I. Chapter 14: You have no much time

The first thing I felt was pain... very severe pain, I opened my eyes immediately, it was dark, I had no idea where I was, but I felt that I was lying on something soft and that I was covered, I layed in bed. Slowly, I started to rise, I moaned softly, I felt even more pain, but I managed to get up. I took a few breaths and exhalations, my eyes got a little used to the darkness, I noticed the door, one moment... I recognize this room, I looked around and noticed other beds - "So I am in the hospital, again..." - I thought.

I slowly uncovered the quilt, every little movement made the pain intensify, I finally sat on the edge of the bed, then jumped down. I was standing on level legs, slowly went to the window through which the moonlight was falling, outside it was night, I looked at my hands, which were lit by the moon, only now noticed that I was wearing dark blue pajamas, and my feet were bare. I did not know who put it on me, although it could have been medical staff, I felt a bit embarrassed at the thought that someone might undress me and that was in addition when I was not even aware of it. The light almost reflected off my white skin, under which was visible black veins, then I felt my legs bend under me, I felt so weak that I could barely stand, leaned on the parapet, trying to keep the balance, then suddenly the door to the hall opened, then Princess Luna entered the room, who looked at my bed, she looks confused, then looked at me standing by the window.

"Colin!" - She said, immediately running up to me, I almost fell, but I was immediately caught - "I'm holding you, you should not get out from bed"

I looked at Luna's face, I saw concern and sadness in her eyes.

"What happened?" - I asked

"You've been attacked, but... you're alive" - Luna said, smiling and leading me toward the bed

"I... I'm sorry, it's my fault, I put you in danger"

"Hey, It's okay, me and Elements of Harmony, we were ready for it. As you can see, I'm fine" - Luna said soothingly

In fact, Luna did not have any bandages on her, instead, she wore her necklace with a crescent on it.

After a while, Luna managed to lead me to the bed, I sat on his edge, trying to catch my breath, which also hurt me.

"I'm so glad you're alive, I was worried about you, I was afraid you would not wake up" - Luna said gently hugging me

"I would not wake up? But... what actually happened?" - I asked

Luna released her grip and looked at me with sadness in her eyes.

"You were in a coma, I did not know when you will wake up, I expected it would last longer" - Luna said

"How long did I sleep?"

"Over seven days, how are you feeling?" - Luna asked, putting the hoof on my forehead

"Uhh... Everything hurts me, what's wrong with me?"

"It's the effect of the poison, of this... Demon but don't worry everything will be fine with you" - Luna said, smiling

"He poisoned me?"

"Yes, doctors have no idea how you still alive, because the poison was really strong"

"What about you? Are you all right?" - I asked

"It's all right with me. The demon did not appreciate me, and it was a mistake" - Luna said, smiling proudly

I remembered what had happened, I remember that Nightmare Moon was fighting with a demon, she... she saved me, I wanted to ask Luna for her, but... I remembered that, what Nightmare Moon wanted to do. I would be afraid to know what would happen it would happen if Luna or... Celestia would know that Nightmare Moon is alive.

"You should lie down, you don't look good" - Luna said, affirmatively

When I thinking that I was going to fall asleep again, it made me shake. When I was in a coma, I had nightmares, often repetitions of what had happened before I got here, but... there were other dreams, too one of them I went to some strange laboratory, something like... research facility, I could hear screams, every time I walked along a long corridor, at the end of which there was a steel door. Every time I approached them, my dream is broke off and started the next one. The worst, however, were the nightmares, where this damn demon chased me, each time he managed to catch me up, every time he made me suffer as much as possible, however... this time he started to take on other, even scarier forms, because of that I was afraid to fall asleep.

"No... Please, I don't want to sleep..."

"What is going on?" - Luna asked anxiously

"Nightmares, they don't want to leave me, I'm afraid to sleep"

"You have nothing to fear, I'm with you" - Luna said, embracing me with her wing

"Luna... he threatened you, he would kill you, I don't want it, I don't want you to die because of me"

"He will not do anything to me, I'm stronger than him, and you too"

"What can I do? I'm only a child" - I said

"Nightmare Moon said that demons are just cowards, besides... you can easily defend against them"

"Wait... Nightmare Moon? She brought me here?" - I asked

"Yes, she really likes you, she said that you are her first friend"

I breathed a sigh of relief, Nightmare Moon was safe.

"I wanted to ask you about her, but ..."

"You were afraid to ask, am I right?" - Luna asked

"Yes, I did not want you and Celestia, hurt her. I like her too, she's very nice, but... she doesn't like when I talk about your sister, or rather... about your and her sister."

"Yeah... I'm not surprised, she was banished for a thousand years" - Luna said

"Luna..."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned earlier that, I can defend myself against demons, how?"

"For example... You know why I'm not wounded after the fight?"

"No" - I said

"Look at me, what do you think, of which some of my jewelry elements are made of? A crescent on my necklace, for example, or my shoes"

"Uhmmm... is made of silver? The demons probably don't like it" - I replied questioningly - "Wait a second... I read about it, demons hate silver, because then we are distasteful to them, and silver is painful for them and acts on them, like a poison"

"That's why I'm still alive when I was attacked by a demon for the first time, he hit me with his paw and scratched the crescent on my necklace, then he began to retreat, but he was very obstinate, so he attacked again. Anyway, doctor and bandages were necessary for"

I looked at the crescent which was on Luna's necklace, there was no scratch on it, but I did not dwell on it because it was most likely repaired by a jeweler.

"What else can I do, to defend myself against demons?" - I asked

"Well... it's enough for such a demon was sprinkled with salt, it will make him feel enormous discomfort, you know why?"

"From that, what I remember, in the book was written that salt has a symbolic meaning, it is... is an example of vital forces and everything that is alive, I guess..."

