"If you asked me, time is a strange concept. I mean, it just goes by so damn fast, especially when one is doomed to stand on the edge and watch as it passes by. You see life go by so fast that you don't realize what you’ve really missed. The first time I noticed this effect was a while ago."

"I’m going out to the fields. I'll be back!" I yelled through the old farmhouse.

"Then hurry up! I'm starving!" I could hear Applejack giggle as I stood outside of the door and shook my head. I had begun to think that she would burst if she ate one more cookie, though I wisely kept such thoughts to myself. Still, over the course of the last few months, I had gotten used to the fact that she was eating for two, and that she liked to claim as much space in the bed as well. In order to make room for her round belly, my wife preferred to sleep on her back or on the side, stretching out all her legs. The consequence of that was that the sofa in the living room was always ready to take a guest in the middle of the night.

Now was the point where I had to get a few apples from the trees to satisfy her endless appetite. As I left the porch, it hit me that this was the reason that the Apple family seemed obsessed with the eponymous fruit, since they were practically only nourished with them in the womb. After all, people liked to say that listening to music from the womb inspired people to become musicians, don't they?

I sighed and went to the first few trees past which had long been picked empty. Big Mac and I had the trees closest to the house deliberately left unpicked at the great harvest a few weeks ago to always be able to pick fresh ones for Applejack.

"Well, here we are. Just you and me, buddy," I said to the tree as I briefly felt its bark with a hoof, a habit I had probably picked up here. I turned around, took aim, and gave the tree a gentle kick. Four apples dropped down to the ground in response, whereupon I immediately wrapped them in my magic and levitated them over to me. I checked to make sure that I had not overlooked any as another one hit me on the head. "Not gonna give up so easily, huh?" I looked for the fruit on the ground, but all that lay on the floor was a scroll.

"I'm sorry!" shouted a very familiar voice to me from the air, and seconds later Ditzy Hooves shot through the foliage. I couldn't do anything but raise my foreleg protectively in front of my face and hoped that my blue coat would once again do a good job covering all the bruises. However, the expected impact failed to materialize.

Carefully, I opened my left eye again and saw Ditzy was stuck on a low branch, over which she hung like a wet sack of potatoes, and rubbed her head. "Are you okay?" I asked warily.

Ditzy opened her mouth to answer, but the threatening crack was faster. "Uh oh…" And with that, she now lay on the grass, burying the branch below her. "What went wrong again?" I rolled my eyes and helped her with a bit of magic to bounce back. She blew a few leaves from her mane before she fixated on me with one of her eyes, the other aimed at the tree. "I had a scroll here…" Her head turned to her saddlebag, where she immediately began to rummage around in.

I waited a few seconds and then levitated the scroll between us. "Are you referring to this one, Ditzy?" She looked up, smiled, and nodded.

"Yep! It’s directly from the Bridle Shores Islands." Now it was my turn to be surprised, and suddenly it was I who was in a hurry.

"Thanks, Ditzy! I have to go!" I called and galloped as fast as I could back to the house, passing Holly, Dawn, the other three Crusaders, and Big Mac, who came out of the barn with a cart. In passing, I grabbed the bowl from the kitchen table, and as soon the apples were placed in it, I had reached the bedroom. I put the bowl onto Applejack's belly, still lying on her back and holding a book between the hooves, and sat down next to her in our bed.

"What you got there, sugarcube? You seem excited,” she asked, putting Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull aside.

"A letter from my brothers!" I explained excitedly and practically tore the seal from the paper and unrolled it. "So…

Hi, Blue Light. How are you?

"Really?" I was interrupted by AJ. I turned the parchment briefly in her direction as evidence.

"We're fine. The last shipment of building materials finally dropped anchor yesterday. People started to unload it immediately, but it will certainly take a while. It doesn’t help that everyone wants their own home as well. I probably will still share a room at the community house with Dirk. Still, I'm happy to have finally hands again. Not that it was so bad to be a pony for a while to get rid of the radiation but, well, it just wasn’t for myself or Dirk. Speaking of which, guess who has a girlfriend now? Who would have ever thought that would happen? Guess the end of the world had to come first."

I stopped short.

"Your brother is strange. How can he make jokes about it?" Yes, how could he? Trying to forcibly suppress a laugh didn't help as well.

"Please relay to Julian my best regards if you were to go to Cloudsdale again. I'm happy for him that they had a place in the flight school for him. What's left to say? It’s still not agreed upon whether we should create our own state or join Equestria. Many want to do that after how much the ponies have helped and supported us, but some naturally want to remain independent.

I hope you come visiting us here someday. And if you do, please bring with a pen with you. These quills are horrible.

Nils.

I had to laugh at the last paragraph, and how many ink blots were splattered throughout the parchment. Not that I had fared better at first.

"Maybe we should visit sometime soon," I said, lost in thought.

