Headaches. If there was one thing I hated in my life, it was headaches. Well, that and Mondays. I groaned from the throbbing pain that jolted through my body and tried to find a more comfortable position, but my hoof was blocked by something as I tried to get it out of the warm bed sheet. I groped the object a bit until I elicited a quiet sigh from it, which helped bring me back into reality again. I opened my eyes and saw that I wasn’t lying in Applejack’s bed on the farm, or the guest bed, or my bed in Canterlot. I was now in Twilight’s bed in the library. I woke with a jump and looked around in panic. The sun seemed to have just gone up, and its first rays softly fell through the large window next to the bed. A telescope stood in front of it; there was another bed and a small desk, both overflowing with paper. I saw the sheet on the other bed slightly rising and falling.

My mind trailed back to the last two days which I had spent in another dimension. Somehow, I hoped that the others could explain to me later that this had all just been a bad dream because I removed the rune too early. Again a moan came from somewhere, and while searching for the source, I found something that I thought at first was a monster ready to devour me. Luckily, it turned out to just be Twilight, or rather her mane that was so unkempt that not even multiple tubes of hair gel would fix it. She slept, with her face on the bed, next to me on the floor and had dark rings under her eyes. I wondered what had happened to her while I was gone. The farm had been in a catastrophic state, just like the town, and Celestia hadn’t been feeling well either. To top it all off, I would now probably put another strain on them, but I could only hope that they would understand and want to help.

“You’re awake!” Spike came up the staircase and into the room and seemed surprised to see me back on my legs. Unfortunately, he had reacted too loudly, and the exhausted-looking Twilight began to rise from her position and carefully rubbed her eyes.

“Spike, what time is it?” she asked sleepily before trying to catch a glance at her clock beside the bed.

“Twilight, Light is awake!” he shouted again, and in the next moment, a book hit the back of his head.

“Shush!” mumbled something from the other bed, which could only be Dawn. His mother, meanwhile, just looked at me and tried to handle what she saw. It took a while, but then she let out a loud scream and threw her hooves around my neck.

“Thanksthanksthanksthanks…” she shouted over and over again, pressing herself a little harder against me every time. “We thought we had lost you! Especially after your body just vanished.” She had tears in her eyes that were now slowly making their way through my coat. She sniffled a few times before continuing to speak. “You have to tell us what happened! We only know what was in the letter.” For a moment, I wondered which letter she was talking about, but then I remembered that the other Twilight had given me a letter for herself.

“Hey, Twilight, happy to see you again. What was in the letter?” It was the first time I got to talk, which would probably be rare today. She opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out an envelope with said letter. She opened it with her magic, let it fly in front of her nose, and cleared her throat.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I am writing to inform you of my knowledge about dimensions and the travelling between them. After what Blue Light told me, I have made a few theories and put them to test. If this letter reaches you, then one of them is already proven. Attached, you will find a script of my formulae and theories, and I believe that you will be capable of establishing a secure connection to another world by using these. The problem for that seems, unfortunately, that you need an item from the world you want to build a connection to, and it, in return, has to have a connection itself. The only one who currently meets these criteria is Blue Light.

My kind regards.”

She put the letter aside and looked up at me. “I have spent the last few hours studying these formulae, and I have to say that I’m impressed. Whoever helped you knew what they were doing.” I had to grin. Usually Twilight wasn’t one who praised herself, but I think it was fair to make an exception here.

“The one who did had only heard from other dimensions a few days ago by accident through a visitor a bit different to me. It was him who sent me home.” She seemed fascinated and ignored Dawn’s complaints for silence in the background.

“Oh, what would I give to meet this traveller. He could teach me so much.” And lead our world to doom with a snap of his finger. I was glad that he stayed where he was. Suddenly, she turned around to Spike and shook the poor guy. “The Princess!” she screamed. “I completely forgot to tell her that Light is back!” Spike, who had stayed completely calm, freed himself from Twilight’s grip and held his head so that his eyes stopped spinning around.

“Everything’s taken care of, Twi. I wrote her a letter when he showed up last night,” he assured her, and she immediately seemed to calm down again. She released Spike, turned towards me, and climbed onto the bed.

“So, what happened? Where have you been? Who helped you? What kind of other dimension was that? Were there ponies or humans or other creatures? Oh… so many questions…” She ran downstairs, without even letting me answer one of her questions, and returned with a scroll of parchment and a quill. She passed both to Spike and now seemed to happily wait for my answers.

“Everything in due time. How are Celestia, the town, and AJ? How long have I been gone anyways?” Twilight seemed to realize that I had just as many questions as she did. Spike couldn’t keep up noting down everything that had been said and dropped quill and parchment to the ground.

“The princess is… alright. Princess Luna has currently overtaken the most important duties. Ponyville is fine, and the repairs are almost complete. It has been a week since the storm, to answer your last question. AJ has been out of the hospital for two days, but something bothers her, and we don’t know what exactly,” Twilight summarized the recent events. A week without a sign of me – I hoped that she hadn’t been too worried. “At first we thought we had made a mistake with the spell, but when your body disappeared… We thought you were returned and then ran off or something like that.” She must have noticed what I had thought.