"Yes, demons are not living beings, so... such ordinary salt, it may be an effective weapon against them" - Luna said

I started to get drowsy, closed my eyes and yawned, against my will.

"You should rest" - Luna said

"But I slept eight days" - I answered jokingly

"I know it, I know. But a coma is not the same as an ordinary dream"

"What if the nightmares come back?"

"Don't be afraid, I'm here with you, I will watch" - Luna said

"Thank you..." - I said yawning again

"You're welcome, sleep well"

At that moment I lay down on the bed, then covered myself with a duvet, it was warm and I felt safe.

"Goodnight" - I said closing my eyes and yawning

"Sweet dreams, Colin" - Luna said, then I felt her kiss on the cheek - "Sleep well, my child"

I lay in bed covered with a duvet after while tiredness took over me because I fell asleep almost immediately, I was not afraid anymore, because there was someone with me who gave me a real sense of security.

The first thing I felt was a sharp chill, I opened my eyes and saw the cloudy night sky, and white snowflakes falling from the sky, I lay in a snowdrift. After a while I got up, shaking off the snow, heard a loud howling of the wind, which sounded like screams, I began to look around me, I saw nothing but the icy wastes and a few conifers, not knowing what to do and seeing no other way out, I started to go ahead. I walked through the icy wasteland, it was damn cold, the snowstorm began to intensify, and the wind was blowing harder, I wiped my hands against myself, desperately trying to warm up, unfortunately... there were no any effects, the more that I was wearing only pajamas.

Going through the snowstorm, in the distance I saw some light in the middle of the icy wasteland, I accelerated a bit of a pace, I was getting closer, it turned out that it was a fire, someone was sitting next to it. I came closer to the mysterious figure, I was already about four meters from her. She was a black I managed to see a navy blue waving mane covering her face I thought I knew who it was.

"Nightmare Moon? Is that you?" - I asked

The character turned her head towards me. Yes, it was her, it was Nightmare Moon.

"Colin, what are you doing here?" - Nightmare Moon asked, coming to me immediately

"I..."

"Come to the fire, you'll explain everything to me later," - Nightmare Moon said, embracing me with her wing and leading me towards the bonfire

I was sitting by the fire with Nightmare Moon, which covered me with my wing, it was much warmer for me.

"Pleasant feeling, is not it?" - Nightmare Moon asked

"Yes, thank you. I feel so much better" - I said

"You're welcome, it's good to see you again" - Nightmare Moon said, smiling and taking her wing

"What is this place?" - I asked, looking around

"It's Equestria, and actually what's left of it. Welcome to my nightmare"

Nightmare Moon was visibly saddened, looking into the distance.

"this is your nightmare?" - I asked

"Yes, look there" - Nightmare Moon said, pointing to the mountain in the distance where the castle was located

"Is that Canterlot?"

"Yes, Is ice-covered in the same way as everything else. My conscience doesn't want to give me peace, I'm sick of it, why doesn't it just leave me alone?" - A single tear flowed from Nightmare Moon's eye

I remember what I did to comfort Lyra, I decided to do the same with Nightmare Moon. I began to gently stroke her. Sadness immediately disappeared from her face, she looked at me with a smile.

"I like it. Please, don't stop" - Nightmare Moon said

"As you wish" - I said smiling and continued stroking

Nightmare Moon again embraced me with her wing, she looked pleased.

"You're a very nice child" - She said affirmatively

"Thank you. And you are a very nice mare"

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened, she looked at me in surprise.

"Uhmm... did something happen?" - I asked a bit worried

"For the first time someone said I was nice, I... I don't know how to thank you" - Nightmare Moon said, with tears in her eyes

"You're welcome, that's a trifle, you're really nice"

Nightmare Moon smiled at me, but after a moment the smile began to disappear from her face.

"Actually... how did you get here?" - She asked

"What do you mean?"

"This is my dream, but... you are here" - She said, slightly confused

"I thought that you were in my dream"

"Well... I don't know what made you here, but... I'm glad that it happened, it's good that you are here, thanks to you I feel much better"

"You know... I like you too"

"I know it, I know..."

"You know... There... in the Everfree Forest, you saved me, I wanted to thank you for that"

"What was I supposed to do? Leave you there?" - Nightmare Moon asked, looking straight into my eyes

"No, I... I just thank you for that"

"You're welcome, that's what friends are for" - Nightmare Moon said, smiling warmly - "By the way... I feel sorry to you, you know... because of what happened"

"You mean what happened in the ruins?"

"No, I mean what happened much earlier, I saw your memories, your mother..." - Nightmare Moon did not finish

"I know, I know, you don't have to remind me about it, I do not want to remember it... you know..."

"I understand, but besides... we have more in common than I expected" - Nightmare Moon said smiling

"What do you mean?"

"In your memories, I saw you running away from the Ponyville residents, to be honest... I did not expect them to be so aggressive"

I was silent, the only thing I did, I nodded.

"Listen, they can say, what they want, but I don't consider you a monster"

"Thanks, I appreciate it, you're not a monster either, you're very nice" - I said with a smile

"Anyway... I've seen all your memories. I have one question for you. Why did you say to Luna, mom?"

"Uhmm... honestly, she very reminds my mom. Except... it was just a reflex, I just ... I was scared, I said it under the influence of emotions" - I said, a bit nervous

"Emotions? Which exactly?" - She asked, inquisitive

"Nightmare Moon, I... Please..."

"All right, sorry..."

"No, no. You were just curious, nothing has happened"

"Thank you... nice to be here with you, it's good to sit by a warm bonfire, am I right?"

"Hah... definitely, especially in such a frost" - I said, smiling to her

Me and Nightmare Moon, we were sat together by the bonfire. I leaned against her, I was glad she was here, she probably also. We just sat together and enjoyed this moment.

