Author's Note

Any criticism is appreciated

14- There is someone who loves you

Slowly, I turned the pages, and for each one, I got more irritated. It was a newspaper, that useless means of communication was barely remembered, and if it was mostly remembered as a perfect example of the massive waste of materials without thinking about the pollution, or if it was

In this place, it seems to be the most reliable thing there is. I had never read one in my life, or at least not with real interest, but when I saw the cover of this one, I had to read it

There he was on the front page, the fucking cyan pony with the gayest hair I've ever seen. He broke the sound barrier!

…

What the fuck?!

They called it the sonic rainplosion, apparently that explosion was the day I left for Canterlot and from what is read here, it is said that it could be seen all over Equestria, and apparently it caused a great stir among the nobility, since many wonder if racial magic has been underestimated and if indeed spells are the strongest type of magic as they have always claimed

Anyway, it doesn't mean it's annoying, this girl attacked me just for walking down the street and seeing me differently. I know that not all of my country is like that, but at least where I lived, people wouldn't hesitate to kick you if someone did something like that, instead of encouraging it and starting to throw rocks at the victim if the victim fights back

I could see that the ponies were looking at me with fear and almost running away. I looked at the bench where she was sitting, and soon I noticed the charred boards, Shit!

Luckily, I have the habit of leaving things aside and not just leaving them in the pit, or I would have problems. I had to use my magic to get my canteen out of my saddlebags, where I quickly took a good sip. I felt its effect, but the flames did not they would cave in, so it took a little longer until they finally gave in

Once more quiet, I noticed that it was already getting dark, so I got up, threw the piece of burned paper in the trash, and started to continue on my way to the castle.

“btt”

And now that? I focused on my connection and could see Aspen rubbing the head of one of my wolves.

I hope this isn't a Hawthorn joke.

"It's not" I answered through the wolf. It was a trick I discovered recently, and it turns out that our connection was much stronger than I thought

"Was that really your heart?" He looked iffy, and I can't blame him. For some reason, my voice was distorted through the wolf, almost sounding masculine

“Yes, I am, did you want to talk about something? I'm a little busy"

"I'll be brief, you worried me in the village, you saw what he was building and immediately left, I didn't think you'd care so much that he'd use them like that." I felt a little guilty seeing his concern.

It doesn't bother me that he used them for construction, I had used them for much simpler or stupider things, like the time I wanted to make a skylight despite seeing perfectly in the dark or the time I sent them to steal Hawthorn's mattress and throw it away. To the river... with him inside, but what the wolves showed me that day surprised me a lot

My connection to the wolves was not only stronger than I thought, it was not a simple relationship of master and creation, they were literally a part of me.

Therefore, our connection went both ways, and apparently I wasn't the only one who could send signals through the hive mind, they too could, the only difference being that I had a conscience and they didn't

An example of what happens would be when I ask them to bring me an... apple. How the hell did they know what an apple was? Aren't they supposed to be hollow? The answer to that was simple, they took it out of me

These guys could get inside my head and pull out information just as easily or even more easily than I could, the mere thought of it was disturbing.

So when Aspen asked them to remodel a village without giving them any specifications, the wolves searched my head for what best suited the preferences of a species that lives in the forest and worships nature almost like a cult.

Of course, it had to be the elves

"-hat's why I won't use your creations for such banal acts again"

Damn, I missed it

"Don't worry, Aspen, I don't mind that you used them, I was just surprised, it seems that these guys have more abilities than I thought" I owed him an explanation, simple as it was. "And feel free to use them as you see fit," he trusted. That you will put them to good use" It seemed that I was going to say something else, but I was already reaching my destination "I'm sorry, Aspen, but I have to hang up, a bat fell on me bye"

"That? Bat? Hang? What do you want to sa-“ Cut

and the bat fell

"Hello, Spirit, the boys were starting to worry." I rolled my eyes at that.

"It was only two days." Waning Shadow, from whom I later learned that he was the captain of the night watch, became a casual sight.

"You know how they are" In each of my visits, those fools have tried quite viciously to ask me out, needless to say, most of the time they ended up

"Luna, I would love it" Her smile began to widen to a worrying point "But no" Wow, I never thought I would see someone deflate like that outside of Looney Tunes

"We've been doing the same thing for days, wouldn't you like to try something new?"

She thought about it for a few seconds, biting her lip, surely fighting against her desire to continue with the games.