“It wasn’t your fault, Twilight. I was panicked and did something wrong.” I turned towards Spike, who just wanted to leave. “Spike, could you please write a letter for me?” The dragon shrugged and grabbed the parchment from the ground. I dictated a short message to him for Celestia, saying that we would be coming to Canterlot as soon as possible, where I would explain all this, but also make a request. He sealed the letter and vanished in a green mist out of the open window at the other side of the room. By now I had gotten out of the bed and was ready to go back to the farm.

“I will see you tomorrow, Twilight. Like I said, I want you all to come along. The request is for you just as it for Celestia.” Twilight tried to stop me since she thought that too many of her questions were left unanswered, but I fobbed her off. “You have to go to sleep. The last couple of days were rather like holidays to me, a very chaotic holiday, but apparently I have slept more than you.”

“He’s right, Twilight, you haven’t slept in three days,” Spike agreed and pulled at her tail to drag her upstairs. Now with him on my side as well she gave up.

“Maybe you two are right. I’ll see you *yawn* tomorrow…” And with a quick flash of light, she disappeared. Spike accompanied me to the door, and I quickly said goodbye, though not without thanking him for the bed.

The town was a sight I would not soon forget. Almost every house on the main street was covered by scaffolds and seemed to have been in dire needs of repairs. Every pony that I saw was busy with construction or getting their gardens and plots back into order. Most stores were closed – only some food and commodity stores were inevitably open. The market had been put on hold until further notice, indicated by a note in a store window. All other public buildings were closed as well, even the school. At least I haven’t missed any work, I thought to myself sarcastically. But that was the least of my worries now. This was the first time that I remembered nopony greeting or waving me, as they were all too busy. Sugarcube Corner seemed to be one of the few buildings that had stayed undamaged. Magical gingerbread seemed to be incredibly stable. I would have loved to look for Pinkie and the others, but my attention was focused on AJ since the last thing I saw of her was Big Mac carrying her to the hospital. I stepped it up a notch and shifted over into a slow gallop as I made my way out of town and towards Sweet Apple Acres.

The white fence needed to be repaired at a few places, and the path itself was getting more and more uneven the closer I got to the farm. A few bleak spots on the fields showed me that not all the trees could have been saved, but others were re-erected with poles, showing me that someone had taken care of the situation. I suspected a large red stallion. I stepped through the gate to the farm as a cough stopped me. Behind me stood a young, orange mare, maybe a bit younger than Tray. Her orange was of a brighter shade than AJ’s and suited her white, slightly unkempt mane.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Ponyville,” she said and looked around. I pointed the way I came from. “Yes, exactly, sorry.” She rubbed her head with her hoof and bowed quickly before going on her way. She seemed a bit confused to me, especially since there was only one path that led from Ponyville, past Sweet Apple Acres, and up to the river. I had no idea where it led after the bridge, but I didn’t care. I was back on my track and saw the house quickly approaching. A few planks were added here and there to repair some damage, but aside from that, everything seemed alright. The barn stood there as always, just like there had never been a storm, not to mention a flood.

“Morning,” a deep voice with an ominous tone sounded behind me. I raised my head, only to meet Big Mac’s eyes. Somehow he didn’t seem to be as happy to see me as I was to see him. I had the feeling that if I didn’t start running soon, he would have a reason to decrease the number of my teeth.

“Light! There you are.” The little yellow filly with a red mane was my saviour, as Big Mac took a step back and looked at his sister who shot out between the trees. “Where have you been? We were all so worried. Princess Celestia even sent out a search party.” So that’s what Twilight meant when she said that they thought he had run off. Apple Bloom was dancing between my forelegs and seemed to be happy that I was back. And I was happy since she came at the perfect moment.

“Sorry, I was… delayed. I would have loved to return sooner, but I couldn’t.” For a moment, I considered telling her where I had been. “But now that I’m back, did I miss anything?” I was looking more at Big Mac than the little one, because something seemed to anger the large one. Just when I thought we were getting along well…. Well, as well as you could with the brother of your marefriend.

“Don’t mind mah brother, he’s just in a bad mood since mah sister came back from hospital.” Apple Bloom was more perceptive than I thought – she had quickly noticed the mood in the air. Maybe the usually calm stallion behind me was a good indication.

“How is AJ? Is she okay?” I said to get back to the point why I had galloped here instead of trotting.

“She’s fine, the doc said it just some bruised ribs…” That took a load off my mind. After Big Mac’s behaviour, I had expected something worse. “She just has to take it slow. At least that’s what he told me.” Apple Bloom still stood happily in front of me and wiggled her tail a bit. I couldn’t resist a smile – she was just too cute. I had always liked kids.

“So, where is AJ then? I have a few things to talk about with her.” Big Mac snorted and went inside the barn. It seemed like he didn’t have the chance to say what he wanted to since one of his sisters would be near me, at least for the next few hours.