It was already morning, Colin lay in a bed covered with a duvet, I could see him smiling in his sleep, I loved to watch him sleep. Unexpectedly, the door to the hall opened, my sister came into the room, but... she looked depressed, I wanted to know what had happened.

"Hello sister" - I said

"I see Colin still sleeping" - Celestia said, approaching to the bed - "I think he's having a nice dream" - She said, smiling

"I was going to wake him up, but... let him sleep. It will be good for him"

"Luna, can we talk?"

"I understand, what is going on?"

"Did you tell him about it?" - Celestia asked

"What? You really think I would say something like that to a child?"

"But... you know it is inevitable if we do not find a way to help him..."

"Imagine that a child wakes up from a coma, and you tell him that he will die in two days. Did you even think about it? Did you think about how he would feel?"

"And if we don't find a way to help him, then what then?" - Celestia asked

"You told me yourself that something could be done"

"And if we would cast out this demon?"

"That probably would work, but I don't know how to do it" - I said

"You talked with Colin, you should know that"

"Yes, only he did not tell me everything, he was anxious and... he did not explain it well, anyway... if I started asking him about it, he would have started to suspect something"

"In that case, what to do?"

I wondered for a moment, the only way was to find a book where everything was written.

"Find this book, it's called 'About Demons'. Everything should be written there" - I said

"Okay, are you coming with me?" - Celestia asked

"No, I will stay here, I prefer to stay with him, you know..."

"I understand, see you, sister" - Celestia said, leaving the room

"Bye..."

Some time has passed, I stood by the window and looked outside, unexpectedly the sound of yawning reached my ears, I turned around and saw Colin, who had just woken up.

"Good morning" - Colin said, rising

"Good morning, did you sleep well?" - I asked, giggling

"It's not bad, I'm fine"

"It's nice to hear it" - I said, smiling and approaching to bed

I looked at Colin, he looked sad, even though he said he was fine, he did not look that way.

"Hey, what's wrong?" - I asked

"What? No, no, it's okay" - Colin said

"You look sad, what happened?" - I asked - "Colin if something happened, you can tell me about it"

Colin sighed heavily, looked at me and began to speak.

"I..." - Colin did not finish

The door to the room opened again, and this time Rainbow Dash came in, she looked at Colin for a moment, then quickly flew to him and hugged him.

"Hi Rainbow!" - Colin said, laughing

"Hey kid, how are you?"

"I'm fine, and you?"

Rainbow let go of Colin and looked at him seriously.

"Believe me, you really scared us, we were worried about you"

"I'm sorry... I..."

"Don't worry, kid, it's okay" - Rainbow said, hugging Colin again

Rainbow Dash acted like his older sister, and Colin was like her younger brother.

"But do not do it anymore, do you understand?" - Rainbow said, rubbing Colin's hair

"Okay, okay, stop it!" - Colin said, laughing - "Rainbow, stop it, please"

"Nope, I'll stop when I get bored" - She said slyly, holding him down

Colin freed himself from the grip of Rainbow Dash, jumped off the bed and started running away from her, laughing.

"Don't run away, I will catch you anyway!" - Rainbow said, flying behind Colin

"In your dreams!" - Colin said, running away

I laughed, yeah... definitely like an older sister. Rainbow Dash was soon caught him, they both fell to the floor and began to struggle with each other, laughing happily.

"Oh, come on! Rainbow Dash, please" - Colin said

"I told you, I would catch you, kid" - Rainbow said, rubbing his hair again

I laughed, I was happy that Colin had experienced some real carefree.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Okay, okay, I'm stopping" - Rainbow said, letting him go - "Good to see you again, kid"

"You too" - Colin said

"Do you remember this? This is where we met for the first time, you know... the night I brought you here, together with Fluttershy. "

"Wait... what do you..."

"I told you, I saw your memories, I thought you slept, but now, I know you really good pretend" - Rainbow said

"Hah... Thanks" - Colin said, standing up with Rainbow

Pretending... of course, what if Colin did not really sleep during my conversation with Celestia? And what if he wanted to tell me about it? I was wondering what he could think of now, and... what it is like to live with the knowledge that you will die soon? About the fact that you have less and less time, which relentlessly escapes, and... what if I cannot save him? I felt anxiety, which grew with every moment.

"Will Twilight and the rest come as well?" - Colin asked, sitting down on the bed

"Well... I'm not sure. Pinkie Pie has a lot of work at Sugarcube Corner. Applejack has a lot of work on the farm. Rarity, as usual, sews clothes. Twilight went to the Everfree Forest, and Fluttershy... now she's probably dealing with animals. As for me, I had nothing to do, so I decided to visit you, but... I did not expect to see you awakened"

"Thanks, Rainbow"

"By the way, I was supposed to ask you something. Have you read the Daring Do?" - Rainbow asked

"Uhmmm... no, I just did not have time, you know"

"Yea... I know, if you have time, read, believe me, it's worth it"

"Well, if you praised her so much, maybe" - Colin said, smiling

I was glad Colin had at least a moment of carefree, however, it still did bother me that he could know that he did not have much time left.

I was present in the Library in Canterlot, hidden in the shadow, watching Celestia, she constantly looking for something, every now and then looking through the books and throwing them away.

"Goddammit, where is it?!" - She shouted, then she sank to the floor and sat down

I knew what happened and what it was about, Celestia talked to Luna in the hospital, Colin was about to die, so she was looking for a way to save him, she was looking for some books on demons but she could not find her, fortunately, I knew what to do, but... I decided to irritated Celestia, a little bit.

"What happened? What are you looking for?" - I asked

Celestia immediately opened her eyes and began to look around nervously.

"Who is there?"

"It's not important, but I'm curious about what are you looking for"

"I will not tell you anything until you show yourself" - She said firmly

"Believe me, you do not want to see me, tell me what happened, and maybe..."