"Excuse me, princess, but could I give you some advice?" After thinking about it for a second, she nodded and said “Why don't you take her to the gardens? They are always a good place to hang out”

"Certainly" Luna nodded "You're right, they're not far away, and this isn't the best place to have a conversation" Honestly I don't even care, what does worry me is the evil smile on Wining Shadow's face

"I don't care" I shrugged, and we continued on our way, I decided to ignore it for now and focus on Luna so as not to get lost in the corridors

And now that I think about it, she seems to give me funny looks from time to time, and I started to feel like the first time she came here, doubtful and wary of every shadow until we reached our destination.

Don't tell me that a wild Celestia is going to appear, right?

"Why are you looking at me like that? Something happens?" Finally, I can't take it anymore

She looked at me puzzled, did she think she hadn't noticed her? "No, not at all. I apologize if it bothers you, it was not my intention"

"Well... you did a bit, is something wrong?"

She seemed a little hesitant to reply. "It's just that it's not common for us to be spoken to so… freely."

Maybe she's right, I think I loosened up a lot with her, but it was quite reasonable to have done it.

Not only was she cute and easy on the eyes, but thanks to her, I can play video games again, so I basically owe her my life.

That, added to the fact that I found out that royalty in this world is not allowed to send you to the guillotine for looking at them badly, she made me lose all fear of them

“Do you want me to be more formal?” I asked for

"No! Ahem, it's refreshing to be able to hear what one really thinks"

"That's good because I doubted I could do something like that, to be honest, I no longer have a filter between my brain and my mouth" The truth was that I didn't even notice when I started talking to him like that the first time, but my attention diverted to the garden, more precisely an object that stood out for contrasting strongly with the entire design of the garden

"Speaking of being direct, I'll take the opportunity to tell you that I don't understand abstract art. I mean, what is this thing supposed to symbolize?" In front of my helmet was a statue of a being that seemed to be the lost brother of Frankenstein furry version "The... union of all races, or what?"

"This is Discord, the lord of chaos who once ruled all of Equestria with his tyranny, and... and... it's a valid thought, I've never stopped to see him as anything other than a defeated enemy" Wait, is he really taking Seriously, what did I say about art? I was joking, obviously I know who he is

I said I was bored with history, not that I wouldn't study it.

“Btt”

Great, now what?

“About earlier, he was serious, you know? I really like that, you're not afraid to speak your mind” I tried to listen to Luna as best I could, but my attention was on the drone and some of my bugs who saw something interesting in it, Garden? “It is not a common trait, and I appreciate it”

"Thank you" Where was this? It doesn't seem very far

"We like your company, we wouldn't mind if you decided to make your stay a little more... permanent" A blue firefly? "Closest"

My thoughts stopped when I felt a hoof caress my mane, which normally I wouldn't even care if it weren't for the fact that he kept walking up my back until he reached my flank.

"Luna, are you feeling alright?" I started to walk away from her in the direction of the bushes, something was not right. One look was enough, her pupils easy to see thanks to her big eyes were quite dilated and her breathing was heavy almost as if she had run a marathon

“I feel fine, but I think we could do something to make us feel even better.” The way she said it… okay, this is getting heated and it was only partly my fault.

“Btt”

The firefly shimmered again and seemed to point towards, MY? In the next second, I started to feel… strange, a kind of dizziness which increased together with a pressure in my chest, everything started to blur, with Luna getting closer to her and me cornered between her and the bushes

"Come closer, don't be afraid" I could feel his breath on my face, see his face a few centimeters from mine, which at this point no longer seemed strange in the least, so tempting... just let go, and I have to admit that if it were any other way I would not have doubted it

But I hate that they play with me

PUNCH

"AHHH" A loud cry of pain came from behind me, right at the place where I kicked, and the firefly was supposed to be.

Bonuses! I didn't think it would work, I read about invisibility spells, but seeing it is another thing

And the strange sensations left, suddenly, and I wasn't the only one, Luna seemed puzzled, then confused, then turned red as a tomato doing everything possible to avoid my gaze

Oh, how am I going to make her suffer with this later

Or so I thought until I saw her put on an expression of pure anger, oh no here it comes, I covered my ears as best I could “CADANCE”

The ground shook, and my ears started ringing, you really have to control that

“H-hello aunt.” It seemed that the corpse-to-be was a pink unicorn with… wings… Did I just kick royalty in the face?

Holy crap!

Luckily, one was wracked with rage and the other seemed too desperate looking for a method of survival to have realized that.