“She’s in the house with that Trixie.” I had completely forgotten about her. I tried to remember what had been in Changer’s letter, but it just didn’t want to come to my mind. The escape from the Nightmares and that weird parallel Equestria had just wiped it out of my head.

“Thanks, Apple Bloom. I’m going to see her then.” I rubbed through my mane with a hoof as she disappeared between the trees again. If I had to take a guess, I would say she was going to her clubhouse.

Carefully, I opened the front door and entered the large living area of the farmhouse that had been my home for the past few weeks. One week of absence didn’t seem like much, but I still looked to see if anything had changed. The large table in the dining room was the first thing I noticed, together with the old clock that hung from a beam above it. The couches in the living room hadn’t changed, only that a new sheet was lying on them. The rest was the same as ever as well. I entered the kitchen to quench my thirst but was surprised by a blue unicorn. I wasn’t startled but was confused when she hugged me and pulled me to the ground.

“Changer! You’re back! I can’t believe it!” Me neither – I thought we had talked about that. With a bit of struggle, I managed to free myself from Trixie’s grip and stood back up.

“But it is you! I feel your magic.” I didn’t know how to tell her, but I had sworn to no longer use lies or half-truths to later worsen the effect.

“Trixie, I know you don’t want to hear this, but Changer is… dead.” I was no doctor, policeman, or firefighter. I never thought I would ever have to be the bearer of such a message. My stomach convulsed, my already dry throat felt like sandpaper, and I could have sworn it just turned ten degrees warmer. Not that it had been a hot day - it was rather cloudy - but I could have sworn that some pegasi had just cleared that up. I could see how her soul was basically forced into a jaw vice, and the first tears began to gather in her trembling eyes. “I have found a letter from him, but unfortunately… I couldn’t bring it with me. I am sorry, Trixie, I know how it is to lose family.” This time it was me who hugged her, just in time before she dropped to the ground.

“How can…” She sobbed heavily. “How can that be!? I feel him right here!” She pressed a hoof against my chest while her tears soaked into my mane. I didn’t know what to say – my head was just empty now. I didn’t know how to react as a human, but I knew what to do as a pony. It had helped me when I thought my family had accounted me as dead, and they were right. There was only one thing I could do, not for Changer, not for this poor soul whose hope had been crushed more than once. But I would wait until she had calmed down. This wasn’t the time. This was the time to mourn Changer. I didn’t know him, but if someone shed such tears for him, he must have been a good guy. I felt for her, and before I knew it, I shed a few tears as well. Thanks, you self-complacent thing, great brother you had been, I thought to myself as the time passed by. I didn’t know how long we just sat there, but it must have been for a few hours since Trixie eventually and peacefully fell asleep. I didn’t know if someone saw us, but I doubt any of us would have noticed, even if someone would have walked to the fridge directly in front of us. I lifted her with my magic and carried her over to the couch where I wrapped the new sheet around her.

“Ya seem to have become better, sugarcube.” AJ stood on the staircase, similar rings underneath her eyes as Twilight. I felt guilty already – knowing that my marefriend had sleepless nights didn’t make it any better.

“Yes, a little.” It was no comparison to before. I could levitate as easily as if I had invisible hands. It was the same as earlier, only that the handling was like I was navigating them over a mirror with twenty pounds of additional weight. “How are you?”

“I should you ask the same question.” She was calm, and somehow that was worse than angry since I knew I was in bigger troubles this time. “Did you meet your family?” I shook my head.

“No, and I don’t think I will anytime soon. My world is in… trouble. Big trouble. I don’t know where or how they are.” The subject was even worse in my current mood than it already was. AJ came down the stairs and took a seat on the second couch, motioning me to sit down next to her, which I gladly did. She snuggled slightly against me, which comforted me.

“Tell me what happened, sugarcube.” I began telling her about what had happened after I had sent her with Big Mac to the hospital. I also included how I had gotten the job, the lesson, and the sudden appearance from Luna. She knew the story this far, so I went over to telling her how I found my home, the nightmares, and the hunt through the forest. “That sounds horrible… What are those things?”

“Nightmares, magical creatures of unknown origin.” I began to quote the entry of the book about the mythical creatures. “Like beasts looking for flesh, they walk through the worlds and feast on the souls of everything they can find, no matter if pony, bunny, or ant. Life is their enemy, and they find a way to rip exactly that from their victims.” A shiver ran down my spine. A creature that could kill by a simple touch, walk through walls like they weren’t there, and were immune to conventional weapons – yes those were the stuff nightmares were made from. AJ was shivering at the thought, just as I did, and she hadn’t even seen the red eyes and the saliva that only indicated their teeth. I continued the story up to where I was in the forest as she clung to me a bit harder. I recounted how I had removed the rune, despite Twilight’s warning, and was pulled into another world. I told her of the two humans who I met there and how they had helped me get back here.

“They sound a bit… careless. But if they helped ya, I should be thankful.” I just had to kiss this mare. She thought exactly as I did concerning that. “But what do ya do now, sugarcube? I mean, about the Nightmares,” she asked after we parted.

