A School Between Two Worlds

Chapters

Prologue: Paladin of the Broken Crown
Chapter 1: Mirages
Chapter 2: Hail to the Nightmare

Prologue: Paladin of the Broken Crown

It was a sunny day at Canterlot High School, one of the most prestigious schools in the capital. Days like this must be Celestia’s favorites, the school’s peculiar principal. For many, a woman who attracts the eyes of the men like a magnet. For few others, the personification of the sun, ruler of heaven and earth, as well as the harbinger of dawn. The Princess of the Ponykind. Regent of all that is and all that will be. And, in front of her divine presence, was a boy drowning in his own sweat. Just because someone told him planes were the fastest transportation method.

Today was the day he would be transferred to this school. Her school. What happened?

Late the first day.

Still, Principal Celestia greeted him with a warm smile. Her porcelain teeth, as white as her skin, and her purple eyes reflected on his owns appeased the swarm of butterflies in the boy’s belly. But none of them could be compared with the elegance of her shining hair made of the pastel rainbow of colors of the dawn. She wore a yellow jacket with a purple undershirt that matched her eyes.

A golden collar decorated with an amethyst was wrapped around her smooth neck and, on her jacket, she had a sun-shaped brooch.

Celestia took out some documents from her oak desk. “Name: Holylight ‘Lily’ Amori Ray. Third year… Everything is in order. Please sign here.”

Lily walked to her desk. His unkempt, blue-and-pink hair, was glued to his forehead and his golden eyes quivered in a mixture of excitement and nervousness – his heart was at thousand beats per hour. He wore a white shirt, two-colored pants; white on the legs and black on the rest of the cloth, and black-and-white shoes.

On his hands were a pair of black-and-white gauntlets with a symbol on the back of the hand: a crystal heart sheltered by two lilies, his Cutie Mark.

“Perfect, you are officially a student of Canterlot High School now, Holylight Ray.” Celestia joined her fingertips, her eyes stopped on the mole on top of his lips. “And that gives me the right of punishing you. So, if you want to go home today, you have to make at least one more friend.”

Lily couldn’t avoid lifting an eyebrow. “Friend, you said?”

“Your academic life will be wonderful if you share it with others. Here you will find a lot of students to befriend with. Plus, the school will hold a dance next week, it would be a shame if you couldn’t get a dance partner.”

This was, by far, the strangest punishment he had ever had. “Okay, I’ll try to make some friends.”

“That’s the spirit! Before you go, can you show me that ring, please?”

Beads of sweat formed on Lily’s forehead as he brought his shaking hand closer to her.

A smile plastered on Celestia’s face. “My brooch and your ring have the same design!” She showed Lily her brooch. “See? But this is the first time I see a ring with a chain attached to it.”

“R-really? These are the latest in fashion in Las Pegasus. People there have one on each finger.”

Three were the pieces of silver jewelry Lily wore. A sun ring with a chain that ran up his arm to his neck and wrapped around it, from which a pendant shaped like a snowflake between three laces dangled, and a stud shaped like a crescent moon on his left ear. These three symbols were the Cutie Marks of three of the old rulers of Equestria: Celestia, Luna and Amore. No wonder she could spot it so easily.

“We have finished for today. Take the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with the school. I want you here tomorrow at first hour. Do not be late again, okay?”

“Promise. Thank you for all, Principal Celestia.”

Lily hurried outside of the office before she could spot more things that could complicate his stay in this special school. When he closed the door, Lily felt a chill that ran down his spine. It was silly to think the principal of Canterlot High School and the princess of Equestria would be the same woman… or mare. However, this school is the point where both worlds merge; anything is possible.

And now that he has finished all of his business here, it was time to get to the real work. Anti-magic work with a gargoyle king.

An ocean of green lockers filled Lily’s sight. Only the repetitive sound of his shoes against the marble floor accompanied him through the hallway he wandered. It was lunchtime and there was not a single student around.

A poster next to a vending machine caught his attention. It had an autumnal design and the image of a silver crown. It reminded the students to vote for the girl they wanted to be the next Fall Formal Princess at the event to be held in October, 9.

The lamp behind him exploded releasing a shower of sparks that scorched the floor.

Lily jumped away. “The fuck!?”

A horde of bugs wrapped in a mini electric field came out of the hole in the roof. Their buzzing merged with the screechy sound of electricity. In three seconds the whole hallway was plagued. They hovered around the static they produced, ignoring Lily.

A blue light sprouted from Lily’s pendant. It traveled all the way to the ring, making his left arm feel numb. The light grew until a bubble formed around his body. Lily walked slowly between them. Sparks were being dragged to his shield, making him see like a human tesla ball.

What the heck are these Equestrian creatures doing here? he thought.

Lily turned on a corner and found a hallway covered by vines and rosebuds. Thorns of the size of brooms absorbed the electricity like antennas.

There were two girls trapped in the vines. One had golden eyes, green skin and mint hair. The other one had cream skin, blue eyes and black-and-pink hair. Both wearing matching, blue dresses and skirts. Their eyes were wide open, lifeless. The vines around both of them drained from their bodies the energy that made them glow.

Lily pressed a hand on the vines. As soon as the magic made contact with it, they tightened around the girls.

A screech echoed all over the hallway. All the rosebuds opened at the same time and shot Lily a gooey, green liquid. In a second, the whole shield was covered by the goo. The light of Lily’s chain grew stronger and exploded in an outburst of energy that illuminated the entire hallway.

Lily fell on his knees, panting. There was no trace of the bugs nor the vines, and the two girls were walking away from Lily, so fresh that they looked like if they just had come out of a spa.

Lily couldn’t believe it. He stood up as he rubbed his wrist. “What was… that?”

“Stop in the name of fashion!” shouted a girl as she ran to Lily.

The girl put her hands on her knees as she panted uncontrollably. The purple bag she brought with her fell from her arm. She had a bright, white skin, blue eyes and a curly, purple hair that sweat had glued to her face. She wore a pale, blue shirt, a purple skirt with the image of tree diamonds, and purple knee-high boots with a diamond on the top.

Two diamonds dangled from her ears. If her face wasn’t so red and if she breathed with her jaw closed, she would look kinda pretty. But why was she running, Lily hasn’t moved from his place... right?

She took one last breath and re-stabilized herself. “Please, you have to tell me where you got that outfit.”

Lily flinched. “M-my clothes?”

The girl passed a hand where the white and black of his pants merged, causing the colors to move like if they were liquids. “I’ve never seen a fabric like this before. It’s soft and comfortable… and it seems alive.”

Lily stepped back from her curious hands before she realized that the clothes do were alive. It sounds weird, but that’s how the ponies of Marapore make clothes. And the fabric of Lily’s was made with things so rare that they ranged from a rainbow fin of a mermare to fur from Princess Luna and Princess Celestia’s Cutie Marks.

Lily was about to speak when she interrupted him.

“I got it!” The girl took out a notebook and pen from her bag and wrote something on it. “Voilà! I know what to do now: opposite polarities. Made two opposite colors clash and merge at the same time will be a delightful challenge for moi!”

She took a black belt with a silver buckle shaped like a fleur-de-lis from the bag. “Here, for you.”

“A belt? I can’t accept that.”

But the girl was already buckling it. “Yes you can! What you cannot is walk around without one.” She leaned back and gave him a head to toe look. “Yes, it looks good.”

“Geez, I don’t know what to say... Thank you very much. My name is Holylight Ray, Lily for short. Nice to meet you…”

“Rarity, my pleasure.” Rarity leaned closer to him and gave him two kisses. “I would love to spend some time with you, but I have to leave now that my muses are here. Ta-ta.” She left with a broad smile as she wrote on her notebook.

Lily looked at Rarity as she walked and realized that now were students walking all around the hallways while a few minutes ago everything was deserted. He took out his phone to check the time.

“Damn it, not yet.”

His orders were to meet the king here at one o’clock. Lily was alone until that time. He thought there was only a bit of magic gone astray in this school, but this was too much. Lily turned around, facing a glass door that led to the library. He noticed one of his shoes was untied, so he bent down and tied it up. When Lily stood up, a pair of twinkling, baby-blue eyes filled his whole field of vision.

“I’ve never seen you before,” said a girl so close to him that their noses touched.

This girl had pink skin and a darker, pink hair so much puffy that was almost irresistible to use it as a pillow, and with a blue-and-yellow ribbon on it to make it even cuter. She wore a white shirt with a golden horseshoe, yellow mini-skirt with blue stripes and the image of three balloons – one yellow and two blue –, yellow thigh-high socks, and blue slippers.

“I’m new here.”

The girl gasped. “A new guy!?” She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “That’s so exciting! I’m Pinkie Pie, what’s your name?”

Struggling for balance, Lily tried to speak. “I’m–”

“I’ll call you Lily.” She hugged him with all her strength. “And now we’re best friends!”

Lily had no choice but to give her a big hug that allowed his nose smell the strong scent of chocolate and cinnamon around her. “Best friends?”

