England, the land of eternal rain, territory of fog, home to thousands of shadows and mysteries. These islands had legends like other countries had ants. As Luna led us further to the north, and finally across the sea to England, it finally made sense to me. Great Britain, England, or in an ancient language, Albion. Some of the legends of this part of the world should have come to me when I had seen Robin use his magic. So much in our history now found more meaning, although magic itself had raised more questions than answers.

Albion: for us, a country; for the ponies, their world. There was so much that resembled between our worlds, things that went beyond the cartoon: languages, places, circumstances, people with their quirks and personalities. Was it really so surprising that we also had the opportunity to control our moon, perhaps the sun as well? The moon at least had been a part of the world once, and when magic was in the game, there was certain to be some kind of connection. Apparently the Celts knew this and built the place where we were headed to: Stonehenge.

We had wanted to make a stopover to the hospital but had decided against it. What would we have told them in our big report? They were doomed. How would it help them to know that? Panic and despair would ensue. In this way, they were instead able to spend the last couple of weeks in peace together. It was a decision that Luna had shared with me. Twilight had wanted to tell them, but she had eventually been swayed. She understood that we did not mean harm.

My brothers were already showing clear signs of what was to come. Nausea and exhaustion ensured that they remained in their beds in the cabin. It ate at me that I could do nothing for them but watch them slowly wither away after the pain and emotion of finding them, knowing that sooner rather than later, they would once again be lost to me. We had teleported them inside, and Fluttershy now looked after them every few hours. Julian was as well as could be expected. Through the metamorphosis, his body fought the radiation somewhat but not enough to heal him. It slowed everything to the point where he was satisfied. He just wanted to face Nightmare, as we all did.

And now here we were. Below us were the white cliffs of the former Kingdom of England. All that was left was rubble. Nothing was there to remind someone that this had been one of the greatest countries in the world. What nature was left with, it had begun to claim what had once been theirs, as though they had never left at all. I had had no idea how radiation worked with plants, but it was not so different to that as seen in humans. Sooner or later, they would also meet their end. No clue why so many people liked the idea of Fallout, because all it did to me was to send a shiver down my spine. I had seen how England looked from an airplane as it overflowed with life. Now it was dead, as though the last person would have lived here thousands of years ago. Of course I knew what that meant, and I saw in the faces of others beside me that they came to the same conclusion. We now knew where at least one of the bombs had hit. Unfortunately, this had not caused the country to be completely razed to the ground, as shades walked down there as though nothing had happened.

The moon hung before the sun and wrapped the entire island in its enormous shadow, allowing them to move freely. "We should have ended them a long time ago.” Luna was the first to produce more at the sight than a nervous swallow. Her faint voice was filled with regret and tinged with sadness as she stared off into the distance, seemingly looking beyond what was present, into some time in the past. "Tartarus would certainly enjoy consuming that evil."

I remembered what Celestia had told me about the circumstances of that time. Cadance had just been born, and even with the Elements, they had only just managed to erect a barrier. "It's not your fault," I assured her. "With the amount of worlds, you couldn’t have known where they would have gone. In addition, if humans had the possibility to block them, they would have done that no matter who would have instead been affected." That was if they didn’t keep it in a laboratory and try to tame it.

Luna nodded at me and then turned to the others. "No one knows what awaits us here. This is the base of the enemy." That was more or less obvious, given the amount of shades on the ground. "Nightmare, it uses this Stonehenge monument in order to control the moon. Our goal will be to destroy this compound and to move this moon back to its natural path." That would weaken Nightmare, as she would be exposed to the sun and would banish her army again into the night. "It will be very dangerous." Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other uncertainly, Armor placed a hoof on Cadance, and even Rainbow looked a little worried. Twilight on the other hand seemed ready for anything, but not really keen on personally fighting. Another description for her expression eluded my mind. "Therefore, only those who know how to defend themselves will come." Progress with the gun was slow. Luna had still given me a few tips, but always with the remark that I might regret it. The desire to ram it into Nightmare’s body was stronger than my concern. "Since the Elements are not here, I want the Honesty, Kindness, and Laughter to stay here." Fluttershy seemed relieved while Pinkie did not say anything. On the other hand, AJ looked ready to protest. I could feel it coming.

"Pardon me, Princess, but I won’t let my friends go alone without us. There must be something we can do." She approached Luna, pointing to Pinkie and Fluttershy. Despite myself, I felt a small bit of pride in her for wanting to fight, even though I could not show it for fear of encouraging her.

"I'm sorry, Applejack, but we cannot allow that. Fluttershy is clearly not a fighter and would not fit into our plans. Miss Pie certainly has some unusual abilities, but these are not suitable for the coming battle. As for you, Honesty, it will not be only your life you would be risking." Luna pointed to her visibly rounded belly, and AJ stepped back angrily, but also in understanding. "In addition, I would also ask Cadance to stay here for the same reason. If it were up to us, you two would not be here." A quick glance of her eye hit Armor and I.

"Okay, Princess, just tell us how to beat them and we’re all on board." Rainbow floated in front and smashed her hooves together to emphasize her point. Luna stopped her and ordered her to be silent, the brash pegasus doing so immediately.

"I'm afraid it is not so easy, Rainbow Dash, even if we wished it were so." She turned to Trixie and Twilight. "We will ask you only once for help. I will not force anypony to stand with us against this monster. "

"Of course I'm going, Princess." Twilight didn’t spend a moment to think it over, in contrast to Trixie. Luna waited until she too had voiced ​​her thoughts.

