The atmosphere was heavy with concern and judgment, along with the scent of a pleasant incense. Never had Twinken felt so small as he stood in the center of the Nocturnal Council Chamber. It was a circular room, surrounding a hardwood floor covered with tatami mats, the walls covered with emakimono painted scrolls that depicted the lunar ponies' histories in vivid illustration along with writings highlighting the significance of each event, and the council members sat on cushions while the Shadow, the Healer, and the Eldress each sat on a Zabuton chair to highlight their authority while their aides sat at their respective sides, and all of them faced inward, where Twinken stood, along with his brother, Midnight. Twilight, Spike, and Faerie Tail stood near the doorway, which was located opposite the Eldress, who gave Twinken an unreadable look that was neither encouraging nor condemning.

Midnight had just explained to the Council the reason for his family's visit - Twinken needed help, the kind of which only they could give. The kind of help that was necessary to help curb the power, and the danger, Twinken carried, and he needed it before something happened that might not be salvageable.

The Nocturnal Council whispered among themselves, apart from the Eldress, as she kept her gaze upon Twinken, making the colt feel more and more anxious. The not knowing of what her opinion of him, positive or negative, was almost worse than if she had one unfavorable.

Finally, Pale Ryder spoke first, "Your words and concerns are indeed of serious note, Prince Midnight. As a matter of fact, just after your arrival, we received a message from our Mother of the Night, corroborating your statement and expressing her pleas to us that we do everything within our power to help her pupil. However..."

Pale Ryder turned his eyes to the colt, piercing him with cold reproach, "Perhaps we ought to hear from the boy..."

All eyes and ears turned to Twinken, making him feel even more afraid, as it took everything he had to keep it together in spite of the weight in the pit of his stomach. He twitched a bit, faint red mana sparking from his horn, as he tried the breathing exercises he'd learned in a vain effort to calm down. It wasn't working. The talisman wasn't working!

Twinken could hear murmurs in his head. Indistinct, soft, but he could hear them. He sensed the talisman's power waning while his own began to wax in response to his distress.

Faerie Tail felt her heart tighten at the sight of her colt, every motherly instinct spurring her to rush over and embrace him. But as awful and as hard as it was, she stayed put, knowing that she couldn't keep shielding Twinken from the harsh reality of the danger he posed, to others as well as to himself. She felt a wing over her back, and a touch on her opposite wither. She looked to see it was Twilight and Spike, offering what comfort they could to the mother unicorn.

But then... a burst of red erupted from Twinken as he cried out in panic, a feeling like static filling the room, as red mana crackled and sparked faintly around them all, and Twinken clutched his head with one hoof and pressed the talisman to his chest with the other, and the colt began to levitate as the energy intensified.

Twinken could hear nothing. nothing but the pounding in his skull, the burning at the base of his horn, the blood rushing to his ears, and the beating of his heart as he tried so desperately to hold in his power, to keep his mind to himself, to push out the thoughts that weren't his own as they struck his mind like cacophonous noise-

Then, suddenly it stopped, and Twilight, Faerie Tail, and Spike were shocked by how fast and easily the dilemma had been remedied, as they saw Midnight, Pale Ryder, Moondance, and even Hazel Twig surrounding the colt. A silk ribbon completely wrapped Twinken's horn by Midnight, Hazel Twig pressed a bag of herbs to Twinken's nose, the earthy remedy already calming the colt with its cleansing fragrances, Twinken was being hugged from behind by the Eldress herself to provide additional comfort, while Pale Ryder had the tip of his drawn ninjato poised mere inches from the colt's heart.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" Whatever control Faerie Tail had was gone at the sight of Pale Ryder threatening her child, as she rushed over, only for Pale Ryder and Hazel Twig's aids to bar her way.
"Get out of my way, let go of my son!!"

"Miss Faerie Tail, the colt was on the verge of a psychic outburst," Pale Ryder explained as he sheathed his blade while Midnight and Hazel Twig both backed away. Moondance continued to hold Twinken, with the caring tenderness of a grandmother. "Had we not stopped him, he could have unleashed such power that perhaps every citizen in Lunaria would have suffered psychological trauma, or worse."

