The early morning light fell upon Lunas closed eyes. A gloomy veil of bright light, that transformed into beautiful rays as her eyelids parted. Instantly she
squinted a bit and raised a hoof to her face, feeling like the sun would blind her. Behind her hoof, she could see the rays shining in through the clear glass
of the window, and flakes of snow sailed across the sky. As her eyes slowly adjusted after the long hours of sleep, she moved her hoof away from her eyes,
placing it down over her side. Her leg touched against something that didn't feel like a part of herself. It felt like ribs, but it was down on her stomach,
making it impossible for it to be any part of her ribs.

She moved her hoof back up a bit, touching the strange object on her stomach. It was hard, with a soft layer covering it. Something that felt like knuckles,
upon five.. Luna sighed at her own stupidity, and put her hoof back down, holding the hand of her lover close. Silly really, that something she had touched
so many times and was so familiar with, seemed completely alien to her. She blamed the deep sleep. A quiet yawn escaped her lips, and she stretched her
legs out, feeling sore in almost every joint.

Another yawn echoed her own, and the hand on her stomach moved slightly. A shiver went through her body as Dust moved his hand. He removed it from
her body, and a smile grew on her lips as he placed it over her hoof, gently stroking back and forth across the soft fur.

"Good morning.." His tired voice came from behind her back, followed by another yawn.

At first, Luna didn't want to turn around. Instead, she would just lay still and quiet, pretending to be asleep. it wasn't that she didn't want to turn and see
him, it was that she wanted to stay like this for a little while longer, lingering in the feeling of Dust's hand against her hoof, and the warmth that spread through
her every time she inhaled. It warmed her heart to know he would still be there, always be right there next to her. She'd never truly loved anypony, but with
Dust.. it was different. She would follow him to the end of the world and back, as long as she got to see those greenish-gray eyes, looking back at her with
nothing but pure emotion.

"Sweetie.." Dust's voice reached her ears again, this time closer. "..You awake?"

"Five more minutes?" Luna answered quietly, burrying her head deeper into the pillow.

Dust chuckled a bit, then she felt his hand on her hoof move slightly, moving down across her leg and unto her stomach once again. Another chill. The bed
shook a bit as he moved himself closer to her, and she felt his chest press against her back, over her wings, and then his stomach as well. For a moment,
Luna could have sworn her heart grew, and it felt like their bodys melted together. The human placed his head against her neck, tenderly kissing her cheek
as he did.

"Why not ten minutes?" He whispered.

Luna sighed, wishing it could be more than that. Just the two of them, alone. She loved him so much, and would never grow tired of the feeling of his
skin against her fur. And the steady beating of his heart against her back.

"Love you." She whispered back as she felt herself drift away.

Dust mumbled something into her ears, but she could only hear something about leaving and Celestia, before her eyes closed and she fell asleep again.

Both Luna and Dust woke up abruptly as the chamberdoors blew open with a deafening sound. The two guards stationed inside got thrown across the
room as a ray of golden magic pushed the doors open and almost pryed them off their hinges. Luna gasped in fear, getting closer to Dust, who put his
arms around her to shield her.

"Sister!" A familiar voice called out from beyond the doors, though it sounded strained and broken.

Dust tigthened his grip on Luna as Celestia came rushing in through the broken doors, and her horn still glowing brightly from the magic she had just used.
The princess eyes widened in anger as she saw the couple on the bed.

"Get your hands off my sister, beast!" She demanded.

"What are you doing?!" Luna yelled back before Dust had time to answer. "You have no right to come here like this!"

Celestias eyes turned to Luna. "Dear sister.. Why don't you shut your mouth, or I could shut it for you."

"Don't you dare talk to her like that!" Dust shouted at the white alicorn.

As he shouted, Dust threw himself out of bed, without paying any attention to Lunas protests. He didn't care that he was unarmed and still weak, didn't
care that all he had on him was a pair of pants, and the fact that Jormundgand rested on his nightstand. He would not allow this mare to speak like that
to his loved one. All he could think about was to bash her face in.

But of course, being in such an exposed state, and without magic, he could do nothing as a ray of gold shot across the room. He didn't even have time to
dive to the floor, and was sure that this would be his end. Killed by Lunas sister, the one time he forgot to wear the ring. But he would live to fight another
day it seemed, as a flash of blue magic came sailing past his shoulder, slamming into the golden ray. Luna had saved his life, once again.