"I said, show yourself! This is an order!"

"Let it be so, but... you will not be satisfied"

At that moment, I came out of the shadows, Celestia's eyes widened, I saw fear in her eyes, then she got up and slowly began to retreat.

"N-Nightmare Moon..." - She stammered

"Surprise" - I said, laughing - "Oooh... what happened? You don't happy to see me? beloved sister?" - I asked sarcastically

"What do you want?" - Celestia asked nervously

"I was first, who asked the question. What are you looking for?" - I asked calmly

"And what do you care?"

"Why? maybe because Colin is my friend, and I know what to do to save him" - I replied

"Do you really know? Tell me, please."

"Maybe I will say, maybe not"

"Listen, his life depends on it! So..."

"Calm down, why are you so nervous? Can not talk calmly?" - I asked, slyly smiling

"Listen carefully, watch your tone! Speak, or..."

"Or what?! Will you banish me out to the moon, as before?! Do not think that I forgot about it. I will never forgive you, so shut up and let me tell you before I change my mind" - I said, a bit irritated

Celestia paled, wrinkled her eyebrows, and took a deep breath.

"All right, so tell me what to do?"

"I hear you're going to cast out this demon, right?"

"Yes, what do we have to do?"

"First and foremost, you must know that it is very risky and if something goes wrong, this child will die in horrible torment" - I said

"Fine, but except that..."

"Except that, the person who will cast him out must be mentally strong. Demons don't let go their victims easily and they can do anything to prevent you"

"In that case, this task isn't for me. I cannot do it, however... Luna could try, despite what happened recently, she managed to keep her cool"

"You're right, the more it's best to do it at midnight, then it's the best chance she can make it, but... Something else is needed"

"What?"

"Luna must know the name of the demon. Names have sealing power, if you know the name of the demon, you can order him to just leave"

"Do you know that name?" - Celestia asked

"It's funny that you ask. Yes, I know that name when I fought a demon, forced him to reveal his name" - I said proudly - "If you only heard him moan, hah! He sounded so pitifully, that I even felt sorry for him.

"How this name does sound? Say it, please!"

I approached Celestia and whispered the name of the demon to her ear, she flinched, her breathing clearly accelerated, she was stressed, in a sense I enjoyed it.

"So... that's enough, right?"

"That would be enough, but... Here comes the next problem" - I said with concern, turning my back

"What problem?"

"When Colin came to the ruins of the castle in the Everfree Forest, I used the healing spell on him, all his wounds healed, or at least... I thought so" - I said with a sigh - "The only wound that has not been healed is a claw mark on his back" - I said sadly

"But... what does this have to do with it?"

"Colin is marked... If Luna cast away this demon, he will come back anyway, it may take days, weeks, or even months, but... The demon will be even more aggressive when he returns"

I turned my head towards Celestia, who sighed heavily, then sat on the floor and thought, then she stood up and looked at me with a smile.

"Thank you, Nightmare Moon, I... I don't know what to say, how to repay you?"

I frowned and stared angrily at Celestia, the smile from her face disappeared immediately.

"Let's explain something to each other... I'm not doing it because of you, I'm only doing it for this child" - I was saying, going up to Celestia, who nervously began to retreat - "And something else... I don't care about your favors. If you ever try to get in my way, I'll kill you"

Celestia fell over and then leaned against the wall, my face was only a few centimeters from her face, she was terrified, I felt great satisfaction.

"I hope we understand each other, dear little sister" - I said sarcastically

Celestia nodded nervously, never taking her eyes off me.

"I guess so..." - I said, retreating into the shadow

After a while Celestia got up, looked nervously at the place where I was now, she did not see me, because she breathed a sigh of relief, went over to the books scattered on the ground, then began to put them back in her place "Hah... at least she can to clean up after herself, I thought she would exclaim a maid" - I thought, snorting with laughter. When Celestia finished sort books, she left the library.

I sat and talked with Luna and Rainbow Dash, we laughed, we talked with each other about different things, I was glad that they are here, although... Luna looked a bit sad. I knew why. I was torn inside myself. This morning... I overheard a conversation between Luna and Celestia, I was going to die in two days. I did not really want to die, I wanted to be with my friends, I tried not to cry. If this were to be the last moments of my life, I wanted to spend it only with my friends. I was glad that Rainbow Dash was here with me. Although I was saddened by the fact that there were no other friends here, I wanted to see them, I missed them.

Suddenly, the hall door opened, Celestia entered the room.

"Hi" - I said

Celestia looked at me immediately.

"Hello Colin, how are you?" - She said with a smile, coming up to me

"I'm fine" - I said, smiling - "And you?"

"Well... I was in the Griffon Empire recently, and... you have greetings from your friend, Ashley" - Celestia said

"Ashley?! How does she feel? Is everything alright with her?" - I asked, immediately getting up

"Hey... Calm down, my child. She's fine and... She's a really lovely girl"

I breathed a sigh of relief, everything is all right with Ashley, I liked her very much, although... I felt something more, than just friendship. I was attracted to her, she was really pretty, I think only the blind would not like her.

"Did she... mention something about me?" - I asked hopefully

Celestia looked confused for a moment, but she smiled again.

"Y-yes... She said she would like to meet you. she misses you" - Celestia said

"Well, well, well... Am I sensing looove?" - Rainbow asked slyly

"What?! No... What are you talking about?" - I asked, with a blush on my face

"You do not know? School break, remember?" - Rainbow asked, making fake kisses

"Uhmmm... I..."

"Kissy, kissy, Colin" - Rainbow said, slowly approaching me

"Gotcha! My turn!" - I said, grabbing Rainbow Dash, and then began to rub her mane

"Colin, stop it! Do you know, how long I've been composing this hairstyle?" - Rainbow asked, trying to break free

"Take back, what you said" - I said, rubbing harder

"Never!" - Rainbow Dash said, breaking out of my grasp

Rainbow Dash pressed me lightly to the ground and tried to kiss me, I started to fight her, Celestia and Luna did not stand it and burst out laughing. After a moment I managed to break free Rainbow and me were amused by this situation, just like the royal sisters.