"He is worse than we realize," Hazel Twig seconded, "the Mother of the Night bade us to do everything in our power to help him, and to do so as we see fit. However, if Twinken-chan endangers our people we must do what may be necessary to protect our society."

"And you would murder a child?!" Faerie Tail was on the verge of hysterics, Twilight and Spike hurrying over to try and calm her down. "How could you be so cruel?! We came here to ask you for your help! To give a suffering colt guidance. And you seriously consider that as an option!?! Have you no shame...?"

"Child." All eyes turned to Moondance as the Eldress stood up and carefully positioned Twinken to sit upright as the colt was now in a relaxed daze. "We would never make light of the suffering of a foal, much less the idea of ending his pain in such a manner. Regardless, this child, innocent though he is, he poses such danger that even our Mother of the Night fears the potential of his powers should they grow beyond all control."

The Eldress spoke with a solemn undertone of deepest concern and understanding yet was heavy with the sense of duty.

"His power is great, and so too is the responsibility that comes with it," Moondance went on as she then approached Faerie Tail, the aides stepping out of the way, as the elder mare met the younger's gaze and in the Eldress's eyes Faerie Tail saw the sincerity of Moondance's words along with the trepidation that weighed upon the old mare's shoulders.
"Selfless duty calls upon us to do what is right, especially for the lives of those we are charged with guiding and protecting. I will give you no assurances other than this:

"I promise, on behalf of the Nocturnal Council, we will do everything we can to help your son."

"...and if you can't?" Faerie Tail dared to ask.

"They will." All eyes now turned to Midnight as he regarded his mother before looking to Moondance, "Because I propose Twinken takes... the Rite."

"The Rite?" Pale Ryder sounded a little surprised.
"Prince Midnight, you can't be serious!" Hazel Twig was aghast. "The Rite is meant for lunar ponies older than Twinken, ponies who have undergone basic training to become Lunobi!"

Moondance said nothing, so Midnight went on, sounding harsh with every word, "We've tried multiple ways to help Twinken, but nothing has been done to truly help him master his power and himself! He isolated himself for months, out of some misguided attempt to punish himself rather than actually dealing with the problem! No more! I'm done letting him wallow in self-pity and fear."

"Midnight!" Faerie Tail couldn't believe that her son was being so harsh, even though she understood. "I-I understand that Twinken needs to learn to control his power, but he's still just a colt!"

"No..." all eyes turned to see Twinken coming out of his relaxed stupor, sounding weary but the look in his eyes burned with a sense of determination. "I... I can't... live like this anymore! I didn't ask for these powers. I only wanted to help my brother, because at the time I was the only one who could help him. I got more than I expected, and look what happened... I thought I had to punish myself by keeping everypony away from me, for their own safety, but I was lying to myself... I was too afraid to face the truth, that I have power and I need to master it. Or else I'll spend the rest of my life afraid of it and of how it can hurt those around me."

"Twinken..." Faerie Tail felt her heart was in a vice, caught between deepest concern and a sense of pride for her colt.

Twinken looked to the Eldress, declaring, "Princess Luna asked you to help me, and I'm done being afraid! Tell me how to master my power!"

Pale Ryder narrowed his eyes at the brazen tone of this colt while Hazel Twig sympathized with the pain that Twinken was clearly feeling while Moondance returned Twinken's insolent look with one unreadable and yet belied the authority of a queen.

"You seek knowledge?" The Eldress responded, "There is only one way to attain knowledge here."

"How?! I'll do it!!" Twinken was starting to sound desperate.

"The Rite of the Lunobi," answered Moondance, "Should you survive, you will master your power, but more importantly, you will master your self."

"Survive?!" Faerie Tail echoed, almost in shock.

"Midnight, this is crazy!" Twilight couldn't keep quiet anymore, and bore her husband a disapproving look, "Whatever this Rite is, we can't let Twinken-"

"BE QUIET, TWILIGHT!!!" Twinken snapped with such intensity that Twilight was taken aback. Shame at his outburst softened Twinken's demeanor, as he said in an apologetic tone, "I have to do this..."