"I want an explanation" she thought her real voice was intimidating, but it seems she doesn't need it "And it must be good"

"I... well... wanted to help you"

“Humiliating myself in front of my guest? Is that considered help in these times?” I should have brought popcorn, this is going to be good

"Princess, wait!" A familiar voice caught our attention, it was Captain Wining shadow "This is also my fault!"

"Explain, both of you" Luna demanded

Cadance began "Well... you see, for a few days there has been a rumor that you've got a lover." Luna seemed to tense up and look at me with a certain embarrassment.

I stared back at him incredulously “Wait, you really didn't see this coming? I mean, I know we're nothing like that, but we've spent several nights together, we even slept in the same bed." Luna seemed desperate to find the right words as Cadance looked at us with a smile and Wining just gave me a wink.

"Th-that's irrelevant, go on!" It seems that Luna chose to change the subject

"I decided to verify these rumors with some members of the night watch"

"And that's how you got involved, correct?" I asked and the poor guy just nodded.

"And thanks to him, I found out that these were fake" Cadance admitted.

"Of course" Luna agreed with satisfaction.

"For now, at least" I could see a tic in Luna's eye, could it be a sister thing?

“We are trying to change that” Full Wining

“We just wanted to give them a little push”

"I don't see how the use of your love magic could be considered a simple push" Rebutted Luna

"Uh, what thing?" She had read about many weird types of magic, but this one takes the prize.

Noticing my confusion, she forced herself to calm down to explain things better. "Spirit, I present to you Cadance, the princess of love."

Noticing that they were talking about her, she immediately stood up to try a more dignified presentation.

I can't make it

It sounded ridiculous, but it made sense if you take into account that magic is driven by the emotions of its user.

What am I supposed to say to the royals that hits and that I'm technically trying to brainwash myself?

“Hello…” It was awkward “So… are you like cupid or what?” I tried to lighten the mood, but the three of them looked at me blankly.

I screwed up again, starting protocol of half-truths

"It's the spirit of love where I come from, their job basically consists of uniting couples" I explained

"Are there other beings capable of using love magic?!" The alicorn rosa seemed ecstatic as a child at Christmas

“Um, I think? I don't know, I never saw it, I only heard stories."

"I had never heard of anything like that" I look at the others for confirmation and Wining looked as confused as her, luckily Luna had no problem speaking for me

"Spirit is not from Equestria, she comes from a very distant and different land to the point that I wouldn't be surprised if the stories about this 'cupid' turned out to be true" He said with a smug smile as if he was talking about his home and not his. Someone else

Come to think of it I never showed her the bad stuff where I come from and almost everything else was fantasy, I'll have a chat with her later

"Okay, now that we're done with the introductions, let's get back to what's important." If Luna keeps bringing up the subject of my home, sooner or later someone will notice that something is wrong, I have to divert her attention with something irresistible

"Revenge!" I said firmly, and the ponies looked at me in horror, then they looked at Luna for salvation, but she seemed so in line with my idea that anyone would say that she had been waiting for it for a long time.

"Wait, wait, you already hit me, isn't that enough?!" she said as she nuzzled her puppy dog eyes and lowered her ears

Curse! Damn and cute ponies

"Yes, you're right" Luna said to my dismay "But you still owe me" And the growing fear of these two

Wining seemed resigned, ready to accept whatever punishment was bestowed upon him with honor.

Cadance, on the other hand

"Wait a bit, I was just trying to help you!"

"You already said that"

"Yes, but I think you forgot the conditions for this spell to work." She had no idea what these conditions were, but she looked quite confident.

As for Luna, it seemed that something had 'clicked' in her head.

"Excuse us for a second!" She cried out in alarm, almost using her real voice, as she grabbed Cadance by the mane and dragged her off her despite her complaints.

After a few seconds, I turned to talk to Wining "...so, don't you have any idea what these conditions might be?"

Wining just shrugged his shoulders "The magic of love is exclusive to Princess Cadance, so there are no books by her and even if there were, she would have no reason to read them"

He was right

"So... are you going to tell me what happened?" Asked

“We already told you that”

"Yes you did, but I wasn't talking about that" He looked at me confused until he finally seemed to understand what I meant, and he looked at me alarmed, and he must have been "Don't you think it's impolite to give a lady hopes?" I did my best acting trying to look hurt

Out of all the guards who had asked me out on a date, Wining was the only one who didn't decline… right away.

Sure, I didn't say yes, but I didn't say no either, which is a lot more than the others got.