“Of course! Everyone is my best friend… except for some girls that aren’t my best friends anymore, but that doesn’t matter.” Pinkie grabbed Lily’s cheeks and pulled his face against hers. “I have to leave now. Miss Raven asked me– NO! She told me– NO! She gave me the mission of organizing the Fall Formal Party. ‘Oh, but that’s easy for a party planner like you, Pinkie Pie,’ you think. And you think well, royal paladin, but last year a girl named Pinkie Pie organized the best Fall Formal Party this school has ever had. If I can’t surpass her, that will be the end of my party thrower career forever… Know what I mean?”

“No…”

Pinkie bounced beside him as she giggled. “I like you, Lily. See ya around.”

“That girl should go easy with coffee,” said Lily twirling a pink lock of his hair.

Lily opened the library door, letting the smell of the books invade his nose. The school library was so big that a herd of elephants could live in here. On the center of the room, was a round table with several computers and a wooden horse head that Lily could swear it looked at him when he came in.

There were four persons inside: three girls sitting at a computer and the librarian, who was arranging some books on a bookshelf.

A book on a table caught his attention; a green book titled: “The Garden of Your Dreams”. It was going home with him today! At the instant his hand made contact with the hard cover, a chill traveled through his arm to his chest, making his heart miss a beat. Then, he saw something that made his heart go to his throat: the girls around him vanished in a pile of sand.

The earth started to shake.

A black goo flowed from the floor, growing bigger at each second that passed. Lily shoes glued to the goo. A pillar of black crystal rose from the ground below him.

Lily tried to yank his legs out of the pillar, but they didn’t move a centimeter. A second pillar emerged from the glass ceiling.

His chain absorbed the pendant’s magic and passed it to his hand. Lily clenched his fist and warped to the second floor with a glow. Both pillars clashed with a blare that calmed the earthquake.

A black glow enveloped some of the bookshelves and made them slide toward Lily, dropping books everywhere. Lily dodged them rolling to his left.

“Dark magic!?”

A dark haze engulfed a blue book on the floor. It opened as a mass of darkness came out from it. A monster that barely fit in the room came out from the darkness. The creature had a long manta body with two gigantic, fin-like wings covered with purple scales, hawk’s piercing eyes and a beak sharp as a knife. It was an Aquastrian Manta Hawk.

Its eyes locked on Lily. The hawk rushed to him faster than a bullet.

Lily warped away before the impact, leaving behind four huge chains that wrapped around the hawk and pulled it against the crystal column.

Some meters away from it, Lily made the glow of his hand become stronger. The light materialized in a blue orb with two rings orbiting around. Lily threw it to the hawk. The orb grew bigger as it got closer to its target.

The orb impacted with an explosion that destroyed half column and evaporated the beast. The shockwave went to Lily as it carried away all the bookshelves. He lifted a barrier that kept him safe from arm.

“Oh! Fight magic with magic. Clever,” said Pinkie Pie jumping on her place.

“Pinkie Pie!?”

“Trapped in the darkness in your first day, eh? That’s what I call a very bad luck. Come I’ll show you the exit.” Pinkie Pie bounced away. “What are you waiting for?”

Lily decided to follow her, but always with his magic ready. Pinkie took him to the smashed crystal column. Once they were in front of the column, they heard a whooshing that made the turn around.

“Holly molly!” shouted Pinkie.

A tsunami! A tsunami came in their direction, sweeping in everything that crossed its pass. The marine fury was about to swallow them. Lily grabbed Pinkie and teleported behind the tsunami. Using a levitation spell, both stood floating in the air. Pieces of wood floated below them in the ocean of splinters and pages the library became. The walls and roof blackened as storm clouds surrounded them.

“We are flying!”

“Calm down,” said Lily.

They both descended to a floating piece of wood and looked at the column. It was good as new.

Pinkie shrugged. “Well, there goes our exit.”

Lily prepared another orb and throw it to the pillar, making it explode.

“Nice! Let’s hurry.” Pinkie took out a paddle from her hair and set course to the pillar.

Lily looked at her with his arms crossed. “What are you doing here?”

“Preventing the school from being swallowed by the darkness. We have to be solidary, you know?”

Lily groaned. “Unreal...”

When they reached the pillar, Pinkie took a shining bubble from her hair and threw it to the pillar. The water turned into a dark nebula that covered everything. A stream of shadows ran toward them. In a second, there was nothing more than darkness. Lily felt as he floated in the sea. Even if he couldn’t see her, he could hear Pinkie’s giggles next to him.

Lily felt the ground once again below his feet and took a step forward, bumping into something. His eyes regained visibility, and widened as soon as they did: he was on the first floor and everything was like when he came in. But there was no trace of Pinkie Pie and he noticed he had something in his hand: a green book titled “The Garden of Your Dreams”.

Chapter 1: Mirages

Lily’s eyes were on the pages of the book. He kept turning pages madly. Nothing! It had no trace of magic in it. And that girl, Pinkie Pie. How does she know so much about magic?

He walked closer to the pink-skinned woman that arranged the books. “Excuse me, I’d like to borrow this book. Are you the librarian?”

“Yes, I can help you with that.” She took Lily to her desk. “Give me your name, class and locker.”

“I’m new here. Name’s Holylight Ray.”

“Sorry, but you can’t take the book without that information.”

Lily lowered his eyes to the book. “I see… Could you keep it here for me until tomorrow?”

The librarian glanced at the book’s title. “Do you like flowers?”

“People call me Lily,” he said with a smile.

She giggled. “I like them too. My name is Cherilee, but for you, Miss Cherilee.” Cherilee ran a hand through her shoulder-length, purple hair. She wore a white shirt with a brow vest over it, a green skirt with a flower pattern and brown knee-high boots.

From her ears hung two flower-shaped, golden earrings that stood out her green eyes.

“All right, Miss Cherilee. Could you tell me where I could find a girl named Pinkie Pie?”

“Pinkie? We were planning the next meeting of the cheerleader club. She left a few seconds ago, surely to the cafeteria. Sorry for ask, but if you go that way, could you do me a favor and hang this on the notice board.” Miss Cherilee gave him a note that informed the students that she was seeking for an assistant.

“You’re looking for an assistant?”

She nodded. “Whoever agrees to help me will have access to all library’s facilities.”

That made Lily think. If he becomes her assistant, he would have enough time to explore the library and get more information about what is going on here, and maybe found the source of the dark magic.

“Could I do it?”

“Really!? Oh, thank you so much!” She hugged him with all her strength. “Let me sign you up.”

“But I don’t have–”

“Who cares? Just write your name and sign. We can finish it tomorrow.” Cherilee tightened her grip. “You can’t escape from me now. Finally, after so much time, so many days of stress and a bet with Vice-principal Luna, I have someone to help me handle these annoying students.”

Lily took some steps away from her.

“Upss… did I said that out loud…?”

As their conversation progressed, so did the curiosity of three observers who were very aware of the new kid.

“Ya’ll heard that?” said a red-haired girl with light yellow skin and orange eyes. She wore a green blouse, blue jeans, orange boots, and a red ribbon on her hair.

She had a brown gauntlet in her left hand with the symbol of a green shield with a red heart on it.

“He can use all the facilities? That’s not fair!” An orange-skinned girl with messy, purple hair and eyes stared at Lily with narrowed eyes. She wore a black, zippered jacket with blue trim, green shorts, and gray knee-high boots.

On her left wrist, she had a gray bracelet with the symbol of a blue shield with a purple lightning on it.

“What facilities, the computers? There’s nothing else here, Scootaloo.” The last girl had white skin, green eyes, and grayish blue-and-magenta, curly hair. She wore a large, fuchsia jacket with short sleeves, a white undershirt with magenta stripes, a long, yellow skirt and fuchsia boots.

She had a dark purple belt with a buckle shaped like a fuchsia shield with a magenta eight-note on it.

“The computers and the book’s cart, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo pointed a finger to the cart next to Cherilee. “We can’t use it since that time when we dare Rainbow Dash to jump, remember?”

“When she jumped from the rooftop to the soccer field?” Sweetie Belle slowly shook her head. “She didn’t land very well…”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Pfft, who cares about a month in the hospital? She’s fulfilled every single dare on the Daring Dash Board, and she’ll do it again next month.”

“Girls, focus on the important here.” The red-haired girl turned off the computer they were using. “The new kid is the second one in charge here now.”

“What do you mean, Apple Bloom?” asked Scootaloo.

“Don’t you see it? These computers got all the fancy programs we need for our videos. And they’re completely free!”

Sweetie Belle crossed her arms as she looked down. “I know, but every time we use them, Miss Cherilee scold us. Being video bloggers is hard.”

“Not anymore. Listen to my master plan, ya’ll.” Apple Bloom wrapped her arms around her friends. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did the same, making a little circle. “With this new kid as her assistant, Miss Cherilee won’t be here all the time. So, if we become good friends with him, he won’t mind for what purpose we use the computers.”

