The black gulph is before me...

The savannah was quiet.

The Everfree Forest whispered with the sound of lurking critters, the Griffon Mountains roared with the clash of armies and the Ice Walls of the Crystal Empire have a choir of ancient legends.

But in the savannah, the birthland of zebras, there was simply the soft chanting of tradition, of countless generations of shamans, warriors and healers, heroes and villains; the story of an old tribe, as old as the equestrian race.

Dusk Shine watched at this living legacy, at the faces of the zebras around him and smiled. This was a good place.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” a voice said behind him. He turned over and couldn´t help but smile.

The pegasus standing next to him could be described in a thousand poems but Dusk Shine summarized his impression with one word only, “Lovely.”

She blushed and sat next to him. She grabbed a cup of tea. Despite her lateness it was still hot so she had to blew it before taking a sip.

“I take everything went all right?” he asked, pointing at the hut the pegasus had t left.

“It did. The mother was worried but the delivery went without complications. The baby is healthy so I only just helped cleaning him and checking on her. Nothing to worry,” she said.

“That´s good to hear,” he said and took another peek at the hut. A zebra came outside and he was able to catch a glimpse of the goat mother taking care of her offspring before the curtain closed.

Dusk Shine smiled once more and Fluttershy smiled at this.

“So Fluttershy, you were in the middle of your story when you were called for the emergency,” he said. “I´ll like to hear the rest of what happened after Nightmare Moon conquered Equestria once more.”

Despite the heat, Fluttershy shivered at the mention of the name. “I rather not remember those times. They were terrible, long nights. It makes me grateful  to have such a beautiful sun over our heads.”

“I agree it´s a beautiful place. But I will disagree about the night. In one of the worlds I visited, Princess Celestia was corrupted by this darkness and Luna was forced to vanish her. The result was an Equestria were night lasted longer than the day and ponies were actually afraid of the sun.”

“I can´t even imagine such a place. I know night has it´s beauty but I will prefer the warm embrace of the sun.”

Dusk Shine chuckled and almost spilled his tea.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No no, it´s just what you said reminded me of something...one of the Fluttershys I met became a Princess and she was close to Princess Celestia. Very close.”

Realizing the implication, Fluttershy blushed while Dusk Shine kept chuckling.

“Please, don´t tease me like that.”

“Sorry sorry. But jokes aside, I really like to know what happened next.”

Fluttershy gave him a stern look. The tattoos on her face making her look more severe, somehow. “Can I ask you a question?”

Dusk Shine nodded.

“Why are you interested? Why do you keep travelling, from universe to universe, questioning ponies?”

Dusk Shine dropped his serene smile and put down his cup. “I wanted to know more about me. When I first accidentally summoned my other versions, I was just annoyed. But after thinking about it, I shivered. I trembled at the possibility that my life was nothing that the product of random, that any decision was meaningless and there were no consequences, because there were always be someplace else. It made me question my whole existence. That´s why I travel, that´s why I ask. I want to know if I have purpose or I´m just another number in the infinite gallery of Dusk SHines and Twilight Sparkles. I want to know who I am. So...” and he magically poured some more hot tea in the cups and took his with his hooves. “Can you continue? Tell me what happened after your victory over Nightmare Moon.”

Fluttershy took her cup of tea and sighed. “I wouldn´t call it a victory, not considering the cost. The darkness that was corrupting Princess Luna, that slept inside her for all these decades, was finally expelled from her body and destroyed. But in order to do so, Twilight had to take away all the magic of the Princesses and with it, their immortality. They passed away shortly after everything ended.”

“I suppose all those years finally catch up with them.”

“It was heartbreaking. Watching Princess Celestia, who always looked so regal and bright, shining like the sun, wither like that,” Fluttershy wiped a tear that tried to come out.

“Did you ever find out the true nature of the darkness?” Dusk Shine asked.

“It was evil, what else do I need to know? It was jealousy, anger and frustration. It corrupted everything, it made us fight against our loved ones...”

“I assume you don´t want to talk about those fights.”

“No, I don´t want to. I don´t want to remember Twilight fighting against her brother or Rainbow and Gilda hurting each other. Those are memories I rather forget.” Fluttershy turned her head away. If her mane wasn´t so short now, cut to respect the zebra´s tradition, she would have let it drop and hide her face.

Dusk Shine levitated a saddlebag that was next to him. “I´ve been reading some of the letters you showed me. I was practically interested in Twilight´s. Seems she is having a great time,” he said, empting the content in the stood they were using as a table.

“She is. The Eastern Lands are like a dream come ture for her. All that ancient history and knowledge, I have no doubts she is enjoying her time there,” she said.

“So is Spike for what I can see,” Dusk Shine said, looking at a postcard.

“Aha. Twilight told me that draogns are treated like royalty on the East. He must be so happy, especially now that he got married. His wife looks like a nice pony er dragoness,”

“She sure does. Poor Rarity must be heartbroken,” Dusk Shine joked.