"Well, without me, sugarcube. You could only bring me as baggage on a ship." While Applejack stroked her swollen belly and giggled, I could only think about how I didn't want to leave her alone, especially not so close to giving birth or even afterwards. In general, we would hardly be able to get away from the farm for the first few years, right? At least no more than one evening, if Big Mac or one of our other friends—Pinkie Pie—let themselves be talked around to playing foalsitter. Unfortunately, Cadance had already laid claim to the pink pony.

"It's okay, honey." I kissed her on the cheek, then on her stomach. "Nils said that it's all good. We’ll just wait a bit until we both can visit." Inwardly, however, it annoyed me. My youngest brother had his first girlfriend, and Nils, who I knew only as a good for nothing, actually helped the construction with an active community. I was annoyed to miss something like that. However, I'd also hate to miss my life here in Equestria.

"It was not as if we don’t have the power to do something about it, right? What use it was to have a horn next to a pair of wings if you could not take advantage of the power that came along with it? Or rather may? Should? Who said that we were doomed to stand on the edge and just watch?

I thought, why not use the powers that have been given me…."

Rain. I hated the rain. Over the past few weeks, I had simply seen too much of it. Someone who could not get enough of it was the foal next to me, staring out the window to the outside as if spellbound. "You like that, don't you?"

At the sound of my voice, Auralia mumbled something and tried to come a little closer to the rain, which just resulted in her flopping off the couch and onto the floor. Call me heartless, but it was just too cute. In addition, ponies, even foals, were much more robust than humans. The small fall had no consequences aside from some disorientation. The proof was how quickly my daughter straightened again and now watched the clouds on the ground at a new angle.

Satisfied that she was still preoccupied, I turned back to the book that Twilight had left me. The book about the Elements of Harmony, written by nopony else but Star Swirl. It contained, besides some interesting theories about their origin, a question that had since been resolved, and a lot about the potential impact on the bearer. None of this, however, had yet started to occur. As I said, theories.

What was really interesting, however, was the list of names containing the prior bearers, or at least those suspected as such by Star Swirl. Celestia and Luna were not the first in history. After all, the Elements had existed since the world’s origin. It would practically be a miracle if nopony had stumbled over them.

The first use went back to a place named Dream Valley by Star Swirl. An evil centaur named Tirek, who was even illustrated in the book, was possibly its first victim. I had, of course, shown Twilight the page, and with the help of several other books that had to be requested from the archive in Canterlot, we were able to determine that that Dream Valley was the place where the ponies had lived before they migrated because of the winter to the country that was Equestria today.

Other names on the list were Chancellor Puddinghead, Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, Commander Hurricane, and Private Pansy. Twilight also figured out something as well. She suspected that they had not driven the windigos away due to friendship alone, but with the Elements. Friendship was in this case only a synonym for the six magical jewels that had been triggered by it.

"Sugarcube, have you seen Auralia?" I put the book down.

My eyes went to the floor. "Yeah, she's right here…" No, she was not. The place where the foal had been sitting was empty. Panicked, I looked around, but found no evidence of her.

“I don't see her. And why’s the front door open?" My eyes widened. Applejack looked up at me and probably came to the same conclusion. Without saying a word, we both raced out into the rain and started to call for our daughter, not that we could get an answer. Foals did not take long to learn to walk, but talking took as long as humans.

Having found no trace of her even after minutes had passed, the panic got only worse. "Who left the door open?" murmured AJ. On the other hoof, I had a very good hunch. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had organized a small overnight stay in the clubhouse. The three had stormed a while ago into the kitchen to get something to snack on.

"It's no good. We should split up. I’ll go along here," I pointed in the direction of the Everfree, "and you go down there. She couldn’t have gone much further." Foals were nimble on their short legs, but thankfully did not have the endurance. In addition, they were easy to distract, and I was sure that Auralia sat somewhere under a tree and watched an apple blossom. With a nod, AJ set off, and I soon went my way as well.

I do not know how long I searched, going around each tree, turned every stone, until finally the rain stopped. "Auralia!" I called again, my voice a bit hoarse.

Then I heard it. It was her faint voice expressing clear displeasure. My foal screamed for her parents. I went from standing into a full gallop and saw very soon what had so upset her.

Diamond dogs, five in number, fought for the right to lay their dirty paws around my daughter. "I would advise you to release my daughter at once," I called as I still stormed up to them. The dogs turned in my direction, but only grinned.

"Look, even more pony.” One nudged the other. "No horn, no wings, means good worker." I skidded into a stop in front of them.

"I won't repeat myself. Let my daughter go." My face must have only been a single grimace at this point, which, seeing as what species I was part of, had to be as threatening as a squeaky toy to the dog.

"Pony come with us. Pony will work. Many gems for the pack." They tried to grab me, which would not turn out well for them. For my daughter’s sake, I kept from raising my voice as I spread my wings and my horn came to life. Within a second, one of the nearby trees had become a scythe, whirling over to me and forever separating one of the dogs from his forearm. The others stared at their comrades as he fell to the ground and began to writhe in pain.