“That makes sense,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Of course it makes sense; is one of mah plans!”

“That’s cool and all, but where’s the new guy?” asked Scootaloo.

The girls looked around all the library. They were alone. Apple Bloom ran to the door and saw how the new kid walked away.

Sweetie Belle ran behind her. “Can you see them?”

“A’h don’t see Miss Cherilee, but the new guy’s goin’ to the main lobby.”

“Awesome, we can give him a tour around the school!” Scootaloo rushed out the library.

“There isn’t a better way to make a good first impression.” Sweetie Belle followed Scootaloo outside.

“Hey, wait for me!”

One of the books on the second floor fell from a bookshelf and sunk in the darkness of the shadow a hooded figure left behind. The figure walked between the bookshelves, breaking the silence with the sound of his hooves. His red hands grabbed a book with the image of the school on the cover. “Finally, you and your stupid brother, Tirek, will pay for what you did to me, Scorpan.”

A crowd of colorful students walked around the main lobby, each one of them minding their own business, Lily one of them. He was focused on the collection of golden trophies the school proudly displayed. Beside of color, most of the trophies shared name: Rainbow Dash.

Lily turned around to leave, but one of the girls he saw in the library – the red-haired one – was right on his way.

“Gonna eat?” she asked.

“Umm… yeah, I was looking for the cafeteria.”

“I know; we heard your conversation with Miss Cherilee.” She came closer to him and shook his hand. “I’m Apple Bloom, and those two beside you are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” The other girls waved their hands at him. “And we are the guides that will take ya around the school.”

Lily crossed his arms. “Don’t you know it’s wrong to listen to other people’s conversation?”

Apple Bloom gave him a cocky smile. “Kinda, but we know you wanna find the cafeteria. And that’s the place we’re goin’ to take you now. No need to thanks us.”

“I’ll go with you if you promise never again spying on me, all right?”

The girls let out a collective “Yay!”.

“Follow mah lead!”

Scootaloo patted Lily’s shoulder as she passed by his side. “You gonna love our school, Lily.”

Sweetie Belle followed her. “I like flowers too.”

Exploding lamps, creatures from another world, and now spies. This school has a bit of everything.

The newly formed group walked through the school’s hallways as the girls told Lily where everything was. When they saw the cafeteria, Scootaloo stopped and made Lily look to the door that leads to the computer lab.

“What’s wrong with that place?” asked Lily.

“When you get in there, all the computers turn on at the same time. The image of a black crystal appears on every screen…” Apple Bloom swallowed. “And when you open the door to leave… you get caught in yer worst nightmare.”

That caught Lily off guard. “Okay, that’s creepy…”

“I hate that place!” Sweetie Belle turned to Lily. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I–”

“Hard to believe, but I’ve seen a couple of things that make me believe it.”

Scootaloo opened the cafeteria’s doors. “You don’t say…” The girls exchanged serious looks. “Come in, new kid.”

The group grabbed a tray and went in front of the food that smelled so good that Lily’s drool tried to escape from his mouth. Apple Bloom took two apples, a sandwich, and a glass of milk. Sweetie Belle took a vegetable salad and emptied the bowl into a bowl with fruit salad, all of that with cheese; recipe that Lily didn’t know was edible. Scootaloo was fine with a hotdog and orange juice. And Lily took a spaghetti bowl, pineapple juice and some fries.

“And now we came here for our apple,” said Apple Bloom as the lunch lady gave her an apple.

“You must eat at least one apple every day!” Sweetie Belle took her apple and moved aside.

Scootaloo did the same. “School’s rules.”

It was now Lily’s turn to receive his apple, then he saw who the lunch lady was. “Granny Smith! Thanks again for helping me find the principal’s office.”

Behind the bar was an elder woman with green skin, orange eyes and pale hair tied into a bun. She wore a pale yellow shirt with a white apron over it, a red skirt, and an orange bandana around her shoulders with an apple pattern. “Aww, it was nothing, young ‘un.”

“Ya knmow my gawndma?” asked Apple Bloom as she chewed a piece of apple, spitting it all over Lily’s face.

A door behind Granny Smith opened as a tan girl with a face decorated with some freckles came in, bringing a box of apples with her. She let it beside Granny Smith. “Here are the rest of the apples, Granny.” She took off her Stetson and fanned her face with it.

She wore a two-colored shirt; green on the neck and the rest white, a denim skirt with a belt with an apple buckle, and brown, knee-high boots with three apples on the front.

The girl took an apple and jumped over the food bar. She brushed her blond hair off her face and brought her green eyes to Apple Bloom’s. “Howdy, girls, what’s up?”

“Hi, sis, he’s Lily, a new guy. Lily, she’s mah sister, Applejack.”

“New apple on the tree, eh? Don’t worry, we are very friendly here at CHS. If you ever need help for anything, just give me a shout.” Taking another bite of her apple, Applejack left the cafeteria.

The group sat at a table in a corner where they could talk without being interrupted. Apple Bloom, who was sitting next to Lily, slipped a piece of paper in front of him.

Mirages List
–Whole school: presence of fairies with pony aspect. Check girls’ bathroom.
–Library’s second floor: living bookshelves.
–Main lobby: endless spiral stairs to the nonexistent basement.
–The ghost fourth and fifth floor: we need more info.
–Hallways: gazillions of electro-moths.
–Vice-Principal’s office: hidden secret door.
–Computer lab: DO NOT GO THERE.
–School’s statue: it’s alive.
–Principal’s office: something about the mirror.
–Cafeteria: something about “cute bugs”. Ask Fluttershy.
–Hallways: the lockers thief.

Sweetie Belle ate a slice of pineapple wrapped in lettuce leafs and said, “These are the Mirages we know so far.”

“The who?” asked Lily with a spaghetti hanging from his mouth.

“Mirages. They are strange phenomena that take place here in CHS. We call them that because they are like an illusion in which you get trapped. Once inside, nobody can see you or hear you.”

Lily wiped some juice from his lips. “Wait, wait, wait, why would be the school open with such dangerous things around? What do teachers say about that?”

The girls stared at Lily for a while in complete silence. They burst into laughter until tears came from their eyes. Scootaloo punched the table. “You’re funny, new kid. How could Pinkie and Trixie do something dangerous to us?”

A canon exploded beneath a blue-skinned girl, filling her pale blue hair with confetti and streamers. The girl stood up as she shouted, “Pinkie Pie! This is the eight time you ruin Trixie’s food!”

Sweetie Belle wiped a tear from her eyes. “See what we mean? The Mirages are just one of the crazy things they make. This is all a game.”

“You should have seen what they did when classes started.” Scootaloo lifted her arms. “They pulled out a lot of amazing tricks with all sorts of galaxies and stars they projected inside of the gym! We so have to record it next time!”

Lily bit his fork as he scouted the room. Pinkie Pie... she isn´t here

What he fought on the library couldn’t have been prepared in any way by just a girl. Then again, why she was there, and how did she knew how to escape? There were some pieces that didn’t fit in this puzzle yet.

“One question, why three girls like–”

“We are the Crusaders!” they shouted with determination and a fist in the air.

“We gonna find these Mirages and film a couple of videos for our channel!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“They all gonna get super viral!” said Scootaloo.

“Videos? How many of them you have?”

A grin crept into Apple Bloom’s face as she wrapped an arm around Lily’s neck. “None for now. We had to find some Mirages first; this is our first month in CHS, you know? Now it’s time to film ‘em. But that’s kinda hard for the tree of us only. We need someone tall and with blue hair to help us with the camera.” She winked at her friends.

“Flash Sentry?” That comment earned Sweetie Belle a slap on the back of her head from Scootaloo.

If Lily stays close to them, he can get all the news about the Mirages ipso facto. He can also protect them if something goes wrong. Maybe these three could be more helpful than he thought. “My hair was still part blue last time I looked myself into a mirror.”

“Say no more!” Apple Bloom submerged a finger on her milk and painted a white cross on Lily’s forehead. “Welcome to our crusade, cameraman.”

“We got him fooled,” whispered Scootaloo to Sweetie Belle, who started chuckling.

Lily bit his apple. “Know something? You three remind me of Daring Do.”

At the speed of sound, a blue girl with rainbow hair came to their table and slammed her hands on it. “Who said something about Daring Do!?” Her rough introduction and the sound of the impact surprised everyone and made Lily fall from his chair, earning the laughs of the whole cafeteria. “Whoops, you’re okay, dude? That sure hurts.”

Lily stood up as he rubbed his head. “Gahh, what a headshot…” A bit dizzy, he lifted the chair and sat again.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” The girl took a chair from other table and sat beside Lily, nailing her cerise eyes on him. “Spill the beans!”

She wore a white shirt with the image of a cloud with a blue-yellow-red thunder bolt, a short-sleeved, blue jacket over it, a white-and-blue skirt, rainbow knee-high socks, blue-and-white slippers, and rainbow wristbands. A strong scent of vanilla followed her wherever she went.