"Not bad, kid" - Rainbow said, helping me get up

"Thanks, you too" - I said

Luna and Celestia, they were still giggling. After a short while, Celestia took the floor.

"To be honest... You and Rainbow, are like a younger brother and big sister"

"I think so too" - Luna said

Well... Looking at my relations, with Rainbow Dash, we actually look like siblings.

"Awww... Did you hear that, my little brother?" - Rainbow asked

"I heard that... My sister" - I said jokingly

Me and Rainbow, we laughed, just like Luna and Celestia. After a moment, we stopped laughing and the princess took the floor again

"Sister, I wanted to talk to you in private" - She said

"About what?" - Luna asked

"You know... About this..." - Celestia said, looking at me every now and then

"Oh, I see..." - Luna looked at me, I smiled at her, and she smiled at me

"Let's go to the corridor"

"All right" - Luna got up, then left the room

Celestia has stopped for a moment, smiled at me, she stood there for a few seconds, then she herself went out the door, closing it behind her.

Me and Rainbow Dash looked at the door behind which the voices of both princesses were muffled.

"What do you think, What are they talking about?"

I knew the answer to this question, what else could I talk about?

"Well... I'm afraid I know..." - I said, sad

Rainbow looked at me with a bit of anxiety.

"Hey, what happened?"

I sat on the bed, Rainbow Dash stood right in front of me

"This morning... I overheard the conversation between Luna and Celestia, I... I... found out that... I will die in two days..." - I said I lowered my head down, a small trickle of tears flowed down my cheeks

"Oh no... YYou didn't have to know about it..." - Rainbow said sadly

"You know about it?" - I asked, raising my head

"Yes... I knew it, we all knew" - Rainbow Dash sat next to me - "I remember it like it was yesterday. When we saw you, almost dead... on the Nightmare Moon back, and this... black veins on your body, I thought she hurt you"

"She saved my life" - I said, a bit angrily

"Easy, we know that" - Rainbow said - "You can guess what happened later, we started to accuse her of what happened to you, but... our accusations turned out to be false. The doctors did not know what to do with you. , we wanted to let Celestia know about it, that Nightmare Moon is alive and what happened to you, but she was at the Griffon Empire"

"What happened next?" - I asked

"The next day, when she came back from the Griffon Empire... She... she went to this hospital, she told Luna what happened and... that you will die soon. Luna was completely depressed when she found out about it. Then Celestia informed us" - At this moment, Rainbow Dash hugged me and began to sob

"Hey... are you all right?" - I asked

"We... we were worried about you, I... I was afraid that... I will never hear your voice again and... that you will never wake up"

"Rainbow... Don't cry, I'm here" - I said, hugging Rainbow Dash more tightly, a few tears spilled out of my eyes

Rainbow Dash let go, just like me. I saw tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't want you to die..."

"I do not want that too, Rainbow, I... Thank you..." - I said, then more tears flowed from my eyes

"For what?"

"For... everything... When I came here, I was lost, scared, wounded and... intimidated by everyone... When you and Fluttershy, you stood over me... I thought it was over, I managed to come to terms with death, I... I wanted you to end my suffering, I just had enough"

"Colin..."

"However... you did not do it, you helped me. Then I regained my hope, you... fed me, you took me under your roof, but most of all... you gave me a real friendship" - I said, sniffling - "Thank you..."

At this moment, I hugged Rainbow Dash, she gently pressed me to me.

"You're welcome, kid. we're with you" - Rainbow said, hugging me more tightly

"I love all of you, thank you... I really thank you ..." - I said, crying

"We love you too"

Suddenly, the hall door opened, me and Rainbow Dash, we turned around. Luna and Celestia entered the room, looked at us and stopped immediately, confused.

"Uhmm... did we miss something?" - Celestia asked

"What happened here?" - Luna asked, coming closer - "You... you cried?

Rainbow Dash let go of me, then jumped off the bed, sniffed and wiped her tears.

"Luna, Celestia... He knows..." - Rainbow said, trying to suppress the cry - "He knows about it..."

"What? Did you tell him about it?" Celestia asked, immediately approaching Rainbow - "Why did you do that?"

"Celestia, please, calm down... I... I need to tell you something" - I said, jumping off the bed, "I have overheard your conversation, I know I'll die, you do not have to hide it anymore"

There was a momentary silence in the room, Luna slowly approached me.

"That's what you wanted to tell me about, am I right?" - Luna asked, standing in front of me

"Yes, I'm glad you're here with me. After tomorrow... I will not have the opportunity to... uhh... sorry..." - I did not finish, I dropped my head down. Tears began to flow from my eyes again, I immediately wiped off - "I will not have an opportunity anymore... To see all of you again..."

"Hmm... And what if I told you that you will still be able to see us, and for as long as you want?" - Luna asked, smiling

It intrigued me, I raised my head and looked Luna in the eye.

"What do you mean?" - I asked

"I know what to do to save you, but... it's very risky"

"So there is a chance?" - Rainbow asked, surprised

"Yes, but..." - Luna turned her head towards Rainbow Dash - "It is also very possible that it may not work, and then..." - Then Luna looked at me again - "You will die in a... really terrible torment... "

"Damn..." - I said, sitting down on the bed - "What exactly do you want to do?"

"I'm going to try cast out this damned demon. If it goes away, the venom in your bloodstream too. But, as I said, if something goes wrong, you'll die" - Luna said, sitting next to me

"So... I have a chance for a normal life, but... also for a very painful death?"

