5.2. Sunrise

A world where magic exists is like a dreamвЂ"everyone strives for it, but only a few achieve it.

I woke up because the pleasant weight on my chest had disappeared. Opening my eyes, I met the alicorn's gaze.

"Time to lower the moon. Let's go."

Nodding, I got out of bed and put on my underwear, earning a chuckle from the filly.

"What? It's chilly out there. And the last thing I needed was for anyone else to see me. Like this," I said, picking up my braid and cloak from where they were leaning against the wall and following Luna out onto the balcony.

The quiet night, frozen over Canterlot, best reflected the peace that reigned in my soul. Throwing my softly shimmering braid over my shoulder, I lifted my head and gazed at the stars shining above. Incidentally, it was warm outside, so I didn't regret not bringing anything other than my cloak and, well, my underwear.

"Luna!" I said. "Your shadow's gone! Why?"

"Because only you and I could see it anyway. I didn't tell you, so as not to scare you." I admit, I was surprised myself at first when I realized the moon looked different to everyone else. And then you came along. And when you said you saw Nightmare Moon's shadow on the surface of my prison, I was overjoyed," Luna laughed softly, coming up to me and pressing her side against me. "It meant I wasn't going crazy after all. And today, I finally see her as I did more than a thousand years ago. Perhaps you should change your guardian's sign? After all, you asked for my shadow to be depicted on it, even if it was in Nightmare Moon's form."

"Oh no," I said, stroking her head, then leaning forward and gently kissing the base of her horn. "This is also a part of you, and as your guardian, I will protect it."

The alicorn smiled at me, then looked up at the sky. Regretting that I wasn't an artist, I tried to memorize this imageвЂ"a beautiful creature with dark fur, which had seemed black to me when we first met in the ward, outspread wings, hidden strength, and... hope. Hope and love that I could see in the pony standing before me when she turned to me again and, gently grabbing my cloak, pushed me toward the balcony railing. Sitting on the cloak with my back to the rest of the city, I watched as the princess's horn glowed. Lowering the night light must have been no easy task, and the weight of great responsibility lay on Luna's shoulders. "They shouldn't be alone," I thought, as an unexpected feeling pierced my entire being. I quickly stood and walked over to Luna, then placed my hand on the glowing horn, as if I knew exactly what to do. The glow immediately intensified, and I felt the alicorn's magic, the lunar magic, coursing through us, something that had been calling to me after that night with her. It was as if we had exchanged particles of each other. A moment later, Luna's horn stopped glowing, and I fell to my knees. It felt like I'd walked several kilometers in a single breath, every muscle aching. Luna, on the other hand, looked normal, except for a slight fright she tried to hide, trying to shake me awake.

"Des, come on! Are you okay?" She seemed on the verge of tears. Inhaling loudly, I raised my hand.

"Yes, darling, wait."

Leaning back, I stared at the sky. The night and the moon. I could feel them now. I felt them as part of me, as part of Luna. It felt as if I was now bound by a thin chain not only to one of the fillies who loved me, but also to the magic that flowed through her. I wasn't under any illusionsвЂ"in the magic itself, as a human being should be, I was and remained a solid block.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what possessed me to do this. Did I hurt you?"

With a sigh of relief, the alicorn stepped back a little, then glared at me.

"No! But you really scared me! The magic I used wasn't dangerous. But your reaction nearly gave me a heart attack!" Trying to hide her fear behind anger, she poked me in the chest with her right hoof. I must admit, I clearly deserved it, but, determined to see it through, I feigned innocence, earning another poke.

"You can't fool me with that!" "Okay, okay, I give up, that's enough!" I burst out laughing as she lunged at me, managing to get her hooves into my sides in a ticklish manner. "Damn, how can you even tickle with hooves?"

"Very easy..."

Mid-sentence, I quickly flipped her over and started tickling her back. It turned out that even alicorns have very sensitive tummies. After thrashing around like that for a while, we lay down tiredly on the balcony floor.

"You'll catch a cold," the princess remarked lazily, covering me with her wing.

The touch of her feathers against my bare skin was a pleasant sensation, coupled with the desire to wrap myself in the wing like a blanket. Alas, the wing was only large enough to partially cover me. Feeling my eyes closing, I stood up and picked Luna up, causing her to kick her legs in surprise.

"Hey!"

"Don't like it?" I asked, entering the room.

It's odd, for all their physical strength, the ponies themselves weighed little. Well, maybe Celestia, with her height, weighed more than other alicorns, much less regular ponies, but I think I could lift her.

"Mmm..." Luna drawled, her tail slowly flicking a couple of times, brushing against my hips. "It's unusual, but I like it. I think I'll get used to this way of moving quickly." After I laid her down on the bed, she stretched her entire body, smiling slyly. "Well, I guess I'll have to make that part of my guard's duties."

"Now then!" I wagged my finger at my sometimes mischievous filly. "Keep your feet on, princess, or this will become fashionable, and stallions all over Equestria will speak ill of me when their mates or herds beg for it."

Throwing off my cloak and placing my braid against the wall, I happily dove under the blanket, snuggling up to Luna.

"I never thought I'd get attached to fillies."

After kissing the contented alicorn, I hugged her and closed my eyes.

* * *

Finding myself on a city street, I looked around in surprise.

"How is this possible?"

People walked past me, preoccupied with their own concerns, cars drove by, and a policeman stood at an intersection, explaining something to tourists with a large city map in his hands. A nervous tremor ran through me, and I quickly looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, when suddenly I heard a desperate cry:

"Des! Where are you?!" Turning around as if stung, I rushed in the direction where my Equestrian name had been called. Luna stood in the middle of the road, stomping helplessly in place. Cars sped past her, miraculously missing the pony. Quickly crossing the road, I scooped her up in my arms and returned to the sidewalk. Passersby glanced at us, thinking I was walking an unusual pet and simply hadn't noticed. Thank God, Luna hadn't spread her wings, and the horn could have been just decoration. However, I didn't care; I examined the alicorn and, finding no wounds, hugged her close.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes. Just... unexpectedly."

"That's good. Darling, how did we end up here? My God, are we... in my world?" I said in horror, looking around.

"No, Des." "I see... we're in your dream. Stop! Now you're dreaming again!" She jumped up joyfully and threw herself at my chest, nearly knocking me to the ground. However, a few seconds later, her face contorted with fear again.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly, leaning toward her. Waving a hoof in front of her, the mistress of dreams looked at me in confusion.

"I can't control this dream. It's structured somehow... differently."

Suddenly, she began sniffing me, then stared at me in confusion.

"But now you can control your dreams. But you once said that people have almost no control over them!"

It was my turn to look at the filly in surprise, after which I snapped my fingers experimentally, wishing that I would be with Luna in some forest. At that very second, a gray fog enveloped us, and when it cleared, she and I found ourselves in a forest. I recognized it immediatelyвЂ"it was the place I used to play in as a child, when I'd go visit my grandmother.

"Well, well...," I said, dumbfounded, meeting the pony's gaze.

"It seems we've influenced each other after all. More than I might have thought," the alicorn seemed no less puzzled than I was. "You've become something of a master of dreams. True, only of your own," the princess giggled. "But now you can show me your world, and I won't have to force my way into yours. Well, if you let me into your dreams yourself."

"Of course," I smiled and ruffled her mane.

Chapter 5.3. A New Day

Monday is a hard day.

"Sonny, it's time to get up!"

A cheerful voice pulled us from our dreams and made me reluctantly open my eyes. The lavender alicorn, her front hooves resting on my chest, watched me with a mixture of malice and joy as I struggled to wake up.

"By the Highest, Twilight, my dear, why wake me so early?"

"It's already twelve o'clock," she raised an eyebrow in confusion, her whole demeanor expressing her readiness for the day ahead.

"Only twelve?" I groaned, then stretched out my arms, hugged Celestia's former student, and held her close. "When I said I was a night owl, that didn't mean I was ready to wake up at noon like Alowishes."

Bracing her hooves against the bed, Twilight tried unsuccessfully to break free from my embrace.

"Not fair!" "Be patient, you won't wake that poor soul on the weekends."

Stopping struggling, she looked pointedly at Luna and me.

"Poor soul? Did you know I had to cast a silence barrier on your room, poor souls? Or perhaps you were moaning from your wounds? And judging by everything (the malice on her face was enough to overdose a whole pack of echidnas), Princess Luna was actually dying."

"Was it that audible?" If shame could kill you, the flames that once served as Equestria's Night Diarch would have long since blazed beside me and Twilight.

"No, when someone sent me to bed, I immediately put up a curtain."

"Schemer, you mean you knew exactly what we were going to do here."