He threw himself over Celestia, who stood stunned from the sudden impact of Lunas magic. Hands outstretched in front of him, he clamped them down
around Celestias neck.

"Dust, stop!" Luna cried out.

A seconds hesitation. Another beam of magic.

Dust fell to the floor with a the sound of skin meeting stone, almost like the sound of a slap. He didn't get up. Lunas heart had stopped the moment she saw
him fall, and she watched him with tears in her eyes. Her insides twisted, threatening to hurl up into her throat. Paralyzed out of fear, she just sat and watched
as a golden aura engulfed Dust, lifted him up from the floor unto his knees.

"Say farewell to your beloved man-beast, sister." Celestia said with a grin, her voice clearly that of triumph. "He's going to the dungeons, and then.."

"Please don't harm him.." Luna pleaded, her entire body shaking.

"I won't harm him." Celestia answered. "I'm just going to.. Maybe I'll throw him off of the higest tower. Yes, that would be fitting."

Luna cried out to her sister yet again, pleading mercy for her lovers life.

"Then we'll see just how well he flies, without wings.."

The white princess turned around and headed towards the door, dragging Dust's body behind her with the use of her magic.

"Sister, please! Take me instead! Why are you doing this?!" Luna yelled franticly.

Celestia stopped just in front of the doors, and without looking at Luna, she spoke in a cold voice. "Twilight Sparkle is dead. Along with No-Hope. Killed
by this man." She exited the door without saying another word, and Dust dragged along, dissapeared from her sight.

If Lunas heart had stopped as Dust fell, her brain had just shut down. It felt as if both her heart and brain imploded, leaving behind nothing but emptyness,
a big hole where her very soul now threatened to fall in. Twilight.. dead. No, Celestia had to be lying, it couldn't be true. And No-Hope, that nervous little
pegasus.. Why would anypony want to hurt him? And Dust had been with her all night..

A long time passed as Luna sat on the bed, staring blankly into nothing, lost in her thoughts. Slowly, her mind returned to her, and her heart started beating
again. At least, she thought it did. The tears had dried on her face, and she had finally stopped shaking. As the shock settled, she managed to get herself
out of bed. She didn't belive any of this, and she was going to go to her sister and demand and explanation as to why she had lied to her like that. And
she needed to see Dust, make sure he was alright. If he was still alive, that is..

Luna took no notice of the mares and stallions of the court that tried to talk to her as she passed them. Didn't even look at them, didn't stop when they called
after her or simply looked at her with either disgust or worry. They were all dead to her now. Walking, colorful corpses, and they all had something to say
to her. But if anypony tried to stop her, that pony would truly become a corpse. Burnt to ash.

As she rounded the corner into the corridor leading to her sisters chambers, she was surprise to see strange lines blocking the door, and a couple of stallions
talking with a young maid. She couldn't make out what they said, since they were so far away, but she didn't care anyway. Useless heaps of meat and
bone, blabbering endlessly.

One of the stallions looked up as she approached, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. Instantly, he placed himself in front of the door.

"Princess, what.. what are you doing here?" He stuttered in a failed attempt to sound calm.

"Get out of my way." Luna replied instantly without slowing down.

The stallion didn't budge, and Luna reacted in the blink of an eye. He was wearing a tie around his neck, and with her magic, Luna grabbed it and pulled on
it hard, lifting him a few inches from the ground. She levitated him a bit to the right, and let go of the tie again. The stallion took a deep breath and started
coughing. Luna didn't care, and just walked straight past him. As she did, she noticed that his cutie mark resembled some sort of oddly shaped pen,
surrounded by blue light. It was of no importance to her tough, so she ignored it and opened the door to her sisters chambers.

The moment she stepped inside, she opened her mouth to yell at Celestia, but she quickly closed it again as she saw that the room was empty. Except the
violet mare on the bed.

"Twilight, is that you..?" She asked, but got no answer.

Feeling panic build up inside her, she carefully took a few steps towards the bed. It was cold in here, much colder than the rest of the castle. Maybe even
colder than outside. Why? Maybe because the only habitant of this room was dead, cold..