"I thought you would at least give me one more day to make up my mind" Honestly I didn't even care, in fact, I didn't even know what to think, shouldn't he be the annoying one? It was me who almost made out with another pony

"I-I can explain it, but..." He seemed to get complicated, as if he didn't know what words to say.

"But?"

"I don't know how to say it without sounding bad"

“Just say it, I won't get mad” he looked skeptical, and I can't blame him, most of the time a woman says something like that it's usually a trap

“The truth is… we made a bet”

Okay, now I understand why women don't keep their word to him, I got mad

And enough

"Before you say anything, let me explain"

"Okay, I'm listening" I think he didn't believe me, maybe it was the flames

"You see, we are not well liked in this place." She swung her hoof in circles to point at the entire area.

"Thestrals normally live in nomadic tribes, preferably as far away from ponies as possible." I think I can imagine why. "Or at least mine did until the return of our princess."

"Luna?"

"Yes, she was always adored by our people, all the ancient histories of our race mention her leading our species from the beginning"

"Ok, I understand you admire her, skip it" He seemed a little offended, but a snort of my flames made him focus again

“When we came to her, it was a dream come true, she was everything the stories told and more- AUCH” I removed my burning helmet only to bring it ever so slowly right into her face.

"Okay, okay!" He rubbed the cheek that he had touched and continued with the explanation "The only problem was as always the ponies, especially the noble ones, in the city they saw us as savages, ready to attack at the first opportunity" I know that, I was always the lonely type, so it didn't bother me to be alone, but here people avoid you as if you were a leper, and although I want to deny it I must admit that I have felt quite bad about it

"How ugly did she get?" I couldn't help but ask, even though I knew we were getting off-topic again.

“Many of us were unfairly accused, they didn't even have to point at us, it was enough for a pony to scream for the guards to arrest us without caring if we had anything to do with what was happening, if it wasn't for our princess we would have had to fight our way through. To freedom through blood and then run away from Equestria” Shit, they really have it ugly, reminds me a bit of how people of African-American descent were treated in the past… and in some places today

"I understand you" I never experienced that level of discrimination until I got here, and I could see that it seemed to be the same with him, the pain in his eyes, I really don't know what his people had to go through, but I'm sure he experienced it first hand “Where I come from a lot of people went through something similar last century, and we are still dealing with it in some places, but we are learning, and it will be the same here just…give them time”

"Thank you, tartarus I got carried away without realizing it"

"Don't worry, but I would appreciate it if you would stop adding so much suspense to the story"

“Yeah, ahem, sorry” Haha, ponies are cute when they blush “After our… welcome, the princess offered us to stay in the castle”

"To all?"

“Something like that, he reinstated the night guard and formed it exclusively by thestral, as royal guards we obtained some authority, but no respect, even so, that's enough to live in relative tranquility as long as we stay in our assigned area and only go out at night we can live and serve our princess”

With his explanation, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them for what they had to go through, since I don't doubt that this was only a part, also a greater respect for Luna for taking care of her loyal servants and... hate, A LOT towards these imbeciles ponies

"The only problem is that our culture is more combative than that of normal ponies, so we are all proficient in combat, both mares and stallions." I stopped him there.

"Let me guess, relationships between co-workers are prohibited"

"Exact!" He jumped and almost yelled, he seemed desperate to talk about this. Well, he's captain of the guard, he wouldn't like it if he went against the orders of his superiors, so maybe if it was his first time

"I think I understand now why everyone was all over me"

"Yeah! I mean, no, don't think so low of yourself, you practically have a fan club among the guard members."

"Yes of course" I said in a neutral tone, not believing a word "And that's how this bet started?"

He started rubbing one of his front paws, looking embarrassed “We were playing and…” He looked around making sure no one heard us “A…reliable merchant brings us some contraband from time to time”

"So they were drunk, is that the summary?"

"Well, when you say it like that, you make it sound silly." That's because it was silly.

"You only held it out, so it would feel pity and not burn your tail, right?"

"Oh! Come on, it was 500 bits." I stopped short.

"How much?" I had to be sure

"Uh, 550? Perhaps the figure has gone up a lot since it started…everything” His face turned wary when he saw the way she was looking at him.

"My pretty, pretty purse, I mean, my friend." I started to move closer to him.

"Please stop looking at me like that"

"As well as?"

"High!" The pink alicorn desperately tried to free herself from the grip of her older "Not from the mane!" But she seemed impossible to free herself from her powerful grip, she seemed determined to pull out all his hair, but luckily she stopped before that, although she noted that her anger had not diminished in the least.