“Honestly, I have no clue. I was hoping that Celestia might have an idea, or maybe we could go there with the Elements and give them a big load of harmony.” She seemed to like the idea of kicking those creatures’ flanks. “So that’s why I want to go to Canterlot with you and the others tomorrow – to talk all this through.”

“The princess will know what to do. I’m sure of that. She’s never left us hanging.” I wished I could share her conviction. “Do the others know yet?”

“I hope Spike or Dawn will tell them. Twilight wasn’t in a state to leave the house. No offense, but you stand no chance against her eye rings.” She smiled. I was happy to be back here.

“We were just getting worried. We thought something bad happened to ya, or ya were confused and ran off. Big Mac thought that ya ran off because…” She stopped and seemed to bite her tongue.

“Because?” I was curious as to why he was as angry at me as on the first day.

“Nothing…” She was lying. Everyone could tell when AJ lied – it couldn’t be more obvious. She no longer looked in my eyes and bit her lips. I threw a look at her that said ‘You can tell that to someone who doesn’t know you’. “Well, it’s because of the injury. He thinks it was your fault.” That was a lie as well, but she didn’t want to tell me what really happened.

“It’s alright, just tell me when you feel like it. I’m the last one who wants to push you into doing something.” She seemed relieved.

“Thanks, sugarcube. Ah owe ya one.” Again our lips met.

“Ughh, can’t you do that somewhere else?” Apple Bloom stood in the doorway with a disgusted look on her face. “And Ah thought the thing with Miss Cheerilee was cheesy.” I could only laugh at her reference to the love potion.

“You know, Apple Bloom, I’ll speak to you about that in a few years. Let’s see how you will think about that then.” I loved to see those questioning looks on the faces of children, and foals were no exception. Applejack giggled as she understood what I meant and stood up from the couch.

“So, enough rest. It’s time to make some lunch. How do ya like hay fries?” I hadn’t tried them yet, but hey. You pony, you eat hay.

“Sounds good.” How bad could they be? Deep-frying something makes everything tasty.

The fuel of the generator lasted until morning, thank God, which Fish did multiple times. None of them could get a wink of sleep, not even a peaceful minute. For the entire night, they heard the creatures lurking there, crawling up the walls and God knows where else. With the first sunrays, however, it was quiet within seconds. Clear relief was spreading.

“So, now back to the stadium. We can sleep there.” Everyone agreed with Mac and put on their backpacks, which were now lighter by their last ration. They all took the staircase downstairs. The area was even more devastated than it had been last night, now that it was visible in the sunlight.

“I didn’t think I’d be this happy to see the sun again after Iraq,” Fish said and looked at his men. Alf and Pill were caught up in their thoughts and were randomly looking around. Mac seemed to be having the same feeling as him. He knew him already back from said operation, and they had worked together after that. Lee was distraught, and not without reason. He went to the other side of the road where the dead body of his brother was still lying on the ground, looking more like he was asleep than dead. He knelt down next to him and closed his eyes to give the body a veneer of peacefulness.

“The stadium is nearby. Come.” Fish put a hand on the shoulder of his comrade and pulled him to the rest of the group. As much as he hated to leave men out here, they had no way to transport the dead. Anything more than marking their bodies on a map for a recovery team wasn’t possible.

“I’d like to know what to tell my mom,” he asked no one specifically in the group, and he also got no answer.

As much as I would have liked to spend the night in a soft bed next to AJ, I just couldn’t leave Trixie alone down on the couch. AJ had taken her in reluctantly at the request of Princess Luna, and ever since, she had been on the farm. The week with her couldn’t have been described as easy, but AJ told me that she had behaved, and the farm mare couldn’t really complain. I was happy that she thought of it that way, seeing she hadn’t been very happy about my idea at first.

‘See what you’ve gotten yourself into with me?’ I had said to her. As the statement had left my mouth, I had thought that I would suffer the consequences. But to my surprise, she had stayed rather calm then as well and had even shown a bit of sympathy, even if it was for Trixie. I mean, she hadn’t exactly been well-behaved during her first visit, but everyone deserved a second chance. Even I had received one.

I woke up as the door to the bathroom behind me closed. A glance at the couch next to me told me that it must be Trixie. It took around five minutes before she came back out. Not that it was my hobby to see how long women or mares needed in the bathroom, but I had been waiting for a good opportunity to speak with her in private, and what better time could there be than five in the morning, one hour before the rest of ponies in the house woke? To my surprise, she didn’t go back to the couch when she came out, but went straight for the front door.

“Where are you going so early?” I felt like an old, wise hobgoblin that sat at the roadside, giving travellers some advice. I had really played too many role playing games. Trixie seemed to be surprised that I was awake, and her leg jerked as though she wanted to run away. “I don’t want to stop you, but I think we should talk.” Really too many role playing games. She thought for a moment and then sat back down on the couch. “Did you really just want to go like that?”

“You don’t know me. To you, I’m just a stranger that found her way into your lives.” And had left a bad taste after her first visit, but that was not the point.

