Warning: The next chapter contains violent scenes or scenes of explicit sexual content, so reader discretion is advice.

Moonbeam

Chapter 35 – Her Mesmerizing Gaze.

The first thing Epsilon felt was the intense pain in her body. The second thing she noticed was the sound of several voices talking around her. Among the voices she could distinguish the voice of Princess Celestia, the mare was not sure who the others would be, although certainly some of them sounded vaguely familiar to her. The captain did not understand what was happening around her, the only thing she was sure of was that it was impossible for her to move and that every corner of her body produced immense pain. Moreover, she couldn't help but think of the creature she tried to protect by risking her life. she needed to know that Chrysalis was out of danger, and in a way, the night guard hoped that some of the voices around her would confirm it.

-Chrysalis-, she whispered with what little energy she had left before falling into darkness again.

-…-

-…-

When Epsilon opened her eyes, she was on her four hooves, around her was a beautiful garden adorned with bright flowers that were scattered everywhere, the sky wore a splendid night mantle, bursting with stars of different sizes, shapes and colors. At the top stood a huge white Moon that gave off a faint glow that pushed away the darkness around it.

The captain wasn't sure where she was or how she got there, but she could feel enormous tranquility and peace at the time, so she didn't care much anyway. Epsilon moved her hooves caressing the field of flowers that surrounded her, in doing so, the flowers she touched let out small spheres of light that began to float through the area, letting themselves be guided by the wind. Captivated by those flowers, the young mare began to run and jump all over the field, everywhere she passed the flowers released those spherites of light, which slowly rose to the sky, creating a beautiful spectacle around her.

She galloped around the garden at full speed laughing happily as she let her lungs fill with air and her muscles regain their strength. Epsilon keeps going through the area to a small hill where she stopped, before laying on her back ejecting several spherites of light around her. she took one of them between her forehooves and watched it intently. The feeling was comfortable and very pleasant, that light made her feel good, made her happy and blissful. She felt as if that beautiful place reminded her of something else, but her memory remained blank.

Epsilon spread her hooves over the sprawling garden, leaving the sphere of light free to join the rest. she turned her head to observe the flowers around her. She watched in amazement as the lost petals of some of the flowers began to regenerate before her eyes.

-Lunar Flowers?-, she murmured as she turned laying on her belly to look at the flowers more intently.

The petals shone with a dim light, which somehow conveyed a warm feeling and melancholy in her heart. She crossed her forehooves and relaxed completely, placing her chin over them. The mare tilted her head slightly as she enjoyed the scent of those flowers, and the breeze of the wind that caressed her fur. She stood contemplating the thousands of spherites of light floating around her, as if she had been hypnotized in its entirety.

"Why do I know the name of these flowers?” she thought as she deeply inhaled their aroma. She could swear she recognized it, Epsilon knew she had enjoyed it before, the problem was that she couldn't remember whenor when. So she decided to stand up and start jogging.

-…-

-…-

After several hours the mare found herself wandering aimlessly through the vast garden, and yet that beautiful place never ceased to amaze her. she reached a small stream of crystal-clear water that traveled from one side of the huge garden to the other, among a series of silver-colored river stones.

The surface of the water reflected the night sky, as well as the brightness of the huge Moon that did not seem to move from its initial position, even though the mare was completely sure that she had spent several hours walking aimlessly.

Epsilon leaned over to dip her hooves in the liquid, soaking them completely. The freshness of the water in the stream felt so good that she wasted no time in starting to rock her hooves back and forth, splashing with every movement the stones, the grass, the flowers and her own being. she soaked her face and drank some water. The source of the vital liquid had no taste at all, but she could feel it slowly refresh the inside of her body as she continued to drink from it.

Epsilon looked up again, focusing on that small river, something in her head told her that she should follow it, which is why, after taking a look at the horizon, she began to move in the opposite direction of the water’s flow.

