The night was at its end. The clock hands continued their motion, and finally, they took their exact positions to mark the beginning of the morning: three on the hour hand, twelve on the minute hand, and twelve again for the second hand. A click sounded, and the morning hour began.

The moon made its way to the horizon, and the sun was quick to take its place above the lands. It slowly rose, brightening the surroundings, and the sky turned from night-blue to a lighter pleasant shade. The threat of the Night Eternal was gone, and the darkness dissipated, making way for the light, both visible and spiritual. The early rays coated the lands in soft light with a barely noticeable pink hue.

The two princesses were finally reunited after a millennium of loneliness. Celestia hugged her sister tightly, wanting to save this moment for all eternity. Tears of happiness rolled down her face as she imagined all the different things they could do together after such a long separation.

Their separation was long and painful, and perhaps Celestia was the one with the most pain. Each night, she went to bed in silence; each night, she went to sleep wishing her sister was there to protect her dreams and comfort her. Alas, for a thousand years, her dreams were unpleasant, scraping her mind for all the dark thoughts she had, digging up every bit of guilt and regret. Some say time heals, but her wound only grew deeper with each passing year as the image of Nightmare Moon watched her from above, making her feel the weight of her uneasy decision.

It was a painful but not unjust punishment for her negligence, for her ignorance of the problems of her younger sister. Too consumed by the politics and pleasures was Celestia, casting a long shadow from which her sister couldn't get out. Praised for her sun, Celestia enjoyed a life of comfort and happiness while her sister was shunned and ignored. Bitterness and jealousy festered in her, and for too long these dark, destructive feelings had gone unnoticed, hidden in the shadows of the night. The darkness took its reign, unleashing its contempt onto the light.

This harsh but not undeserved lesson was learned. Celestia wished she could see it coming, but the past couldn't be changed or altered. She would not dare attempt, for it could bring dire consequences, much worse than she had already experienced. So, the only thing she could do was ensure that neither her sister nor their subjects would see such a thing happen to them ever again.

The thoughts of the solar alicorn shifted towards another being. The dark shape of the Nightmare lay on the floor motionlessly, breathing lightly and raspy. Underneath the creature, a scorch mark glowed ever so slightly – the same mark that brought Mike to this world. For a short while, Celestia looked over the strange equine, carefully studying it with her eyes but didn't dare to come closer. She took in all the odd and unusual features that set it apart from other equines: the unusual placement and shape of the horn, great musculature, and the protective exoskeleton. Her magic could sense the warmth radiating from its body, a greater warmth to the one of a usual pony by a noticeable margin.

"His situation is my fault, sister..." Luna spoke, her voice weak and weary after her return. Her eyes looked at the Nightmare with pity and regret, "I have promised to guide him back home, but I knew not where his home is nor who he was. He was desperate to reach where he was snatched from, and... I believe he is my responsibility now."

"Are you sure about this, Luna?" Celestia asked slowly, half-turned to her sister. Despite the Nightmare being unconscious, she kept a keen eye on it, a few spells prepared in the back of her mind. "None of us know who he is nor where he came from."

"I understand why thou art being uncertain, but I have made a promise to him, a promise I cannot fulfill," the alicorn of the night looked at Celestia, "Truth be told, he doth not look like a danger to me. Lost, fearful, that he is, but evil, malicious? He is not."

"He could be tricking you, sister," Celestia warned, "As I said, we don't know anything about him, but he is obviously a demon. You know what comes out of Tartarus, and we have learned to keep it locked."

"Sister, please... trust me this once," Luna begged, "He is not evil, that much I understand about him. Let me take care of him, for I have fooled him and used him. 'Tis a just repayment, and I must do it."

The silence took reign in the ancient hall. Luna was nervously shifting in place, her eyes turning from her sister to the hellish equine and then back, anxiously waiting for the final verdict. Even if it was Nightmare Moon who made the false promise, Luna couldn't leave the creature like this. Lost and afraid, he reminded her of herself. In the shadow of her sister, she felt like she didn't belong and couldn't turn to anyone for answers or even a piece of simple advice.

While their situations were different, Luna couldn't help but feel drawn to this creature. Was it pity, was it a sense of guilt, or was it something else that she could not yet grasp? She wanted to know, and yet it eluded her like a dandelion seed flowing by the wind. So light, reaching for it would blow it away.

The six ponies stood behind the princesses, whispering among themselves. The powerful Elements of Harmony were theirs now, but they couldn't muster the bravery to approach the fearsome creature that chased them through the forest. Now it lay defenseless before them, unconscious, posing no danger. Even Rainbow Dash, the bravest of them all, didn't want to come any closer to it. All of them were afraid to even as much as look at it, fearing that it would burst into flames, and the fire would consume them as well.