"I'm in, Princess... I mean, there is no other way forward, is there?" Trixie was right again. Nightmare still blocked the way for us to Equestria. Should we therefore not at least weaken it, we would likely be stuck here, a thought that did not sit well with me.

"Thank you both." With that, she turned to Rarity. "I present to you the same choice, Miss Rarity. We do not demand it from you, for it is your decision." She mulled it over as Trixie had done, evident from her eyes as they shifted back and forth, not really looking at anything in particular. Still, I kept my features neutral, for I did not want to try to influence her decision. Finally, she looked worriedly over to Fluttershy and then to Rainbow. The two pegasi were polar opposites: one scared to death and the other eager for battle.

"I don’t know..." she said finally. “Do not misunderstand me, Your Majesty, I want to help, otherwise I would not be comfortable here. But what about my work, my family, Sweetie Belle...?" We all knew what she meant, and why no one commented on what had been said.

"We understand, Miss Rarity. Would it be too much, then, to ask you to take over the Celestia in our absence?" Startled, the designer’s eyes widened as she shook her head furiously.

"Of course not, Princess." She bowed briefly. "It would be an honour." Luna looked pleased and turned her attention now on us, as in Armor, Hawk, Julian, and me.

"We think you've already made ​​your decision?" A common nod was all she got in return. Then she did something with nobody expected: she strode to the remaining foals in Holly, Dawn, and Scootaloo. "Even to you we ask this question, Rising Dawn, Spirit of Chaos." So he really had replaced Discord. Not that I had not believed him with his demonstration, but it was something else to get confirmation from Luna.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight was between her and her foal in seconds. She glared at the Princess of the Night, bearing an impressive frown. "He's much too young for something like this. I can’t let that happen." The sheltered foal found a way past his mother and looked up at Luna. Again his eyes lit up with a golden glow.

"Do not fear, Twilight Sparkle, Rising Dawn is like us, in a way. He is a law of nature. Even if one of these creatures affected him, he would recover. Even if his body would shatter, he would recover." If he really had the power of Discord, I would not doubt it. Harmony and Chaos were two sides of the same coin. The one could not exist without the other. The magical nature of Equestria or maybe even the universe would therefore ensure that it both remained in balance, which was why Dawn existed in the first place.

"It's all right, mom," he said softly and briefly seemed to consider something inside that head of his. "Princess Celestia and Trent told me moments like this would come after I had defeated Discord." His eyes were bright, and with a flash of light, a little horn appeared on his forehead. "I'll try to help as much as I can." Twilight began to him to hug, and Luna just nodded again as she had done so often today. Some things just did not have to be said. The gratitude she felt, the gratitude I felt, was natural.

Nevertheless, it hit me slightly out of nowhere that Dawn was an alicorn. Still, a being of Discord’s power had every right to be one. "So we meet again, Night Bringer." The deep voice that the colt now spoke with really threw me off. It was not as loud as the Royal Canterlot Voice, yet pervasive, echoing a bit, although it should not be outside here. "My lord has informed me of the situation." Everyone watched as Dawn lifted into the air and floated above the rail, his wings beating slowly. "Yes, this world is more than just off-balance." The alicorn turned back to us. "I will do my duty and fight at your side."

Luna bowed briefly. "Thank you, Chaos." Chaos. So this was Chaos in person and spoke through its master, Dawn. I looked at Julian, who looked just as puzzled as I thought.

"Princess Celestia explained everything after Discord was defeated," Armor explained quietly. "Chaos itself is not good or bad. There was no one there. In the case of Discord, he abused its power."

"The young captain speaks wisely." He was interrupted by the deep voice. "I am the chaos, one side of the eternal balance. My job is to keep chaos and harmony in balance, no matter the means. If a world is in chaos, like this one, I shall aid in bringing balance. In a world in harmony, I will destroy it." That made Equestria ​​a strong target for this being, this power. "Son of The Eternal Light." That got my attention. "As my master tells me, you seek the path of the weapon. Let me give you some advice. The necessary power is not only around you, but also in you. It takes two to create something. Even life is a mixture of chaos and harmony. Your bodies are the result of millennia of chaos, but your spirit brings harmony to the whole. Once before you have used this power, when you thought to have no strength." I did not know what to say, and only gave a nod to the spirit to show that I understood what he had said.

The shine in the eyes of Dawn was again slightly weaker but did not disappear completely, and the horn remained. "I hoped Chaos could help you a little." His voice was back to normal, and apparently he was again himself. "I find it always tries to say so much, but there are only images, not what I understand. That's why I thought it was better to let him speak." He looked at his mother as if he would have to apologize for something. Twilight only took him into her hooves and snuggled him.

"That was a view of what this foal has in store for him in the future," voiced Luna, who had joined Armor and I. "It may be difficult to live a normal life when one knows that one's future is set in stone." With that, she looked at her cutie mark, and I understood what she meant. She and her sister were not asked if they wanted this existence; they were created like this. The emergence of Discord also spoiled Dawn’s choices for what he would do in life and beyond. "Still, we should be glad that he and his power are on our side." Inwardly, I agreed with Luna. Knowing Discord’s force was on our side was comforting.

Even after Luna’s speech, we continued our way through the barren landscape of Britain, Dawn’s words buzzed through my head. I was alone again on deck. The others were busy preparing for the coming battle. Part of me wanted to do the same, to be down with AJ and enjoy the calm before the storm. The other part wanted to get this spell in order.