Lily took a sip of his juice. “What beans?”

The rainbow-haired girl slammed a hand on the table again. “Daring Do of course! What do you know about the new book?”

“What book? I’ll never miss the announcement of a new book.”

“Daring Do and the Curse of Trotsylvania,” sighed Scootaloo as she looked at Rainbow Dash with half-lidded eyes.

“What’re you talking about? I got that one since last week. Breathtaking, by the way.” Lily’s eyes widened as much as they could when he realized how much he messed it up: that book was supposed to be released here in two weeks. He just used his magic to warp a sweet first edition directly to his collection.

“You have the book!?” four feminine voices shouted in chorus.

“Y-yeah, a… friend of mine works at the edit–”

The blue girl grabbed his hands. “Listen, I don’t know you, you don’t know me, but you really, really, really have to let me read that book! I’ll do anything you want!” She threw herself from the chair and hugged his stomach, her head fell on his lap. “I’ve been waiting for it the whole summer! I need to have it in my hands! You have to let me read it!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll let you read it, but get on your feet; people is staring!” hissed Lily as he waved a hand at a girl with red hair with yellow streaks that passed by his side.

She got up and wrapped her hands around his neck. “Awesome! Finally, I’ll know what happens in that castle!” She let him go and sat down with her hands squeezing her checks into a weird duck face.

Lily pointed a fry to the girl. “The book is a first edition. You have to be extremely careful with it.” Three pairs of twinkling eyes fell on him, making him groan. “When she finishes it, you can have it.”

“Yay!” shouted the trio in perfect synchronization.

“What’s your name, newbie? Mine’s Rainbow Dash, the coolest girl in school, but you can call me just Rainbow.”

“Oh, so you’re Rainbow Dash. Name’s Holylight Ray, new kid in school, but you can call me just Lily.”

Rainbow put a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “A fan, eh? You’re cool, new kid. I’d like to get to know you better. Wanna an autograph?”

“Autograph?”

Rainbow stole him a fry. “As soon as you give me the book.”

Lily pulled the fries away from the rainbow-haired thief as he frowned at her, but the other girls snatched the rest of the fries, leaving the plate shining clean.

Apple Bloom lick some ketchup from her finger. “What? Weren’t for all of us?”

Lily stared at the empty plate. “Why all the new kids get their lunches stolen?”

“Oh, there you are, Rainbow Dash.” A yellow-skinned girl walked to the table. She wore a white top, green skirt with three white-and-pink butterflies, green knee-high boots, and a white butterfly clip on her long, pink hair. “Hi, Rainbow Dash. Hi, girls. Hi…”

Rainbow pulled Lily closer to her. “Lily.”

The girl smiled. “Hi, Lily.” She gave Rainbow a book she took out from her yellow backpack.

“You sure are happy today, Fluttershy.” Rainbow grabbed the book.

The girl’s turquoise eyes sparkled as she hugged her backpack. “Today I’ve handed over five animal shelter fliers. I’m so happy!”

“Awesome. Why don’t you take one, Lily?”

“An animal shelter? Sure, why not?”

Fluttershy’s face lit up as she gave him the flier. She put a hand on her mouth. “Oh my gosh! This is the sixth one. I’m so happy I could, I could… Yay!” Zipping up her backpack, she rushed toward the doors. “Gotta tell Angel!”

Rainbow lifted from her chair. “I’d better go with her to make sure she doesn’t end hit by a car.” She gave Lily a look before leaving.

Lily groaned. “I’ll bring you the book tomorrow.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow waved a hand at them and went out the dining room.

Scootaloo sighed as she watched Rainbow walk away. “She’s so cool…”

Lily drank what was left of his juice as he read the flier. Maybe he could pay it a visit this weekend to play with some animals. He took out his cell phone. “Time to go.”

“You can’t leave before we’re done showing you all the school. You could get lost,” said Apple Bloom.

“I’ll be fast. Pleeeaaase?” begged Sweetie Belle with a pair of twinkling puppy eyes that could stop a war.

Lily lifted from his chair before they did effect. “Listen: what if tomorrow after class we include the city to that tour? I need someone who show me the coolest places around. What do you say?”

Apple Bloom grabbed her chin as he thought. “Fine by me. But one last thing before you go.” She snatched Lily’s phone from his hand and put their numbers in it, opened Lily’s MyStable account and sent a friend request to each one of them, and she also subscribed him to their channel: The Last Crusade. All that in half a second.

Lily took the opportunity to ask her for a number.

Hello, Pinkie Pie on the phone.

Lily sat on the stairs in front of the school’s entry. “Hi, Pinkie Pie. It’s Lily, the guy you met at the library, remember me?”

Of course I do! I remember everything about everyone, like when you got your kidney removed, remember? I was holding your hand and telling you to push until the cry of a newborn filled us with bliss. What can I do for you?

“What the… Never mind, I need to talk with you about what happened in the library.”

Pinkie’s voice turned serious. You’re dealing with forces you can’t comprehend, neither can I, neither they can comprehend themselves. But my other me told me you could be of help for us. Meet me at Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow at midnight. Bring cupcakes or she could get mad.

Pinkie hung up.

At midnight? That was, by far, the weirdest girl he has ever met, but she was the key to decipher the mystery.

Everything in this place was so weird, it’s not strange that the portal to Equestria is here. Speaking of Equestria, in front of Lily was the statue of the school: Canterlot, the Mare of the Lake. She was standing on her hind legs on a marble block with a mirror on each side. One of those mirrors was a portal that connected both worlds. But that wasn’t the mirror that interested Lily.

Lily glanced around; he was alone. He walked to the mirror on the horse’s left and pressed his hand against it – his reflection never appeared. A force grabbed his hand and yanked him inside of the mirror. Lily tried to resist, but the mirror swallowed him like a vacuum cleaner.

The mirror took Lily out of a crystal column trapped by countless vines on the middle of a circular room with twelve cracked mirrors. He fell on his knees, splashing water all over his clothes. A golden clock with only a hand served as a roof. The whole floor was covered with a cold water that went into Lily’s shoes, freezing his feet. Only small, shining orbs floating around gave a dimming light to the room. Graveyards had more life than this place

“Welcome to the Sanctuary of Harmony, or what’s left of it,” said a masculine, elder voice.

“Scorpan?” Lily circled the pillar, splashing water with each step.

“I’m glad to see you three,” said the gargoyle.

Gargoyles have humanoid body with lion mane and tail plus a set of bat wings. Scorpan was covered with brown hair and wore a golden armor and the crown that once belonged to his father.

“Any luck trying to communicate with Radiant Hope.”

Lily tapped his pendant. “No, sometimes I think she is the one sleeping instead of Amore.”

“Princess Amore, show her some respect, will you?”

Lily waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. But after twelve years letting both of them parasite me, I think a bond as born.”

Scorpan shook his head. “Sometimes I forget how annoying you are.” Comment that Lily replied with a smile.

A purple-blue-white-yellow-orange-pink glow ran down the pillar taking both of them by surprise. The glow reached the water and went into the mirrors, repairing the one below the number one. The duo came closer to the mirror without say a word, looking at their reflection.

The more Lily saw himself in the mirror, the lighter his body felt. He even thought for a second he was floating.

The figure of a pony joined his reflection. “Holylight Ray, you are finally here.”

Lily turned to see the pony. To his surprise, Scorpan wasn’t at his side. A complete darkness filled the new room where he was now.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“Do not worry. My name is Smart Cookie,” said a grey and lifeless mare. “I am one of the six founders of Equestria, and I have been waiting for your arrival. Come with me.” She turned around and walked through a door that materialized in front of her.

On the other side of the door, was a bright room where Lily could see a garden filled with white flowers. That image gave him the confidence to pass through the door into a room enclosed by ivory walls. Only roses grew on the dry lawn, but they had no aroma and its touch was rough to his fingers, like if they were made of sand. A weeping willow grew under a huge chandelier, borrowing its shadow to a group of ponies that celebrated a picnic. All of them without color nor Cutie Mark.

Smart Cookie joined the group and asked Lily to accompany her.

“Don’t be afraid, join us,” said a unicorn with straight mane and tail. “My name is Clover, and I’m glad we finally meet, Holylight Ray.”

Lily walked in complete silence toward the six ponies – two members of each race. They looked way too similar to the ponies that founded Equestria years ago. Scorpan used to tell him stories about these six ponies, who joined the three races of ponies before the time of the alicorn princesses.

Lily had forgotten how much the Equestrian ponies resembled humans. They were nothing like the ponies he was used to see. They have the size of a Golden Retriever, and their faces were like the human ones, but with pointy ears and small muzzles. Stallions had large muzzles, and the mares had it smaller, like if they had funny, square noses.

“Do not be shy, come here,” said the other unicorn. “My name is Platinum.”

Lily sat beside her and an earth pony that had a smile wider than her face, which was millimeters away from Lily’s.