"Yes, you can do it today, but... You can think about it, I don't force you to do anything" - Luna said, embracing me with her wing

I sat on the bed, thinking about it, on the one side... I could wait until death would come alone, but on the other side, I could speed it up but it would be very painful, but I have the chance to survive

"So?"

"Let it be, you can try" - I said

"Are you sure?" - Celestia asked

"I will die anyway, for me no difference, whether it will be sooner or later, or if it will hurt a lot more, at least I have a chance for a new, normal life, so what remains for me?"

"Hey, don't worry, I'll bet it will work, will be fine" - Luna said - "You know... Maybe you'd like to see Twilight and the rest?"

"If it's my last day... Yes"

"You have to be discharged from the hospital, the more so that doctors don't know what to do" - Rainbow said, opening the door

"Okay, let's go" - I said, jumping off the bed

I was currently at the reception, I was standing and waiting for a discharge from the hospital.

"Colin..." - I heard from the side of the corridor

I looked into the corridor, the lights were flashing every now and then, but... at the very end, I saw a dark silhouette moving on four legs, it was the demon, it was getting closer. He walked very slowly, after a while he began to walk on two legs, which lengthened, the demon changed its form. He turned into a very tall, two-legged creature, with long hands and claws, and two horns on her head.

"So many souls to play with, so little time, don't you think?" - The demon said. I heard his voice in my head

"W-what?..." - I asked, confused

"You don't have much time, you know it well, nothing will save you" - Demon said, coming closer

I felt a growing pain from the left side of my chest. I moaned softly, caught myself in the place where the demon stabbed his venomous spike, the pain was growing bigger and in addition, began to spread all over my body.

"Kid, what's wrong?" - Rainbow asked

"It hurts..." - I moaned in pain

"Are you sure that, you want to discharge him from the hospital?" - The receptionist asked

"You are not able to help him. Thanks to us, he will have any chance" - Celestia said

The pain was unbearable, I fell to my knees, moaning softly in pain and then to the floor. I began to close my eyes slowly, I only saw the white light emitted by a lamp that glowed in my eyes and a black figure bending over me.

"N-no... go away, leave me alone, please..." - I stuttered, my teeth clenched

"You belong to me..." - Said voice in my head

"No, I don't belong to... uhh..." - I did not finish, the pain did not let me

I don't know what happened, I woke up on the hospital floor, it was completely dark, but my eyes quickly got used to the dark. When I got up, I looked around, I was at the reception, which was right next to the exit door.

"Hello?... Anyone here?" - I asked

My echo spread throughout the corridor, no one spoke, deaf silence. I turned to the exit door, opened it, and outside I saw the house in the middle of the icy wasteland, but the snowstorm was not as intense as before. I went outside, felt a very cold snow under my feet, I wanted to go back to the hospital, but... nothing was behind me. "Strange" - I thought, I realized that it was another dream. I turned back to the house again, started to walk towards him, the snow creaking under my feet. After a short while I came to the doorstep, went to the door, wanted to open it, but they only slightly twitched, they were open, but the lock in the door froze.

"There's no place like home, am I right?" - I heard behind me

Immediately I turned around, a demon stood behind me, in his new form, he was staring at me with his red eyes, smiling.

"The form of Manticore is already bored you, huh?" - I asked

"What can I say? Yes" - Demon said

"I'm not afraid of you, what is this place?" - I asked a bit bored

"You are not afraid of me... Hah... Sure, keep telling yourself. don't you recognize your home?"

I turned to the door, walked a few steps back and... it was my old house.

"What do you want to show me, this time?" - I asked, no answer

I looked around, the demon was gone, he probably wanted me to come inside.

"Son of a bitch, if that's what you want..." - I said, going to the door

I pulled the handle more firmly, I heard the ice slamming and the door opened, inside it was completely dark.

"Okay, let it be" - I said, going inside

I did not see anything at all, I took a few steps forward, very slowly to avoid stumbling over something. I turned to the door again, they were about six meters away from me, I was afraid to go on, so I decided to turn back. I ran to the door, which shut instantly, causing a loud bang.

"Fuck..." - I said, confused

"Such dirty words, from such a young child..." - I heard around me

"Show yourself! Now!" - I shouted furiously

"If that's what you want..."

Then suddenly the lights flashed, I looked around, I was in the same corridor that had dreamed of me before, it was this research facility. I heard human screams everywhere, and the lights were flashing every now and then.

Then I heard a loud squeak behind me, turned around and saw a demon walking towards me, who was clawing on the metal door, humming along. I started to go backward, stumbled over something and began to desperately back out, trying to get up.

"Ring-a-ring o' roses. A pocket full of posies. A-tishoo. A-tishoo. We all fall down..." - The demon sang, getting closer to me, still clawing the wall

After a while I managed to get up, the demon swung his paw and hit me with his claws on the left cheek, I fell to the floor, hissing in pain. I caught with my right hand on the cheek, I felt warm blood on my hand that was dripping on the floor, which is strange... At first, it was red, but after a while, it began to turn black.

"Wake up! Don't sleep! It's just a bad dream! Hah, hah, hah..." - demon said, mockingly

"Leave me, please..." - I said, with tears in my eyes

"You know... the taste of your fear, it reminds me of your mother. Her fear tasted the same..." - Demon said, grabbing my neck and lifting me up - "Was delicious..."

"Get out, leave me alone!" - I shouted, desperately

"It's a nightmare, that you will not wake up from. No one will save you anymore" - Demon said, laughing ominously - "And this is just the beginning of the fun..."

At that moment the demon threw me on the floor, I heard a crack, it was my spine and a few ribs, it hurt like hell. I wanted to get up, but I did not feel my legs.

"Stop it, please... I do not want this!" - I said, crying

"Stop it, please... I do not want this! Hah, hah, hah... You say NO, but you think otherwise, am I right?"