I was together with Armor and Luna as part of the shock troops that would advance directly to Nightmare. Dawn was supposed to be attending, but Twilight was strongly opposed and would refuse to help if we dragged him in so deeply. I could not say I blamed her. It was why I had to make an effort all the more. We would not have a lot of time, depending on how long the others could hold Nightmare by the neck. That would be Twilight and Trixie, along with Dawn, Rainbow, Julian, and Hawk. My brothers were both not going to be able to help in this situation, just like Star.

In my head, I kept going over what Chaos had said. It was not just the magic that existed in nature but also my own, yet it was something other than my current one. It was one that I had previously used when I thought I had no strength. Did he mean Changer’s essence? That was no longer in me, devoured by Nightmare. Then there was my soul. Both Twilight and Albia had warned me against using it for magic. All of a sudden, it clicked in my head. Now I knew why Luna had warned me. To use the power of your own soul was dangerous for someone like me. The souls of the princesses were immortal, as were their bodies. Their weapons were therefore safe to use, given their very nature. For a mortal being, it would be a double-edged sword.

When I had used this the last time, I could only access it because I wasn't really bound to my new body. Therefore, would it not be easier now, seeing as I had spent months adjusting and growing into it? The real problem was the magic that surrounded us was everywhere, at least according to what Twilight, Trixie, and Luna constantly said. They felt that it would work contrary to me. I was a lost case in that regard. So how could I manipulate something I could neither feel nor see? Well, it was there, everywhere. When you walked into the sea with a bucket to come back with water, sand or other things were present as well. The difficult part was to estimate how much magic I took from the environment. Balance seemed to be the key, and so I had to apply two sources equally in strength, or at least that seemed to be the logical way to me.

So, how should I go about to form this bucket? The bodies of unicorns took to magic like a sponge, slowly but steadily. It filled their reserves and was filtered through the horn as a separate magic. However, now I had to collect the magic and expel it unfiltered along with my soul. I had done this unconsciously when Nightmare had attacked Dirk. I knew that it was in me, but I was not aware.

I sat down on the floor and let my unfiltered magic flow out of me. It felt a bit like as though I was being deprived of an inner heat. As the feeling reached an unpleasant point, I tried to breathe again and stopped the flow. A little of the heat returned, and I knew that it worked. The emptier a sponge was, the faster it took in water again, though not as much as before flowed. So far, so good. Now I had to do the same thing with my soul and have it engage with the natural magic. I searched for the feeling, the feeling I had when I had used my other source of magic. That had been such a long time ago, a lifetime in many ways.

I do not know how long I sat there, but I was sure that someone came and checked on me. However, they said nothing and disappeared after a few minutes. Sometimes I felt it, but only for a few seconds. Now, however, I had an idea of what I was doing, and focused on the point. I grabbed the known energy, mixed it with my magic, and allowed it to escape.

Immediately my eyes flew open as my senses were bombarded with impressions: voices, smells, feelings, memories, thoughts. Everything was pounding at me, forcing my hooves to hold my increasingly pained head.

"As we said, this magic is dangerous." I heard Luna's voice as I writhed in pain on the ground. "The natural magic carries much with it, and your nature is not made ​​to filter this. Not even we can shield ourselves from everything." If it did not hurt so badly, I would have been proud that my comparison with the bucket in the sea was true. It was as though other things besides the water were bombarding me: cannon balls of sand, mud, and shells. "Of course, this place is even less suitable to use this spell. The remains of billions of lives are buzzing around here and are outraged."

"Luna, what must I do?" I squeezed out between my clenched teeth as I rolled on the floor.

"Release it. As I said, this is not what we want for you, neither I nor my sister." I did not let go. I was so close to getting the magic to work. I rolled on across the floor, doubled up, curled, and groaned to myself.

"Luna! Either you tell me what I need to do or I'm not going to get to be able to fight Nightmare." I knew that my body could not endure this pain forever. Neither could my soul. Luna knew that as well as I did, but it seemed she would rather lecture me and try to turn me back from this path even though she knew it was futile.

Again there was a short silence, and I felt like Luna placed a hoof on me and tried to calm me down. "You know that there is no going back?" She was holding something back, I could feel it. However, the situation at hand was more important than trying to figure out what she was hiding.

"Yes!" I yelled, the frustration and anger bubbling up and begging for release. My entire being was shrieking in agony and on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion into unconsciousness, an oblivion that I was not certain I would manage to ever wake from.

"Let it go; let it happen." I no longer had to think about the power of what she meant and released it. It was as if I had stopped my breath and my lungs filled with the vital gas after weeks without it. Exhausted but relieved, I slumped down on my back and looked up at the dark sky and the moon, a shadow of their former selves. The bite of the wind was especially sharp against my sweat-matted fur. My field of view was blocked by two things: Luna’s head and an object hovering behind her.

A broad grin formed on my lips, and I raised a trembling hoof in the air. "Done..." was all I could say before I was caught in the deep darkness of sleep.

The first thing I felt was a presence next to me. Not physically – it was as though I could feel the radiating warmth of the presence, but at the same time I did not feel warmth myself. Then there were more, but they were much further away. Three of these were massive, like the sun in the sky, while the others were like small stars, even the presence beside me. It was familiar, and just like the other, I recognized it. I knew each of these presences, one of which I had felt before. It was Luna, as hers radiated out like Celestia. Then the two others had to be Cadance and Dawn, the three gods aboard the Celestia.