"Well, of course," Twilight said, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "I read in books that the first filly in the herd has to be... Oh."

Two pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the silent sorceress. After a few more feeble attempts to break free, she covered her muzzle with her wings, expecting a scolding.

"Luna, so yesterday... um... we were introduced by your sister's student, and she's supposedly the second filly in this herd, am I right?"

"I understand, yes," she replied, thoughtfully swinging her right hoof in the air.

No one was angry with the overly bookish librarian, understanding that constantly sitting over books was exactly what led to something like this. Gesturing at Twilight, I silently clicked my teeth, miming a bite. A sly smile spread across the alicorn's face, and a second later, the second lavender alicorn jumped in surprise with a loud "Ow!" (thankfully, I wasn't holding her anymore), clutching her rump with one foot.

"What can I say? I don't remember ever biting anyone before," Luna said, ignoring the looks Twilight was throwing her way. "But I definitely enjoyed it!" she added, laughing as the "victim" moved away from her, hiding behind me.

Hugging both ponies snuggled comfortably against me, I smiled happily. What could be better? Certainly not the knock on the door, which had already caused the three of us to jump in unison. The guard's voice, heard behind the door, sent my mood plummeting a few notches. "Princess Luna, Princess Celestia requests your presence at the castle's astronomy tower."

Rolling her eyes, the sought-after princess grimaced in displeasure as she rose from her bed.

"We'll be ready soon!" Luna replied, making a face-hoof gesture so familiar from my world.

Silently pointing her hoof at my clothes, Twilight walked out onto the balcony and teleported from there. I followed her advice and, quickly dressing, led the way out of the room, causing the bellhop standing there to look at me in surprise. Stepping aside, I allowed the alicorn to exit the bedroom and followed her, keeping to her left, as befits a guard. All three of us remained silent as we walked through the deserted corridors, and when we reached the door leading to the tower stairs, Luna ordered the guard to remain by the door while we ascended the steps. By the end of the stairs, I sincerely envied Twilight and her ability to move through space. And he also cursed the daytime diarch, who had probably flown up without a care, while Luna was forced to walk because of me. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was ready for a coup and Celestia's immediate execution. Luna stepped out onto the landing, and I, of course, followed her. The diarch, standing by the telescope, was engrossed in scanning the daytime sky, oblivious to our ascent, which could well be trueвЂ"conversation at the top of the tower was quite difficult due to the gusts of wind. Celestia tore herself away from the telescope's eyepiece, restored the portion of the barrier that covered the top of the tower, then turned to us.

"Good afternoon, Des, and to you too, little sister," she said, looking from me to the princess. "I've called you here for a very important conversation." Actually, I wanted to talk to Twilight too, but for the first time, she refused to fulfill my request, knowing what we would talk about.

"And what about?" I asked, knowing full well the conversation would be about us, and I wasn't wrong.

"I want to talk about the three of you. About what and who you've become to each other."

"And what's wrong with that?" I immediately took the bull by the horns, taking a step forward. "Or are there laws in Equestria about interspecies matings and herds? Listen, Celestia," I said angrily, unconsciously clenching the handle of my scythe. "How long have you been able to see me as a predator without trying to see the living creature inside? Your guards, your warriors, who should be above superstition, look at me as if I'm about to eat someone. Why can't you, a creature over a thousand years old, finally understand that even a predator can love?! Answer me, Celestia!" Lost in my thoughts, I curled the fingers of my left hand into a claw and clutched the center of the alicorn's chest before me. However, I cooled just as quickly and lowered my hand.

"I'm clearly overwrought after the incident with that guard."

"You are such funny creatures, people of Equestria," I laughed involuntarily, looking into the immortal creature's eyes. "Different, different. And despite all the stupid things you do, it's impossible to stay angry with you for long. Look, princess, you, revered almost like a goddess, now stand before me, worried for your sister, your student, and all your people. You fear me because I am different, even more different than the creature of Chaos, who finally succumbed to your naivety and became a friend to one of you. Yes, I am a predator, and what's more, I come from a world where naivety and kindness are grounds for trampling the "weak" into the dirt. And yet, I've proven that, despite all this, I'd rather die than allow anything serious to happen to this kingdom and its princesses.

Reaching out, I pulled Celestia's face toward me and, leaving a brief kiss on her lips, smiled at the solar diarch.

"I am a Royal Night Guard, Celestia. I don't care what everyone in this world thinks of me, but I owe this world a debt." Turning away from the princess, I approached the top of the stairs. "I was given a second life and love. A man would give everything for such a gift."

* * *

"Has Princess Celestia changed her mind?"

"Nnm," I tried to say, chewing on an Г©clair. After swallowing the treat and washing it down with tea, I returned to the conversation. "No, Twilight, I mean, she's resigned herself to the fact that we're sort of a herd now, but she asked Luna to keep it a secret for as long as possible. I wouldn't be surprised..." I paused to grab another Г©clair, "...I wouldn't be surprised if she's standing over Luna right now, trying to persuade her to keep it all a secret."

"And by the way, you didn't have to kiss her!" As soon as she finished, Twilight covered her mouth with her hoof and looked around.

Luckily, no one paid attention to her wordsвЂ"the park wasn't crowded, so we decided to spend the day here while Luna bravely battled with her sister about our relationship. After finishing my treat, I lay down on my back, contentedly, my hands behind my head. "I'd love to support Luna, but this is the kind of conversation where the older sister scolds the younger one for something, and I don't think I'd be appropriate."

"Oh yeah," the lavender alicorn chuckled, sipping tea from the cup she was levitating in front of her.

"And by the way. Jealous?" I teased her with a sly expression, earning a smack to the head with my empty bag.

"Des, sometimes you can be downright insufferable!"

"Not true, I've lost a lot of weight since I arrived."

I shifted on the blanket, getting comfortable, and then got smacked with the bag again. Twilight sighed hopelessly, no longer trying to make a witty retort, and then magically replaced the bag. After rustling something in the second bag, she lay down next to me and rustled the pages of a book. "You're taking them on a picnic, too?" I quickly rolled over onto my stomach and looked at the yellowed pages of the tome. "And how are you not straining your back? If you'd told me, I'd have carried it."

The alicorn, smiling sheepishly, moved the book so I could join in the reading.

"It's not too hard for me."

"Well, yes, even though you're smaller than me, all ponies are amazingly strong creatures. And you're quite balanced in your strength. Earth ponies are the strongest and most resilient, pegasi are less so because they have an advantage in flight, while unicorns are at the bottom of the "ladder" in strength and endurance. But their advantage in magic often outweighs everything else. "Hey, I almost forgot," a thought occurred to me. "You're not a primordial alicorn, so have you become stronger and more resilient since your transformation?" Twilight scratched her head thoughtfully and said hesitantly, "I... don't think so. I mean, I can fly now and I could probably be as strong as an Earth pony, but you see, alicorn talents and magic don't require much strength. Well, maybe you just need to learn to fly. As you remember, the two non-original alicorns, me and my nanny, were unicorns, so after our transformation, we didn't train much in physical strength, but rather in magic. I was luckier; magic is my talent, but Cadence, as she herself told me, had to work a bit harder. Then she became my nanny, and you know the rest of the story."

Nodding in agreement, I stared blankly at my book and pondered how to spend the day, ignoring all the "important" matters. Apparently, Twilight was thinking the same thing, because she continued to stare at her book without turning the pages. Looking around and seeing no one else strolling in this part of the park, I gently stroked the sorceress's ear, breaking her reverie and earning a shy smile. Moving closer to me, the alicorn covered me with her wingвЂ"a gesture apparently taboo in public for winged creaturesвЂ"because she blushed and reached out to me. Wrapping my arm around the filly's neck, I gently kissed her lips, thinking I'd leave it at that, but Celestia's former student leaned forward, and I felt her tongue brush against mine, and I responded in kind... When we finally broke apart, breathing heavily, I was glad Twilight had chosen a secluded corner of Canterlot Park, as even if half the capital's residents had marched past us, we wouldn't have noticed.

"We clearly need to think about where we kiss before everyone else finds out. Actually, I'm thinking of building a house on the edge of the forest, and maybe you could visit me, no?"

"I think so," the contented pony climbed onto my back like a little foal. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Let me think about it..." With that, I rose to my feet, holding Twilight's hind hooves. She wrapped her front arms around my neck and spread her wings for balance. "I had this idea of ​​spending it with a smart, sweet filly. She's completely insane, for all her intelligence, to start dating a scary, ugly, human predator... Ow! Don't bite! What does an ear have to do with it?"