-…-

-…-

The mare had no idea where she was going, she didn't even know if she wanted to get somewhere or if she was looking for something special, the mare just knew she had to keep moving forward. And so she did, she continued on her way for a long time. Despite the distance, she didn't feel tired, and her body felt light. The captain flapped her wings slightly to leave the ground. Beside her, the river had grown in size, yet its waters, though notoriously deeper, ran calmly from the top of the mountains. On both sides she could see a forest that stretched as far as her eyes allowed her to see.

Epsilon took flight reaching a couple of clouds taking a piece of one of them with her hooves, the surface was fluffy, without thinking twice she jumped on another of the clouds laying on the surface, later, she focused her gaze to contemplate the starry sky.

The mare stood there for a moment watching the intricate patterns and colors flashing in the sky, after a long time, she proceeded to close her eyes. The softness of the cloud surface helped her relax, after this, she began to focus on the sounds that came to life around her.

Epsilon heard the soft whistle of the wind, and for the first time she began to hear a slight jingle coming from the stars in the sky. It was as if they were playing a soft melody. She focused on the sound of the wind and the notes played by the stars overhead, but there was something else, a sound that caught her attention...

-A song?- asked the mare getting up, she could hear the voice of another pony humming in the distance, although she could not identify exactly where it came from.

The captain opened her wings to descend back to the ground as she scanned the area for the creature that made those sounds. A few meters away she could see the figure of a pony, or so it seemed. her fur was similar to hers, but of a lighter color, her mane and tail sported a lighter stripe and her flanks were adorned by the image of a fire rabbit emerging from what appeared to be a symbol drawn below it.

The mare looked at her with a gentle smile. She looked at her wings and then those of that mare, both were physically similar, but something about that mare made her feel some discomfort inside her chest.

-You can't keep moving forward, you have to go back-, said the other female.

Epsilon didn't know what to answer, she just stood there, looking at those beautiful amber eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. For some reason she felt her own eyes get wet, although she couldn't comprehend what the cause was, so she just rubbed her face with one of her front legs.

-It's not time yet, you must go back-, the mare spoke, approaching her.

Epsilon felt the soft touch of that creature, that contact felt so familiar and at the same time so far from reality, she tried to remember it without any success. She was sure that she knew her, she knew that she was someone important to her, but her mind did not deign to cooperate, flatly refusing to give her an answer.

-You... I know you-, Epsilon said as she pressed her hoof over her forehead to lessen the pangs of pain in her head.

-It doesn't matter if you don't remember it now, believe me it's better that way, because there will be nothing and no one to stop you from returning-, the other mare replied, touching her forehead with Epsilon’s.

-I know I know you-, Epsilon said on the verge of tears, looking up. -I need to remember-, she added as tears streamed down her cheeks.

It hurt, it hurt too much. she knew that mare was important, but her mind refused to obey her, remaining completely blank.

-Get back-, said the mare, kissing her forehead fondly.

That tiny moment caused her to fall into an internal battle, her mind refusing to answer her, but her body was sure she knew her.

-Please get back, get back to her side, she will need you more than ever-, said the mare pointing to the Moon with her hoof.

Epsilon looked at the sky following the direction the mare was pointing. she watched the star carefully fixing her gaze on the Moon that remained impassively high in the stellar mantle.

-Princess...- she murmured as her eyes continued to shed tears -Princess Luna...- she spoke in a low voice recalling the gentle face of the ruler of the night, those sapphire eyes, her indigo fur, and her waving and nebulous mane of light-blue color.

-She's waiting for you... you can't stay here-, said the other mare as she wrapped her in a warm hug. -It's not time for you yet-, she continued as she stroked her mane with her hoof.

Epsilon let herself be carried away by that strange and warm feeling, while the caresses of the mare continued as well as her tears. She closed her eyes sinking her nose into that soft fur that kept her wrapped in a protective embrace. she couldn't understand why it hurt so much to be around her, but at the same time she could feel a great relief from staying in that position.

-Return with them, you are their strength, you must keep them together... I know you can do it Epsilon - with those words her mind finally agreed to respond, a name was formed, the name of the pony that had saved her once, the same name of the pony with which she had grown up and endured much pain. The pony that knew her more than anypony else.

-Megres...- Epsilon pronounce her name against her eldest sister’s chest.