"Kill them!"

"I warned you," I whispered, letting my weapon do the rest. One by one they fell victim to my weapon, so that finally only the dog that held Auralia in its paws was left.

"P-Pony stays away, or l-little pony gets ouch," he stammered out, holding my daughter with his sharp claws by her neck. She had already begun to cry.

Without batting an eye, I looked at him. "As if I would have to move." My horn flickered, and I caught Auralia when the dog dropped her, a spear made of earth poking through his chest. Releasing my power, I grabbed my daughter in a hug and began to comfort her. On the way back to the house, AJ came towards us, no doubt hearing the cries of our filly.

"What happened?" she asked and took Auralia from me.

"Nothing. I think she just realized that she was alone."

"I still remember what a sermon my mother had given me when I informed the Royal Guard of the incident, going on about how we had to responsibly use the power given to us. This was coming from an alicorn that used hers to secretly smuggle cakes at night into her room.

I did only what any father would have done. I protected my daughter. Why am I telling you this. You can certainly understand it better than anyone else, right?"

For the second time in a few years, the farm was covered with white flowers. There were garlands as far as the eye could see while ponies ate, drank, and laughed with each other. Some danced to music performed by Fiddlesticks and Octavia.

Auralia ran with some other foals her age between the legs of the guests, looking for a new hiding place for the next round of hide and seek.

I sat at the table with the groom and watched as my own wife and all her friends stood around the bride, congratulating and celebrating with her. Big Mac had finally managed to ask Fluttershy if she would marry him. However, for what was supposed be one of the happiest days of his life, the stallion was looking fairly grim.

"A little cider?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Apple juice then?"

"Nope."

I thought for a moment. "Cake?"

"No… Eeyup." And with that, my slice disappeared.

"What's going on, Big Mac? I mean, about an hour ago you were as excited as a young foal on his birthday party, and now…"

"It's too small." I blinked in bewilderment and looked at him.

"What’s too small?" Thinking about what he might have meant. I looked into his eyes. Slowly, I lifted the tablecloth, but was stopped by the stallion. "Oh come on, what's wrong with you? Can’t you take a joke?"

"This is serious."

"Yeah, I got that. Still, I can't really talk to you if you don’t tell me what you’re talking about.”

"The house." Now it clicked. The guest room had been turned into a nursery for Auralia a few years ago, and with Apple Bloom, Big Mac, AJ, and myself, it would become an issue sooner or later. "Fluttershy said she wanted foals… It's too small."

I sipped my drink. "Well, like Applejack said back then, we’d rather add to the building before we throw anypony out. I don’t see a problem." Both our gaze wandered back to the old farm house that already began to shake in the wind. "Well, maybe a small one."

"And we have no money for it."

I laughed dryly. "Let me worry about that."

"And we have no money for it," Big Mac repeated emphatically.

I shook my head at his belligerence, or rather his pride. "We can do it. We should make a good bit with the upcoming harvest. Then we can count on the summer rent for the property by the lake." I sighed. "I know how important it is that the family stays together. Believe me, we will find a solution." Big Mac nodded and actually seemed somewhat relieved.

"Hey!" a cry sounded suddenly over the festivities. "You aren’t allowed to cheat, Dawn. That's mean!" That was clearly Apple Bloom.

"I didn't cheat. I found you fair and square! "

"I saw how your eyes glowed. You used your magic! "

"I did not!"

"You did!"

"I did not!"

At that moment Twilight intervened, and the screaming subsided. "And you're sure you want a foal?" I asked Big Mac with a smile.

"Six."

"What?"

"Fluttershy said six foals were her dream." All of a sudden, not only me, but everypony present was blown off their feet as a pressure wave came out from somewhere of the crowd.

"I did not cheat! That is how it looks like if I cheat!" Dawn hung in the air, his eyes glowing red and his voice deeper for a pegasus his age. "Here, you want me to find the others?" His gaze wandered to a bush which then grew legs and ran away, bringing Sweetie Belle to light. Dawn's head turned further, so that his neck would have been broken several times over, and looked at a barrel of water from which a suspicious-looking piece of straw was showing. With a flash of light, the water turned into green jelly. Immediately it began to shake like crazy until it finally capsized, and the block of jelly slid out. Scootaloo was trapped inside it and tried to escape from the block.

The squeak from Fluttershy startled everyone when a draft moved under her dress and took Holly with it. "This is what it looks like when I cheat. Or is this not enough? How about the answers to all the tests for the next five years?" Some feathers fell off his wings and turned into sheets of paper. "How about—"

"Dawn! Stop it at once!" Twilight’s voice cut through the tirade.

He did not. He began to show everyone what he understood as cheating until the Bearer of Magic was left with no other option than to shoot her son out of the air. The unconscious pegasus fell to the ground, and she hastily made ​​off with him.