I immediately knew who was next to me and put a hoof to AJ. "I see you're awake, sugarcube." I moaned my answer. The pain still seeped through my bones and I shivered a little, although it was not cold. "I’ll go get the princess. She wanted to speak to you as soon as you woke up." I said nothing, noting how she got out of bed and opened the door to the cabin. Although I had my eyes closed, I could tell exactly where she was. She passed Rarity and went into Luna’s cabin. I saw nothing – everything was dark – but it was clear as the brightest day. Did it have to do with magic? What exactly had I actually done? I had ripped with my magic a part of my soul out of my body and let it be formed by the world. And it had worked. Was this a side effect I was suffering from? Was this something that Luna had tried to warn me against?

I looked further into me and saw the presence of my friends around me, around the vessel. I ‘saw’, for it was something beyond normal sight, that Luna and AJ were making their way towards my cabin. I again found Dawn’s presence, and he seemed to look at me. Although I did not see his body, I knew that he was smiling, smiling at me. I shivered again, though once again it was not due to anything physical.

"Blue Light, we are pleased to hear that you're feeling better." As Luna opened the door and spoke, I lost my concentration and again found myself in darkness. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up, swaying slightly.

"How long was I passed out for?" I threw a tired look through the porthole outside. It was dark, darker than before, and the Celestia seemed to shine. It had to be evening or night.

"A few hours. The magic made ​​you very weak." That was to be expected if you played with your soul. I knew that she still disapproved of what I had done, and wished I had not resorted to something so wrong in such a basic level. I myself could not say that I was overjoyed at having to do so. I was all the more grateful that she did not remonstrate with me out loud, especially in front of my marefriend. "I ask you again: do you know what you have done?" I nodded, albeit slowly.

"I have joined a part of myself, part of my soul, with the natural magic that surrounds everything and had it shaped into my weapon," I summed up the most painful process I had ever gone through. Thousands of thoughts, emotions, and impressions had been slammed into my brain. Now I know why such a thing should not be done by a mortal. It would have been so easy to simply destroy oneself.

Luna sighed. "By and large, this may be true. However, have you not asked yourself why only an alicorn has such a weapon? Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor are both more than capable to accomplish the same thing." Alicorns had immortal souls and bodies, so they need not have to worry about them being destroyed by such a spell. But beyond that...

"No, I only know that you don't have to fear this spell." Luna seemed to be angry. Apparently she had wanted to make a point that I had missed, and her patience had run out.

"You fool!" she yelled. "Of course we do not need to fear such magic. We created it!" She took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. "The soul of an alicorn is always associated with magic. It is how we are born… or created."

"You're forgetting one thing, Luna,” I interrupted. She did not look pleased at that, which added to her already sour mood. "I was also created, just like you and Celestia. Maybe there are other ponies that Albia herself created over millennia, I do not know. Don’t you think that she, in all her wisdom and experience, would have made it impossible for me to do what I’ve just done if she did not want me to use it? That she would say she would not intervene and then sent me back? Someone who had broken a law of the gods when he visited the Void, the nothingness? Someone who should have been punished for gazing upon what no mortal eyes should have seen? That soul would be punished so that they would never experience heaven or hell, only darkness for all eternity." Luna said nothing and stared at me in shock, as did AJ. After a few seconds, I noticed that her eyes were not on me, and I also looked to the side. There, at the end of the bed sat Albia, sipping a cup of tea with relish.

"Mother!" Luna shouted and wrapped her hooves around the much larger alicorn. Albia just managed to get her cup to safety and had it hover above them as the blue alicorn held onto her.

"It is also good to see you, Luna, even though the circumstances are rather sad." She patted her daughter’s back and stroked her several times on the mane before the two parted. "I am here because of my grandson and to explain something to you." It began to dawn on me what she had to say.

"I think I can also explain it." The two looked at me, and Albia nodded at me to speak.

"Sugarcube? What's going on?" AJ interjected before I could even begin. Luna coughed and got back to her own four hooves, pointing at Albia.

"May I introduce my mother, Albia, Creator of the planet on which we live and the universe around it." AJ's eyes were like large plates as she dropped and bowed so deeply that it rather looked like she was lying down. It was not often a god personally dropped in front of you, after all. Paying your respects was the safe option.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, I did not..." A giggle from Albia interrupted AJ in her apology.

"Oh, Applejack, you need not apologize. One could look at both of us as a family, in more ways than one." The questioning face my girlfriend wore caused her to continue. "For one, you carry my great-granddaughter in you and are engaged with my grandson here." She pointed at me and took a sip of tea. Apparently the cup was never empty. "On the other hand, you carry a part of me in you. The items that I have created are always connected to me, but also with you. So we are very close, my dear pony." The cup disappeared, and her eyes immediately became something more serious. "However, it is not for those reasons that I am here."