-If you really love her, you must come back to take care of her and protect her-, Megres said.

-It's not my time yet-, Epsilon repeated against Megres' chest, before falling into darkness once again.

-…-

-…-

The first thing Epsilon heard was the sound of a constant beep, which somehow followed a familiar rhythm. she tried to get up, but the intense pain that ran through her body prevented her from performing such a task. her eyelids weighed heavily on her and her mind was total chaos.

Slowly her mind began to regain greater consciousness by rearranging her thoughts and memories.

The mattress on which she rested was different from that of her room. The aroma of disinfectant covered the entire environment. One of her ears wiggled as she sensed the sound of the wind passing through a window. The sobs around her made her move her ear in the different directions from which they came, it was the sob of three different ponies, she recognized the sound of the voices instantly. her throat was dry and her eyelids weighed incredibly heavily. Not to mention the terrible pain that emerged from every part of her body.

However, despite all that she could feel something pleasant on their lips, somehow, she still remembered tasted something with them, since they had a peculiar taste, an apple flavor... Fresh apple flavor.

Epsilon noticed a pony holding her hoof and the warm tears that moistened her. Slowly she began to become aware of the caresses she received in her mane for a smaller hoof. At the same time, she could feel the weight of a larger body recharged near one of her sides. She had to talk to them, tell them she was okay, tell them they didn't have to cry anymore.

Hours before

The hospital room was comfortable and adapted to accommodate a single pony, so its size was barely enough for three visitors at once. Rooms like that were mainly used to maintain the privacy of important ponies, however, the mare who had arrived in that room a week ago was no celebrity, but certainly could not be considered an ordinary mare either.

Most of the nurses and doctors felt a certain refusal to deal with that patient, it was not particularly some previous bad experience, it was simply difficult for them to deal with creatures that were so... different, abominations born of what seemed to have been at some point a common pony.

Many of the doctors had devised rather bizarre theories about how a pony could have ended up in such a state. Many of the rumors among the nurses and stretcher bearers suggested that this creature had survived whatever had left it literally shattered inside and out, thanks to the fact that it possessed some kind of demonic pact. Nothing was a fact yet, but none of the workers intended to delve deeper into the subject and much less dared to ask anything about its origins to any of the other three creatures that visited it daily.

However, there was one nurse in particular who had no problem taking care of that patient. Sweetcare was one of the youngest mares in the hospital, she had a dark-blue fur and raspberry-colored mane and eyes. Her inner nature caused Sweetcare to develop a certain attachment to patients in terminal states, to whom she dedicated her work to cheer them up, which is why she had been so interested in this particular patient.

The story of the demon mare who had arrived at the hospital practically shattered, poisoned and literally destroyed by her own bleeding, was a perfect candidate for her, especially since hardly any other nurse would have offered to take care of that patient.

The first days had been complicated, especially at the time of changing the multiple bandages and needles, because, due to the properties of the patient's blood, it tended to destroy the fabrics and even the metal, so it was necessary to perform constant cleanings, especially taking into account the number of wounds on the body of the female.

Although Sweetcare certainly couldn't be happier about her job, that is, she now knew the two rulers of the kingdom, she had met the captain of the royal guard, as well as the members of the night guard, including her convalescent captain.

That particular morning, she was in droopy spirits. Her steps were slow and she dragged her hooves slightly on the floor’s surface, as if she refused herself to reach the patient's room, and her gaze remained fixed on the white polished stone mosaic floor. After a long time in Epsilon's care, Dr. Redhearth had finally decided to talk to the pony's relatives and begin preparing them for the worst possible scenario, since the mare had remained in a coma for more than a week and at that point it would be clinically impossible for her to wake up.

Sweet advanced through the corridors to the room. The wooden door that separated them looked strangely imposing at the time. Hesitantly brought one of her helmets to the knob, turned her hoof and pushed.

The interior of the room looked darker than normal, even so, she decided to enter with a firm step. she looked up from the ground, with her firm smile on her face she was about to greet the pony that accompanied the patient at that time; The problem was that Sweet wasn't prepared for what she saw. On one side of the patient's bed was a chair, on a small piece of furniture located on her left was a plate with several apples cut into slices and from which the shells had been removed.