“This is the first time I have a Holylight Ray so close.” She wore a weird hat shaped like a pudding with her grey mane stylized as the frosting.

“Calm down, Puddinghead.” A pegasus offered Lily a muffin. “Here, take it.”

Before Lily could take the muffin, the only stallion in the group grabbed it with one of his wings. “Soldiers don’t eat muffins, Pansy!” He aimed his lifeless eyes at Lily. “I hope you’re ready to swallow what’s coming over you.” The rigidity of his voice and his bald head reminded Lily of a sergeant from his old school.

The muffin flight from his wing to Lily’s hands enveloped by Platinum’s silver magic. “Maybe soldiers do not, Hurricane, but paladins do. You can eat it, love.”

Lily took a bite of the muffin letting it rustle in his mouth, spreading its vanilla flavor all over his tongue. “It’s good!”

“Glad you liked it,” said Clover. “But the reason you’re here is not for eating. One journey ends, and another one begins. The unicorn inside of that pendant ventured like a phantom to the most inhospitable regions of Equestria and managed to restore Amore’s body. Now it’s your time to take the torch and go alone.”

“Alone? Without Hope I can’t use magic.”

“Trust me, you will be fine.” Clover put her cup aside. “Platinum, please, give me a hoof.”

The horns of the unicorns lit with their respective glows – golden for Clover and silver for Platinum. The glow engulfed the chandelier and a magic beam descended to Lily’s pendant.
The beam stopped making Lily feel a heat in his chest that made his throat burn like if he had eaten ten jalapeños. Puddinghead offered him some tea to ease his pain.

Pansy came to his side and put one of her soft hooves on his shoulder. “How do you feel?”

Lily cleared his throat. “I’m fine. But how I’m going to use magic now.”

“Easy,” said Hurricane, “the same way pegasi beat clouds: using your own strength.”

A neigh broke the peace among the ponies. Three white horses came out of a pond at a corner of the room. Each one brought something in its mouth: a sword, a halberd, and a kite shield. The skin of the horses fell from their bodies as they walked toward the ponies.

“What’s that!?” asked Lily.

“Corpses,” said Smart Cookie, “they carry something that chaos abhors.”

Like if their forces were being drained, the horses rotted as they collapsed to the ground in a deformed mass of flesh and bones, but they keep crawling toward Lily. He and the ponies stood quiet as they looked how the horses crawled all the way through them. When they were close to the tree, a purple fire consumed them until nothing more than the weapons remained.

The sword had a silver blade connected to a black gun handle with a trigger. Lily’s Cutie Mark was engraved on the handle.

The shield was skillfully crafted like wings that wrapped around Lily’s Cutie Mark.

The halberd was a massive weapon that had double-edged scythe blade on one side, a partisan head at its end, and a battle-axe blade on the other side. Lily’s Cutie Mark was engraved on it.

The weapons turned into orbs of light that went inside of Lily’s pendant. A torrent of light burst out from his hand and turned into the sword. Lily clenched his fist around its padded handle as he watched speechless to its blade.

“Those are your new tools,” said Hurricane.

Puddinghead jumped behind Lily’s back. “That’s a twinkleslasher!”

Clover cleared throat. “Hornsword. That is how Star Swirl baptized it.”

Lily pointed up and squeezed the trigger. A luminous bullet came out from the blade’s tip the same way a magic comes out from unicorns’ horns. “I can do magic whit this!?”

“That magic doesn’t belong to you,” said Hurricane. “Have you heard about the Siege of Trot?”

“Of course, that’s one of my favorite Equestrians stories. I’m a fan of the Channeling Queen.”

Hurricane smiled. “Glad to hear that, ‘cause those weapons are made with the parts of her body that she lost in that battle.”

With a deadpan expression, Lily put the sword aside and rubbed his hand on his pants. Puddinghead giggled and started munching Lily’s hair.

Clover held the sword in her hooves. “Those were forged by Star Swirl himself with the silver-like ore left behind by the Secretariat Comet, wood from the Harmony Tree, and the exoskeleton of Chrysalis. The magic the hornsword shoots belongs to her.”

“They will help you fight those things that lurk in this school,” said Pansy.

“The Mirages? What are those things?” asked Lily.

“I will try to explain it,” said Smart Cookie. “This sanctuary exists to maintain the balance between both worlds. It was built by Star Swirl using the combined magic of the twenty-two most powerful relics on Equestria. However, two years ago, a superior force awakened and destroyed the balance: The Elements of Harmony. The sanctuary used the magic of the relics to equalize both worlds. But it failed. Its destruction brought with it what you call Mirages: the relics consumed by the deepest chaos. A chaos so powerful that it was able to equalize with the elements.”

“Then I just have to find this world’s elements, right?” asked Lily.

Clover shook her head. “The elements don’t exist in this world. Fortunately, the sanctuary is weak and the Mirages aren’t able to spread beyond the school. I’m sure the princess’s love has enough strength to restore the balance. Save her is your priority. Now that Hope’s magic sleeps, they shouldn’t attack you unless you summon those weapons. Magic is what drags them.”

Lily picked up the hornsword. Puddinghead couldn’t resist the temptation and gave it a good lick to the blade. “Tastes like channeling!”

The sword vanished in a mass of light.

Lily took Puddinghead and sat her on his legs, where he caressed the soft fur of her back. She giggled and nuzzled on Lily’s belly. Puddinghead felt like a jumbo-size, stuffed animal that never stops laughing.

“One question. If the sanctuary is corrupted, how can I awake Princess Amore?”

“When you came into this sanctuary, you saw twelve mirrors. Inside of every one of them lays a fountain with the power of wash away any curse; something close to impossible by a third-party. Twelve fountains, twelve labors to gain access to them. Many heroes have forged legends around them. I can say no more,” explained Smart Cookie.

Platinum put one of her hooves on Lily’s shoulder. “You should not rush, love. Go home and relax for the rest of the day. You have all the time of the world to take care of those mirrors.”

“The first days in the barracks are difficult, son, but you’ll get over it… or you’ll die trying, it’s up to you,” said Hurricane indifferently.

Lily carefully took off Puddinghead and stood up. He wanted to end this conversation by all means. “I think it’s enough for today. Where do I get out of here?”

Pansy pointed to the door that led into an infinite darkness. “All straight.”

Lily said his goodbyes to the ponies and passed through the door, closing it behind him. He had a lot to think about, and he wanted to do it alone.

As soon as the door closed, the ivory walls cracked. The earth shook and shattered below the ponies as the roof fell in pieces. A layer of stone covered the founders who remained still with a dark smile on their faces. The flowers slowly twisted and withered as the little world died.

“Holylight Ray…” Clover´s voice turned into a metallic screech. The shell of stone cracked, revealing a mass of darkness with a serrated, red smile. “You will feed us for eternity.”

Chapter 2: Hail to the Nightmare

“Scorpan, where are you?” Lily’s voice echoed around the ruins of the sanctuary. His only company was his reflection, repeated countless times in the endless mirrors. Scorpan was nowhere to be found. If he wasn’t here that means he was outside, with the students. Lily can’t let that idiot get seen.

Lily jumped through the mirror on the pillar and came out from the school’s statue. The sun greeted him with its feeble rays. He filled his lungs with fresh air and let it out to relax a bit. There was no trace of Scorpan. Unconsciously, his hands reached for the pendant. He couldn’t believe Scorpan left him alone here.

“I thought you would never come out,” said a woman in front of the school, making Lily flinch.

She threw up the black cloak that covered her tall, slender figure – head and a half taller than Lily. It flied to the sky as it expanded, slowly covering its entire immensity. Stars birthed within it, illuminating bit by bit the black sky. But it wasn’t until a gigantic, silver moon appeared that Lily could see the creature in front of him.

Her fangs shone in a proud smile in her small muzzle. “Feel honored, The Queen of the Night stands before you.”

Lily felt his heartbeats when he heard the tittle she used. “N-Nightmare Moon!?”

Nightmare Moon’s mane and tail, crafted with the night-sky itself, undulated ethereally around her. Parts of her body were covered with a navy blue armor that left room for her colossal, jet black wings. A belt with hanging pieces of cloth barely covered her hips. Nothing of her voluptuous curves was left to imagination. The symbol on her prominent hips was at full display: a purple night-sky with a blue crescent moon.

Her piercing, cyan eyes traced her own body. “All men put the same face you have when they look at me.”

The winged amazon rose in the air, lifting a huge amount of wind with each flutter. Her long horn lit with a cyan glow that illuminated the crown behind it – right between her pony ears.

Lily stared at her, petrified.

“That weak mirror wasn’t able to turn me into a human, so I took the liberty of play a bit with my body.”

“That’s impossible, the princesses vanished you to the moon!”

“Princesses? I think you are confused. Doesn’t matter, what I need from you is not your knowledge, but your loyalty.”

Lily clenched his fists. “I have nothing to do with a dark creature like you!”