"I've had enough, I'm begging..." - I said, and tears came out of my eyes

"Let it be so..." - Demon said cutting my throat with claws

I started to choke, I could not catch my breath, and at that moment my sleep stopped, I opened my eyes, took a deep breath and immediately got up to a sitting position. I was lying in a bed, I looked around the room, it was a room with beds in Canterlot. I heard someone steps out of the dark and something like... whispers that were spoken in a strange language, and later two red lights. I immediately got out of bed, ran to the door of the room which I opened, ran out into the corridor, and I closed door. I took a few steps back, heard footsteps around the corner, after a moment the guards came around the corner, they were two stallions, one of them had a scar crossing the right eye, and one mare, but... they were different, they were all gray, they had membranous wings, armor in dark colors and eyes with vertical pupils, they stopped for a moment surprised. We stared at each other for a few seconds.

"What the hell is that?!" - Asked the stallion with a scar, aiming a spear at me, then immediately began to approach me

I was scared, I began to nervously step back, then between me and the stallion, the mare stood immediately.

"Wait, leave him, I know what it is, this is the man Celestia talked about. He is not dangerous"

"Wait a minute, so this is a?..."

"Yes, this creature is gentle, but if it feels threatened, it can be very violent. So, stop aiming at him with a spear and move away"

The mare turned to look at me in the eyes - "How are you? I'm Iris, and you?"

"I'm Colin, tell me... What am I doing here?" - I asked nervously

"Easy, you're safe, Princess Luna and Elements of Harmony brought you here" - Mare said, calmly

"Okay... Where are they now? And... who are you?" - I asked

"We are Night Guards, we patrol the castle, as you guessed... at night, and this my brothers, Landon and Logan. Logan, the one with a scar crossing the right eye" - she said, smiling friendly - "And when it comes, Twilight and the rest, they are here in the castle too"

I calmed down a bit, Iris seemed to be nice.

"So... The guards in golden armor belong to Celestia, and you belong to Luna, am I right?"

"Yeah, do you want to lead you, to Twilight, and the rest of the Elements of Harmony?" - Iris offered

"Yes, I would be grateful, it's my friends"

"I know"

"Can we help you with this... Human?" - Logan asked

"You don't have to, I'll take him myself" - Iris said

"And what are we to do?" - Landon asked

"Go back to patrol, I'll join you later. Come on, Colin, stay close, okay?"

"Okay..." - I said

I and Iris walked through the corridor, every now and then I turned around nervously, each time I saw behind me a tall, dark figure that disappeared just when I looked at It.

"Hey, is okay, little one?" - Iris asked

"Y-yes... it's okay"

"Why are you so pale? As far as I know, people have a different skin color, and... these black veins..."

I was silent, I just looked at Iris and immediately looked away.

"I understand, you do not want to talk about it, but... I guess it hurts"

"Yes... a bit..." - I said, going all the time

"You look nervous, what happened?"

"I had a bad dream, very bad... I... Sorry, I don't want to talk about it"

"Alright, I don't press" - Iris said

After a while, we got to some tall, decorated, double doors.

"What is here?" - I asked

"It's a throne room, Celestia is usually sitting here," Iris said. Come in, I'm sure she's expecting you"

"Are my friends here?"

"Probably yes. Alright, see you, kid. Oh! don't be so closed in yourself, open up, okay? I'm back on patrol, goodnight"

"Goodnight..."

I took a deep breath, then opened the right side of the door, went inside and closed it behind me. The room was very large, there were stained glass windows, columns and a long red carpet, stretching from the door to the throne, which was slightly higher. I saw Celestia on the throne, staring at one of the stained glass windows.

"Uhmm... Excuse me..."

Celestia looked at me, her eyes widened, she stared at me for a moment, confused.

"Colin!" - She said, then immediately ran to me - "You are not sleeping anymore... tell me... how are you feeling?"

"I... I don't know... Celestia, where is Twilight? And... the rest?" - I asked

"Oh... Please, don't be sad. They... They came back to Ponyville, I told them to leave" - Celestia said sadly

"What? But... I did not even say goodbye to them!"

"I'm sorry..." - said, Celestia

"That's all? why did you do that?" - I asked, a bit nervous

"I had to, I did not want... you know... I... I'm sorry, my child"

"I'd like to see them"

"You'll see them again, I'm sure of it"

"And if not? What then?"

"Don't worry so much, I'm sure it will work"

The door to the throne room opened, I turned around and saw Luna looking at me, slightly confused.

"Oh, there you are, I was looking for you"

I did not say anything, I felt sorry that I would never see my friends again.

"Hey, what happened?" - Luna asked

"Twilight and the rest... they, I mean... I did not manage to say goodbye to them"

"Oh... Don't worry, will be fine, you will still have the opportunity to meet them, I assure you. Sister, how much has remained until midnight?"

"About thirty minutes" - Celestia said

"In that case, it's time"

"Good luck, and... be careful"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" - Luna said - "Come on, Colin, and... don't be afraid, I'll be fine"

"Okay..." - I said indifferently, after which I left the throne room

I headed towards the room from which I came with Iris, I heard the door to the throne room closing, I just walking straight ahead, my head down.

"Colin... How are you feeling?" - Luna asked I did not even notice that he was walking next to me

"I don't know, I have mixed feelings" - I said, raising my head up - "One day, I'm chased by a monster who turns out to be some demon who for some reason wants to kill me and brings me nightmares. The second day I came to a world full of talking horses"

"Ponies..."

"It does not matter, let it end"

"Don't worry, everything will go well" - Luna said

"Maybe... I'm just tired of all this"

"I understand you, but it does not mean you have to expect the worst immediately"

"Life can surprise..." - I said, quoting Celestia

"Exactly, and maybe this time it will also surprise you, I'm sure of it" - Luna said, smiling at me

I was glad that Luna was optimistic for me, although... I only anticipated a black scenario, but maybe... Maybe I will succeed and finally, I will be free.