"And," the lavender alicorn practically purred in my ear, running her tongue over it. "So you don't say such nonsense about yourself."

Apparently, Twilight had already sorted out her emotions and feelings and was now trying to make up for the time I'd been training and hunting in the forest by showing her affection and pony-like attention.

"So, are we going to the museum like this?" I gave her a slight lift, still holding her by the hind legs.

"I wouldn't mind, but let's spare the people of the capital. I remember that in your world, people ride horses, but not the other way around."

Flapping her wings, she landed neatly on the ground after I released her, and began telekinetically gathering everything from the blanket and packing it into her bag. I slung the bags over my shoulders, despite the sorceress's assurances that they weren't too heavy.

"Listen, let me at least court you somehow!" I protested, demonstratively not letting go of the bag, which she was tugging half-heartedly with telekinesis, with a tenacity worthy of a better cause.

"By the way, we're the ones who should be courting you!" The filly's indignant response made her tighten her grip, even though we both knew that if she'd pulled hard enough with magic, I could very well have lost my arm.

"What superstition! I'm absolutely certain that here, guys court girls!" Planting my feet on the ground, I prayed the bag would withstand such a tug.

"And I'm not her!" "So, I'm not human," Twilight corrected herself, losing her concentration, which I took advantage of by slinging the bags over my shoulder and regretting not bringing my backpack, which would have been a bit more difficult to pull off.

"By the way, as you remember, no one should know anything about us yet, because it would look suspicious," I stuck my tongue out mischievously and looked at the pony with a victorious expression.

"Eh, you're not going to change your mind, are you?" She clearly gave in and now stood to my right. "Where should we go?"

"There was an exhibit nearby dedicated to magical artifacts, and I thought we could go see it. Besides, you might be able to tell me something interesting about them..."

Knowing Twilight's love of magic and her insatiable thirst for knowledge, it was easy to see she would never refuse such an opportunity.

* * *

Walking slowly through the long museum hall, we examined the exhibits on display, periodically discussing the most interesting specimens. In the human world, scholars would have died for the chance to study at least a couple of amulets or spellbooks, many of which had amusing effects, such as changing the wearer's voice or books with cleaning magic.

"By the way," I pointed out the latter, "someone could definitely use some coaching."

"Oh, my," Twilight nudged my thigh with a hoof, her expression solemn and sad. "This magic doesn't work for some reason. This book is over a thousand years old, and although I've found evidence that similar spells existed, they've somehow been lost to us. You can clean with telekinesis, though. It's just a shame it takes so much more effort than casting a spell."

"A real loss for housewives," I nodded, remembering my reluctance to clean. And yet, after experimenting with potions in Zecora's house, she'd often hand me a broom, a rag, and a bucket of water, then try to leave the house as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught in the results of my 'experiments.'

"I noticed you were very interested in magic, even after we found no abilities in you. Is that why you started studying alchemy with Zecora?" "Oh, don't rub salt in the wound, Twily. As you remember, there's no magic in the human world. Well, almost none, but that's a rare and feeble exception, and for centuries, people's thoughts have been focused on learning or creating magic. Personally, I tried for a long time to find at least something, and then... I just couldn't do it anymore."

"And why?" Twilight turned away from the softly glowing necklace behind the glass and looked at me curiously.

"It's... circumstances. I'm no longer in the mood for fairy tales... Maybe I'll tell you later," I gave a forced smile, then looked deeper into the museum. "Wow, is that a weapon?" I asked in surprise, heading in that direction.

"Stallions," the lavender alicorn rolled her eyes, following me.

Behind the glass at the far end of the museum, a collection of weapons with some kind of magical properties was displayed. Apparently, few people approached these exhibitsвЂ"peace-loving creatures disapproved of violence and couldn't admire weapons the way humans did. The collection itself wasn't all that large, but it was, oddly enough, something of a collection. To my slight disappointment, only spears and halberds made for ponies were on display. However, one spear clearly stood out from the crowd.

The long white shaft was topped with a golden tip, seemingly flowing into the shaft itself. Part of the tip was richly decorated with precious stones bearing the symbol of the sun. The sun symbol and the spear's length evoked certain associations, and when I glanced at the plaque beneath the weapon... "Celestia's Spear," I read aloud, disbelieving my eyes.

"Oops," I said, finally understanding why the spear was different from the othersвЂ"it was created for a creature of greater stature and size than ordinary ponies. An alicorn's spear. "Wow," Twilight's surprised voice rang out. "Is this a joke?"

"I-I don't know. But I'm quite surprised. Excuse me, can I take a closer look at the spear?" I asked the nearest museum employee. The unicorn, taking a deep breath to refuse, turned his attention to the princess standing next to me, then choked and quickly unlocked the glass door.

"Why do you need this, Des?" the pony whispered as I began to examine the spear more closely.

"Pure curiosity."

After taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed the spear.

"And?" the alicorn raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It's a fake." I removed my hand from the shaft with relief and closed the door. "I thought she really did give the weapon to the museum." вЂ" In response to my interlocutor's puzzled look, I showed her my clean palm: "I didn't get burned."

Twilight's confused expression vanished a few seconds later when she realized what kind of burn I was supposed to have sustained, after which she glared at me. Her gaze conveyed the hour-long lecture that awaited me as soon as we were alone. Pointing to the few visitors, I saved myself from a public scolding, and we left the museum.

* * *

The sky above the capital remained pristineвЂ"not a cloud, not even a hint of possible foul weather.Ponies strolled calmly through the streets of Canterlot, occasionally stopping at cafes or small shops. It was a weekend, so most of the city's residents could afford it. Later in the evening, the streets would be filled with a more fashionable crowd, the clatter of carriage wheels, and the sound of music. But until then, the human and the alicorn had two hours to stroll through the city, taking in the sights without the anxious whispers of the overdressed nobility behind them. The ponies strolling during this time were much more relaxed about the visitor from another world and showed no negative emotions other than the curiosity inherent in most Equestrians. The most surprised, of course, were the foals, who ran up to Des and Twilight with childish innocence and asked questions, after which they quickly returned to their waiting friends. "Children behave the same in all worlds," the guard laughed, leaning on his black staff and looking into the fountain in the square where they had stopped to rest. "Who else would approach a creature of another species and start peppering it with questions, yet be ready to run away?"

"Well, they're foals, their curiosity is understandable. And I think you enjoy interacting with them," Twilight remarked, sitting down on the fountain's railing to come face to face with the human.

"Of course, it's so funny, watching them so eagerly explore the world. And they don't sweat the idea of ​​being a different species, though my height certainly intimidates them, so I always have to sit or kneel, otherwise most ponies, even adult ponies, get very nervous."

"They'll get used to it. Sooner or later, but they'll get used to it. At the very least, no one in Ponyville openly shies away from you anymore." "You still have us," the pony smiled sweetly.

"Oh, yes," the man returned the smile, stroking her leg. "So, should we wander around town some more or head back to the castle? I'm sure we'll find something interesting in the library."

* * *

"A-choo!"

Twilight, jumping in surprise, knocked over the ladder she'd been standing on for the last five minutes. Her wings kept her aloft, but the ladder didn't. He met the ladder face-on, and just before impact, he managed to thank providence for asking the pony not to lift the heavy ladder.

"Oh, come on..." I managed to croak before losing consciousness.

* * *

"Bring him here and put him on the bed. Excellent, thank you, your services are no longer needed." Twilight's voice was barely audible, as if I were in a fog while being carried on some kind of stretcher. I realized this because the surface I was lying on swayed slightly in the air. When they placed me on something soft, a bed by the feel of it, and we were alone in the room, I tried to open my eyes.

"This is the shortest time I can remember in my life in the library. I didn't even have time to really see anything," I groaned, feeling nauseous. A wet cloth was placed on my forehead, and Twilight's neat hoof touched my chest. Suddenly, I felt much better, and, opening my eyes in surprise, I met the alicorn's gaze. Eyes glowing with a green light.

"No!" I screamed, reaching out with my right hand and grabbing the filly by the horn. The dark glow immediately faded, and the princess, screaming, fell backward. "Silly..." I muttered, shaking the young sorceress, then sighed with relief when she opened her eyes. "That. I. Never. See. Such. Magic. Again," I said distinctly, hugging this half-healer and holding him tighter. "And sorry about the horn."

"By the way, I could have hurt you when you stopped the magic."

"Me? With Dark Magic?" I pulled her away from me slightly and kissed her tenderly on the tip of her nose. "I doubt it. Don't scare me like that again; that magic isn't something you're supposed to use!"

"By the way, you scared me!" She had clearly recovered and was now looking at me with a frown. "What if something serious had happened?"