“I’m a Queen! If I want something I just take it.” Nightmare Moon adopted a softer tone. “I’ve been in this world for over a year. I just want some company.” She landed and showed him the back of her hand. “Come here, show me some chivalry.”

Lily summoned his hornsword and shot right on her hand. The bullet passed through her like she was a shadow in the mist of the night.

Nightmare Moon let out a sight of resignation. “I don’t know why Amore parasites a fool like you. How stupid do you have to be to give up the magic in you?”

Her horn conjured a barrage of cyan lightning to Lily. The sword vanished as he summoned his shield. The lightning struck against it. With a yank of the shield, Lily deflected her attack.

His hand quivered after such a powerful attack. Looks like I can only use one weapon at the time…

Lily looked to his opponent as all his hopes fled in terror. An alicorn. Climax of evolution. Perfection made flesh. Only a fool or a dead man will dare to confront them. Even so, there is no other way out for him. He clenched his teeth and stabbed her with his eyes.

Lily ran to her, his sword back in his hand, ready to slice her jugular.

Nightmare Moon warped in front of him, making Lily hit her armor. She barely felt the clash. One of her hands grabbed Lily’s shirt and threw him up twenty meter away from the ground.

The stars were engulfed by Nightmare Moon’s magic and one by one they went to him.

Lily summoned his shield.

The stars collided with the shield, exploding at contact. The succession of explosion brought Lily down to the ground. His back was crushed against the ground. His body was exposed to an intermittent rain of stars that exploded when they touched him. Each star burned his skin like blazing coals.

Lily’s decadent figure rose from the hole, wincing in pain. Without delay, his hornsword was in his hand. Four luminous bullets flew toward the alicorn. Nightmare Moon’s body turned into mist. All the bullets passed through her.

She slowly walked toward Lily as her body materialized. Lily summoned the halberd and prepared the axe blade to slice her head. The distances shortened and Lily swung the weapon. Nightmare Moon turned into a mist that flowed behind him.

She grabbed Lily’s forearm. “See? Without magic, you are defenseless.”

She applied a bit of her strength. The bone broke like if an elephant had stepped on it. Lily let out a cry of pain that inspired Nightmare Moon to pull his arm until it separated from the shoulder joint.

She warped to the roof and said indifferently, “That’s your punishment for trying to hurt your queen. Desist now!”

The pain knocked Lily to his knees. His bones were nothing but splinters. His whole arm shivered. The skin below his gauntlet was inflamed and purple. He tried to move his arm, but it seemed like if it wasn’t part of his body.

Lily lifted his agonizing gaze to the queen. She was looking at him like if he was a broken toy. He bit his lips in an attempt to contain his anger. That bitch is going to pay!

“Heal that easy for me, but you–”

“Shut up!”

All the veins in Nightmare Moon’s neck were about to explode. “How you dare to interrupt me!?”

Thunders joined the shout of the alicorn as a thick mist rose around the campus. The mist flowed as it adopted the bizarre form of a mixture of animal parts joined by intestines and vertebrae. Vulture wings, crocodile heads, giraffe necks, spider eyes, elephant tusks. The mist adopted an infinity of twisted shapes.

A giant blue whale tail came out from the mist and fell above Lily. He avoided it rolling to his left. But the shooting pain in his whole body made him fall.

A human vertebral column came out from the tail. At the other end, a hippopotamus head opened its huge mouth to catch Lily with a set of fangs as big as him.

The hippopotamus sunk its fangs in Lily’s body. With him in its grip, the vertebrae tossed themselves straight to the school and crushed him against the wall. Nightmare Moon’s horn lit the stars on the heaven. All of them came down to him at the same time. The school couldn’t resist the explosions and collapsed over Lily.

With a flash of her horn, Lily’s agonizing figure appeared in front of Nightmare Moon. His clothes moved like if they were liquid, fixing themselves and swallowing the blood that bathed Lily’s body. Drops of blood escaped from his mouth as he coughed madly, twisting in pain on the floor. His vision was turning darker, his body colder.

Nightmare Moon watched how Lily struggled to breathe as he twisted like a snake. “I decide between life and death. Every word that comes out of my mouth is worth more than anything you can imagine. Never interrupt me again.”

A ray of light descended from the moon to Lily. The light caressed his body, warming it. His wounds closed. His right arm was completely restored. Lily felt a fraternal warmth inside of his chest.

“You would not have suffered that much if you had not dropped your magic.”

Hold on a sec, Lily lost Hope’s magic but not Amore’s. He slowly rose to his feet to see the alicorn’s eyes closer. The false generosity of this monster would never touch him. She was a menace for him and the entire world.

Lily pointed a finger at her. “Let’s end this.”

A waterfall of light burst out from Lily’s pendant. In front of him appeared the Crystal Heart, relic among the relics, which had answered the call of its princess. It cracked and broke releasing a blue light that expanded beyond the black sky. The light became an aurora that covered the sky with a curtain of colors that danced between the stars and made the moon shine in a rainbow of lights.

Nightmare Moon looked open-mouthed to the beauty her night had become.

Seven shards came out from the heart, one for each color of the rainbow. They went behind Lily. A black orb came out from the alicorn’s chest and joined with the shards behind Lily. A light enveloped them and transformed them into eight crystal swords that presented themselves the same way a peacock opens its tail.

“It’s over,” said Lily in a burst of confidence.

The black sword ran to her. Nightmare Moon stood still, waiting for the sword with a confident grin, her body already immaterializing.

The sword buried in her neck.

Her eyes came down as they quivered. Her neck had been cut and a stream of blood slid down her armor. The sword exploded in hundreds of shards that buried in her eyes. She tried to cry but the crystals split her trachea apart. The blood kept flowing incessantly.

Before her horn could lit, the red sword flew to her and cut her horn. Nightmare Moon fell on her knees as she pressed a hand on her neck.

The green and blue swords went behind her and plunged into the muscles between her wings and back, their explosion holed her wings. The last four swords joined in flight toward her armor. They clashed against her chest, sending the dying alicorn against a tree.

The battle was over. The almighty Queen of the Night has been defeated.

Lily panted with his hands on his knees. All his energy had been consumed by the aurora. Use the power of Princess Amore always pushes him to the limits. But as long as he has that, no matter what sort of aberrations lies in this school, nothing will stop him.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, only to see something in front of him: a smiling Nightmare Moon.

Lily slowly opened his eyes, regaining conscience. He tried to move, but his body didn’t respond. Once his head cleared, he noticed his hands and legs were glued to a window above the school’s entry by Nightmare Moon’s magic.

Lying her back on the school statue, Nightmare Moon looked at him with the eyes of a mother when she wakes up her son. “Did you sleep well?”

“This is impossible! I saw you die!”

“I’m such a drama queen, aren’t I?” Nightmare Moon walked closer to him. “The only reason I let live a menace like you is because I plan to use you. Now I’m going to let you go and you’re going to be quiet. Understood?”

Amore’s magic had failed him! Lily was in shock. Nightmare Moon had more power than the Crystal Heart. His mind was completely blank…

There is no way to defeat an alicorn.

Some seconds of silence passed before Lily lowered his head. “Fine… you win.”

Nightmare Moon warped him in front of her. She brought her face closer to Lily’s ear. “Excellent,” she whispered, electrifying Lily’s spine.

She hugged him and stroked his hair as she slightly pressed his head against her armor. “Look up,” she said with a tender voice. “Look how your magic beautifies my night. Soon it will be admired for all eternity.”

“That won’t be there for long.”

The aurora that painted the sky slowly disappeared, leaving the moon illuminate the world with its silver light.

“Oh, pity.”

Lily tried to leave Nightmare Moon’s grip, but she pressed him harder against her.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you enjoy my company?”

“What do you want from me?” he growled.

“I need some help to get a certain item. Even if these Mirages dare to take me into their twisted reality, they don’t have the bravery to reveal themselves to me. I want you to dive into the chaos and retrieve something I long for: The Amulet of the Alicorn.”

Nightmare Moon put a finger on Lily’s chin and lifted his head until their eyes met. “I have something that will help you.”

She broke the hug and took some steps back. Her horn lit up as her eyes turned completely white. An orb of cyan light came out of her horn and went to Lily. The orb came inside of him, making him levitate. A strong light came from Lily’s pendant as he descended gently to the ground. A warm, pleasant sensation ran through his body.

Lily explored his body with his hands. “What was that!?”

“I’ve given you some of my power in exchange of your loyalty. That way you won’t be killed that easily. Serve me well, and I may consider give you… more.”

The moon disappeared while the sun consumed the artificial mantle that covered the sky.

Nightmare Moon’s horn covered her whole body with magic until she adopted the form of a human. Her armor turned into a white blouse, black heeled-boots and a black mini-skirt that let part of her Cutie Mark exposed.

“You turned into a human!”

“My magic as no limits. Besides, I rather not to show my horn and wings when I’m outside a Mirage. I have a reputation as a teacher, you know?” She walked up the stairs. “Once you had wiped the drool off your mouth, you should leave, it’s getting late. And the Mirage is about to disappear.”