"Exactly." I took over the conversation again. "I think it has to do with these." I spread my wings and put a hoof on my horn. Albia nodded again, and I saw AJ gaping at me. "You had everything planned, didn’t you, Albia?" She nodded again. "Since the moment with Changer and the knowledge of which world the shades were going to attack next, she had her fingers... hooves in this. She had been the one who let Nightmare know to catch me, as it had been too weak to notice me otherwise. It was also her who somehow brought us into battle, just like my death was part of her plan. She wanted me to come to her because I was the exception in her own rule." I paused and nodded again at the red-maned alicorn. "I was an outsider, a being not of her world, not bound by her impartiality rule. I was the medium with which to kill the shades, without her needing to intervene. She had given me this body to act in her interest. She set my mind on this plan. It was intended from the outset that Nightmare and her kind would be locked into this dead world and this..." I again waved my wings and tapped my horn, "...was her insurance policy. The only thing I did was to break a spell that made ​​me use only part of an alicorn’s power." That explained why it had felt like I was only able to breathe for the first time earlier.

"Well, I see you’ve figured out most of it and therefore wasn’t wrong with choosing you," she said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "If I had trapped the Nightmare here myself, another of my kind would have come and undid it. They are not my creation, and it is not allowed for being as us to meddle with the creation of others. However, you did not belong to the world anymore from the moment you were entered the Void the first time.” Should I be upset that my life has been used as a tool? Probably, but I was not. Had it not been so, I would not be here with AJ and my other friends. I would certainly have long been worm food under a meter of soil otherwise.

"So you're not going to help us against Nightmare, mother?" I could see Luna, see how she was nervous. This being was just as powerful as her, now perhaps even more through its connection to our moon, and it also scared me. I knew the answer to the question before Albia even opened her mouth.

"Unfortunately not, my daughter, as this is your fight. However, both Harmony and Chaos are on your side to bring balance once again." This time it was Albia who hugged Luna. "I cannot stay longer as well, but I will see you again soon." As suddenly as she had appeared, she disappeared again. Luna turned to wipe a tear from her face, then stepped over to me again.

"Light, you are not angry about what was done with you?" Now I knew what Luna meant. She had seemed to know it all this time. That meant that Celestia and Cadance also knew, maybe Dawn as well. They all knew about the nature of this body, even under the spell. I suppose it was something a mortal such as me was not privileged enough to learn about, even though it concerned me. "You could have had a normal life as long as you had been under the spell."

"Maybe, but did you ever think that maybe I want this?" I threw back the covers and tried to get out of the bed. "It was normal life that had brought me in this situation, which was why I wanted something else." I turned to AJ. "Do not get me wrong, but nothing is normal with us," I said with a broad grin, hugging her briefly, basking in the warmth of her body and the beating of her heart. "No, my life in Equestria is not what I would describe as normal, but in a good way. In addition, what would change? It wasn’t that I had anything to look forward in my life, unless of course the eternal nothingness was something desirable." Luna lowered her head thoughtfully, and AJ snuggled up next to me. "I'm not angry at you, or your mother, that you wanted to rescue me from my destiny. But Nightmare leaves us no choice, right? I mean, Celestia's sun magic is strong, but it is only as strong as I am. "

I still did not know where these insights, these thoughts and images had come from and interacted with me. It was almost like sitting next to my grandma with an old photo album as she told me about people and things that had happened before I was born. It was as if it had always been there, this knowledge. Was this about the connection to the natural magic that Luna mentioned? Was this what she was accompanied by every second of every day of her endless life? Sure, you could somehow block it, but things had become so clear to me. Little things, such as why the chicken wanted to cross the road, or significant things like the workings of our universe. Like how I had felt the presence of the ponies before, it was more a mix of feelings and impressions, like reading a face. Their thoughts were blocked, but their feelings could still be conveyed. You could call it a hunch.

The shock, although all had already seen me with wings or a horn, was written on their faces, at least on the faces of every non-alicorn on the ship. Luna tried to explain what had happened with my help and how I had actually been an alicorn ever since Albia had sent me back. I was glad no one tried to bow at me.

So much excitement in the morning was not quite my cup of tea, which was why, as soon as a general murmur broke out, I retreated to the kitchen. I was closely followed by AJ, who obviously wanted to talk to me alone. "Are you really okay, Sugarcube? What you and... Albia spoke about sounded like a lot to take in one night."

Of course, it was like a small bomb, but one that had hovered over my head for months. I was so used to her shadow that I was not so surprised when she finally struck. "I think so, even if it's a lot to digest." What I really wondered was whether eternal life was better than eternal darkness. At least I would not spend the coming years alone.

"And what does that change... with us?" I did not know where it came from, but the question almost drove me mad. It was so like Applejack to ask a question that would hammer home the reality of what had been done, and what was to come, how it tried to affect even the very nature of our relationship.

"AJ. You know that I love you, and when this is all over, it’ll be back to the farm for both of us. Got it?" She nodded, and I calmed down a bit again. In both of us was much activity. In me, my thoughts, and in her, her hormones. I could not forget about that. I was not allowed to forget. I tried to let my horn or my wings vanish as I had done just a few hours ago, but only both at a time did. It was all or nothing. "No one outside here would know anything about what happened." Celestia would know one way or the other, but I did not want to be dragged into Equestria’s politics. Well, more than what had already been done.

"According to the globe, we’re in range of our target. We’ll have to prepare to disembark." I did not turn to Armor and gave AJ a kiss. We were now in the eye of the storm.

With a small shake, the Celestia landed on the dusty ground of one of the vast fields of England again. Twilight and Armor together brought down the ramp, so we were all ready to leave the Celestia. It still gleamed over us, keeping the shades at bay. At about two hundred meters surrounding us, hundreds of the creatures had gathered and just waited for us to leave the comforting light of the Celestia behind us.