“And what if we like that? Okay, unlikely, but at least me?” She didn’t seem to understand and just looked at me questioningly. “What I want to say is that you don’t have to go. In some way, I am your brother, but in others, I’m not. Even I don’t really understand that with the dimensions and such. I mean, we were not made to understand that. If we were to travel between dimensions, it should be easy, right?” She just stared at me with her mouth open, not knowing what to say. “Whatever! What I want to say is that I would be honoured if the Great and Powerful Trixie would see me as part of her family. I have no means of making that official - at least I have never heard that you can adopt a sister - but I hope that my word is enough.” I was still chagrined that I had forgotten Changer’s last words, but I would grant him his wish, even though it wasn’t because of him.

Trixie’s face was hard to read, and I could almost hear the gears in her head clicking. “I don’t expect an answer right away. I just want to tell you that I will always welcome you.” I put on my best smile and waited for a response. I had five half-siblings that I had never met in my life. What difference would one more make? At least, that was what I thought. I used to say that you get to choose friends, but not family, but today I did exactly that. The saying sounded much more negative than it was meant, but I felt like I had at least scratched a certain wall.

I had expected a lot of things. Rejection – I just wasn’t him, and I couldn’t replace him. Laughter, simply at the thought of what this stranger dared to do. Maybe even anger but certainly not what she did. Crying. It hit me maybe even more surprisingly than my offer hit her, and I needed some time to process the whole thing. As my head was clear again, I went over to her, and just like yesterday, let her tears sink into my mane. After a while, she caught herself again and sat next to me on the couch.

“That’s the first time that someone besides Changer has been nice,” she eventually said.

“What about your parents?” She looked even more forlorn.

“We were both orphans. I didn’t know my parents.” It was a mental punch in the stomach.

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Don’t worry, you couldn’t,” she said and shook her head. “But are you serious with that offer?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I can’t and don’t want to replace Changer. I’m sure I couldn’t even do that. But what I learned here during my short time is that everyone deserves a second chance and that everyone needs a family.” Again she threw her hooves around my neck, and I just accepted that she had a thing for hugs.

“Uhm… I don’t know… how it…” she stammered after releasing me from her embrace. “Yes… I mean, I accept.” She sounded a bit like Fluttershy, but how should one accept such an offer without it being a bit awkward? I stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen, a curious Trixie behind me. “What are you doing?”

“Breakfast. The others will wake up soon, and what would my marefriend and new sister think of me if I greet them with an empty table?” I was glad to see Trixie smile for once. It just suited her more. To be honest, I liked her ‘imposing’ style. Even though she didn’t execute it very elegantly, she still managed to beat Applejack and the others in the show. Not by force, but by skill and thought, which reminded me of myself. Raw force had never been my thing.

“Would you mind if I help you? I owe this family a bit.” I passed her a knife and some apples with my magic.

“Save the skin. I’ll be using that for something else.” She nodded and began to peel the apples. “How come you don’t speak to me in third person?”

“Come again?”

“Or is it called third pony here?” I laughed. “I mean, why am I not hearing ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie is happy to help’?”

“It’s just a habit that came with my show. That way, nopony forgets your name.” That one was for sure. “But I never used it with my brother and since you… well, you know.” I looked like him and was now even her brother, got it. Together, we prepared the meal: pancakes with apple pieces and syrup, and as a special side, I had gently roasted the side and added some sugar. I got the idea when looking for bacon in the fridge. It looked the same and was crunchy. What more could you want?

It didn’t take long. The minute they had finished, Apple Bloom and Big Mac had already entered and sat at the table. The red stallion still didn’t seem enthused to see me but still tucked in. Apple Bloom swapped her syrup for chocolate sauce but didn’t hold herself back any longer than that. As we were halfway finished, AJ joined us as well. However, she just walked straight past us and into the bathroom.

“What’s wrong with her?” I had never seen her disappear into the bathroom so quickly, no matter how urgent it was. A while ago, we had been out on the farm the whole day and drunk a lot of apple juice without a break. Even I had been barely able to hold it in, but she had been completely calm.

“Dunno, she’s been doin’ that for a few days,” Apple Bloom said and continued to slurp down her breakfast. Big Mac just grumbled.

“By the way, how is the school, Apple Bloom? I didn’t get around to talk with Cheerilee yet.” I was wondering how long it would stay closed.

“No school this week. We are all real busy cleaning up. Even Miss Cheerilee’s house was hit, but Big Mac has been over for the last three days to help her.” She patted his brother’s back and spread a bit of chocolate that stuck to her hoof.

“Good friends, nothing more. Right, Big Mac?” I just had to rag him a bit about that.

“Eeyup.”

After AJ joined us at the table, I told Big Mac, Apple Bloom and Trixie what was planned for today, just so that the two knew where her sister would be. I offered to let Trixie come along, and she accepted with pleasure. I didn’t name an exact time, so I finished my breakfast quickly. After we were all finished in the bathroom, which took around two more hours, we were on our way to Twilight. To put it in mathematical terms, it was more than likely that she was up already. Also, I was sure that she knew the train schedules for Canterlot in her head, and I wasn’t going to be disappointed.