That was not really very strange, since the princess used to spend time cutting apples to taste them while reading or talking to the unconscious patient. But what really surprised the nurse was the action of the indigo-fur alicorn.

On the side of the bed was the princess of the night, her fur sported a dark blue color and her mane and tail shone brightly like a comet’s tail. The princess was bearing her weight on the bed with one of her front legs, while, with the other hoof, the princess of the night held the patient's cheek to keep her in position, both pairs of lips connected to each other in a deep and rather unseemly kiss.

Sweetcare remained motionless in position with a hoof in the air, her mouth open, and a surprised expression on her face. After a while, the deity turned away from the patient.

-You'll be fine-, said the princess of the night as she stroked the mare's mane with her hoof.

The indigo alicorn turned her gaze to the nurse who remained motionless in her position, with that silly expression on her face, her eyes fixed on them.

It was certainly not uncommon to see the princess of the night in the patient's room, after all she usually helped her take care of Epsilon in the mornings. But to have seen them in that situation made their work next to the princess something really embarrassing. After all, the rumor that the princess was dating a female was quite loud and after having found her in that position with Epsilon, it really made the nurse wonder if the monarch had more than one lady. It was not as if she was against the idea, but it caused her some jealousy and she would not dare to ask anyway, because it could be something quite rough on her part to meddle with the personal life of one of the princesses, so she chose to continue her work as best as possible and forget the matter.

With that in mind, they start with the daily routine, Sweetcare filled a bowl with warm water while Luna discovered the mare and removed her dirty clothes.

Together they removed the dirty bandages by depositing them in a container, the mare's body had recovered most of her fur, but several of the sutures and scars that now adorned her body could still be seen.

Soaking a sponge in the warm water, the princess and the nurse began to wipe the mare from sweat, taking extreme care not to open any wounds.

Unconsciously the nurse's gaze focused on the monarch, who wiped the patient's face while looking at her with an expression that reflected affection and concern.

"Enough Sweet!" she mentally rebuked herself as she shook her head to ward off those thoughts before resuming her work.

The nurse continued to clean Epsilon's forehooves and torso, while the princess began to clean her waist and thighs. Sweetcare couldn't help but look at Luna, as she began to clean the private parts of the unconscious pony, she observed the ruler's concentrated, almost expressionless gaze as she passed the wet sponge over the labia majora of epsilon's flower, before lifting her hips with a helmet to proceed to clean her flanks and glutes. Unconsciously the nurse bit her lower lip while keeping her gaze fixed on the movements of the kingdom’s ruler.

"Damn Sweetcare! concentrate!" she rebuked herself once again shaking her head again to get out of the trance. she noticed then that the princess's hoof went up and down the thigh of the mare's plastered leg, although the movements were slow and almost automatic.

AHEM

The princess's Cleared her throat getting Sweetcare’s full attention, and when nurse looked up she noticed the ruler looking directly into her eyes. she quickly turned her gaze to the mare's wings by taking one and carefully stretching it to proceed to clean the membrane, being careful not to injure herself with the bone tip protruding from the main junction, forming what appeared to be a claw.

-Is something bothering you? You've been watching us a lot-, the deity commented casually.

-WHAT?, NOOOO, of course nooo-. The mare responded with a tone that radiated fear, shame and perhaps even nervousness.

The indigo alicorn simply raised an eyebrow, she was clearly not convinced, which caused the nurse to start sweating. Sweetcare quickly continued with her task trying to divert her attention from the alicorn that did not look away from her, in fact, she could feel Luna's eyes fixed on her, which made her sweat even more.

The princess of the night put aside the sponge she had been using and walked to the other side of the bed, passing right behind the young nurse to take a small brush with her magic. Sweetcare swallowed saliva, it was obvious that the princess could have levitated the brush from her previous position without major problem, so why take the trouble to advance to the furniture that was located behind her?

-It doesn't bother us that you saw us-, whispered the alicorn in her ear.

Luna smiled as she noticed the mare's tail bristling as her little ears straightened out in a state of total alertness.