Packed lightly, one pony walked down the ramp after another. All that was contained in the bags on our backs were the remaining charged diamonds and, in the case of Twilight, her son. Pinkie Pie had saved our asses with her actions in the stadium, but she had also burned a hole in our armoury. Most diamonds were therefore with Julian and Rainbow, who would otherwise have no opportunity to defend themselves. Hawk even had a few, but her fire should also cause enough damage, at least enough to drive them off.

"We must reach this Stonehenge so the princess can separate Nightmare’s connection to the moon. That means we need to take position once we’re past them, and have to hold it as long as possible,” Armor began to explain the mission again. We had already gone through this several times, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Our air support will keep our backs free, but see to it that this is not necessary. Count on them, but try not to depend too much on them.” One could not rely on something for so long to the point where our lives would be weighed on how long the diamonds could hold out.

Usually we would all just fly over them, but that was not up for discussion with Twilight and Armor. Luna and Twilight would only overanalyze everything and Armor was too heavy to be carried by me. Sure, I would have gotten past the shades, but not with additional weight. Now I paid the price for having knocked Rainbow’s offer for her to teach me more about flying. It was one of several regrets I now had at this point.

"Now everything is settled," Luna said into the silence and proceeded to march forward to the mass of opponents. They flowed and ebbed erratically, excited at the movement toward them and hardly able to hold themselves in place. However, they seemed to know that our light would mean their downfall. The pegasi took off into the air and remained above our heads, in their hooves each of our last weapons.

I swallowed nervously as we were about to run the gauntlet and levitated three of my little light balls that shot out of my horn. I was again reminded that I now had wings and horn, because even though I had not put a lot of magic in the lights, they were larger and brighter than I had planned. The first row of shades dissolved into thin air, though not without screeching and hissing. The others took it for what it was, an attack, and began to surge. Like thousands of rats, they broke out of position, one shade taking advantage of his brethren in front of it to protect against the light.

"Careful!" I heard Rainbow call from above, and with a quick swoop she was behind us, bringing her diamond against a shade that had risen from the ground.

"Hurry!" Armor barked, and we all rushed away without hesitation, the lights above our heads. I saw Twilight and Trixie in front of me as they had to avoid a shade, the creature attempting to exploit the ponies’ shadows to get closer while they tried to keep the light more vertically above our heads. This did not stop it from jumping out of the ground like a zombie that wanted to free itself from its grave and bringing its claws down. I brought one of the lights on the level of our legs, right next to Luna. Unlike the rest of us, she did not bother to try to evade, but ran through every shade with her daggers that dared to come near her. The crazy thing was that she did not need to look, as if she knew where they were coming from long ago.

Dawn mimicked Luna from Twilight’s back, but he fired golden rays of chaotic magic at the shades, which resulted in that they turned into chicks, hamsters, or a mixture of the two. If Fluttershy were here, it would break her heart to see how these little creatures then dissolved when they came into contact with the light.

"I can see the structure," said Armor when he reached a small hill. Luna and I quickly joined him, and I saw it as well. Stonehenge was no longer what I had once known it to be. The large stones were only small chunks. What we saw now was confirmation that we were right, as there was a glowing magical circle on the ground.

"Ok, secure the surroundings," Armor shouted towards the pegasi at the sky, while pressing onwards through the mass of black creatures in the cover of his shield. They did not disband, but worked as well as a snow shovel after a night of snow. That was mostly because they landed before Luna or me, who were directly behind him and Twilight.

"Wow, that's a lot of magical energy. This could light a city for a year," Dawn noted as he looked around over his mother’s head. "How can one manage to maintain something like that for so long?"

"You forget the Nightmare is not tied to the body it currently possesses, Rising Dawn," Luna answered and jumped over the remains of one of the large stones that had been, at one point in history, a wonder of the world. Julian and Hawk landed beside me and threw the bags from their back. We all took a moment to regain our composure.

"That’s great, but the area is safe." At Julian’s words, I looked back and saw that we were now circled on the hill and that the Celestia was a short distance in the valley. "What now?"

"We are waiting for Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle to analyse the charm and undo it, and then we can smash Nightmare in the mouth." Hawk flew on one of the larger chunks and surveyed the area.

"I like that idea!" Rainbow nodded and joined the soldier. Meanwhile, Dawn jumped off Twilight's back and examined some of circular icons on his own. Twilight and Luna rapidly exchanged their opinions on the matter. I, however, had nothing to add to the conversation, even though it centred around magic on a structure humanity had known for centuries.

What really concerned me was the whereabouts of Nightmare. Why was it not here, even though it knew that we had come? Was it waiting in the shadows, hidden from sight, before it would cut us down one by one, revelling in our misery? Was it waiting for us to come to it, ensuring that we would be worn down by the time we reached wherever our destination was? Even the thought that it was no longer here and had some other goal in mind was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"Looking for Nightmare?" Armor stepped toward me, eyes more focused on the surroundings.

"Yes, something is rotten here." However, I could not feel anything. I couldn’t differentiate it from another creature, as everything had a soul. Maybe body warmth, but I didn’t know enough about my magical rebirth, so to speak, to say for sure. Still, it was certain that Nightmare was not here and there were no other souls except for those aboard the Celestia, as far as I could tell. I could only sense Cadance because of the distance. That at least meant that the ship had not been attacked by Nightmare. I stepped on the dusty earth beneath my hooves and looked up at the sky. The moon was still black, but otherwise it seemed to have not changed. Perhaps this was also its natural shape and people had changed it with magic. There were so many things about my own world that I would have liked clarified, now that I could see the world differently. That was the way it was with the forest and the trees. Someone wanted to look for adventure, not realizing that it was right in front his nose. All he had to do was open his eyes.