"Please answer me, Twilight."

But as Luna came closer to the bed, and could see around it.. Her world shattered. Dead. A pegasus covered in blood, a broken Twilight. Celestia didn't
lie. It took her a few seconds before she could move once again, and when she did, her stomach turned up-side-down, and she threw up over the floor.
Not much came out of her since she hadn't eaten anything for a while, but a lot of liquid spewed out of her mouth, mixing with the dried blood, turning it
into a redish-brown soup. It felt as if her entrails were trying to get out of her throat, all at the same time. To her surprise, her vomiting stopped before
her insides hurled themselves unto the marble floor.

Her stomach started aching badly as she wiped of her lips with a hoof, still staring at the bodies in front of her. She didn't cry, didn't scream. There was no
use, nopony would care about it anyway, they would all take her sisters side, say she was a traitor who whored herself to a beast, and that she deserved
this pain. But there was nothing she could do about anything now. Twilight was dead and gone, leaving behind only the memories of her achievements in
life. Luna herself being one of them.

Somepony or something had killed them, but it hadn't been Dust, that was impossible, he could never do something like this. He'd changed. She refused,
completely, utterly bucking REFUSED to believe he would have done this. Never. Even though he'd done some horrible things and mistakes in his past,
those things where forgotten now, he had changed, she was sure of it.

Still, what she thought didn't matter, everypony listened to her sister. If she said that Dust did this, that was the truth. Luna had no choice. She had to find
Dust and get him out of here forever, just like she'd been fantasising about for so long. Her fantasies had been a bit more romantic though, and not involving
all this death. Their plan of overthrowing her sister didn't matter anymore, the Lunar Republic could wait, but Dust couldn't. And seeing as this republic
only contained two members, wich also happened to be the founders of it, they probably didn't stand a chance against her sisters troops.

Find Dust, get out of there. Nothing else mattered.

Quickly, she turned around and headed back to her chamber.

Nothing would stop him now. Nopony to stand in his way.

The early morning breeze caressed Regelius cheek, tugged on his mane and tail. It was chilly, but not really cold, as if the winds brought with it the remnants
of spring from far away, long forgotten by this land. The sun in the sky warmed his face, and he stared straight into it, not minding the fact that his eyes
hurt and teared up from the bright light. It didn't matter to him anymore, such simplicities. Ponies take so much for granted, without ever giving a thought
as to why they did so. Why?

Now, it felt as if he could finally see what life truly was. The thin veil had been removed, allowing him access to the deepest reaches of the state of being
they called existence, life. And what was life if nothing but pain and suffering. A cruel, sadistic joke, played out on the unsuspecting pawns. Just like that
young couple he'd seen in town a few days earlier. They probably never spoke again, her leaving him to die alone, and the stallion feeling like she tore his
heart out once she left. Maybe he was already dead, passed through the vail into the endless abyss.

Regelius blinked his eyes, turned them away from the sun. Not because the pain got to him, but because he needed to see around him, find what he was looking for.
The view from her was breathtaking. From this, the highest tower in the entire castle, not a single part of Canterlot remained unseen to him. The morning sun
made the white buildings shine brightly, almost blinding him as much as the sun did.

He slowly walked up to the railing, and with a stretch of his neck, he could see the ground, far below. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down. Did
anypony beneath him in the streets see him? Probably not, but it would have been a bit of a comfort to know that somepony would witness what he
was about to do. He placed one of his forehooves on the railing, hesitated.

For many years, he'd been part of the princess court, never faulting in his loyalty. If they only knew where it truly lay. But he no longer care for loyalty, not
to Celestia or anypony else. The death of Hope had forever changed something in him, broke a part of his mind.

Lilith. His sister. He missed her, his only family. But, just like with Equinox, she was dead. Even though he had called both of them sisters, Lilith was the
only real one. Both of them had called him brother. Now, he was the only one of them left, everypony else scattered in the wind like leaves.

He placed the next hoof on the railing.

And what about Aurora? She would probably damn him for all eternity, but what did that matter, if he was allready gone. Her curses would fall upon deaf
ears. Dead ears. She could be thrown to the hounds of Tartarus for all he cared, along with her so-called salvation. And what a salvation it was, truly the
redemption of all living things, as she had called it. More like one mares desperate attempts to find love.