"What would give to see her expression at this time", Nightmare said. Luna couldn't help but agree with her.

Sweetcare remained motionless for another moment as the princess returned to her place to begin brushing Epsilon's tail.

There was not much interaction after that, both put new bandages and a change of clothes on the patient, changed the bed sheets and laid her down again covering her with blankets to prevent the cold of winter from affecting her. Subsequently, the princess proceeded to read a book she had carried with her, while the nurse took the time to place the new needles in Epsilon's body, thus injecting the necessary nutrients so that her body would not deteriorate too much.

A few hours passed before the three brothers of the patient entered the room, with their arrival, Redhearth also arrived accompanying them at that time.

-Doctor-, greeted the princess of the night in a neutral tone.

-Princess Luna-, replied the mare bowing followed by the three stallions.

-You don't need so much formality in this situation-, said the deity of the night.

-If it is not much trouble your majesty, I would like to talk to the relatives of the patient, alone-, the doctor said, getting up again to look the princess in the eye.

Luna's expression was not affected, but it was clear that she did not like the idea when she changed her relaxed posture to a completely straight posture.

-Princess Luna is like part of our family, there will be no problem if she is present-, Alcor said, taking the floor.

-Okay-, the doctor replied.

Sweetcare immediately noticed that the princess's body was again adopting that relaxed posture. Redhearth invited them to take a seat, so they could speak more calmly.

Alcor and Merak were placed in the chairs near the window while Siegfried sat in the chair that remained on the side of the bed on which Epsilon rested. The princess, on the other hoof, stood on the other side of the bed looking at the specialist. Sweetcare noticed the tension in the room as Redhearth took a deep breath, a clear indication that she was about to talk about a sensitive subject.

-What I am going to tell you is not easy-, she said, closing her eyes for a moment to collect her ideas correctly and address the issue in the best possible way. -Previously, I told you about the latent risk we faced regarding Epsilon’s condition-, explained the doctor, opening her eyes and looking at those present, avoiding as much as possible the gaze of the princess of the night.

-You told us that there was a risk that she would not wake up because of the damage she had suffered-, Merak replied in a trembling voice. Alcor immediately placed one of his wings on his younger brother's shoulders, the doctor simply nodded.

-As I told you, Epsilon's physical damage was extremely serious and the only reason she didn't die in the operating room was because of her unique healing ability-, she said. -The problem is that a pony's mind does not recover in the same way that the body does. So, her ability is not able to fix all the mental damage she suffered from the stress and pain she was exposed to, not to mention the bruise on her head, she suffered at the time of receiving the explosion. You must understand that, by now, she is unlikely to make it out of the coma-, she added with empathy.-We have done several analyzes using spells to see if there is any type of activity in her mind, but all the tests have shown a low level of activity in her brain-, Redhearth paused a little before continuing. -Very much to my regret, it is my obligation to inform you that your sister is about to suffer from brain death, and it will be impossible for her to wake up again-.

-Epsilon is very strong and will come out ahead-, Merak contradicted her.

-I do not doubt that your sister is a mare with a lot of guts and willpower-, agreed the doctor approaching Merak to take one of his hooves among her own. -Unfortunately, the longer it takes to wake up, the closer she will be to losing the battle-, the younger of the brothers looked at her with tears in his eyes.

-But you said they managed to feel some activity in their brain. Then she may still have a chance-, Alcor said incredulously of what he heard.

-Yes, it is true that we have managed to feel activity in Epsilon’s brain, however, that activity could only be the reflection of the electrical impulses that keep her organs functioning-, Redheart explained.

-Is there anything we can do?- asked Siegfried just while maintaining control of his own emotions. The doctor shook her head before turning her neck to look at him.

-I'm sorry, but we can't do anything for her, this is a fight she must win on her own.-

-How much time does she have left?- asked Alcor.

-I could not assure it for sure. But taking into account the damage she received and the results of the last test we did to her mental activity yesterday ... - the doctor sighed again trying to speak in the calmest tone of which she was capable.-I just want you to be ready in case you have to make a decision-, she continued looking at them.

