I awoke happy but tired, a warm fuggy feeling running through me. The room was in darkness, other than for two oil lanterns near the peacefully dozing Thestrals. A light pressure across my chest proved to be Shadow, who was snuggled in tightly against me, her warmth pleasant and comforting.

I looked up to see Star Beard leaning with his back against the wall, eyeing me curiously. “Back with us my boy ?”, he murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the others. “Mmmm, I must have nodded off….”, I said yawning widely. I ran my hoof gently down Shadows foreleg, for all her leathery black appearance, she was surprisingly soft. She let out a throaty rumble of contentment and snuggled into me a little more.

“Nodded off ? I supposed you were dreaming then ?” He continued.

I managed a glance at the door I’d passed through into the beautiful golden wheat fields to be with Meadow, Sparrow and Shadow. I could still feel the warmth of the sun on my muzzle, the smell of Meadow on my hide, the taste of the berries, and a background spiciness, lingering in my mouth. On a tide of sated need, I felt like I was blissfully floating along and without a care in the world, was it was wrong to feel this happy ? Goddesses, let all dreams be like this. I didn’t know how to respond to the old fellow so simply nodded.

“For a dream, you certainly seemed to take your time in the other room. I was surprised with all the noise you three were making, that you didn’t wake poor Ember. I didn’t know where to put myself !”

I nearly jumped in shock at his words, though concerned about disturbing Shadow, I caught myself and tried to settle my racing heart. “How….?”

He sniggered and pulled his satchel over to begin rummaging through the contents, “This place, this city, is where the gap between realms is, as I think you already know, at its thinnest. It makes for easier transition from one to the other, if one knows how to do it and certain…’conditions’…are met, naturally.”

“Condition’s ?” I asked.

“Well, you wouldn’t want to be trotting along one day, say, for a dinner date with a lovely lady and then suddenly, ‘poof !’ you’ve blundered into the Wither World. That could really spoil the mood !”. Sometimes that old Thestral…

Star Beards face darkened and his voice took on a sombre tone, “This place, this…city, was built here for that reason. It was once a staging post for armies, the
large platform up there, was constructed to be that size for a reason. The city was a plan which was never realised….and maybe…maybe its just as well.”

His eyes took on that now familiar far away look. Shaking himself suddenly, he turned to me, then took a deep breath and stood. “Come on Fairlight, my Pony friend, lets get going.”

I went to wake Shadow but Star Beard stopped me, “No. Let the girl rest, you’ve quite taken it out of her you know. This is something only for you.”

I slowly pulled myself away from the young Thestral, placing her foreleg back down by her side and leaned in to gently kiss her cheek. Letting out a soft moan, she wriggled in her sleep before settling back down once more. I walked slowly after the cloaked Star Beard and out into a courtyard lit only by the light of the moon. In the centre was a small circular dais made of the same white crystal like material as the platform. The old Thestral silently passed me a small bottle of silvery liquid in a nondescript glass bottle. I was surprised at first as there was a distinct lack of materials here in the Withers, so I assumed it to be another leftover from his mentor.

“Right then, come on, get that down you there’s a good fellow”, he encouraged when he saw me examining the contents.

Uncorking the bottle I drank it down in one gulp. There wasn’t a lot in it really and it didn’t taste of much of anything either. Probably a Thestral ‘pick me up’ of some kind. I had a disturbing thought all of a sudden, “Star Beard, what are we doing here ?”, but as I spoke, I felt a pulling sensation, soft at first but quite noticeable. “What the… ?”

“Quick Fairlight ! Up on the top now, we don’t have much time.”, Star Beard pushed me up the short flight of steps to the top and bid me lay down. The pulling feeling came again, more insistent this time, the cold feeling of fear shocked me and I looked up at the old Thestral, my eyes going wide, “What have you done ?”

“I’m sorry Fairlight, but this really is the only way. You cannot survive in both worlds, so for one to live, the other must….die. You must be one. Do you understand ?”

I understood but Goddesses, the cold….Pain racked through me in a howling torrent of agony that made me cry out. In the distance I could hear the cries of Thestrals joining mine. Star Beard held my head and looked into my eyes, small flaming tears rolling down his cheeks, “I’m sorry my boy, please, forgive me. If only I could have sent you via the portal, but it simply doesn’t work that way….”

I was panting for breath now, burning fear and pain mingled with that great pull from...elsewhere… like a deafening heart beat, strong and demanding. I cried out as another tide of pain flowed from my head to my tail, surging and relentless.