“The next train leaves in twenty minutes. I think we can take it.” She was even less happy than AJ about my new sister, but didn’t make any further remarks. “We just have to gather the others. Rarity said she took a day off and is just waiting for us; same with Rainbow.” The library was back in order, and I knew what happened: Spike. Apparently, this world had something against order, because while Twilight was still explaining the plan, a certain blue pegasus landed roughly in the middle of the room, reverting most of Spike’s work. Unlike Trixie, I was more surprised about the fact that Rainbow was awake so early rather than her crash-landing.

“Everything alright, Rainbow?” I asked her while I helped her up.

“Yeah, everything’s fine…” She rubbed her head.

“Fine? And what do you call this chaos here? Spike had just finished organising this last night,” Twilight groaned at the sight of her precious books on the ground. Immediately, she began putting each one back onto the shelves.

“Anyways, Rainbow, could you do me a solid?” She nodded at me. “Gather the others – we want to go to Canterlot now. Let’s meet at the train station in fifteen minutes.” She saluted.

“Done, then I’m gonna have some time for new tricks tonight.” And with that, she shot off through the same open window she had crashed through.

“She could at least have helped clean up,” Twilight said, who was still trying to get everything back into order. I could only roll my eyes and began to put as many books back into the shelf at once as my magic could handle. As it reached its limit, I used a bit of the new source, the orange essence as Changer called it, and now more than thirty books, some in white, others in orange, aimlessly flew towards one of the shelves.

“So, Spike should get the sorting done. We have to go now.” None of the unicorns moved.

“W-What was that?” Both Twilight and Trixie stammered.

“Magic, levitation? You know, moving objects without touching them.”

“You mean telekinesis,” Twilight corrected me. “But I was speaking about your aura. Why do you have two colours?” I took a book from a shelf, this time with my soul as the source, making it glow blue.

“I have another one, depending on which source I use.” Twilight was immediately at it, searching for a quill and some parchment and beginning to take notes.

“How did you do that, with the sources and the telekinesis? Prior to your arrival, you couldn’t even lift a piece of paper.” Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Twilight.

“Later, Twilight, I will explain all that when we get to Canterlot.” Now it was her who couldn’t wait any longer.

“What are we waiting for then?” She was almost pushing us out of the tree house.

She had been running through Ponyville for a while now and still couldn’t believe that she was here. When she came to that farm yesterday and met that unicorn, she had almost jumped into the nearest bush. Her cover couldn’t blow now, and unicorns had a good sense for magic. She must have stuck out of the crowd for them. She was told exactly what would happen if she were to be discovered and that it would have serious consequences for her and the others. But this was the chance to change something, and as she saw the Elements leaving the town towards the train station, she knew that she could walk a bit more freely now with Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, out of town. With her, Rarity was gone too, so that only Vinyl and Lyra were left as powerful unicorns. She had been explicitly warned by the two, and others shouldn’t be able to see through her spell, at least while she kept her distance.

Again, she was astonished as she walked through the town. It was like nothing she knew, for everything seemed so alien. She wished she could show the others and talk with them about that, but that would only happen if she failed. If her mission was successful, she would probably no longer notice that. Carefully, she opened the door to a certain library and began to search for the formulas. They had to be here somewhere. Her information hadn’t been too precise so far, but it had been enough.

“Aha!” she shouted happily as she found said document. To her surprise, they were far off the position where they had to be, but that didn’t matter. She took a quill and began to write a message on the paper. A bit of ink dropped on her orange coat.

“I hope that’s enough, but I’m sure to find out once they are back,” she said to herself, since no one else was there, and stored the paper back into the drawer where it came from. Until then, she only had two things to do: enjoying her stay and searching for a special pony. That surely wouldn’t be so hard if she only had some information about him.

The ride to Canterlot went by quietly since none of my friends really wanted to talk to Trixie, especially not Rarity. She wouldn’t soon forget the green hair since she had needed a lot of time to fix it. I was happy that they just accepted her and didn’t try to put her off. I mentioned neither Changer nor the fact that she was my sister now somehow. It was her decision to reveal that when she wanted to. The only real problem occurred before the ride at the train station. I didn’t have a single bit on me, but AJ had the presence of mind to take my remaining bits with her. There wasn’t much left of five thousand bits after taking away the annual wage for Silver Tray and covering the hospital bill for two ponies. It was still a lot, a bit less than one thousand five hundred, but much less than before.

“Darling, does that pony really have to be here?” Rarity asked as we left the train in Canterlot. Trixie was at the end of the group, so Rarity took the opportunity to speak her thoughts out loud.

“Rarity, I see you as a friend, but the same thing counts for Trixie. I will have to see her more often when we are friends. I won’t ask you to welcome her with a hug… you understand what I mean?” I knew that Rarity understood very well and that she could act respectful to everyone if she wanted to.

“As you wish, for you. But you owe me.” I nodded.

“I still owe you for your advice. Just write it on my bill.” She had given me a lot of advice when the whole thing with AJ started and for that I owed her a lot.