"Well, a concussion and a bump, so to speak. As if Rainbow Dash hadn't gotten hurt during training. I doubt everyone goes to extremes right away."

Glancing at me sadly, the pony stood up and walked to the window. I followed her and sat down on the floor so as not to tower over her.

"Sorry." "I understand you're scared, but promise not to use dark magic unnecessarily," I said, feeling guilty for scolding her so harshly earlier, and slowly stroked Twilight's wing.

Turning to face me, she blurted out,

"Treating your beloved p… personвЂ"that's not an extreme!"

Instead of answering, I picked her up and carried her toward the bed. Her surprised look made me smile.

"It's already evening, all the ponies are going to bed. Or not just to bed."

The blushing alicorn smiled and closed her eyes.

* * *

It was getting dark outside. Princess Celestia was setting the sun, giving the inhabitants of Equestria a rest, although the active time in the capital was just beginningвЂ"ponies dressed up were heading to restaurants, theaters, and entertainment venues. The castle itself was silentвЂ"aside from the usual ambient lighting, its walls weren't illuminated by lights, as was common during social receptions and balls. The figure of the daytime diarch flew down from the tower, where she'd set the sun, like a silent shadow, and headed toward the balcony leading to her former student's room. A dark, almost black, alicorn darted toward her, shook her head and smiled.

"They don't care about you. Tonight is her night."

"And you say that so calmly?" Celestia gently lowered herself to the ground and waited for her sister. She headed toward a small pond hidden in the castle garden.

"Yes, and why should that bother me? I understand him better than he perhaps understands himself. He's... mesmerizing. And not just me and Twilight. Des hides his soft heart, hiding behind dark robes, calling himself a predator." "By the way," the alicorn clarified, "he's an omnivore, not a predator. Yes, he's different from our subjects; he can fly into a rage far more often than anyone else; his appearance here is quite unusual, as is his rejection of light magic. But the latter isn't his fault, not his nature. And Des is the first to accept me for who I am. He accepts me, understanding that I've lived for over a thousand years; he senses the real me."

For only a moment, the younger sister's mask fell from her face, making her realize how ancient the being standing before Celestia was, just like herself, but then the familiar Luna stood before the daytime diarch once again.

"And you know what, sister? I don't know how long we can be together, how long fate has allotted him. But I will certainly never forget THIS Luna, and I doubt I'll ever replace it. This mask is dear to him. To me." And please don't wake them before noon," Luna's wings spread before takeoff, "they'll be very tired."

5.3.2. A New Day (18+)

"I'm embarrassed," Twilight, sitting across from Des, looked down at her feet, her cheeks flushed, ready to dive under the covers. "I've never had anyone, and everything I know about... um... stallions, I read in books."

The man smiled and, sitting to her left, ran his hand through her mane, holding the filly close with his right. Gently touching her back, he began massaging her spine, trying to distract the young filly. He clearly succeeded, as she immediately relaxed her leg muscles and lay down on the bed. Using both hands, he moved lower, to her croup, avoiding the erogenous zone between her wingsвЂ"he wanted to relax his partner first, so she wouldn't become nervous. "Yes, every woman needs her own approach," Des thought, gliding softly along her spine. When the alicorn began to purr with pleasure, causing the man to smile, he lay down on his side next to her.

On the large bed, worthy of a princess castle, Des and Twilight slowly savored their kiss, the man's hands exploring the pony's body, causing her to occasionally shudder and press herself closer to his stallion. Pulling away from the filly, the man looked lovingly at his partner, then, with a mischievous smile, reached forward, brushed his lips over the base of the horn, slowly stroking it to the very tip, and then back down. Twilight's breathing immediately hitched; she could only kick her hind legs impatiently, feeling the growing warmth within her. The alicorn pressed herself against her lover, moaning with pleasure. Her horn began to glow as Des closed his lips around the tip and began to caress it with his tongue.

"Wait, I'm about to..."

Before she finished, the man sped up his caresses and tugged the filly's mane. With a soft squeal, she stretched out on the bed, her wings flapping convulsively as her first orgasm washed over her. A couple of minutes later, Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the man stroking her. Noticing that she had come to her senses, Des smiled, his fingers sliding along the alicorn's back, causing a pleasant tingle that quickly turned into something more intimate as his hand brushed her rump, pushing aside her tail, which was thrashing impatiently from side to side, and his fingers carefully dipped into her wet cavern. Moaning, the alicorn began to slowly move back, feeling the man caress her there, massaging the walls of her vagina with two fingers. Instinctively lifting her rump, the filly moaned and began to wiggle her front legs impatiently again.

"Des, please! I want more..."

Breaking off their caresses and leaning toward her, the man smiled slyly.

"I didn't think you were so impatient."

Twilight snorted, looking pleadingly at the man. Deciding not to torment her, Des knelt behind his partner and thrust himself inside, feeling the filly's muscles grip his length, unwilling to let go, and a loud, drawn-out moan hung in the air. Placing his hands on his hips, he began to move, careful not to speed up for fear of causing discomfort.

"Harder!" Twilight cried out, unable to restrain herself, leaning back.

"As you say, my love."

Roughly squeezing her marks, he began to thrust forward, impaling the filly on his cock. Feeling her entire being joyfully respond to the external movements, the alicorn began to moan loudly, moving toward her stallion.

"Celestia, yes!" she screamed, completely losing her mind and squeezing the man's penis inside her, as if milking it. The caresses of the filly's clenching vagina were so intense that the man barely restrained himself from cumming immediately. After pulling out, the man rolled the princess onto her back and entered again. Somewhat surprised by this position, Twilight immediately realized its advantage, kissing Des and wrapping her legs around him. Unable to move as vigorously as her body begged, she tried to compensate by pressing herself against her stallion and unconsciously clenching inside. The feeling of warmth, generated deep within by the man's movements, gradually grew into a maddening fire, and the downright vulgar slurping sounds that erupted each time he entered her only spurred the filly on. "Twily, if you keep squeezing me like this, I'm going to..." Des groaned, breaking the kiss and thrusting forward with a particularly sharp thrust, forcing her to pause in her response and even out her breathing.

"Come on, please!" she cried out, her vagina clenching even tighter as her senses were swept away by the wave of orgasm.

Grabbing the filly by the hips, Des thrust forcefully into her, spilling all his seed. Then, exhausted, he sank down on Twilight, who lay motionless, enjoying the warmth inside her and trying to regain some composure. Alas, her mind was filled with euphoria and a complete lack of desire to think about anything.

When Des pulled out, the pony frustratedly folded her hind legs and tried to roll onto her side, surprised to realize she didn't have the strength even for such a simple movement. Asking a human to do such a thing seemed foolish, so she tried to rock back and forth, but thankfully, Celestia, she was stopped by a hand, after which she was gently laid on her side.

For a while, the couple remained silent, the human gently stroking the alicorn, and she was ready to melt with pleasure and the new, unusual sensationвЂ"her stallion lay beside her. He was certainly unusual, but who could call her ordinary? And, most interestingly, unlike the other stallions, he considered it his duty to protect her, ignoring the completely opposite opinions of his fillies. "He's strange, but maybe that's why we fell in love with him? An unapproachable princess and a recently turned alicorn. You're definitely strange, Des."

"You think so?"

Realizing she'd spoken those last words out loud, the filly covered her mouth with a hoof in fear. Smiling, he removed her hoof from her muzzle and gently kissed the soft inside, once again marveling at how Equestrians' hooves were softer than those of ordinary horses, not counting the hard edge they rested on.

"I didn't mean to offend you," Twilight said quickly, scolding herself for never being able to just keep quiet.

"I wouldn't be offended," Des said, pulling the pony close and kissing her deeply. "I'm strange, but I'm grateful for my strangeness because I've come to love you and Luna. And because I make you smile."

He punctuated his words with kisses on Twilight's lips, face, and neck. After such caresses, the rested filly felt she clearly needed a couple more kisses, and the sheet beneath her flower was once again damp with the young filly's juices. With some embarrassment, the princess rose to her feet to move onto the man, beginning to rub her wet lips against his penis.

"Are young fillies always so... active?" Des said breathlessly, lifting his beloved by the rump and lowering her onto him. Finding herself in an unexpected position, she froze, adjusting to the sensation, then began moving up and down, lowering her front legs onto the man's chest and trying to impale herself as deeply as possible. With each thrust, her vagina clenched around him, causing the couple to moan loudly and increase the pace. Overwhelmed by the sensation of the man's cock thrusting harder and harder into her, Twilight lost it completely and began moving violently, sometimes almost releasing the man, then impaling herself again until the end. When the heat inside her became unbearable, the alicorn impaled herself forcefully on the man and screamed in delight, feeling him push against some barrier deep inside her. The muscles contracting from orgasm, making her incredibly tight, brought the man to his peak, and he released his sperm into the filly, clutching her rump with his hands. When they came to, Twilight sat up, feeling her stallion's manhood slip from her, then lay down next to him, covering him with her wing.