"Pale Ryder, give the colt a blade," Moondance commanded with a voice cold and detached.

Twinken turned to Pale Ryder, who reached into a pouch strapped to his belt, and pulled out what appeared to be a small dagger, the blade a shimmering silver, the handle wrapped with leather and a ring on the pommel. On the blade, right above the handle, was an engraving matching the moon of Princess Luna's cutie-mark, made distinctive by black enameling. Twinken reached up to take it, but Pale Ryder didn't let go. The colt looked up at the lunar pegasus, who whispered grimly, "You had better start proving yourself..."

"...I intend to," Twinken retorted before jerking the blade out of Pale Ryder's hoof, before facing the Eldress again.

"The Rite of the Lunobi can only end one way or another..." The Eldress declared with a tone of inarguable finality. "Knowledge... or Death."

"What?!" Faerie Tail cried out in alarm.
"That's crazy!" Spike added.
"I will not allow-" Twilight tried to say, only for Midnight to step forward and his horn released a blinding flash of light, and then everything was suddenly silent.

Twinken then found himself in a large chamber shaped like a pentagon. The ceiling was rocky, indicating this room was built into a cave. The floor seemed to be stone, and in each corner stood a stone pedestal, upon which sat a globe of purplish-white light that did nothing to help the chilly temperature filling the whole chamber.

Twinken also saw that he was now garbed in a form-fitting outfit similar to Pale Ryder's, only it had nothing but leather pauldrons for his shoulders and a belt, in which his blade was strapped, and the outfit was colored pale gray. It felt snug but it didn't impede Twinken's movements and it also seemed to keep him from shivering in this dreary place. Except for the shiver he felt starting from the dock of his tail and running up his spine when he heard a sound and looked to the middle of the chamber.

There he saw what appeared to be pentagon-shaped panel appear in the floor before it seemed to sink down, leaving a hole... before the sound of a mechanism preceded the arrival of a lunar pony, fully-garbed in lunobi attire, including a hood and mask that completely hid their face, rise up out of the floor. They had neither horn nor wings, meaning they were a lunar earth pony, and the physique indicated a stallion, which was confirmed when the pony reached to a sheathed blade strapped to his waist and drew it while demanding, "Surrender the blade."

The voice was certainly masculine, and the lunobi took a battle stance while giving his blade an expert twirl, indicating he knew how to wield it, and the blade itself was larger and longer, more like a sword, with a light curve and looked heavier. It bore Princess Luna's mark just above its handle, the same as Twinken's.

"You cannot win..." the lunobi warned grimly.

Furrowing his brows and levitating his blade, despite wishing it was a little bigger, Twinken charged, blades meeting in a harsh dissonant clash of metal. Twinken knew he stood no real chance, but he'd made up his mind. He would see this through to the end.

The lunobi batted Twinken's blade away with such pressure it was knocked out of Twinken's telekinetic grasp and yet had been done with seemingly casual ease. Twinken was alarmed as his blade slid away on the floor, and he quickly ran, avoiding a stomp from his opponent, and rushed to recover his blade.

Facing him head on won't work, I gotta try to fight from a distance! Twinken thought as he focused his magic and felt it grasp his blade.

He spun `round and saw the lunobi rushing towards him, blade raised, so Twinken, keeping a hold on his own, gave it a heave and sent it spinning through the air towards his opponent. The lunobi easily deflected and kept coming, so Twinken willed his blade to yank back and it reversed its momentum, spinning again towards the lunobi.

He didn't even look, but the lunobi leapt while rotating his whole body and lashing out his blade with greater force, striking Twinken's blade so hard sparks flew, and Twinken felt his grip vanish yet again, a jab-like pain piercing his mind, distracting him as the lunobi closed in. It was only for a moment, but it was a moment too long, as Twinken felt the air get knocked out of him from the lunobi slamming the pommel of his blade into the colt's gut, the force of the blow sending Twinken flying, and he tumbled across the floor, heaving in pain, struggling to breathe.

Twinken barely had time to prop himself up when the lunobi rushed him and struck him again with a roundhouse kick, Twinken crying out in pain as he slid along the floor from the force of the attack. He managed to notice his blade nearby and desperately grasped it with his magic, but it did him no good.