Fluttershy giggled. “She is fine. She actually came to this village a few months ago, for a charity tour. She was under the false impression zebras needed her help and wasn´t happy when the zebras rejected her perfumes.”

“Spirit of Generosity. Attitude of a mule. No offense dude.”

“None taken,” a mule that was cleaning a hut said.

“She truly is generous. Always sharing more than she had. I´m glad her sister followed her example. I saw the pictures of her in the hospital. She is wonderful doctor.”

“What was the name of the filly that got the corrupted Element of Generosity? Diamond Crown?”

“Tiara. She was one of Sweetie´s classmate. Not a very friendly one for what I can recall but despite all her flaws, she wasn´t a monster. Not until Nightmare Moon twisted her mind and make her believe nobody loved her. She became so resentful of her classmate that she locked them all in a horrible prison disguised as a school.”

“But the Crusaders were able to break through her, right?”

“Yes, the Crusaders never gave up on her. Especially Apple Bloom. They were able to rescue her from the darkness and made her realize she had friends and could have more if she opened her heart.”

“Is that now it went with all the fights, right? Just reaching to their hearts?” Dusk Shine asked.

“It wasn´t so easy. Carrot Top was almost impossible to talk out of her jealousy of Applejack. And Derpy was so hurt she was willing to kill us. The darkness reached deep inside her,” Fluttershy said.

“What about Trixie?”

“She actually was convinced rather quickly. She never wanted to posses the Element of Magic to begin with. She only wanted respect. We gave her something better, our friendship.”

Dusk Shine smiled at the cheesy line.

“In fact, it was Trixie and Blueblood that saved our lives.”

“That´s a sentence I never expected to hear in any universe,” Dusk Shine admitted.

“But it´s true. If it wasn´t for them, we will have never reached the tower and saved the Princesses.”

“He rescued Princess Cadence from the tower, am I right?”

“He did she saved Twilight. Despite all her love for him, she couldn´t reach ton one part of his heart. The side that could only be saved by Cadence. Her love for him saved his soul.”

“She didn´t took the throne after the Princesses passed away?” Dusk Shine asked.

“No. She and Shining moved back to the Crystal Kingdom, they still live there. Last I hear they had a foal.”

“And who was left in charge? Don´t tell me...Blueblood?” Dusk Shine face went white.

Fluttershy giggled. “No. Actually before their death, the Princesses created a new form of government, where ponies elected their rulers, a Parliament I think it´s named. Now Equestria is called a Republic, although I´m not so sure what that is.”

“I do, and it´s not that great a thing. Last republic I visited was ruled by earth ponies and they tried to hang me for sorcery.”

Fluttershy took a hoof to her neck

“Speaking of earth ponies, whatever happened to Applejack?”

Fluttershy eyes teared again. “I don´t know. We lost all tracks of her. She went south along with her cousin to build new towns but at some point they parted ways and nopony ever heard of her again.”

“Never?”

“There are stories. Some says she lived with buffaloes tribes, that she saved a town from changelings, that if somepony is in danger she would come to their aid; but there are only stories. Nobody has seen the real Applejack in years.”

Fluttershy hung her head down, fighting back the tears, while Dusk Shine took another sip.

“I suppose it can´t be helped. Like took us all in the different directions, took something from all of us but gave us more in return. It reminds me of something that Pinkie sues to say. I asked her once if she was ever sad about her cakes, that all the time and effort she put in one felt wasted knowing it would be devoured. She called me silly filly and told me that was exactly why she did it, to see the look of happiness in ponies when they devoured her pastries.”

“I guess you all find your own kind of happiness. You in this faraway land, learning medicine. Twilight with her studies, Pinkie with her sweet,s Rarity her fashion and Rainbow´s...whatever is she does.”

Fluttershy giggled. “She calls them aggressive negotiations. But I actually think her true happiness is her son.”

“She has a son?”

“She adopted one. One orphan griffon she met after one of her umh excursions and took him under her wing. I saw a picture of him. So cute wearing an eyepatch to imitate his mother.”

Dusk Shine and Fluttershy laughed.

“it´s so strange.”

“What is, Fluttershy?”

“Talking to you. I know you´re from another world, that you´re a different version of Twilight, that you´re not her; and yet, I feel like talking to Twilight again, like the old days when we used to live in Ponyville, all together.”

“It´s not so strange. Out of the five of you, I always felt the strongest connection with Butterscotch. Guess we have similar personalities.”

“Butterocht. That would be my male counterpart.”

“Correct. We were very close. Although he wanted to be even closer to me.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy said and once she understood the implication she repeated “Oh!”

Dusk Shine played with his now empty cup, avoid Fluttershy´s gaze.

“Well, that was a surprise. Then again, youré a pretty handsome stallion. I don´t blame him.”

Now it was Dusk Shine´s turn to blush while Fluttershy chuckled.

“Fluttershy...”

“Sorry, I didn´t meant to tease you.”

“....can I ask you a question?”

The tone of his voice was serious, so were his eyes. Fluttershy giggle died and she looked away from those purple eyes. “Wha-what is it?”