"Will the planet recover?" asked Armor and probably looked at the area we were in for the first time instead of scanning for any approaching enemies. "Could humans come back here someday to live?"

"Sure, the radiation will be gone in a few centuries or so. I don’t have an exact timeframe." My knowledge of nuclear weapons was limited to Fallout, and that was fictitious. "When the Nightmare and the shades are no longer here, life will again be possible, provided that something survives as a base." Who knew how things looked at the Cape of Good Hope and Australia. Sure, they had gotten something, but maybe there were survivors. Not that it would still play a role. The Earth had been made a sacrifice to spare other worlds this outcome.

"Sorry." Armor had noticed my face as I thought of it. I shrugged casually, trying to hide how much the thought bothered me.

"It's too late to change." I picked up a stone and threw it towards the moon, not that it reached anywhere. After a few meters, it flew down into the crowd of lurking shades.

"Mom!" Dawn was excited and jumped up and down, supported by his flapping wings. "I have something here." Luna and Twilight immediately rushed over to him. Armor and I did the same after a few seconds.

"What is it, Dawn?" I realized that it had to be runes, not unlike those from Albion. One could even speak of a distant relationship. "Levitation?" I asked as I approached the shining rune.

"Almost." Twilight slapped my hoof to the side as I was about to touch the rune. "Gravitation. It is similar to our gravitation rune. I’ve used one before for a reverse-gravity-spell.”

"Aha..." Twilight and I stared at each other for a few seconds. "And that means what exactly?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That is to say that this is definitely the magic that controls the moon."

"Seriously, Twilight? I thought that was clear." And again a moan. Despite the hopelessness that sometimes gripped me, the situation we were in, the things that we had had to endure up to this point, I could not help but chuckle. For just that brief moment in time, things were almost like we were back in Equestria, having a normal interaction.

"When you analyse a strange magic, you have to start at the base. And this is what we have here!" She stomped next to the rune on the floor, and Luna nodded curtly. "Now that we know where we have to start, we should not have long to spend here." I left Twilight to herself and followed the other symbols that glowed in the dust. They all had a general resemblance to the few runes that were known to me. There was a rune for light, but it was modified. It likely meant that the moon reflected the sunlight. Maybe the moon was indeed a completely magical object. Whatever the reason, someone could have artificially created one. I scanned some more, came across one almost together with Dawn and then with Armor, but in the end I got stuck at a particular rune.

"Guys, I think I know now what this is." Twilight and Luna came over to me. I could see that my teacher didn’t seem to believe that I had found anything of relevance. Hawk and Rainbow looked down from their stone. Armor and Julian sat somewhat apart and had probably heard about my reputation. "I know this rune."

"Of course you know it. We all know them from somewhere. It's like a dialect." I shook my head.

"No, I mean I've already used this one once." That gave me her full attention. “Please leave me in one piece, Twilight. You know I’ve gotten good at teleportation lately.”

"That still amazes me. It took me a few years until I could do it perfectly with all safety precautions, shape safety image, space check and..." She paused as Luna tapped her on the shoulder.

"Perhaps it would be better to allow Blue Light to finish speak, Twilight Sparkle."

"Um... yes." She ducked her head sheepishly.

I took a breath when there were no interruptions. "Point is, I shortened the spell, because quite frankly, it was too advanced for me. The final result looked like this rune. Teleportation from point to point," Twilight’s eyes had narrowed to slits, "but without the whole security rubbish." I saw that she had to fight to not go for my throat. "Come on, Twilight, it is not as if every step in this world isn’t now life-threatening."

"Yes, I've used this technique that I had learned from my trip through the Void. From a human mage." They all stared at the rune.

"And... where shall that teleport us?" Hawk asked, who now hovered above Armor in order to see better.

"You understand that?" asked Rainbow in disbelief.

“I serve with unicorns in the Royal Guard. You end up catching a few things here and there, whether you really want to or not.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I think what Light is trying to tell us is that this is a spell to teleport something." Luna brought us back to the topic on hand.

"Not something—ponies," interjected Dawn, next to two runes, "or humans. Actually, whatever is present here and activated the magic." I looked up at the moon.

"Then at least we now know where Nightmare is." The others followed my gaze. "Time to take care of it."

"No!" Luna barked, stomping her hooves. "Nightmare is our problem. We will confront it and finish this thing." She looked ready and determined to go and rid us of our problem herself, alone if she had to, which made me slightly regret what I had to say next.

"Luna, I hate to say this, but Twilight needs you here." We both looked over at Twilight, and at first she did not seem to realize that we meant her.

"What? Who?" She looked around briefly to everyone. "No, I think I’ll manage here." She went over to the rune next to the one for teleportation. "The matter is here, you see?"

"Actually, it's here," Dawn once again reported.

“Concentrate on breaking the spell so we can get home, and Nightmare loses control over the moon.” And with that, its extra strength. Even if those who confronted it ultimately failed, those who survived would hopefully have enough time to escape.

"I'll come with you," Rainbow said and was immediately on the rune. "Which button should I press?"