-What kind of decision?- Siegfried asked.

-The decision to let her rest-, Redheart explained. her words caused the atmosphere in the room to feel even heavier. -We would inject a solution to completely stop her heart, it will be like putting her to sleep. I assure you that she will no longer be able to feel pain. Is... the best option and the least painful-.

-She will be fine-, said the princess confidently. Her blue eyes were fixed on the mare who lay on the bed.

The doctor stood on her four legs again, looked for a moment at the ruler of the night, it was difficult to know if the princess was just trying to keep the hope of the three brothers alive, or if it was she who wanted to continue clinging to an idea that vanished with each passing day.

-Her body begins to show signs of deterioration due to lack of food, the solutions we inject into the blood mainly prevent Epsilon’s body from losing essential nutrients and staying hydrated, but the lack of food and physical activity are also beginning to play an important factor-, the doctor said. -Tomorrow morning we will have to intubate her again-, the specialist added.-I must tell you that if she does not wake up in a maximum of three days after the intubation, I will have to declare brain dead...-

-I understand-, the deity of the night interrupted her with a serious tone without looking away from the patient.

-I'm so sorry-, Redhearth added, bowing again and then heading to the entrance. -I hope you'll be ready to make a decision when the time comes-, added the mare before leaving the room.

The group stayed in the room for a moment thinking about Redheart's words. Luna, for her part, was in an internal conflict.

"You said she would be safe!" she screamed in her mind.

"Calm down dear, she will be fine, you don't have to worry anymore", said the black mare.

Both were in that space surrounded by darkness, the water mirror on the ground reflected the figure of Nightmare while Luna remained standing on the surface.

"That's what you promised me, but there is no change!" the indigo-colored mare continued. "We are running out of time, she must wake up tonight!" Luna added enraged by hitting the water surface with her hoof.

"Remember that I am on your side, I will fulfill your deepest desires, Luna. You wanted me to heal Epsilon and bring her back and I will do that. You just have to trust me", the creature commented.

The princess of the night let out a long sigh before retiring, leaving the three brothers and Sweetcare in the room.

Alcor looked at the set of apples that the princess of the night had left on the ceramic plate.

-It seems that Luna didn't take it very well-

Siegfried stood by the bedside taking the mare's healthy hoof while watching her, clearly worried about her.

-The princess tries to make herself strong for us, I'm sure she herself knows that things are not going well-.

Merak on the other hoof approached from the opposite side to caress the mare's face and mane.

-Come on Epsilon, you have to come back... please-, Merak said as he allowed a few tears to slip down his cheeks.

After a moment of silence Merak began to speak to Epsilon. Sweetcare had recommended that they talk to the mare, as there was a chance that their voices would help her come back. During the last week the three brothers took turns telling the mare a little about their activities and experiences, hoping that one day their voices would make her react in some way.

The ponies remained in the room assisting Sweetcare with the monitoring of the mare, taking readings of her condition, especially of the toxicity levels of her blood, which considerably exceeded the bearable metrics for a common pony.

At times they were chatting with her trying to clear their minds a bit, something Sweetcare really liked. The nurse, however, was extremely careful not to touch sensitive topics that might discourage the siblings, unless they themselves addressed one of those particular issues.

They used to tell her a lot about Epsilon. Sweet knew from the constant talks, that Epsilon, like Siegfried and Megres, were not really blood brothers like Alcor and Merak were. She was told about how in many times Epsilon lost her temper and had outbursts of anger, especially when she was very hungry or when one of her brothers was hurt. While Megres seemed to be the only one who managed to calm her down when she was in those states of excessive rage.

She felt fortunate to meet her patient through the stories of her brothers, the adventures and follies they did as young ponies, the many occasions when they were forced to steal food from the markets, or the way they had ended up infiltrating the princesses' castle to get something to eat. They made her feel more empathy towards them, after all she really liked to meet other ponies, especially those who were in complicated situations and try to cheer them up. she could not deny that the more stories she heard, the more curious her patient generated.