I learned of the consequences a few days later. Celestia would keep him under watch from then on. Should it turn out that he became a danger to others around him, drastic steps would have to be taken...

That was the case a few years later.

"So you know exactly what I mean, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Did you also not use your power to protect your son? From your own mentor? Do not deny it.

But that does not matter. This wasn’t about us. This was about what was going wrong in this world, and I had the chance to change that. To erase an injustice which should not be."

It was one of those weeks that I spent in Canterlot again. Applejack and Auralia took the time to visit Braeburn and Little Strong Heart in Appleloosa.

While the two ate corncobs with butter and listened to the stories of the buffalo around a campfire, I sat here with a seemingly endless mountain of paperwork, things I could not let others do because my signature was required. There were also invitations to banquets, celebrations, and charity meetings to sort through. I usually refused the first two if only on a matter of principle, and only replied with a brief formal rejection letter that I was too busy. The last I actually tried to attend. At least so far the reason was justified. Blueblood, for instance, had once tried to raise funds to build by a private park for the upper class. Unfortunately, he had been successful.

I actually tried to avoid the Royal Pest whenever possible. Following an incident a few years ago, shortly before Auralia’s birth, I thought it was just for the best. I had gone to get something to eat after a tiring day in Canterlot with Twilight, and Blueblood had coincidentally been present at the same restaurant. To make a long story short, he rattled me with some comments about the humans, after which I had split the table. With a scythe. Which ended up stuck in the ground an inch in front of him.

Lost in thought, I opened the next invitation and was amazed. It came from the humans. They had announced their accession to Equestria a month ago. They were inviting me and seemingly many others to a reception in their city, which until now still had no name. Without putting much thought into it, I wrote a small response in which I assured my appearance. It was so long ago that I had seen my brothers.

Although Auralia was now more than old enough to travel, we still had not managed to visit them. Julian had repeatedly flown down, and Twilight had also travelled a couple of times to them as a representation for Celestia, but that was about it.

No longer in the mood to skim over the remaining one hundred and one invitation, I rose from my desk and walked out of my rooms in the castle's hall. The soft moonlight lit up the halls as I slowly walked toward the library. I loved to wander between the shelves containing such an amazing collection of knowledge, and to see if something would arouse my interest.

The two guards at the entrance just nodded as I walked past them, my walk through the bookshelves equivalent to searching through a paper forest.

My head wandered from left to right between the giant shelves, looking for something that would give me ideas. I discovered it faster than I thought—an old book sticking out a bit from a shelf. On the back was not a title but rather an emblem, one that I had seen the last time when I had studied the Elements in more detail a few years ago. It was the logo of Princess Platinum, a silver crown that was set with a single gemstone.

I levitated the book down to me and made ​​my way to one of the tables in the middle of the room. As soon as I had sat down, I began to devour the first few pages. It was a diary written by nopony than Princess Platinum herself. It began shortly after the founding Equestria's. She wrote at length of the distrust that had still existed between the tribes, as well as how she had tried to tackle it with her new friends by being exemplary role models.

I rolled through several years of her life, which was not difficult as it might have seemed since the entries tended to be several months apart. Still, it gave me a very good impression of her life and that of those around her. After everything I had read, I could not deny some similarities between her and Rarity, as with the other founding members of Equestria's with today's Bearers. Smart Cookie reminded me very much of my wife, and Commander Hurricane was Rainbow Dash through and through. Well, except that he had a penis that he had put, according to Platinum, to use with any maiden at her court. Apparently ponies were even more open with relationships at that time than they were today.

I hovered just above one of the last entries, as the book was no longer particularly thick. She described a device Clover had been working on that would take images within seconds—the first camera. I flipped to the last page and stared at a nearly fifteen hundred year old picture that occupied the entire page. It contained six older-looking mares who smiled back in seemingly one of the first pictures ever taken.

Apart from the monumental importance of such an old relic, it was more of the contents that almost made ​​me suffer a heart attack, if that were possible. Although the picture had no color, very faded, and some pieces had dissolved in the course of time, what was important was clearly visible. From left to right in the picture were Private Pansy, Commander Hurricane, Clover the Clever, Princess Platinum, Chancellor Pudding Head, and Smart Cookie… or Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. All you had to do was to imagine the six mares present in the picture a few years younger and you had an accurate image of the current Bearers.

I had often wondered how Celestia knew that Twilight would be the Bearer of the Element of Magic, and that the others would as well. How could she have been certain that they would have followed her into the Everfree to defeat Nightmare Moon. Well, here was the answer right before my eyes. They could be identical twins, considering everything I saw here.

I tucked the book under my wing and stormed out of the library.

"We should take responsibility for what we consider to be just. Don't make me laugh! Did you have any idea what my self-appointed mother had done to you? Not only to you, but also to me? She had given me a burden that no one should have to bear, the same as what she did to you."

I slammed the book down on my mother's table and pointed a hoof to the picture. "What's this supposed to mean?" I asked loudly. "Can you explain that to me?"