Perhaps her theory about the Jormundgand was right, perhaps it really could bring back the Alicorns, but he doubted it, and no longer cared about it.
How could he even have believed those crazy lies of hers? Why did he even become part of the Void Seekers?

Because he wanted to belong.

Wanted to be part of something, feel like he was needed. After the death of his parents, he had wandered the earth without a purpose, without guidance.
When he met Aurora, everything changed, and he once again had a family. Ponies that loved him like a brother. They learned him about the joys of life,
and thought him the art of speech. They gave him the silver tongue he had become so known for in court.

He obeyed Aurora's biding without hesitation, clutching at every chance to feel loved. Like a dog begging for a treat, he would have done anything
for appreciation. As they say, a drowning man, or in this case pony, would clutch at a straw. And he did. No matter what his new family asked of him,
he carried it out. He'd even killed for them. On several occasions.

A sudden peak in the wind caused him to lose balance and wobble, and for a split second, he was sure the ground came closing in, but he regained his footing.

For years, Regelius had belonged, and when Aurora asked him to infiltrate the royal court and gain the trust of the princess, he'd obeyed without asking
any questions. Looking back at it now, he wished he'd said something instead. Aurora didn't contact him for several years, and slowly he started believing
that perhaps.. They'd forgotten him. Another family that no longer existed. But at this point in his life, he didn't care if they had. During his time in the castle,
he fell in love. Not only with the princess herself, but the entire castle and town as well.

Again, he belonged, this time to the city and the ponies residing in it. Court had been a game all along, but now he no longer had to play that game.
But then, Aurora had contacted him, asking him about his current situation. He told her nothing about his feelings for the princess. In a way, he played
the game again, but against Aurora.

Time passed by, and he met No-Hope. They instantly became firm friends, despite the fact that they met in a rather painful way. Hope had slammed right
into Regelius face as he ran through the castle to deliver some paperwork. And now he was gone, taking Twilight with him to an early grave. Celestia would
pass soon as well, and he would be all alone again. Regelius couldn't stand the thought of it.

His time had come, the time to leave the world of the living and join his sister in eternity. Maybe, Celestia would come to his side eventually.

Salvation of the Alicorns. The Jormundgand was, according to Aurora, the key to it all. She believed that if it regained its old powers, she could take it back
to its shrine in the desert, and together with the spire in the cave, resurrect her extinct race, and bring back their ancient balance to the world. That's where
his role came into place. When Dust found the ring, they had to make sure that he helped it gain power. Rarity had been the beginning, a pony of little importance.
With the magic it absorbed from Twilight, it only needed one more thing to return to its former state.

Alicorn magic. Celestias magic.

Aurora wanted Regelius to protect Luna and Dust in order for them to carry through with their plans of rebellion, and strip Celestia of her powers, as well
as her horn. Then, they would toss her aside like a piece of garbage, worthless to everypony. Regelius did as he was asked, and protected the couple, since
their situation corresponded with his views on love as well. But with the death of his best friend, he decided that it was time to end this charade. He was too
weak to stand up against Aurora, too weak to do anything.

The only thing he could do was to leave the board. The Steed; the pawn that moved in a crooked path around his opponents, had finally fallen. Time to
remove it from the board and add it to the pile of discarded allies.

Regelius closed his eyes as he raised his left hindleg up, placing it on the railing as well. It was an awkward position, balancing on only one leg, and the wind
made his body tremble. Quickly, without hesitation, he removed his last hoof from the floor, and felt wind pushing against him. The time in court had truly
been a game, a game of the Void.

He sailed through the air, the strong current forming around his body threatened to crush him like bug, and his mane slapped him across the face.

The last of the Void Seekers fell, and with him, the truth.

In his mind, he remembered his time with his sisters. Just like No-Hope, he didn't have a cutie mark, despite the fact that he was in his early 20s. He had
earned it together with the Seekers, as well as his monocle. The monocle that gave him his cutie mark. A strange way of earning it.

His last thoughts went to Celestia, that amazing mare. Her shiny white coat, and shimmering mane. He'd never got the chance to touch that mane.

Love can be a cruel game. The only game he didn't win.

His body shattered against the cobblestone street.