She wondered how such a fickle mare was able to remain calm in risky situations and always put others before her own safety, to the point of ending up being the one who used to hurt herself the most, using as a pretext her ability to regenerate.

-She's always been very stubborn-, Siegfried told her. -She's always thought it's her responsibility to keep us safe, so she usually keeps her own problems to herself-, said the stallion, hitting his knees in frustration. Which took the nurse by surprise.

-Siegfried-, Alcor spoke, approaching him. Merak simply remained in place as he continued to pet his sister's mane.

-She's a fool. her mission was just to watch, she didn't have to play heroin-, the stallion continued as he held Epsilon's hoof among his own.

Alcor stood beside him by covering Siegfried with one of his wings while keeping his gaze fixed on the mare laying on the bed in that hospital room.

-Don't blame yourself Siegfried-, said the eldest of the brothers.

-It's like she doesn't trust us. She has done nothing but hide her own pain for years, knowing that we will always be there to support her, always preferring to fight on her own. She has always done what she wants! ALL SHE HAD TO DO WAS ASK US FOR HELP AND LOOK AT HER NOW!- he screamed in incessant tears.

-She also hid her illness from us!- added Merak quietly. -She knew she was dying and she never said a word to us-.

-Epsilon was the one who took us out of that place-. Alcor spoke. -It was she who rebelled against those ponies. It was thanks to her that we were able to get out of that hell– his tears accompanied those of his brothers.

-It was always she who got the worst-, Siegfried added.

-It was always she who had the most guts-, Merak said.

-She was the one with the least common sense-, Alcor tried to laugh as tears continued to flow from his eyes.

The sun began to descend to make way for the night, the reddened sky and the dim light of the star illuminated the room. A small stream of air entered through the window, the soft sound of the wind was perceived by one of her ears.

-Epsilon you have to go back-, Siegfried cried next to her, soaking her hoof with his warm tears. -Wehave not been able to rebuke you for hiding your illness from us-.

-You are our leader-, Merak said. -We still have a lot to learn from you and you from us-, he cried beside her.

-You can't leave us like that, sister-, Alcor sobbed. -We can't lose you too-, he dropped to the side of her bed.

The sound of crying caused the mare's ear to react once again, and it moved trying to locate the source. Sweetcare watched the scene touched by the siblings’ feelings, when she noticed Epsilon’s ears seemed to be wiggling in different directions. At first, Sweetcare believed that it had been her imagination, probably an effect of the movement of the Sun that slowly continued to descend, but a second movement confirmed her suspicions.

-Please...-, Siegfried said. -Don't abandon us...-, he cried heartbroken as the nurse approached incredulously at what she witnessed.

The lieutenant's crying continued until the gentle rubbing of a weakened hoof against his made him look up, the hoof he was holding between his owns slowly responded by closing around one of his forehooves.

-E-Epsilon?-, Siegfried's words attracted the eyes of Alcor and Merak.

-I-I can't...- the mare replied in a fainted voice as the sky darkened.

-Epsilon...-, said her siblings at the same time as they watched her regain some conscience.

Slowly she opened her eyes, the eye that had been damaged during the war focused on Siegfried, looking at her from behind a strand of hair, while her healthy eye, was totally uncovered showing its characteristic amber color.

Epsilon's badly wounded eye, however, slowly began to adopt a black sclera, which surrounded an iris that gradually acquired a silver-colored glow, very similar to the light produced by the Moon that rose high in the night sky.

-You’ll be lost without me-, Epsilon added, smiling at them.

The lights suddenly came on, preventing darkness from covering the room. Sweetcare looked in the direction of the extinguisher, where the princess of the night stood as she watched the scene with a sweet smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

-You're a fool, don't you have any idea how much you worried us?- Siegfried said, sobbing beside Epsilon.

Merak had both hooves in his mouth as his tears ran free down his cheeks. Alcor on the other side, just smiled at her sister, with tears of happiness on his face.

-I'm sorry-, Epsilon said exhaustedly.

-SILLY, SILLY, DUMB, YOU ARE A FOOL EPSILON-, Siegfried replied, releasing her hoof and dropping to her side soaking the sheets with his unstoppable tears.