As always, Celestia remained calm. She turned the book over to her and looked at the photo. "I would say these are Equestria's founding members."

"I can see that myself! But why do they look so much like Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, Twilight, and AJ?! I demand an answer."

Celestia sighed. I clearly felt that she did not want to talk about it with me. "What happens to a soul after it has died?"

But I did not have to think twice. "It moves to Elysium, as it is called here."

"Correct." She nodded. "But then what?"

"After that?"

"Exactly, after that. What happens with a soul after that?" I had to think about it. Albia had indeed explained why Elysium would forever remain locked to me, but never what happened there. "It will be purified and reborn."

"Purified?"

"It is separated from the spirit. This remains in Elysium to spend eternity with its loved ones. The soul then returns to the world of the living."

"And what does that have to do with this?" I pointed again to the picture.

"What you see is the result when a soul is not purified. If they are reborn before it could happen."

"So… Are AJ and the others…"

"Yes."

Why?"

"The gems that you refer to as the Elements are just magic amplifiers. The real Elements are these six souls, created by my mother to protect us." I gasped. "Unlike other souls, they do not go to Elysium. They wait until they are needed again and then come back. I know that you've read the book about the Elements. Do you remember the part about the Dream Valley?" I nodded. "The first Bearer of Magic, the first to have used that power, was also named Twilight Sparkle. It was the beginning of the cycle…"

"The saying that you should take a few things to the grave was not without reason. From that moment, I could never look at Applejack with a genuine smile. I knew what awaited her. She, too, was denied access to Elysium. She would wander in the void until she's needed again, no different from a tool. She would never again see her loved ones, and I did not mean just Auralia or myself. How many loved ones she must have had over time? How much others had the rest of Bearers lost over time? It made ​​me sad and angry that my wife was denied something that should be the most natural thing in the world. And of course, it did not escape her."

It was a quiet winter evening. I sat contentedly with AJ on the sofa by the fireplace of our house on the lake. Auralia had gone out with some of her friends to a party.

"You’re looking grim again, sugarcube. What's wrong with you?" I could not tell her. The last five years I had carried this secret around with me, and it was not even the only one. I wanted to help her. I mean, she was my life, and I wanted to make it as pleasant as possible for her. That was, after all, the only thing I could do.

‘Only you believe that.’

"No idea." It was my answer to everything as of late.

"Come on." She turned to me and looked into my eyes. "Something's wrong with you and not just since yesterday. I'm your wife. Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Applejack. Really."

"Really?" she parroted, staring at me. "Then what was that last week with Rarity?"

"What do you mean?"

"The suit you tore."

"It itched and—"

"Or when Aura accidentally broke your new guitar last month?" I sank a little deeper into the sofa. "When I came into the room, our daughter was crying. You’ve never done anything like that before." She was right. I had never lost my temper with my daughter to that extent. "Or when you—"

"I get it, okay?! I understand what you mean!" I stood up from the sofa. "I know what you mean, but I cannot tell you! Do you understand?! I can’t tell you."

Applejack, now also angered due to my shouting, rose and pressed her nose against mine. "What can you not tell me? I'm your wife, for land’s sake. And I can see that something is eating you." I said nothing. "Speak!" She jammed her nose harder against mine.

"Ah, I see who wears the pants around here."

"No!"

"You tell me right now what's going on, or you can spread your blanket on this sofa here tonight." It could have been such a beautiful evening.

"No!" I shouted.

"Last chance…"

"NO!"

Applejack recoiled, eyes wide and mouth open. "Y-Your eyes…" she stammered. I cursed inwardly. "It’s can’t be…"

"Applejack…" I took a step toward her, but she only took one further back.

"Tell me it’s not true. Tell me that's not true!" I said nothing. "How long? How long already?"

"Always. From the moment when we came back from the moon." She shook her head in disbelief. "Try to understand… Try to understand, there was no other way. All we could do was to lock it away. And what's better than an immortal vessel so it would never become free again."

"You lied to me. All of us. You said it had been destroyed." I could no longer face her eyes. "Get lost!"

"What?"

"Do you hear wrong? Get out! Get out and take that thing with you! How dare you expose our daughter to something like that!"

"And I did, as you know. I disappeared the same night. I dropped off the letter that declared that I had been unfaithful to her, and I could not bear my shame. If that was what made her happy, who was I to object?

And I stayed away. At least until a certain day."

I stood apart from the crowd, looking over the heads of hundreds across the podium. Twilight was behind it, wearing a black elegant dress like all the others present. I did not really listen to what she said, just as I had not listened to the others who had spoken before her. Somehow it did not interest me, because all the things they had to say were long known to me. In addition, the last thing I needed was my mood dropping further.

‘Just take it out on them.’