“Have you not had enough fun already? Are you not satisfied with manipulating us for your indecent games?” asked the lunar princess accusingly

"That? No! I just wanted to help them, you reacted to the spell and although it seemed to affect her less, she was also affected" For the young princess, no further explanations were needed, if two ponies felt something for the other they should be together, no matter what.

"That wasn't love, Cadance, even a foal would know the difference!" To older princess's bewilderment, Cadance only looked confused.

"What do you mean? I only used my love magic, it can't work if it's not that" She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but only then did she realize that no one had told her that, it was just something she and everyone assumed "TRUE?" I ask this doubtful time

"My sister really has neglected your teachings" Luna rubbed her hoof on her forehead in frustration, trying futilely to calm her growing frustration "No Cadance, alicorn magic is never that simple, our magic can have hidden characteristics or a broader concept of what do you think"

Seeing that she was still trying to understand what he meant, he decided to give her an example "About when I was a similar age to yours I began to investigate dreams for the first time, at that time I believed that I only had access to dreams by being in contact with direct with the pony that was manifesting them, I never thought it would work over long distances, much less that something like the world of dreams existed”

"You mean that I could have control over feelings other than love?" Cadance said incredulously, thinking of how many mistakes she could have made.

"Without a doubt, but how much I don't have the slightest idea" The eldest answered honestly

"But then, why did it affect you before?" Luna refused to answer that, she had already told her enough when that should be her sister's duty "Please, Aunt Luna, I need to know this, I don't want to end up affecting others wrongly"

Luna looked at her new family pleadingly, and unfortunately every second only made it harder for her to refuse, especially since she knew better than anyone how volatile alicorn magic can become when not handled carefully.

So, although with disgust, she agreed.

"Since my banishment I have been somewhat... alone, no, my loneliness began long before my banishment, for many years I had to endure isolation and loneliness only to end up in a much worse situation later." Cadance did not need her magic to know What feelings was your aunt experiencing now?

"So long, so many years that turned into centuries make you want a certain contact that, although not necessarily romantic, is quite... intimate"

Cadance didn't understand and tilted her head in confusion, Luna rolled her eyes and, with some embarrassment, slightly waved her skinny hair and her tail, hoping she would take the hint.

…

“Oh… ohhhh, I got it” Her fur brushing against hers changed to a deep red “But what are you thinking?! You are a princess, and you barely know her!”

"But if I can fall in love with her?" I ask with obvious sarcasm

“Yeah, I mean, no… it's, this is different!”

"It's not Cadance, it's simple, I've been very lonely, and I just wanted someone I could feel loved with, is that bad?"

"No, but aren't these things only supposed to be done with the pony you love?" Despite being the princess of love, she had very little experience in that area, she had barely had a single relationship in her entire life, and they hadn't gotten that far yet!

"Cadance you are still very young, so I understand that you think so, but everyone has the right to live as they please, especially with lives as long as ours, sooner or later, you will see that it is not a big deal, even Celestia has had one or the other companion from time to time”

"Don't joke Luna! I have never seen Celestia react to any pony, much less come to that" Yes, of course she would believe that, unfortunately with youth comes naivety in many cases, even so, Luna could not help but wonder how she would react if she knew that in her time Celestia she was the more promiscuous of the two, they were all young at some point after all

The minor decided to change the subject "Why her? I'm pretty sure you had other options” If that's what everyone would think, right? Not really, even a millennium later she couldn't help feeling that she had returned to where it all began, the ponies that she had to protect looked at her with fear, the guards that had to protect her looked at her with mistrust and the nobility that had to support her looked at her as if she were an intruder despite being in her own home

Her thestrals were the only exception to her, but they only saw her as a model, an image of the past that did not exist in the now, it was like going back to the past.

Everyone trying their best to evade and isolate her, whether they wanted to or not, looking at her as if she was a completely alien being, everyone

Except one

"It's complicated" she couldn't help but scratch a certain tickle on her chest while the memory of her invaded her again

"Roll, I command you, ROLL!" The mare kept pressing the button repeatedly with both her magic and her hoof, hoping that the damned device would work as ordered.

Her character finally rolled, perfectly dodging the spear bathed in golden streaks, a pity that it was not the case for the great club wielded by a giant

With a simple BAM, his life bar reached zero

"AFDUFCAN" Her stress level had surpassed the limited profanities of her language, leading her to the point of resorting to some of the most abhorrent dead languages that only she and her sister currently knew.