“Wait, I wanna ask–”

“Not now, I’m tired and I have to take care of the students in detention. Just make sure to remember that from now on you are The Paladin of the Eternal Night, my personal guard,” she said mockingly as she walked into the school.

What could he say or do in a situation like this? He slowly turned around to the statue of the mare that now was sitting, staring at him with her lifeless eyes. “What the hell is wrong with this school?”

As the day returned, so did the students. They materialized of shadows that emerged from the ground and walked around like they always do. Everyone passed by Lily and the statue, without noticing how the mare looked at each one of them. When the sky took the reddish color of the afternoon, the mare adopted its original position. Lily gawked at the bizarre show, earning the stares of some students.

He sighed. This isn’t what I signed for.

Lily had no choice but to go home for today. Tomorrow will be a new day…

A rainbow of red to brown decorated the well-kept houses around Lily. The whole street he walked was impregnated by the smell of the hundreds of pumpkins that grew in front of every house. Lily would give anything for one of his mom’s freshly-baked pumpkin pies right now. He was on his way home, following his phone’s GPS as he tried to recover from the traumatic experience he had been through.

Who is crazy enough to hire Nightmare Moon, terror of Equestria, as a teacher? Though, you have to be even crazier to fight her… What is she doing in Canterlot City in the first place?

On the good side, Lily now has an evil mistress looking after his back. She even gave him a part of her infinite power. As long as he does what she wants, he will be safe. Still, goodbye freedom.

After four minutes walking from school, Lily met a street filled with houses that could be easily mistaken by mansions. His new home was in front of him. Vines wrapped around the columns of the porch, giving the house an elegant touch. Some more plants at the entrance and it will be perfect. Using his new keys, Lily opened the door and came inside.

White and red were the colors that adorned the house, plus a floor made of glossy black tiles. The whole house was painted white while the walls were decorated with paintings of sunsets and red flowers that matched with the color of the plinths. The succulent pine aroma filled every corner.

The living room was full of luxurious furniture that invited Lily to walk the red carpet to a paradise of comfort. From there, he could see the dining room where a large, ebony table with ten chairs was. Eat there will surely make him feel lonely. The coach in front of the fireplace and the TV of the size of the whole wall was a better place to eat. His old grand piano, full of scrapes and scratches, reposed quiet next to a bookshelf where his collection of Daring Do’s books was. Both things where in perfect shape, so everything was fine. Lily should thank his uncles for the good work they have done with the house. It looked just like a five-star hotel’s penthouse.

Lily sat down on the couch that sank his body into its white softness. He put his feet on the coffee table and took out his cell phone to call Filthy Rich, his uncle. But it was his aunt, Spoiled Rich, who answered.

Lily, my baby! What take you so long?

“Problems at the airport. Thanks for taking care of the house.”

You will love how I decorated it. Oh, I also made sure the yard was clean for your garden. Just don’t bath in the pool. The temperatures are going down and I do not want you to get sick.

Lily picked up the remote and turned on the TV to do some zapping. “Thanks, auntie.”

I’m attending some business with my husband, honey, I have to hang up. Once we have returned, we will pay you a visit. Filthy told me to remember you that you have a match next Thursday. Take care of your cousin while we are out, okay? Oh, and don’t let her eat that disgusting public school’s food. Bye, sweetie.

Lily hung up and turned off the TV. It was getting late and the fridge was empty. If he doesn’t want to die of hunger, he would have to get food. So before his body and the couch fused, Lily left his home.

As he went into the city, the houses were being replaced by huge buildings and skyscrapers. A lot of people came out of nowhere, crowding around him. All the loud conversation and noises reminded him of his old home – only the casinos were missing.

Canterlot City was like an onion. Not that it looked like one, but it was made up of layers. The first one was the outskirts where farms and crops abounded. The second layer was the rural zone that increased its status the closer it was to the center. Then, the industrial area. And finally, the heart of the city: The Crystal Boulevard, and, in the epicenter of the city, stood the Crystal Palace, home of President Discord.

Lily went into a supermarket and bought enough food to survive the whole week. As he walked to the cash machine, he saw a magazine where his mother appeared. It was the three-months-ago edition of the Dancing Mares comedy magazine. That issue had a mini top ten of the milfs that have left an apple on the Fame Tree in Applewood. Lily searched for the woman in fifth position.

Pink Heart aka The Nemea Lion, the queen of the ring. Mother of two at age of nineteen. Famous fighter who dominated the ring and crowned herself as the female MMA world champion with only twenty-two years. Not happy with this, she also got the belt in tree more different fighting disciplines. Her victories opened her the gates to the world of modeling, where her Amazonian body turned her into an idol of multitudes. The climax of her career arrived the day she fought and defeated the masculine boxing champion, earning an excellent place in the world of brawl for women. Unfortunately, she left behind the life of the stars to dedicate herself to being a full-time mom, because, according to her, nothing she had achieved can compare with the love of her children.

Lily put his meal into the microwave and went behind the bar in the kitchen, which was filled with bottles of all kind of liquors, to take out the rest of the food from the bags. This maybe was the first time he missed his sister; one sure get used to live with a slave. The microwave ringed and Lily picked up his food. He sat down on the couch and ate quietly while he watched a documentary about bees. Once he finished eating and took care of the dishes, Lily took out his phone and called his mum, Chocolate Cookie.

She answered the video-call.

“My baby, you finally called!” she said cheerfully with a glint in her chestnut eyes. Her long, black hair was glued to her brown skin as drops of water slid down her damp body. Chocolate adjusted her white bathrobe. “Camera kiss!”

They both kissed the cameras’ lens at the same time.

“Hi, mummy, how’s everything?”

Chocolate sighed. “Awful, honey, I’m sick of this day. My sweetheart leaves the house. We lose a patient in the operating room and I had to tell the family.”

“Cheer up, ask mom for a massage, or Orchid; she spends the whole day doing nothing.”

“Orchid is out with her boyfriend. But what about you? I told you to call me as soon as you get to the house, look at the time. Let me call your mom.”

“Honey, Lily’s on the phone!” she shouted.

Lily could hear the footstep of his mom as she ran from the kitchen to her bedroom.

She snatched her wife’s phone and jumped into the bed, almost crushing it. “Tell me everything! Tell me everything!” said Pink Heart, Lily’s biological mother, as she rolled on the bed. The amazon that made the bed creak had tan skin, wavy, pink hair and pink eyes. Over her blue blouse, she wore her favorite, pink apron with the image of a smiling lion.

Lily spent the rest of the day telling his moms everything that had happened to him today, except some minor, magic details that could make them believe their son was crazy. Time flied as the three of them talked in peace. Lily felt a hole in his stomach as he spoke. The idea of living alone no longer seemed so pleasant. Just like when he started middle school, now he was far from home, from his garden, from the people he loved. But this was his choice, besides, the farther his family is from him, the better. Not that he enjoys it, thought.

Lily said goodbye to his mothers as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. The accumulated fatigue made him yawn. His body was destroyed. At the end of the stairs was a white corridor with a long, red carpet that led to three bedrooms, a bathroom, the studio and the master bedroom. Finally, he will get the room he deserved.

When he came into his new, giant room, Lily saw something that made him force a smile: a diploma hanging on the wall, exactly as it was in his old bedroom. Iron Will’s “From Macho to Minotaur” summer camp. Five summers under the care of a psychopath that made children pass through military training oriented to the Crystal Marine. No wonder Lily ended up in a military school before CHS. That place prepared him for everything, but thank goodness those days were over. However, worse ones will come.

If the princesses knew about this school and the Mirages, all of this would have end before it could start. But no, Princess Amore had to pick him. Maybe it was the work of destiny, maybe it was nothing but chance, but what do was certain is that, the day when Hope warped Lily to Equestria, not only Hope’s wish could be fulfilled, his too. Only Amore knows the location of an object so hidden that not even Daring Do herself has been able to find: The Magic Sphere of Khum. An object with the power to cure any disease.

With it, Lily could escape from the legacy of his family: Cancer. Until then, Amore will be parasitizing him to keep his body stable.

Lily took off his clothes and fell like a log into the warm comforter of the king-sized, red-and-white bed. Five seconds later, he had succumbed in a dreamless, deep sleep.

The phone’s cruel alarm woke Lily up. Lily got up and stretched his body as he yawned. He could use some extra minutes of sleep, but he can’t be late today no matter the cost, even if that means looking like a zombie, so he took a quick shower to refresh himself. When he put his clothes back on, the dual-colored turned blue. Down in the kitchen, Lily fried two eggs and ate them with toasts and a glass of milk. He picked up his black backpack and put Daring Do book for Rainbow inside. Everything was ready.

Lily left the house, receiving on his face one of the first rays of the sun. His appearance grabbed the attention of a girl with white-and-blue hair and blue skin and eyes. She wore a green shirt with a white jacket over it, white skirt, and green knee-high boots. On her skirt she had the image of an hourglass.