The lunobi tackled Twinken, the both of them somersaulting, and then Twinken found himself with both of his forelegs pinned behind him and felt the lunobi's blade at his throat. Yet he'd managed to retain his grasp onto his own in spite of the throbbing he felt in his gut and shoulder.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease..." the lunobi demanded with a voice edged with cold and intensity.

Twinken gritted his teeth. In spite of being outmatched, in spite of being at his opponent's mercy, he panted, "I won't... give up!"

"...Then the pain continues." To Twinken's bewilderment, the lunobi released him and stepped back, letting the colt have a moment to catch his breath. "You are not meant to go through that door."

Door? Twinken thought in confusion, and he forced himself to his hooves and saw the lunobi now standing aside, and past him, he saw a door. Where did... was that always there?

Twinken looked at the door and then at the lunobi, who now stood there, still as a statue. He'd said that Twinken was not meant to go through the door, did that mean he would attack again if he tried to? Taking a cautious step in the door's direction, Twinken kept his eye on the lunobi. He didn't so much as twitch. He took some more careful steps and still provoked no reaction. Finally, Twinken sped to the door, giving one glance back and even as he passed through the threshold the lunobi didn't move a muscle.

Facing forward, Twinken found himself in the same chamber! Or was it just an identical one? He looked back and was startled to see that the door was gone. But then, he heard a familiar sound, only a tad louder, and he looked towards the middle of the floor in time to see not one but two lunobi rise up. One was a lunar earth pony, the other was a lunar pegasus, fanning his bat-like wings, both of them fully garbed so he couldn't see what they looked like. They both wielded the same blades as the first lunobi, and Twinken suddenly felt like he was playing a real-live version of a video game Button Mash had showed him, and he had a sneaking suspicion of what to expect as he raised his own blade, steeling himself.

"Surrender the blade," demanded one of the lunobi, he was unsure which, and they both lunged at him, the lunar pegasus flapping to gracefully flip through the air, right over Twinken's head, simultaneously avoiding a diagonal slash from Twinken's blade.

The distraction was enough for Twinken to forget a split-second too late that he was facing two opponents this time, as the earth pony lashed out in a haymaker. Thankfully, Twinken's keen ears had heard his hoofsteps and he just barely managed to duck, only to get forced back by a thrusting kick.

They didn't let up and both swung their blades with ruthless intent.

"This isn't a fair fight!" Spike protested with angry concern.

The drake, Twilight, Faerie Tail, and Midnight, along with the Shadow, the Healer, and the Eldress observed what was going on via three magic mirrors, giving different angles on the challenge, with the middle focused on Twinken as he struggled in a vain attempt to hold off his opponents.

"There is no such thing as a fair fight," responded Pale Ryder coldly. "An enemy that seeks to do you harm will not give you the courtesy of honorable combat. In the real world, outside of training and competition, a single mistake can lead to your own demise. The strong, the cunning, and the determined will seize victory. The weak, the foolish, and the cowardly will fall."

Faerie Tail was on the verge of tears as she watched, wincing at every clash as Twinken was thrown like a sack of potatoes, kicked in the stomach, barely missing a slash that could have taken his eye out and getting cut on the face still.

It wasn't long before Twinken was panting and aching, hanging his head as the lunar pegasus lunobi pointed his blade at the colt and echoed the prior lunobi, word for word.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

Panting, Twinken gazed up and stubbornly answered, "...no!"

The lunobi sighed and stepped back, "You are not meant to go through that door."

There it was again! The same door, in the same place. Or was it? The room looked the same from all angles, Twinken couldn't be sure. Seeing both lunobi standing statuesque, he picked up his blade and soldiered on.

Again, he came to either the same room or one just like down to the last detail, and again the door vanished when he wasn't looking. And again, the opponents increased, this time, they were joined by a lunar unicorn.

"Surrender the blade."

Twinken growled and charged into the fray. Again, he was bruised and battered, outclassed and outmatched and outmaneuvered at every turn. He didn't land so much as a tap or scratch on any of them.