"I love you."

The kiss on his lips was long and tender, after which the princess looked at him and laid her head on his chest.

"I love you too, Des..."

Chapter 5.4. We Will Be Together

Look into the darkness. It's the light that always surrounds you.

Opening one eye, I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Thank God, no one had woken me before noon. Opening my other eye, I realized why. Twilight was sleeping to my left, her head on my chest. It was strange that I hadn't noticed it at first. Stranger still, if Twilight was here, who was to my right? “Good morning,” Luna stretched like a giant cat and spread her wings wide, after which she lay down next to me again.

"Good morning. I thought Twilight was the early riser," I gently stroked the sleeping alicorn, who looked even cuter with that serene smile on her lips.

And by the way, she was already awake, I suddenly realized when I noticed her ears standing up straight. "Eavesdropping."

"That's usually true, but you know, last night she was so busy she even forgot to cast a silencing spell on the room.

Honestly, I've never seen a pony's ears turn red with embarrassment, but the fact remains: if the curtains hadn't been open, Twilight could have easily illuminated half the room.

"And what a patrol passing through the halls would have heardвЂ"that would have been simply amazing! I never thought couples were so... noisy," Luna smiled slyly, having long ago figured out the lavender sorceress and sincerely enjoying the situation.

"You were making noise too!" "Twilight couldn't resist, raising her head and meeting our gaze.

Realizing her pretense had long since been seen through, she made an innocent face, then stretched with the same pleasure. Sometimes I got the feeling that these creatures, like humans, often copied other species without always noticing it.

"Not at all," the princess snorted, climbing out of bed and walking to the window. "I mean, we certainly made noise," the princess clarified, looking out at the streets of the capital. "But tonight you surprised me."

"Wait, were you eavesdropping?" I looked at Luna incredulously, remembering along the way where I'd left my clothes. Finding what I was looking for, I began to dress slowly, still waiting for an answer.

"Partially, when I was fueling the spell." "And last night, Twilight eavesdropped on us the same way," she said, sticking her tongue out at the sorceress, acting like a mischievous foal. "Twilight, go shower, meet me at the training grounds. Celestia insisted on testing the skills of my... um... Guardian."

Nodding quickly, the young filly darted toward the bathroom, and I followed the princess.

* * *

"Luna, is this really necessary?"

We walked through the castle corridors, heading toward the training grounds where the Canterlot guardians trained. My quiet footsteps were muffled by the soft clop of hooves. Equestrians didn't use horseshoes for fear of damaging the more delicate inner hooves, but that didn't stop them from using their hooves for physical labor, and they didn't have the usual hoof problems like the horses of my world. And yet, when necessary, they still managed to make a loud clicking sound as they walked, as if they were wearing horseshoes. Lost in thought, I didn't notice that we were already standing in front of the doors leading to the street, and Luna was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

"Everything's fine, it's just that we've been standing here for a minute, and you're looking at my feet with such curiosity that someone might get the wrong idea. I mean, I don't mind, of course, but you're kind of taking a test right now."

"Oh, sorry," I shook my head, pushing thoughts of hooves aside and focusing on the test. "Oh, by the way. So what's the test?"

Apparently Luna told me this while we were walking, because she sighed and started explaining for the second time.

"It'll be something like an entrance exam for new recruits, where they'll test your abilities. At least, that's what Celestia said. As I recall, to join my guard, a recruit had to prove himself in a short duel, and an experienced guard fought at a reduced strength, trying to determine potential. I don't know how the recruitment process is going now, so good luck." Rising to her hind legs, she draped her front legs over her shoulders and kissed me, then dropped to all fours and led the way outside. Adjusting my cloak, I followed her, leaning on my staff. The bright summer sun slammed into my eyes, blinding me for the first few moments, forcing me to squint painfully until my vision returned. Finally, blinking, I found myself standing on a large, circular sandy platform where, apparently, the guardians trained, honing their combat skills. The platform was large enough for five pairs of fighters, but now three guardians and two diarchs stood on it. The guardiansвЂ"a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasusвЂ"looked at me skeptically, quietly conversing, while the alicorns approached me with formal airs. Deciding not to hurt the guardians' psyches, I bowed politely. Luna seemed irritated by something; her ears flicked in irritation, and her wings trembled almost imperceptibly, as if she were about to strike a threatening pose with her wings spread wide.

"Greetings, Des. Since you were rather hastily accepted into the elite guards, we've decided it's necessary to test your skills. My personal guard will test your skills."

Nodding politely, Celestia stepped aside and stood at the edge of the circle. Taking advantage of her sister's departure, Luna blurted out, lowering her voice:

"Three guards, even if they don't fight seriously, are no joke. And she specifically chose a time when this area is illuminated by the sun. You won't awaken Retribution, and the guards will have practice spears. If they hit, you'll obviously be considered 'killed.'" And if Celestia chose the time specifically, then the three guards were the captain's decision! They clearly don't like you. Be careful!

I smiled and bowed to Luna, kneeling, quickly saying,

"Then they're in for a surprise."

Nodding nervously, the alicorn walked over to her sister, and I turned to the stallions.

"Who's first?"

"Me," a dark blue pegasus stepped forward.

A short mane of the same color protruded from under his helmet. His wings, covered with stylized feather-like plates, were spread out, and his long tail, unlike his mane, lashed angrily at his sides. Apparently, he wasn't taking me seriously, as he removed his helmet and tossed it to his friends. I glanced curiously at his side, searching for his cutie mark, but it was also covered by his armor. He didn't have a weapon, he was either so overconfident, or he used his own body as a weapon.

Following the princesses outside the circle, the unicorn released a green spark into the sky, signaling the start of the fight.

"And how are you staying on your feet?" the pegasus snorted, then spread his wings and rose into the air.

The plates protected the tops of his wings, but they also increased the strain on his muscles, so he rose deceptively slowly at first, then suddenly folded his wings and flew quickly toward me. Rolling to the side, I caught sight of the stallion spreading his wings just before he hit the ground, stretching all four legs out in front of him. Such a blow could have been fatal had he risen higher, but even now I would have been injured. "That's what the plates are for!" I realized, raising my staff and slowly, with feigned clumsiness, moving around my opponent, who was watching me. "A fall from a greater height would simply wrench the wings from their sockets, but somehow it regulates the height to which the plates allow the wings to riseвЂ"after all, at first it was flapping its wings freely, and before landing, its wings were parallel to the ground." All this flashed through my mind before the pegasus lunged at me, accelerating with the occasional flapping of its wings. Apparently, it had already realized I wasn't as clumsy as I seemed, after taking a couple of staff jabs to the rump because I managed to spin around as it flew past.

"What, aren't four legs always better than two?" I teased, catching my breath.

With a short growl, it lunged forward. After all, pegasi were too much like the air from which they drew their magicвЂ"if you angered them, they became predictable, but remained quite dangerous. The pegasus's fighting style involved frequently standing on its hind legs for long periods, supporting itself with the flapping of its wings. Judging by its appearance, it was clearly no ordinary soldier, but fighting on two legs is more natural for humans, so during another swing, I lunged forward and to the right, striking the pegasus's upper body with my staff. The guard's lungs were deflated with a pathetic whimper, and its light body was sent flying backward. As I approached the pegasus, who was struggling to breathe, I was breathing heavily myself as I carefully lowered my staff next to the guard's head, signaling victory. Finally catching its breath, the pegasus rose to its feet and silently walked out of the circle.

The white stallion, an earth pony, who stepped onto the platform was more muscular than the pegasus and perhaps not as fast, but I immediately realized it was best to avoid its hoof strike. Despite his small stature for a human, he was quite imposing. A training spearвЂ"a stick with a rounded tipвЂ"was held in a special holder at his side. His red mane stood out vividly against his white body, making him seem engulfed in flames. It was quite impressive. As it turned out, he possessed not only an impressive appearance but also speed, only slightly inferior to a pegasus. Breaking into a rapid run, he leaped into the air, hooves extended forward. The only thing that saved me was that I fell to the ground in surprise, and he flew over me. Unfortunately, I hit my back and head on the ground, so I couldn't, and wouldn't have had time, to strike him in the gut with the staff. Rolling to the side, I stood up, staff extended before me, and my opponent did the same, taking the spear in his teeth. Deciding to seize the initiative, I rushed forward, forcing the guard to intercept the spear with his hooves, trying to catch me as I lunged forward. As I ran, I tore off my cloak, mentally thanking Rarity for the brooch that hadn't snagged at the crucial moment, then threw the heavy fabric at the pony's face. "You may be strong..." I thought, tossing aside my staff and grabbing the guard by his armor, "...but you're light enough for a human!" With a short howl from the instant muscle tension that sent pain through my entire body, I threw the red-maned pony to the ground, grabbing my struggling opponent by the throat. Stunned and clearly dumbfounded by such a maneuver, the pony lay motionless on the ground. Turning to the alicorns, I saw Luna nod, indicating victory was mine, after which I lay down, feeling every muscle in my body ache from such stuntsвЂ"even in the forest, it was easier because I had a weapon.