“Then I will wait with that until we are finished. I believe you said we should be present because your request for Celestia was also related to us,” she added with a smile and let herself drop back to Fluttershy. Twilight and I led the group to the castle for the rest of the way and we quickly found ourselves in the entrance hall again. The guards gave us a brief look, but as soon as they saw which group was moving through the halls, they didn’t give us any more attention. I had expected that Celestia would welcome us somehow, but instead we were just standing around, a bit clueless.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” I never had a formal audience before. I didn’t even know if I had to register somewhere or pick a number.

“Not exactly,” I heard a familiar voice talking from above. Luna stood on the first floor and looked over the railing down to us. “Wait, we are coming down,” she said, and with a flash of light, the Princess of the Night stood before us. “We are happy to see you all again, especially thee, Blue Light. How have thou been?”

“I am happy to see you as well, Princess Luna. But I would like to wait with this story until Celestia is here as well, so I don’t have to tell it twice. It is rather long,” I said with a little bow. The rest of the group did the same.

“There is no need for formalities. Thou and Twilight Sparkle count as our family, and the others we count as friends.” I was related to Twilight; I could only grin. “My sister will receive ye soon. We have just informed her of thy arrival. Please follow us.” This telepathy thing could really come in handy if you had no phone. We followed Luna through a corridor that led further into the castle.

“I have two questions, Luna.” Two things that had interested me for a while.

“Go ahead. We will happily answer all of your questions if we can,” she assured me, and I hoped that it wasn’t too personal.

“Well, I have noticed that your mane is not like usual. It’s not glowing and is rather… still.” Her mane was a bright blue and wasn’t moving.

“That is because we are currently not controlling the moon. Why should we, during the day?” I nodded in agreement. “Our sister, on the other hoof, rarely cuts her connection. After all, it is her sun that makes my moon shine, even in the night.” I had never thought that the moon wasn’t glowing on its own, at least on this world.

“Thanks. The other question is: why are you awake? Not that it bothers me, but don’t you have to be fit for the night?” She giggled.

“Thou are underestimating our power. An alicorn can last for weeks without sleep. We merely have to sleep when our magic reaches a low level and we need to replenish it. Since we want to see the sun from time to time, we just pull an all-nighter as it is called.” I could see how envious Twilight was of this ability of not having to sleep for a week and how she was already calculating how many more books she could read in that time. “Well, here we are. Please enter.” We stood in front of a large double door, large enough to fit a hydra through it, I was sure. Luna nodded as I stepped towards the door and slowly opened it with my magic. It was dark behind the door. Only a small carpet led through the room, and a two story podium was at the end of it, illuminated by spotlights. I couldn’t actually see what created the light, but I didn’t really care. Carefully we went up to the podium and as we reached it the door closed behind us.

“This looks more like a trial…” mumbled Twilight behind me as she tried to make something out in the darkness.

“Her Honour, Princess Celestia of Equestria!” it sounded and a door, that seemed to come out of nothing, opened behind a lectern on the podium and Celestia stepped out.

“Present are the applicant, Prince Blue Light of Equestria, son of Princess Celestia, accompanied by Princess Twilight Sparkle, daughter of Twilight Velvet and Cold Night, and the Elements of Harmony, namely Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.” I didn’t even know that Twilight held such a title, but I supposed that came when your brother married into the royal family. The only thing that surprised me about that formal introduction was my full title. “The hearing now begins.” I heard the sound of a few chairs being moved but couldn’t see any ponies aside from the ones behind me and Celestia in front of me. That was probably for her own safety.

“Well, Blue Light, you have approached me with a request, and we are here today to see if we can fulfil it. Since the Elements seem to be involved in this request as well, they have joined us in this hearing. You may speak,” Celestia announced from behind the lectern, and after she finished, the light around her was dimmed while it turned brighter around us. I had no idea how serious the situation here was, so I tried to stay as formal as possible.

“Thank you, your Highness,” I said shortly and bowed, just like with Luna earlier. “I stand here today to form a request to Equestria, since my world is in danger. As a diplomat of that world, I hereby plead for your help.” A mumbling went through the room. “During my last visit there, I have found out that we are in war with the creatures known as Nightmares. I do not know how high the casualties are or how the state of population is, as I did not have enough time to investigate, but I do know that none of our weapons have showed any effect on these enemies. Since our world does not have magic or their own Elements, it is at a disadvantage against magical creatures. That is why I ask for use of the Elements on my world, including appropriate protection for them.” The mumbling in the room got even louder as I finished talking.

“Speaker three has the word.” The light around me dimmed, like that around Celestia, and instead it lightened up a place in the darkness where a middle-aged stallion with brown coat and black mane appeared. He wore a suit, so I couldn’t clearly see whether he was a pegasus or earth pony.

“Question for Prince Blue Light of Equestria. How large are the enemy forces we would potentially have to face?” he asked with a threateningly deep voice.

“Unknown.” That was my honest and quick response. The light around him faded.

“Speaker twenty two has the word.” The light changed position and this time showed a white pegasus with blonde mane.

“What is the status of your forces?” she asked.