"She had a good life. She was always there for her family, strong, determined, and willing to do anything for them." At these words, I felt the blow Twilight wanted to deal me. Not only I felt it because some heads in the crowd turned to me. I could not return her gaze, preferring to stare at my hooves. "She was one of my best friends, like a sister, and I am sure that we will all miss her." Twilight turned the card in front of her. Even after all this time, she had not gotten rid of that habit. "I do not need to remind anypony why we stand where we stand. More than once, Applejack risked her life to help not only Equestria, but also other countries. "

"Except you."

Agreeing nods were Twilight's answer. I, on the other hoof, looked around the military cemetery of Canterlot. I actually always thought that AJ wanted to be buried on the farm, but apparently she had chosen the joint one with her friends. Twilight stood in front a large monument, carved with five very familiar cutie marks, which marked the entrance to the underground walls, containing a chamber of pure crystal. Rarity had of course not missed the opportunity to design her own grave and that of her friends. Now she sat with Sweetie Belle, her husband, and her foal in the front row and watched as the second of her friends was being buried. Fluttershy had gone before Applejack. She had succumbed to an illness, because even at an advanced age, she had not stopped taking care of animals. On this occasion, she had probably caught something through them. I bit my lip as I could not help thinking how ironic life could be from time to time. Even AJ had passed relatively early for an earth pony. The constant work on the farm had demanded a tribute from her body.

"From time to time?"

"I thank all those present. I would now like to ask the family to speak a few words." I had missed the rest of Twilight's speech, and she left to the side where Celestia, Luna, and Cadance stood. At first no one moved, but then I saw as Auralia rose, and guilt again awoke in me. I did not know the colt by her side, as I did not my two grandsons. The two briefly exchanged some glances before they went to the small stage and the podium.

"I also want to thank all those present for coming." She sounded hoarse, her eyes red. She had been crying for a while. "My mother would certainly be glad to see how many of her friends thought of her and spared no effort to be here today." I did not even know the half of those present, sitting here in the rain under a magical dome to give AJ their last respects. "I know that mother did not have it easy the last few years." She too searched for my eyes, but again I did not have it in me to reciprocate. As Auralia continued, I saw that she bit her lip.

After my eldest grandson, Galmac, had finished speaking, the mourners were led into a nearby building. There, a room had been prepared with food and drink. I had stayed away from the group and was the last who entered the hall. "I never thought to see you here." I only sighed.

"Really, Princess?" I put special emphasis on the last part when I answered Twilight. "I thought we knew each other better."

"We all thought that. That's why we were all horrified. Where in Tartarus were you the last eighty years?" Yes, where had I been? Here and there, staying nowhere for more than a couple of days.

"I needed time to think." I saw how angry she became, but due to where we were, she pulled herself together to regain her composure.

"Couldn't you have postponed that to a later time? Your family needed you! Especially AJ. Do you have any idea what they've been through?" Of course I did not, and she knew that. I had abandoned any connections to Equestria. Today was my second day back. "Auralia’s and Pip’s hooves were worked sore after Big Mac was gone, but nothing helped. You know how devastated they all were when they had to give up the farm?" Again, I could meet Twilight eye to eye.

"Do you think it was easy for me?" I struggled with my own tears. "Do you think I wanted to leave everything behind me? Do you think I woke up one morning being hugged by AJ and said ‘I slept with another mare’ and left?” It was I who was becoming louder and louder. All eyes in the hall were now upon us, the two alicorns fighting at the entrance. Me, not wearing black, still completely soaked. Twilight did not reply, but I heard another familiar voice.

"Dad…" I looked to the side where Auralia stood, together with my two grandchildren. She came to me, and I bent down a little so that she could lay her forelegs around my neck. I had grown and reached about the same height as Luna, as did Twilight. After a while, she released me. She smiled briefly before she hit me with a hoof in my face. I didn't even blink because I had seen the blow coming, and I deserved it. "Why do you have to make a scene here?"

"I'm sorry…" was all I could say.

"Eighty years and all you can say is that?" I acknowledged this with no response. "By Celestia, Dad, eighty years!" The crowd was still staring at us. "If you don't want to say anything, then leave. Mom deserves better!" With that, she turned and herded the foals away.

"Was that our grandpa?" I heard the little mare question, but her brother only ordered her stay silent.

"Be quiet, Mama is crying," I heard Galmac whisper to her as the three of them walked away. I decided to honour the request of my daughter and turned away as well. I again walked out into the rain and looked at the dark clouds hanging over Canterlot. The city itself had not changed. The old section was the same as always. To allow further growth, artificial beams had been built along the mountain where new buildings now arose.

The rain in my face mingled with my tears as I thought about the past: my time on the farm, my time with AJ, with Auralia when she was herself a foal. I thought of our mutual friends and our later adventures, though not to the extent of a Discord or a Nightmare. They were the small adventures in life.

"You know, a few years ago I would have all the clouds removed in less than ten seconds." Rainbow stood next to me, the color of her mane and tail long gone. She wore a uniform that identified her as a veteran of a certain Air Force. The last time I saw her, it had been still in use.