Judging by the fact that the unicorn had leaped onto the platform before the earth pony had even left, their plan to land me in a puddle wasn't just falling apartвЂ"it was practically falling apart.

"And I was afraid you'd be angry," I laughed, after I got to my feet.

I shouldn't have... Because out of nowhere, a rock struck me in the stomach, obeying the unicorn's magic, knocking me off my feet. Rolling over, I vomited bile, half-consciously grateful I hadn't eaten since morning. Another rock struck my shoulder, causing me to groan in pain and raise my head. A stallion, snow-white like the earth pony, with a long gray mane, looked at me the way people look at a cockroach that suddenly crawled onto a holiday table. The unicorn pulled the next stone out of the sand, apparently tearing out parts of the platform, but this time he missed, as I rushed toward him, weaving from side to side. Sweat poured into my eyes, my legs weakened with each leap, and a couple of times I almost dropped the staff I'd managed to pick up as I ran. When I was a couple of steps away, I leaped forward... to hang in the telekinetic field.

"That's it," the stallion said quietly, his voice low. "What's your chance against magic, two-legged one?"

Ignoring his words, I looked down. He had me in his telekinetic field, meaning I couldn't move and was basically at his mercy. But... but most of the field was holding me by my clothes! "So that's the thing..."

Laughing, I raised my head and looked at the unicorn.

"What, am I too heavy for your telekinesis?" вЂ" With these words, I moved my right hand, still holding the staff.

"Don't move, Mistspier. You've lost," Luna's voice rang out from beside us.

He jerked in surprise, but still didn't move, only now realizing what was happening. Slowly lowering his head, he looked at the blade of Night's Retribution, which was touching his stomach, almost parallel to the ground. However, both Luna and I understood that even in this position, the scythe would have sliced ​​off part of his chest and leg if I hadn't prudently commanded the weapon to "blunt" the blade.

"But how...?" the pony choked out, still holding me in his magical field.

"You haven't read your reports about my weapon correctly. It appears in the shadows. You see, in the s-e-e-e-e," I drawled, as if talking to a mentally retarded person. "Whose fault is it that standing on all fours automatically creates a shadow zone beneath you?"

Swinging quickly, I slammed my left hand hard into the glowing horn. With a short howl, the stallion fell to the ground, clutching his head. As I'd already realized, such a blow hurt more than a kick in the balls, and I wouldn't have minded hitting that bastard harder.

"Don't, Des. I agree, all three of you violated every conceivable rule of the game, but that was unnecessary." However, contradicting her own words, she slowly placed a hoof on the now-glowing horn, leaned toward the prone guard, and in a voice that betrayed barely contained rage, said, "You three are dismissed for violating the rules of the game and attempting to inflict serious injury on the Royal Guard under the guise of training." If I see you in the capital after moonrise, I'll hold you responsible for altering the course of the exam itself, along with a couple other aggravating circumstances. NOW GET OUT OF HERE!!!" she barked the last words in the Canterlot Voice, removing her hoof from her horn. Apparently, this manner of communication was quite unusual for all the ponies, because they vanished in literally a few seconds.

Turning to Celestia, she was about to approach her when I placed my hand on her back, stroking her between her wings, trying to soothe her.

"Alright, alright, alright, my dear, calm down. That's enough for today."

It was as if all the rage had suddenly drained out of her, because she nodded sadly, and we walked to the edge of the platform, me leaning on Luna, my body reminding me that I hadn't been beaten like this in a long time and it refused to work under such conditions.

"Maybe you could explain WHAT that was?"

Thank God, Luna had already stopped abusing the Voice, so I remained standing. The sadly bowed head of the solar diarch was the most complete answer.

"I don't understand why someone would be so upset by one alien that they would do this in front of us. I didn't realize anything completely different was happening until Mistspier got involved. But he was never so aggressive, and at all the recruits' tests and exams, he pointed out their mistakes; it was as if he was beside himself!" "I'm beside myself... I'm beside myself!" the three of us screamed, realizing what was going on.

Flinging her wings, Celestia soared into the sky, rushing toward the castle gates. Meanwhile, Luna quickly struck me with dark magic, bringing me back to relative order. We then ran toward the same main gates, but through the castle corridors, scaring off the servants. Outside, we encountered a gloomy-looking Celestia.

"They're gone..."

"Damn it," I said with annoyance, still feeling the aftereffects of the "exam." "How did your guards miss three changelings? I bet the real guards are hidden somewhere, if they're even alive."

"Alive, alive," Luna replied calmly. "With all the changelings do, killing is simply unprofitable for them; every kill is one less source of Love. I'll send out the guards, and they'll start searching." After my princess left, Celestia, having cooled down, turned to me.

"Des, I..."

"No need," I raised my hand, forestalling an apology. "I'm more interested in the fact that the changelings decided to stick their noses in here. Could it really be the queen's orders?"

"Queen Chrysalis. The leader of a strange race that tried to help, and now sends its minions? It's illogical. And pointless. What's the point of trying to kill me if it won't lead to the population being fed or the capital's security being weakened? It's pointless."

"The strange thing is, they attacked me when you were ra... Twilight! She wanted to come with us!"

At that very moment, Celestia was at my side, offering her back and shaking her head. Without wasting time, I quickly leaped onto the diarch and clung to his neck, lacking a saddle or anything resembling reins. Celestia, lifting off the ground, quickly soared toward the student's balcony and, without stopping, flew through the glass partition, sending us rolling in a shower of shards. Twilight slept peacefully on the bed, not awakened by all the noise we'd made.

"Sleeping potion," the princess said, casting a spell to dispel its effects, causing my second filly to instantly open her eyes and jump up on the bed.

"Changelings!" They're here, they're...

I quickly sat down on the bed and, hugging the little alicorn, stroked her head soothingly.

"We know, everything's fine, Twilight, no one was hurt." "Strange, she wasn't kidnapped, just drugged." "Celestia."

"Yes."

A bright beam of light shot from the tip of her horn in our direction. My fears were unfoundedвЂ"Twilight was still sitting next to me.

"Thank the Supreme Being," I sighed, hugging her. "Now tell me what happened while we were gone."

* * *

As I understood from Twilight's story, a changeling disguised as a servant brought her "special tea from Princess Celestia, which she absolutely had to try." Potions with similar effects are less effective on alicorns, so Twilight was half asleep and saw the changeling standing in the room pause for a few seconds, transforming into its true form, then returning to its servant form and flying out onto the balcony, then diving down.

Luna, who had appeared in the room at the beginning of Twilight's story, had been sitting next to her the entire time, covering her with her wing. It looked very cute, especially when the youngest princess unconsciously clung to her, as if seeking shelter.

"Can you verify that there are no more changelings in Canterlot?" Deciding there would be time for a touching moment, I decided to first discuss all the matters surrounding the incident.

"Yes, we'll recreate the shield over the capital. It's a shame your brother isn't here," Celestia said, looking at Twilight. "His barrier spell is quite useful, though complex and energy-consuming. I think we can find a replacement. And I don't think you should leave the palace today; it would be better if you spent the day under the guards' protection."

"They were a great help, those guards of yours," I thought good-naturedly, remembering my next question.

"I can search for the missing guards. I wouldn't be surprised if they're being held in the caves beneath the capital again. I'll need medics and a few guards to comb all the crystal caves more quickly. And yes, I kindly request, Celestia, make sure my ENTIRE herd is with you until I return from the dungeon."

"What? Absolutely not!" the fillies began chattering in unison.

Turning to face them, I looked very closely at both alicorns.

"This isn't a request, girls. If necessary, for your safety, I'll tie you up and leave you with Celestia. Well, for my sake," I asked, wincing wearily. "I'll feel much better if you stay here. Yes, I know you're both powerful alicorns; consider this a whim of the herd leader."