"BAM"

The remote went through the flat screen sticking right in the middle and turning the screen black

Curiously, this had not been the first time this had happened, in fact, it had been common behavior for the last few hours, since she was introduced to that hellish game 'Dark souls'

A full-blown abomination!

So difficult and unfair, with no indication of the way to begin with, unfair enemies, monsters so horrible and disgusting that they would make Grogar himself feel humiliated by his creations and beg to be the apprentice of the spawn that designed them.

So different, frustrating and unfair compared to the others he had been presented with so far, and for some reason beyond his comprehension it was the most addictive.

Because?! No idea

Slowly, she lay back with her eyes closed on this comfortable 'puff' as she told him it was called, she wasn't going to give up her game, but she needed to rest.

The dream world tended to mimic the real world as much as she could, and that included drawbacks to her like headaches or eye strain from this screen.

After a few minutes, she finally opened them, and it was not what she expected, she clearly remembered daylight and being in a castle in the mushroom kingdom

it wasn't like that anymore

He was outdoors in a meadow and the starry sky adorned his vision "it's not mine" was the first thing he thought, although it was impossible for him to memorize them perfectly, even so he slightly remembered all the constellations he had made and these were not even close none of his works

He spends a few more minutes admiring this landscape before addressing the person who caused it, sitting on a piece of log with a telescope observing and altering this fictional sky, his fur looked... well, the combination of his rust-colored orange mane and of course blue blended in so well with her night after all blue is the best color (Self Proclaimed)

"It's not usual for ponies to dream of my heaven, much less try to imitate it" his companion was agitated by the sudden call, she seemed to be concentrating

“I see you faced the dynamic duo, how are you doing?” The alicorn didn't see the funny thing, and it showed on her face "Haha, as expected, don't worry, it happens to all of us the first time"

"Just wait, my victory is inevitable" He said raising his helmet in defiance "But I admit that I could use a break" he had lost count of how many hours he had been there

"Yes, I understand you, my first time was almost the same." It didn't cost him anything to believe that.

Once again he contemplated the night sky, he felt strange not being the one who had control over the "That one there"

"That?" I ask his partner without understanding

She stepped closer to Spirit almost bumping her head against his and pointed again "That one over there, it would be better if you moved it right there, see?"

“Do you want to connect those two?” The rare kirin looked through the telescope and noticed the accidental constellation

It looked like a duck! A rather deformed and disproportionate one, but thanks to Luna now at least it could be understood

He had just made a 'copy and paste' with the sky that he remembered from home and altered it from there, he had plenty of time and in this place you could literally do whatever you wanted, why not revive old hobbies?

"I look great on you" admitted his partner

"As expected, this is my domain, after all" Spirit couldn't help but show some annoyance at bringing up that topic again, but she concealed it well.

Besides, he had to admit it if she looked like a goddess of the night.

"Tell me, since when do you observe my stars?" That was a difficult question, not because I didn't have the answer, but because it was weird.

"I... I don't know, sometimes in the afternoon I would stay for a minute or two looking at the landscape, I never gave it much importance, it's... strange to just stare without doing anything." her happiness, whether it was a minute or two that was all she asked, that they look at her work and see her beauty "But now that I think about it, maybe that's how my taste for the night began" The alicorn's ears perked up

"Is that so?"

"Yes" his partner let out a deep sigh, she looked down "A pity she wasn't fit for that"

"What do you mean?" I ask, this time quite puzzled

"That I wasn't enough, the number of requirements they asked for to be an astronomer were exaggerated, I'm not stupid, but it was obvious that they were above me," he admitted pessimistically.

“CRACK”

The kirin's attention on her task was forced to shift drastically when a hoof smashed into the ground with enough force to create a small crater.

“Who dares to forbid my night's study?! I will personally take you to the deepest chambers of Tartarus!" Almost using the real voice of Canterlot he proclaimed in anger

"What are you talking about?! Nobody forbade me anything!” The alicorn now was confused this time

"But you said..."

“I said it was complicated, the things they teach are too complicated for me”

"Like what?" Now it was Spirit's turn to look at her in confusion, she did not expect such a question from someone who claims to be the incarnation of night itself

“Something like… stellar astrophysics, quantum mechanics, astrostatistics… there were more, but I forgot them”

"I... I had never heard any of those terms" her partner was perplexed, Equestria she was so far behind mathematically? She had seen a lot of mathematics in the books she had read—books on… magic, oh

She read a considerable amount of magical books in the short time she was in this place, all of them had mathematical formulas, either for calculating magical expenditure, area of effect, duration time, among others.