"I think it fits…" She eyed me suspiciously. "It was weather like this on the day when I realized I felt something for AJ. I still remember how I was sitting in the barn, tuning the old guitar of her father, and rehearsed a song to play on our first date." I laughed. "I wasn't able to hold a note." Rainbow still didn't say anything. "In addition, it coveres very beautiful how pathetic I am."

"Why did you disappear?" she finally asked. I had thought about this question, and she wasn't the only one interested in the answer. I felt the presence of Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie behind us. "You made a mistake, but that was no reason to just leave."

"Because it was the best for both of us." I saw that she wanted to strangle me as soon as I had spoken. "Time was our worst enemy. While it practically does not exist for me, AJ succumbed more and more clearly."

"So that's why you went to another mare?" She was in my face, which was still looking on the clouds. "What happened to you? What became of the Light we knew? The Light who walked through Tartarus for his family?" I gave her an angry look, and she sank to the ground again. Immediately, my countenance changed back to sadness.

"No." I felt more and more warm tears running down my cheeks next to the cold rain.

"And? Do you regret it?" A question I had asked me, again and again.

"Every day."

"Light." Twilight walked up to me from behind. "I know that it’s not easy to see love leaving. Dawn is out there somewhere; Spike is out there somewhere, and my father… But we have to enjoy the time that we have with them. In there are your family and friends, or at least there was a time they were. They deserve that you're there for them, especially Auralia. You know that she hasn’t even told her foals about you? You do not even know her husband. You've missed so much."

"It's the best if they grow up without me, Twilight. It is better for Auralia, better for everyone."

"You know that this is not true. Had you stayed, you would be at my side now, helping to make Equestria a better place. You know that. Auralia would have a father that she could proudly show her foals, and we would not be standing here now. At least not this way."

"Maybe this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have come; it was too early." I spread my wings and prepared for the departure. It was funny. I still had my fear of heights, but when you can't die any longer, this fact doesn't bother you quite so much.

"Light!" I heard Twilight call through the rain as the ground was shrinking. I did not look back, and headed straight for my next destination. If I was already here, I wanted to use my time.

Twilight was right. Not that I would ever have doubted her, but it seemed so unreal. Boards in front of the doors, broken windows and vines dominated the picture that was once home to my family. I didn't need to enter and couldn’t find it in my heart to do so. Inside, only dust and painful memories would await me. Instead, I walked over to the barn. The roof was practically no longer existent, the color fading and the wood exposed to the weather. I walked through the open door, which was just barely hanging on its hinges, and looked around in the little light that managed to penetrate the dark clouds. I didn't want to use magic, not here.

I looked under each blanket which covered old furniture and other remnants of a bygone time. However, I couldn't find what I was looking for. Disappointed and depressed, I went back outside and began to walk around the grounds. Many of the trees were about to succumb to the early fall temperatures. The grass was tall and wildly overgrown. Moles and other animals had recovered the open ground. Stumps were a clear sign that a beaver had settled here somewhere. Many of the non-harvested apples fell to the ground and now served as fodder for various beetles.

I walked around for hours, and although many things had changed so much, I kept finding places that pulled me back into the past, especially when I walked by the old tree house of the Crusaders. I had repaired and restored it over the years along with Big Mac over and over again for the next generation. A swing had been added, a slide serving as an emergency exit, and another room added. But there was not much left. Many of the wooden planks were lying in the grass, and the structure looked as though any gust could cause its downfall.

My real goal, however, was another one, albeit subconsciously. I wanted to go a very specific hill, one which was the beginning for everything. It was where AJ and I had spent our first night, a place which we connected with many memories. Finally, I arrived at this very familiar place.

“I'm back, AJ," I said softly. Somehow, I hoped that no matter where she was, she would forgive me. If I had to make the same choice again, I don't think I would have the strength to leave. I'd want to keep them in my grip and never let go. Not her, not Auralia, no friend of mine. How often had I been sitting in front of my laptop and wished to stand here instead, to be forever part of something special?

Now that it was there, I let it go again. It was my fault, and we both had paid the price. She had always been stubborn, so why had I listened to her? Why had I yielded to these sad green eyes filled with tears when I had been ordered to disappear? I, a powerful alicorn that, if I wanted to, could affect life itself? Life meant change. To stand still meant death. It was a simple equation that I had internalized. I had taken the last eighty years away from myself. AJ did it for our wellbeing, but was it in the end what I wanted?

"No, it wasn't."

Completely lost in thought, I let myself sink into the still wet grass and looked over Ponyville. Long ago, it was a small village that had been seen by hundreds of thousands on a monitor. It now extended over the entire field, as far as I could see. Cobbled streets filled with life of all kinds: ponies, deer, some griffons, and even one or two human. Their city had grown as well. Hope, as it was called. Under the teachings of Celestia, humanity had experienced a change for the better, and their city was the best example. Funny how much it tended to remind me of an elven settlement from a fantasy novel instead of a city like New York or the like. They didn't want to repeat their mistakes. Air pollution, greed and war. As part of Equestria, they had renounced this style and enjoyed the protection of the godly princesses. That Twilight now belonged with them had not surprised me. Her ascent could be felt by every being if it wasn't a numbskull. It had been a magical wave shaking Albion itself. Twilight was powerful, probably even more powerful than Celestia or Luna. At least she would be in the distant future.