“Hey, are you our new neighbor?” she asked.

Lily introduced himself.

“It’s awesome having more neighbors of my age around,” she said. “This place looks dead from time to time, except when Berry Punch throws one of her parties. Super crazy. Going to school?”

Lily nodded. “Canterlot High School.”

The girl gasped. “That’s my school too! My name is Minuette, your new neighbor. Come, I’ll show you the way!”

They spent the whole walk to school talking to each other, mostly Minuette because there was no way to make her shut up. Minuette told Lily she had rented her house with her friends: Twinkleshine, Lemon Heart and Moon Dancer, who were already in CHS. Moon Dancer goes to a different school, one that Lily knows very well: Crystal Prep.

A few minutes left to start classes. Lily and his new friend stood next to a statue of a golden horseshoe with the school’s name where Minuette kept telling him more things about the school and the neighborhood. Lily could feel his head throbbing.

Certain rainbow-haired girl spotted them and ran to their side. Without even say hello, she stood in front of Lily with her hands open as she repeated incessantly, “Gimme, gimme, gimme!”

Minuette looked at her with a raised eyebrow as Lily took out the book from his backpack. He gave it to her. “Be careful with it.”

Rainbow swept it from his hands and hugged it, tears coming out of her eyes. “I finally have it!” she shouted with all the strength of her lungs.

An eep as loud as the flutter of a butterfly came out from behind the statue. A yellow backpack flew off and fell behind some bushes. The three of them looked to the source of the sound. It was Fluttershy, who was shaking on the ground in fetal position.

Rainbow helped her up. “Sorry, Fluttershy, didn’t see you there.”

Fluttershy brushed some dust off her skirt. “It’s okay, thank you for helping me,” she said as she looked around.

Her eyes widened in shock once she saw how her backpack was running up the stairs to the school. She sprinted toward it. “No! Come back here!”

Minuette and Rainbow exchanged the same horror look Fluttershy had. “Grab that backpack!” they shouted as they followed Fluttershy. Lily joined the pursuit with no idea of what was happening.

The backpack was about to clash with the entry door when a blue-haired boy opened it. The backpack passed between his legs, almost throwing him down.

The boy had to grab the doorknob so he wouldn’t fall down the stairs. “What was that!?”

“Flash!” shouted Rainbow. “You let the backpack go inside.”

Fluttershy stared with tears in her eyes as the backpack ran all over the school.

Minuette patted her on her shoulder. “I’ve heard there are good teachers at Griffin High.”

Rainbow pushed the doors with a growl and ran after the backpack.

“What’s in there?” asked Lily.

“My little friends from the shelter.”

“Umm, you’ll see…” Flash rubbed his head. “I just saw the vice-principal walking around here.” That comment was enough to get everybody back on track, even Flash.

The five of them ran after the backpack as they dodged the other students and teachers who got in their way. Seven times they were told not to run in the hallways. Rainbow, who was completely unreachable by the other four, was about to pick up the backpack when a gray-skinned, blond girl came out of a corner and clashed with her – they both landed on their butts.

The girl looked up to see her essay tube flying. “My nitroglycerin!”

An explosion painted the whole corner in black. All lockers burst open. Rainbow and the girl were perfectly camouflaged in the black spot until they opened their eyes and started coughing.

Fluttershy saw in the distance how the backpack had stopped and began to shake. This gave her strength to run at the speed of sound, lifting a black tsunami that cleaned Rainbow and the other girl. She gently grabbed the backpack and opened it, letting out a small group of little animals.

“It’s all okay, my little ones, it was just a noise.” She moved away from the stain.

Lily, Minuette and Flash helped Rainbow and the blond girl to get up. A scream made everyone’s hearts to freeze. Panic made Fluttershy glue her back to a locker.

“What happened here!?” A woman, very similar to Nightmare Moon, but with lighter tone of skin and hair was approaching them, her turquoise eyes narrowed at them. She wore a purple shirt with a white collar that had the image of a crescent moon, purple pants, silver, high-heeled shoes, and crescent moon-shaped stud on her left ear.

Like Fluttershy was at the other side of the corner, the woman couldn’t see her. Rainbow jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom. Fluttershy stared at Rainbow, confused, teeth shaking in fear. But when she saw Minuette imitate Rainbow, she knew what her friends wanted. She painted a “thank you” with her lips and hid in the girls’ bathroom.

“Vice-Principal Luna, you look lovely today. New haircut?” said Flash, trying to calm the beast.

She stood in front of the students with her neck veins in full display. “The five of you come with me!”

The same way sheep are led by a shepherd dog, Luna guided the five students to the Principal’s office. All of them knew how screwed they were, especially Lily, who barely could breath. Celestia will banish him to the moon for sure.

Inside of the office, Celestia gave them a look of absolute disdain. “The cause of the explosion, I imagine,” she said looking at Lily. He tried to look away to avoid a heart attack.

Someone knocked the door.

“Can I?” Nightmare Moon came into the office. “Oh, I’m already inside,” she said as she walked to Celestia’s desk. “I think we made a little mistake.” She cleared her throat. “Walking around the school, I ran into a street cat. These summa cum laude students offered to catch him to avoid problems, but it looks like it was too much for them. So, please, let them go, they only wanted to help me.”

Celestia looked at her sister. Luna was silent as she looked into the students’ eyes, which glittered like the eyes of a stray puppy. “Fine, you can go.”

The boys ran out the office before she could change mind. But Celestia commanded Lily to stay. Rainbow hummed him the beginning of Toccata in Fuga as she left. The entire world froze for Lily. He gulped as he stood under the view of not one, but three alicorns. He swept away with his shaking hand the cold sweat on his forehead.

A smile drawn on Celestia’s face. “Congratulations, I see you’ve made a lot of new friends. Kinda noisy, but friends after all.” She looked at Nightmare Moon. “You seem to be right, Miss Moon, he would be much better at 3-A.”

Nightmare Moon tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Just a hunch.”

“Class 3-A is the only third year classroom where we only have four male students,” said Luna as she drew an X on a calendar.

“Well, we now have five in all five classes. Miss Moon, can you take Holylight to his classroom, please?”

Nightmare Moon slid a hand over Lily’s shoulders, giving him goosebumps. “Come with me, Holylight.”

Lily said goodbye to the principals and left the office with Nightmare Moon. When they closed the office’s door, Celestia’s secretary stood in front of them. She had white skin and brown hair and eyes, and wore a white shirt with a red tie, brown skirt, red high-heeled shoes and glasses. She had the image of an ink bottle on her skirt.

Her eyes sparkled as she took Lily’s hands in hers. “I didn’t believe Celestia when she told me Holylight Ray would be studying at this school.” A light blush formed in her cheeks as she adjusted her glasses. “I’m Raven Inkwell, a fan, yours and your mother’s, she had been a huge inspiration for me.” She gave him her agenda. “Can you give your autograph, please?”

“Of course!”

Who would have thought that he would have a fan in the faculty sector? Well, what Lily does is considered the national sport: Jousts. And they are totally awesome! The thrill of seeing two knights face to face, both wrapped in armors as heavy as the horses they ride. Two-meter-long lances waiting to be broken on their opponent’s body. Strong horses capable of carrying a mountain behind them. There are no words to describe the adrenaline and tension of being inside of one of those armors.

Raven sat on her chair as she hugged her agenda like if it was made of solid gold. She gave Lily a piece of paper with the location and combination of his locker. Nightmare Moon offered to take him there.

“I didn’t know you were famous,” said Nightmare Moon.

“I wish I was.”

“Mmhhmm. So, tell me, do you like the school?”

Lily frowned at her. “It’ll be much better if you weren’t watching me.”

A smile crept on her lips. “I’m just making sure nothing happens to my teacher’s pet. Remember that if you help me… I’ll help you in many different ways.”

Lily opened his locker, the A-113. Inside were a pair of blue-and-yellow pants, a sweater and a top-tank. Each piece of clothing had a golden horseshoe with the name of the school.

“Those are the summer and winter uniforms. You don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to. Class 3-A starts Thursdays with physics.”

Lily left his backpack inside of his locker and took the books he would need for the lesson. “Thank you for helping me with the principals, by the way.”

Nightmare Moon smirked and walked away. “Your classroom is on the second floor. What a pity you don’t have Latin today.”

Although Lily had some questions to ask her, he thought it was yet too soon to confront her. Maybe his relationship with the monster could be better than he had expected.

Lily went to the main lobby and, from there, to the second floor. Rainbow Dash passed by his side as she read the book, dodging the crowd of students as if she was dancing.

“Hey, Rainbow!”

“Detention?” she asked without taking her eyes off the book.

Lily came by her side. “Nah, Principal Celestia put me in the same classroom as you.”

“That means you’re in the best classroom at school.”

“The best? Why?”

Rainbow closed the book. “Duh, I’m in it.”