"I will also come," Armor came over to us. "Someone needs to cover your back."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. The moon is not a place for a normal pony. It has no atmosphere. You would inevitably find your end." Rainbow quickly jumped off the rune.

"Unless, of course, you were an alicorn, an immortal being." Luna nodded in understand at what I was planning.

"Then I'll go with him," Dawn hovered over and landed on my back. "All we have to do is stall until the spell breaks. Then Luna will come and we can all take care of Nightmare." I saw the excitement in the faces of the Sparkle family just by the way the two siblings looked at each other.

"Are you sure you can do it?" asked Hawk, also looking uneasy.

"We have no choice. What would prevent Nightmare to otherwise come back to Earth and activate the magic again?" No one said anything. "Hey, we're two alicorns. What will Nightmare do with us? Eat our immortal souls?"

"Actually, only your body..." began Twilight, but immediately clammed up as I glared at her angrily. Still, she had a point. That may even be part of the reason why I just couldn’t get the hang for these new senses. My soul was not designed for it.

"So, everything is settled. Dawn and I are going to the moon. You concentrate on breaking the spell, and Luna will come as soon as possible. When we come back, we will use the Elements, seal the planet, and then be off." I stepped in front of the rune. “Just don’t take too long.” Twilight smiled briefly, and I poured some magic in the rune. It instantly felt as though we were off.

It was just a twinkle in an eye and we were there, the moon. I tried to breathe, but no air filled my lungs. It was cold, incredibly cold, so much so that my blood should have frozen instantaneously. However, nothing happened. "Wow, that's weird."

"You said it..." came Dawn’s response. Even that was a mystery for me. Without air, no sound could be emitted, and the lack of sound meant there shouldn’t be anything to be voiced.

"Celestia." Dawn looked at me quizzically. "Her mane that always waves. It really is a breeze, a breeze just for them, or better only for an alicorn." It was the most logical thing that came straight to mind. Our attention was again on our location. It was dark, around us only stars. Obviously we had landed on the dark side of the moon. Honestly, I never had any desire to search for Nightmare in this eternal darkness.

"Nightmare! Come out, you cowardly piece of shit! "I shouted as loudly as I could, and got laughter in response. Yes, it was definitely here. We walked a few steps forward and I noticed that, while it was still dark, there were still the runes that we had used. Without the faint blue light, there was only black left, for not even the stars were visible.

"I see two alicorns on my moon. Strange though, I had actually counted on Luna being here." The voice came from around us, dripping in malice and eagerness to cause more suffering and destruction than it had already done so far.

"Unfortunately, Luna cannot come to the phone. You'll therefore need to wrangle with us.” Dark red eyes appeared a few feet in front of us, then the associated grin.

"I beat you once before. What do you think will be different this time?" I grinned and turned back into my human form. Again I stood there in blue jeans, a black hoodie, and my white hair. My magic was worse, but I was far more agile. I would not need to fly here. I had felt as though I was a walking spring dancing across the surface of the moon. Low gravity was something else.

"On the one hand, I am not alone." Nightmare glanced at Dawn.

"Hail, Spirit of Chaos. I was wondering when you would get involved." Nightmare did not seem worried at all. "All in all, I have done a pretty good job here. Don’t you think so, Creator?” No one said anything, and I tried not to let the shock show. "What? I do not mean this ridiculous foal. I'm talking about the Spirit of Chaos." The eyes of Nightmare lit up, and the short form of my old friend became visible. "I do not even mean Discord but his master, a creature of incredible laziness that created us to perform his duties. Life and death are as harmony and chaos – they belong to the same scale. Life and death are only a part of the weight which harmony and chaos exists upon. By the look on your face, foal, you still have a lot to learn from me." Until a few seconds ago, I had banked on Dawn controlling the powers of Chaos and would defeat Nightmare with a wave of his hoof, but he now only stared silently and did not move. "And you, human. Do you really think I would be afraid to break the rules of Albia’s small experiment? I play this game for more than my oh so dear Creator. "

"Perhaps, Nightmare, but it's like you said. Life and death are on the same scale, parts of the whole. Shall I tell you what life is? Change. Anything that is alive will change. The only thing that remains the same is death, cold and rigid as it is." Nightmare had practically said that I had to defeat it. The scale would align itself. "My element is the change and to stop that is as important. Today, it will be yours." I reached into the world’s magic around us. This time it came without pain, more like cold water after a long sleep but without the shock. There was only a pleasant coolness to a burning wound. The magic formed, and I reached for the handle of my weapon. Just as expected, it weighed nothing. In one move I pulled the scythe out of the blue dust and readied it for battle.

The roar of the souls slain below on the world whirled around in my mind, urging me forward, thirsting for vengeance.

The corpses that scattered the cities and towns, the fear and pain on the faces of young children that remained even in their death, seared my mind.

My mother slowly slipping into oblivion, sacrificed to evil incarnate by zealots, her happiness just at seeing her oldest son one last time.

The fear of the future, knowing that I would have to bury my brothers, unable to protect them from what was to come.

I stared at Nightmare, not daring to blink.

"I will bring you your desired wish of death."

Author's Notes:

And with that, the main story is done. Yes, you heard right. This story has a "Mass Effect 3" like ending. I won't show the final battle, because it was already said who would win. I left my German readers with a year of time to think about it. So, you're lucky that the epilogue will be released this year.

So, the next update will be said epilogue and afterwords. See you soon.

Translated and edited by JBL