"Well, here we are"

"Before we enter, I could go to the bathroom? In the end... I was lying unconscious for more than seven days, I would like to take a shower"

"Alright, but... hurry up, okay?"

"Well... I'll be right back"

After some time I got to the bathroom door, I opened it going inside, I looked in the mirror and froze... I saw something terrible. My skin was almost gray, there were black veins under it, and my black hair, just faded, in other words, I saw a man's wreck. I took off my blouse, in the mirror, on the left side of my chest, in the place where my heart is, saw a black stain, touched her and felt pain, did not know what to think about it. I undressed until the end, I went in the shower, thoroughly washed my whole body and hair, it took me a few minutes. When I was done, I stepped out of the shower, wiped one of the towels, then dressed again. I headed towards the room from which I ran out, meeting Iris and her brothers. Luna was waiting at the door, she looked as worried as I was, after a moment she saw me walking toward her.

"You are already, so... ready?"

"Ready. Let's just get this over with" - I said sadly

"Hey... look at me" - Luna said, grabbing my shoulders, I looked at her face, she was smiling - "Don't worry, will be fine, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Alright, let's not waste time.

I opened the door, going inside, it was dark, I felt very disturbed, I had the impression that someone, or... something is watching me, waiting for the right moment to attack.

"What now?" - I asked

"Lie to one of the beds and... try to fall asleep" - Luna said

"Okay, but... I don't know if I can asleep"

I went to the bed where I woke up, sat on the edge of it, and lay down on it, covering myself with a duvet. A few minutes passed, I lay in bed, and Luna sat next to me, all the time looking after me, I was afraid of what could happen soon, despite that I tried not to think about it, but... I couldn't stop.

"You know... I wanted to tell you something"

"What is going on?"

"On the day of your birthday, I wanted to give you something, but... I did not know what, but now I know"

"What is that?" - I asked, rising to a sitting position

Luna's horn shone, I felt something suddenly appear on my neck, it was a necklace. I took it off and it turned out to be a silver necklace with a crescent.

"This for me?" - I asked

"Yes, do you like it?"

"It's very nice, thank you" - I said, putting my necklace back on my neck

"Now that we're talking... I still remember how you woke up screaming and... then it happened"

"What?"

"You called me your mom" - Luna said

"Oh!... I'm sorry if you somehow offended you..."

"Hey, relax, nothing happened, I'm not angry" - Luna said, smiling and putting the hoof on my shoulder

"Really?"

"Really, if you want, you can call me your mum. It does not bother me"

"I... thank you..."

"You're welcome, with the rest... you said yourself that I remind you of it. We have the same eye color, remember?"

"Yes, I remember" - I said chuckling

"I'm happy to, but... it's about something else, I'd like to ask about your real mother, about the one that... you know..."

"I know" - I said, suddenly sad

"Sorry, I did not mean to make you sad, but... Tell me, do you remember her name?" - Luna asked

This question surprised me a bit, but... I thought about it a moment and... No. I did not know how my real mother's name was, it was just like I knew that name but... I just forgot it.

"No... I don't remember my mother's name, and I don't remember my father's name in the same way, but... why do you ask about it?"

"The point is that... when I was in your memories, the vast majority of them were blurred"

"But why is this?" - I asked

"I don't know, although... I remember some pictures, one of them was a long corridor, at the end of which there was a door"

"Wait a minute, I know it! I have dreamed about him several times"

"Really?"

"Yes, I was walking along this corridor, it was a laboratory, I heard people shouting, but... whenever I approached the door, my dream was broken" - I said, trying to sort everything out

"Strange... just what can it be related to?"

"I don't know, I don't remember that I used to be in this... laboratory"

"But why was it in one of the memories? Strange..."

"I would like to know it myself" - I said, laying aside

"I wanted to ask you something else. Tell me, what will you do when the demon be cast away?" - Luna asked

"I don't know, maybe I will go back to Ponyville, I like this place"

"Why don't you stay with me, and my sister?"

"Wait, what?" - I asked, rising - "Stay with you?"

"Why not? What's stopping you?"

"All in all it's nothing, but... Canterlot, it's so... a fancy place, everyone here is so rich, I don't know..." - I said, then Luna got a bit sad - "But... I can stay here for some period of time"

"What? Really?" - Luna asked

I nodded, then Luna smiled at once.

"You know... I wanted to tell you that you are like a son to me... a son I never had"

"And you are like a real mother to me, thank you..."

Luna smiled even more, but then the smile instantly disappeared from her face. She looked at me, she looked worried.

"What happened?" - I asked

"No, nothing... it's okay" - Luna said, then the smile came back to her face again - "It's late, try to fall asleep now"

"Okay..." - I said, again laying aside - "Goodnight, mom"

"Goodnight" - Luna said, kissing me on the cheek - "Sleep well"

I lay in bed, covered with a quilt, it was very quiet, I still could not stop thinking about what would be tomorrow and honestly, I was afraid of it. I closed my eyes trying to fall asleep, unfortunately to no avail, then something strange happened. I opened my eyes and I was no longer in Canterlota, I was lying on the grass, some meadows in the middle. I quickly got up, was a dark night, the only light was the moon and the stars in the sky, in the distance I could hear the wind, I felt the breath of cool, night air, and the blades of grass swayed gently.

"Welcome" - I heard in front of me, I looked up and saw Nightmare Moon

"Uhmm... hello" - I said, smiling

"Tell me, do you like my work?" - She asked

"Yes, we have a really beautiful night" - I said with a smile, staring at the starry sky

"It's much better than the icy wasteland, what about a walk in the moonlight?"

"With pleasure..."

"In that case, what are you waiting for? Let's go..."

End of Chapter 14...