She realized that the ponies were tragically focused on the study of magic, which is why they ended up ignoring important information.

"But what idiots" I don't hesitate to affirm despite having one of the most important members of their society right in front of them "So what are the requirements to be astronomers here?"

"Astronomy was not a widely practiced art in my time, and much less so now, I'm afraid." That was weird, not what she said, but how she said it.

"You almost make it sound like nothing more than a hobby"

The alicorn tried to find the right words, but she couldn't, Spirit was the first pony in a long time that she seemed to truly appreciate her night.

"Wait, are you serious? Is that what astronomy means to you?" She couldn't believe it, this was like a mockery of one of the things she wanted the most.

"I'm glad my night is more appreciated where you come from, but I'm afraid it's not like that here... not anymore" In the princess's voice, despite not changing her tone much, she easily expressed her pain.

"But you're not going to tell me that they treat it as a minor matter, are you?"

"No, not always. Once upon a time, ponies adored my sister and me equally, those were the good times... they didn't last" she fell silent, lost in thought

Spirit gave her a few minutes to think until she felt it was enough.

“It's still not an excuse, everyone should look at the stars and think about the possibilities, not just say 'wow that's cute'” she said with obvious mockery.

"Sounds like something wonderful" Luna sounded genuinely enthusiastic about the idea "But there's no use trying to convince them otherwise, it... won't end well, it's better to just accept things as they are" Her resigned tone only annoyed the mare more at her side

"Enough of this stupidity!" She liked Luna, a lot, but she had a terrible habit of putting herself down saying bad things about herself from time to time, she just couldn't understand how such a stubborn and proud person could think so low of herself "Why do you care?" so what do you think?

Although she was surprised by the brusque tone of her question, she just let it slide.

“Is it wrong to want to be appreciated? That your work be recognized?

"No, but..." He didn't know what to say, they were both right. On the one hand, he shouldn't care about the thoughts of others, but on the other, he had every right to want it "Oh to hell, follow me and see if that's how it turns out." it takes away the idiot!”

Luna really wasn't used to being addressed in such a way, of course, it was refreshing to speak with complete freedom, but she was still a princess, and she had to remind her or that had been her intention when she saw the big building.

For a second she mistook it for a fortress, but it wasn't hard, it wasn't as tall, and it lacked the natural intimidation that constructions of that type issued, but still the structure was easily discernible.

It was not a design she was familiar with, so she immediately realized that it must be from her companion's homeland.

It was T-shaped and had a dome at each end, the farthest being the largest.

"Are you going to stay there? Hurry up!" In the distance, right at the entrance of that building, she could see Spirit for a second before going into the depths of it, she decided to follow her, not that she had many options, Spirit had proven to be a layered apprentice in what As far as the world of dreams is concerned, and although he couldn't do anything to her directly, taking her from one place to another was child's play, letting him follow her was nothing more than mere courtesy.

With each step he took, the images became clearer, and the corridors were exquisitely decorated with a pleasant design

There were many corridors, enough to lose track of her guide, so possessed by curiosity, she decided to peek through one of the many doors.

Then I notice, not just the purpose of the room, but the whole building.

It was destined for the sky, more specifically the night sky, it was full of images of stars, planets she didn't recognize, nebulae and things she didn't even have a name for.

As fast as she could, possessed by curiosity, she rushed to the showcases and models hoping to see and learn everything.

Too bad it couldn't be that easy

Each sign or mark was in another language that she had never seen, not even seemed

This was as disappointing as it was strange, from what I had seen so far Spirit was one of those that unconsciously changed certain characteristics of the dream for its convenience and among these was the written language

But not here, was it involuntary? A coincidence? Or was there something he didn't want her to see? And if so, then why?

"I'm falling asleep... and that's weird if you think I already am!" The princess decided to cast off those thoughts to concentrate on her current task.

For now

"What is this place?" The room she entered was dark, devoid of any source of light.

Of course, as a princess of the night this was not a problem... normally, but again, this was a dream.

"What do you want to show me?"

As if she was expecting that, a loud sound invaded the room, it was not enough to worry her, but it was enough to make her alert.

