Kramarenko saw the second and last dragon, beaten by the alicorns, descend. He didn't have long to live and spit fire. Distracted for a couple of moments, the pilot almost got an arrow in the chest. He was saved by a lilac magic bubble, about which the arrow just bounced to the side.

The battle was boiling everywhere, everything was mixed up, he could not immediately make out who helped him. Holding a bloody sword at the ready and examining all the unicorns nearby, the pilot still missed the moment when the familiar lavender pony hornwing appeared. She has undergone some changes since the last meeting, starting to look a little ominous.

You can't judge a book by its cover, the thought flashed through. But this 'book' is not credible.

The man prepared to shoot to kill at the first signs of hostility, fortunately he realized that there are those who can try on someone else's face like clothes. But pony didn't show any evil intentions.

"What do you want?" the pilot asked in an incredulous tone.

The purple bubble around them began to gain color, sometimes pulsating. Immersed in the semi-darkness and silence, the pilot did not take the barrel of the pistol off the target, ready to press it.

Suddenly, a dark purple mare fell on her front legs in front of the pilot, spreading her wings in a special bow. Her head was almost touching the ground, but her eyes were still looking at him.

"We are Twilight Eclipse-s, Princes of Equestria. I recognize you, sir, O Great Mass!" pony answered in Russian with a hiss and a strong accent in her voice.

Kramarenko looked at Twilight Eclipse in surprise, not believing his ears.

"How do you know my language?"

She giggled and answered with obvious pleasure, getting back to her feet:

"This is only a small part of my abilities, Messiah. If you allow me to become your patron and come under my wing, I will give you whatever you want!"

Her eulogies and enticement were not for nothing and the pilot understood that the fee for this would be disproportionately large.

"But in return?" the man raised an eyebrow.

"In return, you, Mass-siya, share your knowledge of the celestial, the Son of the Iron Bird!" the mare exclaimed with fire in her eyes.

After a little thought, the pilot expressed his decision:

"I think I will refuse such a generous offer, Twilight Eclipse. The knowledge of the Iron Birds must be kept secret. No one will receive them under any pretext."

This answer angered the lilac pony.

"Are you sure about this?"What is it?" she asked angrily, straining her muscles.

Having assessed the situation, the pilot nodded and added in an impassive, firm voice:

"Yes. This is my final verdict. And if you don't like something, I'll shoot you right here. My hand will not waver."

Twilight just laughed loudly and stupidly at the pilot's threats. There was something out of this world in her and the pilot wanted to find out.

"And what?" she snarled, "Will you kill me? And then what?"

"I will live," Kramarenko replied without a shadow of a smile, "Better tell me who you really are? I've met this mare before and I can clearly see your differences. Stop prevaricating"

"You can call me Eclipse-s or Darkness, as a few foolishly called me. But I'm not Darkness, oh no. I am something more perfect than stupid anger and bloodlust. During my life in the carrier, I share with-power and knowledge. I give them everything they crave."

"And you take the body." rudely interrupted the pilot praising himself Eclipse.

"There is such a thing," someone in the mare's body did not deny. "I like to feel the blood filling me, the storm of emotions and the desire of the bearer..."

"Having fun, then?" a man asked a rhetorical question.

Nodding affirmatively, she slowly, like a cat, approached the pilot, exposing her new body to be torn to pieces. She wasn't afraid of death and pain, it amused her. It was possible to find and subdue almost any pony.

Seeing the pilot's inaction, she continued:

"If the c-death of this shell doesn't mean much to you, then why don't you c-do it? Kill her and you'll get your freedom. It's not my desire to get a job, which means I have no complaints, Eclipse."

She lay down under the man's feet and turned over, exposing her unprotected stomach to be torn to pieces. If Kramarenko wanted to, he could do it with his bare hands.

"No."

She looked in fake surprise at the man who did not want to commit another murder.

"Your decision, Great Mass and Son of the Iron Bird, will still be rewarded. Love, power and wealth are waiting for you." Twilight Eclipse began to be crucified again.

"No," he said again.

"Then what?!" pony began to lose her temper with this behavior of the pilot.

"I want to make a deal with you. You leave this mare alone and become a part of me. I'm sure you've never been in the mind of the Son of the Iron Bird before."

Kramarenko's proposal genuinely interested Eclipse.

"Well, I'm true to my word and I only come to the one who wants it." the mare smiled slyly and stretched out her hoof.