Again, he was bested. Again, they said, "Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

Again, he refused and was told, "You are not meant to go through that door."

And again, Twinken entered the same chamber, and the lunobi increased, adding a second lunar earth pony. Twinken had seen it coming, because it was just like the video game he'd played with Button Mash. No matter how much he progressed, the challenge would get harder and harder.

"How long does this go on?!" Twilight demanded, finding the whole thing absurd and even barbaric.

"Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop," responded Hazel Twig.

"He'll never quit," Midnight commented in an almost-ho hum manner.

"One way or another, this will end," stated Moondance, watching how the colt forced himself to stand even as he shook in pain and exhaustion, and even then he kept fighting. "Knowledge or death."

On it went, and Twinken barely managed to make his way through the door, finding himself back in the same place. He was in agony. He was exhausted. He felt like he needed to throw up. But he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop! He didn't know how this was supposed to help him master his power, but this was the challenge he'd been given, and Goddess-willing he would see it through to the end.

And yet... Twinken wondered, whether he was actually accomplishing anything other than being a punching bag. It was starting to feel redundant. Like going around in circles, moving but not getting anywhere.

As he heard the mechanisms bringing up his opponents, he reflected on it all. The Lunobi kept telling him to surrender the blade, and doing so would end his pain. But he knew it would be giving up, and it would all be for nothing, the very thought was unacceptable. But then... why did they always tell him that he was not meant to go through the door? Twinken then remembered the test his mistress had given him and his friends before, where the point was to figure out the solution to a problem, but it turned out the solution was to give up, to accept failure. Was this challenge the same? He found himself dispirited by that, when he saw them.

They now numbered seven: Three lunar earth ponies, two lunar pegasi, and two lunar unicorns.

Twinken had taken martial arts lessons from both Midnight and Rainbow Dash. He'd known all along he stood no chance against a single lunobi in terms of direct combat. Against seven? He knew they'd defeat him in a matter of seconds once they all... !!!

That's it...! Twinken realized, and he charged as the seven lunobi were just about fully emerged. Focusing his power into the blade while keeping his visual focus upon his target, Twinken screamed as he launched the blade, sending it hurtling through the air towards the lunobi at the very back, spurring him to leap out of the way, only for Twinken's blade to stop the trapdoor from closing the hatch.

The other lunobi were stunned, enough for Twinken to knock the closest one aside, returning their attention to him, and ducking as one lashed out at him with her blade, and he slid between the legs of another, magicking his blade back to his belt and then diving into the trapdoor, which snapped shut right behind him.

"Where'd he go?!" Spike was flabbergasted.
"I don't know!" Twilight was stunned.
"Twinken...?" Faerie Tail held her hoof to her lips.
"..." Midnight stared at the mirror, seeing the lunobi in the chamber crowding the trapdoor, all of them stunned or impressed, while his own expression was unreadable.

A door opened, and out stumbled Twinken, panting, in pain, but feeling oddly pleased with himself, "I guess... I really wasn't supposed to go through tat door."

He chuckled, only to wince as he looked around, and saw he was in some kind of hallway. The floors were hardwood, and the same kind of pedestals with radiant globes provided light. He groaned, his vision shaky, and as he saw he was alone a mild sense of relief washed over him, which was enough for Twinken to collapse. He lay there, bruised, beaten, cut in several places, too tired to even think... but then he felt that he wasn't alone.

His eye creaked open, and he saw a figure standing over him. Then it eased down, as he heard a voice say, "Well done, little brother."

"M-Midnight...?" Twinken still felt woozy, but he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his brother. In spite of how hard Midnight had been lately, Twinken knew it had come fro ma place that cares, and he accepted Midnight's outstretched hoof, and let the stallion haul him up even though he still ached and throbbed all over.

"Pale Ryder said you lasted longer than anypony else in those battles," Midnight complimented, "well, at least longer than any colt your age. But I think you've done enough."

"Wha... what do you mean, Midnight?" groaned Twinken, not understanding.

"Just give them the blade, Twinken," Midnight suggested, sounding like it was no big whoop. "Give them the blade and let's go home."