Then she revealed herself, the roof opened and the starry night shone brightly on the figure of Spirit mounted on a cylindrical object... telescope, it was a telescope, the biggest she had ever seen

I had seen works similar in size in the past, but these were merely for show, well positioned crystals, a few spells to aid the eye, and they would all show the same, they were nothing more than simple attempts by the nobles to take their grace and that they just did the opposite

But this one, this one was different, without a striking shape, without pompous colors, it was a telescope purely made to fulfill her task without further ado.

But for her, that was exactly what gave her the most value, it was a real and dedicated effort to get as close as possible to her stars.

“Welcome to the Griffith Observatory, one of the best known observatories where I come from”

Many, MANY questions came to the mind of the alicorn in that instant, but one was first.

"One of them?" Her partner agreed.

"Yes, one of many, there are dozens of buildings similar to this one, fully equipped and dedicated solely to the investigation of the night sky"

She didn't know what to say, what was she supposed to say? Not even in her best moment did her subjects show such a degree of devotion or admiration for her night

"Because?" She finally said after a full minute

"Because we like it!" I affirm without hesitation

"That?"

“The ponies may be happy with how they live now, but we are not, where I come from, we like to know the reason why things happen, we like to solve those mysteries, we consider it a duty and, what is more mysterious than your night princess?

"But such a thing..." she had no words

"What happened? Don't you want admiration? Here you have it "If she took a moment to enjoy the sight of the princess's gawking face, she seemed amused" Now stop being so bitter, okay? Perhaps the ponies did not give you the devotion or respect you deserved, but don't worry because I assure you that there are countless beings, entire species, obsessed with this masterpiece that is your night, so please stop suffering without reason"

For a few moments the princess said nothing, she couldn't, she couldn't remember the last time someone other than her sister comforted her, but she did know something.

She was no longer sad, the knot she felt constantly pressing on her chest, ruining her happy moments and reminding her through her pain and bitterness of all her sorrows and mistakes.

She was gone

She knew that he would return sooner or later, the pains of the soul do not heal so easily, but at least for now, for this short moment, she no longer cared about her, and she would do what she could to enjoy it.

“Spirit”

"Yeah?" I ask, curious to know what his next question would be

"Will you be my friend?" Spirit's face changed showing some bewilderment... the pain returned, she regretted it, she should have been more subtle, she shouldn't have done it, she shouldn't have allowed herself to feel so much happine-

"Weren't we already?"

As her breathing returned to normal she looked back at her partner-no, her friend, she was her friend now, her first friend in a long time.

As the memory faded and the princess snapped back to reality, she became aware of Cadance touch on her shoulder.

"Auntie, is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's nothing, I just got lost in my thoughts for a second" she was ready to continue her conversation, but they were interrupted

"Girls! Are they around here?!” she was her friend

"Just here!" Cadance replied

A second later, Spirit appeared from the bushes.

"Oh, here, Luna, I just had an idea," she said with a sinister smile that gave Cadance the chills.

"And what could it be?" asked the older alicorn already knowing that expression quite well

"Why don't we invite them for a walk in my dreamscape and I give them the same welcome as you?"

A smile terribly similar to that of her friend's appeared on her face. "That time there was only one, there are two of them, let's increase the difficulty a bit to make sure they don't get bored, okay?"

"Hahaha, because of her position, only the best for the princess of love"

Both seemed to match perfectly worrying Cadance, but she was already resigning herself to her future, she decided to look at her cellmate and was surprised by what she saw.

Waning was the same pony as before, the same gait, the same neutral expression that every guard should have, but his eyes were empty and dull, as if she had surrendered to an inevitable sentence.

But what happened to her? She couldn't help but ask herself that question, but she didn't dare ask it out loud, she just resigned herself to whatever she had planned for them.

"Ok let's go!"

The four ponies set off except for one.

"Was that always there?" Luna wondered as she looked back out into the garden at the same statue that welcomed them when they arrived.

This one stood out quite a lot, not only because of its design, but also because of its material, it was obviously made of stone, while all the others were made of pure white marble, but none of that caught his attention, but the growing crack that ran along the torso of the statue

…

"Well, I'll report this to the gardening staff." Obviously, not for a second did she think that the one in front of her was the true lord of chaos. "However, what would my sister have done with the original?"

After all, no one in Equus would be foolish enough to leave the most powerful being ever seen simply lying around in the courtyard as a mere ornament, his sister obviously taking it away long ago and kept it in an area specially designated for it. Contain it and would also be off the hooves of anyone with nefarious intentions

"Luna, we are waiting for you!"

"I'm coming!" Well, later she would talk about it with her sister, after all Celestia was not stupid.

…

True?