“Do you have any regrets?”

“Regrets?”

“If you could change anything in your life, if I could give you the means to change your life, would you take it?”

“What are you talking about?” she backed down, scared of her tone.

“In my journey I´ve seen countless scenarios. I´ve visited worlds where I wasn´t an unicorn, a mare or even a pony. I´ve see world so engulf in darkness that hope was a fairy tale and other so colorful that arguing was a capital crime. I met love with a female version of my friend Cherribomb, I saved the world form a power-hungry Bubble Berry, I compared wits with another traveler pony, one that had lived for centuries. I teached Star Swirl the Bearded, I served under a benign Queen Umbra, I´ve done so many, many things; and I´ve discovered a truth that will change everything. I discovered that,, despite the seemingly infinite numbers of universes, there are some events that can´t be changed, fixed moments in time, so to speak. The darkness that corrupted your Princess Luna, my Prince Artemis, is one of those points. If we push that point, if we stop that even from happening, it will change everything. every single time-line, every single dimension that was born from that event will disappear, replaced by what we create.”

“No, you can´t do that...” she mumbled.

“Yes, I can. If you come with me. If I gather enough travellers in one fixed point, the pressure will be so strong that it will collapse. I´ve talked with other ponies, ponies that wish to leave their dimensions, if I gather them all, I can change everything. Change reality as I see fit.”

“NO! If you do that, what would happen to the ponies in those dimensions?” she asked, almost yelling.

“They will disappear. Their time-lines will collapse and they will cease to exist.”

“You mean they will die?”

“They won´t die. They won´t exist to begin with. Everything that was them, will just vanish.”

“You can´t do that! You can´t do something like that! All those ponies, they have lifes, good or bad, sad or happy;  they have lives! You can´t destroy them as you please.”

“But why not? Won´t you like to change your life? DIdn´t you save that you hated all the pain and suffering Nightmare Moon and the darkness that control her, brought? Won´t you wish to change all that?” Dusk Shine asked.

“Yes, but that doens´t mean I should. All that pain, all that suffering, it made me who I am. Living here, I learned what true medicine is. I learned that you can wave a magic wand and make pain disappear, even if you´re a magical being. I don´t want to get rid of my pain. I need my pain!”

By this point, the zebras were surrounding them. They have been tolerant to Dusk Shine because Fluttershy insisted but they didn´t appreciate a stranger disturbing their village and they knew enough equestrian to realize he was disturbing Fluttershy.Dusk Shine and Fluttershy kept looking at each other for a full mintue and finally Dusk Shine burst in laughter.

“Was...was all a joke?” Fluttershy asked.

“No no, I was being serious. Hey, it´s okay. It´s all okay, guys! Umh I never learned the zebra language,” Dusk Shine said, back to his cheerful self.

Fluttershy told the zebras that everything was all right and  she sat down, giving Dusk Shine an intensive  glare.

“Hye hey, don´t give me The Stare!”

“It´s not The Stare, but I am staring at you. Why did you say all that? That was a cruel joke,” she said.

“It wasn't a joke. I was serious. It´s true that if you gather enough dimensional travellers in one fixed point, the energy of their accumulated travels could tear said fixed point apart. That´s why we´re so few and we stay away from each other. I always wondered why ponies did not use this spell to just ran away from all the pain, now I know why. Thank you Fluttershy,” he said, smiling. “You saved my life. I was seriously considering threatening the entire reality just for my selfish wishes. You brought me back to my senses. You always do, either as Fluttershy or Butterscotch, you always take care of me.”

Fluttershy blushed slightly and took another sip of tea, making a face since now  it was finally cold.

Dusk Shine took another look at the zebra village, at the houses, the zebras and the setting sun hiding behind the mountains. “This place is wonderful. It suffered so much and yet it was able to rise up and regain its peace. There are have been so many times when I wanted to give up, when I lost faith in friendship, in living. But like this place I rise up again, all because of you. You and the other boys never give up on me. Well, you and the other girls in your case.” Dusk Shine scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

Fluttershy smiled him back.

“Well, I better get going,” he said, getting up.

“You mean... this universe?”

“Don´t worry, I won´t do anything stupid. I still have more questions about me but right now, I need to make amends. I have promises to keep. There´s one angry Elusive waiting for me to come pick him up, I better nit make him wait any longer.”

Fluttershy got up. “Dusk Shine, I don´t know much about alternate universes or different time-lines. But I know something about you. You are special. You are not my Twilight. You are you.”

“...thank you.”

Dusk Shine took a few steps back and lighted his horn. A pillar of light fell from the sky,  engulfing Dusk Shine in a pale blue light and in a flash, he was gone.

The murmur from the zebras lasted just for a few seconds and then it was back to the usual silence of the savannah, almost like nothing had happened.

Fluttershy reached and touched Dusk Shine´s cup. It was still a little warm.  Just like the warm inside Fluttershy.

She looked up at the setting sun and the stars that were slowly taking over the sky. She watched blink, listened to their silence song and smiled.

She smiled at the night sky.