"I have summoned the guards," Celestia finally said, her horn glowing with magic, "We shall take the creature to the castle. Once he awakens, we shall find out who he is and what he wants," she turned to the six mares, and her expression changed to a more pleasant one as a small smile appeared on her face, "My little ponies... Can you share your story with me? How did you acquire the Elements?"

"Ah suppose Ah can start," Applejack, the farmer mare of orange fur and blonde mane, a Stetson hat on her head, said, "At first, Ah was unsure of everything. Ah didn't know what to even think... I had to be honest with mah friends and admit to them how Ah felt. And... Ah felt afraid, Ah felt like it would be all for nothing. By being honest, Ah have gotten the Element of Honesty."

"I wouldn't want to brag, but I suppose it makes no harm in sharing my experience," Rarity was next, a beautiful well-groomed mare with white fur and violet mane, "When we traveled to the castle, I noticed a crow following us. For some time, she stayed away from us, but I could see her beauty: groomed dark-blue feathers glistened in the moonlight, her blue eyes shining like gems... I could notice that something was missing, however – the poor thing had her head ruffled. I have given her a tip of my tail, weaving it into a beautiful crest. It works so well with her feathers and eyes, it's a marvel to look at!

"I have spent many hours working on my tail, making sure all hairs were even and combed just the right way. I will have to redo it, but it's nothing in comparison to how beautiful the crow looks now! I suppose that the Element of Generosity became mine because I shared one of the things I value the most – beauty."

"Um, I can be next, if you don't mind..." Fluttershy spoke, a timid mare of soft yellow fur and pale-pink mane, "When we were walking through the castle, a snake blocked our way, hissing at us very angrily. We wanted to go around it, but I felt that something was wrong with the snake. It wasn't angry at us – it was just scared, protecting itself. A brick fell from above, and its tail got stuck underneath it. I freed the poor snake, and, um... it's no big deal, but it gave me the Element of Kindness."

"Oh, me, me, me!" Pinkie Pie jumped joyfully, forgetting about the Nightmare for a moment, "That... thing that chased us was scary, very scary, but... Would it be scary if it wore a pink dress? Or danced like a ballerina? All those ridiculous, funny things are what makes the fear go away! By making myself and others laugh, I have earned the Element of Laughter."

"I... don't really know why I got mine," Rainbow Dash said, "Loyalty? Of course I'm loyal! I wasn't afraid a bit, why would I leave?"

"And all of it resulted in me earning the Element of Magic that binds all the Elements together," Twilight finished with a proud smile on her face.

"Very well, my little ponies, you have my congratulations!" Princess Celestia told them, "You have done a great deed, all of you. But don't forget that the Elements have a mind of their own. To earn them is one thing, but to keep them is another. Remember it well."

A groan came from the hellish equine, reminding everyone of its presence. The ponies quickly turned to it, silencing themselves. A long moment of fear and anxiousness passed, but the Nightmare was asleep, merely rolling from one side to another, a grimace of discomfort visible on its face.

Inside the head of Mike, there was burning chaos. His thoughts were mixed together in an incomprehensible mess, his sense of identity and mind shutting down to preserve themselves. The Elements did not banish nor turn him to stone, and neither did they evoke any other punishment. He felt as if he were placed under a dome of metal, and heavy sticks were banged against it, scraping his ears with sound-shattering noise. His ears rang with pain, his headache uncontrollable and devouring, and yet he was alive and whole.

Hours later, the sun was high above the lands. Ponies resumed their usual daily routines, living their peaceful lives under the watchful eyes of their princesses. Luna's return marked a new age in the history of Equestria, for but a few ponies remembered her or believed she was real. But now, the evidence was right before their very eyes. Pale-blue body, light azure mane, and a mark of the night sky and the moon on her flanks.

Luna didn't know what to expect, but the reactions to her made her feel uneasy. Ponies were confused, even scared, believing her to still be the fearsome Nightmare Moon. A figure of frightful tales, myths, and legends, she was embedded into the minds of ponies as an evil, malicious being despite all the effort put into dispelling that unfair image. Luna understood that years were needed for ponies to accept her, but it didn't ease her mind. In truth, she didn't know how she would adapt to the world that perceived her as a figure from a legend and not a real pony with her own thoughts, fears, wishes, and desires.

With a long, tired sigh, the lunar alicorn made her way through the Canterlot Castle to her bedchambers. The guards in the halls stood stoically and unmoving, but Luna could sense their fear and uncertainty. Their bodies were tense, and it took all their will not to turn their heads to the princess as she passed by. She tried not to look at them either, fearing to see their true emotions behind their eyes.

In the same hall, a peculiar door stood, two guards standing watch over it. The door was made of fireproof materials and was further reinforced by magical symbols carved into it. Behind the door, a regular guestroom lay. It consisted of a simple but comfortable and large bed, a wooden table with a few bookshelves above it, a soft carpet on the floor, and a bathroom behind another door. The window in the guestroom showed the city of Canterlot from high above, for the room was in one of the upper halls of the castle. The window was reinforced with magic, its symbols carved into the window frame.