"I... I can't, Midnight!" Twinken couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Faerie Tail, Twilight, and Spike couldn't believe what they were seeing. There, in that hallway with Twinken was Midnight, and yet he stood there beside him, seemingly in two places at once.

"What's going on here?" Twilight demanded, "Is that an illusion? A changeling?!"

"It's the nature of the test," answered Moondance, "those who undertake it will face more than fully trained and seasoned lunobi warriors. They will face a manifestation of their greatest hopes and fears."

"And right now... Twinken wants to see me," understood Midnight, his voice heavy and solemn as a tear ran down his cheek.

"What do you mean you can't?" said the Midnight they all saw in the mirror, the Midnight standing before the exhausted Twinken. "You know you can't overcome this challenge, all you're doing is getting hurt. Just drop it, Twinken."

"I can't, Midnight!" Twinken's tone became emotional, "If I give up now... I'll just be right back where I started! Alone, afraid, a danger to everyone around me! I have to see this through to the end."

"No, you don't! Just give up the blade, Twinken!" demanded the Midnight in front of the colt, "Give up, and it'll all be over."

"Yes! It will! And I'll never be able to live with myself if I give up here and now, when I'm so close to figuring this out!" Twinken was starting to cry, in pain, exhausted, even getting angry and confused.

"You stupid, selfish colt! You're willing to risk everything on a what-if?! I taught you better than that, Twinken, but it seems you've learned nothing..." Then the Midnight turned around and began to walk away.

"Urgh, Midnight... wait!" Twinken reached out towards his brother, but moved too fast, causing him to stumble and fall flat on his face. He lay there, groaning, throbbing, sobbing, pleading for his brother to come back.
"Please! Please... don't leave me alone! I need you...!"

"I can't take this anymore! We have to help him!" Faerie Tail was sobbing as she turned towards the door, only to hear it lock. "Did you not hear me?! He needs help!"

"The only one who can help him now is himself," Pale Ryder responded, cold and unmoving, same as Hazel Twig and Moondance.

Spike rushed to the door and blew his fire at it, only to see it didn't so much as singe it.

"I don't know what's going on here, but you're messing with his mind!" Twilight reprimanded them, "He could die!"

Seeing none of them move, Twilight turned to look at Midnight and was appalled to see he was the same, even as another tear slid down his face. Both mares and the dragon crowded him, Twilight pleading, "Midnight, you know this isn't right! He's your brother and he needs you!"

"Midnight, please stop this! Help him!!" Faerie Tail pleaded desperately.

Midnight turned his head to look at them. His expression was unwavering yet his eyes glimmered and another tear was shed, as he stated, "Knowledge or death."

As he lay there in that cold and lonely hallway, Twinken continued to cry, mumbling his pleas for Midnight to come back, to help him, feeling as though he would break. Then, the globes of light in the hallway around him dimmed, giving way to dreadful darkness. Twinken was afraid and couldn't even muster the energy, much less the will, to light up his horn to hold off the consuming black.

Was this it? Was this the end of his story? To lose himself into a cold and lonely void, with only pain, fear, and self-pity to keep him company?

No, it was not. Because as the colt's mind started to slip into the relief of oblivion, a warm light lit up the insides of his eyelids, and he felt magic, strong yet gentle, lift him up to his hooves and keep him steady as the colt slowly but surely came to... and looked up to see a face. A familiar face yet his vision was still loopy that he wasn't sure, leading him to utter, "Midnight?"

"Hahaha, no, but you and your brother get your good looks from me," chuckled a voice deeper yet warm, like the comfort of a roaring fireplace.

Groaning as he shook it off, Twinken looked again and gasped to see a pony he'd only ever seen in pictures. Particularly the picture in the locket his brother had given him for his birthday. This stallion was a tall and strong unicorn pony, his coat a burning red, his mane coal black with highlights of metallic gold, his cutie-mark a sword overlaid by a shield all wreathed in flame, and he had the same bright red eyes as Twinken.

"I don't believe this... Dad?" Twinken whispered, hardly able to believe what he was even saying in that moment.