“Your brothers and sisters are singing you to the next world, Fairlight. Shadow will join you soon. Be strong my boy…”

He held my head in his hooves and rocked me as I had done with Meadow….so long ago….it was like I could still feel her in my forelegs, smell her sweet feminine scent. The burning smell of the wood, crash of broken glass....heat, fire and the sensation of floating. I had to let go…it was so easy and yet at the same time, the hardest thing I

could ever imagine doing. It was all so alien, I was terrified and wanted to run….to escape. But where to ? The pulling sensation caught me again and there was a loud cracking sound, like a rubber band snapping and I was instantly flying, rushing through images and sounds of…my life ?

Meadow, Chief Mitre, Dawn, Glimmer, their faces talking to me, smiling, encouraging, whirling around in a blur of colour. And then, everything stopped. The brief roller coaster ride of Fairlight’s life had come to the end of the track. All around was total silence in the black emptiness. I was alone, lost and afraid with only my conscious thoughts to keep me company.

I could hear my mother, my father, meadow….

“Fairlight”

I opened my eyes and looked about me…nothing. Goddesses help me…..

“Love, listen to your heart, you have to let go.”

“No….” I said, “No…..”

“You have to, to be together again, all of us….you have to let go….”

“I’m afraid…I’m so scared…I want to go home…”

“I know love, it’s all right to be afraid, I was at first. We’ll all be waiting for you, but you need to go back for now, Shadow is waiting for you. We’ll be together again soon, waiting in the golden wheat fields, the sun on your back and blue skies up above, its all there for when you come back to us. Go to Shadow now, she’s waiting for you.”

“Meadow……I love you so much…”

“I know, I love you too my brave Fairlight. Sparrow and I will be here waiting for you, but some pony else needs you now. Ponies shouldn’t be alone my love, go to her now….”

“….Shadow…” My Thestral mare, I had to go to her, she needed me. I couldn’t leave her alone in the mortal world, how could she survive not knowing anything about it ?

She’d be like I was in the Withers when I arrived there, scared and afraid…I had to reach her…I had to try…

There was deep booming sound that shook my very core, and a voice, a different one this time. It was distant, but somehow sounded incredibly close, like some pony was talking though cotton wool into my ear, “Captain Fairlight ? Come to us now, come home…”

Another voice, “Mistress, its useless. Please, you’re taxing yourself too much, we cant put you at risk for just one pony.”

The first voice, strained with effort, “The strength of all is lessened by the loss of one. If there is even the slightest spark left, we must try to fan the flames of life.”

“But Mistress, I’m begging you, you’ve been trying to revive this one for days. Its hopeless, just let him go, please just let him go.”

“NO !”, the first voice shouted angrily, “We will not abandon a pony to the herd without trying our all first. Do you forget so easily how you came to be here ? If we had left you, when the slightest spark was dying out, you would have crossed over. Would you have gladly left than stand at our side, as you do now ?”

“No Mistress, I’m sorry…I spoke out of line. Its not my place…”

“My child, you have a mind, a life and a soul of a kind pony. We would know your thoughts as we would know your heart. Keeping everything hidden inside is the way to allowing darkness to enter. This one, this single pony, has something inside him that could help us bring balance back to our land. Help us, to bring him….home.”

“Mistress…..”, the voice was sobbing now, “I fear for your safety…you know how I…that I….”

The first voice was gentler, understanding, “Shhhhh, quiet now little one, we know, we have seen your dreams.”

I floated there listening, I couldn’t help but feel that I was intruding on something that was, well, special. There was a warmth here with these two and I was drawn towards them.

“Mistress, did you see ?!”, a third voice said on the other side of me, excitedly.

“Yes. We see. We have done all we can, the rest is up to our good Captain.” The first voice sounded pleased, satisfied but weary. The voice gave a sudden gasp.

“Mistress ? Quickly, catch her !”, there was a soft thump and a commotion of hoof steps and furniture being dragged around. “Take her to her rooms, she’s at the end of her endurance. Take some food and drink for her as well, for when she awakes.”

Several other voices spoke in agreement and there was the sound of a door opening and more ponies helping the owner of the first voice from, wherever, I was.

With each moment, I was becoming more aware of myself, but still felt strangely ‘distant’. There was a bone weary tiredness and aching running through me, sensations I hadn’t experienced since before I’d arrived in the Wither world. My eyes were heavy and the light blinding as I tried to open them. I clawed my way back to
consciousness but it was so hard, I felt I just wanted to sleep. The waves of fatigue eventually took me and I drifted away into a blissful haze of rest. Next to me a voice spoke quietly, “You’d better be worth all this ‘Watch Captain’. If anything happens to the Mistress, I’ll send you back to the underworld myself and this time….this time

you won’t be returning.” I vaguely heard the hoof steps retreating and thought sarcastically to myself, “Its good to be home”.