On the bed, the Nightmare lay asleep, surrounded by the comfort of pillows and a blanket. Luna made sure that such things were delivered, for she felt sorry for the state the strange equine was in. Additionally, a plate of food lay on the table, covered by a piece of white cloth. A pitcher filled with fresh water along with an empty glass were next to the plate as well.

Finally, after hours of laying unconscious, Mike woke up. His eyes opened slowly, a dull headache present in the back of his mind. The heat rose inside him, but he willed the fires not to spurt from his body. He felt the comfort of the bed and didn't want to burn it down. He closed his eyes, releasing a sigh, and then opened them again to look around the new room.

The last thing he remembered was jumping towards Nightmare Moon. Consumed by the bright white light, he was sent into a dream-like state. There, he saw strange visions of darkness and many eyes looking at him with wonder. Gray, red, and black shapes surrounded him and bowed to him in unison, praising him for coming to them. Then the scene shifted, and from high above, Mike witnessed a desolated land. Dark, filled with smoke and fire, and yet it was filled with life that clung to it like a moth to the light. He could sense hope coming from the living shapes around him, and that hope was aimed at him.

When he finally woke up, he didn't understand where he was. And yet, he was glad he found himself awake in bed, even if this bed wasn't his, and the room was very much different from where he rested after tiring days as a human. This peaceful state made him reflect on what had happened to him during the past day. From playing a game with a friend, he was thrown into a completely different world filled with many things he thought were only imaginary, parts of a fairy tale perhaps, but not real.

He knew not what to think or how to think about it. The state of panic mostly passed, leaving but a few traces in his mind. A long time ago, his father told him not to fear the change, but go along with it, see where it led. At the time, Mike didn't give it much mind, but now he could see the meaning. Perhaps, if he couldn't go back right away, he could see where this way led. However, he had left things on Earth that he valued: friends and family. Without a goodbye, he left, whisked away by an invisible force, thrown into a world that was not his.

He didn't have many friends, but those who were with him, were valued by him. His best friend Alex, the one he played with during the fateful day, deserved to hear at least a simple goodbye. There were others, and they too deserved to know where he disappeared to. Though, even he didn't know the reason why he was forced out of the world of humans.

And yet, the words of his father resonated inside his head. Adapt to change, flow along with it, and see if that change can lead to more. Guide it, but not control it; follow it, but not obey it. He couldn't turn it back, but he couldn't stay in place and do nothing, wailing about what he lost.

He got up from his bed and sniffed the air. The smell of fresh vegetables and a toast reached his nostrils, so his attention turned to the plate of food left on the table. He slowly walked up to it, and remembered how he stopped a rock flying at him by using some form of magic. He imagined reaching out to the cloth covering the food with his hand, and grasped. To his surprise, it worked, and both the cloth and his horn glowed with red. Slowly, he moved the cloth away, revealing the food on the plate: a salad of cucumbers, bell pepper, onion, carrots, and cabbage, and all of it was sprinkled with some fine salt and black pepper. On the corner of the plate, four small pieces of toast lay, still warm. On a smaller plate next to the big one, two apples were placed: green and red.

It all smelled delicious and begged to be eaten. Unfortunately, the table was low, and the chair wasn't big enough to handle him, so he had to awkwardly sit down on the floor. And even when sitting, his head was well above the table. He didn't feel hungry, but he wanted to eat the food anyway, so he looked around for cutlery. He found none and immediately realized that he could use magic to grab the food and eat it, and nothing on his body would get dirty from it.

He had seen magic many times in different movies and games, but he never imagined he would be able to use any of it, even something as simple as telekinesis. Nevertheless, there he was, and telekinesis felt as easy as using his hands. Perhaps, in the future, he would learn more magic. Despite the unfamiliar world, despite being thrown into it unwillingly, he was excited about it.

All the changes to his body and his surroundings left him feeling confused, however. He couldn't banish this thought from his head, and so he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened to him during the past day. As long as he had known himself, he was a human, a simple guy living a somewhat average life. Not fat, not skinny, but not muscular either; not handsome, but not ugly; average in every way when appearance was concerned. Or, at the very least, unremarkable. But now, he was a strong, muscular equine straight from hell, transported to a different world full of magic and wonder. He had no doubts that he stood out among most if not all of the inhabitants of this world.

On one hand, he was scared of it, wanting nothing more than to go back, to wake up and find himself in his room. Play a game or two, hang out with his friends at a local park or a fast-food place, do something usual, and that's it. On the other hand, however, he was excited, no matter how much fear he had.

The future will show and reveal what side of him will prevail and lead his life from this point on. The wheel of fate was spinning, and Mike was caught in the center of it all.