Thrusting the sword into the ground and gripping the pony's limb tightly with white fingers, the pilot closed his eyes in humility. Something cold and hot at the same time went through the body and dug into the brain, pressing down with its invisible force. Gritting his teeth from the surging pain, the man on weak legs sat down on the ground covered with someone's scarlet blood. And after a couple of seconds, everything went quiet. Opening his eyes, Kramarenko saw a lavender pony unconscious. Her fur and mane were old colors.

Shield. The dome, which hid the two from the whole world, began to be covered with cracks. Bursting noiselessly, it brought back sunlight and sounds. Turning his head slowly, he noticed Tia and Wuna. Both immediately rushed into a strong embrace. They were saying something without stopping, large drops of tears were flowing down onto the chest of the pilot, who was suddenly tired of everything. Stroking their heads, he smiled at the burden of responsibility for an innocent death. Killing her was the easy way, but as they say: they don't look for easy ways. What will happen later will not happen now.

Having reassured the mares of their value and safety, Kramarenko examined the battlefield in more detail. The dead lay here and there, the wounded were picked up or bandaged right here. In the distance lay a dead dragon, killed by Tia and Vuna. The hilt of Tia's gilded halberd protruded from his skull. The attackers could be recognized only in the wounded and dead, the rest apparently fled with all their legs and paws. Vuna, sitting next to her, had a bandaged wound on her front leg, and her right wing was twisted at an unnatural angle. But she did not consider these injuries to be anything really important than the fate and health of her pilot. Tia, relatively, looked whole, only a couple of scars and scratches stood out on the white fur.

After sitting down and resting for a while, Kramarenko took off his chain mail and undershirt, revealing himself to the cool breeze that was walking on the steppe. The sun was sinking to the horizon. Everyone who could still move approached the man. Battered, they bowed before the two ponies and the pilot. Their loyalty to the MiGs, who were here a long time ago, not only did not fade, but also strengthened. Neither fear nor blind fanaticism led them after the Son of the Iron Bird, but love and respect. In response, the pilot also bowed his head in gratitude to them.

In the distance, under the soft rays of the Sun, a thick fog began to gather. The unusual phenomenon alarmed everyone except Kramarenko. Something told him about the end of his adventures in this world. Staggering, he stood up and straightened up. Holstering his pistol, he wanted to move towards the fog, towards his home, but stopped and looked at the pony. Vuna and Tia guessed about the last way and now looked at him with sadness. Wiping away her tears, the blue mare limped up to the pilot and kissed him goodbye. But Tia did not follow her sister's example and lay down on the ground, pointing at her back. Without refusing to give up one more help, the pilot sat on top of her. She, getting used to his weight, moved forward with a measured step.

After going the way she was supposed to, the white pony stopped next to a difficult thick fog. Dismounting from the mare, the pilot hugged her. During these couple of days, she and Vuna have become very close and dear to the hard human heart. After saying goodbye to her, he entered the fog.

The pilot walked along it for a short time and soon came out on the cold land of Korea. Somewhere in the hollow was a dilapidated village. Meeting a Korean man on the way in a hay cart, he shouted:

"Kim Il Sung Ho!"

"Kim Il Sung Ho."the peasant replied.

A couple of hours later, a search party arrived in the village and took Kramarenko to the base. The business trip to Korea ended and Captain Sergei Makarovich Kramarenko left for home, to the Soviet Union.

***

The Order of the Iron Bird remained under the guidance of the wise sisters of the Alicorns. After Sunrise left, they collected the remains of the Iron Bird and buried it on the very field where the battle took place. The dead followers of the Order also lay there, next to the Celestial Empire.

Twilight walked aloof for a long time, her memories were clear, she remembered everything to the last detail. The Mission that saved her left before she woke up. The mystery of the ancient holiday has remained unsolved. Only her former mentor knew about something else, but she always skillfully translated the conversation with a sly smile.

The moon, dreaming of her own son, looked at the sky for a long time. The wound in his soul was healing, and the thought that he was back where he belonged warmed his heart. Even time will not have power over her dear memories of him.

***

After returning home, Kramarenko thought about his adventures for a long time. He did not even think about the fictitiousness of the fairy-tale world. Eclipse, who made a deal with him, lost — there was no magic in the world of people from the word at all and she just went into hibernation until better times. But not only the memories of the pony remained, but also the medallion with the Moon symbol presented by Vuna evoked warm memories, bypassing the heavy ones.

"The two worlds are so different, but love and friendship are the same." the pilot said with a grin and smiled sincerely.

Author's Note

That's it - the end