"Ignitus Enflame! Head of House Obsidian, Master Pyromancer, Captain of the Royal Guard!" the stallion introduced himself with a bit of dramatic flair before dialing it down and kindly saying, "Haha, but yeah, 'Dad' works just fine.

"Nice to meet you, Twinken Starglow," the stallion kindly offered his hoof, which Twinken absentmindedly shook.

It was then Twinken took notice of their surroundings, and saw they seemed to be in some kind of cosmic void, not unlike the Dream Plane Twinken visited when dreamwalking. Except, something was different. They stood upon what seemed to be a cosmic spiraling nexus, the... ground? Floor? Beneath their hooves felt as though they stood in a shallow puddle of water as opalescent bubbles rose up around them before floating away into the endless yawn of space.

"What is this place?" asked Twinken, mystified and intrigued.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Ignitus replied with a touch of humor as he reached out to a bubble, "See, I've been here for long while, unable to leave. But... at least, I could keep an eye on my boys."

He held the bubble so Twinken could peer into it, and he was astonished to see himself, not as a reflection. But as a memory. It was perhaps Twinken's earliest happy memory, back when he was in the orphanage, where he was read a bedtime story by the matron, TLC, whom Twinken still kept in touch with even though she insisted on keeping contact to a minimum.

"And those who've been there for them." Ignitus added, giving the bubble a gentle tap, and it rippled before changing to show a memory of Twinken at Diamond Tiara's Cuteceañera, where he, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash and Rumble all stood together, the day they first became the Cutie-Mark Crusaders.

"And the times when they were at their best, as well as their lows..." Ignitus showed another bubble, this one showing Midnight apparently having a falling out with Twilight before leaving in his cloak, then it rippled to show Twinken that time he was kept afterschool for using his magic to punish bullies and Midnight expressing his disappointment in him for doing so.

"Speaking of lows, you seem to have hit another kind of rock bottom," Ignitus brought up, sounding concerned. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"I... well, it's been hard," Twinken started nervously, looking downcast, but Ignitus said nothing, allowing Twinken to divulge what he was willing to and at his own pace. "I was given a power to help Midnight at a time he needed my help, but then that power turned into something I wasn't prepared to handle! It made something bad happen and I was so afraid of it happening again that I pushed everyone away! I thought it was better if I was alone, to protect them from me! But... I...!"

Twinken struggled to keep his cool, but the tears flowed and he let out a sob. He felt a warm touch on his back, and heard Ignitus say, "Go ahead, son. Let it out. There's no shame in tears."

"I... I hate being alone!" Twinken finally confessed as he turned and threw his forelegs around the stallion, who kindly embraced him, letting the colt cry into his coat. "It reminds me of being back in the orphanage, of-of... of being afraid that I- That I'd never have a family! The orphanage wasn't a bad place, but it- there were bad times! Awful words! They made me afraid that I'd grow up with no one! No one to love... and be loved back! When Midnight took me in, it was one of the greatest days of my life. But the power I got, it;s dangerous...! I'm afraid of it, I didn't ask for it! I don't wanna hurt anyone... I just... don't know what to do..."

"Hey, I can relate," Ignitus said softly, while gently rubbing the colt on the back, "I was born to a prestigious family, and as the firstborn son I had a lot of expectations to live up to. Especially when it was confirmed my mystical element was Fire. I didn't have the best colthood, but I was able to make the best of it and take joy in the special moments and good times, rare as they were. Without my own little brother, Coal Obsidian, my colthood would have been unbearable.

"There was a point in my youth where I hated my own power as well. My power over Fire. I used to think that Fire was only destruction and hurt, especially after I let my fire go wild and I hurt my own brother... The shame I felt made me sick to the point I even hated myself for a time... but then somepony helped me to find a whole new perspective on Fire. Yes, it is dangerous and should not be handled recklessly. But Fire can be more than a force of destruction. It is also a force of creation."

Ignitus stepped back and demonstrated by conjuring a ball of fire that shone its light through a nearby bubble, creating what seemed to be a nebula, in which Twinken saw a memory. He saw a younger Ignitus, alongside a smaller colt Twinken figured must have been Coal Obsidian, watching as his own father, a large and strong golden earth pony named Grand Hoof, worked a forge and created a sword.