“Unknown,” I replied quickly like a shot. The voice appeared again, and with it, the question of a new speaker.

“Is an effect of the Elements on the enemies known?”

“No.”

“Can your world guarantee the safety of the Elements?”

“Unknown.”

“Are there maps or plans to brief our soldiers?”

“No.”

“Are you aware of the crisis that Equestria is in?”

“No.”

“Your journey was one week ago. Why have you taken so long with your request?”

“I was indisposed.”

This went on for a while, and except for very few questions, I couldn’t give answers that I liked. With every question, my hope that Equestria would come to Earth’s aid got smaller and smaller, and panic began to kick in.

“Since no other speaker has any more questions, does the applicant have anything to add?” I nodded and the light around me turned brighter.

“On my planet, Earth…” I had to give it a name, build up sympathy “… there are over six billion humans, other creatures not included. All these lives are endangered by the Nightmares, and no one has the power to stop them permanently. Who knows how many creatures were killed while I am here speaking to you. I beg for Equestria’s help since Earth does not have a chance.” I went silent, and after a few seconds, the light around me went out, something I was happy for. I was thinking about what was going on Earth and was on the verge of tears.

“I have come to a decision,” Celestia announced. “The applicant presented his case, and as always, I thank the speakers for their helpful questions.” She nodded at the unseen podiums. “But as it was correctly stated, we are in danger as well. Changelings of unknown numbers have been sighted. Equestria is in need of the Elements itself, and also of all their soldiers. As much as it pains me to say this, Equestria is unable to help Earth. When the situation has calmed, the applicant may rehearse his case. The hearing is closed.” The door behind Celestia and behind us opened and the sound of leaving ponies filled the room. But I just stared at the spot where Celestia had just stood. How could she? Why? Changelings, what are changelings and why weren’t they simply harmonized? She had promised to be there for me, to help me and yet she declined? I was angry, furious to say the least! But also I was sad and disappointed. I eyed the stone lectern in front of me and threw it, surrounded by three colours, at Celestia. Neither of them had a single scratch.

“Light, sugarcube, Ah’m sorry.” AJ wanted to put a hoof on my shoulder, but I slapped it aside.

“Out of the way,” I hissed like a snake. None of them moved. “OUT OF THE WAY!” I yelled at the group, with the royal Canterlot voice or not, I couldn’t tell. But the shout had its effect, and I furiously galloped out of the room, Twilight, Trixie, and Applejack directly behind me. I didn’t get very far since Celestia already seemed to be waiting for me after the first crossway. Not with her usual smile, rather with a worried look, but I didn’t care.

“CELESTIA!” I shouted at her. “I TRUSTED YOU! YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD HELP ME!” I was about to throw one of the various plants that stood in everywhere in the corridor at her, but then I was caught in a purple aura.

“Light, please calm down. It is not the Princess’s fault,” Twilight pleaded to me while she slowly pulled me back.

“Light, I am so sorry.” Celestia stepped closer to me and snuggled up against me. I tried to resist, but Twilight held me in place. “But unfortunately, you are confusing something here. As your mother, I am always ready to help you, but as ruler of Equestria, I have to do what is best for my country.” I knew that she was right, but I didn’t want to hear a damn thing.

“Shut up! You are not my mother! My mother’s life is in danger while you all are just sitting and talking. Earth needs help and if I have to organize some myself, I’ll do it!” Celestia just shook her head.

“I am sorry that you think this way, but I promise you one thing. Everything will be fine – harmony always finds a way.” Twilight behind me nodded.

“Then let the Elements come with me! Use them once and that’s it! Damn, if all goes well, it’ll be over in half an hour!” I still tried to free myself from Twilight’s grip, but without success.

“You know it is not that simple. For that, every Nightmare would have to be in the same spot, and not even I know if the Elements would work on those creatures.” She went past me and turned towards Twilight and the others.

“I trust you to keep an eye out on my fierce son. I do not want him to do something stupid.” Applejack was the only one who didn’t nod.

“Pardon mah words, Princess, but Ah heard the whole story from Light. It sounded horrible what happened there, and Ah would love to help if it was in mah power.” Thanks AJ, finally someone on my side.

“Yes, it is horrible what is happening there, but it is out of our power. At least for now. We will talk about it again in due time. For now, I can do nothing more than wish you the all the best, especially you two.” I didn’t know to whom she was talking to since I was still in that damn force field. I felt the flash of light behind me and knew that Celestia had disappeared.

“Let me down, Twilight!” With a thud, I fell to the ground.

“Light, I—” I heard her saying, but I cut her short.

“Save your breath! If you don’t want to help me, then I’m going to do it myself! I wish you a nice ride home; maybe Pinkie can throw a ‘The Earth is Screwed’ Party!” Angrily, I rushed towards the library. If there was any information on how to handle this problem, I would find it there. Screw Celestia, screw Equestria, screw everything. Here comes Blue Light!

“Shall I?”

“No, Pinkie!”

Author's Notes:

First rule of ruling is that your country comes first. But thats not a good excuse in Lights eyes ^^

Thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL and Tofty for proofreading and editing.

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