"Um, hello?" I was a little scared. Normally, I could feel it when someone was approaching. However, the voice of a young mare surprised me completely. "Blue Light?" I turned my head to the voice and thought I had Cadance before me for a few seconds. A smaller pink alicorn, but unlike my cousin, she had a darker complexion with strong yellow highlights in her mane. "I, uh… It's me. Skyla." Of course I had not forgotten. How could I, when she was one of the best friends of Auralia.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time. What can I do for you?" Actually, I would rather be alone, but that was no reason to take it out on her.

"I only came to bring something. Applejack had asked me to. She wanted to ask Aura to do it but… well… she had declined." She summoned a small little brown album and laid it in front of me on the grass. "Aunt Celestia also put something into it, but I do not know what." Cautiously, I opened the first page, on which there was only one sentence:

"I will always love you,
AJ"

That alone was enough that I almost would have collapsed if I had not been already on the ground. I quickly turned the page. Now the tears flowed. On the first page was a newspaper article. It was old and yellowed, but still readable. ‘Prince Blue Light rioted in the restaurant at dinner with Prince Blue Blood.’ Although I cried, I smiled too. I had really gotten into trouble for that at the time. Not because of Blue Blood, but because I had held a weapon to the throat of Twilight's father. AJ was the only who had been on my side. On the other side were two photos. The former showed AJ and me at the Grand Galloping Gala, her at the end of her pregnancy with Auralia. The other photo I remembered better. It was from our wedding. We were both in front of the cake in which Pinkie had just landed on belly-first. One of the best moments of my life.

I looked up to thank Skyla, but she was long gone. I decided to look at what AJ had left me as our best moments.

"That was the moment where it became clear to me that I had to do something. I was sick of the so-called gods abusing us as tools. I searched a long time for a solution, very long until I finally found it. Do you know where, Twilight?"

The alicorn that was standing over me was shaking her head.

"You'll laugh. Dream Valley. Turned out that you in your previous lives had always been a genius. Your old self even came up with the theory of the multiverse tens of thousands of years ago. The balance between harmony and chaos and all the stuff you're selling as new today. She even described that if you want to produce a particular change, only the corresponding branch must be cut off at the root. As simple as that."

"What happened to you in the last thousand years?" she asked, shaking her head. I squirmed a bit in the magical shackles that I was chained with.

"I became someone who wants to enter the game of gods. I will wipe out the Elements from the world, just like the nightmares. All this will never have happened. No more infighting, only harmony."

"You admit having tried to tear a rift into reality?"

"How else can I destroy the branch at the root? Don't you understand? This is just one of many worlds out there. "

"And why do you have to destroy it for your goal?"

"Now don't play stupid with me, Twilight. It was, after all, your spell. It sends someone without a signature to a random world. How else could I guarantee that I do not travel in the wrong direction? I destroy the worlds left behind me, so I can go only forward. A simple logic that even you can comprehend. But it's not like I was going to kill anyone. To destroy the reality just means that it has never existed. Once I separated the branch and let a new one grow, it is as though it had never happened. So do not worry, just a blink of time will have passed for you."

"Did you really lose sight of reality?" No, and that was exactly the point. I had never seen more clearly in my life. Why bother explain all this to her? I just needed a few minutes more time to gather strength after our fight.

"No! But you'll lose yours soon!" I broke the chains that held me to the ground and rose to my full size. "By the way, may I introduce someone? The other!" Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the nature of the being in me.

"Light! Stop! You are under its influence!" I did not listen to her and sent her to the ground with a targeted spell. Then I turned back to the runes that I had drawn where the house was in which I had lived with my family a thousand years ago.

I let all my magic flow into the runes, and it took only a few seconds until the portal opened. "When I leave here, this world will dissolve. The counterweight of harmony is chaos. With Rising Dawn in the pocket dimension where you froze him until you could help him, only Nightmare remains. When it leaves, this world will fall into eternal harmony. A state without time, without changes. In short order, without death. And without death, there can be no life. This reality will crumble like dust."

I saw the terror on Twilight's face, and for a moment I felt sorry for her. Still, it would all be over soon. Everything would be all right. Nobody would suffer. Dawn could live as a normal pony. I could return to a mortal being and grow old together with Applejack. I would right everything.

All that stood in my way were an undetermined number of other worlds.

Author's Notes:

You want to know how the "journey" continues? Well, it isn't a direct sequel, but you will find you answer here:
My Little Pony - Journey

Translated by Verequus
Edited by JBL