"My father, Grand Hoof, he, and others, taught me, Fire can mold and temper raw materials into something stronger. It is also a means to make art and food, and it offers light and warmth, something we all need in our lives. As long as we respect the power of Fire and are careful with it, what it offers can make all the difference. The same could be said of your power, son."

"How?" Twinken was baffled. "Telepathy isn't destructive like fire, but it's still dangerous! It can violate and ruin a mind with even the smallest mistake!"

"And the fact you are acknowledging that proves exactly my point," Ignitus smirked, confusing the colt. "Twinken, if you weren't taking your power seriously, you'd never spare a thought on the dangers it could pose to those around you. That in and of itself proves what a good person you are. It proves that you can be trusted to handle this power responsibly. However, you never will handle it unless you can accept that this power is a part of you, and always has been."

"But... I don't want it," Twinken whimpered, feeling ashamed of saying so even though it was the truth. "I was okay when it was just dreamwalking, because that way I could help others who're having bad dreams. Why couldn't that be enough...?

"To say you don't want your power is the same as saying that you don't want to be you, Twinken," Ignitus explained with an impression solemn yet kind, "and so, you'll never master it unless you choose to accept it. So the question is... can you accept your self?"

Twinken chewed on those words, trying to make sense of them, to reconcile them with his own feelings. For so long since the test went so wrong and could have been so much worse, Twinken had lived with the feeling like he was carrying a dangerous disease inside a fragile glass container. Where even a single misstep would make him stumble and lose what control he had, and those too close to him would pay for his own mistake. He reflected on everything since Luna unlocked his heritage and how it had all led him to this moment.

This power. He knew now that he'd always had it, even before Luna awoke his power to dreamwalk. It had grown into telepathy, and what had started out a test had spurred it to evolve into something so powerful it terrified him. Now, here he was, at this critical juncture, and something inside of him yearned to blaze, to burn through the cold fear that had haunted him for months, because he now realized, I refuse to live my life ruled by fear!

An encouraging chuckle from his dad caught Twinken's attention and he gazed up to see the stallion regarding him with pride, "It seems you've found the fire in your belly, kid."

"I wha...!" Twinken looked at himself and was astonished to see his own body was ablaze with a ghostly bluish-purple fire. Most ponies would have freaked out by the fact that they were on fire, but Twinken immediately realized, this was no ordinary flame. It was... comforting, focused, gave a relaxing chill rather than warmth.

"Like father..." Twinken gazed up at the stallion, seeing a warm and joyous pride in his eyes as he too was wreathed in magical flames of gold and crimson, "like son."

"I don't understand, what does this mean?" asked Twinken, bewildered yet finding himself no longer afraid.

"Every unicorn is mystically connected to one of the Four Elements," Ignitus explained, "they don't get to choose. When Midnight discovered his own Element, when he was still a unicorn, that is, he confirmed it to be Water. Like me, you are connected to Fire. You've kindled a passionate determination within your mind and heart, giving your power greater control than you had before, and it had the benefit of connecting you to your Element. Bottom line? I think you're off to a great start in mastering your self."

Twinken breathed deeply, trying to steady himself as he felt a wonderful relief. The fear, the doubt, the emotional turmoil he had lived with for months! It wasn't completely gone, and yet he felt so much better, as though an unbearable weight had been lifted from his heart. He couldn't stop the tears as he threw himself at his father, Ignitus warmly returning the embrace, and they stayed that way for a long while, as both their fires enveloped them, proving a protective comfort of warmth.

Until finally, Twinken whispered, "Are you really my dad? Or... or is this just wishful thinking?"

The hug slackened as Ignitus pulled back and gazed sadly into the colt's eyes, "I guess... you're just gonna have to find me, son, so you can ask me in person."

"Find you...? Dad?! Is it really you?! Are-are you lost? Tell me where you are! How can I find you?!" Twinken couldn't believe what he had just heard, could it be true? Was this real?

"Before you do that, you're gonna have to... wake up!"

Next Chapter: 420. Dreamwalk a Mile - Part 6 Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 12 Minutes