-I'm sorry-, Epsilon repeated. Ignoring the pain in her body, she stretched out her forehoof and began to stroke her brother's mane to comfort him.

Sweetcare looked away from the emotional scene again to talk to the princess, but looking in the direction of the entrance of the room, the monarch of the night had already left.

The Moon was shining high, and millions of stars adorned the sky that night.

"Her life is now tied to the power of the night," said the voice in her head. "And therefore, Epsilon’s power will be stronger when the moon is in the sky," she added.

-Thank you for bringing her back-, the princess murmured as she walked through the halls, back to the old castle. She felt the presence of Nightmare beside her wrapping her once again in a hug.

"I am your best friend, and I will always be here for you, you can count on me always", replied that voice as if whispering in her ear.

-I know-, she said, stopping outside the hospital, her gaze fixed on her beautiful starry sky. -And I'm glad I have you by my side, Nightmare-, she added.

Some hours later:

Celestia was sitting in her study, on the desk stood the book of stories that Zephora had given her. Which was open in the story of the heroine of the kingdom of dreams. The story described in Zephora's book contained a very different version than the one she remembered. Which is why, at that time, the Princess of the Sun was engaged in another reading.

This time, the monarch held between her hooves a copy of a more recent version of the children's story book, which she had taken from the castle's library. The story about the heroine of the dream kingdom that was printed in this version of the book was much more similar to the one Celestia remembered. Because of this, the Princess of the Sun began to question why Zephora would have given her that old version of the book in particular, which, apparently, was not only much older, but also contained much more complete details about what happened.

The new version of the book told the story of Nighty, the heroine of the dream kingdom, who volunteered to face the demon of Envy and save the ponies that had been taken hostage in exchange for a payment that would be given to her by the king.

The demon's desire was to exchange the lives of the innocent, in exchange for the power and wealth possessed by the king. However, because the king was very greedy, he chose to send an army to take the demon by surprise while confronting Nighty, so that the army would rescue the kidnapped ponies and end the lives of the demon and Nighty in the process. That way, the king would have no debt to the heroin and would not be forced to pay her.

Unfortunately, upon learning of the king's ruse, the Envy Demon created a spell to trap everyone in his nightmares. Confident that he could twist the heroine's heart, The Demon told Nighty about the king's plans and offered her own freedom in exchange for the lives of the kingdom's inhabitants.

However, the Heroine refused to condemn the lives of others in order to save her own. Nighty refused the deal, but not before offering the devil a pact. In exchange for the freedom of the ponies, Nighty would be in charge of giving the demon fame and glory, not as a tyrant, but as the guardian of dreams. Witnessing the heroine's loyalty, the demon concluded that Nighty would not betray him and finally accepted the pact.

Thanks to their alliance, Nighty and the Envy Demon were recognized by the kingdom, whose kind-hearted inhabitants received the gift of being free from nightmares. While the miserly king, was trapped in an eternal nightmare to answer for his sins.

Celestia leaned back on the back of her seat after finishing analyzing the story. While it was true that the story she knew had a fairytale ending, in which, the hero redeemed her enemy to give him a better life. The truth was that Zephora's book contained a much darker version of the story.

The sun deity looked at the old book that remained on her desk, before deciding to continue reading. Maybe Zephora wanted to tell her something through those stories, and maybe in the differences between the two versions she could find the key she needed.

Author's Note

Here is a beautiful chapter with a great ending. What can I tell you, I just loved writing this chapter. Epsilon's encounter with Megres, and yes, she was the real Megres. And then her reunion with her brothers.

The next chapter will be more focused on a character that I've left out a bit, but I needed to finish this chapter before I got back to her side of the story.

In the same way I tell you that the first of the stories of the seven heroines has been added in this chapter.

At the moment it is all, see you in the next chapter and do not forget to live life as if it were your last day, always enjoy your loved ones to the fullest I am Halsenbert and with this I say goodbye ... ALLONS-Y

In memory of Victor Fidel Amado grandfather and mentor.

March/1938 - October/2018

In memory of Carolina López Beloved aunt and life's example.

May/1947 - February/2020