I'd already decided to resort to a last resort, just to keep these restless ponies in the castle. Oddly enough, it worked; they both nodded in unison, but then exchanged sly glances. Realizing they wouldn't let me go so easily, I looked at them with resignation.

"And in return?"

"In return, we'll fill you up with dark magic." "Damn..."

"Okay, get to it..."

* * *

While the guards and medics were gathering equipment, I stood with my herd in one of the castle halls, both alicorns in a single section, centered on me. The doors to the hall were closed so no one could interrupt us.

The alicorns' eyes turned a frightening green again, and two beams of dark magic met exactly in the center of the hall, forming a black sphere around me. The last thing I felt before bliss washed over me was my feet lifting off the floor and slowly rising. I don't know how much time passed, but when I opened my eyes, I was met with the surprised gaze of both fillies standing next to me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, rising from the floor, feeling a lightness in every muscle of my body. The power seemed to be boiling within me, demanding release; standing still was very difficult.

"Your eyes," Luna glanced around, searching for a mirror.

"Wow," Twilight echoed, fascinated, looking at me with such curiosity that I felt uneasy.

At that moment, Luna approached me, holding a small mirror telekinetically. Shrugging, I took the mirror and turned it so the reflective side was facing me, almost dropping it.

"Wow..." was all I could say, staring at my reflection.

My eyes seemed to blaze with an unknown sea-green flame, mimicking the color of my irises, and it looked... frightening and at the same time captivating. Something tugged at me again, just like that night with Luna, but now I was looking at Twilight, her horn glowing the color she usually had when she used simple magic. And again, just like then, I placed my hand on the horn. A new wave of magic, this time different, coursed through my body. It was magic that clearly felt its owner, a skill that had once awakened in a young unicorn. It was as if I had touched the soul of the alicorn itself, once again giving a part of myself and receiving a part of Twilight in return. And again, my muscles tensed, I lay on the floor, and both ponies leaned over me, Luna holding Twilight.

"He's fine, Twilight, we've already been through this, now it's your turn. I don't know why this is happening, but he's fine. Can you feel it?"

The young filly nodded and shook her hooves, causing me to open my eyes and smile faintly.

"It's all right, Twily... Wow!" It was my turn to be surprised.

I suddenly realized that, with some mental effort, I could sense something like a magical aura around both alicorns. It must have been what the sorceress had given me. Their auras were different, which made sense. Around Luna, you could sense the calm of the night, as if standing beneath the rays of a night star. Twilight's magic was orderly, like her master, but even within that strict order, there was a sense of life. It was practically impossible to describe them both in words, but being near them, I felt a tender affection and love that emanated from both fillies in equal measure. I even closed my eyes, trying to savor the sensation of feeling them both, slightly differently, butвЂ"together.

"Perhaps you could explain to me what's going on here?" "Celestia's voice, coming from the door, broke my concentration, making me wince in annoyance. The eldest princess's eyes were filled with worry, tension, and a certain anticipation, as if she... knew what had happened but wanted to hear it from us.

"I have no idea," I shrugged as indifferently as I could.

However, Celestia's suddenly changed gaze made me choke on the words I wanted to sayвЂ"before me stood a creature who had cast off the mask of her usual playful princess. The alicorn yearned for an answer, but humans are always forced to look up to something taller, stronger, or simply more ancient than themselves, so I felt no particular reverence. Yes, I understood that this creature had lived for millennia, but now there were two ponies standing next to me, one almost the same age, and the other with a magical prowess that could surpass them both in the future. And they weren't standing behind me because they didn't want to interfere or had some kind of plan. No. Behind me stood two MY ponies, from MY herd. I don't know how the stallions of this world behave, but I am responsible for them.

Standing to my feet, I casually brushed myself off and approached the Day Diarch. The wise creature's eyes were full of thoughts, ideas, wisdom... and coldness. I felt sorry for her. An eternal creature, doomed to die only at the hands of a sufficiently powerful and ancient beingвЂ"one I didn't want to fear or worship. Just like that time, on the tower, I saw something that eluded the inhabitants of this world. A small white alicorn, already bearing a cutie mark, with a long pink mane, terribly proud of the mission entrusted to her, guarding her little sister. Lonely, like Luna, with friends, but without anyone truly special. For some reason, every time I look beneath the masks of the two sisters, I feel pity and a desire to tear off what I consider a maskвЂ"this appearance of an ancient creature bored with the world.

"Should I explain what happened, or are you going to tell me what happened yourself, and not pretend to be some kind of sage?"

"Do you know what you've done?" Celestia hissed, looking me in the eye. "You've bound them to you forever, mortal! My sister and apprentice!" She lowered her voice so the other alicorns wouldn't hear her. "And now imagine what will happen when your time is up! You'll break their hearts, and all because of your stupidity. Why do you think we're alone and lack true love until death? Because we can't give our chosen ones eternal life! And Cadence is doomed to love; she'll be much worse off than us! And you want that fate for them?" I closed my eyes, taking a slow breath in and out. Then I reached out in thought to my loved ones, feeling the bond that connected us, and smiled happily.

"If one day they can say to themselves, 'I don't love him,' or if I die, the bond will dissolve," I said just as quietly. "They won't feel empty."

I don't know why, but I knew I was right, as if the world itself were speaking through my lips, the world to which I was now more strongly connected than to the world I had left behind.

"Perhaps you should consider that in half a century they'll still be happier than you, illustrious diarch, trapped in the fear of loss? I've never heard of such a bond occurring between ponies or alicorns and ponies, but sooner or later you'll have to find someone more than a friend or lover. Otherwise, you'll even get tired of your own face. And now, allow me to take my leave," I added loudly, stepping away from the princess. "I have to go find the guards. My dears..." I turned to the herd and smiled cheerfully, "try not to get into trouble."

* * *

"It's beautiful here," I was forced to say, looking around.

Our small detachment moved through the crystal caves, trying to peer around every corner in search of the missing stallions. I was accompanied by two fillies with healer marks, concealed by white uniforms, and six guardiansвЂ"three earth ponies and three unicorns. Taking pegasi into the caves would have been foolish, so we selected the best members of our party. So far, our search had been unsuccessful, but we'd only spent half an hour in this realm of reflections. If I'd been alone here, I could have spent the whole day simply strolling through the spacious halls created by nature, admiring the creations of this eternal artist and sculptor. Light filtered into the underground cavities, repeatedly reflecting off the facets of natural mirrors, eventually spilling onto the floor as a blue glow from somewhere near the ceiling.

"Beautiful, but too lifeless," the unicorn in the healer's outfit shuddered. "You ponies don't know how to appreciate dead beauty, yet all mares love jewelry. What a paradox," I laughed, listening to the silvery echoes rippling through the halls.

Overwhelmed by the caves, I managed to miss the guards, but the second medic, an Earth pony, noticed the prostrate stallions and drew our attention.

Having spread out the stretchers, we carefully carried the unconscious guards and headed for the exit.

"It's a shame we didn't find the cave where Cadence was imprisoned; it's a historical site after all," I said quietly, following the guards, earning a noticeable blow to the lower back. Turning, I met the unicorn's gaze.

"That's not funny. What if the changeling queen's deception hadn't been discovered?"

"Then I imagine there would be cute black creatures scurrying about the city." Muttering something vaguely reminiscent of "donkey" under her breath, she increased the distance between us and was currently walking alongside the guards.

"Why is she so angry? I was just kidding, right?"

"She was in the castle when it all happened," I heard the voice of an earth pony walking behind us. "Ever since then, she's, to put it mildly, disliked changelings."

"They had their reason for doing so, but of course, it's not a good idea to say such things in public."

"There's a way out," one of the guards pointed to a glimmer of sunlight in the distance, and just then one of the unicorns decided to break a small crystal out of the wall as a souvenir. It was unlikely anyone would have expected this to trigger a collapse, but that's exactly what happenedвЂ"crystals that had looked so hard and solid just a few seconds ago suddenly began falling from the walls!

"Forward!" I yelled, grabbing the lightweight unicorn, frozen in fear, and rushing forward after the guards.

The falling shards shattered, the sharp shrapnel cutting sharply across my face. Feeling the medic shake off her stupor, I let go of her and hurried toward the exit, when a sizable chunk of the wall tore off with a terrifying creaking sound, falling on the changeling-hater running ahead of me.

"No!" With a desperate effort of my entire body, I managed to get between the wall and the unicorn. With a loud crack, the wall collapsed, burying us underneath.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on all fours, arms outstretched, and apparently the medic pony I'd rushed to save was cowering in the space below me. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I realized I hadn't been mistakenвЂ"she, sheltered from the fallen wall beneath me, was slowly coming to.

"Alive?" "I asked, feeling how fortunately the wall had fallen on usвЂ"it hadn't smashed us across the floor, but rather seemed to have been stopped by, I presume, the opposite wall of the passage, which was why some of it was now nestled comfortably on my shoulders and partly on my back. Hell, there was a sharp shard pressing into my back. "The wall stopped falling just in time, or else the shard would have been below my solar plexus."

"Y-yes..." the pony replied, her voice trembling. Finally realizing the situation we were in, she was clearly about to start a tantrum.

"Silence! Or we'll both die!" I decided to cut off her screams and tears.

"Why?""Because the only way to stop the hysteria is to slap her, and if I move my hand, the crystal will kill us. "Besides," I said gloomily, "there's a crystal just below my chest on the back, of course, and it's just enough to take me, and maybe you'll get it too..."

Breathing heavily at the threatening prospect, the pony nodded silently, but soon decided to ask a question.

"How are you supporting an entire section of the wall?"

"No way, it fell so conveniently that I'm only supporting a portion of it; the pressure isn't just on my shoulders and back. They'll start digging us out soon, calm down, they'll get you out."

"Me? You meant us." The medic laughed nervously.

"I can't feel my arms; apparently, something's damaged. I heard a click when the wall fell, and I don't understand why I don't feel pain." Plus, I think the rubble is very large, and I won't be able to use magic at full capacity. And when they get to us... The slightest hesitation and I'll get a crystal in my back, and it would be good if it went straight to my heart. My body will stay in the same position, and by then they'll dig up the medic himself. Damn, I've played the hero too much...

I must have been lost in thought, because only now did I hear my name being called.

"Des, wake up! Wake up!"

"I haven't passed out or slept," I said quietly. "I was just calculating my options. Listen, what's your name?"

"Mysthil."

"You?.."

"Yes, I'm Mistspierre's sister. Oh, I hope they're okay..."

"Everything will be fine," I tried to console her, listening to the surrounding silence. There was no creaking of stones anywhere, no sound of water, which, on the one hand, meant nothing more would crush us. On the other hand, the excavations hadn't reached us yet, if they had even begun.

We spent some time in silence. In such a situation, you don't know how time passes, whether a minute or an hour has passed. You can only wait and pray that your bones don't break from the pressure, that at least someone escapes the trap.

"Luna, Twilight... Celestia was right. Only my time has come much sooner..."

The sound of excavations could be heard in the distance; they were apparently using magic. Thank God, we won't have to spend a lot of time under rubble, reminiscing about happy moments. One movement of the rock and that's it.

"Hurry up, my back is getting stiff," I tried to joke, distracting Misthil from what was about to happen. With a strained laugh, she tried to roll over onto her stomach, but there wasn't much room. Closing my eyes, I felt the presence of Twilight and Luna.

"Well, he did ask me to stay in the castle."

"Who are you talking about?" the medic asked briskly, listening to the sounds of the excavation.

"Princesses Luna and Twilight have decided to take an active part in rescuing their subjects. Princess Celestia is probably nearby too. And no, Twilight can't just teleport here and get us out of here," I answered the unasked question. "There's simply no room here, and without knowing where to teleport, she'll smash into us or the rock at the molecular level. Basically, they'll have to work with telekinesis, like regular unicorns."

Apparently, my herd was VERY worried about me, speeding up the excavation. And a particularly powerful jolt of magic finally shook the wall looming above us. The bones in my arms broke in an instant. It was a good thing my elbows didn't bend backwards, otherwise the medic would have been completely crushed by the falling crystal, and the sharp blade of the shard pierced my back, protruding below my chest. The blood spurting from the wound and mouth looked monstrous against the pony's snow-white hide. And at that very moment, I screamed. Feeling nothing but pain, I almost immediately lost my voice, blood pouring from my throat onto the face of the medic lying beneath me, who didn't even try to turn away, trying to cast a healing spell. Out of the corner of my mind, I noticed she wasn't succeeding, and thank God, I didn't need to keel over from life magic.

When I stopped feeling the pain, things got a little better, even though it meant I'd definitely lost my arms, but at least I could assess the situation through the crimson haze of pain. Breathing heavily, I no longer paid attention to the blood pouring out with every inhalation and exhalation. I lowered my head and looked at the shard, dangerously close to Mysthil's skin.

"Lately... Ugh... Listen, Myst... Stop trying to heal me!" I barked with the last of my strength. "Only dark magic can heal me." The unicorn's surprised expression made me sigh and wince from another wave of pain. "Only the princesses knew this, so it's practically a state secret. In any case..." Clearing my throat, I continued, "I need you to break this shard, preferably with a hoof."

"I'll make it even more painful! And widen the wound..." I spat to the side in frustration and tried to look the pony in the eye.

"I'm practically dead already, fool!" "And if it turns out my heroism was in vain, I swear I'll kill you!" He paused. He considered his words and spat, not literally, of course. "So stop fooling around and break the crystal. Or at least twist it sideways so the tip doesn't pierce you..."

Placing her hoof on the crystal, she looked me in the eyes.

"Do you have a special pony I should give something to, if I'm lucky?"

"You'll see them anyway... but let's not tarnish the princesses' reputations."

"Ask Luna and Twilight, they know... uh... who to tell that I'm sorry it all ended so soon... and that... that now they can go... go... further... Now break that damn crystal!"

Nodding, Misthil closed her eyes and struck the crystal, causing blood to splatter onto her fur, already browned by the scarlet liquid. I thought the pain was beyond my reach, but I realized the bastard still had a few tricks up her sleeve... The unicorn was trying to do everything quickly, so she hit me with all her might, tears in her eyes, making me feel my flesh deform and the crystal writhe in my body like a worm gnawing at my insides. Finally, the crystal's crunch announced that the medic was relatively safe. The sound of debris flying in all directions was getting closer, and I was growing weaker with every second.

"Hurry!" Mysthil shouted, trying to get their attention. "We're here! Watch out..."

At that moment, the alicorns again hit the structure towering above us, increasing the already considerable pressure on my upper arms, which I was still leaning on. I listened with a neutral interest to Mysthil's screams and the cracking of my bones. The pain had subsided, and I felt good. But something was wrong... "Oh yeah, pony... We need to do something..." Realizing we were about to be crushed, I slowly lowered myself onto the unicorn, preventing the crystal from falling on us right away.

"They're nearby, scream... to destroy the stone..."

I remember Misthil's desperate scream, the sound of the explosion, my body being thrown aside, I heard Celestia's commands, the voices of the medics... And the desperate cries of those I left behind in the castle.

- Luna, Twilight, wait!

- MOVE OUT!

- DES!

- He can't be helped, look for yourself, that's enough, sister!

The effort it took to lift an eyelid should have been enough to lift a barbell, but it barely lifted enough to take one last look at the tearful princesses, who were trying to do something.

"Thank you, my loves..."

A flash of dark magic illuminated the vaults of the cave, causing the medics and rescuers to jump back in horror. But I didn't see that anymore; the last thing imprinted in my mind were two alicorns. One was completely black, its eyes blazing with fury and despair. Fangs, unlike the neat teeth of a pony, stood out white against the black fur.

"Nightmare Moon? No... Luna."

The second pony was dark purple, surrounded by an aura of maddened dark magic. She was as tall as the first pony, which somehow seemed wrong. Her long, dark blue mane acted as if she were in the eye of a storm.

"Twilight?"

Chapter 5.5. Forgive Me...

The hardest step is always the first one.

This was wrong.

"Why does this feel wrong?"

"Maybe because you're looking at this from the outside? Or because time has stood still?"

"They don't look like themselves. What's wrong with them?"

"You took something from them and gave them a part of yourself, isn't that how you felt? Do you understand now?"

"Why did they become... dark?"

"Are you listening to me or not? It's a part of you. They'll stay that way after you go. Further. They don't want to part with you and will keep it within themselves. Too bad."

"Why?"

"Because it would consume your sweet fillies. Nightmare Moon would be nothing when two princesses, distraught over their early loss, try to reclaim their guardian."

"Then... You shouldn't have shown up in the first place?"

"Do you believe that?"

"No."

"A long pause."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"No." "Then I'll take it myself."

A silent nod. The strange man approached the frozen figures, gently stroked the black filly's face, leaned in, and kissed her tenderly. Approaching the dark purple alicorn, he leaned in and, with the words, "It's not your color," also placed a soft kiss on her lips. At that moment, both princesses returned to their normal forms, and the man turned to his interlocutor.

"Time."

"Yes. Forgive me, my loves."

The two smiled at each other. Then they salute each other with their braids.